Phish Festival 8: Reducing the Environmental Impact of a Rock Concert

Posted on November 10, 2009 by Nick Chambers .

In a recent conversation I had at the 3-day Phish Festival 8 with Matt Beck, Touring Director for Phish’s charitable organization, The WaterWheel Foundation, he said something that struck me as incredibly honest and from the heart: “There’s nothing about a rock and roll concert that is sustainable when you really get down to the [...]

Phish Reduces Water Bottle Consumption at Festival 8 With Innovative Program

Posted on November 6, 2009 by Nick Chambers .

If you’ve ever stuck around after an open air rock show and witnessed the carnage that remains, you’ll know what I’m talking about when I say that the amount of plastic disposable water bottles left on the ground is staggering. Really, try it some time. Not only will you be able to relax after the [...]

Amazon Pilgrim, The Trans-Amazon Cycling Expedition

Posted on July 6, 2009 by Doug Gunzelmann .

I, greenUPGRADER’s own Doug Gunzelmann, will be embarking on a cycling trip that will take me across Brazil through the heart of the Amazon Jungle. Originally the Transamazonica was built to open up the interior of the Amazon for settlment. The project was left infinished a few years after construction began in 1973. By returning [...]

Crafting Cradle to Cradle: Upcycled Vocabulary

Posted on June 29, 2009 by Becky Striepe .

I know, I’m about seven years late to the party here, but I’m just now reading Cradle to Cradle. As I made my way through the book, a terrible realization slowly dawned on me, and this one line from The Princess Bride has been running through my head since then:

I am the Vizzini in [...]

Curbing Conspicuous College Consumption

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Matt Embrey .

Being a college student isn’t a license to carelessly ravage through raw materials, but we also can’t expect a 19 year old to buy an heirloom set of furniture that they intend to keep for the rest of their days on earth. There has to be a better way to accomodate the transient lifestyle of a student while reducing the volume of furniture that they consume.

Earth Hour 2009 Vote: Earth Vs Global Warming

Posted on March 28, 2009 by Doug Gunzelmann .

Earth hour traces its origin back to Sydney Australia in 2007 (Earth Hour already happened there by the time you read this!) when businesses and residents turned off their lights for one hour to make a statement about energy use and global warming. Today is your chance to vote for Earth by [...]

Greener Gadgets Highlights - Part 2

Posted on March 4, 2009 by Doug Gunzelmann .

This past weekend Matt and I thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the Greener Gadgets Design Competition. Jill Fehrenbacher and Mike Chino of Inhabitat were great hosts along with Allan Chochinov of Core77. We were thoroughly schooled on the latest in upcoming sustainability concepts, the new wave of design all over the blogosphere, and some hip [...]

Power Shift 2009 Economic and Climate Crisis Summit

Posted on February 20, 2009 by Doug Gunzelmann .

Coming up in the last weekend in February in Washington DC you can join tens of thousands of like minded individuals meeting to discuss, listen, and learn about the economic and climate crisis we face and how to reclaim our future.

Student Brings Solar-Powered Refrigeration to Areas without Electricity

Posted on January 29, 2009 by John Platt .

There are still many parts of the world without ready access to electricity. This makes it hard to preserve medicines or to store foods that could quickly go bad.
But 21-year-old Emily Cummins — previously named as one of the Future 100 Young Entrepreneurs of the Year and the Ultimate Save-The-Planet-Pioneer in the Cosmopolitan Ultimate Women [...]

Barack Obama and a Greener America

Posted on January 20, 2009 by Doug Gunzelmann .

While listening to the inaugural address today it was hard to miss the nods President Obama made toward the need for alternative energy sources and a shift in behavior towards America’s energy consumption. Happy inauguration day!