- 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 July 8, 2007 - July 14, 2007
Total this week: 180
Smart Metering - Utilities Net-Linked To Your Home Thermostat
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.14.07
Nothing fires up the anti-government crowd like an energy tax. Even if the revenues are for developing more reliable energy sources, the reaction is fury. We're making an analogy here. How will people react to proposals to hook the internet up to their home appliances, enabling electricity distributors to control the air conditioners of entire populations? And home pool pumps? Ovens? There's a few among us who'll buy window air conditioners and solar-powered pumps just to avoid succumbing to this hippie designed UN world governance plot. (Next project - programing minds to automatically hear early Frank Zappa compositions, exclusively.) But what about the rest of us? Especially the ones who want to avert blackouts and curtail demand growth so as not to have add more coal-fired generating capacity? Tell us. Would you want a smart meter hooked-up to your air conditioner? Under what conditions? What other appliances? Details below....
Saving the Bees
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.14.07
The case of the disappearing bees (i.e. the "colony collapse disorder") has become one of this year's most buzzed about science stories. We've already covered it several times in the past few months, and though we were happy to recently report that organic bees are apparently thriving, little else in terms of progress has been made in isolating the underlying cause(s) of these massive losses. Under pressure from both farmers and the Congress, the Agriculture Department has finally decided to get in on the act and is mobilizing to devote a slew of new resources to protect the remaining honey bees and study CCD.
Citing the obvious, Agriculture Undersecretary Gale Buchanan warned that: "There were enough honey bees to provide pollination for U.S. agriculture this year, but beekeepers could face a serious problem next year and beyond." Representative Dennis Cardoza (D-Calif.), who, as chair of the House Horticulture and Organic Agriculture Subcommittee, organized the first congressional hearing earlier this year to discuss this phenomenon, said: "Colony collapse disorder is a looming disaster on the horizon. We must continue to devote significant resources to understanding and treating the disorder."...
Bob Geldof Lends Support to African Renewable Energy Projects
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.14.07
Having made little effort to hide his disdain for the Live Earth concerts, Bob Geldof has instead decided to take on climate change by throwing his considerable weight behind several renewable energy projects in Africa. In doing so, Geldof has joined forces with a British energy company, Helius Energy, which is pinning its hopes on the jatropha curcas plant's oil-rich seeds.
The jatropha plant, an ancient bush that grows all across the continent, makes seeds that, once dried and crushed, yield an oil that can be used to run diesel engines. "Power through renewable energies is and will be a major tool for developing countries, particularly for rural populations," said Geldof at a recent news conference. "The potential is enormous, i think it will be extraordinary if the model is replicated in other parts of Africa, it will have life-changing effects."...
One Year Ago in TH: Mr. Entertainment - Al Gore, Sofa Brick & The Most Efficient Modern House?
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.14.07
A year is a long time, and a lot can happen over the course of one lap around the sun. Since we know we can't get where we're going without knowing where we've been, here's what was on TreeHugger, one year ago.- Al Gore graced the cover of "Entertainment Weekly".
- Marks & Spencers were trying out a new PET recycling program.
- Better Thinking's quest for the perfect t-shirt was updated to include a report on impacts of the textile dyeing.
- Green Mountain Coffee unveiled a new Ecotainer cup.
- We peeked at The Sofa Brick, a crazy wall/floor/sofa made from cork.
- The Mobile Landscape Intervention Unit hit the streets, designed to rehab ecologically degraded landscapes.
- We reported on the Dell Winston School Solar Car Challenge.
- The Energy Information Administration reported that (surprise, surprise) energy-related carbon dioxide emissions were on the rise.
Melting Coral Epidemic Sparked by Warming Oceans
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.14.07
Soft corals, unlike their hard coral brethren, lack a stony outer skeleton. As a result, when they die, they simply disappear, or "melt" away, leaving behind no remnants of their existence. According to marine biologist Hudi Benayahu, global warming has drastically accelerated this process and caused soft coral communities to vanish in large numbers by increasing the frequency and intensity of bleaching events.
"I have observed sites before and after bleaching in Okinawa, Japan, and it was remarkable to see a massive disappearance of soft corals," said Benayahu, the head of the Porter School of Environmental Studies at Tel Aviv University. "You can't imagine this was the same site. Just two years passed and the entire area was deserted, lifeless."...
FLOR and Martha Stewart: A Match Made in Heaven
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.14.07
images courtesy Stylephile
Circle Sunday, July 15 (that's tomorrow!) on your calendars. Domestic diva Martha Stewart, who knows a bit about being green (and vermiculture), is teaming up with TH fave Flor (whom we've hugged more times than we can count) to release a special collection of sustainable, modular carpet tiles. Available exclusively online, the tiles will be available in nine colorways in a variety of patterns and textures and will go for $12.99-17.50 per tile. Two of the new styles are above; another is after the jump. ::Martha Stewart & FLOR via ::Apartment Therapy: San Francisco...
Sued for Being Sustainable
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 07.14.07
Michael Mercurio was paying $340 per month for gas and electricity, but managed to cut that down to only $114 per year - less than a thirtieth of the previous cost. He did it by installing a 35 foot tall wind turbine at his home, which unfortunately hasn't pleased his neighbors.
Mercurio owns a company that installs wind turbines, and is obviously a passionate advocate of wind power, "It just makes sense. This is a clean, renewable source of energy.” Unfortunately though, his neighbors have filed a lawsuit against him because the turbine is 8 feet taller than is allowed. He was granted permission to erect it, but it seems that the authorities made a mistake when they agreed to the plan. His neighbors dislike the look of the turbine, as well as the noise it makes. ...
Second Life: Cutting up Houses
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.14.07
Canadian TV design star Kimberley Seldon wanted to build her own dream home but her existing cute little house was in the way. So she found someone who wanted it and moved it. We have complained before about moving houses and the loss of the context for which they were designed, and small touristy towns like Creemore, Ontario have their wonderful character because they are full of "sweet, little country clapboards" and not McMansions.
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Don't Spike the Punch
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.14.07
John notes that the Great Lakes mayors and governors are getting serious about protecting this priceless resource; In addition to making certain that it isn't all piped to Las Vegas we also have to keep it clean. Many cities are on "closed loop" systems where waste goes into and drinking water comes out of the same water. We have noted before that antibiotics and gender-bender hormones are being dumped in huge quantities and that the water treatment plants can't remove them; besides what goes through our bodies, people also dump expired or unneeded medications down the toilet.
The Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant (IISG) has put together a terrific resource for communities that want to look at medicine collection programs. There is a good explanation of the issue, materials for public outreach, a good bibliography, and even a powerpoint overview of the issue. Get your community's water off its meds at ::Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
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Survey: How do you BBQ?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.14.07
It is a burning issue; Is the barbeque bad for the planet? Heidi Sopinka of the Globe and Mail makes some interesting points (read article here) that we missed in our earlier posts on this subject. Canadian barbecue champ Rockin' Ronnie Shewchuck goes for hardwood and concedes that he is using trees and producing greenhouse gases but advocates: Buy a Prius. Take the bus, Do anything you can to help preserve your right to cook outdoors. We were not born with an SUV steering wheel in our hands, but I think that one of the primordial, defining characteristics of mankind is to cook over fire....
Barr Mansions: An Event Venue in a Deeper Shade of Green
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07.14.07
Not so long ago we published our guide on How to Green Your Wedding, and soon after that we posted details of this TreeHugger’s own green nuptuals. These posts lead the folks from Barr Mansions in Austin, Texas to get in touch with us and tell us about their awesome-looking green wedding and event venue. Not only are these guys the first special events venue in the country (as far as they can ascertain) to be certified as serving all organic ingredients, but they have also worked hard at reducing the impact of all aspects of their operations, from sourcing local food and organic flowers, to using green cleaning products and soy candles. They've even built a ballroom using largely recycled materials. It really looks like Barr Mansions are walking their talk:
“We garden organically. We recycle everything we can. We compost all our kitchen scraps. We use 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper. We use organically grown flowers in all our arrangements. Our food service is certified organic by Oregon Tilth and the USDA. We are members of the Green Restaurant Association and take at least three environmental action steps each year. We cool and heat our building with geothermal power. The Mansion has a 75-year concrete roof and the ballroom has a 75-year thatched roof.”...
United Great Lakes City Mayors Vow 15% Water Consumption Cutback
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.14.07
"A coalition of U.S. and Canadian cities along the Great Lakes and St Lawrence River, including Toronto and Chicago, vowed on Thursday to cut water consumption 15 percent by 2015. The 20 Canadian and nine U.S. communities, members of Great Lakes St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, have agreed to cut water consumption by 15 percent below their 2000 level and to then set a target for further reductions by 2025.
The Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River hold about 20 percent of the world's surface fresh water and supply drinking water to more than 40 million people in Canada and the United States, according to the group."
This move is a strategically critical prelude to future refusals of water withdrawal requests. Several US states have ignored warnings of climate change while squandering their own water resources with unsustainable practices, such as withdrawing irrigation water from the collapsing western aquifers to irrigate corn for fuel. They'll be the first to howl about "greedy conservationists" in the Midwest and Canada withholding an "American Resource."...
Lush Goes Naked to Protest Packaging
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 07.14.07
"Cheeky!" "No ifs just butts" "Baring a Message" This week, Lush staff went naked to get the message out: packaging is waste. As employee Wendy Reiding of Wimbledon points out, "the main bits were covered." Staff wore a white apron with the words "Ask me why I'm naked" as they plied the streets drawing stares and in some cases being shooed back inside by the local constabulary.
Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics has made waves in innovative marketing before, but this week they set a new standard in drawing headlines without spending a single cent on advertising. OK, points given for a good message, cleverly delivered.
But the campaign does leave questions open: for example, why hand out leaflets in a campaign against waste? And is naked the new marketing trend?...
Color My World, But Make It Forest-Friendly
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 07.13.07
Who doesn't love color pencils? Well, unless you're dead inside. The folks who brought us Forestry Stewardship Council-certified pencils are brightening up our bookbags with equally forest-friendly color pencils made from sustainably harvested California cedar. Use the set of 12 to color inside or outside the lines. Unscented except for the aroma of all-natural cedar. :: Fred Flare and :: ForestChoice
See also: :: ForestChoice Pencils: Aromatic and Sustainable, :: Smencils–Gourmet Scented Pencils, and :: Recycled Denim Pencils...
TH Forums Highlights: Is Organic Better, Slow Food and More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.13.07
TreeHugger Forums is nearing 1,000 green topics, the good, bad and ugly aspects of the green world continue to come out, in an increasingly diverse range of ideas and thoughts. To add your own flavor to the green goodness that's brewing, register for free and log in today. Here are some of the recent highlights...
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 | 1) river-runner say, "Joseph Newman as far as I am concerned is probably one of the most important ideologists of our future. He has been kicked in the arse by the fed, humiliated by corporate America, and has the nuts to keep on going. This bloke has (many years ago) invented a way of providing energy with close to 0 electrical power". He's been a hot topic in the forums lately; why doesn't the rest of the world know him? |
 | 2) Forum user mglass ponders whether eating organic might actually be bad for the environment. "According to a recent article in The Economist, this might be true. Read more about it here and voice your opinion!" |
| 3) As long as we're talking food, forum user gizzigoo says, "I'm not sure if any of you have heard of slow food, but in Australia it is very linked to organic local growers and it is also a social thing, about enjoying our foods and an appreciation of what we have. A firm defence of quiet material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of Fast Life." More good discussion after the jump... |
Pilgrims' Plague Destroying Himalayas
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 07.13.07
Image credit: Radified.com
If one could write a book on it, it would be called “By the River Ganges I Sat Down and Wept.” Each year, hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims travel by foot, train, car and bus to holy sites in the Himalayas, believed to be the dwelling of the god Shiva and the mountainous source of many of India’s largest rivers, including the Ganges River.
Unfortunately, the rather unholy environmental impact of these pilgrimages are hastening the destruction of these once-unspoiled areas with development, pollution and waste – not to mention melting the Himalayan glaciers....
NYT Newsweek Looking for Hybrid Drivers
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07.13.07
Bears Climbing Up Utility Poles?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.13.07
Humans aren't the only ones who've been burned by this summer's record heat: a wide variety of animals, ranging from deer to bears, have been forced to flee their natural habitats as temperatures have hit new highs, sometimes rising into the triple digits. As a result, they've often been showing up in some rather unexpected areas.
Rattlesnakes have been appearing everywhere: under porches, in back decks, on playgrounds, basically anywhere they can find shade (and food). Deer and coyotes coming down from the hills have been sighted on and alongside roads and wandering around neighborhood streets. One clearly confused bear was even found climbing up a utility pole to escape the blazing heat. ...
Best of The Panelist
by The Panelist, USA on 07.13.07
The backlash on the green trend has finally arrived, and the question now is if the current wave of environmentalism has staying power. Our favorite recent article for clarity and wisdom comes from an article in the New York Review of Books about tobacco companies, which hints that, like smokers in the 1950's, what eco-conscious people really want is meaning and identity.
How close is $80-a-barrel oil? That's the question that seems to be on the minds of oil traders and stock investors alike. Just four years ago, crude oil was going for around $20-a-barrel. Now it's up over $70 and continues to rise. Some take the view that rising crude oil prices will cut into Big Oil profits, but another way to look at this is in terms of rising gas prices driving a demand for alternative energy.
Last week, Germany’s Environment Ministry recommended a shift in subsidies from solar energy installations to offshore wind farms. With Germany's impressive track record of renewable energy legislation, we have to wonder if the future will cause fickle investors to flock to wind now that solar subsidies have been cut in Germany. On the surface, this might look like a victory for wind power, but if you do a bit of digging, a different picture emerges....
A Well-Rounded, Dome-estic Wine with Fuller Aspirations
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.13.07
Richard Pim gives new meaning to the word upcycling with his 11 foot high dome with four concrete arches, built from 3,000 wine bottles, each cemented with the bottom facing out.
"One day I was sat in the garden drinking a glass of wine and as I held the bottle up to the sun it made an amazing sparkly effect. I thought 'that's it, I will make it out of wine bottles'." he said archly. "I had no problems getting hold of bottles. Most of Herefordshire knew what I was doing so I have had lots of donations. I have also drunk a good few myself."
The retired geologist opens his garden to the pubic; it's in Pembridge, near Leominster, Herefordshire. ::Mirror via ::Splurch
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Rejuvenating Your Life Cycle at Scandic Hotels
by Jenna Watson, Barcelona on 07.13.07
A couple years back Sami took a trip to Finland and told us about his great green hotel experience. At the time, the Scandic chain of hotels, which operates all over Scandinavia and the Baltic States didn’t have much to offer on their website about their environmental policy. Well, now it is all there, screaming at you in little videos with cute animations and a loop of flute music that can become a bit annoying if you spend too much time navigating through their environmental info.
Nonetheless, the site is an interesting read and what we want to point out is that the hotel has gone above-and-beyond when it come to incorporating life cycle thinking into their daily operations. The LCA-Center in Denmark neatly sums it up on their website. They tell us that in 1995 Scandic introduced the environmentally friendly room based on life cycle thinking: looking at the impacts of something over the course of its entire life cycle or from “cradle to grave”. They use eco-labelled wood, all-natural materials and fabrics and they avoid the use of plastic and metals. On top of that 97% of the room can be recycled and unsorted waste was reduced by 40%! They consume less energy and cleaning products during their life time, while compact fluorescents are used to light these dreamy, modern rooms. All of the new rooms at Scandic are built with life cycle thinking and the older rooms that are rebuilt each year are converted into environmentally friendly rooms. They report that this creates a reduction in the annual consumption of non-renewable resources of approximately 15 tons of metal and 90 tons of plastic. Impressive. Once again, Scandic is leading the way when it comes to hotel design and eco-friendly vacationing. Make yourself a reservation if you are in their neck of the woods. Image Credit: Trip Advisor....
The Grass is Greener When it's Organic
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.13.07
There are people who don't give a damn about the environment (or don't believe the environmentalists) and just want a perfect lawn. "I don't want those weeds -- that's the bottom line," says a woman who doses her garden with herbicides three times a year and doesn't like the trend of neighbours telling her what she can do on her own property. The alternative, going organic is a lot of work and it is not perfect: "We used to accept a few weeds," says Jay Feldman, director of Beyond Pesticides, a nonprofit group that runs the National Coalition for Pesticide-Free Lawns. Now, uniform swaths of green, weedless grass are the standard. The rise of pesticides, says Mr. Feldman, "redefined our aesthetics."
Wall Street Journal reporter Gwendolyn Bounds spent the last year converting to organic gardening and ended up with the greenest, lushest lawn on her block. (instructions below) She describes the conflicts across the nation: "As the organic lawn movement grows, so are tensions in some communities. The latest front is over whether lawn-care methods are the horticultural equivalent of secondhand smoke: a choice that affects the whole community." ::Wall Street Journal...
Quakers' Green Washington Headquarters
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.13.07
We show a lot of new green buildings, but what about the existing stock of offices and housing? There is a lot more of it than the new stuff and much of it is well built, but how do you make it green? The Quakers Peace lobby in Washington, the FCNL, had a civil war era historic building in a great location, but it was literally falling down.
The FCNL is a strong supporter of environmental measures (read their interesting eco-bulletin.) Gina Baker, one of the architects says “My favorite part of working on the FCNL project was that our client was as dedicated to green design as we are, and we don’t find many clients like that.”
The Quakers say “This building is a metaphor for our work. FCNL has to rebuild another house—a house of democracy, which is threatened and falling down. We need architects to build that house of democracy back so that it is safe, secure, and strong, but also so that it reflects all the values of America in the way we tried to do this building.”...
Flawed U.S. Senate Climate Bill Making the Rounds
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.13.07
Offering up one of its first attempts to seriously deal with the issue of climate change, the U.S. Senate unveiled the industry-backed Low Carbon Economy Act of 2007 this Wednesday to much fanfare. Much of it unwarranted, as it so happens. Although the bill, sponsored by a motley assemblage of labor unions and electric utilities and a bipartisan group of senators led by Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) and Arlen Specter (R-PA), would effectively set mandatory limits on carbon dioxide emissions beginning in 2012 through a cap-and-trade system, it comes with a huge caveat: a "safety valve."
The so-called "safety valve," which would allow industry to purchase an unlimited amount of emissions credits at a pre-set price ($12 per ton in this case), was necessary, Bingaman and Specter insisted, to ensure that energy companies would "go along" with the legislation (i.e. not lobby it to death). Casting aside the senators' argument, there are many reasons why establishing a "safety valve" is simply bad policy. One that they should seriously consider removing. ...
Zerofootprint Guides: Offsetting, Part 3 - The Problem Of Permanence
by Ron Dembo, Zerofootprint on 07.13.07
Something that worries many people about offsetting emissions with trees is how can you guarantee that they will last long enough? Trees take time to absorb carbon, extracting it slowly from the atmosphere as they grow. But saplings are vulnerable to bad weather, neglect and damage by animals. Older woodlands and forests face the risk of fire, pests and disease, which could release the carbon back into the atmosphere. And how can we be sure even if a forest is protected now, it won't be logged or cleared at some point in the future?
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Human Brain Enzyme Used for Carbon Capture
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.13.07
Now that's using your noggin': Michael Trachtenberg, the founder and CEO of Carbozyme and a former neuroscientist, wants to employ an enzyme commonly found in the brain as the basis for a technology that would remove carbon dioxide from various gas mixtures having energy or environmental significance. Carbonic anhydrase, an enzyme that allows the brain to process carbon dioxide, would be used in a scaleable liquid membrane permeator to catalyze the conversion of captured carbon dioxide to bicarbonate ions, which could then easily be disposed or reused in another capacity.
The membrane-based permeator relies on a very energy-efficient gas separation technology that effectively selects against other gases in the feed stream to ensure that only carbon dioxide is captured. It employs no hazardous chemicals and can operate at a moderate temperature and pressure. According to Trachtenberg, the technology could be applied to treat fuels such as oil, coal and natural gas or be used for a variety of other functions listed here....
New Ways to Destroy the Earth: The Humdinga
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.13.07
And it is a Humdinga of a vehicle, going 0 to sixty in 9.2 seconds on land, and getting up on a plane in the water in less than 10 seconds. It goes 100MPH on land and 40mph on water, kicking up a wake that is disrupting shoreline habitat for miles. " It took us 8 years, a million man-hours and tens of millions of pounds to develop HSA technology. With this latest vehicle, I'm sure that the technology's potential is clear for all to see.", comments Alan Gibbs, Chairman of Gibbs Technologies: Chew up landscape and help reach peak oil fast in both the military and civilian versions. No information on cost or miles per gallon, or if they are going to make a hydrogen powered version for Arnold. Warning on video below fold: Guy in the back has a gun. ::Gibbstech via ::Trendhunter
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Recipe of the Week: Better than borscht - Spaghetti with Rubies
by Kelly Rossiter, Toronto on 07.13.07
Once again this week I found myself at the farmer's market loading up on everything I could carry without thinking about what do with all this produce. As I cooked my way through my haul I kept looking at the two bunches of baby sized beets and wondering what would make an interesting main course, rather than using them as the traditional side vegetable. I remembered a cover photograph from an Italian cookbook that I haven't looked at in ages and there it was - Spaghetti with Rubies. This dish was so easy, so delicious and so appealing to the eye that I am adding this recipe to my regular summer repertoire. The recipe calls for baking the beets in the oven and peeling them after, but I peeled them first and then barbequed them in a foil packet with a bit of olive oil. Either way would be fine. I used small, early harvest beets which were sweet and cooked quickly, but you could use any size. If you have good beet greens toss them into the skillet as well. I'm looking forward to making a huge bowl of this for company - I bet it's great cold too. ...
Nomadic Lamp: Lighting Your Way with LEDs, Wherever You Go
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.13.07
If you've ever wanted to just pick up your lamp and take it with you, have we got something for you: the Nomadic Lamp. Designed by Dorota Kulawik, the slick, clever little semi-transparent rings contain a gaggle of LEDs and can be taken with you, wherever you go, indoors or out. Sort of a candle or kerosene lantern for the 21st century, the ultra-flexible functionality make it a handy light source that could go on the wall, on a shelf, on the floor or even around your arm. Two brightness settings allow for both source and (when the time is right...) mood lighting. A full charge gets you 10 hours of illumination; after the fold, check out two more pics of the system, up close. ::Symbioza via ::Yanko Design...
Florida's Climate Summit - Live!
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.13.07
The way Florida's Governor Crist is acting, hosting a bi-partisan,green political celebrity-attended event, you'd think Florida was sticking out like a thumb in the hurricane zone... and running out of fresh water. Oh...wait. It is. "On Thursday, July 12th and Friday, July 13th, Governor Charlie Crist hosts the Florida Summit on Global Climate Change. The goal of the summit is to bring together state, national and international leaders, along with prominent members of the business and environmental communities, to explore opportunities for advancing the global climate change agenda and for adopting specific climate action plans." You can watch today's proceedings via webcast if you have MS Windows Media Player by clicking here. Guests over the two day summit include:- Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger; and Theodore Roosevelt V, the great-grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt. Governor Crist said Thursday "Florida will pursue global solar energy sources. After all, we are the Sunshine State." Sounds like an independent party caucus. Climate Party anyone? Via:: WFSU, The Florida Channel...
Survey: What do You Look For When You Shop?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.13.07
Jerry Stifelman noted in his post: "Organic jeans look just like regular jeans. Fair Trade, Shade Grown coffee can taste just like conventional coffee. FSC-certified wood looks exactly like wood that's been poached from the rain forest." and "being sustainable in a non-sustainable world is expensive."
So it all looks the same, the original high fashion item, the knockoff, the organic or the cheapo made with "Pesticides, particulate pollution, toxic runoff, industrial waste and shoddy labor practices."
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Eco-Myth: Smog Makes Beautiful Sunsets
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.13.07
Sunset in Key West: Everybody mellows out on the pier and looks out over the Gulf of Mexico and when the sun hits the water, applauds. But has the sunset been enhanced by pollution? Scientific American notes that "according to urban legend, air pollution enhances the beauty of a sunset." We quote from the article:
The traditional explanation of the red sky at sunset is that as the sunlight travels a longer path from the horizon to the pier, "most of the blue has been scattered out of that beam" explains Stephen Corfidi, a meteorologist at the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). What remains are the warmer hues of yellow, orange and red, which blend into a yellowish-orange sunset.
But how red? "In an atmosphere with no junk at anytime, you'll never get a sunset that would make someone with normal color vision say, 'Wow that's red!'" says Craig Bohren, professor emeritus of meteorology at Pennsylvania State University. "It is certainly true that the 'pollution' results in redder sunsets."...
WISE: Retraining a Generation for a Low Carbon Future
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07.13.07
We touched on the building of WISE – the Wales Institute for Sustainable Education when we interviewed Paul Allen, development director of the Centre for Alternative Technology (CAT) (Europe's leading eco-center which we also featured here ). WISE is to be built on the site of CAT, and is being billed as one of the most innovative green building projects in the UK. The building itself will include cutting-edge features such as low embodied-energy construction materials including earth and hemp; energy efficient glazing for maximum natural day lighting and passive heat gain; solar water heating integrated into a district heating system; and semi-transparent PV technologies used to provide both energy and shading.
Ultimately though, the centre will be about much more than just these high-tech green building methods. WISE’s self-proclaimed goal is to re-train a generation for a low carbon future. CAT already runs a dizzying array of courses, from organic gardening to renewable energy and green architecture, and this program is only likely to be stepped up once WISE opens its doors in 2008. The centre is also likely to become a hub for important conferences on all aspects of sustainability:
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Toxic Travelling: Lead's Vicious Circle
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.13.07
Edward Burtynsky: Circuit Boards, Guiyu, Guangdong Province, 2004
The US has ordered recalls of cheap jewelery from China, much of it marketed to teenagers and children, because it is made from toxic lead. According to the Wall Street Journal, lead alloy remains a favored material for costume-jewelry makers; It is plentiful and cheap, often selling for half the price of zinc alloy, the other metal mixture commonly used to make costume jewelry. Lead has a relatively low melting point, which makes it easier to work with, and lends heft to inexpensive jewelry. While China sets limits on lead content in toys (hah!) , there is no regulation of jewelery.
That is bad enough; two recent studies indicate that the lead comes from e-waste, or scrap electronics shipped from the US; there are serious miles on these earrings.
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Israeli Diplomats Go Hybrid In The US
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 07.13.07
There has been some news brewing for a while that Israel may partner with Jordan to build a hybrid car factory. This week we heard that Israeli diplomats in the US will this fall be driving a fleet of hybrid cars in the US. It’s probably a political move – like partnering with Jordan – but we ask, is that necessarily a bad thing? This week The Embassy of Israel in Washington, DC announced that it will significantly reduce the petroleum consumption of its senior diplomats in the US by switching to hybrid-electric vehicles, reports Israel21c.
Expect to see Israeli embassy staff based in Washington, at nine consulates around the US and at UN posts to be driving hybrid cars. Said Israel’s Ambassador to the United States Sallai Meridor: "Reducing oil dependence and protecting the environment are key factors in improving international security. We are proud to be among the first countries to take this small but symbolic step. Our hope is that many small steps taken together will lead to major policy action around the world that will address one of the most critical strategic and environmental issues facing our common future." ...
Some Parents of Large Families Strike Back at Critics
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 07.13.07
Not too long ago we featured the fact that parents of large families have come under fire for having so many kids and the impact that has on the environment. Let’s face it, the more children one has, the more people there are to consume resources and put a strain on the planet. But The Guardian has an interesting article interviewing several large families in the UK about their situation, and I thought it was interesting to see where they’re coming from…
Take the Corbet family for example, they grow their own vegetables, they compost their waste, they're avid freecyclers, most of their clothes are second-hand, and to reduce their carbon footprint they don't drive anywhere on Fridays. In almost every way, the Corbets are a model green family, but as mom Angie puts it "We've got five kids." She goes on to point out, “And as far as some people are concerned, that completely negates everything else you do to reduce your impact on the planet's resources." She also resents the fact that
she's persona non grata in the green circles around her home in Wimborne, Dorset, arguing that “…when people reach a certain level of education they tend to choose to have fewer children. And since that means some people in our society are choosing to have fewer than two per couple, that means there's the scope for some people to have more." She says that larger families have to live more frugally than the couple next door with two kids who spend like crazy on all kinds of items, many of which are completely unnecessary and bad for the planet.
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Sara Wigglesworth's Straw House
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.13.07
Sarah Wigglesworth and Jeremy Till experimented on themselves; their home/office in Islington is a catalogue of green building materials. It is a self-build (UK term for be your own contractor) "intended to encourage others toward experimentation." The architects used simple, easy-to-learn techniques to "challenge the notion of expert. Materials were selected on the basis of a set of criteria including embodied energy, recyclability, transportation distances and toxicity."
It all looks pretty expert to me.
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The TH Interview: Maddy Harland of Permaculture Magazine, part two
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07.13.07
Maddy Harland is the editor of UK-based Permaculture Magazine (PM), solutions for sustainable living (previously featured on TreeHugger here), which she founded with her partner Tim in 1992. PM has an international focus and covers all aspects of sustainable living, from permaculture gardening and small scale sustainable agriculture to green building, low-impact transport and community action. The magazine has 100,000 readers world wide, and has been successfully distributed in the USA since 2003. It is now also available through a network of international wholesalers in many other countries, including Ireland, France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, New Zealand and Australia.
Maddy is also a co-founder with her partner, Tim, of Permanent Publications, a company dedicated to publishing environmental books, and she was cited for a ‘Special Commendation’ at the Triodos Bank Women’s Ethical Business Awards at the Globe Theatre, London. She is also a founder member of Gaia Education, an international team of educators developing curricula and courses on the Sustainable Development of Urban and Rural Settlements, and she helped found the Sustainability Centre in Hampshire, UK.
In the first part of this two-part interview, Maddy discussed the origins of Permaculture Magazine, the recent upsurge of interest in sustainability, and she gave her own personal definition of permaculture. She also discussed what makes the magazine so popular, and revealed the ways in which they try to keep their operations sustainable. In part two, Maddy talks about the diversity of approaches to permaculture that exist, the emotional aspects of environmental activism, and the future of Permaculture Magazine. As usual, we also ask Maddy about her top tips for creating a better, greener world.
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TH Blog Love - Our Favourite Greens Of The Week.
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 07.13.07
Eco-Chick: Melissa Etheridge’s Call to Action by Starre Vartan
"For all y’all who didn’t watch Live Earth, you missed this inspiring speech by Ms. Etheridge made right in the middle of one of her songs. She is definitely an artist who knows how to work a crowd and her passion show right through the crappy YouTube recording. A Must-Watch for all you jaded folks out there."
Ester Republic: Carnival of the Green #85 by Deirdre Helfferich
"Yes, it's that time once again! The Carnival of the Green appears for the second time on the Ester Republic blog. I first hosted this compendium of sustainable blogginess back on July 10, 2006, with Carnival of the Green #35." ...
An Inconvenient Turbine
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.13.07
"
"In neighborhoods across the country, there's a battle brewing: the environmentalists vs. the aesthetes." We saw it with Al Gore; it took him eight months of appeals, redesigns and inspections before he could get solar panels installed on his house. According to the Wall Street Journal, homeowners looking to add solar panels, turbines or new high efficiency windows are fighting with neighbours, zoning boards and historical societies who think they will look ugly and hurt property values.
Sometimes they are right; "The worst things you can do to a historic building, besides arson, is take out historic windows," says Concord, Mass. town planner Carol Kowalski. We might add that in terms of bang for the buck, changing windows has a really poor rate of return and there are lots of ways to restore old windows, add interior storm windows so that one does not wreck the look of the house.
Other times it is just NIMBY silliness, particularly when there are products that blend in like solar roof tiles (TreeHugger here) or the neat, nearly invisible panel on an 1899 chimney cap shown in the picture (cute idea but not much electricity will flow from that) California, New Jersey and and Arizona now all have legislation that restricts homeowners associations from blocking solar panel installations; where are the rest of the States? ::Wall Street Journal...
"In neighborhoods across the country, there's a battle brewing: the environmentalists vs. the aesthetes." We saw it with Al Gore; it took him eight months of appeals, redesigns and inspections before he could get solar panels installed on his house. According to the Wall Street Journal, homeowners looking to add solar panels, turbines or new high efficiency windows are fighting with neighbours, zoning boards and historical societies who think they will look ugly and hurt property values.
Sometimes they are right; "The worst things you can do to a historic building, besides arson, is take out historic windows," says Concord, Mass. town planner Carol Kowalski. We might add that in terms of bang for the buck, changing windows has a really poor rate of return and there are lots of ways to restore old windows, add interior storm windows so that one does not wreck the look of the house.
Other times it is just NIMBY silliness, particularly when there are products that blend in like solar roof tiles (TreeHugger here) or the neat, nearly invisible panel on an 1899 chimney cap shown in the picture (cute idea but not much electricity will flow from that) California, New Jersey and and Arizona now all have legislation that restricts homeowners associations from blocking solar panel installations; where are the rest of the States? ::Wall Street Journal...
How to Green Your Carbon Offsets
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 07.13.07
What’s the Big Deal?
Newspapers, radio, television, magazines, blogs, podcasts, in fact any media you can think of, has awoken to the issue of Climate Change or Global Warming. When mainstream publications, the likes of Sports Illustrated and Vanity Fair, cover the topic you know there is something going on. Not to mention that a documentary full of graphs, statistics and grainy photos of glaciers can scoop an Oscar. And thousands of eminent scientists, the world over, sign a document concurring that there was 90% certainty that the planet has a temperature and it is a human induced fever. To reduce the patient’s prognosis of increased convulsions; such as hurricanes, droughts, floods, heat waves, etc; experimental treatments are underway.
One of these is carbon offsets. Carbon dioxide, a significant greenhouse gas, is emitted into the atmosphere as a result our intensive use of fossil fuels like oil and coal. In simplistic terms this is ‘bad’. One means of doing ‘good’ is by paying to balance (or offset) the equation, by funding projects that reduce our emissions of carbon (and other greenhouse gases). If only it were as simple as it sounds.
Plug-in Hybrids a Better Use of Coal = -25% Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Coal-to-Liquids = -6% or +60%
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 07.13.07
John went over this here, but we wanted to put into stark relief the findings of this recent study from the Carnegie Mellon Electricity Industry Center (CEIC). It concludes that while enacting policies to subsidize the production of coal-to-liquids (CTL) transportation fuel would enhance national security by lowering oil imports, encouraging plug-in hybrids (PHEV) powered by coal-generated electricity is a less costly policy that also reduces oil imports and does more to lower greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Gasoline derived from CTL plants with no CCS could increase GHG emissions from vehicles by almost 60%. If CCS is available, then a reduction of less than 6% could be obtained. It is important to note, once again, that in this best-case CTL scenario, not only is there CCS at the CTL plant, but also a low-carbon electricity source is used for CTL production. This might not be a very realistic assumption, but is presented here to show that at best we could only obtain a very small reduction in GHG emissions following a path of increased CTL production. Plug-in hybrids look more promising as a pathway for reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Even if coal electricity without carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is used, plug-in hybrids could lead to a GHG emissions reduction of almost 25%. This demonstrates the worst case for plug-in hybrids, as GHGs would be further reduced with a low-carbon electricity portfolio.That portfolio including renewables such as solar and wind. ...
More Top Ethical Heroes
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07.13.07
What is it about the British and lists? Every day there seems to be a new one; best songs, best beaches, green lists and now the top 100 ethical heroes. The newconsumer magazine has taken a slight different slant and widened the net dramatically ( Sienna Miller is #78 because she wears ethical clothes with style). In its list Katharine Hamnett is number one, and an interesting choice. She has had a great influence on the fashion industry with her strong social conscience. Anita Roddick, formerly of the Body Shop is number 2, Harriet Lamb, director of the Fairtrade Foundation is third and guess who (Al Gore) is fourth.
In the food area: two rival boxed vegetable companies: Abel and Cole(67) and Riverford Organics (69), along with Planet Organics(71), the first modern health foods shop here. More food: booja-booja (delicious)chocolate (97) and Innocent Drinks (29) and Divine Chocolate (21). Two politicians: Caroline Lucas (8) of the Green Party, and David Cameron (84) of the Conservatives....what, no Labour? If nothing else, these lists are a great way to find about new and worthy ventures that people are involved in creating. :: newconsumer...
Welcome American Rivers Council - And 'Tear Down That Iron Gate'
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.13.07
Please give a warm welcome to Ms. Rebecca Wodder, President of American Rivers and our newest guest poster. We met Rebecca via the Letters to the Editor page of the Wall Street Journal and immediately emailed her, asking if she'd like to do an encore or so with us. She agreed; and it looks like it's going to be a Class V rapids of ideas from now on. Rebecca says:-
"There’s something about environmental ideas that seems to drive a certain segment of the right wing just a little bit nuts.
How else to explain when they toss overboard all of their free-market principles, fiscal discipline, science, economics, and even their treasured skepticism about global warming, all to come to the full-throated defense of a handful of obsolete dams?
A notable example of the genre is Shika Dalmia’s opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal, which the Reason Foundation helpfully spirits out from behind the Journal’s subscription-only firewall here. She argues that those of us who believe that some of America’s most outmoded dams should be removed ought to be ashamed, as we apparently don’t care enough about global warming. ...
Solar Cells for Giants
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 07.13.07
We reported the plans a few months ago, and now it's happened. The San Fransisco Giants' stadium has just been fitted with 590 solar panels, produced by Sharp, that are outputting up to 120-kilowatts of electricity. Sports fields are perfect locations for solar panels; they have huge roof areas.
They also have unusual power consumption habits - they consume huge amounts of power once or twice a week, but then sit almost idle the rest of the time. These fluctuations are also yearly seasonal, because out of season the parks aren't used as much.
This means that a large solar array is best used to feed power back into the grid, making money which can be used to pay for the huge power bills from the peaks. The cells won't provide any power to the club at all - it will all be used by other consumers.::Engadget
See also ::Baseball Stadium Goes Nuclear ::San Francisco Giants to Install Solar Panels...
Wind Machine Collects Water from Air
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 07.13.07
Max Water is a machine that uses wind-power to extract water from the air. We've covered it before, but it was recently featured on ABC, so we have a little more information and an interview on video now. Apparently, the unit can take 10,000 liters a day from the surrounding air, using a condensing system to cool air and collect dew. It was invented by Max Whisson, an Australian inventor. Australia seems to be the home to a few alternative energy researchers at the moment, producing things like this new wind-turbine design....
Verizon Gets Out of The Copper Business
by Mark Ontkush, Boston, Massachusetts, USA on 07.12.07
Copper hit $3.66 a pound today on the COMEX exchange - that's a lot. Copper is denser than iron, and the weight really adds up quickly. For example, it only takes 146 pre-1982 pennies to make a pound. Yes, that means you can make $2.20/lb. by melting down your pennies. Except, of course, it is explicitly illegal to do so. At current rates, A cubic inch of copper is worth a little over a dollar; a cubic foot is (get this) worth over $2000.
It's not just copper; aluminum, zinc, bronze and stainless steel are all commanding high prices these days. These may seem like novel facts until one more novel fact is added; that is, a lot of public infrastructure is made out of these metals. Enterprising folks are literally ripping off anything that isn't nailed down - bleachers for example. Beer kegs aren't being returned, and some police departments can't get ammunition. Fortune, for all its glory, printed a veritable how-to guide on how to pick and choose the Choice items in publo-sphere. And some big companies, like Verizon, are taking big hits....
Jay Leno Drives the Tesla
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 07.12.07
Jay Leno is a massive car fan, and also has more than a little influence in the media. That's why he gets to drive the Tesla before we do, and that's why the Times asked him to write up a review of the electric roadster. But we're not bitter.
Previous electric cars hadn't impressed Leno, "The problem with electric cars up to this point is what I call the veggie burger syndrome. When they came out with the veggie burger they made it look like a hamburger, which was disappointing because it doesn’t taste anything like a hamburger. It had been the same with electric cars until this point."...
Biodiesel: How It's Made, Environmental Impact, Where to Find a Fueling Station, and More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.12.07
Ed. note: This is the first post in a series TreeHugger is writing to provide basic information about important ideas, materials and technologies for new greenies (or those who just need a quick refresher). This entry is about biodiesel; read on and stay tuned!
What is biodiesel made from?
Usually derived from vegetable oils -- soy is very popular these days, but animal fats can also be used -- biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification which essentially splits the oil into two parts: alkyl esters and glycerine; the esters are the fuel, while the leftover glycerine is often used to make soap and other beauty products. Both virgin and waste oil (often collected from restaurants) can be used in this process with equally good results. The fuel can be produced domestically, from seed to pump, and is non-toxic and biodegradable. Biodiesel typically produces about 60% less net carbon dioxide emissions than petroleum-based diesel, as it is itself (partially, at least) produced from atmospheric carbon dioxide via photosynthesis in plants....
Ask the EcoGeek: The Power Cost of Solar
by EcoGeek.org on 07.12.07
Dear Mr. EcoGeek,
I've heard that it takes more energy to produce photovoltaic cells than the cells will ever produce throughout their lifetime. Is there any truth to that, or are those naysayers just saying nay?
David
Spokane, WA
Short Answer:
Those naysayers are just saying nay! But that doesn't mean there's not more to this story.
Long Answer:
This myth was probably perpetuated by studying solar panels created for NASA. If you need something extremely efficient for use in outer-space, yes, then it doesn't matter how much energy you use to create the panel. But for use hear on Earth, it's ridiculous for anyone to say that solar panels consume more energy than they produce....
10 Fast, Easy Tips To Cool Your Company - From Sun Microsystems
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.12.07
Dave Douglas, VP of Eco Responsibility at Sun Microsystems, whom we interviewed earlier, sends these ten tips along. He reminds us that many company leaders and employees do not realize the role they can play in easing the strain on our power grids. "One of the most important things to remember is that energy conservation shouldn't end at home. Many office workers' habits change dramatically once they get to work. They tend to stop doing simple things they do at home to save energy, such as turning off lights when they leave the room and shutting down computers and monitors. Businesses don't cut power consumption -- people do! Bring those good habits into the office with you and you will help your employer avoid black-outs, save money and be kinder to the planet"...
Video: It's A Chair, A Bench, A Table & A Shelf (and More), All in One
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.12.07
Flat Pack Magic: Emergency Stool 5 by d e s furniture
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.12.07
Designed by d.e. Sellers (remember him?) to "transcend function and question furniture as object, art, or image", the Emergency Stool is a clever, laser-cut piece that packs flat (for easy shipping, and it'll slide right under a really big door upon delivery) into a single, mobile sheet of plywood (that would make a pretty interesting wall-hanging) but comes apart to create a handy bench. The laser-etched, international instructions (see 'em on the big piece in the middle) make it a "snap" to put together, as it requires no tools or fasteners. Hit the jump to see it put together. ::des furniture via ::Yatzer.com...
Who Is China Really Trying To Kill?
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 07.12.07
Even in a country estimated to kill thousands of people per year, the execution this week of China's corrupt food and drug chief was unusual, a powerful statement that signaled that China means business when it comes to fixing its problems, and a symbol of the power the government can wield when it wants to. (If only the U.S. did something similar to its corrupt officials, some half-joked.) But a symbol won't address the deeper problems that China must if it is to have, say, non-toxic toothpaste or breathable air.
That Zheng Xiaoyu's sentencing took place on the same day that China announced its first regulation on the recall of food, amidst widespread global concern over nearly everything "Made in China," proved that the government is concerned as well. Not only is the country's image an issue for its leaders, just over a year before it hosts the Olympics (for which it has just announced food safety measures), but so is its stability. Next to land grabs carried out by local officials, tainted food and water is a top worry for the country's millions of rural residents, whose protests signal arguably the biggest threat to China's government.
But that Zheng's execution took place the same week that the China Development Brief -- an indispensable Western-run newsletter/blog for information on the country's social issues -- was killed by the authorities proves that China isn't serious about improving food safety or much else.
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Introducing TreeHugger Personal Shopper
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 07.12.07
Face it, even the most ascetic of environmentalists needs a pair of jeans now and then. Or a new countertop for an aging kitchen. Or a gift for your decidedly non-hippie Great-aunt Millie, who wouldn't be amused if you dedicated an entire grove of saplings to her.
When scouring your local flea markets and thrift stores—or your parents' garage—for used goods doesn't work out, we're here to help you navigate TreeHugger's archives and the rest of the World Wide Web for new, sustainable options that will, whether it's an eco-friendly wedding dress or ecologically and socially conscious carpeting for your new downtown office. We've got your back at shopper [at] treehugger [dot] com. Our operators are standing by their in-boxes, as we speak.
(Do note, however, that we won't be able to answer every question that pops into our crammed in-boxes. Letters may also be edited for clarity and grammar.)...
CitySol2007 NYC Begins Tonight -- For Free!
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 07.12.07
Lots of Books, No Space?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.12.07
The New York Times is asked "How can I store a big collection of books in a small apartment?" and responds with a couple of ideas:
-adjust your shelves to put them at appropriate heights for different books. “If each shelf has just a few tall books on it, along with many smaller ones, you’re losing out on a lot of vertical space,” said Lisa Zaslow, the founder of a Manhattan company called Gotham Organizers. Grouping books by size saves space and creates a more coherent look.
-store them in furniture like the storage ottoman shown here.
-stick'em in the closet in storage boxes;
-get rid of them by donating them to a charity or a library. Treehugger also recommends Chicago's guerilla book exchange ::New York Times ...
Digital Water
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.12.07
The theme of next year's International Expo Zaragoza 2008 in Spain is " Water and Sustainable Development." so what could be more fitting than a building made of water? Architects carlorattiassociati have teamed with MIT's Design laboratory to build "water walls" where the the droplets are programmed to display messages and and images. According to ArchNewsNow, "To understand the concept of digital water, imagine something like an inkjet printer on a large scale, which controls droplets of falling water," explains Carlo Ratti, head of MIT's SENSEable City Laboratory.
The "water walls" that make up the structure consist of a row of closely spaced solenoid valves along a pipe suspended in the air. The valves can be opened and closed, at high frequency, via computer control. This produces a curtain of falling water with gaps at specified locations; a pattern of pixels created from air and water instead of illuminated points on a screen. The entire surface becomes a one-bit-deep digital display that continuously scrolls downward....
E-waste Recycling is Serious Health Threat in China
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.12.07
When used computers, televisions and other electronic products are ready to go up to that big scrap heap in the sky, they often end their journeys lying in some large landfill in China. Indeed, over the last decade, China has quickly become the de facto repository for developed countries' discarded electronics, known collectively as "e-waste."
While it's been known for years that e-waste poses serious health risks to Chinese workers who recycle the products to extract precious materials like gold, a new study has just revealed that Guiyu, a major e-waste recycling center, has the highest documented levels of polychlorodibenzo-p-dioxins (which are known to cause cancer) and polychlorodibenzofurans in the world. Ping'an Peng of the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry and his colleagues arrived at these conclusions by sampling Guiyu's air for a week during the summer and the winter to measure levels of dioxins....
The Measure of a City
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.12.07
Monocle Magazine "believes that the measure of a city is more about everyday wonders - pavements, well-designed schools, punctual transport - rather than one-off grand projects." And they prove their point with a world tour of small bits of infrastructure: bike storage in Chicago, trams in Barcelona, clocks in Prague, malls in Miami and toilets in Tokyo. They have prepared a video with wonderful illustrations by Tokuma and narration by David Phelan that is a six minute wonder for anyone who is interested in why cities work. ::Monocle via ::Architechnophilia...
Beer Can Be Green Even If It’s Not Saint Patty’s Day
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 07.12.07
Look out Brooklyn Brewery; you have some competition in the house! As of July 1st, NYC’s Village Pourhouse has become eco-serious, taking a pledge to implement practices that will reduce their carbon footprint, without sacrificing the fun factor, and did I mention there’s going to be a party? Keep reading! The East Village watering hole has switched over to the use of recycled paper products (virgin paper being the #3 contributor to climate change) and recycled beer bottles. They are performing in-house washing instead of service pick-up to lessen auto emissions (the #1 contributor to climate change). Their kitchen is sending leftover oil to a plant where it will be made into other products, and they have added to their menu a selection of five new organic beers, Earth Chardonnay, an organic wine, and Vodka 360!
It doesn’t stop there. More after the jump....
Lady Bird Johnson 1912-2007
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.12.07
When they write the history of environmentalism, Lady Bird Johnson will have a place in it. According to the New York Times obit: She was an early supporter of the environment and, in championing highway beautification, worked to banish billboards and plant flowers and trees.
The Lady Bird Johnson Park in Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, is an outgrowth of her First Lady’s Committee for a More Beautiful Capital. She founded the $10 million National Wildflower Research Center in Austin, Tex., which opened in April 1995 and changed its name to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in 1998. The center conducts research and provides information on plants, landscaping and conservation. For her environmental work she was awarded a Congressional Gold Medal in 1988. ::New York Times...
The Body Shop to Use Sustainable Palm Oil
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 07.12.07
Palm oil has seen some controversy in the past year or so on TreeHugger. It’s even been called an “eco-nightmare” because of deforestation that’s occurred leaving orangutans and birds without their natural habitat. But today we may see some new light on the issue as The Body Shop announced its new sustainable palm oil initiative. “The company becomes the first cosmetics and toiletries retailer to introduce sustainable palm oil into the beauty industry,” the press release stated. By working with Daabon, a certified organic palm oil producer in Colombia that also works with local co-ops, and the Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance, The Body Shop’s initiative equates to 14.5 million bars of soap sold per annum in more than 2,200 stores across 57 countries across the world. The company hopes that this step will also encourage others to follow their lead in using sustainable palm oil in their products. Peter Saunders, Chief Executive Officer for The Body Shop stated, “This will not be achieved by The Body Shop in isolation – our decision must inspire other businesses to join us and tackle the problem head on.” ::The Body Shop...
Naples Buried Under a Heap of Trash
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.12.07
If you've been planning on taking a trip to Italy this summer with the intent of visiting Naples, you may want to reconsider the length of your sojourn there: the U.S. Embassy in Rome has just issued the following warning to Americans traveling to the city and its surrounding areas:
''U.S. citizens traveling to or through the area may encounter mounds of garbage, open fires with potentially toxic fumes, and/or sporadic public demonstrations by local residents attempting to block access to dumps.''While Naples has often had difficulties dealing with overflowing landfills and people dumping trash on the streets, the situation has gradually worsened over the last few years and reached a crisis point in May when collectors stopped picking up the garbage, simply because there was nowhere left to put it. As a result, residents took matters into their own hands and started burning hundreds of piles of trash, releasing a cocktail of potentially toxic vapors. ...
Graze Anatomy: Using Aversion Therapy on Sheep
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.12.07
We love organics, but grape farmers have to get rid of the weeds somehow. One can do it manually with lots of labour; one can hose them with herbicides. Or, thanks to research by Morgan Doran at the University of California at Davis, One can let sheep loose in the vinyards. Says Morgan: "Sheep are really good at what they do, and what they do is eat."
Unfortunately they also eat the vine leaves and grapes, which is a problem; nothing that a little aversion therapy won't solve. Doran doesn't get all Clockwork Orange, tie them down and make them watch Sideways; he just gorges them on vine leaves and then gives them a dose of lithium chloride; "a mildly unpleasant sensation in the stomach was sending a message that apparently lasts a lifetime." Doran likened the sheep's reaction to humans who take that first puff on a cigarette or down too much tequila and come away with their own personal cautionary tale. And it worked; nine months later the sheep still wouldn't eat the grape leaves. ::Sacramento Bee;, University of California; Punny title stolen from ::Globe and Mail...
Trippin' the Green Fantastic: Looking for Green Inventors!
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.12.07
Biodiesel homebrewers, hyper-recyclers and solar gadgeteers: take note! "Trippin' the Green Fantastic" is a new (not yet broadcasting) show on The Science Channel that is seeking out and spotlighting grassroots green inventors -- everyday folks who have taken it upon themselves to create their own ingenious solutions to environmental conundrums. Hosted by a couple of everyday guys who are passionate about being green, each episode will start with a trip aboard "Lady," a straight veggie oil-fueled SUV and trek across America on an awesome road trip adventure to find the homespun green gold: those far out, homemade eco-inventions. They're especially interested in folks in the American southwest: Arizona, New Mexico and Nevada -- we'll bet there are some fabulous solar DIYs and greywater recycling stories just dying to be told -- but are taking submissions from everyone across the US. If this sounds good to you, or would interest someone you know, and you want to be on TV (and who doesn't, really?), then we hope you'll sign up. The official call for entries and all the details are below the fold (along with a press release and more details about "Lady"). ::The Science Channel and ::Peacepoint Productions...
Floating City Proposed For Shanghai World Expo
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 07.12.07
A team of Dutch designers recently revealed a plan to build a floating city on Shanghai’s Huangpu River. If built, the city will debut during World Expo Shanghai 2010. The floating city will have many green elements — it will use the water of the river for cooling and it the city will make use of renewable energy. However, one has to wonder if matters like sewage treatment and impact on the river environment have been addressed. The model of the construction on display at Shanghai Sculpture Space, has five honeycomb-like balls, one big one surrounded by four smaller ones, functioning as a 3D cinema, pubs, a shopping mall and theater. The biggest honeycomb will have a restaurant at the top floor 80 meters above the river, the report said....
Growing With Compost: Community Composting Network's Annual Conference
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07.12.07
Most TreeHuggers know that compost is cool – why else would legendary hip-hop act The Roots be seen autographing compost bins, or why would Ethical Man be interested in composting his own corpse? One organization that has been working long and hard to push composting into the mainstream is the UK based Community Composting Network (CCN) (which we featured on TreeHugger here). Now we bring news of the perfect chance for anyone in the UK wanting to get involved in the network, or to learn more about community composting. The CCN is holding its annual conference, Growing With Compost in September in Hertfordshire. This year the event is focussing on ways that government directives on diverting waste from landfill can provide the perfect opportunity for economic, social and sustainable community regeneration. The event publicity quotes the following from the UK’s Waste Strategy document:
"The third sector, ranging from voluntary and community organisations, charities, co-operatives and social enterprises, has the ability to deliver multiple benefits - social, economic and environmental - for the communities it serves and the Government recognises the sector as an important partner in achieving its strategic objectives."...
The Shell Guide to Gardens
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 07.12.07
I found this while I was trawling through a second hand book shop - The Shell Guide to Gardens. It looks like oil companies have been trying to associate themselves with anything that makes them appear green and natural for quite a while.
It was published in 1977, and the inside jacket describes the book like this, "This book has two parts: a concise but colorful and informative history of four centuries of garden-making in Britain and Ireland; and a detailed but convenient guide to over two hundred of the finest, though not necessarily the best known, gardens open to the public."
I'll be honest, I haven't read it. It's a little dry, and despite the claim that it's a colorful book most of the pictures are in black and white. Perhaps I should drop this early example of green-washing in a recycle bin. ::Flickr...
EU Mandates Energy Star
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.12.07
"All public-sector purchasers of office equipment in Europe will in future be obliged to buy brands that carry the Energy Star logo, the environmental quality standard agreed on by the U.S. and the European Union, following a vote in the European Parliament Tuesday. "This regulation gives us the perfect opportunity to introduce a novelty: for the first time in E.U. history, common energy efficiency specifications for public procurement will apply to all member states and the European institutions," said Nikolaos Vakalis [pictured], the member of the European Parliament who led the debate.
In addition to making the Energy Star logo obligatory for public procurements of equipment, the new law formalizes an agreement reached last December with the U.S. government to extend the Energy Star plan for another five years, with higher energy efficiency requirements than those in place now."
There was a time when many European nations (pre-Union) followed up on US government-led initiatives for the environment. From the early 1970's on, the US was far ahead of Europe on such things as limiting use of dangerous pesticides, phasing out PCB use in transformers, and even banning leaded gasoline. That leadership roll seemed to reverse beginning about 1990. So, its good to see that at least something "made in the USA" for the good of the environment is getting respect overseas. Via:: InfoWorld Image credit:: European Parliment press gallery, Nickolaos Vikalis...
The Planet Wants You to Market Really Well
by Jerry Stifelman, The Change, Chapel Hill, NC on 07.12.07
[This is the first in a series of five guest posts looking at the importance of brand strategy and effective marketing for green and ethical businesses]
Organic jeans look just like regular jeans. Fair Trade, Shade Grown coffee can taste just like conventional coffee. FSC-certified wood looks exactly like wood that's been poached from the rain forest. Unless you're an eye witness or a direct victim, crimes against the environment take place out of sight, out of mind. Shirts hang from racks in America, while the sweatshops that created them are half a world and tons of emissions away. The sales racked up by businesses-as-usual are dependent on withholding information, not revealing it. Paul McCartney once said that "if slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian." It's the same principle for most conventional products. Pesticides, particulate pollution, toxic runoff, industrial waste and shoddy labor practices are necessary to create most things -- but to actually sell the stuff, it's best to keep the public unaware of such things. The environmental sins of conventional businesses are invisible — unfortunately, so are many of the positive actions of good-for-the-world businesses.
As an environmentalist, and as a guy who leads a good-for-the-world branding agency, I suggest that treehugging businesses should become the most kickass marketers on the planet. Brand communication is a critical way to change the equation, and balance it in favor of responsibility over expediency, and in favor of products created with moral consideration as opposed to just cheap goods. Here's some thoughts on how to do it.
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Obama's Hawaii Alma Mater a Green Leader
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 07.12.07
Well we’ve heard recently about the Senator taking the time to “refine” his position on coal, and the Washington Post was kind enough to highlight the fact that it took environmentalists to show him the way. But maybe if he had spent time at his alma mater recently he would have been able to “refine” his stance long before he decided to introduce a bill favoring coal not too long ago... That’s because it turns out the Punahou School on Oahu’s been named one of the top 10 green schools in America. And with U.S. Mayors coming together to ask Congress for funding of green technology in schools, it just may pay to see what types of things they've done in Hawaii.
So what have they got going on? Well take the case of their new middle school that opened in 2004. They’re taking advantage of the sun, wind, and water that’s so abundantly available throughout Hawaii along with the incredible views of Waikiki and Diamondhead to bring nature into the classroom. They’ve got lockers made of tough, recycled plastic so they never rust or need to be repainted, light shelves to direct more natural light into the building and cut down on energy use, and rubber floors that only need a wet mop once a week (sans chemicals) to keep ‘em clean… The wood used is from sustainably managed forests, and the lighting system even adjusts to the amount of daylight and the number of people in the classroom to reduce energy usage and their electric bill at the same time. All told it sounds like the ideal place for kids heading into any field to learn about themselves and the environment, as well as being a terrific example of the positive, green direction that other schools can start heading.
via:: Newsweek...
Fiat 500: "Possibly the Best Small Car on the Planet"
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.12.07
We motor on about how it shouldn't be too hard to squeeze more efficiency of American cars, and that the Europeans and the Japanese are doing it already. Here is another example: the Fiat 500 or Cinquecento. Eric Reguly of the Globe and Mail rocketed around Torino at 100 MPH and says "Fiat has created a marvellous car, perhaps the best small car on the planet. It's a compelling combination of value, style, safety, performance and parkability, though reliability is unknown. (the joke used to be that FIAT was short for "Fix it again, Tony) He continues: "I know this car would obliterate machines like the (smaller) Mercedes Smart and the (larger) Toyota Yaris in the Canadian and American markets."
"In terms of fun, driveability and space, it kills the Smart car. In terms of price, it kills the Mini. In terms of style, it kills the Yaris and rivals like the Honda Fit. If Ford, GM and Chrysler were smart, they would build a city car like this. Fiat has made the smallest cars desirable again." ::Globe and Mail...
Sing for the Environment
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07.12.07
Having re-hashed the play list for Live Earth, it is clear that there are many songs about the environment that could have/should have been sung. David Gray pronounced that "Que sera, sera, what ever will be, will be, the future's not ours to see, que sera, sera" was the most perfect song for the evening, but some might have doubts about that....
A trawl through the oldies and goldies for some eco-songs, courtesy of the Guardian, yields some pleasant, and unpleasant surprises. Even though they didn't include "Hey You Get off of my Cloud", they did give a mention to Joni Mitchell's anthem "Big Yellow Taxi". "Monkey Gone to Heaven" by the Pixies explains global warming in the simple language of a children's story: "Now there's a hole in the sky/ And the ground's not cold/ And if the ground's not cold/ Everything is gonna burn." Here's the list, see what you think: Crazy Horses--The Osmonds, Supernature--Cerrone, Timber--Coldcut, Fall on Me--REM, Hungry Planet--The Byrds, Impact (The Earth Is Burning) (USA Version)--Orbital, Autogeddon Blues--Julian Cope and Peace in the Valley Once Again by The Handsome Family. :: Guardian...
Freecycle.org: It really works.
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.12.07
We do occasionally try to practice what we preach, and had a basement full of stuff that did not move at our garage sale. Having learned about Freecycle on TreeHugger, and watched Mark in action, we signed up and put up a listing, saying “lots of stuff available, come and get it” . We soon got an email saying, no, that is not how it works. Name each item so that people are not running around for nothing, and negotiate a time with the person responding to each item so that people are not just showing up and finding it has gone to someone else. I do as I am told, and suddenly emails are flying, people are taking old books, printers, stereos and snowboards, arriving on time and thankful to be getting them. (although some don't show- I am still waiting for Theresa) I have found happy good homes for my excess baggage and a lot of stuff has been kept out of the dump. Pictured is Mark, a happy customer using an old 486 laptop for a robotics project, picking up a modem. The system works.
Alex Steffen said “there is no such thing as garbage, only useful stuff in the wrong place.” I now monitor what is coming and going, and there are some bizarre things offered, from scrap metal to old bathtubs, and invariably a few days later we see that it is taken. There is clearly someone out there for almost anything, just waiting for a simple system for getting useful stuff into the right place. ::Freecycle.org
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Green Eye Shades Back in Fashion On Wall Street
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.12.07
What an opening line to begin a story with. "It's not just tree huggers" who think about global warming,...There's money to be made, and people want to know how to make it." From the Wall Street Journal last month.
"This year, researchers at Citigroup Inc., Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. and UBS AG have issued widely circulated reports on risks and opportunities for investors because of climate change. They argue that global warming can no longer be ignored as a factor in investing. Researchers at these firms and others are identifying companies well-positioned for global warming, either because they are devising new technologies or because they are taking advantage of market changes."
Here's the money quote:- "Many of the companies involved in green technology are small, so they carry more investment risk; moreover, green technology is developing so quickly it is hard to predict which companies will eventually win."
Winning has to do with being on the side of life, not just being on the positive side of risk. And if those Wall Street boys would substitute some compact fluorescents, they wouldn't need green eye shades at all. Come join us. Small is big. Via: WSJ
Image credit:: Answers.com Green Eyeshade...
Environmentalists Unknowingly Took A Hard Line On Crime: They Got The Lead Out
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.12.07
According to a newly published piece of peer reviewed research, "The United States has had two spikes of lead poisoning: one at the turn of the 20th century, linked to lead in household paint, and one after World War II, when the use of leaded gasoline increased sharply. Both times, the violent crime rate went up and down in concert, with the violent crime peaks coming two decades after the lead poisoning peaks.
The finding seems to address "why rates of violent crime among black adolescents from inner-city neighborhoods have declined faster than the overall crime rate -- lead amelioration programs had the biggest impact on the urban poor. Children in inner-city neighborhoods were the ones most likely to be poisoned by lead, because they were more likely to live in substandard housing that had lead paint and because public housing projects were often situated near highways."...
Is America's National Pastime Also Its Greenest?
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 07.12.07
First, it was San Francisco setting up a 590 panel solar array at their major league baseball field. Then the Rockies out of Denver, Colorado followed in the act setting up a small solar system to help with their energy consumption. The Cincinnati Reds teamed up with a local utility company to make their opening day celebration carbon neutral. Now, baseball's all-star game is getting hip to the green by giving away a hybrid instead of the usual fuel-gage emptying vehicle. As Sarah over at Grist points out (after thoroughly belittling my beloved National League), All-Star MVP Ichiro Suzuki of the Seattle Mariners drove off in a 2008 hybrid Chevy Tahoe for his performance, rather than the appropriately huge sounding Chevy Avalanche given to last year's MVP. Now, it is certainly no Tesla or even Chevrolet's own Volt, however the small, but meaningful, steps Major League Baseball is taking to become a bit less wasteful is certainly appreciated around here. After all, TreeHuggerness should be as American as baseball, hot dogs, apple pie...and yes, Chevrolet. ::Via Grist
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Driving in Circles: Hydrogen Cars Close to Production at Ford
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 07.12.07
AP breaks the news that "the relatively quick-and-easy answer to foreign oil dependence and automotive greenhouse gas emissions is circling the grounds every day at Orlando International Airport in Florida..." Great news -- oh, that's according to a "top Ford Motor Co. official." Apparently the hydrogen combustion cool-aid has been fed up the corporate food chain and subsequently has been served to AP's stringer with very little comment on the actual production of hydrogen. Ford has about 30 E-450 Hydrogen shuttle buses working across the U.S. and Canada with engineers monitoring them electronically in real time and find that they have near zero emissions and get up to 13 percent better fuel economy than their gasoline counterparts. While we're all for zero emissions et al., these vehicles rely on a 6.8 liter modified gasoline combustion engine that runs on hydrogen. While it may be easy to convert a gas engine to hydrogen and get it to market in five years, it's not so with regard to effectively generating the amounts of hydrogen necessary to make said vehicles more mobile than expensive paperweights. Granted, that's short of a breakthrough in hydrogen production which perhaps Ford is truly gunning for given the company's lackluster commitment to developing plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs)....
Ford Plug-in Hybrids: 5 to 10 Years Away
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 07.12.07
Ford has announced its plug-in hybrid plan: 20-test-vehicles-by-2009. While plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) seem like the best way to go for the moment, autobloggreen.com reports that some see it as too little, too late. In the face of Tesla and Lighting moving into the space, Ford CEO Alan Mulally said on Monday he expects the company to sell plug-in hybrids in five to 10 years with rollout dependent on advancements to lithium ion batteries. Mulally was at a press event to announce an alliance between Ford and utility Southern California Edison to test 20 rechargeable electric vehicles. So Cal Ed will make it a "real world" test by giving the Escapes to 20 consumers who have electric "smart meters" to monitor power used to charge the SUVs....
TH Forums Highlights: What is an Environmentalist, Affordable Electric Cars and More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.11.07
TreeHugger Forums continue to crank out ideas, feedback and even a few substantive arguments at their torrid pace. Lots of users are taking the time to vent about the least green (most brown?) thing they do, but there's lots of good new stuff as well. Register here to add your thoughts to the growing community; here are some of the highlights from recent threads.
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 | 1) User Jackalope wonders what other folks like to do to help the planet, and says "why doesn't everyone post the single greenest thing you do and why you do it (even if it is carbon related). Maybe we can get some interesting ideas from each other, and avoid a fact feud argument". Lots of good stuff, from bicycling to natural foods in here. |
| 2) In the same vein, JiltedCitizen wants to know: "I've seen so many people around these forums claim so and so is not an environmentalist because they do such and such. It's really disheartening. Do all environmentalists have to be of the same mind and think in black and white? What is an environmentalist? Do you have to be vegan? Vegetarian? Photosynthetic? Do you have to ride a bike to work? Not work? Can you even be alive?" |
| 3) wormwoodnhaze says "I am renovating an old 1000s.f. factory in Philadelphia. Geothermal was my first choice but it is no longer an option for many reasons. I will design the space to maximize passive solar but will definitely need a supplemental system for cold winters and our hot summers. What is the best, greenest solution available? More good discussion after the jump... |
Science, Public Health Get Bushwhacked
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 07.11.07
Want to talk about government conspiracies? The Bush administration has repeatedly tried to weaken or suppress key public-health reports because they were contrary to its political agenda, according to former Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona. Carmona, who spoke with a Congressional panel on Tuesday, served for one four-year term from 2002 to 2006.
Just some of the subjects Carmona said he was gagged from speaking or issuing reports about: stem cells, emergency contraception, and sex education, as well as prison, mental, and global health issues. “I was told to stay away from those because we’ve already decided which way we want to go,” Carmona said.
Top officials delayed a landmark report on secondhand smoke for years, he said, and tried to "water [it] down" when it was finally released last year. (It concluded that even brief exposure to cigarette smoke could cause immediate harm.)
Meanwhile, officials also concluded that global warming was a liberal cause and dismissed it, Carmona said.
Repeat after us: Where the hell are we, and what are we doing in this handbasket?...
Fasting – Re-Thinking The System That Is Food
by Tamara Giltsoff, United Kingdom on 07.11.07
Last week I spent a whole week fasting, on a Jiva retreat in France. I should probably call it cleansing because not eating for a week is one means to the whole process of totally rejuvenating my system and re-thinking my framing of food, happiness and wellbeing. The process is very reflective, not only in the first person ie, how I consume food and drink and the patterns that rule my life, but also a good look at the system that provides me with nourishment –industrial farming – and the global commodity that is food. I cannot tell you how powerful the week was, in many ways: it was personally re-energizing and empowering, and globally relevant, challenging the systemic insanity industrial farming and globalization has led to. I am a lucky, hard working, middle class chick who can afford the luxury of a week away fasting, but I would love to see the principles of the retreat, and the fast ideally, experienced by the wider Westernized world. It should be promoted through corporate businesses, schools (perhaps not the fasting part), culture, and health services... I think it would change so much and put us well on the way to a sustainable world. ...
A Picture is Worth... Gasoline Consumption Per Day [Updated]
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07.11.07
Via ::The Economist.
Update: Many thanks to commenter Fusoko for finding the per capita data on world gasoline consumption (original source: BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2005). We've also changed the title from "oil" to "gasoline" since the original uses "petrol"....
U.S. House Farm Bill Draft Supports Subsidizing Sugar for Ethanol Production
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.11.07
The oft-delayed, much debated 2007 farm bill is finally set to start grinding forward again with the House Agriculture Committee scheduled to begin its markup July 17 and aiming to take the bill to the floor the week afterwards. As part of a newly announced 111-page update to the crop subsidies program, U.S. growers will have the opportunity to sell beet and cane sugar for use in creating ethanol. This is a landmark shift for the program, which had previously only treated sugar as a food source.
Support rates for sugar, which now stand at 18 cents per pound for cane and 22.9 cents per pound for beet sugar, would increase to 18.5 cents and 23.5 cents, respectively. To help make this happen, the Agriculture Department would set rigid limits on marketing allotments for "domestic human consumption" for the 2008-12 crop years. Not surprisingly, the American Sugar Alliance, the sugar grower trade group, has come out in favor of the proposal, stating that it would make the program "even stronger" with its "long overdue loan rate increase" and support for ethanol production....
Tsunami-proofing South India’s Coast From Grassroots Up
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 07.11.07
Current efforts to protect people living along South Asian coasts from another devastating tsunami do not necessarily entail high-tech, governmental schemes. In fact, it is now concerned local populations who are getting involved in the conservation of natural buffer zones such as mangroves and sand dunes, which have been shown to absorb much of the damage. ...
DIY: More Fused Plastic Bags
by Kathreen Ricketson, Canberra, Australia on 07.11.07
A while ago we wrote about fusing plastic bags together to make a hard wearing plastic fabric that can be sewn into something else. Etsy Labs published a tutorial on this process and CRAFTzine and WhipUp both published stories on this technique. Now there is more and it seems that lots of people are discovering some creative recycling fun with this simple way to make use of discarded plastic shopping bags.
Betz White, known for her creative re-use of discarded woolen garments, has put her creative energies into experimenting with this fusing process with layering, and plastic appliqué techniques, with some great results (see above image). ::Etsy Labs fusing plastic tutorial ::Image at Betz White ...
EcoGeek of the Week: Daniel Quinn
by EcoGeek.org on 07.11.07
Daniel Quinn, I think, is more a thinker than a writer. His ideas are what change the world, his books are merely attempts to explain his somewhat unique worldview.
In his most famous work, Ishmael, and throughout his other works, both fiction and non, his ideas repeat: the need to examine the cultural myths which we are steeped in from birth, the necessity of adopting new ways of thinking in order to change our behavior, and the drastic differences both in form and functionality between "civilization" and those we term "uncivilized".
While his way of thinking may seem odd at first, Quinn's ideas are extremely rational and widely acclaimed. His work has been translated numerous times, and is assigned reading for anthropology students, business majors, and students of biology, ethics, ecology, and history worldwide. Quinn's broad, sweeping documentation of our society's ills are never without hope for the future, and though he's a bit reluctant to bear the title of "EcoGeek", we're thrilled to welcome him that way, as EcoGeek of the Week.
EcoGeek: In many of your books, you tackle the subjects of sustainability and the environment, but from a perspective that may seem odd to many environmentalists. It seems you are not the typical "tree hugger"......
Driving Another Nail into Climate Skeptics' Coffin
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.11.07
Global warming deniers may have just lost another crucial point of recourse in their flagging campaign: according to a new study carried out by an international team of researchers, variations in solar ouput are not to blame for climate change. Indeed, just as the sun's output has been declining over the last two decades, global temperatures have been on the rise.
This directly contradicts the cosmic ray hypothesis, a theory advanced by two scientists from the Danish National Space Center which holds that cosmic rays, through the intermediary of clouds (which they help form), help cool the planet. When the rays are partially blocked by the sun during periods of intense solar activity, fewer clouds are able to form and the Earth warms as a result. ...
The Green Chamber: Superior Alternative to Chamber of Commerce
by Eckhart Beatty, San Francisco on 07.11.07
On July 18th, a different kind of chamber of commerce will be born. The all-new “Green Chamber,” as it is to be called, will offer “green-leaning” businesses, locally and nationally, the opportunity to work within the framework of the community of sustainability they believe in. Members will soon have ready access to a wealth of online resources such as detailed membership lists from which to network with those of like interests; organize amongst themselves; post jobs; promote novel ideas and initiatives; and more. According to John Reed, Public Relations Director of Elevator Communications, “These companies 'walk-the-talk' by making their companies as green as possible. They have a high ethical standard, a larger vision they bring to their business and personal lives.” Perhaps, equally important, it will be each member’s implied duty to promote Chamber membership towards other prospective affiliated organizations....
Frankie Goes Fluorescent: Lamps from David Bergman
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.11.07
David Bergman, he of the "what if green design were just good design?" philosophy, has given the world some of both with "Frankie Goes Fluorescent," a series of (you guessed it) compact fluorescent-powered lamps, pendants and sconces. Combining dimmable compact fluorescent bulbs with an exterior of 100% recycled glass and a biocomposite of soy flour and recycled paper, the lights provide a nice geometry of texture, color and light. Hit the jump to see two more colors and configurations, and get the details at ::Fire & Water via ::Apartment Therapy...
The TH Interview: Maddy Harland of Permaculture Magazine, part one
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07.11.07
Maddy Harland is the editor of UK-based Permaculture Magazine (PM), Solutions for Sustainable Living, which she founded with her partner Tim in 1992 (and which we previously featured on TreeHugger here). PM has an international focus and covers all aspects of sustainable living, from permaculture gardening and small-scale sustainable agriculture to green building, low-impact transport and community action. The magazine has 100,000 readers world wide, and has been successfully distributed in the USA since 2003. It is now also available through a network of international wholesalers in many other countries, including Ireland, France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, Portugal, New Zealand and Australia.
Maddy is also a co-founder, again with her partner, Tim, of Permanent Publications, a company dedicated to publishing environmental books, and she was cited for a ‘Special Commendation’ at the Triodos Bank Women’s Ethical Business Awards at the Globe Theatre, London. She is also a founder member of Gaia Education, an international team of educators developing curricula and courses on the Sustainable Development of Urban and Rural Settlements, and she helped found the Sustainability Centre in Hampshire, UK. In the first part of this two-part interview, Maddy discusses the origins of Permaculture Magazine, the recent upsurge of interest in sustainability, and she gives her own personal definition of permaculture. She also discusses what makes the magazine so popular, and reveals the ways in which they try to keep their operations sustainable.
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Fancy an MBA in Carbon Management?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.11.07
A greater recognition of global warming's harmful effects and a business climate moving favorably and rapidly towards embracing green technology, corporate social responsibility and sustainability have converged to foster the creation of a slew of new, eco-oriented MBA programs and courses at several leading business schools in recent months. The University of East Anglia announced this week that it would be launching the world's first MBA program specifically targeted at carbon management.
Its MBA in Strategic Carbon Management aims to train a new breed of managers who will have the ability to innovate and lead in the nascent low carbon industry and tie environmental considerations back into their daily business strategies. UEA's Norwich Business School will be offering the one-year, full-time course in conjunction with the School of Environmental Sciences, the School of Economics and the School of Development Studies and is hoping to attract a variety of entrepreneurs, businessmen and policy makers when it officially opens its doors in early 2008....
A Liquor Store with a Green Roof by Terunobu Fujimori
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.11.07
Our local liquor store never looked like this, with such an amazing green roof. It is designed by Terunobu Fujimori, who integrates plants into many of his designs. According to the Taipei Times:
Convinced that artificial structures and elements in nature can reach a perfect harmony, Fujimori uses steel, mortar and industrial wood to build the inner structures and hidden elements of buildings while placing plants, soil and stone in the more visible locations.
The results are often houses of "ambiguous nationality" which appear naive or even surreal. He planted grass in a diagonal grid all over the roof of Camellia Castle, where a camellia is also planted.
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Hemp Guitars from Mada
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 07.11.07
Hemp has been utilized by guitarists for decades, but never before as a building material. The Mada guitar is formed of molded hemp, rather than the traditional solid wood you get on expensive guitars, or the plastic/glue/wood pulp mix on cheap guitars.
The guitar seems to have been designed because hemp is more easily molded than wood, but it also serves to create a more sustainable guitar. "Why hemp? The permanent transition from impact sound into airborne sound is essential to the sound. Thats how resonances are formed. This makes Hempstone® the perfect 3 dimensional molding material for music instruments. The material consists of 100 % hemp fibres and contains no plastics, which would close these resonance-gaps."
However, at a cost of €2,850 you would be better off buying a great vintage guitar, which is just as green. There are some other green options if you're looking for a guitar, like the Pop Series by RKS Guitars, or the Martin Sting series. ::Mada Guitars...
The Doors at the Panhandle Bandshell
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.11.07
It is a temporary music venue to "create a space for non-amplified, acoustic neighborhood performances" and "demonstrate through creative reuse of materials that a beautiful structure can be built from material that would otherwise have been thrown away, raising collective awareness of our impact on the environment." The outer skin is made by overlapping seventy-five automobile hoods; The underside of the car hoods will be painted a silver color and the structural support arches will be covered with computer circuit panels. The back wall will be crafted from stacked plastic drinking water bottles and will be illuminated with low-powered, amber-colored LED solar-powered lights. The stage surface will be made from reclaimed solid-core doors. (more on materials here)
It is designed by Treehugger Faves ReBAR (remember their Parking space? ?) the Finch Mob Collective. and Christopher Guillard.
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Windup LED Camping Light
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.11.07
These things are getting so efficient, why use them just for camping? One minute of winding gives 30 minutes of light. A full wind gives four hours of 5 LED bright light or 48 hours of nightlight feature with only 2 Amber LED's. It also has a recessed hanging loop "so you can pop it on a table, or string it up on a tree, the top of your tent, whatever. As well as muscle power, it comes with a 12v in-car charger, so you give it a quick boost in the car if you're feeling too knackered after all that trekking to crank it up." Just £19.95 from::I want one of those via ::UberGizmo...
Recycling Road Dust
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 07.11.07
All sorts of nasty chemicals are emitted by cars, but some of them have uses, and some are even quite precious. For example, catalytic converters use platinum which slowly gets lost through exhaust fumes. These chemicals can be extracted from road dust and reused, according to researchers at Cardiff University. This is good news in two ways; energy and land will be saved because of a reduced need to mine for platinum, and because the process will remove these materials from the roads.
Dr Hazel Prichard of Cardiff University estimates that many kilogrammes of platinum are being sprayed on to streets and roads every year. “Platinum is a vital component not only of catalytic converters but also of fuel cells. Fuel cells are an important new source of clean energy. Platinum is a precious metal and resources are scarce and expensive. Our research is looking at ways of recycling platinum and other precious metals.”...
Green Car Exhibition for the UK
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 07.11.07
An exhibition on green vehicles is being held on the 20th of July at Leeds United Football Club. Visitors will be able to see demonstrations of some cars, and even test drive others. If you've never driven a hybrid or electric car, but are curious about what it's like, then get down there. There will also be lots of people to give you all the information you could need on how to reduce pollution from transportation.
It's being organized by Cenex, the UK consortium tasked with helping businesses green their operations. Leeds Council are helping with the event, and will no doubt use it to highlight their recent project where they brought hybrid vans and buses into use. ::Cenex via ::Auto Blog Green
See also ::Alé - Fewer Wheels, Fewer Fill-ups ::From £1 Million Racers to £5,000 Commuters...
What Our Grandparents Can Teach Us About Saving the World
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.11.07
We hear how hard it is for people to give up our fossil fueled lifestyle; Mike Davis asks in the Sierra Club magazine :"Our culture appears hopelessly addicted to fossil fuels, shopping sprees, suburban sprawl, and beef-centered diets. Would Americans ever voluntarily give up their SUVs, McMansions, McDonald's, and lawns?"
He reminds us that in World War II "Americans simultaneously battled fascism overseas and waste at home. My parents, their neighbors, and millions of others left cars at home to ride bikes to work, tore up their front yards to plant cabbage, recycled toothpaste tubes and cooking grease, volunteered at daycare centers and USOs, shared their houses and dinners with strangers, and conscientiously attempted to reduce unnecessary consumption and waste. Lessing Rosenwald, the chief of the Bureau of Industrial Conservation, called on Americans "to change from an economy of waste--and this country has been notorious for waste--to an economy of conservation."
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A Stinky Solution to a Stinkier Problem: Using Garlic to Fight Cow Farts
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07.11.07
We already know that cows have a huge impact on climate change, and we’ve even looked at ways that meat eaters can reduce their consumption, aside from the obvious options of going vegetarian or vegan. Now we hear from the BBC that scientists from Wales are experimenting with garlic to see if this could reduce flatulence, and the resulting methane (a potent greenhouse gas). We have seen efforts to reduce cow farts before, and if these scientists are successful, this could have a significant impact on climate change:
“Experts claim cows are responsible for about 3% of Britain's greenhouse gases. But initial results from the start of the three-year study show that feed containing garlic could cut the amount of gas produced by up to 50%.”...
"Let the Plants Design!"
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.11.07
The Tokyo-based designers at Namaiki have spent the past 10 years earning a reputation for inspired silliness and mad genius, but after a decade of work, they're turning to a more organic, natural media to express themselves: plants. PingMag reports on what it's like to spend an afternoon in the cartoony garden of graphic designer David Duval Smith and architect Michael Frank, the duo that makes up Namaiki, as they attempt to answer the question as to "why ending up working with living things is just the most interesting thing to do...". Turns out it involves a lightbulb moment with GMO foods, guerrilla gardening and something called "Kinky Muff Land"....
Wall House: The Layered Look
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.11.07
A wall is a "complex membrane" that is a firm divider between inside and outside. It is traditionally either solid or window with little gradation between. The Wall House delaminates the wall into four layers, (concrete cave, stacked shelving, milky shell, soft skin.) This is interesting because a traditional wall buries systems that age differently but all the layers are bound together; here the layers are separated and accessible.
According to Chilean architects FAR frohn&rojas : "From the inside out the layers build upon one another, both materially and geometrically, blurring the boundary between the interior and the exterior and creating, through the specificity of the different materials used (many of which are not common in architectural applications), a series of qualitatively distinct environments."...
Live Earth: "Largest Global Entertainment Event in History"
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 07.11.07
A few days ago we asked you, readers, what you thought of Live Earth. All in all there seemed to have been some great response to the 7/7/07 concert and today a press release was issued with some impressive numbers:
- More Than 8 Million Viewers Watched Concerts on MSN – The Largest Online Audience Ever for an Online Concert
- Millions Inspired to "Answer the Call" with Web and SMS Pledges Made in 178 Countries and 35 Territories
- Approximately One Million People Participated in More Than 10,000 "Friends of Live Earth" Events in 131 Countries – the Largest Grassroots Organizing Program in History
- Live Earth was Broadcast Across Television Networks in More than 100 Countries
- Live Earth was Broadcast Via Radio Channels in More than 130 Countries
As we saw on the broadcast, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore said, "Live Earth is officially the largest global entertainment event in history...and the numbers are still coming in."
TreeHugger has reported from Hamburg and London and covered information about Israel, Rio and Antarctica. We'd love to hear some thoughts on those that attended the other events, namely the United States where Gore, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cameron Diaz and other celebrities had a part in the event.
To make take the 7-point pledge (no, it's not too late!) and to watch the concert replays visit ::Live Earth on MSN ::Live Earth...
Kids in Japan Discover Sustainability by Playing with Blocks!
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 07.11.07
Recently we pointed out that kids are learning about the sustainability of locally grown foods in Japan and the cultural practices of that country by working with Miso Soup…. Now there’s word that they’ve come up with a program called “Block Space”, which aims to educate kids about wood used from managed forests that have been planted in Japan using good old-fashioned wood blocks as the messenger. That’s because planted forests in that country are at a crisis stage due to cheap imports from overseas, along with various local socioeconomic factors. Essentially, OISCA International (Organization for Industrial, Spiritual and Cultural Advancement), a Japan-based non-governmental environmental protection organization, has joined together with Summit, Inc., a Japanese supermarket chain to promote the program. Kids get to enjoy playing with blocks made of wood produced from the sustainable management of planted forests in Japan by creating anything they wish, which is then combined into one giant, room-sized piece of work. Afterwards, they have a discussion about forests, trees, and the wood that the blocks are made of, hopefully encouraging them to be interested in the forests of Japan. Of course there are loads of other benefits too, as the kids get the chance to discover the importance of working together with others through play, while cultivating feelings of caring and respect for others by positively evaluating their friends' work as well.
Hmmm…. That means they’re learning to respect each other and the environment while having fun too? Sounds good to me!
via:: Japan for Sustainability...
Aqua2Go. To the Nearest Landfill.
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.11.07
ARRGH!!! Just when we think the message is getting through about bottled water, now we have the pure convenience of aseptic packaging! For water! Tetrapak aseptic packaging was designed for liquids like milk or juices that qo bad quickly; they are made of layers of polyethylene and aluminum foil and virgin pulp (the so-called renewable resource.) They are recyclable by pulping and separating, using lots of hot water and producing low grade downcycled material; it is rarely done in North America. Yet Aqua2go calls it sustainable packaging: "Sustainability satisfies the environmental, societal and economic needs of today without compromising those of future generations. Unlike cans or bottles, the Tetra Brik™ Aseptic package is among the most sustainable packages on the market today. 70-85% of the cartons are made from wood -- a renewable resource."
And it is being sold to Whole Foods and other organic food stores by Tree of Life, an organic distributor, all of who should know better. Tap water, put through a reverse osmosis purifier, and expensively overpackaged. But it is pure convenience! ::Aqua2go via ::Sustainable is Good and ::Hugg
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Barclaycard--Breathe More Easily
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07.11.07
Barclays, the third biggest bank in the UK, has just launched their own green affinity card, Barclaycard Breathe. The bank will donate 50% of the profits to projects that tackle climate change. These include a grant programme for installing solar energy in schools, two projects in China and a renewable energy power plant in the Amazon.
Cardholders will also get discounts on car hires, bicycles, gardening supplies, insulation and organic clothing. The card itself is made from PETG, it's an on-line service and they use recycled paper for customer communications.
Is it green or green wash? An analyst has said: “It’s great to see such an influential player showing a conscience and taking steps to help the green cause. But this deal only scratches the surface, and perhaps has more publicity appeal then true green credentials. There are some truly green and ethical financial companies out there, such as the Co-operative Bank and Triodos". :: Barclaycard Breathe
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How to Geek Your Accessories: PowerBook Earrings
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.11.07
With apologies to the real How to Green Your Accessories, these awesome PowerBook earrings fall somewhere in between solving all of our e-waste problems and showing that recycling can be geek chic; at least you'll have something to go with your hard drive belt. Wonder what Greenpeace thinks...::MAKE via ::Core77...
Follow the Money Back to King Coal
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.11.07
Deep Throat said "Follow the money" and notwithstanding concerns about coal and its effect on global warming, right now the big money is investing in it. According to Forbes Magazine, "Railroads across the country are spending hundreds of millions of dollars buying locomotives, adding track and building cars. Much of the activity is focused on upgrades to the nation's coal transportation network."They're clearly putting their chips on coal remaining the largest source of energy in the United States," said railroad industry consultant Anthony Hatch.
Global warming and the environment are not a factor. "The facts are pretty simple. It is the single cheapest way to generate a kilowatt hour," said Donald Broughton, a railroad analyst with A.G. Edwards & Sons. "Are there regulatory challenges as a result of environmental concerns? Absolutely. But this is still a fairly free market." Added Randy Cousins of BMO Capital Markets: "What you need is assurance of supply, and one thing coal offers is assurance of supply."
So goodbye climate; big coal is back with a vengeance. ::Forbes...
Transit Should Be Free
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.11.07
Except for those in a few benighted countries, we expect good roads, a good education for our children and good health care to be a public service paid for out of our taxes; why not public transit? Most transit systems are subsidized, but why aren't they free? Compared to what is invested in supporting the automobile, the cost would be negligible. In the US over 80% of the money spent on transportation supports the automobile. That does not even include the externalities; pollution from cars damages our health; public servants like cops and firemen are dealing with accidents and occasionally arresting speeders. What if they took those subsidies and used them for a massive investment in building good public transit all over North America? What if it was good, fast and free? Would people use it?
Dave Olsen of the Tyee has written a series of articles asking these questions, while studying two communities with free transit. He gives seventeen good reasons why transit should be free; some are specific to British Columbia but most are universal:...
Signs Of Climate Progress: Advanced Technology Options For Congress To Consider
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.11.07
There is talk in the major papers of the US Congress pursuing a "compromise" climate bill. You know the drill: won't hurt the US economy (note use of pain metaphor); won't cause job loss (too late for that); won't embarrass presidential candidates in Congress; and, ideally, makes industry insiders look practical and compromising. The idea is for industry to subsume the best design ideas that we wacky TreeHugger types have been pushing for, and which present real business opportunities down the road. To which they add some of their own. And the government "mainstreams" the list. If you have a problem with that, tell your Congressman.
We think it's far too early for a real climate bill to shake out of the US Congress. But, it's certainly not too early for Congressional reps to send a message to constituents that "we're at least trying." That opens up a dialog with the people. In the interest of keeping that dialog open, what merits our immediate attention is the list of technical "interests" that industries have in whatever bill moves forward: the stuff they want to see incentives for. If it's things we like, then we can all push together to have them included. Here's a good example: what looks to be the most current list, cited directly from a study of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). [note: registration required for login at EPRI site] Note that of the 7 items, those in bold indicate the most critical items from our view....
Mike Dell Drives a Hummer - Boo Hoo or Yee Haw?
by Mark Ontkush, Boston, Massachusetts, USA on 07.10.07
Last month AutoMotoPortal filled us in on the cars that famous geeks drive. It's interesting, if not surprising, reading. Turns out that Mike Dell drives a Hummer a good deal of the time; let's look at the environmental repercussions of that bit of information, and figure out what to do with it.
Treehugger keeps a running scorecard of Dell's operation. They have received high marks, and much of this credit could easily be attributed to Michael Dell himself; does he get Bonus for his hard work? Thoughts were muddied and confused on the issue, and some kind of comparison was needed. Let's take Mr. Dell, myself, and the "World Citizen" who survives on $2 a day (they are half the world's population by the way). Now, let's overlap these three guys with driving a Hummer, a Prius, and a Bicycle. Here are the results.
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Tam + Rob
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 07.10.07
We must thank Pecha Kucha, the newsletter from The Natural Store, for introducing us to the UK eco fashion label Tam + Rob this week. This women's wear label was started four years ago by old school friends, fashion designer Lucy Tammam (Tam) and business woman Lucy Robinson (Rob). We love their beautifully cut, understated summer collection, especially that wrap dress! All the clothes are made from organic Fairtrade cotton and are made by women in India and Nepal. Tam + Rob have an extensive Ethical Policy which details their business and design practices, we particularly like the vintage button clause: "Vintage buttons are also used for some garments to mitigate environmental issues of producing plastic buttons." Lucy Robinson tells Pecha Kucha this week that, "For Tam & Rob I knew that it wasn’t just me who wanted to know where things came from. It’s our generation as a whole, our ethical generation that demands that standards are raised, that others’ lives aren’t undermined for a person’s wants, that the environment is not sacrificed. That’s why our motto is ‘Clothing for an ethical generation’." You can now take advantage of The Natural Store's summer discounts on the Tam + Rob collection. :: Tam + Rob...
Italians Face Tough Call: Pasta or Biofuels?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.10.07
Biofuel enthusiasts in Italy may have just seen their hopes falter a bit: facing the prospect of mounting durum wheat prices, many pasta lovers in the country will undoubtedly wonder whether it's worth trading in their staple food for more wheat-based ethanol. Italian manufacturers have warned that the price of pasta, whose main ingredient is durum wheat, will likely shoot up by about 20% in the fall due to the increasing use of the grains in biofuels.
Although Italy remains one of the world's main producers of durum wheat (its expertise in selecting and blending grains for pasta making is still unrivaled), strong domestic demand and a flourishing export market have forced pasta manufacturers to import more from abroad (close to 40%), primarily from Canada and Syria. According to Mario Rummo, the president of the Italian pasta manufacturers association, however, Canada has just announced that it won't have any more wheat for sale until at least November. Syria, on the other hand, has just placed a ban on the export of wheat....
DIY Ideas: Tong Lamp From Mao & More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.10.07
Ever see a great design and think to yourself, "Hey, I could do that!" or "Looks great; I wish it was green!"? Rather than lamenting the loss of a good design that could have been green, we encourage readers to take matters into your own hands, and create it yourselves. Aside from having one less thing to buy, you can pick and choose your own (reclaimed, reused, recycled, otherwise green) materials, making it as green and locally-sourced as you want.
The Tong Lamp, spied at Australian store mao & more, is a great example of this: grab a pile of discarded wood scraps or plastic pieces and a compact fluorescent bulb, and you're halfway there. mao & more via 2Modern Design Talk...
How to Green Your Book (for Publishers)
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 07.10.07
Submitted by The Green Guide Girls™, Cindy Katz & Jennifer S. Wilkov, and Green Press Initiative
What’s the Big Deal?
The last time you walked into a bookstore it probably didn’t feel much like a forest—but for all the trees used in those pages, it could be. According to bizstats.com, there are more than 6,000 companies in the US that publish books, and when you include “self-publishers,” there are literally tens of thousands. The global impact of this is rather mind-boggling. For instance, if a publisher sells a million copies of an average 250-page book, it takes 12,000 trees to produce books for this one title. Alternatively, if the publisher chooses to print the books on 100% post-consumer waste recycled paper, no trees are cut. Reflect on the zillions of books you saw in the bookstore.
Publishers can lead the way to help reduce the impact on endangered forests, fight the climate crisis, conserve resources, and protect public health. Each time publishers of all sizes choose to use environmentally friendly methods and technologies, they decrease the impact of the publishing business on the planet and help transform the industry as a whole. In the long run, better publishing practices might even mean we need fewer books about deforestation, chemical toxicity, and climate change, and wouldn’t that be nice?
MIT Students Convert Porsche 914 to Electric
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.10.07
The most wonderful car I ever owned was my 1972 Porsche 914. It was a bomb, figuratively and literally; it handled fabulously but it was a mid-engine and you drove with nothing but a tank of gas between you and the front end. Now some lucky kids at MIT are converting one into an electric car. According to MIT News, their goal is "To demonstrate the viability of advanced electric vehicle technology and to help clarify what research and development has yet to be done." They appear to be filling the trunk (in the front) with "lithium phosphate rechargeable batteries, which are lighter, last longer, charge up faster, have a longer lifetime [than lead-acid batteries] and don't pose a safety risk."
To make the conversion, the students replaced the original engine with an electric motor, 12 of the batteries, the battery-management system, various relays and a controller that makes all the components work together. They say it will have a top speed of 70 to 100 miles per hour and go 100 miles before charging. I hope it handles as well as the original did and isn't front-heavy from the batteries. ::MIT News via ::BoingBoing
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The Alamo Of Climate Skepticism: CNN's Glenn Beck Show
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.10.07
We heard that James M. Taylor of the Heartland Institute, a Chicago-based free market Think Tank, had recently been on CNN's Glenn Beck talk show, where Mr. Taylor basically claimed that everything Al Gore said about climate science is wrong. Technically wrong. You can see a transcript and partial "debunking" discussion of the appearance here. On the other hand, if you have a busy life that requires you to focus your limited free time on useful dialog, you can look over the relevant paragraphs outlining Mr Taylor's previous employment, before he became a Senior Fellow....
Biothinking's Top 40
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.10.07
We love lists; Edwin Datschefski at Biothinking, a UK design consultant, has prepared an interesting and subjective list of the World's top 40 greenest products. He says "This is a personal selection from the thousand or so products I have studied over the years. They are chosen mainly because they are significantly better than 'standard' products that do the same things. They must also be in production, available for sale and have excellent functional performance." Some of the choices are very interesting and new to us; "The Tripp Trapp Chair grows with the child, meaning you don't end up with a baby chair you can't use anymore." ::Biothinking via ::Apartment Therapy
UPDATE: The Tripp Trapp Chair wasn't new to us after all; Petz covered it here....
Fujitsu Claims World's Most Energy Efficient Server
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 07.10.07
Fujitsu Siemens Computers has taken the wraps off its Primergy TX120 tower server, describing it as the most energy efficient server in the world. Fujitsu Siemens claimed that the TX120 consumes 40 per cent less energy than conventional tower servers, and is only one-third the size. It also makes half the noise, according to the firm, producing 28dB while idling and 31dB in operation....
Fossilized Gnat Heads Point to Past Climate Change Incidents
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.10.07
Using a combination of isotope analysis and data obtained from fossilized midge (or gnat) heads, a team of scientists from the University of Liverpool have found evidence of two past episodes of climate change in Northern Lancashire, U.K. The analysis showed precisely where the episodes took place and what the temperature of the atmosphere at the time was.
"At Hawes Water mud has been deposited continuously without any gaps, which allows us to measure an accurate timeline of events. We have monitored the modern environment of the lake for the past eight years and this has shown us how to read the past climate record from the ancient mud in the lake. Isotope analysis helped us identify the episodes of climate change. We then used fossilized heads of non-biting midges, which are preserved in every spoonful of mud. They tell us the temperature at the time the mud was deposited. We compare the population of midge heads in each sediment sample with the population of midges in Scandinavian lakes, which span a wide range of modern day temperatures," said Jim Marshall, a professor in the Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences....
It Slices, It Dices: Bookinist, the Crazy/Clever Chair for Reading, Thinking, Moving
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.10.07
We aren't sure if this design is clever or crazy: Bookinist, a combination chair/bookcase with a reading light, cup holder, and a more few surprises that combine to give new meaning to the term "bookmobile." The arms and backrest can hold 80 paperbacks, and the chair hides secret compartments for reading glasses, bookmarks, pencils, a pencil sharpener and a notebook (all included with the chair) and adds and a wheel for easy mobility. Says designer Nils Holger Moormann, "Bookinist is a movable chair designed especially for reading. It is based on the principle of a pushcart and can be rolled to a favourite spot...Bookinist invites you to read and think at your leisure." The self-taught German designer uses birch plywood and felt for the chair, which, though it looks a bit boxy, follows his company's precedent for "innovative characteristics, precise detailed solutions and simple form". After the jump: more pics, including the secret compartment revealed...::Nils Holger Moormann via ::dezeen...
Handbag Hysteria Hits Hong Kong
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07.10.07
Die Electric: What To Do When the Power Runs Out
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.10.07
Scott Amron describes himself as a "freelance electrical engineer, designer, conceptual artist, and inventor." He notes that "A dielectric is an insulating material. It does not conduct electricity. The "Die Electric" experiment makes use of AC power plugs and sockets less the flow of electricity." After all, what will we do with the outlets when the power stops flowing? Perhaps "A cut power cord fashioned to form a rigid shelf provides a surface on which to rest objects (cell-phones, a glass of water, etc...) "
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Sustainable Materials Review: Is Corian TreeHugger Green?
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.10.07
Responsible materials selection is one of the most important steps in creating sustainable design. While many materials featured here at TreeHugger represent different shades of green (and few are perfect), we think it's important to know the implications of using one material over another; this is especially true when a product claims or is marketed to be "green." Such is the case with DuPont's Corian, a thermosetting plastic that DuPont has presented as a "green" product (though it comes in many colors -- ha ha). But is Corian really TreeHugger green?
It's tempting to think so, but, unfortunately, it isn't as easy as that, as much as DuPont wants us to think so. Though they're able to point to a few common measures of "green" with Corian (long life and durability, virtually no off-gassing of VOCs, no heavy metals or carcinogens in the pigments) and to some larger measures throughout the company itself ("Greenhouse gas emissions from our global operations are now down 63 percent (on a Kyoto basis) since 1990" and "Total energy consumption now stands at 101 percent of 1990 levels, essentially offsetting a 35 percent increase in production over this period."), we aren't ready to give them a firm green handshake or pat on the back....
They Don't Like Green Modern in Italy, Either
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.10.07
So much wonderful design comes out of Italy; thus we were surprised by this tale. Seven years ago young Italian architect Sergio Bianchi won a competition to design an artist's retreat 40 miles south of Rome. According to Metropolis, "The design was simple, but because of the country’s archaic building laws, which are predisposed against contemporary architecture, the approval and construction process became a six-year-long nightmare."
It is built on the existing footprint of the abandoned stone villa that preceded it, has a "biological sewage system and a roof fitted for solar panels," but the neighbours went nuts. “When the mayor and government engineer saw it, they said it was too much like science fiction,” Bianchi says....
Orgeon City To Offer Solar Shares To Residents
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 07.10.07
Ashland, Oregon, will soon become one of the first cities to offer solar energy shares to its residents. Initially, the city will offer shares of a municipal solar array to be built on top of a state-owned storage building. The first investment package will be worth $500,000, and will be allocated in renewable energy bonds. An additional $300,000 will be made available through tax credits to businesses. ...
400-million-year-old Garden to Bloom Under Desert Dome
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 07.10.07
Both a scientific wonder and a message about global warming, a new eco-destination is on the rise in a "parched and burning" desert in Saudi Arabia. On track to become the world's largest indoor garden, the King Abdullah International Gardens will sprout plants from ancient botanical times under domes covering more than 24 acres. The earliest garden, on the Devonian period, will offer a peek at plants which only grow as high as knee height. A Jurassic Park-style garden will offer a glimpse at the past without the dinosaurs. But the environmental message comes from the garden called the Garden of Choices. Dr Paul Kenrick, a paleobotanist at the Natural History Museum, London, and the project's scientific adviser explains,
"Visitors will see how our planet might end up, burnt and scorched or cool and moist, depending on the way we respond to the challenge of climate change."The dome, located near the near capital city Riyadh, will be powered by renewable sources (primarily solar and wind) and water will be stored in underground reservoirs beneath the domes. Via ::The Observer image courtesy of alriyadh.com....
Amplify your iPod Without Batteries
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.10.07
I am not certain this would work: "Without the use of external power or batteries, the Phonofone inventively exploits the virtues of horn acoustics to boost the audio output of standard earphones to up to 55 decibels which is roughly the maximum volume of laptop speakers. Upon connecting active earphones to the Phonofone their trebly buzzing is instantly and profoundly transformed into a warm, rich and resonant sound." -do horns actually amplify sound?
Wikipedia says "The horn itself is a passive component and does not amplify the sound from the driving element as such, but rather improves the coupling efficiency between the speaker driver and the air." and "Acoustic horns convert large pressure variations with a small displacement into a low pressure variation with a large displacement."
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John Edwards Talks Science and Global Warming
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.10.07
With universal health care and the Iraq war dominating presidential news headlines in the last few months, it's been tough going trying to dredge up any meaningful coverage of the presidential candidates' differing stances on science and climate change (and coverage of Al Gore's ongoing campaign against global warming doesn't count, yet). What tidbits you may have heard or read, including Hillary Clinton's introduction of the Zero Emissions Building Act and Chris Dodd's vocal support for a carbon tax, have been few and far between. So far only the League of Conservation Voters has really stepped up to the plate with its "The Heat Is On" campaign, which provides detailed profiles of each candidate's position on climate change and related issues.
Leave it to the blogosphere to offer up one of the first, full-fledged interviews with a leading presidential candidate on science and climate change. Democratic hopeful and former North Carolina Senator John Edwards took some time out of his busy campaign schedule to answer a few questions by e-mail for Coturnix, the blogger behind ScienceBlogs' "A Blog Around the Clock."...
Second Earth: the World Wide Sim
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.10.07
We know flying is dying and that all transport has a cost in carbon, so how will we travel? Wade Roush, in MIT Technology Review, describes "an immersive, 3-D visual environment that combines elements of social virtual worlds such as Second Life and mapping applications such as Google Earth" and asks what happens when the virtual and real world collide.
It is already happening; there is a virtual island in Second Life where Jeff Corbin of the University of Denver feeds data from hundreds of weather stations to reconstruct the real weather over a map of the US- your avatar can walk inside a weather map. Second Life is getting more real all the time.
Meanwhile, back on Google Earth, ...
The Bike Thief: Video Exposes Cyclist's Vulnerability, and Public's Complicity
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07.10.07
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom: New Season
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 07.10.07
Ahoy, animal lubbers! Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom, a wildlife documentary that debuted more than 40 years ago, is back for a fifth season. Follow a trio of "ice whales" as they tireless make their way from the northern arctic to the southern hemisphere. Or take a peek at a rare Borneo pygmy elephant that few humans have laid eyes on. Be instantly transported to the Australian Outback, where you can stand alongside a community fighting to save the endangered wombat.
And meet Kezi, one of the South African Phinda Game Reserve's female leopards. This daring darling has made a habit of moseying across Phinda's boundaries to neighboring farms and attacking cattle. Suffice to say, her midnight snacking hasn't endeared her to local farmers. Now, our erstwhile hunter faces the threat of becoming the hunted.
Tune in to Animal Planet every Sunday at 7pm (ET/PT) to get up close and personal with these magnificent creatures. :: Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom...
No More Plastic Bags at Ikea
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07.10.07
Ikea, the home of Swedish design, and decorator of choice for every new apartment dweller, has gotten even better. First they charged for plastic bags and reduced the price of the big blue bag, in an effort to encourage shoppers to cut down on plastic bags. Now in every one of their 15 UK stores they are removing all plastic bags and going 'carrier neutral'.
Last year Ikea made a pledge to cut plastic bag usage from 32M to 12M a year. Customers responded positively with demand dropping to 1.6 M bags. Laid out side to side, 32 million bags would have covered the distance of a return trip from London to Tokyo. Just in case you are worried, they will continue to sell the very handy big blue bag (pictured) and will introduce a smaller version. :: Observer
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Mayors Form Pact for Green Public Schools
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 07.10.07
After our own Justin Thomas spent time recently at the Sidwell Friends School, a private middle school in Washington, D.C. that uses 70% less water and 60% less energy than a comparable school, a commenter on his post lamented the fact that all too often the green school in town is a private one. But there’s good news that could begin to change all that, because at their 75th annual meeting in Los Angeles recently, the 1,100-member U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) unanimously voted for a green schools resolution. The idea was conceived by Mayor Cownie of Des Moines and co-sponsored by 16 additional mayors, and ultimately it’s a plea to Congress for more funding for K-12 green school demonstration projects and research....
Big Ideas For a Small Planet - The Pray episode
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07.10.07
Aaawh, its the final episode of this 13 part series. In the previous dozen, the program has shown how we can make a difference, and despite the title of tonight’s ep, it’s not about relinquishing our responsibilities to a higher power. It is still very much about taking action ourselves. GreenFaith’s Reverend Fletcher Harper ministers with an interfaith coalition for the environment, who mobilise people of diverse spiritual backgrounds to deepen their relationship with the sacred in nature and restore the environment for future generations. Judy Bonds, coal miner’s daughter and director of Coal River Mountain Watch, together with Allen Johnson from Christians for the Mountains, describe how their faith helps them protect the Appalachians from mining destruction. Eternal Reefs (see here and here) mix a loved one’s ashes into concrete spheres, which in turn form artificial reefs supporting endangered marine ecosystems. See these faith inspired, human scale stories tonight 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.
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Book Review: The Designer's Atlas of Sustainability
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.10.07
It's hard to review an atlas, defined as a "collection of maps, charts, or visual plates that systematically illustrate a subject." An atlas doesn't tell you how to get from A to B, but shows you all the routes. You can hold an atlas at a distance and get an overview, or take an ocular and zoom in on a coastline or shoal.
That is how one treats Ann Thorpe's Designer's Atlas of Sustainability; one can cruise the definitions and the graphics, delve more deeply into the "landscape features" or really get into the "traveller's notes." The author divides the book "into three main parts using the categories of ecology, economy and culture as a way of exploring the landscape." (synopsis here)
All design and development should be sustainable, defined as "development that cultivates environmental and social conditions that will support human well-being indefinitely." This book is an essential, clear and comprehensible reference for any kind of designer. ::The Designer's Atlas of Sustainability found at ::Ballenford Books...
Wachovia Bank To Open 300 "Green" Branches
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.10.07
Wachovia plans to expand in California by constructing the first of 300 green branches nationwide, all to be completed by 2010. Charlotte, N.C.-based Wachovia, which maintains its western headquarters in Oakland, said the green branches will use at least 20 percent less energy and 25 percent less water. The bank plans to start employee recycling programs at the green branches and provide bike racks and preferred parking for low-emission vehicles.
'Wachovia plans to save up to $80,000 per branch in construction costs and also expects to reduce its operating costs 20 percent in the first year.' ""In 10 years, we won't call this green building practices, it will just be standard construction procedures," said Patrick Mumford, senior vice president and environmental affairs manager at Wachovia."
Reportedly the HQ building [pictured] is a LEED certified office tower, although we have not verified the details. At 19 Wachovia employee cafeterias, the bank is reported to be testing a refillable mug program and glassware service programs to reduce use of plastic and paper goods. The company's stewardship statement can be downloaded as a pdf file at this link.
Via:: San Francisco Business Times and East Bay Business Times and Jetson Green Blog
Image credit:: Jetson Green
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Ecuador Announces Measures to Protect Galapagos Islands
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 07.10.07
(Picture: Visitors to the Charles Darwin research centre overcrowd the tortoises visiting pens. UNESCO/Daniel Fitter) Last April, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), warned that the increase of tourism was damaging the Galapagos Islands’ fragile ecosystem and in late June, the organism included the territory in its List of World Heritage in Danger. The Ecuador government had reacted to the announcement promising measures to protect the islands and on July 6, the sub secretary of National Patrimony Mario Brito communicated seven measures to be adopted in order to get the territory out of the Danger List. Those are:
El Comercio via Spanish BBC...
New Stylish & Green Notecards by ReadyMade
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 07.10.07
Why not shut down your email for an hour or two and write some notecards to catch up with your correspondence? This is what Mike at ReadyMade suggests while putting the old issues of their bi-monthly magazine to good use. ReadyMade, for people who like to make stuff, have turned their surplus back issues into beautiful funky envelopes they sell in packs of 10, together with 10 cards of recycled paper and white labels for $12. Because of email, snail mail has become even more appreciated but imagine, if on top of writing a real card, someone does it on colourful recycled material- it’d definitely impress me, whatever it said on the card! Find the notecards here and more great ready ideas on ::ReadyMade...
Eco-Tip: Make Your Lithium Batteries Last
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 07. 9.07
From your laptop to your mobile phone to your trusty iPod, there's no doubt most of us rely on lithium-ion batteries each and every day. We think they are great, powering some of our favorite rechargeable gizmos and are well on their way to powering a new generation of electric vehicles. But even in all their rechargeable glory, lithium-ions do eventually lose their power. Here are 4 tips from Spicy Gadget Roll to help make sure your Crackberries and MacBooks stay powered without having to burn through batteries.
After you check out these tips, be sure to consult our excellent How to Green Your Electronics guide to get more tips on batteries, greener gadgets and energy consumption....
Most Huggable: The Dreamliner Flies, Misplaced Intentions at Live Earth, and Black Widows Attack Romania
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 07. 9.07
Boeing’s Dreamliner saves 20% on carbon emissions, but does it mean more flying? You know cork makes great flooring, but who knew it could look this good? On the eve of Live Earth, Chris Baskind at LighterFootstep wonders if the good intentions are misplaced… Black widow spiders swarm Romanian shores. Environmental Graffiti explains the climate chance connection… Waiting for the perfect organic mojito? Papagayo rum might be the missing link… 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? ...
TH Forums Highlights: Eco-Vices, Green Gift-Wrapping and More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07. 9.07
The TreeHugger Forums are positively pulsating with green energy and interesting discussions about some of the finer (and a few not so fine) points of all things green. If you haven't already, register here (it's free) and log in to add your voice to the nearly 1500 users spending their two cents. Here are some highlights...
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 | 1) Hey, nobody's perfect, notes forum user Wolverine, who wonders, "What thing do you have that you wish were more green that you cannot or will not give up?" His personal list includes commuting by car and the occasional steak and hopes the discussion will maximize the "potential to learn something, both about ourselves and what else needs to be done to lean someone else in the green direction." |
 | 2) User royalquetzal says, "I was reading the article on greening your gift giving, but there wasn't really anything about gift wrapping. There was a quick mention of using other gifts such as a scarf or reusable packaging such as gift bags and boxes. But I is there any gift wrap that is going to be greener than your typical gift wrap?" Can anyone help? |
 | 3) User Melody is "curious to discover what people are really looking for when they see Organic products advertised." Is the word enough, or is a third-party certification necessary? Do individual ingredients affect your decision? Does the individual company's commitment to the environment influence your purchasing? Lots of interesting thoughts about where the Big O fits in. More good discussion after the jump... |
Solving South Australia's Water Shortage with Plastic Bladders?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07. 9.07
As far as unconventional ideas to resolve droughts go, this one by Queensland physicist Ian Edmonds is a winner. What he suggests doing is float large volumes of fresh water in plastic "bladders" down the East Australian current from the north of Australia (where water is plentiful) to the south, a scheme he argues would be much cheaper and more eco-friendly than relying on pipelines or desalination plants.
The fresh water would come primarily from northern rivers like the Tully River and be wrapped in large membrane-like "bladders," or bags, before being towed 90 km off shore and left to ride the current, which reaches speeds of up to 6 km per hour, down the Australian east coast. The costs would be minimal: the bags, made from 1 mm thick fabric reinforced plastic, and the tugs to tow them. According to his calculations, they would be roughly 30 times less than the costs to build an equivalent desalination plant (around $3-4 million). ...
India to Privatize Reforestation Efforts… For the Sake of More TP
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 07. 9.07
In an effort to meet the costly goal of covering one third of the country with trees by 2012, India’s financially-strapped environment ministry is seeking to lease degraded forests to private firms, especially those from the pulp and paper industries, who will be allowed to farm the trees for paper pulp.
The paper pulp in turn will be used to feed an increasing demand for paper products from India’s burgeoning middle class – from toilet paper to tea bags and cigarette filter papers.
Under a scheme named “Multi-Stakeholder Partnership for Forestation” (as if the complexities of reforestation could be neatly packaged into a cheerful shareholder’s prospectus), the ministry proposes to entertain private bids for areas with less than ten percent tree cover, in return for paper pulp production....
Sidwell School: 70% Less Water, 60% Less Energy
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 07. 9.07
I braved the midday heat of Washington DC yesterday, to circumnavigate and photograph the Sidwell Friends School, a private middle school. This building was awarded the coveted Platinum LEED by the Green Building Council, and it was one of the American Institute of Architect's Top Ten Green Project for 2007. Impressively, this school uses 70% less water and 60% less energy that a comparable building. I noted the use of many green roof elements, and many greywater recycling ponds. Inside, daylight use is extensive. Photosensors automatically dim or shut off the electric lights when daylight is sufficient, and occupancy sensors ensure that lights are shut off when rooms are unoccupied. More details and photos over the fold......
The Green Map of Jerusalem
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 07. 9.07
Geothermal Energy: Renewables' Poor Cousin
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07. 9.07
Never mind all the talk about biofuels, cellulosic ethanol and other hoped for alternative energy sources. Unbeknownst to most, there is already a widely available source of renewable energy that could readily be harnessed and offer tremendous benefits. At least that's the argument being advanced by Jefferson Tester, a professor of chemical engineering at MIT, who discussed the potential of geothermal energy to solve our energy needs in a recent lecture (available as a free video, which we highly recommend you check out).
Solar and wind power, he believes, will likely not have much of an impact on meeting our energy demands over the next 2 decades. Geothermal energy, on the other hand, has already proven itself to be a viable, sustainable energy source over the last 30 years and is widely found in several areas of the world close to the surface (Yellowstone's geysers, for example). In some of these regions, Tester explains that "instead of mining materials from the ground, we're mining heat." The trick then is "to replicate what nature has done" in all the areas that lack hot springs....
How To Speed Up Action On Climate Change - An Industry Point Of View
by Danielle Carpenter Sprungli, WCSBD on 07. 9.07
Industries have a key role in protecting climate. But the din of pop culture or politicians positioning for attention sometimes drowns out the voice of industries working to meet green expectations. How have the climate progressives...if we can coin a phrase for industries responding to the challenge...banded together to speed up climate action? TreeHugger has an answer, courtesy of the World Business Council For Sustainable Development.
That the chief executives of some 150 companies worldwide have committed to speeding up action on climate change can only be applauded. What may appear to be a hollow commitment, signed only by companies that want to bolster their "green" image without being held accountable, is actually an important first step in getting business to recognize the challenges and opportunities inherent in climate change, and then move to do something about it.
Equally important, in addition to signing the statement, called "Caring for Climate: The Business Leadership Platform", companies are demanding that governments agree to workable and inclusive climate market mechanisms post-2012, when the Kyoto Protocol expires. They ask for the "urgent creation, in close consultation with the business community and civil society, of comprehensive, long-term and effective legislative and fiscal frameworks designed to make markets work for the climate, in particular policies and mechanisms intended to create a stable price for carbon."...
Video: Leonardo Dicaprio's 11th Hour Trailer
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07. 9.07
The Ester Republic Hosts Carnival of the Green
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 07. 9.07
This week is Carnival of the Green # 85 and it's being hosted by The Ester Republic. 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....
Halifax to Vancouver in a Smart Car
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 9.07
6,158 kilometres or 3826 miles, from coast to coast, on only 337 litres or 89 gallons of gas in nine days. John Leblanc and his 14 year old daughter Olivia drove it across prairies and over the Rockies. "I’d be lying if I didn’t tell you I was a little anxious about how the Smart’s minimal power was going to handle crossing the Rockies’ higher elevations." and he was originally nervous about the big trucks and SUV's on the highways,"but instead of counting on the vehicle's crashworthiness to get us to the West Coast in one piece, I drove the Smart like I drive any car that's not mine: look as far down the road as possible and give everyone else lots of room." He concludes "Yet, other than crossing steep mountain passes, or keeping up with the reality of fast highway traffic, the 40 hp Smart never felt overwhelmed. For Olivia and myself, and a week's worth of luggage, the ForTwo was more than capable as a way to travel the country economically."
This just demonstrates the silliness of the American car manufacturers and their Washington poodles who can't hit an average of 35 MPG in twelve years. Imagine:
89 gallons of gas to cross the entire country and you can do that right now in comfort and style. ::Wheels
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Strange Waters: Ice Rocks
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 9.07
We never cease to be amazed at the silliness and extravagance of the bottled water industry. We have shown Tasmanian ice cubes before, but for those desiring a smaller carbon footprint, you can now get your prepackaged ice cubes "made from spring water drawn from the Vendée Region of France in the Massif Central." At $5.24 for 48 "glorious cubes, ready to be frozen, are hermetically packaged in disposable, recyclable containers, providing complete guarantee of hygiene and safety." it works out to $26.46 per gallon of water, a new TreeHugger record, but considered "A great step forward in the integration of fine water products at a price that everyone can afford." Cheers! ::Aqua Maestro via ::Trendhunter...
Less is More: Shed/Shelf by Studio Gorm
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07. 9.07
It's a lot easier to have less stuff and use less space when everything has its place. You always know where everything is, don't have to go rooting around in that random drawer in the kitchen for something you know you have, and won't end up with duplicate kitchen shears or other easily misplace-able items. Such is the idea behind the clever Shed/Shelf by Studio Gorm: just about anything (and almost everything) one person needs for a studio or small apartment can fit neatly inside, from plates, wine glasses and other kitchen utensils to shoes, clothes and jackets and even a bench and a reading lamp. When in use, they can be out and handy; when you're not busy with them, things can be tucked away in a compact, mobile (notice the casters) package. Not only handy for storage, it offers an interesting critique/commentary on stuff and the notion of what we really all "need" to live. Get up close and personal with more pics after the jump; plus, is that a turbine-powered lightbulb? ::Studio Gorm via ::Pan-Dan...
Building Green: Energy Efficiency and Aesthetics From The Same Materials (Part 16)
by Ted Owens, New Mexico, USA on 07. 9.07
In my last article, I spoke about the installation of the electrical wiring. Now we are ready to install the windows. This in one step in the building process that is very satisfying from a visual standpoint. Once the windows are in place, the various rooms—and the house in general—begin to have the feeling of a finished space.
The purpose of windows is to allow light and fresh air to enter the home, to allow proper ventilation, and to keep either very hot or very cold air—not to mention rain or snow—from getting inside the house in summer or winter. Windows give one a feeling of protection from the outside world while still permitting a connection to it. Small window panes—set into the larger window space by horizontal and vertical strips of wood called "muntins"—create a soft divide to the view outdoors....
Mimoa: The Online Architecture Guide
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 9.07
Google mapping can do such wonderful things; the latest is Mimoa, where Mieke and Naomi have built a website where you can plan your tour of European modern architecture. I searched under the keyword Green and found enough to keep me in posts for a month. Of course they are all pegged to maps so you can find your way. It is in beta, but they are putting together a team of location based editors or you can join and add your own. Great photography and good descriptions; we so need this in North America. ::Mimoa via ::Life without buildings...
A World of Reasons to Ditch Bottled Water
by Union of Concerned Scientists on 07. 9.07
Bottled water manufacturers’ encourage the perception that their products are purer and safer than tap water. Bottled water can cost up to 10,000 times more per gallon than tap water. But the reality is that tap water is actually held to more stringent quality standards than bottled water, and some brands of bottled water are just tap water in disguise. What’s more, our increasing consumption of bottled water—more than 22 gallons per U.S. citizen in 2004 according to the Earth Policy Institute—fuels an unsustainable industry that takes a heavy toll on the environment.
Approximately 1.5 million barrels of oil—enough to run 100,000 cars for a whole year—are used to make plastic water bottles, while transporting these bottles burns even more oil....
New OLED Displays Use 40% Less Power
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 07. 9.07
A new generation of super-thin, power-sipping displays is about to go to market. These displays use OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes), and will require 40% less power than their LCD equivalents. The displays not require backlighting (they glow on their own). They can also be twice as thin as LCD displays. Currently, Samsung Electronics and Kyocera are already using this technology for music players and mobile phones. Sony will soon be selling OLED in Japan as early as 2008: it showed off the screens at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year. And Sony plans to sell small TVs using the OLED technology later this year.
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Sharpen, Write, Plant, Repeat: "Seed of a Pen" by Zeev Zohar
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07. 9.07
A great companion to a Bloomin' Flower Card or Grow-A-Note Recycled Cards, the "Seed of a Pen" (which is actually a pencil -- go figure) has a seed embedded in the top. After wearing the pencil down to a nub, in the ground it goes; with some water, sun and some tender loving care (and tips from TreeHugger's How to Green Your Gardening Guide), with any luck your very own (pencil?) plant will soon sprout and grow. Wouldn't it be great if everything we discarded could just be planted? More pics after the jump and at ::Haatar via ::NotCot.org...
Downloadable designs: Flying Pig
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 9.07
Here is a great example of the downloadable designs we go on about; who knew they could be so complicated and have moving parts? Perfect for all your Creationist friends and the historically challenged.
Flying Pig makes a wide range of paper animation kits that you can buy precut (like this T Rex) but they also have a download shop where one can buy anything from a Flying Spaghetti Monster to Schrödinger's Cat., starting at £2.95. They are fun and they are the future as we dematerialize and download everything the way we do now with music.
::T Rex from Flying Pigs via ::boingboing and if you want a free downloadable design, ::Furni and Big Chief offer one here. Here is some background on ::Downloading Designs...
Economics of Scale
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07. 9.07
The quotes below, pulled from an news article, may hint as to why the Australian government sees having about 1,400 defence force personnel in Iraq as vital to the country’s national security. That’s roughly 0.7% of the total troop numbers. (When conversely, we refuse to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol, because, as we're repeated informed, we represent only 1.43% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Joining the fight against global warming seems not to be in the national interest.)
"Only about 13 per cent of the crude oil that we import comes from the Middle East, but we import increasing amounts of refined petrol and diesel from Singapore and Singapore gets most of its feed stock from the Middle East, [...] So if you take account of all that, about a third of our liquid fuels come from the Middle East now."
“Australia receives more oil from the Middle East than the US does, to make up for declining local output.”
“ ... the US military on its own uses around 400,000 barrels of oil a day to fuel its tanks, aircraft and cooking. That is about half the amount used by all Australians each day.”
“ ... the world would be a lot better if we were economising on oil rather than fighting over it.”
via ::ABC News (Photo by AFP's Yasser Al-Zayyat)...
Canadian Schools to Incorporate Environment Across Entire Curriculum!
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 07. 9.07
I’ve been highlighting people across the globe who are working with kids to get them to understand the environment and protect it with a passion for some time now, but few things have excited me like what’s happening in Ontario schools… The Education Minister, Kathleen Wynne, decided recently that environmental education will now be taught within every subject of the curriculum from grades kindergarten through 12th grade. And that means the potential for students across that part of Canada to leave high school with a real understanding of how humans are interconnected with the environment, along with an understanding of the real world implications of sustainable practices is quite real itself. And that, I believe, is cause to celebrate. Consider how few of us had the opportunity to learn about any of the above when we were in public school. To be honest, it was mostly a couple of teachers who made a difference in how I viewed the world, and there certainly was no continuity from year to year. But the real challenge, however, for the education ministry in Ontario and anywhere else that attempts it will be to actually get teachers to incorporate it in meaningful ways into their classrooms.......
Making the Meat Go Further: Your Ideas for Reduced Consumption
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07. 9.07
Most TreeHugger’s will be aware that the argument for vegan, vegetarian and low meat diets is about more than just animal cruelty or the sanctity of life. Meat and dairy products are a huge contributor to climate change and environmental degradation, as Lloyd pointed out in his post on cows and climate change. Many of us however, this author included, are not yet ready to give up our meat completely – see for example the fierce debate in our forums regarding JoshuaOshua’s contention that Vegans in Hummers Are More Green Than Meat Eaters In Hybrids. We were pleased then, to come across Eartheasy’s ideas for a low meat diet – ways in which carnivores can still get their meat fix without eating a 16oz rib eye every night.
Most of the suggestions are fairly obvious, in terms of ways to make your meat go further e.g. adding black beans to your chilli, making noodle stir fry’s etc. but the benefits are clear. Not only do you reduce the amount of meat you are eating, and therefore pollution you are causing, but as food prices continue to rise you will also save money. Of course, the Eartheasy guide only begins to scratch the surface of low meat dinners. There are plenty of traditional thrifty recipes that our grandparents would have used to make the meat go further. That British favourite, Yorkshire pudding, for example, was designed as an inexpensive way of soaking up meat juices, while the French cassoulet uses beans to bulk out whatever meat products are added (an admittedly still pretty meaty looking example is pictured above). So, we thought we'd ask our ever talented readers. What are your favourite low meat, and no meat, recipes? You know where the comments box is. ::Eartheasy::via site visit::
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LEED Platinum in Canada: Designed to Bore
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 9.07
Sigh. In the States, the first LEED platinum house is from LivingHomes and designed by Ray Kappe. In Canada, the first LEED platinum house even comes with an embarrassing headline: "Don't let the plain look fool you." And it is in a suburban subdivision. With a two car garage facing the street. The builder gives the usual explanation: "We didn't want to build something so far out that it didn't feel familiar to people."-the story of our lives in Ontario.
It is built in Guelph by Reid Homes, a reputable suburban builder, with system design by the University of Guelph School of Engineering. Of course no architect is listed in the article; it is a "best-selling home design that it already offered in Westminster Woods, the Webster." ...
Current TV Gives Viewers "60 Seconds to Save the Earth"
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07. 9.07
During Saturday’s Live Earth concerts, Al Gore and Cameron Diaz (better known as "Professor Diaz" by some around here), on behalf of Current TV and in association with the Alliance for Climate Protection, announced the “:60 Seconds to Save the Earth” contest. The contest challenges viewers across the US, UK and the Republic of Ireland to create 15-, 30- or 60-second "ecospot" PSAs about taking action or motivating change to help fight the climate crisis.
“Today we are asking young adults to take a stance and use their creative voices to encourage change and help fight the climate crisis,” said Al Gore, who's also Chairman of Current TV.
Cameron Diaz went on to add, “:60 Seconds to Save the Earth is a great, creative way for young people from around the world to help inspire the changes they'd like to see for the planet.” After the jump: see Cameron in action, describing the contest in a video promo, as well as a viewer-produced video that demonstrates the concept and more details about the contest. ::Current TV Ecospot...
Largest Solar Farm Ever to be Built in California
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07. 9.07
We know you're probably getting tired of reading these "world's largest" stories day in and day out, but bear with us: as long as these companies keep building them, we'll keep on reporting on them. Case in point is the latest endeavor by Cleantech America LLC, a San Francisco-based company that claims to be building the world's largest solar power "farm."
The 80-MW San Joaquin Valley Customer Choice Solar Farm, which will be located near Fresno, California, will, at 640 acres, be 17 times the size of the current U.S. title-holder, the 4.6-MW Springerville Generating Station near Tucson, Arizona. It will also be approximately 7 times larger than the world's biggest existing plant and twice the size of the largest planned farm, both in Germany. "We're pretty confident that solar farms on this scale are going to have an industry-changing impact. We think it's the wave of the future. This scale of project, I think, creates a tipping point for renewable energy," said Bill Barnes, the CEO of Cleantech. ...
bCube Shelter
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 9.07
How Was Live Earth?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 9.07
What did you think of Live Earth?
Christine in Berlin has mixed feelings about the less-than-capacity crowd, the rain and the paper cups;
Bonnie in London seems to have had a good time and bought the T-shirt;
TreeHuggers from America have not recovered enough to report in yet.
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Make a Little Recycled Birdhouse in Your Soul
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 07. 9.07
Shelter some feathered friends, while supporting self-sufficiency, with these birdhouses crafted out of reclaimed materials and antique lumber. Hundreds of these structures are hammered together each year by the developmentally disabled residents of Brown's Foster Home, providing not only some income, but also a sense of accomplishment and dignity, as well.
Doubling as a collectible piece of folk art, each birdhouse is numbered, dated, and cataloged. Prices range from $35 to $75.
Just some of the materials the residents work with: 200-year-old barn boards, tree fungus, reclaimed trim boards from an antique house with five layers of peeling paint, rusty hardware, and drift wood.
Peek under the fold for more pictures. :: Recycled Reflections
[via The Junior Society]
See also: :: Modern Birdhouses, :: It's For the Birds: Christmas Treats, and :: Losing the Soundtrack of Summer...
Law Of Unintended Consequences: Corn Expansion Squeezes Biodiesel
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07. 9.07
This story could easily be filed under Conspiracy Theory, Oil Company-Based. But is it deserved? "The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Friday that farmers nationwide planted 92.9 million acres of corn this year - 19 percent more than last year and 3 percent more than the government had projected in March. The demand for ethanol led U.S. farmers to plant the most corn since 1944. But that extra corn acreage means that farmers planted 15 percent less land to soybeans.
The price of soybean oil is "almost to the point where it's not economically feasible to make biodiesel," said Dan Holesinger, manager of Clinton County Bio Energy...Food companies, which rely on soybean oil for baking and other uses, will also pay more." Via:: DesMoines Register, Iowa USA Image credit:: USDA, via The Register
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Fur Farms and Banana Rice Pudding
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07. 9.07
Researching on one of our primary technical sources, Ebay, we discovered evidence of a long abandoned effort at genetic engineering. Apparently some frankenfarmer long ago came up with way to grow fur in rows...like plants. Kidding. But, no joke, researchers have actually found a way to insert rice genes into bananas to fend off a plant disease, eliminating the need for a nasty fungicide. 'Without genetic modification, the main food source of many tropical countries is likely to die off, impacting the diet of hundreds of millions more poor people from Brazil to Indonesia.' "...all bananas come from mutant plants discovered some 8,000 years ago, probably in Papua New Guinea. They have been grafted, or cloned, ever since, and developed into dozens of varieties, colors, and sizes."
"Led by Rony Swennen, a team discovered that inserting a gene from rice provides significant protection for the banana with apparently no danger to either humans or the environment. Because the banana is sterile, it can't get loose in the environment, nor is there a seed allowing Monsanto or other corporations to sell it." For his trouble in writing about this, blogger David Ewing Duncan has taken personal criticism. See for yourself. Via:: Techology Review, David Ewing Duncan's Blog Image credit:: Ebay, sign for sale, anon....
Jose Saramago Starts Foundation with Environmental Goals
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 07. 9.07
Portuguese writer and 1998 Nobel Prize winner Jose Saramago has started a foundation aimed to preserve his work that will also plead for the defense of human rights and the preservation of the environment. The foundation’s principles-declaration, published in the Portuguese magazine Jornal de Letras last July 4th, claims that even though the organization “cannot solve for itself the environmental and global warming problems threatening the world” it shall “work as if it was born to it”. The organization’s headquarters will be in Lisbon and Lanzarote (Canary Islands, Spain), and will have two delegations: one in the writer’s birthplace, the village Azinhaga do Ribatejo, and the other in Castril (Granada). Even though not much was said about the organization’s goals or specific interests, this is not the first gesture the Portuguese writer has had towards green issues. In fact, he has had direct action when he launched his book The Intermittence of Death two years ago.
Via Clarin...
Video: Amazing Commercial -- Can't tell you more
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07. 8.07
Clarkson Still Not Listening
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 07. 8.07
Top Gear host, Jeremy Clarkson, has caused a ruckus by leaving huge track marks across the Makgadikgadi salt pans in Botswana. He drove various off-road vehicles across it whilst filming a TV show, causing damage that is expected to last for decades. The area is apparently home to a few species of bird which will be disrupted during their breeding season.
The BBC claim that they did all the research they could and avoided conservation areas, but local guides see it differently. They believe that it could encourage similar behaviour by others.
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It's Not You, It's Global Warming
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07. 8.07
Though you're more likely to only hear about the higher temperatures brought about global warming, increasing humidity has also been an important consequence of this phenomenon. In fact, the two effects are directly related: warmer air has the capacity to store more water vapor.
The Midwest, for example, a region in the U.S. known for its muggy and hot summers, has dampened quite a bit over the past four decades. Chicago, IL, whose mean summer dew point (the temperature at which water condenses from the air) reached 58.9ºF in the 60s, has seen it rise 1.5º since then. That's high enough for the atmosphere to lose its capacity to absorb sweat from human bodies as fast as they can produce it: in other words, you sweat more.
"When [dew points] start getting up into the 70s, that's when it gets really miserable out there," said Jim Angel of the Illinois State Water Survey....
Live Earth Hamburg: Calling All Kids
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 07. 8.07
Were you live at the Live Earth opening in Hamburg? As Shakira took the stage, it appeared few would brave the downpour to be there. But as the weather let up in the evening, more of the 30,000 ticket holders joined the hardcore audience, still not exceeding two-thirds capacity in the stadium. The nine hour music marathon in Hamburg included headliners such as Snoop Dogg, Enrique Iglesias, Silbermond and Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Stevens). Hamburger musician Jan Delay belonged to the group of stars performing in their own back yard, one of the defensive maneuvers the concert promoters attempted in order to reduce the climate impact of the event itself.
The recently founded World Future Council, represented by chairperson Bianca Jagger, partnered in the Live Earth event and used the opportunity to launch the campaign KidsCall. Applause met the children who joined Bianca Jagger on stage to call, in twenty languages, for kids around the world to send in their letters or pictures and make their voices heard in the halls of adult power. WFC will display the letters in parliaments around the world before gathering children once again to confront the G8 at their summit in Japan one year from now....
Pot Calls Kettle Yellow
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 8.07
Either or. Red or Blue. Black or white. In the United States, there is no middle ground, no gray, and if Jack Shafer gets his way, there will be no green.
He writes in Slate about "Green Journalism" and suggests that it "tends to appeal to our emotions, exploit our fears, and pander to our vanity" and puts our TreeHugger up there in the crosshairs.
He is not nice to us, suggesting that we are propagandists who don't really pretend to be journalists. I was personally offended by this; I didn't go to the Columbia School of Journalism but I watched All the President's Men before I started this gig and learned what journalists do:...
No Respite from Heat for Western States
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07. 8.07
Things are really heating up this summer in some parts of the West. Temperature records are being set left and right with several cities having already attained the triple digit mark early on: Boise, ID (104º F), Phoenix, AZ (115ºF) and Baker, CA (125ºF). It's getting so hot that authorities in several states are warning that outdoor activities could be dangerous except during the cooler period of the early morning hours.
Stanley, ID, which often ranks as the coldest place in the lower 48 states (at a 6,000 feet elevation), saw a record high of 92 degrees last week. While meteorologists are expecting temperatures to cool a bit in Southern California within the next few weeks, the other western states won't be as fortunate. "To be honest, as far as temperatures, for as far out as we can see there's no relief," said Brandon Smith, who is expecting temperatures all across Utah to surpass the state's all-time highs this summer....
Ideal Trading: Another Funky Eco Fashion Site
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07. 8.07
It’s so nice to live in times when ethical fashion doesn’t have to look, well, ethical. It’s not so long ago that all fair trade, organic clothing retailers seemed to stock was shapeless, multi-coloured garments that looked like you were wearing a rug. Nowadays we see funky, style conscious retailers cropping up everywhere, like London’s Equa, or fair trade pioneers People Tree. Now we’ve come across Ideal Trading, another UK-based company stocking funky fair trade and eco friendly goods ranging from the Union-made, vegan baseball boots of No Sweat (pictured), to the organic cotton/hemp blend T shirts of Earth&Wear. We certainly can’t argue with the company’s philosophy:
“At Ideal Trading we are not specifically against mass production, big corporations, or even globalisation (whatever that actually means). They are all a part of the modern world and they will not be going away anytime soon. However, we strongly believe that there are far more important things in the world than generating profits for the shareholders of companies. We believe that it is possible to manufacture quality goods whilst maintaining a high quality of life for workers and utilising the environment in a sustainable manner.”In addition to their retail operations, Ideal Trading are also the sole UK distributor for both No Sweat and Earth&Wear. ::Ideal Trading:: via New Consumer::...
Live Earth Live: London
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07. 8.07
Live Earth: so how was it for you? Long (10 hours) and hard (on the bum). By now everyone has their own view on the music; McCartney and Timberlake were the great no-shows, those Pussycat Dolls sure don't conserve their energy, and why were those dwarfs in monk’s outfits running around Stonehenge.
But here's an on-the-spot report of the London concert. Firstly, who was there? The audience was 25 to 35 years old and almost completely white, which is surprising given London’s diverse multi-cultural population. The outfit: jeans and a no-slogan tee-shirt, for men and women. In the VIP section there was a flag with “Robbie Williams is gay” on it, and another that said “Make CO2 History”.
How did they get there? By public transport! Amazingly the parking lot was completely empty. A great green triumph for the planners of Wembley stadium. ...
TreeHugger breaks it down for you in a series of in depth how-to articles that will help you green your life. No time like the present!
Here are a few recommended websites.
