September 6th, 2012

Tigers, extinct? It’s not only possible, it’s likely, especially in the many nations that have yet to take action on behalf of this majestic animal.

A tiger with trap marks (Photo: Chris R. Shepherd, IUCN)

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June 26th, 2012

As our population grows and energy needs rise (presumably) energy companies are increasingly beating on the door of the government for new places to operate.

South Cumberland State Park, Tennessee (Photo by Lynne T)

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May 24th, 2012

Drip line irrigation is a great idea for gardeners who want to save water and grow plants successfully.

By soaking the ground with water, the drip line approach mimics the effect of a gentle soaking rain, instead of battering leaves with a harsh jet of water like so many sprinkler systems do. More importantly, by slowly delivering the water to the soil and plants and not spraying it overhead the air, a drip line system can better target, and thereby reduce, the water needed for landscape or edible plants.

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March 4th, 2011

Tim DeChristopher, the college student and environmentalist who bid on oil and gas leases of federal wilderness in Utah to drive up the price and protest what he considered to be illegal use of federal land, was convicted yesterday in a Salt Lake City courtroom.

The jury found that he had interfered with the Bureau of Land Management public auction in 2008 in which he bid for about $1.8 million in leases in the Arches and Canyonlands national parks without genuinely intending to buy the leases.

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April 22nd, 2010

Lemurs, a threatened species (Photo: Orsoman/Dreamstime)

They are slipping through our fingers. Our tenuous hold on the Earth’s threatened animals, plants and fish, rivers and oceans, forests and ice caps is not strong enough. It’s not for lack of trying — environmental and eco-conscious groups are in a constant scramble to slow the lengthening list of losses.

Every year, more than 2 million acres of Amazon rainforest – called “the lungs of our planet” for its massive daily recycling of carbon dioxide into oxygen – is lost to logging, agriculture, roads and more.

At last count, out of 44,837 known species of living creatures on Earth, nearly 40 percent are threatened and 804 are extinct.

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November 2nd, 2009

By Barbara Kessler Green Right Now Here’s a movie you never thought they’d make. Coming to the big, or maybe small,  screen near you, a film…about…laundry! With a short opening feature on watching paint dry. OK, so that’s mean and I’m kidding, but not about the movie.  Drying for Freedom is really in the works, [...]

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October 12th, 2009

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now
I woke up at 5 a.m. on Sunday. I wasn’t sure why. The house was quiet and there was a soundless rain outside. I was planning on snuggling back into bed for at least two more hours after checking on the old dog — assuming it was she-who -needs-to-go-out-at-exceedingly-early-times who woke me.

I decided to check on the teenagers too. And there in the in the “playroom” or Texas basement or whatever you call that room over the garage, was a nightmare of electricity consumption. The room was ablaze in light. The TV was blaring. The DVR was glowing. The 14-year-old asleep on the couch as only someone his age could be. He was sent to his room — where a light also had been conveniently left on.

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September 15th, 2009

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Midway into Ken Burns’ new ode to American history, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea (starting on PBS Sept. 27), the filmmaker tells how the nation’s early park caretakers realize that wildlife is integral to preserving the parks.

You’d think this would have been obvious. But it came as an epiphany in the 1930s, decades into the development of the park system.

Oddly, until then, the public had been so busy ogling mountains and gaping at the exotic canyons of America’s national parks, that the animals seemed secondary, even incidental. Wildlife appearances were welcomed, of course. Bison wandering through a Rocky Mountain meadow enhanced the mountain vista beyond. Mountain sheep verified that one was high in the Rockies and the faithful appearance of the Yellowstone bears at the “bear dumps” or roadside feeding stops made an excursion to see Old Faithful complete.

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August 25th, 2009

From Green Right Now Reports

There’s a nice symmetry to this green trend that’s taken root among financial institutions. Aware that their paper-spewing tendencies carry a high carbon price (not to mention their actual price), many banks and credit companies are planting trees for customers who agree to forgo paper statements.

The latest to announce such a tree-planting project is the Kinecta Federal Credit Union in Manhattan Beach, Calif. Kinecta will make a donation to plant a tree in the Brazilian Rain Forest for every customer who converts to electronic statements between now and Sept. 30.

“Our intention is not only to show our commitment to being a green organization, but also to motivate our members to consider the positive global impact even the smallest decision can have,” said Shannon Doiron, Director of Marketing & eCommerce in a news release. “Collectively, credit union members can make a tremendous difference simply by opting out of paper statements.”

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July 31st, 2009

By Sommer Saadi
Green Right Now

A chat with Danny Seo, author of Simply Green Parties: Simple and Resourceful Ideas for Throwing the Perfect Celebration, Event or Get-Together, creator of the Simply Green line of eco-friendly houseware items sold in JCPenney stores, newspaper columnist and green contributor to Better Homes and Gardens magazine:

1. Which of your 50 ideas in the book is your favorite to offer people who are interested in throwing a green party?

That’s such a hard question to answer, but I think I use the summer entertaining tips the most because, frankly, that’s when I entertain. I like the ideas that reuse or repurpose something we all already have and easily incorporate into a party. For example, filling a birdbath (scrub it clean first!) or a wheelbarrow as a wine/beer/soda chilling station is one easy idea. Just fill with ice, insert the beverages and let them chill. The melted ice can be a cool drink for birds or just used to water plants when the party is over.

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May 28th, 2009

From Green Right Now Reports:

The National Audubon Society has honored six women with the 2009 Rachel Carson Award for their outstanding conservation efforts.

• Dr. Sylvia Earle, an oceanographer, author, lecturer and National Geographic Explorer in Residence whose work has expanded awareness and conservation of the fragile marine environment. Former chief scientist of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Dr. Earle is president and founder of Deep Search International. She has led more than 60 expeditions, including the first team of women aquanauts during the Tektite Project in 1970. She also set a record for solo diving to a depth of 3,300 feet. Her research focuses on marine ecosystems in the deep sea and other remote environments.

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May 15th, 2009

By John DeFore
Green Right Now

Opening this week at New York City’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, the exhibition “Design for a Living World” explores possibilities for ecological sensitivity in a realm of top-tier design work — from fashion star Isaac Mizrahi to artist/architect Maya Lin — in which conspicuous over-consumption is often the rule.

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