Have you heard of the SEED initiative? It’s a “global partnership for action on sustainable development and the green economy” founded by international organizations UNEP, UNDP and IUCN in 2002. SEED allows small entrepreneurs creating sustainable ideas and green-friendly concepts. With the support of SEED, those entrepreneurs can start producing on a bigger scale, making it possible to reach more people and make a bigger impact.

What’s more, SEED also gives out awards to social and environmental entrepreneurs in countries with developing or emerging economies. So if you have a great idea, you too can submit your project to SEED and could win an award! More on SEED in the next blog entry…

Ganesha Chaturthi is a major Hindu festival in India. The highlight is the immersion of thousands of idols of the elephant-headed god Ganesha in lakes and rivers. Environmentalists however say the brightly-colored statues contain toxic chemicals which cause serious pollution to water bodies. 

Now, authorities in the state of Andhra Pradesh have launched a campaign ahead of this year’s festival in September for eco-friendly Ganeshas.  They’re pushing for the use of statues made of clay instead of the usual plaster of Paris. Clay, they say, dissolves quickly and does not harm aquatic life. Idol-makers are being trained to use natural colors instead of chemicals for painting the statues. The campaign also urges people to remove plastics and other decorations put on the idols before they are immersed in the water.

“Water in an Urbanising World” is this year’s theme of World Water Week currently taking place in Stockholm. The 2011 installment of the annual event draws experts from science, NGOs, business and politics to debate the issue of water (and the lack of it). In the words of the organizers the conference “focuses on new thinking and positive action toward water-related challenges and their impact on the world’s environment, health, climate, economic and poverty reduction agendas.”

Watch the live stream from the conference here:

Europe has some of the most bike-friendly cities on the globe, from Copenhagen and Berlin to Amsterdam and Barcelona. But cities elsewhere in the world have also caught onto the trend, like Portland and San Francisco in the U.S. and Kyoto and Singapore in Asia.

Bikes help cut down on traffic, congestion and harmful greenhouse gas emissions. They also lead to a healthier, more active society, and they’re much cheaper than a lot of other modes of transportation.

But what will the future look like when it comes to bikes and cars? Will we ever see a major metropolis completely dependent upon bikes and public transit? It’s hard to imagine that happening, especially in the world’s most densley-populated cities, where there is little infrastructure to support bike traffic. Still, we could see completely car-free urban centers in the future…only time will tell!

Melt! is Europe’s largest indie and electro music festival. Taking place in July every year, the 2011 installment saw 150 DJs and bands perform in front of a 20,000 strong crowd. When the music plays the heat is on. That’s not always a good thing: instruments, lighting, logistics plus thousands of fans camping out on site are gobbling up huge amounts of energy. The CO2-emissions of the 3-day event are on a par with that of a small town. But this year climate protection is part of the act. Find out how in our latest GI report.

In addition here are interviews on the issue with some of the artists. Daniel of projecthires.com has quizzed the Melt!-line up about climate change and the need for action.

Click here for more of Daniel’s video interviews.