Topic: climate change

Morning Links: New GMO Jalepenos Bred to Hold More Cheese

Morning Links: New GMO Jalepenos Bred to Hold More Cheese

Magical Running – We can’t guarantee you a runner’s high, but some swear by the magic of mantras to keep them going (even in this weather). (Runner’s World)

When GMOs Go Too Far – This new jalepeno was bred specifically to hold more cheese. Need we say more? (GOOD)

Global Warming Debates – If your family rolls their eyes every time every time you say “climate change,” here’s what makes them such skeptics. (Nature) More »

Why It’s Wrong to Decorate a Christmas Tree

Why It's Wrong to Decorate a Christmas Tree

This story begins with my killing several of my Facebook friendships last holiday season. In one of my “let’s fix the world we’ve ruined” moments, I updated my FB status thusly: “So let me get this straight. We celebrate the supposed virgin birth of Jesus by cutting down a tree, only to throw it out a couple weeks later? Maybe this year we try decorating a cactus instead, or a chair, or a bike?”

Subtle, right? But I forgot: You can’t mess with people’s unquestioned rituals and traditions. The crazies came out of the firewall calling me a Scrooge, wishing me a Merry Christmas, fa la la la la, dripping with sarcasm, and accusing me of self-righteous over-stepping. One woman actually told me to “drown my cats” because their food probably comes in paper bags (i.e. from trees). Needless to say, those people are no longer my Facebook friends. Fa la la la la — whatever.

The truth is we live in a world where there are too many of us humans using too much of what we call our “resources” (the earth) too fast. More »

I’ve been saving and freezing my scraps for a week now, and I’ve already noticed that my kitchen trash can is much lighter – and less fragrant. I can’t lie: I’ve forgotten my lofty plan for eco-living a few times. (Must. Not. Scrape. Plates. Into. Trash. Can.) But soon I’ll be heading to the community composting pile, where I’ll get to commune with urban hippie-types and take home some of their nutrient-packed soil. Now, if only I had somewhere to use it.

I’ve been saving and freezing my scraps for a week now, and I’ve already noticed that my kitchen trash can is much lighter – and less fragrant. I can’t lie: I’ve forgotten my lofty plan for eco-living a few times. (Must. Not. Scrape. Plates. Into. Trash. Can.) But soon I’ll be heading to the community composting pile, where I’ll get to commune with urban hippie-types and take home some of their nutrient-packed soil. Now, if only I had somewhere to use it.

– Blisstree Associate Editor Caroline Sloan on the challenges of eco-consciously trying to reduce, reuse, and recycle within the confines of a tiny city apartment, from her post: Composting Without a Yard? Eco-Friendly Living for Lazy Urbanites (Part 1)

It’s 10/10/10: Are You at a “Global Work Party”?

It's 10/10/10: Are You at a "Global Work Party"?

A very happy 10/10/10 to you. It’s still not too late to join Bill McKibben and 350.org (plus 7,347 groups in 188 countries around the world) and do something positive to help prevent global warming in your local community. Pick up trash, plant trees, work on an organic garden, help install solar panels, start composting – even taking a bike ride counts! (That one’s totally our speed.) More »