- 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 December 14, 2008 - December 20, 2008
Total this week: 177
UN Supported African Enterprise to Set Up Major Geothermal Facility in East Africa's Rift Valley
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 12.20.08
Image from ditzy girl
2009 may be the year when geothermal energy finally comes into its own in developing countries in Asia and Africa. After meeting with some initial success in Kenya, where, over the past 3 years, sites have been drilled to identify local hotspots, the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), along with the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), will fund a new entity—the African Rift Geothermal Development Facility (ARGeo)—to tap into the Rift Valley's vast, unexplored geothermal potential, according to SciDev.Net's Laura Garca. Touting its creation at the Poznan climate talks a few weeks ago, UNEP's Achim Steiner declared that the enterprise would help fight climate challenge and bring energy to billions. ...
The Green Issue: Can Environmentalism Still Sell Magazines?
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 12.20.08
Photo courtesy of Monocle
Seems green’s a tough sell on the newsstands these days—maybe it’s the general decline of print advertising, the massive economic downturn, or an over saturation of eco-friendliness in the media. Whatever it is, “green” issues have been left on the shelves at an increasingly high rates, according to Media Week. Discover Magazine’s green issue this year sold around 20,000 less copies than its average—93,000 compared to its usual 115,000. Backpacker’s global warming issue suffered a similar fate, selling 5,000 less than its 50,000 average. The stalwart National Geographic Green Guide is dropping from a bimonthly to a quarterly.
So what’s the deal? Is everyone getting sick of hearing about climate change? Or how green and awesome celebrities are? Or are they just sick of the bandwagon approach, and the media treating environmentalism as though it were any other fad? My vote’s for the latter (well, a little for the second one too). Here’s why....
The Newly Discovered Dragon Millipede may be in Danger of Extinction
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 12.20.08
The Dragon Millipede is one of the recently discovered specimens found in the area of the Mekong River in Southeast Asia. This area had been kept under wraps with political turmoil for many decades. It was not until the 90's when scientists were welcomed into these relatively uncharted territories for research.
So far researchers have been adding more new specimens to the list at the incredible rate of 2 per week since beginning this project in 1997. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has reported to date 1,068 new specimens have been discovered and documented within the past 10 years. ...
Meet KTAO, The Nation's Largest Solar Powered Radio Station
by Trevor Reichman on 12.20.08
You don't have to live in Taos, NM to listen to KTAO (aka K-TAOS) , the largest solar powered radio station in the USA. You can stream it online, guilt-free from anywhere in the world, because K-TAOS magically turns sunbeams into audio streams.
How? Read further......
Behold the Togetherizer—1.37 Million Tons of CO2 Saved and Counting
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 12.20.08
Image courtesy of Ruined Age
Okay, so calling anything a "Togetherizer" might be a tad on the grandiose side. It sounds like some flashing light-laden device just waiting to malfunction in a bad 1950s black and white sci-fi movie. But if the Climate Group's initiative Together needs to drum up some PR, then by all means, "izer" away. Its efforts have after all spared the air an impressive 1.37 million tons of carbon dioxide and other harmful greenhouse gases, according to reports verified by the EPA and the Environmental Resource Management organization. ...
Overweight And Obese US Drivers Burn A Billion+ Extra Gallons Of Gasoline Per Year
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 12.20.08
GM's After-Volt, "OW" Prototype, Flint MI R&D Center. Image credit:Tuning Fever, Flintstones Car
Gasoline consumption associated with moving the extra weight carried by US citizen drivers and passengers was estimated with a fairly sophisticated-looking math model, making comparison to population characteristics of the 1960's. In 2006, Jacobson and McLay found cars and light trucks consumed up to 938 million additional gallons of fuel each year as a result of average weight gain that had occurred since the 1960s. In the new study, Jacobson and King found the amount of additional fuel had jumped by nearly 200 million gallons, to 1.137 billion gallons a year, an increase of about 21 percent.Via:Wellness, Obesity increases gasoline consumption The paper, as published in Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, includes some amazing facts in the abstract. See below for details....
Putting Art to Work: First Solar Powered Glass Art Installation Lights Up Library
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 12.20.08
Photo courtesy of Pearl Ave Library
For the first time ever, glass art, technology, and solar power have been combined into one unified, pioneering work—it's called "Solar Illumination I: The Evolution of Language" and it's a vibrant, electric, head-turning piece. And what does it all do? It powers a single LED lamp inside the adjacent San Jose Library. Okay, so that part's not quite as grand as the rest of the spectacle. But it's still a really cool concept nonetheless. And it really is the first such public art piece to incorporate solar technology into glass art. ...
Four Ways To Give The U.S. A 'Clean Slate'
by Greg Haegele of Sierra Club on 12.20.08
Wheels 4 Life: Bringing Bikes to the Poor
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 12.20.08
Photo courtesy of Wheels 4 Life
Here's a fantastic charity idea: give folks in developing nations who are in dire need of transportation access to just about the greenest way to get around there is. We're talking bicycles, of course.
Wheels 4 Life works to find people in poor countries who have the greatest need for transit, like students, teachers, and health care workers, and provides them with quality, durable bikes to make getting around easier—and sometimes simply possible in the first place. For most of us, bicycling is a lifestyle choice; a way to get some exercise or practice green transit. For someone whose only other option is walking, it could open up a world of opportunities.
...
Green Holiday Guide Podcast with TH's Meaghan O'Neill
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 12.20.08
Image source: Metaefficient
While virtually sitting by the fire, and sipping hot, organic apple cider, our very own Meaghan O'Neill chatted with Sean Daily, of Green Living Ideas, about going green this holiday season and what tops her green wish list this year. The two talked about the history and growth of Treehugger.com, the influence of An Inconvenient Truth and how to Give Green to Save Green....
Will the Real Green Movement Please Stand Up?
by Neil Chambers, New York City on 12.20.08
Photo Credit of Henry Paulson: Goodman/VanRiper Photography
The economy is crashing all around us, but the green movement is offering a bright ideas to rebuild the United States. But should we trust the call for a green economy? The last ten years saw a rebirth of excitement for the environment as huge amounts of debt mounted. Maybe the two are connected - and the brave new green world is a promise we can't cash. ...
Ota City: Solar Capital Of The World?
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 12.20.08
Turkish Government Says 'Evet' (Yes) to Nuclear Bid
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 12.20.08
Greenpeace and other environmental organizations have been campaigning for many years to halt Turkey's nuclear-power program. ("Hayır" means "no" in Turkish.)
Environmentalists gloated a bit after Turkey received only one bid to build a nuclear reactor in the Akkuyu district of Mersin, on the country's Mediterranean coast. But the Turkish government seems to have found a loophole in competition laws that would have kept the project from going ahead without additional bidders....
BlueAvocado's GroPak Eliminates Plastic Bag Excuses
by Sara Novak, Columbia, SC on 12.20.08
photo: Blue Avocado
I know what you're thinking: same old, same old. But actually this line of reusable bags is making it harder and harder to come up the "I forgot my bag" excuse....
Make Evil Eyes Turn Green With Hamsas, A Gift For All Faiths
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 12.20.08
'Tis the season to be green and jolly, if you are a Christian TreeHugger. But it's a joyous month since a number of holidays for people of all faiths intersect around this time.
It's especially noticeable if you live in the Middle East. Over here in Jaffa, where I am now living, a couple of weeks ago Muslims everywhere were celebrating Eid al-Adha; Israeli Jews will start lighting candles and gorging on jelly-filled doughnuts for Hanukah starting next week.
But whatever the season, or holiday, unique and green gift-giving is always something on our minds. When it comes to choosing gifts that are "green" the options are limited even more.
One nice way to "say I love you" to someone in a way that is soft on the environment, is to give something handmade. Trendy, with no official religious affiliation is the good old hamsa, one of our faves, which means "five" in Arabic.
...
New Study Finds Half a Million Sharks Are Finned Every Year in Ecuador
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 12.19.08
Image from Shifting Baselines
Over at Shifting Baselines, Jennifer Jacquet, a PhD student at the University of British Columbia (UBC) Fisheries Centre (who is working with the renowned Dr. Daniel Pauly), writes about a new study on which she was the lead author, entitled "Hot Soup: Sharks Captured in Ecuador's Waters" (sub. required). She and her colleagues found that the Ecuadorian government failed to report the catching of around half a million sharks each year. ...
Mexican Volcanic Glaciers Disappearing Due to Climate Change
by Eliza Barclay, Washington, D.C. on 12.19.08
Photo credit: Peakware
We already know that glaciers in South America, the Arctic, the Himalayas and East Africa are melting at a swift clip. Now we have some news from Mexico. At a recent meeting of Latin American climate scientists, geophysicist Hugo Delgado of Mexico's National Autonomous University presented data showing that the glaciers atop the Iztaccíhuatl and Pico de Orizaba volcanoes in Central Mexico will disappear in the next 10 to 35 years due to global warming. Delgado predicts that Iztaccíhuatl glacier will be gone in 15 to 20 years, while Pico de Orizaba (the highest peak in Mexico) may last for 35 years. In 1999, Delgado's study showed that the glacier at Iztaccíhuatl had a depth of 70 meters. ...
Obama Picks For Science Advisor, NOAA Head Strong on Climate Change
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.19.08
You probably have heard the news that Barack Obama will have two more top notch scientists who have advocated for strong limits on greenhouse gas emissions on his team: Oregon State University marine biologist Jane Lubchenco to head the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and physicist/environmental policy expert John Holdren of Harvard and the Woods Hole Research Center to be Assistant to the President for Science and Technology.
The choices have been widely hailed, but what really stands out to me is the way in which Holdren has described current climate change policy as like, “being in a car with bad brakes driving towards a cliff in the fog.” (LA Times)
Here’s more of what Holdren has said about climate change that gives me some hope that the issue will be taken seriously at the highest levels of US government:...
Energizer Solar Powered Battery Charger to Debut at CES
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.19.08
Photo via Good Clean Tech
Looks like there are going to be greener ways to charge up AA and AAA batteries, and it's not just a concept.
Energizer is going to debut a solar powered battery charger at the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show. ...
Japan’s First (Barely) Solar Powered Cargo Ship Takes to the Waves
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.19.08
Not the solar powered ship itself, but a car carrier from Nippon Yusen KK, who developed the ship. Photo: NYK
Although it’s being billed as Japan’s first solar powered cargo ship the amount of renewable energy onboard is so small that I frankly find it laughable. Although the Auriga Leader, a freighter capable of carrying 6,400 automobiles, does have 328 solar panels on board they produce only 40 kilowatts of power, a figure which is a mere 0.2% of the ships overall energy usage. Here are some more details:...
The Future of Lighting: LivingColors from Philips
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.19.08
We write often how LEDs will change the way we look at lighting; how we will build them into the fabric of our houses, and how they will change the way we use light. Here is one of the first transformational ideas that show where they might be going. The Philips LivingColors lamp has four LEDs (two red, one each blue and green) that can be mixed and adjusted with a hand-held wireless colour wheel. You can adjust spectrum, saturation and intensity. It draws 50 watts max and is projected to last ten years. ...
Less is More: Stay at my Home by Designasyl
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.19.08
You could maintain a guest room, or you could have Stay at my Home, designed by Nichole Lehner and Luzia Kälin of Designasyl, who write:
In our opinion, hospitality is a very important virtue. "stay at my home" is a series of objects for the good host. It enables him to install a comfortable overnight stay for his guest....
Smart Meters So Hot, They Cause Fights
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.19.08
Less is More: Sheds For Living
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.19.08
Richard Frankland of Manchester's FKDA has developed a small but complete little housing unit that is much more than a shed.
"The idea of creating such a small living environment came from the growing reports of people being forced from their homes unable to make their current mortgage payments, and turning to living with family, in garden sheds and even in cars."...
Without Carbon Pricing Any Green Energy Plan Is Fundamentally Incomplete
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.19.08
photo: Jeff DelViscio
Whether its in the form of a carbon tax or a cap-and-trade system, some form of carbon pricing is essential to stimulate development of the low carbon technologies which will reduce dependence on fossil fuels and stimulate economic growth, a new briefing from the Institute for Policy Integrity at the NYU School of Law says.
This may be preaching to the choir for regular TreeHugger readers, but here is their argument in favor of setting carbon prices to stimulate greentech growth:...
Bailout of the Day: Automakers to get $17.4 Billion, Detroit Auto Show Still On
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 12.19.08
Detroit Gets Bailed Out
Lame duck president George W. Bush has approved today a $17.4 billion bailout for the Detroit automakers, proving once again that in this bizarro-Keynesian world, if you run your big business well, you get nothing, and if you don't, you get a reward.
"The government will have the option of becoming a stockholder in the companies, much as it has with major banks, in effect partially nationalizing the industry." Read on for more....
On Moving Toward Vegetarianism: Flexitarians
by Kelly Rossiter, Toronto on 12.19.08
Photo credit: Kelly Rossiter
We titled this series On Moving Toward Vegetarianism because it is aimed at people who are thinking about vegetarianism, but aren't quite there yet. I know that there are many of you out there who are long-term committed vegetarians, but I also know that there are vegetarians out there who eat meat in secret. And then there are those of you who openly identify yourselves as flexitarian....
O Flatpack Christmas Tree
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.19.08
When Ms. LCA Watson considered the issue of real versus artificial Christmas trees, she neglected to include the flatpack category, like this cardboard tree from Cloud Gate Designs. Not only is is made from recycled cardboard, but it doesn't take up much space to store for next year. Only $22.95, and a portion of the profits are donated to the Arbor Day Foundation, where every dollar donated means a tree planted in a damaged forest. Cloud Gate Design via Inhabitat...
ReFab Now: We Can Solve It Gets Renovation
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.19.08
EPEAT and EcoLogo Partner Up to Promote Electronics
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.19.08
The Green Electronics Council and EcoLogo are teaming up to make certification of green electronics easier.
EcoLogo already certifies a wide range of products, and EPEAT has gained clout in the electronics sector. The partnership will help speed up adoption of eco-friendly computer products. ...
Luxury and "Eco" Try to Co-Exist at Cacao Pearl's Philippine Resort
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 12.19.08
Glossy photos (pre-development) from the Cacao Resorts web site.
Every developer worth his or her weight in white beach sand is vying to be able to proclaim his or her resort the first or best or truest eco-resort.
But behind the high-definition tourist brochures, there's no agreement on international standards for declaring a holiday destination or lodging as "eco." Greenwash runs rampant, and by its very nature, development degrades a landscape from what may have been pristine to what can at best hope to be 'less harmful' than what another developer may have done. Cacao Resorts, which is developing the entire Cacao Pearl island in the western Philippine archipelago province of Palawan, promises to be "a whole new eco-take on luxury," and while that may turn out to be true thus far the glossy photos and pretty words don't entirely convince....
Real or Artificial Tree: Is it Even Worth Considering?
by Jenna Watson, Barcelona on 12.19.08
The debate between real or artificial is not a new one when it comes to Christmas trees. You may have spent time around the dinner table debating this holiday topic with your family. It seems that those debates may be over, as the Canadians at Ellipsos reconfirm that the natural Christmas tree has lower impacts on the environment than the artificial tree.
Their results conclude that a natural tree will generate 3.1 kg of greenhouse gases whereas the artificial tree will produce 8.1 kg per year. The natural tree is the best option even despite the annual trips to find it. Perhaps the most interesting part lies in the discussion of offsetting those carbon emissions....
SeaGen Tidal Turbine Begins Full Operation in Northern Ireland
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.19.08
We’ve written about the SeaGen tidal power turbine a number of times as the world’s first commercial scale tidal turbine gets up to full speed. So we are pleased to report that the turbine is now operating at its full capacity of 1.2 MW—the most power produced by a tidal turbine anywhere in the world to date. This where SeaGen goes from here:...
More Corn = $58 Million in Lost Ecosystem Services, More Aphids, Fewer Ladybugs
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.19.08
photo: jhoc via flickr
Because the US encouraged increased planting of corn by 19% in 2006 and 2007 the number of insect pests that plague the soybean crop increased as well, causing lost yield to farmers or forcing them to apply more insecticide to deal with the problem. The pest in question is the soybean aphid and the cause of its increase is declines in ladybug populations. Here’s how this is happening:
...
Native Cultures Endangered By Climate Change
by Earthwatch Institute on 12.19.08
Dayak woman dancing the hornbill dance in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Hornbills are one of the bird species that appear to be impacted by rising average temperatures in Southeast Asian rainforests. Image credit: Jeanine Pfeiffer.
In Tibet, sacred glaciers are melting and alpine medicinal plant populations are disappearing. In the Borneo rainforest, Dayak tribes report unusual alterations in wildlife seasonal patterns: native birds aren't showing up in their usual places, or at the usual times. In Central Africa, changing rainfall patterns have altered stream flows, making it harder for the Mbaka (pygmy) women to catch fish.
In Sweden, Norway, Finland, and Russia, milder winters are decreasing lichen populations, a key food source for both wild and semi-domesticated reindeer. For the first time in history, Sámi peoples have to search for fodder to feed their reindeer herds. ...
The Greenest Brick is the One That's Already in the Wall
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.19.08
TreeHugger is full of photovoltaic glass and ground source heat pumps, but ultimately all of those "green gizmos", as Donovan Rypkema called them, cost a lot of money to buy and to maintain. But he is just one of a growing movement of architects who are making the case that people have known for hundreds, maybe thousands of years how to build in ways that save energy and adapt to climate instead of trying to bludgeon it into submission. Steve Mouzon is another. He writes:
Originally, before the Thermostat Age, the places we built had no choice but to be green, otherwise people would freeze to death in the winter, die of heat strokes by summer, or other really bad things would happen to them....
Edible Christmas Cards Cuts Down on After-Holiday Waste
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.19.08
Chipboard Desk by Pawel Grobelny
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.19.08
A good demonstration of how the most prosaic of materials can be made into something interesting, like this desk seen at Lotz Design 2008 by Polish designer Pawel Grobelny, where the legs act as storage for magazines and CDs. Icon Eye via Cribcandy
We are going to steal an idea from Apartment Therapy and ask:
More desks on TreeHugger...
Gordon Brown: Low Oil Prices Won't Last
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 12.19.08
Image Credit: The Telegraph
UK Prime Minister on Stabilizing Oil Prices
Jeff Siegel has already warned on these pages that low oil prices are at best only a brief respite, yet if I look around me it seems folks are returning to their gas guzzling ways, even in the midst of a recession. We would all do well to head oil banker Matt Simmons’ warning that the oil crisis will dwarf the financial crisis, or listen to the IEA Chief Economist who tells us that time is not on our side when it comes to peak oil. Now the BBC informs us that Britain’s Prime Minister Gordon Brown is joining the chorus of voices that argue that low oil prices may not be anything to celebrate.
...
Could I Reduce My Carbon Emissions By Moving South For the Winter?
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.19.08
photo: Ranier Ebert
Like my previous one on taxi-cab and jet emissions, this post was born out of some water-cooler speculation a few weeks back. Just as it began to get cold, rainy, and windy in New York City, TH founder Graham Hill began to wonder if he could ecologically justify migrating south for the winter. If he forewent air conditioning in the antipodean summer, as, say, Argentineans do, wouldn't he be using far less energy than heating a New York apartment all grey-winter long? We pondered, we dreamed, we did the math. But is it a no-brainer...or just wishful thinking? ...
Will You Drink The New Stevia Sweetened Drinks From Coke?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.19.08
Christine tells us that two of our favorite companies, Coca-Cola and Cargill, are launching the natural-sounding Odwalla Pomegranate Strawberry drinks sweetened with natural-sounding stevia, which has been declared "generally recognized as safe" by our most trusted organization, the Food and Drug Administration. Are you running out and buying it?
...
EcoLogix Daily Planner Offers Eco Tips
by Naturally Savvy on 12.19.08
EcoLogix Daily Planner
I can't survive without my daily planner. Every December I head to my local office supplies store to pick up what is, in my mind, the perfect planner. I picked up a catalogue (they weren't stocking my fave this year), and was happily surprised to discover an eco-friendly alternative... ...
Lush Founder Funds Heathrow Airport Activists
by Bonnie Alter, London on 12.19.08
Heathrow Airport, outside of London, is the world's busiest international airport and the government wants to make it even bigger--by adding a third runway and sixth terminal. Opposition to the runway has been building, with a demo that closed down Stansted Airport last week and plans for actions at Heathrow over the holidays. The government will be making its decision early in the new year.
Opposition has been led by a group called Plane Stupid, which organises clever and high profile campaigns against the expansion. But who funds Plane Stupid? The answer is the founder of Lush organic cosmetics, Mark Constantine, who has 600 shops around the world, including some in airports....
Toward A More Sustainable 2009
by Marian Hopkins, Business Roundtable on 12.18.08
With New Year’s just around the corner, it’s time to make resolutions for the coming 12 months. Many of us have pledged the old clichés year after year: dieting, saving money or quitting smoking.
Resolving to be healthy or financially fit is important. But with fluctuating energy prices and rising social awareness around the importance of sustainability, many Americans are ditching the tried and tired New Year’s clichés in favor of more holistic “green” resolutions for the benefit of themselves, their communities and the earth. These individuals are resolving to make a real difference in the world – in small, but collectively impactful ways.
We know that sustainability starts with each and every one of us, individual and company alike. What better way to kick off 2009 than to make some commonsense adjustments around the office?
...Schools In Japan To Ban Cell Phones
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 12.18.08
(Image from kirainet.com)
Kids in Japan love their cell phones, but not everyone is happy about the way they are used. Five years ago, a prestigious university in Japan failed 26 students for receiving exam answers on their cell phones. Now, frequent bullying and other issues linked to social networking Web sites accessible by cell phones have stirred up a big debate here. Students will be prohibited from using cell phones at the majority of public primary, middle and high schools in from the next school year, under a plan announced by Osaka Governor Toru Hashimoto. In Saitama prefecture just north of Tokyo, 96 percent of public middle schools do not allow students to use cell phones while at school. A cell phone free environment could also reduce the risks noted by Swedish researcher Lennart Hardell, who found a five-fold increase in brain cancer rates among children and teenagers who use cell phones.
News-Medical.Net: Research shows mobile phones raise children's risk of brain cancer by five times...
10 Weird Forms of Human Transportation
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 12.18.08
Human-powered transportation is a TreeHugger favorite, but it doesn't stop with just walking, biking, running, and the like. There are a lot of weird ways to get around under your own power, from pedal-powered oddities like the Couchbike to innovative (if a bit wacky) inventions like HumanCar.
From ideas we wish were everywhere -- like the pedal-powered pub -- to contraptions that just leave us scratching our heads -- hello, AquaSkipper -- we've rounded up 10 of the weirdest forms of human transportation in the latest of our image galleries.
See the Full Gallery:
10 Weird Forms of Human Transportation
...Mythical Hybrid Beast To Battle Climate Change
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 12.18.08
Chimeric solutions to the climate crisis are getting some attention in the US Congress. A testifying "energy analyst" has suggested that the US Federal government consider hybrid power technologies as the way forward: It might be best to make incremental gains now, energy analyst Kevin Book told Bingaman's Energy and Natural Resources Committee Wednesday. Book, senior vice president at FBR Capital Markets, suggested US spending on "hybrid" measures that improve the energy/environment picture although they do not ''transform'' it.So like...if hybrid cars are cool, something like that for power generation might be cool too? What, specifically, might the Centaurs have on the drawing board?...
Get the Night + Day City Guides for 45% Off
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 12.18.08
Today's TreeHugger Deal comes to you from San Francisco-based Night+Day Guides. The Night+Day, Cool Cities Series is the platinum (and green!) standard for sophisticated urbanista travelers. Printed on high quality recycled paper and containing the most current information available, these guides are always on the cutting edge with free downloadable updates. The Night+Day, Cool Cities Series includes: Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Chicago, D.C., Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Mexico City, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Paris, San Francisco, Shanghai/ Beijing, Sydney/Melbourne, and Toronto....
Global Warming’s Effect on Precipitation Patterns Could Mean Even Bigger Change in Groundwater
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.18.08
flooded fields in the Phillipines, photo: Sir Mervs
We’ve all heard by now that global warming will bring about changes in precipitation patterns, with some areas seeing increases with other areas drying out. A new piece of research from MIT delves into this area and finds that the changes in groundwater levels could be much greater than the changes in precipitation itself.
While the researchers acknowledge that a wide array of factors will influence the effect at a given location, this the broad stroke:
...
Video: Fun With Solar Panels at eSolar
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 12.18.08
1Sky Ecards Call for a Climate Friendly New Year
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 12.18.08
E-cards Underscore Need for Action in 2009
Chances are that most of our readers are a little more organized than me, and have already sent their holiday cards. But if you haven't (or even if you have but want to send more), check out these topical, politically charged e-cards from the Climate warriors at 1Sky. Not only will these allow you to squeeze in your greetings in time, but they'll also save paper in the process - check out our post on ecards versus paper cards for more info, or join the debate on whether ecards really deliver. Don't need convincing? Simply click below the fold for another design, or visit 1Sky for all three e-cards. Not sure who 1Sky are? Well read on...
...
World Coal Reserves Could Be Much Smaller than Previously Thought
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 12.18.08
Lots of Coal, But Less than we Thought?
Dave Rutledge, the chair of Caltech's engineering and applied sciences division, has release a new estimate of the world's coal reserves that he says is more accurate than previous ones. The bad news: There's still lots and lots of dirty coal in the ground. The good news: There's probably a lot less than we thought. His total estimate of all the coal that humans will ever get out of the ground is 662 billion tons, while the previous estimates had 850 billion tons still left in the ground. That makes a difference. Read on for more....
New York State Mandates Retailers to Collect & Recycle Plastic Bags
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.18.08
While I’d prefer that New York State ban free plastic bags outright, like some countries and U.S. cities have already done, a new law signed by Governor David Patterson will require retailers in the Empire State to collect and recycle plastic bags from January 1, 2009 it is a step in the right direction. Here are the details of what businesses will be required to participate:
...
Top Gear LOVES Honda's Hydrogen Car, But...
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 12.18.08
Top Gear <3 Honda FCX Clarity Hydrogen Car
British cult car show Top Gear has just test-driven the Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen fuel cell car, and they were quite impressed. In fact, in a segment they call "The Future of the Car" they call it "the most important car for a 100 years." But there's a problem wit that... Read on for more, including the video of the Top Gear segment....
Six Myths About Health During the Holiday Season
by Bonnie Alter, London on 12.18.08
TreeHugger loves exposing myths. We have written about energy myths, wind turbine myths and global danger ones. Now here are a few health myths that may surprise you.
l. Wear a Hat to Keep in the Heat
Everyone knows that you wear a hat in winter to keep in the body heat. Right? Wrong. A new study reported in the British Medical Journal claims that keeping one part of the body covered has just as much effect as covering any other. So when it is cold outside, wrap up, but wearing a hat won't make a big difference.
2. Sugar Makes Children Hyper-Active
There is a common belief that parents should cut back on the sugar for the children because it makes them hyper-active. This seems to be a figment of parents' imagination--the study says that tests show that there is no difference in the behaviour of those children that had sugar and those that didn't. This includes sugar from candy, chocolate and natural sources. ...
Increased Coal-to-Liquids Fuels Usage Will Accelerate Climate Breaking Point
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.18.08
More trains in the future is a great idea, more coal is a horrendously bad one. Image: Michael Warren
The choice of which energy sources predominate post-peak oil could have a profound effect on the rate of global warming, scientists have said. If coal-to-liquids fuels replace oil global temperatures will rise a critical 2°C by 2042, three years earlier than current climate models predict. Conversely, if renewable energy sources replace oil then this temperature increase could be delayed by 11 years. Here’s how this could happen:...
Are Coke's New Stevia Softdrinks Safe to Drink?
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 12.18.08
Image: Cargill
Stevia Hits the Big Time
The low-calorie sweetener hailed as "natural" is coming to a grocery store shelf near you. Coke will start delivering stevia-sweetened Odwalla Mojito Mambo and Odwalla Pomegranate Strawberry nationwide this week and plans to introduce Sprite Green in New York and Chicago before the end of the year. Pepsi is expected to follow with SoBe Lifewater in three flavors (black and blue berry, Fuji apple pear and yumberry pomegranate) as well as a 50% reduced calorie orange juice, Trop50. Both use Cargill's Stevia Sweetener, branded Truvia.
The news is heating up the financial markets: will the natural low-cal sweetener sweeten profits as well? But what interests us is the safety of the new ingredient. The FDA is expected to give stevia-derived sweeteners the status of generally recognized as safe (known as GRAS in the industry), but is GRAS the same as SAFE? ...
GM Puts the Brakes on $370 Million Chevy Volt Engine Factory
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 12.18.08
Another Thorn in the Volt's Side
There's a lot of seismic activity in the car industry these days. Tesla Motors changed CEO and fire some people, Toyota stopped construction of a US Prius manufacturing plant, Norwegian electric car maker THINK is on the brink, as well as the NICE electric car company. And in the same week that we learned that BYD was bringing a plug-in hybrid to market years before the Chevy Volt, GM announces that it is suspending work on the 552,000 square foot Flint Engine Plant that will make the Volt's 1.4-liter engine. Read on for more details....
Christmas Chemistry Suggests that Adults Must Give, Children Receive
by Mark Ontkush, Boston, Massachusetts, USA on 12.18.08
from Wordpress
As both a supplier and inducer of the 'Christmas Cheer' in the coming weeks, it will behoove you to get comfortable with a little chemistry. Now, a Savvy Tyro might stop me right there, knowingly reciting the tried-and-true formula of "booze the adults, sugar the children." Yes, yes; granted, that works pretty well. But there's more to the story of providing a truly enjoyable holiday season, the secret to which also has some positive green implications as well.
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1 in 10,000 Chance Human Induced Global Warming Not the Cause of Recent Hot Years
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.18.08
photo: Gabriel Millos
Considering the recent news that 2008 will be the coolest year since 2000 you may be tempted to think that all of the ‘warmest year’ records set recently were mere flukes, that climate change wasn’t involved. Too bad you’d be wrong to do so:...
Dell's New RideShare Program Puts Employees on the Map
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.18.08
A Holiday is A Terrible Thing to Waste
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 12.18.08
When I think of Christmas, I think of the stuff often found under trees: toys and books and computers, DVD players and colorful paper.
But I don't mean the Christmas tree. During the holidays in my neighborhood in New York, I see this stuff left under the spindly, anemic black trees that line sidewalks, waiting to be carted away to the landfill, or wherever else it goes (more on that later). It's estimated that Americans generate about 5 million more tons of waste than usual between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day....
Seven of the Darn Cutest Baby Animal Photos on the Web
by Bonnie Hulkower, New York, New York on 12.18.08
photo via The Daily MailIf cuteness stirs up the crowds enough to preserve endangered species or protect rapidly disappearing habitats, so be it. We scoured the Web for the cutest baby animal photos out there: And these seven are guaranteed to make your heart melt into a sticky mess. Speaking of melting--since global warming and melting glaciers have been the topic of many a TreeHugger post--let's start with some arctic cuteness.
1. Everyone's Favorite Baby Polar Bear: Knut
Yes, Knut is very cute. He captured the interest not only of Germany, but of polar bear lovers the world over when he made his adorable debut at the Zoo Berlin. Knut is all grown up now, but he is still a powerful reminder of the plight of the polar bears and the dangers of global warming....Green IT Safe From Recession
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.18.08
The TH Interview: Andy Revkin—Climate in the Obama Age
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 12.18.08
Hopes are high for an Obama-led climate strategy, but when it comes to true details there are still more questions than answers. Andrew C. Revkin has stationed himself at the intersection of science, technology, and policy for two decades, watching closely and writing like a madman. Revkin’s reporting can be found in the New York Times, where he is a senior environment writer, as well as at Dot Earth. He also pops up regularly on TreeHugger around issues like geoengineering, climate taxes, and population growth. We asked Andy to shed some light on the Obama climate picture as it unfolds. Listen to the podcast of this interview via iTunes, or just click here to listen, right-click to download. Full text after the jump....
75 Stories You Dugg: A Year of TreeHugger on Digg.com
by Chris Tackett, San Francisco on 12.18.08
Whenever a year comes to an end, it's nice to look back at what we saw. One of the biggest stories this year, was the wave of Barack Obama's presidential campaign and how social media sites saw a huge increase in visibility and usage, as a result. If it wasn't clear before, it should be now that Web2.0 sites, such as YouTube, Facebook and Digg are here to stay.
With that in mind, it's worth a look back at Digg.com and which sustainability stories and environmental headlines were most popular there. Below are the top environment-focused stories from TreeHugger on Digg.com. ...
Top 10 TreeHugger Stories of 2008
by Chris Tackett, San Francisco on 12.18.08
While I don't think we'd go as far as to say these ten stories are the most important topics we covered this year, according to our traffic data, they are the ten most highly-trafficked, which means for whatever reasons, they struck a chord with our audience.
Readers swarmed to these ten stories via Digg.com, StumbleUpon or simple search engines such as Google and Yahoo, but wherever they originated, they sure did show up en masse. Curious what stories had so many people clicking like crazy? Check out our Top 10 Stories of 2008 below... ...
Dubai Flight Gets 6% Fuel Reduction, Saves 40,000 Pounds of CO2 and Calls it Green
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 12.18.08
GE Sets Up World's First OLED Christmas Tree
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.18.08
GE OLED team members under the glow of the first-ever OLED Christmas tree. (Photo: Business Wire)
So, is it more efficient than an evergreen with LED string lights laced through it?
GE has set up the world's first OLED Christmas tree. It's almost like they were bored after hours at the old Global Research Center. I guess they really wanted to show off their roll-to-roll manufacturing of the latest in lighting technology
It reminds me of people who set up massive scale Dominos runs. But it does look pretty neat...just like the end result of Dominos runs.
Read on for more info and to watch a video of the tree being lit. ...
Survey: Humbug Already?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.18.08
Everyone was appalled with the Clean Coal Carolers turned Silent Night into Clean Coal Night, yet when Penn State students sing "Climate news to you we bring" to the tune of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" and "O scorching night" to the tune of "O Holy Night" it is all light-hearted fun. It seems that just about everyone is into twisting, abusing and exploiting what are supposed to be religious holidays for their own agendas. Is it enough already?
...
Eco-Children’s Book an Overnight Sensation as Santa Goes Green
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 12.18.08
When a children’s author can sell 13,000 copies in just a month without the support of mass-market booksellers there’s reason to believe this one just may be a hit with your kids. And with Christmas just around the corner and a price tag of $15.95 there’s no doubt the price is right as an eco-themed stocking stuffer to round out your list.
But what’s this suddenly hot selling children’s book about?
...
Telecom, Financial Services Firm Gets Livermore Lab Help To Test Oil Shale Project For Permanent CO2 Storage
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 12.18.08
If there were a "Green Fleece Award," the plan to have a taxpayer-supported Federal Lab help oil shale developers would get my nomination. (Inspirational credit to the late US Sen. Wm Proxmire's legendary Golden Fleece Award.) Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and American Shale Oil, LLC (AMSO), a subsidiary of IDT Corporation, announced today that they have entered into a technical cooperation agreement to develop carbon sequestration technologies for in ground shale oil production processes...Specifically, LLNL will partner with AMSO to study how to use depleted underground oil shale retorts to permanently store carbon dioxide generated during the oil shale extraction process. AMSO will provide technical expertise and oil shale core samples from its federal lease site.Via:Eureka Alert, Livermore Lab and American Shale Oil team to study carbon sequestration...
Environmental Activists Find Common Ground With Polluters While Breaking Bread in Louisville
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 12.18.08
While the city of Louisville has been known for many things over the years, citizens of an area consisting of various chemical plants and commonly referred to as Rubbertown have put up with strange odors, burning eyes and fears that their every breath might contribute to asthma, cancer or other illnesses.
But that began to change about a decade ago, after a minister from the predominantly African-American neighborhoods around Rubbertown organized protests, demanding aggressive government action to clean up the toxic air and reduce the chemical emissions from factories.
...
EPA Announces Lifecycle Building Challenge 3.0
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 12.18.08
If you're somehow attached to or involved with the green building movement it's certainly worthwhile to note that the EPA is urging professional and student architects, builders and product developers to submit designs for green buildings and building materials for its third annual Lifecycle Building Challenge competition.
Essentially, they're seeking design entries for buildings that minimize waste, reuse materials, cut greenhouse gas emissions and support cost-effective disassembly by anticipating the future reuse of building materials, and they'll also accept designs for innovative green building materials that cut down on waste that goes to landfills....
Cradle to Cradle - Hype or Future? An exhibition about what could be the next industrial revolution.
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 12.18.08
Image credit: Qreamteam
The Dutch are still enamoured of the Cradle to Cradle concept and are currently hosting the exhibition Cradle to Cradle -Hype or Future in the Centre Céramique in Maastricht. The aim of the show is to explain to the general public what Cradle to Cradle, the waste=food way of remaking the way we make things, designed by Michael Braungart and William McDonough, stands for, how it is put into practice at present and how it will be applied in the future in the province of Limburg. This should inspire people to join the Cradle to Cradle way of thinking, and motivate them to work in more sustainable ways. Read on to have a look at the exhibition....
PBS Airs Must-See Episode about Climate Change and Kiribati: 'Paradise Lost'
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 12.17.08
Image from luigig
It's easy to dismiss climate change as a threat when you live in a country that hasn't been affected much or that, at most, has only seen slight alterations. But what if you lived on one of the many South Pacific Islands? Climate scientists believe these islands will be some of the most at risk of succumbing to future sea-level rise—a gloomy scenario that may not be too far off (perhaps as early as 50 years from now), according to new research presented at the AGU conference in San Francisco this week. One of these vulnerable islands, Kiribati, is the setting for a must-see episode of PBS' Now show, (appropriately) entitled "Paradise Lost". ...
EPA and CCNY in Joint Venture to Produce Environmental Scientists
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 12.17.08
Faced with the stark truth that the numbers of U.S. students pursuing careers in science are dwindling rapidly, the EPA and the City College of New York have announced a joint effort to encourage and produce environmental scientists of diverse backgrounds to pursue their dreams in the field of environmental science and potentially wind up working for the EPA.
Of course, there’s always the reality that a career at the EPA may not fit the economic aspirations of such driven individuals, but there’s certainly cause for hope that the program through CCNY just may help fill the void at the EPA.
...
Can Penn State Successfully Ban the Water Bottle?
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 12.17.08
Citing the example of Washington University in St. Louis, students at Penn State are pressing administration to enact a total ban on the sale of plastic water bottles on campus. And doing it in a somewhat humorous way like gathering to sing parodies of Christmas carols with lyrics like “December’s hotter than J. Lo,” and “O Scorching Night” to the tune of the more traditionally acclaimed “O Holy Night”.
But the question is; will it work?
...
New York Bike Lane Becomes SUV Lane
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.17.08
OECD Head: Turkish Environment Can Benefit from Financial Crisis
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 12.17.08
Unsustainable consumption levels pose a problem for Turkey, the OECD says. Photograph of Kanyon Mall by dysturb via flickr.
Visiting Turkey this week, Angel Gurría, secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), praised the country for its strong economic growth and environmental advances, but warned that the global financial crisis should not be used as an excuse to impede further progress. "The crisis will perhaps last 18 months but the environmental problems and climate change will affect humanity for even longer," Gurría said. "The crisis actually offers good opportunities."...
New Mineralogy Gallery at ROM Rocks
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.17.08
Kim Tait, Associate Curator of Mineralogy at the Royal Ontario Museum
Usually any story about mining or minerals on TreeHugger is about this mountaintop being blown off or that river being contaminated; it is a pleasure to write a post about the wonders that come out of the earth that isn't dire. It is also a pleasure to report that after close to 25 years, Toronto once again has a gallery where you can see them, and it is a stunner.
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MIT Students Greatly Underestimate Needed Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reductions
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.17.08
photo: b k
With all the media outlets out there and all the articles that get published, even intrepid TreeHugger authors who diligently follow all of it so they can distill it down for you sometimes miss an interesting piece. One such piece, which Biofuels Digest was from back in October and ran in Time (and in turn references an article in Science by John Sterman). It dealt with students from MIT (the proverbial smartest people in the room) and how badly they underestimated the level of carbon emission reductions needed to successfully mitigate climate change. The results are very interesting:...
Dell's Three C's and Sustainable Packaging
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.17.08
Tell Barack Obama: Energy & The Environment is the One Issue We Have to Get Right
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.17.08
photo: Gediminas Paulauskas
What follows is one of those pieces where I point out where someone says something so well that I have hardly anything to add to it. The writer is Chris Stimpson from Solar Nation and writing in Renewable Energy World he argues that of all the issues which face the United States currently (and by extension the world, but the piece is really aimed at Barack Obama) the one thing we cannot fail to get 100% right is energy and the environment.
We can pretty much muddle though all the other issues on the table—Stimpson uses the phrase “we will survive” liberally in the piece—but energy and the environment are issues of human survival on an entirely different scale than the economy, healthcare, immigration, or terrorism. Here’s the statement that got be thinking ‘I wish I wrote that’:...
Cuba Relies on Urban Gardens to Feed Hungry Populace
by Eliza Barclay, Washington, D.C. on 12.17.08
Planet Ark/Reuters has a nice piece out of Havana about how urban gardens are filling a key void in food production after three hurricanes wiped out 30 percent of the country's farm crops. In Cuba, urban gardens have proliferated in vacant lots, alongside parking lots, in the suburbs and on city rooftops, taking up some 35,000 hectares (86,000 acres). Most gardens sell their produce directly to the community and, because the economic embargo restricts agricultural input imports, grow their crops organically.
"Urban agriculture is going to play a key role in guaranteeing the feeding of the people much more quickly than the traditional farms," Richard Haep, Cuba coordinator for German aid group Welthungerhilfe, which has supported urban garden projects since 1994, told Planet Ark....
Green Gorilla Cartoon Tells Kids About Mountain Top Removal
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.17.08
Technology of 2008: What TreeHuggers Liked Best
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.17.08
It's the time for a year-end wrap-up of the techy happenings of 2008, so we decided to do a re-cap of what you liked best in the various areas. So sit back and put your scroll finger to work while we go through the tech we loved and loved to hate during 2008. ...
Solar Power System in Nevada Desert Reaches Grid Parity
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.17.08
Not the First Solar plant in question, merely representative... Photo: First Solar
At least according to the calculations of one analyst, a 12.5 MW solar power system installed by First Solar for Sempra Generation produces electricity at a lower cost, without any subsidies, than conventional fossil fuel generated power.
Mark Bachman, at Pacific Crest, concluded that the electricity from the First Solar system cost $0.075 per kilowatt hour to install, while conventional power cost $0.09 per kWh. Here’s how Bachman came to that conclusion:...
Are Greens the New Gays?
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.17.08
Green Pride Stems from Gay Pride; photos via Greensender and NCinDC
In a very fun interpretation of the famed rainbow flag of the gay pride movement, Greensender.com has created some green pride flag merchandise, just in case you’d like to come out of the closet as green and wear your pride on your sleeve – er, chest, or car, or wall…...
How to Go Green: New Year's
by Blythe Copeland, Great Neck, New York on 12.17.08
Photo credit: Getty Images/Domino
We generally run into two schools of thought on New Year's Eve: it's either an excuse for a raucous night at the bar and massive quantities of bubbly, or it's a night for amateurs that's better spent watching the ball drop with a few close friends. No matter which category you fall into, it's easy to make your Eve a little greener with organic champagne, recycled glassware, DIY noisemakers, and non-disposable decorations. And if, regardless of whether you went out or stayed in, you had a little more to drink than you meant to-well, we can help with that, too.
Check out the guide for How to Go Green: New Year's over on Planet Green to get tips on going green on the big night, and making green resolutions that'll last all year. Hit the jump for a quick taste of what's available on the guide, and click below to read the whole guide.
...
First Discovery of Magma in Its Natural State Made While Drilling Geothermal Power Well
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.17.08
photo: Wikipedia
Geothermal power developer Ormat Technologies while drilling a well on the Big Island of Hawaii accidentally came across a first for science: The first time magma was found in its natural environment and not being ejected from a volcano. Though the magma has no direct commercial use for Ormat, the temperature of the rock surrounding it could be ideal for geothermal energy use.
Here’s the series of events that led to the discovery,...
Get a Subscription to Wend Magazine at 50% Off
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 12.17.08
Today’s TreeHugger Deal comes to you from Wend Magazine. Built upon the idea that you can't travel the earth without doing your part to take care of it, Wend is a magazine that inspires both adventure and activism. They practice what they preach, and because the Wend team believes in the majesty of nature and protecting our forests, the magazine is printed on FSC certified paper with soy-based inks. Not too keen on consuming the paper? There is also a digital edition along with online-only content such as podcasts and featured blogs from global Wend ambassadors....
ZPowerpac Portable Fuel Cell Chargers - The Next Big Thing?
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.17.08
Screenshot of Power Air's Fuel Recycling Chart
Looks like the Medis 24/7 Power Pack will have a competitor. Power Air has just announced that they’re set to let loose their Zpowerpack portable fuel cell chargers for hand held gadgets....
1939: Who Needs Folding Bikes? Soon We Will Have Folding Cars
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.17.08
This 1939 design for a solar powered folding car is interesting and a bit silly, but was based on the predictions of a Professor about a future of stronger materials and metals.
What requires so much weight in automobile engines or bodies, in giant bridges, in the steel frames of buildings and a thousand other things is that so much metal must he used to make the beams or castings strong. Weight Itself is useless. The need is only for strength....
Peak Moment TV's Economic Meltdown Sale
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 12.17.08
Image credit: The Economist
Peak Oil DVDs at Bargain Prices
The summer’s gas prices may have gotten us hopeful of real change – but even as our economy melts around us, collective amnesia already seems to be settling in. But not everyone forgets. From protecting your money in a declining economy through backyard permaculture in Oregon to Matt Simmons’ warnings that the oil crunch will dwarf the financial crunch, the folks at Peak Moment TV have been a valuable resource for information about peak oil and what we can do to adapt. But even they are not completely independent of our current economy – so they’ve decided to hold an “economic meltdown sale” on all DVDs. Read on for some of the great titles you can purchase at up to 40% discount. With the IEA Chief Economist warning about imminent peak oil, these could make perfect last minute holiday gifts for the oiloholics in your life.
...
New Solar Photovoltaic Window System Announced by RSi Solar
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.17.08
Not the RSi solar windows but look at the potential... photo: charmar
Say building integrated solar power and most people (who’ve heard the term...) will think of discreet roof tiles which look like regular roofing material but are really solar panels. Well, here’s a new twist on the concept: RSi Solar has announced the “world’s first transparent, photovoltaic glass window” which the company claims can result in savings of up to 50% on a buildings heating and cooling requirements. Here’s more:...
Ultralast Batteries: "Does This Packaging Make My Green Look Washed?"
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.17.08
When something like this arrives, I find the only way to really vent my frustration is to cause public embarrassment. So, off to the stocks with this Ultralast media package and its flood of greenwash.
Read on for the final straw that made this little package post-worthy. ...
Test Drives Start in Electric Car Dubbed the Anti-Ferrari
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 12.17.08
Image: Spirt Avert
A Dream on Wheels
The Anti-Ferrari. The Classless Status Symbol. Günak's Dream. These are just a few of the rubrics earned by the first European sportscar designed from the ground up as an electric vehicle. Lorenzo Schmid, the Swiss millionare backer for Günak's dream, tells the German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine why all other attempts to break into the automotive market with eco-autos have failed: They were all super concepts, fuel-efficient, clean, innovative -- except they are mainly not fun. Without sex appeal, you can't sell a car.Of course, the Tesla is excluded from this assessment, but the Tesla can be dismissed as too pricey for the average driver. Schmid aims to make an electric car that is affordable but which is more sportscar than golf cart. From the looks of the prototype, Mindset is well on its way to acheiving this goal. But Mindset will be more than one step ahead: at least one of the technical specification will really suprise you...and that is not even counting the solar panels on the roof and trunk....
Après le Déluge, What Kind of Housing?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.17.08
Harrison Pitt Architects, larger image here
UK Insurance company Norwich Union held a design competition to "see how architects would tackle the problem of building on flood plains in a liveable, workable and insurable way." Now perhaps Rule One might be that you don't build on flood plains, but if you have to build single family houses with Land Rovers in the driveway and Kayaks in the garage for backup, this is how you might do it.
Some, like Harrison Pitt, shown above, have designed New Survivalist dream houses with water tanks, photovoltaics, terraces to grow and dry food, everything but a gun rack. ...
Knowmore Firefox Extension Helps You Browse for Ethics
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.17.08
Knowmore Firefox Extention's Homepage Search Block
A while ago we presented Scryve to you, a company rating service that lets you know where a company falls on the ethics scale. Well, we’ve just learned about a Firefox add-on that is a great alternative to Scryve.
Knowmore Firefox Extension is an easy-to-use alert and rating system so you can instantly know what grade the website you’re perusing has eared in five major categories. ...
Backpacker Bunks that Actually Look Inviting
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.17.08
It has been many years since I last stayed in a backpacker's hostel, perhaps because they never looked quite like this. Nils Holger Moormann has made the communal accommodation in a converted bakery look quite inviting, although doors or bedcurtains would be nice too. ...
Some Gadgets Were Perfect 2,000 Years Ago
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.17.08
Survey: Do You "Hate" Speed Bumps?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.17.08
Speed bumps are sometimes called Sleeping Policemen for good reason: they just lie there and do their job of slowing people down. A properly designed one will let you comfortably drive over it without a serious bump if you are going the speed limit. They save a lot of fuel over other traffic control techniques such as multiple stop signs. Yet Eric says people HATE them. Is this true?
...
New Models of Cargabags: Recycled Wool Felt Totes and Messenger Bags
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 12.17.08
Photos: Courtesy of Cargabags.
Cargabags --which we first introduced two years ago- is a line of bags and totes produced with recycled wool felt and in fair trade conditions by Argentine entrepreneur Mauro Bianucci.
Now, just in time for the holidays, the label has launched two new models. Find out about them and catch pics in the extended....
Recycled Hotel Rooms from Wine Barrels for the Oenophile
by Bonnie Alter, London on 12.17.08
Today's special is for the wine lovers among us: it is a hotel in Stavoren, a very old port in northern Holland. The rooms where you sleep are in 15,000 litre wine barrels. There are four of them, each created from Swiss drums that used to contain Beaujolais wine from the French chateau area. To learn more about this great recycled hotel and see pictures of its interior, click below. ...
New Smart Speed Bump Boosts Economy, Lowers Emissions, and Reduces the "Umph" Factor
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 12.16.08
Photo Caption: "Swedish for speed bump"
Credit to Goodnight London
The Old Speed Bumps
We hate them. Okay, well hate is a pretty strong word, but not strong enough for some of us. Perhaps despise, or even loathe is more appropriate to express some of our true feelings. But that is exactly the purpose of a speed bump. To create a rather annoying situation which is only made better by driving at reasonable speeds.
Smart Speed Bump
This is the same theory behind the Smart Speed Bump, except it has an even more technologically improved reward and punishment system. We all remember the concept of reward and punishment from psychology class don't we kiddies......
NICE Electric Car Company also in Trouble
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 12.16.08
Receivers Called in on Pioneering EV Retailer
The problems of the big three don’t bode well for SUVs - but that’s not the only kind of automotive transport that’s in trouble. With Norwegian electric car make THINK! in dire need of its own bail out, Toyota putting its Prius plant on hold, and Tesla running into trouble, the long promised dream of a greener car also seems to be somewhat challenged of late. Now we hear that London-based NICE electric vehicle retailer is also suffering - in fact Peak Oil news tells us that the receivers have been called in on the pioneering EV outlet:
...
Eco-Luxe Pink Champagne, Green Gift Wrap and Seasonal Sweet Potato Gnocchi
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 12.16.08
:: Pink is the new green. In our Buy Green: Pink Champagne guide, that is!
:: 'Tis the season of wasteful gift wrap--and a whole lot of it! Make a switch to more sustainable alternatives.
:: Kiss goodbye to holiday stress with a comforting home cooked dinner like Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter. Mmm......
Downloadable Designs: Free Gifts from ReadyMade
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.16.08
TreeHugger has shown quite a few classic posters that have relevance today, and a few humorous ones that are updates of the originals. Now ReadyMade commissioned five artists to reimagine the poster art of the GD1 (great depression one) and made them available for free downloading, just in time for the holidays.Nick Dewar writes about his bike poster:
“I hope that America is entering a post-’greed is good’ period. I can’t think of a single step that would change the nature of our society more than everyone abandoning their automobiles and cycling instead. There would be less dependence on oil, obesity levels would drop dramatically, and reflective bike clips would replace fancy ladies’ purses as the current must-have fashion accessory.”...
Norwegian Electric Car Maker THINK in “urgent financial distress”
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 12.16.08
Think in Big Trouble
The Norwegian government has announced that it won't guarantee between 100 million to 200 million Norwegian crowns ($14.5 and $29 million) in short-term loans to rescue the electric car maker Think Global. The company has halted production of its City EV and laid off half its workforce. Think was rescued from bankruptcy in 2006, but will it be rescued again this time? Read on for more details....
Obama Should Implement Carbon Tax, Eminent Climatologist Says
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.16.08
Though proponents of carbon cap-and-trade programs are in the ascendancy over advocates of straight carbon taxes at the moment, that hasn’t stopped some eminent scientists and thinkers from coming out in favor of the latter.
Most recently, climatologist James Hansen (the first scientist to state before Congress that greenhouse gases were causing climate change, some 20 years ago, and director of the NASA Goddard Institute of Space Studies) has come out in favor a carbon tax and has urged president-elect Obama to adopt one. Hansen explained how he envisions an effective carbon tax:
...
Toyota Puts Brakes on Construction of Mississippi Prius Plant
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 12.16.08
Update: See our article on the official launch of the new 2010 Toyota Prius!
Toyota Not Immune from Downturn
Toyota has invested more than $300 million in the Blue Springs, Mississippi, plant that is under construction. It was supposed to start making Prius hybrid cars (check out photos of the redesigned 2010 Prius here) in 2010, but "the automaker is delaying production there indefinitely because of the industrywide downturn." Read on for more....
Building Integrated Solar Power Tiles Now Available With SunRun Solar-As-Service Program
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.16.08
photo: OCR Solar & Roofing
Residential power purchase agreement programs for solar power (sometimes called solar-as-service) offer homeowners the benefits of solar power without having to worry about financing the installation of the panels themselves. This sort of program is hardly new—though they aren’t yet available in every state—but what is new is incorporating building-integrated solar panels into one of these programs.
That’s what’s happening with the newly announced partnership between SunRun and OCR Solar & Roofing:...
Mercedes Unveils BlueZERO Trio of Electric Concept Cars
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 12.16.08
Mercedes BlueZERO: One Body, Three Drivetrains
Mercedes has given us more information about its BlueZERO trio of concept cars. I'll be able to see it in person in Detroit in January, but in the meantime, here's what we know about it: A single architecture designed to be modular so that three different drivetrains can be used. The E-CELL version is battery-electric, the E-CELL PLUS is similar but has a small internal combustion engine to act as a range-extender (like on the BYD F3DM or GM Volt), and the F-CELL is a hydrogen fuel cell model. Read on for more details....
Good News For Atlanta: Water Rising In Lake Lanier
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 12.16.08
Banks may be closing; jobs may be slipping; but, at least substantial winter rains have returned to Atlanta, as is normal. The refilling of Atlanta's drinking water reservoir (Lake Lanier) comes following almost two years of regional drought, periodic emergency conservation measures, people painting dead grass green, and an ongoing Federal lawsuit involving allocation of states' water rights. As of 5:30 Sun 14th Lake Lanier is up more than 12 inches at 51.99 ft. A level last seen on Nov 9th. With more rise possible during the coming week. Rain is possible nearly every day during the coming week.Via:Comment from Atlanta Water Shortage Blog Image credit:Weather Underground, radar weather map of Atlanta area for today. Look below for historic coverage of the Atlanta-area drought....
Best of 2008: Organics, Vegetarians, and Suburban Death
by Alan Graham, Portland, Oregon on 12.16.08
From now until the New Year, I'll be running a series of some of the most popular posts from our forums from the past year. These include most viewed topics, most replies, the most heated discussions, and just some of my favorites.
stevejust, postulated the suburbs might die, which set off a heated debate both pro and con.
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earthwriter wants to know what would motivate you to go vegetarian, (es)chewing meat altogether?
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Finally, I suggested that switching to eating more organic, fresh, and healthy food might not be as expensive as many people thing.
Visit the Forums...
Asahi: "What Is Happiness? Where Is Peace To Be Found?"
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 12.16.08
"People at all times," Shuken Kiyoshi, 56-year-old head priest of the Zuikoji Temple in Osaka, Japan says, "are plagued by desires, unable to cast off their passions. But a chance encounter can transform the nature of these desires of ours. Especially now, when values are so confused, I wanted to provide a space where everyone could come to seek his or her own light."
Mr Kiyoshi found an original way of doing that: he opened a bar. This caught the attention of Asahi.com, the website of one of the largest newspapers in Japan. I like how the article manages to mix details about how the economy is hurting people, with how we all are trying to deal with the major changes going on around us: "Before, I was never satisfied. I always wanted more. I changed companies over and over, until at last I began to feel that the way I was living was all wrong." ...
5 Green Government Leaders Who Don't Get the Attention They Deserve
by Bonnie Hulkower, New York, New York on 12.16.08
Just because you're doing good work doesn't mean you always receive the attention you deserve. To rectify that here are some green government leaders who haven't had the spotlight placed upon them as often as some of their more prominent colleagues.They may take on issues that aren't always as sexy as some others--water infrastructure, sewers, nuclear waste dumps, opposing offshore drilling, controlling refinery emissions and invasive species--but each one of these leader's earns TH's vote:...
Obama Choices for Energy & Environment Positions Widely Hailed: What Do Readers Think?
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.16.08
The Mill: A Boater's Rest Stop by Rintala Eggertsson Architects
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.16.08
If you have ever taken a long canoe or kayak trip you will recognize this as a lovely idea- a beautiful, covered rest stop, perhaps with a little electricity to charge up the camera. And of course in Finland they take design seriously and have not forgotten the heritage of Aalto. ...
The Best of the New York Times' Year in Ideas
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 12.16.08
The New York Times' annual list of the Year in Ideas and GOOD sorted out some of the "potentially transformative" from the less world-changing (a chair that grows crystals on its surface in water anyone?) Nikhil's picks:...
- the Brickley engine, a flattened version of the ol’ internal combustion that may lead to fuel efficiency increases of 20 percent
- capital insurance, where third parties insure banks so the government doesn’t have to
- fast-food zoning, a one-year moratorium in opening new fast food restaurants in Los Angeles County
Humboldt Squid May Become Easy Calamari Thanks to Climate Change
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.16.08
7 Things That Make Your Butt (and The Rest of You) Look Fat
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.16.08
A new study by David Bassett of the University of Tennessee and John Pucher of Rutgers University found that gee, if you drive more and cycle or walk less, you tend to be fatter. They are quoted in Wired:
"Countries with the highest levels of active transportation generally had the lowest obesity rates," Bassett and Pucher conclude in the study published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health. "Walking and bicycling are far more common in European countries than in the United States, Australia and Canada. Active transportation is inversely related to obesity in these countries."There might be other factors, though; TreeHugger has looked at a few of them over the years. ...
How Green was my Balcony
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.16.08
It seems to be all the rage these days: Every building proposal has lush green balconies. It is hard to tell how it is done; when you look closely at the renderings of this proposal for Milano Santa Monica, via homedesignfind, one really cannot tell if there are planters in front of the handrails or if it is just sorta stuck there like Christmas decorations. Nor do you know who maintains them, whether each owner is responsible, whether gardeners have rights of entry, or whether they rappel down the exterior of the building....
Save Money, Save Carbon Emissions: Share Your Next Taxi Ride to the Airport
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.16.08
Yesterday I wrote about the comparative carbon emissions of taking a cab to the airport versus those of the flight as a whole. (In case you missed it, the cab ride is generally less than 1% of the trip, even less than 0.5%.) I got a comment pointing out that in New York, where my example was based, the emissions from people riding in taxis are still considerable—which is certainly true—and the person then touted a cab sharing service with which they were associated.
Now, normally this isn’t the best way to get noticed by TreeHugger (in fact we frown upon blatantly self promotional comments on posts) but the service is pretty interesting, so I thought I’d pass it on:...
Green Scorecard Needed to Evaluate US Federal Spending, Put End to ‘K Street Capitalism’
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.16.08
Under Conniff’s proposed green scorecard, public transportation improvements would probably win out over more money for highways. Photo: Michael Pereckas
Recently Barack Obama announced part of his proposed economic recovery plan and touted much of it as being green—particularly infrastructure improvements. There was much talk of rebuilding roads and bridges but nothing about public transit. That may create jobs but does little to get people out of their cars and into more efficient forms of transportation.
However, if the nation adopted a green scorecard, advocates Richard Conniff in a new piece for Yale Environment 360, then the pros and cons of such proposals could more easily be weighed. These are some of the points Conniff proposes be tallied:...
Survey: Do You Go Hot or Cold in the Laundry?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.16.08
Our investigative team conclusively proved that using cold water to wash saves a lot of energy and still gets your clothes clean. Some in comments disagreed. How do you wash? image: plan59
...
Avoiding Plastic Bags: Recycled Straps Baskets, Shopping Trolleys by Violraviol
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 12.16.08
Photos: Courtesy of Violraviol.
Violraviol is a small design firm from Argentina that offers products and accessories for the house, which invite people to enjoy every day things like going to the market, cooking and having a nice meal. Among their adorable items we found two green gems: this shopping basket produced by Bolivian artisans with recovered plastic strips that come from fruit markets leftovers and a set of sweet shopping trolleys to keep you from carrying bags.
Read more and find more pictures in the extended....
Recycled Wooden Furniture
by Bonnie Alter, London on 12.16.08
Recycled furniture is a growing area for young designers because there are so many interesting ways of approaching it. This furniture (pictured) is made from bits and pieces of leftover wood and is clean and contemporary looking. Amy Hunting, a Norwegian designer working in London, creates her Patchwork series of furniture and lamp shades from waste wood and offcuts collected from factories in Denmark. The pieces are glued together to form a wood patchwork. Then they are made into a chair, book box and lamps, without the use of any screws or bolts. All the pieces are biodegradable and hand made.
The book box is very versatile. The boxes can be stacked on top of each other or hung on the wall. You can flip the box and use it on its side; the legs then become additional shelves. The lamps are made entirely out of wood and require no fitting. They can be hung on any bare lamp bulb through the top of the lamp. ...
Officer Who Attacked Cyclist is Charged
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.15.08
The Christian Environmentalist Hosts Carnival of the Green
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 12.15.08
This week is Carnival of the Green #158 and it's being hosted by The Christian Environmentalist, a blog that explores environmental issues from a Christian perspective.
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! ...
Forget the Bailout, Here's How to Save Detroit
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 12.15.08
Our Plan to Save Detroit
It is with tongue planted firmly in cheek that we present you our plan to save the big Detroit automakers from smaller and more efficient foreign cars: They simply need to knock off highly desirable foreign cars, but make them super-efficient and inexpensive by shrinking them! Voilà!
Many more models of the cars of tomorrow below the fold....
What Will Business Get From Poznan?
by Danielle Carpenter Sprungli, WCSBD on 12.15.08
The world watched, although in what seems to have been a relatively detached manner, given the general lack of coverage, the events happening over the last two weeks at the UN’s climate change conference in Poznan, Poland (1-12 December). “Present but not contributing” would aptly describe some of the nations there. The US had a delegation, but it represented outgoing president Bush. Obama did not send his own climate team, although he has called climate change “a matter of urgency.”
“It has affected the meeting in a fairly significant way,” said Gus Silva-Chavez, a policy expert at the Environmental Defense Fund in Washington who has been observing the closed negations. “A lot of people think: ‘this is not the time to put our cards on the table. Let’s wait for the new administration. Why agree to anything now?’” [“White House change hobbles climate session”, International Herald Tribune, 11 December 2008.]...
EPA's Most Wanted List: Will The Ironies Ever End?
by Jeff Siegel, Green Chip Stocks on 12.15.08
Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency unveiled a new most-wanted list that focuses on environmental fugitives. These are folks that have done things like smuggled harmful chemicals, dumped hazardous waste into rivers and trafficked in polluting cars.
I must admit that I find it a bit ironic that the very agency that refused to grant California a waiver to regulate tailpipe emissions for greenhouse gases, has climbed up on its eco-horse to point fingers. ...
Rubber Tracks Make Military Vehicles More Efficient, Durable, and Quieter
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 12.15.08
Looks More Like a Toy, but Performs Better
Recently, we wrote about the fuel consumption of some common US military vehicles (f.ex., the M2A3 and M3A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicles get about 1.7 MPG and the M1A1 Abrams Battle Tank gets about 0.6 MPG). This matters because we're not talking about small amounts of fuel: according to NPR, all the tanks, planes and ships of the U.S. military burn about 340,000 barrels of oil per day, making it the "single-largest purchaser and consumer of oil in the world."
One way to make tracked vehicles both more eco-friendly and safer and more comfortable for the people inside them is to use new high-tech rubber tracks. Read on for more details....
Toxic Televisions of the Undead Variety
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.15.08
No One Else Is Reducing Emissions That Much So We Won’t Either: Australia’s Prime Minister
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.15.08
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is a likely victim of rising temperatures due to global warming. Photo: Leonard Low
Last week the EU announced a new global warming mitigation plan that, as it called for only a 20% reduction in emissions by 2020 was criticized as not being strong enough. Well, Australia just announced its own carbon emission reduction plan and it does even less than the EU plan.
How much is not enough? Five percent by 2020 is not enough. Even the 15 percent proposed if a global climate change pact is reached is too little. And what’s worse is prime minister Kevin Rudd’s statements on the matter:...
GM is Weeping: BYD F3DM Plug-in Hybrid Goes On Sale in China, 3 Years Before Volt
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 12.15.08
Is the Future of Transportation Coming from China?
We've been keeping track of BYD for many months now (see our previous articles on the BYD E6 electric car, and BYD F3DM and BYD F6DM plug-in hybrids), and we're not alone. Warren Buffet's MidAmerican Energy Holdings has bought a 10% stake in the Chinese firm for $230 million.
Plug-in Hybrid Car for $21.9k
What's most impressive is that BYD didn't even make cars a few years ago. Until recently, it was only a battery maker (the biggest in China), yet it's F3DM plug-in hybrid is going on sale in China right now, at least 2 years before the GM Volt, another series hybrid. Read on for more details about the BYD F3DM plug-in hybrid....
Quote of the Day: The New Survivalists On the Job
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.15.08
TreeHugger Alan bravely struggles to his computer to let us know that Portland, Oregon is absolutely buried under five inches of snow. Electrical power is intermittent, so the new survivalists are stocking up with supplies. Overheard at the 7-11- a woman talking to her son:
"I want to get a few things so that if we lose power you guys have stuff to keep you busy...grab two of those microwave popcorns."More on the new Survivalism in TreeHugger: Survivalism is the New Black Will the MOAB Lead to TEOTWAWKI? Survivalists Think So. Survivalist Green: Parents, Do Your Kids Know Where You'll Be Living In Ten Years?...
Ocean Fish Farms Won’t Save Wild Fish & Can Easily Destroy Them
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.15.08
Sea lice photo: Watershed Watch
A couple months ago we ran a short animation on how sea lice from fish farms can reduce wild salmon populations. Now a new study in shows, in a broader context, why and how ocean fish farms can hurt wild fish populations.
Done by Prof. Neil Frazer of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the basic premise is that the higher density of fish in the farms promotes infection, and that infection lowers the fitness of surrounding fish. For the wild fish this means:...
Chill Out on Dubious Dubai's First Refrigerated Beach
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.15.08
It's hot in Dubai, averaging 40C (104F) and often hitting 50C (122F) in summer. Perhaps tourists visiting this desert locale don't check this out before they book their junket (or the rules about what you can do on the beach Green bikinis are okay, right?). Or perhaps if you can afford to stay at the new Palazzo Versace you expect nature to be bent to your will. You expect cool sand. That is what Soheil Abedian, founder of the hotel, thinks:
“We will suck the heat out of the sand to keep it cool enough to lie on,” he said. “This is the kind of luxury that top people want.”...
Best of 2008: Supplemental Solar, Pros And Cons, Raising Gas Tax
by Alan Graham, Portland, Oregon on 12.15.08
From now until the New Year, I'll be running a series of some of the most popular posts from our forums this past year. These include the most viewed topics, most replies, the most heated discussions, and even just some of my favorites.
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One of our resident solar experts and mad scientists, mikebeavis, asks if you've ever considered a supplemental solar system.
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deepcsuf wants to learn your impressions of solar, both pros and cons. Who has solar and what would push you to buy a system?
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Finally, this one from Alex Szczech created five pages of comments and caused quite a heated debate. Essentially, should we raise the gas tax to create less incentive for people to drive and to seek out alternative transportation?
Visit the Forums
...
Washing Laundry in Cold Water is the Same As...
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 12.15.08
Photo credit: Viewoftheworld @ Flickr
A full 90 percent of the energy used in washing clothes goes toward heating the water, so it stands to reason that using less energy by washing in cold, unheated water would create significant environmental savings. But just how much difference are we really talking about?
We got the TreeHugger HQ math monkeys to crunch some numbers, and came up with some pretty interesting results. It turns out that pressing the cold/cold button (instead of the hot/warm button) on your washing machine has the same impact as......
Holiday Gift Guide: For the Designer Types
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.15.08
It is a tough year for gift-giving, but if there is one thing we always say, it's that the key to living with less is good design. So here is our roundup of thoughtfully designed gifts that range in price from Free to Cheap to Almost Cheap. In the Free category, we love downloadable designs, where you can get neat things from all over the world that you print out and assemble. Some are great to do beforehand as completed gifts; others challenge the traditional model kit, delivering in paper what you used to pay Revelle for plastic. Who wouldn't smile at the Hal 9000 kit shown above; as DVice says, "Can't you just see him dancing in slo-mo to his rousing rendition of 'Daisy'?" Instructions in Japanese, but self-explanatory here; via BoingBoing....
Think Ocean Geo-Engineering is a Good Idea? Think Again, Australian Scientists Urge
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.15.08
photo: David Sifry
For techo-fix fetishists the idea of using geo-engineering solutions to mitigate the effects of global warming sounds wonderful: Dump iron fillings into the ocean, erect giant mirrors in space, dump limestone in the ocean.
But with one of these solutions at least, seeding the ocean with iron, Australian scientists are urging caution:
...
Cops Claim They, Not Gas Prices, are Responsible for Drop in Driving Deaths
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.15.08
Image: Tweek
When I previously wrote during the summer that High Gas Prices = Fewer Auto Deaths, a typical comment was "the author is a wack job and knows nothing." Fortunately the thesis was confirmed by The University of Michigan in High Gas Prices Mean Fewer Traffic Fatalities
Now new studies are confirming the drop in fatalities; Ontario, Canada has seen deaths drop 30% since 2007. But wait, the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it is their "strategic enforcement" this summer, not the price of gas, that made the difference. ...
Netbook Market Busts Open - Smaller, Power Efficient Computers Get Popular
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.15.08
Photo via magicfab
Folks in the computer world are getting pretty excited about Lilliputian computers. And so are we.
The netbook market is exploding, which means that ever smaller, more power efficient computers are finding homes at rates far above last year’s sales. ...
Ohio Organic Co-op Raided by Local Law Enforcement
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 12.15.08
Running a co-op got one family in a run-in with the law. Photo Manna Storehouse web site.
Food cooperatives come in all shapes and sizes - from the corner health food store jointly owned and operated by its members - to buying clubs that aggregate purchases of specialty products in order to decrease costs. Co-ops have vastly contributed to 'eat local' movements. You don't expect them to have law enforcement descending en mass one winter morning to serve a search warrant for suspected business license violations.
That's what happened to Manna Storehouse, however. Family run out of a home in LaGrange, Ohio, Manna states on its web site that it is a food co-op (the family also raises sheep) with 60 members that together buy everything from Amy's Organic Strawberry Toaster Pops to organic pastured chickens. On December 1 Manna got an unexpected visit from local law enforcement. Uncorroborated reports have Manna's family of owners being held at gunpoint for several hours while a "SWAT" team served a search warrant, proceeded to turn the house upside down, and left with computers, cell phones and several thousands of dollars in food. According to newspaper reports in The Cleveland Plain Dealer, however, the raid consisted of "four deputies" conducting a search over three to four hours, searching for evidence the family is running a retail food establishment without proper licensing....
Eco-Laboratory by Weber Thomson Team Wins Big at Greenbuild
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.15.08
We have admired the work of Seattle architects Weber Thompson before, being particularly impressed with their low-tech sensible approach displayed in their own offices. (see Smart Architect Builds Dumb Building and Terry Thomas Building By Weber Thompson) However, given a competition without restraints, they show that they know the high-tech stuff too. A team from Weber Thompson won the 2008 Natural Talent Design Competition at Greenbuild with their "Eco-Laboratory".
...
Peak Oil: “Time is Not On Our Side”, IEA Chief Economist
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.15.08
image: Ted Ollikkala
With oil prices declining in the past couple of months, and the notion that demand could decline due to global recession, it seems like peak oil has left the public radar screen (if it ever really was there). But perhaps if you read what George Monbiot has pulled out of Faith Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency you’d still be worrying about peak oil.
So here’s the quote from that got Monbiot writing and should get you concerned:...
Ultracapacitors Getting Tested on South Korea's Subways
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.15.08
Image via Maxwell Technologies
When I was little, my sister and I would wake up super early on Christmas morning and sit impatiently in our beds waiting for our parents to wake up. By about 6 am, we’d poke our heads out of our bedroom door and unsubtly holler, “Weeeeee’rrrreee Waaaaaaiiiiitting!”
I feel like its just turning into Christmas morning, and I’m ready to yell the same thing from my rooftop about ultracapacitor batteries. We’re Waiting!!
Hopefully we don’t have to wait a whole heck of a lot longer. Maxwell Technologies is testing out their ultracapacitors on the subway systems in South Korea, hoping to successfully capture energy from braking subway cars. ...
What Will You Do If Mt Fuji Erupts?
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 12.15.08
We mostly tend to think of sustainability in terms of short-term targets, like will there be butter in the supermarket or gas for the car - tomorrow. We wish companies to have CSR reports and countries to abide by global environmental protocols. We call for renewable energy and less waste. But, will I ever get a pension? Too bad the Earth is a little more fickle than that. Tsunamis, thunderstorms, ice caps melting, species and biodiversity in dire straits. You name it. An economic meltdown is nothing to the powers of this amazing, lovely planet we live on.
Hiroki Kamata over at Kyoto University makes this point very well. His best-selling book about Mt Fuji, published by Kodansha, explores what could happen if this terrific volcano has another eruption, like it did just 300 years ago, in 1708. Fuji-san is near enough Tokyo to be seen on a clear day, and the beautiful shape has inspired many painters, wood block printers and photographers. Dr Kamata notes that an eruption could seriously disrupt global internet services, and economic transactions. Yes, we are all in it together now....
Just What We Needed Dept: A Car Powered by a Built-In-Gym
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.15.08
Every little bit of energy helps when you have a hybrid; that is why they have regenerative braking as well as gasoline engines and even solar panels. Designer Da Feng of Coventry University has another idea: turn your car into a gym, with "a step machine, rowing machine, bench press, pull-up simulator and weights," all of which generate electricity for the batteries. ...
ReIY: Building Material Reuse Centers for the UK
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 12.15.08
Image Credit: Hyder Consulting
Construction Waste Diverted from Landfill
Walk past your nearest construction site, and chances are you’ll see piles of materials that may or may not make it into the final building. As with many industries, the level of waste is often quite staggering. In North America at least, the building industry in many areas has been able to benefit from RE stores, or Building Material Reuse Centers, where construction waste is sorted and resold, rather than sent to landfill (check out the online directory of Building Material Reuse Centers for your nearest store). Now the idea is coming to the UK too, thanks to those creative folks at the Bioregional Development Group (yes, the same team that brought us One Planet Living communities, Bioregional Charcoal, Local Paper, and much more). The first UK projects, dubbed ReIY Centres, are planned for The Wirral, Waltham Forest and Tees Valley. Cara Whelan, ReIY Project Manager at BioRegional had this to say about the project:
...
Highway Robbery: Piezoelectric Roadways
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.15.08
Energy theft is in the news again, in the guise of turnstiles in Tokyo, revolving doors in the Netherlands, and now piezoelectric generators for road, rail and runway from an Israeli company, Innowattech.
Perhaps a case can be made for revolving doors and turnstiles as most people could use a little more exercise, so a little extra energy expended won't hurt the able-bodied, although the elderly and the disabled might notice the difference and have trouble with them. But roads and rails? It is literally highway robbery, and inefficient at that. ...
How Bad Is Taking a Cab to the Airport, Compared to the Flight Itself?
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.15.08
photo: Doc Searls
Pulling back the curtain a bit on the TreeHugger virtual office, I’ll let you in on part of the working method of those of us cranking out the eco-news, pointing our collective Duchampian finger at the latest in green cool, and sifting through all the press announcements to bring you what’s worth paying attention to: We keep a running Skype chat going to share tips and brainstorm ideas. I suppose not a great secret, but that’s where this post comes from.
One day, while contemplating the travel that this job sometimes requires, this question arose: What percentage of the carbon emissions of a trip by airplane is the travel to the airport if you take a cab? While TreeHugger is certainly a big fan of pubic transit, biking and getting out of the car in general, sometimes you’ve got to travel with a heavy load of gear and taking a cab seems the easiest thing to do. In that case, should the concerned greenie overly worry about the carbon emissions of that cab ride?
So, I did some quick back of the napkin calculations: ...
VIA Nano Processor Wins Green-Tech Prize
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 12.15.08
The Future of Fridges: Tall, Narrow with Water Filter Built In
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.15.08
I often quote Architect Donald Chong's line "small fridges make good cities", where the kitchen responds to to the marketplace, the baker, vegetable store and neighbourhood vendor. In Europe, the fridge suppliers get this; they offer units like this 2 foot wide, 8.8 cubic foot Electrolux that has a smaller footprint, big vegetable drawers and a Brita water filter built into the door.
The regulators get this; their energy rating system isn't as dumb as America's, which will give an Energy Star rating to a forty cubic footer insulated with baby seal fur as long as it is 20% more efficient than the standard offerings. Their standard takes actual energy consumption, capacity and noise levels into account. This one gets an A rating. ...
Between the Pages of Eco-Libris and How they Green the Publishing Industry
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 12.15.08
Eco-Libris is no stranger to TreeHugger. The company now more than a year old, has been featured here in a number of shapes and forms. Planting trees for the books you buy, puts Eco-Libris in our good book. Here's our latest interview with Raz Godelnik, the CEO of the green company with strong Israeli roots. The latest news? Eco-Libris has partnered with Simon & Schuster.
1. Tell us a little bit about Eco-Libris, and the milestones you've passed since founding?
Eco-Libris is a green business that helps facilitate the greening of the book industry. We work with book readers, publishers, authors, bookstores and others in the book industry to balance out the paper used for books by planting trees. More than 30 million trees are cut down annually for virgin paper used for the production of books sold in the U.S. alone.
Eco-Libris aims to raise awareness to the environmental impacts of using paper for the production of books and provide people and businesses with an affordable and easy way to do something about it: plant one tree for every book they read, write, sell or publish.
...
Survey: Are the Food Police Going After the Wrong People?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.15.08
In Ohio, SWAT teams raid an organic co-op for selling food without a licence. In Ontario, Michael Schmidt gets hit up with $54,000 in fines in his battle to sell unpasteurized milk. Meanwhile, the EPA is changing rules like mad before Bush checks out, to make it easier for factory farms to pollute without oversight. What are the priorities here?
...
Indian State of Maharashtra to Begin Addressing E-Waste Problem
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 12.15.08
photo: Greenpeace India
TreeHugger has written about the growing problem of e-waste a number of times—most of the time in the context of shipping e-waste from the developed world to places with less stringent laws about how it’s disposed of.
Here’s a new twist on the issue: India has a growing problem with domestic e-waste and only two cities, Delhi and Bangalore, have effective e-waste management systems (Cleantech). But new regulations are being drawn up in Maharashtra to deal with the problem: ...
Christmas Eco-Shopping at the Fair
by Bonnie Alter, London on 12.15.08
The annual Eco Design Fair has design and fashion accessories with flare and a conscience. Everything on sale has a pedigree that will please every TreeHugger's heart and pocket book. There were lots of new ideas and old favourites to be found. The Duke of Cambridge, the first organic pub in Britain, was supplying the mince pies and mulled cider, and celebrating its tenth anniversary.
We were delighted to meet up with Ryan Frank, a familiar favourite to this site. He has a new idea, seen here (above) first; a variation on his "Zilka" clothes hangers. They are made out of British newspaper which is pulped and dyed, decorated and then turned into a pop-out hanger. The board can be a piece of decorated art and/or a hanger. He also had his prototype for a good looking stool (right-hand corner of photo) which is made out of old office furniture. He wants to be able to produce these on a large scale to make them economical....
NSF Reports on Jellyfish Gone Wild
by Jeremy Elton Jacquot, Los Angeles on 12.14.08
Image from Monty Graham/Dauphin Island Sea Lab
If you have any interest whatsoever in jellyfish—and, really, who doesn't?—then you should head on over to the National Science Foundation (NSF) website and read their special report on the environmental causes and ramifications of large jellyfish swarms. The interactive site is chock-full of videos, pictures (of course), interesting trivia (for example: a single jellyfish may release up to 45,000 eggs in a day) and several excellent primers on the species' ecology and swarm behavior. ...
EPA Plays Chicken with Regulations: Poultry Farm Emissions Worse than Steel Mills, Oil Refineries
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 12.14.08
Jake Rajs—Stone/Getty Images
New studies show that operations from chicken farms generate more ammonia emissions annually than oil refineries and steel mills combined in poultry heavy states. About 8 times more. And now the EPA is pushing for an exemption for the poultry industry so they wouldn't have to report those or other harmful emissions, on grounds that they're protected under federal "right to know" laws. The Bush administration is hoping to get the exemption passed in January, before you-know-who takes office. That's a whole lot of weird, even for this administration—so what's the big stink over poultry?...
Greening Secondary School Education with the Institute of International Education
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 12.14.08
The fruits of IIE's labors: teacher Karen Cruse giving a lesson on the Galapagos. Photo by Pete Oxford
Though I delved into Toyota's reasons for annually executing their singular teaching program in the Galapagos, I amazingly failed to touch on the unsung heroes of the operation: the Institute of International Education.
IIE works closely with Toyota's philanthropy division to orchestrate the trip, in order to benefit classrooms across America by fostering an international, educational dialogue between the Galapagos and the US. The non-profit's mission is to promote "closer educational relations between the people of the United States and those of other countries," according to the organization's website—and judging by the expertise by which they immersed the US teachers into the diverse, foreign environment of the Galapagos, I'd say mission accomplished.
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When Outsourcing Makes 'Cents' for the Green Business
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 12.14.08
Photo credit: Kimberly Faye
The old saying goes, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Smart businesses are always looking for an easier, greener, and more cost effective way of doing business, and this becomes even more important during economic down cycles, such as the one we are experiencing now. Today we are going to talk about one of the easiest means of boosting efficiency in a small business... outsourcing....
Obama and McCain Political Banners Team-up to Help Homeless in Colorado
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 12.14.08
Photo Credit Carol Mitchell
At the end of every election, there is always a leftover pile of buttons, signs, banners, broken and elated hearts. This year was no different than any other, and while many states had recycle programs to help clean-up the aftermath of the election, many did not. You could always start up your own local post-election clean-up initiative with some neighbors, but what one woman decided to do with the collection of used banners from her neighboring area was quite innovative....
Life Abroad, A Different Shade of Green
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 12.14.08
In Istanbul, hanging out your laundry is the only way to dry.
"Doesn't it drive you crazy, coming from San Francisco to this?" another ex-pat asked me recently after finding out about my environmental inclinations. And while it's true that recycling bins are few and far between, and organic foods not exactly the norm, in some ways, I've found it easier being green in Istanbul....
TreeHugger's Most Popular Stories of the Week: Dec. 7 - 14
by Chris Tackett, San Francisco on 12.14.08
Was the faux auto bailout ad above the top story of the week? Or was it Our Favorite Guys on Bikes gallery? What about the EcoFont, Missing Acorns or something else? Check the full post below to find out what our top stories were this week!...
The World's Largest Seed Bank: Next Bank to Fail?
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 12.14.08
Photo by Fred Dawson
Seems like the financial crisis has wracked more than just monetary institutions—Britain's Millennium Seed Bank is under major threat due to a lack of continued funding. The bank, the largest in the world, is home to 10 percent of all of the world's plant species, and stores six species thought to be extinct in the natural world. The bank may now fall short of its goal of collecting and conserving 25 percent of the world's plant species by 2020—which could mean even more rare and endangered plants could be lost forever.
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Geeks Are Cool: Scientists And Engineers Will Lead The Way To A Greener Future
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 12.14.08
Dr. Wernher von Braun, Director of the NASA Marshall Space Flight Center on July 1, 1960.
If ever there was a time for Big Scientists and Big Engineers to take leadership roles in government, this is it. We now have reason to be optimistic. The incoming US Federal administration has signaled its intent to put a Nobel Prize-winning physicist at the helm of the Department of Energy, a Chemical Engineer to Administer the Environmental Protection Agency, and, if what I just heard is correct, a Harvard-educated architect in charge of the Department of Housing & Urban Development.
Business Nerds Out, Techno-Geeks In
People with MBAs and PhDs in economics know best how to optimize for profit. Put lots of 'em in government and running investment houses and the odds increase greatly for 'overshoot.' Like what just happened. For the time being, business nerds have lost their credibility. Into the shadows for them....
New Paper Shredder Actually Recycles Paper at the Office
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 12.14.08
Image: Business Media
A vision for the future: no more sorting, paper separating, curbside collection. Just feed your business papers into the shredder, turn the Meiko SEED system on and overnight the used paper is recycled into a clean, fresh pile of 1500 new sheets of paper. The Meiko SEED paper recycling system was introduced recently at the Eco-Products 2008 convention in Japan. It sounds like the ultimate solution for paper recycling. But what are the costs? Can point-source recycling compete with large scale collection and recycling on energy and environmental impact?...
Big Things from Small Kitchens
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 12.14.08
We do a regular series on TreeHugger about almost useless kitchen appliances that just take up space, or are what the Unclutterer calls "unitaskers"- devices that do only one thing that you need rarely.
The other side of the story is that many people, including most people in big cities or small apartments, have really small kitchens and just can't accommodate much of anything besides the basic stove, sink, fridge and a few pots and pans. New York Times food columnist Mark Bittman develops and tests his recipes for his cookbooks and articles in a kitchen that is seven feet long and six feet wide, tiny by any standards. He writes in the Times about what he thinks is essential in a kitchen:
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Stockholm Leaps Into the Electric Infrastructure Fray
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 12.14.08
Fortum is considering designs for charging posts - here's one possibility.
There is a not-so-openly acknowledged race for a select group of cities. It's a case of electric infrastructure one-upmanship.
Finnish utility Fortum is promising to install 100 electric charging stations in the city of Stockholm in the coming year. Even though that probably won't put Stockholm or Sweden at the absolute head of the electric pack (Oslo will likely have well over 100 stations by the end of next year), Stockholm's move is a good one. The city unveiled its first two permanent charging stations, and three more at different points at the city's edges will soon be in place. Stockholm is aiming to be an "emissions free" city in terms of car traffic by 2030. Can they do it?
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KEEN Footwear Partners with the National Wildlife Federation to Get Kids Back Outside
by Sara Novak, Columbia, SC on 12.14.08
photo: KEEN Footwear
When I was little playing outside was an all day activity. We didn’t play video games or watch television, our entertainment was the endless spectacle of wildlife in our backyard. And I'm not from the rainforest here, this used to be the norm. Today, thanks to the wonders of modern technology, kids are losing touch with the outdoors. See how KEEN Footwear and the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) are working to change that.
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5 Stupid Celebrity “How to Save the Planet” Quotes of the Decade
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 12.14.08
Photo credit to Hot Rod Homepage
As we get closer to shutting down the first decade of the millennium, we have many fond celebrity comments that have echoed across the headlines and made us all laugh (at least a few of us anyway). While these quotes were undoubtedly intended to appear intelligent and conscientious of the planet in some shape or form, they just didn't quite make it across the headlines the way they would have liked. Let's look at our top 5 examples of this......
New Web Site Encourages Cycling Through Competition and Collaboration
by Andrew Posner, Providence, Rhode Island on 12.14.08
Image source: GreenLightRide.com
The Internet is a Great Tool for Promoting Sustainability
We've covered lots of ways in which the internet can be used for promoting all things green. For instance, there's the green search engine, green web hosting, 6 planet-saving Facebook applications and Google's Public Transportation feature in Google maps. Now a new web site-GreenlightRide--is promoting cycling by transforming "your ordinary commute into a high-stakes scramble to rack miles and leave your rivals grinding their granny gears." Learn more about the site after the fold....
