The planet is headed for an ecological “credit crunch”, according to a report issued by conservation groups. The document contends that our demands on natural resources overreach what the Earth can sustain by almost a third. The Living Planet Report is the work of WWF, the Zoological Society of London and the Global Footprint Network. It says that more than three quarters of the world’s population lives in countries where consumption levels are outstripping environmental renewal. This makes them “ecological...(Read More)

(Greenbiz.com) Businesses are becoming greener, not just because it’s right but because it makes sense. Paul Marerro didn’t consciously try and start an environmentally conscious company. It happened naturally. Working out of a home office in Tampa, Fla., Marerro provides database and application enterprise architecting, report writing and project management services. As his company grew, he hired a full-time employee in Iowa and added contractors in Cincinnati and Florida. All had worked for Marerro before in traditional offices. But the...(Read More)

Saturday was a good day. We woke up early and made ourselves a good ole country breakfast…err…tried. Corey set the recipe for pancakes in front of me and wished me luck. The problem was, the recipe was for 2lbs. of mix, and there is no way we could eat that much. So, I set about using my common sense and public school math skills to freestyle the recipe. I set out to make pancakes…I ended up with a plateful of...(Read More)

(Harvard Business Publishing) If we have any doubt about the prevalence - and cost - of “short-termism” in global capital markets, the current economic meltdown is an obvious reminder. But, beyond the $700 billion bailout and other financial band-aids to stop the bleeding, the bigger debate is how to fix the regulatory and corporate governance systems to avoid future calamities — whether financial or environmental. A critical question is to whom companies should be most beholden to — shareholders or...(Read More)

Cyclists and community organizers from around the metro gathered downtown on Saturday for an all-inclusive discussion of cycling accessibility. The event was hosted at the Midwest National Park Service Headquarters on the Omaha riverfront. I have to praise the location first. The building is situated right at the foot of the pedestian bridge, and has a wonderfull view of the river and downtown. To top it off, the building is Leed Gold Certified. Corey and I were only able to...(Read More)

It looks like this video has been out for a while, but I just came across it and love the message. Good Magazine features the collaboration between the Karaba Coffee Co-op and the Portland, Oregon coffee roaster that buys its coffee. By providing bikes it has solved the problem of lugging huge bags of coffee through the unpaved hills of Rwanda, boosted production, and given birth to a new non-profit. Lugging huge bags of coffee through the unpaved hills of Rwanda to a processing plant was back-breaking work for the Karaba coffee co-op. In this original GOOD video see how a collaboration between Karaba and a Portland, Oregon, coffee roaster has solved that problem, boosted production, and given birth to a new non-profit. .

Most people in business, community, and government are focusing on tactical and survival-based responses in order to deal with the current financial crisis. I would suggest that sustainability initiatives are an essential element for everyone to consider in order to minimize financial imbalances and limit overhead. This is a time when it is important for pay very close attention to what you spend. That doesn’t always mean that spending needs to be frozen, but it does mean that value is...(Read More)

(Warning…Political Content) Watching the presidential debates a couple of weeks back, I couldn’t help but take note that there was hardly a mention of behavioral changes on the part of Americans to address gas prices and energy consumption. There has been some lip-service given to developing public transportation infrastructure, but I doubt that will happen until it is virtually too late. I’m so frustrated now that so many Americans are demanding that the government and industry solve the resources problem...(Read More)

(From Alternet) A growing interest in urban farming is sprouting up across the country. Skyrocketing food costs, worries about food security and an urge to do things ourselves have led to a huge surge in urban farming — gardens in backyards, on roofs, in abandoned lots and even, in the dream of a Columbia professor and his students, in high-rise buildings in the middle of cities. During World Wars I and II, victory gardens were considered a patriotic effort to...(Read More)

Check out this video. This is the change that we need to see more of, communities coming together and creating a sustainable way of life. Growing Power is a national nonprofit organization and land trust supporting people from diverse backgrounds, and the environments in which they live, by helping to provide ...(Read More)

“Omaha—smack dab in the middle of America,” starts the city profile on SustainLane. Omaha ranks #25 on the site’s sustainability index of the nation’s 50 biggest cities, notably beating the front-range Colorado city of Colorado Springs and sunny San Diego, CA. The site’s peer-reviewed, national study ranks cities by at least 16 factors, including each city’s ability to maintain healthy air, drinking water, parks and public transit systems, as well as a robust, sustainable local economy with green building, farmers...(Read More)

Pizza is my biggest food vice (ice cream isn’t considered food…more medication). And it is always such a bummer when we finish the pizza and have to scrap the box. A company called Green Box has turned the formerly single-purpose pizza box into a cross-functional delivery, dining, and long-term storage solution. Their design is simple. They take the standard box, perforate the top into quarters, and they can turn into plates. Perforate the edges of the bottom of the box,...(Read More)

I just finished A Sand County Almanac for the second time in my life. I first read the book when I was in junior high. It was assigned by my 8th grade science teacher, and reading it is likely the only thing that I remember from that class. My brother gave me a copy of the book in 2004 after Corey and I bought our home in Wisconsin. (The book was written while the author lived in Wisconsin) I’m almost...(Read More)

Corey and I took a focused approached to yesterday’s Green Home Tour, hosted by the Green Omaha Coalition. We really wanted to learn more about water conservations, especially the control of runoff. We decided to make an adventure out of the tour, so we decided to walk the two miles to the water conservation house. We set out early in the afternoon, and enjoyed a beautiful Dundee day. We were getting a little winded from the hilly route, and were...(Read More)