Happy Earth Day greenUPGRADER readers!!

Can you believe this day of earth-friendly behavior and learning has been around for 43 years? It's hard to imagine there was a time, not so long ago, when people knew almost nothing about chemical pesticides and industrial plants were free to dump their waste directly into lakes and rivers.

Thanks to the hard work of Earth Day founder Gaylord Nelson, and millions who share his passion for a healthier planet, we've come a long way since then. Although we might not always like how well they're enforced, laws like the Clean Air and Water Acts ensure that we have at least some recourse against those who would treat our only planet like a landfill.

Sometimes, fighting to protect the natural world can feel like a losing battle. For those who believe we are meant to be stewards of this marvelous blue marble, it's important to remember how far we've come, how much has been achieved. Browse the infographic below for interesting facts and figures from the first Earth Day until now.

And then do your best to get outside today...enjoy the beauty of this amazing place we call home! Feel the wind in your hair and the sun on your face. Breathe some fresh air. It'll help remind you why we're fighting so hard to save it.

Earth Day graphic produced by the Kars4Kids car donation program

Top image via alicepopkorn/Flickr

The coal lobby has thrown billions of dollars at convincing consumers that "clean coal" is the future of American energy. It's abundant, it's cheap, and thanks to carbon capture technology, burning coal isn't as bad for the planet as it used to be! That's the claim, and it's partly true. Unfortunately, there is really no such thing as "clean coal."

Coal is abundant and cheap, if you're only measuring that cost in the money coal companies have to spend to get it out of the ground. The problem is that we've mined most of the coal that's really easy to get, so now companies have to take extreme measures to get the coal that powers most of the homes in the U.S.

It started with strip mining. When coal mines began to become more scarce, coal companies turned to this new technique which uses heavy machinery to scrape away layers of the Earth to get at more tucked-away coal stores. All of that stripping polluted surrounding air and waterways.

Our thirst for energy now has us using even more extreme measures to acquire coal. Instead of stripping the land, the common practice is now mountaintop removal mining (MTR). MTR uses explosives to literally blow the tops off of mountains. It scars the landscape and is far more polluting than strip mining, which was already pretty bad.

In fact, according to advocacy group I Love Mountains:

In Appalachia, children are 42% more likely to have birth defects — if they live near a mountaintop removal coal mine. Individuals are 50% percent more likely to die from cancer.

Check out this video from Appalachian Voices about how MTR is affecting public health.

This has nothing to do with burning coal. No amount of carbon capture is going to change that MTR is a major public health and environmental threat.

Mountaintop Removal Mining: Get Heard

If you are as sickened by that video and MTR in general as I am, I hope you'll take a moment to sign the I Love Mountains Petition asking President Obama to stand up for Appalachian children and ban this practice.

As individuals, we can work to rely less on coal-fired power by using less electricity. If you have electric heat, take steps to winterize your home. You can also do simple things like turn off the lights when you leave a room and unplug electronics you're not using to eliminate vampire power use in your home.

If you have the money, switching out electric appliances for alternatively-powered ones can also make a big difference. Consider a solar hot water heater, for example, instead of an electric one, or install solar panels. Even if they only replace some of the coal-fired electricity in your home with renewable power, you're still contributing that much less to our coal problem, right?

I'd love to hear from you guys! What are you doing to reduce your dependence on coal-fired power?

Image Credit: Creative Commons photo via I Love Mountains

After twelve years of promoting eco-conscious living and valiant efforts at keeping their carbon footprint low, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival has once again raised the green bar.

This week, Bonnaroo and it's partners announced the installation of its first permanent solar array. Although the use of PV panels and solar-powered stages is not new to the festival circuit, Bonnaroo is once again pioneering the way for eco-minded music festivals. Generating more than 61,000 kWh per year, this system will mark the first of it’s kind for any US musical festival.

To read more details about Bonnaroo's environmental programs and the new solar array check out our sister site, Green Up Music.

As the summer music festival season rolls in, festival organizers across the globe will make significant efforts to create more sustainable events by reducing environmental impacts and educating fans. From solar powered stages to on-site composting, Bonnaroo is leading the way for green music festivals. Tucked away on a farm in Manchester, TN, Bonnaroo celebrated it's 11th year this month and I was stoked to be a part of the celebration.

Phish, one of the 2012 Bonnaroo headliners, has been supporting the green movement since long before "sustainability" was a hash tag on Twitter. Bonnaroo too. Much of the Bonnaroo team hails from the Phish crew, bringing to the table an expertise for organizing large-scale festivals and a true commitment to environmental consciousness. Since it's first throw down in 2002, Bonnaroo has always been committed to promoting sustainability as part of the festivities. Every year the eco-minded activities, amenities and educational workshops continue to expand and this year was no exception. Monday morning, as thousands of music-soaked fans headed home from this year's festival, I had the opportunity to speak with Laura Sohn, Sustainability Coordinator for Bonnaroo.

With six years of working with Bonnaroo under her belt, Sohn has been an integral part of the always evolving green initiatives, including teaching fans how to grow gardens or reduce their carbon footprint all year long. Highlights this year included the Victory Garden in Centeroo and the Carbon Shredders booth.

According to Sohn, "One of our three big highlights has been developing the on-site compost station so that none of that material leaves site. It's a total closed loop." Compost is collected throughout the weekend and then gets used on site at the farm for the trees that they plant, the garden and other various site projects. The two other big initiatives were the Carbon Shredders booth and the Victory Garden, a PlanetRoo demonstration garden where educational workshops are held for people to learn how to garden, compost and grow mushrooms. One of Sohn's favorite on site projects, the Victory Garden, is maintained year round, including all kinds of delicious herbs, such as lemon balm, lavender, fennel and rosemary. "It's important because it encourages people to eat local food" a mainstay passion for Sohn. Most of the fans are from the southeast and there are so many great local resources that they would love to encourage fans to either grow their own or purchase from local farmers. The educational component of the garden ties into their larger initiative with the Carbon Shredders, a Bonnarooo driven project in collaboration with CREx (Carbon Reduction & Energy Exchange). CREx is the organization that completed the carbon footprint analysis for the entire festival. Sohn says "The idea is to help people learn how to reduce their carbon footprint throughout the year when they go home after the festival. It's a big picture kind of education project. We try to communicate with fans throughout the year with tips and information and letting them know what we do as an example of something they can do at home."

Although hugely successful, there are always challenges that exist with an event of this size. A great benefit to the music festival scene is that fans are often already aligned with eco-conscious lifestyles and are interested in learning more. According to Sohn "The biggest challenge for the Bonnaroo team being that the scope of the festival is so large, Bonnaroo really tries to focus on making reductions to their impact, including purchasing offsets and they are working on including permanent on-site renewable energy sources within the next 18 months. They also work with the staff to make sure that as often as possible, materials and supplies are sourced locally." Despite the challenges, as Sohn says "We have a long-term commitment to this philosophy and mission. We know that we can take small steps some years and big steps other years, ultimately working within our mission to be as sustainable as possible."

A five time winner of the "A Greener Festival Award" and the only US festival to have been awarded by this UK-based organization, speaks to their long-standing commitment to creating a festival that is great for the fans but conscious of their environmental impact.

"The nature of Bonnaroo is so high profile, that its definitely an example that if we can make some of these efforts than other smaller festivals can as well." Bonnaroo does have a great advantage by owning the property which allows for more control over what happens on site. Both the on-site composting and the addition of a permanent main stage significantly limit the amount of material that is trucked on and off site, creating measuarable reductions to the environmental impact of the festival.

The greatest impact reduction over the years has been the vast amount of waste diverted from landfills, almost 240 tons in 2011, representing 68% of the total waste created, and the number continues to grow every year. As Sohn stated, it's the most direct way to make change and more volunteers means more waste diverted and sorted. Bonnaroo has also installed a permanent electrical system which reduced generator usage by seventy percent.

In addition to big changes, Bonnaroo is always looking ways to improve the community and the experience for fans in any way possible. This year more water refill stations were added and for the first time, Bonnaroo coordinated with California-based ride-share program Zimride. Combining social networking and carpooling, Zimride is a great way to meet other music lovers and reduce the impact of traveling. Over one thousand fans traveled together via Zimride this year with participation expected to increase next summer.

A a frequent concert-goer and an environmentalist, I know we all want to have a good time and we want to share in the experience of music, but what's also important is finding ways to do that which limit the impact on that place and the larger community. Bonnaroo is committed to the cause, whether educating their fans or improving conditions on the farm. With a captive audience of almost eighty thousand, there really isn't a better opportunity to expose a multitude of green lifestyle choices to the masses. And even those this year's festivities have just come to a close, according to Sohn, new and exciting carbon reducing projects are already in the works for 2013. Personally, I can't wait to do it all again next year.

Image Sources: Ray Terrill; Richard Allen/Green Up Music

A version of this article originally ran on our sister site, Green Up Music.

Turning a parking space into greenspace is nothing new, but when a town's mayor gets in on the park(ing) action, it's definitely something to talk about!

Mayor Svante Myrick in Ithaca, New York is joining 15 percent of Ithaca's population and opting to walk to work every day. That doesn't mean he gave up his parking space. Nope! Instead, Myrick gave up his car and transformed his City Hall parking space into a miniature public park.

I've talked before about how turning parking spaces into green spaces could transform a city, and I think it will take prominent figures like Mayor Myrick leading by example to make that happen. I mean, really, who doesn't feel all warm and fuzzy when they see this sign?

Have you come across any mini parks like these? I'd love to see photos! Link away in the comments!

Image Credits: Photos via Mayor Svante Myrick

We talk a lot about plastic around here, from art made using reclaimed plastic to innovations in bioplastics. Plastic, especially single-use plastic, is an environmental nightmare. Sure, you can recycle most plastics, but each time you do you end up with a lower-quality plastic. Eventually, it's all landfill-bound, where it's basically never going to break down.

But for used plastic that you can't recycle or reuse, the landfill is almost a best-case scenario. If it doesn't make it to the landfill, it washes into waterways and eventually makes its way into the ocean, contributing to one of the plastic gyres that litter the sea.

On a recent trip to the Smithsonian Marine Research Station on Carrie Bow, professional photographer Laurie Penland ran across this floating mass of random plastics in the ocean and took some video from below. Meet the floating plastic monster:

Looking to cut back on the single use plastic in your life? There are lots of ways to cut back on single use plastic:

• Choose reusables. Why use plastic cutlery? You can go for a reusable option instead. If you absolutely have to use disposable cutlery, opt for the sort that you can compost in a home composting bin.
• Look for minimal packaging. Or even better: look for NO packaging! One of the best ways to cut back on packaging is to buy second hand. Most thrift stores don't want to splurge on plastic clamshells or shrink wrap.
• Bring your own bag. Just say no to single use, plastic grocery bags. Keep some reusable bags in the trunk of your car, the commuter pack on your bike, or in your purse. If you forget to bring a bag, opt for paper or just carry your items out by hand.
• Bring your own cup. Whether you're going out for coffee or a smoothie, bring a cup of your own, so you don't have to take a plastic cup or a paper cup with a plastic lid.
• Shop the farmer's market. Processed foods usually include some sort of plastic packaging, as do a lot of the fruits and veggies at the grocery store.  Hit the farmer's market, and bring your own, reusable bags to tote home your goods.

Of course, these are just a few jumping off points. There are lots of ways to avoid single-use plastic. Tell us your favorite in the comments!

Video via Ocean Portal, photo by Laurie Penland

The Last Mountain takes a hard look at mountaintop removal mining and how it's destroying Appalachia.

Citizen protests about coal mining practices are nothing new. The photo at the top of this post represents local opposition to coal mining operations in Ohio in the 1970s. While strip mining is a destructive practice, mountaintop removal mining is far worse.

Large coal companies, like the notorious Massey Energy, have been polluting valleys and waterways and endangering workers and citizens for decades all in the name of providing us with cheap electricity. In the new film The Last Mountain, filmmakers expose the true cost of coal and follow an Appalachian anti-coal group in its efforts to stop Big Coal from further destroying their home.

Here's the official trailer:

What You Can Do

Want to do your part to get heard and reduce your dependence on coal? Here are some ways to get active:

• Reduce your energy consumption where you can. Whether you take steps to run your A/C less this summer or increase your appliances' energy efficiency, using less power means burning (and therefore mining) less coal.
• Sign the NRDC Petition asking President Obama to ban mountaintop removal mining.
• Send a letter encouraging the federal Office of Surface Mining, Reclamation and Enforcement (OSMRE) to step in and require the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection do an environmental impact study, rather than automatically renewing the mining permits on Coal River Mountain.
• Use renewable power where you can. Invest in a solar water heater or solar outdoor lighting for your hard and home.

Have you taken any steps to reduce your dependence on coal? I'd love to hear more tips in the comments!

Image Credit: Photo via The U.S. National Archives