Another post points out how there seems to be republican bloggers filling this board with antienvironment posts...I would like to say to all republicans visiting this site welcome. If there ever was an issue that shouldn't be red or blue, it's the environment. But please take a few minutes to read opposing point views while you're here. I have had my opinions changed by well argued posts and if you, and everyone else, tries reading with an open mind you might as well.

If you put everything you owned in a storage unit, how much space would you need? Due to some business travel, I put everything into storage and managed to fit everything in a 5x20x8 space. Not bad for a family of three and a half (my older daughter has things at her mother's). I have plenty of money so I can buy whatever I want (okay I admit I want a larger flat panel tv, but as long as the old one works, I won't replace it), but have found I'm happier the less I own.

I recently read this article, about how solar panels are being set up in the Sahara to provide Europe with solar power. While I do see this as a good thing, it got me thinking: one of the political problems facing energy usage is that we (both the US and Europe) are dependent on foreign oil. Solar energy is certainly more plentiful (and won't run out) than oil, but by locating solar panels abroad, what's the risk we're setting ourselves up for more oil-like problems?

Is it just me, or is Treehugger being flooded by anti-environmental commenters? It seems like every article I look at or comment on there are way more people than before that are belligerent and don't care about the environment... Yet they are visiting this site and taking the time to make negative comments...I just don't want to stand by while our beloved site gets overrun by backwards, reason-hating, global warming deniers, especially IF they represent a concerted effort.

I created a topic so that we can rate the greatest environmental threats. For me, garbage in the ocean, specifically plastic, is greatly endangering our ecosystem. Our oceans take up roughly 70% of the world's surface ... and they are polluted. I would love to see a project get started to clean up the great garbage swirl. Currently little particles of plastic are spreading all around our oceans and killing our marine life. The sad fact is that this plastic will be there for hundreds of years.

I've seen people interested in finding a local CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), organization, or farm to get their organic foods delivered to them. I thought I'd start this thread and see if people who already participate can recommend a good service. If you use a similar service in your area, can you post it here and we'll collect them and create a document from it later. Farmers markets and co-ops are also welcomed.

I posted this as a comment in response to the "Supercities" article posted on treehugger yesterday. Thought I would post it here for discussion...Many love to say how much more energy-efficient it is to live densly in a city. You'll never convince me that all that pumping, trucking, wiring, blowing and the embodied energy in all that concrete is more efficient than living on 2 acres in the country in a wood-framed/hay-bale/packed-earth house (all have a lot less embodied energy than concrete and steel). If I'm missing something that makes cities more efficient, let me know.

I recently came across this article, about a study showing that Americans used less water in 2005 than in 1975, despite the population increase. And that got me thinking: we assume that we're approaching an environmental doomsday, and that all human impact on the earth is for the worse. But here we have evidence that we're doing some good, or at least that we're doing better. So we have to make sure we have our facts straight before going knee-jerk and assuming that we're piloting the planet into catastrophe- maybe we're greener than we think.

Reading many postings here and getting some good ideas on a variety of topics, I have not seen much on greening the process of shaving...When I think of the many daily or semi-daily things I do, shaving comes to mind as a very wasteful process. I use a razor that has disposable cartridge heads. I use shaving cream that comes in a pressurized can that I can't recycle in my area. What can I do to improve my shaving...Anyone have any good ideas???

To say writing is one of my hobbies is an understatement. I have been keeping a journal since I could write and also write poetry on the side. Now that I have recently become "eco aware" I feel bad for all of the paper I have been wasting all these years! It seems like all of the recycled paper journals are only sold at specialty stores or online. Are there any big retailers that sell more eco friendly options? And please don't tell me to dump all of my journals into one of those paper recycling bins. I just can't.

Pandas are the cutest creatures in the animal world but this is no reason for people to continually pour millions of dollars on their conservation, some naturalists say. Why do scientists go the full nine yards to keep them alive?

I've come across this disturbing article in the Toronto Star about the environmental impact of owning a pet. According to the article "feeding a medium-sized dog for a year has twice the environmental impact of driving a luxury SUV for 10,000 kilometers." Furthermore, "even a good-sized cat requires 0.15 gha, slightly less than the year-long use of a compact Volkswagen". Still, they raise a good point: what environmental impact are our pets having?

I really enjoy handing out candy on Halloween, but I can't get over the amount of waste that goes into individually wrapped pieces of candy. I know that people won't let their kids take unwrapped candy from strangers (there are psychos out there, after all). So is there any alternative? I'd love to celebrate a green Halloween...

Everybody talks about cats endangering native wildlife, but what about dogs? People should be more responsible with their dogs. They too can kill or maim wildlife, like these poor koalas.

Do you love long hot showers? Revving your V-8 engine? Cranking the AC to 68 in the middle of summer? What is your green vice?

The U.S. is looking at possibly removing humpback whales from the endangered species list. Why do I get a bad feeling that we'll be watching the Japanese whalers harpooning humpback whales on Whale Wars soon? You know, it would sure be a nice change if the EPA would actually start protecting the environment.

Ashes to ashes and dust to dust do I need all this formaldehyde can't I just rust? Look where we have gotten with funerals, bodies desecrated by strangers bodies of loved ones ripped open to be filled with toxic chemicals. Put in a concrete vaults inside a very expensive casket that cost as much as a car. Then put in a graveyard where the grass will be mowed at a large expense indefinitely. THIS IS DEFIANTLY NOT GREEN! ... Face it when we are dead we don't need to waste resources on the dead but gift them to the living...What are your ideas on this taboo subject? Can we change this archaic system? Would you want a green burial?

The latest issue I have become familar with is the reprocessing of nuclear waste. I have read that 95 percent of America's power reactors could be recycled for future use, as opposed to piling up at over filled plant storage facilities...However, on the opposing end, I read that this is a very dirty and expensive process (is it?) and the resulting plutonuim chemical is coveted by terroists and a "key ingredient" in weaponry...Is nuclear recycling a good (yet inferior) option too? Or should we eliminate dependence on nuclear power plants all together?

Hey if were around I think a party is in order. To steal from Prince, party like is December 21, 2012. Well I predict if the universe is lined up we could have unusual ocean tides from abnormal gravity. But it probably will be just another day.