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By ERC

Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Only a year later, Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movementRead More with more than 50 million people participating. Many global landmarks stood in darkness during that hour, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more and more urgent each day.

Earth Hour has grown each year, and in 2010, 128 countries joined what is the largest world-wide initative of climate action. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Asia Pacific to Europe and Africa to the Americas went dark. People across the world life turned off their lights and came together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet.

Earth Hour 2011 will take place on Saturday 26 March at 8.30PM (at our local time). This Earth Hour Day, let’s go beyond those sixty minutes, and think about what we can do to create change after the lights... (more)

By ERC

Debunk Your Junk!

 

The ERC and Sawtooth Botanical Garden are partnering up with BCTAC, BCTAC2, and the WRHS Environmental Club to help our community reduce junk mail.  We welcome everyone to Tully’s and Iconoclast in Ketchum and Hailey Coffee Company in Hailey from 10:00am-12:00pm on Saturday, January 15th where we will be available to help you get junk mail out of your life! 

 

Why you ask??

 

  • 44% of all junk mail goes into landfills unopened
  • State and local governments spend hundreds of millions of dollars each year to collect and dispose of junk mail that does not get recycled
  • 28 billion gallons of water are wasted to produce and recycle junk mail each year
  • 1/3 of all mail delivered in the world is US junk mail (100 billion pieces annually)
  • 89% of Americans support a way to opt out of unwanted mail
  • 100 million trees are destroyed to make junk mail every year, which creates greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 3.7 million cars 

 

Eliminating junk... (more)

By davechase

Pretty simple and cool technology. I learned about this after seeing the video below of an Energy company that is pushing for something similar in Europe. Wouldn't it be cool to have these in the Spin rooms at the Y or other local gyms?

 

 

From Anderson Cooper 360

 


Boring Energy company no longer...

 

Fortum from Rasmus Keger on Vimeo.

 

By LivingwithWolves.org

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) is publishing a final rule in the Federal Register to reinstate the regulatory protections under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 for the gray wolf (Canis lupus) in most of the Northern Rocky Mountains (NRM). This administrative procedure is a restatement in regulation in order to comply with the District of Montana court order dated August 5, 2010.

In order to enforce the court order, this final rule corrects the gray wolf listing for the northern half of Montana, the northern panhandle of Idaho, the eastern third of Washington and Oregon, and north-central Utah as endangered and reinstates the former special rules designating the gray wolf in the remainder of Montana and Idaho as nonessential experimental populations. Because ESA protections were not removed in Wyoming by our April 2, 2009, final delisting rule, Wyoming is not impacted by this final rule.

This action is publishing in the Federal Register on Tuesday, October 26, 2010. However, the court order... (more)

By Music Rules

By John Pluntze

People wishing to participate in the second annual environmental-oriented BaseCamp Feastival ( http://web.me.com/benreel/Feastival/Welcome.html / http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=148240631861707&ref=ts
that is slated for Sept. 17-19th need to RSVP by this coming Friday, Sept. 10th, so organizers will have some idea how much food to bring for the event's Main Course dinner. 

Please RSVP on or before this coming Friday to: idahobasecamp37@gmail.com .

The event, which takes place some 25 miles out Trail Creek Road (and five miles past the Copper Base turnout) will, like last year's first well-attended one, feature a variety of terrific live music (courtesy of local faves Sheryll Mae Grace, Ethan Tucker & the Grassroot All-Stars, Old Death Whisper/The Damphools, Cow Says Mooo, The Unbroken Chains, and Toast), food, dancing, yoga (on Saturday and Sunday morning, at 10 a.m.), fishing camps, hiking and biking, and other assorted activities that will celebrate the physical and... (more)

By RedfishLakeLodge

The Salt Lake Tribune wrote a fabulous article about the return of Sockeye this year.  

So many endangered sockeye salmon are returning to central Idaho this year that some will be allowed to swim the final few hundred yards into Redfish Lake under their own power, for the first time in 20 years.

Read the rest of the article here.

By davechase

I thought I appreciated nature until I watched this video. This guy brings new meaning to being a nature lover. Perhaps some mushrooms helped too. Starting with "Woahs" and "Oh my Gods" and crescendoing to crying, laughing, and then asking the sky, "What does this mean?" It's so goofy that you'll be crying along with him.

 

By Hermewasted

The electronics of yesterday are quickly filling up our landfills. It is not the sheer volume that is problematic, as e-waste only occupies 3% of the total volume of waste, but rather the amount of toxic waste that makes up 70% of the toxic waste. This is staggering to think about. Between lead, fire-resistant chemicals and so on the toxins can be very harmful if they seep into our soils, which make their way to our water sources.

Only 3% of our cell phones are disposed of properly. This is a shameful number and one that exists not because 97% of the population are evil, but ignorant to the harm this waste can cause.

If you are confused about what to do with your electronic waste, please visit the BANwebsite. They are the leaders in ewaste and make sure proper protections are made. Some ewaste companies simply ship our waste to less developed countries, where it is not handled properly but makes them more money. BAN will show you where you can dispose of it properly for you area

Thanks to a raised level of awareness... (more)

By SVO

On Earth Day, April 22nd, Atkinson's, Albertson’s, and King's will not be giving out plastic bags, so bring your own bags when shopping or you can purchase reusable bags at the retailers.

The main sponsors for the program include the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Atkinson’s, Albertson’s, King’s, the City of Hailey, and the ERC.

By ERC

The Environmental Resource Center and a grassroots group called the Dynamic Energy Systems Institute are joining forces to focus on local energy issues.  The two believe that successfully addressing local energy issues is a key part of the valley’s long-term sustainability and can be best addressed by joining forces.

 The leadership from both is excited about this development and believes that there’s much ground to be covered locally on addressing energy supply and demand issues.

 One of the first projects that will be addressed is to create a comprehensive web resource that provides the community with a central place to learn about local energy issues.  This site will help community members get involved and find out how they can take advantage of the strong energy incentives that now exist, such as the Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate program which in about 3 weeks has already given out over $225,000 in rebates of its $1.2 million.

 Kingsley Murphy, the ERC’s Board Chair,... (more)

By Mike Burchmore

Hemingway Elementary fifth grade engineering technology students won the Just Bag It! video competition created by the City of Hailey.  The students were advised by Scott Slonim and include Joseph Anderson, Sierra Beck, Tess Burchmore, Danielle Doerflein,and Gabriella Whittaker.  The video encourages people to bring re-usable bags with them when going shopping and describes the benefits of using the bags as compared to the risks of not using them.

On Earth Day, April 22nd, Atkinson's, Albertson’s, and King's will not be giving out plastic bags, so bring your own bags when shopping or you can purchase reusable bags at the retailers.

The main sponsors for the program include the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Atkinson’s, Albertson’s, King’s, the City of Hailey, and the ERC.

Here's a link to the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tuHnhCyYOLo&feature=chann

By SVO

Plum TV caught this interaction between a wolf and 3 malamutes in Greenhorn not far from Sun Valley and Ketchum a year ago at this same time last year.

 

Read the full story here.

By ecopestjeff

Did you know that Monday, April 26th, 2010 is National Healthy Schools Day? Honestly, this is the first year that I have heard of such a thing, but I will be the first to jump on this bandwagon and give my support.

I actually found the website totally by mistake, as I was researching school pesticide use. (http://www.nationalhealthyschoolsday.org) The day is coordinated by Healthy Schools Network in collaboration with US EPA and the Council of Educational Facility Planners – International (CEFPI). For 2010, the focus will be on using certified green cleaning products to help improve indoor air quality.

I have personal experience with an issue very close to this. Back in the mid 1990's, my company was contracted to do pest control services for a school district in our area. There was only one problem - one of the students had been diagnosed with health issues related to pesticide use. At the time, I was... (more)

By SVO

[image: Renew Grid
Magazine]< http://app.bronto.com/public/?q=ulink&;fn=Link&ssid=4262&id=i>
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*PATH Announces New Transmission Line Application Developments* < http://app.bronto.com/public/?q=ulink&;fn=Link&ssid=4262&id=i>
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30 Dec 2009 by Renew Grid [image:
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Allegheny
Energy Inc. and American Electric Power (AEP) have reiterated a request to
regulators in Virginia for permission to withdraw the previously submitted
application to build the Potomac-Appalachian Transmission Highline (PATH)
project in the state. The request considers new [read
more]< http://app.bronto.com/public/?q=ulink&;fn=Link&ssid=4262&id=i>
*Pepco Receives Approval To Implement AMI In The District Of Columbia* < http:/... (more)