I love to come up with creative Do It Yourself (DIY’s) ideas to solve issues, and this one is not only environmentally friendly, but it is also beautiful and beneficial! How we landscape can solve a lot of problems with storm water runoff and drainage, helping to recharge aquafirs, filter toxins and generally reduce pollution of our waterways and oceans. …
Sunscreen and the Environment – Coral Reef Damage
With more and more doctors and experts telling us to slather on a shotglass of sunscreen every two hours when at the beach to protect our skin, one must wonder, how much gets washed off in the ocean, and what is it doing to the environment? Plenty as it turns out. There has been major damage to coral reefs (many …
All Natural Organic Mattresses
There has been a bit of an explosion of natural and organic mattress retailers, many of them have been in business for years in Europe and are just now popping up state-side. Conventional mattresses these days are made with an array of materials and chemicals, especially the popular memory foam mattresses. Unfortunately many of the mattress producers are also required …
The High Line Park Redevelopment – New York City
A perfect example of green re-purposing- turning an aging and abandoned elevated railway into a public greenspace. The High Line Park in New York city is probably my favorite urban walkway (with Seattle’s SAM Sculpture Park not far behind) with it’s architectural elements, art displays, and multi-use abilities. Originally opened in 1934 to reduce the on-street crossing accidents and deaths, …
Water Saving Shower Heads by Oxygenics
I am sure everyone has been frustrated with water saving shower heads at one time or another. You know, the ones you struggle just to get wet under, or just feel like a mist, leaving you longing for the full stream water wasters that your drain couldn’t keep up with. Luckily those days are over and good engineering has resulted …
The Two Wheeled Drive – Project Bike Trip – May 2012
What: Project Bike Trip’s Two Wheeled Drive Where: Everywhere! Sign up here When: Starting May 1st through the 31st, 2012 Why: To raise money and awareness (+$12,000 in prizes!) The Two Wheeled Drive is a drive to get more people commuting by bicycle more often by challenging folks to choose two wheels over four while raising awareness and funds for …
African Rainforest Conservancy Benefit – 2012 Artists for Africa
I am very excited to be covering the African Rainforest Conservancy’s 21st annual Artists for Africa Benefit in a few weeks for The Chic Ecologist. Honoring Kris and Doug Tompkins and in support of the conservation of Tanzania’s Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests, this year’s benefit will also feature the naming of a newly discovered frog. This frog, discovered …
Sustainable Grow Your Own Mushroom Kits – Back to the Roots
A pair of green entrepreneurs have come up with a great easy kit to grow your own fresh sustainable mushrooms at home. Alejandro Velez and Nikhil Arora came up with the idea during their last semester at UC Berkeley and turned it into a full fledged sucessfull sustainable business: Back to the Roots. Using the recycled coffee grounds from Peet’s …
Pure Clear Glass Water Bottles
Speaking of wasting water, why not conserve it in a nice clean glass container? Pure has come out with a shatterproof completely clear solution to glass water bottles. They were nice enough to send me their 520ml Traveler bottle to try out and it quickly has become my waterbottle of choice. The outer coating is BPA free and gives the …
Water Awareness – World Water Day, March 22nd
The folks over at The Nature Conservancy have a great dialogue going on right now promoting the awareness of water usage through their 20 Days of H20 Campaign. You can tweet or re-tweet your favorite ways to save water, or learn new ones through the tips they add each day up until the 22nd of March. Curious how much water …