Greenzone Online

Leafing through. Literally!

What can literature have to do with saving the environment? I would say that it has everything to do with it. Literature is an expression of life. Human beings are creatures addicted to communion and communication. One of the fundamental problems faced by human beings is this disconnection with themselves and disconnection with the world [...]

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Green living and the Asian upbringing

One of my earliest childhood memories was my mother warning me and my sister about my grandfather who was taking a nap in the living room. We should walk cautiously around the house and avoid making any noise that would wake up the old patriarch. With the floor made of wooden boards that creaked often, [...]

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Eco-Travel Log: The Snorkeling Tragedy

As the Group of Eight economic powers meet in Japan to seriously discuss climate change, many of the ordinary citizens seize the opportunity to travel and enjoy the summer. As the present administration and the emerging economies of China and India resisted the call for tough emissions reductions, hopeful snorkelers release their flotation devices, don [...]

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The Promise of Synthetic Trees

Perhaps you have seen the NOVA scienceNOW episode that featured the carbon-capturing ability of a synthetic tree invented by a team of scientists led by Dr. Klaus Lackner. Or perhaps you have read the BBC news about this artificial tree. And you ask yourself: is the promise of synthetic trees the answer to the global [...]

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No Use Crying

The main complaint over the dairy industry’s newly designed milk containers is that they spill their contents when poured. The New York Times has reported on customers who were quick to offer up sour rants: “I hate it,” said a café owner; “It spills everywhere,” complained a homemaker; and one grandma found that “it is [...]

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It might be a losing battle – but that is not the point

Recycling, car pooling, replacing incandescent bulbs, and switching off appliances that are not being used are simple acts that an individual carries out to reduce the production of waste and lessen the consumption of energy. The effect of one individual’s efforts might be insignificant and it can be a losing battle. But that individual also [...]

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