It's almost the 4th of July weekend and you know what that means, fireworks and barbecues. Well, this year might just be different with the advent of eco-friendly fireworks.  Researchers have long been developing new pyrotechnic formulas to replace the environmental pollutant in regular old fireworks with nitrogen-rich materials that would burn cleaner and produce less smoke.   And it looks like they've done it. While these greener...

Starbucks is of course not opening many more stores, but the coffee shops the company does open they want to be as environmentally-friendly as possible. With many of the new store concepts such as the new Paris Disney Village store, Starbucks is introducing reclaimed Champagne racks and recycled mobile phone parts to redesign their established coffee shop format. Starbucks is even going so far as to hope for LEED certification with all...

Two graduate students from Colorado State University have created a bicycle frame of the future. Jacob Castillo and John McKinney have designed a bamboo bicycle, made from bamboo grown on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula plantations.  The MBA candidates in CSU’s Global Social and Sustainability Enterprise program came up with the idea for the earth-friendly bike after a trip to the Yucatan Peninsula. McKinney and Castillo have hopes that...

Many communities and businesses across the US are beginning to ban the purchase and use of disposable water bottles to reduce unnecessary waste.  With this in mind, the new Reduce WaterWeek Reusable Water Bottles are here to save us. Designed to fit neatly into a shelf tray, these 16oz reusable, BPA-free water bottles are just the thing to gran when you're headed out the door.  Just say no to plastic throw-away bottles and grab you a set of...

The Renaissance Seattle Hotel has received an eco-friendly facelift just in time for the summer travel season. Located in downtown Seattle, the Renaissance Hotel has recently finished green revamp of their property which has adopted new earth-friendly practices.  The hotel is now using more energy-efficient lighting and water systems, has incorporated motion-sensor vending machines to avoid unnecessary use of power, stocked the hotel with...