Blogs & Ecology

We’ve all heard of the carbon footprint, and many of us have heard of the ecological footprint, but the water footprint is less well known. Just as it sounds, the water footprint is defined as the total volume of freshwater that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by an individual, business or nation.

Over the past three years the book industry needed three to four million tons of paper which translates to at least 60 million trees worldwide. The paper industry ranks number four in carbon dioxide emissions among manufacturing industries.

The Society of American Foresters released a 2007 study titled the State of Americas Forests which acknowledged that the U.S. is one of the biggest “producers and consumers of forest products.” U.S. consumption of forest products is greater than its production by 4.2 billion cubic feet.

Consumer Reports

Every August they shoot out this most excellent, up-to-date guide on everything from flooring, countertop and appliance reviews, to a ton of ways to save money on remodeling. For example: Secrets of a successful remodel

…over at Hewn and Hammered

For many, the very mention of Tijuana conjures up images of debauchery, drunken 18-year olds, and Montezuma’s Revenge. What it might not conjure is a vision of sustainability. Especially when it’s in terms of tract housing developments. Yet Urbi, one of Mexico’s premiere housing developers, is attempting to create just that.

According to the conservation organization WWF, African countries are slowly but surely draining the continent of its natural resources. The statement is part of a report issued by the organization on Africa’s ecological footprint - it takes into account a country’s land and sea surface that is used in meeting the peoples’ consumption needs. The report entitled “Africa-Ecological Footprint and Human Well-being” was released along with a U.S.-based research body, the Global Footprint Network.

Ever thought about how a visit to a restaurant impacts your carbon footprint? Recent research shows that food served in over 40 London restaurants is not just slightly CO2 intensive, but that in many cases restaurant food produces over 100 times more CO2 than locally bought ingredients.

Image via bbc

One has to wonder what exactly Asia has done to anger the violent Old Testament God recently, as the damage from Cyclone Nargis and now the 7.8 magnitude earthquake striking China have left the continent stretched to the breaking point.

The scarcity and management of natural resources’ products previous generations casually took for granted are of increasing concern in local communities, countries and across borders.
Growing concerns about water resources and management is perhaps the most important and fundamental case in point. And, just as has happened with renewable energy, it’s setting off a blitz of private investment in companies that own and manage water resources, as well as clean tech companies in the wastewater processing and treatment end of the business.

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The Work of Charles and Ray Eames: A Legacy of Invention
(Library of Congress Exhibition)

Fantastic!

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“Somebody has to do something, it’s just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us”
-Jerry Garcia, The Grateful Dead

Has Environmental Graffiti reached the point yet that it can get a “Georgia” category to rival the “Florida” tag at Fark?

Howard Hall Farm is both an historic restoration project and a vehicle for educating people in sustainable, environmentally conscious restoration techniques. The site of our learning laboratory is a 1780’s Stone Manor in the heart of the Hudson River Valley. This Federal-style home presents a number of restoration challenges specific to this region of the country. We invite you in our effort to restore Green.

Related: Enon Hall