On Wednesday, a group of green building leaders, including architects, engineers, builders, planners, contractors and building owners will advocate for climate change legislation on Capitol Hill.

“As the built environment accounts for 40 percent of global carbon emissions, the green building movement has an unprecedented opportunity to make a major contribution to both national and international carbon reduction targets,” said Rick Fedrizzi, President, CEO and Founding Chairman of the U.S. Green Building Council.

With World Green Building Day, it’s a good time to think about LEED for homes. If you’re building a home in the future or renovating an existing one, ask your architect about it.

With the LEED rating system, you can end up with a high-performance home that not only saves you money in the long run, but uses fewer natural resources and is more comfortable to live in! Not to mention, there’s much less waste with a LEED-certified home.

To learn more about LEED certification, visit the US Green Building Council’s website, The Green Home Guide.

(Image via flickr/Udall Legacy)

Post from: Blisstree

First World Green Building Day

Image: sxc.hu

Do we have the correct data or simply what politicians and those making money from the big industry of environmental and global warming wants us to know?  Are scientists, who present data that disproves the theory of global warming (and this group is growing), discredited and even lose their jobs because they’re not “politically correct” in their beliefs?

Holly Fretwell, a natural resources management expert, has a well researched and documented book out there, The Sky’s Not Falling! Why It’s OK to Chill About Global Warming, that presents a common sense view, with facts, on this topic, without the scare tactics the politicians and environmental businesses are using.  She also includes “fun facts” for the youngsters reading the book.

(Holly’s most recent book – Who is Minding the Federal Estate?: Political Management of America’s Public Lands.)

Post from: Blisstree

Are We Teaching Kids Global Warming Lies

Here’s another reason. The Arizona Republic reports:

More than 265 teenagers from 44 U.S. states and nine Canadian provinces will meet at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff from Monday to Aug. 3 to participate as finalists in North America’s largest high-school environmental-education competition: the 2008 Canon Envirothon.

Teams will be tested on knowledge of soils and land use, aquatic ecology, forestry, wildlife, and a current environmental issue. This year’s current-issue topic for the competition is “Recreational Impacts on Natural Resources.” Students will analyze long-term and short-term environmental, social and economic factors relative to recreational impacts upon natural resources and their management.

Participants will compete for a share of more than $125,000 in educational scholarships and Canon products. The competition is organized by the National Association of Conservation Districts in the U.S., the U.S. Department of Agriculture and its Natural Resource Conservation Service, and the U.S. Forest Service.

Wow. That does not sound like an easy competition!

Recreational impact on natural resources is an important subject to me and an issue that the National Park Service grapples with constantly. Does rock climbing harm Devil’s Tower? Do power boats disrupt wildlife at Voyageurs National Park or the Everglades National Park? Is snowmobiling in Yellowstone really that big of a deal?

Looking at the few comments readers left on the Arizona Republic article, some folks think no, not really. One commenter suggests:

“Recreational Impacts on Natural Resources.” Translation: If you kiddies want any of our grant money, you must submit to our global warming eco-whacko brainwashing and stop having any kind of recreational fun. No hunting, fishing, offroading, four wheeling, hiking, biking, horseback riding. . No fun allowed in the future. Get it? You want fun? Keep it in your house.

What do you think?

Post from: Blisstree

Flagstaff Hosts 2008 Environthon Next Week

From Greenpeace:

Every time you blow your nose with Kleenex tissue, you’re blowing away an ancient forest. And every time you buy Scott or Cottonelle at the store, you’re flushing old growth trees down the toilet.

Most of the pulp Kimberly-Clark uses for its disposable tissue products comes from unsustainable sources. This includes wood from ancient forests like the Canadian Boreal Forest.

As the biggest tissue manufacturer on the planet, Kimberly-Clark has the resources to shift toward sustainability but it is refusing to use recycled paper in its products. Instead, the largest stretch of ancient forest in North America is being clearcut for disposable paper products.

Tell Kimberly Clark to use recycled paper! You can start your own Kleenex Free Schools project today and be part of the solution for our ancient forests. You also can SHOW the company how you feel about forest destruction – use this new online tool to send a photo and a message directly to Kimberly-Clark. Check out what people like you already are sharing and then submit your own photo.

Post from: Blisstree

Greenpeace’s Kleenex Free Schools Project

Plastic bags are evil and they are becoming less and less available worldwide so reusable is the best way to tote.

There are lots of options for reusable bags but what I like about flip & tumble is, well, let’s face it, they are super cute. And roomy, and durable, and strong (20lb capacity!).

What I dig most is that they are easy to store, anywhere. These bags compact into an attached stuffsack and become a small accessory that you can easily take with you anywhere.

Post from: Blisstree

Flip & Tumble Reusable Bags

Production of junk mail consumes natural resources and energy to make the annoying, unsolicited, endless attempts to sell you things you don’t want. And then it’s your problem to sort through and recycle. Not to mention the added risk of identity theft which will cut into the dollars you were planning to send to Sierra Club.

Get Help:

• 41pounds will reduce your junk mail & support your favorite charity
• Green Dimes will reduce your junk mail & plant a tree
  
• Earth Class Mail online mail, they’ll recycle the junk & forward the good stuff

Do-it-Yourself:

• Obviously
• Consumers

Read More:

• Reclaim Your Mailbox at TreeHugger
• Mailbox or Mausoleum at Ideal Bite

Post from: Blisstree

Green delivery: no more junk mail