Death is never an easy subject to talk about.  Everyone has experienced death in some way or another, be it a friend or family member, or someone that they know of but maybe did not meet.  Planning a funeral or memorial is also an aspect of death that people have to consider.  Open or closed casket, burial or cremation, graveside funeral or at home memorial?  Not only do those questions loom over the heads of the recently bereaved, but there are also now options on the table to make a funeral more green.

Green funerals are by no means a new thing.  Before embalming, caskets and cement blocks, funerals used to be incredibly green.  In the old days, people were sent off to sea, buried in linen cloths, or set on top of a funeral mound that was then set on fire.  People were brought back to the earth in the most essential way, and the people left behind new this.

Now there is a movement to get back to basics when it comes to funerals.  There are many new green options for caskets, as well as completely new ideas for disposing of a body or ashes.  Eternal Reefs is a company that offers a "Memorial Reef," which is a reef made from safe cast concrete, and it creates more marine habitats for fish and sea life.  They take the cremated remains of the deceased and mix it in to the cement.  Ecopods are another option; a coffin made of 100% recycled paper that will biodegrade with the deceased, and cause no harm to the Earth.

When a loved one passes, it is often a confusing time where a lot of decisions have to be made quickly.  That is why it is a good idea to talk about what funeral arrangements you would want with your loved ones, so they are not left wondering as to what your wishes were.  Writing out a green funeral plan ahead of time will save family members time in the future.

Death is an every day occurrence of life, and the fact of the matter is that people die every day and the Earth is not getting bigger.  Some cities are running out of places to bury their dead, as well as hazardous consequences in the cases of grown shift after a spring thaw.  Having a green funeral, burial and memorial will put off the death of our own planet.  Living green is not just about the choices we make while we are alive, but the choices that we make that extend beyond that.

There are a lot of major book selling websites out there that offer green books, but how many of them donate part of their proceeds to sustainable technologies?  As far as we know, only one.  That website is Sustainable Insight, and they not only offer a wide range of sustainable living books (from agriculture, gardening, and sustainable living), and educational DVDs and books, but they also donate $0.50 of each product sold to ventures that are working towards sustainable living, awareness, and conservation.

The Australian based website also recently accepted applications from organizations that wanted to receive funding from their Sustainable Funding Initiative.  You can go vote for organizations by reading their next Sustainable Insight Newsletter, or you can view organizations that applied by going here.

One thing I really like about Sustainable Insight is the huge range of books that they offer.  Most bookstores have their "obligatory green section" and it rarely has anything to offer but they want to look like they've tried.  That is not the case here at Sustainable Insight.  I found books on ecotourism, native plant gardening, sustainable housing, and renewable energy.  They also offer DVDs and educational resources, which is a lot more than I can find at other bookstores.

Another aspect of Sustainable Insight that I was drawn to was the Children's section.  They offer books about raising your child in an environmentally friendly way, but they also have books to read with your children that teach them how to make green choices.  Everyone knows that we're handing our children this planet, and they'll have to pay for the choices we have made.  We need to prepare them for green living as soon as we can, and Sustainable Insights sells a lot of great resources for doing that.

Regardless of if you're in Australia, Africa or America, Sustainable Insights is an amazing resource for green living books and materials.  Be sure to check them out and browse through their books.  I can guarantee that you will find something there that interests you.

If you use your phone frequently, you'll know how important it is to keep and maintain a charge on your battery.  Phone batteries can hold longer charges than ever before, but if you're using a PDA then sometimes your charge doesn't last as long.  Constantly charging your cell phone increases the carbon footprint of your household, and it may seem to be a necessary evil.  Well, not anymore.

Samsung has created a handset called "Blue Earth" and it could be the new wave of sustainable phones.  Not only is the casing made from PCM, which is plastic recycled from old water bottles, it also has a number of great green features.  It lets you calculate how much CO2 you are not emitting when you decide to walk to work instead of drive, and you can also adjust the settings on your phone to keep a charge longer.  On top of all that, it features a solar panel on the back.  It will charge the phone enough to sustain a phone call if the sun is at its peak brightness.

The "Blue Earth" comes in recycled packaging, which is also a huge benefit.  Hand-held phones come in huge packages, set inside Styrofoam, and hardly any of it can be recycled.  Not the case with "Blue Earth" which boosts its green capacity even higher.

Unfortunately, "Blue Earth" isn't available for sale right now, but the UK will see this phone after the summer.

(Engadget original article)

This week has seen an incredible amount of devastation in Australia.  Not only are many Australian citizens forced to cope with the lost of their homes, but they are also coping with a major loss of life.  What is the cause of all of this?  A bush fire, one that is raging out of control, and global warming may be adding to it.

As of this post, 160 people have died from the bush fire in southern Australia, which has escalated quickly.  The fire spread quickly, leaving some people little to no time to evacuate their homes.  Over 700 houses have been lost, and over 770 square miles burned.

A recent article from Time magazine states that there were early warning signs that a natural disaster was imminent (Time magazine source).  There were warnings that fires in Australia were "certain to increase in intensity and frequency," as stated by the 11th chapter of the 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.  They blame steadily warming weather as the reason for the increase in fire hazards.  The Australian government also reported that by 2020 there could be up to 65% more fire danger, and that there will be another 300% increase by 2050.

So why is Australia hit the hardest by fire?  First of all, it is the driest continent.  It has warmed 0.9° C since 1950, and it is expected to grow if greenhouse gas emissions are left unrestrained.  Also, climate change will be to blame for an increase in heat wave and drought in Australia.

People are quick to state that climate change isn't the sole reason for the fires in Australia, as proof rises that some were set deliberately.  There is no doubt, however, that catastrophic climate change is fueling the fires once they have started.  That is why we need to work so hard to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the impact of climate change.  The coincidence that the word "catastrophic" explains both climate change, and this natural disaster in Australia, is not lost on us.  We can work together, as citizens of this planet, to prevent more deadly fires in not just Australia, but in other areas likely to be hit with heat waves and drought.

Green Groove has attracted a bevy of new users this week, and it is all thanks to Springwise.  Springwise is a website looking for "the next big thing."  We're excited that Green Groove is now among the featured ventures, ideas and concepts that are spotlighted on Springwise pages.  Green Groove's feature was put up on February 10th, in their Eco and Sustainability section.  A direct link can be found here.

We'd like to send a big thank you out to Phillip Farris, who spotted us.  Thank you!

Also, Green Groove has it's own Twitter feed!  So many users have been linking to Green Groove through their Twitters, and now you can follow our own.  Here is the link to our feed.

While you go about your daily routine, there are some things that you choose to do over others that are obviously more green.  Replacing old light bulbs with compact fluorescents is a choice that is obviously greener.  There are others, though, that require a little bit of research.  That's why we're here to help.

I was recently loading my dishwasher, and I stopped to think about how green that really is.  I tried to remember how much water was used when I hand-washed dishes, and if that was more or less water than my dishwasher.  I decided to do a little research, and now I'm passing that research on to you.

According to the EPA, the most energy efficient way to do your dishes (imagine a full load, or full sink's worth) is a dishwasher that does not use an initial rinse-cycle.  They figured this by thinking of annual gallons of water (g) used, and then annual energy consumption (kilowatt-hours, or kh).  Here's the quick breakdown:

1. An efficient dishwasher uses, on average, 868 g and 276 kh.

2. By hand, in a two basin sink, uses 1,419 g and 295 kh.

3. A standard dishwasher (rinsing first) uses 3,473 g and 735 kh.

4. Washing by hand, with water running constantly, uses 5,974 g and 1,243 kh.

So what does that mean if you have a dishwasher, but you are renting or are not in a position to purchase a more efficient one?  Make sure that you always run a full load, and turn off the initial rinse cycle.  Open the washer door during the "dry" time, and let everything air dry instead of using the heater that some dishwashers use.  Find out the minimum settings needed, that will still get your dishes clean, and run those instead of the max of everything.  

If you are looking to purchase a new dishwasher, be sure that you get one with an Energy Star label on it.  They are made to run less water and electricity per-load, and if you use extra green steps, then you can save even more than what is expected.

If you don't have a dishwasher, there are still things you can do to save water and energy.  Don't leave the water running constantly.  Run enough water to rinse the dishes, and then clean them with your soapy sponge and set aside.  Rinse everything together at the end.  Don't waste by running the water while you're waiting for it to warm up.  That would be a good time to do your initial rinse.

There are still many choices out there where you may not know the obvious answer when you think which is greener.  Always take time to do research before you assume one way or another.  You may be surprised at the answer.

It seems like we're in the middle of a major gift giving season.  Christmas is hardly a memory, and now we're getting closer to Valentine's Day.  There are constant commercials for chocolates, flowers and jewelry.  If you're shopping for a gift to give your special someone this Valentine's Day, we're here to give you some  tips to make it green.

First off, keep it simple.  One gift that has a lot of thought put into it is better than 10 gifts that you've hardly thought about.  Consolidating your present into just one present is also greener, since you're cutting down on external packaging and shipping, as well as paper to wrap it.

Next, buy locally.  You can find gifts that were either locally grown, brewed or produced, and that can cut down the carbon footprint of your gift.  Instead of Hershey's chocolate and a generic red wine from a grocery store, buy locally made chocolate and wine.  It's better if you can also get those items organic.  Most Co-Ops have selection of locally made treats and drinks that will keep you in a romantic mood.

Another tip is to think about longevity.  Instead of buying flowers that have been cut and arranged, buy flowers that are in pots or could be planted.  They'll last longer than the standard week, and will be a more constant reminder of the feeling behind the gift.  If you're giving this gift to someone with no green thumb, don't worry.  There are a lot of plants that take little maintenance, like aloe and cacti.

Above all, limit the waste.  Just because you're showing love to someone special doesn't mean that you can stop showing love to the planet.  Landfills are littered with leftover chocolate boxes, dead flowers, and empty wine bottles.  That isn't the way anyone would want to show their love.

In July 2007, Quanzhi Ye, a 19-year-old meteorology student at China's Sun Yat-sen University, discovered something amazing.  While observing an image taken days before, Ye finds something that is not a star, but is a comet.  Not only is it a comet that is heading towards Earth, it is also green.

Comet Lulin will soon be visible to the naked eye.  Comet Lulin is green because of the gases that make up its atmosphere, relative to the size of Jupiter.  The comet is emitting cyanogen, a poisonous gas often found in comets, and diatomic carbon from its nucleus.  Both of these gases create a green glow when they are illuminated by the sunlight in space.

If you want to see the green comet yourself, you need to be an early riser.  The comet is visible at 3:00 am, and can be seen 1/3 of the way up from the Southern sky before dawn.  It is expected to be easier to find on February 16th and February 24th.  On the 24th, the comet is supposed to be the closest to Earth than ever before.  It will be a few degrees away from Saturn in the constellation Leo.

The dream of discovering a comet was realized for Quanzhi Ye, who first marveled at Hale-Bopp at age 7.  The fact that dreams can become reality is not lost on us.  Our dream is also green, but of a different nature.  If we can work together, like Ye and the others that made this spotting possible, then we can also make our future more green.

(Original NASA article)