- 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 June 28, 2009 - July 4, 2009
Total this week: 190
Fireworks Fizzle or Fizzle Shizzle?
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 07. 4.09
Photo via Flickr by foxypar4
While the economy has put a damper on fireworks for July 4th in towns like Yonkers, N.Y., Springfield, MO and Flint, MI which can’t afford the $35,000 to $100,000 that go up in smoke after the brilliant bursts, plenty of dazzling displays will fill the skies. Sound un-American to skip fireworks? Last year’s poll about fireworks saw treehugger readers fairly divided on whether polluting fireworks should be history. You might skip the pyrotechnic displays, but better yet ask that your municipality to choose more environmentally friendly technologies available.
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Quote Of The Day: Sarah Palin "should also lead the nation's mothers to oppose mandating replacement of incandescent light bulbs with the new mercury poison gas bulbs."
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07. 4.09
Peter Ferrara, Harvard Law, Class of 1979.
Image credit:Harvard Law Bulletin, David Deal.
Peter Ferrara, who served under US Presidents Reagan & Bush, just tossed an Independence Day stink bomb at tree huggers and climate realists. Fox News, FoxForum, carried his opinion piece, "Sarah Palin Outsmarts the Left" in which he listed good things that Sarah Palin can do for environment and energy policy, while 'not-Governor' of Alaska. ...
Cartoonist Shows Sardonic Eco-Humor is Alive and Well
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 07. 4.09
Image via Seppo Leinonen
Ecopreneurist is highlighting some art from Seppo Leinonen, a cartoonist out of Finland, who perfectly captures that tongue-in-cheek tone that makes acknowledging the environmental destruction we're imposing on the planet nearly digestible. ...
Sanyo Eneloop Lamp Switches from Indoor Ambiance to Emergency Flashlight
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 07. 4.09
Photo via Tech On
Sanyo's Eneloop Solar Charger has been on our radar for awhile, and we like watching what new devices they come up with. They're now planning on putting out a rechargeable lamp designed specifically to be a multi-tasker. Anytime a device is made to serve more than one function, our ears perk up. Plus, the interesting shape of this thing is enough to garner some attention. ...
Ruins of the Second Gilded Age in the New York Times
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 4.09
Edgar Martins via New York Times
We have been discussing Whither the McMansion, wondering about their future; their present is equally troubling. The New York Times sent photographer Edgar Martins across America to document "the physical evidence of the real estate bust." It is an appalling scene of excess and waste....
DIY Chair Concept Uses Wood, Cardboard and...Zipties
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 07. 4.09
Images via viktor matic
IKEA with their single Allen wrench and image-based instructions would have nothing on a concept kit chair called "zipit" by viktor matic....
What's Needed Out of the G8
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 07. 4.09
Photo via News Daily
The leaders of the G8 will be meeting this week in Italy and on the table, of course, is just what these rich countries will do about climate change. We are down to about 150 or so days before the international climate negotiations in Copenhagen, and it's well known that without leadership from the G8, there will be no fair and effective deal. Here's what we can expect out of Italy....
Sex, Trams n Rock n Roll: Super Furry Animals Celebrate Mass Transit
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07. 4.09
Image credit: Super Furry Animals
Rock n roll meets integrated transport hubs
Who'd have thought that one of the best songs I've heard all year would be about sustainable urban transportation systems?
I've said it before, but I owe a huge debt of gratitude to Rob Hopkins of the Transition Towns Movement - not just for inspiring one of the most important community-led responses to environmental crisis there is - but also for giving me stuff to write about. His Transition Culture blog is a constant source of inspiration and news on everything from communal nut tree plantings to alternative local currencies. Now we can add rock n roll to the mix - because thanks to Rob I have come across the best (and possibly only!) rock n roll song ever that is taking a stand for trams as a vital part of integrated transportation hubs. And who'd have thought it would be so catchy (at least if you are a fan of mass transportation AND weird Welsh/Germanic spacepop).
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Must the Greens Hate the Rich? Class War in NC
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07. 4.09
Image credit: Sami Grover
Protesters Attack Luxury Green Apartments
Recently fly posters have been appearing around my town - "Greenbridge: Classism Applied Liberally"; "Greenbridge is Racist", and my personal favorite "Greenbridge Only Cares About One Thing" (Illustrated with a pile of dollar bills). The target of all this anger is Greenbridge Developments - a construction of high-tech, LEED Gold certified apartments that is being built on the edge of downtown Chapel Hill. The project has gotten much flack in activist circles for its prices (most apartments cost between $300,000 and $1,000,000) and its alleged role in the gentrification of a neighboring historically African-American neighborhood. But I can't help feeling these posters are missing the point....
Yesterday's Old T-Shirt, Today's Cool Reusable Bag
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 07. 4.09
Participants in the Istanbul bag-making workshop. Photos courtesy of Buğday.
Paper bags aren't too commonly used in Turkey, but shopkeepers just love giving out plastic ones -- for a tiny item that you could easily tuck into your purse or a pocket, for a single soda you'll probably just drink on the way home anyway, for a few nectarines that are already in another plastic bag. I've gotten used to saying "Poşet lazim değil, çantama koyabilirim" ("a bag is not necessary, I can put it in my purse") -- and to the funny looks people usually give me in return. So the old "Paper or Plastic? Neither!" idea seems like it might be a hard sell here. But that's not what the folks at the farmer's market found out....
Street Legal Golf Carts On the Rise
by Sara Novak, Columbia, SC on 07. 4.09
photo via Flickr
As a native of South Carolina, sharing the road with golf carts is nothing new. With the highest number of golf courses per capita in the United States, we’ve taken our golf carts off-course for ages. Now the rest of the country is finally catching on....
Sonoma County Welcomes Electric Vehicles With Plans For 200 Charging Stations
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 07. 3.09
Image via: Coulomb Technologies
Sonoma County, CA is preparing to install 200 new ChargePoint electric vehicle charging stations throughout the county. The infrastructure is being installed in preparation of electric vehicles being sold like hot cakes starting over the next few years, but the plan hinges on a little thing called funding....
Louise Galvin Launches U.K.'s First Carbon-Neutral Beauty Company
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 07. 3.09
Photo credit: Louise Galvin
Louise Galvin, hair colorist to the stars and the woman behind the eponymous haircare line, can add another pip to her collar: Louise Galvin is U.K.'s first beauty company to become carbon-neutral.
Pumped full of naturally derived ingredients like essential oils, natural extracts, and vegetable-based moisturizing and conditioning agents—no sulfates, parabens, silicone, petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances, or polymers, thanks—Galvin's cruelty-free follicle-primping products maintain close-to-nonexistent carbon footprints through a partnership with The CarbonNeutral Company....
More Low-carbon Grilling Tips: Minty Marinade
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 07. 3.09
Before: how not to grill--high flame, smoke and charring. Photo via flickr by (appropriately) Combust
When barbecuing your free-range meats and line-caught fish this July 4th, be sure to whip up some marinade first. Yesterday, I offered ten ways to avoid carcinogenic HCAs and PAHs when grilling (or any high-heat cooking, for that matter). Thanks to a comment from a reader, I dug digger into tip # 4, the marinating suggestion that lessens HCAs, and discovered some compelling results and recommended recipes for significantly reducing these toxins. Read on for ways to green the grill for a almost zero-carbon cookout. Hint: mint. ...
Has the 'Organic' Label Become the Biggest Greenwashing Campaign in the US?
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 07. 3.09
Photos via Critical Bench, and the Guardian
We're well aware that more and more products are apt to be labeled with false green claims to try to grab the attention of increasingly green consumers--and 98% percent of them were guilty of exactly that last year. Now consider the federal, USDA regulated 'organic' label that many shoppers have come to know and trust. That now-ubiquitous label has become perhaps the most recognizable standard bearer for the green food movement--it couldn't be one of the biggest cases of greenwashing in the US. Could it?...
Speak Up for Energy Independence Day
by Greg Haegele of Sierra Club on 07. 3.09
Assembly Room, Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where in 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed; and, in 1787, the U.S. Constitution was drafted. Image credit:Flockr, Dailyville photostream. Excerpted.
Perhaps that title is becoming common from those of us who've been fighting for clean energy for the U.S. instead of the same old dirty fossil fuels, but as chants of "Drill, baby, drill!" continue to emanate from some corners, we must stick with it.
We've hit summer's stride - It's time for the 4th of July holiday weekend, people are traveling, and gas prices are rising. The dirty energy crowd is keeping up with its same old dirty business - calling for the same old energy sources that pollute our planet. Clean energy creates jobs, boosts the economy and lowers our global warming pollution.
That's why we're using this Independence Day weekend to wish the U.S. a happy birthday and tell our decision-makers that the best gift our country can get is a clean energy economy....
Fashion That Goes Vroom: Smart Car, Colette Commission Eco-Friendly Wearables
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 07. 3.09
Photo credit: Colette
Renowned Parisian retailer Colette and the cutest car this side of Sanrio have put up a united fashion front, rallying five designer labels from Paris, New York, Berlin, Brazil, and Denmark to produce a tres exclusive, tres limited-edition collection of bags, jewelry, tees, and accessories for the urban car brand.
Revolving around the themes of urban mobility, design, and sustainability, the co-branded smartEColett line is entirely composed of recycled or recyclable materials. And they weren't kidding about limited edition—only 150 of each product, including the recyclable plastic Melissa ballet flats above, have been produced....
Stephen Colbert Takes on the Supreme Court, Mocks Toxic Waste Dumping Decision (VIDEO)
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 07. 3.09
Image via friends v1
Stephen Colbert took on the Supreme Court case that outraged environmentalists everywhere--you know, the one that ruled that toxic waste from a gold mine could be dumped in a lake, subsequently eradicating all life within. Colbert's take will most likely make you even more angry, but at least it's funny as hell. Watch the video after the jump....
War in Pakistan Exposes 2 Million Refugees to Contaminated Water, Disease Risk
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 07. 3.09
Photo via the Takeaway
As fighting between the Taliban and the Pakistani military escalated in South Waziristan, millions of people were forced to flee their homes—it was Pakistan's biggest exodus since the country's founding in 1947. The two million refugees now face a slew of severe health risks—among them, a contaminated, damaged water supply and insufficient access to health care.
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Richard Branson Opens Farm to Fork Eco-Resort in NJ
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 07. 3.09
Image via: Ninety Acres Culinary School
Richard Branson, known for supporting all types of wild and high profile schemes (renewable energy, carbon capture, alternative fuels for Virgin Airlines and even eco-resorts on his famous islands), now he's into something a little more mellow: funding a Farm to Fork project/eco-resort....
US Consumers Prefer "100% Natural" Food Label
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07. 3.09
The cultural legacy of R. Crumb's 60's cartoon character, "Mr. Natural," may well be that US consumers have an instinctive preference for the "100% Natural" label over the "100% Organic" one, and by a wide margin (as pictured). That's according to recent survey of 1006 people by the Shelton Group, which offeres detailed results in a commercially-sold EcoPulse market report....
Living in Glass Houses: Vodafone's Solar Powered Mobile Home
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 3.09
Vodafon is sending this solar powered minihome around Spain to promote their telephone and internet services, complete with a family of four that is blogging about it at La Casa Móvil. Designers Waskman design studio, with creative space Culdesac, squeezed a lot into not much space. No doubt the glass wall makes it feel bigger, albeit without much privacy....
Rhino Poaching at 15-Year High, Driven by High Demand for Rhino Horn in Asia
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07. 3.09
Photo: Wikipedia, CC
Something Must be Done
The total world Rhino population is estimated at around 24,500 individuals (more details at the International Rhino Foundation). Rhino poaching is mostly driven by demand for rhino horn, which is thought to have some medicinal properties in some countries (I can't wait until they figure out that it's just keratin, calcium, and melanin), and it has been getting worse in recent years in both Africa and Asia....
Reduce Your Carbon Footprint By Flying to Paris (Slideshow)
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 3.09
I know, that contradicts everything we have been saying about the carbon footprint of flying, but there are a lot of lessons to be learned from visiting other places and cultures. In Paris, it's more than just the smaller carbon footprint of urban dwellers; it is about food, bikes, walking, transit, and a different style of living. So many lessons.
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Orange's Futuristic Solar Tent for Stylish Off-Grid Charging
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 07. 3.09
Images via Orange
Taking their Chill-n-Charge tent to a whole new level, Orange has dreamed up a concept solar tent that would use flexible solar fabric and modern design to create a place to relax and charge up gear while off grid. Check out images of the concept tent and how it would work. ...
FICO Is Greening Our Credit, and the Business in General
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 07. 3.09
Dealing with your FICO score can sometimes make you see red, but the company is trying to throw in some green. They launched a Sustainable Enterprise Initiative in 2008, with the goal to reduce the company's IT energy use by 50% and paper consumption by 80% by 2010. They've already made some serious headway on that goal. ...
The Blogosphere's Top 5 Ways to Green Your 4th of July Celebrations
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 07. 3.09
This week on TreeHugger we've been looking at ways you can make your Independence Day celebrations greener than the grass you'll be having your BBQ on. Avoiding carbon from BBQ's, vegan celebrations in Texas, fireworks and the environment, have all been highlighted, so let's take a tour on the blogosphere party bus to see what other bright green 4th of July sparks there are out there....
San Francisco Turns Intersection into Park in 72 Hours (Video)
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07. 3.09
Image credit: StreetFilms
Dangerous intersection reclaimed as public space
One of my favorite things about the folks at StreetFilms is that they don't just report on innovative projects for livable streets - they deconstruct what has been done so we can all learn from it. It's like they are building a sense of collective literacy around planning and public space. Whether it's physically separated bike lanes or Bogota's comprehensive approach to transport planning, their short videos show us inspiring examples of real change, and they explain how and why they really work. The same goes for their latest offering - a short film about a temporary park created on a dangerous intersection in the Castro district of San Francisco. We get an understanding of the history, a breakdown of what has been done and why, and of course we get to see how the ever flamboyant residents of San Francisco are putting their new park to use. ...
Eco-Activism, Charitable Donations, and You
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 07. 3.09
Photo via N.ico
Natural Papa is running a fundraiser drive that reminds us how vital taking action is to environmentalism. Some of the bigger names in the green blogosphere, including TheGoodHuman and TwilightEarth have gotten together to rally funds for some important environmental groups. And the best part is, you get a say in how the fundraiser goes down. Check out how this special eco-charity drive works....
Bridgedale Adds Bamboo Socks And Reduces Global Warming
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07. 3.09
The other week I was sitting in a medical waiting room reading, as you do, a copy of Reader Digest. There was an intriguing article about Jackie Heinricher, her Booshoot company, and the plan to bring large scale bamboo cultivation to North America. At the time I thought I should follow up on that story.
So I was very surprised to come home and find in my email inbox a missive regarding outdoor sock company Bridgedale’s connection with Booshoot and their Plant A Boo campaign. It seems once upon a time the US had 5 million acres of bamboo under crop. The Plant A Boo project is looking to reinvigorate this swift growing grass as a domestically available resource for furniture, flooring and textiles....
Students Get 568 Km Per Liter, Hope For More
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 07. 3.09
Sakarya University students with their hydrogen-powered car. Photo via SAİTEM.
Gas prices in Turkey are among the highest -- if not the highest -- in the world, a fact I was rudely awakened to last summer when some friends and I rented a car to drive from Istanbul to Edirne, a round-trip of around 500 kilometers, to watch the oil-wrestling championships. (A story in and of itself.) We paid about $100 for the gas alone, some 38 liters of it. If we'd been driving the SAHİMO, a car invented by Turkish university students, we could have gone all the way across the country -- more than three times farther -- on just three liters of fuel....
Rate Your Stinky Hippy Factor: Do You Really Need Deodorant?
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 07. 3.09
Photo via Jeff the Trojan @ flickr.
An informal survey of the global TreeHugger gang revealed an interesting (and perhaps slightly redolent) tendency to move away from the use of deodorant each and every day. In fact, the majority of responding THers have partially or even wholly given up on deodorant, primarily kicking the habit due to trouble finding them without pore-clogging aluminum chlorohydrate or petroleum-based propylene glycol.
"At the risk of ostracizing myself I will reveal I haven't used underarm grooming products in over 15 years." - Anonymous TH bloggerGetting away from deodorant reduces the amount of products a person needs to use each day and the plastic receptacle count in the bathroom. In addition, the overall stink factor may not be as terrible as society would have us believe. Not convinced? Read on for four ways to help with a low-deodorant but not-too-stinky lifestyle....
Chelsea Football Team is the Greenest, Plus Other Winners
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07. 3.09
Image from Chelsea Football News
The winners of the Green 500 awards have been announced--these are organisations taking part in a London-wide campaign to reduce carbon emissions.
The greenest football (soccer) team is Chelsea Football Club. Despite the fact that their captain drives a Ferrari, the team has a serious environmental policy. It encourages supporters to use public transport to get to the games. They also have a car-sharing scheme for fans and 85% of the rubbish at games is recycled. At the training grounds recycled water is used on the fields and staff are given loans to buy bicycles ...
Sneak Peek: Leanne Marshall for Bluefly.com
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 07. 2.09
Photo credit: Bluefly
Leanne Marshall, Project Runway's Season 5 winner, presented a sneak peek of her long-anticipated sustainable collection for Bluefly.com on Tuesday.
Available exclusively at the online retailer starting July 8, the nine-piece collection comprises a tank and a tunic in two colorways, a skirt, jacket, and three different takes on the dress, including a smoldering off-the-shoulder fuchsia number and an ultramarine duchess-silk-and-organza confection.
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Ten Ways to Avoid Carbon from Barbecues This 4th of July
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 07. 2.09
Hmmm, the smoky flavor of carcinogens give PAHs for thought. Photo via Flickr by brandi666
Stand out of the line of fire of smoky fumes. Sure, that's the first defense. But what about the dangers of grilled dogs, ribs, and salmon? I've long heard tales of how a charcoal grilled burger is the equivalent of a carton of cigarettes. So when flipping through Cure magazine at my acupuncturist’s office, I discovered an article from Lena Huang about “Good Grilling” with easy steps to reduce risk. If there’s 225,000 metric tons of CO2, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and other VOCs spewing into the atmosphere from 60 million BBQs across the country this holiday weekend, how about waving a flag this 4th of July over the carcinogens you eat? ...
Pathway To Corporate Sustainability: A Profile Of SAP, Global Business Software Provider
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07. 2.09
Outer-hallway meeting room, with privacy glass, allowing natural light penetration.
SAP, USA, newly constructed LEED "Platinum" headquarters building.
I recently had a chance to speak with representatives of the global business software company SAP, as well get a tour of the firm's nearly completed LEED Platinum US Headquarters building in Newtown Square Pennsylvania. The result, written as a composite interview, is a profile of SAP's global sustainability strategy, punctuated with a photographic tour of the new building.
There was a discussion of sustainability strategy with Scott Bolick, Vice President, SAP Sustainability, in Palo Alto, CA, USA; a tour and talk with Brian Barrett, building Manager, SAP, Newtown Square; and, finally a discussion with Bill McDermott, President of Global Field Operations, SAP AG, and member of the SAP Executive Board, and other members of his staff. Shall we begin?...
Holy Crap! Toilet-Paper Wedding Dress Displays Unparalleled Dedication
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 07. 2.09
Photo credit: Cheap Chic Weddings
Major, major kudos to Ann Kagawa Lee of Honolulu, Hawaii, winner of Cheap Chic Wedding's annual toilet-paper wedding dress contest, who made this mind-boggling matrimonial ensemble out of bathroom tissue—a textile fit for a recession!—tape, glue, and a breathtaking amount of commitment.
Lee's stunningly detailed creation, which has drawn comparisons to an Oscar de la Renta couture gown, according to the Web site, was inspired by a potent combo of Gone With the Wind and Japanese origami....
Washington D.C. Event: Fashion Fights Poverty Hosts Fashion Swap on July 18
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 07. 2.09
Photo credit: Fashion Fights Poverty
Mark your calendars: One of the largest fashion fundraisers in our nation's capital, Fashion Fights Poverty, will be hosting Washington, D.C.'s first fashion swap on July 18.
Bring in your gently used togs to be consigned, traded for "new to you" pieces, or donated to D.C.'s Covenant House, an organization that offers shelter, protection, food, clothing, counseling, and job training to disadvantaged youth. Details below....
Transport TW: Zero Emission Car Powered By Magnetic Fields
by Jerry James Stone, San Francisco, CA on 07. 2.09
Photo courtesy of EcoFriend Car designer Harsha Vardhan suggests that this two-wheeler concept is the car of the future. His Transporter TW (Twin Wheel) is a single-seater electric vehicle that uses magnetic fields for driving the car. The two gianormous wheels, suspended over a superconducting fluid, are propelled by those shifting magnetic fields. Thus the power generation, and motion of the car, is a nice noiseless and smooth ride. ...
All Ocean-Going Ships Near California's Coast Must Now Use Cleaner Fuel
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07. 2.09
Photo: Flickr, CC
This is a Big Deal
A Californian regulation mandating that all ocean-going vessels within 24 miles of the state's coast must use cleaner burning low-sulfur diesel fuel is now in effect. This will have a big impact on air quality (big cargo ships have terrible emissions, and we too often overlook them and focus on cars & trucks), reducing smog and saving an estimated 3,600 people from premature deaths between 2009 and 2015. "The requirement, adopted in 2008, will annually affect nearly 2,000 ocean-going vessels, both U.S. flagged and foreign-flagged, visiting California." Read on for more details....
EDUN LIVE and YOOX.com Introduce "Ever.Green" Tees Designed by Celebrities
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 07. 2.09
Photo credit: Edun
This week saw the launch of a sustainable collaboration between YOOX.com, an online fashion and design boutique, and EDUN LIVE, an offshoot of EDUN that specializes in T-shirts. Dubbed "ever.green," the series of limited-edition, 100 percent organic cotton tees for men and women will capitalize on the star power of its celeb guest designers to garner sales, the proceeds of which will go directly into Green Cross International's coffers.
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Re-Think The Shark! Clever Ad by Save Our Seas Foundation
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07. 2.09
Oh No Mommy! Will the Greenies Take Fireworks Away From Us?
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07. 2.09
Photo: Flickr, CC
Obligatory Post About Green Fireworks for the 4th of July
Fireworks are fun - who doesn't like explosions? - and a good excuse to get together with family and friends, but they're also not very clean. In Beijing, China, the smoke from fireworks during the new year celebrations tripled pollution levels overnight, and the toxic metals used to get the bright colorful sparks fall back to Earth, contaminating soil and water. Is there something we can do without losing the fireworks?...
Enter MTV's Copenhagen Climate Video Challenge
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 07. 2.09
They used to play videos but now they air reality shows 24/7 that feature a bunch of rich knuckleheads. But MTV isn't all bad. In fact, they are sponsoring a really cool contest for youth around the climate negotiations in Copenhagen later this year. MTV is inviting its viewers to enter the Internews Earth Journalism Awards Competition by entering the MTV Positive Change category of the competition "with your best, most original piece of content on climate change for a chance to pick up your award in Copenhagen."...
Endangered Species Alert: Amur Tigers Found to Have an Effective Wild Population of Just 35
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 07. 2.09
Amur Tiger at the Zurich zoo, photo: Tambako the Jaguar via flickr
A few months ago I included the Amur Tiger (also know as the Siberian Tiger) in a slideshow of animals which very well could go extinct in the coming decades. It was for good reason, as a new piece from the BBC shows. This largest of all the tigers has an effective wild population of just 35 individuals:...
Robin Chase on the Birth of Zipcar and the Future of Transportation (Part Two)
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 07. 2.09
Zipcar has been a game changer, but Robin Chase is already on to other things. The next frontier in transportation is a smart network that has your car, iPhone, GPS, and other gizmos sharing chatter with streetlights, power utilities, your insurance company, and other cars. The result, hopes Chase, will be cities that are greener, smarter, and more efficient. Listen to the podcast of this interview via iTunes, or just click here to listen, right-click to download.
Check out part one of our interview here. Music comes from Nightmares on Wax. ...
Apple's "Active Packaging" Idea Would Plug On-the-Shelf Products Into Power Source
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 07. 2.09
Image via AppleInsider
A patent idea from Apple bounces around the notion of "active packaging," where on-the-shelf products would be plugged into a power source so that things like iPods would be able to display videos or receive firmware updates while waiting to be purchased. Sounds like a very un-green turn for Apple. ...
IDEA's Solar Lamp Looks Like Creepy Robot Eye
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 07. 2.09
Images via IDEA and Engadget
This solar lamp from Japan's IDEA charges up with ambient light and so doesn't need a cord, which is great. The only problem is it looks like a space-age robot eye is watching you......
Could the US Senate Pass the Climate Bill, then Reject a Global Treaty?
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 07. 2.09
Image via Senate.gov
Senator John Kerry says that unfortunately, that's a distinct possibility. Kerry is set to be one of the top voices championing the climate bill in the Senate, and he's also the Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee--so he's in a unique position to assess the international ramifications of the controversial legislation. So why is he concerned? It comes down to a simple numbers game. ...
Brazil Development Bank to Require Tagging to Stop Deforestation Beef
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 07. 2.09
photo: Paul & Aline Burland via flickr
The positive ripple effect of the Greenpeace's Slaughtering the Amazon report, which showed vividly the connection between cattle ranching and deforestation in Brazil, keeps moving: Mongabay reports that Brazil's development bank BNDES plans on requiring beef producers to track their products back to their place of origin in order to qualify for bank loans:...
4 Greenest Notebooks from Laptop Magazine
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 07. 2.09
Photo via photojenni
Laptop Magazine has tested some of the industry's greenest notebooks and decided on the most eco-friendly in each of 4 categories, from netbooks to desktop replacements. Check out their choices. ...
EPA Reveals Locations of 44 Potentially Deadly Coal Ash Dumps
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 07. 2.09
Image via NRDC
A little while back, news spread that the Deptartment of Homeland Security was refusing to reveal the locations of 44 coal ash dump sites--on the grounds that it was a matter of national security. Now, the EPA has revealed the locations of the sites that have a 'high hazard rating'--ash dumps sites where, if a spill were to occur, would likely lead to the deaths of nearby residents. ...
India Won't Commit to Binding Emissions Reductions - Which is Why Rich Countries Must Make Deeper Cuts
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 07. 2.09
photo: Nimrod Bar via flickr
Add India to the list of developing nations that will not be signing on to binding emissions reductions targets at December's COP15 climate change conference in Copenhagen. That's the word coming from India's environment minister Jairam Ramesh through Yale Environment 360:...
Never Search For an Outlet Again with Outlet Wall
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 2.09
Photographer David Friedman appears to have solved the problem of never having enough places to plug things in. It also really tells a tale about consumption; he should stick a big meter in the middle of it.
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Yahoo! Says Yes to Greener Data Center, Yes to Renewable Energy, No to Carbon Offsets
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 07. 2.09
Photo via Yahoo!
Carbon offsets have their place in the scheme of reducing carbon footprints of energy intensive businesses. But they shouldn't be used instead of actual reduction of carbon emissions, especially when it comes to data centers that need to be made radically more energy efficient. Yahoo! seems to agree, or so their latest move in the race to to create the greenest data center run on renewable energy would imply. The company is working to build a super efficient data center, run on power generated by Niagara Falls along with other green bells and whistles, such that carbon offsets won't be part of the plan. ...
US Says Greenhouse Gas Emissions Must Peak by 2020
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 07. 2.09
Photo via NeeDigest
What's this? The US issuing a semi-bold, almost-binding international directive on climate change? Doth my eyes deceive me? Nope--the US has just joined the other G-8 industrialized nations in pledging to halt the increase of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020, and to keep the worldwide temperature from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius....
Folding Bike Helmet Fits in Your Pocket or Purse
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 2.09
When in France recently I rarely saw a bicycle helmet, ce n'est pas chic. But designers Caroline Journaux & Adrien Guerin are working on one that can fold up and be put away in your pocket or purse. That makes a lot of sense if you ride a Vélo bike in Paris, since you only have a bike when you need it and would otherwise be carrying a helmet around a lot. I don't know if it would pass a Snell test but I like the idea....
Chat Today With the Famous Omnivore, Michael Pollan
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 07. 2.09
LEED Offices are Really Green, Elegant and Surprisingly Conventional
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 2.09
Photos by Eric Laignel via Envision and Metropolis
The LEED Program is managed by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) and has become big business, so they needed bigger offices. The renovation of an existing building was designed by a team led by Kendall Wilson of Envision Design, who cut their green teeth doing the offices for Greenpeace ten years ago. It is clean and sleek, but doesn't jump out at you as overtly green; as Suzanne LaBarre writes in Metropolis:
It doesn’t feel green. The Eero Saarinen Womb chairs in the lobby, the sparkling terrazzo floors under your feet, the crisp white paint on the walls, glass everywhere—and more glass....If not for the oversize logo carved into wood at the entrance like a medallion, the office could easily be mistaken for the cool recesses of a fashion magazine....
Dry Farming Creates Delicious Crops in Water-Starved California
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07. 2.09
Drier soils mean stronger roots and tastier crops
Kristin already reported that farmers in California are chopping down trees because of prolonged drought - but it's not all bad news. Many farmers are learning to live with less water - some are even cutting out irrigation all together - and the result, say some, is healthier, tastier crops that are selling like hot cakes at the farmers' markets. Just as organic grapes thrive in drier soils, so too heirloom apples and even tomatoes can be grown using dry farming methods. So what's the secret?
...
Monsters in Our Midst. ‘Mazing Magnified Images
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07. 2.09
You might be mistaken for thinking that photo looks like the talons of an eagle, but it ain’t. It’s a Madagascan Eutetramorium mocquerysi. More precisely it’s the base of its leg. Hard to believe that leg belongs to a lil’ ant, albeit photographed at a magnification of 400 times using a scanning electron microscope and stitched together from 400 photos.
The photography is part of work that is being undertaken by the NanoGigaPan project, who are “working to take high resolution images of very small things.” See some more images below and check out the links to their other exhibits....
Rush on Australian Energy Rebates Create New Green Jobs
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07. 2.09
The Australian Federal government are billing it is as the” largest-ever energy efficiency rollout” in the country. It’s their $4 billion Energy Efficient Homes Package designed to get ceiling insulation into the roofs of 2.9 million Australian homes, by 2012. Even in sunny Australia winter heat loss and summer heat gain through a residential ceiling is calculated to be between 25% and 35%, so there may be some truth in the government’s hyperbole.
As you might expect, given that they are giving home owner-occupiers a $1,600 AUD insulation rebate and $1,000 to landlords or tenants for rental properties, it’s no wonder that, as the Environmental Export reports, 50,000 people have already signed up for the program. Not bad considering it only officially kicked off yesterday. ...
Whither the McMansion? Opinions from the Wall Street Journal and the Atlantic
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 2.09
Brownstoner
Last week, the debate was When it Comes to Green Building, Does Size Matter?; this week, it is Whither the McMansion.. June Fletcher in The Wall Street Journal thinks they will come back when the economy does:
But don't write the obituary for McMansions just yet. Although mass-produced behemoths more than 3,000-square-feet in size have only been common (and commonly criticized), since the late '90s, home sizes have never been influenced by need alone. The builder association's report also points out that houses ballooned most—about 1,000 square feet—during the period between 1970 and 2008, when household size dropped from 3.11 to 2.57. Homes are getting smaller now because people feel poorer, but all that will change once the recession ends and consumer confidence is restored.Daniel Indiviglio of the Atlantic disagrees. ...
Don’t Let This Get Past Your Eyes: MilkMuny Wallet
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07. 2.09
Apple didn’t invent the mp3 player nor the smart phone, but they sure know how to bring to market versions of the genre that make people sit up and take notice. And such might be the case with Milkmuny. This new start-up business, from Portland, Oregon, sells a very funky origami-like wallet made of discarded milk and juice cartons.
We previous seen foil cartons turned into totebags and handbags, as well as food wrappers become purses and shoulder bags. So the idea isn’t totally new. But the socially and environmentally responsible business model behind Milkmuny may just be the creme de la creme, so to speak....
BugHouse Turns Old Records Into New Tables, Needles Into Chandeliers
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 2.09
Dan Gould at PSFK points us to the work of Bughouse Art+Design, where Jeff and Rebecca "love making things and finding different materials to expand the vocabulary of the way we all live and see." ...
Realities of a Low Emission Life in the French Pyrenees
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 07. 2.09
EPIC FAIL for Canada on WWF Climate Report Card
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 2.09
To the surprise of nobody who lives there, Canada has come in dead last on a climate report card prepared by the World Wildlife Foundation. The US is close behind, but at least is going in the right direction.
"Nowhere else on Earth do fewer people steward more resources, yet Canada now stands dead last among the G8 nations in protecting our shared home from the threat of dangerous climate change," said foundation spokesman Keith Stewart....
What's The Electric Vehicle Charging Market Worth In 5 Years?
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 07. 2.09
Charge points, Coulomb Technologies.
Image credit:City of San Francisco, CalCars
Research & Markets is projecting $200 million dollars in annual US electric vehicle charging sales by 2015. Let's assume that's a reasonable estimate. Compared to existing gasoline sales in the US, which approaches $2 billion/year, it's obvious that we have a long way to go before plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles, together, make a serious dent in gasoline markets.
Any significant impact in the USA will be long after President Obama's second term has come to end.
R&M also projects that "Bidirectional smart vehicle-to-grid charging will remain a niche application for the foreseeable future..." See Who Revived The Electric Car? for details on two-way vehicle to grid interactions will work....
Should Cycling Be Allowed in Parks?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 2.09
Mike thinks they should, and I admit that the path through Trinity-Bellwoods Park in Toronto is on my route downtown. But sometimes when walking through, I feel that I am sharing the path with these guys. Mike asked for comments; who do you agree with?
...
Genesis is Epic Eco-Photography by Sebastiao Salgado
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07. 2.09
Image from Salgado
Sebastiao Salgado is a Brazilian photographer who has been working on his photo-documentary "Genesis" for more than 4 years. It is a story in photos about the effect of modern development on the environment. He is searching for landscapes that represent a pure, untouched state of nature.
So far he has travelled to 20 different spots across 5 continents to photograph the most pristine, untouched pockets of nature in the world. Since he is a master photographer, the results are spectacular.
...
ZEBRA Recycled Bicycle Path Divider, Safe for Cyclists and the Environment
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 07. 2.09
Most of us agree that cycling is one of the most eco-friendly and healthy ways of transportation, although it can also be dangerous, even if you use bike lanes. Motorbikes swishing past, doors opening, parked cars that need driving around into the car lanes, are but a few nasty surprises you can come across even if you stay on the bike path. Most people agree that bike lanes should be separated from traffic. To make sure traffic also respects those bike lanes, Spanish designer Curro Claret (whose Hat Light was one of the very early posts on TreeHugger) designed the ZEBRA bicycle lane divider, made from recycled plastic....
Question: Should Cycling be Allowed in All Parks?
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07. 1.09
Photo: Flickr, CC
What a Concept! Bikes in Parks!
I was reading this post about how Copenhagen now allows cycling in parks, and it seemed like such a good and obvious idea, I wondered "why not everywhere?" Of course, some parks already allow it and even have bike paths, but in many parts of the world, you are supposed to actually walk your bike (though not everybody does it). What do you think? Should cities allow cycling in their parks?...
ExxonMobil Found to Still Fund Climate Skeptic Groups, After Pledges to Stop
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 07. 1.09
photo: Colin via flickr
Despite pledges from ExxonMobil that it would cease funding groups which question the scientific validity of global climate change, last year the company "handed over hundreds of thousands of pounds" to climate skeptic groups, The Guardian reports:...
1-Year Electric Mini Lease Exploits CARB Loophole, Says Plug In America
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07. 1.09
Photo: Michael Graham Richard
This Loophole Seriously Reduces Incentives for Production Electric Cars
Plug In America (we recently wrote about their EV & plug in hybrid tracker) is asking the California Air Resources Board (CARB) to modify its regulations concerning zero emission vehicles in California. The problem is that their requirement that automakers put 7,500 ZEVs on the roads of California doesn't specify a minimum timeframe for compliance. This means that BMW is getting the same credit for converting 500 MINIs into EVs and leasing them (for $850/month!) for a year as another automaker would get for actually selling production electric cars. This could also lead to a repeat of the EV1 story... And we know how that ended....
The Toaster Project: Art Student Builds a Toaster From Scratch
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 1.09
Celebrate 4th of July the Vegan Way in Austin Texas
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 07. 1.09
Tighter Regulations Setting Battery Recycling Back a Decade, Sending Batteries Back to Landfills
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 07. 1.09
Photo via moria
About a week ago, we caught word from 3r Living, an eco-friendly home decor and lifestyle store and website, that they're having a real problem with tightened regulations from the Department of Transportation on shipping batteries for recycling. The stricter regulations include that each individual battery must be either placed in its own plastic bag or have both terminals taped off. This makes battery recycling an expensive hassle, especially when companies like 3r Living are collecting large numbers of batteries from their customers to send in for recycling. 3r Living is unhappily planning to stop sending batteries to their primary recycler, Battery Solutions, and possibly stop collecting and recycling them all together. And they fear many other companies will be doing the same. So we got ahold of Battery Solutions to find out exactly what's up with the new rules. The news isn't good. ...
Bike Heaven in Empty Slovenian Hydro Pumped Storage Power Plant
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07. 1.09
Photo: Photos by keki & subtilen
"Surface is very smooth hydroisolation coating, so perfect for riding."
A lot of us treehuggers are cyclists, and I bet most of us have a dream place they wish they could ride in. For some, it might be the quiet Scottish countryside during the summer... and for others it might be the empty accumulation pool of a hydroelectric pumped storage power station!...
Is Brooks Running the Best Green Source for Runners?
by Neil Chambers, New York City on 07. 1.09
Photo: PRNewsFoto/Brooks Sports, Inc
You a runner? Or an exercise-oholic? And you want your workouts to reflect your green lifestyle? Well, the race is ON…or at least for me and a few friends to find the best performing green running equipment. Since February of this year (2009), I’ve made it my personal mission to seek out the most excellent green products in the running world as I train for my first marathon in November. Most people think running is a simple sport in which all that is needed is a good pair of shoes to be active. Nothing could be farther from the truth. ...
How Green is Al Franken?
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 07. 1.09
Photo via Parade
After one of the most grueling, most contentious Senate races in recent memory, Al Franken has emerged as Minnesota's junior senator. The Minnesota Supreme Court decided 5-0 that a previous court's ruling that Franken had won by 312 votes was valid. His opponent Norm Coleman, has conceded. And of course, there's the magic number that's on everyone's mind: 60. Franken brings the number of Democratic senators to 60, meaning they'll have a filibuster proof majority in the Senate. So what does all this mean for environmental policy--and just how green is Al Franken?...
Summer Streets Coming Back to New York City in August: 7 Miles of Car-Free Roads
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 07. 1.09
Photo: Flickr, CC
I Love the Smell of Car-Free Roads in the Morning!
New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, along with NYC DOT commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, has announced that the Summer Streets initiative is coming back to the streets of NYC this August. Last year was a great success, with over 50,000 people joining the fun on each of the 3 days, and this year promises to be even better with 1,500 free activities and 13 new locations also closing streets over the summer (check out the Weekend Walks brochure (pdf)). Read on for more details and a video....
Shainsware: Recycled Rubber Accessories That Send a Message (And Tweens Squealing)
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 07. 1.09
Photo credit: Shains
Why say it when you can wear it? Shainware's recycled and recyclable rubber accessories are designed to allow you to communicate your message, whether it's "Stop Global Warming" or "Future Mrs. Ed Cullen," simply by snapping on interchangeable letters, numbers, and icons into preexisting perforations....
Alternating Tread Stair Built in House for $20K
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 1.09
I love showing alternating tread stairs; they are a great way to save space and are surprisingly easy to use. Justin at StairPorn found this elegant one in a surprising place: A house built at the Rural Studio of Auburn University, where four students designed and built a house with $ 10,000 worth of materials and $10,000 worth of labour.
Ryan Stephenson, Joey Fante, Kait Caldwell, Aimee O’Carroll built the Loft House in the 2007-2008 season. Joey Fante writes in ArchDaily:...
Off-Grid House Made Of Recycled Steel Goes Anywhere
by Jerry James Stone, San Francisco, CA on 07. 1.09
Photo courtesy of Michael Jantzen The Homestead House is an off-grid prefab concept made from recycled steel by designer Michael Jantzen. The house makes use of prefabricated, commercially available steel which makes it both low in cost and extremely modular. In fact, it makes the size and shape of the structure completely customizable - not to mention really tough! ...
New York City's First Offshore Wind Farm Begins Inching Forward
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 07. 1.09
photo: Martin P via flickr
New York's first offshore wind farm has moved one step closer to becoming reality. The Long Island, New York City Offshore Wind Collaborative has issued a Request for Information for its plan to build a 350 MW wind farm (with the possibility of expanding to 700 MW) about 13 miles off the coast of Rockaway Island:...
Built on Stilts: Max Pritchard's Bridge House
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 1.09
Photo by Sam Noonan via Architectural Record
Houses don't have to sit on standard foundations; it can be a lot less damaging to the terrain if you put them up in the air. Australian architect Max Pritchard built a lovely 1184 square foot house as a bridge over a stream. There is much to love besides just the treading lightly; it is small and tightly designed, has sophisticated solar and water management, and is a primary residence.
The architect tells Ingrid Spencer in the Architectural Record:
...
Sputnik Observatory Video Project Kinda Like TED, But Not (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 07. 1.09
Sputnik Inc, a group that documents contemporary culture through video interviews with the world's top thinkers, has recently launched its site, providing videos previously unavailable to the pubic, and giving a resource to viewers who like to ponder the fringe ideas and innovations driving our world forward. It's a bit like TED, but in a more intimate interview setting, with great minds talking about everything from biology to architecture to renewable energy. ...
Masdar City Chosen as World Headquarters for New International Renewable Energy Agency
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 07. 1.09
image: Masdar
Abu Dhabi's Masdar City can stick another green feather in its cap. The under-construction "carbon neutral" city in the desert will host the recently-formed International Renewable Energy Agency. The city beat out locations in Germany, Austria and Denmark for the honor, and is the first time an international organization of this scope has chosen the Middle East for its headquarters:...
Coal and Oil Will Cost the US $23 Trillion from 2010-2030, New Study Finds
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 07. 1.09
Photo via Daylife
An alarming new study has found that between 2010 and 2030, the US will spend an estimated record-breaking $23 trillion on coal and oil. The report found that for the first time, the US spent over $1 trillion on fossil fuels in 2008--and the trend is only growing. By 2030, it warns there's a good chance we'll be spending a staggering $1.7 trillion a year to sate our coal and oil demands. ...
Amazing Treat Machine: A Dog-Friendly Cardboard Snack Dispenser
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 07. 1.09
Photo credit: Amazing Treat Machine
Your pooch may be smarter than the average dog—canine Mensa material, to be exact—but the premise for the Amazing Treat Machine is so simple that even the dumber-than-dirt dog will get it: Tennis ball goes in, tennis ball and treats come out. ...
Cilicon Energy Controller Cuts Supply when you're Spending too Much
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 07. 1.09
Photo: Emdesa.com.ar.
Even though this would be obsolete if smart grids and smart meters were extended worldwide, truth is in Latin America and in many developing countries those things are far from becoming a reality.
So meanwhile, in places without smart energy regulation or without the money to install smart meters, alternatives as the Cilicon electronic controller can be an option to control power consume. When installed in a household energy grid, this simple device cuts the supply when the amount of watts you've specified is finished, and gives it back after a period of time (after you've switched something off). It was designed by a group of Argentine scientists and is currently being used to regulate the power used by poor households, La Nacion newspaper informs.
Keep reading for details on how it works....
Only 10% of Permafrost Melting Could Tip Planet Towards Catastrophic Warming
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 07. 1.09
photo: Dave Bezaire & Suzi Havens-Bezaire via flickr
There's no doubt that Arctic permafrost stores a huge amount of greenhouse gases and as the planet warms and the permafrost thaws the climate change impact could be huge. Well, according to a new study in Global Biogeochemical Cycles (via Reuters) we may be seriously underestimating the impact. In fact the amount of carbon stored in permafrost is double previous estimates:...
Greenpeace Frowning at HP, Lenovo and Dell in Latest Electronics Guide
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 07. 1.09
Image via Greenpeace
HP, Lenovo and Dell are in the hot house with Greenpeace, who shows them as failing to make any real improvements since the last go-round on the group's greener electronics guide. They each get slapped on the wrist for backtracking on their commitments to eliminate PVC plastic and brominated flame retardants from their products by end of this year. However, there is good news for a few other big names in the electronics game. ...
Germany Leads, US Still Brings Up the Rear: G8 Nations' Climate Change Performance Rankings Released
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 07. 1.09
photo: Will Palmer via flickr With the American Clean Energy & Security Act just passed in the House, let's look at what WWF has to say about how well the G8 countries, plus five developing nations are doing in terms of climate change policy:...
Transformer Furniture: Marie Antoinette's Library Ladder
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 1.09
Marie Antoinette found the consumption at Versailles to be a bit conspicuous, so she tended to retire to her modest little pile in the woods, the Petit Trianon, to do her own social networking.
I loved this library ladder/ stairway that appears to fold up into an ottoman. That is clever design. While we usually promote transformer furniture as a way of using less space, it can also hide utilitarian functions in plain view....
Subway Fares Around the World
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 07. 1.09
Flickr user tom h
On Monday, New Yorkers riding the subway to work were met with a costlier spin of the turnstile: a 12 percent increase in their fares, from $2 to $2.25, as the Metropolitan Transit Authority copes with a severe $2 billion deficit.
But how does the new, much-bemoaned cost of admission to the country's biggest subway (and bus) network stack up against fares in other world-class cities? And how well in general does the New York City subway, well, fare?...
Smart Grid Cyber War Games Test Security Risks
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 07. 1.09
Photo via Fermion
During the month of July, the North American Electric Reliability Corp (NERC) is going to start up "cyberwar games" with utilities to test out the security of the power grid in general, with an eye on security issues for the smart grid. There are already concerns that spies have been able to hack into the power grid. Getting Ender's Game with the grid will help determine how vulnerable computer networks running our power supplies are, and how breachable the smart grid may be. ...
We Want Your Feedback!
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 07. 1.09
photo: jurvetson via Flickr
We've got some fresh stuff cooking up in the TreeHugger Nerd Labs, and as you may have noticed, we're trying out a new layout for our posts today. Sporting a two column design with more breathing room for our great content, this layout aims to provide readers with a cleaner, faster, and tastier TreeHuggin' experience.
But that's enough from us - we want to know what you think! Drop in on our Feedback Forum and give us your thoughts on this or any other aspect of TreeHugger you'd like. ...
Is Gardening More Dangerous than Cycling?
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 07. 1.09
Cycling may be safer than gardening, but what about sheep herding? Image credit: Sami
Cyclists find safety in numbers
Lloyd has noted before that it is more dangerous NOT to ride a bike, and there is evidence to suggest that cycling saves countries millions in health costs. Now Chris Peck, Chairman of the UK bike advocacy organization Cyclists Touring Club, is making the case over at The Guardian that cycling is less dangerous than gardening. He also argues that there is safety in numbers. ...
Please Stop Designing Ugly Solar Clothing
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 07. 1.09
Image via Chinavision
Ok. Let's get down to a problem issue in green tech: Designing and manufacturing ugly junk that no one will buy, unless as a novelty and then never use. And what's worse, is making it seem like it'll even function. Say for instance this highly unattractive and downright lame solar vest. ...
185 MPH Japanese Bullet Train to Run on Obama's High Speed Rail?
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 07. 1.09
Photo via Engadget
Japan Pitches High Speed Rail to the US
Ever since Obama announced plans for a massive high speed rail system in the US, speculation has run wild about how they’ll be executed. The projected corridors were revealed a while back, but many details remain to be decided—perhaps most significantly, which high speed rail system will the president opt to use? Now, at least one compelling option is on the table: Japan’s cutting edge 186 mph N700 Bullet Train system may have just caught Obama’s eye.
...
Do Social Networks Mark a Fundamental Shift in Consumption?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 07. 1.09
Conspicuous consumption has been going in and out of fashion since Thorstein Veblen coined the term in 1899. But Sami writes that this time it may be different, that virtual consumption is taking over.
Professional thirtysomethings spend more time polishing their LinkedIn pages than pruning their front lawns. Prospective singles—men and women—focus more on tweaking their Match.com or eHarmony profiles than they do searching for that perfect convertible....
The World's Top Five International Bike Tour Companies
by Blythe Copeland, Great Neck, New York on 07. 1.09
Photo via Francois Schnell @ flickr
There's no better way to soak up a country than by bike: It's quicker than walking, greener than just about every other form of transportation, and you get to see towns, scenery, and people that you'd never encounter from the relative comfort of an air-conditioned tour bus. Whether you're a novice rider or a super-fit cyclist, whether you want a family vacation or a romantic getaway, and whether you're looking for trips in the U.S., Europe, Asia, or Latin America (If these aren't in your backyard, plan your flight to be the greenest possible), the companies on these pages have the tours and trails to give you the ride of a lifetime....
Turkish Hunters Give Nature a Hand
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 07. 1.09
Yaban TV's programming includes the shows (clockwise from top left) "Hunting World," "Wilderness Life," "Hunter's Album," and "Hunting Kitchen." Images via Yaban TV.
The Turkish hunting and fishing channel Yaban TV (Wilderness TV) is on a mission to spread a message that should be fairly self-evident: If people who like to hunt and fish don't help protect the environment, there won't be any game left for them to pursue. "We are not hunters," says producer and board member Dr. Ali Bürkev. "We are nature's soldiers."...
Container Gardening Options for Small Spaces (Slideshow)
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 07. 1.09
Photo credit: keeping it real @ Flickr This time of year, gardening can be a great way to get some dirt under your fingernails and grow some of your own fruits and veggies, but we all don't have the room to sew row after row of vegetables. Happily, there are myriad options out there for the container gardening enthusiast; here are a few for those of us who have a green thumb, but no extra room.
...
Trader Joe's Flunks Sustainable Seafoods 101 (Again)
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 07. 1.09
Fish in a bag at TJ's - convenient but not all that green. Photo inuyaki.com via flickr.
C'mon, you know a Trader Joe's addict or two, don't you? It's sometimes impossible to resist the combination of lower prices and lots of organic and even Fair Trade basics. But when you are planning to put fish on the menu, TJ's is not the place to shop, according to an update of the Supermarket Seafood Scorecard released by Greenpeace. Trader Joe's has done nothing to improve its "F" score for seafood purchasing policies and is number 17 of 20, near the bottom of the list, when it comes to finding "good" fish to sell. In fact, supermarkets in general are draining the oceans of fish stocks, Greenpeace claims - and the UN agrees 75 to 80 percent of wild fish stocks are overfished. What to do? Search for the sustainable alternatives or just call the FishPhone....
Sustainable and Futuristic Car Designs at the Royal College of Art
by Bonnie Alter, London on 07. 1.09
The annual Royal College of Art Graduate Summer Show is the place to look for innovation. The College has a department of Vehicle Design which is "pioneering new approaches for our mobile futures." This year several students presented prototypes for sustainable automobiles. They were thinking about the future and what green consumers and car enthusiasts would be looking for.
Jonathon Henshall's entry is concerned with sustainability and what a green vehicle should look like. He thinks that car manufacturers and consumers want a car that projects a green image and he was examining how to communicate this green-ness. His light and airy car consists of 4 strips of wood and fabric surrounding an electric motor. ...
Global Car Survey Finds Six In Ten Say Green Is The New Dream
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 07. 1.09
Photo: Setagaya Ward, Tokyo
Global market research firm Synovate has released a study showing that six in ten people "would choose to buy a green car over a dream car, even if money was no object."
Synovate surveyed more than 13,500 people across 18 markets about issues such as green cars, vehicle ownership, intent to buy in the next year and attitudes towards cars, traffic, public transport and more. While we might argue that no car is better than any car, at least the figures are encouraging. 37% of respondents said a "green car" would be their preferred purchase and a further 22% claimed that "my dream car is a green car" - meaning that 59% showed the desire to go green. ...
Housing Crisis: Green Cabins, Garden Sheds, Beach Hangs or Hobbit Houses?
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 06.30.09
$10K going once...fab reclaimed prefab auctioned on eBay. Photos by RCruger
The Reclaimed Space unit decorated by EcoFabulous on display at this weekend’s Dwell On Design conference was auctioned off on eBay and raised $75,100 for Habitat for Humanity. Lucky bidder. The 400-square-foot "rustic modern" structure featured 100-year-old reclaimed oak and pine, a full bathroom, a queen-sized Murphy bed, outdoor shower, porch, 85% recycled insulation, and retractable roof overhangs. ...
Sweet Beauty's Organic, Fair Trade Chocolate Lip Balms Are a Mouthwatering Treat
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 06.30.09
Photo credit: Sweet Beauty
When it comes to skin care, Lisa Françoise, founder and owner of Sweet Beauty Organic Chocolate Spa Treatments has one cardinal rule: If you wouldn't eat it, don't wear it on your skin. It's an easy tenet to get behind when you realize that Françoise's brand of edible skin care involves premium organic, fair-trade chocolate that turns that whole moment-on-your-lips-lifetime-on-your-hips chestnut on its head. ...
Quote Of The Day: "I can absolutely guarantee you it's not going to happen in the Senate."
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 06.30.09
Oxbow Group owned petroleum coke kilns, Enid Oklahoma. Image credit:Oxbow Group.
James Inhofe is quoted in the Enid Oklahoma News & Eagle from statements made yesterday (Monday) at an Enid, Oklahoma Rotary Club meeting. His appraisal of the chances of a climate bill passing the US Senate this week:
""It's dead on arrival in the Senate. It will not happen," Republican Sen. Jim Inhofe told Enid Rotarians during their noon meeting Monday. "I can absolutely guarantee you it's not going to happen in the Senate."
One commenter on the News & Eagle article characterizes the potential passage of the climate bill as bringing about 'the end of life as we know it.' ...
Don't Bite Me! Offers Free Sunscreen Soap with Purchase
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 06.30.09
It’s now officially mosquito season here in the Northeast – yuck. And flies, and gnats, and any other kind biting insect you can think of. But we can now feel a bit more at ease when enjoying our glass of wine at dusk with Don’t Bite Me!. What’s cool is that it’s an all-natural insect repellent skin patch, versus a spray or cream, which uses Vitamin B1 to ward off insects and mosquitoes for up to a whopping 36 hours....
Snarky Eco Bags From TBWA\Vancouver May Help You Score With the Ladies
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 06.30.09
Photo credit: TBWA\Vancouver
Just when we thought there was nothing new under the sun when it came to reusable bags, ad agency TBWA\Vancouver surprised us with its line of canvas totes that takes the mickey out of the push to go green. ...
NYC's Holland Tunnel Hasn't Had New Bus-Only Lanes Since Richard Nixon was President
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 06.30.09
Discovery's TreeHugger & Planet Green Are Looking for an Intern!
by Team Treehugger, Worldwide on 06.30.09
photo: adpowers via Flickr
Discovery's Planet Green/TreeHugger seeks an intern to collaborate on a high-impact innovative environmental initiative. Intern will perform research (primarily online) related to climate change initiatives, and will assist with the development of a presentation addressing questions of how individuals can most effectively reduce their carbon footprint. This presentation will be given on a regular basis by multiple Discovery team members, and will represent the first step in a significant, broader initiative. ...
Ontario Drops Plans for 2 New Nuclear Reactors Because of High Costs
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 06.30.09
Nuclear Sticker Shock: "It's just ridiculously expensive."
Whether you think nuclear power is a good or bad idea, one thing is certain, it's expensive. Very expensive. And that's before the almost inevitable cost overruns... This is what the Canadian province of Ontario seems to have realized. It's canceling plans for 2 new reactors because of sticker shock and out of "responsibility to Ontario taxpayers". And while everybody's talking about money, what I'm really wondering about is: What is Ontario's plan to clean up its power grid?...
US Forgives $30 Million in Indonesia's Debt to Help Preserve Sumatran Forests
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 06.30.09
photo: Marc Veraart via flickr
Just last month the US reauthorized a bill that trades debt relief for forest conservation pledges. Mongabay is reporting that Indonesia is availing itself of the program, having $30 million in debt forgiven in exchange for increased forest protection in Sumatra:...
Cool It Schools Invites Positive Action From Young People Worldwide
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 06.30.09
Influential, powerful adults around the world are struggling to deal with the concept of climate change and what we should do about it, from big business to big governments there's a lot of umming and ahhhing going on. Frankly, it's time to bring in the kids! As I experienced in my recent public installation project, The Butterfly Effect, it really is the kids who are most clued up about what's going on, plus they're the most adaptable humans on the planet - change doesn't scare 'em! The new global initiative Cool It Schools knows this too and is now calling out for creative positive action from young people around the world....
Smog is Increasing Risks of Premature Births by 128%
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 06.30.09
Photos: Flickr, CC & Flickr, CC
Add it to Asthma, High Blood Pressure, and Cardiovascular Diseases
Did we need one more reason to to fight against smog? I don't think so, but we got one anyway thanks to a study to be published in Environmental Health Perspectives and covered by Discovery News. A team from the University of California, Irvine, has shown that pregnant women living within 1.9 miles (3 kilometers) of a major roadway in Los Angeles are 128% more at risk of giving birth prematurely. "Moms-to-be were also between 33 and 42 percent more likely to develop preeclampsia, an affliction characterized by high blood pressure that often forces doctors to induce premature birth in order to save mothers' lives." More details below....
On the Climate Bill Green Groups Mustn't Surrender When the Battle is Just Starting
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 06.30.09
photo: Greg via flickr
While most of the big name environmental groups have praised the passage of the American Clean Energy & Security Act, there have been few notable and courageous exceptions such as Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth who have have spoken out and refused to participate in all the self-congratulatory "it's a good first step" backslapping. In a a new opinion piece by Michael Renner of Worldwatch jumps into the fray on the side of science. He really nails it in describing the the situation and the failure of the notion that we will likely be ever able to strengthen ACES:...
‘Eco-Atkins’ Diet Lowers Weight, Cholesterol Level, (& Carbon Footprint)
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 06.30.09
Falafel sandwich. Image credit:Vicarious Foodie.
Journalists traditionally like to show "two sides" of the story, even if, as is the case with climate science, one side is fringe, and the result is a confused, angry public. This need for journalistic "balance" has helped develop the equally absurd dichotomy of vegetarian versus meat eater. From which, comes the pale, thin vegetarian, versus the fat meat-eater. Then came the Atkins low carb diet, offering nothing for the overweight vegetarian (yes, they exist), and requiring the awful trade-off of waste-line versus carbon footprint. For me, that left Ben Franklin's dictum, 'everything in moderation,' sounding like the most sensible way forward. TreeHugger does like to stir the pot, however. Adding "Eco-Atkins" to the lifestyle sandwich sounds like more fun than a TV cable talk show. Falafel on, then....
The Mighty Power of Poo (Slideshow)
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 06.30.09
From cows to pigs to chickens to people, there's a lot of solid waste that gets dumped, landfilled, flushed, or otherwise disposed every day. Happily, we've discovered the mighty power of poo; here a just a few ways we've seen to turn poo into power.
...
“The Insight is the most disappointing Honda Consumer Reports has tested in a long time”
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 06.30.09
Photo: Honda
They Really Didn't Like It...
Consumer Reports is highly respected and used by many car buyers to decide which models to even consider. So it's a pretty big blow to the Honda Insight hybrid that CR is publishing a pretty negative review, ranking the Insight hybrid 21st out of 22 small hatchbacks and wagons. Why is the Insight getting a thumb down? Read on to find out....
A Challenge For Toronto: Go Zero Waste
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06.30.09
National Post
There is an everything strike going on in Toronto, another nail in its reputation as a City that works. Ferries aren't running, pools are closed, and the garbage isn't getting picked up. But what is in those bags stacking up in our parks? Why do we generate so much garbage?
Perhaps it is an appropriate time to experiment with going zero waste; here is a roundup of some posts we have written on the subject to help you on your way.
...
Gnomedex: Code for Green and Win Green
by Alan Graham, Portland, Oregon on 06.30.09
Image Credit: wetwebwork
Are you a programmer? Working on a green project? Want to win $10k? How about $100 off a Gnomedex ticket?
Betsy Aoki, Program Manager, Bing:
The Bing team, in partnership with the awesome Gnomedex conference, is sponsoring a developer contest called Code for Green that we hope will make a difference to the economy (Green = Money) and the Earth’s ecology (Green = Environment) long after the contest is over. To reinforce the green theme, the five winning developers will be rewarded with cash: -$10,000 and a $100 Bizspark membership for each winner in the two categories -$3,000 and a $100 Bizspark membership for three finalists...
Retailers, Your Customers Care About Carbon Footprint - Now Do Something About It
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 06.30.09
photo: Martin P via flick
Note to retailers: Consumers care about the carbon footprint of the products they buy, will buy products with a clearly lower carbon footprint, but you're not doing enough either to address that carbon footprint, or label it when you do. At least in the UK that is. That's the word coming from the Carbon Trust and their new survey on people's attitudes towards carbon labeling:...
Waxman-Markey Targets For Buildings Are Exactly What Builders Say are Impossible
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06.30.09
graphic from NAIOP Website
A few months ago TreeHugger reported on a silly study (That 70s Show: Developers Still Don't Know How To Make a Building Green) from the Commercial Real Estate Development Association (abbreviated as NAIOP, don't ask why) that concluded "that a 50 percent energy improvement beyond federal standards is technically impossible. A 30 percent target is achievable, but only by adding a million-dollar solar system that could take up to 100 years to pay for itself."
Interestingly, that is EXACTLY the level of energy improvements that the Waxman-Markey legislation mandates.
...
Discuss: When Bees Are Outlawed Only Outlaws Will Have Bees
by Alan Graham, Portland, Oregon on 06.30.09
Image Credit: Indigo Goat
dballisonnyc informs us that it is illegal within the city limits of NYC to keep bees:
It sounds like dozens of people are risking huge fines for the privelige though. Neighbors are bought off with jars of honey and the city benefits. Wish that was true whenever someone broke the law.Gotham City Honey Co-op is working to change that:
...you can see that even the White House now has a beehive to pollinate their garden...If the Department of Homeland Security, the Secret Service, and the US Park Police can all agree that honey bees pose no threat to the occupants of the best-protected residence in the country, perhaps New York City can agree.There's a good discussion and a petition going on. Drop in and show your support....
California Finally Gets the OK to Set Its Own Auto Emissions Standard
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 06.30.09
Photo via alfabb
We knew it was coming--one of Obama's first moves was to order the review Bush's decision to prevent California from setting fuel emissions standards. Then, Obama announced he was setting a national standard--one that would take cues from California's plan. And now, the cycle is complete: today, California will officially receive permission from the EPA to set its own fuel emissions standard. ...
Carnivorous Gadgets Eat Bugs and Mice for Charging Up (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 06.30.09
Photo via New Scientist
We design solar cells based on the functions of plant leaves. What if we designed gadgets based on the functions of carnivorous plants? That's what a few artists have come up with in their gadgets and appliances that feed off the pests in our homes in order to gather a charge. Check out a video of how they work....
'Cap and Tr8tor' Campaign Launched to Ruin Republicans Who Voted for Climate Bill
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 06.30.09
Photo via Photobucket
In case the allegedly anti-tax 'tea parties' held earlier this year weren't ridiculous enough for you, the conservative masterminds of those screw-loose events have returned with another one: Cap and Tr8tor. This time, the goal is to get the 8 Republicans who voted for the climate bill to change their vote within 5 days--or else. If they don't comply, Cap and Tr8tor threatens to "work to vote them out of office."...
Could the Mississippi Delta Become the Heart of America's Bamboo Belt?
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 06.30.09
photo: Travis Hornung via flickr
I'll let you in on a small not-so secret: I've loved bamboo since I was a little kid. Fascinated with it ever since National Geographic ran a long story on complete with illustrations of all the different types, and have always had a strong visceral response to it. And what's not to like about it? It's amazingly strong, has myriad uses and is downright beautiful. So when I ran across an article in Popular Mechanics on how the Mississippi Delta could be transformed into the United States' prime bamboo growing region I was certainly intrigued:...
Genius! Flatpack Power Plugs for UK Outlets
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 06.30.09
The Ache Guayaki Project, or How Cultivation under Native Woods can Help Indigenous Communities
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 06.30.09
Photos: Courtesy of Guayaki.
Keeping native communities and woods untouched may seem like a beautiful idea, but it is -in most cases- an unrealistic goal.
Many communities of indigenous people want to develop and grow, and work their lands. The real question is, then, Can that happen in a truly sustainable way? Is there a way for them to get revenue without harming the environment and encountering sustainable growth (not just a few years of richness to leave burned ground behind)?
The Ache Guayaki Kue-Tuvy project in Paraguay might be a good example that this is possible. Guided by the folks of Guayaki, a company which we've talked about a few times, a group of 45 families that wanted to start laboring their lands learnt a technique to cultivate crops under native woods and found a way to get profit while maintaining vegetation and opening new business opportunities.
How did they do it? Keep reading....
Architect Alert: Waxman-Markey Has a Big Impact on Building
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06.30.09
Zerofootprint: Reskinning Buildings
Many people are screaming that the American Clean Energy and Security Act (ACES) doesn't go far enough; when architects, builders and building code officials get through it, there will be a lot of screaming that it goes way too far. No doubt they will complain that an industry on the ropes can't handle more regulation and higher standards, we have heard it all before. But 46% of our greenhouse gases come from buildings, so it is a key part of any attempt to reduce emissions.
And it will make a difference, because they are tough new rules....
676,000 Acres of US Public Land Surveyed for Solar Power Potential
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 06.30.09
Photo via Techrepublic
In order to speed up the development of solar power in the US, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced new measures to inspect 676,000 acres of land. The goal? Determine which areas could support huge solar power arrays, and get development started and clean energy flowing as soon as possible. ...
Water Crisis Ends! Summing Up What Happened...
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 06.30.09
Well, our extended coverage of Peak Water ends, anyway. The water crisis itself is, unfortunately, still a very real issue. This month we've explored many of the complexities and interconnections of fresh water, and our growing shortage of supplies globally. Water is a precious resource we simultaneously exalt and abuse; and from wars to art, from conservation to making your own, we pondered what our relationship to water is all about. Here's a look at the politics, innovation, beauty, and danger lying just beneath the surface. ...
The End of Conspicuous Consumption: Does Virtual World Cut Material Needs?
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 06.30.09
Image credit: Good Magazine
Do Social Networks Mark a Fundamental Shift in Consumption?
Kristin has already written about planet-savingFacebook applications, and sustainable iPhone apps are mushrooming - from easy green shopping databases to Earth911's iRecycle app. Simply using new technologies and social networking sites to do good green things is one thing - but what if the sites and technologies themselves ARE good green things? An thought provoking article over at Good Magazine is claiming just that - that Facebook, Twitter and the iPhone may just mark the end of conspicuous consumption. ...
5 Unknown Green Jobs & Why They're Important
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 06.30.09
photo: Laura via flickr
When you think of green jobs what comes to mind? Solar panel installer, wind turbine parts manufacturer, energy efficiency consultant, ecosystem restoration specialist? Those are all certainly parts of a future green economy, but I'd like to point out several jobs that already exist that, though they aren't often thought of as being green, really come down to the heart of what a sustainable future might look like: ...
Is the Climate Bill Really a Step Forward?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06.30.09
It really depends who you speak to; some think the American climate bill does too little, others too much. If nobody is happy then it is usually a good sign that a reasonable compromise has been reached, or it can be a sign that you just blew it. Who do you agree with?
...
Wine In A Box: The Greenest Way To Drink?
by Pablo Paster, San Francisco on 06.30.09
Image Source: LookAtMeShirts.com
Dear Pablo: I visited a winery called La Delizia located in Casarsa de la Delizia, north of Venice in Italy. They have started selling 3 litre boxed wines at US retail outlets. I'd like to know how the carbon footprint of La Delizia's 3 liter boxes compare to boxed wine from California, for instance, Turning Leaf Vineyards' 3 liter merlot, produced in Modesto, CA, or any other 3 liter California boxed wine. It would also be great to know how 3 liter boxed wines from other leading wine regions such as Austraila, South Africa and Chile would compare to those two....Groups Send Obama a Letter Over 2 Degree Temp Increase
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 06.30.09
Photo via Flickr
Scientists have long identified a temperature increase of 2 degrees C as the tipping point for runaway climate change. Now an impressive group of 47 climate organizations have written to President Obama to see if he supports a goal of keeping warming "as far below 2 degrees C as possible." ...
Climate Friendly Cows Make Meat Eating a Little Less Bad
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 06.30.09
Photo via Bjorlanda Farm.
Leave it to the Swedes to try to have their cows and eat them, too. In the southern half of the country, farmers are breeding Highland cattle, originally from Scotland but bred in Sweden for decades if not centuries. The breed is long-haired (to better survive winter), long-horned, and long-living. Highland cattle are pastured year-round in the milder southern Swedish climate, eating grass and the wild herbs growing in the different rotating fields they eat in. This grass-fed meat, a bit leaner and perhaps with a tinge of wild game taste, is considered to be more climate smart in this Gothenburg Post story as it is locally-produced (though not organic), higher in omega-3 fats, and lower in methane emissions. Does this mean meat-eating can be part of a green lifestyle?...
Innovative Textiles and Design at the Royal College of Art
by Bonnie Alter, London on 06.30.09
The annual Royal College of Art Summer Graduate Show is the place to see up and coming designers in the UK. Last year we spotted Paul Thomas' bicycle carrier bags, and this year they were featured on the Apprentice. So who will be next year's super star?
Fiona Sperryn makes wall hangings out of bamboo, waste fibres, throw away bits and off-cuts from factories. Her theme is endangered species and extinct animals, like the dodo bird and certain woodpeckers pictured in her hangings. She uses a jacquard loom and also hand weaves some of these very effective pieces....
Los Amigos: Volunteers Vacationing with Scientists
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 06.29.09
Long Horned Beetle Researcher at Los Amigos Research Station, Peru. Image via: Rob Holmes, Green Living Project.
This year, you've decided you want to do more on your vacation than lounge around like a beached whale, eh? Well why not volunteer, but not just volunteer anywhere, why not check out the Los Amigos Biological Research Station which allows guests to work alongside and with researchers in the Peruvian Amazon. Pretty cool, right? ...
To Donate, or Recreate: Where Should Your Old Jeans Go?
by Tom Szaky of TerraCycle, Trenton NJ on 06.29.09
Photo Courtesy of Neatorama
Next time you're home, look around your closet. Your attic. How many pairs of jeans do you have there, unworn for months, years, decades even? I have four. Aside from the ones you keep for "some day" when you're skinny again or returning to fat, which ones of those could go? And where should they go? I'm betting your first thought was Salvation Army or some local version of such a thing. A commendable thought, but there's a problem. ...
Tobi.com is Sending Out Ugly Boxes Looking for Love
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 06.29.09
Photo credit: Tobi
Packaging innovation this is not, but we like the jocular spin Tobi.com is putting on its latest attempt to reduce its carbon footprint: Reusing shipping boxes and drawing attention to their less-than-pristine condition.
And the online fashion retailer doesn't mince words—these boxes are U-G-L-Y. (It says so on the stamp.) But that doesn't mean they're less deserving of your love. ...
Disappointed Europe "Demands More" from US on Climate Action
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 06.29.09
Photo via Frugal Cafe
Well, the celebration was short-lived. There were some pretty big headlines that managed to poke their way through the 24/7 Michael Jackson death coverage announcing the passage of an "historic climate bill" (I happened to write one of them). It led the New York Times, the Huffington Post, Politico, and a couple other outlets--but predictably, the victory was destined to be bittersweet. And the Europeans didn't even wait until the bill was officially passed before they came out to announce they "demand more" from the US. ...
Zoo Installation Shows Trouble In Wildlife Paradise
by Jerry James Stone, San Francisco, CA on 06.29.09
Photo courtesy of Steinbrener-Dempf
Trouble in Paradise--an art installation at Vienna's Schönbrunn Zoo--shows the troubling impact of modern civilization on wildlife habitat.
The installation is the work of Austrian artists Christoph Steinbrener and Rainer Dempf who have set up six different enclosures at the zoo. There are oil pumps in the penguin pen, toxic waste in the aquarium and abandoned cars in the rhino enclosure to name a few.
Intended to confront the notion of pristine wildlife, the installation hopes to raise awareness about the destruction of animal habitat globally.
...
U Illinois Urbana Saves $5 Million From Energy Efficiency
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 06.29.09
Image via: Mookio on Flickr
Here's a good story about how the University of Illinois, Urbana campus upgraded old systems and ended up not only reaching its energy efficiency goals ahead of schedule but also how it saved the school about $5 million in operating costs. ...
New Lighting Efficiency Stadards Set by Obama Administration Good Enough Soon Enough?
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 06.29.09
Is that light efficient? Photo via Art es Anna
Homes and businesses will now have new lighting standards to follow, which will help cut down on carbon emissions significantly. The problem, though, is a long wait for the rules to kick in combined with our short time to cut down on carbon emissions. Will the new rules make an impact?...
Bureau of Land Management to Designate Solar Power Fast Track Areas in Six Western States
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 06.29.09
photo: Tony via flick
Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar has just announced that the Bureau of Land Management will designate some 24 sites in six western states as Solar Energy Study Areas; and will establish new solar power permitting offices and speed reviews of utility-scale solar power proposals in these areas. All told the sites could generate nearly 100,000 MW of power, the Department of Interior said in its press release:...
Lightlane Is Going from Gleam To Reality
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06.29.09
I loved the idea of Lightlane when I wrote You Shall Have Bike Lanes Wherever You Go, but thought of it more as a conceptual project rather than a real product. No more; the response was so terrific that they are putting it into production....
Plant Waste Powered Limos to Bring World Leaders to Copenhagen Climate Talks
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 06.29.09
Photo via the Daily Mail
If you're hosting the world's most important conference on climate change, you sort of have to sweat the small stuff. Eyes from around the globe will be watching to see what progress the world leaders can make towards uniting to combat global warming in your town. So you can't very well send any old gas guzzling limousine to cart the green-inclined heads of state around Copenhagen. Which is why Denmark has worked out a solution that's both environmentally conscious and luxurious--limos that run on experimental biofuels made from plant waste will ferry the likes of Gordon Brown and Barack Obama around the city....
Obama Opposes Tariffs on Nations That Don't Limit Greenhouse Gas Emissions
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 06.29.09
photo: Joe via flickr
With the American Clean Energy & Security Act approved by the House, President Obama has come out offering scant criticism of a climate change bill that is, bluntly, woefully inadequate when it comes to doing what scientists say is necessary to prevent catastrophic climate change. He did however comment to the Washington Post that he's opposed to one provision in the bill which would impose tariffs on goods produced in nations that do not commit to greenhouse gas reductions:...
Neeson Murcutt's off-grid Box House
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06.29.09
Images via architect's website
We have not shown a lot of summer getaways on TreeHugger as of late; it often takes a lot of driving to get to them. But summer is here, and there is so much architectural eye candy around. Like Neeson Murcutt's lovely box house 500 km south of Sydney....
Microsoft's Hohm Latches Onto Consumer Energy Efficiency Wave
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 06.29.09
Screenshot via ReadWriteWeb
Around every corner is a list on how to cut down on your home energy use. The problem with most of these tip sheets is that the suggestions don't fit your circumstances. Usually we skim through and pick out the small handful that apply to us and that we can follow, and discard the rest of the list as useless. It's a fairly dissatisfying process, and Microsoft has recognized that. The company has come out with Hohm, a tipster software that bases its advice on customized information, and eventually on data provided by your utility company. ...
Palm Oil Plantations Orphan Baby Orangutans & Leave Them Nowhere to Call Home
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 06.29.09
photo: Brian Snelson via flick
Hopefully you already are aware of the plight of orangutans in Borneo and Sumatra as logging and palm oil plantations continue to rapidly destroy their habitat. The rate of deforestation and habitat loss is so great that some scientists are predicting that the orangutan will be the first great ape to go extinct in modern times. Yale Environment 360 is running a piece on one interesting twist on efforts to help orangutans. There are now so many orphaned babies that there may not be enough remaining habitat to reintroduce them to the wild:
...
Unintended Consequences: Swifts in Nosedive, Modern Architecture and Weatherization Blamed
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06.29.09
Wikipedia
Swifts, described in the Times as "those soaring harbingers of summer", have declined in population by 47% in the last twenty years in the UK, and some suspect it might be because of people fixing their houses....
Competition for .eco Domain Heating Up (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 06.29.09
OMG KITTENS! Colorado Biologists Discover Litter of Lynx Kittens
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 06.29.09
Photo credit: AP/Colorado Division of Wildlife
Spring brought a surprise delivery from the stork: A litter of 10 lynx kittens—the first newborns documented in Colorado since 2006, gladdening the hearts of conservationists, as well as drawing waves of squeals from computer monitors everywhere. (Warning: clicking on the below link may cause your screen to explode from the intolerable cute overload.)...
4,000 Square Miles of Mississippi Delta Inevitably Drowned Due to Sea Level Rise: New Estimate Shows
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 06.29.09
photo: Natalie Maynor via flickr
By then end of this century, somewhere between 3,800-5,200 square miles of coastal land around New Orleans are likely to be submerged as global sea level rise outpaces the rate of sediment deposited by the Mississippi river, an area much larger than previously predicted. That's the word coming from researchers Michael Blum and Harry Roberts, writing in the journal Nature Geoscience (subscription req'd):...
Conserve Plastic Bags Hosts Carnival of the Green
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 06.29.09
This week is Carnival of the Green #186 and it's being hosted by Conserve Plastic Bags, an informative blog whose goal is to raise public awareness on the consumption of plastic bags. Since it's inception (which began as a class project), it has since evolved to include content about a multitude of other current environmental issues as well.
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. Also, as we recently announced, this week's Carnival makes the debut of our new #bestgreentweets feature from Twitter. Find out which ones made the cut - enjoy!
We are now accepting host requests for 2010! Read on to find out how to host....
Climate Bill Bonus: It'll Save Americans Up to $23 a Month on Gas
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 06.29.09
Image via NRDC
The questions are still swirling around the Waxman-Markey climate bill, which just passed the House of Reps by the narrowest margins--is it too weak? Does it cater too much to coal companies and heavy industry? Will it pass the Senate? Will it be the "biggest tax hike" ever perpetrated on Americans, as the Wall Street Journal says it will? Yet one overlooked element of the bill has been quietly revealed by the good folks at the NRDC: it will save Americans an average of $13.93 a month on fuel by 2020--and depending on the state, it could save far more. ...
A Smart Grid Bubble, or Business as Usual?
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 06.29.09
Photo via chefranden
After the housing bubble burst and the subsequent economic muck thickened around our feet, the fear of investment bubbles became practically tangible. Even late last year, major venture capital firms were assuring investors that there isn't a bubble around clean tech investing. And they were right. Pointing out areas of smart grids, green building, alternative energy including solar, wind, and biofuels, energy storage, and transportation as particular hot spots, we've seen investments slow to a degree during the first half of the year, but certainly not stop. So, where does all this buzz about the smart grid being the next bubble come from?...
Beach Huts Go Green and Modern
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06.29.09
Images by Chris Routledge via Shedworking
Seaside towns in the UK have had a rough go of it in the last few years; the weather can often be described as "character building", while Spain and other places with better weather and warmer sand became so cheap and accessible by plane. But they are making a comeback, as are the beach huts that used to be so common.
Alex at Shedworking points us to these lovely new ones in Blyth, Northumberland....
A Picture Is Worth... (Literally) Unsustainably Developed Apartment Building
by greenz.jp, Tokyo, Japan on 06.29.09
Photo: Reuters, from Mail Online
This is a very unsettling and sad example of development gone terribly wrong. A newly built 13-storey apartment building has fallen and one person is dead; it was fortunate that noone was living inside these new flats by a river in Shanghai.
Shoddy construction and the use of sub-standard materials is a concern in China's construction sector as the country scrambles to build out cities and finish massive infrastructure projects to keep pace with fast economic growth.It appears to be unclear why the building toppled. Any thoughts?...
Ethanol Now Fuels Over Half of Brazilian Cars & Light Vehicles
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 06.29.09
photo: Rodrigo Soldon via flick
Brazil is renowned for being a world leader in ethanol use and this telling statistic bears that out: According to Petrobras CFO Almir Barbassa ethanol now powers more than 50% of all the light vehicles in the nation. Biofuels Digest quotes Barbassa as saying that gasoline has now become "the alternative fuel":...
Greening China's Mayors: A Q&A with Dr. Steve Hammer of the Mayoral Training Program on Energy Smart Cities
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 06.29.09
"There are lots of questions"
To meet its ambitious goals -- a 20 percent increase in energy productivity and a ten percent decrease in emissions compared to 2005 levels by the end of 2010 -- China will need to rely on strong national policies, like the so-called "green" stimulus package. But it will also require the determination of the officials overseeing the country's ferocious, unprecedented urbanization -- China's mayors.
To arm them with the know-how they want and the connections they need, the government has turned to Dr. Steve Hammer, the director of the Urban Energy Program at Columbia and an expert1 on New York City and London‘s sustainability plans. Some lessons from those cities apply, he tells TreeHugger -- and like some Chinese cities, some lessons need to be built from scratch....
Urban Retrofits: How to Make a City Green -- Without Tearing It Down
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06.29.09
Michael Fitzgerald writes an interesting article in the Boston Globe with a number of suggestions for "retrofitting. In the past several years, engineers, urban planners, and entrepreneurs have come up with imaginative new ways to take what we now know about living more energy-efficiently, and grafting that technology onto cities without clearing away what’s already there." Suggestions include reskinning, bikes on demand, smart grids, mobility hubs, solar rentals and podcars. Oh well, five out of six ain't bad. More at the Boston Globe.
To balance this quality journalism, the Globe also ran the The Silliest Article Ever on the Local Food Movement.
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Water Wars or Something Better: Can Water Bring Peace?
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 06.29.09
Image credit: Marjukka Grover
Because Water is so Vital, Even Enemies Can Find Common Ground
There's no doubt that as our climate gets weirder, the world will increasingly face a severe water crisis. Given the fact that we absolutely cannot live without water, it's perhaps understandable that we all get a little panicky - see, for example, the discussion over in our forums about whether global warming could lead to war, or check out Jaymi's post on water wars erupting in India. But flicking through the ever thought-provoking UTNE Reader this month, I was presented with a more hopeful vision - an Oregon State University professor and experienced water mediator who believes that water is so fundamental to life that it can actually bring enemies together.
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Book Review: Slow Death by Rubber Duck
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06.29.09
I am a big fan of Rick Smith, and the work he has done at Environmental Defence. He has been a leader of the campaign to get Bisphenol A, phtalates and brominated flame retardants out of our bodies. He and Bruce Lourie have done great stuff.
So I picked up “Slow Death by Rubber Duck” eagerly. After all, these guys write well, and have been regular sources for posts on treeHugger. Surely this book will pull all this together in a convincing package....
The Maison De Verre: A Model For Our Times?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06.29.09
exterior photos by Kelly Rossiter
The same week that Alice Rawsthorn was writing about A Prefab House That Dazzles Still, the Pacific Palisades home of Charles and Ray Eames, I was in Paris, visiting another dazzling steel and glass house, the Maison de Verre, designed by Pierre Chareau for Dr. Jean Dalsace and his wife, Annie in 1931.
They are both seminal houses that have influenced generations of architects, but ultimately, the Maison De Verre has perhaps far more relevance to sustainable design and architecture today than does the Eames House....
Tel Aviv Cyclists Out in "Thongs" To Protest Lack of Bike Legislation
by Karin Kloosterman, Tel Aviv on 06.29.09
(Screenshot of the YouTube video showing the protest in "thongs" in Tel Aviv).
Hot bodies alert! You heard it right. Clothing was optional as Tel Aviv cyclists and roller bladers protested against lack of bike legislation in thongs, and other combinations of underwear (or lack of underwear).
Protesting a helmet law, the cyclists used the forum to balk about the lack of government support for cycling as a form of transportation. The streets of cities like Tel Aviv and Jerusalem are blocked with congestion and stuffed up with pollution. Putting their bodies in front of the law is the only method this group saw as fit to deal with their frustrations: They decided to show the government exactly what it was missing by not promoting urban cycling - a nation full of attractive, physically fit specimens. See video below.
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Giovanni Socci Does Transformer Furniture. In 1810
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 06.29.09
We love transformer furniture that serves multiple functions; it saves space and lets you do more with less. We have shown few as complex as this desk by Giovanni Socci et fils, made in 1810 and seen at the Louvre in Paris. Note the three-legged chair on the wood slide-out base:...
eCycleway - Safe Urban Cycling or Dangerous Segregation?
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 06.29.09
In Rusay's vision, recycled-product bike bridges held up by "dirigibles" - via Design21.
It is an undisputed truth that the majority of American cities have incomplete bicycling infrastructures. This is perhaps especially true in Los Angeles, where 300+ sunny days annually should equal bike commute paradise. Designer Christopher Rusay hopes his design for an elevated lego-like cycleway, put together of recycled polyethylene pieces and recycled aluminum struts attached to existing lamp and electricity poles could help cities create and extend cyclist networks (and simultaneously, perhaps, reduce tension between autoworld and bikeworld). Solar-powered LED night lighting completes the eCycleway. Way out there? Absolutely. But also innovative and just plain wonderful to see designers thinking about this type of sustainable transport solutions....
What Happens After Coal for West Virginia Mountaintop Miners?
by Guest on 06.29.09
Coolest Environmental Advertising (Slideshow)
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 06.29.09
Image: ACT-Responsible
ACT-Responsible organizes the work of advertisers promoting sustainable causes into three categories: Taking care of (1) the planet, (2) yourself, and (3) others. But ACT Responsible's own work, depicting the tragic consequences of our choices today on future generations, deserves to lead a slideshow on the coolest environmental advertising.
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Kate's Cafe Serves Crocheted Food
by Bonnie Alter, London on 06.29.09
Knitting and crocheting have become all the rage, with happy knitters meeting in pubs or creating monster coral reefs. Crocheting, like knitting, is an old skill which used to be the domain of ladies making doilies. Now with the revival of interest in traditional and artisanal handicrafts, artists are taking this old skill in new directions.
Kate Jenkins learned to crochet at her mother's knee and she is crocheting culinary masterpieces. In her fantasy cafe she is serving full english breakfast, complete with tomatoes, sausages and eggs, or fish and chips, little sugar cupcakes and cups of tea with saucers. Works like sequin-adorned sardines on toast, knitted tomato ketchup bottles and a box of PG Tips teabags are pleasingly real-looking but still have enough quirkiness and wit to keep you interested.
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Ozarka's New Little Eco-Label Requires 60,000 Trees Every Year
by Trevor Reichman on 06.28.09
The math is simple. According to Ozarka's own claim, their tiny new label uses a third less paper than the old one, or a whopping 30,000 less trees. The new advertising campaign, intended to lessen the guilt of their customers, entice new customers, and win back customers who have moved on to less wasteful methods of hydration, inadvertently reveals the devastating scope of destruction that even the most benign piece of their product generates. ...
Women Should Sing to Their Tomatoes. Guys Should Shut Up.
by Josh Peterson, Los Angeles, California on 06.28.09
Photo: The Ewan via Flickr
We may live in society that stresses equality between the genders, but when it comes to gardening, women seem to have an upper larynx. According to a recent experiment by the Royal Horticultural Society in England, tomato plants grow faster when they are crooned at. The sung-to tomatoes grew two inches higher than their unserenaded counterparts. Female voices worked especially well for hasty tomato growth. Male voices, on the other hand, couldn’t make the tomatoes grow as quickly, and in some cases, low-voiced males were able to stunt the growth of the tomatoes by warbling at them. This must be why we throw rotten tomatoes at horrible singers. Wokka Wokka. ...
Who Is Talking Crazy About the Climate Bill?
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 06.28.09
Photo via the NY Times
The American Clean Energy and Security Act has cleared its first major hurdle by passing out of the House of Representatives. Some have principled positions against the bill, while others have chosen to support it, albeit with some reservations. But a few elected officials and pundits--from both the right and the left--have not attacked the bill on its merits and have instead said some pretty goofy stuff about ACES....
Dwell on Design: High on Energy
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 06.28.09
Park your plug-in hybrid under Phat Energy's carport. Photos by RCruger
Day two at the Dwell on Design Show in downtown Los Angeles was open to the public who came in droves, filled showroom aisles to peruse eco-friendly, modern furnishings, and listen to speakers on a variety of topics from sustainable design to the garage of the future and ideal green kitchen. On the floor, Phat Energy, a Southern California solar company, displayed their PhatPort, a solar-powered carport/patio awning and promoted its attic fan as a way to reduce energy costs and avoid paying more to utility companies.” Meanwhile, a hundred feet away, Edison, one of LA's utilities, spoke about alternative energy incentives and available rebates.
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Bhut Jolokia Chili Grenades to Take On the World's Worst Unruly Rioters
by Eric Leech, New York, NY on 06.28.09
Photo via: Laughing Shaman
The Bhut Jolokia (a.k.a. Ghost chili), the India version of the hot pepper, might be coming to a riot near you......
Senate Democrats Ready to Take On Climate Change
by Sara Novak, Columbia, SC on 06.28.09
photo via Military
The recent passage of the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 by a narrow margin in the House of Representatives has placed some serious pressure on Senate Democratic leaders, who are furiously scrambling to get the bill passed in the Senate. It seems to be an opportune time to use some of President Obama’s political capital in order to make some serious headway on climate change in 2009. ...
Extreme Drought - Water Softening Out
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 06.28.09
More "Save the Bees" Success: What Can Other Environmental Campaigners Learn?
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 06.28.09
Image credit: The Guardian
20,000 honeybees released: great news, but why such big news?
Anyone who has spent time campaigning on environmental issues will know that it can be hard to get the general public engaged with the plight of an endangered species, or worried about pollution. We all lead busy lives, and sometimes the environment plays second fiddle to economics, politics or even TV reality shows when it comes to public attention. So what is it about honeybees that has so strongly captured our collective imagination? ...
Yuneec Electric Aircraft Makes First Flight (Video)
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 06.28.09
Image credit: Yuneec
Electric Aircraft Makes Successful Test Flight
There are plenty of fancy electric super cars out there proving that battery-powered does not have to mean boring. But is the world ready for electric aviation? THere's actually more prototypes out there than you might think - from the SkySpark electric plane to the jaw-dropping, alp-crossing Sunseeker solar plane (video). Heck, there's so much hope for battery-powered flight that there is even an Electric Plane Symposium, and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has hinted at supersonic electric flight. In the meantime, another electric plane has taken flight - and this one might be on the market sooner than you'd think. Click below the fold for video footage of the maiden flight. ...
June Eco-Tidbits from Turkey
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 06.28.09
Turkey is building a plant to make power from chicken poop, but is still struggling to ease traffic congestion in its largest city. Photos by Darin Barry (left) and neoprolog via Flickr.
Life usually slows down a bit for the summer in Istanbul, as the rise in temperatures and influx of tourists drive people away to the beach, or at least up to rooftop terraces or out to their stoops to while away the muggy days. But things are still popping on the environmental front as we once again wrap up some of the month's eco-news from Turkey, developments that prompted reactions of both "süper" (yep, just like in English, but with an umlaut) and "maalesef" (unfortunately):...
How to Automate Any House with Twitter
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 06.28.09
Image: Flickr, Between a Rock
Twitter House aka Twitter Cottage
Prepare for a case of job-title envy. Engineer Andy Stanford-Clark works on the kind of projects that usually appear first in advertisements that anecdotally demonstrate a company's forward thinking. He is a "Master Inventor" for IBM. But IBM is not tooting its own horn: news of Andy's recent project is picking up speed in media and the blogosphere after being highlighted by BBC.
One of Andy's current projects aims to demonstrate the feasibility and advantages of an automated house. And it is no modern pre-fab structure: Andy works on his own thatched cottage on the Isle of Wight, much like the one pictured above. Caution, may be addictive: You can follow Andy's house on Twitter to receive tweets like those excerpted below:...
TreeHugger breaks it down for you in a series of in depth how-to articles that will help you green your life. No time like the present!
Here are a few recommended websites.
- BTC Elements Blog
- Celsias
- Clean Edge - The Clean-Tech Market Authority
- Cleantech Investing
- SRB Marketing | CONSCIOUS CLICKS - The Blog
- Daily Green, the Blog of GreenForGood.com
- Endogenous preferences
- Environmental and Urban Economics
- Environmental Economics
- EQUITY GREEN
- gDiapers: the early years...
- Gil Friend
- The Green Giraffe
