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Below are the 25 most recent journal entries recorded inimpact our Earth by living a zero-impact life's LiveJournal:

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Thursday, April 29th, 2010
_11:21, Thu 29 Apr 2010_[reactoss] Interested in making a difference? daysofchange.org is having their official launch tomorrow (Friday, 30th April) on the Central Park lawn in the Perth CBD. Starting 1st May, daysofchange.org is encouraging all Western Australians to make small differences in their lives. It is being created as a social network where people can share their experiences and encourage each other along the way. Everyone who registers is encouraged to print a "pledge card" with a list of small differences that you as an individual can make that will add up and create a huge positive impact if a lot of people make them. They are aiming to engage 200,000 West Australians (10% of the population) in the pledge this year and are hoping to expand it throughout the country next year.If you're not in Perth, check out their website here or have a look at their checklist if you want a neat little list of things you can do to be a bit more environmentally friendly. If you are in Perth tomorrow, take an early lunch break and head down to Central Park (southwest corner of Hay and William Street) - I hear they may even have free solar-powered smoothies![](https://pics.livejournal.com/reactoss/pic/00013kff/s320x240)x-posted to other communities and my own blogRespond
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
_23:14, Tue 19 Jan 2010_[brillsville] What a Wonderful World This Could Be Yes, please save the Earth's few remaining forests.And plant lots of trees, bamboo etc., to convert carbon into oxygen.That's the best way to capture carbon.And whilst you're at "it," you could live amongst the trees, in beautiful parks, growing lots of free food...and create Brillsville!Current Mood: energeticRead feedback (1) - Respond
Sunday, May 10th, 2009
_02:55, Sun 10 May 2009_[bluee] World Environment Day - June 5th Your Planet Needs You ( Australia) World environment day is coming up and all across australia landcare australia's campaign is " Your Planet Needs You" ... basically trying to spread the word that everyone can volunteer whatever skills they have, and if a opportunity in their local area comes up they will be notified. Its from sewing to running to diving to designing and hosting a bbq. other ways you can help: 1. Wear Blue on Friday June 5 2. Volunteer a skill on the site www.yourplanetneedsyou.com.au For everyone registered to take part in this campaign, Spicers Paper donates $2 to the landcare and Coastcare cause.What other World Environment Day things are you guys doing? Respond
Sunday, September 7th, 2008
_16:50, Sun 07 Sep 2008_[thestovetop] Respond
Tuesday, September 2nd, 2008
_17:21, Tue 02 Sep 2008_[dare666] A New Breed of Bioplastic Plastics are everywhere in our daily lives, but their production from petroleum products is fueling an unsustainable industry. I am working with a team to develop sustainable bioplastics, derived from waste products and without fossil fuel inputs. Please help us by taking this quick 5 minute survey so we can successfully bring a better type of plastic to market. Just click here to fill out the survey: Click Here to take surveyPlease feel free to pass this along or ask me any questions :) Respond
Saturday, June 14th, 2008
_00:41, Sat 14 Jun 2008_[amareil] Looking for insipring writers around the world :) Hi thereJHope you’re ok J I’m looking for a some enthusiastic people out there who want to do some good in the world! Read on if you’re interested J …I don’t know about you, but I constantly find that today’s newspapers and news channels seem to only portray the bad things happening around us, leaving out little bits sunshine. So me together with a friend of mine decided to try and take things into our hands and come up with WINK – which practically stands for _W_orld **INC**lusiveness. So what is this ? J- A short, monthly newspaper which does not tackle the mainstream news- Its articles seek to promote goodwill, tolerance and right human relations- It strongly tries to put environmental problems and their solutions into the spotlight- It seeks to motivate people by making them realize that the world is truly a place worth living in and by shedding some light on people and initiatives worldwide that are contributing for a better world.But obviously this isn’t something we can do alone so we have set out to try and find anyone who is like-minded and just as enthusiatiic. We are not searching for main-strem types of articles. We want to focus on what is real and inspiring or thought-provoking issues. If you’ve ever read something from http://www.realitysandwich.com/ then you know what I mean JAnyone interested just send us an email with your article on project.wink@gmail.com JJWe look forward to hear from you soonJ Simone xx(cross-posted to other communities) Respond
Saturday, June 7th, 2008
_00:58, Sat 07 Jun 2008_[bluee] Respond
Thursday, December 13th, 2007
_08:24, Thu 13 Dec 2007_[skorpen] Respond
Saturday, July 7th, 2007
_11:09, Sat 07 Jul 2007_[chiaramente] Hi, it's me again. Asking for your help... Again! 7 07 07 has arrived and I'm not fully prepared to deal with it. As some of you may know I will be covering Live Earth for my thesis, the "problem" is that there's simply too much to cover, so if you see any articles or pieces of news you think might be interesting (especially controvesial stuff lol) and would like to share it with me... please leave me a comment and I'll build you a statue in Rome (my hometown). Links, scanned articles, news from around the world... I'll take it! (The Google News Alert thingy and my lack of 48 hours to stare at a computer screen are the reason why I'm asking for help, just so you know I'm not being lazy. *wink wink*)Thanks! =)x-posted around a bit! Read feedback (2) - Respond
Monday, May 28th, 2007
_18:40, Mon 28 May 2007_[chiaramente] Hi all, I love this community and I am a strong proponent of its principles. I am very interested in the "green" discourse, in sustainability, veganism, garabge-related problems, renewable energy, consumerism/consumer studies... all very fascinating topics to me. I am currently working on my thesis and have decided to focus on the rise of the "green discourse". I am a political science and communications major writing from a critical theory standpoint. In my thesis, I would like to explore the renewed concern for the environment and how it stands in relation to the mainstream discourses of just some months ago that celebrated convenience and a "disposable" mentality. Can anyone point me in the direction of some good sources/links/communities I can look at? I am going to focus on blatant examples of cause-marketing like the RED campagin of course, but if anyone knows a magazine or website (or other) with content that is relevant for this research and could point me to it I would really appreciate it. Stuff like: - anything with the word "green" in it, particularly in relation to consumers, shopping, environmental protection - other content on marketing, environemental responsability and "green consumerism" that you find outrageous or perfectly reasonable - Any new initative like Al Gore's Live Earth concert that combine entertainment with the "green" discourse (I am doing content analysis) Thanks! Read feedback (2) - Respond
Thursday, May 10th, 2007
_14:48, Thu 10 May 2007_[soldfish] x-posted Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) campaigners have been challenging a proposalthat could lead to ship-to-ship oil transfers taking place in Scotland'sFirth of Forth.The Firth of Forth is an exceptional marine environment and is highly valuedby its many recreational water users who use the water all year round. It istherefore vital that its future is safeguarded against potential dangerssuch as ship-to-ship oil transfers.If SPT Marine, the company making the application are successful then7.8million tonnes of Russian crude oil a year could be pumped betweentankersin the Forth. The Russian export blend crude oil has been described as verydense, thick oil, making it particularly persistent in the event of aspillage.A Scottish Green Party investigation has already found SPT were responsiblefor spilling around 35,000 gallons of oil in the Gulf of Mexico - but failedto disclose the information when providing official evidence to the ScottishParliament. In written evidence to the parliament the company, SPT Marine,claimed an "excellent" record on ship to ship oil transfers by onlyreferring to incidents dated after the shocking oil spill in 1995.SAS are particularly concerned that the decision to consent (or not) will bemade by the private company, Forth Ports plc's Board, who are set to benefitfinancially from the contract. At present they do not require confirmationby Scottish Ministers or the UK Government. SAS believe that the ultimatesay on specific proposals lies with publicly-elected and accountableExecutive ministers, not a private company.Take Action*STEP 1:*Please watch our campaign film Forth Wars!www.avthree.co.uk/sasforthwars.htm\*STEP 2:*Now sign an e-card to the Managing Director of Forth Ports to register yourdisapproval of the project and which calls for Forth Ports to rejectship-to-ship oil transfers.Click here to sign thee-card<http://www.sas.org.uk/pr/2007/ship_oil_transfers_e-card.php>*STEP 3:*You can also sign a Scottish Green Party/SAS petition that calls on ScottishMinisters to block the proposal using European environmental laws.www.scottishgreens.org.uk<http://www.scottishgreens.org.uk/site/id/4851/title/Forth_Ship_to_ship_Oil_Transfer_Campaign.html>*STEP 4:*Help us by making a donation to this campaign.Click here todonate<https://www.secureserverhost2.co.uk/surfersagainstsewage/secure/donate.php>Thankyou Respond
Monday, April 30th, 2007
_12:09, Mon 30 Apr 2007_[onelittlething] Action: tigers There are fewer than 5000 wild tigers left in Asia. China - where tiger products are officially banned - are breeding tigers on farms in the hope that China will soon allow the sale of products from captive bred tigers. More than 4000 semi-tame tigers live on these farms (a disgrace in themselves but that's another issue) and the investors in these tiger businesses are pressuring the Chinese government to allow them to sell tiger products. Reopening even limited legal trade in tiger products from farms would reignite a demand for wild tiger products. It also would give international crime syndicates an easy avenue for "laundering" illegally killed wild tigers from India, Russia and other countries, making law enforcement nearly impossible. In essence, legal trade in tiger products from China's tiger farms would spark an open season on tigers in the wild. Please click the link below to add your name to the campaign to end the trade in tiger products.Two actions: - add a photo to the tiger mosaic which will be presented to delegates from 171 countries at the June meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species - sign the petition to be presented to China's leaders to ask them to keep the tiger products ban in place.http://mail.panda.org/inxmail/url?v0fr000b3tub0bnmo3a3Please copy and paste this to your own journal and email forward this message to your friends. Respond
Wednesday, April 11th, 2007
_22:22, Wed 11 Apr 2007_[onelittlething] Congo Email Hilary Benn MP and ask him to protect the Congo rainforest. Pre-drafted email, just enter your details and click.http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/forests/forests.cfm?ucidparam=20070410184948&CFID=7368223&CFTOKEN=10515999The Congo rainforests of central Africa are a natural wonder we can ill-afford to lose. After the Amazon, it is the second largest rainforest on Earth and a major biodiversity hotspot with species such as gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos. Millions of people also depend on the rainforest for their survival and like all large forests, it is crucially important for regulating the local and global climate.In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), this natural wonder is under threat. International logging companies are causing social chaos and wreaking environmental havoc. The World Bank, by far the largest donor to the DRC, is failing to stop this destruction whilst the rainforest is being sold off under the illusion that it will alleviate poverty in one of the poorest countries on Earth.Moreover, our investigations have shown that taxes paid by the logging companies, which are supposed to fund essential services like schools and hospitals for local communities, are not filtering back to local communities. Furthermore, the logging companies are entering into agreements directly with local people who, in return for timber worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, are receiving gifts of beer, salt and sugar which can be worth no more than $100.Hilary Benn, Secretary of State at the Department for International Development, is the UK governor of the World Bank and is attending the spring meeting this weekend. Write to him now and ask him to use his influence to ensure there is a real future for the rainforest with proper safeguards put in place to protect it. Respond
Thursday, February 8th, 2007
_11:16, Thu 08 Feb 2007_[scarcrest] Quick poll action One of the biggest hurdles to getting anything done about global warming and climate change is skepticism about the phenomena themselves. Politicians can look at polls and say "my constituents don't think it's happening, so why should I do anything?"If you have a moment, drop by jacksonsun.com and fill out the front-page poll, which asks "Do you believe global warming is a serious, man-made crisis?" The Yes vote was up by 9 points at one point this week, but the deniers are gaining ground, and are within 5 points as I type this.(If you wait about 5 minutes, you can vote a second time, or third time, etc., which is how I suspect the vote has started closing in within the past 24 hours. You can help turn the tide.) Read feedback (2) - Respond
Wednesday, October 25th, 2006
_11:45, Wed 25 Oct 2006_[the_fee_fairy] Respond
Monday, September 11th, 2006
_10:20, Mon 11 Sep 2006_[sushil_yadav] Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment The link between Mind and Social / Environmental-Issues. The fast-paced, consumerist lifestyle of Industrial Society is causing exponential rise in psychological problems besides destroying the environment. All issues are interlinked. Our Minds cannot be peaceful when attention-spans are down to nanoseconds, microseconds and milliseconds. Our Minds cannot be peaceful if we destroy Nature. Industrial Society Destroys Mind and EnvironmentSubject : In a fast society slow emotions become extinct. Subject : A thinking mind cannot feel. Subject : Scientific/ Industrial/ Financial thinking destroys the planet. Subject : Environment can never be saved as long as cities exist. Emotion is what we experience during gaps in our thinking. If there are no gaps there is no emotion. Today people are thinking all the time and are mistaking thought (words/ language) for emotion. When society switches-over from physical work (agriculture) to mental work (scientific/ industrial/ financial/ fast visuals/ fast words ) the speed of thinking keeps on accelerating and the gaps between thinking go on decreasing. There comes a time when there are almost no gaps. People become incapable of experiencing/ tolerating gaps. Emotion ends. Man becomes machine. A society that speeds up mentally experiences every mental slowing-down as Depression / Anxiety. A ( travelling )society that speeds up physically experiences every physical slowing-down as Depression / Anxiety. A society that entertains itself daily experiences every non-entertaining moment as Depression / Anxiety. FAST VISUALS /WORDS MAKE SLOW EMOTIONS EXTINCT. SCIENTIFIC /INDUSTRIAL /FINANCIAL THINKING DESTROYS EMOTIONAL CIRCUITS. A FAST (LARGE) SOCIETY CANNOT FEEL PAIN / REMORSE / EMPATHY. A FAST (LARGE) SOCIETY WILL ALWAYS BE CRUEL TO ANIMALS/ TREES/ AIR/ WATER/ LAND AND TO ITSELF. To read the complete article please follow either of these links : http://www.planetsave.com/ps_mambo/index.php?option=com_simpleboard&Itemid=75&func=view&id=68&catid=6http://www.earthnewswire.com/index.php?option=com_forum&Itemid=89&page=viewtopic&t=11sushil_yadav Read feedback (1) - Respond
Wednesday, September 6th, 2006
_09:15, Wed 06 Sep 2006_[callytimecat] Respond
Friday, August 11th, 2006
_13:26, Fri 11 Aug 2006_[muir_larteach] Why should you sign the petition? You can help us achieve recognition and protection of animals around the world by joining a global voice of 10 million in support of our campaign.Animals and our treatment of them matters to everyone, including you. Tell your government that animals matter to you. Help us to collect 100,000 signatures by the end of August by forwarding this link to your friends and family.We will present this petition to the United Nations at key points throughout the campaign in order to show governments that millions of people around the world support greater global protection for animals.http://www.animalsmatter.org/Respond
Thursday, August 10th, 2006
_14:20, Thu 10 Aug 2006_[muir_larteach] Stop the Slaughter of China's Dogs This cat is housed with Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. BETA is taking the lead in aiding the animals of Lebanon but one of its shelters was partially destroyed in a missile strike. Your support will help BETA rebuild in the aftermath of this crisis, and help animals in other disasters outside the United States.Support the International Disaster FundDisaster has struck again. Humane Society International (HSI) is supporting the work of organizations on the ground helping animals left injured and homeless in war-torn Lebanon and Israel. The conflict has separated pets from their guardians, damaged shelters, and caused shortages of food and supplies. The International Disaster Fund enables us to provide grants to local animal protection organizations to help them respond to and recover from such disasters.Our entire relief effort is funded by donations from people like you, and we desperately need your support. Please make an emergency contribution to our International Disaster Fund today! Respond
Monday, July 31st, 2006
_15:51, Mon 31 Jul 2006_[muir_larteach] Respond
Sunday, July 16th, 2006
_22:30, Sun 16 Jul 2006_[byroncaloz] Zero or positive? I certainly understand the need to think about zero impact to the Earth...but should we limit ourselves to zero? Is it even possible to think about a positive impact? Or, is simply living on this planet such an impact that we can never hope to get to zero... only move as close as possible to it? The "carbon tax" is an example of understanding this. There are some industries and businesses which, by their very nature, will have a negative impact on the Earth. Yet, they may do all they can to limit their impact and it is still not enough. So they offset the damage they cause by preserving forests or helping to pay for research into methods which promise to reduce greenhouse gas emission over time.Zero population growth is another scenario. By limiting your own family to two children seems as if it would help to bring population levels to sustainability, but not really. There will be people, for one reason or another, have as many children as possible. Even if every one in the world was part of a couple and only had two children you would be in an expanding population simply because of generational overlap. And, let's face it, living your life simply to create a balance sheet that totals zero seems rather limiting. Why live a life directed to nothing? There have to be things an individual can do to add to the world...to its knowledge, its creativity, its spiritual sense. As long as a person uses air and water and resources of the Earth, one must feel obligated to not only affect the world so its a better place when leaving it.So, one can have both a positive and negative effect on the environment. As a whole, because of the laws of physics, we all can never have a positive effect. But as individuals we may be able to have a net positive effect on the Earth by doing much more than the average Joe. Going for zero impact is great, but we should go farther...as not everyone will take this mission to heart. We must serve to offset the negative impact of others.Some can do a lot themselves, others maybe not so much. Still others could care less...and only want as much as they can get while they are living.I, for one, know I can never do enough, but I will keep thinking and re-directing toward limiting my impact on the Earth, justifying my existance and offsetting what resources I take with what I can give back (and then some). Read feedback (5) - Respond
Wednesday, July 12th, 2006
_04:55, Wed 12 Jul 2006_[trigger_of_rock] eugene dumpstering? i've been vegan for a little over a month or maybe two now and it's going pretty well, etcetc yaddayadda, but it still doesn't really seem like enough- i would like to get into freeganism alot more. i will eat meat/dairy products if i find them in a dumpster or they are just going to be thrown out of course and i would just really like to move into that direction, because even as a vegan i don't buy the best food as far as local/organic goes- although i am moving into a household that's better at that, but ANYWAYSi was just wondering if any of you out there knew of any good spots to go for food in eugene, oregon or maybe could direct me to somewhere that tracks these things? i have been having really crappy luck in finding places that don't lock thier dumpsters. this town also really likes it's urban sprawl so i need to work on getting tires for my bike and building a rickshaw. but that another story:/this post is way longer than it needs to be. and i'm x-posting it. Current Mood: why am i awake.Read feedback (5) - Respond
Friday, March 24th, 2006
_20:48, Fri 24 Mar 2006_[thekimik] Beer and the Environment So this wednesday, March 22nd was World Water Day, and I've been thinking about some aspects of our culture that environmentalists never seem to touch on when they talk about reducing impacts to the earth. Our society seems to find an endless list of ways to waste water, and some of that water may be wasted simply by our food consumption habits - and I'm not just talking about the comsumption of coca cola or pepsi.One of these issues that came up was our consumption of beer. I don't have any statistics, but based on the mass worldwide consumption beer, I wondered how many acres of land are used to produce the Barely and Hops that goes into making one of our oldest and most favoured beverages. People talk about food crises and the lack of food available to people in the 3rd world. Well, how fair is it that we grow what is probably hundreds of thousands of acres of barely/hops crops, and extract thousands of gallons of water to produce a beverage that leaves us stupefied and dehydrated, and sadly in some cases, even dead.I'm not trying to be one of those moral anti-alcohol straight edge purists, seeing as I drink beer and other alcoholic beverages all of the time - I was just trying to work out the actual logistics of drinking beer when when we focus so heavily on other environmental issues. Just some food for thought. Respond
Saturday, March 18th, 2006
_17:23, Sat 18 Mar 2006_[the_fee_fairy] Earthships I've got some information and a questionnaire from Forres Council (in Scotland). They are interested in canvassing peoples opinions on Earthships and whether they would rent them. I think they're looking to build sustainable communities instead of 'affordable housing'.If anyone wants a copy of the info and questionnaire e-mail me: the.fee.fairy AT gmail DOT com and i'll send them. They're in PDF format. Read feedback (1) - Respond
Sunday, January 15th, 2006
_22:01, Sun 15 Jan 2006_[the_fee_fairy] Earthships Does anyone know the viability of one of these in the UK? I know there's one in Brighton and one in Scotland, but they're both visitor centres and not lived in.I want one to live in. Has anyone got any knowledge of tyre disposal? And is there a chance that i could be paid to take 7000 tyres off someone's hands? Read feedback (1) - Respond

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