The 2009 US Open is underway. But before you start debating whether or not Roger Federer can pull out another win or which Williams sister will last longer, check out how this year’s tournament is going for a grand slam in the green department. The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) have teamed up to make the event eco-friendly and help raise awareness with over 700,000 spectators.

Last year, several green initiatives were put into place and this year, the US Open is even greener. One of the biggest sources of waste for the sport are all those Wilson tennis balls and tennis ball cans, which are made up of four different materials. This year the 60,000 tennis balls will be reused for National Tennis Center programming and later donated to community and youth programs. About 18,000 to 20,000 of the tricky-to-recycle ball cans will be saved from landfills.

Eco-friendly US Open merchandise will be available, too, including the organic cotton t-shirt designed by Venus Williams (shown above) and hats made from 50% recycled plastic soda bottles. US Open shopping bags will be made for reuse with the words “recycled and reuse” printed on the bottom, or you can be a real reusable tote for $5.

And the green initiatives list goes on and on: Click here to read more

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Last year, over 20,000 American beach closing days were reported according to a report from the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). Raw sewage and storm water are the biggest culprits. And with a rainy summer season this year, your favorite beach could be shut down just when you want to cool off. Rain carries pollutants from dirty storm water and overflowing sewage into streams and rivers, which eventually make their way to the ocean, Nancy Stoner, NRDC’s water program co-director told USA Today.

So what can you do to make sure your favorite beach stays sewage-free? You can help keep pollution out of coastal waters by properly disposing of pet waste and trash as well as toxic household products, used motor oil and other pollutants, which can travel from your drain to beach waters. You can also help support programs and participate in activities that reduce storm water runoff pollution like rain gardens, rain barrels and green roofs.

Want to see how your beach measures up? Click here to read more

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It’s no secret that bottled water is bad for the earth. In 2006, the equivalent of 2 billion half liter bottles were shipped to the US to support our bad habit, creating thousands of tons of global warming pollution, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). While reusable water bottles are becoming more and more popular, the convenience of bottled water still wins at outdoor events and open air concert venues. Some music festivals, like last month’s Bonnaroo weekend in Tennessee banned bottled water. But then the question arises, how do you provide drinking water? The city of Toronto has come up with a sustainable solution: a mobile water trailer called HTO to Go.

Like water wagons of the past, this water fountain on wheels brings water en masse to areas where the H2O isn’t flowing. HTO to Go arrives at a venue and usually hooks up to a nearby water main. The refridgerated trailer is equipped with ten taps for drinking, ten taps for filling up resuable water bottles and even two automatically-refilling doggy bowls at the back.

Vancouver is contemplating a similiar service. Click here to read more

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Looks like the cast of Gossip Girl is taking a page out of the cast of Entourage’s book: they’ve greened the show’s set by banning plastic water bottles and cups and replacing them with reusable ones. Not only that, but the cast and the CW have also put together a video, with sponsorship from the National Resources Defense Council and Stop Global Warming to encourage viewers to do the same. Cast members Blake Lively, Penn Badgley, and Leighton Meester suggest carrying resusable mugs, throwing on a sweater instead of wasting energy, and canceling magazine subscriptions. Could this be the influence of ultra green fellow cast member Kelly Rutherford?

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The National Resources Defense Council explores the negative impacts liquid coal would have on the economy, communities, and the environment. This ‘cure-all’ for our dependence on fossil fuel releases twice as many emissions as per gallon as regular gasoline. Is this proposed solution really in the public interest, or only in the interest of coal companies?

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