TH Exclusives

From the news that scientists have created a bacteria that lights up around landmines to the development of a rot-proof apple--that stays fresh for 4 months--a lot happened this week in green. A new study called The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) shows that putting money into protecting wetlands, coral reefs, and forests is a better investment than gold, Lloyd visited GreenBuild 2009 in Arizona, and readers sent in photos of the one green object they just can't live without for our weekly slideshow. Find out what else happened in the world of green this week in our photo roundup of most popular, most important, and most oddball stories. And if you missed it, view last week's The Week in Pictures: Trawler Sunk by Jellyfish and More.

Business & Politics

A weekly wrap up of green and socially minded business news from the gang at TriplePundit.com.

How Do You Solve a Problem Like Sarah Palin Wearin' Your Product? - Got a great green company? What happens when Sarah Palin shows up wearing it on the cover of Newsweek? The folks at Icebreaker turn it into a marketing coup.

Avoiding COP15 Burnout with "Expectation Management" - Will the Copenhagen conference be a fizzle without a US commitment? Or will magic happen behind the scenes? Take a breath and manage your expecations with a couple different perspectives.

As Asia Outpaces America in Cleantech, US and China Agree to Cooperation - COP15 may be up in the air, but a partnership on clean technology between the United States and China holds promise for progress elsewhere.

Coca-Cola Rolls Out Plant-Based Recyclable Bottles - It's only 30% bio material and doesn't make much of a dent in the comsumption cycle, but better is better and Coke gets kudos.

California Group Blames Immigrants for Climate Change - And now one for the WTF file. Sure, population increases mean a higher carbon footprint, but does blaming immigrants make any sense? This marketing campaign seems all kinds of unbalanced.

Travel & Nature

Credit: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The Asian carp, a monstrous, invasive fish, has been knocking at the door of the Great Lakes for decades. Now bad news is spreading that the fish may have breached an electric barrier on the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal, entering Lake Michigan.

Science & Technology

It's friday and we know you need something to keep you busy for the weekend, so here's the perfect thing. As the efficiency (and business case) for nano-based solar technology continues to ascend, isn't time you got in the game? Don't worry, it's not as easy as it sounds; in addition to powdered donuts, you'll need some Passion tea from Starbucks and a bottle of Everclear. Even if the cells don't work you've got some good provisions to keep you busy till Monday. Enjoy.

Business & Politics

It's probably no great secret to TreeHugger readers at this point that part of the reason carbon emissions in developing nations are rapidly rising is partially because manufacturing of goods for export to the developed world. In fact in China at least one-third of total emissions and about 50% of emissions growth in recent years is directly tied to goods consumer in Europe and the United States.

So when it comes to counting those emissions, shouldn't the national burden be split up differently? The idea's not novel, but a new paper in Environmental Research Letters (via Mongabay) brings the issue to the fore.

The report authors use the example of Brazil, making the point that Brazil is the world's foremost exporter of both beef and soybeans -- both contributing to varying degrees to the nation's ongoing (if slowing) deforestation -- but the countries which consume these goods don't pay anything for the environmental damage, loss of biodiversity, and soaring carbon emissions caused when agriculture replaces rainforests.

Cars & Transportation

Photo: Rolls Royce

Does It Matter? Depends How You Look at It...
Autocar reports that a source inside the company told them that Rolls Royce could have an electric version of its Phantom super-luxury car on the road by the end of 2010: "Internally it's thought that the near-silence of electric propulsion, and the fact that full torque is available from a standstill, would align perfectly with Rolls-Royce's core values. Engineers are currently hard at work making this a reality, although a running prototype has yet to hit the road."

Science & Technology

Photo: Wikipedia, CC

Maryland Offshore Wind Development
Martin O'Malley, the governor of Maryland, would like to see offshore wind power developed off the cost of his state, but the U.S. military has expressed fears that the turbines could "disrupt flight and weapon test ranges, as well as erroneously appear on radar as unidentifiable aircraft." Three military bases in the region are using that area in the Atlantic for training missions and flight tests.

Culture & Celebrity

Photo via TreeHugger

Already thinking about your holiday shopping? Our gift guide is the perfect place to start, but if you're the kind of shopper who likes visiting a store rather than waiting for the UPS truck, check out Wired's fifth annual pop-up store in New York City--where a careful collection of green gifts has been selected by one of our favorite eco-celebrities.