Earth Hour - The Countdown Begins

Mark your calendars, folks. Earth hour is coming. On March 28 from 8:30PM to 9:30P people across the planet are being encouraged to turn off their lights and any other non-essential power in an effort to erm ... uh ... vote for Earth instead of global warming? OK, so the reason on the website is a bit convoluted but just think of how much energy can be saved if the targeted 1 billion people turn off their lights for an hour.

Earth Hour began in Sydney in 2007, when 2.2 million homes and businesses switched off their lights for one hour. In 2008 global landmarks such as the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, Rome’s Colosseum, the Sydney Opera House and the Coca Cola billboard in Times Square all stood in darkness.

So stock up on candles, warm up the massage oil and invite that certain someone round for a fun-filled evening of saving the planet.

Geneva Car Show's Hot New Color

In the past, being both a car lover and eco-minded has resulted in quite the dilemma. Take the Prius. I mean seriously, you really want me to be seen driving that thing? Well, the Geneva Car Show has come and gone and with all the mind-blowing sustainable concept cars and ideas filling the arena, being a green car buff is now one of the most exciting things going. Highlights from the show include: High-performance tuning specialist Ruf announcing their prototype electric sports car called the eRuf which was essentially a lithium ion battery-powered 911. EDAG's lithium-ion powered Light Car - Open Source. EDAG is pushing the envelope by freely opening up the technology on their lithium-ion powered Light Car-Open Source to outside developers for improvement and modification. Go EDAG. Switzerland's Rinspeed rolled out its electric iChange that features a low-slung body with a hinged canopy. And then there was Sbrarro's Orbital Hybrid with its crazy hubless wheels. And bubble car fans, fret not. There was a variety of all-electric and hybrid bubbles on show by everyone from Smart and Fiat to Chrysler and Mitsubishi. Italy's Pininfarina and France's Bolloré unveiled the electric B0 with solar panels on the roof, which will be available in Europe later this year. Even Bentley is getting into the action with their fastest, most-powerful production car, an ethanol-powered supercar.

Eden Gardening Green Surfboards

When a giant balsa tree falls in the Eden Project's Rainforest Biome does it make any sound? Whether it does or not, it started a five-year collaboration between four English companies - Eden Project, Homeblown surf blanks, Sustainable Composites, and Laminations. Homeblown developed a new blank made from 15-20 percent plant-derived material. Sustainable Composites came up with a resin made almost entirely from linseed oil. And Cornwall-based Laminations are producing the boards – made from more than 50% (by weight) renewable resources – which include a variety of shapes from short boards and fish to longboards.

Of Course It's True, I Read It On the Internet

Have Offset, Will Travel

So let's say you're a surfer who is truly passionate about leading a sustainable lifestyle. Almost as passionate as, say, that annual surf trip with the bruthas to the Maldives. But oooooh, all that nasty air travel is leaving a stain on your otherwise porcelain clean conscious. What's a fella to do? Cancelling the trip is clearly not an option. I mean what's the point in doing your best to keep the ocean clean if you can't enjoy the fruits of your labor?

Luckily, the crew at Carbonfund.org have come up with a plan to ease your troubled mind. Their Carbon Free Surfing program enables you to easily offset all kinds of surf trip from a weekend Baja mission to a North Shore tow-in session and beyond.

So go ahead and book that 5-star Indo boat trip with a smile knowing that thanks to your offset, Carbonfund.org will be planting a whole heap o' trees in Nicaragua thanks to your donation.

Hot Sun, Hot Water, Hot Damn!

What's that? You say you've been thinking about tapping into all that free energy radiating down from the heavens? While a photovoltaic system is a killer idea, your first step should probably be a solar hot water. It's the cheapest and most effective active solar power system there is, so man, why aren't you using it? And with Obama's new alternative energy tax rebates everyone in the country should be jumping at the opportunity to get off the grid, save up to $450/year from your electric bill, and save one ton of CO2 emissions per year per household.

Remind me again how many homes there are in the US? 80 million?! Think about it.

Breathe Costa Rica Soooo Way Better Than Breathe Methane

Que pasos, vatos? For all of you wondering what the notoriously big-hearted Drew Stevenson (Onboard, filmUp, TTR among others) has been up to recently, look no further than his latest creative endeavor, Breathe Costa Rica.

BCR is a social/ecological festival in the Nicoya Penincula, Costa Rico involving music, art, surfing and what's undoubtedly a whole lot of positive energy directed towards raising awareness of social and ecological issues.

As an important part of the event, from now until 1 March there will be a charity auction of items donated by surf and snowboard pros with proceeds going to the underserved kids of Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica. So hit that link and snatch up some killer memorabilia (and future eBay fodder) from the likes of Axel Pauporte, Manoa Drollet, Nicolas Müller, Ingemar Backman and others.

Charge on, Drew. Charge on.