- 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 29, 2006 - November 4, 2006
Total this week: 120
68 and 100 LED Waterproof Flashlights Introduced
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 11. 4.06
Fresh from China, comes this ruggedized, waterproof flashlight. It has 68 LEDs that are powered by four AAA batteries. If you need even more LEDs, they have a 100 LED version available. The light is obviously bright, but one reviewer says it's not as focused or as bright as Luxeon type flashlights with reflectors. The price is hard to beat though: $12.99. Right now it the only place to get this flashlight is via eBay and FifthUnit. :: Via: Linton on Hugg...
Home Factory: Multiple Unit Modern Prefab
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11. 4.06
This month's Dwell Magazine is all about modern prefab, and more importantly, the struggle to bring the concept to reality- it is not just about a design, it is about finding factories, educating trades, dealing with land, codes, financing and transport. It is not easy or fast, and Rocio Romero, Michelle Kaufmann, Marmol Radziner and Steve Glenn deserve the coverage for their dedication and persistence in bringing these projects to fruition.
That's why we wish Warren Johnson and Alex Grossman luck with their Homes Factory in the UK; being marketers rather than architects, they have started with a showroom, a website and an idea. Steps they still appear to have ahead: find architects, a factory, employees, engineers, experienced builders, sites and clients. They plan to wholesale to other organizations, which a particularly tough sell in a world where experience counts and the cost of entry is really high. Great website, (we love the building process animation) but what a challenge. ::Home Factory also see ::Inhabitat...
Helmut Jahn's Near North SRO: Sustainable Social Housing
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11. 4.06
Helmut Jahn builds dramatic skyscrapers and vast airports all over the world; he is also the architect of Chicago's Near North SRO, (single room occupancy), a 96 unit project for housing the homeless. “The building is a stigma smasher,” said Charles Hoch of the University of Illinois... “We are borrowing the cachet of Mr. Jahn to send a message to the larger society and that message is that homeless people have value, they have a role to play in society.” Furthermore it is going for LEED certification, and has a network of wind turbines and solar panels that will generate about 15% of the building's power, and a gray water recovery system that will collect and recycle runoff from sinks and showers. The sustainable features cost a million bucks out of the 18 million dollar cost of the project; that's just over $10,000 per unit, and almost $35 per square foot. Sustainability isn't cheap; neither is Helmut Jahn or LEED certification. It is a price worth paying. ::New York Times...
P&G Joins Unilever NV In Concentrated Detergent Offerings
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 11. 4.06
Wash out the old, wring in the new…praise of Tide, Gain, Era, and Dreft…for a new marketing trend may come to the US. Detergent makers some years ago start concentrating their European market detergent formulations; helping to meet mandated packaging waste reduction targets. Finally, there is movement to do the same in the US. Exiting soon, we hope, will be the business model where US consumers are urged with coupons to go for the biggest, most gawdawful colored bottles, covered with eye-jabbing labels, and containing a few smidgens of active ingredient diluted with much water and some sodium silicate. In this traditional model, also, a foaming agent that has nothing whatsoever to do with product efficacy is generally added, to fulfill an inappropriate 19th Century simile (“if you see suds, you've added enough soap”). ...
Biodiesel Grows To Commodity Status
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 11. 4.06
Any product that becomes “commoditized” is going to be subject to short-term price swings, and occasionally to spikes and crashes. It’s a rule that applies to any up and coming green product just as much as it does to the Iron Age stuff. This means food based ethanol and biodiesel are beholden to the same forces that have kept cash crop farmers teetering on the edge of economic survival for generations. Before modern “futures markets” were invented, US farmers formed “The Grange” to avoid getting screwed by downstream distributors and speculators. This was back in the era when Woody Guthrie sang, “Taxes on the farmer feeds us all.” Distribution and processing co-ops were and still are another method of coping with price swings. Recently, the Big Suits have figured out that ethanol is a boom oportunity, and are offering to buy out Mid-western ethanol plants that were originally formed as locally controlled co-operative ventures. Boostrapped biodiesel operations may be in a similar situation soon. According to Inside Green Tech , “A newly published report heralds tough times for biodiesel producers in the near future. "With capacity growing at 115% per year, the world is expected to run into overcapacity during 2007, even though growth in biodiesel consumption is expected to peak in 2006–2007…”. ...
Mixed Message Dept: CFL's in Blister Paks
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11. 4.06
It is wonderful that Home Depot Canada is giving us all of these EcoOptions; we have been taking them up on it and converting our entire house to CFL's. Except, we now have a garbage bag full of blister pak plastic, lacerated hands from trying to open them, and wonder- how much energy will be wasted taking all of that plastic to the landfill in Michigan? According to a recent post in ::ReadingToronto, 3.1 Billion tons of CO2 is generated moving our garbage. Surely Home Depot could find a supplier who would have some eco-options for this. Reducing greenhouse gas will take more than just changing our lightbulbs- we have to start thinking about how we package them and buy them as well. ...
Vote the Environment - Nov 7.
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 11. 4.06
“People may be afraid of the term "activist" because they associate it with extremism but I'm talking about normal citizens who want the government to live up to its obligation to protect our air, water, and all other natural resources. These activists are forcing politicians and corporations to take steps in the right direction. Activists have an infectious passion about the issues they support, whether they are mothers fighting to clean up nearby toxic landfills or farmers losing their fourth-generation family business to urban sprawl. These are the people on the frontlines, trying to either make the government obey its own laws or to recognize the need for a new law.” Such are the words of Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia and co-founder of 1% For The Planet, Inc. He is discussing the campaign known as Vote the Environment, pertinent to the USA come November 7th. More of Yvon’s thoughts here and the campaign here >::Vote the Environment....
Bike Lamps from Treeline Designs
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 11. 4.06
So you’re a keen biker, but sometimes maybe too keen. The consequence of getting some big air might be unfortunate damage to your two wheeled wonder. But it’s been such a pal through thick and thin, what a shame to say “good bye.” Maybe you don’t need to. Check out Treeline. They can convert reused bike parts into table and stand lamps. Forks might become stems, and cassettes, chain rings, and disc brake rotors, etc find themselves reincarnated as bases. The stock models seen here range in price from $140 to $200 USD, but customising is also possible. ::Treeline...
2007 TED Prize Winners Announced
by Eckhart Beatty, San Francisco on 11. 3.06
The 2007 TED prize announcement was made the evening of Oct 30, 2006 in San Francisco, CA. In Ft Mason’s Golden Gate Room, a small but quickening crowd assembled to honor next year’s TED recipients. The space had been transformed from an otherwise austere conference room to one of suspense and celebration--steeped in dark shades (caterers also all wore dark shades) with whitened branches and plant sculptures only nature can design.
It aptly set the tone for the occasion, hinting the eve of Halloween. It was a festive cocktail reception for a ready crowd. Some participants were long-timers. Gary Clayton represented the omnipresent, voice-activating firm TellMe as Chief Creative Officer. All were convivial and ready to experience the dynamic energy behind winners of the next year’s prize. ...
Green Chemisty for the Layperson
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 11. 3.06
What would you do without Ibuprofen? (If you would simply sip an organic ayurveda tea, please humor us and insert another chemical which you dearly rely upon.) This is the Treeugger dilemma in a nutshell: you want the product, you don't want the waste and pollution which often burden our enjoyment of these benefits of modern life. This is where "Green Chemistry" comes in. If you are lucky enough to live in Massachusetts, within bicycling distance of the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters, 6 Plum Island Turnpike (enter on Rolfe's Lane), you could join the Nov. 9 meeting of the Seacoast Energy and Environmental Design (SEED) Coalition for a talk to be given by Dr. John Warner, one of the founding fathers of Green Chemistry. If you can't make it in person, read on for a briefing and leave your questions: TreeHugger will try to add Dr. Warner to the list of famous green people interviewed for your reading pleasure. Our sources assure us that Dr. Warner can deliver the message of green chemistry at a level the interested layperson can understand....
First Solar Wifi City in the US?
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 11. 3.06
St. Louis Park, an unassuming city a few miles west of Minneapolis, may be the first in the country to provide solar-powered wireless internet to its residents. If the idea passes a final City Council vote next week, they will begin the installation of a network of wifi nodes powered by some 400 PV panels situated on public infrastructure around the city. It’s not free however, and through the public/private partnership, residents would be able to pay $15 a month for 128 kilobyte speed or $20 for 1 meg (which does appear to be a pretty decent deal). As reported in the Star Tribune, the city expects to save $40,000 to $50,000 a year by using an entirely solar-powered system as opposed to grid power....
Daylight Savings Extended for 2007
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 11. 3.06
We briefly mentioned back in the spring that Daylight Savings was going to be changing for 2007 under the 2005 Energy Act Policy. This past week we received confirmation: “Under the new regulations, next year people will set their clocks forward three weeks earlier on March 11 and will fall back on November 4.” This is, of course, designed to conserve energy by taking advantage of the daylight. Dr. David Prerau, who was a consultant for Congress on this bill, states that by adding this extra time to DST will shave one percent – 3 billion kilowatt hours – off of the United States’ power bill. Apparently DST has been credited with more than just saving energy. It’s also been known to decrease crime rates and the number of traffic accidents and increase participation in outdoor activities. Via ::AMC Outdoors...
"Boing Boing does not understand wind credits" - do you?
by Celine Ruben-Salama, New York, NY on 11. 3.06
On Tuesday we learned that Whole Foods customers can now pick up Wind Power Cards while doing their grocery shopping. Conveniently placed close to check-out, the cards are meant to facilitate carbon offsetting for individuals and families alike. But how does it work?
For all thoses confused, the Wind Power Card buys credits which represent the additional cost and value of wind energy. Essentially, buyers of the card are financing wind power that goes into the national grid, which of course for now is more expensive to produce than conventional "brown" energy. Purchasing a credit does not replace or reduce your conventional electric bill. You are simply paying a voluntary preminum to help increase the ratio of clean to dirty energy in the national grid. Here is a simple illustration of the concept.
Seemingly harmless, the Wind Power Cards set off a roaring debate in online sustainability circles this week....
New NiMH Charger Juices Up Batteries in Just 15 Minutes
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 11. 3.06
Toss-out batteries seem like one of the more archaic ideas I can think of, and even recycling disposable batteries is pretty cumbersome. Though they've been around for a while, as battery technology steps up, rechargeables will become the norm. Even with mandatory take-back programs like the one starting in the EU, won’t it just make more sense to recharge instead? A Chinese maker, GP Batteries, has just released a new line of chargers for their nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries that juices them up in just 15 minutes. The Powerbank V800C can charge AA or AAAs and has a digital timer that shows charge time. According to CNET, the new charger goes for $47.65. (More rechargeable battery knowledge can be absorbed at the Green Batteries site as well) :: GP Batteries via CNET via Hugg (Linton)...
DIRT Studio: Turning Detritus Into Regenerative Landscapes
by Emily Pilloton, Chicago and San Francisco on 11. 3.06
Julie Bargmann, founding principal of DIRT Studio, knows how to turn trash into treasure. Literally. Her reclamation, decontamination, and development of urban landfill, manufacturing, and other industrial sites goes beyond superficial beautification to a transformation of these "undesirable" spaces into productive landscapes of economic, cultural, and environmental significance. A professor at the University of Virginia's Department of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, Bargmann established DIRT ("Dump It Right There") with an interdisciplinary and optimistic commitment to "excavating the creative potential of disturbed landscapes." DIRT’s project portfolio includes a proposal for the reclamation of New York City’s High Line, a transformation of the Ford Rouge Plant in Dearborn, Michigan, a collaboration with William McDonough, and a slew of other efforts that aim to turn two centuries of industrial remnants into truly productive and healthy landscapes. ...
100 Mile Diet: I Never Promised You a Tomato Garden
by Siel, Los Angeles on 11. 3.06
When I joined the 100-mile diet, I felt psyched, energized, inspired. I felt greener than green.
For a second.
Then all those serious, life-altering questions began to cloud my green mind. You know – the really important ones, like, "Will I have to give up vodka?" Clearly, this is the question that makes most would-be 100-mile dieters give up. But let me back up a bit. What's a 100-mile diet, you ask? The premise is simple: Only eat things produced within 100 miles from you....
TH Week :: Eco Ethos
by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 11. 3.06
Celine brought us up to speed on the concept of wind credits, and Whole Food's use of them.
Collin kept us on the level with FSC Certified Paper at Staples
Siel inspired us with her first steps of 100 mile dietude.
The Interns rallied us around this week's climate change protests
Lloyd found a whole new way to psych yourself up on fighting global warming with Newmindspace....
TreeHugger Picks: A Spot of Tea
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 11. 3.06
TreeHuggers like to drink, be it booze, coffee or otherwise; sometimes tea is just what the doctor ordered. Here are our picks for the indulging in its leafy goodness.
1) Tea Forté's Silken-Tea-Infusers revamp boring tea bags and replaces them with herbal infusion pyramids of whole-leaf flowers, fresh harvested rough cut herbs, and all natural essential oils.
2) Sometimes it's best to eschew bags for tea infusers (hey, they're a product service system) like the suave Teastick.
3) Green Green Tea won the Best New Organic Product for 2006 and is a carbon-neutral product to boot.
4) The Groovy Mind has some groovy fair trade organic teas we like.
5) Jones Organic Teas are a cool alternative when the weather warms up....
FSC-Certified Paper Comes to Staples Canada
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 11. 3.06
Try as we might, paper is one thing that's tough to rid from our lives. Bills, notes, shopping lists, receipts; the list goes on, and though paperless options for bank statements and the like are becoming more prevalent (and you can get wind-powered paper now), FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) Canada reports that global paper consumption has more than tripled over the past three decades, and is expected to increase by another 50 per cent by 2010. In light of consumer's continued hunger for paper consumption, Staples/Bureau en Gros and Domtar Inc. have partnered to offer EarthChoice papers, the first environmentally-friendly papers to be certified by the FSC. To attain FSC certification, 10 criteria must be met, including elements like environmental impact, indigenous people’s rights, community relations, monitoring, and independent third-party verification. There are six EarthChoice papers in the line, ranging from multipurpose, everyday paper, to photo paper; they come from Domtar's 17-million acres of forestland in Canada and the US, making them the third-largest producer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America. The paper is available now at Staples Canada. ::EarthChoice via linton at ::Hugg...
Join the Slate Green Challenge with Treehugger!
by Brittany Jacobs, Seattle on 11. 3.06
Did you know that wrapping your water heater in an insulating jacket could not only save you money, but also keep 1100 lbs of CO2 out of the atmosphere? The best part is that you can buy an insulating wrap at most local hardware stores for about $20. (Don’t worry, the initial cost will be quickly deflected by your energy savings!)
Another quick and inexpensive way to save both money and energy is by regularly changing your air filter in your hot-air furnace. This $10 fix will help clean the air by removing problem particles and can save around 175 lbs of carbon emissions throughout the year.
Over 22,000 people have joined the Slate Green Challenge with TreeHugger in a pledge to reduce their carbon emissions by 20%. You should join us! Start with an initial carbon footprint quiz and over the next 8 weeks we will provide information on how to reduce your impact on the Earth. Be one of the first 500 and receive a Slate/Treehugger Green Challenge t-shirt from our friends and sponsors at I'm Organic. ::Slate Green Challenge with TreeHugger: Heating ::Slate green Challenge with TreeHugger: Welcome
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TH Blog Love – Our Favourite Greens Of The Week
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 11. 3.06
Eco Street: Be there in the square by Tracy Stokes
'We all know that climate change is happening, but what is being done to stop it? This coming Saturday, the 4th of November 2006, will see a mass gathering in Trafalgar Square in London to demonstrate to the government that we the people care about climate change.'
EcoTalk: TreeHugger Thursday
Please allow us a little moment for some self love via EcoTalk who are hosting TreeHugger’s new radio show every Thursday. Simran Sethi, known to most of you as the presenter of TreeHuggerTV, is now also lending her dulcet tones to our latest green news format. Listen in....
Interior Design's Best of the Year: Eco Product Design
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 11. 3.06
Interior Design magazine's Best of the Year: Product Design contest is in full swing. The awards honor distinction in product design, based on popular consensus, and there are a handful of TreeHugger-friendly designs that made the cut. Inhabit's wall flats, Haworth's Zody Chair and MechoShade's EcoVeil are just a few; the EcoSmart fire was entered in the "Innovations" category. The finalists will be determined and announced next week; the winners will be announced at an event at the Guggenheim Museum on November 30, as well as in the December issue of Interior Design. Yet more evidence that green design is also good design, and it's here to stay. ::Interior Design's Best of the Year...
Spin: Appliances That Cooperate
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 11. 3.06
A juicer, a can opener, a coffee grinder—ever wonder why every appliance needs its own motor? That was the question Israeli designer Iftah Poran asked himself when he conceptualized Spin, a series of kitchen appliances which make use of the same two-speed motor embedded within a kitchen countertop. Poran’s system saves the need to have individual motors for each appliance- hence it is a more sustainable solution for one’s kitchen and home. All appliances are easily connected to the base unit, facilitating a simple and intuitive use, says Poran, who built Spin at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. We’re waiting for such a concept to motorize our entire life. ::Design Boom...
The Tweel Thing
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 11. 3.06
This one has been doing the rounds since it was launched by Michelin a couple of years ago, but we’ve neglected it until now. The Tweel is a non-pneumatic wheel that does everything a traditional wheel does, except go flat. Flexible polyurethane spokes connect to an equally deformable hub. Rubber tread is bonded to the exterior of the Tweel for traction. As used in the test Audi shown here, Michelin suggest it comes within 5% of the rolling resistance (or 1% of fuel economy) of a standard inflatable wheel/tyre combination. Plus it is thought the Tweel should last at least a couple times longer than an ordinary pneumatic tyre, and remarkably cost less to purchase. This year the Tweel won an international Gold Medal Award for Innovation, to stick on the mantlepiece with the previous awards from Time and Popular Science magazines. But don’t expect to see it at your local tyre dealer anytime soon. (Maybe the cheaper price, and longevity had Michelin thinking twice.) Apparently it is still being tested on lower mass vehicles like the equally innovative balancing iBOT wheelchair and the Segway Centaur, which coincidently was my first TH post two years ago. Pics of the these two vehicles after the fold. ::Tweel, via Hugg (Matthew)....
Solar Powered Car Wash in Toronto
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11. 3.06
While driving to a meeting in our dirty old '89 Miata, how could we pass this up- a solar hot bath at the Wash'N Go in west end Toronto. Installed earlier this year, it has two banks of ten collectors, each with sixteen evacuated tubes, from Solarco Manufacturing. A heat exchange system using propylene glycol keeps it from freezing up in winter, when we actually do stand out there in 20 below weather washing our cars- we would rather be in Kyeann's car wash in Southern California. Now if they can only figure out how to solar heat us while we do it. ::Wash'N Go...
Illinois Mandates E-Wastes Recycling by State Government
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 11. 3.06
On Monday, Illinois Governor Rob Blagojevich signed an executive order mandating recycling of all government-owned electronic devices. While some may raise an eyebrow at the timing -- Blagojevich is in a tight race for re-election -- the new requirement should keep a literal mountain of hazardous chemicals and junk out of the state's landfills: according to the AP, "About 55,000 state employees use computers or laptops that are replaced every three to five years, officials say. The state also replaces thousands of cell phones, fax and copy machines every year." Additionally, the Governor called for the state legislature to pass a law requiring e-waste recycling for all Illinoisans, and sent a letter to President Bush asking for a national guidelines for the recovery and use of old electronics. This is the first state-level e-waste recycling mandate in the Midwest, and we hope that it catches on in the region. In August, four states -- Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois -- signed onto a policy framework for a regional approach to the problem that would make manufacturers responsible for collection and recycling. For now, though, we can only applaud Illinois' effort, and hope that it's the first of many steps towards a more comprehensive solution. ::Belleville News-Democrat via linton at Hugg...
Art at the Supermarket
by Bonnie Alter, London on 11. 3.06
Here is a recycled bag for use at the supermarket that could become a collector’s item. Sainsbury’s has teamed up with three quite famous English artists to create reusable shopping bags that are almost stylish enough to wear to that art opening tonight. Commissioned by Arts Council England, Michael Craig-Martin, Anya Gallaccio and Paul Morrison have designed these colourful and sturdy bags that will brighten up shopping and get people to think about art and the environment. They want shoppers to make the link between the desire to reuse something because it is attractive, and the act of recycling. Michael Craig-Martin’s is pictured—a combination of pop art and retro style. Anya Gallaccio’s has vibrant photos of vegetables in a string bag and Paul Morrison’s is black and white, suggesting a woodland scene. The bags cost 50 pence ($1) and the proceeds go to charity. Flying off the shelves... :: Arts Council England ...
Reminder: Massive Global Climate Protests Tomorrow
by Treehugger Interns on 11. 3.06
Image © Andy Bodycombe, 2005
Just a quick reminder to our readers that tomorrow, Saturday November the 4th, demonstrators across the world will take to the streets to mark the UN climate talks in Nairobi, Kenya. Why not join them? 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....
Walk (and Poll) Against Warming
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 11. 3.06
“The Australian Government doesn't care about climate change. We know you do. The Government will only take real action on climate change and protect our kids' futures if you to tell them to. Join thousands of other Australians in a peaceful walk urging action on climate change now.” So says the intro to Walk Against Warming, a nation-wide event occurring Saturday 4 November 06. And they maybe right when they suggest that the Australian populace want action, not rhetoric, on global warming. A recent online News Poll released this week supports such a view. The Australian newspaper reported: “According to the poll of 1200 people, 80 per cent of voters backed imposing levies on industries that generate greenhouse gases. An overwhelming majority - 91 per cent - also backed a shift in Australia's energy system from coal to renewable energy ...” . And the poll also indicated that 75% of Aussies want the Government to sign up to Kyoto. Maybe a bunch of concerned citizens parading around the streets of the country will further nudge the Government in the appropriate direction. Very faint signs of possible movement are already starting to emerge. Find your local walk info here > ::Walk Against Warming....
This Week on TreeHugger Radio
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 11. 2.06
Head over to EcoTalk and check out the latest installment of TreeHugger Radio. This week we speak with Bob Perkowitz and Jerome Ringo about the meaning of the word ‘environmentalism’, Eric Hudson talks about Target’s launch of the Recycline recycled toothbrush, and Whole Foods passes wind power on to its customers. We also give a taste of the sounds from Calabash Music, a fair trade online music store. Stay tuned for next week when we talk big bucks, 100-mile meals, and more. :: TreeHugger Radio on EcoTalk...
The Prius Could be Getting Smaller…and Bigger
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 11. 2.06
The success of Toyota’s Pruis hybrid may compel the company to expand the line. New members of the Prius family could include a mini city car, and some species of crossover sport utility. Bloomberg.com reported that the executive vice president of U.S. sales, Jim Lentz, said that the inertia of the Prius’ success could justify a diversifying of the brand, and help the company meet its goal to triple annual sales. Bloomberg quotes Lentz, saying that a smaller (and more efficient) cousin of the Prius would fit with “a trend toward people moving into inner-city lofts.'' He also said a beefier version could fill the want for people who “want to see more utility on the vehicle, so you could imagine something that's a little more utility or crossover-based.'' Pictured above is Toyota’s Endo, a concept car turned real that will be seen soon on the Asian market. No word on what alternate incarnations of the Prius might look/perform like, but the Endo could be a clue. :: Bloomberg via Hugg (Linton)...
The Vloggies: TreeHuggerTV Nominated!
by Nick Aster, San Francisco on 11. 2.06
Busy busy busy, that's the TreeHugger team's motto these days. So busy that we didn't notice that TreeHuggerTV has been nominated for a Vloggie! So busy, in fact, we didn't even know there was such a thing as a Vloggie - an illustrious award for video weblogs. THTV has been nominated in the "Green Vlog" category.
It's too late for us to stack the vote as the ballots are closed, so just sit back and wait for the drum roll. The winners will be announced on Saturday at a star studded event in San Francisco!
And in the meantime, send some love to our fellow Green Vlog finalists:
Earth Sanctuary.
Sustainable Route
Freshtopia
TERRA: The Nature of our World
And of course: TreeHuggerTV
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Most Huggable
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 11. 2.06
British cell phone customers can now get a sweet phone and a opt for carbon neutrality to boot… Ed Begely Jr. promotes Phoenix Motorcar’s electric SUV… Toyota says their hybrid family could be ready for a small city car and a larger utility vehicle… Video of Solar Chill shows what the photovoltaic vaccine fridge can do for the world… Scissor Sisters promote Global Cool with a sold-out Halloween show and webcast… ...
Yahoo! Adds Green Autos Section
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 11. 2.06
Yahoo! recently added a "Green Cars" section to their big "Autos" directory of new & used cars, information on finance and other car-related research. They've done some interesting things: a "Green Rating" of 1 - 100 accompanies each car to determine each models' relative environmental friendliness; an overview of most of the technologies & fuels usually stamped with a green label, including hybrid, ethanol, biodiesel & natural gas; and a community where users can query others with green car questions and thoughts. Environmental Defense helped Yahoo! with the ratings, which include smog and greenhouse gas-related emissions, fuel type & fuel efficiency and the pollution caused from manufacturing. Debates about lifecycle impact of hybrid car batteries notwithstanding, four out of the top five cars by this ranking system are hybrids (2006 Honda Civic Hybrid, 2007 Toyota Prius, 2007 Honda Civic Hybrid & 2006 Toyota Prius), though they emphasize that the ratings are designed to be used as an "apples to apples" comparison system based on "government-certified data." For anyone considering a foray into the green(er) car market, the site has some good info about how cars stack up against one another, though it stops short of encouraging people to leave the keys behind. ::Yahoo! Green Autos via greenermiami at ::Hugg...
The TH Interview: Ian Roderick of Chew Magna Go Zero (Part 2)
by Treehugger Interns on 11. 2.06
On Tuesday, we posted the first part of an interview with Ian Roderick of Go Zero, a community intiative based in the village of Chew Magna in South West England. We heard how villagers teamed up to envision a zero waste village, grouping themselves together to address waste and recycling, people and consumption, transport and energy, and the converging world. Specific initiatives included publishing a local food guide, holding a carbon makeover day, and setting up a spin-off company to look at rural mobility issues. In this second part of the interview, we learn how the group's success attracted national media attention, and how they are inspiring other villages to follow in their footsteps. We also learn about an exciting and ambitious initiative that is emerging from the group’s international work:
The groups initial success in mobilising the community in such a short space of time started attracting attention from the media – first local and then national. Both the Independent and Guardian newspapers ran pieces on the group, and television crews started showing an interest. While this exposure was, in many ways, good for the group, Ian welcomes the fact that this interest has since died down a little:
“…we were inundated. It was good, but the trouble was it was building up hype and excitement, and that’s not sustainable. We’ve come over that and we are in a steady state of progress. We are all aware that this is a 20 year process, if we have 20 years. You can’t change a village in a year or two. This place is stuffed with SUVs… We’ve got to accept where we are, imagine where we want to be, and plot a path towards that goal.”...
New Furniture from David Brunicardi
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 11. 2.06
It's been awhile since we checked in on furniture designer David Brunicardi; he's got some really nice looking new furniture available to be drooled over at his website. The San Francisco-based designer, whom we've covered before, specializes in creating modern, functional furniture with a sustainable twist. Each piece is hand-crafted, creating unique, well-crafted products that are both beautiful and versatile; almost everything utilizes either sustainable or recovered woods. The "EndUP" night stand, somewhat remiscent of Sori Yanagi's Butterfly Stool, plays off the two identical halves that, when flipped, becomes a stool. We also like the looks of the Boo end table (right), made of bamboo and American walnut. The playful daisy pattern on the top adds texture and depth, making it playful without being silly. The designers' stated goal is to "find elegant solutions for the modern lifestyle"; we think they're well on the way. ::David Brunicardi Furniture...
Beijing’s "No Car" Days: How to Win Friends and Not Influence Traffic
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 11. 2.06
In a booming mega-city where 1,000 new cars hit the streets everyday, encouraging its recently-minted drivers to opt for public transportation is not an easy task. Leave it to Beijing. Over a quarter of a million of the city’s drivers have pledged to stop driving for one day over the next week in an attempt to ease traffic and improve air quality for the thousands of dignitaries attending the city’s Sino-Africa Forum. Along with gathering “no car” pledges by drivers from 476 organizations, including many of the city’s driving clubs and private businesses, the city has ordered 80 percent of the municipal government’s and half of the central government’s vehicles off the roads. They’re even shortening school hours.
Aside from helping to feed China’s hunger for Africa’s raw materials (check this space for more coverage on that soon), the country’s biggest summit in history serves as a convenient dry run for the Olympic Games in 2008, a coming-out party for the city that is set to add 1 million people to the streets. On the one hand, the “no car” day is an impressive and good-spirited initiative, and one you’d be hard pressed to find in any other metropolis. But even if Beijing’s charm offensive (which includes painting its grass green) looks good, “no car” days haven't had much effect before. And they're certainly unlikely to reverse the deeper problem: years of shoddy transportation planning that have led to "11-hour rush hours" beneath perpetually mucky skies....
Walmart Pressures Suppliers To Phase Out High-Hazard Ingredients From Consumer Products
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 11. 2.06
Taking a page from the European Union’s chemical risk management playbook, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (WMT), the world's largest retailer, has, per Dow Jones News (subscription service) “singled out three commercial chemicals it wants phased out among its suppliers. Companies will have the option to not take part in the program, but Wal-Mart says it will reward firms that find alternatives to the compounds it wants out of circulation”. On Walmart’s product ingredient ‘gray list’ are the pesticide compounds propoxur and permethrin, and nonylphenol ethoxylate, the latter chemical being used in several US-sold, brand name cleaning agents and personal care products. This three-member 'list' is expected to grow over the next few years.
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Ecocity Farm: Yet Another Take on Local Food
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 11. 2.06
Wanna feed 300 families? The developers of the Ecocity Farm reckon all you need is a standard urban house block. They’ve come up with a commercial aquaponic system that effectively recycles its own water and waste, while being space efficient due to it’s vertical stackable design. Barramundi fish are harvested alongside vegetables. Waste from the fish is reduced, via a biodigester, to water soluble feedstock for the hydroponically grown plants. Plans are even afoot to prototype a process that converts human food scraps into fish meal. According to the designers the concept can produce 12 times the quantity of food from conventional farming. And the idea is develop the system to a complete all-in-one, out-of-the-box unit that can be franchised worldwide. Traditional farmland is preserved as the package can be used in urban blocks or even on building rooftops. Farmers will then be able to service their customers with minimal transport and energy costs. (The water for the Barramundi is warmed by a roof mounted solar water heater and power for the pumps, etc, comes from grid-connected photovoltaic panels.) And it seems people love the idea. After winning their episode of The New Inventors program the developers have been inundated with enquiries. Much more info at ::Ecocity Farm....
Corporate Knights: Water Pollution Edition
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11. 2.06
Corporate Knights is a business group with a mission- To create a culture of socially and environmentally responsible business. (Read more in our last post on them) Their latest magazine issue issue is on Water and Pollution, includes an interview with Robert F Kennedy Jr., an online article on mercury poisoning, or the entire issue in a 48 meg PDF. . Their website has Amory Lovins trashing Ontario's nuclear plans, and they now have a great new blog at ::Corporate Knights Forum that we will loot often. ...
Children of Men. Science Fiction Movie. Or Maybe Not?
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 11. 2.06
Is science fiction just biding it’s time before it becomes science fact? Jules Verne had us flying into space and diving to the depths of the ocean, long before we had the technology to even consider that such adventures would one day be possible. Children of Men is a movie that also predicts the future. One that is short on the bright and shiny. It’s 2027 and humankind hasn’t experienced a single birth in the past eighteen years. The youngest people on the planet are celebrities in the same vein we revere centenarians today. The reason for our loss of fertility is unknown and no cure to the problem seems imminent. When the future of your species is scheduled for extinction within a generation, then hope becomes a fading commodity. Vigour, enthusiasm and the will to live are similarly in short supply. With the result that civilised society in many parts of the world has crumbled into chaos. And while The Day After Tomorrow may’ve seemed like far fetched fiction before Al Gore graced the very same screens, the Children of Men reminded me of a couple pertinent research papers on fertility. ...
Eco-Insurance in the UK
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11. 2.06
UK co-op insurance company CIS offers eco-friendly car insurance: They offset 20% of your emissions, give discounts on insurance for low-emitting cars, have developed an eco-friendly recycling repair shop network and developed a crazy new font made out of grass. For fun, you can use their CO2 tyre footprint calculator to see how low those tiny European cars that we will all be driving can go. ::Ecoinsurance via ::Springwise, who also note that in the US, ::Travelers insurance is offering a 10% discount to hybrid drivers, on the assumption that they are probably responsible middle-aged lightfooted types.
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Earthtalk :: Waste To Energy
by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 11. 2.06
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine
Dear EarthTalk: What do you think of those “waste to energy” plants used by cities to generate power? -- Christine Ramadhin, Queens, NY
Waste-to-energy (WtE) facilities, which generate power by burning trash, have been in widespread operation in the U.S. and Europe since the 1970s and are considered by environmental advocates to be a mixed blessing. On the one hand they get rid of garbage without adding to already-stressed landfills and with the added benefit of contributing electricity to the power grid. On the other hand, they do generate toxic pollution, usually as a result of burning vinyl and plastics....
The Woods Company: Producer of Antique and Traditional Flooring
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 11. 2.06
The Woods Company of Chalmbersburg Pennsylvania uses “Old buildings made of Oak, Chestnut, Heart Pine, and other historic woods” to produce wooden plank flooring that meets modern specifications. The buildings are dismantled and the lumber shipped to the mill. “There, it is de-nailed, resawn, and kiln dried. Our craftsmen then accurately grade and remill the lumber into plank flooring of superb quality and character”. In fact, the sample photographs from The Woods Company are so appealing a few more are stacked for you below the fold. What fun to hear a friend or family member walk across such a floor, foot-falls drumming on two-hundred, maybe three-hundred, year old planks. Driving past the next fallen barn I see on my way across Pennsylvania, I'll wish Woods had been to the rescue. Best of all, The Woods Company is a classic "homesourced" business: raw materials and labor are local....
Gore Will Lobby US Government... On Behalf of the British
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 11. 2.06
With all of the news yesterday focused on the main argument of Sir Nicholas Stern's report on the economic impact of climate change, one element of the story was overlooked by many media outlets: the British government has hired former Vice President Al Gore. The details are sketchy and even a little confusing: yesterday's Irish Times claimed that Gore will work as a lobbyist charged with making the case for addressing climate change to the US government, while the Guardian said on Monday that "...the government has already signed up former US vice-president Al Gore to advise on the environment," and that Stern himself would be serving as the lobbyist in Washington. The Nation's Tom Engelhart used both terms. Of course, the political blogs started weighing in almost immediately: Meteor Blades at Daily Kos called Gore's hiring "a move sure to rankle the D.C. know-nothings - yes, Senator Inhofe, I'm talking about you," while Amy Ridenour, president of the conservative National Center for Public Policy Research, blogged that "...it is a little disconcerting to think of any former president or vice president becoming a lobbyist for a foreign government." Regardless of your political persuasion, this is an interesting move in interesting times (in the Confuciun sense). We'll certainly be watching closely to see how Gore's role develops in the near future, especially after next week's election. Despite party affiliations or ideological leanings, it's hard to imagine a better person than Gore to serve as an advisor to the British government. If he's going to be lobbying in Washington, we've got to admire him for taking on a genuine challenge. ...
University of Nottingham's Creative Energy Homes
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11. 2.06
After reading about the Stern Report and George Monbiot's latest, one wonders what houses will look like in a few years. One answer might be Creative energy Homes, a project at the Unversity of Nottingham where six state-of-the-art energy efficient homes will be designed, built and tested. The first, Stoneguard C60, is now under construction. it is designed to "addresses all four principles of the Government's Energy White Paper: the 60% emissions reduction target, fuel poverty, security of supply and competitiveness as well as demonstrating the latest modern methods of construction." The house has some interesting features:
-a big central integrated conservatory to gain passive solar heat and provide lots of daylight;
-thermally conditioned air running through earth tubes;
-active solar collection from roof panels;
-a ground source heat pump.
there is a good diagram (too big for this site) here, showing suppliers and systems;...
New Innovations In Tidal Energy
by Eric Kane, New York, NY on 11. 2.06
Although it gets considerably less mainstream media attention than solar and wind energy, tidal power could play an integral role in reducing our reliance on fossil generated power. As has been mentioned in these pages, New York City is currently testing tidal energy in its East River. Meanwhile a number of companies are working to improve the design and efficiency of tidal turbines. Blue Energy Technology and Marine Current Turbines Ltd are among those companies that are competing for market share. Backed by the Canadian National Research Council, Blue Energy Technology’s predecessor has been testing wave energy units since the early 1980s. Marine Current Technologies has installed an experimental 300 kW single 11 m diameter system off Lynmouth, Devon, UK. This project was installed in May 2003 with the support of the UK DTI, the European Commission, and the German Government. Both companies are working towards the installation of systems capable of generating up to 10 MW. Although tidal power remains in the early stages of development, its promising to see the introduction of new and competing designs....
Zulu Mama Chair
by Bonnie Alter, London on 11. 2.06
This striking and comfortable looking chair, with a stainless steel frame and woven seat, is more than just another piece of hip-looking furniture. Called the Zulu Mama, it was designed by a South African industrial designer Haldane Martin and made by craftsmen who are part of the Mogalakwena Craft Art Project. It was set up a decade ago by a couple who moved to Limpopo and found high employment rates and AIDS. Discovering that the locals were skilled weavers, the project was created to put them to work and provide health care and education. It took Martin four years to arrive at the design which combines recycling and a South African artistic sensibility. The basket seat is made out of multi-coloured plastic strips derived from recycled milk bottles, woven by women from the township. The frames, made from 100% recycled stainless steel, provide work to a local business that operates a stainless steel bending machine to produce them. They can make 50 a month now. Hopefully, the envisioned market in Europe, combined with the recycling and manufacturing process, will ensure the viability of the Zulu Mama going forward. :: Financial Times...
New Harvester Helps Tame Native Grasses
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 11. 2.06
There are quite a number of grass species throughout the world. Humans have selected a few of them (rice, wheat, etc) for agricultural production probably because of their ease of harvest, or other beneficial attributes. But, if we consider the world around us, it is often the case that adapting ourselves to the environment seems to be harder for us then adapting the environment to suit our needs. Part of creating a low impact future is reversing that trend by looking to see what is local, what is native, and what has managed to survive. One of the major stumbling blocks in taking advantage of native North American grasses has been the fact that we did not have the technology to harvest the seeds efficiently; until now. According to a recent news release, The Arbuckle Native Seedster, manufactured in Billings, Montana, will be available in 2007. ...
Fight Global Warming with Newmindspace
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11. 2.06
We have waxed eloquent about Kevin and Lori at Newmindspace, organizers of pillow fights and subway rides before; today may be their biggest event ever. They are doing a joint venture with the World Wildlife Fund-"On November 2nd, 2006, the black cloud will settle over Toronto. We are helping WWF-Canada bring the message home: ignoring global warming won't make it go away. Join us in Metro Hall Square for an installation of massive proportions... before it's too late." We don't know what it will be happening but we bet it will be fun, and think it might involve big balloons. ::Newmindspace
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Gitana Rosa: Green Gallery Opening in Williamsburg
by Celine Ruben-Salama, New York, NY on 11. 1.06
A new gallery opens this week in New York's trendy Williamsburg. If you are in the 'burg this Friday (November 3rd, 2006), the social enterprise Gitana Rosa invites you to come buy, check it out and celebrate at 19 Hope Street. 15% of profits from the space will go towards a revolving list of local and national environmental non-profits....
Australian Solar Cities: Adelaide and Townsville
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 11. 1.06
We’ve been a bit slack in updating progress in the Australian Solar Cities, a $75 million AUD initiative to trial solar power and energy efficiency programs in four grid-connected metropolises. Fitting though that the first official designated city would be South Australia’s capital, Adelaide—it was founded 170 years ago by Colonel William Light! The nitty gritty? 1,700 solar photovoltaic panels will end up on homes and commercial buildings — a doubling of South Australia’s current photovoltaic capacity. 7000 smart meters will be installed that, “together with fairer pricing structures, will help people monitor their energy use and save electricity.” 40,000 energy efficiency and information packages to be distributed. If all this comes to pass, they expect a 9 megawatt cut in peak electricity demand, meaning less power plant capacity requiring funding. This is said to represent $5 million AUD a year in lower electricity costs. A reduction 30,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions each year, with a further cut of more than 500,000, should a take-up of Green Power is achieved. Apparently this will be equal to taking 80% of the area’s car fleet off the road. Can’t be bad. Meshes well with Adelaide’s companion plan to be recognised as a Green City, of which the above pictured solar-powered street lighting form a part. ...
Bicimáquinas from Maya Pedal
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 11. 1.06
"Bicimáquinas (translates as "bicycle machines") are pedal-powered machines that act as an intermediate technology to assist the family economy in obtaining a higher production capacity in agriculture and in small business." Each bicimáquina is produced individually in Maya Pedal’s workshop from reused bikes, concrete, wood, and metal. They’ve developed original designs that they believe to be both functional and economical. Working models include: mill/corn degrainer, blender, water pump, tricycles and trailers, coffee depulper and a metal sharpener. They are also trialling prototypes of a washing machine, electricity generator, plow/till/hoe, nut-sheller and even a wood saw. And while we might think such adaptations of a bike as kinda cute and quaint, for Guatemalan villagers these are machines that dramatically improve their standard of living, if not their quality of life. For example, the mill grinds up grain feed to the rate of 3lbs (1.4kg) per minute freeing farming families from heavy usage of expensive agro-industrial chemicals. The water pump can bring to drinking water up from 30 m (~100ft) underground at the rate of 5-10 gallons (~20-40 ltr) per minute. The objectives of this locally managed not-for-profit organisation, originally established with assistance from dedicated Canadians at PEDAL, are inspiring, and if you have a smattering of Spanish, they’d welcome your volunteer contribution. ::Maya Pedal....
Most Huggable
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 11. 1.06
From the site of the World Trade Center sprouts a green skyscraper… Could Yamaha’s fuel-cell scooter be scooting into a reality near you? University of California is steering a greener course with plans to go carbon neutral… The lean green machines of Wall Street—some big firms have some green guts… An MIT education in green urban design…for free? ...
WorldChanging Book: Out Today!
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 11. 1.06
Our friends at WorldChanging have worked very hard in the past year to create WorldChanging: A User's Guide to the 21st Century, and today is the big day. If you want to help the WorldChanging community hack the publishing system, please consider buying your copy today at 11:11 AM Pacific Time (2:11 PM Eastern Time). Also, don't forget the book tour (schedule here): Last night at the launch in Seattle, more than 300 people showed up and Alex Steffen and Bruce Sterling spent more than an hour in conversation with the crowd (apparently Bruce was throwing chocolate Earth balls in the audience). As for the book itself, it's beautiful, it's heavy (literally, and with content) and it's potentially quite world-changing. For those who are wondering, the book is made with chlorine-free, 100% post-consumer recycled paper and wind-power credits were purchased for the equivalent of electricity it took to make it. You know what to put under the xmas tree this year (or whatever occasion you have to give books). Stay tuned to TreeHugger for a full review in the coming days. More pictures below....
Carbon Bounty Hunters From Walmart Are Out Scouting The Supply Chains: 'For A Few Dollars More'
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 11. 1.06
Reuters is reporting today that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has begun to send engineers to visit its suppliers, and is helping them find ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. While Wal-Mart's trucks, stores and refrigerators are reported to emit about 19.5 mt/year of carbon dioxide equivalent, its suppliers generate about an order of magnitude more. A Walmart representative stated "what we found absolutely staggered us," and that their efforts have “helped cut electricity bills by 60 percent at the first factory they audited by installing readily available low emissions lighting and technologies”. Read the full article for a description of what’s behind the drive to clean up Wal-Mart's various supply chains. From Reuters, via PlanetArk. Photo credit: Delta Dragon....
"Sweet Land" - The Latest Carbon-Neutral Movie Production
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 11. 1.06
Joining the productions of "Syriana", "An Inconvenient Truth" and "The Day After Tomorrow" in climate-neutrality, indepedent film "Sweet Land" has offset the carbon emissions caused by the films' production. The film, shot in Montevideo, Minnesota, cost about $1 million to make and $15,000 to offset the 8,000 tons of carbon produced as a result; included in the cost is the report of "every mile driven by every vehicle, every gas receipt ... every airline ticket, every actor who traveled, every pound of film," that contributed to the film's carbon footprint. The film offset its emissions by investing in a reforestation project in Germany and windmills and compact fluorescent lighting in Jamaica. "For me, it's less of a political statement about global warming, and more just, there's got to be a nicer, cleaner way to do this," said film director and writer Ali Selim. The film, which opened in limited release last Friday, itself has nothing to do with the environment, except that it was shot in the austere farm country of Minnesota, Selim's home state; herein lies perhaps the most interesting part of the story. If filmmakers can begin to realize that they can reduce their environmental impact without producing anything particularly "green," or that making "environmental movies" is not required to take positive action, carbon offsets can become just another part of making movies, or another part of daily life. We think that'd be a pretty good thing. ::Sweet Land via user GreenLiving at ::Hugg...
live|work: Access Over Ownership
by Tamara Giltsoff, United Kingdom on 11. 1.06
Last week I was presenting at the Sustainable Innovation 06 conference at IIT in Chicago and to my delight the service paradigm and approach to innovation (ie beyond the product or techonocentric approach) was heartedly represented. It’s great to hear what we at live|work espouse coming back at ya from the conference stage and amongst the chattering delegates. I heard about ‘servicing consumer behaviours’, ‘emotion and sentiment in product service systems’, ‘innovation communities and the role of different actors in a system’, ‘networks’, ‘co-creation’, ‘sharing’ and ‘the shift from ownership to borrowing’. And I’m hearing it in other places too. ...
TreeHugger Picks: Making Green by Working Green
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 11. 1.06
TreeHugger is hiring, and between our call for writers and the TreeHugger job board, there are a fair amount of green jobs available, but it's really just the tip of the iceberg. Here are more of our resources and ideas for making green by working green.
1) Reader Rob was looking for a green job, so we found some good places to start looking.
2) Dave Pollard's 10 Tips are designed to help you find a meaningful job and make the world a better place at the same time.
3) According to mega-jobs-site Monster.com, there has never been a better time to get a job in alternative energy industries.
4) This job recruitment board is a great place to start shifting your work in a greener direction.
5) Working for the Environment is a good guide to a greener, more satisfying career....
George Monbiot on the Stern Report
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11. 1.06
George Monbiot has raised the ire of TreeHugger readers before, who thought that we (and he) were completely nuts- Remember Flying is Dying? In six months, that idea has gone mainstream. Now, in the light of the new Stern Report, He has the following recommendations, which some might consider, well, nuts. He proposes:
1) a 90% decrease in greenhouse emissions by 2030.
2) Give everyone a personal carbon ration. If you run out, buy it from someone else.
3) Every new house should be built to the German PassiveHaus standard: no heating system.
4) ban incandescent lights, patio heaters and garden floodlights.
5) redeploy the nuclear missile budget to wind turbines.
6) stop all road building and widening programs; invest in coaches and trains.
7) make every gas station have battery charging stations for overnight wind-powered charging
8) Freeze and then reduce airport capacity.
9) ban and close out-of-town superstores.
Oh, and all of this between 4 and 10 years from now. It sounds extreme, but if past is prelude, look forward to this kind of discussion in America in six months. ::the Guardian
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Vegin' Out in Los Angeles
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 11. 1.06
We have a longtime friend who works for a cool new company called Vegin’ Out located in L.A, CA. We only recently found out that he’s been promoting the company and we wrote him to ask what it was all about. Vegin’ Out is a vegan meal delivery service that is affordable and downright delicious. The concept is simple: order all of your meals for the week, have it delivered and enjoy. All their ingredients are made fresh and are mostly organically grown. Also what’s great is that their menu changes on a weekly basis so you don’t have to worry about the same meal over and over. Can’t break free from your desk or daily routine? Vegin’ Out delivers to your office as well with take-out containers from NatureWorks that are 100% corn-based. Their goal: to assist you in creating a healthy and nutritious lifestyle by delivering low-fat, cholesterol-free meals. Make sure you check out Brian’s hilarious blog on the site…a carnivore turned vegan for 30 days. Nice work Patton! ::Vegin’ Out...
Sanyo's Eneloop Solar Charger
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 11. 1.06
There's the Solio, the Soldius1 and the SolarStyle, just to name a few; no doubt about it, there isn't any shortage of solar chargers these days. So what's the big deal about the Sanyo Eneloop charger? It combines the capacity to juice up rechargeable batteries (4 AAs at a time) with a handy USB port in the back, perfect for charging your iPod, cell or PDA at the same time, all without the necessity of the conventional energy grid. Handy, no? It'll be available in Japan starting November 21st for an expected ¥20,000 or $170; we hope enough sun shines on Sanyo to send it stateside. via ::Gizmodo...
Concrete: Can it be Green?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11. 1.06
"Embodied energy is the energy consumed by all of the processes associated with the production of a building, from the acquisition of natural resources to product delivery." and as you can see from the graph, Concrete has far and away the highest of any material. It also has far and away the lowest value when it comes to recycling at the end of its life. Thus we were surprised to find that a major sponsor of the Green Building Festival in Toronto today was - the Cement Association of Canada. This is like a cigarette company sponsoring a medical convention. Like cigarettes, you can get concrete in lite versions with recyclables in it that even can get you LEED points, so some concretes are greener than others, but still it is a stretch. ...
TreeHugger 100-Mile Thanksgiving Challenge: Get Featured on TreeHugger!
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 11. 1.06
Are you considered a culinary genius? A McGuyver of the kitchen? Do the folks at your local farmer's market know you by name? Do we have the challenge for you! We are looking for some tasty Thanksgiving feasts that use all local food in our 100-Mile Thanksgiving Challenge. Here's the deal. All of the ingredients for your meal should come from within a 100 mile radius of your home. Let us know who you are, where you are, where you got your ingredients and from whom you got your ingredients. The TreeHugger staff and an all-star cast of judges will choose the best Thanksgiving menus based on creativity, taste, and general TreeHugger-ness, and those menus will be featured on the site. A winner will be chosen from those finalists by our faithful readers. All entries should be sent to: contest [at] treehugger [dot] com by November 21st, so get those entries in!
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Tide Chandelier: Picked Up On The Beach
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11. 1.06
We have been working on a piece to be called "There is no such thing as garbage"- that if we are careful, everything that we normally throw out can be left at the store, recycled, re-used, reimagined or composted. Our centerpiece will be Stewart Hagarth's Tide Chandelier, " part of a larger body of work based on the collection of ' man made' debris washed up on a specific stretch of Kent coastline. I have been collecting material over many years and the work is still in progress....The Tide chandelier is created from clear and translucent objects, primarily made of plastic. Each object is different in shape and form, yet they come together to produce one sphere. The sphere is an analogy for the moon which effects the tides which in turn wash up the debris." ...
Tabloid Offers Green Eco-Ti*s
by Bonnie Alter, London on 11. 1.06
Yesterday most of the British newspapers were covering the reports on the economics of climate change. Much to our surprise, this included the Sun, the tabloid newspaper with the highest circulation of any english language paper in the world. Every day the paper features a topless “babe” who has been crowned their "green glamour queen". In keeping with the day’s environmental theme, she is giving hot tips on how to make the temperature soar while keeping global warming down. For your edification--here we go: For a blinding bedroom performance: lighting can make a big impact on your electricity bill so swap harsh lightbulbs for romantic candles. Cycling instead of driving will tone you up, making you irresistible to the opposite sex. Cycling shorts optional. Leaving the car at home cuts carbon emissions. Boost your sex drive: halve the number of cars on the road by offering that special someone a lift to work. Share a steamy bath: a shared dip in the tub will cut a couple’s water costs. Don’t boil over by wasting energy by boiling too much water. Take sexy pics with a digital camera--film processing and developing uses toxic chemicals and paper. Show eco-undie-standing: hand-washing underwear with a gentle, eco-friendly detergent will make your clothes last longer and save on electricity. And opt for undies made of organic cotton. :: The Sun via :: eco.psfk...
The Meatrix 2.5: A Look Inside Fast Food Nation
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 11. 1.06
The last episode of The Meatrix video series left us with Moopheus captured by agents, and Leo and Chickity speeding off to save him. At long last, the rest of the story... The Meatrix II 1/2. This installment of the popular Flash video series is pulling double duty: it takes the viewer inside a meat processing plant to see all the gory details, and promotes the November 17th release of Fast Food Nation. Enjoy the video, then head over to Participant Productions' companion site for the feature film, which currently features Sustainable Table's "Eat Well Guide." There's more to come as the film approaches... stay tuned. ::The Meatrix II 1/2...
Searching for Solar Powered Air Conditioning in Australia
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11. 1.06
We have been saying for a while that what the world needs is a good solar powered air conditioner; (the pictured unit is an evaporative cooler and needs water) In Australia, the building advisory service of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects has been saying the same thing, and is complaining about the governments $ 30 million dollar investment in CO2 geosequestration when they should be looking at how to avoid making greenhouse gas, not how to bury it. "Energy authorities have been warning for years that the explosion of power-hungry airconditioners in Australia threatens the stability of the electrical grid during peak power demands during summer," [Architcentre Manager] Mr Hallett says. "When demand is at its highest, potential solar energy supply is also at its highest. This is a natural association and should be a key strategy." ::Herald Sun
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Sustainable Business Practices: Rug Designers Step Up
by Emily Pilloton, Chicago and San Francisco on 11. 1.06
Now more than ever, the rug industry is making huge strides in their commitment to fair labor, sustainable materials, and ethical business practices. Pioneers such as Stephanie Odegard and Rosemary Hallgarten, and the uber-hip Barcelona-based company Nanimarquina have proven that an industry's traditional practices and all-too-frequent reliance on child labor are no match for an ethical, more responsible approach to material selection, labor practices, and the capitalization of localized skills.
Stephanie Odegard, founder of Odegard Inc., has been commited to the development and preservation of traditional craft in the rug industry since the 1980's. One of the largest importers of Tibetan and Nepalese rugs, she is recognized not only for her keen sense of color and style, but more importantly for her rejection of child labor, commitment to local and regional crafts, and use of environmentally sustainable materials and dyes. Outside of her own enterprise, Odegard is also a founder and director of the Rugmark Foundation, an organization that opposes child labor and supports the construction of schools, programs and opportunities within South Asia's carpet industry....
TreeHuggerTV: Vampire Power
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 10.31.06
Make Your Own Eco Wallpaper Paste
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 10.31.06
Nowadays, wall paper paste comes with a slew of toxic ingredients. Not only does it smell terrible while you are applying it, chances are it will emit harmful VOCs (volatile organic compound) for years to come. But back in the day, this stuff was just a mix of flour and water. Looking for a simple green solution? Care2.com has a recipe that makes it easy to whip up your own batch of paste. In addition to flour and water, it includes cloves, a natural preservative, and alum (aluminum potassium sulfate). ::Care2.com via ::Interiordesign.net
Image courtesy of This Old House...
With Billions at Stake, China—Yes, China—Calls for a Better Kyoto Protocol
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 10.31.06
As Australia’s government insists today that any commitment it would make to the Kyoto protocol would mean nothing without the participation of major carbon culprits like China, Beijing made its own noise about the emissions framework last week, calling for a new and improved agreement after the current Kyoto end date of 2012.
China, like India, is not a signer of the pact, since it claims that emissions restrictions would unfairly limit its development. “You cannot tell people who are struggling to earn enough to eat that they need to reduce their emissions,” said Lu Xuedu, deputy director at China's Office of Global Environmental Affairs, at the first Carbon Expo Asia, a trade fair held in Beijing last week. But since hundreds of millions of dollars in investments in China’s renewable energy industry depend upon Kyoto’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)—which allows big-polluting developed countries to invest in cheaper emissions cuts in developing countries—Beijing officials and industry leaders want assurances that Kyoto (or something like it) will continue.
Just how many greenbacks are at stake for developing countries? Three billion next year, writes Karan Capoor of the World Bank. Meanwhile, Capoor estimates that the volume of the carbon trading market is nearly $22 billion, which “is four times the GDP of Mongolia and more than twice the GDP of Laos, and the year is not even over.”...
The EcoJet: Jay Leno's Biodiesel-Powered Supercar
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 10.31.06
Jay Leno and General Motors have unveiled a biodiesel-powered, 650 hp monster supercar named the EcoJet. The car was originally sketched by Leno and Ed on the back of a napkin, shares design cues with everything from jet aircraft and Formular One racecars. The EcoJet is powered by a Honeywell LT-101 turbine engine that runs on biodiesel, in a modified Corvette Z06 hydroformed aluminum frame with aluminum and magnesium structural and chassis components. "I drive it, wait for the harvest, get some corn and drive it some more," quipped Leno, who also said he is also converting his shop to solar power in an effort to be more environmentally conscious. :: See Jalopnik for more info and photos.
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Almost-Prefab Sauna on the Baltic
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.31.06
Whenever clients want bigger windows and we want to control the amount of opening to save energy and cost, we tell them that a window is not a wall of glass, but a picture frame, controlling, complementing and defining a view. We have rarely seen better examples than this, from a sauna by Heikkinen & Komonen Architects, on the Baltic near Helsinki. "The building turns its back towards the hill and north and opens towards the sea in south. Western terrace catches the evening sun and the eastern one the sun in the morning. The tilted roof above the terraces is covered with transparent corrucated polycarbonate. The cottage is built on site, but the design is based on modular system which could easily serve also pre-fabrication." ::Arkinetia via ::MocoLoco...
Prominent Korean Buildings Upgraded With LEDs
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 10.31.06
Several prominent buildings in Korea have upgraded to LED lighting. The optimal green upgrade would have been to minimize the exterior lighting or eliminate it altogether (see Dark Skies). That said, LEDs do have the green advantages of energy efficiency, durability and the ability to control light intelligently. The GS Tower (seen here) has used an array of RGB LED elements from Color Kinetics to present various images for different seasons, climates and dates, and to provide information on weather, time and different events. The Led fixtures are positioned on the frames of windows on three sides of the building, on the upper floors.
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TreeHugger Welcomes Brittany Jacobs
by Brittany Jacobs, Seattle on 10.31.06
AMD's Sustainable Ad Campaign
by Celine Ruben-Salama, New York, NY on 10.31.06
Buss stops and phone booths in Manhattan are draped with the words, "Is Green, Saves Green. Part of a new ad campaign for the super efficient Opteron processor chips made by Intel-rival AMD, the company aims to position itself as the eco-friendly brand. A flurry of sustainable messaging from AMD, aimed mainly towards business types on Wall Street, Midtown and in the Flat Iron District started in spring of 2006 and is still going strong....
The TH Interview: Ian Roderick of Chew Magna Go Zero (Part 1)
by Treehugger Interns on 10.31.06
A little while back, we wrote here about the Go Zero initiative in the village of Chew Magna in South West England. Now it seems the group is spreading its wings, reaching out to other communities in the area and inspiring them to set up similar schemes. As a spin off project, members of the group are also setting up a national charity called "The Converging World," which will use the carbon offset process to create emissions savings both in the developing world and in the UK. Clearly something very exciting is afoot in this otherwise sleepy corner of Somerset, so TreeHugger decided to pay the village a visit to find out more. We met up in the local pub with Ian Roderick (pictured), an active member of the organisation from the beginning, and he kindly filled us in on the story of Go Zero. The conversation was a lengthy one -- it was a nice pub, he was a nice man, and there was a lot to talk about -- so we've split the interview into two parts. Today's post looks at the history of the group and some of its early initiatives and successes. The second part of the interview, to be posted on Thursday, includes details of the groups future plans, along with Ian's thoughts on how we can all help to avert catastrophic climate change.
According to Ian, the group owes its origins to a series of Coffee House Conversations, which were set up by the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) on the subject of a ‘zero waste’ society. One resident of the village, John Pontin (who also played an key role in setting up Bordeaux Quay, which we reported on here), is a senior member of the RSA and was actively involved in these meetings. At the same time Chew Magna was going through the process of drawing up a "parish plan." Ian takes up the story:...
TreeHugger Radio 5
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 10.31.06
EcoAmerica’s Bob Perkowitz speaks with us about the true demographics of the environmentally activated, and National Wildlife Federation chairman Jerome Ringo talks about making the movement relevant to all. The man behind the recycled Preserve toothbrush explains what he’s doing in Target, and Whole Foods offers impulse offsets. (listen)...
CNN's "Buying Green" Special Report
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.31.06
CNN has a special report up entitled "Buying Green." The premise is based on the idea that "the rise of organic foods, recycled products and eco-friendly ingredients have helped a generation of consumers 'go green,'" and they're aiming to move that process along even further. Included in the report are stories on the mainstreaming of organic food, wind power and green building, plus a green quiz and some fun widgets and numbers designed for quick digestion. At the heart of the special issue is both the amount and variety of small things that consumers can do to be a little greener, and the ease with which one can do so; by making it seem easy and quick, it looks like CNN is hoping to engage and educate more people with a quick hit of green ideas, info and tips. It won't start a revolution, but it might change a few minds and spending habits, and the more of that we can get, the better things will be for everyone. ::Buying Green via ::People Against Dirty Blog...
Whole Foods to Sell Wind Power
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 10.31.06
That’s right! The news is due out this week! Starting November 1st Whole Foods will be offering Wind Power Cards in all of their stores. Much like you see the gift cards hanging at the register of Stop & Shop and Home Depot, the Wind Power Cards will be offered at $5.00 and $15.00. Selling wind credits in a card form hasn’t been done before and this could be a huge hit for Whole Foods, who is also going 100% wind powered and now they’re getting the consumers involved. Our question, do those cards have a recycle triangle on them? Via ::Shea Gunther, Founder of Renewable Choice Energy, the company that provides Whole Foods with their wind power and who are responsible for the program.
Writer's Note: Just received an email from a contact at Whole Foods who notes: "Only the California stores will have them starting November 1st. The other regions will follow shortly, but probably after the holidays. Everyone should have them by April. Also, the cards are currently printed on normal gift card PVC, but that was my first comment as well to Renewable Choice. We are working together to have the next printing of cards on either tree-free paper made from limestone (which we use for certain applications) or recycled cardboard."
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Rock, Paper, Scissors Series from Eco-Lights
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.31.06
We're liking the looks of the Rock, Paper, Scissors Series of lighting available at Eco-Lights. The two-tone lamps (also available as a wall sconce & ceiling pendant) are available in a variety of colors that pop from behind the glossy white exterior. The retro-inspired looks are chic but simple, well-designed but not overdone. Each lamp is made from post-consumer recycled steel, and Eco-Lights recommends lighting them up with a compact fluorescent bulb. Under the Green Culture umbrella, Eco-Lights has just about every kind of lighting you'll ever need, from desk lamps to torchieres to solar-powered and Energy Star-labeled lighting. ::Eco-Lights via ::Fabulously Green...
Grass Your Wall, by Ustatic
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 10.31.06
How about a green air-purifying grass wall in your apartment? Believe it or not, it’s possible without having a mess thank to these grass panels from Argentinean company Ustatic. The “Wall Grass” is a system of grass rectangular panels, which function with a structural substrate, a humidity retainer substrate with small conducts that warrantee the homogeneous distribution of water in the entire surface, and a basement formed by the grass’ roots, which add support. The grass can be used for decoration or as an alternative for small spaces without a backyard, and is supposed to have the same sir purifying qualities than regular grass. Though it’s still a prototype, the product is actually being produced next year in Argentina, and will probably be available for exportation. The company has even some distributors defined, so those interested can get in touch with them through their website. On the other hand, for all of you who are willing to take the treehugging a little further, the company has also an air-purifying suit planning to be developed in the next year. Details, in the extended....
greenliving Magazine- Spreading the Green Word
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.31.06
Greenliving Magazine is subtitled 'health and beauty for you-and for the earth." We don't cover the health and beauty beat, but were intrigued to see Dawn Danby of Worldchanging on the cover, and found that its contents were more diverse, including a Healthy Home section, information on socially responsible investing, and profiles of Canadian Eco Heros, (including Dawn) which is easier to read online than in print- why did they break them up with "continued on page" when half the page is blank? It's produced by Green Living Enterprises, who also did EcoOptions. Much of the content is online at ::Green Living Magazine....
Jennifer Siegal's ShowHouse
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.31.06
Jennifer Siegal and her Office of Mobile Design have produced the Show House, looks like one of her Takehome series of factory built homes. These appear to offer sustainable materials and options, but start with a very reasonable base price for a modern prefab house. more pictures at ::Office of Mobile Design, Prefab section. via ::MocoLoco...
Inc.com's "Green 50" Companies List
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.31.06
Writing in a story titled The Eco-Advantage. Inc.com reports that they've listed the "most intriguing" green businesses: "...we narrowed the list to...The Green 50. The range of businesses is astonishingly wide, from high-tech firms making big bets on the future of energy to decidedly low-tech concerns that are simply determined to find a different way to do business. What their efforts add up to is a new way to think about being in business. We're betting that most of them will be around for several business cycles to come". Why not the 'Astonishing 50' - which could be a nice promotional trailer right before "An Inconvenient Truth?" Anyhow, we looked over the Green 50, and copied the list for you below the fold. Inc.com and TreeHugger seem to have common interests....
Climate Change: The Story is the Story
by Bonnie Alter, London on 10.31.06
Looking at the news stand today is enough to make a treehugger deliriously hopeful. Climate change has hit the newspapers with a bang. As a result of yesterday’s launch of Sir Nicholas Stern’s report on the economics of climate change, Britain’s newspapers are acknowledging the issue--big time. Each, in its own way, and representing its constituency, has spent pages today analysing and explaining the ramifications to its readers. The Financial Times, a newspaper which has only started mentioning this subject in the last year, has dedicated the first three pages of the paper to the subject, along with a lead editorial. It warns that “the Stern review is not only a counsel of hope, it is a necessary call for action”. The Independent has always been a fountain of information--its cover (pictured) and content reflect its commitment. At the other end of the political spectrum is the Guardian which has outdone itself with enough to keep one reading for days. But we can’t ignore the tabloids: the Daily Mail asks: “isn't the truth that the Government sees in global warming a heaven-sent opportunity to squeeze yet more money out of hard-pressed Middle Britain, while pretending it is all for the good of the planet?”. Happy reading. :: Financial Times :: Independent :: Guardian :: Daily Mail...
Expert Panel to Discuss "The Industry of Water"
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 10.31.06
Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink. -- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner OK, so perhaps that's a bit dramatic, but water supplies are a growing concern, especially in parts of the US where the population is growing and the water supply is shrinking. Green business guru Joel Makower noted in a post last year on Two Steps Forward that "The world’s freshwater supply is at risk and the question is when and where, not whether, there will be major droughts or shortages that could have a major disruptive effect on business and society." Couple that with a growing global population, and we realize quickly that water concerns should be as high, if not higher, on the public agenda as energy supply issues. This Thursday, Makower will be hosting a panel discussion with a range of experts on water supply titled "The Industry of Water: Future of an Essential Supply Chain." According to the event's announcement, the discussion will focus on how to harness the entrepreneurial spirit and technological know-how of "companies with a Silicon Valley mindset" to address the shortage of this necessary resource. The experts taking part in the discussion are:...
Biologically Inspired Ocean Power
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 10.31.06
Biological inspiration or biomimetics can help people think outside the box of human engineering. Dr. Tim Finnigan, CEO of BioPower Systems, has taken bio-inspiration literally in his pitch to create the bioWAVE™ and the bioSTREAM™. Both systems try to take advantage of the biophysical properties marine animals and plants have adopted for living in near shore wave and high flow environments. BioPower Systems is using their seed money to build prototype models in an effort to get these ideas to market within two to three years. The BioPower Systems website does a beautiful job of presenting the technology. For a review of how this might stack up in the quickly growing ocean power sector, keep reading....
Rockhill Associates Kansas Longhouse
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.31.06
Architectural Record reviews "elongated houses"- which can grab lots of passive solar gain and are easily cross-ventilated. We like the work of Rockhill Associates:"When we started, we were enamored with the notion of literally coming down and cutting the prairie, moving it aside, putting a house on the exposed ground, and replanting the prairie back on top.”.... "The Kansas Longhouse’s low-slope green roof has been so successfully colonized by the native prairie grasses that on approach it is nearly invisible. Visitors walking up the long driveway toward it ought to be warned before they embark, “Just keep going, it’s back there.” ::Rockhill Associates via ::Architectural Record...
Conservation Has Never Been So Sexy: Whale Nation’s 2007 Calendar Out Now!
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 10.31.06
To all of you who like a sexy girl on the wall, you can now get through 2007 with exactly that. Whale Nation’s annual calendar shows gorgeous models and not so beautiful topics every month. It is designed to raise awareness as to what is happening with the oceans: oil pollution, whale hunting, litter or habitat destruction to only mention a few. On their web site, each issue is linked to a brief synopsis of the problem and individual fact sheets that can be printed off or passed on to others. The middle photo above for example illustrates the problem of plastic waste. It quotes Mahatma Gandhi ‘You must be the change you wish to see in the world’ and the sad fact that ‘around 100,000 marine mammals and 1,000,000 sea birds die each year of plastic entanglement or ingestion.’
The calendar has been produced by volunteers, photographers and models free of charge and all profits are going to WhaleFund. It’s £15, available here. Now, how about a bit more equilibrium for 2008 with some sexy male models for us hungry-eyed females and gay men alike? ::Whale Nation Thanks Panos for the tip!...
How to Green Your Meals
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 10.30.06
What’s the Big Deal?
The dailies? You know - milk, bread, eggs - the dailies. These are the things that you find yourself running out each week (or each day) to purchase. Now, you spend a lot of money on these purchases because of their purchasing frequency, so its important that something worth so much money is chosen carefully.Permaculture on Waiheke Island
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 10.30.06
One of the most amazing things about where Laura and Daren live is the 20 acres of land surrounding the house. On one side the hill climbs steeply up to a ridge where you can see down onto a bay. On the other side the garden slopes down into a green valley. Darren’s passion is land regeneration and his dream is to create a permaculture garden which will supplement their organic diet with veggies, fruit and nuts and have extra produce to sell at the market. Having studied with the guru of Permaculture Bill Mollison and worked on the Island Quarry regeneration project in Byron Bay Darren has a good idea of what he can do with his newly acquired land. When they moved onto the land Darren spent the first year observing the environment before making any big decisions about what he wanted to do. He made a ‘mud map’ of the property and watched the behaviour of the wind, sun, water, and shade through the four seasons. Together Laura the cook and Darren the gardener fantasised about what fruit and veggies they wanted to grow and made lists of plants they wanted to live with....
Gosha Galitsky's Suitcase Bike
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 10.30.06
We’ve had bikes that fold up small enough to fit into suitcases before, like the classic Bike Friday. And we’ve had intriguing bicycling creations from student designers previously too, such as the much coveted Cannondale Jackknife. The two come together here in the Suitcase Bike. Gosha Galitsky, a Israeli designer (now living in Italy) developed the concept (see pic of working prototype after the fold) while studying at the Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. He felt that, although there was a whole pelaton of folding bikes on the market, they were, “cumbersome, often heavy and difficult to carry.” Yet, he was quite taken with wheeled luggage, which he considered could be transported with “(relative) grace” and little effort. So he conceived the Suitcase Bike to blend the ideas. The dirty and delicate components of the bike are enclosed within the case for moving about on public transport. It can be pulled along by the front handle, with the front wheel converting into a dolly wheel. No indication is provided of any commercial uptake on the idea. ::Gosha Galitsky, via Cocolico, from a tip by Lloyd. ...
Britain’s Stern Report Spurs Action on Climate Change
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 10.30.06
First it was Britain’s Chief Scientist saying climate change posed more of threat to the world than terrorism. Now Sir Nicholas Stern, who was once the Chief Economist and Senior Vice-President of the World Bank (2000 to 2003) has released a report, that UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has called the most important he has ever received and that it is, "the final piece of the jigsaw to convince every single political leader, including those in America, China and India, that global warming must be at the top of their agenda". The Stern Report itself says that climate change “is the greatest and widest-ranging market failure ever seen.” It suggests that inaction on climate change will result in a depressed economy worse the Great Depression of the 1930s. And that the financial cost will be higher than the Depression combined with the two world wars. And in human terms the resulting drought and flooding will displace 200 million people from their homes creating the largest human migration in history - all of them refugees. With up to 40% of world’s known species set for extinction. To avert this tragedy the report says we need to spend 1 per cent of global GDP, roughly what is spent worldwide on advertising, and half what the World Bank estimates would be the cost of a full-blown flu pandemic. ...
TreeHugger 100-Mile Thanksgiving Challenge: Send Us Your Menus
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 10.30.06
Looking for recipe ideas for our 100-Mile Thanksgiving Challenge? Look no further than the 100 Mile Diet's own website where they have a few ideas that might help you jumpstart your 100 mile menu. When your menu is set, be sure to let us know at: contest [at] treehugger [dot] com. Remeber to let us know not only the ingredients you used, but where and who you got your ingredients from. Be sure to get your entries in by November 21st though, as we will choose the best 100 mile Thanksgiving entries and feature them on the site!...
The Pterosail: A Wind-Assisted Trike
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 10.30.06
Pterosail is a small start-up company that has designed a unique vehicle: it's a custom-made recumbent trike that incorporates a sail and an electric-assist motor. The sailing system can be used in two ways: to fully power the trike, or in conjunction with pedaling. Additionally, the sailing system can convert wind energy into electrical energy to be stored into two 24-volt deep cycle marine batteries. This stored electrical power can then be used to power a small electric-assist motor. The vehicle is 50-state street-legal — basically, it can be used wherever bikes can be legally used.
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Nano-Tech Batteries May Rival Lithium-Ions In Hybrids
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 10.30.06
Altair Nanotechnologies has announced that, in ongoing testing, it has completed 15,000 deep charge/discharge cycles of its NanoSafe battery cells. Even after 15,000 cycles the cells still retained over 85% of their original charge capacity. Altairnano claims this represents a significant improvement over conventional, commercially available rechargeable battery technologies such as lithium ion, nickel metal hydride and nickel cadmium. These batteries would be used in the electric vehicle and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle markets. Update: In fact, the batteries will be in Phoenix Motors electric pickup trucks, which will be offered this Spring with a range of 150 or optionally 200 miles....
Green Couture @ Kaight
by Celine Ruben-Salama, New York, NY on 10.30.06
If you are looking for an outfit that is both super elegant and eco-friendly, KAIGHT on Orchard Street in Manhattan has got your number. Dedicated to advancing the image of green fashion this New York eco-boutique is full of stylish, ethically produced garments by American and British eco-designers. You'll find Linda Loudermilk's "eco-luxury" line, Undesigned by Carol Young reversible and convertible separates, dresses by Eko Logic and Amira, Ciel and many other delightful brands you'll be itching to own. Tags read: post consumer recycled content, tencel, bamboo, organic cotton, wool, and cashmere, end-of-the-run fabrics, animal free – reading that warms a TreeHugger heart.
:: Kaight...
Most Huggable
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 10.30.06
Zombies these days; even the undead on using solar power… Pterosail: the recumbent, wind-assisted bicycle… A new power cord lets people visualize their electricity use… Tech Block building material turns recycled styrofoam into new walls… Ssesamirembe International Solar Airport (SISA) in Uganda will be Africa’s first sun-powered airport…...
The Slate Green Challenge Week 2: Heating
by Meaghan O'Neill, Newport, R.I. on 10.30.06
If your thermostat had a theme song, would it be "It's Gettin' Hot in Here?" Or are you an energy miser who prides yourself on wearing mittens to bed? Either way, it's likely your house is letting some of that precious heat escape via various cracks and air ducts. In the U.S., more than half of our energy bills (about $1,500 annually for the average household) goes toward heating and cooling our homes. Weatherizing your home can help. And simply moving your thermostat down 2 degrees will you save you both money and an average of 2,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere per year.
Click on over to Slate to check out this week's installment of the Green Challenge, all about energy and heating. Haven't hopped on the bandwagon yet? You can start anytime with our carbon footprint quiz and join the pledge to drop a collective 20 percent of our CO2 emissions. You could win a T-shirt from our sponsors over at I'm Organic and you'll definiltey be helping to curb global warming. ::Slate Green Challenge with TreeHugger: Heating ::Slate green Challenge with TreeHugger: Welcome
[This post was written by Brittany Jacobs, fabulous intern on the Slate Green Challenge with TreeHugger.]
NB: Last week's segment of the Slate Green Challenge with TreeHugger focused on transportation. Did you know that you can help reduce carbon emissions simply by using the Web? Hybrid cars are great, but if you don't have one, you can still help reduce emissions by buying energy certificates, or green tags, that go toward supporting renewable energy sources. Check out Drive Neutral and Carbonfund.org to learn more. The latter also allows you to purchase green tags that can help offset your individual or your family's energy use at large....
TreeHugger Picks: Halloween Tricks 'N Treats
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.30.06
With the big day just around the corner, we thought we'd take a look at some of the Halloween tricks 'n treats from our past.
1) We've got some ideas for TreeHugger-friendly candy & treats to give the little ghouls and ghosts in your neighborhood.
2) Tree Huggin' Treats offers vegan, organic, wheat free and gluten free treats.
3) For other tasty treats, you can't go wrong with Fair Trade Trick or Treat Chocolate
4) What do you think? Take our survey to see if you'll be the only organic candy-giver on your block.
5) These Jack-'O-Lantern buckets, made from reclaimed barn tin, are a good alternative for those who aren't fans of carving their own pumpkin each year....
Buildings That Lock In Carbon
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.30.06
They thought Architect Terunobu Fujimori was nuts in 2001 when he presented his Tokyo Plan 2101- "During the 21st century, the sea level has continued to rise due to global warming. Venice, then Tokyo, have been covered with water. The trickiest problem is not to control the release of carbon dioxide but to reduce the large quantities already in the air." Fujimori recognized that the atmosphere used to have much higher CO2, but that plants and corals converted it into oxygen. If you build with wood and coral, the CO2 is locked inside it. It doesn't seem so silly now. Terunobu Fujimori via ::wwmna...
New Book Tells Scientists to Speak Up
by Union of Concerned Scientists on 10.30.06
Many challenging environmental problems are scientific in nature. If scientists don’t effectively communicate their findings and opinions to the press, special-interest lobbyists, industry spokespeople, and sometimes ill-informed politicians step in to fill the vacuum. The result can be bad, possibly disastrous, decision making. This is why the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) teamed up with Rutgers University Press to publish A Scientist’s Guide to Talking with the Media, a first-of-its-kind public relations handbook for scientists and advocates who use science in their work. ...
Netafim: How To Be A Drip
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 10.30.06
Supplying gardens water when and where they need it most makes plants and the planet happy. That’s been the business of Israeli drip irrigation company Netafim for the past 40 years. Drip irrigation was once a simple concept of connecting pipes and supplying water straight to the roots in order to avoid loss of water from evaporation. (It’s drats though for us TreeHugger kids who love to jump through sprinklers!). Thanks to companies such as Netafim, the business of drip irrigation has gone high tech and branched out across the world.
Planning to build house and garden and looking for a smart way to irrigate to your plants? Netafim provides solutions from high tech corporate farms to traditional family owned farms in developing countries. Netafim's product offerings run the gamut....
Fivelimes: Green Shopping Community Goes Live
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.30.06
Based on the belief that "going green" isn't difficult if you have access to the right information, Fivelimes.com aims to be your central resource for all things eco-friendly and socially responsible. The web-based community, which had been in beta for several months (we mentioned them before), officially launched late last week and has the beginnings of what could be an impressive collection of green products and services. Sort of like Hugg, but with stuff instead of news, the site invites users to submit their favorite book (like The Big Green Apple) or coffee table (like Iannone Sanderson's kirei beauty, pictured above) or little gadget (like the Jimi iPod nano case, also pictured); other users can then add their own rating and review or follow the link to buy it. Participation is free; Fivelimes wants to leverage the power of the masses, so they want everyone to be involved. If you've seen some groovy green stuff and want others to know about it, click on over and share it with the world. ::Fivelimes via ::Hugg...
Who's The Greenest Of Them All: A Question For Our US Readers
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.30.06
Who would you most want to take the visionary lead in the US Congress on matters of the environment? Could your vote make the difference? There are plenty of places to research individual Congressional candidate endorsements and positions. For example, Republicans for Environmental Protection (REP) has posted its slate of endorsed candidates for the U.S. Congress here. The best non-partisan web site we’ve seen for exploring a national candidate's past votes on matters of the environment is “OnTheIssues.” Let's think beyond the outcome of the fast-approaching US mid-term election. Who, ideally, among US Congressional office holders and their registered opponents, would be the most visionary, the most principled fighter, the most practical leader that you, our readers, think would set a good example for the rest of Congress or for Federal Agencies? Regardless of whether your Congressional "green hero" could directly represent your district, add your comments: let us know who you would most want to lead Congress into shaping the environmental future. Want some examples of past leaders to compare with? On the Democratic side we were thinking of Gaylord Nelson , whose photograph is shown above. On the Republican side, William D. Ruckelshaus, shown next to the plane, comes to mind....
Who's The Greenest Of Them All: A Question For Our US Readers
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.30.06
Who would you most want to take the visionary lead in the US Congress on matters of the environment? Could your vote make the difference? There are plenty of places to research individual Congressional candidate endorsements and positions. For example, Republicans for Environmental Protection (REP) has posted its slate of endorsed candidates for the U.S. Congress here. The best non-partisan web site we’ve seen for exploring a national candidate's past votes on matters of the environment is “OnTheIssues.” Let's think beyond the outcome of the fast-approaching US mid-term election. Who, ideally, among US Congressional office holders and their registered opponents, would be the most visionary, the most principled fighter, the most practical leader that you, our readers, think would set a good example for the rest of Congress or for Federal Agencies? Regardless of whether your Congressional "green hero" could directly represent your district, add your comments: let us know who you would most want to lead Congress into shaping the environmental future. Want some examples of past leaders to compare with? On the Democratic side we were thinking of Gaylord Nelson , whose photograph is shown above. On the Republican side, William D. Ruckelshaus, shown next to the plane, comes to mind....
Muji Recycles
by Bonnie Alter, London on 10.30.06
Muji is japanese for "no brand quality goods" and that is what this stylish, affordably priced chain of stores sells across Japan, Asia, and Europe (and in the Museum of Modern Art in New York). Established in Japan in 1980, where it is now ubiquitous, the company’s basic principle is to "develop new, simple products at reasonable prices by making the best use of materials while considering environmental issues." Clothing, housewares, furniture and office supplies are all good quality, simply-designed, contain no overt brand markings, and little or no packaging in their displays or sales. In keeping with their environmental ethos, they have now created a series of tee-shirts, camisoles, socks and duvet covers out of recycled yarn. The floppy elephant toy (pictured) is joined by a dino, and a crocodile, bunny, giraffe and finger puppets. The yarn is made of waste cotton collected from cotton production factories. The fibres are separated and re-spun, but no sorting has been carried out so there are wonderful random patterns. And each item is unique. Because there is no re-dying involved, the amount of pollutants and energy consumption is reduced. :: Muji...
London Plans for Hybrid Bus Expansion
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 10.30.06
Buses are already a fairly green option for transportation: even the regular old diesel bus gets cars with single drivers off the streets. The City of London plans to up the stakes in coming years, though, by converting its entire fleet of 8,000 buses to diesel hybrids, which would produce 200,000 less tons of carbon emissions per year. According to the Guardian,...
Lost Early Modern Prefab Found in LA
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.30.06
After WWII there were a lot of airplane factories and staff with time on thier hands, and lots of people who needed housing; factory built housing was a logical step. Famed Industrial designer Henry Dreyfuss (late works include the princess phone and the Polaroid SX70 Camera) and architect Edward Larabee Barnes built two prototypes in the Consolidated Vultee Aircraft factory. they had only 28 parts, a honeycomb and aluminum skin, and lots of glass, so it felt much bigger than its 810 square feet. It never went into production and it was assumed that they were both lost, but one was just hiding in South Pasadena, and was discovered when its new owner applied to tear it down. It is now going to be restored and sold. ::Metropolis...
Alexander Reh's Chandelier Made From Milk Jugs
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.30.06
"This outdoor chandelier not only strengthens the appeal of your backyard but also builds strong bones in the process" - made from milk jugs and a hula hoop. We don't know why designer Alexander Reh says it is for outdoors- it would look fine anywhere. ::Alexander Reh via ::Core 77 ...
Lexmark Introduces Greener Printers
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 10.30.06
While we're having a little trouble finding this particular characterization on Lexmark's web site, CNet's Alpha blog reported last week that the electronics company has launched a line of laser printers it's touting as "green machines." According to CNet's Felisa Yang, the E series mono lasers and the C530 color printers not only feature duplexers for printing on both sides of a sheet of paper, but also put a new spin on some old components to reduce material waste and energy use:...
NYC Announces Five Bus Rapid Transit Routes
by Eric Kane, New York, NY on 10.30.06
When Michael Bloomberg first ran for mayor of New York City in 2001, he promised to bring an express bus system to Manhattan’s east side. Five years later, fans of bus rapid transit (BRT) are poised to rejoice. The City’s Department of Transportation announced the development of five BRT routes as part of a pilot program to usher in a new era of bus travel. Each of the City’s five boroughs will have a system in place by 2008, with two scheduled for operation in the fall of 2007. Unlike current routes, the BRT system will have stops spaced between half a mile and a mile apart. Furthermore, buses will be equipped with devices to transmit their location to a computer system that controls traffic lights, thereby allowing lights to stay green for an extra few seconds to allow buses to pass. Cameras will also be mounted on the buses to photograph any vehicle blocking the BRT lane, so traffic tickets could be mailed to the violator. Finally, some of the bus stations will be equipped with turnstiles to allow passengers to pay prior to boarding. Let’s hope the BRT system will utilize the hybrid electric buses that have become prevalent on many of the City’s standard routes....
Paula Dib’s Trans.forma “Social Design”
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 10.30.06
Brazil has a lot of history on designers joining poor artisan communities to develop new products that can enhance and add value to their crafts: just check some of our previously featured Oficina Nomade, Discovered In and Coopa Roca. This time around we found Paula Dib, the author of the designs on the picture above, who claims to make “social design”. The designer says she aims to join “the ‘emergent Brazil’” and “the ‘regional Brazil’” -two extremes of society separated by social and economic barriers- through design “developing products that can improve the income and self-esteem of the communities, recognizing the values of regional and cultural Brazilian identities”. Even though she doesn’t have a vast collection, we thought it was worth showing these rustic yet neat trays and flowerpots and note the effort. To contact her or acquire the products, check the “Contact” section at her website. ::Trans.forma design...
TreeHugger Welcomes Writer Jenna Watson
by Jenna Watson, Barcelona on 10.29.06
Spangled Ferret – Earth Concious Fashion from New Zealand
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 10.29.06
The prize for the most brilliantly random brand name that I‘ve found in New Zealand should go to Gina and Sean Higham for Spangled Ferret. As with most great ideas inspiration came to these two Brits after a couple of drinks and a bit of banter in the pub. They originally used it for their pub quiz team back in the U.K. When they moved over to New Zealand, to Waiheke Island, 18 months ago and started up their ethical clothing and jewellery brand the absurd but catchy monika was brought out of hibernation and the Spangled Ferret label was born. It has become quite a cult brand on the Island as Gina and Sean are regulars at the Saturday market where all of Waiheke’s creative community come to sell their wares. The signature fabric used for their hats, bags, shawls and cushions is a yarn from Nepal made out of recycled silk saris. Brightly multicoloured and soft, it makes a very warm and tactile fabric once knitted or woven. Gina originally knitted and crocheted everything herself until demand exceeded her knitting speed. Now she out sources the work to the same women’s cooperatives in Nepal who make the yarn paying them fair trade prices for all their work. A project coordinator in Nepal makes sure that poorest villages get the majority of the work....
TH Tip: Cleaning Out the Garden
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 10.29.06
It’s gotten colder here and all of our vegetables have been picked and our flowers clipped so we’ve decided to put the beds to rest for the winter. We thought we’d share a few tips with you that we’ve used to ensure a good start to next season. Autumn cleanup is thought of as spring planning. Save the seeds for planting or give them away as holiday gifts. Pull out any remaining vegetables and fruit, dead annuals and all stalks for vines. These are prime habitat locations for voles, mice and other small rodents. Even though you won’t be using the gardens through the winter, weed thoroughly and eliminate those horrible invasive weeds that could become a problem. Bring less hardy herbs like basil, parsley and rosemary indoors for the winter. More rugged herbs like lavender and sage can survive through the winter. Use organic mulch but don’t mulch until the ground is frozen; remember that it doesn’t keep the ground warm, but it keeps it frozen. Mix up raked leaves, grass clippings and dead annuals and stalks and pile it three to five inches high on the garden. As far as trees or shrubs, don’t mulch right up to the stems; spread it around the roots only. By spring, it should all be rotted and can be turned, once again, back into the soil. One last tip: don’t stop watering just because the weather has gotten colder. It’s still important, especially for woody plants, to be well-watered going into their dormant season. Via ::AMC Outdoors ...
How We Will Eat Come the Revolution: The Cuba Diet
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.29.06
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba's industrialized farming collapsed as well, lacking fuel, equipment, fertilizers and subsidies- its agricultural production fell off a cliff. They weren't going to get a lot of help from the US, and so Cuba truly became an island, "outside the international economic system, a moon base whose supply ships had suddenly stopped coming.". The Cuban diet went from 3,000 calories a day to under 2,000, and everyone was hungry. Not any more: essentially, Cubans learned to be organic farmers....
A Dirty Deed in Kansas, USA
by Simran Sethi, Lawrence KS on 10.29.06
I moved from West Harlem, New York, to the Kansas heartland and thought, if I couldn't get fresh sushi at least I would breathe cleaner air and get closer to nature. The truth is I spend most of my TreeHugger time in front of a computer, but more disturbing still is this. . .
Sunflower Electric Power Corp is poised to build 3 coal-fired plants in Southwest Kansas, outside of Holcomb. While the new plants would increase Sunflower's total generating capacity nearly seven-fold, most of the new power would be exported to Colorado. According to the Sierra Club, only 8% of the energy generated by the plants would provide electricity to Kansas, while the hearty winds of Kansas will blow pollutants like mercury and fine-particle emissions all over the state. ...
TreeHugger breaks it down for you in a series of in depth how-to articles that will help you green your life. No time like the present!
Here are a few recommended websites.
- BTC Elements Blog
- Celsias
- Clean Edge - The Clean-Tech Market Authority
- Cleantech Investing
- SRB Marketing | CONSCIOUS CLICKS - The Blog
- Daily Green, the Blog of GreenForGood.com
- Endogenous preferences
- Environmental and Urban Economics
- Environmental Economics
- EQUITY GREEN
- gDiapers: the early years...
- Gil Friend
- The Green Giraffe
