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Eco minded habitat

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By Christi. Saturday, 1. September 2007, 01:02:44

A work in progress..
Rss feeds and podcasts to feed your need for knowledge.
All subject to change if I find them not informative enough.
Suggestions welcome :smile:
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Fair trade/The green consumerist

By Christi. Sunday, 26. August 2007, 13:48:40

Huh?

Fair trade is a trading partnership, based on dialogue, transparency and respect, which seeks greater equity in international trade. It contributes to sustainable development by offering better trading conditions to, and securing the rights of, marginalized producers and workers - especially in the South. Fair trade organizations (backed by consumers) are engaged actively in supporting producers, awareness raising and in campaigning for changes in the rules and practice of conventional international trade.
Fair trade advocates generally support the following principles and practices in trading relationships:[6]

Creating opportunities for economically disadvantaged producers
Fair trade is a strategy for poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Its purpose is to create opportunities for producers who have been economically disadvantaged or marginalized by the conventional trading system.
Transparency and accountability
Fair trade involves transparent management and commercial relations to deal fairly and respectfully with trading partners.
Capacity building
Fair trade is a means to develop producers' independence. Fair trade relationships provide continuity, during which producers and their marketing organizations can improve their management skills and their access to new markets.
Payment of a fair price
A fair price in the regional or local context is one that has been agreed through dialogue and participation. It covers not only the costs of production but enables production which is socially just and environmentally sound. It provides fair pay to the producers and takes into account the principle of equal pay for equal work by women and men. Fairtraders ensure prompt payment to their partners and, whenever possible, help producers with access to pre-harvest or pre-production financing.
Gender equity
Fair trade means that women's work is properly valued and rewarded. Women are always paid for their contribution to the production process and are empowered in their organizations.
Working conditions
Fair trade means a safe and healthy working environment for producers. The participation of children (if any) does not adversely affect their well-being, security, educational requirements and need for play and conforms to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child as well as the law and norms in the local context.
Environmental protection
Fair trade actively encourages better environmental practices and the application of responsible methods of production.
(wikipedia)

**The information in this site alone is enough to steer you in numerous good directions.

The National Green Pages is a directory listing nearly 3,000 businesses that have made firm commitments to sustainable, socially just principles, including the support of sweatshop-free labor, organic farms, fair trade, and cruelty-free products.

How they "screen".



Fair Trade empowers low-income artisans and farmers around the globe to better their lives. It is a movement that connects us to the people who grow our food and make our clothes, changing the way we think about the things we buy. If enough people engage in Fair Trade, it can change the world.

Your ethical guide to damn near everything.

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Artist expression

By Christi. Sunday, 26. August 2007, 12:02:13

roqlarue






More located in the forum

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Carbon offsets demystified

By Christi. Sunday, 26. August 2007, 11:44:09

Coopamerica
For an offset purchase to be meaningful, the purchase has to cause a new carbon reduction corresponding with the new emissions you caused, rather than taking credit for a reduction that would have happened anyway....

..............
Avoid offsets based on tree-planting projects. Planting trees feels good and projects that plant trees can be easier to love than projects involving something as mundane as cow methane or cement. However, there are much better offset programs than those that involve trees. It's very hard to calculate how much CO2 a given forest will "breathe in." some offset providers base their calculations for a tree planted today on the CO2 it will take in over its entire lifetime, which is decades after the emissions associated with the flight or drive being offset. Bottom line: when it comes to carbon offsets, planting trees is not the best bet. However, planting trees has other environmental benefits, and we encourage tree planting for these reasons.
hmmmm
Do some Math

Green tags from current renewable energy generation. Energy customers who wish to support wind and solar power can already do so by purchasing renewable energy certificates, also known as "RECs," or "green tags." Green tags represent the environmental benefits generated by existing green energy facilities like wind turbines or solar arrays. Consumers without green power options can purchase green tags as a way of supporting renewable energy generation. Or, utility companies that offer their customers green energy options may simply purchase green tags on their behalf from an outside green power facility, rather than building their own.

Because putting more renewable energy into the electric grid will, over time, reduce the energy that GHG-spewing coal plants need to put in, renewable energy also promises to reduce global warming emissions. Therefore, some carbon offset providers sell green tags as carbon offsets. For example carbon counter,offers green tag offsets associated with wind farms in Oregon.

Sustainable development projects. Some providers use offset purchases to fund "clean development" projects in developing countries, which both fight poverty and reduce GHG emissions.My climate(which sells offsets in the US through Sustainable Travel International) has created a small hydraulic power station in Indonesia that will generate clean, reliable energy for a Sumatran community. In Eritrea, they have installed hundreds of solar water heaters for schools.

Farm and landfill methane projects.Native energy,also uses offset purchases to install methane digester's on family farms in Pennsylvania to capture methane, a potent greenhouse gas generated by livestock. "Digester's" use the methane to generate power.

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Business initiatives

Safety Issues

  • cdc

    Mercury facts ( cfl's)

  • Cleaning up Mercury

    Thermometers, thermostats and light bulbs all contain less than 10 grams of mercury.

Put your $ where your mouth is..cause a few bucks collectively cause change .. pun intended

  • Muse music

    Musicians United to Sustain the Environment (M. U. S. E.)

  • French Rabbit

    French rabbit has partnered with American Forests to plant one tree for every 4 French rabbit wines sold.

Dual purpose Gardening

  • Living walls

    cool + kewl

  • Arbor day

    10 free trees anybody?

  • Local harvest

    The best organic food is what's grown closest to you. Use our website to find farmers' markets, family farms, and other sources of sustainably grown food in your area, where you can buy produce, grass-fed meats, and many other goodies.

  • Native seeds

    Native Seeds/SEARCH is a nonprofit conservation organization based in Tucson, Arizona. NS/S works to conserve, distribute and document the adapted and diverse varieties of agricultural seed, their wild relatives.We safeguard 2000 varieties of arid-la

  • Lawn grasses

    Just the type of grass you have can conserve water..

  • Buffalo grass

    case and point

get the kids involved

  • Solar sprint

    The Junior Solar Sprint offers students an opportunity to learn by means of a friendly competition against their peers where students take responsibility for the design, construction and performance of a model solar electric vehicle.

  • Green toys

    It's a little cliché but true nonetheless, your children and your children's children will inherit the world that we create today. So, the stuff we give them shouldn't make life any harder on them in the future. If that alone isn't enough, how about

  • Eco-kids-Canada

    EcoKids is Earth Day Canada's environmental education program for youth who care about the planet. Since 1994, the EcoKids Program has empowered Canadian youth with environmental knowledge and hands-on activities, and presented this information in fu

  • Virtual pond

    Can you populate the pond in such a way that by week 18 the creatures in the pond are still healthy and thriving?

  • Water science

    The U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Water Science for Schools web site! We offer information on many aspects of water, along with pictures, data, maps and an interactive center where you can give opinions and test your water knowledge.

  • zun tunes

    For the younger green peeps

  • EPA kid's club

    * A to Z Index

  • Kaboose Games

    Learning any way they can...

Inside the home

  • cfl calculator

    You already know that using compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) will save you money. But exactly how much money are you (or will you be) saving?

  • Diy

    How to add fiberglass insulation

  • Diy

    How to upgrade your thermostat

  • Diy

    44 $ saving tips

  • Solar calculator

    The Solar Estimator is meant only to give you an idea of price, savings and system size. The results are based upon many assumptions and the limited data you will enter. An actual site assessment by a qualified Solar Pro will be needed to determine t

  • House "off" switch

    It is a switch that allows a user to turn off all non-essential electronic items in their home from a central switch.

  • Assess your home

    get specific,the results are pretty accurate for your area.

  • This old house

    A t.v show...priceless

  • Home appliances

    Easy-to-read guide may help you understand how appliances are rated for efficiency, what the ratings mean and what to look for while shopping for new appliances.

  • R values

    If your home was built as few as 10 years ago, it is probably among the more than 46 million US homes that Harvard University says are under-insulated by today's minimum standards. Inadequate insulation is one of the main reasons why the average Amer

  • Diy weekend repairs.

    Water proofing the basement

  • Solar water heaters

    Everything you need to know within

  • Diy

    How to mine heat from a drain