Do you change your car’s motor oil? If so, you’re considered a do-it-yourself (DIY) oil changer! According to the American Petroleum Institute, more than 50 percent of all motorists fall into this category. DIY oil changers generate approximately a quarter of all used motor oil that has the potential to be reused or recycled: that’s about 150 million gallons of used motor oil each year!

When you change your own oil, you take responsibility for properly disposing of your used oil, too. Mobil oil wants to help you with that: Just enter your postal zip code here to find the location of the oil recycling or disposal facility nearest you.

With business activities in some 200 countries and territories across six continents, ExxonMobil realizes the potential environmental impact of its operations and desires to maintain the highest standards for environmental stewardship. Because Exxon/Mobil believes protecting the environment is everyone’s responsibility, the company has joined with Earth 911, www.earth911.org a nonprofit network that provides access to local environmental programs in the United States and parts of Canada, to make it easier for consumers to properly dispose of their used motor oil. » Read more

There’s very little that can be said about this video, except:

• Watch it in high-def;
• Enlarge it to full screen;
• Turn up the volume to enjoy the amazing vocals.

All a capella vocals are performed by Sam Tsui, a junior at Yale Univesity and award-winning soloist for the Duke’s Men of Yale. The vocal “beat box” percussion, arrangement, and production are accomplished by his friend Kurt Schneider.

For more info on Sam Tsui and his amazing a capella vocals, visit www.myspace.com/SamTsui.

For more info on Kurt, including contact info for obtaining an SATB copy of the arrangement, visit www.myspace.com/KurtHugo.

If this video leaves you gasping to watch more, don’t miss his rendition of “Don’t Stop Believing” by Journey. You can watch it here at youtube.com

Kevin Richardson is an animal behaviorist who has built such a reputation for his amazing relationship with lions, that he has become known as “The Lion Whisperer.”

Once a student of human physiology, the 34-year-old has been working with animals for more than a dozen years now. Based out of a wildlife conservation area near Johannesburg in South Africa, Kevin has built such a strong relationship of trust with these fierce felines that he says he can even sleep with them without fear of mauling.

“I have to rely on my own instincts to gauge an animal or a situation, and I will not approach a creature if something doesn’t feel right,” he said in an interview at The Daily Mail.  “I don’t use sticks, whips or chains, just patience. It may be dangerous, but this is a passion for me, not a job.”

Kevin he says he feels the closest bond with the lions, sharing with them an amazing unconditional love that includes gentle caresses and exuberant play. This is a relationship that has been nurtured over time, and the magnificent animals greet him enthusiastically, welcoming him into their pride as if he were one of them. However, Kevin’s gentle talent extends to other animals such as cheetahs, leopards and hyenas, as well.

According to the article, “Kevin says he is most confident with animals he has known since birth, but claims he can become close friends with any lion less than a year old, when it is still flexible enough to accept him as part of its own pride.” That’s truly amazing! The animals feel so comfortable with him, that they even allow him to handle their newborn offspring.

It’s an unbelieveable and amazingly moving relationship that you have to see to truly understand. I hope you will enjoy the following video.

Brandy Schaffels, eCycleGroup Contributing Editor

An estimated 250 million registered vehicles drive more than 6 billion miles on America’s roadways, every day: how cool would it be if companies could generate electricity every time one of those vehicles pulled into their parking lot or rolled through their drive-up convenience window?

New Energy Technologies, Inc. a next-generation alternative and renewable energy developer, has created a system that does just that with its MotionPower technology for generating electricity from the motion of slowing cars and light trucks. It recently underwent durability testing at a Burger King in Hillside, New Jersey, throughout the busy Labor Day weekend

It looks just like a flattened speed bump with long levers across the top that press down when tires roll over them. That force turns gears inside, generating 2000 watts of electricity instantaneously, say the engineers who designed it. Watch a demo of it here at www.newenergytechnologiesinc.com

Designed as a roadway-based system for installation where vehicles are already required to decelerate or stop, MotionPower technology assists vehicles in slowing down, and in the process of doing so, captures the slowing vehicles’ motion (kinetic) energy before it is lost as brake heat, and creatively converts that energy into clean, ‘green’ electricity.

As millions of vehicles slow or come to a stop at toll plazas, rest areas, residential traffic slowing areas, drive-thrus, and countless other roadway points, their original motion energy, derived from the burning of fossil fuels, is dissipated into the brakes and lost as heat to the environment. I’m thinking that such systems could be even more functional than those speed humps meant to slow down speeding drivers in residential neighborhoods. » Read more

I’ve grown up with both dogs and cats as pets, but it’s not a secret that I prefer cats for their day-to-day simplicity: Put out a bowl of crunchy food, clean the litter box every couple days, and if you’re lucky, they’ll let you pet them. It’s the perfect pet relationship!

But on the “so adorable you can hardly stand it” ratings scale, this roly poly French bulldog puppy wins the prize for its cuteness.

Now look, I don’t know whether this little guy just likes rolling around like this, or if he’s stuck on his back like a tipped-over turtle who can’t get right-side up again. Ours is not to wonder why: ours is just to keep saying “awwwww, ain’t that cute,” while we watch him rolling around.

Go ahead. I dare you to try watching it just once. I know you’ll replay it again and again and again and again and again and again…. He’s so cute, I just want to squish him in a giant bearhug of love.

Share it with your friends, and leave a comment would ya?

Hope Lake Lodge & Indoor Waterpark at Greek Peak Mountain Resort not only blends with its breathtaking environment aesthetically, but is designed to preserve it as well. This expansive construction project — begun in 2008 and nearly finished — will be one of the largest “green” building projects in Central New York. Being environmentally conscious is vital to both the management and condominium residents of Greek Peak Mountain Resort Hope Lake Lodge & Indoor Waterpark.

“We put a great deal of thought into creating the perfect balance between elegant design and environmental preservation,” says Al Kryger, President of Greek Peak Mountain Resort. “Our commitment to sustainable construction can be found at even the smallest level. From energy efficient building materials to water conserving fixtures, we want our property to represent environmental responsibility. Currently we are working with the New York State Energy Research Development Authority to obtain LEED certification for the project.” Some prominent “green” features include energy efficiency, water conservation, local sustainable furniture, and advanced VRV heating/cooling systems that provide superior indoor air quality. Also, recycling has been a strong priority for 30 years and will continue at all levels of the entire resort.

What does it mean to be LEED certified?
According to the U.S. Green Building Council,  “LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.” Being LEED certified means the contractor/owner has taken a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in the following key areas: » Read more