TreeHugger

Captain Planet Foundation Set to Host 14th Annual X-MAS Party to Save Planet

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:56:31 -0500

If you’re familiar with the Captain Planet Foundation, then you know what a great job they do giving out grants to teachers looking to bring environmental learning into their schools and classrooms. And without question, the annual X-MAS party and fundraiser coming up looks like it’s got some great, great items worth bidding on with proceeds going to a great environmental cause. Just check out some of the fun, creative stuff they’ve come up with… ...

Galapagos and US Teachers Present New Environmental Education Plans

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 19:37:49 -0500

Photo by Pete Oxford Only a few days ago, top secondary school teachers from the US and Galapagos were working together to create environmental education plans. Incorporating ideas from their disparate locales, they'd forged some progressive, globally applicable projects and concepts for curriculum. It was, as I reported earlier, pretty fascinating to watch. But as the time grew nearer for presenting the projects at the Colegio Nacional Galapagos, the teachers' ...

What Would Darwin Do? Killing Goats So Others May Live

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 18:30:00 -0500

Photo courtesy of Lind Xu Why are environmentalists shooting goats? Why have they undertaken an elaborate plan to systematically kill hundreds of thousands of goats by means of aerial and ground hunting operations? Why to preserve life, of course. Project Isabela: Eradicating Goats in the Name of Biodiversity Project Isabela is an operation spearheaded by the Charles Darwin Research Center starting in 1998, and its sole purpose was to eliminate the ever-burgeoning...

10 Energy Myths Exposed: Solar, Wind, Nuclear and More

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:41:28 -0500

Image credit:Getty Images From Solar to Nuclear, Energy Myths Explored We’re all about myth busting here at TreeHugger – from Matthew’s trashing of 5 dire green myths earlier today, to John’s classic post deconstructing the wind turbines kill birds argument. But we’re not the only ones who can play that game – Chris Goodall over at The Guardian is tackling

What the World Needs Now Is Square Trees

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:19:04 -0500

Belgian design collective Draw Me A Sheep notes:

‘Round’ is perfect in nature, but ‘square’ is perfect for industrial standard. To illustrate, square tree would enable wood industry to lose less material, to cut easier with machines and to store more efficiently.

C'mon, Monsanto, where are you when we need you?...

5 Reusable Water Bottles Better Than Recyclable Paper Bottles

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 15:00:00 -0500

Image via Dvice In the effort to kick the water bottle habit, we’re open to all suggestions on alternative water containers. But that doesn't mean we like anything that isn't a disposable plastic bottle. There is a new product idea getting attention called the 360 bottle that uses paper instead. But it doesn’t appear to be any sort of ideal solution....

Daniel Libeskind Goes Green and Somewhat Restrained

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:35:57 -0500

Like every New York tower that is not yet up to the third floor, Daniel Libeskind's new 54 storey tower at One Madison Avenue will probably never see the light of day. Too bad; unlike so many of his other buildings, it has some green features and a few right angles....

Wind Power Avian and Bat Protection Plan Released by Iberdrola Renewables

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:21:00 -0500

photo: Iberdrola Renewables Wind power may be undeniably better in terms of carbon emissions than fossil fuel energy sources, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t genuine environmental concerns to take into consideration when building projects. And while bird deaths from wind turbines are much less with newer technology than they once were, there are still concerns about migratory bat deaths, and in genera...

90° Furniture: A Flatpack Apartment by Lowrien Kaptein

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:05:51 -0500

I am a sucker for furniture that can slide under your door; Imagine how much less shipping, less material is needed when it flatpacks so efficiently, Dutch designer Louwrien Kaptein had designed an entire apartment, complete with working area, sitting, sleeping, cooking and storage. ...

A Different World: Globalization Teaching Tool Kit Goes Online

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 14:02:51 -0500

Image: From A Different World Tool Kit website
Educating teens and pre-teens about globalization cannot be an easy thing. Teachers face plenty of obstacles in captivating impressionable attention spans that are routinely molded by 30-second television commercials and consumerist social mores. Yet, the far-reaching potential of the Internet can be an ally in the educational arena. The interactive multimedia web tool-kit called "A Different World: An Educational Tool Kit for Building Global Justice", developed by Montréal-based non-profit the Social ...

Electrifying Ceilings to Light the Room with LEDs

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:45:00 -0500

Image via EMerge Alliance Direct current (DC) electric systems are getting a new set of standards, and could be favored over our typical alternating current (AC) systems. But it doesn’t mean rewiring every building in order to charge up devices. It just means electrifying ceilings, walls, and floors. ...

Eco-Friendly Vodka, Natural Insomnia Remedies and Potluck Lunches

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:32:00 -0500

:: Make your martinis mindfully with eco-friendly vodka. Find the best in our Buy Green: Vodka guide. :: Learn how to sleep deeply amidst the holiday stress. :: Spice up your work week by organizing a green potluck lunch club....

3,000 Smart Fridges Hitting UK Homes

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:25:00 -0500

Photo via Meggito; Note: While cats aren't part of the smart fridge experiment, pictures of cats in fridges are way too hilarious to pass up. The UK is about to test drive 3,000 smart refrigerators that will know when to adjust their power use to match the needs of the grid. The fridges could mean both a massive cost savings and a boost to alternative energy use....

Photo of the Day: Venice's Worst Floods in 22 Years

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:37:24 -0500

Image: Flooding in Piazza San Marco (Photo: AFP/Getty)
The venerable city of Venice, named by UNESCO as one of the World Heritage sites threatened by climate change, was inundated by five feet of water (1.5 metres) yesterday. More than 95 percent of the old city centre - including many tourist sites - were flooded. The rise in sea levels was caused by consistently high southerly winds, heavy rain and snowfall in northern Italy. Because of its geographic location, situated on marshy islands and inlaid with a network of canals, Venice endures frequent flooding during high tides (most recently, 50 floods betwee...

Largest Solar Thermal Power Plant Outside of California Begins Construction in Florida, Online in 2010

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:33:00 -0500

artist rendering: FPL There are bigger solar projects in the works , but the new Martin Next Generation Solar Energy Center near Indiantown, Florida can make a couple of ‘first’ claims (for the time being at least): It is the largest solar thermal plant outside of California; and, is the first hybrid solar power facility in the world to connect to an existing combined-cycle natural gas power plant. Construction on the 75MW solar thermal plant began yesterday, with the plant expected to come online in 2010. More deta...

Four Worst Places to be an Endangered Species

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:04:42 -0500

Poached ivory being burned in Namibia. Photo: Jonathan and Angela The hard truth is there are no international rules set in stone telling a country how it should treat its wildlife. There are 194 recognized countries in the world (not including Antarctica) of various sizes and climates, and each has a different view on wildlife protection. Some of these countries destroyed the brunt of their wildlife population decades or even centuries ago, while others had less of a wildlife population to begin with. We've got jungle, tundra, desert, countries the size of other continents, countries a person can walk across...

Most. Obnoxious. Advertisement. Ever.

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:41:37 -0500

I know that being a frugalista is all the rage, but here is how the Diamond merchants deal with the current crisis: Here's To Less. Our lives are filled with things. We're overwhelmed by possessions we own but do not treasure. Stuff we buy but never love. To be thrown away in weeks rather than passed down for generations. Perhaps it will be different now. Perhaps now is an opportunity to reassess what really matters. After all, if everything you ever bought for her disappeared overnight, what would she truly miss? Right. Like you can eat a pair of diamond earrings, or burn them for heat. I suspect she will miss dinner more. ...

Hawaii To Be First With Statewide Electric Car Charging Stations

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 11:07:00 -0500

The electric car infrastructure race is on! A short while ago several mayors in the San Francisco Bay Area announced that they would be partnering with Better Place to bring electric vehicle charging stations to the area. Now Hawaii is going to do one better and become the first state to have Better Place charging stations across the entire state. Considering that the Bay Area has a population of about 7 million and Hawaii about 1.3 million, some semantic one-upmanship is at work here, but nevertheless this is great ne...

2008 AR Awards Announced

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:40:09 -0500

The Architectural Review awards for Emerging Architecture have been released and I like the winners a lot. This competition doesn't go after the big, highly visible projects but is "Intended to bring wider international recognition to a talented new generation of architects and designers," in a profession that is usually the country for old men. I was thrilled that one of my favourite projects on TreeHugger this year, Alberto Mozó's temporary building for BIP Computers in Santiago, Chile, was one of the three winners. It was in two posts: Design for Deconstruction by Alberto Mozó and

Using Sound Waves to Charge Cell Phones

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:40:00 -0500

Photo via gwaar We’ve seen ways to charge cell phones by fuel cells, sunlight, wind and even dancing. But what about with sound waves? That might just be the next step for charging...

300 Hybrid Buses To Be Driving the London Streets by 2011

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:19:00 -0500

photo: Wrightbus Yesterday Transport for London unveiled a new range of single and double deck hybrid buses which will form the first stage of a major expansion of the UK capital’s hybrid bus fleet. By the end of January 2009, 56 hybrid buses will be on the road, with a further 300 to be in operation by 2011. Transport for London touted the advantages of the hybrid buses: ...

Five Dire Green Myths Causing the Greatest Global Harm

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 10:00:00 -0500

photo: mtoz Can you tell the difference between eco fact and eco fiction? With the green movement growing in momentum, we frequently come across any number of statements repeatedly presented as conventional eco-wisdom, statements we often do not question. Sometimes there is a ring of intuitive truth to these statements, which turns out to be false upon further examination. Other times, after a public debate, one aspect of an issue wins out over other equally important aspects--or the nuance gets lost. Then there is the gorilla marketing approach: a particular industry simply puts out a message with such fr...

1963: When Fuel Efficiency Data Was A Joke

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:45:45 -0500

Automakers have come a long way to their bailout-begging today since the days when Consumers Union published this (very funny) cartoon. I scanned it from an old issue of Consumer Reports, the April 1963 "Facts You Need Before You Buy" issue with a brown cover and red/black letters. A treasure from a bygone era! This was the auto buying guide for 1963, "including ratings of all makes, 6-year repair records, service notes, checks on safety details, etc., etc." And there isn't a single foreign car listed. Not even one. Some of the car companies are gone, like American Motors, maker of the oddly-named Rambler,...

The Magic Box: Following A Container Around the World

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:32:07 -0500

First episode: the box gets painted It is hard to believe, but fifty years ago if you brought a load of stuff from Japan by ship, a bunch of longshoremen would be carrying it out of the ships by hand. It could take a week to unload a freighter. The shipping container changed everything and for better or worse, made globalism possible. The BBC has followed one around the world and tells "the stories behind the goods inside, those who make them, and how they travel to consumers." ...

Canada Allows Killing of Over 500 Narwhals

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:00:00 -0500

Getty Image In a heartbreaking move, the Canadian government decided it would rather allow 500 narwhals to be shot one by one at an air hole in the ice, rather than bring in icebreakers to help free the whales. ...

Dealing with Holiday Home Office Blues

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:58:50 -0500

Photo credit .Fabio Working in a home office environment is great from a green perspective. It eliminates the necessity to drive to and from work, it limits the immense energy usage typical for a large office building, and reduces your own personal carbon footprint by as much as half in certain areas. But the home office is not a perfect world......

Worst Sales Performance of Any Car: Toyota Prius

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:46:27 -0500

I am sorry for continuing a rant here. The heads of the auto companies are driving nine hours to Washington for their bailout pleas; I am sure many would rather see them crawl. I am not a cheerleader for General Motors and the Detroit auto industry, and think cars are a menace. However one cannot, as so many of the commenters in my earlier post did, just say that GM was stupid and Toyota was smart, and that the American car industry should roll over and die and make room for those innovative Japanese and German car makers. Look at the numbers. What is the worst performing car (in sales) ...

Knut the Polar Bear Needs a New Home

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:15:00 -0500

Photo via Seabamirum Knut – a polar bear we’ve loved to watch grow up here on TreeHugger – is the latest housing market victim. The Berlin zoo can no longer afford to house the big bear, who needs a larger compound to match his ever growing size and activity needs. So they’re putting up a “Polar Bear Seeking New Home” sign. Where is Knut head...

Millet’s New Pack Will Be a Load of Old Rubbish

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:52:19 -0500

With all its raw materials fully or partly recycled, the Millet Low Impact Variation 22 daypack is hardly a ground breaking product. After all it is ground well trod by the ilk of Osprey, Mountainsmith and Voltaic Systems. But, hey, this is the sort of bandwagon we want to see companies jumping aboard. Like Osprey, Millet give a break down of where they have been most successful in realising the recycled content. ...

Chicago Parking Meters Up To A Buck An Hour: Equivalent Of Congestion Tax?

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:52:06 -0500

In a budget balancing move, Chicago is upping the parking meter rate from a quarter per hour to at least a dollar an hour, starting next year. Done by privatizing.

Rates for most city parking meters will increase to $1 an hour in the coming months as a result of Mayor Richard Daley's deal to lease the spots for $1.1 billion to a private firm... The most expensive meters, which are found in the Loop, cost $3 an hour now. They will increase to $3.50 an hour next year and $6.50 by 2013.

Via:Chicago Tribune, Clout Street, Most city parking me...

Is This The World’s First Global Warming Induced Mammal Extinction?

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:47:19 -0500
Australia has what’s been termed the highest rate of mammals facing extinction of any country in the developed world. Twenty two percent are threatened. And news just in suggests that another one might have already checked out. The rare white lemuroid possum (pictured right) hasn’t been sighted for the past three years. Scientists are concerned it might have the ignominious distinction of being the world’s first mammal sent to extinction by global warming. A...

Argentinean Environmental Secretary Dismissed from Office

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:45:58 -0500
Photo: Perfil. Romina Picolotti, Argentina's Environmental Secretary for the last 28 months, was asked to resign from office by president Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, several media outlets announced last night. Media informed that causes include the support the minister gave to the glacier law that the president ended up vetoing and embezzlement of funds. Details in the extended....

Sustentable '08 Argentinian Green Design Festival in Photos

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 07:10:03 -0500
Yesterday it was the end of the first edition of Sustentable, a festival entirely dedicated to green design that took place in Buenos Aires from November 28 to December 2. Besides yesterday's introduction of Diseno Cartonero, there were plenty of interesting sustainable products, including accessories, clothing and toys. Check out pics of the cute crafts and gorgeous fashions in the extended. ...

LEDs Light Up Covent Garden

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 05:25:08 -0500
TreeHugger photograph Christmas lights are so beautiful, sometimes, and so wasteful. But creative and good looking solutions are being found--last year Carnaby Street had festive paper chains with a holographic finish. This year Covent Garden is decking the halls with LED's. Created by UVA, a group better known for doing backdrops for bands such as Arctic Monkeys, Massive Attack and U2, they have taken an environmental approach to the job. ...

The Last of His Kind: The Lamented Life of Lonesome George

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:19:31 -0500
Photo by Lena Tashjian Lonesome George slovenly lumbers out of the brush in his compound, painstakingly climbs the minor incline up to his pool, and collapses. The famed giant tortoise seems exhausted and lethargic, even by tortoise standards. And I can't blame him—if I were 100 years old, the very last male of my species left in existence, and had little hope of fathering children, I'd probably have trouble getting out of bed in the morning too....