2010 March | Green Living

SunChips Introduces 100% Compostable Bags

sunchips compostable bag 202x300 SunChips Introduces 100% Compostable Bags Just in time for Earth Month, SunChips is introducing a fully compostable bag for their 10 1/2 ounce snack-sized chips…which means after eating your chips, you can throw the bag in your compost bin or pile and it’ll fully break down.

The first step of its kind, the move to compostable bags made from renewable, plant based materials (PLA) reduces the amount of non-renewable materials used in packaging. Given the popularity of SunChips, this is a huge step in the right direction as far as big companies converting to green packaging (SunChips are a part of PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay).

We’ve already seen the new chip bags on shelves, and they should be available in stores across the U.S. and Canada in early April

To learn more about composting and how to get started, visit HowToCompost.org or our green expert Sophie Uliano‘s GorgeouslyGreen.com

White House Hosting Eco-Friendly Easter Festivities

white house easter eggs 300x200 White House Hosting Eco Friendly Easter Festivities This year, the annual White House Easter Egg Roll will focus on healthy eating and going green. The “Ready, Set, Go!” themed event on April 5th is aimed at encouraging kids to be healthy — part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative.

The annual event will feature live music, sports, cooking stations, and storytelling to go along with the traditional egg roll — and this year the eggs themselves will be eco-friendly. Cooked eggs have been replaced with wooden orbs featuring vegetable-oil based inks and water-based coating.

The eggs are, of course, green, as well as purple, pink and yellow and are adorned with the stamped signatures of both President Obama and the first lady.

Earth Hour 2010: Blackouts Roll Across the World

earthhour 300x168 Earth Hour 2010: Blackouts Roll Across the World In observance of Earth Hour, an event the World Wildlife Fund organized to create awareness of climate change, landmarks, businesses and homes across the world went dark for an hour at 8:30pm. Starting at the International Date Line, the Paris’ Eiffel Tower, London’s Big Ben and Rome’s Colosseum followed Sydney’s Opera House and Beijing’s Forbidden City joined the campaign.

As Earth Hour approached the United States, the Empire State Building and Coca-Cola’s Atlanta headquarters went dark. The Las Vegas Strip and California landmarks are expected to shut down as 8:30p approaches the West Coast.

Did you or will you go dark — shutting off lights and appliances — for earth hour?

Landmark Ecosystems Exhibit Opens in Los Angeles

ecosystemsexhibit 300x195 Landmark Ecosystems Exhibit Opens in Los Angeles A massive, $165 million exhibit celebrating our ecosystems and how they are connected has opened at the California Science Center in Los Angeles…and it’s entirely free to guests. After ten years of planning, the 45,000 square foot space features 11 environments with hand-on experiences including 1500 fish and more than 250 species of plants and other animals.

Among the 11 environments that visitors can explore:

- Extreme Zone: Discover how even in the harshest environments, species adapt to their surroundings.

- Forest Zone: Learn about the sources and importance of biodiversity in ecosystems.

- River Zone: Investigate the ways flowing fluids carry energy and matter from place to place.

- Island Zone: Look at how isolation reveals the processes of evolution.

- Rot Room: See how rot and decomposition release nutrients that nourish life.

- Global Zone: Focus on the ways living and physical systems interact on a global scale.

- Los Angeles Zone: Learn about the ecological challenges faced by urban ecosystems when it comes to water, waste, energy and wildlife.

Learn more about the Ecosystems exhibit at the California Science Center website.