A round-up of this week’s environmental, green and ecofriendly news and updates.
I LOVE reporting on ways that ordinary people cause change to happen, even to big corporations and government.
Many people don’t like taxi company Uber. In addition, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick is a member of Trump’s business advisory council. A #DeleteUber campaign was so successful that it had “a ‘significant impact’ on the company’s U.S. business.” As a result, Uber changed some of its pricing strategies, and the CEO resigned from Trump’s panel.
Last month, Utah Rep. Jason Chaffetz introduced a bill that would put would put 3.3 million acres of public lands up for sale. His constituents objected so vehemently that he actually withdrew the bill on Thursday.
Barley soup is delicious and nutritious – the best type of comfort food.
So what on earth does it have to do with a traditional Irish cottage?
If you have trouble sleeping, a new study shows that winter camping can help! Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder found that spending as little as a weekend in natural light all day and true darkness at night can impact the circadian rhythm that affects sleep. Making that a week-long winter camping trip can have an even more intense effect.
It seems that our modern environments mess up our rhythms. Makes sense, I suppose.
If camping is not your style, try getting more natural daylight in the day, and avoid computer and phone screens at night.
If you do any exercise at home, you’ll probably want to include strength training. And that normally means weights.
But you don’t need to go out and buy weights or dumbbells.
Here are 3 household items that you can use instead – they’re not just green, they’re also free because you’ve got them in your home anyway! Find them here.
UK Green News:
I’m sure you’ve heard of The White Cliffs of Dover in the UK. Well, climate change is rapidly eroding them. In addition, warmer temperatures are seeing salmon vanishing from famous rivers and birds no longer visiting important wetlands.
In this new political era, climate scientists and their science are under attack – from reduced funding to slashing salaries and jobs. Even worse are very personal attacks against respected climate scientists, as happened in British newspaper the Mail on Sunday. UK climate denier David Rose attacked scientists at NOAA, saying their science was wrong. His attack was described as “disheartening and dishonest”.
US Green News:
We should be shutting down the most polluting power plants, and certainly not building new ones. But California – despite going green and reducing its electricity demand – has 10 new power plants up for approval this year. Why, when it doesn’t need them? Because the incentive system is so kind to utilities that it’s profitable for them to build plants, whether the power is needed or not. Isn’t that daft?
Maryland produced a bill that required utilities to buy 25% of their electricity from renewable sources. But the governor vetoed it. Luckily, legislators voted to override his veto – good for them!
The Standing Rock Sioux will march in Washington, D.C. on March 10 to fight construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline (DAPL) in North Dakota.
And the Seattle City Council voted to divest from Wells Fargo Bank, a major funder of the controversial DAPL. Hundreds of demonstrators swarmed outside City Hall and erupted in cheers upon learning the outcome. If the bill passes, Seattle will be the first major city to divest over Dakota Access.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
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Thank you for the good news, Clare. I was worried about them selling off those acres of public land and glad they didn’t get away with that…yet. The Uber has had a lot of bad press anyway lately and anyone connected to the Trumps are suspect in most of our minds. They are about the money, nothing else. Great recipe and good ideas for weights. I’ve been lifting things like gallon water jugs or doing mini pushups. It’s tough when you get my age and everything goes on you. 🙂 Now if we can find a way to stop the Dakota pipeline, I’d be happier. Signed a petition but that didn’t help.
Thanks Marlene! Yes, good news is always welcome, especially now with so little of it in the media. Gallon water jugs make perfect weights! “Everything goes on you” – that made me laugh! I’ve often thought that we’d appreciate ourselves much more if we “aged” the other way around i.e. if we were born old, then got younger as time passed… I don’t know about you, but I certainly didn’t appreciate my ease of movement, energy and fitness when I was young – but I wish I had even half of it now!