Latest Stories in Economics - Page 13
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Greener Green — The U.S. One Dollar Coin
The Sacagawea dollar coin was introduced in 2000 to replace the Susan B. Anthony dollar, which (being Canadian, I didn't know) was often confused with the quarter because of its color and feel. The newer coin is a golden color with no ribbing along the
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Bloomberg's Vice: Miami
As part of an ongoing effort to gather information, New York City’s Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, will take a sustainability tour of Miami this afternoon. Bloomberg continues to seek ideas as he prepares to unveil his Plan NYC 2030, a blue print for
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Educating Environmental Leaders
As American colleges and universities prepare to start the Spring Semester, it is an opportune time to discuss the growing list of academic opportunities that are developing around issues of environmental sustainability. The catalog of available courses
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Greenwashing Versus Voluntary Pollution Prevention: A Test Of Global Understanding
According to a Regional USEPA Office-issued press release, a Vishay Intertechnology Company site in Columbus, Nebraska USA (pictured) is 'getting the lead out' of its manufacturing process. The lead solder phase out is being done as a
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Dual Purpose Carrier
It’s Finnish design. It’s ingenious and wacky, and endearing the more you look at it. They call it a "footstool" but we probably wouldn't. In any case, it has a dual purpose; serving as a seat and a bottle carrier for one to three bottles. Made of
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Origami Sailing
It's a flat-pack, DIY, lightweight and--a sailboat--made using the ancient japanese art of origami. This little dinghy was designed as a prototype by Matteo Signorini when he was a design student; his inspiration was the paper boats that float on
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Pink Flamingoes Face Extinction
The pink flamingo, the ubiquitous plastic bird whose natural habitat is the front lawns of America, is about to become an endangered species. After 49 years, and twenty million sales, the company that produces them is going out of business. The proud
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Is Camouflage the New Green?
The UK's Times newspaper ran a weekend story on the British Department of Defence (DoD) and their contractors trying to do their bit in going green, beyond painting tanks a particular hue. They covered much of the same ground that we've touched on
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Grass Banks: Sustainability or Stopgap?
Today's New York Times introduces us to the concept of grass banks, a brainchild of the Nature Conservancy. The Conservancy offers use of their land for cattle grazing in exchange for ranchers adopting sustainable grazing practices and taking steps to
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SustainLane Releases 2006 Sustainable City Rankings
SustainaLane released its 2006 sustainability rankings of the US' fifty largest cities, and the results show that a handful of American cities are positioning themselves as models of sustainable urban development. Portland, Oregon took top honors again,
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Natural Gas Platform Runs on Clean Energy
We're not sure how to feel about that one. "Royal Dutch Shell has begun pumping natural gas from its wind- and solar-powered Cutter micro-platform, sited on a marginal-production gas field underneath the southern North Sea." So it uses renewable energy -
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Clear Blue Hawaii - Not Entirely Transparent
Damn, and I was getting all excited there for while. Clear Blue Hawaii were going on about polyurethane being perfect for as the skin for the world’s sole transparent foldable kayak, and at 26 lbs (12 kg), the lightest too. Supported by a Carbon Kevlar
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Reusable Shopping Bag Madness in Australia
Our poor long suffering Tips Editor keeps sending me tips about some ‘clever’ Australian reusable shopping bag concept. And I don’t find time to post them. Largely because I feel the whole issue has gone off the rails. Yes, Australia consumes around 7
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Worldstock.com: Friend or Foe?
There is a good post (and resulting comment discussion) over at WorldChanging about Worldstock, a division of Overstock.com that sells mostly sustainable, artisanal crafts and products from around the globe. In "The Worldstock Story," the CEO has this
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TH Almost: SternForm's Minimalist 3x5 Shelving System
This amazingly minimalist design idea caught our eye on Moco Loco this week. The German designers Sternform have reduced shelving to its simplest form with their 3x5 system specifically for storing files. Using only simple boards between layers of
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Muumuu Heaven: Reused Aloha Wear
On a recent trip to Hawaii, perusing gift shops with my mom led to that familiar treehugger retail malaise. The sea of synthetic, low wage factory-made shirts and recognizable, cute Roxy surf girl gear (no Ailin in sight, unfortunately) inspired the
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TH Almost: Electric Trees — An Alternative Energy Source For The Future?
The inventor Gordon Wadle is currently trying to tap an electric current from trees. Yes it sounds crazy, but we're very enthusiastic about (very) alternative energies and as we know there is a thin line between genius and madness! It will be
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GMC PAD- The Mobile Loft
In a recent competition among car design teams, GMC came up with this fantasy:"The GMC PAD, an urban loft with mobility, a concept for living in the ever-changing cultural landscape of Southern California or, quite simply, a modern alternative for
