Sustainable North

From www.thegreenguide.com (sponsored by the National Geographic Society), retrieved on Monday, January 26, 2009. A day-by-day guide to “greening” your life: You could decide to lose weight—again—or this year you could resolve to lighten the load you leave on the planet. To help, we’ve outlined a series of small changes that add up to big [...]

[Read more →]

From the Washington Post on Monday, January 26, 2009: President Obama today declared a national goal of ending dependence on foreign oil and promised new U.S. leadership in the fight against global warming as he announced a series of steps aimed at making American cars more fuel efficient and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In remarks [...]

[Read more →]

From the Anchorage Daily News on Sunday, January 25, 2009: An 18-turbine wind farm in the Snake River Valley has begun producing 10 percent of the energy needs in Nome. It is the first step toward more self-sufficiency, says Neal Foster, president of Banner Wind LLC. “It’s not only a way to help cut (energy) [...]

[Read more →]

From the Anchorage Daily News on Sunday, January 25, 2009: Gov. Sarah Palin’s goal for Alaska to receive 50 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2025 is reviving long-held dreams of the state building a giant hydro project like the Susitna dam. It’s also inspiring skeptical questions about realism and expense. … State [...]

[Read more →]

From epa.gov, retrieved on Thursday, January 22, 2009: WaterSense, a partnership program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, makes it easy for Americans to save water and protect the environment. Look for the WaterSense label to choose quality, water-efficient products. Many products are available, and don’t require a change in your lifestyle. Explore the [...]

[Read more →]

From the New York Times on Wednesday, January 21, 2009: How much does your morning glass of orange juice contribute to global warming? PepsiCo, which owns the Tropicana brand, decided to try to answer that question. It figured that as public concern grows about the fate of the planet, companies will find themselves under pressure to [...]

[Read more →]

NO TREES DIED The logs in this Montana house, which look real but are made of concrete, are by EverLog. Photo by Janie Osborne for the New York Times. From the New York Times on Wednesday, January 21, 2009: In the snowy woods of a valley west of this college town [Missoula, Mont.], John and Mary [...]

[Read more →]

From npr.org on Wednesday, January 21, 2009: With awareness of global warming rising, going “green” and reducing one’s “carbon footprint” have become pop culture catchphrases. But addressing climate change on a global, governmental level is still a matter of heated debate. With potentially staggering costs involved, are efforts to make major reductions in carbon emissions [...]

[Read more →]

From the Anchorage Daily News on Wednesday, January 21, 2009:  A key gauge of homebuilders’ confidence sank to a new low this month, as the deepening U.S. recession and rising unemployment erode chances for a housing turnaround. The National Association of Home Builders/Wells Fargo housing market index released Wednesday dropped one point to a record [...]

[Read more →]

From The Hill on Tuesday, January 20, 2009: “Greenwash” describes a practice employed by businesses to market products as green even if they really aren’t, in order to appeal to conservationists who could be customers. With Democrats emphasizing the environment as they write an economic recovery plan, some environmental groups say greenwashing has moved from [...]

[Read more →]