- 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)
Manuel said:
"This is great news! I hope all cities pass this into law.The practice of using plastic bags just to quickly dispose of them has been going on far t..." [read]
Jay Knecht said: "What are the performance stats for the Son of Max? ..." [read]
gazelle said: "@ Dallas: The book, and the supplementary videos in the "How It All Ends" youtube series, address this in detail, but I'll try to paraphrase:..." [read]
Barry said: "Kofi Annan has about as much of a clue about electric cars and developing countries as Ann Ann the Panda. He underestimates the ingenuity o..." [read]
JJ said: "Very cool. I didn't thought that biodesel might be our future fuel...." [read]
Derek said: ""I guarantee you this will spark huge debates around the world," she said. "We have to delve into this in a way that hasn't been done in a long tim..." [read]
Jay Knecht said: "What are the performance stats for the Son of Max? ..." [read]
gazelle said: "@ Dallas: The book, and the supplementary videos in the "How It All Ends" youtube series, address this in detail, but I'll try to paraphrase:..." [read]
Barry said: "Kofi Annan has about as much of a clue about electric cars and developing countries as Ann Ann the Panda. He underestimates the ingenuity o..." [read]
JJ said: "Very cool. I didn't thought that biodesel might be our future fuel...." [read]
Derek said: ""I guarantee you this will spark huge debates around the world," she said. "We have to delve into this in a way that hasn't been done in a long tim..." [read]
Entries for October 18, 2009 - October 24, 2009
Total this week: 227
Prince Albert Tells Hollywood to Change Lifestyle
by Roberta Cruger, Los Angeles on 10.24.09
Prince Albert in the can and with The Edge. Photo courtesy of PRNews
When Prince Albert II of Monaco came to Hollywood this week, eco-friendly members of the entertainment biz toasted the royal son of late Oscar-winning actress Grace Kelly -- and his environmental foundation. He's been busy hustling up $23 million for the Prince's climate change initiatives. U2's The Edge was in town for the big YouTube webcast concert, Chris "Mr. Big" Noth, Julian Lennon (another famous son), and others showed support for the Monaco monarch's crusade, listening to the Prince deliver a rather admonishing speech.
...
Trend Watch: Pot Growing In Abandoned McMansions
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.24.09
The lastest in American architectural innovation. Image credit, Photobucket, darkrose05rx8
The bad guys bought abandoned or repossessed homes, ripped out interior walls, illegally tapped into power and water, and grew pot commercially. What starts in California goes viral a couple years later. So, don't be surprised if DEA operatives begin cruising upscale developments in Florida or Connecticut.
Possible counter-intel tactics by the bad guys: hire broke soccer moms to stop by and smile at the neighbors; keep up the landscaping services; and, install solar panels - paid for with government incentives. Boston.com has the full story....
George Will Is Gaga Over Michele Bachmann
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.24.09
And who isn't? They are celebrating in Minnesota as our favorite authority on climate change, George Will of the Washington Post embraces Michele Bachmann. He does note that "She is, however, a petite pistol that occasionally goes off half-cocked." but otherwise says that "her supposed excesses are, however, not merely defensible, they are admirable."
Sharing a state with Al Franken, they should probably rename Minnesota Comedy Central. We round up some of our favorite Michele Bachmann posts:
...
From the Forums: Green Legislation- Will It Be Enough?
by Alex Davies, New York City on 10.24.09
Image Credit: chmeredith-online
SoCalSolar writes:
I'm a little frustrated with the green bill that the "majority" in congress wants passed in line with the Obama administration's goals. I am, obviously, for much more rapid progress on environmental issues and renewable energy efforts, but does it really have to be somewhere in the ballpark of 1500+ pages? Can any congressperson or layman really understand this bill in it's entirety and with enough confidence to vote for it / fully support it without wondering "what else" was thrown in?So what do you think? Post here....
Jack Johnson's 'En Concert' En Stores, Benefits Enviro Charities
by Jeff Kart, Bay City, MIchigan on 10.24.09
Credit: Anne Varak via Flickr.
The scene looks like a night sky, filled with stars. The stars are lighters and cell phones --- 20,000 people listening to Jack Johnson sing and play his guitar. Johnson, a surfer, solar-enthusiast and singer-songwriter, adds the title of "documentary subject" to his resume on Tuesday, Oct. 27. That's when the film "En Concert" will be released. It chronicles one leg of Johnson's 2008 "Sleep Through the Static" tour, where he attempted to bring the music of the ocean and the waves to stages across Europe....
Rest In Peace: Voluntary Food Packaging Label "Mark"
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.24.09
Image credit:original from Smart Choices website. Cross added to indicate change of status.
The US packaged food industry Smart Choices labeling program, which went from front-of-package to front page "FAIL" in the space of just two months, began, as our earlier post described, as a label, "...whereby consumers can see if their food purchases meet the criteria set forth by the program for healthy eating. ...Kellogg's Froot Loops meets those criteria. Other smart choices include Fudgsicles, Lunchables and Mayonnaise." The just-suspended label was an industry designed and managed, voluntary effort which seemed designed to fend off a prospective government (FDA) standard for food labeling. New York Times explains that they are suspending operations, which, assuming FDA moves ahead, means "RIP," just in time for Halloween....
Readers, Send Us Your International Day of Climate Action Photos!
by Emma Grady, New York, NY on 10.24.09
Schoolchildren in the Maldives form a giant '350' in the lead up to October 24th. Credit: 350.org
What are you doing today for the International Day of Climate Action, this Saturday, October, 24, 2009? Plan an awareness-raising, pollution-reducing event? Organize a climate-discussion with a meal made from locally grown food? Did you host a teach-in at the town library and wear an organic cotton 350 t-shirt? Prove it! TreeHugger writers will be sending in their photos from around the globe, and we want to see yours for our first Writers/Readers slideshow in celebration of the International Day of Climate Action. Click through for details and see the potential for your photo in today's Readers' Home Improvement Photos . ...
Trick Or Treat With A Caulk Gun
by Greg Haegele of Sierra Club on 10.24.09
U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman makes a home more energy efficient. Image credit:U.S. Department of Energy Digital Photo Archive.
You might think next week's major holiday is Halloween, but 'round the Sierra Club offices we're a bit nerdier. You see, we're excited about Friday, October 30th: National Weatherization Day.
On National Weatherization Day, created by the U.S. Department of Energy, cities will be hosting events to highlight services and organizations that help people to make their homes more energy efficient. Across the country, federal recovery funds are helping people weatherize their homes for winter, creating jobs, and reducing energy waste.
It all relates to Halloween on a number of levels, really. Think about how many energy "vampires" there are in your home or office (devices that still suck energy even when not on), or think about how much less scary your energy bills can be if you weatherize your home. Did you know that the average family can save $350 a year on their utility bills after a retrofit? So it makes sense to us to tie the two holidays together....
Diners Dig Into Invasive Lionfish, But Do They Really Care About Saving Coral Reefs?
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 10.24.09
A red lionfish seen at the Tasik Ria diving resort in Manado, Indonesia. Photo by Jens Petersen via Wikimedia Commons.
To consumers trying to eat responsibly, supermarket shelves and restaurant menus can sometimes seem like minefields of "don'ts." Don't order that blue fin tuna; it's overfished. Don't eat that non-organic peach; it's loaded with pesticides. Don't buy that chicken; it was raised on a factory farm. So it's really not much of a surprise that when a group of people were told, "Eat this fish and help save the environment," they jumped at the chance....
Elegance in Composting with Valentina
by Sara Novak, Columbia, SC on 10.24.09
photo: Priscilla Woolworth
The Valentina sounds more like a designer handbag than that of an outdoor composting bin but the message is clear, composting can be as stylish as this season's high boots if you ask designer Priscilla Woolworth. For urban dwellers in compact places, this beautiful outdoor composting bin makes getting rid of all your biodegradable waste simple....
Tesla Roadster Explored: Carpool Interviews Diarmuid O'Connell (Video)
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 10.24.09
Image credit: Llewtube
When I wrote about Robert Llewellyn's unique review of the Mitsubishi MiEV electric car, one commenter mentioned that they "couldn't wait to see him in a Tesla." Well we're in luck. Some time back Carpool visited the States to interview Diarmuid O'Connell, Vice President of Business Development for Tesla Motors. And just like Llewellyn's interview with Dale Vince of Ecotricity, the resulting conversation is utterly fascinating. As an added bonus, we even get a glimpse at the (more) affordable Tesla Model S....
Boho Bodega Reinvents New York City's Beloved Corner Deli
by David Friedlander, New York City on 10.24.09
From the Forums: Save My Spring!
by Alex Davies, New York City on 10.24.09
Image Credit: forestgladesiwander-online
BellGuy needs some help:
My landlord wants to develop the property at the bottom of the valley. Last month he had his crew go into a 45 foot wide 100 foot long marsh area and cut down every single living thing from snakes to the old trees that bordered it. He doesn't have any type of permits to do this and he even joked about not letting the "grass fags" know about it. One of his crew guys was complaining about having to dump 3 tons of rock into the marsh to help "dry it up." I really need to know how to stop this evil old man.Have advice? Post here....
Win A Solar Array and an Eco-Refurbishment: 10:10 Campaign Offers Big Prizes
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 10.24.09
Image credit: Solarcentury
Imagine a free solar array for your home, combined with a full eco-makeover to eliminate draughts, improve comfort, efficiency and air quality. That's the prize on offer to green minded UK householders right now. It's just one part of the 10:10 Campaign's call to cut UK carbon emissions by 10% by 2010. (See also their search for the Voice of Green Britain.) So what do you have to do to qualify? ...
Chicago Fashion Week Spring 2010: Vert Couture Green Show this Weekend
by Emma Grady, New York, NY on 10.24.09
Frei Designs to show Spring 2010 collection at Chicago Fashion Week. Credit Frei Designs
If you're an eco-fashionista in Chicago, Vert Couture is the place to be during Chicago Fashion Week this weekend. The runway show will feature vegan line Vaute Couture, organic brand Mountains of the Moon, Annie Novotny's Frei Designs, vintage stylist Bryant McLemore Smith, and more eco-fashion designers' Spring 2010 collections. Click through for details. ...
Project Runway Australia: Eco-Fashion Challenge
by Emma Grady, New York, NY on 10.24.09
Project Runway Winner Anthony Capon's avant-garde paper frock. Image courtesy of Wrapped by housemouse™
Project Runway Australia Season 2 Winner Anthony Capon and fellow designers--Amber Renae, Mark Neighbour, and Jason Chetcuti--created Wrapped by housemouse™ paper frocks for the television series' eco-fashion challenge. The shoot raised awareness for Enviroweek, a non-profit organization that raises funds for environmental charities, and was shot by Australian fashion photographer Robert Earp at Federation Square's BMW Edge in Melbourne, Australia. Click through for photos of the avant-garde designs....
THTV: Bill McKibben On 350, Winning Change & Encouraging Signs
by George Spyros, New York City, USA on 10.23.09
Last spring, the day after PowerShift 2009, I caught up with Bill McKibben in NYC. Tired and exhilarated, Bill shared the feeling of having won the victory of shutting down the coal-fired Capitol Power Plant in Washington D.C. Well guess what? The battle against GHG emissions is win-able. As long as we put a plus sign next to the number 350 to add what's missing....
CrowBox Wants You to Train Crows To Clean the Planet. Seriously.
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.23.09
How much do you actually know about crows? Other than they are loud and sit on the tops of trees and make a bunch of noise? They always seem to lurk around and stare you in the eye a little too long for comfort, right? Well, turns out they are much smarter than you might think, and they may even be one solution to our garbage problem. Inventor Josh Klein started doing experiments in 2008 showing that you could train crows to use a vending machine, and not just that, but that they were smart enough to pass the training on to each other. Knowing this, how can we use crows to our advantage instead of just seeing them as local pests or flying rats? ...
Good Morning New Zealand! First Images From International Day of Climate Action
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.23.09
all photos courtesy 350.org
The first images from the International Day of Climate Action are coming in from New Zealand via the folks over at 350.org.
"Here in Aotearoa, New Zealand, we're ahead of the world timewise, but we are absolutely united with the world on this most incredible of days. Because on this day we are joined by 4548 events and actions in 174 countries around the world, making this the biggest day of international action the world has ever seen!"...
Forget Natural Variation: New Arctic Sediment Samples Show 20th Century Warming Unlike Past Events
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.23.09
Not the actual lake... photo: D. Sikes via flickr.
A new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science further closes the door on the notion that current climate changes are just the result of natural variations, as have been seen in the past. Sediment samples from a remote Arctic lake, retrieved by researchers show "unprecedented" changes:...
The Sexiest Solar iPhone Charger by Regen
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.23.09
Image via: Earthtechling
The sleek design of the Regen ReNu offers customers a solar panel charger, that looks like well a solar panel, but also looks like it would blend into the background of a modern, chic, loft apartment. Styled similar to many iProduct docking stations, the Regen ReNu can recharge a variety of electronic gadgets and get several charges off of one battery. But will it be available in time for the holiday rush?...
From the Forums: Is Turning Off Electronics Worth the Effort?
by Alex Davies, New York City on 10.23.09
Image Credit: LGEPR-online
FlyCatcher wants to know:
What I'm really asking, is it really that significant to turn off your electronics, appliances, etc. when it comes to saving energy/money? I'm wondering because of all the hype lately about products draining energy even when they're off, and the importance of unplugging all your things at home when you're leaving (which, honestly, is a little time consuming). I've seen things like this GreenPower strip, which is cool, but what else is out there, and how much of a difference does it make?Have suggestions? Post them here....
On Global Climate Change: Demand 350, Demand Organic
by Timothy J. LaSalle, Rodale Institue, Kutztown, PA on 10.23.09
Last weekend the president of the Maldives held an unusual cabinet meeting. Underwater. The president asked his ministers to learn scuba diving for their unusual in-the-sea meeting, where they used hand signals and wrote on slates to communicate in an aquatic environment. The Maldives ministers called for rapid greenhouse gas reduction to a concentration of 350 parts per million. Here at the Rodale Institute we're working to answer that call by researching regenerative agriculture techniques to meet that goal. ...
Hometta Delivers Good Designs For Smaller Homes Off the Rack
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.23.09
Food and Water House by Studio Terpeluk
One of the reasons TreeHugger has loved prefab so much is that by doing things more than once, an architect gets to work out the bugs and get it right. They don't all have to be identical, but they do have to get better each time. That is also a virtue of the stock home plan business; if you sell a plan for a house already built, you can fix your mistakes. Prefab and home plans also let architects make a living with smaller houses, earning enough by doing a number of iterations to justify the amount of work it takes to do a decent job. For the client, it gives them access to the kind of talent they could not otherwise afford.
I have previously covered a few startups offering modern plans, some even giving them away, but missed Hometta,a stock plan business founded in Houston by builder Mark Johnson and architect Andrew McFarland, and written about in the Boston Globe.
...
One Man, One Mission, And 12,000km On a Bike
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.23.09
Image via: 12000km
What started out as a four month mission on a bicycle to raise awareness about climate change, has turned into a lucrative fundraising endeavor as well as a visual documentary about the environment in South America. Ryan Stotland, self-confessed TreeHugger fan, decided to take four months this fall and travel roughly 12,000km around South America to raise money for Climate Change and Cancer Research, as well as just see if he could do it. What is it with kids these days, first a 23 year old wants to spend 3 years on a bike raising awareness about climate change and now a 22 year old spend 4 months on a bike for climate change. ...
Logged Tropical Rainforest Can Regain Lost Biodiversity in 15 Years, If Managed Properly
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.23.09
photo: Rob and Stephanie Levy via flickr.
Here's a testimony to the resiliency of tropical forests: Mongabay points out that a study in the journal Conservation Biology shows that, if managed properly, forests which have been logged can return to levels of biodiversity found in untouched forests in just 15 years:...
Swedes Put First Carbon Labels On Food
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.23.09
Toyota Prius Hybrid Wins 2010 Car of the Year in Japan
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.23.09
Photo: Flickr, CC
Battle of the Hybrids: Prius Narrowly Beats Honda Insight
It's not just Japanese consumers that seem to like the new Toyota Prius (we wrote about the huge increase in sales). The jurors for the Japan Car of the Year award also selected the hybrid, though it was a close race compared to the previous 30 editions; the Honda Insight finished in second place with 391 points (compared to the Prius's 433)....
Disappearing Plastic Bags - New Plastic Magazine Mailer Dissolves in Hot Water
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.23.09
Images via Creative Review
While I don't really understand why magazines are often packaged in plastic in the first place, Creative Review magazine is trialing a plastic bag that isn't so frustrating. In fact, it sounds downright awesome. It is made from a material developed by CyberPac called "harmless-dissolve" (no, seriously...that's what it's called) and it dissolves in hot water, making it completely zero waste. ...
10 Best Condom Ads Banned in the US
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.23.09
Think about it. Images via Divine Caroline
Maybe the best way that people living in the US can go green is simply to have fewer children. And the US has a much higher rate of unintended pregnancies than other developed nations--nearly half of all pregnancies in the US are unplanned. That's about 3 million a year. Which leads us to wonder--could more effective condom ads help lower those numbers, and our sprawling carbon footprint? These 10 popular condom ads are shown around the world--in nations with lower unintended pregnancy rates--but were rejected for being too sexually explicit in the US.
...
Mayim Bialik on Green Parenting, Natalie Portman on Top Chef, and More
by Blythe Copeland, Great Neck, New York on 10.23.09
Photo via The Sierra Club
If you're still stuck on Mayim Bialik as the crazy-hat wearing main character from Blossom, then you've got some catching up to do: the 33-year-old mother of two (who earned her neuroscience Ph.D. before deciding to go back into acting) is now the spokesperson for the Holistic Moms Network, and talked to the Sierra Club about her green parenting practices. ...
Just 57% of US Residents See Evidence of Global Warming & 23% Know About Cap-and-Trade
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.23.09
People in the Mountain West have the lowest opinion of there being solid evidence of global warming. Colorado Springs photo: Jay Miller via flickr.
A new Pew Research poll shows that fewer US residents think there's solid evidence for global warming than in previous years, with just 57% seeing climate change evidence. That's down 20% since 2006 and down 14% since last year. Furthermore, only 36% of respondents thought that global warming was caused by human activity:...
Electric Wooden Buggy Hits the Streets of New York (VIDEO)
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.23.09
Photo via V-Man
Seth Kinmont is an artist with one foot in the future--and one way in the past. He built an electric car with a design based on a combination of old wooden buggy models, including a horse drawn carriage, and an Amish cart. Apparently, the whole thing runs on four 12-volt batteries. Video of the car in action after the jump ...
GOOD Water Use Video Shows How Little Things Add Up
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.23.09
We know we all use more water than we need, and certainly more than we should be using. And we know that a global water crisis is upon us. The obvious thing to do is cut down our water consumption, right? GOOD has a great short video showing what little choices each day add up to big savings in the water department. Some of the suggestions are surprising! ...
The Most Dangerous Global Warming Deniers in the World
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.23.09
Photo via Squidoo
Fewer Americans believe that climate change is a serious problem now than at any point over the last three years--only 57% feel that global warming is worth worrying about. How can that be, you might ask--the scientific evidence has only grown stronger, and more and more nations around the world are accepting that it's a major threat. So what keeps us at bay? It could have something to do with these men--the most dangerous global warming deniers around. ...
BoingBoing Looks at LED Lights Through "Sober Assessment Goggles"
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.23.09
Should I Dive Into LEDs?
Our friends over at BoingBoing took a hype-free look at the state of LED lights. While most of us know by now that LED lighting is The Next Big Thing(tm), it's sometimes hard to know exactly where things stand right now. There are many positive reviews of LED bulbs on the net, but they're often for cutting edge products that are hard to find and/or very expensive. What about the LEDs that you see on the shelves at Home Depot (or whatever)?...
Separate Climate Treaty Needed to Address Short-Term Components of Global Warming
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.23.09
Though short-lived in the atmosphere, soot from diesel engines and cooking fires can be strong contributors to global warming. Photo: Matt Buck via flickr.
As if getting one global climate treaty isn't hard enough: University of California at Berkeley researcher Stacy Jackson says we need to start planning for a future summit to specifically address short- and medium-term acting components of global warming such as soot, ozone, and methane:...
Recycling Bin Concept Makes Stuff Out of Your Paper Waste
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.23.09
Image via Yanko Design
This idea transforms the recycling bin into a reuse bin. The idea is you fill the bin with paper, and it spits out a reusable product made from the paper, like a waste basket or stool. There's just one problem......
Limited Time Offer: $42,083 Off on Tesla Roadster in Colorado Until Dec. 31st
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.23.09
Photo: Tesla Motors
Now *That* Is a Tax Break
The state of Colorado is trying to encourage the adoption of "alternative fuel vehicles" by offering tax credits based on the difference in cost between the said vehicle and a comparable non-green version. This means you could get about $3k in tax credit on a 2010 Toyota Prius or 2010 Honda Insight, or even $3.8k on a Honda Civic GX that runs on compressed natural gas. But the real eye-popper is the rebate on the all-electric Tesla Roadster: $ 42,083. That's about 38% of the car's $109k sticker price!...
Thermochromatic T-Shirt Puts Melting Arctic Ice Warning on Your Chest (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.23.09
Photo via Fashion Tech
The world is full of t-shirts sporting ironic, silly, and downright lame messages. But here's one that matters. And it's done in early 90s thermochromatic flair. Check out a video of the t-shirt changing color and showing the (truly frightening) melting of polar ice....
EU Offers 95% Emission Cuts by 2050, 30% by 2020 - If Climate Deal Signed in Copenhagen
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.23.09
Poland isn't so pleased by proposed emission reductions, saying it will hurt their coal dependent economy. Photo: irgendwo via flickr.
Game on! In an effort to show that it really is the world leader in addressing climate change, the European Union has said that it will cut its greenhouse gas emissions up to 95% by 2050, with a short-term target of 20-30% reductions by 2020, provided that a global climate deal is signed in Copenhagen in December:...
The World's Most Lovable Invasive Species (Slideshow)
by David DeFranza on 10.23.09
Image credit: Daniel Wehner/Flickr
Invasive species, we all know, pose a huge threat to biodiversity. Still, some surprising invaders are too cute, cuddly, or just plain beautiful to hate.
...
With 5 Negotiating Days Until COP15, Keep Pushing for Fair, Ambitious & Binding Climate Deal
by Guest on 10.23.09
The following is a guest post from TckTckTck / Global Campaign for Climate Action chairman Kumi Naidoo.
With only five negotiating days left to Copenhagen, and acknowledgement that little progress was made in Bangkok, it's all still to play for. This is the time for civil society to come together across the globe; to unite with one voice and put pressure on world leaders to commit to personally attending the Copenhagen talks and sign a deal that is Fair, Ambitious and Binding.
The TckTckTck campaign has brought together an impressive alliance of civil society organizations, including The Red Cross, Greenpeace, Oxfam, WWF and The Union of Concerned Scientists and is amassing the voices of people across the globe. By joining together we can send one message to our leaders that they can't afford to ignore....
LED Eyelashes Make Your Eyes Look Bigger
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.23.09
Photo of Soomi Park by Minsoo Kang
It has been quite a while since TreeHugger showed stupid tricks with light emitting diodes, but artist Soomi Park has come up with LED eyelashes, evidently designed as a "product that speaks to many Asian women's desire for bigger eyes." They have a mercury switch that turns them on and off depending on how you tilt your head.
If you don't desire bigger eyes, they might be good for cycling at night. The video below shows the design process and the LEDs in action....
Are Solar Panels in a Parking Lot Meaningful or Greenwash?
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.23.09
Warren thinks I am too negative. He says we should write about the ups, not the downs. I thought about that when I read Mike's post yesterday: Dell HQ Gets a 130 kW Solar Parking Lot with Plug-In Charging Stations. It shows a few big pickups and SUVs sheltering under the Solar Grove. Then I zoomed out a bit with Google and looked at Dell's operations in Round Rock and saw a sea of cars, and wondered, is 130 Kilowatts of power and 145,000 pounds of greenhouse gas savings meaningful in the face of what is really going on here, thousands of cars driving to a Texas sized suburban industrial park? Or is it just greenwash?
...
From the Forums: Urban or Rural?
by Alex Davies, New York City on 10.23.09
Image Credit: Jonathon Gill-online
Clutchlove wants to know:
I thinking about urban, suburban, rural, types like that. If the type is a lil obscure give a definition please so other people will know what you are talking about. Again, these are favorite types of areas to live, not just visit. And feel free to give your reasons why the type is your favorite. Don't forget to put what type you are in right now!So where do you live, and what's your dream location? Post here....
Top Stories from Tonic: Hair Gel Power, Coyote Survival, Ultracapacity, Bleating Hearts and More!
by Tonic, the "good news" site on 10.23.09
Tonic has your "good news" highlights -- readers' most iresistable eco-stories of the week. From kittens and puppies to turbines and panels, these are the headlines you won't wanna miss.
All hail the mighty vegetable! Darragh Worland lets those of us not lucky enough to be in a particular Queens grocery store at a particular moment on Oct. 21 relive an impromptu musical moment.
Lava lamp + hair gel = solar power? Courtney Rubin has the scoop; science geeks are in heaven.
Animal survival! Wile-E Tricky and a too-curious cat face off with vehicular perils and win. Kathy Ehrich Dowd has the rundown ... so to speak.
Ultracapacitor. As cool as the flux capacitor? You be the judge. John Casey tells us all about EEStor's new supercharged electric car.
In "Picking Up the Scent," Kendall Hunter hails little foxes in her shout-out to natural cosmetic company Lush.
Awwwww. Figure out how to reduce your best friend's carbon pawprint. Poochie loves the planet too, you know.
Living, breathing garbage disposals, goats are now taking on weedwacker duty. Sarah Parsons will make your little hearts bleat.
Wind turbines parking in a Cali lot. Better use of space, no doubt....
The Brower Youth Awards 2009: The Cure for Cynicism (Video)
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 10.23.09
Image credit: Brower Youth Awards
I was looking at an (anonymous) TreeHugger's skype profile the other day, which read "I'd be more optimistic if more people worried." It's easy to feel like that. With climate change, war, famine and resource depletion, it's sometimes scary how oblivious many folks are to the challenges we face. And this isn't just about the "enlightened" activist versus the rest of the world—it can be amazingly easy for even the biggest TreeHugger to put the bigger picture out of our mind as we focus on day-to-day worries. That's why the Brower Youth Awards are so vital - reminding us all that there are folks fighting every day for a better, fairer world. Click below the fold for some videos of inspiring young people that might just renew the optimism in all of us. ...
Google/Guggenheim Shed Competition Winners Announced
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.23.09
The results are in from the Design It competition, a Google mashup with the Guggenheim where 600 designers used Sketchup to design a shelter, no more that 100 square feet in floor area that provided a space for one person to study and sleep. There was a peoples' choice award where more than 100,000 voted, giving the prize to David Mares of Portugal, who logically built it out of cork, a local, sustainable material. ...
SODD: Sustainable Building System from Édouard François
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.23.09
Edouard Francois
I didn't quite know what to make of the email from TreeHugger favourite Édouard François, showing his new installation SODD. Designboom to the rescue, telling us that it is part of FIAC, an exhibition involving 210 exhibitors showing off 4200 artists in Paris.
The structure is made up of prefabricated wood modules and aims to create a cozy atmosphere without disrupting the environment, and appears to be the prototype of a proposed new building system made from sustainable materials....
Transformer Furniture: Suited Case by Erik De Nijs
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.23.09
via DeZeen
We love transformer furniture, stuff that takes up less space by serving multiple functions. And what do you do with empty suitcases? Dutch designer Erik De Nijs of Nieuwe Heren solves the problem with Suited Case, a collection of suitcases that can be combined into a sofa when not being used to travel....
If Animals Could Talk... They'd Say, 'Keep It Down Out There, We're Trying to Breed!'
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 10.23.09
Missed connection: European tree frogs are sending out fewer mating calls due to noise pollution. Photo by Andrei Daniel Mihalca via Wikimedia Commons.
It's driving people crazy in Cairo, boosting risks of heart disease and high blood pressure in San Francisco, and, according to a new study, keeping animals from mating and hunting successfully. Is it a dangerous new disease or a side effect of global warming? Nope, just too much noise....
Chew on This! Boston Suburb Hires Goats to Mow Lawn
by Naturally Savvy on 10.23.09
Andover, Massachusetts is starting a pilot project that will use grazing goats to maintain a 3.5-acre meadow. Photo by Jon Stammers via Flickr.
A Boston suburb is sidelining commercial mowers in favor of a local farmer's goats to maintain a public meadow. Six dairy goats will chow down on a 3.5-acre meadow that is part of the Virginia Hammond Reservation, a conservation area in Andover.
The plan makes sense on several levels. It will cut out carbon emissions that previously accumulated from the use of commercial mowers. Not only will the plan cost the city nothing, they'll save on the cost of labor, gas, and equipment maintenance....
Green Garbage Bags in Art and History
by Bonnie Alter, London on 10.23.09
Image by Scott Kilgour
Here's a sorry thought: Canadians invented the green garbage bag. Yes folks, it's true--one of our unique contributions to the environmental destruction of the world.
Scott Kilgour, a Scottish artist living in the USA, discovered this little known fact and became so fascinated that he incorporated the dreaded bag into his art. And he published a little book entitled "the good life" to illustrate his views on our consumer, throwaway culture....
Desmond Tutu Endorses 350 Target
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 10.22.09
Twitter Cabs, Cal Poly Cattle Money & More Sigg Trouble
by Nick Aster of TriplePundit on 10.22.09
A weekly wrap up of green and socially minded business news from the gang at TriplePundit.com.
Suzuki Unveils First Fuel Cell Scooter, Will Hit Market in Few Months
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.22.09
Image via: EV WORLDwire
The Bergman scooter launched this week at the Tokyo Motor Show and announced that it will be available globally within the next few months. There are still quite a few unanswered questions, like how much it will retail for, just who will be allowed to get one and whether they will come in any flashy colors. But, for those living in cities with hydrogen refueling stations, these silent scooters are exciting news....
Can't Land a Green Job? Create Your Own
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.22.09
Image via: Franchisingexpo
Created partly in response to the flailing economy and partly in response to this new revival in all things relating to green and stimulus, the LiveandLove.TV network interviews and profiles green entrepreneurs in all shapes and sizes. Want to learn how to grow your own commercial scale mushrooms? Just tune in. How about what it takes to make your own organic lemonade stand? Yep, they've got that too. Many of these jobs seem so romantic and idyllic, but what is the reality of running your own organic farmers market? LifeandLove.tv will show you now....
Mr Secretary of Interior, Oil Shale Development Can Never Be Environmentally Sustainable
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.22.09
From the US National Archives caption: You've got to heat this rock to 900°F to get out some oil. Hyper energy-intensive? Oh yeah.
While the EPA has been doing some good things to reign in mountaintop removal coal mining, over at the Department of Interior things aren't always so green. Case in point: Trying to spin developing US oil shale reverses as something remotely environmentally sustainable: ...
Dell HQ Gets a 130 kW Solar Parking Lot with Plug-In Charging Stations
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.22.09
Park In the Shade, Recharge Your Plug-In Vehicle
Dell's headquarters in Round Rock, Texas, now have a shaded solar parking structure called the Solar Grove. It was built by Envision Solar, and it has a capacity of 130 kilowatts, which should help avoid about 145,000 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions per year. But the clean electricity is only part of the benefit; there's also some energy savings that come from the shade produced by the "solar trees" since cooler cars don't need as much A/C....
From the Forums: What To Do With All Those Pumpkins?
by Alex Davies, New York City on 10.22.09
Image Credit: D3 San Francisco-online
SgtMaj writes:
I have more pumpkins this year than I can shake a stick at...What I need are some pumpkin recipes apart from pumpkin pie or roasted pumpkin seeds. I plan to roast the seeds, and I'll likely use two or three for jack-o-lanterns, but that still leaves me with a lot of pumpkins, and the only recipe I know for pumpkin flesh is pumpkin pie, but we can't eat that much pumpkin pie. 1 or 2 per year is as much as we can stomach. So, got any other recipes for me?Have a recipe for SgtMajor? Want to see what other people are posting? Join the discussion....
The World's Deepest Trash Bin and Other Behavior-Changing Inventions (VIDEOS)
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.22.09
The Fun Theory, a group sponsored by Volkswagen, believes that the best way to change people's behavior is to make it, well, fun to do so. Thus, they've designed a handful of inventions--a trash can designed to sound like the deepest bin in the world, a recycling arcade game, and stairs that play music as you walk up them. Videos of each in action after the jump. ...
A Lot of Hydro Power Depends on Glaciers, and We All Know What's Happening to Those...
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.22.09
Image: Creative Commons
When the River Runs Dry
Melting glaciers might seem like good news for hydro power, but that's only in the short term. There might be more water going into rivers now, but what happens when the glaciers are gone? That's a serious problem for countries like Switzerland that get a huge chunk of their power from glacier-fed hydro....
10:10 Campaign Gains Traction in UK
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 10.22.09
The campaign started by filmmaker Franny Armstrong, who made the film "The Age of Stupid", to create a critical mass to pressure the UK government to get serious about climate change is gaining serious momentum. The campaign asks people to reduce their carbon emissions by 10% in 2010 to help meet the overall goal of an 80% reduction in the UK's greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Since its start in September, the 10:10 campaign has picked up loads of supporters, including many in Parliament....
4°C Warming Means Your Future (Yes, Yours) is Very Unpleasant
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.22.09
The Met Office map lets you zoom in and examine climate change impacts in a number of sub-areas: Forest fires, crop yields, water availability, sea level rise, droughts, etc.
It's interactive climate change map day on TreeHugger! We just saw how badly hit the southeastern part of the US could get, and now it's time to check out what the world might look like under a 4°C (that's 7°F) average temperature rise scenario. This time it's the UK's Met Office Hadley Centre providing the Flash magic: ...
BioOctanic Tower: Vertical Farm Grows Biofuel for Gas Stations
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.22.09
Sometimes it's just impossible to find a gas station. But not if Croatian Architects UPI2M have their way; They propose building vertical farms and biofuel factories on top of existing gas stations, using algae and bamboo grown on top to fuel up cars below. And, you can't miss them!
...
Plant Your Own Carbon Offsets With WCAFI Tree Kits
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.22.09
Image via: WCAFI
Okay, so its not a one to one match to offset your emissions, but for every tree kit you purchase from the World Clean Air Forest Initiative, they will also plant a tree to match your tree. This two for one sale on trees has one goal, according to WCFAI, clean the air with more trees and they're not going to rest until you purchase and plant a tree, or at least let them plant one for you. Plus, they make great stocking stuffers or easy, cheap gifts....
MoveOn and Plug In America Urge Toyota to Quit U.S. Chamber of Commerce
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.22.09
Photo: Flickr
U.S. Chamber of Commerce Catching Flak from All Sides
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce's position on climate change has caused it a lot of trouble lately, and the defection of Apple has made those problems very high profile (see our coverage: Apple Leaves Climate Change Denying Chamber of Commerce, US Chamber Lashes Out At Apple Over Climate Fight, and of course CNBC Falls for Chamber of Commerce Climate Hoax (VIDEO)). This seems to have inspired MoveOn.org and Plug In America to call for Toyota to quit the Chamber. Read on for details on how you can join the campaign....
Hey Southeast US! Here's Where Climate Change is Really Going To Hurt
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.22.09
Oxfam America's map shows areas of the Southeast United States and their overall vulnerability to climate change. Darkest colors are most vulnerable.
Want some more evidence that the effects of climate change won't just be strongly felt overseas? Here it is: Oxfam America has just launched a new project highlighting how vulnerable the southeastern part of the United States is to climate change. On a county-by-county basis you can examine how bad drought, floods, sea level rise, and hurricanes are going to be, as well as look at how socially vulnerable areas are:...
Meadowlark House by Steven Learner Wins Chain of Eco-Homes Competition
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.22.09
It has taken me a couple of days to put together my thoughts about the winner of the Chain of Eco-Homes competition, the Meadowlark House by Steven Learner Studio. The judging process was fascinating, with a sophisticated video conferencing system tying all the jurors together from Greensburg to San Francisco to Toronto.
This wasn't just a design competition, they are actually building these in Greensburg, putting people in them and they have a budget to meet. While I might go on about some of the wilder schemes, Steve Thomas of Planet Green would bring me back to earth, saying "you can't build that!" and Steve Hewitt of Greensburg would point out "you can't live in that!" But a consensus did form.
...
Nissan's New Lithium-Ion Hybrid to be Sold as Fuga in Japan (2010), Infiniti M35 in U.S. (2011)
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.22.09
Photo: Nissan
Nissan's Moving Fast These Days
Nissan had already announced that it wanted to make its Infinity luxury brand more "socially responsible", starting with an Infiniti M hybrid (sold as the Nissan Fuga in Japan), but we didn't have too many details about what would be under the hood or when the new wave of supposedly greener Infinitis would be hitting showrooms. We still don't have all the details, but more is known......
Hydropower Not Likely Under New Climate Future
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.22.09
Image via: Alaska in Pictures
Countries that have built dams as part of their "clean" energy future may have to rethink that future, thanks to climate change. As glaciers are melting faster and faster, the water just isn't there. In Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia and Colombia, the UN IPCC has already identified the "the lack of water for hydropower as 'critical.'" Reuters reports that rapidly declining glaciers around the world may mean an end to hydropower and major changes for the more than one billion people who live in areas fed by glaciers. ...
67 Senators Now "In Play" for Climate Bill
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.22.09
Image via Wikipedia
And that's sort of the magic number--not only is 67 enough votes to pass a climate bill in the Senate without having to worry about a filibuster, but it's just enough to ratify an international climate treaty. Which could be vital if efforts in Copenhagen are successful. Now, the problem is, many of these 67 Senators are only 'in play', or on the fence--there's still plenty of uncertainty throughout the Senate. Here's the breakdown of who's likely to vote for and against the climate bill, and who could yet be persuaded . . ....
Green Materials 101: Your Guide to Green Building, Remodeling, and Home Improvement
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.22.09
Photo credit: Dieter Spannknebel / Getty Images
When it comes to building or renovating a home, there are few simple choices. From styles and colors to location and design, there's an awful lot to consider. Thankfully, you don't have to settle for materials that have big-time negative impact on the planet. Here to help is the Green Materials Guide, over on our sister site, Planet Green, which has eight robust sections to help guide you through the process of finding green materials for every green project in your home....
India and China Create Alternative Climate Treaty
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.22.09
Image via Manasclerk
The two biggest polluters of the developing world have drafted an 'alternative' to the UN's climate treaty. It's an agreement to work together on climate issues, to reduce greenhouse gases and share clean technology. The deal could strengthen their position in climate talks, and foster a cooperative relationship on climate and energy issues....
Green Building Blocks in the Green Materials Guide
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.22.09
Our idea for a little Green Materials Guide on Planet Green turned into a monster home for all of the information that you could possibly want to know about building; Today we look at "building blocks"- the walls around you.
It isn't always easy to decide what wall is appropriate; Our choices are influenced by history, local culture, climate and availability of materials. It isn't always easy to write about them dispassionately either; we have biases and opinions and share them freely.
This is a work in progress and we will be adding materials as we go, but start with an Introduction To Green Building Blocks....
From the Forums: 10 Things You Would NEVER Buy
by Alex Davies, New York City on 10.22.09
Image Credit: Teknorat-online
Greenteadrinker wants to know:
With a nod to David Letterman.......List the top 10 things (or less) that you would not buy, even if money wasn't a consideration and why.To see other people's lists and to add your own, join the discussion....
Edward Burtynsky's Devastating "Oil" (A Slideshow)
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 10.22.09
A landscape photograph by Edward Burynsky can be as frozen as it is arresting. But stare at his portraits of China's Three Gorges Dam or the Alberta tar sands, and you can almost make out Earth in motion. In his massive prints, the built and natural environments slam into each other like tectonic plates, driven by a global economy hurtling forward at full steam. Even if there's little actual oil to be seen in his latest project, the Canadian photographer and Worldchanging partner still offers a stunning portrait of how this fast-depleting resource rules our world.
Alongside a new book published by Steidl, an exhibition of "Oil" is on view at Corcoran Gallery in Washington, DC, and at New York's Hasted Hunt Kraeutler.
...
Time to Trim Your Pet's Eco Paw Print Says New Book
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 10.22.09
St. Bernard by The Consumerist at flickr.
At TreeHugger, instead of being prescriptive, we like to generally offer an abundance of great green options. Yet sometimes, there are some hard truths that make modern green and modern living clash spectacularly. Air travel is one of them -- try any carbon calculator you want, do all the green good you can at home, and then add one trip to Grandma by plane and your numbers are screwed. Well, two New Zealand authors have dragged another hard truth out into the open -- Fido and Fluffy, our favorite household pets, generate as much or more carbon as some cars....
How SHE Solves One of the Biggest Social Problems in the World. Period.
by Petz Scholtus, Barcelona, Spain on 10.22.09
We first heard about SHE: Sustainable Health Enterprises at the Feast Conference when Elisabeth Scharpf told her amazing story about how she set up this social and sustainable franchise scheme that provides women in developing countries with what should be a basic right: affordable sanitary pads, as well as a sustainable business. The Huffington Post titled their article about her work "When a Period Ends More Than A Sentence". Until Scharpf stepped into the spotlight at the Feast, we had very little idea that for millions of women around the world, having their period is a significant handicap, to their health, their income and their quality of life. And we love what Scharpf came up with to solve this problem in a way that it works so brilliantly for people, planet and profit. ...
New York Subway Boss Wants Fares To Be Like Cell Phone Calls
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 10.22.09
Flickr/Moriza
How Congestion Pricing Makes Cents
There's a state budget crisis that could bring big service cuts or more fare hikes, but Jay Walder is making big plans. The new chairman of New York City's MTA, formerly of the London Underground, wants to introduce smart cards, arrival-time clocks at subway stations and GPS devices that would allow passengers to keep track of buses. But his real breakthrough would be a lower off-peak fare that could nudge more New Yorkers onto the subway on nights and weekends, and lessen the crush at rush hour.
"We have an infrastructure that is set for the capacity of the peak," Walder tells The Times. "What we really want to do is use that infrastructure all the time."
The idea makes sense in a downturn. If higher unemployment means more flexible commuting schedules, more New Yorkers -- and the subway -- may benefit....
Toshiba Launches Portable Fuel Cells for Mobile Devices
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.22.09
Image via Physorg
As cell phones become more tech intensive and therefore more energy sucking, the fear of a dead battery while on the go is increasing. While there are gads of portable solar chargers out there, many companies are putting their chips on fuel cells, which offer immediate recharging for devices. Toshiba is the latest company to offer a fuel cell solution, launching a portable methanol fuel cell that will charge up two phone batteries. ...
6 Impending Disasters...and the Health Care Plan that Could Save You From Them
by David DeFranza on 10.22.09
Image credit: A6U571N/Flickr
We've all seen Mad Max and been frightened, if only a bit, by how savage a future it depicts. As extreme as that world may be, there is something about its resource-hungry depravity that seems almost tangible.
Our industrial society has a lot of looming problems. From acidic oceans to flooded cities, shrinking biodiversity to new super-bugs, it's clear that something needs to be done to avert disaster.
Could health care save us from these impending catastrophes?...
Sponsored Protest II: ibuyeco and Climate350
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 10.22.09
Image credit: ibuyeco
Is it me or is corporate activism getting more common? And by activism, I don't mean planting trees or issuing press releases about your recycling program - I mean standing up for political change. From Apple leaving the US Chamber of Commerce over its climate change stance, to Timberland teaming up with the Dirty for Swain campaign, forward thinking brands are freeing their inner activist and standing up for positive change. The UK green-minded insurance company ibuyeco is definitely in this category - having already sponsored the UK arm of Parking Day, the group is now stepping up to fund a major outdoor concert for the Climate350 campaign. But it's not just what you do, it's how you do it. ...
Radius New Toothbrush Design Let's You Handle The Money Every Day
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.22.09
We posted about the Radius company's "Source" model toothbrush in 2007, when all-things corn were still the rage, saying: "The Source toothbrush helps to cut waste by using a reusable handle made of wood fiber, blended with a plastic derived from Nebraska maize. Into this you can put disposable heads, which cuts down on 4/5ths of waste when you replace it, compared to throwing away a traditional toothbrush." My how things have changed in just two years.
These days, it's all about who gets to handle the money. Amidst the global economic meltdown, Radius appropriately changed the design specs of its Source model handles to be a composite of old US dollar bills and recycled plastic. The entire item is advertised as "BPA free," by the way....
Giant Hammock Makes the Garden a Hang-Out Hotspot
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.22.09
Photo via Pruned
One way to commune with your garden is to lounge above it. Designers Jane Hutton and Adrian Blackwell created this structure, called Dymaxion Sleep as part of the International Garden Festival at Jardins de Métis/Reford Gardens as part of a hat tip to Buckminster Fuller's Dymaxion World Map. Not only does it simply look cool, it's a great idea for making a garden space more of a hang-out spot. ...
Cheapest Solar Lantern Aims to Displace Kerosene Lamps
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.22.09
Image via D.Light
D.Light has dubbed their newest solar lantern "The Kerosene Killer." That's because it is the cheapest, relatively high quality solar lantern on the market. D.Light has been aiming to wipe kerosene lamps from the face of the planet for awhile now, and they might have just come out with something that could do the trick. If the specs are on target, there's no reason why this lantern can't replace kerosene lamps on a wide scale. ...
Best of BlogHer: Locavores, Banana Masks, Shopping Your Closet
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 10.22.09
Photo credit: avixyz
How do you ask your best friend where her food came from? Ever tried to become a family of locavores for a week? Bloggers share stories of helping loved ones to eat more locally.
Natural, DIY moisturizing face mask recipes always seem to demand the sacrifice of a delicious avocado. Then I stumbled across one made from bananas. Perfect! I hate bananas!
How to kill a turkey, forage for fresh clams, and get organic, local lunches in schools: three awesome experiments in green food.
We keep hearing "shop your closet," but what does that mean, exactly? What to keep, what to toss, and how to create a smart, lower-impact and stylish shopping list this fall/winter: a step-by-step guide.
As I prepare to move but not yet knowing where my next home will be, I'm thinking about what I will put into storage and what I will let go of. And I'm seriously contemplating a radical idea: giving it all up. All of it. Living with only what I need to keep to work, pay taxes and avoid public nudity charges.
Imagine posting a wish list for veggies or getting paid in pears: veggie trading, produce exchanges, and other delicious ways to avoid wasting food.
Climate Action Day on October 24 is the last chance to bring awareness before the final climate meeting in Copenhagen in late December. Here's what you can do.
BlogHer is the leading participatory news, entertainment and information
network for women online. Follow us on Twitter (@Blogher), on Facebook, and at BlogHer.com....
Conserving Water Lowers Greenhouse Gas Footprint - Significantly
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.22.09
Lawn irrigation spray head. Image credit:Louss Sprinklers
This headline seems confusing but is easily explained. Water did not magically show up at your shower on the 31'st floor. It was pushed up to your bareness by a series of massive electric pumps. Water your lawn in the suburbs: same thing. Water distribution is the most energy-intensive in the high-and-dry. Nevada and California, for example, have especially 'energy intensive' water due to the extensive labyrinth of supply canals and pipes relied upon. Astoundingly, an estimated one quarter (25%) of America's electricity consumption is associated with moving and treating water. ...
The Best of GOOD: Re-Reconsidering the Lobster, the Green Job Boom, and the Most Bike-Loving Cities
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 10.22.09
Just in: this dispatch from our counterparts at one of our favorite sites. GOODy!
We kicked off the week with the second half of our discussion of design and branding in social ventures (yep, it's that important, it needs two parts). The main takeaway: know your audience, or all the good design in the world won't help you.
We followed that with a look at a new online sharing organization in Los Angeles. It's like Craigslist meets Free Cycle, but with better presentation (and more credibility). They plan to expand to other test markets soon....
News From Mother Jones: October 22 - Policing Nuclear Power, Bicycling for 350 & Cute Sea Otters!
by Mother Jones on 10.22.09
It's been a busy week over at Mother Jones: First, there's been quite a stir over the Yes Men pranksters' Chamber of Commerce shenanigans, and earlier this week MoJo blogger Kate Sheppard appeared on The Rachel Maddow Show to talk about the stunt. Watch her charm the pants off viewers everywhere here.
Here's a question: If you had to pick someone to police America's nuclear power, what qualities and experience would you look for in a candidate? Probably not tons of connections to nuclear energy in the private sector, but there's where you and Obama would disagree. Read about William Magwood, the president's controversial nominee for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, here. Scary stuff, but there's plenty of good news in renewable energy this week, too: Making solar power cheaper by allowing consumers to pool together and buy it in bulk sounds like a cool idea, especially if we fix our gnarly electrical grid.
New faces: Our intrepid Ride 350 guest bloggers are filing daily dispatches along their 350-mile bike down the California coast in the name of raising awareness about climate change. Feeling inspired? This week's Econundrum will help you trim your own emissions with five low-carbon foods.
Lastly, in case you haven't noticed, sea otters are adorable. Unfortunately, they are also in trouble. Gratuitously cute pictures and facts right this way.
That's all for this week. Back next Thursday with more news from our corner of the web.
Photo Credit: Flickr user meckert75 under Creative Commons....
Green Blogger Crowned Greenest Voice in the UK
by Bonnie Alter, London on 10.22.09
The winner of the competition to be the Green Voice of the UK is a green blogger, Piper Terrett. She beat out 100 other applicants and 3 other very impressive finalists. As the Brit's say "Piper pips the post".
It's the culmination of the Energy Saving Trust's campaign to find a person who will represent the people as an advocate for green issues to the government. She will highlight the challenges faced by the man on the street in going green and make these known to those in positions of power and the Trust. ...
A Week of Hilarity + Hijinks From The Yes Men Delights The Blogosphere
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 10.22.09
After rounding up posts on the beleaguered US Chamber of Commerce in last week's TH Blog Love, we couldn't have imagined what would happen next. The Chamber does a 180 on its climate policy? Seriously? For a moment there was an optimistic suspension of disbelief from many corners of the blogosphere and mainstream media. But that was replaced with a strange mixture of awe and hilarity when we discovered the Yes Men were back in the driving seat! But punking the Chamber is not all those crazy climate pranksters got up to this week - ever heard of a Survivaball?...
Mandatory Composting Law Already a Success in San Francisco
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.21.09
Photo via Green Inc
When I reported earlier this year that San Francisco was instituting a law making it mandatory to recycle and compost--lest citizens face a $500 fine--it was met with mixed reactions. Some were worried that such a law would infringe upon citizens' freedoms. Well, that fear can be laid to rest. The law is already a hit with San Franciscans--and it didn't even officially go into effect until today. ...
Capture Sustainability on Film, Send to Rainforest Alliance, Win Trip to Costa Rica
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.21.09
2008 Contest Winning Image. Image via: Rainforest Alliance
Seems like these eco-photo/video contests and climate change solution contests are popping up more and more these days. Maybe that improves your odds of winning...maybe. Well, if you have a good eye for photography or just fancy yourself a shutterbug, why not try your luck at the annual Rainforest Alliance "Picture Sustainability" contest. But you have to hurry, the contest ends soon....
Mayor of London Proposes Changes to London's Congestion Charge
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.21.09
Making Motorists Pay for Externalities
The mayor of London, Boris Johnson, has announced some proposed changes to the city's congestion pricing scheme that would take effect next year. The two main things are an automated payment system that would make it easier to pay, and the removal of the Western Extension of the Congestion Zone....
Palm Oil Biodiesel, Now With 2000% the Emissions of Fossil Fuels
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.21.09
Oil palm concession in Indonesia, photo: Hayden via flickr.
Can we just all put palm oil biodiesel produced on deforested peatlands to rest already: A new report from the United Nations Environment Programme shows that biodiesel production under these conditions can result in greenhouse gas emissions 2000% higher than fossil fuels. Other biofuels fare much better however: ...
WaterGeeks New Stainless Steel, BPA-Free, Filtered Water Bottles Makes Great Stocking Stuffer
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.21.09
Image via: WaterGeeks
This past summer, Jaymi tested a couple of filtered water bottle options and filtered them out based on price, functionality and even complexity of ingredients found in the filter. Now, WaterGeeks throws their hat in the ring with a stainless steel version of these self-filtering water bottles, but can you take it with you wherever you go?...
Modern Two Seat Bike is like a Paddle Boat for the Land
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.21.09
Images via Tuvie
Ever wanted to ride a two-seater bike where you didn't have to stare at your partner's back the whole time, or feel like you were acting out a scene of American wholesomeness from the 1950s? Well, a new design for a bike called the Cojoy has got the answer to both those setbacks--its riders sit side by side, and each controls just one wheel. One thing's for certain: this isn't your grandpa's two-seater. ...
From the Forums: Is the Airpod the Future?
by Alex Davies, New York City on 10.21.09
Image Credit: Morgy-online
Outsidethebox writes:
This is neat! A fantastic pod car...It is a real breath of fresh air in our cities and the prelude to travel without pollution...With small size, a tiny price, zero pollution, fun and futuristic design, AIRPod marks a turning point in the range of urban vehicles while renewing the idea of the automobile and transportation. You can drive with a joystick.Is outsidethebox right, or is it just hype? Join the conversation....
Earthship Makes Landfall in Nicaragua, Builds Home Out of Tires
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.21.09
Image via: Jessica Dore
In the San Juan Del Sur region of Nicaragua, the famed Earthship crew, along with 13 Nicaraguans from the local community, created the start of what will be entirely off-grid, sustainable community, titled Casa Llanta ("Tire House"). This is the first Earthship in Nicaragua and tipster Jessica Dore sent in her thoughts and impressions from her trip to this futuristic community....
J1772 Standard for Charging Electric Cars Should be Adopted Soon
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.21.09
Society of Automotive Engineers Set to Vote this Week
It's been over two years, but the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) seems like it's about to agree on a standard for charging electric cars and plug-in hybrids. The name is "SAE Surface Vehicle Recommended Practice J1772, SAE Electric Vehicle Conductive Charge Coupler", or J1772 in short. If the standard passes a vote this week, it could become adopted and official in about 10 weeks. So what's the connector like?...
Go See Tapped Tonite and Find Out How Sacramento's Municipal Water is Under Attack
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.21.09
We reported a few weeks ago that water bottling giant Nestle plants to build a water bottling plant in Sacramento by the end of this year. While building another water bottling plant seems like a waste of space and resources, after attending an initial community meeting we find out that the project is even more wicked than initially assumed. This week you can support efforts to wrestle Nestle out of Sacramento by heading to the Crest Theater to see Tapped....
What Will It Take to Get EVs on the Road (Really)
by Rocky Mountain Institute on 10.21.09
Solving the chicken or egg dilemma for electric vehicles. Image credit:Photobucket,Goodstuff1852
Electric cars have the potential to improve our energy system, resuscitate the automobile industry, and dramatically reduce America's oil use.
At least, that's the goal.
President Obama has called for one million plug-in vehicles on the road by 2015. One million! Sounds huge, right? Well, not exactly. That's less than one-half of one percent of the entire U.S. fleet--a pretty modest market share.
...
Climate Change TV Ad Under Investigation for Scaring Kids (VIDEO)
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.21.09
Photo via the Daily Mail
The premise is simple enough: it's a British TV ad designed to get adults' attention and to highlight the importance of acting to stop climate change. It shows a father reading a bedtime story about global warming to his daughter. The story comes to life, showing starving, crying cartoon bunny rabbits and drowning dogs--and the daughter is terrified. The ad is now under investigation by watchdog groups, who've received hundreds of complaints that it's scaring children. Watch the ad after the jump....
Moby Dick was a Carbon Sink, Who Knew?!
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.21.09
photo: Seth Lieberman via flickr.
What an interesting intersection of biology and geo-engineering: Our colleagues over at Discovery News are pointing out that because the amount of extra iron sperm whales bring up from the ocean depth when the feed they stimulate enough carbon-trapping plankton growth to effectively be considered a carbon sink: ...
Ottawa's "Green Bin" Municipal Composting Program is About to Take Off!
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.21.09
Photo: Michael Graham Richard
Bring Out Your... Organic Waste
Yesterday I got my green bin from the city of Ottawa. They've been handing them out to residents since September 2009 (except for those in a pilot program), and everybody should have one by December except for people living in high-rise buildings and residences with common pad collection (that will come later). The collection of organic waste is set to begin in January 2010, and since about 45% of the waste collected by the city is compostable, and since anaerobic decomposition in landfills produces large quantities of methane (a powerful greenhouse gas), it has the potential to make a pretty big difference. But how does it work?...
Clippings: Geoengineering, Wine in Boxes, Zero Waste
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.21.09
Ryan Avent disses geoengineering in If the Grass Looks Greener, It's Important to Understand the Nature of the Fence; TreeHugger Take: 7 Geoengineering Solutions That Promise To Save Humans from Climate Change
Yahoo publishes an edited version of an article on the merits of boxed wine, (and shows a picture of tetra-pak wine, a completely different thing). TreeHugger Take: Wine In A Box: The Greenest Way To Drink? and Which Is Greener, Wine Bottle or Box? Depends on the Box
The New York Times discovers Zero Waste in Nudging Recycling From Less Waste to None. TreeHugger Take: Recycling is Bullshit ; Make Nov. 15 Zero Waste Day, not America Recycles Day
...
GOP Rep: "We Hunt Liberal, Tree-Hugging Democrats"
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.21.09
Photo via Fox News
While hunters, sportsmen, and trappers across the country are actually helping 'liberal democrats' to pass climate legislation, GOP Representative Gregg Harper is talking about murdering them. When Politico asked him what the Congressional Sportsmen's Caucus does--Harper is a member--he replied, "We hunt liberal, tree-hugging Democrats, although it does seem like a waste of good ammunition."...
Steak 'n Bake? 51% of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Now Come From Meat & Dairy Industry
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.21.09
photo: Fiona MacGuinty via flickr.
We've long said that cutting meat and dairy out of your diet, or at minimum cutting back deeply on their consumption, is one of the most powerful personal steps you can take towards mitigating climate change. But new analysis from Worldwatch Institute shows that the impact of raising livestock and poultry is much greater than previously thought and actually amounts to approximately 51% of human-caused greenhouse gas emissions:...
Barnes & Noble Nook e-Reader is Out and Ready to Wallop Kindle
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.21.09
Image via Crunchgear
We heard rumblings of an exclusive e-reader coming out by Barnes & Noble back in July, then a couple weeks ago, we heard the bookseller would be ready to ship their e-readers by next month. Well, yesterday news broke that the Nook is out, and it's going to really cramp the Kindle's style. It looks lovely - and the features are impressive. ...
Off-Grid Charging for Cell Phones Is a $2.3 Billion Industry (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.21.09
Photo via GSMA
The makers of HyMini had the right idea a few years ago when they made their wind-powered charger. It was one of the first we'd seen. And as solar cells became more common for small scale gadget charging, the designers added a solar component. We've seen more of these small, off-grid chargers perfect for cell phones and other handheld devices come onto the market, along with larger versions powerful enough to charge laptops. And it turns out these are more than just novelties for fringe greenies. They're part of an industry that can not only reduce the carbon footprint of our gadgets, but is also worth billions. ...
From the Forums: Breakfast, Hearty and Green
by Alex Davies, New York City on 10.21.09
Image Credit: stevendepolo-online
Eugene writes:
Ok, let's interrupt the political posts with something related to being green. I see everyone talking about the environmental impacts of meat and since my parents give me beef from their farm which is pretty low impact, my breakfast is the most impacting since I have to buy sausage or bacon or eggs. So what is a lower impact breakfast like, what do you eat if you eliminate meat or meat products?Ideas? Suggestions? Join the table....
Graph of the Day: Television Makes You Poor
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.21.09
Paul Kedrosky points to a graph in a report entitled The Role of Television in Household Debt: Evidence from the 1950s, where authors Matthew Baker and Lisa George concluded that "television increases the tendency to borrow for household goods and to carry debt."
And before you yell "correlation does not imply causation" note that they are "exploiting the idiosyncratic spread of television across markets, we use microdata from the Survey of Consumer Finances to test whether households with early access to television saw steeper debt increases than households with delayed access."...
Fireplace In A Can Is About As Safe and Portable As You Can Get
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.21.09
Images via Gizmodo
It certainly takes some of the cozy-home feel out of having a fireplace, but this encapsulated hearth fire takes out a lot of risk and ads in a lot of portability in enjoying a live flame in the room. Designer Camillo Vanacore came up with this tiny little fireplace that transitions from opaque to transparent when the flame is turned up. ...
Fischer Produces Skis With 100% Renewable Energy
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 10.21.09
We've had a few stories about smaller snowboard and backcountry ski companies heading off down a green path. I think this is the first time we've had a mainstream ski manufacturer on side. The Fischer Sports Group have just announced that the thermal energy for the production and heating of their plants which make Fischer Skis has gone 100% renewable.
Their Ried, Austria factory has been into this gig since 2001, but recently their other plant in Mukachevo, Ukraine, which has 950 folk pumping out 700,00 pairs of skis (alpine and nordic), also joined the initiative. ...
Kimberly Parry Organics Made Fresh for You
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 10.21.09
Photo via Kimberly Parry Organics.
When was the last time you heard that the beauty products you just purchased were made fresh to order, just for you? With Kimberly Parry Organics this is the norm, making us feel like our purchase is an important one. Even more so when we learned that each product is formulated with the highest quality, most beneficial, and freshest ingredients that can be found....
Mikou Design Studio: Green is the New Normal for Architecture
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.21.09
Mikou Studio via Designboom
Selma and Salwa Mikou are all over Designboom this week. The French architectural firm won a competition to design the primary school and recreation center in Bobigny, France that is covered in green roofs and hanging plants.
It is part of a body of work that is covered in green, a trend we are seeing everywhere as green roofs become the new normal....
How Beijing Cleans Its Air, and Fakes It Too
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 10.21.09
As savvy moves by officials in China are pushing its state-run English-language news outlets to start sounding a bit more like their Western counterparts, did a New York Times article over the weekend about improvements to air quality in Beijing bear echoes of state-run media?
The good news, fortunately, is mostly true. The pressure of being an Olympics host has brought definite improvements by the government, like moving factories and ratcheting up emissions standards -- efforts that, the Times notes, "some environmentalists in developed nations, pitted against industry lobbyists and balky political machinery, can only envy." (Also possibly at work is the country's economic slowdown, which has helped bring nationwide pollutant emissions down temporarily.)
But even amidst advances, there can be an especially big difference in Beijing between between what seems and what is, between the measurement of one particulate and a survey of the entire sky....
Best of Inhabitat: Solar Decathlon Edition
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 10.21.09
The 2009 Solar Decathlon, the biennial solar architecture competition held in Washington D.C., had us all abuzz last week. Here are some of our highlights:
We have a winner! Team Germany's two-story solar-powered cube took home the gold--find out what made it tick.
Appearances can be deceiving: The University of Illinois' Gable House, which won second prize, is anything but rustic.
Judges praised California's Refract House not only for "breaking out of the box" but for successfully marrying interior and exterior spaces.
Feeling chilly? Team Ontario's North House is designed to generate more energy than it consumes.
Compared with the average $490,000 cost of the other entrants, Rice University's $140,000 ZEROW House is eminently affordable.
Visit Inhabitat for our full coverage of the Solar Decathlon.
Inhabitat is a weblog devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design towards a smarter and more sustainable future. Follow us on Twitter @inhabitat or join us on Facebook....
Ed Begley's Back with a New Season of Living With Ed
by David DeFranza on 10.21.09
Ed and Rachelle Begley don't have your typical Hollywood power struggle. Rachelle loves her glamorous lifestyle while Ed, well he strives for something a bit more modest. How these two can live together, let alone reconcile their opposing predilections, is a mystery.
But now, you can find the answer in the all new season of Living With Ed, premiering tonight at 9 eastern on Planet Green....
That's pretty much all the nations there are. For 350.
by Bill McKibben, 350.org on 10.21.09
Schoolchildren in the Maldives form a giant 350 in the lead up to October 24th.
I should be diligently trying to psych people up for this weekend's 350.org International Day of Climate Action. Instead, I'm kind of stunned, knocked for a loop, flabbergasted.
The outpouring of organizing that is going on around the world truly boggles my mind. Yesterday we passed 4,000 different events, rallies, protests set for Saturday; about 8 pm, when it turned out there was a big action planned for Brunei, we had the 170th nation involved. That's pretty much all the nations there are. This will apparently be the most widespread day of political action in the planet's history....
Solar and Agriculture: Double Cropping Energy and Food
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 10.21.09
Image credit: Piedmont Biofuels
From a 25-megawatt photovoltaic plant in Florida to a 4,500 acre solar thermal installation in California, solar just keeps getting bigger. Within that context, a 100kw array may seem hardly worth mentioning, but folks in my community are excited, and not without reason. (Disclaimer alert: Friends of mine are involved with this project.)You see traditionally, unlike wind, large-scale solar has often meant displacing otherwise productive land, to the point where some areas like Ontario are looking at banning solar from class "a" and class "b" farmland. What sets this project apart is that it aims to not just co-exist with productive farm land, but actually enhance the agricultural process. ...
75 Chipotle Restaurants Get Solar Panels - Chain Becomes Largest Solar Power Producer in Industry
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.21.09
Here's one more reason to feel good about heading out to Chipotle for a burrito: The Denver-based Mexican restaurant chain has just announced that is making a big solar power push, partnering with Standard Renewable Energy to install solar panels at approximately 75 of its restaurants over the next year:...
Sheetseat Cut From Single Sheet of Plywood
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.21.09
We love the idea of furniture that can slide under a door, that takes up so little space for shipping and storing. Efecem Kutuk designed the Sheetseat to be cut from a single sheet of 3/4" plywood with almost no waste. ...
Levi Strauss & Co Adds "Donate to Goodwill" to Clothing Care Tags
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.21.09
Photo via ♪ Sleeping Sun ♪
Approximately 23.8 billion pounds of clothing and textiles end up in landfill each year. In order to make a dent in that waste pile, Levi Strauss & Co is partnering with Goodwill to create special care tags that not only tell consumers how to wash the garments, but also where to take them when they're done with them. It's a fashion industry first. ...
Stop Means Stop: Slate on Cycling
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.21.09
Image from Slate
Slate's Christopher Beam asks why cyclists tend to break the law and ignore stop signs. He talks to Andy Thornley of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, who happens to agree with me:
"If there weren't cars, we wouldn't need stop signs," says Andy Thornley of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. "They're not there for bicycles...."You didn't need stop signs until cars were in common use," says Thornley. "You just looked in the eyes of the other guy and it sorted itself out."
Beam notes that there are two kinds of cycling advocates: "Vehicularists" who say that bikes should act like cars, go where cars go and follow the rules for cars, and "facilitators" who demand an infrastructure of bike lanes, paths and separate bike-friendly rules....
No New Treaty Likely at COP15 - We've Run Out of Time, Top UN Climate Negotiator Says
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.21.09
photo: Sean Patrick Coon via flickr.
While it's true, as Brian just pointed out, that the media have been taking us on a bit of a rollercoaster ride regarding the will there-will there not be a new treaty at the end of COP15 speculation, The Financial Times splashes some cold water on the idea that 'anything can still happen'. Here it is straight from the mouth of UN climate negotiator Yvo de Boer:...
Ukraine's Ticking 'Time Bomb': Old Pesticides
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 10.21.09
A haz-mat team containing a chemical stockpile. Photo via Obsolete Pesticides.
When you think of dangerous stockpiles in the former Soviet Union, nuclear and chemical weapons are probably what come most readily to mind. But a single stash of old pesticides in Ukraine poses a major threat to some 7 million people -- and that's just the tip of the icky iceberg....
8 Worst Man-made Environmental Disasters of All Time
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 10.21.09
Image: Flickr, The Giant Vermin
Bhopal. Chernobyl. Love Canal. Seveso. Just a few of the names that have entered the lexicon of devastation wrought by the foolishness of mankind. Ecological travesties afflict the seas: the dead zone at the foot of the Mighty Mississippi, the Exxon Valdez or the North Pacific Gyre. Other disasters we have engineered intentionally: Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Land mines. No one can change history, but how have we learned from the past? Are the laws named after these disasters effective? And is there a lesson here that can change our path into the future?...
Bioneers 2009: Brock Dolman's Watershed Approach
by Bonnie Hulkower, New York, New York on 10.21.09
photo by Jason Elon Goodman
Bioneers 2009 wasn't your typical conference, and especially not a typical conference on climate change, which can give off an underlying feeling of doom and gloom. Bioneers represents a welcome change, as, even when dealing with the sensitive critical environmental issues of our time (sea level rise, tropical diseases, megadroughts, hypercanes, failed states) the annual conference still always somehow manages to seem upbeat. Every year the conference highlights environmental luminaries (including TH's own Ken Rother!) and this year was no different.
...
Gorillaz Artist Paints Climate Change in Bangladesh
by Bonnie Alter, London on 10.21.09
Image from Oxfam
It's one thing to sit in London and worry about climate change. It's another to visit and experience it first hand. That's what Jamie Hewlett, an animator renowned for his work with Gorillaz, the virtual band and the Tank Girl comics did. He went with the charity Oxfam and drew this series of 9 watercolours which depict the beauty and fragility of life in a Bangladeshi village under siege.
Hewlett visited Char Atra, an island of seven towns and 10,000 people in the middle of the Ganges River. They are experiencing serious flooding due to climate change. His paintings depict everyday life and the people who live there. The limited edition of the paintings will be for sale through Oxfam....
Columbia Suspends Environmental Journalism Program, and Malcolm Gladwell Is Okay With That
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 10.20.09
Flickr/Checco
Emissions aren't the only thing being cut by the recession. On the same day that the Times axes 100 newsroom staff, Columbia University's prestigious journalism school announces that it will be suspending its 14-year-old enviornmental journalism masters program amidst a media-wide financial crisis. This sounds like bad news for everyone, at a time when the public clamors for and deserves more and better information on environmental science, health and policy.
Then again, paying $89,000 for two years of education that may not land you a job doesn't exactly sound sustainable, if you will....
Label Reinvents the Basics, Offers 20% Off
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 10.20.09
"A label is any kind of tag attached to something so as to identify the object or its content." But what if you were the one to define the object? That's what designers Shawna Robinson and Natalie Sydoruk have been collaborating on since March 2007 through their clothing line, Label. They resist the urge to define their wearers, but instead invite the wearer to define the clothing. ...
Michigan: Eliminating 90% of Mercury Emissions by 2015
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.20.09
Image via: Sentrawoods on Flickr.com
After many years of hoping and waiting for this day, the Michigan government has finally finalized regulations effectively reducing mercury emissions from power plants to 90% below 1999 by 2015, reports the Associated Press. The Great Lakes (and all of their inhabitants) can now take a huge sigh of relief, as can area Michigan children....
Rush Limbaugh Wishes NYT Climate Reporter Would "Go Kill Himself"
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 10.20.09
We all know that environmental journalists are a dying breed but this is just ridiculous. On his nationally syndicated radio show today, climate expert Rush Limbaugh invited noted New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin to "go kill youself." Revkin's offense was posting a blog that talked about a new report that shows that access to reproductive health care could be an important tool to help stop climate change. ...
CNBC Falls for Chamber of Commerce Climate Hoax (VIDEO)
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.20.09
Yesterday, Daniel posted the fantastic video of the Yes Men fooling the major news organizations by pretending to be the Chamber of Commerce. The hoax convinced the likes of Reuters and the Washington Post that the Chamber had changed its ways, and now supported climate legislation. But the cable news networks also fell for the gag, and reported the updates live--and you can watch the entire event unfold via this 2-minute montage after the jump....
Lightning's Electric Motorcycle Prototype Reaches 166 MPH at Bonneville
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.20.09
Photo: Photos: ZZ/Lightning Motorcycles
The Salt Flats Have Never Been This Quiet
It seems like the Mission One electric motorcycle now has some serious competition when it comes to establishing a speed record. Last month, we wrote about how the Mission One reached an official speed of 150 MPH at the Bonneville salt flats (with a top speed of 161 MPH). But now it's Lightning Motorcycles's turn to see how fast its electric baby can go......
From the Forums: How to Keep Laundry Green and Clean?
by Alex Davies, New York City on 10.20.09
Image Credit: spiesteleviv-online
Heileo asks:
I have been using eco-friendly laundry detergent for years, but am starting to notice that my clothes just aren't getting clean. Most of my clothes have an odor I just can't get rid of no matter how much I wash them. My husband complains that all of his work shirts smell like sweat/deodorant, and all of my daughters pajamas smell like drool/stale laundry. I can handle clothes that aren't super white, or stains, but I don't want to walk around smelling gross. Any tips?Have tips or suggestions? Want to see what other people are saying? Post here....
When Conservative Values Achieve Liberal Green Goals
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.20.09
Photo via NY Times
Two states have emerged as leaders in renewable energy, a recent piece in the New York Times notes--California and Texas. Historically, they're politically as different as night and day; one is dark blue, the other deeply red. But while California's liberal voter base has allowed it to pass aggressive energy efficiency laws and renewable energy standards, Texas is poised to leave California in the dust when it comes to renewable power. The state's secret weapon? It just might be its deep seated conservative values....
Nissan and Sumitomo will Give a Second Life to Electric Car Batteries
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.20.09
Nissan Leaf battery. Photo: Nissan
A "4R" Business
Nissan and Sumitomo (a huge business group from Japan) announced today plans to "Reuse, Resell, Refabricate and Recycle" lithium-ion batteries previously used in electric cars, "giving them a 'second-life' as energy-storage solutions in markets worldwide." These used batteries can spend their second life storing energy for the grid (for example, from solar panels), a market that is expected to grow to the equivalent of 50,000 car batteries per year by 2020 in Japan alone. ...
SourceNewport to Explore How Sustainability Brings History to Life
by David DeFranza on 10.20.09
Image credit: SourceNewport 2009
As cities struggle to develop, they are forced to balance the demands of the modern urban environment with their responsibility to the community's historic roots. Indeed, preservation is often at odds with development and adding sustainability to the mix further complicates things.
In an effort to forge a more sustainable future that reconciles the historic and the modern, the city of Newport, Rhode Island, has scheduled its Second Sustainable Development and Restoration Congress from October 21 to 23....
Know Your Energy: The 5 States That Supply 73% of US Coal
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.20.09
photo: Kimon Berlin via flickr.
By now you undoubtedly have had it drilled into your head that the US gets about 50% of its electrical power from coal. Though the exact percentage does vary quite a bit by region, the fact remains that it's a heck of a lot of coal. But do you know where that coal actually comes from? Appalachia surely has a coal reputation, but what about in more specific detail? Well, here you go --The 5 states that supply three-quarters of the US' coal:...
WFC 2009: Zero Deforestation by 2020 a Utopia; Net Deforestation Reduction, not that Much
by Paula Alvarado, Buenos Aires on 10.20.09
Photo: Paula Alvarado.
TreeHugger is at the World Forest Congress, which is taking place in Buenos Aires until October 23. With forests being a key element in the fight against climate change, deforestation taking 13 million hectares of native woods every year, and REDD being proposed as an important alternative for controlling carbon emissions, the presentations taking place at the event are of particular importance this year.
Deforestation was the main theme of one conference this morning. During the presentation, Mette Løyche Wilkie, Senior Forestry Officer at FAO, talked about the subject of 'Zero deforestation by 2020' target many organizations are requesting to leaders. The title of her presentation was, Utopia or realistic goal? Guess what....
LG Chem to Build $303 Million Advanced Battery Plant in Holland, Michigan
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.20.09
Photo: GM
Will Make Lithium-Ion Batteries for the Chevy Volt
Advanced lithium-ion batteries are at the heart of the coming wave of electric cars and plug-in hybrids, and so there's nothing more important for their success than a good supply of high-quality batteries. So car makers are scrambling to partner up with battery makers (Toyota with Sanyo and Panasonic, for example) and new battery plant projects are announced left and right. The most recent big one is from LG Chem, General Motors's partner for the Chevy Volt....
Register for the Symposium on Design and Industry in the Age of Sustainability Today
by David DeFranza on 10.20.09
Image courtesy: Rhode Island School of Design
Including sustainability as a best practice has influenced business, but it has fundamentally changed the technology, design, architecture, and textile industries. These changes are leading the new green economy and creating new opportunities in the job market.
To consider the implications of these changes, the Rhode Island School of Design is hosting the Symposium on Design and Industry in the Age of Sustainability on October 22....
How the Media Takes Us All On a Climate Treaty Roller Coaster Ride
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.20.09
Hopes Fade for Global Climate Deal. Then Brighten. Then Fade. Then ...
As the global climate debate continues, we're all subjected to a lot of headlines that declare things like this: "Hopes Fade for Comprehensive Treaty in Copenhagen" and "No Climate Treaty Expected". But then, there are stories like these: "Climate Treaty More Doable" or "Officials Hint at Progress Negotiating Climate Deal". Very different messages, indeed. But what do all these stories have in common? Each was published on the same day--and some even in the very same newspaper. ...
RESTORE Clothing Review - Wearing is Believing
by Neil Chambers, New York City on 10.20.09
Photos from RESTORE Clothing
Anthony and Celeste Lilore, creators of RESTORE Clothing, are an eco-force to sit-up and play attention to. While other clothing brands merely skirt under the minimum requirements to be called green - the Lilore team put their brand where their mouth is. RESTORE (an acronym for Responsible, Earth Friendly, Sustainable, Technological, Organic, Recycled and Ergonomic) is urban-centric active wear that caters to the needs of both sexes without losing style, functionality or environmental-friendliness. The timeless cuts are modern making the garments easy to wear to a yoga class or out after work. Embedded in each piece of the collection is a commitment for well-crafted details and a taste for excellence. ...
It's No Impact Week. Here's Why You Should Care
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.20.09
Check out how to get involved here.
Over 4,000 people have signed on to take part in this week's No Impact Week, highlighted over at Huffington Post. It's part of an experiment to live like No Impact Man and see just what kind of effort goes into having zero net impact on the planet during daily life. So, what's the point? Check out these great reasons......
Murakami Concept Rocking Chair Features Kinetically Powered OLED Reading Light
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.20.09
Images via unplggd
This is a fantastic design, and one of the only pieces of furniture I've ever looked at and thought, "I want that." Rocking chairs are peaceful places, especially when they have this minimalist look. Add a reading lamp and you're set. But this isn't just a plain old lamp-and-chair combo. The light is OLED, and powered by the rocking motion of the person sitting in the chair. Kinetically powered OLED lighting to read by? Nice....
Political Myth: Trappers, Hunters, & Fishers Are Against Strong Climate Legislation
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.20.09
Theodore Roosevelt on visit to Quebec Canada, September 1915 - guide seated. Image credit:Harvard College Library, via TheodoreRoosevelt.org, picture biography.
Note: PETA members may wish to scroll to the next post.
Hunting, fishing, and trapping organizations are asking their Senators to support strong climate legislation in the US Congress.
Looking at the wide sweep of US fish and wildlife management history, the fact that 'hook and bullet' groups have expressed support for climate action should be viewed as a return to the historical norm. And no wonder. As a Reuters article points out, it's hard to live in denial if you "spend a lot of time outdoors and notice changes like shifting bird migrations or earlier spring run-offs in rivers from melting snow."
The mythical view of all political conservatives as 'anti-conservation' arose from political campaign consultants stoking fear over the prospect of of over-reaching gun and ammunition controls, for example. Political conservatives may favor fewer regulations, but that does not mean they categorically oppose all endangered species protections, open lands conservation, public parks, or the need for climate action.
In other words, city-dwelling "tree huggers" have more in common with the rural 'hook and bullet crowd' than they might care to admit. And vice versa....
Bushmeat Trade in Central Africa Severely Underestimated - Increases as Forest Cover Declines
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.20.09
photo: Nick Hobgood via flickr.
New analysis of the bushmeat trade in central Africa by TRAFFIC shows that the scale of trade has been severely underestimated and is actually increasing as forest cover declines. By studying statistical data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the wildlife trade monitoring organization found that in some places the amount of game taken from forests is double that which is ecologically sustainable:...
The Farmer-Veteran Coalition. A Modern Swords to Ploughshares
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 10.20.09
Writing for TreeHugger is such a brilliant job. We get to seek out all the positive news stories. To shine a little light on solutions, instead of only focussing on dark problems. It's food for the soul.
Just like this heartwarming story -- about the Farmer-Veteran Coalition -- found on the WorldWatch blog, The coalition wants to match hard working farmers with returning Iraq and Afghanistan military veterans, so that they might help each other heal both the wounds of the US food system, and of those of the battle weary warrior. ...
OLED Screen Stands Up Against Hammer!! Or...Maybe Not. (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.20.09
OLEDs are getting some buzz thanks to a new video showing how a flexible OLED screen holds up against a hammer. For some, it means exciting prospects of indestructible OLED TVs. But for those who look closely, there's something suspicious going on......
Trudie Styler talks Crude about Oil in Ecuador
by Neil Chambers, New York City on 10.20.09
From the Forums: What Triggered Your Green Epiphany?
by Alex Davies, New York City on 10.20.09
Image Credit: mlkeewa-online
Greenteadrinker wants to know:
We have a lot of new members, becoming green; joining in the movement. I pose this question: What led you to become more sustainable in your lifestyle? What drew you in? And what have you changed to become more sustainable? Small stuff/big stuff; what have you stopped doing you did before that wasn't sustainable?So what made you green? Post here....
Seattle City Light Is First Utility to Offer Microsoft Hohm to Customers
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.20.09
Microsoft's Sustainability blog announced Hohm's first utility partner - Seattle City Light. Customers of the utility will start to be able to use Hohm to track their energy usage and get rolling on conserving electricity. ...
We've Got Five Years to Create Low-Carbon Re-Industrialization... And Reap Trillions in Profits
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.20.09
photo: Wayne National Forest via flickr.
We've got about five years to build a global low-carbon economy before holding global temperatures below the critical 2°C threshold becomes nigh impossible: That's the word from WWF, in Climate Solutions 2. But the good news is that we still can make the transition, and the money it will bring in will far outweigh that going out:...
Stencils and Mud Make for Artful Eco Graffiti
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN on 10.20.09
Images: Mud StencilsYoungster Jesse Graves has been running around Milwaukee stenciling his artistic messages of eco-sanity on sidewalks, walls, and concrete pylons. But lucky for his lungs and his criminal record, he's doing it with mud instead of paint. Graves, who signs his work MSR (mud stencils rule), writes: "I use mud or earth because it is a fundamental life-giving substance, logical for my messages. Mud stencils are an evolving medium, intended for art and social justice, not corporate advertisement."...
Chinese Town's Response to Poisonous Lead Factory: Move the Town
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 10.20.09
Increasingly, concern over environmental health in cities and towns across China has led to angry public protests that have halted construction on or closed a number of factories. But after outrage over lead poisoning in a town in central China, authorities aren't turning off the smelters at fault. They're moving the whole town.
The mayor of Jiyuan in Henan province -- home to the world's second-largest lead smelter -- said the relocation of 15,000 residents would cost one billion yuan (146 million dollars), 70 percent of which would be borne by the local government and the smelters responsible for the lead poisoning, while local residents would foot the rest of the bill, Xinhua reported.
After a string of poison scandals across the country involving thousands of sick children have exposed the inability of officials to shut down polluters, this may actually be the best solution yet. ...
Hawaii Recognizes a "Message In the Waves" About Plastic (Video)
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.20.09
BBC Hawaii | Message in the Waves | No More Plastic Bags - Watch more Videos at Vodpod.
After seeing the incredibly sad images yesterday shot by Chris Jordan, that show what plastics in the oceans are doing to birds - and to many other marine species - the message above couldn't be more clear. And it also could be exactly what we have to look forward to indefinitely....
The Best of Fast Company: Ethical Halloween Candy, Bunnies for Biofuel, and a Twitter Taxi
by Ariel Schwartz of Fast Company on 10.20.09
This week at Fast Company, we looked at the most sustainable Halloween candy, whether it makes sense to burn rabbits for biofuel, Green Tomato Cars' Twitter taxi service, and 6 ways Google has greened its main campus.
Want to steer your kids clear of Twix, Snickers, and Mars Bars? Check out this list of the four most sustainable brands of candy, courtesy of Greenopia.
Stray rabbits are eating crops in Stockholm parks, so rabbit hunters have taken it upon themselves to kill the bunnies and ship them off to be turned into biofuel. Is this wrong--even if the rabbits are invasive pests?
Green Tomato Cars has made waves in the past for its fleet of regular and plug-in Prius's. Now the London cab company is hitting the headlines once again thanks to its "twooking" service, which allows riders to book a taxi via Twitter.
Sure, Google invests millions in renewable energy startups, but what is the search engine giant doing to green itself? We take a look at 6 ways Google has greened its main campus.
Fast Company sets the agenda, charting the evolution of business through a unique focus on the most creative individuals sparking change in the marketplace....
Crazy! African Elephants Extinct by 2025 at Present Poaching Rates
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.20.09
photo: Arno & Louise via flickr.
If you hadn't thought much about the illegal ivory trade, sit up an pay attention. According to figures from the International Fund for Animal Welfare, cited by The Telegraph, all 600,000 African elephants will be extinct within in a bit over 15 years at current rates of poaching. Though there's been an international ban in place on ivory sales for the past two decades some 38,000 elephants are stilled killed every year (104 every day!):...
Wildlife Photographs from the World's Most Dangerous Tidal Maelstrom (Slideshow)
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 10.20.09
Photo credit: Wild Wonders of Europe
What kinds of creatures would you expect to find in the world's most powerful tidal maelstrom? Named from the Scandinavian words for "grinding current," the tides storm in and out of the Saltstraumen sound, near the city of Bodø, Norway. While that makes for some wild looking seas, the really interesting stuff is happening beneath the frothy swirls. Check out this slideshow of wildlife below the surface of the most dangerous tidal maelstrom on the planet.
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Finally! Attractive Solar Clothing - The Zegna Ecotech Solar Jacket
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.20.09
Images via Ecouterre
It's about time we see a piece of solar clothing that you'll want to wear. The Zegna Ecotech Solar Jacket looks slick, stylish, has a good cut, inconspicuous solar cells that (almost) don't look like a bad reference to the 80s. And, it's made from recycled plastic! ...
Access to Aquaponics: Starter Kits for $499.99
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 10.20.09
Image credit: Access to Aquaponics
Whether the discussion is about the efficiency of aquaponics, or whether aquaponics is cruel or not, this innovative method of growing vegetables and raising fish certainly seems to be good for stirring up debate. But what do you do if you actually want to put aquaponics into practice? Apart from the ready-to-use systems of Aquaponics USA, until now most practitioners seem to either be agricultural-scale operations like Will Allen's Growing Power, or backyard hobbyists adept at DIY, like Snowcamp Aquaponics. But a new design company based out of Atlanta, GA is looking to change that - launching a range of kits and instructional materials for aquaponics enthusiasts in eleven states. But what's with the weird broccoli-fish monster? ...
Incredible Interactive OLED Installation Lights up London Art Fair
by Leonora Oppenheim, London, UK on 10.20.09
Image by author
An incredible OLED installation delighted art fair goers at the weekend in London. 'You Fade To Light' is an interactive art work by London based design studio rAndom International, developed in collaboration with Philips. Using a total of 1064 Philips warm white Lumiblade OLEDs the rAndom International team created a suspended wall of light which reacted to people's movements as they walked in front of it. This is what it looked like......
It Slices! It Dices! It Cleans Up After Itself! Introducing Panasonic's Robot Kitchen
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.20.09
The Fantastic Four used to have one of these in the comics, everybody's dream of a robot that really does cook, clean and load the dishwasher. The video below the fold shows it handling cookware like Emeril, then emptying glasses and putting them in the dishwasher.
Imagine, programming it with the chef of your choice. Bam!...
Readers' Home Improvement Photos (Slideshow)
by Emma Grady, New York, NY on 10.20.09
A reader's solar-powered home improvement. Credit: Sam Grech
From an insulated attic cover to a pocket door -- which created an air lock between the front door and living space -- readers sent in photos of their energy-saving home improvements and green renovations. Click through for photos of an old Victorian house in downtown Stratford, Canada, renovated with VOC-free paint and FSC-certified wood, an entire house wrapped in Exterior Insulation and Finish System (EIFS), and a solar array atop a deck built with hardware store materials. If you missed last week's Readers' Photos it's not too late too fall into our Readers' Fall Foliage Photos slideshow and check out our Green Materials Guide to plan a home improvement of your own.
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$172 Billion Will Be Sucked From Global Economy Every Year if We Let Coral Reefs Die Off
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.20.09
photo: Jon Hanson via flickr.
Here's another potent warning about the real economic value that intact ecosystems have: New Scientist reports that ecological economist Pavan Sukdev, from the UNEP and lead author of The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity has calculated that the world's coral reefs save us $172 billion per year:...
USEPA Yanks Existing Fill Permit For Spruce Mine #1: Largest Mountain Top Removal Project Ever Proposed
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.20.09
Stream fill permit revoked by USEPA under never-before used statutory authority.
Image credits:WV Gazette, pdf file excerpts, letter of October 16, 2009, from USEPA Region III, Acting Regional Administrator, to USAE West Virginia District Engineer.
The biggest Rocky Top execution ever scheduled by an Appalachian coal company has been called off by the Obama Administration. Seven miles of stream bed will not be buried as a result. EPA yanked a final permit for the Spruce #1 mine: one approved earlier by the US Army Corps of Engineers. This is a real precedent setter, administratively speaking. As the circled sentence indicates, it's the first time that EPA has invoked a regulatory power established 35 years ago Congress. The revocation ought to be a 'what were we thinking' moment for the US Army Corps of Engineers. Will the mining company write the project off; or will it fight for the permit it at the public hearing, or, later, in the courts?...
1,250 mpg. The PiMobility Electric Hybrid Bike Revisited (Video)
by Warren McLaren, Sydney on 10.20.09
The PiCycle is an intriguing electric hybrid bike. We covered it previously when it was called Electrobike, and launched for the bargain basement price of $7,500 USD. Things have changed quite a bit in the past two years, particularly with regard to the price -- it's lost $5,000!, Yep, the PiCycle, as it now known, goes for $2,500. You have three option of riding the Pi: just like a bicycle under pedal power, completely under electric propulsion, or pedal with electric-assist.
Where's the battery? Hiding in the rather fetching arched monocoque aluminium frame....
The Future of Green in 8 Fast Lectures
by Bonnie Alter, London on 10.20.09
Image from Green Tomato Cars
If you want to learn where the future is for green business and entrepreneurs, here's the place. It's a speed lecture by 8 green leaders on the direction of their industry. Speed means that each one gets 8 minutes for their slide show and only 5 words per slide. Talk fast guys.
There is quite a prestigious collection of presenters for this green social event: Green Tomato Cars will give their view on the future of sustainable transport, Ed Gillespie from Futerra will speak about ethical communication and consumer attitudes. Terra Plana will comment on how its ethical footwear will evolve.
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Bus Powered by French-fry Fat Reaches Asia
by Bonnie Alter, London on 10.19.09
Image from Biotruck Expedition
Andy Pag, an environmental activist, has been travelling around the world in a bus powered by french-fry fat. He left London on September 19, 2009 and has covered 3,000 miles so far.
Part of the Biotruck Expedition, he is attempting to drive around the world emitting less than 2 tons of CO2. What's it like driving in a bus powered by chip fat: "It smells like a bus driver's armpit, but when you are using rubbish you can't expect too much" he said today in Istanbul. ...
From the Forums: Audi Commercial Badmouths Bikes
by Alex Davies, New York City on 10.19.09
Image Credit: Zitona-online
Clutchlove asks:
Anybody seen this Audi commercial that shows bicycling and transit in a bad light? What do you think? Too much? No big deal?What do you think? Join the conversation....
Amazing Video of Fake Chamber of Commerce Press Conference
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 10.19.09
This morning I posted on a hoax perpetrated by the Yes Men and the Avaaz Action Factory in which they posed as representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and announced that the business group had changed their position on climate legislation from not supporting it to giving it a full throated endorsment. The ruse hooked Reuters, the Washington Post and others, but it didn't fool the Chamber itself, which sent a representative to the fake press conference at the John Peter Zenger Room at the National Press Club to put a stop to things....
Reduce Your CO2 Hosts Carnival of the Green
by Kara DiCamillo, Newport, Rhode Island on 10.19.09
This week is Carnival of the Green #199 and it's being hosted by Reduce Your CO2, a blog with a simple goal: to help consumers reduce their CO2 emissions, and by doing so to save money.
So head on over to this week's Carnival, which includes a round up of green news and events from the past week and your best green tweets, submitted by other bloggers and green sites. Enjoy!
We are now accepting host requests for 2010! Read on to find out how to host....
The Super-Efficient 3-Wheel Aptera Isn't a Car, Except When it Is
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.19.09
Photo: Aptera
Sweet DOE Money Raining Down On Me
Aptera decided to make a 3-wheel vehicle because it wasn't considered a car (reduced weight and friction are other benefits), which meant that they could make something less expensively by sidestepping many of the regulations that apply to cars. But when the U.S. Department of Energy announced that it was handing out lots of low-interest loans to help the development of greener cars (Fisker got almost half a billion), it was obvious to Aptera that it was to its advantage to be considered a "car maker", if only for that. Well, after months and months of debate, it seems like it got its wish. How much money will it get?...
Largest Thin-Film Cylindrical Solar Array West of New Jersey Built at Plastics Manufacturing Plant
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.19.09
Recycled plastic can be turned into just about anything these days, and while it still gets a bad rep as a green product, now it's being produced with the help of solar power, making it just a little bit greener. In what is the largest construction of a thin film cylindrical solar system, Plastic Package Inc wants to make some of the greenest recycled plastic products on the market. ...
Mandy Pants Silk Screen Surfer Girl Shorts
by Emma Grady, New York, NY on 10.19.09
Mandy Pants surf shorts, reclaimed polyester and silkscreen. Credit: Mandy Pants.
Amanda Church's board shorts -- made with reclaimed polyester fabric and her own colorful silk screen design -- have us looking forward to next summer's surf. Her limited edition collection (only 200 total) called Mandy Pants makes use of leftover fabrics and materials, and provides an unexpected canvas for her art. Click through for more photos, including the original painting that inspired the line. ...
50 Arrested, Many Injured in Coal Plant Protest
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.19.09
Photos via AFP
Climate activists staged a protest at a coal plant in England, where hundreds gathered in opposition to polluting coal-fired power. The protest eventually escalated, with minor clashes between the police and the activists--until the protesters attempted to break through the security fence around the power plant. 50 protesters were arrested, many were bruised and injured, and one police officer had to be airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries. ...
SuperFreakonomics Screws Up Climate Change
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.19.09
Photo via the Globe and Mail
SuperFreakonomics' Super Climate Fail
You can't believe everything you read--anyone who goes online in this information-addled age surely has learned that lesson by now. But there seems to be a special rule for books. People tend to give them more respect than an errant blog post they stumble upon at 5 am. But it turns out that those things can be just as fallible. Case in point: SuperFreakonimics, the followup to the wildly popular Freakonomics, has been causing quite a stir for offering some of the worst climate journalism this side of Sean Hannity. Here's the story. ...
Not So Fast! Back-peddling Indian Environment Minister Says Nation's Climate Policy Unchanged
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.19.09
photo: Craig Cloutier via flickr.
Not six hours ago reports surfaced of India's environment minister, Jairam Ramesh, writing a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh urging a more nuanced approach to climate policy going into COP15 -- delinking emission reduction commitments from financial assistance for climate change adaptation. Well, the Economic Times reports those comments have gotten Ramesh into hot water, forcing him to insist that India's climate policy is, in fact, unchanged:...
Ultracapacitor Buses Work... As Long as You have Lots of Quick-Charge Stations
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.19.09
Photo: Sinautec Automobile Technologies
Ultracap Breakthrough Still Desperately Needed
Ultracapacitors have just the right characteristics for electric vehicles (very fast charge and discharge, unlimited number of cycles, etc) except that they don't (yet?) hold enough electricity to give an EV the kind of range that most people are used to. This doesn't mean that they are useless in the transportation sector, though. SINAUTEC and Shanghai Aowei are testing ultracaps in electric buses, but it only works since the buses have very predictable routes and need to stop regularly, allowing oppotunities for quick recharging....
Get A Green Certification for Your Green Lifestyle with PineMark
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.19.09
Green Cell Phones Prefered by 40% of Consumers...If They Could Find Them
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.19.09
Photo via basykes
According to a poll conducted by ABI Research, nearly half of consumers in the market for cell phones would choose one that is considered "green." There's a catch, though - or rather, two catches. They don't want to pay more for it. In fact, only 7% of the respondents said that they'd pay a premium to have a green phone. And, they don't want to give up performance for eco-friendliness. That leaves consumers with very, very few choices when going cell phone hunting. ...
Video Guide to New Bike Lanes in New York City
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.19.09
Here's What the NYC DOT Has Been Doing to Help Cyclists
It's always great to see cities that are making real efforts to encourage people to cycle. The benefits can be enormous: Healthier people, fewer cars on the road, less air pollution, a more human-scale city that attracts more tourists, etc. In the video above, various officials from New York City's Department of Transportation explain the thinking behind various types of new bike lanes in the city (on the left, buffered, and completely separated). Via StreetFilms See also: Walk21 NYC: It's All About Walking, Baby & Walk On, Students! Video of Walk to School Day in New York City....
UC San Diego and CleanTECH to Create Smart Grid for Region
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.19.09
Image via: TallCJ on Flickr.com
In partnership with CleanTECH San Diego, the University of California, San Diego plans to develop and construct a smart grid system for the San Diego region. In total, over 25 local national and global organizations will be involved in this major endeavor to bring smart, clean, green technology to the region. ...
Coal Plants Do $62 Billion of Damage a Year to US Environment
by Brian Merchant, Brooklyn, New York on 10.19.09
Photo via Climatico
The Hidden Cost of Coal
A new report from the National Academy of Sciences reveals that US coal-fired power plants do over $62 billion in environmental damages a year in "hidden costs". These include damage done to crop and timber yields, to buildings and materials, and the toll coal takes on human health--including the cost of illness and premature deaths it causes. ...
Hell Froze Over: Fuel Economy Now More Important Than Number of Cup Holders to U.S. Car Buyers
by Michael Graham Richard, Ottawa, Canada on 10.19.09
Car's Liquid Consumption Now More Important Than Driver's
People from all around the world know about the love story between American drivers and cup holders. It's been said that it's simply a sign that Americans tend to drive more than others, or maybe it's a symptom of a fast food culture. Either way, it seems like the fire isn't burning as brightly as before. Could the love affair be nearing an end? According to a consumer survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers, fuel economy is now more important than the number of cup holders to U.S. car buyers (it's sad that it ever was otherwise). In the previous survey four years ago, it was the other way around......
Energy Star Products Aren't Actually Meeting Energy Star Requirements
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.19.09
Is this little fridge running from Energy Star auditors? Hummm...
Image via Matheus Sanchez
Energy Star is regarded by consumers as one of the most reliable raters of electronics and appliances in terms of knowing how much energy a device consumes. The organization continually raises the bar (little by little, but still raises) on energy efficiency and tests products to see if they meet requirements for an Energy Star ranking. However, looks like a recent audit shows that Energy Star isn't so reliable after all. ...
Installing and Trying The Blue Bidet: I am Convinced
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.19.09
After writing about the Blue Bidet, the distributor kindly sent me one to try out. I apologise in advance for the rust stains in the toilet and the old paint on the baseboards; Let's just say it is clean but old.
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UK Prime Minister Cribs From Bill McKibben - Says Climate Catastrophe Assured Without COP15 Agreement
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.19.09
There are a number of interesting statements coming out of the Major Economies Forum today; perhaps the most impassioned is that of UK prime minister Gordon Brown. Speaking to the leaders of the 17 nations responsible for 80% of the world's carbon emissions, Brown basically said there is no plan B to COP15, and that failure to act will ensure a "catastrophic" future:...
When You Move, Do You Take Your CFLs With You?
by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.19.09
Image via: Greenpeace UK on Flickr.com
Moving isn't necessarily the most environmentally-friendly activity. Granted, moving from a sprawling house in the suburbs into a smaller, more efficient home in the city can be a step in the right direction, there are plenty of ways to fall off the green wagon if you will. Trying to sort and recycle and donate everything, rather than just making a huge pile of unwanted items in your yard and lighting it on fire, takes a lot of work, and more often than not it's easier to just give up and trash everything. So we ask you dear reader, and particularly for those of you planning on moving in the very near future, when you move, do you take your CFLs with you?...
Trash Ball Turns Annoying Parks Clean-Up Work into a Game
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.19.09
Images via Designboom
Designer Jung Hwa Jin came up with a slightly more entertaining way to keep trash in its proper place - make it into a game. The trash ball is a soccer ball with a hollow inside, so you can store your garbage in something that doesn't look like a garbage can. For the most part, it's a so-what design. But, there's one use we really like, especially for things like tailgate parties gone wrong. ...
Readers, Send Us Photos of Your Green Home Improvements!
by Emma Grady, New York, NY on 10.19.09

In Hoax, Avaaz Has Chamber Flipping Its Position, Now Supporting Climate Action
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 10.19.09
India's Environment Minister Calls For Unconditional Emissions Cuts
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.19.09
photo: Yodel Anecdotal/Yahoo! Inc. via flickr.
It's a tantalizing shift in climate change position from India: Reuters reports that Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh has urged the prime minister to accept national emission reductions at COP15, without them being tied to financial commitments and technological support from the US and other rich nations: ...
USEPA & NHTSA To Propose New Efficiency Metrics For Electric & Hybrid Vehicles
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.19.09
Image credit:ETV Motors animation video excerpt.
Mpg and Kilometers per liter are so 'Model-A .' The world needs efficiency metrics that make sense for all EV types, in all nations. At this moment in the history of surface transportation, a unilateralist metric is called for. Coincidentally, a widely applicable standard could be proposed in about a year, as the US Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a DOT subsidiary, have jointly announced a proposed rule-making for revised methods of measuring and reporting greenhouse gas and corporate average fuel economy standards (CAFE). NHTSA's statutory role is explained here. They are tackling the electric and PHEV vehicle efficiency conundrum together....
Bioneers 2009 - Annie Leonard Bringing Out More Stories of More Stuff
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.19.09
Photo via Jaymi Heimbuch
Annie Leonard is having an incredible run with her short documentary The Story of Stuff. The film still gets 10,000 views per day and has already reached 7.3 million people over the 22 months since it was released. The film clearly has a big impact on viewers, and while Annie gets thousands of emails each day from people who have watched it and want to do more, she's had few places to send them so they can unleash their activism and make positive changes. That is, until now. There's a whole new batch of stuff stories on their way, with a whole new angle for helping people inspired to advocate for changes in consumerism a place to go. ...
Five Newfangled Locks To Help Thwart Bike Theft
by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 10.19.09
Hidden below the front carrier bag of this bike is a u-lock that magically integrates into the bike frame, from j. dunn on Vimeo.
Bike theft is on the rise, at least in the U.K. where a 22% uptick was registered this year - in the U.S. nationwide statistics are harder to come by. If you are one of the people that has already suffered the terrible sinking feeling of stepping out onto the street and doing a double-take as your brain frantically tries to compute where your beloved bike is, statistics don't even matter. The idea of a theft-proof bike keeps cropping up again and again in fancy futuristic concept bike. In the hear and now, U-locks are still the top of the security heap, but trying new forms and combining a u-lock with some of these other solutions may keep your bike from being an easy mark....Gas in Afghanistan Costs $400 Per Gallon
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.19.09
American Special Ops
And we worry about the price of gas here. The Pentagon estimates that by the time it lands fuel in Karachi, trucks it through Pakistan, moves it around Afghanistan and sometimes even flies it in helicopters, gas costs four hundred bucks a gallon. The Marines run through 800,000 gallons per day.
According to the Hill, the $400 per gallon reflects what in Pentagon parlance is known as the "fully burdened cost of fuel." ...
Rising Temps Mean Malarial Mosquitos Infecting People on Mount Kenya (Video)
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 10.19.09
Last week it was house flies at the Mount Everest base camp, now it's mosquitos and malaria in the highlands around Mount Kenya that are in the spotlight, in this video clip from the UN Environment Programme. It's a short clip, but puts a human face on the sort of changes already being brought about by warmer temperatures:...
Green Materials Guide: Your Guide to Materials for Green Home Improvement, Remodeling and Renovation (Slideshow)
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.19.09
Image credit: Getty Images / Dieter Spannknebel
There are few simple choices when it comes to building or renovating a home. From colors to style, location to design, there's an awful lot to consider; part of that consideration is the impact each step will have on the planet. Thankfully, you don't have to settle for materials whose production or use has a big-time negative impact on the planet.
Enter the Green Materials Guide, a new feature over on our sister site, Planet Green. We've put together information and resources on the materials you might need for any home construction, renovation or remodeling job. From the building blocks of a structure, to the system you use to heat and cool it, to the decorations and decor you choose for the walls, the guide is stacked full of green info to help navigate the increasingly busy world of green home improvement; here's a quick peek at everything the guide contains.
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Carbon Capture Is "Essential" for Developing World, And Still a Pipe Dream
by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 10.19.09
Proposed GreenGen IGCC coal plant in Tianjin, China
Unproven and Expensive
Here's a climate conundrum. Last week, the International Energy Agency said in a report (pdf) that to avoid climate catastrophe, 2,000 carbon capture and sequestration (CSS, or sometimes "clean coal") plants need to be built in developing countries by 2050.
And fortunately, it turns out that China, the biggest coal burner, is a great place to bury greenhouse gases. "Study Says China Is Ripe for Carbon Storage," is the headline of the Green Inc story. The study by the US Dept. of Energy says China's rich geology is conducive to carbon storage, and puts the cost of transportation and storage at $2 to $8 per ton, or half the estimated cost in the U.S. Of course, burying huge amounts of carbon dioxide is easier when you don't have to face European-style regulations or citizens concerned about poisonous leakages or explosions.
And then there's the price tag....
From the Forums: Why Does "Invasive" Have to Mean Bad?
by Alex Davies, New York City on 10.19.09
Image Credit: Felix Francis-online
Greenvert writes: So I came across this story the other day, about invasive snakes in Florida. But I always feel that the idea of "invasive" species is weird- isn't the differing evolution of plant and animal species part of nature? That's how every species has gotten to where it is today- by moving in and out-adapting competing species. Shouldn't we just let nature take its course?What do you think? Post here....
Man Drives Wind-Powered Car
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.19.09
Harold Smith of Prince Edward Island has it all figured out: He has a private 20 Kilowatt wind turbine, and electric Toyota and a licence plate that says NO GAS.
It helps that he lives on a flat and windy island, and that he can afford the C$ 128,000 that it cost to put it all together. But it is a sensible model that a lot of people could do, especially in places like PEI where all of their fuel has to be shipped in.
He doesn't have any problems with performance, either:
...
Bioneers 2009: Michael Pollan Drinks Oil
by Jaymi Heimbuch, San Francisco, California on 10.19.09
Photo by Jaymi Heimbuch
Bioneers 2009 - a weekend-long gathering in San Rafael, California of social and scientific innovators focused on environmental issues - kicked off on Friday with Michael Pollan as a headlining speaker. His talk came in the early afternoon, just before lunch, so to make everyone excited about the prospect of eating soon, he did something quite appetizing - he consumed a little oil. ...
The Carbon Footprint of a Las Vegas Fish Dinner
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.19.09
Illustrations by Rafael Macho for Wired
There are so many things about Las Vegas that are unsustainable, but Wired publishes a fish story that pretty much sums it all up. In their typical fashion, they uncritically ooh and aah over a restaurant that gets Mediterranean snapper from pier to plate in just 53 hours, using technology, microchips, but mainly a lot of fossil fuels....
The Cincinnati Streetcar: Making the Case with Numbers (Video)
by Sami Grover, Carrboro, NC, USA on 10.19.09
Image credit: Get Sick Productions
All too often I find advocacy for green or environmental projects lags somewhat behind protest against less green initiatives. After all, it's relatively easy to win eyeballs by climbing on corporate roofs to expose toxins in computers , and somewhat harder to make the case for integrated mass transportation or other positive steps forward. (Having said that, our friends at StreetFilms have a long history of positive advocacy for greener cities.) That's why it's so nice to watch Get Sick Productions forceful and strongly argued case for the Cincinnati streetcar. No appeals to conscience or altruism here—decent public transportation is presented as the only sensible way forward for a modern, growing city. Add a pinch of rivalry with Portland, Charlotte and Tampa, and you have the perfect recipe for successful civil advocacy. ...
Strange Bedfellows Fighting EPA Regulations for Great Lakes Freighters
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.19.09
Photo by Bob Campbell
Great Lakes freighters are not pretty boats, stubby and slab-sided, and travel from mines to mills unnoticed except when they sink, as the Edmund Fitzgerald did. But people are noticing them now, as some very strange bedfellows try and gut EPA regulations on pollution. In Minnesota, Representative Jim Oberstar is fighting changes that would require ships on the Great Lakes to burn low sulphur fuel instead of the cheap and dirty bunker fuel they burn now. The cleaner fuel costs 70% to 250% more.
He has an ally north of the border: the Conservative Canadian Government.
...
TreeHugger and DISQUS: Make Your Voice Heard!
by Alan Graham, Portland, Oregon on 10.19.09
Greetings Commenters!
One of the things we like most about TreeHugger is having frank and open discussions regarding the issues that we cover. We like to publish differing opinions and have heated debates, but we've found in the past that the amount of spam we received, plus the comments that were less than civil, required a fair amount of moderation, which often stymied discussion when the iron was hot.
To fix that we've recently switched from our old commenting system to a new platform called Disqus. Our new commenting platform allows all comments to go right through and skip moderation, which means that we rely on our audience more than ever to ensure they post comments which are civil and add to the discussion.
If you see a comment that is rude, not topical, or perhaps might be spam, please take a moment to flag that comment. Flagged comments go into moderation, where we will then review them. However, just because a commentor may disagree with your stance on things, doesn't mean you should just flag it.
*One caveat is if your comment has a URL in it, it will automatically go into moderation, so keep in mind that may slow publishing your comment....
Cities Need More Jane Jacobs, Less Marc Jacobs
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.19.09
Stereotype Design
Graphic designer Mike Joyce is unhappy that every store and restaurant that he loved in Greenwich Village is being pushed out of business by chains and franchises like Starbucks, Ralph Lauren and yes, Marc Jacobs. He pushes back with a brilliant little guerrilla campaign, and is interviewed by Jeremiah Moss, who writes "a bitterly nostalgic look at a city in the process of going extinct."...
Living with Less: Rubika Kitchen by Lodovico Bernardi
by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.19.09
We love showing furniture and fittings that let you do more in less space; Italian designer Lodovico Bernardi has designed the RuBIKA kitchen that pushes and pulls into a number of different forms, and even flips out to become a dining room table as well. It seems more like a prep island than a full kitchen, (It shows a stove and a sink, but cannot see how one does the service connections) but has some interesting features....
Ask Pablo: Do Solar Panels Actually Contribute To Climate Change?
by Pablo Paster, San Francisco on 10.19.09
Image Source: kevinthoule
Dear Pablo: Is it true that the heat absorbed by dark solar panels contributes to climate change?
The Source Of The Myth
This myth recently surfaced in the sequel to Freakanomics, call Superfreakanomics. Some people are very disappointed with the authors, who created quite a stir with their first book. The source of the myth is a quote by Nathan Myhrvold, the former Chief Technology Officer of Microsoft (commenting outside of his expertise):...There's No Need For Revolution, Just Get Back In the Kitchen
by Sara Novak, Columbia, SC on 10.18.09
photo: J. Novak
It's easy to get radical when faced with the blatantly unsustainable food system in this country, but the most obvious solution is much less sweeping than a revolt. We just need to learn how to cook, according to the Nation's Dan Barber....
Raw Milk Risks and Benefits Explained
by Christine Lepisto, Berlin on 10.18.09
Raw Milk is Dispensed at a Dairy in Berlin (photo: author)
The debate over raw milk is growing according to USA Today. People connected with environmental causes, in particular, are drawn to products like raw milk due to the connection with natural processes and as part of a local or animal-friendly diets. So we thought it worth exploring the facts: is raw milk better for you? Is it better for the animals? And what are the risks of drinking raw milk?...
Car Driver's Entitlement of the Road is Challenged
by Trevor Reichman on 10.18.09
This short video has been making its way around the internet. If you haven't seen it, check it out and see what grandma does when the driver aggressively revs his engine while she is crossing in front if him. While the grandma's bulls eye is a rare (and hilarious) shot, the behavior of the driver, unfortunately, is not so rare when it comes to sharing corridors of transport with people who commute without motors. Has this happened to YOU? How did you react? TH wants to know....
Where's The Political Engagement With Climate Change-Caused Reductions In Crop Yields?
by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.18.09
"Changes in log yield if crop is exposed for one day to a particular 1◦C temperature interval..." Excerpted partial image and partial caption credit: PNAS, publication of Wolfram Schlenker and Michael J. Roberts, Supporting Information Appendix (pdf)
Most people realize that grain yields can fall when croplands are either continuously very wet or extremely dry, for extended periods. Futures market traders closely track weather reports and soil moisture at critical times of the year, knowing that changes in these can affect yield and, hence, prices on relatively short notice. Extreme US examples include: Upper Mississippi River floods eliminating yields over vast acreages; and, South Texas farmers losing hope of producing crops of any sort. What happens, though, when soil moisture is acceptable, but it's extraordinarily warm at critical times in the food crop's life cycle? ...
Maldives Holds Underwater Cabinet Meeting To Bring Attention to Climate Change
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 10.18.09
Linda Loudermilk Spring 2010 Preview
by Emma Grady, New York, NY on 10.18.09
Linda Loudermilk Spring 2010 collection. Courtesy of Linda Loudermilk
Eco-fashion extraordinaire Linda Loudermillk is no stranger to TreeHugger -- we've covered Loudermilk Men, her hand-tailored Luxury-Eco line, her denim collection, and named her one of our Best Sustainable Designers. We first saw her spring 2010 collection at the NOW Showcase in New York, where she told us about her spiritual experience with nature that continues to inspire her collection. Click through for photos of her vegan silk -- harvesting silk without killing the silkworm, bamboo, and organic cotton creations -- her silk tunics (above, center) have us wishing we could spring forward to summer, now. ...
From the Forums: What's Your Green Dream?
by Alex Davies, New York City on 10.18.09
Image Credit: Nygaard-online
TreeHuggerForever asks:
If you could pull off something on a large scale that would result in a greener world, what would you do? I want something concrete...like a plan or something.So what's your green dream? Post here....
The Week in Pictures: Carteret Islands Sink, Fall Foliage, Flies on Mount Everest, and More (Slideshow)
by Emma Grady, New York, NY on 10.18.09
From the news that the world's airlines pledge to cut emissions 50% by 2050 to our interview with filmmaker Jennifer Redfearn -- who discussed her documentary on the Carteret Island climate refugees -- a lot happened this week in green. The 2009 Solar Decathlon turned the National Mall into a solar village, house flies discovered at Mount Everest's 17,585' high base camp -- the effect of warmer temperatures -- and readers sent in photos of leaves, trees, and more in our weekly slideshow: Fall Foliage. Find out what else happened in the world of green this week in our photo roundup of most popular, most important, and most oddball stories. And if you missed it, view last week's Terrific TreeHouses, BPA Makes Girls Mean, Blogger 9 Years No Money, and More .
...
Colbert Mocks Bonner For Fake Letters That Say No To Climate Action
by Daniel Kessler, San Francisco, California on 10.18.09
| The Colbert Report | Mon - Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Tip/Wag - Coal Lobbyists, George Takei & Crispycones | ||||
| www.colbertnation.com | ||||
| ||||
Designer's Pick for Hot Winter Fashion: Insulation
by Jennifer Hattam, Istanbul, Turkey on 10.18.09
Ümit Ünal (right) designed a custom cloak for the Galata Tower (left). Photos via Today's Zaman (left) and yapi.com.tr.
One of Turkey's most well-known avant-garde designers is cloaking scale models of famous Istanbul buildings in one-of-a-kind "jackets" to try and bring a little fashion-world glamour to a decidedly unglamorous subject: insulation....
Simple Shoes Spring 2010 Preview: BIO-D Biodegradable Shoes
by Emma Grady, New York, NY on 10.18.09
Simple Shoes BIO-D Spring 2010 collection. Credit: Simple Shoes
This past week I popped over to Simple Shoes' showroom to preview what's in store for Spring 2010 and checked out BIO-D, their first collection of biodegradable footwear -- outsoles and midsoles break down to dirt in a landfill environment in 20 years. Like Simple's ecoSneaks, the footwear is made with sustainable materials: hemp uppers, recycled car tire bottoms, organic cotton linings, recycled plastic bottles (PET) shoe laces and foot beds, and water-based glues. Click through for photos of their biodegradable shoes. ...
Chris Jordan Takes Shots at the Trash Patch
by David Friedlander, New York City on 10.18.09
Chris Jordan, whose past photographic compositions create dizzying perspectives on the cumulative effects of consumer culture, now has a new muse: The Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Jordan visited the Midway Atoll, right in the heart of the Patch to get these sobering pictures of albatrosses stuffed with plastic detritus. ...
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.

















