Ben & Jerry’s has found yet another way to cool down our environmental concerns. In addition to using natural ingredients and eco-pints, they have now teamed with Greenpeace to launch a climate-friendly freezer.

The Cleaner, Greener Freezer — as the company likes to call it — uses Greenfreeze technology, which uses hydrocarbons as a refrigerant instead of fluorinated gases. It specifically eliminates the need for hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the most common greenhouse gas with 1,400 times the global warming impact of carbon dioxide.

The new-to-the-U.S. technology was actually developed in 1992 by Greenpeace engineers, but it hasn’t been allowed in the States until now. The EPA is allowing Ben & Jerry’s to test out 2,000 Greenfreeze-equipped units this fall in the Boston and D.C. areas. Even though the freezer is already used in 300 million refrigerators worldwide, Ben & Jerry’s hopes to be the first to bring it to America.

Unfortunately, our nation has been behind the curve on yet another green issue, but thanks to Ben & Jerry’s, at least our ice cream will be freezing just like the rest of the world’s soon enough. Read more about the company’s eco-friendly quest here.

I read this really interesting article for my Environmental Studies class. Unlike me, you won’t be quizzed over it, but I do think the article is worth reading. It’s about eight pages long, but I promise it’s worth the time.

The article presents the argument that the demise of empires and governments is conspicuously correlated with the depletion of the environment. Jared Diamond, the author of the article, used the Maya civilization in South America as a case study of this argument.

Essentially, the Maya civilization fell because it exceeded the carrying capacity — or the number of individuals able to be supported by the environment without depleting resources — of its ecosystem.

The Maya relied heavily upon corn for their food, and in order to produce healthy crops, the Maya used what we now call the slash and burn technique. However, as the civilization expanded and population grew, more corn was needed. To meet the growing demand for food, they stopped burning the fields and allowing time for regeneration — either as frequently or altogether. Eventually, the fields could no longer produce as much food as the population demanded, and the civilization died out.

The scary thing about the article is the number of parallels between the warning signs of the Maya civilization — follies we all profess to recognize from this side of history — and the current status of the United States. We are at the peak of our power. We have exponential population growth. We have environmental problems ranging from limited water supplies in some regions to vanishing topsoil. So when do we reach our carrying capacity? When do we become too many in number for our environment to sustain us anymore? Are we already there and waiting for the effects to catch up to us?

Diamond also lists three misconceptions that lead people to dismiss these warning signs today.

One is that the environment exists solely to satisfy human needs. Rather than seeing the environment and humans depending upon each other for mutual benefit, people tend to see the environment as a commodity in surplus. Using some of that logic against them, Diamond says, “our strongest arguments for a healthy environment are selfish: we want it for ourselves, not for threatened species.”

The second is that technology will solve all our problems. He points out that all of our current environmental problems are byproducts of earlier technologies and that each new technology comes with its own set of problems that may not be realized until five to 30 years later.

The third is that people tend to view environmentalists as “fear-mongerers” who have overreacted in the past and are doing so now. Diamond makes the point that if you ask an ecologist which countries have the most environmental problems and a politician which countries are the most politically unstable, they will both give you the same list of countries, among which are Afghanistan, Rwanda and Somalia. 

Definitely something to think about …

News from the X PRIZE Foundation this weekend: Submit your idea for the newest X PRIZE contest for a chance to win $25,000. 

Remember when Scaled Composites won $10 million for the invention of SpaceShipOne, which carried three people into space and ended NASA’s monopoly on space travel? That was the X PRIZE Foundation, and they didn’t stop there. More contests are currently underway, including the Archon Genomics X PRIZE, which seeks to revolutionize health care by awarding $10 million to the first team of scientists to successfully sequence 100 human genomes in 10 days. There’s also the Google Lunar X PRIZE — $30 million will go to the team that manages to land a robot on the moon, move it 500 meters over the lunar surface, and send images and data back to us on Earth. And don’t forget the Progressive Auto X PRIZE, in which Mother Earth News is participating through contributor Jack McCornack. This prize is designed to speed along the development of a 100 mpg(e) automobile with a sound marketing plan, again for a prize of $10 million. You can watch the car develop here, and read an overview of the entry here and here. McCornack even blogs about the progress in our Energy Matters Blog. 

Now’s your chance to contribute. With the Foundation’s “What’s Your Crazy Green Idea” contest, you can submit a video containing your idea for the next X PRIZE in the energy and environment category (and hopefully cash in)! 

Best of luck to you all …

Photo by VLADIMIR VLADIMIROV/ISTOCKPHOTO

The growing demand for renewable energy presents a tremendous opportunity for the creation of new jobs; and Green Jobs Now is hoping that this Saturday, Sept. 27, you'll help spread the word that people are more than ready for new green-collar jobs and the more sustainable economy they can help create. Get in on the action with Green Jobs Now: National Day of Action to Build a New Economy, an initiative to inspire and assist everyday people to stage and participate in grassroots events supporting the creation of green jobs in the United States.

"Right now, there are millions of people ready to work and countless jobs to be done that will strengthen our economy at home. There are thousands of buildings that need to be weatherized, solar panels to be installed, and wind turbines to be erected. There are communities that need local and sustainable food and people ready to farm the crops. There are public transit systems and smart electricity grids in need of engineers and electricians. Americans are ready to build the new economy. It's time to invest in saving the planet and the people. It's time for green jobs now!" — Van Jones and the Green Jobs Now Team 

You can learn more about green-collar jobs, find a Green Jobs Now event near you, and more by checking out the Frequently Asked Questions page. No events in your neighborhood? Host your own, it can be anything from a living room discussion or house party to a public event with music, readings and food.

It might be hard to imagine that your slobbery, cuddly best friend is part wolf, but it’s true. Nature’s upcoming two-part show Dogs That Changed the World tells exactly how over the last 15,000 years the wolf has transformed into more than 400 different breeds of today’s dogs — one of which may be your walk, purse or Frisbee companion. In Part One, “The Rise of the Dog,” biologist Raymond Coppinger discusses his theory on the origin of dogs and their domestication. Part Two, “Dogs by Design,” shows how a dog’s instinct to hunt, dig and guard can help save lives. You can start by watching a preview, or just dive right into it and watch the show: Part One airs Sept. 28 and Part Two airs Oct. 4. For local listings, visit here.

Grades of the environmental efforts of 300 colleges and universities can be found at a new, interactive Web site, which shows data from the College Sustainability Report Card of 2009. The report card is produced by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, an independent, nonprofit organization based in Cambridge.

The site, which was launched today, provides detailed profiles for each school. The profiles contain grades for nine categories that combine for a composite grade, as well as detailed explanations for why each grade was given.

I poked around on the site and found it hard to tear myself away. The site lets you compare colleges side-by-side and search for different programs, along with their locations. There also are ideas on how different people can help universities become more sustainable. The report cards are extensive, and the site is easy to navigate. I’d encourage you to check it out.

Here are some facts taken from the press release and the Web site:

• Two-thirds of the 300 colleges improved their scores from last year.
• The highest overall grade was A-. Fifteen colleges received this grade.
• The average score was C+, meaning 75 percent of the colleges earned Bs or Cs.
• Only four colleges received Fs.
• Combined, these colleges have endowments reaching almost $400 billion.

A recent poll conducted by the Princeton Review showed that a majority of high school students consider a school’s commitment toward sustainability and environmentalism when deciding which school they will attend. Obviously, students are thinking about these issues, and I think these report cards possess an immense potential to influence enrollment in the schools, which would even push schools to expand their environmental programs to attract more students.

I also think it’s great schools are being held to some degree of accountability for their environmental programs. Maybe with the increased attention, schools will start thinking of new, inventive ways to become a little greener.

If you did visit the site and found something encouraging, upsetting or anywhere in between, I’d really like to read your comments. I hope you enjoy the site as much as I did.

There’s nothing like drinking a glass of ice cold water — that is, until it’s deemed unsafe. And as of now, not even the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) can claim what water is or is not suitable for drinking. According to an article from theWashington Post, the EPA has yet to set a standard for perchlorate in drinking-water. Perchlorate is the main ingredient for rocket fuel, and because rocket test sites, military bases and chemical plants do a poor job disposing of the chemical, it continues to be found in soil and water.

According to the EPA, an estimated 16.6 million Americans are exposed to the chemical at levels that many scientists say are unsafe, and that directly link to thyroid problems in women, infants and young children. Independent researchers, using federal and state data, say that a more accurate number of exposures could be anywhere between 20 and 40 million.

EPA scientists that believe regulation of the chemical is necessary have been in a six-year battle with White House and Pentagon officials, who think otherwise.

A new EPA proposal, craftily edited by officials of the White House Office of Management and Budget, claims that the maximum perchlorate contamination level allowed in drinking-water is 15 times higher than what they suggested in 2002. The document claims that setting a drinking-water standard for perchlorate will not be meaningful for health risk reductions, but it also says that Americans will continue to be exposed to higher levels of the chemical if nothing is done.

So, why not start doing something? The perchlorate cleanup could cost hundreds of millions of dollars from the Department of Defense funds, which makes the situation … hmmm … questionable at best. Read more of the article here.

If you’re visiting this Web site, you’ve probably been called a “treehugger” at some point in your life. When I was first called a treehugger, I took offense. I thought the term could easily be misconstrued as prejudice and ridicule. But I’ve embraced the title as more than a generalizing label for people who care about the environment.

This acceptance reached a new level the other night as I was studying for my Environmental Studies class. Turns out, there was a movement in the Uttaranchal region of northern India. The Chipko (“embrace”) Movement started in April 1973. Villagers went to the forests and threw their arms around trees to prevent loggers from tearing down the trees that were such an integral part of their life. The Movement has since spread to different parts of the Middle East and is now, obviously, a slang term for environmentalists in general.

The one thing I couldn’t help but thinking through all this is what “treehuggers” are called in Arizona. Down there, they call us “cactus huggers.”

I wonder if the Chipko movement would have been so successful if they were hugging cacti rather than trees …

I just got back from Colorado a couple of weeks ago and was amazed by the vast view of brown, not green, pine trees that covered entire mountainsides. The only spots that weren’t brown were black holes consumed by piles of already fallen trees. The forests are taking a beating and will continue to do so all over the region.

The culprit is a rather small insect called the mountain pine beetle. Newsweek recently published an article that says these insects have already killed 22 million acres of pine trees in Canada. Now, they’ve moved their way down to our colorful state and have already eaten up 1.5 million acres there. Colorado state foresters say that the beetles’ favorite treat, the majestic lodgepole pines, will be completely gone in the next couple of years. Unfortunately, they make up 8 percent of Colorado’s 22 million-acre forests.

On a more positive note, though, the wood can easily be produced into wood pellets for wood-burning stoves this winter. Try to think of other ways that these fallen pines can be put to good use, and comment below.

If you’re looking for something to do this Sunday evening, Sept. 14, check out this week’s episode of PBS’ Nature series. Supersize Crocs will be airing, which follows crocodile conservationist Romulus Whitaker on his search for the last of the crocodile leviathans — those that are longer than 20 feet. His search includes areas such as Ethiopia’s Lake Chamo, the riverbanks of India’s northern border with Nepal and the Adelaide River of the Australian outback. He fears that there are none left, thanks to irresponsible hunters, but you’ll have to watch to find out. Click here for local listings.

While it is funny to see grown men dancing around with antennas on their heads, this video portrays a serious message about the honey bee world. It uses the image of men jumping off the dance floor to visualize the concern about the disappearance of real honey bees, which can affect what we eat.

Honey bee pollination directly or indirectly benefits about one-third of our food supply. Each year, the work they do to pollinate U.S. Agricultural crops is worth about $15 billion. And the need for pollination to supply these crops continues to grow.

The problem of dying bees is often called Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), and it was first noticed in October 2006. So far it has caused about one-third of the honey bee population in the United States to disappear.

Experts say that pesticides, parasites and inadequate food supply may all be contributing to the problem, but more research is needed to find an accurate answer.

Although this past spring, there were enough honey bees to provide all needed pollination, there may not be in the future. The video refers viewers to an organization called Help the Honey Bees to raise money to fund the much more needed research on the disease. You can also find the video on the You Tube Web site. Comment below about the issue and help answer the question,“Yo, where my bees at?”

Have something to say about global warming? How does it affect you? Your life? The world around you and its inhabitants? 

Put your thoughts into a 200- to 500-word essay (or take a photograph that says it all) and submit it to the Union of Concerned Scientists for a chance to be published in their new online book, Thoreau’s Legacy: American Stories about Global Warming. 

To read the contest guidelines and/or view examples of submissions, click here.

Photo by Clint Spencer/iStockphoto

It is easy to assign human traits to monkeys and apes, after all they look a lot like long-armed, hairy people. But who would think that crows and their blackbird relatives would harbor resentments and remember kindnesses?

A recent University of Washington study, reported on in the New York Times, proves that crows have long memories and communicate their feelings with their flock. In the study, crows avoided researchers who had previously trapped them, even when their faces were partially disguised. And a Vermont ornithologist reports that the crows he had fed treats to over the years followed him, while the ones he had trapped and banded harassed him.

Crows and ravens have gotten a bad rap over the years for their somewhat aggressive behavior towards smaller birds and their propensity to steal treats from picnickers. But the truth is that crows are smart, quick learners with strong family values that they pass on to their offspring.

Next time you spot a “mob” of crows, sit awhile and enjoy their antics. You might learn a bit more about these avian friends.