Marine Stewardship Council's Marine Stewardship Questionable, Scientists Say photo: Mr. T in DC via flickr A bit of a sustainable seafood smackdown is ongoing: In a new opinion piece in the journal Nature scientists from the University of British Columbia, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and other institutions have called out the Marine Stewardship Council for not doing a good job at marine stewardship. As is to be expected, MSC strongly disagrees. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger Continue Reading

Light a Natural CandleClear the air, as well as your conscience. Continue Reading

The Strangest Sustainability Analogy Ever? Stop Watching Spongebob (Video) Image credit: CosmicRevolutionKS When I interviewed my friend Tim Toben of Greenbridge and Pickards Mountain Ecoinstitute, he suggested it was important that we all "tell the story about the transformation from a world powered by fossil fuels to a world powered by renewable energy -- in poetry, music, art, dance." That's easier said than done. But one young man has been doing just that—and the result is rather strange, but oddly compelling. Apparently we... Read the full story on TreeHugg Continue Reading

Organic Strawberries Have Better Taste & Nutrition Than Conventional & Better For Soil Too: New Study photo: Dave Parker via flickr In the tug of war over whether organic farming is really better than conventional chemical-laden farming, a new study in the online peer-reviewed journal PLoS One comes out solidly in support of the benefits of organic. Self-described as the most comprehensive study of its kind, researchers from Washington State University found that commercial organic farms produce was more... Read the full story on TreeHugger Continue Reading

Is Police Tractor the Way to Fight Farm Theft? Image credit: MASONS via The Telegraph From police on Vectrix electric scooters to cycling proficiency courses for cops, the British police are clearly willing to think outside the box when it comes to more efficient, and effective, transportation. But when Lincolnshire police unveiled a 25mph police tractor, complete with blue flashing light, m... Read the full story on TreeHugger Continue Reading

"Foil" the Grime of a Dirty GrillTry this chemical-free trick to clean up after a BBQ, plus get more great grilling tips. Continue Reading

Boxing DayAs eBay’s Eco Lifestyle Expert, we often hear ecofabulous founder Zem Joaquin spreading the good news of buying vintage or pre-owned. We’ve always known it was eco-friendly to reuse and purchase products that are already in existence rather than using virgin resources, but it’s surprising when you take a closer look and evaluate how good it really is. According to the calculations done by Cooler Inc., commissioned by The eBay Green Team, buying a pre-loved silk dress saves 95% Continue Reading

Elsewhere in the EcosphereHere are today’s picks for what’s wow in the world of green Adapting Roof Solar Panels 40 Billionaires Pledge Half Their Wealth to Charities From Waste to Gardening Products Imagine H2O: Global Competition to Find Water business That Saves Energy SF Hits Waste Reduction Target Two Years Early For more ecofabulous insights, sign up for Zem’s List and be entered to win free eco goodies each month! Continue Reading

Reduce Your Water Bill with a Rain BarrelAlso help reduce harmful runoff. Continue Reading

Babies & BubblesWe only want the best for our babies, and that certainly applies to their sweet, soft skin. With a mission to celebrate and protect the lives of our children (as well as family, community, and planet), what better company to entrust with our kids’ delicate little epidermis than Zoe Organics. Using only the most pure and organic ingredients, Zoe Organics also practices fair trade and donates 10% of each purchase to the White Ribbon Alliance, a non-profit that works to ensure that pregnancy Continue Reading

Local Flower Bouquets are Seasonal and Eco-Friendly Image from my luscious backyard Fancy exotic bouquets are losing their bloom. Flying in flowers from around the world is expensive in terms of money and the environmental impact. Some florists this summer are starting to use local flowers for their bouquets: as in picked from neighbourhood gardens. Now florists are turning gardens into mini-flower farms for their small businesses; renting or trading space in neighbouring gardens for flower beds. Part of the success comes from a change in... Rea Continue Reading

Karate Chop Those ChargersRemember to unplug electronic devices, and slay the vampire effect. Continue Reading

Dry Clean GreenScope out your local area for organic dry cleaners. But before you give them your business, make sure they are using the carbon dioxide cleaning process. Continue Reading

A Room With A ViewHot summer days can leave us feeling a bit stuffy indoors, with the desire to tear down the walls around us. Thankfully NanaWall allows the freedom to do so in a more civilized (and stylish) manner. The NanaWall systems are sleek operable glass walls custom designed to showcase amazing views, give homeowners the ability to utilize more space, and are energy efficient by providing natural daylight and ventilation. It may not look like a conventional wall, but it’s as sturdy as any other. NanaWall Continue Reading

Inflate Your E-goBoost your fuel mileage in one step. Continue Reading

Eating Local, Organic, Or Vegetarian Can't Stop This - Only The Federal Government Can "Corn falls into the East Nishnabotna River in Montgomery County, Iowa. Severe row crop land erosion is occurring along the river." Caption/image credit, this and subsquent images:Gannon, Desmoines Register The dramatic pictures you see in this post speak for themselves: Iowa crop land and even corn falling directly into a river. They symbolize mismanagement of the land by farmers, the Federal government, and corporations which lobby for the policies which lead to this... Read the full story on Continue Reading

Britain's Allotment Culture: When Residents Demand Land, They Get It (Video) Image credit: The Journey TV From this awesome tour of a permaculture allotment, to residents battling to keep their gardens, Britain's 'allotment' culture has featured regularly on TreeHugger. And not without good reason. These small plots of land, rented from local government for an affordable fee, are visible in almost every town and city across the country,... Read the full story on TreeHugger Continue Reading

Self-Sufficiency Versus a Backyard CSA (Video) Image credit: Peak Moment TV A few years ago, Scott McGuire launched an experiment in backyard sustainability—exploring how much food he could grow in his backyard for his family, and whether they could reach self-sufficiency. So what happened? Having grown everything from annual vegetables to grains, Scott made a realization that it would be almost impossible to grow all his family's food in such a small space. But rather than give up, or scale back his ambitions, he launched a CSA to fe Continue Reading

Setting Up and Running a School Garden. Toolkits for Teachers All Images: United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have released a follow up document to their 2005 publication, Setting Up and Running a School Garden. The newer manual is a School Garden Teaching Toolkit, comprising a bunch of step-by-step lessons to "engage learners actively and encourage them to observe and experiment." Both manuals are very comprehensive, each being around the 200 page mark. As the FAO's Growing Connectio Continue Reading