- 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 April 5, 2009 - April 11, 2009
Total this week: 225
Washington Post Again Embarasses George Will Over Climate Statements
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 04.11.09
Photo via Washington Post
In what can only be described as a stunning editorial, the Washington Post yesterday called attention to the worrying rates of Arctic Sea ice melting while simultaneously embarrassing perhaps its most famous columnist--George Will. This is the third time in a week that Post employees have distanced themselves from George Will's misstatements on Arctic ice....
SIGG Forges Steelworks Stainless-Steel Bottles
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.11.09
Photo credit: SIGG
SIGG is going stainless...steel, that is. The popular reusable-beverage-container maker has launched a range of stainless-steel products. Dubbed "Steelworks," the line of bottles, thermoses, commuter mugs, and flasks—133 in all—targets a younger, male audience with what the company describes as an "art-deco, industrial look."
Breaking with a century of tradition manufacturing its bottles in its Swiss factory, SIGG is outsourcing the production of its Steelworks designs to "select manufacturing partners in Asia." (We've got a hunch this means China.)
...
Quote of the Day: Mark Dwight on Form, Function, and Footprint
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.11.09
Photo credit: Rickshaw Bagworks
The marriage of form and function has yielded a generation of elegant, ergonomic, extraordinarily functional and economical products. Great design is no longer confined to high-end goods, as mass marketers such as Target have partnered with top designers to “democratize” great design. We are indeed in a golden age of product design....
100 Green Uses for Common, Everyday Products
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 04.11.09
Photo via: House of Sims
The average household has products for just about every condition or problem known to man or woman. A crème for pimples, a syrup for coughs, a capsule for headaches, a liquid for bugs. It has got to the point where folks need to buy a bigger home just to fit all this stuff in. Wouldn't it be nice if some of these products had multiple uses, thereby reducing the amount of packaging and waste necessary?
Well, thanks to a few curious folks who have considered the potential of various products having solutions for a variety of situations, we now know that many products are capable of uses beyond their scope of advertised description. I cannot vouch for every single one of these, but I have tried enough of them to realize they certainly do have potential. However, as most anything else of this nature, these are just suggestions from folks who have had some success, so try at your own risk.
Introducing 100 green uses for common, everyday products......
Social Network "Ooooby" Connects Locavores & Food Growers
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 04.11.09
We love the idea behind Ning, a site which allows people to create their own social network for anything – from anime to baking, but including stuff of a more sustainable flavour such as local bartering and skillshare networks to permaculture meet-ups. We came across Ooooby – Out Of Our Own Backyards – a Ning social network dedicated to connecting for food growers and locavores, and working towards a “goal of food interdependence”. The site also features some hot pictures of chicken tractors (apparently also called “chicken burees”). ...
China Experiments With Centralized Thermal-Solar Power
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04.11.09
Artist's impression of the 1.5 MW Dahan facility to be built near Beijing. News & image credits:Physics World
Construction is due to start next month on an experimental solar–thermal power plant located near China’s Great Wall (as pictured in artist's sketch above). The prototype is designed to supply power to 30,000 households by 2010. Built on the outskirts of Beijing, the 1.5 MW Dahan plant "will serve as a platform for experiments on different solar-power technologies." ...
Spring/Summer Fashion 2009: Loyale
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.11.09
Photo credit: Loyale
Flirty ruffles, crisp pleating, billowy puffed sleeves, and hemlines hiked up like the whoa dominate Loyale's Spring/Summer 2009 line, which was inspired by trippy-hippy expressionist and counterculture artist Wallace Berman.
Berman's influence resonates through the bohemian yet thoroughly modern collection. (And the ruffled bikini drips with ultrafeminine and slightly inappropriate sex appeal.) In fact, the abstract floral Semina print is named for Berman's unbound, hand-pressed underground magazine, which encouraged the shedding of artistic inhibitions and set the stage for the West Coast surrealism movement. ...
US Paper Industries Pull US$8 Billion Bio-Fuel Tax Credit Scam
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04.11.09
Cardboard packaging. Image credit:DesignFederation,net
Much of the pulp used for paper-making comes from the century-old Kraft pulping process. Since early the 1930's, operations using it reclaim and burn the process' "black liquor" waste to produce a majority of the energy consumed. Big Paper has discovered a new Kraft process reclamation trick to make millions more each year: by perversely claiming tax credits offered under a "green" Federal fuel blending incentive. ...
Berkeley Farmers' Market Leaves Plastic Bags Behind
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 04.11.09
Photo via Nashville Farmers' Market
The Berkeley Farmers’ Markets are just saying no to all plastic bags and packaging from their three weekly markets. Their “Zero Waste” campaign is trying to "remove, reduce, and recycle plastic and to recycle and compost all materialized at the markets."...
Artfully Constructed, Eco-Chic Wine Bar Makes for a Greener Wine Tasting
by Sara Novak, Columbia, SC on 04.11.09
photo: Newton Vineyards
When I first saw the image of this wine bar I could feel its pervasive hip factor. It just makes you want to sip on some biodynamic wine. And it proves once again that there is no need to sacrafice beauty for sustainability. This artistic wine "installation" definitely makes a statement....
Aerosols More Important to Global Warming Than Acknowledged, New Report Claims
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04.11.09
Increasing black carbon pollution from Asia can have a large global warming impact. Photo: Ginny via flickr
While the vast majority of climate change discussion has been the impact of greenhouse gases themselves (carbon dioxide, methane, others) on Earth's warming climate, the impact of aerosols has received less attention. And according to a new report, as aerosols may be driving a significant portion of polar warming, this is unfortunate:...
Istanbul College Celebrates All Things Green
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 04.11.09
Ecology Carnival schedule image via Marul
Istanbul's Boğaziçi University will be abuzz next week with food workshops, film screenings, musicians playing instruments made out of recycled material, people mixing up their own eco-friendly cleaning products... in short, a celebration of all aspects of sustainable living....
What's the Impact of Paying Bills Online?
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04.11.09
It's been a long time since I've paid a bill with a check, or even received a bill in the mail. Everything is done online and it feels great to ditch all that paper. Bill pay is ever more popular as an easy, secure way to pay bills online, and more companies are offering to go paperless when it comes to billing. So just what is the impact of cutting out the paper? There's an online calculator that will tell you by exactly how much you shrink your carbon footprint when you switch to online bill pay. ...
Jimmyjane Brings Sustainable Sexy Back to the Bedroom
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.10.09
Photo credit: Jimmyjane
Naughty doesn't have to mean nasty, but that's exactly what a lot of sex toys are, no thanks to the presence of toxic phthalates that are added to plastic components to boost flexibility. Talk about tainted love.
Jimmyjane wants you to have only good vibes. The San Francisco-based sex-toy-maker, which creates all its products in-house, uses FDA-approved, toxin-free, and biocompatible materials that comply with a host of safety standards, including the European Union's stringent Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive....
Zaproot Easter Special & Alternative Autos (Video)
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04.10.09
miniHome Hitting California - Gitcher Perfectly Petite Prefab Here
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04.10.09
Image via Sustain Design Studio
The miniHome is one of our favorite tiny house designs and we've watched it continually evolve over the last few years. Sustain was at a workshop this week in San Francisco held in conjunction with Dwell, where Andy Thomson and Trevor McIvor presented the newest miniHome model. ...
Spring/Summer Fashion 2009: Toggery
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.10.09
Photo credit: Toggery
As a writer with a very—and I mean very—limited disposable income, I hear your cries for more-affordable yet ethically produced eco-clothing. Enter Toggery by Kate D'arcy, a perennial favorite of mine with timeless cuts and rich colors that go on for days. And considering the garb is made stateside, the price is exceedingly nice, especially right now at Lux Green Living, where you can get pieces from seasons past and present on sale at 50 percent off—and not a stitch costs over $50.
For Spring/Summer 2009, Toggery plays it surprisingly safe; you won't find the balloon sleeves or electrifying hues of previous collections. That's not to say these tops and dresses aren't perfectly serviceable, because they are, but a few stylistic twists would add some refreshing visual interest to the usual same-old, same-old. ...
Yo! Whale Swims in Brooklyn: Humpback Spotted New York Harbor (Videos)
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04.10.09
Searching For A Pristine Forest? - Don't Hold Your Breath.
by Earthwatch Institute on 04.10.09
Garden of Eden. Image credit:UK HardLine, excerpted.
Would you like to visit a pristine forest? A forest untouched by the hand of (wo)man? Well, you can't. Not because I won't let you, but because there isn't one. ...
Uranium – “Yellow Monster” – Threatens Grand Canyon
by Greg Haegele of Sierra Club on 04.10.09
Canyon mine exploration. Image credit:Robert Tohe
Stacey Hamburg remembers the day in the fall of 2007 when she was cruising up Arizona’s Route 64 toward the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and saw a helicopter flying low and slow, back and forth just above the tops of pinon trees. “This helicopter was not out tracking antelope, but was scouting for uranium,” she told me. Stacey is the conservation organizer for the Sierra Club’s Grand Canyon Protection Campaign.
...
Moen Drips Green Following the Three Rs
by Naturally Savvy on 04.10.09
Moen's Envi Eco-Performance Showerhead uses about 30 percent less water than a normal-flow showerhead. Image supplied by Moen.
I went to a press meeting with Moen this week and came away with a ton of green facts about the well-known company who produces bathroom fixtures. Was I taken in by the allure of a shiny presentation? Did the swag make me want to praise the company to anyone who will listen? Nope. I'm tough to please when it comes to eco-issues, and I'm not afraid to out greenwashing. But the science and math geek in me can't deny the company's impressive quantifiable eco-results (i.e. hard figures). So what do those numbers add up to? It's an equation for all-around green goodness....
China's Renewable Energy Stimulus Sends Solar Stocks Skyrocketing
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 04.10.09
Photo via the Guardian
Say that three times fast. China just announced that it is drafting a stimulus plan to boost its renewable energy industries. Perhaps inspired by some other nation that recently decided to use government funding to bolster a fledgling renewable energy industry, China's plans immediately boosted the country's biggest solar and wind power companies' stocks. So what's China's big renewable energy plan?...
Obama and Tesla: A Match Made in Emission-Free Heaven?
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 04.10.09
Photo via Tesla Motors
Obama Should Buy a Tesla Fleet - Forget the Big Three
News broke today that Obama is going to buy 17,600 fuel efficient cars for the government fleet from the Big 3 automakers. Now, while this might be a step forward, it's hardly change we can believe in. More like a minor adjustment we can tolerate. If he really wanted to make a bold move, he should've put aside some funds for the Tesla Model S--a really efficient vehicle from a company that represents the best in American innovation; not the worst in corporate greed and obstinacy. Plus, we have reason to believe that Obama's a Tesla fan. ...
Air Conditioned Coffins All the Rage in Serbia
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.10.09
Austrian Times
We do go on about the evils of air conditioning, and how planting a tree might be a good idea, or maybe digging into the ground a little bit to get some natural cooling. But if we needed more proof of the dictum "too much is never enough", we offer for your consideration the air conditioned coffin, in case being earth-sheltered isn't quite enough.
The manufacturer says it is designed to keep bodies "fresh" prior to burial in hot summer months, but Serbians are snapping them up at £4,500 a pop "up in hopes they will have a more comfortable afterlife." The Daily Star quotes: "People imagine they want to feel comfortable in a coffin. "They feel they want to be as relaxed as possible as they make their journey to the next world." Daily Star via Cnet
...
It's On! EPA Objects to Permits For Three More Mountaintop Removal Coal Mining Operations
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04.10.09
The mining operations the EPA takes umbrage with aren't in Tennessee, but the message remains the same. Photo: Quinn Dombrowski via flickr.
A short while ago, the EPA issued letters to the Army Corps of Engineers objecting to two mountaintop removal coal mining operations and their environmental impact. It was widely taken to be the first shot in the battle to rein in the practice (even if the EPA didn't intend it that way). Well, the EPA has now objected to three more mining operations:...
Generator Hacked to Power iPod with Steam (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04.10.09
Photo Via SteampunkWorkshop
This is a pretty cool hack. A gadgeteer figured out a way to power his iPod with steam. It's a whole lot of effort, rather than just grabbing one of the gazillion solar chargers out there, but makes for a neat project. Check out a video of the generator in action after the jump....
Prius Repossessed from Kooks Dressed-Up in Mediaeval Garb (Video)
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04.10.09
Renewable Energy Mandate Helps Green Manufacturing Jobs in Michigan
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04.10.09
photo: kedziers via flickr
Here's another story about how renewable energy development and equipment manufacturing could really bring jobs back to parts of the United States which have been dealing with tough economic times. Global Wind Systems' will be opening a new wind turbine assembly plant in Novi, Michigan:...
6 Eco-Friendly Umbrellas For Taking Cover During April Showers
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04.10.09
Photo credit: Getty Images
'Tis the season for rain. Make that a lot of rain. Forget embossed faux leather satchels or oversized cocktail rings, the must-have accessory of the season is the humble umbrella. When dodging for cover isn't an option, a sturdy brolly goes a long way to avoiding getting pummeled by nature's wrath. Here's how to stay dry with the greenest umbrellas in town. ...
Mars Candy Commits to Sustainable Cocoa Sources
by Eliza Barclay, Washington, D.C. on 04.10.09
Photo credit: Rainforest Alliance
The link between child slavery and cocoa production and chocolate has been well-documented, even here on TreeHugger, with our piece by guest contributor Tex Dworkin of the Global Exchange Fair Trade Online Store in 2007. Candy companies like Mars that buy the vast majority of the world's cocoa have also been hounded by environmentalists over the adverse environmental impact of cocoa production, namely deforestation and overuse of pesticides, and that pressure seems to have finally paid off, at least in the case of Mars. The candy giant Thursday announced each of its chocolate products will be made from sources that meet certain environmental, labor and production standards by 2020, according to the Washington Post. ...
Dean Kamen on Clean Energy, Clean Water, and Commuting in the Mega City (Part One)
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 04.10.09
Dean Kamen is the kind of inventor we don’t imagine exists anymore—a fervent polymath like Thomas Edison. Best known as the creator of the Segway, Kamen is also responsible for major breakthroughs in clean energy, water purification, prosthetics, and other urban transport devices. He is the owner of a small island off the coast of New York where he tests his creations. He recently took the island zero-net energy with solar cells and LED lighting. Listen to the podcast of this interview via iTunes, or just click here to listen, right-click to download. Full text after the jump....
South Africa Creates World-Leading Renewable Energy Feed-In Tariffs
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04.10.09
photo: Chris Eason via flickr
South Africa is no longer messing around when it comes to renewable energy promotion. Its national energy regulator (NERSA) has announced new 20-year feed-in tariff rates that are greater than those in Germany (widely held as the model of feed-in tariff implementation) and Ontario:...
OK, Telecommuting is Green, What about Skype and IM?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.10.09
my desktop with Skype "water cooler" at right
We have written often that working from home is green. I was asked to write a guest post for No Impact Man about whether using Skype or other chat software to keep in constant touch with your co-workers was green, and concluded that anything that makes it easier to work at home and keep in touch would encourage more people and companies to do it, which was a good green objective. I explained how well a Skype "water cooler" works for us at TreeHugger, but it was anecdotal.
Now there is proof: a new study by IBM and MIT demonstrates that workers who maintain online connections to their bosses produce more than those who don't. ...
Missouri Offers Tax Holiday for Energy Star Appliances
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04.10.09
Photo via SqueakyMarmot
Again with the Earth Day Deals! If you live in Missouri, the week of Earth Day is a perfect time to buy an Energy Star appliance. The state is waving sales tax for major appliances from April 19-25, 2009. Read on for details about the deal. ...
Florida Politics Play Role in Timing of Babcock Ranch Eco-City Project Announcement
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04.10.09
What a ranch has to do with waterside cafes is beyond me, but at least it's not called Snowberry Cobble... image: Babcock Ranch
Adding a twist to the Babcock Ranch eco-city announcement is a piece from HeraldTribune.com. It questions the political motivations of the timing on this announcement, as well as the financing of the project (not to mention showing the value in local political news coverage):...
California Utilities Form Alliance for Greener Gadgets
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04.10.09
Photo via Robert Scoble
California utilities are taking more of a leadership roll in getting people to cut down on their energy use. The latest step taken by Pacific Gas & Electric and Sacramento Municipal Utility District is to create the Business and Consumer Alliance, geared towards identifying the best electronics for energy efficiency. ...
Great Water Quality Film by GOOD
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04.10.09
GOOD has put out a great short animation on water quality. They give the straight scoop on what happens when you don't have clean water, and how easy and cheap it can be to provide good water. Plus, it's simply a very well done video. Click through to watch....
GE Energy, Nexterra Developing Small-Scale Biomass Gasification System
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04.10.09
GE Energy, Nexterra Developing Biomass Gasification System Image credit:Nexterra
This post is about processing wood into clean combustible gas that will generate electricity and provide useful heat as a byproduct. Canada has plenty of wood scrap lying around: hence it makes sense to test it up in the Great White Biomass. Nexterra Energy is commercializing its biomass gasification technology to generate power and heat from by direct-firing syngas into high efficiency gas engines. This is for small-scale plants (2 – 10 MWe). Why is this good, you may wonder?
...
Florida's Eco-City of Tomorrow Today! Babcock Ranch to Be Solar Powered, Have Smart Grid, More...
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04.10.09
They're building one in Abu Dhabi, and now southwest Florida will have one too: Their very own solar-powered city. Real estate developer Kitson & Partners, along with Florida Power & Light have announced "the city of tomorrow", Babcock Ranch:...
Should Cyclists Pay Road Taxes?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.10.09
Representative Wayne Krieger in Oregon thinks they should. He says that with so much money being spent on bike infrastructure in Oregon , that it is time cyclists paid their "fair share." He told Jonathan Maus of BikePortland:
“This is an opportunity for the bicyclists to start contributing to our roads,” he said. “If you want to have something that everybody is going to use, than everybody needs to contribute to what’s there… if there were not bicycles we wouldn’t need bicycle lanes.”Others think he is nuts....
Top Tweets of the Week: Water (Slideshow)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04.10.09
It's amazing the kind of great information Twitterers (or Tweeple...choose your handle) can point you towards in just 140 characters. It's also amazing what a tool like Twitter can do for water activism. There's been some interesting water news going on, and we wanted to point out the tweets we've seen come through that have directed us to important news and activism surrounding water during the last week or so.
...
Taylor Swift Donates Prom Dress, Miss USA Goes Green, and More
by Terri MacLeod on 04.10.09
Photo via Starpulse
Country cutie Taylor Swift has earned major accolades as both a singer and a style icon. Now, she's opening up her closet and recycling the one gown her fans haven't seen her wear; her prom dress. Taylor donated her Jessica McClintock gown to Donate My Dress ; which launched a national drive to help girls find their dream dress. "I chose to give away this prom dress because I wore it once and loved it! To keep it around, hanging there all by itself and lonely in the closet, never to be worn again seemed a little pointless. I want another girl somewhere to feel good in it and have a great prom night because of this dress," said Taylor. Thanks: People Magazine ...
Another Way To Hide The Bed: Put It In A Box
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.10.09
We often show ingenious ways of hiding the bed. French architects Emmanuel Combarel Dominique Marrec offer a new one: turn it into a sculptural element, in this case a box hanging from the ceiling.
...
Scathing Article in the Independent on Dubious Dubai
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.10.09
Creative Commons, Twocentsworth
It's not schadenfreude. After writing a couple of years worth of posts about dubious Dubai, it was painful to read Johann Hari's lengthy article in the Independent: The dark side of Dubai. It is merciless. He starts it with
Once the manic burst of building has stopped and the whirlwind has slowed, the secrets of Dubai are slowly seeping out. This is a city built from nothing in just a few wild decades on credit and ecocide, suppression and slavery. Dubai is a living metal metaphor for the neo-liberal globalised world that may be crashing – at last – into history.The clincher:...
The Ecologist to Ditch Print Edition
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 04.10.09
Seminal Environmental Magazine to Go Online Only
Growing up environmentally conscious in the UK, it was almost impossible not to be aware of Zac Goldsmith's Ecologist magazine. Launched in 1970, the magazine not only covered some of the most important environmental topics that the mainstream press would ignore, but it also managed to stear refreshingly clear of the usual party political lines seen in the green movement (as Warren noted before, Goldsmith himself leans well to the right). So there's a certain nostalgic part of me that is sad to hear that the last issue will go to print on June 19th, though as the Guardian tells us - this isn't the end. The Ecologist is going online only, and in so doing it aims to extend its reach and cut its carbon footprint. Way to go Zac! Click below the fold to find out the reasoning behind the decision. ...
Istanbul Public Transit Proves Up to the Task
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 04.10.09
Buses got a boost when Obama visited Istanbul. Photo by yellow book ltd via Flickr.
Extraordinary circumstances can bring out the best in people—and in transportation systems. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake hit the San Francisco Bay Area, cutting off access to bridges and freeways, commuters rediscovered the ferry and subway—and kept riding them even after the roads were repaired. President Barack Obama's trip to Turkey may prove to have been a similar turning point for Istanbul....
Joke's on the Enviro Ministry: China to be Painted White to Fight Global Warming - Taking Cues from TreeHugger?
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04.10.09
For April Fool's Day last week, TreeHugger's Alex Pasternack tells us that he rolled out of bed that day with gags spewing from his imagination for his post China Reveals Plans for Green-Colored "Suburb City." Well it seems a kindred spirit, and colleague of Alex's, quite coincidentally picked up on the real thing. Well, at least an April Fool's day prank tugging the leg of China's Environmental Ministry on an official government site: China to be Painted White to Fight Global Warming....
Is Taxidermy Creepy or is it Art?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04.10.09
Bonnie writes that "Taxidermy, the Victorian art and tradition of stuffing animals, is becoming fashionable again. Only this time round with young artists who see it as an ethical design choice. If the animal is already dead, why not preserve it in a new and cutting edge way." But commenters found it creepy.
...
Easter Candy Insanity is Still Here But the Packaging is Slimming Down
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 04.10.09
Easter Bunnies in golden glory via TheTruthAbout @ flickr.
If you are not religious or don't celebrate Spring by digging in to planting your victory, container or other sort of garden, Easter can degenerate into an excuse to eat candy. The truth behind chocolate is not so sweet. Candy and chocolate, like everything else done on a massive industrial and commercial scale, can generate tons of excess waste and vile environmental effects. And the chocolate Easter egg you are thinking about averages 60 percent packaging - in other words, more package than chocolate....
Taxidermy Lightens Up
by Bonnie Alter, London on 04.10.09
Taxidermy, the Victorian art and tradition of stuffing animals, is becoming fashionable again. Only this time round with young artists who see it as an ethical design choice. If the animal is already dead, why not preserve it in a new and cutting edge way.
Alex Randall has made chandeliers from pigeons in flight and lights with squirrels climbing the wall. She uses dead animals that have been shot as vermin and left to die which she sources from British farmers. As she says "What I love is the character already installed in objects. They hold a memory of their own."
...
Faux tan with Europe’s greenest beauty brand
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 04.10.09
Skip the UVB parlor with an organic tan -- sans sun. Photo via: Flickr by Whatshername?
Eva Mendez, Debra Messing and Tim Daly rave about Lavera’s beauty product collection from moisturizers to lip balms. But how many stars admit to using the fake tanning lotions? For green carpet affairs, celebs may go for airbrushing but hopefully they know better than to use tanning beds to recreate that healthy California glow. For skin color the shade of poolside resort-style leisure, slather on Lavera’s Sunless Tan cream for a safe and natural-looking tan, sans sun.
...
Teens Turning Green: Skincare for Teens and Tweens
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04. 9.09
Photo credit: Teens Turning Green
My four-month-old daughter is still light years away from preening and plumping her puss in front of the mirror—although you wouldn't know it from the way she cracks up at the "pretty baby in the mirror"—but news that teenage girls across the country are contaminated with toxins found in cosmetics and skincare products doesn't exactly set a mama's heart at ease. Teens Turning Green, on the other hand, does.
The powerhouse group of adolescents recruited the help of seven green skincare companies to produce its own line of teen-oriented body products (no parabens, phthalates, or synthetic fragrances, thank you very much). Teen-tested and -approved, the nine products, which are available at Whole Foods stores nationwide, are specially formulated for hormone-wrecked, pimple-prone skin, so you can channel all that Robert Pattinson-worshiping angst somewhere else. Like that boy in Honors English. Who is TOTALLY dreamy. ...
First Retrofit Carbon Capture & Storage Project to Begin Operations
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 9.09
image: Total
There aren't too many functioning carbon capture and storage projects up and running, so any new one is worth announcing. And this one is the world's first retrofit of one to a power plant. Total has upgraded an existing gas-fired boiler at its power plant at Lacq, France:...
Spring/Summer Fashion 2009: ecoSkin
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04. 9.09
Photo credit: ecoSkin
Mother Earth is ecoSkin's muse for Spring/Summer, resulting in vibrant, saturated turquoise, purple, and plum hues that set off feminine ruffles, off-the-shoulder cuts, and plunging necklines.
It's the Earth goddess with a bit of the minx in her; coconut-shell and wood buttons punctuate the sensual drape of bamboo and tencel fabrics, creating looks that seamlessly transition from day to night....
Washington Governor Makes Secret, Dirty Deal with Big Coal
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 04. 9.09
Photo via Seattle Times
Just when everybody was getting optimistic that government was finally going to start cracking down on polluting companies, we get news like this: the governor of Washington has made a secret deal with Big Coal, setting air pollution regulations behind closed doors. Gov Chris Gregoire made the agreement with TransAlta, the owner of Washington's only coal-fired power plant and single biggest emitter of greenhouse gases in the state. So what was the outcome of the shady deal?...
Geekiest Couch Ever. And We Love It.
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 9.09
Photo via Bradlands
Talk about a way to keep computers out of landfills. From the Mac Store in Maryland Heights, Missouri comes this cool couch built from 20 Macintosh II computers. And I thought I was cool for sewing old drapes into seating cushions. ...
Job Hunting the Green Way - Nix the Paper and Beam Your Info
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 9.09
Online social networking is changing the way we do things in our culture. Everything is faster, shorter, electronic. And that means it's also more acceptable to cut out the paper versions of resumes and cover letters. Thanks to the "now" factor that social media has instilled in us, going paperless on the job hunt is pretty easy. And there's a new tool out that lets you ditch even that old fashioned thing called e-mail. beamME CV lets you beam your documents from your iPhone, so when you're networking with potential employers, you're sure they won't miss getting your info. ...
Mocoloco Dumps Sustainable Design
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 9.09
Mocoloco's Harry Wakefield can always turn a good phrase; I loved his "Less is the new More" a few years ago. He is at it again with Sustainable is the New Design....
UK Food Chain Starts Bike Deliveries
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 9.09
see the BBC video here
The knives may be out for Waitrose, the big UK premium supermarket, but it keeps trying to do the right thing. They are starting to deliver groceries by battery assisted cargo bikes in Dorset. The BBC says each trailer can hold six trays of groceries and keep products frozen and chilled for up to two hours.
They admit that it won't take a lot of delivery trucks off the road, but "Everybody has to do something and you start small and you build from there." ...
An Instance When Man-Made Fibers Help a Sea Turtle Out
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 9.09
We just talked about the awful statistic that 1/3 of Leatherback turtles have plastic in their digestive systems. Man-made materials like that have generally been the bane of turtles and other sea life. But there is one instance in which a carbon-fiber swim suit is really helping out a one-flippered green sea turtle named Allison. ...
ILVTOFU License Plate Rejected as Obscene: More PETA PR Fluff or Veggie Freedom of Speech Issue? (Video)
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04. 9.09
TTXGP: The Most Prestigious Zero-Emission Motorcycle Race in the World!
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04. 9.09
Photo: Brammo
Finally a Motorcycle Race Without the Fumes
The very first Isle of Man TT motorcycle race took place in 1907. This year, on June 12th, the TTXGP will show us just how much things have changed since then; all kinds of ZEV motorcycles will compete, and that's the whole point. Maybe the best technology win! "TTXGP allows different technologies, systems and methods battle for supremacy on some of the most glorious motorsport venues in the world. In a market place of free ideas, TTXGP is where you get your vision of the future valued."...
Micro Macro Monde: A Center for Radically Rethinking Design
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 9.09
Designer Niels Peter Flint "has been working in the field of designing, implementing and promoting sustainable ways of living" for the last 25 years, working, lecturing and travelling around the world. But now he has put down serious roots in this nice little pile in Cormes, France, and has started the Micro Macro Monde Center (MMM), "a center for Radically Rethinking Design & the World."
MMM offers all-inclusive courses with three meals a day, accommodation in organic cotton tents and of course, daily yoga sessions, and the courses for this year look interesting:...
Plastic Found in 1/3 of Leatherback Turtles, According to Study
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04. 9.09
Photo: Turtles.org
"Leatherback turtles are ancient creatures with a modern problem: Plastic."
A new study has looked at "necropsy reports of more than 400 leatherback" turtles and found that about 1/3 of them had plastic in their digestive system. They're not saying it was the immediate cause of death, but as Mike James, a marine biologist at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, says: "Eating something that is plastic can't be good for you, whether it leads to death or not." By saying no to plastic bags, you might be indirectly helping turtles......
Number of the Day: 20% of Total World Electricity Production
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04. 9.09
3 types of lightbulbs. Photo: Flickr, CC
20% -- Currently, about 20% of the world's electricity is used for lighting.
75% -- About 1/4 of that is for residential uses, and the rest is for commercial/industrial/governmental buildings.
5% -- A typical incandescent bulb converts only about 5% of the electricity it uses into light, and it needs to be replaced approximately every 1,000 hours....
More Videos of the Tesla Model S Electric Car In Action
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04. 9.09
Here We Go!
Michael Arrington and Leena Rao of Techcrunch had a (short) ride in the Tesla Model S electric car in the parking lot of Tesla’s Menlo Park showroom. The video (below) was captured with a cellphone, so it's not very high quality, but in it you can see the interior of the car (the 17 inch touch screen, etc) and get a feel for the kind of acceleration that high-torque electric motors can provide. ...
Duckweed Does Double Duty: Cleans Up Waste Water, Makes Great Biofuel
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 9.09
Duckweed, a small aquatic plant which is an important food source for waterfowl, can also be used to clean up waste water at industrial pig farms and as a good feedstock for biofuels, researchers from North Carolina State University say:...
Organic Compost Delivered To USDA Headquarters
by Jeff Nield, Vancouver, British Columbia on 04. 9.09
Image: Joan Shaffer, USDA
The USDA ain't what it used to be. Ever since Earl Butz was charged with creating a highly efficient ag sector under Nixon and Ford the USDA has been about production of cheap calories through industrial agriculture. Enter the Obamas, along with the new Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, and the U.S. government's relationship with food has gotten a whole lot more progressive.
The kicker happened a couple of weeks ago when a load of grade-A, certified organic compost from the nation's foremost authority on organic growing, The Rodale Institute, was dumped in front of USDA headquarters. ...
Ethanol Played Small Role in US Food Price Increases Last Year: Congressional Budget Office
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 9.09
photo: Kris via flickr
Surely this won't be the last word in how much ethanol contributed (or didn't) to last year's food price increases, or could have on future food prices, but a new report from the Congressional Budget Office says that corn-based ethanol added 0.5-0.8 percentage points to the overall price of food in the US:...
Maryland to Use $70 Million of Climate Revenue for Tax Rebates
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 04. 9.09
Photo via Cleveland
The state of Maryland has announced that it plans on using the $70 million it makes from charging utilities for carbon emissions to aid lower income families—and in doing so, it's breaking from the 9 other states participating in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Other Northeastern states mostly use the revenue to fund renewable energy projects. The state's move fuels one of the fiercer debates bubbling over about using a national cap and trade: that is, what's the most responsible way to spend all the money it'd make? ...
Small Apartments with Big Impact (Slideshow)
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 9.09
Daniel Burnham said "Make no little plans", but he lived in Chicago where the rents are cheap, not New York, London or Tokyo. In those and other expensive cities, people trade space for location and live in very small spaces indeed. It takes clever design and some degree of compromise, but people seem to manage and even thrive. As Maxwell at Apartment Therapy says,
"A calm, healthy, beautiful home is a necessary foundation for happiness and success in the world. Creating this home doesn't require large amounts of money or space."We look at a few in our slideshow.
...
Florida Nuclear Utility Fined For Sleeping Guards
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04. 9.09
Turkey Point nuclear facility guard station.. Image credit:Eyball-Series.org
A $130,000 penalty was paid by Florida Power and Light; and "A federal investigation found that six guards at FPL's Turkey Point nuclear plant slept or served as lookouts for other sleeping guards between 2004 and 2006." AP reports the fine and circumstances here, via the Florida Sun Sentinel. Not the kind of headline desired by the industry that hopes to save the world from a climate catastrophe. Investor tip of the day: so far, no guards needed at wind farms....
Future of the 1 GW London Array in Question: Backers Ask European Investment Bank for Bailout
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 9.09
photo: Chrishna via flickr
The London Array certainly has had a bumpy ride so far—some backers pulling out suddenly, new ones coming aboard in the nick of —and here's another bump in the road which again puts the future of the project into question:...
TreeHugger Becomes Ford Fiesta Agent
by Alan Graham, Portland, Oregon on 04. 9.09
My new car
With the global economy in shambles, fuel prices likely to increase with demand, and automakers searching for the holy grail that will pull their fat from the fire, bailout-free Ford is trying something the Big Three should have done a long time ago, looking overseas for some inspiration.
Next year, Ford is bringing the extremely popular fuel-sipping (German-built) Fiesta stateside. But before that happens they decided to run an online contest to giveaway 100 Fiestas to drive for 6 Months as a social media buzz generator. I entered the contest and was selected as a "Fiesta Agent" from over 4,000 video entries via YouTube.
My winning video and story after the jump......
Sears Offering $99 Home Energy Audits for Earth Day
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 9.09
Photo via Sears
When companies get into Earth Day, consumers have a chance to score great deals. It's like Christmas in the Spring. Sears is getting serious about home energy audits as a popular purchase among energy-savvy homeowners, and is feeling generous. In celebration of Earth Day, they're offering $99 home energy audits (usually $550) for one week. ...
Your Pets Aren't Going to Like Global Warming, Either: Infectious Diseases Likely to Rise
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 9.09
photo: Matthias Zirngibl via flickr
Most of the time when it comes to climate change's impact on animals the focus is on endangered species, changes in habitat of more common animals, the spread of invasive species. But new research shows that our family pets may also face some problems:...
$7 Solar Cooker Wins $75,000 Climate Change Challenge
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 9.09
photo: Green Launches
A humble cardboard box (well two of them, one inside the other) has won the Financial Times' Climate Change Challenge. It may sound like a joke, but those two cardboard boxes were turned into a solar cooker that captured both the judges' and public's imagination and earned it the $75,000 top prize:...
Museum of Art And Design's Second Lives Closes April 19
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 9.09
image: Vincente de Mello
There was so much in Second Lives, the opening show at the Museum of Art And Design in New York, that we barely scratched the surface when we saw it at the opening. BoingBoing reminds us of it with posting of Courtney Smith's Psiche Complexo,
"several pieces of early twentieth century Brazilian bedroom furniture, ...The individual elements are cut and rebuilt in order to fold and collapse into one central body so that they may be occulted withing the containing for or unfolded into an environment."
...
High Levels Of Lead In Chinese-Made Women's Accessories
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04. 9.09
Yellow Double Handle Satchel. Image credit:QVC.
Virtually all vinyl products made in China have lead salts added to stabilize the vinyl polymer. There are cost effective alternatives for vinyl stabilization such as calcium or tin compounds. But, Chinese manufacturers stay with their lead. Now, it's been found in faux-leather wallets and purses sold in California. PETA will be mad. Or will they? Look below for details....
The Cove - Trying to Save 23,000 Dolphins from Slaughter
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 9.09
Photo via TheCoveMovie.com
Each year starting in mid-September, [about] 23,000 dolphins are slaughtered [in Japan, many of which are killed] in near secrecy in a cove in Taiji, Japan. Richard O'Barry, the leading dolphin trainer in the 1960s and trainer of the dolphins used in the TV series Flipper, has been trying to stop this slaughter for years. We covered the stories of activist Hayden Panettiere trying to expose the slaughter. And last year, we covered the story of a brave set of film makers lead by director Louie Psihoyos who have teamed up with O'Barry and other activists in an effort to show people the intolerable killings. They've now created a film called The Cove showing their efforts to get through the intense security and record what happens there. ...
Physics Meets Flatpack with Sarah Paculdo's Flat Chair Project
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 9.09
Industrial Designer Sara Fisher Paculdo has an undergrad degree in physics; she probably needed it to figure this one out. ...
Zipcar and Zimride - Carshare Marriage Made in Heaven?
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 04. 9.09
Photo of the Zipcar logo jm3 via flickr.
Seems like a smart idea for Zipcar, the world's biggest on-demand car share program, to team up with Zimride, the online carpooling tool that helps match available drivers with ready-to-go riders. A pilot of a combined service will launch at Stanford today and allow Zipcar members getting a car to broadcast the time, date, and final destination of their trip - and also a estimated price per rider. Zimride's software then takes care of matching ready riders to the members. The question is, would you be willing to pick up so-called strangers in this way?...
StreetFilms Posts 200th Film on Liveable Streets
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 04. 9.09
Bambi vs Google: Worse than Godzilla
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 9.09
Everybody remembers what happened when Bambi met Godzilla; Now we see what happens when Bambi meets Google Street view. The controversial service is considered by some to be a threat to privacy; who knew that it could also be a threat to wildlife....
Converting Sewage Treatment Plants Into Playgrounds
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 9.09
There are so many industrial buildings that are part of our cultural landscapes, that we ignore and eventually demolish, either consciously or by neglect. In the Netherlands, they hold adaptive reuse design competitions instead. Arons en Gelauff architects just won a competition to convert sewage treatment silos into a multifunctional cultural center, theater and restaurants as Annie MG Schmidt House, "breathing new life into the silos, transforming them into an inspiring and lively place which will help shape the character of the new Zeeburgereiland housing district."...
Is The Plastic Bag Obsession a Distraction?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 9.09
We love George Monbiot, but is he off base this time? he thinks that reusable bags are a distraction: "they permitted the rich and famous to telegraph their green credentials while still running the Aga, the Range Rover, the yacht and the second and third homes in far-flung parts of the world. By buying the bag, they could tick another box: now, among their other attributes, they were environmentally conscious." He concludes that all they do is "ensures that everyone feels better about themselves, while continuing to trash the biosphere just as we did before."
...
Future Spark Generate Pedal Power for Earth Hour Concert
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 04. 9.09
One of the cute stories to emerge from the recent Earth Hour event involves a concert that Melbourne, Australia threw for about 8,000 of its citizens that night, which drew its power from a human source.
The Future Spark project garnered 130 teams of corporate workers to pedal stationary bikes on board on a fold-out trailer. The energy they generated from their riding was feed back into the grid to offset the estimated power consumption of the Earth Hour concert, which was around 45 kWh. The project created the human powered energy equivalent of this amount, and much more besides....
Try No Dig Gardening for Your Backyard Vegetables
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 04. 9.09
No-Dig Gardening is such a brilliant form of home-based agriculture I was convinced the TreeHugger archives would be rich with its merits. Was very surprised when I only found one mention, in a post chronicling Leonora's permaculture adventures in New Zealand. So I launched into the following first-person account of No-Dig, only to discover that in North America the same process might be better known as as Sheet Mulching. Nomenclature aside, it's worth covering the topic again. Especially if you want to grow your own veggies for a little food security....
Innocent Sells (Out?) to Coca Cola
by Bonnie Alter, London on 04. 9.09
Image from TreeHugger
It's becoming a familiar story: little ethical company starts up, becomes a success and is bought by huge multi-national. There was Green & Black chocolate, Body Shop, Ben & Jerry's and now the little yoghurt shake that grew: Innocent.
TreeHugger April first spotted the potential deal in her post in March and now the news is out that they have sold between 10% and 20% to Coca-Cola for £30m....
SOS 4.8 Music Festival in Spain Asks: And now what?
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 04. 9.09
The Festival SOS 4.8 in Spain runs under the theme SOStenibilidad (sustainability) and celebrates 48h non-stop of Music, Contemporary Art and Reflection. Their first line-up last year was already pretty impressive, but nothing compared to this year: SOS 4.8 has added two more stages and at the same time dropped the entrance price due to the crisis. The theme for the VOCES (voices), a reflection space where artists and thinkers will immerse in the concept of sustainability, is And now what? This looks like the perfect way to spend May Day, reflecting about the world and sustainability, immersed in the music of PJ Harvey & John Parish, Russian Red, Spiritualized, The Matthew Herbert Big Band, The Prodigy, Those Dancing Days, 2manydjs, Babyshambles, Boys Noize, Keane and many more great bands....
Ecorazzi Jams with Ben Harper, Inhabitat get Gardening, Grist's Birthday Relaunch, and More
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 04. 9.09
Ecorazzi:Ben Harper To Jam Live In Rome For Earth Day by Michael D'Estries
"Ben Harper will be joining forces with National Geographic Music to perform a live, free concert on Earth Day (April 22nd) in Rome’s Piazza del Popolo. Harper will perform with musicians from Relentless7 and showcase music from their upcoming album White Lies for Dark Times."...
Jamboree Dog Bed Sticks It to Flying Fur
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04. 8.09
Photo credit: Ilya Fridman
Ah, pet hair, the scourge of dog and cat owners everywhere. To solve this perennial problem, one Australian designer came up with a prototype for a dog hammock that not only draws shed fur through the magic of electrostatic attraction, but it can also be disassembled to swiftly dispose of the offending tufts.
Made from discarded rubber flip flops, the Jamboree Dog Bed generates a static charge that captures loose fur. Because of the interlocking design, the individual pieces can be swapped around for variability (color blindness in dogs is apparently a misconception) or removed for cleaning. ...
Spring/Summer Fashion 2009: Lina Rennell
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04. 8.09
Photo credit: Lisa Rennell
Lina Rennell's Spring/Summer 2009 collection, "Big Sur Meets Helsinki," explores the relationship between Mother Nature and her daughter—we humans, presumably, though in our case it would probably be estranged daughter.
For her seaside excursion of hand-silk-screened organic cotton and hemp-linen textiles, which contrast turquoise, gray, and gold hues, the designer drew inspiration from washed-up ocean detritus, driftwood, and barnacles. The result is a Scandinavian-beach-house aesthetic that is at once rustic and modern....
Goodbye Maple Syrup: Climate Change Pushing Sugar Maple Out of Northeast U.S.
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 04. 8.09
Photo: Can of maple syrup from Quebec (via One Whole Clove)Having lived in the northeastern U.S. for some time before moving to Quebec, certainly some of the best things in these parts include colourful fall foliage and tons of locally-harvested maple syrup. Sadly, thanks to increasingly ‘weird’ and warming weather, the long-standing tradition and $65 million business of “maple sugaring” in the northeastern U.S. is in danger of becoming a historical footnote. ...
Renewable Energy Revolution Sweeps the US
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 04. 8.09
Photos via World News
First, there was the solar frenzy in the Texas that led to new government initiatives supporting alternative energy. Now, spurred by the stimulus, states across the nation are getting in on the action: Kansas, Utah, and New Mexico are already out the gate with new laws designed to offer incentives for using renewables, attract alternative energy manufacturers, and create green jobs. On top of that, plenty of new renewable-based business ventures are cropping up too. Could Obama's stimulus have really sparked a direly needed energy revolution in the United States?...
Smart Car Door Could Help Protect Cyclists & Pedestrians
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04. 8.09
Look Out!
Car doors can be pretty dangerous to cyclists (and sometimes pedestrians) in urban areas. In theory, the simplest solution would be to just have motorists pay attention when they open their doors, but human nature being what it is, it's doubtful that we'll ever get to that point (education can make things better, but 100% safe for cyclists? Probably not). Technology comes to the rescue: BMW is working on 'intelligent' car doors that will simply become harder to push open when they detect danger. Read on for details....
3r Living Turns 5!
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04. 8.09
Photo credit: 3r Living
Awww, we remember when 3r Living was just a mewling infant tightly swaddled in organic cotton and love. But oh how fast they grow—the store will be turning 5 on April 16. (Sunrise, sunset.)
Help Samantha and Mark Caserta celebrate this milestone online or in their Brooklyn and Maplewood, New Jersey, stores by taking 15 percent off any purchase on their store's birthday, and then physically toast them in Park Slope. (Details below.)
Many happy returns, 3r Living! Here's to another five great years!
...
Lightpot is Part Pretty, Part Practical
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 8.09
Photo via DesignBoom; credit Kfir Schwalb and Orit Magia
The Lightpot is a new design by Kfir Schwalb and Orit Magia that uses LED lighting to grow herbs and small plants anywhere, and grows along with the plants....
Chrysler Partners with A123 Systems for ENVI Electric Vehicles
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04. 8.09
Photo: A123 Systems/Chrysler
...But Will Chrysler Survive Long Enough to Make Electric Cars?
Chrysler and A123 Systems have signed an agreement: Chrysler will use "Nanophosphate lithium-ion prismatic cell" batteries from A123 in its ENVI Range-extended Electric Vehicles and battery-only Electric Vehicles (the three EV concepts are a Jeep, a minivan and a sports car)....
Strong Sonars Can Make Dolphins Deaf
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04. 8.09
Photo: Flickr, CC
According to an investigation into a suspected link between naval operations and cetacean strandings (two weeks ago we wrote about 80+ whales and dolphins that beached themselves in Australia), very loud blasts of sonar can cause a dolphin to temporarily lose its hearing. "A paper published in the British journal Biology Letters on Wednesday provides the first lab-scale investigation into this idea, although its authors stress it does not provide proof that warship sonar is to blame." Read on for more details....
Kids Can Save the Planet With First Social-Networking Site For Young Eco-Warriors
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04. 8.09
Photo credit: Habitat Heroes
Junior tree-huggers have a new tool in their planet-saving arsenal: Habitat Heroes, the first global social-networking Web site that brings eco-savvy kids together so they can share their ideas on protecting the environment, while learning about the issues at stake through interactive games and tools.
Launching in time for Earth Day on April 22, Habitat Heroes is the brainchild of Sharon Lowe, an Australian mother of three who hit upon the idea after observing her daughter playing games online.
...
Carbon Impact of Biggest US Mutual Funds Revealed
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 04. 8.09
Photo via NY Times
Can a single, multi-billion dollar mutual fund have an impact of millions of tons of carbon? Indeed. That's what a groundbreaking study released today by Trucost reveals. The report, Carbon Counts USA, tallies up the carbon impact of some of the biggest mutual funds in the US--which are altogether worth over $1.5 trillion. And for the most part, it's not pretty....
Closing The Door On Building New Coal-Fired Power Plants In America
by Lester Brown, Washington, D.C on 04. 8.09
Xcel Energy fires up new natural gas-fired High Bridge plant near St. Paul, replacing older coal-fired unit.
Image credit:Minnesota Public Radio
Recently Jonathan G. Dorn, my colleague at Earth Policy Institute, released a report on how community opposition, legal challenges, and financial uncertainty over future carbon costs are prompting companies to rethink their plans for coal....
The Rainforest Alliance Keeps Growing (Literally) Despite Recession
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04. 8.09
Rainforest living up to its name. Photo: Flickr, CC.
When it Comes to Forests, Growth is Good
A lot of companies and organizations are making fewer and smaller investments because of the current economic recession, so it's good to hear that despite that the Rainforest Alliance has seen a good growth in its sustainable forestry, agriculture and tourism programs during 2008. This probably means that companies understand that 'green' is now mainstream, and that consumers won't stop demanding it even when times are hard. ...
Designing a 4th Bin for e-Waste
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 8.09
Image via 4thbin.org
When it comes to throwing things out, we have a lot of bin options for sorting - trash, compost, paper, plastic, metals...but what about e-waste? e-Waste too often ends up in the trash bin because, while it really is easy to recycle it, it takes an extra step or two and, well, some folks are a touch lazy. So, a new design competition is underway to develop a logo that incorporates e-waste as "the 4th bin."...
Best of Green: Business & Politics (Slideshow)
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 04. 8.09
Update: Vote now for Best of Show!
Now that the initial voting period has ended, it's time to vote for the 'Best in Show' -- check out the category winners in the Best in Show slideshow, and then click over to Planet Green to View & Vote for your favorites. Voting ends at midnight on April 30, 2009. The Best of Green: Business & Politics All of the individual efforts that TreeHugger encourages people to do to green their lives, buy more eco-friendly products, reduce their carbon footprint and eco-footprint as a whole will only take us so far on the path of creating a truly green and sustainable future. The other piece of the puzzle is changing the structure of of society to place the environment at the head of every decision. That's where the larger actions of business and politicians really come into play. Though the road towards a fair and just, ecologically sustainable future is long, the winners in each of the Best of Green categories you're about to view all are leading the way in their particular sphere. Without further a-do here are TreeHugger's picks for the Best of Green for Business & Politics:...
Who’s Who on Obama’s Green Team: Ken Salazar, Secretary of Interior
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 8.09
In the few months since Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar has had his post, he's already proved himself quite willing to rework the policies of the previous administration. He's revoked controversial oil and gas exploration leases in Utah, as well as oil shale leases . He boldly talks about the great renewable energy potential of lands under his department's jurisdiction. He also still places offshore oil drilling prominently on the table, but no one is perfect—and because of his record as a senator his nomination wasn't universally praised by the green community. Considering all that, here's some background on Ken Salazar and the path that led him to his current place on Obama's Green Team:
Long-Time Coloradan
Ken Salazar was born on March 2, 1955 and grew up with seven siblings on a Colorado ranch of that had neither telephone nor electricity. His family has farmed and ranched on land in what is now New Mexico and Colorado since the 16th century. He attended grade school in the community of La Jara, in south-central Colorado, going on to college at Colorado College earning a BA in political science. He then went on to earn a JD from the University of Michigan Law School. ...
Facebook's Monthly Electricity Bill Tops $1 Million
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 8.09
With a monthly energy bill big enough to throw a sheep at, Facebook and its photo and video sharing is showing what kind of an impact social networking has on the grid. ...
Current TV Wants Your Eco Questions TODAY
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 8.09
Best of Green: Food & Health (Slideshow)
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 04. 8.09
Update: Vote now for Best of Show!
Now that the initial voting period has ended, it's time to vote for the 'Best in Show' -- check out the category winners in the Best in Show slideshow, and then click over to Planet Green to View & Vote for your favorites. Voting ends at midnight on April 30, 2009. The Best of Green: Food & Health From the breakfast we eat in the morning, to the restaurants where we dine in the evening, few things have a more regular impact on our lives than food. And, food, along with myriad other environmental factors, has a big influence on our general health and wellbeing. With that in mind, it's great that we were able to hand out over 25 Best of Green Awards to those doing the best green work in restaurants, breweries and wineries, food writing, green food resources, and more. Be sure to check in with the winners of the other seven categories, and tell us why you agree or disagree with the choices in the TreeHugger Forums....
A Netbook Faceoff - Acer Aspire One vs HP Mini 1000
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 8.09
Photo via the Gadgeteer
I'm growing increasingly jealous of the netbooks I see perched on laps of folks at the various conferences I attend. The users look so content, meanwhile I lug around my 7 pound Dell laptop. Netbooks are light, compact, and every bit as powerful as an average user needs them to be. They use fewer materials and less energy to run, which makes them perfect for a traveling greenie. But they're also fairly new to the mainstream, with not a lot of hands-on face-off comparisons going on quite yet. That's why we're happy to see a showdown over at The Gadgeteer between the Acer Aspire One and the HP Mini 1000. Click through to read who wins. ...
New Study Forecasts Global Warming Will Change Wildfire Patterns
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 04. 8.09
Photo via About.com
Researchers at UC Berkeley and Texas Tech are out with a new study that predicts climate change will alter global forest fire patters, making some areas more prone to fire while lessening the risk to others. The result could mean big changes for areas that either depend on fire or those that fear it. ...
Commercial Ape Bushmeat Trade Twice as Bad as Subsistence Hunting: New Study Shows
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 8.09
photo: Liam K via flickr
In another wrinkle in the ongoing saga of the bushmeat trade in Africa and declining ape populations, a new report published in the Journal of Biological Conservation shows that commercial hunters from urban centers have a greater impact than subsistence farmers on apes:...
Saudi Arabia Claims Climate Talks Threaten Their Economic Survival
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 8.09
Saudi Arabia wants help to develop their significant solar power potential. Photo: Peter via flickr
On the sidelines of recent climate change talks in Bonn, Germany, Saudi Arabia expressed concern that any major global shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy would threaten its economic survival, Reuters reports. Calling itself one of the most vulnerable countries economically, it said that it wants support for developing alternative sources of energy, specifically developing its vast solar power potential:...
Best of Green: Fashion + Beauty (Slideshow)
by Jessica Root - Brooklyn, NY on 04. 8.09
Update: Vote now for Best of Show!
Now that the initial voting period has ended, it's time to vote for the 'Best in Show' -- check out the category winners in the Best in Show slideshow, and then click over to Planet Green to View & Vote for your favorites. Voting ends at midnight on April 30, 2009. The Best of Green in Fashion and Beauty Sometimes sustainable fashion and beauty products get lost amidst the tizzy of sleek, green cars, smart architecture and alternative energy here on TreeHugger. We get it--we’re not a bunch of superficial divas. But most of us do care about feeling good and making a good first impression. Think back to that first date, job interview or public talk. Or the way you feel in those perfect-fitting jeans. After years of reviewing countless numbers of eco-friendly beauty brands, clothing lines, style tools and resources right here on TreeHugger, we’ve sifted away the eco-gems from the downright diamonds. From best green shoes to casual brand for guys, perfume, haircare, beauty blogs and more—find out which designers, companies and fashion-istas are giving sustainability the sexy name we’ve always aspired to create. To view our picks, click on the slideshow button below or on the image above. And check back for the winners in our other six categories, which will be launched throughout the week. Agree or disagree with our choices? Let us know in the forums....
Ultra Surge Protector for Hand-to-Hand Combat with Vampire Power
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 8.09
Image via TigerDirect
For the last nine years I've used a surge protector with individual switches for each electrical port. It allowed me to selectively shut power off to various peripherals, instead of having to shut off the whole strip like what you have to do with a standard surge protector power strip. It was a great way to combat vampire power on my own terms. In fact, it sounds identical to the one Mike Polo describes as his previous surge protector, which is why, as I find myself without my trusty bulky box-o-switches, I'm excited to read about the alternative he found. ...
Santa Barbara County Reverses Position, (Again) Opposes Offshore Oil Drilling
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 8.09
photo: Davide Restivo via flickr
Santa Barbara County has reversed its support for offshore oil drilling. By a 3-2 vote the County Board of Supervisors has passed a resolution opposing offshore oil exploration in the County:...
Poland Geothermal & Hot Tubs with Eddie Murphy SNL Sketch (Videos)
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04. 8.09
You CAN Take It With You: William Warren's Shelves For Life
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 8.09
For those who say "you can't take it with you" William Warren says otherwise. He is "a conceptual designer, a lateral thinker and a joker. His designs engage with people and ask them to rethink the objects around them."
He certainly demonstrates it with his "shelves for life, a project to further explore ideas of built-in sentimentality within our possessions. The aim is to make stronger emotional relationships with our belongings and encourage life-long use. "...
Mais Oui! Despite Vandalism, Paris' Vélib Bikeshare Expanding
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 04. 8.09
Wet Vélib photo via Out of Shot @ flickr. The sensational reports of vandalism and loss of bikes by the wildly successful Parisian bike share program Vélib were seen by some as an effort by sponsor JCDecaux to get more money from the city's municipal administration. And it appears they have. The advertising company refused to respond to this TreeHugger's specific questions about what JCDecaux was doing to stem the losses, but now Bike Europe reveals that Vélib will expand and soon come out with an anti-vandalism version of the sleek and iconic Vélib bike....
7 Things We'd Like to Bring Over From Europe
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 04. 8.09
Image: via Copenhagen Cycle Chic
Shopping you can walk to, an abundance of bicycle lanes, and a progressive energy policy are just a few of the benefits of living in Europe. And let's not forget the six-week vacations. Europeans typically appear on the lower end of charts analyzing the carbon footprint of developed nations, and have a higher recycling rate and lower per capita waste disposal, when compared to America. Much of this is due to infrastructure that makes it easy to be green. Don't live in the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia? You can still live like a European wherever you call home by applying these seven things we'd like to bring over to your own life....
Two Innovations Using Renewable Energy Win $100k Each from Intel
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 8.09
Mobile Solar Computer Classroom in Uganda. Photo via Intel
Intel has announced the winners of their INSPIRE•EMPOWER Challenge, which was launched in San Francisco last summer. The competition required developers to come up with innovative ways of applying technology to major world issues from poverty to the environment. Four winners have surfaced, two of which use renewable energy to reach their goals of bridging the digital divide....
3D Printing Now In the Hands of Artists
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 8.09
Torolf Sauermann
Lisa at BoingBoing Gadgets shows some amazing work by artists using 3D printing, noting that "building ultra-precise objects out of nothing is undeniably awesome." She asks, "Can you imagine if Torolf Sauermann tried to make this snail shell-esque math art using a pottery kiln?"
...
It Isn't Just Malls Dying, Our Mainstreets Are Dying Too
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 8.09
Obama Challenged on Climate During Turkey Trip
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 04. 8.09
A Greenpeace banner welcomed the U.S. president to Istanbul. Photo via Today's Zaman
U.S. President Barack Obama's visit to Ankara and Istanbul this week was hailed by most local politicians and media outlets, who saw the trip as an affirmation of Turkey's increasing importance on the world stage. But not everyone gave Obama a warm welcome: Various groups used the occasion to demonstrate against Turkey's membership in NATO, protest Washington's request that Turkey increase its commitments in Afghanistan, and call on the American president to show leadership on climate change....
"Plastic Bags are a Distraction" - Monbiot
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 04. 8.09
Reusable bags give feel-good factor without real change
George Monbiot is at it again. Not content with shooting down the great green hopes for biochar, or taking on environmentalists' affinity to alternative medicines, the always thought-provoking Mr Monbiot is now challenging that most ubiquitous of treehugging obsessions - the plastic bag. For many greenies, getting a reusable bag may be one of the first steps we take toward a lighter footprint but, argues Mr Monbiot, the current focus on this issue is not only ineffective, it may be downright counterproductive. Read on to find out why. ...
Beautiful Socially and Environmentally Aware Clothes, by 100% Cerrado
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 04. 8.09
Photos: 100% Cerrado.
Seems like Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro are not the only Brazilian cities with a passion for green. The capital of the country, Brasilia, has some gems too, including Cia do Lacre and now 100% Cerrado.
This last one is an association of artisans, seamstresses and embroiderers who work in team with designers Sandra Maria and Sonia Reis to make environmentally conscious garments that give locals good revenue.
Read more and catch some of the beautiful designs of their latest collection in the extended....
What's Behind That Wall?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 8.09
Images: Mitsumasa Fujitsuka
It is in a lovely little 800 square foot house in Tokyo by Teruo Miyahara. ...
How Can Food and Farming Transition to a Post Carbon World?
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 04. 8.09
“The American food system rests on an unstable foundation of massive fossil fuel inputs. It must be reinvented in the face of declining fuel stocks.” This is the conclusion of a report entitled The Food & Farming Transition: Toward a Post Carbon Food System, that the Post Carbon Institute (PCI) have published online.
The document begins:
During the past century world annual agricultural production has more than tripled. This unprecedented achievement in humanity’s quest for food security and abundance was largely made possible by the development of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides; new hybrid crop varieties; the application of irrigation in arid regions; and the introduction of powered farm machinery. Central to most of these strategies for intensifying farm productivity were fossil fuels ...As we know those fossil fuels are finite. They will run out. That time is soon upon us and this excellent paper poses suggestions on how we might deal with that stark reality. ...
Survey: Do You Want An Heirloom Computer?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 8.09
We had a long debate 'round the water cooler about Mark's post on heirloom computing, about whether computers could be built to last a hundred years and eliminate the waste of constantly upgrading. Heirloom computers like the Suissa shown above already exist; you just upgrade the guts. But Mark asks: "if we're so collectively technologically smart, why can't we develop a piece of (mostly) solid state equipment that lasts a century or more?" We ask, why should we?
...
20 Ways to Recycle Your Leftover Matzah
by Bonnie Alter, London on 04. 8.09
Obama Administration tells Alarmists, “Carcinogenic Tire Mulch on our Playground?” We've Got Bigger Fish to Fry!
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 04. 7.09
Photo via: Gilgongo
First lady spokeswoman, Camille Johnston, recently told press, “The mulch is going to stay,” in reference to the recent allegations by the organization Environment and Human Health, Inc., warning that the tire mulch resting underneath the White House playground equipment poses a health risk to Sasha and Malia. “This is not a material that children should be playing on,” explains Nancy Alderman, president of the group......
First Bloggers, Now the Post Go After George Will's Climate "Science"
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 04. 7.09
It all started in February when George Will penned a column in the Washington Post titled "Dark Green Doomsayers." Bloggers jumped all over Will for his cherry picking of scientific data to support his position that people are overreacting to the threat posed by climate change. Will stood tall under the onslaught, but now even his own paper is calling him out....
Beijing's Car Ban Keeps on Truckin'
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 04. 7.09
Flickr: kk+
Just as we're getting excited about China's drive towards electric vehicles, Beijing has announced it will extend the car restrictions that began ahead of the Olympics, reducing the city's fast growing private car population by a fifth every day.
Officials have said the restrictions have already kept emissions down by 375 tons daily, or 10%. And a new measure to extend a ban on high-polluting cars and trucks from the center to cover the whole city will save a similar amount, it estimated, meaning a total reduction of about 750 tons of emissions, or 20 percent. This isn't a permanent fix for Beijing's traffic woes, but it's one of the best hopes for cleaner air in the short term....
GreenDeals Daily Hosts Carnival of the Green
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 04. 7.09
This week is Carnival of the Green #174 and it's being hosted by GreenDeals Daily, a blog that gives tips about saving money and scoring deals for important aspects of life such as food & drink, clothing, entertainment, and school & work.
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! Read on to find out how to host....
Saving a Thawing Antarctica - From Tourism?
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 04. 7.09
Photo via Imaginative Traveler
Likely spurred by recent news of a major ice bridge rupturing in the Antarctic, Secretary of State Hilary Clinton said that regulations on tourism must be tightened. According to Reuters, Clinton said that measures must be taken up to protect the continent from the burgeoning Antarctic travel industry. Will reigning in tourism really help save Antarctica?...
Un-TreeHugger: Device That Entertains Baby in the Womb
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 7.09
Photo via Yanko Design
This is so un-TreeHugger it makes you want to wave both hands in front of your face and say, "Wait, wait....you seriously think that's a good idea??" Yep, it's a strap-on device meant to entertain a baby while in the womb....
America's 10 Most Endangered Rivers Of 2009
by Rebecca Wodder, American Rivers on 04. 7.09
Levee break, Sacramento-San Joaquin River in California. Image credit:American Rivers/Aquafornia blog.
From outdated flood control schemes to harmful dams and mining projects, our nation’s rivers and clean water are at risk. Today, we released America’s Most Endangered Rivers: 2009 edition, spotlighting ten rivers in need of urgent action. Learn more and take action to help the rivers at AmericanRivers.org See summary descriptions the 10 most endangered rivers presented below....
Obama's 7 Greenest Ideas So Far
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 04. 7.09
Photo via Pressmedya
Okay, sure—Obama's only been in office for a couple months now, and we're getting all congratulatory. But there's a reason for that: many of the ideas he and his administration have come out with so far are pretty damn good ones. And there have been plenty of them, too. These 7 are the best he's come up with so far. ...
Zero S Street-Legal Electric Motorcycle
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04. 7.09
Photo: Zero Motorcycles
The Vectrix is Feeling a bit Less Lonely...
Today my inbox was flooded by people telling me about the Zero S street-legal electric motorcycle. I already wrote about the Zero X electric dirtbike, and the Zero S could be considered its slightly more sophisticated and urban sibling. You can see a pretty kickass video of itin action below (make sure to hit the "HQ" button to get the high-resolution version)....
4 Gigawatt Swedish Wind Farm Receives Local Approval
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 7.09
photo: Ian Munroe via flickr
Here's a seriously gigantic renewable energy project that's moving forward, despite hard economic times: What could well turn out to be Europe's largest wind farm has won approval from regional authorities in Norrbotten, Sweden. Should the Swedish government also grant approval (which could take up to 12 months), construction on the $6.9 billion project could start in two and a half years, and be completed in ten:...
Fisker Automotive Raises $85 Million More in Venture Capital for Karma Plug-In Hybrid
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04. 7.09
Click on the photo above to see our Fisker Karma slideshow. Photo: Fisker
This Car has Good Karma
Fisker Automotive is getting closer to launching the Karma plug-in hybrid, a car with a powertrain that works on a principle similar to the GM Volt: It's 100% electric for the first 50 miles, and after that a gasoline engine kicks in to recharge the battery (but the gas engine never directly powers the wheels). But to get to full production, it needs money, which is why it raised an extra $85 million in venture capital from New York-based Eco-Drive (Capital) Partners LLC, a European-American investment consortium, and Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers, an early investor in Fisker....
Stair of the Week: Courtyard House in Toronto
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 7.09
Dwell magazine covers a terrific renovation in Toronto, where Christine Ho Ping Kong and Peter Tan didn't miss an inch of possible storage space, including this stair....
New York Lawyers Lawyer Up For the Climate
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 04. 7.09
Photo via NY Public Library
It's not just the hippies anymore. No less than the New York State Bar Association is calling for immediate action on climate change. In a new report, they call on NY Governor David Paterson to adopt their action steps either though Executive Order, administrative action or legislation. And the best part? The Bar says action will have "little or no fiscal impact on state or local government budgets." Music to a politician's ears....
NASA Releases Simulation of Arctic Sea Ice Changes
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 7.09
We mentioned earlier today that NASA has new data showing the Arctic sea ice is thinner as well as there is simply less of it. Posted today on YouTube is a simulation from NASA on Arctic sea ice changes. The 2009 Arctic sea ice maximum extent (the amount of sea ice covering the Arctic at the end of each winter) has just been reached - and there isn't a whole heck of a lot of it. Click through to see how this year rates with previous years. ...
Designer Shocker: He Won't Sell Design, Says It's Too Expensive
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 7.09
Often when we show designer stuff, we get the question "why is it so expensive?" We have tried to address the problem of local limited run manufacture and other factors, but the answer is never satisfactory. Over at Ponoko, we were shocked to find a designer, Roy Sablosky, who actually displays his handiwork, but writes:
I have not posted this bowl for sale because it's too expensive. It costs about $100 to make just one, mostly because of how long it takes the laser to cut 20 rings and 80 holes. It's also very fragile....
Best of Green: Cars & Transportation (Slideshow)
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04. 7.09
Click on the image above to see the Best of Green in Cars & Transportation
Update: Vote now for Best of Show!
Now that the initial voting period has ended, it's time to vote for the 'Best in Show' -- check out the category winners in the Best in Show slideshow, and then click over to Planet Green to View & Vote for your favorites. Voting ends at midnight on April 30, 2009. The Best of Green in Cars and Transportation Transportation plays a huge role in our lives and also has a huge impact on Nature. Finding greener ways to move people and things around has a high priority if we want to keep the only planet that we have a nice place for us and all other forms of life. In this Best of Green, we look at a variety of ways that transportation is becoming greener, and we hope that these highlights can get the ball rolling and lead to even better things. To view our picks, click on the slideshow button below or on the image above. And check back for the winners in our other six categories, which will be launched throughout the week. Agree or disagree with our choices? Let us know in the forums. ...
Political Will, Not Technology, To Blame For Not Combatting Climate Change
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 7.09
photo: Tim via flickr
Scientists speaking at panels on climate change are generally rather circumscribed in their statements, speaking to the science itself and not their reaction to it. As a glimpse behind that veil, Reuters is running a piece which compiles the personal views of scientists on where we stand on combatting global warming:...
The Rarest Shark in the Seas Caught...Then Eaten
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 7.09
Photo via Who-Sucks.com
The 41st megamouth shark ever documented - one of the rarest fish in the world - was caught the Philippines on March 30th, where it was promptly butchered and eaten. ...
VIDEO of Secret GM-Segway Project PUMA
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 04. 7.09
Image: EMILE WAMSTEKER/General Motors via Jalopnik
April broke the news this morning that the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility (PUMA) vehicle is ready for the road -- raising the question of whether anyone wants to fight traffic in the gyro-stabilized, two-wheeled, two-seater people moving pod. To better visualize how the PUMA fits into the existing traffic infrastructure, check out the video below from GM showing how PUMA moves along bike paths and city streets, with speeds up to 35 mph, and pirouettes around its own axis. You can clearly see the mechanism for stopping and starting at about 1 minute into the video, relying on a hidden set of wheels and a gentle rocking motion by the driver....
EPA Plan For Animal-Friendly Chemical Toxicity Testing - At Taxpayer Expense?
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04. 7.09
PETA photo of a rabbit said to be undergoing a Draize test. Image credit:Wikipedia
Environmental Leader has a well written report explaining how EPA is Changing the Way it Tests Chemical Toxicity "Using recent advances in molecular biology, genomics, and computational sciences, the new toxicity testing methods will allow the EPA to screen thousands of environmental chemicals quickly for potentially harmful effects." If the plan is successful, more of chemical hazard screening will be done with computer models instead of in biological laboratories.
...
Cardboard Empire State Building: From NYC Icon to American Idol of Energy Efficiency (Video, Photos)
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04. 7.09
Using Earthshine to Find Planets Similar to Ours
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 7.09
Photo via Les Chatfeild
By studying how our land and waters reflect light onto the dark side of the moon, scientists think they'll be able to find planets with similar compositions to ours based on the reflections bouncing off of them....
Get Some Green Arm Candy With BagTrends in NYC
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04. 7.09
Photo credit: BagTrends
BagTrends' popular Arm Candy Party has turned a bright shade of chartreuse. The first BagTrends Green Arm Candy Party, which will take place in the Big Apple on April 13, will bring you a stellar—and sustainable—cast of bag and jewelry designers, including TreeHugger faves like TEICH (formerly aGaiN NYC), Canopy Verde, and Ashley Watson.
The hot-to-trot shindig also features the New York debut of EcoStiletto.com, the online HQ of TreeHugger writer and eco-chic guru Rachel Lincoln Sarnoff. Oh and did we mention the free drinks? And the complimentary spa center? Meow.
...
Everglades Restoration Plan Gets Chopped by Nearly Two-Thirds Due to Recession
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 7.09
photo: Sarah and Jason via flickr
It was great news nine months back, when it was announced that Florida would be buying a large swatch of the Everglades from United States Sugar Corp. for the purpose of restoring it to a more natural state. Well, the recession is taking its toll here as well; Florida governor Charlie Crist is scaling back the Everglades restoration plan:...
New Tulou Hula-hoop Buildings Built in China
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 7.09
We previously showed the Fujian Tulou, nicknamed "hula-hoop buildings" that "followed the Chinese dwelling tradition of "closed outside, open inside" concept: an enclosure wall with living quarters around the peripheral and a common courtyard at the center."
Now Urbanus Architects bring them back in modern form....
Film Review - Blue Gold: World Water Wars
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 7.09
The water crisis. Unfortunately, talking about the water crisis isn't just muttering about a gloom and doom prediction of what could happen if we don't straighten up and fly right. It is happening, and it is nearly upon us. If you need evidence, there is plenty of it in a new documentary highlighting the science, politics, and future of water on planet Earth entitled "Blue Gold: World Water Wars."...
Heirloom Computing - The 100-Year PC
by Mark Ontkush, Boston, Massachusetts, USA on 04. 7.09
Image from Snopes
Yoni Levison over at EcoGeek lobbed one of those sobering environmental questions to Tod Arbogast, Dell’s Director of Sustainable Business, the other day - when is the computer that lasts decades going to be developed? It's a good question; if we're so collectively technologically smart, why can't we develop a piece of (mostly) solid state equipment that lasts a century or more? In itself, it's interesting to imagine what such a device would look like - like the pic, will it have a wheel to steer it by? Yoni's placid probing, and Tod's response follows....
3,000 US Coal Power Plants Could be Replaced by Offshore Wind Power: Sec. of Interior
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 7.09
photo: pastalane via flickr
It's been nearly three years since TreeHugger covered a report asserting that offshore wind power could meet all the United States' electric needs, so when Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar talks up wind's great potential, my reaction is more along the lines of "finally!" more than anything else. The interesting thing is how Salazar is framing that 1 million megawatts of wind power potential—in terms of how many coal plants we could replace:...
Best of Green: Design + Architecture (Slideshow)
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 7.09
Update: Vote now for Best of Show!
Now that the initial voting period has ended, it's time to vote for the 'Best in Show' -- check out the category winners in the Best in Show slideshow, and then click over to Planet Green to View & Vote for your favorites. Voting ends at midnight on April 30, 2009. The Best of Green in Design and Architecture What is green design? There are so many answers to that question that it makes it tough to pick the best. Is it green enough? Is it good enough? Where is the balance? Do we go safe or edgy? Old favourites or young up-and-comers? What kind of geographic diversity? We give it our best shot and if you don't agree, tell us in the forums....
Arctic Sea Ice Not Only Covers Less Area, It's Thinner Too: New Data Shows
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 7.09
image: National Snow and Ice Data Center, courtesy J. Maslanik and C. Fowler, Univ. Colorado
There's some new satellite data in from NASA and the National Snow and Ice Data Center and it further illustrates the degree to which Arctic sea ice has shrunk over the past decade, as well as showing how much the ice that remains is thinning:...
TH!NK Electric Cars Considering US Market - You Can Help
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 04. 7.09
Image credit: OregonLive
TH!NK to Open Electric Car Factory Oregon?
62 mph. 112 mile range. A price tag of $15,000 - $17,000. Who wouldn't want one? Every time TreeHugger writes about more affordable electric cars like the Norwegian-made TH!NK City, it's almost inevitable that we'll get comments from folks asking when these vehicles will be sold in the US. Well it looks like that day may be getting closer, with C.E.O Richard Canny making an appearance with Oregon Governor Ted Kulongoski in Portland today to test drive one of these popular highway ready electric cars. It seems that TH!NK are seriously considering Oregon, along with seven other states, for a factory that would ultimately make 60,000 compact cars a year. Click below the fold to learn more about this exciting new development - and to find out what you can do to help make it happen. ...
Second Season of Favorite Planet Green Shows Starting for Earth Day
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 7.09
Starting up right on time for Earth Day is Planet Green's fan-favorite shows, including Emeril Green, Focus Earth with Bob Woodruff, Greensburg, Renovation Nation, and Wa$ted. Read on for when you can start getting your green TV fix. ...
Greenpeace Anti-Nuke "Anti-radiation Pill" Campaign Backfires
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 7.09
There are many in the environmental movement who think that nuclear power has a role to play in reducing greenhouse gas emissions; Greenpeace in Canada is not among them. They are doing their best to convince residents of Toronto that it is not safe to be in "the zone", the thirty kilometre radius around the Pickering nuclear plant.
But their recent campaign has backfired badly; they were dropping leaflets with "anti-radiation" iodine pills and citizens have been calling the police.
...
ReplyforAll's Cause-Related Signature Line for Easy Fundraising
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 7.09
ReplyforAll.com is an add-on to your email signature line that lets you link up with a particular cause close to your heart and not only spread the word, but also get funding donated to that cause so that every email you send makes a tiny difference. ...
Has Green Journalism Jumped the Shark?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 7.09
Vanity Fair has spiked its annual green issue, and the numbers show a serious decline in newspaper coverage of environmental issues – including climate change, global warming, green consumerism and sustainability – fell by 27 per cent in 2008. In the first quarter, there were 3,866 articles published on green issues, compared with 2,811 in the final quarter.
...
Pull-tab Handbags that Actually Look Good, by Cia do Lacre
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 04. 7.09
Photos: Cia do Lacre.
Crafting with aluminum pull tabs from cans has been around for a while: we've seen bags, clothing and even a chair made with them. But even if there are some exceptions -that chair really does look great-, many of the products made with these metal tabs look a little rough.
I thought these large handbags from Brazilian organization Cia do Lacre are an exception: they actually resemble regular bags and even look cool, especially the first one on the left.
Find out more models, including a nice colored one, in the extended....
Ikea's Social Initiative Debuts New Wall Hangings
by Bonnie Alter, London on 04. 7.09
Image from Hella Jongerius
In response to concerns about child labour and working conditions, Ikea set up its Ikea Social Initiative with UNICEF almost ten years ago. Its focus was development, health and education in the eastern area of India, with a particular emphasis on getting village women to work.
Initially they sent designers to work with some of the women involved in the project and they developed products such as cushion covers and vases. Now they have a new product--wall hangings--designed by Dutch design Hella Jongerius and produced by 200 Indian women.
...
Segway PUMA: Would You Enter Traffic With This Two-Wheeler?
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 04. 7.09
Photo of the Segway GM PUMA via Reuters.
The Segway Personal Transporter two-wheeler never quite caught on as its creators may have hoped (although Chicago cops, for example, do look impressive when tooling down the street), and now ailing auto manufacturer GM has teamed with the Segway group to work on another prototype concept vehicle..the Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility project, or PUMA for short. As reported in the Wall Street Journal, the PUMA's "car-like traits" - an enclosed compartment and the ability to travel up to 35 miles per hour - will help make the vehicle, due in 2012, more popular, GM believes. ...
EcoBizNYC Sustainable Business Workshops Begin Tonight!
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04. 7.09
The Lower East Side Ecology Center provides NYC with a composting program and their e-waste recycling events held throughout the year (calendar of upcoming 2009 events here). Now they're presenting a new program called EcoBizNYC the mission of which is to help small businesses, students, and the general public to actively reduce air pollution, carbon emissions, and airborne environmental health hazards in NYC through environmental auditing, education, and action. The first workshop happens tonight, Tuesday, April 7. Amongst the many benefits on the table, free NYSERDA-certified energy audits. Nice....
Dutch Have Safest Cycling Streets
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 04. 7.09
The Dutch and the Danish pass back and forth the crown for best cycling country. Now new research (from the Dutch) shows Holland to have the safest cycling roads (graph after the jump). Here's how Tineke Huizinga, State Secretary of Transport, views the bike:
"The bicycle oils the wheels of the municipal traffic system. Cycling means arriving at work, school or the gym in a more alert frame of mind, feeling creative and positive."
That may seem like a subjective statement, but the Dutch have found cyclists do have fewer sick days. And, amazingly, cycling safety is NOT give the highest priority in Dutch planning.
...
Palm Sunday & Global Demand for Xaté Threatens Belize’s forests
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04. 7.09
This past Palm Sunday, Fauna and Flora International highlighted the overexploitation of palms in Central America in an attempt to raise awareness of the impact that global demand for palm leaves is having on some of the world’s most pristine rainforests. We're no strangers to the intersection of religion and the environment, and we even told you about September 1: Eastern Orthodox Earth Day and The Green Patriarch. BTW, for Eastern Orthodox, Palm Sunday has yet to occur so we have yet another opportunity to reflect, or even pray if you will, on the seriousness of yet another threat to biodiveristy....
Daylighting: Changing the Environmental Impact of Buildings One Window at a Time
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04. 6.09
Photo credit: Getty Images
No disrespect to Thomas Edison—the invention of the light bulb was nothing short of revolutionary—but a decade-long trend in building-science research indicates that people are simply more comfortable, productive, and more important, happier in buildings that use the sun's rays as the primary source of lighting.
While tapping into natural sunlight isn't a fresh idea, recent advances in lighting research and technology have allowed "daylighting" to come into its own....
Reclaimed Sterling Silver Jewelry by Julia Failey
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04. 6.09
Photo credit: Julia Failey
Julia Failey believes in responsible consumption, a conviction that spills into the jewelry designer's work. Handcrafted from reclaimed, deoxidized sterling silver in her Chicago studio, Failey's organically inspired earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and rings reflect her love of nature.
She notes on her Web site:
My jewelry intends to remind us of the subtle beauty that surrounds us and raise awareness of our connections to our environment. I challenge myself to find unique and intriguing ways to reflect intricate details and movements in nature that may otherwise be overlooked....
"I'm Tired Of" Bracelets Give Fatigue Just Cause
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04. 6.09
Photo credit: I'm Tired Of
Tired of global warming? What about the economy? Breast cancer? Animal abuse? Declare your favorite movement to the world by dressing your wrist with one of I'm Tired Of's bracelets, which feature several chest-thump-worthy causes, from Alzheimer's to world hunger.
Made in the United States from recycled tires (geddit?) and embossed recycled-metal beads, the bracelets were conceived by a brother-and-sister duo who were inspired by the success of Lance Armstrong's "Live Strong" silicone bracelets as a mode of fundraising....
Now Leaving the Holocene, Thanks for Visiting
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 6.09
Photo via rpongsaj
The Anthropocene is the name of a proposed geological era coming upon us, and the idea is that we're being ushered from the Holocene (the period that started about 12,000 years ago) into an age where humans dominate the planet's functions. Alex Steffen from WorldChanging analyzes this idea and says we need to not be focused on entering this new age, but preserving the one we're in. ...
Dead Malls: Tragedy or Opportunity?
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 04. 6.09
Photo: Eastland Mall, Tulsa, OK (Tom Baddley of Lost Tulsa via Deadmalls.com)Is the era of the enclosed shopping mall over? With changing consumer habits (such as increased online shopping) and the advent of “big-box” specialty stores and discounters like Home Depot, Target and Wal-mart, the deepening recession is merely delivering the coup de grâce for hundreds of shopping malls across the U.S. For some, the end is coming none too soon. As icons of excessive consumption and shortsighted urban planning, malls represent everything that has gone wrong with our car-based consumer culture. For others (especially in smaller towns), malls represent one of the last few sanctioned public spaces in our society where communities can gather. So what happens (or could happen) when a shopping mall dies?...
Rex Murphy Thinks Enviros are Jumping For Joy at the Recession
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 6.09
Canadian broadcaster and columnist Rex Murphy thinks Al Gore, David Suzuki and most environmentalists are secretly gleeful over the economic crisis because it reduces output and pollution. He writes in the Globe and Mail:
"Curiously, however, we hear very little from them of this "upside" to the current crisis. Maybe because it's "an inconvenient truth," and the telling of it would make explicit what has always been the real equation of the global warming scare. Which is, that if people believe the planet is on the path to apocalyptic ruin because of the world's dependence on petroleum - and that, without exaggeration, is the message of the global warming advocates - then the world's economies must radically shrink. We must do and have less of everything. We must make less, travel less, buy less - and endure the deeper hardship of more people out of work."...
Wheel of Fortune Went Green(ish)
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 04. 6.09
Take a spin and buy a vowel on Wheel's "green week" Photo via: Flickr/pds319
“Get eco-friendly with Wheel!” That was the call to action from the producers of Wheel of Fortune about last week’s theme. The set featured big green letters that spelled: Going Green. Vanna’s blog offered eco-friendly tips like: take shorter showers and the show gave the lucky contestant a new Honda Civic Hybrid. But Pat Sajak must have been gritting his teeth all five days.
...
Obama: US Ready to Lead Fight Against Climate Change
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 04. 6.09
Photo via Neurope
Obama told the European Union that the US is now ready to take a leading role in tackling climate change. According to Reuters, Obama pledged US support in drafting a global pact to replace the Kyoto protocol when world leaders meet to participate in climate talks in Copenhagen this December. ...
Houston Gets Greener with Itsy-Bitsy, Energy Efficient Homes
by Naturally Savvy on 04. 6.09
KB Home's 881-square-foot eco-home. Image credit: KB Home.
Thinking about making a move into a home, but really, really want a green space? We stumbled across the perfect (little) eco-home.
Now, we're not going to lie—these homes are small . . . really small. (Check out the floor plan after the jump!)...
GM Says Volt Will Stick Around Even if it Loses Money
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04. 6.09
Chevy Volt Plug-in Hybrid. Photo: GM
GM Can't Afford Not to Have the Volt to Lose Money On...
Rick Wagoner's replacement as GM CEO, Fritz Henderson, might have recently said that all of GM's car models will need to "pay the rent" (unlike the previous business model, which was to make huge margins on ginormous SUVs and trucks, and to build unprofitable small cars as an afterthought), but there was some fine print on that claim. This new rule won't apply to the GM Volt plug-in hybrid car, and that's probably a good thing....
Latest Cap and Trade Announced - By European Airlines?
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 04. 6.09
Photo via Flight History
British Airways and Air France joined a group of other airlines and the largest airport operator in Europe to propose . . . a cap and trade system that would limit their own emissions? Indeed. According to Bloomberg, this coalition, called the Aviation Global Deal Group, is calling for a worldwide emissions limit to be set so they can help fight global warming. So what's going on here?...
Carbon Capture And Storage Will Happen - Here's Why We Should Support It
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04. 6.09
CO2 Capture Cost of Electricity (COE) Impact
Image credit:Existing Plants Emissions and Capture R&D Program ...National Energy Technology Laboratory, "Program Goal and Baseline Plant," March 2009.slideshow. (pdf file)
Some carbon capture and storage (CCS) is going to happen. It's inevitable. I suggest that it would be smart strategy for environmental activists to support taking the earth's virginity with a commercial-scale carbon storage experiment; so that, as fast as possible, CCS will be shown for what it is: a technology with very poor economics and limited applicability for baseline power generation. ...
Criminal Investigation into the Death of Last Known Jaguar in U.S.
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04. 6.09
Photo: Wikipedia, CC
R.I.P. Macho B
Sad. Very sad. The last known jaguar in the U.S. is no more. There might even be trial. Jaguars are a protected species under the Endangered Species Act, and there is suspicion that a biologist working for the state illegally baited a trap to catch Macho B (that was the jaguar's name). "Arizona fish and game officials have repeatedly maintained that the snare that first caught the jaguar had been intended for a mountain lion or a black bear," but there seems to be evidence to the contrary. Was this done on purpose? More details below....
Using Bacteria to Convert Clean Energy to Methane for Storage
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 6.09
Photo via functoruser
One of the biggest issues surrounding renewable energy research besides efficiency is storage. However, microorganisms that can eat electricity and produce methane could become a significant, and supposedly clean, storage solution. ...
Poor Countries Ask for Aviation Tax to Help with Climate Adaptation
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 04. 6.09
Photo via American Airlines
Poor countries are asking for a tax on all airline tickets as a means to funding their adaptation to climate change. The airlines have their own proposal, and both will be presented today as the international community comes together in Bonn, Germany at the latest round of climate negotiations....
6 New Hybrid Cars
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04. 6.09
Overview of Recently Launched Hybrid Cars
Hybrid cars might not be selling very well right now, but it doesn't mean that new models (either brand new or redesigned versions of already-existing hybrids) aren't coming out. Today we check out some of those newer hybrids to see what they have to offer people who need a car (if you're going to buy a car anyway, a fuel efficient hybrid can help you reduce your carbon footprint and lower smog-forming emissions, but if you don't need a car, there are greener forms of transportation...)....
Quote of the Day: Richard Moe on "This Old Wasteful House"
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 6.09
Richard Moe at Greenbuild
Richard Moe is the president of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. He is concerned that many of our old buildings will be sacrificed on the altar of energy conservation. He writes an op-ed in the New York Times:
Before demolishing an old building to make way for a new one, consider the amount of energy required to manufacture, transport and assemble the pieces of that building. With the destruction of the building, all that energy is utterly wasted. Then think about the additional energy required for the demolition itself, not to mention for new construction. Preserving a building is the ultimate act of recycling....
Concept: CO2 Scrubber Wrist Watch
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04. 6.09
With discussion of using big-ass artificial trees to scrub-a-dub-dub CO2 from the atmosphere, here comes a little item for each of us to use: eCO2 is an athletic wrist watch, powered by kinetic energy, aiming to reduce individual carbon footprints by using CO2 scrubber technology. We know we need to bring down the level of atmospheric CO2 down to the acceptable level of 350 ppm to sustain life as we know it, but does this concept promise to be a key to individuals becoming responsible citizens of this planet or is it a hair-brained, resource-extraction and life-cycle intensive gizmo ultimately with a net-positive carbon wristprint?...
CO2 Dry-cleaning v. Organic: War of Green Words (Video)
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 04. 6.09
Vanity Fair Spikes the Green Issue
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 6.09
Vanity Fair Green Issue 2008
Some have always questioned the point of big glossy magazines doing celebrity-filled so-called green themed issues. Others thought that the more exposure that environmental issues got, the better. We certainly were excited in 2006 with Vanity Fair's first green issue, complete with our Graham Hill gracing the centerfold. We all pretty much agreed that it nuked the fridge last year with Madonna gracing the cover. Now we learn that Graydon Carter has spiked the green themed issue of Vanity Fair for this year.
But what does this bode for green journalism in general?
...
Best of Green: Culture & Celebrity (Slideshow)
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 04. 6.09
Update: Vote now for Best of Show!
Now that the initial voting period has ended, it's time to vote for the 'Best in Show' -- check out the category winners in the Best in Show slideshow, and then click over to Planet Green to View & Vote for your favorites. Voting ends at midnight on April 30, 2009. Best of Green: Culture & Celebrity It seems just about every day we hear about a new green initiative bursting out of Hollywood: The celebrities are at it full-force. Then, on the cultural front, powerful green initiatives are slowly sneaking their way into our daily lives. To acknowledge this, we've singled out over 20 honorees earth-crazy enough to earn a Best of Green award in the category of Celebrity & Culture. Don't agree with our picks? Vent in the Forums. And check back for the winners in our other six categories, which will launch throughout the week. Who is the greenest celebrity of them all? What is the best environmental film, tv ad, cultural movement, magazine, social media site, and twitter feed? These and more are addressed in our:Best of Green: Culture & Celebrity Slideshow
...
Best of Green: Science & Technology (Slideshow)
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 04. 6.09
Click on the image above to see the Best of Green in Science & Technology
Update: Vote now for Best of Show!
Now that the initial voting period has ended, it's time to vote for the 'Best in Show' -- check out the category winners in the Best in Show slideshow, and then click over to Planet Green to View & Vote for your favorites. Voting ends at midnight on April 30, 2009. The Best of Green in Science and Technology Narrowing down the most important topics in science and technology is no easy task considering that it is our sciences and technological breakthroughs that are leading us both into and out of global climate change. Add to that the task of choosing the best for that category! We've considered long and hard, and have gathered together some of the best objects, concepts, people and resources that we want people to know about and consider - the movers and shakers in green science technology today. To view our picks, click on the slideshow button below or on the image above. And check back for the winners in our other six categories, which will be launched throughout the week. Agree or disagree with our choices? Let us know in the forums. ...
Open House: Small Trailer Fans Out To Make Big Spaces
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 6.09
So many great ideas for small space design come out of trailers and boats. Here is another: a trailer that folds out like a fan, a series of flatpack elements that turn a tiny trailer into a multiroom dwelling, where the walls can move according to the requirements of the moment.
...
Empire State Building Goes Green: Major Energy Efficiency Improvement Retrofit Announced
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 6.09
The Empire State Building will soon be a lot more energy efficient: A series of green renovations were announced for the iconic New York City skyscraper that reduce its energy usage by 40%.
Work has already begun on the $20 million retrofit, which is being done as a joint project involving the Clinton Climate Initiative, Rocky Mountain Institute, Johnson Controls, and Jones Lang LaSalle, and is part of a greater $500 million in planned renovations. Building systems work is expected to be completed in 2010, with work in tenant spaces finished be the end of 2013. At least half of the energy savings should be realized by work completed within the first 18 months of the project.
In addition to the carbon emissions reductions resulting from the energy efficiency improvements, the building's annual energy bill savings will be in the region of $4.4 million. The following energy efficiency efforts will be undertaken:...
Quote of the Day: Cameron Sinclair on Ten Years of Architecture for Humanity
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 6.09
Cameron Sinclair and Kate Stohr in Wired
Ten years ago today a twenty-four year old Cameron Sinclair and Kate Stohr founded Architecture for Humanity, to seek "architectural solutions to humanitarian crisis and bring design services to communities in need." Cameron writes:
It is now a truly global organization. Our network includes 40,000 professionals and 70 chapters in 28 countries. Collectively more than 700,000 people are living, teaching, healing and gathering in buildings designed by Architecture for Humanity design fellows, chapter members and volunteers....
World Wildlife Fund Looks at Telecommuting as Carbon Emissions Solution
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 6.09
Photo via SplitHorizon
Allowing employees to telecommute goes a long way in helping a business green up. So too does virtual conferencing instead of flying all over the place for business meetings. But just how much does it help? The World Wildlife Fund has released a couple studies that take a look at what impact virtual conferencing and telecommuting have on reducing the carbon emissions of doing business. ...
Recession Not Slowing Aviation Biofuel Plans at Boeing & Airbus
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 6.09
photo: Sven via flickr
The recession may be slowing down some renewable energy projects, but Boeing and Airbus have indicated that they will be continuing to push forward on developing planes that can run on biofuels, and working with biofuel producers develop these fuels, Business Week reports:...
As World Warms There Will Still Be Cooler Periods...If You Choose the Right Years to Highlight: New Study
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 6.09
Business-as-usual climate change temperature increase graph: AGU
We've all seen it, and at times perhaps have been guilty of it ourselves: Using a short term trend or series of events as examples of why global warming is or is not taking place. From the climate change denial position, this often takes the form of using a relatively short period of cooling or steady temperatures to back up claims that global warming is a hoax. Well, a new paper to be published in Geophysical Research Letters shows how these variations are perfectly normal and consistent with the greater trend of a warming planet. Dot Earth sums it up:...
Best of Green: Travel + Nature (Slideshow)
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 04. 6.09
Update: Vote now for Best of Show!
Now that the initial voting period has ended, it's time to vote for the 'Best in Show' -- check out the category winners in the Best in Show slideshow, and then click over to Planet Green to View & Vote for your favorites. Voting ends at midnight on April 30, 2009. There's a lot of mega-change happening in the world of travel and nature: Planes are running on biofuels, celebrities are dreaming of fantasy island escapes, hotel chains are going über green, and endangered species are, well, getting more endangered. To acknowledge this, we've singled out nearly 20 honorees green-wild enough to earn a Best of Green Award in the category of Travel + Nature. Don't agree with our picks? Vent in the Forums. And check back for the winners in our other six categories, which will be launched throughout the week. From the best-looking endangered species (and this little guy is darn cute!), to the best yoga retreat, to the--dare we say it--best airline, these and more are addressed in our:Best of Green: Travel and Nature Slideshow
Go to the Best of Green main page
...Introducing TreeHugger's First Annual Best of Green Awards
by Meaghan O'Neill, Newport, R.I. on 04. 6.09
After four-plus years of exploring, critiquing, and lauding the modern world of green, we at TreeHugger thought it was high time we gave props to the people, organizations, products and ideas that give us something to write about everyday, and Earth Month seemed the appropriate time to do it. So we put our heads together and nominated, debated, and, finally, selected what we believe to be the best-of-the-best when it comes to today's environmentalism. And so we present our First Annual Best of Green "It's About Time" Awards.
Please click through to learn more about how we made our selections, and how you can participate, too.
...
Brewers Plate: Making Local Food Taste Great in April is No Small Feat
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 6.09
Jamie Kennedy dishing it out at last year's Brewers Plate
It started in Philadelphia four years ago as a way to "highlight the city's unique flavor and culinary culture." It came to Toronto to answer the question:
What does a local sustainable feast look like in April in southern Ontario? Artisanal cheeses, breads, local fish, sausages, roasts and stews of wild game and root vegetables, local greenhouse produce, pickles and preserves of every description, fruit pies -- the work of many chefs -- and of course, libations from our fine Ontario craft brewers....
San Diego Homeowners, Unite for Cheaper Solar Power: One Block Off the Grid Expands Program
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 6.09
If you live in San Diego and find the prospect of banding together with your neighbors to get better rates on installing your own solar panels interesting, then this one is for you: 1BOG (that's One Block Off the Grid ...) has announced that they will be beginning their first group purchasing campaign there. The even better news, the more people participate, the better the discount that can be negotiated:...
Good Architects Selling Good Plans is a Good Thing
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 6.09
Nick Noyes, Flexahouse, photo by Cesar Rubio
After the New York Times wrote about the renewed interest in stock plans, Archinect called it a War on Architects. Michael Cannell picked up the story at Fast Company and asked "Do we need architects? I think they both got it wrong, we need architects more than ever, and this isn't war on architects, it is a great opportunity. It isn't a new idea, either....
Antarctic Ice Bridge Ruptures: Ice Shelf the Size of Jamaica Floats Free
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 04. 6.09
In March of last year, portions of the Wilkins Ice Shelf, now no longer connected to land, showed signs of accelerating disintegration. Image: National Snow and Ice Data Center
As another indication that Antarctica is warming quickly (3°C in the past 50 years), an ice bridge linking the Wilkins Ice Shelf to two islands has broken, removing the last barrier connecting the floating ice shelf to land:...
NEC Creates Online Game to Make Monitoring Power Consumption Fun
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 6.09
Image via Pink Tentacle
For some of us, monitoring our power consumption is already a lot of fun, simply because it's a personal challenge. But for most people, it's a chore worse than balancing the check book. That's precisely the reason so many start-ups are working diligently to come up with ways to make monitoring energy use simple, easy, and interesting. NEC, a company always looking for a greener way, has worked with BIGLOBE to come up with an online game that helps spice up tracking your consumption. ...
Recycled Bottle Greenhouse: Build Your Own
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 04. 6.09
Inexpensive Greenhouses from Waste Materials
We've seen bottles recycled into buildings before, but it seems only logical that their ideal reuse would be in greenhouses. Scottish sustainable development charity REAP is designing and building inexpensive greenhouses from used soda bottles. As they told The Guardian, recycled bottle greenhouses are the perfect project for schools, where helping hands are not in short supply and, perhaps sadly, plastic soda bottles seem to be profligate too. ...
Twestival a Success, Now See the charity:water Well Drilled
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 6.09
Back in February we were excited to talk about a twestival for charity:water, which helped raise funds to get clean drinking water to villages in developing countries. The event was a success, and now you'll want to mark your calendars for April 11-14 when you'll be able to see what the fundraising is accomplishing. ...
Google PowerMeter Working on Smart Meter Mimicking Tool (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 04. 6.09
Google has been working away on its PowerMeter project, which everyone in the field of green energy technology is watching carefully. In an interview with Earth2Tech, PowerMeter team member Tom Sly said they are working with device manufacturers to come up with a tool that mimics a smart meter. ...
Leading Architects to Battle it Out at The Barbican Debate
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 04. 6.09
This Thursday 9th April the Barbican Centre in London will host a heavyweight architectural showdown. The Barbican Debate, inspired by the Barbican's current Le Corbusier exhibition, will see celebrated architects debating the question: 'Can good design change the world?’ At the risk of sounding reductive, clearly the simple answer is yes it can. I'm not sure there's much to debate in this question, but nevertheless it should be an interesting meeting of minds and a chance to hear how seriously architects take their design responsibilities. We know Architecture For Humanity founder Cameron Sinclair for one will be very vocal on this topic, but who is he going to face on the debating stage? Click through to find out......
Would You Cash In Your Clunker?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 04. 6.09
Bills are flying around Washington proposing Cash for Clunkers-cleaning up the environment and stimulating the auto industry buy taking dirty cars off the road. Would you be eligible?
...
Should I Cash In On My Clunker?
by Pablo Paster, San Francisco on 04. 6.09
Photo by austrini via flicker Creative Commons.
Dear Pablo: My old car still has a few years left on it, but I'm wondering, would it would be better to get a new, greener vehicle?I have gotten many questions like this and recent political developments have made this topic very relevant. The short answer is that a newer, more efficient car can reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions, even when you take into account the emissions from manufacturing the new car. Of course there are exceptions and additional considerations. Let's have a look at some numbers and the current political efforts that make this article so timely....
Bauhaus School Recycled as Hotel
by Bonnie Alter, London on 04. 6.09
Image from Bauhaus Dessau
It's an architect's dream come true: the chance to stay in a former Bauhaus school, designed by Walter Gropius himself. The building was built in 1926 as a "built manifesto" of the Bauhaus style.
Located in Dessau (formerly East) Germany, the town was a hotbed of designers, with Wassily Kandinsky and Paul Klee living near by, also in Gropius designed houses. The school was closed down by the Nazis in 1933 because it was "decadent" art. ...
Can a Handful of Clay and a Deodorant Rock Save a Journalist from Stink?
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 04. 5.09
Photo via: Todd R.
It's called the Strip Wash Challenge. I among a few other here on Treehugger signed up to take on this challenge which involved making it through an entire week using only natural body cleansers and the least amount of water possible. We were armed with only a pouch of Moroccan Rhassoul Clay and a alum stone deodorant rock from Natural Spa Supplies. It's the ageless battle of organic nature against the stinky journalist... who will be the last one standing!...
Boulder County Man Killed While Cleaning up Highway becomes Legendary
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 04. 5.09
Photo via: imarcc
Every now and then it is nice to step back and offer spotlight where it is truly deserved. The story of John Breaux is becoming legendary in Colorado and for good reason. This past January, Breaux was making his usual clean up rounds on his bicycle along highway 287, near South Boulder, when a driver veered off the road, hitting him. A rather tragic ending to a very kind soul, but Boulder Country, Colorado is determine not to allow this Good Samaritan's legacy to be forgotten......
Green Baby Gift Box Gets Your Shopping Done
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 04. 5.09
Photo credit: Green Baby Gift Box
Maybe it's just us, but it seems like almost everywhere we turn, someone's pregnant or having a baby. If you're hopeless in the baby-shopping department, however—and trust us, gifts will be involved at some point—Green Baby Gift Box will help you get a selection of eco-friendly baby clothes, books, and toys bagged, tagged, and sent off to a cooing infant or fecund belly of your choice.
The pre-assembled gift sets, which revolve around different themes, fit a range of budgets. The $36 "In the Swim" collection, for instance, contains a set of pool- and beach-side essentials, including an organic cotton sunhat from Kate Quinn Organics, a reusable swim diaper from Bummis, a Kathe Kruse squirting-fish toy, and a copy of Yummy Yucky by Leslie Patricelli. ...
Denis Leary on Why He Sucks Gas
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 04. 5.09
Leary leers about climate change. Photo via Flickr: by Watch With Kristin/E! Online
The author of Why We Suck and star of Rescue Me, Denis Leary, yukked it up on David Letterman’s last Friday night, alerting viewers to the upcoming season of his FX firemen-gone-wild show. After some chat about Dave's marriage and Denis's 50-year-old fitness, Dave delivered the set-up with something like, “So how about this global warming?” Leary prefaced his response with, “Don’t get me wrong, I love Al Gore.” Then came his signature-style rant.
...
Eighty Percent Energy Efficiency Improvement Possible This Century
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 04. 5.09
Image: Bayer Climate Award
Professor Eberhard Jochem Awarded First Bayer Climate Award in Berlin
Bayer has honored the Professor Eberhard Jochem of the Fraunhofer Institute for Systems and Innovation Research (ISI) for "pioneering technical and economic contributions to energy efficiency." Professor Jochem's commitment to environmental causes dates to his childhood, when he observed a cloud of pollution darkening his home while returning to the Ruhr district of Germany from a trip through the Netherlands by bicycle.
Professor Jochem believes that a "commercially profitable 80 percent boost in energy efficiency in the industrialized nations" is possible before the end of this century. By combining his theotical and practical expertise, Professor Jochem has proven that hypothesis, making him a particularly effective advocate for energy efficiency. The key contributors to this tremendous goal are described further below. ...
Japan Considers $3,000 in Green Car Subsidy
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 04. 5.09
Photo via Toyota
Rumor has it that Japan will soon introduce big subsidies for cars that require little fuel, Reuters reports. For gasoline-electric hybrids and other high-mileage vehicles, Japan may be offering as much as 300,000 yen ($2,991)....
Turkey's Butterfly Bounty Documented in New Report
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 04. 5.09
Just a few of the 400 butterfly species in Turkey. Photo via Kelebek-Türk Gözlemciler Grubu
Lepidopterists are few and far between in Turkey, with just a few dozen butterfly-watchers, compared to 10,000 in England, for example. But the objects of their attention are present in abundance. Some 400 butterfly species are found in the country, and 253 of them are featured in a colorful new report, the Kelebek-Türk 2008 Almanac. (Kelebek is Turkish for butterfly.)...
Tel Aviv Celebrates Centennial with Conference on Sustainable Urbanism
by Jesse Fox, Tel Aviv, Israel on 04. 5.09
In the early 1900's, a new city was founded in the sand dunes north of the ancient port city of Jaffa. Seeking more aesthetic and hygienic surroundings, the city's founders bought up several parcels of land and built a leafy garden suburb. Times have changed, and today that same city is the center of a metropolis which is home to almost half of the country's population.
With its rapid growth and development, Tel Aviv's transformation has at times been a bumpy road. The city's planners have not always been wise enough to preserve the things that make the city great, and some serious planning mistakes have been made over the years. This week, with an eye toward the city's development over the next 100 years, the city sponsored a conference that brought together some prominent voices in the debate over sustainable cities. ...
Conservation Groups Fight to Get Northern Rocky Mountain Wolves Back on the Endangered Species List
by Sara Novak, Columbia, SC on 04. 5.09
photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Over 100 Northern Rocky Mountain Wolves have been killed since the Bush Administration removed the wolves from the federal list of endangered species last year. The State of Idaho recently proposed killing another 120 in the Clearwater region alone and may destroy an additional 26 packs statewide. In response, the Natural Resources Defense Council and numerous other conservation groups are suing the US Fish and Wildlife Service to stop the slaughter....
After A Night On The Town: Racoon For Lunch
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 04. 5.09
Detroit News Staff Writer Charlie LeDuff, left, watches Beasley butcher a raccoon.
Image credit:Detroit News, To urban hunter, next meal is scampering by.
Detroit News has a wonderfully written article about an elderly gentleman who lives the life of a nocturnal hunter-gatherer on the derelict periphery of Detroit Michigan. The recent downsizing of Detroit from a population of 2 million to around 900,00 has opened up plenty of habitat for wildlife. With few other predatory species to compete with, a hungry man with a good hunting dog and a .22 rifle can have some good eating, and make a little cash. ...
Sick Turtle Checks Self Into Hospital
by Josh Peterson, Los Angeles, California on 04. 5.09
Photo: Corvette Diver via Flickr
A 73-pound loggerhead turtle materialized in the waters near the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida on March 29. Loggerhead turtles are not common in the harbor. When hospital personnel first spied the turtle, they assumed it had gotten lost. After further examination, the staff observed that the sea-bound reptile had large barnacles on its shell and appeared to be emaciated, both signs of poor health. Hospital workers sprang into action. Dinghies were deployed and nets were wielded. For nearly an hour, there was no sign of the turtle. ...
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.
