Blogging About The Earth The Week Of Earth Day? Options

[AbleReach]

Normally, we don't allow link drops or self promotion. Like never. Just for the week of April 20-26, even if your site is not dedicated to green living, we are bending our rules. If you have written a substantive post that fits with the spirit of Earth Day, you are invited to tell us about it and link to it in this thread.

added - Your post need not be written on Earth Day. If you think it fits within the spirit of what we're doing here, go for it. If not sure, feel free to pm me. I like to say "yes," and am not afraid to say "maybe not."

We will accept anything that we feel will be of interest to our readers. However, moderators will still moderate, Any post we feel is purely promotional and of little value will be deleted. We will be reasonable in doing this, but our decision will be final. If you feel that we were unfair in deleting one of your posts, please send us a private message and ask for us to reconsider. Our only concern is a good experience for our visitors.

This post has been edited by AbleReach: Apr 20 2008, 09:34 PM

[AbleReach]

My, how quiet we are this week!

I'm going to start making a little joyful noise by sharing a few links I read through recently.


Here's a cheer for gradual change

Detox Your Home

The products we rely on to keep us safe from germs actually contain hundreds of chemicals associated with health concerns such as asthma, allergies, skin and eye irritation—even cancer.

There’s no need to call in the EPA—here’s how to detoxify your home and start cleaning with eco-friendly products.

What I like about Health.com is a broad and consistent entry-level compilation of health-related information that is practical, easy to read, and linked to deeper resources. There's also a fair level of encouragement, without preaching or browbeating.


Everyday Envitonmentalist

Remember when "environmentalist" meant…recycling?

It's not so simple anymore. Being an environmentalist today calls for a whole new level of greener thinking — from what you choose at the grocery store to how you commute to work every day.

So check out these tips from Nature Conservancy staff and leading environment bloggers on how to make personal, science-based choices to help save the planet

I like the one about using a push mower: cutting the grass for one hour with a gasoline-powered mower creates about as much air pollution as a 100-mile car ride: up to 4,000 micrograms per hour of potentially cancer-causing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Besides linking to the study, in Environmental Science & Technology, he mentions that using a push mower burns more calories. The combination of serious science and hands-on daily life perspectives is attractive to me. I like Nature Conservancy's bit of additional depth where the science is concerned, and their low use of ads that move is much appreciated.


I thought this blog post on Recycling e-waste from geeks.com was perfect "green" food for their readership.

More than 1.5 million tons of e-waste—TVs, computer monitors, desktop computers, cell phones, batteries etc., are thrown into landfills and incinerators around the United States every year. These electronic computer parts contain toxic materials such as lead, mercury, and cadmium. Did you know that a typical 17-inch computer monitor contains about 2.2 pounds of lead and a 27-inch television could produce as much as 8 pounds? As a result, the toxins are released into the air and water, making e-waste a public health issue as well an environmental one. Beryllium is commonly found on motherboards and connectors and is a known human carcinogen.

When I was young and unknowing I tipped my first dead TV into a dumpster. Never again. At this point I look at TV/monitor ownership as a cradle to grave responsibility: they shall be recycled.


All three of these reminded me of how different a way of life can look after a few gradual changes take root over time. 20 years ago we got curbside recycling service from the garbage company, and I felt great about recycling paper grocery bags. This week's grocery shopping came home in my own cloth bags. Last year some of the grocery store clerks were a little thrown by me bringing my own bags. This year it's old hat.

On a web content dev level, I appreciate seeing links to solid science factoids along side common sense. It gives validity to the text, and offers readers a feeling of depth. I like a little light reading that comes with a sense of having learned something. Besides, anyone can write an article about a shoulda-coulda-woulda. I appreciate seeing information presented persuasively, but in a way that is respectful of readers who like to think on their own. That adds to both trust and curiosity.

This post has been edited by AbleReach: Apr 21 2008, 10:58 PM

[Darryl Heron]

I did a post at my Systems-Overload blog about Earth Day 2008. In writing my post I wanted to pass along some links to posts or sites that had an environmental theme. Good luck with the Earth Day promotions.

Darryl Heron

[bwelford]

Welcome to the Forums, Darryl Heron.

That's an excellent post you did. The more people who spread the word, the better. Get Things Done is an excellent theme for us all.

[AbleReach]

Thank you for coming by, Darryl!

[Lexi]

I am new here but Ablereach suggested I write about my Earth Day post on my blog. My emphasis in this article is not on specific actions but on the fundamental patterns in our individual and group attitudes that form the obvious dysfunction in our relationship with the earth.

If we each attended to our piece of the puzzle, the resulting picture would be far different. Recycling a few plastic bottles or riding a bicycle instead of driving are actions which help to some degree but may only put an eco-friendly veneer over a persistently destructive pattern. We really need to solve the difficulty at the source of the problem.

Come on over and leave a comment, whether you agree or disagree!

Thanks,
Lexi

[bwelford]

Good article, Lexi. Welcome to the Forums.

As I commented on your blog, the thing that strikes me about Earth Day is that this should be for all of Earth's inhabitants. It's that old 'global village' notion. We're all each other's neighbours. In fact I was writing something on that and then came to see your post here. Here's a summary of what I was covering.

Earth Day certainly grabs attention now to an extent that Gaylord Nelson could hardly have imagined in 1969. A great many people are getting involved.

Even tougher issues come up when you remember that it's not just your corner of the Earth. We've really got to try to find solutions that work for all of Earth's inhabitants. The production of biofuels, often suggested for a green planet, illustrates the difficulties. The Gazette suggests it's time to scrap the ethanol boondoggle.

Government-funded conversion to "biofuels" such as ethanol is scarcely helping with energy efficiency and is exacerbating a global food crisis. It's time for Canada to reverse course on this failed approach. Last fall Jean Ziegler, the UN's "special rapporteur on the right to food," claimed it was a "crime against humanity" to divert corn from food to fuel. That claim resonates more loudly this spring, because of fast-rising grain prices - and resulting unrest - around the world. The enormous investment in biofuels in the U.S., the European Union, Canada and elsewhere is fuelling a food crisis in poor countries.

As each of us does our bit for Earth Day today, we should not forget all our neighbors in this global village. I've blogged on this here.

[MaryKrysia]

Thank you, Lexi, for writing an excellent post on Earth Day and about our individual broader responsibilities to Gaia and all that she gives us.

Mary

[AbleReach]

I wrote about my invisible friends.
Cre8Green: Small Steps for Big Causes

Living online can create an invisible extended community, and I was curious about what I could do to bring invisible "friends" into our Cre8asite Earth Day conversations. Even if very few people come out and post, those few will have an encouraging effect.

And, I can't resist a not-quite totally off-topic link to this li'l honey who I used in a post about people I've known who've put themselves on the line for nonprofits: