- Vijay Vaitheeswaran (part one)
- Vijay Vaitheeswaran (part two)
- Vinay Gupta
- Alyce Santoro
- Mathis Wackernagel
- Tom Price
- Martha Marks
- Paul Hawken
- David Suzuki
- Wal-Mart's Green Gurus
- Alisa Smith and James Mackinnon, authors of Plenty
- Bob Perkowitz of ecoAmerica
- Ed Begley Jr.
- The Weather Channel's Dr. Heidi Cullen
Entries for December 11, 2005 - December 17, 2005
Total this week: 82
Easy homemade yogourt
by Ruben Anderson– Vancouver, BC on 12.17.05
One day I tried to figure out why no one knows how to do anything anymore. We can’t understand, let alone repair, most of the gadgets we use everyday. We increasingly eat packaged and pre-made food; even organic food often comes wrapped in plastic. We don’t know how to grow tomatoes, can peaches, hem pants, or build fences.
As the last generations of depression-era children or back-to-the-landers take their leave of this world, these skills go with them. When we try to learn from scratch we soon discover that recipes in books don’t tell half the story.
I have never found why this knowledge started slipping away from us, but I did start trying to re-learn some of the basics. I now make my own soap, hand lotion, yogourt, and bread. I am trying to figure out toothpaste, but it is hard to find good information on abrasion damage. I also found a great cheese site, and I can’t wait to try it....
Hard Finish Micro Fiber Leather Substitutes from Kuraray
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 12.17.05
This just out of Tokyo: "Kuraray [has] announced...TIRRENINA, a new type of artificial leather. Produced using the company's proprietary manufacturing process, the new product is made of Kuraray's unique microfiber to give texture and appearance comparable to natural leather while preserving the functionality of artificial leather. In order to reduce harmful emissions, the company has refrained from using any organic solvent in the fiber. The company anticipates a variety of applications for the product, ranging from car seats and interior textile to sportswear, bags as well as IT product materials". The Kurararay company's US division directed us to this web promo. which depicts their "Clarino" line of artificial leathers (click on the artificial leathers link to see the animated application examples that we can't link to directly). Artificial leathers to-date have been primarily of the "suede" variety, such as we have covered here on TreeHugger. Although we can't verify the environmental "footprint" of Clarino products, one thing is certain: this is a killer app for the vegan market. We're thinking of the boots, the saddle, the crop, and the belt all at once. Of course it's going to start with upscale. But what new product does not begin that way, stuggling for media attention? Even at TreeHugger....
VW Ecoracer Press Road Test
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 12.17.05
The Volkswagen Ecoracer represents what green design is about: demonstrating that eco-efficiency doesn't mean lowering the standard on fun, style or excellence. It also suffers from a common woe: it may never make it to the market, or if it does, it will be in limited supply at a premium price. After receiving praise for the concept car shown at the Tokyo Motor Show, VW decided to show the car in action. 34 journalists from nine countries were invited to Pau, a city tucked under the Pyrenees in the southwest of France, to test drive the carbon-fiber sportscar with the 100kW (136PS) turbo diesel which sips only 3,4L/100 km (69 mpg). So how did it do and what does it promise for the future?
...
Ramp Creates Power as Cars Pass (Or Does It?)
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.17.05
A British company spent a million quid developing and building this "Electro-Kinetic Road Ramp" -"The Ramp operates by virtue of a number of articulated plates placed in the road. When vehicles weight is exerted on the plates they are moved up and down and by means of a specially designed and developed mechanism, a generator is driven, which is capable of producing AC current at 50 cycles or DC current.. The generators output will vary according to the frequency and weight of the traffic, but in general terms will be capable of producing between 5 and 10kW."
Now our high-school physics is a bit rusty, but we do remember some rule about conservation of energy. Is this device doing anything at all besides inefficiently converting gasoline (fuelling the cars) into very expensive electricity? Someone help us out here. ::Hughes Research via ::WWMNA...
Ecoconcepts R&D: a Manufacturer of Green Cleaning Products
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 12.17.05
We liked Ecoconcepts USA on first sight. Their website is well done, and the business approach so sensible sounding, we were an easy sell. Here's the short list of ordinates they formulate by: - ingredients readily biodegradable and all have low aquatic toxicity; - every ingredient renewable; - market focus on concentrates to reduce packaging and fuel; and - all products designed to be safe for human contact. Plus, the formulations have low-to-no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and only contain dyes that are approved by the FDA for human consumption. That's more meaningful than the typical "organic" or "natural" labels approach if you need to look at all factors in balance. It'll be worthwhile to have a look at the "before and after" gallery and then download a material safety data sheet (MSDS). Hats off to EcoConcepts for the effort at risk communication and a circumspect formulation approach.
...
Turning Parking Spaces into Parks
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.17.05
Who sez parking spaces are just for cars? If you put your money in the meter why can't you use it for anything? San Francisco artists Rebar plugged their money into the meter, rolled out the sod and built a park. The artists say: "The initial PARK(ing) intervention occurred on November 16, 2005 from noon until 2 p.m., without incident or interference from any level of institutional authority. Sort of makes you wonder what else you can do in a parking space . . . We can think of a few things. ::Rebar via ::BldgBlog more pictures below the fold...
Deck_House: Small, Beautiful Prefab
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.17.05
We may be offline for a couple of weeks as we pack our bags and move to Australia. In our dreams, anyways, but clearly wonderful prefab things are happening there and the climate lets them do such stunners. Others like Edgar Blazona have designed small garden-shed type prefabs with some style; This one is truly elegant. Noek Design's philosophy:
relate to nature;let it speak
simplify and reveal; discover the beauty
sustainable use of materials
adding value where possible
-words all designers could live by. ...
Fallen Fruit: Free Produce on Los Angeles Streets
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 12.17.05
Recycled shelters on recyclicity.net.
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 12.17.05
This week we’ve particularly enjoyed looking at recyclicity.net, a Dutch website that reports on recycling projects around the world. Amongst many others there are two projects that stick out for their originality and feel good factor. The first being a project by architecture students from Dalhousie University using phone books and the second is in the emergency shelter camps in Pakistan where they've found a new use for advertising billboards. The architecture students from Halifax were given phone books as a building material for their final year project and they are currently using about 7,000 of them to build a one-room house, which they call the Phone Booth. ...
Ailin Outdoor and Surf Wear
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 12.17.05
Organic Bouquet Holiday Arrangements and Wreaths
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 12.17.05
White Roofs to Fight Global Warming
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 12.16.05
We have covered green roofs extensively (see the many links at the bottom of this post), but we haven't given quite as much coverage to white roofs, which is unfortunate because it's one of these simple things that could make a big difference. New Scientist has a little piece on the subject: "Would it be possible to reduce the impact of the greenhouse effect by painting roofs of buildings white to reflect sunlight in the same way the polar icecaps do?" To answer that question, the the Earth Institute at Columbia University (New York) has undertaken the Global Rural Urban Mapping Project (GRUMP). Its results show that roughly 3 per cent of the Earth's land surface is covered with buildings....
Loomstate's 100% Organic Cotton Shoes
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 12.16.05
Loomstate, makers of the 100% organic cotton jeans we covet, are expanding their efforts to clothe the world in sustainable style with these new shoes. To be unleashed in February, the shoes use the same 100% organic cotton that Loomstate uses to make their apparel. Loomstate engineered the blend themselves; the fibers comes from Turkey, Texas, and Kentucky. Co-founders Rogan Gregory (who recently made our list of the best sustainable designers) and Scott Hahn will make two versions of the shoes: classic slip-on and high-top models, and both are lined in the same polka-dot fabric used in the interior panels of their jeans. We'll keep our eyes peeled for the official launch! ::Loomstate via ::Cool Hunting...
"Reader Gift Guide" Contest: Get Your Entry In!
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 12.16.05
You only have a couple days left to enter our "Reader Gift Guide" Contest and have your shot at the $200 gift certificate offered from our friends at Vessel. Remember, all you need to do to enter is make a "wist" at wists.com of your three best green gift ideas for the holidays, tag each item on your "wist" with the term "treehugger_gift_guide" and give a short description of why you think each gift idea is so cool. If you are putting something from TreeHugger on your guide, we make it easy - just hit the "add to wist" button at the bottom of the post while you are signed into wist.com, and voila, it shows up on your "wist". After you have everything together, just email a link of your "wist" to: contest [at] treehugger [dot] com. Do it to get great gift ideas for others, do it to look at stuff for yourself, but mostly do it to get your hands on that Vessel gift certificate. Just be sure to do it by this Sunday, December 18th.
...
TH Week: Power Powerups
by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 12.16.05
With the winter starting to turn on strong for us Northern Hemisphereites (and increased AC use in summer for you southerners), these alternative energy tidbits should be of interest.
:: Collin found a few power strips which help decrease the dreaded "phantom load" of idling electronics.
:: Lloyd uncovered this amazing floating Magenn Wind Turbine.
:: Jacob got the heeby jeebies from this story about Cockroach-powered fuel cells.
:: Michael put together a little tutorial on Electro-lingo for all you noobs....
Best of TH: Sustainable Retailers, Part I
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 12.16.05
TreeHugger is all about making all of our lives a little bit greener. Call it what you will: eco-friendly, environmentally-sensitive, sustainable, resource-efficient; our job is to make this lifestyle easy, fun and even a little hip. Though we aren't advocates for unchecked consumerism, we recognize that people of the world need stuff to live, and we want everyone to know where to get better stuff to promote this lifestyle that we champion so tirelessy. That said, here is installment one of four of the best of sustainable retailers. All of these retailers are accessible online, so readers around the globe can get their hands on the good stuff they've got; those readers in New York City will also be glad to note that all of today's retailers have showrooms and/or retail locations right in the city. Without further ado, we're pleased to present Vivavi, IIKH, 3R Living and The Future Perfect. As with the best of sustainable designers, to be sure your favorite is included, leave it in the comments section below....
Fred Ferguson: Interview with the Inventor of the Magenn Air Rotor
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.16.05
After writing about the Magenn Air Rotor we asked the inventor if he would subject himself to an interview and he graciously accepted. Fred Ferguson has an amazing history as the developer of a series of lighter-than-air crafts that should be dominating our skies. They do not, but we hope that the development of the Magenn generator will change this and thank him for granting us this interview. ...
A Spoonful of Ginger: Recipe of the Week
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.16.05
We introduce a series of recipes on a Treehugger theme, selected by Kelly Rossiter of Toronto. These simple recipes are designed to get you cooking yourself rather than stopping at the local deli counter or phoning for pizza and then dealing with all the waste packaging afterward. This being Treehugger, there will be vegan and vegetarian recipes but we aren’t doctrinaire and will include meat recipes as well. The focus will be on dishes using seasonal produce which you can get locally; at this time of the year in our local market that means root vegetables. The grocery stores in Toronto sell tomatoes shipped from great distances- a novice juggler could use them to practice without any deleterious effect on their taste or texture. We would choose a tin of locally grown tomatoes canned at the height of summer rather than the imported fruit. If the thought of soaking beans all night and then cooking them for hours is keeping you from including legumes in your diet then open that can of beans. We will introduce you to a variety of cookbooks and help you find them.
We are starting the series with Garlic Beef with Broccoli from A Spoonful of Ginger by Nina Simonds. This Asian cookbook is full of information about the use of food as medicine in the Chinese culture. The recipes are simple and clear and the book is in constant use in this household. For those of you who might overindulge in the coming weeks there are also tonics for hangover and teas to detoxify....
No Giftwrap Required: More Donation Ideas
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.16.05
Kara and Erin did a great job on the Holiday Gift Guide and suggested a few ideas for donations in lieu of blenders- We thought we would add some more to the mix.
This treehugger's father was involved in a charity that made micro-loans to immigrants trying to start businesses and in all of their years, they never lost their investment. Then, they had a panel of volunteers meeting every supplicant and it was necessarily local. Now, through Kiva, you can do micro-investments in businesses in the third world (raising pigs? selling tools?) that need capital to get started and you can do it for 25 bucks on PayPal. It is not a donation, it is an investment- a great idea and a great gift. ::Kiva via ::Alternet more gift ideas below the fold. ...
This treehugger's father was involved in a charity that made micro-loans to immigrants trying to start businesses and in all of their years, they never lost their investment. Then, they had a panel of volunteers meeting every supplicant and it was necessarily local. Now, through Kiva, you can do micro-investments in businesses in the third world (raising pigs? selling tools?) that need capital to get started and you can do it for 25 bucks on PayPal. It is not a donation, it is an investment- a great idea and a great gift. ::Kiva via ::Alternet more gift ideas below the fold. ...
A Second Life for Urban Christmas Trees
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 12.15.05
Oregon: TriMet LIFT Fleet Testing Biodiesel
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 12.15.05
TriMet is a transport agency in Oregon, USA. Their LIFT fleet provide door-to-door service for elderly and people with disabilities, and it has begun testing biodiesel fuel on 75 of its buses. This move makes the agency the first in Oregon and one of a handful of transit districts nationally. For now, they are only using a B5 mix (5% biodiesel, 95% regular diesel), but we can hope that they will increase the ratio as time goes on. The test will go on until next spring, and if everything goes well the whole fleet (210 LIFT buses) will switch to B5 biodiesel within a year. Last year LIFT buses took 1 million trips. Thanks to reader John Croft for the tip. ::TriMet begins testing biodiesel in bus fleet...
Smart Crosstown Hybrid & Other Smart Concept Cars
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 12.15.05
DaimlerChrysler's Smart brand makes some of the most recognizable cars on the road and despite their financials woes, it seems that they intend to keep on making more. One of their new concept models is the Smart Crosstown; it looks a bit like the love child of a Jeep (another brand owned by DaimlerChrysler) and a Smart Fortwo, though it certainly has more Smart genes than Jeep ones. The most interesting aspect of the Smart Crosstown is the gasoline-electric hybrid drivetrain. "The crosstown smart car prototype combines an electric motor (with an output of up to 23 kW) with the 45 kW (61 hp) gasoline engine from the smart fortwo. The result is a 15% reduction in fuel consumption to 4.3 liters of gasoline per 100 kilometers (55 mpg US). The smart crosstown furthermore offers approximately 10% better acceleration". More specs and photos below....
Restaurant of the Week: Sterling Café, Seattle
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 12.15.05
This week we head out to the West Coast to Sterling Café located in Seattle, WA. The restaurant opened on (of all days) September 11, 2001 and was the first one in the nation to be certified organic from the Department of Agriculture. Located in Seattle’s Ravenna neighborhood (a few blocks from Seattle’s University Village shopping mall), the little café adjoins Sterling Salon, a beauty salon that is run by chef/owner Don Wilson’s wife, Rosie. The restaurant is open Thursday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. for both lunch and dinner and offers brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The menu offers a wide variety of meat, vegetarian and seafood dishes and is reasonably priced as well. You can also enjoy organic beer, wine or soda with your delicious meal and for dessert you can indulge in one of their “made from scratch” treats such as Coconut Cream Pie or the Three Layer Chocolate Cake (two layers of chocolate butter cream and one layer of raspberry preserves, covered with pure chocolate ganache). Located at 2614 N.E. 55th St.; 206-522-3011. ::Sterling Café
Photo caption: Sterling Cafe owner/chef Don Wilson opened the cafe on Sept. 11, hence the large American flag. Courtesy of seattlepi.com.
...
BMW Developing a Steam/Gas Hybrid Engine
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 12.15.05
BMW has announced that it is developing a steam-powered auxiliary drive called the Turbosteamer. Using energy that has traditionally diappeared through the exhaust system as heat to power a steam engine, the concept has the potential to improve fuel efficiency by about 15 percent. More than 80 percent of the heat energy contained in the exhaust gases is recycled using this technology, according to BMW. Even more impressive: the drive has been designed to be retrofitted into existing gasoline-only Beemers, meaning that the entire fleet of BMWs could incrementally reduce fuel consumption almost overnight. BMW engineers tested the drive on several models, concluding that the engine compartment of a four-cylinder model offers sufficient space to accommodate the auxiliary units. The Turbosteamer is still in the early stages of development; BMW's goal is to have high-volume production ready in ten years. ::GizMag via ::Green Car Congress...
"Smart" Power Strips: Helping to Stop Idle Current Now!
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 12.15.05
Tipster Brahm has been hard at work looking for ways to reduce the amount of power drawn by computer accessories when they aren't in use. As we noted in this post, simply unplugging peripherals from the wall helps a lot, but that isn't always possible or practical with things like Brian's VoIP router. And, as anyone using a power strip to power a cubicle or home-office setup is aware, it doesn't take much to get a tangle of wires and plugs and cables. Enter the Wattstopper Plug Load Control and Smart Strip Power Strip. Both help stop the idle current drawn from your outlets when electronics aren't in use, though they go about it in different ways....
"Weird Eco Habits" Winner: John T. Unger
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 12.15.05
Congratulations to the winner of our "Weird Eco Habits" contest: John T. Unger and his Eco-BDSM. The voting was close, though, with John edging out Brad Hole's Urban Chicken Coop my a mere three votes! We would like to thank John, Brad, the other finalists, and everyone who entered for making this a truly fun contest. For winning, John will come away with a Vy and Elle bag and Loomstate T-shirt from our friends at Greenloop. Please show Greenloop your support by checking out their site. And now, everything you wanted to know about the creation of eco-bdsm, but were afraid to ask - we have a quick Q&A with our contest winner: John T. Unger.
...
Coors To Turn Brewery Waste into Vehicle Fuel
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 12.15.05
Giving "gas guzzler" a new context, Coors brewing has partnered with another firm to convert brewing waste, presumably ethanol rich brewing waste, into fuel grade ethanol for distribution on the Colorado Front Range. TreeHugger has previously posted on the "waste to food" strategy, which is a perfect descriptor of this project. Let the skit begin. Said the Officer after he pulled over the driver, "son, have you got alcohol in this car?" "You bet I do said the driver." In response, the officer asked "locally produced?" "Filled 'er up with Coors" came the answer....
Shelter in a Cart: New Designboom Competition
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.15.05
We love Designboom's competitions- thousands of people submit so many wonderful ideas. The current competition is less cheerful than others but much more important:
Shelter in a Cart
Design a cart that can provide shelter and storage.
Urban homeless use carts to carry their possessions and to collect goods (like bottles, cardboard, etc.) that they then return to various recyclers in exchange for cash. This provides a small and valuable income. It is essential that your cart design not only accommodates all these functions but that it is affordable (for production and for private parties or charity organisations who wish to donate them). Read more and enter by February 28 at ::Designboom...
Alberta Canada Takes on the World With Climate Central
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 12.15.05
Climate Change Central is a Canadian organization "that promotes the development of innovative responses to global climate change and its impacts. Climate Change Central builds links and relationships between businesses, governments and other stakeholders in Alberta, interested in pursuing greenhouse gas reductions initiatives". Low interest lending or rebates are the typical tactics. The strategy is to encourage people or municipalities to trade in worn out, polluting durable goods for more eco-efficient designs. The optimism fairly drips from Climate Central's site. Wish those Climate Scrooge neighbors to the south could pick up some of the enthusiasm. Take the "ME first!" program for example....
Recycling We Don't Like: Stealing History in New Orleans
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.15.05
Cypress mantles. Period doors. Baseboards. Victorian shutters. It appears that architectural vandals are stripping houses to the bone in still-evacuated New Orleans. "They're going to mine our city and send it all to Southern California." There is no-one to stop it- "Not even the cops know this stuff's valuable -- they all live out in the suburbs." Read about high-end looting in the ::Wall Street Journal...
Carol Young's Undesigned Line
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 12.15.05
Sustainable Style in NYC: fiftyRX3
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 12.15.05
Designer Jill Danyelle has created a smart chronicle of her adventures in New York's sustainable style world. An edgy Carrie Bradshaw with a fashion conscience, her ruminations are worth a regular perusal. With the goal of making 50% of her wardrobe reused, recycled or new but sustainably produced, Jill uses her discerning eye to nab the interesting and innovative. It's fun to check out her self-stylings. She also helps all of us by regularly featuring the stand-out ebay item of the week, and the store, person and designer of the month. ::fiftyRX3...
Vulgarity and Nature: Chapter from Robert Grudin's Upcoming Book - American Vulgar
by Karla Calderon on 12.15.05
The author of The Most Amazing Thing and Time and the Art of Living, Robert Grudin is a modern day Renaissance Man whose profound insights emerge through both his fiction and non-fiction writings. Despite many other scholars' tendencies to overemphasize logic and reason, Grudin's credence to creativity conjures the aura of fellow polymath and Treehugger hero - R. Buckminster Fuller.
Robert Grudin has wonderfully graced Treehugger with a sneak peak of his next book, American Vulgar. This preview (after the jump) is actually a draft of an entire chapter entitled "Vulgarity and Nature", so be prepared to bookmark this one. The book is scheduled for a Fall 2006 release and will be published by Shoemaker & Hoard. ::Link to another essay from American Vulgar: "The Education of the Vulgar" - and the revised version ::Robert Grudin on Gurteen
[By Karla Calderon]...TreeHugger Survey: Do you use Gmail?
by Lindsey Lake, New York on 12.14.05
Fuel Cells Powered by Creepy Crawlies?
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 12.14.05
Imagine if the bug zapper at the family barbeque was actually generating power for the house. Instead of the lights dimming every time a big one gets the zap, maybe there could be a power surge. A scientist and four of his students at Feati University in Manila claim to have created biological fuel cells that use household pests like cockroaches, mosquitoes, flies, and rats as their energy source. An enzyme found on bacteria such as E-coli, which is in turn found on common household pests, functions as the catalyst. Apparently cockroaches put out the most juice. Go figure. :: Manila Times...
"Reader Gift Guide Contest": Make a Wist
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 12.14.05
If you have been paying attention to our "Reader Gift Guide" Contest, you know that TreeHugger has been asking you to send us a list of your favorite gifts from the site (and if you haven't seen anything about the contest, be sure to go check it out). Well, we are tweaking the rules just a little bit. other sites, we are accepting gift guides that include gifts from any green site on the net. And, to accommodate this, we are asking you to use Wists to make your list. Now, all you need to do is get a 3 item gift guide together on wists.com, use the tag treehugger_gift_guide for each item, and then send us the link to your "wist". Send it to: contest [at] treehugger [dot] com - by December 18th for your shot at a $200 gift certificate from our friends at Vessel.
[edit] - TreeHugger programmer Nick brings up a great trick in the comments. As long as you are signed in to Wists, you can add any TreeHugger post to it simply by clicking "Add to Wists" at the bottom of the post. How cool! (Thanks Nick)...
Holiday Gift Guide: Mommy-To-Be
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 12.14.05
There’s nothing that mommy-to-be’s want more this holiday than items to prepare them for what’s to come as well as maybe a little something for themselves. We’ve rounded up a few of our favorite items featured on TreeHugger to bring you the perfect gift for your mommy-to-be.
A. Baby’s First Toy – Choose one or all from our top five organic soft toys.
B. Clothing from Green Babies and Speeses – These adorable little one-piece bodysuits are made from organic cotton. They are too cute to resist!
C. Erbaviva Products – Their Mommy-to-Be Bath Milk comes highly recommended! They also feature products for newborns and have a large selection. Wrap it together with a hemp baby towel set and you’ve got a great gift.
D. Cariboo Folding Changing Table – This portable and foldable changing table is made from Radiata wood. It has a detachable changing surface that is machine washable.
E. Munchskins Skin Care (not displayed above) – From “Bum Bum Balm” to “Boo Boo Goo,” these products are perfect for a newborn. They also offer a Mini Kit, which is a sampling of everything....
More Prius Humor from the Wall Street Journal
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.14.05
Not content with the response he received from his last article, WSJ Humorist Holman Jenkins Jr. is at it again with his wild and crazy economic analyses:
"Doesn't saving oil have benefits beyond the dollars save- for instance, postponing the doom of civilization?
No: If Prius owners consume less, there's less demand, prices will be lower and somebody else will step up to consume more than they would at the otherwise higher price."
and our favourite zinger:
But wouldn't using less oil make us less dependent on Mideast imports?
Just the opposite: In the nature of things, the cheapest oil is consumed first, and Mideast oil is the cheapest. Drive a Hummer if you want to reduce America's reliance on Arab oil. Indeed, if we all pull together and drive gasoline prices high enough, we'd be able to satisfy all our fuel needs next door from Canadian oil sands."
...
Instant Survey: A Need for Speed?
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 12.14.05
Ozone Hole Still With Us for Next 60 Years
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 12.14.05
There once was a meeting, in Montreal, when the world came together, and managed to agree to act as one for the betterment of the planet. It wasn’t last week. It was last century. 1987 to be more precise. When we decided chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were contributors to the growing hole in the ozone layer and we should phase them out. Despite this landmark agreement, scientists at Australia’s CSIRO have just announced that this years hole over the Antarctic was the “fourth largest since measurements began in 1979.” And their brethren in the States now believe the hole “will not shrink to 1980 dimensions until 2065, 15 years later than previously estimated.” One of the culprits that fingers are being pointed at, is old fridges made with CFC refrigerants prior to the phase out. So this is one of those exceptions to the Treehugger rule that: extending the life of an existing product is better than buying new. (Assuming, of course, that your old coolbox has its CFC’s extracted before it becomes scrap metal.) Story from the ::Sydney Morning Herald. ...
Best Of TH: Sustainable Designers, Part I
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 12.14.05
TreeHugger spends a lot of time poring over sustainable design websites, books, magazines and the like, and, though a lot of it catches our eye, only a select few can be considered "the best" that we've seen. Over the past sixteen months or so, we've done our darndest to show the world at large that beautiful, breathtaking, sexy design can merge with a sustainable ethos of environmental and social responsibility. Over the next two weeks, we'll bring you our favorite sixteen product designers, retailers and manufacturers working today to make the world a greener place. If your favorite isn't on the designers list today, don't fret! There are 12 more coming, so if you want to be sure we don't miss your favorite, leave it in the comments section below. We'll start today with Peter Danko, Don Chadwick and Bill Stumpf, Charlie Lazor and Rogan Gregory. Each may not be a household name, but regular TreeHugger readers are sure to recognize their designs. Read on for the details......
University of Tokyo Announces Some New Kind of Wind Turbine. We Think.
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.14.05
Where would we be without RSS? we wouldn't find out about new developments like this Joint Venture between Tokyo Power and the University of Tokyo to develop floating turbines that seem to be on some kind of interconnected structure. The Google Autotranslation is entertaining but not particularly illuminating. Can anyone help? ::Nikkeibp via ::Akihabara News...
Green Yoga Association Launches “Green Studios” Pilot Program
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 12.14.05
The Green Yoga Association, in partnership with the Center for a New American Dream, will be launching a program to help yoga studios green their businesses. During the yearlong Pilot Phase of the Green Studios Program, twenty-three different yoga studios from all over the nation will explore how to make their businesses more eco-friendly while keeping them financially and operationally feasible. By the end of the year, the goal is that the studios will have reduced their negative impact on the earth and will be models for others. A Green Studios handbook will be distributed to 1,000 studios, yoga teachers and teacher training programs worldwide with invaluable information about greening yoga businesses. To find out more about the program and the yoga studios involved, visit Green Yoga’s website. ::Green Yoga...
Smencils – Gourmet Scented Pencils
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 12.14.05
Last week, Grist Magazine turned us on to Smencils and we were intrigued from the start. These fun pencils are made from layers of 100% recycled newspapers that you can actually see when you sharpen them. The first step to making Smencils is wrapping the #2 graphite cores very tightly with the newspapers. After they harden they are soaked in environmentally-friendly fragrances and a biodegradable eraser is attached. The Smencils are individually-packaged to keep their scent, however, they are guaranteed to keep their scent for two years, in or out of the “Freshness Tube.” Hmm… that means we’re not sure what they’re for, but the tubes are made from recycled plastic. We like their tagline, “Saving trees…one pencil at a time.” Via ::Grist Magazine ::Smencils...
The Great Canadian Carbon Offset
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.14.05
Marc Tacchi games the Air Canada points system by purchasing a $ 7,000 fly-anywhere-for a month ticket and never getting off the plane, travelling well over a million miles and collecting air miles good for $ 70,000 worth of flying. He calls it the Great Canadian Mileage Run and gained fame and notoriety, but at what cost to the environment? One Hundred and Forty metric tons of Carbon Dioxide. Well, Treehuggers like fame and notoriety too, and Steven Luscher has set up the Great Canadian Carbon Offset, has calculated the cost of the offset at US$1,850 and has started a fundraising campaign to raise this from the public "to raise the profile of carbon-offset programs for air travelers, and to shine a light on patterns of excessive consumption. We want to see every airline offer a carbon-offset option when you buy your ticket, and we want to show travelers just how minimal the cost of offsetting their ecological impact is" We've thrown in our ten bucks. ::The Great Canadian Carbon Offset...
NEC’s Kenaf and Bioplastic N701i Eco Phone
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 12.14.05
Tipster Lawrence O. rushed us a link he has just seen. Seems NEC have launched an Eco version of their N701i mobile phone. Apparently 70% of the plastic in the phone is made from a biodegradable plastic, derived from poly-lactic acid (PLA) of corn and potatoes, with extra reinforcing from the plant kenaf (a relative of hibiscus and okra). We've noted before that NEC have dabbled with such materials in some of their laptops. It’s suggested that compared to producing standard ABS plastics, this particular eco-plastic will generate half the greenhouse gas emissions. Another curious statistic is that growing kenaf is said to absorb 3 to 9 more CO2 than trees and shrubs. Now we hope we got these details right. Maybe they were a bit Lost in Translation, when we followed a series of crazy leads from Endgadget to Slashphone to K tie Watch and finally to a press release from Asian telcom ::NTT DoCoMo....
The Sustainable Ireland Cooperative
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 12.13.05
Ireland has brought us Edun’s organic, fair trade clothing by Bono and wife, Ali, and houses made from hemp. But it’s not just the grass which is green in Ireland. The Sustainable Ireland Cooperative have a clean, easily navigable web presence to showcase “the world of Sustainability, Permaculture, Ecological Design, Green Building, Renewable Energy,” Their Directory lists hundreds of “groups, organisations and businesses that are active in the field of sustainability”, while the Resources section contains umpteen articles written by practitioners in their respective fields. A green map is also offered for Dublin showing the location of recycling facilities, (shown here). Organic food markets, green businesses vegetarian restaurants, and like, are due to to added soon. ‘Cultivate’ is their living and learning centre (it's a real place, not a website), that amongst other goals, “seeks to provide effective integral solutions to the issues of peak oil and climate change.”::Sustainable Ireland Cooperative ...
Recycled Angora and Wool Scarf
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 12.13.05
This is a five panel felted wool and angora scarf made from salvaged sweaters. It has pockets on each end of the scarf, so you can stow your errr...movie tickets? It's priced at $30. We featured a similar recycled scarf by Crispina from Uncommon Goods previously. :: Bake Sale Designs via Great Green Goods...
Place: Designing To Live, To Dine, To Dream
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 12.13.05
Place is a new UK-based collection of designer home furnishings with a responsible twist. Working with a collective of diverse UK designers, their idea is to make good design accessible to a wide audience while implementing high environmental and social standards, and they seem to have done it. Place uses only FSC-certified timber, and they are working toward offsetting the environmental costs of shipping by planting trees. According to their site, they are also the first homewares company to apply for Fair Trade certification, and their furniture is "manufactured in small factories and craft workshops that look after their employees." We like the simple but dynamic "Angle," (pictured) a dining table made from solid American white oak, though their collection includes lots of other good stuff with which to live, dine and dream. ::Place via ::fiftyRX3...
Recycled Flip Flop Basket
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 12.13.05
Good for a child's room — this one bounces back at you! It's a multi-purpose basket made out of flip-flop sandals by artisans in the Philippines. It measures about 15” wide by 17” high. It can be used outside too. It's priced at $48.95. See this door mat that we featured previously, also made out of recycled flip-flops. :: Canvas to Clay...
gDiapers: the New Flushable Diaper
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 12.13.05
Taking heed of the fact that a single diaper can take 500 years to biodegrade in a landfill, gDiapers have designed an absorbent diaper insert that can be safely flushed once baby has done his/her business. gDiapers have no elemental chlorine, perfumes, smell or garbage, and the damp ones can even make good compost -- they recommend that the brown ones always get flushed down. How is flushing good for the planet, you ask? Simple. Poop goes down the toilet, and that's where it belongs. While toilet clogging remains a risk, gDiapers gently urges users to "know thy toilet," which, when we think about it, is good advice for anyone. For anyone still skeptical, check out this enthusiastic testimonial from tipster Molly:...
Toyota Ractis - Please Make It a Global Car!
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 12.13.05
One more addition to the "cool small cars that we don't get in North-America" category (as opposed to small cars that we will get, like this one): the Toyota Ractis. It seems like a great vehicle that could meet the needs of a majority of car buyers and become quite popular if it was available here. Small outside, big inside, the Japanese version is powered by either a 1.3-liter (87hp) or 1.5-liter (110hp) VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing-intelligent) engine that exceeds by 5% the level called for by the 2010 Japanese fuel efficiency standards and achieve emission levels 75% lower than the 2005 standards. The 1.5 model is also available with all wheel drive (AWD), and a panoramic glass roof is also optional. More below, including lots of pictures....
Support Your Favorite Charities Through GoodSearch
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 12.13.05
We stumbled across GoodSearch.com when trying to find donation information for our favorite environmental charities this holiday season. The company was founded by a brother and sister team who lost their mother to cancer and they wanted to find an easy way for others to donate to their favorite non-profits. Powered by Yahoo!, GoodSearch is pretty is easy. Go to their homepage, type in your keywords (just like any search engine) as well as your charity of choice (if you don’t see your favorite there you can go ahead and add it). Now check this - every time you search money is donated. And all at no cost to you! So go ahead and bookmark it as your regular search engine (because, ahem, we already know what your homepage is) and keep in mind you can share the love by switching charities as often as you want. ::GoodSearch.com...
Less Silver Pollution Thanks to Digital Photography
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 12.13.05
We had thought about the potential environmental benefits of digital photography a few times in the past, but had forgotten the idea until recently when a few news items about it passed through the wire. Two articles in particular - Swedish Capital Sees Less Silver Pollution Thanks to Digital Photos and Digital Photography Reduces Pollution - report the claim of experts that digital photography has helped reduce silver pollution in the water of Sweden's capital. "Tests have shown that silver levels have dropped by more than half in five years in the waters of the Stockholm archipelago." More digital photography means that there is less developing of conventional silver-halide film, and nowadays at least 90% of all cameras sold in Sweden are digital. "Helena Parkman of the Swedish Environmental Board said silver ions can be more toxic to water organisms than mercury. Silver in its metallic form is far less toxic." So all you digital photographers out there, know that you may have helped to fight silver pollution without even being aware of it. ::Associated Press via ENN, ::SR International...
Biofuels, Birds and The Rainforest
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.13.05
"Travelling in a car fuelled by biodiesel seems like a great, environmentally-friendly thing to do. However, if the biodiesel has come from soya planted in the Brazilian Amazon or palm oil from Indonesia, the green consumer is likely to be unwittingly driving another nail into the coffin of the world's great ecosystems." —Ariel Brunner, BirdLife Biodiversivist at Grist points us to this quote and to George Monbiot in the Guardian last week. We have said it before as well- clearing the rainforest for palm oil production is no way to keep our cars running. ::Biodiversivist at Grist...
Magenn Air Rotors: Floating Wind Turbines
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.13.05
Treehugger has shown flying wind turbines before but never one this clever- it is held up by helium. Such a simple idea- it works on both straight lift from the helium and the "Magnus effect" where "For the Magnus airship and hence the patented Magenn Air Rotors System, we have proven that as wind speed increases, rotation increases, lift increases, drag will be minimized because of reduced leaning, and stability increases." The first units in production will be a 4Kw residential unit that will cost ten thousand dollars, and can be ordered this spring from the Ottawa-area company. ...
Pennsylvania to Tehran: Still Sick of Smog
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 12.13.05
Many will have heard of the October 1952 "Killer Fog" of London, during which thousands died from breathing polluted air. Or the US' "Killer Smog" of 1948, during which several people were asphyxiated and over 7,000 made ill as the result of severe air pollution over a small town in western Pennsylvania. A half century later, "killer" air pollution events still come to large cities, mainly in nations with so-called developing economies. In the latest event, more than 1,600 people have been taken to hospitals in Tehran. The Iranian culprit is not coal fired heaters or smelters, as was the case in London or Pennsylvania, respectively. These days the grim reapers are internal combustion engines, usually very old ones with no design accomodation for pollution control.
...
Green Home Living’s “10 Ways to a Greener Christmas”
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 12.13.05
Green Home, a site that offers eco-tips and sells eco-products, also is partnered with a magazine called Green Home Living. Their mission is simple: green the home. The current issue’s focus is the holidays and one of our readers, Aliah K., wrote to tell us about the great tips that they have offered. “10 Ways to a Greener Christmas” is a simple yet effective guide for you and your family this season. Match some of the suggestions with our TreeHugger Holiday Gift Guide (such as make donations, buy recycled and buy local) and you’ll be decking the halls a little greener. Thanks for the tip(s)! ::Green Home Living’s Holiday Issue ...
Hong Kong's Fair Trade Fair and Symposium
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 12.13.05
It's encouraging to see three days devoted to Fair Trade in the world's next superpower. Hong Kong is hosting the Fair Trade Fair and Symposium December 13-16, an event that happens to coincide with the WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Conference. With the symposium, expo and fashion show, there is a focus on growing and mainstreaming fair trade and sustainable business practices.
People Tree, host of the December 14 fashion show, creates fashion forward items produced by marginalized communities from around the globe. Intrepid model and activist Summer Rayne Oakes is lead model in the show. :: Fair Trade Fair and Symposium...
Readymade Biodegradable Pinecone Ornament
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 12.13.05
Those crazy kids at Readymade can show us how to make almost everything all right. In this case: Tom Deckert provides an eco-friendly DIY project safe for small children and tipsy in-laws alike.
Simple:
1. Gather pinecones.
2. Frost them with gum arabic (nontoxic and available at art supply stores).
3. Dust the fronds with flour.
4. Voila! Make a pretty tree.
5. After all the fun ends, compost or place those pinecones right back where you found 'em.
This month's Readymade has lots of other smart season-brightening and gift ideas. Some favorites include the "tree hugger" tree skirt made from a vintage skirt, a watch bracelet fashioned from over-the-hill time pieces, and a scarf constructed from old wool sweaters. You can do it! Photo by James Chiang. ::Readymade...
Greenlight: A New Online Magazine
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.12.05
We are not quite certain what to make of Greenlight Magazine, a new online magazine extravaganza with sorta treehugger content but a cast of dozens, some kickass technology and clearly a huge investment. They have a dead tree magazine format and software that is like Acrobat on steroids, the idea being that you read it like a magazine with all of the benefits of hyperlinking. On the other hand we have a 21 inch Trinitron and have been using computers since our beloved Kaypro II and we had trouble with it- we missed the bloglike configuration and kept sneaking back to their more traditional form that we covered in February . (is that not weird? We consider the magazine format radical and the online format traditional.) A brave attempt, an interesting concept, some good content and great integration of graphic design and computer technology. Is this the future of green journalism online? We wonder. ::Greenlight Magazine...
Q&A. Non-Nasty Snowboard Waxes?
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 12.12.05
"Reader Gift Guide" Contest: Win a $200 Vessel Gift Certificate!
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 12.12.05
Having trouble finding green gifts for the holidays? Well, TreeHugger has you covered with our "Reader Gift Guide" Contest. Search the TreeHugger archives for great gift ideas and you could win a $200 Vessel gift certificate. All you need to do is email us before the December 16th deadline at: contest [at] treehugger [dot] com - with three great gift ideas from the site and a short description of what makes each item a good gift choice. You may want to start with our Holiday Gift Guide and go from there. Entries will be judged looking at modern design, sustainability, and creativity. By looking at gifts for others, you can walk away with something for yourself - TreeHugger proves sometimes it is better to give and receive. ...
Jivita: Aromatheraputic Water, Biodegradable Bottles
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 12.12.05
Among the many wonders to be seen at this year’s Green Fest in San Francisco was the recently launched Jivita line of bottled waters. Promoted as the first product to combine bottled water with aromatherapy, Jivita waters are infused with hydrosols: extracts from flowers, resins, and bark. Falling into a new category of bottled waters with the likes of Biota, Jivita extends its commitment to sustainable practices by using biodegradable PLA bottles. Jivita's specially made bottles from NatureWorks are made from a renewable biopolymer material derived from corn and claim to use over 60% less fossil fuel than their conventional plastic counterparts.
Jivita will be available initially in the San Francisco area at Bi-Rite, Fresh Organics, Other Avenue’s, and Rainbow Grocery. Co-owners Tia Christensen and Mary Ellen Smith plan wider distribution soon. :: Jivita...
The Next Green TV Host Could Be... You!
by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 12.12.05
If you're a Canadian citizen with an eye for design and a passion for planning urban green spaces, you could be headed for prime time. A new HGTV show is looking for an energetic host who is preferably an expert in Horticulture, Landscape Architecture, or Landscape Design (but not a requirement). Acting experience is not a requirement. Description is as follows:
...
International Garden Festival: Modern Garden Art
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 12.12.05
The designers who will be invited to compete in the International Garden Festival have been announced. The event takes place annually in Reford Gardens in Quebec. The Festival's objective is to present cutting-edge design and to contribute to the reflection and renewal of the art of gardens....
ReadyMade: How to Make [Almost] Everything
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 12.12.05
From our friends at ReadyMade Magazine