- 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 April 13, 2008 - April 19, 2008
Total this week: 174
Some (Phytoplankton) Like it Acidic
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 04.19.08
It's generally accepted that increasingly acidified oceans could prove disastrous for most forms of marine life. We say most - coral reefs, certain phytoplankton species and larger organisms - because oceanographers are still hard at work studying the effects of higher carbon dioxide levels on individual species. Many, in fact, have now concluded that higher levels of dissolved carbon dioxide could help some species thrive over others. ...
Top 20 Worst Carbon Emitting Counties in the U.S. (Or Blame it All on Houston and L.A.)
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 04.19.08
It's a distinction most governments would probably be glad to do without: A new report published by Kevin Gurney, an assistant professor at Purdue University and the leader of Vulcan, a carbon dioxide inventory project, has ranked the 20 worst emitting counties in the U.S. Not surprisingly, the top 3 counties included the cities of Houston and - wait for it - Los Angeles. Of note was the fact that most regions of the United States were represented in the ranking - only the Pacific Northwest seems to have avoided this fate. ...
Quench Water-Recycling Shower - Guilt-Free Indulgence?
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 04.19.08
Bike the Strike
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.19.08
1.5 million people take transit in Toronto, and are frantically lining up alternatives in the face of a strike by transit workers threatened for Monday. It was nice of the unions to wait until the perfect biking weather, no snow and not too hot; now every bike shop in town is sold out, and local bike activists are using it as an opportunity to increase awareness of biking and pick up a few converts.
Biking Toronto has put up a special website for n00bs to learn how to prepare for an urban commute, including what to wear, how to light your bike, how to carry stuff and how to change at work- useful tips for any city under any circumstance. Find it at ::BikingToronto...
It's Official: Canada Declares Bisphenol A Toxic
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.19.08
Canadian Health Minister Tony Clement (pictured left) announced yesterday that Bisphenol A would be listed as a toxic substance and banned the use of polycarbonate plastic baby bottles. His Ministry will also tell baby food manufacturers to get it out of the linings of infant formula cans. The chemical has been blamed for conditions including cancer, declining sperm counts and early puberty in girls.
“We believe that the current safety margin needs to be higher. We have concluded that it is better to be safe than sorry,” Mr. Clement told a news conference yesterday in Ottawa, announcing the decision as “precautionary action.”
Martin Mittelstaedt, who has been reporting on BPA for years and deserves great credit for being an early voice in the wilderness, reports:
“This is the first time in living memory that our federal government has taken such a leadership position in the world on an issue like this,” commented Rick Smith, executive director of Environmental Defence, an advocacy group. “I think oftentimes Canadians want … to know that our country is doing right in the world, and in this particular case today it's actually happening.”
The FDA in the States still says it is safe, based on two studies funded by the American Chemistry Council. ::Globe and Mail...
7-Step Alternative to Greener Buildings
by Jenna Watson, Barcelona on 04.19.08
Breezehouse - A Greener Building. Credit:: James Watts and CNET.
Phaedra Svec, an associate in the Elements division of BNIM Architects is featured in an article on Greener Buildings discussing the seven steps she created as an interim alternative to life cycle assessment in the building industry since a comprehensive tool is not yet available.
So many variables come in to play when looking at a building's life cycle, and there just isn't an appropriate LCA tool yet for the building industry in Svec's opinion. Thus, in the absence of a quick and effective LCA tool, she developed the seven-step material filter, featured in the article by Sarah Fister Gale, for evaluating and comparing the life cycle of building materials. It helps ask the right questions, as Svec explains. She also says, "every material -- no matter how green -- has an environmental consequence. It's about comparison, and choosing the material with the least impact." ...
Used and New Bicycles: The Right Bike for Every Bum
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 04.19.08
Today on Planet Green
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.18.08
:: Find out why you should shut down your computer after work on Earth Day.
:: Here's your chance to be featured on Emeril Green!
:: Go green, live richly: Maintain your car for some real savings—for both you and the planet.
:: Explore fair-trade connections across the globe with Google Earth
:: Buying a used bike is as green as you can get, but how do you ensure you're not getting a lemon?...
Ocean Conservancy Reveals World’s Only Snapshot of Marine Trash
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.18.08
Photo credit: Getty Images
The Ocean Conservancy released its annual report on trash in the ocean on Thursday, including new data from the 2007 International Coastal Cleanup, which the non-profit calls the "most comprehensive snapshot of the harmful impacts of marine debris."
This year, over 378,000 volunteers participated in cleanups around every major body of water across the globe, not only to remove trash from the world's beaches and waterways, but also to identify the sources of debris found on land and underwater.
“Our ocean is sick,” says Laura Capps, senior vice president at the Ocean Conservancy, in a press release “And the plain truth is that our ocean ecosystem cannot protect us unless it is healthy and resilient. Harmful impacts like trash in the ocean, pollution, climate change, and habitat destruction are taking its toll. But the good news is that hundreds of thousands of people from around the world are starting a sea change by joining together to clean up the ocean. Trash doesn’t’ fall from the sky it falls from people’s hands. With the International Coastal Cleanup, everyone has an opportunity to make a difference, not just on one day but all year long.”...
2008 Goldman Prize Lauds International Grassroots Environmentalists
by Meaghan O'Neill, Newport, R.I. on 04.18.08
Feliciano dos Santos accepts the Ouroboros trophy from Richard Goldman at the 2008 Goldman Prize ceremony held earlier this month in San Francisco. A second ceremony was held in Washington, D.C.
The following post was written by Claire Alexander, vice president of Operations & Interactive Media for Planet Green, and TreeHugger's woman on the ground at the Goldman Environmental Prize ceremony in Washington, D.C. earlier this week.
More than 500 people came out to recognize the environmental work of seven individuals from around the world at the 2008 Goldman Environmental Prize ceremony in Washington, D.C. on April 16. The winners, who each received $150,000 from the Goldman Foundation, ranged from a sanitation activist/musician in Mozambique to a beer-drinking Belgian who led the effort to establish his country’s first national park. The highlight of the evening came when honoree Feliciano Dos Santos (the aforementioned musician) picked up his guitar, and led a call and return song with the audience in Portuguese…about washing your hands to prevent illness. (Check out his quite beautiful music at his website, Massukos)....
Most Huggable: Everyday Earth Hour, The Carbon Footprint of Co-housing, Tesla Motors’ Bad Karma + More
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 04.18.08
A survey reveals most Canadians are in favor of a regular Earth Hour.
Will co-housing communities rise in popularity?
Tesla Motors gets electric—in court.
Eco-Fiber Solutions uses green chemistry to create a line of biodegradable, recyclable and waterproof boxes.
Green marketers get fancy with psychographics to segment green consumers.
Most Huggable is a regular roundup of some of Hugg's top green news stories. Why not submit your own green news?...
California's Wildlife Past Offers New Look at Global Warming
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.18.08
The Best Small Kitchen Designs for Cooking Large and Living Small
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 04.18.08
The kitchen is often the heart, soul and gathering place of your home, but what do you do when you want to cook at home and entertain and your kitchen is tiny? The best small kitchen designs we've seen help make the most of whatever amount of space is at your disposal, cutting back on clutter and wasted space to give you maximum functionality in minimal square footage. And, as we're fond of saying, living with less is the key to sustainability.
Above is the Tivali Kitchen from Dada, which is a great example of how we might live very well with less; this kitchen design works as a room divider, and has doors that make it completely disappear. Keep reading for more of the best small kitchen designs.
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Nalgene Dumps Bisphenol A Like Hot Potato
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.18.08
Nalgene, the company that became the generic name for polycarbonate bottles, has thrown in the towel on Bisphenol A. “Based on all available scientific evidence, we continue to believe that Nalgene products containing BPA are safe for their intended use,” Steven Silverman, the general manager of the Nalgene unit, said in a statement. “However, our customers indicated they preferred BPA-free alternatives, and we acted in response to those concerns.”
Go customers! The government can sit on its butt but when Wal-Mart talks, suppliers listen.
Nalgene will make Eastman Chemicals very happy, as they make Tritan copolyester, a BPA free substitute with many of the same properties.
The next step is to get it out of cans, particularly baby formula. This will be a harder battle; it is not as visible and well-known as an issue. The New York Times quotes the chair of the North American Metal Packaging Alliance, an industry group, as saying that researchers had been unable to develop an alternative lining that performs as well as the current epoxy. “The epoxy resins are the gold standard right now.” ::New York Times image: creative commons Bradley J
See also : Don't Buy A Nalgene Water Bottle Until You Read This and BPA Danger may be greater from Tin Cans than Water Bottles ...
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Zerofootprint and Unilever Launch Water Calculator
by Ron Dembo, Zerofootprint on 04.18.08
Unilever has teamed up with Zerofootprint to develop the One Minute Water Calculator. This customized piece of software asks simple questions in order to calculate the amount of water individual lifestyles require. With water availability looming as a potential world crisis, this calculator arrives at an important time so as to offer individuals the opportunity to not only monitor, but also reduce their water consumption. ...
It's a Wrap: Edible Thin Packaging Coming Soon
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.18.08
William Vanderson, Getty Images
The idea of edible packaging has been around for a while; TreeHugger has shown a few starch-based ideas. However, most break down in the presence of water so they have to be made fairly thick. At the University of Manitoba, scientists have mixed pea starch with beeswax to make a thin film edible packaging that is water resistant, so instead of throwing out the wrapper 'round your Big Mac, you can just cut it up and add some salad dressing. No word from inventor Jung Han about how it tastes.
Fast food litter is a huge problem; it really would be wonderful if it was biodegradable ::Patent application here; via ::New Scientist See TreeHugger: BioBac: Biodegradable Textile Coating and "Eco-Packaging" Finalist: Co-op Corn Starch Bags...
Harvard Business Review Discusses Leadership and the Environment
by Rocky Mountain Institute on 04.18.08
Mainstream businesses are embracing sustainability initiatives. You probably knew that. But did you stop to consider the motives behind such initiatives? Look at the words of Michael Potts, chief executive officer of Rocky Mountain Institute, the self-described entrepreneurial, nonprofit organization focused on the efficient and restorative use of the world's natural resources:
Companies that are successful with sustainability initiatives are lead by executives who have a personal passion for these issues, leaders who lead with a moral imperative. And, sometimes these executives make decisions to do the right thing even when the payback alone does not justify them.Potts was discussing companies that green their supply chains, and he was doing so on Harvard Business Review's Green blog, which bills itself as "A Discussion about Leadership and the Environment." Simple, huh? Nothing more than a run-of-the-mill conversation. ...
Emeril Lagasse Could Solve Your Cooking Challenges!
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.18.08
Planet Green is looking for residents in the Washington, D.C. metro area who love to cook but have a tough time making heads or tails of what's in the fridge, or are wondering how to be eco-friendly while still deep-frying a turkey.
This is a chance for amateur chefs to receive cooking tips and recipes tailored specifically to their needs by beloved chef and personality Emeril Lagasse. Discovery's new network is currently casting enthusiastic and fun people with creative and interesting cooking challenges for the all new series Emeril Green, which will begin airing in July.
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“SEE”ing Change
by Marian Hopkins, Business Roundtable on 04.18.08
Progress is the movement towards a goal, or forward advancement. It can be measured by pencil marks against a wall showing a child’s growth; by saving pennies and quarters in a jar; by a budding forest where there was once no trees. When it comes to building a sustainable future, progress can be measured by the financial investment businesses and individuals are making to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) and other pollutants.
Yet progress towards a sustainable future must be about more than just numbers – it must encourage smarter businesses, support more efficient communities and empower individuals. Progress must spur cultural change, which then fosters continued progress.
Today, Business Roundtable is proud to release “SEE”ing Change: 2008 Progress Report, the first progress report for our S.E.E. Change (Society, Environment, Economy) Initiative, which was established in 2005. ScooterBees Eco-Friendly, Moldable Kids Shoes for Green Tykes
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.18.08
Designed and manufactured in San Francisco, ScooterBees was the brainchild of one frustrated mom who had the darndest time finding a pair of kids' shoes that fit a variety of feet widths and instep thicknesses, were easy for parents to put on and take off, and were comfy, on top of being eco-friendly, to boot.
ScooterBees soft-soled shoes are crafted from Sensuede fabric, a breathable and spill-resistant microsuede made with 100 percent post-consumer and post-industrial polyester. Lined with naturally antibacterial and antifungal bamboo velour, the shoes also come with soles composed of anti-slip and water-resistant ThermoPlastic Elastomer, a degradable material that is free of PVC, latex, dioxins, and phthalates.
The shoes, which cost around $36 a pair, come in four sizes: 0 to 6 months, 6 to 12 months, 12 to 18 months, and 18 to 24 months. ::ScooterBees...
Transformer Patio By Picque
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.18.08
Collin usually covers the transformer beat, but he is on the road pedalling to Epic in Vancouver , so I get to show the Vertical Patio by Seattle's Pique Architecture. It makes the most of a small back yard by transforming from a backyard fence to everything from a picnic table to a bar, complete with folding stool. What a brilliant way of dealing with a small backyard....
Butterfly Explosion In Montréal
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 04.18.08
Image: Dave BergeronIt’s that time of year again in Montréal when even the deepest and coldest snow drifts yield to the warm, melting power of the sun: the cyclists are out in full force, outdoor cafés make a comeback and people start smiling at each other on the street again. It’s also the time when the butterflies go free at the Montréal Botanical Garden during the 11th annual edition of the Butterflies Go Free (Papillons en liberté) event, which began in February 21 and will run until April 27th, this year featuring for the first time rare and exotic butterflies from fair-trade butterfly farms in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda....
Fan-Assisted Trucks Stop the Draft
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.18.08
Kambiz Salari of the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory claims that for a truck travelling 70 MPH, 65 per cent of the fuel burned is just overcoming aerodynamic drag. Much of that drag come from the air vortices generated behind the vehicle as it moves, that low-pressure zone that bicyclists and hyper-milers love to "draft" in.
Saleri has applied for a patent on big fans that basically pump air into that void behind the truck, dramatically improving fuel economy by eliminating the vortices and essentially cancelling the draft. I wonder if Richard Nixon should not have priority on the patent? ::New Scientist
See Treehugger: Drafting Behind Trucks: Does it Work?, 29 Tips to Cut Down on Your Fuel Consumption, Wayback Machine 1935: Drafting Works and Discovery Online- The Skinny on Truck Tailgating...
New Jersey Enjoys Low Gas Prices
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 04.18.08
With gas prices expected to top $4 a gallon this summer, everyone from truckers to commuters are both unhappy and concerned. Some, however, are less concerned than others. In New Jersey, for instance, it's still possible to find stations selling gas for less than $3. In fact, New Jersey has some of the cheapest gasoline in the nation, according to AAA. So why is gas in New Jersey, of all places, almost a dollar cheaper than the nationwide average? Turns out there are several reasons (and no, one of them isn't that John McCain has been giving away gasoline).
Most importantly, "New Jersey has the nation’s third-lowest gasoline tax, at 14.5 cents a gallon, and it hasn’t gone up in almost two decades." And while Governor Jon Corzine has proposed raising both tolls and gas taxes, New Jersey residents have made it eminently clear they would support no such thing. But that's not the only thing behind the lower gas prices....
In the (Low Carbon) Footsteps of John Muir
by Greg Haegele of Sierra Club on 04.18.08
You've got to give John Muir some credit. His birthday -- April 21 -- always gets upstaged by Earth Day, which is the following day, and yet Muir epitomizes the kind of celebration of the earth and call to activism that everyone shouts about from the treetops every April 22. He died in 1914, but in his day was a stellar naturalist and author, wilderness explorer, founder of the Sierra Club (ahem), and -- an activist to his core.
Muir was a visionary who worked hard to protect land even when there was plenty of open space around. Sometimes he was a lonely voice, because not everyone around him understood or supported the need to conserve magnificent places for future generations to explore and enjoy. Kind of like being a global-warming activist in places that still deny it's happening. Muir persevered, and we're all better off for it....
From the Forums: I Love Meat!
by Alan Graham, Portland, Oregon on 04.18.08
BluecollarZA loves meat.
I have a bit of a dilemma - I really love red meat, and I live in South Africa where the "braai" (aka barbeque) is our national pastime, pretty much. Although I have ethical and environmental issues with eating meat (red meat in particular), I just can't make myself quit. Bacon's the biggest problem... I'll not eat meat for a while and then just smell some bacon cooking, with inevitable results. Can anybody recommend strategies to reduce (and eventually eliminate) meat in my diet? How about some tasty vegetarian recipes/meat substitutes etc.?...
Survey: Can Fur Be Green?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.18.08
In her post yesterday, April wrote "fur is one of those slightly grey areas that is increasingly trying to get green cred." A Japanese designer mixes it with recycled polyester and calls it "eco-fur." The Canadian Fur Council devotes a website to the concept that "Fur is Green."
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Impossible No More: Worldchanging Quizzes Festival Goers on Our Changing Reality
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 04.18.08
With sustainability planting itself well-and-truly in the mainstream, many of us folks who’ve been plugging away at environmental issues for years are finding doors and ears opening where there used to be brick walls. From zero-carbon schools to 500MW solar power plants, many recent headlines read like environmentalists’ fantasies of yester-year. (Of course, many other ice-cap related headlines read like our worst nightmares, but let’s leave that thought aside for now.) In the interests of taking stock of the new reality we find ourselves in, the ever forward-looking folks at Worldchanging asked a broad group of good-for-the-world people at the Seattle Green Festival to share their thoughts on what is now possible that they used to believe was not. From Story of Stuff creator Annie Leonard musing on the seemingly bipartisan readiness to engage in conversation about change, to social worker Joel Mog’s realization that people really can stop driving and find alternatives, it’s pretty inspiring stuff. But our favourite comes from Peter Greenberg, president of EnergyWise Lighting:
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Wal-Mart Dumps BPA Bottles; More Studies Pan BPA
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.18.08
Bisphenol A has been a question for years, but the industry had the ear of government, billions of pounds of it are made each year and nothing ever happened. However, marketers aren't stupid; after the first Canadian reports earlier this week, retailers were pulling it off the shelves. Now it is happening in the States.
Wal-Mart to Pull Bottles Made With Chemical BPA Wal-Mart will stop selling baby bottles made with the controversial chemical bisphenol A in its U.S. stores early next year, a spokesman said yesterday. A spokeswoman for Target said the chain began testing glass baby bottles in its stores in January and offering them online in February. Babies R Us said its sales of glass bottles have increased fivefold since last spring. ::Washington Post
Bisphenol A can alter genes, study finds Bisphenol A, the widely used compound in polycarbonate plastic, has the ability to alter the activity of genes in normal breast cells in ways that resemble what is found in extremely dangerous breast cancers, according to a new study. ::Globe and Mail
Read Treehugger: Don't Buy A Nalgene Water Bottle Until You Read This and BPA Danger may be greater from Tin Cans than Water Bottles, Discovery Health: Fueling Baby: What to Feed Baby, and When"
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Soil Association Organic Product Awards
by Bonnie Alter, London on 04.18.08
The winners of the 2008 Soil Association Awards for best organic products are a mix of the well-known and new up and coming. The delicious Duke of Cambridge gastropub won for a second time as best organic restaurant, and rightly so, for their efforts to be organic and environmental. They have been at it since 1998 and now about 80% of their fresh produce is sourced from the local area; its fish-buying policy was the first in the country to be approved by the Marine Conservation Society. Also famous is Neal's Yard, their White Tea Enriching Facial Mask won, an acknowledgement of a company that has also been at the forefront of organic and natural remedies since 1981. Origins, around since 1990 won for their Body Pampering Massage Oil.
Under surprises: best organic textile product Beaumont Organic which is a new, gorgeous, line of organic cotton clothing. It looks simple, elegant and very sophisticated. Made in a small factory in Portugal, with cotton from certified organic farmers and transported by truck to the UK, the company was started this year by a young woman who used to work in the fashion industry. She donates 1% of her profits to a school in Fiji where she taught formerly. ...
In this Week's Bargain Bin: Our National Parks
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 04.17.08
Here are some fun facts for you to consider: According to the National Park Service, there are currently 4.3 million acres of privately owned land within park boundaries; and another 1.8 million listed for acquisition. The federal agency estimates it would cost $1.9 billion for it to purchase these lands. Now here's the really funny part: It only requested $100 million from Congress for fiscal year 2009....
Taking Baby Steps to Mass Customization with Platform Design
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 04.17.08
TreeHugger loves the idea of mass customization and downloadable designs, but, until there's a manufacturer with a computer numerically controlled (CNC) machine in every town, it won't quite be ready for prime time. Until then, a Norwegian product development company called MELD have come up with what they think is the answer: platform design.
Here's their thinking: "the world is not ready for mass customization on a grand scale. Presented with the choice of 'anything', most people will be overwhelmed and simple draw a blank. To both educate and react to this reality, platform design gives a basic starting point, a first step in moving to a mass customized world."...
Vertical (Diagonal?) Farm from Work AC in NYC
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.17.08
Welcome Digg and Reddit users!
We love vertical farms and while they may not be as practical as green roofs, the idea of food being grown right in the city doesn't get any more local than this. New York magazine asked four architects to dream up proposals for a lot on Canal Street and Work AC came up with this. “We thought we’d bring the farm back to the city and stretch it vertically,” says Work AC co-principal Dan Wood. “We are interested in urban farming and the notion of trying to make our cities more sustainable by cutting the miles [food travels],” adds his co-principal (and wife) Amale Andraos. Underneath is what appears to be a farmers market, selling what grows above. Artists would be commissioned to design the columns that hold it up and define the space under: “We show a Brancusi, but it could be anyone,” says Wood. ::New York Magazine
Keep reading for more vertical farms covered in Treehugger.
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Today on Planet Green
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 04.17.08
:: Join a CSA to stock up on seasonal fruits and veggies.
:: Mimic No Impact Man and follow his 42 steps to reducing your waste.
:: Cuddle up with Junior and watch eco-cartoon, Mama Mirabelle's Home Movies.
:: Plant shrubs to save home energy costs.
:: Tidy up your home to stem stress. ...
Tarma Designs: New Recycled Stainless Jewelry for Spring 2008
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.17.08
Tarma Designs has added several fresh new pieces to its line of recycled-stainless-steel jewelry for active men and women, including the fetching two-toned "Om" pendant ($25.98) pictured above, which offers a physical reminder of that mother of all mantras.
You'll also find new Spiral and Heart Spiral pieces, new running- and cycling-oriented designs, along with a new Mountain Spirit design ($24.98, below). Plus, Tarma is now offering stud earrings, such as the pair of Spiral shapes pictured below the jump. ::Tarma Designs...
Energy Efficient Light Bulbs Save Water, Too
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 04.17.08
Photo credit: Getty Images
Here's an interesting new way to think about energy efficiency: a study done by researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University revealed that it takes between 3,000 gallons and 6,000 gallons of water to power a 60-watt incandescent bulb for 12 hours a day over the course of a year.
The researchers -- Virginia Tech professor Tamim Younos and undergraduate student Rachelle Hill -- are crunching the numbers to determine the water-efficiency of some of the most common energy sources and power generating methods. The most water-efficient energy sources are natural gas (though we may be just about out of it) and synthetic fuels produced by coal gasification; the least efficient are ethanol and biodiesel -- the biofuels just can't catch a break these days, can they?...
The World Needs a Farming Revolution! Declares U.N. Report
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 04.17.08
Oil is setting record high prices. People are rioting over the price of food in Haiti, Egypt, parts of West Africa and the Philippines. Since March 2007 the price of soybeans is up 87%, and the price of wheat has risen 130%. Global grain stores are at the lowest levels on record. Amid this turmoil the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) released its report this week on the state of agriculture. Not surprisingly the take home message is - “business as usual is no longer an option." From the report:
"Many of the challenges facing agriculture over the next 50 years will require more integrated application of existing science and technology development (formal, traditional and community- based) as well as new approaches for agricultural and natural resource management."...
Elle Eco Salon & Spa Rolling Through Southern California
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.17.08
To commemorate Elle's third annual "green" issue, which hit stands on Tuesday, the magazine has dispatched a biodiesel-fueled bus, outfitted as an eco-salon and spa, to various shopping areas and attractions in Southern California.
From now till Sunday, May 4, you can enjoy complimentary styling, mini-makeovers, and beauty treatments, as well as samples of eco-friendly beauty products from sponsors such as Juice Beauty, Paul Mitchell, and Physicians Formula. Each guest will be able to climb onboard the bus for 10-to-20-minute treatments at one of the three styling stations.
Click below the fold to see if Elle's green bus will be hitting your part of town.
Thanks to tipster Remy!...
The TH Interview: Doug Fine—Kiss Your Subaru Goodbye (Part One)
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 04.17.08
“As I watched my Subaru Legacy slide backward toward my new ranch’s studio outbuilding, the thought crossed my mind that if it kept going…at least I would be using less gasoline.” Thus begins what journalist Doug Fine calls his “epic adventure in local living,” an experience chronicled in his new book, “Farewell, My Subaru.” Grease-fuel, solar power, homegrown bananas, chickens, and Natalie (a goat purchased off Craigslist) are just a few of Doug’s companions down on the Funky Butte Ranch. Join us, if you will, as we step into his world. ::TreeHugger Radio Listen to the podcast of this interview via iTunes, or just click here to listen, right-click to download. Special thanks to Calabash Music for the soundtrack. Full text after the jump....
John McCain to Give Away Gasoline
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.17.08
Chavez opening gas pipeline
Here is one way to get elected president: give away gas. Hey, it works for Hugo Chavez, why not John McCain? When some suggest that perhaps subsidized gas distorts the entire system and discourages conservation, and others worry about the nation's failing infrastructure, Mr. McCain of the Party of Free Markets wants to suspend collection of the federal gas tax for the summer. This money normally goes to the Highway Trust Fund to fill potholes, maintain roads and fix bridges, but McCain wants to fix another kind of hole.
I liked the old days when we got bribed with money and liquor. ::Andrew Sullivan...
Electric Utility Giving Away 75,000 Clotheslines
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.17.08
We are awash in terrible laundry puns as the local electric utility, Toronto Hydro, gives away 75,000 clotheslines at our little neighbourhood Costcos, Home Depots, Wal-Marts and Zellers stores. We won't be churlish and suggest that they could throw a line to a few small-marts and NOT do this only at the Big Boxes, because it is a terrific idea.
“This is the first time we’re doing the campaign with a clothesline,” Toronto Hydro spokeswoman Denise Attallah spun dryly to the National Post. Hydro hopes to cut demand by 5% through conservation and demand management.
One might complain about the difficulty of using a clothesline in the middle of winter, but using one only 25% of the time can save 225 kilowatt-hours per year. If all 75,000 lines are put to use like this, it will save enough energy to power more than 1900 homes. That's a load. ::Toronto Hydro
Now why aren't they giving them out on National Hanging Out Day?...
UNSPOKEN: Bush Not Changing Position on Climate Change -- Video
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04.17.08
Jeremy gave you a pretty thorough overview of the Bush administration's efforts to bob and weave on not taking action on climate change (which was picked up by one of our faves Crooks & Liars). Yesterday, we heard it from the horse's mouth and we bring you a quick video summary of Bush's speech including some subtitles to clarify what's going unspoken.
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Auto Makers Demand Higher Gas Prices
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.17.08
Creative commons: the Toe Stubber
Here is a shocker- all of the automakers building or selling in Canada have asked the Government to look at raising the price of gasoline as a way to cut emissions. They note that it is pretty hard sell cars with greater fuel efficiency to people who don't want them, so just raising the standards won't work unless gas prices make fuel efficient cars more attractive. They quote a 2001 study by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences:
"There is a market inconsistency between pressing automotive manufacturers for improved fuel economy from new vehicles on the one hand, and insisting on low real gasoline prices on the other. Higher real prices for gasoline -- for instance through gasoline taxes -- would create both a demand for fuel-efficient new vehicles and an incentive for owners of existing vehicles to drive them less."Of course this all may be a red herrring, as the car manufacturers know such increases would be wildly unpopular and unlikely to happen, so now they can say "look, we tried".. or am I too suspicious? ::National Post ...
Bill Bryson on "Fly-Tipping"
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.17.08
Only author Bill Bryson could write such a paean against littering (or "fly-tipping" as they evidently call it over in the UK) :
Nowhere in the world is there a landscape more lovely to behold, more comfortable to be in, more artfully worked, more visited and walked across and gazed upon than the countryside of England. It is a glorious achievement and much too lovely to trash.That is why he is leading a Campaign to Protect Rural England to clean it up. He must of learned about the Broken Window theory while living in America, for he writes:...
BPA Danger may be greater from Tin Cans than Water Bottles
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.17.08
Lambert/Archive Photos/Getty Images
Dangers of Bisphenol A (BPA) From canned food
According to the FDA, 17% of the American diet comes out of cans, and many of those have an epoxy liner made with Bisphenol A, a chemical which can mimic human estrogen and which is linked to breast cancer and early puberty in women. While the leaching of BPA from Nalgene water bottles and other polycarbonate bottles is a concern, the danger from canned food may be greater. The Environmental Working Group tested canned food bought across America and found BPA in more than half of them, at levels they call "200 times the government's traditional safe level of exposure for industrial chemicals." There are no standards for BPA; it is allowed to be put in anything, and billions of pounds are produced each year. EWG found:
Of all foods tested, chicken soup, infant formula, and ravioli had BPA levels of highest concern. Just one to three servings of foods with these concentrations could expose a woman or child to BPA at levels that caused serious adverse effects in animal tests....
Pop Quiz: Hot, Wet Metal
by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 04.17.08
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The Fur Keeps Flying, Part II
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 04.17.08
If the fur-trimmed recycled-polyester bolero jacket we wrote about in Part I of this entry is very questionably eco, what about a bedspread or throw pillows from pesky possums threatening to overrun New Zealand's flora and fauna?
Portland, Oregon based Eco-Luxury Furs Ltd. is introducing an entire line of Kiwi imports made from brush-tailed possum fur. While it's not the first attempt to introduce possum fur and possum fleece to the U.S. market - Untouched World is another purveyor of possum sweaters and accessories - Eco-Luxury's marketing thrust is the most bold: "All of the luxury, none of the guilt" is this importer's tag line. Well, these days no product is really guilt-free, is it? On the plus side, buying possum fur products, the company says, supports a small local New Zealand manufacturing industry and helps to reduce the out-of-control population of hungry possums - which can eat 20,000 pounds of vegetation nightly. Even Greenpeace New Zealand supports the possum fur industry. Ready for that possum pillow yet? Read on....
Survey: Do You Let It All Hang Out?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.17.08
In honor of the ephochal Healthy, Living Soils - Tools and Techniques to Safeguard Our Future
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 04.17.08
National Hanging Out Day: 5 Ways To Dry With Solar and Wind Energy
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.17.08
Forget about Earth Day; a much bigger deal is National Hanging Out Day, celebrating the humble clothesline, this Saturday April 19th. Why dry your clothing with coal, using six percent of the nation's electricity, when you can tell your friends that you have installed solar and wind power in your home, for the price of a clothesline? In celebration of this great day we present the party line on lines.
Decorative Clotheslines
For the price of an electric dryer that sucks up dollars forever, you can get Nature's Dryer built out of steel to look like a sculptural, abstract looking tree.“While so many people in the world’s developed countries have grown far too comfortable wasting energy, almost overnight, issues surrounding global warming and increasing greenhouse gas emissions are now at the forefront of the agenda,” said Debra Jones, inventor of Nature’s Dryer. “What’s especially exciting is at the individual level, more consumers are recognizing the important role they play and want to change their behaviour to reduce energy consumption.” ::Nature's Dryer
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Zero Emissions Space Travel Made Possible (Soon) With Electric Solar Wind Sail
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 04.17.08
An innovative electric solar wind propulsion technology may very well revolutionize transportation -- in space, that is. Yes, though we may still have a ways to go before we achieve a successful (terrestrial) zero emissions vehicular policy, our chances of doing so in space may be closer than you think.
Pekka Janhumen, a researcher at the Finnish Meteorological Institute, and a consortium of European scientists have developed an electric solar wind sail that could fundamentally change space travel as we know it. The sail relies on the solar wind, a continuous plasma stream that emanates from the sun, to act as its principal thrust source by applying continuous pressure to its metallic tethers. A large, solar-powered electron gun keeps the tethers positively charged....
Graphics Of The Day: USEPA Submits Latest Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory To IPCC
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04.17.08
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has updated the national greenhouse gas inventory through reporting year 2006 ( U.S. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks: 1990-2006), reporting that overall emissions during 2006 decreased by 1.1 percent from the previous year. Emissions grew 14.7 percent from 1990 to 2006. The decrease in 2006 emissions was due principally to a warmer winter, a cooler summer, less driving due to increased fuel costs, and use of more natural gas and renewables in the electric power sector....
The Fur (And The Feathers) Keep Flying, Part I
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 04.17.08
Japanese designer Chie Imai has created bolero jackets for her fall '08 collection that mix fur from chinchillas with recycled polyester fabric from Teijin Ltd., and she's calling it eco-fur. Imai argues that fur is an 'ecological' product because it can be worn for generations, returns to the earth and causes "no pollution". Not even close, says the Global Action Network.
But fur is one of those slightly grey areas that is increasingly trying to get green cred. While it was undoubtedly an important weather-protective and relatively sustainable article of clothing for our forefathers (but with the fur part mostly on the inside for warmth, duh), these days more than half is factory fur - less controlled for ethical treatment of animals and cleanliness than factory-farmed chicken, beef...anything. What's more interesting than Imai's juxtaposition of fur with suposedly low-brow polyester is that Teijin's recycled product is starting to make the transition from Japanese work clothes and Patagonia underwear to fashion. Teijin currently produces around 7,000 tons of new-use polyester from old collected polyester clothes and scraps. Via ::TheJapanTimes
See also: Greenwash Watch: Fur Is Green Poster courtesy Marxchivist via flickr...
From the Forums: Environmental Groups Waste...Enthusiasm
by Alan Graham, Portland, Oregon on 04.17.08
Ian Gordon is wondering in the forums if some environmental groups aren't wasting the best renewable resource of all...volunteers:
You know things are not going well for a sector when they're turning down volunteer help. There's a whole bunch of groups who've not even bothered responding to e-mails offering my services for free.and
I imagine if I was to reach for my credit card it would be a different story. It's a real pity. Business start up guru Guy Kawasaki says people like me are a godsend for any new business or enterprise, we're the zealots. It just makes you wonder about the future when these organizations are supposed to be out fighting a war for hearts and minds but when you offer them both they don't bother pursuing the matter.CRTreeDude goes on to point out:...
TH Blog Love - Our Favourite Greens Of The Week
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 04.17.08
Celcias: What a Waste by Joe Turner
"An apple a day gets thrown away. In fact, 4.4 million apples get thrown away in the UK every day, the majority of which are still perfectly edible. This is according to information released this week by the UK government funded Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP)."
Green Thing: Why Take a Short Sharp Shower?
"The world and its water are like a balding man and his hair. Neither can make any more of it, and the total amount at either’s disposal is only ever going to recede. But ‘ah’ you might be thinking. ‘Ah – the world’s full of water. There’s oceans and rivers and lakes and the Dudley public swimming baths.’ Well, yes – but about 97% of the world’s water is unusable, and 2.5% is inaccessible."...
U.S. Schools Tackle Global Warming in National Day of Action
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 04.17.08
With over 22,000 students at 28 schools across 13 states and the even the Island of Curacao participating, the first national day of action in schools to stop global warming by actually cutting carbon emissions is under way.
They’re calling it “The Great Copy Machine Epidemic of 2008”, shutting down their school photocopy machines and going copyless for the day.
Of course there's nothing like a bit of fun to help educate minds everywhere, and so it seems that the machine pictured above just may have been hit with a case of "Tree-biting Rabies" as part of the event. And apparently there are diagnoses coming in from schools in far places of "Treeberculosis", "Bird Flu", "Treeakillocious", and a host of other maladies as well.
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Howies' Former Owners Reflect On Their Sale
by Bonnie Alter, London on 04.17.08
Howies is the English eco tee-shirt brand that everyone loves. It was a small company, started in Wales seven years ago by a young couple who wanted to produce cool and environmentally friendly sportswear. The Hieatts were ahead of just about everyone when it came to really caring about all aspects of the production of their clothing, use of organic fabrics and social responsibility. Plus they had a sense of humour. They worked their guts out in the beginning; both having full time jobs and children whilst starting the business. Then they sold (out?) to the American clothing giant Timberland in 2006. They continue to have creative control and to run the business; the sale enabled them to increase the capital available to expand it. As Clare Hieatt says "We're good at developing the brand, but hopeless at the finances.”
So how do they feel about this change after almost two years. They have opened two stores in England and business is up 20% each year. Having sold for an undisclosed sum of money, it sounds like they are still working hard to keep the company on target. For their latest summer catalogue they sent clothes to friends in warmer climes rather than fly the models there. They are very concerned about the factories where the clothing is made. Their solution was to use the same factories as companies that they trust such as Marks & Spencer.
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Sonumbra, a Sonic Shade of Light
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 04.17.08
Photo Credit: Loop.ph
It looks like Loop.ph, a UK-based design research studio, has (re)created the perfect tree: by day, it offers shelter from the sun: by night, it sheds light for the local community, using the energy collected in solar cells embedded in its canopy. Its name: Sonumbra. It is a ‘sonic shade of light’ as the designers Rachel Wingfield & Mathias Gmachl like to describe it. ...
Today on Planet Green
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 04.16.08
:: Knit not with yarn, but with your used plastic bags.
:: Root out reclaimed building materials at PlanetReuse.
:: Hear about home based, chemical hazards in this video from the Chemical Safety Workgroup.
:: Parting with an old book? Turn it into a pocket book.
:: Re-direct Yellow Page directories with YellowPagesGoGreen.org. ...
SustainStyle: Earth Day Cookies, Amazing Bangles, Hand Made Recycled Art Work + More
by 1plus1 on 04.16.08
Welcome to SustainStyle, a weekly digest from the writers at 1plus1, a blog dedicated to eco-friendly fashion. SustainStyle runs every Wednesday.
Anna Sui and other top designers make one-of-a-kind water bottles. AZ Jeans become our guilty pleasure with their new affordable green line. A new style of grocery bag lets us leave the shopping list at home. EcoSkin's Cardamine dress gets us feeling sassy. Amazing bangles that get us wound up on plastic bags. A tin full of cookies get us inspired right before Earth Day. B.Son's organic tank top gets our hot men to cool down. Hoop earrings with peace signs. Toms shoes get even better with hemp. We find some art work to cover our bare walls that is recycled, biodegradable, and hand made. xo....
Events: EPIC Sustainable Living Expo, This Weekend in Vancouver
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 04.16.08
TreeHuggers in Vancouver, mark your calendars: this weekend is EPIC: The Vancouver Sun Sustainable Living Expo (you may recall that we covered it last year as well). Vancouver's largest green consumer show and eco-marketplace starts Friday April 18 and runs through Sunday April 20; the Expo offers a great opportunity to learn about environmentally-friendly products and companies that mix style and quality with sustainability.
I'll be there, giving a presentation on Saturday about making your lifestyle choices count, and will be enjoying the show for most of the weekend, so stop by and say hi. There's a lot to see and do, from seeing main stage speakers to browsing a huge list of exhibits to celebrity chefs preparing seasonal, sustainable cuisine and eco-friendly fashion shows each day, and it looks like a great time.
Tickets are available online and at the door, either for a single day or the whole weekend. Hope to see you there! ::EPIC...
Most Huggable: Curdled Color, Books For Baby Greens, Eco-Heroes + More
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 04.16.08
Can curdled milk paint makeover your home or is it a recipe for disaster?
Eco-Libris reviews Michelle Colman's book, Eco Babies Wear Green, a board book for tots 1-3 years old.
Winners of the 2008 Goldman Environmental Prize give their acceptance speeches.
Taleti, India is home to the world's largest solar kitchen, which serves up to 38,500 meals a day.
Does Xerox really walk their sustainable business practice talk?
Most Huggable is a regular roundup of some of Hugg's top green news stories. Why not submit your own green news?...
Residence 1 by Albert Frey, 1947
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.16.08
Architect Albert Frey built his own home in Palm Springs in 1941, starting with a 3-bedroom nucleus that he hoped could be a prototype for mass-produced homes. (some things never change) Built out of cheap industrial materials, it came in at $6 per square foot, low even then. An original proponent of multiple-use space, his dining room table hung from the ceiling on clotheslines, another idea whose time has come again. Julius Shulman writes "The aluminum siding and ceiling reflected the sun, while the interior wood panelling provided a feeling of warm refinement"
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Julius Shulman: Modernism Rediscovered
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.16.08
Since he began his career in 1936. Julius Shulman has been photographing the best in west coast architecture. Now, at age 97, he has produced Modernism Discovered, a big (think 29 pounds) and expensive (try 300 bucks, or for all the price-per-square-foot whiners, $10.34 per pound ) but is a wonder that is an absolute must for anyone interested in modern design.There are over 400 architectural projects in it, many of them forgotten gems.
Shulman's photographs concentrate on the connections between indoors and out: “The reason why this architecture photographs so beautifully is the environmental consideration exercised by the architects,” he says in Metropolis, “It was the sense that here we have beautiful canyons, hillsides, views of the ocean. Everyone loves these photographs because the houses are environmentally involved, and this was before the emphasis on what everyone is calling green.” Modernists everywhere, grab your handcart and get ::Modernism Rediscovered found at the soon-to-be-gone ::Ballenford Books...
America's Most Endangered Rivers of 2008
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04.16.08
Rivers flow over spillways, through blood colored gills, over rocks slathered with life. Their levels reflect changes in climate. They assimilate organic waste and carry eroded soil and plastic bits out to the floating garbage gyres. Rivers offer natural beauty, recreation, and are the lifeblood of many businesses. We wish we could write like Hemingway about them. (What would Hemingway have blogged - The Nick Adams posts perhaps?)
American Rivers has just released a report on the top ten American rivers at risk. There is a press release with the details on the threats to each River, depicting the interplay of climate change with other risk factors such as diversion, logging, and effluent discharge.
Can you guess which three of the listed at-risk rivers are pictured in this post:- Catawba-Wateree, Rogue, Cache la Poudre, St. Lawrence River, Minnesota, St. Johns, Gila, Allagash, Pearl, or Niobrara?
The full report, America's Most Endangered Rivers™: 2008 edition, can be downloaded here. Via::American Rivers. Image credits::via Press Page....
From the Forums: Getting rid of grass?
by Alan Graham, Portland, Oregon on 04.16.08
A query in the forums is, how do you get rid of that pesky lawn?
We have a small patch of grass in our front yard and a decent size lawn in the back yard. Personally we feel lawns are a waste of water and space so we'd like to eliminate the lawn in favor of ornamental grasses, stones, and other low water plants. We have planted a garden in raised beds which eliminated some of the lawn, but we're just getting started. The question we have is how do you get rid of the rest of it?...
Voltzilla: DIY Electric Motorcycle Made from Forklift Parts
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04.16.08
Our post about the DIY electric Kawasaki motorcycle was pretty popular, and the owner, Ben Nelson, even dropped by and left a few comments.
But he's not the only one converting old bikes! Russ Gries is a fellow DIYer, and his electric motorcycle is centered around parts from an old battery-powered forklift. He got it for free from the company he works for, and after acquiring the carcass of a 1976 Honda CB550 for $50, he got to work. After about 120 hours and a net cost of $15.61 (that's right, he got money for recycling the rest of the forklift), the result is Voltzilla. See below for specifications, photos, and videos, including the first ride....
Yes, We Do Love The Whole World!
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04.16.08
Who is Behind Your Green Snack?
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 04.16.08
They are the companies you love to hate, purveyors of overly packaged processed foods, the Top 30 food processors in North America.
Or are they? Companies like Kraft, Pepsi and General Mills have joined the new wave of start-ups and stand-bys serving the growing market of informed consumers who want better, greener food. Due to complex or shadowy relationships, or simply because no one can keep up with mergers and acquisitions, you may react as one TreeHugger staffer did: "I must admit to be a little bummed learning about Seeds of Change and Dagoba."
Before you can decide whether the big boys joining the trend is the start of a new era or the beginning of the end, you need to at least know who has their fingers in which pot. Thanks to the good folks at GOOD magazine, there is now a quick reference guide in graphical format for an easy overview. Do you want to know who is behind Seeds of Change or Dagoba or 28 other organic brands?...
Don't Buy A Nalgene Water Bottle Until You Read This
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.16.08
UPDATE:Nalgene no longer sells water bottles made with Bisphenol A. Number 7 as a plastic type means any plastic that is not in the first six, so having number 7 on the bottom does not necessarily mean that it contains BPA.
Dangers of Nalgene water bottles and other plastic sport water bottles
Many Nalgene water bottles and other hard plastic sport water bottles are made of polycarbonate (#7 on the bottom) , which may leach Bisphenol A, an estrogen-like chemical. Canada is considering a ban of products containing Bisphenol A (BPA) and a new American study links it to breast cancer and early puberty, and is particularly concerned about the effect on babies. Others have raised concerns about the effect of feminizing hormones on men, such as breast enlargement or dropping semen counts. At the same time, sport water bottles are ubiquitous and we don't want people going back to buying bottled water. What should you do? Time to nix the Nalgene? We looked at our past posts and the latest reports, and suggest the following.
7 Ways to beat BPA, in order of Importance:
1. Ditch the clear plastic baby bottles, right now. All the research that says there are problems point at the effect of the estrogen-like BPA on children as being the most significant.
2. Tin cans are often lined in plastic BPA and sit around a long time; get rid of older tin cans, particularly if they contain tomatoes and other acidic fruits.
3. Don't use your polycarbonate bottle for hot drinks.
4. Polycarbonate bottles get crazed and cracked as they get older; that increases surface area. Get rid of old ones.
5. Replace your Polycarbonate bottle with a Sigg, Kleen Kanteen, or the new BPA free Camelbak, particularly if pregnant or pre-pubescent.
6. Replace jugs where water sits around a long time, like Brita knockoffs. (Brita says they are BPA free)
7. Stop using jugged water cooler water, get a filter and cooler that uses city water. It is a big jug so there probably isn't much of a problem, but why are you drinking bottled water anyways?
Don't worry about polycarbonates in non-food related products like CDs and DVDs. but keep them out of babies' mouths.
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Can the Potato Feed the World?
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.16.08
Photo credit: Reuters/Enrique Castro-Mendivil/Files
With the cost of wheat and rice bursting through the roof, all eyes are turning to the humble spud as a nutritious staple that could cheaply feed a world increasingly ravaged by hunger.
The potato has plenty going for it, despite its derision by the anti-carbohydrate movement: It requires very little water, matures in as little as 50 days, and can yield between two and four times more food per hectare than wheat or rice. A great source of complex carbohydrates, potatoes only have 5 percent of the fat content of wheat—that is, if you don't smother your tubers in butter. (Mmmm, butter...) Potatoes also have one-fourth of the calories of bread, and when boiled, have more protein and corn and nearly twice the calcium. Plus, they contain vitamin C, iron, potassium, and zinc.
As we move toward a reality where there simply isn't enough food to feed the world, many prominent voices—including the United Nations, which declared 2008 the "Year of the Potato"—are saying that the potato is part of the solution.
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Parducci in the Lead for America's Greenest Winery
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.16.08
Parducci Wine Cellars, America's first carbon-neutral winery, announced on Thursday its conversion to 100 percent solar and wind power. The oldest family-owned winery in Northern California's Medocino County will be supplementing its on-site solar power with Green-e-certified wind energy purchased from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation.
The annual positive environmental impact of the winery's green power use, according to Parducci, is equivalent to planting 242 acres of trees, or removing 172 cars from the road for a year.
In 2007, Parducci received the Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award for its efforts in fighting global warming. Besides purchasing grapes from local family farmers, the company also uses sustainable practices such as synthetic-chemical-free farming, integrated pest management, biodiesel tractors in the vineyards, as well as eco-friendly packaging at the winery. ::Parducci...
Pop Quiz: Turn of the Century Census
by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 04.16.08
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Could an L.A. Mainstay be to Blame for the Arctic's Recent Warming?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 04.16.08
Image courtesy of NOAA
And no, as you may have already surmised, we're not talking about L.A.'s congested freeways or Hollywood — but of its longstanding smog problem. Perhaps counterintuitively, this seemingly pristine region has amassed heavy concentrations of trace gases, airborne particles and soot — courtesy of our considerable fossil fuel consumption — which scientists believe may be to blame in part for the Arctic's accelerated melting. A team of academic and government researchers will spend the next few weeks flying through this so-called "Arctic Haze" to study its impact vis-a-vis global warming — and the unprecedented rate of summertime sea ice melting....
Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 04.16.08
We mentioned them briefly in our guide on How to Green Your Outdoor Sports, but unless our search function is very much mistaken, it looks like we’ve yet to feature a dedicated post on the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. Yet these guys are an absolute powerhouse for pushing an ethical agenda when it comes to enjoying the great outdoors. From comprehensive training courses to advocacy and awareness raising, and through its traveling trainer and community blogs, the Center works to promote responsible practices in a broad range of activities: ...
Quote of the Day: Margaret Webb
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.16.08
Margaret Webb just published Apples to Oysters, described by J.B. MacKinnon of 100 Mile Diet fame as " the work of a sensual adventurer feasting her way across an edible landscape, with stops to contemplate such matters as the personality quirks of scallops, the fleeting magnificence of flax in bloom, and, ultimately, the emerging renaissance in Canadian regional cuisine." We just heard her on Matt Galloway's show, talking about local and healthy food:
We have lawyers, accountants and doctors; we really should all have our own farmer"::Margaret Webb...
Bicycle Fast Fold Showdown. And the Winner Was ...
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 04.16.08
[UPDATED: The original embedded YouTube link we first had is, alas, now kaput, but you can still watch the video here.]
Here’s a story that’s sat in my in-box for an embarrassing nine months! (Sorry, Lynette.) Fortunately, watching our glorious leader quickly fold his Strida 5 into his wardrobe jogged my wayward memory.
The Fast Fold Showdown was a feature of last year’s Trophy Bikes ‘Round Up’ Folding Bike Festival. Contestants had to Ride, Fold, Carry, Sit, Cross Legs, Unfold, and Ride their respective brands of bike. See the likes of Xootr, Moulton, Bike Friday, Brompton, Dahon (as I recall) and others, duke it out for line honours. The speed that some can fold, and size they can compact to, is impressive. ...
Solar City Offering No Money Down, Residential Solar Panel Leases In California
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04.16.08
The financials look pretty good. Under the program, customers pay a monthly fee and get lower utility bills, but SolarCity retains ownership of the photovoltaic panels. In a typical scenario for a 2.8-kilowatt system, Rive said, a customer with a $150-a-month electric bill before installing solar would end up with a $60-a-month electric bill, an $80 or $90 monthly lease payment to Solar City, and thus "positive cash flow" of as much as $10. Founded in 2006, SolarCity is chaired by Elon Musk, who also chairs Tesla Motors, and has heavily invested in both companies.Think about it. Mr. Musk is certainly a good business strategist. Charge up the newTesla in your own garage, on free electricity - well, sort of. Anyway, that's pretty slick. Via::Mercury News;SiliconValley.com, "SolarCity offers solar-leasing contract for no money down" Image credit::SolarCity website....
Survey: Have You Dumped Your Polycarbonate Bottle?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.16.08
We have been saying it for years, but now the Canadian government has declared Bisphenol A, found in polycarbonates and linings of tin cans, to be "dangerous" and just yesterday the US National Toxicology Program linked it to health problems, including breast cancer and early puberty.
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GPS Empowering Villagers In Fight To Conserve Rainforest
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 04.16.08
As rainforest destruction worldwide is continuing unabated, local communities are responding to rapid deforestation of their lands by turning to technologies such as GPS and Google Earth in an effort to protect and preserve their territory from logging companies. One such initiative organized by the Rainforest Foundation UK (RFUK) in the Democratic Republic of Congo this past week instructed a gathering of over 500 villagers who will use GPS to mark main areas in the rainforest, including their villages, places of worship, fishing and hunting areas....
Eat Your Greens(wash)
by Bonnie Alter, London on 04.16.08
Subway riders have had this bizarre ad staring them in the face all week. A big bowl of frozen french fries with the tag line "Eat Your greens." But McCain's doesn't mean that a serving of Rustic Oven Chips is as good as fresh vegetables. According to a spokesman "That's not the idea at all." Apparently it is all about the 4 green "traffic lights" on the right hand side of the ad. They are part of the Food Standards Agency's new food labelling scheme which indicates how healthy different foods are according to their rating system. The chips have scored "green" on four different categories. So the green means the traffic lights, not that they are vegetables. Get it?
Not everyone does. So far there have been three complaints about the Rustic Oven Chips ad claiming that it is misleading because potatoes do not count towards the required five portions of fruit and vegetables and do not count as "greens". McCain's is launching this upmarket premium brand to try and resurrect the failing french fry industry now that people have started to understand more about healthy diets. They say that their new Rustic Oven Chips are the only ones to score "green" on all four counts: low in fat, saturates, sugar and salt. Treehuggers are familiar with the concept of greenwashing but this one takes the cake, oops, vegetable. :: Guardian...
Bad Karma as Tesla Sues Maker of Fisker Karma
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 04.15.08
Tesla Motors, the Silicon Valley startup that just delivered its first production electric vehicle, has filed sued against Henrik Fisker, "a Danish-born designer who is known for his work on high-end exotic sports cars," and who was hired by Tesla "to do the body design for a four-seat sedan, code-named White Star." According to the lawsuit Mr. Fisker and his chief operating officer, Bernhard Koehler, doing business under the name Fisker Coachbuild, fraudulently agreed to take on Tesla’s $875,000 design contract to gain access to confidential design information and trade secrets, then announced a competing vehicle. Last fall Mr. Fisker founded Fisker Automotive, which is backed by the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers....
Do You Know What You Eat? Greenpeace's Ads Against Genetically Modified Organisms
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 04.15.08
Greenpeace commissioned Moscow-based BBDO Russia for a series of ads to raise awareness about genetically-modified organisms. The text in the ad, cropped out of the above image, says, "The DNA of genetically modified plants may contain the genes of insects, animals or even viruses. These products may potentially cause harm to your health. Look for the 'GMO-free' sign on the package."
Hit the jump to see modified green onions and peas. ::fubiz via ::NotCot.org
See also: ::The Argument Against GMOs, ::Arguments Against GMOs (and Industrial Agriculture), ::Monsanto pays $1M for GMO bribe and ::Genetically Modified Rice to Fight Global Warming in China...
Home Depot, Habitat for Humanity Build Green-Building Partnership
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.15.08
Photo credit: neubie
The Home Depot Foundation is giving Habitat for Humanity International a walloping $30 million for a national green-building program called Partners in Sustainable Building. The program, which aims to make at least 5,000 Habitat homes more energy efficient, will provide energy-efficient and sustainable building resources and funding for 17 percent of all single- and multi-family homes that Habitat builds in the next five years.
While Home Depot has used individual store donations and new-home builds to support Habitat, Partners in Sustainable Building is the first formal partnership between the two. ::New Mexico Business Weekly...
RecycleBank, the Recycling Program that Pays You Back, Heading to Europe
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 04.15.08
RecycleBank, the company who brought us an innovative recycling program that pays you to throw less stuff away (by throwing more in the recycling bin), is taking their game across the Atlantic Ocean, to Europe. Fresh off raising $30 million, the company will expand services here in the States and will expand into Europe.
We've had our eye on RecycleBank for awhile, from back when they were a pilot program and after they opened up operations in three states, and their incentive-based recycling business model has always been intriguing; after all, if altruism isn't a good enough reason to increase recycling rates, a little extra money ought to be. ...
Power Shirt Generates Electricity from Physical Motion
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.15.08
Photo credit: Gary Meek/Georgia Tech
The perfect match for the power tie? Meet the "Power Shirt," a piece of nanotechnology-infused clothing that will be able to generate enough electricity to power small electronic devices for soldiers in the field, hikers, or just about anyone whose phycial motion can be harnessed and converted to electrical energy.
Because pairs of textile fibers covered with nanowires can generate electrical current using the piezoelectric effect—which describes the ability of certain materials to generate an electrical potential in response to mechanical stress—combining current flow from many such fiber pairs by weaving them into a shirt or jacket could allow the wearer's body movements to power a range of portable electronic devices. In fact, researchers say, the fibers could be woven into curtains, tents, or other structures to capture energy from wind motion, sound vibration, or other mechanical energy.
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Delight's Month of Eco-Delightful Products
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.15.08
Bargain hunters can score fresh discounts on eco-friendly products this month at Delight.com, which will be featuring a green deal every day till April 22 in honor of Earth Day.
Working in conjunction with Trees for the Future, the online shopping showcase will also be donating one tree per item purchased. Plus, if you mention TreeHugger, Delight.com will match the number of trees you've already helped plant. ::Delight.com...
Today on Planet Green
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 04.15.08
:: Don doggy in a recycled cotton tee for Earth Day.
:: Soak up some stats that will inspire you to switch to electronic billing.
:: Stake out your city’s Earth Day party.
:: Trade in your gym membership for the great outdoors.
:: Munch on some chocolate-y dipped matzo candy....
TreeHugger Welcomes Melissa Beecher of ACoolerClimate.com
by Melissa Beecher, ACoolerClimate.com, Raleigh, NC on 04.15.08
TreeHugger Welcomes Erin Hollingsworth!
by Erin Hollingsworth, Brooklyn, NY on 04.15.08
Sewage Sludge "Experiment" in Poor Kids' Backyards
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.15.08
Sewage sludge, or "Biosolids"
We didn't know that this kind of thing still went on, but scientists spread "biosolids" on yards in poor black neighborhoods in Baltimore to test whether it might protect kids from lead poisoning. The theory was that the iron and phosphates in the sludge would bind to the lead and help it pass through the child's body if eaten.
The parents were told that the stuff was harmless compost, when in fact sludge can be contaminated with heavy metals, pharmaceuticals and microorganisms. Nor were they told that in many parts of the country and in Canada, sludge is not even used on farmland, far away from soil-eating kiddies, because of worries about toxicity.
One environmentalist said choosing poor neighborhoods destined for demolition makes it hard to track a study's participants. "If you wanted to do something very questionable, you would do it in a neighborhood that's not going to be there in a few years." ::Examiner
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Smith Ampere: An Electric Version of Ford's Transit Connect
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04.15.08
Last month we gave Ford a failing grade for the Transit Connect Taxi, a vehicle that Ford hoped would be used as a cab, but that got a miserable 19 miles per gallon in city driving. But now Smith Electric Vehicles has announced that it will use the Transit Connect chassis to make its Ampere electric van, a vehicle that will be jointly branded Smith and Ford. That makes sense!
Battery Range, Top Speed, Motor Specifications
The Ampere has a battery range "in excess of 100 miles" per charge (160 kilometers) and a top speed of up to 70 mph (115 kph). The electric motor can deliver 50 kW of power and the battery pack is based on an iron-phosphate lithium-ion chemistry (which sounds a bit similar to BYD's plug-in hybrids) made by Valence Technologies. And they're not taking half-measures either: The drivetrain and battery were developed specifically for the Ampere electric van....
Pop Quiz: Electric Car; A Modern Star?
by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 04.15.08
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Fujitsu Woodshell Bioplastic Computer
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.15.08
Latest in wood design at the Milan Furniture Salon (MocoLoco here) is this wood-clad Fujitsu notebook with the catchy name FMV-BIBLO NX95Y/D, also known as the "Woodshell." It is covered in "forest-thinned" cedar and 30% of the housing and plastic parts are made from corn-based bioplastics.
The proportions look clunky and the canvas carrying case looks like it was made from hats left over from Beau Geste. It does not look nearly as sexy as last year's Asus Bamboo number, but we do love PC's that are "not merely an environmentally friendly tool but an object of enduring style and utility-" Let's just hope that cedar is FSC certified and that corn is organic. ::Fujitsu via ::Unplggd...
Jeremy Leggett & Ashley Seager Talk Up A Storm At Green Shoots
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 04.15.08
Photograph courtesy of Peter O'Brien at Edenbee.com
Anyone who has heard Jeremy Leggett speak before will know that he has just the right combination of anger and passion to hold an audience's rapt attention on the subject of the looming energy crisis. His fiery rhetoric combined with Guardian journalist Ashley Seager's incisive questions and witty repartee made for a dynamic discussion last week about what is inherently a very depressing subject. What is the UK Government doing to prepare itself for the reality of the peak oil? The answer, according to Leggett, is worryingly and frustratingly little. This second event in The Glasshouse's Green Shoots series showed how educational and motivating these networking events can be....
Plug-in Hybrid Cars: Chart of CO2 Emissions Ranked by Power Source
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04.15.08
The chart on the left shows CO2 emissions by gas-electric plug-in hybrids depending on the electricity source. As you can see, plug-ins beat the conventional gasoline-powered vehicle at the top in all situations, but the comparison with a regular hybrid vehicle is more complex. Depending on the power source, it can go from slightly worse than the hybrid to about twice as good (and three times as good as the conventional car).
Not surprisingly, coal without carbon capture is the worst power source, and even "advanced coal burning" isn't much better. And as the source of 43% of U.S. electricity, it must be taken seriously.
Two Reasons for Hope: Night Charging & Other Power Sources...
Cabin Fever : Eight Prefabs in ReadyMade
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.15.08
ReadyMade magazine, available online in their new digital format, does Cabin Fever, a look at small designs that can act as home offices or entire mini-houses. The problem, as always, is red tape and municipal restrictions, so some are under the 100 square foot radar, others are on wheels, and others are probably just dropped in without asking.
Paul Stankey of Hive Modular built his Rustic Reuse cabin out of two shipping containers. They look surprisingly comfortable inside, given that the walls are uninsulated steel. See also the Clara Cabin by Bryan Meyer, no wonder Hive is doing such interesting stuff)
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Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles and Costume Opens in Toronto
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.15.08
In her 2001 book Couture and Commerce: Transatlantic Fashion Trade in the 1950s , Alexandra Palmer wrote about her surprise at the condition of the Chanels and Givenchys. "As I looked at garments that repeatedly revealed evidence of wear- worn hemlines in ball gowns, shortened hemlines, and numerous alteration and careful mends to many delicate and elaborate evening dresses as well as to day wear- I found myself with many unanswered questions."
Now, she is the Fashion Costume Curator at the Royal Ontario Museum and is opening the Patricia Harris Gallery of Textiles and Costume in the Daniel Libeskind- designed "crystal", where many of those questions are answered. ...
Bush's New (Old) Tack on Climate Change: Watch Me Pretend to Care
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 04.15.08
Could it be? Could the Bush administration, as the Associated Press and many other news outlets have now reported, really be turning over a new leaf and contemplating taking up "new climate change proposals" to avoid a coming "train wreck" of new regulations? Here's how the AP reported on a news conference held by White House press secretary Dana Perino in which the tentative discussions were addressed:
"At the meeting, White House officials outlined a range of options that were being considered, from simply proposing a set of "principles" to proposing to cap greenhouse gas emissions from power plants, according to two individuals familiar with the discussions.
Perino disputed that description, saying the White House officials, rather than presenting the lawmakers with options, "went up to discuss with members the range of complications and concerns" raised by the possibility of having to regulate greenhouse gases under existing laws."...
From The Forums: Home Value, Should I Install Solar
by Alan Graham, Portland, Oregon on 04.15.08
One of the best features of TreeHugger is our forums. Not only will you find tons of entertaining discussions going on, you'll also find a lot of helpful people with answers to your green questions. I've started a discussion today about a concern I have installing a solar system into our "transitional house."...
Eco-chic Entertaining Tips
by Bonnie Hulkower, New York, New York on 04.15.08
On Thursday night, April 10th, the warmest New York has yet seen in April, a well-heeled crowd outfitted in suits and festive party dresses crowded into Astor Center on 4th street for A Night of Eco-Chic Entertaining, presented by the online magazine about entertaining, Notesonaparty.com. The party was intended to show how it is possible to be both sustainable and chic in the party-hosting realm, and featured a number of participating green brands, from Frutzzo, the "first company in America to market antioxidant-rich pomegranate juice blends" in recyclable bottles, to Organic Bouquet, which creates flower arrangements with only flowers grown using sustainable practices....
Al Gore's New Slideshow: CSI Climate and the Case of the Unheated Stratosphere (30 second video)
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04.15.08
Yesterday we brought you a clip, 2-minute version and the entire 22-minute version of Al Gore's newest presentation. Today, hot on the trail of global warming skeptics, Chief Detective Gore is doing some climate crime scene investigation that takes us to the earth's stratosphere....
How Simple Steps Can Put $678,000 in Your Pocket
by David Bach with Hillary Rosner - GreenGreen.com on 04.15.08
If I have learned one thing in my nearly 20 years as a financial adviser and coach, it's this: It's not what you earn that makes you rich or poor; it's what you spend.
Millions of Americans are burning up money every day while they squander the planet's nonrenewable resources and pollute the environment in ways that lead to global warming and climate change. And we don't even realize it. We are just doing things the way we have always done them.
We buy a car because we like the way it looks and handles. We build a house with as many square feet as the bank's mortgage officer will allow. We renovate our kitchens with Sub-Zero refrigerators to increase our home's resale value. We run the sprinkler on our lawns using water that's so cheap that it's practically free. It's all just common sense right?...
The Petaluma Prius-Killer is on the Loose!
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04.15.08
In other news, there is one (or many) vandals that have something against Toyota Prius hybrids in Petaluma, California. The Press Democrat reports that there has been six police reports of Prius hybrids being damaged in the past two weeks, and there might be cases that haven't been reported.
Five of the cars were parked on the West side of town, and in most cases a brick, hammer or rock was thrown through a window, while one time, a fender was dented. If you live in Petaluma and have a Prius, stay vigilant! And if you are in the area and know anything that could help with this case, you can let the police know at 778-4372. ::Vandals strike 6 hybrid cars, via ::Prius pillage pre-meditated in Petaluma...
Quote of the Day: Amber Valletta on Oceans
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.15.08
Spiderman Tries to Save Planet from Global Warming
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 04.15.08
Today we had an email addressed from Alain Robert, (a.k.a. real life Spiderman), as no doubt did many other media outlets. Alain climbs skyscrapers, with nought but his climbing shoes and a bag of gymnasts chalk. His audacious unroped climbs tend to attract rather a great deal of attention. In this case scaling the 45 storey Four Seasons Hotel in Hong Kong certainly did.
Now he is leveraging that attention to work with Dylan Hughes, from London, as part of that six year old’s ‘The Solution is Simple’ campaign (detail after the fold). Spiderman was in China island territory to bring attention to that country being the world’s biggest contributor to global warming, with an Chinese citizen said to be creating almost 4 tonnes of global warming emissions. But he argues the developed world is just as responsible and it’s now the time for action, not more talk.
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Beauty Lab: Badger Classic Lip Balms Now Certified Organic
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.15.08
Badger's ambitious goal to get its entire line certified organic by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is off to a fine start with its classic lip balms receiving the USDA's seal of approval. While most of the Gilsum, N.H.-based company's balms already comprise more than 70 percent certified-organic ingredients, Badger aims to have almost all its products 95 percent certified organic by the end of 2008.
Making their debut are two new flavors: Pink Grapefruit and Vanilla Madagascar, with base ingredients that include organic extra-virgin olive oil, natural golden yellow beeswax, castor bean oil, and extracts of organic aloe vera, rose hip, and organic seabuckthorn berry. Still have a yen for the old classics? You can continue to pucker up to Lavender & Orange, Tangerine Breeze, Ginger & Lemon, Highland Mint, and the no-frills Unscented flavors. ::Badger Balm...
Product Review: El Naturalista Viandante Shoes
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.15.08
El Naturalista recently introduced the Viandante collection for men, featuring hand-stitched vegetable-tanned leather, outsoles crafted from 100 percent natural rubber, and anatomically designed insoles made from recycled cork.
Treated with river stones to temper the hide naturally, the leather sports a textured grain that gives it both resilience and flexibility. The recycled cork insoles are designed to fit the contours of the foot, allowing your weight to be distributed over the entire sole as you walk, absorbing impacts and protecting your sensitive spots. Meanwhile, the 100 percent rubber forming the outsoles bends with ease, while remaining more hardy than its non-biodegradable synthetic counterparts.
We managed to test-drive a pair of Viandante shoes in the most grueling of walking environments: New York City. Here's what our reviewer had to say:...
Catch a Sneak Peek of Planet Green Tonight on TLC
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.15.08
Organic couch potatoes can catch an exclusive sneak peek of Planet Green on TLC before the first all-green-all-the-time network launches on June 4.
At 7 p.m. (ET), watch the WA$TED! team, led by host Annabelle Gurwitch and "green" handyman Holter Graham, as they audit a household's waste, as well as its energy, water and transportation consumption. Each household has three weeks to reduce its consumption, going on a “green regime” to clean up their act.
Next, tune in to Greenovate, a new half-hour series that gives an eco-friendly nod to the homeowners who are taking strides to make the world a better place for living. Viewers watch as home improvements ranging from the simple change of a light bulb to the drastic installation of a “living roof” reduce energy bills and carbon footprints, while increasing the value of their homes....
Green at Puro Diseno Fair 2008, Buenos Aires (Part II)
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 04.15.08
Buenos Aires biggest annual design fair (Puro Diseno) took place from April 8 to 13, and yesterday we showed you the first part of our coverage on the presence of green in the event.
For this second post, we have jewelry from recovered materials, a nice startup project to reuse subway passes and some small-space furniture. Check them out in the extended....
Bill Clinton Coming to Green Living Show
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.15.08
The first Green Living Show in Toronto last year had Al Gore as the headliner. How do you top that? You bring in the big guns, lots of them, starting with Bill Clinton and then a flying squad of Ed Begley Jr., Jean-Michel Cousteau, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Simon Jackson. We can't imagine what they might do next year, the Pope is booked already. Toss in 400 green exhibitors, an organic marketplace and a bike track and it is almost green overload.
It is all carbon offset and Bullfrog Powered, and last year they banned bottled water. Unfortunately, this year they are falling for the corn-based compostable "socially responsible" bottled water story. ::Green Living Show
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Survey: Would You Take a Better Bus?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.15.08
In hopes of increasing ridership, the city of San Francisco is testing a new form of cutting-edge public transport known as the Connected Bus, a hybrid vehicle offering high-speed Internet access and live updates about delays. Would you be more likely to take it?
Continue the discussion in the forum!
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GE Can't Make Wind Turbines Fast Enough
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04.15.08
Can you imagine a GE teleconference with stock analysts where the implication is that GE didn't see the Green Wave coming early enough, maybe should have put more capital into meeting the present demand for alternative energy technology? The wind turbine shortage is growing, General Electric has confirmed. The industrial conglomerate said in its conference call with analysts last Friday that the backlog of wind turbines--i.e. orders that have booked but can't ship--has grown to $12 billion. That's up from $11 billion in the fourth quarter and more than twice the size of the backlog in the first quarter a year ago....
Solar Hot Water: The Guardian Agrees With Us
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 04.15.08
Image courtesy of Solartwin
Only last month we were wondering why more houses don’t have solar hot water heaters – in fact, we were advocating that every house should have one. It seems others are agreeing with us, with Lucy Siegle over at The Guardian wondering why more UK households haven’t taken up this most accessible of micro-generation technologies. While she acknowledges that government grants can help encourage uptake, she points out that the system is notoriously difficult to navigate:
Grants are available from the Government's Low Carbon Building Programme, but I don't think it's unfair to say that the scheme has hardly been a resounding success. If you can work out how to apply for one, the grants allow you to choose from a handful of accredited suppliers (cynics say they are the most expensive solar fitters) to offset some of the cost of installation. A recent overhaul of the grant programme gives a munificent windfall of a whole 40p extra per household to fit domestic renewables. Spend it wisely.
For those wanting to rough it, you can always try building your own. But whether you go the DIY route or take the commercially installed option, we're pleased to see increased recognition of this 'forgotten' renewable technology in the media.
::The Guardian::via site visit::
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George Monbiot on the Pleasures of the Flesh
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.15.08
Cambridge Jones/Contributor/Getty Images Entertainment
There appear to be two kinds of people in this world: those who think the Jim Kunstlers and George Monbiots are over-the-top nutbars and "moonbats", and those, like me, who think they are brilliant and dead-on. In his weekly entry, Kunstler defends Obama's "bitter" comments, and Monbiot makes an interesting point about the food crisis.
Monbiot points out that the world produced 2.1 billion tonnes of grain last year, the biggest harvest in history. "If hunger can strike now, what will happen if harvests decline?" The problem is that only 1.1 billion tonnes of it goes to feed people. While diverting 100 million tonnes to feed cars is a "crime against humanity", the real problem is that "760m tonnes will be snatched from the mouths of humans to feed animals. This could cover the global food deficit 14 times. If you care about hunger, eat less meat."
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Canada Calls Bisphenol A "Dangerous"
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.15.08
Canada's regulatory body, Health Canada, is the first in the world to declare Bisphenol A dangerous, the first step toward a ban. The chemical is used to make polycarbonate bottles, but also can be found in the linings of most tin cans.
Martin Mittelstaedt of the Globe and Mail writes "Independent researchers in dozens of studies have linked trace BPA exposures in animal and test-tube experiments to conditions involving hormone imbalances, including breast and prostate cancer, early puberty and changes in brain structure, particularly for exposures during key points of fetal or early neonatal development.
Until now, regulators in other countries have accepted the industry's assertion that BPA is harmless at the tiny, parts-per-billion type exposures from canned food and plastic beverage containers. A part per billion is roughly equal to one blade of grass on a football field, although natural hormones such as estrogen are active at far lower concentrations, around a part per trillion." ::Globe and Mail
UPDATE: see more information on beating BPA here.
Lots of TreeHugger on this subject: Hot Water + Polycarbonate Bottles = More Gender-Benders, Time to Pack In the Polycarbonates, MEC Nixes Nalgenes, Camelbak Introduces Genderbender Free Bottles and Gender Bender Chemicals Also Make You Fat ...
Barcelona Spain In Drought: To Import Water By Ship
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04.15.08
Barcelona is planning to import water by ship from Marseilles, in southern France, as well as from other nearby coastal sources of fresh water. It is an emergency measure: area reservoirs are only 20% full as a consequence of an historic drought. The Catalan Water Agency says it has chartered 10 tankers to transport water to Barcelona for at least six months, or until rainfall returns to normal. This is expected to cost €22m (£17m, $35m) a month. Emergency wells are being dug in the region of Tarragona to supply the tanker ships.The politics of coping with the water shortage in Barcelona remind us of the parallel situation in Atlanta Georgia, USA. Except worse, as Atlanta at least has relatively uncontaminated groundwater. (The Barcelona region only began to address surface water pollution in the 1990's, 20 years behind North America, and groundwater pollution in developed areas is degraded, according to this source: Water Supply in the Barcelona Region) Via::Financial Times, "Barcelona plans to import water by ship" Image credit::Reuters Pictures, Sau Reservoir north of Barcelona, 2007....
Greenest Gladiators in Town
by Bonnie Alter, London on 04.15.08
Are these the greenest sandals ever--aside from bare feet, of course... Sold at Topshop, every part of them is fairtrade, ethical, sustainable, and made by rural community groups with the profits being poured back into the local area. While not perfect, Topshop has already introduced ethical jewellery and clothing into their stores. And btw, the gladiator look is sooo fashionable this season.
The details: The leather top parts are made of vegetable-tanned leather, they are coloured using vegetable dyes and tree bark by members of a Northern Indian community, with the profits going back to them. They make the soles too, using only leather from cows that have died naturally. The fabric straps are 100% natural jute from a village in West Bengal with the profits to be spent on schools. The construction: the shoes are put together in a small assembly unit in a poor area in Delhi that hires elderly workers at good wages. The packaging: the box is made from recycled paper by an organisation that hires former drug addicts and those with HIV. The price: £45 ( $89) and worth every penny. :: Topshop Via :: Evening Standard...
Brits Get More Climate-Labeled Goods
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 04.15.08
Men's T emits more CO2 in its production - 671 grams versus 561 grams for the women's version
Walker's potato chips (known in the UK as crisps), Boots shampoo and the innocent smoothie were the first products that agreed to count up their carbon using Carbon Trust (CT) methodologies and in Walker's case, put a number and a label on their goods. Thus far, it doesn't seem to have measurably hurt their brands.
Now Carbon Trust has 20 companies - including grocery chain Tesco - counting their products' carbon using its methodology. CT is working with the UK's DEFRA to make the method a public standard by this July. Only 4 of the new bunch of companies joining in the carbon counting effort are making immediate plans to communicate that to consumers - Continental Clothing will label its Earth Positive t-shirts shown above, Morphy Richards will label irons, Mey Selections will put it on its honeys and jams and its shortbread and Colors, a fruit distributor, will use it for South African fruit. One downside: after figuring out the amount of work it will entail, Tesco has now said it will start by labeling just 30 rather than all 70,000 of its products. Via ::CarbonTrust ...
Zerocarbonista: Dale Vince of Ecotricity Launches New Blog
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 04.15.08
Dale Vince, founder of UK-based green energy company Ecotricity, was pretty opinionated when we interviewed him last year, and his promise of a revolutionary new domestic wind turbine certainly cought our attention. We’re hoping that Mr Vince’s entry into the increasingly crowded world of green blogs will prove equally note worthy, as this week saw the launch of Zerocarbonista, in which Dale promises to shed some light, or at least spark some debate, on some of the most important questions of our time:
“There are big questions out there - how will we keep the lights on, what kind of cars will we drive (will we drive?) and how will we feed ourselves – in a post oil world, and a world where we can’t afford to keep burning things and throwing things away. I want to talk about this stuff, and hear other people’s views. I want to discuss the next Industrial Revolution with you, and help bring it about.”
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Today on Planet Green
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 04.14.08
:: Eat an apple a day. It does keep the doctor away.
:: Follow Kelly’s lead and luxuriate in local dining.
:: Send off Junior to soccer practice with the right water bottle.
:: Fight the federal law permitting cosmetic companies to hide shady fragrance ingredients.
:: Hop the NextBus to avoid public transportation delays....
Ample Sample 2008: Call For Entries
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 04.14.08
Over 700,000 carpet samples will get shipped this year, helping for architects and interior designers pick the perfect pattern and color, but not much use after that; often, they just get tossed. Thankfully, the Ample Sample design competition is back, challenging designers to "Rethink. Reuse. Upcycle" and come up with a better use for all those carpet samples.
Winning designs will be promoted at NeoCon, in Floor Focus Magazine and available as a free download to forward-thinking designers all around the world. The deadline is May 16, and designs can be submitted digitally directly through their site. Hit the jump for pics of last year's winners and runners-up, and get all the details at::Ample Sample 2008
See also: ::Ample Sample 2007: Rethink, Reuse, Upcycle and ::Ample Sample 2007: And the Winner Is......
Most Huggable: Global Warming And Grub, Frozen Smoke, Green Grapes + More
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 04.14.08
The UN World Food Program and IPCC report a link between climate change and growling tummies.
A mad Malaysian scientist unearths a potentially cheap and green insulation alternative.
The U.S. welcomes its first carbon neutral winery.
Biodiesel myth #23 is de-bunked.
Most Huggable is a regular roundup of some of Hugg's top green news stories. Why not submit your own green news?...
Product Review: Haworth Zody Performance Task Chair
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.14.08
When we test-drove Haworth's Zody for the first time, one thought loomed in our minds: You can pry this lumbar support from our cold, dead hands. The first task chair certified as a Cradle to Cradle Gold product, the Zody contains up to 50 percent recycled content. It's also up to 98 percent recyclable. More important—for us 15-hour-a-day desk jockeys anyway—it's the only chair to have PAL, a patent-pending asymmetrical lumbar support system you can adjust, as well as a passive pelvic support.
Another first: the Zody is the foremost task chair endorsed by the American Physical Therapy Association, probably due in no small part to its back-support system, which was developed with the help of the Human Performance Institute at Western Michigan University. ...
Retired NYC Subway Cars Creating a Reef off the Coast of Delaware
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 04.14.08
Image Credit: Tim Shaffer for The New York Times
If you think subway cars are only useful so long as they are efficiently carrying urban travelers from point A to point B, well, you're wrong! It turns out that hundreds of retired New York City subway cars have been finding a second home--80 feet underwater, and 16 nautical miles off the coast of Delaware. There they are helping to transform "a barren stretch of ocean floor into a bountiful oasis, carpeted in sea grasses, walled thick with blue mussels and sponges, and teeming with black sea bass and tautog." So far, 666 subway cars have already made their way to the ocean floor, and the results have been impressive: "a 400-fold increase in the amount of marine food per square foot in the last seven years," and "In the last several years, the reefs have drawn swift open-ocean fish, like tuna and mackerel, that use the reefs as hunting grounds for smaller prey. Sea bass like to live inside the cars, while large flounder lie in the silt that settles on top of the cars." This is great news, as ocean acidification from climate change and other human disruptions are harming reefs around the world.
So what about the environmental impacts from the subway cars themselves? ...
T. Boone Pickens Rides the Wind
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.14.08
Katie Fehrenbacher at Earth2Tech calls T. Boone Pickens "our favorite oil- baron- turned- wind- power- wildcatter, as he makes his first down payment on 500 wind turbines to build the world's largest wind farm. The Guardian calls it "the biggest and most audacious project of his career."
It may be the biggest but it is not the most audacious. That might be his three million dollars to support the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth . Or perhaps it is his $75 million purchase of ground water rights for 200,000 acres of Texas, where he will take water from the Ogallala Aquifer and pump it to El Paso or Dallas. He has no qualms about charging people for water- "I know what people say - water's a lot like air. Do you charge for air? 'Course not; you shouldn't charge for water," says he. "Well, OK, watch what happens. You won't have any water." He says he might clear a billion on the deal.
T. Boone Pickens controls much of Texas's oil and water already; soon he might control the wind. ::Guardian...
Hydro Power Without the Dams: Ontario Invests in Free Flow Underwater Turbines
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04.14.08
Wouldn't it be nice if we could generate clean power from rivers without having to dam them? That's what Verdant Power is trying to do with its free flow turbines (which we've covered in the past: "Lunar Power" comes to New York and NBC Coverage of Wave and Tidal Power).
The Cornwall Ontario River Energy Project - 15 Megawatts
The province of Ontario is investing C$2.2 million into a project to demonstrate the feasibility and commercial viability of using free flow turbines to harness some of the St. Lawrence River's kinetic energy and turn it into electricity. ...
302designs Introduces Organic Tees
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.14.08
Elevation (left) and Metamorphosis
302designs recently added a few organic-cotton designs to its stable of 100 percent sweatshop-free T-shirts, each of which sprouts a thought-provoking phrase—crafted by a team of "fashion poets"—that has become the Austin, Texas-based clothing company's trademark.
The two women's designs are Elevation ("Let not the colors of your feathers determine your heights.") and Metamorphosis ("You are not the same person you were before. shed your skin."). For the men, you have Crescendo ("There's a fire in me, a passion so hot, that if you tapped it, you'd get burned."), Passion ("Passion is the fuel of the heart.") and No Limits ("Words don't limit who we are.") Prices start at $28.
More photos below the fold. ::302designs...
Food Prices Dominate News: Now it's Pizza Time
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.14.08
Food is the big international story but the effect is felt at home when you order a pizza.
Pity the Pizza, in a Land of Nuggets The nation’s largest pizza chains are being hammered by sluggish sales and runaway ingredient costs. It’s a bad time to be in a business where two of the main ingredients are cheese and dough. Dairy and wheat prices have skyrocketed in the last year.::New York Times
Soaring food prices now top threat, IMF says he global food crisis has pushed aside fears of a recession and mounting banking woes as top priority for the world's economic leaders. Ministers representing 185 countries agreed on the weekend that soaring food prices threaten global calamity and pledged to co-operate on a solution to save the world's poorest people from starvation. ::Globe and Mail
Treehugger on the food crisis: Rising Food & Oil Prices: A Recipe For Riots Says FAO : Food Fight: Is Corn Food or Fuel? Corn Prices: Now It's Getting Serious...
Riding a Better Bus
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.14.08
Whenever we write about public transit, we get all kinds of comments about the sort of person that rides buses, like this one from a bus driver: "No one wants to pay for public transportation, because they think only the poor use it." But like any business, if you provide good customer service you attract a customer base. In San Francisco they are trying out the connected bus, a hybrid with high speed internet, live updates with route information and wait times at the bus stops, and a "green Gauge" describing the environmental impact of the bus. Cisco set up the electronics, noting "A better ride includes having a reliable and safe ride, spending less time in traffic, being exposed to fewer carbon emissions, and having access to timely route information."
"What transit customers want the most is consistent, reliable service," said Judson True, a spokesperson for San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, which launched the one-year trial in February, to the Star "But they're also increasingly looking for amenities that enhance their trip. The Connected Bus does that." MUNI also promises better maintenance, enhanced rider experience, reduced waiting time and enhanced safety and security. ::SFist, ::The Connected Bus
via ::The Star
Would that get you back onto a bus? Tell the Survey tomorrow. ...
Bamboo Wood Flooring from Smith & Fong Earns FSC Certification
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 04.14.08
Awhile back, when TreeHugger Lloyd asked if bamboo flooring was really TreeHugger green, he noted that the lack of chain of custody certification made it tough to tell whether or not the bamboo came from sustainable sources. There's no arguing that bamboo is quickly renewable, but its green benefits can be canceled out if growing and harvesting it result in deforestation and habitat and biodiversity loss. Thankfully, some of the guesswork has been taken out of this process with today's announcement that Smith & Fong has secured Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for its bamboo flooring and plywood.
This certification enables the company to produce "the world's first range of FSC-certified bamboo plywood and flooring," according to their press release. Combined with Smith & Fong's use of glues with negligible levels of formaldehyde, a pretty nasty carcinogen and contributor to indoor air pollution, the certification makes the company's bamboo products a pretty green choice....
Beauty Lab: Erbaviva Organic Deodorant
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.14.08
Parabens, triclosan, aluminum chlorohydrate—geez, do we really need to load our bodies with cancer-causing toxins to avoid that not-so-fresh feeling? Erbaviva's organic deodorants dispenses with tongue-twisting chemical compounds and opts for simplicity: organic grain alcohol and blends of organic essential oils. Nothing else.
Available in two gender-neutral (read: non-girly) fragrances, Lemon Sage, with its distinct notes of sandalwood, as well as the sweet and citrusy Jasmine Grapefruit, Erbaviva's deodorants come in 3.4 fl oz. ($16) and travel-ready 1 oz. ($6) sizes. Made in the United States. ::Erbaviva...
Sir David Attenborough Digs Google Earth's New Features
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04.14.08
Tower Power: How To Green The Slabs
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.14.08
From Moscow in the upper picture, to Toronto in the lower, suburban apartment towers are common in much of the northern hemisphere with the exception of the USA. Many of them from the 50's and 60's have no insulation, single glazed windows and "radiator fin" balconies. Yet millions around the world call them home; can they be upgraded and retrofitted?
In Toronto, the The Tower Renewal Project is "an initiative to re-examine these buildings’ remarkable heritage, neighbourhood histories, current place in our city, and future potential in a green and equitable Toronto."...
12 Battery and Ultracapacitor Companies Get Report Cards
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04.14.08
Mike Millikin, the uber-editor of Green Car Congress, played professor and handed out grades to 12 battery and ultracapacitor companies in an article published by EnergyTechStocks. Because the article was written for a financial site, we can assume that part of the criteria used to rate the companies has to do with commercial potential, but that's not necessarily a bad thing since to make an environmental difference, these companies need to get huge and stay profitable.
The 12 companies that got report cards are: A123 Systems, Altair Nanotechnologies, Compact Power, EEStor, Ener1, Hitachi, Johnson Controls, Lithium Technology, Maxwell Technologies, Automotive Energy Supply, Panasonic EV, Valence Technology. Notable omissions are BYD and NEC (maybe he doesn't like three-letter acronyms?). See below for a few highlights....
Robbie Adrian Organic Baby Blankets
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.14.08
Made in the United States, Robbie Adrian's baby blankets are made from plush 100 percent U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified-organic cotton, then trimmed with natural silk. The cotton itself is grown in West Texas, and later spun and knitted on the east coast.
Available with ruffled, straight, or piped trims, as well as in velour and cotton fleece, the blankets—which are a favorite with celebrities such as Katie "Kate" Holmes, Jessica Alba, and Halle Berry—start at $44. ::Robbie Adrian...
See For Yourself: Interactive Sea Level Rise Explorer
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04.14.08
The Sea Level Rise Explorer is an interactive map that shows how high above sea level the coastal areas of the globe are. It's based on version 2 of NASA's Shuttle Radar Topography Mission, so it should be pretty accurate.
Above is Florida and part of the Gulf of Mexico seen from pretty high above. Since the map is based on Google Maps, it's easy to zoom in on very precise locations. Below are close ups of New Orleans, the Netherlands and Shanghai. ...
Water: A Billion Gallons A Month Down the Drain
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.14.08
High Bridge Aqueduct, Harlem River, New York City. Edwin Levick, Hulton Archive, Getty Images
Delivering safe, healthy water has been one of the main functions of government for as long as there have been governments, building aqueducts in Roman times and more recently across the Harlem River. Water is also political, as we have seen from Atlanta to Wisconsin this year. But that hasn't stopped our current governments from letting the infrastructure fall to ruin.
Two hours north of New York City, there is a lovely stream and marsh where people come to drink the cool, fresh water; in fact is is a leak of 36 million gallons a day from the Delaware Aqueduct, a billion gallons a month. (nor is this news, Andy Revkin wrote about it in 2002)
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GreenYour.com: Your Guide to Green Anything
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 04.14.08
Offering the ability to fill in the blank and answer the question "What do you want to green in your life?", GreenYour.com is open for business with today's beta launch. Important facts, actionable tips, and cutting-edge products combine to create what the site hopes to be: “Your Guide to Green Anything” -- whether you want to green your lighting and your heating, or your dating and your voting, they'll aim to have you covered.
With 29 categories in more than 100 subject areas with more than 500 green tips adding up to more than 2,000 pages of facts, tips, and products, they look to be off to a solid start. But it's not just another "green living" site. Emphasizing the power of online community development, GreenYour is built on an open-source content development platform, allowing site moderators to give power-users the ability to create new content around their particular areas of expertise and providing GreenYour the opportunity to feature timely recommendations from leading environmental experts and organizations.
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Nature Moms Hosts Carnival of the Green
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 04.14.08
This week is Carnival of the Green # 123 and it's being hosted by Nature Moms, a blog dedicated to natural and green family living. So head on over to the site to check out a round up of green news and events from the past week, 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 accepting hosts for the second half of 2009!), please click here to link to our previous post....
Is Earth Day the New Christmas?
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.14.08
We didn't think it was possible for Corporate America to co-op and monetize Earth Day, but then again, previous generations probably thought the same about Christmas. Or, in the words of an Advertising Age op-ed: "It's nearly Earth Day: Time to consume more to save the planet. "
Much hue and cry has surrounded Wal-Mart's sudden eco-friendly makeover, but it certainly isn't the lone marketing behemoth exploiting a post-Inconvenient Truth nation's fears. Equally unlikely Earth Day champions now include JCPenney, which recently partnered with green-lifestyle expert Danny Seo to create its "Simply Green" home and fashion line; Banana Republic, which, in addition to launching an "eco" line, will donate 1 percent of sales from April 22 through April 27 to benefit the Trust for Public Land; as well as Macy's, which will offer 10 percent to 20 percent off most merchandise the weekend of April 26 in exchange for a $5 donation to the National Park Foundation. ...
Big Steps in Building: Deconstruct, Don't Demolish
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.14.08
Deconstructing Buffalo
We have stated that the real big step in building would be to ban demolition and renovate, but if the building has to come down, at least it should be deconstructed. The demolition numbers from the US EPA are shocking; Greenstrides summarizes the extent.
Building demolitions account for 48% of the waste stream, or 65 million tons per year; renovations account for 44%, or 60 million tons per year; and 8%, or 11 million tons per year, is generated at construction sites....
Green Eyes On: Hemp, Revisited
by Sara Snow on 04.14.08
Sara’s father, Tim Redmond (far left), and his team outside of the American Soy Products plant in Michigan.
Recently, I made a delicious salad of organic greens, hearts of palm, diced avocado, cucumbers and quartered tomatoes. I was wishing I had some beets to steam and toss in as well, but I didn’t. For dressing, I whisked together rice wine vinegar, tamari, a little sugar, salt and pepper, some crushed garlic, and grated ginger. But I left out typical oils, such as olive, canola, or even flax-seed. Instead, I went with hemp.
What comes to mind when you hear the word hemp? Smoke-filled rooms? Pipes and papers? Brownies? Maybe you’re a little more broad-minded, and you also think of rope and textiles or even paper when you think of products made from hemp. But what about food? Do you think of oil and milk and butter and powder? If not, you should. I recently got a package of products from Manitoba Harvest, a Canadian company that produces hemp food products ranging from oil to butter to milk. I’m already a fan of the milk, so I decided to give the other products a try....
Al Gore's New Slideshow: Uncle Sam is the Man With the Golden Arm (30 second video)
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04.14.08
Al Gore has a brand-new slide show, "New Thinking on the Climate Crisis" premiering exclusively on TED.com. Here's a an excerpt wherein he ratchets up the viscosity level on America's addiction to oil, specifically with regard to investing in dead-end technologies such as tar sands and shale oil. Those who do have "a portfolio crammed with subprime carbon assets." Full 22 minute video below the fold or, in light of how pressed for time we all are in addressing the climate crisis, you can find the slideshow condensed to 2 minutes here....
Greenwash Watch: Drink 2 Wear T-shirts From Coke Bottles
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.14.08
Sometimes we cannot even tell if they know they are greenwashing, or if they are doing it with tongue held firmly in cheek. Like this: Coke is introducing a line of shirts made out of recycled Coke bottles. Their VP of marketing says with a straight face “These fun t-shirts merge trend with consciousness, reminding shoppers that small steps – like recycling a few bottles – can go a long way towards helping to preserve our environment. If the 200 million Wal-Mart shoppers in the U.S. purchase these shirts, they will help us reuse and divert more than 700 million bottles from the waste stream.”
No matter that only 34% of PET bottles are recycled while the rest end up in the garbage or by the side of the road, or in the Pacific gyre, or that it is doubtful that these shirts are made in the USA, so we are probably carting these bottles halfway around the world.
It is not green to take a bottle, ship it off somewhere to be turned into fabric and sewn into t-shirts. Deposit and return systems with local bottlers refilling glass bottles are green. But Coke killed that system. ::BusinessWire and ::Brandweek
See how in the they take Coke bottles from Taiwan, make a fabric and ship it to Eastern Europe for tailoring and then sell it in the UK and call it "Ecosmart"...
Low-Impact Avatar Man
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 04.14.08
An entire world is thriving in the virtual online community Second Life. With TreeHuggers in the game, elements of environmentalism are slowly seeping into play.
Last year there was a massive flood, to simulate the effects of global warming.
Around that time, TH reported that an average Second Life avatar consumes as much electricity as a real life Brazilian.
A number of projects to help offset the carbon emissions created during one’s virtual play have popped up, and more recently Carbon Catalog wrote about a new initiative. The US-based carbon offset company 4Offsets has set up a virtual carbon offset shop inside the Second Life world.
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Pop Quiz: Solar Showers For Everyone
by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 04.14.08
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Green at Puro Diseno Fair 2008, Buenos Aires (Part I)
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 04.14.08
From April 8 to 13, Buenos Aires had its biggest annual design fair, Puro Diseno. And as we announced last week, we were glad to see a lot more green design expressions than last year.
Even though not all of them were interesting or seemed really worried about raising awareness, we did find some cool items in the accessories, house and jewelry segments. Jump to the extended for the first part of the coverage....
StreetFilms Looks at Bus Rapid Transit in LA
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 04.14.08
Thermoelectrics: Making Heating and AC Systems for PHEVs More Efficient and Practical
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 04.14.08
Image courtesy of crazytales562 via flickr
Once merely the province of mechanics and ambitious car hackers, PHEVs are finally set to enter the mainstream in 2010 when several of the big automakers roll out their first models. Yet amidst all the excitement and anticipation that this has generated -- to which we, among many other blogs/commentators, have fallen victim to -- it has become easy to overlook an obvious fact: that PHEV adoption isn't likely to gather steam until several obstacles, including the higher sticker price, are sufficiently addressed. Writing for Technology Review, Kevin Bullis has identified one of the biggest potential headaches: building energy-efficient heating and AC systems. ...
Ecotopias in Forbes Magazine
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.14.08
Forbes Magazine, "the capitalist's tool" as it is known, runs a surprising series of articles on modern utopianism, with coverage of eight modern utopias. Example: Near Ithaca, New York is Ecovillage, with 160 people living in energy-efficient housing and deciding everything by consensus. It is "an alternative model for suburban living which provides a satisfying, healthy, socially rich lifestyle, while minimizing ecological impacts." complete with CSA vegetable farm, office space for cottage industry and soon to have village-scale wind power. It is a mix of the old and new; One resident works the land while awaiting internet-based assignments on her Blackberry.::Ecovillage at Ithaca
::Photo Essay on eight modern utopias
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Garbage Architecture: Stairs by Jan Korbes
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.14.08
After the abuse we took last week for the Loft in Space stair, we present our stair of the week, built by Jan Korbes. He and his associates call themselves "Garbage Architects" and "operate on the borders of architecture, engineering, and design and create new products from old materials. Origin for designs are found in the material itself, by listening to its own composition, history, or local and social context."
The Stairs Schloss Wiesenburg are "stairs in the shape of add-on boxes supporting itself as a constructed, empty beam. Materials are recovered antique floor wood and construction wood from the castle." Built in cooperation with Judith van der Meer. ::Garbage Architecture via ::Materialicious...
iT House Gets Real
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.14.08
When the iT House was proposed three years ago by taalman koch architects, (TreeHugger here) it seemed destined for the vaporware pile, based on an expensive European aluminum structural system designed for lab benches, not houses, floor to ceiling glass and a price that seemed unrealistically low for such a product.
But vaporware it's not; there it is, glowing in the high desert twilight, complete with solar panels, Bulthaup kitchen, 2500 gallons of water storage and a hanging fire-orb.
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Logo No Go for Nau. A Peek at Branding and Consumerism
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 04.14.08
“People see what you look like before they realise what you are like. So they judge you before they really find out your personality. So you show your personality in what you are wearing.” Such was the insight of ten year old Jessica, who participated in a Cultures of Consumption research programme, undertaken by London’s Birkbeck College. The study was looking at ‘Children, Fashion and Consumption.’ They concluded that awareness of what is ‘cool’, and what is not, was evident amongst children as young as six. And furthermore that, “logos could be significant in respect of children’s experience of social inclusion or exclusion.”
In short, our patterns of clothing consumption relate to our innate desire to belong, to be accepted by our tribe. Marketers prey on our fear of being left out. Branding can be used to get us to buy more than we need, so that we might continually ‘fit in’, that we might align ourselves with whatever our peers are currently identifying with. ...
GREEN DEETS 016: Ben Harper -- Pearl Street Triangle Re-imagined
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04.14.08
Ben Harper in conversation with TreeHugger founder Graham Hill in DUMBO, Brooklyn. In this first video webisode of our four-part series, we bring you the transformation of a parking island into a public refuge for pedestrians. Running time 3 minutes....
Center For Neighborhood Technologies Releases Cost Of Living Index That Includes Housing And Transportation
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04.14.08
What happens if you mash-up census derived housing and transportation cost data as a percentage of household income, and put it up on an interactive webmap? This does.
CNT President, Scott Bernstein explains, “The index tells an alternative story of affordability than we’ve become accustomed to hearing. The real estate pages may list 2- and 3-bedroom homes for under $175,000 in suburban communities. That sounds affordable, right? But once you factor in transportation costs, the bargain goes away. Transportation costs can be as much or more than housing costs....
Survey: Should We Still Subsidize Biofuels?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.14.08
image tlindenbaum creative commons
We are in the midst of a worldwide food crisis; in the US, wheat has doubled in price. In Mexico, they are rioting over tortilla prices. Rice has doubled. Italians can't afford pasta. Worst of all, we are running out of beer. Yet the American and Canadian governments continue to subsidize the production of biofuels from corn and soybeans, in the name of "energy independence."
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Experts Stumped By Great Copy Machine Epidemic, Ask Schools for Help
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 04.14.08
When an internationally acclaimed expert on rare diseases named Dr. Oleg C. Kalapushkenitz arrived on the scene just one week ago schools had every reason to hope he might be aware of a cure lurking somewhere in the world for the strange, contagious disease striking school photocopiers during The Great Copy Machine Epidemic of 2008.
Unfortunately, this most accomplished of experts came to the conclusion late Friday afternoon that even he is stumped by the symptoms. And his assistants agree... According to Dr. K, “They just keep chewing up trees and contributing to global warming. It’s impossible to suggest a cure when we simply don’t know the cause.”
And apparently the disease has continued to spread; for as he told TH this morning, “With 19 schools in 10 U.S. states and even the nation of Curacao confirming local outbreaks in just the past three weeks it’s definitely contagious!”
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350: The Most Important Number of Your Lifetime
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04.14.08
The most recent science tells us that unless we can reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere to 350 parts per million, we will cause huge and irreversible damage to the earth. Since the pre-Industrial Revolution and for the entire evolution of the human species, concentration of carbon in the atmosphere remained roughly 275 parts per million. Until recently, scientists and policymakers have focused on what would happen if that number doubled to 550 and whether or not we could curtail human production of carbon enough to stop short of that point. Yes we could, but with immense difficulty. In the past five years, scientists grew concerned that the planet was reacting more quickly than expected to the approximately one degree fahrenheit increase in global temperature recorded over the past century. The rapid melt of most glacial systems, for instance, convinced many that 450 parts per million was a more prudent target. The news this fall that Arctic sea ice was melting at an off-the-charts pace and data from Greenland suggesting that its giant ice sheet was starting to slide into the ocean make even 450 look too high. Now, according to NASA scientist, James Hansen, the bottom line for the planet is 350 parts per million carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. We are currently at 383 parts per million. ...
Unpackaged: A Success Story
by Bonnie Alter, London on 04.14.08
We first wrote about Unpackaged when it was a little stall with a big idea. That idea was selling affordable organic and fair trade dry foods such as nuts, grains, beans, rice, sugar and dried fruits unpackaged. You brought your own container or were sold a handy reusable one. Now Catherine Conway has graduated to opening her own shop in a funky residential area where she has expanded her philosophy. She still sells dried fruits and nuts and fair trade teabags and coffees. There is delicious looking muesli and other cereals for breakfast fare. Some of the vendors from her street market days are selling their goods in her shop too. The organic vegetables are from a Norfolk based farm. And the cakes and flapjacks are from a neighbourhood baker.
Conway is delighted that the shop serves a very local clientele who can pop in for everything from light bulbs to recycled toilet paper. Supporting her concept, almost 70% of the customers bring reusable bags with them. The shop used to be a local Welsh dairy and then sat empty for years with all its old glass milk bottles stacked up and visible from the dirty shop windows. It still has the same mirrors and polished wood and Lloyds Dairy signs but now there is a wonderful bouquet of flowers set amidst the brussel sprouts. Conway's next project? She's not sure yet. It will be something to do with social enterprise, but she definitely doesn't want to turn into the Starbuck's of organic food stores. :: Unpackaged...
IBM Uses Hot Water To Cool Supercomputers
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 04.14.08
Water Weirding: American Southwest on Uncertain Ground
by Tim McGee, Western Massachusetts on 04.13.08
Global climate models have differed on what a warming globe will look like, but most agree that the American Southwest is in for a dry spell. The Southwest is familiar with drought and fire. But if a team of international climate scientists are correct, we can no longer expect historical water records in the region to be a guide for future management strategies.
In addition, the study is one of the first to link manmade global warming to direct changes in the hydrological parameters of a region. The scientists found that up to 60% of the trends in river flow, minimum winter air temperature, and spring snowpack over the past 50 years are a direct result of human impact. ...
Following Algalita's "Junk" to the North Pacific Gyre
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 04.13.08
Schwarzenegger Declares State of Emergency as Salmon Fishing Closes
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 04.13.08
Image courtesy of dphershman via flickr
In a last-ditch effort to save the Central Valley's collapsing chinook salmon populations, the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted to recommend the closure of fishing operations this past Thursday, reports The Sacramento Bee's Matt Weiser. This prompted Arnold Schwarzenegger, California's governor, to declare a state of emergency -- cautioning, alongside the Department of Fish and Game, that it would likely cost the state upwards of $255m and 2,263 jobs this year....
Home-working from Small Spaces in Nashville
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.13.08
The Onion
Two trends that we talk about often at TreeHugger are 1) Living with less, that "the key to sustainability is to simply use less. And, the key to happily using less is to design things better." Consequently we show a lot of small space designs like the MiniHome, the micro-compact house and micro-dwellings.. 2) Another trend we follow closely is working from home, shedworking and telecommuting, which save a lot of energy and infrastructure.
That is why we are so impressed with the Onion's coverage of Nashville Predator goalie Dan Ellis, who has moved into his net. He takes care of it too, in true TreeHugger fashion. Defenseman Ryan Suter says "Dan really knows every single square inch of that ice," Suter said, adding that he too might try sleeping in his skates. "He was always screaming 'Get out of the backyard! Go over there around the recycling bin! Set up there, where my bike is parked!' and I end up exactly where I need to be to make a play." To top it off, he is a locavore, eating only hot dogs, popcorn, peanuts, beer, and soda purchased from vendors in the stands. More in ::the Onion...
Go Green Initiative’s School of Week Achieves the Unthinkable
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 04.13.08
The Go Green Initiative’s school of the week, the Mary Collins Charter School at Cherry Valley Elementary in Petaluma, California has taken on the task of building quite an environmental education program. And some of the steps they’ve taken seem truly amazing, especially if you’ve taken a peek inside a modern school building and seen how many things get thrown out on a daily basis...
Another Reason We Are Running Out Of Fossil Fuels
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.13.08
Photo Credit Larsz Creative Commons Flickr
If recent years are any guide, 40 kilograms, (88 pounds) of petroleum jelly will be used during today's London Marathon to prevent chaffing, blistering and "runner's nipple."::The Telegraph via ::The Star ...
Energy Efficiency Is So 19th Century
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.13.08
Devereaux House was on the corner of lands owned by the Town of Halton Hills, falling to pieces and due for demolition. In 2004 a citizen's committee started raising money to renovate it, but when they started looking closely, they found that it was almost entirely original, down to the traditional milk paint. "It was like the Antiques Roadshow," Ann Lawlor told Leslie Scrivener of the Star, "We had no idea what we had." So they are carefully restoring rather than renovating, but also demonstrating that old buildings can be green buildings.
You can't add a lot of insulation to a building like this and you really shouldn't replace the windows, but one can put in ground source heat pumps, LED lighting, storm windows and shutters. You can also zone the heating systems; architect Marina Huissoon tells the Star that people used to only heat the rooms they were occupying rather than the modern wasteful habit of heating the whole house. "We looked at the way the original settlers lived and tried to bring those concepts forward. "
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Rebirth of the Producer
by Jerry Stifelman, The Change, Chapel Hill, NC on 04.13.08
The number of companies that actually make their own products is dwindling. Manufacturing, especially as it pertains to consumer products like shoes and textiles, has been reduced to an exercise in outsourcing. It's not uncommon for competing products to actually be made in the same factories. The result is that brands have become disconnected from the processes that create the products they represent.
How a product is made should be a critical point of difference from its competition. But it no longer is -- unless you're a green, ethically-conscious company.
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What Role Will EPA Play In Climate Action? GOP Strategy Announced.
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04.13.08
Yesterday we asked our readers an open-ended question about which US presidential candidate was likely to be the best at resurrecting USEPA from the dead. Answers are still rolling in. Meanwhile, a proposed strategy for EPAs future has just been announced by a Bush Administration appointed group.
The larger question is whether the next Administration's goal ought to be to simply restore USEPA's historic role, appoint talented policy and technical leaders, boost staff morale, and work with Congress to provide the needed resources. Or, whether an entirely different future role should be planned for the Agency. First some background.
Over the years, various commissions and ad-hoc groups have prepared vision and policy papers designed to help USEPA 'steer away from "Command & Control" and toward a more voluntary or clearing house role. Mostly what we heard in these reports was 'more like Energy Star,' overlooking the fact that the nation's 40-year old water and wastewater management infrastructure is at end of design life and crumbling, and that over the last 15 years the US has outsourced the most highly polluting segments of its industrial supply chain to Asia, Central Europe, and South America....
Mississippi Cottages Are Too Nice
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.13.08
Lori Waselchuk for The New York Times
Object lesson on why this never ends: FEMA gets it right, and is testing the "Mississippi Cottages" offered by Mississippi Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), which the New York Times describes as having "tin roofs, small porches and are colored like Easter eggs — rose-hip pink, malted mint, cloudless blue. The cottages are on wheels, but the larger models can be put on permanent foundations. All are equipped with appliances, beds, a table and chairs, ceiling fans, even pots and pans, and cost an average of $32,000 apiece to build." People love them.
But guess what? Local municipalities are resisting them." They fear people who get cottages will simply live in them and not rebuild their houses, said Mike Womack, executive director of the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency.
“They’re too nice,” he said. “I’ve heard this over and over again.” ::New York Times
UPDATE: Information on the Mississippi Alternative Housing Program which provides the cottages....
Is a 17-foot long Smart Car Still Smart?
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 04.13.08
We've already seen smart cars made to look like monster trucks, but now a British company called Carbonyte UK has taken the diminutive Smart ForTwo, cut it in half, and stretched it to 17 feet. They are calling the end-product a Smaaart car, and they plan on using it as a "promotional vehicle" that includes "a 20:1 scale fibre-glass replica soft drinks can, complete with ring-pull," not to mention all the room made available for all your green accoutrements (think how many solar panels could fit in there!).
If the above photo of the Smaaart left you wondering where you can buy one for yourself, have no fear: the company has plans to sell the car as "an individual yet environmentally-friendly hearse"--whatever that means--for approximately $50,000. It's still a small price to pay for an ungainly, impractical vehicle (I mean, think about how much money people plunk down for a Hummer!). In fact, given all the advertising space opened up by that giant soda can in the middle of the car, any Smaaart owner is bound to reap tremendous financial rewards from ownership. See a video of the car after the fold.
Via: ::Autopia (Wired Blog)
See Also: ::Smart Crosstown Hybrid and Other Smart Concept Cars, ::Smart Cars: Still Coming to America, ::Halifax to Vancouver in a Smart Car, ::Toronto Police Testing Smart Cars, ::Smarter Smarts: 2008 and Beyond, and ::Toyota iQ: Less is More for Small Urban Car
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Solar4Schools Completes 50th PV Installation
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 04.13.08
We’ve reported on the UK-based Solar4Schools initiative before. In fact we were so excited about it that we covered it twice. Watching it develop, it certainly seems like our excitement was well-founded - the program has just completed its 50th installation, putting in a 4Kwp system at Cherry Orchard Primary school in South London which will create enough electricity to power a typical 3 bedroom home. This particular installation was fully funded, with money coming from the government and from the Co-op supermarket chain. But while corporate funding for schools remains available only for a limited number of installations, Solarcentury is also working on innovative financing options to allow all schools to take advantage of government grants:
Solarcentury is collaborating with Quartz to provide an affordable financing option. Without any capital outlay, a 4kWp system with a 50% grant can be purchased over three years for just £977.66 a quarter, or £650.12 a quarter over five years. Financing from Quartz on Solarcentury installations is also availble to schools not eligible for Department of Trade and Industry grants.
::Solarcentury::via site visit:: ...
First Commercial Scale Tidal Energy Turbine Installed
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 04.13.08
A big step towards the future of tidal power has been taken. The SeaGen tidal energy converter, an upside-down-windmill structure weighing over 1000 tons, has been successfully set into the water off of Northern Ireland's Strangford Lough by parent company Marine Current Turbines. Will Northern Ireland become the "Saudi Arabia of marine energy"? Or will the curse of the Titanic strike another behemoth emerging from the Belford docks?...
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.
