Global warming or climate change means that the Earth is being affected by the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere largely because of man, industry and globalization. Think of the carbon like a thick wooly blanket that keeps the hot air in, making the Earth hotter than it has been in 650,000 years, resulting in shocking images we’ve all been suddenly exposed to – like polar bears clinging onto tiny patches of ice because so much has melted. And have you noticed that there seem to be an awful lot of tropical storms around the world, more violent and more widespread than you remember growing up?

Do you find the picture above as disturbing as I do?

Here are some of the shocking facts, according to the National Geographic:

• Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) around the world since 1880, much of this in recent decades, according to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

• The rate of warming is increasing. The 20th century’s last two decades were the hottest in 400 years and possibly the warmest for several millennia, according to a number of climate studies. And the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that 11 of the past 12 years are among the dozen warmest since 1850.

• The Arctic is feeling the effects the most. Average temperatures in Alaska, western Canada, and eastern Russia have risen at twice the global average, according to the multinational Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report compiled between 2000 and 2004.

• Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier. Polar bears and indigenous cultures are already suffering from the sea-ice loss.

• Glaciers and mountain snows are rapidly melting—for example, Montana’s Glacier National Park now has only 27 glaciers, versus 150 in 1910. In the Northern Hemisphere, thaws also come a week earlier in spring and freezes begin a week later.

• Coral reefs, which are highly sensitive to small changes in water temperature, suffered the worst bleaching—or die-off in response to stress—ever recorded in 1998, with some areas seeing bleach rates of 70 percent. Experts expect these sorts of events to increase in frequency and intensity in the next 50 years as sea temperatures rise.

• An upsurge in the amount of extreme weather events, such as wildfires and strong tropical storms, is also attributed in part to climate change by some experts.

To become more active and do your bit to stop this, visit Stop Global Warming.

It’s over, but it is something worth taking note of. Promotions were carried out during the April 2 and April 9 games of the San Antonio Spurs (yeah, you got a die hard Spurs fan here). Dubbed Green Nights, fans were treated to various delights such as coupons for ENERGY star qualified light bulbs, exhibits of Toyota hybrid cars, and others.

The Spurs also provide “fantastic green tips” in their media center. Here are some of the most practical ones:

Car pool. One trip a year saves money. Talk to people at work, see if you’re going the same way. Go to eRideShare and enter your zip to find people to carpool with. – It’s a great way to make new friends, too!

Ride your bike. Gotta run to the store? Ride instead. Remember, any amount you don’t drive saves. – I love this. Not only do you get to save on fuel, but you also get some exercise.

Get fuel when it’s cool. If you refuel at midday in August, small amounts of the gas are more likely to escape. It all adds up.- Fuel up at night!

Telecommute. If you can, work from home once a month. You’ll save time and money. – More and more companies are offering this option. It will not hurt to ask!

We ask all blog publishers to help bring awareness to the world today on the dire situation with climate change and the need for action!

Why Climate Change?

Climate change affects us all and it threatens more than the environment. It threatens to cause famine, flooding, war, and millions of refugees.

Given the urgency of the issue of climate change and the upcoming international climate negotiations in Copenhagen this December, we think the blogosphere has the unique opportunity to mobilize millions of people around expressing support for finding a sustainable solution to the climate crisis.

Suggested Posts

We encourage you to write about climate change in the context of how it relates to the topic of your blog. To help you start thinking, here are a few ideas about how you might connect climate change to things that you might already write about:

* A Technology or Business blog might write about emerging clean tech and how innovative companies might be able to help address the problem of climate change.

* A Health or Lifestyle blog might write about how climate change will affect our children’s health and daily living.

* A Nonprofit or Political blog might write about how climate change is deeply connected to many other issues – such as poverty and conflict.

* A Design blog might write about new trends in eco-friendly or sustainable design.

* A Travel blog might write about the places you want to see now before climate change makes them difficult to access or, well, under the sea.

Please join the 7,037 blogs in 135 countries and 11,211,921 readers in uniting over this urgent issue!

Earth Day is a wonderful opportunity to help kids understand and get involved with saving the earth. Making Earth Day a fun event to look forward too, with projects that they see through the year, will hopefully instill values of being environmentally caring – something they can bring into adulthood.

Here are some places you can start:

1. i Go Green at Every Age – The folks here at iVillage have great tips on how you can get kids to go green. For example, preschool kids can wash their hands using a thin “pencil” stream of water, while a grade schooler can unplug the tv or computer at night or using reusable containers for school packed lunches.

2. Make Some Crafts - Kids love crafts, so getting creative is a great way of teaching them about Earth Day while having fun. Kaboose has some super craft ideas which uses recycled products to make useful things like a pet food scoop made out of an old laundry detergent bottle or herb planters from empty cans.

3. Do Activities Online – For kids who enjoy learning online, there are many kid- friendly websites you can visit with them. A good one is Roofus’ Home, which shows how a golden retriever’s home can be energy efficient.

4. Host an Earthday Party! – Why not get your kids together with some friends for an Earth Day party? Its a fun way to learn about Earth Day by playing games, eating sustainable foods, and doing a project like recycling or planting a tree. You can can then revisit what you’ve done at next year’s Earth Day and the children will be thrilled to see the results.

Earth Day 1970

Not many of us know that Earth Day has been around for a while. Nearly 39 years, to be precise. The first Earth Day took place on April 22nd 1970, marking the day when the movement for modern environmentalism was born.

The beginnings though, can be traced back as far as 1963, when Senator Gaylord Nelson, a democrat from Wisconsin, first voiced his concerns about the state of the planet. In 1969 he proposed Earth Day “to shake up the political establishment and force this issue onto the national agenda. It was a gamble… but it worked.” Nelson said.

And on April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans rallied with Nelson – in parks, auditoriums, schools and streets – for a healthier Earth. Millions protested the industrial destruction of the environment and the results were tremendous:

” Earth Day 1970 achieved a rare political alignment, enlisting support from Republicans and Democrats, rich and poor, city slickers and farmers, tycoons and labor leaders. The first Earth Day led to the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air, Clean Water, and Endangered Species acts”

I think its wonderful that Earth Day is getting big around the world. Just a few years ago very few people even knew what it was, let alone celebrate it, but today, as early as March, I have been getting emails from people and groups to start planning for the event.

In my community, we have an organic garden and herb center (created from a vacant lot) which we opened on Earth Day two years ago. It has a spirulina fountain, a recycling area and a nifty machine that turns waste into energy which supplies heat to an oven/cooker. A small group of nature-loving ladies (mostly seniors!) started the project with very little money (mostly their own), but with determination, creativity and hard work, the garden is something we are all so proud of today. They sell the produce for a minimal price which goes to the upkeep of the garden and for the foundation they created which also supports other environmental projects in the area (more on that next time).

For Earth Day we have an event planned, where we (I’ve joined the group!) will be unveiling a new part of the garden, some new equipment and talk about the success stories of the year and some great things we have planned for the future. Luckily we also have a chef as part of the group, so the food is always excellent and it becomes a party!

What is YOUR Earth Day event? Click here to find out.

Before you think I’ve gone absolutely mad in suggesting you bring home an actual baby veal to be placed under the tree, let me explain that I’m talking about farm animal adoption, which is a great gift idea for your animal-loving and vegetarian friends and family.

If you find modern farming methods as abhorrent as I do, the Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary is an ideal place to get a wonderful present such as this. Take Dylan, for instance, photographed above, a calf who was found stuck in his own feces. Being male, he was of no use to farmers because he couldn’t produce milk.

Through this website (which is 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so your gift is even tax-exempt), you can simply use your credit card to pay and your giftee will receive a photo of the animal, a certificate and their story. So not only do you save fuel by shopping at home, but you also save the earth by forgoing the usual mass consumerism of the holiday season. Needless to say, your kids will love you for saving “Wilbur” from the bacon factory.

“…with the FABULOUS gift of an ANIMAL SPONSORSHIP the lucky (and now adoring) recipient of your uber-goodness will receive a beautiful, personalized photo card of the animal who you select (or we can select for you), including a description of that animal’s rescue story and personality, plus an optional personalized note from you! The recipient also gets full membership to the farm and special privileges to visit their animal any time of year, and your credit card will be billed a modest amount each month.”

The past year has been a pretty terrifying time in terms of the huge amounts of toxic toys (and milk!) found in the market. And if you’ve think the worst is over and the most dangerous toys have already been weeded out in time for Christmas, you are sadly mistaken. According to the non-profit group Ecology Center, one in three of more than 1,500 of the most popular toys in the market, have unacceptably high levels of toxic chemicals, which can cause the following in our children: reproductive problems, developmental and learning disabilities, hormone problems and cancer.

And its NOT just toys from China, nor is it just lead. And according to their studies, children’s jewelry has the highest amount of chemicals. Horrifying since it is what is most likely to come into contact with our children’s skin!

So be safe this Christmas and before you buy, read up on what’s safe here at Healthy Toys where you can search by brand, “worst toys”, “best toys” and so on. The site also lets you make a “holiday list” which can be emailed to family and friends – a wonderful way to make sure the kids you care about are protected.

Please join the fight to stop chemicals in toys completely and check out some of the ideas listed in the Healthy Toys or Ecology Center’s website – as Mike Shriberg, Ph.D., Ecology Center’s Policy Director rightly said:

“There is simply no place for toxic chemicals in toys….Our hope is that by empowering consumers, manufacturers and lawmakers will start phasing out the most harmful substances immediately, and change the laws to protect children from toxic chemicals.”

Welcome to Yurto, the blog about eco-friendly living in the home. Inspired by the yurt, an ancient circular dwelling place built in tune with nature, we hope to explore the ways we can all make a change for the better in the world that we live in – beginning from our homes.

Why is it so important to go green? Al Gore, who woke up the world with his now-famous documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, puts it succinctly:

“…Some of the leading scientists are now saying we may have as little as 10 years before we cross a kind of point of no return, beyond which it’s much more difficult to save the habitability of the planet in the future…”

10 years??? Now that’s a scary thought.  If you have children like me, that’s enough reason to stop procrastinating and do something about NOW.

So from plastic to canvas, wasting to conserving,  lets find ways to care for the earth while we can and live healthier, happier lives.