Activists in San Francisco are gearing up for a city-wide energy-saving event. From 8 to 9pm on Saturday, October 20th, all non-essential lights will be turned off and they're hoping the entire city will participate.For more information on “1-night, 1-hour and 1-bulb” go to www.lightsoutsf.org Plus, March 29, 2008 will be Lights Out...
Read MoreTranscript copyright earththrives.com Chris Mason: Massachusetts drivers annually produce 24 million tons of carbon monoxide. That’s the equivalent of filling up 24 million blimps every year upon every year upon every year– comes out of our tail pipes of our cars and into the air–is causing our world to warm up and the climate to change. James Lowenth: Every gallon of gas burned in a car causes about 20 pounds of CO2 to be emitted into the atmosphere. So I figure by not driving...
Read MoreTranscript copyright earththrives.com Beth: One day a week I pick the boys up at the school. I would always walk over there. It’s about a half mile from where I teach over to their school, and I would walk. The days I showed up, Eliot would say as soon as he saw me–just frown and grown and moan and complain at me–and I was just tired of it. So I said I am not the only one who’s going to walk and pick them up. So I got Garrett to say, “Okay, yeah, we can walk.” So we walk home...
Read MoreTranscript copyright earththrives.com Gina: I took a bike safety course. The most important things that I took away from the class was being confident on the road and not being scared of cars. If you are in a place with a lot of cars on the road and you’re very clear about what you’re doing and you drive your bike as if you would drive your car and follow the rules of the road then they know to expect. James: A couple of very important rules on the road: very, very simple rules of the road...
Read MoreTranscript copyright earththrives.com Gina: One of the things I like best about riding my bike with my children because they seem to have so much fun riding and I really have to talk to them on the ride. Things we notice as we ride along–the cars, the people, the smells–that we would completely miss if we were in a car. (They get ready to go for a bike ride.) Gina: How are your brakes? Son: They're fine. Gina: Yours seem to be ok. Youngest son: That’s because of last time when...
Read MoreEarth Thrives is working hard to combine the grass-roots of environmental change with a world reach. The heroes you see are local, but here on the web, we hope people all over the world will find inspiration in our videos. There's another similiar movement happening in the blogosphere. Yesterday, October 15th, was Blog Action Day. And the action item? You guessed it, the Environment. Go check out their site for more information and browse through over 19,000 bloggers who all wrote...
Read MoreWe liked our last site, but we love this one: Check out our new Video Gallery where every episode is one easy click away. We've added a new section, It's Easy Being Green, where we'll share tips for going green the easy way. Head down to More About Local Heroes for additional resources on each of our series of videos. Plus, stay current on events, and submit information on your own green events, with our Calendar...
Read MoreYou don't need a huge garden to reap the benefits of companion planting. Start simple with a windowsill herb garden: Fresh herbs will make your cooking delicious Plants in your home will create a higher indoor air quality Save money: store-bought herbs are expensive Create less trash: no packaging to throw away Here are some resources to get you started: Get really simple by buying a Garden-in-a-Bag . Just open and water. Penn State has put together this fantastic Searchable Database...
Read MoreYou may have noticed this site’s beautiful photographs of the Pioneer Valley. These include one or more of the following by photographer Daniel Brown who lives in Leyden: Along Green River Road (2005) Aerial Shot of the Connecticut River (2006) Ray of Hope, Leyden (September 22, 2001) Find out more about Daniel’s work by visiting www.danielbrownart.com The wind mill shots were taken by Rich Roth of Wind mills on the VT/MA border (Green mountain power I believe) or in Spain...
Read MoreNot up for making your own composting toilet? You can still make a difference! Buy tissue paper made from recycled paper. Use less water when you flush. If you are about to re-do your bathroom, then consider purchasing a low-flow toilet. If not, you can either adjust the water level yourself, or go old-school and displace some of the water in your tank. But, don't use a brick, it can crumble over time and cause blockage in your water system. Fill up a plastic or glass jug with sand or...
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