The California power grid wants to make sure it can keep electricity flowing as residents rely on a greater amount of wind and solar power and strict water rules force the shutdown of power plants along the coast in the next few years, the agency said.
California has the most ambitious plan of any state to [...]
The EPA’s free AIRNow app for Apple or Android phones allows users to enter a Zip Code and receive the pollutant and ozone levels for more than 400 cities across the country. You can also choose to check your current location.
The app gives levels for ozone and particle pollution such as automotive exhaust and an [...]
When you think of proponents of green energy, the Saudi oil minister may not be the first person who comes to mind. But in a speech on Monday in London, Ali al-Naimi, the minister from OPEC’s leading member nation, had a lot to say about renewable energy and global warming.Ali al-NaimiAssociated PressAli al-Naimi, the Saudi [...]
The Yasuni National Park, known as "the lungs of the world" and one of the most bio-diverse places on earth, is under threat from oil drilling. The race is on to find the funds required to develop new sustainable energy programmes that would leave the oil – and the forest – untouched.
In the early light [...]
On November 6, 2011, Bill McKibben arrived at Washington, D.C.’s, Lafayette Park to protest the proposed Keystone XL pipeline, designed to carry oil 1,700 miles from Alberta, Canada, to refineries on the Gulf of Mexico. McKibben, a Vermont writer and environmentalist, had been one of 1,252 people arrested in front of the White House in [...]
Bob Cuddy reports in the SLO Tribune:
After a four-hour hearing that capped months of debate, the county’s little-known waste management board voted Wednesday evening to ban plastic shopping bags at most stores in San Luis Obispo County.
Unless blocked by litigation, which has already been threatened, or a referendum, retailers will not be permitted to distribute [...]
The applause was raucous, growing louder and faster as the beat accelerated.
A dozen dancers, arms stretched, torsos bare, pounded the stage in an increasing frenzy. They turned, swooped, slapped their thighs, swooped and turned again– birds hovering in the air, looking for something below – and shouting, “koburake!” or “rise up!” The audience exploded [...]
Japan’s nuclear crisis has turned Mizuho Nakayama into one of a small but growing number of Internet-savvy activist moms.Worried about her 2-year-old son and distrustful of government and TV reports that seemed to play down radiation risks, she scoured the Web for information and started connecting with other mothers through Twitter and Facebook, many using [...]
It is one of the most important public health measures in a generation, one that will save tens of thousands of American lives. It will protect the IQ of countless American kids and help clear the air for the millions of Americans with asthma. It may be the biggest health story you’ve never heard of.
I’m [...]
Did I mention that I visited Glacier National Park last summer? Here’s my story… (fyi – my editor added the word “may” on page 5 regarding the relationship between mining for fossil fuels and global warming.) Thanks for reading! -Trish Riley
Montana’s Big Sky was a broad, clear blue as I said my goodbyes and boarded [...]
Health advocacy groups have worked for decades to get the Environmental Protection Agency to require coal and oil-burning power plants to restrict emissions of mercury, dioxin, lead, arsenic and other toxic pollutants that can cause cancer, heart and developmental diseases, asthma and premature deaths. Though more than a dozen states have adopted such rules on [...]
THE ISSUE:New EPA regulations for mercury emissions have been imposed at last.THE STAKES:Cleaner air, cleaner water and economic opportunity.The last days of 2011 offer those concerned about the air we breathe and the waterways we enjoy all the more reason to celebrate. They might party like it’s, oh, 1990.That’s when the landmark legislation known as [...]
Without any last-minute meddling by the White House, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last week published a long-awaited final rule strictly limiting how much mercury, arsenic, hydrochloric acid and other deadly toxins coal-fired and oil-fired power plants can spew into the air.The rule will save America billions more dollars in health care costs than industry [...]
The Seattle City Council voted Monday to ban single-use plastic bags from groceries and other retail stores, joining a growing trend among cities that embrace green values.
The ordinance, which was approved unanimously following months of discussion and debate, takes effect in July 2012. It includes a provision to charge a nickel fee for the use [...]
Show Your Community Connections with the Chamber Video Challenge
The Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce wants to know what Gainesville means to you or your business. At the 2011 Business of the Year Awards, Chamber President and CEO Brent Christensen announced a video challenge to learn how a connected community not only supports Gainesville, but promotes [...]
Fifteen years ago this week, my youngest son spent his very first Christmas in the hospital fighting to breathe. It was one of his earliest battles with asthma, a disease both he and his brother have struggled with over the years.
So when I say that clean air and children’s health are top priorities for me [...]
I’ve been freelancing since 1992….- tr
The traditional eight-hour workday may soon be the exception rather than the rule. New evidence shows that we’re reaching a tipping point in terms of workplace flexibility, with businesses seeing the wisdom of allowing employees — young ones especially — to work odd hours, telecommute and otherwise tweak the [...]
The vegetable plots are the most visible sign of an amazing plan: to make Todmorden the first town in the country that is self-sufficient in food.‘And we want to do it by 2018,’ says Mary Clear, 56, a grandmother of ten and co-founder of Incredible Edible, as the scheme is called.‘It’s a very ambitious aim. [...]
Just three years ago, the manmade fires here were so fierce smoke would blot out the Amazon sky, turning the days dark. Towering rainforest trees exploded in flames, their canopies cleared to let pasture grow for cattle.The ash that snowed down onto this jungle town was shin-deep. Dirty layers hid red-hot timber chunks, glowing coals [...]
Renewable energy is surpassing fossil fuels for the first time in new power-plant investments, shaking off setbacks from the financial crisis and an impasse at the United Nations global warming talks. Accelerating installations of solar- and wind-power plants led to lower equipment prices, making clean energy more competitive with coal.”The progress of renewables has been [...]
Subscribe to our RSS feed to get automatic updates whenever we add a new post.
Gainesville's environmental film and arts festival.
GoGreenNation.org is a proud member of Green America.
One of a kind vintage finds for girls with sunny auras and kitten souls.
Join us for our monthly meetings the first Wednesday of each month.
A citizen's introduction to the local Superfund Site.
Go to Gainesville Farm Fresh for information on local sustainable food.
Learn about Gainesville's city parks and natural areas here
A listing of vegetarian restaurants in the Gainesville area
The BUY LOCALLY, GAINESVILLE! group is intended to draw attention to all local businesses.
Find out what's recyclable and where you can take your recycling materials
Find out where to take your hazardous waste
