Updates

Adelaide Creates World’s First Solar-Powered Public Transit System

September 4, 2013

Many local communities are looking at ways that they can incorporate green technology into their city’s municipal infrastructure. One impressive success story is the Tindo electric bus in Adelaide, Australia. Although many cities have experimented with using hybrid or electric technology in their public transport systems, this vehicle is the world’s first 100% solar-powered electric bus; and not only is it powered by the sun, but this service is also offered free of charge.

Labor Day: Six Ways We Can Improve Working Conditions

September 2, 2013

Economist and former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich shares an insightful Labor Day message concerning how we can improve the plight of struggling workers in the United States.

New Gun Control for California Works to Advance Public Safety

August 11, 2013

California is once again leading the nation in enacting more sensible gun control regulations. This week the state Congress is continuing to draft legislation that would create a comprehensive database for the purchase of ammunition, as well as require all guns to remain locked up when they are not in use, and extend how long a person is prohibited from owning weapons after they have made violent threats against someone.

Friendly Water for the World Helps Bring Clean Water to Millions for Pennies

June 16, 2013

Nearly half the people on our planet do not have safe water to drink. Friendly Water for the World is a nonprofit organization, founded by Quakers, whose mission is to help expand access to low-cost clean water technologies, as well as information about health and sanitation, to people in need. They teach communities how to construct simple biosand water filters, which remove nearly 99% of all parasites, disease and water-borne pathogens.

California’s Crumbling San Onofre Nuclear Plant Finally Closes for Good

June 10, 2013

In a huge victory for both clean energy and environmental advocates, the Edison Power Company announced on Friday that its troubled San Onofre nuclear power plant will be permanently shuttered.

Surprise? States with Strong Gun Control Laws Have Much Less Gun Violence

April 6, 2013

A new study from the Center for American Progress (CAP) has discovered a strong correlation between robust weapons regulations and much lower rates of gun violence in the United States.

10 Tips for a Healthier Diet: Could Eating Unprocessed Foods Improve Your Health?

February 23, 2013

Eating a balanced diet that largely consists of plants and fresh whole foods is one of the most powerful things you can do to improve your health. Consuming large amounts of processed foods is risky behavior. Eating processed foods have been linked to an increased risk for heart disease, cancer, diabetes, auto-immune illnesses, atherosclerosis, and many more common sicknesses. If you would like to start feeling better, consider these 10 simple suggestions to help you begin your unprocessed diet:

Rachel Maddow Bombshell Documentary: Hubris, How Bush Lied the US into War

February 16, 2013

Those of us who do not remember history are forever condemned to repeat it. Could a movie prevent our nation from waging another deadly, unnecessary war? Rachel Maddow’s new MSNBC documentary, HUBRIS: Selling the Iraq War, might be able to accomplish just that.

Is Food Chemistry Poisoning America?

February 14, 2013

Although I have been personally steering away from processed foods ever since my grandmother taught me to be wary of any foods that required hazmat suits to produce, I recently viewed a report on food additives that stunned me.

Growing Our Local Food Infrastructure: Urban Farm School Opens in Asheville NC

February 11, 2013

Though it sometimes seems like our evil frankenfood corporate overlords, such as Monsanto and Dow, have completely hi-jacked our food system, many people around the nation are actually creating more sustainable and viable alternatives. A few good folks in Asheville, NC are bringing agriculture back to the people, empowering urbanites to gain more food independence, while learning to grow healthier fresh local food for their own communities.

Energy Secretary Steven Chu will Not Deny Love Affair with Solar Panel

February 8, 2013

“I just want everyone to know that my decision not to serve a second term as Energy Secretary has absolutely nothing to do with the allegations made in this week’s edition of the Onion. While I’m not going to confirm or deny the charges specifically, I will say that clean, renewable solar power is a growing source of U.S. jobs and is becoming more and more affordable, so it’s no surprise that lots of Americans are falling in love with solar.”

Asheville City Council Tackles Food Insecurity and Approves Food Action Plan

January 27, 2013

North Carolina’s city of Asheville is the most recent town in our nation to create a Food Action Plan. These sensible strategies address difficult issues, such as food deserts, community health, food insecurity, nutrition knowledge deficits, barriers to local food production and distribution, as well as food sovereignty. The plan was approved 6-0 on January 21, 2013 by the city council; this legislation will play an active role in improving healthy food access, and will also help to build a more sustainable local food infrastructure.

Shell Tried Moving its Now Grounded Oil Rig During Storm to Avoid Paying Taxes

January 8, 2013

Late last month the Kulluk Shell oil rig was run aground on the pristine shores of Alaska’s Kodiak Island while it was being towed to Seattle during a ferocious storm. Why would anyone even attempt towing something as dangerously precarious as an oil rig in the middle of a massive winter storm? The reason that the mobile offshore drilling unit was being moved out of Alaska at the end of December, in spite of hurricane force winds and treacherous 40 foot waves, was because Shell was trying to avoid paying a few million dollars in taxes.

Wellness Wednesday: 8 Tips for More Affordable & Healthy Food Shopping

December 12, 2012

Grocery shopping is one of the basic foundations of our health. Learning how to do it well can help you save tons of time and money. If you incorporate these simple steps into your weekly routine, you will not only reap the benefits of home cooked meals, as well as delicious leftovers for lunch, but will also be able to maintain a busy work schedule and usually get everything done.