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ArchivesRedefining RiversBy Virginia Prescott on Wednesday, December 3, 2008.
At Your "Con-green-ience"By Virginia Prescott on Monday, December 1, 2008.
New Hampshire Public Radio’s Amy Quinton visited the shop as the owner prepared for the big opening this coming Friday, and she has this story for our "next green thing" series. (Photo of Simply Green by John Huff/Foster's Daily Democrat) listen:
  Green Building MaterialsBy Virginia Prescott on Monday, December 1, 2008.About 40 percent of our nation’s energy goes into running buildings, and another 12 percent to building them. To help developers achieve LEED certification, a new crop of green building materials has sprung up.
CalStar Cement’s founder, Mark Porat, says he’s developed "the biggest technological changes in bricks since the Canaanites." Instead of burning clay, CalStar will take fly ash, the particulate matter that ordinarily leaves smokestacks to enter the atmosphere, add some extra chemicals and make bricks. Rather than requiring high temperature cooking, the chemicals congeal into a solid, hard mass. Serious Materials is doing the same thing with drywall. Instead of cooking gypsum at a high temperature to make drywall, Serious has a chemical compound that, when mixed with other chemicals, congeals into drywall at low temperatures. We also look at Integrity Block, a company in Palo Alto that's come up with a building block made out of mashed earth. It takes far less energy to make these than a regular cement block. (Photo of Integrity Block CEO Trevor Stout courtesy of Integrity Block) listen:
Here's What's Awesome: Mood-Based Travel, Solar CemeteriesBy Brady Carlson on Sunday, November 30, 2008.
The four-day frenzy of food, family and football is about to conclude, and we at Here's What's Awesome aim to ease you back into the regular week with a few awesome links. Just a little something for our peoples. But what if you feel like chicken tonight? Can beach erosion be reversed?By EarthTalk on Sunday, November 30, 2008.How can I stop getting those thick paper phonebooks?By EarthTalk on Sunday, November 30, 2008.
More than 500 million phone directories - nearly two books for every American - are printed and distributed every year in the U.S., taking with them some 19 million trees. (Funkeemunkeyland, courtesy Flickr) Dover's Con-Green-ience StoreBy Amy Quinton on Monday, November 24, 2008.The first con-green-ience store and fueling station in the state will open its doors today in Dover. listen:
How can I start an environmental club at my local school?By EarthTalk on Sunday, November 23, 2008.EarthTalkTM Dear EarthTalk: I’m thinking about starting an environmental club in my middle school. Can you give me some ideas about how to start? Can you connect me with other school clubs? Starting an environmental club at school is a great way to get students energized about taking care of the Earth and helping their community while learning about some of the most important issues facing the world in the 21st century. Next Green Thing: Renewable Energy FundingBy Virginia Prescott on Wednesday, November 19, 2008.Municipalities all over the United Sates are trying to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. One of the biggest impediments to integrating renewable energy sources into the nation’s homes and public buildings is the cost. Residential solar installations can cost a homeowner somewhere between $12-25,000.
Cisco DeVries is managing director at Renewable Funding, and developed its model program, BerkeleyFIRST. He worked in the Clinton administration, including as an assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Energy. He joins Word of Mouth with more about the innovative financing plan. (Photo by David TREBOSC) listen:
The Hermit and the MarmotBy Virginia Prescott on Wednesday, November 19, 2008.
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Here's a geography fact I wasn't aware of: there are some rivers you can't always see because much of the time they run underground. Until two years ago, most of these seasonal waterways were protected by the Clean Water Act, but a homeowner who wanted to build on a marshy site challenged the federal restrictions and took the case all the way to the Supreme Court. The court changed some definitions in the act, and that pleased developers – but now environmentalists are making waves.
New Hampshire’s first "con-green-ience" store opened its doors to the public last week. The new shop in Dover, called Simply Green, tries to buy goods that are as local and environmentally-friendly as possible, and it offers biodiesel along with regular old unleaded gas. 
As part of our 
Conventional cost offsets come from local, state and federal government rebates and tax breaks, but a new funding model is in its infancy in – where else? – Berkeley, California. There the city will finance the cost of solar panels for property owners to be paid back over 20 years as a voluntary line item on their tax bills. It’s called renewable funding, and it’s catching on in other cities as well.
A couple of decades before the words "global warming" hit the headlines, a loner named Billy Barr moved into the Colorado wilderness. He lived by himself at nearly 10,000 feet, miles from the nearest town. So to pass the time, he kept meticulous notes about the weather and animals. For scientists studying climate change, Billy's notebooks turn out to be heaven sent -- without this kind of data, it's tricky figuring out the way things used to be.