- 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 May 3, 2009 - May 9, 2009
Total this week: 223
This Post Burned Two Trees, Endangered Three Species, and Created One Dime-Sized Hole in the Atmosphere
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 05. 9.09
Photo via: Mike Licht of NotionsCapital.com
Okay, so this heading is far fetched by quite a stretch of imagination, but it poses a very interesting question for us green bloggers and green websites in general. If information is power and the spreading of knowledge is considered progress, at what point is too much of a good thing, well, too much?...
Florida Fountain Treats Wastewater
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 05. 9.09
A "Living Machine" wastewater treatment water feature. Photo: Worrell Water Technologies
Florida’s “fountain of youth” today may be a wastewater treatment system disguised as a cascading water feature in a building atrium. Considering Florida’s critical water shortage, suffering its third driest season on record since 1932, with less than 30 percent of normal winter rainfall, salty estuaries, and the Everglades’ marshes evaporating, it’s not surprising that the paved-over state in this subtropical climate with endless golf courses and countless housing developments is in a dilemma. Could the “Living Machine” fountain flowing in the lobby of a law firm near West Palm Beach defy Florida’s water wasting practices?...
Republicans An Endangered Species? Not For Long, Once They 'Get Back To Business' On Environment
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 05. 9.09
"Nothing is more priceless and more worthy of preservation than the rich array of animal life with which our country has been blessed." - President Nixon, upon signing the Endangered Species Act. Via: NOAA Image credit:Nixon Library Foundation
A primary election is about to be held where I live. Doors have fliers wedged against jambs; and, quite notably in this mostly-Republican county, candidates are profiling themselves with phrases like 'independent minded." Though they certainly haven't disappeared, Republicans hereabout, and nationally, seem less smiling and certainly less "thumbs up" than Nixon was when he signed the US Endangered Species Act.
In TreeHugger-speak, Republicans are unhappily parked on the "threatened' list for a bit, awaiting the right moment to be fully de-listed like the Gray Wolf....
The Taga: Part Stroller, Part Tricycle, Completely Awesome
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 05. 9.09
Photo credit: Taga
Combining baby-moving and exercise isn't a fresh idea, but the Dutch has the infant-wearing power walkers and jogging-stroller pushers of the world beat with the Taga, a feat of engineering genius that converts from child-toting tricycle to stroller in 20 seconds flat.
The Taga, which weighs in at 44 to 64 pounds, depending on the configuration, features an aluminum-alloy frame, an internal Shimano gear system, as well as front, rear, and parking brakes. Besides trike and stroller modes, the Taga will soon sport options for a double child seat, a car seat, shopping basket, and a wooden double-seat trailer....
Letter Asks NASA Workers to Not Lie
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 05. 9.09
John Holdren via Daily Telegraph
In a remarkable letter, NASA's chief scientist Paul Hertz and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Jane Lubchenco have urged scientists at their agencies to comment on the scientific integrity plan the president's science adviser John Holdren is putting together. The plan aims to prevent the sort of political interference in science that took place in the Bush years. ...
Mayor, Meet the Greens: An Environmental Rapprochement in Tel Aviv
by Jesse Fox, Tel Aviv, Israel on 05. 9.09
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, at right in blue shirt, talking to local environmentalists last week (photo by Daniel Cherrin).
In Tel Aviv, the dialog between the city establishment and local green groups has not always been constructive. In fact, huge gaps exist between City Hall and the greens on everything from road-building and bike lanes to how to prune the city's trees.
Last week, however, a first step was taken on the road to a more productive dialog when Mayor Ron Huldai and several prominent environmental organizations and residents’ groups held an introductory meeting. Though agreeing to disagree on many issues, the encounter proved enlightening for both sides, and revealed some areas of common concern. ...
Louis Vuitton Designs Office in a Box
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 9.09
Both the Alternative Consumer and Stephanie at Earthfirst think this solar powered office-in-a-box from Louis Vuitton is a monstrosity, the "antithesis of sustainability." I think it is rather neat, and expect to find affordable knock-offs on Canal Street next week.
Looking beyond the Louis Vuitton name, transformer furniture and transportable, foldable designs like this make a lot of sense, and had it come from MUJI they would be eating it up.
And compared to what Louis Vuitton made for Karl Lagerfield.......
Welsh Affordable Housing Concept Set to Be 'Overnight' Success
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 05. 9.09
A prototype of the Ty Unnos house. Photo via BBC News
The idea, whether strictly legal or not, that land can be claimed by building a dwelling on it under cover of night is apparently shared by Turkey and Wales. Known as gecekondu, or "settled overnight" in Turkish, such houses are called tŷ unnos ("house in one night") in Welsh, and the concept has inspired an affordable, and ecological housing project in the UK country....
Cool Cuisine Takes A Bite Out Of Global Warming
by Jeff Nield, Vancouver, British Columbia on 05. 9.09
It's no secret that the global food system contributes a huge amount of greenhouse gas emissions to our atmosphere. According to Laura Stec, author of Cool Cuisine: Taking The Bite Out Of Global Warming, ag contributes 14% of total global emissions. When you consider the overuse of petro-chemical inputs, meat-centric diets, and the long haul of imported foods there are some obvious opportunities to reduce the absolute emission numbers associated with our diet.
Stec and co-author, and meteorologist, Dr. Eugene Cordero have written a very readable blow-by-blow account of where our food system falls short and how we can make food choices to help mitigate global warming. In her book's preface Stec outlines her motivation for writing Cool Cuisine....
Bonnaroo Gets Even Greener
by Sara Novak, Columbia, SC on 05. 9.09
photo: Bonnaroo
For tons of adoring fans out there, Bonnaroo is the quintessential music festival. When I was in college at the University of Georgia Bonnaroo was a huge deal. As word continues to spread, more and more fans make the annual pilgrimage to beautiful Manchester, Tenn., to see their favorite bands. The festival has always been known for its waste reduction initiatives and green aspirations. This year, however, organizers are making an even bigger effort to live up to their 2008 award for "Outstanding Green Festival."...
ROB/B Salon is L.A's Only Gold LEED-Certified Salon/Spa
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 05. 8.09
Photo credit: ROB/B Salon
Green isn't just a daring shade of nail polish at ROB/B, nailcare giant OPI's first foray into "concept salons." The Studio City, Calif.-based cuticle-pampering mother ship, which dispenses dibutyl phthalate-free mani pedis alongside Murad facials and massage treatments, is Los Angeles' only Gold LEED-certified spa—and just one of four in the United States.
Recycled concrete floors set the stage for Plyboo furniture, cascading waterfalls that gush recycled water, walls coated with sustainable plaster, and a rooftop patio shade constructed from recycled paper....
Annie Lennox’s Fair Trading, Rosario Dawson’s School Gardens, and more
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 05. 8.09
Bird-Friendly Building Certification
by Neil Chambers, New York City on 05. 8.09
Photo from New York City Audubon
Buildings are a leading cause for bird-fatalities in the United States every year. Few green buildings exist where bird-safety is included. Architects and designers just don’t understand the connection between birds and the architecture. They don’t see glass. Viviana Ruiz-Gutierrez has a big idea. She wants to create the first-ever nationally recognized Bird-Friendly Building Certification. ...
HollyBeth's Natural Body Products Get Dull, Dry Skin Summer-Ready
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 05. 8.09
Photo credit: HollyBeth's Natural Luxury
If my feet were outfitted with vocal cords, you'd have heard them wailing clear across the Mason-Dixon line for some serious, dermatological SOS. Dry, cracked, and in desperate need of a pedicure, my lower extremities have not wintered well. But I hushed those puppies—and hushed them good—with a little assist from HollyBeth's Citrus Body Cream.
Deliciously tart-smelling, the frothy concoction has the consistency of clotted cream. Hydration-wise, well, talk about intense; the 97 percent organic lotion rallies the moisturizing talents of sweet almond oil and beeswax with lemon, orange, tea tree, bergamot, and litsea essential oils for an instant olfactory pick-me-up. After massaging a dollop into my heels and soles of my feet, the effect was almost immediate: Goodbye rough, chapped dogs, hello smooth, supple tootsies. ...
TheSecondLeaf.com Offers 10% Discount On Office Supplies
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 05. 8.09
Looking to make your desk area a bit greener? Enter TheSecondLeaf.com, a one-stop hub for eco-friendly office supplies and technology. Offerings include products ranging from energy efficient laptops and servers to paper and pencils consisting of pre/post-recycled consumer waste. The primary goal of TheSecondLeaf.com is to make it easier and more affordable than ever for eco-minded organizations and individuals to purchase green. Additional resources on the user-friendly website include consumer product reviews, product comparisons, and articles providing hints and tips on going green....
Solar-Powered Bench Is Eco- And Geek-Friendly
by Jerry James Stone, San Francisco, CA on 05. 8.09
Photo courtesy of: Coroflot
The Solar Inside, a collectively designed concept bench, is so much more than just a park bench.
Imagined by designers Seon-Keun Park, Byung-Min Woo, and Owen Song, the Solar Inside's made with thin-film solar which works in a variety of weather conditions. The rechargeable battery not only turns the bench into a night-light but also provides wifi access. ...
Tonic's 50 Most Beautiful People
by Neil Chambers, New York City on 05. 8.09
Photo by KennethMoyle
Tonic (a media company that makes it easy to do good) has posted 50 of the hottest people making a difference for the world. These do-gooders are blazing their trail with humor, style and grace. Lots of these hotties are of the green-persuasion…maybe even more than just green-curious! The list is filled with bartenders, designers, fashionistas and entrepreneurs giving everyone something to look at and read about. You’ll be happy to see some familiar cuties along with other fresh new faces. Regardless, get ready to get your eco-crush on! ...
Green Gift Guide: Experiential Gifts
by Blythe Copeland, Great Neck, New York on 05. 8.09
Sometimes when it comes to gift getting, the best thing to unwrap is, well, nothing at all. Treat the hard-to-shop-for people on your list to experiential presents--concerts, bike tours, cooking classes--that they'll remember long after more traditional gifts have gotten lost or worn out.
...
First Official Climate Change Refugees Evacuate Their Island Homes for Good
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 05. 8.09
Photo via the Daily Mail
The day has finally come, and a critical landmark in the saga of global climate change is occurring as we speak—and hardly anyone has noticed. The Carteret Islanders of Papua New Guinea have become the world's first entire community to be displaced by climate change. They're the first official refugees of global warming--and they're packing up their lives to move out of the way of ever-rising waters that threaten to overtake their homes and crops. The island they call home will be completely underwater by 2015. ...
Spring/Summer Fashion 2009: Stewart + Brown
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 05. 8.09
Photo credit: Stewart + Brown
Spring/Summertime follies call for layers, and the inimitable Stewart + Brown has every frolicking, rollicking base covered with extra-soft tees in bold solids and jazzy prints, ruched V-neck tanks that double as minidresses, slouchy capped-sleeve tops with built-in skirts, peekaboo open-knit blouses, and lacy fan-collared cashmere wraps.
...
Churches and Synagogues Worship Green Building
by Naturally Savvy on 05. 8.09
The Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation synagogue in Evanston, Ill., is one of ten LEED certified houses of worship in the United States. Photo by Steve Hall/Hedrich Blessing (courtesy of Ross Barney Architects).
Homes and offices are going green across the country, and an entire city is even being rebuilt green. But there's a new space embracing the eco-revolution. It seems churches, synagogues and other houses of worship are listening to their eco-friendly parishioners—and apparently their religion.
A report from the Associated Press published yesterday on msnbc.com featured the growing trend of houses of worship seeking LEED certification. So far ten U.S. congregations are LEED-certified, and another 54 have applied for approval.
So why are congregations making this move to greener spaces?...
First Environmental Film Festival Comes to Amsterdam
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 05. 8.09
Image via: Getty Images
June 5 & 6 at The Ketelhuis Cinema in Amsterdam you can get your fill of environmental flicks, interviews with directors and even a few world premieres, as the first environmental film festival comes to Amsterdam this spring. Besides getting an eco-education, your money also supports a really cool local project. Keeping reading to find out more....
Top Ten Twitterers to Follow for Cars and Transportation
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 8.09
Find out some of the best Twitterers to follow in the realm of transportation, who will keep you updated on the greenest ways of getting from here to there....
Green Gift Guide: Green Teens
by Blythe Copeland, Great Neck, New York on 05. 8.09
Teenagers are notoriously hard to shop for--but even cash gets boring eventually. Get rid of the guesswork with these no-fail ideas for the teens in your family, from environmentally-minded books designed for their lives and backpacks as green as they are chic to fashionable tees and recycled wristlets.
...
First Wolves, Now Polar Bears: Obama Issues Strike Two for Endangered Species?
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 05. 8.09
Rule #1 when doing endangered species story: use cutest photo possible. Photo via Liza's Reef
Seems there's at least one set of policies where Obama isn't parting so drastically from Bush: endangered species rulings. Today, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar is upholding the Bush rule that limits the action that can be taken to protect polar bears . Before that, Mr. Salazar decided that gray wolves really weren't so endangered either (even though only 1650 exist in the wild)—and potentially opened the floodgates for wolf hunting season by upholding another Bush rule. So what's the deal? Is Obama only green when it comes to energy and climate change? Or does he just hate wolves and polar bears? ...
Animal or Vegetable? Strange 'Ninja Seaweed' Disappears When You Touch It (Video)
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 8.09
Top Ten Twitterers to Follow for Green Architecture
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 8.09
Green building is a hot topic these days and there are some great people twittering about the latest in eco-friendly architecture and building design. Check out a few of the people we think you should follow to stay updated. ...
Cellulosic Biofuels May Be No Better Than First Generation Fuels, Here's Why
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 8.09
Large areas of land could easily be deforested with a push towards cellulosic biofuels. Photo: Ben Sutherland
With the reputation of first generation biofuels like corn ethanol darkly tarnished, the move is on to develop second-generation biofuels that don't have the negative environmental impacts: High water requirements, competition with food crops, negative land-use changes, et cetera. The Obama administration has made promotion of these biofuels a priority. But a new piece in Conservation, reprinted in The Guardian says that cellulosic biofuels may ultimately be no better than first generation biofuels: ...
Frances Moore Lappé On How We Can End Hunger On A Penny A Day
by Jeff Nield, Vancouver, British Columbia on 05. 8.09
Kids at a Belo Horizonte government nursery school where food is a human right. Image: Small Planet Institute
A couple of months ago I posted about Frances Moore Lappé's article in Yes! Magazine about civic initiatives in Belo Horizonte that are helping to reduce hunger in the Brazilian city. This prompted some spirited debate from readers, mostly about the role of government intervention in the market and whether or not that intervention is sound policy. After the jump, Lappé talks to TreeHugger about food democracy and how the local government in Belo Horizonte is working with citizens to reach the goal of ending hunger for a penny a day. ...
Ford Fuel Economy Expert Builds 125 MPG 3-Wheel Motorcycle in His Garage
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 05. 8.09
Next Project: A Plug-in Hybrid
A Ford fuel efficiency technical expert named John (goes by the name of HyperRocket on the Ecomodder forums) built this 2-seat, 3-wheel reverse trike that gets about 125 MPG at 65 MPH in his garage. He's now selling it on eBay to free up space for his next project: A plug-in hybrid. More technical details below....
Papergirl: Free Art Delivered To You - By Bicycle
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 05. 8.09
Wild Progenitors of Domestic Fruit & Nut Trees in Central Asia Threatened with Extinction
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 8.09
Flora & Fauna International is working in Krygyzstan to help save and restore the Niedzwetzky apple (pictured here), one of the most threatened apple species in the region. Photo: FFI
There's a , and now trees in Central Asia have theirs as well. The Red List of Trees of Central Asia identifies 44 tree species that are threatened with extinction; the 'original' apple tree Malus sieversii, from which all domesticated varieties of apples were developed, is on the list:...
Green Gift Guide: WeeHuggers
by Blythe Copeland, Great Neck, New York on 05. 8.09
It's never too early to start teaching your little ones the importance of choosing products made with sustainable materials and eco-friendly processes. Set a good example with the gifts in our WeeHugger guide, from baby bibs and toddler clothes to big-kid bikes and cafeteria-approved lunch bags.
...
Floods First, Then Drought: Tibet Warming Four Times Faster Than China
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 8.09
photo: Jan Reurnik via flickr (lots of great photos in his photostream, by the way, check them out...).
Much of the focus in discussing the impact of global warming on China has been on densely populated coastal regions and the effect that rise sea levels will have. But the effects of global warming that western China and Tibet will face are no less severe, and could have great impact outside the region—a fact emphasized by the head of the China Meteorological Bureau recently:...
How To Promote Tap Water, Tokyo Style
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 05. 8.09
Photo: Tokyo Waterworks
Tokyo has embarked on an ambitious campaign to tell its citizens that the tap water here is safe to drink. The Tokyo metropolitan government's waterworks bureau has set aside 1,870 million yen in advertising expenses to publicize water-related programs. For example, they have produced posters and videos for the trains and subway stations, with young actors enjoying a drink of clear, refreshing tap water, and special kids pages on their internet site.
The campaigns also include tours to waterworks related plants and information on the web. They are particularly concerned about water leaks from pipes and toilets:
Although a leak may start out with just some dripping it will worsen day by day.This means not only a waste of our valuable water resources, but also higher water bills for you. Please be sure to find and fix all leaks as quickly as possible....
Why You HAVE to Prep Before Recycling - Anti-Missle Defense Info Found on Discarded Computer
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 8.09
Artist's concept: a missile heads towards its target, a nuclear-tipped ICBM, as part of the US government's Strategic Defence Initiative in the 1980s. Image: Time Life/Getty; screenshot via The Guardian
And we thought we were being a touch paranoid about recycling cell phones. Sensitive information from Lockheed Martin about anti-missile defense systems was found on a discarded computer's hard drive. Someone neglected to prep the computer before selling it, leaving really private information in tact and accessible, including a document detailing test launch procedures, blueprints of facilities and photos and personal daat about employees, including their social security numbers. ...
Free the Grist Staff: Bloggers Held Captive
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 05. 8.09
Bejewel Mom With Green Bling, Recycled and Sustainable, On Mother's Day
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 05. 8.09
(Justin Giunta's Subversive Jewelry is hot on the catwalk, and the recycled clusters of necklaces could make Mom smile.)
There is no end to pretty recycled treasures and baubles we feature on TreeHugger. But if your mom isn't the type to carry a purse (no matter how chic!) made from inner tubes, or recycled earrings from bottle caps, then we have the ultimate resource –- picked from an influential fashion editor in New York.
A couple of weeks ago, I interviewed Marilyn Kirschner the editor of the fashion insider newsletter LookOnLine.com for the boutique designer jewelry website Gallery Atlantic. Marilyn's reporting on the all the major fashion events in New York, and I wanted her opinion on some of the most exciting green trends. And – designers– that cater to more of an upscale aesthetic, like Mom's. ...
WiserEarth Members Create OpenWiser For Ultimate Green Networking
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 8.09
Image via WiserEarth
WiserEarth users have taken it upon themselves to spread the word about green social networking by launching a campaign to help create opensource software that will make the resources found on WiserEarth viewable any website. It's an effort that will help more people and organizations connect with each other to do good green work. ...
Bio-Electricity Far More Efficient For Transportation Than Biofuels... Better Greenhouse Gas Reduction Too
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 8.09
Whether produced from corn or switchgrass, electricity is more efficient for powering vehicles than burning liquid fuel. Photo: Adsit Adventures via flickr.
Pay attention, because this next one has some serious implications for energy and transportation policy, and infrastructure: According to research just published in the online edition of Science, rather than converting energy crops to liquid fuel for use in an internal combustion engine, it is far more efficient to convert them to electricity to power vehicles. Compared to ethanol, this delivers 80% more miles per acre of crops, while also doubling the emission savings:...
Giving Up the Day Job for Organic Farming: The Dolce Vita Diaries
by Kelly Rossiter, Toronto on 05. 8.09
Cathy Rogers and Jason Gibb had successful careers in television production in Los Angeles, with homes both in the U.S. and their native England. Finding themselves restless, they wanted some physical work that would challenge them and produce something of which they could be proud. After some searching around, they decided that moving to Italy and making organic olive oil would be a grand idea. Oh yes, they added a brand new baby into the mix as well.
...
Greenpeace App Solves Your Paper Purchasing Woes
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 8.09
Image via Greenpeace
Mobile phone apps that help consumers make more eco-friendly choices are coming out right and left, like 3rdWhale, Good Guide, and Locavore. But what if you just want to know about...paper? Greenpeace decided to hop on the app bandwagon and fill this little shopping niche. ...
An IT Overhaul Could Save California $44 Million
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 8.09
Photo via vmiramontes
It's not shocking news, considering we talk often about the energy savings businesses and organizations can see if they just run their PCs efficiently. A new report by Intel, however, lays out just how much California tax payers don't have to put into running IT equipment, if the state were to freshen up its systems. ...
Are European Surfers Greener than Australians?
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 05. 8.09
Photo: Mickey Smith for Rip Curl
Whoops, we missed the UK launch of Rip Curl’s National Wetsuit Amnesty and Project Resurrection, which was held last weekend, in Newquay.
But the basic premise is this: Rip Curl has been taking back old wetsuits and reprocessing their materials, with manufacturing offcuts, to make recycled outsoles for a line of footwear. ‘Resurrection Rubber’ is a mixture of chopped-up neoprene (30%) and rubber. This sounds like a cool project and hats off to Rip Curl Europe for putting energy into it. But we wondered if the Australian parent company were involved in anything similar at home. We were very surprised.
...
Altoid Tin, Solar Cell, Some Time = Cool Gadget Charger
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 8.09
Image via Instructables
Solar cells are getting so easy to come by that making your own gadget charger is far more interesting than buying one of the many that are coming onto the market now. If you're looking for a weekend project, we dig this one. This Instructable takes a MightyMintyBoost kit, used for creating backup battery packs in Altoid tins, and adds a solar cell for sun charging. ...
Vehicle-To-Grid Technology Could Enhance Australian Electricity Supply and Demand
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 05. 8.09
The SWITCH prototype car is claimed to be the Australia's first vehicle-to-grid plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. This means the car is not only charged from an ordinary power socket, but it can also feed power back into the electricity grid.
However, making claims of being first is as always a fraught exercise.
In this case, it may well be that Energetique’s evMe car can lay dibs on the ‘first’ claim. However, crowing rights aside, both are interesting vehicle concepts and worthy of a quick peek....
Survey: Is the Nano a Good Thing?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 8.09
April is worried about the Tata Nano, writing in her post Deeply Scary Statistic? 203,000 Partially Paid Orders for Tata Nano that "the world doesn't benefit by Nano's popularity, neither the congested streets of the Indian cities Nano is aimed at, nor the global car park." Others might say that Westerners have no right to complain.
...
Enhancing Our Commitment to a Sustainable Future: Business Roundtable’s 2009 Progress Report
by Marian Hopkins, Business Roundtable on 05. 8.09
In 2007, former British Environment Secretary David Miliband delivered a speech in London entitled Green Business is Good Business. In the address, Miliband affirmed his belief in the power of sustainable business. “Ethical and environmental concerns are becoming core business – not as an alternative to making profit but as a route to it. They are reshaping business strategy and operations, not just marketing and corporate donations,” he said. “In many countries, businesses and financial institutions are ahead of the politicians in understanding the risks and opportunities of climate change.” ...
Haul A Heffalump with Help From Bikes At Work
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 05. 8.09
OK, so you were slowly coming around to the idea of ditching your car and taking up cycling. For the workday commute, the weekend recreation and the after hours trips to do the shopping. But then you thought, “Hold on a minute, how do I get the wheelbarrow for the vegie patch back from the hardware store?” “And how was I going to transport the soccer team's training kit to the playing field, or the kids camping gear, or ... ?” And you probably end up thinking, “Nah, nice idea, but I can’t really give up the car, I need it for hauling lots of stuff around.”
Fear not! For ‘Bikes At Work’ is here to rescue you. With their superhero trailers. ...
Video Conferencing Could Save Billions of Dollars and Millions of Fuel Litres
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 05. 8.09
If one third of Australian business travellers replaced just one trip with video conferencing, the avoided cost of air travel would be $2.2 billion each year, with 960 million litres of aviation fuel also being saved. Such was the finding of the report, Towards a High-Bandwidth, Low-Carbon Future, as quoted in a new publication ICT, Success and Sustainability. ICT being trade jargon for Information and Communication Technology. The paper, prepared as a collaboration between Telstra (Australia’s largest telecommunication firm) and WWF Australia, was put together to highlight how large companies could use a set of tools to “estimate the environmental and financial benefits of ICT investment.” And some of figures are, at first glance, impressive....
Deeply Scary Statistic? 203,000 Partially Paid Orders for Tata Nano
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 05. 8.09
Photo via N-O-M-A-D @ flickr.
At TreeHugger, we devoted a lot of posts to the coming of the Tata Nano "The People's Car" for the following reasons: its low price and its small, efficient form boasting around 50 mpg are revolutionary. But who will benefit from the fact that the company already has 203,000 partially-paid orders for the car? Well, the company benefits, or course - though it can only produce 50,000 cars by year's end - and its shareholders. And people that needed one and formerly couldn't afford a car and now can buy a Nano will likely benefit. But the rest of us...no. Nano is clearly a case of improving some individuals' lives with a dubious benefit to society as a whole....
Handkerchief Art is Useful Too
by Bonnie Alter, London on 05. 8.09
Images from Flash Company
In praise of the humble handkerchief, once ubiquitous and now ignored. It has had a long history--from high fashion to a way of flirting, from plain white to embroidered. And always more environmentally friendly than paper tissues.
Flash Company, the name of a handkerchief exhibition, takes the simple white handkerchief as its starting point. Artists across the world were sent a single hankie as a palette to create and the resulting work is on show. ...
The Zayed Future Energy Prize Offers Innovator a $1.5 Million In Prize at the 2010 World Future Energy Summit
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 05. 8.09
Have the latest technology that squeezes water from air using minimal power? How about a new wind energy turbine that pulls energy from the wind most efficiently? Or desalination technology that can convert brackish water to potable water using solar power?
Have a vision –– and project –– that could change the way we look at supplying the world energy?
Well take that vision and earn some serious cash for it. Step right up and apply for the Zayed Future Energy Prize. Applications are now online, and with the application date open until October 16, there’s plenty of time for submitting your plan....
Spring/Summer Fashion 2009: Doucette Duvall
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 05. 7.09
Photo credit: Doucette Duvall
Brimming with retro verve and looking like they were plucked straight from a '60s time capsule—or from the set of Mad Men—Doucette Duvall's Spring/Summer 2009 coats and dresses are practically the real McCoy: The collection, sewn in New York City's historic garment district, is culled together from vintage fabrics and trims.
...
Spring/Summer Fashion 2009: Lara Miller
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 05. 7.09
Photo credit: Lara Miller
All bets are off with Lara Miller's Spring/Summer 2009 collection, which marries avant-garde with orthodox, resulting in wearable bamboo-and-organic-cotton numbers that wield just enough element of a surprise to keep you—and your admiring public—guessing.
Genteel boatneck ruffles, dainty cap sleeves, and buttoned-up boyfriend cardigans meet daring shoulder-baring cut-outs, plunging necklines, flared wide-leg trousers, and hemlines that hit the thigh just so. ...
Hilarious Old Timey Country Ringtone Sings Praises of Coal
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 05. 7.09
Photo via Life
Does the pro-coal movement try to be so consistently hilarious on purpose? I mean, the bizarre clean coal carolers were impressive enough, but now it looks like the coal industry is taking a stab at going viral: they're moving on to ringtones! Yes, the West Virginia Coal Association is distributing this hilarious, original country anthem to coal to drum up positive PR for coal.
And now, allow me to present West Virginia's love song to coal:...
Comedian Researches Climate Scientists for Evidence of Funny Bone. Doesn't Find One.
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 7.09
Carbon Intensive US Factories Will Not Move Overseas If Cap & Trade Legislation Passes
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 05. 7.09
Blind-Man's Bluff. Image credit: WIkipedia, Paul Jarrard & Sons, circa 1830.
It's an empty but seemingly effective threat for opposing politicians and Think Tanks to claim that Cap & Trade legislation, if enacted, would force US-based companies to move operations offshore. There's no money for tearing down and rebuilding elsewhere. Thoughtful people realize that. Plus, no one knows when or where markets might return first. How much of Chrysler's supply chain will be European in the short term but North American in the long term? Who wants to plan a move on that guess?...
ASCOBIKE: The Largest Bicycle Parking in the Americas
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 05. 7.09
Photo: ASCOBIKE
1,700 Bikes Park There Daily
Located about an hour from São Paulo, Brazil, the ASCOBIKE bicycle parking is described as being the largest bike parking in the Americas (possibly the world too, though I can imagine that maybe some bigger ones are in Asia, but they might work on a different principle). People park their bikes there to hop on the train that goes to the city, but ASCOBIKE also offers "a series of social, legal and bicycle education services". Check out the video below that our friends at StreetFilms made about ASCOBIKE. It's really great to see endless rows of bikes!...
Apple Doing the Right Thing for Recycling - But for Limited Time Only
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 7.09
Image via Apple
Apple is making a move that is really the right thing for an electronics manufacturer to do. But they're making the limitations of their offer very clear, which takes all the steam out of it. ...
Major Cellulosic Ethanol Production Technique Breakthrough Announced by Mascoma
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 7.09
image: Mascoma
Boston-based Mascoma Corporation has announced that it has made a major research breakthrough in cellulosic ethanol processing, which can reducing the cost of processing by up to 60% in lab tests:...
Are Democrats Giving Up on Climate Legislation?
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 05. 7.09
Photo via Minnesota Public Radio
Nancy Pelosi's not—she maintains that the massive climate and energy bill that includes a means to cut carbon nationwide will be passed this year. But others aren't so sure. Many are worried that without any Republican support, the bill is doomed, and that they should be focusing their efforts on health care reform. Others—especially those from coal rich and rust belt states--flat out oppose the climate bill, arguing in line with the GOP that it would strain industry and raise costs for American families. So is the climate bill doomed? Are Democrats giving up?...
Cow Escapes From New York Slaughterhouse, Ponders Fate
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 7.09
Molly the cow, via New York Post
This cow knew what was up as it headed for slaughter. The black angus heifer escaped from Musa Hala Inc, wandered in Queens for awhile, and now is awaiting to find out its new fate. ...
Celebrate Your Foodie Mom in Moms of the Revolution Contest
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 7.09
Image via Revolution Foods
Want to celebrate your mom, or a mom you know, on Mother's Day? Does she make a particular effort to pack a healthy lunch box for kids? Then you might consider entering her into a competition launched by Revolution Foods that celebrates mothers who focus on feeding kids healthy, nutritious food. Not only could you celebrate your mom, but also promote organic, sustainable foods in the process. ...
Green Gift Guide: Newlyweds
by Blythe Copeland, Great Neck, New York on 05. 7.09
Even couples who truly believe that all you need is love still end up with a registry full of the same glassware, serving platters, linens, and picture frames as every other soon-to-be-married pair. Think outside the list with recycled champagne flutes, reclaimed wood decor, and custom artwork that help your favorite couple live a greener life right from the start.
...
Take Action: Tell the Secretary of Interior No, On More Oil Shale Development
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 7.09
Waste water pond from Canadian tar sands development. Producing oil from tar sands and oil shale ends up creating several orders of magnitude more carbon emissions than conventional oil sources. Not to mention gigantic waste water ponds. Photo: Rodrigo Sala via flickr.
Though Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar seems to generally have his head in the right place when it comes to energy policy, one glaring counter-example is his de facto support of oil shale. While he has ordered a review of Bush administration policies regarding leasing lands for oil shale development, he hasn't come out in opposition to it. Which, considering the gigantic environmental horror show that comes from producing oil from shale, is as good as supporting it. Which is why you should take a moment and help the National Wildlife Federation send Salazar a clear message:...
Scientists Launching Satellite to Measure Saltiness of Seas
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 7.09
Artist's illustration of the Aquarius/SAC-D spacecraft, scheduled for launch in May 2010. It will be the first NASA instrument to measure sea salinity from space. Credit: NASA/JPL via Science Daily
The salinity of the ocean says a lot about climate change and impacts of a warmer globe. That's something scientists announced a couple years ago. Now, research is turning towards how the oceans' saltiness is changing to try and determine what we can expect for floods, droughts, and even warmer temperatures. So, a project is underway to launch a satellite that will measure the salinity of the seas. ...
New Community Wind Power Program For Schools Launched by Northern Power Systems
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 7.09
Now this is pretty neat: Northern Power Systems has launched a community wind power package aimed at education. It's based around their Northwind 100 wind turbine and includes an entire education package built around it.
Schools get 1) the aforementioned Northwind 100--a 100 kilowatt rated wind turbine that Northern Power touts as being able to start making power with wind speeds as low as 6 mph; 2) a web-based monitoring and control system for the turbine; 3) a public access website plus demonstration kiosk that provides real-time monitoring of the wind turbine's performance; and 4) a wind power curriculum set:...
Republicans' Climate Change Talking Points Document Revealed
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 05. 7.09
We already know that many Republicans are vehemently opposed to fighting climate change with legislation. We also know the party has charged that the Democrat's current bill would drastically raise costs for the average American family. What we didn't know is that there's a method to the madness—who knew? But it's true: the Republicans have spilled the list of climate change talking points the party distributes to its members—can you guess what's on it? ...
Navistar Plug-In Hybrid Bus Improvements Funded By USDOE: Who Wants A Magic Bus?
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 05. 7.09
(Magic) Hybrid school bus, by Navistar.
This is an update of an earlier post titled Plug-In Hybrid School Buses Introduced. Navistar has some good design magic that the stimulus package will let them share with school kids. US DOE has selected the firm for a "cost-shared award of up to $10 million--half of the total projected cost. As part of the Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) Technology Acceleration and Deployment Activity program, Navistar will develop and deploy 60 plug-in electric hybrid buses to fleets across the nation during a multi-year program."
...
Green My PC Facebook App Tallies Its Energy Savings
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 7.09
In March we talked about Green My PC, a Facebook app that had some potential for saving energy by automatically setting your PC's power options for better consumption, and then making a social networking challenge out of it. We were a bit ho-hum about the app, but it turns out 300 people did use it during a 30-day Earth Day Countdown to a Healthier Planet challenge, and it got some results worth noting. ...
Book Review: 34 kg of CO2 to make a book
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 05. 7.09
At Construmat this year, the international building and construction trade fair held in Barcelona every two years, the Government of Catalonia presented their project “34 kg of CO2”, along side Casa Barcelona. 34 kg is the exact quantity of CO2 that was emitted in order to make one of the book with the same title. So the questions the project addresses are: If 1.050 grams of paper produce 34 kg of CO2, how much does my car emit? Or my home? And how can we build and construct in a more sustainable manner?...
So What Does the Inside of a Factory Farm Look Like Anyway? (Slideshow)
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 7.09
photo: Farm Sanctuary
There are myriad reasons why concentrated animal feeding operations (the technical cleaned up newspeak term for factory farms) are bad for the animals, the environment and human health. But without some sort of visual reference to what these farms are like you really don't get the full impact of the horror we have created, just to satisfy our collective taste for animal flesh in a way which is more convenient than having to hunt and kill the animals yourself. While these images are graphic (you've been warned), I actually toned down what I could've shown...
...
Green Gift Guide: Style Icons
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 05. 7.09
These fashion must-haves are timeless essentials for men and women (with a few splurges, of course) that will be a welcome addition to any wardrobe. From under to over, from top to bottom, we cover it all; the modern, sexy, and unique ideas in this gift guide will surely make your giftee want to strut their (green) stuff.
...
Green Gift Guide: Globetrotters
by Blythe Copeland, Great Neck, New York on 05. 7.09
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, the French writer and aviator, once wrote, “He who would travel happily must travel light.” We couldn’t agree more. However, we also know that to make the earth equally happy, we need to keep our carbon footprint as light as can be when going abroad. Whether your favorite traveler is a frequent flier for business, an all-around adventurer, an unstoppable day-tripper, or a shameless tourist, help lighten the load—and the planet’s—by giving green globetrotter-approved loot.
...
Saul Griffith on Living the Examined Life and Flying Giant Kites (Part One)
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 05. 7.09
After becoming a renewable energy entrepreneur (think massive kites), Saul Griffith started wondering about the greenness of his own life—so he started counting. The exercise became an exploration, which resulted in the website WattzOn.com, a powerful opensource tool for personal impact calculation. Using the Embodied Energy Database, you can finally determine “the impact of wearing underwear versus taking holiday in Europe.” Griffith explains how WattzOn works (and how you can help perfect it), and why we miss the point when we obsess over carbon. Listen to the podcast of this interview via iTunes, or just click here to listen, right-click to download....
Babs2Brisbane: An Experiential Handbook on Low-Carbon Travel
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 05. 7.09
Babs enjoys some snacks on the road... - Image credit: Babs2Brisbane
Epic Overland Journey Becomes Low-Carbon Travel Handbook
Only a few days ago I published a roundup of 6 ways to cut carbon without sacrificing your journey. While most options were of the fairly tame variety (pack less, fly direct etc), we did also mention the more adventurous, greener, and more rewarding options of overland travel. The formidable overland adventures of Babs2Brisbane are the perfect inspiration. In her attempts to attend her best friends' wedding in Australia, Barbara Haddrill of the Center for Alternative Technology decided to travel overland and sea from Wales to Brisbane, slashing the carbon footprint of her journey in the process. Now Babs is looking to inspire others - not content with her low carbon travel blog, she's publishing a book recounting her odyssey, and giving you all the advice you need to follow in her footsteps:
...
Fashionable Babes on Bikes Hit the Great Salt Lake
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 05. 7.09
Photo via Cycle Style Show.
"Utah" and "Fashion" have never necessarily gone together, so adding "Bicycle" probably won't give you much more of a mental picture. But urban bike riding of all kinds and even the concept of bike commuting is alive and well in the Beehive state, and next week in Salt Lake City a bike fashion show is aiming to highlight both the best of city bikes and fashion trends for riding. Babes on bikes and even biking in high heels are part of the spectacle after the jump....
US Organic Product Sales Grew 17% In 2008
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 05. 7.09
Home container garden. Image credit:ThatOneCaveman.
The US-based Organic Trade Association's new survey indicates 2008-sales of all types of organic products reached $24.6 billion, a 17.1 percent increase over 2007. This came in spite of the economic difficulties experienced in the last half 2008. (Remember how much more of your income went for gasoline in 2008?) Even more amazingly, organic non-food sales grew 39.4 percent in the same period....
Finisterre Surfwear Pull the Wool Over Their Eyes. Willingly.
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 05. 7.09
Remember the British technical surfwear company, Finisterre, whom we found were making some really cool gear with innovative knits of merino wool from New Zealand? We alluded then to some ultra-fine wool that they were exploring much closer home. In North Devon, Just a couple of hours up the coast from their base in Cornwall, as it turns out. Well, some more of the story has recently been revealed. And it involves a rare breed of sheep that has almost been lost....
Ecorazzi on DiCaprio + Van Jones, Worldchanging Interviews Wangari Maathai, Chevron Toxico, and More
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 05. 7.09
Chevron Toxico: Chevron Produces Phony Online News Coverage to Spread Misinformation about Ecuador Disaster
"To promote a misinformation campaign about its role in the oil contamination of a pristine area of the rainforest in Ecuador, Chevron recently produced a video that copies the format and style of television news shows and portrays Texaco, now owned by Chevron, as completely blameless in the dumping of billions of gallons of toxic waste into the Amazon jungle." ...
Shed of the Year Competition Voting Opens
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 7.09
For the very best in architecture, there is the Pritzker, the RIBA Gold Medal and the Shed of the Year, Where gardeners, home office workers and artists submit their sheds to voting by readers and then a final selection by jury. The wonderful thing about sheds is that they are small enough that people get to experiment in design and with technologies, so you get a mix of every material and style.
One of my favourites in the eco-shed category is author James Glave's eco-shed on Bowen Island, British Columbia. James describes it:
...
Making Homes More Energy Efficient Together
by Greg Haegele of Sierra Club on 05. 7.09
Prescott speaking with one of the homeowners. Image credit:Heather Moyer
My colleague Heather Moyer recently spent the day with a crew of volunteers who weatherized the home of a low-income senior couple in Baltimore. I want to share her story and find out whether any Treehugger readers have volunteered in a similar way. I also want to make you aware of the Rebuilding Together organization, which leads projects like this around the country—possibly near you—so you can see about getting involved....
Do You Buy Fair Trade?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 7.09
Bonnie tells us that Saturday is Fair Trade Day. We have certainly been pushing fair trade for years on TreeHugger, but Fair Trade products like chocolate and coffee can be more expensive, and I wonder if this is having an effect on their sales.
...
Siemens, Discovery and the NSTA Announce Student Finalists in We Can Change the World Challenge
by Kenny Luna, North Babylon, NY on 05. 7.09
Image Credit: Siemens Foundation
In a bid to inspire middle school students around the country to get involved in the green movement, the National Science Teachers Association, Siemens Foundation and Discovery Education recently created the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge to reward those who do so in amazing ways. And now the finalist teams of two to three students in sixth through eighth grade that identified an eco-issue in their own communities that needed tackling and did so in a way that could be replicated across the country have been announced. And it turns out they came up with some terrific ideas that you just may be able to use to make your town a greener place to live.
...
Celebrate World Fair Trade Day on Saturday
by Bonnie Alter, London on 05. 7.09
Image from WFTO
It's World Fair Trade Day's 60th birthday on May 9 and time to celebrate with a Big Bang!! That's the theme this year: "bang something (anything) with spoons, sticks, hands, fingers, friends, family, neighbours, a crowd, an audience, a solution. Beat poverty beat climate change beat economic crisis."
Big Bang!! is a chance to salute the people and organizations who have dedicated themselves to making Fair Trade a solution not an issue. To kick off the day, there will be a rolling programme of drumming events, starting with a solo drummer at dawn in New Zealand and continuing around the earth with indigenous people drumming in Samoa at sunset on May 9.
...
The IF Mode: Full Size Bike Folds Flat Fast
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 05. 6.09
The much mooted IF Mode, a 26 inch folding bicycle, is almost available stateside. Finally. The bike has sprung from the fertile imagination of Mark Sanders, of MAS Design, who is also behind the Strida and X Bike.
The IF Mode, by Pacific Cycles, of Taiwan, has been a long time gestation and has gone through many variations to arrive at its final slick looking incarnation. (We previously covered it when it had the working name of Swivel Head.) As you can see above the IF Mode folds very tightly, achieving this compact size very swiftly, courtesy of a patented “3-dimensional 4-Bar linkage that automatically guides the wheels together.“ Although using very different technology, the IF (for Integrated Folding) Mode packs up, sans tools, with the same dazzling aplomb as the Bike Friday Tikit, but does so for a full 26 inch bicycle.
See the bike unfolded and a video of the folding process in the extended post....
Los Vecinos: First Platinum LEED-Certified, 100% Solar Powered, Affordable Housing in San Diego
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 05. 6.09
Image via: Wakeland Housing & Development Corporation
Los Vecinos, the first LEED-Certified Platinum, 100% solar-powered affordable housing in San Diego, offer 42-units of state of the art in green housing. The $17.6 million USD project opened its doors today to visitors to welcome the new neighbors, who are already living in the building, to the neighborhood....
Designers & Agents' 2009 Green Room Shows Off Fresh Crop of Eco Designers
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 05. 6.09
Photo credit: Jasmin Malik Chua
Sustainable style gets its close-up once more at Designers & Agents' meticulously curated Green Room, now a regular fixture at the bicoastal fashion trade show's ongoing green initiative. The three-day fashionpalooza of new, emerging, and independent designers, held at the cavernous Starrett Lehigh Center in New York City this week, featured an "eco-capsule" of budding, green-minded talents who were invited to exhibit gratis.
Click below the jump for a glimpse for a first look at tomorrow's rising eco-fashion stars. ...
Flu Fears Lands Afghanistan's Only Pig In Quarantine
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 05. 6.09
Photo: The pig in question, from a photo taken in 2002 (Reuters/Radu Sigheti)Regrettably, the global swine flu panic has not spared Afghanistan’s only known pig. A resident of Kabul Zoo, the little porker has been locked up in a room since Sunday because visitors have voiced concerns about a possible swine flu infection risk. This unfortunate turn of events could be the freshest example of misinformation and overreaction to the specter of a pandemic. ...
Toasted Marshmallows and Activism: Mountain Justice Summer Camp
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 05. 6.09
Photo via www.mountainjusticesummer.org/
Dig the great outdoors and environmental activism? If yes, come to the fifth annual Mountain Justice Summer Camp, starting next weekend (Sunday May 17) in the beautiful mountains of southern West Virginia....
Musings on Sustainability in the Developing World
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 05. 6.09
Image via: Author's Collection.
A few weeks ago I traveled down to Nicaragua with Power to the People and Green Empowerment to install solar on a school in a very remote village. While down there, I had the chance to see first hand how renewable energy is brought to other communities, the challenges in maintaining solar systems and the differences between solar in the US and abroad. But, while living with a family for a week, taking bucket baths and trying to keep my apparently sensitive stomach from eating anything it didn't agree with, I had a chance to think a bit about sustainability and what that means outside of the walls of the US....
Oprah's KFC Stunt Promotes Swine Flu-Causing Factory Farms
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 05. 6.09
Photo via Sustainability Ninja
I was dismayed to hear that Oprah was helping to push KFC's free chicken promotion. Wasn't quite sure why, initially—after all, 'free food for everyone' is generally a pretty positive notion. But then I recalled that KFC buys its chicken from Tyson—one of the US's biggest factory farmers and perpetrator of shady health practices. And then I remembered that Oprah herself did an expose on the cruelty of factory farms , essentially condemning them. And then I realized that the ploy couldn't have come at a worse time: US factory farms have been confirmed to have played a role in the origin of swine flu. ...
Congrats to StreetFilms on 200 Green Short Films!
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 05. 6.09
Autonomie Project Brings Style to Fair Trade Accessories
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 05. 6.09
Image via: Autonomie Project
While not as true as it once was, eco-friendly and fair trade clothing often still lacks that special something. The Autonomie Project is out to prove that idea wrong by providing sustainable, fair trade clothing and accessories that have style and supports the local communities where they are made. ...
After the Electric Car, the Electric Plane? Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk is Thinking About It
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 05. 6.09
Obama Pep Talk Puts Major Climate Bill on the Fast Track
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 05. 6.09
Photo via the Minister
The Democrat's major climate and energy bill has languished in subcommittee for weeks—casting an ill shadow on the future of US climate policy. There's been arguing, disagreement, and party infighting over how to move the bill forward, and next to nothing has been finalized. Nonetheless, the bill's sponsor Rep. Henry Waxman just met with Obama, and now says he plans on meeting his deadline of getting it done by Memorial Day—even if it means fast tracking the bill and skipping further hearings and pissing off its opponents....
Ford Invests $550 Million in Michigan Plant, Says Electric Focus is Coming
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 05. 6.09
Photo: Ford
From the 6,000 lbs Navigator to the 2,500 lbs Focus
Ford has decided to transform its Michigan SUV plant into a "modern, flexible small car plant". It will begin production of the global Focus small car in 2010, and an electric version of the Focus in 2011 (to help Ford meet its commitment of 4 electric vehicles by 2012). From a green perspective, this is good on a few levels. Good that Ford is focusing (no pun intended) more on small cars, better that it's starting to get serious about electric cars, and a bonus that instead of building a new plant, it's using an existing one and reducing its big SUV production. More details about what this investment means below....
The Less Time Spent Scarfing Down Dinner, the Fatter You Get
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 6.09
Slow food is all the rage, but here is a bit more evidence that you will be skinnier for it. Catherine Rampell plotted recent OECD data on obesity rates against the time spent eating per day. The French, who know how to eat, spend a lot of time at it and yet are pretty svelte. ...
e-Waste Expected to Plateau by 2015
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 6.09
Photo via Jaymi Heimbuch
According to a study by Pike Research called “Electronics Recycling and E-Waste Issues,” we can expect to see a leveling out of the amount of e-waste heading to landfills by 2015....
Agenda 21 Scuttles Norwegian Whaling Vessel in Harbor: Fourth Ship Sunk in 12 Years
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 6.09
photo: IndyMedia UK
Considering that TreeHugger readers seem to be pretty strongly divided on the issue of direct action--to prevent palm oil shipments, stop coal-fired power plants, or stop whaling—this one's bound to illicit some strong feelings. The Guardian brings the story of how anti-whaling activists in Norway have scuttled the whaling ship Skarbakk:...
Polar Bears Could Shut Down Coal Plants and Halt New Home Development
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 05. 6.09
Photo via the Soft European
To his credit, Bush listed polar bears as threatened due to the species' melting habitat. But since protecting that melting habitat meant fighting global warming--and that meant doing inconvenient stuff like cutting carbon and imposing regulations--Bush then approved a special rule that limited the use of the Endangered Species Act to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. Which rendered the polar bears' listing rather pointless. Now, Obama is on the verge of overturning the rule—making polar bears' vanishing homes a valid reason to shut down coal plants, put the kibosh on new home developments, and limit highway expansion. ...
Superkül Laneway House Renovation is Supercool
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 6.09
Downtown Toronto is full of back lanes, and some of them have old commercial buildings on them that creative architects want to reuse. It is always a struggle with the zoning bylaws, the neigbours, the building code limitations on openings at property lines. For something that is so sensible as intensification using an existing infrastructure, the authorities almost conspire to make it almost impossible.
But Andre D’Elia and Meg Graham of Superkül pulled it off in a trendy part of midtown Toronto, in a building that I was in four years ago, looking at doing a prefab addition and just shaking my head....
Let's Put This Meme to Rest: Global Warming ≠ Al Gore
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 05. 6.09
Even If You Don't Like Carl Sagan, the Stars are Still Out There
There's a meme going around the net - and it pops up often in comments on TreeHugger - that really gets my goat. It has many variations, but it always comes back to trying to link anything that has to do with global warming/climate change (especially when it's things we don't quite understand yet) with Al Gore. "Ah! Because of X, I guess Al Gore was wrong!". There's a lot of subtext there, but the main goal is apparently to deny climate science via ad hominem on a single individual. Well, newsflash, Al Gore has been popularizing global warming science for a while, but it's not his theory. Thousands of scientists have been working on it for decades, and whether you like Gore or not has nothing to do with the validity of the science....
Clever Ways to Solve Tragedy of Ghost Fishing
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 6.09
Image from FAO, UNEP report
A new report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Environment Programme (UNEP) highlights information that is already pretty obvious: fishing gear tossed in the ocean is hurting the marine environment, harming fish stocks through "ghost fishing," and is hazardous to ships. Lost or abandoned marine fishing gear makes up 10% of the marine litter, showing the significance of the problem. But there are some interesting solutions, including a clever buy-back program....
Green Gift Guide: Media Junkies
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 05. 6.09
Looking for the perfect gift for the eco-bookworm in your life? Searching for something for a green-minded documentary-addict? Our Media Junkie's gift guide has offerings for everyone -- from the kids to the DIY enthusiasts, from the foodies to the conservationists. Dive on in and find that gift you've been looking for.
...
James Hansen Hopes Waxman-Markey Cap and Trade Bill Fails: Has He Lost the Plot?
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 6.09
photo: World Development Movement
It's no secret that climate expert and increasingly vocal anti-coal activist James Hansen is no fan of carbon cap-and-trade. He's come out on a number of occasions supporting the idea that a carbon tax (and dividend) system is the best method of carbon pricing. And at last weekend's 350 Conference at Columbia University he took a further step, saying that he hopes the proposed Waxman-Markey climate legislation fails:...
Rio de Janeiro's Bike Sharing System, Appropriately called Samba
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 05. 6.09
Photo: Samba.
How did we miss this? Since last November, Rio de Janeiro has its own bike sharing system. And what's it called? Samba! Though it stands for Alternative Mobility Solution though Bike Renting in Portuguese.
The system started with only six stations but hopes to reach 42 by the end of the year. Unlike Barcelona's bicing, the system is open not only for residents but also for tourists. Find out more in the extended!...
Creative Financing: Putting Shops and Cafes Back on a London Bridge
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 6.09
London Bridge used to be a hopping place, lined with so many houses and shops that it took an hour to get across. So 178 years ago it was knocked down and replaced with a more sedate bridge, which was sold to an Arizona property developer who thought he was buying the iconic Tower Bridge. Now Mayor Boris Johnson wants to build a new bridge, and to pay for it by filling it with houses and shops....
More Than 200 New Frogs Discovered in Madagascar: Amphibian Species Doubled
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 6.09
photo: Frank Wouters
Political instability may be in Madagascar, but a new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science says that somewhere between 129 and 221 new species of frogs have just been identified. That doubles the known amphibian species on the island, and further shows how much of a biodiversity hotspot Madagascar is. Mother Jones sums it up:...
Green Gift Guide: Home + Garden Decor
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 05. 6.09
Everyone wants a healthy home, but sometimes it’s hard to know where to begin. Help your giftee make it as simple as possible with gifts for the home that are light on the planet andt easy to use. From the kitchen to the bathroom to the garden, each of these gifts will inspire them to entertain -- and, if you're lucky, you just might be at the top of the list.
...
Transformer Furniture: The Nod Office by Stephen Johnson
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 6.09
Allison Arieff shows the work of inventor/cartoonist Stephen Johnson, calling him "a sort of R. Crumb meets R. Buckminster Fuller." I found the Nod-Office particularly interesting........
RMS Beauty Offers Natural Radiance That Goes Beyond Skin Deep
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 05. 6.09
Photo credit: RMS Beauty
Like dainty pots of finger paints for the post-kindergarten set, RMS Beauty's cosmetics line is a palatable, pigment-rich palette for the color-obsessed. Packaged in tiny glass jars, the creamy formulations melt into your complexion like butter on a midday sidewalk, adding hydration, coverage, and definition with a few strategic sweeps of your finger.
Cold-pressed certified-organic coconut, jojoba, and argan oils co-mingle with unrefined Shea butter, cocoa butter, beeswax, botanicals, and chemical-free natural minerals to moisturize, enrich, and tone your epidermis, while adding flushes of color to your eyes, cheeks, and lips. The result? A lush, near-flawless countenance that masks imperfections and reveals healthy skin without veering into three-ring-circus territory. ...
Twittering Your Toilet Flushes for Fun or Efficiency
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 6.09
Photo via HacklabToilet
Well, this could be an exercise in water conservation, or it could just be another oddball Twitter hack. Someone has hacked a toilet to tweet each time it's flushed. A little TMI? Without a doubt. But, we'll lean towards water conservation side, and focus on how this, um, innovation can help take the "If it's yellow..." motto to the max. ...
Harvest Green: Vertical Farm by Romses Architects wins Competition
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 6.09
all images by Romses Architects via Designboom
Romses Architects recently won a competition held by the City of Vancouver to "to address climate change plans and to guide greener and denser development, reducing carbon emissions for the future."
...
Power Down for the Planet Winning Videos
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 6.09
Green Gift Guide: Green Gourmets
by Kelly Rossiter, Toronto on 05. 6.09
It's such a pleasure buying gifts for foodies. The possibilities are endless and you can find something interesting and delightful in every price range. This list of green foodie gifts is quite personal; I have a connection to everything that I'm writing about here. Click through to the slideshow to see my favorite gifts for food-lovers and chefs--they are all things I have used and loved, and your giftee will love them too.
...
Seven Breathtaking Green Island Escapes
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 05. 6.09
Image: Superior Trails
When you think of breathtaking green island escapes, does tropical spring to mind? Unfortunately, too many visitors to the planet's wondrous tropical island vacation spots return frustrated at the overcrowding. And the devastation of treasured destinations caused by over-developing to draw tourists is anything but green. Not to mention that the farther a vacation takes you from home, the larger the carbon footprint left behind. From the relatively unknown, to the destinations that represent good practices in sustainable tourism, to the trips that simply have to be on the list, these seven options cover the globe, so that everyone can find an escape that minimizes their CO2 emissions. ...
Two More 50 MW Concentrating Solar Power Plants in Spain: 100,000 Homes to be Supplied
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 6.09
photo: Abengoa Solar
Two weeks ago, Spain's Abengoa Solar announced that it has begun operating the world's largest solar power tower near Seville. Now the company will begin construction on two 50 MW concentrating solar power projects, using a different technology:...
10 Superstar Athletes Who Don't Eat Meat
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 05. 6.09
Photo via National Geographic
To this day, vegetarians are still regarded by some as less physically able than their carnivorous counterparts. Not so. Even though that misconception is beginning to fade, we thought we'd shine the spotlight on 10 of the most formidable vegetarian athletes in history. You know, just to speed up the process. These 10 greats of the sports world show that you most certainly don't have to eat meat to be a champion.
10 Superstar Athletes Who Don't Eat Meat Slideshow
...
EPA's Contest for Water Videos Shows Off Talent and Activism (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 6.09
Greener By Design 2009 Will Explore Greener Products for Leaner Times
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 6.09
If you have any sort of involvement in business and/or design and you're in San Francisco or planning a Springtime trip to the bay area, you'll want to pencil in Greener by Design to your calendar. It's an event that puts together some of the best minds in design to figure out how to incorporate sustainability into design so that all our products and services play nice with the planet. Some stellar names familiar to the pages of TreeHugger will be there, and so should you. Read on for who you'll see there....
Australia Seeks $18 Million for Moreton Island Oil Spill Cleanup Money from Shipping Company
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 6.09
Moreton Island, photo: [mapu] via flickr
You may have missed it, but about two months ago Australia experienced one of its largest oil spills, when a ship owned by Swire Shipping spilled about 70,000 gallons of oil and 620 tonnes of fertilizer in the vicinity of Moreton Island. Well, the cleanup is over and Australia now wants Swire to put up the AUS$25 million (US$18.5 million) it cost:...
From Luxury to Necessity and Back Again
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 6.09
Every year the Pew Research Center looks at what Americans think are important, the must-have necessities versus those things that might be considered luxuries. And guess what? People are living with less these days. Some of the trends are green- a fifth of Americans are planning vegetable gardens and big electricity consumers are among the first to go.
The economy is the driver, but so is technology. "Old-tech" hardware like microwaves, clothes dryers and dishwashers have taken a big hit, while "new tech" stuff like cell phones and internet were stable or increased slightly....
In Transition: The Transition Movement Documentary
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 05. 6.09
Make The Easiest Cardboard Laptop Stand
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 6.09
Photo via Green Upgrader
I've had two problems with my laptop that has sent me hunting for solutions. First, I find myself hunching over my desk to see the screen, and second, to help it cool down every so often, I have to prop it up with whatever random object happens to be on my desk at the time. I've been trying to figure a way to solve both issues at the same time without buying anything, so far to no avail. But a miracle happened. Green Upgrader has created a downloadable design for a cardboard laptop stand. Issue: solved. Click through for instructions. ...
Planet Bike Donates 25% of Profits to Bicycle Advocacy. Every Year
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 05. 6.09
“Despite being a simple machine, we have always believed that the bicycle has great potential to help improve the world and the lives of the people in it.”A sentiment we here at TreeHugger heartily endorse, but the words aren’t ours. They come from Planet Bike, who recently scored the 2009 Bicycle Retailer and Industry News' GREENy award for Small Supplier. As well they should, because their committment to the cause is exemplary. Not only do they make great bike products but since their inception in 1996 they’ve been donating 25% of their profits, (yep, that’s no typo, 25%) to causes that promote and facilitate the use of bicycles. But that ain’t the half of it....
Is Living in Small Spaces Cruel To Children?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 6.09
People have very different ideas about living and raising kids; where some think the city is one big playground full of exciting places to go, others write things like "what about the cruelty of subjecting them to everyday city living?" Where some like the idea of compact spaces downtown, others complain that there isn't enough room to swing a Wii.
...
It's Gonna Take a Lotta Love to Reforest Indonesia
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 05. 6.09
Photo by alexindigo via Flickr
Love is often said to blossom, but a new government initiative in the Indonesian district of Garut aims to make that metaphor literal by requiring newly married couples to plant 10 tree saplings....
Will Wave Farms Attract Sharks? Wend Magazine Investigates
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 05. 6.09
One way to to get a sense of Wend magazine might be to imagine it as the love child spawn by a wild night of passion between Outside magazine and TreeHugger. It’s a joyous celebration of being out there amongst the wind, rain and sun, whilst understanding that revelling in the great outdoors has its own environmental impact.
The May issue of Wend magazine has just been released, and as expected its pages and pixels are awash with intriguing feature articles and literary flotsam and jetsam. Take for example the new column Wendex, which gathers together numbers, strange and true: Ritchey Bicycles, who scored an Honourable Mention in one of our folding bike round-ups, plan to deliver 500,000 bicycles to farmers through its Project Rwanda. Or how plastic bags make up 10% of all debris washed up on the US Coastline.
Did you you know wave energy schemes have the potential to attract sharks, or that Mongolian soup is best eaten with a knife? As a Wend reader such knowledge could be yours....
Protecting And Restoring Forests To Save Civilization
by Lester Brown, Washington, D.C on 05. 6.09
Historic paper making process - the pulp "beater". Image credit: Saint-Armand
As I have written in Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, protecting the earth’s nearly 4 billion hectares of remaining forests and replanting those already lost are both essential for restoring the earth’s health, an important foundation for the new economy. Reducing rainfall runoff and the associated flooding and soil erosion, recycling rainfall inland, and restoring aquifer recharge depend on simultaneously reducing pressure on forests and on reforestation....
The Best Job in the World: Ben Southall Wins Spot as Island Caretaker
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 05. 6.09
Image: Flickr
Ben Southall, from Britain, Wins The Best Job in the World Competition
Adventurous, crazy, energetic. Practically a fish. Bachelor of science degree. Keen interest in photography. Experience blogging his tours through Africa. Loves animals. Loved by animals.
Which of these points from Ben Southall's 60 second video application landed him the sweetest job -- earning six figures to live in a 3-bedroom villa with a private pool and glorious view on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef? Or maybe it was just the pic of Ben riding an ostrich. See Ben's video below to judge for yourself. And learn about the Best Job Interview in the World. Sweet....
Carbon Neutral Sailboat Rescued by Oil Tanker
by Bonnie Alter, London on 05. 6.09
Image from Guardian
What is it about those Brit's and their love of extreme danger... Last week we had the Catlin Arctic expedition in trouble and today we have the Carbon Neutral Expedition's sailboat being saved by an oil tanker (gulp) of all things.
The Carbon Neutral Expedition, consisting of two guys and a 40 ft.sailboat, set off on April19; their goal was to reach Greenland's polar ice cap and be the first carbon-neutral crossing of that country. But gale-force winds caused the boat to capsize, destroying the solar panels and generator....
From Milk Jugs to Tea Parties: notNeutral's Recycled Outdoor Kids Furniture
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 05. 5.09
Photo credit: notNeutral
Fair-weather play dates come and go, but notNeutral's outdoor kids furniture will hold steadfast, rain or shine. A collaboration with Loll Designs, the BBO2 collection comprises 100 percent recycled post-consumer high-density polyethylene (HDPE), a plastic resin used to make products and packaging such as milk jugs, detergent bottles, and margarine tubs. Roughly eight recycled milk jugs go into every pound of the furniture's weight.
...
Solar in the Developed and Developing World
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 05. 5.09
Image via: Author's collection.
Last month, I traveled to Nicaragua with Power to the People and Green Empowerment to install solar panels on a school in rural Nicaragua. As a solar installer here in the states, it was fun, challenging and fascinating to see how solar is and is not installed in a developing country and the potential applications and huge impacts that it can have. The following are a few impressions I had on solar and Nicaragua. Please note these are just impressions from a week-long trip and are no way generalizations about all of Nicaragua or solar in ever developing nation....
Russian Nuclear Power Station Takes an Axe to Santa's Workshop
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 05. 5.09
Photo via: azrainman
As the Photo depicts, it is not Exxon/Mobil who will be bulldozing Santa's workshop this year, but rather the Russian state nuclear corporation, Rosatom. It will be a 70-megawatt prototype floating nuclear power station, consisting of two reactors nestled on one giant steel platform. There has also been an agreement to build another four plants once the first is complete.
What the heck are they going to do with 360-megawatts out in the middle of no-man or woman's land?
Why, to power the immense Russian built drilling rigs commissioned to exploit the vast stores of oil and gas buried deep within the Arctic, of course!...
All-Natural Margarita on Cinco de Mayo
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 05. 5.09
Salud! To your health!
Although Cinco de Mayo celebrations are muted in Mexico this year with the H1N1 virus outbreak and dramatic loss of tourism, if you’re still planning a party, please toast our friends south of the border with a natural margarita. Try blending up a batch of this green cocktail with Stirrings. These eco-friendly mixers feature all-natural or all-organic ingredients, which means the concoctions are made with real fruit juice and cane sugar. No preservatives, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners or "ingredients you can’t pronounce." There are also special versions and extras with secret ingredients. ...
VW Trying to Market Diesel to Americans with "Coffee Filter Test"
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 05. 5.09
It's the Pepsi Challenge All Over Again
It has been changing in the past few years, but most Americans still don't have a very good opinion of diesel light vehicles. Since VW has many diesel cars that it would like to bring over to the US in the next few years, it has a big incentive to work on changing that perception, and that's why the "coffee filter test" ad tries to do (you can see the video below)....
New York's NYPD Gets 40 Altima Hybrids Patrol Cars
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 05. 5.09
Photo: NYC
The Boys In Blue get a Bit Greener
I don't know how many miles the average NYC police car drives in a year, but I'll bet that it's a lot, and at 16 MPG in city driving (that's for the regular Impala used by the NYPD), that's a lot of gallons of gas. So the deployment of 40 Nissan Altima hybrid patrol cars (18 marked and 22 unmarked) makes a lot of sense, and it can even save taxpayers some money, as well as reducing the carbon footprint of the police department. Read on for more details....
No Longer Endangered, Gray Wolves to be Hunted by the Hundreds
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 05. 5.09
Photo via Wildman Lodge
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar pointed to the miraculous recovery of the wolf population in the Midwest when deciding to uphold the Bush administration's decision to take wolves off the endangered species list . Where once there was merely a roving band of wolves, all but considered wiped out, now there are upwards of 1,600 in the Rockies. Salazar called it one of the greatest conservation feats in history—and with that nod, he grandly removed federal protection for the wolves. Then Idaho's governor promptly made official plans to kill hundreds of them. ...
BuddhiWear Offers 20% Off Organic Family Apparel
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 05. 5.09
Kelly Neylan, founded BuddhiWear with a mission: to offer yoga wear made with 100% organic cotton at an affordable price but wearable at the same time. The company features eco-friendly casual and fitness apparel with “a flare for Yoga, Pilates, Energy Healing (Reiki), the Environment, and all things Positive.” offer apparel for the entire family women, men, children, and babies. The garments are not only super soft and don’t fade, but they are also made from organic cotton, and are sweatshop labor free. Kelly tells us that some of the more popular designs among the BuddiWear collection are Karma, Yoga Diva, Meditation Tree, Yoga Moms Rock!, Be the Change You Wish to See in the World, and I'm Just Here For Savasana. ...
Some Himalayan Glaciers are Growing. Does this Mean Global Warming Isn't Real?
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 05. 5.09
Photo: Aaron Ostrovsky, CC
Was Global Warming Cancelled and Nobody Told Me?
It would certainly be cause for celebration if that was the case, but sadly, when you look at the full picture and not just the sound-byte, the reality is different. But let's start at the beginning: According to a new study to be published in the Annals of Glaciology (everybody's subscribing to the one, right?), a group of about 230 glaciers in the Western Himalayas are either growing or holding instead of retreating like most other glaciers. The study points to a potential explanation for that, and it sounds very plausible. Read on for more details....
Prince Charles Goes Online to Save the Rainforests
by Bonnie Alter, London on 05. 5.09
Women We Love: 11 Environmental Heroines (Slideshow)
by Kimberley D. Mok, Montreal, Canada on 05. 5.09
When we talk about environmentalist heroes, does the image of noble environmentalists like John Muir may come to mind? Probably. But what about the inspiring faces of environmentalist heroines past and present, who’ve worked hard to transform our collective ecological consciousness? In appreciation of Mother’s Day, we drew up a list of women who have made an enormous difference with their work as activists, community builders, sustainers, nurturers, artists, politicians, scientists and teachers alike. While some may remain unnamed and relatively unsung, women are nevertheless an integral part of environmentalist history. Without their tireless efforts, the green movement would not be the same. Read more about these courageous women of heart, strength and action.
...
"Cash for Clunkers" Gets Green Light In House Committee
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 05. 5.09
Photo via Search Auto Parts
The House Energy and Commerce Committee has reached an agreement on a fleet modernization, or “cash-for-clunkers,” proposal, which would pay consumers to get rid of their old, fuel inefficient cars for newer, more efficient ones. See if you qualify....
Build a Solar Cooker From Old CDs
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 5.09
This is such a great idea. Take one old satellite dish and a pile of AOL CDs or whatever old software you have filling your drawers. Bolt the CDs to the mesh of the dish. Voila: a solar stove capable of 800 degrees F....
Quote of the Day: Putting the "UD" in HUD
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 5.09
Shaun Donovan speaking at a Senate hearing
No matter who is in power, we are used to hacks spouting nonsense as heads of branches of government, and sometimes it is a shock to realize that there are smart people who understand what is going on running things. Like Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, who recently spoke to the Urban Land Institute:
HUD can and will be a vehicle to advance sustainable growth in our metropolitan areas. Together, with the partnership of all of you, I know that we can make our vision of sustainability a reality for our communities and this nation....
$786 Million for Biofuels Research & Commercialization Released by Department of Energy
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 5.09
photo: Steve Jurvetson via flickr
The latest allocation of funds from the stimulus bill by the Department of Energy has been announced. This time it's for biofuels and in the amount of $786.5 million. Here's where it's all going:...
Could an Out of Control US Wildlife Trade Cause the Next Swine Flu?
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 05. 5.09
Photo via Flickr
A startling new report has revealed that four out of five wild animals imported into the US aren't accurately listed—a hugely discouraging number, considering that between 2000 and 2006, 1.5 billion live animals were imported into the US. The wildlife trade is so poorly regulated that it has some scientists worried that it may lead to more invasive species, damaged ecosystems, and worse: diseases that could spread to livestock and humans. Could the badly regulated US wildlife trade lead to another international epidemic?...
VW Announces High-MPG 'BlueMotion' Version of Gasoline Passat
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 05. 5.09
Photo: VW
It's Not Just Diesels Anymore...
So far, Volkswagen has been putting the BlueMotion badge on slightly modified (mostly aerodynamic tweaks and weight reduction) diesel vehicles with good fuel economy. That has changed. Now the gasoline-powered Passat will have a BlueMotion version (with the 1.4 TSI engine). ...
Is Living in Small Spaces Cruel To Children?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 5.09
CoteMaison in France published a lovely 40m2 (431 SF) apartment that houses a family of four and a big dog in style. It has a kids room that any kid would love in a raised section so that a bed can slide under for the parents, wonderful use of space and some neat detailing. It was picked up by Apartment Therapy, where the fun begins: some commenters called it cruelty to children.
...
Michelle Kaufmann Invades Yet Another Medium
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 5.09
Architecture is an art, a science and a profession, but it is also a business. Green modern prefab design is a niche of a niche business. That is why I admire Michelle Kaufmann so much; She is a rare example of a good architect who gets green, but she is an equally talented marketer. We have already seen her assault of the booming prefab modern gingerbread scene, her takeover of google earth, her white papers and her self-published book. Now she is invading LegoLand. ...
Should Car Ads Carry Climate Change Health Warnings?
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 5.09
photo: Rupert Gazner via flickr
Considering the impact on the planet that our love affair with cars has in terms of carbon emissions—leave aside the impact as we increasingly cater for cars in the built environment—should car advertisements carry climate change "health warnings"? The Guardian reports that UK Labour MP Colin Challen thinks so:...
Inhofe Joins Gore: Another Sign of the Apocalypse?
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 05. 5.09
Image via: Daily Life
Inhofe Joins Gore? It's like oil and water. Garlic and ice cream. Or lamb and tuna fish. But apparently yes, it's true, Inhofe has changed his tune and now the Guardian reports, is working with Gore on soot legislation. Just don't call it a pollutant....
Green Gifts for Outdoor Athletes
by Blythe Copeland, Great Neck, New York on 05. 5.09
Treat the athletes in your life to gear and equipment that allows them to take advantage of all the environment has to offer—without harming Mother Nature. From cleaners that help your giftee’s current tools last longer and socks and sneakers to keep their feet in shape to bamboo snowboards and go-anywhere bikes, the ideas on the following pages offer every weekend warrior the opportunity to green his leisure time.
...
First Great Pacific Garbage Patch Clean-Up Effort to Begin
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 5.09
Image via maeschultz
If you've spent much time reading about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, you might have started wondering why we aren't out there cleaning it up. Well, barely scratch the surface of that thought and you'll see why. It's a massive effort, and would require some massive carbon emissions from fossil fuel-powered boats and equipment to accomplish it. Plus, it's expensive as all get out. But these issues are being waved aside by scientists who are launching an expedition to see just how possible it is to clean up the floating dump. ...
3 Million Businesses Oppose Climate Action - Against Their Will?
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 05. 5.09
Photo via Global Giants
The US Chamber of Commerce is the most powerful lobbying group in the nation. It represents 3,000,000 businesses, and tens of thousands have direct membership. It's one of the major players in determining whether we see major climate action from Congress. And it strongly and vocally opposes the climate legislation that would instigate a nationwide cut in carbon—but could there really be 3 million businesses that oppose action to curb carbon emissions?...
High Gain Solar Power Array Demonstration Project Opens in San Jose, California
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 5.09
photo: Skyline Solar
Proving that there really are myriad ways to harness the power of the sun and turn it into electricity, Skyline Solar has announced that it is has constructed its first High Gain Solar power demonstration plant, in San Jose, California:...
Free, Downloadable, + DIY Green Gifts
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 5.09
What if you could pick out a design of something you wanted and order it like a song on iTunes, downloading it and printing it out? Or, if you don’t have a 3-D printer, you could go to the local print shop and pick it up? Click through for a look at the free, downloadable, and DIY gifts that make those dreams a reality.
...
Obama Gives Ethanol High Five, Slaps It In the Face
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 05. 5.09
Just as the Obama administration is launching an interagency task force to boost the biofuel industry amidst an industry-wide slump, it is also preparing to rigorously measure the carbon footprint of biofuels, making them look even more controversial and environmentally risky.
The effort announced today, which will immediately assist the corn-based ethanol and biodiesel industries, would help reduce America's petroleum consumption by 11 percent and lower direct emissions of greenhouse gases equivalent to "taking 24 million cars off the road," said EPA administrator Lisa Jackson. But she described corn-based ethanol, the predominant biofuel in the U.S., as only a "bridge to the next generation of biofuels," adding that biofuels must "reduce greenhouse compared to the fuels they replace."
Even as they applaud the White House's moves, the powerful farm lobby and farm state politicians are readying for a fight....
While Waiting for Really Big Bigger Kindle Announcement...
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 5.09
Kindle spy photo via Engadget
...we figured we'd get the conversation about it going. Afterall, everyone else is already talking.
So if you haven't heard yet, everyone is looking forward to seeing a new large-screen version of Kindle. It's all the buzz - complete with spy photos - and understandably so, especially when talking about what it would mean for newspapers and magazines, which rely on the larger page for their visual appeal. ...
Future Climate Changes Revealed By Staring at the Sun
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 05. 5.09
Image via: Getty Images
National Geographic reports that noticeable changes in climate may be explained by "staring" at the sun, as the latest lull in solar flares has some scientists worried that this might be the next "Little Ice Age." And by "little" we mean seas impassable due to too much ice and glaciers "engulfing" whole villages, which may not be such a bad thing, as we seem to be losing a glacier a day and could use a few more. ...
Reality TV Meets the Hundred Mile Diet
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 5.09
When James MacKinnon and Alisa Smith first wrote about the 100 Mile Diet in the Tyee in 2005 it was like a bomb going off. Their personal story became a meme, and a big part of the local food movement. It was a personal challenge by two young urbanites who really didn't know what they were doing (including starting at the worst time of the year) and a wonderful story. It became a best-selling book and and now, a reality TV show on Food TV.
But as a philosophy, it is seriously flawed; people have been trading salt and spices for thousands of years, coffee and cocoa for hundreds, because they just make things taste better and make life more pleasant. Even Susanna Moodie had her tea when she was roughing it in the bush. So the idea of forcing their personal journey on to participants in a reality show caused me some trepidation....
One for Mom, One for Mother Earth
by Greg Haegele of Sierra Club on 05. 5.09
Gray wolf and cubs. Image credit:Larry Allan, copyright 2006.
There's always talk around Earth Day about how you should "love your mother" -- and that means Mother Earth. But in case you're the type who doesn't keep track of things, you'd better be prepared to love your real mother come May 10, which is Mother's Day.
At the risk of shamelessly promoting something that helps my organization do its good work, I want to let you know about a gift idea that we've been getting a great response to, because it's fun, meaningful -- and helps protect wild places. And hey, we've got a special deal going for Mother's Day....
Better Landscaping Helps Portland Skatepark Go Green
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 5.09
photo: New Line Skateparks
Since Jaymi opened up the action sports doorway this morning, showcasing some pretty amazing bike riding, it seems appropriate to give skateboarding its green dues today as well. The New York Times is highlighting efforts to build greener skateparks in the Pacific Northwest:...
Ericsson Reducing Carbon Footprint by 40% per Subscriber
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 5.09
Image via Ericsson
Ericsson has set a pretty great goal for itself. It wants to reduce its carbon footprint by 40% per subscriber within the next few years. Last year the company performed life-cycle analyses on its mobile and fixed broadband networks and mobile phones, and determined where it could cut out carbon. It pinpointed some interesting areas, for a mobile networks company. . ...
Victor Civita Park, or How to Turn an Old Incinerating Plant into a Sleek Public Space in Sao Paulo
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 05. 5.09
Opening parks and open spaces in cities usually brings nothing but good to communities. Now what if not only you bring a park, but you also 'take away' a polluted venue and turn it into a sleek architectural space, all in the astonishing period of one year? This is the basic story of the Victor Civita Park in Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city.
Find out more about the project, including how the architects worked their way to make a highly contaminated soil a safe place for people....
5 Green Fights For The Future of British Columbia
by Jeff Nield, Vancouver, British Columbia on 05. 5.09
BC Relief Map via Wikimedia Commons
British Columbia (BC) is a fabulous place to live. The province's largest city, Vancouver, is consistently rated as one of the most livable cities in the world, and a visit to the fertile Fraser Valley and Gulf Islands will quickly demonstrate why the 100 Mile Diet germinated here. North and east beyond the highly populated southwest corner of the province lies multiple mountain ranges, a river and lake filled interior, grasslands, deserts, and a vast northern stretch dotted with resource towns. Not to mention an extensive Pacific ocean coastline. This varied landscape, and attendant resources, have been a boon to the economy and citizens of BC, but changing priorities, economies, and, ahem, a changing climate have given locals much to reflect on. After the jump we present five big issues that will define the future of British Columbia. ...
Green Gifts for Techie Types
by Blythe Copeland, Great Neck, New York on 05. 5.09
While true gadget obsessions aren’t always green—they often mean getting rid of equipment that still works, while gadgets that aren’t recycled waste countless amounts of resources and precious metals—technology that lets you live a greener life is the best of both worlds. See our fail-safe gift ideas for the geek in your life here.
...
Working From Home Can Be Tough on Couples
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 5.09
There is nothing new about whole families working out of the house in New York, and TreeHugger is a big fan of home-working (as we all do it). Margaret Farley Steele of The New York Times writes about how the recession is causing many people to double up, not always happily.
...
NYPD Blue Goes Green: Police Department Buys Hybrid Patrol Cars
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 5.09
photo: Edward Reed
Here's another one of those things that got lost in last week's all swine flu all the time shuffle: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that the police department has added 40 hybrid patrol cars to the fleet:...
Future iPhone App to Make You a Citizen Scientist Without Trying
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 5.09
Photo via SolYoung
So what if you could become a citizen scientist simply by using your iPhone? Scientists are working on an app that would let users simply snap photos of a plant's leaves and automatically upload the information to a central database where it could be accessed for research, helping scientists follow what's happening with our natural world as the climate changes. ...
EU Votes to End Sale of Seal Products - Canada Not Happy
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 05. 5.09
Photo mikebaird via flickr.
The EU Parliament has approved a suggestion to forbid the sale of seal products in the EU, in a bid to stop seal hunting and the brutal methods the hunts have sometimes been party to, including skinning the animals while they are still alive. Canada protested the EU's move and threatened to bring its case to the World Trade Organization.
In the meantime, TreeHugger readers say Canada should stop seal hunting altogether. This year, sealers in Canada's controversial hunt have killed almost 20,000 seals out of a quota of around 300,000....
China Invests in its First US Wind Power Projects, Most Parts to be Made Overseas
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 05. 5.09
photo: contri via flickr
Here's another first in the world of wind power: The first time the Chinese government has invested in wind farms in the United States. Tang Energy has announced that it has secured $300 million in financing from CATIC International Trade and Economic Development, a subsidiary of state-owned China Aviation Industry:...
Salvage an Old Laptop as a Home Entertainment Hub (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 5.09
The folks over at LAPTOP have put together a really great instructional video that shows you how to take an old laptop that you might be tempted to drop off for e-waste recycling, and turn it into a whole new awesome home entertainment hub. ...
Recycloop: Everything Including the Kitchen Sink
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 5.09
Images from 2012 architecten on flickr
Brigitte at Inhabitat beat me to the "everything but the kitchen sink" joke about this temporary structure built in Amsterdam two years ago, entirely out of kitchen sinks.
...
Selgas Cano Offices: Hit or Miss?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 5.09
You can usually tell a lot about an architect by the look of their office. Spanish firm Selgas Cano, who are also winners of this month's incomprehensible architects website award, have built themselves a pretty spectacular office in Madrid, lost among the trees. It certainly is low impact, barely rising above the ground, nestled among the greenery; on the other hand, one gets to look but not touch as all that glass is sealed. ...
China Doubling-Up On Wind: Positioning To Become Climate Action Super Power
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 05. 5.09
Clip from Chinese Wind Energy Association website.
Much is happening in China with wind power. The Global Wind Energy Council reports, for example, that "More than 20 new turbine manufacturers entered the Chinese market in 2008, bringing the total number of manufacturers in China to 70. Of these, 30 companies already have turbines in operation." I'm guessing there's maybe a quarter or less that number of turbine makers in North America. The official Chinese wind power growth projections have doubled several times in recent years. But, the newest projections are just staggering....
Wind Entrepreneur Listed Among UK's Richest
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 05. 5.09
Image credit: The Daily Mail
Dale Vince Makes the Sunday Times Rich List
Dale Vince is no stranger to hitting the headlines. From his wind-powered electric car project to challenging the UK government to step up to the climate change fight, the British entrepreneur and CEO of Ecotricity has done more than most to promote renewable energy and create a vision for a post carbon economy. When TreeHugger interviewed Dale Vince back in 2007, he made it clear that he believed there is no time to waste in building a clean, green, energy system. That's why I was delighted to see that Dale has made the Sunday Times Rich List as the 657th richest man in the UK. Dale himself, however, seems a little concerned by how this news might be viewed:
...
Car Scrap Scheme Terrific Waste of Money and Resources
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 05. 5.09
Photo of crushed car parts via Oosoom @ Wikipedia.
In January when the German government quickly implemented a car scrap scheme that pays motorists 2,500 euros ($3,328) to trash cars more than nine years old and buy new ones, other governments were full of praise - France and Italy followed, and the US, UK and now Spain have similar plans. But has this anti-recession measure done any good?...
Are You Traveling This Summer?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 5.09
Sami writes that for many of us, summer still means travel. But George Monbiot says we shouldn't, everybody is broke and swine flu is scaring people. What about you?
...
Strap-On and Slap-On Solar Chargers by Suntrica
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 5.09
Images via Suntrica
Suntrica has two interesting little portable solar chargers called the SolarBadge and the SolarStrap. They're small scale - very small scale - but ultra-portable possibilities for keeping your gadgets going while off-grid. And best of all, you can put them on just about anywhere....
Bike Stunts That Make Your Jaw Drop
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 5.09
Image via inspiredbicycles
Circulating the web is a video of absolutely incredible bike stunts by rider Danny MacAskill.He makes it look like humans were meant to be born with wheels. He also makes us realize there are few places a bike can't go. Click through to watch....
Wood Design by TEN on Tour
by Bonnie Alter, London on 05. 5.09
Images from Crafts Council
Wood is an exhibition of witty, innovative and ethically designed products for the home and garden--made of wood. First seen at London Design Festival in 2008, the show is on tour around England.
The show features 11 products created by TEN, a group of ten designers who get together every year to create interesting design. They have shown that domestic, sustainable design can be creative, innovative and witty and desirable. They have teamed up with a very good retailer, Twentytwentyone, to offer the chance to buy into, not just the idea but the product. ...
Floc Designs' Portable Flip Flops Fold Up to Save Space, Feet (And They're Recycled, Too!)
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 05. 4.09
Photo credit: Floc Designs
Like a devoted lover, these portable flip-flops will go where you go, roam where you roam, whether it's to the yoga studio, the spa, or that grody motel room where the carpet smells (and feels) like wet mongrel.
Made in the United States from 95 percent recycled rubber, Floc Designs' Pocketflops ($20) fold in half, so you can slip them neatly into the matching organic cotton or recycled PET pouch for chucking into your gym bag or purse for unforeseen ambulatory emergencies (broken heel, blistery feet, a city-wide blackout that forces you to schlep from midtown Manhattan across the Queensboro bridge to your boyfriend's apartment because the entire PATH subway system ground to a standstill)....
Go Green Travel Green Hosts Carnival of the Green
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 05. 4.09
This week is Carnival of the Green #178 and it's being hosted Go Green Travel Green, a website that focuses on simple steps to make your travel greener. From green hotels and public transportation to local food and eco-tours, Go Green Travel Green is chock full with eco travel tips, reviews, and news.
So head on over to this week's Carnival, which includes a round up of green news and events from the past week, submitted by other bloggers and green sites. And if you're an eco-conscious traveler, go ahead and stay awhile.
We are now accepting host requests for 2010! Read on to find out how to host....
Much A.D.O Over Herb-Infused Organic Clothing
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 05. 4.09
Photo credit: A.D.O. Clothing
Sure, we've seen herbs stirred into homemade marinara sauce, floating languorously in bathwater, tucked in a corner of a lingerie drawer like a perfumed love letter—but in clothing? With the express intention of improving our well-being? Now that's a novel concept, even if the art of ayurvastra, a branch of traditional Indian ayurvedic medicine that translates literally to "life or health-clothing," is an ancient one.
...
A Cap and Trade System Could Save US Families $900 a Year
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 05. 4.09
Photo via Inhabitat
It's something of a shocker, but according to a new analysis, using a cap and trade system to fight climate change wouldn't end up saddling American families with heavy costs. It would actually start saving them hundreds of dollars—as soon as 2013. This is bad news for carbon cap opponents, whose main line of attack is that such a system would place a massive financial burden on Americans. Instead, US families could be saving up to $900 a year in the near future. ...
Almost Half US Colleges Go Trayless. Why?
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 05. 4.09
Image via: Getty Images
Trayless? Really? When I started hearing that colleges were going trayless all I could think was, "how is saving plastic by not using a couple of trays going to cut down on the environmental footprint of a campus that is the size of a small town?" Well actually, according to the New York Times, several studies have been done now pointing to rather large savings, and we're not just talking waistlines. As almost half of the 300 schools with the largest endowments across the US go trayless, we thought we would take another look at this latest method to save some green....
Chinese Exercise Balls That Kinetically Charge Your Batteries
by Jerry James Stone, San Francisco, CA on 05. 4.09
Photo credit: Coroflot
Inspired by Chinese baoding balls, Shanghai designer Jiang Qian has created a kinetic charger concept that juices up your batteries all while fixing that pesky carpal tunnel.
The aptly named Roll Charger harnesses energy from the ball's motion. It converts that kinetic energy into electricity. That electricity is then used to charge a single battery within the ball.
...
Dyson's Plans for Kitchen Domination
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 4.09
The brilliant designer James Dyson has applied for another patent to clean up our kitchens. The Dyson Team complains about the different shapes of toasters, kettles and other appliances in the New Scientist:
...
US to "Zone the Ocean" to Divvy Up Space for Wind Farms, Oil Rigs and Fisheries
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 05. 4.09
Is it possible to issue zoning permits for the ocean? Some US states think so. Due to the growing clashes between fishermen, offshore wind farms, oil rigs, and recreation-seekers, some believe that it's high time we start zoning the ocean itself.
...
Messaging Battle May Influence the Climate Fight
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 05. 4.09
It's an age old question: What's in a name? If you're involved in the climate fight, it seems, the answer is everything. A new research firm has some suggestions on global warming framing that shouldn't be missed.
...
Supreme Court Lets Big Business off the Hook in the Mystery of the $42 Million Pesticide Dump
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 05. 4.09
Photo via Pan-UK
Okay, here's a little tale--gather 'round folks. It's a mystery story, too; the best kind. There once was a nefarious agriculture chemical company called Brown & Bryant. The Oil Giant Shell sold millions of dollars of pesticides to B&B, who stored them in a great big facility in California on land also owned by Union Pacific. Each shared responsibility for the dangerous chemicals. But one day, B&B came under an environmental investigation for shady practices, and went out of business. The chemicals then spread contamination across the land, a danger to all (and especially to groundwater). Now, 20 years later, the Supreme Court has ruled that none of the companies involved have to pay for the cleanup, and instead the gallant knight Government has to pick up the tab itself. But who was really to blame?...
House of Furniture: Chairs that Pop Out of Walls
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 4.09
So you suddenly need a home office with a little privacy. Off you got to the neighborhood CNC shop, pick out a few sheets of FSC ply and a copy of The House of Furniture Parts by Studio Makkink & Bey. Bungee them to your cargo bike and off you go....
Watch What You Eat: The Sugar Content is Deceptive
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 4.09
It is amazing what a good graphic idea can convey without words. Nobody would consciously feed their kid seven and a half cubes of sugar, but that is what I did every time I gave our children a box of raisins, which get 100% of their calories from sugar.
The clever comparison is from SugarStacks, a website filled with nothing but stacks of sugar cubes....
Un-TreeHugger: The Robotic Sheep Shearer (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 4.09
Image via Gizmodo
Wow. Kind of a stunner, this one. It's a robotic sheep shearer. Basically, a sheep put on a rack (as if for roasting), and a robotic clipper set goes at it, methodically removing the fleece. Supposedly it's quite relaxing for the sheep, though that is highly debatable. On top of that, there are a lot of un-TreeHugger elements to it. Click through to watch it in action....
High-Speed Rail: Richard Florida Weighs In
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 4.09
We have noted that some people think that the high speed rail network proposals are a great step forward, while others, like Jim Kunstler, think it is a waste of resources that should be spent fixing what we have.
Urban theorist Richard Florida overlays the proposed high speed rail network on his map of urban megaregions and makes some very good points....
Thousands of Bat Caves Closed Due to Fungus Infestations
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 4.09
Super awesome photo via Planet Love
Bad news for bats. Remember that heat box idea for bats suffering from a fungus? Looks like the idea isn't as crazy as it sounds. Thousands of caves in 33 states are being closed to try and prevent the spread of an awful fungus causing "white-nose syndrome."...
Another Reason To Lose the TV: They Squish Kids
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 4.09
Aaron Escobar
We have posted a lot of reasons why perhaps kids should play outside instead of watching TV; yet many parents keep them inside because they are afraid they might get hurt. Perhaps they would reconsider if they knew that 14,700 children are injured at home every year by falling TVs....
Donating Your Old Cell Phone for Moms on Mother's Day
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 4.09
Can't think of what to give Mom for Mother's Day? If you can't find anything off our Mother's Day gift guide, maybe you can do something really cool in her honor. Something like donating your old cell phone. How, exactly, might this honor your mama, you wonder? Click through to find out. ...
Quote of the Day: How a 'Green House of the Future' Can Impede Environmental Progress
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 4.09
Wm. McDonough for the Wall Street Journal
In a post on passive design last week, I wrote "TreeHugger keeps away from big single family houses these days." Preston at Jetson Green asked why. Coincidentally, Roger Lewis of the Washington Post responded to the The Green house of the Future in the Wall Street Journal and explained it perhaps better than I could.
Focusing on hypothetical designs of free-standing houses can even be a distraction. It can mask a more serious aspect of the challenge: the diminished sustainability of low-density, residential subdivisions in suburbia where most free-standing houses of the future are likely to be situated....
IF Mode Folding Bike Folds in Seconds but Rides Like a Normal Bike
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 4.09
Mark Sanders, designer of the Strida, is at it again with the IF (integrated folding) Mode bike. It won the Gold Medal at the iF Product Design Awards in Germany in March. Bikes that fold quickly and easily have great promise as part of an intermodal transport system, letting people move from bike to train or bus and back to bike. The IF Mode looks interesting, much more conventional than the Strida, but a lot more expensive, too....
Weird and Cool Stuff Made from Bottles (Slideshow)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 4.09
Photo Via James Addison
Bottles can easily become art, shelter, decorations...They don't lose their potential just because they're empty of liquid. Innovators, artists, and just plain thrifty folk have proven this. We've gathered up some of the coolest and weirdest stuff that has crossed our paths, all made from bottles. Click through, and be amazed.
...
Bike Bonus: In One German Town, You Can Cash in On Car AND Bike Swaps
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 05. 4.09
Germany's Verkersklub Deutschland lobbies for a bike-friendly scrapping scheme.
Germany's 2,500 Euro car swap rebate, which came into effect back in January, has been controversial - organizations such as the Association for Sustainable Mobility say it has done and will do nothing for the environment. Well how about bike swapping? The city of Mannheim has partnered with organization Biotopia to offer adult residents the ability to leave behind their old bikes get a 50 Euro rebate from the purchase of a new bike. One hilarious aspect of the Handelsblatt/Reuters news story about the swap, however, is that it is prefaced with a commercial for a new Mercedes!...
6 Ways to Cut Carbon Without Sacrificing Your Journey
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 05. 4.09
Image credit: KeenTraveler
Recession or no recession, the summer is on its way. And for many of us, summer still means travel. Whether by road, rail, air or sea, we still feel the urge to get away from our day-to-day and see new horizons. But short of biking and walking, whatever travel mode we choose is likely to mean emissions - and plenty of them. So what are we TreeHuggers supposed to do when we need a break? Luckily there is plenty we can do to reduce our emissions, even when we fly. Here are a few ways to cut your impact without sacrificing your journey.
...
Mercury in Pacific to Rise by 50% by 2050
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 05. 4.09
Photo via Jessicafm
According to a new study, if mercury levels continue to rise at the rate they're predicted to rise, the amount of mercury in the Pacific will increase by 50% over the next 40 years. The study also shows just how the mercury in emissions from around the world wind up in the North Pacific Ocean....
George Will Disses the Prius, Obama and the Facts
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 05. 4.09
Round 2: George Will vs. the 2010 Toyota Prius
On This Week with George Stephanopoulos yesterday, conservative columnist George Will commented on President Obama's emphasis on green cars, now that the White House is arguably a co-owner of Chrysler and is running GM, and claimed that the Prius is only successful because it doesn't make any profits:[The Prius is] affordable because Toyota sells it at a loss, and it can afford to sell it at a loss because it is selling twice as many gas-guzzling pickup trucks of the sort our president detests. So as an auto executive, he's off to a rocky start.But that's not true. By George, Toyota and independent analysts say the Prius is a money maker for Toyota, and it has been since 2001. ...
Leftfoot Charley: Reuse Your Wine Bottles
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 05. 4.09
Image credit: Leftfoot Charley
Bring Your Own Bottle(s): Wine from the Barrel
We're not winos by any means, really we're not, but the carbon footprint of wine is a recurring theme here at TreeHugger. Whether it's the wine bottle versus box debate, or the discussion over shipped versus road-freighted wine, my colleagues and I are always on the lookout for ways that we can keep drinking with a clean(er) conscience. That's why I was delighted to hear that Michigan winery Leftfoot Charley is now offering drinkers bringing their own reusable bottles wine straight from the barrel - here's how it works:
...
Survey: Is High Speed Rail The Answer?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 05. 4.09
Sami asked Is High Speed Rail the Answer?, noting that some environmentalists are questioning it. Sami asked, and we repeat:
...
Bike Sharing Coming to Australia. Soon And Later
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 05. 4.09
Why should the rest of the world have all the fun and practicality of a Bike-Share program (see links below) and Australia miss out? It won’t if several new initiatives attract the support they expect.
The Victorian state capital of Melbourne will, from 5 May 2009, have a three week trial with 30 bikes being made available from five locations around the city. Called Common Bike, it is being organised by industrial design students from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) under the tutelage of visitung lecturer Ronald Haverman, who helped establish a similar not-for-profit scheme in the Netherlands. Known as OV-fiets, it now apparently services 60,000 members out of 180 rail stations....
Australia Moves Slowly Closer to Complete Plastic Bag Ban
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 05. 4.09
Today’s the day. The day when the state of South Australia officially bans single use plastic shopping bags. As we mentioned, at the start of the year, retailers will be fined if they provide customers with plastic, or even so called ‘degradable’ bags. All they can offer instead are truly compostable (ie, worm and microorganism friendly), or reusable bags.
Other states did not come to the party when the Australian government attempted, last year, to make the nation plastic bag free. So South Australia is going it alone.
Well, maybe not entirely alone. The national retail chain, Target, announced at the end of April they will, as of 1 June 2009, phase out plastic bags (PDF) from their 283 stores. ...
Poetry for the Environment - Dialogue Between the Body and the Soul
by Bonnie Alter, London on 05. 4.09
Image from RSA
There have been numerous popular films and books about the environment and now two poets are sharing their views. One lives in England and the other in Australia, and both decided to stop flying internationally for environmental reasons.
Instead of meeting personally, Melanie Challenger and John Kinsella will be publishing an exchange of poems on the subject of their thoughts on air travel. The idea is that "great poetry can take us to new places without any increase in carbon footprints." The result is a multi-part work, Dialogue between the body and the soul. The first, by Kinsella, is up. Get inspired after the fold. ...
New Study Says, You're Dead Meat if You Eat Red Meat
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 05. 3.09
Photo via: Marshall Astor
One million men and half a million women die each year from the excessive consumption of red meat (beef, venison) and processed meats (sausage, bologna). So what, you say, I've heard this same old song and dance for some 20 years now. That's true, but what makes this new study so interesting? Not only have they broken down some of the risk factors of eating red meat within these statistics, but they also are beginning to understand that perhaps it is not so much the red meat itself, but rather the lifestyle choices of the types of people who eat it.
Red Meat is bad stuff we are told, it clogs the arteries, boosts blood pressure, and allows cancer cells to sneak past the bodies own self defense mechanism. So where's the statistical evidence? It's right here......
7 Out of 10 College Bound Students, Prefer Green Universities
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 05. 3.09
Photo via: Mcikey
A Recent Princeton Review survey shows that most college applicants today are becoming increasingly interested in how green their prospective universities are. Of these statistics, 68 percent of the students surveyed admitted that their final decision on a college might very well be influenced by the overall environmental score of the university....
Rothbury Rock Fest Raises Green Bar
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 05. 3.09
Trash for the "landfill," compost for local farmers, and recycling. Photo by: Michael Weintrob
Coachella won our Best of Green Music Festivals and does an exemplary job recycling plastic water bottles, educating fans, and other greenings. Though I wonder why it doesn’t encourage refillable water containers in the middle of the desert. So who is the green, greener, greenest? My vote leans toward Rothbury Festival in Michigan, happening July 2-5, for its commitment “to throwing a huge party with a purpose.” Am I partial as a former Detroiter in California? Check out Rothbury’s slew of initiatives and judge for yourself. ...
Was "Free Willy" Better Off in Captivity?
by Josh Peterson, Los Angeles, California on 05. 3.09
Photo: Digicla via Flickr
Keiko the killer whale, also known as Willy from the movie Free Willy, died in captivity in 2003. Many attempts were made to release the whale into the wild. All were failures. Now, researchers are saying that the efforts to free Keiko were mistakes.
...
McDonalds Prototype Restaurant Is 25% More Energy Efficient
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 05. 3.09
McDonald's Chicago Eco-Learning Lab Store. Image credit:GreenBeanChicago
TimesOnline reports that McDonald's experimental Chicago store uses 25% less energy than an "average" McDonald’s, and that the company is looking to apply what it has learned to more of its restaurants. "The potential savings could be huge, given that the company has 14,000 restaurants in America and 31,000 in total."
GreenBeanChicago has all the details and more pictures....
No Data, No Market: the EU Gets Serious About Chemicals
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 05. 3.09
Image: ECHA
The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has announced the start of the first REACH enforcement project. REACH = Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of CHemicals. One goal of the enforcement project is to check if any chemicals are still coming onto the market in the European Union which were not registered by the 1 December 2008 deadline. Registered substances, also known as phase-in substances, may continue to be sold while manufacturers gather and submit the required test data to prove that use and sale of their chemicals is safe. But companies that somehow missed the deadline will be in for a surprise: the law promises that any chemicals which are not registered may not be sold. Only after all data is gathered and submitted can these chemicals once again be sold in Europe. No data, no market.
A tear-jerking video explaining why the EU acted to implement REACH, and how REACH is expected to be the first law to really guarantee consumers protection from harmful chemicals, has been distributed by the cleverly named YouTube user eutube:...
Top Sony Prize for Photos of the Desert Southwest
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 05. 3.09
Untitled (Desert 59), 2008, by David Zimmerman
A series of abstract images of threatened Southwest desert landscapes by an American artist who powers his studio with solar panels took the top prize last month in the Sony World Photography Awards, an annual competition for professional and amateur photographers that drew more than 60,000 entries from 139 countries....
Laura Ingraham Uses Edited Clips to Misrepresent Gore
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 05. 3.09
Elaine Kim Introduces Her Collection of Fresh and Edgy Couture
by Sara Novak, Columbia, SC on 05. 3.09
photo: Elaine Kim
When the former designer of Product reentered the market last year after an eight year hiatus from designing, she proved once more that she has what it takes to be a fashion innovator. She creates edgy and inventive designs with clean lines and soft fabics. Her sculptural pieces make this young designer easy to recognize....
Can Fiat Win the Hearts of Americans?
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 05. 3.09
Image: Carscoop
The chat around the watercooler naturally includes the question of whether the Fiat-Chrysler merger can succeed. Fiat's previous venture into the American market left them saddled with the acronymic slogan Fix It Again Tony. "Those of us old enough to remember won't touch them," runs the opening salvo of the discussion.
And it was fully earned: the reputation was not isolated to one side of the Atlantic. Europeans also remember cars that blew their engines before the last payment was made. But Fiat has made incredible strides in reinventing itself. With the Fiat Panda winning acclaim for reliable, efficient transportation and American Alfisti hungering for the availability of the Mito, is it time to learn more about what Americans can expect from Fiat's comeback, and why the environment and your pocketbook will benefit?...
