- 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 March 2, 2008 - March 8, 2008
Total this week: 189
A Picture is Worth... And You Thought Gas Was Expensive Before?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 03. 8.08
Image courtesy of movie lover via flickr
LAist's editor, Zach Behrens, caught this shocker in Brentwood - a swanky LA neighborhood if there ever was one - courtesy of one of his eagle-eyed readers. As he notes, we've long heard analysts warning of impending price hikes; and with crude hitting record highs this past week, $4 a gallon by the summer certain seems likely (CERA has an excellent analysis of the factors driving up the price of crude). But still: $9.38? It's not yet April Fool's Day so we can only assume it's an honest mistake...
See also: ::Are Gas Prices High Enough?, ::Book Review: "Beat High Gas Prices Now!"...
Tap Project and the International Year of Sanitation: What Lurks Beneath
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 03. 8.08
Brewing Change: The Guardian Keeps Its Kettle In Check
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 03. 8.08
Update: Lloyd also covered this issue over at Planet Green, pointing out that very few Americans have electric kettles, whilst 95% of brits and canadians do. As electric kettles convert 80 percent of the energy into heat that boils the water, while a kettle on the stove is only about 40% efficient and a microwave about 55 percent, it would make sense to make the switch if you haven't already.
We briefly mentioned it in our guide on How to Green Your Coffee and Tea, but the Guardian’s latest Tread Lightly pledge of only filling your kettle with the amount of water you actually need is certainly a useful way to reduce your energy consumption. Sure, it’s not an act that’s going to reverse climate change by itself, but if we can’t get the small stuff right then there’s little hope of cracking the big challenges. And in the UK, a nation that apparently guzzles 125 million cups of tea a day, the savings would be significant if the practice caught on among the general populace:...
You Can Spring Forward, But You Won't Save Energy
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 8.08
TreeHugger Labs proved conclusively two years ago that Daylight Saving Time was counterproductive; now it appears that other research is backing us up. When the idea was thought up, the biggest use of electricity was lighting, so it actually did save energy; now, with population shifts and upsizing of housing, air conditioning predominates and more we burn more electricity. An Australian researcher said "Basically if people wake up early in the morning and go to bed earlier, they do save artificial illumination at night and reduce electricity consumption in the evening. Our study confirmed that effect. But we also found that more electricity is consumed in the morning. In the end, these two effects wash each other out." An Indiana study concluded that "daylight saving time did save on lighting use but that heating and air-conditioning use more than offset any gains." ::National Geographic...
Stop The Walking and Texting Carnage; Practice Safe Text
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 8.08
TreeHugger has discussed the danger of using electronics while walking or biking; we like to encourage people to walk or ride and to do it as safely as possible. In London, a study found that one in ten cellphone users has hurt themselves by walking into things while texting; the Daily Express says six million Britons were injured last year. To prevent this, The charity Living Streets and directory service 118118 are testing the padding of lamposts and signs to stop the carnage. Geekologie is not impressed: "Next they're going to start padding cars. I say screw the padding, add sharp spikes to the poles. If you can't manage to look where you're walking then you deserve to lose all that blood." They suggest that perhaps an automatic message could be broadcast from each pole. Video displaying the tragic scale of this growing urban problem below. ::Engadget...
Andy Revkin on Geoengineering
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 8.08
Quote of the Day: Carl Pope on Outsourcing to China
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 8.08
Photo credit: imelda
It used to be that when I saw a Mattel toy, I presumed that Mattel made the toy in a factory the company built and manages, with workers it hired and supervises, and that it would not be so crass or dumb as to save a fraction of a penny on a $30 toy by using lead paint.
But Mattel and other businesses know something they are not willing to tells us:
...
Face It: No Coal
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 8.08
Architecture students across the country were challenged by Architecture 2030, Metropolis Magazine, the USGBC and the AIAS to Face it, literally. Students competed to produce the best body and face paint job that conveyed a "no coal" message. Emily Bibler of Ohio State won the Face Color Award; Jackie Fabella of Cal Poly Pomona won for best B+W. A student told Metropolis:
“The entries varied in meaning: some depicting strong political messages about health and environmental impacts, while others took a positive approach by displaying a set of alternatives to coal.” ::Metropolis; See all the entries at ::Architecture2030...
"Waiter...There's A Fly In My Plastic Soup"
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 8.08
No one to blame for this but ourselves. Four fifths of the plastic detritus floating over 2.5 million square miles of ocean surface arrives there from land-based run off: from stormwater, in other words. Litter. Who thinks of littering this way? We should.
Plastic contamination in the world's oceans is worse than previously imagined and no amount of technology can clean it up, according to Charles Moore. The oceanographer returned February 23 from a five-week odyssey in the Pacific Ocean with samples showing 48 parts plastic for every part of plankton. "We are damned to a future of pollution by plastic," said Moore, who has spent more than a decade investigating Pacific plastic pollution. "There's no evidence it will end in a millennium."... A plastic "graveyard" double the size of Texas swirls in the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Hawaii.See also: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch: "Out of Sight, Out of Mind ......
A Picture is Worth...Lifestyle Choices to Combat Global Warming
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 8.08
Click map to enlarge
Regular TreeHugger readers won't find anything too new here, but it's a very nice graphic illustrating some of the many things you can do to help combat climate change. It's all connected, people; how many of these are you doing? via ::Gristmill
...
Roving Classroom Helps Rare Parrot Once Feared Extinct
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 03. 7.08
What to do when you’ve found a flock of 14 members of a species of parrot last seen in 1911 and the local human population is so spread out it’s impossible to get them all in one place to educate them about it? Well, bringing the education to them is one solution and the ‘Parrot Bus’ has been doing just that since 2005, reaching people in a tiny area of the Andes in Colombia that is heavily impacted by deforestation and home to Fuertes’s Parrot. ...
Most Huggable: Dumpster Diving, Green Home Labels, Cellulosic Ethanol + More
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 03. 7.08
Meet Daniel and Amanda Burt, a very normal couple who just happen to dumpster dive.
A new study suggests that our current efforts to simply stabilize our carbon emissions -- as opposed to, say, completed zeroing them out -- are just not getting it done.
Green home labels are popping up everywhere, but how do you know what's really green and what's greenwashing?
A company called ECO2 Plastics has found a better way to recycle.
The first commercial cellulosic ethanol facility, actively converting waste biomass into renewable fuel, went online last month....
TH Forums Highlights: Green Car Dealership, Recharging Tesla + More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 7.08
1) Forums user Nova wants to talk green cars: "What do you all think about Chrylser LLC building a certified Chrysler Green dealership? Plus spending $3 billion in new fuel technology to improve fuel efficiency." Early word in the thread is something like, "Yeah, it's okay, but when are we going to see this new technology and these new concepts?" It's a balance: you have to walk before you can run, but talk of investing in new technology only gets us so far. Where do you come down on this?
2) Speaking of green cars that actually exist, user Hydrotopia says, "If you watch the half hour video with Tesla owner Elon Musk you'll see he discusses the various performance statistics of his car. He claims it costs $3-$4 in electricity to charge the car which then gets 220-260 miles of range from that charge. He claims it takes about 60Kw's to charge the Roadster. We get power at 10 cents a Kwh down here so it would be about $6 to 'fill' the Tesla's tank." That works out to 110 - 130 real world miles per gallon...not too shabby.
3) Lastly, Forums user ev101 has a dilly of a pickle: "I work for a company that makes labor law posters, a product that changes frequently and unpredictably. This leaves us with product (17" x 24" pieces of laminated paper) that can't be sold. I am looking for a way to avoid throwing so many of these away on a monthly basis. Does anyone have ideas for reusing or recycling?"
Today on Planet Green
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 7.08
:: Thinking of generating your own renewable energy? First find out how much solar and wind power is available in your area, and what federal and state incentives you can tap into.
:: How green is your cycling, hot stuff? The answer may surprise you.
:: Can being overweight impede work performance?
:: Find out the most energy-efficient way you can make a cup of tea.
:: Take this quiz to discover the type of pet that is right for you.
:: If you have a Web site, consider creating printer-friendly pages so print-happy readers can save paper and ink. Learn how.
:: The first step to greening your electricity: Conduct a home energy audit.
:: Essential steps you need to take to protect yourself before you donate your old PC....
Green Furniture Cut from Cardboard: Collection at CNET
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 7.08
CNET takes a gander at a smattering of cardboard furniture, answering the question, "What does cardboard furniture have to do with technology?" and helping to lend credibility to what essentially amounts to paper design. TreeHugger loves the stuff -- we've seen it everything from cradles to coffins -- so we're glad to see that it's getting picked up elsewhere.
Eagle-eyed readers will recognize the Wiggle stool and Frank Gehry-designed Wiggle chair pictured above; we're liking Cardboard Designs' "Liquid Cardboard" and are impressed that cardboard is now being used in sturdy pieces like this armoire, disguising the humble nature of its core material. More pretty pictures at ::CNET...
Raising the (Green) Roof!!
by Jenna Watson, Barcelona on 03. 7.08
Mountain Equipment Co-op Building, Green Roof. Copyright Terri Meyer Boake.
Last Saturday I attended a Green Roofs and Roof Gardens workshop hosted by Everdale Organic Farming & Environmental Learning Centre. Carolyn Moss, Principal Architect at Moss Sund Inc and Terry McGlade, Horticulturalist and President of Gardens in the Sky were our professors for the day spent at a public library in Toronto.
The room was packed with about 50 people from all walks of life; from architects to designers to home owners interested in greening their roofs. There was even a guy from La Garrotxa, outside of Barcelona, interested in doing a green roof. Lloyd told us about his involvement in a green roof exercise lead by Carolyn in 2005. She also mentioned the exercise in her presentation. What a small world...Carolyn also told me that she went to university with our head Treehugger, Graham Hill.
...
Alternating Tread Stair- For Cats!
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 7.08
I love alternating tread stair designs and I love beating Justin to them. Here is one for cats! Just as our Architectura prefab doghouse was cheaper than the real thing, we can now afford a fancy alternate tread cat stairway for two hundred bucks. I bet I can even put books on it. At ::Cat Livin via ::Haute Nature...
Time to Cry, Wolf
by Greg Haegele of Sierra Club on 03. 7.08
In a matter of days, the American West's iconic symbol of the wild - the gray wolf - will be removed from the Endangered Species List. The wolf once roamed most of North America, but human distaste for the predator wiped out most of the population in the early 20th century. In the mid 1990's, the federal government reintroduced wolves into Yellowstone National Park in hopes of restoring this animal to its natural landscape in the Northern Rockies.
Since their reintroduction to the region , wolves have been steadily climbing toward recovery. Melanie Stein, the Sierra Club's point person on wolf issues, tells me that recent counts indicate there are now approximately 1,500 wolves in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming -- all from the 65 that were originally reintroduced into Central Idaho and Yellowstone. On the surface, this population growth appears to be proof that it's time to remove protections for the gray wolf in the Northern Rockies, but you can't judge this complex ecological book by its cover....
When Your Best Isn't Good Enough: Zero-Emission Policy Only Way to Mitigate Global Warming Declare Scientists
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 03. 7.08
Image courtesy of melancholic optimist via flickr
That 70% carbon emissions cut by 2050 being proposed in the Senate's Lieberman-Warner climate bill? Please. What about that heftier 80% carbon emissions cut scientists and policymakers elsewhere have been bandying around as a strategy to seriously address climate change over the next 40 years? Still not good enough. Yes, as ES&T's Erika Engelhaupt reports, that is the grim verdict put forth in a study published this week in Geophysical Research Letters.
The only solution to our warming woes, lead author Ken Caldeira (he of geo-engineering fame) explains, is to bring emissions down to zero. ...
Czech Out Another Alternating Tread Bookcase Stair
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 7.08
It is by Adam Jirkal, Jerry Koza and Tomáš Kalhous in what looks like a renovation and addition in Všenory, Czech Republic. The stair appears to be made of slats of wood bolted together. Oh, to have building codes that let a thousand architectural flowers bloom. ::Archiweb via ::Materialicious
See also Bigger Better Bookcase Stair
...
Jargon Watch: Scuppie
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 7.08
Scuppie -- a "Socially Conscious Upwardly-mobile Person."
1. A person who desires all the best life can offer and strives for those goals in a socially conscious manner.
2. One who is dedicated to the pursuit of peace, happiness and cash (not necessarily in that order).
3. Someone ‘green’ -- i.e. one who understands the love of money does not preclude the love of nature...and vice-versa.
All this according to Chuck Failla, a financial planner trying to bring "Scuppie" in to vogue. He's got a website, a manifesto, and pictures depict, head to toe, what a male and female scuppie look like. And, coming soon, a handbook to teach you how to be a scuppie....
Newspaper House Taking Shape
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 7.08
Gillian McIver- Photos used with permission of Creative City
Newspaper House is a public art installation: a “house” of newspapers. The public will be encouraged to collect newspapers they find lying around on the tube, bus, streets, public spaces, in their homes and bring them on location. Sumer Erek will lead the public to follow his instructions: including their personal news within the newspaper, rolling and adding it to the structure, hence contributing to building the house." It is now under construction in Gillett Square, and is being filled now for its official opening on March 8. ...
BEDUP: The Space-Saving Bed that Falls From the Ceiling
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 7.08
TreeHugger loves the Murphy bed concept; it's a great way to live comfortably in less space, since you don't need a bed when you're awake, and don't need the living space when you're asleep. We've seen some great examples, including the bed/desk/closet combination, this sofa/bed combo, and this elegant version, integrated with shelving. Still, most Murphy's require a clear area to fold down into, which either requires a daily ritual of furniture-moving or sacrificing otherwise useful space for the bed's footprint. But if the bed came down from the ceiling...
You could leave your stuff where it is, putting the bed above it. That's the rather brilliant idea behind BEDUP, designed by French designers Décadrages. It installs in your ceiling, rather than the wall, and sort of floats down when it's bed time. No furniture-moving required; it can stop at various heights, using a variety of braces to help it integrate with your bedroom's furniture. It's even possible to integrate lighting into the bottom of the bed, for use when it's in storage mode. Watch this movie to see it in action, and hit the jump to see it installed in a living room and home office. ::BEDUP (in French) via ::Freshome...
Jargon Watch: Geothermal vs Ground Source Heat Pump
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 7.08
Search Google on Geothermal and you will find a hundred companies using the word to describe ground source heat pumps, two systems that have one thing in common only: they sit on and in the ground. Even government organizations muddy the story by calling them "geothermal heat pumps." Philip Proefrock does a good job of explaining the difference at Green Building Elements, but it comes down to this:
Geothermal systems use heat directly from natural sources like hot springs, geysers and volcanic hot spots like the installation on the right in Iceland.
Ground source heat pumps are air conditioners that use groundwater or simply soil to cool the condenser instead of an outside coil and fan. It uses electricity to move heat energy from one place to the other. Run it backwards and it provides heat, more efficiently than using the electricity directly.
So why has everyone started calling GSHPs Geothermal? ::Green Building Elements...
Who's Looking Out for Your Lungs? Industry and Legislators Pressing EPA to Drop Tighter Ozone Standards
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 03. 7.08
You can't blame them for trying: With the White House set to change hands in less than a year's time - likely bringing on board a more eco-friendly administration - industry groups have been pressing the EPA to squelch stricter air-quality standards for ozone, reports the WSJ's Stephen Power. Responding to continuing pressure from environmental and health organizations, such as the American Lung Association, the EPA had just drawn up proposals to (slightly) tighten what were widely considered lax standards - to 0.070 ppm from the current 0.084 ppm.
The new standards are expected to prevent 1,400 - 2,300 nonfatal heart attacks in 2020 and roughly 5,600 - 7,600 hospital-room visits; the costs for certain parts of the U.S. could amount to as much as $18b a year - largely from having to invest in technologies and facilities that would help reduce emissions and cut back on polluting activities....
In Memory of the Sparrows
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 7.08
Royal College of Art student Cathrine Kramer says "studies have shown that sparrow populations are decreasing in areas that are affected by electromagnetic communication." She has designed an EMF-powered radio that will play sparrow songs.
She writes: "Imagine on a stroll through Hyde Park you are met with an eerie silence. All the twittering birds have disappeared. By harnessing the very force that drove them away, and transforming it into subtle, obscured bird-like sounds, my object is a monument to the sparrows. It acts as a comfort to those who want to remember the sparrows, but also as a poignant reminder of why they are gone." ...
Prefabs for Pets
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 7.08
Our new puppy will be so happy in his new architectura prefab. "Inspired by the work of Frank Lloyd Wright, architectura is a pet house designed for dogs and cats. slatted walls on two sides provide excellent ventilation and a fun place for pets to hide but still see what's going on around them."
We also think that it will provide a safe place to hide from the much larger cat. No word yet on whether it is made from sustainably harvested wood, or what the cost is per square foot, but we will update. ::Pre-fab Pets...
More on RuralZED Green Prefabs
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 7.08
We were very excited when Sami first showed us ruralZED, the UK's first commercially viable, affordable and ready to purchase zero-carbon home; now there is more information on the RuralZED website.
"The ruralZED™ frame creates an airtight box onto which different roof and cladding options can be applied. This gives the flexibility to create eco villages and towns with interesting and varied streetscapes and also sensitivity to local vernacular."
...
UK Chief Scientist: Food Crisis Will Bite Before Climate Change
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 03. 7.08
With reports that the arctic ice cap could be gone by summer, it is sometimes tempting to focus all of our attention on the crisis of climate change. However, according to Professor John Beddington, the UK’s new chief scientist, food security and the rising cost of food is an issue at least as important when it comes to human well-being, and one that is becoming rapidly more critical. Read on for a taste of his speech [in true TreeHugger fashion, we've also included some humble suggestions of potential solutions too]:...
Greenwashing Index: Rate Your Favorite
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 7.08
Readers who follow our Greenwash Watch will enjoy Greenwashing Index, a new website set up by Austin's Enviromedia Social Marketing, who also founded America Recycles Day. It is an "interactive forum that allows consumers to evaluate real advertisements making environmental claims."- you submit a print or youtubed ad and vote on it on five criteria- does the ad mislead with words, images, make vague or unprovable claims, overstate how green the product or company is, or mask important information.
It is also entertaining and fun....
Ecocities of Tomorrow: Masdar City To Build "Positive-Energy" Building
by Jesse Fox, Tel Aviv, Israel on 03. 7.08
The folks behind Masdar City - the ecocity planned for the United Arab Emirates by Foster + Partners - have unveiled designs for the city's first piece of iconic architecture, a $300 million home for Masdar's corporate headquarters. The building will be "positive energy," meaning it will create more energy than it consumes. This will be accomplished by draping a massive canopy of photovoltaic panels, wind turbines, passive solar cooling and natural shading mechanisms over the building.
One of the building's architects, Adrian Smith, described the building (with no lack of hyperbole) as: One of the most significant developments of our time. As a positive energy complex, the project will have far-reaching influence on the buildings of tomorrow....
Personal Rapid Transit "a Cyberspace Techno-Dream"
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 7.08
Personal Rapid Transit rears its head again all over the web in the form of a five-year old Sky Tran proposal for Seattle. Pod people have been rolling out these schemes since the sixties as a solution to the problem that public transport is, well, so public, and that people are, different.. Even in 1972 pod promoters wrote "PRT vehicles "are designed to provide the security and privacy not usually found in larger more common transit vehicles"
No matter that they don't work; imagine three hundred people on a platform at rush hour. Imagine what happens when it breaks down. Figure out handicap accessibility. Think of how many will actually have two people- would you get in with someone you don't know? Imagine the rendering shown above on a typical street instead of an open plaza....
Denver Colorado USA Gets 650 Green Jobs: Payback Time For Climate Progressives
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 7.08
There's been talk from several US Governors about making "their" respective states centers for green job development. Colorado has some actual green job action to report.Vestas Wind Systems opened the doors of its first wind-blade manufacturing facility in the U.S. on Wednesday, bolstering Colorado's efforts to develop a "new-energy economy" based on wind, solar and biofuels energy. The plant, 60 miles north of Denver, will employ about 650 workers at full capacity this summer. It currently has 200 workers and is hiring about 20 people each week. Ditlev Engel, Vestas' president and chief executive officer, said the company chose to locate the plant in Windsor because of the cooperation from local officials and partners and the availability of skilled labor in northern Colorado...The plant's price tag is estimated at $65 million, although local, state and county officials have offered $4 million in incentives....
Annals of Recycling: The Beer Can House
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 7.08
Michael Stravato for The New York Times
John Milkovisch spent twenty years emptying 50,000 beer cans and recycling them into cladding for his house and workshop, using the tops for a clever sun-shading system. It opens this weekend as Houston's latest tourist attraction. A quote from Mr. Milkovisch is on a wall: “They say every man should leave something to be remembered by. At least I accomplished that goal.”
An art patron explains why Houston is home to so many zany houses: “One good thing about not having any zoning is you can do stuff.” ::New York Times...
My Other Vehicle Is...A Solar Robot Mower
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 03. 7.08
A meadow might be preferable to a maintenance-requiring lawn, and a front-yard food garden would be even better. But if the lawn is there to stay, Swedish Husqvarna's new robot mower combines a battery-powered (NiMH) no-hands mowing system with solar booster panels that help the mower extends its charge time. If you buy green electricity, you've got pretty low-emissions' mowing. The Automower Solar Hybrid's charge lasts about an hour in sunny weather, less under clouds - the machine senses when its charge is low and automatically rolls back to the charging station.
TreeHugger supports technologies which might convince the mow-happy to trade in their two-stroke and gas-powered tractor mowers. Automower Solar Hybrid uses bumper wire cables to help define a lawn section of up to 20,000 square feet (it mows around 900 square feet per hour or charge). Husqvarna says Automower handles slopes of up to 35%. The solar hybrid model is supposed to use the same amount of energy as a 40 watt light bulb (incandescent, unfortunately) and be 90 percent recyclable. Pretty pricey at around US$4,000. Via ::Automower.com
See also Product Review: Enviromower (Solar Lawn Mowing)...
No Comment: Moratorium On Cheap Government Loans For Coal
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 7.08
"The federal government is suspending a major loan program for coal-fired power plants in rural communities, saying the uncertainties of climate change and rising construction costs make the loans too risky.
After issuing $1.3 billion in loans for new plant construction since 2001, none will be issued this year and likely none in 2009, James Newby, assistant administrator for the Rural Utilities Service, a branch of the Department of Agriculture, said Tuesday.
The program's suspension marks a dramatic reversal of a once-reliable source of new coal plant financing. It follows the announcement last month that several major banks will require plant developers to factor in climate change when seeking private funding.
"This is a big decision. It says new coal plants can't go to the federal government for money at least for the next couple years, and these are critical times for companies to get these plants built," said Abigail Dillen with the environmental law group Earthjustice. The group filed a federal lawsuit last year seeking to block the loan program."
See also: USDA Rural Development's Electric Programs Via::EarthJustice AND Omaha World-Herald, "Loans Program for Coal Plants Suspended" Image credit:: Next Big Future; "1.58GW coal plant near Laughlin, Nevada"...
Survey: How Do You Get To Work?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 7.08
I complain about my city a lot (but I complain about everything) but it has subways, streetcars and buses galore (could have more) and a growing bike lane infrastructure (which they could plough in winter) but I was shocked by the statistics in Spacing that showed how many people rely on cars to get to work in Toronto, and how the number has barely budged in five years. Over all, 71.1% drove, 22.2% took transit, 4.8% walked and only 1% biked.
Then I saw in a comment that this level of transit use was actually high by most urban standards, and is beat only by New York City. (copy below the fold). I suspect that the TreeHugger demographic is different. I know this is similar to a very recent poll but I want to compare to the statistics provided. I wish they had provided an option for "don't commute, work at home"- 179,390 do in Toronto, more than those who bike, so I added "other."
...
A Picture is Worth... Elephant Having Fun
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 7.08
At the risk of anthropomorphizing it too much, we'd say that this looks like one happy elephant!
Update: Apparently it's a Disney statue in Florida. Had me fooled. Still cute, though.
Via ::reddit. See also: ::Zoo Poo Power: Elephant Dung for Electricity, ::Elephant Dung Paper and Paper-Products...
Summer Inspiration At The Urban Sustainable Design Studio 08
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 03. 7.08
Amazingly this is the third year in a row that we have posted on the fantastic summer workshop run by Peter Nicholson's Foresight Design Initiative. In 2006 and 2007 we recommended taking a summer break in Chicago to be inspired, invigorated and educated at the Urban Sustainable Design Studio. Each year the course just gets bigger and better with more people attending and benefiting from the experience. Over the last six year USDS has been developed to, "Empower participants to become better sustainable innovators". The intensive full time program examines wide ranging aspects of environmental, social and economic sustainability during its eight-week period. The course also features weekly readings and discussions, field trips, and guest speakers from a range of relevant sectors. ...
Social Entrepreneurs Mean Business
by Bonnie Alter, London on 03. 7.08
Social entrepreneurship is a way of using business to tackle social issues. It has been defined as a “halfway house between profits-driven businesses and charities" that can "take the profit motive to parts of the voluntary and public sector that have in the past been hostile to it." We have read about Belu water, the English company that has developed a biodegradable bottle for its water AND donates its profits to projects with WaterAid in India and Africa. Here are a few more examples of a growing group of ethical entrepreneurs who are turning their businesses and profits towards having an impact on the world’s problems.
Eako is a small company that makes handbags and luggage from the 25 year old rubber hoses on London's fire engines. Not only are they preventing all that hose from ending up on the landfill sites, they are also donating 50% of profits to retired firemen through the London Fire Brigade's benevolent fund. They make belts out of the hoses adding a good-looking buckle made of reclaimed pewter. Their newest venture is a messenger bag complete with ridges and grooves and dates from the original hose. The founder, a Canadian living in England, says "For me, social enterprise means that you have a social ethical issue at the core of business. It is not about profit, but I am very keen to make a profit because that is what moves business forward."
...
Eating Local Food: The Movement, Locavores and More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 6.08
The local food movement, eating local, being on the "100 mile diet" or being a locavore are all synonymous with local food, whose consumption has risen to prominence as an important part of the larger green movement. Taking the baton from organic food as a poster child for sustainable agriculture, local food integrates production, processing, distribution and consumption on a small scale, creating sustainable local economies and a strong connection between farm and table.
The benefits of eating local food
Local food has myriad environmental benefits -- we've mentioned just a few in connection with having a green Earth Day -- as well as the social, economical and agricultural benefits of supporting small family farms. But there are many facets to the simple-sounding lifestyle choice....
Montana's Wind Farms
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 03. 6.08
The folks around these parts get charged about wind farm developments. While cities argue over who gets the new wind turbine manufacturing plant, others deem wind power as more of a problem than a promise.
Conservation groups wonder about the wisdom of installing what many deem an eyesore and unnecessary infrastructure for a state that is already a net exporter of energy. Montana has seen some of the worst extractive mining and exploitation in the history of civilization. The people living in Montana are likely not going to be impressed with more foreign extraction of local resources.
Yet, as the toll of coal mining, power generation, and even industrial agriculture are realized, wind power may offer a route for Montana to find a compromise between extraction and conservation, securing a renewable energy future and a greening economy. But it likely will not go well without serious innovation and strategic planning....
How to Catch a Dolphin Killer in the Act
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 03. 6.08
The Oceanic Preservation Society is on a mission: to document beauty and destruction in our planet's oceans with the hope of motivating change. It is a mission which sometimes requires James Bond-like ingenuity. In this case, OPS goes head-to-head with some Japanese fishermen on the issue of dolphin killing. It is a thriller, involving celebrities under vicious attack during peaceful protest, blockades and risks of arrest for confronting an issue of national cultural sensitivity....
Today on Planet Green
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 6.08
:: Why is Kelly telling everyone to take the day off work?
:: More uses for baking soda you never knew.
:: Sure, you may know what the label estimate on your auto says, but how many miles per gallon does your car really get?
:: Knit yourself an Easter celebration.
:: Find out how you can get up to $500 more in your tax refund this year.
:: What's in your nail polish? Learn all about toluene, an industrial solvent that has been linked to developmental abnormalities, liver and kidney damage, and spontaneous abortions....
Price Controls on Gasoline in Certain Asian Countries
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 6.08
In Malaysia and Indonesia, which have the cheapest petrol in Asia, fuel subsidies account for over 10% of total government spending. [...] Not only are price controls no long-term cure for inflation, argue many Western commentators, but if domestic fuel prices are not allowed to rise in line with crude-oil prices, then motorists from Beijing to Bangalore will guzzle more oil. This, in turn, pushes global oil prices higher.Oil subsidies also make clean alternatives relatively less competitive, so their development and adoption is slower. ::The Economist Graph credit: The Economist, Lehman brothers, EIA, reuters...
TreeHugger Picks: Cradle to Cradle-Certified Products
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 6.08
Embodying a variety of sustainability options -- "using environmentally safe and healthy materials; design for material reutilization, such as recycling or composting; the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency" and several more -- William McDonough and Michael Braungart offer Cradle to Cradle certification as a way to label some of the greenest products available today. Here are some of our picks for those who made the C2C cut.
...
 | 1) The first six Cradle to Cradle certifications were announced back in late 2005, with the Think Chair by Steelcase (pictured) on the list as an early adopter, along with the Zody Chair by Haworth, Hycrete Technologies' Hycrete concrete additive, Pendleton Woolen Mills, Classic Wool Flannel seating fabric, and Victor Innovatex's Eco Intelligent Polyester seating, and panel fabric. |
| 2) gDiapers earned the first -- and, so far, only -- certification for baby care products with their flushable/compostable diaper lining. gDiapers have no elemental chlorine, perfumes, smell or garbage, and the damp ones can even make good compost -- they recommend that the brown ones always get flushed down. |
| 3) Most recently, Surface iQ's commercial wallcoverings have earned Cradle to Cradle certification. The only printed commercial grade wallcovering to have earned this certification, Surface iQ's products have an impressive green résumé; non-PVC composition free of elemental chlorine, formaldehyde and halogenated fire-retardants top the list. The remaining two picks are after the jump... |
Mexico City Receives Payment for BRT Carbon Mitigation
by Eliza Barclay, Washington, D.C. on 03. 6.08
In recent months, we've noted that two Mexican companies, Pemex and Cemex, are looking for ways to mitigate their carbon dioxide emissions under the Kyoto Protocol and get paid for it.
For the second year in a row, Mexico City's Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, known here as the MetroBus, curbed the emission of 38,210 tons of carbon dioxide by replacing 368 dirty buses and offering motorists a reliable and safe transport option up and down the city's main thoroughfare Insurgentes. The MetroBus has run on clean-burning ultra low sulfur diesel fuel since its inception in 2005....
Solar Versus Wind Power: Which Has The Most Stable Power Output?
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 6.08
Imagine yourself working for a major electric power utility or distributor, perhaps in the strategic planning department. Government is introducing mandates for renewable energy portfolios: a 5 to 20% required green power component is a certainty within the next few years. Both solar and wind power are technically viable choices within the service area. Which of the two technologies should the company first support or most invest in?
Restating the question, which source, wind v.s. solar, has the most even capacity, will be the least disruptive to customers, and require the least backup investment to achieve synergy with the existing business? ...
Timbuk2 "Grows" Hemp, PET Bags
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 6.08
New from Timbuk2: The Grown Collection, a line of 13 different styles, including totes, backpacks, and laptop bags, all made from a hemp/PET blended fabrics—or in the PVC-eschewing bag manufacturer's words, "66 percent hemp, 33 percent PET, and 1 percent Al Gore mojo." And if that's not crunchy enough for you, the buckles are made of corn-based resin. The Hemp Cargo Tote even has an interior water-bottle holder, so you can secure your own reusable canteen for those jaunts to the farmers' market. Another one of our favorite features is the red key tether, which is long enough that you don't have to unfasten your keys to unlock your door.
With laptop-friendly backpacks now included in the mix, eco-geeks on the move can hoist their precious electronic cargo more ergonomically. Super-durable, waterproof, and pockets aplenty (always a bonus with us), the bags' only downside is that many of them are manufactured abroad, unlike most of Timbuk2's iconic messengers, which are made in San Francisco. ::Timbuk2...
Nanocrystal Coating = White LED Big Breakthrough?
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 6.08
Lighting residential and commercial buildings accounts for about 1/4 of all electricity used in the U.S. according to the Department of Energy, and since most of that light is produced very inefficiently (incandescent and halogen light bulbs could be called "heat bulbs"), there is potential for huge savings.
Compact fluorescents (CFLs) are a step in the right direction, even though they have downsides such as mercury (even more mercury comes from coal plants), but light emitting diodes (LEDs) remain the most promising next step: more efficient, longer lasting.
Researchers at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey, have made a discovery that brings LEDs closer to widespread adoption. They discovered that by coating blue LEDs with a layer of nanocrystals specially engineered to turn the blue light into warm white, they could produce light at efficiency of over 300 lumens of visible light per watt. "Typical white LEDs are less well matched to human eyes and provide only about 30 to 60 lumens of visible light per watt," so these would be 5 to 10x better! That's also better than CFLs which are closer to 80 lumens/watt....
Spring Fashion 08: Loyale
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 6.08
Oxford dress, Loyale
Loyale springs forward from the wintry gloom with another flawlessly edited collection. Drenched in eye-popping bursts of vibrant cornflower blue, the sustainable New York-based designer's Spring 2008 collection tempers flirty, feminine details with wearability and ageless appeal.
Click below the fold for more. ::Loyale...
Green Stats: 80
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 6.08
A chart of the world's fishery hotspots
80 -- the percentage of seafood species currently fished at or beyond their capacity.
40 -- the percentage of the world's oceans that have been "heavily impacted" by humans.
4 -- the percentage of the world's oceans that are "relatively pristine."
All of this from the UN Environment Programme's (UNEP) new report, "In Dead Water," which details the five primary threats facing the oceans: pollution, climate change, overfishing, invasive species, and habitat loss. Very interesting (if slightly depressing) information, detailing yet again why finding green fish and supporting sustainable fisheries is so important. ::In Deep Water via ::Gristmill
See also: ::Seafood Choices Alliance - Sustainable Seafood Database, ::Finding a Sustainable Fish Stick and ::How to: Choose Your Fish Wisely...
Advice for Mayor Newsom in the Battle over San Francisco Tidal Energy
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 6.08
It's no secret, we at TreeHugger are all for clean, renewable energy. Wind, solar, geothermal, wave, tidal, etc. But - and this is very important - it has to make sense. We won't automatically support any project just because it is clean power.
Unfortunately, that doesn't seem to be San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's philosophy. In 2006, city officials announced that they wanted to build turbines under the Golden Gate bridge to capture energy from tidal currents. At the time, they expected up to 38 megawatts (enough for approx. 38,000 homes). But now a new study by URS, an engineering firm, is saying that there would actually be just 1 or 2 megawatts produced at a cost of many tens of millions with high yearly maintenance expenses. "Power generated from the tides would cost between 80 cents and $1.40 per kilowatt hour, according to the study." For comparison, the Bay of Fundy has about 300 megawatts of potential....
Stop the Presses: Green Consumerism Exposed
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 6.08
But I want my wasabi-covered goji berries!
Monica Hesse at the Washington Post writes an article letting the cat out of the bag for all of us conspicuous consumers of green goods: Spending Won't Save the Earth. Shocked and reeling from this searing exposé that challenges our beliefs to the very core, we wonder, can this be in the paper that owns Sprig, "where serene people are into green"?
We were relieved that she quotes Lazy Environmentalist Josh Dorfman saying "Buying stuff is intrinsically wrapped up in our identities" and Chip Giller of Grist, who views green consumption as a "gateway" to get more people involved in environmental issues.
Much better than some Paul Hawken guy who says "Really going green, means having less. It does mean less. Everyone is saying, 'You don't have to change your lifestyle.' Well, yes, actually, you do."
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Sony Does the Time Warp Again to Promote Recycling
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 6.08
Wondering why that Sony commercial is trying to sell you a bulky cassette-tape deck from the '70s? The electronics giant is taking the three Rs—reduce, reuse, and recycle—to heart.
Sony is ramping up its recycling effort with dozens of events at which consumers can drop off old Sony electronics for free. And, as part of its marketing campaign, the company is rerunning vintage commercials featuring clunky, archaic equipment that were, once upon a time, oh-so cutting edge.
Stuart Redsun, senior vice president of corporate marketing, unveiled mock-up TV ads at a press meeting on Wednesday to emphasize that Sony is "recycling our old commercials to remind you to recycle your old electronics." If you have any of ye olde products stashed away in a dusty attic corner or garage somewhere, it just might be time to put the past behind you. ::Ad Age...
A Picture is Worth... Simplified Map of the Eisenhower Interstate System
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 6.08
Credit: The TH Interview: Gary Hirshberg, CE-Yo of Stonyfield Farm (Part One)
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 03. 6.08
Before Stonyfield Farm was a $325 million company, Gary Hirshberg was milking the cows and trying to get the bills paid. Now, as the largest organic yogurt-maker, he is fulfilling the original mission: make money and save the world. From milk cows to yogurt cups to food miles, Hirshberg has been an innovator and a ground-breaker, going where no business men would dare. Here he speaks with TreeHugger about green business, presidential politics, and the hidden power of camel poo. ::TreeHugger Radio Listen to the podcast of this interview via iTunes, or just click here to listen, right-click to download. Full text after the jump. ...
Grand Canyon Gets Flooded, Turns Out It's Man
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 6.08
Less is More: 300 Square Foot Apartment
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 6.08
This unit gives new meaning to the term "Bed and Breakfast"- You just slide out of bed onto the breakfast table. It is in a 300 SF Maff B&B in the Hague, designed by Queeste Architecten and photographed by Teun van den Dries, via ::Dezeen....
Bogota Revisited: StreetFilms Revisits Colombia's Inspiring Example Once More
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 03. 6.08
Koolhaas Loses His Marbles Again
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 6.08
When I last wrote about Deathstar architecture, Hank of EcoGeek wrote "C'mon Lloyd...how on Earth did you wind up writing about this? I mean, [I assumed] there was a green angle...but there just isn't. Everything about this project points to useless excess and the kind of pride in big ugly stuff that is 100% problem 0% solution."
That is exactly the point. The picture above is of Rem Koolhaas' design for a new "grand urban experiment" in Dubai, with another dubious deathstar marble.
...
"Hammer & Nails" Style Solar Roof Tiles By SRS Energy
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 6.08
If the size and shape is similar to regular asphalt roofing tiles, if the product comes in a pallet like typical roofing material, can be installed without expensive equipment, and the result resembles what the neighbors have had for 25 years, you can be sure that the mainstreaming of residential solar photo-voltaic systems is right around the corner.
"... we deliver a product roofing distributors want to sell, roofers can install, and homeowners desire. SRS roofing systems consist of Active tiles (electrically generating) and Inactive tiles (non-electric, visually identical to Active tiles). The majority of the roof is installed with traditional underlayment (water protection), battens, and Inactive tiles. Active tiles are plugged into connectors featured on the SRS Underlayment/ Batten sheet, installed in electrically generating portions of the roof....
TH Blog Love - Our Favourite Greens Of The Week
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 03. 6.08
Closet Environmental: Carnival of the Green #117! by Alina
"Today, we’ll be touring the internet jungle, looking for the most interesting specimens of environmental blogging. Please feel free to admire the diversity of the wildlife. You are also encouraged to feed the bloggers with ideas."
DeSmogBlog: Denial-a-Palooza is a Media Hit by Richard Littlemore
"Mainstream media seem to have caught up with climate change denial (caught up with reality, really), just in time to humiliate the assembled "sceptics" at the Heartland Institute's 2008 International Conference on Climate Change."
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Survey: Was American Airlines Wrong?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 6.08
Environmentalists say the darndest things. Friends of the Earth is accusing American Airlines of reckless behaviour by flying five passengers from Chicago to London on a boeing 777, burning 22,000 gallons of fuel and producing 43 tons of CO2 per passenger. They say "Flying virtually empty planes is an obscene waste of fuel."
This TreeHugger agrees that Flying is Dying and thinks that we have to rework our transportation system to be more efficient in using fossil fuels and creating less greenhouse gas, but AA is a "scheduled" airline and planes follow them. AA had "a plane load of west-bound passengers stranded in London Heathrow who were due to fly back to the US on the same aircraft." They certainly didn't make any money spending £30,000 to do it.
Tim Haab of Environmental Economics notes that "The total emissions were the same whether the plane was empty or not. OK, maybe a planeful of fat Americans uses up a little extra fuel than an empty one, but you get the point."
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Teacher Wins Award from PETA for Classroom Bug Strategy
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 03. 6.08
In a twist she most certainly wasn’t expecting, Melodie Conrad, an elementary teacher at Eagle Rock Elementary School & Magnet Center in California is set to receive the "Compassionate Teacher Award" from PETA for her unique classroom strategy that encourages students to be kind to bugs of all shapes and sizes that wander in from the great outdoors. ...
Fake Ice Rinks No Longer Just A Fad
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 03. 6.08
Ice hockey and ice skating are both hallowed Scandinavian traditions - but the southern portions of Denmark and Sweden and even Norway can no longer depend on the sub-zero temperatures needed for outdoor rinks, so plastic ice rinks - both temporary and permanent rinks - are popping up all over. Though the plastic "ice" - made of a thin layer of polyethylene coated with propylene glycol - can be a bit slower for speedy skaters, and more expensive to first install, Scandinavians are turning to them to lower both ice rink upkeep costs and CO2 emissions - distributor Ice Magic claims they are also "100% recyclable." At the science amusement park called Danfoss Universe near Nordborg, Denmark, park managers calculated the energy for a few days upkeep of the 640 square meter rink they were planning amounted to about the same as a Danish family of four's annual home energy consumption and accompanying CO2 emissions. Via ::Copenhagen Post...
Still or Sparkling?
by Bonnie Alter, London on 03. 6.08
How many times have you been asked that question--"still or sparkling?" when you sit down at a restaurant. And how many times have you been made to feel like a cheapskate when your answer to the waiter was "tap water, please" ? The Evening Standard, a feisty little London newspaper, has started a "Water on Tap" campaign, urging restaurateurs to sign a pledge to offer tap water to patrons. The paper wants to change the image of tap water and make it socially acceptable to ask for it and drink it. Now Briton's drink 3 billion bottles a year, half of which are flown or shipped in--that's a lot of carbon emissions for something so readily available.
Research has shown that 70% of the public thinks that mineral water in restaurants is too expensive. Nine out of ten restaurants pushed patrons to buy bottled water, often at outrageous prices--some have charged £3.50 ($7.00) for a bottle and few offer tap water. We already know that London's tap water is healthy and that in taste tests it rates just as well, if not better than some brands of bottled water. One restaurant, Zilli's has already banned bottled water across all 4 of its branches. In support, the Chancellor will be drinking water when he presents his budget next week. Stop Press: It has just been announced that "only tap water will be served at (Prime Minister) Gordon Brown's Cabinet sessions and during official business". :: Evening Standard ...
One Million Auto Rickshaws, Let’s Make Them Hybrid!
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 03. 6.08
Believe it or Not: Bush Says U.S. is "In the Lead" on Climate Change
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 03. 6.08
To be honest, we were as surprised as you (probably) are to hear President Bush proclaim the U.S. to be "in the lead" in the fight against climate change. See, it turns out we got that whole Bali climate talk debacle all wrong; when the U.S. delegation refused to back a modest emissions cut proposal - in the process, almost causing the talks to collapse - it didn't mean to suggest it wasn't committed to the plan (apparently, the officials just had "problems with defining the numbers up front"). Neither was the president's move 6 months earlier to block a statement by G8 leaders committing to halving total emissions by 2050 meant to suggest a lack of resolve on his part. ...
Most Huggable: DIY Biodiesel, Storing Wind Power, Tiny Homes + More
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 03. 5.08
Learn how to make your own biodiesel with this collection of handy videos.
Here's a great new idea to help promote cell phone recycling: it's quick, super-easy and free.
Xcel Energy is going to test 80-ton batteries the size of two semi-trailers to capture the power generated from its wind turbines.
Which solar is which? Get the low down on the difference in price, efficiency and environmental impact of each.
These tiny houses not only save you money and help the environment, but they also offer all the comforts of home.
Most Huggable is a regular roundup of some of Hugg’s top stories. Why not submit your own green news?...
Eco-Birthdays With a Charitable Twist
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 03. 5.08
With parents everywhere desperate to make their child’s next birthday party the most meaningful one ever it’s no surprise that there comes a time when gifts just aren’t enough. In fact it’s probably well past that time indeed, and two fed-up moms are aiming to point us all in a new direction with ECHOage; an innovative online party planning tool that provides children and their parents with the opportunity to protect the environment while saving time and money in the process. Perhaps not surprisingly, co-founder Alison Smith declares that “ ECHOage is convenience and conscience wrapped up in a big green ribbon!”...
TH Forums Highlights: Solar Gets Cheap, Wind Power on the Go + More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 5.08
1) Forums user Cylus_Omally "I have been looking around forum and people seem to be a bit out of date on their solar facts. The silicon cells are the oldest version of the technology, and a lot of progress has been made. Solar power is now cheaper that coal power." Other users note that, sure, thin film exists, but we can't get our hands on it just yet. Still, solar for $1/watt is a pretty enticing number; will it be that low, even for early adopters? Discuss...
2) User TheSilentChamber helps the Forums get up close and personal with wind turbines, as they roll down the highway: "Here are some close up pictures of some windmill blades in transit, to show the size in case some people have never seen them. These are actually some smaller ones, usually the ones that come through are a bit larger and only one per truck. I took these going down the road. I'm not sure where they are made out, but they are always heading north on US 59 through North East Texas." If you haven't seen them before, the blades are something to behold.
3) Forums user designmea is looking for some feedback: "Im a product design student, who is currently working on a project that challenges the traditional way of designing, being: client wants a product. designer creates it for them, client tells the consumer they want it. In my opinion this is not sustainable, as the products are often uneccessary. I'm interested in changing this using a different methodology." Click on over to give your two cents on an early design with sustainability in mind.
Today on Planet Green
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 5.08
:: Kelly charts what she bought to cook with this past week.
:: Find out what makes a sustainable fashion designer tick.
:: Learn about bisphenol A, and why you should eliminate it from your home.
:: Remove pet hair easily, without using disposable lint tape.
:: Get recession-ready: 75 ways to live on less and love it.
:: Discover the importance of magnesium and some surprising health benefits Epsom salt packs.
:: Hey, Mom was right! Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day....
Beauty Lab: Origins Youthtopia Eye-Firming Cream
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 5.08
Can the fountain of youth be found in a little jar? A light fragrance-free firming eye cream joins Origins' Youthtopia line of botanically enriched, age-erasing creams and potions. Infused with Rhodiola rosea (golden root), a Siberian herb renowned for its antioxidant and fatigue-relieving properties, as well as sunflower, sweet-almond, white-birch, barley, and cucumber extracts, the cream targets the delicate skin around your eyes to repair the moisture balance, reduce puffiness, and—quite possibly—restore its youthful firmness.
Made in the United States, this eye salve contains no parabens, phthalates, paraffin, or propylene glycol. Packaging is made from 50 percent post-consumer recycled fiber and 50 percent Forest Stewardship Council-certified paperboard. ::Origins...
Advocating a Sustainable Stormwater Plan for New York City
by Bonnie Hulkower, New York, New York on 03. 5.08
image courtesy of Kate Zidar
On January 30, Intro 630-A, a bill drafted and supported by the SWIM Coalition and city council member James Gennaro, was approved unanimously by the New York City Council. On February 19, Mayor Bloomberg signed the bill into law. The legislation aims, by creating sustainable stormwater management, to drastically reduce the toxic soup of stormwater and sewage that flows into New York City’s waterways, and requires that a final sustainable stormwater management plan be adopted by December 2008. The law also requires the city to alert the public when overflows do occur, so recreational boaters, kayakers, and swimmers can take appropriate precautions. By managing stormwater, and alerting New Yorkers when water has become toxic, the legislation should make sure that New York’s waterways will finally be truly open for safe and healthy recreational use.
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SustainStyle: New Favorite Sites, Getting Gorgeous, Organic One-Piece Swim Suit + More
by 1plus1 on 03. 5.08
Welcome to SustainStyle, a weekly digest from the writers at 1plus1, a blog dedicated to eco-friendly fashion. SustainStyle runs every Wednesday.
This week was all about the new websites, brands, and beauty products you will soon not be able to live without. To prepare for all of the hard work we had to get dressed with a "Dress Me" outfit perfect for any profession including a button-up organic shirt, recycled paper agenda book and a big enough tote to hold that laptop. During our quest we found out one of our favorite stores, Greenloop has started "in the loop" a blog dedicated to the breaking news in eco-friendly fashion. Another new favorite site we discovered is the "ideal bite" where you can sign up for daily green tips! As for new wardrobe pieces we found a great new one-piece organic cotton swim suit from Kelly B, Melissa's shoe's made from recycled plastic and took a closer look at Perfectly Imperfect's collection. We ended the week by getting gorgeous with a few amazing products from Aveda and Nvey Eco cosmetics.
xo.
...EU Project Designs Cleaner Ship for Inland and Coastal Waterways
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 5.08
The EU-funded CREATING project (Concepts to reduce environmental impact and attain optimal transport performance by inland navigation -- bureaucrats probably ran out of fund when time came to find a "G" word to finish the clever acronym) along with BP have been working on creating cleaner ships for inland navigation. Currently, CO2 emissions per ton/km for inland navigation are lower than they would be with trucks, but criteria pollutants (NOx, SOx, PM, etc) are much higher.
"The project is based on four principle technologies: urea-based selective catalytic reduction; diesel particulate filters; ultra low sulfur fuel equal to road standard diesel fuel (EN 590); and the Advising Tempomaat (ATM), [a computer program advising the skipper on the most economical combination of route and speed]."...
Crackery Tableware: Old China Gets New Life
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 5.08
Unlike, say, your favorite blue jeans, china dishware is not often repairable. Sadly, even if a chip or crack appears, there isn't anything you can do, and with little value on the secondhand circuit, it often goes into the trash.
That is, unless designer Joana Meroz gets her hands on it. The Netherlands-based artist/designer reclaims broken dishes and cups and transforms them into "Crackery Tableware," where, by reglazing each crack and chip, she gives them new life and highlights and even celebrates each cups imperfections. What a nice, refreshing way to think about "broken" items. See more after the jump. ::The Ornamented Life via ::Cool Hunting
See also: Recycled Ceramics and Dishware from Sarah Cihat...
Video: Are we Witnessing the Dematerialization of Toys?
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 5.08
Austroflamm Wood Stoves with Heat Memory
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 5.08
Now that we are running out of sawdust for pellets, We will have to go back to sustainably harvesting firewood from the back forty and getting a decent, efficient wood stove to burn it. The new Austroflamms are interesting because they put a big load of "very heavy material which can absorb warmth especially well and releases it for a long period of time. this material is of course patented."
The system offers fast heat (common in wood stoves but missing in soapstone type high thermal mass stoves) but also up to 15 hours of heat release from 20 pounds of wood with extra Heat Memory Material added.
...
Dealing with Eco-Anxiety: Feeling Less Guilt, Being More Green
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 5.08
What do you do after you've changed all your light bulbs? San Francisco magazine takes a long look at the rising tide of green guilt by chatting up some Bay Area residents who stay up nights worrying about drowning polar bears, having to drive anywhere ("I feel like I’m taking a spray can to the environment," says one eco-anxious respondent) and drinking Bisphenol-A with a bottle of water.
The guilt from engaging in behavior that ultimately damages the environment is a growing problem for these people, who fear the consequences of not recycling, buying new things, and letting once-used water go down the drain. It causes crushing paralysis in some, where there are so many problems to deal with, they seemingly can't move under the weight of the world. But it doesn't have to be that way....
The Latest Threat to Tropical Rainforests is... More Trees
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 03. 5.08
Images courtesy of Gregory Asner/Carnegie Institution
Never let it be said that we at TreeHugger, out of our unconditional love for trees, judiciously avoided recognizing the threat posed by invasive tree species... to other trees (cue the sound of crickets chirping). Yes, according to a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences by scientists at the Carnegie Institution, non-native trees have been steadily invading Hawaii's lush tropical rainforests - putting their basic ecological structure (and resources) at great risk. ...
Protecting the Great Lakes
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 5.08
The Great Lakes are looking very attractive; everyone seems to think that there is lots of water to go around. In fact, there is not quite as much as people think, and it is not so pure as it should be. The Sierra Club of Canada notes:
* cities dump untreated sewage into the Great Lakes in enormous quantities;
* ocean-going vessels are responsible for at least 65% of the now over 180 invasive species wreaking havoc on Great Lakes native species
* water levels in Lakes Huron, Michgan and Superior are well below normal, with Lake Superior surpassing its recond low set in 1926
* unsuitable urban development is destroying sensitive wildlife habitat. Projections are that by 2030, 3 million more people will live in Lake Ontario’s basin, which could greatly increase these development pressures....
MIT: Move Over Batteries, Here Come the Nanotube-Enhanced Capacitors
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 5.08
MIT, light of my life, fire of my brains. My sin, my soul. Em-eye-tee: the tip of the tongue taking a trip of three steps down the palate to tap, at three, on the teeth. Em. Eye. Tee. Or so might russian writer Vladimir Nabokov say if he had as much interest in electric cars as we do. Why? The Lab for Electromagnetic and Electronic Systems (LEES) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is getting close to a big breakthrough in capacitor technology.
Currently, ultracapacitors can only hold a small fraction of the electrical charge that batteries can hold (about 5%), but they do have many very important advantages over their chemical cousins, such as no battery memory caused by partial discharging, no reduction in capacity with each charge (they last almost forever), and much faster charge-discharge times. If only we could improve their capacity... Well, we're getting there. Read on!...
TreeHugger Looking for Webmaster/Software Engineer
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 03. 5.08
Here is a great opportunity to combine your career goals with your life values and join a great team. TreeHugger, the leading website dedicated to helping individuals lead a sustainable life, is looking for a full time Webmaster/Software Engineer. Position is a long-term contract.
We are looking for that rare individual who can work with customized pre-packaged applications as well as develop custom programs. You are self managed, very organized, and detail oriented. You take pride in both external and internal customer satisfaction and take time to understand the business needs of the company and continuously suggest and implement the required improvements.
TreeHugger is a virtual organization, so you need to be comfortable working from your home office. You have solid written communications skills and are comfortable using online audio/video/file collaboration tools. Location is not important but you will be expected to work a normal business day east coast time. ...
Ninety Six Wind Turbines Planned Off Cape May, New Jersey, USA
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 5.08
We just came across a new wind farm proposal that is certain to test the will of the US East Coast tourist industry (shades of Cape Wind). Historic Cape May, New Jersey, after all, is one of the loveliest beaches on the East Coast of the US, and with extraordinarily good water quality: a rarity in New Jersey. During the public hearings, there will be plenty of wealthy property owners on hand to share their concerns about "impacts" on birds.PSEG Renewable Generation and Winergy Power Holdings announced today that they have submitted a proposal to the New Jersey Office of Clean Energy (OCE) to build a 350 megawatt wind farm about 16 miles off the shore of South Jersey. The wind farm would be called Garden State Offshore Energy and, subject to receipt of all required permits, financing and other conditions, could be fully operational in 2013...The project is expected to consist of 96 turbines arranged in a rectangular grid off the coast of Cape May and Atlantic counties. The wind farm will be located as far offshore as commercially feasible to make it virtually invisible from land.Via::PSEG, "PSEG and Winergy Propose Wind Farm Off New Jersey Coast in Response to State of New Jersey Solicitation" Image credit::Lazy Day In Cape May, Heather Heather Hedin Peacock, at WeSellFineArt.com...
More Details: Volkswagen Turbo Diesel-Electric Hybrid Golf
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 5.08
We already posted about the VW diesel-electric hybrid Golf, but at the time many details hadn't yet been announced. That changed at the Geneva Motor Show: We now know that the car will have a 1.2-liter three-cylinder common rail TDI diesel engine (55 kW/74 hp and 179 Nm/132 lb-ft of torque) coupled with an electric motor (20 kW and 140 Nm/103 lb-ft of torque). Both diesel engines and electric motors produce lots of torque, so the car should be fun to drive, especially in the city.
Fuel economy is still rated at 3.4 L/100km, or 69 miles per US gallon, or 83 miles per imperial gallons. CO2 emissions are pretty low at 89 g/km. In comparison, the Toyota Prius hybrid emits 104 g/km of CO2, though emissions of NOx and particulate matter are lower than the Tier 2 Bin 5 Golf diesel-electric hybrid....
Green Pyjama Jobs: Dutch Student Gets Rich Staying In Bed
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 5.08
ww.slapendrijk.nl
There was a funny Joy of Tech comic a few weeks back about the guy who had an "environmentally friendly day" by staying in bed and not using up earth's precious resources. He plans to survive by selling carbon offsets to people who will pay him to stay in bed.
Now a student in the Netherlands is actually doing it. Yde Van Deutekom, 22, from Zoetermeer, is selling advertising on a website featuring a webcam showing him in bed. He says ""Sleeping is just a hobby of me, and it is the only thing I'm very good at. Everyone is asking what I want to do with me life, but what I really want to do is sleep. I stay in bed all day, except for taking a shower, going to the bathroom and making something to eat. That's all I want to do. And I want to stay in bed until I'm very rich." ...
Rufus Wainwright on Blackout Sabbath
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 5.08
Rufus Wainwright found the last New York power failure "incredibly invigorating, spiritual and practical at the same time: we all had to pay attention to each other! Not to mention that Manhattan in total darkness was oddly enough a beautiful sight to behold.
Now he is proposing that on June 21st, the longest day of the year and the summer solstice, we all turn everything off (lights, fridge, computer, everything) from noon to midnight. "The time could be spent contemplating alone or with friends on the coming year and what personally one can do to save the planet."
He adds that "Mummy (Kate McGarrigle) says it's a good day to also empty out the fridge." ::Blackoutsabbath via ::Grist; be sure to watch Rufus' amazing performance of "Get Happy" at Glastonbury below the fold, and to learn how to really enjoy a New York Blackout, watch Joan Crawford in the original Night Gallery episode "Eyes", directed by an unknown Steven Spielberg.
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Ink-Jet Printed, Thin-Film Solar Prototype By Konarka
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 5.08
Konarka has stayed on a highly innovative path since we first posted about them in 2005. For some background on their thin film work, see Tim's posts, "Good News: Solar Cell Diversity Continues to Increase" and "Konarka Technologies Keeps the US Army in Solar Power.." We like the "Fullerene Blends" terminology. Bucky would have enjoyed it. The latest innovation is in manufacturing technology.Konarka Technologies, Inc., an innovator in development and commercialization of Power Plastic®, a material that converts light to energy, today announced the company successfully conducted the first-ever demonstration of manufacturing solar cells by highly efficient inkjet printing. The company discusses and analyzes the performance of highly efficient inkjet printed organic bulk heterojunction solar cells in a paper recently published in Advanced Materials, entitled, “High Photovoltaic Performance of Inkjet Printed Polymer:Fullerene Blends” by Dr. Stelios A. Choulis, Claudia N. Hoth, Dr. Pavel Schilinsky and Dr. Christoph J. Brabec, all of Konarka....
Survey: Where Do You Live?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 5.08
We do prattle on about how big cities are the answer to sustainability, yet were surprised by the results of the last two surveys, which indicated that most TreeHuggers drive and close to a third of us own houses. So what kind of community do you live in? For fun we do it with song lyrics from the Lovin' Spoonful, Malvina Reynolds via Pete Seeger, Paul Simon, Neil Young and John Denver.
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Enough Pious Eco-Snobbery - But What Next?
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 03. 5.08
Last week Green as a Thistle argued that “the greenest way to live is in the gray area. We can’t possibly take this movement to the next level when we’re still bickering about whether so-and-so is an environmentalist or not. Who cares?” In a similar vein, Nigel Farndale is arguing in the UK’s telegraph newspaper that we need to put an end to “eco-snobbery”. Having confessed to looking down at the man next to him in a sandwich store for asking for a plastic bag, Farndale goes on to describe his dawning realization that the green movement will suffer a major backlash if it continues to judge others for their eco ‘sins’ or lecture people on what they should be doing:...
VEIL (Victorian Eco Innovation Lab)
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 03. 5.08
VEIL proposes a new way to accelerate eco-innovation in the Australian state of Victoria. Why? Because the project believes that although the “... market may be innovative it is inherently conservative, generally allowing only for incremental change in terms of environmental performance.”
VEIL’s answer then is to engage public research and designers from university design schools to provide a radical alternative set of visions of possibilities that “urgently overcome the ‘inertia of the market’.” The aim is to shape both consumer and producer expectations at the same time. Amongst their programs are workshops where students design as if they are living in 2032....
Texan Know-how
by Bonnie Alter, London on 03. 5.08
Alexander Reh is from Texas and he loves fishing and hunting; maybe that explains his "Fully Loaded Chair" (pictured) which is made of 400 loaded shotgun shells fitted into a steel frame. With shiny brass tips on the seat and back to act as a massage, and bright red plastic in the back, it is meant to create "a powerful allure and odd dichotomy of comfort and demise between furniture and weaponry".
Although he doesn't describe himself as an environmentalist, his work has a distinct recycle/reuse aesthetic. Another project is "Deflower", a vase made from multi-coloured condoms wrapped over everyday juice glasses.
We have previously noted his Milky Way chandelier, made of empty plastic milk containers, a hula hoop and other cast-offs. The young designer looks for "constructive witticism" in his work. You can see that in the so-called knife holder that turns out to be an electrical outlet, hidden from children's prying fingers. He's one to watch. :: Alexander Reh Via :: Financial Times...
New Standard for Beauty, Personal Care Industry Launches
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 5.08
No thanks to the gaping loopholes in public-health laws, cosmetics companies have had free reign to use any ingredient they want in their products, from sunscreen to baby shampoo, without any restrictions or requirements for safety testing. In fact, nearly 90 percent of the 10,500 personal-care-product ingredients known to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have not been evaluated for safety by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, the FDA, or any other publicly accountable institution, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG).
Organic And Sustainable Industry Standards (OASIS), the first organic standard for the U.S. beauty and personal-care market, wants to bring you some peace of mind, especially when it comes to organic product claims, which can get confusing as more companies resort to greenwashing to sell their wares....
Ecologist Maps Manhattan of 400 Years Ago
by Bonnie Hulkower, New York, New York on 03. 4.08
On a recent cold, Thursday evening, a friend and I squeezed our way into a filled-to-capacity room at the Arsenal in Central Park to hear Dr. Eric Sanderson speak about the Mannahatta Project-an impressive undertaking sure to gain attention as we approach the quadricentennial of Henry Hudson’s famous voyage of 1609. Sanderson, a ruddy-cheeked and ebullient man, began his talk by showing some photos of two dramatically magnificent natural areas: the California Redwood Forests and the Rockies. Then he told us that Landscape of New York City 400 years ago would have rivaled that of Yellowstone or Yosemite today.
Manhattan, or what the Lenape Indians called Mannahatta, was more biologically diverse than either of those two areas, and with its hardwood forests, freshwater, and estuarine environments, Mannahatta’s 54 different ecological communities (that is, interacting species living in the same place, bound together by a network of influences) and lush greenery would have dazzled any nature lover. ...
GROW: Solar/Piezoelectric Concept Comes to MoMA
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 4.08
With a mission to create Sustainably Minded Interactive Technology, Brooklyn-based SMIT thoughtfully mixes a little alternative energy creation (solar and piezo) with museum-worthy design. Their first project, GROW.1 (above), sprouted from an Industrial Design Thesis project in 2005 and employs emerging technology to deliver energy.
Based around a modular brick system, .1 is composed of a small number of different parts. Each brick has 5 solar leaves which have a very flexible piezo generator at their stem; when the "leaves" flap in the breeze or soak up some sunlight, the GROW system harvests the generated juice. Though just a prototype for now, the concept showed enough promise to be selected as part of the Museum of Modern Art's Design and the Elastic Mind exhibition, on display through May 12 in New York. Meanwhile, GROW.2 -- the solar-only version -- already exists....
Today on Planet Green
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 4.08
:: Learn how you can make the carnivore in your family enjoy a plate of legumes.
:: Have spare tiles from your last remodeling project lying around? Consider making a personalized mosaic place mat for your pet.
:: Increase circulation in your skin and reduce puffiness by giving yourself a facial massage.
:: Broke your blender jug? A Mason or mayo jar wil work in a cinch.
:: Find out how easy it is to hide the logos of delivery-service boxes, so you can reuse them with the regular post.
:: Low-fat or low-carb? Which is better for your heart?...
Our (Not So) Pristine National Parks: 70 Contaminants and Counting
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 03. 4.08
Image courtesy of backpackphotography via flickr
The verdict is in and it ain't pretty: Our cherished, "pristine" national parks and monuments are wallowing in filth - more specifically, a wide variety of pollutants such as heavy metals, airborne contaminants and pesticides. In a piece for the AP, Matthew Brown reports on the results of a 6-year federal study - the Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project - on the state of the Western U.S.'s national parks; the results indicate the presence of high levels of contaminants in the 20 parks and monuments - even in remote locations like the high Rockies and northern Alaska. A large proportion of the contaminants is believed to have come from overseas - mostly from Europe and Asia.
Some of the usual suspects - mercury, DDT, PCBs - make an unwelcome return, often accumulating in dangerously high levels in fish, according to Oregon State University fish expert Michael Kent, who co-authored the study. The contaminants exceeded human consumption thresholds in 8 of the surveyed parks; mercury and DDT levels also exceeded the predator consumption thresholds. ...
Mar Kelly's Solar Enlightenment: Market Outlook Event, NYC
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 03. 4.08
Solar energy is nothing if not abundant: In fact, the amount of solar energy that reaches the United States each year is 3,900 times our power needs, according to the Pew Center on the Global Climate Change. But although it powers every kind of life on earth, harnessing the sun to feed modern human energy needs has proven tricky. Luckily, the photovoltaic industry is changing rapidly. At a recent conference called the Solar Market Outlook: A Day of Data, speakers laid out the issues with the business of solar.
Hosted by the Prometheus Institute and Greentech Media, the event took place in lower Manhattan at the Jewish Heritage Museum, which touts a 36-kilowatt building-integrated solar electric system made from silicon wafers recycled from the semiconductor industry. From historical data on supply and demand to forecasts for the global market for PV solutions, the conference drilled down on silicon supply issues, the outlook for the thin-film solar market, Wall Street’s take on the business, and emerging concepts in solar-project financing.
Friend of TreeHugger Mar Kelly, a solar energy expert who currently works with MAK Technologies in market development and sales, sent us the following report of highlights from the event. ...
Backpacker Magazine Lightens Its Ecological Rucksack
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 03. 4.08
Outdoors sports magazines are falling over themselves to establish green credentials, and, we suspect, mostly for all the right reasons. Afterall their readership spend the free time out there in the very natural environment which is under threat. Taking the lead from climbing magazines Climbing and Urban Climber, and following in the wake of surf mags Drifter, Surfers Path, Surfing and Surfer comes Backpacker magazine walking its own talk.
After a six month study the mag learnt its annual carbon footprint was over 5 million pounds of CO2, or about 500,000 pounds per issue. Put another way that’s one pound of greenhouse gases released in the atmosphere for each copy of the magazine. So Backpacker implemented some changes....
Virgin Atlantic Adds Hydrogen to Its Green Fuel Credentials
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 03. 4.08
Okay, so Virgin Atlantic, which recently demoed biofuels on a flight, won't be using hydrogen to power its planes anytime soon. However, they will be using three of Chevrolet's hydrogen fuel cell vehicle--the Equinox-- for its "complimentary ground transfer service for upper class passengers" for planes landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Richard Branson, the charismatic CEO of Virgin, explained that the program "was one of Virgin's initiatives to reduce the airline's carbon footprint," while "GM's Larry Burns said that it was a perfect endorsement of GM's fuel cell technology and 'an important new avenue for demonstrating the new DNA of the automobile.'"
So with paper tickets gone for good, the EU set to regulate emissions from airlines, Virgin testing biofuels and using alternative fuel vehicles for its fleet and Boeing's Dreamliner using 20% less fuel, is it possible that flying has gone green? Well, let's just say that if so, the Dreamliner was aptly named.
Via: ::Autobloggreen
See Also: ::Air Travel Treehugger Style?, ::GM: 100 Equinox Fuel Cell Vehicles in 2007, ::For GM, the Cars Are Greener on the other Side, ::Conceptualize This: GM Unveils Yet Another Concept Car, ::How to Green Your Car and ::The Next Big Branson Idea: Virgin Fuel...
Fair trade vs. Food miles: One Welshman's View
by Eliza Barclay, Washington, D.C. on 03. 4.08
An op-ed piece written by Steve Brooks, the acting head of Oxfam Cymru, for the Western Mail, a Welsh paper, raises an interesting question: should we avoid fair trade goods from the developing world to help cut down on food miles?
Brooks, for one, questions whether producing tropical fruits, vegetables, or flowers locally to cut down on food miles could result in a greater volume of emissions because of the energy requirements to maintain artificial conditions, i.e. greenhouses.
Moreover, he says, while local food advocates' arguments for eating local -- like supporting small farmers and giving back to the local economy -- are worthy points, fair trade products have their own associated benefits, like supporting social and economic development projects like schools, clinics, clean water supply and proper sanitation.
Ultimately Brooks argues that food transportation currently contributes relatively little to carbon dioxide emissions. He points out that if everyone in the United Kingdom switched one 100W light bulb to a low energy equivalent, CO² emissions would be reduced in one year by 4.7 times the amount saved by boycotting fresh fruit and vegetables from sub-Saharan Africa. :: Via icWales
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Whole Foods Launches New Body Care Standard
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 03. 4.08
With a growing number of all-natural beauty products on the market, it’s getting more and more confusing for consumers to decipher through the confusing lingo. We stand in the beauty aisle and sift through the many different products to find those that offer the highest quality while being totally natural. Admittedly, it’s pretty darn frustrating because the fact is that there are no regulations on personal care products in the U.S. But now thanks to Whole Foods, we won’t be spending as much time in that aisle....
Whale Power: More Efficient Fan Blades Mimic Humpback Fins
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 4.08
Tannis Toohey/Toronto Star
Using "a million years of field tests" to their advantage, Toronto-based WhalePower Corp. is using the fins of humpback whales to help design a better fan (and, hopefully, wind turbine). After US scientists discovered that the tubercles -- the little bumps on humpback fins -- result in 32 percent less drag and an 8 percent rise in lift when compared to a smooth fin. That means a fan blade that "makes the fan quieter, more efficient, and better at pushing down the air," according Monica Bowden, chief executive officer of Envira-North, the company that has licensed the WhalePower design.
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NYC Now Just One Giant Birth Control Pill
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 03. 4.08
With Earth’s population growing exponentially there’s certainly cause for alarm. But a pair of new studies suggests there may be a cure for overpopulation that’s been right under our noses all along; big cities. Of course they don’t lead to the same conclusions about the cause of the damping effect cities have on population growth, but that’s precisely what makes them so interesting to consider. And with the UN expecting that by 2030 the cities will contain roughly 60% of the world’s population, it could be that one of them actually sheds some light on the degree of population growth to come....
Vancouver’s Used Street Banners Transform to Shopping Bags
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 03. 4.08
Each year, the Commercial Drive Business Society in Vancouver hopes to draw shoppers to their destination by printing 256 32”x60” nylon street banners. The marketing tactic has proven to be a success, however, the Society has realized the huge amount of waste that has been produced from this yearly blitz. Therefore, they’ve come up with a solution that has not only utilized the banners in their afterlife, but assists in the development of new green spaces as well. ...
Thai Hotel Rooms Power Up Only When You're There
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 4.08
Gina Trapani, editor of Lifehacker, wrote about a trip she just took with some friends to Thailand. This in particular caught our eye:
At two of the three moderate to high-priced hotels I stayed at (between $26 and $80/night), the power was only on in your room when you were there. You'd have to place your room key in a slot to enable it. This is a pretty ingenious savings measure on the part of the hotel—electricity is expensive in Thailand, especially on the islands—but it means you can't leave on the A/C, or charge your gadgets while you're not in the room.Now why haven't the hotels here thought of that? ::Lifehacker...
Wayback Machine 1946: Airform House by Wallace Neff
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 4.08
Post World War II there were all kinds of experiments going on to accommodate the returning GIs and their new baby boom families. California architect Wallace Neff tied a Goodyear rubber balloon down to a concrete slab and sprayed it with concrete, then insulation, then more concrete. Result: the "Airform" house. According to the Washington Post:
Neff was an unlikely inventor of the modest bubble house. Grandson of the founder of Rand McNally, he grew up in luxury. As an architect he's best known for the Italian-style California mansions he designed for Hollywood's glitterati. Mary Pickford, Charlie Chaplin and C ary Grant all owned Neff-designed houses. ( Madonna and Brad Pitt are among more recent celebrities to own his work.)...
Bunny Scooter by Zoebuck Studio
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 4.08
Housing Slowdown Leads To Sawdust Shortage: Are Pellet Stoves and Cellulosic Ethanol Unsustainable Delusions?
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 4.08
Wall Street Journal documents sawdust price shock for us. Who knew there were so many North American supply chains depending on a byproduct of the US housing boom?The price of sawdust has soared since 2006, up from about $25 a ton to more than $100 in some markets. Blame the housing slump: Fewer new homes mean fewer trees cut for use in construction, which leads to less sawdust and other wood waste, driving up the price.Threatened by the higher costs are such saw dust uses as horse bedding, bedding for pets of all kinds, wine making, chicken producing, composting toilets, oil drilling, dairying, and uh ohhhh... ...
More Of The 10x10 Houses
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 4.08
Cameron Sinclair
We previously mentioned Design Indaba, where 10 architectural teams were challenged to "provide innovative and dynamic design solutions for the low-cost housing sector;" the first house by Luyanda Mpahlwa is under construction. (TreeHugger here, construction photos on dezeen here). Now we get to see some of the other entries, yet to be built....
Concrete Can Be Beautiful
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 4.08
joseph_beuys_hat
That is an odd title coming from this TreeHugger, who prefers "Sustainable Cement is Like Vegetarian Meatballs" Nonetheless when a building is made from such a long-lasting material the best thing to do is to maintain it well and use it for a long time. Concrete structures take a lot of energy to build, a lot to knock down, and the recycling value is negligible. So reuse it.
Stephen Bayley writes about Robin Hood Gardens and the nature of concrete, "the fashionable hate material of today." He notes that Alison and Peter Smithson's project was not a smashing success:"Alas, their architectural reach exceeded the grasp of the builders and Robin Hood Gardens suffered from the start with a singular lack of commodity and firmness. Worse, the unintelligent housing policies of Tower Hamlets populated Robin Hood Gardens with the tenants least likely to be able to make sensible use of the accommodation."...
Drinking with the Wind: Wind-Powered Seawater Desalination
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 4.08
Turning seawater into fresh water using windmills is nothing new. In most of the commercially available systems, the windmill produces electricity that is stored in batteries. When water is required, a high-pressure pump is activated to remove salt from the water via reverse-osmosis. It works, but converting wind into electricity, storing it, and then converting it back into mechanical work means that a lot of energy is lost. Also, batteries are expensive.
Students at the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in The Netherlands are trying to improve the process by making it more elegant: In their version, the windmill drives the high-pressure pump directly and it is fresh water that is stored instead of electricity (much lower cost)....
Embracing a Greener Way to Create Objects: Pablo Pineda Willis
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 4.08
Some designers just get that there is a greener way to do things. Greener materials, smarter manufacturing, and designing for efficiency longevity are a few of these hallmarks; they're all embraced by Oakville, Ontario (near Toronto)-based designer and furniture maker Pablo Pineda Willis. Take the Caitlina chair (pictured above), for example: the wood -- white oak -- is sourced locally from sustainable forests; the chair is constructed with non-toxic glues and finished with water-based lacquer.
He has an interesting take on sustainability: "We increasingly make objects that are worth less than ever before. In a one way conveyor belt, natural resources are being depleted to make objects that drift into landfill sites, piling up and often polluting...Instead of a conveyor belt system we must model our production methods on natural systems...". We like the conveyor belt metaphor, and are glad to see he's producing objects that won't be hopping off the end of the belt any time soon. Hit the jump to see more examples of his work. ::Pablo Pineda Willis via ::Design Spotter
See also: ::How to Green Your Furniture, ::BuyGreen: Dining Chairs and ::BuyGreen: Dining Tables...
Bird-Watching Book Traces History of the Hobby
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 03. 4.08
I've never been a bird-watcher, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I attended ornithological expert Scott Weidensaul’s discussion on his latest book, Of a Feather: A Brief History of American Birding. My superficial mind conjured up images of old white men with jeans tucked into socks, corncob pipes, and cargo vests. So when Weidensaul started off the lecture admitting the bird world to be a predominantly masculine one, I wasn’t shocked. As he trailed further down the timeline of rich ornithological history, however, plenty of strong women appeared as key figures in popularizing bird conservation and birding as both a sport and science....
Weird Unofficial Toyota Ads: "Well, at least he drives a Prius"
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 4.08
Tired of the same old ads that try to convince you that you are saving the Earth by driving a hybrid (newsflash: You're not. It's just less bad than most other cars available right now, and that's important, but lets keep things in perspective)? Well, these are certainly different. One shows a man getting rid of a body (composting it?) near a lake, with the caption: "Well, at least he drives a Prius." Another shows a man with a woman who we can assume is a prostitute, with the same text. The last one is a bit more ambiguous: Either it is a father who disapproves of his daughter's boyfriend but "at least he drives a Prius", or his wife is cheater on him with a hybrid-driver. You can see the other two lower in this post....
Big Steps in Building: Get Rid Of Those Radiator Fins
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 4.08
Studio Gang are very talented architects, and have shown that they know how to design for energy efficiency. and their Aqua project certainly is interesting. However every one of those balconies on each of eighty floors of highrise condos is a giant radiator fin, constantly losing heat to the cold Chicago winters. It isn't too terrific for comfort, either as the floors are freezing near the window walls and condensation can form on the ceiling. Hairline cracks due to thermal stress are also likely to form.
There are a few systems around that can provide a thermal break for a concrete cantilevered balcony, mostly from Europe, but they are expensive, a couple of hundred bucks a foot. One can see from the construction photos that they are probably not being used here....
Survey: Transit or Car In Your Future?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 4.08
Every day TreeHugger is filled with battery powered Mercedes or hydrogen powered road rockets as if these are the answers that will keep us humming. Everyone is investing in cars and the fuels or batteries that run them while $ 3.2 billion is being stripped from transit in the latest American budget. Margaret Thatcher once noted that "A man who, beyond the age of 26, finds himself on a bus can count himself as a failure." George Bush seems to agree. Do you?
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Ecocities of Tomorrow: Can Foster + Partners' Masdar City in U.A.E be Truly Sustainable?
by Jesse Fox, Tel Aviv, Israel on 03. 4.08
With over a third of the world's cranes hard at work building artificial islands, an underwater hotel, and the world's tallest building, biggest mall and most expensive airport, the United Arab Emirates has now turned it attention to building the world's most sustainable city. Masdar City, a $22 billion initiative to build a brand new, zero-emissions city for 50,000 from scratch in Abu Dhabi, got underway last month.
The ambitious project, planned by British firm Foster + Partners, was one of the first ecocity projects to receive widespread coverage in the mainstream press (see the Guardian and BusinessWeek's coverage of the initiative), and is supported by, among others, the World Wildlife Fund. Even George W. Bush has expressed interest in the project.
But can the media hype about Masdar City be true? TreeHugger put together a panel of experts to take a closer look. Here's what they had to say. ...
The Animals from Creature Comforts Save the Planet
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 4.08
Invest in Transit, not Cars, Says PIRG
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 4.08
Klaus Bürgle, Retro-futurismus
The U.S. federation of Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG) is releasing a report that criticizes the latest Bush budget, which moves $3.2 billion in transit money to, guess what, highways.
“We’ve got everything from worsening oil dependency and urban traffic congestion to rising gas prices and a booming demand for public transit,” said John Krieger, a transportation advocate at the group. “Moving in the wrong direction is tremendously irresponsible.” ::Wall Street Journal
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Stand By Your Ham: Dispatches From The End of Cheap Food
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 03. 4.08
Put a Cow In Your Tank
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 4.08
it doesn't sound nearly as catchy as the old Esso tiger in the tank, but this is for real. Evidently every cow that is slaughtered generates 200 pounds of tallow, which was used for frying and making food products until the transfat panic hit. Now Green Earth Technologies is turning it into motor oil. This seems like a good idea, particularly for all those two-stroke outboard motors still out there. Their chairman and CTO says "“Two-cycle engines are a significant source of air pollution, Our 2-cycle oil will have an immediate positive effect on the air that American gardeners and recreational engine users are breathing in their backyard while they trim their hedges and mow their lawns."
They are a bit over the top with their buzzwords like "Save the Earth- Sacrifice Nothing" and "TOTALLY GREEN products made entirely from American Grown Base Oils that now puts the power of patent pending nanotechnology (doing more with less) and dehydrogenation into the hands of environmentally concerned consumers everywhere."- changing your oil is not changing the world, but it is a start. ::Sustainable is Good...
S.E.E.ing Change on Water Sustainability
by Marian Hopkins, Business Roundtable on 03. 4.08
While 70 percent of the world’s surface is covered by water, it is estimated that only 1 percent of those total water resources is available for human use. Currently, between 500 million and 2 billion people are living in conditions of water stress. It is estimated that this number will rise to about 5.5 billion people by 2025.
Meanwhile, experts expect water use to increase by 22 percent over the next two decades.
These numbers should scare us all.
The business community has a responsibility to address the growing global challenges posed by water scarcity and water quality—both because water-related risks are significant for business and because we take our social responsibility seriously. Eight percent of U.S. energy demand is used to treat, pump and heat water. American businesses help confront the worldwide water crisis in the same ways we address energy efficiency: by bringing innovation and management discipline to reduce each company's water footprint and to maximize business opportunities to deliver enhanced quality and quantity of water.
...Battery Empowered: USBCELL Wins Two Awards in One Week
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 03. 4.08
That small rechargeable battery, yes the one you can charge from the side of your computer, is having quite big a week. Having come away with a UK Energy Efficiency Award in December praise for the ingenuity of the USBCELL has been flooding in, culminating this week with two more prestigious awards. Last Wednesday Simon Daniel, co-designer of the USBCELL, was awarded New Energy Entrepreneur of the Year and this afternoon it was announced that USBCELL has won Gold in the IF Product Design Awards at the Cebit conference in Germany. Simon Daniel is particularly excited about this award because as he says:...
World’s Biggest Green Drinks - Melbourne, Australia
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 03. 4.08
Melbourne is arguable the sporting capital of Australia. Plant competitive species of grass in two halves of a stadium, and in a day the the city would’ve sold out of tickets to watch which would grow the fastest. So it should come as no surprise that the Victorian branch of the 02 Global Network wasn’t going to let New York retain the record for the most attendees to a Green Drinks event: 900 people! A mere trifling.
So at last months Sustainable Living Festival (we’ve previously mentioned these here), they rallied together a venue by BMW Edge Theatre, music by Dr Detroit and libacious liquids and eco eatstuffs from a host of supporters, including two old faves; Mountain Goatorganic beer and the 100 Mile Cafe. Such enticements brought a whopping 1,700 people out of the woodwork. Three Cheers! Have one on us. That's one big green party....
Dry Leaf: An Eco-Skate Prototype with Innovative Materials from Brazil
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 03. 4.08
Brazilian innovation group Let’s EVO and materials developer Fibra Sustainable Design have joined forces to create a sustainable skateboard. We’ve seen green skates before (Arbor’s and Sector 9’s are some examples), but besides this one being one of the first to be developed in Latin America, it was built with innovative materials developed by Fibra.
The cover layers are from Papunha Veneer, produced from the waste of the sustainable palm-heart industry. The second layer is a composite formed by 70% natural fibers (jute, malva and curaua) and 30% post-production recycled polypropylene. The natural fibers of this material are also produced on a fair trade model. Finally, the heart of the board is from 3-ply Organic Mosso Bamboo, grown without chemicals and in a sustainable model.
All of these materials are bonded with a vegetable-based adhesive extracted from species like castor oil plant, soy and corn.
Keep reading for more and a close up on how these materials look....
Corn Shuckin' Awe: Vote For It And They Will Come
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 4.08
May not be long before a bad summer drought in the corn belt leads to radical gasoline price hikes - as early as this summer if La Niña holds up. The risk offers the prospect of a fantastic 2008 election season. With corn providing 6% or more of gasoline, drought in the corn belt will cause gas prices to soar; citizens will be angry, and politicians will have no one to blame but themselves - or the oil companies! Read the full article for some sage insights from Lester Brown.
Economists are cautioning that the nation's growing dependence on corn would make for a double jolt in the event of a drought across the Midwest: soaring prices not just for food but also for gasoline. Analysts now warn that a "corn shock" might not be far off -- and it could lead to $5 gas and $3.50 eggs as the effects reverberate across the economy. "We are replacing price volatility from the Middle East with Midwestern weather price volatility," said Michael Swanson, a Wells Fargo & Co. vice president and agricultural economist....
Garden Art
by Bonnie Alter, London on 03. 4.08
Kazuhito Takadoi considers himself a gardener and an artist. From the vegetation grown in his small garden he creates pictures using leaves, twigs and grasses. He sews the grasses when partially dry through handmade japanese paper. The plants are still alive whilst he is working with them and they change colours as they dry in the frame. He is fascinated by shadows and decay. Being a minimalist, he never uses flowers which he finds too sentimental. The composition of his works show this; with titles such as stones, moss, bud and drops. The work is very clean and spare with a contemporary and japanese aesthetic.
He finds all of the materials in his back garden as well as in an allotment garden which he has taken on. There is a wonderful video accompanying the exhibition which shows the artist working there. He carefully separates out the grasses when he is ready to use them. He takes out the dead leaves and then puts them into piles according to their colours and shades. The artist studied horticulture first, worked as a gardener and then went to art school. :: The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation...
Shunning Sugar From GMO Sugar Beets?
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 03. 4.08
These Sugar City, Colo. sugar beet workers likely didn't worry about glyphosate illness.
The Interfaith Center For Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) wants a cross-section of mega-corporations including PepsiCo, McDonald's and Hershey's to shun the spring 2008 crop of genetically engineered sugar beets. ICCR says the US Environmental Protection Agency's recent decision to increase the "acceptable limit" by a factor of 5,000 of the herbicide glyphosate allowed to be sprayed on the crop of glyphosate-resistant genetically modified food crop is...well, irresponsible. Problems documented in glyphosate-heavy spraying areas include frog mutations and difficulty for plant roots to "fix" nitrogen, as well as glyphosate-resistant weeds. In California, glyphosate is the third most common cause of pesticide illness in farm workers.
GMO sugar beet seeds, supplied by Monsanto, have an inserted gene to make the plant resistant to the company's Roundup herbicide, based on glyphosate. Monsanto already once postponed intro of the sugar beet, ready since 2004, when candy makers and other companies fretted that consumers would reject products with sugar from the beets. ICCR isn't the only group against the introduction of the modified beets - the Sierra Club and the Center for Food Safety have filed a suit in San Francisco alleging that the GMO beets will eventually spread genetic material to organic beet seed crops. Via ::Infoshop News and ICCR web site...
Dutch Town of Venlo Goes Cradle to Cradle
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 03. 4.08
We heard a rumour that an entire town in the Netherlands had adopted McDonough and Braungart’s concept of Cradle to Cradle. Not really knowing what to expect we visited the Dutch town called Venlo in the province of Limburg.
What we experienced was awe-inspiring. Cradle to Cradle was everywhere, or rather, in everybody’s mouth since it is a little too early to see the practical results of this endorsement. From businessmen to young designers and even the bar keeper- everybody in Venlo knows about Cradle to Cradle and people are very enthusiastic about the new approach to making things. It feels like Michael Braungart, who is now a regular visitor in Venlo, infected the town with Cradle to Cradle thinking and faith. And why not? As the Venlonians say, it’s a great tool for innovation that also makes sense economically, while saving out planet and the future generations. We spoke to Harry Loozen, Director of the Chamber of Commerce, whose enthusiasm was very inspiring. He told us that the whole project started when a Dutch TV channel broadcasted about Cradle to Cradle in 2006. Since then, the small Dutch town has turned itself into a pioneering ground for ‘rethinking the way we make things’....
Mercedes-Benz to Produce Hybrid with Lithium Ion Battery
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 03. 4.08
Late last week Mercedes-Benz unveiled plans for the S400 BlueHybrid which, "unless someone else jumps in first. . .will be the first production automotive hybrid in the world to use a lithium ion battery." We first covered the concept in September, but now more details have become available. The vehicle will be powered by a 3.5 Liter V-6 gas engine and a 15KW electric generator/motor. In concept models shown previously, the lithium ion battery (which is significantly smaller than the nickel-metal hydride (NIMH) batteries hybrids currently use) was "small enough to be mounted under-hood so that it doesn't intrude on trunk space." This has several advantages, including enabling engineers to " integrate the battery with the vehicle climate control system to regulate its temperature ensuring optimal performance."
Of course, given that the S400 is a large, heavy, powerful vehicle, even with the lithium ion/hybrid drivetrain the BlueHybrid will not be the most efficient vehicle on the road. Just what kind of mileage will it get? Find out after the fold....
Most Huggable: Shopping Green, Carbon-Subtracting Products, Reflections on Solar + More
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 03. 3.08
Thanks to thepurplebook green, shopping for green online has never been better.
Geothermal energy: it ain't sexy buy it sure is smart.
The first "carbon-subtracting" labeled products have been announced.
Will the EPA boss resign as a result of his denial Of California emissions waiver? Stay tuned.
Get reflections on the sunny side of the solar world from an industry insider....
TH Forums Highlights: Next Green Revolution, Solar for Trailers + More
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 3.08
1) Forums user Ian Gordon notes, "On page 67 of the latest Economist magazine features an article entitled the next green revolution. As you might expect it lauds the likes of Monsanto and includes the opinions Brett Begemann and David Fischhoff of Monsanto, Thomas West of DuPont's Hi-Bred (another chemical seed corp), Ian Ferguson of Tate and Lyle (an industrial food producer) and Cropnosis an agro-industry consultancy in the pay of, you guessed it, the big agrobusiness combines." The article seems pretty biased, from where Ian Gordon is sitting, but there are always two sides to every story...
2) User nolakate is looking for some solar and green building experts: "i am purchasing a manufactured (trailer) home on the coast of south carolina and trying to keep future electric costs down as i am retired. i plan to have solar bubbles (skylights) installed, a tankless water heater, and putting ceramic tile on the front (south facing) part of the flooring for passive solar. i really would like to do solar panels, but don't know if they would be practical and able to recoup the cost." Anyone?
3) Lastly, Forums user stevenchen18 is looking for a way for the suburbs and tree farms to co-exist: "it is very hard for a farm/tree farm to survive in a urban or suburban setting due to high land prices. That is why they are going away fast. (Forums user) CarolinaJim is the owner of a tree farm in the suburban of Swansboro, NC. He said he will keep the tree farm as long as he is alive. I told him that one tree farm is not enough. He needs to develop a successful model so that other urban/suburban farm/tree farm can stay." What do you think: Are tree farms worth saving?
The Go Green Initiative's School of the Week: Grand Prairie High School in Grand Prairie, TX!
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 03. 3.08
As the saying goes, "Everything's bigger in Texas," and Grand Prairie High School's environmental program is no exception. Their AP Environmental Science class has been busy charting a greener path towards environmental stewardship since 1998. And this year’s class has put together the "Gophers Go for Greater Green Challenge!" to leave their mark on their community and the planet. ...
More Than Just Lighting: Lamps by Karo Klipps
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 3.08
What would it look like if a lamp met up with a coat rack and had a lovechild? How about a cup holder and a mail holder? German design student Karo Klipps has the answer with "Stummer Leuchter" (above, left) and "Knicklicht," two hybrid objects that allow your everyday floor lamp to do a little more. And you don't have to decide whether to turn on the lights or hang up your jacket.
The thing that strikes us about this is the simplicity with which extra function was added to the design; just a turn here and squiggle there, and the lamps do something totally different. It makes us think: What else in our home is just a slight modification away from having dual functions? It might not beat the lamp/sweeper combination, but we still think this guy would want one. Hit the jump to get up close & personal with the designs. ::Burg-Halle (in German) via ::designklub...
How Planned Obsolescence Can Be Good for the Planet
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 3.08
The case has been made both for and against a certain iconic cell phone being the last one you'll ever buy (hint: it starts with "i" and ends with "Phone"), and, while early returns are mixed, it's too early to tell if this will be true (though we doubt it). In the meantime, everyone still has a cell phone that will get broken, donated, traded in, thrown away, recycled or otherwise replaced within the next 18 months or so (on average). No matter how you slice it, that's a lot of plastic and other miscellanea that will eventually end up downcycled or in the landfill.
An organization called The Greener Grass thinks they have a solution for this. Inspired by January's Greener Gadgets Conference, they've dreamed up LINC, a smart phone with all the advanced capabilities -- cell phone, a media player, a web browser, GPS, downloadable content, Bluetooth, wifi, etc. -- of today's smartphones, with one twist....
Green Eyes On: Detoxing Our Homes
by Sara Snow on 03. 3.08
Last week and the Friday prior, I kicked off a radio tour to support the Detox Your Home feature currently running on PlanetGreen.com. I talked to millions of listeners and spoke with radio reporters, deejays, and show hosts across the country during the course of a couple days. I actually did one interview in an elevator shaft as I was trying to find my way to a magazine shoot location! (Check out the May issue of Natural Health magazine for a glimpse of where I was heading. Hint: It’ll be the cover story!)...
Today on Planet Green
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 3.08
:: Find out how bringing your own lunch to work could make you a winner.
:: Buy a tweezer and have a tree planted in return.
:: How do games like Wii Sports and Dance Dance Revolution stack up next to traditional exercise?
:: Have Emeril solve your cooking challenges on his new show.
:: Lloyd lists some of the surprising benefits of taking public transport.
:: Make a quick cauliflower and white bean salad.
:: Don't have the time, energy, or expertise to sell your unneeded possessions online? Help is on its way.
:: Discover why dressing your baby in hand-me-downs could be one of the smartest decisions you'll ever make.
:: Take the pledge to change a light and change the world.
:: Cleaning the inside of your microwave couldn't be easier with this non-toxic shortcut....
Emily Katz Fall 2008 Collection
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 3.08
Help Wanted: TreeHugger is Looking for a Full-time Alternative Energy Writer
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 03. 3.08
As the Web’s leading destination for green news and lifestyle coverage, TreeHugger is constantly seeking to increase the quality of our content and our talent pool. Right now, that means hiring a full-time writer to cover alternative energy. We are looking for someone who has in-depth knowledge and passion about this topic, can identify and explore current and emerging trends, understands science and policy, understands how clean tech relates to the average consumer and household, and can communicate it all clearly to TreeHugger’s diverse audience. Does this like sound like you or someone you know? Then, keep reading, because we also offer a $200 referral reward if you connect us with a successful long-term hire.
The ideal candidate for this position will: ...
Greenwash Watch: "Eat Whale and Save the Planet"
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.08
The Norwegian-based High North Alliance represents the interests of coastal communities in the Arctic and supports whaling. They are taking a cue from the Fur is Green and calling whale meat environmentally friendly. Their survey suggests that kilo (2.2 lbs) of whale meat represented just 1.9 kilo (4.2 lbs) of greenhouse gases against 15.8 for beef, 6.4 for pork and 4.6 for chicken.
Rune Froevik of the Alliance says "Basically it turns out that the best thing you can do for the planet is to eat whale meat compared to other types of meat...Greenhouse gas emissions caused by one meal of beef are the equivalent of eight meals of whale meat" One can of course be single-minded and think that all that matters in the world is carbon dioxide, forgetting that there are other issues like species extinction and morality. ::Reuters.
Very surprisingly, TreeHugger hero Tim Flannery had this to say about the subject a couple of years ago:...
Video: Robert Scoble Rides in Tesla Electric Roadster with Elon Musk
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 3.08
Famous blogger Robert Scoble was hanging out with Jason Calacanis (of Weblogs Inc. fame, among other things) when they met up with Tesla Motors chairman and investor Elon Musk. They had their video-capable cellphones, he had his production Tesla (we wrote about it here), so Scoble ended up in the passenger seat of the electric Roadster and interviewed Elon.
The video is embedded in the post below along with a few photos take by Scoble (warning: geeky dialogue, dark video, and you might get motion sickness. Also contains many instances of Scoble's trademark laugh). ...
Event: Green Walking Tour of Lower Manhattan, March 8, NYC
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 3.08
Photo credit: Nicole Marti
Trace the changing face of urban environmentalism on a tour of historic lower Manhattan with Bob Gelber, founder of Walkin' New York and a native New Yorker. On this 90-minute tour, you'll learn about New York City's community gardens, open spaces, and waterfronts, as well as its eco-friendly commercial, residential, and retail buildings.
Plus, visit a "living green" public memorial and come to understand what it takes to create a greater, greener New York.
Purchase tickets online for $17 each. ::Walkin' New York ...
"Green" McMansions Torched in Seattle
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.08
Street of Dreams is a type of home show where builders go all out to build jazzy homes that are used for fund-raising and then sold. Often over-the-top McMansions, the 2007 Seattle Street of Dreams was built to more "modest" scales of between 4,200 and 4,750 square feet and were certified through Built Green, a Seattle area green builders initiative. One home, the Urban Lodge, had Five Star certification and was also Gold under the new NAHB certification program.
But evidently not green enough for some; last night they were bombed and three of them burned to the ground. The fourth was spared because the arson device failed to go off. ...
A Picture is Worth... Polar Bear Knut is 1 Year Old
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 3.08
Maybe we should start a "Where are they now?" series... Remember Knut? Not so long ago he looked like this and this (aaaaaw, cute!).
He's still in the Berlin zoo, but he's changed quite a bit: now one year old, he weights about 300 pounds, has six-inch claws and very sharp fangs. To better compare, you can see another photo of baby Knut lower in this post.
Unfortunately, polar bears as a species are facing big challenges. For more on the subject, see: ::US Proposes to List the Polar Bear as an Endangered Species, ::Follow the Ice and Save the Polar Bears, ::Living on Thin Ice: The Observer on Polar Bears’ PR Image....
Denial-a-palooza in New York
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.08
Oh, to be a fly on the wall at the International Conference on Climate Change in New York right now. "Hundreds of the world's leading scientists, economists, and policy analysts will come together to explore key issues overlooked by advocates of the theory of man-made global warming." Even the Wall Street Journal notes that "many in the blogosphere consider global-warming skeptics like those on parade in midtown Manhattan to be at best flat-earthers and, at worst, paid shills for the oil industry."
Desmogblog has put together briefing notes on many of the presenters at the conference, including TreeHugger faves like Myron Ebell of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (remember CO2- We call it Life?) and various other resumé-padders and cranks. Full coverage at ::Desmogblog...
Quote of the Day: Lisa Kogan on Environmental Arithmetic
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 3.08
Photo credit: John Ritter
I like a plastic bag and a bottle of water as much as the next self-involved me monkey, but it takes 430,000 gallons of oil to manufacture 100,000,000 grocery bags, and if I were capable of doing even the most basic arithmetic I'd say—well, who are we kidding? I'm not capable of doing even the most basic arithmetic—just know that we're in great danger of making Al Gore really, really mad.
—Advice columnist Lisa Kogan in the March 2008 issue of O the Oprah Magazine...
10,000 "Black Car" Taxis to Go Hybrid in New York City
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 3.08
After turning yellow taxis green, New York City is now announcing that it wants to make black cars greener. There are currently about 10,000 of these large sedans (mostly Lincoln Town Cars) that primarily service corporate clients and they emit 272,000 tons of CO2 equivalents annually, not to mention smog-forming emissions. Michael Bloomberg, New York's mayor, wants to cut their greenhouse gas emissions by half and at the same time improve air quality.
Currently, most black cars average 12-15 miles per gallon (15-20 liters/100 km). Under the new Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) regulation, they would need to get 25 mpg (9.4 liter/100 km) in 2009 and 30 mpg (7.8 liter/100 km) in 2010. "Many black cars line up, idling in front of office buildings in Midtown and Lower Manhattan awaiting customers. With hybrid powertrains, the engines will shut down instead. [...] Hybrid cars will save owner-operator drivers upwards of $5,000 per year in gasoline expenses—approximately 50% of their current fuel costs. These savings will allow drivers to cover, in just one year, the additional cost of purchasing a new hybrid car over the currently used Lincoln Town Car."...
Len-Tex's Surface iQ Wallcoverings Earns Cradle to Cradle Certification
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 3.08
Joining gDiapers, the US Postal Service and more, Surface iQ's commercial wallcoverings have earned Cradle to Cradle certification. The only printed commercial grade wallcovering to have earned this certification, Surface iQ's products have an impressive green résumé; non-PVC composition (recall some of PVC's evils from TreeHugger TV) free of elemental chlorine, formaldehyde and halogenated fire-retardants (the kind mentioned in the recent furniture toxicity report) top the list....
Hydrogen-Powered Lifecar Set to be Unveiled at Geneva Motor Show
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 03. 3.08
Image courtesy of Morgan Motor Company
Another day, another sleek new hydrogen-fueled concept car unveiled: this one, the Lifecar, is a £1.9m joint project between the British government and Morgan Motor Company - we first reported on it here - that promises to be the ultimate "green" sports car. It will be officially rolled out at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, which will be held from March 6 - 16....
Appear on Emeril Green
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 3.08
Have Chef Emeril Lagasse solve your greatest cooking challenges! Do you love to cook but have trouble hard boiling an egg? Are you tired of making the same three chicken dishes every week? After a big night out, is it tough for you to make heads or tails of what's in the fridge? Are you wondering how you can do your part to be eco-friendly while still deep frying your turkey?
We are casting enthusiastic and fun people with creative and interesting kitchen challenges for our new show, Emeril Green, to air on Planet Green beginning in July. This could be your chance to receive cooking tips and recipes tailored specifically to your needs by Emeril Lagasse, one of America's most-beloved chefs.
We are actively searching for real people with real cooking dilemmas: Please e-mail your basic information (name, address, age, occupation), your culinary challenge, and a recent picture to foodshowcasting [at] gmail [dot] com....
Cyclist Spontaneously Combusts (?!): "a flaming human torch cycling along the road"
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 3.08
Is this real? Apparently a Polish man, Mieczyslaw Jasinski, 55, caught fire while cycling. We don't know how fast he was going, but he told doctors he smelt burning and looked down to see his trousers had caught fire. He jumped off his bike and rolled on the ground trying to douse the flames but suffered second degree burns to his legs, back and stomach.
"Passers-by spotted him lying at the side of the road in Koroszczyn, still smoking from the tattered remains of his trousers and groaning in pain.
A police spokesman said: 'Witnesses said he was like a flaming human torch cycling along the road.'"
One hypothesis so far is that the fire could have been caused by a reaction between sweat, the material in his trousers, and friction. We don't think you have to worry too much about this happening to you, but if you feel intense heat down there, it's probably time to take a breather. ::Cyclist’s Trousers Burst Into Flames, ::Hot pants, via :: Cyclist spontaneoulsy combusts. See also: ::World Record: Mark Beaumont Circles the Globe on his Bike in 195 Days...
Best of New York Gift Fair: PULP
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.08
Jasmin covered the New York Gift Fair like a blanket, but somehow missed Umbra's PULP bulletin board, made from reprocessed paper with a recyclable paperboard frame, designed by Adin Mumma. Umbra has introduced quite a few environmentally correct products, perhaps trying to compensate for years of peddling Karim Rashid's polypropylene chairs and wastebaskets. ::Umbra via ::Apartment Therapy See also Umbra Store Lit by Compact Fluorescents...
It Slices, It Dices: Bookseat -- Take a Seat, Read a Book
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 3.08
The idea of combining a chair and a bookshelf makes a lot of sense to us; since we spend most (if not all) of our reading time seated, it follows that we should have ready access to our reading material. We've seen a few of these ideas before -- check out the geometric Bibliochaise and multi-functional Bookinist, which includes a reading lamp, cup holder, and even a wheel for easy moving -- and now add Bookseat, from Toronto-based Fishbol Design Atelier, to the growing list.
Noted as one of the "Ten Must-Sees" at the recent Toronto Interior Design Show 2008, Bookseat combines suavely-bent plywood with smart use of space to create an elegant, useful piece. It'll be available with a felt cushion in customizable colors sometime this spring. Hit the jump to see the chair in various stages of production and at the show. ::Fishbol Design Atelier via ::Design Spotter...
How Canada Muzzles Its Scientists
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.08
DeSmogBlog proudly presents the new Canadian government policy to muzzle the staff at Environment Canada, who might say something that the Minister of the Environment or the Prime Minister disagree with. I love how the staff will now "respond with approved lines."
So when the government is not dumping its science advisors and firing its nuclear regulators, it is duct-taping the mouths of the experts still on the payroll, "To improve service to media by coordinating responses and ensuring that appropriate spokespeople are speaking to issues." -George Orwell couldn't have said it better. ::DesmogBlog; full PDF of Media Relations Protocol...
Stirling Engine Cools Computer
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.08
Video: A Race to Zero Waste with Knoend's lite2go
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 3.08
Wayback Machine 1958: Geoengineering
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.08
click here for full size
We have shown quite a few wild and crazy geoengineering ideas before, but it appears that they go way back. Fifty years Arthur Radebaugh proposed it for heating, not cooling:
In time, huge solar mirrors five or more miles in diameter may be used to reflect radiation of the sun to specific areas on earth to increase evaporation and to prevent crop-killing frosts.::Paleofuture...
Confessions of a Closet Environmentalist Hosts Carnival of the Green
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 03. 3.08
This week is Carnival of the Green # 117 and it's being hosted by Confessions of a Closet Environmentalist, a blog featuring a couple of environmental minded students setting out to live sustainably on a student budget. So head on over to their site to check out a round up of green news and events from the past few weeks, submitted by other bloggers and green sites.
To learn more about Carnival of the Green, where it will be and how to host (we are now booking into 2009!), please click here to link to our previous post....
CleanTech Investments in India Increased by 58% in 2007
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 3.08
With all the attention going to China these days, sometimes we forget about the other fast-changing giant. Some good news: the Cleantech Group presented a new report titled "Cleantech India Venture Capital and Private Equity Investment" at the Cleantech Forum in San Francisco. They found that investment in cleantech firms in the country has increased by 58% in 2007, bringing the total to $210 million, compared to $133 million in 2006.
The dilemma is that there is a pressing need to increase the standard of living of millions of Indians, and just getting electricity to them would be a big improvement. But the Indian power grid is very dirty, with some of the worse coal plant around. So new investments and new technologies will be required to leapfrog over the temptation of adding more very dirty power generation. The lower the cost of clean technologies become, the more they will be adopted in developing countries. ::Cleantech on the Verge of an Explosion in India. See also: ::Solar Pyramids Being Built in India, ::Bio-Digesters in India...
Are Ceramic Cups Greener Than Disposables?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.08
It is a question that TreeHugger has been looking at for years; Warren previously reported on a Dutch study that demonstrated that I have to drink a lot of coffee out of my ceramic We Are Happy To Serve You cup (full disclosure: it was designed and is sold by Graham Hill) to beat out the paper or polystyrene one. Now a new study from the University of Victoria confirms it....
Wayback Machine 1951: Marcel Breuer's Trailer House
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.08
Marcel Breuer was not too crazy about the instructions from client Sidney Wolfson: Design a structure that integrates a 1948 Royal Mansion Spartan Trailer. But he took the job and successfully pulled off this architectural mashup that predates the current rage for integrating trailers and containers by sixty years, and provides a great example of repurposing and reuse....
Noise Levels Driving Cairo Residents Crazy
by Jesse Fox, Tel Aviv, Israel on 03. 3.08
Traffic in Cairo (left) and "no beeping" signs (right).
Anyone who has ever visited Egypt has doubtless noticed that Egyptians have developed a particular national driving style: instead of putting their hands at the 10 and 2 position on the wheel, drivers generally put one hand on the wheel and the other on the horn - the optimal position for continuous beeping. Beeping and other noise pollution has gotten so out of control in Cairo that, according to a 2007 study, living in the center of the city is the same as living inside a factory in terms of noise levels. Says Dr. Mohammed el-Shazly of Cairo University: The noise in Cairo is exceptional - it cannot be compared to any other Arab city....
Survey: Tell us about Tenure
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.08
There is no question that when you rent, you have fewer options for making your accommodations more sustainable than if you own. On the other hand, you are probably living in less space in a multi-unit building and using fewer resources per person than an owner in a single-family home. As our new guide for How to Go Green: Rentals notes- "The smaller your house or apartment, the less energy is needed to heat and light it, and the smaller its physical footprint on the land will be." So how do you live?
...
Verdant Vocations: A Real Estate Agent?
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 03. 3.08
Here’s the fourth in our series of posts about that third of our day spent beavering away at our chosen craft.
[Verdant: green, lush, rich
Vocation: calling, life's work, mission, purpose, function; profession, occupation, career, job, employment, trade, business, line, line of work, métier.]
A Green Real Estate Agent might:...
Radiohead's Thom Yorke Asks For Bigger, Binding CO2 Cuts
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 03. 3.08
One of the unfortunate secrets behind the EU's recent directive to cut CO2 emissions 20 percent by 2020 is that adopting the directive doesn't mean countries will face penalties for failing to comply. Radiohead's Thom Yorke and Friends of the Earth (FOE) have been running a BigAsk campaign for the last two years in the UK to thus ask the government to take up binding short-term targets for CO2 reductions. FOE says short-term targets help politicians get the ball rolling now instead of saving the heavy lifting for later years, and that BigAsk's efforts have helped lead to draft legislation expected this summer in the UK with year by year CO2 emissions reductions in Britain.
So the campaign was launched last week in 16 other European nations, including Denmark, Sweden and Finland in Scandinavia all the way down to Spain and Malta in southern Europe. FOE says targets should be closer to 30 percent reductions by 2020 and 90 percent by 2050.
Yorke said at the Brussels launch, "We will never wake from the nightmare of climate change unless our national governments and the European Union act. They are the only ones who can put the structures in place that will help us tackle climate change."...
Ulster Bank Offers UK's First Solar Mortgage
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 03. 3.08
We’ve heard rumors of 40% cuts in the cost of solar and claims of the imminent arrival of $1-a-watt solar technology, but the fact remains that going solar remains a significant investment (in fact, the Photovoltaics Economics Calculator can help you find out exactly how much it'll cost you). As solar becomes more popular and more desirable, it is inevitable that financial service providers will start offering solutions to make it more accessible too. The Ulster Bank in Northern Ireland has just launched the UK’s first solar mortgage, offering a 50% reduction in the bank’s standard variable rate for three years to help finance the cost of solar panels:
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Crazy Weather Causes Tornado in Buenos Aires
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 03. 3.08
(Picture: Francisca Steverlynck for La Nacion.) In the middle of a crazy-weather week with unstoppable rain and flooding in various areas of Buenos Aires, two waterspouts (tornado-like shapes over water) formed yesterday over the Rio de la Plata River, 200 meters from the coast. A very rare phenomenon for the area that left locals amazed and wondering.
Even though local press and specialists did not link the event to climate change, it happened after one of the hottest summers in history and it was the second rare incident related to Buenos Aires weather in less than a year. The previous was the first snowfall in almost 90 years, which took place last July (our coverage here).
Keep reading for more....
My Organics Are Bigger than Yours
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 03. 3.08
Italian organic lentils, via Chiara S. on Flickr.
Many biodynamic moons ago we reported that Australia had the world’s largest area of organically farmed land. That remains the case three years on. But so does the caveat that it is mostly due to that land being for very low-intensity animal grazing. But a publication entitled The World of Organic Agriculture: Statistics and Emerging Trends 2007, finds other ways to measure a countries contribution to the growth in organic agriculture.
Editors Helga Willer and Minou Yuseffi have rustled up a huge ste of stats from around the world to shed some light on the topic. Turns out that Liechtenstein has the most area of organically farmed land, as a percentage (27.9 %) of the country’s total agricultural land. Almost twice of the next nearest, Austria. Mexico romps home in first place with the biggest number of organic farms (83,174), roughly double the trailing countries. ...
Lights Out Ladies: Brightly-Lit Neighbourhoods Associated With Breast Cancer
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 03. 3.08
Women who live in well-lit neighborhoods are at a greater risk for developing breast cancer than those who live in darker areas, find Israeli scientists.
The clincher is that energy efficient lightbulbs may be a culprit too, they write in the journal Chronobiology International. Time to go back to the Dark Ages?
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Greenwich Ecology Park
by Bonnie Alter, London on 03. 3.08
This magical and wild garden is a secret haven. Located in a place forgotten by everyone and dominated by industry in the early 1900's, the lands were then left derelict when the industries departed a century later. Being just off the banks of the Thames River, they were slowly reclaimed as marsh. About ten years ago the area started being redeveloped for condominiums (what else) and the Millennium Dome and happily a government agency bought the land in 1997. They set in place a massive regeneration project. This included restoration of parts of the riverbank and the creation of the Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park as a freshwater habitat.
The park has an inner lake and an outer lake. Newish apartments overlook the outer one, which is almost like a canal, and provide an urban contrast to the wild vegetation. There are all kinds of wildlife and specially designed bird hides allow visitors to watch the many different species, both local and visiting, without disturbing them. The vegetation includes wild flowers and plants and grasses native to marshy areas. There is ongoing management of the planting to ensure that the marshes do not become overgrown with invasive weeds and to maintain the plant and animal diversity. It is a good example of a successful government initiative to raise awareness of the environment in the midst of an urban landscape. :: Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park...
Michael Pollan: Read it and Eat!
by Jenna Watson, Barcelona on 03. 3.08
Image credit: Max Meyers.
I had the great honour of seeing Michael Pollan on the only Canadian stop of his book tour for In Defense of Food. I also had the pleasure of sharing the experience with Planet Green’s resident foodie, Kelly Rossiter. If you haven’t already, you can read Lloyd’s book review that succinctly sums up the how Michael Pollan thinks we should eat.
I won’t get into the nitty gritty details of every single word he said, but he was inspiring, engaging, funny and real. A must-see if you have the opportunity. One of the interesting points he makes is our lack of “food culture” in North America. We eat to get nutrients and "fuel-up", instead of eating to enjoy time with our families and savour the flavours of the stuff we put in our mouths. His eloquent words really made me think......
Global Weirding: Frost Damage Casts Long Shadow
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 03. 3.08
In early April of 2007, Nebraska, Maryland, South Carolina, and Texas experienced unusual weather. Two weeks of warmth was followed by a sudden freeze. The cold snap killed the new leaves, flowers, and shoots that had just emerged.
According to an article published in this month's issue of BioScience, the damage from out of season frost and warm weather not only results in the dieback of new growth, but could also alter the carbon balance of the region. The damaged tissue can't be reabsorbed, and the lack of growth results in an altered nutrient cycle for the region. The authors also suggest that the rising carbon dioxide level in the atmosphere itself can actually reduce the ability of some plants to withstand frost damage in the first place.
The authors suggest this type of event should not be viewed as an isolated incident, but a realistic aspect of climate change for the near future.
:: EurekaAlert...
Mexico's CEMEX Solidifies Carbon Credit Niche
by Eliza Barclay, Washington, D.C. on 03. 2.08
Last year, we noted that Mexico's oil monopoly Pemex was investigating opportunities to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions under the Clean Development Mechanism, a pollutant trading system mandated under the Kyoto Protocol.
Another one of Mexico's biggest companies is also becoming a significant player in the CDM game. CEMEX, a multinational producer of cement and other building materials with headquarters in Monterrey, Mexico, is planning to develop $120 million in carbon credits via renewable energy projects, energy efficiency, and other CO2 emission reduction projects by 2012, according to Alto Nivel, an online Mexican business magazine....
Arctic Ice Cap Could be Gone by the Summer
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 03. 2.08
Image courtesy of ashfay via flickr
How low will they go? Putting a date on the melting of the Arctic ice cap has been a popular prediction game among scientists of late; in recent months, we've heard estimates ranging from 2030 to as early as 2013. The latest salvo comes courtesy of Xinhua, which reports that Olav Orheim, the head of the Norwegian International Polar Year Secretariat, is placing his money on this summer. ...
A Match Made in Hell: Excess Carbon Dioxide and Air Pollution
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 03. 2.08
Image courtesy of Nagyman via flickr
A new study by Stanford University atmospheric scientist Mark Jacobson has revealed that worsening air pollution and higher carbon dioxide emissions go hand-in-hand - the results suggest intensifying global warming will increase the number of smog-related deaths. As reported by Science's Eli Kintisch, Jacobson's climate model examined air-ocean interactions and simulated the distribution of the most commonly occurring pollutants in cities. ...
New Lighting and Accessories from Kenneth Cobonpue
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 03. 2.08
Bringing his love of organic shapes, penchant for weaving and use of sustainable materials to a new collection, Kenneth Cobonpue's lighting and accessories carefully mix artful forms and spare designs to create a modern, fun feel. Kris Kros, pictured above, include a wall lamp (on the left), a pear-shaped pendant (right) and a room dividing screen (below the fold) that are created when bamboo twigs are tied to randomly-welded metal frame.
Cobonpue includes a handful of other pretty interesting designs in this collection, from rattan lamps whose colors are inspired by spiders and insects to a light inspired by jellyfish and sea anemones; hit the jump to see pics of some that caught our eye. ::HIVE via ::MoCo Loco
See also: ::Easy Armchair by Kenneth Cobonpue...
Health Care Without Harm: a Hippocratic Waste Oath
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 03. 2.08
The medical branch has long operated following the Hippocratic Oath: "First do no harm". People started questioning the context of this promise though, when EPA published initial reports on releases of dioxin, a carcinogen which may also harm reproduction, development and immune system response. Medical incinerators were the number one emissions source for this bad chemical. A review of medical equipment demonstrates yet more baddies. PVC or polyvinylchloride plastics which are troublesome due to the chloride content (the root cause of dioxins in medical inceration) as well as potentially harmful plasticizers (the chemicals used to make plastics have the desired properties of flexibility and formability). Mercury in medical equipment is often given exemptions from regulations, such as the European ROHS law, because the risks of the heavy metal are offset by the supposed health benefits of higher tech medical equipment--even when suppliers secretly know that better alternatives are available if only a mechanism existed to drive the market in that direction.
Enter HCWH, Health Care Without Harm. Health Care Without Harm takes the Hippocratic Oath seriously, extending it to every aspect of medical services.
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Greenhushing Doesn't Help Anyone: Why Green Business Should Speak Up
by Jerry Stifelman, The Change, Chapel Hill, NC on 03. 2.08
Greenwashing is the corporate image version of money laundering − a way to maintain the status quo under a shiny thin veneer of change. One of greenwashing's negative effects is that it dissuades genuinely green companies from promoting their own far more substantial green practices. Companies that are authentically doing good stay silent, for fear that they'll be tarred with the same brush as those who are carrying on with business as usual. We hereby christen this unfortunate phenomenon "greenhushing." Although its intent is admirable, its effect is almost as negative as greenwashing. Here's why:
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Kit Houses from Sears Hold Their Value
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 2.08
Joyce Dopkeen/The New York Times
Sears sold lovely architect-designed homes in kit form from 1908 to 1940; the $4,347 model shown above is a "“Dutch Colonial with four bedrooms, one full bath and a lavatory; up-to-date kitchen with folding ironing board that disappears into the wall and other amenities for the housewife" and more.
The kits included up to 30,000 precut parts, and of course Sears also sold furnishings and offered mortgages. Sears got out of the business in the depression when their customers had lost their jobs and were defaulting on their loans. Sears liquidated eleven million dollars in mortgages but unlike lenders today, did not foreclose. According to Amy Pappas of the New Castle Historical Society:
“Because Sears did not want to be known as a heartless corporation that took people’s homes from them, it absorbed most of the losses.” ::New York Times...
RuralZED: UK's First Commercially Viable Zero-Carbon Home
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 03. 2.08
The announcement back in 2006 that all new homes in the UK will be zero cabon by 2016 caused a wave of optimism in green circles. It has also no doubt spurred architects and developers to start exploring what such houses may look like – the Lighthouse being one of the striking early examples, but it was a one-off. Now delegates at the EcoBuild exhibition have had a chance to see what is being billed as “the UK's first commercially viable, affordable and ready to purchase zero-carbon home.” The house is the creation of Bill Dunster’s ZEDfactory – the architectural team behind the pioneering BedZED development. The reaction to the new home was, by all accounts, pretty enthusiastic – with delegates lining up for half-an-hour to get a glimpse inside the show home. The Guardian brings us some of the details:
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Test Yourself: Clever Cyclist Awareness Test
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 2.08
Big Oil Executives Spread Their Presidential Bets
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 2.08
No wildcatters, these guys. Historically, if there ever was a good indicator of who was likely to win, it was campaign contributions from Big Oil. That may no longer be a good indicator.
Exxon-Mobile, for one, seems to be calling the 2008 race a pretty tight one between Clinton & Obama, which runs different than the spread indicated by the sum of all oil industry contributors (which would indicate a tight race between Clinton & McCain). The respective sums of Exxon executives individual 2008 donations for the top three presidential candidates is as follows: Update: an astute reader caught a mistake in transferring numbers to the original post, published an hour ago - the sums below, and narrative above, are corrected.
Clinton - $$14,700, McCain - $7,350, Obama - $15,150
Via::Oil Change, "..tracking petroleum industry campaign contributions"...
Cheap Salt Trumps Environment
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 2.08
Tara Wilson Toronto Star
Road salt "burns trees, chokes vegetation, and contaminates soil. It depletes water of oxygen, and is toxic to many fish. Salts also accelerate the corrosion of automobiles, roads, bridges and sidewalks." Yet Toronto dumps 135,000 tonnes of it on the roads each winter. Why? It's cheap. There are alternatives, some made from sugar beets or corn, that are used in New Jersey, Colorado and Ohio, but they can cost up to ten times as much.
All that salt is getting into our creeks and streams, but the City refuses to release data on it, telling the Star that it is still in "raw" form. Environmentalists are appalled. "It's this odd situation where people are expecting to be able to drive 110 km/h [65 mph] on all-season radials, which are not suitable for the road conditions, because they assume enough salt has been laid down to make them safe," says Kevin Mercer, the founder of Toronto-based watershed group Riversides who has studied road salt use in Ontario. "There's a tendency to use salt exclusively. It's ridiculous and it's going to have to change." ::The Star...
"US Drought Monitor" Provides Weekly Updates on National Water Shortage
by Jesse Fox, Tel Aviv, Israel on 03. 2.08
For months now, several areas of the USA have been confronting severe water problems. In particular, the southeastern United States, where massive growth over the last few decades has outpaced rational water planning, is facing an extreme drought that shows no signs of improving in the near future. The ongoing water crisis has led to some tough questions for decision-makers, who have resorted to border disputes, and even the occasional design solution. ...
Overnight at the Duncan House
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 2.08
We have previously noted the Duncan House, a Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian design that was moved from Chicago to near Pittsburgh by Thomas Papinchak. Barbara Ireland describes the experience of staying in it for the New York Times:
A Frank Lloyd Wright house is like a Japanese garden. No matter where inside it you stand, or which way you turn, the view before your eyes has been planned — and planned to be harmonious and beautiful......
North Pole New Shipping, Tourism Destination
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 03. 2.08
Pugh first, but probably not last Arctic swimming thrill seeker (Courtesy LewisPugh.com)
A researcher at the Polar Institute has predicted that if this summer season turns out as warm as 2007's, Arctic Ocean ice around the North Pole may give way to open water this year. Dr. Olav Orheim, director of the Norwegian Polar Institute, said the media played up news last fall that the fabled Northwest Passage shipping "short cut" was ice-free, but even more surprising news was the huge size of the ice-free area - a stretch from Alaska to Siberia - and the shrinking mass of the sea ice to a new low of 3 million square kilometers.
Despite the fact that Arctic Sea ice has recovered some area during this winter, Orheim is worried that lack of sea ice will greatly increase shipping along the Bering Strait - shippers are already making plans and nations are jockeying for position - thus raising the possibility of oil spills into the delicate Arctic eco-system. In addition, Orheim foresees ice-free seas will increase cruise ship tourism to the Arctic. Last September extreme swimmer Lewis Gordon Pugh was the first to finish a shivering kilometer of swimming in open Arctic waters - by this summer if the trends continue Orheim expects more tourists to trek to a new warmer globe destination: the ice-free North Pole. Via Aftenposten.no (Norwegian)...
TreeHugger breaks it down for you in a series of in depth how-to articles that will help you green your life. No time like the present!
Here are a few recommended websites.
- BTC Elements Blog
- Celsias
- Clean Edge - The Clean-Tech Market Authority
- Cleantech Investing
- SRB Marketing | CONSCIOUS CLICKS - The Blog
- Daily Green, the Blog of GreenForGood.com
- Endogenous preferences
- Environmental and Urban Economics
- Environmental Economics
- EQUITY GREEN
- gDiapers: the early years...
- Gil Friend
- The Green Giraffe
