Recent Posts By Planet Green's Mairi Beautyman http://planetgreen.discovery.com/ en Copyright 2012 Tue, 24 Apr 2012 14:31:14 -0500 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss In Berlin, Eager to Knock Down More Walls Bananas, the tropical fruit in such huge demand by Ossis or East Germans those first few weeks of undivided Germany in November 1989 are now the subject of dozens of East-West jokes. ("How can you use a banana as a compass? Place a banana on the Berlin Wall. East is where a bite has been taken out of it.") Some even credit the fruit for bringing the Wall down.

But after nearly four years living in Berlin, my favorite Wall antidote is about pineapples: Yes, the ananas comosus, native to the southern part of Brazil, and Paraguay and unavailable in fresh form in the DDR due to trade restrictions.

As the story goes (told with dry humor by ]]>... <a href="http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/berlin-eager-knock-walls.html">Read the full story on Planet Green</a> http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/berlin-eager-knock-walls.html http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/berlin-eager-knock-walls.html Work & Connect Politics Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:02:34 -0500 Philanthropic Star Beyoncé Knowles Top Winner at 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards With precision-highlighted curly locks flying in the wind machine, Beyoncé Knowles cleaned up last night at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs), held at Berlin's O2 World arena, and we were there see it. Why? To track down the green slant, as well as scream our voices hoarse over local favorite, mohawk-flourishing german wunderkinds Tokio Hotel, winner of Best Group. 

From four nominations, the 28-year-old Knowles took home three coveted awards: Best Female, Best Song, ("Halo") and Best Video, ("Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)"). Clad in a strin]]>... <a href="http://planetgreen.discovery.com/feature/instrumental/philanthopic-star-beyonce-winner.html">Read the full story on Planet Green</a> http://planetgreen.discovery.com/feature/instrumental/philanthopic-star-beyonce-winner.html http://planetgreen.discovery.com/feature/instrumental/philanthopic-star-beyonce-winner.html Instrumental Music Music News Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:55:39 -0500 5 Cutting-Edge Green Travel Ideas To Fly Right By Travel as we know it is rapidly changing before our very eyes—for the better. Airlines—from European budget carrier Easy Jet to Continental, Delta, and Jet Blue, suddenly allow you to purchase carbon offsets with your ticket for just a few bucks. Decades before expected, commercial planes are taking off running on 100 percent biodiesel. "Staycation" is the new buzz word, and many who do leave town are no longer going on vacatio]]>... <a href="http://planetgreen.discovery.com/feature/earth-day/green-travel-ideas.html">Read the full story on Planet Green</a> http://planetgreen.discovery.com/feature/earth-day/green-travel-ideas.html http://planetgreen.discovery.com/feature/earth-day/green-travel-ideas.html Earth Day Carbon Footprint Carbon Offsets Earth Day Eco-Friendly Travel Ecotourism Green Air Travel Water Conservation Tue, 31 Mar 2009 13:59:35 -0500 Green City Guide: Berlin Berlin, the capital of Germany, is a city seeped in history, but one that acknowledges its checkered past: Buildings with bullet holes, old DDR watchtowers, bombed out landmarks, and jagged fragments of the Berlin Wall, the force that divided the city into East and West for 28 years, are scars purposely left as reminders.

Despite a gloomy reputation, this city, a former swamp, has a beauty that is globally underestimated—vibrant patches of green, large parks, and scenic walkways alongside leafy-tree-lined canals abound. Architecturally, the building boom in the 1990's and early part of this decade brought star architecture power to the East, resulting in massive develop]]>... <a href="http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/green-city-guide-berlin.html">Read the full story on Planet Green</a> http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/green-city-guide-berlin.html http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/green-city-guide-berlin.html Travel & Outdoors Destination Eco-Friendly Travel Green Air Travel Green City Guides Tue, 17 Mar 2009 16:27:32 -0500 Green City Guide: Munich From the legendary beer drinking extravaganza Oktoberfest, to historical landmarks like the Nymphenburg Palace, the Baroque summer retreat for Bavaria's royalty, to the miles of Christmas markets offering local crafts and handmade goods, Munich is teeming with attractions for all types of travelers.

Following suit with the rest of Germany, the Bavarian capital has some praise-worthy environmental policies. In October of 2008, a law requiring an environmental badge for cars kicked in, and now vehicles entering a designated "Green Zone" without the proper emissions criteria will b]]>... <a href="http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/munich-green-city-guide.html">Read the full story on Planet Green</a> http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/munich-green-city-guide.html http://planetgreen.discovery.com/travel-outdoors/munich-green-city-guide.html Travel & Outdoors Destination Eco-Friendly Travel Green City Guides Outdoors Responsible Shopping Tue, 09 Dec 2008 18:37:57 -0500 Green Your Yard, Part 2: Rethinking the Backyard This is the second in a series of posts about creating a more eco-friendly yards. Read the first post by Dr. John Whyte about fertilizers here.

A massive carpet of lush green grass covering the back forty is as American as apple pie. But what's the price of a conventionally treated (read: chemically assisted) lawn? And is it possible to sprout a piece of eco-conscious turf that will have the neighbors calling over the fence for your secrets? To find out, we sat down with landscape architect Richard Pete, founder of the design-build firm R.H. Pete Associates Landscape Architects in Vermont. As the previous owner of an organic lawn-care company and a board member of the Composting Associatio]]>... <a href="http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/green-yard2-backyard.html">Read the full story on Planet Green</a> http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/green-yard2-backyard.html http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/green-yard2-backyard.html Home & Garden Books Composting Composting Tips Gardening Green Your Yard Lawn Care Organic Outdoors Pesticides Trees Fri, 27 Jun 2008 16:36:02 -0500 ca-discovery-green_js 1 true RSS