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Showing posts from 2014

Amazon tests bike messengers for one-hour delivery in New York City

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 Another benefit and service bikes provide Bike messengers swarm the streets of New York on a daily basis, and now Amazon's packages may be stowed in their saddlebags. According to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon is staffing up to test a new delivery service for its products there by bicycle that promises to get orders delivered to buyers within the hour. The Journal says it could be called Amazon Prime Now, and be available in Manhattan to start. Presumably it will also cost more than the company's same-day delivery service, which runs $5.99 per order for Prime members and $8.99 for everyone else. "It might be called "Amazon Prime Now" Amazon's been on a quest to trim delivery times for orders, including the possibility of using aerial drones to make short haul trips with small packages. However that effort remains years out, and requires advances in both the technology and regulatory approvals. The company has also attempted to add incentives to peopl

Paris plans to ban cars from its city center

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Paris is already the host to the largest bikeshare system outside of China — currently circulates about 18,000 bikes around the city. From the GRIST -- by Liz Gore Paris is surging toward the front of the peloton of European cities racing for more bike- and pedestrian-friendly streets. Mayor Anne Hidalgo recently announced an ambitious plan to transform the historic city center into a “semi-pedestrianized” zone, where walking and biking will be encouraged, and automobile access will be limited to emergency vehicles, residents’ cars, and delivery trucks. Now, when you finally get around to taking that dream vacation to the City of Love, you can travel via bicyclette — or go retro and rock a penny-farthing — down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées with fewer cars and less lung-choking smog. If Hidalgo gets her way, the ban will start on weekends, and eventually be all week. Hidalgo wants to double the number of bike lanes in the city by 2020 as part of a $147 million cycling develo

Solar-Powered Water Wheel Cleans 50,000 Pounds of Trash Per Day

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It’s called the Inner Harbor Water Wheel, and though it moves slow, it has the capability to collect 50,000 pounds of trash per day.   The timing for John Kellett’s solar-powered creation is crucial—hands and crab nets simply can’t keep up with the growing amount of wrappers, cigarette butts, bottles and other debris carried from storm drains into the harbor. Water Wheel: Harnessing the power of nature to help keep the Baltimore Harbor clean The Inner Harbor Water Wheel uses a combination of old and new technology to harness the power of water and sunlight to pick up litter and debris flowing down the Jones Falls River. The current of the river provides power to turn the water wheel, which lifts trash and debris from the water and deposits it in a dumpster barge.  A solar panel array provides additional power to keep the machine running even when there is not enough water current.  When the dumpster is full, it is towed away by boat and a new dumpster is put in place. READ

The Keystone XL Pipeline is NOT about the Need for Oil

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The beautiful Athabasca river runs through the Alberta tar pit (in the background) and is at risk of becoming a dead river. THIS WAS POSTED BACK IN 2014, BUT IT'S STILL RELEVANT TODAY One of the most important facts that is missing in the national debate surrounding the proposed Keystone XL tar sands pipeline is this – Keystone XL will not bring any more oil into the United States.   The idea that Keystone XL will improve U.S. oil supply is a documented scam being played on the American people by Big Oil, its friends in Washington DC., and especially the Koch Brothers, who will benefit the most by it's approval, own oil leases to 1.5 million acres of the Canadian tar sands.  Keystone pipeline: Obama bashes project while in Myanmar Speaking at a press conference while in Myanmar, Obama offered perhaps his harshest assessment to date of the controversial pipeline. “Understand what this project is: It is providing the ability of Canada to pump their oil, send it th

Maybe George can Help Us Understand What Happened Last Tuesday

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It wasn't a good day for the environment last Tuesday.   Many of the clean air, clean water, food and many other common sense health and environmental issues will no doubt be rolled back, tabled or eliminated completely. But, as they say, the people have spoken. Right? One of the more famous quotes of the late comedian George Carlin could apply to last weeks midterm elections : "Ignorant citizens, elect ignorant leaders."   This applies to all of us, regardless of party line BS, because a recent survey revealed nearly 75% (I think it's even higher) of the people who voted last week do not know the issues, or who they are voting for, or even care. They just check boxes. Name recognition is about as deep as most of us get. Understanding the issues in plain simple everyday language that everyone can understand ranks up there with the buying of politicians. Until this happens twisted elections and the corruption will continue to be part of the game. Her

Medicine Cabinet Makeover

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by Samantha Leach Our healthcare system is out of control. It’s more like “sick care”. Our system medicates people instead of getting to the root of what’s causing the inflammation, the imbalance, the disease.  Most people don’t think about their health until something goes wrong. At home, medicine cabinets are stocked with things like aspirin, ibuprofen, sinus relief, antacids, cold remedies, cough syrup, lozenges, and wound care ointment. What if these drugs are contributing to the problem? They have side effects. They create imbalance. Antibiotics deplete vitamins and are killing our digestive systems. We don’t think twice about putting these chemicals in our bodies. Somehow we were led to believe the answer to all our health issues could be solved with a pill. I want to show you the holistic way to health for you and your family Known as nature’s medicine, plant-based essential oils were civilization’s first medicine and date back thousands of years B.C. They are powerful remedies

Your health is now brought to you by Wall Street

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  "If you thought they hurt us with the banks, wait 'til you see what they are doing to our health care." – Jeff Hays The new documentary Bought dives deeply into the inner workings of the industries at the core of our food and healthcare system, exploring the truth about how vaccines and drugs are developed and rushed to market and the ongoing secrecy behind the genetic engineering of our food supply. Like the banks, the food and drug industries have grown more powerful and less transparent over time, and profit has become the primary motive. Hays may be best known for his 2012 documentary "Doctored," which exposes how the medical and drug industry conspire to control the health care system. See full article and documentary preview  HERE

Farmageddon

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The movie tells the story of small, family farmers providing safe, healthy foods to their communities who were forced to stop, often through violent action, by agents of misguided government bureaucracies.  The movie succinctly poses and addresses the question “why is this happening in 21 st  century America?” “Many of you have seen Food Inc. and Fresh. Now it’s time for the next level: Farmageddon . Everyone should see this documentary because it takes up where previous documentaries have ended by answering the question: “Why is local food pricey and hard to find?”  You deserve an answer, and this hard hitting video delivers. I can’t recommend it heartily enough. Who owns your body? What kind of terror do America’s food police inflict on heritage food providers? This is strong language, but we live in disturbing times. You owe it to your children to empower yourself with the truth about food safety and food choice. Look at the dates and please go see this movie. Tell them J

The Netherlands Unveils World's First Solar Cell-Paved Bike Path

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SolaRoad has been in the works since 2009, and is the brainchild of Dutch research institute TNO. The power-generating pavers are created by embedding crystalline silicon solar cells in 8.2 x 11.5 ft concrete slabs, before covering them in a one-centimeter layer of tempered glass. Then, reports the Guardian, a “non-adhesive finish and a slight tilt are [added] to help the rain wash off dirt and thus keep the surface clean, guaranteeing maximum exposure to sunlight.” RELATED: Dutch City Boasts Three Times as Many Bikes as Cars   These extra steps are pretty important—the flat surface required for transit isn’t exactly ideal for capturing sunlight for power generation. In bike path form the cells are 30 percent less efficient than they would be placed within a standard solar installation. As a result, when this first test strip is extended to its full 100 meters (328 feet) in 2016, it will provide about enough electricity to power three households. But it does make practical use

Chemicals in Food

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Source: Breast Cancer Fund Modern food-production methods have opened major avenues of exposure to environmental carcinogens and endocrine-disrupting compounds. Pesticides sprayed on crops, antibiotics used on poultry, and hormones given to cattle expose consumers involuntarily to contaminants that become part of our bodies. Some of these exposures may increase breast cancer risk. In some ways, our ancestors had it easy. Because they didn't have chemically treated food and chemically enhanced kitchenware, their diets and cooking practices exposed them to fewer toxic hazards. Following are some of the harmful chemicals commonly found in our food and food containers, along with descriptions of what they are, where they're found and why they're bad. And check out our Tips for Prevention section to learn how to avoid them. Food Packaging Today, it's not just the food itself that you have to watch, but the containers they're stored in, which can leach toxic chem

Meet Your New Fossil Fuel-loving GOP Senators

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The best that money can buy By Ben Adler: Grist The Democrats got wrecked on Tuesday, and now Republicans are taking over the Senate. Some of the new Republican senators are outright climate deniers. Those who admit that climate change is happening often hide from the issue with nonsensical yammering about how global warming might be due to natural causes.  Regardless of their views on the science, they are unanimous in their opposition to actually doing anything about it, and in their enthusiasm for exploiting America’s land and water for the benefit of the fossil fuel industries. Check 'em out .

Sea Salt & Baking Soda, Best All Natural Remedy For Curing Radiation Exposure And Cancer

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If you have been exposed to any form of radiation, either for medical diagnostic purposes (fluoroscopy / mammography / other medical x-ray exams) or in the course of radiotherapy treatment, or if you are otherwise concerned by excessive radiation exposure, overload or poisoning (such as living near a nuclear reactor facility, working with diagnostic radiological equipment / in the nuclear processing industries / uranium mining / uranium or plutonium processing),  or if you have been exposed to radioactive particles or higher ionizing radiation doses stemming from other sources such as depleted uranium (DU), testing of atomic weapons, frequent flights in higher altitudes, a nuclear disaster (radiation fallout from the Japan nuclear power plants) etc.,  here are a number of tips and suggested remedies how to naturally help your body excrete damaging radioactive elements (e.g. strontium and radioactive iodine) or detoxify their noxious byproducts such as free radicals as well as deal w

The Trouble With Antibiotics

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On Oct. 14, FRONTLINE’s " The Trouble With Antibiotics " examines the widespread use of antibiotics in food animals and whether it’s fueling the growing crisis of antibiotic resistance in humans. Sharp Increase Seen in Sales of Antibiotics for Use in Farm Animals Think organic this Thanksgiving. Or go meatless New data from the Food and Drug Administration shows that the sale of antibiotics for farm animals is on the rise, amid concerns that their use is contributing to increasing drug-resistant infections in humans. The FDA reported that sales of antibiotics for agriculture climbed 16 percent in the United States between 2009 and 2012. More than 32 million pounds of antibiotics intended for use on American farms were sold in 2012 alone — a nearly 8 percent rise over the previous year. The new data comes at a time when the FDA is trying to reduce antibiotic use in food animals. In December 2013, the agency began a voluntary three-year phase out of the practice of us

Tar-sands industry loses $17.1 billion thanks to public opposition

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Here’s some good news for your tar-sands blues: Grassroots activism makes a difference! $17.1 billion of difference, in fact. According to a new report produced by the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis and Oil Change International, oil companies and investors looking to gain from Alberta’s tar sands lost a whopping $30.9 billion between 2010 and 2013. WHY? People are becoming aware what's been happening out there and a lot more aware of these issues now than in the past. There has been more pressure on the government to address the environmental concerns, the health issues and indigenous rights violations. Just three years ago most people had never heard of the Alberta Tar Sands, and those that did, didn't really know what it was, what type of oil it produced, or how it was refined. Here are 10 top facts about the Alberta Oil Sands .  You decide if this is in your best interest, or another buck or two for big oil and the Koch-Sucker Brothers. O

Sweden’s Environmental Leadership Earns #1 Ranking

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Global Green Economy Index Rankings Just Released     "Sweden continues to assert itself as one of the “greenest” countries in the world through its innovative use of household garbage as a source of electricity and heat for its 9.5 million citizens and aims to break its oil dependency by 2020."    It’s true that Sweden came out on top in the recently released ranking of 60 countries according to sustainability by consulting firm Dual Citizen Inc. in its fourth annual Global Green Economy Index (GGEI). Norway, Costa Rica, Germany and Denmark rounded out the top five. The rankings take into account a wide range of economic indicators and datasets regarding leadership on climate change, encouragement of efficiency sectors, market facilitation and investing in green technology and sustainability, and management of ecosystems and natural capital. Sweden’s first place finish reflects the Swedes’ ongoing commitment to climate change mitigation and sustainability policie

Less Than 1% Of Sweden's Trash Ends Up In Landfills

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by Justine Alford   Humans produce an astonishing amount of trash and we all know it’s not good for the environment. We can shove it away in landfills, but there are numerous environmental problems associated with these ugly rubbish dumps. Greenhouse gases such as methane seep out of them and toxic chemicals, for example from household cleaning products, can pollute both the soil and groundwater. They’re also smelly, noisy, can damage wildlife and are breeding grounds for disease-transmitting vermin. While recycling has helped cut down on the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, a considerable amount still gets dumped in them all over the world each year. But one country is showing us that it doesn’t have to be that way—Sweden. Swedish people produce about the same amount of waste per year as other Europeans but, remarkably, less than 1% of household trash ends up in landfills. This is in part due to the 32 waste-to-energy (WTE) plants that have been set up across the country

Frackers are dumping toxic waste into California's groundwater

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California can officially add one more disaster to its rapidly growing list of water woes: The EPA just found that at least nine fracking sites throughout the state have been dumping billions of gallons of contaminated wastewater into its protected aquifers. Not only do many of these aquifers supply drinking water to residents throughout the Central Valley, they’re also reaching dangerously low levels due to overuse, as many farmers rely on aquifers for irrigation and have been overpumping groundwater supplies as the drought carries on. According to a letter sent to the EPA by the California State Water Resources Board, roughly 3 billion gallons of wastewater were illegally injected into aquifers throughout central California. The EPA ordered the report following contamination concerns after 11 fracking wastewater injection wells were shut down in July by state officials, DeSmogBlog reports: The letter, a copy of which was obtained by the Center for Biological Diversity, reveals …

California Plastic Bag Ban

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California made big news recently when it announced the first statewide ban on plastic shopping bags set to kick in during the middle of 2015. Beginning in July, large grocery stores, pharmacies and other food retailers in the Golden State will no longer be able to send shoppers home with plastic bags, while convenience markets, liquor stores and other small food retailers will join the ranks a year later. Back in 2007, San Francisco became the first U.S. municipality to ban plastic shopping bags. In intervening years upwards of 132 other cities and counties in 18 states and the District of Columbia instituted similar measures. Of course, Americans are late to the party when it comes to banning plastic bags: The European Union, China, India and dozens of other nations already have plastic bag bans or taxes in place. But the trend here toward banning plastic shopping bags comes in the wake of new findings regarding the extent and harm of plastic in our environment. Since plastic isn’t

'Susan G. Komen Partners With Global Fracking Corporation to Launch “Benzene and Formaldehyde for the Cure®”'

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What a Scam S an Francisco, CA – Breast Cancer Action today thanked Susan G. Komen and Baker Hughes for partnering on the most ludicrous piece of pink sh*t they’ve seen all year – 1,000 shiny pink drill bits. BCAction hailed this partnership as the most egregious example of “pinkwashing” they’ve ever seen and heartily lauded Komen and Baker Hughes for doing their bit to increase women’s risk of breast cancer with their toxic fracking chemicals. BCAction commended Baker Hughes and Komen for their ingenious pinkwashing profit cycle, whereby Baker Hughes helps fuel breast cancer while Komen raises millions of dollars to try to cure it. “With all the toxic chemicals Baker Hughes is pumping into the ground, we thought they didn’t care about women’s health. However, this partnership with Komen makes it clear where both organizations stand on this issue,” said Karuna Jaggar, executive director of Breast Cancer Action. Breast Cancer Action coined the term pinkwashing as part of their T

Watch Morgan Freeman present an awesome vision of a green future

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This short film, What’s Possible , kicked off the recent U.N. Climate Summit, presented and narrated by Morgan Freeman (as only Morgan Freeman can). He puts in perspective what 'green' is all about and suggests we cut the political crap and use a common sense approach about the issues.....before it's too late. It's one of the best videos I've seen on the subject and encourage everyone to check it out.  View it HERE . 

Stop Toxic Air in Montana!

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by Montana Environmental Information Center PPL earned $1.1 billion in profits in 2013, and can afford to clean up its toxic air pollution. It just doesn’t want to spend the money. PPL just asked the State to give it another year before it has to control its toxic air pollution. Tell DEQ to say NO to this appalling corporate handout!   After decades of delay, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency adopted the first-ever federal limits for toxic air pollutants from coal-fired power plants in 2012. The regulation, known as the Mercury and Air Toxics Standards (MATS), requires coal-fired power plants to reduce toxic air pollutants such as mercury, arsenic, and heavy metals by 2015. These pollutants harm public health, they harm the environment, and power plants have been pumping massive quantities of toxins into the air for far too long. Now, PPL, the operator of the Colstrip coal plant, has asked the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for yet another delay – this