- 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 September 21, 2008 - September 27, 2008
Total this week: 217
Gear Head Alert: How To Hack An Engine Into The Green Zone
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 09.27.08
The results of the laboratory and road tests verifying that this simple device can boost gas mileage was published in Energy & Fuels, a bi-monthly journal published by the American Chemical Society. “We expect the device will have wide applications on all types of internal combustion engines, present ones and future ones,” Tao wrote in the published study, “Electrorheology Leads to Efficient Combustion.”There are other "green" benefits, as well. ...
Banking On Sustainability: e3bank To Offer New Kind Of Bank In Philadelphia Area, Where It All Began
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 09.27.08
Thousands of main streets have banks which resemble the one pictured here. Many of you will recognize the one like it in your town, with it's massive marble plates and columns. The design was intended to impart an air of permanence and/or to resemble the graphical depictions on coins or bills. For a picture of the literal First Bank of the United States in Philadelphia, where this tradition likely began in the USA, look here.
Many old downtown banks in the USA lie empty now, or have been repositioned to other uses, such as the one pictured above, on Main Street in Collinsville Illinois. In spite of the growing popularity of online banking, many newly-built banks have continued on this archaic path: building "Ducks" that are far more detached from the nature of the services being offered and from natural capital then when the many marble-fronted banks on main were built in the 1920's and 30's. Conclusion: to make banks and civilization sustainable, "re-regulation" and LEED aren't enough.
Suppose one were to set out to create a brand new kind of bank: dedicated to driving sustainability principles into the fundamental institutions of society. How would that be done? We asked someone who is part of a team doing just that: Sandy Wiggins, LEED AP Principal, Consilience LLC, and Chair, e3bank. See our interview with Sandy below the fold....
Arctic Just Witnessed Fastest August Ice Retreat in History
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 09.27.08
Images from NSIDC
While we may have narrowly avoided setting a new record high in Arctic ice loss this year, it look as though we may have still hit a dubious milestone: achieving the fastest rate of melting during a four-week period in August than at any time in recent history. Between August 1 and August 31, sea ice declined at a rate of 32,700 square miles per day compared to a rate of roughly 24,400 square miles per day last year. The historical average for that period is 19,700 square miles per day.
As Matthew noted in a recent post, we barely missed passing the record set last year. According to the U.S. National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC), sea ice covered around 4.5 million square kilometers at its lowest point on September 12; by comparison, sea ice covered 4.1 million square kilometers the same time last year. ...
Public Transportation Day in Israel: Stuck in Traffic
by Jesse Fox, Tel Aviv, Israel on 09.27.08
A competition for the title of 'fastest mode of transportation' in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. (Photo by Omer Cohen.)
September 23 was "Public Transportation Day" in Israel, the Holy Land's answer to European Mobility Week and World Carfree Day. In honor of the event, local green groups organized a professional conference and a 6km drag race in Tel Aviv between different modes of transportation.
Israel's three major cities - Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Haifa - are all in the process of developing mass transit systems. However, no small amount of acrimony has developed around the process, as Jerusalem's light rail system has bogged down into enormous delays and cost overruns, and Tel Aviv's mythical subway project proceeds at a snail's pace while traffic and air pollution increase exponentially. ...
Second Growth: William Stranger's Art Installation “Invokes the Life Cycle of a Tree”
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 09.27.08
Image courtesy of Pasadena Museum of California Art
Second Growth, First Class Art
An exhibition by William Stranger opens tomorrow at the Pasadena Museum of California Art, and it'll focus on the life cycle, and post-life activity, of trees. The primary idea is to give discarded tree parts a second life—and therefore the exhibit will feature pieces made mostly from salvaged and neglected materials....
Scraper Bikes: Cycling in Style
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 09.27.08
Recognizing World Rivers Day: The Events and Origins of an Eco Holiday
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 09.27.08
Photo: Danny Catt
Tomorrow, September 28th, is World Rivers Day—and it’s an opportunity for people around the world to celebrate and enjoy their waterways, encourage river restoration, and to promote awareness to the problems river ecosystems face today. ...
Paul Newman 1925-2008
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.27.08
Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke
People didn't take him seriously as an actor because of his looks and his blue eyes. "I picture my epitaph," he once said. "Here lies Paul Newman, who died a failure because his eyes turned brown." But he was a success in film and in business, building Newman's Own, a company with the motto: "Shameless Exploitation in Pursuit of the Common Good" making all-natural organic food and donating all of the money to charity- $250 million so far. Paul Newman, dead at 83. Longer obit to follow on Planet Green. ::IHT
Paul Newman in TreeHugger:
Paul Newman & Michel Nischan Open Organic Restaurant
Newman ’s Own Organics ...
Clean Tech Investors Say To Industry There Is No Bubble
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.27.08
Wall Street Photo Credit: Phillie Casablanca
Some of the most notable investors in clean technology were present at West Coast Green 2008 to talk about the state of clean tech investing.
Speakers included Paul Holland, General Partner of Foundation Capital, Trae Vassallo, Partner with Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Fahri Diner, Managing Director of Sigma Partners, and Raj Atluru, Managing Director of Draper Fisher Jurvetson.
During a small panel, they shared where they think clean tech is going....
Al Gore Speaks at West Coast Green 2008
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.27.08
Al Gore was the keynote speaker for this final day of West Coast Green.
WCG is a convention to which major innovators in green technology come together to share ideas. Of course, at the center would be someone as influential to the movement as Gore.
Quotes from the speech and photos after the jump....
Green Science Museum Opens in San Francisco: Living, Blooming Design Has the City in Awe
by Alex Smith, San Francisco, California on 09.27.08
Grand Opening of the California Academy of Sciences
Today San Francisco's California Academy of Sciences re-opened in a new awe-inspiring green building. With a two-plus acre green roof resting atop a natural history museum, planetarium and rainforest, Renzo Piano's design is an incredible exploration into the meeting of art and science. More on the Academy and pictures of the new building below the fold....
WIRED NextFest 2008 Sneak Peek (Part 5)
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.27.08
WIRED NextFest 2008 in Chicago
Here is the 5th and final part of our NextFest preview. The show is opening today in Millenium Park in Chicago.
We will have posts with more details about each of the green exhibits during the next week.
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Coca-Cola’s Fleet of Hybrid Electric Delivery Trucks Hits Miami
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 09.27.08
Photos by Jorge R. Perez: Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, left
Coke's Hybrid Delivery Truck Armada
Adding to the 132 hybrid trucks it already has in circulation across the nation, green (ish) going Coca Cola deployed 10 more to the Miami area last week. The new grand total of 142 evidently makes them the largest “heavy-duty hybrid-electric delivery fleet in North America.”...
The Week in the Huffington Post Vol.2: A Culture of Recession
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.27.08
Taking a Cue from the Canadian Election's Focus on Climate ChangeImagine for a minute an election in which green issues like carbon taxes and renewable energy take center stage -- an election in which 60 percent of voters recently made clear that climate change will be a top issue, or even the issue, guiding their ballot. Sound far-fetched? ::Jeremy Jacquot
'Culture of Recession' to a Culture of Abundance
Famed prognosticator Faith Popcorn says we've already been living in a culture of recession for the last few months - and finding "creative, innovative and even desperate ways to manage [our] lives in new ways." According to Faith, though it's a painful process, we'll probably all emerge the better for it." ::Graham Hill
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Bono, Edun Live, and CBS Team Up To Make Organic “Survivor” T-Shirts in Africa
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 09.27.08
Image courtesy of CBS
Oh, Bono—is there anything you can’t do? This time, the world famous rock star/hip philanthropist/sunglasses sporting all-around-do-gooder has entered into a deal between his company, Edun Live, and CBS Products to help stimulate employment growth in Sub-Saharan Africa (and, of course, to promote the upcoming show Survivor: Gabon). ...
The Week in the Huffington Post: It's the Economy, Stupid
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.27.08
Obama Needs to Make His Environmental Agenda All About the Economy
While it may seem a bit dated (and overdone) now, Bill Clinton's winning 1992 campaign slogan, "It's the economy, stupid," has never felt more relevant. With the number of unemployed on the rise and house prices still in free-fall in many parts of the country, the American consumer is feeling the pinch like never before.:: Jeremy Jacquot
"lend them money and you get a rabble instead of a thrifty working class"
We all live in Pottersville Now
Usually when governments nationalize an industry they have a plan. Now that WIRED NextFest 2008 Sneak Peek (Part 4)
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.27.08
WIRED NextFest 2008 in Chicago
Here is part 4 of our NextFest preview. The show is opening to the public today in Millenium Park.
We will have posts with more details about each of the green exhibits during the next week....
Snow Country: Taking The Train To Japan's Remote Regions
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 09.27.08
Photo from The Mainichi
Today, we had the first snow of the year at Mt Tateyama in Toyama prefecture, northwest of Tokyo. The Japanese Alps are a long mountain range with many peaks over 3,000 meters of still active volcanos. It reminds me of author Yasunari Kawabata's masterpiece Snow Country where he describes visits to these parts of the country by train, through long tunnels linking the west coast to Tokyo.
"The train came out of the long tunnel into the snow country," is the famous first line of the novel. Today, Japan invests heavily in its railroads, with the Shinkansen running since 1964, the smooth-as-silk Nozomi bullet trains at your hourly service linking Tokyo and Osaka, and for the future: Kawasaki's new efSET (environmentally friendly Super Express Train). Some tracks are still diesel, while 71% are electrified, as we saw in the post It's Time to Electrify the Railroads....
Green Jobs Now Day of Action: America is Ready For a New Green Economy
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 09.27.08
If you build it, they will come – and today certainly is one of those days when people of diverse backgrounds are coming together for the Green Jobs Now National Day of Action to say one thing: that people are ready to build the new “green economy” – and that American leaders should meet them halfway. With over six hundred grassroots events being organized by environmental, labor and community organizations all over the United States, the day’s activities aim to mobilize communities to “tackle the climate crisis by building a green economy strong enough to lift people out of poverty” – whether it’s through “green jobs” that cannot be outsourced (weatherizing, solarizing and retrofitting buildings, etc.) or through retraining programs. To participate, you can read on to find an event near you. ...
Bush Administration Says No to $70 Million Salmon Disaster Relief but Yes to $700 Billion Bailout
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 09.26.08
Image from NOAA
It's all a matter of perspective. While it may seem like a small -- laughably small even -- amount of money when compared to the massive $700 billion Treasury Secretary Paulson desperately wants to unload on Wall Street, $70 million is simply too much to ask for when it comes to salmon disaster relief, as The Fish Sniffer's (yes, that's the newspaper's name) Dan Bacher found out. As you'll recall, the Pacific Fishery Management Council, faced with a drastic decline in the Central Valley's salmon population, voted a few months ago to recommend the closure of fishing operations -- prompting Governor Schwarzenegger to declare a state of emergency.
California state officials estimated that the drastic move would cost the state upwards of $255 million and roughly 2,263 jobs. Oregon, which was also hard-hit by the salmon fishery closures, also expects significant revenue and job losses. To help alleviate the states' pain, the Bush administration announced that it would provide $170 million in relief funding for affected fishermen and businesses. At least that's what it said at the time. ...
Urban Re:Visions's Re:Construct Competition Winners Announced at West Coast Green 2008
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.26.08
Urban Re:Vision is a San Francisco-based, internationally partnered sustainability group whose main focus is finding fresh ideas and ways to look at building and design, so that we can radically alter how we construct our world and make it sustainable and eco-friendly.
They’ve launched a series of five competitions that look at energy, transportation, economy, urban planning and building materials. All of these competitions will lead to a revamp of six square blocks in a major city utilizing the ideas generated by the winners of each category.
The winners of Re:Construct, the building materials arm of the project, have been announced today here at West Coast Green. The three winners have presented some very cool angles for sustainable construction. ...
WIRED NextFest 2008 Sneak Peek (Part 3)
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.26.08
WIRED NextFest 2008 in Chicago
Here's part 3 of our sneak peek at NextFest.
See also part 1 and part 2....
College Students Find Semester in the Wild an Eye-Opening Experience
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 09.26.08
If you’ve been wondering where you can spend a semester of college sleeping among the trees and finding a way to discover how much you don’t need to buy to be happy, then St. Lawrence College in NY has just what you’ve been looking for, complete with bleach to treat the water from Lake Massawepie....
WIRED NextFest 2008 Sneak Peek (Part 2)
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.26.08
WIRED NextFest 2008 in Chicago
Here is part 2 of our sneak peek, going inside the tent!
Part 1 of the WIRED NextFest 2008 sneak peek can be found here....
WIRED NextFest 2008 Sneak Peek (Part 1)
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.26.08
WIRED NextFest Chicago 2008
Today was a press day for WIRED NextFest in Chicago. It officially opens to the public tomorrow. If you are in the area and are considering checking it out, this preview might help convince you.
Sneak Peek One Day Before it Opens to the Public
Much more details about the exhibits will be posted on TreeHugger in the next few days days, but for now, here's a taste (this is part 1, stay tuned for more) of what NextFest will be like. Read on for many photos......
Millions May Gain Access to Clean Water After Clinton Global Initiative ‘Mega-Commitment’
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.26.08
photo: Pierre Holtz for UNICEF | hdptcar.net
Though the issue of clean water and sanitation hasn’t made it onto the environmental radar of late as much as equally critical issues such as global warming, renewable energy or tropical deforestation, it is one of monumental significance. The statistics alone are staggering: 2.6 billion people in the world lack access to sanitary toilet facilities and 1.1 billion people have no access to safe drinking water; diarrhea is the number two killer of children under age 5 in the world, ten times greater than malaria and HIV combined.
Addressing this issue is one of the most important commitments made at this year’s Clinton Global Initiative's annual meeting, the so-called “Water & Sanitation Mega-Commitment”: ...
An In-Depth Look At Harbinger, West Coast Green 2008's Showhouse
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.26.08
This year, West Coast Green is focusing intently on the building industry and innovations that green it up. We gave you some sneak peek photos of the house on Wednesday, but now you can check out some great video footage that provides an in-depth look at the incredibly eco-friendly showhouse, Harbinger.
More on Harbinger:
Sneak Peek at the Showhouse in West Coast Green 2008
More on West Coast Green:
West Coast Green 2008 Goes Solar Powered with SolaRover
The Reclaimer Diverts Lumber From Near-Capacity Landfills
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Happy Birthday to TreeHugger Founder Graham Hill! Give Him What He Wants (UPDATED)
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 09.26.08
TreeHugger's founder Graham Hill Online Carpooling Connections Get Easier With PickUpPal
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.26.08
I'm here at West Coast Green 2008, a huge conference on green innovation. But the funny thing about conferences is the massive carbon footprint they create. Those running WCG have gone to great lengths to reduce the carbon footprint of the event, and that includes hooking up with PickupPal, a carpooling connection website.
Starting up a carpool is an awesome way to reduce a footprint. But what if you're in an area where you don't know anyone and you want to get around more greenly, like, ahem, at a gigantic conference? That's where PickupPal steps in. ...
AmIGreenOrNot Online Community Breeds Green Camaraderie and Competition
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.26.08
Social networking is quickly becoming the way we operate today, including green living. Websites that let people talk with one another to get ideas on how to live more greenly and support one another in their decisions are part of this new way of life.
And of course a part of that can be some friendly competition to see who is greener. AmIGreenorNot is a brand new website - still in beta mode - that asks just that question of you. ...
How Many 'Bogus Coal Moments' Will There Be At Tonight's US Presidential Debate?
by Greg Haegele of Sierra Club on 09.26.08
The coal industry wants to buy your love.
Having sponsored nearly every debate in the presidential primaries, the coal industry is stepping up its $40 million election advertising bombardment starting today with an ad blitz of the upcoming general election debates.
The Sierra Club's national coal campaign director, Bruce Nilles, just let me know that his team will be watching the debates like a hawk, keeping an eye out for "bogus coal moments" and ferreting out their attempts to spread misinformation.
That's where you come in. Sign up to receive a mobile alert when a "bogus coal moment" occurs during the debates. Get "real time" alerts via a mobile reality-check text message every time the coal industry tries to spread more lies. You can either use our online form to sign up or, heh, text DIRTY to 69866 using your mobile phone....
6 Eco-Cleaning Kits, Miso Soup and How to Go Green: Commuting
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 09.26.08
:: Pick up one of Jasmin's top 6 green cleaning supply kits.
:: Warm up with a hot mug of Miso soup.
:: Learn how to make your commute as low-impact as possible....
The Reclaimer Diverts Lumber From Near-Capacity Landfills
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.26.08
The Reclaimer provides a modest but very special service to the people of Los Angeles. They avert about 100,000 board feet of quality lumber from landfills each month, and resell the lumber to builders.
LA landfills are only about five years away from capacity. And about half a billion board feet of lumber each year take up a portion of that space. While The Reclaimer averts only a small amount of that lumber, it is quality, useable wood that not only stays out of landfills but also prevents the need to cut down trees. ...
Fake Lawns Are Getting More Eco-Friendly
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.26.08
Lawns are a waste of water and space for the most part. And when living in drought stricken places like California, lawns seem even more wasteful. However, they’re attractive, a soft surface to play on, and keep dust down.
To try and provide the good parts of a lawn without the bad, ForeverLawn has created a very realistic fake grass. Not just one, but twelve versions that are specific to various user needs.
At first glance at ForeverLawn's booth at West Coast Green, I have to admit I rolled my eyes. Visions of Astroturf, neon green hard surfaces, wasted petroleum and carbon emissions flashed before me. But I had to ask about it and I’m glad I did. ...
Flashlight Uses Hybrid Solar and Battery Power
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.26.08
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This very cool light-weight flashlight caught my eye at the West Coast Green tradeshow. It is a hybrid device that makes solar powered flashlights far more reliable. The solar charger on the side of the handle uses solar or indoor lighting to charge up. But it has a couple cool tricks that make it the perfect emergency or camping companion. ...
Synthetic CO2 Scrubbers, Hydrogen Microcabs and A Tree-Powered Sensor
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 09.26.08
:: Could synthetic trees be used as CO2 scrubbers?
:: The UK's University of Birmingham test drives 5 hydrogen Microcabs.
:: A new system developed by Voltree Power uses the energy from trees to help prevent forest fires.
:: BIll McKibben accounces his support of San Francisco's Clean Energy Act.
:: EcoLibris reviews green children's book, Butt Ugly by Lynn Montgomery.
Most Huggable is a regular roundup of some of Hugg's top green news stories. Why not submit your own green news?...
Watermill Pulls Water From Air Without Wasting Energy
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.26.08
The inner guts of Element Four's Watermill
With the West in a water crisis, it's not surprising to see a machine that pulls water from ambient air at West Coast Green. The concept itself is nothing new. However, these kinds of machines tend to require a ton of energy. Of course there are camping/emergency dew-catching versions that require no energy at all, but they also aren’t practical for the average family home.
Element Four has developed the Watermill to address the issues of energy use for creating water, and has implemented a technology that takes the guessing out of just how much water can be made. ...
Bike To Work Pants: Now You See Me, Now You Don't
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 09.26.08
Night Lights Become Office Ordinary
This is one of those fun products that just makes you smile. From Lindland's Cordarounds, the makers of horizontal corduroy for guys, comes the Superman of commuting apparel, By day mind mannered, hard working, office compatible, cotton chino pants. But by night - flashy, 'Look at Me!, Look at Me!' cycling attire. More details and images below the fold.
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The Wind’s Blowing Offshore in Rhode Island: New Project Will Meet 15% of State’s Electric Needs
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.26.08
photo: Phil Thomas
Though it’s been slow to pick up momentum, the inertia which has prevented the United States from tapping into its offshore wind power potential seems finally to be overcome. Compared to Europe the US lags far behind, but a slow trickle of offshore wind projects have been announced of late. Delaware has an offshore wind farm in development, New York City may be developing one off of Long Island, and now Rhode Island has indicated that it too may be getting in on the act: ...
San Francisco Signs Onto Green Civic Center Plan
by Alex Smith, San Francisco, California on 09.26.08
An Artist's Rendering of the Green Civic Center
San Francisco, just recently ranked the second greenest city in the US, forged a partnership yesterday with the Clinton Global Initiative to green the city's Civic Center....
Handcuffs, Butts, And Citizen Science
by Earthwatch Institute on 09.26.08
Imagine a shout-out-loud freakin’ gorgeous blue Saturday at the ocean, powdery soft sand dunes, gentle shushing waves…and 6 million tons of garbage. See the blonde babe in tight jeans strolling along the beach with her elegant Italian greyhound, lugging an enormous, yellow trash bag and jotting down figures on a data sheet. Imagine hundreds of thousands of volunteers on coastlines all over the globe doing the same thing.
International Coastal Cleanup Day. Third Saturday in September, every single year since 1986. >From Trinidad to Russia, Ecuador to Egypt, people are falling in love with their beaches all over again. Earthwatch joined this year’s action by teaming up with Ocean Conservancy, a sister organization paralleling what we and our scientists do: research, education, and science-based advocacy to support a healthy planet....
On World Rivers Day, Take Time To Appreciate What Rivers Give Us
by Rebecca Wodder, American Rivers on 09.26.08
September 28th is World Rivers Day -- a great opportunity to stop and appreciate the many benefits rivers give us, our families, our communities, our businesses, and to the broader environment. The United States has more than 250,000 rivers -- that’s 3.5 million miles of rivers. Consider how rivers touch your own life. Rivers give us drinking water. Rivers are places to learn and explore. Rivers give us time with family and friends. Rivers give us recreational adventures. Rivers are beautiful landscapes where the wild things are. These waters are the lifeblood of the land and our communities.
Healthy rivers mean healthy people
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Mottainai! "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" Gets Ethical in Japan and Beyond
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 09.26.08
There are some words that are difficult to translate across languages, and mottainai is one of them. But author Mariko Shinju's gives it a shot with the English translation of her book Mottainai Grandma, which teaches kids the basics of the 3Rs, but also tries to instill in still them a deep respect for the value of caring about why they matter; that is, teaching them mottainai. Nobel Peace Prize winner Waangari Matthai is a fan of the concept, and is campaigning to coin the term internationally. Below the fold, both Shinju and Matthai explain the concept of term, of why it's so apt for today's eco-movement.
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Trying To Save Lehmann Brothers, Top UK Banker Arrives by G-Wiz Electric Vehicle
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 09.26.08
Photo credit: The Times
Unconventional Green Arrival at Bid to Save Lehman Brothers
If being popular is important to you, it’s fair to say that now is not the best time to be the head of a major financial institution. But imagine how much more popular many Wall Street execs would be if they showed signs of personal ethics and, dare we say it, thriftiness. Take Sir Victor Blank, for example – chairman of UK-based Lloyds TSB, who turned up to an emergency meeting to set up a £12.2bn (US$24bn) deal to try to save the Lehman Brothers, not in a Rolls Royce or a limousine, but in that teeny electric vehicle that’s so often graced the pages of this blog, the G-Wiz. Of course the thing was chauffeur-driven, but the man’s got to have some luxuries. And it turns out that Sir Blank’s environmental credentials don’t end there. More from The Times:...
Super Foods--Now in Powder Form!
by Sara Novak, Columbia, SC on 09.26.08
photo: Navitas Naturals
Eco-health nuts listen up; you can now get your super foods like acai, hemp, and sprouted flax seed in the form of a powder. Truthfully, I never know whether it's all in my head or not, but when I indulge in a super food snack like goji and acai berries, I feel invincible. I'm all of the sudden healthier and more vibrant. Ok, so I'm not completely sure if a drop of flax seed in my morning smoothie will instantaneously turn me into superwoman, but who cares as long as it makes my morning a little brighter? ...
New Museum of Arts and Design Opens With Second Lives
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.26.08
Edward Durell Stone's later works were mostly embarrassments, including the lollipop building for the Huntington Hartford Museum on Columbus Circle in New York City. Controversially, it was recycled into the new Museum of Arts and Design by Brad Cloepfil. It is appropriate that the opening show should also be about Second Lives. ...
Cyclecraft Recycled Bike Art Show Tonight in Brooklyn
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 09.26.08
Art inspired by a passion for the bicycle and using recycled parts; Youth Art Show and Reception
In participation with the 2008 DUMBO Art Under the Bridge Festival, Recycle-A-Bicycle hosting its second annual recycled bike art show and reception, featuring various pieces made by NYC youth. All art work either incorporates recycled bike parts or is inspired by bicycling. Works include sculpture, painting and tapestry. This show is curated by the artist, Pasqualina Azzarello, in conjunction with Recycle-A-Bicycle, that nifty organization that NYC can't do without! Watch this video to see Recycle-A-Bicycle working their magic. The above painting is by bicycle artist Taliah Lempert, check out her amazing canvases here....
Survey: Are You NIMBY about Nukes?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.26.08
When we first wrote about Hyperion's prefab portable hot tub-sized nuclear reactors, we were not convinced, tending to agree with the Los Alamos scientist who said: “This whole idea is loony and not worthy of too much attention.” Yet Matt has written since that Hyperion Power Generation Sells Someone on Portable Nuclear Power and Portable Backyard Nuclear Reactors Ready to be Installed by 2013. So maybe it is not so loony.
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At London Design Festival, the Thonet Project
by Bonnie Alter, London on 09.26.08
Thonet chairs are the classic and quintessential french cafe chair. We have been looking at them in french films, paintings and restaurants forever. Particularly the No.14--it was created in 1862, and by 1930 almost 50 million had been sold. Le Corbusier said "Never has anything been created more elegant and better in its conception, more precise in its execution, and more excellently functional."
The bentwood chair frames have lasted forever but the seats, made of cane, are the weakest link and often need replacement. Finding six old chairs in a basement, all in need of new seats, was the inspiration for The Thonet Project. Six designers set out to explore replacement seat solutions, which developed into an examination of the re-use and recycling of consumer goods in our world. More pictures after the fold......
Beauty Lab: Simple Basics Acne Skin Care Set
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 09.25.08
Photo credit: Simple Basics at Etsy
As someone who suffers from adult acne way, way after my metaphorical braces have come off, I've tried just about every kind of acne-fighting formula known to mankind, including, I'm afraid to say, some pretty hard stuff, all with varying results. So I was incredibly surprised to find an anti-acne regimen that not only dispenses with most of the chemical goobledegook, but which actually works once you give it some time. ...
US Forest Products Industry Nervous About Biomass-Fueled Generators
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 09.25.08
A biomass-burning power plant in Scotland. Image credit:EcoWarrior, Biomass Burner.
Wood-Fired Electricity; What's Not To Like?
Create new incentives for a massive industry to compete for a primary natural resource - trees in this case - and costs for existing consumers of trees will go up, as will adverse environmental impacts. Check out the title of this news release which appeared today on PR Newswire (via Yahoo): New RISI Biomass Study Finds Government Renewable Energy Mandates Would Lead to Unsustainable Harvests.
Seeing The Fuel For The Trees: An Upside Down View Of Forests
Is the pulp and paper industry going all tree-hugger over biomass burning power plants? Will lumbermen stand and defend the stands? Not quite. But, an industry market report on the future of biomass burning begins to address a critical question: what are the unintended consequences of biomass burning? Corn-base ethanol all over again?...
LA Gallery Supports Environmental Art
by Marissa Moss, Manhattan (Lower East Side) on 09.25.08
A brushstroke can’t repair the ozone, but a local Venice, CA gallery is helping artists come close. ...
Chris Jordan Puts Consumer Waste In Perspective Through Photography at West Coast Green 2008
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.25.08
One of the images shown by Chris Jordan at West Coast Green 2008 Keynote. Image Credit: Chris Jordan.
Chris Jordan knows that we can't begin to tackle the amount of waste we create because we can't begin to wrap our heads around the numbers. We can't begin to wrap our heads around the numbers because they're too large for us to comprehend.
To help us understand, and therefore act on reducing our consumption and waste, Jordan does a unique and amazing thing through his photography. He shows us the numbers, literally. He presented many of his photographs at the keynote presentation today at West Coast Green....
West Coast Green 2008 Gets Off To A Great Start: Keynote Address Includes San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.25.08
The view of WCG tradeshow floor from press box.
Helping to open up West Coast Green is San Jose Mayor Chuck Reed.
San Jose is a city on its way to becoming the most sustainable city in the nation through its Green Vision plan. Mayor Reed is highly involved in making San Jose stand out through meeting its goals, and hosting West Coast Green is just one action. ...
Wal-Mart Goes on a Plastic Diet: 9 Million Plastic Bags to Be Eliminated From Waste Stream
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.25.08
photo: Jim
Another significant environmental commitment coming out of the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting comes from an seemingly unlikely paring: The Environmental Defense Fund and Wal-Mart.
Announced in the Metropolitan Ballroom by President Bill Clinton, who was keen to point out the odd-couple nature of the situation, the Global Plastic Shopping Bag Commitment stands to make a serious dent in the plastic shopping bag waste by big box mega-retailer Wal-Mart. How much waste will be avoided:...
3,500 MW of Green Power in India, China to be Developed by Suzlon Green Power
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.25.08
photo: Nivedita Kashyap
One of the commitments made at this year’s Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting is one with significant implications for the development of renewable energy in the developing world. Suzlon Green Power, owned by the Tanti family (of Suzlon Energy fame) has announced that it will be bringing 3,500 megawatts of green power over the next five years, at a total cost of $5 billion, to nearly 10 million people in the developing world, primarily in India and China. Tulsi Tanti had this to say of the commitment:...
GM to Build the Volt's 1.4L Engine in Flint and Double Production of Small 4-Cylinder Engines by 2011
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.25.08
Small Displacement Engines are In
We now know what the GM Volt will looks like, and what type of engine will act as a range-extender, but until now we didn't know where that engine would be made. GM now announced that it wants to double its production of small (1.0 liter to 1.4 liter) four-cylinder engines by 2011. The first investment will be $370 million to build a new manufacturing plant in Flint, Michigan.
Read on for more details....
Santa Clara's University Buys 11,256 Megawatt-Hours of Clean Energy
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.25.08
Over 1/3 of the University's Electricity Use
ideally, higher education establishments should show the way and be at the forefront of societal changes. These days, one way to do that is by going green (or at least greener). The #1 among universities for wind power usage is still the University of Pennsylvania, but Santa Clara's University is doing its part: It just announced the purchase of 11,256 megawatt hours of renewable energy, "equal to the annual output of three and a half large-scale wind turbines", or over 1/3 of the University's electricity use.
Read on for more details....
The New York Times Gets Green Inc., Inhabitat Goes to Church, Ethical Weddings Show in London, and More
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 09.25.08
Ethical Weddings: Inspiration for an ethical wedding at the National Wedding Show by Katie Fewings. "Glam green brides have long been able to get their eco chic wedding fix online but now we’re joining forces with Green Guide to bring our top ethical knot tying tips to a wider audience at The National Wedding Show this Friday 26th, Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th September at Earls Court in London."
Inhabitat: SOM’s Stunning Cathedral of Christ the Light by Bridgette Steffen
"Throughout time, cathedrals have signified some of the human race’s most awe-inspiring architectural endeavors. Continuing this trend, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill recently completed construction on their incredible Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland."...
Portable Backyard Nuclear Reactors Ready to be Installed by 2013
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.25.08
image: Hyperion Power
Back in August the news broke that Hyperion Power Generation had found someone to buy the first of its portable nuclear power units. While I’m sure many doubts about this technology remain in people’s minds, a recent interview with Hyperion CEO John Deal sheds some more light on the whole notion of portable nuclear power. Here are some highlights from Techrockies:...
Sustainable Fall Fabrics, Homemade Pizza and 5 Cheap Ways to Green Your Pad
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 09.25.08
:: Ever heard of milk fabric? Get the scoop on new eco-chic fall fabrics.
:: Get friends or family together for a make-your-own pizza night.
:: Green your home for under $100....
One Man's Mission: Not Throwing Any Trash 'Away' For 365 Days
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.25.08
365 Days of Trash
David Chameides is an Emmy winning cameraman (you can see the shows he has worked on at IMDB), but he's also a man on a mission. On his blog, 365 Days of Trash, he has been documenting his special year. Why special? Because he decided not to take out the trash anymore.
Read on for more about Dave's experiment....
Giant Mechanical Snakes Create Electricity from Waves in Portugal
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.25.08
One Way to Conserve Jet Fuel: Pack Less Stuff
by Eliza Barclay, Washington, D.C. on 09.25.08
The Ultimate Guide to Sustainable Travel in a recent issue of National Geographic Traveler is chock-full of good tips, but the one we founding most surprising was the amount of jet fuel that can be saved by packing fewer items in your suitcase.
According to Thomas Kostigen, author of The Green Book, every additional ten pounds per traveler requires an additional 350 million gallons of jet fuel per year. Kostigen says that's enough fuel to keep a 747 flying continuously for ten years. Click through for a few tips on how to pack light and reduce your suitcase's load......
Starving Polar Bears Turning to Cannibalism
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.25.08
Where Did My Ice Go?
Summer's over, and arctic researchers have another bad report from up North: The Arctic sea ice dwindled to its second lowest level. We are still losing ice at a rate of 10% per decade, quite an increase from 5 years ago. We are still heading toward an ice cover that is going to melt completely in the summertime in the Arctic.
Cannibals
It is so bad that some polar bears are even resorting to cannibalism....
China's First Zero-Emissions Building: Ningbo's Sustainable Energy Technology Center
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 09.25.08
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, says a Chinese proverb. One journey within China's green building quest now begins in Zhejiang province, with the Sustainable Energy Technology Center at the University of Nottingham Ningbo (CSET) -- the first "zero emission" building in China. Designed by Mario Cucinella Architects (MCA), the strikingly angular five-story CSET building provides "a living textbook" for research of some of the latest energy efficient technologies. It's estimated that the building will reduce coal use by 448.9 tons and carbon emissions by 1081.8 tons over the next 25 years.
How those numbers were determined, along with much else about the building, remains unclear. (How for instance are the architects and engineers defining "zero emissions"?) What is clear, however, is that China needs low energy emitting buildings. For some evidence of why, check out the (less than clear) sky in the pictures after the jump....
Clinton Global Initiative Highlights: Old World Is Oil, New World Is Renewables
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.25.08
photo: Alex de Carvalho
The Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting is in full swing in New York City. In Thursday morning’s plenary session, Integrated Solutions: Water, Food & Energy, Tom Brokaw moderated a discussion about the entwined issues of water, food and energy. He directed questions towards San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom, Shimon Peres former president of Israel, oil mogul turned wind power evangelist T. Boone Pickens, leader of the Danish Social Democratic Party Helle Thorning-Schmidt, and World Bank President Robert Zoellick. Helle Thorning-Schmidt’s had some interesting comments on achieving energy independence, looking beyond the short-term, and just how far the market can go...
...
Ponoko's Photomake: If You Can Draw It, They Can Make It
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 09.25.08
Ponoko has always been about devising creative ways to make things you want. With their platform based on downloadable design and mass customization, you can get exactly what you need -- the best color, the right size -- and it doesn't have to come off the slow boat from China. All you needed was a design and a computer.
But with Photomake, their newest feature that just launched yesterday, you don't even need a design any more; you just need a picture. If you can draw it, or take a photo of it, they can create it for you. And, Ponoko has a special deal, just for TreeHugger readers, but you have to hurry: it only applies to the first 100 who respond. Read on for details....
Starbucks Stores Distribute "CO2 World" GOOD Sheet
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 09.25.08
If you're at the local Starbucks and find some knowledge dropped on you about atmospheric CO2, look no further than the good folks at the GOOD integrated media platform. "CO2 World" is the first of a series of infographics that are being called GOOD Sheets and began appearing at Starbucks stores last week. While the organizers behind the 350 campaign welcome the beautifully designed poster chock full of data, they however have a few qualms about the use of a skull-and-crossbones icon and the omission of some possible next steps to take in the fight to stem global warming....
United Nations Report Projects 8.4 Million Jobs In Solar & Wind By 2030, Plus Green Goods Production Worth US$2.74 Trillion By 2020
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 09.25.08
A just-released report from the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) is projecting US$2.74 Trillion worth of "environmentally friendly" goods will be produced in the world each year - by the year 2020.
Note:print media reports have mistakenly reported the UNEP projection as US$ 2.7 Billion, which would be a ridiculously low number. Thankfully, this writer checked the original source before posting. More on that later.
Although no precision level estimates were found in the media coverage or press release from UNEP it sounds like UNEP has, to some extent, put a micrometer on a green fog bank with these estimates. ...
The TH Interview: Jimmy Wales—Wikifying Green Knowledge (Part One)
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 09.25.08
If Wikipedia is the reincarnation of the encyclopedia, the Wikia family of sites represents the rest of the library—not just the printed pages, but all the side conversations and muffled chatter. At least this is how Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales sees it. Wikia Green is one of the latest additions to this growing family of special interest, wiki-based subworlds. Wales wants readers to be able to dive into Wikia Green to satisfy burning curiosities on green science and technology, DIY, sustainable living, and policy, all while drawing on a knowledge base fashioned after Wikipedia’s model of free licensing and community review. ::TreeHugger Radio Listen to the podcast of this interview via iTunes, or just click here to listen, right-click to download. The music you hear is Ratatat. Full text after the jump....
100 Cinnamon Rolls for a PC: Online Swapping Takes Off in Sweden, Too
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 09.25.08
The Swedish economy hasn't suffered the series of financial hits (yet) of the U.S. market, but high interest rates and shaky confidence have been two factors precipitating a steep decline in Swede's shopping habits predicted this fall, and growth of online bartering or swapping (In Sweden it's called 'swopping').
Apartment swaps popular, followed by clothes and electronics
Especially in big cities such as Stockholm, where housing is increasingly tight, swapping of apartments - usually trades are say from one to two bedrooms - is already a huge barter business advertised in mainstream papers. Now, however, one of the three biggest barter sites, Bytessajten, is taking a piece of that apartment-swap action, with clothes and electronics two other popular trade categories. One woman in Northern Sweden traded 100 freshly baked cinnamon rolls (a national favorite) for a newer used PC when her older computer crashed and couldn't be revived.
Bartering, a fairly recession-proof means of getting goods, is also growing in the U.S. - some Craigslist sites, a CNN article notes, are getting double the listings this year they did in 2007. Food swapping is becoming a growing trend in the UK, too....
UK Hemp Sales Soar: Jamie Oliver, Athletes and Celebrities Catch On
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 09.25.08
UK Hemp Revival in Full Swing
Sara Snow is already an advocate for the environmental and health benefits of hemp, and TreeHugger has covered a huge range of hemp products, from sexy lingerie to hemp carpets and even hemp houses. It looks like the trend is certainly taking off in the UK, with sales of hemp oil up some 100% in the past couple of years. The much touted miracle plant is attracting the attention of movie stars, Jamie Oliver, and of course, the police:
...
Patagonia Salt & Pepper: The Shoe Fits a More Examined Life
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 09.25.08
You might recall our product review on the Patagonia Rum and Cola shoe. Part of the outdoor clothing company’s OutsideIn footwear line that uses am almost glueless outsole construction. I started off skeptical, but soon became a diehard convert, saying in my review that they might just have hit upon the future of footwear.
Well, the range has been extended to now include seven models, though we note that it appears that women are those most switched on to the concept because they get five options, with the guys languishing with just two. This season the line gained a couple of newcomers, the Pita & Hummus, and the Salt & Pepper (pictured above and noted below)....
Agilewaves Shows Off User-Friendly Home Energy Monitoring System at WCG 2008 Showhouse
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.25.08
Image Source: Agilewaves
Home energy monitoring systems are becoming more popular for people who want to see what they're using, and then cut back. With what is hands down the coolest home energy monitoring system I’ve seen to date, Agilewaves is making an impact on turning smart homes into a reality with an interactive, user-friendly utilities monitoring system.
Providing highly detailed, personalized information to homeowners in the simplest forms possible, Agilewaves' evolved monitoring system is helping reduce the useage of water, gas and electricity, and ultimately the carbon footprints of homes, businesses, and even schools.
Shown off at West Coast Green’s demonstration showhouse, I got an up-close look at just how detailed this system can get. ...
Green Power-Generating Gyms Becoming More Common
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.25.08
We have talked about it for years on TreeHugger- the possibility of workout equipment generating electricity instead of consuming it. Now the New York Times covers the subject, noting that:
"Of course, riding a real bike rather than driving a car saves much more energy than riding a stationary bike attached to a generator, said Clark Williams-Derry, research director for the Sightline Institute, an environmental research center in Seattle. Nonetheless, Mr. Williams-Derry said, the human power initiatives “show the kind of ingenuity that we’re capable of, and a comprehensive, smart climate policy would unleash lots of similar efforts.”...
Fire Sprinklers To Be Required In New Houses
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.25.08
Smoke detectors have helped drastically reduce the number of house fires, but 3,000 people still die every year in them, and a house burns every 80 seconds. The environmental costs are high as well, as burning vinyl produces dioxins and other toxic byproducts which are hurting firefighters. We have previously suggested mandatory sprinklers as a big step in building; now the International Code Council has overwhelmingly voted to make fire sprinklers a requirement in new houses and townhouses.
Of course the home builders objected, complaining about the roughly $ 3,500 cost. (people drop that on a granite countertop without thinking but you can't oooh and aaah over a sprinkler head). But as the mother of a fire victim said, "the cost to put sprinklers into the home where my daughter died would have been less than what I had to pay for the flowers at her funeral."...
Animation Shows How Sea Lice From Fish Farms Can Reduce Wild Salmon Population
by Jeff Nield, Vancouver, British Columbia on 09.25.08
Sea Lice on Pink Salmon photo: Alexandra Morton via Watershed Watch
The fact that farmed fish infest wild salmon with sea lice is well documented. But, parasites on fish isn't exactly the sexiest green topic going. Recognizing this, Watershed Watch has created an animation to demonstrate how lice infestations in British Columbia fish farms can jump to the wild salmon population, infecting young fish that are more susceptible to the parasites.
Check it out below. ...
Survey: Has PETA Jumped the Shark?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.25.08
Don't get me wrong, I am totally in favor of ethical treatment of animals. But sometimes PETA takes such extreme actions and makes such over-the-top statements in the interest of gaining publicity for the movement that it perhaps brings it into disrepute and is counterproductive. Their latest stunt, asking Ben and Jerry's to "do consumers and cows a big favor by making the switch to breast milk" is typical.
There are so many ways to convince people not to eat meat or stop testing on animals. How effective are theirs?
...
Crested Ibises Return To Japan's Skies
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 09.25.08
(Photo: Nikkei.co.jp)
Crested ibises have been released into the wild today on Sado Island, marking the return of the birds to Japan's skies for the first time in 27 years. Prince and Princess Akishino joined local residents on Thursday to free the birds who slowly flew over a rice paddy area on the island in the Sea of Japan. The 10 crested ibises (5 male and 5 female) were bred at the conservation center on the island from birds sent from central China.
Japanese crested ibises used to be seen across Japan, according to NHK World:
They became extinct as agricultural chemicals destroyed their food sources. They disappeared from the wild in 1981, when the last 5 were captured for breeding on Sado Island. Residents of Sado have been working to make a friendly environment for the ibises, such as by creating ponds where the birds can catch fish and insects....
London Design Festival: Conceptual KithKin
by Bonnie Alter, London on 09.25.08
We're not really sure what it is--conceptual for sure and worth a smile as well. KithKin is a small loosely associated group of designers (friends and family) that likes to challenge our preconceptions and how we look at things. As they say, design "at its most fun, dangerous and at times even impractical."
Louise Graham takes everyday objects like an egg carton and transforms them. She adds ceramic decoration and makes a plastic milk jug into something beautiful. A butter container gets a flowered porcelain knob. An egg crate has a ceramic base. It's recycling in a different way.
...
LIGHTEN UP lighting solutions by [re]design (Part 1)
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 09.25.08
[re]design, a London-based social enterprise that propagates sustainable actions through design, showed Good & Gorgeous design at the London Design Festival in 2006, a great selection of eco seatings called Sit Up in 2007 and this year they looked at the bright side with an amazing lighting exhibition called Lighten Up.
[re]design invited us to “look beyond the bulb” by exploring the 64 switched-on domestic lighting solutions from the UK in their black tent at 100%Design last week, as part of the London Design Festival. As always, [re]design loves to shed light on the stories behind the products, by not just showing the finished pieces but also their manufacturing process. We found it very inspiring indeed. Carry on reading to discover our best illuminating picks based on a mix of new technologies, aesthetics, materials and interactions....
Highlights from the 1st day of the Clinton Global Initiative
by Bonnie Hulkower, New York, New York on 09.25.08
Former President Bill Clinton seemed happy to be in his role of statesman again on the first day of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) - an event which gathers government leaders, business leaders, rock stars, and sports heroes who work together to implement solutions to world problems. The attendees have demonstrated leadership in one of the 4 CGI target areas: global health, education, energy & climate, and poverty alleviation. Clinton jovially warmed up the crowd by thanking them for braving busy, mid-day New York City traffic, but then quickly grew more somber as he stressed that we are facing disasters of all kinds: hurricanes, earthquakes, financial quakes, energy and food price hikes, and climate change.
...
Debris, Debris, Everywhere You See
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 09.24.08
Image from NOAA
"Out of sight, out of mind": You'll have to forgive me for trotting out such a tired, old cliché, but I can think of few dictums that better capture the catastrophic mindset that helped foster many, if not most, of this past century's worst environmental disasters. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the ocean, where blights like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch have become almost depressingly familiar -- yet another sign of how pervasive marine pollution has become.
Worryingly, a new report released by the National Research Council, entitled "Tracking Marine Debris in the 21st Century," predicts that the problem of marine debris risks becoming much worse over the coming century. Current measures, the report says, have proven insufficient and should be scrapped in favor of a "zero discharge" policy and a better integrated, multi-disciplinary approach to managing existing waste. ...
Sneak Peek Photos of the West Coast Green 2008 Showhouse
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.24.08
Luckily the suspense has been broken for a look at the West Coast Green Showhouse. While the finishing touches are still going up, the majority of the demonstration house is in place. Take a closer look at more of what this house has to offer below the fold....
Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream With Breast Milk?
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 09.24.08
When we shared a satirical advertisement for Human Cheese, sweet and tangy, comments ranged from: - "um.... yeah. thanks, time to go powerwash the inside of my skull" to
- "I love that people are grossed out by this but not by eating products made out of the breast milk of other species" and
- "Honestly I've been boggled for some time now that no one has tried to market human breast milk before."
Friends of the Earth Backs away from Forest Stewardship Council
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 09.24.08
Photo credit: Greenpeace
Original Founders Go Cold on FSC
Generally speaking the environmental community tends to be pretty supportive of Forest Stewardship Council certification – often referred to as the “gold standard” of sustainable forestry. Granted, there have been scandals before – like Asia Pulp & Paper’s controversial certification, but most of us conscious consumers still look at the FSC mark as a fairly safe guarantee that the wood does not come from ancient forests, and that it was sustainably logged. Well it seems we can no longer be so sanguine, at least if Friends of the Earth International are to be believed. According to Earth’s Newsdesk, the prominent environmental group, one of the original founders of the FSC, has just announced that it is “reviewing” its support of FSC, while Friends of the Earth UK came out with an even more explicitly critical stance:
...
Echoes of Gandhi in Electricity-Generating Spinning Wheel: A "Micro-Power Plant" for the Poor
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 09.24.08
Image: Gandhi with spinning wheel (Margaret Bourke-White, LIFE)It’s a fitting modern tribute in a country where every major town has either a statue or a street named after Mahatma Gandhi – the man who saw the charkha or spinning wheel as a powerful instrument for self-reliance and poverty alleviation. Originally designed as the “Ambar charkha” (meaning "sky wheel") by Ekambar Nath, one of Gandhi’s disciples, the updated e-charkha developed by R.S. Hiremath of Bangalore does not resemble traditional charkhas, but is a hand-operated spinning wheel that can generate electricity for six to seven hours of storable battery power for rural homes, while only two hours of operation will power up the specially-designed LED light source. But it's more than a power-generating gadget. ...
Green City Guide: NYC, Savory Swiss Chard and 5 Natural Skin Care Ingredients
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 09.24.08
:: Eat, sleep and breath green in New York City.
:: Saute swiss chard with beans and tomatoes for a quick, throw together meal.
:: Stock your kitchen with these 5 key natural skin care ingredients....
Bigger Than 4 Football Fields: Toyota Completes 242,000 Square Feet Solar Power Array
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.24.08
Toyota's Record-Breaking Solar Array
Toyota's new solar array on the roof of its North America Parts Center California (NAPCC) manufacturing plant is the biggest single-roof solar installation in North-America. At 242, 000 square feet, it will be hard to beat, in good part because not that many companies have that much roof.
Read on for more info on how much power it generates....
Bento Boxes, Chicago's Eco-Fashion and Decoding Food Labels
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 09.24.08
:: GreenUpgrader encourages minimally packaged lunches like the Bento Box.
:: The EPA issues more stringent regulations for gas-powered lawn and garden equipment.
:: Eat Drink Better decodes eco-food labels.
:: Chicago hosts the Museum of Sustainable Style, an exhibition of green fashion.
:: We're reminded of the repercussions of peak oil and what we can do to help stop it.
Most Huggable is a regular roundup of some of Hugg's top green news stories. Why not submit your own green news?...
Dell to Transition All Laptop Displays to Mercury-Free LED Backlights
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.24.08
More Energy-Efficient & Greener
Dell is announcing today that it will transition all of its laptop LCDs to mercury-free light emitting diode (LED) backlights over the next year.
“Our customers have made it clear that they want the greenest technology possible,” Jeff Clarke, senior vice president, Dell Product Group said during the company’s mobility summit in Monte Carlo today.
Read on for more details about which laptops will switch to LEDs first....
118,000 Mobile Phone Towers to be Powered by Renewable Energy in Developing World
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.24.08
’Ma, did you know the towers routing this call are now powered by biofuels?’ Photo: Eirik Newth
In many parts of the developing world mobile phones have brought communications capabilities to places where building regular telephone lines would be impractical or cost-prohibitive. No need to build a physical communication grid, just build towers. Those towers have to be powered by something though, and most of the time it’s not from a renewable energy source. Until now...
The GSM Association (a global trade organization representing mobile phone companies in 218 territories and countries) has begun a program that will transition mobile phone towers which currently run on off-grid power to renewable energy. This is what the Green Power for Mobile program is all about:...
Polar Bear Lovers Mourn Death of the Man Who Saved Knut
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 09.24.08
Image source: Berlin Zoo
Dead at 44. How unfair is life, to cut down in his prime the man with a heart big enough to adopt a polar bear? The Berlin Zoo has posted their saddened response to the news of Dörflein's passing:
Together with Knut, he won the hearts of fans in Berlin and worldwide. The Zoo and Animal Park owe Dörflein lasting thanks for his contribution and his selfless dedication.Find more photos, details and a link to the website for condolences below....
Number of the Day: 18 Coffee Trees per Person
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.24.08
20 Million -- That's how many families (about 60 to 80 million people) depend on coffee for their income. After oil, coffee is the second largest traded commodity in the world.
100 -- That's how many coffee beans it takes to make one cup of coffee on average.
4,000 -- One coffee tree yields about 4,000 beans per year on average.
18 -- If you drink 2 cups of coffee a day, you will need 18 coffee trees devoted just to you. And it takes 5 years before a tree is fully mature and productive. ...
A Lesson from Amsterdam: Reducing Our Transportation Carbon Footprint
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 09.24.08
Photo by Vitalyzator.
Amsterdam is all about clean air, which is one of the reasons that the company City Cargo has been able to start and succeed with a rather simple but revolutionary idea. One of the biggest polluters on the road in Amsterdam is undoubtedly the diesel delivery truck, but at least half of them can now be replaced by a City Cargo Tram and electric van delivery fleet....
Name That Eco-Bunnie! Travelocity Contest Helps Promote Low-Carbon Travel
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.24.08
Sassy and funny Eco-Bunnies who save the world through cartoons deserve to have names.
Travelocity’s Eco-Bunnies dispense tips to kids about being environmentally friendly. Back in 2006, the company launched the cartoons to help raise awareness, and the hilarious short snippets became popular.
But with stardom comes a requirement for a name slightly more personalized than “Tall Eco-Bunny” and “Short Eco-Bunnie.” Any suggestions? If you have a good idea, you could win some fun gear. ...
CSI Wildlife Part Two: 2 Eco-Crimes Unmasked by DNA Forensics
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.24.08
CSI Wildlife Returns
The first episode of CSI Wildlife was about finding ivory poachers using DNA forensics. This new installment is bigger and better. 2 new eco-crimes!
How Does it Work?
"The growing databases of animal genes and falling costs of DNA testing have given wildlife researchers and environmentalists a powerful new tool to identify new species and protect endangered animals. Scientists now know the genetic signatures of some species so well that they can tell what region or population it came from by examining the DNA of an individual animal."
Read on for the 2 eco-crimes....
UN General Assembly Speeches Highlight Energy, Climate Concerns
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.24.08
photo: Zane Edwards
This week is a big policy week in New York City, the Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting is over at the Sheraton in midtown (check out Bonnie’s pre-conference chat with Bill Clinton himself), and across town the United Nations General Assembly meeting is going on. Some of the climate and energy concerns cropping up in speeches are as follows (ENS):...
HP Steps Up IT Industry Transparency, Releases Supply Chain Emissions Data
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.24.08
Photo via fdecomite
While greenwashing abounds, transparency in all forms is quickly becoming a requirement if a company wants to prove their green mettle. So is being the first to do something green. HP makes this apparent with their first-in-the-industry move to open up their emissions data related to their largest suppliers. ...
Chrysler Unveils 3 Electric Car Prototypes, One to Be Produced in 2010
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.24.08
Chrysler Joins the Party
Chrysler has decided to play with the cool kids and has unveiled three prototypes that use its new electric drive technology. The good news is that this isn't just for car shows; they intend to produce one of the three in late 2010, with a smaller number of EVs going out to fleets for testing in 2009.
The three prototypes are a sports car, a minivan and a SUV. Read on for more details on each. ...
Sharp and Borrego Help Thank SoCo Firefighters with a Big Green Solar-Powered Gifts
by Marissa Moss, Manhattan (Lower East Side) on 09.24.08
Photo credit: Borrego Solar Systems, Inc.
Sharp and Borrego Solar Systems (a leading designer of solar power technology who have most recently helped band Cake outfit themselves in a mean, green recording studio) announced this morning their donation of state-of-the-art solar electric systems to firehouses in some of the neighborhoods most severely impacted by the Autumn 2007 wildfires in Southern California. ...
The Windy Apple? Possible 300 Megawatt Offshore Wind Farm on Long Island Discussed
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.24.08
photo: m.prinke
When New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg outlined his vision of how the Big Apple could become a leader in renewable energy the majority of the city’s press focused on the most ludicrous aspect of his speech: Placing wind turbines on the city's bridges and buildings. The New York Post went so far as to create a graphic of the Empire State Building with an industrial scale turbine atop it. The more realistic part of his proposal would look something more like the this next announcement from the Long Island Power Authority and Con Edison:...
New Green Musicians Signed by CLIF's GreenNotes
by Alex Smith, San Francisco, California on 09.24.08
CLIF GreenNotes' New Artist Missy Higgins
CLIF GreenNotes Helps Five New Musicians Go Green
CLIF BAR announced this week five new artists signed on to take part in their CLIF GreenNotes program. GreenNotes helps eco-conscious emerging artists integrate environmentally friendly touring practices. For more on GreenNotes and the new CLIF artists, see below the fold....
Green Tech Investments Have Positive Outlook for 2009
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.24.08
Photo via rednuht
While many investments look sketchy for 2009, venture capitalists expect green technology to receive strong funding according to a KPMG survey. In fact, many believe investments could grow by as much as 20%
KPGM polled 301 venture capitalists, company execs and bankers to feel out their thoughts on what will happen with green tech funding in the new year. Roughly half of them say green tech investing will grow by 20% or more, and about 34% expect to see it grow from 10-19%.
...
Interview with Bill Nye: We Need Your Questions!
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.24.08
TreeHugger & Planet Green <3 Bill Nye
Our own Kenny Luna has recently interviewed Bill Nye, and we encourage you to check out Stuff Happens on Planet Green, but that's not all. We have more Nye for you!
We Need Your Questions
Daniel Sondak, the host of the Science Channel podcast (iTunes link), a twice-weekly show where he interviews scientists (f.ex. Phil "Bad Astronomy" Plait and Gia Milinovich), has an interview with Bill Nye scheduled for Wednesday and he has opened the floor to the Internet. So if you have questions for Bill Nye, please leave them in the comments below asap. Thanks!...
Finally! Renewable Energy Tax Incentives Receive Overwhelming Approval in Senate
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.24.08
photo: Mike Rosales
Renewable energy developers across the United States can sleep a little easy tonight. After nine (count ‘em, nine) tries, the Senate has passed an extension of the renewable energy tax credit package which sat bobbing in the doldrums for what has seemed like ages. The 93-2 vote was made Tuesday and the House could vote on the legislation later today, where it is expected to pass. President Bush is expected to also approve the package.
Though not a long-term incentive package like many in the industry have been advocating, this is what the Senate has approved:...
Reclaim Your Data: Slow Design in Sweden
by Carolyn F. Strauss on 09.24.08
Using Digital Footprints and Hidden Data to Empower Reflective Consumption
I’ve just returned from a stimulating (though much too ‘fast’) trip to Norrkoping (Sweden) by invitation of the Interactive Institute to participate in an international seminar called ‘Reclaim Your Data.’ The seminar was organized by the institute’s Eric Gullberg and was based on a research project he initiated there to explore the use of ambient media to restore ‘information symmetry’ in our lives. Information Asymmetry is when one side of a two-party deal has more information than the other, such as web site that by reading your IP address already knows something about your browsing history before you even start to explore the site. Gullberg’s seminar asked participants to share strategies for reclaiming our personal data from third parties by making information more transparent to support ecological and ethical goals....
Ecorio Shows New Android Users Their Carbon Footprint
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.24.08
Image Source: Ecorio
Most people are already well aware the Google unveiled the Android phone this week, and details are circulating through the internet. It’s only a matter of time before Google launches an apps store for the Android – about a month, to be precise. But even before that is fully open, there are cool apps coming down the pipeline.
I went on the prowl to see what we can expect and saw Ecorio, a carbon footprint calculator, will be built into the phone as a featured application. If I weren’t interested in the Android before, this was sure to snag my attention, and considering how focused Google is on the environment and our impact upon it, it seems logical that they would include such an interesting and multi-functional little app.
...
A World's First Hydrogen Generation Plant In Japan
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 09.24.08
Hydrogen, touted by many sources as the carbon neutral "energy of the future", has been receiving more and more attention lately in both environmental circles and the popular press. Although not everyone is convinced hydrogen is the solution to our problems, many countries and corporations are pushing ahead with research into hydrogen-based technologies such as home-based hydrogen refuelling stations, hydrogen cars and hydrogen planes, meaning that it will likely become at least one of the solutions.
In many cases, it is the Japanese who are at the forefront of hydrogen development. While the Japanese are probably most famous for hydrogen cars such as Honda's sleekly styled FCX Clarity or Mitsubishi's Nessie SUV concept car, they are also leading the way in development of hydrogen infrastructure. While not as "sexy" as the cars themselves, it is the infrastructure that will decide how useful hydrogen can be. And here too, Japan is leading the way with the establishment of the world's first hydrogen generation power station at low temperatures using a methanol-water mix....
London Fashion Week: Fabulous Ethical Knits
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 09.24.08
As we've heard from Bonnie Alter the Estethica section of London Fashion Week was great on Canadians and Accessories this season. It was also, surprisingly perhaps for a Spring/Summer collection, fabulous for knits. Beautiful loosely woven, but cleverly structured pieces, which are ideal for cool summer evenings. We loved Stewart + Brown's elegant white knitted tops (Drape Neck Cardigan above left) in organic cotton and Makepiece's fresh and funky British mohair woollen Heliconiini shrug (above right). It was also wonderful to see Deborah Lindquist travelling over the pond to make her Estethica debut. Click over the page to see our friend Summer Rayne Oakes modelling Lindquist SS09....
11 Buildings Wrapped in Gorgeous Green and Living Walls
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.24.08
Flower Tower by Edouard François
Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “A doctor can bury his mistakes, but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines.” It turns out that his suggestion is also a good idea for creating handsome buildings. And who wants to hide an investment in green away on the roof when you can hang it out for everyone to see?
Vertical gardens reduce cooling loads in summer by shading buildings; this “blanket effect” also cuts heating loads in winter, with the green layer acting as extra insulation. As the plants grow, they trap carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, and soak up such pollutants as lead and cadmium. Green walls absorb noise; help reduce the heat island effect, keeping cities cooler; and provide a habitat or insects and spiders, which in turn feed birds and bats. And, as Wright noted, these interventions can hide a lot of ugly buildings. (Read article in Azure on Green Walls)...
END Footwear Hits the Trail Running. But Not That You’d Know.
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 09.24.08
End Outdoor (eco-inspired trail running shoes) went off and became END Footwear. Since our extended interview with Ben Finklea of END or Environmentally Neutral Design, the company has undergone a name change as well as launching an online social networking presence, including Twitter, FaceBook, MySpace and You Tube. But it’s early days, so there is not much to see as yet.
We know that start-up companies are flat out busy, herding cats, and getting their planets all correctly aligned, but it does strike us as odd that their own home page neglects to inform visitors that their lightweight, material-reduced shoes have been available for sale at the likes of REI Co-op, where they’ve had some positive reviews. And you’d have to deep dig to learn that the full range can be eyeballed on their Flickr site. ...
Some Solar Panels Are Getting Hot
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.24.08
Image: Noah Berger for the New York Times
According to the New York Times, solar panels are now hot. Kate Galbraith writes how Glenda Hoffman had sixteen panels vanish from her roof in three separate burglaries. “I have a shotgun right next to the bed and a .22 under my pillow,” Ms. Hoffman said.
Keith Hoffman, pictured above, lost 58 panels, which will cost $75,000 to replace, from his office building in Santa Rosa. ...
Gisele Bündchen's new Campaign for Ipanema Supports Atlantic Forests
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 09.24.08
Photo: W Brasil agency.
Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bündchen has showed her interest in the environment before, first with a campaign that showed her wearing a water dress inviting to conserve this resource, and later with the launch of her own green blog.
Now she's back for the latest campaign of her Ipanema flip flop line, this time in a forest outfit with the aim to raise awareness on atlantic deforestation and supporting the well respected organization SOS Mata Atlantica.
How do you plant trees by selling flip flops? Found out after the jump. (Or just click through for more Gisele-licious photos and video.) ...
Survey: Will MOAB Lead to TEOTWAWKI?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.24.08
That is, will the "Mother of all Bailouts" lead to "the end of the world as we know it?" Should we all head for the hills and start new communes and farms so that we can fend for ourselves? Or arm ourselves for the apocalypse like the survivalists?
...
Open House London Presents Village Underground: 4 Recycled Subway Cars
by Bonnie Alter, London on 09.24.08
Open House London is an architectural orgy when 700 buildings and private houses are open all over London for the public to visit. Village Underground has to be one of the wildest: 4 recycled London Underground Tube (subway) carriages lifted up on top of old Victorian arches and turned into offices. Covered with graffiti, reached by a winding metal staircase and a spectacular view over the east end.
Check out pics of this superb renovation after the jump.
...
Gwen Stefani, Gavin Rossdale Rock Roots and Shoots Fest; EcoStiletto Launches Kids Line
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 09.23.08
Gavin Rosdale sings at the Roots and Shoots Festival. Image: Sarah Strack.
To celebrate the launch of ESKids -- that's fashionable website EcoStiletto's new section dedicated to wee-huggers -- founder and TH contributor Rachel Sarnoff set up a tent and gathered a venerable who's who of trendy moms and dads. But she wasn't in just any old backyard. The event, sponsored by Green Works Natural Cleaners, was part of the Jane Goodall's Roots and Shoots celebration at the United Nations International Day of Peace held recently in Griffith Park in Los Angeles.
Getting things started, Gavin Rossdale performed at the festival, while Gwen Stefani and son Kingston jammed in the audience of the Roots and Shoots Celebration. But those weren't the only celebs in the crowd......
Oxymoron of the Day: World Bank Hosts Vulnerability Video Contest
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 09.23.08
Fulwood Mini Desktop Sips Just 16 Watts
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.23.08
Photo Credit: VeryPC
Energy-sipping desktops are starting to become the norm, and a new desktop for Very PC drives that point home, running on just 16 watts.
The Fulwood is a Mac Mini-sized desktop that beats out even the 23 watt sipper Shuttle x27 PC for low power useage. In fact, it is 75% more efficient than Energy Star requirements. Best of all, it doesn’t sacrifice high performance for that low power. Indeed, it seems to be a full package. ...
Global Crop Diversity Trust: the Search for 'Climate-Proof' Food
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 09.23.08
Crop Diversity Vital to Climate Change Fight
Earlier today Jasmin brought us a post on that epic battle - Monsanto vs. Michael Pollan on feeding the world, and the idea that climate change could disrupt our food supplies is a pretty regular theme here on TreeHugger. So it’s great to see more and more attention being directed to the Global Crop Diversity Trust, the folks who brought us the Doomsday Seed Vault in Svalbard, Norway. The organization’s latest venture, a global hunt of the world’s seedbanks for ‘climate proof’ crop varieties, has drawn the attention of the BBC, and not without reason. As Cary Fowler, the trust’s executive director, explains to the BBC, the future of the human race could very well depend on the results:...
Bill Clinton Chats With Bloggers About Pickens Plan, Offshore Drilling, Clean Energy--and Gives "TreeHugger" a Thumbs Up
by Bonnie Hulkower, New York, New York on 09.23.08
Bill Clinton and TH's Bonnie H. (who didn't take this low quality photo)
Former President Bill Clinton sat down last night and chatted with a select group of excited bloggers about current affairs, the economy, and last but not least, the Clinton Global Initiative. After some initial minutes of giddy shoe-gazing in a waiting room while Clinton finished up a conversation with the President of Paraguay, the former Prez spent over an hour with TreeHugger, Mydd.com, American Prospect, and writers from a few other political, technological, and philanthropic blogs. The bloggers launched into questions almost immediately which Bill answered candidly and confidently.
The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) brings together global leaders from business, government, academia, and NGO’s who work together to implement solutions to world problems. CGI attendees are a mostly self-selecting group. The companies included have demonstrated leadership in one of the 4 CGI target areas: global health, education, energy & climate, and poverty alleviation. Being in New York City and with the madness on Wall Street, it didn't take long before the topic of the economy came up. First the questions focused on how the downturn would impact philanthropy, but quickly ensued and expanded to how the whole mess occurred and WJC's thoughts on the bailout. WJC's take on it all- the economy was too focused on housing/real estate as people's only decent option to create wealth....
Quote of the Day: Robert Redford on Cleaner Energy
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 09.23.08
Photo credit: WireImage.com
We know how to solve our energy problems and to fight global warming—all we lack is honest, bold leadership. We had better find that leadership quickly, and not just for the sake of bringing down energy prices, but because it's essential to keep our whole economy competitive in a world rapidly moving beyond the dirty fuels of the past. The first step is making a real investment in energy efficiency. New fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks enacted last December are a small step in the right direction, but we can go much further. In fact, if we could get the average American car running at 40 miles per gallon, we could save more than 20 billion barrels of oil, which is more than the oil companies could ever get out of all of the protected offshore areas combined....
Global Economic Slowdown Won’t Help Reduce Carbon Emissions, Say Analysts
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.23.08
photo: Zach Rathore
I know some of you were probably thinking along these lines, that with a slowing world economy greenhouse gas emissions might start dropping in line with industrial output. Its a kind of environmental schadenfreude. Things may be going to hell in a hand basket from one economic perspective, but we can take pleasure in the fact that the environmental damage caused by industrial activities will be a little less. Too bad that won’t be the case.
...
GreenVolts Grabs $30 M for World's Largest Non-Silicon Photovoltaic Project
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.23.08
Image Credit: GreenVolts
GreenVolts won the Clean Tech Open in 2006. Last year they raised $10 million in Series A funding. This year they’ve raised $30 million in series B funding and signed a power purchase agreement with PG&E for 2 MW of power by 2009. We’d call that great progress. And yet, they only have a few short months to hook up to the grid and eek in just under the wire for the expiration of the renewable energy tax credits and install what they’re expecting to be the world’s largest non-silicon concentrating PV project....
Video: Elephant Pump Bringing Drinking Water to the Poor
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.23.08
TreeHugger Educator's Forum
by Alan Graham, Portland, Oregon on 09.23.08
At TreeHugger, we're not only dedicated to keeping you informed on environmental issues, but we're also committed to providing everyone with the resources they need to make their lives a little greener and a little better.
Given that, we'd like to announce a new Educator's Forum where teachers can get together and share their ideas for the classroom in a positive and collaborative environment. ...
Remote Control Your Home's Energy Use with Ploggs
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.23.08
Image Credit: Plogg International
On the rise are devices that help us monitor and adjust our home’s energy use from afar. Energy Optimizers Limited’s Plogg is one of these devices. It’s an easy plug-in solution that tracks and logs how much energy an appliance is consuming, and has a handy dandy trick up its sleeve. ...
The Nuclear Option: McCain v. Obama on Nuclear Power
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.23.08
photo: jag9889
There are few issues that divide environmentalists as much as nuclear power. Though generating electricity through nuclear doesn’t create any carbon emissions directly, there is always the nagging issue of waste disposal, and securing the sites against natural disaster or terrorist attack. Then there is the issue with cost of new nuclear plants , which according to a Wall Street Journal report a few months back are significantly higher than expected. I could go on and on. A quick look at the comments in past TreeHugger posts on nuclear power shows the differences in opinion quite clearly.
Neither Candidate Opposes Nuclear
That said, neither John McCain or Barack Obama oppose nuclear power. The differences in their viewpoints (as with many of this year’s hot button environmental issues) aren’t on the background facts of the situation, but on emphasis. McCain focuses on a radical expansion of nuclear power, while Obama focuses on it more as part of diversified energy portfolio, and perhaps more importantly in the context of making sure storage of nuclear waste is done in a safe and environmentally sound manner.
This is how they stack up:...
Change Maker Wolf Luedge, Salsa Mexicana and 3 Vintage Shopping Tips
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 09.23.08
:: Be inspired to charge up your own eco-conscious company like Change Maker Wolf Luedge.
:: Get spicy with homemade Salsa Mexicana.
:: Take these three tips with you on your next thrift shop outing....
Monsanto and Michael Pollan Talk About Creating a World That Can Feed Itself
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 09.23.08
Brammo Raises $10 Million for Kickass Enertia Electric Motorcycle
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.23.08
Enertia Electric Motorcycle
Brammo has just raised $10 million from investors that include Best Buy Capital (will we see electric motorcycles in Best Buy stores?) to move forward production on the Enertia electric motorcycle. It's a bit similar to the Zero X lithium-ion electric dirt bike, except that it's a road bike.
Read on for more technical details on the Enertia electric motorcycle....
Moving Mountains For Coal: McCain & Obama Agree It's A Bad Thing
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 09.23.08
Pictured here is a mountain-top removal, coal mining site in southwestern Virginia.
Have faith readers: what had seemed impossible only months ago may yet come to pass. Although the coal mining industry seems determined to move many more mountain tops, both leading candidates for President of the USA have decided (according to recent campaign statements) this should no longer be done.
The following quote comes from the Charlestown Sunday Gazette Mail, a West Virginia (coal country) newspaper. Last week, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain offered a rare moment of consensus: They agreed that mountaintop removal coal mining should be stopped...Then, a funny thing happened. No one really attacked them for saying so.You really should read the entire story in the Gazette; as there are important nuances in writer Ken Ward Jr's. analysis. Before you go clicking off, though, consider the possibility that this is a seminal event, an indication that Obama and McCain are willing pander to the green vote - even if just a little bit. ...
Zelos Desk Gets Small
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.23.08
As we migrate to smaller spaces but also work at home on our laptops, it is nice to see desihttp://www.classicon.com/images/copyright.gifgns don't take up much space but also let our work go away when we are done with it. Christoph Böninger's Zelos desk isn't very big when it is closed up;
...
20 Ways Your iPhone Can Save You Gas, Energy, Time and Money
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.23.08
One great way to go green is to practice conservation, or as I like to call it, "avoidance." In other words, avoid using gas by missing traffic, avoid using excess electricity by turning your lights off remotely, avoid waste by buying used goods. One little tool has a growing ability to help you ditch the need for the little-bit-mores that we want to cut out: the iPhone.
While other phones are starting to adopt apps and web-based programs as well, the iPhone has a seriously wide selection of apps a user can download. And with mobile service technology, there are a few energy saving solutions that link up with your phone and alert you on how and when to cut back on energy use.
We’ve scoured the apps store and internet for the coolest green options and programs that will help save gas, energy, time and money in four main areas of life....
Test-driving a Ford Escape Hybrid
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.23.08
Ford Canada has a media program where they lend cars out to writers; I don't drive a lot (and our car guy Mike was too far away) but had never been in a hybrid so took them up on their offer of a 2008 Escape hybrid.
My first reaction was that IT'S BIG! I asked Marketing Manager Sarah McGrath why they put such an energy efficient package in such a big car, and was informed that a) the Escape is Ford's smallest SUV, and b) that is where they thought the market would be. They are putting the drive train into other conventional cars as well.
...
Climate Strategy: Every Dollar Counts
by Rocky Mountain Institute on 09.23.08
While some believe we shouldn't act at all because the price will be too high, other research suggests inaction would be far more costly. But both sides of this debate are wrong if we choose the best buys first, because then the cost of climate protection will be negative -- not a cost but a profit.
Investing in energy efficiency -- energy-saving buildings and appliances, lighter cars, smarter industrial processes, and cogeneration, for example -- can actually generate profit and create jobs, simply because it's cheaper to save energy than to buy it.
...Greenest Person in Chicago
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 09.23.08
Image source: Randombassist Flickr.com
Think you've got what it takes? Well the Chicago Tribune recently named Ken Dunn, 65, "Greenest Person in Chicago" for his sustainable and low-carbon lifestyle. Game on....
Forget AIG, Let's Take Over ExxonMobil Instead
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.23.08
Frances Chapman at SolveClimate has an interesting question: Why invest in losers? if you are in the nationalization business, why not go after a winner, and solve climate turmoil instead of financial turmoil? Why not nationalize Exxon-Mobil? She writes:
"But that’s socialism, you object. That’s what Hugo Chavez did. Some would say he was just putting “Country First,” protecting his country’s resources. We can debate that later, but until we do, keep in mind national oil companies manage over 90% of the world’s oil, and 16 of the 20 largest oil companies in the world are state owned or controlled."
...
7 Gas Guzzling Military Combat Vehicles
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.23.08
U.S. Military: Single-Largest Consumer of Oil in the World
We constantly hear about how this or that car gets X miles per gallon, but we rarely hear anything about the fuel consumption of the various armies around the world. Out of curiosity, we decided to have a closer look. We limited ourselves to US military ground vehicles (all of which are currently deployed in Iraq, as far as we know). We might look at the Air Force and Marine at some point in the future.
Read on for a look at the fuel efficiency of 7 U.S. military combat vehicles....
Now that's Fast! Japan to get 217 MPH Bullet Train
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.23.08
High-Speed Bullet Train in Japan
Train lovers around the world are jealous of Japan's high-speed trains. For example, the 1,528 miles Shinkansen railways network has trains that go up to 188 mph (300 kph). "Test run speeds have been 443 km/h (275 mph) for conventional rail in 1996, and up to a world record of 581 km/h (361 mph) for maglev trainsets, in 2003."
Now Kawasaki Heavy Industries has unveiled plans to develop a new high-speed train which is expected to achieve a speed of 217 mph (350 kph). Read on for more details....
The Tide’s Rising For Wave Power: Power Buoys Installed Off the Spanish Coast
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.23.08
The renewable energy potential of the ocean is slowly being tapped. Earlier in the summer the world’s first commercial-scale tidal turbine began feeding power to the grid. New York City’s Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy project is up and running, after a few set-backs. Last week the US Department of Energy announced that it will be $7.3 million to further cleantech water power research.
Now another wave power technology, Ocean Power Technologies’ PB 40 Power Buoy, has been deployed in what will be a 1.39 MW wave power project off the coast of Spain. Yeah, that’s really not that much power in the grand scheme of things, but the technology is pretty interesting:
...
Oil Lobby "Hopes Bad Times Chase Away Green Blues"
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.23.08
Above is what they say on their website, but in interview in the National Post, the new head of the oil sands producers' lobby Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers sings a different tune. New CAPP head Dave Collier thinks the United States will likely soften its stance on environmental issues tied to the much-criticized oil and gas industry as that country faces tough economic times.
"Our experience has been when there are significant economic challenges, as there are particularly in the U. S. at the moment, the environment tends to be a somewhat lower priority in the minds of voters and probably then in the minds of policy-makers," Mr. Collyer said in an interview....
Solar-Powered Spectra Watermaker for When You Head for the Hills
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.23.08
If Mark is right and it is TEOWAWKI time, we'll need this solar powered water purification system, which uses wind and solar power to pump and purify up to 6500 gallons each day from brackish water; the seawater version can produce 925 gallons per day. On a sunny, windy day it will provide excess energy that can be used for other purposes. ...
Tree-Powered Forest Fire Alert Network Gets Its Power From Bioenergy
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.23.08
photo: Mike Wald
Though it’s been known for some time that there was a small amount of electrical potential between many plants and the soil (the effect is described in an article at PLoS One) only recently has anyone put that trickle of electricity to use. The company is Voltree Power and their “bioenergy converter” is intended to be used (at least initially, and appropriately enough) as part of an Early Wildfire Alert Network. Sounds cool? It is:...
Great Video From WWF Brazil on Money and the Environment
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.23.08
Public Transit: Buenos Aires Could Welcome Metrobus System next May
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 09.23.08
(Photo: Metrobus in Mexico city. By World Resources Institute.) With the goal of improving public transit in the city, Buenos Aires could have its first bus rapid transit system, also referred to as 'Metrobus', in May 2009.
The announcement was done by the Buenos Aires Transportation Secretariat after the government had to recognize they wouldn't be able to accomplish the expansion of the subway network, as they had promised during the election campaign last year. The project is in advanced state and is only waiting for the mayor's signature.
At the same time, the Metrobus project is supposed to be one of the measures Curitiba's former mayor, Jaime Lerner, suggested to Buenos Aires mayor when he was in the city for a conference last July.
More on both the project and Lerner's influence in Buenos Aires after the jump....
Will the MOAB Lead to TEOTWAWKI? Survivalists Think So.
by Mark Ontkush, Boston, Massachusetts, USA on 09.23.08
If the Mother Of All Bailouts (MOAB) has got you a-seekin' some fortune-telling, then the Survival Blog might be for you. Unlike environmentalists, who prefer to concentrate their efforts on influencing the future, survivalists first predict and then prepare for the (always) hardscrabble Road Ahead. The forgone conclusion from the guys 'n' gals with the Big S on their collective chests is that The End Of The World As We Know It (TEOTWAWKI) is right around the corner; this deserves some attention, if for only that MOAB and TEOTWAWKI are terrific acronyms - right up there with SCUBA and FUBAR - and, of course, cleverness in all its forms should be studied and applauded. Please send me a bacon omelet for that last sentence. Oh, and there's one other thing - they are probably right....
Got Melamine? 53,000 Chinese Children Did - In Their Milk
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 09.23.08
Image credit::Scrap melamine sample. New York Times
Exposure of Chinese infants and children to melamine-tainted milk turns out to have far been worse than was reported a few days ago. Nearly 53,000 are reported now to have been sickened; and the count will probably go up. Other countries are banning Chinese milk product imports. The damage to China's reputation will be lasting. AFP reports that: China's tainted milk scandal spiralled into uncharted territory Monday with the government announcing that up to 53,000 children had been sickened and its top product-quality inspector sacked. In a dramatic update of previous figures, the health ministry said a total of 52,857 children were taken to hospital after drinking milk thought to have been contaminated by the industrial chemical melamine.It is not China's risk alone. The tragedy is emblematic of the risk to all nations when government regulation is out of step with the hazards posed by the industrialization of food production. ...
Updated Einstein Fridge to Use Solar to Keep Your Drinks Cold
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 09.23.08
These old clunkers are unexploded global warming bomblets -by edcrowle @ flickr.
When Einstein and his protege Leo Szilard decided to invent a refrigerator, they wanted something sturdy - the fridges of their 1920s could explode if seals failed. So their model was designed with no moving parts, and used pressurized gases and a small, gas-driven pump. The Einstein fridge failed to gain widespread acceptance (it wasn't too efficient) and freon-driven fridges soon took the lead.
Solar fridge lauded by Greenpeace
But now a researcher at Oxford University in the UK wants to adapt the Einstein-Slazpir design to use solar power. Malcolm McCulloch's update on the older model intends to improve efficiency by using different gases (though not freon) and employing solar energy to drive the pump. McCulloch says he's only in the pilot stage. He isn't the only one trying to make smarter refrigerators - we've written on some absorption models - which Greenpeace says are desperately needed as less developed nations buy the trappings of a western (not too energy-efficient) lifestyle. (Einstein fridge drawing and the Camfridge competition after the jump)....
More Than Pretty Heirloom Tomatoes: Saving Seeds Critical to Combatting Climate Change
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.23.08
The photographer's grandfather had saved these seeds in the 1920s. They were discovered last year and planted in a greenhouse. Photo: Stefan Jansson
Local food, local varieties of plants and the entire locavore movement are reoccurring topics here at TreeHugger. And most of the time the focus is on how by buying locally you’re reducing food miles, encouraging local biodiversity in food production, as wells as making a small contribution towards de-industrializing the current agricultural paradigm. But there’s another reason biodiversity of agricultural crops is important: The very survival of the human species. In an new piece for Yale Environment 360 Fred Pearce talks about the importance of preserving and reinvigorating the practice of seed saving and its place in coping with climate change. Here are some highlights:...
250 Million Pounds of Drugs Flushed Down the Toilet by Hospitals
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.23.08
Creative Commons: Swanksalot
You can't win. The entire environmental movement is down on bottled water (and making progress) when the word comes out that hospitals and nursing homes are flushing about 250 million pounds of pharmaceuticals down the toilet every year. Associated Press says that "Researchers are finding evidence that even extremely diluted concentrations of pharmaceutical residues harm fish, frogs and other aquatic species in the wild. Also, researchers report that human cells fail to grow normally in the laboratory when exposed to trace concentrations of certain drugs."...
One More Step to Ecological Insolvency: September 23rd Is Earth Overshoot Day 2008
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.23.08
image: Footprint Network
Last year it was October 6th. In 2008, September 23rd is Earth Overshoot Day according to the calculations of the Global Footprint Network. That means that for the rest of the year more resources will be consumed globally than can be provided for on a sustainable basis by the Earth’s ecosystems. Basically, today is the day humanity starts running up ecological credit card debt. As the Footprint Network describes it,...
Survey: Are You Eating Out Less?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.23.08
Kristen wrote that As Gas Prices Rise, So Do Cookbooks Sales. No doubt that as investment houses, thousands lose their jobs, retirement and investment accounts lose their value, that is having an effect on people's pocketbooks too.
...
Kenchikukagu: Apartment Folds Out of a Box (Well, 3 Boxes)
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.23.08
How cool is this? A kitchen, an office and a bedroom that fold out of these lovely cabinets, designed by Toshihiko Suzuki Architect. ...
Scouting For Boys: All Time Best Selling Book Celebrates 100 Years of Being Outdoors
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 09.23.08
Be Prepared. For rising sea levels, shrinking polar regions, diminishing glaciers, drier droughts, wetter floods, more intense cyclones, say a growing global cadre of scientists. But the phrase is also the motto of the worldwide Scout movement, which this year celebrates 100 years since the first issue of that seminal publication Scouting for Boys by Robert Baden-Powell. One of the best selling books of all time, coming in after the Bible, Quotations from Chairman Mao, the Koran and equal to The Lord of the Rings.
To write the book, Baden-Powell drew heavily on the ‘woodcraft’ skills of nature observation from indigenous people the world over, including North American Indians and African tribespeople. His work resonated with the youth of a century ago, who were in the grip of their own nature deficit disorder of the day. Their enthusiasm for self reliance in the outdoors has seen Scouting grow into the world's largest youth movement, with 38 million Scouts and Guides in over 200 countries.
An open letter to all scouts, found when Baden-Powell died in 1941, includes the following observations which seem, to this writer, to resonate with the ideals that TreeHugger now espouses some sixty years on....
Zero Emission House: A First for Australia?
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 09.23.08
“The goal is a home that does not release any CO2, or other greenhouse gas, into the atmosphere as a result of producing or consuming energy on the entire site,” said Dr Greg Foliente, project leader for the CSIRO’s Zero Emission House (ZEH) project. [Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, is Australia's national science agency.] The ZEH house is to be built near Melbourne, in the state of Victoria, and is being touted as the first of its kind in Australia.
Due for completion towards the end of 2009 the Zero Emission House is expected to use up to 70% less energy than a traditional home of similar size. The media release we saw talks about innovative materials and leading-edge energy-saving technologies, but is a bit short on detail. So we dug around a little....
Op-Ed Piece Argues That Cyclists Should Get Off the Road
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 09.23.08
After almost getting hit by a car on the way home from a bike ride today, I came across an op-ed piece in the Providence Journal (my local newspaper) titled 'Get Bikes off the Road.' The article began as follows: "It is often suggested that automobile drivers should learn to share the road with bicyclists. In my opinion, it is foolhardy and dangerous for bicyclists to be on the highways with motorists, period. Bicycles no more belong on roadways than autos belong on bike paths." In all likelihood the driver that almost hit me, as well as many drivers, would agree with that statement.
Now before we all pile on the author of the article for ignorance, it is worth noting that he recognizes that cyclists have a legal right to use the roads. Instead, his argument is that cycling is simply dangerous: "No one owns the roads; bicyclists are permitted and certainly welcome on them. Still, it is folly and dangerous for them to be out there." Continue reading for an analysis of his arguments and to partake in the discussion....
Slow Food London: Autumn Festival
by Bonnie Alter, London on 09.23.08
On the way to the London Design Festival we came across the Festival of Food, put on by Slow Food London. Held in the shadow of David Adjaye's pop-up pavilion, it was a celebration of autumn and the plentiful fruits and vegetables available at this time of the year. There were cooking demonstrations in italian and english, a children's Busy Bee tent where they could create a visual feast, a truffle talk and even a talk on recycling. But best of all were the 40 stalls worth of delicious fresh, sustainable and traditionally prepared foods.
It's all part of the British Food Fortnight; two weeks of events promoting regional foods and drinks. Slow Food is a non-profit gastronomic organisation, started in 1989, to embrace local food traditions before they disappear. It is an antidote to fast food and the fast life; food should taste good and be produced in a way that does not harm the environment or our health. They have chapters all over the world where members can participate in important discussions about the future of our food. ...
The Go Green Initiative’s School of the Week: Fox Middle School in Arnold, Missouri!
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 09.22.08
As students at Fox Middle School are taking the world by storm with the school's ongoing program dubbed "Storming the World with Character," they’re working hard to show their friends and neighbors how environmentally savvy they can be. And some of their teachers have come up with a very cool, creative idea to teach kids about the merits of reusable containers and make a lasting impression on the subject....
Michael Kuo's 100 Edible Mushrooms
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 09.22.08
An Excellent Introduction to Mycology
When I wrote about MushroomExpert.com, I was impressed by this comprehensive online resource for anyone wanting to know more about the mushrooms and fungi that we see in the world around us. In fact, I was so impressed with the site’s content and its humorous yet thorough and responsible approach to mycology that I ordered both of site creator Michael Kuo’s books right then and there. Now that I have both titles, 100 Edible Mushrooms and Morels, in my hands and have had a chance to check them out, I must say I am at least as impressed by the books as I am the website. Containing 100s of good-quality colour photographs, and descriptions in plain English, Kuo is certainly one of the most accessible mushroom authors out there. He's particularly valuable for us amateurs who just want to figure out what mushrooms we’re seeing in the woods (and maybe one day eat one or two of them!). But it’s really Kuo’s unique step-by-step approach to learning, represented best in 100 Edible Mushrooms, that I find so appealing.
...
PC Buyers Might Get Efficiency Tags to Help with Computer Purchases
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.22.08
The upcoming specifications document for Energy Star 5.0 lists language that just might spell out an easier time for purchasers of PCs. A note on page 10 of the doc makes it sound like consumers could soon get those handy little tags that spell out a device’s power use and its relative efficiency. These tags have become invaluable to shoppers of appliances, and would also be a welcome tool for PC shoppers.
But, just what does the wording imply?...
As Gas Prices Rise, So Do Cookbooks Sales
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 09.22.08
Image source: Poor Richard's Books
We reported last year on the Post-Petroleum Survival Guide and Cookbook, and it seems we weren't far off as cookbooks of all shapes and sizes are flying off bookstore shelves, according to the San Diego Union Tribune....
A Solar Ice Maker, Shell Oil's Better Biofuels and the USDA's Almond Overhaul
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 09.22.08
:: Students at San Jose State University create a solar ice making machine.
:: Shell Oil plans to develop better biofuel within the next five years.
:: Almond growers sue the USDA over their mandate to pasteurize raw almonds.
:: The Green Parent lists three eco-friendly ways to enjoy fall's foliage.
:: Greenbottle develops a milk carton made mostly out of recycled paper.
Most Huggable is a regular roundup of some of Hugg's top green news stories. Why not submit your own green news?...
Hillary Clinton Leads Angelenos in First Major Zero-Waste and Carbon-Neutral Fundraiser
by Marissa Moss, Manhattan (Lower East Side) on 09.22.08
Photo credit: Marc Nozell
On October fourth in LA, Senator Hillary Clinton is leading the charge to raise money for her candidate of choice-Barack Obama—and heighten awareness for his environmental platforms in a suitable carbon-conscious environment with Angelenos Go Green for Obama. The slight irony that comes with a politician preaching about clean energy policies in front of blaring studio lights, a rainforest’s worth of confetti or and enough blue and red balloons to clog a great lake may fall on deaf ears—but this event is attempting to buck the trend and go zero-waste and carbon free. Angelenos Go Green for Obama will be short on environmental impact, but not short on star power - more on the big names after the jump. ...
More Fallout from Bob Lutz's Interview on the Colbert Report
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.22.08
Bob Lutz's Global Warming Controversy Continues
Last week we posted about an interview that GM vice-chairman Bob Lutz gave to Stephen Colbert. His most controversial statement was about not believing in the "CO2 theory of global warming", which generated a lot of comments from TreeHugger readers, most of them falling into three camps:
1) Those who disagree with Lutz and think this is a really bad things (many saying they won't buy the Chevy Volt because of it). 2) Those who disagree with Lutz, but think his position on GW doesn't matter much. 3) Those who actually agree with Lutz (to varying degrees, from "total hoax" to "other explanations for the warming")....
The Green Guy Hosts Carnival of the Green
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 09.22.08
This week is Carnival of the Green # 146 and it's being hosted by The Green Guy, a blog devoted to green and ethical things that you can do and buy without changing your entire life. So head on over to this week's Carnival to find 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!...
The New REI Green Prototype Store is Full of Sunshine
by Trevor Reichman on 09.22.08
Image Source: REI
The brand new and first-ever REI Green Prototype store built from the ground up is getting ready to open its doors in Round Rock, Texas, just North of Austin. For a store that is known for selling outdoor gear, the new prototype store is geared toward bringing the outdoors indoors. REI is already known for its green retail buildings and its commitment to eco-integrity. But this new shop is the company's greenest effort yet.
Click through for details and a photo tour of the pending LEED-certification building, interior design, and concepts. ...
Firewinder Wind Powered Light is Finally Here
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.22.08
Photo Credit: Firewinder
The Firewinder is a new(ish) gadget that puts a cool twist on outdoor lighting. While we’ve been hearing about it for quite some time, it is finally here for the taking!
...
Toyota iQ Urban Car Exposed at the Royal College of Art
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.22.08
Toyota iQ: Museum Quality
The Royal College of Art in London is "the world's only wholly postgraduate art and design institution," and apparently they like the Toyota iQ (which Toyota calls the smallest four-passenger car in the world).
The Toyota iQ will be exposed at the RCA between September 19 and 23 to "provide the inspiration for the finest new design talent [...] to produce ideas and concepts that respond to the many and varied challenges of modern urban living." Read on for more photos and technical specs of the iQ.
Update: 57 MPG Toyota iQ Goes on Sale in Europe, No U.S. Release Date Yet
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Center for Environmental Filmmaking Offers Degrees in Ethics and Conservation Filmmaking
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 09.22.08
Image source: Center for Environmental Filmmaking
Al Gore and your Inconvenient Truth, look out, because the Center for Environmental Filmmaking is hot on your trail. Founded in 2005 at American University in Washington, DC, the Center offers students the chance to save the world through a lens, a very critical lens and move past blue-chip films which do little to inspire aggressive conservation actions....
Condo Design Jumps the Shark
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.22.08
Back in the days when I was an architect/developer, I put together a little condo project in Toronto. It had some funny overhangs and terraces and cleaning windows was a challenge. Once just after occupancy a window washer dropped a line over a handrail. When he put load on it, it bent the handrail in a bit, which punctured the roof membrane. The next time it rained, the unit below was flooded, costing me sixteen thousand dollars in repairs. It seems like a dumb little thing, but designing for the window washers is really important in a condo.
So where are Herzog and de Meuron going to be when it is time to wash the windows in this thing? 56 stories of overhangs and staggered floors, I can't tell if there is a single continuous surface. It is a beautiful looking building, but it is going to be awfully dirty....
Beeologics To Save US Honeybees With New Anti-Viral Medicine –– Have a Colony To Share?
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 09.22.08
In some circles this is breaking news –– Israeli-US scientists say they have found a cure for honeybee collapse disorder (Colony Collapse Disorder –– CCD), a condition which TreeHugger has been following extensively over the last couple of years. While different theories abound as to why honeybee populations have collapsed, the scientists from Beeologics are wasting no time in finding a solution.
Some predict that humans won’t last 5 years on earth without honeybees, so just in time for the Jewish New Year, where honey is a big part of the menu, this news is warmly welcomed.
According to ISRAEL21c, last winter, over 36 percent of US bee colonies collapsed, affecting honey production, but more significantly, the collapsed affected one-third of all food production that requires pollination - from fruits and nuts, to the dairy and beef cows that feed on alfalfa.
The company Beeologics is now taking rapid measures to bring to market a proprietary anti-viral agent that promises to alleviate the effects of the virus strongly associated with Colony Collapse Disorder with full-scale FDA trials commencing next month. How in the world will it save our bees?
...
Video & Photos: 2008 Park(ing) Day in New York City
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 09.22.08
Park(ing) Day New York City 2008
Lloyd wrote a post earlier today about Park(ing) Day in NYC. If you are not familiar with the concept, check it out.
The video below was made by our friends at StreetFilms. They went to the 'liberated' parking spots around New York to show what imaginative citizens did. Looks like they had a great time! Read on for the video and tons of photos from some of the coolest spots....
TRIVIA: Dr. Seuss Rewrote The Lorax 20 Years After Publication - Why? VIDEO
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 09.22.08
Do you know which line Seuss removed from his book The Lorax? Hint: It's about Lake Erie and was spoken by one of the Humming-Fish as they marched out of the river at the foot of the Once-ler's factory. And in which version of The Lorax does it still exist? ...
Green Power for Mobile Initiative
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.22.08
Photo Credit: Soundfrom wayout
The trade group GSMA has introduced a new plan that will help boost renewable power sources for mobile operators in developing countries. This new plan will make a serious dent in diesel use and carbon emissions by switching mobile operators in rural areas across the globe from diesel to wind, solar and biofuels. ...
West Coast Green 2008 Goes Solar Powered with SolaRover
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.22.08
West Coast Green has partnered up with SolaRover in order to power a handful of major areas of the event via the sun, proving that the conference is doing more than just talk about green innovation. The endeavor is also setting records for San Jose’s McEnery Convention Center. ...
Big Step in Building: Use Green Gravel To Make Concrete
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.22.08
We go on about the problems with concrete, and how it is responsible for 5% of global Carbon dioxide production. There is a lot of research going on to deal with the carbon dioxide produced in the making of cement, which is the main problem. However there is another issue that is often overlooked- the aggregate. It is heavy stuff and moving it is costly, so quarries get dug as close to the users in the City as possible.
In Ontario, Canada the aggregate industry gets a free pass, even in the Niagara Escarpment, a UNESCO World Biosphere Preserve. Sarah Harmer and Bruce Cockburn put on a concert this weekend to raise money to stop further destruction of the escarpment by the aggregate industry. ...
5.3 Million Smart Meters to be Installed by Southern California Edison
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.22.08
image: Southern California Edison
Southern California Edison announced last Friday that 4.8 million of its customers will reap the benefits of its news $1.63 billion smart-metering program. Some 5.3 million meters will be installed (some customers will get more than one meter) by the California utility between 2009 and 2012. Unsure as to how smart metering will work or why utilities are investing in it? SCE explains:
...
OptionsforLife Cleaning "$olutions"
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 09.22.08
Tired of non-toxic cleaning products for your home and office that come at a hefty price? ...
Hurricane Ike, Missing Drill Rig, And Oil Spills: It's The System That Leaks
by Daniel Kessler, Greenpeace on 09.22.08
Oil Slick After Hurricane Ike, High Island, Texas, Smiley N. Pool / The Houston Chronicle, Excerpt
Some politicians consistently say that offshore oil drilling is safe and that drill rigs have withstood Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Ike without any significant damage or oil spills. The facts, as they often do, tell a very different story. On September 16, the oil drilling company Rowan announced one of its drill rig was missing, and that it had likely capsized and sunk due to Hurricane Ike. ...
Sustainlane ranks Greenest US Cities
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.22.08
crazy graph is presented for each city. More little triangles near the bullseye means higher score.
Sustainlane, the "people powered sustainability guide" benchmarks the performance of the top 50 cities in the United States in 16 areas of urban sustainability including air quality, innovation, commuting, local food and agriculture and more. The list reveals "which cities are increasingly self-sufficient, prepared for the unexpected and taking steps toward preserving and enhancing their quality of life."
Perhaps to nobody's surprise, Portland, Oregon came first. "If you live in Portland, you might want to think twice before complaining about the 40-plus inches of rain dumped on your head every year. It might be the only thing keeping the entire country from moving to your city by the Prius-load."...
Plastic Turned Into Crude Oil by Plas2Fuel: Carbon Footprint Unknown
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.22.08
photo: Plas2Fuel
A couple weeks back we learned that the amount of plastic in landfills could be worth billions of dollars if it were mined and recycled. Well, if Plas2Fuel has any say in it, a good portion of that plastic (and other plastics that don’t get trashed) should be turned into fuel. The Longview, Washington based company has a patent pending on a process by which plastic can be converted into synthetic crude oil. This is how it works:...
Vote Ecologically, Organic Cotton T-Shirts From Under The Canopy
by Olivia Zaleski, New York City, USA on 09.22.08
Women’s Vote Ecologically Tee, $28. Men’s Vote Ecologically Tee, $34. Both available through UndertheCanopy.com.
With six weeks until Election Day, and just days before the first debates, there has never been a more crucial time to remind our politicians and fellow Americans to “Vote Ecologically.”
ECOFashion favorite, Under the Canopy, makes it easy and sustainably-chic to spread the good word. The label’s attention-grabbing, body-hugging and 100% organic cotton, “Vote Ecologically” t-shirt reminds us to choose with a conscience; and with 2% of the proceeds donated to The Rainforest Foundation, actions speak louder than words....
Solar Power Storage, Cleantech Water Power Research Gets Federal Cash Injection
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.22.08
photo: toby
Back in June the US Department of Energy announced it was investing $90 million in advanced geothermal power research to help develop more of the vast power potential of geothermal. Now the DOE has announced the recipients of more federal funding to develop renewable energy technologies: Cleantech water power and solar power storage. The amount of funds for each isn’t as much of for advanced geothermal, $7.3 million and $67.6 million respectively. The lucky/worthy recipients are:...
How Do You Make Ethics Sexy?
by Earthwatch Institute on 09.22.08
Ethics. Don’t know about you, but I hear that word and I see overly-serious, thin-lipped, pasty-white people wielding heavy legal texts and getting all judgmental on me. Heavy word, that one! In the professional dance of life, if your nametag reads “ethics”, you can end up as a terminal wallflower, or worse, on the patrol committee: everyone else is doing the fun stuff while you’re over there being Ms. Goody-Two-Shoes. Yikes.
So when I got myself elected to an ethics task force, then an ethics committee, while leading an effort here at Earthwatch to make ethics more prominent in how we define “success,” I realized my cool persona was in danger of being compromised if I didn’t come up with a plan to make ethics way more enticing. You know, more the party headliner, the rockin’ group we all want to dance to....
Does Africa Need Genetically Modified Sorghum?
by Jeff Nield, Vancouver, British Columbia on 09.22.08
Milling Sorghum photo by petite artichoke via flickr
Genetically modified sorghum is coming to Africa. South Africa based Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) has received approval from the South Africa government to proceed with trials of genetically modified sorghum in a "level three biosafety greenhouse." While the council and their supporters, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and DuPont, applaud the decision, opponents of the Africa Biofortified Sorghum project protest that it threatens one of Africa's most important heritage crops.
...
Can This Woman Sell an Organic, Eco-Friendly Mascara Every Two Seconds?
by Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff, Los Angeles, California on 09.22.08
Josie Maran celebrates her Sephora launch at Akasha/photo by Parisa Taghizadeh
Supermodel and eco-entrepreneur Josie Maran celebrated the Sephora launch of her eponymous green makeup line with an all-out eco bash on Thursday, September 18th in Los Angeles, where she laid out her plan for world makeup domination.
Read on for more insider pics and exclusive video of Josie Maran and 400 of her closest friends at green hot spot Akasha....
The Carbon Footprint of Farmers' Markets
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.22.08
"We grow our grains, we grind our flour, we bake your bread" -what could be greener and more TreeHugger than that?...
Downtown Tokyo Ready For Electric Cars
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 09.22.08
Last week the first battery stations were introduced in downtown Tokyo as the city gets ready for the introduction of new electric vehicles. Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) has installed charging devices for electric cars in nine basement parking lots, including those under several office buildings, in the central financial district. It is the first time that "battery stations" for electric vehicles have been set up in basement parking areas.
While I prefer to ride the trains or my old trusted bicycle, it is fun to watch different countries and regions scramble to get the infrastructure in place to make the shift from fossil fuels. ...
Recycle E-Waste Without Leaving Home Using Zip Express Installations
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 09.22.08
While it seems a lot of us TreeHuggers would rather not deal with old electronics, recycling gadgets is so easy at this point in time that there is practically no excuse not to see your gadgets live a nice long life and then be responsibly recycled. There are buy-back programs where you can earn a little cash, and increasing number of drop off centers and recycling events where you can ditch the old stuff guilt-free for free.
Or, if you really want to not think about what to do with the old stuff when you’re bringing in the new, there is Zip Express....
Baking Bread is a Political Act: Resurgence Mag’s Slow Sunday
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.22.08
Taking Back the Streets: Parking Meter Parties
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.22.08
Coupe Bizzare cutting hair in the street
It was supposed to be a big party for World Car-Free Day. "According to the same guys that ticket cyclists for biking the wrong way down one-way streets, a bicycle is a “vehicle”. Thanks to this categorization, you can legally transform any parking spot into a park by feeding the meter and parking your “vehicle” (i.e. your bike) there instead - don’t forget to display your receipt under your “windshield”....
Ecopods: Shipping Container Housing Available Now
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.22.08
Dwight Doerkson has developed "an affordable eco friendly building that’s transportable and doesn’t need to be hooked up to the grid"- out of shipping containers. He cuts out an entire wall and hinges it, so when you want to leave your ecopod you simply flip a switch and a solar powered winch pulls up the deck and closes up the box. ...
Tidal Turbine Project in New York City's East River Gets a Face Lift
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.22.08
One of the Phase 2 tidal turbines being prepared for installation back in 2007. Photo: Kris Unger/Verdant Power, Inc.
Your average New Yorker probably doesn’t think very often about the force of water flowing in the East River (actually not a river at all, but a tidal channel). But if you’re Verdant Power and the force of water in the channel has shredded the blades of two previous versions of the tidal turbines you’ve installed as part of the Roosevelt Island Tidal Energy Project (RITE) you probably have to think about it more often than you’d like. Though thanks to a recent tidal turbine retrofit, worrying about the robustness of your turbines is lower down on the list:...
Naked Bathers Protest Geothermal Plants in Japan
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.22.08
Ubayu Onsen, Yamagata
If any country after Iceland was suitable for geothermal power, it would be Japan- it has the potential to produce over twenty thousand megawatts but only has 530 megawatts of production in place. One problem is a new form of NIMBY: Not near my hot spring. According to Hiroshi Suzuki in Bloomberg, One of Japan's opportunities to tap cleaner, cheaper energy and reduce dependence on imported oil has run into a problem: millions of naked bathers. ...
Are Boys Disappearing Because of Gender Bender Chemicals?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.22.08
Creative Commons
"Something is happening to today's boys and men: Fewer are being born compared with girls, they're having more trouble in school, virility and fertility are down and testicular cancer rates are up. Now, scientists say these 'fragile males' may be more vulnerable than females to pollutants, affecting their development as early as the womb."
Martin Mittelstaedt of the Globe and Mail writes about how "Researchers tracking childhood behavioural disorders, sperm counts, testicular cancer and even the shrinking size of male gonads are convinced that something is amiss. The University of Pittsburgh's Devra Davis, in a study issued last year, found that the U.S. and Japan combined had a staggering tally of 262,000 "missing boys" from 1970 to about 2000 because of a decline in the sex ratio at birth. Although it could be a statistical anomaly, she says the figure is "very worrisome."
Some think it might be due to endocrine disruptors in the environment. He lists "science's top five worries over the fate of the human male."...
A Review of My Strida Folding Bicycle
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.22.08
When Andrew reviewed his new pocket rocket, he wrote that it took "half an hour to fit everything into the case, and a quick fold (such as would be needed to take the bike on a train) can be done in under a minute." When Collin posted about the new Strida bikes, Brennan commented "I tried out one of these things. They are idiotic: hard to control, the small wheels transmit shock from any road imperfection, gearing is inappropriate for moving safely in traffic, and the taller you are, the closer your hands get to you as you move the seat up. This bike is an example of when industrial design purism trumps real functionality." Them's fightn' words, so I thought I would do a review of my Strida after six months of use.
First of all, Brennan, regarding the Strida being hard to control and inappropriately geared, our tech diva would say "it's not a bug, it's a feature."...
No, I Did It First! The Same Sugar-to-Gasoline Method Discovered by Two Research Teams
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 09.22.08
A student at the Univ. of Wisconsin with a reactor system used to convert sugars into a “targeted class of liquid fuels”. Photo: Jim Dumesic/University of Wisconsin
There have been a couple of developments in the quest to create green gasoline in the past few weeks. The latest news on this front is that two independent teams of researchers are announcing that they have developed a way to convert sugar and other carbohydrates into gasoline, or any of the other products that can be derived from petroleum. The two groups are Virent Energy Systems , with a team led by Randy Cortright, and a team from the University of Wisconsin at Madison led by James Dumesic. This is how the process works:...
Can Sarah Palin Become an Energy Security Specialist?
by Jeff Siegel, Green Chip Stocks on 09.22.08
So it looks like Sarah Palin has declared that she'll be taking on energy security as her primary mission if McCain wins the election.
If that doesn't make you feel all warm and fuzzy, I don't know what will. After all, this is the same person who told Investor's Business Daily that she believes we CAN drill our way out of the mess we're in today.
If the mindless chants of “Drill Baby Drill” didn't strike fear into those with a basic understanding of science and reality, certainly the thought of a pro-oil, anti-renewable bureaucrat taking on U.S. energy security will. Eh, what's another 4 years of failed energy policy, anyway?...
Survey: Do You Care If Bob Lutz Doesn't Believe that CO2 Causes Climate Change?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.22.08
So a guy goes on Colbert and says he doesn't believe that man-made CO2 causes climate change and everyone goes nuts and we get comments like "GM is an evil corporation and this is proof of it." Now I will admit that the guy bought me dinner last week, but I don't think he bought me, and he appeared convinced about peak oil and passionate about energy independence, and dead serious about delivering as many Volts as he can as quickly as possible.
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Etsy Handmade Challenge Award Winners
by Bonnie Alter, London on 09.22.08
Etsy, the website that features all things handmade to buy and sell by artists and artisans, held a contest to pick web readers' favourite choices of handmade children's items in seven different categories. These were: toys, eco-friendly, furniture, clothing, art, home decor and accessories.
Yours truly was a member of the "Expert Panel" for the eco-friendly category and my choice for the winner was this sweet green felted wool hat (pictured). Why? "Maybe it is the Canadian in me, but I love cozy hats for children: the only thing my doctor told me when my son was born was: he had to wear a hat in winter and summer. This one is green and made of felted wool, another favourite thing of mine.” It was a hard decision; there were so many adorable items.
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"Rubber" Duckies Deployed to Track Glacier Movements
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 09.22.08
Photo Napalm filled tires @ flickr
This story seems to be one of those you couldn't make up even if you tried. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory has dropped 90 rubber ducks into the ice of the Jakobshavn Greenland glacier in an attempt to study why glaciers speed up and move faster in the summer months. The researchers hope the ducks will be show up in the waters of Baffin Bay or around there and give them clues to how water moves through these huge floating ice islands.
Ever hear of the garbage vortex?
One NASA theory is that pools of water on the top of the glaciers melt in summer sun and these pools flow into tube-shaped holes in the ice called moulins and thus down to the underside of the glacier to speed up its forward motion. Or that's a theory, anyway. That's why dropping the duckies seems like a good idea to the researchers. But the poor rubber ducks (which mostly these days are actually made from vinyl plastic) are not biodegradable!...
Green Your Vehicle with Biodegradable G-Oil
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 09.21.08
Photo by EarthLab.
Car motor oil is like belly buttons, everybody has got a little different variation, but they are certainly not all created equal. A company called Green Earth Technologies (GET) is headed in the right path of creating a full line of vehicle products that are not only good for our vehicles, but they are also good for our own health and environment. One such product is an animal-based motor oil.
Imagine driving around in an older vehicle that cannot pollute, simply because it does not burn petroleum particulates. Imagine changing your oil and throwing it in your compost pile for biodegradability, then even taking a swig of it if you're really feeling daring, without suffering noxious consequences because it is fundamentally non-toxic.
Imagine no more, as GET is bringing us this technology today in a product called G-Oil:
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UNEP Web Tool Tracks Global Clean Up the World Activities
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 09.21.08
Image from UNEP/Clean Up the World
Wouldn't it be neat if you could see what people around the world were doing to commemorate the annual Clean Up the World Weekend while you were out picking up trash on the beach or taking part in one of myriad other nationwide clean up activities? If you said yes, then I have just the online tool for you: Clean Up the World's and UNEP's nifty Google Maps-powered (who else?) global environmental map.
As per its name, the tool helps track protection and clean up activities across the world, allowing you to take a peek at the inner workings of the groups involved and the wide array of activities they are helping to organize -- helpfully categorized by type of activity (i.e. waste pickup, tree planting, education/outreach, etc). ...
Watching Out For Giant Kangaroo Rats From Space
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 09.21.08
Photo by Alison Cleary
Giant Kangaroo Rats. There’s an entire population of them out there, and perhaps unbeknownst to you, they’re already firmly entrenched in the Central Californian ecosystem. Just to clear things up—scientists are watching them from space, via satellite, as part of a program spearheaded by the Nature Conservancy and UC Berkeley researchers.
Using satellite remote sensing data, the scientists will be able to efficiently count the rats’ population and map out their whereabouts. So why all the attention on a couple rats, though of the giant kangaroo variation they may be?
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Freightliner Launches Hybrid-Electric Chassis for Commercial Buses and Vehicles
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 09.21.08
Photo by Tim Giles.
A few days ago, (FCCC) Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation, introduced the MB-HEV hybrid-electric bus at the BusCon 2008. It features a number of innovations that bring a 40 percent reduction in the amount of fuel that will be used on average from the typical diesel-only bus chassis.
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HOK and Biomimicry Guild Forge Alliance for Bio-Inspired Design Excellence
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 09.21.08
Image courtesy of Landscape + Urbanism
HOK and Biomimicry Guild Unite
It’s official: HOK, one of the world’s largest architectural design firms, has joined an alliance with the Biomimicry Guild, the world’s premier bio-inspired innovation company. The result? A greatly heightened, cooperative effort to mainstream bio-inspired design, and new collaborations on a number of intriguing international projects—some incipient, some already under way. And that’s just the beginning....
Rome Wasn't Built In A Day: How Long To Recover From Hurricane Wall Street?
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 09.21.08
Short answer to the question posed by the headline: for everyone but the super-rich, it'll take many extra years, now, in areas ravaged by weather extremes. Corollary: we're back to emphasis on lifestyle changes.
Background
In the 1960's, singer, songwriter Tom Rush made famous his arrangement of the traditional song "Galveston Flood," passing the story of hurricane-caused tragedies of 1900 to a new generation (See historical discussion of the song here via::Daily News, Singing up a 'Mighty Storm' in Galveston.) The song's chorus has returned, one more time, tragically.Wasn't that a mighty storm Wasn't that a mighty storm in the morning, well Wasn't that a mighty storm That blew all the people all awayGalveston Texas took over a century to become what it was the day before this latest hurricane hit - in the lead up to that day, seeing runs on banks of the Great Depression era (as pictured above), two World Wars, profligate exurban development, as was normal for much of the USA, cheap credit, and likely far more rich people than were around in 1900. ...
Reverse Trick-or-Treating For A Fair Trade Halloween
by Jeff Nield, Vancouver, British Columbia on 09.21.08
Fair Trade Cacao Pods New Internationalist
Last year we helped parents plan a green Halloween, and here's a way you can take it one step further this year. The folks at Global Exchange have started a Reverse Trick-or-Treating program as a way to highlight the plight of cocoa farmers and to showcase the benefits of Fair Trade.
Despite six years of promises from major chocolate manufacturers little has been done to tackle the documented problem of forced child labor on many farms that supply their cocoa. Moreover, low cocoa prices have left cocoa farmers in poverty year after year." In contrast, "Fair Trade certification prohibits the use of abusive child labor. Also, the guaranteed Fair Trade price paid for cocoa raises farmers' incomes and creates hope for a better future for their children."...
Green Jobs Now! Campiagn Promotes "Home Energy Makeovers" to Stimulate Green Economy
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 09.21.08
Image: Last week's energy audit for the home energy makeover by Greenmodeling as part of the Green Jobs Now! campaign(Photo: Progressive Cheverly)Paint it, solarize it, weatherize it, build it greener and better: on September 27th, as part of a national day of action for the Green Jobs Now! campaign – which includes hundreds of grassroots events across the United States – one resident of Landover Hills, Maryland is receiving a “home energy makeover” to highlight the economic benefits of “going green” for the average homeowner – as well as mobilizing political support to create more so-called “green-collar” jobs. You might have heard the term “green-collar jobs” already – it’s part of a growing, new economy shifting towards energy efficiency, biofuels, conservation, greener technologies and urban planning policies in local communities across the United States. The idea is that these jobs not only help the environment, but they also boost the economy because there is the potential for tens (or even hundreds of thousands) of jobs that cannot be outsourced – providing real opportunities for individuals, cities and states for job growth. But many advocates for the new green economy point out that it’s important that everyone realizes they are able to benefit from this shift, regardless of income, ethnicity or creed....
The Solar Taxi's Speedy Trip Through New York City
by Bonnie Hulkower, New York, New York on 09.21.08
Louis Palmer, Jeremy Friedman, the solar taxi and fans at NYU
Louis Palmer took his solar taxi on a quick tour through New York City the other week, making pit stops at Green Drinks, NYU, and Wall Street. Although it was a quick trip—Louis spent only eight days total in New York—it was the longest time Palmer has spent in any one location in the past year. Cruising around in the taxi at speeds of up to 55 mph, Louis has traveled 57,000 kilometers in one year....
Answer the Call: Recycling Cell Phones with EMA, Eva Mendes, and “The Spirit”
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 09.21.08
Image courtesy of Answer the Call
If Eva Mendes asked you to recycle a cell phone, and she did it all sexy-like, made up as a femme fatale from the 40's, would you do it? The Environmental Media Association thinks you will—the organization is working with the folks behind the upcoming superhero comic book noir film “The Spirit” to promote a new cell phone recycling program. ...
Mitsubishi i MiEV Electric Car to Invade Iceland
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 09.21.08
The i MiEV Sport, image courtesy of Neolaia
The Mitsubishi i MiEV is one of the most promising electric vehicles in development (as you loyal TreeHugger readers are likely aware). And now they could become the most prevalent car in Iceland.
Hydrogen Transit Trouble
Iceland announced in 1998 that it had plans of becoming the world's first hydrogen based economy, and that the nation wanted to be fossil fuel free by 2050.
But according to a recent New York Times article, the country has had trouble maintaining hydrogen powered vehicles and transit (even though a hydrogen pumping Shell station opened in Reykjavik). It's been difficult to find enough hydrogen cell vehicles to purchase, and the hydrogen buses placed in circulation have been withdrawn. So what's a progressive country hell bent on using clean fuel to do? Why, go electric of course.
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Swedes Battle Norwegians to Become Best Electric Car Mecca (Hint: Using Old Motor Warmers!)
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 09.21.08
Fortum's design for a pay-to-recharge system in Stockholm (note the recharging icon).
Finnish Fortum and the City of Stockholm have been feverishly working to design a pay-to-pump electric car infrastructure. Sweden took a baby step ahead this week when start-up company Sust (Sustainable Innovation AM) declared its intention to quickly make the country a test market for the world's electric hybrid and pure electric car manufacturers. They'll have to beat off Israel abroad.
Electric car recharge stations commoner in Oslo
But Sweden isn't particularly far ahead in building electric infrastructure in Scandinavia. Norway takes that prize - it has longer had THINK and Buddy electric cars tootling around the streets of Oslo and other cities, and has both built 20 and promised 400 more recharging stations. Both Sweden and Norway have a secret weapon compared to most other countries. ...
iYo Yo-Yo Charger for Power Without Solar and Wind
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 09.21.08
Image source: core77 and Peter Thuvander
More fun than the sun!That is how Swedish designer Peter Thuvander is describing the yo-yo induction charger that he has dubbed the iYo. Even if Apple does come out with the patent-pending Solar iPhone, it won't do a lot of good during the long, dark Swedish winter. And hand-crank chargers are, well, just no fun. So Peter has come up with a better idea. Video over the fold....
Environmental Education Programs at Grand Canyon National Park Enhanced
by Sara Novak, Columbia, SC on 09.21.08
photo: NPS Photo by Michael Quinn
Toyota donates $500,000 and five hybrids to the Grand Canyon National Park Association as part of a $5 million gift to the national park system. Read on to find out what plans the Grand Canyon has for these new funds....
TreeHugger breaks it down for you in a series of in depth how-to articles that will help you green your life. No time like the present!
Here are a few recommended websites.
