Visiting the zoo has always been a favorite pastime for Americans because they get to see exotic animals from other countries. In fact, over 80% of the cities in the U.S. have their very own zoo complete with animals, rides, refreshments, and….animal waste?

It’s true. Zoos create millions of pounds of animal waste each day, and one of those zoos is the Miami Metrozoo. But the zoo has come up with a “zoo doo” recycling waste plan that takes the waste from animals and composts it into fertilizer.

Today, more people are living an eco lifestyle than ever before, so it was bound to happen: climate friendly food labels.  Most consumers read food labels to check ingredients that are in the product, but now consumers in Sweden will be able to read climate-change friendly labels to check the manufacturer’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

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.

Warren Wilson College has officially become the first college campus to have a building with LEED Platinum certification as defined under the U.S. Green Building Council. That’s quite a feat considering that the U.S. Green Building Council sets the highest standards for green buildings.

The EcoDorm was built by a committee of Warren Wilson students, faculty and administrators, with the help of the Samsel Architects of Asheville, a North Carolina firm that strives to incorporate green building techniques into their designs.

Did you know that about 5%-10% of the world’s carbon dioxide emissions are related to the manufacturing and transporting of concrete? In fact, about 20 billion tons of concrete are produced every year, and that certainly has an effect on your carbon footprint.

To reduce the global impact of concrete Engineers at MIT have created a more durable, eco friendly concrete that can last up to 16,000 years. This means less manufacturing of concrete, fewer CO2 emissions and less overall pollution.

In an effort to boost educational opportunities and student achievement, as well as to combat the fight against global warming, last Thursday the House passed a $6.4 billion school modernization bill that would build more green energy efficient schools.

This bill would also provide funds for school districts along the Gulf Coast that were damaged by hurricanes Katrina and Rita. The ultimate goal of the bill is to have 100% of the funds go towards green projects by 2015.

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.

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.

Do you want to prove to Obama, and to the rest of the world, that your school may just be the greenest campus in America? Do you want to challenge other students to reduce their carbon footprint in order to win up to $20,000?

Of course you do, and to prove your commitment to protecting the environment you should sign up for America’s Greenest Campus contest.

Do you go to school in or near Washington DC? If you do then you should definitely check out the 17th annual Environmental Film Festival that takes place in DC from March 11-22.

This year the green festival will feature 140 films from over 50 filmmakers, covering topics such as organic restaurants, global warming, the disappearance of honey bees and much more…