2009 > March

Archive for March, 2009

The Romance of Fire

Published by Paula Baker-Laporte on March 30, 2009

A bottle of wine, soft music, a vase of red roses, chocolate truffles… the accoutrements of romance laid out on a soft white sheepskin in front of a hot air vent. What’s wrong with this picture?

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Ecotourism Guide

Published by Melissa Cicci on March 29, 2009

While the worldwide expansion of traditional tourism has contributed to economic growth and job creation, it has also presented a substantial threat to the environment, particularly to biodiversity. This guide focuses on several regional and global initiatives that actively promote sustainable tourism practices and principles, often called ecotourism.

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Celebrating Etsy—Stoking Today’s Cottage Industries

Published by Green by Design on March 26, 2009

Working from home, doing what you love, and getting paid for it. Is this the new American Dream? We have heard the term cottage industry; but does it apply to our modern life?

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Barefoot Dreams in the Dead of Winter

Published by Green by Design on March 24, 2009

In my opinion, radiant floor heating is one of the most efficient means of heating your home. As is commonly known, heat rises; that said, radiant heating (which operates from the ground up) will heat a home more evenly, efficiently, and cost effectively than other types.

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Healthy Home Corner: We Shape Our Buildings…

Published by Paula Baker-Laporte on March 23, 2009

The creation of a home is by no means a simple act. Thousands of decisions will go into that process, based on cultural values that may be stated or unstated. A home that is constructed to be the largest space for the least amount of money will look, feel and act…

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Ralph and Michelle Montemurro—Kids in a Candy Store

Published by Martha Danly on March 20, 2009

Necessity, as it turns out, is not the only mother of invention. So is dissatisfaction. When Ralph and Michelle Montemurro had finished building their luscious modern home in 2005, they discovered there were no satisfying options when it came to comfortable, well-designed nursery furniture for their three young children.

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Ecotourism: The Way of the Future or Tourist Trap?

Published by Hubert Den Draak on March 18, 2009

I had no idea how much of a buzzword “ecotourism” had become until I had to explain to a visitor what we do here at the Nolalu Eco Centre. Five minutes into my spiel about the many and various ways we had gone green here in northern Ontario, her eyes still looked glazed over.

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In the Heart of Tanzania

Published by Melissa Cicci on March 17, 2009

On the outskirts of Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania, microenterprise is making a difference in the lives of rural villagers. Since 1987, Village Enterprise Fund (VEF), a non-profit based in San Carlos, California, has helped fund more than 16,000 small businesses.

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Can’t Stand the Heat? Don’t Leave the Kitchen, Try an Induction Cooktop!

Published by Green by Design on March 16, 2009

These days the best chefs are likely to do something that looks crazy: they’ll turn a stove burner up to high and stick their hand right on the surface of the cooktop!

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Corporations…(and People, Too!) Will Do Anything for Money

Published by Martha Danly on March 12, 2009

Carrot or stick: which is a more effective motivator? That’s a no-brainer. Like a human law of gravity, reward wins over punishment. Fun trumps oppression.

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Can You Hear Me Now?!

Published by Hubert Den Draak on March 10, 2009

Yesterday I was out on our property for a snow shoe hike (yes, there’s still about 3 feet of the white stuff up here) when I stopped for a moment to watch the sun set. It was quiet. It was so quiet, you could hear the silence.

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Making Sense of Scents

Published by Claire Schneider on March 09, 2009

You’re stressed out –- the economy’s free-fall is getting to you; those deadlines at work are impossible to meet; and the kids are home with gastric flu.

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Harnessing the Awesome Power of the Word ‘Clean’

Published by Martha Danly on March 06, 2009

Taking on ‘clean coal,’ one of today’s most powerful greenwashing efforts, requires massive intelligence and clout. Enter the Reality Coalition.

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A Snowbird’s Dilemma – Relax and Also Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

Published by Marika Listenmaa on March 04, 2009

Canada was wrapped deep in the cold dark heart of Old Man Winter, Although not long home after two months away, I started thinking of what I could do to escape the inevitable frost-bite or busted back from too much snow removal.

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Tesla: a Green and Pricey Dream

Published by Green by Design on March 03, 2009

How would you like to zip around the freeways in a sleek, eerily silent sports car made of carbon-fiber, equipped with state-of-the-art electronics and emitting no greenhouse gases (GHG) at all?

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Healthy Home Corner: Essential Elements: Earth, Air, Water, Fire

Published by Paula Baker-Laporte on March 02, 2009

Human beings in their natural state are particularly unsuited for survival in the elements. We are relatively hairless, we can’t fly, and we don’t tolerate extreme swings of temperature.