Well, we missed another “holiday,” this time being America Recycles Day.  It was Saturday.  Now, treehugger thinks this is a (explitive deleted) holiday, and we should make November 15 Zero Waste Day.  Part of the reasoning is that America Recycles Day is brought to you by the fine people that make things that are put in recyclable despensers: Coke, Bud, Coors, the bottled water industry, and so forth.  It seems also that they’re not too happy with the fact that recycling is a transfer of responsibility from corporations to taxpayers. But what they fail to realize are these very impressive and completely false facts about recycling:

–Every time you say “I don’t believe in recycling,” a fairy dies.

–Did you know that the energy saved from recycling just one can is enough to power the sun for fifty years?

–Recycling comes from the Latin, “recyclicaie,” which means “to be way sexy.”

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We’ve written a lot about hypermiling this year at takepart (here, here, here, and here for starters), so obviously it’s something that is on the radar of a lot of people.  Well, the New Oxford American Dictionary has decided to make hypermiling all the more official, as it is the 2008 Word of the Year.  Says the Oxford University Press blog:

“Hypermiling” was coined in 2004 by Wayne Gerdes, who runs this web site. “Hypermiling” or “to hypermile” is to attempt to maximize gas mileage by making fuel-conserving adjustments to one’s car and one’s driving techniques. Rather than aiming for good mileage or even great mileage, hypermilers seek to push their gas tanks to the limit and achieve hypermileage, exceeding EPA ratings for miles per gallon. [via Treehugger]

The word beat out other finalists like, “frugalista,” “moofer,” and “topless meeting,” which is much less sexy than it sounds.

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Well, look at us bloggers, all spiffy on the takepart front page, being all important and whatnot. And, if you’ve read us at all in the past, you know it’s times like these I like to lay down a big old buzzkill. You may have noticed gas prices going down recently, which of course is tied to the price of oil, and you’re all thinking, hey, great, I can drive again. Sweet deal.

Not so fast there, speedster. Nobuo Tanaka, the head of the International Energy Agency, has proclaimed that even with this dip in prices, “The low energy price age is over.” The New York Times also reports that Christophe de Margerie, chief executive of a French oil company, has a bleak outlook as well.

Mr. de Margerie said that when oil prices bounce back, they could reach unprecedented levels, making it wise for investors to keep investing in alternatives.

So, on the plus side of all this, though, is that this may lead to more investment in alternative energy. But once again, not so fast there tree hugger.

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Treehugger has a fabulous post today about canning and why preserving fruits and vegetable is a green thing to do.

Here are their 5 reasons why:

1. You know what’s going in, and can avoid dangerous additives.

2. Instead of buying fruit from exotic and foreign countries in the winter, and having it shipped all the way to your door (this takes a lot of energy!), just go into your pantry and eat your own tasty and healthy preserves.

3. Preserving with your family and friends makes for a simple and practically cost-free day of fun. Go pick your own berries and veggies. Expenses will include canning equipment and jars, plus the veggies and fruits. But imagine the money you will save in the long run?

4. Preserves make wonderful gifts. Imagine making your labels on your own organic jams, chutney and pesto and telling your friends how you made it for them at the dinner party? It’s a good cheap way to give your friends presents they are actually likely to use. Plus you’ll be popular.

5. Preserves jars can easily be recycled. And I am not talking about the blue box. Ask your friends to return their jars. Promise them that they will be filled up next season with something new if they do. Just imagine how many people and local farmers you are going to make happy!

Related:

• Hungry For Change

• Karin Kloosterman: Five Reasons Why Preserving Summer Fruits Like Grandma Is Green
• Strawberry Fields Forever: 5 Reasons Why Preserving Your Own Food Is Green
• Making Jam The Real Way

The TakePart Top 10 Weekly Roundup is a compilation of the week’s most notable stories from our entertainment-meets-social-action blogging network. Check out some of our most popular stories of the week, as well as a few TakePart blogger favorites!

TakePart Gang:

Obama Global Love Fest by Martin Musatov

Interview with Lawrence Lessig by Wendy Cohen

* * *

Nicole Hughes:

Top 10 Ways to Green Your Move

Climate Change Activist Superglues Himself to UK Prime Minister

* * *

Andy Kondrat:

Can Junk Mail Be Green?

Google Maps Adds Walking Directions

* * *

Jon Popham:

Recycling Building Materials Greens Up Home Improvement

CA Hotel Owner’s Anti Same-Sex Marriage Donation Brings Boycott Calls

* * *

Gina Telaroli:

Naming a Generation

Ebert and Roeper Exit: Time to Give a Lady the Thumbs UP

From an energy perspective, your life is worth 4 barrels of oil, says The Oil Drum, which recently published a little numbers magic to compare human labor to oil. By running on plain old food calories, in 45 years our bodies will create the same about of energy used in 4 barrels of oil. A “fair” price for this energy (roughly 5.8 million BTUs) will run you around $200,000 per barrel. And I thought $130 was expensive! Here’s more from Treehugger:

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Summer is the busiest time of the year for moving, and like many of my environmentally-friendly compatriots in the throes of relocation, I’m faced with the dilemma of moving all of my earthly possessions from one state to another while accruing the least amount of carbon fallout possible. Throwing stuff away, finding packing materials, renting a gas-guzzling moving truck – it’s enough to drive one to the brink of eco-guilt. Still, with enough green-inspired forethought, moving doesn’t have to be a ruthless planetary burden. Here are 10 ways to reduce your impact while switching digs:

1) No need for new boxes - there are plenty of retailers that you can rescue boxes from, which would otherwise be thrown away. I pick up a few every couple of days from my local grocery store, but you can probably find them at just about any commercial venue since, well, most stuff comes in boxes. If you don’t feel like scouring the neighborhood for used cardboard, check out Usedcardboardboxes.com, a service that will deliver recycled boxes to you for a small fee. You might also consider RECOPACKS from Earthfriendlymoving.com, a zero-waste packing and moving system developed from recycled trash rescued from local landfills.

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There are innumerable ways one can lessen their impact on the plant, but ever wonder which methods are giving you the most green for your buck? Like, is it better to buy organic groceries if it involves a fifteen minute drive to the farmers market, or should you forgo the wheels and huff it to the nearest non-organic supermarket produce aisle? Or what uses less energy – turning off one light for an hour or unplugging your cell phone charger for the day?

David MacKay, a professor at the University of Cambridge breaks down these often incomprehensible calculations by converting it all into Kilowatt-Hours, and providing an online guide of the efficiency trade-offs in his new (and free!) volume titled Sustainable Energy – Without Hot Air.

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Chris Kattan, actor and comedian of SNL fame, exchanged vows with his new bride Sunshine Tutt in an environmentally-friendly ceremony which included biodegradable invitations with flower seeds embedded inside. The two celebrated their nuptials in nature-happy Yosemite Valley. Former SNL castmates including Will Ferrell and Tina Fey attended the green affair. Get the full scoop here. You can also takepart and check out Treehugger’s online guide to planning a green wedding here.

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The House approved $20 billion in funds to help schools go green over the next five years, making them more energy efficient and lessening their environmental impact. The legislation goes to the Senate now after a 250-164 vote in the House.  Unsurprisingly, the White House threatened to veto the bill, stating that it was ill-conceived for the federal government to launch any new school building programs.

It should be interesting to see if this bill will make it through. Especially as supporters cite studies that green schools use 35% less energy than a conventional school, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 40%, uses 30% less water and has better control over elements of the learning environment that influence student achievement such as temperature and lighting. [treehugger.com]

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