- Vijay Vaitheeswaran (part one)
- Vijay Vaitheeswaran (part two)
- Vinay Gupta
- Alyce Santoro
- Mathis Wackernagel
- Tom Price
- Martha Marks
- Paul Hawken
- David Suzuki
- Wal-Mart's Green Gurus
- Alisa Smith and James Mackinnon, authors of Plenty
- Bob Perkowitz of ecoAmerica
- Ed Begley Jr.
- The Weather Channel's Dr. Heidi Cullen
Entries for April 20, 2008 - April 26, 2008
Total this week: 155
Nuclear Waste Clean-up Breakthrough
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 04.26.08
Climate crisis. While alternative energy options grow, the nuclear option is also back on the table. In spite of the complexities of permitting, hazards of nuclear energy and challenges that the investment and construction timelines pose in the race for solutions, humanity's growing energy hunger may require reliance on this well-established greenhouse-gas-emissions-free technology.
One problem looms above all others, though, every time the nuclear question is raised. What about nuclear waste? A recent study by Professor Mercouri G. Kanatzidis at Northwestern University may promise some answers....
NYC Electronic Waste Recycling Event April 26 - 28, 2008 -- Win a MacBook Air!
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04.26.08
The Lower East Side Ecology Center and Tekserve Team Up For Electronic Recycling of iPods, Computers, Batteries and More
New York City area residents can properly recycle their electronic waste free of charge on Saturday and Sunday, April 26th & 27th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Monday, April 28th from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. The collection point will be at 119 West 23rd Street in front the Tekserve store. To celebrate the event, anyone bringing electronics to be recycled can register at Tekserve for a raffle to win a MacBook Air or one of three 16GB iPod touches. All participants in the event will also receive a $25 discount on a new computer purchased within 30 days after the event....
Bioplastics: The "Other" Biofuel?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 04.26.08
If there's one thing we've learned over the last few weeks, it's that burning large quantities of staple foods to produce a relatively small amount of fuel is a thoroughly misguided practice -- with grave implications for the world's most vulnerable populations. And though the barbs directed at biofuels from all sides have been merited, we must not forget one of the other main culprits in this global food crisis: bioplastics. ...
Pumping Sulfate Particles into the Stratosphere: Not Such a Hot Idea After All
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 04.26.08
Image courtesy of NASA
Talk about a lose-lose proposition: According to a new article published in the journal Science, a proposed geo-engineering scheme to inject sulfate particles into the stratosphere to mitigate the impact of global warming could damage the ozone layer. Yet another article, published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, has determined that allowing for a complete recovery of the ozone layer could actually intensify global warming's impact in the Southern Hemisphere....
Backyard Permaculture in Oregon: Peak Moment TV
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 04.26.08
Sponsor a Lifestraw Family Water Filter with Project H Design
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 04.25.08
We've oohed and aahed at the Lifestraw, the cigar-sized personal point-of-use water filter produced by Vestergaard Frandsen. While it certainly has the potential to provide clean drinking water to a lot of people, a family of five would potentially need five Lifestraws to insure access to clean water. That's why they developed the Lifestraw Family, a water filter system designed to filter enough water for an entire family....
Today on Planet Green
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 04.25.08
:: Bring a little piece of the outdoors inside with this DIY living wall.
:: Bake bread and save dough.
:: Get peak oil down pat.
:: Enter the chance to win an Earthwatch expedition in Costa Rica.
:: Compensate for electromagnetic fields with the help of cactus. ...
Catch A Sneak Peak Of Planet Green This Weekend
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 04.25.08
This Saturday, starting at 7/6c, The Learning Channel (TLC) will air a special preview of Planet Green television. Episodes of Wa$ted and Greenovate will run back to back, whetting your appetite for June 4th when Discovery’s 24-7 green TV programming hits the airwaves. It will be just a sampling of the plethora of green goodness that Discovery will roll out this summer. ...
Cube 6: Dining Room Furniture for Small Spaces
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 04.25.08
TreeHugger is always on the lookout for sleek ways to do more with less; it's a good thing any time you can, say, get six extra seats from a cube slightly larger than one cubic foot. That's the idea behind Japanese designer Naho Matsuno's Cube 6, an ingenious construction that fits six stools into a diminutive cube just bigger than a foot (35 cm) each way. Dinner party time? Bring out the cube! Party's over? Put the cube away; no need for a whole dining room to store a full set of full-size chairs.
Matsuno showed the design in the Salone Satellite at the recently-concluded Milan Furniture Fair; like Cube Style's Dining Set, it'd go great with the amazing BEDUP, the bed that retracts into the ceiling, and any other compact living solution that helps you live large in a small space. It isn't quite a whole apartment in a box or a whole apartment's worth of stuff in 43 square feet, but it's a pretty great way to add tons of possibilities to small space without adding tons of stuff. See how it works, and see the three-stool version, below the fold. ::Naho Matsuno via ::dezeen
...
GM Volt Milestone: First Prototype Running on Lithium Ion Battery
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04.25.08
Look Out Eco-Extremists, the General Motors Chevy Volt is On the Road
The ever Volt-vigilant and perennially in-the-GM-loop Lyle Dennis over at GM-Volt.com tells us the Detroit News is reporting that the first Chevy Volt prototype with an actual full-sized lithium ion battery is up and running. Dennis sees this as a "critical turning point" in the car's development as he deems this particular iteration to be the "Proof of Concept" for GM's would-be game-changer. ...
Most Huggable: A Vegan Passover, Exotic EcoCities, Little House On The Freeway + More
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 04.25.08
Is it possible to keep Kosher and still keep a vegan diet?
Wales, China, and South Africa are only a few of the places with sustainable cities in the works.
An urban family in Pasadena, California turn their average city lot into a sustainable homestead.
Pedal powered telephones hit the streets of Nicaragua.
Conscious companies in the U.S. commemorate Arbor Day with tree plantings.
Most Huggable is a regular roundup of some of Hugg's top green news stories. Why not submit your own green news?...
Canühome Unveiled at Green Living Show
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.25.08
After World War II, Edward Larabee Barnes, Henry Dreyfuss and Bucky Fuller all tried to use aircraft technology and ideas to build housing but it never took off, so to speak. Perhaps their mistake was modelling it after the wrong planes, going with metal, instead of looking at the Mosquito and building it out of plywood.
I am not certain if that is where the inspiration for the canühome came from, but the designers have used the latest CNC technology and a lot of other ideas that make it one of the more interesting test beds we have seen. It is almost entirely built out of laminated plywood, bolted together in a couple of days as a demonstration project by CMHC (Canada Mortgage and Housing) and George Brown College's Institute Without Boundaries. We first saw it as the ecohome last year, proposed as a standalone or as a rooftop addition.
...
MIRA 'Plugless' Plug-In Hybrid Car Has Removable Battery Packs
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 04.25.08
The Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA), a British automotive design, development and certification consultancy, has done what many TreeHugger readers have been suggesting in the comments of many posts about plug-in hybrid cars: Removable battery packs that can be swapped for full batteries that have been charged from the grid.
Their test vehicle is a modified Skoda Fabia which they call the H4V (Hybrid 4 wheel drive Vehicle) because the gasoline engine powers the front wheels while two 35kW electric motors power the rear wheels. The regular gasoline version of the car gets 32 mpg (7.24 L/100km) while their 'plugless' plug-in hybrid prototype returned 53 mpg (4.4 L/100km)....
Is it Time to Bid Greenland Farewell?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 04.25.08
Are Greenland's days already numbered? And, if so, can anything be done to avert the looming disaster posed by a massive sea level rise? The simple answer is that though Greenland's fate is not yet set into stone (at least when it comes to a specific date), the present melting trends do not bode well.
Calling Greenland's potential collapse another climate "tipping point" would be doing it fair justice -- after all, scientists have estimated that were its ice sheet (which holds one-twentieth of the world's ice) to melt completely, global sea levels would jump 7 meters. As Alexandra Witze reports in the latest issue of Nature (sub. required), Greenland's disappearance is one of the foremost concerns weighing on climate researchers' minds. ...
Call for Entries: Discovery Young Scientist Challenge 2008
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 04.25.08
The Discovery Young Scientist Challenge is back, and they're looking for a few good students and teachers. The premier national science competition for students in grades 5 through 8 (and their teachers) is accepting entries through June 15, so if you are (or know) a student interested in science, create a short (1-2 min.) video about one of this year's scientific topics -- The Science of Space is the theme -- and you could win a trip to Washington, DC to compete in the finals later this year.
Here's how it works: create a video that demonstrates the student's understanding of the scientific concepts explained and his or her comfort level discussing science in general. Between June 15 and early September, judges from Faraday Studios will review the submissions and choose 51 semifinalists: one from each state and the District of Columbia. Students will be judged on the scientific merit of their video and, just as importantly, on their ability to communicate science. Keep reading to learn how entering the challenge might get you an appearance on Discovery Channel's Mythbusters TV show....
Forums Are So Web 1.0
by Alan Graham on 04.25.08
Yeah I know, online forums seem so, like, 1998...it's all Twitter and Digg and Social Networking these days. But if you aren't signing up and spending some time in our forums, you are missing out on a lot of quality stuff.
While we provide a valuable service out here on the blog by doing outstanding reporting on all that is green, in the forums we take that a step further by putting you in touch with thousands of people who are living and sharing their green lifestyles, including myself.
For example......
Lounge Constructed from Seat-Belt Scraps
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 04.25.08
Seat belts save lives and recycling saves the planet: Now the two create the perfect union with the Seatbelt lounge chair by designer Nuttapong Charoenkitivarakorn and manufactured by Boonchucharoenkit. Thai villagers take seat belt scraps -- made of a crash-dummy tested cotton-nylon -- and weave them in a criss-cross pattern around the plywood frame. The result is high design, available through the Future Perfect in Brooklyn, New York. via ::Interior Design ::The Future Perfect Also check out this recycling machine that miraculously transforms auto parts into fuel. More on recycled seat belts ::Recycled Bags from Alchemy Goods ::Classics: Freitag Recycled Freeway Bags ::Low+Tight Bags: Buckle Up For Style ::HauteGREEN 2007 Sneak Peek: Peter Danko's Kumo Chair...
Volkswagen Golf Turbo-Diesel Hybrid Too Expensive for Production
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 04.25.08
Volkswagen Golf Turbo-Diesel Hybrid too Expensive to Make
Volkswagen introduced a turbo-diesel hybrid-electric Golf concept car at the Geneva Motor Show, and the specs were impressive: 70 miles per gallon (3.3 liters per 100 kilometers), a 7-speed direct shift gearbox (DSG) with a twin-clutch, minor modifications to reduce aerodynamic drag, CO2 emissions of 89 g/km (lower than a Toyota Prius hybrid), and Tier 2 Bin 5 tailpipe emissions. And of course, the ability to run on biodiesel (waste cooking oil or algae, preferably).
But it was too good to be true. VW contradicted its earlier statement in the March 27 issue of Auto, Motor und Sport and said that the Golf turbo-diesel hybrid would be too expensive, so they're not going to make it (not as specified above, anyway). It's stillborn, in other words....
Beijing Auto Show: Escalade SUV is GM's Star, Huge Cars are in Fashion
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 04.25.08
While record oil prices are responsible for a small car comeback and solid growth in hybrid car sales in the USA despite a sector-wide slowdown, China seems to be falling in love with big cars.
"If you look at the fastest-growing market segments in China, there are two — SUVs and luxury cars," said Joseph Y.H. Liu, GM China's vice- president for sales and marketing. That's why GM put its ginormous Escalade front and center of its display at the Beijing Auto Show. Dongfeng and Auto Works, Chinese automakers, even have models clearly descended from Hummers....
Pop Quiz: Calories in Per Calories Out
by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 04.25.08
...
Ontario Gets 407 Megawatts of Solar Power Contracts, Originally Expected 88 Megawatts
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 04.25.08
As we reported before, many solar power farms are planned in the province of Ontario, Canada. Major players include SunEdison of Baltimore and Skypower of Toronto, who just broke ground on a solar project, and OptiSolar, a California manufacturer of thin-film silicon solar cells (the composite image above is of their Sarnia project).
The Toronto Star reports that the province now has contracts for 407 megawatts, while it initially predicted that it would get 88. We suppose that's enough to call their program a success! But it's not surprising considering that they are paying 42 cents (!) per kilowatt hour for electricity produced via solar power farms....
Washington State Farm Markets Booming
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04.25.08
This one's all good news. Farm markets are growing at an unprecedented rate across the US State of Washington, which now has over 100 of them. In metro areas, every neighborhood wants one. The latest trend is to go year-round:The West Seattle Farmers Market, which last year saw $1.1 million in vendor sales -- a 300 percent increase over the previous year -- is the latest to go year-round.The offerings are expanding....
More from Montreal's EXP08
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.25.08
FBI Develop Full Size Folding Bicycle: Onyerbike
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 04.25.08
Folding Bike Innovations (FBI), trading in Australia as Onyerbike, are, by their own admission “designers, importers and retailers of innovative bicycles.” They offer several full size folding bikes, such as their top of the range ‘Hawk’, with its magnesium alloy rim, 6 spoke, 26” wheels. The 7005 aluminium frame folds at a massive hinge in its centre, to make for a fairly compact package. The Hawk weighs15.8 kg and costs just shy of $2,000 AUD....
Survey: How Will $10 per Gallon Gas Affect You?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.25.08
We asked in a recent survey if you thought you would be driving in thirty years; now economist Jeff Rubin thinks gas prices could be $7 to $10 per gallon in just four years, and that this is going to cause massive changes in the way we live and work.
...
German Kindergarteners Answering Call of the Wild
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 04.25.08
If you’ve ever wished you could play outside all day, running through forests and playing in the mud until the sun went down you just may be fascinated to learn that there are kindergarten schools in Germany that now eschew classrooms in favor of the forest floor, and head outside to learn all day, come rain or shine....
Utility Builds Replica 1930s House to Test Renewables
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 04.25.08
We had to do a double take on this one. A UK energy company is building a brand-new house, to 1930s standards, in order to go green. The idea isn’t entirely as daft as it sounds. E.On, one of the largest energy companies in Britain, is teaming up with the University of Nottingham to build a replica 1930s house to test retrofit low carbon technologies. The house will be on campus, and will be lived in by students, and will be used to collect real-life data about the technologies that are utilized:
“"It will be lived in. We want to show the real savings, to get real data, from real people," said Dr Mark Gillott, research and project manager for creative homes at the university. Gillott said that more than 21m current homes - about 86% of the total - will still be in use in 2050. "It's vitally important that we identify and research technologies that are aimed at reducing the energy consumption associated with existing homes,"
...
Gas $7 Per Gallon in Four Years
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.25.08
Time to buy a bike: Gasoline prices in North America will soar over the next four years to $7.00, causing a massive jolt to the continent's manufacturing base not seen since the oil shocks of the 1970s, a leading economist is warning. Jeff Rubin of CIBC World Markets was laughed at three years ago when he predicted $ 100 per barrel oil, and now thinks it will climb to $225 in four years. (Houston Chronicle quotes him as saying gas will cost $10 per gallon) From the National Post:
"Stripping out natural gas liquids, oil production has not grown for over two years, which certainly goes a long way to explaining why oil prices have doubled over that period," Rubin said. "It is increasingly clear that the outlook for oil supply signals a period of unprecedented scarcity."
Rubin predicts hybrids will go "from marketing and PR fluff to the core of car production." People will move closer to where they work. "I think there will be fewer people on the road in North America in five years than there is right now." ::Houston Chronicle and ::National Post
See also Stop Whining About Gas Prices and Truckers to Protest High Gas Prices...
Working Together Makes Bikes Race-Track Fast
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.25.08
Manodo's Screen Is The Big Brother Of Energy Saving
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 04.25.08
In the hallways of 15 apartments at a complex in the city of Gothenburg is the ultimate smart-home gadget (fancier and smarter than Joule's Home) from Swedish start-up Manodo - it's a screen that tells you everything you want to know about your consumption, plus a few stats you maybe didn't want to see - like how many pounds of CO2 emissions that long, hot bath you just took is worth.
The pilot Manodo project in a handful of Swedish cities gives apartment dwellers lots of other information, including how long before the next tram will pass by their nearest stop, what the weather's expected to be, and a bird's eye view of who's outside ringing their doorbell. It might seem a little too Big Brother for some - I prefer the Danish Flower Pod approach - but one of the test dwellers told Metro he's gotten much better about turning off the lights, the TV and the stereo in the hopes to see the green smiley face that denotes comparatively low energy consumption. Via ::Metro.se...
From Fortune 500 to CLIMACT, Offsetting At The End Of The Line
by Karin Kloosterman, Jerusalem, Israel on 04.25.08
(A Few Good Men: CLIMACT’s Pascal Vermeulen, Dimitri Mertens and Hugues de Meulemeester)
Those following the carbon offset market closely might be wondering about the differences in missions and motives between providers who are in it for profit, versus the ones who have gone the non-profit route.
Today Carbon Catalog, the resource that offers a directory and fair glance at the world’s offset providers selling online, interviews the for-profit Belgian-based provider CLIMACT, never-before featured on TreeHugger.
An interesting point that CLIMACT raises in the interview is that it’s easier to motivate companies to go carbon neutral, rather than individual TreeHuggers; and that fighting climate change shouldn’t be perceived as a punishment, but as a positive thing. In other words, companies and individuals should be able to make money from their offset investment.
Also CLIMACT only offsets its clients “at the end of the line,” after other routes to reduce carbon dioxide emissions have been exhausted.
Given that its founders have left impressive high-end careers in their wake (at Fortune 500 companies), they have a lot at stake to make their new business, founded last November, work.
...
Real Food Festival
by Bonnie Alter, London on 04.25.08
It's billed as the biggest farmer's market yet, with more than 500 vendors setting up stalls to show their wares. The best of British foods, by local producers and growers, has arrived and the show is awe-inspiring in the breadth of products and the commitment of the participants. There are gourmet cottage industries, boutique food producers, workshops, cooking classes and, of course, tastings galore. Real food, slow food: it is a movement dedicated to reconnecting with the land, farms and natural cycles, sustainable production rather than the mass consumerism of the supermarkets. Not everyone fitted that description exactly but here we go with the best of the show. As always, it is the people you meet and the conversations and stories that make an event memorable.
Our first (and only) celebrity spotting was Craig Sams, former owner of Green & Black Chocolate, and now proud proprietor of Judges Bakery in Hastings. Looking very relaxed, he was hanging around his stall, urging people to taste the spelt bread, which is delicious. Sams doesn't ship his goods to London, it is too far and too complicated; he does a much more local business. ...
Pedal for Positive Climate Change
by Mairi Beautyman, Berlin, Germany on 04.25.08
It makes sense to use one of the world's most energy-efficient vehicles to spread the word on climate change: That's why we are excited to hear about Climate Ride 2008, a new initiative bent on raising awareness for positive climate change and renewable energy legislation. Participants will bike for five days -- that would be a total of 320 miles -- from New York City to Washington, D.C. Each rider will raise $2250 to support educational organizations Clean Air–Cool Planet and Focus the Nation. ...
Today on Planet Green
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 04.24.08
:: Work out the weight of your water consumption.
:: Avoid long lines and reduce carbon emissions using USPS's online postal store.
:: Use your noggin' and seek out smart, socially responsible wood furniture.
:: Welcome ABC News anchor, Bob Woodruff, to the Planet Green line-up.
:: Scour your local farmer's market and then cook up some Creamy Spinach Soup. ...
The TH Interview: Doug Fine—Kiss Your Subaru Goodbye (Part Two)
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 04.24.08
The challenge is a rather simple one: set up a life that is local and low-carbon without sacrificing the beloved creature comforts. The kicker is not getting electrocuted, shot, burned, crushed, bitten, or driven insane. Doug Fine has assumed this challenge and actually seems to be doing a bang-up job. He spoke to us from the Funky Butte Ranch, his own low-carbon Neverland. ::TreeHugger Radio Listen to the podcast of this interview via iTunes, or just click here to listen, right-click to download. You can find part one of our interview here. Special thanks to Calabash Music for the soundtrack. Full text after the jump....
US Environmental Destruction Agency: Making National Parks Coal-Friendly
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04.24.08
"USEDA" (formerly know as the US Environmental Protection Agency) is proposing revisions to decades-old air quality regulations that will make it easier for coal-fired generation plants to obtain construction and operating permits for sites where air quality is currently good: in and around national and state parks. Must be a coincidence. For you AQ techies, the proposed rule changes would:
•Substitute an annual average of emissions for the current "maximum" emissions that is measured over a few hours, up to a single day. •Exclude from pollution estimates output from existing industrial emitters that have been granted variances. •Switch from calculating emissions using the two most recent years of data to any time period "more representative" of normal operations. •Grant discretion to state regulators to use whatever data and information in their judgment would be most reliable in calculating emissions....
EcoCab Offers Toronto Green Short-Distance Transportation
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 04.24.08
EcoCabs has just arrived in Toronto, Canada. The 3-wheel vehicles are powered mostly by the driver's legs, but there's also an electric-motor assist to help them reach a cruising speed of up to 12 kph (7.5 mph) in city streets. Perfect for short distance trips, especially if you are a tourist (free rides will be offered during summer street festivals and special events), EcoCab claims to exceed the road safety standards that apply to it. "They will ride in the right-most lane and in bike lanes, where the average speed of traffic is 6 km per hour," says Will Kozma, president of GO Mobile Media, the company that sells advertising on the ad-supported cabs....
Green Living Show is Scary Big
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.24.08
Last year I found the first Green Living Show in Toronto a bit overwhelming; this year it is twice as big. I asked for a list of who is in it and it goes on for ages. Just the categories go on forever- eco-tourism, energy, environmental groups, food and drink, (80 companies in that category alone! if they all give out samples I won't be able to bike home) green building, green business, health and wellness, home and garden, and transportation. Over 300 exhibitors; I may not get out of there until Sunday.
I can't make Bill Clinton talking about "Embracing our Common Humanity" Friday night, but will try to catch Ed Begley Jr,. and Robert Kennedy Jr. on Saturday. :Green Living Show...
Hispanic Voters Overwhelmingly Concerned About Global Warming, Environment
by Greg Haegele, Sierra Club on 04.24.08
I want to share with you some fascinating results we got when the Sierra Club teamed up with Bendixen & Associates in March to conduct the first-ever national survey of Hispanic voters on energy and environmental issues. Previous studies show that environmental pollution and the effects of global warming are felt disproportionately in Hispanic neighborhoods, and some 91% of Hispanics in the United States live in metropolitan areas, where polluted air may increase the risk of illnesses including asthma and cancer.
We wondered: How important are these issues to Hispanic voters, how much responsibility do they feel in helping to solve them -- and are their feelings strong enough to move them to action? The answers, in short: They're deeply connected to nature and are concerned about the environment enough to take action to protect their communities and their families.
First, we found that 80% of Hispanic voters view "energy and global warming" to be one of the two most important environmental problems for their families (the other was clean air and water)....
Bush's New Fuel Economy Rules Look Good... Until You Read All 417 Pages
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 04.24.08
The Bush administration's plan to make federal fuel economy standards stricter and regulate a mandatory 31.6 MPG fleet average by 2015, an addition to last year's energy bill that mandates 35 MPG by 2020, has been well received so far. Some of our eco-friends even applauded the initiative. But (and there's often a 'but') now that a few experts have had time to read the whole document in its 417 pages glory, a big problem became apparent:
"Tucked deep into a 417-page 'Notice of Proposed Rulemaking' was language by the Transportation Department stating that more stringent limits on tailpipe emissions embraced by California and 17 other states are 'an obstacle to the accomplishment' of the new federal standards and are 'expressly and impliedly preempted' by federal law."
California and the states that decide to adopt its more stringent laws instead of the US federal ones are mighty angry and feel that this is a direct attack on their ability to keep regulating.
...
World Food Markets in Turmoil, Washington Sleeps
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.24.08
Guarding rice in Manila, Romeo Ranoco/Reuters via the star
They are rationing rice at Sam's Club and Costco; in Manila they have to post guards around it. All over the world, food prices are rising and supplies are disrupted as people start hoarding.
In Washington, the $300 billion Farm Bill plods on as it has for months. It has $5.2 billion dollars in direct payments to farmers as their income hits record highs. David Herszenhorn writes in the New York Times:
'It will not change biofuel mandates that are directing more corn to ethanol and contributing to a global rise in food prices. It will do little to ease worldwide food shortages. And at a time of high volatility in the futures markets, it will not require tougher regulation.In other words, Congress seems oblivious.
“It really is astounding,” said Representative Ron Kind, Democrat of Wisconsin, who has pushed for broad changes in farm subsidy programs. “It’s as if this farm bill is being negotiated in a vacuum.” ::New York Times
UPDATE: Great post on Grist by Bill Chameides: How Congress is shortchanging our health and sweetening things for the food industry...
What's Next for the IPCC?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 04.24.08
Image courtesy of the World Economic Forum via flickr
Topping a Nobel Peace Prize-winning performance won't be easy, but the IPCC is hoping to do just that with its next report, set to be released no later than 2013, by honing in on two key themes: practicality and precision. Meeting last week in Budapest, Hungary, the government delegates to the multilateral organization agreed to several procedural changes that would help streamline the process -- and ensure the next report is released on time.
Science's Eli Kintisch reports (sub. required) that the scientists agreed to focus on providing more information about the actual impacts of global warming and what can be done to reduce GHG emissions growth. In order to get the report out by 2013, within the usual 6-year time frame, they decided to omit several sections -- primarily the more data-heavy scenarios some researchers use to build their global warming models....
National Association of Manufacturers Volunteers 10% Energy Efficiency Boost
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04.24.08
Officials of The National Association of Manufacturers, or "NAM" have apparently met with USEPA Administrator Johnson and as a result have agreed to "try to" reduce energy use in the industrial sector by 10 percent or more. We don't know if what was agreed to was verbal and sealed by executive handshake; or if the agreement is documented; nor do we know if individual NAM members are, by reference, all supporting a 10%+ energy efficiency improvement goal. However, the memorandum of understanding between the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the National Association of Manufacturers sets no deadlines for reaching that goal, nor does it set any penalties for failure to do so. Still, it is the first-ever such agreement between the EPA and the nation's oldest and largest industrial trade association, EPA officials said. The industrial sector uses one-third of the energy consumed each year in the United States and is responsible for nearly that percentage of carbon dioxide emissions.On cue and as expected, the featured on item on the NAM website is "NAM and ACCF Unveil New Study Highlighting the National and 50-State Economic Impacts of the Lieberman-Warner Climate Change Bill See...cap and trade regulations aren't needed. 'Nothing to see here Congress:...move along."...
Interface Carpet Keeps Cleaning Up Its Act
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 04.24.08
File this one in the 'how to do it right' category: earlier this week, Interface Inc., the world's largest manufacturer of modular carpet tiles, released their 2007 "ecometrics," measuring the impact of their operations on the planet. Among the impressive numbers: greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are down 82 percent from the 1996 baseline, while total energy intensity (use per unit of output) is down 45 percent from 1996. In a nutshell, these numbers mean that they've learned how to make more carpet with less energy, emissions and pollution.
In addition to typical financial metrics like profit and loss, Interface began tracking their ecometrics in 1996, measuring energy and water intake, waste streams, greenhouse gas emissions, and raw materials streams, to evaluate its progress towards the goal of sustainability and doing business in ways that minimize the impact on the environment....
Alligator Calls 911 “There’s a Kitchen on My Habitat!” — Today Show Satire
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04.24.08
An alligator finds its home invaded by a kitchen and frantically dials 911. WATCH EXCLUSIVE VIDEO BELOW THE FOLD!
"HOME INVASION" screams a graphic across the Today Show screen, but exactly who has invaded the home of whom? The MSM and the internet is atwitter about a certain critter, namely an alligator, that found its way into a Tampa Florida resident's kitchen. However, only fifty years ago, the American Alligator was nearly hunted to extinction in Florida, were placed on the endangered species list in 1973, and then delisted in 1987 when their population rebounded. Today, the greatest environmental threats to alligators are habitat Loss and pollution....
From the Forums: Heirloom Veggies
by Alan Graham on 04.24.08
It's that time of year again, and inkabinkaboo182 is sharing a good site resource he's found for heirloom veggies.
Plants like these are very environmentally friendly, because planting them preserves biodiversity and if the plants are natives they require less maintenance (ie, water and fertilizer and the like).BobTrips goes on to point out:
Heirlooms, the seeds that our grandparents and their parents often planted, were often saved and shared because of one important quality. The food they produced tasted good. Modern seed development has often been oriented toward creating produce that had good visual appeal, stored and shipped well. ...
Sandra Bullock Launches Line of Lead-Free Soy Candles
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.24.08
Bisphenol A Could Be In Your Teeth
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.24.08
And you thought all you had to worry about was the mercury in your fillings; according to Carly Weeks in the Globe and Mail, studies have found detectable levels of BPA in the saliva of patients after they received sealants or fillings, but experts are divided as to whether this low exposure constitutes a health risk. Mainstream dentists deny it`s a problem: "We're a small part of what is perhaps a much larger problem," Darryl Smith of the Canadian Dental Association told the Globe. "The amount of bisphenol A is extremely low in dental materials and in some [it] is non-existent."
But "a study published in the Journal of the American Dental Association in 2006, found some dental products leach BPA and could result in low-dose exposures within the range in which health effects have been seen in rodents." ::Globe and Mail...
China Short Of Coal: 12-Day Reserve And Counting
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04.24.08
Everybody has noticed the worldwide grain shortages: starting with the hungry; eventually the Washington DCs pundit class noticed. Maybe the pundits will have answers to these new questions - How will Wal-mart fill our economic belly with low cost goods when the Chinese machine sputters to a halt,...run out of coal? Will the summer Olympics go dark? China only has enough coal for 12 days of consumption, three days less than a month ago, state media reported Wednesday, sounding the alarm bells over the nation's most important source of energy. In certain parts of China, such as densely populated Hebei province in the north, reserves are down to less than a week, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the China Electricity Regulatory Commission....
Air Bags to Protect Those Outside the Car, Not In It
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.24.08
A "Moederfiets or Motherbike" in the Netherlands
In North America, putting three kids on a "motherbike" is unheard of, let alone without helmets. It just isn't safe in a culture where bikes are an afterthought. In the Netherlands, it is the other way around, and now the Dutch Cycling Federation is demanding the installation of air bags on the hoods of cars to protect cyclists. "In the past many measures have been taken to protect those sitting inside cars but hardly anything has been done to protect people outside cars," it said in a statement on Monday. "The federation calls on politicians and the car industry to take measures that could limit the chance of serious injury."
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Why Not Add Wind Turbines to the Queensboro Bridge in NY?
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona on 04.24.08
Bounce Back: Wilson’s Recycled Basketball
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 04.24.08
The next time Tom Hanks finds himself marooned as a castaway on a tropical island maybe his companion will be a green basketball, instead of a white volleyball.
The Wilson ‘Rebound’ has a surface comprising 40% recycled rubber. 70 such basketballs are said to be equal to taking one car tyre out of landfill. "Think Globally, Hoop Locally" is the accompanying catch phrase. We’re not sure why a product as robust as a basketball requires packaging in a box. But at least Wilson have opted to to make it from nearly 80% recycled cardboard. Though they are ambiguous as to whether that is pre or post consumer content. ::Wilson, via tip from Amy K....
SolesUnited by Crocs: A Step in the Right Direction
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 04.24.08
we mulled over the notion of whether colourful Crocs footwear might be the Birkenstocks for a new generation. Many respondents argued that without containing recycled content or at least a way of recycling the worn-out shoes they couldn’t be considered ‘green.’
Earlier this year Crocs seemed to have taken steps, if you will, to address these issues. Their new line of SolesUnited are made with grounded up old crocs. The new styles have 20% of this recycled content. Going one further Crocs plan, for 2008, to develop partnerships with shipping companies and worldwide non-profit organisations, so they can donate 2 million pairs of shoes globally....
Survey: Who is Right, the Pie-er or the Pie-ee?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.24.08
Author and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman spoke at Brown University about globalization, energy and green technology. He said that the federal government needs to put a price on carbon, set regulations and pour money into research and development and let American ingenuity meet the market force for clean energy. “I do believe clean power is going to be the next great global industry, I know that for sure. ”
Before he started his speech, he got pied by two "environmental activists" who said: “Thomas Friedman deserves a pie in the face because of his sickeningly cheery applaud for free market capitalism’s conquest of the planet, for telling the world that the free market and techno fixes can save us from climate change. From carbon trading to biofuels, these distractions are dangerous in and of themselves, while encouraging inaction with respect to the true problems at hand” UPDATE Video of Friedman getting pied added below the fold.
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Jeremy Leggett on a "Crisis to Dwarf Previous Crises"
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 04.24.08
We’re pretty avid watchers of Solarcentury CEO Jeremy Leggett here at TreeHugger. From our interview with him back in 2006, to his recent musings on why greed is good for the renewables industries, Leggett never fails to stir up an interesting and impassioned debate. As a former oil man, he is also pretty well qualified to talk about the coming energy crisis and peak oil, and he certainly doesn’t hold back in his latest interview on the Principal Voices website, though it’s not all positive reading. On the one hand, he is as up-beat as ever about the potential for renewable energy, given the right support and the right conditions:
“Here there is good and bad news. Yes, we can run the world on renewables and efficiency. Any self-respecting solar energy company--hooked up with the right partners--can put up zero carbon buildings in a matter of weeks. Around 50% of CO2 emissions come from buildings, directly or indirectly. Meanwhile, as traditional power prices soar, solar manufacturing costs are falling.”
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JP Morgan's Bruce Tozer on Purchasing ClimateCare and the Future of Carbon Offsets
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 04.24.08
The announcement last month that ClimateCare had been bought by JP Morgan signaled the Wild-West climate offset business has reached a milestone - it's now a business big enough ($9.4 billion in offsets traded last year) for the traditional financial services industry to get involved. Another milestone: Kyoto CDM offset projects now number over 1,000 and have offset 135 million tonnes of CO2 (the picture is of a Cambodian cook stove efficiency project). It may be a while before there's sufficient regulatory structure in the offset business - major offset company Eco Securities lost 70 % of its stock price recently after announcing it would not deliver one-quarter of promised emissions reductions - to reassure consumers. Below, JP Morgan's Bruce Tozer answers questions about offsets and ClimateCare's future.
TH: Is there some truth to the idea that offsetting is just obscuring the work that needs to be done in terms of legislation and reforms to tackle emissions? What should individual offset companies do to contribute to a holistic approach to global CO2 reductions?
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TH Blog Love - Our Favourite Greens Of The Week
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 04.24.08
Babelgum: Arctic Meltdown Video
"According to the world’s scientists sea level rise is “arguably one of the world’s most important potential impacts of global climate change.” This Greenpeace documentary explores two remote regions of the world, The Marshall Islands and The Arctic."
DH Love Life: Luvlife - R Hero For Spring by Daryl Hannah
"I have always admired Julia greatly ever since I first heard of her "Luna" tree-sit. Often referring 2 the hope that 1 day I would pull my "butterfly" out. That I might find an action to take which I am passionately connected 2 + will speak clearly to help create a better world. What I called my "butterfly" Julia has eloquently renamed "What's your tree?"...
Royal Festival Beehive
by Bonnie Alter, London on 04.24.08
The life and times of a beehive on the roof of the Royal Festival Hall. This is what happens when a filmmaker and an artist, both beekeepers, get together at a pub and have a great idea. They concocted a plan to create a hive in the shape of a scale model of the Festival Hall in honour of the reopening last June. Plunk the hive on the roof, and follow the bees' progress for a year. Invite some artists to visit the bees to add a touch of class and culture. And so they did. It is English eccentricity at its most lovable. To mark the first day of spring, they had a poetry reading: " The bees are flying. They taste the spring." The author of "The Cloudspotter's Guide" did a reading under Altostratus clouds ("the boring cloud") and a choral trio sang a traditional English 'round' written in 1260, "Summer is Icumen". Over the coming months they will be visited by other musicians and writers.
There is a serious point being made here. The filmmaker says: "It is a statement about urban agriculture and the idea of growing food in cities using spaces like rooftops." The pollen will come from all the surrounding greenery such as churchyards, trees across the river, St James's Park and even windowboxes.The hive is in full swing (buzz?) with a Queen bee and 15,000 bees. As the beekeeper says "there are getting to be so many now it’s becoming harder and harder to remember each of their names."
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Recycled Gas Station Touches Hearts, Minds
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 04.23.08
When artist and environmental activist Jennifer Marsh realized there were over 200,000 abandoned gas stations marring the landscape across America she realized there was something simple she could do to make a statement; recycle one into art, and ask students the world over to help.
The idea being they just might make a statement simple enough to be understood by all.
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Today on Planet Green
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 04.23.08
:: Bone up on bamboo fiber with help from eco-fashion expert, Summer Rayne Oakes.
:: Forget calories. Count your breakfast, lunch and dinner's carbon footprint.
:: Keep baby safe from Bisphenol A.
:: Dig into some sauteed dandelion greens for dinner.
:: Display books, startling seeds and houseplants with this DIY, multipurpose bookcase....
Most Huggable: The Th!nk City Car, A Solar Fix, A Gorilla In The Greenhouse + More
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 04.23.08
Is the Th!nk City Car the functional, affordable electric dream ride we’ve all been waiting for?
SolarCity makes ‘going solar’ affordable with a leasing program.
The masterminds behind the Meatrix present a new web-based kids show.
A little moth sparks big pesticide debate in California.
A recent survey measures the greenwashing gap.
Most Huggable is a regular roundup of some of Hugg's top green news stories. Why not submit your own green news?...
Östra Kvarnskogen by Brunnberg & Forshed
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.23.08
My Swedish is a bit rusty so I can't say much about this project, other than it won a big prize from the Swedish wood promotion organization Skogs Inustrierna. "Östra Kvarnskogen has been constructed within a large nature reserve with sharply sloping terrain. Here, nature holds sway, and there are houses which stand partially-upported by 7m-high steel pillars as a result of the mountain’s steep slope. The man-made and the natural appear