joe said:
"As dumb as it gets.
Instead of promoting the environment they are trying to promote the Fraud King Oumgabama.
Really Really Stupid.</..." [read]
grant said:
"Hum, interesting that they used a helicopter to film this stunt that comments on global warming. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty confident ..." [read]
scott said:
"I sure am glad we gave $14 trillion dollars to bankers instead of using it to subsidize products like these.
Products that liberate rather..." [read]
said:
""And it is green because/"
Because bikes are pretty much the greenest mean of transportation ever devised. And well designed bikes are just..." [read]
Cancerman72 said:
"Hmmmm....I live in Toronto and I have never seen a sign like that....lol..." [read]
Cancerman72 said:
"I do but I understand why some hate cyclist biking through there walking paths and sometimes tearing up the path with their bikes...." [read]
Despite a near constant barrage of presidential campaign news and appearances - a trend that, unfortunately, has only worsened as we rapidly approach the Iowa caucuses - we have still heard surprisingly little of substance regarding one of our time's most pivotal issues, climate change. As Ellen Goodman, a syndicated columnist with The Boston Globe, noted this past week, climate change - notwithstanding an upsurge in public awareness and general handwringing - has remained low on most candidates' lists of priorities:
"The inconvenient truth of the 2008 election year is that climate change is still way down the dance card of most-talked-about topics. It's ranked No. 12 among Democratic candidates, and No. 15 among Republicans.
Indeed, the environment has made little more than a cameo appearance on the campaign trail. Climate showed up in the last Iowa debate at the Tinker Bell moment when Republican candidates were asked to raise their hands if they believed climate change was a real threat. It got a star turn in July when an animated snowman at the YouTube debate asked the Democrats if his little snowson would live a "full and happy life.""
When last we saw Loremo, at the Frankfurt Auto Show, it turned a lot of heads, not only for its slick looks and 120 mpg fuel efficiency, but because it actually existed (which is a lot further than a lot of concept cars make it). Building on the preliminary success of the efficiency, diesel-powered ride, the German developers are working on a convertible version for debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show.
The rag-top looks to be a near carbon-copy of the original design (just without the roof, of course); we presume, like the original that was submitted as an entry to the Automotive X Prize, the convertible will have a diesel engine first and an electric motor in subsequent design and production updates. Latest word on the street is that Loremo will hit the streets in 2010. Hit the jump to see the roofed version in action, and cross your fingers that the rag-top will be more than just a rendered model by next year. ::World Car Fans via ::AutoblogGreen...
This holiday season for sure you’ve had many guests and used lots of that sweet nectar of the cows – milk. We were looking into the impacts of milk jugs versus cartons and found an interesting study that goes a little against our typical idea of what is greener. This study on the Use Less Stuff website reports that plastic milk jugs have less overall environmental impacts than cartons or even PLA jugs.
The study notes that milk jugs are recycled at a rate of 29%, but that also means that 71% are going to landfills. That’s a lot of high density polyethylene milk jugs sitting there that may never break down. Of course, they duly notes that it takes more energy to make PLA milk jugs given the new-ness of the technology and additionally, the plastic guys take less material to make the same thing (one of the reason that glass is also less efficient). Thus it appears that the overall energy requirements are less for the traditional HDPE jug than the PLA jug, the carton and the glass bottle. They didn’t look at the plastic bag option, which probably would have come out on top.
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Tesla Chairman of the Board Elon Musk and the new CEO Ze'ev Drori are doing damage control. After intense Q&A at the first ever Tesla townhall meeting, both have published a year-end missive reaching out to the masses of dreamers and believers that have followed Tesla from inspiring announcements and exciting rides through slipping schedules and reorganization. Their message: have faith.
We use the word faith at the risk of further firing the feverish brains of the green is a new religion conspiracy theorists. But any person who has worked on a project creating something bigger than themselves knows that faith belongs to the process, and that is without mention of regulatory hurdles and customer expectations in the era of quality systems....
Tel Aviv is not London. While London mayor Ken Livingstone has adopted and energetically pursued a green agenda in his city, Tel Aviv has yet to experience an environmentally progressive administration. However, rumor has it that one such ticket is in the works for next year's elections - a former Minister of the Environment named Yossi Sarid is reportedly considering making a bid for the office.
Local newspapers have been abuzz in recent weeks with speculation that Sarid may run for mayor in next fall's elections. Polls have put his support at almost fifty percent, despite the fact that he has yet to announce his candidacy. Officially retired from politics (he was a Member of Knesset for decades), Sarid now writes a regular column for Ha'aretz newspaper. Here is a recent piece with some of his thoughts on the December Bali conference on climate change. ...
For the several young people on my gift list, this year's must-have brand in outer wear was The North Face. A fast ascent through REI, EMS, & Dick's rapidly made it obvious why North Face is considered "hot." I too was tempted to try on North Face's light weight jackets. Nice stuff.
Having passed my teen years in the US' "counter culture" era, I still find the "billboarding" of clothing items, a branding practice common to many sport-wear makers, to be completely unacceptable. But, for young people who have grown up with large corporate logos and brand names on nearly everything, including underwear, I could see why North Face has their devotion. And, why other makers seemed to be emulating their designs.
Truthfully, the best selling outer wear in the US, and especially the items that young people love, are made from virgin textiles and films derived from fossil hydrocarbons. Sure, the REI store I visited had a few woolies from New Zealand on the "Clearance" rack; but the sexiest designs that fill most of the floor space are pure petro....
These are giddy figures, but Leggett believes they still might underestimate the potential of 'clean' energy to replace oil, coal and gas: 'When the history books are rewritten, people are going to be amazed at how fast these technologies broke through into fossil fuel markets.' What gives Leggett confidence are the growing science of global warming and climate change - and greed.
As the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Ramachandra Pauchauri puts it, “What we do in the next two or three years will determine the future of our planet.”
And in an effort to mobilize the nation to act before it is too late, an environmental education group, Focus the Nation, is asking schools, colleges and universities across America to set aside January 31 as a day to focus on global warming solutions for the country.
The nationwide event kicks off the evening of January 30th with an interactive web-cast titled the 2% Solution. With the 31st being the national teach-in.
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If you’ve ever wondered like I have about the actual value of a piece of advice given to you by a friend long ago, you might be intrigued to discover that I recently found out that a good friend of mine’s dad once gave me advice worth my wife, family and approximately $2.5 million.
How do I know? Well, apparently that’s the price that a professor, inventor, and scientist named Rene Nunez Suarez paid to figure out precisely what my friend’s dad told me almost a decade ago while sitting in his den late one night when I was still in college; “Charity begins at home.”
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Downtown Jerusalem 2011?
In line with a worldwide trend, Israel’s three major cities - Haifa, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv - are currently in the process of building mass transit systems. Israel's transportation has traditionally been based on buses and private cars. However, space for building roads is running out in this tiny country, and traffic and air pollution have been worsening in urban areas.
Last week, the city of Haifa opened up its first exclusive bus lane, which will become part of the city’s “Metronit” (Hebrew link) system within the next couple of years. The name is a play on words – read one way, it means “little metro,” read another way the word evokes a little old lady. The Metronit will run through Haifa’s downtown to its northern suburbs....
Image courtesy of Rutgers University's Richard Lutz
Though they may not be the most charismatic species (check out this angler's toothy grin), deep-sea organisms such as tube worms and giant crustaceans need our attention too - maybe even more so than others. A new study to be published in the journal Current Biology has suggested that the loss of deep-sea biodiversity could pose a serious threat to the world's oceans.
The international team of scientists, led by Roberto Danovaro of Italy's Polytechnic University of Marche, said that the "negative consequences" of losing biodiversity "could be unprecedented"; because ecosystem processes on the ocean floor - which are dependent on the number of species living there - are inextricably linked to those occurring in the surface waters, even the slightest change in species composition could have unforeseen effects. These processes include everything from the decomposition and consumption of organic matter to the regeneration of nutrients, which are crucial to ecosystem functioning....
Image courtesy of zouzouwizman
Nigeria's government has just announced its intention to make another round of investments in solar energy to supply up to 10 rural communities that currently lack access to the national power grid. The initiative, funded by Nigeria's Ministry of Science and Technology, will benefit around 5,000 individuals living in villages spread across several local governments and is projected to cost 150m Naira, or $1.25 million.
The solar panels, built by an industry consortium that includes the Dynamic Treasure Chest Company, Hafas Enterprises and Impasse Technologies, are expected to be delivered by the end of January 2008. A similar project was launched last year in a village on Bishop Kodji Island; an earlier scheme in 2002 — coordinated with the assistance of Japan — lit 200 rural communities....
2007 was a big year for local food -- big enough that we'll have another "Best of 2007" dedicated to a specific local food practice, the "100 Mile Diet" -- and on the tip of enough tongues that it was named the 2007 word of the year. Here are some of the stories eating local surfaced in in the past year.
1) When it comes to learning more & doing more to make your life greener and getting ready for Earth Day, the choices you make in the food you eat every day can make a tremendous impact. There are lots of food choices that you can make that are better than pesticide-laden conventional, hormone-injected factory-farmed food; eating local is great way to practice Earth Day, every day, we found.
2) The cover of Time's March 12 issue shows an apple with a yellow sticker and the words: "Forget organic. Eat Local." We wouldn't go that far, things aren't that simple in real life, but it's interesting to see that local food is getting more airtime after organic food has been dominating the "green" food market over the past couple years. And when Time picks it up, you know it's gone mainstream.
3) Andrew Martin of the New York Times jumped into the fray, noting a California study (from the state that produces most of the food that gets shipped the farthest) suggesting that "the distance that food travels from farm to plate is certainly important, but so is how food is packaged, how it is grown, how it is processed and how it is transported to market." Bottom line: Don’t drive your sport utility vehicle to the farmers’ market, buy one food item and drive home again. Even if you are using reusable bags. Four more tales of local food, below the fold...
This is the latest post in TreeHugger's series about the Best of 2007. More are on the way; stay tuned!
Coal isn't funny, but when the flacks and the parodists get to work, it is sometimes hard to tell them apart. We pick the best commercials and videos promoting and trashing coal for your viewing pleasure.
1) This isn't really fair, the commercial from GE's eco-imagination campaign was dropped after GE received numerous complaints from coal mining families, and it is from a few years ago. However no collection of coal commercials is complete without it. Funnier than the coal mining scenes in Zoolander. Great Moments in "Green" Advertising: GE's "Sexy Coal Miners" Commercial
2) Watch this wonderful parody of coal; the Naib says "It is simply dripping of the same green washing irony that so many companies are rolling out now and days. These companies use the same kind of tactics to try and convince people that their otherwise dirty industry is now shiny and green because they have done some small token action."Coal: Cheap. Abundant. Cheap.
3) The full page ad in the New York Times placed by "Americans for Balanced Energy Choices" says "Our commitment goes beyond clean." and they must have spent hours on this zinger: "Our commitment to clean is matched by a commitment to keep energy costs affordable and to protect our security by using our abundant domestic coal reserves to meet America's growing energy needs." Watch the commercial at::AmericasPower
Two more after the jump...
It's like shooting fish in an overcrowded BC fish farm, picking out our favourite greenwashers of the year, all part of our series about the Best of 2007.
1)The ultimate in greenwashing chutzpah for the year goes to the Fur Council of Canada for their new "Fur is Green" campaign, where they say that "In nature, each plant and animal species generally produces more offspring than the land can support to maturity. Like other species, we live by making use of part of this surplus that nature creates." So killing is green. and sustainable. Wow. ::Fur is Green
2)"the Eden Collection is created from a minimum of 12% pre-consumer recycled material."- somewhat akin to calling a product vegan when it is made from 88% lard. And their advertising is filled with stupid lame hippie imagery. And where is the 12% from? LG takes an environmentally responsible approach to handling imperfect sheets by utilizing them as regrind material to be used in standard line colors versus sending them to a landfill."- They grind up their own mistakes. ::Greenwashing Your Countertop: LG Eden
3) Poor Loblaws, struggling to recover from a few disastrous years and paint itself green with a "something must be done" campaign, that included promises of local food and special stands labelled "Ontario Grown-picked at its peak." What do we find it filled with? USA cranberries. Loblaws: Something Can Must Be Done
Two more after the jump...
The tiger mosquito.
A strange epidemic hit the tiny village of Castiglione di Cervia in northern Italy last summer. Some 100 villagers (out of a population of 2,000) had fallen ill with malaria-like symptoms by the middle of August. The villagers were scared and hysterical. No one had any idea what was happening, until government scientists figured it out - the village was suffering from an outbreak of Chinkungunya, a relative of dengue fever normally found around the Indian Ocean.
Brought to the village by a visitor who had been traveling in India in July, the sickness was spread by the tiger mosquito. New to the region (tiger mosquitos only began to appear around this area of northern Italy three years ago), it seems this pest has begun to make itself at home in much of southern, and even central, Europe. Says Roberto Berollini, director of the World Health Organization's Program on Health and the Environment: ...
SPNI activists in central Tel Aviv. The banners reads "If only City Hall would say yes! a light rail would run here within 5 years."
Merry Christmas from Israel! Here, of course, there is no snow, the sun is shining, and Hannuka has already come and gone. There are, however, plenty of people doing good work for for the environment and social change, and they could always use the support of like-minded people around the globe.
For those of us treehuggers who live in this country, there is one non-profit organization which is synonymous with caring for Mother Earth: the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI). This veteran organization has been on the forefront of environmental protection for decades, long before it became fashionable around here. ...
2007 has been a brutal year for natural disasters in Latin America, keeping the
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs busy. The agency said in a recent statement that a record nine missions were dispatched to Latin America this year. "Seventy percent of the total were in response to hurricanes and floods, possibly a glimpse of the shape of things to come, given the reality of climate change," it said. Overall the office dispatched 14 missions around the globe -- a higher than usual number.
The natural disasters in Latin America varied in scale and affected more than eight countries. Heavy rains pounded Mexico's Tabasco state, leaving floods that lasted for weeks, covering large parts of the city of Villahermosa. Tropical storm Noel triggered flash floods in the Dominican Republic that killed dozens, while Honduras and Nicaragua faced the category-five hurricane Felix. Uruguay suffered its worst flooding in 50 years and hundreds of thousands of Bolivians were inundated and crops ruined early in the year.
A UN disaster team sent to the region also assisted with the relief effort following an 8.0-magnitude earthquake along the Peruvian coast. The UN isn't the only agency to recognize the upward trend this year. Oxfam also recently released a report.:: Photo credit: Agence France-Presse — Getty Images.The Guardian...
Around about this time of the year I've had enough of parties and rich food. It's time for me to step back and have something for dinner that doesn't involve any traditional Christmas fare. So I spent some time this week reading The Gate Vegetarian Cookbook which I received for Christmas and there is nary a shortbread cookie in sight.
There are plenty of mouth-watering recipes here, but many are out of season for me so I ended up choosing this dal which was really easy to make. The recipe calls for red lentils or yellow split peas. I used split peas and I would like to make it again with the lentils. The split peas don't break down in the same way that the lentils do and you get a very different texture. In any case the soup itself was quite tasty. There is quite a lot of clove in this recipe and it gives your mouth a sort of numbness when you're finished which was a bit odd, so I might cut back on this the next time....
In one of the most intriguing marketing and fundraising strategies I’ve come across in my time writing about kids and education on Treehugger, the popular web-based virtual world of Club Penguin, geared towards kids ages 6-14, asked them to donate some of their virtual coins earned playing games on Club Penguin towards a charitable cause in a campaign called “Coins for Change” that ran from December 10th-24th.
And while virtual coins won’t get you very far in the real world, the truth is that the donations came at a real cost to the kids virtual world adventures with their penguin avatars, and was backed up by the genuine green stuff via the New Horizon Foundation. A relatively young philanthropic organization launched by the founders of Club Penguin itself.
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What does BP stand for these days? Beyond Propaganda? ByeBye Planet? Bad Pollution? We just aren't certain anymore, now that it is spending $3 billion to buy into the stupid fuel, oil from the Alberta Tar Sands, global warming's new Ground Zero. Each barrel of oil out of the tar sands generates about a two thirds of a tonne of CO2, so BP's 200,000 barrels a day will generate about 127,000 tonnes of CO2 per day.
They will have to sell a lot of wind turbines and solar panels to compensate for that! ::Joe Romm...
With all of the focus on China exporting toxic materials to the rest of the world, it’s often lost in the media-frenzy how damaging some of the products being shipped back to China for recycling are for the people charged with breaking down the materials for recycling into something else for sale in a first-world store.
In fact, a recent report in the British Telegraph highlights the problem in one town in China which has become a virtual graveyard for all those unwanted Christmas gifts of season’s past. Perhaps not surprisingly the effects on the villagers and their children have been enormous, with 82% of children testing positive for clinical lead poisoning in recent testing.
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This is the latest in the series of posts about the Best of 2007 at TreeHugger. More are on the way; stay tuned!
2007 was a great year for many things green, and while almost all the growth was a good thing, some stories we covered just made us scratch our heads and wonder if we had wandered into an alternate dimension or something. Here are some of the best.
1) Sheryl Crow toured the US in a bio-fuel bus this year, and helped spread the green word with Laurie David. But what exactly was the singer-turned-environmental-researcher thinking when she said, "I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting." Hardly an exciting idea on it's own, but Sheryl took it to new extremes with the suggestion that we use, "only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where two to three could be required."
2) Toronto's finest pulled over Dean Baldwin in his Flintstone-mobile-modified 1986 Buick Regal and charged him with “operating an unsafe vehicle,” noting that the car had no floorboards, engine, transmission or licence plates, although the votive candle headlights, steering, brakes and quadracycle drive were working perfectly. Yabba-Dabba-D'oh!
3) What was the deal with stuff in cans this year? Between the Batter Blaster, organic pancake batter "blasted" from a can for your breakfasting enjoyment and the straight-outta-Spaceballs canned air, the world was made a more bizarre place by all the crap in cans this year. Hit the jump for two more head-scratchers.
Last year, we reported that downloading music from somewhere like iTunes had a lower carbon footprint than picking the album up at your local record store. One caveat of the Apple-based virtual mega-store is the DRM (DR-wha? Read Wikipedia's explanation for an overview), which locks down your tunes and limits the amount of different computers and users that can access the files (and remember, burning a CD bumps up the carbon footprint of your tunes by more than five times, according to the Guardian's study).
Amazon has removed the pesky DRM from all of their nearly 3 million music files (and have, ever since they launched the download service in September of this year), letting you download tunes from artists like Cloud Cult, Jack Johnson, Kelley Stoltz and many, many more; just yesterday, they scored files from Warner Music Group, leaving Sony as the only "major" record label without representation on Amazon's MP3 store.
The super-sized e-tailer is quick to point out that their files will work with any MP3 player, from the ubiquitous iPod (which Apple swears are eco-friendly) to Microsoft's Zune to just about anything that'll interface with your computer. MP3 players have certainly changed the way many of us listen to music; will DRM-free downloads change the way we buy it? The full release is below the fold. ::Amazon MP3 via ::Gizmodo...
If sewage pipes and their smells somehow don't get enough notice by local communities, an ad like this might raise some eyebrows. Developed by a Chinese advertising company for use in Shenzhen, in Guangdong province, the posters drive home the message that pollution is poopy (while reminding people where some of that pollution originally comes from). In the world's ecological ground zero -- and in a country not known for racy billboards -- shock value can go a long way.
Ads of the World via Shanghaiist...
The British artist and photographer Jason Elliott has been weaving digital magic into his local landscape of West Yorkshire in a series of images called Hebden Bridge 2032, which is currently being exhibited at the Alternative Technology Centre in Yorkshire. Elliott has envisioned a rather tropical future for the residents of this small town in Northern England, which contrasts dramatically with its traditionally grey, rainy and windswept climate....
Swedish eco-tourism is supposed to be some of the world's best - a national system of eco-certifying different trips has been in place since 2002 with now over 300 different destinations sporting the Naturens Bästa ("Nature's Best") label. The most popular eco-destinations are dog-sledding in the chilly Swedish north, visiting some of the most vibrant Lapp cultural centers and reindeer markets, getting a glimpse of Aurora Borealis, or taking a pony tour in the low Swedish mountains.
But all those trips will require some flight time and rack up the CO2 emissions for out-of-country tourists. Of course, emissions offsets are a possibility, but there's another, unique alternative - for the best in armchair traveling, follow a Moose herd without ever leaving home. Six municipalities, three Swedish and three Norwegian, located in the far north of Scandinavia, have gotten a grant from the European Union to establish the moose as their regional symbol. They've also tagged a moose herd of about 75 members with GPS sensors. The tags generate satellite calls to a centrally-located server to keep track of moose movements - you can follow an individual moose or see where the herd goes. The municipalities want to get tourists interested in moose, as though overpopulation is a problem (and moose emissions not a trifling amount of CO2) the animal is considered an important economic asset, as hunting moose is a huge national sport. OK, perhaps moose tracking is not as exciting as dog sledding, or even spotting one of the top-heavy, spindly-legged moose in the flesh, but it's still kind of cool. P.S. Tracking reports are delayed by 14 days to protect the moose from illegal hunting. Via ::Alg i MittSkandia (English, too)
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This is the latest post in TreeHugger's series about the Best of 2007. More are on the way; stay tuned!
TreeHugger is proud of its carefully crafted, even-handed, fair and balanced surveys set up by our flying squad of statisticians and demographers, giving a true snapshot of the pulse of the nation and the globe. Our most popular ones this year determined by number of participants, all open still and waiting for your further consideration:
1) Hummers or Hikers? ATV website Thumpertalk got hold of this and said "
Skew there poll. These silly treehuggers want to see who rides and who doesn't. Show them we are still the majority." And they did, knocking the numbers off the scale. It's payback time- go sign up for Thumpertalk and tell them what you think.
2) Incandescence vs Fluorescence ? So much passion over an obsolete technology. The poll was in January and much has changed since, but who knew that so many people were going to have their incandescents ripped from their cold dead hands? Or that a ballpoint pen nib sized glob of mercury was the greatest threat since the hydrogen bomb?
3) Do Nukes have a Place in Our Future? A recent Utne Reader article on the rebirth of nukes noted survey results on TreeHugger and Grist, where a majority of the readers on both sites thought nukes did have a place.Yet 500 environmental orgs have said "We do not support construction of new nuclear reactors as a means of addressing the climate crisis." This is a difficult one for us.
This is the latest post in TreeHugger's series about the Best of 2007. More are on the way; stay tuned!
If 2007 taught us anything, it was that sustainability is sexy. From sex toys to sex trees, here are some ways that this year in green helped bring sexy back.
1) The 2007 World Naked Bike Ride events were a savvy (sexy?) way to promote human-power vehiclists all over the world who took it to the streets to make their point: "It's time to put a stop to the indecent exposure of people and the planet to cars and the pollution they create." If you were a little on the shy side, it's not a problem: you won't be discriminated against for going only "as bare as you dare". Body painting is always encouraged; now that's a sexy back.
2) Earlier this year, European law began a mandate of the recycling of electronic devices, making it now technically illegal, and certainly irresponsible, to send your unloved (or over-loved!) vibrators to the landfill. But wait, don't send your sexy back just yet -- users of this service are asked, of course, to please clean your toys first.
3) When it comes to dating vegans, you are what you eat. Or so found researcher Annie Potts, of the New Zealand Centre of Human and Animal Studies at Canterbury University, who 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. Hit the jump to get more sexy back...
Here's a nice story: an art dealer has sold a Picasso etching for $3 million dollars and he is donating the proceeds to environmental and Third World causes. The print is one of an edition of 50 and its owner, Dr. Frederick Mulder, decided to sell it and give 75% of the money to charity.
He said:
I found myself in the position of just having sold the world's most expensive printed image in the form of Picasso's La Minotauromachie, in which Picasso contemplates a future of personal change. I had owned the object for many years and although it was a wrench to let it go I realised that, just as the print's imagery addressed the issue of a chaotic future, the assets the sale generated could also be used to address our chaotic future.
I could use the profits for the issues I felt strongly about, in particular climate change, conflict prevention and Third World development. This is going to give sight to people, educate people and help charities working on climate change. One doesn't like to be too dramatic but all of this is as satisfying as having any work of art.
While Treehugger continues to be excited about hybrids, and of course plug-in hybrids, we can’t help but also be impressed with the efficiencies being achieved by the simple diesel engine – for example, we got particularly excited by the prospect of Honda bringing a diesel Accord to the US by 2010. Scrolling through the always informative Green Car Congress, we came across an item about the new Seat Ibiza Ecomotive, a compact diesel model with a US fuel economy rating of 62mpg. The car is apparently a direct competitor to the VW Bluemotion that we enthused about previously. We can’t find any word on whether the vehicle will be available in the US. However, reading up on Autoblog Green, it looks like it could be a big hit in the UK, where its low emissions ratings qualify it for exemption to the London congestion charge. The Ecomotive will also have the distinct advantage that with prices starting at UK£10,495 (US$21,000), it is considerable cheaper than many other exempt cars like the Prius, which start at about UK£18,000 (US$36,000). ::Green Car Congress::Autoblog Green::
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Belonging to the world of sci-fi (and the too-odd-to-make-this-shiz-up category) is the Energy Tower invention of Professor Dan Zaslavsky from the Technion in Israel. About a kilometer in height and nearly half as wide, is Zaslavsky’s tower which is based on the principle of convection. Zaslavsky proposes that this tower (pictured above) will be able to rid the world of greenhouses gases, and produce clean energy, and fresh water at the same time. ...
In an effort to clean up Beijing's murky skies ahead of the Olympic Games, Chinese officials have decided to phase in a cleaner motor fuel - conforming to the Euro IV standard - over the next 2 months while keeping gasoline prices unmoved. Starting January 1, oil wholesalers and auto distributors will be required to sell gas and diesel that meets the elevated standard, which allows for only 50 ppm of sulfur; the current Euro III fuel permits 150 ppm but is cheaper - 0.4 yuan less per liter.
Environmental analysts estimate that the new standard will reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide generated by Beijing's almost 3.1 million vehicles by 1,840 tons every year. This announcement comes in the wake of news that the European Commission has just proposed its own set of new directives and regulations, including the Euro VI fuel standard, to sharply cut the E.U.'s emissions and simplify the current legislation. The new standard would focus on limiting the emissions produced by heavy motor vehicles - a clause Germany is none too pleased about - by forcing reductions of 80% and 66% in nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, respectively, compared to the Euro V standard.
Via ::Reuters: Beijing to switch to cleaner fuel: report (news website), ::Xinhua: Beijing cars use cleaner energy to help create "green Olympics" (news website)
See also: ::Water, Clean Coal Focus at Beijing's Clean Tech Conference, ::Beijing To Drive One Million Cars Off the Road Next MonthImage courtesy of Yoshimai...
If Ralph Waldo Emerson was right when he said, "Earth laughs in flowers, then Jill-able's Fill Me Up Vases are helping to spread that laughter. The smart, imminently reusable, infinitely portable vases are perfectly functional when in use, and simply fold up flat and store in the tiniest of spaces, making it easy to always have a vase handy or take it with you when giving (organic) cut flowers as a gift.
The user instructions go something like this: Fill vase with water; add flowers; Enjoy!; when done, empty water and store flat; re-use again and again and again! They're available in a variety of fun colors and designs to complement your favorite bouquet. Once you go flat, you never go back...::Jill-able Fill Me Up Vases via ::MoCo LocoUpdate: After further review, these appear to be a clever knockoff of the Vazu flat pack vases we covered back in February, that are available in Canada. Shucks....
How did we miss this? Evidently when Canada's environment minister was being a complete obstructionist jerk in Bali, Al Gore called the country out with a pointed hockey analogy that is not quite Bob Dylan's "You don't have to be a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing" but is close:
One of the most famous ice-hockey players in history was asked the secret of why he was so good. He was the best passer in the history of the game, Bobby Hull. Others might disagree [and say] Wayne Gretzky. And he said in response to the question: 'I don't pass the puck to where they are - I pass the puck to where they're going to be'."
Image courtesy of NASA
Reprising a topic we've covered before - the harnessing of solar energy from space - we bring you the latest on a joint venture between the U.S. Department of Defense and Palau to test the feasibility of using satellites to beam down "affordable, clean, safe, reliable, sustainable, and expandable energy for mankind."
At first glance, the small island nation of Palau might seem like an unusual partner for such a venture; according to Kevin Reed, an American entrepreneur heading a U.S.-Swiss-German consortium that seeks to bring the type of ultralight solar panel technology needed for the satellites, however, its uninhabited Helen Island would provide the ideal testing ground for a small demonstration. ...
This is the second of TreeHugger's Best of 2007 post series.
Some stuff we cover on TreeHugger seems too weird to be real, or straight out of a sci-fi movie; though they're kinda wacky, it's all strange but true.
1) Barry Walters, an associate professor of obstetric medicine at the University of Western Australia, reckoned that families opting for more than a defined number of children should be hit with a carbon tax. Conversely, condom and sterilization costs should be awarded carbon credits. Apparently, nothing is outside the realm of carbon footprint calculation these days.
2) Do your plants not get enough sun during the day? Plant ‘O’ Matic is the solution! It's a flowerpot on wheels, equipped with solar panels, that allow the plants to roll themselves into the sun. It's almost as wacky as your plants calling you when they need to be watered. Almost.
3) From plants that move to clothing that "grows" itself; that's right, this invention of wine-based clothing is created by bacteria in the fermenting grape juice. The bacteria convert the wine into a vinegar-like scum layer. The layers of this cellulose are then laid one over another, on an inflatable mannequin. Once the garment has the desired shape, the dummy is deflated, while the clothing remains. Just one caveat: when dry, the fibers tear easily, like tissue paper; as such, the garments need to be kept constantly wet. Two more strange but true stories of green weirdness (or is it weird greenness?) below the fold.
TreeHugger is always looking for clever ways to save water and time, so we present the Konaka Shower Clean business suit, which you can shower in and wear the next day, no ironing necessary! This not a new idea, Cary Grant did it in Charade with Audrey Hepburn watching in 1963. (scene below fold). The suit uses a special wool developed by Australian Wool Innovation and will sell for between $260 and $492. Download a big Realplayer video here or from ::Konaka. via ::DVICE...
Even as Atlanta and Florida were running out of it, people still were sprinklering their lawns; that is why climate change is such a hard sell, it doesn't affect us personally and immediately yet. In Australia, they have been feeling the effects of drought for a couple years, and it has led to changes in government, attitudes and design. Architect Sally Dominguez applied her design skills to the problem and came up with two products: The Waterhog, a clever modular rainwater harvesting system that simply bolts to the wall, is very shallow to fit in sideyards against the house, and an interconnection system to make it expandable. It doesn't look like a rain barrel or a silly water butt, it is efficient, effective, logical design. ...
This is the first in a series of posts looking back at the year that was 2007, from TreeHugger's perspective. Stay tuned!
Though the world of green tends to be a pretty serious place, we found ourselves laughing more than once this past year; some things were genuinely funny, while others got a nervous laugh and a "That's gotta be a joke, right?" (Sadly, that wasn't always the case.) Still, in an effort to not take ourselves too seriously, here are some stories that made us laugh in 2007.
2) Clarins came out with a spray-on mist that can protect us from electromagnetic fields (EMF). Check this out: "If electromagnetic waves can penetrate walls, imagine what they can do to your skin!" According to the packaging you can "Ramp up your skin care regimen with E3p Screen Mist, a new health and beauty treatment that helps protect your skin from all types of known pollutants, including electromagnetic waves." Thank goodness!
3) Climate change denier big-shot Bjorn Lomborg went on The Colbert Report to report his fake global-warming-denial jibber-jabber to the fake news show. So, what do you get when you cross a comedian pretending to report the news with a guy pretending he knows what he's talking about? Watch the video for yourself to get the specifics, but we thought the result was one of the funniest things to be noted on these pages all year long. Two more beneath the fold...
So what is a City to do when the Aga Khan drops into town with $ 200 million for the Aga Kahn Museum, to be built on the site of John Parkin's classic 1965 Bata Shoe Headquarters, still full of orange Eames shell chairs and Herman Miller Desks?
Say "Bye, Bye, Bata!" and welcome the new Fumihiko Maki designed museum, even if, as Chris Hume put it, "Surely there's an element of irony when an architecturally worthy building must be destroyed in the name of culture."
Some day we are all going to wake up and find that we have lost an entire generation of buildings that were not old enough to be deemed "historic" yet defined an era. ::BlogToronto
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"Designer Joey Roth calls his baby the Sorapot. It’s a radically minimalist reinterpretation of the teapot — a vision transforming a familiar, everyday item into something more like modern art. And, unlike many conventional teapots, the Sorapot’s glass and metal components are fully recyclable."
TreeHugger contributor Joey Roth is so modest; his reinvention of the teapot has been on so many design websites but never on TreeHugger. We are correcting that because it is a complete reinvention of the way a teapot works; It turns it into a show.
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For decades it's been common for US State and local governments to offer incentives for favorably citing a business or manufacturing plant within their jurisdiction(s). With so many US manufacturing plants having left for China and Mexico in recent years, States and local units of government are desperate to keep and nurture what they have, especially if the business getting the incentive package is "green."
Here's a recent example of rolling out the green incentives, from Toledo Ohio, USA.
The Lucas County Board of Commissioners and County Treasurer Wade Kapszukiewicz announced a $2 million investment in Xunlight Corporation, a thin-film solar cell manufacturer founded in Toledo...
About My Planet: Top Five Science Videos Of 2007 by Sarah Nelson
"New Scientist magazine shows us their most popular science videos of 2007; some of them are pretty bizarre. A species of squirrel that lives in the desert can tell the difference between a rattlesnake and a gopher snake, and heats its tail appropriately."
Grist: What I want for 2008 by Sean Casten
"What I want most for 2008 is serious action on climate change -- not just in terms of policy, but in terms of action. Mathematically, this mandates serious and constructive engagement from the electric sector, which has thus far been not only absent, but hostile to any serious discussion of GHG reduction."...
:: Bond with your kids and teach them something useful by teaching them how to cook
:: Got a shiny new wireless phone or PDA from Saint Nick's loot sack this holiday? Find out what to do with your castoff.
:: If you're determined to get organized for 2008, our tip will help you figure out what you're up against.
:: If dealing out cash is overly impersonal, show your loved ones you care by giving them the gift of health and wellness.
:: Trust us, recycling your Christmas tree will be a whole lot easier than returning that gaudy appliqué sweater from Cousin Janine.
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Keith Rivera and Kristin Anderson—Santa Barbara, CA
So many of our cities are designed around the traditional model of house facing street with backyard behind; in newer suburbs the car and garage dominate the front; in older cities there are often networks of forbidding back lanes. In Portland, Oregon, the City sponsored a competition to look at an alternative: the courtyard plan. According to Metropolis,
The competition promotes courtyard housing as an affordable way of increasing neighborhood densities without sacrificing public space and environmental sustainability. The courtyard model also extends Portland’s tradition of street oriented urbanism. “Suburban houses avoid the street,” said Mark Gillem, a competition director and a professor of architecture at the University of Oregon. “The courtyard can engage it.”...
In a study done recently, researchers found that the number of incidents of testicular cancer among first generation immigrants to the nation of Denmark was much lower than that among native males.
And although there is no consensus as to what specifically is causing the variations in the rates of this cancer from nation to nation and thus the cancer itself, it’s quite possible that the results of this study can help researchers pinpoint it’s root cause by focusing future research on the environmental factors to which young male citizens of Denmark are exposed more frequently than their counterparts in other areas of the world.
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Anyone watching modern prefab at the turn of the century will remember Andre Hodgskin's stunning Bachkit, with its cantilevered roof, open corners and sliding walls. (and an early un-navigable flash website) I was working with a prefab builder at the time and was asked to look at the plans; the complexity and the tolerances required to make the sliders work scared me away. However it remains perhaps the most beautiful modern prefab attempted. (photos here)
Now Hodgskin is back with the more modest iPAD (does Steve Jobs know about this?) still with open corners (do they not have mosquitoes in New Zealand?) and a cantilevered roof with no visible means of support (do they not have wind and earthquake loads?)
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If you’ve got a passion for the environment, or know someone who does and they fall between the ages of 9-17 the Earth Heroes Go Green! creativity contest being hosted by the World Youth Foundation just may be a great idea…
The contest itself is designed to let kids exhibit their passion for the environmentally-friendly, inspiring and aware through writing, painting, photos, or even a video documentary.
One of the contest suggestions listed on their site that caught my eye is photographing your favorite local place and writing about why the beauty of it inspires you to become an Earth Hero. If truth be told I think it grabbed my attention because I thought it could help all of us to put a local face on the reasons we’re all striving to become Earth Heroes, and can possibly help others see why some of the lesser known special places on Earth or so important too.
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Last week we bracketed a likely schedule for the presumed commercialization of cellulosic ethanol ("Ceetoh") in North American, reflecting the effect of recently created US energy bill incentives: Who's Got The Ceetoh Moves? - Part 1 (We're saying no sooner than 2020 for broad commercialization of cellulosic ethanol in North America.)
This week we briefly describe or link to earlier posts for a select list of companies or research groups with technology offerings for Ceetoh processing. We specifically exclude from this list investment groups that have not invented Ceetoh technologies, do not perform Ceetoh related research, and/or do not directly manage Ceetoh processing operations.
Order does not denote rank importance or indicate preference on the part of TreeHugger. Nation of corporate ownership is shown in bold.
Canada:- Woodland Biofuels, Woodland Biofuels Inc., previously Woodland Chemical Systems Inc., is a federally-incorporated Canadian company that builds and sell plants to convert renewable waste materials into fuels and chemicals. Their processes can utilize varying feedstock using the same equipment, unlike enzymatic fermentation processes, wherein even minor changes necessitate different enzymes. Woodland 's process can be fired by biomass and generate its own electricity....
Less a simple piece of furniture and more a "living system," the Warhol Sofa from UK designer Simone Brewster is designed with a very TreeHugger-friendly goal in mind: so its user can live comfortably in one room. The "sofa" easily transforms into a desk and a bed; "each component acts an ingredient that is left for the user to compose and create their desired environment," says Brewster.
The sofa is part of an entire Warhol Philosophy Collection, which, in addition to the sofa, includes some funky cutlery and some ornamental cups, and follows Warhol's philosophy that "everything you do should be done from bed and should remain glamorous." Can't argue with that, can you? See the other versions of the sofa below the fold. ::Simone Brewster via ::Apartment Therapy...
In the second part of our interview, David Orr traces the dirty trail of coal from ravaged Appalachian mountains to the carnage of the Gulf Coast, both of which he knows firsthand. Listen to the podcast of this interview via iTunes, or listen/right-click to download. (Listen to Part One here) TreeHugger: The last time that I saw you, David, was down in New Orleans. Global Green, Brad Pitt, and the neighborhood associations of the Lower Ninth Ward were unveiling a green development. Building green in New Orleans is an idea that’s certainly got traction now. But you’ve spoken about a bigger problem which seems to overshadow these sort of steps. Can you tell me about that?
David Orr: Well, first of all you have to take your hat off to people like Matt Petersen [of Global Green] and Brad Pitt. There are hundreds of people, thousands of people, that are working to rebuild New Orleans. But there's this remorseless working out of large numbers; all of that effort is going to be in vain sooner or later unless we deal with the big issues of rising seas, which is an attribute of climate change, and the mismanagement of the lower Mississippi....
Perhaps amazingly, the minute Swedes' thoughts turn away from the Christmas holidays they turn straight toward spring, even though it's generally about a five-month slog to get there. To bring in the Spring early, we all seem to start buying tulips the minute the poinsettias are dead. Lots of tulips. Scandinavians seem nearly as obsessed with bulbs as the Dutch (who export nine billion bulbs each year). Well maybe not quite as obsessed - the Dutch are contemplating building a fake island in the North Sea shaped like a tulip, read about it here.
So the Swedish grocery chain Coop is set to next week introduce organic, KRAV-certified tulips, produced not far north of Stockholm and to cost about 50 Swedish crowns (approximately $7.50) for a bouquet of 10 stems. According to Coop, three million of the tulips are expected to be sold in the first year alone, saving 250 tons of chemicals that would otherwise be used on conventional tulips. And the paper sleeve is recyclable, unlike the conventional plastic wrap. We've had the carbon footprint of flowers debate on treehugger before, and while organic is better than conventional, and local better than flown-in, are these tulips too good to be true?
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I have a great job, but I now know that author Richard Nelson's job is a bit cooler - literally and figuratively. Recently Nelson sat on the icy ground at the Alaskan Beaufort Sea coast watching polar bears eat the remains of a whale.
Perhaps that sounds a bit gross to some, but the idea of watching such majestic creatures interact is fascinating to me. In any case, Nelson's reason for watching these polar bears dine was to narrate his observations for an Alaskan radio show called "Encounters." Don't worry, it's not full of gory descriptions - it's actually very informative. He shares polar bear facts and some of his experiences researching the world's largest land carnivore. Nelson is allowing us to post the audio on the Web site of Sierra magazine, and I encourage everyone to check it out. He also has an essay on polar bears in the latest issue of our magazine....
We covered the brilliant work of Bioregional before, such as the BedZED eco-housing project and the Laundry, a paper recycling system. Bioregional has developed another recycling scheme at a more local scale, specifically for London and has also applied it to Surrey so far. Local Paper for London is based on the simple principle of cycling the paper locally.
How does it work? (graph after the jump) The company sends their paper for recycling at a local mill in Kent. Then it buys back their own, now recycled, paper for the office. It is less hassle and cost saving for the company and guarantees a buyer of the recycled paper. Bioregional explains that “it is important, not only to recycle your waste paper, but also to close the loop by buying paper made from your recycled waste. This is because there needs to be a stable market for recycled products so that it is economically viable to collect and recycle the waste. So the more people who buy recycled products – the cheaper it becomes to get your waste recycled”....
This small exhibit of street furniture by Swiss designers shows an inventiveness and creativity that is a breath of, well, fresh air. The ingenuity shown in creating a water trough at the end of a down spout (pictured) makes such perfect sense. Another is a hanging garden outside a window which acts as a shutter as the plants grow. The bicycle park occupies the space of one parking spot and serves as a stand for 6 bicycles (in the shape of a car, of course).
Another show piece uses the inexpensive wood from packing cases as parquet flooring for outdoors. An un-used fountain has a mirror attached and is transformed to an outside amenity. Instead of chains to block off spaces, giant colourful "necklaces" and "charm bracelets" are decorative, witty and do the same job. Food for thought. :: InOut Via :: Financial Times...
It wasn’t the first time we’d seen solar street lights (other examples can be seen here, here and here), but it was probably the most beautiful. When we first saw the solar tree concept by Welsh designer Ross Lovegrove we really were pretty taken aback. It is a gorgeous example of a marriage between form and function. However, often such concepts remain just that – concepts – so we were delighted to hear, via Renewable Energy Access, that the design has now undergone real-world testing on the streets of Vienna, with positive results:...
We all have our opinion of the war in Iraq, but as the NY Times and other media outlets have been reporting, lately people have been getting back to their daily routines thanks to a decline in violence in Baghdad. This is undoubtedly good news for U.S. soldiers and Iraqi citizens alike, but a side effect has been an intense spike in vehicular traffic in Baghdad. A typical commute already includes broken streetlights, people driving on the wrong side of the road, checkpoints and military convoys. But, as a recent NY Times article points out, "tens of thousands of Baghdadis have found an antidote (to the traffic) in the venerable motor scooter."
Scooters have become popular in Iraq for the same reason they are popular all over the world, namely, affordability, efficiency, and maneuverability on busy streets. But Iraqis also have some unique incentives to purchase scooters: "Guards at checkpoints often wave scooters through. Soldiers tend to view scooter drivers with less suspicion because, unlike people in cars, their bodies are in plain sight. Scooters are easy to navigate around blast walls." And lastly, owning a scooter "carries the implication that one is of lesser means, a good thing in a city where having money draws attention of the wrong kind."...
Our pals at Inhabitat have teamed up with Marc Alt + Partners to present the Greener Gadgets Conference, February 1, 2008, in New York City. The conference will address some big-picture topics like design for sustainability, product life cycle management, take-back and recycling programs, energy efficiency, greener materials, and green lifestyle and product marketing.
As part of the one-day conference, Core77 is lending a hand by partnering up for a Greener Gadgets Design Competition, whose goals will closely mirror those of the conference: "This design competition will engage established design firms, emerging designers, and design students to come up with new and innovative solutions to address the issues of energy, carbon footprint, health and toxicity, new materials, product lifecycle, and social development." Starting today (and going through January 27), they're looking for designs that "seek to minimize the environmental impact of consumer electronic devices at any stage in the product lifecycle."
Read more about the Greener Gadgets Conference, get all the details about the Design Competition at Core77, and good luck! via ::Core77...
Well, that was fast: It was little more than a week ago that we'd heard that a government-industry alliance was getting set to pump $1.76 billion into a so-called "clean coal" power plant in Illinois; now, because of cost issues, the DOE seems to be backpedaling on its commitment.
Earth2Tech's Craig Rubens reports that:
"The statement has blindsided FutureGen’s carbon capture and sequestration hopes. The release says the DoE has been discussing the project’s cost with FutureGen for months. DoE wants a reassessment of the projected cost overruns and wants to see a “restructuring” in FutureGen."
Linda Nusdorfer, centre, stands by the bedside of Michelle Babineau at Toronto General Hospital; Lucas Oleniuk Toronto Star
On Christmas eve, Megan Ogilvie wrote in the Star about Michelle Babineau, who has been in Toronto General for seven months, recovering from a double-lung and heart transplant at the age of 36. Her family is 1500 miles away on the east coast and can't afford to visit.
Nurse specialist Linda Nusdorfer wondered why families couldn't visit virtually, and last Christmas set up web cams for a young mother who couldn't be with her three children, all under the age of 4, over the holidays. "There were her children, on the screen, engaging with mum, talking, dancing, asking questions," she says. Since then eight families have tried this, in one of the few hospitals equipped with internet access. (wifi is not allowed). The hospital can't supply common machines for fear of infection, so it is up to the patients' families to supply equipment and many are not familiar with the the technologies. But for those who have access to the technology, Nusdorfer says virtual visits bring patients a lot of joy: "They just light up. They light up ... It's what inspires them to get home quicker." ::The Star
Mike McGregor of Logitech Canada read that article and did something about it.
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As any longtime resident of Los Angeles - such as this one - will tell you, the city's public transit system is, to put it mildly, highly impractical. Many us have been willing to grit our teeth and weather its inconveniences in the hopes that, one day soon, we'd see some concrete improvements - and a few extra extensions. Now it looks as though two of our most pined for projects - the so-called subway to the sea (an extension from east LA to Santa Monica) and the bullet train from Anaheim to San Francisco - will be delayed, if not shelved entirely.
Bill Rosendahl, the LA City Councilman who has been spearheading efforts to bring the subway to the sea project to the fore, recently remarked that: "My plan is to be alive when the subway to the sea happens." He may yet get his wish - as an article in the LAT noted:
"Rosendahl's chances were increased last week when Congress repealed a ban on federal funding of subway tunneling in parts of the city. The repeal is part of a $516-billion appropriations bill that President Bush is expected to sign.
The repeal triggered a City Hall news conference at Union Station, where Rosendahl made his remarks, and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said he's working on a funding plan."
USEPA on occasion has failed to act on the Precautionary Principle. How else might one explain USEPA recommendations that MTBE be used as a gasoline additive for anti-knock and oxygenation properties? During EPA's decision making process in the late 1970's, people must have realized that MTBE could create a bad taste in water, that it had high water solubility and could move more quickly in groundwater than other common fuel components, and that the nation's underground fuel lines and storage tanks were leaking...badly. EPA's decision to reformulate gasoline with still higher MTBE concentrations, a decision which ultimately cost taxpayers millions, if not billions, in solving drinking water contamination issues, seems anything but cautious.
Two decisions don't add up to a trend, but it certainly seems that the Precautionary Principle is still not being followed with BisPhenol-A based plastics being sold into the infant care market. The good news is that when better designed consumer choices appear in the marketplace, EPA's risk management muddling matters less.
As a far-reaching article from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel documents, when it comes to BPA-based plastics, the infant care market is showing signs of having lost patience with industry toxicologists quibbling over "weight of evidence." The public opinion jury is in on BPA, and parents are buying glass baby bottles. Gerber is offering them. Glass bottle makers are pleased. This consumer movement reminds us of recent reports of large numbers of consumers seeking US made wooden toys for their children's Christmas presents. Chinese manufacturers and US designers could not be trusted to manage risk, so parents walked out on their offerings....
A great example of smart graphic design, the real genius of Taiwan's recycling logo is its multi-functional utility. Look at the white space to see what we mean. ::Bubble Jive via ::NotCot.org...
We love living with less and mobile housing, having a small footprint and not being tied down. The miniHome was great for this but needs a tractor; the portabach needs a crane and a trailer.
Living is.be combines the best of an RV (easily mobile) with the efficiency of a popup camper (folds down for less wind resistance) and the comfort of a multistorey townhouse. It even has a hot-tub sized bath on the upper level.
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What are wire hangers doing on this site when we told you: hangers can be made from 100% recycled paper, Sundela board (a material derived from recycled and compressed newspaper) and biodegradable corn-based plastic? Well, South Korea-based collective 101 Design Studio has devised a clever way to recycle the hangers into a pretty slick-looking light. Available in two versions -- "48 Hanger" (rather than pendant -- ha!) and "48 Stand" -- the lights use, as the names suggest, almost 50 discarded wire hangers to create a very modern shape oddly reminiscent of a more traditional lampshade.
We like this not only for its use of recycled materials, but for the many options it provides; leave it alone for a brighter, white light, or add a splash of color around the hangers with your own shade. Hardcore DIYers could even fashion their own; just don't forget to use a compact fluorescent light bulb. Either way, even Joan Crawford would approve. More pics after the jump. ::101 Design Studio via ::Yanko Design...
With one big holiday squarely in our rear view (no, not that kind of rear view), we can turn our attention to recycling (or re-planting. Or, heck, just folding up) our Christmas trees and preparing to close the book on 2007. And you know what that means: almost time to break out the (organic) bubbly and celebrate with some green panache.
With that in mind, Design Within Reach has announced the call for entries for its 5th annual Champagne Chair Contest, challenging participants to create an original miniature chair from nothing more than the wire, cork, cage and foil of no more than two champagne bottles, glue being the only permitted adhesive. Pictured above (right) is last year's winner, entitled “Cantilever Block,” crafted by one Adam Weisgerber, from Seattle, Washington, from just two corks.
We already know that cork does it all, so the question that remains is: What can you create from your party leftovers? Hit the jump for all the details. ::DWR's Champagne Chair Contest...
chickens hang out amidst lettuce
Throughout the northeast United States, there are once-proud cities that have lost population and industry. Treehugger has seen some revitalization and urban farming in Detroit and Buffalo. Yen Ha and Michi Yanagisita of Front Studio, "the only Asian women-owned architectural partnership in New York City" have produced the most stunning and evocative images for "Urban Voids: Grounds for Change", a competition sponsored by the Philadelphia City Parks Commission and the Van Allen Institute in 2006, just presented on ::Bldgblog. As James Howard Kunstler's predictions about our cities continue to come true, this may well be one of the solutions that keeps us in food and in jobs. ...
Cohousing has been around North America for a few years, imported from Denmark by visionary architects Charles Durrett and Kathryn McCamant; there are now about 100 multi-generational cohousing communities in the United States. At the same time, we have a lot of aging boomers and active seniors rattling around in big houses now that the kids, and often a spouse, have gone. We have noted before (see Back to the commune, man) that the concept could work very well for seniors. Wolf Creek Lodge, under development in California, is an example. According to the LA Times,
The basic premise of cohousing -- that life is better together than apart -- is an even neater fit for people as they age, because "aging is a team sport," said Dr. Bill Thomas, geriatrician and author of "What Are Old People For?" But cohousing communities specifically geared for seniors are just beginning to take off.
"For a long time, the team was your blood kin. Now the team, more and more, is going to be the people with whom we choose to live," Thomas said. "Elder cohousing is a response to the fading away of our traditional understanding of family and care-giving."
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When I posted my interview with Erik Gustafson, this year’s winner of Discovery’s Young Scientist Challenge, it wasn’t so surprising to learn that he’d launched his path to the top of the heap as America’s Next Top Young Scientist by investigating the creek in his own backyard. Now, it seems there’s been a whole movement afoot in Pennsylvania, Colorado and parts of New York to get kids involved investigating local creeks as a way to understand basic science and our connection to the natural world at the same time.
It’s called Creek Connections, and it started back 14 years ago as a program at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Since that time it’s grown, with students posting their results online to be shared with other participating districts, and for evaluation by Allegheny College.
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Some of our readers may recall the Rifle Colorado-area oil shale extraction projects of the 1970's (map of area pictured). Reduced oil prices following the OPEC boycott, impacts of saline water discharges, and high operating costs resulted in a virtual shut down by 1982.
Rule #1 with US oil businesses and the Defense Department: The US Can Never Have Enough.
Even with Alberta's tar sand-extracted oil gushing southward via pipeline, making Texification of the US' Upper Midwest a predetermined outcome, it looks as if that notion of cooking the greasy rocks will once again audition Colorado as "The Saudi Arabia Of North America" - although we thought that billing was taken by Alberta?
“The potential of America’s oil shale resources to meet future U.S. demand for fuel is significant,” said BLM Director Jim Caswell. “Oil shale deposits on public lands hold the equivalent of 1.23 trillion barrels of oil. The lands we are proposing to make available are estimated to hold, at a minimum, the equivalent of 61 billion barrels. At the low end of the range, that would yield enough gasoline to keep American tanks filled for 18 years.”
Most U.S. oil shale resources are found in the Green River Formation of Colorado, Utah
and Wyoming. The federally owned portion of this resource is more than 50 times the
country’s proven conventional oil reserves and nearly five times the proven reserves of
Saudi Arabia.
Yes, Virginia, there is a "McDonald's Corporate Responsibility Blog" discussing the subject "through the eyes of Vice President, Bob Langert, and the other people at McDonald's who work on corporate responsibility issues that matter." He picks up on the "six sins of greenwashing" and suggests that "many companies are reluctant to talk about their environmental efforts because they are concerned they will only be met with criticism" which certainly is the case with McDonalds and TreeHugger.
Langert continues: "true progress is hard to define, and achieving perfection on the environmental front is impossible, because there will always be ways to improve. But not talking about environmental efforts, or "greenmuting", can be a sin as well. Here's my list of the "Six Sins of Greenmuting":
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Candles and an open fireplace are the hallmarks of holiday coziness, 'tis true, but not only are they inefficient, CO2 and particulate emissions are also unfortunate byproducts - about 15 grams of CO2 for each completely burned candle, and 3.3 kilograms of CO2 for one hour of open fireplace. Paraffin candle fumes can also contain benzene, formaldehyde and toulene, oh my! Last week we wrote about Swedish efforts to eco-certify candles and get consumers to switch to those.
But how to get the open fireplace feeling without the open fire? Ethanol fireplaces or glassfires as they are sometimes called are becoming increasingly popular in Europe where more people live in smallish apartments without any chimneys or hearths. In all shapes and sizes, wall-mounted or freestanding bio-fuel burning glassfires give off only water vapor and a small amount of CO2 - the fuel makers rather cryptically say "in proportions similar to...air exhaled by humans" - and without any smoke or particulate action. Chestnut roasting probably not an option. While in the pictures the fireplaces can look almost as cheesy as those TV-screen fires, in real life biofuel fireplaces do add the cheery atmosphere, without as much off-gassing. A liter of the biofuel burns about 1 - 4 hours at about 4 Euros ($5.75) a liter. Via ::Art Deco Kamin Design (Swedish) and Planika for U.S. available glassfires, including new design by Christopher Pillet.
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In the UK, Canada, Australia and much of the old British Commonwealth, it is a statutory holiday today, Boxing Day, where servants who had to work serving Christmas got to take home boxes of leftovers to eat with their family. In some parts of the Commonwealth stores are still closed in honour of the working person; in other parts it is the biggest shopping day in the year, equivalent to America's Black Friday. (other explanations in Wikipedia here)
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Muji is the muchadmired japanese homewares store which is ubiquitous in Europe and Asia (241 shops), and has one location in the USA, in New York. Their products are stylish, affordably priced, good quality and well-designed. It is appropriate that they would sponsor an international design competition, Muji Award 02, with the theme "re-think, re-design, re-use, re-fuse." The winner is....a towel. The Gold Prize was awarded to this "towel with further options", which starts life as a bath towel, but as it gets worn can be cut down along pre-scored perforations into a bathmat, a floor cloth and finally a duster. The perforations mean that there are no fraying edges when cut. Makes one regret not thinking of all those interim steps between towel and dish rag.
No Silver, but the Judges prize went to stacking hangers, a great idea since excess hangers are so annoying, as they sit at the bottom of cupboards getting tangled. And third prize is to salt. We use too much when pouring it out of a box, so this designer has packaged it in small cubes to discourage usage. A chrononotebook redesigns the way we track daily appointments. As one judge commented: "All these projects strike me as perfect reflections of the creative usefulness which is the spirit of Muji." :: Muji Via :: Financial Times...
So it’s coming up to that time when folks start making all kinds of resolutions for the year ahead. If yours is to finally start researching the process of going solar, then this video from Google Tech Talks might be of help. Running through an overview of the technology; the process of installing a system; key questions to ask; examples; solar energy myths, and a Q&A, this provides a pretty comprehensive introduction. It’s not, perhaps, the most thrilling presentation in the world, but it does cover all the basics. For more information on Google’s activities in solar, check out our posts on their solar trees or pictures of their rooftop installation (apparently the largest single corporate installation in the world). And for more info on what you can do at home, take a look at our guide on How to Green Your Electricity . ::Google Tech Talks::via YouTube::
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Image courtesy of trekkyandy
In keeping with the spirit of the season - and our past coverage of North Carolina's water scarcity problems - we had to pass on this timely story detailing the effects the drought - the state's worst on record - has had on the state's Christmas tree population. To sum it up in a few words: it was another boom year for artificial trees:
"North Carolina, the largest US seller of cut trees last year for the holiday, may contribute to a second straight season of declining sales, the National Christmas Tree Association predicts.
More consumers are skipping outdoor lots and buying artificial trees. Some who choose real ones are paying higher prices after the drought pushed up farmers' costs."
First of all, Merry Christmas everybody from Buenos Aires! For this special day, some of us have decided to choose a charity in case you want to give an extra gift and spread some love these holidays.
From the southern part of the world we chose Help Argentina, a nonprofit organization that acts as a bridge connecting donors and volunteers from all over the world to organizations in the Argentine social sector. For these holidays they have put up a set of alternatives for people to help for just ten US dollars. In the image above you can see some of them: buying one shovel for the development of gardens and farms in rural areas of Patagonia, protecting 3.9 square miles of native forests in Neuquen province, or buying 20 afternoon snacks for students in Cordoba province. Go to the extended to find out more alternatives.
Click on the tag 'christmas charities' to see other writers' choices....
Changing the world and people's attitudes is a group effort; the more people working together for a common cause, the more effective it will be. At this joyous time of the year, Treehugger would like to recognise and salute the dedication and hard work carried out by volunteers and charitable organisations in the name of saving the planet.
Trees For Cities is a UK based charity, formed to work with local communities on tree planting projects. Their aim is "to tackle global warming, create social cohesion and beautify our cities through tree planting, community, education and training initiatives in urban areas of greatest need."
Trees are an important link in the fight against global warming. They clean the air, reduce temperatures, counteract pollution and absorb carbon dioxide. Trees for Cities has worked out a formula of 2.67 trees planted for every tonne of C02 generated. Tree canopies save energy by cooling buildings and reducing the impact of rain storms. And of course they create habitats for birds and wildlife and add beauty to our surroundings.
But too many are lost due to property development, "health and safety" and disease and maturity.This year, in London alone, 9,593 trees were lost, a third of them street trees. Many that have been felled were at least 30 years old and would have formed an important part of London’s landscape. The good news is that Trees for Cities planted a healthy 211 street trees, and 5,733 others in various locations across the capital including in schools, estates, parks and woodlands in 2007 alone.
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Many of us may dream of a white Christmas and not get it. In Antarctica, where scientific teams from the International Polar Year are starting in earnest on the first carbon neutral research station after the building supplies landed at Breid Bay ten days ago, there is plenty of snow and ice - too much of it in fact. A whiteout this week forced one team to leave behind some containers and frozen food supplies they were trying to convoy to the station site - located on a small protected granitic ridge called Utsteinen, in the region of Antarctica known as Dronning Maud Land. In spite of the setback, the entire 24-person crew at base camp will get Christmas dinner and wait out the storm before some go back for container retrieval.
The site for the new Belgian Princess Elisabeth station, which we've written about here, was chosen with great precision. In Antarctica, where shifting subzero temps make human habitation and survival so daunting, and every nut and bolt and drop of fuel and morsel of food must be imported over long distances, the idea of sustainability is doubly challenging. But with Antarctica's delicately-balanced climate where global warming has had such as impact, the goal is also doubly necessary....
Locally Produced Honey Comb
From Swan's Honey in Albion, Maine. Available through Maine's Pantry. According to the package it is "distilled from nectar and put in to its container by the bees themselves." Also check out this Rare Hawaiian Organic White Honey.
Used Book (recycled)
Vanity Fair: A Cavalcade of the 1920s and 1930s. Uncovered from a box in the attic but available through Antiqbook.com. Fantastic representation of a bygone era....
Many people around the world today, including this author’s dear brother, will be receiving a Solio as a gift today. While this neat solar charger is a boon for all of us who forget to plug our phones in, or who have to travel regularly without easy access to a charging point, it can be much more than that for citizens of countries where electricity is scarce. As this video shows, by providing cheap, emission free, reliable power, Solio can help support entrepreneurs and sure up insecure communications networks. Such a service can literally be a lifeline for many people. For more thoughts on clean, sustainable energy, take a look at our guide on How to Green Your Electricity. ::Solio::via YouTube::
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Recently launched, the 2008 Arbor Day National Poster Contest is underway. And that means fifth-graders from across the U.S. are invited to share their artwork and compete for prizes in the process.
This year’s theme is “Trees are Terrific… Inside and Out!” and not surprisingly they’re expecting you’ll focus your efforts around the benefits of trees. But no great challenge to the children of Treehuggers everywhere I suppose.
Last year more than 75,000 classrooms across the U.S. participated in the contest. And the winning entry, submitted by Kaileen P. of North Carolina is featured here.
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As it turns out, recycling has its price. In California, that price happens to be a nickel - for small beverage containers - or a dime - for larger ones. No doubt some segment of the surge witnessed in Californians' recycling was attributable to something other than just financial incentives; the consensus among economists and environmentalists, however, seems to be that the respective one- and two-cent hikes in the state's Refund Value were largely to credit for the largest increase in the state's recycling rate in the last 15 years.
Out of the more than 6.9 billion containers recycled in the first half of 2007 - a year on increase of almost 800 million - state officials estimate that close to 7 in 10 were redeemed. Though it may not seem like much, experts explain that the one-cent hike was conflated to represent more than just a single penny increase; by suggesting that "recycling is worth a nickel, that recycling is worth a dime, conveys a sense of value . . . recycling is not just about a couple pennies," the state, through its media blitz, made people feel like "they're doing something important." ...
We should all be so fortunate as to be able to afford or design our own eco-friendly pads; not necessarily on the scale of a LivingHome model - which may be a bit much - but, more realistically, on the same plane as one of the myriad prefab homes we regularly feature. Karel J. Samsom and Cynthia Foster, two entrepreneurs living in Venice Beach, CA, have spent the better part of the past 8 months demonstrating just how much such a DIY approach can accomplish.
The fruit of their efforts, the Eco Cottages - individually named "Papa Hemingway Cottage," "Aunt Zoe's Place," and "Le Bébé Cottage" in a wry take off the Goldilocks fable - was completed just a few weeks ago. Samsom and Foster will offer up the cottages for rental to vacationers or long-term residents seeking a "green home experience" (we're sure the short walk to the beach won't hurt). ...
You know the feeling: you're cruising down the freeway when all of a sudden, and without apparent cause, a traffic jam brings you to a standstill. Before long, traffic is flowing again, and you have no idea what triggered the problem. Sure, you have your theories, but wouldn't the whole thing have been far less frustrating if you had had a mathematical model that could explain it? Well, you're in luck, because that's just what a team of mathematicians from the Universities of Exeter, Bristol and Budapest have created. The model "revealed that slowing down below a critical speed when reacting to an [unexpected] event, a driver would force the car behind to slow down further and the next car back to reduce its speed further still."
The end result is that "several miles back, cars would finally grind to a halt, with drivers oblivious to the reason for their delay." While the findings might seem fairly intuitive, they were previously unknown and poorly understood. It turns out that high volumes of traffic are not necessarily the cause of jams; rather, the model demonstrates that "it really matters how hard you brake" when reacting to unfolding events, because a sudden stop in the flow of traffic can cause a chain reaction several miles back. So this holiday season, be sure to drive smoothly. Or, better yet, if possible, take a train, bus, bicycle, or other contraption, and don't drive at all!
Via: ::Physorg.com...
For some it is a lonely time of year, with family far away or because things have not turned out as one had hoped. Perhaps they would get a lift out of the the Expected Curtain, "a curtain for the lonely person.The initial idea was to design something for a safer walk home.The screen printed silhouettes of people on a white curtain disappear at day time and only become visible at night when you turn on the lights inside."
To them, and everyone, have a wonderful evening and a better tomorrow.
Designed by ::Mino Kodama via ::Cube Me...
Now that I am riding a mountain bike, sitting upright and travelling more slowly, I can start doing it with a bit of style. No more sipping water out of a bottle, I could enjoy a gracious cafe au lait and croissant while I rode if I had Philipp Drexler's "breakfast on wheels" or "Bikefast" attachment. ...
Last week, when I normally would’ve received dozens of Christmas cards and boxes filled with chocolates, paperweights, T-shirts, and other ephemera from business colleagues and friends, a funny thing happened. They didn’t arrive. Or at least, not in their usual bulk. Instead, my email inbox started teeming with “Happy Holidays” subject headers announcing the senders’ best wishes. Meanwhile, people like my mom—who’s no environmental purist—announced that she had foregone gifts for her clients and in-laws in favor of donations to charity (“whether they like it or not,” she noted). This sudden dematerialization of presents had me wondering: Could it be that Christmas as we know it has finally jumped the shark?...
We continue to be fascinated by the concept of ebooks; why carry around a bound pile of paper when what you really want are words. The Kindle doesn't do it for us or others; so the Core77 team held a one hour design challenge to come up with a better one. Now the results are in; the eScroll that we showed earlier won the prize.
Now there was no clock running, but if this is the kind of stuff these designers come up with in an hour, I want to see what they can do in a week.
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A sweet little newsletter called "The Honey" has been circulating around the English-speakers in Israel this week. The theme was Eco-Honey. It's basically a team of women who scour the country for its best finds, and places to eat, and ship the deets off once a week to subscribers.
This week was an environmental theme and included these recycled tire bags, handcrafted by a Tel Aviv designer called Neutra. Ms. Elanit Neutra, The Honey reports, finds herself used tire inner tubes at local garages, and fashions them into a collection of handbags, large courier bags and wallets. Prices range from $50 to $250.
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Ken Ferguson runs a film studio but is trying to change the transient and short-term nature of the industry."I've been going around for years saying: `Guys, close the doors. Guys, turn off your engines. Guys, why are you throwing all this food away?'" he says. "And they'd say, `We don't have time, we don't have time, we don't have time. This is just kind of how we do things.'"
Now he is building a new studio on Toronto's waterfront and is trying to do it right.
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When some of us here at Treehugger started thinking about a “Christmas of the Future” post, I took a second to think what that might mean for my son. Born this year and expected to live some 70+ years, it sounded interesting enough to peer into the future and see what my little Bobby might come to experience as the average “Christmas” some 50 years out.
Of course my glimpse into the future was probably part wish and part reality, but I’d ask you to give it a look and maybe add a few of your own observations below the post.
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photo credit Andyscamera
It has been over a week since Toronto got hit with two feet of snow, but the bike lanes are still impassable. That's because the city decided to plough the roads (pushing it into the bike lanes) but not remove the snow to save money and let mother nature melt it away, and while it was warm for a day or two, it is now cold again and the bike lanes are filled with ice. The sidewalks are patchy, because the city doesn't do them, citizens are supposed to, even though they are on city property. The City pays lip service to promoting walking and biking, but when the crunch comes, we all know who gets the bucks and the service- the drivers. Chris Hume of the Toronto Star put it much better: ...
A bach "is the name given in New Zealand to structures akin to small, often very modest holiday homes or beach houses.They are an iconic part of New Zealand history and culture." Wp
Cecile Bonnifait and William Giesen of atelier workshop have built a bach out of a box, a 20' shipping container.This isn't easy to do; they are narrow inside. They pulled it off by having one side of the container fold down to open it up to the outdoors; suddenly it is bright and open. (much like the All-terrain Cabin) Every inch of it is used cleverly, even the container doors become support for a bed....
The centerpiece of most Scandinavians' julbord (Christmas table) celebrations is the ham, including (some) poor pig's lavishly frosted head. Organic and local ham is getting more popular but unfortunately, the climactic effects of our ever-growing global meat production are hard to avoid, quite apart from the negative effects of large-scale factory farms. So while in vitro meat seems bizarre, and many might prefer the vegetarian path or some middle road, bioengineered meat may have theoretical merits. Immature stem cells are bathed in special amino acid solutions or mechanically stimulated to induce them to grow inside a bioreactor, and a molecular process encourages the cells to stick together. Read here to learn more about the Dutch scientists that are forerunners.
Now researchers with the In Vitro Meat Consortium (IVMC), formed this summer in Norway, say many of the techno-hurdles have been cleared. While they don't believe in vitro meat will totally replace the real thing, they do believe that in a generation or two in vitro meat will become commonplace for everyday eating. Instead of producing methane gas as a byproduct - as animal husbandry invariably does - in vitro meat researchers expect to use methane to make nourishing liquids needed to multiply a small amount of animal cells into edible product. IVMC says, however, that their attempt at in vitro meat may not come to pass - the consortium is currently doing a cost analysis to see if it can possible be produced cost-effectively, and will meet in April to discuss results. If there's a green light (and investments funds) first meat products are still be a few years out and would probably consist of a ground meat-type product - but the IVMC predicts muscle meats such as Christmas hams will be made in local bioreactors (if the price can be right) by around 2020. Via ::Svenska Dagbladet (Swedish)...
TreeHugger John writes "Having spent some time in the stores lately, I've noticed the vast array of electrically powered hair care appliances being sold at premium (eye-level) space. Curlers, flatteners, straighteners, liquid product dispensers, and of course the 2000 Watt hair drier. The electricity consumption from this stuff must be huge, taken collectively....this all heads to an interesting lifestyle/sexiness end point if we are to adapt truly greener practices."
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Slow Food is an organisation dedicated to counteracting fast food, fast life and the disappearance of local food traditions. Started in 1989 in Italy, its time has come, now that so many people are concerned about where their food originates and how food choices affect the world. Really it is about fresh, organic, seasonal, local and environmentally grown and produced food. Its Manifesto says: "May suitable doses of guaranteed sensual pleasure and slow, long-lasting enjoyment preserve us from the contagion of the multitude who mistake frenzy for efficiency. Our defense should begin at the table with Slow Food. Let us rediscover the flavours and savours of regional cooking and banish the degrading effects of Fast Food."
Their Christmas market, held on a frosty day, featured a wide and varied selection of producers and products, described as "good and clean and fair". Local wild mushrooms, fried in olive oil, in a chunky roll, with grated parmesan on top provided the energy to check out the many vendors. Hot mint tea from the Arabica Food and Spice company helped as well. No free samples from craft beers Utobeer but the wine from Green and Blue was organic and sophisticated in taste. Ethical edibles was selling an italian panforte that would make a wonderful gift for the hosts of the next party that you attend. ...
Corn based ethanol has become the Goldilocks of the transportation fuel world: evoking "who ate my porridge?" cries from the world's hungry and poor.
Not to worry Little Bear, the US Energy Bill just signed into law by President Bush provides new financial incentives for cellulosic ethanol (which we'll abbreviate as"Ceetoh" henceforward). The thinking behind the energy bill presumably was that sufficient Ceetoh incentives will cause corn based ethanol to lose some of its grip on food prices, as well as increase the total ethanol production potential.
In this post, we'll address how fast that shift from corn- to cellulose-based feedstock might reasonably come about. In a subsequent post, we'll address which businesses or inventors are are positioned to create the hoped-for Ceetoh capacities.
As a result of the new US Energy Bill incentives for ethanol, more investors will be chasing the Ceetoh startups from now on in, which means US Department of Energy contacts and grant choices will get a great deal of attention. But laws and grants and investors are only the most currently visible parts of the Ceetoh equation. Much more is at stake....
Good news for TreeHuggers in Argentina came just in time for Christmas this year: ten days after assuming as president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner announced a National Energy Saving Plan. Among its main measures, it includes readopting Daylight Saving Time (which hasn't been used since 1993), regulating temperatures of air conditionings in public buildings, encouraging consumer credits for more efficient home appliances, and modernizing street and traffic lights.
Even though Argentina has been crying for a plan like this for the last two years, former president Nestor Kirchner was reluctant to launch it.
Learn details about the plan and its politic background in the extended. ::Via Clarin newspaper
Picture: From left to right: vice president Julio Cobos, president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, chief of Ministries Alberto Fernandez, and Federal Planning Minister Julio de Vido; during the launch of the energy plan....
We’ve been pretty excited about the high-performance Vectrix electric scooter since we first laid eyes on it. We’ve been even more excited to see it move from drawing board to actual road use. Now we hear from London Bikers that police in Hampshire, UK, are going to be testing two Vectrix scooters as part of their day-to-day operations, and if the trials prove successful, the vehicle could be adopted as an alternative to petrol-driven bikes for police forces across the country. As with police on bicycles, the logic of silent, emission free transport options makes a lot of sense for law enforcement agencies – both in terms of running costs, and sneaking up on villains unnoticed. And adoption of high-tech emission free vehicles should bode well for the rest of us, as economies of scale allow for cheaper models to reach the general public. We look forward to seeing how the Vectrix performs for the boys in blue. ::Vectrix::via London Bikers::via EV-UK::
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"We can bury our reactor waste or we can treat it and then use it as free fuel for life. It's a no-brainer." - Sir David King, Chief Science Adviser
As you may well imagine, King's statement in support of a plan backed by Britain's nuclear industry to build a fuel processing plant at Sellafield has sparked a fair bit of controversy - no doubt that last throwaway sentence didn't exactly help matters either. The plant would convert the country's 60,000 tons of nuclear waste into reactor fuel, which could then be used to supply the U.K.'s electricity needs - close to 60% until 2060.
Already several environmental groups, including Friends of the Earth, have vigorously protested the proposed scheme, alleging it would create a "plutonium economy" that would see the transport of large amounts of nuclear fuel around the country. Moreover, they argue that it would cost a pretty penny - several billion pounds - and serve as nothing more than a glorified subsidy to the nuclear industry; better to fund renewable energy research, they claim. Even the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, which backs the plan, admits it could impose several "downside" economic costs....
We were perusing through back issues of the Use Less Stuff bi-monthly newsletter and found their guide: "Don't Let the Holidays Go to Your Waste." Although it's from their Nov-Dec 1996 (Vol. 3:6) issue, it's still a good read with some interesting, basic tips that we could all put into good use during this festive season to reduce our impacts on our precious Mother Earth. The website was created by William Rathje and Robert Lilienfield, the people who formalized the term garbology.
Here are a few examples to wet your whistle before you check it out yourself:
Holiday cards bought in one year would fill a football field 10 stories high! If each of us sent out one fewer card, that huge mound would be reduced by a full story, saving over 50,000 cubic yards of paper.
Local postmasters tell us that up to 20% of all mail is incorrectly addressed or otherwise undeliverable. Save time, money and resources by updating and paring down your list.
Having a party? Turn down the heat before guests arrive. Their extra body heat will help warm the room.
Reuse packaging cartons and shippings materials. Old newspaper makes for excellent packing, too. Shred some at work and bring it home, if you can.
Check out our 2007 Treehugger Green Gift Guide for more tips. We´ll bring you more on the Use Less Stuff life cycle assessment reports this week. Image Copyright Virginia A. Spiegel. See the image at: The Garbage Day Project ...
Images courtesy of Technology Review
It may not shed much new light on the issue, but Technology Review's superb 3-part series on the price of biofuels does an admirable job of rounding up a lot of the current and past knowledge. More importantly, it quotes a number of experts who provide a more realistic - and sobering - perspective on the speed with which we can expect next generation ethanols such as cellulosic ethanol to become viable in the marketplace. The consensus amongst scientists and economists is that cellulosic ethanol is not likely to become much of a factor until 2010, at the earliest, or 2015.
Vernon Eidman, an emeritus professor of agricultural economics at the University of Minnesota, suggesting the economics for cellulosic ethanol look "interesting" (hardly the full-throated endorsement), noted that several issues, both practical and technical, could slow its large-scale production. He takes a much more hard-nosed view of the costs that will be involved to process the biomass and transport the resulting ethanol, remarking that people had a tendency to be "fooled" into seeing the glass as always half-full. ...
Despite numerous challenges, including delays, derailments and 'dinero' (or a lack thereof), Amtrak is enjoying its fifth-straight year of record ridership across the country. The usual suspects are driving people (pun intended) to take the train: high gas prices, traffic, and dour TSA employees. But, according to the AP, another factor seems to be "the investment by Illinois and 13 other states in short-distance corridors Amtrak wouldn't otherwise offer, essentially paying for a service where they see a need." The result has been a consistent rise in ridership, with numbers climbing to 24.3 million passengers last year.
While trains may be the green way to travel, Amtrak has still been unable to green its bottom line, relying on government help to stay afloat as it struggles with more than $3.3 billion in debt. One problem is that Amtrak gets enough funding to survive, but not to flourish. As Sen. Trent Lott, a supporter of the bipartisan Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, points out, "We can't keep asking Amtrak to operate like a business while we string the company along year to year." The bill would "authorize $3.3 billion for operating expenses and $4.9 billion for capital improvements over the life of the bill, from 2008 to 2012."...
Alice Rawsthorn of the International Herald Tribune (and who I think is one of the best writers on design around) picks her favourite designs of the year, loves the iPhone- "The only serious candidate for 2007's design product of the year" but suggests that
While Apple's rivals play catch-up, they'd do well to reflect on the other new component of "good design" where Apple fares less well - sustainability. With a few honorable exceptions, the story of sustainable, ethical or guilt-free (call it what you will) design has been embarrassingly flimsy. That's why 90 percent of design is destined for the 10 percent of the global population that needs it least (the privileged minority) and why so much of that stuff is designed, made, sold and discarded with little or no thought for the environmental consequences. ::iPhone's magic touch becomes design's gold standard for 2007...
The announcement has wide-ranging implications for exhalation, club soda, and photosynthesis.From the Onion: In an unexpected reversal that environmentalists and scientists worldwide are calling groundbreaking, President George W. Bush, for the first time in his political career, openly admitted to the existence of carbon dioxide. "As a leading industrialized nation, we can no longer afford to ignore the growing consensus of so many experts whose job it is to study our atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is real."
Eighth-grade science teacher Linda Mattson approved. "By taking this brave stance, Bush has opened the door for the eventual acknowledgement that other molecular compounds, such as H2O, for example, may in fact exist as well." ::The Onion
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The editorial page of the New York Times goes enviro with Tom Friedman's last article until April Fools Day (how will we live without Tom to complain about?) discussing the loss of biodiversity:
Our generation has entered a phase that no previous generation has ever experienced: the Noah phase. With more and more species threatened with extinction by The Flood that is today’s global economic juggernaut, we may be the first generation in human history that literally has to act like Noah — to save the last pairs of a wide range of species. ::In the Age of Noah
The Times also asked writers from China, France, Chile and the US to describe the effects of climate change. ::New York Times...
We showed the Factor 10 House, "so called because it reduces the environmental impact of the average American home by a factor of 10." We show it again because it has held up really well- logical, carefully thought out choices that have not been improved upon. ::Factor 10 House and US Department of Energy
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With winter's onset driving the demand for surface coal to record-high levels, the mineral's cost is now beyond the reach of low- and middle-income Americans who wish to punish their naughty children. "Coal in one's stocking is meant to serve as an admonishment or warning, not as a dependable grade-B investment," said William Menchell, a commodities adviser for T. Rowe Price. "In today's market, children should only have their stockings stuffed with lumps of coal if they have been studious and obedient, and show an interest in long-term investments in the energy sector." For more affordable punitive options, analysts point to the relatively stagnant switch market, which could soon go the way of coal if demand increases for combustible wooden sticks.::Coal now too Expensive to Put in Stockings
We provided good instructions on how to make a snowperson ornament out of lightbulbs; now that they are becoming extinct perhaps it is a good time to start saving old incandescents for this; imagine a tree full of such relics 20 years from now. ::Make a Snowperson Lightbulb Holiday Tree Ornament...
It's not often that you hear the words "greenhouse gas" and "good news" juxtaposed in the same sentence. Aside from the occasional historical perspective on the beneficial role played by carbon dioxide in rendering our early planet inhabitable, the news concerning greenhouse gases has been - let's face it - rather glib. That makes every bit of good news - however little - something to look forward to.
A team of researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, has just made a discovery that could have significant implications for the buildup of methane gas in the Earth's atmosphere - and its impact on global warming. As we've mentioned before, methane deposits are found in large supply on the ocean floor; areas in which great quantities are emitted as bubbles - primarily from gas hydrates - are known as methane seeps....
Magical thinking is highly vulnerable to serious cost-benefit assessment. It's no surprise, then, that Shell and StatoilHydro and others recently have scrapped plans to build "green" power plants that to capture and store carbon dioxide.
The decision to shelve the [consortium's] gas-fired power project, which was to be built at Tjeldbergodden in Norway, casts further doubt on the financial viability of power schemes that capture and safely store greenhouse gases."
In similar manner, "BP was forced to scrap plans to build a carbon-capture and storage scheme at Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, citing inadequate assurances of financial support from the British Government."
Oily pigs feeding together at the public trough: a sustainable reality show only until the money-ship hits the sand. How much longer until the same thing happens with plans to sequester carbon dioxide from coal fired electricity plants? A few years after a carbon cap is enacted, probably
Via::Times OnLine, "Oil giants abandon plans for ‘uneconomic’ green power plant", Image credit::Gas Technology Center, Tjeldbergodden
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If you're convinced that carbon offsetting works, you might like to check out the handy-dandy list compiled by Carbon Catablog for offsetting gifts earmarked for Christmas and the New Year.
While Christmas isn't the only holiday happening around this time of the year (Hannukah and Hajj just happened recently), the list manages to go through about 70 carbon offset providers who sell online and who are most likely to send you an X-mas card with your offsets.
A few providers include Canopy in Australia, Carbon Footprint, and the Carbon Neutral Company who offers an entire line of X-mas gift packages.
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Every TreeHugger knows that it’s pretty hard for a leaky house to be a green one. Yet how can we get the average homeowner to insulate their walls with hemp or recycled paper [Aside from suggesting they look at our guide on How to Green Your Heating of course]? Well, if they are residents of London, it seems they can now take advantage of a heavily discounted scheme to provide high-tech consultations on the energy efficiency and carbon footprint of their homes. Subsidised by the London Development Authority, the Green Homes Concierge Service uses electronic measuring devices, thermal cameras and state-of-the-art computer software to give home owners a complete energy scorecard for their property. The Guardian recently tested it out, and were more than impressed by the results:
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Well there it is then. You have taken the handmade pledge and sweat blood knitting socks and sweaters for everyone you know. You are especially proud of the finger puppets for the nieces and nephews. Now you can lean back and relax, take some time to catch up on TreeHugger. And what do you find? Some bloody overachiever has gone and knit an entire 1:1 scale Ferrari sportscar! ...
When last we saw Loremo, at the Frankfurt Auto Show, it turned a lot of heads, not only for its slick looks and 120 mpg fuel efficiency, but because it actually existed (which is a lot further than a lot of concept cars make it). Building on the preliminary success of the efficiency, diesel-powered ride, the German developers are working on a convertible version for debut at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show.
The rag-top looks to be a near carbon-copy of the original design (just without the roof, of course); we presume, like the original that was submitted as an entry to the Automotive X Prize, the convertible will have a diesel engine first and an electric motor in subsequent design and production updates. Latest word on the street is that Loremo will hit the streets in 2010. Hit the jump to see the roofed version in action, and cross your fingers that the rag-top will be more than just a rendered model by next year. ::World Car Fans via ::AutoblogGreen...
One year ago in TreeHugger: We were busily preparing for a green New Year's Eve, including sourcing some organic bubbly and mixing up some "Hangover Helper" in preparation for the big night's festivities. As the end of the year drew near, we got to thinking about some resolutions for better, cleaner energy, including some that we heard a lot about in 2007 (like wind power) and some that dropped off the radar a bit (like Jatropha-based biodiesel).
For further trendwatching, we found some top green trends for 2007 that included some spot-on predictions (like green building) and some that still quite haven't panned out (like hydrogen fuel cells). The list of green resolutions from Cool Hunting proved that 2007 was to be the year that it finally became cool to be green.
Closer to home, we were rounding up 2006 with lists of oddball and eccentric posts, the best of the many car posts and the really hot stuff from the year; since Christmas had passed, we were also celebrating a new holiday, called Discardia in an effort to make 2007 a little more junk-free.
See everything we were thinking about this time last year in ::The Archives....
This holiday season for sure you’ve had many guests and used lots of that sweet nectar of the cows – milk. We were looking into the impacts of milk jugs versus cartons and found an interesting study that goes a little against our typical idea of what is greener. This study on the Use Less Stuff website reports that plastic milk jugs have less overall environmental impacts than cartons or even PLA jugs.
The study notes that milk jugs are recycled at a rate of 29%, but that also means that 71% are going to landfills. That’s a lot of high density polyethylene milk jugs sitting there that may never break down. Of course, they duly notes that it takes more energy to make PLA milk jugs given the new-ness of the technology and additionally, the plastic guys take less material to make the same thing (one of the reason that glass is also less efficient). Thus it appears that the overall energy requirements are less for the traditional HDPE jug than the PLA jug, the carton and the glass bottle. They didn’t look at the plastic bag option, which probably would have come out on top.
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Tesla Chairman of the Board Elon Musk and the new CEO Ze'ev Drori are doing damage control. After intense Q&A at the first ever Tesla townhall meeting, both have published a year-end missive reaching out to the masses of dreamers and believers that have followed Tesla from inspiring announcements and exciting rides through slipping schedules and reorganization. Their message: have faith.
We use the word faith at the risk of further firing the feverish brains of the green is a new religion conspiracy theorists. But any person who has worked on a project creating something bigger than themselves knows that faith belongs to the process, and that is without mention of regulatory hurdles and customer expectations in the era of quality systems....
Tel Aviv is not London. While London mayor Ken Livingstone has adopted and energetically pursued a green agenda in his city, Tel Aviv has yet to experience an environmentally progressive administration. However, rumor has it that one such ticket is in the works for next year's elections - a former Minister of the Environment named Yossi Sarid is reportedly considering making a bid for the office.
Local newspapers have been abuzz in recent weeks with speculation that Sarid may run for mayor in next fall's elections. Polls have put his support at almost fifty percent, despite the fact that he has yet to announce his candidacy. Officially retired from politics (he was a Member of Knesset for decades), Sarid now writes a regular column for Ha'aretz newspaper. Here is a recent piece with some of his thoughts on the December Bali conference on climate change. ...
For the several young people on my gift list, this year's must-have brand in outer wear was The North Face. A fast ascent through REI, EMS, & Dick's rapidly made it obvious why North Face is considered "hot." I too was tempted to try on North Face's light weight jackets. Nice stuff.
Having passed my teen years in the US' "counter culture" era, I still find the "billboarding" of clothing items, a branding practice common to many sport-wear makers, to be completely unacceptable. But, for young people who have grown up with large corporate logos and brand names on nearly everything, including underwear, I could see why North Face has their devotion. And, why other makers seemed to be emulating their designs.
Truthfully, the best selling outer wear in the US, and especially the items that young people love, are made from virgin textiles and films derived from fossil hydrocarbons. Sure, the REI store I visited had a few woolies from New Zealand on the "Clearance" rack; but the sexiest designs that fill most of the floor space are pure petro....
Jeremy Leggett, CEO of UK-based Solarcentury (makers of the C21e complete solar tile, pictured above), is becoming somewhat of a regular on TreeHugger. We’ve written about his appearance on CNN International’s Principal Voices, we’ve covered his views on peak oil and agriculture, aviation and the Stern Report, and we’ve even interviewed him ourselves about the future of renewables, the economic implications of peak oil and the environmental impact of solar. Now we’ve come across an interesting article in The Guardian’s business section in which Leggett sets out the reasons why greed is good, at least when it comes to investment in renewables. Among the points covered are Leggett’s belief in business as an agent for change, the story of his awakening to the threat of climate change, and the optimistic predictions for growth in clean tech (predictions which Leggett believes may themselves be conservative):
As the chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Ramachandra Pauchauri puts it, “What we do in the next two or three years will determine the future of our planet.”
And in an effort to mobilize the nation to act before it is too late, an environmental education group, Focus the Nation, is asking schools, colleges and universities across America to set aside January 31 as a day to focus on global warming solutions for the country.
The nationwide event kicks off the evening of January 30th with an interactive web-cast titled the 2% Solution. With the 31st being the national teach-in.
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If you’ve ever wondered like I have about the actual value of a piece of advice given to you by a friend long ago, you might be intrigued to discover that I recently found out that a good friend of mine’s dad once gave me advice worth my wife, family and approximately $2.5 million.
How do I know? Well, apparently that’s the price that a professor, inventor, and scientist named Rene Nunez Suarez paid to figure out precisely what my friend’s dad told me almost a decade ago while sitting in his den late one night when I was still in college; “Charity begins at home.”
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Downtown Jerusalem 2011?
In line with a worldwide trend, Israel’s three major cities - Haifa, Jerusalem and Tel Aviv - are currently in the process of building mass transit systems. Israel's transportation has traditionally been based on buses and private cars. However, space for building roads is running out in this tiny country, and traffic and air pollution have been worsening in urban areas.
Last week, the city of Haifa opened up its first exclusive bus lane, which will become part of the city’s “Metronit” (Hebrew link) system within the next couple of years. The name is a play on words – read one way, it means “little metro,” read another way the word evokes a little old lady. The Metronit will run through Haifa’s downtown to its northern suburbs....
Image courtesy of Rutgers University's Richard Lutz
Though they may not be the most charismatic species (check out this angler's toothy grin), deep-sea organisms such as tube worms and giant crustaceans need our attention too - maybe even more so than others. A new study to be published in the journal Current Biology has suggested that the loss of deep-sea biodiversity could pose a serious threat to the world's oceans.
The international team of scientists, led by Roberto Danovaro of Italy's Polytechnic University of Marche, said that the "negative consequences" of losing biodiversity "could be unprecedented"; because ecosystem processes on the ocean floor - which are dependent on the number of species living there - are inextricably linked to those occurring in the surface waters, even the slightest change in species composition could have unforeseen effects. These processes include everything from the decomposition and consumption of organic matter to the regeneration of nutrients, which are crucial to ecosystem functioning....
Image courtesy of zouzouwizman
Nigeria's government has just announced its intention to make another round of investments in solar energy to supply up to 10 rural communities that currently lack access to the national power grid. The initiative, funded by Nigeria's Ministry of Science and Technology, will benefit around 5,000 individuals living in villages spread across several local governments and is projected to cost 150m Naira, or $1.25 million.
The solar panels, built by an industry consortium that includes the Dynamic Treasure Chest Company, Hafas Enterprises and Impasse Technologies, are expected to be delivered by the end of January 2008. A similar project was launched last year in a village on Bishop Kodji Island; an earlier scheme in 2002 — coordinated with the assistance of Japan — lit 200 rural communities....
For a long time now the airline industry has benefitted from "a long-held notion about air travel delays — that bad weather and heavy air traffic cause the bulk of the waits that passengers endure." However, a recent USA Today analysis found that, contrary to conventional wisdom, airline glitches "such as pilot shortages, taking too long to refuel and mechanical breakdowns," are actually the leading cause of delays. These glitches have "triggered 23.8 million minutes of delays through October this year," compared to 23.3 million from "delays attributed to the congested air-traffic system."
All this means that the next time you find yourself in air travel purgatory, you can direct your obscenities at the almighty airline executives (rather than at the Almighty), and have a 50% chance of accurately assigning blame. But in all seriousness, this kind of inefficiency in the system equates to a lot of unnecessary emissions, as planes idle on the tarmac, spewing a cocktail of greenhouse gases and pollutants. So as with so many environmental issues, what's good for business is also good for customers and the planet, because better performance from the airlines would save time, money and fuel. Additionally, with rising fuel costs, and the EU preparing to regulate emissions, the airline industry is going to have to find ways to cut costs and emissions anyway. Sounds like a win-win-win to us.
Via: ::USA Today
See Also: ::Nature Air--The World's Only Zero Emission Airline?, ::Airline Industry's 'Risible' Attempt at Carbon Offsetting, ::EU On Collision Course With US Over Airline Carbon Cap Proposal, ::Building Green Airplanes: "This is Not Star Trek", ::Branson to Invest $3 Billion to Fight Global Warming, and ::EU Flags a Carbon Bank for Aircraft CO2 Emissions...
The tiger mosquito.
A strange epidemic hit the tiny village of Castiglione di Cervia in northern Italy last summer. Some 100 villagers (out of a population of 2,000) had fallen ill with malaria-like symptoms by the middle of August. The villagers were scared and hysterical. No one had any idea what was happening, until government scientists figured it out - the village was suffering from an outbreak of Chinkungunya, a relative of dengue fever normally found around the Indian Ocean.
Brought to the village by a visitor who had been traveling in India in July, the sickness was spread by the tiger mosquito. New to the region (tiger mosquitos only began to appear around this area of northern Italy three years ago), it seems this pest has begun to make itself at home in much of southern, and even central, Europe. Says Roberto Berollini, director of the World Health Organization's Program on Health and the Environment: ...
SPNI activists in central Tel Aviv. The banners reads "If only City Hall would say yes! a light rail would run here within 5 years."
Merry Christmas from Israel! Here, of course, there is no snow, the sun is shining, and Hannuka has already come and gone. There are, however, plenty of people doing good work for for the environment and social change, and they could always use the support of like-minded people around the globe.
For those of us treehuggers who live in this country, there is one non-profit organization which is synonymous with caring for Mother Earth: the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel (SPNI). This veteran organization has been on the forefront of environmental protection for decades, long before it became fashionable around here. ...
2007 has been a brutal year for natural disasters in Latin America, keeping the
United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs busy. The agency said in a recent statement that a record nine missions were dispatched to Latin America this year. "Seventy percent of the total were in response to hurricanes and floods, possibly a glimpse of the shape of things to come, given the reality of climate change," it said. Overall the office dispatched 14 missions around the globe -- a higher than usual number.
The natural disasters in Latin America varied in scale and affected more than eight countries. Heavy rains pounded Mexico's Tabasco state, leaving floods that lasted for weeks, covering large parts of the city of Villahermosa. Tropical storm Noel triggered flash floods in the Dominican Republic that killed dozens, while Honduras and Nicaragua faced the category-five hurricane Felix. Uruguay suffered its worst flooding in 50 years and hundreds of thousands of Bolivians were inundated and crops ruined early in the year.
A UN disaster team sent to the region also assisted with the relief effort following an 8.0-magnitude earthquake along the Peruvian coast. The UN isn't the only agency to recognize the upward trend this year. Oxfam also recently released a report.:: Photo credit: Agence France-Presse — Getty Images. The Guardian...
Around about this time of the year I've had enough of parties and rich food. It's time for me to step back and have something for dinner that doesn't involve any traditional Christmas fare. So I spent some time this week reading The Gate Vegetarian Cookbook which I received for Christmas and there is nary a shortbread cookie in sight.
There are plenty of mouth-watering recipes here, but many are out of season for me so I ended up choosing this dal which was really easy to make. The recipe calls for red lentils or yellow split peas. I used split peas and I would like to make it again with the lentils. The split peas don't break down in the same way that the lentils do and you get a very different texture. In any case the soup itself was quite tasty. There is quite a lot of clove in this recipe and it gives your mouth a sort of numbness when you're finished which was a bit odd, so I might cut back on this the next time....
In one of the most intriguing marketing and fundraising strategies I’ve come across in my time writing about kids and education on Treehugger, the popular web-based virtual world of Club Penguin, geared towards kids ages 6-14, asked them to donate some of their virtual coins earned playing games on Club Penguin towards a charitable cause in a campaign called “Coins for Change” that ran from December 10th-24th.
And while virtual coins won’t get you very far in the real world, the truth is that the donations came at a real cost to the kids virtual world adventures with their penguin avatars, and was backed up by the genuine green stuff via the New Horizon Foundation. A relatively young philanthropic organization launched by the founders of Club Penguin itself.
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What does BP stand for these days? Beyond Propaganda? ByeBye Planet? Bad Pollution? We just aren't certain anymore, now that it is spending $3 billion to buy into the stupid fuel, oil from the Alberta Tar Sands, global warming's new Ground Zero. Each barrel of oil out of the tar sands generates about a two thirds of a tonne of CO2, so BP's 200,000 barrels a day will generate about 127,000 tonnes of CO2 per day.
They will have to sell a lot of wind turbines and solar panels to compensate for that! ::Joe Romm...
With all of the focus on China exporting toxic materials to the rest of the world, it’s often lost in the media-frenzy how damaging some of the products being shipped back to China for recycling are for the people charged with breaking down the materials for recycling into something else for sale in a first-world store.
In fact, a recent report in the British Telegraph highlights the problem in one town in China which has become a virtual graveyard for all those unwanted Christmas gifts of season’s past. Perhaps not surprisingly the effects on the villagers and their children have been enormous, with 82% of children testing positive for clinical lead poisoning in recent testing.
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Last year, we reported that downloading music from somewhere like iTunes had a lower carbon footprint than picking the album up at your local record store. One caveat of the Apple-based virtual mega-store is the DRM (DR-wha? Read Wikipedia's explanation for an overview), which locks down your tunes and limits the amount of different computers and users that can access the files (and remember, burning a CD bumps up the carbon footprint of your tunes by more than five times, according to the Guardian's study).
Amazon has removed the pesky DRM from all of their nearly 3 million music files (and have, ever since they launched the download service in September of this year), letting you download tunes from artists like Cloud Cult, Jack Johnson, Kelley Stoltz and many, many more; just yesterday, they scored files from Warner Music Group, leaving Sony as the only "major" record label without representation on Amazon's MP3 store.
The super-sized e-tailer is quick to point out that their files will work with any MP3 player, from the ubiquitous iPod (which Apple swears are eco-friendly) to Microsoft's Zune to just about anything that'll interface with your computer. MP3 players have certainly changed the way many of us listen to music; will DRM-free downloads change the way we buy it? The full release is below the fold. ::Amazon MP3 via ::Gizmodo...
If sewage pipes and their smells somehow don't get enough notice by local communities, an ad like this might raise some eyebrows. Developed by a Chinese advertising company for use in Shenzhen, in Guangdong province, the posters drive home the message that pollution is poopy (while reminding people where some of that pollution originally comes from). In the world's ecological ground zero -- and in a country not known for racy billboards -- shock value can go a long way.
Ads of the World via Shanghaiist...
The British artist and photographer Jason Elliott has been weaving digital magic into his local landscape of West Yorkshire in a series of images called Hebden Bridge 2032, which is currently being exhibited at the Alternative Technology Centre in Yorkshire. Elliott has envisioned a rather tropical future for the residents of this small town in Northern England, which contrasts dramatically with its traditionally grey, rainy and windswept climate....
Swedish eco-tourism is supposed to be some of the world's best - a national system of eco-certifying different trips has been in place since 2002 with now over 300 different destinations sporting the Naturens Bästa ("Nature's Best") label. The most popular eco-destinations are dog-sledding in the chilly Swedish north, visiting some of the most vibrant Lapp cultural centers and reindeer markets, getting a glimpse of Aurora Borealis, or taking a pony tour in the low Swedish mountains.
But all those trips will require some flight time and rack up the CO2 emissions for out-of-country tourists. Of course, emissions offsets are a possibility, but there's another, unique alternative - for the best in armchair traveling, follow a Moose herd without ever leaving home. Six municipalities, three Swedish and three Norwegian, located in the far north of Scandinavia, have gotten a grant from the European Union to establish the moose as their regional symbol. They've also tagged a moose herd of about 75 members with GPS sensors. The tags generate satellite calls to a centrally-located server to keep track of moose movements - you can follow an individual moose or see where the herd goes. The municipalities want to get tourists interested in moose, as though overpopulation is a problem (and moose emissions not a trifling amount of CO2) the animal is considered an important economic asset, as hunting moose is a huge national sport. OK, perhaps moose tracking is not as exciting as dog sledding, or even spotting one of the top-heavy, spindly-legged moose in the flesh, but it's still kind of cool. P.S. Tracking reports are delayed by 14 days to protect the moose from illegal hunting. Via ::Alg i MittSkandia (English, too)
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Here's a nice story: an art dealer has sold a Picasso etching for $3 million dollars and he is donating the proceeds to environmental and Third World causes. The print is one of an edition of 50 and its owner, Dr. Frederick Mulder, decided to sell it and give 75% of the money to charity.
He said: 
While Treehugger continues to be excited about hybrids, and of course plug-in hybrids, we can’t help but also be impressed with the efficiencies being achieved by the simple diesel engine – for example, we got particularly excited by the prospect of Honda bringing a diesel Accord to the US by 2010. Scrolling through the always informative Green Car Congress, we came across an item about the new Seat Ibiza Ecomotive, a compact diesel model with a US fuel economy rating of 62mpg. The car is apparently a direct competitor to the VW Bluemotion that we enthused about previously. We can’t find any word on whether the vehicle will be available in the US. However, reading up on Autoblog Green, it looks like it could be a big hit in the UK, where its low emissions ratings qualify it for exemption to the London congestion charge. The Ecomotive will also have the distinct advantage that with prices starting at UK£10,495 (US$21,000), it is considerable cheaper than many other exempt cars like the Prius, which start at about UK£18,000 (US$36,000). ::Green Car Congress::Autoblog Green::
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Belonging to the world of sci-fi (and the too-odd-to-make-this-shiz-up category) is the Energy Tower invention of Professor Dan Zaslavsky from the Technion in Israel. About a kilometer in height and nearly half as wide, is Zaslavsky’s tower which is based on the principle of convection. Zaslavsky proposes that this tower (pictured above) will be able to rid the world of greenhouses gases, and produce clean energy, and fresh water at the same time. ...
In an effort to clean up Beijing's murky skies ahead of the Olympic Games, Chinese officials have decided to phase in a cleaner motor fuel - conforming to the Euro IV standard - over the next 2 months while keeping gasoline prices unmoved. Starting January 1, oil wholesalers and auto distributors will be required to sell gas and diesel that meets the elevated standard, which allows for only 50 ppm of sulfur; the current Euro III fuel permits 150 ppm but is cheaper - 0.4 yuan less per liter.
Environmental analysts estimate that the new standard will reduce the amount of sulfur dioxide generated by Beijing's almost 3.1 million vehicles by 1,840 tons every year. This announcement comes in the wake of news that the European Commission has just proposed its own set of new directives and regulations, including the Euro VI fuel standard, to sharply cut the E.U.'s emissions and simplify the current legislation. The new standard would focus on limiting the emissions produced by heavy motor vehicles - a clause Germany is none too pleased about - by forcing reductions of 80% and 66% in nitrogen oxides and particulate matter, respectively, compared to the Euro V standard.
Via ::Reuters: Beijing to switch to cleaner fuel: report (news website), ::Xinhua: Beijing cars use cleaner energy to help create "green Olympics" (news website)
See also: ::Water, Clean Coal Focus at Beijing's Clean Tech Conference, ::Beijing To Drive One Million Cars Off the Road Next Month
Image courtesy of Yoshimai...
If Ralph Waldo Emerson was right when he said, "Earth laughs in flowers, then Jill-able's Fill Me Up Vases are helping to spread that laughter. The smart, imminently reusable, infinitely portable vases are perfectly functional when in use, and simply fold up flat and store in the tiniest of spaces, making it easy to always have a vase handy or take it with you when giving (organic) cut flowers as a gift.
The user instructions go something like this: Fill vase with water; add flowers; Enjoy!; when done, empty water and store flat; re-use again and again and again! They're available in a variety of fun colors and designs to complement your favorite bouquet. Once you go flat, you never go back...::Jill-able Fill Me Up Vases via ::MoCo Loco
Update: After further review, these appear to be a clever knockoff of the Vazu flat pack vases we covered back in February, that are available in Canada. Shucks....
How did we miss this? Evidently when Canada's environment minister was being a complete obstructionist jerk in Bali, Al Gore called the country out with a pointed hockey analogy that is not quite Bob Dylan's "You don't have to be a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing" but is close: 
Image courtesy of NASA
Reprising a topic we've covered before - the harnessing of solar energy from space - we bring you the latest on a joint venture between the U.S. Department of Defense and Palau to test the feasibility of using satellites to beam down "affordable, clean, safe, reliable, sustainable, and expandable energy for mankind."
At first glance, the small island nation of Palau might seem like an unusual partner for such a venture; according to Kevin Reed, an American entrepreneur heading a U.S.-Swiss-German consortium that seeks to bring the type of ultralight solar panel technology needed for the satellites, however, its uninhabited Helen Island would provide the ideal testing ground for a small demonstration. ...
TreeHugger is always looking for clever ways to save water and time, so we present the Konaka Shower Clean business suit, which you can shower in and wear the next day, no ironing necessary! This not a new idea, Cary Grant did it in Charade with Audrey Hepburn watching in 1963. (scene below fold). The suit uses a special wool developed by Australian Wool Innovation and will sell for between $260 and $492. Download a big Realplayer video here or from ::Konaka. via ::DVICE...
Even as Atlanta and Florida were running out of it, people still were sprinklering their lawns; that is why climate change is such a hard sell, it doesn't affect us personally and immediately yet. In Australia, they have been feeling the effects of drought for a couple years, and it has led to changes in government, attitudes and design. Architect Sally Dominguez applied her design skills to the problem and came up with two products: The Waterhog, a clever modular rainwater harvesting system that simply bolts to the wall, is very shallow to fit in sideyards against the house, and an interconnection system to make it expandable. It doesn't look like a rain barrel or a silly water butt, it is efficient, effective, logical design. ...
So what is a City to do when the Aga Khan drops into town with $ 200 million for the Aga Kahn Museum, to be built on the site of John Parkin's classic 1965 Bata Shoe Headquarters, still full of orange Eames shell chairs and Herman Miller Desks?
Say "Bye, Bye, Bata!" and welcome the new Fumihiko Maki designed museum, even if, as Chris Hume put it, "Surely there's an element of irony when an architecturally worthy building must be destroyed in the name of culture."
Some day we are all going to wake up and find that we have lost an entire generation of buildings that were not old enough to be deemed "historic" yet defined an era. ::BlogToronto
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"Designer Joey Roth calls his baby the Sorapot. It’s a radically minimalist reinterpretation of the teapot — a vision transforming a familiar, everyday item into something more like modern art. And, unlike many conventional teapots, the Sorapot’s glass and metal components are fully recyclable."
TreeHugger contributor Joey Roth is so modest; his reinvention of the teapot has been on so many design websites but never on TreeHugger. We are correcting that because it is a complete reinvention of the way a teapot works; It turns it into a show.
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For decades it's been common for US State and local governments to offer incentives for favorably citing a business or manufacturing plant within their jurisdiction(s). With so many US manufacturing plants having left for China and Mexico in recent years, States and local units of government are desperate to keep and nurture what they have, especially if the business getting the incentive package is "green."
Here's a recent example of rolling out the green incentives, from Toledo Ohio, USA.
About My Planet: Top Five Science Videos Of 2007 by Sarah Nelson
"New Scientist magazine shows us their most popular science videos of 2007; some of them are pretty bizarre. A species of squirrel that lives in the desert can tell the difference between a rattlesnake and a gopher snake, and heats its tail appropriately."
Grist: What I want for 2008 by Sean Casten
"What I want most for 2008 is serious action on climate change -- not just in terms of policy, but in terms of action. Mathematically, this mandates serious and constructive engagement from the electric sector, which has thus far been not only absent, but hostile to any serious discussion of GHG reduction."...
:: Bond with your kids and teach them something useful by teaching them how to cook
:: Got a shiny new wireless phone or PDA from Saint Nick's loot sack this holiday? Find out what to do with your castoff.
:: If you're determined to get organized for 2008, our tip will help you figure out what you're up against.
:: If dealing out cash is overly impersonal, show your loved ones you care by giving them the gift of health and wellness.
:: Trust us, recycling your Christmas tree will be a whole lot easier than returning that gaudy appliqué sweater from Cousin Janine.
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Keith Rivera and Kristin Anderson—Santa Barbara, CA
So many of our cities are designed around the traditional model of house facing street with backyard behind; in newer suburbs the car and garage dominate the front; in older cities there are often networks of forbidding back lanes. In Portland, Oregon, the City sponsored a competition to look at an alternative: the courtyard plan. According to Metropolis,
The competition promotes courtyard housing as an affordable way of increasing neighborhood densities without sacrificing public space and environmental sustainability. The courtyard model also extends Portland’s tradition of street oriented urbanism. “Suburban houses avoid the street,” said Mark Gillem, a competition director and a professor of architecture at the University of Oregon. “The courtyard can engage it.”...
In a study done recently, researchers found that the number of incidents of testicular cancer among first generation immigrants to the nation of Denmark was much lower than that among native males.
And although there is no consensus as to what specifically is causing the variations in the rates of this cancer from nation to nation and thus the cancer itself, it’s quite possible that the results of this study can help researchers pinpoint it’s root cause by focusing future research on the environmental factors to which young male citizens of Denmark are exposed more frequently than their counterparts in other areas of the world.
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Anyone watching modern prefab at the turn of the century will remember Andre Hodgskin's stunning Bachkit, with its cantilevered roof, open corners and sliding walls. (and an early un-navigable flash website) I was working with a prefab builder at the time and was asked to look at the plans; the complexity and the tolerances required to make the sliders work scared me away. However it remains perhaps the most beautiful modern prefab attempted. (photos here)
Now Hodgskin is back with the more modest iPAD (does Steve Jobs know about this?) still with open corners (do they not have mosquitoes in New Zealand?) and a cantilevered roof with no visible means of support (do they not have wind and earthquake loads?)
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If you’ve got a passion for the environment, or know someone who does and they fall between the ages of 9-17 the Earth Heroes Go Green! creativity contest being hosted by the World Youth Foundation just may be a great idea…
The contest itself is designed to let kids exhibit their passion for the environmentally-friendly, inspiring and aware through writing, painting, photos, or even a video documentary.
One of the contest suggestions listed on their site that caught my eye is photographing your favorite local place and writing about why the beauty of it inspires you to become an Earth Hero. If truth be told I think it grabbed my attention because I thought it could help all of us to put a local face on the reasons we’re all striving to become Earth Heroes, and can possibly help others see why some of the lesser known special places on Earth or so important too.
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Last week we bracketed a likely schedule for the presumed commercialization of cellulosic ethanol ("Ceetoh") in North American, reflecting the effect of recently created US energy bill incentives: Who's Got The Ceetoh Moves? - Part 1 (We're saying no sooner than 2020 for broad commercialization of cellulosic ethanol in North America.)
This week we briefly describe or link to earlier posts for a select list of companies or research groups with technology offerings for Ceetoh processing. We specifically exclude from this list investment groups that have not invented Ceetoh technologies, do not perform Ceetoh related research, and/or do not directly manage Ceetoh processing operations.
Order does not denote rank importance or indicate preference on the part of TreeHugger. Nation of corporate ownership is shown in bold.
Canada:- Woodland Biofuels, Woodland Biofuels Inc., previously Woodland Chemical Systems Inc., is a federally-incorporated Canadian company that builds and sell plants to convert renewable waste materials into fuels and chemicals. Their processes can utilize varying feedstock using the same equipment, unlike enzymatic fermentation processes, wherein even minor changes necessitate different enzymes. Woodland 's process can be fired by biomass and generate its own electricity....
Less a simple piece of furniture and more a "living system," the Warhol Sofa from UK designer Simone Brewster is designed with a very TreeHugger-friendly goal in mind: so its user can live comfortably in one room. The "sofa" easily transforms into a desk and a bed; "each component acts an ingredient that is left for the user to compose and create their desired environment," says Brewster.
The sofa is part of an entire Warhol Philosophy Collection, which, in addition to the sofa, includes some funky cutlery and some ornamental cups, and follows Warhol's philosophy that "everything you do should be done from bed and should remain glamorous." Can't argue with that, can you? See the other versions of the sofa below the fold. ::Simone Brewster via ::Apartment Therapy...
Perhaps amazingly, the minute Swedes' thoughts turn away from the Christmas holidays they turn straight toward spring, even though it's generally about a five-month slog to get there. To bring in the Spring early, we all seem to start buying tulips the minute the poinsettias are dead. Lots of tulips. Scandinavians seem nearly as obsessed with bulbs as the Dutch (who export nine billion bulbs each year). Well maybe not quite as obsessed - the Dutch are contemplating building a fake island in the North Sea shaped like a tulip, read about it here.
So the Swedish grocery chain Coop is set to next week introduce organic, KRAV-certified tulips, produced not far north of Stockholm and to cost about 50 Swedish crowns (approximately $7.50) for a bouquet of 10 stems. According to Coop, three million of the tulips are expected to be sold in the first year alone, saving 250 tons of chemicals that would otherwise be used on conventional tulips. And the paper sleeve is recyclable, unlike the conventional plastic wrap. We've had the carbon footprint of flowers debate on treehugger before, and while organic is better than conventional, and local better than flown-in, are these tulips too good to be true?
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I have a great job, but I now know that author Richard Nelson's job is a bit cooler - literally and figuratively. Recently Nelson sat on the icy ground at the Alaskan Beaufort Sea coast watching polar bears eat the remains of a whale.
Perhaps that sounds a bit gross to some, but the idea of watching such majestic creatures interact is fascinating to me. In any case, Nelson's reason for watching these polar bears dine was to narrate his observations for an Alaskan radio show called "Encounters." Don't worry, it's not full of gory descriptions - it's actually very informative. He shares polar bear facts and some of his experiences researching the world's largest land carnivore. Nelson is allowing us to post the audio on the Web site of Sierra magazine, and I encourage everyone to check it out. He also has an essay on polar bears in the latest issue of our magazine....
We covered the brilliant work of Bioregional before, such as the BedZED eco-housing project and the Laundry, a paper recycling system. Bioregional has developed another recycling scheme at a more local scale, specifically for London and has also applied it to Surrey so far. Local Paper for London is based on the simple principle of cycling the paper locally.
How does it work? (graph after the jump) The company sends their paper for recycling at a local mill in Kent. Then it buys back their own, now recycled, paper for the office. It is less hassle and cost saving for the company and guarantees a buyer of the recycled paper. Bioregional explains that “it is important, not only to recycle your waste paper, but also to close the loop by buying paper made from your recycled waste. This is because there needs to be a stable market for recycled products so that it is economically viable to collect and recycle the waste. So the more people who buy recycled products – the cheaper it becomes to get your waste recycled”....
This small exhibit of street furniture by Swiss designers shows an inventiveness and creativity that is a breath of, well, fresh air. The ingenuity shown in creating a water trough at the end of a down spout (pictured) makes such perfect sense. Another is a hanging garden outside a window which acts as a shutter as the plants grow. The bicycle park occupies the space of one parking spot and serves as a stand for 6 bicycles (in the shape of a car, of course).
Another show piece uses the inexpensive wood from packing cases as parquet flooring for outdoors. An un-used fountain has a mirror attached and is transformed to an outside amenity. Instead of chains to block off spaces, giant colourful "necklaces" and "charm bracelets" are decorative, witty and do the same job. Food for thought. :: InOut Via :: Financial Times...
It wasn’t the first time we’d seen solar street lights (other examples can be seen here, here and here), but it was probably the most beautiful. When we first saw the solar tree concept by Welsh designer Ross Lovegrove we really were pretty taken aback. It is a gorgeous example of a marriage between form and function. However, often such concepts remain just that – concepts – so we were delighted to hear, via Renewable Energy Access, that the design has now undergone real-world testing on the streets of Vienna, with positive results:...
We all have our opinion of the war in Iraq, but as the NY Times and other media outlets have been reporting, lately people have been getting back to their daily routines thanks to a decline in violence in Baghdad. This is undoubtedly good news for U.S. soldiers and Iraqi citizens alike, but a side effect has been an intense spike in vehicular traffic in Baghdad. A typical commute already includes broken streetlights, people driving on the wrong side of the road, checkpoints and military convoys. But, as a recent NY Times article points out, "tens of thousands of Baghdadis have found an antidote (to the traffic) in the venerable motor scooter."
Scooters have become popular in Iraq for the same reason they are popular all over the world, namely, affordability, efficiency, and maneuverability on busy streets. But Iraqis also have some unique incentives to purchase scooters: "Guards at checkpoints often wave scooters through. Soldiers tend to view scooter drivers with less suspicion because, unlike people in cars, their bodies are in plain sight. Scooters are easy to navigate around blast walls." And lastly, owning a scooter "carries the implication that one is of lesser means, a good thing in a city where having money draws attention of the wrong kind."...
Our pals at Inhabitat have teamed up with Marc Alt + Partners to present the Greener Gadgets Conference, February 1, 2008, in New York City. The conference will address some big-picture topics like design for sustainability, product life cycle management, take-back and recycling programs, energy efficiency, greener materials, and green lifestyle and product marketing.
As part of the one-day conference, Core77 is lending a hand by partnering up for a Greener Gadgets Design Competition, whose goals will closely mirror those of the conference: "This design competition will engage established design firms, emerging designers, and design students to come up with new and innovative solutions to address the issues of energy, carbon footprint, health and toxicity, new materials, product lifecycle, and social development." Starting today (and going through January 27), they're looking for designs that "seek to minimize the environmental impact of consumer electronic devices at any stage in the product lifecycle."
Read more about the Greener Gadgets Conference, get all the details about the Design Competition at Core77, and good luck! via ::Core77...
Well, that was fast: It was little more than a week ago that we'd heard that a government-industry alliance was getting set to pump $1.76 billion into a so-called "clean coal" power plant in Illinois; now, because of cost issues, the DOE seems to be backpedaling on its commitment.
Earth2Tech's Craig Rubens reports that:
Linda Nusdorfer, centre, stands by the bedside of Michelle Babineau at Toronto General Hospital; Lucas Oleniuk Toronto Star
On Christmas eve, Megan Ogilvie wrote in the Star about Michelle Babineau, who has been in Toronto General for seven months, recovering from a double-lung and heart transplant at the age of 36. Her family is 1500 miles away on the east coast and can't afford to visit.
Nurse specialist Linda Nusdorfer wondered why families couldn't visit virtually, and last Christmas set up web cams for a young mother who couldn't be with her three children, all under the age of 4, over the holidays. "There were her children, on the screen, engaging with mum, talking, dancing, asking questions," she says. Since then eight families have tried this, in one of the few hospitals equipped with internet access. (wifi is not allowed). The hospital can't supply common machines for fear of infection, so it is up to the patients' families to supply equipment and many are not familiar with the the technologies. But for those who have access to the technology, Nusdorfer says virtual visits bring patients a lot of joy: "They just light up. They light up ... It's what inspires them to get home quicker." ::The Star
Mike McGregor of Logitech Canada read that article and did something about it.
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As any longtime resident of Los Angeles - such as this one - will tell you, the city's public transit system is, to put it mildly, highly impractical. Many us have been willing to grit our teeth and weather its inconveniences in the hopes that, one day soon, we'd see some concrete improvements - and a few extra extensions. Now it looks as though two of our most pined for projects - the so-called subway to the sea (an extension from east LA to Santa Monica) and the bullet train from Anaheim to San Francisco - will be delayed, if not shelved entirely.
Bill Rosendahl, the LA City Councilman who has been spearheading efforts to bring the subway to the sea project to the fore, recently remarked that: "My plan is to be alive when the subway to the sea happens." He may yet get his wish - as an article in the LAT noted:
USEPA on occasion has failed to act on the Precautionary Principle. How else might one explain USEPA recommendations that MTBE be used as a gasoline additive for anti-knock and oxygenation properties? During EPA's decision making process in the late 1970's, people must have realized that MTBE could create a bad taste in water, that it had high water solubility and could move more quickly in groundwater than other common fuel components, and that the nation's underground fuel lines and storage tanks were leaking...badly. EPA's decision to reformulate gasoline with still higher MTBE concentrations, a decision which ultimately cost taxpayers millions, if not billions, in solving drinking water contamination issues, seems anything but cautious.
Two decisions don't add up to a trend, but it certainly seems that the Precautionary Principle is still not being followed with BisPhenol-A based plastics being sold into the infant care market. The good news is that when better designed consumer choices appear in the marketplace, EPA's risk management muddling matters less.
As a far-reaching article from the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel documents, when it comes to BPA-based plastics, the infant care market is showing signs of having lost patience with industry toxicologists quibbling over "weight of evidence." The public opinion jury is in on BPA, and parents are buying glass baby bottles. Gerber is offering them. Glass bottle makers are pleased. This consumer movement reminds us of recent reports of large numbers of consumers seeking US made wooden toys for their children's Christmas presents. Chinese manufacturers and US designers could not be trusted to manage risk, so parents walked out on their offerings....
A great example of smart graphic design, the real genius of Taiwan's recycling logo is its multi-functional utility. Look at the white space to see what we mean. ::Bubble Jive via ::NotCot.org...
We love living with less and mobile housing, having a small footprint and not being tied down. The miniHome was great for this but needs a tractor; the portabach needs a crane and a trailer.
Living is.be combines the best of an RV (easily mobile) with the efficiency of a popup camper (folds down for less wind resistance) and the comfort of a multistorey townhouse. It even has a hot-tub sized bath on the upper level.
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What are wire hangers doing on this site when we told you: hangers can be made from 100% recycled paper, Sundela board (a material derived from recycled and compressed newspaper) and biodegradable corn-based plastic? Well, South Korea-based collective 101 Design Studio has devised a clever way to recycle the hangers into a pretty slick-looking light. Available in two versions -- "48 Hanger" (rather than pendant -- ha!) and "48 Stand" -- the lights use, as the names suggest, almost 50 discarded wire hangers to create a very modern shape oddly reminiscent of a more traditional lampshade.
We like this not only for its use of recycled materials, but for the many options it provides; leave it alone for a brighter, white light, or add a splash of color around the hangers with your own shade. Hardcore DIYers could even fashion their own; just don't forget to use a compact fluorescent light bulb. Either way, even Joan Crawford would approve. More pics after the jump. ::101 Design Studio via ::Yanko Design...
With one big holiday squarely in our rear view (no, not that kind of rear view), we can turn our attention to recycling (or re-planting. Or, heck, just folding up) our Christmas trees and preparing to close the book on 2007. And you know what that means: almost time to break out the (organic) bubbly and celebrate with some green panache.
With that in mind, Design Within Reach has announced the call for entries for its 5th annual Champagne Chair Contest, challenging participants to create an original miniature chair from nothing more than the wire, cork, cage and foil of no more than two champagne bottles, glue being the only permitted adhesive. Pictured above (right) is last year's winner, entitled “Cantilever Block,” crafted by one Adam Weisgerber, from Seattle, Washington, from just two corks.
We already know that cork does it all, so the question that remains is: What can you create from your party leftovers? Hit the jump for all the details. ::DWR's Champagne Chair Contest...
chickens hang out amidst lettuce
Throughout the northeast United States, there are once-proud cities that have lost population and industry. Treehugger has seen some revitalization and urban farming in Detroit and Buffalo. Yen Ha and Michi Yanagisita of Front Studio, "the only Asian women-owned architectural partnership in New York City" have produced the most stunning and evocative images for "Urban Voids: Grounds for Change", a competition sponsored by the Philadelphia City Parks Commission and the Van Allen Institute in 2006, just presented on ::Bldgblog. As James Howard Kunstler's predictions about our cities continue to come true, this may well be one of the solutions that keeps us in food and in jobs. ...
Cohousing has been around North America for a few years, imported from Denmark by visionary architects Charles Durrett and Kathryn McCamant; there are now about 100 multi-generational cohousing communities in the United States. At the same time, we have a lot of aging boomers and active seniors rattling around in big houses now that the kids, and often a spouse, have gone. We have noted before (see Back to the commune, man) that the concept could work very well for seniors. Wolf Creek Lodge, under development in California, is an example. According to the LA Times,
The basic premise of cohousing -- that life is better together than apart -- is an even neater fit for people as they age, because "aging is a team sport," said Dr. Bill Thomas, geriatrician and author of "What Are Old People For?" But cohousing communities specifically geared for seniors are just beginning to take off.
"For a long time, the team was your blood kin. Now the team, more and more, is going to be the people with whom we choose to live," Thomas said. "Elder cohousing is a response to the fading away of our traditional understanding of family and care-giving."
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When I posted my interview with Erik Gustafson, this year’s winner of Discovery’s Young Scientist Challenge, it wasn’t so surprising to learn that he’d launched his path to the top of the heap as America’s Next Top Young Scientist by investigating the creek in his own backyard. Now, it seems there’s been a whole movement afoot in Pennsylvania, Colorado and parts of New York to get kids involved investigating local creeks as a way to understand basic science and our connection to the natural world at the same time.
It’s called Creek Connections, and it started back 14 years ago as a program at Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Since that time it’s grown, with students posting their results online to be shared with other participating districts, and for evaluation by Allegheny College.
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Some of our readers may recall the Rifle Colorado-area oil shale extraction projects of the 1970's (map of area pictured). Reduced oil prices following the OPEC boycott, impacts of saline water discharges, and high operating costs resulted in a virtual shut down by 1982.
Rule #1 with US oil businesses and the Defense Department: The US Can Never Have Enough.
Even with Alberta's tar sand-extracted oil gushing southward via pipeline, making Texification of the US' Upper Midwest a predetermined outcome, it looks as if that notion of cooking the greasy rocks will once again audition Colorado as "The Saudi Arabia Of North America" - although we thought that billing was taken by Alberta?
Yes, Virginia, there is a "McDonald's Corporate Responsibility Blog" discussing the subject "through the eyes of Vice President, Bob Langert, and the other people at McDonald's who work on corporate responsibility issues that matter." He picks up on the "six sins of greenwashing" and suggests that "many companies are reluctant to talk about their environmental efforts because they are concerned they will only be met with criticism" which certainly is the case with McDonalds and TreeHugger.
Langert continues: "true progress is hard to define, and achieving perfection on the environmental front is impossible, because there will always be ways to improve. But not talking about environmental efforts, or "greenmuting", can be a sin as well. Here's my list of the "Six Sins of Greenmuting":
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Candles and an open fireplace are the hallmarks of holiday coziness, 'tis true, but not only are they inefficient, CO2 and particulate emissions are also unfortunate byproducts - about 15 grams of CO2 for each completely burned candle, and 3.3 kilograms of CO2 for one hour of open fireplace. Paraffin candle fumes can also contain benzene, formaldehyde and toulene, oh my! Last week we wrote about Swedish efforts to eco-certify candles and get consumers to switch to those.
But how to get the open fireplace feeling without the open fire? Ethanol fireplaces or glassfires as they are sometimes called are becoming increasingly popular in Europe where more people live in smallish apartments without any chimneys or hearths. In all shapes and sizes, wall-mounted or freestanding bio-fuel burning glassfires give off only water vapor and a small amount of CO2 - the fuel makers rather cryptically say "in proportions similar to...air exhaled by humans" - and without any smoke or particulate action. Chestnut roasting probably not an option. While in the pictures the fireplaces can look almost as cheesy as those TV-screen fires, in real life biofuel fireplaces do add the cheery atmosphere, without as much off-gassing. A liter of the biofuel burns about 1 - 4 hours at about 4 Euros ($5.75) a liter. Via ::Art Deco Kamin Design (Swedish) and Planika for U.S. available glassfires, including new design by Christopher Pillet.
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In the UK, Canada, Australia and much of the old British Commonwealth, it is a statutory holiday today, Boxing Day, where servants who had to work serving Christmas got to take home boxes of leftovers to eat with their family. In some parts of the Commonwealth stores are still closed in honour of the working person; in other parts it is the biggest shopping day in the year, equivalent to America's Black Friday. (other explanations in Wikipedia here)
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You get a two-fer with the Castlight by Kikkerland. Designed by David Weeks, this light-caster is both a fully functional candlestick, as well as an LED flashlight with a rubberized grip, so you'll be able to keep emergency illumination within arm's reach, without mussing up your decor. Measuring 11x4.5x4.5 inches, the Castlight takes 3 AA batteries and costs roughly $40.
Check out the Castlight in action below the fold. ::Kikkerland and ::Velocity Art & Design
We've shed some more light on the subject of quirky lighting in a few of our previous posts: ::Caldesign: Simple Home Wares for the Modern World, ::Zero Thick: When The Package Is Also The Product, and ::Transformer Furniture: Modular Table Lava
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Muji is the much admired japanese homewares store which is ubiquitous in Europe and Asia (241 shops), and has one location in the USA, in New York. Their products are stylish, affordably priced, good quality and well-designed. It is appropriate that they would sponsor an international design competition, Muji Award 02, with the theme "re-think, re-design, re-use, re-fuse." The winner is....a towel. The Gold Prize was awarded to this "towel with further options", which starts life as a bath towel, but as it gets worn can be cut down along pre-scored perforations into a bathmat, a floor cloth and finally a duster. The perforations mean that there are no fraying edges when cut. Makes one regret not thinking of all those interim steps between towel and dish rag.
No Silver, but the Judges prize went to stacking hangers, a great idea since excess hangers are so annoying, as they sit at the bottom of cupboards getting tangled. And third prize is to salt. We use too much when pouring it out of a box, so this designer has packaged it in small cubes to discourage usage. A chrononotebook redesigns the way we track daily appointments. As one judge commented: "All these projects strike me as perfect reflections of the creative usefulness which is the spirit of Muji." :: Muji Via :: Financial Times...
Image courtesy of trekkyandy
In keeping with the spirit of the season - and our past coverage of North Carolina's water scarcity problems - we had to pass on this timely story detailing the effects the drought - the state's worst on record - has had on the state's Christmas tree population. To sum it up in a few words: it was another boom year for artificial trees:
First of all, Merry Christmas everybody from Buenos Aires! For this special day, some of us have decided to choose a charity in case you want to give an extra gift and spread some love these holidays.
From the southern part of the world we chose Help Argentina, a nonprofit organization that acts as a bridge connecting donors and volunteers from all over the world to organizations in the Argentine social sector. For these holidays they have put up a set of alternatives for people to help for just ten US dollars. In the image above you can see some of them: buying one shovel for the development of gardens and farms in rural areas of Patagonia, protecting 3.9 square miles of native forests in Neuquen province, or buying 20 afternoon snacks for students in Cordoba province. Go to the extended to find out more alternatives.
Click on the tag 'christmas charities' to see other writers' choices....
Changing the world and people's attitudes is a group effort; the more people working together for a common cause, the more effective it will be. At this joyous time of the year, Treehugger would like to recognise and salute the dedication and hard work carried out by volunteers and charitable organisations in the name of saving the planet.
Trees For Cities is a UK based charity, formed to work with local communities on tree planting projects. Their aim is "to tackle global warming, create social cohesion and beautify our cities through tree planting, community, education and training initiatives in urban areas of greatest need."
Trees are an important link in the fight against global warming. They clean the air, reduce temperatures, counteract pollution and absorb carbon dioxide. Trees for Cities has worked out a formula of 2.67 trees planted for every tonne of C02 generated. Tree canopies save energy by cooling buildings and reducing the impact of rain storms. And of course they create habitats for birds and wildlife and add beauty to our surroundings.
But too many are lost due to property development, "health and safety" and disease and maturity.This year, in London alone, 9,593 trees were lost, a third of them street trees. Many that have been felled were at least 30 years old and would have formed an important part of London’s landscape. The good news is that Trees for Cities planted a healthy 211 street trees, and 5,733 others in various locations across the capital including in schools, estates, parks and woodlands in 2007 alone.
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Many of us may dream of a white Christmas and not get it. In Antarctica, where scientific teams from the International Polar Year are starting in earnest on the first carbon neutral research station after the building supplies landed at Breid Bay ten days ago, there is plenty of snow and ice - too much of it in fact. A whiteout this week forced one team to leave behind some containers and frozen food supplies they were trying to convoy to the station site - located on a small protected granitic ridge called Utsteinen, in the region of Antarctica known as Dronning Maud Land. In spite of the setback, the entire 24-person crew at base camp will get Christmas dinner and wait out the storm before some go back for container retrieval.
The site for the new Belgian Princess Elisabeth station, which we've written about here, was chosen with great precision. In Antarctica, where shifting subzero temps make human habitation and survival so daunting, and every nut and bolt and drop of fuel and morsel of food must be imported over long distances, the idea of sustainability is doubly challenging. But with Antarctica's delicately-balanced climate where global warming has had such as impact, the goal is also doubly necessary....
From Swan's Honey in Albion, Maine. Available through Maine's Pantry. According to the package it is "distilled from nectar and put in to its container by the bees themselves." Also check out this Rare Hawaiian Organic White Honey.
Vanity Fair: A Cavalcade of the 1920s and 1930s. Uncovered from a box in the attic but available through Antiqbook.com. Fantastic representation of a bygone era....
Recently launched, the 2008 Arbor Day National Poster Contest is underway. And that means fifth-graders from across the U.S. are invited to share their artwork and compete for prizes in the process.
This year’s theme is “Trees are Terrific… Inside and Out!” and not surprisingly they’re expecting you’ll focus your efforts around the benefits of trees. But no great challenge to the children of Treehuggers everywhere I suppose.
Last year more than 75,000 classrooms across the U.S. participated in the contest. And the winning entry, submitted by Kaileen P. of North Carolina is featured here.
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As it turns out, recycling has its price. In California, that price happens to be a nickel - for small beverage containers - or a dime - for larger ones. No doubt some segment of the surge witnessed in Californians' recycling was attributable to something other than just financial incentives; the consensus among economists and environmentalists, however, seems to be that the respective one- and two-cent hikes in the state's Refund Value were largely to credit for the largest increase in the state's recycling rate in the last 15 years.
Out of the more than 6.9 billion containers recycled in the first half of 2007 - a year on increase of almost 800 million - state officials estimate that close to 7 in 10 were redeemed. Though it may not seem like much, experts explain that the one-cent hike was conflated to represent more than just a single penny increase; by suggesting that "recycling is worth a nickel, that recycling is worth a dime, conveys a sense of value . . . recycling is not just about a couple pennies," the state, through its media blitz, made people feel like "they're doing something important." ...
We should all be so fortunate as to be able to afford or design our own eco-friendly pads; not necessarily on the scale of a LivingHome model - which may be a bit much - but, more realistically, on the same plane as one of the myriad prefab homes we regularly feature. Karel J. Samsom and Cynthia Foster, two entrepreneurs living in Venice Beach, CA, have spent the better part of the past 8 months demonstrating just how much such a DIY approach can accomplish.
The fruit of their efforts, the Eco Cottages - individually named "Papa Hemingway Cottage," "Aunt Zoe's Place," and "Le Bébé Cottage" in a wry take off the Goldilocks fable - was completed just a few weeks ago. Samsom and Foster will offer up the cottages for rental to vacationers or long-term residents seeking a "green home experience" (we're sure the short walk to the beach won't hurt). ...
You know the feeling: you're cruising down the freeway when all of a sudden, and without apparent cause, a traffic jam brings you to a standstill. Before long, traffic is flowing again, and you have no idea what triggered the problem. Sure, you have your theories, but wouldn't the whole thing have been far less frustrating if you had had a mathematical model that could explain it? Well, you're in luck, because that's just what a team of mathematicians from the Universities of Exeter, Bristol and Budapest have created. The model "revealed that slowing down below a critical speed when reacting to an [unexpected] event, a driver would force the car behind to slow down further and the next car back to reduce its speed further still."
The end result is that "several miles back, cars would finally grind to a halt, with drivers oblivious to the reason for their delay." While the findings might seem fairly intuitive, they were previously unknown and poorly understood. It turns out that high volumes of traffic are not necessarily the cause of jams; rather, the model demonstrates that "it really matters how hard you brake" when reacting to unfolding events, because a sudden stop in the flow of traffic can cause a chain reaction several miles back. So this holiday season, be sure to drive smoothly. Or, better yet, if possible, take a train, bus, bicycle, or other contraption, and don't drive at all!
Via: ::Physorg.com...
For some it is a lonely time of year, with family far away or because things have not turned out as one had hoped. Perhaps they would get a lift out of the the Expected Curtain, "a curtain for the lonely person.The initial idea was to design something for a safer walk home.The screen printed silhouettes of people on a white curtain disappear at day time and only become visible at night when you turn on the lights inside."
To them, and everyone, have a wonderful evening and a better tomorrow.
Designed by ::Mino Kodama via ::Cube Me...
Now that I am riding a mountain bike, sitting upright and travelling more slowly, I can start doing it with a bit of style. No more sipping water out of a bottle, I could enjoy a gracious cafe au lait and croissant while I rode if I had Philipp Drexler's "breakfast on wheels" or "Bikefast" attachment. ...
We continue to be fascinated by the concept of ebooks; why carry around a bound pile of paper when what you really want are words. The Kindle doesn't do it for us or others; so the Core77 team held a one hour design challenge to come up with a better one. Now the results are in; the eScroll that we showed earlier won the prize.
Now there was no clock running, but if this is the kind of stuff these designers come up with in an hour, I want to see what they can do in a week.
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A sweet little newsletter called "The Honey" has been circulating around the English-speakers in Israel this week. The theme was Eco-Honey. It's basically a team of women who scour the country for its best finds, and places to eat, and ship the deets off once a week to subscribers.
This week was an environmental theme and included these recycled tire bags, handcrafted by a Tel Aviv designer called Neutra. Ms. Elanit Neutra, The Honey reports, finds herself used tire inner tubes at local garages, and fashions them into a collection of handbags, large courier bags and wallets. Prices range from $50 to $250.
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Ken Ferguson runs a film studio but is trying to change the transient and short-term nature of the industry."I've been going around for years saying: `Guys, close the doors. Guys, turn off your engines. Guys, why are you throwing all this food away?'" he says. "And they'd say, `We don't have time, we don't have time, we don't have time. This is just kind of how we do things.'"
Now he is building a new studio on Toronto's waterfront and is trying to do it right.
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When some of us here at Treehugger started thinking about a “Christmas of the Future” post, I took a second to think what that might mean for my son. Born this year and expected to live some 70+ years, it sounded interesting enough to peer into the future and see what my little Bobby might come to experience as the average “Christmas” some 50 years out.
Of course my glimpse into the future was probably part wish and part reality, but I’d ask you to give it a look and maybe add a few of your own observations below the post.
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photo credit Andyscamera
It has been over a week since Toronto got hit with two feet of snow, but the bike lanes are still impassable. That's because the city decided to plough the roads (pushing it into the bike lanes) but not remove the snow to save money and let mother nature melt it away, and while it was warm for a day or two, it is now cold again and the bike lanes are filled with ice. The sidewalks are patchy, because the city doesn't do them, citizens are supposed to, even though they are on city property. The City pays lip service to promoting walking and biking, but when the crunch comes, we all know who gets the bucks and the service- the drivers. Chris Hume of the Toronto Star put it much better: ...
A bach "is the name given in New Zealand to structures akin to small, often very modest holiday homes or beach houses.They are an iconic part of New Zealand history and culture." Wp
Cecile Bonnifait and William Giesen of atelier workshop have built a bach out of a box, a 20' shipping container.This isn't easy to do; they are narrow inside. They pulled it off by having one side of the container fold down to open it up to the outdoors; suddenly it is bright and open. (much like the All-terrain Cabin) Every inch of it is used cleverly, even the container doors become support for a bed....
The centerpiece of most Scandinavians' julbord (Christmas table) celebrations is the ham, including (some) poor pig's lavishly frosted head. Organic and local ham is getting more popular but unfortunately, the climactic effects of our ever-growing global meat production are hard to avoid, quite apart from the negative effects of large-scale factory farms. So while in vitro meat seems bizarre, and many might prefer the vegetarian path or some middle road, bioengineered meat may have theoretical merits. Immature stem cells are bathed in special amino acid solutions or mechanically stimulated to induce them to grow inside a bioreactor, and a molecular process encourages the cells to stick together. Read here to learn more about the Dutch scientists that are forerunners.
Now researchers with the In Vitro Meat Consortium (IVMC), formed this summer in Norway, say many of the techno-hurdles have been cleared. While they don't believe in vitro meat will totally replace the real thing, they do believe that in a generation or two in vitro meat will become commonplace for everyday eating. Instead of producing methane gas as a byproduct - as animal husbandry invariably does - in vitro meat researchers expect to use methane to make nourishing liquids needed to multiply a small amount of animal cells into edible product. IVMC says, however, that their attempt at in vitro meat may not come to pass - the consortium is currently doing a cost analysis to see if it can possible be produced cost-effectively, and will meet in April to discuss results. If there's a green light (and investments funds) first meat products are still be a few years out and would probably consist of a ground meat-type product - but the IVMC predicts muscle meats such as Christmas hams will be made in local bioreactors (if the price can be right) by around 2020. Via ::Svenska Dagbladet (Swedish)...
TreeHugger John writes "Having spent some time in the stores lately, I've noticed the vast array of electrically powered hair care appliances being sold at premium (eye-level) space. Curlers, flatteners, straighteners, liquid product dispensers, and of course the 2000 Watt hair drier. The electricity consumption from this stuff must be huge, taken collectively....this all heads to an interesting lifestyle/sexiness end point if we are to adapt truly greener practices."
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Slow Food is an organisation dedicated to counteracting fast food, fast life and the disappearance of local food traditions. Started in 1989 in Italy, its time has come, now that so many people are concerned about where their food originates and how food choices affect the world. Really it is about fresh, organic, seasonal, local and environmentally grown and produced food. Its Manifesto says: "May suitable doses of guaranteed sensual pleasure and slow, long-lasting enjoyment preserve us from the contagion of the multitude who mistake frenzy for efficiency. Our defense should begin at the table with Slow Food. Let us rediscover the flavours and savours of regional cooking and banish the degrading effects of Fast Food."
Their Christmas market, held on a frosty day, featured a wide and varied selection of producers and products, described as "good and clean and fair". Local wild mushrooms, fried in olive oil, in a chunky roll, with grated parmesan on top provided the energy to check out the many vendors. Hot mint tea from the Arabica Food and Spice company helped as well. No free samples from craft beers Utobeer but the wine from Green and Blue was organic and sophisticated in taste. Ethical edibles was selling an italian panforte that would make a wonderful gift for the hosts of the next party that you attend. ...
Corn based ethanol has become the Goldilocks of the transportation fuel world: evoking "who ate my porridge?" cries from the world's hungry and poor.
Not to worry Little Bear, the US Energy Bill just signed into law by President Bush provides new financial incentives for cellulosic ethanol (which we'll abbreviate as"Ceetoh" henceforward). The thinking behind the energy bill presumably was that sufficient Ceetoh incentives will cause corn based ethanol to lose some of its grip on food prices, as well as increase the total ethanol production potential.
In this post, we'll address how fast that shift from corn- to cellulose-based feedstock might reasonably come about. In a subsequent post, we'll address which businesses or inventors are are positioned to create the hoped-for Ceetoh capacities.
As a result of the new US Energy Bill incentives for ethanol, more investors will be chasing the Ceetoh startups from now on in, which means US Department of Energy contacts and grant choices will get a great deal of attention. But laws and grants and investors are only the most currently visible parts of the Ceetoh equation. Much more is at stake....
Good news for TreeHuggers in Argentina came just in time for Christmas this year: ten days after assuming as president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner announced a National Energy Saving Plan. Among its main measures, it includes readopting Daylight Saving Time (which hasn't been used since 1993), regulating temperatures of air conditionings in public buildings, encouraging consumer credits for more efficient home appliances, and modernizing street and traffic lights.
Even though Argentina has been crying for a plan like this for the last two years, former president Nestor Kirchner was reluctant to launch it.
Learn details about the plan and its politic background in the extended. ::Via Clarin newspaper
Picture: From left to right: vice president Julio Cobos, president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, chief of Ministries Alberto Fernandez, and Federal Planning Minister Julio de Vido; during the launch of the energy plan....
We’ve been pretty excited about the high-performance Vectrix electric scooter since we first laid eyes on it. We’ve been even more excited to see it move from drawing board to actual road use. Now we hear from London Bikers that police in Hampshire, UK, are going to be testing two Vectrix scooters as part of their day-to-day operations, and if the trials prove successful, the vehicle could be adopted as an alternative to petrol-driven bikes for police forces across the country. As with police on bicycles, the logic of silent, emission free transport options makes a lot of sense for law enforcement agencies – both in terms of running costs, and sneaking up on villains unnoticed. And adoption of high-tech emission free vehicles should bode well for the rest of us, as economies of scale allow for cheaper models to reach the general public. We look forward to seeing how the Vectrix performs for the boys in blue. ::Vectrix::via London Bikers::via EV-UK::
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Image courtesy of markwgallagher
We were perusing through back issues of the Use Less Stuff bi-monthly newsletter and found their guide: "Don't Let the Holidays Go to Your Waste." Although it's from their Nov-Dec 1996 (Vol. 3:6) issue, it's still a good read with some interesting, basic tips that we could all put into good use during this festive season to reduce our impacts on our precious Mother Earth. The website was created by William Rathje and Robert Lilienfield, the people who formalized the term garbology.
Here are a few examples to wet your whistle before you check it out yourself:
Images courtesy of Technology Review
It may not shed much new light on the issue, but Technology Review's superb 3-part series on the price of biofuels does an admirable job of rounding up a lot of the current and past knowledge. More importantly, it quotes a number of experts who provide a more realistic - and sobering - perspective on the speed with which we can expect next generation ethanols such as cellulosic ethanol to become viable in the marketplace. The consensus amongst scientists and economists is that cellulosic ethanol is not likely to become much of a factor until 2010, at the earliest, or 2015.
Vernon Eidman, an emeritus professor of agricultural economics at the University of Minnesota, suggesting the economics for cellulosic ethanol look "interesting" (hardly the full-throated endorsement), noted that several issues, both practical and technical, could slow its large-scale production. He takes a much more hard-nosed view of the costs that will be involved to process the biomass and transport the resulting ethanol, remarking that people had a tendency to be "fooled" into seeing the glass as always half-full. ...
Despite numerous challenges, including delays, derailments and 'dinero' (or a lack thereof), Amtrak is enjoying its fifth-straight year of record ridership across the country. The usual suspects are driving people (pun intended) to take the train: high gas prices, traffic, and dour TSA employees. But, according to the AP, another factor seems to be "the investment by Illinois and 13 other states in short-distance corridors Amtrak wouldn't otherwise offer, essentially paying for a service where they see a need." The result has been a consistent rise in ridership, with numbers climbing to 24.3 million passengers last year.
While trains may be the green way to travel, Amtrak has still been unable to green its bottom line, relying on government help to stay afloat as it struggles with more than $3.3 billion in debt. One problem is that Amtrak gets enough funding to survive, but not to flourish. As Sen. Trent Lott, a supporter of the bipartisan Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, points out, "We can't keep asking Amtrak to operate like a business while we string the company along year to year." The bill would "authorize $3.3 billion for operating expenses and $4.9 billion for capital improvements over the life of the bill, from 2008 to 2012."...
Alice Rawsthorn of the International Herald Tribune (and who I think is one of the best writers on design around) picks her favourite designs of the year, loves the iPhone- "The only serious candidate for 2007's design product of the year" but suggests that
While Apple's rivals play catch-up, they'd do well to reflect on the other new component of "good design" where Apple fares less well - sustainability. With a few honorable exceptions, the story of sustainable, ethical or guilt-free (call it what you will) design has been embarrassingly flimsy. That's why 90 percent of design is destined for the 10 percent of the global population that needs it least (the privileged minority) and why so much of that stuff is designed, made, sold and discarded with little or no thought for the environmental consequences. ::iPhone's magic touch becomes design's gold standard for 2007...
The announcement has wide-ranging implications for exhalation, club soda, and photosynthesis.
From the Onion: In an unexpected reversal that environmentalists and scientists worldwide are calling groundbreaking, President George W. Bush, for the first time in his political career, openly admitted to the existence of carbon dioxide. "As a leading industrialized nation, we can no longer afford to ignore the growing consensus of so many experts whose job it is to study our atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is real."
Eighth-grade science teacher Linda Mattson approved. "By taking this brave stance, Bush has opened the door for the eventual acknowledgement that other molecular compounds, such as H2O, for example, may in fact exist as well." ::The Onion
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The editorial page of the New York Times goes enviro with Tom Friedman's last article until April Fools Day (how will we live without Tom to complain about?) discussing the loss of biodiversity:
We showed the Factor 10 House, "so called because it reduces the environmental impact of the average American home by a factor of 10." We show it again because it has held up really well- logical, carefully thought out choices that have not been improved upon. ::Factor 10 House and US Department of Energy
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With winter's onset driving the demand for surface coal to record-high levels, the mineral's cost is now beyond the reach of low- and middle-income Americans who wish to punish their naughty children. "Coal in one's stocking is meant to serve as an admonishment or warning, not as a dependable grade-B investment," said William Menchell, a commodities adviser for T. Rowe Price. "In today's market, children should only have their stockings stuffed with lumps of coal if they have been studious and obedient, and show an interest in long-term investments in the energy sector." For more affordable punitive options, analysts point to the relatively stagnant switch market, which could soon go the way of coal if demand increases for combustible wooden sticks.::Coal now too Expensive to Put in Stockings
We provided good instructions on how to make a snowperson ornament out of lightbulbs; now that they are becoming extinct perhaps it is a good time to start saving old incandescents for this; imagine a tree full of such relics 20 years from now. ::Make a Snowperson Lightbulb Holiday Tree Ornament...
It's not often that you hear the words "greenhouse gas" and "good news" juxtaposed in the same sentence. Aside from the occasional historical perspective on the beneficial role played by carbon dioxide in rendering our early planet inhabitable, the news concerning greenhouse gases has been - let's face it - rather glib. That makes every bit of good news - however little - something to look forward to.
A team of researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, has just made a discovery that could have significant implications for the buildup of methane gas in the Earth's atmosphere - and its impact on global warming. As we've mentioned before, methane deposits are found in large supply on the ocean floor; areas in which great quantities are emitted as bubbles - primarily from gas hydrates - are known as methane seeps....
Magical thinking is highly vulnerable to serious cost-benefit assessment. It's no surprise, then, that Shell and StatoilHydro and others recently have scrapped plans to build "green" power plants that to capture and store carbon dioxide.
If you're convinced that carbon offsetting works, you might like to check out the handy-dandy list compiled by Carbon Catablog for offsetting gifts earmarked for Christmas and the New Year.
While Christmas isn't the only holiday happening around this time of the year (Hannukah and Hajj just happened recently), the list manages to go through about 70 carbon offset providers who sell online and who are most likely to send you an X-mas card with your offsets.
A few providers include Canopy in Australia, Carbon Footprint, and the Carbon Neutral Company who offers an entire line of X-mas gift packages.
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Every TreeHugger knows that it’s pretty hard for a leaky house to be a green one. Yet how can we get the average homeowner to insulate their walls with hemp or recycled paper [Aside from suggesting they look at our guide on How to Green Your Heating of course]? Well, if they are residents of London, it seems they can now take advantage of a heavily discounted scheme to provide high-tech consultations on the energy efficiency and carbon footprint of their homes. Subsidised by the London Development Authority, the Green Homes Concierge Service uses electronic measuring devices, thermal cameras and state-of-the-art computer software to give home owners a complete energy scorecard for their property. The Guardian recently tested it out, and were more than impressed by the results:
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Well there it is then. You have taken the handmade pledge and sweat blood knitting socks and sweaters for everyone you know. You are especially proud of the finger puppets for the nieces and nephews. Now you can lean back and relax, take some time to catch up on TreeHugger. And what do you find? Some bloody overachiever has gone and knit an entire 1:1 scale Ferrari sportscar! ...
