Sundance Channel

Slavery Footprint: You have 42 slaves working for you

Perrin Drumm — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 15:00:51 +0000

You probably have less, actually. Apparently, my stuffed closet means I have a higher number of slaves than most people (although it doesn't account for vintage clothing, which contributes to my high dress and shoe count - I swear!). Slavery Footprint takes the same idea as a carbon footprint, but instead of tallying up how many miles your food, electronics, cosmetics, furniture and clothing traveled to get to your doorstep, it measures the number of people who are forcibly made to peel your shrimp and sew your t-shirts. It's something I think about a lot, actually. I conscientiously refuse to shop at certain stores because I know there's a reason why a dress at H&M costs $12.99 or why a bag of shellfish from god only knows where costs $6 while fresh, local fish is considerably more (of course, it also tastes like heaven and is better for you, too) But part of the reason for the price difference is, yes, slavery. You can take the very nicely designed test...

Five Tools for Tracking (and Lowering) Your Energy Use

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:29:25 +0000

Trying to keep the Carbon Cops at bay? Or, just want a lower electric bill? These five tools will help you identify the energy hogs in your life… and put them on a diet! ENERGY STAR@Home: This interactive web tool takes you on a tour of a typical American home, points out the energy guzzlers, [...]

EcoDriving: What Is It?

Sundance Channel — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 17:00:00 +0000

California’s Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, came to power in his environmentally concerned state in part because he believed that people and the government need to do something about climate change. While Governor Schwarzenegger has committed California to many government programs that advance the cause of a healthier environment, he is also exhorting people to do what [...]

China Is Going Green?

Sundance Channel — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Recently, heaps of attention has been paid to the fact that China leads the world on carbon pollution. While this is true in terms of total pollution output, the average Chinese person has roughly 20% the carbon footprint of your average American person. The only problem is China has more than 1.3 billion people. China [...]

Norwegian Music Festivals First in Climate-Friendly Network

Sundance Channel — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 13:00:00 +0000

ARENDAL, Norway, July 21, 2008 (ENS) – Two top Norwegian music festivals are joining the international fight against climate change. The two festivals, run from the southern Norwegian city of Arendal, are the first music festivals to sign on to the UN Environment Programme’s Climate Neutral Network, known as CN Net. Canal Street, Norway’s biggest [...]

City Guide For Walking

Sundance Channel — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Good exercise is the backbone of a healthy lifestyle. This does not mean that you have to be a triathlete in order to be at your best. In fact, many people can get by on the exercise you get from walking. If you watch your diet carefully and make sure to take a daily walk, [...]

Track Your Flight Carbon Footprint Anywhere in the World

Sundance Channel — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 14:00:00 +0000

MONTREAL, Canada, June 19, 2008 (ENS) – The United Nations International Civil Aviation Organization, ICAO, has unveiled a carbon calculation tool on its website that allows travelers to estimate the carbon footprint for any flight they take. A carbon footprint is a measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of [...]

Green BBQ Tips

Sundance Channel — Fri, 23 May 2008 10:00:00 +0000

Good food is one of the most exciting parts about environmentalism. The food chain is the basis of life on this planet, so eating green requires a willingness to live in harmony with nature. What better way to be harmonious than to have a (more) environmentally-friendly BBQ? Your party could fill up a BBQ spot [...]

This Week On THE GREEN: TRANSPORT

Sundance Channel — Wed, 21 May 2008 14:00:00 +0000

BIG IDEAS FOR A SMALL PLANET: TRANSPORT [www.sundancechannel.com] Enjoy two companies and one educational organization as they present the ways in which they are working to make transportation a more green activity. Meet Mia Birk, co-founder of Alta Planning & Design [www.altaplanning.com], a business that operates out of Portland, Oregon. Mia is a staunch advocate [...]

Eco-mmunity Challenge: Map Your World

Sundance Channel — Wed, 07 May 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Eco-mmunity Map is intended to help people post and find “green resources” so that individuals can attain a sustainable lifestyle, and so that society can collectively lower its carbon footprint. In order to use Eco-mmunity Map effectively to help green the world, it is important to define what is meant by a “green resource.” Green [...]

This Week On THE GREEN: FASHION

Sundance Channel — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Fashion represents a good portion of how we see ourselves as a community of human beings. Fashion helps to create role models for the youth in society. Seeing a string of celebrities treading the red carpet at the Oscars makes a big impact on the desires and dreams that the average person sets for themselves. [...]

This Week On THE GREEN: GENERATION Y

Sundance Channel — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 15:00:00 +0000

Most of the baby boomers have procreated and the result is generation Y. Young and eager to carve an identity for themselves, this new generation has recently reached adulthood and they are inventively using technology and open-mindedness to reach new heights of sustainability. Embodying the future, generation Y has been experiencing the environmental fallout of [...]

Take Action On Eco-mmunity Map

Sundance Channel — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:00:00 +0000

The Eco-mmunity is all about helping people change the world around them. Turn an abandoned lot into a garden for your community. Tired of tap water that smells terrible, use Eco-mmunity to rally your community and send letters to a state representative (and copies to a local paper), and sit back and watch as change [...]

Chocolate Biodiesel Powers Truck from England to Timbuktu

Sundance Channel — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 15:00:00 +0000

LONDON, UK, November 26, 2007 (ENS) – Biodiesel made from waste chocolate is fueling the journey of two British men who left the town of Poole, on England’s southern coast Friday headed for Timbuktu, Mali in West Africa. They are using the trip to raise public awareness about biofuels and their potential to ease the [...]

How to: Ethical Man Shows Us How to Live Ethically

Sundance Channel — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 17:00:00 +0000

One of the most difficult parts about breaking in to “eco-action” and incorporating environmental ideals into your daily life is being able to contextualize planet-wide problems down to an individual level. Live more ethically [www.sundancechannel.com], we say, or think about your carbon footprint [www.sundancechannel.com]; that all sounds good, and are good goals to have, for [...]

Just Like Mom Said: Eat Your Veggies

Sundance Channel — Thu, 23 Aug 2007 15:00:00 +0000

We mentioned earlier this week that cutting back or completely removing meat from your diet is one of the most impactful, earth-friendly decisions you can make in your lifestyle. This can be sort of a touchy subject for folks, but, happily, eating less (or zero) meat doesn’t have to mean tasteless chunks of tofu and [...]

Well-Traveled Food: Is Local Always Best?

Sundance Channel — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 15:00:00 +0000

It’s easy to think, “Local food is always the best answer,” and leave it at that; most of the time, it might be right, but new information is emerging that disputes local’s lofty position at the throne of TreeHugging food. The notion of “food miles,” the distance your food has traveled to get to your [...]

The Future of Flat Pack: You’re the Designer; You’re the Builder

Sundance Channel — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 15:00:00 +0000

One of the things we like best about flat pack is the low common denominator from which all of the designs start: a flat material. This simplifies just about everything, from the materials selection, to the manufacturing and transportation (shipping) process, to the construction and maintenance of the product. It’s better now, but, in the [...]

Home Energy Use: By the Numbers

Sundance Channel — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 15:00:00 +0000

It’s easy for people like us TreeHuggers to sit back and say, “Follow our advice; be greener; it’s better.” We have good reasons for saying so — things like using less energy, reducing greenhouse gas output and lowering our individual and collective ecological footprint — but those are sometimes difficult to contextualize and put into [...]

Nice Day for a Green Wedding: Ideas For The Big Day

Sundance Channel — Wed, 27 Jun 2007 14:00:00 +0000

So, the recycled invitations have been sent. The green (but white, probably) dress has been picked out. The recycled and/or vintage rings have been chosen. And the local food [www.sundancechannel.com] has been sourced for the menu. It’s time for the big day; so, what can you do to keep the footprint small while still having [...]

Rock Steady: Sustainable Stories for 6-Strings

Sundance Channel — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 18:00:00 +0000

TreeHugger thinks it’s pretty darn cool that some of our favorite rockers are working to green their tours and be better environmental stewards, but, in some ways, it can be hard to contextualize this information and these events into something meaningful in your life. In other words, sure, it’s great that Pearl Jam cares a [...]

EVAN ALMIGHTY

Sundance Channel — Tue, 19 Jun 2007 14:00:00 +0000

EVAN ALMIGHTY, a zero-emission film production, opens in theaters Friday, June 22nd. Director/Producer Tom Shadyac worked hard to leave a zero-carbon footprint in the making of his film by planting trees, donating all landscaping, lumber, windows and other reusable materials to Habitat for Humanity, purchasing bicycles for the entire crew to reduce car usage, and [...]

THE GREEN Meeting #1 Recap

Sundance Channel — Mon, 23 Apr 2007 13:00:00 +0000

We held our first GREEN Meeting with Simran Sethi in Second Life this past Tuesday night. It was a huge success and we maxed out the number of people we can have on Sundance Channel Island at one time. A thoughtful live Q&A session took place between Simran and the audience in attendance with questions [...]

Carbon Week: Thinking About Your Carbon Footprint

Sundance Channel — Fri, 13 Apr 2007 13:00:00 +0000

This week, we’ve been looking at a few of the issues surrounding our carbon footprint and individual contributions to climate change, and some of the things you can do to cut back. Now that it’s Friday and “Carbon Week” is coming a close, we’ll wrap it up with a simple idea that everyone can implement, [...]

Carbon Week: Carbon Neutral Products and Events

Sundance Channel — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 13:00:00 +0000

Though generally regarded as something between a band-aid and validation for dirty behavior, carbon offsets have become a very popular way to essentially “have your cake and eat it, too.” While this isn’t good justification for us as individuals, when applied to a larger organization, event or product, it can be an effective way to [...]

Carbon Week: Calculating Your Carbon Footprint

Sundance Channel — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 13:00:00 +0000

During the past year or 18 months, the subject of global warming has experienced a meteoric rise to the top of the list of worldwide environmental concerns; from Al Gore’s Oscar-winning documentary, An Inconvenient Truth [www.climatecrisis.net], to the cover story in Time magazine this week, it’s hard to turn around without hearing something about it. [...]