Carnival of the Green

By Chris Baskind in Living

Lighter Footstep hosts another edition of Carnival of The Green. Browse a great collection of articles submitted by some of the Green web’s top writers.

This week, Lighter Footstep is pleased to host the 166th edition of the Carnival of The Green. A blog carnival is a regular collection of articles submitted by a number of websites — usually along a theme or topic. The Carnival of The Green is coordinated by our friends at Treehugger, one of the web’s leading environmental voices. Last week’s edition was hosted by Inspired Protagonist. Next Monday, it’s on to Reclaimed Home.

It’s a special week for us here at Lighter Footstep. We’re celebrating the beginning of our third publication year. To mark the occasion, we’ve compiled a summary of the top 10 articles from our first two years, and this is our contribution to the current Carnival. We hope you’ll click through and have a look. Now — on to this week’s crop of Carnival of the Green submissions!

At The Good Human, David notes that You Cannot Expect To See Change Without Any Effort: “In past articles, I have written about how changing a light bulb won’t fix everything, but also that the little things do matter when added one on top of the other. But one thing I have never said was that this was going to be easy; there is no way for the change you want to see happen in the world without putting in any effort at all.”

We’re big fans of Sustainablog here at Lighter Footstep. Jeff McIntire-Strasburg submits an article by Leslie Berliant this week, Wind Energy Jobs Surpass Coal Mining Jobs. That’s great news for both the environment and the economy. The Global Wind Energy Council has just announced that the United States has passed Germany as the world’s wind energy superpower.

Can you imagine having a recycled house? That’s the idea behind Green Building: Building Homes for the Poor at The Greenest Dollar. Heather highlights the work of the Phoenix Commotion, a group which uses unskilled labor to build low-income housing using a wealth of repurposed materials.

Morgan O’Donnell has ben job hunting, and not just for a regular gig. She’s set out on a Search for a Sustainable Occupation, and is has posted the first installment of an article series about it on her site, Red Raven Circling. There are a lot of good goal-setting tips for those concerned with Right Employment.

Like Morgan’s article? You can catch the second part at Green Gigs. Thanks to Lori for submitting the follow-up.

With Valentine’s Day around the corner, how can we say “I love you” to the environment as well as each other? Is it possible to create a waste-free celebration? Mrs. Green at My Zero Waste has some tips for rubbish-free romance.

What are you willing to give up to live green? Vihar Sheth poses that question at green | rising. Vihar and his wife currently share a single vehicle, but he’s considering acquiring a second: “I will surely be freer, but getting behind the wheel will in some way also be a step backward.”

Speaking of cars, who wouldn’t want to win a shiny new 2009 Smart ForTwo? Eco Joe’s has a link to a Smart giveaway sponsored by Scotch-Brite. You can enter once a day, and the deadline is Halloween.

Getting back to truly sustainable transportation, there’s no more efficient way of getting around than a bicycle. American Consumer News has a handy checklist this week, 5 Tips for Commuting by Bicycle. With spring on the way in the Northern Hemisphere, it’s time to get that bike out of the garage. Want more? Check out our primer on bicycle commuting, How to Bike to Work (Or Anywhere Else). 

Some good environmental news: Whooping Cranes are making a comeback. Sally Kneidel at Veggie Revolution has a really upbeat piece about the resurgence of Whooping Cranes in South Carolina. One of America’s rarest birds, thoughtful wildlife management has fostered a viable population of Whooping Cranes in a part of the country that hasn’t seen the species in a century.

Everydaytrash introduces a new contributor. Victor Bernhardz will be contributing to the blog from Stockholm. In one of his first posts, Victor interviewes Mattias Hagberg, author of the Skräp (which means trash in Swedish).

Here’s an investment you might not have considered: trees. Silicon Valley Blogger shows how an $80 investment can literally grow into a $5000 payoff. That’s over a 6,000 percent return. All you need is space, sunlight, and patience.

Kate reminds us that we’re coming up on Hike the Hill Trails Advocacy Week. The American Hiking Association will be sponsoring a number of Natural Trail Day events. There’s still time to get involved. The Green Thinking Blog has some helpful links to get you walking. A little further down the calendar and on the same site, Laurel has a primer on Earth Hour. It’s lights out March 28th from 8:30 to 9:30 pm. 

Want to reduce your exposure to pesticides? Here’s sure way: Stop eating them. Foodie Tots advocates saving our farms and our food by switching to local and organically grown fruits and vegetables. Find out about community sponsored agriculture and start building your health — and your local economy.

Got fifty plastic bread bags and nimble fingers? You could have a handmade tote. RecycleCindy at My Recycled Bags has a free crochet pattern for you to use. There are pictures of this beautiful project.

And that’s this week’s Carnival of the Green. Visit the sites, comment, and make some new friends. See you at Reclaimed Home next week.

Originally posted 09. Feb, 2009 | Tags: Blogs, Carnival of the Green, Green Websites