Cat Lincoln
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Top 5 Eco-Friendly Stars for 2010
We love celebrities! Even more, we love celebrities who use their fame to bring attention to good causes, like dolphins, clean water, solar power and animal rights.
Like any popularity contest, our favorite celebrities change over time. And some of them we love more than others, because really, all of that advocacy can get just a bit strident at times.
Wondering who's eco-star is rising, and who is falling out of favor? Here's our take on the top 5 Eco-Friendly stars for 2010, and the celebrities from whom they're stealing the titles!
Like any popularity contest, our favorite celebrities change over time. And some of them we love more than others, because really, all of that advocacy can get just a bit strident at times.
Wondering who's eco-star is rising, and who is falling out of favor? Here's our take on the top 5 Eco-Friendly stars for 2010, and the celebrities from whom they're stealing the titles!
Declare No More Sex For Your Pet - Spay Day 2010!
Kittens! Puppies! So adorable, but sadly there are far more sweet baby pets than homes to take them. One of the kindest, and greenest, things you can do as a pet owner is to spay or neuter your four-footed friends.
To encourage this responsible owner behavior, The Humane Society of the United States' and Humane Society International sponsor Spay Day. It's an annual event to encourage people to spay or neuter your pet, as well as feral cats.
The official Spay Day is the last Tuesday of February, and the 16th annual Spay Day will be Feb. 23, 2010. To generate awareness of the problem, and to raise funds to support spaying programs, HSUS and HSI are hosting the Spay Day Online Pet Photo Contest, with VISA and Zazzle as corporate partners.
Continue reading Declare No More Sex For Your Pet - Spay Day 2010!
Seed - Not Chocolate - Bon Bons for Valentine's Day
A sweet - but inedible - Valentine's Day treat! Photo: Garden Bon Bons
Garden Bon Bons are beautifully (and we presume sustainably) packaged handmade seed ball "truffles" that look like gourmet candy. But don't try to eat them, unless you're a bird, because they're made of seeds, compost and clay.
Inspired by "garden bombs" used by guerilla gardeners these pretty gardening gifts come in two "flavors:" Herbal Tea or Italian Herb. Both are very affordably priced at $14.95 and available on the Garden Bon Bons etsy site.
Continue reading Seed - Not Chocolate - Bon Bons for Valentine's Day
Honey Bees are (Sort of) Recovering!
An English beekeeper holds up a new hive. Photo: Dan Kitwood, Getty Images
According to a Journal of Apicultural Research survey of beekeepers, reported in the New York Times, beekeeping operations are reporting fewer lost colonies that do not have dead bees in or around the hive. An "empty" hive is the primary indicator of CCD.
Last winter the rate of colonies lost to CCD was 26%, down from 38% and 36%, respectively, during the previous two seasons. Even more heartening, only 36% reported colonies with symptoms of CCD, down from a high of 60% three winters ago.
Ecologic Creates the New Frontier of Packaging
Straus organic milk in the Ecologic bottle. Photo: Ecologic.com
I just read about an exciting development in liquid container packaging, over at Triple Pundit. Ecologic Brands is a new company that goes by the tagline, "packaging the Earth can live with" -- and it could change everything!
Ecologic created a recycled paper/plastic pouch "hybrid" bottle that can be recycled and composted. The outer shell -- the paper part -- is made from old cardboard boxes and can be composted. The inner pouch is made of highly recyclable #4 plastic and uses 70% less plastic than a traditional plastic jug.
Continue reading Ecologic Creates the New Frontier of Packaging
Obama Follows up Clean Energy Talk with Action
On Wednesday, President Obama dedicated a significant section of his State of the Union address to a pitch for clean energy, encouraging the Senate to pass a comprehensive clean energy and climate bill.
Today he backed up his words with a pledge to reduce the federal government's greenhouse gas emissions by 28% by 2020. The move will save the country $8 to 11 billion dollars. That's the way to lead by example!
It's a strong political gesture, for two reasons:
Continue reading Obama Follows up Clean Energy Talk with Action
Earth Hour 2010
It's hard to believe that Earth Hour started just three years ago, in 2007. In this short period of time, a one hour, one-time action by two million people in Sydney, Australia, has grown into an international movement with nearly one billion participants.
The idea is simplicity itself: Everyone, at the same time, all over the world, turns off their lights for one hour. It's a symbolic gesture to show that people can work together to address the climate crisis.
Last year there were participants in 87 countries. Some of the major landmarks that shut off their lights for an hour included the Parthenon in Athens, Big Ben and Houses of Parliament in London, the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and of course the Sydney Opera House. According to the Earth Hour site, it was the largest mass action in human history.
Five Natural Makeup Brands for Kids
Piggy Paint kid-friendly nail polish. Photo: Piggy Paint
Who puts makeup on kids, you ask? Indulgent Aunties, like me, who always have a bag full of lipsticks and the willingness to face down stern parents who frown on six-year-olds wearing heavy blue eyeshadow.
It's no secret that I love makeup -- I'm crazy for all beauty items. And I really do doll up my nieces, so I was excited to see the Lil Sugar round up of five all-natural beauty products made especially for kids.
Farm Sanctuary Vegan Valentine
Help farm animals with a vegan Valentine! Photo: Farm Sanctuary.com
Farm Sanctuary is an organization that rescues, protects and advocates for farm animals. They are vehemently anti-factory farm (although really, is anyone pro-factory farms?!) and have a mission to educate people about the suffering that occurs on these farms. Cruelty-free is sorta their middle name!
All of their good work requires funding. One way that they are raising money is with a special box of Farm Sanctuary vegan chocolates in time for Valentine's Day.
Method Makes Laundry Eco-Friendly
method laundry demo from People Against Dirty on Vimeo.
In this, the latest installment of my ongoing pursuit of green laundry bliss, I present the new Method Laundry Detergent.To those familiar with the Method brand of eco-friendly and beautifully packaged home and personal care cleaning products, this is more of the same good stuff. A plant-based formula, 95% natural and renewable ingredients, biodegradable and non-toxic.
The big news is that their new laundry product has an ultra-concentrated formula, which has several green benefits.
WWF e-Valentines Starring Baby Animals and Butterflies
Does someone give you butterflies? Send a WWF e-card! Photo: xx, Getty Images
Back in "the olden days" people would make paper Valentines and deliver them by hand. But in this paper-free, all online communication society, obviously an electronic card is the modern -- not to mention resource-conserving -- way to go.
What? You think an e-Valentine is too cold to touch someone in a deeply emotional way? Clearly you haven't seen the animal conservation Valentine's Day e-cards from World Wildlife Fund. Some of them are even animated.
Continue reading WWF e-Valentines Starring Baby Animals and Butterflies
5 Ways to Drive Greener
One of the things I love about living in a city is that I have lots of car-free ways to get around. I have access to a pretty good public transportation system. I can walk to the grocery store, gym and post office. In theory, if I had a bike and nerves of steel, I could navigate the city via its many bike lanes.
But let's be real: our society is set up for cars, and sometimes you need to drive. Sometimes it even helps you be greener, like when you carpool, or need to haul home something you bought in bulk.
Don't stress out about using your car, just drive smart. Here are five easy ways to make your commute more fuel efficient and eco-friendly:
Horses are Cruelly Killed for Food in Canada and Mexico
Horses! Photo: Jamie MacDonald, Getty Images
Then I got an alert from the Humane Society of the U.S. about horses being trucked to Canada and Mexico for slaughter. For food ... for humans!. Even more distressingly, they are being transported to the slaughterhouses in squalid, unregulated, inhumane conditions.
Eating horses may be a cultural issue, but making them suffer first is inexcusable.
Continue reading Horses are Cruelly Killed for Food in Canada and Mexico
Polar Bear Snow Day at the San Francisco Zoo
Pike the Polar Bear at the SF Zoo enjoys a snow day. Photo: Justin Sullivan, Getty Images
It's been one of the coldest and snowiest winters on record on the East Coast, but here in San Francisco we've been lucky enough to escape with a few frigid, rainy days.
Not everyone appreciates our temperate weather. Some residents probably wish we'd get more of the white stuff, including the three polar bears who live at the San Francisco Zoo.
Two of the bears, Pike (pronounced PEE-KA), and Andy, (who is the star of the popular children's book "Andy Bear,") got a special holiday surprise the week before Christmas, courtesy of the San Francisco Ice Company: snow!
Continue reading Polar Bear Snow Day at the San Francisco Zoo
Murkowski Partnered with Big Coal and Oil Lobbyists to Attack the Clean Air Act
Senator Lisa Murkowski, Clean Air Act Foe. Photo: xx, Getty Images
In a sane world, that would be the case. However, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska has drafted a completely unrelated amendment to the bill which would hamstring the EPA's ability to enforce the Clean Air Act by banning them from regulating carbon dioxide as pollutant.
This is contrary to a 2007 Supreme Court ruling that the EPA in fact must regulate greenhouse emissions, and standards, such as those for new car emissions.
Continue reading Murkowski Partnered with Big Coal and Oil Lobbyists to Attack the Clean Air Act
5 Endangered Species and How You Can Help
Should I Be Afraid to Drive My Prius?
How to Compost in Winter
