There’s an outrageously, spray-painted car sitting pretty in Kensington Market, Toronto. It is unlike any other car you’ve ever seen before!! The car is home to trees, shrubbery, plants and flowers which appear to be growing out of it. It’s an eclectic, eye-catching and staple green landmark in the Kensington Market neighborhood of Toronto. Longtime residents have described the Kensington Market area as multicultural, walkable, bohemian and artsy. garden car art is right at home in this vicinity. The idea for Garden Car originated with anti-car advocacy organization, Streets are for People. The first car created under the organization was a part of the Community Vehicular Reclamation Project. The car has since changed bodies and is now a maroon, blue and green vintage sedan which was salvaged from a junk yard. The most unique aspect of the car is the garden growing out of it, which continues to attract tourists looking to get a shot with the green work of art. The city of Toronto v...

Treasure Island is a small island in the San Francisco Bay area. It was built in 1936 for a World Fair that celebrated the golden gate international exposition. Currently, it has a small community of 2000 people. Treasure Island is an urban green oasis with 220 acres of open space and a biologically diverse ecosystem. Residents may only leave the island by car or by bus. They’ll need to fill their tanks up elsewhere because the island does not have gas. All of the buildings on Treasure Island has met the gold standard of the U.S. Green Building council, which has reduced the energy consumption of the island. The city is also home to lush plants and forestation which helps reduce the carbon footprint of the island. Due to the fact that there is a decreased reliance on cars by residents of the island, there are minimal amounts of pollution, thereby making the island one of the most green places in the USA. Treasure island is bicycle friendly with numerous bike routes and pedestrian p...

Sydney, Australia is now fully powered by renewable electricity which is sourced from local wind and solar projects. every major building, stadium, convention center, sports fields and traffic lights are running via green clean energy. The mayor of Australia, Clover Moore, presided over the green deal which was achieved in collaboration with flow power and Repower Shoalhaven. Repower Shoalhaven is a non profit community group which has been instrumental in developing community solar projects. Flow power is a key energy retailer within the Australian markets. Their mission entails helping business reshape how they manage electricity. The green deal is the largest one in Australian history. Key elements that will be a result of this new shift in utilization of 100% renewable energy include: CO2 emissions will decrease in Sydney by 20,000 tons. The city will save money up to a half million per year. Job growth and prospects are expected to increase. Communities impacted by the pand...

Any one familiar with bodegas and grocery stores in New York knows about our little grocery bag problem! Okay, that’s an underestimation because it has become a huge problem for the state, especially when litter is taken into account. New York residents use 23 billion plastic bags on an annual basis, greatly contributing to environmental issues. New York is becoming the second state to issue a statewide ban on single use plastic bags. This is a monumental legislation for the state which is being agreed upon by lawmakers within Senate. California was the first state to ban plastic bags in 2014, allowing businesses to charge 10 cents for reusable and paper bags. Governor Cuomo has set a goal to reduce emissions from our state’s generation of electricity and also desires to see a carbon free economy. He announced his Green New Deal in January of this year. Under this deal, it is proposed that New York will be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2040, ultimately eliminating the state’s enti...

The need for a safe and clean environment should have some impact on the daily decisions that people make. About 79% of Americans consider themselves to be environmentally conscious. Traveling can be a major hobby or pleasure for many. For others it is a necessary right. Vacations are needed to recoup from everyday stresses, home and work life. If you consider yourself to be environmentally conscious, then you might want to consider a few of these green cities and islands the next time you plan a vacation. (1) Vail, Colorado- Vail, Colorado is a popular tourist destination for individuals seeking to vacation in a colder environment and participate in winter activities. Vail is home to many ski resorts. One fact that most may not know about Vail, Colorado is that many of its ski resorts embrace carbon neutral sources of power. Vail, Colorado and the surrounding ski resorts were one of the first towns to incorporate the use of wind energy as a way to decrease global warming. Vail...