- Emily Pilloton Discusses the Hippo Roller and other Designs for Humanity (Part One)
- Janine Benyus on Biomimicry in Design (Part Two)
- Janine Benyus on Biomimicry in Design (Part One)
- Andy Revkin - Climate in the Obama Age
- Fred Pearce - Confessions of An Eco-Sinner (Part Two)
- Fred Pearce - Confessions of An Eco-Sinner (Part One)
- Chris Goodall - Ten Techs to Save Our Butts (Part Two)
- Chris Goodall - Ten Techs to Save Our Butts (Part One)
Entries for August 17, 2008 - August 23, 2008
Total this week: 179
Planting Trees to Kill Bad Odors and Reduce Emissions
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08.23.08
Image from the George W. Malone
You already know them as nature's lungs. But its deodorant, too? That is the conclusion of new research done by George Malone, a poultry specialist at the University of Delaware, who found that planting trees around poultry farms helped to significantly cut their emissions and odors.
Three rows of trees were enough to reduce emissions of dust and ammonia by 56% and 53%, respectively; they also helped kill 18% of the odors. These benefits also translated into lower energy bills for the farms, Malone said, by increasing shade and cooling during the summer and by lowering heating costs during the winter....
Which Is Greener, Wine Bottle or Box? Depends on the Box
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.23.08
TreeHugger spares no expense or our livers in our search to find the greenest packaging for wine. After reading Ruben Anderson's article in Tyee, where he said "Do you really want to try to look your children in the eye and explain that they have to eat jellyfish gumbo because you couldn't resist that lovely imported shiraz?" I started looking for a greener, local alternative.
Tyler Colman, aka Dr. Vino, recently wrote in the New York Times about the merits of wine in boxes; I just assumed he was talking about Tetra-paks, which I am not fond of. In fact, he was talking about bigger boxes, a packaging system known as bag-n-box that is growing in popularity almost everywhere but North America. It holds three liters of wine, the same as four standard bottles, and feels like it weighs about as much as one and a half.
...
Biking Across America with WE ADD UP - Day 14: Inflate
by Carson Poe and Eric Plosky, Boston, MA on 08.23.08
Get Ready For Winter Grasshopper: Fuel Oil; Natural Gas; Food; And Electricity Prices Set To Increase
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 08.23.08
When it comes to seasonal preparation, cheap energy has allowed many citizens of developed nations to abandon the lessons of the Tale of the Ant and the Grasshopper. Addicted to a constant flow of cheap heating fuel, electricity, and even food from overseas, a cold hungry awakening awaits those mindlessly living the Grasshopper Lifestyle ( see earlier post on price impact of electricity deregulation for example of what is coming). To paraphrase the Tale: The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks he’s a fool, and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The shivering grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.Via::Ned Martin's Amused; The Original Story of the Ant and the Grasshopper How can you live a more ant-like lifestyle?...
Get A Pressure Cooker And Eat Your Leftovers: USDA Projecting Biggest Food Price Increases Since 1990
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 08.23.08
Reuters nails the pending food price increases in the USA with a single paragraph: U.S. consumers should brace for the biggest increase in food prices in nearly 20 years in 2008 and even more pain next year due to surging meat and produce prices, the Agriculture Department said on Wednesday.No surprise really, given the corn-to-ethanol incentives debacle, grain yield losses due to Mid-west flooding, and fuel price increases. One more reason to modify the Grasshopper Lifestyle and get ready for winter the old fashioned way. Those cheap cuts of meat Grandma used to make in the pressure cooker will be back in fashion. Victory Gardens all around; and, no more throwing out the leftovers please! Via::Reuters, UPDATE 1-US food prices to post biggest rise since '90:USDA...
This Week in the Hufffington Post: We're Hosed
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.23.08
Green Fatigue and The Global Hothouse...Are We Hosed? A couple of weeks ago, one of the chief scientists at the U.K.'s Department for Environment Food and Affairs (DEFRA), Robert Watson, said that due to the uncertainty of containing carbon emissions, his country should prepare for a 4C (7F) rise in global temperatures this century. To which Guardian newspaper commentator and author Oliver Tickell responded that if the globe is going to heat up by 4 degrees Celsius, all we can prepare for is human extinction. ::Graham Hill
Your Utility Bills are Going Up. What are You Going to Do About it? Earlier this week I received a very polite letter from my local natural gas utility. It's message: Your rates are going to increase by 35-40 percent this fall. Sorry 'bout that. While a bit unexpected, I can't say it's altogether unsurprising; energy rates are going up across the board. I doubt there's a person in this country who hasn't noticed that gasoline costs about $4 per gallon these days. ::Collin Dunn...
Study Finds Half of All Food Produced Worldwide is Wasted
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08.22.08
Image from sporkist
And you thought $20 billion worth of wasted food was a lot. According to a new policy brief issued by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the Stockholm International Water Institute and the International Water Management Institute, huge amounts of food -- close to half of all food produced worldwide -- are wasted after production.
The current food crisis we are facing is not one of production, the authors argue, but one of waste. These large quantities of wasted food translate into equally large amounts of wasted water (think "virtual water"); Charlotte de Fraiture, a researcher at IWMI, told ENS that almost half of the water consumed annually to grow food is lost or wasted. ...
A Better Vision for the Southwest's Energy Future
by Greg Haegele, Deputy Executive Director, Sierra Cl on 08.22.08
We have a vision for the Southwest that involves solar panels and windmills -- a future of clean-energy generation and green jobs, not the smokestacks, pollution, and health problems that accompany a coal-fired power plant. However, that vision got a bit hazy recently when the U.S. EPA issued an air quality permit for construction of the Desert Rock Energy Facility, yet another massive coal-fired power plant on Navajo land in northwest New Mexico.
The Indigo Girls performed a fundraising concert for the Just Transition Coalition in Flagstaff last year. They're shown (front row, center) with members of the coalition, including Winona LaDuke, executive director of Honor the Earth, standing at left in back, and the Sierra Club's Andy Bessler, standing at right....
Video Tips for Greener Gaming
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.22.08
Image source: ChannelFlip.com
There are several recent video games which teach kids to consider natural resource protection and promote planet-saving activities, but what about greening the act of gaming itself? Flip produced a 5 minute clip on several ways to green electronics and gaming habits. Narrated by Katharine Fletcher, one of the bloggers on Flip, who admits that while she is not saying that kids shouldn't game, she wants to incorporate her greenness into one of her favorite hobbies and share these tips with other fellow gamers.
Rechargeable batteries, using a bye-bye standby, and turning off screens while downloading large files are just a few of the tips offered. Fletcher is probably not much older than most gamers, the target audience, so she is easier for kids to listen to....
Monterrey, Mexico Taps Methane to Power Its Metro System
by Eliza Barclay, Washington, D.C. on 08.22.08
In Mexico, methane from landfills, a natural byproduct of decomposing organic matter known as landfill gas, or LFG, makes up 10 percent of all greenhouse gas emissions. Beginning in 2001, Monterrey, Mexico—a modern city of nearly four million people that disposes of over 4,500 tons of municipal solid waste a day in the Metropolitan Solid Waste Processing landfill— attempted to harvest methane from the landfill for electricity while reducing methane emissions. It's a solid ecological one-two punch: reduce gas emissions from solid waste while improving solid waste management.
The project was a joint venture between government and and the private sector and was funded in part by a $5 million grant from the Global Environmental Facility. A seven megawatt plan was built and today captures and converts 214 million cubic meters of LFG into electricity, which powers the light rail transit system, or Metro, by day and light city streets by night. Now Monterrey wants to expand the project to 25 MW facility to cover 80 percent of the municipal government’s electricity. ...
Humanity Ink Tees, Zucchini Basil Soup and Green Air Travel
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 08.22.08
:: Look hot in a tee from holistically thinking clothing brand, Humanity Ink.
:: Serve up a seasonal bowl of vegan Zucchini Basil Soup.
:: Learn about the innovations being made to help green our air travel....
A Special Peek Inside Nissan's Battery R&D Laboratory
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08.22.08
This is Where the Magic Happens
When it comes to plug-in hybrids and electric cars, power storage is the key. It's the main puzzle that needs to be solved. How to store as much power as possible, as safely as possible, and as inexpensively as possible (fast recharge capability is a bonus).
Nissan's Future Might Come from that Lab
Nissan is very bullish on plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, but to pull it off, they need batteries. Here's a peak inside Nissan's battery lab. It's a bit cluttered, but you'll enjoy it. Read on for more......
Green Power Sports Tour 2008
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.22.08
Image source: author
One man. One veggie-oil powered car. Four months. 20,000 miles. Today Joe Connor, freelance sports-writer, leaves San Diego for his 3rd Annual Green Power Sports Tour, kicking off at a pre-season Raiders game in Bakersfield. Loaded down with a trunk, backseat and shotgun full of reserve veggie-oil, Connnor combines his two loves (sports and traveling), with promoting alternative-fuel vehicles.
For the next four months, Connor will just about attend a game a day, including college football, pro-baseball, pro-hockey and pro-basketball. "I've been to every single baseball stadium in the US," Connor said, and "and after this trip I'll have seen just about every stadium of the four major US sports."...
Can Aerial Reforestation Help Slow Climate Change? Discovery Project Earth Examines Re-Engineering the Planet’s Possibilities
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.22.08
photo: Discovery Channel
Here on TreeHugger reports about different geo-engineering projects to mitigate climate change come onto our radar relatively frequently. Some of them involved doing one thing or another to the oceans to change the way in which carbon is sequestered there, while others try to do things to the atmosphere to deflect incoming solar radiation.
Discovery Project Earth Premiere: Friday, August 22nd, 9 PM ET/PT
That said, the premier episode of Discovery Project Earth explores an interesting idea to help slow and possibly reverse deforestation, an increasing source of carbon emissions in many parts of the world. The idea: Reforest large swaths of land quickly via dropping seedlings from airplanes or helicopters.
I won’t give away all the goods on how the show proceeds but here’s the gist of it:...
Ways to Avoid Eco-Fatigue
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.22.08
Image source: Getty Images
We've touched on this idea of "eco-fatigue" in jest, but Advertising Age recently ran an article saying that consumers are beginning to burnout from all of the eco-advertising. It seems like the term 'going green' is everywhere these days and can be exhausting, not to mention confusing. With the threat of complete loss of polar bears and bees looming just over the horizon, how then do we keep on the green path without saying "screw it, I can't drive 55"?
The seven tips suggest that eco-companies provide a product that actually does something better, different than what is out there (surprise!), otherwise its just one more product on the market and consumers won't buy it. Also, make a product that is not only fun, but that you actually believe in it. While you might luck out and get rich, you also might not, so its better to love it and believe in it. Also, avoid the hype and just keep doing what you can do....
Common Pre-Term Labor Drug May Increase Fetal Risk from Common Pesticides
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 08.22.08
According to researchers at Duke University Medical Center there’s a significant chance that a drug commonly prescribed to halt pre-term labor and stave off premature birth might leave the brains of children susceptible to other chemicals widely present in the environment. And with 20% of all pregnancies in the U.S. encountering pre-term labor and 1 million of those being treated with terbutaline or related drugs to halt pre-term contractions and premature birth, there’s a real chance the child who may affected could be your own....
Smart Cars: One Owner's Story
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.22.08
Since the Smart Car was introduced in the USA in January, the reviews have generally been awful. Seth Stevenson of Slate test-drove one of the new Americanized, bigger and more powerful Smarts and was disappointed, and suggested that the main market will be those who crave attention. That's "what's driving the Fortwo's sales. Smart's press materials compare owning a Fortwo to owning an iPod or an iPhone, and it's easy to see why: All three are high-design, overpriced objects of shimmery desire."
In Canada, the Smart Car has been around for more than four years and nobody bothers to even look at them in the cities anymore. Out in the country they are a bit thinner on the ground; there isn't a problem squeezing into parking spaces in the woods. Margaret Casey is our District Councillor in Muskoka, a "playground of the rich" 200 miles north of Buffalo. She has driven a Smart Car for three years, year round in a hilly, rural part of Ontario that got seventeen feet of snow last winter. I asked her for her review and met her in Dorset....
Climate Change Not Just a Crisis of Sustainability, But a Moral Crisis: Carl Safina
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.22.08
photo: Leonardo Freitas
Every once in a while I come across a piece of writing that states something so perfectly that I really can’t imagine adding anything to it. What follows is by Carl Safina, co-founder and president of Blue Ocean Institute, and is from a recent post on the Orion Magazine website.
Please read the whole piece (it’s short...), but here’s the passage that really struck me. Safina is writing about the notion of having to make sacrifices for the betterment of the planet and for society:
Of all the psychopathology in the climate issue, the most counterproductive thought is that solving the problem will require sacrifice. As though our wastefulness of energy and money is not sacrifice. As though war built around oil is not sacrifice. As though losing polar bears, ice-dependent penguins, coral reefs, and thousands of other living companions is not sacrifice....
NOOO! Honda Fit Hybrid Not Coming to United States
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08.22.08
No Hybrid Fit for You
The people at ABG had a chance to ask Honda spokesperson Sage Marie about when the Honda Fit hybrid would be available in the US. The disappointing answer was that it wouldn't be sold in the US, at least not for a while.
The Business Case
Honda probably has good business reasons for that: They have found out that North-Americans seem to prefer dedicated hybrid models like the Toyota Prius, and because of supply constraints (they are selling all the Fits they can make), it probably makes more sense to sell Fit hybrids in Japan where they will be better received, and possibly more profitable. American drivers will still get Honda's upcoming dedicated hybrid (2010, about $19,000) which is based on the FCX Clarity, and a sporty hybrid coupe based on the CR-Z concept, but those who want more choices of affordable high-mileage vehicles in North-America will still disappointed....
Quiksilver Makes First Recyclable Watch - "The Ray"
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.22.08
Image source: Quiksilver
A few ways to other ways to green your time-keeping: use your cell phone for a phone and a clock, don't wear a watch and just ask your friends for the time, make your own sun-dial. Or, if you just want a watch or enjoy accessories, Quicksilver, maker of surf products, now has a watch that is 86% recyclable. For the most part, taking your watch into be fixed is the most eco thing you can do with your watch, but if your watch gets run over and cannot be brought back from the dead, then its helpful to have a watch that can be deconstructed and recycled back into its individual parts.
Quicksilver designed this watch to be made with recyclable materials - ebony wood from sustainably managed forests, stainless steel, and mineral glass. The links are all solvent free and the watch uses automatic movement, which means it does not need a battery, thus extending the life to 10 years instead of 18 months for a battery-powered watch. The watch itself has a "chunky" look to it and is probably more of a man's watch, though it could certainly be worn by women. This chunky watch style is currently in fashion....
Used Coffins Find Afterlife as Couches
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 08.22.08
Goths and vampire fetishists will go gaga over Coffin Couches, a company that turns caskets that mortuaries ordinarily toss into the dumpster—thanks to cosmetic defects or the fact that they were used for display—into macabre conversation pieces you can rest your tuckus on for significantly less than an eternity.
Because coffins that once cradled an actual dead person are considered biohazards (who knew?), the six cast-iron legs of each couch are embossed with the universal biohazard symbol—something which could either be a deal-breaker or send you racing for your wallet. We wish the upholstery was greener though: So far, your only options are conventionally tanned leather or...bleargh...vinyl. The finest in recycled funereal chic could be yours for $3,500. ::Coffin Couches
[Via ::Sierra]
More on eco-friendly coffins
Ecopod: Green Coffins—Bling Optional
Jute in Time for a Green Funeral Revival
The Green Goodbye
EcoffinsUSA: Biodegradable Caskets
Update on Organic Burials
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Intel's Next CPU To Include Dedicated 'Power Control Unit' to Save Power
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08.22.08
Making more Power-Efficient Computer Processors
Efficiency and power management are all the rage these days in the IT world. Novel ways of cooling data centers, virtualization and consolidation, etc. The hardware itself has also gotten better in the past few years (for example, desktop and server CPUs now have many of the features that used to be found only in laptop CPUs).
Nehalem's PCU, 1 Million Transistors
Intel has announced at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) that i7 a.k.a. Nehalem, its next generation CPU, will include a Power Control Unti (PCU) dedicated to making the chip more efficient. About 1 million transistors, as much as a 486 CPU used, will be used for the sole purpose of managing power using temperature sensor data and software feedback (OS requests, etc)....
Blightster Lamp Is Its Own Packaging
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.22.08
We previously showed David Gardener's lamp made out of its own packaging; now we learn from Josh Spear about Chilean designer Rodrigo Alonso Scharamm. He uses thermoforming, the technology that makes the blister packaging that we cut our hands on and throw away, and uses it to make a lamp. Mix blister with light and you get Blightster....
Pizza Oven + Inkjet Printer + Nail Polish = Solar Cell?!
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08.22.08
Solar Power for Developing Countries
Nicole Kuepper, a 23 years old PhD student and lecturer in the school of photovoltaic and renewable energy engineering at the University of NSW, might have just found a way to make the world a better place. Her patented technology isn't quite as simple as the title of this post would lead you to believe, but it should nonetheless reduce the cost and technical requirements of making solar cells.
Electricity for the World's Poorest 2 Billion People
The processes she developed for the iJET solar cell don't require the very expensive clean rooms and high-temperature ovens of traditional solar panel manufacturing plants, but rather pizza ovens, nail polish and inkjet printers, making them accessible to developing countries. ...
Dublin's Emission Free Taxi, Speedo's Green Goggles and San Fran's Recycled Stage
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 08.22.08
A Dublin based green taxi company offers free, emission free transportation.
Speedo launches a new range of eco-friendly packaging for its goggles and headwear collection.
San Francisco's Panhandle Park opens an amphitheatre made entirely out of reclaimed and repurposed materials.
Schwarzenegger vetoes a climate change curriculum in California.
The Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance asks for public input on the first draft of their Principles and Baseline Practices for Sustainability report....
China's Powerful New Emission-Killing Trains
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 08.22.08
They won't look much different, but the first of 300 fuel-efficient locomotives are about to hit China. Using a lighter weight design, the China Mainline Evolution Series locomotive by GE achieves a peak output of 6,250-horsepower, which is 40% more power than the top-of-the-line Evolution locomotives currently being used in North America. At the same time, the 16-cylinder diesel-electric engine generates 84% fewer emissions and increases fuel efficiency by 3% to 5%. So impressive, it even makes the guys in Erie who manufacture it break into renditions of that song from Top Gun (see video below).
Though freight trains are generally a greener way of transportation than an equivalent number of trucks, the amount of emissions they produce and fuel they use makes them good candidates for clean upgrades. According to GE, during the course of one year a 207-ton locomotive uses enough power to run 160 Western households. The cleaner train should receive a warm welcome in China, where households are clamoring for increasingly more power -- and much less pollution. ...
4000 Megawatts of US Geothermal Power in Development, Sector Has Grown by 20% This Year
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.22.08
photo: Calpine
There’s been a good deal of geothermal energy news in the past few weeks—less than solar and wind perhaps, but that’s more a function of publicity and popularity rather than the potential of the resource—and the latest US Geothermal Power Production and Development Update from the Geothermal Energy Association shows just how much geothermal power has grown so far this year.
New Developments Will Nearly Double Current Capacity
According to the new report, geothermal power has grown by 20% since January of this year, with 103 project currently underway in 13 states for a combined capacity of nearly 4,000 megawatts. The GEA says when completed these projects will be able to meet the electric needs of about 4 million homes. ...
Lost Baby Whale Mistakes Yacht for Its Mother, Later Put Down
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 08.22.08
Photo credit: Getty Images
This is the most heartbreaking story we've read all week, and if the idea of a baby whale trailing after a yacht and trying to suckle from it doesn't make you go "awww," then that lump of muscle you call your ticker has been replaced by sheet rock. (And you should really get that checked out.)
The 1- to 2-month-old humpback whale calf, which Australians dubbed "Colin," was first spotted last week in waters off north Sydney clinging next to a yacht it had apparently mistaken for its mom. After rescuers towed the yacht out to sea, the calf—described by rescuers as being "exhausted"—finally detached from the boat but remained close by.
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15 Photovoltaics Solar Power Innovations You Must See
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08.22.08
Looking Back at Recent PV Innovations
Energy. The lifeblood of modern civilization. Finding clean sources of it is very high on the green movement's priority list, and one very promising field is solar photovoltaics (PV). We, at TreeHugger, have been covering the field for a while now, and we think it's time to look in the rearview mirror at some of the top PV solar innovations from our archives.
Thin Film Solar Record: 19.9% Efficiency
A shortage of silicon in the past few years and the demand for thin and flexible panels has helped increase the focus on thin film solar recently, and a lot of progress is being made. The US National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has created thin film solar panels that are very close to competing with their more traditional silicon-based cousins. "The copper indium gallium diselenide (CIGS) thin-film solar cell recently reached 19.9 percent efficiency in testing at the lab, setting a new world record."...Shipping Waste 10,000 Miles For Recycling Still Better Than Landfilling
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.22.08
photo: Lisa via flickr
Here’s a quick one via The Guardian which at first certainly counter-intuitive but upon examination isn’t and really shows how important recycling is.
A new report from the Waste Resources Action Programme says that shipping newspapers and plastic bottles the 10,000 miles from the UK to China actually prevents more carbon emissions that landfilling the waste in Britain and manufacturing new products.
...
FDA Allows Nuked Spinach
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.22.08
The Food and Drug Administration is on a roll this week; first it declared Bisphenol A to be safe for babies, and now it is allowing food producers to irradiate spinach and iceberg lettuce. Irradiation has been around for years, and can be used on beef, egges, poultry and spices, but it all has to be labelled and people are afraid of it. “People think the product is radioactive,” said Harlan Clemmons, president of Sadex, a food irradiation company based in Sioux City, Iowa in the New York Times. So naturally, the FDA is also considering proposals to weaken or change the labelling requirement. The industry is also looking at euphemisms that sound happier, like "cold pasteurization."
Radiation effectively kills bacteria, so lettuce tainted carrying e-coli would not hurt you. But as Dr. Samuel Epstein told the CBC a few years ago: "You could have fecal material in that and if it had been irradiated, it wouldn't harm you. But do you want to have fecal material in your food? Of course you don't."- it could be used as a substitute for hygienic practices and proper washing....
New Seismic Fault Discovered One Mile From Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.22.08
photo: Mike Evans
When the subject of earthquakes is brought up here on TreeHugger, most of the time it takes the form of the intersection of green building and earthquake resistant housing or in the case of the recent quake in China, the environmental damage caused afterwards. This one’s about earthquakes yet to come.
A new study, reported on in Science Daily and appearing in the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America, shows that not only is New York City at a greater risk for earthquakes than previously thought, but the Indian Point nuclear power plant 24 miles north of the city sits nearly on top of a previously unknown active seismic zone.
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Fish Story: Students Discover Widespread Mislabelling
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.22.08
Red Sea Sturgeonfish, photo J.E. Randall, Fishbase
Here is another of those stories about how technology is changing so fast, and how it can empower us. John Schwartz writes in the New York Times about how high school student Kate Stoeckle was talking over a sushi dinner with her dad, a scientist working in DNA bar coding, a much simpler and cheaper way of identifying species. She asked “Could you bar code sushi?” Dad answered “Yeah, I think you could — and if you did that, I think you’d be the first ones.”
So she and a friend went to work, eating sushi. As dad said, “It involved shopping and eating, in which they were already fluent.” They sent the samples to the University of Guelph, where graduate student Eugene Wong did the analysis, and found that half of the restaurants and six out of ten grocery stores sold mislabelled fish.
...
If an Environmentalist Makes a Confession in the Forest, Does It Make Him Less Green?
by Earthwatch Institute on 08.22.08
The author plants saplings in Boston.
After more than ten years of working in the environmental field, I thought I'd kick off my posts here from Earthwatch by coming out of the green closet:
I hate camping in the woods. Admitting this to greenies feels deliberately transgressive. But I have my reasons: Not enough air conditioning, too many bugs. Not enough friendly wait staff, too much cold water of questionable potability. Not enough cushy microfiber furniture, too much taking a shit over a muddy patch of leaves.
...
Saving Kids and Precious Resources, One Set of Dentures At A Time
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 08.22.08
Did you know that there are over 3,600,000 sets of dentures produced around the world every year? And did you know that each set contains around roughly US$25 of precious metals? But, around half of all the dentures produced simply end up being thrown onto the trash heap. That’s more than a mouthful of wasted money and precious resources. Well, now the Japan Denture Recycling Association (JDRA) has decided to sink its teeth into this problem and take a bite out of the massive waste occurring, while at the same time helping kids in developing countries around the world. ...
Six Amazing Hypermiling Videos
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 08.22.08
'Bicycle Ballerina' Shows Why Cycling is Art in Motion
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 08.22.08
Survey: What's Cheap?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.22.08
I am not what John McCain would consider rich (+$5,000,000 income) or even what Obama considers rich (+$200,000) and spend my dollars carefully, but I do like good design and I do spend a bit more to get quality. I was really excited to see a transformer desk that cost $500 and called it cheap; I am used to an extra zero on things like that. Yet a commenter wrote : "And 500 dollars is cheap in which virtual universe?... unless solutions (and green ones especially) can be 'walmarted' (or more appropriately 'ikead', we are sunk. Its depressing but true." I found that depressing.
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Ideal Bite Announces Best in Green Awards
by Jenna Watson, Barcelona on 08.22.08
Ideal Bite has announced its call for nominees for the first-ever Best in Green (B.I.G.) Awards. The program will recognize companies, products and services that are true leaders and innovators in the green space. Winners of the 2008 B.I.G Awards will be announced at Ideal Bite's B.I.G. Awards Party in November 2008 in New York City.
B.I.G. Award Categories:
The B.I.G. Awards consist of seven categories including: Home, Health & Beauty, Style, Food, Fun, Everyday/Living and Next in Green. Nominees will be selected from the thousands of products, companies and services that make up Ideal Bite's database of expert tips.
...
Green Your Mosque, Learn Imams in Israel
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 08.22.08
(Image credit marantzer)
Gurus in India are doing it. So are evangelical Christians in America. Jewish rabbis have been doing it for some time now, all over the world. Thanks to an initiative of an Israeli Arab activist Mohammad Rabah Aghbarieh and the Israeli government, imams (Muslim spiritual leaders) in Israel are going green. New educational materials in Arabic are expected to arrive soon at a mosque near you.
Earlier this month in a groundbreaking event, fifty Muslim clerics gathered in Umm el-Fahm, Israel for a conference to raise awareness of environmental issues among imams, NY-based blogger Karen Chernick reports: “The first of its kind, the conference was an important stepping stone in improving the quality of the environment in Israeli-Arab towns,” she writes.
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Queen Elizabeth Makes Balmoral Home All Green
by Bonnie Alter, London on 08.22.08
Balmoral is the Queen's Scottish summer retreat and her favourite place to go for R and R. Now HRH has taken steps to make her cottage completely self-sufficient, energy wise. She has installed a small hydro-electric plant developed on a rushing stream in the estate forest. It generates enough to supply electricity to the 1,000 residents in the area with the excess sold to the national grid. The Queen has registered all the woodlands with the Forestry Stewardship Council which supports sustainable forestry worldwide. All farming practices are registered with the Soil Association, which promotes organic food and farming.
Taking a page from her son's book, all the organic waste on the estate is recycled, with 50 tons of it being turned into compost each year. Her security staff are patrolling the place on black mountain bikes and have been ordered to ditch the Range Rovers whenever possible. Machinery on the estate is powered by bio-diesel and biodegradable lubricants and oils. The main castle's boilers have been converted to run on wood chips to save oil. Apparently the Queen goes around switching off the lights in the house. The royal cars were all converted to green fuel years ago, and the Prince travels in a green fuel taxi around town. :: The Telegraph
More on Royal Residences
:: Windsor Castle Goes Green
:: Queen Buys Wind Turbine
:: Eco-Palace Fit for a King...
Copenhagen Chooses Low-Rise Over Skyskrapers in City Expansion
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 08.22.08
Photo chad_k @ flickr
It only takes five minutes in the city of Copenhagen (especially when arriving by train) to wonder why all cities aren't developing in this same mold - plenty of open streets with wide pedestrian and bike lanes, bikes to easily rent at a number of venues, and a wealth of organic food at the corner stores.
Density defying?
But there's definitely another element that makes Copenhagen so user-friendly. It's the feeling of human scale. There are some of those personality-free square office buildings, to be sure, but the preponderance of low-rise buildings in different styles and of different eras, many with cheerful terracotta tile roofs, give a sensation not of sprawl, but of livability.
High-rise free inner core
Now the city council has decided against the mayor's bid to allow some high rises into the inner core. Mostly, TreeHugger is a proponent of building up, not out, but protecting the existing character of inner cities is also vital to keeping them, well, vital. The city council voted on a ban on high-rise development in the center, extending from the famous Tivoli amusement park out to the cities four corners.
However, a portion of the city on the harbor remains open to high-rises, though plans in the past have faced fierce local resident opposition. Perhaps Denmark's relatively low population gives them a privilege to choose to go low that more crowded cities can't afford. However, restricting just a section of town to skyscrapers is an interesting thought. Copenhagen's tallest building is currently the bell tower of the Town Hall at just 106 meters (347 feet).Via ::Copenhagen Post
Skyscraper or Low-Rise? Read more
Tall Cities = Green Cities?
Ecocities of Tomorrow: An Interview with Richard Register
Wayback Machine 1932: How Long Will Our Cities Last?
My Phallic Symbol is Bigger Than Yours
U2 Has Architectural Problems ...
Satellite Images Reveal Two of Greenland's Biggest Glaciers Are Losing More Ice
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08.21.08
Although researchers may still largely be dealing in uncertainties when it comes to predicting Greenland's exact fate, the data and observations that continue to trickle in suggest a "greener" (see: ice-free) future for the island nation. According to scientists from Ohio State University's Byrd Polar Research Center, there is new evidence to suggest some of Greenland's biggest glaciers are breaking up under the strain of climate change.
Jason Box, a professor of geography at OSU, and his colleagues found that the Petermann and Jakobshavn glaciers, two of Greenland's largest, lost a significant amount of ice over the past month. ...
Deregulation Party Is Over: Get Ready For A Shock, Political Outrage...And Unexpected Benefits
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 08.21.08
It's been a matter of faith in many US States that the free market is good - especially good in the matter of deregulation of power distribution and generation - because 'it will bring low prices and high reliability'. Being highly principled is less fun, now, that the opposite outcome is on the horizon for several states. And this, before any carbon cap and trade or carbon tax has even been applied!...
A Renewable Raffia Clutch, Vegetarian Kung Pao and Green Mending Materials
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 08.21.08
:: Sport a cute clutch made out of renewable raffia.
:: Give dinner some kick with Vegetarian Kung Pao.
:: Repair Junior's tattered teddy with green mending materials....
Green Boroughs Teaches Sustainability in NYC
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.21.08
Image source: Getty Images
This October, Green Boroughs will be offering a 4-part sustainability course led by Les Judd. The course will include a green walking tour around Manhattan, presentations by green business leaders, as well as tips on how you too can live sustainability in the big apple.
The course is only $39 per participant and is being offered through the Borough of Manhattan Community College Continuing Education Department. The classes will be held October 7, 12, 19 and conclude on the 21st with two-hour long panel presentations by area green business owners....
PETA to Buy Sea World
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.21.08
Image source: Getty Images
No we're not kidding. The San Diego Union Tribune reported this morning that as Anheuser-Busch, owner of SeaWorld, is about to be gobbled up by Belgian brewer InBev, they are looking to rid themselves of their theme parks and just focus on the beer. PETA has put in a proposal for at least one of the available parks - Orlando, San Antonio or San Diego - to be funded by an anonymous donor.
InBev is hoping to sell the parks as a package, though it says it may sell them individually - PETA is only proposal to purchase one park. PETA does not plan on closing the park, but instead would put the animals in marine sanctuaries, possibly set some free in the future, and setup a virtual reality theme-park at the current location. InBev calls the proposal a "publicity stunt" and the Alaska SeaLife Center says that release is nearly impossible and that a marine sanctuary would still be hard on the animals, "because the animals would still need the care of humans."...
The End of Aviation: What Will Happen When We Can't Afford To Fly?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.21.08
Flying prop isn't so bad.
Bradford Plumer writes in the New Republic about the most radical transition that we may have to make in the post-carbon world: the end of cheap commercial flight. Airlines aren't very profitable with expensive fuel, and 25 have gone belly up this year already. Canadian transportation experts Richard Gilbert and Anthony Perl suggest that oil prices will reduce domestic flying by 40% by 2025, even with a 50% increase in fuel efficiency. The US might go from 400 major airports to 50, and "instead of dozens of flights each day between New York and San Francisco carrying 200 people apiece, there might be only a handful carrying 800 or more in new extra-jumbo jets."
It might be like the 50s again- "flying was a special event: You could hardly find a ticket from New York to Europe for less than $5,000;[probably $50K in today's dollars] men put on suits, women wore hats and heels, and some of the luxury planes, like Pan Am's Clipper, had bridal suites, dining salons, and beds."...
Home Detox Improves "Real Age"
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.21.08
Image source: Getty Images
Here's a fun, little game: Wanna find out what your years of late-night clubbing and social-smoking have done to your health? Yikes, on second thought... Well, the RealAge.com will take you through a series of questions on genetic health risks, exercise and even how happy you are with your s.e.x life - each of which affects what they term your "real age." Your real age is not your birthdate but the idea that how you treat your body may shorten or lengthen your timeline.
Interestingly enough, one of the suggestions they give to improve your "real age" is to detox your home. The list includes roughly 3-5 tips to improve every room in your house, including don't microwave food in plastic containers, use cedar-chips instead of mothballs and use deodorant instead of antiperspirant. Clearly these are things that we have touched on at TreeHugger, but its interesting to note that not only are these things important for the environment, but also that they are recommended to "put years back on your life." Age is so just a number....
Water: The Hidden Cost of Your Food and Drink
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.21.08
Yet more wonderful photographs in the Guardian, in a photo essay showing how much water is used for everything from pigs to tea. It is part of a series on water, including an excellent article on water footprints and an editorial that concludes that "All of us need to apply as much rigour to reducing our water footprint as we have begun belatedly to apply to the reduction of our carbon one." ::Guardian
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Here's One More (Super Fast) Way To Power A Vehicle With Wind
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 08.21.08
Last week, in the post "Six (Or 7) Ways To Power A Vehicle With Wind" I left out a super-fast land yacht now waiting for perfect weather in Perth to try to set a world record in wind-powered land-yacht speed (didn't even know there was one of those, did you?)
Ride Like The Wind, Greenbird
Engineer Richard Jenkins has built the Jetson's/Forumula 1 version of those wind-powered vehicles right now racing the beaches at Race Aeolus 2008 in the Netherlands. Jenkins' craft, named Greenbird, now has a sponsorship deal with U.K.-based Ecotricity and sports its logo, and Ecotricity's managing director will ride along when the wind and the weather gets good enough near Perth for the record-breaking attempt (the previous 1999 record is 116.7 miles per hour).
Vertical sailing wing, rather than a turbine
Instead of a turbine, either vertical or horitzontal, Jenkins' craft has a rigid vertical wing like an aircraft's wing, which theoretically allows it to travel at six times the speed of the wind. Jenkins told the Guardian:"Top speed is actually quite scary. The structure and tyre grip is all at the limit, so keeping it in a straight line under full control takes full concentration."Jenkins has a quest to become the fastest naturally-propelled human, which may not help those of us just wanting a reliable vehicle that uses a sustainable, renewable source of power, but it is still a bit thrilling. Jenkins will also pursue a naturally-propelled ice speed record in Montana this winter. Via ::The Greenbird Project Read more on Wind Powered Vehicles Ventomobile, World's First Wind-Powered Race Car, Ready For Primetime The Volitan: The Solar/Wind Powered Concept Sail Vessel...
Monkey-wrenching Bike Plans in San Fran
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.21.08
Image source: SFCitizen
The San Diego Union Tribune reports this morning that, while most cities are seeing a huge growth in bicycle-ridership, San Francisco has a bit of a cog in the wheel. 65-year old Rob Anderson thinks bikes might actually be more harmful for the environment and has demanded an environmental impact assessment from the city, ultimately halting the city's massive pro-bike plan rollout.
New bike lanes, bike racks and even a possible bike sharing program with an aim to increase ridership 10% by 2010 are all on halt until the city can quantify the environmental impact such a change might have. Bike riders, on the other hand, are furious, but nothing has worked, from protesting outside of City Hall to threatening to bring the issue to local voters....
Environmental Photographer of the Year Award
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.21.08
Natural world, runner up: Green steps, Ly Hoang Long, Vietnam. Terraced paddy fields for rice require large quantities of water and have an adverse environmental impact because of the amount of methane gas growing rice generates. World methane production due to paddy fields is thought to be between 50m and 100m tonnes a year.
CIWEM, the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management, sponsors an Environmental Photographer of the Year Exhibition. "Over 1,400 pictures were entered into the competition, examining issues such as poverty, climate change, human rights, leisure, culture, biodiversity and natural beauty. The categories were Changing Climates; A World of Difference; Quality of Life; The Natural World; and a special Under 21 category which had no thematic boundaries."
I liked the photograph above the best, but hey, I am an architect and a sucker for contour maps.
...
Solazyme: Millions of Gallons of Algae Biodiesel Within 3 Years
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08.21.08
The Great Green Goey Hope
While many types of biofuels are far from ideal, there is one that shows more promise than the others: Algae. One of the companies working on algae-based biodiesel is Solazyme (we already wrote about their algae-B100 test-drive), and the latest news is that they are planning to build a new production plant in the next two years with a goal of producing "millions of gallons" of algae oil and biodiesel competitively with fossil fuels within 3 years....
Beauty Lab: Perfect Organics All-Natural Orange Ginger Shea Butter
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 08.21.08
Biking Across America with WE ADD UP - Day 10: Lights Off
by Carson Poe and Eric Plosky, Boston, MA on 08.21.08
The TH Interview: News Corp.'s Carbon Neutral Empire (Part 2)
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 08.21.08
We all know how green Hollywood wants to appear. We also know how ungreen the entertainment economy can truly be. In the second portion of our conversation with News Corporation’s Director of Energy Initiatives, Rachel Webber grapples with this schizophrenia as she delves deeper into how Murdoch’s media empire plans to both calculate and neutralize its own global footprint. She also serves up some tasty details, like how it took shooting in a submarine for the producers of 24 to discover the power of LED set lights, and how the American Idol finale brought solar power to the Nokia Center. ::TreeHugger Radio Listen to the podcast of this interview via iTunes, or just click here to listen, right-click to download. Check out Part One of this interview here. Special thanks goes to CraigMichaels, the organizer of the Sustainable Operations Summit, for arranging this interview....
Hydrogen Made From Ethanol With 90% Efficiency Using Inexpensive Catalyst
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.21.08
image: Wikipedia
A few weeks ago MIT announced that one of its researchers had made a major breakthrough in the production of hydrogen at room temperature using a cobalt and phosphorus catalyst.
Now comes word that researchers at Ohio State University have made another interesting discovery: A new way to produce hydrogen from biofuels using an inexpensive catalyst. It’s not exactly at room temperature—the process runs at 660 degrees Fahrenheit (350°C)—but the cerium oxide catalyst costs about $9 a kilogram and makes hydrogen from ethanol with 90% efficiency. ...
High Oil Prices Help Revive US Steel Industry, Create American Jobs
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.21.08
Jeff Rubin, chief economist for CIBC World Markets, and predictor of $10 gasoline, notes who is profiting from high oil prices:
"Soaring transport costs, first on importing iron to China and then exporting finished steel overseas, have already more than eroded the wage advantage and suddenly rendered Chinese-made steel uncompetitive in the US market....China’s steel exports to the US are now falling by more than 20% on a year-over year basis—the worst performance in almost a decade. While many might attribute this decline to the slowdown in the US economy, it is noteworthy that US domestic steel production has risen by almost 10% during the same period."
...
Minimizing Risk in the Renewable Energy Market
by Jeff Siegel, Green Chip Stocks on 08.21.08
Photo: Butch Martin/Getty Images
There’s little doubt that the basic fundamentals of supply and demand will dictate the long-term success of the renewable energy market.
As energy demand increases, and fossil fuel supplies decrease, it will be renewables that fill the void. And no amount of doublespeak, misinformation or market manipulation can change that.
However, this doesn’t mean that the renewable energy industry is immune to market volatility. We’re now seeing proof of that as eight years of failed economic policies and irresponsible borrowing and lending practices have wreaked havoc on Wall Street. Though it’s ultimately the individual investor that gets hit the hardest. And that’s unfortunate. Especially for renewable energy investors who are trying to invest responsibly. Because during this time of economic uncertainty, we’re seeing a lot of quality renewable energy stocks struggle against the backdrop of an economic downturn....
CSI Wildlife: DNA Forensics Used to Prevent Elephant Poaching
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08.21.08
Illegal Ivory Smuggling
The black-market value of elephant tusks has quadrupled since 2004. Even if over 68 tons of ivory have been confiscated over the past decade, poachers and smugglers are still doing good business and killing many elephants, including in countries where they are endangered.
New Weapon to Fight Poaching
But anti-poaching investigators have a new tool at their disposal. It's not a cure for the problem, but it should help them be more effective and target their resources better. DNA forensics can allow them to know from where the illegal elephant tusks are coming from. For example, 605 elephant tusks valued at $8 million that were seized at the port of Hong Kong were traced back via DNA to forest elephants that lived in southern Gabon, near the Republic of Congo border....
Transformer Furniture Goes Mainstream
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.21.08
Back in the day before notebook computers could compete with desktops for price or power, a home office looked pretty ugly, particularly when dealing with big CRT monitors. Now it is so much easier, and the furniture is being designed to accommodate home office setups that really do go away when you finish your work.
With more people living and working in smaller spaces, the market has grown as well, so that where a few years ago, designs like this were produced in small quantities and cost thousands, now you can pick them up at Crate and Barrel for five hundred bucks....
Bush Officials Launch Stealth Attack on U.S. Wildlife
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 08.21.08
Photo credit: Getty Images
Naughty, naughty: The Bush administration has launched what Salon calls a "stealth attack" on U.S. endangered species, couched among glory shots of Michael Phelps' Olympic-history-making victory, the runup to the presidential conventions and the hotly anticipated Obama vs. McCain showdown, and the whirl of last-minute summer vacays.
"I have been working on the Endangered Species Act for 15 years and have never seen such a sneaky attack," John Kostyack, executive director of wildlife conservation and global warming at the National Wildlife Federation, tells the online rag.
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OLED Screen with World's Longest Lifetime and Best Efficiency by TMDisplay
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08.21.08
OLED Screens are Coming
After spending about $140 million on production lines and unknown amounts of cash on R&D, TMDislplay, a joint venture between Toshiba (60%) and Matsushita (40%), has announced that it has developed a 2.2 inch OLED display that is the most power efficient and longest lasting in the world. The company plans to commercialize it in 2.5 inch format in 2009, for cell phones and small electronics. Not doubt the technology will eventually make its way to bigger screens.
TMDisplay OLED Technical Details
Lifetime is 60,000 hours, compared to 30,000 hours for a Sony OLED TV. That's good because initially one of the drawbacks of OLED screen were their shorter lifespans compared to LCD. That's changing. Power consumption on TMDisplay's screen is 0.1 watts, so that's very efficient, especially compared to a LCD of the same size (because it requires a backlight). Another thing to keep an eye on is using micro-lenses on OLED....
Park Model Prefabs Go Modern
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.21.08
New Sustain 12-wide
David Greene at Dwell notes that Americans have been living in prefabs for years- "they're called "Park Models," meaning they're wheel-less RVs designed to stay put in a trailer park. (Malibu is full of 'em.) The problem? Most are fugly. Outside, they look like a log cabin or faux colonial. Inside, they look like a set from The Golden Girls."
Greene writes that prefabs like Chris Deam's modern unit for Breckenridge have fallen off the radar, and wonders what has happened to the concept. In fact, I suspect that the concept will continue to take off. There is a vast infrastructure of trailer parks around North America that are due for change and upgrading, and a few visionary park operators are beginning to look at the market for modern.
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Pet Topic: Make Your Own Newspaper Cat Litter
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 08.21.08
Photo credit: Getty Images
Cleo, spokescat for the Environmental Working Group's Pets for the Environment offers a rundown on the pros and cons of various kitty litters on the market, as well as the dos and don'ts of poop disposal. (Be sure to watch the video of the toilet-trained cat, which always manages to crack us up and confound us simultaneously.)
More intriguing, however, is the recipe she gives on how to make your own newspaper-based cat litter. It sounds rather involved, although Cleo claims you should be able to make a two-to-three-week supply of litter in half an hour to 45 minutes—which is easy for her to say, since she can fall back on her "Woe is me, I have no opposable thumbs" schtick and beg off from what she calls a "great afternoon craft project." Cats will be cats....
Hybrid Grocery Shop With iZip Tricruiser
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 08.21.08
A big basket down low and over the rear axel means reduced chance of a spill when you've done some serious grocery shopping. Much safer, and more convenient, for the big hauls. Sure, a bike trailer is an option for bicyclists. But, for the elderly an electrical/pedal powered tricycle like this one from iZip (pictured) may be more practical. And if its; hilly, distant, or you're winded, the electric propulsion aspect has some serious appeal. Price ranges from $725 at Wal-Mart to $999 from Amazon. Image credit::Wal-Mart online....
Quotes of the Day: Opinions on the FDA Declaring BPA Safe
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.21.08
We noted recently that a draft report from the FDA concludes that BPA is safe for babies. The response from others:
"The FDA's assessment relies on just two studies which were funded by the American Chemistry Council (ACC). This ignores dozens of other studies done by independent scientists which have found evidence of health consequences," Dr. Sarah Janssen, a physician and scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
"The chemical industry's efforts to hide or misrepresent the hazards of its product have been so blatant that Congress has felt the need to intervene," Dr. Jennifer Sass, a scientist with NRDC.
"Since the regulators are asleep at the wheel, I've introduced legislation to ban BPA in all food and beverage containers, and will continue to work to ensure that it is enacted into law." Congressman Edward J. Markey (D-MA)
"There is clear, credible evidence in the growing number of scientific studies that link bisphenol A to the very health effects we see on the rise today," Christopher Gavigan, executive director of Healthy Child, Healthy World.
"The federal government's failure to prevent harm for American citizens is unacceptable: When will government learn to err on the side of caution instead of risk equations?" Lois Gibbs, founder/executive director of the Center for Health, Environment and Justice. ::Yahoo ...
Paul Stamets at TED: How Mushrooms Can Help Save The World
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 08.21.08
Green Eyes On: Seeking Cancer Cure, Teenage Entrepreneurs Sell Honey at Whole Foods
by Sara Snow on 08.21.08
Photo: Via Hives for Lives
It's that time of year, when kids all over are saying so long to summer camp and lazy mornings watching TV show reruns, and gearing up for the new school year. But few will be as busy as Molly and Carly: In addition to school and school activities, this young entrepreneurial sister duo manages the day-to-day operations of their own honey business, Hives for Lives. Hives for Lives Honey is a "Product with a Purpose" Molly, 16, and Carly, 14, started raising honeybees five years ago when their grandfather died of cancer. They felt young and helpless against their grandpa’s illness, and when faced with the startling statistics (they cite that one in two males and one in three females will be diagnosed with cancer), wanted to do something to help. So they created a "product with a purpose," and formed their own company. Now the honey is available at Whole Foods Market, and 100 percent of proceeds help fund research for a cure for all types of cancer. ...
Transit Stop Design Delivers Message In A Bottle
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.21.08
Yvette Hurt of Art in Motion in Lexington, Kentucky, notes that a Federal study concluded that more people used public transit systems that incorporated art. So they held a competition to design an arty bus shelter, which was won by Aaron Scales of McKay Snyder Architects, a local firm.
It is made of bottles of a local favourite Care2 New Site Design, Inspired Economist Launches, All Cars to be Hybrids by 2020, and More
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 08.21.08
Care2: New Look, Same Folks by Randy Paynter
"Our new design is now live today after many months of planning and hard work. A big Thank You to the fantastic efforts of all the Care2 employees who poured their hearts and souls into making this a reality."
EcoGeek: New Report: All New Cars Will Be Hybrids By 2020 by Jaymi Heimbuch
"IBM’s Institute for Business Value has interviewed 125 anonymous car industry executives from 15 countries and has come to the conclusion, among several conclusions, that by 2020, all new cars will be hybrids."...
Survey: Are Bike Billboard Ads Green?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.21.08
New York City banned billboard trucks in 2002, (why hasn't every city?) so Ariel Fefer came up with AdBikes, calling it "mobile green advertising. The custom designed AdBike is a quadricycle with a fiberglass pod that contains the ad, as well as lighting, a sound system and a compartment that easily fits premium items and brochures for easy sampling. The AdBike is even equipped with refrigeration, if necessary. "
While what's not to love about putting cycles to work, Roads are for transportation and these things are clogging a limited public resource for advertising, which some might say we have too much of in our cities.
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Monkey Business In Japan
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 08.21.08
Whoever said that Tokyo - the world's largest megalopolis, with over 35 million people living in the Greater Tokyo Area - didn't have any nature?
I know of at least one cheeky monkey that would beg to disagree.
Image courtesy of Pink Tentacle
This little fella, properly known as a Japanese macaque, has been making waves in national and international media with his impromptu appearance at Shibuya Station in Tokyo.
Shibuya is the world's third busiest train station, with over 2.5 million passengers passing through the station daily, and consequently his presence didn't go unnoticed for long. ...
Image courtesy of Pink Tentacle
This little fella, properly known as a Japanese macaque, has been making waves in national and international media with his impromptu appearance at Shibuya Station in Tokyo.
Shibuya is the world's third busiest train station, with over 2.5 million passengers passing through the station daily, and consequently his presence didn't go unnoticed for long. ...
No Bottled Water in London, Ontario
by Bonnie Alter, London on 08.21.08
David Suzuki says "I think bottled water is toast." And London, Ontario City Council agrees. The government of this city of 450,000 has voted to stop selling bottled water in all municipal buildings. The vote was 15 to 3, a healthy majority. It was won despite the opposition of the bottled-water industry which came up with two alternate proposals in an attempt to stave off the decision. The ban will extend to city hall, city-owned buildings, hockey arenas and community centres. Now the city will ensure that fountains are installed where ever the water is prohibited.
The drinking water in the area is very safe and healthy. The move was also prompted by the fact that 20 million plastic bottles were ending up on the local landfill each year and clogging it up. The City realized that they were picking up greater and greater volumes of recycling, and it was taking them longer to do it. The cause was the increase in plastic water bottles. They were concerned by the amount of energy it takes to transport the bottles, as well as the waste produced by them. London sets a good precedent; the local school board is now considering doing the same. Other cities such as Windsor, Vancouver, Kitchener and Toronto are too. As Suzuki says: "I hope it leads to the position that SUVs are acquiring in society, where you look at anyone who hauls out a bottle of water and say, 'What the hell's wrong with you? " :: Globe & Mail
More on Bottled Water
:: A World of Reasons to Ditch Bottled Water
:: Tap or Bottled Water
:: City of Seattle Gives Bottles the Boot...
Trees for Grannies, a Thermoregulating Project by World of Warmth
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 08.21.08
Have you ever wondered what we look like in infrared? What the warmest part of a sheep is? Where your home leaks heat? What an infection looks like according to its heat? Dutch group World of Warmth has created a collection of infrared images (see examples further down) and videos, covering topics like housing, food, clothing, buildings, equipment, people and animals. The latter forms the largest part of the series because animals are very good-looking in infrared. World of Warmth explains that animals have very interesting stories to tell about how they create comfort in a very energy-efficient way. We can still learn a lot about thermoregulation from certain animals. Read how Trees For Grannies is all about thermoregulations after the jump....
California Set to Adopt Nation's First Anti-Sprawl Law
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08.20.08
Image from dsearls
While it remains to be seen whether California will be able to successfully meet the rigorous guidelines it laid out in its landmark AB 32 bill, the state is on the cusp of taking a huge step forward with the imminent adoption of SB 375. The bill, which would reduce sprawl by requiring California's 17 metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) and its regional transportation plans to meet strict GHG emission targets, was sponsored by Darrel Steinberg (D-Sacramento), the incoming state Senate Leader.
As LAT's Margot Roosevelt reports, the bill could go before the full Assembly as soon as tomorrow, to the Senate this Friday and on to the Governator's desk for his signature....
San Francisco Solar Map Lets You Spy on Your Neighbor
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.20.08
Image source: SF Solar Map
This cool, interactive solar map put out by the San Francisco Department of the Environment lets you identify exactly where and how many solar panels are on houses in San Fran. Even better than that, the site has a search tool where you can enter your address and it will identify how much roof surface your house has, the potential size of a pv system and an estimated cost to max out your roof with solar.
What a great selling tool for people interested in purchasing PV, but are unsure whether they have the right roof for solar. Neighbors can see who in their area has solar, take a peek at their system, and decide whether they think it was a clean install, compare with other installs and determine whether its even going to be visible from the street....
New Devices to Eliminate Phantom Power Losses
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.20.08
Image source: Digital Home Thoughts
Digital Home Thoughts recently posted several reviews on new devices aimed at eliminating phantom power losses. (Phantom power, you may remember, is the electricity you're paying for from all of the appliances plugged in but turned "off.") The Bye Bye Standby and the SmartHomeUSA's Smart Strip Power Strip offer a meet-in-the-middle-solution for folks interested in going green but frankly don't want a bunch of extension cords everywhere and are not ready to plug and unplug appliances every 5 minutes....
Women's Bicycle Racing Takes Off in Portland
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.20.08
Image source: Race Monday Night
What started with just an idea to get women back in to bicycle racing with monthly bicycle racing clinics for women has turned into a dozen women screaming at top speeds at the Portland International Raceway in 2009 - a 1.9 mile big and wide loop racetrack. The clinics, held the 2nd Monday of each month (May-August, 2008), were to introduce women to the sport of bicycle racing, including an introduction to the sport, a race and then a debrief.
Organizers got a very positive turnout and interest with roughly 10-15 women participating in the clinics each month. Kendra Wenzel, one of the coaches, says of the practices, "So many women are afraid of being dropped their first time, and instead find that they can stay with the group and are actually contesting at the end." ...
Wind Turbine from Scrap for under £20: Student Hopes to Power the World's Poor
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 08.20.08
Cheap Do-it-yourself Wind Turbine
Have you been putting off your dream of building a gadget that will change the world? Max Robson's father knows how you feel. Ashley Robson seeded the desire to design a cheap, sustainable energy source. Now his son has made the dream reality.
Max Robson's prototype wind turbine cost him only £20 (US$37) to build, using rubbish he collected from skips (or dumpsters, as they are called in the former colonies). The do-it-yourself turbine reportedly includes a bike frame and bearings, a Vespa magneto and a Ford Fiesta battery. Max claims unskilled workers in developing countries could build the turbines for less than it cost him, although one must ask how many Vespa magnetos and auto batteries are lying around in the skips where cheap wind turbine technology could be really useful....
Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance Sets Out Draft Principles for Sustainability Practices
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.20.08
Jatropha curcas photo by Dinesh Valke
One teething problem in the burgeoning biofuel industry is the issue of sustainability: Some biofuels actually increase greenhouse gas emissions while being claimed to prevent them; others add to food price inflation pressures; in some parts of the world, the labor conditions of biofuel crop farm workers have been called into question.
In one of an increasing number of efforts to codify what it means to make a sustainable biofuel, the Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance has released a draft of its "Principles and Baseline Practices for Sustainability".
There are a number of criteria which are fleshed out in the document, but here are some of the more wordy/evolved ones:...
5 Reuses for: Bowls, Back to School Thrift Finds and Chicago's Green City Guide
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 08.20.08
:: Get crafty with old, mis-matched kitchen bowls.
:: Avoid mall madness. Show the kids that cool, unique back-to-school clothes can be found at thrift stores.
:: Tour the Midwest mindfully. Eco-tour Chicago with help from our Green City Guide: Chicago.
...
Who's Not Your Typical Environmentalist?
by Mark Ontkush, Boston, Massachusetts, USA on 08.20.08
Above is a photo of John Muir, a typical environmentalist. Didja ever wonder who/what/where a non-typical environmentalist is/is/is? A little Google searching turns up a few non-typical environmentalists, along with the reasons for the label. Let's see...
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27 Steps Towards a Green Future: National Clean Energy Summit Closes with a Laundry List of Recommendations
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.20.08
photo by Lisa Norwood
You could have blinked and missed it, and undoubtedly the bleary-eyed masses with lighter wallets certainly did, but the National Clean Energy Summit just took place over the past two days in Las Vegas. Among the speakers at the event, Bill Clinton outlined his 10 recommendations for building a clean energy future in the United States, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg did something similar for New York City. (Can you tell I’m a New Yorker, equating my fair city with the rest of the country?)
The conference as a whole produced a rather long laundry list (27 items!) of recommendations to both federal and state governments as to how best set the United States on the road away from fossil fuel dependency and a greener future. So here they are, grouped into broad categories:
...
Jalopnik/KORSdesign Mockup of Honda's Upcoming Dedicated Hybrid Car
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08.20.08
What Honda's Dedicated Hybrid Might Look Like
Jalopnik has asked KORSdesign to create a mockup of what Honda's upcoming dedicated hybrid, planned for 2010, might look like. They obviously used the spy-shots (see below) that came out a few weeks ago as a foundation, and added some elements from the Honda FCX Hydrogen Fuel Cell car (Honda said their new hybrid would take design cues from it).
In fact, except for the rear, it looks almost exactly like the FCX (pic below), which isn't such a bad thing....
Solar Highways, Green Pocket Guides and A Book on Bees
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 08.20.08
Researchers discover a new method that could make the open road a solar energy source.
Green Home Huddler rounds up a list of handy green pocket guides.
EcoLibris reviews A Spring Without Bees by Michael Schacker.
The Boston Globe reports on backyards containing lead in the soil.
The Travelodge hotel in London invites guests to sleep in shipping containers.
Most Huggable is a regular roundup of some of Hugg's top green news stories. Why not submit your own green news?...
Beyond the Supermarket: A Global Tour of Exotic Fruits and Vegetables
by Stephen Brooks, Punta Mona, Costa Rica on 08.20.08
A super ripe Biriba fruit, an orgasmic Amazonian treat!
Now why do some foods become popular and others just don't ever make it to the shelves of your market. Some of the worlds greatest foods are barely eaten outside of their area of origin. How did a fruit like the kiwi go from being nearly unknown outside the Yangtze Valley in China to be found in almost every fruit salad around the world? Just who makes those decisions?...
Gates and Buffet Visit Oil Sands, Home of Two-Headed Fish
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.20.08
Ling Wang, Mikisew First Nation
Bill Gates and Warren Buffet are casing the joint at the Alberta Oil Sands, to satisfy "their own curiosity" but also "with investment in mind", according to the National Post.
We wonder if they were shown the mutated fish with two heads that was caught just downstream. Stuart MacMillan of Parks Canada calls it "really unusual. The fish has an obvious abnormality. I had never seen anything like that myself before. I can’t speculate on what might have caused it.”
Native people living in Fort Chip certainly were speculating. George Poitras of the Mikesew Cree showed it at a Keepers of the Water conference: “People were in disbelief. Here they saw a fish that we suspect is very much linked to tarsands development and contamination of the Athabasca River. Our elders tell us that what happens to the animals and the fish is just a sign of what is going to happen to human life.”
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Quote of the Day: Martin Roscheisen, CEO of Nanosolar, "Biofuels don't cut it"
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08.20.08
"This is one of my favorite charts: A comparison of the distance a car can drive based on either of the following forms of energy, each produced on 100m x 100m of land (2.5 acres). How come that biofuel does not really cut it? Electric cars are about four times more energy efficient than fuel based cars, no matter whether they are based on biofuel or other fuel. This is because any fuel engine mostly creates heat and thus wastes the majority of the available energy units. Combine this with plants not being very efficient solar energy harvesters relative to semiconductor based solar electricity, and the result is this huge difference."
"I for one have vowed that the Prius I bought six years ago will have been the last fuel powered car I’d buy in my life. Presently, it is baking in the sun all day while I’m at work. My future all-electric car would charge up while idling under a solar carport." Source: Nanosolar Blog...
NY Times on Boxed Wine, PS1 Urban Farm
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.20.08
Fun on the Farm Down Home in Long Island City "P.S. 1, in Long Island City, Queens, has been hosting its weekly summer dance-party series, Warm Up Saturdays, for 10 years. This year, instead of the usual urban beach-themed décor, the courtyard has been transformed into an urban farm: 260 cardboard cylinders, from waist-height to towering, that sprout 51 plant varieties, like Swiss chard, dill, strawberries and tomatoes." ::New York Times
TreeHugger on P.S. Farm? PS1's Public Farm 1 is now open for picking
Drink Outside the Box Tyler Colman, AKA Dr. Vino, says " Producers everywhere need to deliver better wine in a box — and make it snappy. Perhaps they will if consumers start to demand that everyday wines that don’t need to age in a bottle be sold in a box. If you’re sorry about the change, squeeze off another well-preserved, affordable, low-carbon serving of boxed wine and mull it over." ::New York Times
We Disagree: Which Is Greener, Wine Bottle or Box? Neither.
Drinking Outside the Box: Juice Boxes for Wine
Eco-chic: Greenwashing from the Liquor Store
Or Not: Hitting the Bottle or Hitting the Box? The Debate Continues...
Lawsuit Filed to Force EPA to Give Up Documents on Pesticide’s Impact on Honey Bees
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.20.08
photo by Michael via flickr
We’ve written about colony collapse disorder a number of times, and while a parasitic mite which makes bees more susceptible to disease has been linked to the honey bee die-off, the Natural Resources Defense Council believes that the US Environmental Protection Agency knows more than it is letting on about the connection between pesticides and CCD. In an attempt to force the EPA into giving up the goods, the NRDC has filed a lawsuit in a federal court in Washington DC....
2009 Honda Fit First Drive at ABG, Hybrid Model Around 2010
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08.20.08
2009 Honda Fit
The friendly people at AutoblogGreen had a chance to drive a new 2009 Honda Fit, one of the small cars that Americans suddenly can't get enough of because of rising gasoline prices.
Honda Fit Hybrid Coming Around 2010
Even more interesting than the regular Fit is the hybrid version that Honda is working on for around 2010. It should be built on the same platform as the 2009 Fit (more photos below), and AutoNews reported that it would be only about $2000 more expensive than the non-hybrid version. No info yet on fuel economy. We'd also like to see a 'clean diesel' version, but there is no word about that from Honda yet....
Bronx Zoo Cancels Holiday Lights in Bid to Lessen Footprint
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 08.20.08
If you’re one of the legions of animal lovers who’ve spent a holiday evening admiring the lights at the Bronx Zoo but deploring the carbon emissions they inevitably create there’s good news for you. The Wildlife Conservation Society has decided to move the annual event to daylight hours to create an extravaganza that won’t leave a giant footprint behind when you’re gone....
Lady Liberty Lit by Ocean Windfarm: Mayor Bloomberg Envisions Green Energy Future for NYC
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.20.08
photo by Yan Chow
Highlighting many of the same points made by Bill Clinton at the National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg spoke about his vision for building green power in New York and for the country in general. You can read a full transcript of his speech here, but here are some choice highlights:
Conservation Alone Not Enough
Conservation alone isn't enough. We also need to dramatically step up the production of clean energy for our growing city and economy. For example, I believe that we've got to be willing to do what some other nations - such as France - have already done, and increase our capacity of safe and clean nuclear-generated power....
Brad Pitt's Green Wash, Gwyneth Paltrow's Fur Controversy, Miley Cyrus' Eco-Message, and More
by Terri MacLeod on 08.20.08
Ever fantasize about a hot, steamy shower with Brad Pitt? Well, now is your chance (sort of). The green-hearted celeb is hooking up with Kiehl's to support their new Aloe Vera body cleanser. ...In return for the power endorsement, all of the product's net profit will go to a foundation created by Kiehl's and the actor to support global environmental initiatives with regards to housing design. ....As you probably know, architecture is the actor's passion and put it to good use re-building eco-friendly homes in New Orleans. ...So, makes sense the first big chunk of cash will go to Brad's Make It Right NOLA foundation.
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5 Ways to Make Energy With Excrement
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.20.08
photo by Matthew Chatfield
Perhaps its because of our monkey roots—their lack of inhibition when it comes to handling their own filth must be lurking in us somewhere—that many of us find poo jokes and toilet humor so funny even as we, cough, mature. While excrement may elicit laughs, snickers and giggles from some, it really is serious business when it comes to energy.
For those that don't know, the way all of these projects work is they take the human or animal waste and convert it into biogas via anaerobic digestion. Then the gas is either fed into the exisiting natural gas distribution system, converted into electricity, or used directly as an energy source.
It seems like we’ve heard about enough new human or animal waste to energy projects or studies lately that a roundup seems in order. From the past seven months, in reverse order:
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1% of Australia’s Geothermal Power Potential = 26,000 Years of Energy
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.20.08
image: AGEA
Yesterday Google announced that it was getting into the geothermal power game, investing over $10 million into researching Enhanced Geothermal Systems. It is estimated that using this technology, just 2% of the heat below North America would easily supply all of the United States’ current energy needs.
Now, a new report shows similarly large geothermal potential in Australia: An Australian government scientist told Reuters that 1% of the nation’s untapped geothermal potential could create enough energy for 26,000 years.
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Solar Thermal Power Is Coming to a Boil
by Lester Brown, Washington, D.C on 08.20.08
Photo: CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP/Getty Images
One of the exciting advances in renewable energy is solar thermal power. My colleague Jonathan G. Dorn writes in a recent Earth Policy Institute release, “Solar Thermal Power Coming to a Boil” that 100 megawatts of new capacity came online worldwide in 2007.
Escalating concerns about global climate change--and fresh economic incentives--are renewing interest in this technology.
Considering that the energy in sunlight reaching the earth in just 70 minutes is equivalent to annual global energy consumption, the potential for solar power is virtually unlimited. Jonathan notes, “With concentrating solar thermal power (CSP) capacity expected to double every 16 months over the next five years, worldwide installed CSP capacity will reach 6,400 megawatts in 2012—14 times the current capacity.” (See additional data.)...
Go Play Outside: Bruno Taylor Makes Cities Fun
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.20.08
Bruno Taylor, completing his Masters in Industrial Design at Central Saint Martins in the University of the Arts in London, writes:
“71% of adults used to play on the streets when they were young. 21% of children do so now. Are we designing children and play out of the public realm?"
...
Slow Design Meets Slow Food Nation
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.20.08
Bread – Stanley Saitowitz | Natoma Architects
Slow Food Nation is a celebration of food in America, taking place in San Francisco over the Labor Day weekend. It is "the first-ever American collaborative gathering to unite the growing sustainable food movement and introduce thousands of people to food that is good, clean and fair."
It is also an architectural event; two dozen San Francisco area architectural firms contributed services to work with the food curators and develop booths and displays. TreeHugger has talked about slow design before; here it is in slo-mo . Advisory Committee head Hans Baldauf says “The Slow Food Movement provides an ethical and cultural dimension to the complex issues of sustainability that are on the forefront of the challenges that we are confronting as designers."
Stanley Saitowitz's Bread Pavilion, shown above, is constructed out of a complex scaffolding system....
Kitchen in a Suitcase from Coleman
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.20.08
Coleman stoves have been around forever; the green metal two-burners have been staples of car camping, if a little bit heavy for canoe trips or hiking. Now they have mashed it together with a storage section; when you unfold it you have room for plates, cutlery, condiments and spices and a cutting board. ...
Survey: Who Do You Trust?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.20.08
It is a difficult question and the answers will vary according to what country you live in, but agencies like the Food and Drug Administration were founded to protect us, and sometimes have to find a balance: is a little bit of Bisphenol A OK in the face of having to retool the entire canning and bottling industry? Who do you trust?
...
MushroomExpert.com: Online Advice on Fungi and Mushrooms
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 08.20.08
Comprehensive Online Guide to Mushrooms and Fungi
As anyone who has read about Paul Stamets’ work knows, fungi are a hugely important part of our troubled eco-systems. They are the ultimate recyclers – breaking down organic matter and returning nutrients to the soil. Many of them also transfer nutrients between different plants – helping to regulate the overall health of the ecosystem. It’s no wonder then that many environmentalists, myself included, are getting increasingly interested in fungi, mushrooms, and what we can learn from them. Wild claims abound, from enhancing ethanol production to cleaning up oil spills to growing our own insulation, it seems certain that there will be many uses for the members of this often overlooked kingdom. But where do those of us not wanting to boost our biofuels production go just to learn about the fungi and mushrooms (mushrooms being the fruiting bodies of fungi) that we find in our yards or other environments? MushroomExpert.com seems as good a place as any…
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Quote of the Day: Albert Einstein
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.20.08
In a letter to his son, Einstein wrote:
“Life is like a bicycle, to keep your balance your must keep on moving.”
::New Journalism via ::Swiss Miss
We noticed, he's not wearing a helmet. Here is why he should:
A Brain Surgeon on Bicycle Helmets
Helmets - for whom? Cyclists or Motorists?
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Whole Foods a Loser in London
by Bonnie Alter, London on 08.20.08
Whole Foods Market arrived in London last year with a bang. The Americans couldn't wait, the Brit's were curious and the press was out for blood. The place was huge with 500 employees and 3 floors of products and restaurants and crowds of people. Whole Foods predicted that they would be opening 40 stores around Britain. But one year later the store reported losses of 9.9M pounds ($18.4M) this year in the UK. It seems that the shoppers weren't buying--they were just looking. People went to see it once and then went back to their own supermarkets, in their own neighbourhood, to do serious food shopping. As one critic said "it's too Disneyland without being unique."
Where did it all go wrong? It is very expensive to shop there. To be fair, there is a decline in organic food shopping due to the poor economic conditions. Shoppers are looking for bargains, doing comparison shopping and going to cheaper food stores. Plus, the organic market in Britain is very well developed and has a strong loyalty. Waitrose and Marks & Spencer and Tesco have all been selling organic goods for years and have strong ties with the local farmers. People know and respect the brands that they sell. As one critic put it: "in my opinion, Whole Foods underestimated the UK market. Its core business - natural and organic foods - is a category commonly found in the mainstream supermarkets and generally at a lower price. Whole Foods' lack of differentiation, high prices and relatively limited brand exposure are true weaknesses it needs to address". :: Guardian
More on Whole Foods in London
:: Whole Foods is Coming to London
:: A Disney World of Food
:: How to Shop at Whole Foods...
Urban Mining: The Hunt For Rare Metals
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 08.20.08
Urban mining is a new concept for getting more people to recycle their old electronic gadgets and other stuff that contains precious metals. These include gold, silver, platinum, iridium and a range of others, that make your cell phone go beep and blink. Without these rare metals, the Pantone colours on my Sharp 812SH display would look a lot less bright, and you can probably forget about your new iPhone display, as they become too expensive to mass-produce.
In northern Japan, Takashi Nakamura, a professor at Tohoku University working on the urban mining project in Akita, notes that if Japan wants to survive the era of industrialization, the government should create a social framework to collect rare metals as soon as possible. In Akita, they have set up special recycle boxes at supermarkets.
Read more after the fold...
Smart Cart Quiz Challenges Consumption
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.19.08
Image source: World of Good.com
So. You've been reading Treehugger for years. You know everything there is to know about green. You probably know what we're going to post even before we do. In that case, you're probably up for the Smart Cart Quiz Challenge. Brought to you by the new World of Good.com Marketplace by Ebay, The Smart Cart Quiz shows consumers how they can "vote" with their almighty dollar.
Each question asks what sounds like an outrageous statement, and then includes facts with the answer so the reader has a comparative figure for what that money could be used for - you know, like how many people could have been educated or how many solar panels could have been installed to power a village if we didn't collectively spend $14 billion on Valentines crap-ola each year. (true story). Another true story, American consumers collectively spend $8.7 trillion, accounting for 40% of the developed world's economy. Smart Cart Quiz challenges each of us to buy differently. ...
Coal's Toxic Legacy Revealed in Greenland Ice Core
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08.19.08
Proving that Big Coal's nefarious influence knows no bounds, a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has shown that pollution from coal burning has contaminated the Arctic for the last 100 years. Measurements taken from an ice core in Greenland, dating from 1772 to 2003, showed that the levels of the toxic heavy metals cadmium, thallium and lead were much higher than predicted -- which may have impacted human health in this and neighboring regions.
Surprisingly, however, the authors, Joe McConnell and Ross Edwards of Reno's Desert Research Institute, found that pollution levels were higher at the beginning of the previous century -- and not during the 1960s and 70s, which most scientists had expected. ...
Obama Is The Man Organic Cotton Tees
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 08.19.08
Obama lovers can wear their presidential endorsement on their sleeves—literally—with pro-Barack T-shirts from Obama Is The Man, the brain child of Aron Kressner of Vivavi.
Made from 100 percent organic cotton and printed with water-based inks, the shirts come in six different sizes, in both men's and women's styles. (How's that for democratic?) Better still, a buck from each sale goes to the Obama campaign. You can even view videos made by people who are promoting change in their own lives, or upload your own pièce de résistance if the spirit moves you.
Click below the fold for two more designs. ::Obama Is The Man...
How to Go Green: Back to School Guide, Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes and 5 Eco-Event Tips
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 08.19.08
:: Beat the back to school blues with a splash of green! Consult our How to Go Green: Back to School guide.
:: Take comfort food to healthier heights with this fresh-from-the-farm Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes recipe.
:: Follow these five uplifting and energizing tips to give green conferences, parties and gatherings more zest.
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Middle School Student Invents Ingenious Water Saving Device
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 08.19.08
When By Kids For Kids (BKFK) and The Weather Channel launched the Going Green Challenge to inspire kids to come up with neat inventions to help make an eco-difference there’s little doubt that the field was an open one. With a myriad of issues in need of resolution, the grand prize winner, Elizabeth Rintels, 12, of Keswick, Virginia, came up with a “Water Watcher” invention that helps monitor water usage in an ingenious way....
Google Gets Behind Geothermal, Invests Over $10 Million in Research
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.19.08
10 Steps Bill Clinton Believes the US Government Should Do for a Clean Energy Future
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.19.08
photo by Theirry via flickr
I find it more than slightly ironic that the National Clean Energy Summit is being held in Las Vegas, a city that on environmental grounds and water usage alone probably should not exist, but nonetheless it’s happening. Yesterday evening Bill Clinton opened the event will a speech which, among other things, outlined what he believes the US government should do to support renewable energy.
At the Federal level these are his recommendations:
And my comments, where warranted, in italics.
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"Watch for Bikes" Sign Not So Helpful
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 08.19.08
Via PhotoBasement
Bike Paths
World's 10 Best Biking Trails
That's the Bike Path? Good Luck!
Mexico City to Build 186 Miles of Bike Paths by 2012...
75 Grams: The Carbon Footprint of One Bag of Potato Crisps
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.19.08
photo by tokyofortwo via flickr
In an effort to raise awareness of global warming, Japan is planning to label a range of consumer goods to show the amount of greenhouse gasses emitted in their manufacture, delivery and disposal. The project, the exact scope of which has yet to be finalized, is expected to begin in April 2009, AFP reports.
Labeling products with their carbon footprint could be a good way to make people more aware of the environmental impact of things which they otherwise wouldn't think twice about. Here in New York certain restaurants have to display the calorie content of their food, and seeing that the brownie you want to buy has nearly a third of your day's recommended consumption sure makes you think twice about buying it. Carbon labeling could have a similar effect. Here's the product example that caught my eye:
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Gold, Silver And Green?
by Marian Hopkins, Business Roundtable on 08.19.08
The Summer Olympic Games in Beijing kicked off on August 8 amidst competition, national pride and a Blue Sky day. Well, a ŒBlue Sky day‚ according to Beijing standards. The Detroit Free Press reports that only one percent of China‚s urban dwellers breathe air that is safe according to European norms. Accordingly, many athletes are training outside Beijing, and some have caused a stir by wearing masks.
While the world has questioned Beijing‚s environmental preparation since the city won its Olympic bid in 2001, the games have, thus far, been a success. The opening ceremonies were an amazing sight, offering a glimpse into the complexity of modern China‚s culture, customs and rapid gallop into the 21st century. Since the Chinese began modernizing with free market reforms in the late 1970s, the nation's economy has increased tenfold, and the percentage of people living in poverty has fallen dramatically.
...Bioplastics Recycling Consortium Wants to Reuse Every Last Bit of Plastic
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.19.08
Image source: WildGreenYonder
With "need" (how to ensure all of those alternative plastics - corn, soy, sugarcane- are reused, now that regular plastic is poo-poo'd), comes a "market." The Bioplastics Recycling Consortium was created to "develop an effective, efficient and economical recovery system and end markets for post-consumer bioplastic material."
Bioplastics are the alternatives to petroleum-based plastics, and are commonly made from corn, soy, sugar cane, or maize, and are thought to be a better source than petroleum-based plastic because they biodegrade - or at least can break down within a year under the right conditions. The Freedonia Group estimates that the demand for bioplastics will increase 20% every year through 2010, with film, bottles and food service products being the largest markets. ...
FUEL to Open Georgia’s First Corn Ethanol Plant in October
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.19.08
photo: FUEL
Given that there are much better feedstocks for biofuels than corn, it never ceases to amaze me when I hear about another corn ethanol biorefinery opening. Oh wait, I forgot, the United States is addicted to corn and corn subsidies and then dumping it in foreign markets or producing a biofuel from that very nearly requires more energy to make it than it provides...forgive me, that’s another post entirely. This one’s just about telling you about a new corn ethanol plant opening.
100 Million Gallons of Corn Ethanol Produced Annually
In a bit over two-months’ time the state of Georgia will have its first corn-based ethanol plant, the Atlanta Business Chronicle reports. October 9 will mark the day that First United Ethanol LLC (FUEL, get it...clever) will open its 100-million gallon per year, 268-acre facility near Albany, Georgia.
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FDA Says BPA Is Safe For Babies
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.19.08
The O'Burger Offers First Organic Fast Food in Los Angeles
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.19.08
O'burger, the first organic fast food joint in Los Angeles, where the burgers and everything else are all organic. What does that mean exactly? Well, "the buns, the sauce, the vegetables, meat, ketchup, mustard, fries and salad dressing" - it's all organic. Yum!
What about the burgers? Well the beef comes from grass-fed cows, the turkey burgers all come from free-range, grass fed turkeys and the veggie patties are vegan-friendly and made in-house from corn, oats and vegetables. According to O'burger, "if its edible, its organic."...
Climate Change College Graduates: From Green DIY to Watering-Down the Food Chain(s)
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 08.19.08
This year, Unilever-owned Ben & Jerry's sponsored a student/green entrepreneur from each of eight European countries in its three-year-old mentoring program called Climate Change College.
CO2 reductions plus behavior change
The sponsorship chose the eight students for their innovative business ideas on climate change reductions - the winning solutions had to not only reduce CO2 but also change behavior. For nine months, students received mentoring on their business plans (worth about $30,000), and in addition, a scientific field trip to the Arctic and approximately $10,000 to launch their selected idea. Ben & Jerry's considers its graduates Climate Change Ambassadors.
One of this year's students, Cara Augustenborg, is starting a green DIY site for Irish homeowners and apartment residents. While Cara's Top Ten Tips are the kind of relatively simple stuff that many TreeHuggers are already doing, it's good to see up-and-coming entrepreneurs spreading the word worldwide.
Another Climate Change Ambassador, Inez Reveter from Spain, dreamed up her project after getting alarmed that Barcelona's swimming pools were no longer getting filled because drought had driven the city to restrict water. Reveter designed a project to get local restaurant chains to change to water-saving faucets (up to 50 percent water savings), installing cisterns, and educating employees on water conservation. Swedish entrant Jacob Rutqvist launched the web site Global Focus to encourage younger eco-entrepreneurs to dream of innovation and also find the funds to implement it. Via ::Climate Change College
Read more on
Ben & Jerry's Climate Change College
Jerry Still Loves Ice Cream
Green Branding and Marketing: Who's Out In Front?...
TreeHugger Tip: Little Bits' Monica Rodgers on Making Recycled Paper
by Emma Grady, New York, NY on 08.19.08
Solar Power Financing Program For Commercial and Public Sector Announced by Helio mU
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.19.08
We’ve written before about the Helio Green Energy program wherein homeowners can take advantage of solar power without having to worry about installing the panels themselves, doing maintenance or otherwise worrying about their renewable electric system.
Now comes word that Helio mU (that’s Micro Utility, not the mythical civilzation in the Pacific...) is partnering with Citi Community Capital to make financing solar power installations for the commercial and public sector a little bit easier.
Green Energy Community Investment Fund Finances Solar Power
The Green Energy Community Investment Fund will initially finance 4 megawatts of solar power through the end of 2008 throughout the United States. Four megawatts in the next four months? Some Federal renewable energy incentives are set to expire at the end of the year, remember?
...
Born in September? Here's A Charity Just For You
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.19.08
We are, all of us, surrounded by a cloud of new technologies, from GPS to Google Earth to streaming video. We also have known since Mathew Brady and the birth of photojournalism, the power of the photograph to move and inform.
Scott Harrison had a foot in each world, working in communications and then as a volunteer photojournalist. In 2006 he founded Charity: Water to promote "simple things that work. Things like freshwater wells, rainwater catchments and sand filters. For about $20 a person (the price of a bottle of the Charity's water) , we know how to help millions of people." Now he has started a new campaign, to bring clean, safe water to the people of Ethiopia. It is an unusual idea- if your birthday is in September (as is his) ask for donations instead of presents. 33 bucks, because that his how old Scott is this year.
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Solar-Grade Silicon Prices Could Drop 43% Next Year: New Report Claims
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.19.08
photo: Solar Freaks
There’s been a bunch of news lately pointing to solar power costs falling in the near future. A new non-petroleum backing material and a new panel from Day4 Energy being the most recent examples of developments driving down the cost of solar power. Here’s another indication that solar prices will be falling:
Contract Prices for Silicon Will Drop
A new report, by New Energy Finance says that the price of solar-grade silicon is expected to drop by up to 43% next year. By 2015, the contract prices for polysilicon deliveries will be less than $67 per kilogram, or 67% below current contract prices. Though the report notes that this is still above spot prices paid for silicon.
...
A View With A Room: The Kielder Observatory
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.19.08
This looker is for looking- a new observatory built in Northumberland, the darkest place in England. Even though the computer has made images of the heavens accessible to everyone without all of the cold, tired and dark stuff that goes with amateur astronomy, there is still something romantic and absolutely wonderful about looking through the eyepiece of a telescope, knowing that the photon that just hit your retina travelled millions of miles for thousands of years.
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Sprinkle Water To Reduce City Heat
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 08.19.08
When it gets really hot in Tokyo, the locals like to sprinkle water on the street in front of the house or shop. It's an old tradition that has become popular again here, called uchimizu. In the heat, water on the streets evaporates naturally and during this process, a small amount of energy (0.58kcal/1g water) is absorbed from the surrounding air. When many people perform uchimizu the difference can be quite noticeable. Rainwater is generally used, not drinking water, and the city of Nagoya lists the following beneficial effects of uchimizu:
1) Eases the urban heat-island effect
2) Reduces dust etc.
3) Raises public awareness of water and the environment
4) Increases neighborhood interaction
...
Design with Waste from Print Industry, by Onceneto in Chile
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 08.19.08
(Pictures: Courtesy of designers.) Chilean design studio Onceneto teamed up with La Tercera newspaper and has been doing an interesting job recovering waste material from the paper's print process. We've briefly showed you one of their products before at the Design Connection exhibit held in Buenos Aires last year, and now we bring you two more of them: the Conolounge chair and the eco+ line of wallets.
The first is produced with cardboard tubes from the newspaper printer paper rolls, connected with a steel support. The second were made with rubber that acts as ink transmitter in the print process, a hard to recycle material that before the design studio intervention went to waste. Wallets are sold at Comodo store in Santiago de Chile, while the chair is still a prototype waiting for production.
More info on the studio and pics in the extended....
Classic Furniture Designs From Cheap Sustainable Materials
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.19.08
Oriented Strand Board (OSB) is the stuff of building today, replacing plywood as sheathing and in floors. From an environmental point of view, it can be a mixed bag; there is little waste and smaller, fast-growing species can be used. In the UK you can get it from sustainably harvested sources. The stuff is cheap.
Graduate designer Adam Rowe uses it "to challenge the misconceptions of material aesthetics and the value placed on materials, combining traditional craftsmanship and high quality leather with a modern cheap sustainable material."...
Chicken Poop Lip Balm - Mmmmm
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 08.19.08
All-Natural Lip Balm Even Has Us Worried
Treehugger likes poop – from chicken-poop power stations to worm poop fertilizer, there are lots of ecological uses for what others see as waste. But even I must admit to being a little concerned when I came across this “Chicken Poop Lip Balm”. We knew it contained lots of yummy goodness, like beeswax and orange oil, but what about the less than appetizing name?
...
New Definition of the School Portable by Gollifer Langston Architects
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.19.08
The old school portable doesn't get any more portable than this, a "Classroom of the Future" designed by Gollifer Langston Architects for the London borough of Camden. It breaks out of the standard 40' container box, but uses standard container dimensions and corner castings so that it can be easily transported on a standard container chassis.
Hydraulic legs lift the unit off the chassis, which can then drive away;...
AIA Introductions To The Issues of Green Building
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.19.08
The American Institute of Architects is putting together a series of videos on the issues of green building, called Greenstep. Subjects covered so far are water conservation, smart controls, radiant heating and cooling, and vegetation for sun control. I don't understand why having a video of a talking head doing a powerpoint show is more effective than just putting the information into a website, but if you can get past that there is a lot of good information to be gleaned from the Greenstep videos.
More on TreeHugger about Trees and Buildings
Trees Versus SPVs: Which Do You Hug?
Big Steps in Building: Plant a Tree...
Quote of the Day: Bill McDonough on Green Renovation
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.19.08
The Samuel Trask Dana Building was renovated by William McDonough and Partners
Bill McDonough is interviewed in Newsweek Magazine. His comments on old buildings going green:
"I got a call from a college president who was saying they were going to renovate a building which he thought was very beautiful. It had high ceilings and tall windows, and they were going to put in aluminum fixed windows, drop the ceilings down to 10 feet from 15 to put in AC. It was going to cost $5 million to make the building energy-efficient. My response to him was: "Don't do it! You'll destroy the building! Go raise $1 million and put up a megawatt of wind power on a family farm in western Minnesota. Let that farmer … send his kids to college, and pay his mortgage, and you'll produce a megawatt of power, which is more than you'll need for your building." ::Newsweek
More TreeHugger on Green Renovations:
Donovan Rypkema: LEED stands for "Lunatic Environmentalists Enthusiastically Demolishing"
Victorian Houses Can Have A Green Makeover Too
Martin Liefhebber on Embodied Energy of Existing Buildings
Renovation Uses Twice As Much Labor, Half as Much Material as New Construction
...
Gingrich Says Obama is Pandering to Big Air
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.19.08
Hanging Out in the Mall- The Sequel
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.19.08
Last December TreeHugger covered artist Michael Townsend and his four year long secret occupation of the Providence Place Mall in Rhode Island. Now Salon picks up the story:
Four years after the mall opened, Yoto, Townsend and six friends in their art collective, called Trummerkind ("children of the ruins" in German), vowed to spend a full week at the mall that had transformed their city, to use the mall as an actual public space while surviving sans commerce.
"The mall has something really positive to offer, something that has nothing to do with shopping," Townsend told me.
"What is it?" I asked.
"I don't know -- that's what I moved there to find out." More in Salon
Original in TreeHugger here:
Hanging Out in the Mall...
Australia To Get World's Largest Solar Thermal Plant?
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08.19.08
It’s like the Olympics around here. No sooner has a world record been broken then along comes an announcement of that same record being freshly eclipsed. Yet another project is claiming to be the world’s largest solar power plant, albeit solar thermal.
This time it is the company, WorleyParsons, who strangely already knee deep in coal, nuclear and Canadian oil sands, are making the noise. Weird, huh? Maybe they see the writing on the wall, or least figure it is safe to have a bet each way.
Anyhow, according to the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) the firm plan on having a 250 Megawatt plant (using the sun’s radiation to power steam turbines) by 2011. It should power the equivalent of 100,000 houses. Though WorleyParsons’ Chief Executive Officer John Grill also reckons "A solar facility a single square kilometre in size could power 50,000 households”. And furthermore they'd like to deliver 40% of the country’s renewable energy by such plants by 2020. (The government want 20% of Australia’s total electricity supplied by renewables by this same period.)...
Bilt Stainless Steel Water Bottles Avoid Toxic BPA
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 08.19.08
Most every time we do post on the chemical Bisphenol A and how its apparent toxicity has reshaped the polycarbonate (Lexan) water bottle market, a commenter chimes in saying how wonderful their stainless steel Kleen Kanteen bottles are. Well, the market abhors a vacuum, even a partial one, so you can bet Kleen Kanteen (and Guyot Designs) won’t have the sandpit to play in all by themselves.
Bilt is one of the latest to join the game. This Vancouver, Canada based company have a wide range of stainless steel bottles in various sizes and colours. They sport a threaded collar and lid of food grade polypropylene plastic. The wide mouth versiosn are said to fit most backcountry water filters that were designed around the ubiquitous polycarbonate Nalgene bottle. ...
Tire Pressure And Personal Responsibility: Get A Pump
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 08.19.08
Check and fill your own tires. It's a personal responsibility. The places we buy fuel, a.k.a. "Service Stations," are nothing of the kind any more. Full service with a smile is a faded marketing myth. So, get an air pump or compressor and use it. You'll save money and live longer.
Why "Do It Yourself" Is The Best Solution
Ever notice how the air pump at a modern filling station is is located on the edge of the parking lot, instead of next to a building or service bay? As far from help as possible. If there even is a pump that works, odds are it's pole-mounted box on a greasy bit of pavement that no well-dressed person would want to kneel by.
No quarters in your pocket? Dressed up? Air pump doesn't seem to work today? Don't want to dirty your hands?...
Survey: Would You Go Solar If You Could Do It No Money Down?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.19.08
In Connecticut, "low and moderate income" ($ 121,650 is moderate? Wow.) wage earners can get subsidies so that they can install complete solar photovoltaic systems with no money down. You still have to make payments on the system, but then again you are getting your electricity for free and may be even selling some back to the utility. The down payment is traditionally the barrier to most people- would you go for this if you could get it where you live?
...
Boulder, Colorado To Get 40-Acre Bike Park
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 08.19.08
Artist Rendering of the Park
Boulder to Get a 40 Acre-Bike Park
In addition to being one of America's most bike-friendly cities, Boulder, Colorado is also known for its progressive policies (such an enacting a carbon tax and creating a smart grid). Now, Boulder is getting a "a 40-acre bike park that will include a cyclocross course, a mountain bike terrain park and a pump dirt jump area, among other features." Perhaps most interestingly, the park will be built on what was once a junk yard lot on land just east of Boulder.
When the city first bought the property "cyclists came out in force for early public input sessions" on what to do with the lot, and the current plan is a result of their diligence. More description of the park after the fold....
Dr. John Todd Wins Buckminster Fuller Challenge Award
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.19.08
Image source: Buckminster Fuller Institute
We've profiled natural-resources design maven Dr. John Todd before, but now he's been recognized by a much higher authority for his pioneering work. Dr. Todd is the first recipient of the Buckminster Fuller Challenge Award. Not to mention, the award comes with prestige, but also a $100,000 cash prize to sweeten the deal, as well as an OmniOculi sculpture artist Tom Shannon, which was commissioned for the event.
So what was the topic of study that earned such as serious prize? Well, Dr. Todd's work on Comprehensive Design for a Carbon Neutral World: The Challenge of Appalachia. Appalachia has been decimated by strip-mining for coal (which provides 50% of the electricity in the United States), but Dr. Todd provides an alternative solution to boost the economy of the region without relying on coal mining, which involves healing the land and the communities....
Beautifully Ethical Silk Scarves by Tamasyn Gambell
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 08.19.08
We welcome this first collection of silk scarves by British textile print designer Tamasyn Gambell not only for their elegant Art Deco inspired beauty, but also for the ethical and eco-friendly production processes used to make them. The scarves are woven in India by a cooperative of skilled women who have been trained to weave and use natural dyes sourced from their local environment. This welfare project, as well as retraining disadvantaged people, also provides education, housing and health care. On arrival in London Gambell uses a silk screen process to print the scarves with certified organic dyestuffs and a seaweed based binder....
Treehugging as an Extreme Sport
by Bonnie Alter, London on 08.19.08
It's not an Olympic sport yet--but who knows... Tree climbing, as in scaling 40 metre high trees for fun, has become a hot new wilderness activity. We all remember the wonder that we felt as a child, sitting on top of the world on a tree branch. Now adults can re-live that moment. There are organized climbs popping up in Ontario, B.C. and the United States. It is considered to be safer and more accessible than other outdoor sports since there are no falling rocks and you don't need a lot of stamina. It is easy to learn the rules: the first thing that you have to do is tell the tree your name and hug it. The treehuggers are harnessed into a "saddle" and there is a guide rope and instructor. The real danger is not plummeting from the top; it's putting your foot into an ant colony or hornet's nest.
Calling it "vertical meditation", climbing seems to have a spiritual aspect to it. Says one instructor: "trees have healing energy, and the climbers themselves feel energized and powerful at the top, as if they've overcome something really huge." Since it takes place in the countryside, the views are spectacular and you are close to the sky and circling birds. Some are predicting that it will surpass rock climbing in the next ten years. Given its growing popularity, what this means for the poor trees is another story which has not yet been addressed. :: The Globe and Mail
More on Tree Climbing
:: Kids Need Risky Sport
:: Kids Have Fun on Trees...
Britain Prepares for Massive Jellyfish Onslaught
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08.18.08
Image from someToast
British scientists hope a groundbreaking new project will help their country face down one of its most urgent threats -- a major jellyfish invasion. Called "EcoJel," the project will, for the first time, examine the impacts massive swarms are having on Britain's aquaculture, fisheries and tourism industries, reports The Independent's Michael McCarthy.
Researchers from the universities of Swansea and Cork will deploy the latest imaging and modeling technologies, tagging the jellyfish with data loggers that record variables like water temperature and depth, and study their movement and life cycles. The first such scheme to be approved under the European Union's Ireland/Wales program, EcoJel will be funded through a £575,000 grant from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). ...
Sustainable Sole, Eggplant with Chili and Spring Onions and Heavy Turf
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 08.18.08
:: Make your soles sustainable with shoe shopping tips from Summer Rayne Oakes.
:: Feel as healthy as an Olympian eating Eggplant with Chili and Spring Onions.
:: Talk school and town officials out of using artificial turf.
:: Try Kelly's Curried Cauliflower Soup on one of summer's cooler days.
:: Make your own shirred summer shirt dress using recycled fabric....
The Solartaxi, Vegetarian Spiders and a Trashy Interview
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 08.18.08
The first solar powered car to make its way around the world continues its trek.
Scientists discover a vegetarian spider.
Green Home Huddler interviews trash enthusiast Tom Szaky, the CEO of TerraCycle.
TriplePundit reviews Throwplace, calling it "A sort of Freecycle on steroids."
An Ohio-based company has plans to convert Saturn Sky cars to run on all-electric.
Most Huggable is a regular roundup of some of Hugg's top green news stories. Why not submit your own green news?...
Small Axe Clothing Merges Urban With Organic
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.18.08
Image source: Small Axe Clothing
The ladies at Small Axe Clothing "aim to make an environmental and social statement" by blending vintage styles with organic fabrics. Instead of making plain tees with eco-statements, these gals are kicking fashion up a notch. Dresses, skirts, halter-outfits, and even a few stylish swimwear items complete this year's collection. Each of the items has a bit of sass, which is easily detected when you peruse their online boutique.
The clothing is made from blends of organic cotton, hemp, and soy, just to name a few. The styles take you back a few years, like to the 50s, with swing jackets and wide, gingham skirts. Many of the models pair the outfits with hats and leopard print heels to really make the styles pop. Cute accents and glass beads top off each outfit. The clothing is very reminiscent of something you might find in The Natural Store....
909 Megawatts of Oregon Wind Power Bought Up by Southern California Edison
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.18.08
photo by poppy via flickr
A few weeks back I wrote about what may be, for a little while at least, the world’s largest fully-permitted onshore wind farm, the Shepherd’s Flat Wind Farm. Located near Arlington, Oregon the farm will consist of 303 wind turbines spread over 30 square miles. It is expected to generate 2 billion kWh of electricity every year. At the time there was no word on when the facility would come online, but no longer: it is now expected that the plant will begin producing power in 2011 or 2012.
The other bit of new information on Shepherd’s Flat is that the entirety of the wind farm’s output will be bought by one utility: Southern California Edison. Announced this afternoon, SCE says it has signed a 20-year contract with DCE, an affiliate of Caithness Energy, the wind farm’s developer.
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Enviroblog Hosts Carnival of the Green
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 08.18.08
This week is Carnival of the Green # 141 and it's being hosted by Enviroblog, a blog that focuses on environmental connections to public health. So head on over to this week's Carnival and check out a round up of green news and events from the past week, submitted by other bloggers and green sites.
To learn more about Carnival of the Green, where it will be and how to host, please click here to link to our previous post.
PLEASE NOTE: Because the Carnival of the Green books so far in advance (thanks to all of you!), we are currently not accepting hosting requests. Please stay tuned - we'll open 2010 soon!...
Acme Climate Action Book Makes Activists Of Us All
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.18.08
Image Source: Provokateur
The Acme Climate Action: Introducing The Unique Acme Climate Action Method book, by Provokateur, is more than just a book, its a climate change activist into kit for the budding climate change activist in all of us. The cover alone is just so engaging that you can't help but pick it up.
Acme Climate Action aims to bridge what they call the values/action gap, where most people claim (and probably do) to care about the environment, most don't really do much. This "book" puts the tools in your hand - from funny thought provoking post-cards to posters for your office, and stickers to remind yourself and your family to "turn this off" and "unplug that." ...
Check Out the Windspire: Backyard Vertical Wind Turbine Video Clip
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.18.08
TreeHugger Tip: Little Bits' Monica Rodgers on Teaching Children to Compost
by Emma Grady, New York, NY on 08.18.08
An Additional 1.6 Million Hectares for Biodiesel: Jatropha Cultivation to be Expanded in Indian State of Uttar Pradesh
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.18.08
photo: CDC/Chris Zahniser via pingnews
The Indian National Mission on Biodiesel may have been quietly shelved recently, but that doesn’t mean that state governments aren’t continuing forward with their plans to cultivate Jatropha for biodiesel.
40% of Uttar Pradesh Wastelands Alloted for Jatropha
The Business Standard reports that the government of Uttar Pradesh is planning to cultivate Jatropha on 40% of the total amount of wasteland in the state over the next five years. This means that nearly 1.6 million hectares (4 million acres) of land will be set aside for cultivation. ...
More Uses For Old Lightbulbs: Concrete Wall Hooks
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.18.08
It is sort of like brass baby booties; when our walls are all embedded with LEDs and lighting is part of the fabric of our house, we will be able to answer the question "grandpa, what's a lightbulb?" If we have made these lovely concrete lightbulb wall hooks.
It looks relatively easy, although whamodyne's instructions suggest a 3-1/2 inch long lag bolt set two inches into the bulb; that is barely out of the neck of the bulb. I wouldn't put too much weight on the ball part of it. ::Instructables via ::Apartment Therapy
Other Uses for Dead Incandescent Bulbs from TreeHugger
Six Uses For Old Dead Incandescent Bulbs
Bulbs Unlimited: Finally, A Worthwhile Use for Incandescent Lightbulbs
The Power of the Compact Fluorescent...
Solar Powered Necktie Is Not Exactly Ralph Lauren
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.18.08
I have never quite understood the purpose of neckties, and wear them only for visits to banks and funerals. However finally I find that there is one with a purpose: researchers at Iowa State University have developed a necktie made from solar fabrics. It even has a pocket in it to hold your camera or cellphone.
...
Camelina: Another Biofuel Feedstock You May Not Have Considered
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.18.08
Over a year ago we wrote about Camelina sativa, otherwise known as false flax and a member of the mustard family, an underdeveloped feedstock for biofuel which was being investigated by a limited number of farmers in the upper great plains.
Here’s an update and some more information on this the latest biofuel feedstock candidate claiming to be able to make an end-run around the biofuels versus food debate. Biofuels Digest provides the details:
Camelina Basics
In brief here’s why supporters of Camelina believe it can put an end to food v. fuel: It is tolerant of low rainfall and can grow in areas unsuitable for food crops; Crop yields are double those of soy beans; Its oil is more resistant to cold temperatures than other oils; It is cold tolerant; The meal left over after producing the oil is a good candidate for livestock feed. ...
President Bush Says "Baby, Get That Phthalate-Filled Building Block Out Of Your Mouth!"
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.18.08
Image source: Getty Images.
You can probably see one from where you're standing right now. A small child, toy in hand. Their glazed-over eyes as they absentmindedly put that building block or plastic action figure in their mouth and begin to gum and drool all over it. Not so fast, says President Bush, who last week signed into law a bill banning six toxic phthalates (pronounced: tha-lates) from children's products.
The ban is part of the Consumer Product Safety Commission Reform Act, which was originally passed in 1972, and includes items like tracking-labels for children's toys' as well as, increased advertising for products that contain warning labels. The six banned chemicals include: DINP, DEHP, DBP, DIDP, DNOP, and BBzP. While phthalates are found in a wide variety of consumer products (see below), there is greater concern about exposure to infants and small children because of research that points to the effects of phthalates on the development of male reproductive development. The Act also notes that phthalates are linked to breast cancer, decreased sperm counts, birth defects and other health problems. Studies on lab animals have also shown links between phthalates and decreased fertility in females, and altered hormone levels. Yuck....
Controversial Hydropower Project in Chile Enters Environmental Analysis Phase
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 08.18.08
(Picture: The Chilean Aysen region, where a company seeks to install five new hydroelectric power stations. Source: HidroAysen.) In the midst of protests by environmental groups but also in front of an energy crisis that demands new power sources for the country, Chile's biggest energy generation project took another step last week. The authorities of HidroAysen presented the environmental impact study for the five hydropower stations they plan to build in 2009, which would provide an additional annual generation of 18,430 GWH.
According to Noticias123, the supporters of the project say this is the response to Chile's energy issues, while the detractors claim this is a business that will bury large woods areas, will appropriate a natural resource, and will interfere in tourism. Among the projects' main critics is millionaire Douglas Tompkins, known owner of large portions of land in the Argentinean and Chilean Patagonia.
Find details of the project and more pics in the extended. Via La Nacion....
Stair of the Week: A Whole Website!
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.18.08
Stairs with integrated storage by Splyce Design/Build
Here's to the man who invented stairs
And taught our feet to soar!
He was the first who ever burst
Into a second floor.
The world would be downstairs to-day
Had he not found the key;
So let his name go down to fame,
Whatever it may be. Oliver Herford (1863-1935)
I must admit that I have become addicted to a p*rn site- Justin Anthony of Materialicious has founded Stair P*rn, an entire website that is all stairs all the time. We have covered many of them in our Stair of the Week column, but no doubt we will find a lot more here. ...
Have Your Say: Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels Requests Comment on Sustainability Criteria
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.18.08
photo by Mathias Klang
The idea that without stronger and enforceable sustainability criteria biofuels may increase as many social and environmental problems as they solve is one which is increasingly gaining acceptance. In order to solidify these criteria, the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels has announced that they have created “Version Zero” of their principles and criteria which they feel need to be addressed for a biofuel to be considered sustainable.
12 Criteria For Sustainable Biofuels
Version Zero explains each one of these in more detail, but these are the 12 criteria necessary for sustainability:
1. Biofuel production shall follow all applicable laws of the country in which they occur, and shall endeavor to follow all international treaties relevant to biofuels’ production to which the relevant country is a party.
...
No Money Down Solar Lease Program Announced in Connecticut
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08.18.08
photo: Solar Connecticut
Kitting out your home with a solar power system just got a bit easier in the state of Connecticut. Under the Connecticut Solar Lease Program, qualifying low and moderate-income homeowners—those people whose household incomes is less than or equal to 150% of the median income for their area and with good credit—will be able to obtain state assistance to install solar PV systems.
Qualifying Income Level Varies Widely
In the state capitol, Hartford, for example if your household income for a family of four is less than $121,650 you would be able to install a complete solar PV system with no money down. At either end of the spectrum, a family of four in Stamford or Norwalk would be eligible if their income is under $176,700, while in Waterbury the cutoff point is $95,550. The monthly payment for a typical system is expected to be less than $120 per month.
...
Military Kids Find Time at Camp A Cure for Nature Deficit Disorder
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 08.18.08
When the National Military Family Association recently teamed up with a local 4H Group in North Carolina to create Operation Purple Camp they certainly had a tremendous reason for doing so. Because their efforts allowed the children of parents away at war to spend some time in the great outdoors while building, repairing and maintaining the refuge that is a part of Medoc Mountain Park in North Carolina....
Humans Evolved to Fear Snakes, Not High-Risk Mortgages or Risks at Traffic Lights
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 08.18.08
(Screenshot from the film Snakes on a Plane)
Is technology, made to better our lives, killing us? Kids have stopped playing on trees, and this isn’t healthy, reported TreeHugger’s Lloyd last week, citing a UK study that found more and more kids staying inside (playing on computers and video games) are avoiding risky play.
According to the study, kids need the adventure of “risky” play: “Risk-taking increases the resilience of children,” said one researcher. “It helps them make judgments,” said another. They list examples of risky play that should be encouraged including fire-building, den-making, watersports, paintballing, boxing and climbing trees.
That story fits in nicely with new research reported by Israeli researchers, and may give us some insight into why pedestrians and cyclists are getting hit by cars when hooked into their iPods; and why so many people are still dying from car accidents. Apparently, explains Arnon Lotem a researcher at Tel Aviv University, our ancient instincts don't meet the decision-making needs of a modern world.
...
Kite Power on Ships Out Performs Sails Five Times Over
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 08.18.08
Kite Power Beats Sails
The idea of reinventing wind-power for ocean going transport is certainly a seductive one. But usually when TreeHugger reports on the idea of kite powered boats, whether it’s Kite For Sale’s yachts or SkySail’s cargo ships, we inevitably get comments from folks asking “what’s wrong with traditional sail boats?” Now the folks at SkySail have set out to answer this very question (of course they have a certain vested interest in the outcome) by releasing the latest figures from their ongoing tests on one of their kite-powered freight ships. And if their numbers are anything to go by, kites come out ahead. Way ahead:
...
Wretched Excess Dept: Lance Armstrong meets Celine Dion By The Pool
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.18.08
There is no question that athletes have to keep hydrated and go through a lot of water. But Lance Armstrong breaks all the records again with his little pile in Austin, where he used 330,000 gallons of water for his acre of gardens and swimming pool, at a time when Texas is going through a dry spell. “We are definitely short on rain,” Lisa Rhodes, a spokeswoman for the water authority, said with a sigh to the New York Times.
The charmingly named Daryl Slusher, assistant director of the City Water Authority, has ruled out a leak, and notes that Armstrong is contrite about it. Armstrong told the Austin American Statesman that he didn't know; “I’m a little shocked,” he told The Statesman. “There’s no justification for that much water.” He added, “I need to fix this.” ::New York Times
Celine Dion's Florida House Guzzles 6.5 Million Gallons Of Water ...
We're Sorry Celine: Not Such A Water Hog After All
...
Rock Band Encourages Fans to Carpool to Their Concerts
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 08.18.08
Rock Band Encourages Carpooling
Facebook already has an application that lets users arrange carpools, and now rock bands are getting in on the action as well. First, Live Earth encouraged concert goers to carpool to the event. Building on the idea that bands can not only promote environmental issues with their music and activism but also by reducing the impacts of their own concerts, Wilco, a rock band, has "launched a special tab on its website that lets fans register as drivers or passengers. A feature then connects would-be carpoolers to each other based on where they live and which show they are attending."
While the application is new and features are being added, it has great potential. For one, the hope is to eventually allow other groups to use the program as well. What's more, the application links "the band's fans with each other" in a way that is good for the band and good for the climate....
Quote of the Day: All Bikes Weigh Fifty Pounds
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.18.08
Leslie Scrivener writes in the Star about the problem of rampant bike theft, and the proper way to protect your bike, including painting it pink, using two expensive and heavy locks, or riding a junker. A commenter pointed out (what appears to be a cliche but new to me):
"All bicycles weigh fifty pounds. A thirty-pound bicycle needs a twenty-pound lock. A forty-pound bicycle needs a ten-pound lock. A fifty-pound bicycle doesn't need a lock at all."
TreeHugger on how to prevent bike theft:
How to Prevent Bike Theft
Designing Bikes to be Theft -proof
Design For A Better Bike Lock...
Survey: Has The Economy Changed Your Food Buying Habits?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.18.08
In the UK, the Emine Saner writes in the Guardian that “Expensive, organic food is the middle-class indulgence that even the middle-classes can't seem to afford anymore.” However Vanessa Farquharson writes in Canada's National Post that "It's true that many of the more sustainable foods on the market cost more than their mass-produced, brand-name alternatives. However, this doesn't mean it's more expensive to keep up a low-impact eating regime."- by shopping local and seasonal, and cooking from scratch, it can be quite economical.
...
Can a Big House in the Country Be Green?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 08.18.08
Over at Inhabitat, they are showing the loveliest green house, the Monier House by Ackert Architecture, with rammed earth walls, wind turbines, solar hot water, rain water collection, everything it needs to be "a demonstration project to show how alternative energy and passive systems could be integrated to create a self sufficient home."
I should be excited, and a few years ago I would have been, and would have immediately posted it on TreeHugger and cursed Jill and her gang for beating me to it. But lately I have become ambivalent about such projects; while we need demonstrations of self-sufficient homes, what we really need are demonstrations of how the majority of us, who cannot afford four acres and the construction costs of such a house, will live in ten years. That, I am afraid, is the real challenge.
...
Tara Lynn Makes Wedding Gowns And Wearable Art
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.18.08
Image source: Tara Lynn Studios
For the eco-conscious bride-to-be comes Tara Lynn, maker of hemp and hemp/silk wedding gowns. You won't find Tara Lynn in typical bridal shops, as these are each individually hand-made. The gowns start from the basic shape of a wedding gown (think: A-line, poof skirt), but thats about all they have in common. Many of the dresses have a parade of butterflies dancing across the skirt, or a shower of flowers across the neckline, or even a collage of shiny, sparkly bangles (each of which are recycled) gracing the beltline.
Wedding gowns are not the only thing you will find at her studio. Lynn has also branched out to include jackets, blazers and coats featuring distinct butterfly, elephant, frog and wild cat appliques on the back. Each of these has a trendy cut across the front of the coat, and a hand-stitched animal scene on the back, but don't worry, the stitching is beautifully done and doesn't look like a giant animal with bug-eyes staring back at you. Both the jackets and wedding gowns are blend of sustainable materials and recycled materials, including both the fabric and the accents....
Cycle Chic
by Bonnie Alter, London on 08.18.08
Cycle chic, or is it possible to cycle in London and look good? This is a website dear to the heart of any girl who has ever wanted to ride a bike safely AND look stylish at the same time. It offers tips and advice on fashion, buying a bike, and safety on the streets. All done in an urban and sophisticated format with a decidedly anti-Lycra bent. Take clothes--they have pointers on wearing “swishy skirts” that are cool and comfie to cycle in. However this is written by women so they know to advise us to wear 3/4 leggings underneath in case of a sudden gust of wind. Capes are good too because they allow your arms to be free and don't cling.
Legwarmers are suggested as an alternative to the bicycle clip. If you are wearing wide legged trousers or boot cut jeans just pop legwarmers ( or long socks) on over them and you will avoid getting trousers caught in the chain. Great looking baskets for the bike: some made of straw, one made by the Amish and a lacy one from Sweden. They are not strict enough about helmet wearing but their other tips and advice on positioning yourself safely on the road, and planning safe routes in advance are excellent. :: Cycle Chic
More on Biking
:: Another Way That Bike Riding is Good for You
:: Beautiful Bicycle Helmets
:: High Heel Safety...
Backyard Fruit Trees A Barely Tapped Resource For Urban Gleaning
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 08.18.08
Natural Farming Pioneer Fukuoka Masanobu Dies, 95 Years Old
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 08.18.08
Fukuoka Masanobu, Japan's great-grandfather of natural farming, has passed away on August 16. He became 95 years old. Many people are probably familiar with his books, that were translated to English, Spanish and many other languages. One-Straw Farming is perhaps the best known of Fukuoka-sensei's many works. In 1988 Fukuoka received the Deshikottam Award, India's most prestigious award, and the Philippines' Ramon Magsaysay Award for Public Service. In 1997 he received the Earth Council Award, which honors politicians, businesspersons, scholars, and non-governmental organizations for their contributions to sustainable development.
Fukuoka explains natural farming in his writings: "We can make healthy rice, healthy and rich soil that requires no fertilizer, and have productive soil without tilling if we just accept the fact that such excessive efforts-tilling, application of either organic, chemical fertilizers, or pesticides-has never been necessary A farming method that develops the conditions under which people do not have to do anything--this is what I have been pursuing. After thirty years I finally came to the point where my natural farm could yield, without any effort, virtually as much rice and wheat as typical scientific farms."
Japan For Sustainability: Japanese Farmer-Philosopher Masanobu Fukuoka: Natural Farming Greening the Deserts...
Turning Bike Racks into Works of Art
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 08.17.08
Holy Cow Clothing Opens In Minnesota
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 08.17.08
Image source: Holy Cow Clothing
Holy Cow Company officially launches August 23 & 24, 2008 at the Whole Foods Market Flavorfest 2008 in Chicago where attendees can stroll through and taste-test a plethora of organic and natural foods complete with live music and interactive demonstrations. Offering cute tees and hoodies with simple, environmental themes, Holy Cow aims to offer a product that is healthy for the customer as well as educate customers, asking "Do You Know Where Your Clothing Is Grown?"
What makes Holy Cow so excited about their new line and what allows them to ask that question? Well, they can trace all of their "pieces back to their organic farm-fed origin." How can Holy Cow track each garment? Well, using a 9-digit tracking number, each piece is given its own individual identity. (Note: Icebreaker also launched a similar tracking plan for its apparel). Who cares about garment-tracking? Well, Holy Cow reports that over 90% of the customers purchasing a tee come back online to check out the personal story of their item - meaning customers really are getting educated on the environmental conditions of clothing manufacturing. You can access the tracker by checking out their blog....
Will Engineering a "Flexi-bee" Save Colonies from Collapse?
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08.17.08
While there remains some discussion over the exact cause of the mysterious epidemic -- known as "colony collapse disorder" (CCD) -- that has been decimating the U.S. honeybee population, most entomologists now believe the varroa mite, a parasite that makes bees more susceptible to disease, is implicated.
Because of its relative isolation, Australia has so far been spared CCD's reach. That could all change very soon, however, according to scientists from the country's top research institution. ...
Los Angeles Doubles Fines for Water Wasters
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 08.17.08
Image from shredded77
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. In an effort to clamp down on Angelenos' profligate water use, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has just signed an ordinance doubling the penalties for residents who repeatedly flout the city's Drought Buster rules, reports the LAT's David Zahniser. The new law includes several commonsense provisions -- residents are barred from hosing down their driveways unless there's a public safety issue and are prohibited from watering their lawns when it rains -- and a few more stringent restrictions. ...
Vertical Wind Turbines May Get A Chance On Malmö City Rooftops
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 08.17.08
Malmö wants its solar and wind installations to be visible to city residents - Sege City, featured here, is a 166 kW solar rooftop.
Two neighborhoods in Sweden's third-largest city, Malmö, will try out a number of small-scale rooftop wind turbines this fall to see which type of wind-driven device will get the most bang for the buck, while not bothering the neighbors with too much noise.
Vertical turbines quieter
Sweden's Housing Development Agency Boverket has contributed about US $50,000 to the project's overall $100,000 budget. That doesn't buy all that many turbines. QuietRevolution, which makes a helical 6 kW turbine installed mostly in the UK at sites such as Ashenden House and Rialto Homes in Croyden, costs about $65,000 (in other words, more than half the budget). On the other hand, the 1 kW Windspire costs only about $4,000 though it has about a 20-year payback. A conventional 1kW x900 from Spain's Joliet Wind Turbines runs about $5,000.
Malmö also has Sweden's highest concentration of solar installations
Malmö has already done a lot to become a carbon neutral city - Grist ranks it as the 4th greenest city globally after Reykjavik, Portland and Curitiba, Brazil. Many of the 4,000 square meters of solar thermal collectors and 2,500 meters of PV solar are installed in Western Harbour and Hyllie, the two new areas of town that will try out the rooftop turbines. Malmö is aiming to reduce its CO2 emissions 25 percent by 2012 based on 1992 baselines, and the rooftop turbines project is meant to help with that goal. Via ::NyTeknik
Read more on Malmö:
Futuristic Apartment Tower Lit By Motion-Sensing LEDs...
