In Portland, Oregon, locals are taking it upon themselves to steal parking lots in order to plant trees.

Okay, it’s not stealing. It’s “de-paving.”

For years we’ve been paving paradise to put up parking lots, but according to these local tree-huggers, oversized driveways and abandoned parking lots need to kick rocks.

Depave, a non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon is committed to promoting the removal of unnecessary paved areas to create more green spaces. Since 2007, the Depave crew and volunteer army have reverted more than 94,000 square feet of paved parking back to tree-filled parks, public green spaces, urban gardens, playgrounds and more.

See the problem is pavement. Paved surfaces keep the rain from the soil, diverting it to other waterways, picking up and carrying pollutants from antifreeze to pesticides along the way. Think about all the junk you see on streets and in parking lots – yeah now think about drinking it.

In addition to poisoning our water supply, in the summertime, paved urban areas are at least ten degrees hotter than their rural neighbors. Not only does this contribute to...

The local food movement has taken the nation by storm and on February 24-25, 2012, it’s taking a bite out of the Big Apple at the annual Eat Work Grow the Movement conference hosted by Just Food, a non-profit organization that connects communities and local farms with the resources and support they need to make fresh, locally grown food accessible to all New Yorkers.

In support of the fast-growing local food movement, this event is dedicated to all things related to local food in New York City. Top chefs, local foodies, urban gardeners, rural farmers, food professionals and entrepreneurs will come together to speak, teach and discuss the latest dirt on the local food movement.

Friday’s schedule of workshops and discussions will focus on the industrial side of sustainable food trends, working environments, entrepreneurship and potential careers. They’re even holding a Good Food Jobs Fair at the end of the day with more than 40 local businesses.

Saturday is dedicated to featuring the local doers with a celebratory EXPO. Attendees can eat, drink and mingle...

…did you come from all of a sudden? Feels like science fiction.

It’s already almost February can you believe it? 2011 was a whirlwind year for INDIE PEACE, and we’re thrilled with not just our own growth, but with the growing awareness of green trends and environmentally responsible achievements.

We’ve been so busy (a good thing) that we haven’t had time to update our blog (a not-so-good thing). That’s why we’ve taken on a new Editor-in-Chief, Katrina Turner to move things along and to keep them moving. We also realize that there are tons of  awesome resources and stories out there, and we will be inviting guest bloggers to expand our reach and theirs.

There are more of us out there than most people think and as we come together to share information, tools and ideas, I know we will make an even bigger impact in 2012. Thank you for being a part of this enormous cause. Now, let’s all get back to making our mark (without leaving one of course).

Almost two years ago to date, emails regarding global warming and the human involvement/intervention sparked the internet by storm. This past weekend, new emails were released anonymously about the strange phenomenon that is global warming. There were three apparent themes present in the new batch of emails: “(1) prominent scientists central to the global warming debate are taking measures to conceal rather than disseminate underlying data and discussions; (2) these scientists view global warming as a political “cause” rather than a balanced scientific inquiry and (3) many of these scientists frankly admit to each other that much of the science is weak and dependent on deliberate manipulation of facts and data.” [1]

The new emails raised some questions regarding the nature behind the global warming debate. Is this a political scheme or are scientists predetermining the public’s view on Global Warming? What’s more shocking is that the emails reveal, “more than revealing misconduct and improper motives, the newly released emails additionally reveal frank admissions of the scientific shortcomings of global warming assertions.” [2] Some researchers believe scientists have...