- Emily Pilloton Discusses the Hippo Roller and other Designs for Humanity (Part One)
- Janine Benyus on Biomimicry in Design (Part Two)
- Janine Benyus on Biomimicry in Design (Part One)
- Andy Revkin - Climate in the Obama Age
- Fred Pearce - Confessions of An Eco-Sinner (Part Two)
- Fred Pearce - Confessions of An Eco-Sinner (Part One)
- Chris Goodall - Ten Techs to Save Our Butts (Part Two)
- Chris Goodall - Ten Techs to Save Our Butts (Part One)
Entries for December 30, 2007 - January 5, 2008
Total this week: 107
BBC on Safe Disposal of CFLs
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 01. 5.08
The question of mercury in Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) has kicked up a debate on TreeHugger before, but now we hear from the BBC that the UK’s Environment Agency wants to put warnings on CFL packaging about safe disposal, and what to do if a bulb is broken. If anyone is freaking out right now, and yearning for the good ol' days of safe, warm incandescents, please don’t get too concerned. Even though safe disposal is important, leading toxicologist Dr David Ray agreed with the assessment in our post that there is little risk to the individual homeowner from single bulb breakages:
"Mercury accumulates in the body - especially the brain. The biggest danger is repeated exposure - a one off exposure is not as potentially dangerous compared to working in a light bulb factory. If you smash one bulb then that is not too much of a hazard. However, if you broke five bulbs in a small unventilated room then you might be in short term danger."...
PolyWhey™ Floor and Furniture Coatings From Vermont
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 01. 5.08
Got a dairy that makes cheese? If you do, you've also got whey which you likely pay to manage as a waste - unless you are a whey supplier of Vermont Natural Coatings, that is.
Vermont Natural has developed two whey-based coatings: one for wooden furniture; and, the other for floors. The results look good on their web site. Odor is reported to be less than for comparable synthetic coatings, such as urethane or epoxy; and, remarkably, odor is described as less than even other water based-coatings....
Motionbulb: The Motion-Sensing Light Bulb
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01. 5.08
You always hear about how you should change to compact fluorescent lightbulbs and turn out the lights when you leave the room; with something like Motionbulb you can have both at the same time. A slick motion sensor is embedded in the bulb's housing, turning itself on when it senses motion within 25 feet, and switching off when you leave the room.
Details are a bit sparse on their site, but the CFL-style bulbs do screw directly into conventional light sockets; the repeated on/off cycling might make these a better solution in an attic or other lightly-trafficked room, though each bulb carries a 5-year replacement warranty. If these were LED bulbs, we'd have a truckload on the way; as it is, Motionbulb could be an easy way to cut back on energy use and worry less about flipping the switch when leaving the room. ::Motionbulb
...
Human Poop and Urine Provide Cheap Biogas Source in Uganda
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 01. 5.08
Image courtesy of ctsnow
In developing countries - where food is scarce and reliable energy supplies are even scarcer - necessity often becomes the mother of invention; so it is in Uganda, where farmers have resorted to using human urine and excreta - mixed in with banana peels, algae, water hyacinth and poultry droppings - as an inexpensive source of biogas. This cheap alternative is being pushed by Heifer International Uganda (HIU), an NGO working to reduce hunger and poverty around the world by sharing livestock and knowledge.
In an effort to stave off the growing threat of deforestation in Uganda, HIU is working with several partners to build biogas plants; the inflammable gas is typically produced by bacteria in an air tight container called a digester. Biogas made from excreta contains 60 - 90% methane - enough for it to burn without further purification. There are currently three available plant models: floating, polythene tubular system and Chinese fixed dome - the latter of which is most commonly used by HIU's beneficiaries. ...
Round-the-World Bicyclists Stop in Berlin
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 01. 5.08
Even if you offset the CO2 from your holiday caravan to Grandmas or flight to the islands, this report probably represents a guilt-threat level yellow. But if you want to be amazed at human tenacity and draw inspiration for what remains after peak oil, read on.
TreeHugger shared the idea behind warm showers in November: sign up to offer an overnight stay and take mutual advantage of this bicycling hospitality organization when you launch your own tour. Since joining warm showers last fall, with little expectation of seeing any bike tourists before the end of Germany's brisk and icy winter season, three hard-core winter bike tourists have knocked on our door: interesting people with adventurous stories gracing our dinner table before pushing on their fossil-fuel free journey over the horizon....
FDA Set to Clear Sale of Cloned Livestock
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 01. 5.08
Frankenmeat and frankendairy may (unfortunately) be making an appearance at your local grocery store sooner than you think. Following six years of (supposedly) careful deliberation, the FDA is expected to announce early next week that it deems food from cloned livestock to be perfectly safe to eat.
Companies such as ViaGen Inc. - which have already been experimenting with cloning - would be expected to benefit from such a ruling; because cloned cattle would primarily be used for breeding, it will take another 3 - 5 years before consumers can buy milk and meat from their offspring. Many segments of the food industry, however, are solidly against this decision; they cite the lack of an enforceable tracking system to monitor the production of cloned items as a significant concern....
Wayback Machine: 1936 Creative Recycling
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 5.08
Who says recycling isn't fun? ::Modern Mechanix...
The Perils of Being Thirsty While Being Green
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 5.08
Alina Tugend drinks tap water, but needs a bottle to carry it around. She writes in the New York Times about the issues with various containers:
-Refilling single use PET bottles: possible leaching of antimony, more likely bacteria because they are hard to clean; (TreeHugger on Antimony)
-Poycarbonate: Bisphenol A.(TreeHugger on Bisphenol A)
-Glass (“Mom, I just sliced my finger”)
Stainless Steel (too expensive) (see TH on Klean Kanteen)
She finally asked expert Frederick vom Saal, who suggested “If I was to use plastic, I would stay with No. 2 and No. 5, No. 2 is high-density polyethylene; No. 5 is polypropylene." ::New York Times...
Competitive Enterprise Institute Digs Deeper Hole, Says CAFE Will Cost Lives
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 01. 4.08
We've covered the Competitive Enterprise Institute's (CEI) hole-digging statements before, from their "CO2: We Call it Life" ads, to their "complaining about Al Gore flying everywhere to promote An Inconvenient Truth,", to an op-ed piece blaming Rachel Carson for the global malaria crisis. Now, they've dug an even deeper hole AND buried themselves in it by claiming that not only will the new CAFE standards be a waste of taxpayer money, they will actually result in people dying! Yes, that's right, according to their logic, the new standards will lead to vehicles that are "less crashworthy in the case of an accident" because more efficient cars will have to be lighter. Now, keep in mind this is the same group that in 1992 claimed that global warming “looks pretty good. Warmer winters, warmer nights, no effects during the day because of clouding — sounds to [us] like we’re moving to a more benign planet.” They also asserted that the atmosphere needs more, not less CO2 (PDF).
Of course CAFE will result in lighter cars--that's the point! Somehow, the CEI has concluded that only heavy cars are safe (perhaps that's because they are partially funded by Ford, and until recently, they were also funded by Exxon). Under this line of reasoning, cars would need to become increasingly large to assure safety, to the point that we would all be driving tanks. (Some argue that, in many ways, we already do) Amory Lovins, inventor of the hypercar concept, and many others, have argued and demonstrated that extremely light cars can be extremely safe; making other cars on the road lighter not only increases efficiency, but increases safety. ...
First Conventional Light Aircraft Powered by Electricity Flies over France
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 4.08
You think a Tesla Roadster is news? Try flying in the Electra, a single-seater airplane with a 25 horsepower motor and 47 (105 lbs) kilograms of lithium-polymer batteries. Anne Lavrand, the president of the APAME group, said. "This will be a real aeroplane that will have an airworthiness certificate. It's a machine built for anyone with a pilot's license."
The Google translated French website says "On Sunday, December 23, 2007 at 11:50 took place on the first flight of F-WMDJ ELECTRA, equipped with an electric motor of 25 hp and Lithium-polymer batteries. The pilot - test engineer Christian Vandamme has made this test history from the airstrip at about Buëch Aspres (Hautes Alpes)."
...
7 Yr. Old With Heart of Gold to Be Youngest Ever to Summit Mt. Kilimanjaro
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 01. 4.08
While I'm willing to bet that those two elephants make Keats Boyd, a 7 yr.-old from Sherman Oaks, California seem a whole lot shorter than he actually is, the truth is that he's got a heart of gold that's at least the size of each of them.
It began simply enough when he sat down and watched the video Volcano Above the Clouds and realized that he wanted to do something positive to make a difference. And having also watched legendary Primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall on television before meeting her in person had really left an impression too. So he resolved to summit Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise funds for both the Jane Goodall Institute and Kids of Kilimanjaro, his two favorite charities, and become the youngest person ever to reach the summit....
Architectural Cliché Goes Electronic and Green
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 4.08
How many times have we had that architectural cliché, the design on the back of a napkin, foisted on an unsuspecting public? Toronto got it with the almost universally reviled Royal Ontario Museum by Daniel Libeskind; napkin shown on left. Perhaps architecture will change, and many trees will be saved, when Avery Holleman's Napkin PC. goes into production. "The Napkin PC is designed for group collaborations. Each pen transmits your doodles to the base station which is a PC in disguise. That information gets processed and displayed on the napkin like e-ink paper."
Now architects can send their napkin sketches directly to the CAD monkeys and speed up the process of going from wine bar to rebar....
Discovery of Suspected Carcinogen in LA's Water Could Affect National Monitoring Policies
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 01. 4.08
Image courtesy of Modus Eundi
Don't look now, Angelenos, but city officials have just announced the startling discovery of unusually high levels of bromate, a suspected carcinogen, in two reservoirs. But it's not necessarily what you think: The bromate formed in sunlit water when chlorine spontaneously oxidized bromide from the groundwater. The city will have to drain around 600m gallons - the equivalent of a day's supply - from the Silver Lake and Elysian reservoirs. The measured bromate levels were 68 parts per billion (ppb) and 106 ppb, respectively; water suppliers are typically required to keep levels below 10 ppb.
Bromide, a natural component of most water supplies, tends to be oxidized to bromate when drinking water undergoes ozone disinfection; treatment plans that use this process are thus required to test for bromate levels before distributing the water. In this case, however, the bromide was oxidized in the reservoirs following the treatment process. Currently, neither state nor federal regulations require testing for bromate in water post-treatment....
Another One Bites The Dust: Bucky Fuller's Union Tank Car Dome
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 4.08
It was, in 1958, the worlds largest clear span. The Union Tank Car Building was 384 feet in diameter, 128 feet high. “It was just big and magnificent,” Fuller biographer Jay Baldwin said to Kansas City Star reporter Mike Hendricks. “It was a shock to everyone,” says Elizabeth Thompson, executive director of the Buckminster Fuller Institute in New York. “It’s just a real loss to the architectural community.”
...
Quote of the Day: Tom Seager on the Cost of Sustainability
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01. 4.08
Sustainability requires cooperation. You have to discard the idea of Adam Smith economics, which says that it's better for society if everyone is working in their own self-interest, and move towards the economics of John Nash, which says we can find a better outcome if we work collectively. The question about whether it "costs the consumer" implies that sustainability is like some kind of add-on feature -- like power windows or side-impact air bags. That's not the right way to think about sustainability at all.
For example, it is true that abandoning coal-fired power plants would require an increase in electricity costs. But if everyone did it, we'd all be better off. The only way it "costs" is if some people do it, but others "cheat." Our economic system can't handle a cost discrepancy between green and black power. But it can handle a uniform cost increase for all power. Think of it this way: If you could run your manufacturing firm today on $25/bbl oil -- which is what we had just a few years ago—you would have an incredible competitive advantage. But you can't. All firms have to pay $80/bbl. That's more than triple the oil cost in three years. We still have rapidly expanding economies all over the world. So "cost" is not the big issue, at the moment -- it's "comparative costs."
Read the rest of Tom Seager's provocative Q&A over at ::Core77...
NPR Reports on, Fumbles Story on FTC's Investigation of Carbon Offsets
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01. 4.08
Photo credit: davesag
From NPR's All Things Considered, we learn that the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will begin to take a closer look at the "booming, unregulated 'carbon offset' market." We like to hear that there will be more regulation and heavier auditing coming to a market that has simply exploded in the past 18 months, and can be a bit vague and difficult to verify. Getting quality offsets now requires homework -- probably more homework than the average concerned citizen is likely to do -- so, if done correctly, standards and auditing would be a good thing. The FTC will be looking most specifically at verifying "double selling" and additionality. Stay tuned; hearings are scheduled to get underway next week.
What we don't like is NPR's myopic point of view on carbon offsets: that they're tools for those feeling guilty about their carbon footprint. "There is something new to feel guilty about: carbon," they say. "The guilty can now buy something called a 'carbon offset.' Essentially, you pay someone else to reduce or 'offset' carbon emissions equal to your own." While the second sentence is true, to characterize offsets as simply a tool for the guilty to help themselves feel better is shortsighted and naive....
Big Utilities Eye Central Solar
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 01. 4.08
The following narrative is borrowed directly from a conference promotion - directed at utility employees and financial types. It's rich with seminal ideas that we all need to assimilate.
TreeHugger comment: some forms of 'alternative energy' may soon lose that alternative quality, and others, like distributed versions of solar power, will keep that quality.
"Emissions-free centralized solar power is a good match against peak air conditioning load, and it becomes a more attractive source in view of its independence of shrinking water resources and rising fuel costs....
Cape Wind: An Audio Interview With Robert Whitcomb
by Meaghan O'Neill, Newport, R.I. on 01. 4.08
Full of politics, power, and deception, the story of Cape Wind, the 130-turbine offshore wind farm to be built five miles off of Cape Cod, is more turbulent than the waters of Nantucket Sound itself. Robert Whitcomb, a vice president and editorial page editor of the Providence Journal, is co-author with Wendy Williams of a new book, aptly called Cape Wind: Money, Celebrity, Class, Politics, and the Battle for Our Energy Future on Nantucket Sound, which delves into the drama of energy entrepreneur Jim Gordon's struggle to build clean technology in the backyard of the mega-rich and mega-famous—think Ted Kennedy, Bill Koch, and Jack Welch. In this extended interview, TreeHugger catches up with Whitcomb to discuss America’s most controversial alternative energy project.
Stream or download this interview:: Cape Wind ...
Welcome to the Matrix in Stockholm Central Station
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 4.08
Morpheus showed us how effective the human body is at generating energy; now the Swedes are making it happen. So many people pass through the Stockholm Central Station each day, moving quickly and generating heat, that they are going to capture it and use it to heat a new office building nearby. According to Physorg: "We want to harness some of the warmth they produce to help heat the new building," said Karl Sundholm, of the Swedish state-held property administration company Jernhuset.
...
Design Glut's Crude Necklace Released
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 4.08
Back in November, Design Glut promised "When and if crude hits $100/barrel, Design Glut will produce 100 limited edition Crude Necklaces with a high gloss black surface finish." Most thought it would be a long wait.
Today they report that they have dated the 100 limited edition Crude necklaces to commemorate this date. Each piece is engraved with "$100" and "1-2-2008. They are black, powder-coated brass, a sign of our times. Oil has officially become a luxury.... One day, when you are charging your electric car with your children, you can say, “I remember when crude hit $100.” ::Design Glut
...
Video: The Push-Button House in Action
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01. 4.08
TH Update: Dead-Red Canal
by Jesse Fox, Tel Aviv, Israel on 01. 4.08
An ibex contemplates the shrinking Dead Sea.
Not since Moses parted the Red Sea has such an ambitious water engineering project been seen in Israel’s parched Negev desert. The “Peace Canal” is a $5 billion project to rehabilitate the Dead Sea (home of the original Sodom and Gomorrah) by pumping in seawater from the Red Sea (“Let my people go”). The centerpiece of the project is a 160 km water pipeline, around which would sprout railroads, hydroelectric power plants, mines, industrial parks, tourism around artificial lakes and the largest seawater pumping plant in the world....
Canuck Forests Reduce Emissions by 62 Per Cent
by Jenna Watson, Barcelona on 01. 4.08
The Vancouver Sun reports on the state of the pulp and paper sector in British Columbia, Canada. The Report by the big guys at PriceWaterhouse Coopers says that greenhouse gas emissions from manufacturing have been reduced by 62 per cent since 1990. That also means that pulp and paper companies have reduced their emissions by 10 times beyond the 6 percent reduction laid out in the Kyoto Protocol.
In the Sun article, Valerie Langer of the environmental NGO, ForestEthics, says that, “the Canadian forest industry has committed to a life cycle analysis in conjunction with the World Wildlife Fund.” Manufacturing is only one part of the life cycle of pulp and paper products as carbon is released through logging and methane is released when paper is buried in landfills.
This article comes not long after the announcement that the Canadian forest products industry was aiming for carbon neutrality by 2015 via a partnership with WWF. What an exciting prospect that the pulp and paper sector is going to start doing life cycle analysis. This could lead to great strides in energy reduction for that industry and it also sets a great example for forestry in the rest of the country. We’ll keep you informed as they release actual documents and results. Via:: The Vancouver Sun. Image credit: Tony Hisgett....
Green Baby Steps: Cup Noodle's Refill
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01. 4.08
Disposable, single-serving bowls of noodles don't fit many (okay, any) TreeHugger values of minimizing packaging waste or resource efficiency. The ubiquitous "Cup Noodles," dietary staple of many a college student and lunch on the go, have taken a green baby step by offering reusable, refillable cups for their noodle soups.
Customers in Japan can buy the "Cup Noodle Refill Starter Pack," which includes a refill for Cup Noodle, a refill for Seafood Noodle, and an original cup exclusively for refill dubbed "My Noodle Cup." The product is the first of an environment friendly product series to be released by the company under the slogan "Enjoy eating in an eco-friendly style."
Though the gimmicky marketing borders on greenwashing -- the refillable cups are definitely "greener" rather than out and out "green" -- this is certainly a step in the right direction for a pretty wasteful product. Plus, the refills are kinda fun -- you can design and print your own cup liner (pictured below the fold) -- and allowing for this increased creativity might help push the green aspect to people who just want to eat instant noodles, and don't care about throwing away a polystyrene cup and plastic wrapping at every meal. Either way, it's greener than before, and that's something that always deserves attention. Read up on the history of the instant noodle and learn more about the refill cup at ::Japan for Sustainability via ::NotCot and ::Cup Noodle's Refill minisite (in Japanese)
Update: Thanks to eagle-eyed TreeHugger Lloyd, there are now more pics of the (rather excessively-packaged) refillable cup and the refills themselves, after the jump....
The Year Ahead With Jason Sperling
by Meaghan O'Neill, Newport, R.I. on 01. 4.08
Who: Jason Sperling, co-founder and CEO, ShipGreen and Prairie Tree Project
Eco-resolution: To help 1,000 businesses go green via ShipGreen, a program that allows online vendors to supply their customers with one-click carbon offsets to neutralize the emissions associated with shipping goods.
Outlook for '08: Social responsibility will continue to be a driving force for companies and for individuals. Investment in the green market will result in the development of technologies that offer real-time measurements of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption of products.
For a complete guide to neutralizing your own carbon emissions, read “How to Green Your Carbon Offsets .” To learn about one TreeHugger staffer’s views on the controversy about offsets, check out “My Views on Carbon Offsets,” by Michael Graham Richard.
...
Wind Power Blows Into the North
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 4.08
Globe and Mail
There is a lot of wind in the North, and not much in the way to stop it. Yet according to Katherine O'Neill in the Globe and Mail, almost all of its power now comes from very expensive diesel generators. Tuktoyaktuk Councillor Jim Stevens notes “We've got some of the most expensive fuel in the world arriving in our communities. We then produce outrageously expensive power,” he said. “That's got to stop.” In Nunavut, diesel costs account for 20 per cent of its entire budget....
Survey: Are You Voting This Year?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 4.08
The New York Times suggests that one reason for Barack Obama's victory in Iowa was "a massive increase in first-time caucusgoers, including many independent voters and younger voters." Yet young people are reputed to stay away in election time and to be under-represented. In 2004, under 60% of the eligible voters turned out and it was considered a good year. Is it going to be different this time? Are the issues important enough to get you out to vote?
Online Surveys
| Free Poll
| Email Marketing
...
RGBG - Pedalling from Seattle to San Francisco for Affordable Green Housing
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 01. 4.08
We have seen one or two examples of affordable sustainable housing, for example this apartment block in London or this $200,000 Oklahoma zero energy house, but overall environmentally sustainable architecture is still seen as somewhat of an elitist movement. However, all that must change if sustainability is to go mainstream – after all, niche sustainability is basically an oxymoron. It’s good then, that a movement is building to push truly green architecture for all income groups. From Brad Pitt’s efforts to rebuild New Orleans to the AIA’s highlighting of cutting-edge affordable homes, every new initiative and campaign brings us a step closer to green architecture as the norm, rather than the exception.
West Coast TreeHuggers can do their part for green affordable housing this summer by taking part in RGBG – or Ride Green, Build Green, a month-long awareness building and fund raising bicycle trip from Seattle to San Francisco. Details are sketchy at the present time, but the ride takes place from the 25th of July to the 25th of August, and those wishing to take part should check out this website or contact rgbgseattle@gmail.com. ::RGBG::via tipster Corey Heller, with thanks::
...
Stockholm's Feeling...Pale Green
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 01. 4.08
Artist Eric Krizortz has emblazoned five of Stockholm's most famous (and in some ways, most reviled) skyscrapers, called the Haymarketscrapers (Hötorgetskrapor), with massive mood lighting. On a scale from deep purple (depressed) to bright red (happy), lighting on the five tallest buildings in the city center is meant to reflect how city citizens are feeling that day - voting is at emotionalcities.com. Since the turn of the year, the prevailing mood has been just slightly brighter than mid-scale, hovering at a pale, chartreuse green.
Perhaps the greenish mood is due in part to Stockholmers' high environmental awareness, and the looking back on the old year that inevitably happens at the start of the new year. Last year, climate awareness hit an all-time high, but at the same time consumption of (CO2 intensive) meat, cars and international flights also grew. Instead of chiding people for their seemingly inevitable habit of trying to get the most 'goods' for the cheapest price, daily paper Dagens Nyheter thinks 'climate smart' consumption via green taxes can solve the problem.
Good economic growth leads to resources for climate research and green investment, while stagnant growth would make people less engaged in climate issues, the paper reasons. New consumption in Sweden is said to be cleaner (the vast growth of the eco-car market is an example) than older patterns. Since politicians cannot seem to efficiently plan for climate-friendly transport, energy, and agricultural systems, DN editorializes, green taxes and an international emissions trading market are the best market-based systems to divide the burden of a climate and consumption friendly society semi-equally among businesses, states and citizens. Via ::DN (Swedish)
P.S. Other cities the world round - with Seoul, [correction] South Korea up first - are planning mood lighting!
...
Recycle Your Cards: It's Easy
by Bonnie Alter, London on 01. 4.08
This one is a no-brainer, as they say. Collect all your Christmas cards, put them together and drop them in a specially marked bin at supermarkets and book stores. All the cards collected at these places will be taken to paper mills, where they are recycled into brand new paper products like corrugated cardboard, copier paper and more Christmas cards. The Woodland Trust, a charity which protects ancient forests and plants trees in new forests is aiming to recycle 100 million cards. Why the endorsement of Joanna Lumley, a former model, comedian and actress will add that extra incentive is a mystery to this ex-pat, but hey, she's a celebrity and it's London, so there you are.
It's all for a good cause. Recycling cards will allow the Trust to plant 24,000 new trees. The money saved by municipalities through recycling is paid to the Trust. And there is a lot of garbage created over the holiday: english households will have nearly three quarters of a million ton of extra waste over Christmas, generating 1.4 million tons of CO2. On average each family will throw out an extra five bags of garbage over the season. So start gathering up those cards. :: Recyclenow...
Tinok Yarok: Organic Israeli Babies
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 01. 4.08
Within the same week, not one, but two organic baby clothing suppliers entered our radar over here in the Holy Land. The first, who we will feature today, is Tinok Yarok, Hebrew for "green baby." Sophie Ohana, the company's founder dropped us a line about a month ago, calling herself a big fan of TreeHugger.
She now supplies a range of organic cloth nappies, baby clothes, cleaning products and eco-tips for greening your life, in Israel. And here is the story behind Tinok Yarok: Sophie immigrated to Israel in 1997 from England where she grew up all natural and healthy-like on an organic farm and, "in a very ecologically minded household," she writes. The topic of conversation around the dinner table focused on issues, such as CFCs and the environment.
...
Wine Grape Extracts Disrupt Disease Causing Bacteria
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 01. 3.08
Cabernet Franc is the good stuff, according to a study published recently in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. Wine grapes, be they Cabernet Franc or Pinot Noir, contain high concentrations of polyphenols in their skins. The study found that extracts from the leftover skins of these wine grapes were able to interfere with the bacteria's ability to contribute to tooth decay. Cabernet Franc extracts performed the best.
Keep in mind this is not drinking the wine, but using an extract from the leftover grape skins. The waste of the wine industry may provide a new source for managing bacterial 'biofilm' infections, in everything from our own mouth and medical rooms to our farm animals. The best part is the extracts do not kill the bacteria, but instead simply interfere with their ability to cause disease, thus the bacteria are unlikely to develop resistance....
Jargon Watch: Solastalgia
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01. 3.08
Solastalgia -- "a form of homesickness one gets when one is still at home," according to Australian philosopher Glenn Albrecht; in essence, it's pining for a lost environment. It's the mashup of the roots solacium (comfort) and algia (pain), which, when combined, forms a term (and an idea) reminiscent of nostalgia.
Coined from responses from interviews Albrecht conducted over the past few years, the word describes Australians' deep (and growing) sense of loss as they watch the landscape around them change. "They no longer feel like they know the place they've lived for decades," he says....
Today on Planet Green
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 01. 3.08
:: Learn how to gussy up used jugs, canisters, and other containers into playful storage containers kids young and old will love.
:: Invigorate your skin with an easy-peasy rosewater spritzer that will draw out your inner Laura Ingalls.
:: Billions upon billions of batteries are purchased, used, and discarded in America every year. Find out how you can cut that number down, while keeping toxins out of the waste stream.
:: How much info is TMI when it comes to what's printed on your wine labels?
:: Help save the planet, simply by yakking it up as usual on your cell phone.
:: If you've been trying to persuade friends and family members to kick the bottled-water habit, forwarding them this post is a good start.
:: Are your kids begging you to buy that as-seen-on-TV Moon Sand? Make your own squishable, moldable version on the cheap.
:: Collin dishes on how you can eat local, farm-fresh foods all year round.
:: It's time to put your house on a detox diet and make it over into the non-polluting haven you've always envisioned. Here's a roundup of some of our favorite posts from 2007. ...
Army of Tiny Crustaceans is Destroying a Small Japanese Island
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 01. 3.08
It's one thing to have swarms of giant jellyfish or squids preying upon local commercial fish populations; it's quite another to have a huge swarm of crustaceans - tiny ones at that - threatening to destroy an entire island. The uninhabited island of Hoboro, which lies about 1,650 ft off the coast of Hiroshima, has been under steady attack for the last few years; millions of crustaceans - relatives of crabs and shrimp known as "nanatsuba-kotsubumushi" - are boring into the island, a process dubbed "bio-erosion."
The surge in numbers was sparked by recent increases in the temperature of the surrounding waters, which contributed to huge plankton blooms - a staple of the voracious crustaceans. "The creatures make holes in the rock as they make nesting areas, which makes it weaker and very susceptible to weathering from the ocean and the wind," explained Yuji Okimura, an emeritus professor at Hiroshima University....
Eco Hero's Clever Idea to Clean Up the Bayou
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 01. 3.08
Fleurville
by Sean Fisher, Cincinnati, Ohio on 01. 3.08
Being a parent is hard enough in itself. Getting everything you need to have in order to be constantly prepared is even harder. Finding those things you need while staying at least somewhat stylish and minimizing the impact that "stuff" might have? Now there's a challenge. Luckily, unlike many other parenting tasks, you have help in this endeavor. Fleurville is a San Francisco-area company that provides a bevy of stylish, PVC-free bags for "modern parents." Moms (beach bags, sling totes), dads (DJ bags, messenger bags) and kids (lunch packs, kids messengers) are all covered. But, it is Fleurville's Re-Run line, with fabric made from recycled water bottles, that really gets TreeHugger's gears moving. ...
Berlin Drivers Don't Balk At Emission Badges
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 01. 3.08
In Berlin's 'green' zone, eventually only cars with a green badge will be able to pass go
Since the start of the year, drivers to the inner city of Berlin - the 88-square kilometer area inside the subway 'ring' - must display badges to show their cars meet new rules for particulate and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) emissions. Cars without badges are subject to the not-too hefty ticket price of 40 Euros (US$58) and a penalty point on the errant driver's license. Police say they will go easy on delinquents in the first couple of months. Altogether about 1.7 million older diesel cars and gas cars without catalytic converters will be too polluting to meet the new emission requirements and are thus banned from the heart of Berlin as well as Cologne and Hanover. Stuttgart, Frankfurt and Munich as well as 14 other cities will all deploy the system later this year.
In 2010 the emissions law will be further tightened, and only 'green badge' cars will be able to go into the inner city zones. Perhaps the measure will put even more Berliners on their bikes and help the city reach its goal of 15 percent of city traffic made up on cyclists. Via ::Berlin.de...
Green Stats: 32
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01. 3.08
Oliver Munday for the New York Times
32 -- the average rate of higher consumption in the first world, when compared to the developing world. The average rate at which people consume resources like oil and metals, and produce wastes like plastics and greenhouse gases, are about 32 times higher in North America, Western Europe, Japan and Australia than they are in the developing world.
And, according to Jared Diamond's piece in the New York Times, "that factor of 32 has big consequences. Today, there are more than 6.5 billion people, and that number may grow to around 9 billion within this half-century. Several decades ago, many people considered rising population to be the main challenge facing humanity. Now we realize that it matters only insofar as people consume and produce."...
The Importance of "Fictional" Products
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 01. 3.08
Core77's editor in chief, Allan Chochinov, has published a great piece over at Adobe's Design Center Think Tank, all about the utility of "fictional" products. It's a thoughtful, eloquent answer to the question, "Why should we care about a product we can't even buy?" or "What difference does it make if it isn't real, or in production?"
Part of his argument goes like this: as (very TreeHugger) ideals like rapid prototyping and 3D printing come closer to everyday use, designers can change the way they think about (and the way they design) the things they design, because we won't need to "consume" them, in the traditional sense. The slow boat from China model is out, and the importance of "fictional" products -- that is, products that won't ever be manufactured -- is in, and with it, a whole new way of interacting with the world, with design, with stuff.
It's a fascinating, forward-looking piece, perfect for early-year consumption. Read the whole piece at Adobe Design Center and hit the jump for one of the more meaningful excerpts. ::Adobe via ::Core77...
Dutch Company Siphoning Heat from Asphalt for Energy Uses
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 01. 3.08
Image courtesy of PhillipC
While most solar enthusiasts are busy focusing on building ever larger thin-film solar farms or ever more advanced concept solar cells, others have been relying on older, though no less innovative, technologies to supply households for years now. Ooms Avenhorn Holding BV, a Dutch civil engineering company, first conceived its Road Energy System 10 years ago; back then, a technology that aimed to siphon heat from roads and parking lots to heat offices and homes probably sounded a bit eccentric, if not outlandish.
Ten years on - with climate change and renewable energies featuring much in the news and in policy discussions - their once long-shot bet is looking like a shrewd one. Their thermal energy system, which collects solar energy from a 200-yard stretch of road and a parking lot, powers a 70-unit 4-story apartment complex in the small village of Avenhorn; the heat stored from 36,000 sq ft of pavement during the summer helps keep a 160,000 sq ft-industrial park warm in the winter....
Five Questions You Should Ask the Presidential Candidates
by Greg Haegele, Deputy Executive Director, Sierra Cl on 01. 3.08
This next week is all politics, what with today's Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries on January 8. Most Americans are probably already tired of the election coverage, but we're hoping people stick it out and ask the these presidential candidates tough questions. Now is the time to make your voice heard.
The Sierra Club is on the ground in Iowa, New Hampshire and many other states making sure candidates talk about global warming and smart energy policies. Our local organizers and chapter members are attending the candidates' debates, press conferences and speeches - and the candidates are taking notice of the many people asking about these issues....
The Year Ahead With Alexandra Zissu
by Meaghan O'Neill, Newport, R.I. on 01. 3.08
This post is part of an ongoing series. To access all the profiles in this series, visit “The Year Ahead.”
Who: Alexandra Zissu, journalist, co-author of The Complete Organic Pregnancy, Kids’ Editor at New York magazine, and "Ask An Organic Mom" blogger at TheDailyGreen.com.
Eco-resolution: Oh there are many! Including:
• Master the worm bin, a.k.a vermicomposting. (This involves finding a place for it in my small New York apartment).
• Convince my daughter's new preschool to use nontoxic and environmentally friendly products (such as cleaning and art supplies, toys, etc.) and to serve organic snacks.
• Write as much as possible for as many publications as possible on green, environmental, and organic topics. ...
Who: Alexandra Zissu, journalist, co-author of The Complete Organic Pregnancy, Kids’ Editor at New York magazine, and "Ask An Organic Mom" blogger at TheDailyGreen.com.
Eco-resolution: Oh there are many! Including:
• Master the worm bin, a.k.a vermicomposting. (This involves finding a place for it in my small New York apartment).
• Convince my daughter's new preschool to use nontoxic and environmentally friendly products (such as cleaning and art supplies, toys, etc.) and to serve organic snacks.
• Write as much as possible for as many publications as possible on green, environmental, and organic topics. ...
Molten Salt As Solar Heat Battery
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 01. 3.08
United Technologies Corp.'s Hamilton Sundstrand unit, is teaming with US Renewables Group to commercialize a solar-power plant that will use molten salt to store the sun's heat and release it in a controlled manner for steady steam turbine power generation....
Project H Design: Initiatives for Humanity, Habitats, Health and Happines
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 3.08
Ted Nordhaus said "to a hammer, the whole world looks like a nail". I responded "I am an architect and to me, the world looks like a big design problem". That's why I love the idea of Project H Design, "a charitable organization supporting product design initiatives for humanity, habitats, health, and happiness."- We all have our particular talents and capabilities, and we can all contribute, whether you are a hammer or an architect or a doctor or a plumber, you can effect change.
Project H plans to encourage the design industry to "Fund and deliver existing life-improving and life-saving products to specific global communities" and "Host competitions that encourage designers and communities to address and understand global and social issues, and use design as a tool to propose solutions."...
Platinum Theft: More On Recycling's Dark Side
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 01. 3.08
We recently posted about how theft of copper wire and tubing is a serious and growing problem affected by recycling and street drug markets - see Meth Heads Go For Recycling. Now that Platinum has become extremely valuable (up to US$1548/oz - preceding day market quote, per table), theft of catalytic converters also has emerged as a serious problem in the cities of California and several other US States. SUV's are primary targets. Apparently, welding the converter to the frame is the preferred deterrent.
This holiday season has seen an explosion in thefts of expensive, platinum-laced catalytic converters from parked cars, and authorities report that high-clearance sport utility vehicles are the targets of choice for thieves. With a common socket wrench and 90 seconds, they leave drivers stuck with cars that sound like Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and facing repair bills topping $1,000. The prize is a catalytic converter, a device used to reduce emissions. Platinum is more valuable than gold, and the contents of a typical converter are worth $40 to $50 to scrap-metal dealers. Some thieves use saws, but the preferred weapon in Southern California is a ratchet with a 14-millimeter socket. The thief crawls under the car and unfastens the bolts holding the converter, a process that accomplished crooks can complete in 90 seconds.Via::Los Angeles Times, "Thieves target vehicles' catalytic converters" Image credit::Kitco, live market quotes...
Now Free Cars For Paris
by Bonnie Alter, London on 01. 3.08
First they had the Vélib' in Paris--the scheme where you can pick up a bike, ride it, and drop it off somewhere else. Now the Mayor is proposing the introduction of Voiturelib'--2,000 electric-powered vehicles that subscribers can drive off without booking at dozens of sites, 24 hours a day, and then leave anywhere in the city. There will be a minimal charge, depending on mileage, and the theory is that people can do their errands or make short visits, without the hassle of renting a car. Almost 45% of all Parisians own cars, but a surprising 95% of them remain parked at any time. The Cleanova (pictured), with its Renault Kangoo body, is being named as the potential car for this scheme. It is not the chic-est looking car on the block for fashion-conscious Parisians.
There are some doubts about the idea. Some fear that people will start to choose cars over bicycles and the usage of the free bicycles will decline, thus defeating the purpose of the whole experiment. Others are noting the comparative expense of running free cars versus bicycles. Apparently the Vélib' system has some kinks--many are out of service due to disrepair and vandalism. There are not enough in the morning for all of the commuters flowing into Paris, and there is a lack of parking spaces for them. The Mayor is against imposing a congestion charge. This will be an interesting idea to watch. :: Times...
Julia Roberts Admits Having Kids Turned Her Into Something of An Eco-Warrior
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 01. 3.08
While it's no surprise to Treehugger's everywhere that Julia Roberts hopped on the green bus awhile back, she recently pointed out to the British Sun that having children is what made her do it. And why not? Having kids means you've got a genuine stake in the future of the planet, for better or for worse.
As any free-marketeer will be more than happy to point out, people only do what they perceive as being in their own best interest. And reason dictates that they only value what they can understand.
So while many smart environmentalists have been trying to point out for a long while what she just said in a very short piece, some people are just a whole lot more likely to listen when a mega-star points out the obvious to all of us. Especially when they make it personal....
"God Does Not Do Waste", Says Archbishop
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 01. 3.08
The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 01. 3.08
It's called The Most Terrifying Video You'll Ever See, and it's taking the web by storm. Essentially, it's little more than a high school science teacher named Greg Craven, set up in his home with a whiteboard and a felt-tipped marker.
But he's made the case to over 4 million viewers on multiple websites that An Inconvenient Truth simply didn't go far enough. And that's impressive. Particularly when you consider the fact that he's done it without the aid of anything more high tech than his YouTube account....
Plantable Desk Calendar 2008 by Botanical Paperworks
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 01. 3.08
How about planting some wildflowers every month of this New Year? Canadian based Botanical Paperworks’ Plantable Eco Calendar guides you through 2008 with its handmade monthly desk calendar that “creates beauty and leaves nothing behind but flowers”. Simply place the seed embedded paper into soil, add water and wait for Bird's Eye, Clarkia, Coreopsis, Poppy, Catchfly and Snap Dragon to come to life.
The handmade paper is acid and tree free, made from recycled bond paper, cotton remnants and abaca, a renewable leaf fibre. The plantable calendar is illustrated by Kal Barteski and available for $19.95 ::Botanical Paperworks
Also check out Blissen’s 2008 Hidden Habitats Calendar and our 2008 Diaries. ...
Good News: SF's Oil Spill's Effects All but "Out of Sight"
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 01. 3.08
Many environmental writers - this one included - have a tendency to focus on the latest scandal/natural disaster-related news, which make for more visible, high wattage stories; as a consequence, the eventual, often more meaningful resolutions to these stories tend to fall by the wayside. If you'll recall, oil spills accounted for a number of our posts last year, especially in the latter half. We're happy to report some good news in the case of at least one - the 58,000 gallon San Francisco Bay spill - which Bay Area authorities have managed to almost entirely clean up....
Young Asians Come Clean About Not Feeling Green
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 01. 2.08
While children in some parts of the world count the environment as being among their top concerns, one study claims that Asia’s all-important next generation of global citizens are not nearly as concerned with the need for environmental protection as their Western peers.
And with unprecedented development occurring throughout Asia, there’s no doubt that presents a real problem.
Intriguingly, while just 15% of young Asians polled were very concerned about the need for action, their mother’s, who were also polled, expressed near unanimous concern for environmental action at roughly 95%.
...
Climate Change Expected to Drastically Alter California
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 01. 2.08
Image courtesy of Californian Em
Droughts and wildfires may well turn out to be the least of Californians' worries if some scientists' projections of what climate change-induced effects will befall the state's landscape come to fruition. First to fall victim will likely be California's (already short) ski season; a shorter snowy season - with snow that will melt much faster - will reduce the ski season by a month in some areas and, in others, end it entirely. Battered by a string of wildfires and water shortages, Southern California's sky season has already begun to suffer.
While opinions differ among scientists over the specific changes global warming will effect, the general consensus is that temperatures will rise 3 - 10°F statewide by century's end, potentially leading to a drop in rainfall across Southern California; this would put at great risk a variety of animal and plant species that live in the deserts east of Los Angeles. In an effort to save the iconic Joshua trees from uncertain doom, scientists are already considering relocating their seedlings to areas where the plants might endure....
Mexico Struggles to Deal with E-Waste
by Eliza Barclay, Washington, D.C. on 01. 2.08
Mexico's National Institute of Ecology, or INE, recently released a study entitled "Diagnostic on the generation of electronic waste in Mexico" by the Interdisciplinary Center for Research and Studies on Environment and Development (CIIEMAD).
The study estimated that between 150,000 and 180,000 tons of electronic waste were generated in 2006, including laptop and desktop computers, recorders, fixed-line telephones, cellular telephones and televisions. Those products contain flame retardants and other toxics that can leach into the environment and affect human health.
According to the INE, there is no formal infrastructure in Mexico to manage these wastes. Greenpeace Mexico has called on the manufacturers in Mexico to assume responsibility for the full life-cycle of their products, by reclaiming used products and manufacturing cleaner and safer products.
"At the very least, companies should inform consumers about what they can do with electronic waste," said Luis Alberto García, director of Environmental Recycling, a company involved with recycling of electronics.:: Via El Universal (Spanish link)
...
California to U.S. EPA: We'll See You In Court!
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 01. 2.08
As promised, "California sued the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday for denying its first-in-the-nation greenhouse gas limits on cars, trucks and SUVs." At least fifteen states will support California in the lawsuit, "including 13 of those that have either adopted or are in the process of adopting the rules." As Jeremy Elton pointed out in his December 20 post, all told, these states represent roughly half of the U.S. population, "flying in the face of [EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson's] 'patchwork of state rules' argument" in defense of his decision to deny the waiver.
California Attorney General Jerry Brown explained to the AP the reasoning behind the lawsuit thusly: "there's absolutely no justification for the administrator's action. . ."It's illegal. It's unconscionable and a gross dereliction of duty." He's not the only one concerned about the legality of the EPA's decision. According to Wired Science, "the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, chaired by California democrat Henry Waxman. . .has launched an investigation" into why Administrator Johnson apparently ignored the recommendations of his own advisors....
Today on Planet Green
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 01. 2.08
:: Drinking red wine, eating dark chocolate, and having more sex—now those are some New Year's resolutions we can really get behind.
:: Olé! Spice up your life by learning how to make this chili-and-black-bean salsa from scratch.
:: Get all of the glamor, but less of the sticker shock, by borrowing designer bags and bling from these Web sites.
:: Hello 2008! We've rounded up some of our favorite posts that should make shedding those extra pounds a cinch.
:: Set e-mail in-boxes everywhere on fire by making this burning topic go viral.
:: If you're tired of idling school buses and SUVs fouling up the air schoolchildren breathe, here's how to take some action.
:: Cut back on waste and improve your domicile's air quality by following our latest tip on greening your home for winter.
:: Pledged to trim your waistline this year? Discover how you can get into shape without leaving home.
:: Commitment-phobes rejoice: Volunteering has never been easier or more hassle-free.
:: Kick off the new year by eating better. Here's our guide to finding your way around the kitchen....
Software Helps Mexican Companies Reduce Paper Use
by Eliza Barclay, Washington, D.C. on 01. 2.08
Last year, we wrote about Greenprint, a software program that allows you see the whole document, easily click on what you want to keep and what you want to disappear, and then prints it. Not only does this save forests; it also saves money on paper, disposal and ink cartridges.
ONx Sistemas de Información is a Mexican software development company that has launched EQDZ Pro Content Management System, a Web-based program designed to help companies cut down paper use by eliminating the need to print reams of documents. The software specifically targets companies that are required to deal with ISO quality standards and all the forms involved with that process.
"A company that is subject to a quality standards requires forms to register information and papers to administer its procedures," said Héctor Sánchez, director general of ONx. "This software helps those companies avoid using paper entirely to complete the process." ONx Sistemas de Información
...
Water on the Brain. We’re Learning. Slowly.
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 01. 2.08
Residents of the driest inhabited continent, Australia, have evidently been cottoning onto the fact that water means life and we need to be more thoughtful in our use of this rather precious resource. Since the year 2000, Australians have managed to reduce their water consumption by 14%. In the most populous city, Sydney, they’ve managed to use less water in 2007 than in 1974, even though the metropolis grew by 1.2 million souls in this period.
Across the country nearly 20% of all households have installed water tanks. That would probably be due, in large part, to the various state governments offering generous rebates. In NSW, for example, where 24,000 households have taken up the offer you can get $1,500 AUD back if you install a 7,000 + litre tank and have it plumbed into your toilet and washing machine. (Another 7,100 households have received water efficient washing machine rebates.)
Greywater use has taken off too. The Australian Bureau of Statistics suggest that its now the second most common source of water in Australia, with over half of the country’s homes reusing water from their washing machines, showers and baths. The state of Victoria leads with 70% embracing greywater, and Queensland, coming close behind with 63%....
Solar Charged, Kibbutz Musings
by Toby Lewis on 01. 2.08
I'm leaving in two days for Israel [Ed note: This was written a few weeks ago, so Toby has already left for Israel.], where I have been asked to train a crew of kibbutznics to build a solar house, and start a solar home assembly plant. The question that comes to my mind is why me?
This past May I was just starting to work on a masters of construction management in the civil engineering program at the University of Colorado Boulder. Before I had even started classes I got involved with the University of Colorado Solar Decathlon house and found myself in the role of construction manager.
The school project taught me so much, thanks to the great team of students and contractors I was fortunate enough to work with and I learned a lot about what it takes to build an experimental solar home. ...
Mr. Peabody Goes To China
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 01. 2.08
Americans are not being nice to Big Coal, with FutureGen project managers watching closely to prevent project over-runs on the first taxpayer supported "clean coal" project. Big Coal is not waiting around for US Federal bureaucrats. They are going where government approvals are super fast - Beijing Olympics fast - and where real men don't complain about mine safety: to China.
China's first coal-fired power station employing carbon capture and storage is planned for the Lingang Industrial Park, near Beijing, under a joint venture partnership called GreenGen.
The partnership is between a group of state-owned enterprises and the US-based Peabody Energy. Construction on a 250 MW plant is planned to begin in 2008, with a goal of being on line in 2009." During later phases, the plant will be expanded to 650 MW."...
A 1972 Karmann Ghia Goes EV
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 01. 2.08
Slate on "Decidedly Dupable" LEED
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 2.08
Daniel Brook starts his criticism of LEED with an easy target: the world's largest monster home, noting that it is more like an example of eco-terrorism than green architecture. He has a point.
It is a point we have made before as well, wondering how one can call an above grade parking structure sustainable. It is the points that are the problem; in the checklist-based LEED system "The point system creates perverse incentives to design around the checklist rather than to build the greenest building possible."
Brook continues: "what about builders who set out to exploit the checklist system? Installing a $395 bike rack is worth the same under the LEED checklist system as installing a $1.3 million environmentally sensitive heating system. Which is the cynical builder going to choose? ::Slate ...
The Year Ahead with Danny Seo
by Meaghan O'Neill, Newport, R.I. on 01. 2.08
This post is the first in a month-long series.
New year, new to-do list. To help inspire us to get our own optimistic resolutions underway, TreeHugger has asked several of our heroes about what they aim to accomplish this year and what they see happening the world of green in 2008. You’ll find new profiles introduced daily among our blog posts, or bookmark “The Year Ahead,” where we’ll be rounding up the group as each profile goes live.
New year, new to-do list. To help inspire us to get our own optimistic resolutions underway, TreeHugger has asked several of our heroes about what they aim to accomplish this year and what they see happening the world of green in 2008. You’ll find new profiles introduced daily among our blog posts, or bookmark “The Year Ahead,” where we’ll be rounding up the group as each profile goes live.
Who: Danny Seo, green-living guru and author of the Simply Green book series.
Eco-resolution: I recently purchased a mid-century modern home set in a gorgeous preservation area. I'm intent on doing the restoration and upgrades as green as possible. Most recently, I ordered a bunch of Bosch energy-saving and water-smart appliances from Lowe's--that was easy. But now for the hard part: Because the home has a flat roof, I'm determined to make it a green roof with palettes of sedum. This will help extend the life of the roof and cool the home in summer months. I’ll be blogging about all the tricks and tips I learn from the renovation at the Huffington Post; I really want to help people go green at home as simply as possible.
...Toshiba Micro-Nuke: Real or Photoshop?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 2.08
All the geeks are agog over the new fun-sized Toshiba Micro Nuclear reactor (shown on left) that Engadget says "details are slim" but "Toshiba's Micro Nuclear reactors are designed to power a single apartment building or city block, and measure a mere 20-feet by 6-feet. The 200 kilowatt reactor is fully automatic and fail-safe, and is completely self-sustaining. It uses special liquid lithium-6 reservoirs instead of traditional control rods, and can last up to 40 years, making energy for about 5 cents per kilowatt hour." Geekologie says "The first unit is being installed in Japan in 2008 and if regulation allows (read: get f****g real) they'll be available in the U.S. in 2009"
We think it looks suspiciously like the 4S reactor we showed on TH two years ago, picture on right.
...
Plasma TVs Suck (Electricity)
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 2.08
Image credit szeretlek_ma
It is the old efficiency paradox- as prices drop for big screen TVs, people don't save money on the smaller, more efficient units but go for the biggest one they can afford. According to the Wall Street Journal, a 42-inch plasma set can consume more electricity than a full-size refrigerator -- even when that TV is used only a few hours a day. Powering a fancy TV and full-on entertainment system -- with set-top boxes, game consoles, speakers, DVDs and digital video recorders -- can add nearly $200 to a family's annual energy bill.
...
New York City in 2108
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 2.08
Hugh Ferris via Dark Roasted Blend
In 1908, the New York Times wrote about visions of 2008. "“We may have aeroplanes winging the once inconquerable air. The tides that ebb and flow to waste may take the place of our spent coal and flash their strength by wire to every point of need." (they could write back then!)
This year, they repeated the exercise and asked 10 New Yorkers about their visions. For those of us who spend too much time reading Geroge Monbiot on climate chaos or Jim Kunstler on life after the oil runs out, it is a change from the usual doom and gloom. Some excerpts: ...
Recycled Hotels
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 2.08
TreeHugger loves recycling and reuse, and evidently so do tourists; the Daily Mail covers Extreme Hotels, a book about interesting and different places to stay that would make Charles Jencks and fans of adhocism proud.
In New Zealand, one of the last allied planes out of Vietnam, a 1950's Bristol Freighter, has been refurbished into 2 self-contained motel units. It is part of a complex with a converted rail car and boat. ::Woodlyn Park
...
Survey: Where Should We Go This Year?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 01. 2.08
So it is a new year, and an important one. Where would you like to see TreeHugger go? What is your favorite category? Which would you like to see more of?
Online Surveys
| Free Poll
| Email Marketing
...
Anchors Aweigh: Earthrace
by Bonnie Alter, London on 01. 2.08
Earthrace is a 78 foot trimaran which is trying to set a world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat. The record is 74 days but skipper Pete Bethune wants to do the 26,000 miles in 65 days. The interesting part for treehuggers is that the speedboat will run on biofuels and will be carbon neutral. Moored out at the far reaches of the Thames, in the shadow of the (former) Millennium Dome, Earthrace set sail yesterday for Valencia, the starting place of the race. We visited the boat and spoke to the Kiwi captain about his journey and environmental beliefs.
First the boat: it looks like a Batmobile and travels at a speed of 10 to 15 knots, which is slow, sort of like driving at 17 mph. They are doing this speed for ecological reasons; to burn less fuel, so less emissions. Two and a half tons of biofuel are stored in the bow for ballast and stability. It is designed to slice through the water "like a knife through butter". When there are 3-5 metres of waves above the boat and coming over the windshield, it is "really cool" but when there are more than that it is like a wall of water and can be very scary. The crew all stay inside during the voyage; two in racing-car style captain's chairs, one on a beanbag and one standing. When the waves are smashing down it is brutal and violent and hurts. Bethune said that they once had 12 metre waves and he wouldn't want to do that again.
...
Gas Tax Just A Drop In CO2 Bucket
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 01. 2.08
In the Swedish Energy Agency vision, turbines replace the need for gas for driving
There's just a dozen years left for Sweden to break its addiction to fossil fuels by 2020, as the Social Democratic party promised back in 2006. In retrospect, that was a wildly optimistic and perhaps even foolhardy promise, as now comes the hard nitty-gritty work to attempt to make transport and energy use clean and green. The government has since changed hands and the Moderates now in control rarely talk about complete "oil independence." Still they went ahead with a hike in gas taxes - yesterday taxes crept upward; regular gas went up 29 öre (just under five US cents) while diesel climbed 55 öre (about 9 cents) - without much protest from the populace.
But while the tax hike is expected to slightly reduce gas purchases, and thus lower CO2 emissions by around 200,000 tons each year, according to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, that's just a tiny portion of the 60 million tons Swedes emit each year. The wildest and most promising next step would be for Swedes to embrace the Swedish Energy Agency's goal of 30 TWh of wind power to be produced by 2020; that might not completely break oil dependence but would vastly reduce it if the car fleet simultaneously became plug-in hybrid and electric based. Via ::Sveriges Radio (Swedish)...
The Year Ahead in 2008: Making Ocean and Coastal Conservation a Priority
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 01. 1.08
Image courtesy of NASA
Forgive me if I'm beginning to sound a little like a broken record. Admittedly, I tend to have a certain, shall we say, bias when it comes to stories dealing with the oceans; however - even if that weren't the case - I must say that I still would've been hard-pressed to find any one issue that inspired as much concern in me as did the oceans' health - or, more accurately, lack thereof - this past year. In a year in which global warming dominated much of the conversation, it was hard to miss all the stories describing the mass coral die-offs, increased acidification, proliferating dead zones and sea level rises.
While climate change certainly played a role in precipitating this crisis, most of the problems afflicting the world's oceans - overfishing, resource extraction, pollution - have been well documented for many years, if not decades. Much of the blame for this can, of course, be attributed to lax regulations; in the U.S., the first (and last) major wave of national legislation addressing ocean and coastal conservation was enacted in the 1970s, with the enactment of the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act (MPRSA) and Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA), amongst others....
Networked Wind Power For Base-Load Stability
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 01. 1.08
It's common sense that at any point in time, some wind arms are making very little or no electricity, while others, nearby, are cranking at peak output as a weather front passes or storm brews. In theory, linking wind farms together might well result in a stable average output, once enough wind farms are installed in a region. TreeHugger's Jeremy gave this some coverage:- last year, incorporating some cool graphics.
The question is, how large the area, and how many wind power linkages are needed, to hit that sweet spot where base load stability equivalence is reached? After how much investment does such a network begin to be cost effective?
Before we get to geography and the number of utilities involved, some analogies might help frame the concept.
Weather analogy:- Just as an climate can be thought of as the average of all weather, nearby, and grid interlinked, wind farms produce a collective output that physically averages the forces of nature: 'gusty and turbulent winds reach Kansas City today, reaching St. Louis by early tomorrow morning."
WWW analogy:- The global average number of persons "on-line" at any instant remains high, regardless of multiple time zones and cultural practices, because all nations are physically linked. If the world had separate internets, one for each continent, for example, information flows would be substantially bumpier through the passage of day to night, and so on. ...
Where Does all the Carbon Dioxide End Up?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 01. 1.08
We imagine most of you, upon reading the post's title, will have already (and accurately) guessed the short answer: the atmosphere and the oceans (for the most part). But, to delve further into the matter, where exactly in the atmosphere or the oceans does it all go? How much of an impact do carbon sinks such as forests and the soil have? In what proportions? These are but a few of the questions that have long befuddled leading climate scientists trying to make heads or tails of carbon emissions' final resting place. They themselves will readily admit that they aren't even sure where a significant percentage of global emissions - roughly a quarter - ends up every year.
"A quarter of all the CO2 that is emitted is going somewhere, and we don't know where. That raises a lot of red flags," said David Crisp of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. According to a new study of 28,000 measurements collected between 2000 and 2006 and analyzed by NOAA's CarbonTracker system, only about a third of the carbon dioxide is absorbed by carbon sinks such as the soil and forests; a large portion of it ends up in the atmosphere - but that still leaves a significant amount unaccounted for....
TH Welcomes Deane Brebner and Don Bissonnette
by Deane Brebner and Don Bissonnette, Sutton, Quebec on 01. 1.08
'Organic' is Banned
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 01. 1.08
Better think twice before tossing 'organic' into a sentence. The word is one of 19 words or phrases on Lake Superior State University's annual List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness. "['Organic' is] overused and misused to describe not only food, but computer products or human behavior, and often used when describing something as 'natural,' says a quote on the university's Web site (attributed to Crystal Giordano of Brooklyn, New York). After seeing it refer to bottled water and pancake batter in a spray can, we're going to have to agree. Other words and phrases on the list: Perfect storm; waterboarding; wordsmith; back in the day; and sweet. via ::Yahoo News Also see ::USDA Waters Down Organic Standards...
2008 Diaries- from Recycled to Social and Paperless.
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 01. 1.08
It is the first of January, which means it’s time to leave the worn-out diary behind and open up a new one. If you haven’t found the perfect agenda to start this New Year yet, here are a few fun and practical eco options. From recycled to social and paperless, there’s an even wider range of treehugger-style diaries this year than any of the previous years.
Starting with the recycled options, Kara suggested Scribesdelight journals that are made from recycled saddle leather. A recycled saddle leather agenda/address book is available for $79. If you got one last year, just order your re-fill now and reuse the sleeve. ::Scribesdelight
Another recycled option is the diary by Bandaderodadura, a Spanish company. The sturdy black sleeves of these diaries are made from recycled car tire inner tubes and are locally made in Barcelona. The sleeves come with a zip pocket for extra storage space and are guaranteed to last you through quite a few years. ::Bandaderodadura
More diaries after the jump....
Freeplay Foundation: Empowerment Through Access to Power
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 01. 1.08
Soda Stereo Asks Fans to Donate One Day of their Lives
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 01. 1.08
First of all, Happy New Year Everybody! If you're in Argentina and one of your resolutions for 2008 is to help somebody, take note of this one.
Argentine rock band Soda Stereo (Wikipedia link), one of the most influential and acclaimed of Latin America, has -- as many bands this year, made a come back after separating ten years ago.
The interesting part is that, taking advantage of their popularity, they’ve incorporated a section on their website asking their fans to donate not money, but one day of their lives to help in different causes.
Via Clarin newspaper....
Countdown To The All-Electric Sintesi
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 01. 1.08
Kids start counting down to next Christmas before the blizzard of gift paper is properly recycled - car enthusiasts can countdown the months until they can order an all-electric vehicle with a lithium-metal polymer battery from the collaboration of Italian designers Pininfarina and the French Bolloré conglomerate.
Just 1,000 of the new Sintesi cars (to be first unveiled in March at the Geneva auto show) will be produced by late summer 2009, but according to company web sites, they will be available for order in December 2008 - just 11 months to go! - priced at around U.S.$700 per month. The four-seater Sintesi designed by Lowie Vermeersch at Pininfarina will have an estimated range of around 250 kilometers on a single charge - going from 0 to 50 in five seconds (making it more of a city car) and with a top speed of about 130 km/h. A full charge will take five hours, but a charge for 25 kilometers can be accomplished in five minutes. Perhaps no great shakes technologically, but exactly the type of vehicle to help usher in clean-energy fueled transport, a la the Swedish plan. Bolloré last year showed a prototype of the boxy all-electric Bluecar - but with Pininfarina, designer of Ferrari and Maserati models as well as Miles Rubin's all-electric Javlon sedan on board, the Sintesi is sure to have a bit more flair. Via ::Bolloré and ::Pininfarina...
Products For a Happy Life
by Bonnie Alter, London on 01. 1.08
This small, well-designed little book urges readers to "un-take for granted" the simple, functional items of our everyday life. It reminds us that instead of on-line shopping for last month's have-to-have item, there are products that represent quality, modesty, economy and durability. They don't come with a brand and a logo, and they don't make any false promises.
With images taken from American mail-order catalogues from the 1910's and 1930's, the author chooses items that are humble and useful and seem part of another world, long gone. She depicts them on contrasting pastel-coloured pages and each drawing has a succinct description. Cookie cutters and rolling pins. Clothes pins and pin cushions, twine and a thimble. Scissors and hammers. Things that were once made in factories close to the homes of the people who bought them. Consumer items that promise nothing more than to do their jobs.
It's not really against consumerism, it's just a reminder that trendiness isn't everything. That there is something to be said for simple, honest products that are made to last. :: Products For a Happy Life
A very happy and healthy new year to one and all. ...
In Face of Climate Change, Australian Politicians Scrap Green Vouchers for Schools
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 01. 1.08
In a move that has us scratching our heads, the Australian government has scrapped plans to offer $50,000 grants to schools working to reduce their carbon footprint by installing rainwater tanks and solar hot water systems as methods to help slow climate change.
Granted, the program was estimated to cost $336 million over the next four years, but with climate change a top priority one would think that grants to schools to help reduce energy usage while educating kids at the same time would be, in fact, a top priority as well.
...
As The Year Comes To a Close, Resolve To Keep Your Precious Bike Safe and Sound
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 12.31.07
For bicycle commuters, keeping our prized steed safe and sound is always a key concern, but the holidays present two unique challenges: bad weather, and an increased crime rate. Two years ago today, I learned the hard way that though cyclists are on friendly terms with the atmosphere, that alone does not grant them immunity from theft. Yes, my beloved Surly Pacer, the very one that I had recently ridden across the U.S. on the TransAmerica Trail, was stolen from a bike rack in Los Angeles. I was watching Syriana (and feeling pretty self-righteous about the fact that I do not own a car) when the theft occurred, but what irked me most was that had I locked the bike using something stronger than a cheap, thin cable lock, I could probably have prevented the theft. Luckily, the same fate doesn't have to befall you. During the last year we covered numerous methods for protecting your bike. Here are links to some of the best:
1) Designing Bikes to be Theft-proof
2) The Bike Thief: Video Exposes Cyclist's Vulnerability and Public's Complicity
3) How to Prevent Bike Theft
4) The Perfect Winter Bike...
New York Times on Off-roaders Chewing Up the West
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.31.07
Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times
Felicity Barringer and William Yardley write an excellent article about off-roaders chewing up National forests.
In the San Juan National Forest here, an iron rod gate is the last barrier to the Weminuche Wilderness, a mountain redoubt above 10,000 feet where wheels are not allowed.
But the gate has been knocked down repeatedly, shot at and generally disregarded. Miles beyond it, a two-track trail has been punched into the wilderness by errant all-terrain-vehicle riders who have insisted on going their own way, on-trail or off.
From Colorado’s forests to Utah’s sandstone canyons and the evergreen mountains of Montana, federally owned lands are rapidly being transformed into the new playgrounds — and battlegrounds — of the American West. ::New York Times
see also: ATVs: Destroying the Climate and Environment for Fun and ::Thrillcraft
...
Resolution: Ban the Butt
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.31.07
photo credit Melsky
OK, personal resolutions don't always work, but what about some national ones? Now that even France bans smoking inside, when are we going to do something about the butt problem outside?
According to Torontoist: "An American study showed that, worldwide, smokers toss at least 4.5 trillion butts on the ground every year, and that's not only revolting to look at, but causes significant environmental damage. Cigarette filters are made of non-biodegradable polymer acetate (read: plastic), and discarded butts start fires, kill small animals, and are the most common item washing up on beaches. A 2006 City of Toronto litter audit [PDF] found that cigarette butts were the fourth most common small litter item, after chewing gum, paper, and glass pieces."...
Making 2008 the Year of the Frog
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 12.31.07
Home Design Trends: Smaller, Closer, More Urban
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.31.07
Fifteen years ago the joke was "what do you say to an architect with a job?" answer: "Big Mac and fries, please." The AIA survey of residential architects is a good guide to where design is going, and on the design front, things are going in a positive green direction. On the business side, it's going into the tank.
-"Residential architects are reporting continued strong interest in mixed-use facilities within developments; that is, projects where residential uses are integrated with retail and other commercial activities. They also see increasing interest in infill housing to take advantage of more desirable locations." -people are sick of commuting. ...
Freeplay Energy: It's Not Just About Radios Anymore
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 12.31.07
It looks like Freeplay, creators of self-powered devices like the Lifeline radio and Indigo flashlight, have had a busy year expanding their offerings and updating their website. We are loving the classy looking Weather Band Radio, featuring solar and hand-crank charging and an integrated flashlight, and the wall-mounted Light Center cabinet pictured above is an ideal application for ensuring that a flashlight is always to hand and charged up when needed. We are also coveting the heavy-duty Jonta flashlight, the Freecharge phone charger, and the Summit multiband radio. Unfortunately it’s too late to change our order with Santa this year, but we’ve definitely got our eye on some this gadgetry for next year. And as with the makers of the Solio, we are heartened to see the work that Freeplay does to apply fossil-fuel-free technology where it is needed most. ::Freeplay Energy::via site visit::
...
The December Zeitgeist
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.31.07
We thought Mr. Splashypants would swim away with the prize but the glow-in-the-dark bike pedalled into the lead. Both posts show that there is nothing like a bit of controversy to get readers interested! Not including the Gift Guides, which dominated, the top posts of the month of December:
...
 | 1) New Light Glows For 12 Years: But is it TreeHugger? The product is marketed as non-radioactive and the promoter reiterated this in the comments. In a strict sense it is true, because the beta radiation cannot escape through the beads it is encased in, but it is clear from the patent application that this is radioactive tritium lighting up a phosphor. Thanks to our readers for digging up the truth! |
 | 2) Name That Whale, Quickly! Readers disagreed with Bonnie's suggestion that Mr. Spashypants was a silly name for a whale and told us so in almost 200 comments. Go Mr. Splashypants! |
 | 3) Printing Out Buildings: It is an art museum and alpine ice research station in Évolène, Switzerland. (We suppose like Joni Mitchell's Tree Museum, we are going to need Ice Museums). They are going to build it with a monster CNC machine in Lausanne, like stacking up a loaf of bread. more after the jump... |
A Year Of Trash Is...96 Cubic Feet of Packaging
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 12.31.07
Ari Derfel of Berkeley, California, saved his trash - including what he generated when he went out - for an entire year and ended up with a kitchen and then a living room full (96 cubic feet to be exact) of mostly food packaging, bits of paper, and the odd condom. He composted all his food scraps and over time, became obsessively careful about what he bought and consumed. As reported in the San Francisco Chronicle, Derfel's experiment was a vivid demonstration of the fact that while we throw away lots and lots of trash, much of it never really goes completely away.
One of the most interesting and thought-provoking results of Derfel's experiment was his feelings around trash maintenance - he spent a lot of time sorting, and rinsing and drying his trash, the pre-process many of us are well-acquainted with in preparation for recycling, which Derfel denounces as 'wasteful' in his blog, saveyourtrash. "Of course recycling is a powerful first step in becoming aware of what one consumes," Derfel says. "That said, [recycling] takes enormous amounts of energy and clean water..."While Derfel says recycling is a needed alternative to using up raw materials, it can also show a lack of effective design around our own consumption. Why for example, must we all take home untold take-out packages instead of having personal, reusable containers? Derfel plans to give his accumulated trash pile to an interested artist - there's gotta be a treehugger out there who qualifies. Via ::SF Chronicle...
Survey: Did You Keep Your Resolution?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.31.07
Last New Years many TreeHugger writers posted their resolutions and you voted on which was the best, settling on Graham's "Actually start carrying around a re-usable bag for shopping."
It was a great resolution; not too tough and very sensible. Did Graham keep to it? I know that I failed in mine. I blame it on the Gregorian calendar; it is a stupid time to start the year when it is so dark and dreary. Let's all try again on March 15, New Years in the old Roman Calendar.
Online Surveys
| Free Poll
| Email Marketing
...
One Picture Tells The Story: Solar Is World's Fastest Growing Energy Source
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 12.31.07
"According to The Earth Policy Institute production of photovoltaics (PV) jumped to 3,800 megawatts worldwide in 2007, up an estimated 50 percent over 2006. At the end of the year, according to preliminary data, cumulative global production stood at 12,400 megawatts, enough to power 2.4 million U.S. homes. Growing by an impressive average of 48 percent each year since 2002, PV production has been doubling every two years, making it the world’s fastest-growing energy source."
For most people and most businesses, energy conservation is more cost-effective for the time being. But this is still great news for the future. On the other hand, if all the coal plants slated for construction world-wide were actually built, the claim to "fastest growing" wouldn't hold up for long. We are at a nexus.
Fair disclosure: this writer has a very small portfolio of pure-play solar stocks. Wishing it were bigger!
Via::The Energy Blog, "FYI: Solar Cell Production Jumps 50 Percent in 2007"...
TreeHugger Zeitgeist: The Top 10 Posts of 2007
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.31.07
So here it is, the zeitgeist of the year 2007- what were the most viewed stories of the year? What kept bringing 'em back? Sex.
...
 | 1) How to Green Your Sex Life :Our how-to manual for green sex continues to arouse, month in and month out. Its statement “ It might not be the first thing we think of while working towards a sustainable and graceful life on this fragile planet," is clearly wrong, the numbers indicate that sex is all we think of. |
 | 2) TreeHugger-Style Roller Coaster in Japan: It's Pedal Powered- the future of the green amusement park: a pedal-powered roller coaster. Get fit and scared at the same time. |
 | 3) 9W LED Bulb Replaces 70W Incandescent: I thought we were all getting tired of LEDs but a boring screw-in seventy buck bulb is the third most popular post on TreeHugger. This year back to LED cufflinks! LED showerheads! All LEDs all the time! |
Greening Transportation: The Year in Review
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 12.31.07
Climate change may not have played a major role in the presidential campaigns so far, but it certainly was a hot-button issue in 2007. However, as the NY Times points out, while public opinion "had been shifting for some time" and finally "gelled with the surprise success of 'An Inconvenient Truth,'" the decisions in 2007 that mattered most to green transportation "may have been those made inside courtrooms and government agencies." Here are a few examples:
1) The Supreme Court ruled in April that "the E.P.A. had the authority and duty to control carbon dioxide as a tailpipe pollutant."
2) California sued the E.P.A. in October, "demanding action" on a waiver needed to enact tough rules established by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to limit greenhouse gases. Twelve other states that adopted the rules were waiting to see whether the E.P.A. would grant the waiver....
New Year's Resolutions: Change the World 9 to 5
by Bonnie Alter, London on 12.31.07
It's New Year's eve and once more we are reading articles about making those pesty resolutions. The latest one says that we are out of luck already: "Most important, say the psychologists, is not to leave the decision until New Year's Eve. In addition, for men, the secret of success lies in setting specific goals and focusing on the rewards you will get if you achieve them; for women, the best way to keep a resolution is to tell the world about it." Hmmm....
In any case, this little book has 50 tasks that you can do at work to affect change. You can do some alone, others require the co-operation of fellow employees. For example, share lunch, drink fairtrade coffee, get off the tube one stop early, praise someone, share a book, practise good manners, start a carpool, recycle waste paper, don't staple (one less staple a day saves 120 tons of steel a year), spread the word, support small businesses and say thank you. Number 100: fail; which really means learn from your mistakes.
Written by a group We are What We Do, which claims to be a movement to "inspire people to use their everyday actions to change the world. Whoever they are. And wherever they are". Now that sounds like a really good resolution. :: Change the World 9 to 5...
Petrol Stain Arrives to Patagonia for New Year, Nobody Responsible Yet
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 12.31.07
What a way to end up the year: a petrol stain four kilometers long arrived last Thursday to the coast of Caleta Cordova City at Chubut province, about 1860 kilometers south from Buenos Aires and is now moving open seas.
The origin? Still unknown, but when it arrived to the coast, it had been on the Ocean for a few days. In the area there is a port terminal that operates 5,5 million cubic meters of petrol a year, so many units could have caused the spill. The most possible speculation, according to El Chubut newspaper, points in the direction of the Presidente Arturo Illia tanker, which used to belong to YPF and suffered a huge accident of the same sort ten years ago in a nearby city called Bahia Blanca. Also, says AFP, to a petrol buoy operated by a company called Termap, from which ships that cannot get near the coast load the petrol....
Groovy: Matcot is Retro and Active
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 12.31.07
If you've ever been to Israel and visited Tel Aviv, you might have noticed our country's "national sport," known by the locals as matcot. It's a high-pace game, played-fast-and-furious-like, usually by middle-aged men in their underwear. On weekends the pok-pok-pok sound of the back and forth of the ball, drown out the surf, and frighten passers-by trying to dodge getting hit.
Making matcot a little more modern, is Groovy - a pair of Tel Aviv industrial designers, who like to rethink and repurpose everyday objects and designs. Take the above chair, its sawed out matcot paddles, and tiny ball holder in the top left-hand corner.
...
Migrant Kids Face Increased Health Risks from Lead in NYC
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 12.31.07
The Statue of Liberty may be a welcome sight to see for many entering the U.S. from around the world, but according to a recent NYC Health Department study, immigrant children are five times as likely as those born in the U.S. to suffer from lead poisoning in New York City. And not surprisingly the risk is highest among the most recent immigrants.
In fact, the study which took place in 2002 and was recently published online in the American Journal of Public Health this December found that children who had lived outside of the U.S. within the previous six months were 11 times as likely as U.S.-born children to have lead poisoning.
...
Japan To Suspend Hunt For Humpback Whales
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 12.30.07
Withering criticism from the international media and hard work from the International Whaling Commission (IWC) has convinced Japanese officials to agree to suspend the hunt for humpback whales during its annual whale hunt in the seas off of Antarctica.
“We applaud Japan’s decision as an act of goodwill toward the International Whaling Commission,” said Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez. “Japan has listened intently to the concerns surrounding their hunt and the special significance whales have in many cultures.”...
Battle Brewing over "Fish Taxi" Solution in Rhine Salmon Survival Success Story
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 12.30.07
Rhine salmon could have special reason to celebrate New Year 2008. But let's back up a bit first: European nations through which the Rhine River flows made a pact, "Salmon 2000", to restore the extinct native Salmon to the river, which was polluted and unpassable to spawning fish due to man-made barriers. Already twenty years ago, the plans were laid out: enable the salmon, which have been forced to abandon their annual migrations and remain in the northern seas, to return to their birth places in the Alps at the source of Europe's great river.
The Swiss have done their share. But the salmon have not returned. Salmon fingerlings are now surviving in the lower parts of the Rhine, where the success at reducing pollution and improving the habitat can only be declared a fantastic achievement. Blame is being placed on the French, specifically the French energy monopoly EDF....
Three Years Ago in TreeHugger: Prefab and More Prefab
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.30.07
We looked at the NowHouse from Clever Homes (mixed reviews on their first model, they have done more since), The Wee House (Geoff Warner has gone on from success to success ever since) The Dwell House II (In January 2007 they wrote "As with all architectural undertakings, there have been many hurdles to clear, and a project we looked forward to celebrating in its completed form within two years has stretched longer than anticipated" and it has not been heard from since) and one project that got built on time and on budget, the Bird House. More from ::Three Years Ago in TreeHugger...
Two Years Ago In TreeHugger: Do it Yourself
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.30.07
Ruben noted "no one knows how to do anything anymore. We can’t understand, let alone repair, most of the gadgets we use everyday. We increasingly eat packaged and pre-prepared food; even organic food often comes wrapped in plastic. We don’t know how to grow tomatoes, can peaches, hem pants, or build fences." So he taught us how to make soap without blowing ourselves up. Kelly did her first recipe, an herbal remedy for hangovers, and got her first comment, "Why is this on TreeHugger?. I called the ipod nano the green product of the year and the commenters noted "I'm surprised that anyone literate enough to use a computer can be so short-sighted as to think the environmental cost of an object is measured by its size." Two guys put a sofa on wheels and toured eastern Canada on it....
Solar Powered Car to Hit Streets in Taiwan
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.30.07
It started out as a Taiwanese entry in the Australian World Solar Challenge and was scaled up. "As [our team] has done quite well in the past 10 years at international solar car races -- this year ranking second out of more than 50 cars at the WSC -- we decided two years ago to broaden our advanced solar technology applications and make a car for the consumer market," says team leader Ay Herchang. "At a time when carbon emission reduction and fighting global warming are top priorities of governments and people, a wholly solar-powered car would offer a good alternative for the green-minded."
...
Yellowknife To Re-Purpose Gold Mine For Heat Extraction
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 12.30.07
The City of Yellowknife, Canada is considering using heat extracted from a recently-closed gold mine to warm its buildings. Early in 2008, Yellowknife will formally study what could eventually become Canada's first large-scale geothermal heat plant.
The miners are already laid off; and the mine pumps are shut down, allowing the 2.5 Km deep shafts to fill with water that is consistently close to 50 degrees F. It's estimated that by pumping the naturally warm water out of the mine for distribution through a district heating network, the former Con mine could provide up to 20 megawatts of heat - enough for half the City's population...
Alternet on the Hydrogen Economy
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.30.07
I like Alternet and read it daily; I share its left wing politics and my name is Alter. I didn't like "Is the Hydrogen Age Just Around the Corner?" that suggested that we "examine the critics' misconceptions about hydrogen." They challenge five "myths" but only one really matters.
Few would disagree with 4/5 of the article, if there was lots of hydrogen around we could probably safely transport it and use it. The problem is the 1/5 that says that "The production of hydrogen is already a large, mature industry" - making it from natural gas for the oil refineries. We are at or approaching peak gas, and nobody is going to build a hydrogen economy around the existing "large, mature industry," the gas is booked already for heat, chemicals and the tar sands. If you take natural gas out of the equation, then hydrogen comes from electrolysis and it is a battery, a storage medium, and not a particularly efficient one. ...
Israel to Encourage Green Building
by Jesse Fox, Tel Aviv, Israel on 12.30.07
A neighborhood planned for arid conditions in Israel's Negev desert.
Ha'aretz newspaper reported last week that Israel's parliament, the Knesset, plans to promote financial incentives for green construction. Israel already has a progressive taxation policy on imported vehicles, with less polluting vehicles such as hybrid sedans subject to lower taxes than more polluting models. Now the idea is to reduce the energy usage of Israel's building stock, which, according to a report prepared by the Knesset, could account for up to 40% of the country's energy consumption.
The Treasury's committee on green taxation will be charged with creating incentives to encourage greener construction methods through subsidies and tax benefits. A representative of the building contractors' organization suggested granting increased building rights to contractors (in other words, allowing contractors to add floors beyond what existing zoning allows) for environmentally-friendly buildings. Both the contractors and government officials agreed that a single regulating body needs to be set up to deal with the issue, in order to handle the proposed incentives more efficiently....
