CO2 Emissions from Emails, Searches, and Cloud Storage With 2.5 billion people connected to the Internet worldwide, the Internet’s energy and carbon footprint are estimated to exceed air travel. From manufacturing and shipping of computers to data use—the Internet is less green than you’d think. Learn about how the Internet is impacting the environment and […]
Coffee is truly a global drink of choice. As a crop, coffee is grown across tens of millions of acres in more than 60 countries. In the U.S. alone, 54 percent of adults drink coffee every day, adding up to a $40 billion yearly market. The trouble is, all this international coffee consumption may not […]
The Emergence of the Maker Movement The maker movement is made up of some 135 million adults in the U.S., however, it’s more than just a U.S. movement. Maker faires that celebrate the movement have popped up in Japan, Italy, Norway, and Chile. Makers use their skills to craft items such as clothing, baked goods, jewelry, […]
Healthy and Eco-Friendly Cutting Boards When it comes to cutting boards and butcher blocks, it’s okay to give in to materialism. That’s because the material that makes up a given chopping block has a big impact on the quality, longevity, and cleanliness of a board. And if you’re concerned about creating an eco-friendly kitchen, then […]
Is Chewing Gum Harmful to the Environment? Whether it’s being used as a mid-day breath refresher or on the playground to see who can blow the biggest bubble—chewing gum is a daily habit for many people. But what happens when you’re done chewing it? 80–90% of chewing gum is not disposed of properly and it’s […]
Which is the More Eco-Friendly Choice? Reading just got a whole lot more complicated: Once confined to print materials, today’s readers now have a plethora of devices to choose from to get their literary fix. Smartphones, laptops, tablets, and e-readers are transforming the reading landscape. On the surface, this may seem like a good thing—the […]
Tackling the Electronic Waste Problem Last year, the world produced nearly 54 million tons of electrical and electronic products, but only a fraction of it was reused, refurbished, or recycled. With a relatively short lifecycle, e-waste now litters dumpsites all over the world, exposing humans and the environment to toxic materials. Some eco-conscious offices use […]
A Healthier Way to Take the Structure Out of Play Back in the day, it seemed like the biggest hazard on a playground was a metal slide on a hot summer day. But as it turns out, many conventional playgrounds pose potential health risks to the people who play on them, with consequences much more […]
How to Move Away from Plastic Dependency Since plastics were first introduced to the U.S. during the mid-late 19th century, we’ve been dependent on the material for it’s versatility, convenience, and function. Currently, plastics are one of the most used materials on a volume basis in U.S. industrial and commercial life. Unfortunately, the sheer mass […]
3D Printing for the Modern Crafts Movement In the 1980s, most tech geeks were still busting their brains over how to develop personal computers and entertainment consoles for the masses. Little did the public know that in addition to the green MS-DOS screens and 8-bit video games entering the market, three decades later developments taking […]