begreen's story links

With the Olympics arriving in Beijing they have brought with them some strong environmental initiatives that will help keep a tradition of minimizing the carbon footprint of the games. According the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) solar power is being used to light the Olympic Village and the National Stadium, along with lawns, courtyards, and streets at several other venues.

Everyone has heard that children absorb information, languages, routines, and habits at a very high level. Most adults can attribute a good portion of their lifestyle to their early years and what they were exposed to at that time. By making kids aware of their carbon footprint, and teaching them about green healthy living and biodiversity, we can help raise a generation of environmentally sensitive people.

Mercedes Benz has announced that in seven years they will no longer be selling any petroleum-powered vehicles. This is the first announcement of its kind and a bold statement that I hope will be followed up by most other automobile manufactures at some point. The reduction in their corporate carbon footprint associated with such a change is substantial.

Many of us live a green life at home. Recycling, composting, and conserving energy (turning the lights off, unplugging unused electrical devices) but as soon as we get into our car and leave for the office we tend to let our green tendencies slide. Our carbon footprint just for driving to and from the office for one year can average 5 metric tons of co2 emissions.

One easy way for people to reduce their carbon footprint for their travels is to travel by train. According to the Environmental Defense Fund, traveling by rail produces nearly half the global warming pollution as compared to flying.  In addition, traveling by train takes the traveler through some of the most scenic parts of the countryside.

Online Tool Allows Architects and Builders to Easily Calculate and Purchase Renewable Energy Credits to Gain Points for Achieving LEED Certification.

Having a green wedding is not only good for your carbon footprint, it is also a great way to raise awareness to your guests that they can go “green” and still have a wonderful celebration all around. Here are ten easy tips for making your wedding a greener event.

A recent study, Doing Well By Doing Good? Green Office Buildings, has shown that green buildings are paying off big, and not just by the carbon offsets measurement. They have higher occupancies rates, primarily due to the higher quality materials and architecture that has gone into making them, which is making them a profitable option for all sectors of development.

Despite the obvious negative impacts to a person carbon footprint, keeping a lush green lawn is what most people are familiar with so they can’t imagine transforming their yards into a native habitat with low-lying plants or better yet crops. The next best thing that people can do is pick up a reel mower.

Forest Conservation helps reduce greenhouse emissions, preserve biodiversity, and improves rural livelihoods, and one of the best ways for consumers to help fund these projects is by purchasing carbon offsets.

We've all seen the pictures of polar bears clinging to tiny ice chunks in the Arctic Ocean.  Most people, scientists and laypersons alike, can connect the dots between melting ice caps and global warming.  The U.S. Department of Interior finally made the connection when it classified the polar bear as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.   It's the first time any species has been explicitly protected as a result of climate change habitat destruction.

The Department of Energy recently released a study claiming that wind power could make up as much as 20% of our nation’s electricity portfolio by 2030.  Given that wind only account for about 1% of our power sources today, that would be a huge increase.  More wind power means fewer fossil fuels and fewer harmful carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere.

A recent survey of U.S. consumers showed that spending on eco-friendly products will double over the next year. With this increase in spending, marketers are going to continue to push for a “green” image for their brands, but the truth behind many of these products may not be what it seems.

National Geographic ranked the consumers of several nations of the world with their “Consumer Greendex” and not surprisingly enough the United States was ranked dead last with a 45 out of 100. Leading the pack were the consumers of Brazil and India with a rank of 60.

BeGreen, the carbon offset division of Green Mountain Energy Company, and Global Executive, conference and events logistics management company, announced a partnership Tuesday that gives conference participants and organizers the opportunity to offset the carbon emissions generated by attending organized business events.

It’s no secret anymore that global warming is for real. A collective response is starting to emerge in its shadow and buzz words like carbon footprint, renewable energy, and reforestation are being absorbed at an elementary level. There are two key actions that consumers can take to help stop global warming in its tracks.

According to the National Transportation Operations Coalition, optimizing the nation’s 300,000 traffic lights would cut CO2 emissions from vehicles by 20%. This has the potential to have a huge positive impact on our collective carbon footprint, not to mention that road congestion and traffic accidents would be greatly reduced.