Without further ado, here are a few friends with their favorite American naturalists:

Natalie Davis on Rogan Gregory
Every time I see New York based designer, Rogan Gregory’s clothes, I am inspired to not only to be much more conscientious of green, but reminded that you don’t have to compromise style to be environmentally responsible. A true fashion mastermind, with brands like Loomstate, an all-organic line of t-shirts and jeans and his own edgier line Rogan, he has set the bar for ‘sustainably-minded clothes’ and found the balance between being eco-friendly while remaining hip and trend setting.

Never heard of him? That will probably soon change. A former Gap designer who won the prestigious CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award for 2008, he is quickly gaining momentum and growing in popularity. U2’s Bono and his wife Ali Hewson liked Gregory’s designs so much, that they collaborated with him on an ethical T-shirt label called Edun. Barney’s picked up some of his designs in May, and also launched a limited edition collection available in Target stores all across the country. And if that’s not enough, he recently started ROGAN OBJECTS, a home furnishings collection. All eco-conscience!

So for the 4th, the naturalist who most inspires me is Rogan Gregory. Thank you, Rogan, for delivering fashion in a way where nothing important to me is being sacrificed; the earth or my style.

Andrew Durrett on Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau has always been my favorite naturalist. He was peaceful, simple and deep, yet courageous and eloquent – a rare and effective combination for social change.  Reading Walden as a youngster changed my own view of so many things.  I cannot imagine how this world would have been without his positive imprint. He said what needed to be said at the right time in history.

Thoreau stands out as one of the great influencers of modern times. He was a prolific author in the 19th century whose works ranged from transcendentalism and nature to opposition to slavery and modern society. He is best remembered for Walden a beautiful piece of non-fiction showing a way of peaceful solitude and simplicity in the midst of nature.

He was an outspoken man of conscience as well who advocated civil disobedience in protest of unjust actions of the state. He spoke out against slavery, taxes, conformity, and the goal oriented complexities of modern living. In addition, many believe his writings on natural history paved the way for modern day environmentalism.

His legacy was felt no doubt in the Civil War just a few years after his death. He influenced great leaders in years to come like Martin Luther King, Jr and Mahatma Gandhi. Most notable though has been his profound influence upon generations past and present to stand up for what they believe in regardless of public opinion. Today we see this reflected in the green movement of the world. Thoreau would likely have been proud but also quick to say there is much more to be done.

Anita Benner on Marty Stouffer
When asked about my favorite American naturalist, I immediately thought of the first public figure who impacted my love for and understanding of the great outdoors. Marty Stouffer, narrator and producer of the hit PBS show Wild America, brought scenes of pristine landscapes and majestic animals into millions of living rooms across America inspiring awe and respect for one of our country’s greatest resources: wildlife. Hailed by many as one of the greatest nature documentaries ever made, Wild America undoubtedly spawned generations of future naturalists and conservationists. Sadly the program was cancelled in part due to various scandals including illegal hunting charges and allegations of staged animal fights between wild animals and either tame or tethered ones.

Despite Marty’s apparent fall from grace, his visionary show has brought greater good than harm as it not only exposed millions to the beauty of our natural surroundings, but also helped pave the way for other works of art like the breathtaking series Planet Earth, which is without a doubt the crowned jewel of wildlife series with only one downfall – it’s only 11-parts long.

Chris Mixon on Theodore Roosevelt
In 1902, Theodore Roosevelt established the first national park at Crater Lake, Oregon and went on to create four more (Wind Cave National Park, SD;  Sully’s Hill, ND;  Platt National Park, OK; and Mesa Verde National Park, CO). During his tenure as president, from 1901 to 1909 he created 51 wildlife refugees, passed the Antiquities Act (which led to the creation of 18 national monuments), and created the National Park Service.

Roosevelt proclaimed, “A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.” He backed up these words by protecting 150 national forests. In all, Roosevelt protected some 230 million acres of national land.

Roosevelt wrote in 1916, “The movement for the conservation of wild life and the larger movement for the conservation of all our natural resources are essentially democratic in spirit, purpose, and method,”.

Theodore Roosevelt ignited the national mind set toward preserving our greatest natural resource, and the argument could be made that he was one of the Founding Fathers of the American Green movement.

Chris Byrd on John Burroughs
“I go to nature to be soothed and healed, and to have my senses put in order.” - John Burroughs

John Burroughs (1837-1921) was more than an American naturalist; he was a poet, a teacher and an ecological conservationist. An accomplished author, more popular books include Birds and Poets (1877) and Ways of Nature (1905). Having written over 30 books, along with numerous naturalist essays and poems, John is best known for his observations and writings on birds, flowers and rural scenes.

While he loved the beauty of the American wilderness, he was especially fond of the area around his boyhood home in the Catskills of West Park, New York. As a youth, John would often skip his school lessons in order to explore the fields and surrounding areas on his own, soaking in the beauty of the environment.

John Burrough’s voice and writings were also vital to the evolution of the US conservation movement. This political and social movement sought to protect natural resources and habitat for our future generations. His work lives on, as the John Burroughs Medal is awarded each year in April by the John Burroughs Association to the author of a book that the association has judged to be distinguished in the field of natural history.

TD: Now it’s your turn. Which American naturalist had the most influence on you? Regardless of whether you live in the United States, we’d love to hear about your own country’s environmental legacy.

Let us know by posting a comment below. And Happy 4th.

So having established that an animal companion is a natural part of our human existence, it may seem  contradictory to assert that there are quite a few decidedly ungreen aspects of pet ownership.  Fido and Fluffy’s forefather’s decided eons ago to forgo their animal cohorts and hitch their fates to our wagon and found the accommodations and kibbles we provided much to their liking.  As a result, they’ve reproduced in numbers well beyond their wild cousins, and as with humans, this booming population is not without its environmental consequences.  I’ll discuss a few of those consequences in this blog post as well as offer a few easy practices you can employ to help mitigate the environmental effects of your friend’s presence on the planet.
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There has been a lot of exiting stuff happening in the auto industry lately.   With gas prices skyrocketing, auto makers are practically tripping over themselves to offer more fuel-efficient options.  Earlier this week the pages of this blog featured a story about the possibility of electric auto manufacturer Tesla Motors opening a California plant for it’s new sedan.  Today I just read a blog about a huge green auto show in Liverpool, England.  It’s called the Green Car Guide Live 2008, amd is the largest of it’s kind in the UK.  From the looks of attendance at the event, and the increasing number of hybrids on the road, this trend will not be abating anytime soon.  Great news for all of us!

If there’s one thing the state of Hawaii has plenty of, it’s hours and hours of radiant sunshine.  This fact has not been lost on the lawmakers of the state, and Governor Linda Lingle recently signed a bill into law requiring all new single-family homes to have solar-powered water heaters by 2010.  As it is now, Hawaii imports more fossil fuels than any other state.  While I’m generally on the fence about government mandated environmental efforts, I applaud the state for making what amounts to a very practical decision about helping to enable a clean energy future.  Should governments mandate environmental action like this?  Let us know in the comments section below.      

The report concluded that clean-energy purchasing is expected to reach $450 billion a year by 2012 and $600 billion a year by 2020.

AP, Reuters and BBC News were in Nairobi for the UNEP press conference and covered the key points in depth.

Does this report indicate a clean energy future in the making? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

There is a growing body of evidence, according to best-selling author, Richard Louv, that these physical manifestations in our children-higher rates in childhood obesity, diabetes and more-are related to a disconnection from nature.  In his book, Last Child in the Woods, Louv argues that allowing kids to play - really play - outside in nature can actual heal many of our children’s battle with the bulge.

On Father’s Day, I joined Louv, his wife Kathy, and his son Matthew for dinner to discuss his latest book, and he explained a visit with students at his hometown elementary school Raytown, Mo.  When he asked the students about their experience with nature, many of them reported a now-typical response: They preferred playing video games; they favored indoor activities - and when they were outside, they were generally playing soccer or some other adult-organized sport.

“My own awareness that something was changing began in the late 1980’s when researching a book on the new realities of family life,” explained Louv.  “For this book and a prior book, I interviewed nearly three thousand children and parents across the country, and I often think if a wonderfully honest comment made by Paul, a fourth grader in San Diego: ‘I like to play indoors better, ’cause-that’s where the outlets are’.”

According to The Conservation Fund’s president, the nature deficit phenomenon is a wake-up call of sorts for the environmental movement.

“Young people who grow up without spending time in nature are much less likely to be strong champions of the environment when they reach voting age,” said Larry Selzer.  “Twenty years from now, we will have people determining the future, planning the fate of our wetlands, forests and streams, who have never been in a forest or waded a stream.”

Today, Louv and others, including The Conservation Fund, are leaning heavily on a budding network of individuals and corporations aiming to get kids back outside.  Dubbed the “National Forum on Children and Nature,” this motley crew of governors, CEOs, real estate and technology developers have rallied to reposition the issue of children’s health as front and center in the environmental movement.

To do so requires a different, more strategic environmental approach than we are used to; one that cuts across sector, status and geography.  An approach that embraces new technology as part of the solution to getting kids outside.

And that’s where you come in.  It’s time for the ReGeneration to share its ideas and make a difference.  How can we better use technology to get kids outdoors?  What does nature mean to you?  We’re listening.

Jena Thompson oversees The Conservation Fund’s Go Zero program, an innovative climate change initiative that has generated significant support from individuals, organizations and Fortune 500 businesses.  Prior her role as director of Go Zero, Jena led the marketing and communications division of The Conservation Fund - building overall brand and messaging strategies that positioned the organization as the nation’s top-rated environmental charity.

The San Francisco Chronicle later reported that the company has chosen the Bay Area to build a manufacturing plant for its new model.

Earlier this year, we blogged about the race to produce the world’s first electric car for the masses. It’s a topic (and market) that is already generating a significant amount of buzz and conversation in the blogosphere. Former SAP executive Shai Agassi is among a handful of Silicon Valley-based entrepreneurs working to bring one to market.

So, are electric cars a worthwhile investment? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Update: Greentech Media has more on today’s announcement.
Update II: TechCrunch has video of the event with Schwarzenegger.

Anna Shepard from Eco-worrier, the Times of London’s environmental blog, offers some timely summertime tips on “greening” your next picnic.  Among the more brilliantly intuitive advice she offers is to eliminate waste by bringing fruits that have their own “packaging,” like bananas and avocados.  She also includes a short list of products intended to reduce your picnic’s carbon footprint, like recycled tumblers and Wrap-a-Mat, a reusable sandwich wrapper.  The only thing I’d add to the list is a natural insect repellant for those of us who have to share the lovely summer weather with a few thousand hungry six-legged friends.  

Even eco-warriors need to get away from time to time. Keeping with the summer theme, the folks at Grist have published a list of things to consider for your next vacation.  In addition to providing some great information on “greening” your trip, they link to some very useful sites on the subject, such a car rental agencies that offer hybrids, sites that will calculate your trip’s emissions and ways to offset what you do emit by going on eco-oriented working vacations.  Have fun, and don’t forget to turn off the stove on your way out! 

Some of us, including yours truly, won’t have the chance to go on a nice getaway this summer.  Instead, we’ll be embarking on our own little staycations (or holistays, if you like) at home.  To assist us with this, the Huffington Post has published a few tips for greening up your home.  The tips are all little things that add up over time, like turning off the water while you brush your teeth and relying on natural light to illuminate you home, but as with all good posts, the really creative tips are in the comments section, sent in by readers like you.  (Note: The ReGeneration is not a political movement and welcomes people from all sides of the aisle.  We do not endorse any other views found on the Huffington Post or related blogs).

Last but not least, I’d like to give a trans-blog high five to Green Lifestyle, a blog that is completely devoted to offering “green” tips on a variety of subjects.  The most recent is about saving energy by getting rid of your screensaver, but there are tips there that cover “greening” your office, your diet, your pets and your home, to just name a few.  They’re relatively new to the blogosphere, so be sure to drop in and say “hi.”  The information is all good, and anyone who is willing to devote their time to sharing some knowledge for a healthier planet deserves kudos.          

If only the move to green business were a choice.

With oil now at $130 a barrel and perhaps starting to dwindle in supply, there has never been a more pressing need to find alternative energies and cut down the use of carbon-intensive ones.

That is if the human race wishes to maintain a certain standard of living.

Even if you are someone who disagrees that climate change is occurring, other drivers for alternative energy technologies include better national energy security, increasing demand from India and China, and of course the falling supply of fossil fuels.

Clean-tech and the green industry are unlike the internet boom, where entrepreneurs built online services to see what kind of audiences and money they could attract.

There is already a strong demand for the product of clean technology. Good green business doesn’t provide new products, services or utilities. They meet the same demands for clean water, air, heat and food but in a less-damaging way to the planet.

Water, food, heat and shelter are basic demands. And the basic laws of economics state there must be demand and supply for a market to exist.

The trouble we face now is that global demand for energy is increasing. There is a lot of gloomy speculation as to whether supply can keep up, or if it will start falling.

With that in mind, investors are coming to a market where demand is already built. They just need to find a way to supply people in a cleaner fashion.

So there has never been such a need for investment or promotion of new technologies. But they have to be the right ones (not carbon intensive) – and that has to happen before the oil runs out. The credit crunch is nothing compared to that.

Dan Ilett is the editor and founder of Greenbang, a blog that tracks the explosion of the environmental industry, reporting on news of green innovation and clever business people.

If you’ve ever traveled through America’s Deep South, you may have noticed a vine that seems to take over everything in it’s path.  The vine in question is the kudzu plant, an invasive species that was introduced to the U.S. from Japan in the late 19th century.  The plant found the South much to its liking, and growing at a rate of almost a foot a day, it quickly became entrenched in the landscape of the area.  Often viewed as a nuisance, people are beginning to see the plant in a new light, especially considering the recent heated debates over biofuels and land use.  Since the plant grows rapidly and technically doesn’t belong in the South, it’s has moved to the top of the list of possible crops to develop as a biofuel.  It is estimated that the plant will be able to produce 270 gallons of ethanol per acre, the same amount yielded from an acre of corn.  If employed, this will free up more land for food crops, and will take something we have too much of (kudzu) and using it to make something we need more of (energy).   Sounds like a win-win proposition!

With the upcoming Olympic Games in China, there’s been a lot of news about what the industrial giant is doing to clean up its corner of the world.  The latest, complements of our friends at EcoGeek, is about China’s rapidly expanding wind power initiatives.  Already ranked number 5 in wind power capacity, and currently producing over 6 GW, experts predict that China’s wind power will continue to grow, eventually reaching 100 GW by 2020.  The bulk of this development will likely take place on the windy steppes of Inner Mongolia, which has the potential to provide 40 percent of the country’s total wind power.

And if there’s a cool social media site we’re not on yet, let us know in Cafe RE or the comments section of this post.   It is through sharing ideas with as many people as possible from every corner of the globe that we can help save the planet.  See you on the web!