The Story of Solutions explores how we can move our economy in a more sustainable and just direction, starting with orienting ourselves toward a new goal. Produced by The Story of Stuff.
The Environmental Cost of Free Two-day Shipping
79% of Americans shop online. What effect does shipping all our stuff have on our planet?
UC/Vox Climate Lab Video Series
Episode 1 - Why humans are so bad at thinking about climate change
The biggest problem for the climate change fight isn’t technology – it’s human psychology.
Episode 2 - Going green shouldn’t be this hard
Going green does not need to be a sacrifice, either for us as individuals or for businesses, governments and the economy.
Episode 3 - Why your old phones collect in a junk drawer of sadness
Could fixing the way we make our phones help reduce our impact on climate change?
Episode 4 - Food waste is the world’s dumbest problem
Host Dr. M. Sanjayan explores solutions to combat food waste - starting with a box of donuts at MIT and ending with a UC Berkeley alum who is working to end world hunger
Episode 5 - The fight to rethink (and reinvent) nuclear power
New nuclear energy technology has come a long way - but can we get over our fears? In this episode, host Dr. M. Sanjayan explores the dangers of nuclear power and possible options for building safer, more efficient, power plants.
Episode 6 - Scientists really aren’t the best champions of climate science
Facts and data alone won’t inspire people to take action in the fight against global warming. So what will?
Health Care and the Climate Crisis
Greening the OR
UCSF’s many accomplishments greening the medical center were recognized at the recent Practice Greenhealth awards. Check out this short video from Practice Greenhealth on greening the OR.
Video: Do No Harm
In our fight against climate change, health care stands at a turning point in history and we can move to a tipping point. It’s within our power and our mission. Join us as health care bends toward a more just and sustainable future.
Gary Cohen Named 2015 MacArthur Fellow
Gary Cohen, Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth’s founder and President, was named as one of the 2015 fellows of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. For more than 20 years, Cohen has led the health sector in repositioning institutional practices around sustainability, climate change and community health.
Personal Health and Toxics Reduction
Video: How to Choose a Safe Sunscreen — Mother Earth Living
When you’re shopping for sunscreen, there are a couple of ingredients you want to look for, and a couple that you want to avoid. Avoid sunscreens that list retinol or retinyl palmitate (also known as vitamin A). This ingredient has been found to increase the risk of skin cancer when exposed to sunlight. Also avoid oxybenzone, a common chemical found in about 80 percent of sunscreens. See our July article that highlights the Environmental Working Group’s list of recommended sunscreens.
How Dust Bunnies Can Make You Sick
Dust bunnies are seriously dangerous. Those tiny globs of grime are much more than simple household nuisances. They can contain noxious flame retardant chemicals that leak out of living room furniture like couches. Once free of the upholstery, these toxins are especially harmful to children and pets, acting as carcinogens and endocrine disruptors. With the passage of SB 1019, effective January 1, 2015, it will be easier to identify and purchase flame retardant-free furniture. See our January post on how to minimize exposure to flame retardants here.
Inspiration
Bella Gaia
Bella Gaia is an unprecedented audiovisual experience that combines NASA satellite imagery of Earth, time lapse nature photography, and cultural heritage footage with stirring live performances of music and dance from around the world to explore the relationship between humans and nature through time and space, with a “message of oneness amidst a deeply moving and shimmering soundscape that combines sacred dance with gorgeous sets and stunning imagery”