$16 Gas… Local Food Rises Again! | 3BL Media

Along with the rebirth of cities and new life into small towns, the rising price of gas will get us eating more local foods from farmers we actually know. The great American farm rises again at $16 dollars a gallon.

As author Christopher Steiner points out in $20 Per Gallon, at $16 a gallon our food web as we know it will unravel. That’s the bad news. The good news is that you won’t starve, and you’ll get your food closer to home. Instead of “fresh “ tomatoes from California in February that were picked green and ripened in an industrial process that keeps the looking great but taste free, you have juicy flavorful tomatoes from a local farms. You’ll enjoy them canned in the winter, or pay a little more for hothouse grown ones. You’ll enjoy crisp fresh local apples in late summer through early winter, then feast on applesauce and pies from local orchards the rest of the year, rather than eating apples shipped halfway around the work from New Zealand, that use many times their weight in petroleum to get to you. Eating foods in season, from farms you can pass by once in a while and farmers you may know, will be the norm rather than the exception.

Well use hot houses heated, not by natural gas or oil, but by sun in the daytime and compost at night, which give out tremendous heat during the process of turning back into soil. “Old” methods of farming will make a comeback, as they are already on organic farms.

$16 a gallon gas will put a crimp in exotic sushi for sure – shipping fresh fish all around the globe every day. But that will be better for the fish and the planet as we rely more on locally caught or grown fish, like catfish, tilapia, trout, and – yes – carp, which are widely used a food fish elsewhere and are actually quite delicious.

Our food will be closer, fresher, crunchier, tastier and more nutritious. We’ll eat “in season” again, the way our bodies evolved. And more and more food will be organically produced, with integrated pest control and local compost and manures instead of petroleum derived fertilizers and pesticides. We’ll feast on real food instead of petroleum.

But things from distant places won’t go away entirely. A new renaissance of rail will bring things – and us – to and from distant cites, with a fraction of the energy it takes to fly or drive. See what’s in store when gas reached $18 a gallon next time.

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

Japanese to Beam Electricity from Outer Space! | 3BL Media

In a future not so far away, fossil fuels have virtually disappeared, so the only way for the human race to acquire electricity is to beam it from outer space. The Japanese population is preparing for this catastrophic event by developing a solar station project that will generate power from 22,500 miles above the earth’s surface…

Sounds like something out of a sci-fi movie, doesn’t it? Well it’s actually true, and the Japanese Government, along with 16 other companies like Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., are taking on this task at this very moment!

Here are a few facts about this space adventure:

• The project will cost about 2 trillion yen (which is equal to $21 billion U.S. dollars)

The station will feature 2.5 square miles of solar panels and produce 1 Gigawatt of electricity

The station will be so far above the earth’s surface that it won’t be affected by the weather

The electricity will power 300,000 Japanese homes within 3 decades

The planned launch date is 2015

This is an amazing goal for the Japanese, but it’s also very expensive. Right now the government knows that they can’t afford the exorbitant costs for the space station, so they’re trying to come up with reasonable ways to reduce them.

It’s still a very cool idea! Just look at the artist rendering of the process.

Let’s sit back, relax, and see what the future holds for this project. I’m sure that Stanley Kubrick and George Lucas would be very proud.

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

ASUS Announces Eco-Friendlier Bamboo Laptop | 3BL Media

It’s pretty tough to be a relevant PC maker these days. There are so many options. By the time you’ve come up with a creative design, it’s already been leaked on Gizmodo to your competitors. Or, your story gets bumped by the latest Apple tablet rumor (which turns out to be false).

But one niche that no manufacture has really tapped is green electronics. Enter the ASUS bamboo laptop!

Sure, green electronics are an oxymoron. How can they be green when they clog up the landfills with 50 million tons of e-waste each year? Well, they can’t, but this bamboo laptop sure makes me think some day they will.

By using industrial-strength bamboo, the laptop reduces e-waste bamboo can of course be recycled – even the trackpad is made out of bamboo! Interestingly enough, part of the manufacturing process includes screening the bamboo for parasites.

“We spent the last couple of years perfecting and working with bamboo,” said Jonney Shih, Chairmen of ASUSTeK Computer Incorporated (ASUS). “It is trendy yet responsible.”

It’s rumored the notebooks will cost around $999. Much friendlier to the pocketbook than the $2000 price tag which was leaked back in June when the device was called the U6.

The notebooks are powered by Intel’s Core i3, i5, and i7 processors, they run Windows 7, and have USB 3.0 connectivity. They have up to 500GB of storage space and Blu-ray drives. They’re optimized to save battery life using ASUS’s Super Hybrid Engine. It reduces CO2 emissions by 12.3kg per notebook annually. With the 6 million notebooks ASUS sells each year, this equates to about 73.8M kg of CO2 (or about 36 million trees).

Of course, this isn’t the first bamboo device we have seen. There have been external USB drives, Dell’s tiny eco computer, and a whole other line of ASUS bamboo products. And we cannot wait until more come out.

“We are looking forward to leading the PC industry into a new era of thought,” Shih says. And we are looking forward to it too.   

ASUS Bamboo U Series Specifications: ASUS U33Jt:

• Processor – Intel Core i7-640UM (1,2 GHz) or Intel Core i7-620UM (1,06 GHz)

• Operating System – Windows 7

• Up to 4 GB of RAM DDR3 (1066 MHz)

• 13.3-inch display with a resolution of 1366×768 pixels

• Graphics – NVIDIA GeForce 310M and Intel GMA HD (switchable)

• Winchester – 250/320/500/640 GB

• 0,3 / 2-megapixel web camera

• 8-cell battery

• Dimension – 328x232x14 ,8-27 mm

• Weight – 1.7 kg

ASUS U83Jc:

• Processor – Intel Core i5-540M (2,53 GHz), i5-520M (2,4 GHz), i5-430M (2,26 GHz), i3-350M (2,26 GHz), i3-330M (2 , 13 GHz)

• Operating System – Windows 7

• Up to 4 GB of RAM DDR3 (1066 MHz)

• 14-inch display with a resolution of 1366×768 pixels

• Graphics – NVIDIA GeForce 310M and Intel GMA HD (switchable)

• Winchester – 320/500/640 GB

• Optical Drive DVD Super-Multi

• 0,3 / 2-megapixel web camera

• Dimension – 344x241x28-31, 8 mm

• Weight – 2.2 kg

ASUS U53F/U53Jc:

• Processor – Intel Core i5-540M (2,53 GHz), i5-520M (2,4 GHz), i5-430M (2,26 GHz), i3-350M (2,26 GHz), i3-330M (2 , 13 GHz)

• Operating System – Windows 7

• Up to 4 GB of RAM DDR3 (1066 MHz)

• 15.6-inch display with a resolution of 1366×768 pixels

• Graphics – Intel GMA HD (U53F), switchable NVIDIA GeForce 310M and Intel GMA HD (U53Jc)

• Winchester – 320/500/640 GB

• Optical Drive DVD Super-Multi/Blu-Ray Combo

• 1,3 / 2-megapixel web camera

• Dimensions – 386×259, 4×33 ,91-34, 67 mm

• Weight – 2.6 kg

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

CSR Partnerships: The Non Profit Perspective | 3BL Media

What’s the best way to maximize partnerships with non-profit organizations? It starts with understanding how NGOs operate and how they approach building relationships with corporations.

Part 1

Part 2

Paul Klein of Impakt, discusses the opportunities and challenges related to building partnerships with corporations with Mary Alberti, CEO of the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario and Anna Kennedy, Executive Director of Lymphovenous Association of Ontario

Why not tune into the truth in 2010? | 3BL Media

Media companies should bring words and actions into alignment.

As the Western world continues to be inundated with thousands of ads daily, many of which are for “green products,” consumers may be overlooking the environmental impacts of media giants themselves.

Companies in this category, including General Electric and Disney, often have a considerable impact in many different realms. In 2009, GE maintained brands found within the large appliances, airline, electronics, and pharmaceutical sectors along with their media ownership of CNBC, MSNBC, and Bravo (it should be noted that GE sold off its media business to Comcast at the end of 2009). Their different and diverse business units all have varying climate impacts, with each subsidiary facing complex challenges. General Electric continues to rank the highest in this category, much of which can be attributed to strong carbon reduction programs emerging from its Ecomagination initiative.

Click here to continue reading.

CSR Minute: Syngenta’s Donation to Feeding America; Car Part Incubators

Corporate Social Responsibility News: Syngenta’s Donation to Feeding America; Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology’s Car Part Incubators.

The Green Pig Syndrome In Business | 3BL Media

One would hope that what I am about to say is mostly fantasy, but I don’t think so.  On the heels of a variety of calls from people claiming to be environmentally concerned, I am finding that environmental issues rarely supersede convenience and cost.   One remarkable comment came when the person said, “I don’t mind being environmental as long as it doesn’t cost me anything.”  Frankly, I was too shocked to respond like I should have.  The best response was that irresponsibility is costing us all the time.  The price of doing nothing is rarely zero.  What is the price of not going to work?  What is the price of refusing to fill the gas tank when the needle is on empty?  What is the price of neglecting our children when they ultimately require an attorney to get them out of their latest jam?

So, it occurred to me that there is a “Green Pig” Syndrome (GPS) at work.  The Green Pig Syndrome is like greenwashing except that it means that we don’t want our environmental obligation to intrude into our lives.  You see, you can paint a pig green, but it is still a pig!   A pig will do absolutely nothing different than it has always done.  It will squeal and complain when things don’t work like he wants, and it will consume as much as he can in a day, hoping only for another day to do the same.

We love convenience, luxury, and excess.  Constant gratification isn’t such a bad way to go, wouldn’t you say?  If there were no consequences to how we lived life, one might suppose that we would all be happier.  Or, at least we think that would be best.  Like it or not, we live in a consequential world, and every day is an investment in making life better or worse.  The simple task of depositing your trash in the next trash bin or throwing it out of the window has compounding consequences.   We can survive the odd incident, but I have been in countries where trash lines the streets and festers in the alleys.

The Green Pig Syndrome is a values placement process.  Pigs, I am told, are relatively near-sighted but are considered the fourth most intelligent animal in the world.  They see only what is in front of them, and they are driven by their appetites.  Who wants the life of a pig, though?  In our example, they are not long thinkers.  So, they never worry about how the world will be tomorrow.  Life does not consist of what can be done today no matter what the real cost might be in the long term.  That would be a Green Pig’s attitude, however.

Let’s face it.  You can paint a pig green, but that does not change the way it thinks.  And, anyone can paint themselves as environmentally-concerned, but how many things are they willing to change?  The success of the environmental program is not just in building Green buildings or buying Green products.  Those embracing these solutions are merely “Green by Proxy.”   The real impact is felt when Green is made a part of the lifestyle.  It could be considered behavior modification, but it is the necessary modifications for our collective future.  We need not “Go Radical” in our transition to Green.  It is a learned behavior that allows for people to grow into a better environmental citizen.

The hard facts are that Green will cost everyone something, and it will certainly intrude on our convenience-oriented world.  We cannot make the necessary changes without changing the behavior of each and every person.  It will not be convenient, comfortable, or enjoyable.  It is, however, necessary for the world that we all hope to enjoy for a while.  Don’t be overly concerned.  This is not a call to monastic living, moving into a grass hut, or trading your car in for a bicycle.  It is the challenge that we all face in this hour in history.  It is our hour, and it is our challenge.  The problem is not as fierce as a war, or as urgently pressing as a hurricane.  Environmental problems are more like the rising tide without enough high ground to keep ourselves out of the encroaching waves.  Slow disasters still deserve our attention, even though we are not up to our necks in trouble yet.

The remedy for the Green Pig Syndrome is not an H1N1 shot.  We can be Green humans who have the intelligence to see the future and change what we are doing today.  There is a cost to Go Green, and there are simple ways to transition to Green Practices that are often mildly intrusive.  Some Green practices are even beneficial.  If you are ready to be both human and a humanitarian, it is time that we all decided to make the changes without concern for the cost or inconvenience.  The Green Business League assists businesses in their Green business certification through honest programs of audit and certification.  Those wishing assistance with Green Business Certification can request a free Green business assessment from a Certified Green Consultant.

GBL3852

A Green Blog That Talks About The Most Innovative and Current Green Issues | 3BL Media

There are many Green Business Blogs out there and even more Green Blogs but none of them are more informative, current, or accurate as the Green Business Views Blog.  This blogs resouces are reliable because they are written by R. Michael Richmond who has been in the Environmental field for almost a decade.  For those of you who dont think that is long time then you have to realize the Going Green Movement has only lasted a decade or so.  He owns a company called the Green Business League and he helps all kinds of companies Go Green.  He like finding the best and most current ideas and writting about them so other people can keep up to date on what is going on in today Green community. 

If you are an environmental person that likes to be current with todays issues or you work for a Green Business and you want to see what new Green idea are popular then the Green Business Views blog is perfect for you.  This blog is not just made for business professionals but any one who has a passion for the envrionmnet.  Eco-Friendly ideas are poping up ever day and you just have to find a reliable and current website or blog, but instead of going to 2 or 3 different sites you can make one stop to Green Business Views Blog.

GBL3847