One of the coolest green trends that I recently got introduced to is urban gardening and green rooftops. Living in NYC, the sight of barren, ugly, grey rooftops covered with piping and air vents is all too familiar. It’s space that is barely ever used – except for the occasional smoker or rooftop party.

The idea of green roofs and urban gardening is simple and genius: to grow greens (plants, vegetables, grass, etc) on roofs and/or empty lots not only to cover up the grey, cracked cement and gain aesthetic benefits, but also multiple health, ecological and economic benefits.

Tomorrow, April 22, millions of people will come together to celebrate Earth Day—a commitment to conserving our environment and fighting climate change. There are many people who are looking for ways to get involved and lessen their environmental impact. To help, we’ve listed some ideas and fun facts (because who doesn’t love fun facts?)

Did you know that…
• Earth Day was founded in 1970 by a senator of Wisconsin and the day is credited for creating the environmentalism movement.
• Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to watch a TV for three hours – that’s equivalent to... Read more »

Earlier this week, a company called Clear Standard released a free iPhone app that enables users to calculate the carbon footprint from daily commuting, vacations, or business trips.

Apparently, the iPhone determines the length of your trip based on GPS data, you plug in your mode of transportation and the app determines your footprint. You can also track your how you’re doing on a monthly basis and set ‘maximum emissions’ goals. Obviously this won’t directly reduce users’ carbon footprint, but at least it will show them how much CO2 is emitted with each trip – and hopefully... Read more »

I read an interesting article about a new typeface called Eco-font the other day. Some Dutch creatives designed it to reduce ink on printing (by 15-20%) by putting a bunch of little holes in the font. The idea is: The less ink we use, the less resources are squandered and the less garbage we create. Sounds pretty genius. Especially since it’s free!

So I tried it. I have to say, downloading fonts on windows is more complicated than necessary – but other than that, I think the font looks pretty awesome. In font size 11, Eco-font looks like a... Read more »

Every day, new ideas and data exponentially proliferate through cyber space. This online expanse is part of the reason why more and more people know about and are paying attention to the global climate crisis. The web is one of the best methods to inform the masses on how people are rethinking business and the way we power the grid in cities, states and countries around the world.

At Climate Counts, we use the web to let you know companies’ score (and compare to their competitors) on their voluntary commitments to tackling climate change. So far, we’ve scored 93... Read more »

Hello. My name is Alexander Heller and I am interning with The Climate Group this summer. More specifically I am working on the Together Campaign. The reason the together campaign is so important and can truthfully make a difference is because they are providing simple and easy ways for every American to change the path our environment is heading down and turning America into a low carbon economy. Changing a light bulb is as easy as it gets, yet it can make such a large difference if every American decided to use energy efficient light bulbs. Taking it a bit... Read more »

The summer holidays are upon us, and record gas prices aren’t keeping everyone from summer travel. Once again, the airwaves and TV are abuzz with news of “green travelers” and carbon offsets. These references often remind me of an April 2007, New York Times article from environmental expert Andy Revkin titled “Carbon-Neutral Is Hip, but Is It Green?” in which he equates carbon offsets to Catholic Church indulgences before the reformation; the accompanying illustration shows a man on his knees admitting he has “S.U.V.’d.” As amusing as this is, Revkin’s piece remains relevant today, as the market for carbon offsets... Read more »

The threat of rain had been looming in the forecast for the past week leading up to today’s event and the skies were grey upon arrival to Times Square. However, the greenery that colored Military Island remained dry even though the sun didn’t shine.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, U.N. Secretary Ban Ki-Moon, Climate Group CEO Dr. Steve Howard, JP Morgan Chase Head of CSR Bill Daley and ICLEI Executive Director Michelle Wyman took the stage, together with host Simran Sethi, to the sounds of cabs, pedestrians and the New York hustle and bustle. It seemed fitting that the... Read more »

During Saturday morning youth soccer games my father would slowly walk the perimeter of the field, hands clasped behind his back, picking up trash and occasionally giving me advice on the game. At the time I questioned why he didn’t join the other parents in the stands, but these days, when people ask me about my personal ecological motivations, about why I started www.MakeMeSustainable.com and why I blog on the environment, those soccer games are what come to mind.

We face a daunting task ahead in addressing climate change. Since the industrial revolution we have manufactured, produced, and... Read more »

The connected era is here and people all over the world are taking action to address the threats posed by global climate change. Businesses see the value of this, not only for the bottom line, but because their customers, employees and stakeholders are making it clear they care. This is a global movement gathering momentum every day. The iron is hot. Never before in our history has there been a time in which corporations and customers can promote a ‘greener’ Earth by working together, sharing ideas, facilitating dialogue and bringing about meaningful change.

“Together ” is... Read more »

Consumer climate action isn’t just about switching to compact fluorescent lightbulbs or buying recycled. While people across the country are taking action to reduce their own carbon footprint, some consumers are using their power to push companies to take action themselves – and it’s paying off.

In early May, Climate Counts (www.climatecounts.org) released its second annual Climate Counts Company Scorecard. We launched our Scorecard last year with the hope that creating a simple, easy-to-understand ranking of companies would motivate both companies and consumers to step-up their efforts on climate change. We are proud to be associated with The... Read more »