- 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 July 6, 2008 - July 12, 2008
Total this week: 184
Republican US Senator John Warner Asks US Department Of Energy To Determine Most Energy Saving Highway Vehicle Speed
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.12.08
The truth about vehicle fuel efficiency is coming out: at last! Of course, Senator John Warner would not want to ask the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) - the Agency which for decades has been officially charged with determining and publishing fuel efficiency estimates for vehicles - to determine the optimal highway speed for fuel savings, because...you know...USEPA might actually promulgate a regulation. (Joking of course.) [Senator] Warner has asked the Energy Department to determine the most energy-saving speed — and the potential fuel savings — if a new national limit is imposed.While US Department of Energy is cogitating on this Senatorial challenge, here's the money quote on the story from McClatchy: ...
Graphic Of The Day: Bloom Is Off The Corn
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.12.08
Except for a few US states (in blue) that seem intent on saluting the officially sanctioned corn blossom, it's over for a strong majority (states in red). Ethanol's flash in the cylinder is essentially silenced. Not much more for energy security is offered by ethanol, except indirectly, through it's fuel oxygenation functionality. (EtOH always was superior to MTBE for fuel oxygenation, a fact generally overlooked by US print media and blog-xperts. )
Security dimension:- if pure ethanol is spilled on the ground, your well provides no more danger than "good old mountain dew." EtOH was always much superior to MTBE or straight gasoline in that regard....
How Studying Cow Burps is Helping Argentinians Learn about Climate Change
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.12.08
Image from Reuters/Marcos Brindicci
Cow flatulence and its link to climate change has been a favorite topic for us to cover at TreeHugger. So it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that we'd jump on a Reuters story describing the climatic implications of cow burps.
Researchers in Argentina have been "collecting" cow burps by strapping big, red plastic tanks to their backs. Just as cow farts are a significant source of methane emissions, so are their belches -- combined, the two can account for 800 to 1,000 liters, or roughly 25 to 35 cubic feet, of emissions a day (and that's per cow). ...
Garbage Art: Plastic Bags Come to Life
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 07.12.08
VW Goodness Over 1 Liter Car Offset by New 4.7 Liter SUV
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.12.08
Remember when Toyota compromised its green cred with the monster Tundra? Well, All teh netz are gaga over Mike's 1-Liter Supercar but nobody notices that they are also now producing this SUV designed to make a Hummer look like a pansy. Imagine the looks you will get when you drive down the street in this. Quiet inside, bulletproof, looks like it could transform into a robot at any second, what more could any rock star want? Oh, it's an armoured car? Never mind. ::Autocar via ::Notcot...
EPA Drops the Value of an American Life Almost a Million Dollars
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 07.12.08
Headlines revealing the discovery that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has reduced the value of a statistical life by almost a million dollars abound. The news, as you might expect, generates some of the best humorous comments (quotes overleaf). But what does it all really mean? How does it affect your environmental quality? And how does it affect your finances, especially in a down economy?...
This Week in the Huffington Post
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.12.08
TreeHugger is proud to be contributing original content to the Huffington Post Green section. This week's posts:
A Field Guide to the New Enviromentalists: Lord knows we have tried, Al Gore has tried, so may have tried to sell climate change as the big issue of the day. ::Lloyd Alter
Lo-Tech Hi-Tech: The Simple Solutions All Around Us: There are a lot of great low tech things around us that could help us reduce our impact. Take the bike, the sweater, and the awning, for example. Here are three pieces of "old" technology that are invisible to most of us despite their power. ::Graham Hill
Terrorists or Heroes? Sea Shepherd Fights for Marine Life: When it comes to making positive change to the world's habitats, sometimes the waters are murky. To put it bluntly, there's nothing like a few photos of clubbed seals to get the crowd all hot and bothered -- but is this really the best way? ::Mairi Beautyman
Which Small Actions Make the Biggest Difference?: As the notion of "going green" has continued to grow, the number of lifestyle choices and changes we can all make has grown with it. But which ones really make a difference? ::Collin Dunn
4 Fun Green Stories and 2 Sad Ones: In the past, the green movement has often been accused of being too "doom & gloom", too serious. Below are 4 fun green stories, but to remind us that it's not all rainbows and bunnies, there are 2 sad ones at the end. ::Michael Graham Richard
An Olympic Smokescreen: Why We Need to Get Over Air Pollution at Beijing's Games : The issue of air quality during Beijing's "green" Olympics isn't really such a big deal. It's a red herring. A smokescreen. ::Alex Pasternack
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Gas Prices Make Online Classes More Popular
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 07.12.08
High gas prices have had some positive effects, such as increasing the popularity of mass transit, cycling, and compact cars, as well as reducing the amount of miles that Americans drive. However, as the NY Times reported yesterday, gas prices are also causing a surge in enrollment in online courses, as students are increasingly finding it too expensive to drive to class. Whether or not online courses are effective can be debated, but few would argue that they can provide the same educational and social experience as traditional courses. One student summed it up best: “I don’t feel I get as much out of an online class as a campus course. . .But I couldn’t afford any other decision.” Yet at a time when America is falling behind in education (it has been for quite some time), we can't afford to diminish the quality of the education our students receive.
Alternatives Don't Sprout Overnight
The problem is that "of the nation’s 15 million college students — at least 79 percent — live off campus," and given how spoiled we have become by cheap gasoline, many of those students have never had to consider alternative ways of getting to class. What's more, now that they are looking for alternatives, often times they are lacking entirely or highly inefficient, since mass transit, bike lanes and cities designed on a human scale don't just sprout overnight. So instead, "colleges from Massachusetts and Florida to Texas to Oregon have reported significant online enrollment increases for summer sessions, with student numbers in some cases 50 percent or 100 percent higher than last year."
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Tidal Energy Plans for Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket in the Works
by Matthew McDermott, Brooklyn, NY on 07.12.08
photo by Amelia Davis
When most followers of renewable energy think of Cape Cod, the first thing they probably think of is the embattled Cape Wind project. That may change if feasibility studies concerning developing tidal energy in between Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket prove fruitful.
Cape Cod Times provides the details of two projects currently being investigated:
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The ‘Hydrogen Fridge’: A Home-Based Hydrogen Refueling Station
by Matthew McDermott, Brooklyn, NY on 07.11.08
Hydrogen home concept drawing by ITM Power.
We reported on an Australian version of the home hydrogen refueling concept over a year ago. This time, a British company is pushing the same sort of idea forward: Enter the Hydrogen Fridge.
Hydrogen in Your Garage
The BBC is reporting that ITM Power of Sheffield, England has unveiled a hydrogen home refueling station which has been installed in showcase “hydrogen home”. The device works via and electrolyzer to produce hydrogen from water and electricity—so, still, if you’re using non-green energy your hydrogen really isn’t a clean source of energy.
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Mapping the Alternative Energy Potential of the United States
by Matthew McDermott, Brooklyn, NY on 07.11.08
map courtesy of US Dept. of Energy
It may be rather basic knowledge for many readers of this site that different renewable energy sources have greater or lesser potential in te diverse parts of the United States. However, apparently Forbes thinks its readers need a refresher course on the subject, and has put together a slideshow of maps of the best places to develop wind, geothermal, solar, etc. both nationally and in individual states.
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NASA Satellite Could Make Floating Ocean Wind Farms Possible (UPDATED)
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.11.08
With all the talk about expanding the world's existing wind capacity, there is still surprisingly little attention being paid to the tremendous potential offered by ocean winds -- save for the occasional offshore wind park. Enter NASA: It turns out scientists have been using its QuikSCAT satellite for years to create maps of areas with strong wind activity.
Paul Dimotakis, NASA's chief technologist at Pasadena's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, believes areas with high winds could produce 500-800 watts of electricity per square meter. While a bit less efficient than solar -- it generates roughly 1 kilowatt per square meter -- wind energy can be converted to electricity at a lower cost. ...
Baja Positioning To Be Regional Solar Leader
by Eliza Barclay, Nomad on 07.11.08
The Pacific Mexican state of Baja California is swiftly becoming the region's solar panel manufacturing powerhouse, boosting its profile as the "Silicon Border." In recent weeks, two foreign companies -- Q-Cells of Germany and Kyocera of Japan -- announced new investments totally nearly $4.9 billion in plants that will produce for export mainly to the United States.
Q-Cells, the biggest producer of solar panels in the world, is investing $3.5 billion in a plant in Mexicali. The plant will open in October and will create 600 direct jobs and 12,000 indirect jobs, according to the Baja California government. ...
Obama to Sponsor Race Car in NASCAR
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.11.08
I know that Barack Obama has the better environmental policies. I know he loves bicycles. I know he has to attract the middle American audience. But really, sponsoring a NASCAR race car? Via Wonkette, we learn from Sports Illustrated that "for the first time in history, a major presidential candidate may sponsor a race car in NASCAR's premier series. According to sources, Barack Obama's campaign is in talks to become the primary sponsor of BAM Racing's No. 49 Sprint Cup car for the Pocono race on August 3.
Back in the day when I used to work political campaigns, my manager used to say "work from your strength"- don't go after the voters you don't have a hope for while ignoring your natural base. I hope he is going to sponsor a few bicycle racing teams as well. ::Sports Illustrated
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Watch the Premiere Episode of Planet Green's Focus Earth - Saturday, July 12!
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 07.11.08
Finally! A news program that won’t give me the week’s projected weather forecast a million times or uplift me with stories about local shootings.
That’s right. At 6PM EST, tomorrow night, Saturday, July 12, Planet Green will premiere Focus Earth With Bob Woodruff. Produced by ABC News, the weekly newscast prides itself as one of the more serious shows in the Planet Green line-up, covering subjects like climate change, environmental policy, politics, events and religion.
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Doctor Fish Invents Fan Blade With Twenty Percent Greater Efficiency By Mimicking A Whale Flipper
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07.11.08
Christian Science Monitor has published a totally charming story about how Dr. Frank E. Fish was inspired to "bio-mimic" a fan blade design, upon viewing a Humpback Whale sculpture in a Boston MA gift shop. There are prospective efficiency gains from re-designed wind turbine blades, also, based on this "discovery". Fish, a biology professor at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, is now using this technology perfected by nature to produce fans with serrated blades that use 20 percent less electricity than traditional models. This finding contradicts conventional designs that strive for the smoothest possible edges.Apparently the tubercles on the leading edge of a Humpbacks flips are unique: offering a significant increase in "lift." The result of Dr. Fish's discovery was formation of WhalePower, a Toronto-based company that markets the whale fin-based technology. ...
China's Gas Hike Pushes Drivers to Public Transit
by Alex Pasternack, Beijing, China on 07.11.08
Beijing is "trying it's best to improve the environment" for the Olympics, largely by shutting down factories. But to really improve the environment in Beijing in the long term the government will need to focus on a much smaller but more prevalent carbon and particulate emitter: the car.
In the past, the city hasn't shown much interest in lowering the subsidy on gasoline or limiting cars, which, in a typically Chinese conflict of interest, are largely produced by state-owned companies. But last month, in a reflection of global pressure on gas prices, Beijing instituted a 16-18 percent rise in gas prices. Like elsewhere, the effect has been to increase public transit ridership. According to today's China Daily, a survey by news portal Sina.com found that
Nearly 28 percent of those surveyed said they would considering switching to buses, while more than 12 percent said they would give up driving and take the subway...They're just like us!...
The early bird gets the iPhone. And also gets media attention for an organic farm at the White House
by Bonnie Hulkower, New York, New York on 07.11.08
Farmboys turned fanboys?
You may have heard that the iPhone 3G went on sale this morning. I saw a line outside of the AT&T stores here in Manhattan, and I heard there was a line around the block this morning at the Union Street Apple store in San Francisco. But for the most part the lines this year paled in comparison to the initial launch. Yet my friend, Daniel Bowman Simon, takes the cake. Or, should I say, the Apple. Daniel and five other members of The WhoFarm environmental collective have just finished spending a week outside New York City's flagship Apple store waiting to buy the new iPhone 3G in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for "longest time waiting in line to buy something." ...
You may have heard that the iPhone 3G went on sale this morning. I saw a line outside of the AT&T stores here in Manhattan, and I heard there was a line around the block this morning at the Union Street Apple store in San Francisco. But for the most part the lines this year paled in comparison to the initial launch. Yet my friend, Daniel Bowman Simon, takes the cake. Or, should I say, the Apple. Daniel and five other members of The WhoFarm environmental collective have just finished spending a week outside New York City's flagship Apple store waiting to buy the new iPhone 3G in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for "longest time waiting in line to buy something." ...
Tesla Hires Chrysler Exec to Become VP of Engineering and Manufacturing
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 07.11.08
Tesla Motors Gains Credibility
Making cars is hard, and Tesla is trying to improve its luck by hiring Mike Donoughe, a former Chrysler executive who has shown in the past that he can get things done. He will become Tesla Motors' Vice President of vehicle engineering and manufacturing. Mr. Donoughe could have got a job at any car company, so it's a good sign that he thinks the future is in electric cars, and it's also a vote of confidence for young Californian electric car company.
Next Step: Model S
And Tesla will need all the smart people it can get if it wants its next electric car, the 4 doors, 5 passengers, built-in-California 'Model S' sporty sedan....
Energy Security Requires Diversifying Fuel Mix and Supply
by Marian Hopkins, Business Roundtable on 07.11.08
Enhancing America’s energy security is one of our country’s most pressing challenges, and U.S. policymakers are facing increased pressure to come up with solutions. Here’s why:
As negotiations around the expiration of the Kyoto Protocol loom and both domestic and international economies continue to grow, worldwide energy demand is surging. Indeed, by 2025, worldwide demand for petroleum is expected to increase by 30 percent*.
Business Roundtable firmly believes that enhancing our energy security will require diversifying our fuel mix and increasing fuel supplies to meet the energy needs of the transportation sector. Investing 100 percent in renewable biofuels is not the answer. Relying on petroleum alone is not the answer. Our energy blueprint, released last year, outlined our belief that a more secure energy future requires the nation to aggressively pursue the following six parallel strategies:...
Building the Green Modern Home: Looking at Windows
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.11.08
I used to be a strict modernist; my role at TreeHugger was to demonstrate that green design could be wonderful and cool and I filled the site with all kinds of modern houses with some claim, often weak, for being green. Those houses became less common on the site in recent times, as I worried more about house size, the appropriateness of single family dwellings on big suburban lots, and trying to reconcile my love of clean, modern design with my concern about the use of fossil fuels or building materials that cannot be maintained in a world made by hand.
With some trepidation I recently posted a lovely house in Slovenia with a qualifying statement "While we have not shown a lot of big suburban houses on TreeHugger for a while, the HB house by Matija Bevk and Vasa J. Perović of bevk perović arhitekti has some interesting attributes that are worth noting."
The expected comments came in. "Windows let in too much light causing a "green house effect" inside, even when mitigated with vegetation for shade...glazing insulation values are still far below standard walls....I see no solar overhang."
A few years ago I would have written such comments off as whining from the cob-and-turf granola-eating anti-architect they-don't-build-them-like-they-used-to crowd. Now I am beginning to think they are right....
BMW to Make Electric Mini. Only in California. Only 500 of Them.
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 07.11.08
Electric Mini Cooper: Glass Half-Full or Half-Empty?
Are you an optimist or a pessimist? Following VW's announcement that it would make a limited number of its 1-Liter 282 MPG car, BMW says that it will build 500 electric Mini Coopers for the Californian market. Now the optimist might say: "That's great! They're more likely to go from limited to full production than from nothing to production!". The pessimist is probably thinking: "Ok, California has a mandate for automakers to make 7,500 zero-emissions cars by 2014. That's probably why we're seeing the Honda FCX hydrogen car in that state, and now BMW will pull a GM EV1 on us."
Strong Demand for Electric Cars
Our 2 years old post about an unofficial electric Mini that could do 0-60 in 4.5 seconds is still getting traffic, so that's probably a sign that there's interest. And with small cars selling like hotcakes, hybrid supply not meeting demand, and rising fuel costs, we're sure that if BMW wanted to be bold and make more than a handful of token electric cars, it would be a big hit. ...
Tap Water or Bottled Water: Which is Better?
by Jenna Watson, Barcelona on 07.11.08
Image credit: Robert McLassus
As a dedicated Treehugger you knew it, but…in case you needed more proof:
"A direct comparison of drinking water from the tap with unrefrigerated bottled water shows an environmental impact of tap water which is less than one percent of that of bottled water. Even when refrigerated and carbonated, the environmental impact of tap water is approximately only one fourth of that of bottled water. Thus, from an environmental point of view, tap water is preferable to bottled water as a beverage."
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Pop Quiz: First Ever National Park Founding Date
by Dominic Muren, Philadelphia, USA on 07.11.08
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Community Supported Agriculture: Hiring a Personal Farmer
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.11.08
TreeHugger has covered community supported agriculture many times; one contracts with a farmer for delivery of a season's worth of food. It is great for the farmer, who gets a secure income; it is great for the customer, who gets fresh, seasonal produce. Susan Saulny writes in the International Herald Tribune about a CSA with a twist: shareholders can come out and work the farm.
Shareholder Steve Trisko helps out at Erehwon Farms near Chicago, and says that without his volunteer labor and agreement to share in the financial risk of raising crops, the small organic farm might not survive. "It's very hard for them to make ends meet," he said, "so I decided to go out and help. We harvest, water, pull weeds, whatever they need doing."
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Where Wiffle Ball’s a Crime There May Be No Child Left Outside
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 07.11.08
With kids across America suffering from a severe case of nature deficit disorder as technology creeps in and takes over their room for creative play it may come as a surprise that a group of kids putting together their very own field of dreams on which to play Wiffle ball have stirred up quite a ruckus in Greenwich, Connecticut.
It seems they’ve put a ton of time and energy into their recreation of Fenway, complete with a miniature Green Monster constructed out of reused pallets and painted green. But almost as soon as they began to play ball there were angry neighbors with a legal team, the police, the town nuisance officer and tree warden and other officials in all shapes and sizes coming down to condemn them for one reason or another.
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Pedal-Powered Businesses Popping Up In Portland
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 07.11.08
SolPops photo by gisarah @ flickr
A new era of "post peak oil" bicycle-powered commerce is creeping into Portland's downtown, and what a welcome sight it is. At the Portland Farmer's Market, this year SolPops hit the scene on a sky blue cargo bike with a leafy shade canopy (unfortunately not pictured in this photo) to keep the patrons cool while they choose their frozen treat. SolPops (the SOL stands for sustainable, organic, local) are closer to a Mexican paleta than a regular popsicle, with their thick cold fruity goodness - strawberry, orange, coconut - usually tinged with a surprising extra flavor like basil, or chile.
But while SolPops are currently a seasonal business, more and more year-round Portland establishments have taken to bicycle-based sales and/or delivery. Hot Lips Pizza, whose owner is a long-time Portland sustainability leader, is making deliveries on bike, as is Old Town Pizza. Lulu's Confections's cookies and treats are bicycle delivered -Lulu doesn't yet have a storefront - and Staccato Gelato is pedaling low-carbon gelato from a trike. And two cafés, Black Sheep Bakery and Little Red Bike Café offer bike-through lanes. Via ::Portland Mercury...
Home Delivery: Wrapping It Up With The Cellophane House
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.11.08
Four years ago I was invited to speak about prefab housing at a conference in Austin, Texas. I was building prefabs at the time, and was one of the early bloggers about modern prefab; I thought I knew just about all there was to know about the subject.
Then Steven Kieran and James Timberlake got up to speak and I quickly learned how little I really knew, how they were a generation ahead in sophistication. I first learned terms like "mass customization" and "chunking"; followed analogies to the automotive, aircraft and shipbuilding industries, and fell in love with the first drawings of the Loblolly house, which I have followed in these pages ever since. I saw that prefab wasn't just about building in a factory, but was about reinventing the way we build, not just where.
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Eco-Tourism in Japan
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 07.11.08
Ecotourism or green tourism started getting attention in Japan about 15 years ago, and if you carbon offset your airticket (which some tour agencies will now help you with) you could probably spend a rather planet-friendly week or two over in these parts of the woods. Rent-a-car? Oh, do pick up a Prius, but high speed trains are the most convenient way to get around, and there are local trains and bus services connecting even the most rural parts of the country to Tokyo and Osaka, the 2 largest cities. Here is a brief list of things to do on a greenish summer holiday to Japan:
1) Hotsprings - enjoy the volcanic activity that heats up mineral water for your bath, naturally
2) Mountain climbing/hiking - Japan's highest mountain, Mt Fuji, is not the only tourist spot!
3) River rafting - just two hour northwest of central Tokyo, there are great rivers like the Tone
4) Scuba diving/ snorkling - Okinawa or the Ogasawara islands with corals and rare ocean fish
5) Shrines & temples - these are the spiritual "homes" of Japan, and for many foreigners too!
Japan Ecotourism Society was founded in 1998 and participates in TIES, the world's oldest and largest ecotourism organization, to promote the principles of ecotourism and responsible travel. Web Japan has more details....
Survey: Should Cyclists Be Allowed to Go Through Stop Signs?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.11.08
We promised a survey in our post on cycling: San Francisco is considering a change in the law so that cyclists can go through stop signs, but they have to yield if a car is at the intersection. Is this a good idea?
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Gas Stations of the Future: Waste Land?
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07.11.08
Transport Infrastructure Will Change
With the i-MIEV electric car being rolled out sooner than expected and electric vehicles like the G-Wiz and Vectrix becoming ever-more common sights on our streets, it’s a good time to start figuring out what the transport infrastructure of the future will look like. Dale Vince of Ecotricity fame, who is himself building an electric car to rival the Tesla, has taken up the topic of gas stations (aka ‘garages’ or ‘petrol stations’ as we Brits call them) on his Zerocarbonista blog. After initially discussing the petrol stations of the future, and whether they will be swap shops for batteries or a collection of charging points (Dale favors charging points over swapping batteries), his latest post suggests that gas stations may in fact become all but obsolete:
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Eco-Tourism Takes Root in Lebanon
by Karin Kloosterman, Jerusalem, Israel on 07.11.08
Although we haven't traveled to Lebanon, we have had a Lebanese friend when touring through Syria. He told us that Lebanon was an advanced country and much different than the "time machine feeling" we were getting in Syria: It was 9 years ago, and the cars looked like they were from the 30s; people everywhere were dressed in traditional gear and it seemed that the environment was very low on the country's agenda (litter was everywhere and cars spewed fumes).
We never did get to visit Lebanon (mainly because getting a VISA would take too much time), but we have been able to see into what's happening there from an eco-tourism point of view, thanks to Green Prophet writer Karen Chernick.
Karen studied with the children of ambassadors from all over the world at an American School in Israel and has been using her ambassadorial skills to connect people from across the Middle East to build peace through the environment. In one of her recent posts she reports about green eco-tourism options in Lebanon. There is no system in place in the Middle East (unlike in Latin America) for verifying how green eco-advertisers say they are, but we can laud them for their efforts.
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Solar Subsidies in Spain May Be Capped at One-Third Current Levels
by Matthew McDermott, Brooklyn, NY on 07.11.08
photo by laurenatclemson via flickr
Rising oil prices may be making wind power cost-competitive in Spain, but the key to Spain’s rapidly growing solar industry has been generous government subsidies creating market stability. Although nothing is definite yet, simply the mention of reducing the level at which subsidies are capped has created waves in the Iberian solar industry.
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Sustainability at the Hampton Court Flower Show
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07.11.08
It's the Hampton Court Palace Flower Show, set against the backdrop of historic Hampton Court and a more informal and casual event than the Chelsea Flower Show. Sustainability is definitely one of the under-lying themes of the show this year. Many of the gardens feature a recycling and sustainability aspect to their creation. We loved the idea of the Climate Change Dome which is staffed by experts providing advice on the impact of climate change on gardens and the right plants and techniques to use at home. The Porsche garden features a front yard garden with a hydraulically operated ramp that hides the car, leaving behind a planted garden. Perhaps truer to life (and more accessible), is the British Racing Green; the shell of a Mini Cooper car, planted and overgrown with a selection of drought resistant and colourful plants in containers made of old tires.
The Recycled Garden (pictured) is created by the Guerilla Gardener, whose fame has spread to being acknowledged by this mainstream show.He was invited to make a garden out of recycled....everything, including the plants. Some were scavenged from the Chelsea show and others scrounged from fellow exhibitors. He even taped a sign to his back, asking for plants. Being a novice, he outlines in his blog his trials (and errors) and serendipitous events that led to the creation of the garden .
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Answers to All Your Electricity Questions Help Save Energy
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 07.11.08
Electricity Overload Leads to Bad Energy Saving Decisions
Do you suffer from "electricity overload"? We don't mean the number of plugs crowding your outlets. We mean the short circuit in your brain when you try to figure out: - Do you save energy by turning lights off for only a few minutes?
- Which takes more energy: leaving air conditioning on all day or cooling your house after you come home at night?
- What is a watt?
- Do I pay twice as much for an appliance running on 240V as one on 120V?
MIT Solar Concentrator Improves Solar Cell Efficiency and Design Options
by Tim McGee, Helena, MT, USA on 07.10.08
Imagine if every window in a skyscraper was a solar concentrator.
MIT Solar Concentrator Innovation: More Bang for your Buck
Solar concentrators do what you might expect, concentrate solar light. Usually they are large mirrors or other devices, but the goal of any solar concentrator is to concentrate the light that falls on a large area to a smaller one. The idea is that the (usually cheap) solar concentrator increases the efficiency of the (usually expensive) solar cell, getting more energy for input of money. Recent advances in this technology have focused around better performance of the solar cell, like the IBM's solar cell cooling technology, but not this time.
The MIT solar concentrator, devised by a group led by Marc Baldo at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, takes advantage of recent advances in laser technology and materials science to develop a 'window' that concentrates solar light that would normally pass through a window, and pushes (some) of the light to edge of the glass. The concentrator passes the first test in that it is cheap to produce, and it may even be effective at increasing efficiencies of existing solar cells....
Agricultural Land Degradation Increasing, Affecting New Areas: FAO Report
by Matthew McDermott, Brooklyn, NY on 07.10.08
photo by Ray Witlin/World Bank via flickr
Several African countries have recently begun a program to halt desertification in the Sahel, but even in places where the desert isn’t advancing, agricultural lands face challenges from chemically intensive agricultural methods degrading the soil, overgrazing from cattle, erosion from wind and rain, as well as other sources.
Worldwatch Institute is relaying the gist of a new UN Food and Agriculture Organization report which paints a not so good picture just how degraded the world’s agricultural lands have become....
Intel Capital Continues Renewable Energy Expansion
by Matthew McDermott, Brooklyn, NY on 07.10.08
Sulfurcell Headquarters photo courtesy of Sulfurcell.
It was only a few weeks ago when we learned that Intel was getting into solar hrough its Intel Capital division. Well, their solar investments continue once more. This time with a €24 million investment in Sulfurcell, a German thin-film solar developer and manufacturer using
Intel was the leading single investor in the €85 million total equity round, with an additional €38 million coming from a mix of European investors—Climate Change Capital Private Equity, AIG, Demeter Partners, Zouk Ventures and BankInvest. The balance of the total was provided by existing investors.
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Drug Smugglers Wreaking Havoc on Guatemalan Protected Areas
by Eliza Barclay, Nomad on 07.10.08
Photo credit: Hector Tobar/ LAT
Criminal mafias have long been associated with environmental destruction in countries around the world including Mexico and Liberia. A recent story in Los Angeles Times reveals that narcotraficantes, or drug traffickers, are clearing land in protected areas in Guatemala's Peten region, an area known for its exquisite biodiversity and ecological wealth.
According to the report, this region is also prized by smugglers for its proximity to the weakly guarded border with Mexico and for the swamps and dense forest undergrowth that help them beat the legal authorities who can only scramble to keep up.
Meanwhile the "narco cattle ranches" and "narco communities" are destroying the habitat of spider monkeys, jaguars, river turtles and numerous other flora and fauna. The "farmers" level the mahogany and tropical cedar trees with power saws, and then set fire to the underbrush, the Times reports.
The cleared land is also used for clandestine airstrips to land small planes loaded with cocaine which is then trucked through Mexico and across the border to US consumers.:: Via Los Angeles Times...
TreeHugger Tip: Tomm Stanley With an Energy Saving Tip On Flooring
by Emma Grady, New York, NY on 07.10.08
Sea-Water Air Conditioning Plan for Honolulu, Hawaii Finishes Funding
by Matthew McDermott, Brooklyn, NY on 07.10.08
photo: Getty Images
Recently the state of Hawaii passed a law requiring new buildings to install solar water heater. Now investors have secured the final funding for another green initiative in the island state: Seawater air conditioning.
The project is titled, appropriately enough, Honolulu Seawater Air Conditioning, and is being funded to the tune of $10.75 million by private investors, with the balance of the estimated $152 million in project costs to be covered by US and Swedish investors.
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Hé! Taxi! Vectrix Electric Scooters Used as Taxis in Paris
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 07.10.08
Electric Scooter Taxis in Paris
If you find yourself in Paris and need a taxi to move around the city without luggage, think of City Bird's Electri-City service. City Bird itself is the first French motorcycle taxi service, and they have just added a couple of Vectrix electric scooters to their fleet.
Because of the limited range of the electric scooters, they can only be booked to go to locations inside of the city. Of course, you could always take the subway, or walk, or cycle. But if you need to go somewhere quickly and still want to see the city, this seems like the way to go....
“Wall of Trees” Planned to Help Stop Sahara Desert from Expanding
by Matthew McDermott, Brooklyn, NY on 07.10.08
photo by Damien Rafferty/Fly Global Music Culture
I admit that it’s often easy to get down when thinking about environmental degradation, especially in a place like Africa which has had so many other problems as well. Every once in a while though you come across a story that makes you reconsider your assumptions about stopping a seemingly relentless force such as the expanding desertification in the Sahel.
The Great Green Wall
ENN is running a story about how African nations on the creeping southern border of the Sahara are taking action to attempt to halt the march of sands. The so-called “Great Green Wall” won’t be a continuous band of trees, but will involve several areas of planting stretching from Mauritania in the west to Djibouti in the east. The plan has been in the works for several years, but planting will soon begin....
For Mountains to Grow, Just Add Water
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 07.10.08
Image from little byte of luck
It's not exactly what you might think. While adding water will speed up the mountains' growth, it's not because the rocks themselves are growing -- rather, it's because extreme rain events help buoy the mountains upwards. As Discovery's Larry O'Hanlon reports, a team of researchers, led by Potsdam University's Andrés Mora, has published a new study examining the impact of rain on Colombia's Eastern Cordillera mountains. ...
Profitable Climate Protection
by Rocky Mountain Institute on 07.10.08
Rocky Mountain Institute cofounder and Chief Scientist Amory Lovins has long argued that it's possible to protect the earth's climate at a profit.
By taking an integrated approach to climate protection, he explained Tuesday night during a talk in Aspen, CO, we can find cost-effective solutions that generate more solutions -- not more problems:...
New York Times Building's Sunscreen Removed, Emissions Increased, Thanks To Climber "Fighting Carbon Emissions"
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.10.08
David Dunlap, New York Times
When Alain Robert climbed the sunscreen on the New York Times building I wrote:
"the screen was an elegant and creative way for the New York Times to make a graphic expression of environmental concern by wrapping its building in an exterior sunshade like this. Alain Robert may claim to have climbed it for environmental causes, but in fact he has done the environment a huge disservice- it will be a long time before architects put exterior shades on buildings again. Thanks for nothing, Alain." Robert had written that his climb was "a peaceful way to create support for far greater and urgent action from world leaders on global warming. Emissions are still climbing. So am I."
Two copycats later, the New York Times is removing the ceramic tubes. Now the system which cut down the heating load by almost 50% is being removed from the lower portion of the building, directly contributing to the use of more fuel and contributing to global warming. Once again, Thanks for nothing, Alain Robert. ...
The Circular Bike, a.k.a. "Vicious Cycle"
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 07.10.08
Circular Bike made from Salvaged Parts
Yeah, it's pointless and not necessarily green, but once in a while you just gotta have fun with bike culture. We'd rather see this than "pimp my car". As one commenter on reddit sait:
- [ ] useful
- [X] want one
Leonardo DiCaprio's Eco-Charity. Plus Tommy Lee's Rockin' Green Life and Jesscia Alba's A Green Mom
by Terri MacLeod on 07.10.08
...A genuine go-to-green guy, Leonardo DiCaprio always takes time for the environment. Now, the actor is selling his $300 thousand Jaeger-LeCoultre watch to benefit his eco-charity, the Leonardo Dicaprio Fund. DiCaprio teamed up with the Swiss watch-maker to sell his and another $400 thousand time-piece in the fall of 2008 - 100% of proceeds will go to his fund. A big chunk of cash to drop on a watch - no doubt! But, at least the "crazy" money spent on these luxury items will go to a worthy cause.
Check Out: Leonardo Dicaprio Fund ...
New York Times on the Disney Dream Home
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.10.08
We were previously appalled at the new Disney Dream Home (read Disney's New Dream Home: Worse Than We Dreamed or go direct to the appalling video on the hideous website with the nauseating music. We concluded that Walt is spinning in his cryogenic cylinder.
Now David Rakoff of the New York Times visits it, and comes to much the same conclusion. "All this is worlds away from Disneyland’s original utopian domicile, the 1957 Monsanto House of the Future, sponsored by that company’s plastics division. Meant to represent life in 1985, it was a paradigm-shifting, atomic age showplace of sleek surfaces and synthetic materials. “Hardly a natural material appears anywhere,” the original narration bragged."...
Compost Conundrum, Part II: Backyard Box, Indoor Bin, Or A Can-O-Worms?
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 07.10.08
Backyard bin image by Pete Baugh; worms by kafka4prez at flickr
It's amazing, but in a completely unscientific survey, it was found that quite a few people have fear of compost. I empathize, being of lazy disposition and a low 'ick' threshold. But the benefits of composting are so big - solid waste reduction, shrinking your home's carbon footprint, and making your own ready-to-apply garden soil - that it behooves us all to conquer that ick. Here's an inspiring compost stat: Going from a 60-gallon trash container or equivalent to a 35-gallon container means an annual "savings" of 2,650 pounts of CO2! (That stat is from the Low Carbon Diet by David Gershon)
Composting: Where to start
At TreeHugger we've written plenty about composting, and Collin's Green Basics is a great place to start. Once you are ready to compost or even expand your compost production, the choice of which type of system to use is fairly personal. There really isn't a best, but rather a best for you. Sometimes simple, simple, simple is the best way to transition, especially for beginners, and in that case the backyard black (or green) bin purchased from a well-stocked garden store might be the way to go. The advantages are that it is very little work and the bin can be abandoned during the winter when it may get too damp to really process much vegetable waste. For apartment dwellers, NatureMill is a really good choice - but do read Part I of this post for some possible downsides.
If you are however the type of person or family that for whatever reasons feel you want richer compost (or you are into pets and pet projects) than worm composting might just be the system for you. ...
G8: The Devil Is In The Details - Where Are The Angels Hiding?
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 07.10.08
Over at greenz.jp we just finished an event tonight with invited guests speaking about their experiences from Hokkaido and the G8 Summit. Clearly, many young participants felt left out of the picture, unless you were a member of one of the NGOs and maybe even got to actually shake hands with a G8 leader. One thought: Susan George, long-time activist and author asked here in Tokyo last week: "How many people have actually read a G8 Summit Document?"
Good question.
This year, the documents are all available on the official Hokkaido Toyako Summit website. Do have a look. What do the dear leaders of the world's largest economies think about nuclear power, climate change - they even have comments about illegal logging, for whatever it is worth.
I was struck by the comments on the global food crisis, called the G8 Leaders Statement on Global Food Security. Note how they think "sustainable use" means go ahead and grab whatever is there to use. More below the fold: organic farming is not even mentioned!
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Waste of Energy Dept: More Silly Appliances
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.10.08
Last year we had some fun looking at silly single-function appliances that cost money, take up space, and do almost nothing that you couldn't do just as well without them. We recently learned that this is a Wednesday tradition over at Unclutterer. Top o' the list is the incredibly useful Microwavable S'mores maker, where as one commenter put it, a little R2D2 holds "cardio-paddles from a defribulator" for marshmallows. "You can microwave 2 S'Mores in 30 seconds or less using this innovative product. Just fill the water reservoir, place your graham crackers, chocolate and marshmallow on the tray and heat. The marshmallow and chocolate heat at the same time, thus ensuring a perfect S'More every time." ::Unclutterer...
i MiEV Electric Car to be Sold 1 Year Ahead of Schedule in Japan
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 07.10.08
Mitsubishi's i MiEV Electric Car is Ahead of Schedule
A couple months ago, we got our hands on Mitsubishi's roadmap for its i MiEV electric car. The plan was to lease a few units to fleet customers first in 2009 and then launch it in 2010 (with a focus on Japan, but also in North-America and Europe), but reality is turning out better than even the optimists thought.
Japanese Launch: Summer 2009
The new plan is to launch the retail version of the i MiEV electric car in Japan in the summer of 2009. The reasons are "smoother-than-expected" preparations for mass-production and, as we can imagine, the increased demand generated by skyrocketing oil prices. There's really nothing like an economic incentive to focus the mind....
Toyota Switches Mississippi Plant from SUVs to Next Generation Prius
by Michael Graham Richard, Gatineau, Canada on 07.10.08
Next Generation Prius to be Made in USA
Toyota has just announced on its blog that the next generation Prius hybrid (certain models of which might have solar panels) will be made in the US, becoming the second Toyota hybrid car made in the country after the Camry hybrid, which is made in Kentucky.
Blue Springs, Mississippi
"As part of a sweeping set of changes that reflect the state of the automobile business in the United States, Prius production will begin here in late 2010 at a brand-new plant currently under construction in Blue Springs, Mississippi." This should reduce the total life-cycle environmental footprint of US Toyota Prius drivers....
Recycling, Labeling, Picnic-ing and more
by 1plus1 on 07.10.08
Welcome to SustainStyle, a weekly digest from the writers at 1plus1, a blog dedicated to eco-friendly fashion. SustainStyle runs every week.
She-Bible, sophisticated basics with a witty edge and charming price point.
The 1, 2, 4, 5, 3, 6, and 7's of recycling plastic.
White denim is our must have of the month, especially when it's on sale.....
Cool down with a guide to Organic Beers. Cheers!
Spice up your beach picnic with vegan brown bag burritos.
xo....
She-Bible, sophisticated basics with a witty edge and charming price point.
The 1, 2, 4, 5, 3, 6, and 7's of recycling plastic.
White denim is our must have of the month, especially when it's on sale.....
Cool down with a guide to Organic Beers. Cheers!
Spice up your beach picnic with vegan brown bag burritos.
xo....
House HB Blends Into Slovenian Landscape
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.10.08
One can plunk a two storey house on a big lot in the Slovenian suburbs, "surrounded by accumulation of anonymous cliché two story individual houses," or you can "define another kind of domestic environment. The house HB is a redefinition of a specific from of traditional house, of low and elongated rural typology."
While we have not shown a lot of big suburban houses on TreeHugger for a while, the HB house by Matija Bevk and Vasa J. Perović of bevk perović arhitekti has some interesting attributes that are worth noting. ...
The skinny on a month off grid eating locally in Quebec
by Deane Brebner and Don Bissonnette, Sutton, Quebec on 07.10.08
Ten Revelations from Living Off the Grid and Eating Locally in Quebec
If you EVER try going off grid completely and eating strictly locally here are our 10 beat do’s & don’ts.
Don’ts
Don’t try to carry more than one bottle of wine per panier on your bike (La Route des VIins) , unless of course you live in Saskatchewan.
Don’t be in a rush: making fundamental life changes takes time and so does making fires and slow cooking.
Don’t expect clean clothes unless you can find a washboard or a hand/pedal-operated washing machine.
Don’t expect uninterrupted internet access unless your solar panel is better than ours!
Don’t worry about your waistline; you are sure to lose weight whether you need to or not.
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Big Surprise: Highways Don't Pay For Themselves
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.10.08
Whenever we write about the need for more money for transit, trains and bike routes, we get lots of comments about how drivers pay through the nose in gas taxes to pay for the roads they drive on, while transit and train are highly subsidized and cyclists? "when you start paying taxes on the roads like we do then you can take up space on them."
In fact, a new Texas study looked at the cost of building and maintaining roads, and determined that for roads without tolls, the gas tax would have to be $ 2.22 per gallon, almost ten times what it is now in the States.
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The TH Interview: Ray Anderson—The Man with a Spear in his Chest (Part Two)
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 07.10.08
Interface sells carpet to the tune of $1,100,000,000 each year. That is just one reason why the business world listens up when Ray Anderson speaks. Ray describes his ecological awakening as “a spear in the chest,” a wound he has used to both his company’s advantage, and the planet’s. Giving rebirth to 133 million pounds of carpet is just the beginning. Anderson and his design teams are hard at work studying nature’s delicate technologies—like the sticky feet of geckos—to make products better, cleaner, and more beautiful. Here, the founder of Interface shares his insights on biomimicry, right-brain thinking, cradle-to-cradle design, and our innate “biophilia.” ::TreeHugger Radio Listen to the podcast of this interview via iTunes, or just click here to listen, right-click to download. Special thanks go to CraigMichaels, the organizer of the Sustainable Operations Summit, for arranging this interview. Also, check out part one of our Ray Anderson interview. (Full text after the jump)...
Should Cyclists be Allowed to Blow Go Through Stop Signs?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07.10.08
Video of San Francisco Cyclist blowing every light and stop sign here
We learn from Kate at Carectomy that San Francisco is considering changing the law to permit cyclists to blow through stop signs. "Bicycles would still have to yield if there was a car at a stop sign. They would still have to stop for that car and let them go through," Rachel Kraai of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition told CBS News. "At a stop light they would still have to stop and look both ways, but then they could go through."
Supporters hope that the law, which already passed in Iowa, will encourage people to ride bikes because it “makes it easier” to do so.
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Detroit Charity Turns Wasteland into Farms
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07.10.08
From Motown to Growtown
The growing international food crisis, coupled with spiralling energy costs, is without doubt causing much suffering. But there is a silver lining – as the unsustainability of business-as-usual becomes apparent, alternatives are beginning to gain traction in mainstream consciousness. Detroit provides the perfect example of the need for change – once the thriving hub of the US motor industry, the city has seen a massive exodus of its population and major industries, leaving vacant plots everywhere. As TreeHugger noted before though, many citizens are seeing opportunity in the crisis, with derelict land being turned over to urban farms and community gardens. Now the BBC picks up the story with an inspiring account of how a Detroit-based charity called Urban Farming is mobilizing the local community for increased self-reliance:
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