With media coverage of the country’s worst oil spill fading away, recent decisions on how to handle tens of thousands of tons of boom and oily waste are going to affect people along the Gulf for years to come.

That’s because BP is relying on public complacency to get away with dumping its clean-up waste in local landfills, where hazardous oily residues and chemicals, like benzene, will either slowly slither their way into nearby water streams or evaporate and affect air quality. While this pl… Read the full story on TreeHugger

It should be unthinkable that in the wake of the worst oil disaster in history, the Senate has not yet passed a bill that would hold BP accountable for the damage they have wreaked on Gulf communities and businesses.  

And yet, here we are…. Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image via Ellie Marie

When I first started Terracycle, I spent a lot of my time explaining what upcycling was. It was this foreign concept whose name wasn’t on a lot of people’s radar. Now, a handful of years later, more than 10 million people are collecting the brand specific waste that we’ve used to make a range of products; it has become increasingly common and may some day be as conventional as recycling.

Currently, sever… Read the full story on TreeHugger

In the animated film Wall-E, there’s a pivotal scene where the eponymous trash-robot hero presents a delicate plant, potted in an old boot, to his new friend and future soul mate, Eva. The small plant, healthy yet so vulnerable, repr… Read the full story on TreeHugger

The BP oil disaster continues to grab the headlines as the massive slick washes up on Gulf Coast beaches. As we watch these images with shock and sadness, many Americans are also being jolted into action. We are demanding clean energy—this BP oil tragedy should be a wake-up call.

We’ve seen many “Clean It Up” rallies taking place across the country, where thousands of attendees are gathering to say: No more offshore oil drilling—now’s the time for a major investment in clean energy in the U.S.… Read the full story on TreeHugger

Guest blogger Sara Snow is a green lifestyle expert and board member for Discovery’s 24/7 future-forward network Planet Green.

Last week the President’s Cancer Panel released a landmark report suggesting that thus far public health officials have “grossly underestimated” the role environmental contaminants may be playing in the 1.5 million Americans who are diagnosed with cancer each year. The report called for stricter regulations on chemicals, especially noting the importance of avoiding chemicals during pregnancy when the risk of damage … Read the full story on TreeHugger

Treehugger has been all over President Obama’s shocking announcement that he is willing to trade opening up more offshore drilling for support of a climate bill. Brian Merchant did a great run down earlier today that highlighted the breadth of Obama’s move–the East Coast, Gulf and Alaska will all be open for business for Big Oil. Many greens are feeling let down and confused, but take heart that some environmental gro… Read the full story on TreeHugger

Imagine a summer internship where you get to travel for free around the country hiking, rafting, and enjoying the outdoors. Sounds great, right? Suppose it also included a $2,500 stipend and $2,000 worth of gear from The North Face and Planet Explore?

All right, stop imagining and start applying – because it’s for real!… Read the full story on TreeHugger

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he’d be back to co-host the second Global Climate Summit in Los Angeles, this past week he addressed the group again saying this reprise will be better than most movie sequels (”except for mine,” added the Governator). US governors gathered with international governors from Canada, Mexico, Indonesia, Brazil, Nigeria, and The Philippines, from Tuesday September 29-October 3. Also present were Lisa Jackson, Administ… Read the full story on TreeHugger

TED Conference has got competition! Yesterday we attended the Feast Conference in New York, where we laughed, we cried, we became passionate about changing the world, we met amazing people and we learnt a thing or two about good decision making and playing poker! It was definitely one of the most inspiring and “full on good” events we have been to. If you don’t believe me, check out the tweets of the Feast, an initiative by All Day Buffet. The 12 cross-disciplinary speakers that shared their exper… Read the full story on TreeHugger