Going Green for the Summer

Summer is here and most of us will be spending plenty of time outdoors, so it only makes sense that people 'should' be thinking greener than ever. Here are some great ways that you can enjoy the lazy, hazy days of summer while still doing your part to keep Mother Nature happy:

Clever Cooling – As soon as the temperature begins to heat up its tempting to blast the AC day and night. It does not have to be that way though. No one is suggesting that you have to give up your air conditioner completely but by following some of Tip the Planet's clever cooling tips, you can save money and stay chill all season long. For instance, did you know that by installing light-colored awning s some studies report that you can reduce heat gain in your home by up to 77 percent?!

Buy Local – Planning a couple of cookouts this summer? Help the environment and your local economy by seeking out local foods to throw on the grill whenever possible. Tip the Planet has some wonderful tips for getting the best bang for your buck when buying local produce.

Be Nice at the Beach – We all enjoy a great day at the beach. And that is the way it should be, but pollution caused by careless humans makes a trip to some beaches a not so pleasant experience. It is every individual’s responsibility to keep the beaches clean and safe for everyone to enjoy for years to come. This means doing a little more than just remembering to take your empty cans, bottles and dirty diapers home with you (although all of those things are a great place to start).

Before you head out for your next day of sand, sea and fun make sure you read Tip the Planet’s beach environment tips to learn more about what you can do to help preserve the summer fun for us all.

Relax Responsibly – Need new patio chairs? Deck furniture looking a little the worse for wear? Before you head out for the local home store or the nearest Wal-Mart check out Tip the Planet’s guide to choosing environmentally friendly furniture that can help you relax responsibly without having to sacrifice style or comfort.

Tip the Planet is the fastest growing green wiki on the Net. Have a great green summer tip to share? Add it to Tip the Planet and help educate us all.

Preventing Oil Spills

What can be Done to Prevent Future Oil Spills?

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico has once more brought the issue of the dangers of offshore oil drilling, both to humans and to the environment in general, back into sharp focus. The effort to even stem the flow of oil from the sunken rig involved a number of different measures from the slightly strange - trying to mop up oil with tonnes of hair donated by barbers from all around the world- to massive and somewhat untested measures like the “top kill “procedure set into motion by BP on Wednesday May 26th, 2010.

Whatever the end result of the efforts, there will still be massive damage done to the ecosystems in the areas affected by the spill. Perhaps the hardest hit will be the delicate coastal areas around Louisiana which were only just beginning to bounce back from the damage Mother Nature inflicted upon them during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

However given that this far from the first devastating oil spill to wreak havoc on the world’s waters what else should be done to prevent these incidents from ever occurring at all?

Many environmentalists suggest that offshore drilling should be slowed and that companies like BP and Exxon should shift more of their focus to developing alternative energy sources. They encourage people to cut their own consumption of fossil fuels by driving less or trading in their older vehicles for more energy efficient models and taking advantage of the alternative energy supplies being offered by many local electricity companies.

As they have after previous oil spill accidents the US Government will of course launch inquiries into what went wrong in the Gulf of Mexico and it is also probable that once the finger pointing between the companies involved in the latest incident has died down they will no doubt make a great many promises about making greater efforts to be environmentally conscious (as they have in the past) However it may just be up to the man in street to help prevent another oil spill from occurring by consuming less fossil fuels in their everyday lives, reducing the need for offshore drilling at all.

To learn more about the devastation caused by an oil spill and how you can help visit Tip the Planet , a leading green wiki

Beyond Petroleum Spills?

British Petroleum and the Environment

British Petroleum (BP) has once again been very much in the headlines recently as they struggled to contain an oil spill from a rig the company had been leasing in the Gulf of Mexico.

Early reports seemed to indicate that perhaps a lack of maintenance on the rig was a problem and it is true that the blowout preventer, a series of valves designed to shut off any oil leak did not function correctly, part of the reason that the flow of oil was so difficult to halt.

BP is currently the third largest global energy company and unfortunately in the past doesn't have a flawless record. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon incident, in which 11 lives were lost when the rig exploded and ultimately sank into the waters of the Gulf of Mexico, is not the first time the company has been involved in an oil spill. In Prudoe Bay, Alaska in 2006 the company had to halt operations when corrosion in offshoot pipelines caused over one million liters of oil to spill into Alaska’s North Slope.

That incident came unfortunately only a year after an explosion had rocked the company’s largest refinery in Texas, resulting in the deaths of 15 people and forcing a town to come to a practical halt for several days.

Despite a shakeup in 2007 under a new management team and several forays into alternative energy projects British Petroleum still takes a lot of heat from environmentalists. The company has been accused on many occasions of “greenwashing” – the practice of trying to look like one is making environmentally conscious efforts and innovations but failing.

BP have made some green gains however. They are now one of the largest generators of wind power in the world and have made large inroads into the solar power business. However, in the aftermath of yet another environmental disasdter they still have a long way to go.

To learn more about BP and its’ environmental record visit Tip the Planet, the internet’s fastest growing green wiki.