Carbon Credits that Reforest America’s National Forests

by Neil Woodburn on

There are a lot of different ways out there to purchase “carbon credits” to offset your carbon footprint. One of the very best, in my opinion, just launched a month ago.

Like most other organizations in this category, The Carbon Capital Fund also helps individuals calculate the amount of emissions they produce on a yearly basis and then sells them credits to offset the damage they have caused the environment. The difference with the Carbon Capital Fund, however, is that the money generated from these credits is used for only one purpose; reforesting America’s National Forests with CO2-absorbing trees.

This is because the Carbon Capital Fund is actually run by the Forest Service itself. The government agency, according to a recent LA Times article, estimates that the forest under their protection absorbs “10% to 15% of the nation’s carbon emissions and that planting through the new initiative will increase that amount.”

That’s a win-win situation in my book. Not only does your carbon credits help clean the air, but they also help reforest some of America’s greatest natural resources. And, it’s not all that expensive to be guilt free. A quick session on the site’s Carbon Calculator revealed that I produce 7.98 metric tons of emissions per year. The cost to offset this is only $47.88. I wonder how many trees that will buy?

Glacial Shrinkage: Taking one for the Environment

by Neil Woodburn on

What do glaciers and shrinkage have in common?

Two things when you combine glaciers with global warming and naked bodies.

Photographer Spencer Tunick, who has been making quite a name for himself by taking pictures of mass nudes, has recently turned his lens towards a good cause: global warming.

The photographer, who never seems to have a problem drumming up nude models, enlisted the help of 600 people who hiked to Switzerland’s Aletsch glacier this morning, took off all their clothes, and posed for the largest mass nude shot ever taken on a glacier (I’m taking a wild guess on this one).

The event was to draw attention to the plight of Europe’s rapidly decreasing glaciers, most of which are expected to disappear by 2080 if warming trends continue. The Aletsch glacier itself has receded 377 feet in the last two years and has become the poster child of global warming within Europe. 600 naked people frolicking on its slopes probably haven’t helped in keeping temperatures low, but has at least raised some awareness about the issue amongst those searching for porn on the internet.

Solar Powered Umbrella: The Sunbrella!

by Neil Woodburn on

Simple, yet genius.

That’s the philosophy that came to mind when I recently ran across the sunbrella.

As you might imagine from the name, the sunbrella is a solar powered umbrella. Of course, umbrellas don’t need any power to work, but the 282 watts of electricity generated by the six-foot diameter solar panels is more than enough to run that margarita blender you’ve always wanted to take to the beach. And, while doing so, it also provides soothing shade!

And that, folks, is indeed the best of both worlds on a hot summer day!

Fly SMINTair: Smokers International Airline

by Justin Glow on

Last year we reported on a new airline trying to take to the skies called SMINTair. Everyone knows that for an airline to succeed nowadays they need to have some sort of angle: budget, luxury, high-tech, or in the case of SMINTair: cigarette smoke.

Aside from offering to “treat its passengers like the guest of an international Grand Hotel,” SMINTair will allow all paying customers to suck on a smooth, refreshing boomstick while en route to their destination. “Can you imagine the air in that plane after 12 hours? And your bloodshot eyes and stinky clothes?” Neil wrote in our earlier coverage. Turns out SMINTair has already thought of this.

“Non-smokers will find the cabin air more refreshing than on any other flight with any other airline, as SMINTAIR adds fresh outside air to the conditioning system!” their website reads. Not all is peachy, however. “This is more expensive, as it burns more fuel, but it is seen as an additional service to our guests.”

Now they’ve got the anti-smoking advocates and the environmentalists on their back. Not a good move. But according to Globorati, the airline “has now scored daily slots at Dusseldorf airport,” which means, I guess, that they’re at least one step closer to actually flying.

Floating down the Desna River on Trash

by Justin Glow on

In parts of Russia on the Desna River, where pollution is a major problem, some quick-thinking environmentalists/travelers/campers have devised a way to kill two birds with one stone: clean the banks of the river while building a raft to float it.

EnglishRussia — one of my favorite blogs — has a photo gallery showing a group of kids stuffing rubbish into trash bags and attaching them to the bottom of a large, flat, wooden boat-like contraption. The bags filled with trash give the wood enough buoyancy to support the weight of five people and a tent. This makes me feel all warm inside.

Check out EnglishRussia for the full gallery.