Business & Politics

Photo: Fisker

At the end of 2008, Fisker announced that it was opening and engineering center in Michigan, near Detroit. Was it just to help sweeten its position for its government loan approval? Who knows... But now the company is focusing on its next vehicle (codename: Project NINA), and has announced that "Beginning March 1 Fisker Automotive's global headquarters in Irvine, California will house all design, engineering, sales, marketing, and administrative operations." Bye-bye Michigan.

Business & Politics

Talk About Junk Mail!
Last June, the Brazilian authorities discovered 91 shipping containers full of trash in the nation's ports, all exported from Britain. After some investigation, the tons of household waste were linked back to businessman Julio Cesar da Costa, who owned a trash-collection company outside of London. Attempting to export trash violates international law, which led to a British court to hold him liable and issue him a fine of roughly $1 million, but Costa maintains his innocence. As it turns out though, this isn't the first time developing countries have been targeted for use as the rug to sweep a mess under.

Science & Technology

Image via GoneOnGreen

Neon Green has decided to bring solar to the fashion forward among us, from tween girls to guys working in the financial district. The makers of solar bags have come up with a variety of designs that incorporate thin-film solar cells into trendy bags with "soular" for off-grid charging and backup power for hand-held gadgets. Neon Green claims the bags are so awesome, they'll "transform [you] from a mere mortal to a super hero with soular powers." Now that's quite a statement.

Cars & Transportation

Photo: Ford

Not Sexy, But the Business World Needs Electric Vehicles Too
Ford has just unveiled the electric version of its award-winning Transit Connect utility van in Chicago, and it's not just a "maybe far in the future" announcement. Transit Connect Electric vans should be in the hands of customers "later this year", says Ford, though full volume production is only scheduled for 2011.

Business & Politics

Sen. Jim "Health Care will be Obama's Waterloo'' DeMint of South Carolina is once again making his state proud by posting on his Twitter account the following: "It's going to keep snowing in DC until Al Gore cries 'uncle'". Classy, Senator, real classy. It's to be expected that climate change skeptics and deniers would use any strange weather to back up their case that climate change is a hoax, but this is beyond the pale. It does snow in February in DC, Senator. You've been in DC long enough to have realized this.

Interact

Image Credit: madmack66 via Flickr

Pilon has a hypothetical question:

What if Gandhi were alive today and he declared a fast unto death to encourage progressive climate change legislation? Would he be dismissed as an extremist? Would he be ignored by the mainstream media? Would he die and be quickly forgotten? Or would he change the world? What do you think?

What do you think? Join the conversation.

Plus, check out Jonathon F. P. Rose's op-ed, Gandhi, King and Climate Change.

Business & Politics

Watch the full size video on Planet Green

Though Facebook has its data centers located in close proximity to renewable hydro-power plants, Planet 100 reports, it has chosen coal as its energy source.

Design & Architecture

Bonnie Alter

While out running in Sanibel Island, Florida, passing monster house after monster house, I came upon a small, lovely gem of modern architecture by the side of the road. It took about three seconds (google "small, modern, sanibel) to determine that it was the Walker Guest House by Paul Rudolph, a regular on TreeHugger. One of his first commissions, the 24' square house has lift-up panels connected to 77 pound round counterweights, giving it the nickname the "cannonball house." More to follow after I tour it on Friday, but it clearly shows all those things I love about Paul Rudolph and his Florida buildings- he understood the importance of natural ventilation, shading, working with the climate instead of throwing things at it.

Yet more than any other famous architect of the era, his buildings are either under threat or they are gone already. Why is this happening?