Clipmarks | Perkalicious11's 'sustainable living' clips

Earth From Above - Stunning!

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:09:48 GMT

clipped by: JohnWaterman
clipper's remarks: Another Boston Globe must see.

Earth From Above comes to NYC

Photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand will bring his work back to the United States - to New York City for the first time in 2009. Aiming to inspire people to think globally about sustainable living, Arthus-Bertrand has been photographing unique views of our planet, seen from the sky, since 1994 - and has produced an exhibit of over 150 4-ft. by 6-ft. prints which will be on display in New York City at the World Financial Center Plaza and along the Battery Park City Esplanade from May 1, 2009 to June 28, 2009. When completed in New York City, the Earth From Above exhibit will also move on to California in 2010. Photographs and captions all courtesy of Yann Arthus-Bertrand. (38 photos total)

bales of cotton

Sand dune in the heart of vegetation

Flock of sheep

Mountainous countryside

"Tree of life"

Dun Eochla fort on Inishmore Island

Iraqi tank graveyard

The Athabasca Oil Sands

Village of Bacolor under a layer of mud

Waste from the copper mine

graves

The coming famine

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 01:27:23 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: "In light of all these hurdles, as I see it, the challenge is to double world food output by 2050 using less land, far less water and fewer nutrients – all in the teeth of increasing rates of drought. And we need to do it sustainably."

"I believe we are quite capable of solving these issues through good science and good policy. In the first instance, we need to massively increase global public investment in agricultural research and development. Then we need to make sure the fruits of that research reach farmers everywhere. I also think that commercial wild harvests, such as fishing and forestry, should be phased out in favour of sustainable farming that dovetails with the local environment."

Clip Source: www.cosmosmagazine.com

What's even scarier than global warming?

feeding the global appetite in an overpopulated, affluent and resource-scarce world could be the scientific challenge of the era

BARRING NUCLEAR WARS, pandemics and cosmic accidents, there will be about 9.1 billion people living in the world in 2050

Yet they will eat as much food as 13 billion people at today's nutritional levels.

The problem is that humanity is consuming more food, year-on-year, than it produces, especially as demand for high-protein food increases in high population developing countries like China and India.

cities are now taking up to half of the water that was once used to grow food

We're also losing land; we are building on it, eroding and degrading it

we lose

n estimated 1.1 billion tonnes of nutrients – through soil erosion and leaching

And if you thought those figures weren't alarming enough, then there's the issue thrown up by climate change

Tags: food crisis, sustainable resources

Eco-architecture could produce 'grow your own' homes

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:43:17 GMT

clipped by: Silkweaver
clipper's remarks: Sounds really cool.

Clip Source: www.physorg.com

A bus stop that grows its own foliage as shade? A children's playground, made entirely from trees? A shelter made from living tree roots that could provide natural protection against earthquakes in California?

"Eco-architecture" may sound like a Buck Rogers vision of an ecologically-sustainable future, but that future is now thanks to the guidance of Tel Aviv University Professors Yoav Waisel and Amram Eshel.

The concept of shaping living trees into useful objects -- known as tree shaping, arborsculpture, living art or pooktre –– isn't new. But scientists are now ready to use this concept as the foundation of a new company that will roll out these structures worldwide.

Pilot projects now underway in the United States, Australia and Israel include park benches for hospitals, playground structures, streetlamps and gates.

It's even possible that, in the near future, entire homes will be constructed with the eco-friendly technology.

Tags: environment, trees, ecological technology

Live longer, live better: futurologists pick top challenges of next 50 years

Sat, 16 Feb 2008 12:04:27 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: Please go to site for the full report

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Reversing the effects of ageing, reprogramming genes to prevent diseases and producing clean energy are some of the biggest challenges for the next 50 years, according to a group of leading experts.

The pace of advances in technology means the rate of progress will be 30 times faster in the next half century, futurologists believe - and that opens up the prospect of innovation in many fields.

Better understanding of our genes could lead to more personalised medicines and longer, healthier lives; communication technology should get faster and cheaper; and we will hopefully find more sustainable ways of living in our environment.

Personalised medicines are another challenge. The recent sequencing of the human genome and a better understanding of how the body works offer scientists a way to identify the things that determine the health of an individual.

Tags: science, future

Sustainability

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 01:49:42 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad
clipper's remarks: To forget how to dig the earth and tend the soil is to forget ourselves.

Gandhi

Clip Source: globalcircle.net

what's here

Is this YOUR life? Get free.
See About Home Planet

Click on Contents below

This site promotes local self-sufficiency, community survival, practical skills, and simple, sustainable living. There are hundreds of other places for political activism, but this is not the place. This is not about changing society but avoiding the high cost of conforming to it. It's not about making everybody agree with us, but using the freedoms and resources we still have to be more independent. It's not about gaining power but freeing ourselves from it.

Tags: self sufficiency, sustainability

What Ideas Will Shape our Future? The 10 Ideas of the 21st Century

Tue, 13 May 2008 19:38:59 GMT

clipped by: urbanlife
clipper's remarks: "More than money, more than politics, ideas are the secret power that this planet runs on."

"The 21st century will overturn many of our basic assumptions about economic life. The 20th century saw the end of European dominance of global politics and economics. The 21st century will see the end of American dominance too, as new powers make their voices heard on the world stage."

"The challenges of sustainable development—protecting the environment, stabilizing the world's population, narrowing the gaps of rich and poor and ending extreme poverty—will render passé the very idea of competing nation-states that scramble for markets, power and resources."

"The defining challenge of the 21st century will be to face the reality that humanity shares a common fate on a crowded planet."

"6.6 billion people living in an interconnected global economy producing an astounding $60 trillion of output each year."

Clip Source: www.time.com

ideas are the secret power that this planet runs on

Clip Source: www.time.com

10. Re-Judaizing Jesus

if you get the [Jewish] context wrong, you will certainly get Jesus wrong

Clip Source: www.time.com

9. Mandatory Health

a crackdown on workers' poor health habits

Clip Source: www.time.com

8. The New Austerity

Americans have kept piling on more and more debt

Clip Source: www.time.com

7. Synthetic Authenticity

the virtualization of life

has led to a deep consumer yearning for the authentic

Clip Source: www.time.com

6. Geoengineering

compensate for an intensified greenhouse effect by reducing the amount of solar radiation reaching the earth

Clip Source: www.time.com

5. Kitchen Chemistry

remaining brave cooks are going a little mad scientist

easier through gadgetry

Clip Source: www.time.com

4. Reverse Radicalism

Why do people leave terrorist groups?

disenchantment

Clip Source: www.time.com

3. The Post-Movie-Star Era

big names no longer mean big grosses

Clip Source: www.time.com

2. The End of Customer Service

the need to interact with human beings is quickly disappearing

Clip Source: www.time.com

1. Common Wealth

ending our misguided view of the world as an enduring struggle of "us" vs. "them"

our fate, our common wealth, is in our hands

to save the world for all

Tags: globalization, economy, religion, movies, planet, common, humanity, culture

Eco-Cities: Urban Planning for the Future

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:22:26 GMT

clipped by: balthazarus

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

Eco-Cities: Urban Planning for the Future

Massive developments proposed for the U.S., China and Abu Dhabi aim to reduce or even eliminate the environmental cost of city living

Northern view of Treasure Island 2020
By 2020 Treasure Island is scheduled to become one of the most sustainable communities in the U.S.

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

Treasure Island Today

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

Treasure Island: Aerial Plan
Schedule: Groundbreaking in 2010, first homes available in 2013, completed by 2020

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

Green in the Yangtze

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

Tabletop model of the planned city

Location: Chongming Island, Shanghai, China

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

In addition to protecting wetlands for birds—and returning some agricultural land to nature—Dongtan will recover, recycle and reuse 90 to 100 percent of its waste.

Wind and biomass will provide all electricity

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

Built on black gold
Masdar: Oil wealth fuels construction of an ecological city in the Arabian desert.

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

Zero waste, zero carbon emissions and zero energy from fossil fuels are the goals of this community

Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

Clip Source: www.sciam.com

Carless

Tags: environment, ecology, future, urban planning

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE LIVING

Sun, 09 Sep 2007 08:18:44 GMT

clipped by: skwirlinator

Clip Source: www.daviddarling.info

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE LIVING

A · B · C · D · E · F · G · H · I · J · K · L · M · N · O · P · Q · R · S · T · U · V · W · X · Y · Z

Tags: encyclopedia, alternative energy, sustainable living

10 Myths About Green Living

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 22:47:47 GMT

clipped by: Perkalicious11
clipper's remarks: each link gives brief supporting information

Clip Source: www.bankrate.com

Sometimes it's difficult separating green facts from green fiction and that often results in inaction. Don't let these 10 myths stop you.

Myth No. 1:	Small changes don't matter.
Myth No. 2:	"Green" choices are painful and expensive.
Myth No. 3:	Keeping old appliances is "greener" than buying new.
Myth No. 4:	The U.S. needs more power plants for energy needs.
Myth No. 5:	The cost of your commute is a fixed expense.
Myth No. 6:	At the grocery store, eco-friendly options are expensive.
Myth No. 7:	If an appliance is off, it's not using power.
Myth No. 8:	Hybrid vehicles are automatically better than nonhybrids.
Myth No. 9:	There are millions of vehicles running on ethanol.
Myth No. 10:	There's only one "right" answer to your eco-dilemma.

Tags: sustainable living, green, lifestyle, myths, facts, tips

Humans Will Need Two Earths

Tue, 24 Oct 2006 14:48:07 GMT

clipped by: nhorn

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Humans will need two Earths, report claims

BEIJING - Humans are stripping nature at an unprecedented rate and will need two planets' worth of natural resources every year by 2050 if current trends continue, according to a report published Tuesday by the World Wildlife Fund and the Global Footprint Network.

People in the United Arab Emirates were placing most stress per capita on the planet ahead of those in the United States, Finland and Canada, the report said. Australia was also living well beyond its means.

Using the report's criteria, Cuba is the only country in the world that has a high level of development, including good health and education systems, and does not use up more resources than is sustainable.

Groups: Footprint getting bigger
The report estimated that "humanity's footprint has more than tripled between 1961 and 2003" — and that consumption has even outpaced global population growth from 3 billion in 1960 to the 6.5 billion today.

In 2003, the report added, humanity's ecological footprint — the demand people place on the natural world — was 25 percent greater than the planet's annual ability to provide everything from food to energy and recycle all human waste.

"This ecological 'overshoot' means that it now takes about one year and three months for the Earth to regenerate what we use in a single year," the conservation groups said in a statement. "Overshoot has increased by 4 percent since the last Living Planet Report, which was based on 2001 data, and is projected to rise to 30 per cent in 2006."

Eyes on China, other growing nations
The conservation groups added that the footprint from use of fossil fuels, whose heat-trapping emissions are widely blamed for pushing up world temperatures, was the fastest-growing cause of strain.

Leape said China, home to a fifth of the world's population and whose economy is booming, was making the right move in pledging to reduce its energy consumption by 20 percent over the next five years.

Tags: environment, news

Sustainable Living Skills

Thu, 20 Dec 2007 04:43:02 GMT

clipped by: Socratoad

Clip Source: www.hollowtop.com

Sustainable Living Skills

Portal | Home-Building Books | Building Classes | Home-Building Articles | Links

Building a House on Limited Means

We've Gone Solar!

Building a Slipform Stone Workshop

Building a Passive Solar Stone House--Part I

Building a Passive Solar Stone House--Part II

Building a Passive Solar Stone House--Part III

NEW! Building a Passive Solar Stone House--Part IV

Living Homes: Integrated Design & Construction

Slipform Stone Masonry DVD

Slipform Stone Masonry Class Information

Homestead Skills

Log, Timber Frame, Strawbale and Earthen Construction Articles and Resources

amazing tree houses

Mon, 11 Feb 2008 16:48:02 GMT

clipped by: valann 47

Clip Source: weburbanist.com

As a young child (or perhaps even an adult) who hasn’t dreamed of living in a tree house? Some structures are built on trees or hung from trees, but some unusual tree houses are even grown from trees or built right into a tree. Some people live in trees as a luxury, some to help save the environment and others out of tradition or necessity. Here are ten incredible tree house designs that range from functional to fanciful, sustainable to strange and affordable to incredibly expensive.

Technological Advances --> Sustainable Living Made Easier

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:42:55 GMT

clipped by: Perkalicious11
clipper's remarks: a great example of how the increased technological assistance can help in designing the greenest buildings possible.

The whole article (a bit long) is amazing!

Clip Source: continuingeducation.construction.com

Evolving software for modeling energy dynamics makes it easier for architects and engineers to design green buildings

Architects have long relied on engineers to perform the complex energy consumption estimations and select mechanical systems. This reliance is now transforming into collaboration as engineers are being invited into early design phases to help the team with decisions about orientation and massing

Simulation software supplies a nuanced view of a building’s dynamic thermal performance that enables engineers to select and size equipment that is smarter, smaller, and often less expensive than the norm

Optimizing building performance can often result in significant construction cost savings due to smaller systems and mechanical rooms.

Tags: green, building, engineering, architecture, construction, sustainable living, earth

Global Warming Realities

Sun, 14 Oct 2007 13:23:59 GMT

clipped by: merrie
clipper's remarks:
There is disagreement on whether other factors such as methane levels are just as important or maybe even more so than carbon dioxide. There is disagreement as to whether, in the historical record, temperatures led or lagged increased carbon dioxide levels. There is even disagreement as to exactly how much of current apparent abnormalities are due to human activity, although no one would dispute the fact that over six billion self-centered primates can create serious problems.
If current growth rates continue, I guarantee that the resulting catastrophe will not only be unimaginably horrible, but will occur long before any of the dire prophesies of the global warming crowd come to pass.

Clip Source: www.opinioneditorials.com

Neither I nor Al Gore knows exactly what this will be or when it will happen, but new laws about carbon dioxide emissions are not going to solve the problem. The problem is not SUVs, coal fired generating plants or eating meat. The problem is plain and simple - there are too many people on the planet and the numbers are increasing exponentially. No amount of new laws, new technology or donations to 'save the environment' funds will solve the problem. The human species must regulate its numbers or nature is going to do it for us.

Politicians only think in terms of passing laws to respond to any and all problems, and only think of the exploding population as more voters to bamboozle.

I firmly believe that we have already exceeded a sustainable human population on Earth, especially if all six billion aspire to American living standards.

But if current growth rates continue, I guarantee that the resulting catastrophe will not only be unimaginably horrible

Tags: global warming, co2, suv, technology, environment funds

Sustainable Living

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 01:44:23 GMT

clipped by: tidbit2

Clip Source: lighterfootstep.com

Five Freshest

Sustainable Living

Sustainable Health & Spirit

Sustainable Business

Apple offers free computer recycling for schools

Stay up to date on sustainability issues by subscribing to Lighter Footstep's RSS web feed.

Why small changes matter

Friends telling you that one person can't make a difference? Think again. When people come together, small changes matter.

Tags: green, sustainable, environment, change

Clipmarks | Perkalicious11's 'sustainable living' clips

Earth From Above - Stunning!

Earth From Above comes to NYC

The coming famine

Eco-architecture could produce 'grow your own' homes

Live longer, live better: futurologists pick top challenges of next 50 years

Sustainability

What Ideas Will Shape our Future? The 10 Ideas of the 21st Century

10. Re-Judaizing Jesus

9. Mandatory Health

8. The New Austerity

7. Synthetic Authenticity

6. Geoengineering

5. Kitchen Chemistry

4. Reverse Radicalism

3. The Post-Movie-Star Era

2. The End of Customer Service

1. Common Wealth

Eco-Cities: Urban Planning for the Future

Eco-Cities: Urban Planning for the Future

Massive developments proposed for the U.S., China and Abu Dhabi aim to reduce or even eliminate the environmental cost of city living

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF ALTERNATIVE ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE LIVING

10 Myths About Green Living

Humans Will Need Two Earths

Humans will need two Earths, report claims

Sustainable Living Skills

amazing tree houses

Technological Advances --> Sustainable Living Made Easier

Evolving software for modeling energy dynamics makes it easier for architects and engineers to design green buildings

Global Warming Realities

Sustainable Living

Five Freshest

Sustainable Living

Most read

Sustainable Health & Spirit

Sustainable Business