- 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 29, 2007 - August 4, 2007
Total this week: 179
Exposed: The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 08. 4.07
It is called the 'precautionary principle'. If a mountain lion is stalking outside your home and looks hungry, the best thing to do is not go outside and act like a nice juicy meal. No, you stay away, and try to think of how to get it to leave. This makes sense. But somehow when those lions turn into chemicals (like BPA) the U.S. seems not to apply the same rules. The book, Exposed - The Toxic Chemistry of Everyday Products: What's at Stake for American Power, by Mark Schapiro highlights the growing gap between U.S. policy regarding chemical safety and that of the rest of the world. It gives a 'behind the scenes' look into how the U.S. has lost the edge in environmental policy, and illustrates clearly how this lack of governmental leadership will negatively impact our economy as well as our personal safety....
TreeHugger Welcomes Eliza Barclay
by Eliza Barclay, Washington, D.C. on 08. 4.07
The Perfect Road-Trip, Water Bottle - A 62 Year Old Design.
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 08. 4.07
On the base of the two-sectioned, steel bottle pictured above is stamped these words: U.S., Swanson, 1945. The thick cotton canvas cover, lined with a dense woolen felt, snaps securely over the bottle's shoulders with two solid brass pins. When I was a kid, I'd fill it up for my bicycle trip, soaking the canvas completely and letting it hang off the back of my bicycle seat springs with the built in belt hooks (shown above). The evaporative cooling from wind passing by the wet canvas kept the water inside cool on the way to the swimming hole. In childhood memories, I can still hear that squeaky sound of hooks on springs. Years later, I found it was good to hang over a 1960's era car window...with a little jury rigging....
Fred Butler and the Future of Dry Cleaning
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 08. 4.07
Who is Fred Butler? And what does he/she have to do with your laundry? "Fred Butler®" is the registered trademark and penguin mascot of a new dry-cleaning product-service which is the brainchild of German industrial gas giant, Linde. Linde's concept augers change and causes journalists at the Oakland Tribune to ponder the end of friendly and personalized corner laundry service amidst reports that the Europeans are moving in to take over the American dry-cleaning industry. What is behind the buzz?
Dry-cleaning is a dirty business. The current dry-cleaning solvent, perchloroethylene, was heralded as a huge advance when it was introduced to replace the explosion-susceptible flammable solvents which preceded it. For decades, this chlorinated hydrocarbon has efficiently removed the greasiest burger drips and stickiest splashes for customers concerned about their fine textiles. But the solvent is a danger to groundwater and suspected of causing serious health damage--at least among workers at dry-cleaning shops. Bans on the solvent are progressively forcing dry-cleaners to look for alternatives.
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Chemical Found in Plastic Linked to Reproductive Disorders
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08. 4.07
Bisphenol A (BPA) — a chemical commonly found in hard plastics — has for the first time been linked to female reproductive disorders in a strongly-worded statement released by 38 scientists and published online in the journal Reproductive Toxicology. The compound, which is used in a variety of consumer items such as polycarbonate plastic baby bottles, microwave oven dishes and sports bottles, often seeps from containers and enters the bodies of humans.
After reviewing close to 700 studies, the scientists determined that people are regularly exposed to BPA levels that exceed those harmful to lab animals — singling out infants and fetuses as the most vulnerable. The statement was accompanied by a new National Institutes of Health (NIH) study that found that uterine damage caused by BPA exposure in newborn animals might predict a host of reproductive disorders in women — including endometriosis, cystic ovaries, fibroids and cancers. While earlier studies had linked early-stage cancers and lower sperm counts in animals to low BPA doses, no study had ever linked exposure to female reproductive diseases....
Park and Power: Charging Solutions for Urban Electric Vehicles
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 08. 4.07
We’ve already noted the virus-like spread of electric vehicles (EVs) such as the G-Wiz in London. Along side the growth in the number of EVs on the road, we have also seen an increase in local authorities installing electric charging points on the streets. The fashion has even spread outside the nation’s congestion-charged capital, with EV enthusiasts in the city of Bristol recently celebrating the opening of the first charging point in the South West. As one might expect, the private sector is stepping in to develop and supply curbside charging solutions for electric cars, bikes and buggies. Park and Power is one such company.
The company supplies the units then, when installed, EV owners simply purchase a license to use them, then just park up, plug in, and charge. Presumably this model would require a significant number of units in different locations to make it worth while buying a license, and the website doesn’t say much about how many vehicles can use a unit at one time. Nevertheless, we’re encouraged to see more suppliers providing solutions for increased EV use, and we’re sure details can be ironed out as streetside charging gets more popular. Encouragingly, Park and Power also seem to have gone to great lengths to ensure compatibility with a wide range of vehicles:
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Legionnaires' Disease Spreading Rapidly Across U.K.
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08. 4.07
Spurred by what scientists believe are ideal climate change-influenced weather patterns, Legionnaires' disease — a deadly bacterial lung infection with a more than 1 in 10 mortality rate — has continued its rapid spread across Britain, having already managed to notch record levels in 5 of this year's first 6 months. Infected water inhaled as a vapor helps spread the lethal disease and causes severe pneumonia-like symptoms.
Typically, Legionnaires' disease cases rise during the warmer seasons — spring and summer — reaching a peak in late August or September. Last year, whose summer witnessed the hottest July on record and a wet August, saw the highest recorded number of infections since records started being kept in 1980. Scientists expect further increases within the coming years as the effects of climate change continue to intensify. ...
"Sex Tree" and Others on the Brink of Extinction
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08. 4.07
The "sex tree" (i.e. Citropsis articulata) — a skinny bush whose roots are purported to cure impotence — is facing an increasingly bleak future as poachers in Uganda's Mabira Forest Reserve rush to harvest it in ever larger numbers. Other tree species, including the medicinal Prunus africana — which is used to treat malaria and certain forms of cancer — is rapidly approaching extinction as well.
"The [sex] tree may have other medicinal values apart from treating sexual impotence, and we are losing out if we let these plants go extinct without doing more research. The people say that the medicines work," said Mauda Kamatenesi, a botanist at Makarere University, who argued that the loss of these species would do irrevocable damage to the rain forest and local Ugandans — who've been using them as herbal cures for many years. A larger threat to the plants' future well-being, however, may be the Ugandan government's plan to convert over a quarter of the rain forest into a sugarcane plantation. ...
When Shutting Down Polluters Doesn't Work, China Turns To the Market
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 08. 4.07
While the notion that environmental protection can be good for business certainly hasn't gone mainstream in capitalist China, this year the country has made some bold attempts to make pollution bad for business. In lieu of national policies backed up by a strong legal system (think the Clean Air Act) -- or just good ol' fashioned brute force -- the government has recently announced market-based disincentives for heavy polluters, like raising the threshold for investment in energy intensive industries and eliminating tax breaks.
Now the ambitious leader of the State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), Pan Yue, is touting a system of "green credit.." The idea, which sounds new to me, is to restrict heavy polluters from access to the bank loans they need. It's part of a growing push for what's becoming feared as "green tightening," a slew of economic policies to stop polluters. Pan also released a blacklist of 30 medium-sized companies to whom credit should be immediately denied.
As with every clean policy in growth-obsessed and complex China, though, uniting with those departments will be the sticky part. At the end of May, the major Chinese banks had 1.5 trillion yuan, or $198 billion, in medium- and long-term loans outstanding to energy-intensive and polluting sectors, up 21.8 percent from a year earlier. ...
One Year Ago in TH: Energy Sources Abound, Green Learnin' and More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 4.07
One year ago in TreeHugger, we had our eyes on energy, of all kinds. A solar-powered car wash popped up in California, we peeked in on a near nuclear meltdown in Sweden, and, in Japan, they were generating electricity from train station ticket gates.
We weren't the only ones doing some learning; Flexcar was going to college, and Xeko hit the scene, teaching players about the complex nature of ecosystems. Meanwhile, green in California was heating up as eco designers were taking San Francisco's Fashion Week by storm and Los Angeles was getting a new farmer's market. After the jump: a list of all the posts from one year ago today....
Ecosexuals Rule Dude. Go Green, Get the Girl
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08. 4.07
It’s a phenomena, or maybe that should be pheromone, that just won’t go away. Earlier this year we had the media interest in ‘ecosexuals’, which we figured was a bit of a beat-up ‘coz as we observed on one or two occasions the green dating thing has been around for decades. But just when you thought attention had moved onto other things it’s back. New Consumer report that a UK men’s magazine, by the grand name of Nuts (warning: do not click this link in an open plan office) has apparently surveyed 1,500 women online to discover that the top ‘turn on’ women find attractive in men is 'caring about the environment’. The magazines relation expert figures that women equate eco awareness with a man who isn't selfish. 'There's something sexy about a man who recycles, it shows that he cares about more than just himself and shows he has a sensitive side and thinks about the future,' she says. New Consumer go on to note that a YouGov survey reported London men were four times less likely than women to be concerned about the environment. Which is backed up in the US by research that Kira Gould and Lance Hosey writing on Grist observed. They cited studies that show women are up to 15% more likely than men to rate the environment a high priority, and they make up 2/3rds of voters who cast their ballots around environmental issues. As we continue to say, Green is Sexy. But it seems only half the population is getting the message. ...
Wind Tape By 3M
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 08. 4.07
3M has announced the availability of their new Wind Tapes 8608 and 8609 for the wind energy market. Wind Tapes are adhesive-backed polyurethane tapes that are "placed on the leading edge of wind turbine blade to reduce damage caused by sand, rain, moisture ingression, insects, and airborne particles. The new tapes are also formulated to resist the damage and weakening effects of ultraviolet rays. Used to help protect wind turbine blades, the tapes can help reduce maintenance and replacement costs and extend the service life of the blade." A similar protective tape made by 3M for helicopter blades extends product life by up to X10. The new Wind Tape "is typically applied to the outer two-thirds of the blade where the speed is the fastest and protection most critical. Providing energy absorption, Wind Tapes from 3M spread the impact force of particles over a wider area of the blade, protecting its structural and aesthetic integrity."
Like an enormous roll of Scotch Tape. The bigger the turbine, the bigger the roll. The bigger the rolls, the better it gets for 3M. As more industrial companies benefit in this manner from the wind 'value chain', the economic importance of renewable energy will be increasingly apparent to elected officials. More broadly, as the renewable energy value chain encompasses a multitude of new "goesintas" (the components and base materials that "go into" the making of renewable energy generation products), we will reach a tipping point, beyond which the fossil fuel industry no longer has an exclusive grip on political power in Washington DC.
3 cheers for 3M for finding a way to make tape increase the useful design life of wind turbines. This positions them on the "leading edge" of climate protection. Let's hope it sticks. Via:: Aerospace Online Image credit:: 3M Protective Tape...
TH Forums Highlights: End of the World?, Reel Mowers, Back to School and More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 3.07
TreeHugger Forums are proving to be a very timely, diverse community that is fostering a bunch of discussions, from deep green questions about philosophy to new greenies getting in the act for the first time. Here are some of the recent highlights...
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| 1) Forums user Collin McConville wonders which will give out first: the planet or humans' population growth, considering all the drought, flooding forest fires and other catastrophe happening these days: "I know that Humans don't necassarily have a direct link on all of these things.. its still an interesting correlation. So, what does everyone think? Will this planet stop our population's growth? Or will we procreate until we have to go find a new planet." |
 | 2) User gizzigoo is duking it out with her husband over which lawn mower to use. After a small explosion (yikes!), she thought maybe a reel mower would be better, "but as we do not have a suburban type yard my husband said that is just wouldn't be effective, we are on acreage and a little bit hilly, with stones and tree branches it makes quite a rough terrain." Could cordless electric be the answer? |
 | 3) User mylescloutier takes note that "Well it's getting close to September once again. I'm going into grade 12 and I'm sure there must be some other Treehuggers out there who will find it's time to start buying school supplies again soon", and has made a list (and checked it twice) of basic stuff many students will need every day; be sure to hit it up before hitting the stores. How green is the Prius and green deodorant, after the jump... |
Could NYC's Saltwater Marshes Disappear Within the Next Five Years?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08. 3.07
According to a new study released yesterday, the saltwater marsh islands located near the John F. Kennedy airport in New York City could vanish within the next five years due to environmental degradation caused by the increased dumping of treated sewage. The city's Department of Environmental Protection had previously estimated that the islands of Jamaica Bay — the wildlife-rich marshes — would disappear by 2024; this new study moves up the date 12 years to 2012.
Home to more than 80 fish species, the islands of Jamaica Bay also serve as a resting stop for almost 20% of North America's migratory birds and provide flood protection for the city. Over time, what has happened is that as the tidal creeks on the islands have been expanding, the vegetated areas — first turning into mud flats and then sand flats — have been slowly disappearing. From 1924 to 1999 the bay lost close to half of its tidal wetlands, with recent losses — from 2003 to 2005 — accelerating at an even faster clip. ...
Second Rotation: Get Cash for Your Old Electronics
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 3.07
E-waste is a huge problem facing our increasingly plugged-in world, and though Staples is trying to stem the tide, there are still tons of electronics that needlessly go in the landfill. A new company called Second Rotation is adding a new option for your old consumer electronics, and it can help you make a little cash. Last week, they launched their "online exchange dedicated to giving individual consumers an easy way to sell pre-owned lifestyle goods on the Web." Their initial focus is on the ubiquitous consumer electronics -- cell phones, iPods, digital cameras, PDAs, etc. -- and are attempting to streamline the service offered by other sites like eBay to make it easier for individuals to get rid of their stuff. Offering cash for them is a good incentive for folks to keep their used (but still working) electronics from going in the trash when the newest gotta-have-it hits stores. Their "dynamic pricing calculator" helps determine, almost in real time, the value of whatever you want to unload; 10 days or so after you send it to Second Rotation, you'll have cash money burning a hole in your pocket. When added to services like those available at Freecycle and Craigslist, there's really no reason you have to throw away anything with even a little life in it. ::Second Rotation via ::Core77...
UK Canal Freight Under Scrutiny: 80% Less CO2 Than Road Haulage
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 08. 3.07
Only a couple of weeks ago we reported on efforts by UK supermarket giant Sainsbury’s to start delivering to some of its London stores by canal. Now we hear from the ever-trusty Guardian newspaper that the politics of moving freight by canal are under close scrutiny. A report just issued by Members of Parliament is calling on the government to give incentives to companies that chose water of rail or road freight. These incentives could possibly be in the form of carbon credits, given the fact that deliveries on canals can have up to 80% lower carbon emissions than road haulage. Currently, however, just 1% of domestic freight travels by water.
Apparently this is not the first time in recent years that this issue has been looked at, and in 2000 British Waterways, the entity in charge of Britain’s canal network, promised to double the amount of freight, but since then the amount has actually fallen. This is largely due to the fact that, as things stand, road and rail are more profitable. If the hidden costs of carbon emissions were to be somehow taken into account, however, canal-based deliveries might become much more common:
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Solar Powered Mouse Being Tested
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 3.07
The Delft University of Technology has built a solar powered mouse, testing whether renewable energy products, with higher functionality and a touch of design, can encourage users to adopt modern and consistently sustainable conduct. They even have the Minister of Housing and the Environment using one. They are testing the "willingness of the user to adapt his behaviour to favourable light conditions by regularly charging the unit with daylight from the window, and the computer usage pattern. With solar energy, under ideal circumstances charging can occur a factor of five times quicker than in the current situation. Over time it is estimated that several hundred million batteries could be saved annually on a global scale."
Seems to this reader that one's hand covers the mouse most of the day and at night the lights are out. Perhaps for casual computer users. ::University of Delft via ::Core77...
A-Frames by Barbara Gallucci
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 3.07
I love A-frames; I even built one as an outhouse. Small ones are easy to build and they use materials efficiently. They fell out of favour as people wanted bigger spaces; a triangle encloses the smallest volume of any shape and these didn't scale well. Photographer Barbara Gallucci notes that "A-Frames, which gained popularity in the late 1960’s and 70’s, were sold as prefab kits, available at the local lumberyard for just $3000. The house kits made it possible for a new culture of middle-class ‘Do-It-Yourselfers’ to own vacation homes. Over the years A-Frames have been customized, renovated, appropriated and are now found housing everything from fast food joints to motorcycle shops." She has documented them on her website at ::Barbara Gallucci. via ::MocoLoco...
World Clock from Poodwaddle
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 3.07
Put together with data from the CIA, the World Health Organization, the Census and other sources. It is completely scary, watching the stats on prison growth, illegal immigration, species extinct and forests lost increasing before your eyes. Bizarrely, the creator says "although I find the theory of global warming highly debatable, I have included stats according to the expected temperature rise" which makes one wonder-he believes in the stats but not the cause of them? From Poodwaddle, which makes a customizable home page. ::World Clock via ::Good...
Participate! Send Us Your 3D Models and Sketches
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 08. 3.07
As the Burning Man event quickly approaches, TreeHugger is teaming up with Current TV to help look for the best ideas that exemplify this year's "Green Man" theme. In the spirit of Burning Man, the event will be filled with open-source green innovations that encourage everyone to take, tinker, remix and redesign. We think that you might just have the next big open-source idea to help revolutionize the way we live. So, we are asking you to Participate! Send us a 3D model (or 2D rendering if necessary) representation of your best eco-innovation and you will get 2 tickets to Burning Man where you can show off your open-source invention - where you and your invention might just end up on Current TV's "TV Free Burning Man" coverage of the event. In addition, the winner and the 1st and 2nd runners-up will receive Jessica Bruder's tribute to the event, the Burning Book.
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Lessons from Bernard Rudofsky
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 3.07
Bernard Rudofsky's 1964 Architecture without Architects was profoundly influential for a generation of designers. He noted that "vernacular architecture does not go through fashion cycles. It is nearly immutable, indeed, unimprovable, since it serves its purpose to perfection." He and his wife travelled everywhere, drawing, writing and photographing, while wearing the Bernardo sandals he designed.
Now, the Canadian Institute for Architecture has mounted an exhibition, co-presented by Architekturzentrum Wien, an architecture museum in Vienna, and the Getty Research Institute of Los Angeles, showing 200 drawings, photographs and journals. Oh, and footwear. Catch it until September 30 at the ::CCA in Montreal....
"Paris Hilton Goes Green" According to the PR Folks
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 08. 3.07
Paris Hilton and the word "green" in the same sentence? Ha! (snort!) Hollywood.com reported yesterday that the clinker really made Paris think about her lifestyle. Yes that's right: she's "going green" and encouraging her fans to do the same. So does this mean that Paris has audited her ecological footprint? Not quite. She's traded in her Range Rover SUV in favor of a Ford hybrid car. But one thing we should probably mention is that this was after she was given a free model by the car's manufacturers. Paris was noted as saying, "Driving hybrid cars is the new way to go. Anyone can do it, no matter how old." (Whatever the bleep that means.) You know we encourage green going mainstream, but we have to say we're not impressed by the PR stunt, honey. Via & Photo Credit ::Hollywood.com...
Creating Better Bees
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08. 3.07
What Does "Green" Really Mean?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 3.07
Words like green or sustainable- what do they really mean? We ponder this in our shiny new headquarters, shown above. We are reading "the Meaning of Everything", about the writing of the Oxford English Dictionary. Editor James Murray asked readers to report ""as many quotations as you can for ordinary words" to find where and when they were used, and cataloged them on slips of paper. In 1882 he had 3,500,000 million of them in 1029 pigeonholes. He didn't catch the new meaning of "green" or "sustainable."
Green is so mushy. Wikipedia thinks it is the same as Sustainable, but William McDonough once said "We still have people talking about 'sustainability'! Nothing is more boring. Are you proud if your marriage is 'sustainable'?We need a better word or a better definition. Any suggestions? ...
Mechabolic: The Ultimate Trash-to-Fuel Land Speed Racer Slug
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08. 3.07
The brainchild of Jim Mason, Dann Davis and a team of eco-oriented artists, the Mechabolic really defies easy convention. In their words:
" The Mechabolic project is a large-scale bio-imitative installation of hydrocarbon based fuel production, transformation and consumption. Our goal is to create a fantastical, bio-machine hybrid environment --a burlesque of the "synthetic metabolism" of machines-- recasting internal combustion engines and petroleum fuels as their parallel animal organs and plant generated carbohydrate foods."...
Sustainable and Sound Infrastructure Now.
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 3.07
As Congress approves 55 billion dollars in corn subsidies and pays 12 billion dollars a month for the Iraq war, the infrastructure in America continues to crumble: Bridges in Minneapolis, steam pipes in Manhattan, highway collapses in Montreal and of course levee breaches in New Orleans.
The New York Times says "Transportation officials know many of the nation’s 600,000 bridges are in need of repair or replacement. About one in eight has been deemed "structurally deficient," a term that typically means a component of the bridge's structure has been rated poor or worse, but does not necessarily warn of imminent collapse. Most deficient bridges, which included the span of Interstate 35W over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, remain open to traffic."
Geoff Manaugh of BLDGBLOG does the math and notes "13.6 percent of U.S. bridges – i.e. more than 81,000 bridges – are "functionally obsolete." He continues: "the Federal Highway Administration's annual budget appears to be hovering around $35-40 billion a year....and annual government subsidies for Amtrak come in at slightly more than $1 billion. That's $1 billion every year to help commuter train lines run."...
Artek's 2nd Cycle: Nothing Old is Ever Reborn
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 3.07
Alvar Aalto once said, "Nothing old is ever reborn, but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been, will always reappear in a new form." This is a fitting sentiment for Artek's new line (we've featured them before), called 2nd Cycle, which reclaims old Artek pieces that are upwards of 50, 60, 70 years old. Rather than refinishing or refurbishing them, the pieces are left as is, telling the story of their long lives through the scratches, dents and patina that comes from kicking around for the better part of a century. Like your favorite jeans, they believe that the pieces only get better with age; that they still exist and still look good is a testament not only to the quality craftsmanship, but to the timeless designs that will still work in another 50 years. Hit the jump for more pics; see all the pieces, and read some of their stories at ::Artek via ::Apartment Therapy...
Dumb Question Dept.: If Earth is a Closed System and We're Running Out of Water, Where's it All Going?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08. 3.07
Ed. note: This is the first post in the "Dumb" Questions series of posts that TreeHugger is writing to provide answers to some basic questions about the environment and all things green. We realize that many of these questions/answers will seem, well basic, to most of you, but please bear with us: we just want to make sure that everybody is on the right page! After all, what's the fun in having you read our posts if you get stuck on a basic premise?
To answer this question, it helps to first have a rudimentary knowledge of the planet's hydrologic, or water, cycle. The water cycle, in essence, describes the processes by which large quantities of water move continuously through the Earth's oceans, land and atmosphere over short and long time scales. It is primarily dominated by the oceans — which account for 96% of the planet's water and where 86% of global evaporation takes place — though it has no defined starting or ending point....
Dematerialized Designs: Make Your Own Watch
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 3.07
In the future we may make things locally with neighbourhood CNC or 3D printing to eliminate shipping costs and CO2 emissions. Frederic Hakoune gives us an early demonstration of this with his printed watch.
We don't know what kind of fabber he used; it could be something like idealab's new desktop printer; Perhaps it is a home-made Evil Mad Scientist version, although the watch does not look like it is made of granulated sugar. It might be Hod Lipson's design that you can build yourself, or a commercial unit. ...
AutoRucksack: A Backpack for Your Car
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 3.07
One consequence of smaller cars like the Toyota Yaris and Honda Fit -- which TreeHugger loves -- is that they have a bit less capacity for hauling stuff. While not a huge problem when you're driving back and forth to work (for most of us), it can make it tougher to put a load of gear in the back before heading off for a long weekend at the beach (or wherever your plans may take you). One German company has realized this problem, and come up with a solution: the Auto Rucksack, which is exactly what it sounds like. The waterproof backpack for your car rests comfortably off the back, which, as you can see in the above picture, doesn't add drag to your car (and decrease gas mileage) like a roof-rack-based system would. As an added benefit, when not in use, the rucksack adds virtually no weight to your car when not in use; the caveat is that it makes it pretty tough (okay, virtually impossible) to see out the back, but that's what the side-views are for, right? Wonder if they make a solar version? ::AutoRucksack via ::AutoblogGreen and ::Gizmag ...
This Month in Wallpaper*: Design Directory 2007
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 3.07
limited edition cover art by Keiichi Tanaami
This month's issue of Wallpaper* magazine is dominated by the 2007 Design Directory, their hand-picked favorite architects and designers from the past year. Always the epitome of cool, the mag's slick picks include some inspirational ideas and interiors to look good and go green. They give a nod to Sweden's Tham & Videgard Hansson (page 096) as a top ten up-and-coming architect, who put innovation and sustainability high on their list. Also in the mix is a design that's stood the test of time, and has become an "iconic fixture": the folding chair (page 070), designed in 1967 by Giancarlo Piretti to fold flat to a depth of less than a inch or easily stack when folded out, saving space either way you go (it's now in the Museum of Modern Art). Halfway around the world, in China, the auto industry is booming (page 073), which isn't great news, but BMW is using the huge market (car ownership in China is set to outpace that in the US within 30 years) to continue building their hydrogen future; whether or not that will come to fruition remains to be seen (but that's another post). Pick up Wallpaper* for the usual outstanding eye candy and more of the world's best design. ::Wallpaper*...
It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's...An Office Supply?
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 3.07
Any guesses as to what this thing is? Here are some hints: you could probably use it every day; it would live on your desk; and it employs hanging chads (yep, the same little guys that caused all that ruckus down in Florida a few years back). Give up? It's a "staple-less stapler," which is sort of a silly name for it, because it doesn't use staples. In any event, the sleek little guy will "staple," with a hanging chad, up to five sheets of paper together, and while cutting back on staples might seem a bit trivial, consider this: we would save 120 tons of steel if every office worker used one less staple a day for a year (hat tip to ecofabulous for that nugget). While five sheets won't cover all the paper you have to connect, some double-sided printing would help increase your new "stapling" capacity. It's available from ::Amazon via ::Apartment Therapy: Green...
007 House by Rob Paulus
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 3.07
It is hot in Tucson; if people are going to live there they need houses that can cope with it. Tucson architect Rob Paulus thinks about green choices in his buildings and in his practice; he focuses on LEED projects, infill, renovations and adaptive reuse. Employees bike in to work under green powered compact fluorescents and support local businesses. Even those long architectural lunches where so many napkins are sketched on are in local restaurants.
The 007 house is "the slick and cool ideal of a modern bachelor pad."
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One Last Kick at the Ethanol Can
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 3.07
We could go on about the silliness of ethanol from corn, and usually do; however it is a horse that has been flogged to death on TreeHugger,. However, if you need a well written and powerful indictment of ethanol, you should read Jeff Goodell's article in Rolling Stone:
Ethanol Scam: Ethanol Hurts the Environment And Is One of America's Biggest Political Boondoggles.
He starts strongly: "The great danger of confronting peak oil and global warming isn't that we will sit on our collective asses and do nothing while civilization collapses, but that we will plunge after "solutions" that will make our problems even worse. Like believing we can replace gasoline with ethanol, the much-hyped biofuel that we make from corn." and explains the political pressures that lead so many politicians like Obama, Clinton, McCain, and Edwards, who should know better, to support it....
Insulation Rebate for Home Owners
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08. 3.07
Sustainability Victoria in Australia reckon that its state residents lose up to 40% through their roofs in winter and gain 30% of unwanted heat in summer through the same oversight. 20% of Victorian homes are thought to have no insulation. A problem particularly for low income families who are not only wasting money in heating and cooling bills, but are generating up to 2.2 tonnes of unnecessary greenhouse gases annually. So that state’s outgoing Climate Change Minister made his last ministerial decree at the end of July 07, offering rebates for home insulation. The government will give homeowners $300 if they install ceiling insulation of R3.5 or higher into a house built before 1991. A $500 rebate will also be offered to landlords if their tenants are concession card holders (social benefit). The program takes effect from 13 August 2007. The minister John Thwaite said "Climate change is going to have a big effect on low income people. We need to make sure when we act on climate change that we don't make people more disadvantaged but we help low income people to reduce their energy bills." NB: Please note that Australia and New Zealand adhere to SI (International System of Units) for insulation, whereas USA, UK and Canada chose not to. So R (resistance) values for insulation get very confusing. Roughly speaking it is about 1 SI to 6 Non-SI R values, thus R3.5 in Australia is near to R21 in the USA. ::Sustainability Victoria, via ABC....
Organic Conflict at the Soil Assocation
by Bonnie Alter, London on 08. 3.07
When is organic not organic and which organic is good organic? This is a subject that was examined in Michael Pollan's brilliant book "Omnivore's Dilemma" and is now at the centre of a debate about air miles. The Soil Association certifies about 80 per cent of organic produce in the United Kingdom. It has threatened to take away the organic certification from farms in East Africa because their produce is transported to Europe by air, thus contributing to global warming. But these are poor farmers who switched to organic farming recently, joined up with 32 other farmers with small plots, learnt new techniques and ceased the few non-organic practices they had. The happy ending was that their products received the Soil Association’s treasured “Organic” stamp and they began exporting vegetables to Britain and Saudi Arabia.
The Soil Association is now considering a partial or total ban on air-freighted organic exports because it says that it "must carefully consider the social and economic benefits of air freight for international development and growth of the organic market as a whole.” If banned, this could be a killing blow to the 150,000 Kenyans who are dependent on organic farming for their livelihood. The bitter irony, according to one Kenyan journalist is "that UK farmers use tractors, heat up greenhouses, drive to work in cars or on motorbikes . . ” Calculations show that it takes 4kg of carbon emissions to fly 1kg of green beans or cucumbers from Nairobi to London. “This figure is utterly irrelevant when you work out how much carbon Britons use going to the supermarket in their cars or driving to a restaurant for dinner,” he added. Fair miles or air miles? We say that we want to eliminate poverty in Africa, trade is a positive way to do this, and yet there is a legitimate concern about air miles. A serious debate to hold in the organic sector, and one with global implications. :: The Times...
The Great Park Pursuit
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 08. 3.07
Attendance at parks nationwide is down, and yesterday I pointed out that Congressman Sarbanes has a bill that attempts to "Leave No Child Inside"; but this spring and early summer the state of Connecticut was working on getting families outside and into state parks in their own way by organizing The Great Park Pursuit. It's a challenge where families compete as a team by following clues over a period of weeks to determine what park they need to go to next and what activity to engage in once they get there. Things like hiking, fishing, archery, hoola hooping, the list goes on... And not too unlike the television show "The Amazing Race", the families were competing for prizes like great outdoor equipment by being the first ones to complete the tasks and check in. They even allowed families to create their own web page with the photos and stories of what they did to share with each other. And while it's over in Connecticut for this year, it just may be something to suggest to the parks commission in your state for next... After all, they're probably looking for ways to improve park attendance themselves, and what better way to do it than with a fun game that parents and kids can play together?
via:: The Great Park Pursuit...
Survey: Do You Shop Online?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 3.07
Once upon a time, internet shopping, "clicks, not bricks" was going to change the world; It didn't quite happen as planned. Yet quietly and steadily, more and more stuff became available as the "long tail" effect kicked in.
Warren notes that some studies indicate that internet shopping saves 75% of the energy, 25 to 35% of the inventory and 12.5% of the infrastructure.
Of course, we have seen what happened to the record store infrastructure after the dematerialization of music where one never even owns a physical product.
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Half-Moon Outfitters Build to LEED Platinum Rating
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08. 3.07
Half-Moon Outfitters sell outdoor gear, but they recently had something else to ‘sell.’ Themselves. Their new corporate office and warehouse has just been awarded the US Green Building Council’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum rating. This made them only the 25th new construction or major renovation to receive a Platinum rating, and the first to do so using the newer, more stringent LEED NC version 2.2, plus the first LEED Platinum project in the state of South Carolina. Their renovation of a nondescript building has seen it gain “photovoltaic panels on the roof, rainwater collection tanks in back, extensive native vegetation, and a brightly lit interior almost entirely of locally harvested wood, salvaged materials, and rapidly renewable agrifiber boards.” The company’s media release indicates that the renovation has transformed the way Half-Moon Outfitters does business. They now have scorecards for all of their locations measuring and comparing the power needs of each. The new project in North Charleston currently varies between $.03 and $.05 per square foot per month while their most inefficient store operates between $.20 and $.30 per square foot, a statistic that the business vows to change. “A shift has occurred with the mentality of our employees as everyone is becoming committed to the idea of recycling and reducing our consumption of carbon based fuels.” The staff seem particularly enamoured with their desks made of Dakota Burl—discarded sunflower seed husks (which we first noted in 2004), the texture of which they describe as “crazy-cool”. ::Half-Moon Outfitters.
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Recipe of the Week: Linguine with Tomatoes and Basil
by Kelly Rossiter, Toronto on 08. 3.07
Now that it is August, I will share the recipe that I make only during this month, the one that my family waits the entire year to enjoy. I have been making this pasta from memory for many years so I had to think long and hard about when I first ate it and where the original recipe was from. I can't possibly claim it as my own.
Mulling this over I thought about summer weekends at my in-law's cottage just north of Toronto. My sister-in-law with her husband and toddler son would arrive on Friday nights tired after the work week. After a suitable amount of napping on the chesterfield on Saturday, my brother-in-law would arise, take over the kitchen and produce something wonderful for dinner. Then I had it fixed in my mind - The Silver Palate Cookbook - and sure enough, I dragged my battered copy out of the cupboard and there it was - Linguine with Tomatoes and Basil. ...
Not Just A Load Of Crap
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 08. 3.07
When slapped with an order to clean up the poop of 12,000 dairy cows, the Hefer Valley Cooperative Society built a manure-driven power station to solve their problems. The first of its kind in Israel, the plant was inaugurated this week and is expected to process 600 tons of manure a day and generate 2-2.4 megawatts per hour (MW/h) within the year. At present the plant is operating at about half its capacity, and most of the energy is feeding back to the national grid.
The project is a joint effort between Tambour Hefer Ecology Ltd and Granite Hacarmel Investments Ltd. Granite Hacarmel CEO Amiaz Sagis said, "This is unquestionably an important milestone. This facility fits in with Granite Hacarmel's strategy to invest in infrastructures and ecology. The company is also investing resources to develop alternative energy, water treatment, and desalination.” While it wasn’t made cheap – the new plant located in Hadera cost about $10 million to build, which included a $2 million grant from Israel’s Ministry of Agriculture to help improve Israel’s much-polluting dairy industry. First the manure is sterilized, then the solid and liquid waste are processed to produce methane, which drives the generators. Related: Manure Power in the Spotlight and Everything Poops ::Globes via ::ISRAEL21c...
Ask the EcoGeek: Can I Have My EV Now?
by EcoGeek.org on 08. 2.07
Dear EcoGeek,
Who killed the electric car? Seriously, why can't I buy one yet and when will I be able to?
Alan Carney
Dallas Texas
Hey Alan,
Much love to the people who made Who Killed the Electric Car, because they got a lot of stuff right. It wasn't any one person, corporation or technicality that killed the EV1. As with all product failures it was a combination of tons of factors.
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Vermicomposting and Vermiculture: Worms, Bins and How To Get Started
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 2.07
Ed. note: This is the fourth post in the Green Basics series of posts that TreeHugger is writing to provide basic information about important ideas, materials and technologies for new greenies (or those who just need a quick refresher). Read on and stay tuned!
What is vermicomposting? Why use worms?
Known also as worm compost, vermicast, worm castings, worm humus or worm manure, vermicompost is similar to plain compost, except that it uses worms in addition to microbes and bacteria to turn organic waste into a nutrient-rich fertilizer. Vermicompost, or vermiculture, most often uses two species of worms: Red Wigglers (Eisenia foetida) or Red Earthworms (Lumbricus rubellus) rarely found in soil and are adapted to the special conditions in rotting vegetation, compost and manure piles.
How does vermicomposting work?
It works like this: after procuring a container and setting it up (more on that in a sec), feed your worms the same organic waste you'd toss in a compost pile -- which includes just about all of your food waste, save the animal leftovers -- and let them have at it. They chew on it for awhile, and when they're all done eating, they poop (hey, everybody does it) and there you go: vermicompost....
TH Blog Love - Our Favourite Greens Of The Week
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 08. 2.07
Ecostreet: Embrace green motherhood: breastfeed by Tracy Stokes
"Breastfeeding is the most environmentally friendly way to feed your baby. Breast milk is a renewable resource. No plastic bottles that will end up in landfill one day, no energy needed to produce plastic bottles and formula milk, no inefficient land use and methane produced by cows, and the only energy used is your own."
Nicomachus: Carnival of the Green by Phillip Barron
"The finale for this week’s Carnival is an entry that wasn’t submitted -- just one I came across while reading. The author asks a pertinent question that bears repeating in this new wave of popular environmentalism: whether the green aspects of green consumerism outweigh the costs of consumerism itself. Like her, I too am skeptical. Living green is about simplifying one's demands of the world, and green consumerism is still consumerism. How do we get out of this box?"...
Damaris & Marc Design: CNC Beauty from Barcelona
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 2.07
Combining high-tech CNC (that's computer-numerically controlled) routing with artisanal techniques and some sustainable materials, Barcelona studio Damaris & Marc Design have produced some pretty eye-catching wooden designs. Shishi Gami, above, a playful wooden lamp with felt accents added for a pop of color, is our favorite. As regular readers will recall, CNC routing gets the TreeHugger thumbs up because the design is drawn up and locked in with a computer, which controls the router and (theoretically) creates it without mistakes; it also allows for more efficient use of wood, since offcuts can be minimized with the design, and (also theoretically) allows for the kinks in the design to be worked out before any wood is cut. After the jump: Herald, a dramatic screen inspired by the traditional heraldic lion. ::Damaris & Marc Design via ::MoCo Loco
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New Ultra-Low Emissions Combustion Technology Developed
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08. 2.07
It sounds almost too good to be true: just drop the device - dubbed the low-swirl injector (LSI) - into any old gas-burning turbine and watch it achieve low emissions of carbon dioxide and near-zero emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx). Yet this revolutionary combustion technology - developed jointly by a team of scientists from the Lawrence Berkeley Lab and one from San Diego-based Solar Turbines Inc. - did just that in a recent test using pure hydrogen as a fuel. If incorporated into existing power plants, it could help eliminate thousands of tons of NOx and millions of tons of carbon dioxide every year.
The LSI works by imparting a slight spin to the gaseous fuel and air mixture placed in the gas turbine, causing it to spread out. This helps stabilize the flame used to heat the mixture and, more importantly, allows it to burn at lower temperatures. Since the production of NOx is highly temperature-dependent, the lower flame temperature drastically reduces the level of emissions produced. Natural gas-burning turbines equipped with the LSI emitted 2 ppm of NOx, more than 5 times less the amount emitted by conventional burners....
TreeHugger Picks: Solar Cooking
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 2.07
Solar cookers, solar barbeques, solar ovens; we've seen a lot of various names (with slightly different functions) for the handy gadgets that cook with the power of the sun from all over the world. In the midst of the dog days of summer, here are some of our favorite gadgets that don't need the grid to grill.
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| 1) One option for cooking that can be done inside a pot is the SOS Sport, a two-pot box cooker that weighs in at 11 pounds and can cook low-n-slow at temperatures around 200 degrees. An added bonus: it's made from recycled soda bottles. |
 | 2) KSol, the parabolic solar kitchen available in Europe, uses an idea similar to a television antenna, that concentrates solar light in the center of it. Available in two models, which have a diameter of 1 and 1.4 meters (that's about 3 and 4.5 feet) respectively, are equivalent to 300W and 600W of power, and can reach a maximum temperature of 200 degrees C (that's almost 400 F). The Solar Sizzler is another parabolic cooker, available in the States. |
| 3) The Sun Cook Solar Oven calls itself the "the sustainable replacement for the backyard barbecue." The Portuguese design has polished reflectors which concentrate sunlight in the insulated oven chamber; a metal plate on the bottom absorbs solar energy, and the tempered glass top holds it in. Get this: you time your cooking with a built in sundial. Two more hot picks, after the jump... |
America Runs on Fair-Trade Dunkin'
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 08. 2.07
Dunkin' Donuts has never broadcast the fact that all its espresso, cappuccinos, and lattes are 100 percent-certified fair trade. Till now, that is, if you can call placing a blink-and-you'll-miss-it fair-trade sticker on its store doors tooting its own horn.
In this age of corporate-social-responsibility initiatives and greenwashing, this relatively demure PR stance borders on mindboggling. One coffee giant would be screeching this fact from the mountaintops, or, at the very least, the Columbia Center in downtown Seattle, if it upped the ante with such a bold, progressive move, rather than merely providing lip service. Apparently—among the java titans, at least—that's the Dunkin' Difference.
Let's compare numbers between the two chain stores: 100 percent of Dunkin' Donuts' espresso-based coffee is fair-trade-certified, compared with Starbucks' 3.7 percent. Because of its prodigious reach, however, Starbucks is North America's largest purchaser of fair-trade coffee, which makes its purchasing decisions hardly inconsequential.
But what's the big deal about fair trade, you may ask?...
Clif Bar's Other Organic Adventure
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 08. 2.07
When it comes to Clif Bar we’re usually covering their energy products in addition to the sustainable principles of the company. But while flipping through a recent issue of Outside Magazine, we noticed they had a blurb, not about the latest and greatest in energy bars, but about a venture called Clif Bar Family Winery.
Located on a farm in Napa Valley, Gary Erickson and his wife Kit Crawford purchased the property to raise horses, goats and chickens with the hopes of growing vines one day as well.
Like Clif Bar, the farm represents their vision and commitment to organic and sustainable farming, locally grown ingredients and artisan handcrafted foods.
Their commitment to sustainability also transcends through all aspects of life on the farm, for instance, they grow 100% organic fruits and vegetables and all of the vehicles run on bio-diesel.
Although some of their grapes for their wines are sourced from other vineyards, they do seek fruit from growers that are committed to the land and practice sustainable farming. While we haven’t tasted Clif’s wines yet, we’re interested to see what’s next. Via ::Outside Magazine ::Clif Bar Family Winery & Farm...
Greenpeace to Mexico: Clean Beaches Now!
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 2.07
Don't know much about this Greenpeace campaign, just love the images.
"These pictures show Greenpeace activists take part in a protest against the unloading of sewage into the sea and pollution of beaches at Los Muertos beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, Aug. 1, 2007. They set a giant inflatable toilet with the words reads, "Clean beaches now"." ::Splurch...
Record Player Made from Paper
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 2.07
We love seeing what people build out of paper, part of our preoccupation with downloadable designs. Artist Simon Elvins built this: A "Fully working, manual record player made entirely of paper. To play the record the handle needs to be turned in a clockwise direction at a steady 331/3rpm. The paper cone then acts as a pickup, amplifying the sound enough to make it audible. (Record shown, 'The Sound of Music' 1965)." ::Simon Elvins via ::Notcot...
TreeHugger Radio: Super Sucking the Reefs, The Great Dead Zone, and Getting Personal with the Walrus
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 08. 2.07
As the infamous dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico yawns ever wider, scientists in Hawaii are practicing an experimental method of vacuuming invasive algae off the choking coral. Meanwhile, in Britain, a radical plan to cut emissions makes a case for a carbon neutral nation. We also speak with the directors of Artic Tale about lessons from the North Pole and the question of animal anthropomorphism (click here for the full interview). Subscribe to TreeHugger Radio on iTunes or listen/right click to download. To send us feedback, comments, or to sponsor this show, just fire us an email. ::TreeHugger Radio ...
Dow's Toxicant Causes EPA Some Legal Headaches
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08. 2.07
It probably won't come as much of a shock to you when we say that we're no big fans of Dow Chemical here at TreeHugger. In fact, quite the opposite. Aside from having compiled arguably one of the worst environmental records in recent history, Dow recently earned the distinction of being named the 11th top air polluting corporation in the U.S. So we weren't too surprised to hear that a lawsuit had been filed over the harmful health effects of one of its pesticides — chlorpyrifos.
Instead of suing the company directly, however, the coalition of unions and NGOs said it will sue the EPA for approving the use of chlorpyrifos. The pesticide — which is sold under several different brand names — is now widely used for agricultural purposes though it once served as a potent neurotoxin in chemical bombs during World War II. The lawsuit alleges the EPA didn't adequately evaluate the health consequences — which the coalition says includes nausea, dizziness and, in some rare cases, death — of the pesticide when it re-approved its use for farming in 2001....
Bio+ Chair: Oil-Free Plastic Seating
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 2.07
With a mission to demonstrate that it is possible to create well-designed, thoughtful furniture without cutting down forests, employing oil-based plastics, glass fibers or toxic glues, designer Michael Strom and civil engineer Lasse Svensson came together to create what they call the Bio+ chair.
Its shell (the blue part in the above picture) is created instead with bioplastics (a topic mentioned a time or two here at TreeHugger), using 100% plant-based materials for the feedstock, and is therefore fodder for your compost pile when the chair's useful life has finished; this gives the chair "an umbilical cord to nature," which is an odd but effective metaphor for its life cycle.
Strom and Svensson are reportedly working up a product service system-type arrangement for the metal frame, to insure that no components of the chair has to go in the trash. The chair was featured at last year's Copenhagen International Furniture Fair and Habitat Valencia Forward, and will be joined by three new members of the Bio+ family soon: a lounge chair, dining table and bar chair.
Hit the jump to see more pics. ::Bioplus via ::Yanko Design...
Design Steps Up in Disaster's Wake
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 2.07
It is a TreeHugger mantra that design makes a difference; what better example than the work of Architecture for Humanity in Biloxi, Miss. Shown is the first house of the Biloxi Model Home Program, designed by Brent Zamore. The New York Times writes about how AFH pulled this together: “Everyone was trying to serve the residents with just one piece of the puzzle,” said Sherry-Lea Bloodworth, the Gulf Coast development director of Architecture for Humanity. “If you send someone out the door with a loan but nothing else, they are completely lost.”
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"Brown Clouds" Over India Just as Bad as Greenhouse Gases
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08. 2.07
Although previous research had seemed to indicate that aerosols could create a general cooling effect in the atmosphere — thus helping mitigate the effect of global warming — a new study has revealed that they may in fact warm it just as much as greenhouse gases. In fact, these "brown clouds" — soot-filled aerosol clouds — have been increasing atmospheric warming over India by about 50%.
According to the study's lead author, Veerabhadran Ramanathan of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego, the brown clouds could cover the North Indian Ocean, an area close to that of the continental U.S., and their haze could be up to 2 miles (3 km) thick. Because the haze reaches the lower parts of the Himalaya mountain range, Ramanathan and his colleagues believe the clouds could play an important role in the recently observed glacial melting....
One Keen Contest: Stand Up, Stand Out, Stand For
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 08. 2.07
The folks at Keen Footwear are sponsoring not one, not two, but three whole contests, with more than $25,000 up for grabs.
If you're the artsy type, you'll want to take a gander at the Stand Up contest, where you're invited to submit a creative, original piece of film, art, photography, or journalism devoted to "sustainability, positive environmental change, and/or raising environmental awareness."...
Zero X: The 100% Electric Dirt Bike
by Justin Thomas, Virginia on 08. 2.07
The Zero X is a silent, all-electric dirt bike that runs on lithium-ion batteries instead of gas. The the California-based Zero Motorcycles has started selling these bikes for $6900. Google co-founder Larry Page bought one. The company also has a street-legal commuter bike in the works, which should be released in the coming months. This bike will be slightly larger and more powerful than the Zero X. The commuter version will be a competitor to Brammo Motorsports' commuter bike, the Enertia which sells for $11,995. (See our previous story on this bike.)
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Bogota Shows How to Reinvent Cities
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 2.07
Water Tables Falling
by Lester Brown, Washington, D.C on 08. 2.07
Water is vital to life. To many of us, it is within reach of a faucet, but for many others it is not. And it is fast becoming a scarce resource. As I note in Plan B 2.0 ), more than half the world’s people live in countries where water tables are falling.
The U.S. embassy in Beijing reports that Chinese wheat farmers in some areas are now pumping from a depth of 300 meters, or nearly 1,000 feet. Pumping water from this far down raises pumping costs so high that farmers are often forced to abandon irrigation and return to less productive dryland farming. A World Bank study indicates that China is overpumping three river basins in the north--the Hai, which flows through Beijing and Tianjin; the Yellow; and the Huai, the next river south of the Yellow. Since it takes 1,000 tons of water to produce one ton of grain, the shortfall in the Hai basin of nearly 40 billion tons of water per year (1 ton equals 1 cubic meter) means that when the aquifer is depleted, the grain harvest will drop by 40 million tons--enough to feed 120 million Chinese. ...
TH Exclusive: Sustainable Innovation with NuRide CEO and Co-Founder Rick Steele
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 08. 2.07
Recycoool: Recycled Inner-Tube (?) Furniture
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 2.07
With names like "The Master," "The Big Yogi," and "Nirvana," you might expect something different than these ultra-mod, totally tubular (couldn't resist) designs. Created by pumping air into recycled inner tubes given structure by a metal framework, the collection of furniture features a handful of chairs and lounges, a bench and a couple of tables; while they fall a bit closer to art than everyday furniture (and you wouldn't want to let you cat scratch or practice knife-juggling too close to them), we do like the shape and "bubbliness" afforded by the air-filled construction; you just may want to keep a tire patch kit around.
Recycled. Coool. More pics after the jump. ::Recycoool via ::MoCo Loco...
Carbon Footprint of Tap Water
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 08. 2.07
No, we're not saying that water is something to avoid. But, out of curiosity, what is the carbon footprint of tap water? This was the question posed to the Guardian today by a reader, "Watching those pictures of water being pumped out of flood-stricken areas got me thinking: how much energy does it take to produce all our mains water?"
Leo Hickman explains that every day the UK uses 19 billion litres of tap water, and every year we use seven cubic kilometres. I know that's an odd metric to use, but think about it - that's enormous. Of course, much of this is wasted, either through leaking pipes or by us, in our houses.
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Zerofootprint Guides: Offsetting, Part 5 - So, you think you don't offset?
by Ron Dembo, Zerofootprint on 08. 2.07
Every Thursday night, like every other householder in our neighborhood, I collect our waste paper, cans, bottles and plastic and put them out on the street outside our house. On Friday morning a local municipal truck comes by and collects it for recycling. I pay for this service through my taxes. Apart from some gripes about the efficiency of the service, few local people complain about it. And only a few extremists who tend to oppose government action in all its forms object to the recycling on principle.
In essence, recycling is a form of offsetting. I am paying someone else to deal with waste products of my lifestyle. Apart from my own conscience and the small chore of actually collecting together the paper, bottles, etc., and putting them on the street, there is little incentive or pressure on me not to accumulate the waste. Sure, there is plenty of encouragement to recycle, but no one harangues me for not cutting down on the newspapers I read, or suggests I should avoid buying my cat food in cans, or demands I should buy beer by the barrel to avoid so many glass bottles.
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Siding: Richard Dreyfuss, Where Are You When We Need You?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 2.07
It used to be so easy; the tin men would show up and sell you wonderful long-lasting aluminum siding and your problems would be over. Then life got complicated when we wanted something that didn't dent or look like, well, aluminum siding.
This month's Dwell magazine has a look at some of the sidings that are available for your home and alas, none of them is perfect; there are so many trade-offs that have to be made. Is there an affordable, sustainable, long-lasting truly green siding?
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No Child Left Inside Act of 2007
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 08. 2.07
With attendance at our National Parks dropping significantly while children increasingly choose video games and internet chat forums over the great outdoors it may come as no surprise to Treehuggers everywhere that something needs to be done. That’s probably why Congressman John Sarbanes (D-MD) has introduced the No Child Left Inside Act of 2007 (H.R. 3036) to be put inside the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB)… As anyone inside of education can tell you, NCLB has serious drawbacks, just one of which may be that it’s requirements are encouraging teachers and schools to move away from engaging kids outdoors and leaving them far behind when it comes to an understanding of environmental issues. But this piece of legislation aims to change all that by providing incentives for state educational agencies to create a State Environmental Literacy Plan for integrating environmental education into their K-12 curriculum to ensure that graduates are environmentally literate. ...
Share, Share, Share
by Tamara Giltsoff, United Kingdom on 08. 2.07
I’ve covered quite a few items on sharing or doing things together in my posts in the last year and it seems like the notion is really taking off in areas, in particular transportation. And while I’m on the subject, I must credit Dave Chiu for sharing some of these examples with me. I like sharing. Despite the fact the notion is seemingly completely at odds with the cultural psyche of the U.S., (which I often get told when I write about the concept of shared services – because American’s like to have their own cars and their own property and don’t see value in sharing), it is beginning to enter the vernacular here and is definitely on the rise in Europe. The powerful thing about sharing is that it not only saves on resources, and waste, but it also typically changes behaviors. Car sharing (ZIPcar and Streetcar) is a good example: people drive less ie, don’t drive unnecessarily when they share a car because a) it’s a cost and b) others are using it. Sharing a meal with someone is very sexy too. And it always tastes better! What does it change? Possibly means eating less or wasting less as you don’t have to ordered loads to taste lots of things. ...
Is Internet Shopping Eco? The IMRG and their OLGAs
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08. 2.07
The IMRG (Interactive Media in Retail Group) recently held their OnLine Green Awards — the OLGAs, which were voted on by more than 9,000 shoppers and a panels of judges. You can see the finalists by downloading the PDF, but of more intrigue for us was not so much who won the gong, but the assertions made by the IMRG about the Green Effects of Internet Shopping. They sprout some impressive figures. Such as: “Efficient package delivery by van can replace inefficient personal driving to the shops; in the case of grocery shopping, this could reduce vehicle miles by a 70% or more.” Or less inventory because there is a “tendency towards 'pre-selling' online - i.e. taking orders for products before they are built, [...] Research on the US book trade showed that a third of best sellers are unsold due to overproduction.’ And Dematerialisation, whereby many “retail products, such as music, entertainment, software, film, newspapers, dictionaries - and even money itself [...] are becoming digital and therefore downloadable. When this happens, the green effect of internet shopping on manufacture, packaging and physical product movement can be 100%!” See our related story on Green Music. IMRG realise that a true green comparison of CO2 emissions between internet shopping and other retail distribution models is required to back up these sorts of notions, and as such is a partner in the Green Logistics research consortium — six leading universities conducting retail distribution research over four years. See some of the findings so far appear after the fold. ::OLGAs...
Is that Farmer Really Selling Local Food?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 2.07
Once again I demonstrate my failures as a photographer; that label says "California Plum 4040 USA." It was found on a single plum at the bottom of a typical farmers' market basket of fruit, bought at a roadside stand on highway 11 just north of Orillia, with signs saying "Hewitt's Ontario Corn" and "Ontario Blueberries." We should have asked, instead of just assuming that a farmer's stand would sell local food. We wonder what they would have said, given that the labels were carefully removed from all the other plums.
As local food becomes big, watch out for scammers, going to the food terminal and then putting on, as Murray McLaughin called it, the straw hat and old dirty hankie. ...
Be More Than Green
by Jerry Stifelman, The Change, Chapel Hill, NC on 08. 2.07
[This is the fourth in a series of five guest posts looking at the importance of brand strategy and effective marketing for green and ethical businesses. For post one, click here, for post two, click here, and for post three, click here.]
Being responsible to the environment is a moral act. And morality is not proprietary. If you're a business genuinely committed to sustainability, then you want others to follow in your footsteps. Which means you need to tool your brand to thrive not only in today's market, but also in a world where everyone is green. As we touched on in our second post, Just Because It Saves the World, That Doesn't Make it Popular, sustainability shouldn't be the foundation of your brand. Instead think of it as leverage—as a way to help propel you where you want to be. For a green company, just like any other business, branding needs to be proprietary. It should reflect your company's personality and institutional realities. And, of course, you need to do whatever you do really, really well.
Here are some suggestions to creating a sustainable brand that will thrive when sustainability is commonplace.
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Book Review: The Perfect $ 100,000 House
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 2.07
Karrie Jacobs was founding editor of Dwell Magazine and knows her stuff. She also has an approachable, breezy writing style that is a joy to read. This book is the story of her quest to find the perfect $100,000 house "a great, cheap house, a place that I can afford, that satisfies my need for a home my taste for innovative design and and my desire for a more enlightened approach homebuilding." It came out last summer; I wish I had not waited so long to read it.
It is a road trip; sort of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance for the Dwell set. She crossed the country twice, met almost everyone in the business, and ultimately failed. However failures are often as interesting and educational as successes (or so I tell myself often) and she has squeezed a victory out of this defeat. I was particularly enchanted by the book because in my years as an architect promoting prefab I met many of the people she visited and knew of the others. Her judgments about people and their work, the companies that she flipped off with barely a mention, show a keen eye and real understanding of who is who and what is what- she nails them all.
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Put a Cow in Your Tank. Force 10 from New Zealand
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08. 2.07
Yup, it’s not only green beer and beds they know how to make make in the land of the long white cloud, but biofuel too. Whereas it's the very powerful corn lobby in the US that is pushing for ethanol-based biofuels, NZ has its own dominant industry, outside of sheep, that is:- Dairy. So why not make ethanol from all that by-product from milk production, namely whey. Gull Petroleum convinced New Zealand’s Prime Minister, Helen Clark, to pump their first public tank of Force 10 biofuel, which contains a 10% blend of whey-derived ethanol and 90% high octane petrol. Gull have calculated that someone who weekly uses a 30 litre (8 gallon) tank of Force 10 ($1.61 NZD a litre) will annually save more than 250 kilograms (550 lbs) of carbon dioxide emissions. Initially the biofuel will be only from three service stations, but the company plans to roll it out to most of their 30 sites over time, hoping it will soon account for 10-12% of their sales. Though the product is said to work best in newer cars. And Gull are eight months ahead of the regulations, which will begin to see New Zealand strive for targets of 3.4% biofuel....
The Print House: Huge Solar Tile Installation in East London
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 08. 2.07
Solarcentury are at it once again. We’ve only just posted on this leading UK company’s recent offer of 50% extra free on solar panels, and now we hear that they have completed a 184 square meter installation (approx. 2024 square feet) of their distinctive solar tiles on the roof of The Print House, a property in East London consisting of 50 office suites occupied by 30 small businesses, voluntary and social enterprise organisations. According to Solarcentury, this project is one of the largest of its kind in the country, and should save up to 12 tonnes of carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere each year:
“This is the most efficient solar PV technology available, operating at 20% efficiency. The installation will provide most of the electricity that the building?s occupants require. This makes The Print House a highly efficient roof, and one of the most productive PV roofs (per sqm) in the UK. At the weekends, and when the electricity use will be lower, this type of installation enables users to export power to the national grid.”...
Just What You Needed: The Nag
by Bonnie Alter, London on 08. 2.07
Nag, pester, nudge, guilt-trip....what are the words to describe those "gentle reminders" that pop up via email, urging us to buy, read gossip, eat better, or live wiser. Here's a cute little website that sends a hint every month (now that's pretty painless) about "one easy thing you can do to be greener, cleaner and, if you're not careful, a tiny bit smug." They are focusing on issues such as food, fair trade, flying, energy, clothing, money and transport. For each one there is a concise explanation and then as much detail as anyone would want on the subject.
Sponsored by Anti-Apathy ("because waking up is hard to do"), an organisation devoted to political and social change and offering ideas and "practical, at-your-fingertips 'things you can do' in your day to day life – in short, a one stop shop for positive change". And it is all done with a sense of humour, which is a welcome addition. Upon joining, you are eligible to win the "Crap Prize of the Month" (pictured)--this one a very special clock, recycled from Oxfam. And they have a barometer to measure the impact of the site. For example, to date 138 people have switched to green energy as a result of the Nag. Worth getting nagged once a month. :: The Nag...
Survey: Is Green Consumerism a Pox on the Planet?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 2.07
George Monbiot says it is. "I am now drowning in a tide of ecojunk. Over the past six months, our coat pegs have become clogged with organic cotton bags, which - filled with packets of ginseng tea and jojoba oil bath salts - are now the obligatory gift at every environmental event." Ed Mayo disagrees; he helped found the FairTrade mark, and says "Correctly done, personal consumer action can add to, rather than subtract from, what is needed at a wider political level." but wait, hold the Mayo; Eamon O'Hara says "Ultimately, our problem is consumption, and the environment is not the only casualty." Commenters think otherwise.
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Recycle a Prius
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 08. 1.07
MAKE blog have a post about buying a wrecked Prius and taking the drive train to use in some other hacked creation. If you have a car lying around which you think would make a great hybrid, and a whole lot more mechanical expertise than I do, then this could make an amazing weekend project. Of course, by weekend, I mean every weekend for the rest of your natural life.
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London Stations Lose Fair-Trade Shops
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 08. 1.07
AMT are a chain of cafes that operate out of London train stations. They serve only fair-trade coffee, which we like - both for its ethical sourcing and its early morning caffeine kick. Unfortunately though, they have lost the contract to work out of Network Rail's stations and the company that is replacing them doesn't offer any fair-trade options at all....
TH Forums Highlights: The Bane of Bottled Water, Veggie Burgers, Blackle.com and More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 1.07
TreeHugger Forums never seem to rest, with more and more worthwhile discussions and interesting viewpoints brought up every day; you can even weigh in on what you think of Discovery's acquisition of TreeHugger that just went down this morning. Here are a few more of the highlights...
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 | 1) Forums user roberrific ponders something that has been on TreeHugger's list for awhile now: how to stop bottled water (incidentally, if you have some time to kill, type "bottled water" into the TH search engine and go nuts). roberrific makes some good points, saying, "These corporations profit from unique marketing that sows the seeds of two lies - bottled water is better for your health, and the public water system is unsafe." Can they be stopped? Weigh in with your answer. |
 | 2) User JiltedCitizen has been doing some immersion forum-posting: "Lately I've had quite a few soy products...or fake meat. Some are not too bad at all...One thing is for sure though...just like canned meat, canned fake meat is GROSS." Could they be good enough to sway the omnivorous among us? Some say yes, some disagree. |
| 3) Forums user ajl9290 has taken Blackle, the dark-background, energy-saving version of Google, for a test drive, and after putting it through its paces and kicking the tires, came up with this: "...if you have a CRT monitor, it will save a little bit of energy but not a large amount; you would be better off just buying a LCD monitor which uses much less power. Still, it never hurts to save any bit of energy that we can." Any Blackle-boosters care to chime in? Recycling CDs and electric vehicle charging stations, after the jump... |
Clean My Ride: Celebs Pimping Ethanol & Acting Badly
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 1.07
TreeHugger doesn't regularly watch MTV's Pimp My Ride, though we hear it's all the rage with the kids and have covered their green efforts before, but something like Clean My Ride sounds much more up our alley. A project of the Center for American Progress Action Fund and headed by "Phin," a man with a plan to lobby Congress to "clean my car" and "flex my fuel." His plan is realized in six acts, in videos embedded in the site, and he gets a few familiar faces to help spread the word. Ben Affleck in a corn suit, Matt Damon dressed like a gas pump, Jennifer Garner employing a British accent and Tobin Bell and his "womb juice" all make an appearance, and, while we can't fault Phin's methods -- employing celebs -- or for the over-reaching message -- that we need Congress to mandate cars that get better gas mileage -- using corn-based ethanol as the flex-fuel crutch is not going to cut it.
We've noted time and again, corn-based ethanol is not a viable choice for an alternative fuel. So go watch the videos; they're funny, and if they can help folks who wouldn't ordinarily lobby Congress do so, that's great, but it's quite irresponsible to anoint corn-based ethanol the savior to our foreign-oil woes. Still, you might get a kick out of watching Sarah Silverman make out with a picture frame. Fair warning: site contains cheesy acting and adult content. ::Clean My Ride via ::AutoblogGreen...
4 Million Children Die Each Year from Enviro-Hazards
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 08. 1.07
Environmental hazards are killing four million children every year. The World Health Organisation claims that problems such as polluted air and water are causing poisonings, acute respiratory infections, diarrhoea diseases and malaria due to thriving mosquito populations in dirty water.
Up to 30% of disease in children can be attributed to environmental factors. "This is something that intuitively we have always recognized, but we never put a number to it," said WHO expert, Jenny Pronczuk....
Singapore's Biodiversity Could Provide Potential Cures
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 08. 1.07
Photo credit: Ashley Ringrose
With a paltry 5 percent of its land officially allocated to nature—and that's including golf courses—Singapore isn't exactly heralded as a hotbed of biodiversity. A local drug-discovery company, however, begs to differ.
MerLion Pharmaceuticals, backed by the National Parks Board, plans to tap into the island-nation's plants, animals, and microorganisms as potential sources of new drugs. While the commercial exploitation of genetic resources is a sore point of contention among many indigenous cultures, Singapore has proven far savvier—royalties from any successfully produced drug will be disbursed to the nation, as well. ::Channel NewsAsia
See also: ::Atmospheric Pollution Ads from Singapore, ::Singapore to Host Eco-Products Fair, and ::We'll believe it when we see it Dept: Landfill Island as Eco-Tourist Site...
Far Out, Man: Wing Chair by Michael Malmborg
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 1.07
With a nod to the past and a peek to the future, Michael Malmborg's WING Chair may just join the ranks of other classic loungers by folks with names like Eames and Jacobsen. We point it out not just as a fantastic-looking chair constructed with heirloom-like quality, but as an example of how design and materials can make a difference. Aside from being made from NASA's memory foam (really -- the same stuff used in the mattress that you can put a glass of red wine on and jump up and down and not spill it) and therefore insanely comfortable, the whole chair shell is made from one piece of intelligently-molded bent plywood.
For those who need a refresher, bent ply is anywhere from eight to 10 times more resource-efficient (wood, in this case) because of the way it's harvested and shaped. At the mill, it's essentially "shaved" off the log, sort of like a paper towel comes off a roll, which makes nearly all of the wood useful (rather than having square pieces of wood cut from a round log). The bending process is also super-efficient; by using pressure and steam to shape the wood, very little needs to be cut, and entire pieces of furniture can be formed from one single sheet of plywood. The Wing chair itself isn't super green, beyond the bent ply, but we like the thinking behind it, and love the looks of the finished product (and the memory foam is a far-out touch). More eye candy after the jump. ::Lyx via ::The Mid-Century Modernist...
Bioplastic Toys for Bringing Up Baby Right and Just Maybe Less Obese
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 08. 1.07
Yet again classic designs go green. This time in the form of bioplastic toys for the kiddies, brought to you by Green Toys. And just in time for fellow TreeHugger Kenny who's son Robert was born the other day. Due to be a father myself later this month, I'm looking forward to sharing with my kids (it's twins!) the same good old toys, less the discernible odor of chemical toxicity, that I played with as a child: the fancifully-colored beach pail, the deluxe tea set with service for four (I had an older sister). ...
Birds to Thank for Tall Trees
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08. 1.07
You can thank our avian friends for helping make all those pine trees so darn tall. According to a new study by Kailen Mooney, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, insectivorous birds — chickadees and nuthatches — indirectly helped pine trees grow by up to 33% by feeding on parasitic organisms that sap their resources. They are voracious consumers of harmful insect species such as caterpillars, ants, aphids and beetles.
In addition, the birds also manage to modify the trees' "chemical flavor" by upping the amount of terpenes — chemicals that repel parasites by imparting a foul taste to the trees' resin. "More than anything, this study underscores the importance of preserving the ecological communities in the forest and not just the trees," concluded Mooney.
Via ::LiveScience: Birds Help Trees Soar (news website)
See also: ::Say Cheese!: Rare "Smiling" Bird Photographed for First Time, ::It's For the Birds
Image courtesy of Maj Adev via flickr...
Baby Boom at Longleat Safari Park
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 08. 1.07
One of the United Kingdom's top family attractions, as well as the first drive-through safari park created outside of Africa, the Longleat Safari Park nurtures its animal denizens in surroundings that closely mimic their habitats in the wild.
Living proof of Longleat's success: the number of animal babies born in the park each year. Birth rates of animals in captivity tend to be low—getting gawked at by screaming, sticky-fingered children isn't very conducive to igniting the flames of amore—but Longleat must be doing something right because it has definitely been keeping the stock on its toes.
Click below the fold for snapshots of the park's latest rugrats. We're about all awwed out for the day. ::About.com...
TreeHugger Acquires Discovery Communications
by Graham Hill, New York, NY on 08. 1.07
Ok, ok. Not quite.
Close to four years ago, TreeHugger was founded with the goal of helping to push
sustainability into the mainstream. Today, as an award-winning Top 20 blog having served over 50 million pages, we like to believe that we've played a part in pushing green towards its tipping point. Today, we are proud to announce another big step toward that goal; Discovery Communications has acquired TreeHugger.
We suspected that at a certain point in TreeHugger's life that we would need to
attract significant investment or partner up with a large media organization if we
were to really take our message to the masses and fulfill our mission. Over the last year, we were approached by over 15 large companies interested in playing this role. We had many conversations and concluded that we needed a partner with a sizeable, international audience, a kindred brand and a high level commitment philosophically and financially to green.
Discovery fits these criteria to a T.
* They reach 1.5 billion (yes, billion!) cumulative subscribers around the world with top quality, often nature related non-fiction content
* They have commitment from the top of the company for over $50M to create content including programming for the world's first 24 hr green channel and in addition have allocated significant budget aimed at building the leading green web portfolio on the Internet
* They already have web properties serving hundreds of millions of pageviews per month
* They are looking to the TreeHugger team to help drive the direction of their green efforts online
We are honored that upon surveying the potential acquisition candidates or the option of building internally, Discovery elected to pursue making us a core element in their overall green strategy. We believe that this combination will allow TreeHugger to go much further and faster than it would have been able to alone or with another partner. If you believe what the world's scientists are saying, and I do, we have but a few years to make major changes in our relationship with nature. By teaming up with Discovery, we believe we can more effectively play a critical role in this mission.
We're bringing 2 premiere brands together, one with the largest broadcast, one with the largest online audience in this area. And then we're making the largest financial commitment towards green yet. Nice, no?
More after the jump...
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EWG Answers: Is Hydroponic Produce the Same as Organic?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08. 1.07
"Dead Zones" Becoming More Frequent along Oregon Coast
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08. 1.07
For the sixth straight year now, a large expanse of oxygen-depleted water — known as a "dead zone" — has appeared off the coast of central Oregon, raising concerns among scientists about the long-term health and biodiversity of the ocean ecosystem. This phenomenon occurs when northerly winds move the top layer of ocean water out to sea, pulling up nutrient-rich, oxygen poor water from the deep ocean to replace it.
The rich concentrations of nutrients help stimulate large plankton blooms and subsequent die offs, which result in bacteria eating the decomposing plankton and consuming what little oxygen remains in the water. Though fast swimming fish are sometimes able to escape these dead zones, other slower moving organisms — such as crabs, sea stars and other invertebrates — die by suffocation. Fish that are caught by the low oxygen levels suffer a host of debilitating reproductive problems, including lower egg counts, lack of spawning and the decreased size of reproductive organs. The dead zone's return was discovered by oceanographers at Oregon State University, who deployed robotic underwater gliders and other monitoring devices over the past few months to assess oxygen levels in the water....
Haier WasH2O, the Detergent-Free Washing Machine
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 1.07
TreeHugger is always on the lookout for ways to cut back on the resources and stuff we need to get by on a day-to-day basis, and it doesn't get much more routine than laundry. We've seen some good green options in the past -- LG's steam machine and Bosch's Nexxt Washer are a few water-sippers out there, and Sanyo's Aqua washer uses ozone to wash -- but the Haier WasH20 cuts out the detergent and washes with a common chemical substance called dihydrogen monoxide. It breaks down the substance (if you're concerned about the potential dangers, read more about it here) into OH- and H+ ions; OH- acts as the cleaning agent by attracting and retaining stains while the H+ ions sterilizes the clothes. It's currently available in France for a shade less than a grand; could we see a jump stateside soon? ::WasH2O (site in French) via ::Freshome...
Hummer Drivers Green With Envy
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 1.07
For those for whom a Hummer limo is not conspicuous enough for the senior prom, (or the shotgun wedding) Tank Limo offers a 56 ton Chieftain battle tank converted into a limo. Only $ 3,600 per day, no doubt because of the mileage. Perfect for the big move to Discovery!
Truly, there is truly no limit to the innovative ways people find to burn gas. ::TankLimo.com via ::Dark Roasted Blend
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Participate! and Go To Burning Man
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 08. 1.07
TreeHugger and Current TV want to give you a chance to show off your best eco-ideas at this year's Burning Man event. Through our joint contest, Participate!, we will give one lucky reader 2 tickets to the Burning Man event where said reader will be able to show off their genius invention, coverage of this great idea on Current TV, and a copy of the Burning Book, a visual journey through the history of Burning Man. But, we all know that TreeHugger readers are smart cookies, and there is most definitely going to be more than just one great idea, so our 1st and 2nd runners-up will also receive a copy of the Burning Book.
Want to show off your great idea at Burning Man? Here's what you have to do - Send a 2D sketch or (preferably) 3D model along with a quick explanation of your idea that will change the way we live, eat, drive, build, etc. to: contest [at] treehugger [dot] com by August 11. Judges from TH, Current TV and Burning Man will choose the best idea and send the winner tickets to the Burning Man event to take part in this year's theme, the Green Man. So, don't just sit there....Participate!
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42.8% Efficiency: A New Record for Solar Cells
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08. 1.07
Narrowly edging out the previous record set by Spectrolab late last year, two scientists at the University of Delaware have just created a new device that can convert 42.8% of the light striking it into electricity. The solar cell, built by Christina Honsberg and Allan Barnett, splits light into three components — high, medium and low energy light — and directs it to several different materials which can then extract electrons out of its photons.
One of the device's key elements is an optical concentrator — a lens-type component that increases the cell's efficiency by directing more sunlight to it than would happen naturally (a boost that contributed in great measure to its record-setting performance). It measures in at just below 1 cm thick, a major improvement over the Spectrolab model which featured a concentrating lens about 1 foot thick. Unlike most concentrators that use a two-axis tracking system to follow the sun, this optical concentrator is also stationary — a major feat....
Bottled Water and Snake Oil
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 1.07
The Economist wonders why people buy bottled water. "To many, all this is the ultimate proof that consumers are daft and easily manipulated by retailers to buy things they don’t need." and "The success of bottled water is in many ways one of capitalism’s greatest mysteries. Studies show consistently that tap water is purer than many bottled waters—not including those that contain only tap water, which by some estimates is 40% of the total by volume."
We wonder as well, and do not agree with their conclusion that "maybe it is testimony to the good job that capitalism, in the form of bottled-water producers, has done in developing quality controls and safety protections that are more reassuring than those put in place by our governments and regulated utilities." It is as they called it in the title: Snake oil. ::Economist
Read also "Some reasons I don’t let plastic bottles cloud my water" by ::No Impact Man...
Which Gasoline Should I Buy?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 1.07
When we wrote about the expansion of BP's Whiting plant in Indiana, commenter Eugene asked "So since I still need to buy gas, who should I be buying it from? We didn't have the answer but the Sierra Club did. They reviewed the records of the eight largest U.S. oil companies and concluded:
Top of the Barrel
* BP
* Sunoco
Middle of the Barrel
* Royal Dutch Shell
* Chevron
* Valero Energy Corporation
* Citgo
Bottom of the Barrel
* ExxonMobil
* ConocoPhillips
They documented reasons; you can read them at ::Sierra, and you can even order a free ::handy air freshener. via ::grist...
TreeHugger Welcomes the Environmental Law Institute
by Environmental Law Institute on 08. 1.07
Mom Writes Book For Kids to Help Stop Global Warming
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 08. 1.07
What’s a writer and mom to do when she realizes that global warming is real and that kids and parents need to be aware of it? Write a book for kids and reach them both at the same time! That’s what Deborah Sherrell chose to do when she combined her love for the environment and love for kids in her recently published children's book, “Baby Lauren and Theodore”. To break the whole process of global warming down to a child’s-eye view the book explores the four seasons in a fun way while children learn the valuable role that trees play in the environment. And actually, the book stemmed from the fact that her daughter Lauren actually had a tree named Theodore, which helped her better understand and appreciate nature and the environment. Because as Sherrell points out, “...get them interested in loving nature early in life because global warming isn't going to go away and it's a huge problem, but we can all do something individually”. If you’d like to give it a shot, it’s available via her website and, of course, at amazon.com.
via:: ocregister.com...
Time Running Out For Shed Spot Competition
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 1.07
We have been following the submissions to the Line of Site shed competition with great interest; lots of new, innovative designs from around the world. For those who work at home, sheds offer the opportunity to get a little extra space and privacy. The competition closes on August 3rd so if you are planning on entering you better hurry; here are a few interesting entries for inspiration.
Alex Jones of the UK submits the a work pod, "inspired by the luxury motor home with expanding mid-section, condensed into a garden shed. In its compact mode, the work pod can accommodate up to two people working at either end, but more suitable for one. Space permitting, a twist and pull extends the pod sideways, resulting in a more spacious internal work cabin and a separate semi-external workspace (perfect for those long summer evenings). The two workspaces are either divided by the sliding entrance door or treated as one larger workspace when the door opens."...
Seville’s SEVici is Yet Another City Bike Share Program
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08. 1.07
Hot on the spinning heels of Vancouver’s new Bike Share initiative comes more red bicycles, as part of SEVici (Seville Bici). Launched late in July 07 with 300 bikes at 30 ‘stations’ the plan is to roll out a total of 1,500 bicycles to 150 sites before the end of the year. The JC Decaux company is supplying the bicycles to the city for free in exchange for the right to use the bikes and the stations for advertising. This is the same arrangement in the French city of Lyon, which we reported on exactly two years ago, so one assumes it remains a win-win for both the company and the participating cities. Seville’s residents (and visitors) can get a weekly coupon for 5 euros (~7 USD). The first half hour of each use is free with additional hours costing 2 euros. The bikes themselves (see You Tube vid here) come with lights, carrier basket, mud guards, chain guards, spoke guards, bell, stand and integrated lock. Our rough and ready translation of the Spanish site suggested the tag phrase for the service was something like “to move without contaminating.” All the best to Seville for joining other long sighted cities such as Amsterdam, Lyon, Paris, London, Barcelona and Cordoba in adding bicycles to their public transport mix. ::SEVici, via ::Expatica....
Clooney’s Italian Lake has the Eco-Blues
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 08. 1.07
A recent report released by the Italian enviro-org. Legambiente describes a beach on Lake Como near George Clooney’s villa as “one of the worst polluted beaches in the country.” Although the famously beautiful lake is a clear azure blue and does not look like an unhealthy microbe-infested danger zone, according to Legambiente’s scientific director Stefano Ciafani the lake is unsafe for swimming. “On Lake Como this year we have found a worrying situation from the point of view of microbiological pollution. The problem of purification has not been resolved (over the last 20 years), and this applies to all the municipalities that border the lake, and also those at some distance from it, which use the rivers that discharge into the lake as sewage pipes." Legambiente warns that along with sunny memories and a golden tan, beachgoers may also bring home much less pleasant skin infections, dermatitis and salmonella.
The sorry state of the lakes is caused by a number of environmental abuses including: unsustainable agriculture and toxic runoff, discharge from illegal home and building construction, reduced rainfall and a dramatic increase in water demand from the lakes. The EU has mandated that lakes within member countries should be of good quality by 2016, but regional governments in Italy have expressed skepticism about their ability to comply with the clean water goals.
Wonder if George could lend a hand? Via ::Belfast Telegraph...
New Electric Scooter Patents from Honda - Does This Mean They're Coming?
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 08. 1.07
The folks at Honda are keeping themselves busy these days. Just after announcing that a diesel Accord is coming to the States in a few years, a patent for electric scooter technology popped up over at AutoblogGreen. Featuring a design that looks similar to this prototype we spied a few years back, the patent suggests that Honda is knee-deep in developing an electric scooter using some pretty interesting technology; they're patenting a system for a rear drum brake that employs fins to help keep it cool and resist heat transfer from the brake to the electric motor. While we aren't sure if that includes battery regeneration or not (as in hybrid cars) -- it seems like they ought to -- we hope this means there'll be electric Honda scooters cruising down the roads near you sooner rather than later...stay tuned. ::The Scooter Scoop via ::AutoblogGreen...
Mother Nature Knows Best: Biomimetic Subs Inspired by Bluegill Sunfish
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 08. 1.07
Biomimicry is nothing new to many TreeHuggers, as witnessed by our pick of biomimetic designs here. Or howabout our posts on scientist mimicing the elastic properties of fleas' knees, . For those of you not familiar with the term, it is essentially design that either imitates life, or at least takes its cue from nature – a fuller definition can be found via our post here. Now we’ve come across a fascinating example of biomimicry on the BBC website, namely a concept for submarines designed to mimic the efficient movements of the bluegill sunfish:
"The bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) moves with great efficiency; its pectoral fins are able to propel it creating very little backwards thrust. Where most fish move by flapping their fins back and forth, the bluegill sunfish uses a "cupping and sweeping" motion. Its fin sweeps forwards then curls at its lower and upper edges to create a cup-like shape. This produces a thrust that propels the fish with very little water resistance."Apparently researchers hope that these subs could be put to use mapping oceans, surveying shipwrecks or sweeping for mines. Of course this isn't the first time biomimetics has taken inspiration from fish - check out this super-aerodynamic car. Just another example of what we can learn from the extraordinary design skills of Mother Nature… ...
GreenPan: PFOA and PTFE-free Non-stick Cookware
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08. 1.07
We covered the issue (once or twice) of whether aluminium cookware leads to Alzheimers and had robust discussions (once, twice and thrice) on the risks associated with perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) in Teflon based non-stick cookware. In the latter case the US EPA is asking manufacturers to reduce their PFOA emissions by 95% before 2010. Into this debate comes GreenPan. It claims to be the “the first environmentally- friendly, PTFE-free non-stick cookware available since the introduction of non-stick technology in 1938.” PTFE being Polytetrafluoroethylene, the chemical name for Dupont’s Teflon trademarked material. The details for GreenPan are a little sketchy, but we are told it uses a Thermolon ceramic-based nano non-stick technology that has high heat resistance (850°F or 450°C) and is scratch and abrasion resistance. The marketing blurb suggests it will not will not break down or wear over time. Plus there are also claims that Thermolon-based cookware releases 50% fewer greenhouse-gasses during production. Curiously however it was launched nationwide exclusively online at HSN.com on Thursday, 26 July 2007. Now just a couple of days later there is no reference at all to the product line on their site. Very odd. But you can find more information at Thermolon and ::GreenPan. Via PR NewsWire....
Politicians Stay HomeThis Summer
by Bonnie Alter, London on 08. 1.07
Senior politicians are staying home in the UK for this year's summer holidays. In the glory days of yore, the press delighted over former Prime Minister Tony Blair's summer travel plans. Famed for their love of free celebrity hideaways, the Blairs vacationed gratis at Cliff Richard's villa in the Bahamas, Bee Gee Robin Gibb's Miami mansion and with Berlusconi in Sardinia. But the new Prime Minister is a thrifty and dour Scot. To make a statement about austerity and against excesses of the past (and maybe pro-environment?), he will be going back to vacation at his family home in Scotland. Other members of his Labour cabinet have also got the message: one is golfing in Scotland, another is going to Cornwall, another is taking the train to France and another is flying but has already offset her flight.
Not to be outdone, the Conservatives have joined the rush to stay home. One has already driven to the countryside and David Cameron will be travelling to Brittany by ferry. The decision to choose France ahead of more exotic locations underlines the Conservative leader's determination to show he is "one of us" and it also helps him underline his green credentials .The Lib Dem leader is taking his holiday on the Hebrides and another in that party is taking a camper van around Wales. :: Guardian...
Skulking Nocturnal Illegal Sprinklers New Threat to Water Supply
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 1.07
In many parts of America, cities and towns are trying to ban or limit the use of sprinklers to help deal with drought conditions. But just as people are unwilling to give up much to deal with global warming, there are many who will go extraordinary lengths to keep watering their lawn.
According to the Wall Street Journal, some are digging wells or pumping from streams, (which we think would be just as bad for the aquifer), "And some are flat-out cheating. Rosie Igo of Brownsburg, Ind., says she tried obeying her town's new watering restrictions for two weeks this spring -- until her grass went limp. Lately she's been setting her sprinkler system to turn on at 3:30 a.m. when nobody will notice. "My husband's a golfer, he loves green," Ms. Igo explains."
Other citizens of Richistan just don't care about the fines. "Habitual offenders tend to live in wealthier neighborhoods, where a $300 fine "is well below the threshold of what it's worth to have a green lawn," says City Manager Scott Neal. One homeowner in Palm Beach, Fla., recently used 11.7 million gallons of water in 12 months -- running up a $33,629 water bill, according to public records." ::Wall Street Journal
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Not Vegan? No Sex.
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 1.07
When it comes to dating vegans, you are what you eat. Researcher Annie Potts of the New Zealand Centre of Human and Animal Studies at Canterbury University, coined the term "vegansexuals" in her study "Cruelty-Free Consumption in New Zealand: A National Report on the Perspectives and Experiences of Vegetarians and other Ethical Consumers"
She found that many female respondents described being attracted to people who ate meat, but said they did not want to have sex with meat-eaters because their bodies were made up of animal carcasses. One vegan is quoted "I would not want to be intimate with someone whose body is literally made up from the bodies of others who have died for their sustenance." and other quotes not suitable for TreeHugger. Another Vegan simply noted about other vegans: "They definitely taste a lot better." ::NZ Herald
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Time to Pack In the Polycarbonates
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 1.07
It's tough being a TreeHugger reader; one week we tell you to give up bottled water and carry your own bottle; now we suggest that you to ditch your polycarbonate Nalgene. Warren discussed the possibility of leaching of Bisphenol A (BPA) from polycarbonate or Lexan bottles before; Nalgene and others say that there is no evidence that the gender bender estrogen-like chemical was leaching out and if it did, it quickly metabolized into another, harmless form.
Now, Martin Mittelstaedt of the Globe and Mail reports that a new study says it ain't so; the researchers agree that people break down some of the BPA but that "virtually everybody" in the developed world now has chronic, low level but measurable levels of the real thing, levels equivalent to other natural hormones. The study's lead author is Frederick vom Saal, a biologist at the University of Missouri and one of the world's leading authorities on bisphenol A, (and a leading critic) but it was also signed by 37 other top experts on the chemical.
Effects on men from genderbenders include enlarged breasts and reduced sperm counts. In women, earlier puberty and possible link to breast cancer. ::Globe and Mail
The plastics industry dismisses Vom Saal, but another study supports this research:
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The Parking Meter Controversy of 1932
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 1.07
All over the world, cities are considering London's congestion pricing and traffic control and facing vociferous opposition. The Wall Street Journal notes that in the early thirties, there was chaos in the streets: "Employees of downtown businesses hogged spaces for whole days; some merchants deliberately parked their cars in front of competitors' stores. Other drivers circled the narrow streets waiting for a rare free space. Trucks loading or unloading double-parked. In most cities, there were no marks on curbs to delineate spaces. In the few timed spaces, enforcement by chalking the tires was easy to beat. And the art of parallel parking was in its infancy."
In 1935 when the first meters were installed in Oklahoma City, "drivers believed that charging for parking was downright un-American. The "newfangled nuisances," opponents said, illegally infringed on the individual's right to free use of the public streets. They amounted to a tax on automobiles, depriving owners of their property without due process."
Sounds awfully familiar. ::Streetsblog...
Survey: IM IN UR ROOF: Architectural Tetris
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08. 1.07
Density is one key to sustainability and cities have to adapt, but people don't usually like change. I was immediately attracted to this new building with an extension over an existing old one of no particular merit but part of the texture of the street, that was preserved with its tenants in place. Commenters on ::Curbed were not. Who do you agree with?
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Extreme Telecommuting - It's Not What Dad Did
by Mark Ontkush, Boston, Massachusetts, USA on 08. 1.07
Interesting one here about a chap named Anthony Page who classifies himself as an extreme telecommuter. Page travels the world and works remotely via laptop. Amazingly, he finds an Internet connection almost everywhere, even in the poorest nations.
He got the idea when his job as a Web developer in London was outsourced to India; he took the hint and decided to work with clients long-distance over the Internet as well, while simultaneously taking a non-stop soujourn. Voice, e-mail, and video communication are no problem, and PayPal handles all the payment. Clients, while unsure at first, got used to the idea that they could trust him to deliver work on time. Here's the laundry list of the tools you need.
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Some Laser Printers as Bad as Secondhand Smoke
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08. 1.07
Such were the findings from research recently undertaking at the Queensland University of Technology in Australia. The researchers went to a six-storey office building in the states capital, Brisbane, planning to test its ventilation system. In the process they tested the buildings laser printers. About a third of the machines were considered to be high emitters of ultra fine particles, with 2 medium, 4 low and 23 were non emitters. (see complete list of models in the SF Chronicle article) The emissions they discovered both in the office and later in lab tests reveal the particles were fine enough to infiltrate the lungs, causing damage equal to inhaled cigarette smoke. The study found the problem of indoor quality increased five-fold during work hours due to printer use. Researchers determined that printers emitted more particles when new toner cartridge were installed, and when printing graphics and images, as they require greater quantities of toner. Their suggestions for improved health: better ventilation (and we assume that doesn’t mean re-circulated ‘conditioned’ air, chose non-emitting models of printers, place them as far from peoples desks as possible, and lobby for government regulated emission standards for laser printers. Oddly photocopiers were found to be “not nearly as problematic as the laser printers,” according to researcher, Professor Lidia Morawska (pictured). Via ABC Radio, The Age and San Francisco Chronicle (the latter also having a link to the complete study)....
EcoGeek of the Week: Jonathon Colman
by EcoGeek.org on 07.31.07
Jonathon D. Colman is the Senior
Manager of Digital Marketing at The Nature Conservancy. As such, it's
kinda his job to understand the wild ways of the internet and then to
harness it's raw power for the forces of awesome. Of course, The Nature
Conservancy is one of the big players in the "International Alliance
for Awesomeness." He'll be giving us his take on the web, digital
media, and saving this world. We're excited to have Jonathon as this
week's EcoGeek of the Week.
EG: OK...lets get this out of the way...briefly, what do you actually
do...
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Life Through Rose Colored Solar Cells
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 07.31.07
What would you do if you could choose the color of your solar cell? Want it to be tinted pink? How about a rainbow of colors? What if you could have a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired stained photo-voltaic (PV) window?
Researchers at Ohio State University have demonstrated yet another example of just how fashionable Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (DSSC) can be. For those just joining the conversation, Dyesol is the proclaimed leader in this area of 'third generation' solar cells (follow the link for a review of the technology). A few of the advantages of DSSC is their inexpensive nature, their use of common materials, and the diverse applications and 'add-ons'. ...
Number of the Day: 52.2
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.31.07
52.2 -- the average cost in the US, in cents per mile, of driving a car alone, according to AAA. Compare that to...
20.7 -- the average cost in the US, in cents per mile, of riding public transportation, according to the American Public Transportation Association.
Of course, these numbers take into account myriad assumptions and factors that don't apply to everyone (more explanation is available from the links above) and aren't meant to be absolute; just an interesting comparison and perhaps something you didn't already know. Learn more with TreeHugger's How to Green Your Public Transportation and How to Green Your Car Guides....
Why China Loves Transformers (And Why We Should All Be A Little Worried)
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 07.31.07
Transformers are huge in China, and I don't mean just the devices used to transfer energy between circuits. The alien robot car disaster movie may not have earned more money in China than the US (you can watch the movie free on Chinese websites), but its got enormous buzz. Every Chinese (boy) I know under the age of 25 in Beijing has seen it, and -- gasp -- even paid to watch it on the big screen instead of on bootleg. Director Michael Bay even started his own Chinese language blog to tie in with the release.
Part of the reason for the film's popularity is that Transformers -- which began as a set of toys (made in China of course) before quickly becoming a TV cartoon -- exploded on the scene here in the late 80s, just in time to catch the first generation of kids born under the one-child policy, for whom television was a novel and ground-breaking form of entertainment. And the educational children's programming that flooded CCTV at the time was no match for Optimus Prime, Megatron and company. (Party bureaucrats also could not halt the show, which, in early 1989, they blamed for promoting excess consumption and, ahem, violence.) China's changed faster than an Autobot since the 80s, and while there's not much looking back on those rough years, Transformers is a perfect nostalgia trip. It doesn't hurt that the Hollywood blockbuster eye-candy of the movie -- which is really fun, for the record -- stands out in a mostly drab film landscape. (Unlike a number of big Hollywood films, Transformers only lost some dialog to the government censors.)
But the Transformers craze in China is more than meets the eye. ...
Furochic: And That's a Wrap
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 07.31.07
As no doubt our razor-sharp readers will be quick to point out, the most sustainable packaging is no packaging at all. But if your delicate sense of aesthetics will not permit your goods to go commando, a traditional Japanese art of embellishment that employs a reusable square piece of fabric (or Furoshiki) could be your answer.
Furochic revives that technique with its 100 percent cotton fabric wraps, each measuring 27x27 inches. While we wish the company supplied more-sustainable textile options, you're by no means limited to Furochic's offerings—hemmed squares of hemp, linen, and organic cotton fabrics, or even a brightly patterned vintage scarf, would serve just as well.
Click below the fold for 10 different ways a piece of cloth can dress up your gifts. Jenny Wren Paperie
See also: ::Japan's Wrap Attack: Reduce Waste With the 'Mottainai' Furoshiki, ::"Eco-Packaging" Contest: Time to Vote, ::Not Excessive, But Gratuitous, Packaging, and ::Waste of Packaging: Individually Wrapped Prunes...
Ornamental Inheritance: Old Ceramics Given New Life
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.31.07
Deftly combining contemporary symbols (like airplanes, modern architecture, a McDonalds sign and what looks to be a windmill or two) with aging materials, Netherlands-based studio Jo Meesters and vormgevingsbureau take used ceramics and sandblast them to create a new landscape. Meesters aims to combine technology and craftsmanship, with a balance between aesthetics and innovation within his designs, and the results of this hybridization are quite striking. Hit the jump for more pics of "Ornamental Inheritance" (the ceramic project), and for the details on more of Meesters' work on something called "My Secret Garden." ::studio Jo Meesters...
Cheaper Prius Version Coming
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.31.07
In a move to make its flagship hybrid Prius more affordable to a greater market, Toyota plans on introducing a new "standard" version in 2008 with a base price of $20,950 — about 5.5% less than the cheapest 2007 model. So what features are being taken away for the new "standard" model? According to Toyota, equipment such as cruise control and heated rear view mirrors — which did come with the low-end 2007 model — will be optional this time around. No word on whether the car's fuel consumption will be affected.
On the other hand, the Japanese company is planning on raising the base sticker prices of the 2008 mid-sized and Touring models of the Prius by $150 each. Considering some dealerships are now offering discounts of up to $2,000 on common options packages in light of increasing competition from competitors, we're not sure how much this will help boost their bottom line.
Would such a price drop make you more willing to invest in a Prius next year (albeit a "standard" version)? Or would you rather get the plug-in version?
Via ::The Cincinnati Post: Toyota will offer a cheaper Prius (newspaper)
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Honda Bringing 62.8 MPG Diesel to the US by 2010
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.31.07
Image courtesy Diesel Technology Forum
These aren't words TreeHugger has ever had the pleasure to put in the same sentence before: diesel, Honda, United States, 62.8 miles per gallon, the year 2010. Ahh, that feels good. If this report from CNET is to be believed, it's all true: Honda plans to bring a clean-diesel Accord to the States by the year 2010, where it will get 62.8 mpg (on the highway, give or take) and pretty much kick ass.
The problem, mostly, to this point, has been that diesel engines produce and emit too much pollution to pass air-quality & emissions tests. That all started to change with the introduction of ultra-low sulfur diesel to the States, but automakers have been slow to assimilate. The introduction of a car like this is great news for TreeHuggers in the US: consumers can get hybrid-like (or better!) mileage from a conventionally-priced car and can further curb greenhouse gas and particulate emissions (and say so long to foreign oil) by pumping some biodiesel into the tank. Could the US be the new Europe (where half the cars run on diesel)? This could be the first step in the right direction. ::Diesel Technology Forum via ::CNET...
U.S. Forest Service Takes Aim at Global Warming
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.31.07
With all signs pointing to rising global temperatures and ever larger fires consuming our nation's trees — some studies projecting a fivefold rise in the number of burned acres by century's end — scientists at the U.S. Forest Service have increasingly become caught up in the fight over global warming. While we've often heard talks of carbon sequestration, fuel cells, hydrogen and biofuels over the last few months, the potential for trees to soak up large amounts of greenhouse gases has gone largely unnoticed by Congress.
The statistics are damning: the number of major forest fires has almost quadrupled since 1986 while the percentage of the Forest Service's budget dedicated to fighting fires has risen to 50 over the same period. Researchers believe forests could absorb nearly 500 million tons of carbon dioxide a year — equivalent to a third of the carbon dioxide produced annually by the U.S. — through photosynthesis alone. The question remains now as to how best to handle this growing problem....
How Public Transportation Might Just Save Your Life
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 07.31.07
According to a recent report in Forbes, the amount of driving we do back and forth is killing us...literally. From breathing air polluted with diesel particulates and other nasty pollutants to fatalities occurred in private automobiles, Forbes suggests that many of us are placing health far behind priorities such as McMansions, big box shopping, and congested commutes. Forbes compiled statistics from the American Lung Association's air pollution monitoring, average U.S. traffic delays from the Texas Transportation Institute, and U.S. per-capital car fatalities from the U.S Department of Transportation to find out what U.S. cities were most dangerous to drive in. Their results? Surprise, surprise...Southern California ruled the list. Both Riverside, California and Los Angeles were in the top three, separated by only Atlanta, Georgia. So, what is deemed the answer for this rising health problem? Public transportation and carpooling.
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Sucking Invasive Algae Off of Reefs
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.31.07
Well, that's one way to get rid of those troublesome algae: use an underwater vacuum cleaner to suck them clear off the reefs. Biologists in Hawaii are using devices known as "Super Suckers" to eliminate tons of gorilla ogo, a species of invasive algae that is killing coral reefs, fouling beaches and smothering beds of sea grass. Invasive algae have long been considered a grave threat because of their ability to outcompete local algal communities and coral alike, allowing them to gradually take over the reefs and, in so doing, drastically reduce species diversity in the area.
Super Suckers are made up of a pump and a tube to suction algae from beneath the ocean surface to the deck of a barge. The 100-foot long suction hose is operated by divers, who feed in chunks of algae by hand. The algae are screened to ensure no marine life were accidentally caught during the suctioning process, and they are then stored in bags to be used as fertilizer later on. The devices are capable of removing close to 800 lbs of algae per hour — which helps restore several hundreds of square feet of reef in a day. Studies have demonstrated that areas cleaned with the Suckers experience a revival in their native algal communities and renewed coral growth. ...
Join Your Friends at Camp for Climate Action
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.31.07
Oh, to be young and in London for Climate Camp; gathering with other campers around the campfire singing songs and eating marshmallows at the end of the runway at Heathrow. Learning the ways of our ancestors in fire starting, fence climbing but mostly there for the solidarity of chums standing together, arm in arm for a giant game of Red Rover.
However this years camp might not be as bucolic as the last; The Airport Authority doesn't want frisbees flying over their fences and wants to keep campers far away. To be extra certain that these wild lands will remain pristine, it also wants to ban anyone involved in Airport Watch from getting too close. This is problematic, as Airport Watch is an umbrella organization covering five million citizens, including the Queen and Prince Charles. (more from Greenpeace here)
We hope the kids work through this problem and enjoy the ::Camp for Climate Action 14th August to Tuesday 21st August- "Eight days of low-impact living, debates, learning skills, and high-impact direct action tackling the root causes of climate change."...
Sean McDow: One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.31.07
One man's trash is Sean McDow's treasure. The woodworker and furniture designer started making furniture during the winter of 2005 with little woodworking experience, and "quickly realized how much material is thrown away every day and decided to experiment." Using primarily reclaimed fencing materials that had a ticket for the burn pile or landfill, he has built up a varied portfolio of tables, entertainment centers and stools; we like the "Sign Table" that incorporates a "legally obtained" (we're told) Oklahoma railroad sign. His work has an easy, conversational appeal that goes well with the weathered wood. Though he insists "I am not a company" and that "I build furniture for myself", if you're interested in having a piece for yourself, "I will see what I can work out." ::Sean McDow via ::MoCo Loco...
More Reasons to Plant Corn From Coast to Coast
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.31.07
Don't let any midwestern Senators see this; soon corn will not be just their answer to "energy security" but they will write one-liners into the defense budget suggesting that all our munitions be made from it as well. ::1936 Modern Mechanix...
Light Bulb Packaging: The Package Becomes the Product
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.31.07
Smart packaging design is definitely part of our green future, if for no other reason that packaging that goes in the garbage after you unwrap it is just dumb. Designer Olivia Cheung gets this, and put this ethic to work in her Light Bulb Packaging. An intricate, laser-cut paper box transforms from protective shell to beautiful lamp in a few quick bends and folds (an idea that reminds us of lite2go by knoend), leaving nothing to throw away, and nothing for you to do but bask in its warm glowing warming glow. Just be sure to pop a compact fluorescent bulb in there before lighting up. More pictures and details below the fold; hit her website to see a flash animation of the product in action. ::Olivia Cheung via ::dezeen...
New Report Claims a Zero Carbon Britain is Within 20 Years Reach
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07.31.07
Eco-Libris
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07.31.07
Eco-Libris wants American readers to put something back for all their bookworm pleasures. It’s encouraging them to donate a dollar for each book they read, so trees can be planted to offset all the paper consumed. They figure that 20 million trees are no more for each year of US book sales. To get those trees happening they’ve teamed with three conservation groups: Sustainable Harvest International (SHI) who operate in Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama; RIPPLE Africa operating in Malawi, Africa; and The Alliance for International Reforestation whose focus is Guatemala and Nicaragua. But the blog Book Patrol asked Raz Godelnik, CEO of Eco-Libris why the program was initially targeted at book readers, not publishers, distributors and retailers? Raz responsed in part with: “Our intention is to become a voice to book lovers who want books to be more eco-friendly and make sure the industry will know there's demand for that. We also want to assist pressuring the industry to raise the bar and move quicker towards printing books in an eco-friendly manner.” To their credit they also promote used bookstores, local libraries and borrowing from friends. ::Eco-Libris.
See also our guides for How to Go Green for Authors and Publishers....
From Somewhere
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07.31.07
This hip looking shop has a long (for green fashion) history and started from nowhere. In 1997 its owner and designer started remaking vintage cashmere sweaters: with the wonders of crochet, a moth hole became a flower. She went on to make clothing out of reclaimed textiles and ends of line--the fashion industry's waste. It has ended up here, as a colourful and vibrant line of clothes. Using ends and bits from textile mills all over Europe, the designer works with people in rehab in Italy to create these wild and witty dresses. There are skirts and tops in matching and not so matching prints, but it all works. Even the labels are made of recycled paper.
The shop itself is worth a serious look. The owner works hard to keep her carbon footprint small by recycling and reinventing everything. The floors and doors are recycled, and the door handle is an old iron implement. The clothing is hung on rails made of golf clubs, or from bike wheels suspended like light fixtures from the ceiling. A Singer sewing machine becomes a table and bed springs become a backdrop to hang the clothes. Worth a stop if you are in trendy Notting Hill and looking for something special. :: From Somewhere...
Study Proves Good Design Means Healthier Patients
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.31.07
TreeHugger loves wood buildings; it sinks a lot of carbon and uses less energy to build. It is also warm and attractive, we have a natural affinity for it compared to say, concrete. Architect Tye Farrow likes it too; he wanted to bring elements of nature- sunlight, living trees, timber from British Columbia, symbols of life, into a hospital wing devoted to cancer and ambulatory care.
It also turns out that good design is good for your health too; a study was done by Queens University researcher Karen Parent, tracking 63 breast-cancer patients and 10 nurses through the cramped old building and a year later when the new cancer centre was open. According to Leslie Scrivener in the Star:
Parent stresses the value of being able to measure benefits. "We're talking about how to build buildings to make a difference to people's health," she says. "Isn't it great to say, `We can prove it, too.'
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Kite For Sail: Something Old is New Again
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07.31.07
Whenever we do a story about solar-powered water craft some pundit will pipe up and say “Yeh, but wot about wind powered yachts?” So if we can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! Kite For Sail employs what they term “advanced wind propulsion technology” to provide propulsion to boats. They suggest that he new era of sail-power “wont see the return of square rigged barques or clipper ships, but rather the introduction of high-tech kite sails that generate greater propulsion power than conventional sails.” Though not bold enough to say such kitesails with replace standard marine power they figure they’ll supplement them, while reducing reliance on fossil fuels. Currently their prototype systems is the primary power source for a F24 Corsair trimaran that plies the waters off Hawaii (no doubt looking for Losties!) Apparently their 18-metre kite system managed to achieve between 7 to 10 knots boat speed without the use of engine power. The next five years are being put into further R&D. ::Kite For Sail....
Rethink Like Pinky Pink!
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 07.31.07
Asking school kids to reconsider the impact of their actions and “Rethink Like Pinky Pink” takes time, energy, and commitment. And with over 500 million ink & toner cartridges disposed of in landfills and incinerators every year, Pinky Pink’s Ink has taken on the task of using them as a vehicle to help educate kids about saving the environment. They’re a relatively new localized non-profit in Northern Nevada that’s offering businesses a free service by recovering those empty containers and using the proceeds to participating elementary schools to help them educate kids there about the environment, and what we all can do to protect it. That’s because those cartridges lying in a landfill would take over a thousand years to decompose on their own, and so the benefits will keep coming long after the schools use the funds, and those kids grandkids are working on a different problem to help save the planet. Sounds great to me!
via:: Warren McLaren...
Swaptree: New Online Trading System for Books
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.31.07
We have a lot of books, and getting rid of them is tough. We have tried eBay, garage sales and Freecycle, but books are different, They are the ultimate "long tail" product; somebody is interested in it but how do you find them?
Jeff Bezos knew this. There are more books than any store could stock, or that one neighbourhood could absorb. Books are small and dense, catalogued by a universal numbering system and relatively easy to ship; he built Amazon around them and the rest is history.
That is what is so interesting about Swaptree, a new trading system for books, CD's and DVD's, all products that have a code number (in books it is an ISBN) so that their computer's algorithms can catalogue, track and assign a value to them.
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Tommie Wilhelmsen's Kolonihagen Summerhouse
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.31.07
Standard Disclaimer: We know, second homes are evil. But they are such wonderful demonstrations of the talent of young architects, and they so often demonstrate how much can be done with small spaces. They just as easily could be first homes, and some of them are gems.
As an example, Tommie Wilhelmsen's Kolonihagen Summerhouse is full of neat ideas. The big gesture is the sleeping loft hanging out over the entrance, creating a covered porch below and a lovely sleeping area above. ...
Recycle Old Lightbulbs Into Salt and Pepper Shakers
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.31.07
Readymade has instructions for converting old incandescent bulbs into salt and pepper shakers using old bottle caps and a little wax. I am not at all certain about this; there used to be phosphors in those bulbs and the filament was surely slowly depositing something on it while it burned, but for those willing to risk it, it is another good way to keep yourself busy and keep your lightbulbs out of the garbage. We should probably all start hoarding our incandescents; they may be worth something at the antique shows in a few years. ::Readymade
And, if you liked that project, our patners in the Go Green competition at Instructibles will show you how to turn a bulb into a flower vase, probably a healthier project. ::Instructibles...
Laidbare for Women and Laidback for Men
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 07.31.07
We're on quite a roll here with news about natural beauty products, last week we told you about the UK brand Nude Skincare and the US brand Suki, now we've hopped back over the pond again to look at Laidbare, another UK brand. Sarah Silvester only started creating her own line of natural beauty products at the beginning of 2006, but has already developed a wide range of products using fresh ingredients, organic extracts and vitamins. We think her brand is notable for creating products for men as well as women. We haven't seen many natural skincare products for men and there were audible outcries in the comments section of the How To Green Women's Personal Care guide about the sexism of the post, so here you go boys. The Laidback range includes green tea face + body wash, aloe vera shaving cream, red clover face + body moisturiser and walnut shell face + body scrub, all are fragranced with the essential oils of lemon and black pepper. ...
Green-Food Offer Growing in Buenos Aires
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 07.31.07
Not so long ago, it was difficult to see the label “organic” or “100% natural” in products, but we are very pleased to see this market expanding in Buenos Aires, not only in small shops but also in supermarkets. We got to thinking this walking the ails of Mucho Gusto design/food fair, when we spotted several small companies presenting their natural products. There was Raku (1st picture) and Nontue, for example: two brands by Laura Galluzzi for infusions and liquors with 100% natural ingredients, which can be found at Coto supermarkets, one of the biggest ones in the country. Or Marian Arytza’s line of dressings and spices from natural ingredients that include a vast collection of mustards and typical Argentine products like Chimichurri and Salsa Criolla (2nd pic), which are sold at Olivas i Lustres (1460 Gascón st.) and Enfunda la mandolina (1440 Salguero st.). But before that, in two supermarkets chains (Coto and Jumbo) we had also found a line of organic yerba mate and infusions by a brand called Mision Natural (3rd pic), products from our featured Patagonia Gaucha's conserves Pampa Organica, and Heredia organic teas. In the vegetables field, Jumbo supermarket has started to destinate a differentiated space for organics by La Anunciacion in their gondolas, and Coto has done the same for premium vegetables. Finally, we recently knew that the country sector has started to speak more about organic meat (article in Spanish), alerted by the first exporter of organic meat, Eco Pampa, success. We know we're far from perfect, but it is encouraging to see the interest around a greener life growing, as the buzz educates new people that can jump in the wave. Let's hope it keeps going! ::Marian Arytza
::Mision Natural...
The Elephant in the Room: Overpopulation
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.31.07
Agent Smith to Morpheus: "Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment. But you humans do not. "You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area."
As Eamon O'hara said to the BBC, "Undeniably, climate change is a serious problem but it is only one of a growing list of problems that arise from a fundamental global issue. For many decades, the symptoms of unsustainable human exploitation of the natural environment have been mounting: species extinction, the loss of biodiversity, air and water pollution, soil erosion, acid rain, destruction of rainforests, ozone depletion - the list goes on." How do we fix this?
According to Andrew Chung of the Star, Alan Wiesman of The World without us says we have to "limit every human female on Earth capable of bearing children to one." "I'm not trying to be sensationalistic or controversial," he says in an interview. "I'm trying to get us to think very hard about what the whole situation is." If we don't control ourselves, nature will do it for us. Every species that eats itself out of house and home experiences a population crash."
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Survey: Hummers or Hikers?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.31.07
Some of our readers love their gas powered toys and defend their users: "the most habitat destruction I have come across in decades of hiking, biking, XC skiing, snow shoeing, is from foot traffic (hikers). They are the ones bringing in picnics, bottles, cans, etc... and just tossing them. Not all, mind you, but bikers don't carry this stuff, and responsible 4X4 don't even consider it since they just put the garbage back in the vehicle." Some hummer owners even fill them with biofuel.
UPDATE: A number of commenters suggested that we did not offer an option of coexistence and cooperation; we have added it.
UPDATE 2: Welcome, Thumpertalk readers! we are glad you are visiting treehugger. If you want to see why I personally don't particularly like ATVs, read this post ATVs: Destroying the Climate and Environment for Fun and my review of Thrillcraft. I look forward to your comments on both.
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Fish Farm Taps Biodiesel From Fish Guts
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 07.31.07
A commercial fish farm in El Borboton, Honduras is using fish guts--heads, skins, and internal organs--to produce biodiesel. Instead of dumping what's left after filleting for commercial sale, Saint Peter's cooks the parts down to produce 300,000 gallons of fish oil fuel. The fuel is then used to run the 10 trucks and eight buses that bring employees to work. "The oil comes in with water in it and has to be separated by raising it to 90 degrees C (194 degrees F) in a tank, where we add methanol, glycerin and other chemicals to make biodiesel," says Juan Munoz, who heads up the workers who produce the fuel. "We produce annually 300,000 gallons (1.135 million liters) of biodiesel, which costs nearly a dollar less than fossil fuels per gallon," adds plant manager Israel Snir. Via ::Yahoo News Also see ::How to: Choose your Fish Wisely ::Drammatic® Liquid Fish Fertilizer Image courtesy of fredskorpset.no...
This Month in Dwell: Living Landscapes
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.31.07
If you are into real green, this is the issue for you, focusing on landscape and gardens. Historic modernist gardens (Great title- Avant Gardens) by Robert Royston introduce the issue, then a series of stunning reflecting pools in case study houses. Pierre Koenig would use the pools to create a microclimate, and in the hottest months would pump water up to the roof and let it fall back through downspouts, cooling the air through evaporation. Barton Myers' watery roof is shown as well.
Cover story is Aidlin Darling's renovation of an Ernest Born beach house in San Francisco, shown in TreeHugger earlier but with more and better photography. ::Dwell...
Pasona O2: Urban Underground Farming
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.31.07
Two years ago we first covered Tokyo's underground farm; It is called Pasona O2 and was set up as a means of providing agricultural training to young people who are having trouble finding employment and middle-aged people in search of a second career. Of course, since we first posted the interest in local food has increased dramatically and there has been much more interest in urban farming. We also came upon some new information:...
Gorgeous No Child Labour Carpets by Nani Marquina
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 07.31.07
We wish to say congratulations to Nani Marquina for 20 years (watch video here) of brilliant work in the world of carpets! We mentioned Nani Marquina’s carpet collection made from recycled bicycle inner tubes and the Emiliana felt slippers but it’s time we give you the whole story about this fabulous Barcelonian carpet designer.
For each product, a kind of poetic product life cycle assessment is being done: 'each product always tries to give a synthesis: of who thinks up the product, of who makes it, who looks after it and all those who enjoy it.' What we love about these carpets, apart from the fact that they are simply gorgeous, is that they are almost always made from natural materials such as jute or wool, which makes them 100% biodegradable. The very strong point however lies in the ability to join East and West by carpet. Nani Marquina’s carpets are hand-made in India, Nepal or Pakistan and guarantee that no child labour was involved in producing them. ...
TH Forums Highlights: Lazy People, Laundry Tips, What is Green? and More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.30.07
The TreeHugger Forums are growing into a pretty diverse community, where you can get green tips and info, ask your burning green questions (and get some answers) or have it out in a debate over the respective benefits of different green approaches. Here are some highlights...
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 | 1) Forum user Chris_Belgium has a rant that basically comes down to this: "What's wrong with people? Is everybody so lazy??" Working hard to implement some small, positive changes at work, Chris has become pretty frustrated with the level of laziness exhibited at the office. It seems that poor Chris isn't the only one subjected to workplace laziness, but there are a few bright spots out there. |
 | 2) In what can only be termed "washing machine madness", user greenervenus is having some difficulties with a new front-loading washing machine. The thread started way back in May, but there has slowly been a consensus building (that there might be some operator error going on -- everyone else seems to love their front-loaders), and, as an interesting side note, it's been discovered that it's not such a hot idea to put the washers on the second floor...hmm. |
 | 3) Since clean clothes (hopefully from a front-loading machine) have to be dried, user Pandorasbox recommends line or rack drying, and wants to know: "Who has one? Do you use it? How often? What sorts of items do you hang dry on it? For me it's everything from shirts to pants, socks to underwear, blankets to towels, diapers to bibs!" We get existential with "What is green?" and economical with green students on a budget, after the jump... |
Elettrica EV makes London-to-Brighton Drive
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 07.30.07
The London to Brighton run is a classic motoring journey, and a common escape for Londoners with a craving for sea air. That's why it's exciting that last week an electric vehicle made the journey with 'battery capacity to spare' - it proves that the weekend get-away is now perfectly possible in an electric car.
Last Sunday an Italian made Elettrica EV made the trip on a single charge, at speeds of up to 40mph. “Range has always been the electric car’s equivalent of the Red Flag act. Like the Red Flag act, with recent developments in lithium-cobalt battery technology, it has now become more of a psychological rather than a practical limitation”, said Vaughan Richmond, of Elettrica’s UK agents, Travelelectric....
You Decide: Turn on the Lights or Hang Up Your Jacket
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.30.07
Part experimentation, part product design, all ironic and wickedly funny, "Off" is the latest from electrical-engineer-turned-designer Scott Amron's Die Electric. We featured a handful of his other projects designed to cut back on energy use here, and think that the borderline subversive, tongue-in-cheek approach to mindful electricity consumption is great. Off is pretty much what it looks like: a fully-functioning, combination light switch/hook, and therein lies the dilemma. Do you hang up your jacket or turn on the light? -- you can't do both, and nobody likes a wrinkled jacket. Love it. ::Die Electric via ::Core77...
The TH Interivew: Adam Ravetch & Sarah Robertson, Makers of Arctic Tale
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 07.30.07
Adam and Sarah are the husband and wife team behind the visually stunning new film, Artic Tale. Adam (an underwater cinematographer and naturalist), and Sarah (a writer, filmmaker, and founder of Arctic Bear Productions) created Arctic Tale after 15 years of patiently courting the frozen North. They were kind enough to speak to us about their walrus and polar bear adventures, the anthropomorphism issue, and “mother ice.” TreeHugger: Adam and Sarah, you made this remarkably visual, remarkably narrative film about animals, about climate change, about the North, about our world. This took you an incredibly long time to do, from what I understand, and probably took immense patience. How long did you spend making Arctic Tale?...
plyFOLD Containers: Fresh New Designs from ply design
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.30.07
TreeHugger is always on the lookout for simple, creative solutions to create less waste, use materials more efficiently and incorporate these ideas into our everyday lives. plyFOLD, the handy little tabletop catch-alls from ply Design, are a great example of all three. We first found them in 2004; since then, they've added some new colors and designs but retained the same great design philosophy and green materials. Made from recycled leather and Climatex Lifecycle Felt (gathered from factory scraps), the containers flatten for wafer-thin packaging & shipping, and are biodegradable (for potential use in your compost pile or bin) at the end of their useful lives. They'd be a perfect hall table accountrement; a place to drop your keys, change, phone and whatever else you don't want to lose, but don't want to carry with you around the house. Hit the jump to see more of the new designs and see it all at ::ply design via ::Apartment Therapy...
House Passes Farm Bill: Not Much to Cheer About
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.30.07
In what many considered to be a foregone conclusion, the House decided to pass the highly contested farm bill by a vote of 231 to 191. The five-year, $286 billion bill will now move on to the Senate Agriculture Committee — where environmentalists and activists hope to have a better chance of influencing the outcome. Though the Senate committee is largely made up of legislators who also favor the subsidy status quo, influential senators such as Byron Dorgan (D-ND), Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Dick Durbin (D-IL) have all signaled interest in changing the decades-old subsidy system.
As we've mentioned before, we are in agreement with many other blogs and organizations that oppose the billions ($42 billion, to be exact) in subsidies that mainly go towards rich, mega-farms instead of the poor, struggling farmers who need it the most. What was perhaps most infuriating about the so-called debate was that no vote was taken on the issue of the farm program payment limitations, which has been the most controversial aspect of the bill....
MoveOn Petitions This Week's Congressional Vote on Solar and Wind
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 07.30.07
MoveOn.org continues its environmental advocacy work, work, work, work, now with a public call to petition congress on this week's vote on H.R. 969. The bill requires utilities to increase the percentage of electricity produced from wind, biomass, geothermal, and solar energy sources. If it passes, utilities nationwide will produce 20% of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020. This bill alone will reduce 511 million tons of global warming pollution and would be like taking 37 million cars off the road. The Union of Concerned Scientists provided details here in February when the bill was first introduced. We suspect passage of this bill into law would also set a good precedent for more legislation calling for even further increases in the use of renewables, or perhaps even one day for the adoption of the direct current (DC) standard which suffers low voltage losses over long distances....
Participate! with TH, Current TV and Burning Man
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 07.30.07
Every year, tens of thousands of people converge on an ancient lakebed in the desert of Nevada to build a temporary city where self-reliance and self-expression are exalted. This year, the Burning Man event's theme is the "Green Man," an attempt to highlight emerging technologies that could help us solve the world's biggest environmental problems. We think you may even hold the key to a great idea, and wouldn't mind sharing it with everyone at the event. So, TreeHugger, Current TV, and Burning Man got together to ask you to Participate! We are looking for the best open-source projects that could really make a difference in the way that we look at the world. Maybe you have a great idea that could change the way we eat, drive, live, build, or...something else? ...
Most Huggable: UK Floods, Pop Green, and “24” Going Carbon Neutral
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 07.30.07
Severe flooding near Oxford, England is taking lives. A taste of things to come? Is the world getting green or is green just going pop? Greenpeace peels back the label and aims at debunking… Hippyshopper looks at the top five gizmos for killing standby power… The makers of the Fox series “24” are rewiring the production to make it a carbon neutral season finale… Heat: get used to it. But at least we can take some tips from the animal kingdom on cooling off… 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? ...
Nichomachus Hosts Carnival of the Green
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 07.30.07
This week is Carnival of the Green # 88 and it's being hosted by Nicomachus! 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 and have less than 25 dates left!), please click here to link to our previous post....
Uniting Europe's Wind Power Supply with a Continental DC Grid
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.30.07
Though he may have lost the battle of the currents to George Westinghouse in the 19th century, it looks as though Thomas Edison's direct current (DC) standard may finally be making a comeback. In light of Europe's growing interest in wind power, scientists and entrepreneurs alike are giving DC transmission a second look and are considering using it as the basis for a continent-wide high voltage DC grid.
The reasoning is fairly straightforward: unlike AC transmission, DC suffers low voltage losses over long distances. Incorporating it into a continent-wide power distribution system would thus deal with two of wind power's main downsides: the fact that you can't always get it when you want it and where you want it. Since the wind is bound to always be blowing somewhere, the current generated by wind turbines could be stored and made to flow in one direction or another, depending on each country's energy needs. How then to store all this wind power? ...
New at Greener Lifestyles: Chaise Lounge
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.30.07
Seattle-based green retailers Greener Lifestyles has updated their inventory to include some suave new pieces. We noted some slick lighting they had back in 2005, and while it looks like that's been replaced with some new models, we're glad to see they still have some well-apportioned green couches and sofas that won't require a second mortgage to finance. Add to this list the chaise lounge pictured above, which has just about everything a modern TreeHugger requires from furniture (and great looks to boot): FSC-certified wood frame, natural latex rubber, organic wool and the option of kapok or recycled soda bottle-stuffed back pillows. It's strong, simple lines make it a really versatile piece that could serve as a couch in a small apartment, and would make it easy to mix-n-match furniture to go with it. Check out more at ::Greener Lifestyles via ::Apartment Therapy: Chicago...
Rectangles are for Squares: Split Series by Peter Marigold
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07.30.07
Part geometry lesson and part reclaimed materials-use lesson, the Split Series from Peter Marigold shows that it doesn't take fancy materials to create striking, artful shelving. The designer, who seems fascinated with creating shelving and storage solutions (we featured his groovy Make/Shift shelving before), created these amazingly simple shelves by bisecting a round log into four (unequal) sections and adding some slats around the outside. The result: oddly geometric, stackable (but not in a boring way -- rectangles are for squares!), shelves that are easy to scale up; just grab another log and a couple more slats. While the finished product, which is oddly reminiscent of something you'd see in a Dr. Seuss cartoon, may not be a fit for everyone's style, we love the creativity and recall of 7th grade geometry that goes in to each design. More pics, including some stand-alone shelving, after the jump. ::Peter Marigold via ::pan-dan
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Higher Number of Atlantic Storms Linked to Global Warming
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.30.07
In another sign of global warming's growing influence on weather patterns around the world, a team of climate scientists have found that the number of storms in the Atlantic has dramatically increased over the past century. They attribute this upswing — a doubling in the average number of yearly storms since 1905 — to a rise in sea surface temperatures in the Atlantic (0.7°C over the past century).
Greg Holland, a climate scientist of the US National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado, and one the lead authors on the study with Georgia Institute of Technology's Peter Webster, identified three separate climate regimes in the last century: the first, extending from 1905 to 1930, had an average of 6 storms each year (4 of which were hurricanes); the second, from 1931 to 1994, had a higher average of 10 storms (5 of which were hurricanes); the third, from 1995 to 2005, had a record average of 15 annual storms (8 of which were hurricanes). Holland and his colleagues believe this average number could still rise further within this century....
Australia Businesswomen Want to Go Green?
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07.30.07
Westpac is one of Australia’s Big Four banks, who’ve won a few green accolades of late (they’ve managed to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions by about 28,000 tonnes over the past three years). The other day they released details of some research undertaken with Australian businesswomen. 100 female business owners and financial decision-makers across the country, with combined annual turnover greater than $2.5 million, were surveyed. Apparently almost 40% said they would like to learn more about how their business could be more sustainable. Westpac's head of women's markets, Larke Riemer reckons, "The business landscape is changing and our research is showing is that Australian women are leading the way in developing new models which incorporate a triple-bottom-line approach to financial, social and environmental responsibility." ...
Rafters Sandals to Go Recycled
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07.30.07
The sandal that Bill Coombs, CEO of Rafters Footwear, is holding here, is we believe one of a new line that will sport outsoles made from 25% recycled rubber. With the polyester webbing straps created from recycled drink bottles. It seems like the recycled rubber content will come from the factory trim waste from athletic shoes. In an effort to reduce the amount of rubber used, biodegradable jute or cork is said to be added to the mix. Although it costs more to make shoes with recycled materials the company won't be passing those costs on to consumers, with Bill saying, "We're hoping increased volume (in sales) will cover that expense." The recycled content sandals are to be launched to the trade soon, and in retail stores from early 2008. Produced in China they're expected to retail for $20 to $55. But we read, with some concern, that the line has 82 different styles. Of sandal. From just one company. Whoa! A sister line of waterproof footwear, Bogs, is also looking like it might get some of the same ‘green’ treatment. ::Rafters, via ::The Register Guard, (Wayne Eastburn is credited with the pic.)...
The Littlest (and newest) Treehugger
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 07.30.07
Well folks, it turns out that on Friday afternoon I became a dad, and I’ve got to confess that it puts a whole lot of things in proper perspective. As a teacher and environmentalist I’ve spent so much time trying to convince others to do things like help stop global warming because our collective kids have a common future at stake. I’ve always expected that one day that group would include one of my own, but now it’s just a whole lot more real. It also helped me to see in a whole new light how culturally ingrained the problems are, and how much of a long term commitment it will take to really change things. As I’m watching this truly incredible group of nurses throw away piece after piece of various unsustainable products while caring for my newborn son in the most caring way, it really helped me see how far there is to go. Obviously, in a hospital setting there is much that can be used just once due to the need for a sterile environment, but it was apparent to me that there is room to grow. Hopefully, my son Robert will get the chance to see that happen.
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Hollywood Pigeons to be Put on Birth Control
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07.30.07
We’re not quite sure what to make of this story: According to the BBC, authorities in California are to use birth control drugs to cull the pigeon population in Hollywood. Small amounts of a drug called OvoControl P will be placed in bird food in new rooftop feeders around the city. The drug interferes with egg production, and should therefore keep the population down without the need for poisons or gates that give electric shocks. Apparently this relatively humane approach has won the support of animal rights’ activists, although amazingly the report says nothing about the environmental implications of actively putting this drug into the food chain. We already know that human birth control medicines can have a dire effect on fish, so we’d be a little concerned as to what OvoControl P can do to raptors that may pray on pigeons, or what would happen if the drug got into aquatic systems.
Innolytics, the company that produces the OvoControl P claim that such fears are unfounded. They have an FAQ on their website addressing the environmental impacts of the drug, claiming that once the drug is digested, it is no longer available to another bird, and also that it has very poor water solubility, and degrades safely in soil. Anyone know any more about this? On the one hand we can see the value in reducing feral pigeon populations, and we don’t suppose they can be retrained to monitor pollution like some of their cousins, but do we really need more pharmaceutical chemicals in our environment, and can we be sure it's safe? Wouldn’t it make more sense to first safely and hygienically recycle all the food waste that urban pigeon populations thrive on? Somehow his smacks of treating the symptom, not the disease. ::Innolytics:: via BBC::
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Time Out Rates Ethical Retailers
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07.30.07
Time Out, London's weekly events magazine, has rated the big retailers selling ethical clothing. With every store trying to outdo the next by making bigger claims about how green they are, some research into their validity is timely and instructive. They based their scores on five criteria and Marks & Spencer was best on three of them, the Gap on one and H&M on one. For upholding union rights, safe working conditions, and paying a living wage the Gap is best. For Fairtrade as defined by farmers being paid fairly: Marks is best. Use of organic cotton: H&M launched a new line of organic cotton clothing including children's and used more than 40 tons of organic cotton in 2005. Least use of chemicals such as dyes and bleaches : best is Marks & Spencer as well as being best in treatment of the environment.
Under the worst categories: Topshop refuses to join the Ethical Trading Institute which monitors working conditions. Instead each factory self-assesses their own compliance. In all other categories the supermarkets rated worst. They have been slowest to include Fairtrade clothing and made little effort to supply organic. Much of the children's clothing contains Teflon, because it makes clothes last longer and reduces ironing. Supermarkets, especially Tesco, are expanding rapidly and it has been calculated that the energy-use from expansion likely outweighs energy saving measures. Time Out also listed ten of the best ethical retailers, all of which have been noted in these pages (stick to treehugger for info on the greenest labels): People Tree, Terra Plana, Katherine Hamnett, Edun, Equa, Potassium and Gossypium :: Time Out...
The Curtain Call: Are They Crass Or Cultured?
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 07.30.07
Tel Aviv is insufferably hot and humid in the summer. Unable to waste time smouldering in the sun waiting for the bus or train, we jumped in an air-conned taxi surrounded by pale curtains. At this moment, just before blistering, we rethought the idea of drapery and how it works in automobiles. Sure, curtains were fashionable among rockers in the ‘70s. And back home in Canada, there used to be an old joke about a working class town north of Toronto. Q: How can you tell a person is from Keswick? A: They have more curtains on their pick-up trucks than they do on their living room windows. Full disclosure: we have relatives in Keswick.
But the question of curtains on automobiles remains. In the 40-degree C heat in Tel Aviv, those curtains on the windows of the cab certainly helped keep things cool. And we were wondering, how much do curtains (or tinted windows) help conserve car air-conditioner energy in the summer when you are melting on the pavement and you just can’t live with the fan? Related: Solar Energy Curtains and Window Coverings....
Spherical Solar Cells
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.30.07
Japan's Clean Venture 21 has developed a new spin on solar with their Spherical Silicon Solar Array. Texas Instruments evidently first made them in the '80s but efficiency was only about 10% and the costs were high; Clean Ventures puts each little 1mm ball into a little reflector. It still is only 12% efficient, but they claim that it has only one fifth the amount of silicon and should only cost one fifth as much to make, using half as much energy as conventional solar cell manufacture. Evidently silicon balls are made by dripping rather than cutting, so little raw material is needed, there is no cutting, and the optical properties are good.
::Diginfo movie here; Japanese ::Clean Venture 21
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Recovered Materials Toys at Malba, Buenos Aires
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 07.30.07
From July 25 until August 27, our featured Satori presents at the Buenos Aires Museum of Latin American Art (Malba; 3415 Figueroa Alcorta Av.) the result of its second experience: a toy collection from repurposed materials. Satori is a concept by well-known eco-designer Alejandro Sarmiento and journalist Lujan Cambariere in which a group of Architecture and Design students from Latin America (in this case, of 50 people) gather in an experimental design laboratory to create new products around a category or an idea with leftovers from several industries. In this opportunity, the surplus was mainly from the cosmetic industry, donated by Natura, also featured in TH and the workshop took place at Easy, a home supplies chain that has been relating to the repurposing with a campaign we wrote about here. The exhibition of these toys is taking place at the design store in Malba (open Wednesday to Monday from 12pm to 8pm), where the toys are up for sale for prices that go from 14 pesos to 68 pesos (5 to 23 dollars). See the extended for more photos (Image here: Marionettes, made with lipstick and perfume caps)....
Minarc Modern Prefab
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.30.07
We admired the Minarc house by Tryggvi Thorsteinsson and Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir when it was in Dwell;; now we learn that they are offering it in a prefab version. The designers (I'm not typing those names out again) have wanted to design a high-tech modern home that only used materials "in their most organic form and that used recycled materials wherever possible." (::land+living) They are offering three modular versions built from 2x6 walls, lots of insulation and radiant flooring. No information on pricing or geographical availability; Firm is based in Santa Monica, not Iceland. ::Minarc via ::Myninjaplease...
Urbines at Elephant & Castle
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.30.07
Urbines. That's what World Architecture News labels urban wind turbines; neat neologism.
Ben Coleman of Hamiltons Architects says that to optimise power, "integrate turbines into the design of tall buildings in such a way that the contours of the building envelope focus wind on to the turbine blades, much like the casing around a gas or water turbine." They are doing this at Castle house, a 43 storey, 408 unit apartment building at Elephant and Castle in Southwark, London. "Three 9m wind turbines integrated into the top of the building are expected to generate sufficient power to drive the energy efficient lighting to the building, an integral part of the sustainable credentials for the building as a whole."...
Pill Power Plants Popping Up
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.30.07
Pallets of pills at Covanta Energy, Indianapolis
We talk about the dangers of drugs in our water supply, but what do you do with expired or unfinished prescriptions? Most people just flush them or throw them in the garbage, but many drugstores will take them back. What happens then? Hospitals and drugstores turn to the professionals; Capital Returns incinerated 6.5 million pounds of drugs last year in a waste-to-energy plant, generating two million kilowatt/hours, enough electricity to power 220 homes. Said its president: "Instead of just having this product go some place and be destroyed, and have no benefit whatsoever because it's dumped in the ground, it's great it's able to create some energy and a resource that people are able to use."
The drugs are burned in an incinerator in Indianapolis, while more hazardous materials are incinerated in Arkansas. We are told, of course, that properly managed incinerators are safe and environmentally sound, and are certain that the EPA is monitoring this carefully to ensure that nothing noxious is coming out of the stack. It is an intractible problem and perhaps this is the best way to deal with it. ::CBC and ::Houston Chronicle
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I Am A Plastic Bag and Proud Of It
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.30.07
Seeking authentic in a knock-off world? Facts not fashion? Then don’t miss out on this 100% recyclable and reusable plastic bag. That’s right! Looking for a practical solution to a greener globe? This is the real deal…There should be word for this; it isn't astroturfing, which is "public relations campaigns in politics and advertising that seek to create the impression of being spontaneous, grassroots behavior." The Progressive Bag Alliance makes no pretense about being anything but a group of plastic bag manufacturers. We suppose that there must be a Buggy Whip Alliance out there as well, there is an association to preserve every dying industry. They are selling the bags on eBay, along with a pile of truths they call myths. Read their last gasp of PR folly at ::Progressive Bag Alliance via ::New Consumer...
You Too Can Own a C3 Cabin by Vandeventer+Carlander Architects
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.30.07
One problem with good architecture is that it usually only one person gets it; unlike a nice industrial design that gets mass produced, architecture is conventionally a one-off. Some architects like Greg Lavardera are trying to break this mold by designing houses that are sold as plans; others are catching on and offering plans of successful designs built previously.
Vandeventer+Carlander Architects built the 352 square foot Camano Cabin way back in 1999; it got exposure again as a 2006 AIA/Sunset Magazine Merit award. They are now selling plans for it, relabelled the C3 Cabin. This is a difficult step for an architect; the dreaded liability insurance company looks askance. Documents come covered with capital letters screaming lack of ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, SATISFACTORY QUALITY, NONINFRINGEMENT OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE; That's not your usual architect talk....
Futurefarmers Victory Gardens
by Kathreen Ricketson, Canberra, Australia on 07.29.07
Futurefarmers is a collaborative group of designers and artists exploring the relationship of concept and creative process between interdisciplinary artists making work that is relevant to the time and space surrounding us. Their current project is Victory Gardens 2007 - a concept currently being developed with the intention of being adopted by the City of San Francisco's Recreation and Park Department. The project draws from the historical model of the 1940's American Victory Garden program to provide a basis for developing urban agriculture as a viable form of sustainable food practice in the city. Read more about Victory gardens here and here. Also check out our how to green your gardening and TreeHugger TV edible estates....
Unintended Side Effects for Corals
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.29.07
While they may help clean up oil spills, chemicals known as dispersants may actually cause much more harm to the corals than the oil itself, according to research done by a team of marine scientists from Israel's National Institute of Oceanography in Haifa.
These special chemicals break up oil slicks on the surface into tiny droplets to help disperse the spills. Because coral reefs are often located along coastal areas where oil production and transportation centers are common, they are sometimes the victims of accidental spills and are thus subjected to these dispersants. To determine their effect on individual corals, the scientists exposed small branch clippings, otherwise known as "nubbins," of two species — Stylophora pistillata and Pocillopora damicornis, both found in the Red Sea — to solutions of 6 different dispersants for a period of 24 hours and monitored their health for the ensuing week....
Diesel and Your Heart
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.29.07
Not only is diesel bad for the environment, it can also pose a serious risk to your cardiovascular health. When combined with cholesterol, the particles from diesel exhaust can cause arteries to harden and lead to more frequent heart attacks, according to a new study by a team of researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Though the existence of a direct link between diesel and cardiovascular disease is still unclear, scientists have known for a while that diesel particles — like low density lipoprotein (LDL), the bad form of cholesterol — can prompt the release of free radicals into blood vessels. Free radicals are a type of oxygen molecule that can harm human tissues. In the study, Andre Nel and his colleagues discovered that the combination of diesel particles and LDL cholesterol was especially effective at triggering genes known to harm tissue and prompt artery hardening, or atherosclerosis, in samples of human vascular tissue....
That's Some Strong Paper!
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.29.07
Using the same flaky material found in your everyday pencil — graphite — a research team from Northwestern University has developed a new type of superstrong, superthin paper that could be used as a hydrogen storage material in fuel cells, protective coating, chemical filter or an electrode in batteries. The researchers assembled particles of graphene oxide into very thin sheets by plunging them into specially treated water that caused them to bind into a paperlike layer.
The new sheets are highly flexible and stronger even than those made of carbon nanotube — making them ideal candidates for a new generation of composite materials — according to Rodney Ruoff, the lead scientist on the project. Unlike carbon nanotubes, they are also cheap and easy to fabricate. "The future is particularly bright because the system is very flexible ... The chemistry is almost infinite," he said....
Throw that Cell Phone Away. Win Prizes.
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.29.07
Once there was a little paper company in Finland called Nokia. They started making plastic boots, and that didn't work out too well, and then decided to give mobile phones a shot. Soon, everyone in the country had one, and soon, everyone was having that love-hate relationship with this technology. In 2000 Finns started getting even with the first Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship, held in Savonlinna, Finland.
There are traditional "over the shoulder" distance throws; pictured is Eija Laakso, women's world champion. More recently Freestyle was added, where aesthetics, style and creative choreographics and Naomi Campbell imitations are judged.
All phones are properly recycled; First prize is, unfortunately, a new cell phone. ::Savonlinna Mobile Phone Throwing world Championships found in ::National Post
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Hummer Holidays Squishing Skinks
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.29.07
Near the town of Blue Mountains, Canadian Hummer Adventures lets people drive Hummers through forests, over log piles and down steep hills. This worries conservationists. "The frogs get in these holes and think, 'Oh, that's great,' but then the next vehicle through squashes them," says Bob Bowles, 62, looking to some muddy tracks. Mr. Bowles, a field naturalist, said there were many more animals 10 or 15 years ago.
Out of the eight turtle species in Ontario, six are at risk of ending up on the endangered list, including spotted turtles and wood turtles. The five-lined skink, the only lizard left in Ontario, and the eastern massasauga rattlesnake are also at risk, according to Mr. Bowles.
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Can You Dig These Spuds? You Don't Have To.
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07.29.07
We’re all for growing your own food here at TreeHugger. The more local you get, the better, and there is hardly more local than your own backyard. Now we’ve come across this product on UK-based web retailer Natural Collection’s site that offers town dwellers with tiny yards the opportunity to grow their own no-dig potatoes. By the looks of things, it’s essentially a set of three reusable polythene sacks, each with carrying handles and drainage holes. The idea is that you plant your potatoes, and then gradually fill up the containers with compost as your spuds grow.
We could point out that £14.95 (approx. $30) is quite a lot for three polythene sacks, and the same technique can work just as well in old compost or mulch bags, but we guess it’s probably not quite as visually appealing. Either way, anything that encourages folks to grow their own is probably to be encouraged. Who knows, maybe this low energy, low mess technique will even encourage those who are too posh to dig to do at least some of the work themselves. For more advice on green gardening, check out our comprehensive guide on How to Green Your Gardening. ::Natural Collection::
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Two Years Ago In TreeHugger: Cool Stuff
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.29.07
In New York they are now using ice to cool buildings but the idea has been around for a while; the machines make ice at night during off-peak hours when electricity is cheap and it is cooler, and therefore easier to make ice . John introduced us to the Ice Bear, which was being tested in commercial applications; Two years later, they have a hit on their hands. The Ice Bear 50 holds 50 ton-hours of cooling, or the equivalent of five tons of cooling running constantly for ten hours. Also, when it gets really hot conventional condensers for air conditioners can't throw off the heat as easily; the Ice Bear doesn't care, and is unaffected by ambient temperature. Unfortunately John promised us a TreeHugger sized smaller unit; Ice Energy is still promising it, for delivery "in 2007". ::Ice Energy
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EPA: Humans No Longer Biodegradable
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.29.07
We quote from the Onion:
WASHINGTON, DC—The Environmental Protection Agency issued a bulletin Tuesday warning the bodies of American citizens, with their large concentrations of artificial, synthetic, and often toxic substances, have been reclassified as industrial waste.
"The average human body is now only 35 percent organic," EPA chief Ralph Johnson said. "Due to changes brought about by modern detergents, silicone implants, and processed cheese food product, it is no longer safe to allow human tissue to come into contact with our nation's topsoil."
Johnson said the EPA is seeking funding to construct a massive, federally managed human-body containment facility in the Mojave Desert to safely and viably store human remains. ::The Onion
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Germany Brakes Bio-diesel Boom
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 07.29.07
In January of this year, biodiesel lost its tax-free status in Deutschland. In the first year of the phase-in plan to raise taxes on biodiesel equal to the €0.45/liter on traditional diesel, biodiesel costs rocketed €0.09/liter. In the face of over-capacity and trying to compete to build market share against the established fuels, the budding biodiesel industry is struggling to maintain its balance. Stocks have plunged and trucking companies which switched to the renewable fuel are opting for the traditional diesel, which at a few cents more per liter delivers more miles/€ than the slightly less energy rich plant-based variant.
With Angela Merkel, German Chancellor, spearheading the EU's bold energy plan, the end of tax-relief for bio-diesel manufacturers seems contradictory. But Berlin is hearing the producer's cries. Germany's Environment Minister Sigmar Gabriel has acknowledged that the tax is having undesirable consequences and has promised action after the legislators return from the summer pause. The opposition party, SPD, has proposed a package which will re-examine the tax every year and which has a clause raising the legally required percentage of biodiesel in every liter of standard diesel sold from 5% to 7%. This will help to stabilize the current over-capacity and ensure a market for the biodiesel, a small offset for the uncertainties that an annual review of the tax situation introduces to business planning.
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