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By Michael Graham Richard IN Travel & Outdoors Mar 22 2011
Isabella Rossellini, the famous Italian actress, filmmaker, author, philanthropist, and model, has a new film called "Animals Distract Me". It's scheduled to air on Planet Green on April 23rd at 10 PM EST. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Nov 18 2010
There's two new Dean of Invention episodes premiering on Planet Green this Friday, November 19th at 10pm Eastern and 10:30pm Eastern. Check them out! + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Travel & Outdoors Nov 9 2010
A century ago, more than 100,000 tigers could be found, and now their population is estimated at only about 3,500. Any way you slice it, that's a gigantic drop, but the saddest part is that while conservationists are fighting to save tigers, poachers are rapidly killing them to fuel the illegal trade in tiger body parts. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Travel & Outdoors Oct 28 2010
Both buses and bikes are viable alternatives to cars, epecially in densely populated urban areas, but in practice they can sometimes get in each other's way on the road. Here are some tips from a bike-riding bus driver. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Oct 21 2010
San Francisco wants to set a goal of 20% of all trips in the city made by bicycles by 2020. It's a great idea, but to get there the city will need much better bike infrastructure and more bike-friendly policies. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Oct 14 2010
Your probably thought you that it was good to share. Well, this doesn't only work for toys. Big fleet operators could also do a bit more sharing! It's exactly what New York City is trying with its new Department of Transportation (DOT) initiative. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Oct 12 2010
Modern electric cars show a lot of promise. Looking ahead, it's obvious that some of their differences with gasoline-powered cars will allow engineers and designers to improve on the old paradigm. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Oct 7 2010
Going car-free can be lucrative, especially for those living in densely populated urban areas. You save on the car payments and fuel costs, of course, but also on insurance, parking, and maintenance. To compensate, you can walk, cycle, take various forms of public transportation and mix in some car sharing, car rentals, or taxis (still less expensive than owning a car). + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Sep 30 2010
The days are progressively getting shorter, and so more and more cyclists will be biking in light conditions that definitely aren't optimal. Most cyclists are good about trying to wear clothing and accessories that are highly reflective and easy to see in the dark, but according to a new peer-reviewed study, cyclists might not actually be as visible as they think they are, which can increase danger. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Work & Connect Sep 23 2010
Massive philanthropic donations by the mega-rich are part of a very positive trend that has been gathering strength in the past few years. The most high-profile examples are no doubt Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, donating billions of dollars to make the world a better place (and they aren't just throwing money at problems, they are using various processes to make sure their donations are effective and have maximum impact). + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Sep 21 2010
There are many disadvantages to having such a car-centric society like ours, including air pollution, health problems related to not getting enough exercise, high personal and governmental monetary costs, deaths and injuries, etc. On top of all this, there's a common problem that we're too often downplaying: all the stress and anger caused by spending so much time driving. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Home & Garden Sep 14 2010
Installing a solar system on the roof of your house could cost you between $20,000 and $50,000, depending on on various technical details and incentives available where you live. Prices are coming down, but that's still a lot of money, more than what many people can afford. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Travel & Outdoors Sep 9 2010
More than 180 scientists and government officials have recently gathered in Boston for the 7th International Penguin Conference. The conclusions of the conference are rather alarming: the scientists warn that 10 of the 18 penguin species are experiencing population decline and that a variety of things are threatening their long-term survival, with some of these species facing extinction by the end of the 21st century. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Sep 7 2010
A new report shows that spending on public transportation creates significantly more jobs than spending on road projects. This could be a way for the federal government to both help with the high unemployment and protect the environment. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Aug 26 2010
Streets parkings in many cities are terribly under-priced compared to their market-value. This might seem like a good thing at first, but it's actually bad for most drivers and for pedestrians, cyclists, local businesses, and the environment. Here's why. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Aug 24 2010
Car-sharing is a great way to give people access to a car when they need one, without the downsides (monetary and environmental) of ownership when they don't. Zipcar is expanding its service to under-21 drivers around Harvard, and we think it's a great move. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Aug 19 2010
An ambitious new study by New York City's Department of Transportation tells us more about what are the threats to pedestrians and what we can do to improve things. As the world is becoming more urbanized and looking for alternatives to cars, we need to make safe cities for pedestrians. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Aug 17 2010
A new online app helps you find out how good public transit is in many cities around the US. Find out your local score, and check out other places before you consider moving to help reduce your dependency on cars. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Aug 3 2010
To make the world greener, we need better ways for people to move around. One easy way to make public transportation more effective is to open up the databases of transportation agencies. It doesn't cost anything, and can generate a lot of innovation. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Jul 29 2010
It's a shame that the energy bill that is making its way in the U.S. Senate doesn't have any money for public transportation. They spent on all kinds of other things, but modern and fast transit is one of the best ways to make our cities and suburbs more energy-efficient and less dependent on oil. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Jul 27 2010
Too many of our cities force the frail and the sick to choose between isolation or driving, which can be unsafe for everybody. Truly green cities need to provide safe and efficient transportation for everybody, including the weakest members of society. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Jul 23 2010
It is possible to make transit faster and more reliable using advanced computer algorithms. That's exactly what the ARRIVAL project in Europe is showing us. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Jul 16 2010
London's bike-sharing program is scheduled to open to the public on July 30, 2010. As far as bike-sharing goes, it will be a pretty big launch (bigger than Washington DC's bike-share, for example): There will be about 400 bicycle docking stations, 10,200 docking spaces and 6,000 bicycles available at launch in central London + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Travel & Outdoors Jul 13 2010
People who care about protecting nature and its ecosystems face many challenge (just look at what's going on in the Gulf of Mexico right now), but there are also victories, and it's worth taking the time to celebrate them. The latest success comes from Minnesota, where a major forest conservation deal was reached. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Jul 8 2010
The National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO) has created "Cities for Cycling". The goal is to to catalog, promote and implement the world’s best bicycle transportation practices in American municipalities. They take inspiration from the most bike-friendly cities in the US and around the world and try to package that information in a way that is easy to use for the urban planners and engineers of other cities that might not have much experience building quality bike infrastructure. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Jul 6 2010
A new Nissan ad featuring Lance Armstrong shows why the uber-cyclist prefers riding behind electric cars. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Jul 2 2010
The mayor of Chicago, Richard M. Daley, has announced that the windy city is getting a bike-share program this July. The city will follow Denver's lead and adopt the B-Cycle system, starting small with a 100 bike pilot program. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Jun 29 2010
Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla Motors, is trying to change the world, and so far he seems to be succeeding. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Travel & Outdoors Jun 16 2010
A new study published in the journal Latin American Antiquity explains how the ancient Nazca civilization of south coastal Peru collapsed after they destroyed local forests to make way for agriculture, thus exposing the landscape to wind and flood erosion. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Work & Connect Jun 10 2010
There are things in life that are more important than money. This man has found his passion, and he wants to share it with others. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Jun 9 2010
Why can't we generate all the electricity we need from the wind? That's a question that I often hear coming from people who are starting to learn about the environmental challenges that are facing us, and it's a good question. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Jun 3 2010
An epic environmental tragedy has been unfolding in the past week and a half, with things going from bad to worse to terrible (and it's not over yet). What I'll do here is take a quick look at what happened so far, and then look at what you can do to help. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Travel & Outdoors Jun 1 2010
The United States is a big country any way you look at it. It takes hours by plane, days by car or train, and months (if not years) by foot. Why would anyone go through the trouble of walking across the US? Asking this question to Matt Green from I'm Just Walkin' will probably get you an answer in the form of a question: Why not? + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport May 25 2010
You don't have to be Lance Armstrong to be an ambassador for cycling. Regular people of all walks of life are keeping bike culture vibrant and getting new converts just by preaching by example. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport May 20 2010
There is a category of risks that aren't very likely, but that have such terrible consequences that they are worth studying. This is an introduction to existential risks, also known as global catastrophic risks. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport May 17 2010
Most of the time, your computer's CPU is not doing anything. Instead of wasting this potential, it is possible to use those idle moment to do scientific calculations and help researchers cure horrible diseases. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Apr 20 2010
The transportation sector is broken. In this series, we'll see how to fix it. Level 1 looks at technical improvements that can apply to all cars, from today's vehicles to tomorrow electric cars. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Apr 13 2010
The transportation sector is broken. It relies overwhelmingly on fossil fuels, which means that it is a top contributor to air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Here's how to fix it and build greener cars. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Apr 9 2010
Here are the Best of Green 2010 Readers Choice winners in the Cars and Transportation category. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Home & Garden Dec 1 2009
I wanted to turn the apartment into a joyful place for the holidays, but I realized that we don't have any decorations or ornaments of any kind. What's the green thing to do? + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Nov 17 2009
Soon it will be Thanksgiving, a long weekend that marks the beginning of the holiday season in the US. It's a safe bet that most of you who are reading this will be traveling to go celebrate with family and friends, so let's take a moment to think a little bit about ways to make these trips less energy-intensive and less polluting. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Nov 10 2009
Keeping your computer longer is the green thing to do. Maybe you'd like to upgrade a component in your desktop computer, but you don't know what? Here's a few pointers. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Food & Health Oct 25 2009
Reducing the amount of energy you use to cook food can be good both for the planet and for your wallet. Here are many low energy cooking tips. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Oct 16 2009
I know that a lot of Planet Green readers are cyclists (no big surprise, the bicycle is still the greenest way to get around), and this probably means that some of you are curious about fixed gear bicycles. Let's look at some of the benefits and disadvantage of these minimalistic (so would even say elegant) bikes. + READ MORE
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By Michael Graham Richard IN Tech & Transport Oct 12 2009
Electric cars are all the rage these days (at least in the media, if not on the roads), and one expression that is sure to gain currency is "range anxiety". What is it and how can we remove that anxiety? That's what I want to talk about today. + READ MORE
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