- 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 March 1, 2009 - March 7, 2009
Total this week: 222
Crafting: Antidote to Iceland's Economic Woes?
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 03. 7.09
Designer Bryndis Sveinbjornsdottir and her clothing in her newly opened shop (Photo: Rabeika Messina)Thanks to the collapse of the major banks, the ongoing economic crisis, inflation of the króna and escalating unemployment, many resourceful Icelanders living in the small island nation’s biggest city, Reykjavik, are turning to crafting to save and earn money. "Those who can't afford to buy presents are making them on their own, and those who can afford them are mostly buying handmade Icelandic items because of the import limitations," says Helga Jona, owner of Nalin, a store on Reykjavik’s hip and trendy main shopping street, Laugavegur. The government-imposed limit on foreign imports has forced many stores to stop ordering merchandise overseas, but that hasn't meant empty shelves. ...
US Researchers Document 84% Drop In Childrens' Blood Lead Levels - There's Regulatory Work Left To Finish The Job
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 7.09
Old leaded gasoline pump.
Image credit:flickr,ISI Photo, excerpted from the image: "Mmmm leaded gas is good for the environment".
The Billings Gazette covered a recent report from Centers for Disease Control (CDC) researchers, documenting that "just 1.4 percent of young children had elevated lead levels in their blood in 2004, the latest data available. That compares with almost 9 percent in 1988." Highest US childhood lead exposures were leaded gasoline and lead-based paint, both of which were phased out of commercial use, and/or mitigated, since the mid-1970's. (Europe and other developed nations began their leaded gas and paint phase outs much later - the data, therefore, may not reflect non-US childhood blood level trends.)...
Istanbul's Green-Design Innovators
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 03. 7.09
Semiha Kan made this chair out of carpet samples. Photo via Ample Sample 2008
Although the 2nd annual i-deco Istanbul Decoration and Design Fair billed itself as "inspired by nature," there was little green in evidence beyond the grass covering the entry-hall floor. But amid the over-upholstered and garishly gilded furniture hid some ingenious gems--designers working with recycled and alternative materials and creating multi-purpose furniture for small spaces....
My 5 Favourite Trains In Tokyo, Japan (Videos)
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 03. 7.09
Living in Japan, I got to appreciate the public transportation, especially the trains. As noted here previously, over 70% of rail services are electrified, and since the Shinkansen started operating in 1964, this country has enjoyed fast, reliable trains that pollute a lot less than if everyone was driving their own car. JR East even has its own hydroelectric power supply, and this city just wouldn't be the same without it.
The Yamanote line (left photo) loop was completed in 1925 and now carries an average of 3.55 million passengers a day, which translates to a patronage figure of 1.3 billion passengers a year. Amazing.
Videos below the fold:...
Indulgent Food Getaways, Now That's Food for Thought
by Sara Novak, Columbia, SC on 03. 7.09
photo: For for Thought Tours
Need an excuse to get away? Food For Thought Cultural and Organic Cuisine Tours are the perfect way to step outside of your routine without leaving your green values in the suitcase....
Stella McCartney Designs Affordable Funny Tees for Money and Charity
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 03. 6.09
Image via: Facebook
As part of the Comic Relief Campaign, Stella McCartney has designed several Red Nose t-shirts, which are all made in Africa and support. The Beatles, Madonna and Morecame & Wise, and even a baby bunny photographed by Mary McCartney each adorn their own tee or tank. Red Nose Day, March 13, 2009 encourages participants to Do Something Funny for Money in its effort to raise funds to fight poverty in the UK and abroad in Africa.
More images after the jump....
Harry Reid's New Green Transmission Bill Would Spur Alternative Energy Growth
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 03. 6.09
Photo via Messenger and Advocate
One of the biggest hurdles to making alternative energy more widely palatable is establishing how to effectively transmit power from various renewable sources to the grid. After all, we can research and develop the most advanced alternative energy technology in the world, but without a good transmission system, there would be few outlets for it—and fewer market incentives for companies to get into the renewable energy game. Which is precisely why Sen. Harry Reid introduced an intriguing new transmission bill to Congress yesterday. ...
Skip the Dealer. Order Your Wheego Online
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 03. 6.09
Image via: Flickr
Previous electric-car owners and those looking to eliminate gas bills have something to cheer about, as do city-dwellers and fans of golf-carts as more electric cars, and more affordable electric cars are now hitting the market. While car dealerships are already applying for the cars, you too can skip the middle-man and purchase your own Wheego Whip direct. The Wheego Whips begin shipping out in May 2009, and, as we've reported before, if you've ever driven a SmartCar in Europe or Canada, then you have a pretty good idea of what you're getting in terms of size and transport....
Greener Gadgets 2009: Audience Picks Tweet-a-Watt as the Design Competition Winner!
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 6.09
all images: Greener Gadgets
1. Tweet-a-Watt
You may have seen our pre-competition preview of entries into the 2009 Greener Gadgets Design Competition. There were some really good entries, as well as some (frankly) perplexing ones , but the 'gadget' that came out ahead in audience judging was the Tweet-a-Watt. I put gadget in quotes because this really is a new item, just a hack of an existing product. Here's what it's about:...
Greener Gadgets 2009: Design Competition Also-Rans (Video)
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 6.09
"The Road Ahead: The First Green Long March": Lyrical Film Captures China's Young Environmental Campaigners
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 03. 6.09
Packing Heat: The Firepower of the Lowly Caulk Gun
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 6.09
Vicious Cycle: Drought Threatens Amazon Forest, Speeds Global Warming
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 6.09
Fewer Trees = More Warming = Fewer Trees
A 30-year study (!) involving 68 scientists from 13 countries just published in the prestigious journal Science reports bad news: the world's largest tropical rain forest is more sensitive to drought than previously thought, and the resulting loss of vegetation will have a greater-than-expected effect on carbon sequestration, and thus global warming. "Researchers said the total impact of the drought was an additional five billion tons of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere -- more than the combined annual emissions of Europe and Japan."...
Organic vs Local? Who Cares. Neither is Sustainable.
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 03. 6.09
Image via: Getty Images
While last year we were debating whether it's better to buy organic or local (or both), an article in Mother Jones now reports that we have even bigger fish to fry when it comes to our food production. While dreams of our future food system may rely on the romantic image of local farmers, the reality is: this model can't do what we need it to do, that is, feed billions of people. ...
Hemeroscopium House: Prefab Gone Mad
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 6.09
What can one say about Hemeroscopium House in Madrid, by Antón García- Abril? It was built in just seven days, out of seven massive structural elements. And yes, that thing cantilevering out the front on top is a swimming pool....
Green IT a Theme at CeBIT 2009 (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 6.09
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and German Chancellor Angela Merkel visit with NETGEAR executives David Soares (Sr. VP of Worldwide Sales & Support) and Thomas Jell (Managing Director, Central Europe), at CeBIT 2009 - via SterlingPR
Just as green was an underlying theme at CES 2009, coverage of the green IT displayed at CeBIT this year abounds. ...
New Honda Insight Hybrid Outsells Toyota Prius in Japan in February
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 6.09
New Honda Insight Hybrid 10th Best-Selling Car in Japan
Despite a shortage - "Honda received more than 15,000 orders for the Insight, which was launched that month. But it was able to deliver just 4,906 units, missing its monthly sales target of 5,000" - the Insight outsold the Toyota Prius in Japan in February. Honda probably shouldn't celebrate too quickly, though......
Goodbye, Yucca Mountain: Obama's Budget Cuts Nuclear Storage Plans
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 03. 6.09
Photo via AP
The big ol' budget Obama dropped off last week has funding for many, many things, but evidently none of them are nuclear repositories. Yes indeed, under Obama's proposed budget, we'd be bidding adieu to the notorious Yucca Mountain—the site designated for decades to become our nation's nuclear waste storing house. So what's the plan for all that leftover nuclear waste still stored at hundreds of sites across the country?...
Carrot City: Urban Agriculture Exhibition in Toronto
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 6.09
Pig City, MVRDV- each tower can feed 500,000 people
Carrot City is a fabulous display of the possibilities of urban agriculture, both vertical and horizontal, in an exhibition at Toronto's Design Exchange that shows "a mix of realized projects and speculative design proposals that illustrate the potential for future design that focuses on food issues." It was put together by Mark Gorgolewski and June Komisar of Ryerson University's Department of Architectural Science and Dr. Joe Nasr of the Centre for Food Security at Ryerson. They were kind enough to provide us with some selections and information from the show....
Solar Powered Heaters May Save Bats
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 6.09
Photo via robstephaustralia
And they thought wind turbines were a pain. More than 80% of of the deaths in several bat populations in the northeastern United States and Canada have been caused by a fungus - indirectly. Scientists haven't figured out a way to stop it from spreading, but they have figured out a likely reason bats are dying from the fungus. And that's lead them to devise heater boxes run on solar panels and car batteries could save the lives of bats. ...
Be a Citizen Scientist for Climate Change
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 6.09
Photo via John Norton
If you dreamed of being a scientist but took a different career path, here's your opportunity to do some side work to save the planet as a citizen scientist. ...
Could In-Sourcing Labor Be a Solution for Rebuilding American Manufacturing?
by Tom Szaky of TerraCycle, Trenton NJ on 03. 6.09
Photo via of Reckon.Vox.Com
For decades, we in the US have watched jobs--especially manual labor--be exported overseas to countries like China, Vietnam, and India, where people work for significantly less money. In general, I've noticed that wages drop by an order of magnitude, moving from developed ($10/hour) to developing counties ($10/day) and then by another order of magnitude when moving from developing countries to third world ($1/day). These are rough numbers, but they do underscore my point.
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Madonna's Worst Dressed, Jennifer Aniston's Obnoxious Style Costs, and More
by Terri MacLeod on 03. 6.09
Photo Courtesy: Pop Sugar
Poor Madame "M"! Madonna just can't seem to catch a break. The eco-minded blast her massive carbon footprint. Her ex-husband, Guy Richie, refers to her publicly as "It." Now, PETA singles her out as their worst dressed celebrity of 2009. The animal rights activists claim she is the biggest fur offender - by a mile. "We know she's on the prowl for a young cub, but someone needs to tell Madge that wearing fur doesn't make you a cougar," snipes PETA. Being the ultimate hipster and woman of class, the 50-year old Madonna dates a 22-year old male model. Other fur-flaunting celebs making Peta's most-hated list are the Olsen twins and Kayne West. Learn more: PETA
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Tensegrity Bike is Held Together By Wires
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 6.09
If Bucky Fuller designed a bike, it might look something like this idea from Romanian industrial designer Ionut Predescu. He calls it a Tensegrity frame, a term invented by Bucky and a portmanteau of Tensional Integrity. Cables are incredibly strong in tension and useless in compression, so Predescu has replaced tubes and welded connections with far lighter wires. There doesn't even have to be a rigid connection between the seat post and the horizontal element, the wires do it all....
Brad Pitt Visits Congress with a Green House Agenda
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 03. 6.09
Brad Pitt strolls through the Capitol to meet with Congressional leaders. Photo via: Flickr
While his wife was busy at work, Brad Pitt headed to the Mall. When the actor showed up on Capitol Hill, Congress seized the opportunity to hold a press conference. This wasn’t just the curious case of a showbiz star arriving for a photo op to meet President Obama. A Washington D.C. insider tells us the actor was accompanied by Hollywood producer Steve Bing and political strategist Chad Griffin to meet with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid about the Make It Right Foundation’s sustainable housing project in New Orleans. ...
Google Maps 500% Greener Than Last Year
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 6.09
Well, at least that's how Google frames it in their latest blog post on the improvements made in the past year on Google Maps and getting transit directions. And we have to agree - they've done a lot of really cool things to help folks get around in a greener way. Here's a look at a year of improvements....
Offshore Wind Power in Great Lakes Touted as Untapped Resource
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 6.09
photo: Kevin Dooley (Creative Commons)
A couple months ago TreeHugger brought you the results of a Michigan State University study which said that offshore wind farms in the Great Lakes could generate 10 times more power than the state currently generates from fossil fuels. Now, at the recently-concluded Michigan Wind Energy Conference the idea is again being touted:...
Almosts: Bamboo Facial Cleansing Cloths
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 03. 6.09
Image via: FutureNatural
Seems like "facial cleansing cloths" are popping up everywhere these days (I even got them in my stocking this year) - aimed at simplifying your life, or at least taking some of the time out of taking your face off at the end of the day or a long night of partying. Kaia now offers bamboo facial cleansing cloths as a green alternative to facial freshness, but are they really necessary?...
Why Yes, Methane Bubbling Up From a Frozen Lake Can Be Lit on Fire
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 6.09
Swimming With A Baby Blue Whale (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 6.09
Image via National Geographic
Who doesn't love baby animal videos on a Friday? Especially, baby blue whales. The sighting of this particular calf and mother helps in the effort to prove that a hot spot in the Pacific Ocean is actually a birthing ground for the giant mammals.
Click through to check out the video of how the researchers ID the whales, and for the awesome underwater footage. ...
Should Your Pet Be Vegetarian Too?
by Kelly Rossiter, Toronto on 03. 6.09
If you are a vegetarian, does that mean your pet must be as well? Should our own moral choices about not eating other animals be visited upon our dogs and cats? Do our pets have the right to eat other animals? Do we deprive our pets by making them vegetarian? Are we denying the fact that they are carnivores? How do you keep them from hunting, if that is their nature? I don't really know the answers to those questions, but I bet our readers have pretty strong opinions about the subject.
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Real Geeks - the Next Wave of Bike Commuters?
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 03. 6.09
Re-Growth Pod: "From Little Things Big Things Grow"
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 6.09
Here is an interesting idea for the rebuilding of fire-ravaged Australia that might be appropriate in other parts of the world that are subject to wildfires. It is a precast concrete prefab dwelling unit that can stand alone or act as the core of a rebuilt dwelling. In time of need, it can act as a safe refuge- it has a two hour fire rating. ...
Build Your Own Worm Bin: The Enviromentals (Video)
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 03. 6.09
Image credit: Center for Sustainable Living
DIY Worm Composting Explained - Hilarious Video
I've been pretty public about my obsessions with compost - from my experimenting with high fiber composting to composting my house move. Heck, my wife and I have even thrown a compost-warming party to spread the word. One type of composting I've always been intrigued by, but never tried, is worm composting. Worm composting offers opportunities for even the most space-confined appartment dweller to compost their organic waste, and to produce nutritious fertilizer, or 'worm tea' in the process. Now a friend has just sent me an awesome video, with simple, entertaining low-down on how to build your own worm compost bin. Click below the fold to find out more. ...
No Need To Worry About Your Retirement Money After All
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 6.09
Talk about major climate change! If this 1933 report is correct, the explosion is now 600,000,076 years overdue! via Modern Mechanix
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Survey: Is a Fake TV an Energy Saver or Waster?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 6.09
It is peddled as a power saver; the Fake TV "subtly pulses with a glow which changes randomly to recreate various programs" but uses far less power than a TV left on to deter thieves.
...
Accolades for an Aegean City
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 03. 6.09
Can Izmir sustain the progress it's made in cleaning up its bay? Photo by Veyis Polat via Flickr
Almost 3,500 years of urban history have made Izmir into the city it is today--sprawling, built-up, and traffic-clogged. Not a place you'd expect to see much in the way of environmental progress. But Turkey's third-largest city has drawn kudos for clean-up efforts that are making the area more habitable for human and animal residents alike....
Al Gore and Cohorts Applying for .eco Web Domain
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 6.09
Photo via cplbasilisk
Al Gore, along with some big names in Hollywood, are backing the idea of a .eco domain registration for the web, to be used specifically for green companies and organizations. But the novelty doesn't end there....
10 Books For The Green Preschooler
by Jeff Nield, Vancouver, British Columbia on 03. 6.09
Image: Jenn Pentland
A few weeks ago, in my post about Colonel Trash Truck, I was complaining about the scarcity of green stories for the preschooler. Well, after polling my fellow TreeHuggers it turns out I was wrong. There are oodles of stories with an environmental message that my three-and-a-half year old eats up. Some are old, some are new, some are cute and cuddly and some are frightening in their depiction of our current climate predicament.
Click through to see 10 green books that you and your preschooler will love to read.
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Greener Gadgets 2009: Saul Griffith on Climate Change and the Amount of Renewable Energy Needed to Prevent It (Video)
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 6.09
US Greenhouse Gas Emissions Increased 1.4% from 2006 to 2007
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 6.09
Image credit:USEPA
USEPA reported this week that total U.S. emissions rose 17.1 percent from 1990 to 2007 (a shade over 1% per year, as a long-term average). Emissions accelerated in the last year of that period, (1.4%). Primary contributors to the higher ending emission rate were: a cooler winter and warmer summer, greater electricity consumption, and a 14.2% fall-off in hydro-electric power generation, which, of course, was made up for with fossil fuel. Drought would be the root cause of lower hydro-power output. And the root cause of drought would be...climate change. Referring to the recent trends table (above, down-loadable in full report as pdf file, here) interesting changes occurred in several categories:
...
World Banana Eating Record to be Set--Eat Up
by Bonnie Alter, London on 03. 6.09
image from blogcritics.org
The World Fairtrade Banana Eating Record is to be set today and tomorrow. As part of the annual Fairtrade Fortnight, over 200,000 people have signed up to eat one Fairtrade banana each as part of a world record attempt.
Go bananas for Fairtrade. They are serious business: by eating them you will be supporting small farmers and workers in developing countries who rely on the Fairtrade price to earn a sustainable living and improve their communities....
The New Local Money - Food Dollars
by Mark Ontkush, Boston, Massachusetts, USA on 03. 6.09
Image from the Oil Drum
Jumping immediately from John Michael Greer's sobering bit on the end of retirement to Jason Bradford's discussion of printing food-backed money dollars is only for environmental experts; I did it, but barely escaped with my life. The juxtaposition of the two of the biggest n'er-before-faced realities - that of forgetting about retiring, and wondering how the dinner plate will be filled in the next few years - is the sobering equivalent of pushing a galvanized ten-penny through your palm. But so shockingly rich in practicality prana the posts they are, one may be able to feel satiated just by reading them you will. Is printing your own fisc the solution achieving security in your old age? After the break....
Will Renewable Energy Get Us Out Of The Recession?
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 03. 6.09
From Nikkei BP
Nikkei Business Publications recently announced the results of a survey conducted with engineers in Japan's manufacturing industry on the current global recession. They were asked hard questions about the impact of the recession and measures to cope with it. I am a little surprised that they turn out to be such tree-huggers: an overwhelming number thinks solar cells, electric, fuel-cell and hybrid vehicles - and even wind power - could provide the breakthroughs we need to get out of the current recession....
Dr. Andew Weil for Origins Night Health
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 5.09
Photo credit: Origins
Does a good night's shuteye frequently elude you? You're just one of the 76 percent of Americans who have trouble getting their 40 winks in on a regular basis, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
Because sleep deprivation can do a serious number on your body's ability to recover from the stress of the daily grind, resulting in the loss of skin elasticity and the formation of wrinkles, a soothing bedtime ritual that sets the scene for a restful night's sleep can go a long way to soothe frazzled spirits, not to mention promote cellular renewal....
Two-Way Postage Saves Paper, Eliminates Junk Mailers
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 03. 5.09
Image via: EcoEnvelopes
Are you a business (or person) that frequently mails envelopes inside of envelopes in order to get a customer to ship something back or for reply mail? Seems kind of like a waste of envelopes, eh? Well now EcoEnvelopes has come up with a solution - a USPS approved "eco-indicia" stamp that is bi-directional. Considering that over a billion reply envelopes are sent in credit card, bank statements, utility bills and other reminders, reusing the same envelope saves more than just paper....
Slideshow: Cars of the Automotive X-Prize
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 03. 5.09
The race is on to build a 100 mpg car. The X-Prize Foundation has ponied up $10 million for the team that can win the race, and prove that their car is economically viable for full-scale production. Check out our slideshow of the hybrids, EVs, and air cars that are making automotive history X.
Listen to the man behind the X, Peter Diamandis, on TreeHugger Radio....
"FakeTV" Promoted as Energy-Efficient Burglar Alarm
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 03. 5.09
Light box emulates television to outwit intruders. Photo via Opto-Electronic Design
For anyone who keeps the TV on when out of the house to fake-out potential burglars, now there’s FakeTV. Turn on this gizmo and stop wasting energy by leaving the television on for hours when no one's home--especially with Planet Green on the dial. This light-emitting device replicates the flickering images of a real television while consuming a fraction of the power—only one one-hundredth, claim the makers. Is this really a useful idea, just a clever placebo for peace of mind, or an addition to the "as seen on TV" collection destined for landfill?
...
Big Automakers Giving Up the Fight Over Tailpipe Emission Standards?
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 03. 5.09
Photo via Business Week
Yesterday, the EPA held a hearing to debate whether California and 13 other states should be allowed to regulate tailpipe emissions. And guess who skipped out on the event? The big automakers. All of them. That's right, not a one showed up to testify about how putting emission standards in place would cost them billions of dollars, how it would (further) destroy their industry, and so on. Automakers have fought the prospect of emission regulation tooth and nail—so why bow out now? What made them give up the fight?...
Clean Coal Spokesman 'Doesn't Know' if Coal Plant Emissions Cause Global Warming (Video)
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 5.09
Peter Diamandis on the Race to 100 Miles per Gallon (Part One)
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 03. 5.09
This race will draw “a line in the sand,” says Peter Diamandis, the CEO and chairman of the X-Prize Foundation. After the Progressive Automotive X-Prize is won, “there is no reason you should not be driving a car that gets over 100 miles per gallon.” With the Tour de France-style competition approaching, it is clear that there is more at stake than just the $10 million prize. Even the runners up may find themselves on the front lines of a transportation revolution. “We’ve been driving the same old cars for 100 years,” says Diamandis. Things will never be the same. Listen to the podcast of this interview via iTunes, or just click here to listen, right-click to download. Music comes from Chris Volpe See our X-Prize cars slideshow!
Full text after the jump....
A Picture Is Worth: Parking Lot of the Future
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 5.09
ApteraForum member Hadley Rille
Josh at Green Daily titles his post "Parking Lot of the Future? Here's to Hoping" and my first response was "I hope not."
First of all, nobody will ever find their car. Secondly, why can't a talented photoshopper show me a world that works well without giant parking lots, where people can walk or use convenient and fast transit, where land is no longer wasted for storage of empty vehicles.
Originally from Autoblog Green....
Radio ID Chips Help Fight Cacti Theft in Saguaro National Park
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 5.09
Photo: Copyright Gary Minniss
Who Knew Cacti Theft Was a Big Problem?
You'd think a giant cactus would be pretty hard to steal, but apparently some still manage to do it. In fact, it happens often enough that park managers of the Saguaro National Park want to inject Radio ID Chips (RFIDs) into them to deter thieves. Read on for more details....
8 Amazing Environmental Artworks (Slideshow)
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 03. 5.09
"The Greenhouse and the Shed" (2002) by Gilles Bruni and Marc Babarit (Photo via artists' website)When the going gets tough, the tough... make art. For the last few decades, environmental artists have been provoking much-needed dialogue about a new way of thinking about the environment and our relationship to nature. More often than not, environmental art is a synthesis of creativity, activism, community engagement and geologic history, inviting us to re-imagine our conceptions about art and nature.
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More Environmentally-Inspired Art
Top 5 Environmental Artists Shaking Up the Art World
7 Examples of Amazing Art Created from Trash (Slideshow)
When Art Rolls In From The Sea
Recyclart - Inspired By The "Art of Recycling"...
Energy Star Certification for Enterprise Servers Coming May 1
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 5.09
Making Energy Efficient Servers Easier to Find
The new Energy Star rating for enterprise servers - which was originally supposed to be launched on January 1st, 2009 - is coming on May 1st. Historically, computer servers have been optimized mostly for performance, but in the past few years, power consumption and heat dissipation have become extremely important and this new tool should help those who buy servers make better informed choices. Read on for more details....
Vertical Farm in Dubai Uses Seawater
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 5.09
Images from Studiomobile via Designboom
A good rendering is a thing of beauty, and when it is of an amazing vertical farm, so much the better. Italian architects Studiomobile has developed a Seawater vertical farm to be built in Dubai.
"The seawater vertical farm uses seawater to cool and humidify greenhouses and to
convert sufficient humidity back in to fresh water to irrigate the crops."...
Sea Sick Reveals The Terminal Status Of The Oceans
by Jeff Nield, Vancouver, British Columbia on 03. 5.09
In case you haven't heard, the oceans are dying. The coral, the fish, the plankton, the whole bloody system is going topsy-turvy. In her new book Sea Sick, Canadian Journalist Alanna Mitchell travels from the shore line to the depths cataloging the woes of the big blue as she goes. Increased acidity, dead zones, species loss, temperature increases, we've reported on it all before. Mitchell synthesizes all these divergent ideas and spits out an engaging overview on the state of our oceans.
Once or twice while reading this book I had to put it down, take a breathe and let the panic subside. There are so many things changing in the ocean that it's impossible to think that humans will escape unscathed from the damage we've helped inflict. Taking off from Jeremy Jackson's quote that we're laying the groundwork for a "mass extinction in the oceans with unknown ecological and evolutionary consequences", Mitchell gives some perspective....
The Grove Hopes to Connect Citizens With Trees
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 5.09
A new website was launched by Georgia Urban Forest Council that wants to utilize the appeal of social networking to get more trees planted. It's appropriately called The Grove. ...
Cool New Interactive Carbon Capture & Storage Maps Launched
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 5.09
images: Bellona
Undoubtedly you've heard all the talk about clean coal technologies. Leaving aside the absurdity of calling coal clean under any circumstance, the prime technology being referred to in that statement is capturing and storing the carbon emissions from that coal. But CCS could also be deployed at a natural gas or oil-fired power plant to capture emissions. There are plenty of people working on CCS, but only a couple pilot-scale projects at power plants are up and running (or should be shortly).
Want to know more about CCS? Well, Bellona has launched a new website that has a cool interactive map showing all sorts of CCS projects and the technologies they hope to use: ...
Number of the Day: More Than Half of All Vehicles' Trips to Work in US are 11 Miles or Less
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 5.09
11 Miles -- According to the 2001 Nationwide Household Travel Survey (NHTS), 58% of all vehicle trips to work are less than 11 miles (17.7 kilometers).
37% -- Vehicle trips to work that are 5 miles (8 kilometers) and less represent 37%, according to the same survey.
21% -- Trips between 6 and 10 miles (9.6 to 16 kilometers) represent 21%....
Florida to Charge Bottled Water Companies by the Gallon
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 03. 5.09
Photo via Flickr
Every day, 500,000 gallons get sucked up from a limestone basin in northern Florida by the Nestle Water Co. Every hour of each of those days, the water fills 102,000 plastic bottles at a nearby bottling plant. Nestle, and the 22 other bottled water companies in Florida, make a profit anywhere between 10 and 100 times the cost of each bottle. So how much does Nestle pay for the water it drains from the state's natural resources? Nothing. Oh, excuse me—the company had to pay a one-time fee of $150 dollars for a local water permit. The water they use isn't even taxed a single cent—but the Governor's looking to change that, big time. ...
Do CFLs Increase Greenhouse Gases? No.
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 5.09
This might just save the incandescent bulb from oblivion: The gluh lampe picks up the heat energy produced by the light bulb and warms the clay brick, which radiates for up to an hour after switching off the light. more in TreeHugger
John Lorinc writes in the New York Times about a certain Professor Blunden of the University of Manitoba who suggests that CFLs are counterproductive in cold climates.
No doubt by this afternoon it will be on Fox News to show how Gorebulbs are evil and Michele Bachmann will write it into the Lightbulb Freedom of Choice Act, so we better try to nip this one in the bud right now. ...
Development Is A Drag for Baja (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 5.09
Photo via SanGatiche
A short documentary called Tomorrow's Baja addresses the impact that tourism has on the unique and fragile ecosystem of the area. Among the many statistics that'll make your jaw drop is one that underscores what happens in areas taken over by tourism. A typical barrio family spends 20% of its income on water, but uses less than a single golf course sprinkler. Click through to watch a piece of the documentary. ...
New Online Small-Scale Wind Turbine Power Calculator Tool Launched by Carbon Trust
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 5.09
photo: thingermejib via flickr
Want to make the most out of your small-scale wind turbine plans? Or just see if the one you're planning on purchasing will ever generate enough electricity to pay back its embedded carbon emissions? Well, the Carbon Trust has launched an online tool to help you work out how much power that turbine could generate, as well as how much you could cut your carbon savings:...
Help a River by Organizing a River Cleanup
by Rebecca Wodder, American Rivers on 03. 5.09
Volunteer annual river cleanup. Image credit:Municipality of North Perth
Each year, an appalling amount of trash finds its way into our nation’s rivers and streams. These pollutants rob a river of its natural beauty and negatively affect the health of the river and surrounding communities.
But you can easily help remedy this situation by volunteering for -- or organizing -- a cleanup in your community during the 2009 National River Cleanup season, which is sponsored by American Rivers.
...
11 Good Decisions From the Obama Administration
by Greg Haegele of Sierra Club on 03. 5.09
Bald Eagle - saved by US Endangered Species Act. Image credit: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, ESA Bulletin 2007
Watching the decisions come out of the Obama Administration so far has been very exciting - they're serious about clean energy and protecting human health and the environment.
The Obama Administration made another in a round of good moves for the environment this week when the President said he will restore rules that require federal agencies like the Department of Transportation to consult with wildlife experts at Fish and Wildlife Services and the National Marine Fisheries Service before moving ahead with projects that could cause harm to endangered species....
Ready, Set, Go! Paving the Way for Plug-In Vehicles
by Rocky Mountain Institute on 03. 5.09
Image credit:RMI
President Obama has set the goal of adding one million plug-in vehicles to the country's fleet by 2015. And while the recently passed stimulus bill, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, contained some very generous incentives for plug-in vehicles, much work remains to be done.
One million is one half of a percent of the fleet—a good start, but a small start. How do we make sure the first million are a screaming success, and that we accelerate to 10 million, and 100 million soon?...
Pininfarina and Bolloré Taking Orders for B0 Electric Car
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 5.09
Click on image above to see more photos of the Pininfarina Bluecar EV.
An Electric Car With Lithium-Polymer Batteries and Supercapacitors
The B0 (B Zero) electric car created by Italy's Pininfarina and France's Bolloré looks quite promising, in good part because it isn't just a concept car and the partners say that the first units will be delivered in about a year. Leases (€330/month) will be available in six European countries (see below for more details), and you can put your name on the list right now.
Update: The B0 is now known as the BlueCar. You can check out the official BlueCar site here....
Earth Day Heads-Up: Pres. Clinton to Speak at Fortune Mag's Brainstorm: GREEN Conference
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 5.09
What do you do when you're a former president who still wants to stay active after being the most powerful man in the world? If you're Bill Clinton you start the Clinton Global Initiative, a Foundation, and give lots of keynote presentations at conferences. And when that intersects with the green world, TreeHugger covers it.
Case in point is the announcement that President Clinton will be giving the keynote speech at Fortune magazine's Brainstorm: GREEN Conference on Earth Day.
That's Wednesday, April 22nd, in case you're a little hazy on what day is actually Earth Day; I know things get blurred sometimes, with 'days' morphing into '(insert cause) month'.
Here are some of the other heavy-hitting green business leaders and thinkers who will be in attendence:...
Mapping Traffic Pollution Sends MESSAGE Loud and Clear
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 5.09
If you want to get really grossed out by traffic pollution, make emissions visible. That's what a new project is doing in the UK. Using cheap wireless sensors, air pollution levels can be monitored to assess traffic issues, and congestion on the roads and in your lungs cleared up. ...
North Carolina Law Requires Electric Utility Plant Combustion Of Chicken Poop
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 5.09
Recycled vs Virgin Toilet Paper Is Like Paper vs Plastic Bags
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 5.09
Source
There used to be a big debate about which is better-paper or plastic bags; now we know the answer is neither- bring your own. Perhaps the debate going on now about virgin vs recycled toilet paper is similar- the best solution is to use neither.
Christian Wolmar writes in the Guardian that "If everyone in the world used as much toilet paper as people in the UK, let alone Americans, there would not be a single tree left." He notes that in most of the world, people don't use it, and in fact we don't need it at all.
...
Cool New OLED Lighting Displayed at Lighting Fair 2009
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 5.09
High luminance and just 15 watts with these OLED prototype lights from RIOE. Photos via LEDinside
Last week we talked with Barry Young of the OLED Association who let us know that OLED lighting is going to be really awesome in the near future. We're getting a taste of that coming through from the Lighting Fair 2009, running this week. Check out some of the crazy things being done with OLED, that just might end up in our living rooms in a few years. ...
Is India's Jatropha Biodiesel Push a Good Thing? Here's a Quick Overview of Some of the Problems
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 5.09
photo: Mission New Energy
Though Jatropha-based biodiesel usage continues to expand in India, there are many issues surrounding it which aren't all good: Despite claims of growing on marginal lands, good yields require watering; and, those 'marginal lands' aren't always acquired for growing Jatropha under the best of circumstances. IPS News is running a good summary of these issues, which is worth checking out if you're interested in biofuels but aren't up to speed on Jatropha. Here are some excerpts:...
In Future, UK's Environmental Authority Can Seize CO2-Spewing Planes
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 03. 5.09
Photo of a recent protest at Aberdeen airport by anti-aviation group Plane Stupid.
Aviation, especially in the UK, is having a tough year. A tanking economy curtails profits. Lots of protest over plans for a new third runway at Heathrow. And now, the news that the country's Environment Agency will actually have the authority in future to seize planes if airlines aren't complying with emissions reductions quotas that begin to take effect when the EU's Emissions Trading Scheme includes aviation in 2012. ...
Quote of the Day: Meaghan O'Neill on TreeHugger
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 5.09
Treehugger people are all over the print world today; first Petz in the New York Times, and now editor-in-chief Meaghan O'Neill explains what we do at TreeHugger to the Guardian and gets all philosophical:
It is becoming more and more obvious that the "20 Simple Tips to Save the Planet" approach isn't going to get the job done. I applaud anyone who makes even the smallest change in their own life – doing something is better than doing nothing. To buy the idea that we are not facing an uphill battle – with science, governments, corporations, the clock – is naïve....
Sony Displays Fuel Cell-Powered Speaker Prototypes
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 5.09
Photos via Tech On
In the line-up of gadgets being engineered to run on fuel cells comes speakers by Sony. The company is showing off a retro-style speaker that utilize direct methanol fuel cells at the International Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Expo last week....
Recycled Toilet Paper vs Virgin: Fox News Can't Tell
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 03. 5.09
$84 Million Investment in Geothermal Power Announced by Department of Energy
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 5.09
photo: Giorgio Cassisi via flickr
Even before Stephen Chu took over the controls, the Department of Energy was a supporter of more research into Enhanced Geothermal Systems, most recently in the form of $43 million in grants. That support continues in the form of two Funding Opportunity Announcements totaling $84 million. Here's how that money will be divided up:...
UNCUT felt slippers by Amor de Madre
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 03. 5.09
Today we came across these funky house slippers called UNCUT, made from 100% natural felt and designed by Ernest Perera....
Survey: Do You Support Green Retailers?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 5.09
As click as well as brick retailers close down in the recession, the green businesses are being hit hard too. Did they get our support? Did they deserve it?
...
Cadbury's Dairy Milk Goes Fairtrade, Next Billion Go To TED, Huff Post on Coal, and More
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 03. 5.09
Cadbury Dairy Milk Fairtrade: Is the future of Fairtrade with big switches by big companies or increasing access to the pioneer brands? "Cadburys says in the FT today that it's not trying to undermine the pioneering 100% Fairtrade companies such as Divine. However, Cafedirect saw a 5% decline in retail sales last year because of the penetration of supermarket own brands."...
Nau Eco Clothing Gets The Blues With Their Spring 09 Collection
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 03. 5.09
Not to suggest that Nau are feeling depressed at all, just that after sticking very tightly to a palette of earth tones, they have now infused their line with a variety of strong blue hues. And they also go for gold with a new ochre colour. Nau craft clothing only from high spec environmentally benign materials. Their styling strives to bridge the divide between active outdoor pursuits and urban life. All the while pushing the envelope of apparel design.
For example, this northern Spring they offer a three layer waterproof/breathable jacket in a stretchy knitted recycled polyester. And there are reversible shirts of super fine organic cotton -- wear stripes one day and a block colour the next (two shirts for the price of one.) Fine gauge merino wool knit is fashioned into polo shirts and skirts. While on skirts, one product that has my brow wrinkled: a waterproof/breathable skirt? In an above-the-knee length? Maybe if I was a woman I might fathom the need. More pix below....
Seven Ways to Eat Green (and Inadvertently Lose Weight)
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 03. 5.09
Photo via: MarinaAvila/Flickr
With the U.S. ranking as the fattest country in the world and therefore home to most of the world’s weight conscious, I’ve often marveled over the fact that the emerging green food movement is never touted as a diet—even though the planet-friendly food choices we make are often the most waistline-friendly. Here are seven reasons why greens eaters have a leg up when it comes to losing weight--whether they're aware of it or not:...
Conan O'Brien Show Leftovers for Sale in NYC
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 03. 5.09
On the flip side of Jimmy Fallon turning the Late Night Studio green can be found materials and items donated by "Late Night with Conan O’Brien" to the do-gooding, recycling Jawas from our local nonprofit Build It Green! (BIG) Items include a pair of hockey helmets topped with upside-down baby dolls in stars-and-stripes leotards. Like everything sold by BIG, profits from sales of O'Brien junk reusables will go toward environmental education classes and lectures. However after word of the sale got out on Sunday, team green moved to place the items on e-bay, that is, all but one with which they refuse to part....
Hemp Beer, Wine, Vodka, Brandy, Rum, Cider, And For Tea Totallers, Hemp Ice Tea
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 03. 5.09
Any self respecting TreeHugger knows all about the virtues of hemp, but did you know it has also been put to use in alcoholic beverages? And no, it doesn’t add any extra euphoric attributes, over and above what are normally ascribed to alcohol.
Given that hemp (Cannabis sativa) and hops (Humulus lupulus) are sister species from the same family -- Cannabinaceae -- it should come as no real surprise that hemp beer exists. But wine, vodka, brandy, rum and cider? Yep, them too....
Carbon Neutral on a Shoestring
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 5.09
photos by Stefano Buonamici for The New York Times
TreeHugger Petz dominates the home section of the New York Times with a profile of her amazing green renovation of a flat in an 18th century building in Barcelona. When she started it had no heating or plumbing; when she finished she had built " an object lesson in how fully one can realize green ideals on a budget in an existing home in any city."...
Cadbury's Dairy Milk Chocolate Bar Goes Fairtrade
by Bonnie Alter, London on 03. 5.09
image from Cadbury
Cadbury's Dairy Milk Chocolate Bar is going Fairtrade. In a massive coup for the Fairtrade movement, Cadbury's will certify 300 million of its Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate bars as well as its packaged cocoa, at a cost of £1.5m ($2.1m), by the end of summer. What a wonderful way to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight.
And what a way to show the world that consumers are still willing to pay the extra bit to support their ethical values. ...
Powershift09 Conference Brings Thousands of Activists to DC Demanding Clean Energy
by Bonnie Hulkower, New York, New York on 03. 4.09
Powershift 09 Rally on Lawn of the Capitol photo from Fritz Meyr's flickr page
Powershift 2009 was an energetic and informative conference that culminated with a march of 3,000 plus young (and young at heart) people demanding clean energy and green jobs. The inclement weather only made the march more inspiring. Other Powershift 2009 highlights included: Protestors visiting their representatives in Congress and the Senate; Four young leaders giving testimony to the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming; and an anti-coal protest at the Capitol Power Plant. ...
EU Environment Ministers Hash Out Post-2012 Climate Plan
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 03. 4.09
Image via: Green Roof Offsets
EU Environment Ministers met this week for the first time under new Czech leadership. The goal - to formalize more of the post-2012 climate change actions, which are due to be finalized in December at Copenhagen. On the agenda, emissions goals, a carbon market and getting developing countries on-board. Environment Minister Martin Bursik gives the meeting two thumbs up, saying "we have reached 99% of what we wanted to."...
Hip & Zen To Close Doors
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 4.09
Photo credit: Hip & Zen
Obama may be talking green jobs, but America's current economic meltdown has claimed more than its share of environmentally conscious businesses, including Domino, Sprig.com, and Plenty.
Hip & Zen is just another green establishment to fall victim to the tenuous fiscal climate, but eco-recessionistas can find cold comfort in deep discounts of 75 percent off everything in the store. ...
Taste Test: Organic Chipotle-Lime Ranch Dressing
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 03. 4.09
Image via: Author's Photos
While perusing the aisle of my local grocery store the other day, looking for some sort of "sauce" to go on quesadillas and burritos, I ran across this Chipotle-Ranch Dressing. Perfect I thought. Then I got it home and realized it was a "vegenaise" product. Good Grief! I'm a vegetarian, but I've had trouble getting into the alternative cheese and mayo products. Do I risk ruining my dinner over this? What do I do? What DO I do?...
The Next Big Oil: Big Smart Grid?
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 03. 4.09
Photo via the New Republic
It's a widely held notion that politicians have long been in the pocket of Big Oil. And there's good reason for that perception: oil companies' huge campaign donations, vast lobbying power, and close ties to politicians have ensured that their taxes remain low, that hidden subsidies are around to provide extra funding, and that they receive preferential treatment in US energy policy. But there could be a new, greener 'Big Oil' coming to town that politicians owe their favors to—'Big Smart Grid'. ...
Video: Carla Saulter a.k.a. Bus Chick
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 4.09
Mixko Heli Wallets Made From Tatami Mat Remnants
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 03. 4.09
Photo courtesy of Greener Grass Design
British design firm Mixko—the same good folk who brought us the ice-cream-cone pendant lamp—first salvaged fabric remnants from Japanese tatami-mat producers to create rich, tapestry-like belts. Now you can dress your dough in the same shimmery, exquisitely patterned raiments with Mixko's Heli Wallets, available at Greener Grass Design for $20 apiece.
Because the wallets are derived from offcuts, patterns vary depending on availability. You can, however, choose from metallic-licious colorways such as platinum, teal and black, and red and gold. Click below the (bi)fold for more images. ...
Ever See a Blue Whale Life-Sized on Your Computer? Now You Can
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 4.09
So there really isn't anything that deep to this image. It's just a (more or less) life-sized blue whale eye. And on the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society site you can educate yourself/be mesmerized/The Transsexual Fish Mystery
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 4.09
An Increasing Number of Male Fish are Developing Female Traits
Around the world, it is more and more common to find male fishes with female traits. Some even produce eggs! This has been blamed on chemicals that find their way into water and mimic the female hormone estrogen. But a new study puts some of the blame on an entirely different class of chemicals... Read on for more details....
Green Buildings: One Standard to Rule Them All
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 4.09
It has been crazy. We talk about LEED buildings in America and no doubt our British or Australian readers wonder why we call ourselves a trans-national journal when they talk about BREEAM or Green Star. And if you are actually going to try and compare buildings across borders? Forget it.
But now there may be one standard to rule them all; They have joined together and signed a "memorandum of understanding to set up a working group to develop common metrics to measure CO2 emissions from new homes and buildings. It will also aim to align the rating tools of each organization and provide consistency in reporting." (can you develop metrics in the USA?) ...
GM Fights Back: Volt Battery Pack "Hundreds Less" than $1,000/kWh
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 4.09
GM Defends the Volt's Design
A recent Carnegie Mellon University study (pdf) challenged the real-world gasoline savings and cost effectiveness of plug-in hybrids like the Chevy Volt. GM's Vice President Global Program Management, Jon Lauckner, who has been involved in the Volt project responded on the company's blog. Find out what he had to say below....
Obama Saves Endangered Species from Bush Ruling, Stimulus Bill Steamroller
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 03. 4.09
Image via Denver Arts
The reversals from Bush era environmental policy keep on comin'. In the latest, Obama has effectively suspended a midnight ruling from the Bush administration that let groups like the Army Corp. of Engineers and the Federal Highway Admin break ground on new projects without having to check with experts on whether or not they'd be threatening endangered species by doing so. The ruling could've put numerous species in peril—but evidently, not on Obama's watch....
Vermont Air National Guard to Go Solar, Build Largest Array in the State
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 4.09
photo: Office of Bernie Sanders
Vermont already gives the impression of being a very environmentally aware state, and that impression is generally true. Now it's even more so, with the announcement that the Vermont Air National Guard will be installing a solar power array at its facilities in South Burlington:...
Canadian Mining Companies "Looting" Occupied Tibet
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 03. 4.09
Protestors stage a "die-in" in front of HDI's booth, Toronto (Photo: Students for a Free Tibet)It’s Losar, the Tibetan New Year, today - but no one is celebrating. This month marks the 50-year anniversary of flight of Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama into exile. Fearing a repeat of the 2008 riots - the worst in 20 years - the Chinese government has reportedly sent tens of thousands of troops to preemptively clamp down on unrest in the area. But others stand to potentially profit from the repressive situation: companies like Canada’s Hunter Dickinson/Continental Minerals (HDI), which hopes to mine gold and copper in central Tibet. It’s an irony not lost on seven pro-Tibet protesters who disrupted a Toronto mining convention earlier this week by unfurling a fifteen-foot long banner saying “HDI: Stop Mining in Tibet,” as a crowd of supporters braved the cold outside....
Fisker Automotive Raises $3 Million Despite Recession
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 4.09
The Money Will be Invested in an Unnamed Battery Company
Fisker Automotive, makers of the Karma plug-in hybrid, have just raised $3 million to purchase a stake in a soon-to-be-named battery company. The plan, according to Fisker spokesperson Russell Datz is to "secure exclusive supply of battery technology." Obviously Fisker wants more control over its supply chain......
Smart Grid May Gain Standards by Summer
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 4.09
Photo via pimpexposure
We've talked a bit on TreeHugger about the issue of standardization that stands in the way of smart grids being implemented nationwide. Well, there might be a road map by as soon as this summer. ...
UK Furniture Design Competition by Biome Lifestyle
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 03. 4.09
Image via: Flickr
We've been pretty excited about Biome Lifestyle's innovative camping gear in the past, and this spring the folks over at Biome Lifestyle are using their success to encourage other British furniture designers by holding a Product Design Competition. The design must be as environmentally friendly as possible, but also include "good design, great style, strong ethics." The items featured on the Biome Lifestyle site are colorful, creative and add life to any home. Designers interested in the competition have the bar set pretty high....
Want $5000 For Your Great System-Changing Rural Agriculture Idea? Check Out Ashoka's Changemakers New Online Competition
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 4.09
photo: Jonathan Talbot / World Resources Institute
Last time we mentioned Ashoka's Changemakers it was in the context of the Global Water Challenge. Now comes word that they are launching a new online competition to search of "system-changing innovations in agriculture and rural development." It's called "Cultivating Innovation: Solutions for Rural Communities" and this is a bit of what it's about:...
The Googleverse According to Filippo Minelli
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 4.09
One hopes that Google will remember their motto, "don't be evil" as they take over the world, that their energy will be green, their travel and transport eco-friendly, their landscapes natural. Italian conceptual artist Filippo Minelli imagines what their world might look like. ...
Stimulus Dollars In Motion: Maryland Orders 100 Hybrid Buses
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 4.09
Xcelsior Hybrid Bus. Image credit:New American Flyer, Inc.
Taking advantage of the Federal stimulus package, Maryland's Governor O'Malley announced the State's intention to purchase hybrid 100 hybrid diesel/electric buses for $62 million. Quadruple-good news: air conditioning won't always have to be on in summer with open-in windows; diesel emissions will be reduced; the electric motors will reduce street noise; and, the supplier is New Flyer of America Inc, a Canadian company with manufacturing facilities in Winnipeg, Manitoba, St. Cloud, Minnesota, & Crookston, Minnesota. (Assuming Maryland's purchase supports the Minnesota work force, directly and indirectly.)...
Hollywood's IT Sector Lagging Way Behind The Times
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 4.09
Photo via Mike Finklestein
We talk a lot about businesses greening up their IT departments, but we are usually picturing big white-collar corporations - we don't often imagine Hollywood businesses as part of that. Yet, the entertainment industry has a huge carbon footprint, and that includes IT. A new report shows some startling statistics on just how badly Hollywood is behaving when it comes to greening digital technology....
Fox TV's "24" Reaches Its Carbon Neutral Goal
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 03. 4.09
Fox Television's Emmy-winning "24" counts down its carbon footprint.
“We know that we can’t solve the problem in 24 hours, but by making energy-conscious decisions on our set, we’re contributing to a solution,” states Keifer Sutherland, star of 24, in a Fox TV PSA addressing climate change. The producers of the hit series made a commitment to the environment a year ago, and after a delay from the writer’s strike, the program reached its goal this season. But it wasn’t enough to just “go green.” 24 boasts it’s the first-ever television show to go carbon neutral.
...
5 Affordable Eco Clothing Designers That Celebrities Love
by Leslie Billera, San Diego, California on 03. 4.09
From left: Jamie Foxx and Paris Hilton in Threads for Thought. Photos via Threads for Thought
Hot, red carpet green designers include Linda Loudermilk, Stella McCartney and Edun. With their silk bamboo blends and organic cotton voile, they’re sumptuous and sexy…but unless you have deep Gwyneth Paltrow style-pockets you probably can't afford them: These five eco clothing designers coveted by celebrities love reflect a slightly more realistic price point, while still maintaining that super stylish edge....
What Do You, CEOs Of America's Largest Corporations, and Members Of Congress Have In Common?
by Marian Hopkins, Business Roundtable on 03. 4.09
The potential to change America's energy future while fighting climate change.
It's true. One of the single most effective tools we have to tackle both of these challenges is also one of the simplest: Energy efficiency. And everyone can help. ...
Sasja Saptenno Turns Bicycle Inner Tubes Into Jewelry
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 03. 4.09
Image via: Sasja Saptenno/Raoul Matulessy Photography
Sasja Saptenno, jewelry designer from Holland, has found one creative and fashionable use for all of those blown bike tires - and in her words "in Holland, many people have a bicycle!" Each of accessories, including the necklaces, bracelets and shawls (made from recycled PET bottles) are all made from recycled materials. Many of the necklaces are chunky, layered pieces, which is in style this season. A few of the pieces, we have to be honest, look like the paper garlands you make to hang on christmas trees, but maybe with the right outfit, they work....
Guide to the Green Projects in Obama's Economic Stimulus Bill
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 03. 4.09
Image via Cal High Speed Rail
As you've probably heard, there's a lot of green going on in that $787 billion economic stimulus bill recently signed into law. There's money for renewable energy research, funding for a massive high speed rail system, tax credits for wind power and efficient home improvements, and cash to help the military go solar--just to name a few. We've broken down the final bill and weeded out all the green we can expect to see from the stimulus. And it's a lot. Here are all the projects that will be driving the government's green revolution in the coming years.
...
Utility, Dominion Virginia, Testing Plug-In Hybrid Cars & Trucks
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 4.09
Image and story credit:Dominion Virginia
Here's some good news. Dominion Virginia Power has purchased for its fleet two plug-in electric hybrid cars and two hybrid-powered bucket trucks. Using them on-the-job will help the utility "determine the impact of plug-in vehicles on electricity demand and to find ways to conserve energy and reduce vehicle emissions". They note that the moded Prius (as pictured) should emit 80% less C02 than a typical midsize sedan
...
The Seriously Cool, Completely Unexpected Components Found in Old Hardware (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 4.09
If you weren't inspired to salvage parts from your old VCR before sending it off to be recycled, you might want to take a look at the amazingly cool things you can find inside that old gear. This video will walk you through how to dismantle your old VCR and mine the goods, and it'll make you want to gut every old electronic device you have before you're done watching it....
Paving Trains Firing Up Engines Across America
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 4.09
New York Times
Miss Concrete and Miss Blacktop must be getting ready to party as the numbers come out and we see how the States are spending their infrastructure money. In Kansas, it is going into highways and interchanges; Paving trains instead of Electric Trains.
Transportation secretary Deb Miller tells the New York Times:...
Blue Dog Bakery Serves Up Lip-Lickin Treats For Dogs
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 03. 4.09
Image via: Blue Dog Bakery
The latest savory creations from Blue Dog Bakery are meat, meat and meat in the form of Grilled Steak, Roasted Chicken, Liver and Beef & Bacon dog treats. Blue Dog Bakery prides itself on making dog treats with all human-grade bakery ingredients, with no animal by-products, no preservatives or additives, no artificial flavors or colors in the biscuits. ...
Biologist Nalini Nadkarni Discusses Living Life in the Canopies (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 4.09
Nalini Nadkarni gives an amazing talk at TED about the diversity of life up in the canopies of rainforests and what can be done to preserve them. She also unveils an exciting project that will help reconnect people to rainforest conservation....
EU Slaps US Biodiesel Imports With Anti-Dumping, Anti-Subsidy Duties
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 4.09
photo: Matt P. via flickr
Citing unfair subsidies given to biodiesel producers in the United States, as well as dumping that subsidized fuel into its markets, the European Union has approved duties on imports of US biodiesel. These duties will be in effect for six months before being reviewed by EU governments and possibly extended as "definitive" duties, lasting for five years. The amount added per kilogram of fuel varies by producer:...
Is Organic Food Safer? Or is Processed Food More Dangerous?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 4.09
The New York Times asks the question "It’s Organic, but Does That Mean It’s Safer?" and I think gets it wrong, either giving the wrong answer or asking the wrong question.
Kim Severson and Andrew Martin write:
...
India to Phase Out 400 Million Incandescent Lightbulbs by 2012, Replace With CFLs
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 4.09
photo: Government of India Press Bureau
While not an outright ban on incandescent lightbulbs, under India's Bachat Lamp Yojana program the nation's 400 million incandescent lightbulbs will be replaced by CFLs over the next three years. The energy savings and resultant carbon emissions savings will be about 55 million tonnes per year. This is how it will be done:...
A Year Ago In TreeHugger: Gaga over Gas Prices
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 4.09
Image courtesy of movie lover via flickr
This sign had a bit of a mistake in it, but we were all over the panic over high gas prices, noting "we've long heard analysts warning of impending price hikes; and with crude hitting record highs this past week, $4 a gallon by the summer certainly seems likely."
-oh, for the good old days; today the Associated Press writes: "As recession saps demand, a world awash in oil."...
Home Office is "New Staple of the American Home"
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 4.09
Ken Hively / Los Angeles Times
According to the Los Angeles Times, "Forget great rooms, walk-in closets and spa-like bathrooms. The home office has become the new staple of the American home."
But this being LA, they are not like any home office most of us have ever seen and some of them are bigger than most homes. ...
Why the "Most Efficient" Part of the New Mac Mini Doesn't Mean Squat
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 4.09
Image via Apple
The internet is abuzz with the announcement of the new Apple iMac and Mac Mini. And green blogs are spreading the word about the efficiency of the Mini, which Apple says is the world's most efficient PC, drawing just 13 watts when idle.
And yet, we have to ask, "so what?"...
Greener Gadgets 2009: How Do We Go Beyond Green Products to Job Creation in the Developing World? (Video)
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 4.09
More Aviation Protests: How Easy it is to Occupy an Airport (Video)
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 03. 4.09
Image credit: Plane Stupid
Runway Protesters Surrender to Avert Emergency
Ryanair's legal action against previous runway protesters doesn't seem to have discouraged the anti-aviation pressure group Plane Stupid, which yesterday occupied the runway at Aberdeen Airport. The protesters (who have previously occupied parliament) locked themselves to fencing and set up a mini-golf course - a reference to Donald Trump's nearby golf course development, which is believed to be a major reason for Aberdeen's runway expansion. According to the Guardian, the protesters surrendered after police informed them that a flight was about to take off to get a sick baby to hospital, though there was later some confusion whether this was the case:...
Relief Chair by Ben Mickus: Part of Felt Exhibition at Cooper Hewitt
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 4.09
Most chairs are upholstered in foam, which can be treated with fire retardants and difficult to recycle. Ben Mickus designed the Relief Chair as part of a collection that uses "digital fabrication and solid, rapidly renewable materials. Upholstery, foam products and finishes are all supplanted with thick sheets of natural wool felt, adhered with non-toxic, water-based adhesives. The precision-cut contours of each piece of felt are aggregated into sinuous yet comfortable forms."...
Twilight of the Turkish Repairman
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 03. 4.09
Repair shops are already scarce in the United States. Are they now dying out in Turkey too?
When my friend Kelly said she was taking her broken TV to the "television hospital," I laughed. But she wasn't kidding. Her Istanbul neighborhood is full of TV repair shops called just that.
One of the things I love about Turkey is how readily, and cheaply, it seems you can get almost anything repaired. But just as Americans and Europeans are starting to (re-)warm to the idea of fixing things up, the spread of throwaway culture to Turkey is threatening repairmen's livelihoods.
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A Repair Manifesto
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 4.09
Platform21 is "a platform for people curious about the future." They organize exhibitions and lectures from an old chapel in Amsterdam. Their current project, launching on March 13, is one dear to our hearts: Repair, not recycle. Their manifesto is written to inspire designers and consumers, and to "start a movement."
Full manifesto below the fold; we will watch what comes out of this project with interest....
Spirited BioFuel: Getting Tanked With Tequila
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 03. 4.09
Remember the Australian farmers who are growing their own oil with the Brazilian diesel trees? Now comes the story of another enterprising Aussie, who is also seeking his fuel salvation, via a different South American plant. This time it is the succulent from which Tequila is derived - Agave.
Matthew observed in post last year that Mexico were also on the case, because agave is high in sugar and doesn’t compete with food crop in the same way that corn-based ethanol does. Australia, which already uses molasses, a by-product of sugar cane production for a chunk of its ethanol supply, is considered to be an ideal climate for a new agave biofuel industry. Ausagave apparently has 10,000 agave plants ready for a trial....
Buenos Aires Fashion Week Winter 2009 II: Recycled Tights in Clothing, a Green Design Exhibit
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 03. 4.09
Photos: Paula Alvarado.
Yesterday we gave you the first part of our coverage of the Buenos Aires Fashion Week Fall-Winter 2009. In this second and final delivery, find Cosecha Vintage, a new brand that incorporates recycled tights into clothing; and take a look at some of the experimental designs that were presented by the city's Metropolitan Design Center as part of its program, "Integrating the future."
Many pics are waiting so read on!...
Take a Load off Your Hind with CETMA Bike Racks
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 03. 4.09
Lane Kagay is the one-man-operation that is CETMAracks. It's run solely by himself in a small shop in Eugene, Oregon, with no automation, mechanized assembly, robots, lasers, sorcery, superpowers or psychic beavers. Occasionally, he hires humans to help. But mostly it’s just Lane who has to cut the steel, drill the holes, weld, grind, finish, assemble, pack, and ship.
His steel bicycle racks are built for the daily abuse of real-life cycle courier-work. They are front mounted, because Lane reckons that rear wheels and rear bike frames are weaker that the front, while heavy loads transported on the rear cause a bike frame to flex in a scary fashion, and being behind can shift and fall when you least expect it. ...
Is "Mass Civil Disobedience" the Right Approach?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 4.09
It was supposed to be Mass Civil Disobedience, with non-violence training and a lawyer for every protester, but in the end it was rather civil and well-behaved. Oh well.
...
Movie Preview: "Age of Stupid" - So Is We, Or Isn't We?
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 03. 4.09
Honeybee Shortage Worries Farmers In Japan
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 03. 4.09
Photo: The Mainichi
You have read about the crisis US farmers are experiencing as honey bees are affected by Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). Has it hit Japan, or what is going on? Why are bee keepers like Osamu Mamuro, president of Mamuro Bee Farm in Yoshimi, Saitama Prefecture so worried this year?
Japan is home to many small-scale beekeeping operations, and has a long history of bee keeping. Unlike the US, beekeepers in Japan do not often transport their honeybees long distances, meaning there is less stress that could affect the survival of the insects. There are no genetically modified crops cultivated commercially here. The honeybee shortage this year is noted as there has been a sharp decrease in the number of bees kept by beekeepers. But noone seems to know "why" this is happening....
Linz Has Recycled Hotels All Over Town
by Bonnie Alter, London on 03. 4.09
image from Guardian
Linz, Austria is this year's European Capital of Culture, along with Vilnius, which gives small cities a chance to show off their unique charms. One of them has to be the Pixel Hotel, an unusual accommodation designed by architects and artists that offers "holidays in urban space" around town.
The hotel "rooms" are housed in off-beat locales such as a trailer bought on eBay (pictured), a river tugboat, a former soup kitchen and an industrial site (this one comes with a bicycle). Plus an old stables and an art gallery. Not your usual hip hotel....
To Daylight Savings or Not To Daylight Savings... That is Today's Question?
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 03. 3.09
Photo via: Paradigm
Daylight Savings Time (D.S.T.) is coming up, March 8th, 2009, so don't forget to set your clocks forward this Sunday (Spring Forward, as they say)!
Some people love the notion of the time change and others hate it. It has both its good points and bad points, I won't even dare argue with that. It does indeed bring more light through the prime time evening hours of the spring, summertime, and fall, but what is up for argument, is whether or not the convenience is worth the “Savings”. However this years economic slump brings another consideration to the age old D.S.T. controversy......
More Information on Toyota's 2010 Prius (Generation III)
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 3.09
2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid
We already had lots of information and photos of the all-new 3rd generation Toyota Prius hybrid car, but a few things were still missing. Toyota has released a whole bunch of info on the new Prius (except for pricing, unfortunately). It's not totally new, but a bit more detailed than what we had before. See the highlights below....
What If You Organized a Pro-Coal Rally and Nobody Came?
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 3.09
US Capitol Power Plant Coal Stack photo: jeveleth via flickr
For the answer to that question, you're going to have to ask someone at the Competitive Enterprise Institute (the same people behind CO2: We Call It Life and EnjoyBottledWater.org). Yesterday, in counter-protest to the 1000 person-strong Capitol Climate Action rally in Washington DC to urge Congress to shut down its coal-fired power plant, CEI organized it's own rally:...
Meet the National Nuclear Security Team: Recovering Radioactive Waste Since 2000
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 03. 3.09
Photo via ec.europa.eu
It's a dirty job, but someone has to do it. And this small government agency—one that few people have ever heard of—called the National Nuclear Security Administration has been doing it for 9 years now. It's charged with the task of tracking down castoff radioactive materials like plutonium that could pose as a threat to public health. Or worse. The Administration says that if nuclear materials were to fall into the wrong hands, they could be used by terrorists to make dirty bombs. ...
Greener Gadgets 2009: Why Green Materials, Sustainability & Human Benefits Need to be Better Balanced (Video)
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 3.09
Biodegradable Bed Pans - The Latest in Green Hospital Gear
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 03. 3.09
Image via: Vernacare
Yep, biodegradable bed pans are just one thing that hospitals can add to their repertoire to not only green the building but keep you healthy when you're feeling less than stellar. Okay so biodegradable bed pans are neither here nor there when it comes to your health, but seeing as hospitals have quite a large waste stream (not much that you can just trash when it comes to contaminated objects), this is one more way to keep what they can out of local landfills. Carol Ann Campbell, in an article in New Jersey Magazine, gives a few more hints on why these energy-intensive, cash strapped buildings are looking at making green, healthy hospitals....
Meat Eaters Turning Chicken Due to Markets
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.09
Larger version here
Here are some data to dine on: according to the Deutsche Bank's "Monthly Mouthful," Meat-eaters are “trading down” from beef and pork in favor of chicken as consumers pare their food costs.
Bloomberg's chart "compares the U.S. wholesale prices of chicken breasts, beef brisket, beef cutout and pork belly futures since Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc. filed for bankruptcy, an event that helped trigger the credit crunch and recession. Notice how pork futures initially rallied as an alternative investment, but have declined along with the more expensive cut of beef."
...
Carbon Footprint Barcodes on the Horizon?
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 3.09
We can all agree that for right now, green labeling is a bit of a crock. It's tough to identify it, let alone figure out if it's truthful or not. You need to be quite the sleuth. While industries and non-profits are working on getting better labeling systems going, some start-ups are working on making labels a little more transparent. Example: eFormic and their CO2Code idea for creating a carbon bar code for products....
Where Do Mountains Go When Their Tops Are Removed to Get Coal? (Video)
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 3.09
Happy Birthday! The Gasoline-Electric Hybrid Car is 100 Years Old
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 3.09
Henri Pieper, Great Grand-Father of the Prius Hybrid Car
Henri Pieper, a German-born inventor and gunmaker in Belgium, was granted a US patent in 1909 (March 2nd, to be exact, though the submission took place on November 23rd 1905) for a car that is basically a gasoline-electric hybrid.
More details below!...
Europe's 4 Greenest Leaders - And Worst Polluters?
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 03. 3.09
Photo via Flickr
Europe is a pioneering force in cutting greenhouse gases and supporting environmentally friendly measures—just look at their far superior mass transit systems, fledgling cap and trade system (hey, they're trying), and strong support for alternative energy. But European leaders have their dirty secrets, too. Their dirty pollution pumping secrets, that is. The French environmental website Terra Eco recently broke down the impacts of the European heads of state with the biggest carbon footprint. So which European leaders talk the talk but pollute the bloc? ...
MIT's 90 MPH Solar Car to Race for 7 Days in Australian Desert
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 3.09
'Eleanor' the Solar Race Car
The 2009 World Solar Challenge, taking place in Australia from October 25th to 31st, will see some of the most efficient solar vehicles in the world compete in a seven day, 2,000 miles race from Darwin to Adelaide. One of the competitors will be Eleanor, the new electric race car by MIT's Solar Vehicle Team.
Read on for more details about this amazing solar machine....
A Rap on Hong Kong's Pollution
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 03. 3.09
How to Go Green: Spring Cleaning
by Blythe Copeland, Great Neck, New York on 03. 3.09
Photo credit: Getty Images / Martin Poole
For most of the country, it doesn’t quite feel like spring just yet—but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start thinking about your spring cleaning routine. This is the perfect time to start de-cluttering, organizing, and scrubbing down your home from top to bottom, so that when the weather does finally warm up you can spend your time outside in the sun instead of inside with a bottle of cleanser—because even if you’re not a through-and-through neat freak, a solid deep clean can make your home greener, more efficient, healthier, and safer. Over on Planet Green, our new How to Go Green: Spring Cleaning guide gives you all the information you need to keep your clean eco-friendly; read below for a preview, and click the button below to get started on a green Spring Break.
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That 70s Show: Developers Still Don't Know How To Make a Building Green
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.09
Typical suburban office building.
Back in the last energy crisis in the seventies, the word came down to make buildings more energy efficient. Everybody started packing in more insulation, making the windows smaller, cranking down the lighting levels and reducing the air changes.
In no time at all, everybody was getting sick, mould was appearing on walls and everyone realized that this was a really bad way to design buildings to use less energy.
...
e-Waste in India Growing by 10% a Year
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 3.09
A report by India's Department of Scientific and Industrial Research shows that e-waste heading into India is increasing by 10% a year, with nearly all of it heading into urban slums for disassembly - which means a huge amount of toxins hitting a huge number of people. ...
Finding Nemo - Not Just a Movie
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 03. 3.09
Image via: Getty Images
Turns out clownfish the world over may soon become "lost" as the increasing carbon dioxide in oceans waters causes the clownfish to become disoriented, reports The Guardian. Clownfish, and to be honest, quite a number of other marine life depend on "odours in seawater" to determine proper habitats to live in. With the increase in carbon dioxide in the water, things start to smell, well fishy, causing the clownfish (and others) to lose their way....
Charles Moore and Dirty Talk about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 3.09
It's been while since we've talked about the Great Pacific Garbage patch, but since waste management seems to be a bit of a theme the last couple days, it seems appropriate to bring it up. Last month, Charles Moore gave an excellent TED talk about the floating vortex of death. Click through to watch his speech and learn more about what's up with this WALL-E-style island of killer brick-a-brack. ...
Bike 'Contrails' to Create DIY Bike Routes
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 03. 3.09
Make Your Own Bicycle Path
Design21's Power to the Pedal design competition has a lot of interesting entries. One of the finalists that caught my eye is the Bike Contrails concept, though I'm not quite sure what to think about it.
More details below....
LED Streetlight Management Getting Efficiency IQ Test
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 3.09
Photos via BetaLED
LED streetlights are already helping cities save a lot of money, but even with energy efficient lighting, smart management is important to maximize savings. BetaLED is figuring out a control system that will help cities get the most light for their dollar, and is testing out two possibilities for management systems in Sturtevant, Wisconsin. Not only could it cut costs, but also cut down on light pollution. ...
Turning the Tables: A Dozen Transformers that Grow, Shrink, Rise and Disappear
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.09
We recently covered 7 Ways to Get Rid of the Bed, and previously rounded up 7 Objects That Aren't What They Seem. It's part of our continuing fascination with transformer furniture that can serve different functions at different times, or just disappear when you don't need it.
Tables are among the oldest known transformers; in the medieval times the tables were brought out for meals, set on trestles and removed afterwards. According to Siegfried Gideon, this is the origin of phrases like "clear the hall" and "turn the tables."
The British army travelled in style with campaign furniture that folded up quickly; New York designer Richard Wrightman does modern interpretations of it. Richard Wrightman: Campaign Furniture Updated...
Leaving Land Unfarmed Better Than Using it to Make Corn Ethanol For Emissions Reductions
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 3.09
photo: Ricky via flickr
A new study coming out of Duke University asserts that if reducing greenhouse gases is the goal, then leaving land unfarmed and set aside in conservation reserves would be better than expanding the planting of corn and making ethanol from it:...
How Do You Regrow a Rainforest? Willie Smits Knows
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 3.09
Rainforest clearcutting is devastating. The majority of the time, it opens up the area to such extensive soil erosion that even the tenacious (native) plants of the rainforests can't easily regrow. So how do you get a clearcut area to regenerate? Willie Smits has it figured out.
He's created a way to regrow a forest in Borneo that not only helped save local orangutans, but also provided a map for people who want to make similar efforts in other clearcut areas.
Click through to watch his inspiring TED talk. ...
Watch Greenhouse Gases Increase: Swapping Soybeans for Corn in US Has Ripple Effect in Brazil
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 3.09
Harvesting soybeans photo: Valerie Everett via flickr
At a recent meeting of the AAAS Michael Coe of Woods Hole Research Center pointed out that as corn prices skyrocketed several years ago, enough soybean fields were converted to corn production that soy prices rose, which in turn caused more soy being planted in Brazil. The effect if this swapping of soy for corn continues, according to Coe, is this:...
Top 10 US Cities With the Most Energy Star Rated Commercial Buildings: EPA
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 3.09
Los Angeles photo: crabers.crab via flickr
For those fond of top ten lists and energy efficiency, the EPA has just released its list of the US cities with the most commercial buildings earning Energy Star ratings in 2008. EPA is quick to point out that the number of building qualifying for this rating have increased 130% from 2007, and these buildings both use 35% less energy than average buildings and emit 35% less CO2. So without anymore more hesitation, here they are:...
Two Years ago In TreeHugger: FEMA and Formaldehyde
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.09
Two years ago this week John wrote one of the first stories about FEMA's toxic trailers, how they were like an "optimization experiment"-
"If a designer of emergency housing set out to expose climate refugees to as much formaldehyde as possible, what would he do? "...
Jimmy Fallon Turns the Late Night Studio Green
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 03. 3.09
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon debuts with green set. Photo via NBC Universal
Following the grand tradition established by David Letterman of reusing Ed Sullivan’s old stage, Jimmy Fallon, the new host of NBC’s Late Night show, is recycling the old Tonight Show’s Studio 6B, where Johnny Carson helmed his gabfest pre-1972 in New York City. The new version, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, which debuted March 2 at 12:35 a.m., gave the comic an opportunity to green the set, echoing NBC’s "Green is Universal" eco-policies. More info and behind-the-scene pics below the fold!
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Secrets of the San Francisco Dump (Slideshow)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 3.09
It seems we're on a dump kick here at TreeHugger, though oddly enough, that's not a strange thing for a group of greenies like us. In a country that produces a nearly unfathomable amount of waste, it's relevant that we spend some time considering where that waste goes.
Yesterday, Sara dished on her trip to one of the biggest landfills in the US just outside of LA. Today, we're showing off in pictures what is quite possibly the most efficient landfill, or at least transfer station in the nation. It's surprisingly beautiful. And you won't want to miss the stellar art - yes, Art! - made from trash that comes through for sorting.
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More to Hate About Coal Plants: They are Fish Killing Machines
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.09
Bay Shore Power Plant, Oregon, Ohio. Source
If you want to go fishing on Lake Erie, you can get a licence to catch up to six walleye and 25 perch per day. Unless you are First Energy and run the Bay Shore Plant in Oregon, Ohio. Then you are allowed to suck up 46 million fish per year. Says their spokesman: "We comply fully with the regulations in our current EPA-issued permit and will continue to do so."
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Turning Transparent in a Green World Hosts Carnival of the Green
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 03. 3.09
This week is Carnival of the Green #169 and it's being hosted by Turning Transparent in a Green World. A huge thanks to Mary, who stepped in last minute to host. Her blog addresses the issues behind going public with sustainable product production, specifically in the green building industry. Mary feels that by going transparent, not only do companies reveal green inner workings but they also restore trust and confidence in the green building market.
We received a ton of submissions this week! 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.
We are now accepting host requests for 2010!...
Peak Oil and Agriculture: A Farm for the Future Revisited
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 03. 3.09
Image credit: Daily Mail
Film Maker Explores Post-Oil Farming
Last week I wrote about a BBC documentary which I hadn't seen, but the green scene in the UK was all a flutter over. A Farm for the Future explores nature film maker Rebecca Hosking's return to her small family farm and her search for a post-fossil fuel agriculture. I've since seen the film, and would recommend it to anyone with an interest in food and farming - come to think ot it, I'd recommend it to anyone who eats. But for those without the time or means to watch it, Rebecca has also written an excellent article in the Daily Mail newspaper about her quest for truly sustainable agriculture....
Heavy Metal Meets Downloadable Designs: 3D Printing from CAD to Metal
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.09
skull plate printed in 3D metal
The technologies of 3D printing are fascinating. They may someday let us order up the things we need and print them out at the neighbourhood 3DKinkos instead of needing transport and inventory and bricks and mortar stores.
Until now we have only shown plastics, but we learn from Ponoko about technology for solid 3D printing in metal....
Outdoor Gear Brand, Golite, Works its Name Into an Eco Business Philosophy
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 03. 3.09
GoLite is the brand name of a line of backpacking gear designed to to take a weight off one’s back. But it’s also a philosophy that the company have progressively been embracing to ensure their own company operations and their product go lightly on the planet. And it recently announced that their load is going to be further lightened.
For the past two years GoLite have offset 100% of its estimated greenhouse gas emissions from corporate travel, office energy use, product shipping and print production, via NativeEnergy. This will continue for 2009. But in 2010 they’ll up the ante to include materials and product manufacturing under their 100% “carbon neutrality” for all of their operations. As admirable as these steps are, we know that carbon offsetting is the ‘tailpipe’ end of how a business can go green. So it’s pleasing to note GoLite are doing much more besides....
TAP'dNY Bottles & Sells New York City Tap Water, In New York
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 3.09
Image credit:TAP'dNY
The bottled water company TAP'dNY is bottling New York tap water for sale in New York. From their website: "We offer an honest and local alternative to thirsty New Yorkers, giving them a smarter choice: to drink their own (award winning) water."
They have enough moxie to have created "A Tap'dNY Manifesto for the new age." New age? The Manifesto proclaims: "It’ll be local. It’ll be your water" and "With free refills at any New York City tap..."
Bottle as souvenir?
If airlines ever start to allow tourists to bring their own water bottles aboard again, there may be room for a second local brand.
How about: ClimateChange'd NY....
We Had To Ask. How Do You Wipe?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 3.09
98% of the toilet roll sold in America comes from virgin forests; They are chopping down the boreal to make the white, fluffy soft stuff that America loves. (in Europe, 40% is from recycled paper) Greenpeace and the NRDC don't think it's funny and say it is worse than driving a Hummer.
...
Buenos Aires Fashion Week Winter 2009: Slow Fashion, Local Materials, Sustainable Sponsors
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 03. 3.09
Photos: Paula Alvarado.
Last week it was that time of the season when Buenos Aires becomes glamorous and a little shallow: Fashion Week. For the last two seasons we've seen some presence of green in the event (check our coverage for last winter and last summer) and we our hopes up for this one, with the environmental design movement growing in the city.
Even though green hasn't jumped to the runway yet, the presence of conscious design in general was pretty interesting. In this first post find a slow-fashion brand with beautiful garments, the event's push for local materials and the presence of green sponsors. Keep going for pictures!...
Alastair Heseltine’s Sculptures Capture the Nature in Materials
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 03. 3.09
We first spied Alastair Heseltine’s art over at the ever excellent Wend Magazine. Alastair is a Canadian sculptor plying his craft in the Pacific North West. He describes himself as working with mixed media relating to the environment and being inspired by the inherent nature of material and by construction systems evolved through mindful observation and play. “I also draw from the full spectrum of routines and activities that support my practice: Design, craft production, farming and rural life.”
Ain't that the most visually descriptive wood pile you've ever seen? Take a peek (below) at more examples of his natural art. ...
Hydrogen Powered Robots and More at World's Largest Solar & Fuel Cell Expo (video)
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 03. 3.09
Create Your Own Art on The Fourth Plinth
by Bonnie Alter, London on 03. 3.09
image from blogs.guardian.co.uk
The fourth plinth in Trafalgar Square is an empty pedestal that has been empty since 1841. For the past 8 years there has been a changing exhibition of different sculptures on it, created by contemporary artists, each on display for almost a year (pictured bottom left). The latest exhibition will be created by Anthony Gormley.
Called "One & Other", members of the public will stand on the plinth 24 hours a day,over 100 days. Each person will take a one-hour shift. Gormley calls it "a portrait of the UK now, using the fourth plinth as a lens."...
Anti-Coal Protest Gives Congress a Kick in its Coal-Fired Butt
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 03. 3.09
Photo Kate Davison via Capitol Climate Action @ flickr.
At a demonstration yesterday at the Capitol Power Plant, USA Today estimates several thousand Washington protesters turned out to block the gates to the facility and tell the members of Congress (whose main buildings are heated and cooled by this coal-fired facility in the middle of D.C.) to further eschew coal and mountain-top mining, and not reneg on their promise to go carbon neutral. According to Bill McKibben @ Grist it was the biggest anti-coal U.S. protest to date....
Repower America New 'Solar' Ad From the WE Campaign (Video)
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 03. 3.09
London Fashion Week - People Tree Collaborate with Eley Kishimoto for AW09
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 03. 3.09
We're big fans of People Tree not only for their pioneering use of organic cotton, Fairtrade practices and the People Tree Foundation that launched last week, but also for their ability to bring some of the biggest names in fashion into the ethical fold. Their collaborations with designers such as Richard Nicholl and Bora Aksu have bridged what was an ever widening gap between the mainstream industry and its ethical counterpart. Last week at Estethica we saw the unveiling of People Tree's latest top notch collaboration with Eley Kishimoto for their AW09 collection. Click through for more images......
March & Civil Disobedience at the Capitol Coal-Fired Power Plant (Video)
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 03. 3.09
Coen Bros Clean Coal Media Coverage Contest: Top 10 List, and the winners is... (Video)
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 03. 3.09
Anatomy of a Green Pitch: Fighting Coal-Fired Fire with Carbon Free Fire
Last week, The Reality Campaign via the Coen Brothers deployed a corrective on coal industry practice, specifically, a salvo in the form of a satirical commercial aimed at countering the "clean coal" misinformation junket that's been promulgated for some time now. As the gloves came off in this battle of the marketing campaigns dueling for the minds, and one would now argue hearts, of the American people, a conference call brought together journalists and bloggers (transcript) to hear from Reality Coalition Spokesman Brian Hardwick and Sierra Club National Coal Campaign Director Bruce Nilles. Below you will find our top-ten list of the fruits of that call as well as a BEHIND THE SCENES VIDEO SNEAK PEAK ofthe Coens shooting the Reality Campaign's next ad....Companies Should Conserve Water and Disclose Water Use Says New Report by Pacific Institute
by Bonnie Hulkower, New York, New York on 03. 2.09
image from gardenmandy.com
What do tourism, agriculture, forestry, electric power and silicon chip makers all have in common? All are industries heavily dependent on water. According to a report released February 26 by the Pacific Institute and Ceres, industries and investors are not paying sufficient attention to their water uses and needs.
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Project Green Prom Offers Prizes to Eco-Friendly Prom Goers
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 2.09
Prom is supposed to be the best night of your teenage life. While that's debatable, what is sure is that a big dance like prom can have quite a carbon footprint. Whole Foods Market has teamed up with Teens Turning Green and the duo is launching a competition for high schoolers to get as eco-friendly as possible with their prom night choices. And it starts, with a video......
Obama's Cap and Trade Would Generate $645 Billion in "Climate Revenue"
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 03. 2.09
Photo via Wired
In what the New York Times calls a 'greenhouse gas gamble,' Obama designed his newly unveiled budget to include revenue from a carbon cap and trade system he expects to be in place by 2012—and he's got high expectations. Obama's administration projects that $645 billion in cap and trade revenue from the likes of oil and electric companies would flow in over the next ten years. And wait 'til you see where the money would go . . ....
Minimalist Soap Holder Alert
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 03. 2.09
Image via: Jaboneras Banus
Sure you could just toss the soap on the counter, or if you're lucky your sink has a little cut-in indentation for holding soap. But it's inevitable that that soap will end up a slimy mess as the water pools under the soap and just turns the hidden half of the bar into goo, just waiting for you to grab it - you know what I'm talking about. Well designer Marcos Shayo of Buenos Aires, Argentina has taken that goo to task and designed a minimalist soap dish - the Soap Holder Banus - that can be installed anywhere, uses minimal resources and also keeps the soap fresh....
My New Favorite Eco-Conscious Salon...that I’ll Actually Go Back To
by Marissa Moss, Manhattan (Lower East Side) on 03. 2.09
Photo Credit: ION Studio
I’ve had my share of eco hair and body treatments, sampled a range of natural cosmetics and experimented endlessly with products that claim to do everything from save an acre of rainforest to brighten my skin (I’m pretty sure we know which one is more important, but also often sure that neither happens). In short, a lot of us know that the greenest products, spas or salons aren’t always the chicest or most effective. Which is why my new favorite beauty destination is NYC’s ION Studio. For why, follow the jump....
Wyoming - the New Carbon Sequestration Capital
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 03. 2.09
Image via: Flickr
Wyoming Governor Dave Freudenthal signed legislation last friday, reports the Casper Star-Tribune to make Wyoming a leader in carbon sequestration in the US, as well as help protect the coal industry, which Wyoming is a leading coal "producing" state. So if Wyoming has a huge coal industry, but they also have a huge carbon sequestration industry, thus offsetting the carbon dioxide emissions, does that now make Wyoming a green (or at least carbon neutral) state? ...
Congress Gives Up on Going Carbon Neutral
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 03. 2.09
Photo via Flickr
Remember that Green the Capitol program that House Democrats put into place shortly after regaining the majority in 2006? As a demonstration to the American people that green issues were of the utmost importance, the US House of Representatives announced plans to become the "World's First Carbon Neutral Legislative Body." So how's that grand gesture faring? Well, seeing as how the House has just abandoned its goals to be carbon neutral this year, I'd say--Not so good. After all, if Congress can't even meet its own green goals, how can the American people have faith in its leaders' ambitions for the nation?...
NEON Project Encourages Open Access to High Tech Environmental Data
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 2.09
Photo via NEON, Inc.; modified from a 2007 image by Nicolle Rager Fuller, National Science Foundation viaNational Geographic
National Ecological Network Observatory, or NEON, is a new open-access program that will tie together field stations across the US to provide data to scientists looking for and tracking climate change, biodiversity, and other environmental issues....
$27 Billion in Stimulus Package for Highways to Hell
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 2.09
Miss Concrete and Miss Blacktop Open Interstate I-94
It's not just the bike-riding, train-hopping, anti-suburb eco-lefties who are questioning $27 billion for roads and highways in the stimulus plan; some thoughtful conservative writers have concerns as well, and not for the usual reasons about spending money instead of reducing taxes. Christopher Caldwell, an editor at the Weekly Standard, writes in the Financial Times about another huge stimulus project set in motion by the Highway Act of 1956, noting that it caused:
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A Living, Biodegradable Mushroom Chair By Shinwei Rhoda Yen
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 03. 2.09
Mushrooms ate my furniture chair by Shinwei Rhoda Yen (All photos: Design Boom)What if our furniture were ‘living’ somehow? Well, this clever ‘mushrooms ate my furniture’ chair by designer Shinwei Rhoda Yen has all the right elements – it’s simple, biodegradable and its underside is graced by small mushrooms. One can easily imagine it outdoors as a comfy seat to use while gardening, and as a tool to grow mushrooms (perhaps ones suitable for eating?). Let's take a closeup view of this fantastic chair:...
Obamas Turn White House Organic
by Jeff Nield, Vancouver, British Columbia on 03. 2.09
Eating out before he got the job. Photograph: Joe Raedle/Getty images
Since Obama took office and the family moved into the White House things have changed in the food and agriculture landscape in the U.S. of A. Let's review....
Kalamazoo CC Offers First Wind Turbine Installer Training in US
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 03. 2.09
Image via: Getty Images
With the current, renewed interest in green jobs and greening the economy, logically we'll need a trained workforce to install all of these new green projects. In the past, TreeHugger has covered solar installer training, and community colleges offering renewable energy training in general, but now the Kalamazoo Gazette reports that Kalamazoo Community College is offering wind turbine installer training - the first of its kind in the United States. If you're not afraid of heights and looking for a new career, this class might be for you. ...
An Unusual Use for Scissors in New Delhi
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 2.09
Photos via Nylon
We have a riddle for you, what is big, boxy, trendy, and makes use of more scissors than you can shake a stick at?
Stuck? You mean, that photo doesn't help??
Click through to find out about this pretty amazing thing in New Delhi, India...
Hearst Corp Coming Out with Magazine eReader
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 2.09
Photo via TheBittenWord
Amazon has just put out the newest generation of Kindle reader, along with a slew of other companies who are sending e-readers out into the market place. But there aren't many specifically geared towards magazines. The Hearst Corp. plans on changing that and will be putting out an e-reader this year that will help magazine lovers ditch those stacks of paper. ...
South Asian Monsoon Rains Could Be Delayed, Decrease In Intensity Due to Climate Change
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 2.09
image: Diffenbaugh lab image
As if melting Himalayan glaciers weren't enough to radically (and perhaps catastrophically) reshape water supply in South Asia, a new report from researchers at Purdue University shows that summer monsoons could be weakened and delayed in starting due to climate change. Considering that summer monsoon rains are responsible for about 75% of annual rainfall in large parts of South Asia, and about 90% of India's water supply, this is decidedly not good news:...
8 Awesome Upcycled Products for Gadget Lovers
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 03. 2.09
Gadget lovers can sometimes feel a twinge of guilt when it comes to earth friendliness, since it can sometimes be tough to reconcile the big carbon footprint of gadgets with the low carbon lifestyle of a greenie. But more and more cool products are coming out for gadget lovers that use recycled materials. That means the geek and green sides of you can unite at last!
Click through to check out some really cool gear for gadget lovers that use recycled materials....
Greener Gadgets 2009: Check Out SunNight Solar's Solar-Powered Flashlight (Video)
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 2.09
Gainesville, Florida Solar Power Feed-In Tariff Program Maxed Out Before It Begins
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 2.09
photo: Matt Montagne
It's no secret that until we've got a price on carbon and all the hidden subsidies keeping the price of fossil fuels down get eliminated, that I'm a fan of feed-in tariffs as the best way to promote adoption of renewable energy. Which is why I hailed Gainesville, Florida's ground-breaking solar power feed-in tariff when it was recently passed. Now, comes word that the the program has hit its 4 MW cap for 2009, before the program officially even begins:...
Green Eyes On: What Really Happens in a Landfill
by Sara Snow on 03. 2.09
Photo via Flickr
Last week I visited one of the country’s largest landfills, located just outside of Los Angeles. As I drove up the side of the mountain of God-knows-what, I was amazed at how much like driving into a state park it was. All around me trees were swaying in the breeze, flowers were blooming, and birds were chirping as they pulled worms from the vibrant green grass. It was like a movie set for the perfect suburban park. Except…under that perfect-park facade was a mountain of s*&t! How could something so nasty look so nice? That is, I wondered this until I neared the top of the mountain, where the winding road was suddenly gridlocked with overflowing dump trucks and an ominous flock of seagulls circled overhead. This is when I knew we had reached the real dump, the evidence of the 250-some million tons of trash Americans generate every year: that would be 4 pounds per person per day! ...
10-30 MW Wave Power Project Touted by San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 2.09
Ocean Beach, San Francisco. Photo: Matthew McDermott
Though slightly skimpy on details, San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom was quite enthusiastic about the City by the Bay taping into its wave power potential over at CleanTechnica. Though I don't think that when you compare it to the potential of solar power or wind power it is really as much of a "game changer" as Newsom states, 10-30 MW of wave power would nonetheless a big leap for the technology:...
Casa 100K Euro by Mario Cucinella
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 2.09
The guys building the 100K House in Philadelphia are not having an easy time keeping within budget, so does Mario Cucinella have a hope of building a carbon-neutral home for 100,000 euros? ...
Soft Toilet Roll Worse than Hummers and McMansions?
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 03. 2.09
Image credit: The Guardian
Green Groups Claim Soft TP is Worse than SUVs
Our sister site Planet Green has already explored 9 green toilet paper tips, but the struggle continues. From a purely symbolic standpoint, it's hard to think of a more anti-environmental action than cutting down a tree, pulping it, bleaching it, making it into paper (extra-thick multi-ply paper at that), and then using it to wipe your butt - and that's even if you orient your toilet roll correctly. It's almost certainly something that future generations will look back on with a sense of perplexity, and quite possibly anger. But according to The Guardian, a coalition of green campaigners is claiming that symbolism is the least of our concerns - they argue that America's taste for soft toilet paper is worse than driving hummers or building McMansions.
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India's Traditional Medicinal Herbs, Yoga Postures Deemed 'Public Property', Cannot Be Patented
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 03. 2.09
Traditional remedies, such as these neem twigs (used to clean the teeth and prevent gum problems), have been the subject of patent battles in the past. Photo: Meena Kadri via flickr
India has taken a bold move to prevent multinational corporations from 'bioprospecting' (sometimes pejoratively known as 'biopiracy') and patenting traditional medicinal herbs by declaring that about 200,000 traditional treatments are 'public property'. Yoga asanas are also covered in the action: ...
Which Milk Container Has the Lowest Carbon Emissions?
by Pablo Paster, San Francisco on 03. 2.09
Image via Telegraph.co.uk
Dear Pablo: I have been wondering for some time what a life cycle analysis would show is the "greenest" way to ship milk. Plastic containers are light, but are not reusable and don't biodegrade; cardboard containers are less light, are not reusable, and don't biodegrade either. Glass bottles are reusable, but are really, really heavy--and so, of course, use much more fuel to ship. My local coop carries all three, and I am conflicted every time I shop. What should I do?...
The Green Rich List - Who Made Big Money on Going Green
by Bonnie Alter, London on 03. 2.09
image from easymoneyblogspot.com
It's amazing but true: every year the Times newspaper publishes the Rich List: a list of the richest people in the land, in order of their wealth. This year they have compiled a special Green Rich List, featuring "100 tycoons or wealthy families worth £200m or more who have made either serious investments in green technology and businesses or hefty financial commitments to environmental causes. In total, the Green 100 are worth nearly £267 billion." Who knew!
Top of the list: Warren Buffet (wind power), then Bill Gates (renewable fuel)--can nothing stop these guys. After the fold, more for your delight, or horror. ...
CoolDrawer Fridge in a Drawer
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 2.09
We have noted before that small fridges make good cities, and also that chest or drawer fridges can save energy and keep food better. Now Fisher Paykel gives us the works in a drawer that look good, too....
Epcot Center Talks Trash at Waste Management’s “Think Green” Exhibit
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 03. 2.09
A bag of bottles and rubbish awaits recycling. Photo by Roberta Cruger.
Inside the Innoventions pavilion at Disney World’s Epcot Theme Park, Elizabeth Royte, the author of Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale and Why We Bought It took a ride on the “Don’t Waste It” exhibit sponsored by Waste Management, Inc. This “interactive playground” offered a gander at the “Think Green” campaign of North America's largest garbage company. In a recent issue of NRDC’s magazine, OnEarth, her story, “Disney(waste)Land,” describes her trip through the trash cycle.
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One Pallet Kitchen Starts Small
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 2.09
Dutch designers Steie Van Vugt and Frank Winnubst call it "a flexible kitchen for the flexible lifestyle of the future." -a kitchen made from stacking components so that the entire kitchen can be stored on one pallet....
Cute "Sipping Sleeves" Keep Hands Cool, But Keep Us Hooked on Unsustainable Cups
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 03. 2.09
Nichole Oppenheim saw a problem - people adding those paper jackets to their daily latté paper cups. It was not only wasteful, she felt, but unnecessary. Cardboard sleeves, says one web site, can add up to 10 lbs of extra waste to your personal garbage pile each year.
Oppenheim also saw a solution and a business idea - bring-your-own stylishly decorated reusable sleeve made from "eco-felt" from recycled bottles as well as cotton scraps. She even packages her "Sipping Sleeves" in old, repurposed plastic medicine bottles. Too bad Nichole's great idea, which is very cute and has a reuse-recycle ethic, doesn't really help us with our dangerous addiction...to paper coffee cups and plastic lids....
Nevada Water Authority Executive Proposes High-Stakes Mississippi River Floodwater Diversion
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 03. 2.09
What Do You Do About Lunch?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 03. 2.09
Our Japan correspondent describes how kids are making their own bento boxes. But what do you do?
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People Tree Foundation Launches During Fairtrade Fortnight
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 03. 2.09
Image via: People Tree
"The future is only ethical business, otherwise we don't have a future." These were the forthright words of People Tree founder Safia Minney last week at the launch of the People Tree foundation. At a press gathering organised to coincide with London Fashion Week and Fairtrade Fortnight, Minney, together with the foundation's ambassador Jo Wood and John Hilary of War on Want, spoke passionately about how much work there is to be done to help developing communities enter the Fairtrade fashion market. ...
More Power to Poop in Colorado's Zoos
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 03. 1.09
Photo via: J Hull
Poop power, err otherwise known as biomass energy, has been a part of the Treehugger vocabulary for awhile now, but especially over the past couple months. Renewable energy comes in many forms, but one of the least obvious would have had to be from the waste of animals. While farmers have been getting involved in the creation of biomass for awhile now, a new player has gotten involved in the process... the nation's zoos....
Global Warming Tracking Satellite Crash May Set Global Warming Research Back Several Years!
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 03. 1.09
Photo via: Aaron Escobar
The Taurus XL crashed last Tuesday, postponing a 9-year, $280 million project which would have allowed Colorado State University (CSU) researchers to track carbon dioxide emissions and global warming over the course of the next two years. The rocket blasted off at 3AM (MT), Thursday from the California Vandenberg Air Force Base and then shortly crashed down near Antarctica. The protective cover failed to depart the rocket during flight, which added too much weight for it to reach orbit. This setback could bring us back several years as far as earth studies go....
Mark Bittman Obsesses About Veganism, Priuses, Carbon Footprints and All That
by Jeff Nield, Vancouver, British Columbia on 03. 1.09
Obsessed with Samantha Ettus
We love Mark Bittman for his sensible approach to cooking and eating. The name of his column in in the New York Times, The Minimalist, says it all. In a recent web interview, Bittman expounds on ecological eating and his philosophy on cooking. Check out the charmingly unedited video from Obsessed with Smantha Ettus. ...
UnTreehugger: 4 Guns that Shoot Food
by Josh Peterson, Los Angeles, California on 03. 1.09
photo by allygirl520 via Flickr
Death isn't the only thing you'll find down the barrel of a gun. Now you can find food in those guns, just the way nature intended. What could be better than wrapping your lips around the barrel of a gun in order to get a piece of candy, a marshmallow or a shot of bourbon? Not much, friend.
What does this say about our culture? The world's food supply is waning. The US is in the midst of an obesity epidemic. Yet, we have people sticking fake guns in their mouths, pulling the trigger and "killing" themselves with nourishment. And not ironically enough, the chow ejected by these weapons is pretty unhealthy....
Is Conscious Consumerism the New Conspicuous Consumerism? 1% for the Planet's 1,000 Members Think So
by Meaghan O'Neill, Newport, R.I. on 03. 1.09
Craig Matthews, Terry Kellogg, and Yvon Chouinard of 1% for the Planet in New York to celebrate the organization hitting the 1,000-member mark. Photo courtesy 1% for the Planet.
There's been a lot of talk about will happen to the green movement as the economy slips into further turmoil. Will bad financial news eclipse the environment's media spotlight? Will the need to pull purse strings tight turn consumers into shoppers who care about nothing more than the cash register's tally? We at TreeHugger believe that the economic downturn is less a threat to the green movement than it is an opportunity--we're simply shifting part of our focus to the relevant topic of how going green can help save money. But it turns out our fears about conscious consumerism diving with the Dow may be unfounded. In fact, 1% for the Planetis seeing an uptick in membership (it reached the 1,000-member mark in February), and, perhaps more impressively, member businesses are reporting an increase in sales, even while conventional businesses flounder.
So will the triple bottom line finally become business as usual? And what can conscious consumers do about it? We caught up with Yvon Chouinard, co-founder of 1% and founder of Patagonia, 1% co-founder and owner of Blue Ribbon Flies in Montana Craig Matthews, and 1% CEO Terry Kellogg, who weigh in in the videos below the fold. ...
Green Smoke Starts People Thinking About Energy
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 03. 1.09
Image via: HeHe
The artists Helen Evans and Heike Hanson, who work together under the alias HeHe, give new meaning to the term "chemical sensitivity" by lighting up the smoke trailing from a tall smokestack which looms over the city of Helsinki. The plume which is normally cloaked in the darkness becomes lit for all to see. And ponder. The most curious aspect of the project may be its location: what does the fact that two French artists are working in the capital of Finland reveal about the attitude of the power plant managers? Because this project achieved much more than merely a laser show....
Ballad for a Beleaguered Land
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 03. 1.09
Introducing the Newest Creation by Rinspeed: The iChange, Controlled by Your iPhone
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 03. 1.09
Photo via: Rinspeed
Rinspeed has had some rather creative electric concept vehicle innovations over the years, such as the Rinspeed sQuba. Their most recently release is the Rinspeed iChange, and as the name suggests, it is partially created out of gimmick to give us another reason to own an iPhone, but it is also a serious electric vehicle for the true sport car enthusiast....
Upcycled Jewelry Turns Circuit Boards Into Stunning, Wearable Pieces
by Sara Novak, Columbia, SC on 03. 1.09
photo: Upcycled Jewelry
So what do you do with all that unused, outdated computer equipment lying around your house? For jewelry designers Jacob and Michelle Fausset of Upcycled Jewelry, the answer is pretty simple, turn it into jewelry. My only concern, however, is the use of a once toxic item in jewelry....
TreeHugger breaks it down for you in a series of in depth how-to articles that will help you green your life. No time like the present!
Here are a few recommended websites.
