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  Green Living Tip Tuesday: Eco-Holidays

  08 Dec 2009 | Daiva Kacenauskaite

  The holiday season is here, and most of us are franticly running around in preparations for the biggest holiday of all. As you get ready for the holiday cheer, keep in mind a few tips that will make your holidays even more meaningful, while you make environmentally cautious choices.

  • Send e-mails, not cards. You don’t have to send a mass e-mail, a personal Holiday greeting will be as heart-warming as any card sent by snail mail.
  • Choose LED lights to illuminate your tree. Even the White House tree has them!
  • Be creative when wrapping the presents. Use recycled paper, newspaper, magazine pages or a piece of a leftover fabric.
  • The greenest Christmas tree is the potted one – you can replant it outside when the spring comes.
  • Surprised your loved ones with handmade gifts, nothing is more heartfelt than a gift you made yourself.

  A little …

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  Washington Post’s New Climate Blog

  07 Dec 2009 | Brandon Fuller

  Today, the Washington Post officially launched their climate & energy blog, Post Carbon. The blog is designed to give readers up-to-the-minute information on key international climate and energy issues – from Copenhagen talks to American energy legislation.

  For the next few weeks, most of Post Carbon’s content will focus on Copenhagen, as one of its authors is currently at the conference. Post contributors Juliet Eilperin and Steve Mufson are the blog’s writers.

  If you want to check-out the Post’s new climate blog, go to http://www.washingtonpost.com/climate.

  Photo Credit: Flickr CC User oxfam international

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  Waterkeepers Sue Maryland Over Chesapeake

  07 Dec 2009 | Brandon Fuller

  An alliance of Waterkeepers responsible for protecting the Anacostia, Potomac and Patuxent rivers are petitioning the Environmental Protection Agency to remove Maryland’s environmental oversight authority in light of the state’s failure to properly protect the Chesapeake Bay from pollution.

  Ordinarily, the Environmental Protection Agency reserves oversight authority for state environmental activities. In some cases, the EPA can delegate that authority to state environmental agencies if the state proves it can properly enforce environmental regulations. The Waterkeepers believe Maryland has failed to meet this burden.

  Currently, Maryland issues water-pollution permits for sewage plants, storm-sewer systems and factories. The Waterkeepers believe that the state has too few inspectors to properly enforce the permit provisions and that many violators are able to pollute by simply paying small fines.

  The Maryland Department of the Environment believes they should continue to have oversight authority and that they have increased …

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  Green Gift Wrap Alternatives

  07 Dec 2009 | Brandon Fuller

  I have a mental image of my family’s living room the moment after every Christmas gift has been unwrapped. Strewn across the floor are heaps of colorful wrapping paper, some with little bears printed on them, others with dancing candy canes. Hours were spent making sure every fold was tight and every cut was even, but in the end it’s all bundled up and sent away.

  I know this isn’t a phenomenon unique to my family. All over the world this ritual plays out year-after-year. It makes me wonder, isn’t there a better way?

  The answer is definitely yes.

  • If you’re reading this, you’re probably an environmentally conscious person. Which, I hope, means that you are using reusable cloth bags at the grocery store instead of paper & plastic. This year, why not wrap your gifts in colorful reusable bags your recipients can use

  …

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  Tai Shan Leaves DC

  04 Dec 2009 | Brandon Fuller

  The National Zoo officially announced this morning that DC’s  native son, Tai Shan, is departing for China in early 2010.  The exact dates of his trip have not been set, but final preparations are currently underway.

  An agreement between China and the Zoo stipulates that giant panda cubs born here belong to China and must be sent to Sichuan when the cub reaches age 2. You may remember that Tai Shan turned 2 in 2007, but China has granted the Zoo a couple extensions so he could stay a little longer. Unfortunately, we’ve reached the end of our allowable time with Tai Shan and he must leave Washington.

  Just like the process of moving Happy the Hippo to Wisconsin, Tai Shan will begin training to enter his travel crate for the long trip to China. He will become familiar …

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