Weekly Archive for January 28, 2007 : TreeHugger

This week's big news was the publication of The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Report. You want to impress your friends and amaze your relatives with your knowledge of global warming, but even the 21 page summary for policy-makers has your head spinning? Well, try not to stress. Yes, global warming is a very serious topic. But you are already here at TreeHugger and doing your best to make the right decisions when it is under your control. And we would say that it is likely or maybe even very likely that you will help raise awareness and at least entertain your friends and relatives, as well as yourself, by checking out the Top 10 Surprising Results of Global Warming at livescience. (oh....excuse me... aaa. aaah. aah-choo!!)...

Not everyone loves wind turbines. This is an easy fact to forget, if you surround yourself with environmentally conscious people, but some folks even consider them ugly. One of the most common criticisms of wind energy, at least in the UK, is the argument that turbines industrialize our already dwindling areas of natural beauty. This treehugger personally considers these towering giants to be graceful and elegant symbols of a green future, but understands that not everyone feels the same way. It seems to make sense then, to place turbines in already industrialized landscapes, wherever possible. Not only does this avoid inciting the hoardes of NIMBYs, it also has the added advantage of increased visibility for, and acceptance of, renewables by the general public - especially as they are not placed on their favourite hillside landscape. The turbine pictured here sits on junction 11 of the M4 motorway in Reading, UK, and is seen spinning by as many as 60 million people annually as they drive by. Apparently the turbine features state-of-the-art blade technology for maximum efficiency and represents ‘the next step into the future for multi-megawatt class turbines in the UK.’ It is also claimed that it creates enough electricity to power the equivalent of 1000 homes. Surely high profile installations are the best way of showing that many of the solutions we have been waiting for are already here. And we've yet to meet anyone who has claimed that their favorite motorway junction has been spoiled by one of those 'ugly turbines.' ...

Last week, we traveled to San Francisco and had the opportunity to visit some of our favorite spots. One of them, Mixt Greens, hooked us up with a behind the scenes tour and a couple of salads to taste test. We knew the spot had been a popular one since it opened last year, but we were very impressed by not only the number of folks that lined up for their fresh salads, but also the positive things they had to say. After speaking with Chef Andrew Swallow, TreeHugger was able to scope out the new restaurant that will be opening just a few blocks down from their current one. Why so close? Chef Swallow says that it will attract a different part of the downtown crowd. The new location is a bit larger but will stick with green building practices and, of course, only the finest ingredients for their local and organic lunches. Stay tuned, we have a feeling that Mixt Greens isn’t going to stop here. ::Mixt Greens...

According to SBI (Specialists in Business Information):-- “Capitalizing on energy efficiency upgrades mandated by the U.S. Department of Energy's SEER standard 13 (seasonal energy efficiency ratio) requirements for residential air conditioners and heat pumps, the market supply for HVAC equipment experienced double-digit growth in 2005 reaching a value of $13.3 billion. Market findings in HVAC Equipment in the U.S., a new report from market research firm SBI , show the market supply surpassing $18 billion by 2010. According to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI), “While equipment prices have modestly risen under the standards, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory research indicates that the benefit energy savings are more than three times the cost on a net-present value basis”. So…here’s the thing. With that much of an economic stimulation potential, why did the US Department of Energy resist implementing a SEER 13 standard? Would that have been admitting that climate change was real? Was it a case of free-market utopianism? Image credit: Maytag Air Conditioner - M1010 13/14 SEER...

Piers Fawkes of PSFK raises an interesting point on his blog at Club of Pioneers. Since when did carbon, a black heavy solid or clear expensive diamond, become a problem? Was it not Carbon Dioxide? When did the terminology change? "Something odd is happening in the eco-lexicon and I'm not too sure I like it too much. Carbon Dioxide is being replaced by the word Carbon in messaging and I'm not too sure I'm that happy about using a simpler phrase that's scientifically incorrect." He asked me, who deferred to John Laumer. Read the answers at ::Club of Pioneers...

[Last day to vote! This post will stay on top of the frontpage for the day. -Ed.] TreeHugger is honored to be nominated for a couple 2007 Bloggie Awards -- a huge thank you to everyone who nominated us! We've been nominated as Best Topical Blog and Best Group Blog this year, and we'd love your support to get to the winner's circle for the first time. Click on over to 2007.bloggies.com; about 3/4 of the way down the page you'll find the Best Topical category, and Best Group is five categories down from there. Along the way, we encourage you to vote for our pals at Gizmodo & Lifehacker (who we're up against for Group Blog -- may the best blog win!), as well as any other favorites you see on the list. Voting will be open until next Friday, February 2, at 10:00 PM EST; as before, please be sure to confirm your ballot via email, and vote wisely, because you only get one crack at it. The winners will be posted on Monday, March 12; we've got our fingers crossed! Thanks again for your amazing support!...

Don't you wish you could clone yourself sometimes? This week, TreeHugger Celine Ruben-Salama and I are covering NY Fashion week, filling you in on the millionth of a percent of eco and ethical fashion on the runways. If we were in Paris, we'd be at the "So Ethic" wing of the Salon Prêt à Porter, where over 40,000 international buyers, press and gawkers get to sidle up to nearly 70 self-proclaimed green and socially-minded brands. You know about many of them already: Del Forte, Deborah Lindquist, Rachel F, Veja, g=9.8, Junky Styling... How exciting is it to see so many happy designers get so much exposure? ::Salon Prêt à Porter Paris via Sophie...

Watch Amber MacArthur, tech wiz at Toronto's City TV, talk about TreeHugger's Convenient Truths competition, and watch Lloyd Alter screw up trying to explain it on camera, filmed in the lovely new Smith Cafe on Shaw Street in Toronto. ::City TV and ::AmberMac...

Everything is topsy turvy at the moment. Austria, France and Switzerland cancelled their ski championships this winter due to lack of snow. Norway operates a powered ski lift style thingamee to assist human-powered cyclists. In keeping with such weirdness we duly make note of the 24 Hours of Sunlight 2007 event occurring in Colorado this weekend. Participants will be competiting in a ski race that eschews use of chairlifts. Instead they ski up the mountain (on alpine touring or telemark gear) so they can then schuss down. But it doesn’t stop there. They do this, as the name suggests, for 24 hours. Last year Greg Hill (aka ‘3 Lung Hill’), who it would appear is the backcountry ski mad sibling of our fearless founder, Graham, tied for a world record with Jimmy Faust. Each managing the amazing feat of the most human-powered vertical feet (50,100 ft or 15,270 m) skied in 24 hours. To put that in perspective, Everest is 29,035 ft (8,850 m). And Greg is back again in 2007 to try harder! Polly Samuels-McLean scored the 2006 women’s record with 31,110 ft while Jonathan Baker put 20,215 under his snowboard. Ain’t it crazy what humans can achieve when they set their minds to it? Now, if we channel some of that same energy and determination to the problems at hand, anything is possible. Like the Hill brothers we simply need to set ourselves hills to climb, and just go for it. ::24 Hours of Sunlight....

The advertisers have cranked up their engines, the planes are full of flowers from Africa and South America (what is the carbon footprint of this holiday?) , the Ivory Coast Blood Chocolate is being shipped out in anticipation of Valentines day. Think carefully about what you buy and for a really good laugh, look at the anti-valentines created by Meg Pickard and David Pannet, two cynical and grumpy new media types in London. "There’s nothing less romantic and/or sexy than a bunch of wilted, overpriced flowers, slutty lingerie made in a sweatshop, chocolates melted down from left-over advent calendars and reformed into hearts and a card pre-printed with someone else’s generic sentiment which you’re supposed to sign away to your sweetheart." ::Be My AntiValentine...

South by Southwest (very cool interactive, film and music festival that takes place every year in Austin, Texas - they are 20 years old this year!) has announced the finalists for the prestigious SXSW Web Awards Finalists and TreeHugger made it in the "classic" category (all websites launched before January 1, 2006 could only enter in that category). The other nominees in that category are: Computerlove, Facebook, Leroy The Hand and SNOCAP. Check out the other categories and the 2007 SXSW website!...

Dr. Heidi Cullen is not your average weather lady. She is The Weather Channel’s resident expert entrusted with decoding complex environmental phenomena for broad audiences. She hosts The Climate Code, is a judge in TreeHugger's Convenient Truths video contest (brought to you by TreeHugger and Seventh Generation), and is a trusted voice on issues of climate change and its associated weather events. Dr. Heidi, as television has fondly dubbed her, earned her PhD from Columbia University and before joining Stu Ostro and the “severe weather alley” team at The Weather Channel, she was a scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) in Boulder, CO (extended bio here). In this week's interview, Simran Sethi and Dr. Cullen delve into the challenges of climate hype, what the Florida Everglades have to do with global warming, and how people think about risk. (listen) ::TreeHugger Radio [TreeHugger Radio is hosted, written, and produced by Simran Sethi and Jacob Gordon with support from Nick Aster and Sami Grover.] ...

Today is an important day (why did they have to do this on a Friday? Don't they know about news cycles?): The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, better known as the IPCC, just released the first part of a very important report on our planet's climate. But before going any further, we must highlight that the IPCC writes these reports collectively, by consensus and compromise (with 2500+ experts, 800 contributing authors and 450 lead authors from 130 countries, you can imagine how that's like...). They've historically been very cautious and conservative (which is good), something that those who try to portray them as alarmists need to be reminded of. So, what did the IPCC say today? A lot more after the jump....

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With only 26 days left to enter, get creative this weekend and enter our Convenient Truths contest! Don’t miss the chance to inspire your peers to take action against climate change and win our selection of sustainable prizes valued close to $30,000....

Al Gore and Sheila Watt-Cloutier are nominated to share the Nobel Peace Prize… From the rainforests of Australia to a produce aisle near you, Envirosax carry the groceries in style… Amy Stodghill at Green Options observes how venture capitalist are playing the lobbyist's role in the alternative energy game… Wal-Mart’s CEO unveils the company’s panoramic green business view: Sustainability 360… Secondary schools in England will have a chance to see An Inconvenient Truth, while the US still fights it tooth and nail… ...

Wallpaper* prides itself on scoping out the best the design world has to offer, and, for the third year in a row, they've picked the crème de la crème for their Design Awards 2007 issue. They don't concentrate on sustainability, so when something green makes the cut, we know it's great. Such is the case with "Minikitchen" (page 045) by Joe Colombo, for Boffi; originally designed in 1963, the kitchen combines storage, cooking and washing in a few square feet. It contains a refrigerator, drawers, cupboards, a chopping board and a pull-out worktop, all neatly and discreetly packaged and ready to make the most efficient use of space possible. The other standout example mixed in with Wallpaper*'s best artist, books, travel agent and watch is the "Mineral House" (pages 096-097) by architect Yasuhiro Yamashita. Presented with the challenge of building a stylish home on a plot better suited to something the size of a shed, and came up with a home that has four levels packed into a small, polygonal package in the center of Tokyo. "Land costs are really high, but most houses are built by developers who don't think much about the cityscape," he says, and wants to inject better aesthetics into a city known best for its functionality. And Mineral House isn't all; he's doing his bit to improve the world with Project 1000, a series of imaginative, well-designed houses reasonably priced at ¥10 million (about $85,000). Lots more great design to see inside the mag. ::Wallpaper*...

This coming Tuesday the people of Exeter in South West England will be treated to a new fresh food indoor market. Foodeaze, however, is not just a market, it is also a café, an educational centre and a food academy. Foodeaze is taking sustainable food shopping to a new level, addressing issues surrounding food production, food miles, and food selling with unparalled dedication. It will focus on sourcing regional and seasonal produce, providing fair prices to the farmers and educating both staff and customers about food provenance. ‘If a product can be grown, farmed and fished in the region of the store to the highest quality, and 92% of our products are, then it will be sourced for the store.’ The market will be an interactive space where you can do your grocery shopping, watch food being prepared in the kitchen, have a meal, whilst also learning about where you food has been grown, who has produced it and how many carbon miles it has taken to get it to the store. ...

Carbon emissions, and the climate change they cause have loomed large in the past week. Check out what our writers dug up about new global actions against the threat. Celine pointed out a row brewing over a proposed UE carbon emissions target. Jeff reminded all our readers that the Convenient Truths contest is swinging into its final month. Collin recommends this Sims-like climate change challenge game from the BBC Lloyd found this great guerilla campaign against global warming in Germany And this entry from the Union of Concerned Scientists about the deregulation of airborn lead pollution is both punchy on it's own, and when considered with respect to climate change. ...

We’re all well aware of the dangers of smoking cigarettes, and most of us are pretty aware of the issues surrounding cigarette butts that aren’t disposed of properly as well… But if you’ve lived on this planet for even just half an hour of late, I’m betting you’ve noticed them laying just about anywhere people tend to congregate outside… So what about starting a petition asking for legislation that requires cigarette makers to put a label on every package sold asking smokers to dispose of them responsibly? Well, high-school freshman Dave Steinmetz and his two college age sisters have started an online campaign they’ve titled “No Butts About It” intending to do just that. For them it all started about seven years ago on their family vacations on the beach in Florida where they signed up to adopt a section of beach and clean it themselves just four times a year…. Ultimately they came to realize that cigarette butts made up a huge percentage of the garbage they collected, a fact confirmed when they researched the results of the International Coastal Cleanup. And according to ButtsOut, there are about 4.3 trillion cigarette butts discarded globally every year, with up to 30% of them ending up as litter. Let’s face it, 30% of even a trillion cigarette butts is best defined as a whole lot of trash! So is the proper conclusion that cigarette smokers in general just don’t care about the environment? Well, actually not! In fact, what Dave and his sisters have figured out is that most smokers are environmentally aware enough to keep from littering other small papers like gum wrappers, but out of force of habit just keep on flicking those butts where they don’t belong… With each of those butts expected to last from 12 to 25 years in the wild, maybe these kids bright idea for a warning label can help make a difference? ...

Large reserves of heat reside as stored thermal energy deep within the Earth's crust. Mining this energy could meet a significant portion of the United States' future energy needs, at competitive prices and with minimal environmental impact, according to an MIT-led 18-member panel, which just released the first study in 30 years to explore the largely ignored concept of harnessing geothermal heat as an energy resource. You might want to cancel all your appointments for the day before settling in to read their findings—at 400 pages, it's a real doozy....

Over here in the Holy Land, Israelis are just gearing up to welcome in one of four different new years celebrated each year. Starting at sundown tonight, Jewish people around the world will say happy new year to the trees. Known as Tu B’Shvat, the holiday occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shvat, which is tonight. And as tradition goes, to celebrate this Jewish version of Arbor Day in style, the trees in Israel rent a DJ and disco ball and go to the desert to dance trance all night long. Well… truthfully…the trees do not celebrate at all. The onus is on the people. For some Jewish traditionalists, the day carries a promise of rejuvenation and redemption and activities include eating a new fruit of the season; for others who are less traditional, the Hebrew holiday is used as an occasion to discuss environmental crises, eat piles of dried fruit, plant trees and learn how teachings of the Torah can help protect the earth. Also, you can see kids all around the country this time of the year collecting money for planting new trees....

Like we mentioned yesterday, TreeHugger and Domino Magazine are having a party later this month to celebrate the release of their upcoming green issue on which we consulted, and we're putting together a mix of "green" music to play at the party. So, you're hanging out, checking out the green mag, enjoying a cocktail and having fun rubbing elbows with TH and Domino folks. What do you want to hear? Select as many as you want......

Sometimes a hobby can take on a life of its own. If you are lucky, that hobby turns into a viable business opportunity. Well, consider the creative force behind Junk Mail Gems lucky. What started as a creative outlet for junk mail frustration has now become a line of magnets, beads, wallets and handbags all made from unwanted catalogs, credit card offers and other mailbox invaders. Each piece is hand-made by Junk Mail Gems owner Gretchen in Minneapolis, Minnesota and guaranteed to be one-of-a-kind (styles and colors all depend on what junk mail comes in). Of course, buying items made from junk mail is only one way of making a statement against waste. Be sure to check out our tips on how to stop junk mail before it even hits your mailbox. ::Via gretchen on Hugg...

After weeks of hearing about New York’s warm winter--okay, the warmest winter in the U.S. ever--I was a bit dismayed to arrive in my hometown in the midst of a cold spell. What a doozy! Sure, I could take comfort in today's report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which announces that our latest spate of global warming, supposedly caused by us, will be a centuries-long trend. But, really now, what do a bunch of scientists know? They're all just a bunch of un-patriotic treehuggers who are good at speculative musings at best. Does El Nino not mean anything to you nerds! If, like me, you're looking for a more reliable (and frankly, more adorable) measure of "climate change", forget the White House: Bush ain't as cute as Punxsutawney Phil. The famous groundhog (along with Staten Island Chuck) just announced that they didn't see their shadows, which means that the winter this year will be over soon. As some trustworthy researchers at Penn State observed a few years ago, Phil's an ideal tool for measuring these climate aberrations. Yes, the great oscillation of the groundhog's predictions in the past decades shows something serious is going on. But thankfully, Phil can't be influenced by those damn liberals or some stupid climate report. As he knows, the weather's obviously got nothing to do with cars, or airplanes, or factories, or greenhouses (not sure what they could possibly have to do with it!). And anyway, if by some small chance we are somehow responsible for the weather, well, nobody wants to go to Bolivia to ski anyway, and the same winter, over and over again, can get quite boring....

Toronto artist/ ad exec Franke James asked Freakonomics author Steven Levitt about Global warming and he responded "why worry about it? Global warming is going to be good for Canada. Look how much more of the country will be populated if it's warmer!" She is dumfounded, and after a trip north to ski country for New Years she put together a collection of photographs and drawings with handwritten notes that tell the story of the shock of New Years without snow. Called A Green Winter: Will Global Warming Be Good For Canada? It has been very popular and is even going into a new university textbook. "It's different. It's powerful. It's contemporary," said Kim Blank, a professor of English literature and cultural studies at the University of Victoria to the Star. It is effective, an emotional reaction to the physical problem of a changing country. Read it at ::Franke James ...

In his recent state of the state address, Rhode Island Gov. Donald Carcieri announced that his state would be the latest to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). This news comes a mere two weeks after Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick (D) revealed a similar plan for the Commonwealth. The two states join: New York, Maine, Vermont, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Delaware, and New Jersey in the regional effort to address climate change. The RGGI agreement will cap carbon dioxide emissions from power plants from January 1, 2009 through the beginning of 2015. The states will subsequently be required to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions by 10 percent by 2019. Under the accord, each state is given discretion in the allocation of emissions allowances. However, RGGI mandates that 25 percent of each state’s allowances be reserved for a consumer benefit or strategic energy purpose. See also ::Wal-Mart, GE, and the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)...

Caring about the environment can be serious stuff. After all, it’s about saving lives of polar bears, homes of Pacific islanders and other heavy stuff. But being serious all the time can get a tad boring — for all concerned. Thankfully the team at Howies remember not to get too bogged down. They make organic this, and less toxic that. But they also skate’n’paddle’n’bike and the like. They poke fun at themselves (T’s £12 on sale). They live. They laugh. Go save the world. Just don’t forget to take your sense of the ridiculous along for the ride. See also their pertinent little treatise on ants which begins, “Ants are co-rulers of planet Earth. There are ten thousand trillion worldwide. Roughly. If you weighed all the humans on Earth today, we would weigh around the same as all the ants. They have been on Earth for 140 million years. They outlasted the dinosaurs. ..... But in terms of ecology, we have a lot to learn from the humble ant.” ::Howies....

Across the street from the most famous bagel store in Montreal, Fairmount Bagels, sits Planète monde. The organic bath and soap shop is a serene and peaceful oasis amidst the hubbub of the Mile End neighbourhood. The store was started when the two founders heard a programme on Radio-Canada about a war reporter in Afghanistan who had stayed on to help the people of the war-torn country. She founded the Arghand co-operative with people in Southern Afghanistan, and worked with them to create soaps and skin oils from the wild plants and pomegranates of Kandahar. The two owners are strong believers in ethical and fair trade and decided to seek out other interesting soaps and body products from the east and help community groups to develop. Planète monde sells body care items from all corners of the world: Afghanistan, India, Madagascar, Senegal, Marocco, Ghana, Syria, Silk Road, Dead Sea and Brasil. Many are made by co-operatives. The Savon d’Alep is Syrian, made of olive oil and bay tree oil and has a fragrant and exotic perfume. There are soaps made by the untouchable caste in India. From Madagascar are lovely oval-shaped soaps made of fruits and flowers, decorated with ginger and vanilla leaves. Nafytoo is sexy lingerie crocheted in Senegal. And you can eat your bagel whilst browsing. :: Planète monde...

In October, we took note of the Global Framework for Climate Risk Disclosure, a voluntary standard corporations can use to disclose their climate-related risks to their investors. On Wednesday, Ceres and Calvert released their report Climate Risk Disclosure by the S&P 500, which took a look at how companies in this index are doing in applying these standards. The short version of the verdict: not very well. Among the problems the report identified:...

Everyone else goes to IKEA for for furnishings; Australian artist Christian de Vietri goes for art. According to Cool Hunter, "De Vietri has taken the components of various IKEA products—the wooden structures of a bunk bed, curtain rails, parts of a rotating cupboard, knives, chopping board sets, chairs and tables—and created from them a tool of torture: a 3 x 3 metre "Infrafamily Conflict Resolution Unit." Imagine a whirligig plus prodding stick: a contemporary reinvention of the barbarous medieval pillory, into which offenders were locked by their hands and neck and forced to rotate aimlessly, incessantly." At last, something to do with all of the leftover pieces or remainders after it breaks. On show at Sydney's thirtyseven degrees. ::Christian de Vietri via ::Cool Hunting...

Once again life imitates Woody Allen's Sleeper, with a mirrored glass that that turns transparent at the flick of a switch. This is not the first switchable glass but they are usually awfully expensive. Most have been based on liquid crystals and did not do much to stop or reflect heat. It is a double-glazed unit with a thin coating of a magnesium-titanium alloy and a thinner layer of palladium. Somehow through the wonders of refraction, if you fill the gap between the glazing with hydrogen it is reflective, and with oxygen it is transparent. Scientists Kazuki Yoshimura and Shanhu Bao say “The thin film showed excellent switching characteristics. . . . The change between states is very impressive.” although we have trouble visualizing the switching mechanism. The scientists estimate that having buildings in mirror mode could save up to 30% on air conditioning, and we can design buildings like it's 1975 again. ::Phys Org ...

Because he manages Cooroy Mountain Spring Water in Queensland, an Australian state where they are running out of public fresh water. Premier Peter Beattie says said that falling water levels had left his state administration with no option but to introduce recycled water in south-eastern Queensland, starting from next year. "We're not getting rain; we've got no choice," he told ABC radio. "These are ugly decisions, but you either drink water or you die. There's no choice. It's liquid gold, it's a matter of life and death." There is nothing necessarily wrong with recycled water- it is filtered and treated and as clean as the so-called fresh water that has passed over agricultural land, with all the droppings of livestock and wildlife. It is standard practice in Singapore and the UK, but some people are nervous; hence a "business opportunity" .::BBC Somehow Mr. Aldous's company controls a natural spring at the base of Mount Cooroy, and last year sold 20 million litres. He expects to make a lot of money. Said the head of the "Australasian Bottled Water Institute" -"It's hard to say how many, but there will definitely be some people who will not welcome drinking recycled water and will look for bottled alternatives." ::Courier Mail What is wrong with this picture? (and thanks for the help, Warren!)...

Kathreen Ricketson, lives and works in Canberra, Australia, and is currently the designer for a leading Australian Art magazine and a mother to two small children. She runs a couple of websites: whipup.net - a handcraft portal and selfportraitchallenge.net, weekends are spent developing a low water usage garden and enjoying the bread that her husbands bakes in his mud oven. She is interested in design, art, family and how this all fits into living a sustainable life....

Natural Fashion do indeed have a range of fashion clothes for men, women and children, but it was their line of soft toys that seemed more photogenic. Like this cow, and what we assume to be an armadillo and a guanaco. The company’s aim is to provide socially and environmentally responsible products. The eco bit they manage by using organic cotton certified by Instituto Biodinamico (IBD) and recognised by IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movement) and the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture. Not only is it organic, but it’s grown naturally coloured (usually limited to a soft browns and greens as we’ve noted before), thus reducing need for dyes, bleaches and chemical additives, not to mention waste treatment water. According to the blurb from the Australian distributor, no cotton is wasted in the production process either. Offcuts are re-used in other products, with those cutting room floor discards not suitable for reuse stripped apart to be rewoven. The social responsibility aspect comes from the company being a Brazilian co-operative that “invests in local businesses, employs local people and supports small farmers.” Eco Essentials, one of their stockists sells the cow for $38 AUD. Dolls also available. ::Natural Fashion, via Buy Organic....

Sami Grover is a committed environmental activist, and Director of Sustainability at The Change, a company offering brand strategy and design for good-for-the-world businesses and non-profits. Originally from the UK, he has over a decade of experience in working voluntarily with environmental organizations, especially focussing on community-based environmental change. He has worked in academic publishing, specializing in issues related to sustainability, and he has also been published in Permaculture Magazine. He believes passionately that everyone has a role to play in creating a better, fairer, more sustainable world. He once vowed never to fly again, then he fell in love with someone on the other side of the Atlantic....

Jerome Ringo spent 20 years working in the petrochemical industry in the American South. Last year, he was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors for the National Wildlife Federation, becoming the first African-American to head up a major American environmental organization. He is the president of the Apollo Alliance, a group that works to bring together diverse stakeholders to engage environmental challenges. Jerome Ringo also blogs at The Huffington Post , and was featured on TreeHugger Radio No. Five. TH: You have named Martin Luther King Jr. as being a huge influence on your life. Who are your heroes within the environmental movement? JR: The late Damu Smith of Greenpeace is one. Damu passed away a few months ago and was one of the pioneers of community organizing and on educating people, particularly people of color, about how poor environmental practices impact directly on their lives. He gave his life to that cause and I look on him as one of my environmental heroes. Then, of course, there is Al Gore. Al Gore left the vice-presidency of the United States and has since dedicated himself to educating people about the impacts of climate change. He has shown a level of passion and commitment that we have not seen in any individual, on any issue, since the civil rights movement when Dr King worked so hard to achieve civil rights, both for this country and for the wider world. ...

Spain has long looked to the ocean for wealth and power- today that wealth and power is more literal. Ocean Power Technologies (OPT), one of the fastest growing in the new field of generating renewable energy from ocean waves, has announed it entered into an operation and maintenance contract (PDF) with the Cantabria region in northern Spain. The contract solidifies an already strong relationship, and allows for OPT to be paid for operating and maintaining the grid power buoy system for 10 years. It was announced that OPT will also sell the associated power plant that handles and distributes the energy generated. A new company was formed to purchase this power plant, the shares of the new company are distributed between Total S.A., OPT, the industrial development agency of the Spanish region of Cantabria, and the energy agency of the government of Spain. This transition illustrates a model for how Ocean Power Technology can build, sell and achieve a renewable energy system directly connected to the grid that helps not only the environment, but the local economy. ::Ocean Power Technology ...

Film 1: UK homes are responsible for 50% of carbon emissions Via Hugg and its number 1 poster, Linton the mean green machine. You can see the 5 other videos after the jump. We hope this will inspire you to enter the Convenient Truths Conest (check out those prizes!)....

EvanEco: The Survival Imperative: Using Space to Protect Earth by Darrick Dean A lot of people wonder why we spend money on space exploration. William E. Burrows writes a powerful answer in The Survival Imperative: Using Space to Protect Earth. He writes the space program hasn’t had a coherent goal since Apollo and that space efforts should be redirected for the “protection of earth from the dangers that threaten it.” Green Fertility: Do-It-Yourself Citrus Toner by Marie Myung-Ok Lee I was so excited to find a Buddha's Hand fruit in our local, but very cool supermarket…This fruit is considered to be yummily medicinal, and it's basically all rind, like the Korean citron, yu-ja, that makes a great tea. I can't decide whether I should make tea with it, more maybe throw it into a citrus toner....

[This is a guest post by Tex Dworkin of the Global Exchange Fair Trade Online Store -Ed.] This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Hershey's kiss, and yet a celebration is hardly in order. Why? Because with each bite, we are reminded that most chocolate sold in the U.S. comes from cocoa farms where farmers work in unsafe conditions, receive below poverty wages, many of them children under 14 years old who are forced to work and denied education. With another Valentine's Day approaching, happy couples will wine and dine, showering each other with flowers, jewelry, and chocolate. Unfortunately, knowing where most chocolate comes from makes it hard to swallow! It's 2007, and people are finally starting to question where the products they buy are made and whether the workers who made them were treated fairly. Sweatshop-free apparel is becoming hip, and Fair Trade coffee is at least a blip on the map. Yet chocolate is still being made with cocoa beans harvested by children in Africa working in unsafe conditions, while the average consumer has no idea this is going on....

TreeHugger recently consulted with Domino Magazine on an upcoming green issue, and to celebrate, we'll be having a launch party later this month (more details will follow). At the party, we'd like to have a mix of green-oriented music: bands supporting alternative fuels and energy, taking a stand against global warming, lending their name and their time to help green the planet, etc. We've got a pretty good list started, but would love any further ideas from you, our readers. Here's who we have so far (links are to TH coverage of the artist or to the artist's site, where designated):...

Continuing on with my last column's topic of designing a home that is compact, and therefore space-efficient, this week I will discuss sailboat design as an analogy to house design. Form and function merge in sailboats made for cruising. The craft must be able to cut through the water easily while being driven by the wind. With proper sail and hull design, the sailboat can travel for thousands of miles without fossil fuels by using a natural power source—the wind. The craft is durable, controllable, and comfortable to live aboard. ...

The Gold Blend couple sharing coffee. The other day I came across Erento on PSFK. It’s official, renting or sharing stuff is socially acceptable AND, potentially, socially or romantically rewarding. (Renting things like TVs has been seen as the poor sister to owning your own for so long). Remember that once upon a time dating services were socially un-cool (well, they were in the UK) and now they are simply another mechanism to close a social gap and breed lurve. Well, you can kind of draw parallels with the renting/sharing movement. And add a bit of romance into the mix. Erento is a German site with limited translation to English and I don’t speak German, but I can tell there are a lot of things on the site (from tools to cars to vacation homes to horse drawn carriages) up for rent. The site pairs renters with potential borrowers. That means, of course, we don’t have to own everything. And in particular it means we don’t have to own things that a) we will only ever use a few times in the whole lifetime of the product like the classic power drill example, or b) we don’t have to buy things before we are ready to and rush into making wrong decisions or cheap/fast decisions that we’ll then depose of....

If you’re interested in life cycle management (LCM) themes then have we got a conference for you! The 3rd LCM 2007 is set to take place August 27-29, 2007 in Zurich: "LCM is an important framework with a powerful toolbox for the promotion of more sustainable goods, services, and processes. It is essential for implementing sustainable development and life cycle approaches. LCM, sometimes also termed Product Stewardship, is an approach to integrate sustainability into day-to-day as well as strategic decision-making." This gathering of life cycle management academics, professionals, students, and green geeks in general has a long list of interesting topics on the preliminary list of sessions including: • design for environment • LCM in emerging countries • eco-efficiency • social responsibility • environmental communication • sustainable consumption • energy efficiency/generation • sustainable settlements • industrial ecology • LCM and Environmental Management Systems (EMS) • LCM and NGOs • promoting Life Cycle Thinking Worldwide (UNEP/SETAC)...

I personally think that Valentine's Day is a scam—I believe I once called it "one huge fallacy propagated by a dark cabal of media and business moguls who worship some winged, arrow-stringing demon-child." If you do happen to buy into the Schmoopiest of Days, however, you could do worse than pick up some fair-trade sweets for your sweetie, such as Global Exchange's Fair Trade Valentine's Day Activist Kit. Because, we don't know about you, but we'd prefer not to romance our sweethearts on the backs of child slaves—some as young as 9. That's not amore....

We are so sorry that we missed Aquamantra when we did our Strange Waters survey of really silly ways to convince people that their bottled water is worth paying money for. Like H2Om, It follows Dr. Masaru Emoto's explanation of how, using the basic principles of quantum theory, the "molecular structure of water was changed by a Zen Buddhist monk’s thought. Based on this premise, Aquamantra uses the design on its labels to affect the molecular structure of California natural spring water to make it more refreshing and wholesome to drink." In time for Valentine's day, they have introduced a new mantra, "I am Loved" to go along with their usual offerings of "I am healthy" and I am lucky". Aquamantra "started the company to educate anyone who’s not defined as a Cultural Creative, that thru theories of quantum education we have learned how powerful the old adage mind over matter really is." Well, we have shown water for dogs, we might as well have a quantum version for Schrödinger's cat. ::Aquamantra, available at Whole Foods, who should know better. ...

The Global 100 list of the most sustainable corporations in the world has been updated for 2007. As with last year, the list was compiled by Innovest Strategic Value Advisors and Corporate Knights, and includes companies from 16 countries in sectors ranging from oil and gas to wireless telecommunication services that were "evaluated according to how effectively they manage environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities, relative to their industry peers." Though somewhat similar to last year's incarnation, this year's list features about 1/3 new corporations, with the United Kingdom leading the way with 24, with the United States (19) and Japan (13) following. While it's no real surprise to see companies like Toyota, Marks & Spencer, Google and Goldman Sachs on the list, environmentally-divisive corporations like Coca Cola, Nike and General Electric also make an appearance, and we think that's okay. To be clear, TreeHugger certainly doesn't condone everything that they've done in the past or do today, and those that have a poor reputation have earned it, but we're working to highlight the good things that these companies do to encourage them to continue down a greener path. We think it's great that a select few -- just 100 corporations out of the millions in operation around the planet -- are recognized as being better than the competition, which is a word that everyone in business understands, regardless of sustainability goals; if you were the CEO of a major corporation, you'd want to be recognized as better than the next guy, too...right? So even though none of these corporations are perfect, they still deserve a firm handshake and pat on the back for making the list; as corporate responsibility becomes more and more important to consumer behavior and bottom lines alike, we hope more catch on and follow the lead of those who've made strides toward being truly sustainable corporations. ::Global 100 and ::Global 100 - The 2007 List...

Words are easy, actions are harder. First the words: “Everything we do in our daily life either impacts the environment in a positive way or a negative way. It is as simple as that. At Escape Adventures, we understand this and take it very seriously. Escape Adventures is value-based and mission-driven. We work hard to be socially and environmentally responsible.” Quantifying this they state “Beginning this year [2007], every one of our mountain biking, hiking, road cycling, and multi-sport trips will be completely carbon neutral.” And the actions? Does the walk match the talk — judge for yourself. Escape Adventures believe they are the first (and only) US travel outfitter to run their fleet of five support vehicles on either waste vegetable oil (WVO) or biodiesel. Petrol vehicles are carbon offset, via green tags, as are employee reconnaissance trips. At one of their locations they pay staff extra not to drive to work. Greentags also cover the 10% of trip waste that isn’t otherwise recycled. Their operations centre, bike shop and bike tour warehouse are solar powered. “This means that every e-mail, light, power tool usage, hot shower, and just about any other energy use, comes from the sun.” Their carbon neutral stance extends to food prepared for clients. Escape Adventures is into “purchasing wild or free-range meat and fish, buying certified organic produce, grains and dairy, and scouring product labels for snacks and sundries that are free of partially hydrogenated oils and unnecessary ingredients.” They even provide a link so customers can arrange for carbon offsetting their own pre and post trip travel. Plus they are working to help establish a national recycling program for used rubber from bike shops. All sounds rather action-oriented, as befits an outdoor pursuits company. ::Escape Adventures. ...

Royal Dutch Shell Oil has announced record profits for 2006--earnings are up 17%--to $25bn. In response, Friends of the Earth has sponsored a full page ad in the Guardian and a dutch newspaper calling on Shell to “Use your profits to clean up your mess”. It is signed by 7,000 people, as well as various environmental and community groups in Brazil, Netherlands, USA, Barbados,and the Philippines. It says that "people from around the world tell Shell to stop destroying the environment and people's lives." It identifies 9 hot spots across the world. In the Niger Delta gas flaring and leakages, refineries in vulnerable areas in Ireland and burst pipelines in Barbados are identified. Also noted are chemical wastes from a dismantled refinery in Curacao, a dangerous oil depot in the Philippines, endangered whales and salmon in Russia, threatened marine life in the USA and leaking pipelines in South Africa. In tandem with the ad, the Shell Accountability Coalition has issued a new report on Shell's accountability to its corporate social responsibilities. It highlights the nine problematic sites noted in the ad, and makes concrete proposals on how Shell can spend some money to improve and repair the social and environmental conditions in these places. :: Friends of the Earth Via :: The Guardian...

With all of the hype for bamboo as the greenest floor, it rarely has a chain of custody telling how it was grown or harvested, it is glued together at high temperature using fossil fuels and often formaldehyde glues and is shipped all the way from Asia. Compare that to this hardwood flooring from Satin Finish: -FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) woods; -formaldehyde free low VOC (volatile organic compounds) finish that is non-allergenic and anti-microbial; -100% biodegradable or recyclable; -sawdust and offcuts are used for heat for the kilns or turned into BioOil and used to power the mill, with the excess power (enough for 2500 homes) exported to the grid; -an engineered floor system that uses 30% less lumber than solid floors; We usually run from products that use cute kids with flowers or plants in their advertising; it is almost a universal symbol of greenwashing. In this case, the product has the goods to be called green. ::Satin Finish available in Canada and some US states. ...

The announcement of the first GreenDrinks Buenos Aires generated quite a buzz over the city! Who would’ve thought TreeHugger's Graham Hill, Olga Sasplugas and local correspondent Paula Alvarado would land in one of the most popular radio shows in town (at Metro radio station) and in a national newspaper La Nacion! The event also got at the home in the government's website, linking to this post, and in one of the most visited events' sites, VuenosAirez.com. Anyway, the best of all is our first gathering in Argentina’s capital might attract quite a crowd, or at least that's what we're hoping. If you’re in Buenos Aires, the reunion is this Friday, February 2nd from 8 to 10.30 PM at Bar6, located in Armenia 1676 (cross street is El Salvador), Palermo. The bar’s number is 4833-6807. Step by! ::Original Post ::GreenDrinks ::Bar6 ::Metro Radio website ::La Nacion newspaper Picture: Olga being interviewed by El Parquimetro, one of the hottest radio-shows in Buenos Aires....

Religious organizations have asked that question; now, a group of legislators is pondering it. California lawmakers are considering following the advice of the UK's Dr. Matt Prescott, and banning traditional incandescent light bulbs by 2012. Assemblyman Lloyd Levine introduced his bill, aptly titled the "How Many Legislators Does it Take to Change a Lightbulb Act," by noting that we still rely on a 19th-century technology for many of our lighting needs:

"Incandescent lightbulbs were first developed almost 125 years ago, and since that time they have undergone no major modifications," ...Levine said Tuesday. "Meanwhile, they remain incredibly inefficient, converting only about 5 percent of the energy they receive into light." Levine is expected to introduce the legislation this week, his office said.

If the law passes, California would be the first US state to take the step of banning the bulb. It likely wouldn't be the last: brisk sales of CFLs, rapid maturation of LED technology, and the relative ease of switching to one of these alternatives may make dispensing with Thomas Edison's most famous invention an easy choice for lawmakers. ::ENN...

Speak to anyone involved in modern prefab, and one thing that will come up is that you have to work within the framework of existing laws, regulations and approvals. There are building codes, Underwriters Laboratory approvals, and local inspections that have to be dealt with at every stage. Thus when Preston of Jetson Green turned us on to a new modern prefab from New Orleans based Jeriko House, we were interested . It starts off with a good story: "Soaring construction costs have not brought the home buyer increased efficiency – only increased environmental recklessness and decreased choices. Most modern houses sacrifice quality for speed and individuality for convenience. At Jeriko House, we are proud to stand up against this trend. We think differently. We want to fulfill the demand for thoughtful design in prefab housing. We believe there is a better way. A better way to build. A better way to live. For everyone." Then they get into details....

Tip of the hat to reader Paul Lee for keeping us up to speed on a post we put up in June of last year. Watching "Modern Marvels" on the History Channel, recently, Paul saw an episode featuring a Greenfuels and Arizona Public Services project where algae were cultivated using stack gases from a 1000 megawatt natural gas-fired plant as nutrient input. Based on the pilot test, it's estimated that two hundred acres would be needed to grow enough algae to completely negate the carbon output of the plant (up to 150 tons of CO2/acre). Via the Energy Blog: "Once enough algae is grown, it is harvested, and its starches are turned into ethanol; its lipids into biodiesel; and its protein into high-grade food for livestock or returned to the algae farm as nutrients". The next step, apparently, is to produce a full-scale design....

The US Environmental Protection Agency maintains a list of the "Top 25 Partners in the Green Power Partnership whose annual green power purchase is the largest nationwide". A financial services company known by its centuries-old stage coach logo, Wells Fargo is still getting the green in on time, with Whole Foods right behind. EPA says about all organizations on the top 25:- "Their actions are helping drive the development of new renewable energy sources for electricity generation. Combined, these purchases amount to almost 4.4 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) annually, which is approximately 60 percent of the green power commitments made by all Partners. These Top 25 Partners provide an example to their peers, customers, and community". The full Top-25 list is show below, in rank order: === UPDATE === See earlier TreeHugger post on Wells Fargo Bank here: serving as a reminder that improvement comes one step at a time....

In a rule that is expected to go into effect today, the California Public Utilities Commission has decided to ban power companies from buying electricity from high-polluting sources. More specifically, the new standard would prohibit utilities and other energy providers from entering into long-term contracts with generating facilities that emit more carbon dioxide than a modern natural gas plant. Although there is little coal-fired generation within California, approximately 20% of the state’s electricity is derived from coal plants in neighboring states. Subsequently, this rule could have a significant impact on the energy market in the Western United States. The Public Utilities Commission, which voted 4-0 in favor of the new regulation, hopes that this will encourage investment in renewable energy. See also ::UCS: California Enacts Nation’s Toughest Global Warming Bill and ::California Setting Another Important Precedent for Renewable Energy...

Globe and Mail Sarah McGauhey and Kyle Glover have a project for 2007: generate absolutely zero waste, no garbage, nothing. According to the Globe and Mail, the project has changed how they shop, eat and work. “Adjusting is hard,” Ms. McGaughey says. “You can’t get hungry in the middle of the night and go to the convenience store.” They are trying it all, down to making their own toothpaste.Read more at Say no to Trash; we will follow their progress. It is not easy; according to Katrina Miller, co-executive director of the Toronto Environmental Alliance, says that even if the couple never reaches their zero-trash goal, simply aiming for it is a wonderful idea. “Everyone knows people who are trying to get into the habit of coming home after every shopping trip with less packaging,” says Ms. Miller, who has worked on waste policy for the advocacy organization for the past seven years. “They usually come home frustrated. In the reality of everyday life, the options are few."

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What’s the Big Deal?

Almost four decades ago, a US paper company wanted a symbol to communicate its products’ recycled content to customers. The design competition they held was won by Gary Anderson, a young graphic designer from the University of Southern California. His entry, based on the Mobius strip (a shape with only one side and no end) is now universally recognized as the symbol for recycling. To many people, recycling conjures up the blue plastic bins and bottle drives. But recycling is a design principal, a law of nature, a source of creativity, and a source of prosperity. For anyone looking to make recycling a more integral part of their lives, this guide is an overview of the basic legwork as well as some of the finer and more advanced concepts that have emerged in recent years.

"Recycling a ton of “waste” has twice the economic impact of burying it in the ground. In addition, recycling one additional ton of waste will pay $101 more in salaries and wages, produce $275 more in goods and services, and generate $135 more in sales than disposing of it in a landfill."

From Recycling: Good for the Economy, Good for the Environment

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Arianna Huffington is a nationally syndicated columnist, the author of ten books, and the co-founder and editor of The Huffington Post. Simran Sethi had a chance to ask her about environmental action, the political battlefield, and the art of fearless living. TreeHugger: In your book Fanatics and Fools, and in your campaign for governor of California, you first stressed the need for energy independence. Do you think we are any closer to achieving that goal now than when you penned those words? Arianna Huffington: Unfortunately not. The reality is that our dependence on foreign oil has increased. Despite a lot of lofty rhetoric from the White House, and despite lots of private commitment to responsible energy use, we are more dependent on foreign oil than we were before and no serious steps are being taken to reduce that dependence. One of the easiest things to do would be to improve CAFE standards so that we wouldn’t have the major problems we have now with SUVs being able to bypass the mileage regulations that apply to other cars. (image credit: TIME)...

image from The Conscious Earth He has worked so hard to paint himself and the Conservative party green, but Prime Minister Stephen Harper is having a bad week. First a letter that he wrote in 2002 sent to members of his party popped up: "We're gearing up for the biggest struggle our party has faced since you entrusted me with the (Alliance) leadership. I'm talking about the `battle of Kyoto' – our campaign to block the job-killing, economy-destroying Kyoto accord."... "(The accord is) based on tentative and contradictory scientific evidence about climate trends.".... "It focuses on carbon dioxide, which is essential to life, rather than upon pollutants." (Hey, we've heard that before!) and our fave, " "Kyoto is essentially a socialist scheme to suck money out of wealth-producing nations." ::the Star Now this was written almost five years ago when he was not a conservative but leader of an Alberta-based very right-wing Alliance Party, and he may have had a Damascus Road Experience since, so we might give him a little slack, but..... ...

The European Commission and German car makers are at odds about a proposed carbon dioxide emissions target. The Commission wants carmakers to cut their vehicles’ CO2 emission to an average of 120 grams per kilometer by 2012. Carmakers say they support the idea, but site already having trouble achieving the voluntary target of 140 g/km. According to the carmaker’s analysis, imposing the 120 g/km target is likely to make European industry unviable “[resulting] directly in the outflow of numerous jobs at car producers as well as in the suppler industry.” In a letter that was sent to the Commission earlier this week, chief executives for Volkswagen, DaimlerChrysler and BMW described the EU’s proposed carbon dioxide emissions target as “a massive industrial policy intervention that will burden the entire European automobile industry, [and] the German [industry] in particular.” Heads of the European units of General Motors and Ford also signed the letter. A Commission spokesperson, Johannes Laitenberger, rejected the carmaker claims saying that the best way to preserve jobs was to embrace and anticipate change rather than resist it. “We have made clear there is a need for legislation to meet the target set by the Commission and the car industry of 120 g/km by 2010,” Laitenberger told Reuters. Should European carmakers need proof that this is actually the case a quick look at the dismal financial performance of the US automakers should set them on track. Whether or not European carmakers will buckle down and get with the program remains to be seen. :: Financial Times ...

Despite some of our best efforts to be good TreeHuggers, computers are still a way of life for many of us (heck, we couldn't write and you couldn't read TH every day without 'em), and with computers comes a bevy of potential eco-no-no's: toxicity, questionable recycling and energy use are just a few. Today we'll tackle a few ways to cut back on the energy it takes to fire up and use your computer. 1) The average desktop plugs along at about 120 Watts; here are some simple rules for minimizing that while you're computing. 2) Local Cooling reads your device manager to find out what is in your computer and calculates the wattage you are consuming before tweaking the settings of your power options to help minimize energy use. 3) EarthWatts Power Supply will help increase the efficiency of your power supply and also keeps the device cooler, so the fan is much quieter. 4) When it comes to getting a new computer, Green Machine Shop claims that their machines exceed EPEAT and ROHS requirements, come with a take-back program, including the replacement computer, and feature power consumption up to 10% below the industry average. 5) Off the shelf, the EcoSystem PC uses only 75 Watts, and NEC's PowerMate Eco's processor runs cool, so it requires no fan; has low power consumption; and has no bulky boxes housing its components. Plus, their proprietary plastic is fully recyclable and uses nontoxic flame retardant....

Electric vehicle maker and importer Zap (stands for zero air pollution) announced in mid January that it had partnered with the consultancy Lotus Engineering to explore the feasibility of new concepts for electric cars. Yesterday, Zap announced that it will pursue a long-range, high-performance electric car based on Lotus’ lightweight APX concept design (pictured above). Zap will display the concept, which it is calling the Zap-X, at the upcoming North American Dealers Association (NADA) annual meeting in Las Vegas. Zap plans to use Lotus Engineering’s APX (Aluminum Performance Crossover) concept design as a platform for a revolutionary breed of electric car. Zap claims this project will lay the basis for a “production-ready electric all-wheel drive crossover high performance vehicle for ZAP in the USA market.” The battery system for the vehicle (details have yet to be disclosed) boasts a 350 mile range between charges and a 10 minute recharge time. Four in-wheel motors will give the Zap-X a total of 644 horsepower and a top speed of 155 mph....

Tomorrow is February 1st -- the last month of the entry period for Treehugger and Seventh Generation's Convenient Truths video contest. You've got 28 days... or four weeks, if you prefer... to make a video on your efforts to combat the climate crisis. No need for elaborate production plans, or storyboards, or scripts -- just get out your video camera (even the one on your mobile phone) and show us what you're doing to lower your carbon footprint. Keep in mind that the winners of the great prizes we're offering won't necessarily be the most polished videos, but the ones that provide the best content in the eyes of the contest's judges. And, finally, remember that to qualify for the EPIC International Prize, your video must focus on sustainable consumption (that means you, shopaholics!)...

A California Assemblyman will introduce legislation to outlaw incandescent light bulbs in the state… Taiwan is stepping into the solar arena, adding millions of dollars and many megawatts to the country’s grid… As some get amped up over the promise of electric cars powered by lithium-ion batteries, others are asking if there’s enough lithium to go around… The city of lights may now become the city of bikes as the Parisian city hall rolls out a plans for a free public bike program… With its eye on a 40% boost in hybrid sales for 2007, Toyota offers 0% financing on the Prius…...

Bazuki Muhammad/Reuters: Oil palms are delivered for pressing in Malaysia. Elisabeth Rosenthal in The New York Times says that palm oil "may be an eco-nightmare." We have previously complained about it causing rainforest deforestation, habitat destruction for orangutans, and bird habitats. We did not know that the Indonesians were draining and burning peatlands, which produced huge amounts of CO2, making Indonesia the third biggest CO2 producer in the world. Dutch conservationists who supported biofuels were surprised. “It was shocking and totally smashed all the good reasons we initially went into palm oil,” said Alex Kaat, a spokesman for Wetlands, a conservation group. Experts point out that biofuels all differ and you have to know its provenance. “If you make biofuels properly, you will reduce greenhouse emissions,” said Peder Jensen, of the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen. “But that depends very much on the types of plants and how they’re grown and processed. You can end up with a 90 percent reduction compared to fossil fuels — or a 20 percent increase.”...

French environmental group L'Alliance pour la Planète is urging people all over the world to turn out their lights and other electrical gadgets for five minutes at 19:55 (GMT+1hr -- that's 13:55, or 1:55 PM Eastern time) tomorrow, February 1, to give the planet and electrical grids a break and raise awareness about global warming. The "blackout" has been timed to fall on the eve of the release of the fourth Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report on climate change, which will happen in Paris on Friday, February 2. While the event will have a much more dramatic effect in Europe (since it'll still be daylight here in the States), it's still worth lending the IPCC (and the planet) a show of solidarity and unplugging for a few minutes; we encourage TreeHuggers around the globe to mark your calendars and unplug for five minutes tomorrow. It isn't quite as wacky as World Jump Day, and, at least this time, we know for sure what'll happen when we synchronize to ease up on carbon emissions. ::L'Alliance pour la Planète via ::Hippyshopper...

The BBC has produced a Flash-based "Climate Challenge" that puts you at the helm of Europe as "President." Your goal is to curb carbon emissions and pull in the reigns on global warming without running the economy in to the ground or upsetting constituents to the point that you're booted from office, and it does a pretty fair job of highlighting the complexities of maintaining the balance without being impossibly difficult. As much as anything, it's a game of political juggling, leveraging the economy through green technology while working to keep emissions down and morale up; you can choose to promote wind power, ramp up building regulations for greater efficiency and invest in fuel cells. Subsidize carbon-cleaning technology in other countries, and they might sign on to help reduce their emissions; leave them out, and you might be lonely when you need their support. It's not all renewable energy and carbon reduction, though; impose a fuel tax and expect to take a hit at the polls, and if you neglect to plan to keep food and water production going, it costs in money, popularity and carbon emissions. It's fairly easy to end the game (at the end of the 21st century) with high ratings on one of the three considerations, but it takes more doing to get positive marks on two; this TreeHugger hasn't been able to properly balance all three just yet. If you have a few minutes to kill and want to see if you've got what it takes to lead Europe into a carbon-free future, click on over and start pulling the strings. ::BBC's "Climate Challenge" via ::Open the Future...

No, they are not trading in the famous red outfit for shorts and a tank top. However, according to a report just released through the Access to Information Act, they have been studying the implications of climate change for Canada's west coast. The report says: global warming is "likely to lead to more natural disasters [and] severe weather, as well as increased spread of disease and water-borne pathogens." but also that "Canada's north could become warmer and more hospitable to marine traffic, posing new security challenges" and that "climate refugees [are] a potential issue". Ecologist William Rees worries about sea levels. "Let's assume, for the sake of argument, that we are talking about a one-metre sea level rise. Then you're talking about certainly tens -- possibly hundreds -- of millions of climate refugees globally," he said. "Most of the world's major seaports would be endangered. Much of Bangladesh would be inundated." Rees said current illegal migration along the U.S.-Mexico border will be "like a picnic compared to what might be ahead."...

Bainbridge Graduate Institute (BGI) may be the place to go if you want a MBA with an emphasis in sustainable business leadership. (Our own Brittany, who worked on the Slate Challenge, is a student there.) Gifford Pinchot, BGI President, co-founded the school after he “realized that the nation's graduate business schools were churning out one-dimensional MBA graduates with solid short-term profit-maximization skills, but lacking a deep understanding of how to integrate social and environmental issues into business decisions.” This week BGI announced it was launching what it termed an ‘Outdoor Industry Concentration’ to its MBA in Sustainable Business program. Seems the school has partnered with executives from some of more respected green names in the outdoors business sector, so students might gain insights into the making of individual companies and the industry more sustainable. Jill Bamburg, dean of the program, who recently gave a keynote presentation at the Outdoor Retailer Winter Show, is quoted as saying the concentration “will offer hands-on projects and research, internships and placement opportunities, workshops, mentoring and advising with Council members and others. "It's critical that our students see business from the practical side as well as the academic side.” Participating companies include many who have previously been noted here at TreeHugger, such as Clif Bar, Nau, Nike, Patagonia, REI and Timberland. (We yet haven’t covered Escape Adventures, Murie Center or The North Face [TNF], but will rectify this soon.) The President of TNF, who have the least green profile of any of the businesses involved, said “It will bring multiple industry stakeholders-even competitors-together to dialogue and learn. Our love for the outdoors makes it only natural that our business models incorporate a vision and strategies that drive a strong understanding and commitment to environmental and social responsibility. ::Bainbridge Graduate Institute, via Tipster, Staci S....

Here’s a little curio we'd not spied before: a business providing certified organic pizza bases to pizzerias. Seems the owner, Danny Mourani came home all inspired from the Organic World Congress, a couple of years back. To the point where he conjured up a new pizza base made from organic wheat flour, organic whole and peeled tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil and some herbs. The result being a health conscious base that cooks in about 5 minutes. A Gluten-free base is also available. Although located in NSW, the business appears to be looking to spread nationally throughout Australia. If they ever go international no doubt they’ll supply Galactic Pizza. And we’d suggest a Mountain Goat Organic Pale Ale to wash it all down, of course! ::The Organic Pizza Company. ...

Rien à Cacher (nothing to hide) is a Montréal boutique that calls itself “chic & éthique”. It is the first ethical clothing boutique in town, located on the hip and upmarket Rue St. Denis. Recently opened, it was started by a Quebecker who was inspired by Naomi Klein, 10,000 villages and reading Treehugger. He wanted to sell clothing that looks good and makes you feel good about what you are buying. His goal was to be more socially responsible in a difficult industry. And many of the labels are from Quebec, so they are created locally and have that special French sense of style about them. Oom Ethikwear, founded by two young Quebec designers, gives buyers “the possibility to dress with a conscience and express their social values through a unique style of clothing.” Two percent of profits is donated to social causes. The organic cotton tee-shirts mix fashion and the politics of social justice with flair. One white tee shirt has a map of the world on it, and comes with a white flag that can be pinned on to any country where you want peace. Another has a red cross over a map of the world, with the message “Love Me”. Another says “Kyoto United”, and another “Mére Nature”. ...

"Form is a mystery that defies description but brings people pleasure"-Alvar Aalto. Artek was set up in 1935 to market Aalto's furniture, lamps and textiles, and continues to this day, blending "functionalism with form and sculptural simplicity with the emotional warmth of wood." Artek revolutionized modern furniture design with Aalto's moulded plywood designs- "Modern techniques combined with traditional craftsmanship ensure the quality of each piece of furniture. Tables and chairs supplied in the 1930s are still in use proving the furniture's longevity and graceful aging process." Now they are launching Bambu, " a dialogue with ethical and aesthetical values of Artek ideology. Alvar Aalto legacy meets the contemporary humane approach in the discussion of sustainability, culture and technology." Designed by Artek Studio/Henrik Tjaerby, the line consists of a chair, dining table and coffee table made of laminated bamboo. ::Artek via :;Dezeen ...

Then check out what students on over 575 college campuses in over 49 states and 8 Canadian provinces are doing to help stop global warming… In what’s being billed as the largest mobilization in the history of the youth global warming movement, they’re taking part in a week of action all this week called Rising to the Climate Challenge: Visions of Our Future, a part of the Campus Climate Challenge which unites students to win 100% clean energy policies at their schools. The weeks’ actions intended targets are campus admins who control the politics and purse strings that ultimately give them the power to clean up their schools energy policies and make a difference in the fight against global warming at the campus level. And not only is the focus on pressuring admins to do the right thing for our future, but its also helping to educate tens of thousands of students at the same time through public viewings on campus of An Inconvenient Truth; kids who might otherwise have never taken the time to view the Oscar-nominated film. Who knows, maybe some of them will be inspired to proffer a short clip of their own to TreeHuggers’ “Convenient Truths” contest about how else they can make a difference in saving the planet?...

Read Scott's diaries. Then read Amundsen's "The South Pole," Cherry Garrard's "the Worst Journey in the World", the brilliant "Mawson's Will" and Roland Huntford's "Scott and Amundsen". You will learn that if there is one thing that there is a lot of in Antarctica besides cold, it is wind. It dominates the stories and changed the course of history. Now it is being harnessed; eight Scottish 6-kilowatt turbines are being installed at Belgium's Princess Elisabeth Antarctic research station. They will have flywheels to buffer variations, and work together with photovoltaics and thermal solar panels on the building. Like Scott and Amundsen, they will have to survive -60 degree Celsius temperatures and winds that, quoting Cherry Garrard: "roared and howled into the ventilator let into the roof; in the more furious gusts the whole hut shook, and the pebbles picked up by the hurricane scattered themselves noisly agaist the woodwork of the southern wall. One ghastly blizzard blew for six weeks." Those turbines and flywheels will be spinning. ::Renewable Energy Access and read John's post on another wind and hydrogen powered Antarctic station named after Mawson, perhaps the most incredible Arctic explorer of them all. ...

In Germany, the local branch of Friends of the Earth called BUND, is running around with an interesting guerrilla anti-global warming campaign- they are taping balloons on tailpipes of cars so that as people drive away the balloons inflate with the message "The world can't take any more CO2." and then pop. We doubt it would work in America, where messing with cars gets you declared an eco-terrorist and sent away for many years, and all of those shredded balloons are a bit of a waste problem. We wondered if the balloon wouldn't just melt but a commenter to the original posting said "as a practical joker of some note during my younger days, I can tell you exactly what happens. First of all, you have to tape the balloon to the exhaust pipe, or it'll blow right off. If you do tape it on, the ballon does indeed expand and pop. And the car stalls. Good for a lot of laughs when you're 12. Not so much when you're 30 and trying to make a point." Our sentiments exactly. ::Ernie Shenck via ::Adfreak thanks, Piers at PSFK!...

Justin Timberlake at the Ice Lounge In addition to making Project Greenhouse happen, Lexus partnered with The North Face to create the Ice Lounge. Am a bit tardy reporting on my Ice Lounge excursion. Though I had to scoot in and out to get to an interview, the winter wonderland vibe impressed me more than my Grist counterpart. The Lexus Hybrid SUV picked me up just on time and we disappeared up circuitous roadways to the ultra-secure frozen structure. Inside, Dennis Hopper chilled on some Q Collection while Rick Fox and other famous athletes I can't name mingled. I got to chat with folks from The Conservation Fund and Ski Green who were there to let the entertainment community know about their efforts. Through on-site fund raisers, the Ice Lounge peeps tell me they raised enough for The Conservation Fund to offset more than 10,500 tons of CO2. From the sounds of it, The North Face will soon impress it with its eco-innovation! We're eager to see what sorts of sustainability plans they roll out. Additional guests included celebs like Justin Timberlake, Sienna Miller, Josh Hartnett, Heather Graham, Tom Arnold, Danny Masterson, Joe Pantoliano, Justin Theroux, Katherine Heigl, and Timothy Hutton. ::The Conservation Fund, Ski Green...

Though it draws from a rich cast of Austin, TX characters, Laura Dunn's The Unforeseen could have been set just about anywhere in the U.S. Most of us know what it's like to see residential real estate development radically transform the landscape we have always known. For me, this happened when what was a rural community became incorporated as various suburbs north of Denver, CO in the eighties. My mother and I eventually lived in a new, dysfunctional development called "Hunter's Glen" complete with a nitrate-rich golf course, pool, and a "marina" on a shallow, stinking, algae-covered "lake." Poor planning meant that to leave our glen for another (you know -- when occasionally needing a break from hunting the few remaining prairie dogs and rabbits) necessitated a car. The developments didn't intersect, there was no mass transit, and we had to drive to a mission-style mini mall to meet any consumer need. Building stopped during the recession and never picked up during our Glen time. On a return trip, however, I saw that the vacant field outside our back windows, with the iconic snag I stared at when ruminating on current anxieties and future hopes all throughout Jr. High and High School, had succumbed to condos. Sound familiar? ...

Coal production and use is a very significant contributor to Greenhouse Gas concerns. Unfortunately for Australia it remains a millstone around the country's neck. And the reason is easy to see. We are the world’s largest exporter of the stuff and have been for about 20 years, in fact it is our single largest export, worth over $24 billion AUD. And at home it provides a source of fiscally cheap electricity. But ever so slowly it is dawning on people that it's environmentally very costly. Could this be why in recent weeks the state of NSW has been carpet bombing TV screens with commercials for their Green Power scheme, with a young girl cavorting beneath wind turbines. Since it was first introduced back in 2003 as “a world-first” in greenhouse gas reductions, the program is said to have cut GHG emissions by 31 million tonnes, or as they say, equal to “taking 7 million cars off our roads for a year.” At this time NSW gets about 6% of its electricity from renewables. The plan now is to get the state to the point where 15% of electricity is renewably generated by 2020, assuming the goal of 10% by 2010 can be first achieved. Mandatory targets have been proscribed for energy retailers, but the person on the street is also encouraged to purchase ‘GreenPower’ from their provider, or change to another provider who offers a better deal. The website is quite clear to follow. But will it be enough? In 2004 the Australian Greenhouse Office reported that NSW had shown just a 1.2% reduction in GHG emissions since 1990. Yet the same government behind the GreenPower push has been actively pursuing yet another coal mine for the state. Well, it was until a few months ago, when a court ruled against it on climate change grounds. ::GreenPower NSW....

We’d all love a bunch of heroes to ride into town and save us from our dilemma’s. Although Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson and their buddies are no longer available to perform such a service, Newsweek’s International edition reckons there might other heroes up to the task - seven energy efficiencies. They note that the International Energy Agency (IEA) figures on a 50% surge in energy demand through to 2030, while citing the example of a German hotelier who embraced energy efficient and realised a 60% return on investment. The article then proceeds to spell out the case for the following cast of characters: 1. Insulation (36% of the world’s energy is said to be used for heating and cooling), 2. Compact Fluoro Lighting (moving to all CFL’s by 2030 would negate the need for 650 power plants - Philips last month announced they were phasing our incandescents), 3. Heat Pumps (Japan in offering subsidies has seen 1 million installed in past couple of years for heating water), > Continued >...

Before sustainable consumption, we need sustainable production. To have sustainable production we need sustainable design. Based on the belief that designers have a responsibility to build a more sustainable society through their work, the o2 global network for sustainable design exists to facilitate this goal. In its 12 years in existence the network has grown to include 1200 members in 70 countries. Next Tuesday, February 6, 2007, the o2NYC chapter provides the opportunity for graphic designers to gain the skills needed to convince clients to adopt a sustainable communication strategy. The workshop, which will take place from 7:00 – 9pm at Rolling Press in Park Slope, Brooklyn, is specifically designed to teach designers how to navigate the sustainable printing process from start to finish. Learn how to set up files, trouble shoot, make green paper and material selections. In addition, Eugene Lee, an art book designer and president of Rolling Press will lead a discussion focusing on print case studies, as well as giving us a tour of his press facilities....

"Future archaeologists will be able to identify a 'Vista Upgrade Layer' when they go through our landfill sites." The Green Party in the UK has raised some real issues about the release of Vista today. Their big issue is that no provision has been made by Microsoft or the computer manufacturers to deal with the inevitable hardware upgrade cycle. They call it defective by design- "Beneath the gloss they have hidden traps that take away important consumer rights, force expensive and environmentally damaging hardware upgrades." Evidently video and sound cards may have to be upgraded to deal with "digital rights management" and play Blue-Ray and HD disks. Vista will also be power hungry, as it requires more processing time to encrypt and decrypt 'premium' content, and looks around the computer every few milliseconds to check that nothing is trying to distribute de-coded 'premium' video or sound....

What’s the Big Deal?

Cleaning products are everywhere in our homes and offices: on dishes, countertops, furniture, clothes, floors, windows, and floating through the air. In our war on dirt and germs we may often actually be making things worse. Most of the conventional cleaning products we all grew up with are petroleum-based and have dubious health and environmental implications. Instead of opting for cleaning products that annihilate everything in their path, there are plenty of natural products and methods that keep a house clean and fresh-smelling without the toxic side effects.

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Back when I was working in the lab, weeks could go by when I didn't see the daylight hours. Without question, during those same weeks I stayed up late by the glow of my computer screen or television- It was self imposed, and always left me tired and feeling a little sick. But, that's nothing compared to the people who work all night long for a career- in fact it is hard to imagine any service industry that does not employ people at all hours of the day; and what about all the light flittering about our cities and towns? An increasingly large body of research shows us that our artificial light and irregularly long work days might be killing us....

Global Cool kicks off a worldwide carbon diet to derail climate change… A recent ACNielson poll finds 42% of Americans consider global warming “very serious,” while 13% don’t know what it is… Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to rescue humankind from itself. The BBC’s climate change game challenges you to save the day… Indonesia’s environmental minister warns that the nation could lose 2,000 islands by 2030… EcoBuzz creates a social networking space for concerned citizens, NGOs, and world-class environmental ambassadors… ...

The price of the new 2007 Nissan Altima hybrid has finally been announced, and the car starts at $24,400. It should be available in the 8 states that have followed California with stricter emission regulations: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. We hope that Nissan will release it everywhere else too (that's a possibility if they reach their goals). The Altima hybrid's "EPA fuel economy is estimated at 42 mpg City [5.6 liters per 100 kilometers] and 36 mpg Highway [6.5 liters per 100 kilometers]. It is rated as an Advanced Technology-Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) and emits almost no evaporative emissions." That's slightly better in the city than the Toyota Camry hybrid which gets an EPA rating of 40 mpg [5.9 liters per 100 kilometers], but slightly worse on the highway than the Camry hybrid's 38 mpg [6.2 liters per 100 kilometers]). "The Altima Hybrid has been certified by the Internal Revenue Service as meeting the requirements for the Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit, thereby qualifying for a tax credit of $2,350." ::Nissan Prices the Altima Hybrid. See also: ::Nissan Will Build Altima Hybrid in Tennessee, ::Nissan to Develop Own Hybrid Technology...

In 2000, CASPAR (City-centre Apartments for Single People at Affordable Rents) was a hot property. Built without subsidy by the Rowntree Foundation in Leeds, this competition entry was to be "an attractive building that would encourage economically-active single people to make the city centre their home... Use of advanced, pre-fabrication techniques has enabled the five-storey block to be built quickly to a high specification that includes triple glazing and more space than is usual in one-bedroom flats...Each unit in the CASPAR development was factory-built by Volumetric, a supplier specialising in pre-fabrication, and transported to the site half-assembled and half in a flat pack. Kajima UK, the contractors, were able to install the apartments by crane. As a result, the first apartment went on show just 66 days after the site was purchased and the building contract signed." (2000 website here)...

The Rainforest Alliance have announced that they are actively promoting the Sustainable Furniture Council. We mentioned this group of members from the Home Furnishings industry back in April 2005 when the council's creator Gerry Cooklin, CEO of South Cone Trading Company, challenged other design companies to be more socially and environmentally responsible. Now in 2007 there are more that 40 representatives from groups including manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and non-profit organizations on the council and the SFC is soon to become a legally chartered industry group. Today the SFC are holding their third council meeting at the Las Vegas Market furniture trade show, where they will be promoting and raising awareness about sustainable design practices. “The furniture industry has a lot of power in conservation because we add the most value to wood resources,” Cooklin said. “It has been impressive to see how quickly interest in this effort within the industry has grown.” ...

40,337,604,793 plastic bags have been consumed this year as I start writing this post, and 2007 is not even a full month old yet. At over 1 million bags per minute, using and chucking disposable cups and plastic bags can add up to nearly 700 pieces of plastic a year per person -- yikes! Bring Your Own urges you to consider this fact and take a few quick 'n easy steps to reduce the flood of plastic into the waste stream. At the top of the list: bring your own reusable bag for shopping. The idea was the big winner in our New Year's Resolution poll, so we know people are thinking about it, but it doesn't stop there; coffee cups are a big contributor to disposable waste as well, as a result of the scene above, which goes about like it looks: we buy, enjoy the contents and discard paper coffee cups with plastic lids in about the time it takes five million more plastic bags to get tossed (about five minutes). So check out Bring Your Own to learn more about reducing waste, avoiding disposables for everyday things, and kicking some serious plASStic. Now that this post is about to be published, the running total is up to 40,349,570,901 plastic bags that have been consumed this year. What are you going to do about it? ::Bring Your Own via ::Green Girls Global...

An acronym for "Garbage In, Garbage Out," Gigoit is a new web-based community with the simple and admirable goal of keeping more stuff out of landfills. Working on a platform similar to The Freecycle Network, Gigoit wants to make it easier for people to both give or get unwanted usable items in their communities. All the information is centralized right on the site, and can be searched and perused by anyone without registration or login to the site; just type in what you're looking for, a search radius and a zip code, and you're off and running. By eschewing the mailing list model and making access to everything that needs a new home, the developers of the site hope they've cut out an extra step that keeps some people from freecycling or otherwise insuring their stuff ends up finding a new owner rather than getting a one-way ticket to the dump. Once an item has been picked up, the giver takes it off the site and it disappears, without having to post a message for everyone else on the site to have to read and filter through. Individual users only receive messages related to their own transactions, and RSS feeds allow users to quickly access the latest items in their area. Users aren't limited to certain geographical areas -- you can access items from all over the country on the same site. The site is still in beta, and has a forum to discuss feature requests, bugs and questions about the site and its model, and everything is a work in progress. They'll be updating their zip code database each month, and hope to spread internationally if the site proves successful. Check out their website for more, and see if you can't unload some unused (but still usable) stuff while you're there. ::Gigoit via ::Green Options and ::Hugg (KBestOliver)...

We used to love Braun products as being useful and well designed and so long lasting that we even called them green. Then they were bought by Gillette, inventor of our disposable culture, where for a hundred years they have given away the razor to sell the proprietary blades. Now Braun has learned from Gillette about how to develop an entirely new type of unrecyclable waste- the Tassimo coffee system with its disposable one-shot T-Disc pods. Now, instead of having the choice of whatever coffee you want (including the option of fair trade or organic coffee) you pay 35 to 70 cents per hit of their choice of brand, and a little plastic and paper turd to throw in the garbage after. It would perhaps be something if we could say that the coffee was actually good; we tried it and found it thin and tasteless. In the end, in the name of convenience, we have a machine that creates a captive audience for an overpriced coffee system that creates unneccessary waste. What a discredit to a great name in the history of design. ::Braun Tassimo...

I received a wee sample of Farmaesthetics' Nourishing Lavender Milk when I purchased something completely unrelated a couple of weeks ago. The light and subtly scented moisturizer was a welcome respite for my dry winter skin, especially since I had previously, in desperation, uncorked a Christmas-gifted bottle of cheap, "peach"-scented moisturizer that smelled so foul, so synthetic and cloyingly sweet, that I'm positive it has the power to resurrect the dead. Oh, and dredge up long-repressed childhood memories—I felt like I was squished with my cousins in the back of my uncle's air-freshener-infused car again, trying not to toss my cookies all over his fake-leather upholstery. ...

Only in Britain--there are one hundred varieties of seed potatoes out there and January 28 was the day to celebrate them. At locations in the countryside and in London, you could buy them, swap them, learn about them and eat them. The potato is stolid and unglamorous, but it has fibre, vitamin C and is low fat. It also grows in all kinds of soils. London's Charity Potato Fair and Seed Exchange is an annual spud party, with more than 100 varieties on show, all grown in Scotland or Ireland. For a small entrance fee, you get a catalogue and the chance to wander around a school hall, pondering the varieties and how they got their names. The "Amour" has "attractive pink eyes"; then there is Maxine, Picasso, Victoria, Verity and good old Yukon Gold. There are mashers, roasters, bakers, chippers, pink spuds, blue spuds, first earlies, second earlies, main and late main—who knew! Not to mention the celebrity contest for best-dressed potato. Exhibitors from organic farms and seed companies are there to give advice about growth, disease and blight. A seed swap has been introduced to encourage gardeners to share packets of home-grown seeds. So many varieties have been lost as the large seed companies focus on fewer and fewer easy-to-grow types. :: London Charity Potato Fair and Seed Exchange via :: Time Out...

If computers are going to help solve the sustainability crises -- and we believe they will -- then they must stop being part of the problem. A small Boston company, Tech Networks of Boston, is doing something about it. Last year, Tech Networks released it’s Earth-PC and Earth-Serve machines that use at least 25 percent less power than standard computers, and can save between $20-$45 in electricity costs per year. For a business, school district or organization with many computers, annual savings can easily be in the thousands....

Most of the times, green or sustainable products come from a deep thought into the design process, a conscious walk to find the best solution for a series of problems. Satori Lab is a hybrid Argentinean initiative that aims to wake young designers to this conscious practice of their craft. Its founders, designer Alejandro Sarmiento and journalist Lujan Cambariere, intend to do so through different activities, the first being a workshop named Liquid Love that encouraged students to dive into the question of how ephemeral bonds and products are and can be. After its great success in Design Connection Buenos Aires, Sarmiento and Cambariere are preparing to replicate the experience at the Museu da Casa Brasileira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) next March. Before that happens, Cambariere explains TreeHugger what’s all about....

For quite a while we have promoted the idea that "less is the new more" and "small is the new big" and how the key to living with less is good design. Now Trendwatcher Piers Fawkes at PSFK jumps in with "Less But Better: It's a simple idea but it's difficult to see how the idea would spread among the majority of Americans.....I'd bet that many of these people consider themselves pro-American and are concerned by the impact by their country's dependance on foreign oil. So, what would happen if we sold them the idea that if they consumed less, their country would be safer and stronger? Forever the marketer, Piers suggests a method: " We could kick start this easily: just ask Oprah to put a 'Less But Better' ribbon sticker in every one of her magazines for each and every reader to attach to the rear of their cars - just by their 'Support Our Troops' ribbon sticker." Read it all at ::PSFK...

In November, the Wisconsin-based Cornucopia Institute filed a complaint with the US Department of Agriculture alleging that retail giant Wal-Mart had mislabelled non-organic products as organic in US stores. The Institute, which represents smaller organic farmers, and also engages in educational and research efforts, has been one of the chief critics of Wal-Mart's aggressive moves into the organic market, and, according to the UK Independent, has called the mislabelling "tantamount to consumer fraud." Earlier this month, Cornucopia also filed a complaint with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, and placed more photographs on its website that show clear problems with signage for grocery items that do not meet USDA organic standards (like the one above). In response, Wal-Mart has issued a statement claiming that the problems involve signage and execution errors rather than attempts to mislead consumers:...

Who has not seen an email the with "Darwin Award" nominees listed? It’s a yearly staple of the very oldest net-buddy distribution lists. For those of you not privileged enough to have received one, the motto on the Darwin Awards website is: “We salute the improvement of the species by honoring those who accidentally remove themselves from it, thereby ensuring that the next generation is one idiot smarter”. [Internal dialog with self: What about pre-nominating a climate skeptic for next year’s DA? Might be able to find a paid political hack that owns a condo along the US Gulf Coast. Naaa, waiting for a hurricane hit to prove the point is way too negative. ]...

illustration by Kagen McLeod, National Post What do you do if someone in your family bought a Hummer? Buy them a copy of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth? Or keep quiet and channel your energy to the Draft Gore campaign? Salon asked the question a few weeks ago, and the National Post's Samantha Grice took it up, noting how the environment is raising passions and tempers. "Friendships are breaking up over one pal's continued and reckless use of toxic cleaning supplies and the other's tsk-tsking. The enviro-conflict is uncharted social territory. This is a different breed of bugaboo than, say, the new neighbour's penchant for garden gnomes, and in light of increased awareness about our suffering planet, many feel they can, and even should say something when their friend buys a gas guzzler or waters the sidewalk." This TreeHugger was interviewed (and recycled a TreeHugger Post): Lloyd Alter, an architect and builder of modern prefab homes and a contributing writer to the enviro-design Web magazine Treehugger, recently wrote a post on Treehugger about a house in Toronto's Forest Hill that was lit up like a Christmas tree. He called it a poster child for carbon rationing and suggested readers send in similar photos of extravagant exterior lighting in an effort to shame homeowners into shutting down. "But last Friday night I criticized my 89-year-old mother for buying Peruvian asparagus at Loblaws when she should be considering the carbon footprint of what she buys. She looked at me like I was nuts," says Alter. "The fact of the matter is we all just have to look in the mirror; none of us are there yet. Every weekend I drive to Collingwood, Ont., where I am a member at a private ski club and complain about the field of SUV's and vans and realize I just drove two hours to get electrically cranked up a hill to snowboard down a clear-cut [run] on artificial snow. We should clean up our own act first." ::National Post ...

After the Taster Issue in September last year, the first international ethical lifestyle magazine Sublime have launched their first issue this month. 130 glossy but eco-friendly pages with the main subject Reversing The Order – Poverty, Wealth and the Nature of ‘Wanting’. As you flip though the pages, beautiful images and funky graphics show you the sexiest as well as the most intelligent side of sustainable fashion. Read about how the ‘ONE’ campaign fights poverty and Aids, an interview with the farther of fair trade Richard Adams, How To Buy Happiness, an exclusive interview with The Good, The Bad And The Queen, to only mention a few. Loose yourself on the magical Rainforest photographic journey by Thomas Marent, visit the Widest Crater On Earth and have a look Behind The Diamond Industry. A magazine preview is available on their web site through which you can also subscribe to this bi-monthly ethical lifestyle magazine (£6.45 per magazine, £30 per subscription, all inc P&P). Or just grab a copy at Barnes & Novel in America or WHSmith in the UK. For those of you listening to BBC London Radio, Damian, Laura and Andy Drummond will present Sublime magazine on The Late Show, TONIGHT, from 22:30 to 23:30 on 94.9FM. ::Sublime Magazine ...

Ok. There was a lot of criticism of non-film-related marketing at the Sundance this year. It's super easy to approach eco-SWAG and marketing with cynicism. But, guess what? In an all-around optimistic frame of mind, I found myself feeling like that much overused term "tipping point" applied. Here were the Lexus Hybrid Living folks, who clearly know their audience, creating a smart venue for luminaries get to know eco-stylish businesses, as well as Former Director of the United Nations’ Environment Program Dr. Noel Brown, while allowing the likes of me to "cross-pollinate". Both the smart marketing and the rare opportunity for conversation with multiple businesses we've covered on the TH pages, thrilled me. Those representing included some of the Hybrid Living family: Kenneth Cobonpue, Paula Hayes, and Q Collection. We also had the chance to get cozy with Lush soaps and body bars, Fairmont's new "Mayan Riviera" property (more about those later!), Yolo Paints, and extraordinarily promising Nau active wear (more on Nau soon!)....

Lead is one of the most harmful toxins on Earth and is especially hazardous for children. Since 1970, the Clean Air Act has authorized the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set standards for air pollutants that pose a threat to health and the environment. Lead was among the first pollutants EPA regulated. But, incredibly, the EPA is considering removing lead entirely from the list of pollutants it controls under the Clean Air Act. Federal standards for lead pollution have been extremely successful in protecting public health, but significant sources of airborne lead pollution remain. For more on the dangers of lead pollution, see the EPA’s own description of lead’s adverse health effects, which includes “delays in physical and mental development, lower IQ levels, shortened attention spans and increased behavioral problems” in young children. UCS urges you to tell the EPA that it must continue to use the best available science to protect the air we breathe from dangerous lead pollution. ...

Yoshio Takaoka, in collaboration with Italy's Start Lab SAP, has crafted a fully functional electric car that packs built-in "horse hoof" sound effects. The two-seater reaches speeds of 65 km per hour (41 mp/h) and travels distances of up to a 120 km on a full battery, which costs about $1. The car uses the the sound of horse hooves hitting the pavement to alert pedestrians and other drivers. The Girasole, which means sunflower in Italian, retails for about $18,000 but drivers can claim a $6,600 subsidy from the government under an environmental protection clause. Japanese consumers who test drove the car were impressed by its quietness. Since the top speed is only 41 mph, if it came to the U.S. it would likely be limited to NEV status (meaning it can only be driven on side streets where the speed limit does not exceed 35MPH). :: Via: Reuters...

Recently, Wal-Mart quietly created its own electricity company in Texas, called Texas Retail Energy, to supply its stores with cheap power bought at wholesale prices. According to the Dallas Morning News, this saves the world's largest retailer about $15 million annually and gives the company total control over its utility bills. Chris Hendrix, general manager of Texas Retail Energy, said he would consider buying a renewable-energy power plant, such as a wind farm, if the company can't find enough vendors to meet Wal-Mart's eventual goal of using only renewable power. Wal-Mart is also considering selling power to it's customers, but that's probably a long way off, if it does happen. See more in this article from Dallas Morning News....

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As a follow-up to Bush’s State of the Union address last week, the TERRA vlog is announcing their “State of the Planet” address, to consist of weekly videos. This week’s film, “Warming Island,” is an inspiring piece. (Watch the full version here.) If you aren’t already convinced of all the reasons why you should enter the Convenient Truths contest, ...

Hybrid Technologies, the Nevada-based lithium-ion battery slinger, just announced that it has recruited Tango-driving, carbon-neutral Syriana starring, George Clooney to promote its new electric Smart Car in Italy this summer. Word of the coming Smart EV has been on the street for a while but the stats have actually improved since Michael Graham Richard wrote about the project back in 2005. Hybrid Technologies has posted top speeds of 80 mph for the Smart, along with 120 miles of autonomous range and a 6-8 hour charging time. (HT starts filling orders for the car Feb. 2007, starting at $35,000.) It is also now clear that Hyrbid Technologies is a lab populated by engineers who don’t sleep. In addition to converting Smart Cars and courting Clooney to beta test their new ride, the publicly-traded company is also testing the waters of electric taxi cabs, scooters, and supercars. It also had a hand in this electric ’64 VW bus, built a renewable-energy house, and provided an electric Mini Cooper to the British embassy in Mexico. ::Hybrid Technologies ...

The new media, blogging, Web 2.0. It's all about conversation, right? Well, lets see. Earlier today we posted about how bad things were for sharks, with up to 200 millions of them getting killed each year and many of their 350 species facing extinction. Part of the problem is that sharks have an image problem: They are getting slaughtered (often their fin is cut off to make soup and they are thrown back in the water to die slowly) and almost nobody is even raising an eyebrow. So lets ask an expert: Popular blogger and marketing guru, Seth Godin. Seth, if sharks were your clients, how would you change their image? Is it possible to "sell" animals to the public without them looking like this or this (or in fact, anything here)? Is there a trick to speed up the process, or is it all about slowly educating people. These clients are not looking for more market-share, its their very existence that is at stakes (and if they disappear, whole marine ecosystems will suffer). Any ideas? ::Seth Godin's Blog, ::Jean-Michel Cousteau: Sharks Need Our Help Update: Seth Godin left an insightful comment below. Thanks Seth!...

Trondheim, a university town and also Norway’s third largest city, has more cycling traffic than all the other Norwegian cities. 90% of the 30,000 students use their bicycles as their main source of transportation. This fact is slightly surprising because the city’s geography is anything but flat. In an effort to promote cycling, the city has invested roughly NOK 20 million ($3.2 million) over the past 20 years to create a cohesive network of bicycle infrastructure in the city. One of the most important - and unusual - infrastructure elements is the bicycle lift 'Trampe'. 'Trampe' works much like a ski lift except that it is integrated into the bike path. To use it one needs a key card which can be obtained from the nearby bicycle repair shop Sykkelbua (address: Øvre Bakklandet 35). At the bottom of the steep 130 meter long hill cyclists place their right foot on the lift and receive a push which transports them upwards at a comfortable speed of 2 meters per second. Since its introduction in 1993, 'Trampe' has assisted more than 220,000 cyclists. City planners take note: according to a recent survey, 41 % of the lift users claim they're using the bicycle more often because of 'Trampe'. Increased bicycle use and other human powered transportation cuts down on CO2 emissions. Creating infrastructure that is bike friendly stimulates use and is one way towards sustainable urban transportation. ::Autoblog Green ::Rocketboom...

In Texas, Wal-Mart wants to get into the electricity business and start selling power to itself… Freetown, Sierra Leone, and Rizhao are a few of the cities profiled as environment leaders in World Watch’s State of the World 2007 … London Fashion Week serves it up in the green department. Catch it in person or by webcast… Junk Mail Gems turns brainless ads into thoughtful treasures like handmade paper and woven wallets… England’s Soil Association considers denying the organic label to foods that travel by air… An online tool offers best practices and step by step guidelines for setting up community renewable energy projects…...

Have you wondered about the differences among biodiesel, vegetable oil, and ethanol? Curious about why we're using gasoline when there are so many cheap and easy alternatives available? At around 45 minutes, Freedom Fuels is a quick and painless way for anyone to get informed. Download it! Pass it on to your friends and neighbors. "With our distribution system primarily Internet-based, we've bypassed normal methods," remarked producer and director Martin O'Brien in a thick, Irish brogue. "It's like, boom! Kick it out when it's 18 and, you know, let it out into the Internet world and we'll move on and make another film about an important topic."...

It’s not just the Mad Professor who likes coming to Israel…Thanks to a tipster at World Changing (David Zaks) - we are about to back-comb our hair and wax it into natty dreadlocks in preparation for Israel's Reggae Environmental Education Concert. The event will take place on February 22 with a desert vista at Kibbutz Ein Herod on the Dead Sea. Reggae party organizer Island Galambos says Jamaican reggae artist Pato Banton will perform and lecture at the green event. “We are going to be promoting an earth friendly environment with guest speakers discussing Solar Energy, Bio-Diesel, Recycling, Organic Foods, Clean Air, and more,” writes Galambos. During his 2006 visit to the Holy Land, Galambos writes that he has made “wonderful contacts and friends and want to invite all to this event.” If you are over here in the Holy Land or are making land holy in your own land, give Galambos a shout out to help plan the environmental sides of green in Israel (you weren’t imagining some other sort of green were you?). Email Island Galambos or phone 707-845-1114 (it looks like a US-based number)...

Near the top of the TreeHugger code of living is something like "Reusing stuff is better than buying new stuff"; this is why we dig what GreenDemolitions.org is doing. They offer an easy, feel-good outlet for donating old (but still functional) kitchen cabinets, countertops and other demolition items (the full list is here) to charity, and because the donation is tax-deductible, it has the potential to save you lots of money, too. Your donations, instead of going into a stagnant landfill, are re-sold through a sister site at GreenDemolitions.com, and suddenly, what's old is new again. Donating items is free of charge, and teams of contractors come to your home or business and provide (usually) free labor to remove and haul away your old kitchen, bathroom, architectural and landscaping elements and more. If you're thinking of renovating or are looking for used materials for a renovation of your own, Green Demolitions can help; they have three locations in New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. ::Green Demolitions via ::Apartment Therapy...

Moppels are flexible desk lamps from Germany that use energy efficient leds for illumination. In fact, they will run for more than 100 hours on three (rechargeable) AAA batteries in the provided battery box or they can be plugged into a computer USB port. Moppels come in a variety of designs including dinosaurs, snakes and various human personae. Some feature magnetic or suction cup hands and feet, so they can stick to surfaces. Priced at $25, they make a nice gift. They can be found at Lights and Knives. :: Via Technabob...

Hollywood has been very successful at making them scary, but in reality, sharks have a lot more reasons to be afraid of us than we have to be afraid of them. Between 100 and 200 million sharks are killed each year, mostly for their dorsal fins (to make soup, popular in parts of Asia, particularly Taiwan, Singapore, Thailand, Japan and now China) and their jaws (sold to ignorant or unscrupulous collectors). Sharks play an important role in marine ecosystems and the fact that many of the 350 species of sharks are facing extinction is not to be taken lightly. WildAid estimates that that shark sales around the world went from 3011 tons in 1980 to 11,732 tons in 2000, but in reality it's probably a lot more than that since statistics are not always available. Jean-Michel Cousteau, the son of the world-famous explorer Jacques-Yves Cousteau, is trying to raise awareness about the problem....

This week is Carnival of the Green #62 and it's being hosted by Jetson Green. 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....

If, like me, your eyes tend to roll when pageant contestants talk about their (ahem) "issues" Miss America contestant Allison Rogers should grab your attention tonight--and not just because of her unfairly good looks. As hot as she is, the 25-year-old Miss Rhode Island is hoping to slow the warming of the earth with her "Go Green!" platform, and she's got the credentials to prove it. After graduating from Harvard in 2004 (her thesis was on the convergence of religion and conservation), Alli became a driving force behind the university's environmental revolution. As head of a landmark program that conducted energy and waste audits and encouraged recycling and conservation in the dorms, she added a healthy shade of green to the ivory tower. And while helping to shape the school's sustainability principles, Alli led a student campaign that made Harvard the biggest university purchaser of renewable energy. Along the way, she co-organized the Northeast Climate Conference, earned a WWF fellowship to refurbish old computers for those in need, served as a youth delegate at the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, met with green fashion designers, lobbied the US Postal Service (on a global warming fundraising stamp) and been personally tutored by Al Gore (when we worked together at school, she was my eco hero). Yesterday, she won the Miss America community service award for the awareness work she's done and will do. Whatever happens tonight--and whatever you may think of pageants--Alli's already a role model for little girls (and boys) everywhere. Watch tonight: 8 PM EST on CMT (its hosted by Mario Lopez!) : : Providence Journal; :: Video Interview with Allison Rogers (pop-up) : : Alli's blog....

When we say that efficiency is crucial for a green future, we mean it. Look at these graphs from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (they are similar to those used by Amory Lovins in his book Natural Capitalism and in his Winning the Oil Endgame video presentation). They show that out of the ~97 quads (1 quad = 10^15 British thermal units) or ~103 exajoules (1 exajoule = 10^18 joules) generated from various sources in the US in 2002 (nuclear, hydro, biomass, natural gas, coal, petroleum), 56.2 quads or 59.3 exajoules were wasted, lost, unused for any valuable work. That's more than half. We all need to take a moment and seriously think about that....

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants. That is how Michael Pollan starts his wonderful article in the New York Times, that summarizes it all, the foodie version of the question put to Rabbi Hillel: "teach me everything while I am standing on one foot." He then goes on in true talmudic fashion to explain exactly what he means by "food" (stuff your great-grandmother would recognize, not any of the manufactured products filling our supermarket) "not too much" (how our diet has been distorted by too much of everything, that "the main features of the Western diet [are]: lots of meat and processed foods, lots of added fat and sugar, lots of everything — except fruits, vegetables and whole grains.) "Mostly Plants" - (we now eat a monoculture of grain and not enough green veggies.) He ends with a series of rules that all of us could live by without great sacrifice: ...

Last August, we took a look at Charles Komanoff's essay in Orion on the wind development debate. Turns out we weren't the only ones impressed by his argument: the latest issue of Mother Earth News contains an adapted version of the essay in which the author takes a thorough and nuanced view of wind power's supporters and detractors. For those interested in renewable energy on a smaller scale, writer Bob Ramlow details the benefits and drawbacks of one of the easiest ways to incorporate solar power into your home: solar hot water heating. Of course, MEN has always focused on the rural life, and another feature article addresses another topic we've touched on: the growth of university and apprentice programs in organic and sustainable farming. Writer Jean English observes that these programs have come along at just the right time, with the current average age of America's farmers at 55 years old. ...

Raffi Krikorian's expertise lies in taking things apart and putting them back together in interesting ways. As his day job he's the senior partner at Synthesis Studios, and one of the founders of WattzOn -- where he usually breaks things, makes maps of where peoples' "stuff" comes from, tells people why they should not use paper cups, and generally causes trouble. He is also an adjunct professor at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program working with students to understand the societal ramifications of technology. When not working, Raffi is a recovering consumer who is trying to save the environment by buying less junk, and a recovering television addict who is trying to read more....

Here is an idea from Chicago that we really like; In fact, we may do it right in front of our house for all the magazines we read for TreeHugger. Ryan Duggan of Logan Square put it together: “I kind of got the idea in my sleep,” he says. “One day I just woke up and thought, if I took one of those boxes and repainted it, I could fit a lot of books in there. Everyone has books worth reading that they’re not going to reread.” A free book exchange might get those books into the hands of people who would read them, Duggan thought. As the box says, “You give, you take, everyone reads!” Now, they have added a video exchange as well. As Spacing Wire says "And though it’s true that huge cities on the scale of Chicago may have just that much more room for creativity and an artistic populace that could create such happenings as this — it’s still somehow tiny and heartening to see something like a humble, elegant, book exchange box persist unmolested in the dense metropolitan grid of a city." ::Spacing Wire and ::Chicago Reader...

Few things represent the American experience more than the Super Bowl. The annual event marks the end of a six-month period in which football dominates much of the nation’s collective attention. However, the big game has transcended the world of football and has in many ways become a symbol of excess and over consumption. Corporate heavyweights willingly pay upwards of $2.5 million for a 30-second commercial during the game that provides one of the year’s best advertising opportunities. As we reported previously, Honda will follow in Ford and Toyota’s footsteps and use the Super Bowl as a platform for advertising its greener side. However, this year concern over climate change will extend beyond the advertisements. The NFL announced that it would offset the greenhouse gas emissions created by the game through the planting of hundreds of native tree seedlings and the purchasing of renewable energy certificates. In fact, the league reports that these initiatives will allow the Super Bowl to be carbon negative. These efforts in conjunction with souvenir recycling and the donating of uneaten food make the Super Bowl a welcome addition to the list of major sporting events that are working to minimize their environmental impacts. See also ::New York Jets to Build ‘Green’ Facility,::FIFA World Cup to go Carbon Neutral, and::Turin Winter Olympics to go Carbon Neutral...

The American environmental and labor movements have often been on opposite sides of the table, whether the issue is drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, or raising fuel economy standards on American-made cars. That may be changing, though, as organized labor sees the potential of job growth in renewable energy generation and more efficient building design. According to last Thursday's Christian Science Monitor,...

The Krill is Gone. Readers of Canada's National Newspaper were challenged to change the title or lyrics of well-known songs so that they would refer to climate change. The winner was Wake up! Little Tsunami! Wake Up! June is a Bust All Over, Where Have all the Species Gone and the theme from Emission Impossible, were suggested. Lots of sun songs: Another Sun Bites the Dust, We'll Singe in the Sunshine and You are the Sunscreen of My Life. Then there was: Sweat, Georgia Brown, and O Solar Mio. Ouch! To make matters worse: Stand by Your Fan, and Come Fry With Me. Hum along to: Hot town, summer in the city/ Have to wear a space suit, isn't it a pity. Car themes: Hybrid Mustang Sally and She’ll have fun, fun, fun till her daddy takes the T-bird away for emissions testing. Another howler: Miami lies under the ocean, oh bring back Miami to me. And we end with: It’s De-frosting, it’s De-icing, it’s De-pressing. :: Globe and Mail ...

Last edition of The JC Report fashion trends newsletter was devoted to sustainability, and one of the special features was Brazil. According to the publication, in this country “there's a lot of buzz about socially responsible materials and processing, non-transgenic textiles, and how 20% of foods available at supermarkets are organic”. Among the companies and products presented are our previously featured Natura, Amazon Life (yellow bag in the picture) and Treetap, and new fellows for us like Clube Chocolate, Flor and Mana Bernardes. The first one is a chic store and restaurant that sells only organic food with certification from IDB (Biodynamic Institute Certification Association). The second, a fashion label by designers Eduardo and Juliana Fregonesi that has a line of accessories made with certified wood (girl picture). The third is an artist who produces jewelry mixing materials such as pet bottles or plastic fishnet sacks with gold, pearls and silver. Bernardes has her work displayed in New Yorks's Chelsea Art Museum, and Collette's and Rio's store windows. Find out more at the original article. ::JC Report ...

This is the kind of pro-active community effort that makes this TreeHugger's day. A group of informed people, concerned about the effects of climate change, have taken it upon themselves to educate their local communities in West Yorkshire, North England. Thus we have the Calderdale Climate Change team who work with businesses, schools and individuals to tackle climate change through learning, activities and support. The challenge was launched at the end of last year via an email newsletter which was sent to, amongst many others, 3000 Calderdale Council staff. Project co-ordinator Anthony Rae said their mission is, “spreading the news through organisations.” This area of Yorkshire has been afflicted by serious flooding in recent years. 'Streets, homes and workplaces have suffered from the flooding, along with the disruption and expense that go with it.' It is encouraging to see Calderdale Climate Change tackling these sometimes overwhelming environmental issues on a local scale, helping to show that climate change is relevant to each person in the community and that it's up to everyone to address the problem together. Even if you don't live in Yorkshire you can find some interesting and accessible information here about what causes climate change, the effects of it and what we can all do to reduce our carbon emissions. via: Make Noise. ::Calderdale Climate Challenge Another inspiring organisation working in the Calderdale area is Treesponsibility, you can read Sami Grover's interview with project leader Penny Eastwood here ...

Ben Rhan/Aframe Treehugger loves Levitt Goodman Architects, for their worm composter, their flying urban prefabs, and now for their green urban infill house in Toronto. According to Beth Kapusta of Azure, they have built "a modern an sustainable home that is also integrated into an ethnically diverse neighbourhood". It has a large and beautiful green roof, recycled materials, and is designed for cross-ventilation so that air conditioning is not required. Toronto houses usually get light only from the front and back, so the first floor is designed without any walls to let the light penetrate. It is also designed to evolve as the family ages: the kids have basement bedrooms, which are designed to be transformed into a separate apartment after they leave. (or worse, if they don't.) According to Janna Levitt: "We exercised the courage to build no more than what we needed, and according to our sense of environmental citizenship." Beth Kapusta concludes that they "may also have tapped into a new urban environmentalism that makes sense to those who love beautiful space and are willing to make some trade-offs for the sake of living responsibly" ...

One of the most common arguments against shifting to an environmentally sustainable economy is that industry will suffer. I have found the opposite. In fact, restructuring the global economy according to the principles of ecology represents the greatest investment opportunity in history. What we need is an Environmental Revolution comparable to the Agricultural and Industrial Revolutions. (See Chapter 12 “Building a New Economy” in Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble, available for free downloading.) The Agricultural Revolution involved restructuring the food economy, shifting from a nomadic life-style based on hunting and gathering to a settled life-style based on tilling the soil. Although agriculture started as a supplement to hunting and gathering, it eventually replaced it almost entirely. The Agricultural Revolution eventually cleared one tenth of the earth’s land surface of either grass or trees so it could be plowed and planted to crops. Unlike the hunter-gatherer culture that had little effect on the earth, this new farming culture literally transformed the earth’s surface. ...

So if you live in small spaces, why give up so much to the kitchen? And why move to another part of the kitchen when you can move the kitchen to you? New Zealand designer Alfred Averbeck spun out this idea for a kitchen that has the equivalent of 12 cupboards in a rotating kitchen, with doors that close to cover all of your unwashed dishes, (although it then looks just like the Orgasmatron from Woody Allen's Sleeper.) Somehow there are watertight rotating connections in the hub so that you can rotate the kitchen even if the dishwasher is running. Perfect for urban lofts; no walls required and who cooks anyways? Depending on appliances, from US$ 6,500 From CC Concepts via ::Azure ...

Sometimes we show items that are not necessarily green in their construction but have a green result. (like the iPod) The Sittris chair is like that; it is designed for the health care market. "Each year more than two million North Americans will acquire an infection during a hospital stay and an estimated 90,000 of these people die. This is a serious challenge that burdens both the financial and human resources of healthcare institutions." The Sittris chair is upholstered in Siliform, a silicone treated material. "Silicone is the ideal healthcare upholstery because it is inert, so it will not support microbial growth. Traditional upholstery is the perfect breeding ground for germs, making infection control difficult. Silicone is completely impermeable to fluids and is inherently flame retardant. When exposed to blood, urine or other substances, it can be easily and quickly cleaned with soap and water." So instead of needing harsh and possibly toxic cleaners, simpler, greener methods of cleaning up can be used. Designed by talented Canadian Designer Helen Kerr. ::Sittris via ::Azure...

As we mentioned last week, Ed Begley, Jr. kicked it at Project Greenhouse to promote Living With Ed during the Sundance Film Festival. We chatted a bit about his show, and the role of activist celebs, before I had a chance to see it. I loved everything Ed had to say, but after screening the first episode wonder about its potential to reach TreeHuggery ideals of pushing sustainability into the mainstream, and showing how easy it is to lead a green, aesthetically-oriented life? In Ed's world, conservation seems difficult and unappealing. I hope that the gaps the show relies on, between eco-friendliness and attractiveness or convenience, narrow as the series continues. KS: Who do you hope to reach with the show? EB: That's the great thing about HGTV: it has a wide audience. And it's a whole demographic that we're not reaching with E Magazine or the many solar festivals I go to like Hopland. That's one crowd, and a good crowd, and they're our base in many ways -- they ARE our base in every way. But then there are other people out there who might be inclined to try something environmental if it makes sense to them economically and stylistically. That's what we're trying to do with our show, show that there's stuff that you can do and you don't have to go for the big ticket items like solar or a hybrid car or an electric car. You can start small and build. You can pick the low-hanging fruit first: compact fluorescent bulbs, energy-saving thermostats, good insulation, a bicycle for transportation, public transportation. All of these things are good for the environment and they're really cheap. ...

Helen Suh MacIntosh is an Associate Professor of Environmental Chemistry and Exposure Assessment at Harvard University’s School of Public Health. She is a world recognized expert in environmental exposure assessment, with her research focusing primarily on air pollution and its impact on cardiopulmonary health. She has directed numerous environmental and epidemiological studies, with findings from these studies used to set national and international air pollution standards. She speaks often at conferences, symposiums, and seminars about environmental health issues and advises local, state, federal and international agencies and organizations on the measurement and assessment of health impacts from pollution. In addition, Helen is committed to teaching and education, both in the classroom and as an advisor and mentor. Her environmental outreach and advice can also be found on her personal website. ...

The MGM CityCenter is a huge, 76-acre, city-within-a-city that is under development on the Las Vegas Strip. The designers actually hope to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for this project. With 18 million square feet of building space, CityCenter will dwarf all LEED-certified structures in the United States to date, bringing more attention to green design and possibly influencing still more architects, contractors and manufacturers. But when the first hotel guests stream through the lobby of the 4,000-room resort at CityCenter three years from now, they probably won't notice that the polished wood accents began as wood from old barns across the rural United States or that stonework was partly constructed from an old retaining wall torn down in Britain. ...

In an impetuous act of self indulgence I treated myself recently to some beauty treatments in New York. Having some time to kill I picked the first natural beauty salon that Google threw up and consequently I found myself in the cosy environs of Shobha. Specialising in threading, the traditional Indian hair removal treatment, this beauty studio also works with homemade all natural beauty products. The founder, Shobha Tummala says that she learnt all these recipes from her grandmother in India. "My grandmother made all my beauty products herself. Hair conditioner was created from crushed hibiscus petals picked from a tree in our backyard; soap from a mixture of shaved sandalwood and lentils. Moisturizer was just the cream from fresh milk." ...

Ford used the Washington D.C. Auto Show to unveil a new car equipped the HySeries Drive powertrain, which is a fuel cell-based, hybrid power system. The HySeries Drive was also used in Ford's Airstream concept car. According to AutoBlog, the system utilizes a lithium ion battery pack that initially receives power from a standard wall outlet, and once that initial charge is drained (in about 25 miles) a fuel cell system begins sending power to the batteries. Those batteries are hooked up to an electric motor, which propels the Edge up to a maximum speed of 85 MPH. Once the fuel cell begins making power, it can provide an additional range of 200 miles and, in some applications, up to 40. :: Ford's Press Release ...

Paul Hawken is a rare luminary, a unique voice in the world of sustainable business and the search for a whole, nurturing society. His books have been hugely influential and include The Ecology of Commerce and Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution. In addition to writing and speaking, he is an entrepreneur and head of The Natural Capital Institute. TreeHugger is also honored to have Paul Hawken as a judge in the Convenient Truths video contest on climate change. In this nice, long extended interview, Simran Sethi asks Paul about the evolution of environmental consciousness, changes in the political sphere, the recent World Social Forum in Davos, Paul’s forthcoming book, Blessed Unrest, and a good deal more. (listen or right-click to download) ::TreeHugger Radio...

If you have gotten past the issues with your cheeseburger's carbon footprint and you want to be left to eat your burgers in peace, you might want to jump to the next article now. But if you are the curious type, a little digging into the facts behind a recent article in The Herald about Energy from Dead Cows will expose the underbelly of the Meat and Bone Meal (MBM) waste product management industry. The Herald reports that the Oran Group intends to build a "renewable energy plant" partnered with a rendering plant to generate power for up to 9000 homes. Is your first reaction running something like this: "How much energy could a dead cow have? Can you imagine setting fire to a cow? Is this the ultimate offense in playing the "green card" to waltz past the regulating authorities?" Then you will be astounded, and possibly appalled, to learn that Meat and Bone Meal, the official industry term for abbatoir waste ground finely enough for use as an energy source, is a common source of fuel to cement kilns and energy recovery facilities everywhere. Put that in the category of "never thought about that before." Is this one step ahead of "Soylent Coal is People!"?...

If we can agree that two of the biggest problems we face in America today are global warming and the virtually complete absence of America’s youth from the political process, then I think we can also agree that the Civil Society Institute and Youth Service America announcing the second round of their Red, White & Green Climate Change Grants is definitely a big deal. Essentially, this opportunity offers grants of $500 to young people in the United States between the ages of 15-25 who are concerned about global warming, and also to groups that engage that same demographic with the topic. The goal is to enable them to develop and implement a service-learning project about climate change that involves their community, policy-makers and candidates running for election in both 2007 and 2008. Ultimately, the Red, White & Green campaign focuses on building the political voices of America’s youth, their ideas about how to solve the problems created by global warming, the fact that they indeed have the most at stake, and the idea that those with the power to act now on a political level just may learn something from listening to them. So what exactly can $500 accomplish this coming year to get students motivated enough to help stop global warming, while raising the issue on a broader scale politically and engaging their peers in the process at the same time? Well, last years grantees came up with some incredible ideas such as the 25 students at the High School for Environmental Studies in NYC who wrote and staged a 3-act play to address myths, government practices, and "what you can do" in relation to climate change. They incorporated the political process by inviting candidates running for election to speak at the performance, and then they made sure that their play was videotaped so that it can be used as a teaching tool in their school for years to come... ...

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Entries for January 28, 2007 - February 3, 2007

Total this week: 139

by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 02. 3.07

by Treehugger Interns on 02. 3.07

by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 02. 3.07

by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 02. 3.07

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02. 3.07

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02. 2.07

by Kyeann Sayer, Nomad on 02. 2.07

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02. 2.07

by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02. 2.07

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02. 2.07

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 02. 2.07

by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 02. 2.07

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 02. 2.07

by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 02. 2.07

by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 02. 2.07

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02. 2.07

by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 02. 2.07

by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 02. 2.07

by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 02. 2.07

by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 02. 2.07

by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 02. 2.07

by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 02. 2.07

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02. 2.07

by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 02. 2.07

by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 02. 2.07

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02. 2.07

by Eric Kane, New York, NY on 02. 2.07

by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02. 2.07

by Bonnie Alter, London on 02. 2.07

by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 02. 2.07

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02. 2.07

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02. 2.07

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 02. 2.07

by Kathreen Ricketson, Canberra, Australia on 02. 2.07

by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 02. 1.07

by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 02. 1.07

by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 02. 1.07

by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 02. 1.07

by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 02. 1.07

by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 02. 1.07

by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 02. 1.07

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02. 1.07

by Ted Owens, New Mexico, USA on 02. 1.07

by Tamara Giltsoff, United Kingdom on 02. 1.07

by Jenna Watson, Barcelona on 02. 1.07

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by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 01.31.07

What’s the Big Deal?

by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 01.31.07

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by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 01.31.07

by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 01.31.07

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by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01.31.07

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01.31.07

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01.31.07

by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 01.31.07

by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 01.31.07