Hello, my chilly little earthlings. What do you say we all warm up with a nice batch of Green Reads? Get your blankies and settle in.
First, a nifty technology, "solar stickers," as described by Mother Earth News. Basically, they’re super-thin solar panels that go as well on your roof as they do on the side of your tent. Looks like Mother Earth will be covering the topic more deeply soon, so if you’ve always wanted to turn your dog into a walking electricity producer, keep an eye out!
A window into Copenhagen: Al Gore wants the world to meet again in July. A passage from his speech that I find sobering: "More is at stake in these negotiations than some seem to realize. The future of human civilization is now threatened. We have the means to secure our future. The question we must answer is whether or not we have the political will."
Also on Copenhagen, a story from a couple of weeks ago that depicts the other side, and makes Virginia as a whole look pretty sucky.
One more from the global stage: The Pope is a tree-hugger. Whatever it takes, people.
The farm-to-table restaurant model is tricky to execute, as it turns out. I’m sure a number of Charlottesville chefs could speak to this. As a consumer, it’s a little exhausting to think that not only must one constantly look for keywords and labels on everything one buys, one can’t really trust those terms.
An interesting perspective on the coal industry: old coal-burning power plants aren’t worth it, and new ones are shrouded in controversy.
Our outgoing governor is pretty close to his ambitious land conservation goal of 400,000 acres. If Biscuit Run becomes a park, it could tip Kaine closer still.
Speaking of local: I was sorry to miss this event last Saturday. A new Habitat house, also the fourth ecoMOD project, was dedicated. Meanwhile, right next door, the city and UVA are getting ready to turn an old, prominently located home (corner of Ridge and Elliott) into a showcase for green remodeling. I’m very excited about this—I love the idea of a green demo house in such a visible location.
And, oh yeah, C-VILLE Weekly did this little story about making Charlottesville greener. My favorite of the 10 suggestions is number eight.
More links, folks? Post ’em below.
