Elementary school kids in San Rafael, Calif., are asking Crayola to initiate a recycling program for the millions of markers the company produces every year.
The children, who participate in a green group called Kids That Care, decided to petition Crayola through Change.org after realizing that many plastic products, including spent markers, wind up in landfills, said the group’s advisor Land Wilson.

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There are many ways to celebrate Mother’s Day. Cut flowers, breakfast in bed, brunch at her favorite restaurant, a chick flick night. All these fit the day — and you can even take your mom along!

A magnolia looks and smells great. (Your tree won't be this big.)

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In a bygone American era, Detroit shone proudly as a center of industry, home to the Model T and other symbols of American progress. The decline of the car industry in recent decades, though, has cut the city’s population in half and left poor neighborhoods in even more derelict condition. Detroit is now home to thousands of acres of vacant land, most of it unmaintained, left to collect weeds and waste. The result? Many of the city’s residents live in what is termed a
“food desert.”

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Eco-friendly parking has made its way to the resort community of Paradise Valley, just outside of Scottsdale, Ariz.
El Chorro restaurant, popular with locals and the tourists who flock to the area’s golf courses and luxury hotels, has installed three electric car charging units in early January as part of its new sustainable design.

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On Valentine’s Day, we think chocolate, and maybe roses, but, OK…mostly chocolate.
Rich, sweet, velvety, dark, crunchy (or smooth) chocolate. Wonderful, comforting, dopamine-inducing chocolate.
Yet there’s a battle being fought for your chocolate heart; that is, your consumer loyalties.

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NASA’s video depiction of our changing climate.

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ell phones and tablet computers may be coveted holiday gifts, but parents should consider the potential health effects of these devices before giving them to children, according to the Environmental Health Trust (EHT) and Healthy Child Healthy World (HCHW) , two educational groups focused on environmental health…. Manufacturer safety warnings, the groups note, are simply not sufficient to protect children because they were designed to meet a test for a “typical user” who never was typical:

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People who do not want to support the cruel and dangerous conditions of industrial meat production, but aren’t necessarily looking to slice meat out of their diet, can find many sources for a better-raised turkey — or ham — this holiday.

Bronze breasted Organic, pastured, heritage turkey from the Elmwood Stock Farm in Kentucky.

Farmer’s Markets and the online seller Local Harvest feature dozens of producers with home-grown flocks that were raised on pasture and treated humanely. These smaller-scale farms can verify that they have not packed turkeys into giant sheds where they were deprived of sunlight and space to move around, as has become the norm in industrial production. (See our story on CAFO: The tragedy of industrial animal factories.)

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If T-Day at your house always means Thanksgiving, and never “Turkey Day,” then there’ll be no roast beast, only nut, tofu or veggie substitutes.

Veteran vegetarians who’ve been cooking up animal-free feasts for years, will have undoubtedly have their strategies for going against, or rather, with the grain once again this year. But newcomers, or those of you trying to (finally) please your veggie friends, may need some help with the alternative holiday dinner.

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A University of Arkansas study suggests that “lifetime” savings claims on product labels are not the most effective method to reach consumers regarding the benefits and potential savings from using energy-efficient products.

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Want to know what’s going on at the nation’s greenest colleges?

Students knee-deep in study at a marsh near University of California Irvine

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Independence Day brings back memories of picnics and fireworks. Lots of paper and plastic, coal or gas grilling, and a brilliant light show. Is it possible to celebrate the Fourth and remain green? Let’s take it step by step.

Keep it natural

Having a daytime party that makes use of natural outside light is great. Depending on what you have in mind, that may or may not work. Holding your event outdoors works best, avoiding the cost of electricity and lessening the use of air conditioning.

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