theatlantic:

5 Charts About Climate Change That Should Have You Very, Very Worried

Happy Monday, you guys!

Livestock, Russell Arthur Bauer, past Sunday Soup recipient. 

kateoplis:

First eco Podhotel in Flims, Switzerland

Clean Coal: Not a Thing

squashed:

The coal companies are lying to you. Coal energy is not clean energy. It is the dirtiest form of energy generation we have. The coal companies are spending millions of dollars hoping you’ll forget this. A slick ad campaign doesn’t change the truth.

Rajan still swims for ten minutes twice a day, completing about 500 yards before heading back to shore.

(source)

The animal was caught on camera as it submerged itself in the foam that had been produced by a nearby waterfall.

(source)

Light Bulb Energy Savings Calculator | National Geographic

(Via kateoplis)

canisfamiliaris:

Christmas Tree Made Using 32,000 Plastic Bottles

Kaunas, Lithuania unveiled a 42-foot-tall Christmas tree made of 32,000 green plastic bottles. At night, the tree is lit by 40,000 lights. The tree is by Lithuanian artist Jolanta Smidtiene. The government of Kaunas has demonstrated the need to reuse and recycle, while supporting artistic endeavors in their community.

Compare that to the U.S., whose White House Xmas Tree, a 19-foot-tall balsam fir, was cut down by the ironically-named Schroeder’s “Forevergreens” (if “forever” is as long as death-to-decomposition), in Wisconsin. In fact, as a typically compassionate and environmentally sensitive act as American politics seems to get, Schroeder’s Forevergreens is one of about 800 Christmas tree farms and lots around the country that donates free, full-grown trees to military families as part of the Trees for Troops program. This year, Trees for Troops hopes to deliver its 100,000th tree.

See, the compassion — donating Xmas trees to families — is shown to families who work for the military (but not the peaceable homeless), and the environmental sensitivity — cutting down 100,000 living trees — is all about destroying the environment and other forms of life to make ours pretty and sentimental.

(via laughingsquid)

kateoplis:

Interactive: Which nations are really responsible for climate change

• CO2: USA, 5.2 billion tons per year. Global rank: 2
• Consumption footprint: USA, 6.15 billion tons per year. Global rank: 1

The energy coming off a box of ripening bananas could heat a small apartment,” Rosenblatt explains.

Sounds efficient. 

thepoliticalnotebook:

“Rivers of Ice: Vanishing Glaciers of the Greater Himalaya,” is a photography exhibit by David Breashears currently on display at the Royal Geographical Society in central London. From 2007 to 2010, he returned to the sites where famous photographers had taken shots of glaciers and recaptured their photographs, showing what those grand glaciers look like today. 

The black and white photograph in the picture above was taken in 1921 by George Mallory. of the Main Rongbuk Glacier. At the BBC, you can see an audio slideshow narrated by Breashears about his project.

[via Lensculture]

How Mark Boyle Lives on $0 a Year

[I]n 2008 Mark Boyle decided to try living for a year without money. His self-imposed rules were simple: he would close his bank account and not spend or receive money (including checks and credit cards). He would live off-grid—that meant he would produce his own energy for illumination, heat, food preparation, and communicating with the outside world. He sold his houseboat and used the proceeds (a few thousand dollars) to set things up. This included buying a $300 solar panel to keep his laptop and cell phone charged (he accepted incoming calls, which he could do without subscribing to a cell phone plan.) He obtained an old trailer for free from a woman who wanted to get rid of it. He made a deal with an organic farm to let him park the trailer on the land in exchange for a few hours work each day. He built a compost toilet near his trailer to harvest the “humanure” for his gardening needs. He set up a solar shower, which consisted of a black plastic bag and a rubber hose to bathe with. For heating the trailer he bought a wood-burning stove made from an upcycled propane tank, and for cooking he built a “rocket stove,” designed to produce high-heat using small pieces of wood. A bicycle provided transportation. 

He started his year of moneyless existence on international “Buy Nothing Day” (the day after Thanksgiving, which is the biggest shopping day of the year). And he wrote about his experiences in his book, Moneyless Man: A Year of Freeconomics Living.

Read the rest.

The Informed Vegan: August’s Top Stories

theinformedvegan:

Summer’s over kids. Everyone’s going back to school and vacations are just a memory. Good news though, The Informed Vegan is ready to bring you some intriguing, exicting, and inspiring news this September.

Before we can move forward, let’s look back. Here are the top stories for August:

5) Buy McDonalds, Plant a Tree*

McDonalds uses the fine print to get out of having to plant stupid trees to save the stupid earth.

4) Tofurky Builds $10 Mil Eco-Factory.

One of the world’s coolest vegan companies builds a sweet tricked out veggie meat factory in Oregon.

3) Facebook Labels Animal Rights As Spam.

Social networking Big Brother has issues with people sharing animal rights articles.

2) Sick Ringling Elephant Collapses.

When an elephant used by Ringling collapses in the streets, everyone wonders “if this is what happens in public, what’s going on behind the scenes?”

1) Tortured Bear Kills Cub, Then Self.

Tragic story from the Chinese bear bile industry. A mother’s bear tries to spare her cub from a life of incredible suffering.

August saw some big changes at The Informed Vegan and there’s more on the way. No more music section on the site. We are going to put all our energy into sharing important news and facts about veganism and animal rights. Check out our new facts section, “like” us on Facebook, and follow us on twitter. Thanks for reading!