Many strides are being made towards sustainability in the hospitality industry. The use of green key cards in hotels is just one example. The cards are made from a corn by-product that is biodegradable and can be recycled. The average hotel property with 100 rooms goes through about 10,000 keycards each year, amounting to 50 pounds of material. Marriott recently [...]

With the push to go green, many people are looking for creative ways to help the environment, beyond the typical reduce, reuse, recycle stuff. Some individuals are helping their city reduce environmental footprints. If you are planning a move to greener pastures, there are a few great places you should check out. National Geographic has put together a list of the [...]

Where would we be without electricity? As a society we are addicted to electronic gadgets. What if you couldn’t charge them? And what if we could not watch our favorite TV show? What if all life stopped after nightfall and had to be lit by candle? No refrigerator or freezer. No air conditioning in late summer. No modern conveniences. No [...]

On a New York playground that appeared like any other, children laughed and ran on the former chemical company land on which their school was built in 1955. This ideal picture is a far-cry from what took place years later when, according to Wired.com, Love Canal resident Karen Schroeder gave birth to a daughter with an irregular heart beat, partial [...]

Some companies are creating ways to make recycling textiles fun. The Huffington Post reports on some great ideas that can be copied and built upon. Recycling clothing reduces the amount of clothing that ends up in landfills and is one way you can minimize your environmental footprint. 11.1 million pounds of textiles are dumped into U.S. landfills every year. Some alternative possibilities [...]

The 2013 Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Auto Show at the Dallas Convention Center has gone green, and it’s not just automakers joining in on the search for fuel efficiency. The Dallas Fort Worth Metropolitan New Car Dealers Association has opened its show to “Green Exhibitors,” allowing businesses to sell sustainable products inside the showroom. Hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) are sure [...]

On my way to work, I pass by a simple billboard that truly catches my attention. It simply has a photo of a sea turtle on it and the caption says “Be the Voice, for those who have no voice.”  Animals are my heart, especially those that we can help. So this billboard made me wonder about our area’s sea [...]

South Carolina may be full of sunshine, but did you know that only one percent of our state’s energy comes from solar power. Our state is also near the bottom in national solar rankings. So, why does solar energy rarely shine in our state? Among the answers, according to an article in The State newspaper, include complicated laws, poor tax [...]

I’m not a fan of politics nor will you find me writing much about it. However, with the Obama-Romney presidential debate having taken place Oct. 3 at my graduate school, the University of Denver, I couldn’t help but tune in for a little bit and hear what the candidates had to say about environmental issues. Regardless of the debate, according [...]

To some, the number 13 is lucky and to others, the number is unlucky. But to South Carolinians, the number 13 is toxic. A study released by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) named South Carolina as No. 13 out of the Top 20 toxic states for exposing residents to toxic air pollution. Residents are at a higher risk of [...]

When London bid on the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, its leaders vowed to host the most sustainable, eco-friendliest Olympiad. With an audience of roughly four billion people worldwide, the Olympics are a catalyst for change and London provides the perfect opportunity to present something sustainable and green for the rest of the world to witness. It is definitely positive publicity [...]

North Carolina may soon be adding jobs by drilling for natural gas with the passing of legislation to allow something called “fracking” into the state. The adding jobs part sounds great, but the drilling part, not so great. As with any disturbance to the natural environment, drilling into the earth doesn’t come without health and environmental risk. Natural gas is [...]

Hawaii was the first state to do it, San Francisco was the first city to do it and Los Angeles was the largest city to do it. They all banned plastic bags. Plastic bags are used and, apparently, so abused that they are becoming banned or taxed in cities and states throughout the United States, including Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Virginia [...]

Have you ever thought about your dog’s poop? Have you ever wondered why it’s important to pick up after your dog? You really should consider what you doo-doo to contribute to this environmental doggy dilemma. We are a dog-driven society. There are approximately 78.2 million owned dogs in the United States and roughly 39 percent of U.S. households own at [...]