Girl Scout Cookies Getting Better For Planet

Category : Animals, Environment, Food & Beverages

Alamy

I’m so happy to see that Girl Scouts USA are finally giving in and making an effort to change the palm oil they use in their cookies.  I don’t purchase the cookies anymore since I’m vegan but I was a Girl Scout and LOVED selling the cookies.  I event did it the old-school way and knocked on every door in the neighborhood – always selling over 100 boxes each year.

I had heard awhile back that they were using non-sustainable palm oil in their cookies but didn’t know the entire story until now.  A Time article told me all about the two young women (from Michigan of all places – my home state) who have spent the last few years standing up to the national organization to push them to switch to a sustainable palm oil or to find a substitute ingredient.  It sounds like they’re finally getting somewhere!  Read the article here…

Go Veg & Save The Planet!

Category : Animals, Environment, Food & Beverages

I was reading the recent Mercy For Animals Newsletter and found there is yet another study which points at animal agriculture for ruining our planet.  Nathan Runkle posted the following…

And now, researchers at Canada’s Dalhousie University have concluded that, based on current trends, raising animals for food will push the world near danger levels for global climate change and habitat destruction by the year 2050. The article entitled “Forecasting potential global environmental costs of livestock production 2000-2050” found that, due to population expansion, per capita meat consumption will have to be reduced by as much as 42% by 2050 just to keep environmental damage caused by animal agriculture at current levels.

According to a studyreleased in April 2008, if per capita meat consumption were reduced to mid-20th century levels, the costs of climate change could be reduced by 50%.

want to read more?

Whatever you can do to change your diet will definitely make an impact over time.  If you couldn’t imagine going veg “cold turkey” then take  it one step at a time – you don’t even have to have vegetarianism or veganism as your end goal – that may be too far off for many – just try adjusting your diet with baby steps.  You could…partake in Meatless Mondays, be vegetarian/vegan until 6pm, eat veg on the weekdays and have weekends be your meat days….or just simply make a conscious effort to eat less meat, eggs and dairy whenever its convenient for you :)

Soap Suds for Clean The World

Category : Environment, International

Clean The World

I just came across a super cool organization.  Clean The World take donations of partially used soap bars – mostly from hotels but also from individuals – sanitizes it, melts it and remolds it and then gives it to people in impoverished countries around the world and domestic homeless shelters.  This organization is not only keep unused soap out of waterways and landfills but they’re providing a much needed item to those who need it the most.

Check out all these great hotels who are currently participating in the program!

Do you want to donate your old soap pieces to help others?

Send them to…

Clean the World
8026 Sunport Drive, Suite #306
Orlando, FL 32809

5 Reasons To Skip Milk

Category : Environment, Health

…other than the obivous:  it’s a drain on our environment!…

Click on Mr. Cow to find out!

Copenhagen Hotel Pays Guests to Generate Electricity by Biking

Category : Environment, Travel

I just found this on inhabitat and think it’s the coolest thing.  It might be a little odd to take 15 minutes out of your day to do this but if you don’t mind what the hotel restaurant has to offer it’s not a bad deal!

Crowne Plaza, Copenhagen, Copenhagen Crowne Plaza, generators, using bikes for electricity, stationary bikes, iPhones, biking for electricity

Scoring free stuff at nice hotels is a rare occurence (hello, $10 bag of mini-bar peanuts!), so when a classy establishment like the Crowne Plaza pays guests to embrace green energy, we get a little bit excited. The chain’s Copenhagen hotel offers guests free meals for pedaling stationary bicycles to power generators.

Crowne Plaza’s stationary bicycles are hooked up to generators, which provide electricity for the hotel. Guests staying there can receive a $36 meal voucher if they produce 10 watt-hours of electricity, which typically takes about 15 minutes of pedaling. iPhones attached to the bikes’ handlebars display power generation as it’s occurring. Crowne Plaza execs hope the offer will lessen the hotel’s carbon footprint and incentivize fitness for guests.

The fraction of the hotel’s energy generated by biking is probably pretty small, but the concept is quite novel. If all stationary bikes could be hooked up to generators like Crowne Plaza’s, think about how much carbon-free energy could be generated in places like gyms, hotels and college campuses.

Happy Earth Day!

Category : Environment

I’ve always loved Earth Day – ever since I was a little girl.  As a child it typically meant some type of activity at the state park and to make it even more exciting…Earth Day is my Half Birthday!  woo hoo! silly – yes, but that’s just me :)

I really should have something special planned today in celebration, but I don’t.  I suppose now I try to make every day Earth Day so when the actual day comes I continue on as usual.  Do you have any big plans for today?  Any fun memories from Earth Day as a child?

Clean Energy & Our Climate

Category : Animals, Environment

I received an email the other day from the Humane Society which was originally from the League of Conservation Voters.  The climate crisis affects humans, animals, plant life, our water, etc.  Please reach out to your senators to urge them to pass legislation for clean energy NOW rather than later.

As you know, polar bears and other creatures are facing serious survival challenges.

Erratic weather conditions. Hurricanes. Melting ice caps. Habitats and ecosystems have been irreversibly and catastrophically altered — scattering vulnerable communities and pushing endangered species to the edge of extinction. Climate change is already having a devastating impact around the globe.

The Senate is about to resume the debate on clean energy and climate change legislation that could literally determine the fate of our planet and the potential for a clean energy economy.

Will you contact your Senators today and urge them to support clean energy and climate legislation?

In June, the members of the House showed they were ready to seriously address climate change – but it is far from a done deal. Our victory in the House has our opponents on the offensive, spending tens of millions to roadblock the Senate bill. We must not let dirty polluters get in the way of our clean energy future.

Click here to ask your Senators to vote YES for a clean energy economy and for the protection of endangered animals around the globe.

As you know, this is a critical moment in the fight to pass comprehensive clean energy and climate legislation in the Senate. Our margin of victory was extremely close in the House, and will come down to just a few votes in the Senate as well.

Corporate polluters are doing everything in their power to sabotage efforts to transition to a clean energy economy because they claim it threatens their bottom line. Last year, these polluters spent a record $154 million lobbying Congress. They’ve launched an unprecedented smear campaign to defeat comprehensive climate legislation and protect their profits.

This is why it is so critical that Senators hear from their constituents who support jump-starting a clean energy economy that cuts global warming pollution. Will you add your voice today?

Send a message right away to your Senators asking for their support of a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill.

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