Being green is not just about dry numbers and complicated scientific jargon, sometimes it can be about having a great time at a party and contributing to something surprising and positive at the same time. This is very true in Rotterdam, Netherlands, where a nightclub plans to install a new type of flooring solution for their main dance area. The dance floor consists of a large number of floor panels that are fitted to springs which compress and bounce back every time a person shifts their weight on the dance floor. The compression of the springs spins flywheels that act like mini-turbines.

Photo from Popular Mechanics

The floor will provide supplementary power to the nightclub, as the technology cannot currently power a whole nightclub by itself. Nonetheless, creating less carbon emissions is always a good thing, and who knows what other applications there might be for this technology. Any place like a train station, post office, shopping mall or even a stairway where there is a lot of foot traffic could be generating energy in this fashion. The technology will likely become cheaper and more efficient the more it is employed and tested out as well.

The company that invented and is manufacturing this new dance floor is called Enviu, and they are an environmental non-profit organization operating out of the Netherlands. Check out the Enviu website [www.enviu.org] for more info.

Thanks for spending time on the Green Blog and please consider commenting on these posts with any additional information or questions that could help create positive environmental movement around the issues covered by this post.

The Bush administration has been admonished twice in 2007 by federal judges. The first ruling that condemned the administration’s environmental policies was about vehicular pollution. A federal judge stated that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted from vehicle tailpipes were pollutants subject to federal regulation. One can only wonder why the federal government would think that they could ignore the release of pollution, but it probably has something to do with the economy or keeping large mechanical manufacturers from requiring subsidies to refit their factories. This ruling is a great victory for the environmental movement because it takes away a rhetorical shield that polluters have been hiding behind for decades.

The second ruling that recently brought the Bush administration’s poor environmental stewardship into focus was the statement that the administration has violated a 2004 congressional deadline for presenting the latest scientific research about global warming to lawmakers and the public. The Clinton administration filed their global warming report on time in the year 2000. The Bush administration claims that they released multiple portions of reports that could be collectively thought of as the 2004 report. This claim was also rejected because those reports were not subject to public comment. It is frightening that any administration would choose to alter their compliance with a law and then, only after they were called out for their alterations, try to have the law changed so that their incorrect actions could be reinstated as the norm.

In this case, the judicial branch of the US government has definitely done their job well. Now we have to make sure that this report is actually completed and is not just swept under the nearest oval office rug a month from now.

Sundance Channel Island in Second Life was full of life on Tuesday, June 12th. The week’s theme was KIDS and environmental refugees. Some pretty great questions were raised concerning how kids are so central to the environmental movement. They are basically the reason that many of us environmentalists are so interested in being green.

In case you missed the Simran Sethi: Kids Webisode, we are posting it here.

Simran brings up the Kyoto Treaty, which tried to establish a precedent for basic environmental human rights such as clean air, available fresh water and clean soil. Although many countries were present not all of them ratified the treaty, including some larger countries. The end result is that the people of this world have a long ways to go before everyone can be protected from environmental hazards like drought, famine, disease and poverty.

These are very large and scary issues, but be comforted by the knowledge that a few small decisions in your life can cause positive changes in the world. The products that you buy and the countries those products come from can make a major impact on the lives of countless environmental refugees. For instance, every person who boycotts a pair of sneakers made in a sweatshop sends a signal to the business world that draconian business techniques will not be tolerated nor supported. Remember, what you do and think does make a difference in the world.

A Reminder for You: The Next Second Life Q&A Session with Simran Sethi

When: Tuesday, June 19 at 10 PM EST/7 PM PST
What: An evening starting with an environmentally themed short film and ending with 45 minutes of Q&A with one of the world’s most renowned environmental journalists: Simran Sethi
Topic: Paper or Plastic?
Where: Sundance Channel in Second Life, in the Main Screening Room

Children are a central part of many families. It is through them society constantly redefines itself. In this regard, kids are silmilar to the environmental conditions that shape our lives.

People fight tirelessly to improve the environmental conditions on the planet because they are worried that the world will not be safe and healthy for their kids. It follows naturally that kids, embodying the continuation of humanity, might inspire the environmental movement with the most emotion and spontaneous goodwill. This week on THE GREEN, Sundance Channel is focusing on the ways in which kids are a part of humanity’s prosperous future.

BIG IDEAS FOR A SMALL PLANET: KIDS

The first concept covered in THE GREEN is the fact that many plastic toys are dangerous to a child’s health because PVCs and other additives used in toys contain carcinogens.

Kid’s toys contribute to the development of your child. A toy that is open ended, meaning that it can used in a variety of ways, has potential to unlock your child’s creativity. This is why many people advocate for a toy like building blocks. Each block by itself does not have a clear purpose, but in assembling them together, new and creative things can be made by your child.

A closed end toy might be a G.I. Joe action paratrooper. while the model may be colorful and fun for the child, the toy has clear limitations in terms of its functionality. Once the child has assessed that the function of the foot soldier toy is to shoot his gun at badguys, the toy has served its only purpose and will become boring for the child. This often leads to a child picking up a new toy (and the parent having to buy new toys all the time).

Check out this video commentary from Rick Goodwin

Another great theme on BIG IDEAS was an examination of the environmental works of a young boy named Evan. Evan works with the “Center for Ecosystems Survival” to raise funds for purchasing acres in the rain forests in Costa Rica. By being such a dedicated and surprisingly intelligent young boy, Evan has convinced many people to support his cause. Evan’s story is told in this BIG IDEAS webisode

ECO-DOCUMENTARY: REFUGEES OF THE BLUE PLANET

This documentary explores how people are being affected by global warming and even economic expansion into traditionally poor and rural countries. An interesting statistic that is brought up in this documentary is that more people are displaced by environmental conditions than are displaced by warfare conditions. This is a recent development and we hope you tune into this documentary to learn about refugees and the new challenges facing them in the modern world.

Simran Green Meeting

The Green Meeting was full of curiosity and Simran’s poignant answers. The usual, and happily welcomed, group of environmentally inclined Second Life avatars were in attendance. We hope everyone had a great time and look forward to the next chance to regale your heart with environmental goodness and to put a smile on your faces.

In case you missed it, here is THE GREEN online with Simran Sethi: CREATE. In this video, Simran introduces CREATE week’s documentary: RIVERS & TIDES. It’s a very innovative subject matter for a documentary, as Andy Goldsworthy is a sculptor with one of the more dynamic mediums you could imagine: nature itself.

A Reminder for You: The Next Second Life Q&A Session with Simran Sethi

When: Tuesday, June 12 at 10 PM EST/7 PM PST
What: An evening starting with an environmentally themed short film and ending with 45 minutes of Q&A with one of the world’s most renowned environmental journalists: Simran Sethi
Topic: How kids can fit into the environmental movement.
Where: Sundance Channel in Second Life, in the Main Screening Room

It’s two days after Earth Day, and that means we want to keep you talking about the environmental movement. There is no better way to get people excited about a topic than through a little green humor.

During the filming of BIG IDEAS FOR A SMALL PLANET, we recorded a number of interviews that ended up having a few funny moments. Below you will find two clips of out-takes from an interview with “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” star, Carson Kressley. Let see what he thinks about man’s future on earth after Global Warming takes it’s toll.

Becoming a civilization of “sea monkies” could be the future of humanity unless we decide to stop the rising sea levels caused by Global Warming and save the planet, and we may want to avoid that fate because it would probably be pretty hard to grow bananas in the ocean.

The second clip from Kressley exposes another evacuation destination for humanity, and where else but the moon!

I suppose one of the benefits of living on the moon would be great sleep. With less gravity, there would be less tossing and turning, so you could just float in one spot assuming you had some type of harness to keep yourself from floating out of bed.

On another note, environmentalism or “GREEN” discussions can often be devoid of humor. If you feel you can help increase the fun factor of environmental topics, please make use of our discussion boards [www.sundancechannel.com]. I am sure everyone will appreciate the good feelings humor can bring to the the environmental movement. We are not about doom and gloom here–we are all about solutions!