Steve’s recent mention of his winter woes reminded me of the fact that not everyone is a huge fan of the white stuff and the cold temperatures that come with it. For that matter, if it weren’t for my winter composting experiment I might not be quite so enthusiastic myself!
For those of you sun-lovers hoping to hit the tropics this year, but looking for something a little more low-impact than a typical resort, you might want to check out Majahuitas Eco-Resort, on Mexico’s Pacific coast. I just read about them in the Nov/Dec issue of Natural Home magazine.
Here is a blurb:
The wind- and solar-powered resort is situated on land owned by the indigenous Chacala community, which prefers low-impact development. A special septic system helps preserve the fragile beach environment; recycling and composting help control waste.
Obviously one could argue that the air travel required to reach the resort would totally negate the ’sustainability’ aspect, but the fact is most people (even serious environmentalists) still like to go on vacation! Not everyone is willing to completely wean themselves from air travel and that’s all there is to it.
All debates aside, the resort definitely looks like a very beautiful, relaxing locale. Be sure to check out the website (link above), where you’ll find quite a few pics and much more information.
Technorati Tags: mexico, resorts, vacations, travel, sustainable, solar power, wind power, Majahuitas
Written by Bentley on January 22nd, 2007 with no comments.
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I thought I would share a couple green national headlines I recently came across on CBC’s website.
You may recall my posts about the latest Tory environmental announcements (you can find them here and here). Well it seems that Prime Minister Stephen Harper made a pretty major announcement on Friday, while in BC.
The federal government is putting $1.5 billion into funding alternative energy technologies, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said on Friday.
Harper said a 10-year incentive program, the so-called ecoEnergy Renewable Initiative, will be established to fund eligible projects to be constructed over the next four years.
He said the money could be spent on wind, solar, geothermal and other forms of renewable energy.
The prime minister said the first component, ecoEnergy for Renewable Power, will boost Canada’s supply of clean electricity by “offering generous incentives to spur production.”
The Conservatives say they’ll budget for $1.48 billion for an incentive of one cent per kilowatt hour for up to 10 years to eligible projects constructed over the next four years that generate clean electricity from renewable sources.
These sources can include wind, biomass, solar, geothermal and wave technologies, all of which generate few or zero harmful emissions.
Full story (CBC): Tories announce $1.5-billion renewable energy plan
It should come as no surprise that there have been critical things said in response (by environmental groups and the other political parties). The Liberals and NDP, while both happy to see environmental actions from the Tories, claim Harper is simply re-packaging initiatives launched by the Liberals when they were in power (but subsequently cut from the budget by the Conservatives).
All I know is that it’s nice to see Harper and his crew making some green changes - more importantly, I think is a great indication that Canadians want to see some progress on the environmental front (we know FULL-well Harper isn’t doing this because he’s an environmentalist!).
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Another interesting article from CBC: Canada can get rich by going green, Dion says
In what he called his first major speech as Liberal leader, Stéphane Dion told a Toronto business audience Tuesday that Canadians can make enormous profits fighting climate change.
“Yes, Canada will cut megatonnes of emissions, but we will also make megatonnes of money,” he told a joint breakfast meeting of the Toronto Board of Trade and the Economic Club of Toronto.
At the same time, he expressed skepticism about expanding nuclear power — which some see as a way to reduce heat-trapping carbon emissions — because he has no answer to the problem of radioactive waste.
I love that concept - making ‘megatonnes of money’ while cutting megatonnes of greenhouse gas emissions.
I for one don’t see why environmentalism and capitalism have to be mutually exclusive - and it seems that Dion agrees.
Technorati Tags: stephen harper, conservatives, tories, environmental news, climate change, renewable energy, alternative power, climate change, environment, NDP, Liberals, Dion, nuclear power
Written by Bentley on January 22nd, 2007 with no comments.
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I received an email today from one of our good ‘eco-friends’ Jeff McIntire-Strassburg (of Sustainablog fame), asking if we’d help get the word out about a contest being run by GreenOptions (a very cool new green venture he is involved with).
Not only am I more than happy to help Jeff out, but I’ve been meaning to write a post about GreenOptions anyway. I also feel strongly about the importance of adding humor (and lot’s of it) to one’s life, so this is definitely for a ‘good cause’ the way I see it!!
Here is the announcement that’s been posted on the GreenOptions site:
Let’s face it: those of us living and promoting the green life can be awfully serious. That’s understandable, as we’re dealing with serious issues like climate change, resource depletion and ecological degradation.
At Green Options, though, we know that green can be fun. In fact, we even believe it can be downright hilarious! And we’re pretty certain that some of you also see the lighter side of the green life.
With that in mind, we’re pleased to announce the Green Options A Lighter Side of Green contest. We’re pretty sure that there’s a green Dave Barry or Art Buchwald out there, and we want to find that writer and hire him or her. The contest winner will receive a one-month starter contract to write for Green Options, and $100.
If you think you’ve got the goods to tickle our funny bones, write a 250-500 word column that addresses some element of the green life in a humorous manner, and send it to lighterside@greenoptions.com in MS Word or rich text format by February 1st. Feel free to poke fun at your fellow greenies (we can use it occasionally!).
When we launch on February 5th, we’ll publish all of the contest entries, and ask for comments from GO readers. On February 12th, we’ll announce the winning entry (which will be chosen by the Green Options staff). Once we work out details with that writer, we’ll start featuring his or her work in a weekly column.
We’re moving quickly on this one, so don’t wait around – February 1st is the deadline for entries. We’re looking forward to laughing a lot…!
Although I haven’t made mention of it yet, I’m actually a beta tester for GreenOptions. Based on what I’ve seen thus far, it certainly looks like a resource with a LOT of potential! Their official launch is still a few weeks away so I will leave it at that for now, but be assured you will hear much more about it very soon.
In the meantime, if you are greenie with a funny bone and you think you’d like to write for GreenOptions, be sure to send in an entry. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing who wins.
Technorati Tags: greenoptions, green humor, humor, green jokes, environmental jokes, jokes, funny
Written by Bentley on January 22nd, 2007 with no comments.
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We just received a nice email from Tabitha Alterman, associate editor of Mother Earth News, thanking us for our “lovely” post about the magazine ( see Surprise From Mother Earth).
Aside from sharing some kind words, Tabitha also informed us that the 21st Century Homestead article is now available on the website: Our 21st Century Homestead. Be sure to check it out, especially if you are interested in homesteading, independent living etc.
I will update the other post as well.
I griped a little in my first post about having some issues early on with Mother Earth (took several months and some email exchanges before I started receiving magazines), but I should mention that I’ve been quite happy with the way they’ve handled the situation. They’ve continued to follow-up with me, making sure both Mother Earth News and Natural Home had safely arrived.
Both magazines are fantastic and I’m definitely looking forward to future issues!
Technorati Tags: mother earth news, natural home, homestead, homesteading, sustainable living
Written by Bentley on January 22nd, 2007 with no comments.
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