Israel’s central Arava desert, where saline soils and dry climates are the norm, a thriving community creates up to 60% of Israel’s exported agricultural products. Recently, I visited the Arava valley to see the miracle of agriculture in the desert up close and personal. According to our tour host Michal Marmary: “By any standard, farming […]
Agriculture where plants can’t grow: Israel’s Arava valley Read More 👉
At the Bloomberg Fuel Choices Summit in Tel Aviv, we learned about Israel’s aggressive alternative transportation goals–reducing oil use by 60% by 2025–and how they plan to achieve it. A talk by Eyal Rosner of the Prime Minister’s office elucidated some of the insights the country has learned from its various clean tech programs over
Israel’s Aggressive Oil Reduction Goals: Is 60% In 12 Years Achievable? Read More 👉
Planning for the future of the planet should be just as much a part of a company’s strategy as their plans for the immediate future, and if more businesses adopted the method that one vineyard uses, our future could be much more leafy and green. Thanks to Trinity Oaks’ One Bottle One Tree® program in
Trinity Oaks Vineyards Plants 10 Million Trees Read More 👉
Often, it seems the news is full of companies doing bad things. Other times, it seems that their CSR efforts are largely just greenwashing (the act of advertising themselves as doing something good, when in reality, the big picture is still really pretty bad). But there are companies we love out there, and this series
Amongst all the other modern and pop culture trends of the 21st century, one fashion has emerged which is anything but a fad. The key concept? Sustainability. Originally confined to the domain of the left, sustainability has – in recent years – become a byword for ethical living for everyone from politicians and corporations to
Five Easy Ways to Achieve Sustainability At Home Read More 👉
By John Seager, President, Population Connection It seems like yesterday my kids were underfoot. Then I look in the mirror and get a reality check. I may feel 35, but I’m now at the age my younger self would declare “ancient.” And I’m not the only one. Just over half of my baby boomer contemporaries
It’s fairly well established that, in terms of sustainability, attitudes far surpass actions. According to Gallup polls, at least 2/3 of respondents have consistently responded to questions about their concern for the environment by saying that they would describe themselves as fairly green. This trend has been consistent for decades. But action is not always
People frequently respond very positively to polling about environmental attitudes. Even in down years, a grand majority of people respond that they’re concerned about the environment (and/or describe themselves as “environmentalist” in attitude). But the behavior often doesn’t follow the attitude, and it is perhaps the biggest missing link in creating real sustainable change. In the introductory
Environmental Attitude vs. Behavior: Why the Disconnect? Read More 👉
With concerns over the wider environment growing on an almost daily basis, the pressure is increasing on some of the world’s largest companies, particularly those in the technology sector to clean up their act. Google is one firm that seem to have paid attention to their carbon footprint, and have apparently invested huge amounts of
Why is Google investing so heavily in renewables? Read More 👉
Why is sustainability so sexy these days? There are a lot of reasons. My top theory is that it’s become so clear that people can save money through green living ideas. So on Earth Day, we at the Inspired Economist wanted to inspire you to save money in a few ways that will also lower
Save money this Earth Day (to also save the planet) Read More 👉
Last week, I gave much love to the city of New York (see Green, New York Style, March 15th). Today it’s time to drive some good spirited competition into the mix, based on the following press release I received this morning. It was titled simply, “Boston Rules.” The full, very concise text read as follows,
Boston vs. New York: which city is greener? Read More 👉
The Big Apple has moved decisively in the direction of being the green apple in recent years. Here’s the coolest green happenings in the big city. Transportation The city has moved aggressively to create an infrastructure that encourages cycling as a form of commuting, both to alleviate traffic and air quality issues and to facilitate
Green, New York Style: A Sustainability Tour of the Big Apple Read More 👉
I can’t help myself! I review the shopping venues shelves, such as my local supermarket and Walmart, to investigate what manufacturers are doing to make the packaging of their products more sustainable. I have to admit that I focus on the negative. I really notice the packaging tragedies, and cringe to see just how bad
Recently, there has been a lot of talk about how America is on a slow slide to oblivion given our lowest-in-history birthrate and U.S. Census projections showing slower population growth. While it’s true that fewer babies were born last year than in previous years (due to the recession, most likely), our total fertility rate –
Five reasons why slower growth isn’t necessarily bad Read More 👉
Three European countries have pledged a combined $180 million to the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF), an institution created by the World Bank to compensate developing countries for reductions in carbon dioxide emissions achieved by preserving their forests. The contributions from Finland, Germany, and Norway bring FCPF’s capitalization to around $650 million, guaranteeing that developing
European Countries Donate Millions to Halt Deforestation Read More 👉
Environmental Economics has been practiced ever since the dawn of mankind but it wasn’t always called that. The principle that being more efficient and less wasteful brings benefits to human beings and the environment alike, has been demonstrated since the times when the first hunter-gatherers would use every part of the plant or animals they
Environmental Economics At Work in the Home Read More 👉
Worry sweeps across Britain as five of the “Big 6” energy companies declare their gas and electricity prices will have significantly risen by the end of 2012. With Christmas approaching and temperatures dropping in the UK, this news is hitting families and property-owners hard. The UK government, however, is set to launch its scheme, The
Like other industries, construction companies feel the negative effects of the recent economic downturn. A decrease in new home construction and remodeling projects means contractors work less and make less money. There is hope, however. As the Great Recession recedes into history, the future holds bright possibilities for construction business growth. Hurricane Sandy might have
Fitting into the New Economy Read More 👉
The European Union has long been ahead of the curve in terms of sustainability efforts and legislative action around carbon emissions, cleaner energy, toxins in consumer products, and the like. The journey for the EU is well underway and looks to be picking up speed. For instance, pervasive GMO labeling laws across EU member states
How much will it cost for Europe to go entirely green? Read More 👉
Every year, Black Friday seems to get bigger. Cabbage Patch Doll crazes may seem a distant memory, but the stampedes of people that get up earlier and earlier every year to get started on the Christmas shopping season don’t seem to diminish at all. With Sears and several other companies allowing Black Friday to creep
Green Saturday to Follow Black Friday Read More 👉
Fleet companies face challenges that go beyond what the average car owner sees. The automotive landscape changes completely when managing more than one vehicle. Those in charge of a fleet must balance fuel efficiency, environmental responsibility and capital expenditure for multiple cars. Economic innovations have stepped up to help fleets stay true to the current
The Future of Green: Innovations That Promote Economic Engagement Read More 👉
When it comes to customer loyalty, there are few better opportunities to make a good first impression than with the business card. Businesses working in the field of sustainability are often, for better or worse, held to a higher standard in their business dealings than more conventional businesses. After all, if green consumers are to
Getting Green Business Done…with Eco-friendly business cards Read More 👉
According to a recent study by the NRDC, we waste about 40% of the food we create. It’s a complex issue, and there are clearly no easy answers to widespread practices in the restaurant industry to dramatically cut food waste. In addition, we each waste a similar amount of our groceries (letting produce go bad,
Accounting for food waste: Come join us for a live, interactive broadcast today! Read More 👉
The presidential candidates in this year’s election are increasingly rallying their base by pointing out the differences in their philosophies and showcasing the choice before Americans. As voters, we get a chance to choose the direction of the country based on these very different approaches. But is either side telling the truth, and how would
2012 Election Energy Policy Choice Read More 👉
