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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]

Green Materials Guide: An Intro to Green Flooring

by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 11. 2.09
Design & Architecture

green-materials-guide-flooring-photo.jpg
Photo credit: Getty Images / flashfilm

We all walk on it every day, but don't often think of it. It's underfoot, and, for many of us, out of mind. But just because you trod on it doesn't mean you shouldn't pay close attention to the materials that make up your flooring. Here are a few tips to find the best green material for the job; check out the full Green Materials Guide for Home Flooring over on Planet Green to get all the details.

Article continues: Green Materials Guide: An Intro to Green Flooring

In Defense Of TetraPak

by Pablo Paster, San Francisco on 11. 2.09
Design & Architecture

TetraPak.jpg
Image Source: TetraPak

TetraPak, the company that makes aseptic milk carton-like packaging that holds everything from wine to soup to tomato sauce, has been receiving a lot of coverage in the green media lately, both good and bad. This surge in attention is in part due to a recent TetraPak-sponsored media event in Sweden,to which I had the fortune to get invited. Before I continue I should state that what I am about to write is based entirely on my professional opinion as a sustainability engineer and was not influenced by pickled herring or Swedish meatballs.

Article continues: In Defense Of TetraPak

Trend Watch: End Times For Journalism - Terminix Selling Newsprint Insulation Treated With Pesticide

by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.28.09
Design & Architecture

newspaper survivor image
"Despite the apocalypse, newspapers will refuse to die." Image credit:Guardian, OrgangrinderBlog.

US newspaper readership rates have slipped another 10%, ytd. Not to worry. A new print journalism business model may have been discovered by Terminix, the pest control company. Turning "readership" into "R-Value," they are selling pesticide-soaked newsprint as building insulation, entombing, for posterity, an archive of the scant coverage given climate science over the last two decades. Just skip the reading, and send the papers right to the insulation factory. Balloon Boy gets full coverage on your thousand dollar TeeVee.

Article continues: Trend Watch: End Times For Journalism - Terminix Selling Newsprint Insulation Treated With Pesticide

Radius New Toothbrush Design Let's You Handle The Money Every Day

by John Laumer, Philadelphia on 10.22.09
Design & Architecture

radius source toothbrushes photo

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.

Article continues: Radius New Toothbrush Design Let's You Handle The Money Every Day

Waste-Based Energy: One Piece Of The Sustainable Energy Puzzle

by Wes Muir, Waste Management, Inc. on 10.17.09
Design & Architecture

waste-to-energy-plant-austria-photo.jpgSpittelau waste to energy plant provides district heating in Vienna. Image credit:Wikipedia

In the past few years, there's been much talk about the variety of available and developing technologies that could help secure a more sustainable energy future. Since October is Energy Awareness Month, the discussion of these energy alternatives is even more pertinent. You've probably heard about these developments, such as wind and solar power, as they have dominated headlines in the news and broad-scale discussions about renewable energy. But one technology that is both sustainable and consistently available yet rarely mentioned as an alternative to fossil fuels is waste-based energy.

Article continues: Waste-Based Energy: One Piece Of The Sustainable Energy Puzzle

Is LEED Breaking Up with FSC-Certified Wood?

by Neil Chambers, New York City on 10.13.09
Design & Architecture

FSC Certified Plywood.jpg
Photo from Coastal Treated Products Company

After a long-lasting and loving monogamous relationship between the US Green Building Council and the Forest Stewardship Council, it seems the USGBC is considering, not a break up, but definitely thinking about seeing other sustainable woods. FSC-Certified wood has been the yardstick to which the LEED rating system has awarded points for its Certified Wood credits for nearly ten years. The USGBC/FSC relationship has been so tight, that the forest-focused organization is one of the only product-labeling criteria mentioned anywhere in the wildly popular rating system. But things change...people change...sustainable markets change...and well, you know, criterion change, so in classic USGBC fashion, they put the change out for public comment.

Article continues: Is LEED Breaking Up with FSC-Certified Wood?

Top Stories From Tonic: Crude Awakening, Howard Zinn Speaks, Powerhouse Shingle and more!

by Tonic, the "good news" site on 10. 8.09
Design & Architecture

tonic column on treehugger image
Photo via trssty

Check out Tonic's eco-highlights of the week! From innovation to entertainment, here's what's hot in the latest "good news."

Cat Lincoln sat down with Joe Berlinger, maker of the award-winning documentary Crude, and learns why the story of big oil's exploits (and pollution) in Ecuador, but the award-winning documentary almost never made it to the big screen.

Continuing with exclusive Tonic interviews, Ben Corbett offers back-to-back conversations of inspiration with No Impact Man Colin Beavan and the people's historian himself, Howard Zinn, whose star-studded documentary hits the History Channel in December.

Want a new roof over your head and get off the grid at the same time? Katie Gustafson has a line on how to lighten your life with Dow Chemical's new Powerhouse Solar Shingle.

Climbers in the Swiss Alps can thank architect Andrea Deplazers for a stunning eco-hut rest stop for visitors that doubles as a research facility for Swiss Federal Institute for Technololgy (ETH) students.

10 Ingenious DIY Designs ... By Prison Inmates

by Alex Pasternack, New York, NY on 10. 8.09
Design & Architecture

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Angelo, Temporary Services

Who knew that inspiration for remaking our things -- and perhaps by extension, even our country -- could come from prisoners?

Then again, prison life comes with minimal resources, to say the least. To make the most of them, impromptu incarcerated inventors have long improvised with what little they have. (I'd like to see what Chinese prisoners could do.) Fashioning your own tattoo gun with a battery or sculptures from candy wrappers (see above) sure beats making license plates (or recycling computer parts for Dell). With a big nod to Weburbanist and Dornob, which first covered this a couple weeks back, here's a look at some inventions that give new meaning to the term self made man.

Article continues: 10 Ingenious DIY Designs ... By Prison Inmates
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!

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