treehugger > home

Drought Politics In Colorado - Candidate For Governor Fostering State's Rights Or Ignorant Provocation?

by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 09. 4.10
Business & Politics

colorado water project photo
Image credit:Colorado Trout Unlimited.

Colorado Republican gubernatorial candidate Dan Maes seems to have a habit of hitting the xenophia-flavored cool aid. April's recent post covered his ranting about how promoting bike riding is part of a world government conspiracy designed to steal personal freedoms. At the time I thought 'well...it might win him some Tea Party-style votes and he won't lose too many bike riders who otherwise would have supported him.' Maes' latest proclamation on environment (upending a century of water law) is likely to terrify neighboring state governors, business executives, and real estate developers so that conservation seems a side issue. Speaking before the Colorado Water Congress, Maes said, according to the Colorado Independent, and other sources ""I have a pretty simple policy on water so far: If it starts in Colorado, it's our water,""

Article continues: Drought Politics In Colorado - Candidate For Governor Fostering State's Rights Or Ignorant Provocation?

Asian Elephants Get a New Home at the Smithsonian National Zoo

by Alex Davies, St. Paul, Minnesota on 09. 4.10
Business & Politics

smithsonian-zoo-2 photo
Image Credit: Mehgan Murphy, National Zoo

If you've been to the Smithsonian National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. lately, you may have noticed that they've been working on the first stage of their "Elephant Trails" project- a bold initiative to build a complex of indoor and outdoor habitats for the zoo's Asian elephants that will allow the endangered animals to thrive. Phase I, which opened to the public yesterday, includes two new outdoor yards and an elephant barn, which is LEED certified and includes 5,700 square feet of livable space, and will be the elephants' future home.

Article continues: Asian Elephants Get a New Home at the Smithsonian National Zoo

September 1, 2010 -- After a very difficult day at our headquarters in Silver Spring, we are extremely relieved to report that everyone in the building is unharmed. Thank you for the messages of support that we received via multiple platforms today — they were very much appreciated.

Please read the official Discovery statement about today’s events.

Handmade Online Marketplace Etsy Raises $20 Million Financing

by Kimberley Mok, Montreal, Canada on 09. 4.10
Business & Politics

etsy20milion.jpg

Handmade is becoming big business -- reeeally big. Etsy -- the online marketplace for handmade items -- announced earlier this week that it has raised $20 million in venture capital financing and has now tripled its valuation at $300 million (not including the funding). With sales up a whopping 72% from last year, business is booming -- not to mention ex-Google exec Adam Freed being roped in as Etsy's new chief operating officer.

Article continues: Handmade Online Marketplace Etsy Raises $20 Million Financing

TreeHugger breaks it down for you in a series of in depth how-to articles that will help you green your life. No time like the present!

'Meet Eater,' the Plant That Lives on Social Media

by Jeff Kart, Bay City, Michigan on 09. 4.10
Science & Technology

photo meet eater facebookCredit: Photos via facebook.com/meeteater.

I like "Meet Eater," at least on Facebook. Not much happened after I hit the "Like" button to express my, um, admiration. Apparently, though, every time this plant makes a friend on Facebook, an electronic system delivers water and nutrients. No friends, no love? Dead plant. Unhappy Meet Eater.

Article continues: 'Meet Eater,' the Plant That Lives on Social Media

First-Ever Baby Seahorse Spotted in British Waters

by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 09. 4.10
Travel & Nature

baby seahorse dorset england photo
A tiny baby seahorse was measured off the coast of Dorset, England. Image via the Seahorse Trust.

It must have been like finding a needle in a haystack, but somehow, in murky water conditions, diver Neil Garrick-Maidment, the executive director of the Seahorse Trust, spotted a single 1.5-inch-long female baby seahorse "clinging onto a piece of seagrass" off the coast of Studland, Dorset -- a finding so rare he said it was "akin to seeing a yeti in the wild."

Article continues: First-Ever Baby Seahorse Spotted in British Waters

South Carolina's Southern Fried Fuel

by Sara Novak, Columbia, SC on 09. 4.10
Food & Health

southern fired fuel 003.JPG
photo: Sara Novak

Down here in South Carolina we're known for our southern fried chicken, but what about our southern fried fuel? In a move that could have a big time impact on the way Carolina views the deep fat fryer, city council officials are calling on local restaurants and residents to donate their cooking oil to be turned into biofuel to run the city's garbage trucks. Right now it's just a test run on one of the city's trucks, but if it's successful, it could make a dent in the city's garbage pickup carbon footprint.

Article continues: South Carolina's Southern Fried Fuel

West Virginia Football Uniforms To Honor Coal, Fallen Miners

by Daniel Kessler on 09. 4.10
Business & Politics

Nike11.jpeg
photo via Nike

In an attempt to honor the 29 coal miners who tragically died last year at the Upper Big Branch coal mine, the West Virginia University Mountaineers have teamed up with Nike to create new football uniforms that have the mark of coal. The uniforms are white, but have coal dust on the pants and shoulders. The yellow strip on the hemet is said to represent a miner's headlamp. In the photo featuring the new uniform a player appears to be emerging from a strip mine, leaving behind a desolate landscape.

Article continues: West Virginia Football Uniforms To Honor Coal, Fallen Miners

In the Hamptons, Today's Young Summer Campers are Tomorrows Green Fashion Designers (Photos)

by Emma Grady, New York, NY on 09. 4.10
Fashion & Beauty

art farm recycled fashion photo
Packing paper with recycled trim. Credit: Patti Robinson

When Patti Robinson, a summer camp instructor at The Art Farm in Bridgehampton, NY, sent over some photos of recycled fashion, I was intrigued -- especially with the shape and design of the one, above -- and even more so when she told me that the young campers who crafted these designs ranged between the ages of eight and twelve.

This summer, Patti, a self-proclaimed Project Runway fan, struck up a recycled fashion challenge; it quickly became a camp favorite and evolved into a summer-long program, called "Generation Green Couture." Click through for photos and more from Patti, on how the fun, frugal, and thrifty experiment is increasing the young minds' "eco-consciousness," while fostering the development of creative problem solving skills.

Article continues: In the Hamptons, Today's Young Summer Campers are Tomorrows Green Fashion Designers (Photos)
th ads