The mountainous region of northern California and southern Oregon comprises an area referred to as “the state of Jefferson” – an area that since 1859 has officially clamored at least three times to become the 51st state. A participant at the Sierra Nevada Innovation Challenge is launching an exciting new food venture that could bring a renewed focus to this region – sustaining farms, farmers, and crops.
Whether to buy green or to act green is a common conundrum for the environmentally-friendly consumer. Should you buy a newer, more efficient appliance? Or would it be better to buy a used one? Or does it make the most sense to keep what you have? (Photo by Rieh, Flickr)
“Over Troubled Waters” highlights new water projects in California and how to save the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
When you get your home GreenPoint Rated, you can feel proud to be living in a beautiful, unique place while living a low-impact lifestyle . Sierra Club Green Home wants you to take your home to the next level! Look into getting your home GreenPoint Rated while a $2,000 rebate is still available. (Photo courtesy of Build It Green)
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA — In our grandparents’ time, it was common for anyone who had a little outdoor space to grow food. This was seen as very practical. In our time however, few of us can say we have ever made a salad from our garden, and many children grow up believing that food comes solely from grocery stores. (Photo by Sandy Austin, Flickr)
America is becoming sustainable, but not the way environmentalists had planned it. Here is how companies are slipping sustainability into our life without us even knowing it!
Some of us remember VHS – those big plastic boxes we used to record and watch movies and our favorite TV shows on. Then came DVD’s and CD’s, which allowed for more portability and higher quality viewing, although there’s still a lot of plastic involved. At the recent Sierra Nevada Innovation Challenge, a small start-up company called Flixchip may well make those devices obsolete – and put a lot more fun in movie watching.
Energy efficiency is getting a boost in Austin, Texas thanks to a new ordinance requiring energy checks before homes are sold or rented. (Photo by Devon Bijansky)
Win a green home product of your choice from EarthEasy by entering SCGH’s giveaway now!
As the Arctic region continues to experience melting sea ice, an initiative led by John Toole, Senior Scientist, at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), is trying to gain understanding of future changes to the Arctic as societies begin to adapt to a new global climate. (Chris Linder, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Inventor Dan Andreiu, New Age Hygienic Systems’ founder and CEO, created the award-winning patented Auto Toilet, which will change the fundamental design and operation of the toilet for the first time in 200 years. What makes it unique is that it utilizes only two pints or one liter of water, making it 6 times more efficient than low-flow toilets on the market today. (Photo by Our United Villages, Flickr)
SACRAMENTO — On Wednesday, California Governor Jerry Brown and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced what they consider a landmark solution to the state’s water shortage: plans to build a massive twin tunnel system that will bring precious water from the San Joaquin River Delta to farms and cities. These two 33-mile-long tunnels have stirred the pot of an ongoing water war. This controversy is at the heart of a new documentary, Over Troubled Waters. (Photo courtesy of Russell Fisher)
As the world’s population continues to grow, so too does the stress on the world’s fresh water resources. One plastics company has stepped up to ensure that communities around the world have access to cleaner water. (Courtesy of Bob Bechtold, HARBEC, Inc.)
DAVIS, CALIFORNIA — Can we all agree that using more renewable energy and less oil would be a good thing? Great, and any objections to sending less trash to the landfill? Well Sierra Energy Corp., a recent winner at the Sierra Nevada Innovation Challenge, has developed a system that can help us do both. (Photo courtesy of Sierra Energy Corp.)
Read how one man and his ukulele convinced Sierra Club Green Home writer Kara DiCamillo to cook vegan. (Photo courtesy of Hilary McHone)
NEW YORK — How can we have one billion starving people in the world at the same time that an equal number of people are battling obesity? (Photo by E.Q. Lam)
This unique organization reclaims abandoned farmland that was previously clear-cut, and plants trees on it. It intentionally keeps overhead costs low, so that the majority of funds can go straight to planting and maintaining a beautiful habitat for plants and wildlife. In fact, individuals can offset their carbon footprints for as little as $10 a month. (Photo courtesy of Green Air Project)
FireWhat Inc., a start-up company founded by two firefighters and an MIT graduate, has developed a free, game-changing mobile platform for the Fire Service. Its Web site and mobile app helps firefighters get the latest information on forest fires, rather than having to depend on “updates” that can be 12 to 24 hours old. This helps save lives and, in some surprising ways, the environment. (Photo by Jake Spurlock, Flickr)
ASPEN, CO – What is more basic than food? Whether you are looking to solve the world’s environmental or economic woes, your plate is a good place to start. (Photo by freddy, Flickr)
ASPEN, CO – Global warming is not a problem of the future, it is a problem right now. The environment has already changed in ways that we will be forced to adapt to, whether this means preparing for extreme weather events or housing global warming refugees. (Photo courtesy of The Aspen Institute)
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