If you’ve got a message you want to spread, there’s arguably no better way to get buzz than to have it delivered by a bevy of world famous supermodels in various states of undress, and that was just the idea that model and Columbia University student Cameron Russell wanted to tap into for her efforts with 350, an organization dedicated to encouraging action from world leaders this December at the Copenhagen Climate Change Conference.

Russell’s short supermodel striptease video was released in conjunction with the Global Day of Climate Action (on October 24th) and demonstrates our current C02 parts per million level of 387, which is 37 parts more than the 350 parts per million that scientists have deemed a safe upper limit for for C02 in our atmosphere. As the models, who include Shannan Click and Heidi Mount, discuss our need to lower our parts per million number, they shed layers of clothing—all this global warming is making them hot…er, hotter than usual—and when they reach 352 parts per million they pause in their underwear and state that the world needs to get 387 down to 350 before they’ll see any more. Click here to read more

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Most of the time a trip to the ATM means draining money from your bank account, but if it’s a visit to the newly debuted EcoATM that you’re planning, you could actually end up with more money to your name. The EcoATM doesn’t withdraw cash but instead accepts used cellphones (we’ve all got one in a drawer somewhere), assesses their secondary market value, and offers up gift cards, trade-ups or charitable donations for the device.

The idea isn’t so different from the take back programs that are now being offered at some major electronics retail stores like Best Buy, but EcoATM hopes that the convenience of being able to visit a machine, get a quick estimate on value, and receive tangible rewards for the effort will convince more consumers to recycle their cellphones. And if they’re successful, the positive environmental effect could be huge; more than 100 million cellphones are thrown away in the United States every year and they leach toxic chemicals into landfills. Worse yet, the components that need to mined to make cellphones are wasted, instead of being reused by manufacturers who can avoid further mining—a problem EcoATM could be instrumental in solving. Click here to read more

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In light of stalled negotiation leading up this December’s Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, the European Union is making some big promises. But are they big enough?

As part of the ongoing eco-aimed bargaining, Europe  has promised an emissions cut of up to 95% by 2050 and a 30% cut by 2020, provided a climate change pact is completed in Copenhagen, which is now little more than a month away. But while the offer would mean significant reductions, doubters are uncertain that it’s drastic enough to push a treaty through in time.

The United Nations has already expressed mixed feelings on what they expect the results to be from the Copenhagen Conference, with some officials believing it unlikely that a binding treaty will be reached and others optimistic that ambitious goals will be set and countries will commit. A lack of specific goal targets and figures from the United States, China and India are currently raising concern, and the unwillingness to offer up information has been an issue within the European Union as well, with Germany and Italy uncertain about promising action that could limit Europe’s bargaining ability in later negotiations. Click here to read more

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Halloween is just a day away and while there are bound to be plenty of spooky ghosts and goblins roaming the streets and searching out candy, some seriously scary real-life “monsters” are among us and they’ve been created (or encouraged) by global warming and pollution. Here are five reminders that things could get really scary (peak oil scary even!) if we don’t make an effort to improve things for the environment.

1. Giant Jellyfish

Seas full of enormous toxic jellyfish sound like something out of a bad scary movie, but due to overfishing the scary swarms are a reality in several parts of the world. With their natural predators fished out of commission and global warming linked to increasing jellyfish populations, these giant jellyfish (some of which can be deadly to both fish and humans) are a very valid threat and one that’s worth switching to sustainable seafood to avoid.

2. Two Headed Fish

They’re not quite the deadly sea creatures that were chasing down human meals in the movie Piranha, but two-headed fish and fish larvae are becoming more common and while there are a few things linked to the problem (including genetic mutation) many scientists feel pollution plays a huge role, with now-famous two-headed fish showing up in an Alberta lake near an oil sands operation and schools of two-headed fish larvae appearing in Australian waters near a pesticide-heavy macadamia plant. Click here to read more

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Lipton has been making green tea for a long time, but the tea coming out of their Suffolk, Virgina plant takes the term to another level. The Suffolk plant recently became a “zero waste” or “zero landfill” facility, meaning that everything created or used in their tea production is reused, recycled, reinvented or burned for energy.

Suffolk’s zero waste plant is the latest step in Lipton’s serious efforts to improve the environmental aspects of the tea they create (and there’s a lot of it—about 1 million tea bags an hour at the Suffolk plant alone). In 2007 they began operating a sustainable tea cultivation estate in Kenya, and the same year they began using tea leaves from Rainforest Alliance certified farms in their PureLeaf tea blends. Since then they’ve made a commitment to using only tea from Rainforest Alliance certified farms by 2015 (although the brand is still very lacking when it comes to organic tea offerings).

The zero waste action in Suffolk started small, with employees wanting to step up their environmental efforts in light of the overseas endeavors. Workers started sharing ideas for waste reduction with higher ups and eventually they were tailing Lipton’s garbage to landfills to what was being thrown out (and how they could avoid it). Click here to read more

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