Planet Green – EcoSalon

Why Is There a Trash Vortex Forming in the Pacific?

Planet Green — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:39:26 +0000

What is the Pacific Garbage Patch?

Simply put, it’s a swirling mass of plastic in the middle of the Pacific ocean that is big enough to qualify as the planet’s largest landfill. Roughly located in an area between 135° to 155°W and 35° to 42°N, much of the world’s trash has accumulated into this part of the Pacific Ocean based on the movement of ocean currents.

A rose any other name applies to the Pacific Garbage Patch – you’ll also hear it called the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch,” the “Pacific Trash Gyre,” the “Pacific Trash Vortex,” and the “Oh My…What Have We Done!?” among other names.

How does all that plastic get to the ocean?

The simple answer: Humans + Ocean Currents = Trash Vortex.

People create, consume, and carelessly toss plastics and the litter ends up in the water ways. As the plastic reaches the shoreline, currents carry it out into the ocean and a convergence of currents swirl the plastics into one general area.

No one is guiltless when it comes to the Pacific Garbage Patch – if you consume and discard goods, you are responsible for some portion of the plastic that is ending up in the ocean, even if you live hundreds of miles from the seaside.

To read more about the Pacific Garbage Patch and to watch a great slideshow explaining how trash from the middle of the continent can end up in the middle of the ocean: check out Planet Green.

Editor’s note: Article by Jaymi Heimbuch. Originally published by our friends at Planet Green. Planet Green is an offshoot of Discovery that covers every aspect of green living, from tofu to tattoos. Be sure to visit them and say hi, and follow Planet Green on Twitter, too!

Image: Kevin Krejci

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Is This Food 2.0? Virtual World Gets Kids into the Garden and Kitchen

Planet Green — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:45:59 +0000

Nowadays, it seems like American children are spending more time online than they are sleeping or breathing or going outside. KidsCom, the latest green website geared towards children, has the tools to help kids get excited about being active, changing their eating habits and making healthy lifestyle choices.

Virtual worlds are all the rage these days, and creative minds at KidsCom, a website full of online games for kids, are taking advantage of it to teach children about healthy living.

The latest offering – the Idea Seekers Garden game – simulates having a backyard garden, so kids can grow virtual plants in real time, harvest them, and “cook” them using recipes from the game. They can then serve the meal, inviting their friends over for a party to dance and play games after their virtual garden is harvested.

The hope is that if kids can get excited about growing whole foods and cooking meals at home, then they’ll keep those healthy habits into adulthood. We’ve seen from Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution that savvy eating habits both at home and at school are hard to come by these days. But the lessons learned online need to be translated into the real world for them to do any good, so getting the game into classrooms is an important step.

To read more about the importance of developing healthy eating habits in kids, check out Planet Green.

Image: spacecadet

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Concert for the Coast Planned for Oil Spill Relief

Planet Green — Thu, 13 May 2010 18:07:19 +0000

Whether you want to help the ongoing cleanup efforts from the BP oil spill or you just like good music (or both), good news: the Hangout Festival, an Alabama concert series, has just announced all of this year’s profits will go to Gulf relief. For those of you in the Southeast this summer, it’s a great excuse to get to the beach, listen to live bands and help the environment.

The Hangout Festival has been re-dubbed the Concert for the Coast, and expanded to include New Orleans as well as an original Gulf Shores, Alabama, location. As the Gulf Oil disaster rages on with no relief in sight, musicians from the oil continues to spew out and drift in.

The Concert for the Coast, May 14-16, will now donate all profits to regional coastal cleanup and preservation, according to a dispatch from Adam Gardner, frontman for Guster and a founder of Reverb. The Gulf Shores concert will go on for two days as originally planned, with the addition of a one-day concert in downtown New Orleans on May 16.

New Orleans’ Jazz pioneers Preservation Hall Jazz Band will be on hand at both events.The NOLA stage also will include Lenny Kravitz and Ani DiFranco. The Gulf Shores stage will feature scores of green musicians including Ben Harper, The Roots, Michael Franti, Brett Dennen and Guster. The bill reads like a who’s-who of Planet Green Instrumental, in other words.

Organizers say the stages in Alabama are currently being constructed upon pristine beach, but the oil slick in the Gulf threatens to endanger the wildlife habitats and livelihoods of those that live in the region.

To learn more about the concert’s lineup and goals, check out Planet Green.

Editor’s note: Article by Jeff Kart. Originally published by our friends at Planet Green. Planet Green is an offshoot of Discovery that covers every aspect of green living, from tofu to tattoos. Be sure to visit them and say hi, and follow Planet Green on Twitter, too!

Image: jeffrey warren

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5 Low-Impact Ways to Experience Central Park

Planet Green — Tue, 04 May 2010 18:07:06 +0000

Our friends over at Planet Green came up with five low-impact ways to explore New York City’s Central Park. Most of them are free and all of them are decidedly earth-friendly. So why aren’t you there right now enjoying nature?

The first landscaped public park in the United States, Central Park has been the Big Apple’s 843-acre oasis for over 150 years. Perhaps the ultimate staycation destination in NYC, Manhattan’s backyard is home to:

26,000 trees

61 species of bird (numbering 7,776 birds in total)

A 71-foot, 244-ton obelisk originally erected in Egypt around 1500 BCE

6.1 miles of trails for running, cycling, hiking, and rollerblading

Lakes, meers, castles, skating rinks, and a whole lot more

To learn more about America’s most popular park, check out Planet Green.

Editor’s note: Article by Mickey Z. Originally published by our friends at Planet Green. Planet Green is an offshoot of Discovery that covers every aspect of green living, from tofu to tattoos. Be sure to visit them and say hi, and follow Planet Green on Twitter, too!

Image: edyourdon

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The U.S. Drops 22 Spots in the Environmental Performance Index

Planet Green — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 20:50:29 +0000

Anyone who’s ever read the op-ed section of a newspaper or heard the word “Climategate” tossed around by a talking head shouldn’t be too surprised by the news that the US is actually losing ground in its Environmental Performance Index ranking. Planet Green has the full story analyzing the significance behind America’s failing environmental grades.

Last year, the U.S. ranked 39th on the Environmental Performance Index (EPI). This year, 61st.

The index, LiveScience reports, “ranks 163 countries based on 10 indicators of environmental protection, such as levels of air pollution, marine protection laws, water quality, and their rate of planting new trees.”

The leading countries are not a huge surprise – Iceland came in first, Switzerland second, Costa Rica third and Sweden fourth.

LiveScience quotes one of the project leaders, Columbia University’s Marc Levy: “We’re the only country that has a significant amount of people that don’t believe in climate change.” It’s unfair to hold up year-to-year results as a simple comparison, Levy noted, because the methods for data collection vary, but for the last 20 years the U.S.’s efforts to curb greenhouse gas emissions, air pollution, and climate change have consistently lagged behind Europe’s.

To learn more about the work ahead, check out Planet Green.

Editor’s note: Article by Rachel Cernanksy. Originally published by our friends at Planet Green. Planet Green is an offshoot of Discovery that covers every aspect of green living, from tofu to tattoos. Be sure to visit them and say hi, and follow Planet Green on Twitter, too!

Image: joiseyshowaa

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Josie Maran Shares Her Favorite Tips for Flawless Beauty

Planet Green — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:33:54 +0000

Just because you can appreciate a natural approach to beauty doesn’t mean you have to stop wearing makeup. Planet Green’s interview with model-turned-natural-cosmetics-saleswoman Josie Maran gives you the scoop on the latest in eco-friendly beauty products. Instead of going back for that two-dollar drugstore eyeliner (you know who you are), why not buy something that’s not riddled with phthalates and other kidney-pulverizing compounds?

Model Josie Maran has spent plenty of time in makeup chairs – which is experience that came in handy when she started her own line, Josie Maran Cosmetics. Organic and natural ingredients in the moisturizers, mascara, blush, lip gloss, liner, and other beauty must-haves make for non-toxic products-many of which have more than one use, so you can condense your supply (and your morning routine). Now, Maran has partnered with Kelly Ripa for the Green Idea Swap: Along with Ripa, Zem Joaquin, and Anna Getty, Maran posts daily green tips on Ripa’s website, Kelly Confidential, and for every tip you share, Electrolux appliances donates $1 to Global Green’s sustainable building projects.

Planet Green: What’s one cosmetics ingredient we should absolutely avoid?

Josie Maran: I avoid synthetic fragrances. Synthetic fragrances contain phthalates which are added to many cosmetics and beauty aids to increase flexibility and break down other ingredients, but studies have shown that phthalates can cause damage to the lungs, liver and kidneys, and to harm the developing testes of offspring!

PG: What’s the first step in developing an eco-friendly beauty routine?

JM: Look for natural products that contain few ingredients. Less is more. Using products with the least amount of ingredients and additives ensures its natural purity. Josie Maran Argan Oil is 100 percent pure organic Argan Oil – nothing else. It’s my “beauty secret”, and the best lightweight all-natural moisturizer. And it’s a great product to try when you first decide to go natural!

Check out more of Maran’s beauty tips at Planet Green.

Editor’s note: Article by Blythe Copeland. Originally published by our friends at Planet Green. Planet Green is an offshoot of Discovery that covers every aspect of green living, from tofu to tattoos. Be sure to visit them and say hi, and follow Planet Green on Twitter, too!

Image: Josie Maran

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Beyond Earth Day: 3 Easy Tech and Transport Ideas for Maximum Impact All Year

Planet Green — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 17:14:17 +0000

We loved this post over at Planet Green about getting the most mileage out of your gadgets. Aside from the obvious (biking to work instead of driving), they’ve got some great tips about extending the life of your fridge, computer, phone, and other electronics, saving you money and the earth a few landfills’ worth of heavy metals and conflict minerals. We think it’s a great way to opt out of disposable culture. Let us know your thoughts.

Here, in what may seem like the gazillionth post about how to celebrate Earth Day, are a few ideas for changes you can make in the technology and transport parts of your life that will make a real difference in your carbon footprint. You’ve heard some or all of them before, no doubt, but sometimes we need little reminders.

Whether it’s commuting to work, running errands, visiting friends-the more you substitute biking for driving, the more emissions (and money!) you’ll save. You can use e-meters to measure your carbon savings and Google Maps now has features to help cyclists out.

Learn more ways to reduce your carbon footprint and save cash at Planet Green.

Editor’s note: Article by Rachel Cernansky. Originally published by our friends at Planet Green. Planet Green is an offshoot of Discovery that covers every aspect of green living, from tofu to tattoos. Be sure to visit them and say hi, and follow Planet Green on Twitter, too!

Main Image: markoh!

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