Ireland’s eco-minister Dublin - Political chaos of the most creative kind in Eire, where the ruling coalition is being kept in power by the Green Party. The country, one of the worst hit by the credit crunch, is in the midst of a fullscale. 1930s-style economic collapse.

Now state-run Anglo Irish Bank could become a symbol of a new Irish society by transforming into a low-cost green bank, it was claimed today.

The radical plan would see the nationalised lender throw off its close ties with property developers to offer cheaper mortgages for eco-friendly homes as part of the price for Green Party support.

John Gormley, Environment Minister and Green Party leader, backed the proposal from research body the Comhar Sustainable Development Council claiming it would signal a shift in attitudes.
>>Keep reading “From greed to green”

Reading, learning, it’s what I enjoy doing. Before the internet, I would go to the three local libraries in my hometown, I would check out as many books as each on would allow, take them all home, read-read-read until I had gotten through all of them, then I return the books to their respective homes and start all over again. I tended to read non-fiction, I preferred them over fiction most of the time. With the exception of a few notable authors such as Stephen King, Jean M. Auel, and such…

With the advent of the internet and ebooks, I mostly read what I can get in digital format, including audiobooks. So these last couple of books I’ve read, I have held in my hand, turned pages, it was quite old-school for me. J I love it. Now, on to the book review.
>>Keep reading “Tough Times Survival Guide vol 1 – book review”

The Green Reaper In the Netherlands legislation has encouraged green investing, and although there is nothing yet on that scale in the US or the UK, you don’t need to go to Holland to find green investments.With over 30 dedicated green portfolios to choose from, there is little excuse for keeping your  savings in conventional investment vehicles.
>>Keep reading “Eco-sensitive investments”

Country Store where I work I know I haven’t written anything in a while, I have excuses though! ;) I’ve been sick, the gov is harassing me, my garden is calling… Well, they are all true, I’ll explain more in a future message, in the mean time, here is something fun I found on another blog and thought I’d post it here.
>>Keep reading “More things you might not know about me”

Les Stroud: special needs We always thought Les Stroud was a total divit, and now it has been confirmed.

The self-regarding air-head who fronts the Survivorman series on Canadian TV recently gave this pompous interview to a Canadian outlet about his practices when travelling.

If you sit next to this guy on a plane- be warned – you will want to strangle him.
>>Keep reading “Survivorman in toe-curling interview”

Grainger employee You don’t have to be crazy to be an environmentalist, but (according to an employment tribunal in London) it helps.

The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003 prohibit discrimination in the workplace by reason of any religion or belief. The regulations were amended in 2007, so that “belief” now means “any religious or philosophical belief”.

Tim Nicholson, who had been head of sustainability at Grainger Plc, was made redundant. He brought a number of claims, including unfair dismissal and discrimination on the grounds of religion or belief.
>>Keep reading “Environmentalism classed as a ‘belief’ in UK”

What’s wrong with this picture? Off-Gridder Brenda Reed has money problems because her off-grid home can’t get financing. Does anyone know a good broker that can help?

My husband, Tom and I live in a rural area of Mendocino County, CA on 77 acres in the lower foothills, above a little town named Hopland. The town is so small that there is not a single traffic light and only 1 stop sign on the main road. The nearest power pole is about a mile away.
>>Keep reading “No home loan with no utilities”

Make money, save planet Show me the green We are always being told how to save money and save the planet – but here’s how to go a step further. With the right investments you can actually make money whil helping save the planet. As U.S. policymakers begin to consider the idea of building a “Smart Grid,” (where your fridge talks to the power company and will switch off for a few hours at peak demand) , companies already in that business stand to benefit from federal grants and growing demand. The idea of a smart grid may never work because the cost of implementing it could outweigh the savings made, but some companies will get rich trying. Comverge Inc. (COMV) and EnerNOC Inc. (ENOC) are two good examples (No off-grid staff have any pecuniary interest in either company).
>>Keep reading “Make money, save planet”

PR stunt is also a real job An Australian island is offering  the ‘best job in the world’ as caretaker – with a salary of nearly £1,000 per HOUR.

The position on Hamilton Island requires ‘minimum effort’ and involves ‘relaxed’ duties such as feeding turtles, watching whales, and picking up the island’s post. Applicants require no academic qualifications, but must possess good swimming skills and a love of snorkelling, scuba diving and other water sports.
>>Keep reading “Best job in the world”