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Are you a baseball fan? With the Major League in full swing, check out the Fields of Green Team, run by a former pro baseball player, Darrell Evans. By surfing the site and signing up for the newsletter, you can receive environmental information, money-saving tips and hot takes on new eco products. There is a cool section with environmental tips laid out in terms of baseball bases, adding up to the big things you can do to get a homerun! The Field of Greens Team has also started endorsing certain green products, so check out that section too if you want to do some eco-shopping. Oh, and why not up brush up on your baseball knowledge by taking a look at the green baseball players bio. Fields of Green definitely hits an eco-homerun in my books!
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It’s summer, and summer brings about summer work. We’d like to help you find a job, with a hint of green, this summer, and what better way than to check out some environmental job sites? GoodWork is all green, so it can help you find green jobs, environmental volunteer opportunities, and events in your community. Charity Village is Canada’s leading site for those searching for employment in the non-profit sector. This site allows you to search based on location, type of job or organization focus, such as environment and animals. ECO Canada focuses on job postings and as well as on environmental educational programs for students wishing to pursue this area for studies. Are you looking for work in the U.S.? ECO Employ not to be confused with ECO Canada, provides job search capacities for work in Canada and the United States. Of course, these aren’t the only environmental job sites, so here’s a few more: Environmental Career and the Environmental Careers Organization. Happy searching!
UPDATE:
Since posting this blog, we’ve come across a few other environmental job sites. WorkCabin is Canada’s first site powered by 100% green electricity and lists jobs, internships and volunteer opportunities in Canada. Geography Jobs focuses on employment in the field of geography and has recently been launched. Eluta is unique in that it finds new job announcements from all across Canada. With a new grads section and an environmental choice option, this could be very helpful in your job hunt. Also, check out federal environmental jobs and Ontario Provincial student jobs.
If you have any links to environmental work resources that you would like to share with us, !
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As a student it’s often hard to have and keep money. But Green My Wallet may be your new secret weapon….a way to be environmental and a way to save some green…err, money. It’s a pretty simple site but it lays out a few quick and easy ways to save money and help the planet, such as investing in your own reusable mug (saving hundreds of disposable cups) or turning off your computer at night (save energy and money). Green My Wallet even lets you add your own tips if you come up with a great idea. Check out this site today and start greening! And hey, why not make one of these items your 1 thing, obviously!
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Did you know that this week is National Volunteer Week? With summer just around the corner, consider taking Ontario’s “Change the World” challenge. To participate, all you have to do is commit to volunteering in a specific activity that you choose, and begin your work by the upcoming summer. And may we recommend that you consider volunteering for the environment? There are many eco-volunteering options available, whether it’s tree planting or working in a community garden. Green volunteering is good for the earth and good for the spirit. P.S. It’s true, one person can change the world.
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Have you heard of the term “carbon footprint”? It is the amount of resources it takes for one person to live, and is calculated using things such as the amount of food consumed, distance travelled and consumer items purchased. If you’re like me, this concept may seem a bit fuzzy to understand. Enter the new Carbon Map.
The Carbon Map is a new high resolution map of the carbon footprint of the entire United States. This map colour codes the amount of carbon emissions per 100 square kilometre area – the darker the colour means the more carbon emissions that are created in that area. It’s interesting to see that as you look east, there is a greater amount of carbon consumption.
The map uses data from 2002 measurements, and the units of measure are log (million metric tons/year/100 square km).
The Vulcan Project, which is funded by NASA under the North American Carbon Program, is the organisation that developed the Carbon Map. Its goal is to measure the U.S.’s carbon outputs to a much more specific degree and present the information visually. The hope is that once people understand the carbon emissions their actions are creating, steps can be taken to reduce carbon consumption. The map also helps to understand the current climate crisis and puts each person’s impact into perspective.
But the project gets bigger. Plans to develop a Canadian version are underway, to be followed by the rest of the world …how cool would that be?!
Check out the website for more info, the map, and the project behind the new image and watch the YouTube Video for a full explanation of the project.
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It seems like David Suzuki is everywhere these days - subway ads, Powerwise commercials, radio and TV appearances and a syndicated column. In his continuing quest for world domination and improvement, the David Suzuki Foundation is now teaming up with the environmental marketing team at FLICK OFF! In case you don’t know, FLICK OFF brings together corporations, different levels of government and NGOs to help us conserve energy. The David Suzuki Foundation has been doing similar work for the past 18 years - sign up for their Nature Challenge!
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Are you looking for a cool way to raise awareness about the environment this summer and see Canada? Consider joining the Otesha Project (“sustainability in action”), this project originated in Kenya and has come to Canada. Participants travel via bike around the country making presentations on social justice and environmental issues. Teams of 15-20 young people will take a variety of different routes, aiming to influence change via words and actions. Find out more today, space is limited and filling up fast.
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Have you ever considered how much greenhouse gases are emitted from your air travels? Well, youth involved in Canada World Youth Programs have, and through the Green Miles Project, youth from Canada and Africa are working to offset their travel emissions created from participating in the program. Youth have been planting trees since 2006 through this program, and have planted overe 1,200 trees. As a part of this initiative, tree planting will occur in 2008-2009 in Canada and overseas, and youth will aim to create awareness for this program though public education and events. While you’re on the site, check out other areas for ways you can get involved in an overseas project youself.
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Declutterize Canada is an Ontario-based initiative that aims to help Canadians get rid of “stuff”. By helping us to reduce our consumer desires and replace them with leanings toward sustainable living, the site provides handy information, green living tips, and a forum for discussing sustainable living with other Canadians. While many of the sections are not yet launched, such as sections on tips for gardening and recycling, the site aims to expand to include more information and resources. With a strong social focus, Declutterize Canada encourages us to reach out to our fellow Canadians and join the eco-conversations, sharing with them your own environmental achievements, or having a place to ask your biggest burning green question. Best of all – it’s another much-needed resource with CanCon!
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For the lazy environmentalist in all of us, here’s how to curb your energy consumption with minimal effort. It’s a simple application available at www.localcooling.com. This handy little program will make sure that your computer’s power consumption is optimized, saving you energy and dollars, in the process. While the best option for saving power is to turn off your computer when you’re not actually losing it, sometimes we become forgetful or lazy. With localcooling, part of the work of saving energy is done for us and the cool thing (pun intended) is that you get to see how much energy you are saving and what that means in terms of trees and water saved.
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Check out this website to see what two Queen’s University students are doing in the name of sustainable transportation and cheaper road trips. Have you ever forgotten something at home and returned to school only to realize that you need that textbook? Or do you have friends at another uni that you’d like to visit for the weekend? Introducing Geodak. Created by Ontario students, Geodak links individuals who may be going, or want to go, to the same places via car. Those driving get paid for taking on a passenger or package, and the individual gets a cheaper ride than normal. This site seems like a great place to save money, time and energy getting to and from where you need to be. Geodak is unique in that you can search for routes people are traveling, but can also post requested routes. It also has a global reach (road trip to Rio de Janeiro, anyone?), it’s also really cool as it was created right here in Ontario.
And of course, the environmental spin (what, you thought this was about saving broke students money?): more carpooling = less greenhouse gas emissions = a happier, greener environment. Check it out today and see where the road can take you!
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Steve Nash and Nike have created the first performance basketball shoe made entirely out of manufacturing waste. Nash debuted the new shoe in an NBA game last week and this shoe meets Nike’s “Considered” design standards. The shoe contains many innovations, such as using foam from factory production, using leather waste from factory floors and utilizing environmentally-preferred rubber in the design. Check out the shoe and more of what Nike is doing here.
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“Global warming has become an international crisis. The places we treasure and the wildlife we love are threatened. We need to protect our health and the health of our kids and grand kids, and laws and regulations can’t do it alone.”
The people behind the site have checked out products that meet certain criteria: sustainable manufacturing practices, social consciousness and eco-friendliness. The site is geared toward women, but there’s plenty in it that’s useful for everyone. From appliances to fabrics, toys to holiday lights, Big Green Purse has done most of the work. There are also tips on how to green your wardrobe, and a campaign called “One in a Million” where women pledge to use $1 billion of their purchasing powers for environmentally-friendlier options.
Previously, on our staff blog, we directed you to ethiquette.ca, which is run by the Responsible Consumer Network, and offers a Canadian take on responsible and ethical consumption.
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You can also opt out of receiving junk mail through the Canadian Marketing Association’s “Do Not Contact” service.
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As a diehard Mac fan, I’ve been keeping track of the rumours going around Apple’s newest products. At the annual MacWorld conference held in San Francisco, Steve Jobs unveiled the MacBook Air today, and it is beautiful. Mac’s thinnest laptop yet, it’s a vision… but I won’t go on about its technical specs, you can find those at apple.com. The reason I’m bringing it up here is because this is Apple’s greenest computer.
Apple has been repeatedly criticised for its not-very-sustainable business practices, but with the MacBook Air, Apple goes green. From MacWorld’s news site:
“Apple’s frequently been in the crosshairs of environmental group Greenpeace in recent years. Jobs offered information about the environmental goals behind the MacBook Air—it has a fully recyclable aluminum case, and is “the first” to have a mercury-free display with arsenic-free glass. All the circuit boards are BFR-free and PVC-free, and the retail packaging uses 56 percent less material than the MacBook packaging.”
This is great news because:
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Do you like shopping? Admit it; we all enjoy a little retail therapy once in a while. However, after shopping are you ever left feeling guilty for your purchases? ClickGreener.com can help you shelve your guilt, at least when it comes to the environment. This site allows you to shop as you normally would, at hundreds of stores. While the price of your items remains the same, clickgreener donates your referral fees to their environmental non-profit partners. Brilliant, eh? Happy Shopping to all. Check out our eco-celebrity profile of Owen Ward, the founder of ClickGreener.com in our Eco-Celeb section here.
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The National Roundtable on the Environment and Economy (NREE) is releasing a 50-page report this morning that documents a long term strategy for targeting climate change. One of the main ideas to be presented will be the creation of a carbon tax which will penalize those who are causing the most damage to the environment. It will be interesting to see the fallout of the report on Parliament Hill, as both political parties have vocally opposed enforcing a carbon tax. Perhaps it’s a solid first step in getting Canada back on track for positive environmental action. The NREE also says that while Canada needs to shape up, so should everyone else. Stay tuned…
For more info: http://www.nrtee-trnee.ca/eng/publications/getting-to-2050/intro-page-getting-to-2050-eng.html
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Rapper Eve’s assistant has said to have requested “there be no use of Styrofoam or plastic goods, no leather furniture, and only recyclable materials” backstage, when she performed at the Shore Club in Miami on New Year’s Eve. A round of applause for Eve, as many stars demand exorbitant things in their dressing rooms and rarely care about the effects, environmental or otherwise, of their choices.
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We know we are all connected and that our actions affect others. Yet the website Affluenza makes this concept come to life. It’s motto is “To reform the world, we must first reform ourselves”. The site will take you through different areas of your life that you can change, such as work, transportation, and technology. Affluenza also breaks down the consumerism epidemic that is in conflict with sustainability both economically and environmentally. With links to other sites of interest, I found this site incredibly useful.
