th comments
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]

Negawatts From the Men's Room

by April Streeter, Gothenburg, Sweden on 11. 5.09
Design & Architecture

The-Pee-Bee.jpg
See the bee? Aim the pee. Photo Sfegette via flickr.
Chasing negawatts, the energy that you don't use, is a popular pursuit these days for cash-strapped states, and California is turning out to be excellent at it. Negawatts (a term Amory Lovins came up with) can offer a lot more bang for the buck, so to speak, then building new power. And asSteve Fleischli at HuffingtonPost reports, when faced with choosing a $550 million salination plant that would require lots of water and lots of power but produce fresh water, or a Coastal Restoration $187 million project to swap out 455,000 existing urinals for waterless alternatives and save water and generate negawatts, California's choice would seem to be, well, clear.

Article continues: Negawatts From the Men's Room

Roca Toilet Integrates Sink, Grey Water Cistern

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 11. 3.09
Design & Architecture

roca-toilet.jpg

TreeHugger has shown a couple of toilets with sinks built into their tanks, which make you reach over the bowl to get at the sink. There have also been gray water collection tanks that go under the sink. But this is the first time I have seen an elegant, properly integrated sink and gray water system integrated so elegantly with a toilet.

Article continues: Roca Toilet Integrates Sink, Grey Water Cistern

Flush Less Water Down the Drain with Greener Bathroom Materials

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 10.29.09
Design & Architecture

green-materials-guide-modern-bathroom-design-image.jpg
Image credit: Dieter Spannknebel / Getty Images

Despite being one of the smaller rooms in most homes, the modern bathroom serves many purposes. It's a sanctuary, a room for pampering, and where we clean ourselves, but it's also where myriad household toxins lurk, and where much of the average home's water goes right down the drain. But don't fret. There are so many ways to green your bathroom design, you'll never have to waste water or pollute the environment again. Read the Green Materials Guide for Bathroom Designs over on Planet Green to learn more about the ideas and materials that'll make your bathroom more about zen relaxation than wasting water; here are a few tips to get you started.

Article continues: Flush Less Water Down the Drain with Greener Bathroom Materials

Installing and Trying The Blue Bidet: I am Convinced

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10.19.09
Design & Architecture

blue bidet toilet install bidet photo

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.

Article continues: Installing and Trying The Blue Bidet: I am Convinced

Readers, Send Us Photos of Your Green Home Improvements!

by Emma Grady, New York, NY on 10.19.09
Design & Architecture
regreen interior design
A remodeled green kitchen. Credit: Regreen

Is your newly improved bathroom home to a dual flush toilet or gray water system? Does your remodeled kitchen boast a reclaimed sink and other green materials? Have you improved the environmental health in your home? Have you installed devices to help save electricity, energy, water, or all three? Prove it! From small to big; water to energy; weekend home improvement projects to total room remodels, we want to see your green home modifications. Click through for details, and if you missed today's readers slideshow, fall into this season's colors in our Readers' Fall Foliage Photos .

Article continues: Readers, Send Us Photos of Your Green Home Improvements!

City of Los Angeles Approves Waterless Urinals for All Buildings

by Kristin Underwood, Sacramento, CA on 10.15.09
Design & Architecture

H2Zero-waterless-urinal-by-caroma.jpgAnd not just any urinals, the lucky winner is the H2Zero waterless urinal by Caroma, which beat out the competition to win this huge endorsement from one of the largest cities in the United States. Plus, green builders looking to get their permit approved now have one more ally on their side as this system has already been stamped off by the city.

In a city that has long had its battles with water conservation, this is just one more way to save lots and lots and lots of water. So just how did this "vitreous china urinal" clear all of the hurdles? Well, by making a product that outperformed the other urinals in operation, odor management, durability and waste build-up. If the city was going to approve a system that might make some people a little queasy, they had to find something that wouldn't leave a mess for anyone to have to deal with.

Article continues: City of Los Angeles Approves Waterless Urinals for All Buildings

Stop Using Toilet Paper; Get a The Blue Bidet

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 10. 1.09
Design & Architecture

bluebidet toilet paper bathroom bidet photo

People find the idea of going without toilet paper a bit shocking, but lots of people around the world do it, and there are good technologies available now to replace your toilet or add on to it. It is cleaner and healthier, and counterintuitively, saves a lot of water. Making a roll of toilet paper uses 1.5 pounds of wood, 37 gallons of water and 1.3 KWh of of electricity.

A lot of these bidet style toilets are expensive, as are may of the toilet seat add-ons. The Blue Bidet is only US$ 69, C$79 when I saw it at the local Home Show in Toronto.

Article continues: Stop Using Toilet Paper; Get a The Blue Bidet

Hydration Station Replaces the Water Cooler

by Lloyd Alter, Toronto on 09.24.09
Design & Architecture

bottled water replacement architecture iidex photoThe water cooler with the big polycarbonate bottle is so outré, but is also expensive. But nobody likes water fountains any more and lots of people carry SIGGs refillable bottles. This new "hydration station" from Haws detects the bottle without touching and delivers filtered water. They say that "every bottle refilled saves the equivalent of a quarter bottle of crude oil that would have been used in the manufacture and shipping of bottled water.

They also point out that it "lowers risk, both in not having unknown persons delivering 5 gallon bottles into your facility" and not having employees kill themselves trying to change them. Or, as where I teach and where they should know better, the closets are filled with empty bottles waiting to be picked up.

Very clever, from Haws via the Dobbin Sales booth at the Green Building Festival.

Article continues: Hydration Station Replaces the Water Cooler
We'll be working on better category archives soon. In the meantime, take a look at the weekly archive if you really want to dig around, or use the search box at the top of the page.

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!

th ads