Monday, April 28, 2008

It's Been a Bad Few Weeks For Seafood Lovers - EcoSmart News Clips

Be Smart. Buy Smart. Know Your Choices!



The Office of Environmental Education's Informed Consumer Initiative seeks to highlight some of the issues surrounding our consumer choices. The information and resources provided are not meant to advocate for any particular choice, but rather to let folks know what choices are out there and the costs and benefits associated with them.



Topics covered include: Food, Lawn & Garden, Energy, Water, Waste, Household Products, Personal Products, Product Distribution, Green Development, Recreation and Global Climate. On our Web site, current new articles relevant to North Carolina are posted so that you can continue to be an Informed Consumer! Click on each topic area to get to the articles.



  • News stories are bulleted

==> Resources are marked with an arrow



Consumer news articles posted in the past several weeks include:

Water



  • Cistern In Park Saves Water For City Flowers and Plants

  • Roll Out the Barrel In Time for Rain

  • State Awaits Federal Study On Drugs In Water

  • Homeowners Association Wants Additional Rain Barrels To Roll Away

  • Saving Water the Low-Tech Way

  • Rain Barrels Prove Functional and Beautiful

  • Recent NC Rains Ease Drought, But Experts Still Concerned

  • US Water Pipelines Are Breaking

  • Water Bottlers Face Growing Opposition

  • Expert: Harvesting Rainwater Critical In Drought



Personal


  • Plastic May Be Bad For Health

  • Plastics Additive Raises Safety Fears

  • CDC: Americans Carry 'Body Burden' of Toxic Sunscreen Chemical

  • Feds Not Addressing Drugs In Water

  • Canada First To Label Bisphenol A As Officially Dangerous

  • Bottle Maker To Stop Using Plastic Linked to Health Concerns

  • High Chemical Levels Found In Dogs and Cats

  • U.S. Cites Fears On Chemicals In Plastics

  • Studies On Chemical In Plastics Questioned

  • Plastic-Bottle Scare Is a Boon For Some

Food



  • State (of Virginia) OKs Plan For Asian Oysters

  • Pollution Complicates Advice On Fish

  • Council Approves Salmon Fishing Ban

  • Maple Hill Couple Rewarded For Farming Technique

  • California Winery Brings Green Ideas to This Year's Street Fair

  • Maryland, Virginia Blue Crab Harvest to be Cut 34%

  • Amid Crab Crunch, Legislators Push For State of Emergency

  • Want to Reduce Your Food-Related Carbon Footprint? What You Eat Is More Important

  • Than Where It Came From

  • Fuel Prices, Regulations Affecting Seafood Landings



Global


  • Western Antarctic Ice Chunk Collapses

  • Global Warming Rushes Timing of Spring

  • States Suing EPA Over Global Warming

  • Scientist Denies Global Warming-Hurricane Link

  • Unfrozen Arctic Unwatched

  • Expert: Warming Means More Algae

  • Poor Left Out of Environmental Loop

  • Health Damage From Climate Change Has Already Started

  • Hunters Worry About Global Warming

  • Climate Expert Says He Underestimated Threat

  • Pine Beetles May Affect Climate Change

  • Watch for Climate Flaws In Fixes, Experts Warn



Energy


  • Salt Could Shake Up World Energy Supply

  • Drought Fuels Concerns About Ethanol Plant

  • Credit Woes Afflict N.C. Biofuel Plans

  • Changing Road Design Can Save Gas

  • Fueled By Opportunities: Triad Has Key Roles In State's Drive For Alternative Fuels

  • Spring Auto Fair Throws 'Green' Innovations In With Classic Works

  • New Lightbulbs Up Energy Efficiency But Contain Mercury

  • Rentals Will Sip Energy

  • Trash Is No Place For Fluorescent

  • Big Decision: How Much Corn To Plant

  • Waste Not, Want Not? Researcher's Work Could Yield Alternative Fuel

  • Aviation First: Plane Flies On Hydrogen, Fuel Cells

  • Solid State Steps Out of the Shadows

  • Inflation Spurs Biofuel Backlash

  • WSTA Considers Hybrids Again

  • Expert: Counties Need Wind Power Rules

  • Crumbling Coal Power: Anticipated Federal Curbs On Emissions Signal Change

  • Getting Wind of Proposed Turbine Rules

  • Going Solar Without Breaking Budgets

  • Ethanol Plane Will Add Bit of Green to Weekend Air Show

  • Biofuels Center To Distribute $2.55M

  • Fibrowatt To Harvest Chicken Scat

  • Pain At the Pump

  • Compact Fluorescent Bulbs Are Getting the Green Light

  • Government to Release Proposed Fuel Economy Rules

  • DC To Launch Nation's First European-Style Bike Share

  • State Clears Coastal Wind Farm

  • Kids, Marines Help Out the Planet



Recreation


  • All American Trail A Place to Explore Naturally

  • Go Outside and Play: Picking the Park For You

  • Paddlers Take to the River In Preparation for April Event

  • Serenity Beckons At Nature Preserve

  • Birders Migrate to the Sandhills

  • Land Trust Leads Yadkin Excursion to Connect People With the River

  • Bicyclist Finds His Route



Green Development


  • Parking Lot Is Big...Big and Eco-Friendly

  • In 25 Years, County's Green Could Disappear

  • Biowheels Goes Green In Bike Store Renovation

  • New Complex Reuses Rubble

  • Washington DC Home to First 'Green' Stadium In U.S.

  • Past Is Prologue

  • In Search of Investors, Builders Go Green

  • Group Wants To Make Green Profitable

  • Enterprise Opens 'Green' Branches

  • Charlotte-Area Companies Honored for Green Practices

  • New Blue Cross Building Is Going Green

  • Green Design: Family Services Is Moving Into Its Environmentally Responsible Office Building

  • On Earth Day, L.A. Passes a 'Green' Building Law to Clean the Air

  • Lodgers Look to Walk the Eco-Talk

  • What's Green In New York City



Waste


  • Efforts To Stop Junk Mail Slowed

  • In World's Dumps, Help For Warming

  • Recycling Rises At Bars, Eateries Under New Law

  • Ban On Garbage Disposals Is Fizzling

  • Primo Goes National, Green

  • Paper or Plastic? No Thanks, I Brought My Own From Home

  • Plastic Grocery Bags Raise Environmental Issues

==> Battle of the Bags - Check out this MSNBC in depth look at the age-old question of
paper vs. plastic!





Where Did You Get That?


  • Local Farmers and Shoppers Reaping Benefits From CSAs

  • Eating Healthy Getting Pricey



Lawn & Garden


  • Backyard Stewards

  • Cary to Pay Owners of Drought-Tolerant Grass

  • Bounty of Garden Lessons To Be Shared

  • 5 Tips For Drought-Smart Gardening

  • Ontario To Ban Sale, Use of Garden Pesticides

  • Plant Sale Focuses On Water Conservation

  • Greener Than Grass: Beautiful Yards Don't Need Lawns

==> Going Native: Urban Landscaping For Wildlife With Native Plants





House

==> HealthyCar - Find out which cars and car seats are low in potential hazards





General


  • Is Earth Day the New Christmas?

  • 'Green' Overload On Eve of Earth Day

  • Marketers, Not Consumers, Need Environmental Education

==> GreenYour

==> SustainLane

==> Responsible Shopper from Co-op America

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

On the highway of green...

Check out SustainLane, an online green directory where you can find reviews of new green products and businesses. Sign up and contribute your opinions and ideas on green products that you have tried. You can even search by location for local green listings. It's all at SustainLane!

Friday, April 11, 2008

GreenYour...

Green your what? Green your whatever! It's up to you to fill in the blank. GreenYour is an interactive resource that provides carefully researched facts, tips, and product information on loads of topics. Writers and researchers collaborate to provide you with lots of helpful, quality information from greening your cleaning to greening your travel. Organizations and individuals with environmental backgrounds are invited to contribute their expertise. GreenYour does not accept any money from manufacturers or retailers. So, check out GreenYour and decide what you want to green. You can green your garden, your dog even your baby. You cannot, however (as I suspected) green your mother.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

My Beer's In Trouble?...Now I Care About Global Climate Change!

Jim Salinger, a climate scientist with New Zealand's National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, recently shared some bad news with attendees at the Brewing and Distilling Convention. It turns out that global climate change will likely reduce the amount of malting barley that can be grown in New Zealand and Australia. This could mean more expensive beer or no beer at all, and these changes will likely occur within the next 30 years. Salinger only spoke about New Zealand and Australia, but similar changes could happen worldwide. This is the kind of climate research I can see researchers jumping on. You could be the one who saved the world one beer at a time.