- 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 July 9, 2006 - July 15, 2006
Total this week: 111
Video: Past, Present and Future of the Solar Industry
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07.15.06
Thanks to reader Andre Angelantoni for pointing out this video (you can also download the audio, but you'll miss the slides) of a presentation by Dr. Richard Swanson, President and CTO of SunPower. It's about the past, present and future of the solar industry and not just in a vague, public relations way; it's very technical with lots of data, both about the technology and economics aspects. Extremely interesting stuff, highly recommended. The talk was given in April 2006, so the information is very up to date and the future of solar seems very bright (no pun intended). Watch the video here: ::Solar PV: The Path From Niche to Mainstream Supplier of Clean Energy...
Vote For Finalists In Brad Pitt Eco-Design Competition
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 07.15.06
Tune in to the Today Show on Monday July 17 to see the finalists for the Brad Pitt/Global Green sponsored New Orleans green building design contest. Three to six finalists from Stage I (proposal development and submittal) will go on to participate in Stage II of the competition when they will work with local architects and community groups to create a plan for a selected areas in different neighborhoods of the city. They will design single-family housing and a community facility in the neighborhood, as well as environmental and community features. A jury (actually two - a technical and a design jury) will select the final winner, but the public is invited to submit votes for the best design project. ...
Cage Match: TINA vs LOIS
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.15.06
With all this Wal-Mart love going around, it might be an appropriate time to point out that Wal-Mart is BIG, and when it comes to town the local economy changes. Small retailers often complain that they can buy stuff cheaper from Wal-mart than they can from their own wholesalers. Most governments are resigned to the multinational big-boxes coming into town and destroying their main streets because, they say resignedly, There Is No Alternative (TINA). Michael Shuman thinks otherwise and writes about it in The Small-Mart Revolution-How Local Businesses are Beating the Global Competition. He introduces us to LOIS- Local Ownership/Import Substitution. ...
“Attention TreeHugger Shoppers”
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.15.06
This past week was an important one for Wal-mart. In ways that we think herald the future of Corporate America at large, international attention was focused on presentations hosted at the retail giant's Bentonville headquarters. During Al Gore's visit, noted by the Associate Press, he “ praised Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for a newfound focus on environmental sustainability, saying it showed there was no conflict between the environment and the economy”. ...
Proporta's Solar Bluetooth GPS and Solar Charger
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07.15.06
In need of a global positioning system? Consider the Proporta GPS receiver, that wirelessly links to Bluetooth enabled PDAs (personal digital assistants), smartphones or laptops. What sets this one apart from other GPS units is that it can be solar charged via the small panel on one side. The panels will even work with no-sun light sources, such as indoor lighting, so long as you can get the GPS to within, say, a foot (300mm) of task lighting. Or 6.5 feet (2m) if the interior ambient lighting is putting out a combined 120W. Not sure of weight, size or battery capacity, but price is about £70. Or you could try their other thermonuclear based gizmo: a solar charger (£40), for USB ported devices (five other tips also provided). The good news is that this solar chargercan select four voltages between 3 and 9v and will not over-charge appliances. The downside is that its 3.6 V, 1800mAh, Lithium-ion battery likes to eat 34 hours of sunlight before feeling full. Although Pocketnow recently reviewed this charger, and they seemed pretty happy with performance, particularly as they reckoned a full charge took only five hours. ...
Edinburgh: “Most Sustainable City in Northern Europe”
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07.15.06
Well, maybe not quite yet. But it is the aim of the City of Edinburgh Council to wear such a mantle by 2015. And whilst Scotland overall might be setting its sights on achieving 40% of all electricity coming from renewable energy by 2020, it’s capital has even more holistic intentions. The city has a Sustainable Development Unit to guide it in reaching these lofty goals. A brief look at some of their work would suggest this is no half-baked greenwash job, but a serious attempt to green a metropolis. Take for example the SDU’s publications, like the Sustainable Design Guide for buildings. Available as a series of free downloadable PDFs this is a most impressive document. Just the Materials chapter alone is 20 pages, and written in gorgeous plain language. Charts abound. I particularly liked the simple way designers are led through the decision making process. For example, materials are ranked by ‘sustainable choices - in order of preference’. Less sustainable stuff is still noted, with accompanying notes on the toxicity and/or health effects of any non-sustainable options. The cost is referred to with words like: “little/no difference”, "double”, “half”, “small saving”. I’ve seen more green materials checklists than I care to remember, and this one is a true delight, compared to many. ...
Rodedawg Coming to USA
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 07.15.06
Just when you thought it was safe for eco-minded drivers to take back the roads: on the heels of the announcement by GM that they will kill the Hummer, Rodedawg is preparing to enter the US market. TreeHugger put this one in the un-TH category when we first became aware of the vehicle which can Out-Hummer the Hummer. Now Rodedawg has announced that the vehicles are "in the Plainfield, N.J. USA Certification Center undergoing testing for compliance with EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and DOT (Department of Transportation) regulations." ...
Most Huggable
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 07.14.06
Don’t forget to sign up for Hugg’s new daily newsletter and to pop the RSS feed into your readers. For guidance on how to get busy with RSS, see our quick tutorial. Researchers in Kyoto claim they’ve come up with a microfibrilliant cellulose-based material that’s as tough as metal… Can the free market heal California's addiction to the grassy green lawn? CNG-powered rickshaws arrive in the UK… PATH offers a handy inventory of green technologies for the conscious builder… Could our retired oil wells turn out to be a trove geothermal energy?...
Earth Policy Institute: Lester Brown on Food-Based Fuels
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07.14.06
Lester Brown (see our TreeHuggerTV interview), founder of the Earth Policy Institute and author of Plan B 2.0, has just released a new analysis on the dangers of using grain to make fuel. "The grain required to fill a 25-gallon SUV gas tank with ethanol will feed one person for a year. The grain to fill the tank every two weeks over a year will feed 26 people." Granted, the ethanol debate can be hard to follow; many interested parties have claimed that ethanol is good or bad, energy positive or negative. Some very credible sources see a bright future for the aloholic biofuel, though not necessarily via food crops, and biodiesel generally has less detractors. But regardless of the potential of biofuels as fuel, we also need to deal with the potential problems caused by using food to make them....
800 Watt Hours A Day! The Most Efficient Modern House?
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 07.14.06
This house has the conveniences of a modern house, but consumes only 800Whr on average per day. Compare this to a typical U.S. suburban house that uses 45 kilowatt hours (kWh) per day. How is this reduction possible? It's through the strategic use of ultra-efficient appliances, daylighting, and passive solar design for temperature control and ventilation. But what's the secret of the house's amazingly low power consumption? Using solar power, the house generates 120V AC, but it's also wired for 12V. The living room has three 7W 12V compact fluorescent lamps, a 12V Widescreen LCD TV, a DVD player, and an efficient surround sound stereo system. The office has a Mac laptop acting has a desktop, and all other computer peripherals are switched off automatically when not in use. When not lit by daylight, the office uses compact fluorescents lamps, and 12V LED desk lamps....
"National Zoo Selects Soy-thanks to Treehugger.com!"
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07.14.06
The title of this post is the subject line of a email that we recently received. Inside was this: "Just wanted to let you know that thanks to Treehugger.com, the National Zoo has chosen to have the exclusive Tai Shan plush panda made from soy! The folks at the Friends of the National Zoo learned about South West Trading Company's SOYSILK Pals plush on your site and contacted us to discuss the project. All went well and we designed and are shipping 2,000 SOYSILK pandas to the Zoo tomorrow. They will arrive just in time for giant panda cub Tai Shan's first birthday on July 9." This won't save the world and not all of us at TreeHugger are big fans of zoos, but we have to admit that it's pretty cool and that few things are as cute as pandas (see more pictures below). ...
TreeHugger Picks: If You Build It, They Will Come
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.14.06
TreeHugger likes to stay on top of the concept car market; there are just so many good ideas: 330 mpg diesel hybrids and fuel cell vehicles have us licking our chops for the next generation of personal transportation vehicles. Sadly, as prototypes, many never see the light of a showroom floor. Here are some of our favorite prototypes that could make a big difference in the way we get around, if they would only get produced.
1) Honda's FCX fuel cell car might be the closest, reportedly going in to production in Japan in three to four years.
2) The XR3 diesel-electric prototype takes a page from Natural Capitalism's Hypercar, and would get 125 mpg.
3) Aptera, a three-wheeled, two-seat diesel-electric hybrid gets 330 mpg, and is projected to cost less than $20,000.
4) Ford's Reflex adds solar panels to the roof to boost the diesel-electric drivetrain.
5) The Volkswagen GX3, which is technically classified a motorcycle, can get 46 mpg in the city, and can do 0-60 mph in 5.7 seconds....
Al Gore in Entertainment Weekly [Updated]
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07.14.06
On Monday July 17, an issue of Entertainment Weekly with Al Gore on the cover will hit the newsstands. We haven't read the issue, so we have no idea if it's any good, but the press release we received has a few interesting quotes: “I was skeptical about the movie at first,” Gore doesn’t mind admitting. “I couldn’t understand what these Hollywood producers were thinking. I didn’t see how a slide show [about global warming] could be a movie. But you know, they were right.” It also mentions that An inconvenient Truth has now surpassed Hoop Dreams and Supersize Me in popularity, making Gore a bona fide movie star (usually the transition is Hollywood to Washington, but Gore went against the current)....
Emmanuelle Chriqui: Eco-Celeb In The Making?
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 07.14.06
The up-and-coming Canadian actress Emmanuelle Chriqui was recently spotted at "Green Experience Day," a Children's Health Environmental Coalition event in Brentwood, CA. Is this news you ask? Perhaps not yet, but sources say she's one to watch in the Hollywood scene (catch her on Entourage) and considering that she's also played a part in Global Green Oscar events - she could be one of our next favorite eco-celebs. Via: The Awful Truth ...
"Greenprint Denver" -- New Plan for a Sustainable City
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.14.06
In his "State of the City" speech this past Wednesday (July 12), Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper layed out a plan to make his city much more sustainable over the next 20 years. The plan, dubbed "Greenprint Denver," will impact nearly every city department on the way to giving the city what essentially amounts to a green makeover. "Even if there's a 2 percent chance that 95 percent of the world's top climate scientists are right about the dire consequences of global warming, we run the risk of being the first generation in history to leave the next generation a problem for which there is no solution," Hickenlooper said. To that end, the mayor laid out short-term goals of converting city vehicles to hybrid or biodiesel, reducing energy use in city buildings each year, building solar and methane power plants by 2007, and planting a million new trees. Though the plans extend beyond the maximum 12 years he could spend in office (due to term limits), most in the Mile High City praised the mayor's big thinking. "I'm glad he is thinking big like this," City Councilman Charlie Brown said. "That is the future and the future is now." ::Denver Post via ::Hugg...
Adidas BW Army Reused Camo Shoes
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.14.06
Adidas has wowed us before with not one but two pairs of shoes that incorporate hemp, and it looks as though they're innovating again. The Adidas BW Army is made from surplus military materials (though they're tightlipped about the source...must still be classified); the use of repurposed material makes each pair unique. Product Dose found a similar deal a year ago, with a limited run of 500 pairs, so there's no telling how long they'll last. Repurposed camo shoes don't come cheaply, though; each pair goes for $115, available at ::Coolest Shop via ::Product Dose...
Turn Plastic Bags into Chairs
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07.14.06
Don't tell your mother that these exciting new chairs have been created from plastic garbage that has not been recycled. Cohda Design worked for two years to develop a process to reform and re-heat domestic plastic packaging waste and turn it into chairs and tables. They look at our ever-growing piles of excess food wrappings and plastic bags and see a design possibility rather than an ecological nightmare. The chairs appear to be cast iron but are rigid plastic. They would be great in the living room or the garden. Because of the intrinsic flexibility of the material, they are actually quite comfortable to sit on and very light. No colours or additional pigments are added to the 100% recycled materials. The colour of the furniture depends on the packaging sources--the green chairs are made from plastic waste sourced in England, the grey from Europe. A solid black tubular chair is made from damaged, shredded milk crates. The rubbish is gathered from recycling agents and each piece of the furniture is individually made in home-grown modified industrial machinery--created by the designer. :: Cohda Design...
Powering Our Way to Global Warming
by Eric Kane, New York, NY on 07.14.06
Despite growing demand for renewable energy, the Energy Information Administration (EIA) announced that U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from energy increased in 2005. According to the agency’s report, ‘U.S. Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Energy Sources: 2005 Flash Estimate’, energy related carbon dioxide emissions increased from 5,903 million metric tons in 2004 to 5,909 million metric tons in 2005. The report suggests that this 0.1% increase is a result of a growing reliance on coal fired power plants. Coal related emissions increased 1.4%, while emissions from both petroleum and natural gas derived energy decreased since 2004. The report states that coal produces the most carbon dioxide per unit of energy, but petroleum, which is consumed at a higher rate, produces the largest volume of carbon dioxide emissions. In general, the rise in carbon dioxide emissions can be attributed to a reported 2% increase in demand for electricity. Although progress has been made in increasing the supply of renewable energy, this report makes it clear that we need to address energy consumption in an effort to fight climate change. See also ::On the Road to Global Warming and ::In America, Global Warming Doesn't Even Register...
What I Did on My Summer Vacation...
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 07.14.06
For most high-school students, summer vacations consist of jobs, family trips and lots of time in front of the television. For some kids, though, summer is the time to show off work they've completed during the school year. We've come across two events this summer that give students working on environmental issues and problems a chance to show off, in some cases, several years of thinking and hard work aimed at making planet Earth a cleaner and greener place to live....
Mobile Landscape Intervention Unit to the Rescue
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.14.06
Got a toxic garden problem? Who ya gonna call? The Mobile Landscape Intervention Unit, thats who. Its got it all- a crack team of Quebecois landscape architects arrive in a converted live-work shipping container complete with all the tools necessary for a team to carry out its work and live comfortably onsite including storage space for tools and seeds, a workstation, a mini-kitchen, and bunk beds. According to Canadian Architect, " "The Unit, as it is unabashedly called, visits ecologically degraded landscapes with the intent of rehabilitating these sites. Rather than a focus on fully restoring degraded sites, which can often take years to accomplish, the goal is to make a strong statement and give helpful demonstrations of how these sites can be prepared for future growth and sustainability with artistic expressions through nature." After spending the summer at the Toronto Brickworks, one of our many prime contaminated attractions, grateful citizens will wave goodbye as they race off to find other sick sites in need of landscape love and remediation. :: Mousse architecture de paysage at the ::Toronto Brickworks via ::Spacing Wire...
Sofa Brick – Is It A Wall, Is It A Floor, Is It A Sofa?
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 07.14.06
We’re intrigued by this modular design made from cork. The Sofa Brick takes the form and pattern of a section of upholstered furniture. The clear reference to a traditional sofa morphs into something new as the brick multiplies and creates a new pattern all of its own. Also interesting is the way it forms interior landscapes which blur the lines between furniture, floor and wall. The designer Aya Koike describes the Sofa Brick as “a challenge to cancel the boundaries between people, objects, and environments which should live together and help each other.” A flexible system which is multi functional and involves the consumer in the creative process, as well as being made from a sustainable material - that sounds pretty useful to us. It looks good too. The only problem is we’re not sure it’s available to buy yet. Via: Moco Loco ::Aya Koike...
Green Mountain Coffee Roaster’s new Ecotainer Cup
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07.14.06
Last year we wondered why the military should be the only ones with a compostable cup for hot liquid. Well wonder no longer. One dressed in civvies has happened along, courtesy of Green Mountain Coffee Roaster. Working with International Paper, (who made the Army/Navy vessel) they have announced the arrival of the Ecotainer. Why did they bother? Because in 2005, “Americans used and discarded 14.4 billion disposable paper cups for hot beverages. If put end-to-end, those cups would circle the earth 55 times. Based on anticipated growth of specialty coffees, that number will grow to 23 billion by 2010—enough to circle the globe 88 times.” Plus they calculated that the petrochemicals consumed in the making of that many cups would be equal to keeping 8,300 homes heated for one year. The Ecotainer addresses this by having corn based liner, instead using a quarter of a million pounds of petro-plastic. In short, it can be composted and returned to the earth to make more soil. GMCR and IP go on to suggest that by opting for a corn-based they’ll conserve the consumption of nearly 250,000 pounds (113,400 kg) of non-renewable petrochemicals every year. And 70% of the energy used for the paperboard manufacture is from renewables....
The Perfect T-Shirt III – Dyeing for a Change
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 07.14.06
Remember Better Thinking’s quest for the Perfect T-shirt? Well, they have some news for you: a 23 paged downloadable report on impacts of the textile dyeing called Dyeing for a change: Current conventions and new futures in the textile colour industry. They analysed why the issue of dyes needs to be addressed, traditional dyeing methods, the improving of conventional technologies, natural colours, other aspects of the dyeing process and how we can improve environmental impacts and other chemicals used in the dyeing process. Download the report here!
But that’s not all the news from Better Thinking; they began the countdown to launch! After a lot of positive feedback from all around the world, the profit-making side of their business also started to look good. The employee-community project for their global telecoms company is gaining weight and the Better Thinking team recently had a meeting with a clothing retailer who are present on almost every high street in the land! They say: “They're interested in using our expertise to help them sell in organic cotton to buying teams, to educate staff as to why organic cotton's so much better than conventional cotton,
and also to bring it to market in a way that ensures the initiative's long-term success. We came up with a variety of possible approaches for them that ranged from what we knew they'd be comfortable with to stuff that could stretch and invigorate their offer. We're looking forward to developing these ideas further.”
Wow, so one day we might have the perfect t-shirt, what do you think? Share your thoughts here and below! ::the perfect t-shirt ...
Marks and Spencers Trial Recycled PET Packaging
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07.14.06
Europe is shooting for a goal of 60% of packaging waste being recovered or incinerated by 2008. (We hope they stuff they deem necessary to burn will, at least, be through waste-to-energy plants.) In concert with this aim is another to see that between 55 and 80% of packaging waste must be recycled. Some trials have been underway in the UK to reach these targets. One has been with iconic retailer Marks & Spencers, who’ve been dabbling in recycled PET (or rPET, as they’ve tagged it). Polyethylene Terephthalate being the plastic most commonly found in drink bottles. M&S used a portion of 1,100 tonnes of food grade rPET (Boots also participated) to make a range of salad bowls with 50% rPET content, plus juice and “smoothie” bottles of 30% rPET. Seems that “96 per cent of customers asked thought the rPET was a good idea, with 85 per cent saying it made them feel better about shopping at [M&S} stores.” The British government initiative urging on companies like M&S, is known as the Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP). And they commented that interest in recycled PET had increased with recent upward movement in oil pricing, narrowing the price gap between the two. WRAP’s take on the project can be found here. Via ::Food Production Daily....
Catwalk on the Wild Side 2006: Pics Available
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 07.13.06
Some of you may have skimmed last month's surprisingly non-controversial (and admittedly too long) review of San Francisco's Catwalk on the Wild Side event. Well, now's your chance to judge the fashion yourself. Take a look at the 2006 pics! :: Catwalk on the Wild Side ...
Zip Zip! More Zipcars in the Bay and Now Chicago, Too
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 07.13.06
Zipcar, the car sharing service based in Cambridge, MA, announced recently that it will double its San Francisco fleet of Priuses, MINI Coopers, Mazdas, and BMWs, and start servicing the Chicago area as well. Zip Car will expand into new Bay Area neighborhoods as well as reinforce current pickup locations, many of which are located near public transit stations, part of a alliance with BART. This news comes shortly after Zip announced securing $20 million from General Electric’s financing division. Zip Car is the largest car sharing service in the country, with 60,000 key-card carrying members and 1,500 community vehicles. :: Green Car Congress...
BlueFire: "Waste" Cellulose To Ethanol
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 07.13.06
Perhaps the best kept secret in the ethanol industry is BlueFire Ethanol, which is the only cellulose-to-ethanol company that has demonstrated their production capabilities. BlueFire produces ethanol from solid municipal waste, rice and wheat straws and wood waste. The company went public yesterday. Iogen, a Canadian company, is also in the cellulose-to-ethanol race. Previously, we pointed out the ethanol efficiency debate here and here. In this case the ethanol comes from "waste" cellulose, so the calculations are a bit different. Still, from an ecological perspective, one potential drawback is that the "waste" cellulose will not go back into the soil and sequester carbon.
...
Lucid Food: Conscience Catering in New York City
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 07.13.06
Next time some of you New Yorkers are planning an event and don’t want to cook for it or might want some help, keep Lucid Food in mind. Run by New York restaurant veterans Louisa Shafia and Cydnee Yamamoto, Lucid was recently hired by the New York Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council not only to cater a picnic for them, but also to make the event waste free. For this high-end crowd, the food needed to be nothing but the best. Lucid designed a chic, simple menu which offered locally grown food and organic products purchased from a Farmer’s Market and local cooperatives. In addition, they also came prepared with biodegradable take-away boxes, drinking cups and trash bags that can be taken right out to your compost pile. Even the napkins they used are 90% post-consumer waste that can be recycled. The company feels that “if you give New Yorkers earth friendly choices, and you make those choices convenient, affordable, and of good quality, people here are happy to support those choices.” One New Yorker, Wendy Tremaine, utilized Lucid’s services for her Swap-O-Rama-Rama event recently (see our TreeHugger TV episode on the event here). Lucid says, “With this kind of food, Lucid Food may be converting a lot of New Yorkers to the sustainability cause.” ::Lucid Food...
China Revs Up in the Hydrogen Race
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 07.13.06
For a country where consumer car production hardly existed five years ago, China is making some considerable strides in mean, green driving machines. Last week, shares of Vancouver-based Ballard Power Systems shot up after it signed an agreement with a Shanghai fuel-cell development firm to supply up to 20 fuel-cell systems to be installed in vehicles owned by the government of Shanghai. Last month, it was that city's Forever Co. that took home four gold medals for its fuel-cell-powered cars during the Michelin Challenge Bibendum 2006, the sustainable mobility summit in Paris. And right now, commuters in Beijing (and soon, Shanghai) can hop on three zero-emission hydrogen buses, as part of a UNDP-sponsored pilot program. (This hydrogen news is of course to say nothing of this week's annoucement by Chang'an Motor Corp, the Chinese partner of Ford and Suzuki, that it will enter the hybrid sector in China by 2008, mimicking the earlier plans of Chinese automaker Geely.)...
Start Planning for World Jump Day
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.13.06
Don't forget that World Jump Day is less than a week away- time to get ready. This could be bigger than Y2K- 600 million people jumping up and down at the exact second. The plan is to move the earth into a bigger orbit, reducing global warming. We expect falling buildings, complete failure of the worldwide GPS system and the loss of California. Stock up on food and water and stay outside in open places. Note that the time calculator on the site does not account for daylight savings time. Sign on at :World Jump Day -they are still 7 million jumpers short. ...
Google to Tackle Global Warming
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07.13.06
Wired has an interview with Larry Brilliant, the new head of the Google Foundation. He's the man in charge of spending $1,000,000,000 plus one percent of the equity, 1 percent of the profits, and 1 percent of the people of Google. For now, the foundation has a triple mandate: In no particular order, global public heath, global poverty and the climate crisis. Mr. Brilliant says: "I’m going to approach this the way a venture capitalist would – map out the industry to see what the gaps are. You fund an initiative, learn what works, and ask, 'Will it scale?' [...] Many of the issues we face in dealing with rapid climate change are well suited to an engineering mind." ::Wired Interview with Larry Brilliant, ::Official Google Press Release. See also ::How Google Fights Power Consumption, ::Google's Earth Day Logo, ::Google Founders Invest in Nanosolar, ::Google's First Mashup Is Green, ::Google Does Public Transit...
Instant Survey: Bamboo - Practically Perfect?
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 07.13.06
What Should You Do with Extra Glass Bottles?
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.13.06
A reader over at Apartment Therapy has a question regarding an excess of glass bottles that we think TreeHugger readers could help with. She says: Hello AT, I have been reluctant to throw out my empty green glass water bottles, and now I have about ten of them piling up in my kitchen. I'd like to find some creative use for them, but I'm not sure what the bottles would be good for. I do need some book shelves and thought that I could use these as 'legs' between boards to make a bookcase. Other than that, I'm stumped.Aside from simply recycling them, AT suggests building a glass wall that allows light to shine through, as well as a DIY version of what Tord Boontje and Emma Woffenden did with TranSglass. What do you think? via ::Apartment Therapy...
Loveparade Berlin Cleans up with Bottle Charge
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 07.13.06
In Berlin this weekend, revelers will be raging at what could be the biggest dance music party in the world. The annual Loveparade Berlin, a massive free event featuring the best established and new talent on the electronic music scene, kicks off Saturday after a two year break. First introduced shortly before the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, the Love Parade had over a million attendees getting their groove on in the years 1997 through 2000. All of this partying makes for quite a clean up. New this year is a litter control and collection program, which encourages attendees to pitch in. ...
VegOut: Vegetarian Dining Guides by City
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.13.06
As if arsenic in chicken, reducing global warming, and associating with sexy men like Prince and Chris Martin weren't enough reason to be a vegetarian, we now have the Veg Out:Vegetarian Dining Guides to prod the more carnivorous souls among us to check out eating food without consuming meat. The series focuses exclusively on the myriad restaurants, markets and cafés of a given geographical region; a rating for each restaurant is provided, along with price, cuisine, location, and contact information, plus more details about each venue’s culinary offerings. They've got a good bit of the major metropolitan centers in the US covered, with guides to New York City, Washington, D.C., Chicago, Denver/Salt Lake City, Seattle & Portland, San Francisco and Southern California currently available. Your area not on the list yet? Don't fret; they claim that guides are in the works for all major cities throughout the US and the world, with four new guides published each year. Up next are Florida and Texas, followed by Toronto & Montreal, Atlanta & The Southeast, New England, London, Paris, Rome, New Mexico & Arizona, Lower Midwest, Hawaii, Mexico, Germany, Tokyo & Hong Kong and more. Updates to current restaurants can be submitted through their website, where the guides can be purchased as well. ::Veg Out: Vegetarian Dining Guides via ::3r Blogging...
North Jersey Fights Climate Change
by Eric Kane, New York, NY on 07.13.06
New Jersey’s Meadowlands area is probably best known for its sports complex and history of environmental abuse. However, earlier this week, the New Jersey Meadowlands Commission took action to change the region’s reputation. The agency, which oversees the environmental restoration and economic development of the 30-square-mile area, announced that it would implement policies and procedures to achieve the greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals of the Kyoto Protocol. The Meadowlands Commission plans to reduce the district's greenhouse gas emissions by 7% below 1990 levels by the end of 2012. The agency will use a number of strategies to achieve these reductions including: green building, public transportation, land conservation, and landfill gas recovery. In addition, the Meadowlands Commission said it would encourage the 14 municipalities in the Meadowlands area to endorse the treaty. Although this plan will probably due little to reverse the environmental damage of the past, it signifies a growing trend toward local action against climate change. See also ::BioTown USA: Going Off the Grid and ::Wal-Mart, GE, and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)...
"Premature Recycling" of Telephone Wire Forces Wireless Telephony
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.13.06
This lovely African handicraft basket is apparently made of telephone wire that was recycled "prematurely". Ethan Zuckerman's blog informs us that "colorful Zulu imbenge baskets that are woven from “recycled” telephone wire. Using the same techniques as were used to weave reed baskets so tight that they can carry water, these baskets are boldly colorful, strong, and very popular as souveniers for travellers in southern Africa. They’re featured in online stores and celebrated in art books". The comments on Ethan's blog are quite revealing. Apparently most purchasers are clueless about where the nice colored wire comes from. If the impossible-to-eliminate problem of wildlife poaching is a fair analogy, wireless telephony will be the only way around the problem. So, if basket making brings wireless to a continent with a poor landline infrastructure, is that a bad thing? Via: BoingBoing.net...
The Art of Climate Change
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07.13.06
The Cape Farewell project was set up to illustrate climate change in the Arctic. A ship was rented and three expeditions were made with 16 leading artists, educators and scientists to an archipelago 11 degrees south of the North Pole. It was hoped that artists might be able to capture the public's interest about this issue in a way that scientists had not been able. Each artist was committed to producing one piece of work that would be a call to action. The last expedition was in deepest winter; the artists took photos, filmed, walked, sketched and experimented with ice and sound, visited scientific research centres and deserted settlements. The experience gave them a chance “to see the beauty of what we stand to lose”. The results are on display at the Natural History Museum. ...
Washington State Creates Incentive for Home Solar Power Production
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 07.13.06
While a handful of US states still lack almost any meaningful incentives for encouraging citizens to generate power for their homes and businesses with renewable technologies, the state of Washington now plans to pay citizens 15 cents per kilowatt hour that "backyard" solar producers send to the state's electric grid. That rate compares to 5-8 cents that Puget Sound Energy and Seattle City Light charge their customers, so those willing to install solar installations do much better than "net metering" models seen in other parts of the US:...
Vanity Fair Profiles GE's Jeffrey Immelt
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 07.13.06
While Wal-Mart's CEO Lee Scott is likely the corporate chieftain that perplexes Treehuggers the most, General Electric's Jeffrey Immelt runs a close second. The 125-year-old company bears responsiblity for massive environmental damages over the years, including the infamous contamination of the Hudson River with PCBs in the mid-20th century. Many observers would claim that Immelt has staked out a position not far from that of his combative predecessor Jack Welch on the Hudson River issue:he is unapologetic even as he seeks to settle decades of litigation. At the same time, Immelt is also the driving force behind Ecomagination, a company campaign to revolutionize the way GE makes products and produces energy. The campaign's motto, "Green is Green," signifies a commitment to increasing shareholder value through clean technology, sustainable design and complete accountability....
Is Recycling Utter Rubbish?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.13.06
The Financial Times is the UK's version of the Wall Street Journal, not a venue where we would expect to find radical positions on environmental issues and reducing carbon emissions. We are often impressed about how far ahead the UK is in environmental awareness, but Richard Tomkins, Consumer Industries Editor for the FT, has really surprised us in an article questioning the value of recycling. Like many in the UK, he suggests that climate change is the most serious environmental threat facing the human race, and that "When you think of all the energy consumed (and hence, carbon dioxide emitted) during the recycling process - householders driving their empty wine bottles to the bottle bank, lorries collecting the bottles and taking them to the recycling plant, the washing in hot water and the removal of labels, all before the reprocessing can even begin - it is plain that recycling has environmental costs as well as benefits." Then he gets radical with his 10 point program. ...
TH Blog Love – Our Favourite Greens Of The Week
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 07.13.06
City Hippy: Blair goes Nuclear by Al Tepper
‘In honour of Tony Blair's grand vision of the UK energy future I have some questions and have emailed them to my MP (a Tory and so not in government) to put to the Blair government. I am sure I will get the usual unintelligible drivel in reply from the Government but will let you know what they cough up in my direction:’
The Ester Republic: Carnival Of The Green by Dierdre Helfferich
This week’s carnival juggles multiculturalism with a French eco-resort, British owls, public transportation in Tibet, and green politics in New Zealand, Canada, and America. We like the Global thinking!...
Energywise Recycled Glass
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07.13.06
Energywise Recycled Glass create spunky tiles, bowls and platters from 100% recycled glass, but that isn’t all. They can also tackle custom-made corporate signage. These signs are said to beideal for outdoor applications, as they don't fade, and can be made in a 3D relief to include Braille transcriptions. A not-for-profit company set up in the UK’s Liverpool in 2004, Energywise collect window glass and bottles from homes, restaurants and weddings and then recycle them, via a kiln-formed process, into the unique products. In addition to the manufacture of functional and decorative goods, Energywise also produce sheets of recycled bottle glass (up to 16 x 20 cm) for reworking by external artists. Also available is tumbled crushed glass, sorted by colour (bottom pic), for applications such as landscaping and aquariums. And they offer classes in recycling based community arts. ::Energywise Recycled Glass, via The Daily Record....
FairDeal Sports Balls, and Ethletic FSC Rubber Sneakers
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07.13.06
With the northern summer in full swing, no doubt there are more ball games going on than just the World Cup. So don’t forget to select a fair-traded sphere of phun. FairDeal offer more than just soccer balls. They can outfit you with basketballs (made with natural rubber), and both beach and indoor volleyballs. Plus they do a couple of rugby models as well. But being British based they haven’t as yet deemed to tackle balls suited to American and Australian codes of footy. But we should point out that they do have a special soccer ball, sales of which will contribute £2 ($3.60 USD) to the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers. All FairDeal sports balls include in the price a contribution to health care, improvement of working conditions, and a fair wage for workers. ...
green LA girl: Happy Birthday!
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 07.12.06
Blog years are even shorter than dog years, I guess. Siel's green LA girl grew so quickly, and became such a fixture in our lives, it seems impossible that she started filling us in on about living the ethical, eco life in LA one year ago today. Whether she's holding Starbucks accountable, telling us about "natural" products, or proving a compelling panelist, we're lapping it up. LA is lucky to have her. Happy birthday, Baby! :: green LA girl...
Biodiesel in South Africa—Tokara Winery
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07.12.06
South Africa is not a country that gets too much green coverage, but that’s not to say there isn’t plenty of stuff going on. Previously we’ve mentioned the likes of organic Rooibos Tea, Malaria monitoring watches, rural and youth bike programs, prefab housing, new solar technology and the phasing out of incandescent light bulbs, beginning with the handing out of 500 million compact fluoros. Now we can add to that list a story about Tokara winery’s conversion to biodiesel. The vineyard (situated in three of the Cape’s regions best winegrowing areas – the Simonsberg ward in Stellenbosch, the Elgin district and the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley near Hermanus) thinks it may be the first in the country to have moved its complete fleet of tractors, diggers and bakkies (pick-ups) onto biodiesel. Biodiesel One South Africa opened it’s first plant in the Stellenbosch region, and produces fuel from domestic soybean oil and other fats/vegetable oils. We didn’t find any indication that Tokara do organic wine, but they do seem to practice some stewardship of the land: “Here we try to design our vineyards around what the land decides. We try to find the unique character of a site, so we cut our blocks into smaller units [down to 0.3 hectares from the usual 4-5ha] – which is a shift from the usual approach,” ::Tokara Winery, via South African Wine News....
Most Huggable
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 07.12.06
In case you didn't catch it, Hugg now has a slick daily newsletter and a blazing RSS feed. Sign up for the newsletter at the top of the Hugg homepage, and grab the RSS feed in the left margin below the blogroll. Hugg on! A major player in the fuel-cell business gets out of the hydrogen game… Forbes magazine ranks the least green machines on the road… Electric delivery scooters ready to hit Italian streets, plus video of the Sumo electric scooter in action (looks comfy!)… Grist’s Karen Hurley comments on keeping a non-apocalyptic outlook… A scoreboard in Vietnam displays realtime traffic accidents, pollution…...
Atlantium: Cleaning The Big Fish Bowl
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 07.12.06
If you are a lazy TreeHugger (like some of us) and eat unidentified fish sticks once and awhile, it might be good news to hear that there are companies working to make fish farms a little bit cleaner. Enter Atlantium. The Israeli-based company has developed a UV filter system already in use in Turkey to decrease the need for nasty fish antibiotics by about 90 percent....
Green Building 101: Water Efficiency
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.12.06
It's Wednesday, time for our Green Building 101 class over at Inhabitat. Teacher Sarah once again mixes fabulous illustrations with jargon-free prose, explaining why and how we should collect and conserve rain and waste water, plant our garden and reduce water usage. "The average American uses 80-100 gallons of water per day; and while less than half of it will be drunk or used to cook food, chances are that all of it is treated, potable water from the municipal water provider. What many people don’t realize is that it’s fairly easy to implement simple systems for recycling and reusing water on your own property, drastically decreasing the demands on shared supplies, and in turn, reducing your water bills." Study hard at ::Inhabitat...
TreeHugger Picks: Green Drinks
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.12.06
We've counted down some of our favorite breweries and wineries doing TreeHugger things before, but we can't all drink booze all the time. Here are some of our favorite non-alcoholic drinks to quench your thirst for beverages that are less harmful to the planet, too.
1) Coca Cola has made some big strides in going green.
2) Moby's Teany bottled teas are a tasty companion to a vegetarian meal at his eatery in NYC.
3) Jones Organic Tea comes from the same company that brought the world funky soda flavors like Turkey and Gravy, Green Apple and Fufu Berry.
4) Worldshake Fair Trade juices combines the best of fair trade and local fruits and juices.
5) Great Green Tea won the Best New Organic Product for 2006, is carbon neutral, and is finally available for sale.
6) Drink tap water if none of the rest are within arms reach. Don't buy the hype that comes with bottled water; water from the tap is just as good....
Holographic Solar: At Least 25% More Efficient!
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 07.12.06
In a demonstration in Japan, Holographic Solar was shown to increase the efficiency of solar cells by at least 25%. Prism Solar Technologies provided a "Gen-1" module for testing in Japan earlier this month. The module incorporates less than 12 cents (US) per watt of Prism’s proprietary holographic optical material (not including glass) and achieved a 25% increase in power output over the cells themselves. The module was tested by a Japanese solar cell/module manufacturer and was conducted by engineers at the Japanese company’s facility. The “Gen-1” module incorporates mono-facial cells and uses PST’s Holographic Planar Concentrator (HPC) technology. ...
Sustainable Jewelry: The Cork Cuff
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 07.12.06
We’ve thought of cork as a wearable product before, but mostly just for shoes. But never did we think it could be an addition to our jewelry collection. Designed and made by Donna Piacenza, the “Cork Cuff” is 100% recycled and recyclable, flexible and water repellent. Each is cut from a single block, previously used for storage and display, and is individually numbered to remind us that each is truly one-of-a-kind. Available at Studio 1A.M., a design studio that explores new ideas in materials and processes through projects like recycled jewelry and adaptable objects. Thanks for the tip, Heidi B.! Via ::Daily Candy...
U.K. To Outlaw Standby Buttons On Electronics
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 07.12.06
The British government is to outlaw standby switches on televisions and video and DVD players to cut the amount of electricity wasted in the home. Refrigerators, washing machines and dishwashers will have to become energy-efficient, and lightbulbs that burn too much energy will be phased out. The government's Energy Review, released yesterday, reports that standby facilities use 8 per cent of all domestic electricity in the U.K. Businesses will have to phase out or reduce drastically the energy used by computers, printers and photocopiers left on standby. Energy efficiency is one of the main planks of the Government’s Energy Review, which is intended to lay out how Britain receives and uses its power for the next 20 years. :: Via The Times Online...
Treehugger Welcomes: Jessica Root
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 07.12.06
New Organic Product Line for Babies
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 07.12.06
Babies smell good. Savvy organic skincare product manufacturer Avalon Organics kept this in mind, when it started developing a new baby line. The result is Baby Avalon, clinically tested, hypo-allergenic, paraben free, and 100 percent vegetarian formulas, packing botanical punch. Tapping into nutrient-rich, organic plant emollients, these products are completely unscented. “Babies smell good naturally so there is no reason to expose their sensitive developing skin to the harsh, irritating chemicals found in mainstream baby products,” says Morris Shriftman, senior vice president of marketing at the firm. With what it calls a "baby-safe promise," Avalon Organics insures the Baby Avalon line does not contain synthetic fragrances, artificial colors, parabens, mineral oil, petrolatum, propylene glycol or sulfates. Including Flushable Biodegradable Baby Wipes, Silky Cornstarch Baby Powder, Soothing Zinc Diaper Balm, the products are $9.95 each and available at Whole Foods Markets or online. Avalon Organics is the firm behind the Alba organic line, a TreeHugger favorite. ::Avalon Organics...
Ethanol vs. Biodiesel: Life Cycle Impacts
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.12.06
To add fuel to the fire that is the ongoing debate comparing the big two biofuels: ethanol and biodiesel (here's our first go at it). An analysis by University of Minnesota researchers of the full life cycles of soybean biodiesel and corn grain ethanol concludes that biodiesel has much less of an impact on the environment and a much higher net energy benefit than corn ethanol, but that neither can do much to meet US energy demand. The researchers tracked all the energy used for growing corn and soybeans and converting the crops into biofuels. They were fairly dilligent about the life cycle impacts, also looking at how much fertilizer and pesticide corn and soybeans required and how much greenhouse gases and nitrogen, phosphorus, and pesticide pollutants each released into the environment. ...
New Green Mag for “Influential” Readers
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 07.12.06
On August 31, a green magazine produced by New York-based Cottages and Gardens Publications will hit the newsstands with a 50,000 circulation rate. Verdant will be the nations “first sophisticated consumer magazine dedicated to covering all aspects of eco-friendly living—from design, art and fashion trends to news summaries and authoritative product reports,” according to the magazine’s Web site. How does this glossy compare to what’s already out there? Says Verdant editor Sharon King Hoge, "Verdant is nothing like the typical environmental magazine. Verdant is designed for influential readers who seek realistic ways to implement green strategies to improve their lives and reduce their impact on the environment." King, former National Consumer Reporter of the Year, is a contributor to Condé Nast Traveler, Forbes FYI, and Cottages and Gardens magazines. Verdant was founded by Michael Ekstract, former director of marketing for the U.S. Green Building Council, the leading regulator of green building criteria. ::Verdant via ::mediabistro.com...
Linda Loudermilk Adds Denim to Spring 2007 Collection
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.12.06
Not to be outdone by Levi's, Linda Loudermilk, the LA-based fashion designer noted as one of TreeHugger's Best of Sustainable Designers, has announced that she'll add a denim collection to her eco-couture Spring 2007 line. From fiftyRx3: Loudermilk uses a corn-based fiber called Ingeo from Italy and sasawashi, a Japanese leaf that has antibacterial properties, in addition to bamboo and organic cotton blended with one percent spandex. Treatments, too, were developed to be environmentally sustainable. The washhouse recycles its water; sandblasting is done by hand, and washing machines use ozone to oxidize jeans for a sun-baked look.We're looking forward to seeing the jeans go from the runway to the streets. ::Linda Loudermilk via ::fiftyRx3...
Fleming College's 2006 Sustainable Building
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.12.06
Thats what David Elfstrom put on the chalkboard at the start of this year's class at Fleming College's 20 week Sustainable Building Design and Construction course, where students "develop an integrated skill set in the design of structures using green, natural or sustainable building methods, technologies and materials and renewable energy resources." We met last year's crew subverting a trade show, and now they are at it again. ...
Climate Change Threatens Vineyards
by Eric Kane, New York, NY on 07.12.06
As the effects of climate change become more evident, the list of vulnerable industries continues to grow. According to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. premium wine industry is among those severely threatened by global warming. The report predicts between a 50% and 81% decline in the areas suitable for growing premium wine grapes by the year 2099. This decrease is attributed to a forecasted rise in the number of days with temperatures above 95 degrees. Although wine is produced in 48 states, California stands to be most severely impacted. California’s $16.5 billion wine industry currently accounts for roughly 90% of the nation’s wine grapes. ...
Fair Trade Organic Solar Biodiesel FSC Photovoltaic Coffee
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.12.06
Selling Fair Trade organic coffee is so two weeks ago; if you want to get hugs these days you have to be like Cameron's Coffees in Port Perry Ontario-they buy solar dried coffee beans; they run their roasters on photovoltaic or Bullfrog power; they deliver it in biodiesel powered volkswagens; they build their displays out of FSC certified wood; they use the coffee chaff as fertilizer; they print their labels with vegetable ink, they sell "eco-sleeves" and biodegradable cups to their commercial customers. That is pushing the edge of the recycled envelope. ::Camerons Coffees via ::Bullfrog Buzz...
live|work: The “Longtail”and reducing muda
by Tamara Giltsoff, United Kingdom on 07.12.06
11th July sees the book launch of The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More by Chris Anderson, Editor of Wired. I’ve been thinking a lot about his theories on mass customization and the connection to service innovation and dematerialization. I think Long Tail has great implications for designing out waste or "muda"– so would say Taiichi Ohno the father of the Toyota Production System – as well as creating new markets.
Long Tail refers to the demand curve tail (see above). Demand typically bulges at the ‘head’ with best selling products and market hits, but tapers off into an extended tail wherein lies demand for niche/specialist product or services. This long tail is now a very ripe and possible market due to the fall in distribution and products fuelled by the Internet. Anderson cites companies like eBay, Netflix, iTunes and Raphsody as examples of Long Tails (all examples of dematerialisation). And life gets even more niche than that when you start getting into the realm of blogging and MySpace etc. – people indulging in, and sharing, their very personal and sometimes idiosyncratic tastes.
So, why is this worldchanging (sic)? ...
Wind Wars Come to Coal Country
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 07.12.06
"You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows." Many of us in the sustainability community love to believe Bob Dylan's maxim applies to the inevitability of a global transition to cleaner, more renewable forms of energy generation. Yet, as we've seen here at Treehugger, the harvesting of wind power brings out a variety of very passionate responses. Many believe that wind could provide a significant amount of clean energy, while others argue about land use, aesthetics, bird and bat kills, and corporate conspiracies using the promise of green power as a ruse to fleece consumers. While much of this debate in the US has focused on the proposed massive offshore Cape Wind project, another proposed wind farm outside of Lewisburg, WV, has spurred the drawing of battle lines. Regular contributor to the Augusta (VA) Free Press Erik Curren takes a very detailed look at the prominent players in this unfolding drama, and suggests that we may be witnessing the handy work of players who also had a role in both defending Big Tobacco from science linking smoking and cancer, and disseminating claims of scientific uncertainty regarding global climate change....
Grass Banks: Sustainability or Stopgap?
by Rose Fox, New York City on 07.12.06
Today's New York Times introduces us to the concept of grass banks, a brainchild of the Nature Conservancy. The Conservancy offers use of their land for cattle grazing in exchange for ranchers adopting sustainable grazing practices and taking steps to ensure and encourage biodiversity on their own lands. It's a nice idea, but there are several questions that come immediately to mind: Are there any requirements that the ranchers also switch to organic farming methods? (The word "organic" doesn't even appear in the article.) Should organizations interested in sustainability be propping up cattle ranching, which is notorious for inefficient use of resources? Is there enough gain on the ranchers' lands to offset the damage done to the Conservancy's? Isn't this just another sort of subsidy encouraging businesses to overextend themselves? As noted by Curt Freese, a biologist quoted in the article, there's nothing to stop the ranchers from going right back to their damaging practices any time they feel like it. We much prefer the notion of organic ranchers channeling profits into long-term conservation; if you're going to consume beef, organic is definitely the way to go. ::Where the Cattle Herds Roam from ::The New York Times...
TucTucs Come to Brighton
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07.12.06
These three-wheeled mo-peds, named after the sound of their noisy engines, originated in Asia, where they are notorious for weaving in and out of traffic at heart-stopping speeds. Dominic Ponniah used them whilst on a gap year in India and became convinced that they were the answer to Brighton’s congestion problems. He has now imported a fleet of 12 from India and refitted them with quiet low-emission engines that run on compressed natural gas. He said "The emissions are really low. There is no lead output, an 80% reduction in emissions of carbon monoxide and CO2 is down 40%.” There is no electric version of the vehicle available yet. The english versions have hoods and curtains to keep out the rain and cold and seatbelts and roll-bars. There is a tradition of painting and decorating the vehicles in wild colours and designs, almost like folk art. These English tuctucs will follow suit; with one painted as a Union Jack, another in Burberry plaid ( a “Chavrolet”) and a yellow one as swiss cheese. The drivers will have a matching designer uniform. They will be run along a special beach route on a timetable, with a flat fare. :: TucTuc Ltd. via BBC News...
Umbrella Experiment Du Jour: fiftyrx3
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 07.11.06
With the Umbrella Inside Out competitions going strong, it's fun to imagine all of the designers out there with their sketch pads, brainstorming umbrella collection methodologies. One creative who's been through it all before is Jill Danyelle of fiftyrx3. Learn more about the NYC sustainable style aficionado in this TreeHugger TV segment, and keep reading to find out about her experiment in umbrella transformation. >>Continue reading this post >>...
Latest Global Warming Worry: Megacryometeors
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.11.06
As if we didn't have enough to worry about when it comes to our slowly but persistently heating planet, Mark at 3r Blogging points to a couple of stories about megacryometeors. Mega-wha? Huge (as in 30 pounds and up) balls of ice that are falling from the sky; see the impact of one above (left) and the damage done on the way down (right). Having determined that the mega-ice-balls are not falling from aircraft or breaking off from passing comets, and, based on their composition and structure, scientists are postulating that we have global warming to thank for what amounts to huge mutant hail. As the globe warms, temperatures on Earth's surface and in the atmosphere increase, creating colder conditions in the stratosphere, the uppermost layer of the atmosphere. Scientists have linked megacryometeors to unusual conditions in the "tropopause," the boundary between the troposphere (the lower atmosphere) and the stratosphere. Located five to nine miles above the surface, the tropopause marks the limit of clouds and is important in the development of storms. Global warming may be making the tropopause colder, moister and more turbulent, creating conditions in which ice crystals grow like ordinary hailstones in thunderclouds, but much, much bigger. We recommend watching the skies and stocking up on umbrellas. ::The Star via ::3r Blogging...
New Report: Offshore Wind Could Power Entire U.S.
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 07.11.06
There is as much wind power potential (900,000 megawatts) off our coasts as the current capacity of all power plants in the United States combined, according to a new report entitled "A Framework for Offshore Wind Energy Development in the United States", sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, and General Electric. The Framework report finds the greatest wind power potential offshore the highly-populated urban coastal areas of the northeast and it recognizes the roles of Cape Wind and the Long Island offshore wind project in creating the momentum to develop offshore wind power in the United States.
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"Bullet on Wheels" Bicycle Shoots for 24 Hour Human-Powered Record
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.11.06
Hot on the heels of yesterday's news of the recent record for human-powered distance covered in an hour comes news that an attempt on the 24 hour record is forthcoming later this month. Using a similar-looking machine, this recumbent bicycle is encapsulated in an aerodynamic carbon-fiber shell and is capable of exceeding 60 miles an hour. Greg Kolodziejzyk, a top 10 age-group finisher in several Ironman triathlons, will assail the 11-year-old record of 634.6 miles (1,021.36 km) sometime between July 19 and 24, depending on weather. The vehicle's shape resembles that of a fish. "We didn't start out thinking 'fish,' but when my designs follow nature, I always feel like I'm headed in the right direction," said designer Ben Eadie. "Natural selection is probably the best design optimization process you can hope for." The record attempt is sanctioned by the International Human Powered Vehicle Association. ::Ride Room via ::Jalopnik
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China Samples Some Sostenibilità: (Re) made in Italy
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 07.11.06
If it's not there already, China, the world's largest construction site, biggest factory, and fastest growing consumer, seems on the verge of a tipping point of eco-awareness or environmental disaster (as John McGrath quoted Samuel Johnson recently, "when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully."). Italy, on the other hand, is one of Europe's biggest treehuggers, at least when it comes to green goods. The latter recently hosted a "green" Olympics; the former has practically turned "Green Olympics" into a mantra. So it was a happy moment when we learned of the recently-finished Sino-Italian Green Week, which highlighted and inaugurated dozens of cooperative projects to protect the environment and improve sustainability in the land of coal-fire(d) breathing dragons. The projects sound impressive: professional exchanges, water preservation projects, investigations into hydrogen powe and other renewable energy, and a brand-new 20,000 sq m. sustainable building at Tsinghua University, designed by Italian Mario Cucinella.
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Products As Nutrients: A Key Environmental Concept
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 07.11.06
We should be designing products to be nutrients. This is a key environmental concept today. It is a goal of changing the fundamental ways we make products and do business. The idea has been put forward by theorists such as William McDonough, in his Crade to Cradle proposal, and Paul Hawken, in his book Natural Capitalism. But what does "making a product a nutrient" really involve? It means structuring a business and it's manufacturing processes so that they are actually beneficial to the environment and profitable to the business too. Specifically, products should be made of biodegradable components, so that they can be returned to soil, and enrich it, or alternatively, they should be "technical nutrients", meaning they can be recovered and recycled to produce the same product again and again....
Steam Powered Internet Machine
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.11.06
Fuel Cells like the Voller are fine when you need power for your iPod or computer, but you have to find those expensive hydrogen cannisters. In this modern age you should be able to generate electricity for your iMac using any fuel. That is the beauty of Artists Jeremy Deller and Alan Kane's idea- steam engines are external combustion engines so you should be able to boil water with anything from cow patties to biodiesel. "We were thinking about something that connects the industrial revolution and the digital revolution," said Deller. Kane added: "They are worlds apart but there's also a proximity. The steam age and the digital age are not so far apart." So far it is not very efficient- "This is a very uneconomic way of having a portable computer." However, it is recycling a 1945 Merryweather boiler with brass taps, a whistle and smart teak cladding. ::Guardian...
Reader Question: Non-Toxic Baby Stroller
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07.11.06
Reader Madelyn P. writes: "Hello Mike, We are expecting a baby in a month and doing some stroller shopping. Recently we read a report in the German version of Consumer Reports that showed high levels of carcinogenic material in both the flame-retardant fabrics and the plasticized PVC rain cover of many strollers. It's been difficult to find any more information about non or less (!) carcinogenic strollers. Can you help at all? Thanks very very much! Kind regards, Madelyn." Non-poisonous products, isn't that the least we can ask? Especially baby strollers - kids will put their mouths anywhere. Any reader can help Madelyn? Please leave your tips in the comments. For something original, have a look at the ::TrioBike...
Contested Streets: Host Your Own Movie Screening
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 07.11.06
Have you ever hosted a movie screening right in your own living room? Transportation Alternatives, a 5500-member New York City-area non-profit citizens group working for better bicycling, walking and public transit, and fewer cars, is giving you the opportunity to do so. The organization has recently released a film called “Contested Streets” which looks at how automobiles came to be king in New York City and other cities around the globe. It explores how other cities have started to reclaim their streets. For example: in London it’s being done in large part using congestion pricing; in Paris the Mayor is creating auto-free zones in some core areas of the city and they are also investing Bus Rapid Transit; in Copenhagen, the city has slowly but surely created a system of bike lanes and bike parking that make commuting by bike a pleasant and efficient option chosen by vast number of residents. You can view the movie trailer on the website and sign up to turn your living room into a screening room for a night. Help educate friends, neighbors and family members about how cities around the world are reclaiming their streets for people, and how New York City has the potential to lead the way and if it has the courage to stand up to the minority of private car drivers. You can also purchase a copy of the film for your own library as well. ::Transportation Alternatives...
EV1 Electric Car: Did it Suck or Not?
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07.11.06
Nick D. emailed us this usenet post about GM's now defunct electric car, the star of Who Killed the Electric Car?, the EV1. In the post, a certain Doug Wickstrom claims to work at Hughes Electronics, the division of GM that produced the electric car. He then goes on (see full quote below) to explain all of the reasons why - according to him - the EV1.. well, sucked. Anti-EV1 propaganda by some random person using the anonymity of usenet to pretend to be an insider? The ugly truth? Or maybe it's based on facts, but needs to be nuanced (the EV1 might not have been ready for prime time, but could these problems be solved with current technology?).
We know that we have at least a couple of electric car drivers reading this website. We'd really love to hear their opinion on this in the comments, as well as the opinion of anybody who has something to say about it....
Instant Survey: Corn Based Ethanol - Can You Dig It?
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 07.11.06
Tennis Stars Bring Clean Water to Africa
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07.11.06
Despite there being too much water at the Wimbledon Championships this year, some of the tennis greats have come together to form a new charitable organisation dedicated to bringing clean water and sanitation to poor areas in Africa. Martina Navratilova, John McEnroe and Jim Courier were among the Wimbledon stars (no word if Roger Federer was there) agreeing to become “ambassadors” for the new Global Water Foundation, established by South African player Johan Kriek. Others in the sports community pledging their support include Olympic swimmers Aaron Peirsol, Janet Evans, Kate Ziegler and Tara Kirk. The Foundation’s goal is “ to provide safe, healthy drinking water and adequate sanitation in areas where it is not available or where accessibility and supply have been compromised". It will "raise public awareness, contribute technical assistance and fund programs to improve water quality and provide adequate sanitation in schools, rural areas and other communities across developing nations”. In addition to a “Live-Aid” style concert, there will be a worldwide “ Walk for Water” in which participants walk four miles—the distance an African woman walks to get water, not necessarily clean, for her family. :: Global Water Foundation...
Dissolved C02 Threatens the Collapse of Marine Ecosystems: Can Pico Fight Back?
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.11.06
Increased levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide pose a hazard to marine life, world wide. Counter-intuitive and obscure as this may sound, the popular press recently has shown an interest in scientific research on the topic. All that is needed to create a media spat over this climate-related issue is for a new crowd of Think Tank “experts” to emerge, which is sure to happen in short order. So prepare yourself. And, if you don’t have chemistry background, you might want to try a simple experiment. ...
Pearl Jam Announces Carbon Portfolio Strategy
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 07.11.06
When rock stars make public announcements, we expect to hear about a new tour, a new CD, or another trip to rehab. Today's announcement by Seattle-based rockers Pearl Jam went a different direction, though, as the band announced the creation of its Carbon Portfolio Strategy. The centerpiece of the strategy is a total donation of $100,000 to nine different non-profits "doing innovative work around climate change, renewable energy, and the environment," including the American Solar Energy Society, the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, and the Cascade Land Conservancy. According to the band's web site:
We hope that by highlighting and creating a commons for these groups, we can advance preservation of existing ecosystems, restoration of degraded environments, and continued investment in clean, renewable energy technologies. Furthermore, by working with these groups and others to mitigate our own carbon emissions, we ultimately hope to get Pearl Jam at 0% net emissions for our tours and businesses....
Shelter in a Cart Competition
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.11.06
We were excited when Designboom announced the Shelter in a Cart competition, to "Design a cart that can provide shelter and storage for the urban homeless" .While it may not be an answer to the problem of homelessness, it certainly raises questions and challenges our ideas. We also are intrigued by ideas for living with less and nobody does so like the homeless. Smart camping equipment manufacturers should look closely.
We were surprised by the winner , panagiotis dramitinos + karaolis alkis + alexandros papageorgiou from greece, (shown above) , finding it less imaginative than most and doubting the viability of the tent and sleeping arrangement. We cannot find jurors' comments so we cannot pass on why it won. ...
Keyboard Food Tray- Back to Work!
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.11.06
We often complain about how cities make us fat because we don't walk anywhere, about how terrible fast food is for you, and how we admired James Levine for walking on his treadmill while at the computer. However, we fear Treehugger HQ will issue these to keep us at our desks unless we nip it in the bud. Therefore we now present the Un-TreeHugger award of the year nomination to designer Duck Young Kong for creating a tray where you can eat your lunch while computing, keeping those crumbs out of the keyboard and saving time. Design By Committee - The Kebab Lamp
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 07.11.06
The Kebab lamps by Committee won the best lighting award from Elle Decoration/Observer in 2004, whilst at the same time being described as a “car-boot sale in a lamp”. It is this combination of high design and high kitsch that makes them so appealing, as well as the fact that all the objects that designers Clare Page and Harry Richardson use to construct these amazing looking creations are found in junk shops and markets and no doubt a car boot sale here or there! We love these lamps for their crazy playfulness, witty juxtapositions and the reuse of what most people would consider useless objects. With names like Mountain Rescue (can you spot which one?) and Disco Rabbit you can’t help but be entertained. Before you start screaming about prices I am going to state clearly now that these lamps do not fall into TreeHugger’s most affordable category, but they definitely deserve a place in the inspiration catagory. They might even spur on the more crafty amongst you to get creative with those old children’s toys, odd gloves and unloved trinkets you have stuffed at the back of your cupboard.
Read an interview with Committee on The Design Museum website here.
Via: Style Will Save Us ::Committee...
Really Really Free Market Next Weekend
by Rose Fox, New York City on 07.11.06
"Because there is enough for everyone. Because sharing is more fulfilling than owning. Because corporations would rather the landfills overflow than anyone get anything for free. Because scarcity is a myth constructed to keep us at the mercy of the economy. Because a sunny day outside is better than anything money could buy." This is the philosophy behind Really Really Free Market, a day of swapping skills, goods, and entertainment, developing community, keeping useable items out of the waste stream, and having a rockin' good time. Wikipedia has a short history of the Market; if you know more about it, please do share. It sounds slightly less organized than the Freemeets, but the RRFM involves skillsharing and music as well as the giving and getting of physical objects; Treehugger loves the DIY spirit of it all. The next New York RRFM will take place on July 16th from noon to dusk at St. Mark's Church in the East Village. ::via NYC For Free; no official website available, but you can email the organizers...
The Protos Plant Fuel Stove: Cooking with Coconuts
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07.11.06
We've talked before about the Institute for Agricultural Engineering in the Tropics and Subtropics of Hohenheim University, Germany, when highlighting solar food driers. And we’ve brought up the issue of deforestation of the Philippines for palm oil. In this case the two coalesce. The Institute observing that open wood fires using forest timber are less than 10% efficient, worked on a new stove. One that allows for effective cooking, while leaving trees intact. Their creation was a plant oil stove running on coconut oil. The operation of the stove sounds very much like that of modern, multi-fuel, backpacking stoves. It uses some fuel to preheat the stove valve, which releases a vaporised oil/air mixture. Aside from coconut, it is expected the stove will also take other pure plants oils like Jatropha and Canola. Seems that in pinch it will run on kerosene and diesel as well. The prototype (see photo after fold), currently under evaluation in the province of Leyte, Philippines is said to be capable of being made from materials readily available in developing countries. The project is being supported with assistance of Western Europe’s number one appliance powerhouse: BSH Bosch und Siemens Hausgeräte GmbH. (navigate from their home page to the Environment, and thus Society section for more information and pics.) ::Plant Oil Stove, via Television Trust for the Environment’s Earth Report....
Is There Nothing this Grass can’t do? Bamboo Charcoal
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07.11.06
If there is one thing we wax lyrical about here, more than hybrid cars, it might just be bamboo. But strangely we’ve neglected to discuss bamboo charcoal. Seems that couple of decades ago some Japanese researchers discovered burning of bamboo at high temps (800 °C, ~ 1472°F) would yield a material that had a multitude of useful properties. So many, in fact, that one wonders if some might be overstating the benefits just a tad. Apparently bamboo charcoal can achieve the following impressive accomplishments: Absorbs 2,4-dichloro-hydroxybenzene, a pollutant in drinking water, as well as surplus chlorine, chloroform. Removes odour from smelly places like inside footwear, bathrooms and kitchens. Chemicals like formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene are also seemingly attracted to the porous structure of bamboo charcoal. Extracts humidity from the air and converts this moisture into negative ions reversing the onset of ‘stale air’ in indoor environments. It can even dissipate Electromagnetic (EM) waves, such as emitted by electrical appliances. Remember the EGG that you put into your fridge to absorb ethylene gas and extend the life of your fresh fruit and veg? Bamboo charcoal can do that too. Drop some in your fish tank to keep the water clean. The list goes on... ...
Unu-life for Greater Appreciation of the Physical
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 07.11.06
‘Take 2 minutes out of your busy schedule, have a cup of tea, and make your own shoes’ is what unu-life is suggesting. This design-based company has designed these cute indoor & outdoor slippers, made from recycled leather, totally flat-pack and easy to assemble just by folding; no glue or stitching needed!
After coming across this complex footwear at Nog on Brick Lane in London we left already enthralled by so many thoughts in one shoe but have a look at the unu web site! Robert Hankey, creator of unu-life, has more green products on offer, such as the unu-table entirely made from waste birch-plywood which clever design and simple technology allow for glue free assembly and seamlessly nesting many tables together, and unu-leather goods beautifully crafted from off-cuts.
Then, apart from unu-life’s ‘physical offerings to the world in which we live…’ it is involved into ongoing projects from CAT to Property Developments to the Hankey House, a new natural building project in Costa Rica. This way, unu-life is ‘raising awareness of environmental and social issues and hopes to inspire a greater appreciation of our physical surroundings’… so let yourself be inspired ::unu-life as seen at Nog, 182 Brick Lane, London E1....
Mountain Goat Beer: Organic India Pale Ale
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07.10.06
Just the other month Mountain Goat Beer brewery heard they’d been successful in receiving government dollar-for-dollar funding for their new solar system. Nine solar panels and a 2,000 litre hot water tank will be used to pre-heat their brew water. This will join their other green initiatives, which include: Rainwater harvesting for toilet flushing, saving 100,000 litres of potable mains water in the first year of installation. A vapour condensing unit attached to their brew kettle all but eliminates emissions of steam and odour. In a similar vein all waste water is PH and and temperature neutralised in a holding tank before release from the plant. The brewery itself is in a converted warehouse ......
Most Huggable. Plus! New Features: The Newsletter and RSS.
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 07.10.06
It’s just gotten even easier to forage for your daily allowance of reader-generated green news with two new Hugg features. You can sign up for Hugg’s daily newsletter, and you can subscribe to the RSS feed. The newsletter (sign up at the top of Hugg.com) will deposit the top-Hugged stories from the front page into your box daily, and the RSS will bring the latest green to your favorite aggregator. And now back to our regularly scheduled huggable highlights: Answer Al’s big question and win a Prius in Yahoo’s “Ask the Planet”… The feds looks at integrated solar panels with an eye for letting you calculate your precise output… The Sun-brella, by Greg Freer, keeps the rays off you while juicing up your toys… Earth nightclub in Manhattan serves up organic spirits… Washington, D.C. lays down rubber sidewalks pleasing feet, roots, and budgets......
William A. McDonough Conference from 2000
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07.10.06
Take the Park With You
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.10.06
If you liked Rebar's instant San Francisco park, you will love David Gallaugher's grass-lined wheel. He and three other Dalhousie architecture students built it to make a social statement- we need more green space. Their contraption is a way to "take the park with you" ..."We're looking at the idea of green space in the city," said grad student Kevin James. "Even in the Public Gardens [in Halifax, NS], you're not allowed to walk on the grass." People who were curious enough to ask one of the students what it was all about got slips of paper explaining the students' ideals."They're just really curious about it," said James. "And we get a lot of hamster jokes." ::Daily News via ::Spacing Wire ...
Car Talk: Is Ethanol Energy Efficient?
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.10.06
Tom and Ray Magliozzi, known to the world at large as "Click and Clack," the hosts of NPR's weekly Car Talk program, recently addressed the controversial issue of ethanol efficacy (something we've covered before). According to a listener's letter,131,000 British thermal units (BTUs) are needed to produce a gallon of ethanol. However, that gallon only produces 77,000 BTU of energy. The listener wonders if the 54,000 BTU shortfall per gallon is truly cost-effective compared to gasoline, considering that ethanol goes for about 10% (or something like 30 cents a gallon) cheaper than the petroleum derivative. The Magliozzis first point out the difficulty of calculating the cost of producing the fuel; they agree that the energy to plant the corn and processing it into starch should be in the equation, but what about the energy needed for things like the production of the tractor used to process it? Ethanol production from corn also creates byproducts, like corn oil and gluten feed, which are valuable (albeit not fuel-related) commodities; considering all of these variables can eventually cancel the shortfall. ...
Anheuser-Busch Introduces Two Organic Beers
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 07.10.06
Organic beer has drawn the attention of the nation's largest beer company, Anheuser-Busch, which is now producing two organic beers of its own. Those beers, Wild Hop lager and Stone Mill pale ale, are being sold in several test markets nationwide. Organic beer is made with at least 95 percent organic ingredients. The barley and hops are grown without the use of chemicals and pesticides. Organic beer sales increased 40 percent in 2005, tying it with organic coffee as the fastest-growing organic beverage, the Organic Trade Association says. By comparison, overall U.S. beer sales fell slightly last year.
...
Recumbent Bicyclist Sets World Record
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.10.06
Thirty years after making the United States Olympic Cycling team, twenty years after winning the DuPont Prize for human-powered speed and ten years after retiring from professional cycling, "Fast" Freddy Markham won the Dempsey-MacCready Prize at the Nissan One Hour Challenge last week. He covered 53.43 miles in one hour, setting a world record, in his super-efficient Easy Racer recumbent bicycle. Markham, at age 49, wasn't considered a serious contender for a title or the record; he has won the One Hour Challenge three times previously, but not since 1989. As the owner of Easy Racers, Inc., the nation's largest recumbent bicycle manufacturer, he knows a thing or two about making bikes go fast; we tip our hat to him for proving that it's still tough to be a bicycle for getting yourself from here to there. Want to go 50 miles in an hour on a bike? He'll sell you an Easy Racer and you'll be halfway there. ::Easy Racers via ::Digg...
TerraPass Offers Gift Certificates for Old Cell Phones
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 07.10.06
We all know that throwing old cell phones and PDAs in the garbage is sooo bad for the environment and recycling is obviously the only way to go. Now some of us are guilty of having them sit around the house, collecting dust in a large box (show of hands here?). I guess we’ve been waiting for the perfect recycling option and now, thanks to our friends at TerraPass, we’ve got a good one. They’ve partnered with a company called RIPMobile who recycles used cell phones and PDAs. RIPMobile are the leaders in their industry for environmental best practices and also happen to be the only carbon neutral company in their industry. Unlike many recyclers, RIPMobile will accept any used cell phone, regardless of economic value and will even pay your postage. RIPMobile handles all materials according to EPA standards and in compliance with the stringent requirements of the Basel Action Network. Through this new partnership, TerraPass will pay you in gift certificates for your old phones that can be applied to any of their products. Every cell phone has a value and my current LG, which will be expiring in a few months, is currently valued at $43! Thanks to Groovy Green for the tip! ::TerraPass...
Reader Question: Human Rights Associated with Food
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07.10.06
Reader Laura G. wrote: "I’ve been reading information on treehugger.com for about 2 years now. Thank you so much for everything you put out. I have a question relating to the post on Whole Foods Market’s new initiatives. Or, stemming from it. I am wondering if you know of any good resources for finding out about the human rights associated with the food products that we buy. I am just finishing reading “Fast Food Nation” for the first time. What has been troubling me even more than looking for meat/dairy products that come from places that treat their animals humanely is the difficulty I’m having finding out about the working/safety conditions for humans in the factories and distributions centers where our food comes from." More after the jump. Please leave your answer in the comments....
Rainmakers In The Desert
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 07.10.06
The “last resort” rain dance ordered by your tribal chief may be defunct from now on. According to Belgian and Israeli researchers, a new technique involving a large, specially-crafted tarpaulin promises to create rain in sub-tropical regions where rainfall is typically less than 150 mm. The researchers say precipitation in dry areas could be as high as 700 mm a year and this increase could shunt the spread of desertification. ...
TreeHuggerTV: How to Buy Green Milk w/Marion Nestle
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 07.10.06
Share Your Green Epiphany
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07.10.06
Some people have been raised from birth to care about nature and think in terms of environmental impact and conservation, but I suspect that for most of us the green epiphany - the moment when we changed our way of seeing things - happened later in life. For some it is one specific event, for others it is a multitude of small eye-openers that progressively changed their attitude and educated them. Some were mainly influenced by people, some by first-hand experience. Please, share your green epiphany with us in the comments section. It doesn't matter if you've been a greenie for 30 years or if you started paying attention last month because of An Inconvenient Truth, we want to know your story!...
Viva Italia! Artists for Football
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07.10.06
Viva Italia! The World Cup is over, after 30 days of television, but the Design Museum has organised one last hurrah in its honour. It asked 28 international artists to take a Fairtrade football and re-create it according to their fancy. “Football Fever”, an outdoor exhibition, displays the works of art for pedestrians walking along the Thames. It’s a witty, whimsical and wacky show. One ball has boot spikes all over it for better grip. Another glows in the dark for night games. One is painted blue and white, like a Chinese plate—the artist worked with craftsmen in a bone china factory in Jingdezhen, a centre of Ming ceramics. Another is covered with dollar signs and euro signs, as the German artists watched the price of a beer soar from 6.5 euros to 10 during the matches. Some East-African artists covered the ball with a kikoy, an African cotton men’s garment, “to bring a little colour” into the game. The green grassy ball was created by an “avid football anti-fan and non-watcher”. The colour will make the game more difficult and “t.v. coverage impossible to follow”. :: Design Museum ...
Two Angry Moms Taking on School Lunch
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 07.10.06
"Never doubt that two angry moms can change the world..." OK, so that's not how that quote goes, but if Amy Kalafa and Susan Rubin have their way, no one will ever doubt that two angry moms can have a big impact on the food school kids eat at lunch and snack time. Frustrated by the overly-processed food their own children ate at school, and by the lack of response they received when trying to address these issues with local administrators, Amy and Susan joined forces (Amy's a filmmaker; Susan's a health counselor) and decided to make a movie:
Armed with a movie camera, Amy and Susan will visit school cafeterias to see what's on the menu and what the kids are eating. They'll speak to food service vendors, teachers, health experts, politicians and parents as well as officials from the USDA and the FDA. They'll analyze the contents of various school lunches, compare costs and nutrition with a whole foods meal, and offer examples and workable alternatives. They’ll focus on exactly what has gone wrong with our School Lunch Program and demonstrate strategies for overcoming roadblocks and getting real food into school cafeterias....
The Link Between Global Warming and Erosion
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07.10.06
Mike Dunford over at ScienceBlogs explains why global warming can speed up erosion in some cases (f.ex., according to the Guardian, about two million cubic meters of Mt. Eiger in the Swiss Alps are expected to go down): "A major cause of erosion in areas where there are cold winters is the freeze-thaw cycle. Water is pretty good at getting into cracks in rock, and other such confined places. Water also, as you are probably aware, expands when it freezes. When water freezes in cracks in the rock, it acts like a wedge, forcing the cracks wider. When the ice melts, the crack can hold more water, and the next time it freezes, the water will expand again and force the crack wider still. Given enough time, and enough freeze-thaw cycles, rock will break as a result. [...] Now for the global warming tie-in. As temperatures rise, there are going to be places that see more freeze-thaw cycles per year than they did in the past. [...] an increase in warming that results in temperatures climbing over the freezing point ten or twelve times in a year, instead of the three or four that was common in the past, really isn't much of a change. In terms of the number of freeze-thaw cycles, it's an enormous increase." Read the whole thing and more at: ::Global Warming and Rockfalls...
Solar Power Store: Alternative Energy in the Strangest Places
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.10.06
There is a ratty old quonset hut on the highway 11 north from Toronto and just south of Gravenhurst, so ugly it scares you away. (the crappy Treo picture doesn't do it justice) However since its sign says Solar Power Store and it is bristling with panels and wind turbines, we finally screwed up the courage to look inside and entered another world....
Seventeen Magazine PSA Video Contest
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07.10.06
[This is a guest post by Kristin Underwood. -Ed] Got a great idea for how to tell other teens about saving the planet? Enjoy seeing the TreehuggerTV videos, but think you have a better idea? Well, this is your lucky day! Seventeen Magazine and Myspace.com are hosting a Public Service Announcement Video Contest where you can create a 30 second public service announcement on your favorite cause. This is a great opportunity to tell everyone about why saving the planet is so important and we have has tons of great tips and ideas to help you get started in our archives. Entries are due August 15th, so start planning now!
For more information see Seventeen's Myspace page. You can also post your videos to Hugg.com! [Thanks Kristin. -Ed]...
Mural Gives Old Boxes New Life
by Rose Fox, New York City on 07.10.06
We were delighted to see this post from our friends at Gothamist, noting a lovely mural made of recycled boxes posted on a Brooklyn wall. Local artist Fred Bendheim designed and assembled it with the help of second graders at the Berkeley Carroll School in Park Slope. Projects like this serve several purposes: they encourage artists to think about ways to reuse waste materials, they encourage students to think about waste and reuse in their daily lives, and they create art that both beautifies the neighborhood and educates passersby. If you know of similar public art projects that use recycled materials, we'd love to hear about them. ::Recycled for Brooklyn Mural on ::Gothamist...
Newsweek: Why Environmentalism Is Hot
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 07. 9.06
The cover of the latest issue of Newsweek is very green, and inside you'll find the feature article "Why Saving The Environmental Is Suddenly Hot". In this piece, Newsweek says "with windmills, low-energy homes, new forms of recycling and fuel-efficient cars, Americans are taking convservation [sic] into their own hands". They also mention the "green" initiatives of Walmart and other businesses. To round things off, there's a short piece entitled "The President: Shades of Green". :: Via Hugg via Newsweek...
It's What's On The Inside That Counts - Luxurious Hemp and Silk Lingerie From Enamore
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 07. 9.06
We’ve mentioned Enamore’s beautiful clothing to you before. We love their gorgeous organic and recycled textiles and we were particularly enamoured (geddit!) with their 40s style dresses that were shown in the ‘Well Fashioned Eco Style’ exhibition in London. Now we’re excited to say you can buy some silky undies to go with those silky dresses. Enamore have recently launched a lingerie collection using a mix of organic hemp and silk and recycled fabrics which is true to their ultra feminine and flowery style. You can now buy the full Enamore fashion range online from The Natural Store. Via: The Observer Magazine. :: The Natural Store ::Enamore photography by Richard Bridge...
Recycle: The Essential Guide (A Closer Look)
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07. 9.06
TH was sent a review copy of Recycle: The Essential Guide a while ago. But in the meantime Bonnie had already picked up a copy and reviewed here. So we thought to do some justice to the copy we received, why not extract for your edification, some of the juicy information contained within. The book is basically a handbook on how recycling works and why it is important. It comprises five main formats: An Introduction by Lucy Siegle, of the Guardian’s Observer magazine; Chapters on Paper, Metal, Household Goods, etc.; International Case Studies; a Collection of designer works incorporating recycled and reused materials (most of whom will be familliar to TH readers); and then information sections like organisations, websites, further reading, a glossary and so on. While not a book you are likely to curl up in bed with, it should well suit the eco-curious of all ages, and as act a starting point for researchers. It is a very weighty tome, over 250 pages, with a quiet heavy paper stock. A smaller, lighter book would’ve used less materials and been less energy intensive to distribute, though it was printed on FSC certified, 100% post-consumer stock, in a production that used biogas energy. There are some editorial missteps. Like on page 46 where its says “... only about a quarter of paper in Britain is being recycled. In America this figure is even smaller." Yet on the facing page, in bold type is this: “The United States recycles 36% of its paper.” But as I’m occasionally prone to such slips myself, let’s move on to those many other facts and figures:...
Moo on the Moove: Beef becomes Biodiesel
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07. 9.06
One of the largest capacity meat processing plants in Australia has received state government funding to assist in the conversion of their waste animal fat (tallow) into biofuel. From the 1.6 million or so livestock they slaughter each year, the abattoir is expecting to recover about 12,000 tonnes of tallow annually, and convert this into around 10 million litres (2.64 million gallons) of bio-diesel. This will in turn be used to fuel their fleet of heavy vehicle transport fleet. The Victorian government think this might be a first in the state for an industry to commercially produce bio-fuel from its own waste product. ::Midfield Meats, via ABC Online....
Enjoy the Ride: Website Promotes Overland Travel
by Treehugger Interns on 07. 9.06
Treehugger has featured countless posts about the impact of air travel, and it does seem like this is a subject of growing importance amongst environmentally conscious consumers. Even rival travel guide publishers Lonely Planet and Rough Guides have recently put out a joint press release asking consumers to limit the amount we fly, and to encourage us to offset emissions when we do. But what are the options for those of us who would like to use alternatives where possible? One website, entitled "the Man at Seat 61", aims to demystify the sometimes intimidating world of overland travel....
The Tide is Turning: natural flood defence makes a come-back
by Treehugger Interns on 07. 9.06
In the wake of the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, much has been made of the potential for natural flood defence. Marshes, sand banks and mangrove swamps, which have come under tremendous pressure from coastal development around the world, are vitally important for protecting communities from the harsher effects of the sea. Now it seems that the UK government at least, is learning from past mistakes and a number of man-made wetland projects are under way. Work has just begun on the largest artificially created salt marsh in the country, with bulldozers moving in last week to pull down the existing sea wall on Wallasea Island in Essex. Now it is a question of letting the sea do the work, flooding 115 hectares of former farm land to create a unique environment for marine birds, fish, insects and plants. Barry Gardiner, Biodiversity Minister (we love that job description!) praised the new project for its environmental and social benefits:...
Qinghai-Tibet Rail Green Travel Guide
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 07. 9.06
In 1980, 1,059 visitors journeyed to the "roof of the world". The number grew to 140,000 in 2002 and exploded to 1.22 million in 2004. With the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway last weekend, predictions put the number of visitors by 2010 at over 5 million. Chinese President Hu Jintao was present for the opening of the railway, emphasizing the importance of protecting the environment:
"Railway workers and passengers traveling on the Qinghai-Tibet railway should consciously treasure waters and mountains as well as grass and woods on the Plateau, and they should help conserve the eco system and environment along the railway."
But can one really hope that under the flood of humanity, the highest and largest plateau on earth--home to many endangered species--will retain its unique natural heritage?...
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.
- Ecotality Blog
- Ecostore
- Accidental Environmentalist Jolly Green Girl Confidential
- GreenShopper.com - Environmentally Friendly and Green Shopping Community
- Eco Investment Club
- Runaway Now
- Our Greener Life
- Sustainable is Good
- Variety Presents Green Hollywood
- Switchboard
- Architype Review
- Green Fertility
- The Blue Marble Blog
