- Vijay Vaitheeswaran (part one)
- Vijay Vaitheeswaran (part two)
- Vinay Gupta
- Alyce Santoro
- Mathis Wackernagel
- Tom Price
- Martha Marks
- Paul Hawken
- David Suzuki
- Wal-Mart's Green Gurus
- Alisa Smith and James Mackinnon, authors of Plenty
- Bob Perkowitz of ecoAmerica
- Ed Begley Jr.
- The Weather Channel's Dr. Heidi Cullen
Entries for June 3, 2007 - June 9, 2007
Total this week: 192
The Ticks Have it: Climate Change Not to Blame for More Diseases?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 9.07
A study conducted by a team of Oxford University scientists and published in the open access journal PloS ONE has suggested that climate change may not be to blame for an increase in the spread of infectious diseases. The majority of research done in recent years has assumed that upsurges in diseases commonly spread by ticks and other insects, such as Lyme disease, have been due to alterations in climate regimes fostered by global warming. Dana Sumilo, the lead author on the article, and her colleagues believe this view may be erroneous.
Using Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) as their model because of widely available, reliable records for infection in the Baltic region dating back to 1970, they found that cases of the disease increased significantly from 1992 to 1993 in Estonia (64%), Latvia (175%) and Lithuania (an astonishing 1065%). After comparing these records with climate records for the same period that showed an uptrend in springtime temperatures since 1989, they concluded that the warmer springs were not significantly correlated with increased TBE transmission, which would've suggested a link between global warming and higher disease transmission. ...
How Green are Computer Makers?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 9.07
Seeking to capitalize on the growing "green" consumer trend, computer makers such as Dell, by all accounts late entrants to the game, have been staking bold positions and claims. In a recent speech he gave in Europe, Michael Dell, the company's founder and CEO, unveiled plans to turn Dell into the "greenest technology company on earth."
In addition to pledging to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 15% by 2012, Dell has extended its tree-planting program and proposed to require its suppliers to disclose their own greenhouse gas emissions. Yet Dell already faces some fierce competition from other established computer brands.
Hewlett-Packard, which just released the world's most environmentally friendly PC, has committed to reduce its energy consumption by 20% in three years while Apple, hardly a slouch in the sustainability movement, has pledged to remove all toxic components from its computer equipment. Fujitsu Siemens Computers, which has been building computers with power-saving features since 1993, launched a new initiative to run the UK's 350 largest companies' data centers 40% more efficiently or donate 10,000 pounds (roughly $20,000) to an environmental charity. ...
Getting a Patent on Life?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 9.07
Craig Venter has never been one to mince words or shy away from a challenge: after beating government scientists to the punch by mapping the human genome first in 2000 using his innovative shotgun sequencing technique, he embarked on a new mission to travel around the world and discover thousands of new bacteria and proteins aboard his research vessel, Sorcerer II. He hopes to parlay his findings from that trip into his grand new project: synthesizing a new breed of microbes from scratch that could produce biofuels or reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
It now seems as though his zeal in moving forward with his plan has landed him in a bit of hot water. A recently unearthed patent application filed by the J Craig Venter Institute that would claim exclusive ownership of a set of genes and a synthetic "free-living organism that can grow and replicate" created using those genes has infuriated some environmentalists who argue it goes against public safety and morality. ...
Berlin's Fave Food Goes Veggie
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 06. 9.07
Berliners love their döners. Short for dönerkebab, from the Turkish for rotating grilled meat, and closely related to the Greek gyros or the arab schawarma, it is hard to think of a döner without thinking meat. So imagine the surprise to see a bio, vegetarian döner stand on the eco-mile at the Berlin Umweltfest (environment festival). It's true though: this is a Wheaty döner.
Sure, the hard core vegetarian will say "why make vegetarian food that looks like meat?". But the fact is, the sight of a rotating skewer makes most people's mouth water for the spicy, herby thin curls--crisp on one side and still soft on the other--which fall into a warmed pita bread to be buried under a salad of fresh vegetables. Do you want garlic, herb or spicy sauce with that? ...
"Go naked," says Method
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 06. 9.07
Full disclosure: Method is a TreeHugger sponsor (or "was", if you are reading this post a long time after it was published). We want to be transparent about it.
Already known for their green(er) stuff, here's a line that goes a bit farther: go naked (they write it without capitalization).
The whole line is dye-free, perfume-free, biodegradable, naturally derived and not tested on animals. There's an all-surface cleaner, dish soap, hand wash and wipes.
And lets not forget to mention that the bottles look pretty good! Almost a shame to recycle them (maybe they sell refill packs -- we couldn't find any, though).
::go naked. See also: ::Microfiber Towels from Method, ::Method Home Cleaning Products
Switched On: 15,000 Homes Powered By Nevada Solar One
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 06. 9.07
We gave you a heads up that it was about to be switched on! Nevada Solar One, the largest solar thermal power plant built in 16 years, has gone online, and is now providing power to Nevada's electrical grid. Built by Acciona Solar Power, the 64MW power plant is the world's third largest solar thermal power plant, and will generate enough reliable clean energy to power 15,000 homes (up to 134 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year). It covers 400 acres.
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Microcompact House: Smaller than Paris Hilton's Jail Cell
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 9.07
Africa's Biggest Solar Plant Unveiled
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 9.07
Africa’s biggest solar powered plant has been unveiled in Rwanda, which the Government claim can produce 250 kilowatts. The plant will increase Rwanda's electricity capacity to 50 megawatts.
Energy State Minister, Albert Butare, spoke to Reuters, "This new installation does not only increase the generation capacity but is also one of the cleanest energy sources. It is the biggest such project in Africa. There is no comparison on record."
It’s not yet enough for the rapidly developing country though; 100 megawatts are needed to meet the soaring demand for power. Regular blackouts have caused many to resort to expensive and dirty diesel generators. The story is the same throughout the developing world, the demand for power, transport and goods is increasing rapidly. Many fear that this will cause a huge surge in global emissions in the near future, and that a solution is urgently needed....
Military Disassemble 'Coral-Destruction Machine'
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 9.07
It took only days to turn a huge area of sea bed into a complete dead zone, but will take years to fix. Interestingly, it wasn’t an environmental disaster that occurred off Fort Lauderdale, but an attempt to provide an artificial reef.
In 1972, a company called Broward Artificial Reef Inc. dumped 700,000 tires into the sea. They had the backing and support of both the military and Goodyear, plus help from many amateur boaters, so the operation went smoothly. Unfortunately though, the tires broke loose from their bundles and wedged themselves amongst the real coral reef, where they acted as a "constantly killing coral-destruction machine," according to William Nuckols, who is coordinating the project. "They had to come up." ...
The "World's Thinnest, Most Compact Folding Chair": ISIS by Jake Phillips
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 9.07
TreeHugger loves folding furniture, for its ability to reduce in volume, get out of the way and save some space, and have seen a few pretty neat examples: Dror Benshetrit's chair that "folds" into a two-dimensional wall-hanging and Whit McLeod's Wine Barrel Folding Chair are just a few. Now, from UK-based designer Jake Phillips, comes the sleek ISIS chair, "the world's thinnest, most compact folding chair" that folds completely flat to a diminutive 3 cm, or just about an inch. The chair is made from a series of flat geometric panels that are all contained within its frame, folding into a handy, stackable box. According to the designers' site, "Each panel is constructed from several high-strength laminations, which are designed to ensure that the chair flexes and supports the user, providing an unexpected level of comfort." While we aren't sure that Phillips has seen the 2F Folding Chair (which folds to less than an inch), the design is still pretty noteworthy. We'd love to see some sustainable plywood and low-VOC lacquers on the chair, but anything with this level of utility still deserves a 'hugg. ::Jake Phillips via ::Yanko Design...
DIY: Reclaiming Trash to Make Books
by Kathreen Ricketson, Canberra, Australia on 06. 9.07
A good way to recycle paper that is used on only one side is to make a blank journal from the papers. There are excellent instructions at instructables on how to use simple binding techniques to bind together the cut papers with a thicker cover of your choice holding it together.
To explore recycling paper options more check TreeHugger's guides to how to green your recycling and how to green your work.
You can get really inventive with doing this, using all sorts of different papers, from copy paper, to graph papers, tracing papers and even gift wrapping. For the cover there are really so many choices to re-use your trash or otherwise discarded items to make a very funky cover, such as cassette tapes, bingo cards, vintage magazines, junk food cartons, even floppy discs and wood.
::Instructables book binding tutorial ::etsy store to purchase these books from the tutorial ::Book binding tutorial ::top image from this etsy store...
Underground Ethanol Pipes for the US?
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 9.07
Leonard Boswell wants alternative fuels to be far more easily available to the American public. The Iowa Congressmen has introduced bipartisan legislation, calling for research into underground pipelines for ethanol and bio-diesel.
If the bill becomes law, it will force the Department of Energy to conduct a technological, economic, regulatory and financial study into the viability of transporting the fuels underground, and distributing them to fuel stations around the country.
However, many believe that creating a large and expensive infrastructure for these fuels is rash. There are huge problems with their production, which need to be solved before they are a sustainable solution. Production of bio-fuels has been shown to push up food crop prices, and is often the cause of deforestation due to the large demand for more planting space. New and better techniques for production are emerging all the time, but it still has some way to go.
Even if they were a viable solution today, would it be worth investing money and energy in creating a permanent infrastructure for something that many see as a short-term solution? Ideally we won’t still be using this technology in 20 years, but instead relying on electric cars powered, ideally, by clean power stations. ...
Pickup Truck Sales Falling, Taking Auto Industry With Them
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 9.07
Perhaps that pickup should be going off a cliff instead of down a hill; it appears that pickup sales, which contribute big profits to the car manufacturers, are falling rapidly as gas prices increase. Now instead of being parked in suburban driveways, they are being bought by farmers and construction workers. According to the New York Times, Bucky Hacker has sold his Dodge Ram; he thought its macho appearance would help him attract girls. But there were drawbacks. “Gas was ridiculous,” Mr. Hacker, 24, said. “The thing got 13 miles per gallon.” His Mazda averages twice that, or 26 miles per gallon in city and highway driving.
The Times continues: Mr. Hacker touches on a reason sales have dropped: a growing sense of environmental responsibility that has flared along with gas prices. That, and an uncertain housing market, which is prompting many contractors to delay buying new trucks, have combined to cut into pickup truck sales, which are down 5 percent so far this year from a weak market last year. That is more than double the overall decline in industry sales, which are down 2 percent this year." ::New York Times ...
Twenty+Change
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 9.07
Architecture is not a young person's profession; it takes a long time to get a licence, get out on your own, build a body of work and get exposure. That is why exhibitions like Twenty+Change are so important; they expose the work of young and talented designers to the larger community. After an open call, a curatorial committee selected twenty of the submissions, which are on display at the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto until July 8.
It is an "exhibition of contemporary architecture, landscape, and urban design projects.... The intention of the exhibition is to showcase work by emerging practices and designers who have yet to receive widespread public and media attention for their speculative or completed work." although some of the submissions are quite well known and some of the exhibitors are hardly young. ...
The Green Shop: UK Business Approaches Sustainability from Every Possible Angle
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 06. 9.07
It’s hard to think of a category of green products that the UK-based Green Shop doesn’t sell. Like other online green retailers Green For Good, Gaiam, or Natural Collection (who are also based in the UK), The Green Shop offers ecologically-minded body care and natural cleaning products, energy saving bulbs and other devices, green garden products, and sustainable gifts and toys. However, The Green Shop doesn’t just stop at providing quality online green retail, through subsidiary companies they also offer real-world installation of rainwater harvesting and solar hot water systems. As if this were not enough, the company also runs a real, live shop in Gloucestershire that incorporates a green gas station offering lower carbon alternative fuels like Liquid Petroleum Gas and Biodiesel, and is currently in the process of building a new shop with even more comprehensive sustainability features (pictured). According to the company’s website, they are not only committed to selling quality products that help people to green their lifestyles, but they are also active in walking their talk themselves:
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Call 07758225698 to Hear a Glacier Melting
by Bonnie Alter, London on 06. 9.07
If you want to hear the sound of global warming, in the form of the largest glacier in Europe melting and eroding, call the number listed above. The artist Katie Paterson is camped out in the cold at Vatnajokull, Iceland where she has installed a waterproof microphone into an ice cap in the lagoon. It is linked to a phone on land. She got help from Virgin Mobile to do this as part of her graduating year art school project. At the gallery exhibition in London all that can be seen is a neon sign with her mobile number. As she says, "This lagoon is a graveyard of glaciers. In a way there is something heartbreaking about this, knowing that you are listening to something magnificent being destroyed - but it is also very beautiful, a celebration of nature." She has been fascinated with glaciers for awhile. Her last work involved recording the sound of melting icebergs on a long playing disc, then using water from the glaciers to make a frozen cast--which did play and reproduced the sound until it began to melt. To make the experience more intimate, only one person can be ‘connected’ to the glacier at anyone time. It is very hard to get through so trying in the small hours of the morning is recommended. :: Guardian...
Building the Future on Discovery Channel
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 9.07
William Gibson famously said "The future is here, its just not evenly distributed." The Discovery Channel tries to pull it all together with its new show, Building the Future, in four episodes covering issues that we cover: The energy solution, 21st century shelter, Surviving climate change and the quest for water. From the photo gallery, it appears to favour megaprojects and dramatic solutions; the video gallery also shows some grand schemes, like Roger Davey's solar tower proposed for Australia, beautifully modelled and montaged with Davey flying around it in a balloon. Its probably worth watching just for scenes like this. Energy and Shelter on Sunday June 10; (schedule here) ::Discovery Channel...
Tonight at 7pm ET: Free Online Discussion for World Environment / World Ocean Day
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 06. 9.07
Image credit: Jim Frazier
Log onto your PC at 7pm ET tonight and join a distinguished panel of experts who will be discussing the importance of the world's oceans, as well as how climate change is shaking up our polar and oceanic ecosystems.
A World Environmental Day and World Ocean Day special event, the free online discussion (and "music celebration," though we're not quite sure what that means) will feature actor and environmentalist Edward James Begley, Jr., Philippe Cousteau, grandson of Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau, alongside today's leading environmentalists. More deets below the fold....
Responsible Tourism Awards 2007 Looking For Your Nominations
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 06. 8.07
The online eco-travel agency Responsible Travel has teamed up with Virgin Holidays to present the Responsible Tourism Awards for the fourth year in a row. They are now looking to you to nominate your favourite 'tourism ventures all over the world that make a positive contribution to conservation and the economies of local communities while minimizing any negative impacts of tourism'. They already have 600 nominations in the bag, but would like as many people to contribute as possible, they are hoping to go beyond the 1200 nominations that they received last year. If you nominate a winner you will entered into a prize draw for an all inclusive trip to Nepal or Uganda. Responsible Travel have asked us to particularly look at the following catagories: 'Best for Low Carbon Transport & Technology', 'Best for Conservation of Endangered Species', 'Best in a Mountain Environment' and 'Best in a Marine / Beach Environment'. Read more about the awards on Green Girls Global. :: Responsible Tourism Awards ::Responsible Travel
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Drought Again
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 06. 8.07
Per the latest NOAA drought map, regional drought is still severe in parts of the US, as elsewhere in the world. (We've posted earlier versions of this map several times before. However, linking back makes no sense, as drought is a now-and-looking-forward issue.) Instead, here's what to expect as the dry months proceed....
Round and Round We Go: Is Corn-Based Ethanol Viable?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 8.07
Over at The Oil Drum, Gail has just penned an exhaustive and, we think, invaluable post clarifying the perceived benefits and disadvantages of using corn-based ethanol as an alternative to fossil fuels. While we've already touched on this issue at length several times in the past (see here and here for some recent posts), we thought this post in particular would provide a perfect springboard for further discussion....
TreeHugger Picks: Downloading Design
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 8.07
Downloadable designs for 3-D printing is a pretty intriguing idea for the future; instead of going to the store to replace a watch band (for example), just download the design and "print" it yourself. Until 3-D printers are as common as inkjet printers in homes, we'll be content with printing paper at home to create usable objects from a digital design and a flat piece of paper.
 | 1) Having this pinhole camera is as easy as downloading the design, printing the PDF, following the instructions, loading the film, and pointing and clicking to your heart's content. |
 | 2) Foldschool furniture follows the same idea, though on a slightly larger scale. Designer Nicola Enrico Stäubli says, "Mass culture is run by superficiality and ecological absurdity. The mindset of foldschool is to restore design to one of its original missions: to provide a product at an affordable price through a smart manufacturing process." |
| 3) Why stop with a camera and furniture when you can download and print a whole house? Well, a scaled-down replica of a house, at least, but still an impressive bit of design and architecture considering it's made from the same stuff TPS reports are usually printed on. Hit the jump for the remaining two picks... |
Elucidesign: Brooklyn Designs for the 21st Century
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 8.07
Embracing usability, sustainability and aesthetic uniqueness in all areas of design, Brooklyn-based Elucidesign combines the experiences of an aerospace machinist, fine artist and furniture designer and anthropologist who has traveled to over 18 countries in Europe and South America. This conglomeration of perspectives from Sef Pinney, Chris Jondle and Mike Angio has lead to the creation of the Redpoint Collection, a line of furniture that combines smart materials use -- water-based and non-toxic finishes, FSC-certified or domestic woods from well-managed forests -- with a "passion to design beautiful pieces with durability that will travel with you for a lifetime." The aptly-named, wing-like Aileron coffee table (pictured above) is a good introduction to the designers' style: ergonomic (almost aerodynamic), clean and minimal without being spare. Hit the jump for more pics of their work, and check out their site for more info on their furniture, philosophy and other products and services. ::Elucidesign...
Historic Sites in Danger
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 8.07
Important landmarks around the World are in danger from the effects of climate change, according to the World Monuments Fund. The organisation has published a list of the 100 most endangered sites, which includes neighbourhoods in New Orleans, the Church of the Holy Nativity in Bethlehem, areas of Iraq and Machu Picchu in Peru.
Although these lists have been published before, every two years in fact, this is the first to cite global warming as one of the forces threatening the monuments....
Bloomberg’s Traffic Plan Gets State and Federal Support
by Eric Kane, New York, NY on 06. 8.07
In April, we wrote about Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s proposal to bring congestion pricing to New York City. The plan would require drivers to pay an $8-a-day fee to drive below 86th street in Manhattan between 6am and 6pm on weekdays. Although it appears as if the Mayor is in for a legislative fight, the proposal recently received key endorsements from New York Governor, Eliot Spitzer, and the Bush Administration. Mary E. Peters, the US Transportation Secretary, announced that New York City was one of nine finalists for a share of $1.1 billion in federal aid to fight urban traffic. However, the city’s share could be in jeopardy if the Mayor’s proposal does not win legislative approval by August. The necessary support may be difficult to achieve, as State Assembly and State Senate members from both sides of the aisle have voiced concerns. Despite, concerns of his own, Spitzer said he would work to ensure the passage of the plan. For those who think such a plan might not be necessary, the Transportation Secretary was apparently delayed in meeting with the mayor and governor because of traffic on the FDR Drive. ...
The Ying-Yang of Ecological Consumerism
by Jenna Watson, Barcelona on 06. 8.07
What do you get when you join a Swiss psychologist, a Dutch professor of social and environmental psychology and a Post-doc in psychology at Northwestern University? A study of 547 Swiss residents about how socioeconomic characteristics (education, employment and occupational level), living circumstances ( place of residence, household income, household size), and store characteristics (supermarket or organic food stores) affect green consumerism. The study was published in the journal Environment and Behavior in January 2004 [Vol 36 (1): 94-111]. What is also interesting (especially since I always write about life cycle assessment) is that the study compared people’s self-reported consumption patterns with their respective calculated environmental impacts based on – you guessed it – life cycle assessment.
To keep a complicated article short, they conclude (what we would probably expect) that people’s reported ecological behavior did coincide with less harmful environmental impacts. Basically, people that thought they were making more ecological choices were! Phewf. Thank goodness. Sometimes I do fear that although I am making what I think are more eco-friendly choices, I might be mistaken or misinformed. They do say their comparison is limited because they didn’t include milk, but I am willing to accept this one little study’s findings. The other interesting result from the study is how the consumer patterns were affected by socioeconomic characteristics, living circumstances and stores. ...
More Stranger Furniture: Modern, Green, Not Weird
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 8.07
While we don't know if his name describes his personality, we do know that we like William Stranger's furniture. His self-named design/build company, Stranger Furniture, has been building furniture in a Pasadena, California studio for the better part of two decades; we originally featured his Monolith Table and mentioned Good Wood, a design event he co-organized to promote environmental consciousness in furniture back in 2005. We noted back then that his work had a strong organic (almost rustic) feel to it; his work (mostly tables) was all about using wood for good and letting the beauty of the ex-tree shine through. Since then, he's created some new pieces that have served to update both his style and use of materials; take the "Light (Gets In) Sideboard" (pictured above), for example. Built from bamboo plywood, kirei board and FSC-certified plywood (for the drawers), the piece is designed for a high materials yield and super-durability (more info and pics after the jump)....
Blogfish Hosts Inaugural Carnival of the Blue
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 8.07
, 
In celebration of World Ocean Day, the first ever Carnival of the Blue is being hosted by blogfish, curated by The Ocean Conservancy's Mark Powell, and features contributions from several popular ocean-oriented blogs, including ScienceBlogs' Pharyngula and Shifting Baselines, Oceana and The Blue Economy. Also be sure to check out our previous coverage of World Ocean Day for a quick primer on its inception and a rundown of all the festivities!
See also: ::Sustainablog Hosts Carnival of the Green, ::Groxie Hosts Carnival of the Green, ::Eco Worrier Hosts Carnival of the Green, ::Everyday Trash Hosts Carnival of the Green...
Male Fish Turning Female, Detergent to Blame?
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 8.07
It’s not only you that doesn’t enjoy washing-up - fish aren’t big fans either. Certain chemicals used in detergents are believed to cause male fish to develop female characteristics. This has prompted the environmental group, the Sierra Club, to ask the federal Government to ban these chemicals, called nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs). They have also asked the EPA to ban their use on areas where water treatment plants aren’t equipped to remove them.
"We think it's time for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to take action and restrict this chemical," said Ed Hopkins of the Sierra Club. The EPA is developing a program, called the Safer Detergents Stewardship Initiative, which would recognise those who remove NPEs from their products, but would not enforce removal.
Cases of intersex fish have been reported for the last decade, and NPEs are believed to be one cause, as is water run-off from farms. Procter & Gamble and Unilever have already removed the substance from it’s products, and substituted other chemicals.
The Alkylphenols & Ethoxylates Research Council is a trade group for producers of NPEs, which obviously support the use of the chemical. "NP, NPE and their biodegradation intermediates are among the most extensively studied compounds in commerce today. Few compounds have the same degree of test data and have received the same degree of scrutiny," said Robert Fensterheim, executive director.
However, Hopkins and the Sierra Club believe that the EPA didn’t fully consider the range of effects that NPEs might have on fish when drawing up the tests. For more information on which detergents are safe to use, have a look at our previous coverage. :: ENN
See also :: How To Green Your Dishwasher :: Washington State Bans Detergents...
No More Power Cords: Wireless Energy is Here
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 8.07
The tinfoil hat brigade has something new to worry about: WiTricity, or wireless transfer of electricity from source to device without a cord. The dust bunnies will have nowhere to hide when the mess of wires under the desk is banished, replaced by a resonating receiver. Scientists have been playing with this for a while; Nikola Tesla experimented with long-range wireless energy transfer, but his most ambitious attempt - the 29m high aerial known as Wardenclyffe Tower, in New York - failed when he ran out of money. Now researchers have lit a 60W lightbulb from a distance of seven feet.
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The TH Interview: Mark Powell, Vice President in Charge of Fish Conservation at The Ocean Conservancy
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 8.07
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After first obtaining a B.A. in Biology from Reed College and a Ph.D. in biology from the University of California, San Diego, Mark Powell had a short stint as an assistant professor of marine sciences at the University of Connecticut. After three years, he moved on to the Ocean Conservancy, a leading non-profit focused on issues of marine conservation, where he currently serves as the Vice President in charge of Fish Conservation. His day-to-day responsibilities include monitoring the organization's conservation efforts with the goal of promoting healthy fish populations and marine ecosystems and increasing public awareness of overfishing problems nationwide. Mark recently took time out of his busy schedule to sit down with us and answer a few questions about his position.
TreeHugger: How did you become interested in working for the Ocean Conservancy?
MP: I was doing salmon and river conservation work and jumped at the chance to work on ocean conservation, which was my first true love (ok, first true work love). Ocean Conservancy is the biggest, oldest ocean group, and we’re proudly all oceans all the time I’m happier than a pig in mud. ...
G8 Summit: US to "Seriously Consider" European Climate Pact
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 06. 8.07
Yesterday in Heiligendamm, Germany, the G8 summit closed with the announcement of a compromise on climate change that has newspaper editors around the world burning out their quotation mark keys: the US agreed to "seriously consider" a European goal of halving worldwide planetary greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the G8 "endorsed" US President George Bush's plan for a meeting of 15 nations to set "national goals for reducing emissions," and German chancellor Angela Merkel declared the agreement a "huge success." As one might expect, environmental groups tended to have a less enthusiastic response to the announced "agreement":...
Be Productive & Be Green with Herman Miller's Be Collection
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 8.07
Q: How many keyboard trays does it take to fill a landfill?
A: We don't know and we ain't about to find out.
This sentiment is the inspiration behind Herman Miller's Be Collection, a new assortment of products designed to make your workplace more comfortable, organized, connected (and green, in several cases). "The products range from the familiar to technological breakthroughs and palm-to-the-forehead 'why didn't I think of thats.' Designs to keep you comfortable, organized and connected," says the site, and they've employed Herman Miller's Design for the Environment protocol (DfE) for material selection and product design. For example, their selection of keyboard trays (the "keyboard tray" is above, center) is made from recyclable polyethylene. Most comparable keyboard trays are made from phenolic, which is a thermoset plastic that can't be recycled. They've also included the LED-powered Leaf light (above, left, hugged here and here) and fluorescent Andrea light (above, right) in the collection of sleek, thoughtful, useful products. They aren't all as green as they could be, but they are all quite functional and designed to be so for a long time; sometimes, with designs like that, the green features can almost be considered a bonus. Some of the products are available for order now; the rest will be available by the end of the summer. ::Herman Miller's Be Collection via ::Apartment Therapy...
World House Interdesign 2007
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 8.07
The World House Interdesign 2007 is an international conference being hosted by the Institute without Boundaries in partnership with the International Council of Societies of Industrial Design (Icsid), the Harbinger Foundation and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. Running from June 24 to 30, it is a week of lectures from the likes of Thomas Homer-Dixon, design charrettes and presentations focusing this year on Sustainable Housing and Water: Local and Global Challenges. There is a choice from four charrettes to work in, covering conservation, revitalization, sustainability and capacity.
The World House Project was started with Bruce Mau to "to design a sustaining, universal and healthy human dwelling"; Interdesign's goal is "To bring together designers, educators and students from around the world to share ideas and develop concepts for a sustainable future, using the World House Project research and principles." Unlike a lot of programs, this is surprisingly affordable; a whole week for C$ 200, $C 75 for students. Sign up at ::World House Interdesign...
TD Bank's New Green Framework
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 8.07
Generally people do not feel warm and fuzzy about banks. A number of them, like Wachovia, HSBC, Bank of America and Wells Fargo have announced green measures; Now Canada's TD Bank (owns Ameritrade, Waterhouse and Banknorth in the States) has released its "Environmental Management Framework." This TD customer feels warm and fuzzy.
TD is concentrating on four areas: Forest diversity, Climate change, Aboriginal peoples and TD's operational footprint. Of particular interest in a country where forestry and resource extraction are so important (and big borrowers) TD:
"will not provide credit, underwriting, or advisory services for operations that are in World Heritage Sites or for these that significantly convert or degrade critical natural habitats"...
Freeplay Indigo Flashlight: Self-Powered LED Illumination
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 06. 8.07
We’re big fans of Freeplay, the innovative developers of self-powered communications and lighting devices. We’ve previously covered their fantastic Lifeline Radio, which was specifically designed for humanitarian relief and development work. We’ve also written about their Jonta Flashlight before too. Now we bring news of yet another super-efficient, potentially self-powered lighting device, the Indigo LED Lantern. The unit can be powered either by using the hand crank on the back, or by using the mains adaptor, and can provide 2.5 hours of light at full power, 35 hours of torch light (which apparently is good enough for reading by), and 70 hours of illumination in night-light mode. The makers claim that the LED bulbs provide anywhere up to 100,000 hours of useful life. That’s a lot of reading! ::Freeplay Energy::
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LED Swing
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 8.07
Didn't you hate it when it got dark and you had to go inside? With BCXSY's swing lamp, you need never feel alone in the dark again. The Swing Lamp "creates a comforting ambiance through lighting and movement."
Made from "Acryl-glass, rope, SMD LED lighting with press-switch mechanism", it is not really TreeHugger correct but we love showing the amazing things creative people are doing with LEDs. These lights will change our world.
::Swing Lamp from the Play Series by ::BCXSY via ::Mocoloco
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Why We Love Cities: Rooftop Films
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 8.07
Cities have the density and numbers to support all kinds of activities. Where in most of North America the small cinemas have closed and the drive-ins are dying under the onslaught of the DVD and download, in cities there are enough people to support a film festival that "supports, creates, promotes, and shows daring short films worldwide and in a weekly summer rooftop film festival." on rooftops in Manhattan and Brooklyn. It is "a collective collaboration between filmmakers and festivals, between audience members and artists, between venues and neighborhoods. Our goal is to create a vibrant independent filmmaking community that bridges cultural boundaries. At Rooftop Films, we bring the underground outdoors."
Cities are the engine that drives such creativity, that invents activities that bring people together without moving them all in cars into air conditioned sheds. Where else could this happen? ::Rooftop Film Festival starts Friday, June 8. via ::PSFK ...
Chimp Who Likes to Paint & Other Artists
by Karin Kloosterman, Jerusalem, Israel on 06. 8.07
In 1957, his first works in the abstract expressionist style were in a gallery in London. Both Miro and Picasso bought his work and a couple of years ago, an American art collector bought three paintings for about $30,000. Who was the artist? His name was Congo and he was a chimpanzee. It is not only chimps that can paint and enjoy creating art, says Prof. Ben Ami Sharfstein, author of a new book Birds, Elephants and Other Artists. Elephants can paint, birds enjoy singing duets and Japanese cranes appear to dance for no other reason than enjoyment, writes Sharfstein.
Philosophers generally agree that animals can create aesthetically pleasing music and even pictures perhaps (as in the case of Congo). But it is art? Naysayers cluck their tongues. They don’t recognize animal creativity as art and believe art is reserved for the domain of human beings. "This is nothing but unjustified arrogance based on prejudice," says Sharfstein who won Israel’s most prestigious prize for philosophy in 2005....
Bindi Irwin Gets Her Own Show, Follows in Dad's Footsteps
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 06. 8.07
This past Tuesday was World Environment Day, and Bindi Irwin, the daughter of Steve Irwin, and her mother Terri Irwin, along with a veritable smorgasbord of U.N. and Discovery Channel officials celebrated the launch of the new Discovery Kids Channel series, BINDI: THE JUNGLE GIRL at U.N. Headquarters in NYC to mark the occasion. The series is based on Bindi’s passion for animals and conservation, and like her father it’s that intense drive to protect the planet that makes it possible to bring fascinating creatures facing extinction around the globe into the hearts and minds of kids everywhere. The first episode is set to air tomorrow night, June 9 at 5PM (ET) on Discovery Kids Channel, and is titled simply “Not Many Left”. Throughout the series she’ll be helping kids around the world come to understand how and why every animal, both large and small, needs protection. And let’s face it, if she’s a chip off the old block in any way at all she’s going to do a terrific job of it too… So tune in and check it out with your kids tomorrow night, because it should be a lot of fun!
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Recipe of the Week: Carrot and Coriander Soup
by Kelly Rossiter, Toronto on 06. 8.07
More and more restaurants are adding vegetarian items to their menus these days. In Toronto, there also seems to be a steady growth of restaurants devoted entirely to vegetarian food. Ruth Tal owned juice bars called Juice for Life in three locations throughout the city. She has reconfigured these into restaurants serving vegetarian cuisine and renamed them Fresh. Tal has a new cookbook entitled reFresh: Contemporary Vegan Recipes from the Award Winning Fresh Restaurants. This recipe is from a review of the book printed in the Star. It was really easy to prepare and quite tasty. Add a green salad and and some crusty bread and you have a great light summer dinner in less than 45 minutes....
Stay Cool with Programmable LED Fan
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 8.07
The Heat Is On - A 'Who's Who' On Climate Position
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 06. 8.07
Wouldn't it be great to have a single website that profiles every US presidential candidate's take on Climate Change? Good news -- there is one, provided by the League of Conservation Voters. "The goal of The Heat Is On is to raise the debate on global warming and make it a priority issue during the presidential primaries." In fact, LCV has turned up the heat in several ways. "We will educate and organize concerned citizens in early caucus and primary states. With organizers in each state, we will recruit hundreds of volunteers to place global warming at the forefront of the political debate...Working with concerned political donors, we will elevate global warming in the "wealth primary." We will coordinate a network of hundreds of political donors who believe global warming is a top priority...We will educate and challenge the media to make this a top political issue, and sure that global warming is a central part of candidate stories, debates and interviews." And so on. Leaving for a moment the rather tedious and narrow process of US elections, let's expand the dream to a global scale. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a globally based organization for businesses that cared about sustainable development, that engaged with climate change? There is just such an organization and it's called the World Business Council for Sustainable Developement, or "WBCSD." The WBCSD has a website with a membership roster and recently has started guest posting on TreeHugger. Here's their first one, dealing with climate change, of course....
World Naked Bike Day: June 9
by Bonnie Alter, London on 06. 8.07
It's not for everyone, but it is certainly a cause that most treehuggers would support. World Naked Bike Day is a protest against the vulnerability of cyclists and the domination of car culture. In their words: " It's time to put a stop to the indecent exposure of people and the planet to cars and the pollution they create. We face automobile traffic with our naked bodies as the best way of defending our dignity and exposing the vulnerability faced by cyclists and pedestrians on our streets as well as the negative consequences we all face due to dependence on oil, and other forms of non-renewable energy". Now in its 4th year, it is easy to join since it takes place in 20 countries and 70 cities. If you are creative you can decorate [Warning: Naked People, NSFW -Ed.] your bike, or your body. You can also ride a skateboard, roller blades or a unicycle. Too shy? Go "bare as you dare". And the answer to that question you're dying to ask (what does it feel like to ride nude?), the answer is: "Just like it does with clothes but a bit cooler. Most riders also find it exhilarating, liberating, empowering... and downright hilarious. :: World Naked Bike Ride ...
NY Teens to Gauge Air Pollution
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 06. 8.07
Surrounded as they are by power plants, a waste-transfer station, and a busy expressway, how do the residents of one Brooklyn neighborhood breathe? A group of intrepid teenagers, who will soon be taking to the streets to monitor pollutant levels, intend to find out.
For about six months, volunteers from a New York-based Hispanic community organization, UPROSE, will be using handheld devices to monitor the levels of nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other particles circulating in the air in Sunset Park.
Their efforts are part of a wider campaign to map the air quality of several urban U.S. neighborhoods. "In order for us to really change things, we need to know what's there on a daily basis," said Frank Torres, director of youth leadership for UPROSE. "We want to educate the community, put the power in their hands so they can change their surroundings."...
Green Roofs On Cars
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 8.07
Treehugger loves green roofs; they cool whatever is under them, eat pollution and produce oxygen, just what every city needs. Zhishai, a Beijing taxi driver thought that it might work in his cab; he planted two square meters of lawn on his roof which keeps him cool and comfy in 36 degree celsius. ::XinHua via ::Splurch...
Sundance Catalog Has a Treasure or Two
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 06. 8.07
The Sundance Catalog is only a couple years off 20 years supply of artisan wares. And as you might expect, given their sister project Sundance Channel’s recent move into full-on eco-broadcasting via The Green, they have a few products that hold some environmentally cred. Included here is a 100% hemp rug - organically grown and woven by hand. Recycled glass plates, bowls and glasses, made from used glass containers and thrown without using extra sand or chemicals. Organic cotton bath towels - fair traded and on special! They have beds made from reclaimed old-growth cypress and douglas fir timbers topped vinegar barrels at an Heinz factory in Pittsburgh, PA. But that was too big to squeeze into our pic combo, so we threw in the pine cabinet made of wood salvaged from to-be-demolished buildings. And then there's an old favourite here on TreeHugger too, the Pashley Princess city bike. ::Sundance Catalog....
Retread Tyres Save Millions of Gallons of Oil Yearly
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 06. 8.07
We’ve seen before, on one or two occasions, how properly inflated tyres can save on fuel consumption and hence CO2 emissions. So much so that the US wastes 4 million gallons through under-inflated tires. Now we learn, via the US-based Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau, that while it takes 22 gallons (83 litres) of oil to make one average size truck tire, we only need use about 7 gallons to have it retreaded. Thus a fleet replacing around 100 tires annually would save 1,500 gallons (~5,680 litres) a year. Apparently the US federal government have a mandate for the use of retreads on certain federal fleet vehicles, and other major fleets like the U.S. Postal Service, Fed Ex, UPS routinely use retreads, but the TRIB want to encourage the many who aren’t to get with the program. The TRIB, is a non-profit, member supported industry association with hundreds of members in North America (and in many countries). They also want folk to know that those so-called ‘rubber alligators’ seen on highways are more likely the result of poor tyre inflation or overloading, rather than a blown retread, which they contend is a common misconception. Much more from the ::Tire Retread & Repair Information Bureau, via ::Azom....
Britain's First Biodiesel Train Takes to the Tracks
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 06. 7.07
Just what would the Fat Controller make of this? Virgin has waved off one of its Voyager trains on its maiden journey with a load of 20% biodiesel aboard. The environmental benefits of converting their whole fleet to this fuel, are according to Sir Richard Branson, a reduction in CO2 emissions by 14%. Or 34,500 less tonnes of CO2 being emitted into the atmosphere (equivalent to taking 23,000 cars off the road annually). The Voyager will chug about on a six month national trial before the rest of the fleet changes over. And there are plans to get them running on 100% biodiesel. The Beeb report this is made from rapeseed, soyabean and palm oil, but it is not entirely clearly if they mean Virgin’s specific blend, or biodiesel in general. In Virgin’s own press release they note that the UK Treasury has extended them a concession on the duty price of biodiesel for this trial. Normally it's an astounding 54.68p per litre, when only 7.69p per litre on usual petroleum-based railway diesel! They also observe that they’ll be trialling biofuel for their air fleet in 2008. ::Virgin Trains Green Policy, via BBC.
See also Biogas for Swedish Trains....
Isn’t Marketing About Selling More?
by Tamara Giltsoff, United Kingdom on 06. 7.07
I am at interesting marketing trends conference in London today, hosted by PSFK.com. In fact, I was speaking on a 'green' panel at the conference. My role: to communicate the service paradigm, and its connection to sustainability, to an audience who are used to being paid money by clients to sell more products (I am generalizing). I am here to talk about looking beyond the product, or even behind the product, to the systemic challenges and opportunities for innovation – through the supply chain to the business model (the system). Here’s some examples where this thinking is needed: John Grant responded to an audience comment on a brand of Scotch Whiskey made and bottled in Scotland (to claim its authenticity) and shipped to China bearing the weight of glass bottles. Wouldn't it make more sense to bottle it in China (or make it in China dare I even say it)? His point was that sooner or later consumers will be uncomfortable with carbon tag connected to this kind of systemic insanity. In fact, one day, Scotch Whiskey shipped to China will be a stupid idea – no? In the same conversation, I cited that U.S. import taxes on alcohol have all but disappeared, but import alcohol still generates a 20-30% higher margin (don’t quote me on that exact percentage), so manufacturers get it produced offshore then imported back into the U.S. to sell again at an import premium! Consumers think they are getting a premium alcohol and are happy to pay more for it. Systemic insanity again. The tone for our debate was brilliantly established with these examples. We were talking systems and business models, and less about “What can I do about this green thing?”, which is the question I keep getting asked by marketers lately. ...
Far East – Big Green
by Neil Chambers, New York City on 06. 7.07
Mainland China may be getting all the attention for beginning to adopt green building as a standard in the country, but green building has been around in Hong Kong for over a decade. The Hong Kong Building Environmental Assessment Method, or HK-BEAM is the leading green standard in the Far East. The HK-BEAM Society, the administrative body for the standard, is a non-profit organization that owns and operates the assessment method on a self-financing basis in coordination with the Hong Kong Business Environment Council (BEC). The BEC conducts all of the building assessments on behalf of the Society. HK-BEAM has six major objectives: to improve the environmental performance of buildings across their life cycle, to provide healthier, higher quality, more durable and efficient working and living environments for building occupants, to contribute significantly towards sustainable development in Hong Kong, to build capacity in the industry to move quickly towards sustainability, to educate the Hong Kong community to the concepts of eco-efficiency and sustainability and to extend these sound practices beyond Hong Kong into the Asia Pacific region....
What the World Eats
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 7.07
Time magazine has an interesting article "How the World Eats", lamenting the losses of traditional diets. "In an era of instant communication and accelerated trade, those cultural exchanges have exploded, leading to something closer to cultural homogenization. That's bad for not only the preservation of national identities but the preservation of health too. Saturated fats and meats are displacing grains and fresh vegetables. Mealtimes are shrinking. McDonald's is everywhere. From Chile to China, the risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease is on the rise as the idiosyncratic fare that used to make mealtime in New Delhi, Buenos Aires and Sydney such distinctive experiences is vanishing." ::Time Magazine
The photo essay, "what the world eats" shows fifteen photographs from Peter Menzel's book Hungry Planet. ""Arresting, beautiful, enlightening and infinitely human, this is a collection of full-page photos of families around the world surrounded by what they eat in a single week -- from Bhutan to San Antonio." ::Hungry Planet...
Now More Than a Million Toyota Hybrids
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 7.07
Since 1997 in Japan and 2000 everywhere else Toyota has sold a million hybrids and it just keeps climbing; by 2010 they expect to be selling a million a year. They now make them in Changchun, China and Kentucky in the US and sell them in forty countries.
72% of hybrids sold have been the Prius model; according to Hybridcars.com, "the Prius inspires a cult-like devotion from its drivers. Satisfaction rates, consistently at 98 percent, are unparalleled." They have become an obsession; people are hacking them, adding solar power, become mileage maniacs and pimping them into plug-ins.
And in America, Daimler can barely give Chrysler away. ::Green Car Congress
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Mark & Spencer Reveal Plan A
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 7.07
Marks & Spencer has announced the rest of its 100 point plan to become carbon neutral. Stuart Rose, Chief Executive, said, “We believe a responsible business can be a profitable business. We are calling this "Plan A" because there is no 'plan B'.” They announced the £200M project early in the year, but not all of the 100 points have been released until now.
They have already made some significant steps, such as labelling food that has been flown in from other countries, and moving towards their target of reducing packaging by 25%. They also announced that they would be participating in a carbon footprint labelling scheme.
The new points announced include changing all company cars to either diesel or hybrid, and offering staff cash rather than a car. They will also promote train travel over flights, but it is unclear what will happen to the private jet that the chain lease.
The project is a great aim, and will hopefully act as a model which other stores can use to achieve the same goal. If M&S can prove that a large ethical, sustainable business can also be a profitable one, then perhaps others will follow suit. To really create change though, managers need an incentive to do so. Rather than keeping shareholders happy, they need motivation to keep the environment happy.
This motivation may actually come from customers. Mike Barry, head of corporate social responsibility, said that research shows that sustainability is becoming more important for shoppers. "Four years ago 50% of customers said it mattered to them that M&S was a responsible business. By last year that proportion had grown to 97% ... we get the message. We are on the front foot and people now know what we stand for." :: The Guardian
See also :: Carbon Footprint Labels for UK Produce :: Marks & Spencer Gets Greener...
Sustainable Wheel Replacements
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 7.07
Not many details on this one, so I'm not sure if it's a genuine modification, a weird advertising campaign or even an art installation. Anything’s possible. I like to think though, that it's a Hungarian motorist who places sustainability as a higher priority than comfort, speed, handling or self preservation. ::Hemmings.com...