- Emily Pilloton Discusses the Hippo Roller and other Designs for Humanity (Part One)
- Janine Benyus on Biomimicry in Design (Part Two)
- Janine Benyus on Biomimicry in Design (Part One)
- Andy Revkin - Climate in the Obama Age
- Fred Pearce - Confessions of An Eco-Sinner (Part Two)
- Fred Pearce - Confessions of An Eco-Sinner (Part One)
- Chris Goodall - Ten Techs to Save Our Butts (Part Two)
- Chris Goodall - Ten Techs to Save Our Butts (Part One)
Entries for February 12, 2006 - February 18, 2006
Total this week: 81
Metabolix Plans Natural Plastics From Non-Food Crops
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 02.18.06
Corn based plastic seems so improbable. It's like the Corn Palace many of us have read about but probably will never see. It's too fantastic to think that hybrid popcorn will be used to construct hybrid cars. Corn based bio-polymers are transitional. They won't become commodities because objects made of not-oil can not be as useful as things made of not-oil, not-food. It seems that biotech companies like Metabolix realize that the long term future may be less corny than we have been led to believe. From their headquarters in the cornbelt of Cambridge MA, their publicity allows that: "Metabolix Natural Plastics are today made through fermentation of renewable resources such as corn sugar and vegetable oil, and, in the future, will be produced directly in plants such as switchgrass". Who else was it we heard talking about switch grass recently? Anyhow, Metabolix has teamed up with ADM to announce the first really commercial corn based plastics plant. See details below the fold....
Nuclear Power's Climate Protection : Water-Use Tradeoff
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 02.18.06
Most non-natural gas electrical plants use steam to drive their turbines. After superheated steam makes a pass through the turbines, the discharge is condensed, and then recycled back to the hot end of things for another pass through the turbines. Cooling process choices will be very important in coming decades because of the prospect of many "clean coal" or new nuclear plants added to counter climate change. At the heart of the issue is water consumption in a supply-constrained world. Background for non-engineers: -- there are three ways to cool these plants; two wet, and one dry. The wettest way is to withdraw surface water from ocean bay, lake, pond, or river, and pass it through a secondary cooling loop. The one-pass cooling withdrawls are the least aquatic-life friendly, which we'll detail with an example after the fold....
Dean Kamen Segues into Water and Electricity
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.18.06
Forget the side trip on the Segway, which did not revolutionize transportation and change the world. Others of Dean Kamen's inventions have, and continue to do so. In 1993 a product of the year was his water purifier; his latest idea for the third world is his stirling engine powered electricity generator that can be powered by anything, including the omnipresent cow patties in Indiia. Put them together and you could have a revolution. He has developed a microfinance model to support it and may soon be building them in a factory in Bangladesh. “If you could take all the diseases you could name, 80 percent would be wiped out if you just gave people clean water,” says Kamen. “This [water purifier] makes 1,000 liters of clean water a day, and we don’t care what goes into it. And that [power generator] makes a kilowatt off of anything that burns.” ::Business 2.0...
Yet Another Gratuitous LED Post
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.18.06
What is cool (or hot) about this one is that not only does the colour of the water change with the temperature (useful to prevent burning and very cute) but it generates the power to run the LED's somehow by the flow of the water. We are not certain if there is a little propeller generating electricity or if it is some kind of caterpillar drive. A colourful addition to your bathroom from ::Seihin-world via ::Gizmodo
after the shower, its a night on the town with our LED cufflinks on. ...
What would your perfect t-shirt be like? - a Better Thinking project
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 02.18.06
Now here’s a challenge and music to our ears: ‘our journey making a product that's 100% sustainable and socially sound’.
This product is the perfect t-shirt. Well, they are not making t-shirts, it’s about a project which ‘exists because we want to set a challenge and a standard to businesses and industry, to share knowledge of best practice, to engage as many people on the street with the issues as we can and to end up with more than blue sky thinking at the end of it all’. A web site is part of the perfect t-shirt project by better thinking (an ethical branding consultancy), Howies (low-impact clothing specialist) and Kate Fletcher (eco textile & fashion designer).
You can have endless fun and be truly challenged by getting involved on their forum: How should the perfect t-shirt be made; supporting developing communities or locally using renewable energy? How should it close the loop; every lasting or recyclable or ? How much would you sacrifice to have your t-shirt 100% sustainable? Should it be eco labelled? …
On their blog they share their knowledge about everything to do with t-shirts: the impacts of the laundrette on your t-shirt (85%!), Ecoballs (I find them very sexy thinking), pesticides, why hemp sucks,…
So don’t be shy Treehuggers and tell them about your ::perfect t-shirt Thanks Cate for the tip....
Savonius Windmills: Explore and Experiment
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 02.18.06
The primal urge for self-reliance...admit it, occasionally you feel the desire to escape this complex interdependent world we live in. But with all my skills at paper-shuffling, I ask myself, how can I hope to survive on my own wits? Well, here's a chance to test the limits by experimenting with a Savonius or S Rotor wind power generator in the comfort of your own living room; or if you are a teacher, to inspire some of next generation's generator geniuses (maybe follow in the footsteps of Fred Ferguson of Magenn.)...
Tiger Droppings To Help Control Ferals
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02.18.06
Finally a story about tiger bits being highly coveted for unusual activities, that doesn't harm the poor harried creatures. Seems feral goats, which are a national pest in Australia, are spooked by aromas in tiger scat. Obviously a response deepily embedded in the goats genes ‘coz Tigers are bit few and far between down here. Anyhow, a PhD student, at the University of Queensland, has been extracting the essence from tiger poo, and creating pellets that can be sprinkled around to form a fenceless boundary that goats apparently won’t cross. A boon for farmers, this novel form of biological control could also mean a heap less wire and timber consumed to make fencing. Investigations will begin to see if it has the same effect on feral pigs and rabbits. Strangely they are going to try it on kangaroos too. Wonder when a kangaroo was last threatened by a tiger? ::ABCNews Online...
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival -- Bhopal: The Search for Justice
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 02.17.06
This morning’s Bhopal: The Search for Justice screening at the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival brought back memories of watching Inspector Gadget and thinking about toxic clouds. Ah, sweet remmebrance of an 80’s childhood of generalized fear and longing: rubber bracelets, Chernobyl, Exxon Valdez, Duran Duran, the threat of nuclear annihilation and the Bhopal disaster. For this generation, the more than 15,000 individuals who died when the Union Carbide pesticide plant in Bhopal, India leaked poisonous methyl isocyanate gas in December 1984 might remain a faint generality if not for 9/11.
...
Ray Bradbury to Earth: L.A. Needs Monorails!
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 02.17.06
Science fiction icon, Ray Bradbury, in a recent editorial for the L.A. Times extols the virtues of a monorail to solve Los Angeles’ glutted freeway system, and invokes images of what the city’s transportation future holds. “The freeways that were once a fast-moving way to get from one part of the city to another will become part of a slow-moving glacier, edging down the hills to nowhere.” He recalls a 1963 Board of Supervisors meeting in which he chastised the Board after it rejected a monorail proposal, and how he was then “conducted out of the meeting.” :: L.A. Times via Boing Boing. Also see the Bradbury interview in Green Car Journal...
LIME: Aspen Living Comes with a Price
by Lime Planet, New York, New York on 02.17.06
Aspen has a reputation for being green. The tony ski town has its own global warming project manager, and has instituted innovative programs like using tax dollars from mansion owners to help buy solar power for the less well off. But a new report shows that the town may not be quite living up to its sustainability goals....
"Waste of Packaging" Contest: Get Your Entries In!
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 02.17.06
Time is running out for your chance to enter our "Waste of Packaging" Contest , as the last day to get your entry in is Monday, February 20th. For your shot at the contest prize - a $250 gift certificate to the online retailer re:modern - all you have to do is send us a picture and description of something you find wastefully overpackaged and an idea on how to make it better to: contest [at] treehugger [dot] com. We will pick the finalists, and TreeHugger readers will choose the winner. So make sure you get your entry in by Monday, February 20th for your chance to win!...
Prefabs in the Trees
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.17.06
Every Friday we race to Inhabitat to see what fabulous new prefab Sarah and Jill have found, and today they present a Treehugger prize- the Boase concept from Denmark, bringing bioremediation, compact living and prefab together in one treehugging prefab in the sky. Unlike other treehouse type projects we have shown, this one grows with the trees, creating green space as well as housing. They choose trees for their ability to bioremediate and beautify contaminated soil. "Our vision is to live in a forest in the city. In between the trees, raised above the ground on columns where you can touch the leaves and see over the rooftops...a supplement to the existing ways of urban living. By transforming contaminated urban areas the settlement takes back inaccessible land. For people living a life of different approaches to work, place and privacy." ::force4 via ::Inhabitat...
Design for Africa: Rocking the Design World
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02.17.06
Design for Africa is an ambitious project to bring design as a problem-solving tool to local communities in Africa. Brainchild of industrial designers Frank Hofmann and Staffan Weigel, the project's ambition is to assist the people of Kibera by helping them look at new ways of creating useful items from garbage and other rejected materials. This could generate products or services that can be sold to tourists and other communities outside Kibera, thus bringing capital into the community. They'll accomplish this via a one-year, transcontinental road trip through Europe and Africa, with a stop in Kibera somewhere in the middle. Kibera is one of the largest ghettos in Eastern Africa, with almost 800,000 people living in an area the size of Manhattan’s Central Park and half of the population is under the age of 15. Because of the lack of resources and the poverty in the area, recycling is an everyday issue and a natural part of living....
The Hand Up Project: A Helping Hand to Those in Need
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02.17.06
There are lots of websites and blogs and thinkers and theorists out there (TreeHugger included) who are considering the environmental problems facing our world, but not few acknowledge the habitat destruction of this diminuitive animal: the hermit crab. Due to global ocean pollution and human over-harvesting, these hermit crabs are facing a severe housing shortage; there aren't enough shells discarded by marine gastropods to go around, and it doesn't look good for these little guys. The drive to remain housed for this species is so strong that biologists routinely find them living in discarded glass jars, the tops of soy sauce containers and any other form of refuse in which they can hide. Thankfully, artist Elizabeth Demaray recognized this problem, and did something about it. The Hand Up Project, attempting to meet the new needs of natural life forms is her solution to the global hermit crab housing shortage. With the aid of a paleontologist and a mechanical engineer, she designed these structures with the intention to make artificial shells that are better than what nature can provide. ...
TreeHugger Picks: DIY Weekend
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02.17.06
TreeHugger loves us some DIY, and with the weekend nearly upon us, do-it-yourself projects are piling up at TH HQ, so we're passing along some of our favorite projects that you can do this weekend.
1) Convert your diesel rig to run on veggie oil.
2) While you're at it, learn to make your own biodiesel (just in case you run out of the veggie stuff).
3) Before leaving the kitchen, whip up some easy homemade soap or yummy yogurt.
4) Up for more of a challenge? Grab this solar kit and getting started with life off the grid; if you prefer human power, make your own bicycle generator.
5) Get a head start on spring gardening with a hydroponic garden.
6) If it's raining or too cold or too hot to tacke any of these projects, pick up ReadyMade's How To book instead. There's always next weekend......
Recipe of the Week: Braised Mixed Greens
by Kelly Rossiter, Toronto on 02.17.06
We love this recipe because it is so flexible. You can use any greens you have on hand, or any type that appeals to you. You can also vary the type of beans you want to use to change the character of the dish. You can have a more delicate dinner with spinach and cannellini beans or something more robust like pinto or romano beans paired with broccoli rabe. Just be sure to use a sturdy bread underneath otherwise it will become mushy. For a vegan dinner, simply omit the parmesan cheese. If you use canned beans, you can have a healthy, delicious meal in less than ½ hour.
Braised Mixed Greens...
Support Worldchanging
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.17.06
We like Worldchanging a lot; they are really smart and get to the core of a wide range of environmental issues. They are a non-profit and are running a new fundraising campaign, where photographer Ed Burtynsky and a foundation have donated up to $ 50,000 each, and will match funds from the rest of us, raising $ 3 for every $ 1 we donate.
This treehugger just donated personally and we hope our readers will. ::Worldchanging
read here for more on Ed Burtynsky in Treehugger ...
Canal*ACCESSIBLE- different map making
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 02.17.06
Canal Accessible is were you can find a map of inaccessible Barcelona on the internet. It ‘s created by people with disabilities using their mobile phone to capture every obstacle they come across in the streets of Barcelona and sending it to this web site. Other ‘canales’ are created by prostitutes transmitting from their mobiles in Madrid, gypsies in León and Lleida and taxt drivers in Mexico, each of them documenting the difficulties of their every day life by non-functionality. Using mass consumer goods like the mobile phone and the internet, the Spanish artist Antoni Abad has with this project managed to make visible what society normally doesn’t want to see.
A great idea about communication and a rich information tool for anyone looking for a challenging and useful design project. ::www.zexe.net ::via the exhibition about the project, Centre d'Art Santa Mónica, la Rambla 7, 08002 Barcelona until the 5th March 06...
Sustainable Living Festival in Melbourne, Australia
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02.17.06
This weekend the city centre of Melbourne comes alive with a three day festival of sustainability. There’ll be talks, music, film, exhibits, art, workshops and much more besides. The aim of event is to get the citizens of Victoria to make moves to reduce their ecological footprint (hence the thong imagery - an Australian lifestyle icon.) Last year 120,000 people attended so they must be doing something right. You can read here all about the multitude of activities, like The World’s Biggest Organic Lunch. But equally interesting are the back-of-house initiatives for the festival. They aim for it to become “Australia 's first totally waste free event” a Waste Wise team will separate paper, glass, cans, plastic for recycling, with food waste being composted. A Wash against Waste station cleans plates and cutlery from food vendors.to reduce use of disposables. Green Power is bought for all event electricity needs, while the office is solar powered. Promotional materials utilise waterless printing, veggie based inks on to post-consumer recycled paper. To encourage visitors to ride to the festival, a Bike Hub valet service is provided, with its own bike mechanic. ::About Sustainable Living Festival....
The Compact: Bay Area Alternative Consumption
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 02.17.06
Thank goodness there are so many approaches to dealing with consumerism and sustainability. Buy Nothing Day and YouthXchange are a couple that we've covered (in addition, of course, to featuring the "hippest" eco-wares ourselves). Enter The Compact, a group who pledge to only acquire from thrift shops, Craigslist, freecycle.org, eBay and flea markets in 2006. The Bay Area bunch named themselves in allusion to the Mayflower pilgrims' zeal and support one another in a virtual Plymouth Rock sort of way with a blog and Yahoo! Group. My favorite part of the Chronicle article about them confirms my experience as a consumer: once implanted the desire to shop cannot be eradicated, only channeled in less- and non-harmful ways. From the article:...
Zeno by Luceplan — Artificial Natural Light
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02.17.06
Been a while since we mentioned the idea of getting sunlight into spaces bereft of windows, via lightwells, or lightpipes. After two years of research Italian designers, Diego Rossi and Raffaele Tedesco, created the Zeno light for Luceplan, which works on much the same principle. Optical conduits collect exterior light and convey in a “direct and controlled way” to the fittings. What makes this light different from other lightpipes is that it can also integrate other light sources into the design, like compact fluorescent bulbs, HID Metal-Halide and halogen lamps. This allows for an interfacing of “efficiencies, temperatures, colours and chromatic yields.” The team are looking at technologies which will make it “possible to distribute direct light from the sun and subdivide the cost of the system amongst the tenants of an apartment block.” Aside from the Zeno, Luceplan have embraced “environmental compatibility” for their operations as a whole (investigating materials choice, manufacturing processes, finishes, design-for-disassembly, packaging, and so on.) ::Luceplan via Youthxchange...
The Waterless Printing Association
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02.17.06
In line with our growing focus on water we take time for peek at waterless printering. Printing is not only about paper (with old growth forest or recycled content) but it consumes vast volumes of that life giving slippery stuff. According to the international Waterless Printing Association (WPA), a “printer in Switzerland, operating one of the world's first waterless web presses, eliminated the use of approximately 250,000 litres (about 66,000 gallons) of water in one year. That water would normally have come from a nearby lake, which is a source of drinking water for tens of thousands of people.” With waterless printing, the plates (large sheets, which carry the text and images, like high tech ‘potato print’ moulds) utilise silicone rubber coatings. This technology allows for the transfer of special inks to paper, simply via adjustments in temperature. With traditional printing water is used as a carrier for the ink and it’s often a delicate balance getting the two to interact properly. ...
New York Report: gominyc
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 02.17.06
I just spent five days taking in New York's eco-offerings in spite of what has become my new favorite phrase: "inclement weather." I did ok even without the new Green Apple Map. Unfortunately, the inclement weather made the Swapo-rama-rama a no go but it didn't stop Jill Danyelle and and me from trudging through post-inclement slush on Monday to check out gominyc. The East Village one-stop eco-shop houses a surprising bounty for such a little place: gift-worthy housewares, accessories, clothes and sundries, many of which are re-fashioned and have graced the TreeHugger pages. It was fun to feel the Delano Collection organic wool coats in person. In fact, I wished I had replaced my wimpy San Francisco wrap with one pre-inclement weather. Oh well. I snagged a smart pair of updated vintage bauble earrings, part of a collection made exclusively for gomi. How could I resist thank you cards for my hosts, made from old record album covers? I couldn't. :: gominyc ...
Please Lord, Build These Cars
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 02.16.06
As we wait for more electric vehicles, hybrids, and small, efficient cars, as well as bemoan the execution of EVs by their very makers, we should remind ourselves that matters can always be taken into our own hands. Do-it-yourself car building has always enjoyed a following, but it does seem that the 70s and 80s saw a golden age of ingenuity and innovation in DIY jalopy workshops. I stumbled across a trove of plans for such project cars, many published in Popular Mechanics and Mechanix Illustrated, many of which are still available for purchase. A majority of these designs strive for high efficiency and low emissions; and talk about style! The car builders of today have so clearly lost their way and could learn a thing or two. ...
Arnold Launches Green CA Site
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 02.16.06
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is throwing some muscle towards a greener state. (This is part of a continued effort—read about the 29 bills he signed last fall here.) Last week, his administration unveiled “Green California,” to provide state and local government agencies and California businesses with ideas, guidelines, reference materials, engineering data, and environmentally-friendly purchasing information, according to press material. The site is based on the Governor’s vision of a greener and more energy efficient California. With a couple of clicks, you can find the latest news on the state’s efforts to reduce energy and resource consumption, and on Executive Order S-20-04, A.K.A the Green Building Initiative. The Green Building Initiative, and its accompanying Green Building Action Plan, call for public buildings to be 20 percent more energy efficient by 2015. “We believe the site will demonstrate with facts and figures that environmentally smart business decisions can also save big bucks, while making life healthier for all of us,” says State and Consumer Services Agency Secretary Rosario Marin. ::Green California...
Instant Survey: Your Commute
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 02.16.06
TH Blog Love – Our Favourite Greens Of The Week
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 02.16.06
Hippy Shopper: Designer vegan handbags
Once again putting the "hip" into hippy - this week HS introduces readers to Matt and Nat vegan handbags, purses and footwear.
Groovy Green: Carnival of the Green no. 14
It is poetry in motion this week at Groovy Green - they're bustin' out the rhymes and keepin' it real (green) as they host the weekly featurette of the eco-blogosphere.
The Hip & Zen Pen: Interesting articles on doing business and doing good
The mini-anthology of good writing on ethical businesses gives readers the inside story on matching consumer demand with sustainable production.
Musings of an Eco-Entrepreneur: Have you bought any Ford stock lately? Speaking of ethical business, Musings of an Eco-Entrepreneur tips us off to some mighty interesting investment information. Give it up for the green(backs)!
Triple Pundit: FT - Cost of Climate Change
And just in case ethical business guides and stock tips weren't enough g-business for you, Triple Pundit links us up with the Financial Times' economic perspective on global warming....
New Microfinancing Opportunities at Kiva
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 02.16.06
A few months ago we wrote a post about a microfinancing web site called Kiva that does peer-to-peer lending over the internet. Kiva got a lot of publicity, and the owners said it was a tremendous help in raising money to fund entrepreneurs in developing countries. Now Kiva has added some new businesses to their site....
Discovery Could Increase Power of Ultracapacitors
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 02.16.06
Previously, we noted the use of ultracapacitors in hybrid propulsion. Now MIT laboratories are announcing that they can improve ultracapacitors by swapping in carbon nanotubes, thereby greatly increasing the surface area of electrodes and the ability to store energy. Ultracapacitors, a souped-up version of the capacitors widely used in electronics, have been around for decades. ...
Environmentalists Want Olympic Flame Turned Down
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 02.16.06
As Collin mentioned earlier, today marks the first anniversary of The Kyoto Protocol and environmentalists want the Olympic flame to be turned down in honor of this anniversary. A quick refresher: the Kyoto Protocol on global warming requires participating nations to cut emissions of six greenhouse gases to 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. Giuseppe Gattino, spokesman for the Turin organizing committee, said turning down the flame would have little substantive effect. “If you reduce it too little then there's no visible change, if you reduce it too much you risk extinguishing it. It's not the same as using a burner at home,” he said. The organizers of the Turin Games are trying to offset carbon dioxide emissions and save water and energy use during the 16-day event and the European Union has praised them for their eco-friendly initiatives. The main Olympic Village, housing 2,500 athletes, has a record amount of solar panels and low-energy light bulbs. In the mountains, special tracks around the luge run and ski jumping hill allow animals to pass through the area. Gattino said the Olympic flame's gas consumption is already half what organizers originally expected. Via ::Yahoo! News Photo credit: Tourino2006.org...
Impact 2006: Social and Environmental Career Expo
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02.16.06
Though this socially and environmentally-conscious career fair just ended (and that's okay for us, seeing as everyone around here already has one), we wanted to bring some attention to the simple fact that such an event exists. Organized by MIT and Olin College, it was designed for students who want to leverage their education in science, engineering, and the humanities to make a positive impact on society and change the status quo, and that's a great thing. The more or our best young minds that we can set to work on making the world a TreeHugger-friendly place to be, the better, so kudos to MIT and Olin; we hope to see other institutions for higher learning following suit soon. Other people looking to find such a job should take a peek at our quick guide to green employment,
Green Dream Jobs, GreenBiz's Job Link or Idealist to get started on getting paid to save the world. Thanks to Christie for the tip! ::Impact 2006...
Carbonfund.org Launches Climate Challenge
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02.16.06
The Kyoto Protocol took effect one year ago today, with the U.S. conspicuously absent from the group of nations signed up to actively fight climate change at the national government level. Happily, Carbonfund.org has launched their "Climate Challenge," making it easy and affordable for anyone to reduce their climate impact through support of renewable energy, energy efficiency and reforestation. The Challenge is quite simple: by visiting carbonfund.org and making a few strategic clicks of the mouse, anyone can offset their carbon emissions. The typical person can reduce their direct carbon emissions for less the $5.00 per month, or can go ZeroCarbon and offset their entire carbon footprint for less than $9.00. Carbonfund has partnered with Working Assets (a carbon-neutral company themselves), who will match five additional tons of CO2 reductions for the first 100,000 people who go ZeroCarbon. Don't keep sweatin' it out -- take the Challenge and cool your jets now! ::Carbonfund.org via ::CSRWire...
Afternoon Tea With The Groovy Mind
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 02.16.06
On a recent snowy afternoon a group of friends and I gathered beside the fire to experience three of the world's finest organic fair trade teas: Pai Mu Tan White, Darjeeling Green and Earl Grey. Called "Transcendental Tea" by tea traders The Groovy Mind, this collection represents the three most distinct members of the tea family: white -a relatively new arrival admired for its impressive antioxidant properties; green - which became popular in the late '90's and has since found its way into everything from ice cream to air fresheners; and black, a simple and elegant classic with a fascinating and sometimes sordid history....
South Africa Pioneers New Solar Technology
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02.16.06
A few days ago an article appeared in the Cape Argus of South Africa, proclaiming a breakthrough in solar power technology. We could not find a great deal of correlating reports, so will simply relay what what we found from just a few sources. Apparently the technology resulted from over 10 years of research, led by Professor Vivian Alberts of the University of Johannesburg. He and his team seem to have developed a flexible, thin, metal alloy that is “photo-responsive”. This alloy is said to result in panels with are only 5 micron thick (compared to a human hair at 20 microns, and silicon photovoltaic cells at 350 microns.) Earlier reports (in 2004) indicated the alloy was copper-indium(gallium)-diselenide (CIGS), with another article inferring the panels would have a useful life of about 20 years, with the energy in fabricating them recovered within the first 1-2 years of operation. And that the materials used could all be later recycled to make fresh cells. It is said that a standard family home would need around 30m/sq (“(about the size of a living room”) of CIGS solar panels to meet all its electricity demands....
Don't Forget to Feed The Hydros'
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 02.16.06
North America's Post-WWII growth was highly dependent on hydroelectric power. And it wasn't that 'freemarket" thing either (clue:--> "Hoover Dam"). The last Federal hydroelctric dam was authorized for Idaho's Snake river in the mid-1950's, and it was 1958 when the US Congress rejected the fourteenth and last proposed bill for a federal dam. That's almost a half century ago. Coal and nuclear generation met US electricity demand growth from there onward. There's a similar tale to tell for Canada. Enough history. Scattered across the continent are hundreds of public and private hydroelectric facilities in varying states of maintenance. Some of the dams are unstable and threaten downstream safety. Many were long ago stripped of their antique turbines, and buildings converted to "boutique" uses....
Must be Something in the Water
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.16.06
March 22 is World Water Day, and given how many Treehugger writers are all wet about the stuff, we thought we would make it a focus in the weeks leading up to it. The New York Times did a big article today on bottled water so it might be a good place to start- the first of a flood of posts where we will go deep.
Actually, Not.
Much of the times article is based on the Earth Policy Institute report we covered here, but they also did a taste test of bottled vs municipal water, and guess what won- Dasani, the bottled tap water from Coca-Cola. Why? "It was described as "sweet but fresh," and other mostly adoring adjectives. Jim Shepherd, Dasani's group director of research and development, says that Coca-Cola tested Dasani in hundreds of focus groups until it hit on a markedly crisp quality, achieved by adding magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride and sodium chloride to purified municipal water." ie- do what the fast food joints do- fill it with salt. Read more at ::New York TImes
Recent posts on water: ::Lifting the Lid, ::What a Waste and ::Dozens More...
Actually, Not.
Much of the times article is based on the Earth Policy Institute report we covered here, but they also did a taste test of bottled vs municipal water, and guess what won- Dasani, the bottled tap water from Coca-Cola. Why? "It was described as "sweet but fresh," and other mostly adoring adjectives. Jim Shepherd, Dasani's group director of research and development, says that Coca-Cola tested Dasani in hundreds of focus groups until it hit on a markedly crisp quality, achieved by adding magnesium sulfate, potassium chloride and sodium chloride to purified municipal water." ie- do what the fast food joints do- fill it with salt. Read more at ::New York TImes
Recent posts on water: ::Lifting the Lid, ::What a Waste and ::Dozens More...
zerofootprint, Eight Months Later
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.16.06
Eight months ago we looked at zerofootprint.net and were less than charitable to this startup. (We also interviewed its founder here) We looked at it again today and have to say that things have certainly changed. First of all, you can pronounce its name without an explanation because they have added the word zero, which pleases us greatly. More importantly, they have added content, lots of it. While the Green Products guide is big but not too different from others out there, the Green Events Guide is one of the most comprehensive we have seen anywhere. (hey, where are the greendrinks?) The Magazine, ZFP, has interesting content including a wonderful suggestion by founder Ron Dembo- "Make every home a generator (of renewable energy)". We should perhaps not have rushed to judgement -it still could use a bit more buzz and style but there is a lot of interesting stuff going on here. ::Zerofootprint...
Recycled Glass Finds New Life in Italy
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 02.16.06
Italian design firm Metamorphosi, a collaboration between “architects, deejays, musicians, decorators, garden planners, and botanists,” uses only eco-friendly or recycled materials to create its whimsical interiors and exteriors laden with glass objects—such as wind chimes and curtains, each evoking its own unique sound—and mosaics. Fili (shown here) is a glass curtain created from sliced and melted sections of bottles. The company, based in Calcata, Italy only does commissioned designs—creating limited edition objects and collections for homes and public spaces. ...
Every Cow Has its Day
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 02.16.06
The Cowshed skincare line is 100 percent vegetarian, not tested on animals, and a friendly nod to the bovine. The products, made from herbs hand-picked from gardens at the Babington House hotel and spa in the U.K., have tongue-in-cheek names like Dirty Cow Hand Wash, Cow Pat Moisturizer, and Frisky Cow Body Wash. Each product is packed full of organic herbal infusions and essential oils, which ease skin irritation, stimulate circulation and ease stress, according to the company’s Web site. They also have a children’s line—Baby Cow. We like the packaging, though it is probably not recycled…and we like that this grass-chomping mammal (which more often than not has a career as hamburger) gets to go home at the end of its day in the limelight. The line is available in the U.S. and the UK. ::Cowshed ...
Big Sky Documentary Film Festival
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 02.15.06
Missoula, a treehugging college town in Western Montana, was dubbed "the Paris of the West" in the nineties due to its high per capita population of writers, absurd beauty and disproportionate alternatives to meat and potatoes eats. It makes sense, then, that the aughts have brought the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival to downtown's historic Wilma theater. Beginning its third year on February 16 and wrapping up on the 22nd, the thoughtful fete will bring together film makers and lovers from around the world to screen 96 documentaries. I will fill TH readers in on the eco-film highlights. Check out the selections for yourself! :: Big Sky Documentary Film Festival...
GreenStop Roadside Rest Stop Design Competition
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02.15.06
The California Department of Transportation (CALTRANS) and The Great Valley Center in cahouts with the American Institute of Architects, California Council, and others are running an international design competition to design “self-sustainable” off-the-grid roadside rest areas. Maybe they were inspired by rest stops like the one in Vermont we reported on earlier and pictured above. This particular test site is in California’s San Joaquin Valley, and sees about 3 millions travellers each year. However the successful design should be capable of being replicated at other roadside stops. If you belong to one of these professions: “architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners, engineers, educators, students and others interested in sustainability issues“, then you can enter the comp and be in running for a $10,000 USD Grand Prize. All the details available from ::Greenstop, via ::Dexigner.
NB: Not to be confused with the Greenstop biofuel filling station....
Seacourt — A Carbon Neutral Printing Company
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02.15.06
Some years ago, Seacourt Press say they came to a “sudden and shocking realisation” surrounding the environmental impact of the printing industry, and thus “an immediate shift in policy was set in motion”. And they’ve sure been busy shifting gears. Seacourt were only the second printer worldwide to be certified as a “Carbon Neutral company.” Additionally they have attained recognition under two environmental management certification programs: EMAS (the european Eco-Management & Audit Scheme) and the international standard ISO 14001. The company is committed to waterless printing, and are one of only about a dozen printers, in the UK, who are members of the Waterless Printing Association (of whom we’ll bring you more info soon.) Seacourt see the advantages of waterless printing through avoid use of “vast quantities” of water and harmful polluting chemicals, with the added benefit of sharper image reproduction. As one of their taglines proclaims “Think of Seacourt as a company who are not only committed to you, but to everything around you.” ::Seacourt...
New Green Apple Map Launches Today
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02.15.06
The fifth New York City edition of the Green Apple Map, titled Powerful Green Map of NYC, makes its debut today. The Map introduces you to great ways to get around, dine, recreate, work and live in an eco-efficient, green way. You'll find all kinds of useful information that will save money and resources at the same time. This incarnation of the map is devoted to exploring energy impacts, conservation, and renewables. "Taking action to make smart energy choices will help us make the move towards a more secure and empowered future, in addition to having a positive impact on our environment and our wallets. We expect the new Powerful Green Map to improve the quality of life for all New Yorkers," says Wendy E. Brawer, Founding Director of Green Map System. The official launch event is being held at the Theresa Lang Student Center on the campus of The New School from 6 to 8 pm tonight; after that, pick up a printed version, go digital and download the PDF or grab the poster, to proudly display how green it can be in NYC. ::Green Map NYC's Powerful Green Map via ::CSRWire...
FedEx's Reusable Envelope
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 02.15.06
We recently learned about the FedEx reusable envelope, which is legal-sized and can accommodate up to 24 pages. It’s designed to be used twice with dual tear strips. From the looks of it, this is the only box that FedEx offers with a reusable option. When we were researching this envelope, we came across some other environmental news from FedEx Kinko’s that we thought we’d include as well. Last month the company announced new renewable energy purchases at more than 100 locations nationwide, increasing its total green power commitment by 67.5 percent to an estimated 40 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) per year. In addition, FedEx Kinko's recently agreed to purchase 10.8 million kWh of Green-e(R) certified renewable energy certificates (RECs) for 88 of its locations in Southern California. The new purchase will provide 50 percent of the annual electricity consumption for those centers. This news doesn’t come as a surprise, as FedEx is one of the corporate leaders in the environment. In 2003, FedEx Kinko's adopted a Forest-based Products Procurement Policy, which includes vendor requirements surrounding sustainable forest management practices and a central set of recycled content standards. In 2004 they introduced the OptiFleet E700 and in 2005 they unveiled California's largest corporate solar electric system at its hub at Oakland International Airport. ::FedEx Kinko’s...
Toyota's Next Hybrid in 2008?
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02.15.06
Toyota is creating some buzz with the news that it is developing a hybrid based on 2003's CS&S concept. Designed to replace the Celica in its current line-up, the car will seat four and be a mid-engined, all-wheel-drive sportster. It will be powered by the next-generation Toyota hybrid powerplant, similar to the Toyota Yaris T-Sport, using a 105bhp petrol engine. According to reports, there'll be a two electric motors, one for each pair of wheels, that'll kick in during urban excursions, and when extra power is called for. A folding metal roof is also supposedly in the works, which would be a first in a mid-engined car. We'll have to wait for all of these goodies, though; it isn't likely to appear until 2008. We'll keep our collective ear to the ground. CS&S concept via ::Jalopnik...
TreeHugger Picks: If You Start Me Up, I'll Never Stop
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02.15.06
TreeHugger is all about getting it done without the benefits of conventional power. All of these gadgets can help cut your local electric utility or disposable battery supplier out of your life while your gadgets retain their glorious functionality.
1) Talk it out without running up the power bill with the wind-up phone charger.
2) Channel-surf to you heart's delight with the crank-powered remote.
3) Power up your iPod with these nifty DIY projects: the hand crank and big brother bicycle charger.
4) Don't get left in the dark with this hardcore, LED light or this one, that calls itself the Illuminator. 'Nuff said.
5) If the power company pulls the plug, stay up-to-date with the Eton hand-cranked radio.
6) To get more bang for your crank-powered buck, check out the combo flashlight/phone charger and the flashlight/phone charger/radio....
Merlin Matthews on Re-Cycle
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.15.06
Warren posted about Re-Cycle.org, a British organization that collects old bicycles and ships them to Africa. The Guardian interviews founder Merlin Matthews, in another of its wonderful features, Good Lives- People making a Difference. "A Haitian woman asked me how you would go about setting up a factory for bikes there, and that was when I started thinking. It struck me that there were loads of old bikes rusting away in sheds or chained to railings all over the place: you can't really sell a knackered second-hand bike, and even an absolute muppet doesn't want to just throw it away, so people hang on to them. I was already fed up with the greedy short-term socio-political bloody mess all over the world, and fixing and shipping bikes from the UK to other countries seemed like a way of stopping waste and helping people." ::Guardian
The Guardian has a good idea here. Do you know any people making a green, sustainable difference? Let us know. ...
Ecological Home Ideas: A Review
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.15.06
We received a press kit for a new green shelter porn mag, Ecological Home Ideas. We are favourably disposed to such magazines- anything that promotes good green design and educates readers is a good thing. We want to like it. We were a bit surprised to find the press kit in a heavy plastic folio that we would not think appropriate for anything, let alone a green magazine, but perhaps they had the wrong PR firm so we will not blame the magazine for this. We opened the magazine and the smell was redolent of glossy magazines that sort of give you a headache and we looked for any indication of recycled paper or vegetable ink and could find none, but again ploughed on. There were things we liked: Julie Gabrielli did a neat comparison of different materials as wood substitutes; there is a wonderful do-it-yourself solar collector that we want to build. There is a good calendar of events that we will milk for posts, many events that we have not heard of.
Unfortunately there were other things that did not impress us....
"Waste of Packaging" Contest: Sneak Peek
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 02.14.06
It is difficult for those of us with a sweet tooth to admit fault with the source of our sugary pleasures. Often times, we are able to easily look past the piles of plastic that a good candy binge leaves behind. However, Ryan De Baker's entry in our "Waste of Packaging" Contest reminds us that even seemingly small amounts of packaging can add up. Ryan's "waste of packaging" entry was something that has been on his mind for a long time (and I am sure a few of yours as well), the fruit candy Mambas. If you are unfamiliar with Mambas, here is deal, "It starts by coming in boxes of 24 that is of course shrink wrapped (nothing out of the ordinary). Then, each mamba package of 18 fruit chews is wrapped in plastic. Inside that outer wrapper you get 3 main flavors each in it's own wrapper. Each of these contain 6 fruit chews are again individually
wrapped." ...
Instant Survey: Green at Work
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 02.14.06
Fast, Clean, and Ugly: Meet the Mullen GT EV
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 02.14.06
Hybrid Technologies, in a joint venture with Mullen Motor Company, will produce an electric version of the Mullen GT carbon fiber super car. The GT, that our friends at Jalopnik describe as “extra-ugly-with-a-side-of-hideous,” may not be the belle of the ball, but she’s not slow. The petrol version goes 0-60 in a smidge over 3 seconds with top speed of 180 mph. The electric is supposed to have similar stats. And if you doubt that an EV can be mean as hell, see this clip of the Wrightspeed X1 burning a Porsche and Ferrari in the track. :: Green Car Congress...
The Next Big Fuel Source: Microbes?
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02.14.06
Termite guts and canvas-eating jungle bugs could be the key to kicking the oil habit and achieving energy independence. At least that's what scientists working on creating ethanol from plant waste are hoping. In a process much like making grain alcohol or beer, microbes that can process woody cellulose into sugar are put to work on plant waste; after a few microbiological twists and turns, the result is ethanol without the corn. Last year, current practices yielded only 4 billion gallons of ethanol last year (compared to the 140 billion gallons of gasoline used in the U.S.), and there's growing concern throughout the Midwestern corn belt that the 95 U.S. ethanol plants are increasingly poaching corn meant for the dinner table or livestock feed. The plant-waste process, called "cellulosic ethanol," dodges this problem by making fuel from farm waste such as straw, corn stalks and other inedible agricultural leftovers....
V Day Guide: 50 Ways to Please Your Lover #5 - #1
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 02.14.06
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
5. Blow your baby's mind with the sensational Chocolate Fallen Soufflé Cake that Kelly showed us how to make last week.
4. Gentlemen, groom for love with Organic Guy Cedar bar soap - cedar is known for calming jitters and instilling confidence, so you can sweep your date right off their feet. Ladies, drive your Valentine wild with the scent of jasmine, a well-known aphrodisiac.
3. After you've polished off that fabulous chocolate cake, further indulge your darling with a phenomenal foot rub that stimulates those all-important trigger points .
2. Protect yourselves. While the heat of passion doesn't contribute to global warming, the unplanned consequences may have a different planetary impact.
1. Start all over again tomorrow. Just because Valentine's Day is once a year, that doesn't mean it is the only day to celebrate your sweetheart. With 50 ways to please, your darling will never have to ask "where is the love?"
#50-#6 Ways To Please Your Lover...
Swap-O-Rama-Rama Postponed!
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 02.14.06
For all of you Treehugger's that showed up for Swap-O-Rama-Rama this past weekend in Brooklyn you may have found that the Galapagos Art Space was empty. Or maybe you stayed in because of the record snowfall. Or maybe you had other plans and were bummed you couldn't make it. Whatever the reason may be we have good news from Wendy Tremayne, Swap-O-Rama-Rama's founder:
Swap-O-Rama-Rama was postponed last week due to a snowstorm in NYC. Yes, it was snowing sideways for several hours. The event has been rescheduled for Monday February 20th (Presidents Day) 2pm to 7pm. Hope you can make it!
Thanks for letting us know, Wendy! ::Swap-O-Rama-Rama...
60 mpg Ford F-150 Hydraulic Hybrid: Could It Be True?
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02.14.06
Ford, the same company that has recently brought us the "It's not easy being green" Super Bowl ad and the "Midwest Ethanol Corridor," is reported to be waist-deep in developing a hydraulic hybrid system that would give their ubiquitous pickup F-150 400% increased gas efficiency. Wow. The hybrid system works similarly to the current gas-electric systems, replacing today's Nickel Metal Hydride battery storage by storing excess energy in hydraulic cylinders; this system claims almost triple the efficiency of the current battery setup. What does that mean for the F-150? ...
Patagonia Continues Rolling Out PCR Apparel
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02.14.06
Over the years we’ve praised Patagonia for their hemp and recycled polyester pants, their organic cotton T-shirts, (both plain and stylish womens), their foray into eco-footwear. For their recycled polyester winter climbing jackets and closed loop recycled underwear program. And even more recently for their solarised car park. So it’s hardly suprising to find that they’ve quietly expanded the array of woven recycled polyester clothing on offer. For example, you get Minimalist Board Shorts ($55 USD), or the Womens All-Around Down Jacket ($178), Kid's 3-in-1 Infurno Jacket ($168). Not forgetting the Breezeway Jacket ($110) or the Eco Torrentshell ($185). They call the fabric PCR for Post Consumer Recycled. Patagonia pioneered the idea with their fleece jackets well over a decade ago, and it's great to see them still persisting with the concept, when most of their competitors have moved onto the next fad. In case you’ve missed their other environmental actions read here >::Patagonia...
Future Marketing Summits
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02.14.06
Stop Press! (or is that now Stop Post?) Wanna change the future of marketing? Maybe even want to nudge marketers into seeing that 'Green is Good'? Well, do we have an event for you. Come 23 February (Yep, that's real soon) you can participate in the 'futuremarketingsummits' in New York City. It has over 20 marketing industry heavy hitters, (including other bloggers Piers Fawkes of psfk.com and Josh Rubin from coolhunting.com) espousing on the view from their own crystal balls. And the reason we're so interested? Well, they've invited Treehugger's founder, Graham Hill, to be one of the panellists. (geez, he’s appearing everywhere at the moment.) Anyhow hopefully this is sign of more sustainable times to come to the much maligned marketing sector. For, as the media release says, this will: "not a day for platitudes or lecturing ..." Read All About It! ::futuremarketingsummits...
Companies Propose US Climate Action Plans
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 02.14.06
Shell Oil, British Petroleum, Cinergy Corp., Intel, Holcim (US) Inc., PG&E Corporation, Alcan Inc., Whirlpool Corporation, and others have endorsed the "Agenda for Climate Action" issued by the Pew Center on Climate Change. This happened to coincide with a widely publicized call by 85 influential U.S. evangelical Christian leaders for Congress to pass legislation that would reduce emissions of greenhouse gases. The corporate-endorsed report calls for a combination of economy-wide mandatory emissions cuts, technology development, scientific research, alternative energy production, and adaptation. To get around the miles-per-gallon political logjam, for example, the report recommends setting a tradable GHG-emissions-per-mile standard for a car manufacturer's fleet of vehicles. Also supported are massive investments in researching ways to capture and store GHG from coal power plants....
Rock Paper: For Tree-Less Photo Printing
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 02.14.06
Remember the Rosetta Stone, made in 196 B.C? , It’s still legible if you can find a cipher. Twenty two hundred years later, we have "rock paper", a newly-introduced computer photo print paper made "tree-free" and with powdered limestone as the major feedstock. Won't last as long as the Rosetta, but it looks like an improvement, which we'll get into after some circumspection. Photographic imagery became relatively short-lived in the confusing transition from press or chemical printing to digital. How many of our readers, for example, know whether their photo prints will outlast, or die before, their digital media? While color negatives from chemical photography typically hold up well for a at least a few decades, it is highly unlikely that that your grandchildren will be able to make use of today's digital “negatives". Whatever prints get handed down is what they'll be stuck with. Out hope is that computer printer designers can find a way to have customers pass on their vision and experiences without obligating their heirs to buying new technology several times each generation. It's the "less stuff" mantra, with a trans-generational slant.
...
Grist on Poverty and the Environment
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.14.06
As we discussed in our post about the Observer's Ethics awards, there is more to being green than just using less gas- there are all kinds of aspects to it. A social conscience is one of those, and we see it clearly at Grist with their seven week series on Poverty and the Environment.
"...It's true that the confluence of economic and environmental injustice can be particularly extensive and devastating in poor nations. But it is also true -- and far less remarked-upon -- that poverty and environmental degradation go hand and hand in the United States as well. The lower your income in this country, the higher the likelihood that you will be exposed to toxics at home and on the job. The greater the risk that you will suffer from diseases -- ranging from asthma to cancer -- caused or exacerbated by environmental factors. The harder it will be for you to find and afford healthy food to put on your table. The less likely you are to live in a community that provides safe outdoor spaces for you and your family to enjoy."
We look forward to reading every article. Congratulations, ::Grist ...
Meet Graham and Lloyd at Toronto Greendrinks
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.14.06
Treehugger's Graham Hill is in Toronto this month; we would love to meet Toronto area Treehuggers at Greendrinks on Wednesday evening. New Location: the Bedford Academy at 36 Prince Arthur. Dreadful picture of both of us will be of little help in identification; Graham does not have red eyes and Lloyd has hair. Look for nametags. ::Greendrinks...
Guerilla Gardeners Hit London In The Middle Of The Night
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 02.14.06
“I just thought dammit, I am going to sort this out, so I set my alarm clock and got up in the middle of the night… The police have stopped us loads of times, they just say, “What are you doing?” I say “Gardening.” And they say, “Great.”’ These are the words of Richard Reynolds, the man behind London’s growing Guerilla Gardening scene. Inspired by or rather depressed by the state of his Elephant & Castle housing estate Reynolds set about clearing it up and planting barren areas which were just full of litter. Guerilla Gardening is a popular phenomenon that we haven’t discussed much here on TreeHugger. As Reynolds says in his recent double page spread in the Evening Standard Magazine ‘I thought I’d invented it, but in fact, when I Googled “guerrilla gardening”, I found it was everywhere: New York, Toronto. Toronto’s full of guerrilla gardners.’ It turns out Reynolds is certainly not on his own and there a quite a few Londoners who are turning up to help out, as well as others who are donating money and plants to the project. Even Richard and Judy are in on it! ...
Books: Diseño Ecológico by Joaquim Viñolas i Marlet
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 02.14.06
For the Spanish reading of you, here’s a great book on eco design, ‘Diseño ecológico’ by Spanish author Joaquim Viñolas i Marlet, very clear and useful as well as pretty. It’s a complete study of design and production in harmony with nature, analysing environmental problems (e.g. materials & health), making reference to nature (e.g. characteristics of organisms) and exploring the culture of recycling. It goes through historical and sociological basis from arts, crafts and theory to describing aspects of the new information & communication society. It also analyses eco companies and eco products and then leads to the basis of eco design. ‘Ecology as revelation: from saturation via emptiness to a new definition of design’ and ‘design & order’ as well as technical aspects are only a few examples. Finally it looks at different fields of eco design like graphic, packaging, product, textile, architecture, interior or transport design as well as urbanisation and landscape. A fantastic 400 page thick tool for any eco designer. Let’s hope they translate it soon!
ISBN: 84-95939-08-8, publisher: Blume, price: €59,9 ::Blume(under 'ecología')...
Shell Bets on Thin Film Solar
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 02.13.06
Last week, Shell bowed out of the crystalline solar industry, agreeing to sell all of its yearly solar crystalline production capacity to SolarWorld. A combination of the tight silicon supply and a very strong German market is actually driving solar costs higher and making the technology less competitive. Shell will instead focus on CIS thin film solar, based principally on Copper, Indium and Selenium. The cells typically produce a lower total energy output than crystalline solar cells but they're also cheaper to manufacture; most of all, they don't rely on silicon....
Environment, Health, and the Nanotechnology Age: An Interview with Professor George Whitesides
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 02.13.06
A person may be able to ignore developments in nanotechnology for a while. But eventually, it seems, practically any field you may be paying attention to is in some way impacted by developments on the nano level. Nanotech is not so much a specific technology or field of science as it is a paradigm, a truly different way of manipulating matter on the molecular and atomic levels. The word conjures up a dramatic spectrum of responses. Some people are confident that nanotech will render humans immortal in a matter of decades and propel us into a post-human, post-scarcity world. Others fear it will just help us destroy ourselves with even greater expediency. Even more moderate views acknowledge that nanotechnology will come to overturn many of our assumptions about what is and isn’t possible. ...
Grand Opening of D.C.'s First Eco Store
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 02.13.06
Last week, Washington D.C. saw the grand opening of Eco Green Living, its first multi-product eco-store. The store is located at 1469 Church Street, N.W., in downtown Washington, D.C., one block north of the "P" street Whole Foods. The new store specializes in organic and non-toxic products, and guarantees that international products do not come from exploited labor. It gives D.C. area residents access to a wide variety of organic clothing, cosmetics, baby products, appliances, green building supplies, sustainable floors, and fair trade jewelry and chocolate.
...
A Taste of VT with Wolaver’s Organic Beer
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 02.13.06
Otter Creek is a popular beer here in the Northeast and we recently discovered that they brew a few organic flavors as well. Under the name Wolaver’s, these certified organic beers are made with pure Vermont water, certified organic malts and hops, and their special house yeast. According to the website, Wolaver’s is the #1 organic beer in the country and it looks like they have a pretty wide distribution covering all of the Northeast, down to Texas and out to California. Currently the India Pale Ale, Brown Ale and Pale Ale (our favorite) are available year round with Oatmeal Stout and Wit Bier offered as special releases. We like the 100% organic cotton t-shirts that they sell on the website as well with phrases like “Enjoy Organic” and “Tall, Dark, Organic.” There’s even a great recipe on the site for Organic Cheese & Beer Bread – yum! ::Wolaver’s/Otter Creek Brewing...
V Day Guide: 50 Ways to Please Your Lover #10 - #6
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 02.13.06
10. Take a dance class with your Valentine. While signing up for lessons can be risky (there is an unfortunate potential for bickering) they can also be lots of fun and are a great investment in your romantic future.
9. Book an eco-luxurious getaway at one of the Kimpton Hotel Group's Earth Care suites or arrange an eco-rendezvous at a Green Hotel.
8. Interested in a co-commute on your bikes or want to recreate in tandem? Surprise your Valentine with a fabulous foldable tandem from Green Gear Cycling.
7. Perfume is a classic V. Day gift, so TreeHuggers wanting to avoid the stink of synthetics should give their baby the romantic, all natural scent of Eco Bella perfume.
6. Your honey wears her heart on her sleeve? This pretty fair trade heart purse lets her do it in style.
#50-#11 Ways To Please Your Lover...
Japanese Solar Photovoltaic Market Grows 40+%/Year
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 02.13.06
US utilites are spending their time quibbling over growth in coal vs nuclear, nervous about continued natural gas price volatility upsetting the prospective ROI, should an investment be made. Meanwhile in Japan, "The photovoltaic (PV) cells and modules market in Japan, estimated to be 640 Megawatts (MW) in capacity or 209 billion yen in value of shipment, will rapidly grow to 2,350 MW or 665 billion yen in value in fiscal 2008 by recording an average growth of 30 to 40% every year". This in a marketing report "New Energy System Market (PV Power Systems) 2005" recently published by Yano Research Institute Ltd. Report is 67 pages and available in English. Interestingly, the cited MW addition rate equates to the output of one or two new nuks per year. ...
No Dirty Gold: Jewelry Retailers Urge End to "Dirty" Mining
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02.13.06
Eight of the world’s top jewelry retailers have pledged to move away from “dirty” gold sales and are calling on mining corporations to ensure that gold is produced in more socially and environmentally responsible ways. The retailers, supported by the No Dirty Gold campaign, are Zale Corp., the Signet Group (the parent firm of Sterling and Kay Jewelers), Tiffany & Co., Helzberg Diamonds, Fortunoff, Cartier, Piaget, and Van Cleef & Arpels, placed a full-page ad [PDF] in today's New York Times pledging to green up their act with the help of Oxfam America and EarthWorks. Timed to coincide with the jewerly-buying rush in conjunction with Valentine's Day, the ad also calls out retailers who are lagging behind these retailers; these "laggards" include Rolex, Wal-Mart, Fred Meyer Jewelers, JCPenney, Sears/KMart, Jostens, QVC and Whitehall
Jewellers Inc....
American Recycled Plastic: Furniture, Lumber and More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02.13.06
American Recycled Plastic has a ginormous selection of housewares, outdoor products and other random gear (like speed bumps and mulch) all made from recycled plastic. Many of the outdoor products are designed to look like wood, and look like they do a reasonable job of reproducing the color, to give your deck, picnic table, adirondack chairs, planters, etc. that "natural" feel without ever having to worry about waterproofing, splintering or . They use HDPE (high density polyethylene, commonly known as #2 plastic), which is one of the most ubiquitous types of discarded plastic, so it doesn't look like they'll be running short on materials any time soon. ARP also offers custom design, in case one of their 40-plus products doesn't come close enough to what your heart desires. Orders can be phoned, faxed or emailed via the website, or swing by the showroom in Palm Bay, Florida to see everything in person. ::American Recycled Plastic...
TreeHugger Picks: Best of the Bioplastics
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02.13.06
TreeHugger just wants to say one word to you -- just one word. Are you listening? Bioplastics. There's a great future in bioplastics. Check out the best bioplastic musings from our past:
1) We've covered cutlery numerous times, from this Q&A to this compostable version to the sexy Moscardino spork.
2) Bioplastics aren't just for knives and spoons, though. Toyota also uses 'em in their cars.
3) The simple but useful biodegradable packaging tape, particularly effective for use when the rest of the packaging material is also biodegradable.
4) Sony's Walkman and HP's printer both make use of the plastic without the petrol.
5) Finally, do your doodie and use these Biobags to help clean things up when Fido leaves you a present.
Think about it. Will you think about it? Enough said. That's a deal....
Il Palagio - Sting And Trudie Styler Sell A Slice Of Their Organic Italian Life.
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 02.13.06
Well not so much a slice, more a drizzle or a glug! Sting and Trudie, that famously all singing, all producing, all do-gooding tantric couple, have produced a range of organic honey and olive oil straight from their ‘Fields of Gold’ in Tuscany. This is the ‘Message in the Bottle’ according to Trudie: “I feel that we're using nature's bounty to give something back to the earth, and so help preserve its future for generations to come.” Since the Il Palagio range is organic and produced by very famous people unsurprisingly this particular Italian bounty doesn’t come cheap, evinced by the fact it is being sold exclusively at Harrods. To further sweeten the expensive taste Sting and Trudie are donating 10% of profits to the environmental charities they support. As a special treat however it might be nice to drizzle a bit of Sting on your toast!...
Ethical Awards from the Observer
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.13.06
"Protecting the planet has never been so vital. But who's campaigning hardest to save the biosphere? Which building leaves the lightest ecological footprint? And which retailer is the best for sustainable shopping?" Britain's Observer newspaper has introduced six awards, to be nominated and voted on by readers, and "a judging panel of high-profile ethical enthusiasts. They are joined by an expert panel including some of the UK's most progressive thinkers and practitioners in the fields of sustainability, environmental science, eco-design, fairtrade and development issues" -We doubt many papers over here have even heard of such a list. "There is no denying that as the planet hots up, ethical living and its close cousins, eco and green living, have been ushered in from the cold at breathtaking speed. The transformation from niche sock-and-sandal wearers' hobby to the mainstream is almost complete." Maybe in Britain, we wish it were so here. We read the entire Sunday New York Times and did not find a single article on any of these subjects. Congratulations to the ::Observer ...
Shirts of Bamboo (And Sweaters Too!)
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02.13.06
Sometimes things are hiding right under your nose. Found this one in our advertisers panel just a few pixels across there to the right. The sweater shown here is 70% bamboo, blended with 30% wool. And Shirts of Bamboo wax lyrical about how it compares in luxurious softness to the finest cashmere. Apparently numbers are limited, so get in quick. One colour only - would you believe: bamboo green! $65 USD. While you’re visiting the site you might notice the cami for women, booties for rugrats, and wash cloths for all. ::Shirts of Bamboo...
EZTradein Electronics under eBay’s ReThink
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02.13.06
We’ve mentioned eBay’s ReThink program for salvaging computer stuff on one or two occasions in the past. Now Tipster Alex D. alerts us to the fact they have a newish scheme, whereby you can get PayPal money by sending in any old electronics goodies that you no longer require. The program is quite broad, it includes the following categories; Desktops-PC, Desktops-Apple, Notebooks-PC, Notebooks-Apple, Camcorders, Digital Cameras, Servers, Multimedia Projectors, Home Audio Receivers, Mobile Phones, Car Audio, Monitors, Game Systems, PDAs and Apple iPods. And is pretty simple. Fill in the online form, it gives you an estimate, if you think the $$$$’s sound half decent, just make a booking, print off the prepaid mailer, and ship the goods to their warehouse. A week later you’ll receive your dough via PayPal. The quoted prices won’t make you rich, but if you’ve run out of friends and family to donate your old computers and hi-fi to, then at least you get something back this way. What exactly happens to the goods at this point isn’t made clear, but given that they've just paid you for them, we doubt they are landfill bound. ::EZtradein.com...
V Day Guide: 50 Ways to Please Your Lover #15 - #11
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 02.12.06
15. Order one of these cute Fair Trade Valentine's Kits and show your love for goods that are fairly traded and sustainably produced.
14. Touch Wood Rings are equally as elegant and certainly more eco-friendly than their metallic counterparts. The rings are even more special when you read about artists David & Nicola's romantic off-the-grid lifestyle in B.C.
13. Pick up a copy of Desert Quartet: An Erotic Landscape by environmental writer Terry Tempest Williams and explore the sensuous landscape of Southern Utah with your lover.
12. Or, if your tastes run more to the salacious - tune into F. for Forest to heat things up in the boudoir.
11. Call into your favorite radio station and dedicate a song to your Valentine (remember, cheesy is pleasing on V. Day).
#50-#21 Ways To Please Your Lover...
By the Time We Got to Woodstalk: Materials Monthly
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02.12.06
We are like a kid getting a present when our Materials Monthly arrives. The last few have been interesting but not particularly Treehugger. This month, Jennifer Siegel makes up for it in spades. All have been alluded to or covered in these pages before but could use a reminder.
Medite looks,feels and works like MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) , but is made from 100% post-industrial recycled wood fibre combined with wax and resin and absolutely no formaldehyde binders and no outgassing. Not the most exciting material in the world, but MDF is the workhorse of the millwork industry and it is great to be able to source a recycled formaldehyde free one. Justin mentioned it in a post on bamboo beds. ::Medite ...
Medite looks,feels and works like MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) , but is made from 100% post-industrial recycled wood fibre combined with wax and resin and absolutely no formaldehyde binders and no outgassing. Not the most exciting material in the world, but MDF is the workhorse of the millwork industry and it is great to be able to source a recycled formaldehyde free one. Justin mentioned it in a post on bamboo beds. ::Medite ...
Beluga Group Signs Contract for Sky Sail Power
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 02.12.06
Beluga Group has become the first shipping firm worldwide to sign a contract to furnish a modern diesel freighter with sail power--in this case Sky Sail: a super-sized kite which pulls the ship across the seas. The idea has been around for a while, and poo-pahed just about as long (see the comments even after Sky Sails won the Aichi World Expo Eco-tech award, as reported in Treehugger Sky Sails Promise). But now it will become reality....
Sustainable Style Foundation Comes to the Big Apple
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02.12.06
The Sustainable Style Foundation have advised us they in the process of establishing a version of their San Francisco operations in New York. They call it ‘Stylesheets’ and the offical blurb is: “SSF is now building its new NYC community. To carry on the values and beautiful hem lines of SSF, NYC’s chapter will be hosting delicious dinners, roundtable discussions, and building an unlimited community and resource of those who strive to live better and be better. We are looking for all your favorite NYC stylishly sustainable haunts and jaunts for the next and future Stylesheets.” ::Sustainable Style New York...
Q&A. Eco-Friendly Field Bags?
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02.12.06
Q. “I was wondering if you could direct me to an eco-friendly, not very expensive field bag. I'm currently working on putting together a jr. naturalists program at the [Botanical] Garden so I'm putting together the materials list and I'd like to use green products wherever possible.” Thanks, Gennadyi...
TreeHugger breaks it down for you in a series of in depth how-to articles that will help you green your life. No time like the present!
Here are a few recommended websites.
