Could breeding burpless sheep help a country reduce its greenhouse gas emissions?

According to an article in the Herald Sun, Australian scientists at the Sheep Co-operative Research Center are planning on finding out. They are in the process of testing 700 sheep with 20 different genetic lines in the hope of discovering, if not a burpless sheep, at least which ones will  burp less methane into the atmosphere than others.

So how do you measure the methane in a sheep’s belch?

Fairly simply, according to study leader John Goody. First …

Do you live in San Francisco or are you planning to visit the city sometime in 2010?

If so, check out the Golden Gate National Parks Endangered Species Big Year contest.

It’s based on the annual competitive birding event that was highlight a few years ago with Mark Obmascik’s best-selling book The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession.

But instead of focusing solely on birds, the GGPN’s Big Year contest wants to encourage people to converse with nature while spotting the 36 endangered species that live within …

1% for the Planet, a global network of more than 1,000 businesses committed to donating 1% of annual sales to environmental causes, is jumping head first into the new year and new decade with the release of their first ever all-digital music compilation album – 1% for the Planet: The Music, Vol. 1.

It’s a diverse collection of rare and exclusive tracks by 40 different artists such as Jack Johnson, Brandi Carlile, Jackson Browne, Angilique Kidjo and G. Love, …

Camels might be considered invasive creatures destroying the countryside and intimidating the locals in Australia,  but in Africa these nomadic animals are seen in a much more positive light. For years, organizations such as the Nomadic Communities Trust (NCT) have relied on camels to transport medicine and supplies to remote locales.

And now the camels are going solar. NCT, in partnership with Princeton University and The Art College of Design in California, have created solar-powered mini-fridges that strap to the camel’s back.

Featuring an ergonomic bamboo …

Better hope the lease isn’t up on the crystal stemware when your mother-in-law comes over for dinner.

Is encouraging citizens to rent, rather than own, household possessions the “secret weapon” countries need in order to meet their climate change targets?

Yes, according to WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme), the British Government’s waste watchdog. The recently released WRAP report has found that if households shifted a fifth of their spending from purchasing to renting, there would be a 2 percent (or 13 million tonnes) reduction in …

How does a popular wine country town just outside of San Francisco become America’s first “cittaslow” city?

Apparently, as Sonoma discovered, by just being itself.

Being slow is considered a bad thing in many parts of the world, but in Sonoma they embrace their slowness. As a result, they meet all the requirements set out by the Cittaslow International, a network of slow cities around the world.

Obtaining the cittaslow ((Italian for  “slow city”) designation isn’t easy. To start with, it’s invite only. And …

Who says you have to be serious while saving the planet?

Definitely not Envirofone, the UK’s leading mobile phone recycling company. They recently did a survey asking Brits to share their favourite tips on how to reduce their environmental impact. Envirofone surveyed 3000 people, who came up with a mixture of useful and quirky (read: strange) ideas for greening our collective ways. From reusing tea bags to getting creative with underwear (in the name of decency we’re picturing the former), the top 1o tips were:

1. …

Imagine driving along the road and seeing puffs of green or red smoke coming out of the car in front of you. If the new conceptual device created by artist Karolina Sobecka were to enter production, it could happen.

Sobecka is in the process of developing the puff, a cartoon cloud-shape car accessory that will attach to a car’s frame near the exhaust pipe and illuminate the amount of carbon emissions a car is discharging through three colors – white, green, and red. White would indicate the low levels, green …