Junk mail is annoying and harmful.

No, I’m not talking about the spam in your inbox, but the actual physical paper junk that jams our mailboxes each and every day.

Some 100 billion pieces of junk mail are received by Americans each year and the paper used to create this gob-smacking pile typically comes from endangered forests.

Everything related to junk mail is harmful to the environment: the paper production causes deforestation; it’s costly to print and distribute; even its recycling results in megatons of greenhouse gas emissions.

Before you convert your mailbox to a bird house, consider the ForestEthics Do Not Mail campaign at DoNotMail.org and sign the petition to stop junk mail for good.  Also, call the marketing companies who are sending it and have them remove you from their list permanently.

Stop junk mail and click here to learn more options for sorting out the junk.

Photo by PhotoInference.

The door has slammed shut and the debate is over.  Climate change by human hands is real.

According to the most recent report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, industrial activity has irrefutably elevated global greenhouse gasses, reduced snowfall, increased temperature, and raised ocean levels higher than ever.

While stubborn skeptics, like big oil, are still claiming inefficiencies in the study, many have converted.

Troy Ribaudo, of the University of Massachusetts, has been researching the effects of the newest laser detection devices further supporting these climate conclusions.

At the forefront of science there is little question that these findings are indeed the final nail in the coffin regarding mankind’s impact on the environment.

For the full interview with Physicist, Troy Ribaudo, click here.

For daily updates on the climate crisis, check out the following links:

Climate Progress - An Insider’s View of Climate Science, Politics, and Solutions

Real Climate - Clmate Science from Climate Scientists

Desmog Blog - We’re here to clear the PR pollution that clouds the climate debate.

Photo by the Tyndall National Institute.

Full Los Angeles Times article here.

Green Air Filter:

A new enemy is on the loose and it lives inside your television. It is not the Poltergeist kind but it is just as alarming. Microchips inside flat screen televisions contain a chemical called nitrogen trifluoride which can cause 17,000 times the damage carbon dioxide creates.

With flat screens continuing to rise in popularity, it is a wonder that officials are not doing more to control the substance. Many consider the procedure would be excessive because only about 2-3% of nitrogen trifluroide gets released during the manufacture of the microchips. This comes as no surprise for a people who have been firm believers of the mantra “Worry when it is too late”. Maybe Mom was right about sitting too close to the TV.

Photo by Karin and Bruce Levenstein.

Here’s a cool little noonad.

The all-knowing Tracy of ModerernUrbanLiving.com hooked me up with this goodie today:

Plug in your closest gas station price and it’s distance in miles, then plug in the distance and price from station in the next state over with the ultra-cheap gas prices and let GasEdge.com do the math.

Turns out it’s worth it for me to drive to Jersey for gas (and here’s why).  Any Manhattan and Brooklyn gas station owners reading this might want to pay heed.

Full NPR article here.

Green Air Filter:

The love for ethanol may just have died as quickly as it had started. In fact, one can almost see the smiles of the Iowa politicians (as well as the Presidential nominees who have praised it) make for a sour turn with fresh corn glucose still dripping down their chins. And the reason for this is a very simple one: ethanol is not economically viable.

Ethanol faces two challenges. The more obvious one is the fact that ethanol production will face competition from the food market which could very well drive up the prices. Something no one wants. The other challenge is despite the fact that ethanol can save up quite a bit of energy as car fuel; the energy that is normally wasted would be wasted in transporting and producing the corn that is needed for ethanol. This is not to disregard ethanol completely as an alternative fuel. Children of the Corn might sound like a good idea right about now…

Photo by Jeffrey Beall.

Full Wall Street Journal article here.

Green Air Filter:

A common criticism of the U.S. energy crisis is that we are simply not doing enough. Many have opinions on where the spending should be headed. But there lies the real problem: too many ideas are on the line. The U.S., as well as Western Europe, is finding itself too busy struggling with the stability of the economy, environment, and the interest of its citizens that gets torn apart by both agendas to actualize solutions for the energy crisis.

Russia on the other hand remains focused only on what it considers to be the main pillar of strength and has already built numerous natural gas pipelines. Some may perceive Russia’s behavior as bullhead and monarchist almost but one might also consider that one can only begin serving ones nation when one has the capacity to.

Photo by Julien.

Full Wall Street Journal article here.

Green Air Filter:

One of the most stress-inducing things on people’s mind right now is gas prices. So when the possibility of cheap oil came to talks, it seems like everyone can finally rest easy. But before you decide that it is indeed the time to dust off the old gas guzzling SUV wasting away in the garage, think again.

The cheap oil is cheap for a reason. Instead of the light oil that we are used to, this oil will be heavy with sulfur and made up of a tar-like consistency. In fact, it will take a lot more money and effort just to refine this oil into the gas that we love and loathe. Not to mention, the excess greenhouse gas emissions that will occur due to the extra work at the oil refineries. So beware, this is nothing but a carbon emitting wolf in a frugal sheep’s clothing.

Photo by David Sommars.

Full New York Times article here.

Green Air Filter:

We have all heard heart-wrenching stories of small towns forced out of their traditions due to big corporation. But what if the corporation is the good kind that wants to increase energy efficiency? This is the case with Honeywell International, a company that has offered natural gas heating and energy efficient lighting for the small PA town of Schuylkill.

Schuylkill has been the coal mining town fueling factories with its anthracite coals since the Industrial Revolution. So it is understandable when the townspeople of Schuylkill find the very idea of replacing its homegrown product an absolute travesty. Deep-rooted sentiments are nice for stories told to grandchildren while rocking away on a porch, not for the growth of fuel efficiency. When tradition is not only harmful to the environment but also grossly expensive, maybe one should make the exception to side with the big guys for once.

While Clinton and Obama are battling it out on the campaign trail, gas prices are continuing to rise. Both have focused on providing solutions to this growing problem, but nothing effective enough during these trying times.

Instead of waiting for the government to make up its mind, here are some no-brainers to help you save right now!

1. Keep your car tuned and oiled every 5,000 miles and add an air filter change once a year.
2. Don’t drive like a maniac. Aggressive driving causes undo stress on your car and fuel efficiency – not to mention your blood pressure.
3. Cool off by opening your window instead of blasting the AC when driving around town. But on the highway, make sure you roll ‘em up to cut wind resistance and yield higher fuel efficiency.
4. Shut off the engine when idle. It doesn’t require any extra fuel to start your car so if when stuck in gridlock or standing, power down and save.

For more ways to save on your petrol intake and dollar output click here.

Why hasn’t someone perfected this yet??? It sounds TOO PERFECT!!! All those sweet smelling summer grass clippings could actually get you from Dallas to Denver?

The sensation around the American switch grass fuel solution fertilizes even the most jaded of skeptics. What many don’t realize is that ethanol is already the predominant fuel for autos in Brazil. Their nearly bankrupt economy has seen a massive upswing as a direct result.

Hardly a novel innovation, ethanol’s American heritage dates back to Henry Ford’s visionary prediction in 1916, “All the world is waiting for a substitute for gasoline. The day is not far distant when, for every one of those barrels of gasoline, a barrel of alcohol must be substituted.” A farmer himself, Ford knew that just about anything could be fermented including vegetable matter, fruit, weeds, and sawdust.

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