not that you  haven’t heard it before but allow us a moment to reiterate just how amazing the Amazon rainforest is.  it encompasses 9 countries, contains more than 40% of the world’s rain forest, and is the source of one fifth of the world’s river water. as if that weren’t enough - more than one third of the all the species in the world live here and it produces 20% of the earth’s oxygen.  it covers 60% of Brazil with over 1.5 million square miles. but unfortunately, due to deforestation, over three thousand acres are lost every day. Brazil is now actually the fourth-largest producer of greenhouse gases which are produced as the jungle is burned to make way for grazing and farming. but, we are seeing improvements - just 12 months ago the number of acres lost daily was almost double. there’s debate about whether this is a result of increased enforcement or factors (drop in soybean cost and strengthening of Brazilian currency)  that make it less profitable to clear forest to grow crops.  whatever the reason, we hope the trend of preserving this natural wonder continues.

okay, definitely doesn’t have the same ring as “Cause I’m Fifty!” ala Sally O’Malley from SNL (in all her red jumpsuit glory) but nevertheless something truly worth celebrating. the Toyota Prius turns ten this year. it’s amazing how time flies when you’re pissing off the oil industry with fuel efficiency. introduced in Japan in 1997, three years prior to its U.S. debut, the hottest selling hybrid in the market is now driven by over 400,000 Americans.  if the Prius isn’t your official ride yet, what are you waiting for? unless you carpool, ride a bike, use mass transit or have gone electric – there are no excuses. it’s a little over $20K, comes in 9 colors and has a combined city/highway rating of 46mpg. oh yeah, it also has one of those cool rear cameras which makes parking a breeze. need we say more?

happy Labor Day earth lovers! so although it’s a day we all love having off, what is the true meaning of Labor Day? well, unlike the other holidays of the year, Labor Day is not connected in any way with a conflict, battle or victory. it’s a product of the labor movement and simply celebrates the achievements of American workers. so, although most Americans celebrate it by enjoying one or more of the famous Labor Day b’s – beer, beach, BBQ and bumming around – we’re proposing from now on to make it as green a day as you possibly can. first and foremost, please leave styrofoam out of any portable party planning – styrofoam is bad! don’t forget to recycle all those beer bottles and, if you can, organize a carpool to that beach outing. remember no effort is too small even on a day when we celebrate work by not working.

growing up in Hawaii did Steve Case a lot of good. Not only did it provide the co-founder of AOL with a gorgeous (and very inspiring) backdrop, but it also helped him develop a sense of appreciation for natural spaces and local culture. fast forward a few decades and $800 million later, Case is now planning a luxury resort in Costa Rica. he promises the 650-acre resort, called Cacique, will be “an environmentally friendly and culturally sensitive destination.” set to open in 2010, the resort will feature ‘power generated by renewable resources, recycling and solid-waste management programs, as well as on-site facilities for waste-water treatment.’ we’ll keep our ears and eyes open for any news re: Cacique and their eco-friendly planning and keep you posted. if they keep their green promises, we’ll definitely consider shelling out some to visit.

this month marks the 2-year anniversary of the LEED Program (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) launched by the U.S. Green Building Council. although there have been only 1,200 projects (residential and commercial combined) certified since its launch, there are over 14,000 projects registered. for commercial projects certification requires the buildings have among other things lower operating costs, reduced landfill waste, energy and water conservation and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. on the residential side, a LEED home uses less energy, water and natural resources, and creates less waste. it is estimated that a home receiving the certification will cost about 3-5% more to buy but in turn will help save the owner 25-30% per month on energy and water bills.

besides giving mother earth a break, LEED certified projects can also give you one in the form of tax rebates and other incentives. click the link to get all the eco-building scoop.

if you’re one of the few who got on the waiting list for a Fall 2007 delivery date and forked up almost $90K, then you should be (or will be soon enough) zooming around town in your new 100% electric Tesla Roadster. the ultra green machine goes 0 to 60 in about 4 seconds, gets 135 mpg and will travel 200 miles on a single charge. none of this sits well with oil loving auto makers (or the lobbyists that bend over backwards for them) but it definitely sits well with us and for that we have to thank Elon Musk. not only is he the chairman and principal investor in Tesla Motors but he also co-founded Zip2 and PayPal. he’s clearly rolling in the dough which might help explain the car’s high price tag – chump change for a man like Musk. but, the Roadster is actually just the initial product; the company’s long term plan is to offer a range of models including affordably priced family cars. check out all the details on this eco-friendly ride.

here’s some unusually good news regarding our government. this last weekend, the House approved $16 billion in oil company taxes and also passed billions of dollars in tax incentives for renewable energy and conservation efforts.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi spoke of a push to make this country more energy-independent and added “it’s about our children, about our future, the world in which they live.” hold the applause however, our government disappointed once again by essentially shooting a birdie to the one-of-a-kind ecosystem known as the Florida Everglades. Todd Willens, assistant deputy director of the U.S. Department of the Interior, lead the U.S. delegation to strip the fragile river of grass of their endangered designation. who is Willens you ask? oh, just some under qualified hack who until last fall was a top aide for Rep. Dick (how appropriate) Pombo who, together with Willens, fought to destroy the Endangered Species Act.  the government saga continues…

okay so we got the first man on the moon but environmentally speaking that didn’t accomplish anything for us. Japan, on the other hand, is bringing the world the first hybrid train.  although cars, not trains, are the big global warming contributors, we still appreciate the effort.  and speaking of green transportation, Toyota continues to lead the way by developing a plug-in hybrid. the Toyota Plug-in HV runs longer on electricity than regular hybrids and only takes 1.5 hours to recharges (at 200 volts). costs and battery technology is holding back mass production but industry experts expect we’ll start seeing plug-ins in showrooms by 2010.

while you’ll have to wait for your ride to get greener, there’s no need to be patient when it comes to your credit card. GE Money has introduced their Earth Rewards Platinum MasterCard which allows you to contribute 1% of all your purchases to help offsets greenhouse gas emissions. you can also opt to contribute half of that and keep the other half in cash back rewards.

last week new rules went into effect making the manufacture of computers more energy efficient. the regulations set to meet the government’s Energy Star standards are expected to save more than $1.8 billion in energy costs over the next five years.  the new rules are long overdue. according to the Green Electronics Council computers are, among other things, non-green, very resource-intensive to manufacture, have a short life span and contain significant amounts of toxic and environmentally sensitive materials. also, because of inefficiency in recovery and recycling, most computers end up as e-waste. and, according to the U.S. recycling industry, around 80% of that e-waste ends up in Asia. so in a weird twist of fate, they send us new lead-covered toys and we send them used mercury-filled monitors. talk about a lose-lose.

between their hiring practices, unfair treatment of employees and their disdain for mom & pop shops, it’s hard to like Wal-Mart. environmentally speaking they haven’t fared much better. they are the epitome of urban sprawl and carry a plethora of products with excessive packaging. but last year they surprised most everyone by setting a goal to sell 100 million compact fluorescents in one year. whether they achieve this goal remains to be seen but the fact is that at least they made some sort of environmentally friendly effort. and now the mega chain announced it’s well under way to achieve higher fuel efficiency. their fleet of over 7,000 semi tractor-trailer trucks is already 15% more fuel efficient and their goal is to increase that number by another 25% or what the EPA estimates will mean an emissions reduction of 345,000 tons of CO2. as much as we applaud the effort, we’ll continue to be skeptical of a company that is taking steps to improve their relationship with mother earth but not with its employees.