Eco Village

Happy Earth Day!

karyee — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:58:27 +0000

Did you know that

It’s the 38th Earth Day today?
It’s only ONE of the TWO different observances of Earth Day today?
One Earth Day is celebrated on April 22 and another on around March 20?
March 20 Earth Day was founded by John Mcconnell in 1969?
March 20 Earth Day is also known as the International/Equinox Earth Day ?
Equinox in astronomy is that moment in time when the center of the Sun is directly above the Earth’s equator?
April 22 Earth Day was founded by a US Senator Gaylord Nelson in 1970?
April 22 Earth Day marks the first nationwide environmental protest in the US?
Earth Day is observed in 175 countries, coordinated by nonprofit Earth Day Network?
Earth Day 2007 was one of the largest Earth Days worldwide to date?

Earth Day 2008 news, events and links

Wall Street Journal, April 22, 2008: Burning Question: Is Earth Day Bad For the Planet?
CNN, April 21, 2008: Earth Day: Balancing consumer passions and eco values
LA Times Blog, April 21, 2008: Your guide to Earth Day festivities in LA
The Boston Globe, April 22, 2008: Earth Day 2008
Washington Post Blog, April 2008: Energy Savings For Earth Day
ZDNet, April 21, 2008: Earth Day: Is the impart worth the build-up?
Washington Post, April 212 2008: What Killed Earth Day? Too Much Fuss And No Bother
India Times, April 22, 2008: Let’s turn saviour this Earth Day
Google Blog, April16, 2008: We can’t wait for Earth Day
EnviroLink Guide
US Environmental Protection Agency
WWF’s Earth Day
Nature.org’s Earth Day

List of Dates dedicated to the Environment

karyee — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 01:43:29 +0000

- February 2: World Wetlands Day marks the date of the adoption of the Convention on Wetlands
- March 22: World Water Day promoted by the UN to focus on water issues
- March 23: World Meteorological Day is celebrated by worldwide meteorological community on observing the planet for a better future.
- End of March: Earth Hour is a symbolic event where everyone in the world participate in turning off their lights for one hour
- April 1: Fossil Fools Day is an environmental demonstration day against energy derived from fossil fuels
- April 22: Earth Day is intended to inspire awareness of and appreciation for the Earth’s environment.
- May 10-11: World Migratory Bird Day is a global commemorative event to highlight and celebrate migratory birds and the phenomenon of bird migration
- May 22: International Day for Biological Diversity (World Biodiversity Day) is a UN-sanctioned international holiday for the promotion of biodiversity issues
- June 5: World Environment Day is established by UN to stimulate awareness of the environment and enhance political attention and public action
- June 8: World Ocean Day celebrated under the support of the UNESCO Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission reminds us that the ocean is vital and that each of us must preserve it as best as we can.
- June 17: UN World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought is celebrated every year worldwide to highlight the urgent need to curb desertification and to strengthen the visibility of this serious drylands issue
- July 11: World Population Day is an annual event to raise awareness of global population issues
- September 16: International Day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer offers an opportunity to focus attention on the protection of the ozone layer.
- first Monday in October: UN World Habitat Day is celebrated to highlight the important status of cities as refuge for the displaced and home to expanding populations in search of a future
- Second Wednesday in October: International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction is to focus on sustainable development to enable the building of disaster resilient communities
- December 11: International Mountain Day is an opportunity to create awareness about the importance of mountains to life.

- Arbor Day or National Tree Planting Day is celebrated in many countries at different dates in which individuals and groups are encouraged to plant and care for trees.

Did I miss out any important environmental dates?

List of Environmental Non-Profit Organizations

karyee — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 01:27:04 +0000

There are hundreds if not thousands of non-profit organizations dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and the environment. Again, there are already some very comprehensive lists of these organizations compiled by many others. So, let me try to de-clutter them here.

World Environmental Organization has a great list for wildlife which includes:
- Conservation International
- National Wildlife Federation
- World Wildlife Fund
- National Audubon Society
- Wildlife Conservation Society
- Wildlife Habitat Council
- Endangered Species International

EnviroLink Network provides a very extensive list of organizations categorized into the following, from the highest number of organizations:
- Wildlife (348)
- Ecosystems (246)
- Environmental Education (203)
- Water Quality (202)
- Habitat Conservation (193)
- The rest are: Energy, Climate Change, Environmental Legislation and Policy, Agriculture, Air Quality, Waste Management, Sustainable Living, etc

Here are some from a nature writer, Robert Wrinkler’s list:
- David Suzuki Foundation: The David Suzuki Foundation is an environmental non-profit, non-partisan charity registered in Canada and the United States working towards balancing human needs with the Earth’s ability to sustain all life.
- Sierra Club: America’s largest (600,000 members) and oldest environmental group. Protects and restores the wild; educates and advocates on its behalf.
- Friends of the Earth: Friends of the Earth is the U.S. voice of an influential, international network of grassroots groups in 70 countries. Their members were the founders of what is now the world’s largest federation of democratically elected environmental groups, Friends of the Earth International
- IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature: IUCN supports scientific research; manages field projects all over the world; and brings governments, non-government organizations, United Nations agencies, companies and local communities together to develop and implement policy, laws and best practice. IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network.
- Earth Watch: Earthwatch Institute is an international non-profit organization that brings science to life for people concerned about the Earth’s future by supporting scientific field research.

The Top 12 Environmental Organizations who use their funds wisely?:

HERE’S MORE:
- Rainforest Action Network: Rainforest Action Network campaigns for the forests, their inhabitants and the natural systems that sustain life by transforming the global marketplace through education, grassroots organizing, and non-violent direct action.
- The Nature Conservancy: The leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people.
- Environmental Defence Fund: Environmental Defense is a leading national nonprofit organization representing more than 500,000 members, linking science, economics and law to create innovative, equitable and cost-effective solutions to society’s most urgent environmental problems.
- Rainforest Alliance: The Rainforest Alliance works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior.
- Natural Resources Defence Council: NRDC is the US’s most effective non-profit environmental action group, combining the grassroots power of 1.2 million members and online activists with the courtroom clout and expertise of more than 350 lawyers, scientists and other professionals.
- Wildlife Trust : Wildlife Trust is an international organization of scientists dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity for more than 35 years.

Here’s another long list from DiscoverSolarEnergy.com

Did I miss out any obvious ones?

List of Environmentally Friendly Hotels

karyee — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 09:15:09 +0000

What is the criteria for being an eco-friendly hotel? Although there isn’t a universal standard but there are small organizations that endorse ‘green-labels’ to these hotels. Different regions may have their own set of criteria and standards but generally covers similar areas like:

Energy Saving: Ensure that a certain % of electricity must come from renewable energy sources and use high efficient lighting to conserve energy
Water Saving: Create water efficient bathrooms, design landscaping suitable for local ecosystem to avoid excessive watering and unnecessary use of chemicals.
Waste Reduction: Carry out recycling programs to reduce wastes, reduce unnecessary guest amenities, yse glassware instead of disposable plastics, provide separate wastebaskets in guestrooms for recycling, etc
Detergent & Disinfectants: Use environmentally-friendly or biodegradable products
Services & Management: Introduce Green Programmes and provide environmental awareness to guests
A good way to tell if your hotel is really green, ask them if they have green policies or practices like these.

Or check if they’re part of these green labels?

Here’s another list of green labels

Here are lists of Green Hotels:
TravelQuest (worldwide)
EcoClub (worldwide)
GreenVacationHub (worldwide)
TerraChoice (US Only)
Orbitz

And more on ecotourism:
Planeta
EcoIndexTourism
Sustainable Travel International

List of Environment Sections in mainstream newspapers and magazines

karyee — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 15:59:38 +0000

Sometimes it takes me a while to find the ‘Environment’ section in the newspapers or magazines and I’ve always wondered, when will the Environment Section make it to the top with the traditional main section big brothers like Politics, Business, Health, Science & Technology, Travel & Living and Entertainment & Sports sections? Well, there are green politics, green business, health obviously, green science & technology and definitely green travel & living. So should environmental news and issues scatter under these sections or should it be almighty ABOVE ALL? Wanna know how our mainstream newspapers and magazines categorize the Environment section? Here’s what I found:

Thumbs up for those who pushes the Environmental awareness to the top!
The Guardian
The Independent
Times Online – This one’s kinda under News but I’d still say it’s a major section. You’ll see.

And of course a great big Earth & Environment section in these 2 magazines.
New Scientist
Scientific American
Discover

There are quite a few under the Science section
The New York Times
The LA Times
BBC calls it ‘The Green Room‘ under Science. Well I guess that works too
The Economist has it under Science as well but with sub-sections like Climate Change, Pollution, Self-Generated Energy, etc.

And it’s under US News on MSNBC.

Canada’s Globe And Mail puts it under Technology >> Science >> Environment. If you slowly scroll down and look carefully, it’s there. Yeah, I found it. They also have a Climate Change section that looks like a top section by itself but you can’t get to it from the front page!

I couldn’t find it in the International Herald Tribune, South Africa’s Mail & Guardian, Washington Post.

Did I miss out any obvious ones?

Best Green Sites Compilation

karyee — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 12:01:34 +0000

I was about to have a list of best green sites arranged in order of popularity but guess what, some very comprehensive lists have already been compiled! Here they are, starting from the most recent list.

1) From TimesOnline Blog (Feb 27, 2008):

- The must-reads: GristMill, Treehugger, Digg/Environment, TheSietchBlog, Celsias

- The new blogs: Climate Debate Daily, Dot Earth, Hugg2.0, GuardianUnlimited – ClimateChange Blog, InBalance

- Policy, Economics and Energy: CommonTragedies, EnergyOutlook, TransitionCulture, OffGrid, EnviroWonk

- The scientists: RealClimate, Stoat, LogicalScience, ScepticalScience

- The macro activists: Greenpeace, GreenGirlsGlobal, DeSmogBlog, ThUnsuitablog

- The micro activists: GreenJellyBean, TheHedgeWizardsDiary, Alice in Blogland

- Green living: HippyShopper, HowCanIRecycleThis, TheGreenThingBlog, EcoStreet, TheCityFix, PlaneStupid, EcoWorrier

- The sceptics: WorldClimateReport, ClimateResistance, ClimateAudit, WilliamM.Briggs, VáclavKlaus

- Eco inventions: EcoGeek, EcoFriend

- Celebrity-earth love-ins: Ecorazzi, DHLoveLife

- The politicos: AlGore, JonathanPorritt, SianBerry

- The environment in art, pictures and essays: Nasa’s earth observatory, Nexus6, HoratioAlgeranon’s Anonymusing Tales, PlanetArk,TheEarthBlog

2) From Environmental Graffiti (Oct 21, 2007):

10 – EcoStreet
9 – Gristmill
8 – Environmental Graffiti
7 – The Oil Drum
6 – Green Options
5 – WorldChanging
4 – Real Climate
3 – EcoGeek
2 – Inhabitat
1 – Treehugger

3) From ReadWriteWeb (Oct 15, 2007):

Treehugger, EcoGeek, EnvironmentalLawProfBlog, New Scientist Environment Blog, AutoBlogGreen, Eco-Worrier, GristMill, Green Care Congress, Inhabitat, Ecomoto, The Lazy Environmentalist, AlternativeConsumer, TeensyGreen, Haute*Nature, HippyShopper, SustainableStyle, GreenOptions, NoImpactMan, GreatGreenBaby, EcoFriend, EcoFabulous, Ecorazzi, EcoStreet, Green As Thistle, TheGreenGuy, MindfulMomma, Got2BeGreen, TriplePundit, Celsias, Enviroblog, GetWithGreen, GreenThinkers, GreenWombat, LighterFootstep, LifeGoggles

4) From Mashable (Aug 14, 2007):

- Carbon Footprint Calculators & Carbon Offsets: Environmental Defense Paper Calculator, TheCarbonDiet, NativeEnergy, The Nature Conservancy Carbon Calculator, BeGreen, ZeroFootprint, Yahoo!GreenCarbonFootprint Calculator, Ecological Footprint Quiz, Terrapass

- Search engines: Sprig, The Nature Conservancy Nature Preserve Map, EcoSeek, Greener, GuideMeGreen, GreenMaven, Evolvist, HolisticLocal, SustainableTravel Internations, GreenBuildingBlocks, Lime, GoodSearch, GreenBuildingStudio, Yahoo!Green

- Games: ElectroCity, KyotoPotato, MyAbodo, WebEarthOnline

- Communities & user generated: OpenArchitectureNetwork, AlternativeE, GreenOptions, The Nature Conservancy Groupspace, Appropedia, NetSquared, GoodTree, Hooze, Sustainlane, Gusse, EarthLab Foundation, GreenVoice, Gigoit, MakeMeSustainable, Ecolocal, PlayGreen, YouthNoise, Loanables, Actics, Change, Hunuh

- Networking & Dating: Idealist, EarthWise Singles, VeggieDate, DharmaMatch, GreenDrinks, GishiGo, Pooln, Goloco

- Environmental Projects: Tree-Nation, StepItUp, 18Seconds, GoogleEarthOutreach

- Charitable Donations: InviteForGood, Alonovo, Kiva, ContributionManager, GiveMeaning, Giveness

- Blogs: WorldChanging, Treehugger, Earth2tech, Gombe Chimpanzee Blog

- Others: GreenPrint, GreenTV, LA GreenLiving, HotelChatterGreen Hotels Map, LocalCooling, Hunger Site, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, Wild Sanctuary, Greenpeace Esperanze Interactive Route Map, Scorecard

5) From LighterFootstep.com (June 05, 2007):

- Daily Fuel Economy Tip
- Eco Chick
- Ecorazzi
- GreenOptions
- Maria Energia
- No Impact Man
- The Sietch Blog

What is an Eco Village?

karyee — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 02:00:05 +0000

Wikipedia defines EcoVillages as intentional communities, where members are united by a shared ecological value, that is to be socially, economically and ecologically sustainable. Robert Gilman, an astrophysicist turned ‘sustainable community’ advocate, wrote an article “The EcoVillage Challenge” that defines eco villages as:

“A human scale,
full-featured settlement
in which human activities are
harmlessly integrated
into the natural world
in a way that is supportive of
healthy human development and
can be successfully continued
into the indefinite future”

In the same way, I hope to make this site a full-featured settlement in which great green sites and information are appropriately integrated here in a way that is supportive of ecological responsibility in everything we do.