The Electric Jeepney

Here in the Philippines, the most popular means of public transportation is the jeepney. It offers the cheapest fare and is available almost anywhere in the metro and in provincial towns.

Our colorful jeepneys, however, run on diesel and emit great amounts of carbon monoxide.

In an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Greenpeace Southeast Asia developed the e-jeepney: a jeepney that uses energy from biodegradable waste produced by urban wet markets, food establishments, and households.

The e-jeepney is currently plying private roads in Makati City, the Philippines' premier business district.

>> More about the e-jeepney (PDF)

Mini-Globes Auction

[Thanks for this info, Kelly!]

Starting Monday, November 26 for one week only, select large and mini-globes from the Cool Globes exhibit in Chicago will be auctioned to raise funds for the Chicago Conservation Corp Clubs, which provide environmental education opportunities for Chicago’s youth.

Among the globes to be auctioned are mini-globes from:

• Bill Clinton
• Robert Redford
• David Schwimmer
• Tobey Maguire
• Eva Mendes
• Rob Corddry
• Jenny Lennon and the cast of “Reno 911”
• Magic Johnson
• Dave Winfield
• Chicago Bear Tommie Harris
• Tony Bennett
• BB King
• Heather Headley
• The Gypsy Kings

The auction will take place online, hosted by eBay, so that even those who don't live in or around Chicago can make an offer.

You can view globes or place a bid in the online auction at www.coolglobes.org.

Related post: Cool Globes in Chicago

Still On Green Mode

Sorry for the long absence. I've been on complete bed rest for my pregnancy. I'll be giving birth in about 2 weeks, and I hope to resume blogging in November.

See you all soon!

Join the PERC Enviropreneur Camp

Want to do business and help the environment at the same time? The Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) is offering an intense, two-week educational experience in Bozeman, Montana, for environmental entrepreneurs who want to have a better understanding of how business and economic principles can be applied to environmental problems.

For two weeks, 15 conservation leaders get to enjoy the following:

• the opportunity to interact with leading experts in the field of free market environmentalism, including enviropreneurs who have researched and applied markets in their environmental work.
  
• field trips, including an overnight stay at Ted Turner's Flying D Ranch for a first-hand look at markets and property rights in action.
  
• a $3,000 stipend, from which they pay their own travel. Housing is provided at no charge to fellows in the New Building dormitory on the Montana State University campus.

For more details, refer to the preliminary agenda.

Property and Environment Research Center (PERC) is America's oldest and largest institute dedicated to original research that brings market principles to resolving environmental problems.

Calculator Sums Up 'Carbon Footprint'

The UK government is launching a calculator that will soon enable people to check how much they are contributing to global warming, when driving and when flying.

The special website for this environmental tool will calculate how people's home heating, appliances and personal transport add to the carbon emissions that contribute to climate change. Questions range from whether homes are insulated to how they dry their clothes and how much water people put in their kettle for a cup of tea.

[via Guardian Unlimited]

Google revs up for a greener future

Google.org is giving $1M in grants to encourage the adoption of fuel-efficient, hybrid cars as part of a plan to make the entire firm carbon neutral by 2008.

The company has pledged a further $10M to help commercialize plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles.

Full story at BBC.co.uk: "Google's drive for clean future"

Photo by BBC

Cool Globes in Chicago

The City of Chicago will host "CoolGlobes: Hot Ideas for a Cooler Planet" from June-September 2007. Cool Globes is an innovative project that uses the medium of public art to inspire individuals and organizations to take action against global warming. Over 120 extraordinary globes, designed by local, national and international artists, will be displayed along the lakefront using a variety of materials to create awareness and provoke discussion about potential solutions to global warming.

Visit CoolGlobes.org to view each globe in the exhibit online and learn about the artists and their solution to stop global warming.


You can also pledge to make at least five changes in your own life and be entered in a raffle to win a Toyota Prius.

[via StopGlobalWarming.org]

World Environment Day '07 Global Highlights

Around the world, nations celebrate World Environment Day. Let's take a look at some of the earth-friendly events that have transpired in different regions.

Too bad I wasn't able to attend the events on my side of the earth.

How did you or your country/region celebrate WED '07?

Photo source: UNEP.org

Related:
World Environment Day in Pictures

A Purple Frog

I love the color purple and I love animals, so imagine my excitement when I saw a picture of this fluorescent purple frog on Yahoo:

*

Isn't she lovely? This frog was among two dozen new species discovered in the remote plateaus of eastern Suriname.

Photo by Reuters

Eco-friendly Abode

How would you like to live in a small Tumbleweed House built with "green" building materials and powered by solar energy and propane?

Jay Shafer of Tumbleweed Tiny House Company can make you an eco-friendly 100 square feet home that can meet all your domestic needs. Sounds neat if you're living alone. Check out the houses he's built.

Jay Shafer has also appeared on the Oprah Show.

For Your Green Toes

I have no plans of buying a pair of shoes anytime soon, but this one shoe caught my attention:



It's a "green shoe" made by Simple Shoes, a company that uses sustainable materials in making shoes. This chamois shoe that I like costs $85 and is made of:

• Woven Jute rand
  
• Nubby Cotton upper
  
• Bamboo linings
  
• Wooden button
  
• Removable natural laytex pedbed with a cotton canvas cover
  
• Natural crepe rubber midsole

It also...

• Has an outsole that is made of an actual car tire
  
• Uses water based cements
  
• Has 100% post consumer paper pulp foot forms
  
• Contains latex
  
• Comes with a package with reduced stuffing

I can really say that I'm a goody-two-shoe if I wear this pair. Cool.

The Global Warming Survival Guide

How can we help slow global warming? Time magazine says there are 51 things we can do to help save the environment.

Some of the tips are very easy to do, especially if they are already being practised on your side of the earth. In my case, for instance, we hang our clothes to dry under the sun since we live in a tropical country.

A Book on Conservation Writing

I dropped by Lulu and found this book called Conservation Writing: Essays at the Crossroads of Nature and Culture. It offers writers what they need to know about ecology and conservation in order to effectively contribute to conservation projects. It also offers conservationists opportunities to improve their writing skills.

Would love to read this book someday. There's only one review available so far. If you've read this book, I'd love to know what you think of it.

Happy Earth Day!

Here's how you can celebrate Earth Day in your neighborhood.

Top Environmental Websites

The Online Journalism Review has started a list of top environmental websites to complement the public's growing interest on the environment. The list page is wiki, which means that you can add a website that "provides smart background, data and discussion about the environment."

Final Potter Book Goes Green

The final Potter book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, coming out July 21 will not only be the thickest in the entire volume, but also the greenest.

*

Scholastic Inc. has agreed with the Rainforest Alliance, a conservation organization that works with the business community, to follow strict environmental standards. The book's first printing of 12 million will make sure that:

• The paper used will contain "a minimum of 30% post-consumer waste (PCW) fiber."
  
  
• Nearly two-thirds of the 16,700 tons of paper will be approved by the Forest Stewardship Council, an international organization with a mission to "promote environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world's forests."
  
  
• A "deluxe" edition of the new book, which has a first printing of 100,000, will be printed on paper that contains "100% post-consumer waste fiber."

[via Time.com]

* Affiliate link

Thanks for dropping by, Earthling!

E2N will go live after the Lenten Season. See you around!