9 Ways to Go Green and Save Green

Search engine goes green for Ma Nature

(NEWSER) - The Google doodlers are at it again, this time with a vividly green Avatar-like image of a magical woodland to celebrate Earth Day. Clicking on the image on the Google search page calls up everything connected to Earth Day. The doodle marking the green day, founded in 1970 by a Wisconsin senator to "inspire awareness and appreciation" for the environment, is one of a series of colorful Google squiggles that have also honored the Burning Man Festival, Google's own anniversary and the birthdays of Orson Wells, Andy Warhol, and Leonardo da Vinci. More»

Bundchen more than just a supermodel, has long campaigned for environmental issues

(NEWSER) - Gisele Bundchen will have more than a baby with hubby Tom Brady to keep her busy—yesterday she was named a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Environment Programme, the Boston Herald reports. “Mother Earth is our fundamental life-support system, and by becoming aware and responsible now, we can assist in preserving the planet,” says the supermodel, who has a Web-based environmental cartoon and has worked on reforestation in her native Brazil. More»

Architects, not automakers, have the power to halt global warming

(NEWSER) - With US homes on average twice as large as they were 50 years ago—and, of course, dwarfing those in all other developed countries—rethinking our idea of "home" is as crucial to cutting global warming as switching to a smaller car, says architect Edward Mazria in Fast Company. Half of all greenhouse gas emissions are building-related; residential buildings make up 21% of national energy consumption—almost as much as transportation. More»

Smaller homes built to strict LEED specs are all the rage

(NEWSER) - When it comes to building green, a LEED rating is the ultimate cachet-- but they're tough to get, the New York Times reports. And homes approved by the Leadership in Energy and Evironmental Design council tend to be small and pricey, with one platinum-certified four-bedroom house in California on the market for $2.8 million. Still, cities and homebuilders alike are jumping on the bandwagon. More»

Going outside would be a good first step

(NEWSER) - Summer is the perfect season to turn your rugrats into ecomaniacs, as warm weather and school vacations collide. Grist lists some basic steps to green up your family’s summer:

1. Get outside: The best way to commune with nature is to experience it first-hand, but the time kids spend outdoors has shrunk by half over the past 20 years.