(Nan’s Note: We’re on the right track, which I am grateful for. It’s not perfect, but at least New Mexico is doing something.)
Gov. Bill Richardson has painted a target on New Mexico’s coal-fired power plants, saying they provide a major source of electricity for homes and businesses in the state but pump far too much pollution into the air.
Richardson called out the coal plants during his State of the State speech before the Legislature on Tuesday, but his administration says they’re not the only polluters the governor is after.
Find out what else he has in mind at the Santa Fe New Mexican.
Look at a map of coal plants in New Mexico.
(Nan’s Note: Whether you are a business owner or a consumer, these trends should interest you. Business owners, pay attention! Consumers, look for yourself in here, and get realistic! Suzanne twice mentions ‘expectation management,’ which would help avoid misunderstandings and build trust. My favorite trend here is #5. Go read!)
By Suzanne Shelton
Where is green going in 2010? Here are five consumer trends to look for.
Find them at Environmental Leader, another of my favorite sites!
(Nan’s Note: The holidays do not have to be an exercise in mass-consumption a la The Coneheads – ‘Consume. Mass. Quantities.’ The giving meaning of the holidays has gotten lost at the mall, and our society needs to rethink what it means and how to deal with it. I saw a quote today that may help put the holidays into perspective: ‘What would Jesus buy?’ Um… nothing. He would give of himself.
I wrote Creative Christmas Consumption just before Black Friday (what a hideous name for a supposedly joyous holiday event!) to address the shopping, giving and environmental issues, but it bears repeating. I found this article at Alernet this morning, and could not help but share it.)
By Sarah Sloane O’Kelley
The holidays can mean big expenses and lots of waste (not to mention the emotional costs). Here’s how to avoid all that mess.
Our American vision of the holidays is like a Norman Rockwell painting — cheery-faced family members surrounding a table covered with a feast of the richest foods imaginable, and a tree in the background covered with tinsel and lights and surrounded by brightly wrapped boxes in every size and shape imaginable. The turkey is always plump and moist, the gifts are always better than last year’s, and families become closer, having shared such abundance and joy.
Sadly, that’s nowhere near the reality for most of us.
Find out how to ease the environmental and emotional impact of the holiday season at Alternet.
(Nan’s Note: I shouted Yes! Yes! Yes! when I read this opinion piece in the Washington Post this morning! I have been saying this for years! The general public will not voluntarily ‘go green’ in a big way. Yes, they do the small things, and I always say that every action helps, but for major conservation efforts, I truly believe we must THINK BIG! Read this to find out what that is.)
By Mike Tidwell
As President Obama heads to Copenhagen next week for global warming talks, there’s one simple step Americans back home can take to help out: Stop “going green.” Just stop it. No more compact fluorescent light bulbs. No more green wedding planning. No more organic toothpicks for holiday hors d’oeuvres.
…snip…
‘Pick up a phone, open a laptop, or travel to a U.S. Senate office near you and turn the tables: “What are the 10 green statutes you’re working on to save the planet, Senator?”‘
Read the entire article at The Washington Post. (Thank you, thank you, thank you, Mike!)
By Delana
Do you know what really happens to your electronics after you’re done with them? If you send them to a recycling facility, there’s a good chance that they’ll actually end up in countries like China, India or Ghana, where local workers risk their health to scavenge valuable materials from the discarded objects. The harmful waste resulting from these recycling centers often ends up in the local air and water stream, endangering the health of everyone in the vicinity.
Read the entire article at WebEcoist.
(Nan’s Note: Knowing how much I love the desert, John Peter Thompson, a friend and invasive expert, warned me of this potential disaster. I don’t think the general public realizes the negative effect of invasives on native species. Get involved in your area with a Native Plant Society to find out what you can do to help eradicate invasives.)
by Leo W. Banks
Local scientists say buffelgrass may be on an unstoppable march—and the saguaro is in its way
Buffelgrass is forcing us to think the unthinkable: A Sonoran Desert in which the saguaro cactus is no longer the master of the landscape.
Is this really possible? Could Arizona’s cherished icon vanish from a substantial portion of its range?
Actually, yes. The problem is fire.
Read the entire article at one of my favorite desert newspapers, The Tucson Weekly.
Check out John Peter Thompson’s informative blog about invasives. He has taught me a lot!
(Nan’s Note: Freecycling is the free exchange of items needed or items to give away. There is no money involved. This idea is as old as bartering and hand-me-downs. A more modern version is the freebox begun in the 1960s in cities across the country. Now it’s organized and global!
I have used the freecycle group in Taos to find an old oak office desk and give away my unused flea market tent set-up. I constantly peruse the listings to see how I can help someone out. I frequent our freebox at the recycling center to drop off unneeded items. I have also found decent clothes there that I have remade into something unique.
Check out this awesome article to learn more about the why and how of freecycling!)
By Stephanie Hicks
Its been years since we first started hearing about the benefits of “reduce, reuse, recycle.” Today, people in many areas of the world are doing a much better job minimizing waste than they were 20-30 years ago. But, while we are working on keeping everyday packaging materials out of the landfill, what more can be done?
Enter Deron Beal of Freecycle.org.
Read the rest of this information packed article at Peachy Green!
(Nan’s Note: This is my favorite news story of the day! Not being a fan of dams, changing the world’s ecosystems and displacing people, I smiled when I found this.)
By Lori Pottinger
It’s been a bad week for dams – and a very good one for the world’s rivers.
In Queensland, Australia, river protectors thrilled to the news today that their long fight to Save the Mary River from the ravages of a large dam is, finally, over.
Read about other dam projects going by the wayside in Mexico, Brazil and California in the entire article at Alternet.
By Melinda Burns
Biologists seek to “do no harm,” improve island health, get rid of human-introduced predators and untangle complex relationships that developed on the fly.
In the northern Channel Islands off California, a cat-sized native fox is making a dramatic comeback, thanks to a 10-year, $22 million multifaceted program to save it from extinction.
The last of the resident golden eagles, a nonnative species that was snacking on foxes like kids in a candy store, was removed in 2006 and transported to the far-off northern Sierra Nevada. Also, fish-eating bald eagles, a territorial sort that was once native to the islands, were reintroduced to help chase off its red-meat-eating cousins.
Read the entire article at Miller-McCune.
