Green

Earth Day 2013 events roundup
By Ellie Wilkinson
April 17, 2013 - 11:56am
Cleanups aren't the only way to show your love for the planet on April 22. Check out some of these other local events, and you can celebrate Earth Day all week long.

Earth Day is Monday, April 22, but Central New York has started the party for our planet a week early.

Nearly 5,000 volunteers picked up trash last Friday and Saturday in Onondaga County as part of the Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency’s Earth Day cleanup. In those two days, they collected over 8,400 pounds of garbage. Cleanups are planned through this week and into the weekend around the county, if you’re looking to help out.

Valentine's Day green gift guide
By Ellie Wilkinson
February 13, 2013 - 7:26pm
Have an eco-friendly V-Day in Syracuse with our overview of sustainable and organic treats for your sweetheart — or for your sweet self.

Happy Valentine's Day from TheNewsHouse.com Roses are red, violets are blue, and your Valentine’s Day can be green this year with a few smart gift picks.

The Christmas question: Are real or fake trees greener?
By Jingnan Li
December 23, 2012 - 5:22pm
Artificial Christmas trees may last longer, but experts say that real trees are ultimately more sustainable and Earth-friendly.

With Christmas around the corner, people are flooding into stores for presents and thinking about how to decorate their homes for the holiday. One of the biggest decisions is about the centerpiece decoration, the Christmas tree. If you're environmentally conscious, you may be wondering which is better: the real tree, or the artificial tree?

4 tips to caring for bird feeders
By Gwendolyn Craig
November 28, 2012 - 10:49pm
Bird-lovers can keep their feathered friends healthy and happy by regularly cleaning feeders. Here's how.

Many of us avian lovers long for this time of year. We hang up, suction cup or stake in the ground our feeders, fill them to the brim with seed, sneak back into the house and wait.

Before you know it, there are cardinals, chickadees, juncos, sparrows, doves and blue jays. They eat and bicker, waddle around, hop, flit away, come back, nibble, dip and dive until the seed is gone. But before you put out some more, take a closer look at your feeder and the surrounding area.

Green-themed getups for Halloween
By Michelle Van Dalen
October 25, 2012 - 3:45pm
Make Mother Nature proud with these fun and simple ideas for costumes. See, it's easy being green!

Halloween is approaching quickly, and the leaves outside are turning from summery greens to lush reds. But just because the trees are becoming less green doesn't mean you should too. Make the environment one of your top priorities this Halloween with these green-themed costume ideas.

Student groups call for SU's divestment from fossil fuel companies
By Ellie Wilkinson
October 20, 2012 - 9:20pm
Syracuse and ESF students and faculty are planning a campaign to urge the university to cut ties with companies that contribute to climate change.

After environmentalist Bill McKibben spoke at Syracuse University on Oct. 10, a signup sheet circulated among students and faculty members who were interested in accomplishing McKibben's tasks to take action against climate change. Three student groups hosted a meeting today that marked the first step toward achieving these goals.

One World: Peace talks include the environment
By Michele Maciejewski
October 9, 2012 - 3:30pm
Caring for our planet has been one important thread running through talks during the Dalai Lama's two-day visit to Syracuse.

The Dalai Lama is at Syracuse University, in case you couldn't tell. His Holiness, along with other Nobel Laureates, activists and even a former CIA director have been talking about the current state of conflict and security throughout the world, as well as ways to foster peace.

Super-green (and small!) Starbucks opens for business in Colorado
By Michelle Van Dalen
October 2, 2012 - 7:44pm
The iconic coffee company proves its devotion to the environment with a new experimental shop that is LEED-certified and made with local materials.

Starbucks is the biggest mainstream coffee franchise in the United States, making it less appealing to self-proclaimed "hipsters" all about going against mainstream culture. Hemp-wearing environmental advocates have to scour the nooks and crannies of cities to find a different coffee joint worthy of hipsterdom. Well, in most cities, that is.