Author: Davina
Website: http://flgreenliving.com/blog/2009/01/28/miami-beach-commiss…

The Land Use and Development Committee met previously this month to discuss a green building ordinance.  All commissioners in attendance agreed it was best to encourage developers to build environmentally friendly structures and to get their projects LEED certified versus forcing them to do so.  Miami Beach commissioners in attendance were: Saul Gross, Jerry Libbin, Victor Diaz and Jonah Wolfson.  

LEED or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a certification process upheld by the U.S. Green Building Council.  They grant certifications based on a point system; the higher the points, the more environmentally sound a building is.  The certification process can be daunting, timely and costly, yet, in the end, the building has a “golden seal of approval” that is recognized world-wide. 

Regarding the ordinances, The Real Deal South Florida, stated 

“Once passed, the voluntary green building ordinance will refund any fees developers pay to get LEED Silver certified…

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Author: TerraCurve
Website: http://www.terracurve.com/2009/01/28/un-energy-program-put-t…

With climate change a growing concern and the economic crisis affecting their bottom line, European hoteliers are about to take part in a United Nations-backed program designed to reduce energy consumption and lead to significant savings in operating costs with a goal to achieve a 20 percent increase in energy efficiency and a 10 percent increase in using renewable, energy-new technologies.

The Energy Efficiency Excellence for the Tourism Industry project aims to research and develop future energy efficiency and renewable energy solutions for hotels in the 27 member countries of the European Union. According to the UNWTO, the international hotel sector is one of the tourism industry’s largest drivers of employment and economic revenue and also is among the most energy-intensive sectors.

Worldwide carbon dioxide emissions from the accommodation sector were estimated at 274 million tons in 2005, or 21 percent of the total from the tourism industry.

In practical terms, the…

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Author: Jean-Paul
Website: http://www.thechicecologist.com/2009/01/renewable-cork-barwa…

Given my recent articles on all things cork and organic spirits for green cocktails, it seems only fitting to feature a cork bar set to bridge the two. A fully cork wrapped mixer, ice bucket, wine cooler, serving tray and bartender utensils and accessories such as a strainer, jigger, zester and bottle opener are included [...]

Related posts:

1. The Magic of Cork - Renewable, Sustainable and Good For Global Warming
2. Eco Game of High Low - Green-ish Turntable Record Players for all you Vinyl Lovers
3. MetaForm Studio

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Author: Green Talk
Website: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/green-talk/jRYI/~3/tTIovwjSsm…

 
Photo by Shawn Ford 

Millions of broken crayons are thrown away every day. Since they are petroleum based, it will take centuries for them to biodegrade.  Did you ever stop to think that you could recycle or reuse those old crayons?  Here are some suggestions:

 Recycle those Old Crayons with Crazy Crayons or The CrayonBin

 Wisconsin based Crazy Crayons collects old crayons and recycles them into new crayons and fire starters. The Company has collected over 34,000 pounds of crayons since its inception in 1993.  Their hand crafted crayons are like a work of art where no two are the same.  They offer hundreds of shapes and themes such as teddy bears, insects, and custom designs.  Unfortunately, none of their designs are listed on their website.

 Crazy Crayons not only uses recycled products, they also care about how the crayons are packaged for resale. All crayons are packaged in recycled cardboard boxes.  Some are packaged in cellophane, which is made from tree gum,…

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