- Emily Pilloton Discusses the Hippo Roller and other Designs for Humanity (Part One)
- Janine Benyus on Biomimicry in Design (Part Two)
- Janine Benyus on Biomimicry in Design (Part One)
- Andy Revkin - Climate in the Obama Age
- Fred Pearce - Confessions of An Eco-Sinner (Part Two)
- Fred Pearce - Confessions of An Eco-Sinner (Part One)
- Chris Goodall - Ten Techs to Save Our Butts (Part Two)
- Chris Goodall - Ten Techs to Save Our Butts (Part One)
Entries for 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, Tel Aviv 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...
National Post Green Report. Not.
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 7.07
The National Post publishes screeds from the likes of Alexander Cockburn, runs a denier-of-the week profile, and printed a disgusting tirade by George Jonas that included "The Green Gestapo of the environment seems ready to launch nuts right here at home. Eco-fascists share the self-righteous arrogance of Islamo-fascists, safety-Nazis and other control freaks."
For some reason it has produced an entire section called The Green Report; This is like Fox News giving Al Gore a TV show. Somehow reputable green tinged companies advertised in it and David Suzuki consented to be interviewed for it, although he is probably as offended as I am by the title, "Canada's Al Gore" which makes as much sense as titling an interview of Al in the New York Times "America's David Suzuki." Of the fifteen articles, eleven are American wire service pickups; why did they bother? Oh, for the days when Conrad Black still owned it, at least it had some principles. ::National Post Green Report ...
Ask TreeHugger: Airplanes and Personal Air Cleaners
by Helen Suh MacIntosh, Cambridge, MA, USA on 06. 7.07
Question: I travel a lot for work. Lately, every time I take a trip on an airplane, I seem to get a headache or get sick. I have seen advertisements for several personal air cleaners or for air purifiers that I can screw onto the fresh air nozzle above my seat and have been thinking of buying one. Do they work?
Response: Airplanes are a unique environment. Many airplanes fly at altitudes greater than 30,000 feet, where the air contains little oxygen and is at temperatures well below freezing. As a result, the air in the plane cabin is pressurized and controlled through environmental control systems, which are designed to regulate cabin pressure, ventilation, temperature, and humidity. As concluded by a National Academy of Science (NAS) panel to investigate air quality inside planes, these environmental control systems, when operated properly, provide enough air to pressurize the cabin, meet general comfort conditions, and minimize smells, heat, and pollution.
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New Green Marketing Newsletter: "Sustainable Brands Weekly"
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 7.07
Green marketing is tough; we've noted this a time or two. As green becomes more and more popular, more and more companies want a piece of the green pie, and consumers get more and more savvy about what's out there and what "green" really means. The combination can make it tricky for brands and companies who're trying to break in to the green market and earn a good green reputation: overdo it, and risk looking like you're just jumping on the bandwagon; underdo it, and risk getting washed out in a sea of green companies employing savvy marketing. There's a sweet spot somewhere in between, a concept noted by Jacquelyn Ottman in her new e-newsletter called "Sustainable Brands Weekly". "What was once a niche opportunity -- the purview of the fringe, is now squarely in the mainstream. Awareness of environmental issues like climate change has doubled from last year to this year," she says; want to know how to reach this growing crowd? She has answers for you, in addition to the week's top branding stories, which includes stories like how Phillips is joining up with Live Earth and Rainforest Alliance working to spread green coffee further around the globe. In addition to "Sustainable Brands Weekly", its publisher, Sustainable Life Media, produces a number of other free periodic newsletters on sustainable business topics. To take full advantage of this new business resource, including participating in online discussions with them on green branding, connecting with peers, and earning discounts on compelling sustainable business events, register here. Read the inaugural issue of the newsletter here and keep your eyes peeled for more sustainable business goodness from them soon. ::Sustainable Brands Weekly...
Burn, Baby, Burn? Making Plastic Fire-Proof
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 7.07
For anybody who's ever had to endure the smell of burning plastic for even a few minutes, this next bit of news will come as a welcome development. A group of scientists from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, have just created a new synthetic polymer that doesn't burn and doesn't require the flame-retardant chemicals found in most plastics.
This makes it an alluring alternative to the plastic materials commonly used in consumer electronics and textiles which tend to be so flammable that they've often been referred to as "solid gasoline." The polymer uses a chemical known as bishydroxydeoxybenzoin or BHDB as its building block, which releases water vapor upon breaking down in a fire instead of noxious gases.
It has all the desired qualities of a flame resistant plastic, including a clear appearance, lack of halogens, flexibility, durability and low manufacturing cost. Conventional heat-resistant plastics, on the other hand, tend to be more expensive to produce and are typically more brittle and darker in color. They are also composed of additives that contain chlorine, bromine or phosphorous, which, though effective at reducing the flammability of plastics, have been implicated in human and environmental health concerns....
The Next Green Product Sensations
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 06. 7.07
Those green product headliners? In the contract furnishings market, chance are they first hit the scene at NeoCon World’s Trade Fair in Chicago. The annual contract furnishings fair kicks off next week, June 11-13. For hints of what’s to come, check out Interior Design magazine’s Eco Product Preview, which singles out manufacturer’s making green strides. The product list includes two companies making flooring waves. Mohawk Group/Lees Carpets recently launched the non-PVC backing Encycle, which is a big turn for the carpet industry. Then there’s flooring manufacturer ECOsurfaces Commercial Flooring, which produces recycled rubber flooring made from 100 percent post-consumer material rescued from landfills. Also notable, Evolve Furniture Group, which uses an estimated 82 percent recycled and environmentally-friendly materials to produce its panels. Other companies to watch include Arc-Com Fabrics, Armstrong Ceiling & Wall Systems, Milliken Contract, Nood Fashion, Sherwin-Williams, and Solutia Ultron. ::Interior Design ::NeoCon World's Trade Fair From left to right: Evolve Furniture Group, ECOsurfaces Commercial Flooring, Mohawk Group/Lees Carpets....
Dubious Dubai
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 7.07
One can look at pictures of buildings in isolation but context is everything; TreeHugger happily shows every solar powered revolving building with turbines on top proposed for Dubai, (or anywhere else for that matter) but never that context, that frame around the picture. Avi Abrams at Dark Roasted Blend looked at both, and quotes:
-"This is a city on crack" - "It has more construction workers than there are citizens of the city (note: over 80% of Dubai's population consists of expatriates)" - "More than one-third of the construction cranes in the world are currently in Dubai"They now have the world's tallest building designed by SOM; ...
The Next Bright Idea: Aluminum Foil for Lamps
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 7.07
Fluorescent lights may soon be a thing of the past: a team of researchers from the University of Illinois are developing panels of microcavity plasma lamps that could be used for residential and commercial lighting as well as for certain biomedical applications. “Built of aluminum foil, sapphire and small amounts of gas, the panels are less than 1 millimeter thick, and can hang on a wall like picture frames,” said Gary Eden, a professor of electrical and computer engineering at the university and the corresponding author of the paper describing the technology....
New Collection by Plusminuszero
by Joey Roth, Brooklyn, USA on 06. 7.07
Naoto Fuksawa's company Plusminuszero released its new collection of everyday objects yesterday. The pieces, which include a coffee maker, a space heater, and old-school digital calculators, have a distinctly 80's feel that refrains from overshadowing Plusminuszero's iconic minimalism. The toaster is the greenest of the bunch; with one slot, it saves the energy that would otherwise be wasted on an empty slot when you just want one slice. Despite the collection's thoughtfulness and quiet beauty, each piece seems to be made from molded thermoplastic, as they have been in previous collections. Fuksawa has spoken before about creating design that “dissolves into behavior”; it's a shame that his materials won't dissolve into the earth for a long time.
via ::dezeen...
TreeHugger Radio: Sex, Pesticides, and Rock & Roll
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 06. 7.07
This week we speak to Wakarusa music festival director Bret Mosiman about how this mega-venue is taking the green initiative to the main stage. We also report on some chilling research that indicates children born in the spring have lower aptitudes. The reason? It could have everything to do with pesticides. Also, Nike is taking a run at being a carbon neutral business, and we get a taste of next week’s extended interview with Global Footprint director Mathis Wackernagel. This week’s soundtrack comes from the Allenko Brotherhood Ensemble thanks to Calabash Music. Subscribe to TreeHugger Radio on iTunes or listen/right click to download. ::TreeHugger Radio (TreeHugger Radio is written by Simran Sethi and produced by Jacob Gordon) Image credit: James Allison ...
Shizen Condo: 100% Solar and Biodiesel Power
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 06. 7.07
Wow, impressive. This condominium complex, called Shizen (Japanese for nature) is under construction in Portland. It will make use of solar cells and a biodiesel generator, to provide all the electricity, heat and hot water for the building. ...
Explore Design: North America's First Design Education Fair for Youth
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 7.07
As sustainability continues to become more mainstream each day, more and more schools and centers for education are embracing, teaching and practicing actively green ideas; from Canton College's Bachelor's Degree in Alternative Energy to Sustainability Week at the London College of Fashion to College of the Atlantic, the first carbon-neutral college in the US and the British Ag school harnessing poop power, going green at school is definitely in session. Design education is certainly no exception, and this is notable since designers are involved in the creation of nearly everything we consume, at some point. To help sustainability continue its rise to prominence among educators and institutions of learning, a new event called Explore Design is coming to Toronto on October 10 & 11. It'll present a consortium of educational institutions, associations and professional groups who will provide two days of interactive exhibits, hands-on workshops, and seminars. Billed as "North America’s First Design Education Fair for Youth", the event will include a full complement of design disciplines, including video/game design, furniture design, architecture industrial design, textile design, fashion design, interior design, graphic design, and more. ...
California Says Sprawl Causes Global Warming
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 7.07
The Government of California, where low density sprawling suburban development and car dominated culture might have been invented, is actually suing some of its cities and counties to stop poorly planned suburban sprawl and the greenhouse gases that are generated because of it. The lawsuit against San Bernadino County argues that greenhouse gases are pollution that is subject to state regulation. If the suit is successful, California cities and counties could be forced to take steps to limit sprawl, promote compact development, require builders to design energy-efficient houses that offer solar power, and encourage less driving, more mass transit and use of alternative fuels.
"It's ground-breaking. California is just leading the way for other states and jurisdictions that will ultimately follow," says Richard Frank of the Center for Environmental Law and Policy at the University of California-Berkeley.
Go Arnold, for attacking this critical issue. It doesn't matter how green you build if the only way to get home is to drive. ::USA Today...
Green Theatre: In Your Own Backyard
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 06. 7.07
Hopefully, Tuesday's announcement of MSN and Treehugger's "Green Theatre" contest has got you thinking: what are you doing to reduce your carbon impact that would make a great (even prizewinning) video? You'll definitely want to start thinking: the entry deadline is June 23! After that, entries go to our star-studded panel of judges to decide which videos will earn their creators and a guest trips to one of the July 7 Live Earth concerts. The question to which your video should respond is “What are you doing in your own backyard to help fight climate change?” We thought we'd take that question quite literally today, and point out some steps you can take in your backyard to lower your greenhouse gas emissions. Are these actions the stuff of great videography? You bet! Some of the things you may be doing:...
Cushy Cork Seating by Nick Tretiak
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 7.07
TreeHugger has seen cork used to create many, many things; its vibration dampening, sound absorption and resilience make it great for everything from shoes to floors to walls and even speakers. We've even seen it in seating, with a stool and lounger to boot; to that stable of furniture we add Nick Tretiak's Cork Lounge, which uses the unique physical properties of the bark in a smart way. Says designer Tretiak, "I wanted to incorporate the tactile softness of cork but refrain from using a solid block of material. I developed a special lamination that allows the cork to remain thin yet strong with subtle flexability [sic]." We think cork's cushiness would make for a particularly comfy seat, and love the spare materials use combined with the sleek modern design; there's more of the same at the designer's website. ::Nick Tretiak via ::Apartment Therapy...
Quebec Introduces Carbon Tax
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 7.07
The Province of Quebec has introduced the country's first explicit carbon tax, funds to be used to fight global warming. Natural Resources Minister Claude Bechard (shown here with Premier Jean Charest) says the tax is based on the "polluter pays" principle. "That is not negotiable," the minister said. The tax isn't much at .08 cents per litre (just over 3 cents a gallon) but it will raise C$ 200 million a year, which will be spent on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and public transit. ::Canada.com
Meanwhile, the Green Party of Canada has announced its program for a 12 cent per litre tax, or 45 cents per gallon. Surprisingly, the economists at the Conference Board of Canada agrees with the principle in a new report that says carbon taxes are a fair and effective way to curb consumption of fossil fuels. Glen Hodgson, the conference board's chief economist and author of the report, compares the carbon tax to the effort to end government deficits. It took 20 years, but few politicians now dare promise anything but a surplus.
According to Environmental writer Peter Gorrie, In its pure form, the tax is based on the carbon in coal, oil, natural gas and other fossil fuels. If it's high enough, it sends a clear price signal: All fossil fuels get more expensive. Coal, with the most carbon, takes the biggest hit. Natural gas, the cleanest, goes up the least. The expected result: Consumers shift from coal and oil to natural gas, or, even better, from fossil fuels to non-polluting alternatives.
"It's a very effective and efficient way to achieve changes in behaviour," says Amy Taylor of the Pembina Institute, a Calgary-based research and advocacy group. ::The Star
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Swanky Soiree Does Good
by Olivia Zaleski, New York City, USA on 06. 7.07
Tuesday June 5th socialites, fashionites, and environmentalites alike congregated for a posh evening at Theory’s flagship store in downtown New York’s super-chic Meatpacking District. The event was organized by the Theory Icon Project, the Precipice Alliance, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to “promote environmental awareness, underscore the importance of corporate responsibility” and celebrate conceptual artist Mary Ellen Caroll's environmentally-minded installation in Jersey City. ...
I Need My Device Presents 3_Times_A4
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 7.07
Designer Cambell Orme, formally the 'O' in G|O|E Design (whose cool recycled cardboard lamps we featured here and here), has struck out on his own and has formed I Need My Device in Melbourne, Australia. His diverse body of work often contains extensive sustainability considerations, while maintaining a strong modern aesthetic and artful, conceptual perspective; one of his more recent projects is "3_times_A4", the pendant lamp pictured above. Machine wire screen, used in large scale paper manufacture, is a waste product that invariably ends up as garbage. Used to drain paper pulp, the commercial lifespan of the material is ridiculously short. Three A4 sheets of this material -- referencing the product that it is used to create -- are formed together to create a product that celebrates reclamation, turning a throw-away product into something beautiful. There are no adhesives used, allowing the lamp to be taken apart and the tough, resilient material to be reused. Of course, TreeHugger recommends the use of an energy-sipping compact fluorescent lightbulb when (if) the product becomes commercially available (it's just a prototype now). Check out some more of Orme's designs, including the evocative "Well-Hung Light" and "Waste of Money Box", at his website. ::I Need My Device...
Palladium, Not Carbon, May Be Used To Scrub Mercury From "Clean Coal" Plants
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 06. 7.07
Because there is no "away" when it comes to economically useless, toxic, heavy metals found in coal, and because most commercially used activated carbon is made from coal (which of course means that the activation of carbon emits heavy metals), we have long wondered how what the industry calls a "clean coal" syn-gas plant would perform over the full production life cycle - mine to electricity distribution - when it comes to controlling the poisonous heavies. Now comes news that something other than activated carbon could be used to scrub out the heavy metals, indicating that life cycle performance might be better than one would assume if carbon were the control technology of choice. "Johnson Matthey company... has been granted an exclusive license by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) for its high temperature sorbent technology and patent to remove mercury, arsenic and potentially selenium, cadmium and phosphorous from syngas produced by coal gasification. This license was a natural extension of a two-year Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) between Johnson Matthey and NETL to evaluate and optimize palladium (Pd) sorbent material properties and performance. Unlike conventional sorbents such as activated carbon, which operate at ambient temperature, high temperature Pd sorbents remove mercury and arsenic at temperatures above 500°F, resulting in a major improvement in overall energy efficiency of the power combustion process."...
The Better Food Company: Ethical Store Hosts Vegan vs Farmer Grudge Match
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 06. 7.07
TreeHugger readers are no strangers to stories about organic stores and supermarkets. We’ve heard about Eden Teva, the largest natural food store in the Middle East. We’ve read about the local vs. organic debate at Whole Foods. We’ve even read about Wal Mart’s efforts to go organic, and their apparent abandonment of this approach a year later. With so many organic and natural food stores out there, we’ll probably never get round to reporting on all of them.
The Better Food Company, in Bristol, UK [this TreeHugger’s former hometown], caught our attention however, and not just for their impressive stock of organic, local and natural foods, and for their aggressive policy on food miles (they avoid air freighted food wherever possible). The company is also extremely active in education and outreach on food issues, and their events go well beyond the usual PR fluff. A recent talk about fish farming, for example, sounds more like an intellectual eco-grudge match than the usual foodie lecture. On the bill were presentations from Tony Free, owner of the Purely Organic Trout Company, and Tony Wardle, Director of vegan organization Viva:
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TH Blog Love – Our Favourite Greens Of The Week
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 06. 7.07
Ecorazzi: Brad Pitt Arrives With Hydrogen At Ocean’s 13 Premiere by Michael d'Estries
"At the premiere of Ocean’s 13 last night at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in LA, Brad Pitt wowed the red carpet crowds by appearing in a BMW Hydrogen 7. Okay, the crowd could probably care less about the car, but we’re completely giddy."
Groxie: Carnival of the Green #80 by Heidi
This week's carnival includes Rachel Carson's 100th birthday, energy hungry fridges, organic food in Britain, eco-friendly camping holidays and efficient recycling....
Software Helps Schools Control Printing Costs/Paper Usage
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 06. 7.07
Awhile back we featured an incredible sticker saying "These come from trees" that helps to reduce paper usage by 15% over the course of its lifetime... But when the typical school with 1,000 students finds they're spending almost $20,000 a year on printer paper, toner, and maintenance, you can be sure that eventually someone will find a way to help manage the cost in a bigger way. Enter GenevaLogic, a company that's releasing software to helping schools do just that by controlling the amount of copies each user can print, as well as the type of content printed too across large system platforms... That can make a big difference both financially and environmentally, especially when students often print out reams of stuff for the simplest of projects without taking into consideration the impact they're having on the planet. That's helping schools to "go green" while also teaching kids that paper is a valuable commodity outside of school as well. And it turns out the folks at GenevaLogic will be planting a tree for every download of a free 30-day trial of its print-management solutions, Print-Limit and Print-Limit Pro through a collaboration with The National Arbor Day Foundation. Want to give it a shot? Then head here for the free download......
George Monbiot on the Real News
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 7.07
The Real News is part of a new online Independent World Television network. According to founder Paul Jay in conversation with Daily Kos, it is "seeking truth, not balance" The Guardian says :"Independent World Television (IWT) plans to create a news network that will counter a corporate media culture that has become infamous for placing profits above the public interest." One of the issues they mean to follow closely is global warming, and in their beta mode they offer interviews of David Suzuki and George Monbiot. See them all here. or watch part 1 of George Monbiot's interview here at ::The Real News...
Paint Recycling in New Zealand (and Elsewhere)
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 06. 7.07
Been a while since we did a piece on recycled paint. In the past we’ve looked at the likes of Boomerang, Metro and Prairie—consumer based paints, mixed from discarded dregs. Resene’s PaintWise program, while not directly feeding the paint back to the retail marketplace, does at least give it a second life, via donations of workable paint to community groups. Over the past four years this product take-back project has allowed New Zealanders to dispose of their unwanted paints. Any brand can be dropped off and Resene will collect from their retail stores. The metal tins are then recycled, along with the water-based paints, which is reprocessed for use in graffiti remediation. Solvent borne paints are apparently sorted out of the mix and sent off for recovery of the solvent content. (After the fold we have links to programs in other countries.)::Resene PaintWise....
A Disney World of Food Opens in London
by Bonnie Alter, London on 06. 7.07
After much fanfare and not the best press, Whole Foods Markets have finally opened their first UK store in London. It's big (80,00sq.ft on three floors) and loaded with staff (500) and stuff (100 different olive oils, 40 kinds of sausages). But no one is quite sure what to think. Most are in awe of the sheer scale and amounts of food--a "tyranny of choice." The Guardian calls it "over the top and over here", and the Financial Times warns that the big British supermarket chains "have been put on their mettle." UK shoppers are very sophisticated when it comes to organic, with the big 4 supermarkets already engaged in fierce competition for this £1.3bn market. Several papers have done comparison shopping, and the results vary. On most items Whole Foods is more expensive, although Marks & Spencer and Waitrose are higher on a few. London is a very big city; how many people will make a special trip to buy organic goat’s milk there when they can already get it at their local Waitrose; ditto for Tube commuters. The founder, John Mackey was talking tough: "Whole Foods Market is not muscling anybody but no London business has a right to stay open for ever." Opening day had shoppers lined up to get in....this will be an interesting one to watch. :: Guardian...
Pineapples and Photovoltaics
by Eric Kane, New York, NY on 06. 7.07
In 1922, James Dole, the president of Hawaiian Pineapple Company (later the Dole Food Company), bought the entire island of Lanai. The sixth largest Hawaiian island was subsequently developed into the world’s largest pineapple plantation. Lanai has since been known as ‘Pineapple Island’ for its close historical ties to the fruit. However, the island will soon welcome a different type of farm. Yesterday, Castle & Cooke, the land’s current owner, announced a deal to build the largest solar energy farm in Hawaii on Lanai. The 1.5-megawatt solar farm will be built on a 10-acre site, and will produce enough energy to supply up to 30% of the island’s electric demand. The facility will also push Hawaii closer towards its goal of having 20 percent of the state’s energy come from renewable sources by the year 2020. The planned photovoltaic farm will be the fourth-largest in the United States. See also ::Hawaii Moves Towards Energy Independence
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FSC House Competition Ending Soon
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 7.07
Hey kids, (well hey students and individuals with less than five years experience in the building industry), time is running out on an interesting competition. It is for a display house 20'x20'x10' that will be on display at Greenbuild 07 in Chicago in the fall. We think they will be using it in a lot of shows, because we saw it listed in a subsequent Canadian show. The idea is promote FSC materials, and to "connect the next generation of design and building professionals with the "greenest" building materials on the planet: FSC certified wood products."
It reminds us of the Sustainable Condo designed by Busby Perkins and Will in Canada five years ago that is still wowing crowds on the green tour circuit. (shown above and here in Treehugger)
Prize includes building your house, air fare and accommodation to Chicago for Greenbuild, and a big career boost. But hurry- contest closes June 29. ::FSC House
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Eco-Tip: A Greener Delivery
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 06. 7.07
Image credit: csb13
Sometimes we can’t help but order something online, especially when we can’t get something we need in a nearby bricks-and-mortar store. But rather than encourage excessive waste and nonbiodegradable, polluting packing materials such as styrofoam peanuts—plus your inclusion on myriad catalog and junk-mail lists—you can make yourself heard by including a note with your online order. (This way, you can also tell if the company actually pays attention to its customers, and, thus, if it’s deserving of your moola.)...
Follow the Ice and Save the Polar Bears
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 06. 7.07
Want to save the polar bears? It's all in the ice, baby!
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is launching a new initiative to save our planet's largest terrestrial predator, not by observing those fearsome cutie patooties themselves, but by tracking the sea-ice habitat that is rapidly receding because of global warming.
For its "Warm Waters for Cool Bears" project, the WCS will use both current and historical satellite imagery to predict where sea ice —a vital habitat for polar bears and the seals they hunt—is likely to stay put, as well as where polar-bear-conservation efforts will be most effective....
HP First to Hit Gold Computing Standard
by Mark Ontkush, Boston, Massachusetts, USA on 06. 7.07
HP just released the first PC on the market to achieve EPEAT (Electronic Products Environmental Assessment Tool) gold status. EPEAT-registered products are designated as "bronze," "silver," or "gold," depending on the number of environmental features they possess, such as reduced levels of hazardous materials, improved energy efficiency, and ease of upgrade and recycle. The EPEAT standard was developed over the course of 2 years with full involvement from all major computing equipment vendors, and was funded from the US EPA; it is the gold standard of all the environmental computing standards.
The HP's rp5700 Business Desktop PC comes with a standard 80 percent efficient power supply; many PCs settle on 65 percent. That extra efficiency means lower electrical usage as well as less heat, all of which contributes to cost savings. Also, the systems have an (unheard of) five-year lifecycle. According to HP, the systems are built with 95 percent recyclable components, and the plastic components are made, on average, of at least 10 percent post-consumer recycled plastics. Additionally, the outer packaging contains at least 25 percent post-consumer recycled cardboard. But there's still more....
The Loon, Solar-Assisted Boat, To Go On Summer Tour Of New York State Canal System
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 06. 7.07
We were introduced to Monte Gisborne's Tamarack Lake Electric Boat Company in Ontario Canada, via a helpful comment Monte offered on the first Solar Cat post on TreeHugger, published nearly a year ago. Since then, the Swiss-made Solar Cat successfully crossed the Atlantic, reaching New York City; and, Monte's family has made plans to tour New York State's Erie and Oswego Canals this August of 2007, on a solar assisted boat journey from Oswego to Albany New York. "Stops are planned along the way, to greet and meet people who are interested in zero-emission boating. A press conference is being planned in Waterford New York, the end terminus of the trip, as well as visits to the numerous planned events, attractions and fairs along the world-famous recreational waterway. “To my family, the NYS Canal System was a “no-brainer” choice for our first international solar cruise” Gisborne explained “its state of development as a recreational asset is immense. People need to experience this boating adventure playground for themselves”. A schedule of stops will be published on the internet and made available upon request. It will be the first time that anyone has traveled an American canal-way using solar electric energy as the primary fuel source. The Loon is the world’s first commercially-available solar-powered recreational vessel."
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Tough Nut to Crack: But Macadamia Yields To Husque
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 06. 7.07
That lil’ ole macadamia nut is versatile chap. Maybe he has heard of all the things that bamboo has been up to, and wants a piece of the action. We’ve discovered that he can make it as cooking oil, suncream, shampoo, body polish, and even as a renewable energy. So I guess it should come as no surprise that he still has a few tricks up his husk. Which bring us to Husque. Designer Marc Harrison and architect Paul Fairweather established the company back in 2003 to tease a few more secrets from the macadamia nut, which grows natively only along a 600 km (370 mile) band of the Australian east coast. They grind up the shell of the nut, mix it with a unspecified polymer, polished the inner surfaces with a polyester, and give their products a final sheen with a rub of macadamia oil. The nut is said to make up 80% of the finished vessel. Not recommended for getting up close and personal with hot food/liquids or dishwashers, but nevertheless very funky. ::Husque, via Haute*Nature. ...
Dirty Snow just as Bad as Greenhouse Gases?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 6.07
We may have been a little too hasty in laying all the blame for global warming squarely at the feet of greenhouse gases: UC Irvine scientists have discovered that dirty snow could account for over a third of the Arctic warming typically attributed to them.
“A one-third change in concentration is huge, yet the Earth has only warmed about .8 degrees because the effect is distributed globally,” said Charlie Zender, an associate professor of Earth system science at UCI and co-author of the study, which appears in the Journal of Geophysical Research. “A small amount of snow impurities in the Arctic have caused a significant temperature response there.”
Dirty snow arises from the soot that escapes from tailpipes, smoke stacks and forest fires to enter the atmosphere and then falls to the ground. While clean, white snow tends to reflect back heat into space and cause cooling, the dark surface of dirty snow causes it to absorb sunlight and thus results in warming.
“When we inject dirty particles into the atmosphere and they fall onto snow, the net effect is we warm the polar latitudes,” Zender said. “Dark soot can heat up quickly. It’s like placing tiny toaster ovens into the snow pack.”...
GM Up The Voltage
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 6.07
GM has awarded two contracts for the development of li-ion batteries for its E-Flex System. 13 companies submitted bids for the project, which is the basis for the Chevy Volt concept that caused quite a stir a while ago. From previous TH coverage;
“There are two things that make the Volt’s E-flex drive train noteworthy. First, it is a series hybrid, which means power is fed directly to the motor, not the battery. It can be plugged into a household electric socket and charged fully within about six hours. Completely charged it can drive roughly 40 miles on electricity alone. According to GM, more than 75 percent of Americans live within 20 miles of where they work, meaning the Volt would get them to the office and back on 100% electricity with no direct emissions.”...
Up the Citarum, Without a Paddle
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 6.07
This shocking image is of the Citarum River in Indonesia. Five million people live in the rivers basin, but it carries the waste and pollution from nine million, and a plethora of factories that are far more concerned with profit than the environment. It’s as neglected online as it is in real life.
Although the river used to support many fishermen, the men pictured aren’t after fish. It’s now more profitable, partly because of the abundance of waste, and partly because of the scarcity of fish, to forage for rubbish, which they can exhume and trade.
These same men that are working on the lake also live from it. The surrounding area isn’t well developed, so the river water is used, untreated, to irrigate paddy fields, and for domestic bathing, cooking and drinking....
Prouve Prefab Sells for $4.97 Million
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 6.07
It won't be TreeHugger World Headquarters after all; Hotelier Andre Balazs, owner of the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles, The Mercer in New York and The Raleigh in Miami, picked up the Maison Tropicale Prouve prefab for 4,968,000. For those who follow such things, that is $ 5,028 per square foot for a house with no heating, plumbing or windows. According to Balazs, `I just love Prouve,'It belongs back in the tropics.''
According to Bloomberg: Christie's erected the house on an industrial stretch of land on the banks of the East River in Long Island City, Queens, allowing it to be viewed from May 17 to June 4 -- a rare Christie's exhibit that required portable toilets. ``It's not like a conventional piece of real estate,'' said Philippe Garner, Christie's head of 20th century decorative arts and design. ``There is the added value that it can be taken and set up anywhere. It comes with its passport and is ready to go.'' ::Bloomberg ...
Wayback Machine: Miracles In Spray Cans: Life Was Soooo Easy, 1957
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 6.07
Sigh. Remember those days when you didn't have to go to the farmers market and buy all that local seasonal vegetable crap covered in dirt from some guy in overalls, when you could just go to the supermarket and buy simple easy-to-use mashed potatoes in a can? The Madison Avenue guys say “Charley, if you can put a push button on it you’ll make a fortune. Nobody can resist a push button.” And they were filled with that wonder chemical, "fluorinated hydrocarbons, the same substances that keep the home refrigerator cold. The two principal brands are Freon, made by Du Pont, and Genetron, made by Allied Chemical & Dye." Just toss them in the garbage when you were done, no muss or soggy leftover vegetable cuttings. The memories. ::Modern Mechanix
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You Got Bacteria in My Gas: Engineering Microbes to Make Hydrocarbons
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 6.07
The day when we'll be getting our fix of hydrocarbons from a vat of engineered microbes instead of vats of gasoline from the Middle East may be coming sooner than expected. LS9, the self-styled "renewable petroleum company" based in San Carlos, CA, is using the nascent field of synthetic biology to modify bacteria into creating hydrocarbons for gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.
The company plans on incorporating gene pathways present in other microbes, plants and animals into these bacteria to give them the ability to store energy. LS9 joins a group of recent startups that include Amyris and SunEthanol that are also focusing on applying synthetic biology towards the engineering of microorganisms able to produce biofuels....
Most Huggable: Idiot Winds in New York, Green Must Reads, and Plasticized Oceans
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 06. 6.07
A New York Times op-ed slams the state’s plans to take wind farms up to the next level… Lighter Footstep wrangles up the top ten green sites you should be reading… A product designed around Wal-Mart’s minimal packaging standards takes an award… Is the Texas-sized island of plastic floating in the ocean a reality? Is Bush’s climate plan the real deal, or a dangerous diversion? Most Huggable is a daily roundup of some of the top stories from Hugg.com, TreeHugger’s user-generated green news site. Why not submit your own green news? ...
Living, Green Wall Fends Off Encroaching Desert
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 6.07
What started out as that "other" Wall of China has finally come to fruition after suffering a series of major setbacks. The Green Wall of China, as it's been dubbed, is in essence a living wall composed of trees, shrubs and grass that was built in Taipusi, in Inner Mongolia, to block off the Gobi desert and to curb sandstorms blowing over northeast Asia into the United States. Officials also hope to tie it in with their renewed environmental push for the Beijing Olympic Games, which will be held in the summer of 2008....
A Picture is Worth... Daryl Hannah Tests Water in Ecuador
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 06. 6.07
Friend of TreeHugger Daryl Hannah (she dropped by in New York last autumn and we chatted a few hours about LA's South Central Farm, Clinton's Global Initiative, her website and the environment in general - she's great and really dedicated to green) is shown here "[testing] the 'water' in a pit in the oil-producing region of Ecuador's Amazon jungle." If that can still be called water.
"Indians and settlers are suing Chevron for allegedly failing to clean up billions of gallons of oily wastewater. Hannah planned to discuss the lawsuit with Ecuador's president." ::SFGate, via ::Reddit...
Aveda: Madrid Salon Saves Water
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 06. 6.07
We’ve mentioned in the past that Aveda has been a favorite of ours. Not just because they make great products like the “Envirometal” Compact collection and the Eco-Overnight Pack (which we also featured in our Holiday Gift Guide), but because we like their Soil to Bottle philosophy as well. The project aims to follow the step by step the journey of the essential oils used in Aveda products, from where they are farmed to the moment they get put in a bottle. What caught our eye recently when reading the latest Aveda news, is a cool concept that they utilize in their Madrid salon (shown here). The company has installed a system in that the water used to rinse out hair color is then "recycled" for the toilets. They have a sign in the bathroom telling users not to be alarmed if the water is a strange color, because it just means that someone had a color service that day! We have to admit that we’re wondering what kind of feedback they’ve gotten from their customers, but we’re even more curious if they plan to roll this concept out to all of their other salons as well. ::Aveda...
Beanie Festival in the Australian Desert Unites Communities
by Kathreen Ricketson, Canberra, Australia on 06. 6.07
The Alice Springs Beanie Festival is a community based event that began in 1997 with a ‘beanie party’. The festival was organised to sell beanies crocheted by Aboriginal women in remote communities. It has grown into a fun event where Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal artists share their culture and exhibit together. The festival’s aims have always been to develop Aboriginal women’s textiles, promote womens’ culture and the beanie as a regional art form, as well as promote handmade textile arts. The festival includes a series of workshops and is a unique opportunity to spend time with traditional Aboriginal Pitjantjatjara women and share their skill and knowledge as internationally renowned weavers and spinners. ...
TreeHugger Picks: The Best of TreeHugger Forums
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 6.07
TreeHugger wants to engage as many people as possible in making greener choices for their lives every day; one of the new ways to get folks involved and excited about being green is through TreeHugger Forums, where users can log in and chat about all things green (and even a few things that aren't). Register for free right here and log in to add to a thread, ask a question or just spend your two cents about the green world; here are some of our picks for hot topics on the forums that can help get you started.
 | 1) User dzedelma asks for any good ideas for a poor college student who can't necessarily afford to buy all new eco-friendly items but still wants to be as environmentally-sensitive as possible. |
 | 2) User sde219 wonders about how to best cool his rented townhouse in the steamy northern Virginia summer; his place has central air, but thinks it might be more efficient to just cool the bedroom with a mini window unit. |
 | 3) In one of the most-viewed threads on the forums, Alex ponders a huge question: is nuclear power "green"? He says "I consider 'green' to be renewable, and nuclear is not, so I don't think it is 'green'. But you could argue that since it has no direct CO2 emissions, and low lifecylce [sic] emissions, it is 'green'." Lots of good discussion there; the remaining two picks are after the jump... |
Revenooers Chasing David Suzuki
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 6.07
David Suzuki (shown here with Rick Mercer) better get on that bus and head for the border, because Revenue Canada is chasing him again, subjecting the David Suzuki Foundation to its third audit. "I am being hounded by the current government because I have a foundation that has my name and so they're trying to take away my charitable [status]," he said in a speech on Monday. He told the transit trade group he had to preface his speech with a tax-auditor-satisfying caveat. "Everything I say is my personal opinion, has nothing to do with my foundation."
His personal opinions include saying that Ottawa's plan to fight global warming is a "national embarrassment" and of the government's energy policy: " it's not a strategy, it's a sham."
But we know that governments have rules about using the neutral bureaucracy for political purposes, right?
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5IVE: Diary of a LEED Platinum Home
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 6.07
Jeff Gallo of Minneapolis is trying to build a green house. The zoning bylaws were no help, but after a quick redesign by John Dwyer of Shelter Architecture he is on his way and intermittently blogs it for our viewing pleasure.
The walls are Thermomass , a form of Structural Insulated Panel developed by Dow Chemical; it is a sandwich two layers of concrete with a styrofoam filling. Yum.
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Share the Same Biology, Regardless of Ideology
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 06. 6.07
The news is all a bit serious at the moment. Like how Germany wants the G8 (Group of Eight) nations to get serious about climate change. The US says, “You serious or what? We ain’t signing up to no such thing.” Forget the so-called ‘roadmap’ to Middle East peace. Now we have the roadblock to protecting the future. So I took a few minutes out to refresh the soul, and remembered Holly Allen’s wonderful photograph taken during one guy’s attempt to make the world a better place - by skateboarding across Australia! It’s just a fisheye pic of the broad Aussie sky, but it also looks to me like a certain planet. The only one we’ve found, that has that delicious combination of water, soil and air so crucial to life as we know it. It’s a photo that reminds me of some lyrics by Sting:
“There is no monopoly in common sense On either side of the political fence We share the same biology Regardless of ideology Believe me when I say to you I hope the Americans (and Australians) [to paraphase] love their children too.”Such a shame these two nations are dragging their feet, when we need to be running....
This Month In Architectural Record
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 6.07
Renovation is the greenest form of building; it is the subject of the June issue of Architectural Record. There is good coverage of the loving restoration of the Art Deco Griffith Observatory, described as " the hood ornament of Los Angeles." it is not much of an observatory anymore with the light pollution of LA washing out the sky, but "Angelenos have come to take for granted the drop-dead views of the L.A. basin from the Griffith’s formal, Beaux-Arts plan’s rear terraces and colonnade, as well as the informative, accessible displays of astronomy’s wonders inside." ...
Affordable Home Wind Power: Mother Earth News, June/July
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 06. 6.07
As we've noted, many mainstream magazines are publishing "green issues," so the latest Mother Earth News proclaims on the cover "Every Issue is a Green Issue." The June/July issue features an article by Greg Pahl on residential wind turbines, a technology that may be ready to go prime time. Pahl notes that "recent technical developments have reduced blade noise and improved both turbine efficiency and longevity," so homeowners living in areas with the necessary amount of wind may take another look at this alternative. This issue also gives close attention to the renewal of the US Farm Bill: articles by regular Grist contributor Tom Philpott and Farm Aid president Willie Nelson both argue for significant changes in American agricultural policy. Other features include articles by Barbara Kingsolver and Terry Tempest Williams. If you're looking for the kinds of practical advice for which Mother Earth News is famous, there's no shortage of that, either. Readers will discover eight strategies for better garden soil, tips for maintaining a weedless organic garden, and the basics of wood working. This issue's departments also take a look at the Chevy Volt, and introduce the Hunan winged bean. Many of these articles are available online; the rest are available only in the print edition. Subscriptions to Mother Earth News are a mere $10. ::Mother Earth News, June/July 2007...
Are 'Eco-loonies' Damaging Ryanair's Sales After All?
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 06. 6.07
Airlines are getting a tough time from environmentalists these days, and Ryanair, the Irish low-cost airline, is particularly unpopular. Stunts like giving away free tickets, and their plans for ultra-cheap trans-atlantic flights, led to one UK Government minister recently branding the company as “the irresponsible face of capitalism.” Ryanair have so far appeared pretty un-phased by such criticisms, with CEO Michael O’Leary famously claiming that there was no suggestion that “the [eco] loonies are dissuading people from travel." Now it seems O’Leary’s colleagues may disagree. Howard Miller, Ryanair’s Deputy CEO, recently told the Guardian that concerns about the environment may be effecting demand for flights "at the edges":
"I am concerned that there is a continuing media campaign and the concern is that people might say 'maybe I will not fly on holiday and maybe I will make a different choice."...
RD4 Chair by Cohda Design: Roughly Drawn
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 6.07
We originally hugged Cohda Designs' recycled plastic chair last year, while it was still a computer rendering and fantastic concept. It's been created (and is in limited production) now, and was one of the big hits at this year's HauteGREEN design exhibition; check out this video from Core77 and more coverage at MoCo Loco (and hit TreeHugger's Sneak Peek at a bunch of the designs at the show here for more green design goodness). The RD4, or Roughly Drawn chair, is a hand woven recycled plastic chair that breaks from the more traditional flat pack forms associated with "recycled plastic" furniture designs to create a really unique, really cool design. According to the UK-based designers, who have done some math to calculate the savings that comes from recycling plastic rather than using virgin materials, the energy savings of the design in comparison to a virgin alternative equates to powering a 60 Watt light bulb for 1483 hours of continuous use -- wow! Using HDPE (high-density polyethylene) plastic -- that's #2 plastic for you recyclers out there -- the RD4 chair aims to to view waste plastic packaging as a valuable resource as opposed to an ecological difficulty, utilize the embodied energy present in waste plastics as effectively as possible, and generate a new recycled design aesthetic, breaking from traditional flat-pack forms, while stimulating debate around recycling and the traditionally understood aesthetics of recycled products. Because it's made from a single material, without further glues or binding agents, it can be recycled again without any bothersome separation. The chair is one of the more innovative, thoughtful "recycled" products we've seen, and hope other designers using recycled materials will follow their lead when it comes to both the aesthetic and smart materials use. The chair is in limited production in the UK, and available for order from Cohda's website. Hit the jump to see the chair in action. ::Cohda...
Welcome to Green U
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 6.07
We often wonder if the green movement is really having any impact or if it is all just a flavor of the month. Perhaps an indicator might be what is happening in the schools; In Canada, applications to environmental programs are way up, even doubling in some schools.
According to Siri Agrell in the Globe and Mail: The increased interest is the product of greater awareness of issues such as global warming, but also due to a growing contingent of role models for environmentally inclined teenagers who idolize people such as David Suzuki, Leonardo DiCaprio and Al Gore. The students see green not just as a cause but as a calling.
"We don't want to screw ourselves over any more," [18 year old student] Ms. Green said. "We need to be prescient thinkers right now, whether it's to have a good job or to really think about the future."
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Time to Take Action: A Call for Entries for Climate Change Design Solutions
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 6.07
A fairly common reaction to the realization that global warming is a threat and a problem that needs solving is to simply be overwhelmed by the enormity of the problem and fall back on the "What can I do?" approach. Thought it can be arresting, more and more workable solutions are being designed and implemented all the time. We're becoming increasingly interested in those that involve design; if we can educate and inspire those who are responsible for creating the goods and products we consume to reduce those corresponding carbon footprints, then we have to worry less about band-aiding the problem (this is the whole prevention vs. treatment argument). A few have come across TreeHugger's radar -- we covered this one by the Design 21 social design network and the Design Can Change initiative to increase global warming awareness among the design community -- and Droog Design has entered the game as well. Realizing that global warming is indeed a global problem, they're taking a very multi-disciplinary approach. From their site, "Ranging from ideas about food, heating, music, literature, fashion, architecture... anything you like in any form you wish. The 10 best design proposals will be published on our website; the public will be invited to choose one favorite and vote for an overall winner. Deadline for participation is June 30, 2007." So we invite all designers -- individuals and groups, from far and wide, with ideas big and small -- to lend the world their expertise, and help design a solution. Get more details, including competition guidelines and entry forms, from the site. ::Droog Design via ::Design Spotter...
Eames-Designed Molded Plywood Lounge Chair: On Sale Now!
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 6.07
Design icon Charles Eames once said, "Take your pleasure seriously". In honor of this sentiment, the purveyors of modern at Design Within Reach are having "The Herman Miller Serious Sale" (through June 16), which includes the fabulous Eames Molded Plywood Lounge Chair pictured above. The special edition LCW (lounge chair with legs) is made from sustainably-harvested santos palisander, a Brazilian rosewood; while we don't advocate design for the sake of design, or consuming our way to sustainability, if you've ever thought about investing in a classic piece of sustainable design, now is the time. It's the kind of timeless artifact you could pass along to your kids (and their kids, too), and will continue to look great and function well for years to come. ::Design Within Reach via ::Design Milk...
Solar Powered Level Crossing Signals for Railways
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 06. 6.07
A railway tragedy in the Australian state of Victoria this week has so far taken the lives of 11 people. A truck and a passenger train collided at a level crossing. The accident has highlighted the issues with getting power to vital remote location infrastructure. According to an accident researcher from Melbourne’s Monash University two thirds of Australia’s 9,000 level crossing have no signals warning road users of oncoming trains. Dr Eric Wigglesworth has suggested that solar powered level crossing lights and bells could improve safety at such intersections. He figures that for around $40,000-50,000 AUD ($33,000 to 42,000 USD) per crossing, sun-powered signals could substitute for more expensive mains operated ones. "The harnessing of today's technology to this 20th century problem is overdue," he says. Citing successful trials of solar powered systems some years ago in Victoria, he noted that, "They worked 100% of the time," even in cloudy locations. Got us wondering—are such apparatus readily available? A quick Google search says, yes. We unearthed Solagard. It’s a solar-powered level crossing radio warning system developed by Central Electronics, the largest manufacturer of solar photovolatics in India. (They also make rail signals!) Solagard “provides audio and visual alarms at the crossing through a VHF link activated by an approaching train when it is between 5 and 2km (3 to 1.2 mile) from the crossing.” As with LEDs for road traffic lights it may be that the eco answer is also the safer solution. ::CelSolar, and ::News in Science....
Trendwatching: (Still) Made Here
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 6.07
Trendwatching.com "works hard to deliver inspiration and pangs of anxiety to business professionals" about the trends that boost or batter them. This month they pick up on one that every TreeHugger knows: Local sourcing.
“(STILL) MADE HERE encompasses new and enduring manufacturers and purveyors of the local. In a world that is seemingly ruled by globalization, mass production and ‘cheapest of the cheapest’, a growing number of consumers are seeking out the local, and thereby the authentic, the storied, the eco-friendly and the obscure.”...
Wal-Mart's Summer Store Dimming Program Saves Tons
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 06. 6.07
"Wal-Mart Canada stores across the country yesterday began reducing lighting by one-third for the summer in 240 of its stores, a strategy aimed at helping the company meet its plan to lower carbon emissions by at least 19,000 tons this year. As a result, Wal-Mart Canada expects to slash carbon emissions by over 4,500 tons, help control summer smog conditions, and aid the stability of provincial power grids...The reduced summer-lighting program was piloted in Wal-Mart stores across Ontario in the summers during 2005 and 2006, originally implemented in response to continuing summer energy concerns in the province. The Canada-wide expansion of the program is a result of the company's sustainability goals and its recently introduced "For the Greener Good" program. Participating locations have posted door-front notices explaining the change and its environmental benefit to shoppers. Via:: Progressive Grocer...
Kids Create Shoes of Hope in Fight Against Climate Change
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 06. 6.07
It may be too late to start getting involved this school year, but there is a truly outstanding opportunity to get kids in your class involved next year in a project called "Art Miles Shoes of Hope". It's being run as a part of the Art Miles Mural Project, and is getting kids across America involved in the fight against climate change by having them paint canvas shoes for kids in the developing world that include personalized messages of what they are doing to help stop it's onslaught. Wonder what message that's sending to our kids? Well, it's really quite simple... First, they're learning that we here in the first world have created most of the issue with global warming, and that we can make a commitment to lead the charge to stop it. Second, it educates them about what living in the third world really means to other kids in places like Africa where even shoes are a highly valued item. Third, it gets kids involved in a project that can unify them and help educate their parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends, and neighbors about the crisis when they come home to talk about it. And if you think that's not an incredibly powerful part of this shoe painting madness I'd like to ask you just one simple question.... Is there really any messenger more effective than a child? ...
Summer Sights: Sharon Temple
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 6.07
Summer's here and the time is right for hopping on the train, the bike or biodiesel powered smart car to see the sights. We thought it might be useful to look at some of the architectural highlights that are open to those interested in TreeHugger type design; some green, some modern, some prefab. Let's start with one close to this writer, the Sharon Temple, just north of Toronto, an early demonstration of prefabrication.
David Willson came to Canada in 1801 and joined the Quakers, but fell out with them over the use of music, and left to found the Children of Peace in the village of Hope. They were successful farmers and became well known for their silver band. Willson believed that the end of days would come when Christian and Jews were reconciled, and developed his theology as a mix of both. in 1825 he started building the Temple, based on the descriptions of the New Jerusalem in the book of Revelation; the count of windows, columns, proportions and the four equal sides welcoming from all directions are direct interpretations of the bible.
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Which Politician is Greenest?
by Bonnie Alter, London on 06. 6.07
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the greenest (politician) of them all? David Cameron, the head of the Conservatives started the race with his eco-house, complete with wind turbine (although he had to take it down since he didn’t have planning permission), biodegradable diapers (for his child), solar panels and ground tank to store rainwater. The Conservatives may have pushed the green agenda but their record isn’t sterling; having led objections to a recycling plant, tried to block wind farms and backed road expansion schemes. But it seems that Gordon Brown, Prime Minister in waiting, is pulling up quickly. He has solar panels on his roof and a compost heap. He has spent the last three summer holidays in Scotland, keeps the heat down and uses low energy light bulbs. The Labour party has introduced a tax on landfill, and put money into home insulation schemes, as well as trying to build international consensus on climate change. However Labour has backed nuclear power and brought in genetically modified crops. The Liberal Democrat leader, Sir Menzies Campbell, is not a natural eco-warrier even though his party had a comprehensive programme to protect the environment long before it was fashionable. They want to cut emissions without nuclear and want reform of air travel and higher taxes on polluting cars. Their leader has loaned his Jaguar car to a museum and uses a car which is being converted to run on liquid petroleum gas. He too took holidays in Scotland, takes the train and drinks Fairtrade coffee. And the winner is? :: The Independent on Sunday...
The Prosumerification of Everything
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 6.07
Prosumer is a portmanteau from Professional and consumer, it is an ugly word picked up by the vendors of digital cameras to describe too many complicated and formerly expensive professional features being added to consumer models. Paul Kedrosky makes it uglier by inventing Prosumerification- the tendency of home stoves morph into into commercial Garland ranges, Home entertainment systems that rival a THX equipped cinema, video cameras where George Lucas couldn't use all the features, all of them more complex, expensive and sucking more power.
A remarkable example can be seen in rice cookers; Toshiba invented them 50 years ago with a simple heating element beneath the bowl that had a thermostat to click off as soon as the water was gone. We use a 25 year old one like this every night and it still works perfectly. Now the Wall Street Journal tells us that Toshiba is offering the Vacuum-Pressure Rice Cooker for 100,000 yen ( US$ 830). It creates a vacuum while the rice soaks, then 264 pounds of pressure while it cooks, all in a vessel coated in silver and diamond dust to distribute the heat evenly.
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Skin-Piercing Vampire Moth Vants Your Blood
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 06. 6.07
No thanks to climate change, Finland is attracting species better-acquainted with warmer climes, including a moth that binges on human blood, according to a Finnish nature periodical.
Insect watchers have observed nearly 200 sightings of this creature of the night (Calyptra thalictri) since it was first spotted in the Nordic country in 2000, writes Kauri Mikkola, a researcher at the Finnish Museum of Natural History at the University of Helsinki, in the June issue of Suomen Luonto....
California Eco Homes Double As Moon Units
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 06. 6.07
Nader Khalili's affordable and eco-friendly ceramic, domed homes could one day house the first settlers on the Moon.
The Iranian-born, California-based architect's designs build upon elemental materials—earth, water, and fire—and their remarkably simple construction rely only on basic architectural forms, such as arches and domes. Once the structure is secured, the interior of the dome is kiln-fired, which seals the inside with a thick terracotta crust.
"To me it's obvious to use earth as a building block," Khalili tells AFP. "I don't consider that I have invented anything at all. "All the Mediterranean civilizations used earth or natural materials in their architecture."...
Prospecting for Biofuels
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 06. 5.07
Growing corn is not the answer to our gasoline addiction, but is switchgrass, Miscanthus, or Poplar trees? And if they are, when do we harvest them to get the optimal solutions? Good questions-glad you asked. Because researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory are looking at ways to determine what type of plant material, and specific times of harvest offer a better long-term solution.
Analytical chemist Emily Smith has devised a test based on Raman spectroscopy that can quickly determine the chemical composition of the plant in question. Understanding the composition of the cellulose material is just as important for biofuels as is understanding when a fruit is ripe to pick for eating. Except we did not evolve any specific sense to tell us when poplar trees make for good biofuels. Which is why we need people like Emily.
“Just like vintners monitor and test the sugar content of their grapes in the field, biofuel producers could potentially use this technology to determine if their crop was at optimal development for conversion to ethanol,” said Smith. Agriculture has often been spurred by just such screening technologies, and new types of crops will require new thinking when it comes to screening....
Solar Pope
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 5.07
Leaders of all sorts are keen for green right now. It's trendy for a start, so a guaranteed popularity boost. And also, to drop the cynicism shield for a second, it's possible that these people really care about the environment. In the UK, as we approach election time, we have seen Tony Blair and David Cameron attempting to install various alternative energy devices on their homes, with equally disastrous results. Celebrities are falling over each other to get into either a Prius or a Tesla, and even the Pope is doing his part.
This is great, because these people influence others to follow in their footsteps. Now, whether you're leader is the Pope, the Prime Minister or just Leo DiCaprio, you have a good role model.
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Sony May Never Charge Again
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 5.07
Sony has unveiled a brave collection of concept devices that never need recharging. The 'Odo' concepts are as good-looking as they are exciting, which is important if they are to ever be produced, and sell well. Although we have seen wind-up torches and radios before, there have not been any aesthetically pleasing, practical concepts for more advanced devices. That's what makes this announcement so ambitious; the devices include digital cameras and an image/movie viewer, things that drain a lot of power in comparison to an analogue radio.
The Spin 'N' Snap camera, shown above, is particularly interesting. You put a finger through each hole, and spin the whole device around its centre. This turns a dynamo and creates the power to take the next photo. It's an odd echo from old, film cameras, which I only just remember, where you had to manually wind-on the film. I can really see this being enormously popular amongst a certain demographic, and the ability to have a camera on you that is always good to go, and never runs out of power, will be appealing to many....
Dutch Cycling: Remember the Phone, Forget the Helmet
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 06. 5.07
Late last year an American motorcyclist, on holidays in the Netherlands, was so impressed by the bicycling culture in Amsterdam that he photographed it. In 73 minutes he snapped 82 photos. (1.12 per minute!) And then posted his observations on a website. It is a fascinating peek at how cycling is such an all pervasive part of Dutch life. In particular, Brian Wilson was taken by several aspects of bike culture there. That formal dress (a suit and tie, or a smart dress) was no obstacle to cycling. That more than half of all bikes he saw were transporting more than one person. That he didn’t see one bike helmet, not a one. But he certainly did sight many dogs on bicycles, or in tow. That dynamo style, battery-free lighting systems were all the rage, as were massive chain locks which he figured were themselves worth more than the bike they secured. He also observed a large number of bikes (and trikes) with cargo bins moving kids, groceries and dogs around, heaps of folk using mobile phones whilst pedalling their trusty stead, a multitude of garishly painted and otherwise personalised bicycles (like floral wheel guards to stop those dresses getting entangled). He does mistakenly assume that the many folding bikes on the street had taller seats/saddles to compensate for their smaller wheels (it’s just an optical illusion - you sit no higher on a folder than a standard diamond frame.) We’ve covered these same discussion points before, umpteen times before, but never with so many images. It’s a wonderful gallery of how cities and cycling can happily co-exist. ::Amsterdam Bicycles via ski-epic.
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Big Ideas For a Small Planet - The Create episode
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 06. 5.07
Subhankar Banerjee, as a photographer, has been documenting the biodiversity and the indigenous cultures of the controversial Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to prompt legislators to deal responsibly with the issues of global warming and oil extraction. Artist Alyce Santoro raises the spectre of technotrash by recycling audio-tape and creating a material called Sonic Fabric, which has been made in to fashion garments and sculptural sails. Staying with the suplture theme we visit architect David Hertz of Syndesis, who is designing a home from a salvaged Jumbo Jet. All stories you'll see tonight (right now as we post!) on Sundance Channel’s Big Ideas for a Small Planet . As you’ll observe when you click through that link (or the one below, this is just one of myriad happenings as part of Sundance’s The Green website. Sneak peek clips. podcasts, green living guides, blogs, Simran Sethi’s Second Life virtual seminars, an ‘eco-mmunity help round out this significant offering. And there is bucketloads more too. Be sure to visit — ::Big Ideas for a Small Planet....
Geoengineering: A (Very) Risky Proposition Says Study
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 5.07
Perhaps it is not surprising that a plan that seems to draw its inspiration in part from The Simpsons’ Montgomery Burns’ ill-fated scheme to block out sunlight through the use of a gigantic shield would prove controversial, let alone extremely risky. Now a recent study has determined that while such a scheme may help to dramatically cool the planet, it could just as easily worsen current conditions.
Ken Caldeira, of Stanford's Carnegie Institution, and H.Damon Matthews, of Concordia University in Montreal, Canada, specifically examined what might happen if a solar filter was put into place by using a computer model that simulated a global decrease in solar radiation. The authors assumed in their model that greenhouse gas emissions would continue their steady increase along projected trends for the remainder of the century.
“Given current political and economic trends, it is easy to become pessimistic about the prospect that needed cuts in carbon dioxide emissions will come soon enough or be deep enough to avoid irreversibly damaging our climate,” said Caldeira. “If we want to consider more dramatic options, such as deliberately altering the Earth’s climate, it’s important to understand how these strategies might play out.”...
Sixty Six Bottles of Beer on the Wall Provide Hot Water
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 5.07
Hot Water heating it is one of the most cost-effective uses of solar energy. If you are ingenious like Ma Yanjun, of Qiqiao village, Shaanxi province, you can make it yourself and its completely free. "I invented this for my mother. I wanted her to shower comfortably."
66 beer bottles are connected to each other so that water flows through them; it looks like thin plastic tubing is going in and out of each bottle . Sunlight heats the water as it passes slowly through the bottles before flowing into the bathroom as hot water. Ma says it provides enough hot water for all three members of his family to have a shower every day, although we doubt it will push the volume for any jazzy shower heads. ::Annanova
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Building with Awareness: The Book
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 5.07
Architects have a language of their own; 2D complicated drawings and incomprehensible specifications for the building trades, jargon and incomprehensible writing for the public. Ted Owens is different; he wants to communicate. He has told the story of building his strawbale hybrid house on a DVD; in a series of posts on Treehugger; on his own comprehensive website, and now, a book. However it is unlike most architectural books, Ted's is laid out with pictures, arrows and notes to be easy to read, understand and follow. He even appears to have invented a form of hyperlink for print- red lines connecting highlighted text to the appropriate picture.
It is a terrific presentation, clear, concise and informative. You have seen the movie; now get the book. ::Building with Awareness, available from ::the author, found at ::Ballenford Books...
97.4% Net Energy Savings from Reusing Cotton Clothing: LCA & The Salvation Army
by Jenna Watson, Barcelona on 06. 5.07
We all know that second-hand clothing can be cool, stylish, fun and green. Some smart Brits took the time to evaluate the actual energy savings derived from clothing re-use, giving us numbers to justify our pledge for donating and recycling those unwanted garments. The The Salvation Army Trading Company Limited (SATCOL) along with University College Northampton and Environmental Resources Management carried out a life cycle assessment to “determine whether the recycling of clothes, shoes and textiles actually results in a net energy benefit.” Their findings were published in Resources, Conservation and Recycling [2006 (46): 94-103]. ...
What do we Need to Tackle Climate Change? What Have we got?
by Danielle Carpenter Sprungli, Assistant Manager Com on 06. 5.07
On the eve of the G8 summit in Germany (June 6-8), it is worthwhile taking a cold, hard look at the resources we need as a society to manage the climate change challenge and compare those to the ones that we possess.
First, we need a common perception that we have a problem that must be addressed with some sense of urgency. Climate change is at a “tipping point” causing a growing sense of urgency. But it would be an exaggeration to say that this is a universally shared realization.
Second, we need willingness by governments to actually do something about it. That willingness will depend on the extent to which they believe their actions on energy and climate will get them elected or keeps them in office. That belief is lacking. Climate change was not a decisive election topic in France, and it is scoring low in US presidential election polls on important issues. ...
A Phone In The Hand Beats Two In The Head
by Mark Ontkush, Boston, Massachusetts, USA on 06. 5.07
This just in from SimplySwitch; a recent study found that a little over a quarter of the 18 million cell phones purchased in the UK end up being lost or damaged every year. Topping the list is dropping the chatter into the crapper; that's right, a staggering 855,000 handsets are flushed down toilets every year. That translates into about £342 million in additional revenue for the cell phone sellers.
Phones in the throne aren't the only problem; other common catastrophes include leaving mobiles in the pub (810,000 handsets) in a taxi (315,000) or on a bus (225,000). Dogs ate another 58,500, and 116,000 went through a spin cycle with the dirty laundry. The finger of blame points at the young - a full 40 per cent of those under 34 admitted to losing or damaging their phone. Don't they know the value of a pound? Or maybe respect for material goods is the issue; try giving your phone a name. Remember, you can't green your electronics when they are in the sewer. :: SimplySwitch
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MSN & Treehugger Present Green Theatre: A Live Earth Video Contest
by Jeff McIntire-Strasburg, St. Louis, MO on 06. 5.07
On February 15th, Al Gore announced Live Earth, an event featuring concerts on all seven continents to raise awareness of climate change. The July 7th concerts feature a "Who's Who" of talent, and tickets are sure to be selling fast -- the show at London's Wembley Stadium has already sold out. We want you to be there for this historic event, and so we're teaming up with MSN to give away five pairs of tickets, along with air travel and lodging. MSN and Treehugger's "Green Theatre" contest challenges you to (you guessed it) make a 1-2 minute video in which you answer the question “What are you doing in your own backyard to help fight climate change?” With Live Earth just over a month away, you won't have any time to waste: you can submit your video through Soapbox at MSN Video beginning today. The deadline for submissions is June 23. Once the submission period has closed, voting will open up, and users will choose the Top 10 videos. Those ten will then go to a panel of celebrity judges, and they will determine the five winners. Judges include:...
Cooling London's Tube Trains With Ice
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 5.07
It gets hot in the London tube, and the trains aren't air conditioned. The trains barely fit in the tunnels so they can't bolt units on top, and since conventional air conditioners just move heat from one place to another, there is concern that putting them in trains would just make the tubes themselves hotter. Four years ago they even had a £100,000 competition for ideas to cool the trains; Julian Burgess', shown above, looks attractive.
Now they are going to try a quaint, 19th century idea: blowing air over blocks of ice mounted under the cars. 21st century twist: Refrigeration units will make the ice while the trains are outdoors, and let it melt while they are in the tunnels, cooling the occupants without warming the tunnels. The ice is acting as a kind of thermal storage battery. Downside: a lot of extra weight and extra energy to move it. ::Guardian and ::Daily Mail...
Recreating a Hurricane in Your Own Backyard
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 5.07
Here's an innovative way to recreate the effects of a hurricane without getting the hurricane itself: scientists at the University of Florida have built a portable wind and rain simulator that can simulate a hurricane environment in a laboratory setting. Mounted on a trailer and armed with eight industrial fans powered by four marine diesel engines (700-horsepower each), this device can reach wind speeds equivalent to those of Hurricane Katrina.
Each industrial fan is five-feet tall and weighs approximately 1,200 pounds. A hydraulic drive system designed by Linde Hydraulics Corporation and Cunningham Fluid Power controls the transfer of power from the engines to each of the fans. Hydraulic pumps powered by the engines push fluid through the motors located in the fans, which causes them to begin spinning....
The TH Interview: David de Rothschild - Part 2
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 06. 5.07
In Part 1 of this interview you read about how David was inspired to set up Adventure Ecology, how it works and what their mission is. In Part 2 you can read about the recent Adventure Ecology Toxico Mission to Ecuador. David, with Dustin Lynn interjecting now and again, tells us about the AE multidisciplinary creative team and how they hope to tell the story of the petroleum pollution in the Amazon. On the AE team with David are photographers Ollie Chanarin and Adam Broomberg of Chopped Liver, filmmaker Dustin Lynn the world-renowned artist Gabriel Orozco and the ethno biologist Maria Fadiman. During a visit to a Repsol oil drilling site they witnessed first hand the complex propaganda machine of petroleum industry, the impact it is having on the local environment and how it is affecting the local indigenous communities....
Gandia Studio Design With Recovered Materials
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 06. 5.07
It’s not so common to see environmentally aware designers coming from the interior of Argentina -or at least it’s not so common that they stand out-, so we were pleased to find Gandia. This studio from Cordoba province whose main activity is commercial architecture was founded by brothers Estanislao and Eduardo Gandía and works with recovered houseware, machinery and automobile pieces. The designs shown above were presented in the latest edition of Remade in Italy under the program Remade in Argentina, which took place in late April during the Milan Design Week. The first is a chair made with a vintage Argentine telephone-cabin made from acrylic, supported with automobile elastics on a turnaround office-chair-system inserted on a plough disc. The only virgin materials are steel fixes and the pillows, from eco-leather. Second is a recovered stainless steel washing machine barrel with a lighting and an MDF lacked top, where the new materials are the steel zinc coated legs and MDF top. And the last design in the picture is a panel with lamps from recycled glass in an agglomerated panel, where the lamps and electric connection is the only virgin material (see another picture in the extended). These items can be found via Design Connection, the organization responsible for Remade in Argentina. Even if not so suitable for purchase outside Argentina, they feature some good ideas to take from. ::Design Connection...
New York Times on How to Ride a Bike
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 5.07
The number of bicyclists in New York City has doubled in the last 20 years, and there are a lot more cars around too. Nationally, deaths among cyclists are decreasing due to use of helmets and provision of bike lanes, but there are still 600 deaths and 46,000 annual injuries. The New York Times has published a useful guide for both drivers and bicyclists on how to mix cars and bikes on the same busy urban streets.
The rules listed don't take into account the increasing level of anger and road rage, as drivers get upset being stopped in traffic or bicyclists at drivers who are so busy talking on their phones that they are clearly not paying attention. Another new cause for disaster, as bicycle lanes get more common, is the stopped Fedex or UPS truck in the bike lane, forcing cyclists way out into traffic.
The Door Prize, shown on the right, is also increasingly common, people just don't think to look when they get out of their cars. (probably because they are still on the cell phone)...
It Slices, It Dices: Series X Furniture -- Sustainable Materials Creating Transformer Furniture
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 5.07
TreeHugger likes multi-functional, transforming furniture for its versatility and resulting reduction in the amount of stuff we need; we also like seeing responsibly-sourced sustainable materials put to good use in sleek, modern designs. When the two combine...well, let's just say we get a little excited. Such is the case with Series X, a collection of ultra-versatile, super-sustainable furniture by Graeme Massie Architects for Outgang. Each product has a continuous loop form in a unique profile, which enables it to be rotated into different positions offering maximum functionality -- upright, recliner and perching stool, coffee table, side table and foot stool, all matching each other's heights and uses....
The Best of The Panelist
by The Panelist, USA on 06. 5.07
Big Oil is getting more money from your pocket that you might imagine -- in the form of your tax dollars. As we know, Big Oil has enjoyed record profits for more than a year now. Indeed, this year first quarter earnings for big oil companies was one of the biggest ever. But Big Oil gets its cash inflow from more than just profits on its product. Senator Claire McCaskill, D-Mo. said that last year "Congress forked over $9 billion of our tax dollars to the big oil companies in tax breaks and subsidies."
How would Jesus Invest? Our Pious Panelist takes a look at Morally Responsible Investing (MRI), a subset of Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), and analyzes the screening process of a conservative Christian financial planning site. Quoting from the scripture, the site dictates which companies are appropriate for the morally responsible investor, and which companies, like General Electric, Microsoft and PepsiCo, belong in the Hall of Shame....
Consumer Reports Debunks the Teflon Pan/PFOA Exposure Myth
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 06. 5.07
It has been widely known for years that human exposure to PFOA is very low under normal non-stick cookware use conditions. A just-released study report by a trusted third party, Consumer Reports, has again verified that the risk of non-stick pan use is very low, and getting lower. "Consumer Reports tested non-stick pans from various manufacturers to test the safety of new and used pans at heats of 204 C (400 F) and found that PFOA emissions were minimal. "The highest level was about 100 times lower than levels that animal studies suggest are of concern for ongoing exposure to PFOA," the magazine reports in its June issue. "With the aged pans, emissions were barely measurable." Health Canada has said that non-stick coatings are safe to use at temperatures under 350 C (662 F). But, the federal agency said that with higher heats, irritating or poisonous fumes may be released."
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Coca Cola and WWF Conserving Water (?)
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 5.07
Coca-Cola and the World Wildlife Fund (US Branch) have "launched a multi-year partnership to conserve and protect freshwater resources. The $20 million commitment from The Coca-Cola Company to WWF will be used to help conserve seven of the world's most important freshwater river basins, support more efficient water management in the company's operations and global supply chain, and reduce its carbon footprint. Through the partnership, The Coca-Cola Company has made a pledge to replace the water it uses in its beverages and their production." (::WWF)
We have complained often about what the Coca-Cola company has done to water, taking it from the taps, adding salt, bottling it in plastic and calling it Dasani, essentially privatizing a public resource and selling it back to us at a 10,000% markup.
The Coke President is making a speech today in Beijing at the WWF conference and spells out his plans to Reduce, Recycle and Replenish, a portion copied below the fold. Laudable goals by Coke but still lipstick on a pig. What was the WWF thinking? ::Coca-Cola
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Maple View Dairy: Building Trust in Local Production
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 06. 5.07
When we reported on Ben and Jerry’s teaming up with Ecotricity to combat global warming, one irate commenter informed us that it was ‘total rubbish’ due to the environmental impacts of the dairy industry . While we agree that over consumption of animal products, be they meat or dairy, are a huge threat to the planet, we find it hard to see the whole world turning vegan in a hurry. It is in this spirit then that we are posting on Maple View Farm, a dairy producer in Hillsborough, North Carolina that is loved by the local community, not only for their delicious locally-sold ice cream, dairy products and meat, but also for their responsible attitude to environmental stewardship.
Maple View is staunchly and proudly synthetic hormone free, and while some products now come in recyclable plastic containers, the dairy is still aggressive in promoting the use of old-style returnable milk bottles. This is something which is supported strongly by the local community. In fact, according to a recent article in local Chapel Hill Magazine, when the local retail giant Food Lion muscled the dairy’s products off the shelves, sales of Maple View barely dipped as customers just went elsewhere for their favorite milk. When Food Lion changed their mind, and asked Maple View to return, the company declined, stating that they ‘didn’t want to continue a business relationship with somebody who would do that.’
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Youth Hit the Road to Save Environment!
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 06. 5.07
Just one week from today thirteen college-age youth will set off on a seven-week, 8606 mile cross-country adventure. They’ll be working to highlight other young people taking action to find innovative solutions to environmental and Native American issues in more than 30 locations across the U.S. In fact, they’ll be hitting 26 cities, 6 national parks, and 6 Native American communities in just 54 days; and all on the first-ever green-certified biodiesel motor coach that was generously donated for their use by Motor Coach Industries. The tour will kick off at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on June 12 and wind up in Tucson, Arizona on August 4, 2007. As they travel they’ll get involved in local public service projects being implemented by alumni of the Udall Foundation’s scholarship, fellowship and internship programs. Projects like replanting trees in New Orleans, volunteering with the group Working Bikes in Chicago to salvage and restore bikes for resale, campground development on the Grand Ronde Reservation in Oregon, and exploring national parks through photography with local youth in Acadia National Park, Maine. Want to follow the journey online? Well, they’ll be documenting the whole thing with text, video, and photos on their blog, so check it out! ...
New Jersey's Carbon Footprint
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 06. 5.07
Just how does New Jersey stack up against other states when it comes to global-warming carbon emissions? The U.S. Energy Information Administration has the Garden State's number.
:: Newsday See also: :: New Jersey: The Solar State? and :: North Jersey Fights Climate Change...
- New Jersey ranks 16th when it comes to total amount of carbon dioxide emissions.
- Per capita, New Jersey ranks 40th.
- New Jersey ranks 47th in emissions per capita from electric power generation.
- New Jersey's carbon dioxide emissions have increased 8.57 percent from 1990 to 2003.
- About half of New Jersey's total carbon dioxide emissions come from transportation.
Japan's First Solar Powered Condo
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 5.07
The Gradia Solare's roof is covered with photovoltaics, 1530 watts per apartment plus some surplus for the common areas. It appears that the solar panels are owned and managed by an outside company for fifteen years and then transferred to the Condo corporation, which probably keeps the upfront costs out of the sale price of the units. The building is full of features, including "Eco-cute" combo heat pumps for domestic water and heating, high efficiency appliances and filtered ventilation air. Various technologies are supposed to "reduce carbon dioxide emissions equivalent to the amount absorbed by approximately 4,200 cedar trees"- They could plant some more instead of that sea of asphalt around the building. ::Grandia Solare via ::Japan for Sustainability...
World Environment Day
by Bonnie Alter, London on 06. 5.07
Today is World Environment Day, initiated by the United Nations to stimulate debate about environmental issues around the world. This year's theme is "Melting Ice – a Hot Topic?" in support of International Polar Year. The focus is on the effect of climate change on polar bears and their ecosystem. The earth's climate is changing; in the Arctic the average temperature has risen at twice the rate of the rest of the world during the past few decades. Sea ice is melting and this affects polar bears and seals (dependent on ice) as well as the native communities which rely on them for food. Fittingly, celebrations will be hosted by the city of Tromsø, Norway's most northerly city and home to the Norwegian Polar Institute. An art exhibition will be held in the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo featuring the work of 40 different artists and it will travel to Chicago next year. Included in their materials is a terrifying meltdown poster of the melting ice areas around the world; from Peru to Indonesia to East Africa the rate of shrinking, and retreating is proceeding faster than ever before. Thirty mountain glaciers lost more than a metre of thickness in 2005, resulting in a 0.6 degree rise in temperature this century. There are activities taking place around the world to educate and inform: art, music, seminars, Al Gore, and Town Hall meetings. Find one in your area and walk, don't drive to it. :: World Environment Day...
Cows Unite- Join the Movement
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 5.07
Some organizations put up static websites; some think it is really sophisticated to have a blog. Some, like the people at the Sustainable Table, are always cutting edge, on the latest trends. In their campaign to make people aware of the dangers of factory farming, they produced movies like the Meatrix, Youtube videos like ::backwards hamburger and now go all web 2.0 with a social networking site where you are joining with online cows. There is a "Major breakthrough on an organic farm in Oregon. Organic farmer Jon Bansen responds to third great cow/human communication experiment, marking the single most important day in bovine history since the invention of electric handwarmers. Cows Unite is now in touch with humans. After a period of initially shaky translation, Bansen and the bovine sisters manage to agree upon a system and method to spread the cows’ messages to humans everywhere. A website (which, Jon explains, works much like electric fencing wire—who knew?!) is constructed with a remarkable level of hoofs-on contribution from two herd members previously thought too geeky to work such wonders, Desdemona and Rosie."...
Nau in Fast Company
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 5.07
Nau executives Ian Yolles (top), vice president of marketing; Jil Zilligen, vice president of sustainability; Chris Van Dyke (bottom), CEO; and Mark Galbraith (right), vice president of product design.
Nau advertises on TreeHugger, and the stuff looks pretty good in the ads and in Warren's posts. We learned from the June issue of Fast Company that "Based on a shared conviction that, in addition to generating profit, companies have an equal responsibility to create positive social and environmental change, the Nau team set out to reinvent the way people shop, reshape the outdoor category, redesign the corporation--and inspire the wider business community to do the same."
Says CEO Chris Van Dyke, (son of Dick)""We believed every single operational element in our business was an opportunity to turn traditional business notions inside out, integrating environmental, social, and economic factors. Nau represents a new form of activism: business activism."
Their stores act more as showrooms than stores; customers get a discount if they use it as a fitting room and then have it delivered, because the stores can be smaller and carry less inventory. They give 5% of their gross to charity and the customer gets to chose where it goes.
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Everything You Wanted to Know About Peak Oil
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 5.07
Image Credit: Sarah Leen
Paul Kedrosky points us to a powerpoint presentation given by Matthew Simmons, an investment banker specializing in the oil industry, to a recent conference of investment advisors. It is everything that Seth Godin says a powerpoint presentation shouldn't be; the ugliest template MicroSoft could develop and far too many words. It is also 54 slides that lay out the future of fuel clearly and comprehensively- demand is young, supply is old, infrastructure is rusting, suppliers are less and less friendly.
Simmons' best hope: Conservation is highest quality new energy supply. See the whole show at ::Simmons & Company via ::Infectious Greed
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Dennis Dollens Grows Architecture: Podhotels and Spiral Bridges
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 06. 5.07
When somebody talks about sustainability without using the word ‘eco’ or ‘green’, I’d say they are one step ahead of our time. Dennis Dollens has definitely one foot in the future as he’s growing living buildings. His work is about Biomimetics as a way to archive environmentally responsible and non-toxic solutions for architecture and design.
Dollens believes that good design solutions derive from nature. He’s testing his approach called biomimetics (often used in scientific research) ‘to explore forms, shapes, connections, as well as biological properties from the natural world’. You’re asking now, how is it possible? Well, Dollens digitally grows it with a software called Xfrog, normally used in landscape architecture. Dollens uses Xfrog by manipulating the software’s forms based on botanic algorithms to grow new types of structures for architectural purposes, such as columns imitating the branching of a tree or a Spiral Bridge inspired by a seedpod’s spiralling nature as it falls.
Dollens latest creations might be a bit alien looking at first but once you realise the natural system within their structures, the Barcelona Podhotel as well as the Arizona Tower become beautiful new ideas for architecture. The Podhotel for example copies leaves and pods from a flower stalk, the leaves being transformed into solar and shading panels and the pods being prefabricated rooms. The spiralling arrangement of the latter allows for precise orientation to gain natural ventilation and other environmental advantages. Dollens admits that we prefer to live in boxes rather than pods and suggest changing the pod-shaped spaces for cubes. Voilà, a fully grown building in full bloom....
Solar Powered WiFi Repeater
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 4.07
Meraki Networks have released a solar powered outdoor WiFi repeater, which can cover entire neighborhoods with Internet access. This of course makes it perfect for developing countries where electricity supply is scant or unreliable.
Sanjit Biswas, CEO and co-founder of Meraki, said, 'To change the economics of Wi-Fi access across the globe, there’s got to be a simple, efficient and inexpensive method for sending the signal long distances outdoors. The Meraki Solar and Meraki Outdoor will play an important role in our efforts to bring the next billion people online in the coming years.'
Of course, the device is also a perfect way to extend WiFi signals into your garden or to neighbours, without using any electricity. A very green way to surf; outdoors, and solar powered. :: Meraki.net
See also :: Danger: WiFi Eats Babies :: Solar Wifi Comes to St. Louis Park, Could Turn Ugly :: Solar Wi-Fi To Bring Internet to Developing Countries...
Green Business Card
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 4.07
This interesting business card is a design by Jamie Wieck. Even though I've seen similar ideas before, this still struck me as a fantastic way to bring a little nature into the business world. If lots of people started to hand these out, then I could start a little card-garden on my desk.
"For this project I set out to design a business card that a prospective client would want to keep on their table rather than in their pocket. The result was a business card that worked like a miniature house-plant, growing alfalfa or cress when dipped in water - a business card for 'another bloomin' designer'. The logo was also cut into a 'seed stencil' that allowed the logo to be grown on either earth or lawn; on uncut grass, the message would remain hidden until the area was mown." :: Jamie Wieck (via Boing Boing)...
Sounds Good: Converting Waste Heat into Electricity
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 4.07
Anybody who's ever taken an introductory chemistry course will be familiar with the concept of exothermic reactions, or reactions that give off energy as excess heat. Finding a way to harness this waste heat to put it to use in other reactions or applications has long been a goal of scientists around the world.
Physicists at the University of Utah may have just made a major breakthrough in discovering a possible solution to this dilemma. Orest Symko, a professor of physics, and five of his doctoral students built small devices that convert heat into sound and then into electricity, a technology whose potential for changing heat into electricity and harnessing solar energy is very alluring. ...
TreeHugger Picks: Outdoor & Patio Furniture
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 4.07
Summer has nearly arrived, and with the accompanying increase in sunshine and warmer temperatures comes the opportunity to spend more time outside. Whether gardening or barbequing is your warm weather cup of tea, you'll need somewhere to take a load off and relax. If the recently covered Ting Sling or Maku Furnishings don't do it for you, here are some of our picks for outdoor and patio furniture.
 | 1) Modern Outdoor's Etra Collection is made from sustainably-certified Ipe, which is their wood of choice because it resists surface scratching, rot, mold and insect infestation without toxic protective chemicals better than cedars or redwoods. |
 | 2) Henry Hall Designs’ Pure collection classic good looks will keep your backyard looking fine, while knowing that their furniture is made from eco-sensible plantation-grown teak will give you peace of mind, for the long days of BBQing ahead. |
 | 3) The Grass Armchair is the ultimate DIY: just take the cardboard skeleton, add dirt, seed & water, and this truly "green" chair starts to grow after just 10 days. If the chair isn't enough good greenness for you, check out the couch. Don't forget to mow! |
(Hit the jump for the remaining two picks...)
...TreeHugger Looking for Webmaster/Software Engineer
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 06. 4.07
Here is a great opportunity to combine your career goals with your life values and join a great team. TreeHugger, the leading website dedicated to helping individuals lead a sustainable life, is looking for a full time Webmaster/Software Engineer.
We are looking for that rare individual who can work with customize pre-packaged applications as well as develop custom programs. You are self managed, very organized, and detail oriented. You take pride in both external and internal customer satisfaction and take time to understand the business needs of the company and continuously suggest and implement the required improvements.
TreeHugger is a virtual organization, so you need to be comfortable working from your home office. You have solid written communications skills and are comfortable using online audio/video/file collaboration tools. Location is not important but you will be expected to work a normal business day east coast time. ...
Beware The Environmental Wedgie
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 06. 4.07
With this headline, we're not thinking so much of the literal "wedgie," as when someone pulls your knickers up. It's more the metaphorical "wedgie" that we're thinking on, and how the concern trolls and Think Tanks will go to work, following this week's "G8" meeting, where climate change will be seriously discussed. The typical post-meeting tactics will be easy to deal with: calling "environmentalists" hypocrites because their climate role model has a higher-than-average carbon footprint (a.k.a. the Gore attack); or, claiming a regional effort to save endangered Pacific salmon by taking down hydroelectric dams proves that all environmentalists are short sighted on climate; or, a coal state US legislator proposing to limit the spread of wind farms 'to protect the birds and bats.' The tactics will only expand as industries choose sides and election campaign strategies are firmed up . These, too, shall pass. However, some very long-lasting new and powerful climate wedgies are about to get pulled. We'd love to hear your ideas on how anyone might best respond, tactically, strategically, and emotionally, to them....
Burn it Where You Buy it to Stop Invasive Species
by Union of Concerned Scientists on 06. 4.07
Last week's Memorial Day weekend kicked off the start of summer. Like many others in the Northern Hemisphere, your summer plans might include a picnic or camping trip in one of many beautiful state or national parks, national forests, or private campgrounds.
You probably already know that to protect the beauty of these special places you should remove your trash and put out your campfire before you head home. But did you know that you also should not transport firewood?
Forests are threatened by non-native forest pests—highly destructive insects and diseases that threaten our forests and the clean water, recreation, and other resources they provide. Since these forest pests survive inside wood where you can’t see them, they can be transported long distances by accident. You can help protect forests with a simple action—Don’t transport firewood!
This summer, spread the message, not the pest. Take the Firewood Pledge today and then tell your family and friends. ...
Dutch Scientists Growing Meat in the Lab
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 4.07
Our stomach churned a bit while we wrote this post, but there is some logic to it. Dutch researchers are trying to grow pork in petri dishes and give new meaning to the phrase Mystery Meat. "We're trying to make meat without having to kill animals," Bernard Roelen, a veterinary science professor at Utrecht University, said in an interview. After all, if you eliminate animal feed, transport, land use and methane, (not to mention inhumane treatment) is it a problem? Is it really meat?
"Keeping animals just to eat them is in fact not so good for the environment," said Roelen. "Animals need to grow, and animals produce many things that you do not eat."
Roelen suggests that the meat we eat now is extensively processed and that it isn't that far of a stretch. "I can imagine that some people will have problems with it," he said. "People might think it is artificial. But some people might not realize that some part of the meat they eat is artificial." McNuggets anyone? ::Reuters
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Gigacrete: An Alternative to Concrete
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 4.07
We have never been fond of concrete for single family residential uses; there is too much gravel excavation, carbon released making cement, transport of a heavy, marginally recyclable material to house a couple of people. Yet there is something to be said for some of the properties of concrete; it is strong, verminproof. has good thermal mass and is non-combustible.
Now, it appears that one can have the best of both worlds. Justin at Materialicious shows us Gigacrete, which has no portland cement but a "proprietary non-toxic binder" made from "a different cementitious binder consisting of commonly found nontoxic elements available from many locations throughout the world." We are not nuts about proprietary solutions and prefer to know what ingredients go into our buildings, but definitely like the fact that up to 80% of the volume of the material is fillers:...
Ting Sling
by Joey Roth, Brooklyn, USA on 06. 4.07
British designer Inghua Ting weaves end-of-line seatbelt fabric into this playful “Ting Sling”. Though it would brighten any interior, the hammock, made from life-saving textile, is more than durable enough for outdoor use. Following her graduation from the Royal College of Art, Inghua worked in Japan developing futuristic fabrics. However, working at the forefront of fabric technology led her to considering sustainable issues, and the challenge of designing and producing a desirable, luxury product from recycled materials.
When I saw the Ting Sling at ICFF, I doubted that the recycled seatbelts would provide the same “sinking-in” feeling that makes a standard hammock so comfortable; they're designed to restrain you, after all. After actually using it, I was surprised by how soft the material was, and while you can't sink into this hammock in quite the same way, the woven seatbelts were very comfortable; it made me wish I were swinging in a cool forest instead of the Javits center....
Dirk Winkel's "A Stacking Hommage" -- New Versions of Old Classics
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 4.07
"A Stacking Hommage" is design student Dirk Winkel's nod to three classic chair designs, updated for the 21st century. The Barcelona Chair (above), the Eames Lounger and Le Corbusier's LC2 (below the fold) have been given a plastic makeover and designed to be stackable, packable, and more affordable. We always like to see classic, timeless designs given a fresh coat of paint and new appeal; when added affordability and smart, space-saving design are added to the equation, it bumps it up another notch closer to the top of the TreeHugger "must-have" list. We don't know if these are (or could be) made from biopolymers, but we've got our fingers crossed; wouldn't it be more fun to lounge by the pool or on your patio in one of these, instead of the ubiquitous white plastic chairs? ::Dirk Winkel via ::Core77 More groovy pics below the fold....
GE’s Hybrid Locomotive Prototype On Track
by Tony Bosworth, Sydney, Australia on 06. 4.07
GE unveiled a prototype hybrid locomotive at its Ecomagination event in Los Angeles last week. The 4,000 hp locomotive uses a set of sodium nickel chloride (Na-NiCl2) batteries to capture and store energy dissipated during dynamic braking, as well as an on-board fuel optimizer system.
The energy stored in the locomotive batteries will reduce fuel consumption and emissions by as much as 10% compared to most of the freight locomotives in use today. Railroads account for about 2.5% of national fuel usage in the US. In addition to reduced emissions, a hybrid will operate more efficiently in higher altitudes and up steep inclines....
Clutch Table by Peter Loh
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 4.07
TreeHugger has talked a lot about biomimicry, hugging a variety of nature-inspired products, like this paint, and ideas, like more efficient solar panels, thanks to sea sponges, but haven't seen quite as much furniture that takes a direct cue from Mother Nature. Enter the work of Peter Loh, a Bellevue, Washington (just east of Seattle) designer who has been inspired by spiders, beetles and other elements of the natural world to create a line of furniture that combines the best of nature's designs with his own sense of beauty, function and structure. We like the Clutch table (and similar miniClutch), inspired by the clutches of ladybug eggs that cling to the undersides of leaves. The egg forms that comprise the base of the table are turned from reclaimed Douglas Fir and are joined together in clusters; because of the uniqueness of their source, no two Clutch tables are alike and they can be customized for your living space or size needs. Says the designer, "Every project is like a puzzle to be solved. It involves the challenge of creating an object that has to satisfy the needs of function, form, and concept. While the end goal is to have a well crafted object when the project is completed, the paths taken to realize it are just as important, if not more so, than the final product." We hope Loh continues down this sustainable path to create more and more beautiful furniture. ::Peter Loh spied at ICFF by ::design*sponge...
Global Warming: "Three Times Faster than Worst Prediction"
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 4.07
As reported in yesterday's edition of The Independent, a series of stunning and worrisome studies has just shown that global warming is accelerating three times more rapidly than initially feared. The rate of increase of greenhouse gas emissions has tripled since the 1990s, the Arctic ice caps are melting three times as fast, and the oceans are rising twice as fast as had been originally forecast.
The study authored by Michael Raupach of the Global Carbon Project at CSIRO and a team of international scientists concluded that carbon dioxide emissions "have been accelerating at a global scale, with their growth rate increasing from 1.1% y-1 for 1990-1999 to >3% y-1 for 2000-2004." Furthermore, they determined that the growth rate in emissions experienced its fastest and largest increase in rapidly developing economies such as China's (accounting for "80% of the world's population"), which together contributed to "73% of global emissions growth in 2004 but only 41% of global emissions and only 23% of global cumulative emissions since the mid-18th century." This indicates, however, that developed countries, while only accounting for less than a sixth of the world's population, still produce over two-thirds of total greenhouse gas emissions. ...
Credit Card Cutlery at the Cooper Hewitt
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 4.07
We love flatpack designs, and here is one so portable and clever that it can fit in your wallet. Never again will you have to take disposable plastic cutlery from the takeout joint; now you can take it out of your wallet, dine, and fold them up and put them back. Designed and manufactured by Ineke Hans of the Netherlands.
::Cooper Hewitt Shop at the National Design Museum via ::NotCot...
Blue Spark Table by Skrewgun
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06. 4.07
Inspired by wanting to reduce the visual clutter of all the electronic devices we charge every day, designer Sean Barrow's Blue Spark table uses a smart combination of organic materials, metal and technology to create a beautiful, functional piece of furniture. Made from pin oak sourced from an urban forestry program in Olympia, Washington, the table hides six outlets -- for charging your cellphone, iPod and whatever else needs to be sporadically plugged in -- behind the serene glow of a blue LED light; flip the switch in the back, and the whole table "turns off", cutting the power and cutting back on phantom loads while providing a functional side table. Says designer Barrow, "I feel that some morning I am going to wake up and this thing is going to be in my kitchen, making some coffee and frying up some eggs." Check out more of the recent design graduates' work, including a feature in MAKE: magazine, at his website. ::Skrewgun...
Groxie Hosts Carnival of the Green
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 06. 4.07
This week is Carnival of the Green # 80 and it's being hosted by Groxie, a blog about living a simpler, greener life and DIY environmentalism. So, head on over to this week's Carnival to check out a round up of last week's 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 (hurry, we're now booking into 2008!), please click here to link to our previous post....
China Has a Plan for Climate Change
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 06. 4.07
Two days before China's president travels to the G8 Summit to talk about a warming planet, and over a month behind schedule, the country has released the developing world's first "action plan" (pdf here) on climate change. Though it makes no pledges on emissions restrictions, deflecting some blame towards developed nations, the report reaffirms the country's glacial turn from red to green.
Issued by the National Resource and Development Commission (NRDC), the plan calls for even more official focus on environmental protection, including expanding research and usage of new energy-saving technologies, improvement of agricultural infrastructure, increased reforestation and water resource management and greater public awareness of the issue. But it also insists that rich countries have far higher per capita emissions than China, and should fund clean growth rather than forcing developing countries to accept emission limits. China's "overriding priority at the moment," explained Ma Kai, minister of the NRDC, "is still economic development and poverty eradication." ...
The Eco Diet Isn't Just About Food Miles
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 4.07
While this is the year of local food, some say that it is a simplistic analysis. According to researchers a the University of Wales Institute in Cardiff, "only around 2% of the environmental impact of food comes from transporting it from farm to shop. The vast majority of its ecological footprint comes from food processing, storage, packaging and growing conditions. So food grown locally could have a considerably bigger footprint than food flown halfway around the world, and consumers who make their choices on air miles alone may be doing more environmental harm.
"I'm a bit worried about the food miles [debate] because it is educating the consumer in the wrong way. It is such an insignificant point," said Ruth Fairchild at the University. "Those [foods] could have been produced using pesticides that have travelled all the way around the world. If you just take food miles, it is the tiny bit on the end." They suggest an "ecological footprint concept to develop a set of eco-diets designed to minimise the impact of food consumption on the planet. Sticking to the diets does not mean eating lentils all day, but the most eco-friendly diet excludes wine, spirits, chocolate, ice cream and most meat." Yum, sounds like fun. ::Guardian...
Book Review: Plenty, or The Hundred Mile Diet
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 4.07
Plenty, or the Hundred Mile Diet: A Year of Local Eating as it is titled in Canada, is nothing like Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable or Miracle; Kingsolver is a rich writer living on a farm, Alisa and James are young starving writers living in a small apartment in Vancouver. They start their project, living for a year eating food from within a one hundred mile radius, with a blow-out meal of local fish, Salt Spring Island cheese and blueberries, but the bill comes to $128 and they realize that anyone can do this if you are rich. The challenge is to figure out how to do it if you are young, inexperienced and not Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow 1972.
It is a struggle; no sugar, no olive oil, for much of it no wheat or bread. They work their way through, learning about the diversity of food that has been lost to supermarket monocultures, about the true cost in water and fuel in California lettuce. They did not really know what they were doing, starting the experiment at the beginning of spring, absolutely the worst time of year when nothing is yet growing and all there is to eat is last years remaining turnips.
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National Trails Day 2007
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 06. 4.07
You may have missed it, but this Saturday was National Trails Day and people across the country were getting involved to raise awareness of trails as a great opportunity to learn something about the environment while having fun too… One terrific example is from Columbia, Missouri where their National Trails Day Expo kicked off with the chance to participate in either a 10K bike ride or a 5K walk or run in the morning geared towards adults. But that was followed by the expo itself that gave kids of all ages the chance to learn and have fun with everything from live snakes and real bear skins to coloring sheets about nature that younger kids could easily enjoy. Indeed a number of environmental organizations set up tents with educational brochures and activities geared for kids; things like identifying “Missouri’s superhero animals,” identifying rodent bones found in owl pellets, and even learning to recognize trees based on their trunks and leaves. Simple activities to be sure to many of us, but a lot of fun for children and far more important to them than I think most adults even realize. With kids in general losing touch with nature even as our environmental problems mount, they still genuinely enjoy touching and seeing things like animals and flowers up close when given the opportunity to do so. As presenter Suzanne Wright put it, “I think just experiencing nature, digging holes in the dirt or catching bugs, does more for a child than we can even estimate.” Parent Troy Gordon also pointed out “I think we sit children in front of the television too much and let that be the entertainment for them.” Ultimately, Ms. Wright points out that “The more they know, the better stewards (of the environment) they will be as they grow up.” And that's a sentiment I can wholeheartedly agree with....
Green Publishers: Turning Over a New Leaf
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 06. 4.07
Online media is great, and there is certainly an ecological benefit to paper-free publishing. However, sometimes there’s nothing like a good book when you really want to get to the heart of the matter. Yesterday we brought news of the Centre for Alternative Technology’s book publishing program, and in doing so, we realized that there are many other important publishers of green books that we have not covered on TreeHugger, so we thought we’d do a little run through of some of what’s out there.
Take Chelsea Green Publishing for instance. While we’ve covered important titles of theirs, like Food Not Lawns, before, and we mentioned them in our guide for authors on How to Green Your Book, we are yet to do a post on this wonderful institution. Founded in 1984, Chelsea Green bills itself as ‘the preeminent publisher of books on sustainable living.’ Boasting over 400 titles, Chelsea Green includes high profile political titles like Don’t Think of an Elephant, inspiring fables like The Man Who Planted Trees, and important how-to guides like The Strawbale House on its list.
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The TH Interview: David de Rothschild - Part 1
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 06. 4.07
It could be said that David de Rothschild is the personification of the contemporary green movement. Named as an Emerging Explorer in the class of 2007 by National Geographic, he is spearheading a new generation of young leaders who are tackling environmental issues. His mission, with his organization Adventure Ecology, is to redefine sustainability issues in ways that are exciting, fun and inspiring. By combining the concepts of adventure and ecology through multimedia story telling he hopes to deliver the message that being eco-friendly is not just an abstract concept, it can be a tangible and interactive experience.
You’ll find this interview in two parts on TH, today and tomorrow. In Part 1 David explains what inspired him to start Adventure Ecology and what he hopes to accomplish through it. In Part 2 he talks about the Toxico Mission experience in Ecuador. ...
SeaChange: A Play About Reversing the Tide
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 06. 4.07
It's not too late for New Yorkers to catch the very-limited run of SeaChange: Reversing the Tide, an off-Broadway play linking humanity's survival to our planet's wellbeing. Using a mix of scientific prose and poetry, SeaChange offers "an expose of the consequences of humanity's current indifference to natural laws."
Written and performed by Roger Payne and Lisa Harrow, the play will be presented at Cherry Lane Theater till June 7, after which it will set sail for Portland, Maine (July 24) and Urbana Illinois (Jan 17-18, 2008).
Tickets for the New York run can be purchased via Telecharge or by calling 800-432-7250. :: SeaChange Institute and :: Cherry Lane Theater...
Addicted to Oil’s Tom Friedman in Israel
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 06. 4.07
Don’t laugh at our provinciality over here in Israel – but when someone like Pulitzer-prize winning New York Times reporter and! filmmaker Thomas Friedman comes to town we get really excited. Following in the footsteps of Israel’s successful environmental film festival, Ecocinema, Friedman will be in Jerusalem’s Cinemateque this Wednesday evening to screen his film Addicted to Oil to an Israeli audience. The meet is being sponsored by Ecocinema Israel -- the Israeli International Environmental Film Festival and Greencourse -- the student run environmental activist group. We are pretty sure the screening is free as long as you RSVP in advance to jer-cin@jer-cin.org.il. After the screening, reports Tzur Mishal from Ecocinama, Tom Friedman and member of Israeli parliament Dov Chanin will hold a discussion about what Israel can do in the face of global warming. ...
Chris Jordan's Images of Excess in New York
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 4.07
Depicts 11,000 jet trails, equal to the number of commercial flights in the US every eight hours.
We have shown the work of Chris Jordan here and here; his photographs give meaning to numbers that are too large and shocking for us to grasp. He says "Exploring around our country’s shipping ports and industrial yards, where the accumulated detritus of our consumption is exposed to view like eroded layers in the Grand Canyon, I find evidence of a slow-motion apocalypse in progress. I am appalled by these scenes, and yet also drawn into them with awe and fascination. The immense scale of our consumption can appear desolate, macabre, oddly comical and ironic, and even darkly beautiful; for me its consistent feature is a staggering complexity."
TreeHuggers in New York can see it at the Von Lintel Gallery from June 14th through the end of July. Opening reception June 14th, 6-8pm. ::Chris Jordan via ::Celsias...
Rip Curl Planet - Waxheads for a Wise World
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 06. 4.07
We knew about the two much lauded not-for-profits Surfrider Foundation and Surfers Against Sewage, and even the work of the Quiksilver Initiative, but somehow we’d overlooked Rip Curl Planet. Fast approaching 40 years of surf business, this iconic Australian brand, now with strong French influence has been looking to green itself and it’s industry. Garments will get tagged 'Rip Curl Planet', if they contain a minimum of 55% ecological materials such as organic cotton, linen, hemp or recycled material. They intend for 10% of all their apparel to go this way by Spring/Summer season of 2008, with an extra push to get 20% of T-shirts - their largest part of sales - into 100% organic cotton. During this year they are hoping to know the results of study that's looking into recycling of neoprene wetsuits. Additionally they have moved to a paper carry bags over plastic bags. Small steps, to be sure, but pleased to see they are at least making some waves. Curiously they suggest one of the complications in going green is that “the demand from the customers, who are not particularly aware of the issues, is still too weak.” Maybe they need more tongue-in-cheek education, like the little Surfrider Foundation mockumentary on the site showing surfers as a threaten species. ::Rip Curl Planet....
What's Wrong With This Picture?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 4.07
It is certainly not the design; crisp, clean and modern, Rudy Wallman is a talented architect. It might be the deceptive rendering, which shows no roof thickness or handrail stanchions, even Rudy can't do that. It might be that almost every modern condominium building these days is clad in floor to ceiling glass with an R value for the wall of about 4. A wall in Ontario is supposed to have an R value of 20, but there is no restriction on the amount of glass, so the actual R value is far lower. In the winter, that balcony is a radiator fin, radiating the heat from the apartment out into the atmosphere. There essentially is no wall, just window and fin.
Developers don't need to care about this; once the building is sold it is the owners' problem. Owners don't much care now; they look at the estimated operating expenses when they buy the unit and don't think about the price of gas or electricity five or ten years down the road, it is now still a small proportion of their monthly expenses. Architects should care, but the glass look is all the rage right now and Rudy's firm is really good at it.
But in ten years the owners will be selling the nine thousand dollar Obelisk chairs shown on the Rooftop Garden to buy insulated drapes for those windows. ::Lumiere
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Green Marketing: Mind the Gap
by Bonnie Alter, London on 06. 4.07
PSFK is a marketing website that follows trends in Europe and North America. They held a one day conference in London on trends, ideas and marketing inspiration. The panel discussion "The Marketing Gap in Green" provided some interesting insights into the marketing world and how it is running to catch up to green consumer demand. Members included Tamara Giltsoff (pictured second from left), and John Grant. He said that aviation was the most unfriendly brand right now with people like Richard Branson of Virgin talking about new planes and fuels and trying to look "less bad". Diana Verde Nieto (pictured right) said that because the government is making laws about environmental change the green agenda has become main stream. If companies aren't sustainable the market won't invest in them. Green marketing is about consumption; now certain products feel uncomfortable (for example driving SUV's) so consumers have to find new ways of expressing themselves. The need to collaborate with customers was repeated by all panelists and using existing marketing tools to create new models. For example Ariel detergent started a campaign to publicize washing clothes at 30 degrees and Comfort detergent switched from liquid to concentrate and halved the size of their container. BSkyB put 2 million set top boxes on auto-standby, thus saving electricity. John Grant said that one simple word is the answer: local. But this is a big issue for supermarkets and the drinks industry. He talked about breakaways: composting toilets are awkward now but once developed they will be very popular. And what do consumers want in return? Panelists said they want service and to be involved and purpose. Green status has to be visible. Agencies have to embrace sustainability and remember that it is all evolutionary. :: psfk ...
Book Review: Convertible Houses
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 4.07
TreeHugger often shows designs of loft beds, sliding walls, convertible and transformer furniture, ways to get more use and out of the same space; We love showing how one can live perfectly well with less.
Amanda Lam and Amy Thomas and have put it all into a wonderful new book, Convertible Spaces. From Hong Kong to Paris, Belgium to America, they demonstrate how great designers get more from less.
Some examples are elaborate and expensive, like the Nendo's Drawer House in Tokyo; some have been seen everywhere, like Dan Hisel's Z box; others are new, ingenious and cheap. I loved "living on wheels" -the loft where everything is convertible and on wheels and nothing attached to the walls; the authors point note that "when the solution is the furniture instead of the home, you can take everything with you when you move." there are pages and pages of examples of ways to live with less space.
A third of the book is devoted to "successful strategies for getting more out of your blueprint" showing myriad movable walls, platforms and mezzanines, and multiuse rooms. The section on convertible furniture shows many new pieces, including Shin Azumi's great chair that turns into a table.
If you want lots of ideas for dealing with small spaces, this book is a keeper. ::Convertible Houses available at ::Ballenford...
Ricardo Lagos in Clarin: Has Green Wave Riding Arrived to Latin America?
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 06. 4.07
(Picture: Ricardo Lagos during a debate in a UN General Assembly, in 2001) Former Chilean president Ricardo Lagos, who was recently addressed United Nations adviser to assist general secretary Ban Ki-moon in negotiations regarding Climate Change, appeared in Argentina’s biggest newspaper yesterday with a column urging political action towards the Global Warming issue, specially in developing countries. The text called our attention, as the politician’s naming took place in between complaints from Chilean activists that claimed Lagos was jumping in the “green wave” as a political move, trying to follow the steps of Al Gore. According to the UN, one of the former president’s merits was to have created during his government a foundation called Democracy and Development, whose aim is to promote sustainable development.
“We have to act now, and to do it, we need everybody’s political will”, he wrote in Clarin. “Our goal is to achieve by 2012 commitments that involve every country to take action. Developing countries also have to take part in this great goal of stopping Global Warming: we know that in order to grow and develop we (referring to emerging nations) need energy, but the actual prices of traditional fuels allow us to consider non contaminant sources and force us to be more efficient in their use”. He continued: “We need to follow Japan’s example, a country that’s at the top in matters of energetic efficiency, and at the same time, we have to privilege clean energy generation sources. Those are the two roads we have to push now”.
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Solar Thermal Power: Not Forgotten
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 06. 3.07
More energy from the sun hits the Earth in one hour than all of the energy consumed by humans in an entire year. According to the Department of Energy, in 2001 the world consumed at an average rate of more than 13 trillion watts ( 13 terawatts, TW), just a fraction of the 120,000 TW of energy available that falls to Earth- free. Life on Earth long ago realized that the sun was the best way to get free energy, just look around at all that green stuff growing outside. Today, solar energy accounts for only 0.1% of our energy portfolio. We will likely look back at the use of fossil fuels as an obvious misstep in technology development. A small blip on the radar of human technology, like a toddler testing the boundaries of what is possible. The Oil Drum's featured guest writer Gerry Wolff, coordinator of TREC-UK, describes a bold plan called DESERTEC that is centered around solar thermal....
FirstGroup to Cut CO2 Emissions by 20-25%
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 3.07
FirstGroup, a rail and bus service operator, have announced a plan to reduce emissions by 20-25%. This is significant, as the company makes 2 billion passenger journeys per year.
The plan involves training drivers in energy-efficient driving styles, and also switching some vehicles to biofuel. By the end of the decade the company want to reduce bus CO2 emissions by 25% and rail emissions by 20%. If they manage it, then they will have saved a quarter of a million tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2020.
Moir Lockhead, FirstGroup's chief executive, said: "It's part of the cultural change in the industry, and in particular our company. Setting these targets means that we are aware of the impact of carbon dioxide, and we want to manage it down over time."
Lockhead also said that fuel-efficient driving would not affect their punctuality, which is a shame, because they always seemed to be late, and sometimes never arrived at all. :: The Guardian
See also :: Hybrid Citaro Bus On The Move :: Solar-Powered Bus Shelters Light Up...
Indian Ocean Shows Signs of Global Warming
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 3.07
Gael Alory, an oceanographer at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), firmly believes that the changes in sea temperature he's witnessed over the past 40 years in the Indian Ocean are evidence that global warming is taking place.
“From ocean measurements and by analysing climate simulations we can see there are changes in features of the ocean that cannot be explained by natural variability,” says Alory. “These oceanic changes are almost certainly linked to changes in the heat structure of the atmosphere and have led to a rise in water temperatures in the sub-tropical Indian Ocean of around two degrees Celsius....
Venting Our (Carbon Dioxide) Problems into Space
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 3.07
This week's issue of The Economist reports on an interesting scheme proposed by Alfred Y. Wong, professor of physics and director of the Plasma Physics Laboratory at the University of California, Los Angeles, to rid the Earth of carbon dioxide emissions. Wong posits that a conveyor built in the Arctic could take advantage of the Earth's magnetic field to expel emissions into outer space.
The Antarctic and the Arctic are the only two sites on the planet above which the sky opens up to space. There, particles from the sun that get through and cross the atmosphere could be harnessed for their gigawatts of power to lower the concentration of greenhouse gases by expelling them....
Beware the Food Wrappers
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 3.07
As if you didn't already have enough reasons to dump those packaged meals and snacks (artificial/indecipherable ingredients, unhealthy, wasteful), here's a study that should give you some food for thought: researchers from the University of Toronto found that perfluorinated chemicals commonly found in wrappers can migrate into some foods which, once ingested, become bioavailable in the human body.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Science Advisory Board classified perfluorinated chemicals such as perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) as likely human carcinogens in 2006, and recent animal studies have demonstrated that they affect neonatal development, hormone levels, the liver and the immune system. While past studies have revealed that direct exposure to anthropogenic perfluorinated contaminants like PFOA and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) isn't a serious health concern, scientists have determined that other chemicals, including fluorotelomer alcohols (FTOHs), serve as indirect exposure sources when they break down to form them. ...
Coal State Rep Worried About Bats and Birds
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 3.07
We are positively touched by the new environmental concern shown by West Virginia Rep Nick Rahall. Why, he is just beside himself with concern that wind turbines might be hurting bats and birds, and is pushing for legislation that would more strictly regulate wind energy to protect birds, bats and other wildlife that might be killed by flying into the giant turbines. While there is a lot of evidence that this bird is a canard, Rahall says "I suspect that wind projects are on a regular basis in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act." The American Wind Energy Association says it would " “essentially outlaw the generation of electricity from new wind power plants in the United States and even phase out power production from existing wind turbines.”
We are certain that the fact that West Virginia is a major coal producing state has nothing to do with this, wind turbines would be effective clean producers of power even on West Virginia's mountaintops, if there were any left. via ::Yahoo
See also Common Eco-Myth: Wind Turbines Kill Birds and Feeling Better About Birds Bats & Offshore Wind and Wind Wars Come to Coal Country
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Bikes, Bikes and Twikes at the Eco-mile in Berlin
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 06. 3.07
Bikes, bikes and more bikes! The organized, controlled and insured parking areas (image, left) quickly filled up, resulting in some fairly creative parking solutions (image, right). Without a doubt, the highlight of this year's festival was the variety of human powered vehicles: cruisers, low-riders, tandems, recumbents, punker bikes, english country gentleman bikes, clown bikes. I only wish the fantastic imagination on display could be captured and conveyed. But since a picture speaks a thousand words, I suggest a short browse throught the photo album with reviews, over the fold. Don't miss the solar powered canoe bike trailer at the end!...
Polls Show Americans Wising up to Global Warming
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 3.07
While it may be difficult to ascertain exactly who or what prompted this massive shift in public perception, whether it was Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, the increasing amount of coverage surrounding melting ice and rising seas or a combination thereof, one thing is clear: more Americans than ever are concerned about the threat of global warming. Indeed, the number of Americans who cited climate change as the world's biggest environmental problem more than doubled from 2006 to 2007 (16% to 33%) according to polls taken by The Washington Post, Time, ABC and Stanford University. ...
Fireworks: Fun for the Whole Family or Dangerous Water Contaminants?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 06. 3.07
You may want to lay off buying all those extra fireworks come July 4: according to a new study published in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, fireworks heavily contribute to perchlorate contamination of surrounding water bodies. Although Richard Wilkin, the study's lead author and an environmental geochemist at the U.S. EPA's National Risk Management Research Laboratory, says that his research establishes a direct link between firework displays and perchlorate water contamination, he adds that it also demonstrates the contaminant's shortlivedness: concentrations fell to background levels after 1 to 2 months, possibly due to microbial degradation.
Perchlorate is well-known to pose risks for both human health and wildlife and has been shown to arise from many natural and anthropogenic sources, including ammonium perchlorate and lightning discharges. Wilkin and his colleagues sampled water from Wintersmith Lake, Oklahoma, before and after firework displays in July 2004, 2005, 2006 and in November 2005.
Their results indicated that within 14 hours of the displays, the background levels of perchlorate increased sharply 24-1028 times and typically peaked at 1 day, after which they slowly degraded until they reached normal levels within 20 to 80 days. Since the perchlorate disappearance rate seemed to mirror previously recorded microbial degradation rates and was also temperature dependent, they decided to test whether microbes were directly involved in a laboratory setting. ...
Thomas L. Friedman on "Our Green Bubble"
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 3.07
When we last wrote about New York Times writer Thomas L Friedman he was calling coal green and we were calling him wrong. He must have noticed that graph in the Times last week demonstrating that even Coal-to-Liquid fuel where the carbon is sequestered is still a positive greenhouse gas contributor, for today he says:
Some lawmakers are pushing corn ethanol from Iowa, either because they hail from that area and are looking to give more welfare to farmers by wasting money on an alternative fuel that will never reach the scale of what is needed, or because they plan to run in the Iowa caucuses. Others are pushing huge subsidies to turn coal into gasoline, because they come from coal states. Those who don’t come from Michigan want higher mileage standards imposed on Detroit, while those who come from Michigan prefer to continue their assisted suicide of the U.S. auto industry by blocking tougher mileage requirements.He then quotes energy expert Gal Luft of Set America Free Coalition:
“The only green that they are serious about in Congress right now is the one with Ben Franklin’s picture on it.Behind a subscription only fence at ::New York Times but ::Copy here...
Little Houses in Big Cities: Dave Sarti's Red Box
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 3.07
Karrie Jacobs, author of The Perfect $100,000 House, described in Metropolis how zoning regulations in Portland, Seattle and Vancouver are being modified to promote infill, smaller housing, and to "say yes to small instead of no to big."
One small house that she loved was Dave Sarti's 800 square foot little red box in Seattle. "It’s a sweet fire-engine-red box planted in the backyard of a Central District home. I walked down the grassy driveway past an unremarkable blue traditional home and was surprised to see this Bauhaus cube where another yard might have a swing set. The red HardiPanel siding made it look very much of the moment, but the efficiency of design and small size were reminiscent of the workers’ houses that Gropius and his contemporaries built in Europe between the wars."...
First Organic Gardening Book to Take on Climate Change
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 06. 3.07
We’ve written about the Centre for Alternative Technology, or CAT, a number of times before. We’ve interviewed the Centre’s development director Paul Allen here, and reported on their scheme to help their employees buy bikes here. However, we’ve yet to cover the fact that they are an important publisher of books on all aspects of green living. Whether you’re a plumber, a DIY enthusiast, a gardener, a student, a teacher or an electrician, CAT publications offers a broad range of practical how-to guides for greening your life at home, at work or at school. The company’s latest title is ‘The Organic Garden’, written by CAT’s resident garden guru Alan Shepherd, and billed as “an accessible manual for all levels of expertise and the perfect companion for gardeners wanting to make a difference.” It also claims to be the first book of it's kind to specifically take on the issue of climate change.
The author described the thinking behind his holistic approach to organic gardening that is represented in the book:
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Thomas Edison, Off-Grid and Solar
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 3.07
One does not think of Thomas Edison as a "green pioneer" but oil was expensive at the turn of the century, and he worried that it might be running out. According to Heather Rogers in the New York Times, Edison was also eager to sell his light bulbs and phonographs to people far away from the electrical grid, and developed alkaline batteries for electric cars.
"In 1912 Edison unveiled an energy-self-sufficient home in West Orange, N.J. Billed as an experimental “Twentieth Century Suburban Residence” and designed to showcase his batteries, it bulged with luxuries like air heating and cooling units, a clothes-washing machine, an electric cooking range and, of course, plenty of light bulbs. Completely off the grid, the house received its juice from a generator that charged a bank of 27 cells in the basement. For this first attempt, Edison used a gas-run motor, but evidence suggests that he hoped to hook up to a wind turbine. The system would allow the prospective homeowner to be, according to The New York Times, “utterly and for all time independent of the nearness or farness of the big electric companies.”
In 1931 he told Henry Ford: “I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.” ::New York Times...
M2: Minimum Space, Maximum Living
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06. 3.07
If you are looking for an overview and introduction to design of small spaces, you could pick up Philip Jodidio's book, released in August, 2006. It covers the hoary standards from last ten years (the loft cube is getting a bit old for a new book). The brief descriptions, published in both french and english, are short and shallow. Good photography but not much new and not much insight. Furthermore, if you read TreeHugger regularly you have seen the Billboard Building, the Microcompact Homes, Tim Pyne's M House, the Loft Cube and many others. About the only project new to TreeHugger readers might be the Bates Maher designed Poustinia at the Glencomeragh House Retreat Center....
