Although it’d be easy to dismiss “The Lazy Environmentalist” as a simple product placement vehicle for Brita filters and GE CFLs, it can be an entertaining and informative show¹. In this Sundance Channel series media personality Josh Dorfman tries to convince small business owners and hobbyists from all walks of life to adopt alternative products and techniques. If you don’t subscribe to this premium channel, recent episodes are also available via Comcast On Demand and clips of episodes can be viewed on the series website. Check it out next time you feel the need to become one with the couch, but there’s nothing good on.

Also for your enjoyment, a 45 minute discussion by Josh to Google employees about his approach to environmentalism:

^{1. The enlightenment can also}… [view entry]

Enjoy a great day of climate workshops, presentations, green vendors, youth displays, and climate related activities. Film a public service announcement. Create a sustainability message at the YouTube booth. Take workshops about green architecture, eating sustainably, futuristic carbon-free energy and many more. All who register (online) will be entered into a drawing for door prizes including iPods, gift certificates, and more.

An afternoon networking session will give Summit attendees to become part of Youth CAN’s Massachusetts Education for Sustainability Campaign aimed at requiring education for sustainability at the secondary level.

Event is free, including breakfast and lunch. Register online as soon as possible to obtain a slot in the workshop of your choice. More information.

Check out a video of last year’s summit:

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), is a non-profit organization who’s mission is to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment. A wealth of knowledge is provided on Health and Toxics, Farming, Natural Resources and Energy choices.

“The Plastic Bag” directed by Ramin Bahrani, this 18-minute film chronicling the life of a plastic bag, and questions the environmental impact of consumerism in a world that treats it like trash. “The Plastic Bag” has been screened at many film festivals, and was commissioned by the Independent Television Service through a project in which 11 filmmakers were asked to examine issues in the United States and dramatize the potential consequences. The series includes another environmentally themed film called “Seed,” about a future in which genetically modified seeds dominate the world and organic seeds are illegal.

Of course plastic bags don’t have to be modern tumbleweeds. Besides being easy to recycle there are several interesting projects one can do with them including making your own messenger bag… [view entry]

April is National Garden Month, so get out there and get grubby! It’s an excellent way to get some Vitamin D, and fresh produce. Larger plantings or vines may also shade your home from the brutal sun of summer.

If you don’t have a yard, consider container gardening or applying for a plot in a community garden. Either way, you may want to take advantage of the city’s annual rain barrel sale so that you can water your plants with no-cost chlorine-free water. You can also feed your plants for free with compost available during normal recycling center hours (T&R 4–7:30PM and S 9–4PM) thanks to the city’s compost program and the local businesses and homeowners who contribute their food waste.

If you are lucky enough to… [view entry]

Did you now that the library’s not the only place you can get free books? CCTV has a brief documentary about the Cambridge Recycling Center where you can learn this and other fun facts.

The NWF is often upstaged by bigger names—pun intended—but they too strive to raise awareness and help restore balance between man and environment through various programs and publications including that magazine named for our furry friend to the right. I recently discovered that they also have a YouTube channel featuring a very brief weekly video news digest in addition to other clips such as the somewhat amusing news reel spoof below.

In case you somehow managed to miss the commercials in heavy rotation, The Discovery Channel is following up last year’s BBC collaboration “Earth” with “Life.” “Life” began Sunday, and excerpts of the first episode as well as a preview of next week’s installment are available online.

A quick synopsis of recent/upcoming environmental events at local universities.

MIT’s energy conference begins tomorrow, featuring a free Energy Showcase from 5–8 PM:

Last week’s episode of NOVA Extreme Cave Diving was an interesting foray into “blue holes,” and the evidence they offer of paleo-climate. If you missed it, check the website to view it online. Similar, though less-breath taking evidence is offered in a recent paper from Yale.

This week’s Extreme Ice, provides a stunning and more in-depth review of the photographic documentation of glacial melting by James Balog, which we have mentioned before.