Archive for March, 2008

Inhabitat.com has an interesting story on Volkswagen’s strategy for green-ing their line of automobiles.

“Some car manufacturers, like Toyota and their uber-trendy Prius, are cranking out new models that represent the hybrid car of the future. Others, like Volkswagen, are working with what they’ve got, making their existing cars cleaner and greener. — Inhabitat.com“

Prius killer? Inhabitat.com is reporting the new Golf will get 82 mpg vs. the Prius’ 55 mpg.

Read more here.

NEW YORK — The latest report about the publishing industry doesn’t compile sales figures, track the market for fiction or lament the future of reading. It does tell a great deal about books - not what they say, but what they’re made of.

“Environmental Trends and Climate Impacts” is an 86-page summary, printed on 50 percent post-consumer recycled paper and full of charts about fiber, endangered forests and carbon footprints. The news: The book world, which uses up more than 1.5 million metric tons of paper each year, is steadily, if not entirely, finding ways to make production greener [ Read Full Article ].

Looking for a green way to get around Downtown Raleigh? The Raleigh Rickshaw Company offers safe, clean and environmentally rides around town. You can also hire Rickshaw drivers for your special event. Plan a green night out and visit restaurants that offer eco-friendly and organic foods, stop by the State Capitol all while being chauffeured on a rickshaw car. For more information on these green carriages, click here.

Staples announced in a press release that it will become the first copy & print center nationwide to use FSC-certified recycled paper. The move will make the recycled paper a standard offering for black & white copy and print jobs.

Forest Stewardship Council is the leading environmental certification standard for paper. The FSC ensures that paper used comes from well-managed forests.

To find out more about Staples going green, click here.

Men wanting to Go Green, but don’t want to sacrifice their good looks can now put their fears aside. An article on the Today Show website lists three companies that have a beauty line of all-natural, organic products aimed for men. The author of the article suggest buyers to look for products that are enhanced with sage, pine, peppermint, and sandalwood. Among the list of companies is N.C. based Burt’s Bees. To read the article, click here.

A dairy farm in Waterloo, Wisconsin not only raises their dairy producing cows on green grass, the way they generate electricity is green, too.

The Crave Brothers Diary Farm uses a computer controlled anaerobic digestion system that generates enough electricity to run their farm and power up to 120 homes. The system runs on organic waste from their 750 “pampered” cows.

According to a press release, the anaerobic digestion is “a biological process in which microorganisms break down organic waste in a process that ultimately produces gas”.

To see more about their company, click here.

National Geographic has some pretty useful tools to go green. One interesting tool is the Shower calculator. The calculator estimates how much CO2 a hot shower is responsible for. An example: a five person family who takes one shower each, for at least 10 mins produces 9,424 pounds of CO2 per year! Check it out for yourself. The site also gives tips on how you can lower that amount.