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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Nov 24 2010
If you've made it this far, it means you survived Black Friday. Whether you waited in line for hours or skipped the event all together, chances are you still have some holiday gifts that need to be made or purchased. For many of you, today, Cyber Monday, is the day to finish up those holiday gifting loose ends. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Jun 11 2010
"A photograph is usually looked at," Ansel Adams famously wrote, "seldom looked into." In spite of this insight—photographers around the world are working to create compelling images that demand to be looked at and, indeed, "into." Look into these 10 showcases of photography with a purpose, including the oil spill, amazing landscapes, wildlife and more. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Travel & Outdoors Jun 2 2010
Around the world, programs have stopped the destruction of critical habitats and brought critically depleted species back from points where hope seemed foolish. From bald eagles to bison, these six conservation efforts actually worked. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect May 4 2010
digg_url = 'http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/salad-spinner-centrifuge.html';In places where food security is uncertain and malnutrition runs rampent, being able to test for anemia is essential. Doing so is a quick and simple proposition with a cetrafuge. But in the developing world—where health care budgets are minimal and electricity unreliable—such basic equipment is a luxury. Now, two college students have an answer: The everyday salad spinner. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Travel & Outdoors Apr 27 2010
Technology, it seems, is making our world a smaller—and certainly more connected—place. Turn on a computer, type a message, and press 'send' and it appears, almost instantaneously, on a screen on the other side of the globe. Here are seven of the most incredible explores pushing towards the boundaries of the planet. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Travel & Outdoors Mar 17 2010
Discovery's Life shows us that existence is a delicate thing. But, when changes wreak havoc around the world, some species are able to adapt by developing novel solutions to these monumental challenges. Now, as the planet shifts under our own mismanagement, it is time for humans, too, to adapt to these new challenges. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Home & Garden Dec 23 2009
Between 1940 and 2000, the number of homes within 50 kilometers of conservation land in the United States increased from 9.8 million to 38 million. These rings of habitation, researchers at the University of Wisconsin in Madison argue, are threatening the biodiversity of some of the country's most important wild preserves, including national parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Dec 16 2009
It's likely that most people will walk away from 2009 remembering it as the year of a massive, global, financial meltdown. Knowing this, Time Magazine + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Dec 1 2009
Students at Lincoln University with a body mass index of 30 or more are required to take, and pass, a physical fitness course before they graduate. Should a similar requirement exist to ensure students are environmentally responsible? + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Food & Health Nov 24 2009
Around the world, allergies are on the rise. The number of children in the United States with food allergies doubled between 1997 and 2002. In the UK, rates of allergies among children have tripled in the last decade. Research suggests exposure to bacteria and germs is a necessary part of growing up. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Nov 23 2009
A new study conducted in England is giving clues to how the environmental movement has influenced Brits. Understanding Society tracks the behaviors and attitudes of 100,000 people, in a variety of age groups, across the country. Though attitudes towards environmentalism and environmental issues are only one small part of the study, the findings are very interesting for people in England and around the world. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Nov 23 2009
This morning, the White House plans to acknowledge Discovery Communications' commitment to furthering science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. The company, of which Planet Green is a part, will announce a new block of programming, educational curriculum, and tools to help foster excellence and develop new careers in these fields. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Tech & Transport Nov 19 2009
Public transit can get us where we want to go, but can it teach us about our society and ourselves? + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Food & Health Nov 18 2009
New research suggests that Transcendental Meditation, a practice developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, could help at-risk college students cope with depression and mental health problems, lower blood pressure, and, ultimately, fight hypertension. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Home & Garden Nov 17 2009
When you dump a packet of seeds into a pot of soil, you probably don't think who their parents where, but recent research suggests that you probably should. A study conducted at McMaster University found that individual plants of the same species actually change their growth patterns depending on whether they are sharing a pot with a member of their kin group or one with which they are not related. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Nov 16 2009
Greenpeace has a new executive director. Kumi Naidoo, a veteran of the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and a leading advocate in the battle against global poverty, is the first African, and first person from outside the organization, to be selected to head Greenpeace. His background is in defending human rights, particularly those of people made vulnerable by drought and natural disasters. Though his career has not focused solely on environmental activism, he argues that the division between human suffering and environmental degradation has been erased. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Nov 13 2009
At least once, and as many as three times, every year, Friday falls on the 13th day of the month. If that makes you a bit nervous, you might have a case of paraskevidekatriaphobia, the fear of Friday the 13th. You could stay indoors all day, hoping you don't slip in the shower or start a fire with a forgotten tea kettle, or you could take matters into your own hands. Instead of cowering in fear, fight it by doing something that encourages optimism. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Food & Health Nov 12 2009
Air pollution has an obvious and powerful effect on our health. Asthma, heart disease, and even appendicitis have been linked to poor air quality. What has not been obvious is the effect low air quality has on the health of our brains. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Travel & Outdoors Nov 11 2009
When Scottish scientists boarded their submersible and dove into the depths of Loch Ness, they were hoping to find evidence of a prehistoric creature along the loch floor. Instead, what they discovered were golf balls; hundreds of thousands of them. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Home & Garden Nov 10 2009
Zhu Zhu Hamsters are cute, interactive, intelligent toys; and they're preparing to invade our homes. Already, stores are selling out of Zhu Zhu pets and their accessories, suggesting that the 2009 holiday season might be overtaken by "Zhu Zhu-mania." + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Nov 9 2009
Organized by the BBC with support from Newsweek and Shell, World Challenge '09 seeks to honor "projects or small businesses from around the world that have shown enterprise and innovation at a grass roots level." This year, the fifth that the competition has been held, the finalists represent the greatest diversity yet seen. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Home & Garden Nov 9 2009
In the cornfields of Missouri, a hungry Tyrannosaurus Rex has been raising money and food for the hungry. "Scrappy the Dinosaur" is a 22-foot sculpture, created by artist Rob Lefief, that has been adorning the entrance of the Depner Farms corn maze for months. Now, the farm is auctioning Scrappy for fun and charity. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Travel & Outdoors Nov 6 2009
Doug Honnold, the managing attorney of EarthJustice, writes that a sad milestone has passed: "More than 100 [gray] wolves have been killed since Idaho and Montana began hunting them this fall." Following President Obama and Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's decision to remove gray wolves from the endangered species list in parts of the Midwest, Montana, and Idaho, governors in the later states approved plans to allow wolf hunts to take place this fall. So far, the casualties have been severe. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Tech & Transport Nov 3 2009
The participation is incredible: more than 250,000 students from across the country, locked in heated competition, working to build more 17,000 robots. With more than $12 million in university scholarships up for grabs, the stakes are high. Welcome to the world of FIRST. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Nov 2 2009
Karen Armstrong's take on religion, motivated by her experience as a Catholic nun and inspired by the study of modern literature, is one that emphasizes similarities over differences and compassion over judgment. Her books commonly spark controversy—indeed, her views tend to be inconoclastic—but her desire is to align religious leaders along principles of "universal justice and respect." + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Nov 2 2009
With everything from recipes to action updates, Oceana's new site is a destination for blue-minded web surfers. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Travel & Outdoors Oct 27 2009
"I shot a baboon in Africa," acclaimed restaurant critic AA Gill wrote in his Sunday column, "last Wednesday, just after lunch." Taken by the moment, the camaraderie of companion hunters, by the African countryside, by his very outfit, Gill decided it was time to "do baboon." + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Travel & Outdoors Oct 23 2009
A large zoo harbors a whole herd of environmental problems. Just because something is difficult, however, does not mean it's impossible and the National Zoo in Washington, DC, is working hard to create a place that is kind to animals, visitors, and the environment. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Travel & Outdoors Oct 21 2009
Theater goers have been dazzled by Spike Jonze's fantastic interpretations of the monsters from Maurice Sendak's book Where the Wild Things Are for over a week now. In the film Max makes an exciting journey to a world of his own imagination, populated by creatures that are, truly, wild. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Tech & Transport Oct 21 2009
Since the tornado devastated the town of Greensburg, Kansas, the remaining residents have been dedicated to rebuilding their community. So far, the rebuilding process has been an opportunity to remake the town as an environmentally friendly community with a burgeoning local green-economy. Their accomplishments are truly amazing but one dream has always remained just out of reach—until now. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Travel & Outdoors Oct 20 2009
We all know it's out there: a giant swirling mass of trash and scrap known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. We have seen how the trash is killing birds and other wildlife. It's a twice-the-size-of-Texas problem, but what can we do to stop it? + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Oct 20 2009
We Add Up begins explaining its goals by stating: The climate crisis is real and happening right now. This kind of clear, powerful, messaging forms the foundation of the organization, which Al Gore called a "tremendous marketing tool to promote the important message about the climate crisis." + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Home & Garden Oct 16 2009
On the afternoon of October 15, six-year-old Falcon Henne climbed into his family's silver weather balloon, untied its tether, and took flight. Floating as high as 8,000 feet above the ground, the balloon drifted more than 60 miles from Fort Collins, Colorado, to a field just outside Denver. As police and rescue crews mobilized, the nation watched nervously, fearful that young Falcon's flight might end in disaster. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Oct 15 2009
Every year, bloggers around the world come together for one day of organized action. This year, the issue is climate change and you can help. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Oct 15 2009
It began with a luxury watch, then another. These were followed by diamonds and jewelry, fancy cars and luxury apartments. There were flowers and vacations, clothes, and shoes. These gifts didn't make Yovanna Guzman love her boyfriend, the leader of a notorious Columbian drug cartel, but they did impress her. "When you get dazzled, you get carried away," she explained, and once that happens, it becomes easy to ignore the darker side of a person. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Oct 13 2009
Bill McKibben is the author of numerous books on global warming and environmentalism and has been talking about climate change since at least 1989. Since 2008, he has led 350 in a campaign to raise awareness of and draw political action to address the dangers of global warming and climate change. Now, he needs your help. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Home & Garden Oct 6 2009
Saturday comes around and you feel like picking up some cheap used home items, browsing some street-side fashions, or digging through a crate of old books. The place you want to go is, of course, a local yard sale. But how do you know where to go? Paper signs on telephone poles are great, until it rains and the text blurs, or the wind blows turns them into a litter problem. Plus, unless you happen to walk or drive by, you'll never know there's a great sale just down the block. Now, there is a geeky solution for yard sale power shoppers. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Oct 5 2009
Somewhere on the rocky coast of New Zealand, a group of musicians gathered for three weeks around Christmas. Answering local songwriter Neil Finn's invitation, musicians such as Jeff Tweedy, KT Tunstall, Bic Runga, Sebastian Steinberg, Edward O'Brien, Phil Selway, and Johnny Marr made the long trip to work together. The result is The Sun Came Out, a new album by 7 Worlds Collide. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Fashion & Beauty Oct 2 2009
Facing environmental degradation, economic hardship, and political turmoil, the people of Haiti have a lot to worry about. One of the island's most famous living natives, Wyclef Jean, is working hard to change that. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Oct 2 2009
The 24th annual Farm Aid concert brings musicians, farmers, activists and consumers together in support of "good food." + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Oct 1 2009
Zombies, along with pirates and pop stars, form a solid cornerstone of American pop-culture. In a few ways, they are also green living role models. They are supreme examples of a reuse-driven lifestyle. Also, they eschew cars and walk, more lumber really, everywhere they need to go. Zombie's environmentalism, unfortunately, ends there. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Sep 30 2009
Though he wore a red clown's nose while boarding the rocket, Guy Laliberte, the billionaire founder of Cirque du Soleil, did not travel into space simply to bring laughs to the International Space Station. Instead, the "first clown to go into orbit" is doing so to draw attention to an environmental crisis. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Food & Health Sep 29 2009
Today is National Coffee Day and for java drinkers are retailers around the country that means one thing: free coffee. But is there anything else you can do to make your coffee ritual more eco-friendly? + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Sep 25 2009
Last night, popular talk radio personality Rush Limbaugh made an appearance on the Jay Leno Show. During the program, Limbaugh had the opportunity to drive an electric Ford Focus on Leno's test track. + READ MORE
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By David DeFranza IN Work & Connect Sep 24 2009
New research, based on date collected by three previous lunar missions, suggests that there may be water on the moon. Could this reserve of lunar water help supplement the endangered water resources of the blue planet? + READ MORE
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