Sierra Club Green Home

A modern Columbia River Crossing must reflect our understanding of global warming and our dedication to salmon preservation.The one simple and powerful green bridge solution is a “park roof.”

Traveling brings joy, challenge, excitement, and cultural understanding to our lives. Unfortunately, whether your plane is taking off for another continent or you are buzzing around in a city taxi, fossil fuels are fueling your experience. Although a staycation is a great environmentally friendly option, there are also ways to green your long-distance travel! Bicycle tours, for example, allow you to connect with the local culture, stay active, and conserve resources. (Photo by Livestreets, Flickr)

“Every single time we make a choice, we make a difference,” says famed tree-sitter and activist Julia Butterfly Hill. Learn how your choices can change the world.

Borrowing can be better than buying. “The sharing society offers us a path into a healthier, more sustainable economy, along with new opportunities for creative collaboration and business ideas.” So why not share your idle tools for a neighbor’s home project? Your unused kitchen appliances for a community member’s upcoming party? Or possibly even your entire home to an out-of-town visitor? (Photo by Stephen Eastop, Stock.Xchng)

INDIANA — Electric car owners (or future owners), Sierra Club Green Home has great news for you! You can get a credit of over $1,000 for installing an electric car charger in your home, among other incentives now offered in Northern Indiana. If you live in the northern part of Indiana, you may be a customer of NIPSCO, an energy distribution company that supplies both gas and electricity. The company has taken a number of measures to work towards a cleaner environment, including a new electric car charger incentive. (Photo by OregonDOT, Flickr)

Did you know that soy is being used for some surprising new purposes, including home insulation and car seats? Although Sierra Club Green Home was excited to learn that some companies were exploring greener materials, a closer look at these products shows that their sustainability merits are questionable. Before embracing or rejecting the soybean, read SCGH’s investigation into soy foam products. (Photo by M. Nash, National Soybean Research Laboratory)

There are many benefits to incorporating walking into our lives. Take the example of walking kids to school. It is a great way to get kids moving, and makes kids and adults alike feel more connected to their surroundings. According to America Walks, parents driving children to school comprises 20-30 percent of morning traffic congestion in urban areas. So organizing a “walk your kids to school” program would improve morning traffic, ensure that kids get their exercise for the day, and help people get to know their neighborhoods better. (Photo by Nestor’s Blurrylife, Flickr)

TOKYO — Tokyo may be known as a cultural and technology capital of the world, but it has also been quietly making strides to embrace green and sustainable living. If you are going to be visiting Tokyo, here are suggestions for how to have a green visit to this megalopolis of 35 million. (Photo by Roland Oehme)

Earth Day is a great opportunity to appreciate the planet that provides for us all year long. Sierra Club Green Home has seven simple things you can do for the environment this weekend, and hopefully you will incorporate them into your daily life as well! (Photo by Lorraine Elder, Flickr)

SAN DIEGO — Amory Lovins talks a good green game. He also lives it. He is touting an energy plan of efficiency and renewable power that would grow the U.S. economy and save $5 trillion through 2050. Meanwhile, he is demonstrating these green technologies in his own home, where he pays a monthly electricity bill of only $5. (Photo by Deysale, Flickr)