Check out the world-wide photos from EarthHour (my favorite is Parliament) – click the images to see them fade.

Pretty cool. I hope you took part. Even if you don’t believe in global warming, you can still preserve energy as a cost-savings and to reduce your country’s environmental impact!

The real answer to that question, of course, is “neither—bring your own reusable bags.” But until U.S. stores start charging 15 cents per bag, as groceries in Europe do, Americans aren’t likely to go to that trouble any time soon.

I’m happy to see him talk a bit about the environment.

Full Story

Comparing climate change plans of the candidates.

Lance wants more bicycle commuters.

Interesting new texting service to see if the fish you are ordering is endangered or safe to eat.

Read more at The Edible Schoolyard.

Powered by ScribeFire.

ACTION TIP: CFL RECYCLING
As you no doubt know, if every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified compact fluorescent bulb (CFL), we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.

But we need to recycle CFLs properly, as they contain a small amount of mercury. IKEA, the world’s largest home furnishings retailer, understands the value of CFL lights, as well as the need for recycling them.

The company offers a simple solution: a ‘Free Take Back’ program offering recycle bins for CFLs in all IKEA stores. Just take your used CFLs to IKEA for proper disposal.

If you’d like more info on lamp disposal for your state, please go to lamprecycle.org to obtain more information.

For more information regarding mercury in CFLs, including proper disposal options and what to do if a bulb breaks, click here for the PDF report from Energystar.gov.

Powered by ScribeFire.

Google v. Yahoo: Who Cares The Most About The Environment?

Texas can be the nation’s leader in solar energy. According to the Texas State Energy Conservation Office, every acre of land in West Texas could produce 800 barrels of oil worth of energy from solar power. Unfortunately, it’s all going to waste.

We can change that.

Two bills in the legislature right now, HB2226 (Coleman) and SB1357 (Ellis), will create the TexSUN solar energy rebate program, a 5-year, $500 million program to provide incentives for people who want to invest in a solar system for their home, business or school. The TexSUN program will help build a solar market in Texas and speed the transition away from fossil fuels and towards a cleaner brighter future.

Vote Solar: Action Alerts: Act Now

TerraPass reports:
We’d be derelict if we didn’t mention this week’s landmark Supreme Court decision on greenhouse gases. Here’s a handy rundown for those just tuning in. The issue: The state of Massachusetts sued the EPA, claiming that the agency was compelled by the Clean Air Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions as a pollutant. The verdict: The court rules 5-4 in favor of Massachusetts. The case centered on three major findings:
Full Story

The top of the atmosphere is the bottom line of Earth’s energy budget, the Grand Central Station of radiation. It is the place where solar energy (mostly visible light) enters the Earth system and where both reflected light and invisible, thermal radiation from the Sun-warmed Earth exit. The balance between incoming and outgoing energy at the top of the atmosphere determines the Earth’s average temperature. The ability of greenhouses gases to change the balance by reducing how much thermal energy exits is what global warming is all about.

» Read More

powered by performancing firefox

While this is not a sure thing, it is a sign that awareness is rising when a Texas utility company is reducing their carbon impact. If the sale goes through as planned, TXU will double their investment in green energy, like wind farms.

This is a great thing if it goes through, but if it doesn’t, it might be a major setback for the earth-friendly.

Hopefully it’ll go through.

We’re on a roll people – let’s keep it going.

Read more at NPR