- 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 January 21, 2007 - January 27, 2007
Total this week: 135
Manda Bala: A Sundance Doc Guaranteed to Freak You Out
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 01.27.07
UPDATE: It was announced Saturday evening that Manda Bala won the Grand Jury Documentary Prize, as well as the Excellence in Cinematography Award! At the end of our interview, Jason Kohn let me know that he wants a hybrid convertible and he wants it now (are you listening, Lexus?). Ironically, it would be suicidal to drive one in Manda Bala's (Send a Bullet) Sao Paulo. Does your Brazil free association involve Carnival and boob jobs? Try bullet-proof cars and a growing specialty ear replacement surgery for kidnap victims. Instead of capoeira, imagine the rich safely flitting from rooftop to rooftop via private helicopter. Rain forest-friendly economic development? Think "sustainable" money-laundering frog farm. Kohn's kinetic and brutal tour of decadence, wealth and corruption will appeal to a wide audience -- not just those who go out of their way to see "socially relevant" films. It will leave you spinning -- just like Kohn was as we sat a few tables away from Dakota Fanning at a restaurant-turned-press room on Main Street in Park city Tuesday afternoon. Torn in a thousand directions, on the verge of a cold, and fresh from an audience Q and A, he discussed his reasons for focusing on the powerful, and why disparity spells doom for Brazil and its ecosystems....
Bush Administration Lobbying For Planetary Engineering: Smoke & Mirrors Option First
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 01.27.07
International climate change deliberations might blast-off into the military domain. Pointing to this possibility, here's the opening paragraph from a full article in the Guardian:- "The US government wants the world's scientists to develop technology to block sunlight as a last-ditch way to halt global warming, the Guardian has learned. It says research into techniques such as giant mirrors in space or reflective dust pumped into the atmosphere would be "important insurance" against rising emissions, and has lobbied for such a strategy to be recommended by a major UN report on climate change, the first part of which will be published on Friday". TreeHugger has posted extensively on planetary engineering options, including sun-blocking, C02 "sequestration," and iron seeding to boost marine plankton productivity. The sunlight interruption schemes touched on by the Guardian article would presumably be reliant on space program and military-style weapon delivery mechanisms (symbolized by the photo), geopolitical aspects of which need to be considered as much or more than do sun-block efficacy, reliability, and secondary biological impact. If world governments agreed to focus on sun-blocking technology as the only form of climate "insurance" to be actively pursued, the US and Russia, nations with atmospheric delivery capabilities, would have strategic primacy over the principal backup response to climate crisis. This strategic demension would most certainly reshape climate change treaty expectations and might throw existing "Cap and Trade" investments askew. These geopolitical prospects are dizzying enough, regardless of the extent to which the world's climate may benefit from a single planetary engineering approach (sun-blocking). Is there a technical reason why the open-source planetary engineering approaches did not get equal mention? We can't think of one. Guess we'll have to wait for the second IPCC report segment to find out....
Piedmont Biofuels: Still Brewing
by Treehugger Interns on 01.27.07
We first covered Piedmont Biofuels way back in May 2005, but they are certainly worth revisiting. Based in the piedmont region of North Carolina, this worker and member-owned cooperative promotes and sells biodiesel fuel made from vegetable oil. They also operate a busy internship program, run oil-seed crop research on their farm, and their representatives have an extremely full schedule of speaking engagements on renewable energy and sustainability issues. As if this were not enough, they run a frequently updated blog on energy issues – one recent entry, entitled ‘Coat and Tie Sustainability', delves in to the difficulties of participating in public debate on energy issues, and on picking through the greenwash from utility companies and other vested interests:...
TreeHugger Radio is Now Podcast Activated
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 01.27.07
Yes, folks. The audio division of your favorite green-lifestyle, more-punch-less-crunch, eco-optimist blog is now hot and ready for your podcasting pleasure. We’ve been cranking along with this experiment in green web radio for a little bit now and we’re currently on our 17th segment. Already we’ve featured some of the world’s brightest and more engaging people while covering green news from around the world. Of course every single TH Radio segment is available on the Radio page, as well as being broadcast every Friday on the good old AM and satellite waves thanks to our partners EcoTalk and Air America. To start getting weekly TreeHugger Radio podcasts plus extended interviews with the likes of Paul Hawken, Daryl Hannah, and Heidi Cullen, paste this link into iTunes. More detailed instructions after the fold. ...
Organic and Air Freighted? Maybe Not For Much Longer...
by Treehugger Interns on 01.27.07
The local vs. organic debate is a familiar one to many treehuggers. Is it better for a shopper in London to buy organic green beans from Kenya, or non-organic from Kent? This shopper at least decided long ago that there was little point in avoiding pollution in the production of his food, only to then fly it round the world spewing emissions in the process. Soon we may no longer have an option, if a report in the Guardian is anything to go by. Apparently the Soil Association, the UK’s leading organic certification body, has just launched a year long consultation into whether air freighted food should be banned from carrying the organic label. According to the report, the consultation will consider other options, such as carbon offsets, but with UK supermarkets Tesco and Marks and Spencer recently announcing labeling schemes for airfreighted produce, it may be that the tide is turning against flying beans. Of course, this was never an issue at the farmers market… [Written by: Sami Grover]
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An Interview with Bob Perkowitz
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 01.27.07
Bob Perkowitz is an entrepreneur, environmentalist, writer, investor, and distance cyclist. He is president and founder of ecoAmerica, an environmental consumer research and marketing firm and has been a trustee of the Sierra Club Foundation since 2001 where he has served as secretary, treasurer, and chairman of the investment and finance committees. Over the past 25 years, Bob has also been president of direct marketing and manufacturing organizations including Cornerstone Brands, Smith+Noble, and Joanna Western Mills. He currently is managing partner of VivaTerra LLC, president of Paradigm Management, Inc., a director of SRAM, Inc., sits on the TreeHugger.com board, and is a partner in Firebrand Partners, LLC, and Arqua Equity Partners, LLC.
Bob joined the Board of Trustees of Environmental Defense of North Carolina in 2002 where he has served as a member of the North Carolina Climate Stewardship Task Force. Bob has ridden his bike across North and South America, Australia, and Europe and is currently trying to figure out how to ride across Africa and Asia.
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Canada's Newspapers : Welcome to the New Climate
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.27.07
Saturday rather than Sunday is the big day for newspapers in Canada; on Sunday we are supposed to be in church. The Globe and Mail has a special issue devoted to climate change, with much worth reading. Editor-in-chief Edward Greenspon says that the environment is the most important issue of 2007; They also provide an excellent graphic guide at Climate Change 101. Even contrarian Margaret Wente steps out of her SUV long enough to acknowledge that "I've spoken to enough brainy scientists to conclude that human activity is affecting the climate and that global warming is for real" although she does go on to say that it might be rather nice for Canada.
Meanwhile over in the funny papers, aka the National Post, they have finally admitted that climate change exists, after hosting a parade of every climate change denier on the planet on its editorial page. True to form, they do it a la Economist by extolling the wonders of a warmer climate with cruise ships running from Hudson Bay to Murmansk and hiking instead of skiing in the Rockies (sell that Whistler condo right now!) ...
The Green Goodbye
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.27.07
Greensprings Natural Cemetery, Finger Lakes, New York State
We have done this plot to death on TreeHugger (links at end), but all of the action has been in the UK or California. Now eco-friendly burials have come to the Northeast and Canada. For example, Greensprings Natural Cemetery opened in May, with 100 acres bounded by 4,000 acres of forest. A gravesite costs $ 500 bucks, a tenth of an uban Toronto cemetery plot. There have been four burials so far, two in biodegradable cardboard caskets, one in a coffin made from locally harvested pine, and one in a shroud. Several groups are trying to establish natural burial cemeteries in Ontario.
"Make your burial a statement of values by helping create a forest", says Mike Salisbury, one of the founders of the Natural Burial Coop, a group in southern Ontario. "If you're buried where roots grow through your bones, you're doing what you're supposed to do – give back in the end."
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No Comment: "Lessons From The Pioneers"
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 01.27.07
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance has posted a full report (pdf) on it’s ten-city survey results. Well worth reading in it’s entiriety. The executive summary follows. "As of January 2007, 355 mayors in communities representing over 54 million Americans in 49 states have signed the U.S. Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement (formalized in June 2005). Participating cities agree to reduce community-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 2012 to at least 7 percent below 1990 levels. The number of communities involved promises a diversity of strategies and a steep learning curve as communities learn from one another what works, and what doesn’t work. We surveyed the climate change activities in 10 cities to find out how well these “Kyoto cities” were doing in meeting their goals and what strategies and methodologies they were using. The overriding conclusion is that, despite their commitment and their elaboration of significant programs, reducing GHG emissions below 1990 levels will be a major challenge. Many cities will likely fail in their attempts unless complementary state and federal policies are put in place". ...
Momaboma: The Philosophy of Recycling
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 01.27.07
"Momaboma: Invert the World. RECYCLED ESTETHIC." Already when you see the business card: the clever confusion of esthetic and ethics, the onomatopoeic repetition of "om" following the symbol for "om" transforming the M of Momaboma...your anticipation of something creative, fascinating, and appealing is awoken. ...
The Solar-Powered Home Hydrogen Fueling Station
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.26.07
We alluded earlier to the home hydrogen fueling station being developed in Australia. We at TreeHugger have never been fond of the hydrogen economy, with its problems of sourcing the hydrogen (really a form of gaseous battery storing energy) and transport. However, this addresses both of these formerly intractable problems. According to Todd Woody of Business 2.0 who met with CSIRO fuel cell scientist Dr. Sukhvinder Badwal, "You don't need a hydrogen infrastructure to introduce the hydrogen economy." the home fueling station uses solar and wind energy to make electricity which then makes hydrogen, and stores it in a corner of your garage. It produces enough in a day to run your car about 100 miles. Voila: no piping infrastructure, no transmission losses, no nuclear plants or fossil fuels to make the stuff....
Tesla Motors Opening Technical Center in Michigan
by Kristi Piziks, Detroit, USA on 01.26.07
While GM has been riding the eco-wave lately with its Chevy Volt concept, there’s more electricity coming out of Detroit. Tesla Motors, manufacturer of high performance, zero-emission electric vehicles has opened its Michigan Technical Center in Rochester Hills, just north of Detroit and a local engineering Mecca.
This research and development facility will focus on future products for Tesla motors, including the “WhiteStar” (this is a code name), a four-door, five-passenger, lightweight, high-performance sedan planned for production around 2009. Word on the street is that the price of this electric sedan will be around $50,000, which is about half what it costs to get into their current car, the Roadster.
Besides the good news that Tesla is expanding, and planning on bringing down the price of future electric vehicles, there’s a bigger story here....
China Could Be World's Biggest Wind Power By 2020
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 01.26.07
It almost goes without saying that China is on track to become the biggest [fill in the blank], at least according to its statistics-crazed government. Most recently, the superlatives have included the car market (the 2nd biggest in the world) and gambling (Macao trumps Las Vegas). A more attractive stat of late comes from the Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC): China is set to become the world's largest producer of wind power by 2020, when it could draw 150 million kilowatts (kw) from the gusts along its enormous coasts and vast deserts and plains, generating 10 percent or more of its needs. Currently, the country ranks seventh in the world for wind power production, leaping 30 percent on an annual average, since 2000 (350,000 kw) to 1.26 million kw in 2005. And in 2007, says one analyst, the country's wind power capacity is set to rise by 65 percent. All in all, China boasts a total capacity of 3.2 billion kw, of which one billion kw can be developed, according to the GWEC report. But coming anywhere near that capacity--and attracting more crucial foreign investment--will require reforms of the country's wind pricing mechanism....
TreeHugger Radio 17: The State of the Union, The Global 100, and Paul Hawken on the Meaning of Green Business
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 01.26.07
This Week on TreeHugger Radio, big corporations call for urgent action on global warming; our own John Laumer clarifies proposed cap and trade schemes; author Eugene Linden comments on the missed opportunities of the President’s State of the Union Address; we hear from Innovest Strategic Value Advisors on the Global 100 sustainable firms presented in Davos; while Paul Hawken takes a different view on the meaning of green business. Listen to TreeHugger Radio here and on Air America’s EcoTalk, now every Friday. Check EcoTalk.net for info on stations and times. (listen) ::TreeHugger Radio ...
Coal-To-Liquid Diesel Fuel: A Bipartisan Issue That Unites Environmentalists With Farmers
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 01.26.07
The Wall Street Journal has an article titled Energy Mandates Fuel a Rift (subscription only) that reminds us of the madness that breaks out when fans pour onto a soccer field to mix it up:- "...President Bush's push for domestic alternatives to imported oil has ignited a battle between coal interests and environmentalists -- and underscored tension between the goals of increasing U.S. energy security and curbing global warming." And, an unusual 'coal-ition of the unwilling' seems to have been forged, now that the President mentioned coal-to-liquids (CTL) diesel as an "alternative fuel": "Environmentalists are backed by the ethanol industry, which doesn't want the coal industry muscling in on a fuel mandate that ethanol producers now have to themselves". Prominent Democrats favor CTL. For example:- "Sen. Barack Obama, an Illinois Democrat and White House hopeful, is a sponsor of the Coal-to-Liquid Fuel Promotion Act, which provides more tax incentives and federal loan guarantees for companies interested in making coal-based fuels". A few of us TreeHugger writers who are US citizens have conversed about the linkage of CTL, climate, and conservation and have come up with what we hope will be seen as constructive criticisms for evaluation of alternative liquid fuels. Good for any party. Have a look below the fold....
Most Huggable: Storing Energy in Ice, Lexus’ Eco Luxury Channel, Parents Heated over ‘Truth,’ and No More Shark Fin Soup
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 01.26.07
A new (beautifully illustrated) study from Greenpeace claims that half the world’s energy can come from renewables by mid-century… The men behind Trinity Thermal Systems shed light on the IceCycle energy storage system… Now more parents are getting heated after their children see An Inconvenient Truth in the classroom… Lexus plans an eco-lifestyle video channel on art, architecture, green living, and (of course) luxury hybrids… Under pressure from on-line activists, Amazon.com pulls shark fin soup from its “shelves”... ...
Survey: Winter Sports
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.26.07
A Salon article says: "Recently, the ski industry has gotten fired up about global warming. But as resorts continue to carve new runs through the forests, the industry's green image is looking like a snow job." It then looks at even the greenest of the resorts like Vail, that is now powered 100% by renewables, but notes that it continues to chop down trees to make new clearcuts to provide new experiences for skiiers. Even if the resort is completely green, thousands of people are driving or flying for hours to get there. ::Salon What is a TreeHugger to do? (besides reading Kara's interview with Alison Gannett of "Save our Snow")
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TreeHugger Picks: Cardboard Recycled Furniture & More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01.26.07
Much like our old friend bamboo, it seems that cardboard can be used as a replacement for many conventional materials, without chopping down trees or otherwise using virgin materials, and usually incorporates a good deal of recycled material. It makes great furniture, can be used for lighting and makes beautiful and interesting art. Here are some of our picks for cardboard.
1) The Cardboard Chair Co. makes some beautiful multi-layered creations.
2) For a slightly more conceptual seat, check out Julian Lwin's biotube bench.
3) The cardboard lamps by G|O|E Design help create light and use up the firm's waste packaging.
4) Mothercare's rocking eco-crib is lightweight, easily portable, recyclable and inexpensive.
5) Artist Chris Gilmore likes James Bond (and cardboard) so much that he built a model of Bond's Aston Martin DB8 out of cardboard and other common recycled items, and named it "Pussy Galore." Meow....
Time To Build Highways Underground?
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 01.26.07
Hundertwasser- Austrian architect, artist, environmentalist- proposed green and aesthetic solutions for highways and byways. His sketches of underground highways lined by trees to filter out noxious chemicals, also showed such a concept could minimize noise and maximize land use. Judging by the rate of the country’s expansion, Israel could use a little bit of his vision right now. The tiny country compared in population density to the Netherlands, is growing in a rapid rate. That means more autos on the already packed streets.
A politician and her geologist husband (he built the Mount Scopus tunnel in Jerusalem) in the city of Ra'anana, near Tel Aviv, are against the planned new Road 531, which would connect their city Ra'anana to Herzliya. They suggest that the city build the road and the planned railroad track, underground. ...
Recycled Tote Bag at Global Exchange
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 01.26.07
We’ve covered numerous tote bags here on TreeHugger, but there are so many cool styles out there we always find the need to post info about new ones that we spot. This one, found at Global Exchange (who we’ve mentioned before) is handcrafted in Cambodia by disabled and disadvantaged women. It’s made from recycled feed bags (think rice or beans here) which make it long lasting and safe for anything that you may want to carry in it such as groceries. Global Exchange is a fair trade business committed to providing fair wages and good employment opportunities to economically disadvantaged artisans. Thanks for the tip, Heidi B.! Via ::InStyle ::Global Exchange...
Howtopedia: Simple Technologies, Simply Shared
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01.26.07
TreeHugger loves to "how to," from our entire section on How to Go Green to smaller, more DIY-oriented projects like how to build your own 1000 Watt wind turbine or how to make your own biodiesel; it's fun, empowering and can help you green it up on the cheap. This is why we're excited to find Howtopedia, an online wiki for those who want to either (or both) learn more about or contribute to subjects like energy, recycling or transportation that can lead to greater efficiency and self-sufficiency. Much like Wikipedia, its older, well-known cousin, Howtopedia is a community-based collaborative platform that allows anyone with the smarts to contribute; though they appear to be in the early stages of building their collection of articles, we think it has great potential to be a wonderful source of practical knowledge and simple technologies. By concentrating on "technologies that require no complex machine, that are easily explainable and usable by individuals or small communities for a sustainable and ecological future," they can retain a very large, very diverse audience, and many of the projects could be usefully implemented around the world. To that end, Howtopedia is also available in French and Spanish languages, though English is the most developed, by far, to this point. We know TreeHugger readers are a pretty smart bunch, so we encourage you to consider contributing what you know to this burgeoning project. ::Howtopedia via ::Worldchanging...
Retro Door Stops
by Bonnie Alter, London on 01.26.07
A doorstop shaped like a chicken sounds crazy but looks very funky. Made out of vintage fabrics from the 50's, 60's and 70's; these doorstops add a touch of retro colour and pattern to your home. Since they are made out of material in a bunch of different colours and designs, you can pick a theme from your favourite decade to go with your decor. They are created by Refab, an environmentally conscious company that uses reclaimed, recycled organic and biodegradable materials wherever possible. They also design those long snake-shaped things that lie on the floor, at the foot of the door, to keep out the cold winds. The English call them “snake draught excluders” but surely we have a shorter name? Whatever they are—they stop the drafts and that’s what’s important. All come flat, and you fill them with shavings, sand, or rice. :: Refab ...
Convenient Truths: Time to Step It Up!
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 01.26.07
With just over a month left to enter, it's definitely time to step it up on your efforts to create a video for the Treehugger and Seventh Generation Convenient Truths contest. Videos keep coming in, and they're good; we also want to see what you're doing to lessen your personal impact on the climate. Don't let the opportunity to claim your share of almost $30,000 in prizes slip away -- February 28th is the entry deadline! We're not the only ones encouraging you to "Step It Up," though: author and activist Bill McKibben, along with six college graduates earning only $100 a week, are organizing the single biggest day of action on global warming, Step It Up 2007. If all goes as planned (and it's already looking really good), thousands of Americans will gather in hundreds of rallies around the country on April 14th to call for a commitment by the government to an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. According to the first of McKibben's twelve dispatches at Grist on the organizing effort, the simultaneous actions will be as diverse as the country itself:...
Avita — Sexy Green — Hah!
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 01.26.07
I, for one, can’t see how we can suggest to people that going green can ever be sexy. It just ain’t gonna happen. I mean who would dream of using recycled fabrics and bamboo to make slinky apparel? Ridiculous! And who does Avita’s Amanda Shi think she is? Launching a 100 piece collection with colours like toffee, kelp, tangerine, lavender and powder blue. And hot pink, for heavens sake. OK, so she has added organic cotton and recycled cashmere to her existing mix of cashmere, silk and bamboo, but, really, who ever heard of a burlap sack being called alluring, feminine, comfortable, flirty or exquisite? Come on, we’re TreeHuggers, we’re not falling for this, it’s some sort of ploy. Just look at those filmsy birkenstocks that woman is wearing, How does she expect to chop wood, get water from the well and tend the vegie patch in those? ~:^) ::Avita, via Fashion Windows....
Lifecycle Building Challenge
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.26.07
"Lifecycle building is the design of building materials, components, information systems, and management practices to create buildings that facilitate and anticipate future changes to and eventual adaptation or dismantling for recovery of all systems, components, and materials." The EPA is running a competition to "to change how people think about, design, and construct and deconstruct buildings." One can submit:
* Building: an entire building from foundation to roof
* Component: a single building assembly, system, or connector
* Service: a tool, method, or other idea
They say that "Because buildings take a major toll on the environment, the Challenge calls upon its contestants to address real world issues." But even though these are "real world issues" , they have to be real American responses; entries are limited to "U.S. citizens or lawful temporary or permanent residents of the U.S." That counts out a lot of good ideas. ::Lifecycle Building Challenge
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Polling Data on Climate Change
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.26.07
Brown, National Post, 24 Jan 2007
Andrew Dressler at Grist seemed depressed about the latest American poll results about climate change, which show that while 77% of people believe the earth is warming, only 47% believe there is solid evidence that humans are responsible. I suspect that the pollsters will wake up one day and find that there is a sudden, seismic shift like there was north of the border, where one week health care was number one issue and the next, climate change. Dare we use the phrase "tipping point"? It is coming to the US as well, just a bit later as Canada was later than the UK. We reproduce an interesting poll about what Europe thinks is important below the fold from an Angus Reid poll, ::Grist...
Mobile Muster - Recycled Communications
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 01.26.07
Fourteen years ago one percent of Australians subscribed to a mobile phone service, now we’re told that about 82% do. While not as high as some countries it is a significant number of ‘connected’ people, especially considering the rate of ‘churn’, as new model phones replacing old ones faster than you can say colour screen or 2 megapixel camera or 3G. (Every 18 months to 2 years is considered the local average.) Even though 52% of Australians are said to hang on to old phones and 23% give old ones away to friends or family, there is only 4% who actively recycle their unneeded phones. Yet, from 1999 through 2006 the Mobile Muster program, run by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) still collected 402 tonnes of the stuff. Roughly equating to 630,000 mobile phones handset, 2.3 million batteries, with half that tonnage being in accessories, like battery chargers. Sufficient to be the equivalent of filling a suburb house to the rafters. ...
Airstream meets PacMan in Folding Trailer Design
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.26.07
click image to enlarge
Have we mentioned we love small spaces and mobile design? In 1936 they had the pop-up all figured out in an aerodynamic, hard-sided design that looks like it could just eat you up....
Indoor Flueless fireplaces: Are They Safe?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.26.07
Inhabitat and Mocoloco recently covered vent-free fireplaces like the Schulte unit shown here and we have thought that some of them are pretty slick design items. The Schulte appears to be fuelled by "a liquid that is smoke and emission free" but whenever you burn something there is a product of combustion; even hydrogen produces water. Most of the European liquid fueled systems use alcohol gel, , and some claim that the only product of combustion is water vapour. We asked resident expert John Laumer who wrote: " This is probably what we call "Sterno," a methanol based fuel. The gel prevents spillage. It probably also contains a bittering and nauseating agent that absolutely precludes people and most pets from drinking it.....because methanol is the shortest alcohol molecule it produces very little C02 compared to any other hydrocarbon liquid. Much of the liberated energy is from hydrogen combustion." In modern tight houses, the water vapour could lead to a condensation and possible mould problem, but if you have a heat recovery ventilator that should be OK. However in the end, like cheap candles, why put anything into the air you breathe?
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Is Viscose the Way to a Greener Future?
by Jenna Watson, Barcelona on 01.25.07
The New York Times reports on the eco-issue of “fast clothes” and today’s practically disposable clothing. This phenomenon of buying cheap clothes that only last a season or two, as Rosenthal reports, is pioneered by stores like H&M, Old Navy and Target, to name but a few. “In many places, cheap, readily disposable clothes have displaced hand-me-downs as a mainstay of dressing.” The article covers the Cambridge University Institute of Manufacturing study led by Dr. Julian Allwood entitled, “Well Dressed? The present and future sustainability of clothing and textiles in the United Kingdom.” In addition to pages of interesting information on the topic, the study carried out LCAs on a cotton t-shirt and a viscose blouse.
The results for the t-shirt and blouse are interesting, if not surprising for some, and the report’s suggestions for impact reduction are definitely worth sharing. Bottom line – the LCAs conclude that cotton clothing are actually more energy intensive than viscose due to their care requirements during the use phase....
TH Blog Love – Our Favourite Greens Of The Week
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 01.25.07
Clay and Wattles: Carnival of The Green #61 by Kevin Kennedy
This week’s Carnival comes from Kevin in Yellowknife, Canada. He’s talking about recyling old tarps, aluminium foil, reusing old windows in the garden, and on a very serious note the detrimental effects of a carbon offsetting project in Africa.
GreenLA Girl: Black Gold and volunteering gone bad by Siel
‘Black Gold was doomed from the start in LA. Sure, it’s a damn good and important film. Sure, it got an excellent review in the LA Times. But after a week, the film got thrown out of a shitty, super unpopular theater in downtown LA.’...
How to Green Women's Personal Care
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 01.25.07
What’s the Big Deal?
Personal care is a big subject, but basically we can take it to mean the caring for our general appearance: cleansing and cosmetics, haircare, skincare, makeup, hair removal and, of course, that time of the month most women deal with. We are bombarded daily with the coaxing of the worldwide cosmetics industry as it tries to sell us products which guarantee to make us look younger, thinner, and more gorgeous. Sadly, these products are not regulated to a level that would make most people feel very safe. Many of these products contain ingredients with dubious implications (many of which are petroleum derived), as well as potentially toxic agents that are not even included on the label. There are, however, easy and affordable alternatives available to every consumer. This guide aims to give you some general information, to point you in the right direction and inspire you to make a few small changes in your own routine. If we are going to invest so much time and money in our personal care and appearance, doesn’t it makes sense to do so in a productive way that doesn’t harm ourselves or our environment?Recycled Kite Vest from Hooley
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 01.25.07
We found this vest yesterday here in Newport, RI at the Hooley USA warehouse. The company’s passion for the outdoors leads us to believe that this is a great product. We love that this vest is one of a kind and made from recycled kites and struts used for kitesurfing. If you don’t want to get rid of your old kite, custom orders can be placed. ::Hooley USA...
Most Huggable: Portugal Aims at 45% Renewable Energy, DIY Gravity-Cell Batteries, and The Mouth Revolution
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 01.25.07
Pie holes of the world unite and demand organic eats in The Mouth Revolution… Make Magazine does DIY gravity-cell batteries and illuminates LEDs… Portugal aims at deriving 45% of its energy from renewables by 2010… Victoria E answers the question of what to do with those tattered blues… Energy Refuge reviews the climate-doubting new book Unstoppable Global Warming…...
Toyota: Goal of 40% Increase in Hybrid Sales for 2007
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 01.25.07
Reuters reports that Toyota is aiming high with its gas-electric hybrids for 2007: They plan to sell 40% more (430,000 units) than they sold in 2006 (312,500 units, which was 33% more than in 2005). Production of Prius hybrid cars in Japan will go up to 280,000 units. Hybrid vehicle sales for Toyota are growing between 5 and 6 times faster than sales of gasoline-only vehicles and this rate could increase as Toyota announces new hybrid models, but compared to all of Toyota's vehicle sales, hybrids are still only about 5% (more than other companies, but still small -- the atmosphere doesn't care about percentage points, only absolute CO2 emissions matter).
What we would like to see from Toyota and other car makers: More affordable very fuel-efficient and low-emission hybrids, plug-in hybrids, all cars flex fuel so that they can run on cellulosic ethanol when it is available (the fuel sensors required for that are apparently only about $30 - no reason not to include them in all cars), diesel-hybrids with the latest emission technology (to run on biodiesel where available, of course) and, as soon as battery technology is ready, affordable electric-only vehicles. ::Reuters, via ::Toyota Targets 40% Jump in Global Hybrid Sales in ’07
Standard car article advice: Walk, cycle, carpool, take public transit, car-share, telecommute. Try to live close to the things you need and to where you work. But if you have to own a car, get the most efficient model that fills your needs, drive sanely, combine trips, keep it in good mechanical condition and keep your tires properly inflated....
How To Market Alternative Fuels 101
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.25.07
We wonder what our marketing friends at Seth Godin or PSFK will say about Terror Free Oil,- that's a name that will drive business! Opening in Omaha in February, it is the first of a chain of stations from the Terror-Free Oil Initiative , dedicated to encouraging Americans to "buy gasoline that originated from countries that do not export or finance terrorism." and "We are also looking into creating a healthy debate concerning alternate methods of fuel production and consumption." It is a startlingly graphic demonstration of how security is trumping global warming when it comes to energy in America- as the New York Times said in an article today: "The intertwined goals of developing domestic energy resources and reducing global warming gases are not necessarily in step with each other....while all kinds of domestic energy technologies are being advanced in the name of energy independence, most of the money and attention are still focused on the dirty but cheaper standbys: offshore oil, oil sands and coal, in all its various incarnations, from straight out of the pit to black-coal liquid. “You have fossil fuels competing with renewable fuels,” said Benjamin Kroposki, a senior scientist at the Renewable Energy Laboratory. “Renewables lose every time.” Via ::Myninjaplease...
Sofar/Sonear – Showing New Collection In Paris
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 01.25.07
Since we first wrote about this ethical Italian design company, just over a year ago, they have gone from strength to strength. Having previously only been available to buy in Italy and UK, today Francesca Gasparotti, the founder of Sofar/Sonear, happily tells us that they are now also distributing in France, through their new partner Made in Live, Spain and are soon to be available in Dubai and Cyprus. We saw them in London, back in September last year, at 100% Design with their beautiful wool rugs that are handmade in Nepal. This weekend they will be at the Maison&Objet show in Paris. They are showing a new collection of wall decorations and accessories, made from wood, bamboo and fair trade silks. These are examples of their new bespoke design and production service for major retailers and fashion ateliers. Francesca also tells us that Sofar/SoNear has been listed among the 600 most innovative companies in Italy (out of a total of 500.000). To read more about how the company is leading the way in ethical and fair trade design you can read their Statement of Sustainable Values on their website. If you can’t make it to Paris this weekend then look out for the launch of their accessories collection at Pulse in London, 3-5 June. ::Sofar/SoNear
Maison&Objet, Paris 26-30 January, MADE IN LIVE HALL6 STAND G36....
Interview: Thomas Homer-Dixon on Resilience and Sustainability: Part I
by Ron Dembo, Zerofootprint on 01.25.07
Below is a conversation between Thomas Homer-Dixon and Ron Dembo. Dr. Dembo is a risk expert and founder and CEO of Zerofootprint, a not-for-profit dedicated to reducing our ecological footprint. Dr. Homer-Dixon is Director of the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies and Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Toronto. He is also the author of The Ingenuity Gap, winner of the Governor-General’s Award. His most recent book, The Upside of Down: Catastrophe, Creativity, and the Renewal of Civilization assesses the concatenated risks facing the planet’s civilizations, and urges not a solution to this or that problem, but a whole new way of understanding the systems we’ve built. The challenges are not political or economic (or not fundamentally so); they are structural. And the only way to address them before it’s too late, he urges, is to understand that the repertoire of solutions we usually turn to is not going to work.
The main theme of the conversation is the idea of “resilience.” Homer-Dixon argues powerfully that our rush towards greater efficiency has made our civilization brittle and vulnerable. The model strategy for increasing resilience is to increase redundancy and reduce unnecessary complexity -- to maintain “slack” in the system. Dembo puts this in terms of risk management: failure to maintain slack means betting everything on a single forecast. To manage risk means being prepared for scenarios we know are not going to happen (since not every scenario will come to pass, our preparations for it will prove to be redundant). We do this all the time when we take out insurance: we’re prepared for our house burning down and for our house not burning down....
2007 According to Alex Pasternack: Social Consciousness, Mapped
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 01.25.07
Did we say this series was over? One more! The other posts in this series can be found here. The first one with an explanation of what this is about is here.
Alex Pasternack, Beijing, China
Granted, the internet revolution was probably the most important tech development of the past two decades. But when engineers at Xerox developed the graphical user interface, or GUI (subsequently “borrowed” by Apple and Microsoft) back in the 80’s, they laid the groundwork for the digital ease we enjoy today. Combined with the internet, GUIs made it possible for amateurs like me to sit down at the screen and share information about the world with you, and vice-versa (that’s what the World Wide Web is). ...
Nike Considered 2007: Take 'Em Outdoors
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01.25.07
Nike has unveiled two new designs for their 2007 Considered line of shoes (see our previous posts about them here and here, along with this post about the company's efforts to be more sustainable), which the company has integrated in to its All Conditions Gear (ACG) group. The new designs are pared down, less experimental and more active than previous versions of the shoe; according to the designers, they are looking at a younger mindset and "want to target those who are more focused on having fun in the outdoors." The integration of Considered into ACG is the first step in designing all shoes in the line with the Considered approach, a move which will be completed by summer 2008. As for these two models, the "Water Cat" (above left) is a water shoe made with minimal materials while still maintaining proper heel, ankle and toe support (it's not supposed to be a sandal). The Soaker (on the right) is also a water shoe, but is designed with streetwear in mind as well. It uses fewer layers than many conventional shoes (the upper is a single layer of mesh, for example) and is built with "snap together tooling" which reduces toxic adhesives. Prices or availability is yet to be announced; to learn more, check out this interview with two Nike designers at Sneaker Freaker, and see Considered's site at Nike. ::Considered via ::Cool Hunting...
Gorilla Composting at McGill University
by Bonnie Alter, London on 01.25.07
Who says students are apathetic? Here is a small group of eager beavers at McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, who have introduced composting to students living on and near campus. They call themselves Gorilla Composting, because “it is a play on guerrilla tactics — we could see that there was no standard process for making McGill environmentally accountable." They want to make McGill the first Montreal institution that composts all its organic waste--now the City of Montréal requires that 60% of compostable waste be diverted from landfills. Individuals can join for $5 a year and receive a re-sealable 1-gallon plastic container (sporting the Gorilla logo) for easy home storage and easy transport to McGill, plus, nifty buttons and plenty of free sawdust (to help soak up moisture). ...
Bike Winter in the City Of Angels
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 01.25.07
Ah, don’t ya just love people who know how to promote their wares without having to wade through a maze of verbiage. Thus we quote: “What is Bike Winter? Los Angeles is a Bike Winter kind of place. We got climate and wide boulevards. No snow, no sleet, and none of that crappy salt that will ruin your paint job and pants. [wot, no sea salt?] The whole thing started with LA Bike Summer 2005- over 100 bike events in 5 weeks. We were hooked. Bike Autumn was DIY, then Bike Winter happened for ten glorious days in January 06. A tradition was born. Now it's time for Bike Winter 2007. February, 07. It's on. Rides. Parties. Races. Everything in between. If it's got something to do with bikes, sign us up. Everyone can put on an event and many people do. Bring on the spandex, the cupcake rides, the hot cocoa tours, the crack of dawn sprints, all night detournements, trail rides, urban exploring, suburban terrorizing, hill racing, ruckus brewing, psychogeographical, costumed freakshows and more. Add your two-wheeled fantasy to the calendar. See you in the streets.” Of course you can glean more specific detail on wotz happening between 2 -14 Feb by visiting their website, which we happily provide for your websurfing (and biking) pleasure. ::Bike LA. Pic from www.velocipedia.org...
Power in Your Hands
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 01.25.07
How many light bulbs does it take to change the world? That's the question being posed by the Power in Your Hands campaign, sponsored by the Alliance to Save Energy—a coalition of 32 diverse partners ranging from usual suspects such as the National Resources Defense Council to the slightly inexplicable, like Bank of America. Targeting policy makers and consumers alike, these ads want to drive on home the importance of energy efficiency in national energy policy, as well as the notion that even the simplest of actions—such as ditching your traditional incandescent bulb for an energy-efficient CFL—can have a dramatic, overarching effect when millions of people act together, you know, WITH THEIR POWERS COMBINED. Kinda like Captain Planet, but without the spandex and the scary, green flat-top mullet....
The Greenest Apartment in London
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.25.07
We do go on about "less is the new more" and "living with less is the key to sustainability" and often get criticized for showing modern prefabs that cost $ 400 per foot. However this 77 square foot former storage room is for sale in Knightsbridge, London for $ 335,000, or $ 4,340 per square foot, ten times as expensive as our so-called overpriced prefabs. It is "about the size of a ship's galley, said real estate agent Andrew Scott, who's handling the sale. "But it's permanently anchored to one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the world." We also often say that cities are the most efficient way to live- If New York City was a state, it would be 51st in terms of energy use per capita, primarily because people live in smaller spaces and walk. Here you can walk to the food halls of Harrods. Small space, walking distance to shopping and parks, what could be greener? ! ::Yahoo via ::Apartment Therapy...
The TH Interview: George Polisner, Alonovo.com CEO and Co-founder
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01.25.07
George Polisner is CEO and Co-founder of Alonovo, an online marketplace that rates companies on corporate social responsibility and encourages responsible consumerism (see our previous posts here and here). The company recently modified their revenue model so that they donate 100% of the revenue earned to active beneficiary partners (organizations that are informing their constituents about the Alonovo.com community and mission) and 50% to passive partners (those organizations that are precluded from endorsing Alonovo), and are sponsoring the "People Before Profit" film series (beginning February 10), a series of nationwide house parties, each of which will be followed by a 30 minute conference call with the filmmakers, authors and/or subject matter experts. We caught up with George Polisner to chat about the new developments and to learn more about the way the company is trying to leverage social change and corporate transparency.
TreeHugger: Alonovo has just announced the “People for Profit” film series. What are you hoping to accomplish by branching out into the film medium?
George Polisner: I probably wouldn’t have moved in this direction on my own, but I was contacted by the filmmakers that have just delivered some very compelling content on a film called Money Talks: Profit Before Patient Safety and it’s an exposé, in many respects, of how the pharmaceutical industry is impeding the ability of Americans to get quality health care, and what the pharmaceutical industry does to drive profit. ...
Pee in Style and Save Water
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.25.07
Urinals in the home bathroom make so much sense. No more battles over the toilet seat, no more gallons of water down the pipe every time. Now urinals can be completely waterless, saving even more. Designers are streaming into the market, Clark Sorensen has an entire line of artful units like this "Jack in the Pulpit", Duravit makes a home waterless unit and we are particularly fond of the Toto Lloyd. According to the New York Times: Eric Cadora, a 42-year-old actor and consultant on green building, installed a Duravit McDry model, which uses no water to flush regularly, in the 2,800-square-foot home he shares with his wife in Malibu, Calif. He estimates the urinal will save thousands of gallons of water a year. Maintenance, he added, has been minimal; every two months, he flushes the fixture with a gallon of water and then refreshes the sealant. “It never smells,” Mr. Cadora said. ::New York Times...
dotherightthing: Social Networking Meets Corporate Social Performance
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 01.25.07
We've taken a look at a couple of new sites harnessing the power of Web 2.0 to facilitate communication and organization on sustainability issues. The newest, dotherightthing, gives users the power to rate major corporations such as Wal-Mart, Whole Foods and Starbuck's on their performance in non-financial areas. Users control every aspect of the rating and evaluation process, from the choice of companies to the standards by which they're critiqued. According to the site's announcement of its launch on Tuesday:...
Mouths of the World, Unite and Eat Organic!
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.25.07
The genii at Free Range Studios who created the Meatrix have created a new live-action film of real mouths rising up and refusing to eat. According to the Declaration of Indigestion they have nothing to lose but chemical addititives, transfats, GMO's or anything artificial. The message is great, but the wonder of it is that it is all done with real mouths filmed upside down with eyes painted on chins in front of upside down sets."We took that child's game where you make a puppet out of your mouth by drawing eyes on your chin to and then amped it up all the way. We're quite confident that the Mouth Revolution is the best upside-down mouth movie in cinema history!"said Louis Fox, director of the video and Free Range Co-founder. It's brilliant. Viva la Revolution at ::The Mouth Revolution...
10th Annual Global CEO Survey: Excerpts On Climate Change
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 01.25.07
PriceWaterhouseCooper recently announced, as they'd done in nine preceeding years, the results of their annual survey of CEOs. Results were presented at the Davos Switzerland forum where many of these same surveyed CEOs are meeting; this time, presumably, they will see the results in context of an obviously climate-change impacted Alpine environment. The mainstream press reports we've seen so far seemed only to cover aggregate survey findings related to climate. So, we thought it worthwhile to drill down on the climate details. Hundreds of CEOs were asked to characterize the relative seriousness of sixteen (16) categorical "concerns about business and macro threats..." Climate change came in near the bottom: at position number fifteen (15) out of sixteen (16) concerns total. A screen shot of the of the concern rankings chart is presented below the fold. Not surprisingly, energy security is far more concerning than climate change....
GreenDrinks Buenos Aires!
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 01.25.07
Argentina’s capital has the privilege to have TreeHugger founder, Graham Hill, in town until mid-March. In order to celebrate his presence, local correspondent Paula Alvarado (me) and him would love to try to get a gang of people together for the first Buenos Aires Green Drinks. The idea is to pick a place where we could meet up next Friday, February 2nd and have some drinks to talk about green issues. Please email graham at treehugger dot com if you are interested to hear more, or if you know any people in Buenos Aires that might be interested. Also, let us know if you have any suggestions for an appropriate location. Viva Argentina!
(Picture: Floralis Generica, Recoleta, Buenos Aires)...
Kelp Phlorotannins: Sunscreen and Boat Paint
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 01.25.07
Nature is subtle, and we often miss what is right in front of us. It is fun for me when someone recognizes a little thing, pulls the thread, and unravels a complex mystery of biology that I have stared at several times and never noticed. Just like Vaishali Kiran Grover, who at the ripe old age of 14 discovered papaya enzymes can prevent barnacles growing on boats. A world away, Elisabet Brock in her PhD dissertation from Göteborg University in Sweden has made headlines indicating that the phlorotannins produced by kelp also keep barnacles at bay, as well as provide a sunscreen for parched kelp during low tide (and maybe even other animals who live with the kelp-it is all about teamwork after all). Through mimicking these chemical discoveries (biomimicry) we should be able to come up with a non-toxic boat paint- and we also may end up with a new moisturizing sunscreen to boot. ::Elisabet Brock Thesis Abstract (PDF) ::Expert Answer...
Green Accumulates At The Foot Of The Lake
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 01.25.07
The citizens of Fond du Lac County Wisconsin seem to be the beneficiaries of some unusual green services. A few years back we wrote about a proposed wind farm project where “property owners who live within one-third of a mile of one turbine would receive $500 a year, while property owners who are within one-third of a mile of two turbines would receive $750 annually...Landowners who host a wind turbine will receive easement payments of about $4,200 a year, as well as compensation for crops they would not be able to sell because of the easement". Now this. According to the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinal, the Fond du Lac branch of Horicon Bank recently gave the Blue Goose Coffee House, which features fair trade Alterra coffee , “a prime spot in its new building”. The new bank building is heated and cooled with geothermal energy, is awash in natural light, and – get this – has glass cases displaying native plants from the nearby Horicon Marsh . ...
Victa Lawn Mowers To Cut More than Grass
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 01.25.07
The Victa rotary lawn mower is as iconic to Australia as, say, maybe a Harley Havidson might be the US. Originally invented in the early 50's, using a peach tin fuel tank and pram wheels, it soon wowed a nation and was produced in every increasing volumes. Apparently nearly 7 million of the noisy, stinky, two stroke engine-powered destroyers of the Sunday morning lie-ins have been made. All crafted in Australia, which at least is one good thing. And somehow we managed to convince another 30 countries that they needed them too. This includes a few European states, who have belated come to their senses and imposed emission and pollution standards on the wee beasties. Rising to this challenge Victa enlisted the help of Professor of Engineering, Dr Guang Hong and her students at the University of Technology, Sydney. Seems they have managed to green the humble petrol mower. “The hydrocarbon has been reduced by 30 per cent. The fuel consumption has been reduced by 20 per cent and also the power goes up by five per cent,” said the Prof. Which is good news ‘coz the USA EPA is said to think that the standard two stoke mower generates as much air pollution as a car driven 350 miles (~560 km). (Mmm, wish we could track down the original EPA doc on that one.) Anyhow, hat’s off to the Professor and her team, but we still think a good push mower, a goat, sheep or appropriate cover plant in the first instance would negate the need for petrochemicals to be involve at all. Via AM....
Local Means Nutritious, Even in Winter
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.25.07
Alissa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon of the 100 mile diet have been quiet lately, we think working day and night on the new book 100-Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating that is coming out this spring. However they are not forgotten. Jeff Nield recently wrote an article on what every locavore in the north worries about at this time of year, which James MacKinnon called "the war vegetable season."- turnips, onions, potatoes, maybe cabbage. Tough foods for hard times. Well it ain't so, there is lots of good eating to be had. According to Vancouver nutritionist Paula Luther: “If we look at what’s in abundance right now, we have lots of squash, carrots, things like that, which are actually beneficial at this time of year,” she says. These winter foods are rich in beta-carotene, antioxidants, vitamin A — just the sort of nutrients our bodies need to fight off colds and maintain energy levels for the season....
The Oil Drum Looks at Some Transportation Energy Options
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 01.24.07
The Oil Drum is a great blog. Originally more focused on peak oil, it now covers energy in general and is probably the best place on the net to learn and discuss these issues.
Today they have a look at some of our energy options for transportation, namely, Liquid Fossil Fuels, Grain Ethanol, Sugarcane Ethanol, Cellulosic Ethanol, Biodiesel, Biomass Gasification, Wind and Solar and Conservation. They use the following criteria:
1. Is the energy source sustainable?
2. What are the potential negative externalities of producing/using this energy source?
3. What is the energy returned on energy invested (EROEI)?
4. Is it affordable?
5. Are there better alternatives?
6. Are there other special considerations?
7. In summary, are the advantages of the source large enough to justify any negative consequences?
You can read the piece here: ::Key Questions on Energy Options....
Everything's Cool: Global Warming Action at Sundance
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 01.24.07
Just met super-cool "Everything's Cool" makers Daniel Gold and Judith Helfand, (mentioned here). More on the movie to come. For now, check out Monday's visual event, linking Park City and Arctic students! Local coverage here. 800 Park City students, along with the cast and crew of “Everything’s Cool” formed a message with their bodies spelling out “Step It Up”. The words morphed as the students changed positions to form “Go Carbon Neutral.” The image also contained a circle with bear paws, representing carbon neutral footprints and a word in Inuktitut meaning “I hear you and I am doing something about it.” Local youth were answering the Arctic Inuit Community, who are featured in "Everything's Cool" laying on the Arctic Sea ice on Earth Day 2005 in 30 below temperatures warning the world about the devastating impact the melting arctic will have on the rest of the world. Working Films teamed with John Quigley of Spectral Q, who directed the human aerial image. Naysayers: these people are offsetting like crazy, so let's let the visual impact counter balance the helicopter carbon! :: Working Films, Everything's Cool...
Plastic White-Light LEDs: Cheaper and More Efficient?
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 01.24.07
A company called Cyberlux, which specializes in LEDs, plans to reveal a prototype of a white-light LED that would cost less manufacture and provide more light than conventional LEDs. These two advantages would enable light fixtures based on LEDs, which are now relatively expensive, to better compete with traditional lamps based on conventional glass bulbs and fluorescent lights, according to Cyberlux President Mark Schmidt. The technology was invented by UC Santa Barbara's Steven DenBaars, who has been a big advocate of LED lighting as a way to increase energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gases, and Nobel Prize winner Alan Heeger. Heeger also helped found solar-technology company Konarka Technologies. See also: White LED Breakthrough: Efficiency Doubles :: Via News.Com...
World's Smallest LED Goes Into Production: The PicoLED
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 01.24.07
Energy efficient LEDs are starting to crop up everywhere, and adding fuel to this fire are the new applications being opened up by miniature LEDs. Kyoto-based electronic component creator, Rohm, announced today that the world’s smallest LED, the PicoLED will go into mass production in April. The company aim to create 10 million of the tiny 1.0 x 0.8mm diodes every single month. Currently, the smallest LED is one that measures 1.6 x 0.8mm. Both LEDs are only 0.2mm thick. If you happen to be an electronics giant then you can get a sample this month only for 100 yen each. :: Via Plastic Bamboo...
Steven Spielberg To Make Documentary About Green Architect William McDonough?
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 01.24.07
According to Business 2.0, Steven Spielberg may make a documentary about green-design guru William McDonough. Spielberg was inspired by the impact of the film "An Inconvenient Truth" starring Al Gore. McDonough says he got a mysterious call from Spielberg last spring. Spielberg invited him to Los Angeles and McDonough discovered that the famous director wanted to make a documentary about his work. McDonough explained: "He'd just seen Al Gore's movie and felt it would be great to make a film about what people are doing about [global warming]. The ending of Gore's film is tragic, because after showing the scale of the catastrophe, he says, 'There's some hope here,' but the hope is what? Buy hybrid? Change your lightbulbs? It's not enough!" :: Via Business 2.0 via Jetson Green...
Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 3)
by Ted Owens, New Mexico, USA on 01.24.07
Last week I discussed the importance of orienting the majority of the windows of the home to the south (if you live in the in the northern hemisphere). This adds nothing to the cost of the home and can make it dramatically more energy efficient in the winter.
Another element that adds nothing to the cost (and will even save you money) is to build the home only as large as is necessary. With a smaller footprint there is less space to heat and cool, and fewer materials and resources are used, which keeps more money in your bank account....
3C Initiative: Companies Band Together to Combat Climate Change
by Celine Ruben-Salama, New York, NY on 01.24.07
Although problematic in many respects, the Kyoto Protocol has – and continues to - contribute positively towards addressing climate change in a global context. However, when the protocol expires in 2013 the need for global climate protection policy will not end. Passing the buck to private industry might be the solution.
Earlier this month, on January 16, 2007, the 3C Initiative, or Combat Climate Change, was announced in Brussels. According to the group's web site, companies that join the 3C Initiative agree "to take responsibility to combat global climate change and prepare to take action now and to urge for the support of the global community to create incentives for commercial solutions, technological development and market-based investments." ...
Goin' School Neutral
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 01.24.07
Been looking for examples of high school kids out to help change the world and stop global warming? Maybe you’ve been trying to find activities that your classes or environmental club can get involved in to help your school go carbon neutral? Well, look no further than the efforts of Kevin Shen, a senior at Irvington High School in California. He’s been hard at work on the first version of SchoolNeutral, a carbon emissions calculator he’s designed as an Excel program to help other students learn about their school's energy use and calculate its carbon footprint.
It’s been developed in conjunction with DriveNeutral, a San Francisco based non-profit that makes it easy for anyone to purchase carbon credits via the Chicago Climate Exchange. So not only would the calculator enable your school to help reduce its carbon footprint through sensible everyday actions like adding window caulking, changing to CFL’s, and checking the tire pressure in the schools bus fleet; but the resulting analysis of the schools carbon footprint could then also be utilized as the basis for fundraising to purchase carbon credits via DriveNeutral. And not only will this calculator help schools fight global warming by reducing their carbon footprint, but the cash schools can save through reduced spending on energy bills will help districts take action to improve the quality of education at the same time. Altogether, it’s just another great example of how working towards a brighter future can also improve life on earth today. Via ::WorldChanging...
2007 According to George Spyros: Green Visual Media
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 01.24.07
One more. This should be the real last one this time. The other posts in this series can be found here. The first one with an explanation of what this is about is here.
George Spyros, New York City, USA
2006 was a big year in green visual media. 2006 was the year the TreeHuggerTV team won one of the first-ever Vloggies. It was the year when Simran went on both the Martha Stewart and the Oprah shows. 2006 was the year that summer theater-goers couldn’t escape the heat by going to see An Inconvenient Truth, but instead found comfort and relief in finally seeing the big eco-issues being projected onto the big screen....
Convenient Truths: A Call to Action for Regulation (and Great Contest Videos!)
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 01.24.07
If you're keeping an eye on the Treehugger and Seventh Generation Convenient Truths video contest site, you know that there are only 35 days left to submit your video on your efforts to lower your personal climate impact. We've got more entries available to view on the main site, so take a look, and then get out your camera: we'd love to add your video to the mix! If you're an amateur videographer, or simply someone with a mobile phone camera and an idea, we welcome your submission -- no experience required!...
Canadian Renewable Fuels Assoc: Corn Cob Bob on Hunger Strike!
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01.24.07
The Canadian Renewable Fuels Association (CFRA) is dedicated to promoting the growth of biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel as a way to not only reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but channel a largely untapped source for Canadian jobs and local economic growth. Lately, according to a news release on their site, they've been the straw stirring the drink. One of the spots of their 2007 ad campaign, which reminds Canadians about Prime Minister Harper’s campaign commitment to require 5% renewable content in fuel and promoting the benefits of ethanol and biodiesel, has been blocked by Telecaster Canada, the group that regulates television advertising content, on behalf of Canadian broadcasters. The advertisement in question contained a brief clip from the last election campaign of Stephen Harper speaking to a group of farmers outside Chatham, Ontario on December 21, 2005. Telecaster is requiring the CRFA to get approval from the Prime Minister to use his image in the ad, despite the clip being taken from a public event during an election campaign. "The Telecaster decision oversteps its authority, muzzles freedom of speech and limits public debate on important issues," said Kory Teneycke, Executive Director of the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association. "Public commitments made by politicians during political campaigns have historically been treated as matters of public record, not as copyrighted material owned by the politician in question."...
Matthias Pliessnig Furniture – Following The Natural Curve
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 01.24.07
We saw some images on DesignBoom this week of a beautiful curved wooden form in construction. The pictures were of the furniture designer Matthias Pliessnig’s work in progress. Intrigued by these workshop images TreeHugger decided to contact him to find out more about his work. Matthias tells us that he is currently working on his masters project in Furniture Design and Sculpture at the University of Wisconsin. “My current work is exploring combinations of boat building and furniture building skills to create objects that celebrate wood as a material and asks questions of function.” Having started out working with metal he changed to woodwork several years ago and has appreciated the more malleable and supple nature of this natural material ever since. He says, “Naturally, furniture became my vehicle due to the intimacy of interaction and the challenges of structure with form.” We love his interpretations of boat building techniques in beautifully formed seating which flows into the space it occupies....
TreeHugger Picks: States of the Union
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01.24.07
Last night, President Bush filled us in on the State of the Union here in the US; despite mentioning biofuels and even "the serious challenge of global climate change," in the past year, individual states have left the feds with some catching up to do when it comes to using renewable energy and combating climate change. Here are some of our picks for states in our union doing noteworthy work.
1) California enacted the country's toughest global warming bill that left readers wondering how to get their states to follow.
2) Home to the first municipal carbon tax in Boulder, Colorado is on the way to bringing renewable energy center stage.
3) New York is expanding the sale of hydro power; not to be outdone, New Jersey is heading for the forefront of solar energy development.
4) The Midwest is in on the act, too: Illinois has mandated recycling of all government-owned electronic devices and Iowa will invest $100 million in renewable energy development.
5) Last (but not least), Washington (the state, not the district) has incentivized home solar production and extended the ban on phosphorus from laundry detergent to include automatic dish detergent....
Brew a Cup of SerendipiTea
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 01.24.07
Appreciation for tea is growing in the United States, afterall, it's the second most consumed beverage in the world after water. And we’ve certainly covered several companies here on TreeHugger. We like that many are focusing on fair trade and organic while keeping the quality high. Thanks to Daily Candy, we are now adding to the list SerendipiTea, a tea company based on Long Island, NY. Their philosophy is simple, and right up our alley: “We are environmentally responsible, utilizing organic farms and all-natural products. We are committed to Earth-friendly packaging including post-consumer recycled and biodegradable materials and water-based inks. We are socially responsible, employing people not machines, opting for handcrafted rather than machine-milled.” We are amazed at the number of organic teas SerendipiTea offers and if you’re curious you can sign up for one of their lectures and tea tastings offered to the public. SerendipiTea is committed to education and events are even conducted around the United States. Via ::Daily Candy ::SerendipiTea...
Human-Safe Tuna
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 01.24.07
When did you last pick a tin of tuna from a supermarket shelf without first checking it bore a Dolphin Safe logo? Seventeen years on from that famous boycott, that set out to atone for the seven million dolphins that were estimated to have died in the fishing practices of the day, tuna are still big business. WWF note in their report, Tuna in Trouble: Major Problems for the World's Tuna Fisheries, (25pg, 1mb PDF) that the seven prime species of tuna are the single most important resource exploited on the high seas, making up 11% of the “total value of fish landings for consumption.” Strange then that this week is the first time that the five major Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs) have all met together to hash out issues besetting the industry. WWF are dismayed that they’ve left it so late, as the writing was on the wall 50 years ago. “ ... tuna are in trouble. All 23 identified, commercially exploited stocks are heavily fished, with at least nine classified as fully fished and a further four classified as overexploited or depleted. Three stocks are classified as Critically Endangered, three as Endangered, and three as Vulnerable to extinction.” Extinct, as in, never, no more. Time, long overdue, to add another label to those tins and make tuna safe from humans. ...
Tesco Does Biggest Solar Roof & Carbon Labelling
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 01.24.07
"We believe this will be the largest roof-mounted solar installation in the world," said R. Randall MacEwen last week. We suspect he made the announcement with a rather large smile on his face, because Solar Integrated Technologies, the company of which he is CEO, had just been awarded the contract for $13 million USD to install the system. The company handing Randall the cash is from far across the Atlantic. Tesco, whom we’ve been hearing a bit from recently, is said to collect about one third of all the pennies spent in British supermarkets. This ‘largest in the world’ exercise will involve a BIPV (building integrated photovoltaic) system atop of Tesco USA’s distribution centre in California, and according to Randall will save 1,200 tons of CO2 emissions, whilst providing a fifth of the buildings power needs. (It will generate 2.6 million kilowatts from 500,000 square feet of panels). So, why is the world’s fourth largest supermarket chain going green seemingly all of a sudden? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that there is very little margin in grocery lines, money is made by throughput, and for that you need a loyal customer base. Could it be Tescos are listening to their customers? As we’ve noted before they have a whole wobbly wheeled trolley full of green initiatives on the go, to win shoppers hearts and minds. We note just a few after the fold....
Cardscape
by Bonnie Alter, London on 01.24.07
It’s art--it comes in a limited edition of only 150. It’s utilitarian--it is an organiser for your desk. It’s architectural-- it’s a flat pack, DIY kit. And it's eco--the base is made of a car air filter. Create your own urban streetscape at the office. Slide in postcards from friends, business cards, notes-to-self. Add four abstract art cards in shades of blue for some background. The 8 metal clips add to the drama. They come in clever and whimsical shapes like a wind-blown umbrella, a woman vacuuming, a man sitting on a bench, a dog, and a skateboarder. Just try not to spend too much time re-arranging it every day because it could become addictive. :: Oliveira Rosa Architectural Design...
Canadian Architects Call Out Harper for Hypocrisy
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.24.07
The Royal Architectural Association of Canada is a voluntary organization that has not usually been considered a disturber of the status quo. Thus this TreeHugger thinks it is time to pay my dues, because they have taken a strong position on climate change, (calling for immediate 50% reduction in greenhouse gases in architecture and for all buildings to be climate neutral by 2030), and are loudly pointing out hypocrisy in the Harper Conservative government. It appears that funding has been cut for programs like the Commercial Building Incentive Program, that encouraged more efficient buildings, at the same time as Harper is running around saving trees and buying An Inconvenient Truth. Said President Vivian Manasc: "Canada's Architects are disappointed. The built environment accounts for almost half of all greenhouse gas emissions. Considering that Architects across Canada have between $40 to $50 billion worth of projects 'on the Boards', and that buildings last for 50 to 100 years, the Government's lack of real commitment is appalling. We think it is time they got serious and raised rather than eliminated incentives to increasing energy efficiency." Bravo, RAIC. Time to pay my dues. ::RAIC via ::Archinect
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Honey I Shrunk The Cars: Climate As Style Changer
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 01.24.07
The time is right to extrapolate from Lloyd's post on Seth Godin's "Small Is The New Big," with climate science denialist walls a-crumbling and Detroit-based car makers fumbling. Subtitle this one The Next Big Thing Has A Shorter Wheel Base. Small cars are about to become fashionable, and not just because CAFE standards may change....
Book Review: Bitter Chocolate
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.24.07
We all think that fair trade, organic chocolate is better than the ordinary stuff but until you read this book, you have no idea how much blood and horror is mixed into the regular chocolate bar on the shelf. Carol Off, a Canadian journalist who has covered conflicts from Yugoslavia to Afganistan, now looks that the Ivory Coast, source of half of the world's chocolate, and a formerly proud and successful African model that has degenerated into war and child slavery. She starts with the history of chocolate, from Cortez and the Spanish who learn about it from the Aztecs and enslave them to produce it. Soon cocoa is growing in a belt within 20 kilometres of the equator around the world, a labour-intensive crop harvested and dried with slave labour. When in 1828 Coenraad Van Houten figured out how to press the cocoa butter out to make Dutch Cocoa powder, the drink as we know it became popular. Then a series of open minded and progressive men like Fry, Cadbury and Rowntree in the UK and Hershey in America built empires at home with model cities and factories, while ignoring the obvious slavery abroad. Some of the most honourable men in either country were earning their livings off cocoa and sugar, grown by slaves. ...
Help Build The TreeHugger Fair Trade Organic Coffee Index
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.24.07
Whenever we show a product from the UK, we get complaints from America that it is overpriced. Usually this is because of what economists call Purchasing Power Parity: things should cost the same all over, but currencies are often over or undervalued, distorting the prices. It could be wages are lower, the rich are richer or the rents are higher, but things have different prices around the world. The Economist magazine has studied this for years with their Big Mac Index, comparing the price of Big Mac's around the world, as one of the few things that are so ubiquitous that it is a useful standard. Recently Australia's Commonwealth Bank updated the concept with the iPod Nano index which determined that iPods are cheapest in Canada, most expensive in Brazil. But enough of Big Mac's, even the Economist knows fair trade and organic products are gaining in popularity. We need a new, TreeHugger Correct standard on an item that we think is available around the world: why not Fair Trade, Organic (FTO) coffee....
Sustainability at Colleges: Report Card Time
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.24.07
Lots of Colleges and Universities talk a good line about sustainability, but just like the kids they teach, at some point there has to be a report card. The Sustainable Endowments Institute, affiliated with Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, Studied 100 leading colleges by looking at campus greening practices and endowment policies. "This is the first time that colleges have been assessed on both campus and endowment sustainability policies," said Mark Orlowski, executive director of the Sustainable Endowments Institute. "When it comes to sustainability," Orlowski said, "the key questions about these institutions are: How do sustainability factors shape the way they use their resources? How can schools learn from each other and adapt sustainability policies that work?"
No bell curve here; No A's either. The top schools, (Harvard University, Stanford University, Dartmouth College, and Williams College) got A-. The schools got rated on 26 indicators in the categories listed on the graph above; Four schools earned level "A" grades, 22 earned level "B" grades, 54 earned level "C" grades, and 20 earned level "D" grades. Full report should be available now at ::Sustainable Endowment Institute...
Combating Climate Change Cheaper Than Originally Thought
by Celine Ruben-Salama, New York, NY on 01.23.07
Last week, Lars Josefsson, chief executive of Vattenfall the Swedish power company, presented research that shows that the cost of combating climate change could be 40 per cent lower than the figure given in the Stern Report. The Stern Report claimed that global warming could shrink the global economy by 20 per cent but that taking action would cost roughly 1 per cent of the United Kingdom’s GDP. Josefsson explains, “[t]he cost of limiting the concentration of greenhouse gases is equivalent to 0.6 per cent of the gross world product – if all the identified potential is exploited.” According to the Vattenfall report, much of the cost savings come from implementing simple solutions that “pay for themselves” such as insulation improvements or fuel efficient cars. The report also assumes increased use of nuclear power and employing carbon capture technology. ...
2007 According to Michael Graham Richard: Here's a Plan
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 01.23.07
This is the last post of the 2007 series. Thank you for reading. The other posts in this series can be found here. The first one with an explanation of what this is about is here.
Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada
I think that 2007 needs to be the year when the pace of the transition to a green future accelerates. We need something to super-charge the process, just like the Internet revolution came much faster because of all the over-investments in fiber-optics and infrastructure caused by the dot-com bubble. I sincerely wish that the catalyst would be a positive event, but there are also chances that it could be something catastrophic like a super-Katrina or a new alarming scientific discovery. Lets not wait for a cataclysm and start now....
Convenient Truths - Servin' Save CO2
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 01.23.07
TH Interview: Clif Bar Sets Out to "Save Our Snow" with World Champion Freeskier Alison Gannett
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 01.23.07
Last week Clif Bar launched a new tour for the winter called the Save Our Snow (S.O.S.) Winter Roadrip. Using a vegetable oil powered, environmentally-friendly RV, the Roadtrip will visit ski resorts throughout North America to inform and inspire thousands of winter enthusiasts to help stop global warming. Yesterday special guest Alison Gannett, former world free skiing champion and a Team Clif Bar athlete, joined the tour in Las Vegas....
George Bush, Meet Michael Pollan
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.23.07
According to the New York Times, "In his State of the Union address, President Bush is expected to call for a huge increase in the amount of ethanol that refiners mix with gasoline, probably double the current goal of 7.5 billion gallons by 2012." The Times goes on to say "Corn-based ethanol can only marginally reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil. But it does little, if anything, to improve energy efficiency, and the mounting concern of some politicians is that relying on corn is leading to collateral damage in other parts of the agricultural economy and threatening the nation’s status as the leading corn exporter. The big increase in the works may mean consumers would end up paying more at the supermarket." In our review of the Omnivore's Dilemma, we said "If you eat industrially, you are made of corn. It holds together your McNuggets, it sweetens your soda pop, it fattens your meat, it is everywhere." In Mexico they are rioting over the price of tortillas. What will happen here when citizens start complaining about the price of their basic foods, all made from corn? ::New York Times...
2007 According to Leonora Oppenheim: Time to Consolidate
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 01.23.07
The other posts in this series can be found here. The first one with an explanation of what this is about is here.
Leonora Oppenheim, New York City, USA
My word for 2007 is consolidation - ‘to bring together (separate parts) into a single or unified whole.’
For me 2006 was all about making connections, not only connections between people, but also between ideas and theories and systems. People began to see that everything is interrelated. The message of personal, social and corporate environmental responsibility was high on the agenda. Our own personal actions not only affect the people and environment around us, but also people and the environment on the other side of the world from you....
2007 According to Lien Thoo: Green Politics in Canada
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 01.23.07
The other posts in this series can be found here. The first one with an explanation of what this is about is here.
Lien Thoo, Toronto, Canada
“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.” -Arundhati Roy
As we make our way through 2007, I reflect on 2006 to see what might be in store for us in the new year. Here in Canada, we had a federal election that resulted in the Conservative Party of Canada holding power in a minority government. For Treehuggers, this was not good news especially for those living in Ontario where 8 years of Tory rule proved deadly for the environment. Pre-election posturing by the Tories indicated that they understood the issues and that they were prepared and ready to implement a "Made in Canada" solution that would bring results. ...
2007 According to Damien Somerset: Greener Transportation
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 01.23.07
Here's the last batch. The other posts in this series can be found here. The first one with an explanation of what this is about is here.
Damien Somerset - Los Angeles, USA
First of all, I’m a dude…I’m a dude and I like cars! So I tend to get all worked up about things like the Tesla electric roadster, Pheonix Motors & their electric SUV, Plug In Hybrids, battery innovation, the ultra slim Tango, and the promise of electric transportation. As well as the rise of alternative fuels like biodiesel and ethanol. By the way, did you know that every standard gasoline car on the road could run on ethanol with a couple hundred dollars in parts… I’m just sayin’....
Most Huggable
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 01.23.07
Selling Power magazine profiles Whole Foods head John Mackey… Under pressure, Prince Charles cancels a ski trip to cut back on the carbon… Massive pig “cities” may be more polluting than America’s largest human cities… New Consumer picks the green brain of Asher Clark, shoe designer for Terra Plana… Greenpeace releases a new study profiling the devastation of fisheries resulting from trade liberalization… Leo Kempf’s cardboard composite furniture speaks for itself… A look at the 2008 candidate lineup and who has made global warming a top issue… What to do with offshore oil rigs when we come to our senses? Retrofit them into wind turbines, of course…...
Nau's Sustainability Manager is Grist's InterActivist
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01.23.07
Ever since we first found Nau, we've been anxiously waiting for their stylish green outdoor clothing to hit the shelves. In the interim, we tracked them down for an interview (part one, part two) and found pics of the upcoming line at Flickr; the latest word is that we can finally get our hands on some at the end of the month which should be any day now (or Nau). Our pals at Grist are featuring Eric Brody, Nau's Sustainability Manager, in their "InterActivist" column this week, so if there's anything you'd like to know (that you didn't learn by reading our interview) about their upcoming launch or otherwise, you can ask him by sending in your questions by noon Pacific time on Wednesday, January 24. Grist editors will pick the best questions, and Brody's responses to them will be posted later this week, on Friday. From the looks of it, Nau has got some great ideas and designs, and are working from a very TreeHugger-friendly business model, so we hope the apparel will live up to Nau's promise of "beauty, performance, sustainability." Head on over to Grist to see Brody's answers to the editors' questions, and send in your own if you want to know more. ::Nau via ::Grist
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Re:Vision: Imagining the Sustainable Community
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 01.23.07
Most of us are pretty good at identifying the actions we can take individually to lighten our environmental impact: we recycle, we shop for local food, we ride our bikes or take the bus. When we consider that large-scale problems we face, it's easy to become discouraged: what can one person really do about climate change, or environmental toxins, or public health threats? One person can't address these problems on their own; they can, however, harness the energies and talents of others to create and implement solutions....
Can’t Buy Me Love (or a Long Life)
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 01.23.07
TreeHugger was conceived with the intent of showcasing those cool products and services which could help the hesitant move toward a more sustainable lifestyle, without feeling they’d have to revert to hippydom. But from the outset we were very aware that it is simply not possible to buy a greener life. Money can open up choices, but it cannot be traded for core values or attitudes. And this is one of the determining factors for the dilemma we find ourselves in. We are conditioned by advertising, TV, cinema, and so on, to believe that more stuff will make us blissful. If the glow of owning a new plasma TV wears off, we jet away to the Bahamas, or buy another pair of shoes to fill that gnawing happiness void. (It is the materials extraction, manufacturing, distribution, use and subsequent disposal of all this desired ‘stuff’ that is at the root of our environment (and social) woes. Yet, while it has been long studied and reported that there is no link between wealth and happiness, we still pursue them. Recent related research now suggests that wealth and longevity are not good travelling buddies either. The US is up the top of list when it comes to Gross Domestic Product (GDP), the measure of a country’s ability to spend money. But it ranks way down in 30th spot for life expectancy....
New Designs from modularArts
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01.23.07
Seattle-based modularArts have been hard at work. Since we last heard from them (we featured their custom installation at the Sony Design Center) they've sprouted a few new designs that have us looking at bare walls and drooling. "Vortex Bloom" (above, left) and "Cooper" (right) were recently added to their collection of modular TreeHugger-friendly wallcoverings; like the panels we mentioned before, these new designs are composed entirely of nontoxic mineral and do not off-gas VOC's like plastics, or formaldehyde like most MDF and many composite wood products. They are fire-code safe, containing no accelerators, retardants, or release agents, many of which contain either probable or confirmed carcinogens, and they now offer low-VOC installation kits to ensure the use of responsible, tested installation materials. The panels, which are designed as 32" squares that can be joined for an uninterrupted, continuous wallcovering, contain ingredients comparable to ceiling tiles and drywall and may be recycled at the end of their useful life. Their website showcases their full complement of designs, which range from wavy and smooth to geometric and dynamic to subtle; the hard part is picking your favorite one. ::modularArts via ::Fabulously Green...
Lovecraft Biofuels Going Nationwide?! (Updated)
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01.23.07
Our pals over at Jalopnik got a hot tip that Lovecraft Biofuels (whom we featured here and profiled on TreeHugger TV here) will be expanding from their one location in Los Angeles to 10 stores around the US. Details remain a little sketchy at this point, but according to Jalopnik's tipster, "They're opening up ten stores, one in Seattle, and Portland... uh, Houston," and the rest go unnamed for the time being. Remember, Lovecraft does diesel-to-veggie-oil engine conversions, specializing in a single tank system that allows you to mix new or waste vegetable oil, diesel and/or bio-diesel in any combination using the original fuel tank. We've contacted the folks at Lovecraft and hoping that they'll get back to us in between conversions; stay tuned for more updates as events warrant. ::Lovecraft Biofuels via ::Jalopnik
Update: Brian from Lovecraft says: Yes, we are working with investors, and planning an expansion. I don't want to jump the gun, and give details before they are solidified, but, there will be a steady expansion going on that will include new locations throughout the country, and abroad. We'll announce the plans on our website as they become reality.You heard it right from the horse's mouth...we'll keep a close eye on them and our fingers crossed that everything goes well with the expansion....
New Street Train and Rapid Bus Transit Project for Buenos Aires
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 01.23.07
Good green-transportation news from Buenos Aires this week. After 50 years of absence, the city welcomed back one of its street trains last Saturday, which will run next to Alicia Moreau de Justo Av., between Independencia Av. and Cordoba Av. For those who aren’t familiar with the city, that’s Puerto Madero area, a beautiful neighborhood by the river. As there aren’t many buses that go by there, the main transport option for these blocks was taxi, so the electric street trains will certainly mean moves forward in terms of carbon emissions as well as comfort. The trains are the most modern ones in the entire American continent: two Citadis 302 models from the French firm Alstom that work with a continuous 750 volts electric current and can carry up to 300 people. The East Street Train was baptized “Celeris”. If it works well, it will probably get to other major capitals of the country like Rosario (Santa Fe), Cordoba (Cordoba) and Mendoza (Mendoza). On the other hand, the city’s mayor, Jorge Telerman, announced during the opening that in the course of this year, Buenos Aires would also incorporate a Rapid Bus Transit system (one of the ways to Green Your Transport, see examples from the city of Curitiba, Brazil), which will join important traffic centers......
Karrysafe Bags, not to die for
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 01.23.07
After Sweet Dream Security products and the Design Against Crime research centre, Karrysafe bags are another fine example of how good design works towards sustainability and a more ethical behaviour, in this case, as a response to street crime.
Fear of crime has increased disproportionately to rising crime statistics. When society is fearful of crime in addition to losing personal possessions, we lose our mental freedom, self-confidence and trust of society. Karrysafe seeks to restore these losses by aiding individuals to assume responsibility for their personal protection via product purchase information and advice.Karrysafe is a dip-, grab-, lift- and slash-safe range of bags and accessories, designed to fight those four most common bag theft techniques. The designers behind Karrysafe are Adam Thorpe and Joe Hunter of Vexed Generation in collaboration with Dr. Lorraine Gamman and the DAC Research Initiative in London. ...
The Last Panama Hats
by Bonnie Alter, London on 01.23.07
Ecuador’s most famous export is the Panama hat. Named after its use by the workers who built the Panama Canal in the early 1900’s, it was a symbol of debonair, old-fashioned elegance. Churchill, Hemingway, Roosevelt and Al Capone all wore one. Now its time of glory is over. Demand has been falling for years with fewer people wearing hats and the rise of the ubiquitous baseball cap. In addition globalisation has reared its head. The biggest threat is China—even though the Chinese copies are made of paper, not straw, they are cheaper and look good enough. As one commentator said “They have every advantage except authenticity”. Along with that problem is the loss of the skills of the artisans who wove them. Almost a quarter of Ecuador’s 13 million people live abroad. Those who have stayed home do not want to learn these traditional skills. A finely woven, top quality hat takes three months to make. The best ones are sold for thousands of dollars but the weaver only receives $500. But there is some hope. Intermon Oxfam has set up the Chordeleg Artisan Centre where weavers are producing small number of Fairtrade Panama hats. The women are receiving training so that they can perfect techniques, weave higher quality hats with better finishes, and improve production and marketing. They have been able to increase the quantity and the price so that they can now make a living and maintain their traditions. :: Financial Times and :: Intermon Oxfam...
Bathtub Chair
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.23.07
After showing the Reddish chair, made from old steel bathtubs, how could we not lounge about in the Savon Sofa, carved out of an old four-legged cast iron tub and upholstered in icy blue sensuede with matching down pillows. While the designers say that they "strive to design products that make people say "why didn't i think of that!" Our pieces aim to be clever yet elegant with a strong emphasis on ergonomics and functionality" we suspect that this is neither ergonomic or functional but it is recycled and fun. It even hits six of the top ten tips in our "how to green your furniture" guide. ::Flavour Design via ::Cube Me...
Shiver Me Timbers: Papaya Enzyme Repels Barnacles
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 01.23.07
The other day we ran a review on The Doggy Dung Disaster, a book about 30 inspirational kids from around the world. One of those profiled is Vaishali Kiran Grover who was 14 when she was awarded $1,500 USD in the 2002 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair. She garnered the award for her environmental science project, in which she discovered that snails near her family’s papaya tree were dying, and she wondered if the same might hold true for marine mollusks, such as barnacles that attach themselves to the hulls of ships (slowing their movement). Her research led to a biodegradable enzyme treatment using papaya and pineapple. It offers an alternative to the usual anti-fouling paint that commonly contains heavy metals and toxic chemicals like cuprous oxide and tributyltin (TBT). The latter is something the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is hoping to phase out by about this time next year. In 2003 the US Navy awarded her a $8,000 scholarship for “original research in an important Naval-relevant scientific area.” As recognition for her work, Vaishali had asteroid 17950 named Grover after her! How’s that for 15 minutes of fame? The National Gallery For America's Young Inventors inducted her in 2004, where she has a comic telling her story. Or read Vaishali’s story in a free PDF excerpt from The Doggy Dung Disaster. ...
Winter Visit To The Home Show: A Sliver Of Green Is Seen In Philadelphia
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 01.23.07
The promo for this year’s Philadelphia Home Show , ongoing until January 28th, featured green stuff that looked like it would be fun to check out. A stroll through the exhibit made one thing extremely clear: bamboo has overgrown the home flooring market. Samples were shooting up all over. A virtual bamboo flooring forest it was. Analogy tells the rest. Pennsylvania has famously been characterized politically as ‘Philadelphia on the East and Pittsburgh on the West, with Alabama in between’. The Philly Home Show floor was anchored by a single Myers Motors NmG all electric car (shown in photo) on one side of the hall, opposite a cluster of GMC SUV’s and Trucks on the other side. Uncountable flooring, siding, shower liner, and window vendors spanned the aisles between these disparate vehicle types. Even in a home show, vehicles circumscribe the boundaries of our lives....
Wayback Machine: Harnessing Wave Power, 1934 style
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.23.07
click on image to enlarge
We are always amazed seeing these ideas that seem so new, like wave and tidal power, but yet were proposed years ago by inventors and scientists. This 1934 system, with its fixed concrete foundations and overhead cables connecting it to the generator on land, is perhaps less practical than modern systems. However imagine a coastline with this line of giant dippy ducks guarding us and providing power. See Tim's recent update for more modern systems here. from ::Modern Mechanix...
A Biofuel Nation? Diversa and New Zealand Will Find Out
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 01.23.07
Ah, beer. The cause of and the solution to all of life's problems. - Homer SimpsonHomer is right, as usual. Diversa, a leader in finding and 'developing' enzymes, has teamed up with New Zealand Crown Research Institutes Scion (forest research institute) and AgResearch (pastoral research institute) to figure out a way to turn trees (or cellulose/tree waste) into fuel. Fermentation of cellulose is harder than it looks, but advances out of this program could have a tremendous impact on the world's agricultural landscape....
Transformer Furniture: Dror Benshetrit
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.23.07
The Shakers used to have a rail with pegs mounted on the wall, so that when they were finished using their chairs, they could hang them up and get them out of the way. Designer Dror Benshetrit designed this cantilevered chair that you just lift up and it goes flat, hangs on the wall with a simplicity and elegance that the Shakers would have admired. It is made by BBB Emmebonacina in Italy, so it won't be cheap, but it truly is "an inspiring take on the maximization of space and the transformation of an object from 2D to 3D." ...
An Inconvenient Tax
by Stephen Filler, Tarrytown, New York on 01.23.07
It's basic economics that the price of goods and services should reflect (or “internalize”) all the societal costs of those goods and services. Yet the price of many products -- including electricity, gasoline and other fossil fuels -- frequently does not include all costs, particularly those related to global warming. This is not suprising given that most of us had no idea that there was any external “cost” to greenhouse gas emissions until the late 80's.
One proposal often floated to “internalize” the costs of greenhouse gases is a carbon tax, but because of American’s great aversion to taxes, the proposal is usually discarded even before it is considered. Now comes the Carbon Tax Center -- a much needed forum for discussion about carbon taxes.
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Atlantic Hydrogen Takes the Carbon out of Natural Gas
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.23.07
There are lots of natural gas powered vehicles in the world, and an infrastructure of distribution. It is, however, a fossil fuel that is also facing peak gas, and while cleaner than other fuels, still produces CO2. So many people are hyping hydrogen as the fuel of the future, but right now most of it is made from natural gas and gives off CO2 in its manufacture. A small Nova Scotia, Canada outfit, Atlantic Hydrogen, has developed an interesting technology that they admit is an interim one and note:" Eventually, hydrogen will come from renewable sources, such as wind, solar, tidal or other. And it will be used in any number of devices, perhaps the most promising of which is fuel cells. These breakthrough technologies still face technical challenges. However, technologies such as modified internal combustion engines that burn hydrogen-enriched natural gas are ready to be deployed now, and as such represent a viable bridge to sustainable clean energy." They have developed a washing-machine sized device that "dissociates natural gas to form gaseous hydrogen and solid carbon without generating carbon dioxide".
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Solar Powered, Air Conditioned Tent
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.23.07
We keep saying that the solar powered air conditioner is the ultimate solution to much of our electrical consumption problem; AC is at the top of the peak load and consumes a lot of power. The gearheads at Wingnut/New Sun Productions sell this air conditoned tent along with their sixteen hundred dollar bicycle wheels. They set it up at a couple of desert bike races to provide " an instant oasis, no external power required." It is an evaporative cooler, using the dry air of the desert to evaporate water which cools the air, then blowing this into the tent. The fans on the cooler are powered by the solar panels on the roof of the tent.
Future models will fold up into a bike trailer to be towed behind mountain bikers, with the solar power and fan motors giving a little bit of a boost.
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Sundance Panel: How "Movies That Matter" Can Matter
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 01.23.07
We would like to believe that "socially relevant" films have some effect outside the theater, right? You must be able to name a few that have made you write a letter or change some habits? Feel free to comment below. Directors, writers and producers on Monday's Movies that Matter Panel have influenced everything from AIDS policy, to the phase-out of PVC packaging, to the global warming debate. Participants included: Sean Fine (War/Dance), Judith Helfand (Everything's Cool), Rory Kennedy (Ghosts of Abu Ghraib), Eric Schlosser (Fast Food Nation), Gayle Smith (The Center for American Progress), Diane Weyermann (Participant Productions) and Brian Steidle (subject of The Devil Came on Horseback). Helene Cooper of the New York Times (who became an anti-Apartheid activist after seeing Cry Freedom) moderated. While everyone agreed that the movies can matter, there were a variety of approaches to how and why....
McDonalds UK Switches To 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified Coffee
by Celine Ruben-Salama, New York, NY on 01.22.07
Each day 143,000 cups of coffee, cappuccino and latte are being served up and consumed in McDonald's restaurants in the United Kingdom and Ireland. From now on the brew is being made from Kraft Foods, Kenco brand, a high-quality Arabica that is 100% Rainforest Alliance Certified. The Rainforest Alliance is an international nonprofit organization which works to conserve biodiversity and ensure sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business practices and consumer behavior. This move makes McDonald's the first major retailer in the United Kingdom to source 100 percent of its coffee from Rainforest Alliance Certified farms.
Prices for a cup of coffee will remain locally competitive ranging from £1.09 ($1.43) for a regular coffee to £1.59 ($2.08) for a large cappuccino or latte. Since McDonald's pays a premium for Kenco coffee, the company is de facto subsidizing sustainable farm management, including the protection of ecosystems and access to clean and safe living and working conditions, schools, healthcare, training, potable drinking water, decent wages, better markets for crops and other worker rights and benefits. Rainforest Alliance certification standards are independent and verifiable. Thousands of farmers and farm workers in Colombia, Brazil and Central America will directly benefit from the switch. ...
Jimma Banana Art - Job Creation For Youth
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 01.22.07
We love these decorative greeting cards made from banana leaves. They are made by young Ethiopian women in the city of Jimma. Jimma Banana Art is an organisation that was started back in 2000 with the aim of helping young women to support their families with a sustainable income. The combination of high unemployment rates in Jimma and their very young population, over 50% of Jimma's population is under 20 years old, means that it is extremely difficult for young people to find work. There are now 30 women making these cards and other products, such as place mats and coasters. The banana leaves are a sustainable and plentiful local material which they dry, iron and bake to create different textures and colours before cutting them into graphic patterns. We particularly like the depictions of local landscapes, wildlife, traditions and rituals, such as cooking, grinding flour, drumming and dancing. You can order the cards from their website. All funds go directly towards paying the women who make the cards and towards extending the program. via: DesignBoom. ::Jimma Banana Art...
Dust In The Wind
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 01.22.07
Hearing about this recent research makes us want to download Kansas songs and drift away with melancholy; either that or write a dramatic French screenplay and call it, Blame It On Bodelé. That’s because the world seems just a wee bit smaller after we read that scientists have quantified just how much dust from a tiny Saharan Valley is contributing to the nutrient basin in the Amazon. While it’s not flashy new news that a connection between these two distant continents exists- what is new is the extent and certainty of this relationship. The bottom line is folks, when framed in the context of global warming, changing wind patterns could be a disaster for the health of the Amazon. ...
How to Green Your Furniture
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 01.22.07
What’s the Big Deal?
Some people obsess over furniture. Others hardly even notice it’s there. One way or the other, making environmentally savvy choices in furnishing your home or office can make a big difference in your impact on the planet and your health. The modern sustainability movement has attracted such a large number of innovative designers that it’s hard to know where to start. In this article we won’t be listing every green furniture company or designer under the sun but rather give a rundown of basic concepts that might guide your search. Of the specific products and brands we <do mention, not all will be budget-friendly for everyone—at this point, a lot of the green design is still specialty stuff, and thus pretty high-end. But don’t worry. There are always cost effective ways to go green. We’ll list some of our favorite brands and stores at the end, but we suggest digging through the TreeHugger archives. This could keep you going for hours, if not days, and the library is always growing.TreeHugger Picks: Improving Indoor Air Quality
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01.22.07
Now that winter has set in (in the northern hemisphere, at least), the cooler temperatures mean less open windows and less natural ventilation. This can lead to poorer indoor air quality, which, in some cases, is 10 times worse than outdoor air quality to begin with. Here are some picks for improving indoor air quality in your home.
1) Get a plant that helps remove nasty indoor pollutants from the air, like the peace lily (pictured above).
2) Keep volatile organic chemicals out by using a VOC-free paint.
3) Keep your air filter clean so it removes maximum pollutants from the air you breathe.
4) Greenguard-certified seating and furniture like the Steelcase's Think chair and Haworth's Zody chair won't contribute nasty stuff to your air, and that's a good thing.
5) Want to know more? Dig in deeper with the help of Inhabitat's handy Green Building 101 guides....
Is Your Car Getting Zero Miles Per Gallon?
by Union of Concerned Scientists on 01.22.07
If your car is running, but not moving, the answer is yes. Whenever your engine is idling while your car is stationary, you’re effectively using gas to get nowhere. Idling wastes money and fuel and generates pollution. Some states even have laws against idling for extended periods of time.
Idling can actually damage your engine over the long term. Because idling engines don’t operate at their peak temperatures, the fuel passing into the engine does not completely combust, leaving residue in the engine that can contaminate engine oil and make spark plugs dirty. Excessive idling also allows water to condense in the vehicle’s exhaust, contributing to corrosion.
While older cars from the 1970s and early 1980s might have needed time to warm up, the norm since the mid-1980s has been fuel-injection vehicles which can be restarted frequently without engine damage.
When you start a car’s engine, a little bit of extra gas is used to get the combustion process started. That means a good rule of thumb for conserving gas is to idle for no more than 30 seconds, except, of course, if you’re just sitting in traffic.
If you have a hybrid car, it does the work of avoiding idling for you. While parked or sitting in traffic, hybrids shut off their gasoline engines automatically. See also: ::Citroën C2, Now With Stop & Start Technology...
Most Huggable
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 01.22.07
New research suggests that American pollution is riding the jet stream back to merry old England… Colorado makes strides towards being a renewable energy leader… Want even better mileage from that hybrid? Six tips on how to squeeze out a few more MPG… Patric Blanc has refined the art of driving green plants up the wall… A draft of the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC paints a picture of a warming world even more grim than previously thought… Sydney weighs its options for shipping in water from Tasmanian dams—via solar tanker… In Iowa, living off the grid isn’t just for “social dropouts” anymore… A San Fran pet camp is as green as can be. Right down to making fuel from poop (video)… ...
bambu Introduces Over 20 New Products for 2007
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01.22.07
We've been consistently impressed with bambu's work ever since we saw their natural utensils and Lacquerware bowls way back in 2004, and their new products in the 2007 collection continue this trend. They've always been great at combining beautiful designs with superb functionality, so it comes as no surprise that the new products manage to do both. The "Spoontula" (above, left) combines a spoon and spatula to create a unique kitchen multi-tasker; the patented design comes from Godefroy de Virieu, who is a member of bambu's "design collective" and also designed the Give It a Rest series (among others). bambu is also introducing a new color range for its Lacquerware series this year, including bold colors like Cayenne, Red Pepper and Kiwi green (above, center). Also new this year is the ingenious Chop Scoop & Serve cutting boards (above, right). The boards are designed to handle several functions: chop and scoop on one side, serve on the other. One end includes a hollowed out taper to provide an easy method to move your freshly chopped ingredients to the plate or pan. Turn it over, and you have a serving tray with a bowl area neatly integrated into the board. As with all of bambu's utensils, bowls, trays and more, they're made with organically-grown bamboo and finished with food-safe oils. These three are just the beginning; bambu's Kids line of utensils and cute "Curvy Servers" also make their debut this year, along with the Snapstix we mentioned last year. bambu will be showcasing their new products for 2007, over 20 in all, at the International Home & Housewares March 11-13, 2007 in Chicago, and all their new products are now available at the "bambu Boutique" at greenfeet.com. ::bambu, see also ::bambu Goo and ::Best of TH: Sustainable Designers
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Free Solar Power for Staples
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 01.22.07
Staples has unveiled the largest solar power installation in New England at its 300,000-square-foot retail distribution center in Killingly, Connecticut. The solar power installation was built at no capital cost to Staples. The 433-kilowatt DC commercial solar photovoltaic system larger that a football field, covering nearly 74,000 square feet of roof space. The solar power system has the capacity to produce enough energy to power 14 percent of the distribution center or 36 homes per year.
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Clay & Wattles Hosts Carnival of the Green
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 01.22.07
This week is Carnival of the Green #61 and it's being hosted by Clay & Wattles. Head on over to the Carnival to check out a round up of last weeks green news and events, submitted by other bloggers and green sites. To learn more about Carnival of the Green, where it will be and how to host, please click here to link to our previous post....
New Ecological Art Gallery
by Bonnie Alter, London on 01.22.07
The Gallery @ Adventure Ecology HQ is a new and fascinating addition to the London art scene, and the environmental education field as well. The Gallery is the public face of an environmental group for children called Adventure Ecology. They are holding their first big exhibition, featuring the work of four artists who are examining environmental issues. Claire Morgan’s work (pictured), with delicate butterflies and dead birds, examines decay and “the residues that we as a society leave on the earth.” Another artist has filled 50 plastic bags with water and bits of broken umbrellas to symbolise the 5 melting polar ice caps over the last ten years and fragility of life. Money from the sale of the artwork goes to support the educational aspect. The group is aimed at reaching children 9 to 16 years old through the schools. There is a good interactive website with lots of neat information. They are also sponsoring missions to endangered parts of the world. Children will be able to follow them on the net. The first trip was 100 days long, setting off from Cape Arctichesky in Russia, and ending up at Ellesmere Island, Canada, with a stop at the North Pole along the way. The upcoming one is to Ecuador; with 2 photographers, an artist and a filmmaker going to study trash and waste in areas that are being spoiled by our global footprint. :: The Gallery@Adventure Ecology HQ...
Chile Looses Tie to Fight Global Warming
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 01.22.07
While the northern hemisphere is turning up the heaters, South America is passing by the hottest summer times of the year. And with the rising temperatures of the past years -in Argentina it got to 44 degrees Celsius this month-, the use of air conditioning has spread rapidly over the countries. In Chile, for example, over 215000 equipments were imported from 1996 to 2006. So in order to save some of the enormous amounts of energy used to cool air in the offices, the executive director of the Chilean Energy Efficiency Program (PPEE), Nicola Borregaard, has urged city employees to loose jackets and ties to work. The proposal is named “Summer without tie”, and even though it’s a public initiative, she expects every company will follow up. “We hope directors from all working activities join this proposal, so that this can become a habit for every Chilean worker”, she said. Chile is a conservative country where men usually dress formally for work. According to the PPEE, air conditioning can represent an office’s 30 to 60% amount of the total energy consume. With this program, the organism hopes to save 17,2 to 34,4 GWh energy, if every one of the 215.000 equipments imported in the past ten years could be switched off just 2 hours every day, for 40 days.
The officials who promoted this idea inspired themselves in the Japanese model...
Via linton from Hugg.com...
Mag-Wind Vertical Axis Turbine for your Home
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.22.07
We get excited about new technologies; sometimes we jump the gun, so it is great to find a product that is new, different and actually available. It's a "Magnetically-Levitated Axial Flux Alternator with Programmable Variable Coil Resistance, Vertical Axis Wind Turbine' , and it has just come on the market. Designed by Thomas Priest-Brown and Jim Rowan in Canada and manufactured in Texas, it"solves 11 different problems that previously limited the development of vertical-axis wind turbines for generation of electricity ." The center hub floats on a magnet, and the coils that generate the power are at the outer ring, with magnets at the tips of the blades flying over them at high speed. It is designed for home installation in urban settings; It is only 4 feet high, so neighbours are unlikely to complain about its appearance. We asked about issues with ice and snow, and were assured that there was no problem. We also asked about noise (often a complaint) and was told that it was inaudible.
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Green Restaurant named, of course, Lettüs
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.22.07
Architect Cass Calder Smith grew up on a commune and studied solar energy, but his green designs don't suffer from the dreaded hippie aesthetic. For their organic slow food restaurant in San Francisco, Mark Lewis and Matthew Guelke wanted to adhere to green design principles, but to reach beyond the "earthy-crunchy crowd" “The earthier places are great, but a lot of their clientele already eats this way,” Guelke says. “We wanted to make a place that caters more to the mainstream, where people come in because of the design of the space and the kinds of dishes we’re offering.” ...“When we said to Cass that we wanted to be the waiting room of a Finnish sauna set in a Tokyo airport, he got it”
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Off-Grid Iowans Not "Freezing in the Dark"
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 01.22.07
While nearly all Treehuggers want to use energy generated from cleaner and more renewable sources, most of us wouldn't take the seemingly extreme step of going off-grid. A small but growing neighborhood outside of Decorah, Iowa, is proving that living away from power lines doesn't have to involve deprivation, though. According to the DesMoines Register, no one in this thriving community is "freezing in the dark." They have, however, developed a consciousness of their energy use that's quite rare by contemporary American standards. Resident Dale Kittleson claims, though, that residents' attention to their energy supply is about the only difference he really notices from a more "normal" life in a grid-connected home:...
'No Comment': Top 25 Censored News Stories
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 01.22.07
Project Censored does a great job of drawing attention to overlooked, but very important, news stories. We've flagged, in bold, items from Project Censored's latest top-25 list that have direct environmental components. (Number one potentially affects the future of TreeHugger so we bolded it as well.) The detailed links under each story from the Project's website are worth your reading time; as would be the Project's book, which covers each story in detail. #1 Future of Internet Debate Ignored by Media; #2 Halliburton Charged with Selling Nuclear Technologies to Iran #3 Oceans of the World in Extreme Danger; #4 Hunger and Homelessness Increasing in the US; #5 High-Tech Genocide in Congo; #6 Federal Whistleblower Protection in Jeopardy; # 7 US Operatives Torture Detainees to Death in Afghanistan and Iraq; #8 Pentagon Exempt from Freedom of Information Act; #9 The World Bank Funds Israel-Palestine Wall; #10 Expanded Air War in Iraq Kills More Civilians; #11 Dangers of Genetically Modified Food Confirmed; #12 Pentagon Plans to Build New Landmines; #13 New Evidence Establishes Dangers of Roundup; #14 Homeland Security Contracts KBR to Build Detention Centers in the US; #15 Chemical Industry is EPA’s Primary Research Partner; #16 Ecuador and Mexico Defy US on International Criminal Court; #17 Iraq Invasion Promotes OPEC Agenda; #18 Physicist Challenges Official 9-11 Story; #19 Destruction of Rainforests Worst Ever; #20 Bottled Water: A Global Environmental Problem; #21 Gold Mining Threatens Ancient Andean Glaciers; #22 $Billions in Homeland Security Spending Undisclosed; #23 US Oil Targets Kyoto in Europe; #24 Cheney’s Halliburton Stock Rose Over 3000 Percent Last Year; #25 US Military in Paraguay Threatens Region....
Evangelicals and Environmentalists: Still Strange Bedfellows?
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 01.22.07
We've been encouraged over many recent developments involving American evangelical Christians' embrace of "creation care." Last week's "Urgent Call to Action" (in PDF) issued jointly by the Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School and The National Association of Evangelicals looks like another giant step forward, especially considering that the Association refused to join in last year's "Evangelical Call to Action" on climate change.
While national evangelical organizations are coming around to promoting a complex vision of creation care that includes addressing climate change, pollution, and even the spread of infectious diseases, the Waco, Texas, Tribune-Herald demonstrates that there's a considerable range of opinion on the subject when talking to members and pastors of individual congregations. Just in this relatively small college town, views range from enthusiastic support of the National Association's statement to belief that the Church is stepping outside of its mission in addressing such issues:...
Wood Tables You Don't Want to Cover with Stuff
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.22.07
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
The New York Times reviews interesting tables, mostly made from recycled wood. The
mxyplyzyk tables shown are made from the stumps of "discarded" Chinese fir trees. We have never heard of discarded trees before, and assume it is benign rather than code for "clear-cut". Former monk Tucker Robbins uses recycled rainforest wood and indigenous trades to make furniture like the Spiral Table. And of course, it would have to show Brent Comber's alder cube, beloved of TreeHugger. ::New York Times
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Technology Review on EEStor
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.22.07
They are definitely opening the kimono at EESTor, even giving interviews. According to TR, The company boldly claims that its system, a kind of battery-ultracapacitor hybrid based on barium-titanate powders, will dramatically outperform the best lithium-ion batteries on the market in terms of energy density, price, charge time, and safety. Pound for pound, it will also pack 10 times the punch of lead-acid batteries at half the cost and without the need for toxic materials or chemicals, according to the company.
The implications are enormous and, for many, unbelievable. Such a breakthrough has the potential to radically transform a transportation sector already flirting with an electric renaissance, improve the performance of intermittent energy sources such as wind and sun, and increase the efficiency and stability of power grids--all while fulfilling an oil-addicted America's quest for energy security.
Richard Weir, EEStor's cofounder and chief executive, says he would prefer to keep a low profile and let the results of his company's innovation speak for themselves."We're well on our way to doing everything we said," Weir told Technology Review in a rare interview.::Technology Review...
Go Green. Get Rich.
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.22.07
Who could pass up a magazine with that on the cover? January's Business 2.0 takes a different approach to looking at green companies: it looks at a problem and who is addressing a solution. Problems include global warming (solution? wind turbines from Airtricity) Oil Dependency (solution? questionable. Westport Innovations converts diesel engines to run on natural gas. Less pollution, but still relying on fossil fuels). Dirty air (solution? Solar ovens from Sun Ovens International ). There is also a sexy centerfold covering intriguing new green technologies, particularly an Australian idea for a home hydrogen fueling station from CSIRO. Not yet online but watch for it at :green wombat...
Shoes that Separate Style and Structure
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.22.07
Whether you love shoes or just have to own a couple of pairs in different colours or styles for different functions, they can take up a lot of space and breaking in new ones can hurt. Mark Klein thought about his and came up with an interesting idea: separate a well fitted, orthopaedic core (the bone) from the stylish "skin" that can be changed in seconds. Result: Instant customization, comfort and style, without the waste of shoe structure that sits in the closet. The bones can last almost forever, while the skins can be replaced as they wear out.
Klein worked on the initial idea with designer Kobi Levy and then"stylized" it up with New York designer Dror Benshetrit. Benshetrit set out to create a simple yet iconic shape that he believed could stand the test of time. “It’s very dangerous introducing something innovative to the market,” he says. “People might think it’s too difficult or weird. So it was really important for me to develop something that was intuitive and logical.” Finally Klein called on the fashion expertise of high-end shoe designers Silvano Banfi and Frank Zambrelli (who have previously worked for companies such as Gucci, Bally, and Coach) to oversee a consistent look across the range of Skins.
“It’s a product that just seems to make a lot of sense,” Klein says. “When people look at it, I want them to scratch their heads and wonder why no one had thought of it before.” ::Metropolis and ::Skins Footwear
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Sundance: Quick Eco Celeb Notes
by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 01.22.07
My first day here and no films viewed, but many incredible companies to tell you about in the days ahead. You will be proud to hear that I did not screen global warming doc Everything's Cool because it would have involved driving an hour each way... Seemed to defeat the purpose. Tomorrow, tomorrow... Bites: Ed Begley, Jr. and his wife Rachelle were interviewed by Fox this morning about Living with Ed at Project GreenHouse. Their bickering "ball and chain" shtick seemed perfect: what better way to lure a nice demographic chunk into green living than through seemingly universal Everybody Loves Raymond-esque domestic squabbling? Stay tuned for our TreeHugger interview with Ed as well as details on HGTV's expanding green programming. Kevin Bacon, in town promoting his Sixdegrees.org network, dropped by as a guest at the GreenHouse... Most recent Survivor runner-up Ozzie partook of the Global Greenhouse (yet another eco suite!) goodies and then joked about his post-apocalyptic spear-fishing skills as we shared a van ride... He can catch a fish for me any day... ::Sundance Film Festival...
Cellulosic Ethanol in Japan: BioEthanol & Celunol
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 01.21.07
BioEthanol Japan (the site is in Japanese) became the first company to make cellulosic ethanol - the kind that is less controversial than corn ethanol - on a commercial basis.
"The plant in Osaka Prefecture has an annual capacity of 1.4 million liters (about 370,000 gallons US). In 2008, it plans to boost production to 4 million liters (1 million gallons)." The ethanol biofuel is made from wood construction waste using technology from Celunol, the key element of which being a genetically engineered Escherichia coli bacteria that can ferment both C6 (hexose) and C5 (pentose) sugars present in cellulosic biomass. The big benefit of cellulosic ethanol over ethanol made from food crops is that it can be made with waste biomass coming from forestry, construction and agriculture (corn and wheat stalks that are usually burned). It can also use fast-growing, low-impact plants such as switchgrass, hemp and kenaf on land that can't be used for food production....
Beetle Biomimicry: A New MacBook Coating?
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 01.21.07
One of the many exciting areas of biomimicry is materials science. Plants and animals have evolved materials that astound us with their complex engineering on the molecular level. Take for instance the Cyphochilus beetle. Dr. Pete Vukusic, of the University of Exeter’s School of Physics, has figured out how the beetle engineers a super-thin bright white exoskeleton-without using dyes.
‘This kind of brilliant whiteness from such a thin sample is rare in nature. As soon as I saw it, every instinct told me that the beetle was something very special,’ said Dr. Pete Vukusic. ‘In the future, the paper we write on, the colour of our teeth and even the efficiency of the rapidly emerging new generation of white light sources will be significantly improved if technology can take and apply the design ideas we learn from this beetle.’...
Mobile Solar Power For Your Purse
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 01.21.07
At first glance this Solar Mobile Charger looks like a compact mirror but it’s actually a little device that can power your cell phone or MP3 player. It can also charge your device via 12 DC power (in the car) or an AC outlet. Adapters for Nokia, Motorola, Samsung and SonyEricsson phones are included. The "Solar Mobile Phone Charger" retails for $18.50, but seem to be available only through wholesale outlets. See Global Sources Direct.
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$180 Portable Solar Power for Your Laptop, MP3 Player
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 01.21.07
Pat from Will Blog For Experience writes about his experience using a home-made, portable solar kit to power his MacBook. He says: "This kit weighs about 2 lbs, costs $180, and will power my Macbook for 1.75 hours (1.83ghz, browsing the web and checking email via Airport Extreme, bluetooth off, screen brightness about 70%) with a little more than 5 hours of good sun." The folding solar panel he uses is available from the Alt Energy Store. See a picture of the entire kit after the link....
Cameron Sinclair's Favourite Possession
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.21.07
The New York Times style section has a regular feature called "Possessed" where they interview the rich and fashionable about their favourite possessions. Today they pushed out from their usual envelope and talked to TreeHugger hero Cameron Sinclair, co-founder of Architecture for Humanity and author of Design Like You Give a Damn. Of course, he is on the road a lot, and is not a wealthy celebrity architect, so we suspected that his possession might be small. it is: an American two dollar bill that he got in Starbucks.
“I had never got one before,” said Mr. Sinclair, a British subject who has lived in the United States since the early 1990s. “And I realized that it would make a good good-luck charm because Jefferson was the only president who was an architect.” Of course, he points out that "54 percent of the people in the world live on less than $2 a day." ::New York Times...
Tesla Motors Planning New Electrifying Sedan?
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 01.21.07
There are rumors that electric car maker Tesla Motors is working on a next-generation sports electric sedan to join its innovative electric Roadster car (pictured above, see previous story). The new vehicle is said to take on the BMW 5-Series. It's a rear-drive vehicle and will be sold globally, with a more ambitious volume target of 10,000-20,000 units per year. According the Winding Road: "The new car will likely ride on a chassis made of lightweight steel (the Roadster employs Lotus Elise-sourced bonded-aluminum). There are apparently also plans for additional Roadster models, including a pricier “luxury” model with more powerful batteries and greater range." :: Via The Energy Blog...
Girls Hooked On Science?
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 01.21.07
Ever realized how few girls who are hooked on science in the elementary years actually wind up pursuing a career in it? Well, there's an incredible environmental education initiative being launched to try and keep middle-school girls excited about science and engineering careers by the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) through a $1.2 Million grant by the National Science Foundation. The UCSD team will help San Diego county students monitor the air quality, solar radiation and other environmental factors involving their schools, while using environmental research techniques, tools, and data to create a multiplayer online science challenge game designed specifically for 12- to 15-year-old girls by focusing on the things they naturally enjoy best as forms of online entertainment. According to Diane Baxter, the education director with the San Diego Supercomputer Center who will oversee development of the game, "We know girls like games that involve adventure and mystery and where they can take on the persona of the lead character. Girls are also more likely to play games in a community, rather than on their own.” And as the success of websites like MySpace suggest, I think that this approach quite obviously has real potential to reach girls with environmental science in a way that they enjoy....
The Observer's Low Carbon Diet - (or how to lose half a tonne in just one month)
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 01.21.07
Given popular culture's endless obsession with fad diet's and losing weight it seems like this new Low Carbon diet could catch on fast. Lucy Siegle from The Observer Magazine, offers 36 positive suggestions on how we can 'change our lives in the form of three simple and enticing menus, calculated not in calories but 'carbs''. While it won't help you lose those extra pounds round your waist or hips, you will see a dramatic weight loss off your carbon footprint, half a tonne no less! Unless you commit to the bicyling option of course - then you'll be losing carbs and calories at the same time - bonus! This Low Carbon Diet could be the healthiest diet of them all, not only helping yourself, but the rest of the planet as well. Some of these diet suggestions are more radical than others, we can imagine people's reluctance to unplug their digital tv box, but remembering to turn off the lights and turning your thermostat down are super easy! We know that diets are notoriously difficult to stick to, but there are so many options in this diet that even if you only manage to commit to some of them you will still be losing weight! Plus you can eat as much as you like, as long as it's local! Read the full Observer Magazine article to get started with shedding those carbs today. :: The Observer Magazine...
Alternative Fireplace "Logs"
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 01.21.07
This month’s issue of body + soul includes a column regarding fireplace fumes and how to steer clear from dangerous toxins. These include the petroleum and paraffin wax which are found in the traditional “logs.” According to the magazine, one option is Cleanflame Firelogs which make use of unrecyclable waxed cardboard and burn more cleanly than the artificial ones. Another is called Simplefire, with bags of recycled paper briquettes that can go straight into a fireplace. Duraflame, which has always been the synthetic standby, has also introduced a natural product. Although not made of recycled materials the “Its All Natural Firelog” uses vegetable and plant waxes instead of petroleum. Via ::body + soul...
Geothermal Power Plant Triggers Earthquake in Switzerland
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 01.21.07
Even environmentally friendly alternative technologies can have negative impacts which are difficult to predict. The citizens of Basel learned this first-hand as they were shaken by an earthquake of magnitude 3.4 on the Richter scale, followed by 60 lesser aftershocks, including a quake of magnitude 2.5 a week after the initial quake, and another tremor of 3.1 as recently as 6 January, attributed to changes as underground pressures at the now discontinued project site return to normal. The engineers and officials of Geopower did inform the authorities and the public that the proposed Deep Heat Mining project posed a risk of triggering small tremors. Quakes of the magnitude actually experienced, however, were not anticipated. The public is also questioning whether the communication of this risk, by a brief statement buried in a press release, was sufficient to prepare residents.
The Geopower Deep Heat Mining project is the first commercial application of the so-called hot fractured rock technique, which allows recovery of heat from dry rock. The Geopower engineers intended to use the 200C temperatures at 5000 meters to heat injected water which is then pumped back to the surface for recovery. The technique relies on the fracturation of existing pores and crevices by injection of cold water. The fracturation creates a path for water to cycle through the hard granite, so that the heated water can be brought back to the surface through a separate borehole a distance away from the injection hole. Most geothermal power projects tap into reservoirs of heated water rather than dry rock. However, recent reports suggest that earthquakes caused by mankind are not uncommon....
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
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