PhilanthropyFix

Going green is good for business. Reaping the Benefits of Going Green

A conversation with artist Trevor Paglen, who is building humanity’s longest-lasting cultural artifact. (via explore-blog)

(Source: , via explore-blog)

I’m just going to cut to the chase, I want their eggs. Scrambled, sunny side up, overeasy, as an omelet; I’ll have it all. There’s just something rewarding about producing your own food. I want to cook for a guest at my house and be able to say, ‘Oh yeah I just whipped up this mega breakfast burrito from my own backyard, no biggie.’

Raising chickens is a good way to kick-start a sustainable lifestyle and reduce your carbon footprint; it also has amazing benefits. Here is a list of reasons to raise backyard chickens. 

1. Their poo does wonders for your soil. It balances out the compost you’ve already started (it contains nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium), making your compost rich and fertile.  
2. Pest control: Chickens eat bugs and even weeds. No need to use harmful chemicals on your yard. You’ll also save money!
3. Have control over what’s in your eggs/quality/taste: Chickens that are allowed to roam freely produce eggs that are lower in cholesterol, higher in omega-3 fatty acids, have less saturated fat, and are higher in vitamin A and E. The eggs are also more flavorful and not as old as eggs bought from the grocery store, which can be days to weeks old (as time goes by eggs lose nutrition and taste).
4. Reduce the amount of food going to the landfill/reduce landfill costs.  Send your table scraps off to the backyard and feed those chickens! No need to purchase special food, they will eat your dinner leftovers.  
5. Chickens are great pets for the family and can be very fun. They can teach kids about chicken development and the responsibility of taking care of pets. Let your kids collect the eggs!

Scientists develop world’s lightest metal which could help make green cars more efficient!

It is estimated that 25 percent of all sea life relies on the resources of coral reefs to survive.

Humans are reducing coral reefs every day; as much as 32 percent of our world’s coral reefs may be lost in as little as thirty years. Destructive fishing methods, harvesting of coral for goods, pollution, and global warming all contribute to the destruction of coral reefs.

 Why help the coral reefs:

1. In wiping out our coral reefs, thousands of species of fish may go extinct.
2. Millions of people will lose their jobs. Many careers rely on the survival of coral reefs and many countries depend tourism to bring in a large part of their nation’s income.
3. Coral reefs feed people. Coral reefs sustain not just commercial fishing, but provide millions of people, whose backyards are the coral reefs, a rich source of food.
4. Coral reefs are like bumpers on a bowling lane—they act as an ocean wave buffer, protecting our beaches, buildings, and even cities from damaging ocean waves. In the absence of coral reefs, they may be destroyed. Can you imagine losing your favorite vacation spot because the ocean swallowed it up?
5. Coral reefs provide valuable compounds used for medicines to help treat illnesses such as skin cancer, leukemia, ulcers, and cardiovascular diseases. They also have potential to cure cancer, which is a current undertaking by today’s cancer researchers.   

How you can help: 

1. Skip buying jewelry made by coral reefs. In the process of obtaining these materials to make the jewelry, ocean ecosystems are destroyed.
2. Eat seafood that has been caught or harvested by sustainable means. Check out the guides on the Coral Reef Alliance website.
3. Make sustainability a habit and reduce your carbon footprint:
4. Buy organic, local foods
5. Skip plastic bags at stores and bring your own.
6. Skip bottled water; carry a reusable with you.
7. Plant native plant species
8. Unplug appliances
9. Use florescent light bulbs
10. Try to bus, bike or walk. Reduce how much you drive by trying to get all your errands done in one or two trips.
11. Recycle

(Source: freewheelinsupertramp)

sustainability + architecture + technology= most amazing  terrarium!

Get the whole family on a sustainable lifestyle this summer. Save money, eat delicious food, and reduce harmful carbon emissions by following these ways to go green. 

1.  Cook dinner over a camp fire—Hot dogs, smore’s , Shishkebabs, potatoes, campfire beans,  and fish yum yum! The possibilities are endless. How creative can you and your kids get?
2.  Start a vegetable, fruit, or herb garden—Get half your cooking ingredients from your very own backyard Peppers, cilantro, basil  rosemary, juicy strawberries! Who doesn’t love to eat their yard?
3. Compost—Use to help the plants in your garden grow!
4. Hang your clothes to dry—Take advantage of the nice whether and hang your clothes on a line like back in the good ol’ days.
5. Get outside—Walk or bike where you can. Save gas, no harmful carbon emissions, and get some exercise!
6. Farmer’s markets? Yes
7. Buy or trade your summer clothes at local recycled fashion shops
8. Turn the lights off—Sunlight is a beautiful thing.
9. Reuse glass jars—Store meals, use to serve as summer drinks, use as a vase for those summer blossoms.
10. Garage sales
11. Grow your own flowers—Instead of making a trip in your car to the flower shop, grow and arrange your own lovely bouquet and give them to the one you love.
12. If you need to water your lawn: Water in the morning and stay dedicated!
13.  Eat your catch—Go fishin’!