8 Great Green Campaign Ads -

There are a lot of great green ad campaigns out there, but here are some of the best:


Deforestation...



Ocean awareness...



Global Warming...



Smoking...



Another two about deforestation...





Elephant extinction...



Ick...whale hunting...

The Shell Mileage Marathons: 149.9 MPG in 1949?!

In 1939, a group of Shell Scientists made a bet to see who could develop a car that had the highest possible fuel efficiency. Thus began the Shell Eco-marathon.

The first competition took place in 1939 at Shell's Oil Wood River Laboratory, Illinois and was won by a man named R.J. Greenshields with a run of 49.73 mpg.

Ten years later, Greenshields modified a 1947 Studebaker which was able to get 149.9 mpg! That was 64 years ago. Today, in 2011, you're lucky if you have a car that gets over 35 MPG.

Today, the marathon is a bit different. High schools, colleges, amateurs, and major motor manufacturers are all invited to participate in events held all over the world. It now includes hydrogen, solar powered, and plug-in battery energy sources. The most recent competition, in April 2011, was won by team Alérion Supermileage, a group of fifteen students from Laval science and engineering faculty. Their car got (are you sitting down?) 2,564.8 miles per gallon!



I just don't understand why these cars, in one form or another, aren't available to the public. They are vehicles and they transport people from one place to another, so what's the problem? If you know why, please post in the comments! :)

Kamikatsu, Japan's zero waste community

In September of 2003, Kamikatsu, a small town in southwestern Japan with a population of about 2,000 residents, adopted a zero waste experiment. The plan is to produce no waste by 2020.

All residents are required to wash their recyclables, separate them into 34 different categories, and to compost all food waste. If an item is in good enough condition, it ends up at the Kuru Kuru recycling store, where residents can take whatever they please free of charge.



The Mayor, Kasamatsu Kasuichi, has urged politicians around the world to follow his example, and it seems like it has begun to catch on! GAIA, The Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives, is "Worldwide alliance of more than 650 grassroots groups, non-governmental organizations, and individuals in over 90 countries whose ultimate vision is a just, toxic-free world without incineration."

I have to admit, when I first heard about this a few years back, I thought that this would never last. I thought that people would never put up with the hassle. Now even the entire City of Austin has created a Zero Waste goal, though it is a more modest 90% reduction by 2040.
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It's so exciting to learn that at least some people are taking the initiative. I wish that I could, but I just don't have access to the necessary facilities, nor do the great majority of Americans.

If you want to start your own zero-waste experiment, why not begin with simple home composting! This Plastic GeoBin Composting System is only $29.99 from Home Depot, with free shipping!

Review: Big Ideas For a Small Planet

Big Ideas for a Small planet is a documentary series created by the Sundance channel. Each episode spotlights a different aspect of everyday life and focuses on it's environmental impact. Every topic is very specific - one episode is about the environmental impact of art. Who would have thought that art was even worth mentioning? It really makes you appreciate the small things. Thanks to this series, every time I listen to a CD, I think about everything that went into producing it, from the energy it took to record it to the plastic case it came in.

Most episodes introduce one or more Entrepreneur with an innovative idea for sustainable alternative options to a specific product. For example, one man created a business dedicated to crafting lamps out of 100% recycled materials, using old computer parts for the innards and something translucent for the shade, usually an old bottle. I found this fascinating that something so beautiful could come from junk.

That being said, many of these entrepreneurs use their time for self-promotion, rather than on the product itself. I felt that some were just money-hungry people trying to profit from the "green movement". The man with the lamps had a starting price of $55 for a small lamp. Really? I mean, I understand a slight mark-up from ordinary lamps, but this is just ridiculous.

Overall, I enjoyed watching this series. Some of the ideas may not be entirely practical or sensible, but at least it's a step in the right direction. I watched this on Netflix Instant, but unfortunately it seems that it will only be available until September 5th. The Sundance website has a ton of clips, webisodes, and information that should keep you entertained for a while (although it seems it has not been updated since season 2). Hulu also has some clips for you to check out.

The Truth Behind CFL bulbs

CFL Bulbs, or Compact Flourescent Lamps, are alleged to be a green alternative to incandescent bulbs. They use a quarter of the energy and last 10 times as long. They are apparently so beneficial that legislators have begun talking about phasing out incandescent altogether. So, now that you've replaced every light in your house you've done Mother Nature a favor, right?


Maybe not. CFL bulbs contain mercury, an element which is used to help convert ultraviolet light into visible light. The problem with mercury is that it is extremely toxic. When a CFL bulb is broken, mercury gets released into the air. The poisonous element can harm you or end up in soil, water, and fish.

So, what do you do if you break a bulb? Don't panic, the EPA has a checklist of steps to take that suggests you leave the room for 15 minutes, then return to sweep it up and double bag it. Keep in mind that vacuuming will only worsen the situation!
The EPA suggests recycling to ensure that the mercury is never released. You can find recycling locations on sites such as earth911.org and epa.gov/bulbrecycling.

My opinion? Once incandescent bulbs are all phased out there will be millions of CFL bulbs in homes around the world. Every day, thousands will either break or burn out, which means either mercury will be released or they will need to be recycled. Since it is such a hassle to clean up a broken bulb properly or to take a burned out bulb to a recycling site (using extra gas, by the way), I think that many people will just toss them in the trash (lets face it - people are lazy) and loads of mercury will be released. I believe the best and most environmentally friendly option are LED bulbs or "light emitting diodes". These bulbs have many of the pros of CFL bulbs without any hazard or inconvenience. The problem with them is that they are ridiculously expensive - between $50-$100 PER BULB! I'm sticking with CFL for now, but (I hope) that the government will start to realize the potential dangers of CFL and put more effort into finding out a way to make LED bulbs less expensive. LED technology is based on semiconductors, which are constantly becoming more powerful (along with computers), so it is possible to make them affordable.