Weekly Archive for July 30, 2006 : TreeHugger

More late summer car wash news. Here's a free anecdote for whatever type of Sunday gathering you do (or don't do):

In an attempt to be environmentally friendly and serve the community, Members of Levenshulme Baptist Church in Manchester will use the water from this Sunday morning's Baptismal service to wash local vehicles. The Baptistry pool where Claire Peel (17) is to be baptised holds a number of gallons of water which the church are keen not to simply pull the plug on afterwards. Invitations to have a free car wash have been sent to local residents and the churchgoers will clean cars at 1pm. Minister of Levenshulme Baptist Church, Ian Spence said "We are pleased to offer a different kind of service to the community. I can't promise however that the cars will run problem free as a result of the special water used".

:: via Inspire Magazine...

Green and Red credit card options may turn out to be the tip of the ethical electronic purchasing ice burg. Imagine if each time you bought something, a message about its planetary impact flashed across a screen similar to the one where you enter your ATM PIN? The screen would recommend alternate products to high polluting choices. If you were to exceed your use of "carbon points" you would face a financial penalty, but could sell a surplus back to the bank. These are all aspects of UK-based Design Stream's not yet technologically viable Emissary Credit Card Concept....

Neil has been called a "green design guru". He is the CEO and President of Chambers Design, Inc and founder of Green Ground Zero. Neil applied ecological principles to land/master planning, products, infrastructure and architecture with projects in the United States and internationally. His projects combine the environment with usability and aesthetics.

Neil has been involved with shaping environmental policy on the city and state level. He teaches at New York University. His courses explore the intersection of green design and environmental policy. Neil has lectured worldwide including Indonesia, Spain and Turkey as well as around the United States. He is host of a television/webcast series that brings experts within the green industries to have an in-depth, spirited conversation about the past, present and future of environmental subjects. He contributes to greengroundzero.org, treehugger.com and guernicamag.com.

...

Formed in 1969, the Union of Concerned Scientists is the leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world. UCS combines independent scientific research and citizen action to develop innovative, practical solutions and secure responsible changes in government policy, corporate practices, and consumer choices.

"We seek to ensure that all people have clean air, energy and transportation, as well as food that is produced in a safe and sustainable manner. We strive for a future that is free from the threats of global warming and nuclear war, and a planet that supports a rich diversity of life. Sound science guides our efforts to secure changes in government policy, corporate practices and consumer choices that will protect and improve the health of our environment globally, nationally and in communities throughout the United States. In short, we seek a great change in humanity's stewardship of the earth."

...

You could be the graphic genius DESIGN 21 is seeking to lead the world to their doorstep. Your logo could mark the portal to a community that will "bring designers and non-profits together to create, share and discuss socially responsible design" if the newest effort of the Felissimo Design House succeeds. Designers may be familiar with the five biannual design competitions previously sponsored by Felissimo under the auspices of UNESCO (the sixth will be announced 1 September--will it be linked to the social design network concept?) The design pictured to the left won the first contest in 1995 "A United World for the Future Generation". The four pillars supporting the new online community, the celebrity connections and the text of the competition invitation are described below. ...

With apology in advance to “Religion and the Rise of Capitalism” for our post headline, we have identified a scenario in which opinion leaders will force government to seriously deal with Climate Change. We'll call the scenario "Cool About Climate". And, we’ve also named the psychology which will drive this scenario: “Climatism.” Climatism, is "the shifting, of a boistrously skeptical public figure to a scientifically rational point of view, without ever having examined, personally, the consensus reports of peer-reviewed climate scientists." Happens when it's so freaking hot out or storm-ripped that the skeptic is forced to come up with a proactive sounding position, lest, in failing to do so, friends and followers think there is no wizard left behind the curtain. It's 'be cool or be dissed'....

...

When's the last time someone gave you a prize for being hugged? You have until midnight tonight East Coast time to post on Hugg for a chance to win four culturally rich DVDs from Palm Pictures’ World Voices series. Stories posted on Hugg this week that are voted to the front page will be entered into a drawing for the prize. Make your way over to Hugg and share you latest findings before time’s up. :: Hugg...

Hooray for SF Fashion week's choosing to profile eco-savvy designers among the rest. We're excited to see some of Kelly B.'s organic cotton and glimpse Gypsy and Loic's contribution to menswear. The week will include:

A series of professional fashion shows, industry workshops and a boutique featuring a range of local design talent – all adding to San Francisco’s image as a city full of people who are innovative, creative and with a distinct style that reflects an irreverent yet intelligent vibe.

San Francisco Fashion Week will be held from August 23 to 27, 2006 at The Galleria at the San Francisco Design Center (also the location of the Catwalk on the Wild Side), and will showcase Spring 2007 Collections from up to twenty of the top emerging and established fashion designers from the Bay Area. :: SF Fashion Week...

Valley Car Wash in Van Nuys will make So Cal autos sparkle using solar power. The owners get a 42% rebate from Southern California Gas Company on the $677,00 cost of installation, and will save in the long run with the photovoltaic supplementation to their grid power. While the reduction of energy consumption is great, wouldn't it be fun to see something like the Brazilian Waterless Car Wash in the desert? :: via NJBiz...

Currently, half of Sweden's nuclear reactors are idle, but it's not because of the 1980 referendum in which Swedish citizens asked for a nuclear phase out plan and a switch to renewable energies (f.ex. the state-owned Vattenfall utility is investing $1 billion in wind and wants to build Northern-Europe's biggest wind farm), but because of a near meltdown. A former director of the Forsmark nuclear plant said: "It was pure luck that there was not a meltdown. Since the electricity supply from the network didn't work as it should have, it could have been a catastrophe." Without power, the temperature would have been too high after 30 minutes and within two hours there could have been a meltdown. That's right, a 2 hour window between malfunction and meltdown. Greenpeace has called for the inspection of all nuclear plants worldwide: "It appears that the fault in the backup power systems originates from new equipment installed in 1993. Not exactly reassuring that faulty equipment, vital for preventing a meltdown, went undetected for 13 years. The same equipment now uncovered to be faulty is also installed on other nuclear power plants in other countries." Finland's reactors seemed to have coped better with the blackout, but just last year, France, Germany and Spain were having problems with their nuclear plants during the heatwave and had to "override their own environmental norms on the maximum temperature of water drained from the plants' cooling systems [into rivers]." ::Near-meltdown incident at Swedish nuclear reactor. See also: ::Sweden To Detox From Oil By 2020, ::Sweden Raises The Renewable Energy Bar, ::Sweden Again Meets Renewable Energy Target, ::Just Where Does Sweden Get Off?...

Okay, so we decided to get a MySpace page to see what all the noise was about. With a rank of 5 6 (it depends on the day) for traffic on Alexa, something must be going on there, right? You can have a look at our page here, and if you are also a member of MySpace, feel free to add us as "friend" and drop us a comment. We're feeling a bit lonely in this strange (and badly designed) new environment, and having friends with us would make it more bearable. Update: Less than a month after posting this, we almost have 700 friends. Thank you to everybody who added us to their friends lists!...

"Big" organics (like Wal-Mart's foray into the field) have received a mixed response here at TreeHugger; more organics is better than less, but ratcheting up organic agriculture to the industrial, factory-farming scale isn't so hot. No matter which way you think, it's hard not to like Kellogg's introduction of organic varieties of the big three cereals; now that USDA-certified organic Raisin Bran, Rice Krispies and Frosted Mini-Wheats have hit the aisles (along with the previously-introduced crackers), more people than ever will be picking up boxes of cereal made without pesticides or chemical fertilizers, and that's better for just about everybody. ::Kellogg's Organics via ::Eco-Chick...

Last week we wrote about Ian Crawford’s award winning project to Design Out Waste from grocery shopping. Ian subsequently got in contact to let us know about another RSA award winning project by a fellow student of his graduating this year from Glasgow School of Art. Josephine Gianni won the 'Re-designing States of Mind, Ban it. Deal with it.' category with her project Sales Reach. It was awarded both the NESTA and Wally Olins Opportunity Award. She tells us ‘The objective was to ban something that contributes to Climate Change; I banned Business Flights. And then designed a service to help deal with the ban; Sales Reach. Sales Reach is a company that reaches clients on behalf of business people Europe-wide. Experienced Facilitators from the destination country referee meetings, host, wine and dine clients whilst you present virtually through your web-cam. Not only addressing issues of technology, but invisibles such as client ´seduction’, cultural differences, trust and insecurity. Saving companies a substantial amount of time and money and saving the environment millions of tonnes of carbon dioxide.’ :: Josephine Gianni...

The East Japan Railway Company (JR-East) is doing research on how to make its train stations more eco-friendly. One of the technologies they are working on is a ticket gate that has piezo elements that would generate electricity as commuters walk through. "R claims that this sort of human-powered electricity generation system may provide a portion of the electricity consumed at train stations in the future. [...] When combined with high-efficiency storage systems, the ticket gate generators can serve as a clean source of supplementary power for the train stations. Busy train stations (and those with large numbers of passengers willing to bounce heavily through the gates) will be able to accumulate a relatively large amount of electricity." It can also be used as a way to know how many people went through the gates. "The system is being tested at the JR-East head office in Shibuya, where it is installed at the entrance to the reception area on the 4th floor. As visitors pass through the gate, a lamp lights up, signifying that electricity has been produced. Testing of the system will continue until August 11." ::Chunichi Shimbun, via ::Japan Railway passengers to generate electricity at train stations...

Residents of Los Angeles, listen up: a new farmers' market opens in downtown Mar Vista this coming Sunday, August 6th. From 9:00 am to 1 pm every Sunday thereafter, the market will bring local, organic produce, fresh flowers, prepared foods and more to the west LA neighborhood; the market will be on Grandview Blvd. between Venice Blvd. and Pacific Avenue. The market fills a void in the community that lost its nearest market at the Santa Monica Airport earlier this year, helping those in the area hoping to solve the organic vs. local riddle by doing both at the same time. This Sunday also marks the beginning of National Farmers Market Week, so if you don't live in the City of Angels, go find one closer to home to go to. Thanks to J for the tip! ::Mar Vista Farmers Market...

Have an idea for a renewable energy project and daring enough to travel to the Middle East? A new renewable energy grant supplied by the US has been approved to co-fund burgeoning renewable energy projects between Israelis and Americans. The bill for the fund was passed in Congress July 26 and will be supplied in annual installments of a not-so-measly $20 million a year. The name? The Bipartisan United States-Israel Energy Cooperation Act (HR 2730). It will be available to alternative energy contenders operating as private companies, in universities or research labs. ::Newsblaze...

Droning on as we do about the virtues of Fair Trade, we were surprised to learn that there were two stores in our own city devoted to selling fair trade goods under the banner Ten Thousand Villages. We found that they are a non-profit program of the Mennonite Central Committee, and that "Ten Thousand Villages works with artisans who would otherwise be unemployed or underemployed, providing sustainable income through fair trade. This income helps pay for food, education, health care and housing. Thousands of volunteers in Canada and the United States work with Ten Thousand Villages in their home communities." Furthermore we found that it is a retail empire of 160 stores across America that has been supporting the work of tens of thousands of artisans in 30 countries for over sixty years. Check out the store nearest you at ::Ten Thousand Villages...

When discussing strategies to mitigate the effects of climate change, most people focus on the need to develop and implement technologies that will reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. Although advancements such as hydrogen cars, wind turbines, solar energy, etc. will be essential in addressing global warming, we can sometimes lose sight of the basic (low-tech) actions that can be taken to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately, South Africa’s luxurious Mount Nelson Hotel is here to remind us of such things as vermiculture. The hotel currently processes 20% of its organic waste through an extensive onsite worm farm. The worms, which are capable of reducing waste by 70%, produce two nutrient rich products (‘worm tea’ and compost) that are used by the hotel as fertilizer. More importantly, this program allows the Mount Nelson Hotel to divert a substantial amount of waste from landfills. In addition to the energy required for transport, organic waste releases a substantial amount of carbon dioxide and methane when left to decompose. Methane emissions from landfills present a particularly serious threat as the gas has roughly 20 times more global warming potential than carbon dioxide. Due to the success of its current program, the hotel has announced plans to process 100% of its organic waste through vermiculture within the next year. This project certainly sets a good example for the rest of South Africa, a nation that hopes to stop sending waste to landfills by the year 2022. See also ::Naturemill Low-energy Indoor Composter and ::"Worms Eat My Garbage"...

So what’s modern+green about a couple of terracotta pots? Nothing and everything. The oldest known African earthenware has been found in Nigeria, so that ain’t exactly new. What does brings it up-to-date is the incredibly simple application of two pots, one inside another. Fill the space between the two with moist sand, and you have a most ingenious fridge. (That’s very modern if you live in one of the 90% of villages that don’t have electricity.) The water in the sand naturally migrates towards the outer pot, where it evaporates causing a temperature drop around the inner pot.* The principle is not new - we’ve mentioned the coolgardie safe before, as just one such rendering on the concept. No, what is remarkable here is that Nigerian teacher, Mohammed Bah Abba, did not merely reinvent the idea, he made it a reality for tens of thousands of impoverished Nigerian women and farmers. By setting up the local production facilities to provide the pot-in-pot for $2 (since lowered to just 40c), he allowed perishable food to extend their spoilage rate. “Eggplants, for example, stayed fresh for 27 days instead of three, and tomatoes and peppers lasted for three weeks or more. African spinach, which usually spoils after a day, remained edible after 12 days in the pot-in-pot.” ...

Car-sharing service Flexcar, already setting usage records with this year's gas prices, has decided to target an unusual market in the car-rental business: 18-20 year-old college students. Yesterday, the company announced it is piloting its "Flexcar for Undergrads" program at six US universities. The company hopes to expand on the growing popularity of car-sharing on campus among faculty, staff and older students:...

Biodivesity Hotspots are the 34 habitats on the planet that house 75% of our most threatened mammals, birds and amphibians. Plus an estimated 50% of all vascular plants and 42% of land vertebrates hang out here too. But for all this life the sites cover only 2.3% of the Earth’s surface. Such is the scene set for players of new eco-game: Xeko. Instead of mowing down aliens, in this game players learn about the complex nature of ecosystems, as they try to save those endangered ecological communities. Animal species are said to be cast as the heroes. Based around the popularity of trading cards, Xeko is also walks its talk, with cards of recycled stock printed with soy based inks. Players that send their card wrappers in to the game’s makers are awarded Green Stars to encourage recycling. (What happens to the returned wrappers is not explained.) Conservation International is provided with 4% of the net sales of the game, for their work in supporting the hotspots that inspired the game. The island of Madagascar is the first such hotspot to be included in what is expected to become a series of games. No doubt chosen to capitalise on the success amongst kids of the animated film of the same name. “Move it, movie it ...” About $20 USD for the game, and $4 per pack of cards. Xeko, via Gifts And Tableware....

With so much hubbub about green living rooms, sheets, gardens, and roofs, the humble garage can get left behind. So this week, out intrepid scroungers cam up with some great tips for greening that often-underused space: :: Lloyd found a great set of info on the who's and how's of great green garage building :: Bonnie reviewed a travel guide to help you in the event that your car leaves the confines of your green garage. :: Rose stirred things up with a study that suggests Hummers may be more green than hybrids. :: Our interns got a great piece together on the G-Wiz line of electric commuter cars. :: Jacob found a new folding bike concept that might interest those of you who's garages are... vehicularly challenged....

The ritual of burying remains is considered to be one of the first indicators of "culture" in human evolution, perhaps meaning that how we bury loved ones is a hallmark of who we are as a people. If so, the recent increase in ecological burial options is not just a wacky trend, but a sign that social consciousness about the environment has reached a deeper level. To help those interested in more natural burials, the Trust for Natural Legacies Inc., a Madison, Wisconsin based non-profit group, plans to establish cemeteries that would use a small piece of conservation property for burials, and protect the rest as a natural area and park. "Cemeteries take up a lot of land, and that land is changed from either forest land or prairie land into something that's just made for our use, and there's no reason that we need to maintain that land for our use over centuries," says Bill Moore, a supporter of the Trust. ...

Donald M. asks: "My wife and I have recently bought a house and it looks like it has the perfect roof for solar panels. However, in the way of the south-facing view of the sun, on our property there are a few big trees that block the sun. Would it be better to cut the trees down in order to put solar panels on the roof? Or leave the trees with their habitats for the creatures that live in them and the shade that they provide? It's quite a bit of tree to cut down. Any suggestions on this moral quandary I'm in would be greatly appreciated." Our suggestion: ...

How to make your own solar power generator and battery system on the cheap… SolarWall offers winter heating and summer cooling with passive thermal siding… Satellite images show NYC’s heat island effect and a simple visual equation, it’s cooler where it’s greener… The dark shadow of plastics, an in-depth LA times piece on the health of the oceans… New York plans plug-in hybrid conversion program for 600 state vehicles and a state of the art green technology lab…...

With notable features like heat-reflecting roof and windows, low-flow faucets and waterless urinals, self-dimming lights, and storm water filtration, Boston Logan Airport's new Terminal A has become the first airport to be LEED certified. "We want to be responsible to the environment and our neighbors and minimize the environmental impact, said Sam Sleiman, director of capital programs and environmental affairs at the Massachusetts Port Authority, which operates Logan. The new technology will save the terminal almost $300,000 in electric bills and 1.7 million gallons of water a year. Need a lift after you get there? Be sure to give PlanetTran's environmentally friendly pick-up and drop-off to and from Logan a go. ::Boston.com via ::Hugg...

We already know that climate change is affecting whiskey production in a bad way; happily (sort of) there's now more alcohol being made to offset the loss. A brewery in Greenland is producing beer using water melted from the island's ice cap. They claim that the water is over 2,000 years old, and free of minerals and pollutants, which makes sense considering that it's been locked up as ice and is now springing forth as a result of our warming globe. The beer is made in the first ever Inuit microbrewery, and the whole scenario seems somewhat reminiscent of the old "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade" adage; in this case, perhaps something like "when life gives you global warming, make beer" is more applicable. Those who've tasted the beer claime that the Greenland brew, officially launched in Copenhagen this past Monday, has a softer, cleaner taste than other beers, because of the ice cap water. We aren't crazy about the global-warming profiteering, but if Greenland is going to melt, at least people will be having a good time. ::BBC via ::Boing Boing...

Wondering where to get your vintage amidst LA's vast retail expanse this fall? City Beat's Kendra Gilbert sifts through Melrose shops and beyond, sorting the keepers from the places you're likely to exit empty handed. Before you go, get some sage wisdom from Hootie Couture vintage veteran Alison Houtte, and perhaps grab a copy of Bust's Fall Fashion issue so you can learn how to alter that "almost" fit to perfection. :: Voyage Into Vintage, via Google News...

In a post on Tesla Motors' blog, Elon Musk, the chairman of the company, writes: "Almost any new technology initially has high unit cost before it can be optimized and this is no less true for electric cars. The strategy of Tesla is to enter at the high end of the market [with the roadster], where customers are prepared to pay a premium, and then drive down market as fast as possible [...] Without giving away too much, I can say that the second model [code name: White Star, scheduled for 2008] will be a sporty four door family car at roughly half the $89k price point of the Tesla Roadster and the third model will be even more affordable [...] all free cash flow is plowed back into R&D to drive down the costs and bring the follow on products to market as fast as possible. When someone buys the Tesla Roadster sports car, they are actually helping pay for development of the low cost family car." That's what we like to hear! There's nothing revolutionary in saying: "Prices go down as technology matures and with economies of scale", but we're happy to learn that Tesla is proactively aiming at coming out of the exotic sports car niche and into the mainstream where it can make a bigger difference and force big automakers to react. Mr. Musk also addresses two frequent arguments against electric cars: What to do with the batteries, and "the long tailpipe" (displacing emissions from tailpipe to power plant). Check it out: ::The Secret Tesla Motors Master Plan (just between you and me). See also: ::The Tesla Roadster: Electric Sports Car...

Just last May Collin was saying how Piaggio Group surveyed Americans and found that “almost one in three Americans would be extremely or somewhat likely to consider using a motor scooter.” According to a report in today’s Wall Street Journal, we think Piaggio needs to encourage its market research firm to go out on a limb. WSJ reports: “Domestic sales of scooters have surged as budget- and environment-minded consumers look for relief from high pump prices and as more-appealing models come on the market”. They report that “scooters with engine sizes of 150ccs or less…jumped some 200% to 48,000 by 2004 from about 16,000 in 1999, and they continue to rise…” Graphic credit: Vespa "Retro", around $850...

Next Billion: TV Hit Proves Sustainability Will "Win in China" by Derek Newberry. 'One of China's most popular programs right now is a reality-show called "Win in China," a sort of spin-off of the Apprentice model only with minimal shady dealings and fortunately no appearances by Donald Trump… what is really interesting about the program is that it has brought some sustainability issues to the forefront that would not have gotten much attention several years ago.’ R3 Project: Recycling made fun! by Petz Scholtus Petz’s eco-flat renovations are coming along well with decisions being made about flooring and this week’s research into recycling systems. ‘Look at this amazing recycling system we found at Eduardo’s house today… that makes recycling easier, more comfortable and takes up very little space.’...

The NRDC created this handy guide (also available as a wallet-card format PDF) to help people decide which paper products to buy and which to avoid based on 6 criteria: percentage of recycled content, percentage of post-consumer recycled content, is it approved by the Forest Stewardship Council, are they protecting endangered forests, how the bleaching is done and mercury avoidance. They cover facial tissue, toilet paper, paper towels and napkins, and each matrix in the guide has a little fact to illustrate the importance of our choices. For example: "If every household in the United States replaced just one roll of virgin fiber paper towels (70 sheets) with 100% recycled ones, we could save 544,000 trees." Reduce your paper consumption as much as possible, but for the rest, vote with your wallet. ::A Shopper's Guide to Home Tissue Products, and don't forget to sign this petition and check out the latest NRDC.tv video (don't hesitate to leave feedback about the NRDC videos in the comments)....

A mention of Vail Resorts, in particular Vail Mountain, can conjure up a variety of associations. From its legendary back bowls to its fur-coat-wearing clientele, Vail has all the positives and negatives of a world-class ski resort. However, few, if any would associate Vail Resorts with environmental sustainability. In fact, the ski company’s relationship with environmental activists has historically been downright contentious. This was most evident in 1998, when Vail Mountain became the target of ‘eco-terrorism’. Furthermore, Vail Resorts has always lagged behind competitors such as Aspen and Alta in addressing issues of sustainability. However, the company’s environmental image is likely to change after an announcement made earlier this week. ...

Quinoa is surely a candidate for a feature cover of Time magazine. The UN already recognise it as the only vegetable source to be a complete protein. It is a seed grain, or super grain, that has the same nutritional profile as milk. It contains all the essential amino acids required for human health. No wonder NASA have it on their list as a crop of choice for self-sustaining ecosystems in long duration, manned spaceflight. Back on Earth, we’ve been eating it for an estimated 6,000 years. Well, those of us with Andean lineage have. It grows best above 11,000 ft (3,350m), in the mountains of Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. The seeds are coated with a protective waxy covering, known as saponin, that in unpalatable, and deters birds and animals from munching. A natural, inbuilt, non-harmful pest control. This can be washed off for human consumption. Quinoa has a nutty sort of texture (I personally much prefer it to cous cous), and is said have a subtle 'crunch', resembling that of caviar. But far from that extravagant delicacy, this wonder grain is ......

It's nice when green thinking can be applied to closing the gaps between underdeveloped countries; indeed, when power's not available, green solutions are practically a neccessity. Already, MIT and the UN have teamed up to provide kids living in the world's least developed nations $100 laptops, their 2 watts of juice provided by hand or foot crank. Cool, but—and this was one of Bill Gates' criticisms—what's a computer without internet access? Enter Green Wi-Fi, a non-profit that seeks to provide "last mile internet access with nothing more than a single broadband internet connection, rooftops and the sun." Their wi-fi access nodes, which consist of a small solar panel, a heavy-duty battery, and a router, can be linked together to extend one internet connection into a larger network. By using an "intelligent" charge controller that moderates power use and access based on amount of sunlight, the $200 nodes can run for as long as a month on low sunlight. The two guys who started the company—Bruce Baikie and Marc Pomerleau—happen to be veterans of Sun Microsystems. Sun microsystems indeed! Deployment is set to start in India at the end of this summer. : : Green Wi-Fi...

Take a gander at the five great finaslists in our T-Shirt Design Contest and help us choose which design will end up on a TreeHugger t-shirt. Vote below for your favorite design by Monday Augugst 7th. The winning entry will recieve a $400 gift certificate from the online retailer 3RLiving and will have their t-shirt printed at the TreeHugger CafePress store. And, if your favorite entry does not make it, fear not. We are tentatively planning to bring all the t-shirt designs to you in the coming months and you, the TreeHugger readers, will get to vote a new set of finalists in from the mountain of entries we recieved. So, be sure to vote for one of these great finalists, and keep and eye open to TreeHugger in the future for a chance to select your own.

...

While some may debate the environmental legacy of Bill Clinton's presidency, the former US chief executive now seems "focused like a laser beam" on ecological challenges and their economic effects. Yesterday in Los Angeles, Clinton presided over a gathering of mayors from cities around the world to announce the launch of his foundation's Clinton Climate Initiative, and its first project: a partnership with the Large Cities Climate Leadership Group. The partnership aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from urban areas, which account for 75% of all such emissions. Among the steps they plan to take:...

Want to fully trick out your home LED-style? Add a little outdoor illumination to your indoor tile and light repertoire:

Powered by a rechargeable battery fed from a solar cell, the number made from anodised aluminium or black finishes will absorb the light during the day to power two high bright LEDs creating a 3d effect to display the house number. Visible from over 50 feet away.

Cooler than previously mentioned house numbers! Guests will never fumble in the dark again. But, anyone know how much they cost?:: IMT via PRWeb...

Remember Dr. Evil with his ‘earth destroying laser’? Well, it seems we now have an actual Nobel Prize winning atmospheric scientist, Dr. Crutzen , who “believes that political attempts to limit man-made greenhouse gases are so pitiful that a radical contingency plan is needed”. The good Doctor’s idea is to make like a volcano and purposefully inject enough sulfur particles into the stratosphere to reflect back, into space, significant amounts of the sun's energy. “A fleet of high-altitude balloons could be used to scatter the sulfur high overhead, or it could even be fired into the atmosphere using heavy artillery shells,…” He does have a good point when he asserts that "If sizeable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions will not happen and temperatures rise rapidly, then climatic engineering,…, is the only option available to rapidly reduce temperature rises and counteract other climatic effects,…" So, it’s a sort of fail-safe “Plan B”, along the lines of several other proposed climate interventions, which range from the broken dream to the proven prototype. We’ll run through the list for you after the fold....

We never thought much of trash mashers, that wonderful device people put in their kitchens which magically turned forty pounds of garbage into forty pounds of garbage. They are pretty much gone now that people separate their garbage and recycle. Except in Boston, where they are putting them on the street in a new, 21st century solar powered version. In most cities there are recycling bins where you can sort your garbage; What kind of message do they send in Boston where they make unrecyclable bricks of garbage good for landfill, or perhaps propping up tunnel ceilings. ::Boston Globe via ::Spacing Wire...

Most of us born and raised since the publication of Rachel Carson's Silent Spring have little or no memory of times in the not-so-distant past when DDT was the prime weapon used to combat mosquitoes around the world. Since its ban in the US in 1972, and other countries in the 70s and 80s, the idea of bringing back this chemical, which can be passed along in the food chain and accumulate in animal fat cells, has been unthinkable in much of the developed world. With malaria now back at full strength in the developing world, particularly Africa, humanitarian, public health and even environmental organizations are rethinking the use of DDT, if only in limited circumstances....

Temperatures are breaking records across North America and Europe. Every old power plant that can crank out a kilowatt is working overtime, burning coal and gas like mad, shuffling power all over a grid that is on the verge of collapse. Time to look again at a post John did in cooler times a year ago, for an idea whose time has really come. The Ice Bear connects up to a conventional air conditioning system, but uses it to make ice at night when the power is cheap and melts all day to keep you cool. Each unit can take 5 to 10 tons of cooling off the peak load. It is not saving a watt of energy for the owner (see below the fold), but it saves lots of money because off peak power is cheap, and it is great for the environment because peak power is expensive and dirty. The problem with electricity is that you can't store it (except with batteries) but people have been storing ice for thousands of years. Every air conditioning system should have this. ::Ice Bear ...

Wandered by Guy Kawasaki’s blog the other day. He’s the software evangelist who convinced companies to write applications for Apple’s Macintosh, even before it was on the market. So he knows a thing or two about getting your point across. Anyhow, he was writing about Majora Carter, the founder of Sustainable South Bronx, an organisation we noted back here. Guy was full of praise for her impassioned presentation at TED2006 earlier this year. This was the event where Al Gore showed his slideshow, that later became the movie, An Inconvenient Truth. TED2006 had the tagline: The future we will create. And sharing the podium with Majora over the time of the talkfest was Cameron Sinclair, cofounder of Architecture for Humanity, Jamais Cascio, cofounder of WorldChanging, and Amy Smith, the award winning eco-engineer. (Amy is also a Fellow of the MacArthur Foundation, as is Majora.) So for Guy to single out her out is pretty significant. Watch the video for yourself, and see if she doesn’t qualify for the next round of Honorary TreeHuggers. How could we not embrace someone who beseeches us, “Help me make green the new black, help me make sustainability sexy.” Who, on the verge of tears says, “I have come from so far [her brother survived Vietnam only to be gunned down near her home] ... to meet you like this [she had breakfast with Al Gore]. Please, don’t waste me.” ::Majora Carter at TED2006....

If you're looking for grid-free amplification for your MP3 Player, you can now use your solar backpack or your bamboo speaker. Added benefit: no need to camouflage plastic ugliness if bamboo happens to work with your decor. From exporter AudioCubes:

Utilizing the natural resonance of bamboo, this Japanese engineered speaker not only projects quality sound but also is an stylish interior design deco. The TAKEGTF2 model uses a special Japanese SuSu bamboo which is smoked and aged for close to 100 years, and hand selected and crafted to meet Bird-Electron's standard. Unit can be used with any audio device through its stereo-mini plug. No power source needed.

No word on exactly what the treatment process means or how/where the stuff is harvested. What can't be done with bamboo? $199. :: Via Mobile Magazine...

Don’t forget to post on Hugg by Friday to be entered in the drawing for a set of four DVDs from Palm World Voices. We’ll be picking the winner at random from the stories that make it to the front page this week. Don't miss your chance! The first ever Inuit mircobrew makes beer from Greenland’s melting glaciers… Bill Clinton brings together 22 of the world's largest cities to sign a climate pact… Popular Mechanics puts the top alternative fuels head to head in a crafty chart… As Living Homes completes its model house in LA, green prefab takes some flak… Boston’s Lenox Hotel offers "Eco-Chic" packages—you can even trade in your worn out walking shoes for a discount on your stay…...

Trying to keep clean and fresh in this heat seems to be a losing battle. No sooner than we’ve had a cold shower we feel like we need another one. We recommend listening to THTV’s advice and inviting lots of friends round to shower together. If you are gonna spend most of the day bathing to keep cool you might as well be social with it! You can also enjoy all sorts of delicious soapy products. A yummy one we found at the weekend is called Hedgerow Herbals, a UK based company which makes skin and beauty products all made from natural ingredients. My favourite was the lavender and calendular soap. We also love their bath and body oil range entitled Aaag! Grrrr!, Mmm!, Oooo!, Oww!, Zzzz! I’ll be lathering up with that during this heat wave! :: Hedgerow Herbals...

Austin, Texas has a lot of good things going for it; we learned all about its public transportation, recycling practices and general "green-ness" when we asked the city's residents to fill us in on some of the finer points of living there. We're happy to add another TreeHugging service to the list: Austin now has more B20 (20% biodiesel) pumps than anywhere else in the US. With the recent addition of biodiesel at nineteen Shell stations around the city, Austin now has a grand total of twenty fuel stations that carry B20, as well as three that have B99 or B100 available. “This concentration of B20 pumps should be a goal for all major U.S. cities,” said Joe Jobe, CEO of the National Biodiesel Board (NBB). “What’s happening in Austin with B20 availability represents a significant achievement, and is a powerful stand for renewable energy and energy independence.” The NBB estimates that there are more than 800 biodiesel pumps across the county. ::NBB Press Release via ::AutoblogGreen...

Born from the desire to change the world through education, Portland, OR-based Sameunderneath is the vision of Ryan Christensen, who, after studying education, decided that kids were more focused on what rap artists and pop starlets were wearing and driving than what was going on around the world. Sameunderneath was born of this realization, bringing the world "street organic" with its collection of hip, edgy threads made from a blend of bamboo and cotton. For both men and women, the clothes emphasize social consciousness and environmental sustainability while embracing a cool groove and subtle but well-informed sense of style. Many of the t-shirts, jackets and tanks are available for sale at their website. ::Sameunderneath via ::Cool Hunting...

We played hookey during last week's Inhabitat's Green Building 101 on Materials, part 2 but wouldn't think of missing this week's class on Indoor Environmental Quality. It is a particularly appropriate lesson in the heat and humidity, when so many of us are trapped inside with no easy way to get fresh, moving air. Inhabitat teaches that "Buildings enhance people’s lives when they permit ample air circulation, maintain clean air and comfortable temperatures, and allow individuals to have a sense of control over their own indoor experience." Buildings also enhance our environment and our wallet when they breathe naturally without air conditioning. Wonderful examples from Shigeru Ban and Marmol Radziner. ::Inhabitat...

Palm World Voices is giving one lucky Hugg contributor a 4 DVD sampling of their outstanding world culture and music DVD series. This sampling includes DVDs about South Africa, Senegal, the Middle East, and India. To enter, just head on over to Hugg.com and post a piece of green news. If your story makes it to the front page of Hugg, you will be entered in a drawing for the set of DVDs from Palm World Voices. Haven't been to Hugg.com yet? Well, this is a great time to check out TreeHugger's user-generated green news resource. After all, you can't win if you don't post. We are accepting green news at Hugg 24/7, but in order to be eligible for the contest, you must post by this Friday, August 4th. ...

I love public transportation; in theory, in principle and in practice. But often it is the "practice" part that ends up giving the theory and the principle a bad rap. This is most unfortunate, because without public will based on positive experience, mass transit doesn't have a shot at becoming the eco-solution that we'd like it to be. How are the trains, trams, metros and buses where you live? ...

We love this time of the year in New England, particularly because fresh, local produce is abundant and always adds to the perfect summer meal. If you’ve wanted to learn how to start your own garden, but you’re unsure how to get started, then you won’t want to miss the 32nd Northeast Organic Farming Association's (NOFA) Summer Conference. It’s being held in Amherst, Massachusetts from August 10-13. Learn how to grow good food, have fun, eat well, and meet fellow enthusiasts of locally grown real food and organic living. The NOFA Summer Conference is New England’s largest and most comprehensive gathering of growers and enthusiasts of organic food and healthy lifestyles. This year’s conference is supposed to be the most exciting yet, with more than 200 workshops, programs for kids and teens, an organic country fair, organic meals, dance, music and fellowship. Registration is available for all three days or for individual days. Accommodations and meals are also offered for those traveling from afar. Visit NOFA’s website for more registration information. Thanks for the tip, Carol S.! ::Northeast Organic Farming Association...

“Take time to discover a program of produce, pleasure and provocation.” A lovely little piece of prose. (And if the upcoming festival is as well thought through as their website, you’ll be in for a treat. Simple, informative, free of fluff and blessedly bereft of Flash graphics. And they even tell you which links are PDFs and what they weigh. Bliss. But we digress—back to business.) A Taste of Slow is apparently the largest Slow Food event to be held outside of Italy. Attendees can look forward to a fortnight focusing on seasonal, regional and traditional foods and boutique wineries, with accompanying classes, tastings, tutorials, discussions, demonstrations and debates. What else do you need to know? Ah, yes, dates: 28 August to 10 September 2006 in Victoria, Australia. And in case you’ve missed the fuss, here’s the good olive oil on Slow Food. “Founded in Italy in 1986 by Carlo Petrini as a response to the negative impact of multinational food industries, Slow Food is often described as the opposite to fast food. But it's more than that. It's about using local seasonal produce, restoring time-honoured methods of production and preparation, and sharing food at communal tables. Slow Food encourages environmentally sustainable production, ethical treatment of animals and social justice.” ::A Taste of Slow, via tip from Lloyd....

"We believe that asking questions improves the world." Dropping Knowledge is one of those projects that could be really important. Granted, it's relatively young and not fully developed yet, but its goal is extremely noble and the approach innovative and promising. The scope is impressive and that makes it hard to summarize quickly what it's about, but the best soundbite we've come up with is: "It's is a mix of TED and Wikipedia, but not really." It has also been described as "a platform for social change, open to every citizen of the world". The first phase of Dropping Knowledge is centered around questions. They are currently gathering thousands of questions on all kinds of subjects from people all around the world (we strongly encourage you to "donate" your questions about the environment - or anything - here and to watch the original "question film"), and in Berlin on September 9th, 2006, there will be an event titled The Table of Free Voices. There, 112 "inspiring individuals" (thinkers, artists, writers, scientists, social entrepreneurs, philosophers and humanitarians) will "drop their knowledge" on the 100 highest-rated questions that have been submitted. The answers will be filmed, generating some 600 hours of totally free copyleft footage. This huge amount of information will be the seed from which Dropping Knowledge's Living Library will grow, and more ideas and discussions in the form of film, print, pictures and audio will constantly be added from that point onward....

Folding bicycles seem to be gaining popularity of late. The added versatility of putting your bike in the trunk of your car, carrying it on the train during rush hour, or just storing it in your ultra-efficient apartment seems to be more appealing than ever. The technology and aesthetics too seem to have leaped forward. I remember the Dahon my father had when I was a kid. He bought it to stash in the hold of his sailboat so he could have something to pedal around when he went ashore on new and exotic islands in Boston Harbor. Folding bikes seem to have come a long way in a short time yielding a panoply of choices for different functions, budgts, and styles....

It used to be, if someone held an architectural competition, that it was a great opportunity for entries out of left field from young unknowns to win, and to change the face of architecture. It also used to be that there was a dichotomy between green architecture (often derided as crunchy granola and far more interested in the way you build than what you build) and good cutting edge modern architecture that we all look at in the magazines and on Inhabitat and Mocoloco. We thought this was history- after all, TreeHugger exists to promote good green design and you don't get in unless you are both, but in two major competitions the tilt has been to status quo, "lets just concentrate on the green and ignore the design". In the recent Archetype competition, they just picked the boring, because, well, it had great green credentials and they had to sell it to developers. At least they are building the winner. Far more obnoxious is the C2C competition, where they gave the prize to a marvelous, modern and innovative project that ran on spinach, but when it came to building.........

We have been fretting about our carbon footprints, but we also need to worry about our water footprints: the choices we make in how we live and what we eat are critical. The impact of diet choices is surprising: "The new view begins with the understanding that agriculture is the 900-pound gorilla of water management and water pollution. According to a 2004 FAO report, 3 per cent of the world's water is used by cities, 4 per cent by industry and 93 per cent by agriculture. This sector pays minimal water bills and is responsible for jeopardizing ecosystems by altering the flow of rivers and damming waters for irrigation." ...

[This is a guest post by Janet Larsen writing for the Earth Policy Institute. It's not as upbeat as what we usually publish, but it sets the record straight on an important event and contains a warning for the future. -Ed.] Following a string of high heat days and meteorologists’ warnings that this summer could be another scorcher, European public health officials and politicians are revisiting the devastating heat wave of 2003. The severely hot weather that withered crops, dried up rivers, and fueled fires that summer took a massive human toll. The full magnitude of this quiet catastrophe still remains largely an untold story, as data revealing the continent-wide scale have only slowly become available in the years since. All in all, more than 52,000 Europeans died from heat in the summer of 2003, making the heat wave one of the deadliest climate-related disasters in Western history....

According to a recent World Resources Institute-sponsored “EarthTrends” report: “World population is currently growing by 1.1 percent annually. As shown in the chart above, nearly all of this population growth is occurring within developing countries. As a result, roughly 9 in 10 children (1.6 billion total children) under the age of 15 currently reside in developing parts of the world, up from 7 in 10 in 1950.” We’ll leave discussion of the raw data , demographic methods, and underlying factors for others. Climate is our focus....

In a recent Ecologist article, Doug Tompkins, the founder of North Face and Esprit, credits Deep Ecology: Living as if the Earth Mattered as the book that led to his ‘green’ epiphany. Since reading the seminal text in the mid-80s, Tompkins has purchased enough land to create the largest private nature reserve in the world. The result of his efforts, Pumalin Park, encompasses 800,000 acres of wilderness in Chile that stretches from the Corcovado Gulf in the South Pacific to the Andean border with Argentina. Although most of our readers probably don’t have the spending power to mimic Tompkins’ actions, we are curious to know which books have inspired you to live as if the earth mattered. Leave a comment, and you might help provide a source of inspiration for the next Doug Tompkins. ...

After reading Julie Gerstein's essay "Let's Make Green Selfish" in the Philadelphia Inquirer, we weren't particularly surprised to see a link to Treehugger at the end: after all, many of the points she makes about appealing to people's desire to be cool, hip and fashionable certainly applies to much of what we do here. But to equate that appeal with selfishness, or to suggest that speaking the truth about environmental challenges only disempowers people, strikes us as odd. We believe that the people who read Treehugger, and the many who are embracing environmental awareness around the globe, recognize that green isn't just cool or trendy, but necessary to sustaining a high quality of life, and all of the joy and pleasure that goes with it. Warren summed it up nicely in yesterday's birthday post:...

Some would say that girls have all the fun when it comes to finding good-looking, high fashion organic/fair trade clothes. It is true that guys have to work a little harder and dig a little deeper to find gold. But here are a couple of small companies making stylish and hip shirts out of organic hemp and cotton that are sweatshop-free and fairly traded—who needs the Gap after all. Tonic is a London-based independent ethical clothing label offering original designs printed on ethically sourced organic cotton. The designs are edgy and literate—one says Siegfried, another says Roy and another says H8:AM. THTC is more street; urban eco wear as they call it, worn by the likes of Wu Tang Clan, and the Asian Dub Foundation. All their hemp is grown in small family farms in North eastern China. For cool summer nights, The Natural Store has an olive and mud coloured print long-sleeved sweater that’s made from cotton with 100% azo free dyes. Time to go shopping. :: via The Ecologist. See also: ::THTC Fuses Urban Eco-Wear with "Underground" Music...

Prompted by the recent outage that left thousands of Queens residents without power for nearly a week, the Gotham Gazette has an in-depth feature this week on New York City's aging infrastructure and what can, should, and most likely will (or won't) be done to improve it. They note that untreated sewage ends up in New York's rivers every time it rains because the treatment systems can't handle the sudden influx of rainwater. While most suggested solutions focus on pipes and tanks, groups like Riverkeeper and the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) are recommending ways to prevent rainwater from going into sewers in the first place, such as planting green roofs and street trees that will soak up the water and put it to good use. Environmentally sound solutions would almost certainly save the city money (it costs less to plant trees than to dig up old pipes and lay new ones, and encouraging building owners to greenroof costs hardly anything), so it's hard to understand why officials seem to be dragging their feet. Riverkeeper and the NRDC are considering legal action to push the city towards sustainable solutions if necessary. Let's hope it doesn't come to that. ::The Aging City at ::Gotham Gazette via ::Gothamist...

Come 20-23 October 2006, the 14th Cycle Messenger World Championship will be taking place in Sydney. But the number of competitors might be down on previous years. Particularly those entrants from the host city. Six years ago there were 10 companies employing 250 riders, but now that is down to around seven firms with about 70 two-wheeled daredevils. Seems the rumoured Millennium Bug, (remember that?) had folk hesitant to rely on their computers, so bike messengers flourished. Now though with broadband, PDFs, digital photography and the like being all pervasive, the need for physical documents to criss-cross a city has diminished. (in the past 25 years New York has a witnessed a similar decline from upwards of 7,000 to only about 1,000 die-hards still pedalling around downtown.) Still, it’s thought that 500 freewheeling messengers will find their way from a dozen countries to Australia, in a couple of months time, to demonstrate their prowess in never needing to brake. ::The Age....

For many of us aromatherapy massages are a rare luxury that we treat ourselves too when we need pampering. However Gillian Kavanagh, the founder and creator of the organic aromatherapy range Mandala Aroma, considers essential oils to be, well, essential. In an interview this week with the Pecha Kucha ezine Gillian explains why she left her stressful life as a fashion buyer to start her own aromatherapy company. She tells us how being treated with aromatherapy has rescued her mental and physical health more that once in her life. “My passion for aromatherapy began many years ago whilst trying to cope with a stressful job as a fashion buyer, compacted with the sudden death of my mum and the suicide of a younger brother. Aromatherapy massages assisted me mentally, physically and emotionally.” Gillian emphasises the importance of using the best organic essential oils and base oils she can find.” When you consider the skin to be the largest organ in the body and that it does absorb what you put on it, it makes you realise how important it is we look after it.” ...

Travelogue of Addiction: an award-winning journalist traces a tank of gas backward from a Chicago suburb through its painful travels around the world… Segway’s electric Centurion is about to roll out... PrairieMod sneaks a look at Dwell’s upcoming Green Living & Design issue… US Congress sets its sites on improved energy efficiency for servers and datacenters… Study finds that college students eschew celebrity endorsements and go for brands with a mission…...

That's right! One more month to revolutionize the umbrella, or stun us with reused umbrella couture! Finalists will be featured/counted down on TreeHugger, and featured in I.D. Magazine! The winning garment will walk Paris's Ethical Fashion Show! Get to it! :: Umbrella Inside Out...

Last March, the Natural Resources Defense Council (the good ol' NRDC) brought its TV crew to South by Southwest (known as SxSW by the cool kids) in Austin. The result is a short & sweet video that shows what people (including a cameo by Perry Farrell near the end) from a variety of fields are doing to lessen their environmental impact, and how it benefits them and nature (we're not talking about making sacrifices, here). Also check out the Bonnaroo episode we mentioned last week, and please, sign this NRDC Action Fund petition. These guys & gals are effective and we encourage you to support them. Thank you!...

Researchers at the University of New South Wales have developed a new building material made entirely of fly ash, a waste product that comes out of coal-fired power plants. Currently, fly ash is often mixed with concrete, and as a component in other materials, in order to divert the ash from the waste stream and reduce the need to process virgin materials. While just the thought of living in a house made partially out of coal waste would make most people ill, fly ash composites are fairly common, and the U.S. E.P.A. says that certified fly ash building material, at least that made with western coal, is not a health hazard. Still, the stuff can be quite dangerous. The new process, developed by Dr. Obada Kayali (in magician pose above) and Karl Shaw, promises to turn it instead into a non-toxic and lightweight building material on its own—ideal for production in developing countries where coal plants are plentiful (ahem, China, India), and for sale in countries where they are not, and where light materials are needed (the Middle East). Indeed, Flash Bricks are 28 percent lighter and 24 percent stronger than comparable clay bricks, while a separate aggregate, Flashag, can be used to make concrete that is 22 percent lighter and 20 percent stronger than standard products. The result is lighter structures, shallower foundations, cheaper transportation, less usage of cement and steel reinforcement, and more slender building components (translating to larger rentable space). The bricks also generate fewer emissions in manufacture since they take less time in the kiln to manufacture than clay bricks. Already two patents and licenses have been issued for the UK and US markets, while the university's commercialization arm, NewSouth Innovations, is seeking interest from companies wanting to develop the technology for China, Japan, Southeast Asia, Europe and India. Here’s hoping the idea, well, flies. : : Press release: Laying the foundations for a green industry and : : Fly Ash Information Center...

Ecco Bella, an all-natural beauty company, is asking people not to toss those old lipstick tubes in the garbage. Instead, for the entire month of August, Ecco Bella invites you to bring five of ANY empty lipstick containers to any store that sells their products. Not only will they take care of the recycling but you’ll even get a coupon for a free tube of your favorite lip-smacking color. Ecco Bella will be turning the recycled tubes into basketball backboards and donating them to schools in need. You can visit their website for retailers near you. Via ::Health ::Ecco Bella ...

The good folks over at PrarieMod got their hands on an early copy of Dwell's September issue, and it's bursting with sustainable content. Among others, the "Green Goes Mainstream" issue features Cameron Sinclair's "Design You Give a Damn", Bill McDonough and Michael Braungart's Cradle to Cradle, and is even printed on recycled paper. TreeHugger likes to think that green has been going mainstream for awhile (we are two years old today, after all), but it's always good to see more coverage of the burgeoning mainstream green movement. The more Dwell-type coverage of this kind of thing there is, the less time it will take until mainstream green becomes less newsworthy and just the way things work. We can't wait. ::PrairieMod via ::Hugg...

Those of you with good observation skills might have noticed a new option in the header menu at the top of the TreeHugger frontpage: "Job Board". It's a new feature that we hope will be useful to our readers, both those that are looking for a more Earth-friendly job and those that are looking for employees for such jobs. Since it is new, we're offering the first 25 listings for free. If you are working for a company or an organization (it can be a non-profit or volunteer organization) that fits with the TreeHugger ideals and it needs to fill some vacant positions, we'd appreciate it very much if you mentioned our Job Board to whoever is in charge of human resources. Our goal is to help people find their dream green job, but first we have to get the ball rolling with some listings. Any help appreciated....

Sub Pop Records has always been on the cutting edge of the music industry, discovering and giving rise to bands like Nirvana, Iron and Wine and The Shins. They've taken a step further, greening their operations by buying enough Green-e certified Green Tags (also known as renewable energy credits) from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation to equal 100 percent of the company's energy use. To date, Sub Pop Records is the first Green-e certified record label company in the United States. Kelley Stoltz, an artist on the Sub Pop label, broke similar ground earlier this year when he used the Green-e tag to certify that his record, Below the Branches, was recorded using 100% renewable energy (we covered it here). “Sub Pop has been synonymous with helping talented new artists support their passion for creating music,” said Patrick Nye, director of sales at Bonneville Environmental Foundation. “Now, Sub Pop Records is directing the same energy toward new, renewable sources of power.” Rock on, Sub Pop! ::Center for Resource Solutions Press Release, ::Sub Pop Records Press Release...

It is time to vote for one of the finalists in our T-Shirt Design Contest. The designer that TreeHugger readers pick as the winner will receive $400 to spend at 3RLiving.com and will have their t-shirt printed at the TreeHugger CafePress store. You can find all five final t-shirt designs here. Please vote for your favorite finalist below.

...

After spending way too much time admiring all of the great entries we received in our T-Shirt Design Contest, we have finally narrowed the field down to five finalists. These represent the most creative, modern, funny, and best designed entries we recieved - proving that the TreeHugger crowd has a keen eye for great design. Please take a peek at the five finalists below and then go vote for who you think sent in the best t-shirt design. The winner will receive a $400 gift certificate from 3R Living and will have their design posted on the TreeHugger CafePress store. ...

I'd love to refrain from using the pat phrase "clean and green" to describe Cyclean, the pedal powered washing machine, but this thing really truly is. Invented by Alex Gadsen, the Cyclean was born out of frustration with waste and a hankering to tinker. The unit is constructed of used washing machine parts, a wheelbarrow and a bike. The machine is currently a working prototype, though Alex is looking for investors to help finance increase production. Cyclean is popular on the green event circuit and has been used for local demonstrations, and various local press and TV appearances. This could be the start of a whole new business concept - Laundro-Gyms! ::Via The Observer...

Our friends at WorldChanging have decided to take a break from working on the whole world and spend a bit of time on a single part of it, namely, Canada. In a series of posts called CanadaChanging, they wrote about some of the forward-looking things that are happening or that could be done in the second largest country in the world. Here is the series for your reading pleasure:...

The Prefabfanclub has been abuzz about garden sheds, like Modernshed and Deck House, as they are elegant, affordable and beat many zoning laws. Of course, Garden sheds can also be prosaic and boring, like the workmanlike units from Royal Plastics. This week, Gallery 1313 and the City of Toronto are sponsoring Nature in the Garage, where ten artists hack the standard Royal sheds " to provide viewers with an in-depth and stimulating learning experience about contemporary art in a non-traditional site"...

Peel back the foil, twist open the wire, set free the cork, let the organic bubbly flow. We're two years old. Yep. Some 7,000 posts later with 24,000 comments, from both learned and inquisitive readers, our modest little blog has been seen as high up Technorati's list, as the 53rd most viewed blog on the planet. Today we're 56th. We’ve been nominated for all the big awards, the Bloggies, the Webby and so on, but so far been the bridesmaid, not the bride. Reviewed in national magazines and newspapers, listed as a resource in books... blah, blah. But that’s all by-the-by. What’s really the bigger news is that through all the media clutter that is the websphere, TreeHugger really resonates with people. They get it. Deep down, you - our loyal readers - know that we need to green our lives, if the future is going to be one we want live in, and pass on to our families. It’s your enthusiasm, your vigour, that enthuses us to seek out the stories that encourage and inspire. Thank you for reading us for the past two years. Thanks for getting out there and metaphorically hugging those trees. We hope you’ll be sticking around to help us blow out more candles in the years to come. Don’t forget to tell us how we can grow up big and strong. (We probably won't become firemen and nurses, but we do want to save the world.)...

Right on the heels of evidence that more Americans are choosing to buy green power when it's available comes news that 80% of US residents would also like to see home builders offer solar power as an option for new houses, according to a survey by Japan's Sharp Electric Company (the world's largest producer of solar cells)....

Warning: reading this travel guide will induce reactions such as cringeing, shame and embarrassment. Side effects include making many readers look back in horror at the destinations of some of their holidays and activities once there. But it will also shed a whole new light on travelling and give potential travellers many new and wonderful ideas for alternative vacations. Written in association with Tourism Concern, an organisation whose goal is to “fight exploitation in tourism”, it is a guide to ethical travel in an increasingly global market. It lists over 300 places to visit in 60 countries. For each country it gives a brief explanation of the terrain, big cities, and major activities. The guide lists places to stay, ethical tour companies and organisations to contact to arrange the visit. Even if you aren’t planning a trip soon, it is inspirational to read about what people across the world are doing to make travel meaningful. Also included is a well-researched analysis of the impact of tourism. Issues such as displacement of local people (to make way for new hotels), water rations (to feed those green lawns at the hotel) and cultural loss (impact of tourism on tribal people) are examined. :: The Ethical Travel Guide ...

We were taking an unusual route to the Head Office of our day job last week, when we had to stop to take a picture. We thought wow, could anyone think this is worse than an industrial pig barn or a chicken factory? Is this possibly generating enough income for the farmer to let him or her keep growing the food we need locally? Is this not an awe-inspiring sight, demonstrating how the best of technology can solve our energy supply problems with elegance? Clearly not, for the Phase II of the Melancthon Wind Project (my poor picture above) is delayed for "community requests for a higher-level scrutiny of the project". Like so many other NIMBY's, they would prefer nukes or coal plants somewhere else rather than a change in the view from their hot tub. Tyler Hamilton points out in the Star, "The government....better figure out a way of streamlining approvals before private investors walk away out of frustration. Until that happens, this "up and coming" market will never rise to its full potential." ::The Star...

This summer's severe heat is widely coupled with an unpleasantly dry landscape, added fire risk, and falling crop yields, with many farmers being forced to auction off their livestock. It is possible that, by this time next year, entire communities may be forced to leave drought stricken areas, as happened during the Dust Bowl era, before the idea that human cultural practices could influence climate had ever occurred to scientists. When we wrote about national drought trends this past Spring we were concerned about fire loss in a few states and the fascinating possibility that Climate Change could favor installation of distributed, renewable electricity generation technologies. In hindsight, that seems trivializing....

from spacing.ca As we all roast this summer, we are in the midst of a vicious circle of our own making that is just making things worse. It gets hot and sunny and we build black roofs and parking lots. It gets hot under and around them (the heat island effect) and we fire up the AC units to compensate, making more heat, using more energy, generating more smog. Soon the entire city is roasting under a brown bowl of rotten air. The little water that rains could be retained in the soil and on the roofs but it is routed to the sewers, carrying coliform with it and closing the beaches just when we need them most. The Star points out that the effect is not insignificant-" The phenomenon is abrupt and dramatic. When temperatures are plotted on charts, they climb what appears to be a steep hill at the edge of suburbs. They plateau over those vast expanses of shopping malls and cul de sacs. Then, over the inner city, they scramble up to the peak. Large parks, or neighbourhoods with plenty of old trees, sometimes soften the pattern.The difference between countryside and core can be as much as six degrees — enough to turn a region-wide pleasant day into an urban scorcher, or a widespread scorcher into an inner-city killer."...

One more to add to the international list of green credit cards and the first one available in Europe is Triodos Bank’s ecological VISA credit card, launched last week in Spain. Not only are these Visa credit cards made from PVC-free recyclable plastic, but Triodos also compensates 1 tonne of the client’s CO2 emission for free if the card is used more than 5 times a month. That’s the equivalent of driving 6000 km by car or the annual consumption of energy for heating and hot water of a one person flat. Plus with each first buy they plant a tree in their client’s name in the sustainable Triodos Forest in Albacete, Spain. As the biggest Euopean ethical bank, Triodos is consistent with their respect towards nature not only when it comes to cards but also for paper and office furniture. They managed to become 100% carbon neutral by saving energy, using alternative energy and compensating for any CO2 emissions. The main differentiation between Triodos and ordinary banks is probably the fact that they only invest and finance social or ecological projects and businesses. Since they started in 1980 in the Netherlands they have opened branches in Belgium, the UK and Spain. ::Triodos Bank ::Triodos VISA card (Spanish only) & more on ::ethical banking...

The other day when writing about hemp-baled houses, we happened across the blog of Glen Hunter. He, and his family, live in a strawbale house off-the-grid. And and as such are very conscious of their energy load, including lights. Glen was looking for some LED lights to reduce their power consumption even further. Not finding any to suit his needs, he gathered some parts together and designed his own. Showing his handiwork to Eurolite, where he’d obtained the bits from, they offered to sell three models under their Signature Series. The Borealis models have acrylic surrounds, holding just four 1W light emitting diodes (LEDs). They send useful light downward, whilst shining through the blue sides for added atmosphere. Available through Eurolite, whom we last noted as suppliers to the BlueSkyMod prefab cabin. ::Eurolite, via The Strawhouse Blog....

Somehow I missed the Organic Expo, held in Sydney a couple of weekends ago. Last year it was huge. Jam packed. Wall-to-wall visitors. And this year apparently had double the number of exhibitors wanting to showcase their wares. It was also an occasion for the Organic Federation of Australia (OFA) to have their annual gabfest. Their chairman said that the organic industry is one of the few good news stories in agriculture, with some predicting growth figures between 25 and 40%. That’s on top of what the government figured to be a $140.7 million AUD market three years ago. The rate of growth reflects similar trends worldwide. For example Mr Andre Leu also observes that US organic dairy farming expanded 477% in the six years to 2003, but still can’t keep up with demand, citing the example of the UK, where there’ll be a 30% shortfall of organic milk this year. If you want to keep abreast of what is breaking ground organic-wise in the Oceania Pacific region, then you might want to direct your keyboard and mouse to seek out the ........

We've been writing a lot about Australian scientist-writer Tim Flannery lately (we strongly recommend his latest book, The Weather Makers), but that's because he deserves it by being a great communicator, making complex science more accessible to the public. Last March, he gave an interview to Terry Gross, the host of Fresh Air on National Public Radio in the US. You can listen to it here (there's a small red "listen" button near the top). Related posts: ::Book Review: The Weather Makers, ::Tim Flannery interviewed by Stephen Colbert, ::Quote of the Day: Tim Flannery, The Weather Makers, ::Important! Why Carbon Sequestration Won't Save Us...

Whose power is it anyway? Greenpeace’s short film (narrated by Clive Anderson) shows how to win back the 2/3 of the energy our plants blow up the stack… Israel’s bombings unleash a devastating oil spill in Lebanon… The small but growing family of diesel motorcycles gets a new member… aGaiN NYC launches a collection of environmentally and socially conscious accessories… A London band manager has an epiphany at the hairdresser and commits to right his eco-wrongs by rallying support to plant a forest…...

Ok, I'm behind most of the movie going public in that I just saw The 40 Year Old Virgin on Saturday night. Anyone who's seen it knows that part of what makes Steve Carell's character a dork is that he rides a bike. It's all tied up in his prolonged adolescence and, well, lack of "masculinity." Part of his growing up involves learning to drive -- as though it's de facto an aspect of adulthood. Scenes of him pedaling furiously, carrying his wheel, tucking his pants into his socks, are all used for comic effect. This got me thinking about other cinematic representations of people whose primary mode of transport is the bike. What's your favorite? The most sympathetic? Continue reading for an extensive online "cycling in film" resource....

With gas prices heading for the statosphere (with no signs of coming down), Volkswagen is hoping that it's newest fuel-sipper will appeal to people wanting hybrid-like efficiency at a fraction of the price. The Polo Blue Motion, unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show back in February, gets about 62 mpg; while this isn't quite as breathtaking as some of the concepts we've seen (like the 157 mpg Loremo), it's available for sale now (in Germany). Perhaps the most appealing part of VW's new equation: the bottom line checks in at a shade under $20,000. According to Edmunds.com, this means that "hybrids may be in the limelight right now, but conventional diesels still hold the upper hand when the right measures are applied." With low-sulphur diesel coming to the States, we might be pumping biodiesel into one of these babies sooner rather than later. ::Edmunds.com via ::Jalopnik...

Awhile back, we brought you the story of the 100 Days of Carbon Clean-up Campaign. The program is helping over 400 British companies look at ways to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. It began early in June, and one of the companies involved, Fulcrum Consulting, has been tracking their progress through a diary via the BBC website. Their initiatives, including recycling and awareness-building programs, seem to be progressing; the next step will be to conduct a a BREEAM assessment on the office. The BREEAM scheme is run by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), and is their Environmental Assessment Method. The method looks at many aspects of sustainability and provides an overall rating from "pass" to "excellent", allowing comparison with other buildings. They've been tracking their energy consumption, and were surprised to find that their evening power consumption was about 60% of what it was during the day, even with many appliances turned off that are usually on. With just about six weeks to go, we're looking forward to reading more about their progress in becoming more informed, more efficient, and emitting fewer greenhouse gasses. ::BBC via ::Hugg...

Amidst a heatwave in their respective lands, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger are meeting today in Long Beach, Calif., to discuss global warming and lay the groundwork for a new trans-Atlantic carbon emissions market, according to the Associated Press. Notably missing from the meeting will be President Bush and his top environmental adviser, James Connaughton, who cannot attend due to a scheduling conflict. Those whose schedules apparently don’t conflict include 25 leading CEOs, such as Lord John Browne of BP, Steve Howard of the Climate Group, Charles Holliday of DuPont Co., Jim Rogers of Duke Energy Corp., and Virgin’s Richard Branson (see our recent post here). The meeting will also focus on technologies being developed on both sides of the pond that might contribute to reducing emissions....

The folks at Palm World Voices are offering up to one lucky reader four of their superb DVDs that explore "contemporary music and culture from musically rich areas of the globe." These four DVDs include looks at South Africa (Mandela), Senegal (Baaba Maal), the Sahara/Middle East (Spirit), and India (Vedic Path). All you have to do to win is head on over to Hugg.com and post a story (haven't registered yet? it's easy!). If your story makes it to the front page of Hugg, you will be placed in a drawing for the contest prize. We will choose one lucky Hugg poster at random to receive the 4 DVD set from Palm World Voices. So get on over to Hugg by Friday, August 4th, post a story, and get your chance to experience different parts of the globe - courtesy of TreeHugger and Palm World Voices. ...

The Mediterranean is an olive-lover’s paradise. From the tangy Greek Kalamata pickled in red wine brine to the working man’s bitter “marim defukim” smashed olives grown in Israel- olives and their oil are a must in every modern kitchen. A new company, Genova, says they have found a way to make good on all those leftover pits: by converting olive biomass to energy. The company claims their reactor works well processing the leftovers of wineries too. Our mouths are already watering....

Carbon sequestration, also known as geosequestration, seems like a good deal. "Have your carbon cake and eat it too." In principle, it works this way: You capture CO2 emissions at the source before they are released into the atmosphere, compress them until they become liquid and then inject them in deep underground holes. What could be simpler? It certainly sounds like a good tool to fight global warming while enjoying the Earth's huge coal reserves. I used to think that it would indeed be one of the many solutions used to save ourselves from catastrophic climate change, but not anymore. In fact, I now think that it might be a counter-productive red herring. What has made me change my mind? What's the problem? Read on, please....

Your suggestions are in and we thank you for your always naturally smart opinions and candidness! We’ve received an influx of superb recommendations so now it’s time for an instant survey to narrow down the green, from the, well…green. If you aren’t familiar with some of the nominees, this presents an excellent chance for you to do a quick search on whom your fellow, virtual TreeHuggers are inspired by. Just don’t get caught at work! We will then consider the top five candidates from each category as potential Honorary TreeHuggers. Please vote below....

An interesting column written by Argentinean architect Carlos Libedinsky, former head of the Ecology subject at the most prestigious Architecture College in Argentina and now head of a Master in Advanced Design, appeared in the country’s most read newspaper: Clarín. “It’s amazing that environmental subjects are optional for Architecture students, probably the main contaminators of the planet in the future -he writes-. David Cameron (candidate running for Prime Minister in England) has based his political platform on the environment defense; in the United States Al Gore is making a strong statement through An inconvenient truth; and our own president (Nestor Kirchner) is preparing himself to be the leader of Environmental Politics in Latin America*. All these symptoms show that the subject has started to be assumed massively (also seen as a smart way to gain votes), and yet from the teaching point of view, Architecture (which produces edification: the main protagonist of global warming) doesn’t have in most cases a position that’s stronger than just a declamatory and cosmetic pose”. “The Economist registers that the most prestigious universities’ students claim for more information and education in Sustainable Architecture”, continues Libedinsky. “But the only credit for certain projects that are so called by authors and critics environmental is that they incorporate a garden in their interior or a solar panel, that’s more symbolic than effective, in their roof”, he claims. The architect also says “some of the so called intelligent buildings that come up are usually environmentally dumb, since they consume energy in reaction to small climate changes that could be easily fixed by opening a window”....

Throughout the United States, more and more utility customers are choosing to purchase green power, even though it comes at a premium. An AP article in Sunday's Washington Post focuses on Minnesota, and notes that 30% more of the state's residents this year are willing to pay extra for electricity that comes from renewable sources:...

The New York Times asked Maine fishing guide Stephen Philbrick, who usually mainlines Deep Woods Off!, to test DEET free alternatives. All Terrain Herbal Armor Spray seemed to win-“deerflies, mosquitoes, everything, stayed away.” although it smelled so bad that it repelled people as well. Others, such as Burt's Bees repellent, were less effective. Bite Blocker Herbal Spray did not do well- billed as waterproof and sweatproof, it wasn’t- Mr. Philbrick said. “If you sweat, bugs will find that spot where the product has dripped off.”::New York Times ...

When we last covered Oliver Rowe's new restaurant, Konstam, we did not realize we had posted a picture of his older restaurant. The new restaurant serves really local food- like from inside the M25, a ring road around London. The correct picture is much more interesting- he went for a local designer as well, Thomas Heatherwick, who designed the brilliant rolling bridge. He has installed nearly 70 miles of stainless steel and nickel bead chains, hanging above the tables. Rows of jars line shelves where Mr. Rowe, above, stocks preserves for the winter. The rest of the kitchen is entirely open as well, so diners can watch the cooks, creating an informal atmosphere that is reinforced by simple wood chairs painted the same turquoise as the floors. "We worked around the idea of the kitchen as part of everyday life, and not just something that runs a restaurant,"Mr. Rowe said. We continue to be excited that the hundred mile diet has become so fashionable. ::New York Times ...

A skylight company called Velux has developed a type of glass that can become dark or clear by flicking a switch, or via an intelligent automation system. The glass has special layers of material which turn dark when an electrical current is applied. The process is known as electrochromism, and it has also been applied in the automobile industry to automatically tint rear-view mirrors. ...

It's Monday, and for green blog-watchers, that can only mean one thing: the Carnival of the Green! Treehugger is proud to host this week's edition of the Carnival, the brainstorm of green blogs extraordinaire City Hippy and TriplePundit. If this is your first COG, no need to worry: settle in, click around and enjoy the best of the past week's content from green blogs around the world. Here's a little music to put you in the right frame of mind. And away we go......

Playing in the sand must be one of the oldest, and most ecologically pure, games in existence. But building the perfect sandcastle or creation does not always come naturally—there is an art and a science to it. According to a professional sand sculptor, the first step is determining whether the sand is good enough: “Make a footprint near the water’s edge, if it doesn’t dissolve quickly the sand is good.” Then you have to pick the best location: a spot where the tide has just gone out so the sand is moist, and the castle won’t get washed away immediately. The mixture of sand and water is important too. “You should be able to roll a handful into a ball and throw it into the air without it breaking up”. Making a platform of sand is a clever move so that you don’t have to bend over all the time. And don’t forget your bucket--good for making solid shapes, and your shovel—for the windows and details. Then stand back and admire. :: Sculptures in Sand via :: The Observer...

Arguably, his hair is better. He's definitely more reserved, and is in possession of a voice more mellifluous. Prince Charles is looking for a gardener, and he's going to find his apprentice on TV, Donald-style. Who would have thought that the monarchy would engage in reality TV (save for publicist-engineered post-divorce interviews and canned documentaries)? "Young people and those from deprived backgrounds" will compete to win a year's training with the Castle of Mey's head gardener, a place pruned for Charles to enjoy for a few days each summer. I clearly don't have a grasp of the English TV-viewing public, because when I try to translate the show in U.S. terms for an organic gardner to President Bush, or, say, George Clooney, I don't think ratings bonanza... Instead of the board room, perhaps they'll meet in the Duchy Originals Art in the Garden Gazebo? Please tell me below how you think he will he send them away? One guess: "I'm dreadfully sorry to have to bear news that, like a slowly bioaccumulating herbicide, is apt to prove ultimately disheartening..." :: The Telegraph...

...unless you really have to. The two main reasons are that it can encourage the breeding of more resistant bacteria, and that the micro-organisms used by sewage-treatment plants to purify organic waste are affected by it. When they are rendered less effective, the plants use more harsh chemicals to compensate, thus polluting more....

If you eat cherries, chances are they come from Washington and Western Montana. The Washington cherries ripened late this year, and the Montana crop came early. This has meant a glut in the market, and the largest regional shipping plant isn't accepting Montana cherries. Some farmers will leave tons on the trees (to fall and rot on the ground or make birds happy) because it's less expensive to cut their losses than to pay to have them picked. Such a waste! Organic cherry growers who were banned from the plant because of fruit fly fears are making out just fine, however, with already diversified dissemination chains, and strong local markets. Not only do we have the issue of people going to bed hungry while food goes to waste. Since we are experiencing the hottest Montana summer in anyone's memory, this could be an example of how global warming will disrupt national and global food distribution. How will we feed ourselves then?:: The Missoulian. Photo, Peggy Greb, at the National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service...

Regardless of whether you are a Walmart basher or activating optimistically for Walmart leadership in environmental and sustainable philosophy, the news on Friday in Germany is of interest: Walmart has ended its long battle to survive in Germany's $370 billion retail market. So did the Germans' preference for shops run by local businessmen and stocked with organically grown food kill Walmart? Nice angle for TreeHuggers, but the fact is: probably not....

While a number of European countries are moving full-steam ahead on wave power development, the idea of harnessing ocean waves to generate electricity has remained a concept here in the US. That may be changing soon, as New Jersey-based Ocean Power Technologies Inc. has applied for a permit from the US Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to build a 50 megawatts (MW) wave power installation off the Oregon coast. If approved, this would be the first utility-scale wave energy project in the country. According to the company's press release (in PDF),...

Strathmore, long a staple of art students everywhere, is producing a new line of sketch, drawing, and bristol paper made with 100% windpower. Mohawk Fine Papers, Inc., which owns Strathmore, has been using windpower to meet its paper mills' energy needs for some time—according to Mohawk, 38% of their power is derived from windpower—but the Windpower series from Strathmore is the first line of paper created in the U.S. using windpower exclusively. Not that you can really tell, as there is no trade-off in paper functionality, appearance, quality, or price. Instead, the benefits are essentially invisible: Mohawk's use of windpower in conjunction with recycled fiber has resulted in 13 million lbs. of toxic air emissions not generated (CO2, SO2 and NOX), 8,581 barrels of crude oil or 1,960 tons of coal not used, 14.5 million miles not driven in one year, 94,500 trees not cut down, and 40 million gallons of water/wastewater flow not generated. Not bad! [Written by: Dave Chiu]...

The modern media being what it is, we are bombarded daily by commercials for products that claim to revolutionize our life in one way or another, most of which seem unlikely to live up to their promise. I could be forgiven then for my cynical reaction last night as yet another slick commercial for a "revolutionary" feminine hygiene product interrupted the evening's viewing. It was a typical montage of the usual images of healthy, successful, popular looking women in the gym, in the office, going out to lunch and generally being perfect. It was only half-way through the commercial that I realized that the product in question was not Tampax, or Always, or any of the usual brands, but a reusable menstrual cup known as The Keeper. As a man, I am not in the best position to evaluate the claims made for The Keeper, though I do know of many satisfied users. What was interesting was that reusable cups have traditionally been the type of product advertised in the classified section at the back of green lifestyle magazines, or discussed on Treehugger, not advertised on national TV for prime-time viewers. Could these ads be yet another example of environmentalism entering the mainstream? Unfortunately I could find no information about this campaign on the company's website - does anyone know if these ads are appearing elsewhere other than in the UK? [Written by: Sami Grover]...

Its a hundred degrees out in the middle of summer; time for our first Christmas post of the year. It appears that in the Southern United States, hardwoods and indigenous pine trees are being cut down to make Christmas tree farms. But according to Brent Sohngen of Ohio State University, pine plantations don't retain carbon as well as hardwood or natural pine forests. Sohngen and Brown estimate that an area roughly the size of Los Angeles – about 333,600 acres (135,000 hectares) – is converted to pine plantations each year. "Hardwood forests tend to store more carbon than pine plantations do, said Sohngen. And natural pine stands store more carbon than do pine plantations. A hardwood forest has more organic matter – leaves, branches, roots, and a mix of tree species – than a pine plantation does. More organic matter means more storage space for carbon." ::Ohio State University via ::Sploid ...

A friend pointed us to an enormous study of cars undertaken by Art Spinella and his team at CNW Market Research. It's called "Dust to Dust" and it tracks the energy used in creating, operating, and scrapping numerous different types of cars, even taking into account the different amounts and types of pollution caused by production in different countries (including whether factory workers are likely to commute via public transportation). The surprising result is that based on those numbers, it's possible to claim that Hummers are, at the moment, a more energy-efficient choice than hybrids. Before you swallow your gum, though, consider some of the relevant factors. Hybrids are new enough that no one really knows how many miles you can put on one before they fall apart. When you're discussing cost per mile, that's an important question. CNW went with Toyota's expected lifetime miles figure for the Prius, 100,000, but it's unclear how accurate that is (some hybrid Priuses in use as taxis have reportedly exceeded that figure by a considerable margin). In addition, conventional cars are made with established technology where the high discovery costs have already been paid; hybrids, by contrast, are still undergoing serious development and change, so the R&D costs are high and it's much harder to recycle the pieces of the vehicle when it reaches the end of its life. The nice folks over at theWatt got Spinella on one of their podcasts and asked him to clarify these and other points. Interesting quotes from that interview and the study itself are below the fold; they make it clear that hybrids are still the environmentally sound way to go. (Please read this entire post before commenting.)...

'The G-Wiz is quite simply the best city car I have ever owned. Fun to drive, reliable, fits into any parking space and with practically no running costs for either the environment or my bank balance what more could one want?' - Kathy Panama, London NW3 If their customer testimonials are anything to go by, Going Green, London's "low carbon car specialists" are going from strength to strength. They have already sold over 500 electric G-Wiz cars to Londoners wishing to avoid the congestion charge, and they are now expanding their product range. First of the new offerings is an improved version of the G-Wiz with an AC drive which boasts a longer range and slightly more power than its DC drive predecessor. For those city-dwellers not yet ready to make the switch to electric, the company is now also offering congestion charge exempt Liquid Petroleum Gas conversions of the Smart ForTwo. Finally, the company will also soon be offering plug-in conversions of the Prius - technology which should also be hitting the city streets in the form of taxis very shortly. These product developments have also been accompanied by a funky-looking update of the company's website including an online ordering facility....

Latest TH Radio

Latest THTV

Keep Rolling. Hit the Front Page >

We add over 30 posts each day
to our archive of over 35,000. For example...

Meditation: Heart Healthier Than Organic O's?

French Nuclear Energy Policy - A Cake The US May Do Well To Not To Consume Too Much Of

The Country's Cleanest Air: New Jersey?!

The Week in Pictures: Rot-Proof Apple, Surprises at GreenBuild, Bacteria Lights Up Landmines, and More

CMYK Folding Electric Bike: Award Winning Prototype Available in 2010?

Al Gore On Acting Crazy: "What Up With That?"

From the Forums: Does Oil Have a Role to Play?

Photos of Strange Deep Sea Creatures from Marine Census Beyond Sunlight

Where Have You Gone, John McCain? Our Climate Turns Its Lonely Eyes To You

Learning Organic Farming: Looking Back or Moving Forward?

'Green Patriarch' Takes Enviro Message Online, to US

Vaute Couture's Made to Order Vegan Jewelry

NYC Event: Spirit Beauty Lounge in SoHo with Mini Makeovers by Jessa Blades

Trout Fishing Causing the Demise of...Frogs

DNA Tests Uncover Sushi Fraud At Restaurants

From the Forums: Are Stadium Flyovers Worth the Fuel?

Latest TH Radio

Latest THTV

Entries for July 30, 2006 - August 5, 2006

Total this week: 115

by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 08. 5.06

by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 08. 5.06

by Neil Chambers, New York City on 08. 5.06

by Union of Concerned Scientists on 08. 5.06

by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 08. 5.06

by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 08. 5.06

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 5.06

by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 08. 4.06

by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 08. 4.06

by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 08. 4.06

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08. 4.06

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08. 4.06

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 4.06

by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 08. 4.06

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08. 4.06

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 4.06

by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 08. 4.06

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 4.06

by Eric Kane, New York, NY on 08. 4.06

by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08. 4.06

by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 08. 4.06

by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08. 4.06

by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 08. 4.06

by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 08. 3.06

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08. 3.06

by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 08. 3.06

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 3.06

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 3.06

by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 08. 3.06

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08. 3.06

by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 08. 3.06

by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 08. 3.06

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08. 3.06

by Eric Kane, New York, NY on 08. 3.06

by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08. 3.06

by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 08. 3.06

by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 08. 3.06

by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 08. 3.06

by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 08. 3.06

by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 08. 3.06

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 3.06

by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 08. 3.06

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 3.06

by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08. 3.06

by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 08. 3.06

by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 08. 2.06

by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 08. 2.06

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 2.06

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 2.06

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 2.06

by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 08. 2.06

by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 08. 2.06

by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 08. 2.06

by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08. 2.06

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08. 2.06

by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 08. 2.06

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 2.06

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 2.06

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08. 2.06

by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 08. 2.06

by Eric Kane, New York, NY on 08. 2.06

by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 08. 2.06

by Bonnie Alter, London on 08. 2.06

by Rose Fox, New York City on 08. 2.06

by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08. 2.06

by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 08. 1.06

by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 08. 1.06

by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 08. 1.06

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08. 1.06

by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 08. 1.06

by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 08. 1.06

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 1.06

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08. 1.06