This solar-powered purse, designed by a student from Brunel University, promises to make finding keys and other items at the bottom of a bag easier. Dubbed the Sun Trap, the purse has a solar cell on the outside of the bag. The energy is stored in an internal battery which lights up the lining. The lining is made from an electroluminescent material and is lit up by the bag's zip which acts as a switch. The bag goes dark when the zip is closed or after 15 seconds if it is accidentally left open. The purse could also be used as an emergency charger for mobile phones and other wireless devices. ::
BBC News via
The Greener Side...
McDonald's will begin selling organic coffee at its New England restaurants next month. It's an arrangement that could spark huge growth for
Green Mountain Coffee, the company that will be supplying
Newman's Own Organics blend coffee. The coffee will be available in more than 650 McDonald´s restaurants in Maine, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire and in the Albany, N.Y., region. Green Mountain Coffee earlier entered a separate deal to purchase beans, roast them and package them for Newman´s Own. The latest arrangement with McDonald´s expands the deal. ::
Burlington Free Press
...
Do you remember the 12 million pounds of excrement, flowing from agrobusiness industries, polluting small community surroundings, as described in
the Meatrix ? Based on a world wide patent, a new biological treatment, for fats, manure or sewage is available for agriculture "industries", where the need for efficient and cheaper treatment processes is growing....
Lloyd's
Climate Mash post has put us in the mood for Halloween. Now we need to plan the feast. After a bit of research in the deepest web covered caves of the US Federal Drug Agency (FDA) we've located
a list of Halloween food ingredients sure to make us crave some organic food. It's called the "
Everything" Added to Food in the United States" (EAFUS) database. No Treats: Just Delicious Tricks. A US Tradition since the late 1950's. And, we're not kidding. Our favorite ingredient on EAFUS just has to be the ALPHA-ACETOLACTATE DECARBOXYLASE ENZYME PREPARATION FROM BACILLUS SUBTILIS RECOMBINANT. Not in the mood for some of that? How about the understated elegance of BUTADIENE-STYRENE RUBBER? Yum....
Austin, Texas'
Austin Green Art has a very Treehuggery approach: it puts sustainability on par with aesthetics. The public art collaborative explores said nexus by creating "Interactivities," programs that promote "community art making and dialogue." On Saturday, artists and volunteers will reinstall a large-scale temporary installation, “Cup City,” at East Austin’s Azul Cafe. Cup City is a 65x85x15 foot arrangement of metal fencing modules that will hold more than 30,000 recycled coffee cups, aluminum cans, and plastic bottles. Award-winning public art collaborative Legge Lewis Legge of Austin designed the installation, which was commissioned by Starbucks Coffee, and debuted at last month’s Austin City Limits Music Festival. ::
Austin Green Art...
Just another beach about to be flooded by glacier melt? Or possibly a clue to how small changes can make big improvements in complex adaptive systems?
This marine sanctuary on Apo island is one of a bunch of success stories which have been studied to increase understanding about eco-tipping points--the ability of limited actions to stimulate feedback loops which result in a much larger change than that effected by the initial scope of action. Could Treehugger be an eco-tipper? (Answer after the fold...) ...
Back in March, Meaghan O’Neill, (the original TH writer) posted a story on the
II KH eco store in New York. We have since been informed that the shelving found within, is from timbers supplied by Citilog. They have a fascinating business. Citilog not only salvage potentially useful timber, that might be heading for a woodchipper or firewood pile, but they undertake urban logging too. They can either remove ‘downed’ trees or log them outright. Rather than damage private property, and natural habitat, they extend their ecological principles to the point of avoiding heavy machinery. Instead utilising the skills of Buck and Bill, shown here, to extract felled logs with minimal impact. Certified under the Rainforest Alliance’s
SmartWood Rediscovered program, they guarantee their wood to be ......
Meet Geoffrey Obanja Jasu. He is a businessman from Tororo, Uganda, a produce wholesaler, in fact. His small business received a substantial boost, when he became the recipient of a micro-loan of $500 USD, from Kiva, back in April 2005. As of this month, Geoffrey has repaid $400, and Kiva has taken the trainer wheels off their web-based vehicle for the reduction of poverty in Africa. Established by Jessica and Matthew Flannery, Kiva is an innovative financing model, almost akin to you putting the money into the hands of those who really need it. On the Kiva website you’ll find profiles of entrepreneurs, just like Geoffrey. Simply use your credit card, or Paypal account, to loan them funds and your money goes to work for their business. “In-country" staff vet the applicants and monitor their progress, posting regular updates against that businesses profile. (for example, we know that Geoffrey, during July, was able to buy ......
“It is the job of the artist to make solar and wind power beautiful, more beautiful than the life promised by fossil fuels.” This is one of the roles, that artist ‘Lope’ has chosen for his brethren to embrace so they can tackle what he see as one of the greatest problems facing humanity over the next century: “the gradual replacement of our fossil fuel based economy with a renewable energy based economy.” To spin wheels into motion Lope has created The Art Gallery of Renewable Energy. It's a showcase of the various art and artists he has unearthed, who are already engaged in this pursuit. Push your mouse along the corridors of his virtual gallery and see all manner of pieces, from vast solar flowers in Danish fields, to a silicon forest on the streetscapes of Portland, Oregon, to luminous sculptures powered by sunlight in Arizona. One of the exhibits we have singled out here is the work by
Sarah Hall, a Canadian stained glass artist. She uses solar panels, sandwiched between sheets of glass, to light her own works. One appears here. Lope does not 'represent' any of the artists in the web gallery, it is a labour of love - like most art. So get all cultural, go take a peek and then tell all your friends.
::The Art Gallery of Renewable Energy...
Boralex, a Canadian company, has inaugurated its new wind-farm in Haute-Loire, France. The 26 turbines are 122 meters high (400 feet, about 40 stories) and, with a capacity of 39 megawatts (MW), the new wind-farm is the largest in France. It is also the sixth by Boralex in the country, for a total of 80 MW, enough for a city of 80,000 people. "Currently, the total installed wind power capacity in France is about 500 MW. By the end of 2005 it will be about 700 MW. The goal for 2010, according to the stated objectives of the French government, is to have 7000 to 10000 MW generated by wind turbines on land and sea." Can you feel the wind of change? Or, as the French would say,
les vents sont favorables.
::Boralex Press Release,
::Boralex inaugure le plus grand parc d'éoliennes de France (French)...
by on 10.28.05
Halloween is a time to revel in our shadow side, the person, thing or idea that we simply can not express in the confines of our "real life."
...
Yesterday, we entered the final phase of our "Old Faithful" contest (
you can vote here, if you haven't already) about "things that just seem to last forever. [...] Not only do [these things] ease our burdens ecologically and financially, they often have character that no new product could obtain." Well, it is not part of the contest but we have found the ultimate "old faithful": A centennial handcrafted lightbulb in California that has been working since 1901.
According to this, it was made by the Shelby Electric Company, has a carbon filament and an approximate wattage of 4 watts. It has been left burning continuously in a firehouse as a nightlight over the fire trucks.
::Centennial Light, via
::Digg...
When it comes to things like sofas, we've gone
'round and
'round about the relative merits and costs of TreeHugger-friendly sofas, couches and divans, and, admittedly, finding one for less than a couple grand isn't particularly easy. That's why we were happy to find the Savoy Collection, which includes a matching loveseat, armchair and ottoman in addition to the sofa, from Eco-Furniture.com. Starting at $995, it's a nice middle-of-the-road option; all the wood comes from sustainably-harvested wood, and we really like the clean lines and modern, sophisticated look. Perhaps as important as the companies' materials is this part of their
Enlightened Planet Statement: "We will never further our goals of making these products widely used in the mainstream by offering products which are not aesthetically appealing or well priced." Nobody's perfect, but we sure think they're on the right track.
::Savoy Collection from
::Eco-furniture.com via
::Grassroots Modern...
This just in - Grist Magazine is hiring an Executive Editor. We reference the popular online, environmental magazine quite a few times on TreeHugger and now's your opportunity to play a crucial role. Thanks for sending us the tip, Michele W.!
“
Grist Magazine seeks an experienced, innovative, energetic editor to manage our growing editorial staff and help shape the direction of our award-winning online environmental magazine. This is a full-time position located in our downtown Seattle office. We are seeking to hire a qualified candidate as soon as possible.” Some of the qualifications that are necessary include: “The creativity to see new ways to expand and improve environmental coverage, and the pragmatism and people skills to implement that vision; Capacity to thrive under daily and weekly deadlines and; Ability to wisecrack with the best of 'em.” Think you’re interested? For more information,
check the job posting on their web site.
...
We always thought cooking pasta was pretty simple, but the folks at Zevro have made it even easier, and more efficient to boot. Dry pasta and boiling water go in, the lid goes on, and then you just walk away until it's done. They recommend about 20 percent longer than the more traditional stove-top method, which works out to about two or three extra minutes, depending on whether or not you're making angel hair or fettucine. Though it takes a bit longer, it uses far less water -- about half of what you'd use on the stove -- and, according to Zevro, 70 percent less energy. Plus, the lid has a strainer, negating the need for a colander, it's dishwasher safe, and when it's clean, makes for a nice place to store your dry pasta. By my count, that's three uses in one; not too bad (though it doesn't appear to slice, dice, or julienne fries). It hasn't quite made it to stores yet; Zevro estimates it'll hit the shelves in January.
::Zevro...
Lets dispense with prospective headline puns right off the bat, saving mainstream media the bother and hopfully sparing us the future pain of reading such.
No you won't be able to stuff a PBJ sandwich in your fuel cell powered car. And
no you will not top off the tank of your fuel cell car with the dregs of a bottle of Upstate New York Wine. Back to work. Early this year TreeHugger covered a
Nanologix patent application for technology to produce hydrogen through anerobic fermentation of organic waste. The yield projections were seriously good. By recent reports they seem to be making progress. NanoLogix Inc has signed an agreement to install a NanoLogix hydrogen generation system that will be "fed" Welch Food Inc's waste organic matter. "Once successfully accomplished, this has the potentiality for solving the world energy crisis through the limitless production of hydrogen from any waste organic materials, such as sewer water, ground up garbage, etc." and " Welch Foods Inc is the world's leading marketer of Concord and Niagara grape-based products, including grape juice and jelly..." (Source: composite from Chemical Newsbase) More good grist for the
hydrogen debate....
We received a tip from Anthony C. that we found very interesting. Some of you TreeHugger’s might already be a part of a vegan community, but this whole concept was new as we looked through the Vegan Island Community Project’s website. It’s actually quite simple: A consortium of vegans, raw-foodists and other ethical individuals and groups have gotten together and intend to purchase an entire island on which to settle. A location hasn’t been determined yet, but according to the timeline it looks like they hope to be making the purchase by 2008. Certain standards must be met to join this community but as far as rules, there really aren’t many. It definitely takes a certain person to be apart of this kind of community. While the life is certainly less stressful, we admit that there are many things that would be missed.
::The Vegan Island Community Project...
Yesterday in an
interview with the BBC, The Prince of Wales talked at length about his grave concerns for the future of our planet and the lack of attention people are paying to what he called “The greatest challenge to face man”. He was being interviewed on his Gloucestershire farm and amongst other things he expressly promoted the importance of the small farm as means of preserving the British landscape and creating self sufficient communities, saying that growing and eating your own produce is an “important part of one's connection with the soil…I think we would be foolish to expect that we can import everything from somewhere else and imagine that this is going to last forever, and ever and ever”. He went on to discuss his dislike of large scale farming and his fear of “completely industrialising the landscape because it is efficient”. ...
Remember back to 2001, when the United Nations pleaded with the Taliban? Not to restore the rights of women in Afghanistan, but to stop their planned (and eventual) destruction of the massive 16 centuries old Buddha statues carved into the cliffs above Bamiyan. The Taliban were even offered money to let them be. Apparently they were an affront to Islam, although according to a
BBC report the local Taliban refused orders to blow them up, so others were brought in, including Chechen explosive experts. Boom! The 53 m (175’) and 36 m (120’) cultural icons were gone. Now Japanese artist, Hiro Yamagata, has the blessing of Afghani government to install a series of laser lights to return the Buddhas. Confirmed earlier this month, he will arrange the construction of a series of windmills and solar arrays which will power the lasers for two hours after sunset, four nights a week. The renewable energy facilities will also provide lighting to the Bamiya villagers. I think this is what they refer to, in those high flatulent business seminars, as a BHAG (big, hairy, audacious goal). If all goes to plan, the Buddhas will be back in their valley by June 2007. Via Lope’s Art Gallery of Renewable Energy (but more on that tomorrow.)
::Bamiyan Laser Project...
Was wonderful to read that the Australian military were embracing solar, with a $2.5 million AUD installation completed, at a training facility in the Northern Territory outback. However, a bit of head scratching resulted, upon discovering this sizeable investment was only powering “two houses and a major office block.” Sure hope that is a significantly ‘major’ office block. But either way, it all adds up to a growing bank of solar energy sites in the NT. For example, in a 3.5 year period up to last year, 214 renewable energy projects had received assistance from a rebate program, ......
OZOcar is not the only car service that provides a fleet of relatively clean and fuel-efficient cars to its customers. Eco-Limo is based in Los Angeles and has been doing exactly that since 2004 (but the company's founder, a certain Y. Fray, has been in the chauffeured transportation industry for 20 years according to
Eco-Limo's website). Its fleet is composed of Toyota Prius and Chevrolet Suburban SUVs (which have been modified to run on
compressed natural gas), all of them black with tinted windows, the whole cliché. The contact information is on the website.
::Eco-Limo (flash required)...
It’s endeavours like this, which continue to restore my faith in humankind. “The Ashden Awards reward outstanding, inspirational and innovative local sustainable energy schemes that both protect the environment, tackle climate change and make real improvements to people's quality of life. The Awards are designed to encourage wider take-up of local energy solutions worldwide - proving to the public and policy makers alike that such schemes offer viable, practical ways of tackling poverty, resource shortages and climate change.” A total funding pool of £350,000 ($620,000 USD) will be made available in 2006, and applications for overseas (non-UK) projects are now open. But act with decisiveness, as they close 21 November 2005. Reading through the
list of past winners is lump-in-the-throat inspirational stuff. Take the following project supported by the ITDG, for example: ...
These days, new biofuel production projects are being announced and built posthaste in the American Midwest. Not long after the
Iowa plant that was mentioned here a couple of months ago (it should be the largest one in the world with an annual production of 37.5 million gallons of biodiesel), comes a new plant in Mexico (the city in Missouri, not the country) that will produce 30 million gallons of biodiesel each year. The current
US production Missouri production of biodiesel is 25 million gallons a year, and five years ago it was 500,000 gallons, so the recent and projected increases in capacity are quite significant. There are two other biofuel plants that are being proposed in Missouri, and some projects for Minnesota too. Most, if not all, of the biodiesel produced in these plants will be made with soybeans. (Thanks to reader
Paul Reise for the tip.)
::Biodiesel industry breaks ground in Mexico...
We want to extend a big thank you to everyone who entered our "Old Faithful" contest, your entries were all outstanding. Over the past week, we had the difficult task of narrowing down the entries to the best three. The three finalists are: Anthony Pagani and his
Audi office chair, Kari Banta and her
rattan living room set, and Bryan Carroll with his
brown canvas wallet. Be sure to check out each entry in further detail by clicking on them (they each have great stories behind them). After reading about these great entries, be sure to vote below for the one you think is the best "old faithful". The entry with the most votes will take home a $100 gift certificate from our friends at
Vivavi.
...
You won't find Tony Pagani's office chair at your local office supply store. No, Tony's entry to our "Old Faithful" Contest is a custom-made chair made by Tony himself. When his Audi looked to be at the end of it's years, Tony took the driver's seat and welded an office chair bottom it. He took what might have been discarded, and breathed new life into it. We could call it Frankenchair, but instead let's just call it our first finalist. Here's what Tony had to say about it: ...
Kari Banta's entry to our "Old Faithful" Contest was her 36 year old rattan living room set. This custom furniture was built for Kari's mother and father-in-law in 1969, and is still going strong today thanks to Kari's efforts. Although it has been with Kari and her family for almost 4 decades, you would never know it from the way the set looks. With just a little maintenance, she has been able to keep her "old faithful" instead of replacing it. Here is what she said:...
While many people change their wallet every few years (either from necessity or choice), Bryan Carroll has had the same wallet since his 13th birthday. Well, Bryan is now 26 and he is not done with his "old faithful" just yet. Not only is his brown canvas wallet trustworthy, it also has sentimental value. He plans of keeping his wallet for 26 more years, along with the two things that his mother put inside of it on his birthday 13 years ago. ...
The
E-Max is an electric scooter from Germany, which has been used in that country for many years. It is now
available in the U.S., and several people have received their bikes. Early reports are quite positive — apparently the claimed performance (speed and range) are accurate and that the build quality is excellent. The batteries use a silicone chemistry rather lead, nickel, or lithium. ...
A reader asks:
"Are there any good organic or low VOC paints that those of us in the lower income brackets can afford? I'd rather not sacrifice great color, either, though I'm open to unusual alternatives!"
Answer: The best non-toxic paints are Zero VOC paints but these will usually cost around $30 a gallon. See a list of these paints
here. For a low cost alternative you can opt for low VOC paints, which are comparable in price to regular paint. If you go to a specialty paint store like
Benjamin Moore or
Duron, you can usually get any color you desire (the links go to their store locator pages). I've used the Duron low VOC Genesis Odor-Free paint in my home. See a complete list of retailers over the fold:...
We've already mentioned (
here) that tires that are not properly inflated have a higher rolling resistance and make a car's engine work harder, burning more fuel and polluting more. Here is a tip to make keeping your tires are the proper pressure easier: Nitrogen! "The science is simple: Nitrogen molecules are bigger than air molecules, so they leak out more slowly and tires stay inflated longer. This inert gas, which makes up 78 percent of the atmosphere, has been used for years to inflate high-performance tires on race cars, military vehicles, giant earth-moving equipment, even the space shuttle." It is possible to buy a pump that filters nitrogen from the air, and some businesses like Costco and America's Tires have started filling the tires of their customers with nitrogen at no extra charge over a year ago....
Maggie's Functional Organics, is the company that boasts the first domestic certified
organic wool socks. They are part of the recently announced
Organic Wool Network. The wool comes sheep raised in two areas: a vineyard in Northern California called Larocca Vineyards, and a Rangeland in the Western U.S. The sheep graze on organic pastures and are being raised without the use of chemicals of any kind (including hormones, antibiotics, and parasiticides). The
socks are not carbonized or chemically shrunk. Maggie's sells them for about $16 per pair, but other stores seem to sell the for
much less. ::
Maggie Functional Organics...
The Organic Wool Network is being launched in time for the holiday shopping and cool weather season. It's a collaborative of several U.S.-based organizations and companies making organic wool apparel, baby blankets and home textiles readily available for the first time to consumers online, in stores, and from catalogs. ...
Author Nancy Jack Todd tells the story of the New Alchemy Institute (NAI), founded in the late 1960's, with the goal of building a safer and more sustainable world. As a co-founder of NAI, Todd uses her unique position from the inside looking out to take her readers through the remarkable journey from it's roots as a small community farm to a thriving sustainable community christened by a visit from Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau.
The story of the growth and groundbreaking research and development of the group is compelling, but ultimately plays a secondary role to their discovery and execution of innovative ways to sustain the human population in harmony with the natural world....
We've long thought that stock screening methods seemed overly negative in method. By the time you've satisfied every negative test..."we don't like companies which [fill in the blank]".... the field of good-to-choose-from becomes excessively narrowed. Composite perfection in human affairs, something Mark Twain storied us to be more cynical about, if used as a metric for guiding investments, abandons any chance for rewarding nascent good and driving postive change. The latest concern is that
companies most skilled in public relations gaming of a rating system draw attention away from the shy performers that are "doing well by doing good". Considering all of the above,
Innovest ought to turn the heads of TreeHuggers. Innovest long ago bypassed the negative screen approach, favoring correlations of resource efficiency with financial performance, and now is incorporating the human side....
My Dad always impressed upon me that any job worth doing, was worth doing well. Maybe Italy’s Claudia Sgarbi had similar influences, because her Ali line of organic apparel and homewares shows distinct attention to detail. The business takes as its purpose to “make only clothes and furnishing products with organic and natural fibres and no chemical treatment at all.” So, as you might expect, there are liberal appearances from the usual suspects: organic cotton, linen, hemp, wool and silk. But the cotton sewing thread is also 100% certified. Buttons too are crafted from natural sources such as coconut,
tagua, raffia seed, wood and mother-of-pearl. Some of their bub’s clothes use metal snap fasteners, which are nickel-free to minimise allegies. In a similar vein, all elastic is covered, so avoiding skin contact, presumably to accommodate those customers who might get reactions to latex. The range covers childrens, womens, mens, bedding, towels and more.
::Ali Organic Wear...
Mmmm. What a sad indictment on our society that to effectively market a product, enlightened businesses have to list what is NOT contained within. For example, Soleo Organics Suncream advises it has no titanium dioxide, petrochemicals or artificial fragrances, and that is but half of the things they’ve left out. Instead this SPF30+ broadspectrum, water resistant sunscreen contains only naturally sourced ingredients like: grapeseed oil, macadamia oil, green tea extract, roman chamomile extract, sunflower oil, beeswax, lecithin, vegetable oils, and cucumber extract. Its active ingredient is 22.3 % zinc oxide, which we are told uses, a “revolutionary nanofine zinc technology to provide comprehensive sun protection, without leaving your skin white.” Soleo was developed by a qualified Naturopath and has been independently tested and accredited by the National Health & Safety Council of Australia (NHSC). Available in UK for £15 from
::Planet Blue, or worldwide at $23 AUD via
::Organics Australia ...
“We feel that it is only right that our holidays should also contribute towards enriching destinations and benefitting local people. All our holidays are screened to ensure that this is the case.” And just how do the guys at the British based Responsible Travel do this? Via their criteria, which they publish
here. Of the dozen or so such requirements noted, these following few examples indicate what they are looking for: That travel suppliers listed on their site provide evidence that they offer suggestions for destination visits to appropriate local projects with direct or indirect environmental, and social benefits. As well as ensuring that a local guide accompanies all group visits to local communities And that travellers are provided with relevant suggestions to minimise damage to the environment, wildlife and marine ecosystems. We also like the inclusion of volunteering holidays, like tracking snow leopards in the Altai, surveying turtles in Mexico, building stoves in the Peruvian highlands, or archaeological digs in the Caribbean.
::Responsible Travel...
News.Com reports that UPS is more than halfway through a $600 million plan to build a suite of software and hardware products that it hopes will save it a similar amount annually when fully in place by 2007. Mark Hopkins, a UPS vice president and head of the team implementing the overhaul, says the goal of the new system is to shave minutes off the time it takes to deliver each package. Spread across the entire organization UPS believes the system, called "package flow technology," will save it 100 million miles annually, a reduction of about 14 million gallons of fuel and 130,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions each year.
"If I could reduce one mile from the trip of every driver, it would have a significant impact on the organization." ::
News.Com...
by on 10.26.05
With Halloween quickly approaching, our minds are turning to the inevitable Trick or Treaters that will be knocking on our doors. Treehugger.com has featured several articles on organic and fair trade alternatives to traditional candies we give out to the children in our communities. We're interested in knowing what our readers have decided. As always, comments and suggestions are welcome below.
...
We just came across these cool tumblers that are great for every day use or for your next cocktail party. They are made from recycled Mexican “Sol” Beer bottles in Wisconsin, making them extremely durable. A set of four is $25. Via
::design*sponge Available at
::Elsewares...
After ten years of building conventional cabinets and furniture, Peter Vivian's conscience got to him. He felt that he was harming the environment every day he went to work, so instead of changing jobs, he just upgraded his materials. The result: his very own company, Artistic Freedom Designs, that has forsaken tree-cutting and toxic-gluing for bamboo, plantation-grown coconut palm and salvaged wood. The interiors of his remarkable cabinets are built from bio-composite boards; similar to fiber board, they're composed of agricultural wastes including sunflower seed shells and wheat hulls and held together with formaldehyde-free glue. Vivian's work is quite striking -- we love this bamboo-stainless combo here -- and includes custom cabinets and other kitchen, bedroom and bathroom furniture.
::Artistic Freedom Designs...
A new prefab development company, "Living Homes" is being launched shortly- a prototype is being built now in Santa Monica. Designed by
Ray Kappe, the house has many features that any treehugger would love- green roof, FSC certifed lumber, radiant floors, solar power. And, unlike most other prefabs on the market, these guys have land so you can actually buy a completed house on a real property, near Joshua Tree, CA.
We are off to Los Angeles for the weekend to participate in the
Prefab Now conference at the Hammer Museum and look forward to reporting on this remarkable project in greater detail next week.
::Living Homes via ::Inhabitat...
Ben Dickens must have an ironic sense of humor. His company, Ben's Bird Boxes, is based on the industrious idea of taking something used to sell homes (plastic real estate signs) and making it into a home (for birds). He takes the signs, reinforces them with plywood and lines them with a piece of paper-backed hessian; a couple of holes later: voila! The result is a colorful, unique (each one is a bit different) and cheap alternative home for garden birds and our other avian friends. The irony is not lost on Ben, either; each one comes complete with a "listing" for the new house: "An unusual conversion that has created a truly spacious bright dwelling, a balcony style hole boasts stunning views, natural and high tech materials blend to create tranquillity and emotional texture." We should all be so lucky.
::Ben's Bird Boxes...
We know that making a computer is one of the most polluting industrial operations : lead, phosphor, barium, and a basketfull of
crap float around your favorite desktop. Well if all chip makers start behaving like
AMD, the industry could get cleaner....
A Florida State University research group (
FAC2T) is developing real-world applications for Buckypaper, a material that is 10 times lighter than steel and 250 times stronger — but also highly conductive of heat and electricity. Buckypaper is made from carbon nanotubes — amazingly strong fibers about 1/50,000th the diameter of a human hair that were first developed in the early 1990s. Buckypaper owes its name to Buckminsterfullerene, or Carbon 60 — a type of carbon molecule. If the researchers are successful in making Buckypaper hold a charge it would be more energy-efficient, lighter, and would allow for a more uniform level of brightness than current CRT and LCD technology. :: Via
Clean Edge...
Johnson & Johnson announced this week a new solar system with panels that track the sun across the sky. The 505 kW solar tracking system, the largest in the eastern U.S., cost around $3 million. Over its 30-year operating life, it is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by an estimated 7,000 tons. :: Via
RenewableEnergyAccess...
These bus shelters, called i-SHELTERs, light up with LED light immediately when someone walks inside. They were created by a Canadian cleantech company,
Carmanah, Technologies. The solar bus shelters were most recently installed in
Edinburgh streets. They also have installations in
Canada, Chicago and Seattle and a
contract to provide at least 1,200 solar-LED bus stops in the London area. :: Via
Clean Break...
What are the hottest
electric scooters out there? Today, one of the most popular models currently is the
eGO-2 Cycle which combines the best features of a bike and an electric scooter. It looks like a bike, but it also has headlights, turn signals, brakes and throttle. With aluminum silver-plated chassis it goes 25mph while climbing hills, and it weighs less than 120 lbs. The eGO retails for around $1400. Another hot scooter is the
Ikoo, which we mentioned briefly in a
previous post. It has a 600W motor that generates good acceleration. The cruising range is 15-18 miles, and the charge time is 4-6 hours from a flat battery, 1-2 hours from a partial charge. The frame is made of a stainless steel alloy, and the wheels have dual disk brakes. The standard model price for this scooter is under $1000. ::
Ikoo Scooter and
eGo Scooter via
Goto Reviews
...
Today seems hardly a day for ice cream as Hurricane Wilma is currently whipping through the Northeast, but we do have to say that we were soooo disappointed when we found out that Rocombe isn’t available here. The British ice cream and sorbet company was founded almost 20 years ago in Devon by Peter and Suzanne Redstone. The ice cream is made using local, organic milk and cream and the delicious flavors (Hazelnut & Praline, Stem Ginger and Twice Chocolate, to name a few) are 100% natural and completely free of additives. The seductive sorbets contain spring water and crushed fruits like mangos and black currants. Yum! All come in creative packaging with bold designs. Thanks for the tip, Lisa G.! Via
::The Cool Hunter ::Rocombe...
Check out this sleek,
modern dining room chair by Welsh super-designer Ross Lovegrove. Lovegrove is no stranger to these pages, as he's been mentioned on Treehugger for his varied design accomplishments, including his
Bamboo Bike,
Ceramic Razor and
Solar-Powered Wallpaper. But we've never featured one of his stunning chairs...until now.
A Modern Dining Room Chair That is Stackable Too!
The Orbit Chair, as it is called, is a
modern stackable dining room chair made of bent plywood (which we've sung the praises of
more than once) that's about as mod as they come. The classic modern design isn't all about looks, though: the wide top "hugs" your back, and the bend in the spine makes it flexible and comfy. The environmentally-friendly chair has been certified by
Greenguard, which tests and certifies products that have low levels of chemical and particulate emissions....
Pendleton is one of the few US based woolen mills that continues to source, operate, and distribute largely where they began. Somehow they've managed to hang on to their traditional niche markets, have kept a good chunk of their production here...we love "home sourced" clothing as much as we do locally produced food...and get about half their wool from US suppliers, some of whom are Native American. Reportedly, Pendleton added a line of
organic woolens colored with natural dyes, aimed, as you might guess, at the commercial decor and furniture markets. A trend worth watching. Equally nice, Pendleton customers are no longer limited to the inventories at mall outlets. They're offering an
online catalog store that takes orders directly. We recommend a look at the Indian blankets and the tradtional mens sport clothing. The "Muchachos" kid blankets shown here are 80% wool, 20% cotton. Oh, and before we forget, they've got some soft Merino blankets that don't irritate soft skin....
As soon as we went to Ideal Bite’s website we knew we’d like it, especially with the subhead “a sassier shade of green.” If you love Daily Candy, you’ll crave Ideal Bite. Heather Stephenson and Jennifer Boulden, “aka Chief Biters,” founded the site earlier this year and they’ve seen their number of subscribers skyrocket over the past few months. Both have backgrounds in launching web companies and a burning passion for taking “green” mainstream by sharing their advice on how to align daily decisions with personal values, but without preaching at the same time. So here’s what they came up with: Subscribers can sign up for a free, daily email with advice on saving money and finding environmentally friendly products. Daily eco-tips range from food to travel to personal products and they promise to be educational yet entertaining as well. Each tip includes a personal story from one of the editors and it is ranked from 1 to 5 “apples” – 5 being easy, inexpensive and having the most impact on the world. We think these ladies are on to something. Go ahead, take a bite.
::Ideal Bite...
Colombian mega star Shakira is not only recognized by her talent as a musician and writer, but also for her actions in defense of children in need and against the poverty and war that her country suffers.
Since 1997 she runs the Pies Descalzos Foundation (Bare Feet, because of her first hit album), a Colombian non-governmental organization devoted to finding and providing opportunities for children victims of the violence in Colombia. Its goal is to improve the education, nutrition, and lives of the displaced children living in poor conditions because of the internal conflict in the country. Since 2003, they’ve opened and reconditioned schools in Barranquilla, Quibdó, and Soacha (near Bogotá), cities with high percentage of displaced families.
At the age of 26 Shakira was named the youngest UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador ever, and she has being working among the organism since.
Shakira was also a participant in the Live 8 concert to eradicate poverty (at the Paris stage) and from that moment she has mentioned insistently she wants to pull up a Latin version of the mega event.
It is true that some Latin Americans claim she speaks about Colombia from Miami, but it’s also true that the US and Europe are enormous platforms to reach further, so we take the good part.
::Shakira ::Fundación Pies Descalzos...
Los Angeles based Nicole Stevenson hand makes one-of-a-kind clothing and accessories for women, men, and kids. The painter-turned-designer's pieces have been gobbled up in retail outlets all over the US and in Japan. We love that she expresses much of her affection for randomness through the incorporation of vintage fabrics. Nicole uses them to create many of the adorable flowers, owls, birds, guitars and trim that grace her tops and skirts. ...
Seafood - what to eat, what not to eat - the concerns about health, environment and economy are so complex it is tempting to overlook the issue altogether and focus on a simple subject, like global warming for example. Especially if you are a celebrity stumping for environmental causes - the connection between gas-guzzlers and carbon emissions is pretty easy to make. Hybrids good, Hummers bad. But there are other environmental fish to fry (pun totally intended), like say - seafood and mercury emissions. Recently, Ted Danson and Amber Valletta teamed up with
Oceana to offer their
publicity power and support for
Wild Oats Market's commitment to warning consumers about the risks of mercury in seafood. In other news, actress Daphne Zuniga shared the nightmarish story of her bout with mercury poisoning in an
ABC News feature. Once a voracious seafood consumer (up to 4 sushi meals in a week) she now works with
Turtle Island Restoration Network, a California environmental group, on their campaign to inform the public about mercury. Via
Defamer....
It's easy to feel frumpish this time of year. As outdoor temperatures drop, and we encounter indoor spaces heated to varying degrees, managing pounds of layers becomes part of the daily routine. The necknoosh brings on warm style with its chunky buttons and lightens your load with its just-for-your-neck simplicity. You can easily stash it in a pocket or small bag. Plus, it's fun to say: necknoosh, necknoosh, necknoosh. Hand knit in Brooklyn, NY of soft dyed organic cotton. Available in orange and green. ::
Otsu Online...
A fellow treehugger needs our help and we figure that our community of readers will come up with a better answer than us writers alone. Here's what he writes: "Dear Treehugger, I am an anthropologist preparing for a fieldtrip of several months in eastern
Nicaragua. I hope to be able to take an Apple i-Mac or G4, an i-Pod or X-Clef (for recording interviews, etc.) and a digital camera. There is no electricity (or at least no reliable supply) and I am looking for something portable which would be able to recharge the batteries of all the above. A friend gave me your website address and suggested that you might have something like a wind-up battery recharger. Do you have anything like that? Or any advice? Yours sincerely. Mark J." Please leave any useful advice in the comments section....
The first solar-power-assisted trains in Europe are from Italy. "The PVTRAIN project, partly funded by the EU, has been under development since 2003, and involves 10 prototype units: 5 carriages, 3 cargo wagons and 2 locomotives." The solar panels on the roof do no help power the wheels, but they provide energy for air-conditioning, lighting and safety systems, which helps make the trains more efficient by freeing the engine from having to create power for that electrical load. "The panels on a rail car can deliver approximately 1.36 kW of peak power. In the development and testing from July 2003 to May 2005, the solar panel system generated a total of 1,017.41 kWh." If the experiment is successful, solar-assisted trains could be produced on an industrial scale.
::Italy unveils solar-energy train,
::PVTRAIN (Italian), via
::Green Car Congress...
Crailar is a new fabric being developed in Canada by
Hemptown and the National Research Council of Canada. In a
previous post, we noted that
Hemptown recently secured 1.4 million in financing.
Crailar is made using an innovative enzyme technology for processing textile and industrial hemp. It is expected to produce millions of bales of organic, soft white fiber. It is projected to cost less than conventional cotton, and will be grown in Canada. In addition to economic benefits, Crailar is highly environmentally sensitive, grown organically without the use of pesticides or the enormous fresh water irrigation required by conventional cotton.
...
by on 10.24.05
Some would consider sustainability and environmentalism nothing more then a trend that will subside given enough time. Just take a look at the article
Fads are so Yesterday, comparing sustainability to the blog and iPod phenomenons. We'd like to know our readers opinions. As always, please feel free to comment below.
...
We received a question from, well, we promised we wouldn’t say (just in case her husband was possibly reading). Let’s just call her “tipster.” She inquired about eco-friendly maternity clothes and found it almost impossible to find any on the web. Well Tipster, we basically had the same luck you but did. Round Belly (shown left) seemed to have the most variety of organic maternity clothes with several different categories such as pants, dresses, suits, etc. We also liked that Round Belly uses sustainable business practices. Next we found
Blue Canoe, a company that we wrote about some time ago. They don’t necessarily make everyday maternity clothes, but they do have organic maternity bras and nursing clothes. We found their items on several other random maternity sites as well. Under the Nile also had organic nursing bras. In conclusion, we didn’t find much. Our advice for the TreeHugger mom-to-be would be to re-use. If you have friends or family members that were recently pregnant, ask if you could borrow their maternity clothes during your pregnancy. Another great resource is eBay and even consignment shops. Chances are, the clothes are slightly worn and in good condition. Thanks for the inquiry and if any readers out there has advice for our “tipster” please let her know.
::Round Belly ::Blue Canoe ::Under the Nile ...
Stumbled upon these on Amazon. Four dozen reused golf balls for $15 USD. The come in a reusable mesh bag and may have cosmetic flaws like “off colour” and abrasion scuffs. Would seem like the perfect afterlife for the estimated 2.5 million balls lost on American courses annually. But was staggered to discover that this was an issue of such vital importance to the welfare of the country, that it had been investigated by no lesser an authority than the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. Whom, it appears, studied balls submerged in water and determined (for the defence of the nation, presumably) that they did indeed absorb moisture, which brought on ‘permanent change’. But such research has not dampened, so to speak, demand for reused golf balls. Sales are such that, as an industry, it does almost a third as much business as new ball sales. This has prompted other research. Like a chemical that can introduced to balls that is “activated after the ball has been in water for a period of time, causing it to discolor” thus making reuse sales less attractive. See the balls on
Amazon and read about the controvery, in a bulletin from last year, at the
::Global Forum for Sports and Environment...
We're not sure what is more newsworthy;
Cameron Diaz surprising Stanford engineering students during a guest lecture with
William McDonough or the fact that Dr. McDonough and Cameron are friends? As part of an mtvU program placing celebrities in university classrooms (Madonna taught at New York's Hunter College) Cameron surprised students during a lecture on environmentally friendly design. When producers approached her with the idea she suggested McDonough of whom she says "Bill is one of those people who is thinking big, but is also producing."...
Every once in a while, dispite our commitment to providing the best, hippest, and greenest design, we feel like we might be giving consumption too much play. So we were delighted to hear last week from Arianne Cohen, Author of "Help, It's Broken"
According to Arianne: "In the world of home repair, the trick to being a good Treehugger is to not unnecessarily replace things in the first place. Here are a few earth-friendly tips:"...
We thought we'd ask now, while tropical storms still dominate the news cycle. Shades of
Tragedy of the Commons, it seems increasingly plausible to view southern and mid-atlantic coastal culture in general to be in "over-reach" mode. Suppose this is correct. Will the 'Snowbirds' move back north, preferring only a wintertime visit? Will future Carribean in-migrants shift their gaze to New Jersey? Will Florida tax codes need to be changed to pay for the continued rebuilding? Can Uncle Sam afford to ride to the rescue repeatedly? More important from a global perspective, will a prospective slowing of growth in electricity demand obviate the need for adding more coal fired generation of the type pointed out to us by Paul, a TreeHugger reader from Tallahassee? Before offering a comment, consider this demographic summary from the
Population Reference Bureau: "
According to the U.S. 2000 Census, Florida was the seventh fastest-growing state in the United States, with the population of 17 of its 67 counties more than doubling between 
Those of you in the Southern hemisphere, like Warren, may be dusting off your gardening supplies and beach outfits, getting ready for spring and summer. But here in the northern half of the globe, winter is advancing in icy ranks. To combat this chilly onslaught, TH Week highlights some of our woolier posts from the last week.
:: Justin brought well needed news of the Organic Wool Network.
:: Warren pointed our these great organic duds from Ali.
:: John snuggled up with the Muchachos line of wool blankets from Pendleton
:: Kyeann kept warm with the cute and different Nech Noosh...
Toyota's i-unit (which we covered here) was kind of cool, but the i-swing unveiled at the 2005 Tokyo Motor Show takes the Personal Mobility Concept one step further: It can operate in two-wheel mode like a segway in "walking" environments and in three-wheel mode when road speeds are needed. "In addition to the joystick control, the i-swing can be controlled by body weight movements with a feeling reportedly like turning as if on snow skis. The i-swing concept proposes using Artificial Intelligence to enable it to learn the habits and preferences of users." The design gives the i-swing a very "wearable" feeling and it is possible that someday such vehicles could be popular in car-free cities. Still, we'd rather ride our bike or walk, old-school style. ::Toyota's i-swing personal mobility concept, ::Toyota's latest electric car resembles a chair, ::Toyota i-Swing Rolls at Tokyo Motor Show...
A new prefab development company, "Living Homes" is being launched shortly- a prototype is being built now in Santa Monica. Designed by Ray Kappe, the house has many features that any treehugger would love- green roof, FSC certifed lumber, radiant floors, solar power. And, unlike most other prefabs on the market, these guys have land so you can actually buy a completed house on a real property, near Joshua Tree, CA.
We are off to Los Angeles for the weekend to participate in the Prefab Now conference at the Hammer Museum and look forward to reporting on this remarkable project in greater detail next week. ::Living Homes via ::Inhabitat...