For 25 years the Surfrider Foundation has been dedicated to preserving our planet’s oceans, waves and beaches.  Now you can help this non-profit grassroots organization and CardPartner, a company that helps organizations and charities create credit card programs, protect the world’s water by purchasing the new Surfrider Foundation Visa Rewards green credit card.

By simply activating your card the bank will donate $50 to one of the Surfrider Foundation’s water conservation programs.

For 25 years the Surfrider Foundation has been dedicated to preserving our planet’s oceans, waves and beaches.  Now you can help this non-profit grassroots organization and CardPartner, a company that helps organizations and charities create credit card programs, protect the world’s water by purchasing the new Surfrider Foundation Visa Rewards green credit card.

By simply activating your card the bank will donate $50 to one of the Surfrider Foundation’s water conservation programs.

The Visa Green Credit Card

Just like the Eco-Friendly Credit Cards from Brighter Planet, the new Surfrider Foundation green credit card offers many amazing benefits such as:

• No annual fee
• 0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for the first six months
• Earn points at hundreds of participating retailers
• Earn up to 15 bonus points per dollar at select merchants
• Redeem points for FREE airline tickets, merchandise and more
• Purchase protection
• Zero liability protection for unauthorized purchases
• Emergency cash and card replacement
• 24-hour roadside assistance

You can even choose between one of five Aaron Chang images for the visa green credit card: “Del Mar,” “Blue Wave,” “Pipeline,” “Teahupoo,” and “Isabell.”

This is a great way for you feel good about charging on your credit card. Now your love for shopping and the planet can go hand in hand!

To learn more about different types of credit cards check out Student Finance Domain.

We’ve shared a lot of PNC Bank’s green efforts with our readers, such as our posts PNC: A Green Bank with Eco-Friendly Service and PNC Bank Expands Green Initiatives, but PNC has really gone to where the grass is greener with its new easy green living wall.

The bank debuted plans last week to build a 2,380 sq. ft. soil-based Green Living Wall, which will appear on the side of its Pittsburgh headquarters.It will also feature a variety of other plants embedded in the green living wall that will make it into living art.

We’ve shared a lot of PNC Bank’s green efforts with our readers, such as our posts PNC: A Green Bank with Eco-Friendly Service and PNC Bank Expands Green Initiatives, but PNC has really gone to where the grass is greener with its new easy green living wall.

The bank debuted plans last week to build a 2,380 sq. ft. soil-based Green Living Wall, which will appear on the side of its Pittsburgh headquarters. It will also feature a variety of other plants embedded in the green living wall that will make it into living art.

Is This For Real?

Yes, this green living wall is for real, and it was created by Green Living Technologies, a New York green roof and wall manufacturer, and designed by Mingo Design.

Here are some cool green aspects of the green living wall:

• All hardware, plants, materials and installers were from within a 500 mile radius in Pittsburgh
• The  wall will use 602 panels of soil-based growth medium
• It will weigh 24 tons when fully watered
• Will require 15 minutes of watering at least once a week

Studies even show that a green living wall that faces south can make surrounding surfaces at least 70 to 80 degrees cooler!

PNC has done it again with this green idea. The bank was the first U.S. branch to build a green branch, and it will be the first U.S. branch to build the largest green living wall in North America.

The only thing we’re wondering is, “What happens when a rainstorm comes into Pittsburgh and causes the wall to weight more than 24 tons?”

Source: PR Web

For the past 16 years, Hilaire Purbrick of Brighton, East Sussex has practiced living an eco lifestyle in his eco friendly home. Only, it’s not what you would call a traditional eco-friendly home: it’s actually a 7-foot wide cave that he dug on his own land. And he’s very happy living there, despite talk from the town.

For the past 16 years, Hilaire Purbrick of Brighton, East Sussex has practiced living an eco lifestyle in his eco friendly home. Only, it’s not what you would call a traditional eco-friendly home: it’s actually a 7-foot wide cave that he dug on his own land. And he’s very happy living there, despite talk from the town.

Some groups, like the Brighton and Cove City Council, have tried everything to get Purbrick evicted from the home, like claiming that he sold homegrown vegetables illegally to local residents, and that he was keeping chickens and bees without permission.  These claims were fought hard by Purbrick, but it looks like he has officially lost his fight this year.

The fight for rights

The East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service finally found a way to shut down Purbrick’s eco friendly home. They declared it “unsafe” because it didn’t have a fire exit, and they believe that it could collapse at any time.

Purbrick will take his case to the highest European courts to salvage his eco friendly home, but even the courts think that his is a lost cause.  What do you think?

You can check out another eco friendly home at our blog post titled Beer Bottles Used in China for Solar Power.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

The “freshman 15″ is something that all new college students want to avoid. So how can students protect their weight and the planet at the same time? Take away cafeteria trays.

According to the Sustainable Endowments Institute, a research organization that tracks the sustainable practices of 300 colleges and universities with the largest endowments, 126 of these schools currently have either cut out trays completely from their dining halls, or they have dedicated certain days as “trayless days.” This is all in an effort to reduce waste, conserve energy and water, and to save money at the schools.

The “freshman 15″ is something that all new college students want to avoid. So how can students protect their weight and the planet at the same time? Take away cafeteria trays.

According to the Sustainable Endowments Institute, a research organization that tracks the sustainable practices of 300 colleges and universities with the largest endowments, 126 of these schools currently have either cut out trays completely from their dining halls, or they have dedicated certain days as “trayless days.” This is all in an effort to reduce waste, conserve water and to save money at the schools.

So, is it working?

Here are a few schools that are reducing waste by eliminating trays:

• Williams College – College has saved 14,000 gallons of water a year by taking away the trays.
• Rochester Institute of Technology – School is dramatically reducing waste and has saved 10% on food spending.
• Cornell University – Faculty did not like the idea of going trayless in the beginning, but since the school has transformed its cafeterias to include slate-fireplaces and do-it-yourself food stations, everyone likes the waste reduction and energy conservation efforts.

So far the only downfall these schools have seen from using no trays has the increase in traffic. Since people have to get up multiple times to get food, dining hall time increases.

Oh, and the trays can’t be used for sledding in the winter.

But if this green initiative is adopted in all schools around the U.S., then faculty and students will eventually learn how to handle the transition and develop a better understanding of how to control their college trash.

Do you think that going trayless is a good green idea, or does it just make you frustrated because you can’t fit everything on your plate?

Source: The New York Times

Today is Earth Day, a special day that raises awareness about the environment. It’s also a great day for thanking everyone whose environmental initiatives are having a positive impact on the preservation of the planet.

Today is Earth Day, a special day that raises awareness about the environment. It’s also a great day for thanking everyone whose environmental initiatives are having a positive impact on the preservation of the planet.

So, what are you doing today to help out the environment? If you don’t know what you can do, check out the list below.  Each blog post offers advice on how you can make Earth Day, and every day, a green one.

• 10 Ways to Make Your Work Area Green
• Green Thrift Store Shopping Tips
• 10 Ways to Green Your Kitchen
• How to Green Your Lunch
• 10 Green New  Year’s Resolutions
• How to Find a Green Hotel
• 11 Ways to Be a Green Student
• Tips for an Eco-Friendly Move

We hope that you found some new and unique ways to celebrate Earth Day in the above posts. Just remember that you can incorporate all of these green practices into your every day routine.

Using data from river groups, local governments and environmental organizations, American Rivers, the top conservation organization in the U.S. that supports healthy rivers, has determined the 10 most endangered rivers in the nation.

These endangered rivers are not just threatened by water pollution, but also by dams, industries, development, or all three.

Using data from river groups, local governments and environmental organizations, American Rivers, the top conservation organization in the U.S. that supports healthy rivers, has determined the 10 most endangered rivers in the nation.

These endangered rivers are not just threatened by water pollution, but also by dams, industries, development, or all three.

According to the annual endangered rivers report, these 10 rivers are in danger because of decisions that will be made this year. The most endangered American rivers of 2009 are:

• California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin River System
• Georgia’s Flint River
• Idaho, Washington and Oregon’s Snake River
• Maryland’s Mattawoman Creek
• Montana’s North Fork of the Flathead River
• South Carolina’s Saluda River
• Pennsylvania’s Laurel Hill Creek
• Alaska’s Beaver Creek
• Mississippi’s Pascagoula River
• Minnesota and Wisconsin’s Lower St. Croix National Scenic Riverway

If any of these rivers are located near your home, you should definitely do something to bring attention to their conservation.

Want to learn more about the American Rivers organization? Check out this 35^th anniversary video:

Source: CNN