We are also undoing our green efforts at home as well as the extra weight that Americans have put on over the past 50 years has pretty much negated the gains that the automakers have made in fuel efficiency over the same period of time says Jim Motavalli of Mother Nature Network.

So how can we combat all this?  Here are 5 ways that Jennifer recommends:

Go to bed an hour earlier:  Sleeping longer helps lose weight

Trade the gym for working out in Mother Nature: It is easier to be motivated to workout.

Cook your own food: you can then control what goes in it and how much you eat, and you can focus on organics… Support Community-supported Agriculture (CSA)

Support your local farmers market: It will help you appreciate your food more.

Go Vegetarian: Lessens the impact on the earth and vegetarians are up to 20% slimmer than meat eaters.

To read the complete article, click here.

When most of us old timers were younger, Christmas trees were cut down from old growth wild forests, but today, most come from sustainably harvested Christmas tree farms that cut their trees when they are 9 to 12 years old.

Today, more than 50% of Christmas trees that are found in our homes are of the artificial variety.  While many people think these artificial trees make more eco sense than cutting down live trees others think that the chemicals used to make the artificial trees create more of a threat to the environment than cutting down live ones. It is also thought that the live ones still help with climate changes by reducing greenhouse gases and decreasing global warming while they are growing.

There are a couple other alternatives one could choose as well:

1) buy a live one in a pot and plant it after the holidays.

2) Don’t get a tree at all.

Let’s see what the community at eco.ORG has to say about this. Tell us what you think!

Push the federal government to keep new vehicle standards free of harmful loopholes.

What’s Happening

In November, the Obama administration proposed new fuel efficiency and auto pol­lution standards for cars and light trucks, formalizing an agreement reached with automakers in July. As Earthwise went to press, UCS expected the new standards (which begin taking effect in 2017) to reach the equivalent of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, cutting carbon emissions and boosting new vehicles’ fuel economy substantially.

Improving vehicles’ environmental performance is one of the most important steps we can take to save consumers money at the gas pump, reduce the risks of global warming, and cut America’s oil dependence. The technology exists to­day—in the form of more-efficient engines, smarter transmissions, and better materi­als—to make any new car, truck, or SUV cleaner and more fuel efficient. Automak­ers are putting this technology to work: 39 models in showrooms now—varying in size from compact cars to pickups—already meet 2017 fuel economy targets.

However, the government’s attempts to help automakers comply with the pro­posed standards provide an opportunity for automakers to undermine them. For example, SUVs, pickup trucks, and mini­vans will be held to weaker standards than cars. This provision could easily become a loophole if automakers abuse the system and reclassify cars as trucks.

The Environmental Protection Agency and other regulating agencies are seek­ing public comment on the new standards over the next two months. Decision makers need to hear from consumers like you dur­ing this period, since you have the most to gain—or lose—from the outcome.

What You Can Do

Submit an official comment to the rule-making agencies and urge them to finalize the strongest possible fuel efficiency and auto pollution standards. Send an email via the online UCS Action Network at www.ucsusa.org/action, or mail a letter to:

Environmental Protection Agency

Mailcode 2822T

1200 Pennsylvania Ave. NW

Washington, DC 20460

Attn: Docket no. EPA–HQ–OAR– 2010–0799

Presented in the Union of Concerned Scientists Earthwise Newsletter, Volume 14, Number 1, winter 2011/2012

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has indicated that that CO2 levels are now at 389 parts per million, up from about 280 parts per million 250 years ago. It was said by WMO Deputy Secretary-General Jeremiah Lengoasa that CO2 emissions are responsible for 80% of this rise. He also indicated that these greenhouse gases have long life spans an that even if we eliminate the current conditions that produce them, the current concentrations will remain in the atmosphere for decades to come. Many scientists and climate activists say that 350 parts per million was already the danger point.

This concentration appears to be accelerating as the increase in CO2 between 2009 and 2010 was 2.3 ppm as opposed to the increase in the 1990′s that averaged 1.5 ppm.

The burning of  fossil fuels and the loss of forests that absorb CO2 and the use of fertilizer were indicated by the report as the main reasons for these increases.

Representatives from most of the world’s nations will gather in November 2011 in South Africa to try to and agree on ways to stem this problems and head of serious climate issues that are expected to hit once the concentration of CO2 hits about 450 ppm.