- Emily Pilloton Discusses the Hippo Roller and other Designs for Humanity (Part One)
- Janine Benyus on Biomimicry in Design (Part Two)
- Janine Benyus on Biomimicry in Design (Part One)
- Andy Revkin - Climate in the Obama Age
- Fred Pearce - Confessions of An Eco-Sinner (Part Two)
- Fred Pearce - Confessions of An Eco-Sinner (Part One)
- Chris Goodall - Ten Techs to Save Our Butts (Part Two)
- Chris Goodall - Ten Techs to Save Our Butts (Part One)
Entries for October 15, 2006 - October 21, 2006
Total this week: 97
Google Upgrades Coverage of Public Transportation
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 10.21.06
Last year, Google launched a new service called "Google Transit". It was a version of Google Maps that provided directions for navigating public transportation. It was great, but it only covered one city: Portland, Oregon. Google has now added five more cities to the service: Seattle WA, Pittsburgh PA, Eugene OR, Tampa FL, and Honolulu HI. ...
Green Eating Goes Mainstream: Bordeaux Quay Up and Running
by Treehugger Interns on 10.21.06
We reported here back in May on Bordeaux Quay, a new eco-gastronomic venture in the UK city of Bristol (also home to Cafe Maytreya, a vegetarian's paradise which we reported on here). Whilst we may have been wrong about Bordeaux Quay being the first carbon-neutral restaurant in the country, we certainly weren’t wrong about the sheer scope of chef Barny Houghton’s environmental ambitions. The project has been very successful in raising the profile of local food – the Times newspaper for example ran an interview with Barny Houghton in which he took the reporter to a muddy field in Somerset to see his supply of pork. The £2.7m project is now up and running and hosts a restaurant, brasserie, bar, deli, bakery and cookery school. Bordeaux Quay is promising to source staple ingredients from organic and sustainable farms within a 50-mile of Bristol, with other ingredients (Bristol isn’t known for its olives!) coming from producers that they know and trust well. As if this were not enough, the retrofit of the old dockside warehouse in which Bordeaux Quay is based was done to strict ecological standards, including salvage and reuse of existing materials and the installation of a rainwater harvesting system that now flushes the toilets. Being dedicated Treehugges, we felt it was our duty to check this place out. Oh, the sacrifices we make for the planet…...
General Motors Installs Solar Rooftops For Free
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 10.21.06
The New York Times is reporting that companies like General Motors are installing solar roofs on their buildings, but the company isn't paying for the installation. The NYT says:
Instead, G.M. and a small but growing number of other companies and municipalities are getting solar energy from systems installed by others. Even though the installations are right on their own roofs, they buy the electricity much as they would from a utility’s grid. And because the companies that paid for the systems will get a steady income, they can provide power from the sun at competitive electricity rates....
Lamp Lamp from 100 Per Cent
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.21.06
This would have been a wonderful thing had it been filled with LEDs and existed as a play on the old fashioned incandescent lightbulb. Unfortunately it is exactly that, a light bulb with an extra base blown on to make it look very cool. They do say it will last longer than an ordinary bulb, but that is probably because, like farm bulbs and bulbs for inaccessible spaces, they just make them less efficient so that they run cooler. A great opportunity missed. ::100 percent via ::seihin-world...
Tallahassee Florida USA Plans 35MW Wood Powered Gas & Electric Plant
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.21.06
Tallahassee Florida USA is the perfect place for large-scale Tree-fed biogas generator (a process that converts biomass, mainly wood in this case, to electric power in an oxygen-free environment). The major factors in favor of Florida are: coal filths up the Everglades with mercury and acid rain; Florida lacks landfills that can sustainably handle coal fly ash, demolition debris, and tree limbs. Conversely, hurricanes periodically provide a massive supply of limbs, roots, and stems, free to the hauler. Or else delivered at government expense! Did we mention sugar cane bagass? Considering all these Florida-positive factors, it is no surprise that the Biomass Gas & Electric Company (BG&E) has announced an agreement with Florida's Capitol city, Tallahassee , to provide the city's utility with 35 megawatts of electric power…an estimated 8% of demand…and also “60 decatherms of methanated biomass process gas”. Emission profile looks good too: “The process, called advanced pyrolysis gasification, provides energy with 95% lower emissions than fossil fuel technology”....
New Bird Species Confirmed from Living Specimens Later Released
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 10.21.06
Did you ever wonder if other people really see the same colors you see? Red could look different to you, but in human communication your experience of this wavelength of light is tagged "red". Scientists say that birds see in wavelength ranges which are not detectable by humans. That boring brown bushtit could be a birdy equivalent of lime green and orange. But that doesn't change the facts: we humans love the birds in fancy dress colors from our rainbow. In that regard, the first new species of bird to join ornithological records in more than half a century excels. Dusted in yellow, with bright yellow eye patches and flaming crimson-tipped wings, the Bugun Liocichla, sets another first which TreeHuggers will appreciate: the bird was confirmed as a new species without sacrificing (yes, that is the scientific term for killing) the rare find....
Most Huggable
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 10.20.06
Mixed use, LEED certified, high efficiency loft living. Why can’t Vegas be green too? A new Japanese electric motor could help revive the (affordable) electric car… A massive wind turbine will help power 2012 Olympics events in East London… Ireland’s Cork Harbor will soon be home to a large biodiesel plant which will help feed the country’s raised commitment to vegetable fuels… As emissions standards in Europe clean up, so do London’s legendary cabs…...
Call to Action: Green Evangelicals Could Tip Election
by Celine Ruben-Salama, New York, NY on 10.20.06
Here in the United States, white, Christian Evangelicals make up almost a quarter of the electorate. Concerned with moral issues such as abortion, gay marriage and school prayer the Evangelicals tend to align themselves with conservative politics and have of recent, overwhelmingly supported the Republican Party. In the 2004 election, 78% backed President Bush. As congressional elections near, Evangelicals are being urged to consider a “new” religious and moral issue, every bit as important as opposing abortion and same-sex marriage. The issue? Protecting the environment....
TreeHugger Welcomes Writer Bill Stonehill
by Bill Stonehill, Tokyo, Japan on 10.20.06
TreeHugger Welcomes Writer Emily Pilloton
by Emily Pilloton, Chicago and San Francisco on 10.20.06
Seo Says: Recycle Those Rechargeables!
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.20.06
Danny Seo, erstwhile eco-stylist, author and green consultant to the stars, has deservedly made the rounds here at TreeHugger -- read our interview with him and check out our review of his latest tome for more. In addition to giving green tips to the CBS Early Show and hosting his own radio show on Sirius Satellite Radio, he finds time to write a blog. Today, he mentions the Rechargeable Battery Recycling Corporation (also known as Call2Recycle), for whom he is a spokesperson; he's done some public service announcements for them that are on TV at TLC and the DIY Network. Their work fits Seo's style -- easy, quick but important lifestyle choices that have a positive impact on our planet's health -- as they get more people to recycle their rechargeable batteries. They've made it easy on you; when the battery goes on a cordless phone, power tool or cell phone, just take it to stores like Radio Shack, Best Buy, Home Depot, Lowes, Target (and more), and drop it in the bin; it's free, and they'll take care of the rest. There are over 30,000 retail locations in the US & Canada; find one near you, and keep your rechargeable batteries out of the trash. ::Call2Recycle via ::Danny Seo's Simply Green...
TreeHugger Picks: Going Green at Home
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.20.06
Donnachadh McCarthy, one of Britain's leading expert in green living, believes seven days is all it takes to "go green." Inspired by the inaugural How to Green Your Life column we ran yesterday, here are our picks for some ways to go green at home.
1) Check out twenty free ways to save energy in your home.
2) Make your own non-toxic bathtub cleaner.
3) Learn to avoid toxic chemicals that are already in your home.
4) To be sure it's green, make it yourself, with our easy homemade soap and easy homemade yogurt recipes.
5) Use your dishwasher wisely to save on water, energy and money....
OrganiTech: Hydroponics Solutions For Spaniards
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 10.20.06
Israelis seem to be saying ole a lot more than usual these days and it’s not because of the nation’s fascination with Almodovar films. Earlier this summer a factory of Israeli passive solar energy collectors was slated to be built in Spain. Most recently, we just learned, the Israeli company OrganiTech (and featured by TreeHugger's Lloyd here) is selling its advanced hydroponics greenhouses to an undisclosed Spanish customer for up to 60 million Euros, over the next 5 years. ::OrganiTech...
TreeHugger 100-Mile Thanksgiving Challenge
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 10.20.06
Here in the States, most of us are looking forward to the Thanksgiving holiday in just over a month, where we will gather with family and friends around the dinner table to celebrate the bounty of the earth. And, although we celebrate with the first Thanksgiving in mind, where the feast was (and had to be) entirely local, much of our Thanksgiving meal comes to us from places far from our homes. So, here's our challenge for you: make your Thanksgiving meal local. We want you to make a meal using only ingredients found within 100 miles of your home. This doesn't have to be a "traditional" Thanksgiving meal (although it can be), but it should be a feast that many of your family and friends would enjoy.
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Wall Street Journal on Conservation, "The Fifth Fuel"
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.20.06
There are two kinds of Wall Street Journal readers; those who don't give a damn about the cost of energy, and those who got rich by giving a damn about every single cent they ever spent. This recent article discusses technologies and initiatives that can save lots of energy, phrasing it nicely: "James E. Rogers Jr., chief executive of Duke Energy Corp. and president of the utility industry's leading trade group, the Edison Electric Institute, calls energy efficiency the "fifth fuel." By that he means that it's an alternative to coal, natural gas, hydropower and nuclear fuel." We like that- an industry spokesman selling conservation. They go on to list "10 innovations capable of making a big difference immediately and in coming years". Read more in the ::Wall Street Real Estate Journal...
Q&A. Is Silk Green?
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 10.20.06
We were recently asked if the fabric silk could be considered ‘Green’. Well, we said that depends to large degree on your definition of green. We tabled a few interpretations of the term and then made some corresponding observations. There are, of course, alternative views, many of which we are sure our readers will feel free to express, as they did when we traversed this terrain earlier in the year. See our mini review of silk after the fold. ...
Do Clotheslines Really Lower Property Value?
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 10.20.06
Just over a month ago, reader James noted that "in a growing number of residential developments in the USA, the local government or community covenants legally prevent residents from doing 'unsightly' things," including hanging wet laundry out to dry. Columnist Alex Beam of the International Herald Tribune came across similar findings while attempting to emulate Al and Tipper Gore's efforts to live a carbon neutral lifestyle:...
Katrina Cottage Wins People's Choice Design Award
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.20.06
Way back in February, TreeHugger was just about the first to rave about the Katrina Cottage, then being shown for the first time at a builder's trade show in Orlando. We liked its scale, affordability and sensitivity. Since then it has taken on a life of its own, has been picked up by Lowes, and has now won the first Cooper-Hewitt People's Design Award. "The Katrina Cottage is a dignified alternative to conventional temporary housing," said Cooper-Hewitt director Paul Warwick Thompson. "Marianne Cusato's design offers a long-term solution for displaced families and I'm thrilled that so many people voted for a socially conscious design that could help thousands in need in the Gulf Coast region." Congratulations to Marianne Cusato, designer of the Katrina Cottage. And remember, TreeHuggers, you saw it here first. ::Cusato Cottages...
Pink Flamingoes Face Extinction
by Bonnie Alter, London on 10.20.06
The pink flamingo, the ubiquitous plastic bird whose natural habitat is the front lawns of America, is about to become an endangered species. After 49 years, and twenty million sales, the company that produces them is going out of business. The proud bird started its life in Florida and soon migrated across North America. From its lowly status as a garden joke, it became a "combination of all we know--kitsch, history, simplicity and elegance", according to a university professor. The famous bird originated from a picture in National Geographic; and its creator, Donald Featherstone, can still be sighted, sporting a shirt with you-know-whats on it. For all frantic birdwatchers: a note of hope: Wal-Mart sells 250,000 a year, and there may still be some left there. :: Guardian...
Free Radicals: Get Sustainability Off Your Chest
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 10.20.06
“Free radicals, the [Sydney] Powerhouse Museum’s monthly series of sustainability talks, is back with an even sharper edge and a new time. Aimed at anyone who enjoys an argument, is worried about the sustainability of their lifestyle, or who is new to the sustainability arena and loaded with questions, Free Radicals takes on all the big issues in an intelligent and entertaining way.” In the past discussions have included urban expansion, activism, the rise of air conditioning as a ‘need’, and desalination as cure or curse for Sydney’s water shortage. The next Free Radicals scheduled for Thursday 9 November 06 will tackle the Australian nuclear energy debate. How topical could this be? Given that at the start of this week, the Australian Prime Minister finally laid his cards on the table, saying, "In an age where we're worried about global warming we should be looking seriously at nuclear power as an option, because it's clean and it doesn't emit greenhouse gases and I can't understand why the extreme Greenies oppose it." Yeh, we’re that worried about global warming that we refuse to sign up to Kyoto, even though our agreed targets allowed us to actually increase emissions, not reduce them. Australia currently only has one nuclear reactor, for medical isotope production, though we do sit on some of the world’s largest reserves of uranium. Should make for an interesting debate, and like the name says, it's free! ::Free Radicals. (Free Radicals also has a blog, which recently noted the amazing Breathing Earth simulation, that we posted here.)...
Molo's Paper Softseating
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 10.20.06
We've mentioned Molo's Paper Softwall room divider to you before, so we were happy to see this Canadian Design company showing an extensive collection at the 100% Design show last month. We thought their enormous round brown paper chair was the most amazing piece, but their new range of paper softseating range comes in several sizes which can be used as stools, low tables and display pedastals. They are made entirely from unbleached brown craft paper, using their signature flexible honeycomb structure which fans open and connects with a simple magnet. Each of the sizes and types of softseating can compress like a big book for storage. Molo says the seating is 100% recyclable, but as yet they are not using recycled paper to make the chairs. Hopefully this will be their next step. ::Molo Design...
No Wet Waterless Carwash
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 10.19.06
No Wet is a product that was developed in the US over a decade ago. With Australia experiencing the worst drought since the arrival of white civilisation, it is no wonder that a Waterless Car Wash product should attract interest. Although licensed from the American manufacturer and repackaged in South Australia, there has been talk of securing the rights to make the product locally down under. Essentially it is made of 17 different elements, of which the main players are Carnaubra Wax and Kaolin Clay. Indeed all of the recipes ingredients are said to be natural. It is claimed not to contain petroleum distillates (kerosene), silicone, abrasives, or other harmful chemicals. Apparently it works because the wax acts as an emulisifier and encapsulater of dust and dirt particles. This lifts them off the surface paint, where they can be wiped away with a polishing cloth. The suggestion is that a 32oz (1 litre) bottle of the stuff will wax, wash, polish and seal well over a dozen cars, which normally might’ve used thousands of gallons of water to wash. And we’re told you end up a showroom sheen on your metal chariot. No Wet Australia has been establishing the business over the past few years. Given that many Australian metropolitan and rural cities have imposed water restrictions limiting the volume of water used to clean cars, their timing seems very opportune. Available both as a DIY or a fully serviced product. ::No Wet Australia...
Vote for Your Favorite Green Business
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 10.19.06
It’s Co-op America’s 2006 People’s Choice Awards, which means it’s your turn to vote for your favorite green business of the year. Join Co-op America at the San Francisco Green Festival on November 10 to find out who won. The top ten nominees include: Endangered Species Chocolate; Green Living Now; Harmony Art; Ideal Bite; Joe Coffee Bar; Mountains of the Moon; Numi Organic Tea; Pangea Organics; Reusablebags.com and; Ten Thousand Villages. Cast your vote! ::Co-op America’s 2006 People’s Choice Awards ...
Most Huggable
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 10.19.06
How to make your own solar-powered jack-o-lantern on Instructables… A startling list of the world’s ten most deeply polluted places… EcoRazzi and TMZ take private jet-setting eco-celebs to task over their flight patterns… A new technology from SeaVolt aims at harnessing big power from the rolling motion of the ocean… And a do-it-yourselfer harnesses the power of a local stream…...
laila b Fashion for Girls: Cute as a Re-used Button
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 10.19.06
Have you ever seen kids clothes so adorable you had to pinch anything available? Well, I had to squeeze my own arm when coming across laila b's girls' duds at the Ethical Fashion Show. Montreal-based creator Celine Bailey transforms vintage and used fabrics and clothes into smart fashion and accessories for the 4 - 16 set. What better mode of self-expression for the young and socially/fashion conscious? Tell your local kids boutique to stock laila b! Keep reading for more cuteness. ::laila b, Ethical Fashion Show...
TreeHugger Wants YOU to Start a Green Drinks in Your City. First Up: Nashville
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 10.19.06
Green Drinks is a loosely affiliated network of eco-themed gatherings happening monthly in cities around the world. It’s a chance for folks to mingle, share projects and ideas, and meet other green-minded people in their area. More than 140 cities around the world from LA to Santiago to Delhi to Tokyo have a Green Drinks (some even have more than one! Los Angeles GD lovelies pictured above) We at TreeHugger have started scheming on how to spread Green Drinks to an even wider audience. We have no official affiliation with GD (if there is such a thing), but we’re encouraging readers who don’t have a Green Drinks in their area to start one up. I’m gonna kick it off with a Nashville Green Drinks this month (first Wednesdays). Just pick a location, a date, and spread the word. And tell us about it—we want to keep track, hear your success stories, post your pics, and report on the green gossip. :: Green Drinks...
New York City: Sustainable City?
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.19.06
[This is a guest post by Steve Cohen, Executive Director of the Earth Institute and Director of the Master of Public Administration Program in Environmental Science and Policy at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University. -Ed] New York City is America’s largest and most diverse city. Its 2006 expense budget of over $50 billion makes it far and away the largest local government in the United States. While the city appeared under enormous fiscal, political and social stress from the late 1960’s to the late 1990’s, in the 21st century it has emerged as one of the safest large cities in the United States. New York is a thriving center of media and finance, and a racially and ethnically diverse place where in the 2000 census 40% of its residents reported that they were born in other nations. ...
Core77's Light Objects Design Competition: The Winners Are In
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.19.06
The results are in for Core77's Light Objects design competition! We put out a call for entries a while back; the designers were charged to not only come up with something sustainable, but push beyond merely reducing the negative impact on the planet and push the concept of lightness in every way, from material selection and reduction to objects that actively improve our environment through use. Considering these factors, Daniel Sutherland's "Pulse" was chosen as the Grand Prize Winner. Designed to monitor energy drain, "Pulse has been designed with a clear glass section running throughout its body to allow the product to glow different colours to signify specific conditions to users. It will glow red throughout these edges if there are products in the household that can be switched off to save energy. When the user touches the body it will identify the product in question onscreen," according to its inventor. Sutherland hopes that a product like Pulse will help the world at large gradually learn to monitor energy consumption and use of electrical products....
This week on TreeHugger Radio…
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 10.19.06
TH Radio number three will be hitting the universe today for your green listening pleasure. You can tune in around the country on Air America, stream or podcast the show from EcoTalk’s website, or catch it on satellite radio. This week: the Union of Concerned Scientists tells us how the climates of the Northeast states are shifting around like puzzle pieces, Innovest president Hewson Baltzell decodes the findings of the Carbon Disclosure Project, and Graham Hill reflects on this year’s NextFest and ‘just doing’ green design. Our soundtrack this week comes from Rhythms Del Mundo, the forthcoming collaborative album of gringo pop and classic Cuban sounds aimed at fighting climate change. Stay tuned for next week’s show when we’ll bring you sustainable tooth brushing, sustainable dance clubbing, and plenty more. :: EcoTalk...
Leonardo DiCaprio's New Green Reality Show
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 10.19.06
Reality TV has taken viewers down some pretty low roads, but the genre may have a shot at redemption if Leonardo DiCaprio's new eco-program E-topia finds a home on network TV. The project, which will chronicle the green renovation of a small American town, was developed by Craig Piligian (CBS' "Survivor") of Pilgrim Films and Television and Tom Mazza (NBC's "Treasure Hunters") of Madison Road Entertainment. The pair approached DiCaprio and his Appian Way production company knowing that the eco-celeb would be a perfect fit for the environmentally-themed program, and he enthusiastically agreed. All three will share co-creator and executive director roles for the program. Says Piligian of the project: "We're going to take a devastated community and help transform it as a prototype for the future…At the end of the day, we're all going to have to change the way we live, the way we burn and use fuel. ... We're trying to show the country and the world by example, town by town by town, how we can change the way we live and fight global warming." Via Showbuzz, via divine....
First Cradle-to-Cradle House Soon to Take Shape
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.19.06
Our friends at Grist have taken a peek at the first cradle-to-cradle house, which will be built in Gainsboro, Virginia (outside Roanoke) starting next month. It might not be the first place the springs to mind when considering a ground-breaking (no pun intended) architectural project, but, as author Allison Milionis writes, it may be the perfect place to prove that green can also be affordable and mainstream. The original winners, a Seattle-based team led by Matthew Coates and Tim Meldrum, were passed over (more on that here) in favor of a design that would be more economically viable and would ruffle fewer feathers in the old southern neighborhood. Says Milionis, "The result is a house that conjures images of mom and apple pie, backyard barbecues and front porch swings. There is nothing about this house that says 'gray water treatment happens here'", and that's exactly the point, according to Gregg Lewis, the C2C Home organizer (read our interview with him here). "We want to show that a green home doesn't need to cost more or look different from its neighbors," he says in the article. No matter which side of the fence you come down on about this design, cradle-to-cradle homes are a great idea, and we'll keep a keen eye on the progression of construction on the house that takes us from the cradle to the cradle. C2C Home via ::Grist...
How to Green Your Public Transportation
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 10.19.06
What’s the Big Deal?
Public Transportation, while maybe not as enjoyable as commuting in your own personal vehicle, does ease congestion, reduce emissions, and give you plenty of quality time to people watch, as well as get to know your “neighbours.” In addition, public transportation allows you to relax, read or nap during that commute instead of fighting and stressing and feeling the road rage. So, what do we mean by public transportation? Well, for this article we are focusing on buses, trains, planes and ferries/boats, whether used for the daily commute or just to get around. For those of you interested in leaving that car at home, these tips discuss the merits of public transportation as well as offer suggestions for how to expand and improve public transportation in your community.Ice Battery: Design Basis For Solar Vaccine Chiller
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.19.06
In earlier posts, Lloyd and I wrote about a fairly elegant, somewhat complex way of using ice-making capabilities to increase the overall efficiency of commercial and residential air conditioning. It is called the "Ice Bear". Using similar principles, designers sponsored by several international organizations (see below), have now come up with the "Ice Battery," a design which looks to be the product of graduates from an "un-engineering" school. It uses three 60W panels to run a direct current compressor, enabling the cooler to produce an ice bank that maintains the required temperature. This “ice battery” is used in place of an expensive electrical battery to maintain cooling when the sun goes down. So simple is it, that it provokes the immediate response 'why didn't they think of this before?' From the linked website: - "Greenpeace International, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organisation (WHO), GTZ Proklima, Programmes for Appropriate Technologies in Health (PATH) and the Danish Technological Institute have championed the Solar Chill project, which has developed a solar powered refrigeration system to store vaccines in areas without electricity. Lack of dependable electricity supplies is a main reason for the spoiling of vaccines before they can be used." We tip our hat especially to Greenpeace on this one, having recently roasted them a bit on a computer ranking regime. Cool alternative energy design is obviously their strong set....
TH Blog Love – Our Favourite Greens Of The Week
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 10.19.06
Grist: EOphilia by David Roberts
'E.O. Wilson chats about his new book on the intersection of science and religion. In 1967, E.O. Wilson coauthored the book that founded island biogeography, a new field of scientific study. He could have retired then with a distinguished record.'
Inhabitat: Wind Shaped Kinetic Pavilion by Evelyn
‘Fusing art, architecture, and renewable energy, California-based Michael Jantzen’s Wind Shaped Pavilion is literally head-turning. The pavilion is a proposal for a large fabric structure that rotates in segments around a central support frame, generating enough electricity as it moves to light the pavilion at night.’...
Trailerwrap: Converting Trailers into Liveable Spaces
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.19.06
TrailerWrap "explores the potential for providing affordable housing through the adaptive re-use of existing mobile homes". And a lovely design it is, with deep overhangs and clean modernist design. What it is not is "an adaptive re-use of an existing mobile home"- it is like those "renovations" where one bit of wall or foundation is retained to keep it from being classed as new construction but everything is new. All they keep is the chassis (which looks like a rusty wreck) and build new on top of it. And it is not a trailer- it appears to exceed the height and the width rules that would permit it to be transported on the roads,which kind of defines the word "trailer". We also suspect that it is not "simple, affordable kit that can be assembled easily by just a few people". We worry about the pictures of the demolition- old trailers are full of toxic mould and mousecrap and they are doing it in the middle of a park without masks or googles. Surely one of the benefits of it being a trailer is that you can haul it somewhere where its materials can be recycled or dealt with safely. If the original point of trailers is that they can be built efficiently in a factory, why would you renovate it in a park? We are impressed by the initiative of the students and faculty at University of Colorado at Boulder College of Architecture and Planning and the sponsors who helped, but wish it was a more realistic solution.....::TrailerWrap via ::MocoLoco and ::Josh Spear...
How Green is Google?
by Eric Kane, New York, NY on 10.19.06
A quick look through TreeHugger’s archives will yield numerous stories about Google’s efforts to address sustainability. The company's impressive array of environmental initiatives, including a recent plan for a massive solar installation at is campus, would lead most readers to believe that Google is emerging as model of sustainability. However, an article in Tuesday’s New York Times may present a different view of how much Google’s founders truly value environmental sustainability. The article is about a growing trend among the ultra rich to purchase jumbo jets for private use. Although the article focuses on the growing market for customized private 757, 767, and 777 jets, it happens to mention that Goolge founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, are among those who partake in this entirely unsustainable indulgence. The two internet billionaires purchased a used 767, and spent millions to convert it into a private jet. To provide some context, a 767 burns roughly 7,000 gallons of jet fuel on a trip between New York and San Francisco. In general, its difficult to determine the company’s motivation for its sustainability initiatives, but this certainly suggests that Google may be more interested in public relations than becoming a true model of sustainability. ...
Solar "Membranes" Cover NJ Shop
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 10.19.06
In Elmwood Park, New Jersey, the KTS Machine Shop is reportedly producing 100 percent of its electrical energy with building-integrated photovoltaic "membranes." The shop is the guinea pig for renewable energy firm Open Energy Corporation's first installation of SolarSave Roofing Membranes since receiving UL approval and Class A fire rating. To create a 25-kilowatt system, the building uses 56 membranes, which are completely waterproof, UV stabilized, low maintenance, and hail and wind resistant, says the manufacturer. Even better: A 20-year warranty covers roof material and energy performance. The membranes also recently took home the Cool Product Award from the Pacific Coast Building Show. This is not the first time this firm has hit our radar: Check out the Suncone, a prototype solar collector here. ::Open Energy Corporation via ::Officeinsight...
Wallchart Mania
by Bonnie Alter, London on 10.19.06
Wallchart mania has hit the newspapers here. For the past few months, at least two newspapers, with others on and off, have been competing to provide readers with charts on subjects such as: butterflies, octopus, squid and cuttlefish, spiders, trees of Britain, birds of prey and owls, crabs and lobsters, clouds, seashells, whales, freshwater fish, sea fish, fungi, the night sky, wild fruits and berries, tomatoes and apples. And that’s just my collection. Now the papers are flooded with letters to the editor about what to do with the charts: mount them in the bathroom, the pub, the ceiling, make wrapping paper, postcards, placemats, earrings, and mobiles. And why are they a subject for Treehugger? Because the charts celebrate the wonder and diversity of nature in our world. They make us look at the simple things that we take for granted, like the humble tomato and realise the range (32 of them, just on the chart) and colours and shapes and tastes contained in this one vegetable. How many of us can recognise a cleg fly, or lesser stag beetle or great diving beetle, or a devil’s coach horse. It’s a lesson for us all to stop and take a deep breath and observe. :: The Guardian...
Pace University Hosts International Environmental Law Colloquium
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 10.19.06
It's a big week for major conferences of environmental and sustainability professionals. Yesterday, we gave a brief nod to the Solar Power 2006 conference in San Jose, California; on the other side of the US, environmental lawyers, legal scholars, business people, politicians and representatives of NGOs from around the world are meeting in White Plains, New York for the 4th IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Colloquium at Pace University's School of Law. This year's colloquium focuses on enforcement of and compliance with environmental law, and participants hope to develop a framework for using current international and national laws to address growing environmental concerns. The conference agenda (in PDF) is packed full of sessions aimed at discussing both carrot and stick approaches to legal enforcement and regulatory compliance, and luminaries such as UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan, and Pace Professor of Environmental Law and Co-Director of the Pace Environmental Litigation Clinic Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., have spoken or will speak to attendees. The week wraps up with a field trip to the United Nations for plenary sessions with judges, ambassadors and legal experts considering "The Importance of Environmental Compliance to Sustainable Development." While many might consider a gathering of lawyers as something to avoid, we imagine that this meeting of representatives from 45 countries and 75 law schools will produce, at the very least, some innovative approaches to making the most of environmental laws already on the books. ::Pace Law School Hosts the 4th IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Colloquium ...
North American Peak Iron Is Now: - What Is The Real Recycling Rate Number?
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.19.06
Per this article in Scientific American, which was written based on a publication in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA: - “…Daniel Müller of Yale University and his colleagues derived the first estimates of the total stock of iron in use and elsewhere in the U.S.” They have estimated “that between 1900 and 2004 the U.S. has brought into use 3.2 billion metric tons of iron." Reminding us of an earlier post on copper sustainability, the authors concluded that what exists, as iron in product, is similar to the amount of iron left in the ground as ore. Notably, the remaining ore in North America is generally of lower grade than what was historically mined and smelted, and therefore will only be reduced to iron at a relatively higher cost in energy and C02 emissions. The report also states that “U.S. per capita demand for steel has stabilized at roughly 12 metric tons since 1980...” While “77 million metric tons of iron leave use every year,…only 57 million metric tons reach the recycling stage (and only 42 million metric tons make it back into use)”.
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Cut Solar Subsidies?
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 10.19.06
Does Vinod Khosla, the famous venture capitalist, think solar power doesn't need the economic crutch of subsidies? In a recent news report, he says, "I'm not asking for subsidies, I'm saying we'll compete...The solar industry is poised for breakaway growth, not because it's cleaner (in terms of carbon emissions), but because it's cheaper,"*. Subsidies can repress a market as much as they appear to help. They create a sense that there is no need to compete on even ground with competition (coal in this case). In reality, alternative energy needs to be cheaper. Taking away subsidies might just be the push solar power needs to move the technology to the next level. An interesting exercise is comparing the removal of subsidies in solar to the removal of subsidies from New Zealand agriculture.
(Updated Oct. 20)::* Concerns have been raised as to the contextual issues regarding Vinod's quote above, for perhaps a more accurate reading of what is on Vinod's mind, please see the comments, and associated links....
Computer Recycling In Italy
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 10.18.06
Happened across this story on Italy’s e-waste dilemma. It suggests that the country has 6.7 million computer users, yet recycles only about 15% of their used and obsolete devices, which totals around 107,000 tons of electric and electronic waste that Italy produces annually. The bulk of which finds it way into landfill or simply gathers dust in an attic or storage. The Ecoqual'It Consortium, involved in the collection and resale of secondhand electronics believe the churn in computers is increasing. “Not so long ago, a personal computer had a useful life of about 10 years, but today, a four-year-old computer is considered obsolete.” And they suggest the price of a new machine is so low these days, there is not enough difference compared to that of a pre-loved or refurbished model. (Can relate to this problem - at the reuse centre where I spend the daylight hours, we’ve had a perfectly good iMac on sale for weeks, at just $80.) ...
The TH Interview: Gregor Barnum, Seventh Generation Director of Corporate Consciousness
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 10.18.06
Gregor Barnum is the Director of Corporate Consciousness at Seventh Generation, leading marketers of natural, non-toxic cleaning products and other household goods. Gregor holds a Masters Degree from Yale Divinity School with a focus on ethics. He is a firm believer in rethinking the way we do business, creating institutions that are actually a force for good. He kindly agreed to talk to TreeHugger about the work that Seventh Generation have been doing on envisioning the future of the company. In this interview he shares his thoughts on ethics, organisational change, biomimicry and green consumerism. We also learn a little more about what makes him tick as a person.
This interview was exerpted on TreeHugger Radio number 2, which aired October 12th on Air America’s EcoTalk. To hear the show, and others, visit EcoTalk.net.
TreeHugger: We understand that Seventh Generation have been really busy with something called Unfolding the Future. Tell us a little about this project....
Alternative Energy: When Lightning Strikes
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 10.18.06
We've all witnessed the raw power Mother Nature can produce during a summer shower. And even before Mary Shelley's Dr. Frankenstein, scientists have sought to harness it—with limited success. Now, Alternative Energy Holdings plans to be the first company to tap into the natural energy produced by a thunderstorm. The company says it has successfully developed a prototype which can collect power from the ground area surrounding a strike. This power can then be converted into electricity and sold through existing power grids. In 2007, during the peak lighting months of July and August, the company plans to test a mobile full-scale lightning farm. On average, a lighting bolt carries one million kilowatts of electrical energy. When a significant amount of each strike is harvested over a period of four to seven years, the company says, a lightning farm could produce and sell electricity at $0.005 per kilowatt hour. This price, substantially lower than current market value, also comes without the environmental consequences most energy sources carry. Thanks tipster John Laumer. ::Alternative Energy Holdings Image copyright 2003-2006 Dan Pollock...
TreeHugger Picks: Solar Chargers
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.18.06
Solar power holds its own as one of a host of TreeHugger's favorite alternative energy technologies; unfortunately, it's still a little on the cost-prohibitive side for most people to implement on a larger scale (like with a flock of panels on the roof, for example). On a smaller scale, however, solar-powered chargers have arrived, giving us all a way to cut back on power consumption while enjoying the benefits of cell phones, laptop computers, PDAs, iPods and more. Here are some of our picks for solar chargers.
1) One charger from Solar Style will power your mp3 player, digital camera, cell phone and more (and Solar Style has lots more designs, too).
2) We can't think "solar charger" without thinking of the slick Solio -- check out our hands-on review.
3) The Soldius1 uses a mysterious technology called Maximum Solar Power Tracking to charge a mobile phone in just 2 to 3 hours.
4) This foldable charger is small enough to fit in most backpacks and laptop bags, and powerful enough to juice up your laptop, PDA, GPS and more; it'll even power up rechargable batteries.
5) Solar bags are great for multi-tasking gadget-lovers; we're especially fond of the Voltaic backpack -- read Bruce Sterling's review to see if it's right for you....
Solar Bud: Garden & Path Lighting from Luceplan
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.18.06
"Organic Minimalist" Ross Lovegrove's designs have found their way to these pages several times before; his Orbit Chair, Bamboo bike, never-go-blunt ceramic razor and solar car prototype are all examples of the industrial designers' TreeHugging designs. He's done some designing for lighting manufacturer Luceplan (we've featured their Artificial Natural Light) that has resulted in more TreeHugger-friendly products. One example is the Solar Bud, a handy garden lamp that needs no wires. Stuck in the ground in a place that gets some sun, the lamp uses sensors to detect when darkness falls, and automatically switches on three high power red LEDs. Entirely solar powered, the Solar Bud saves both on energy and installation: no need for electricity, no need for wiring, and we think it'd go particularly well with the Solar Address Light. Available from ::Surrounding via ::Futureproof/ed...
Renewable Energy Art Contest for Kids
by Celine Ruben-Salama, New York, NY on 10.18.06
Here’s one for the kids. The Eleventh National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference provides an excellent opportunity to get the next generation excited about renewable energy, in the form of an art content. Open to students K-8th grades across the country, the artwork should include images and/or themes that relate to clean energy and renewable resources (biomass, geothermal, "small" hydro, sun, and wind)....
live|work: Service My Stomach
by Tamara Giltsoff, United Kingdom on 10.18.06
This week’s post is as much about drawing attention to a new UK food service “If-food?”, and eliciting feedback on it, as it is advertising the need for a business partner in the venture. So, if this idea resonates with you and you are the type that can run with and take a new business venture to market (maybe you’ve done it before or you know someone who would be perfect), please get in touch via email. This venture is in prototype phase.
If-food? goes a step beyond the organic fruit and veg home delivery box and seeks to close the gap between an increasing demand for organic AND locally produced food and the need to make sustainable food accessible to a wider (and eventually mass) market, ie, those of us that do not have the time or creative skill to cook seasonally inspired dinners from a veggie box each week. ...
Eating Meat and Drinking Milk…From Clones?
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 10.18.06
Yesterday, the Washington Post reported that the FDA is poised to endorse marketing of the cloning of animals for public consumption. “Farmers and companies that have been growing cloned barnyard animals from single cells in anticipation of a lucrative market say cloning will bring consumers a level of consistency and quality impossible to attain with conventional breeding, making perfectly marbled beef and reliably lean and tasty pork the norm on grocery shelves,” the story states. And although cloning could solve a number of long-standing farm problems, many think it’s a huge public relations campaign. Surveys show that more than 60% of the U.S. population is uncomfortable with the idea of animal cloning for food and milk but after thorough evaluation, reports indicate that the food from cloned animals is as safe as the food we eat every day. The decision is expected by the end of this year. Read the full story Via ::Washington Post...
The Audi R-Zero Electric Wet Dream
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 10.18.06
There’s not a lot to say about the Audi R-Zero. Tell you the truth, I’m not even sure it’s much more than a fantasy. But everyone needs some EV eyecandy now and again, and since you can’t look at naughty pictures at the office, go nuts. The R-Zero is an electric muscle car that came from the minds of three students at France’s International School of Design. Four in-wheel motors would give this car a top speed of 286 mph, 1091 horsepower, and 0-62 in 3 seconds. The real question is: when’s the head-to-head between the Wrightspeed, the Tesla, and the R-Zero? :: Audi R-Zero flash site, Mobile Magazine via Hugg (Linton)...
Bluevelo Velomobiles
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.18.06
Given TreeHugger's penchant for bicycles (have an hour to kill? Type "bicycle" into the search field and have at it), tricycles, quadcycles and other human-powered alternatives to internal combustion, it's a wonder that we haven't featured more velomobiles. With three wheels, a protective canopy, additional storage space and power assistance, they're sort of a bicycle-car hybrid (bicycar? carycle? Okay, velomobile is better) that look like they'd fill in admirably for the traditional carbon-spewing, gas-hogging four-wheelers in many situations. Bluevelo, Canada's first velomobile dealer, thinks so, too, and have a handful of models and options to fit various styles and riding needs; the two pictured above are the sleek Go-One3 (left) and the rag-top Versatile (right). Based in Ontario (with representatives in Toronto and Wasaga Beach), their velomobiles come with a variety of configurable options, including an electric drive-train assist, suspension, lighting and even an electric horn. For those within a stone's throw of Toronto, Bluevelo offers test rides, daily and weekly rentals; they have a physical space and showroom coming soon. ::Bluevelo via ::Hippyshopper...
Heating Up For Climate Realism: Europe Plots Design and Labeling Standards for Energy Efficiency
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.18.06
Trade publications and financial news sources are taking note of the European Commission’s efforts to create energy efficiency standards by 2007. Announced after Al Gore's hero's welcome to Brussels, Europe has made clear that under a voluntary agreement with industries, 14 priority products, including computers, stereo systems, washing machines, lights, air-conditioning, and boilers, will be designed with a focus on conserving energy. The European Executive Commission, author of the draft standard, says the new rules could save 180 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions by 2010, and put EU nations ‘on course for a 20 per cent energy saving by 2020’. The Commission will monitor industry's progress towards agreeing on common standards. It can threaten to impose energy efficient criteria later. "The Commission will prepare studies on the improvements we need to make," EU Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs told a news conference. "By the second half of 2007, we should be able to adopt the first eco-design requirements for products." The Energy Commissioner has stated, "special attention will be devoted to standby loss reduction," to which we respond ‘about time.’...
All Terrain Cabin
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.18.06
Take an easy-to handle 20' ISO container frame. Outfit it with folding walls and the best in Canadian design. "The result is as smart as it is efficient, suitable for a family of four and a pet to live off the grid in comfort and contemporary style. It travels by train, truck, ship, airplane or helicopter, folded up and indistinguishable from any ordinary shipping container. Once it arrives, it unfolds rapidly to 480sf of self-contained, sophisticated living space with all the comforts of home." It is an exhibition piece rather than a real living space,-" Its main purpose is to raise awareness internationally of Canadian capabilities, not just for Canada’s sake, but for the sake of those who want to learn from us about how to live softly, smartly, and stylishly on this shared planet." Nicely done. ::Bark ATC via ::MocoLoco...
A Natural Umbrella Stand
by Bonnie Alter, London on 10.18.06
Here’s a planter that doubles as an umbrella stand. And it recycles the raindrops too. The flowers are watered by the run-off from the umbrella. The steel frame acts as a support for the growing plants whilst offering umbrella storage at the same time. The problem is where to keep it: outside where the plants get light but the brollie gets stolen...or inside in a window. The stands and pots can be purchased separately so you can add more plants once you’ve found the perfect spot for it. Or more hangers when you’ve more umbrellas to store. :: Steven Cheetham via :: London Design Festival...
The Prius of Boating: the Baylis Hybrid
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.18.06
This TreeHugger grew up on a sailboat, and had to read this twice to figure it out. The New York Times says "Like a hybrid car,the....vessel can use two means of propulsion. Equipped with sails and a diesel engine, it uses lightweight construction, efficient airfoil shapes and a streamlined hull". which sounds to me like a description of just about every sailboat over 20' long in North America. It has an un-stayed (no wires) mast with a wishbone rig, just like my dad's Nonsuch 30 from 25 years ago, and calls the rig "virtually self -tending", which they told my dad too, but I remember a big sail with a lot of mainsheet and I tended. The "composite hull" of fiberglass and balsa core is hardly new, and the airfoil shaped rudder and keel? When in the last millenium were they not? All the energy saving benefits and virtues seem to exist only in comparison to commercial diesel boats without sails, whereas people have always and continue to do research (and fish) from sailboats, many with diesel engines. Nice looking, efficient sailboat, reimagined for commercial use? Sure. "Hybrid" or "Prius of the Seas"? Hardly. ::New York Times...
Smart Cars doing Dumb Things
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.18.06
Smart Cars are pretty popular in Canada, but they still turn heads. All kinds of people are using them as marketing tools, and in the current local elections some are using them as the prop-du-jour to grab the green vote. Carolyn Parrish, tossed out of the last federal government for, among other things, stomping on a George Bush voodoo doll on TV, is running for a local City Council and tools around in one, promoting her environmental concern. Others use them in more credible and clever ways.
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LA Community College Going Off the Grid
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 10.18.06
This news appears to be so new that the Los Angeles Community College District hasn't even posted a press release at the time of this writing. According to a CBS affiliate in LA, though, the nine-campus district announced a major commitment to renewable energy generation at the Solar Power 2006 conference yesterday: each campus will have a big enough solar panel array "...to make the campuses self-sufficient and take them 'off the power grid":...
Schwinn's New Line of Electric Bikes
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 10.17.06
Do not attempt to adjust your monitor, this is really a picture of an electric bike. Schwinn’s new electric bikes are probably the slickest and most smoothly integrated set of power-assisted velocipedes we’ve yet seen. Schwinn teamed up with Protanium Inc. to develop a whole series of rides in different configurations (the Streamline pictured above), all of which employ lithium polymer batteries and in-hub motors, both well concealed....
AFP Covers The Ethical Fashion Show: "Potatoes, pineapples to dress environmentally-minded fashionistas"
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 10.17.06
All coverage is good coverage? We love that the AFP has told the world about the Ethical Fashion Show, and especially the use of unique fibers like pineapple leaf. In fact, later this week TreeHugger will podcast an interview with article-referenced designer Grace Trance. It's just sort of a bummer that of ALL the clothes on the runway, most of the photos accompanying the story are of those the average mainstream consumer is least likely to wear... ::Yahoo! News, Grace Trance...
Most Huggable
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 10.17.06
Forget living roofs, future generations of green homes may not be constructed at all, but could grow out of the ground… Sneakers that can keep up. Inchworms are resizable shoes for young, growing feet… EV World goes to the North American Bike show and brings back the buzz… After two decades, Iceland tests the waters and rules to resume commercial whale hunting… Satellite images show areas of Saharan Africa becoming more leafy and green as forests repopulate the dessert…...
SunPower's New Super-Efficient Solar Panels
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.17.06
We knew solar power had a bright future after watching this video of a speech by Dr. Richard Swanson, President and CTO of SunPower; the company is now walking its talk. Their recently-unveiled 22-percent-efficient (many commercial-ready solar panels are between 7 and 17 percent efficient) Gen 2 solar cells that carry a rated power output of 315 watts; SunPower's previous best was 220 watts. The new panels are on display this week at the Solar Power 2006 Conference and Expo in San Jose, CA. The new design incorporates 96 of SunPower's Gen 2 solar cells that offer improved panel efficiency through a combination of enhanced cell architecture and improved packing density. Compared with conventional solar panels, the new SPR-315 allows customers to generate up to 50 percent more power per square foot of roof area with half as many panels. If all goes as planned, you'll be able to add them to your roof in Spring 2007. ::SunPower via ::Hugg and jiltedcitizen...
Ethical Fashion Show: What Next?
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 10.17.06
Reporting on an event you're involved with (even if tangentially) is just awkward. I'll tell you how we were involved and what worked, but also do the obligatory dishing -- the type of constructive, future-thinking harping that we at TreeHugger have to do so you know we're not just eco-hypsters. ...
Eco Chair and Vuw Stool from Voxia
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.17.06
We covered some of Voxia's other furniture back when TreeHugger was but a shrub; the Oto chair and NXT chair are straight-up TreeHugger classics. Sexy design, sustainable materials and manufacturing -- it doesn't get much better than that, so we're glad to find more from Voxia. The Eco chair (left) and Vuw stool (right) are both made from bent birch plywood sourced from sustainably-managed forests near the production plant, which is rotary cut into peeled veneer, so as to use the whole tree trunk. Because they're made by pressure-bending the wood, they use about 1/8th the wood of conventional furniture, and they're both stackable, thanks to their smart design. Voxia is eco-cool, all the way around. ::Voxia, available at ::Futureproof/ed via ::Fabulously Green...
Russia's New Environmentalist? The Kremlin
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 10.17.06
As if taking a cue from its green-wannabe neighbor, the Russian government has lately started to use its strong-arm tactics to protect the environment. In the most visible case, the Kremlin is parroting concerns that local environmentalists have made for years about two offshore oil projects around near-pristine Sakhalin Island, along the Siberian coast. While the government's real motives in blocking Exxon Mobil's and Shell's projects probably have more to do with recovering billions of dollars than with recovering precious forest and water life potentially damaged by the world's largest oil and gas field, the Kremlin's effort may do much to protect the region in the future, even though drilling will happen one way or another. It sounds like the deputy director of the state's environmental watchdog agency is learning a lot about oil drilling. '“We signed a deal with the company to drill for oil and gas... Cutting trees in a nature preserve is something else, excuse me.”'...
Documenting Arborgeddon
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.17.06
Those who've recently checked out our post on the Buffalo NY USA 'climate disaster' will have seen the powerful testimony offered by our commentors. This reminded us of Buffalo's refound status as a clean-green place to live. So, we contacted a few local readers for some photos and were alerted to Buffalo Rising On-line, where you'll find a 30+ slideshow of post-storm conditions. As the above photograph from BuffaloRising evidences, "Arbor-Geddon" is not hyperbole. Now hear this Buffalo: you wear safety shoes and a shielded helmet when you chain saw; and no climbing or repositioning with the engine running. We TreeHuggers have to look out for one another....
Big Stone II Coal Plant: Big Mistake
by Union of Concerned Scientists on 10.17.06
Seven regional utility companies are planning on building a new coal power plant – Big Stone II – in South Dakota, just across the Minnesota border. The utilities are selling the project as a cost-effective means of producing new power. But the numbers do not add up.
The utilities recently announced that the capital costs of the project would increase by 50 percent to $1.8 billion. And this new figure does not include the cost of new federal laws, likely to be enacted in the next five years, which will target coal power plants to reduce global warming pollution. These new laws will change the economics of power generation. According to an analysis sponsored by the Union of Concerned Scientists and three Minnesota groups, the most likely climate regulations would increase the cost of energy coming from Big Stone II by 37 to 46 percent. That comes out to an average additional cost of $86 million per year....
Beklina Stocks Passenger Pigeon Clothing Online
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 10.17.06
Fans of the Canadian fashion label Passenger Pigeon who haven’t been able to get to Toronto of late will be glad to hear that the online eco-fashion store Beklina is now stocking their clothes. Passenger Pigeon uses organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, ecospun and tencel fabrics. Beklina are particularly enthused by their screen printed wrap dress made from 40% bamboo and 60% cotton which you can accessorize beautifully with their pretty hemp and cotton granny bags. Oh it’s just getting easier and easier to be a stylish eco-babe! :: Beklina :: Passenger Pigeon...
Planet Bean: Serving Cafe Femenino
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.17.06
While wandering the streets of Guelph, Ontario, we were overwhelmed by the smell of roasting coffee, coming out of the door of Planet Bean, a local Small-Mart fair trade organic coffee roaster, operating out of one of Guelph's many charming old stone commercial buildings. They introduced us to a new twist: Cafe Femenino, an initiative of some of the poorest women in Peru. It involves them growing their own coffee, keeping it separate from other coffee and keeping the revenue generated through its sale in their own hands. "This is remarkable since these Peruvian women would normally be passive and marginalized by the men around them" commented Bill Barrett of Planet Bean Coffee. "They live in isolated homes, cook over open fires, carry their water, look after children, work their farms and are under the control of their husbands. Women in these rural areas are said to be at a 70% risk of sexual assault. They have few resources, no support network limited education and no control over the household income." ...
Google Ends Search For Corporate Alternative Energy Source
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.17.06
Via EarthTimes.org: - headquarters of "Google Inc. will soon become one of the largest solar powered corporate office complexes in the U.S. by building a solar-powered electricity system at its Silicon Valley..." campus. This comes as no surprise to our regular readers. Reportedly, Google bought its new "Googleplex" campus for $319 million, where it is installing solar panels with a generation capacity of 1.6 megawatts, enough to supply about 30% of projected use at the administrative complex. C02 emissions reduction from the project is projected to be 3.6 million pounds/year (equivalent to 4.28 million car miles/year). "Pasadena-based EI Solutions, that forms a part of a high-tech incubator headed by entrepreneur Bill Gross, is handling the project". If anyone wants to keep track of the project, all they have to do is perform a google satellite map search...unless, of course, a security Dalek declares it off limits. For a 3-D view of the project look below the fold....
Green Wombat: Blogs Get Even More Specialized
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.17.06
A couple of years ago, TreeHugger seemed pretty specialized, focusing on such a narrow subject as green lifestyle. Now there are specialty subset green blogs for gadgets, clothing and green business sites like Triple Pundit; there is a blog for every interest, no matter how narrow. Time Warner's Business 2.0 blog, which we follow and enjoy, is re-arming itself with multiple warheads covering more specialized subjects, including Green Wombat, covering " the intersection of the environment, technology, business and policy." Another site, Seen and Not Seen, covers design. One gets its name from an endangered species; the other from a Talking Heads song. Oh, to have been a fly on the wall at that pitch. Can Time-Warner beat up TriplePundit and TreeHugger? We'll see. ::Green Wombat...
European Eco-Label T-Shirts at Buenos Aires’ Falabella
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 10.17.06
It’s really hard to find green labels in clothing here in Buenos Aires, so we were pleased to see the European Eco-Label while shopping at department store Falabella (in Florida Street, downtown). The t-shirts porting it were from the brand Basement -developed by the store-, which (according to the tag) are made from 50% Lenzing-Modal and 50% cotton. Even though we’ve featured some posts about modal in the past, it’s worth mentioning that modal is a registered trademark of Austrian company Lenzing, which produces this fiber exclusively of beech wood originated from sustainable managed forests in Austria and neighboring countries through a production that warrantees high utilization of the raw material, and is fully biodegradable. Unfortunately, Falabella doesn’t have an online catalogue for the t-shirts, but if you find yourself shopping around Buenos Aires in a holiday sometime, keep in mind the store's address: Florida 343/202. The Basement tees with the Eco-Label cost around 35 pesos (about 12 US dollars). ::Falabella Argentina ::Lenzing Modal...
Michigan Elementary School, Utility, Wrangle Over Wind Turbines
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 10.17.06
While wind turbines are spinning away at some schools in the Midwest, the blades on windmills at Pigeon, Michigan's Laker Elementary School are locked. Utility Detroit Edison (DTE) claims that the grid-connected turbines don't meet "safety and reliability standards," and has given Laker's school board two options to unlock the blades:
Under one option, the school would disconnect three 65-kilowatt windmills there from DTE's electrical grid, and the turbines would only operate when power is needed at the elementary school and a junior-senior high school building next door. ... Under the second option, the school would pay $180,000 to upgrade its equipment and DTE equipment to be able to operate the turbines on the utility's electrical grid, and then be paid back for a percentage of the excess power the turbines generate....
Wave Power Update: Retrospective
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 10.17.06
Treehugger has been following wave power generation closely (see here, here, here, here or if you'r feeling up to it, just type 'wave' in the search). In recent news you might have heard that Oregon increasingly looks like it will be the first place in the U.S. to seriously go after this energy resource. I applaud the effort, and would like to take this chance to quickly run down a list of the steps taken by the industry leaders in the past year to harness the power of the wave....
BARK CLOTH: easily available Eco Material from Germany
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 10.17.06
After cork fabric, bamboo textiles and corn-based fabric we’d like to introduce BARK CLOTH, which, like its name suggests is made from the bark of Mutuba trees from eco-certified farms in Uganda.
You might have come across BARK CLOTH on a catwalk, seen it light up as a lamp shade or sat on it covering a car seat. The possibilities are endless as this metamorphosing cloth is between a textile and wood. Textures range from fleece- to leather-like and it can be moulded.
The even better news is that BARK CLOTH is 100% organic, not having undergone any textile agents or other chemical treatment during manufacturing. The cloth comes in various sizes (average: 2 x 3 meters), thicknesses and natural tones. The hand-made Patchwork variety is standardised 1.5 x 2.8 meters and won the iF Design Award in 2005. A sister product is BARKTEX, a refined version of BARK CLOTH which has undergone certain treatments with wood, leather agents, dyes, varnishes and coating.
So get creative with this 100% biodegradable material with a million faces. ::BARK CLOTH...
Make Hay launch Green Hosting in the UK
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 10.16.06
For those of you running websites in the UK you’ll be pleased to here that the ethical e-media company Make Hay have recently launched a green hosting service. Green-hosting.co.uk is powered by 100% wind power and offers three hosting packages starting from £10 a month. ‘The servers, routers and data centres are all powered by this renewable energy source via the purchase of 'Green-e' energy certificates.’ Make Hay explains: ‘The certificates show that clean electricity has been bought by our provider and that it covers 100% of their power use. When the wind is blowing, wind farms local to the servers and data centres generate electricity. That electricity is 'tagged' for the use of our provider and sent to the grid.’ While Green Hosting and Make Hay are based in the UK the wind power is actually being provided by wind turbines in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US. We not sure why it’s not possible to use the wind blowing across the British Isles, but we are glad there’s an opportunity to make our online dealings greener than before. Make Hay design and manage websites for ethical businesses such as Ethical Weddings. They also started the Make Noise online community which seeks to raise the profiles of ethical and environmental businesses. :: Green Hosting :: Make Hay...
Most Huggable
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 10.16.06
Audi’s R-Zero concept car is a French-designed electric supercar that could make even the Tesla nervous… The nomadic Snail Shell System is rolling, floating, home thingy with its own ambient soundtrack… The chorus of hydrogen fuel-cell dissenters may be growing, is it really “insane”… The market for organic and fair trade foods in the UK is booming and showing no signs of slowing down… Chicago’s Morton Arboretum exhibits sustainable design that the trees can be proud of…...
Venice Welcomes First Solar-Powered Vaporetto
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 10.16.06
Venice recently welcomed a new solar-powered vaporetto to the Grand Canal. Owned and operated by the Bauer Hotel Group, the B mare shuttle boat is powered by solar energy collected on the roof of the boat. The vaporetto is not only emission free, it is also very quiet and does not produce troublesome waves - each of which are important issues on the Venetian canals. According to Family Travel Forum the "components of the shuttle boat require no external lubrication, do not have combustible parts and require no battery maintenance besides a change of battery once every seven years."
Among the places in the world that will experience a major impact from global warming, Venice may be the leading candidate for most threatened. The rise in water levels would cause unfathomable damage to the delicate city. Our hats off to B mare developers Posidonia Srl and MW-Line SA for bringing this CO2 emission-free transport to the canals of Venice....
Ekoladan in Stockholm: Organic Greens To Your Door
by Celine Ruben-Salama, New York, NY on 10.16.06
Tech-savvy Stockholm residents can streamline their weekly shopping routine and save time by subscribing to their organic fruits and veggies online. The company Ekoladan (The Organic Box) provides this subscription service. Set up your account online to receive home delivery of organic fruits and veggies either weekly or every other week. Customers can choose from small or large veggie box, fruit box, mixed box or basics box. Prices range from 180-225 SEK ($24-30) which includes sales tax and delivery. ...
TreeHugger+Slate Looking for T-Shirt Sponsor
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.16.06
TreeHugger is working with Slate on a very cool project called The Slate Green Challenge. It will start in the next couple of weeks and run into December. It will help people reduce their carbon emissions over that time. We are looking for an organic T-shirt company to donate 500 t-shirts that will go to the first 500 people to have completed the challenge. The sponsor would recieve promotion over this time via Slate.com and TreeHugger.
Please email meaghan at treehugger dot com if your company would be interested or if you have any suggestions. Thanks!...
Grease Not Gas: Snowboarding & Rock 'N Rolling for SVO
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.16.06
The guys at Grease Not Gas are out to show how easy, simple and fun running cars on SVO (straight veggie oil) and WVO (waste veggie oil) can be. Originally founded to create a diesel-to-oil how-to DVD, their project has grown, through collaborations with Snowboarder Magazine and MTV, into a full-fledged documentary movie detailing the ins and outs of the renewable energy. They're on a nationwide tour with the band Piebald, who're traveling 18,000 miles around the US, powered by SVO and WVO. Starting in Los Angeles, they've been to New York, Seattle, Florida and back at an average cost of four cents per mile (they've had to buckle and buy some petro diesel a few times). The project features video podcasts of their adventures, and will soon have web forums, so they and their website visitors can chat about what they're up to. We love to see alternative and renewable energy coming together with music, film, sports and TV to help spread the good word to a large, new audience. Good luck, guys! See also: TH Interview with Robin Charron about converting from diesel to SVO/WVO. ::Grease Not Gas via ::Eco-Chick...
Al Gore Wins a Quill Award for An Inconvenient Truth Book
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.16.06
Al Gore's multimedia climate-change barnstorming rolls on; his latest conquest, winning a Quill Book Award for the book version of An Inconvenient Truth, was announced late last week. The hardcover version of his slideshow won in the history, current events and politics category. The Quills are significant, in this case, at least, because they're chosen through an online vote by the public, rather than by critics; nominees for the awards are chosen by 6,000 US booksellers and librarians. Just a year old, the awards are designed to promote literacy and gain recognition for nominated authors; we can only hope this will also foster more recognition for the film, the DVD and those who will learn the presentation themselves and take it on the road, around the country. The Quill Book Awards will be broadcast on NBC in the US on October 28. ::The Quill Book Awards via ::BBC...
'City of Fallen Branches,' Buffalo NY USA, Breaks All-Time Record with Early Snow Storm
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.16.06
This is in memorial to the fallen and broken trees of Buffalo New York, USA, a community once known as the "City of Trees." Now, according to the Buffalo News:-- "Less than three weeks removed from summer's waning days, a thundering lake-effect snowstorm blitzed Buffalo Niagara on Thursday, knocking out power to more than 100,000 homes, felling large trees and creating havoc for travelers. ... Trees still carrying their autumn leaves became too heavy with snow and their branches crashed to the ground, damaging homes, cars and power lines". A report just heard on National Public Radio indicated that 'nearly every tree was damaged'. Great opportunity for denialists to offer 'So much for global warming?' type comments. But we hope they will at least consider that this is the earliest lake-effect snow ever for Buffalo and the region, certainly coming under the category of 'climatic extreme.' And climate extremes, more frequent and more intense storms, for example, are what climate change is all about.
=== update below the fold...
Michael Pollan on Tainted Spinach
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.16.06
It has been depressing, following the tainted spinach news; if I see one more cartoon about kids saying "take me to McDonald's, it is safer" I will retch. In Sunday's New York Times, Michael Pollan dissects the issue with the skill of a surgeon. He points out that we do not need to get our spinach in a sealed bag shipped across the continent, but that we can look our farmer in the eye and learn to trust the source of our food. That e.coli contamination is not a fact of life that needs hi-tech radiation and bleach but a byproduct of industrial agriculture and feedlot farming of cows. That centralized food production is a dangerously precarious system vulnerable to accidental-and deliberate- contamination. If there was ever a reason to eat local, this is it. ::New York Times...
Abagil: Hummus That’s Organic
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 10.16.06
Organic food restaurants in Israel are rare, but growing in popularity. Like bread may be for Europeans, no Israeli can survive any great length of time before needing to eat humus. Not considered “real food” really, hummus is what you eat be derech (along the way), spread like butter on sandwiches, or on Friday mornings hours before indulging in a Sabbath feast at one of your friend’s Persian grandmother’s house. It goes without saying that the award to the best hummus in Israel goes to Abu Hasan, prepared by an Arab-Israeli family from Jaffa. Hot on Hasan’s heels is Aba Gil, a Jewish lad who has set up the first organic hummus shop and pita baking seminars close to the trendy Electric Garden fashion district in South Tel Aviv. (Abu is Arabic for father; father is Aba in Hebrew) Yehuda Halevi 55, Tel Aviv. ::Abagil ...
British Activists Satirize Government, Airline Industry
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 10.16.06
First LEED-H house certified in Western US
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.16.06
LEED buildings are coming so thick and fast that we don't even bother covering them anymore unless they are remarkable; LEED-H (LEED for Homes) are thinner on the ground. First in the west is Tom Kelly's home. Tom is a residential builder, and most of his ilk live in monster homes; they have access to, shall we say, competitive pricing. Tom has gone for a modestly sized (LEED penalizes monster homes, unlike Energuide) 1,932 square foot "net zero energy" house that draws no more energy from the grid than it sends to it. It has a green roof, 2,320 watts of photovoltaics, natural ventilation and recycled wood. Read more in ::New York Times...
Hasu Organic Teas
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.16.06
Tea is reputed to be "packed with antioxidants which slow down the aging process. It can improve the memory, clear the complexion, boost the immune system and promote healthy weight loss." We recently sampled some delicious organic teas from Hasu Tea, a Toronto company promoting "a fine selection of gourmet and organic teas from around the world. Our teas are 100% natural and contain no artificial ingredients. We also have a large selection of Certified Organic teas." it is a long tail thing- People everywhere now have the option to get obscure and rare products like organic white tea while our parents drank orange pekoe powder or whatever the supermarket offered. It's a Small-Mart thing- Small, local businesses like Hasu are popping up everywhere and available online. It's a Peter Singer thing- we don't grow tea here, but if we support fair trade and organic production in third world countries it is the next best thing to buying locally grown. We should all support the small, local source - they give us more choice, better products and keep our money working in our community. They taste better too. ::Hasu Teas...
Religion and the Environment
by Eric Kane, New York, NY on 10.16.06
(NYT Photo/Fabrizio Costantini)
In the past, TreeHugger has covered the developing relationship between religion and environmental conservation. However, this subject has gained an increasing amount of attention during the last week. The second part of PBS’s Moyers on America, which aired last Wednesday was titled, Is God Green? This program focused on the growing environmental consciousness of conservative evangelical Christians. Meanwhile, an article in yesterday’s New York Times, describes an association called ‘Interfaith Power and Light’. The group has arranged for the screening of films on climate change (including “An Inconvenient Truth”) for 4,000 congregations of varying faiths. Furthermore, the association has worked to promote energy efficiency and resource conservation. The article highlights one of the group's state affiliates, Michigan Interfaith Power and Light, that has worked to prevent the release of a combined 14,130 tons of carbon dioxide in 2005 and 2006. To read more, view the entire article here. See also ::More On The Evangelical Climate Initiative and ::E.O. Wilson's The Creation Released Today...
20 Hip Ways to Go Green
by Bonnie Alter, London on 10.16.06
Since you are a treehugger reader, you are already so hip it hurts. But, just in case, Marie Claire, the fashion magazine, has 20 tips that you can check. Some are already well-known to treehuggers; wearing those hemp knickers and Beyond Skin shoes, taking the solar boat on the Serpentine, and following Darryl Hannah's lead. Put a brick in the toilet to save water, eat locally, use worms in the compost and eat greens instead of meat. Use Barefoot Botanicals make-up. When taking it off, use washable pads instead of all those cotton balls. See “The Blood Diamond”, the new film about the diamond industry in Sierra Leone, Africa starring Leonardo diCaprio, another new green celebrity. Go to an eco-spa. Build a roof garden. Are we there yet? Use Burt’s Bees Lip balm. Burn natural candles. Check your home energy consumption with Wattson, a display that measures personal energy use. And finally, listen to Meeky Rosie, the new band from Plymouth who did the sound track for the documentary "Who Killed the Electric Car", along with that vegan Moby. Whew! How cool is that. :: Marie Claire...
Ontario Courier Service Provides Greener Alternative
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 10.16.06
Kingston, Ontario business owners Charles Lapointe and Isabelle Racine wanted their small package delivery service, Go Local Courier, to stand out from the other companies offering similar services in town. So, in addition to adopting a professional look often lacking in courier services, the couple decided to "green" their business by making their deliveries in sub-compact Toyota Echos. Now the company promises that it makes swift deliveries while burning 55% less gas than competitors:...
Krä "Light Containers" from Chile
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 10.16.06
Here’s a way to put ancient experience working for you. Krä is a brand developed by three Chilean designers who got inspired in the country’s nature and ethnic roots and came up with a series of "light-sculpture objects" (which they call "light containers") made 100% from clay, hand shaped by native artisans and cooked in stone ovens. “We work with materials that most of the American ethnic groups used for manufacturing their objects -they claim-. Our work is inspired in our country’s aborigines, their nature and materials, and by means of pure and sustainable processes that respect nature and the environment”. The line has three shapes: the curved cylinder above is called Alvar, the straight cylinder in the extended is Roxxane, and the curved plaque with a clip that holds the light is called Samanta. Krä, by the way, comes from the name of the Selknam tribe moon goddess denomination (which also symbolized women and the meaning of life). Learn more about this firm at their website (in English). ::Krä...
Green Fortune's Plantwall
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 10.15.06
Thanks to Hugg's most prodigious poster linton for tipping us off to the Plantwall, a "new way of integrating greenery in public spaces." "Urban cultivators" Green Fortune created the Plantwall as a means of bringing "the outside inside," and providing greenery without sacrificing floor space. The system integrates a drip-irrigation system that waters and fertilizes the plants to ensure they continue to provide beauty, as well as boosts of oxygen and humidity. Textiles incorporated into the design prevent too much moisture from spreading. As "lush" and "natural" are words that apply to way too few office spaces, we can see the Plantwall as not only a way to provide greenery and improved air quality, but perhaps even a bit of a morale boost. ::Green Fortune's Plantwall via Design Spotter...
Germany Approves Offshore Wind Power Test Field in Lower Saxony
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 10.15.06
The German Environmental Ministry has announced an agreement to install offshore wind generation capacity in the North Sea off the coast of Niedersachsen (Lower Saxony). The installation will consist of 12 windmills, each in the 5 Mwatt category, installed 45 km (28.1 miles) off of Borkum Island. The site will be called the Borkum West wind farm and expands Germany's foray into offshore power from the one test unit installed off of Brunnsbüttel in Schleswig-Holstein. The German government will contribute 50 million euros to subsidize technology to reduce the ecological impacts of the installation, as well as help finance studies to determine the scope and magnitude of potential impacts in the new offshore field. Partners in the undertaking include the energy companies RWE, E.ON Energy and Vattenfall Europe and the windmill manufacturers REpower und Multibrid. The energy companies have agreed to route the power cables to minimize impacts on the Wattenmeer National Park. The windmills, estimated to require 175 million euros investment, will be operational by 2008 at the latest. ...
"Rural Renaissance" Conference Promotes Biofuels, Solar, Wind
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 10.15.06
St. Louis played host this past week to the US Departments of Energy and Agriculture's "Advancing Renewable Energy: An American Rural Renaissance” conference. While we weren't able to make it to the events last Wednesday and Thursday, we kept a close eye on news coming out of the conference, including an announcement of $34.5 million in grants for "new research in biofuels, solar energy and biomass genomics research to accelerate development of alternative fuels," and a speech by President Bush in which he again claimed that "We're too dependent on oil."
Much encouraging news came out of the conference, but as today's St. Louis Post-Dispatch points out in an editorial, so far the US federal government has been long on talk promoting renewables and other alternative sources of energy, but short on funding to support further commercial development of these technologies. The P-D's editors note, for instance, that while the feds have stepped up funding for research on renewables, fossil fuels still receive much larger subsidies:...
America Says Hi to Cleaner Diesel, and Some Engines That Any State Could Like
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 10.15.06
"This is the single greatest achievement in clean fuel since lead was removed from gasoline a generation ago," says EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson. Starting Sunday, 80 percent of diesel fuel sold in the U.S. will be a cleaner, ultra low-sulfur emitting (ULSD) version that, while costing about 5 cents per gallon more, will dramatically reduce nasty particulate emissions. It's due to those biproducts -- and the tough emissions standards of California and the northeast states -- that diesel hasn't been as popular in the U.S. as it has in, say, Europe. Only 3.6 percent of cars in the U.S. are diesel-powered, while across the Atlantic, the number is almost 50 percent. The new fuel comes just in time for the delivery of Mercedes' diesel E320 sedan next week in 45 states; the company plans on releasing diesel cars that meet all states' standards by 2008. And Honda is preparing to enter the 50-state market in 2009, with its own innovative cleaner diesel engine (pictured), to be followed by Chrysler, GM, and VW and others.
Let the diesel invasion of the U.S. begin.
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Global Protests to Mark UN Climate Talks
by Treehugger Interns on 10.15.06
Image © Andy Bodycombe, 2005
There is no doubt that concern about climate change is growing in all quarters. Yet whilst purchases of carbon offsets are on the rise, and An Inconvenient Truth is showing healthy box office returns, we are yet to see political demonstrations on a scale that matches the crisis we are facing. This may all change on November the 4th, as demonstrators across the world take to the streets to mark the UN climate talks in Nairobi, Kenya. They will be demanding tough action and binding targets on climate change. So far it looks like at least 45 countries will have some kind of event, including Australia, Bangladesh, Finland, France, Taiwan, USA and the United Kingdom....
Street Furniture Revamped in Eco-Style
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 10.15.06
What have a bike parking, a bench, a lamp, a flowerpot, a library and a bin in our streets in common? –They often lack some innovative eco-design features.
The Catalan Government together with the UAB university and the company Zicla have therefore invited 6 designers to come up with more eco-friendly urban elements. Here are the results presented to us last week in Barcelona:...
