French Nuclear Energy Policy - A Cake The US May Do Well To Not To Consume Too Much Of

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:28:40 GMT

Still life with Brioche. Image credit:Wikipedia, Jean-Baptiste Simeon Chardin, Remember the whole "Freedom Fries" thing following France's refusal to support the US 2003 military incursion into Iraq? My how time flies. US politicians now cite the French energy policy example with excitement; claiming that nation's high reliance on nuclear power is exemplary. (Inference that support for climate and energy legislation is more likely if nuclear power expansion incentives are included.) It doesn't seem to matter to that France is roughly the size of Texas and that the existing US nuclear fleet already is far larger than what France has or will ever have. Nor, that the French government controls the nuclear power industry (socialized electricity). ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Bush Presidential Library May Get LEED Platinum, But Is It "Dog-Whistle" Architecture?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:52:21 GMT

Although some may assign credit for "W's" Presidential Center Platinum LEED application to the project architect, Robert A.M. Stern, who is simply a following a trend, I'm giving President George W Bush and wife Laura benefit of the doubt. Their design choice goes way beyond legacy building. It sends a 'dog whistle' political message to Republican Party Leaders and candidates, indicating they must live the enviro-life style large before throwing stones in the green house. Good strategy. Inhabitat coverage has more renderings; so go read Plans for the Green George W. Bush Presidential Center Released if interested. Money quote follows.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

World Toilet Day - Really? Yes...Really.

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:54:50 GMT

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Image credit:flickr, recubejim's photostream World Toilet Day , which happens to be right now, is needed for good reason. Per the WTD website: "2.5 billion people worldwide are without access to proper sanitation, which risks their health, strips their dignity, and kills 1.8 million people, mostly children, a year;" and, "Because even the world's wealthiest people still have toilet problems - from unhygienic public toilets to sewage disposal that destroys our waterways." They are so right. Read on for a disgusting example of why you should be thankful if you have access to a decent one, and if your government keeps the poop works properly operating.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Debunking The Climate Change Fable

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 09:11:19 GMT

Little Boy Who Cried Wolf. Image credit:Straightedge Marketing. Generations of English-speaking parents have recited fables to teach their children about life. I suppose there are equivalent fables in other languages. Ones I remember the most are "The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf" (apropos for today's journalists and bloggers who may be prone to a single-minded focus on climate catastrophe), and "Chicken Little" (widely-used in the 80's to characterize the over-reaction to environmental hazards). Climate change is no fable for scientists. Probably half of elected officials get it. Looks as if some evangelical Christians also understand the meaning. The critical audience left to convince, the largest segment of population - overlooked at our own danger - are those who are willing to entertain the possibility that something truly bad is happening with climate, and that human behavior may be - just may be - a contributing factor. Let's focus on them for a minute. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Canada's Heartland - Political Peak Oil's First Refuge

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:38:50 GMT

Edward Burtynsky. Alberta Oil Sands # 6, Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, 2007. Image credit:via Blogotariat. The concept of "political peak oil" (an obscure, unpleasant term I admit) has been floating around under that name or as "geopolitical peak" (even worse) for years. Large oil companies based in the US, and UK, and France - known as the 'oil majors' - cumulatively control, at most, 15 to 20% of proven global oil reserves, while nationalized oil companies control the remainder. Venezuela would be an example of the latter. Nations with highly developed economies rely extensively on the 'oil majors' to supply fuel. Doesn't matter how big global estimated potential oil reserves are in total: when an oil company has diminishing access to state-controlled fossil fuels it may be experiencing its own peak - as a corporation. What evidence do we have that 'oil majors' could be experiencing political peak oil? Anecdotes only: as in a recent quote from a French oil executive.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photo Safaris Potentially More Environmentally Damaging Than Hunting

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:11:43 GMT

Image credit:Oasis Africa, Kruger Park 2010 World Cup African Safari An expert on this subject recently addressed the Kalahari Conservation Society (KCS), saying, as reported in All Africa, "Properly administered hunting is not detrimental to wildlife populations. This is absolutely certain. Evidence is widespread and well-documented," ... Conversely, the speaker presented professionally gathered evidence that concentrated photo-safari activities - regardless of 'greenness' of individual operations - can have adverse, collective impacts on wildlife. Here's an example:... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Go-It-Alone Climate Action: Drive-Distance Tax To Replace Registration Fees, Sales Tax In Netherlands

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 13:12:18 GMT

Excerpt of Netherlands map. Image credit:Adam Stein, at TerraPass WIth binding emissions targets now off the bargaining table in Copenhagen ("Depressenhagen"), it is time to set aside "process" - the catch-all term for international treaties and target setting mechanisms - and focus on "outcomes" - the policy choices and technologies that national and state governments can experiment with. The Netherlands has a fairly straightforward idea they are moving forward on. AFP reports, via Google, that "Ownership and sales taxes, about a quarter of the cost of a new car, will be scrapped and replaced by the "price per kilometre" system aimed at cutting the Netherlands' carbon dioxide emissions by 10 percent." The enabler is GPS, of course. What I find particularly fascinating is that the US government and US corporations created and maintain the geostationary satellites that will make this work.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Nightlife Made Sustainable: Street Lights That Match Evening Sensitivities Save Considerable Energy

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 19:02:02 GMT

Before - Typical HPS street lighting, not optimized for ocular sensitivity and energy savings. Image credit: Mesopic Street Lighting Demonstration and Evaluation Final Report, for Groton Utilities, Groton, Connecticut. (pdf) I'm not really sure this is going to work out. Aesthetic sensibilities of the suburban class you know. Regardless it's a very clever and praiseworthy effort to make the city nightlife more sustainable. Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), realizing that the human eye is most sensitive at night to the right end of the ROYGBIV spectral band, have figured out that street light bulbs, redesigned to match that highest of nighttime sensitivities, will save considerable energy: enough to prevent the emission equivalent of over a half-million tons of C02 per year in the USA. If implemented, it will make greener the Goth subculture... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Grain Trader Calls Food Self Sufficiency Efforts "Nonsense"

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:25:45 GMT

The Wheeler-Evans Grain Elevator in Groom, Texas. Image credit:TexasScapes., Noel Kerns No way a transnational company like Cargill feels its markets are threatened by the US locavore movement. How, though, do we explain a top executive at the Maryland-based grain trader stating that the notion that countries "can be self-sufficient in every single food is a nonsense". (so quoted in Financial Times) That's more of a food hyperbole than a logical argument against self sufficiency efforts. Self sufficiency politics represent a push-back against government incentives for bio-fuel production, which trade fuel-insecurity for food-insecurity. Efforts by Asian business and government to buy and control overseas farm land and water resources are different: it is the end game choice after overpopulation, water pollution, and soil erosion from poor land management have taken their toll.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Five Greatest US Green Scams Of All Time

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 07:27:07 GMT

Abandoned,open drums. Image credit:State of Massachusetts The original green scam, prominent in the US during the late 1970's and early 80's, was called 'short hauling.' Being a simple scam, mafia involvement was optional (though that changed once the potential for serious profits became clear). Basic mode of operation is to charge for hauling garbage or hazardous waste to a licensed management site, but stop short, dumping it along side the road, in a park, or in someone's front yard, saving on both fuel and disposal cost. Ending the short haul problem was one of the reasons Congress passed the Resource Conservation & Recovery Act (RCRA). ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Bisphenol A Law Suit Puts Science & Good Government On Trial

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:46:46 GMT

Paracelsus, "father of toxicology," by Quentin Massys. Image credit:Wikipedia Business Insurance has published an article explaining the consolidation, under jurisdiction of a single US court, of 25 lawsuits alleging 'consumer fraud' on the part of companies selling products made of Bisphenol A-based plastics (polycarbonate) and/or incorporating BPA-based coatings. By the look of the Business Insurance story, should the defendants lose, their costs may be excluded from coverage by insurance. So, losses would go right to the corporate bottom line. Note: the law suits are not about personal injury; they are about alleged 'consumer fraud'. My first reaction on reading the story was to want to "un-publish" everything I've ever posted about BPA, so it won't make the suing lawyers job easier. I didn't; and decided, instead, to look at the issue from a very different perspective. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Pesticide-Soaked 'Wallpaper' Cuts Malaria Exposure, Safer Than Spraying

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 13:43:43 GMT

Mosquito on the wall. Image credit:DesertUSA. To lower mosquito exposure in malaria-prone places there are two basic pesticide use strategies. The half-century old approach - a remnant of 1950's era thinking - is to spray entire towns, as well as the surrounding countryside, with a pesticide such as DDT or pyrethrin. Washingon DC-area Think tanks seem enamored of those spray-glory days, in spite of the fact that it would be a logistical impossibility and far too costly to repeat the Bald Eagle extirpating performance for the many thousands of poor communities in developing nations where malaria is a serious threat. Targeted application The contemporary strategy is targeted pesticide application, interrupting the exposure where it counts most - at home - and leaving the wildlife and farm animals alone. Pyrethrin-soaked bed nets have long been used to protect sleeping children; but, not everyone has a "bed" and the nets are too expensive for people on a subsistence income. Plus, just as happened with DDT, widespread spraying with pyrethrin has selected for resistant mosquitos. Now, via SciDev.net comes news of promising results from field trials of carbamate-impregnated polypropylene, non-woven fabric or "sheeting" as it is being called.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

From The "Who Knew?" File: Cattle Commonly Fed Chicken Poop

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:35:05 GMT

Old Lace & Arsenic. The Movie. Image credit:Amazon,dvd. If you eat "burger," there is more to be concerned with than just fat intake, e-Coli, and carbon footprint. In a new addition to the "Who Knew" file at TreeHugger, we just learned that the cows which contributed to your pattie may have been fed chicken poop. Add to that, the fact that chicken poop may be "laced" with arsenic. (Hence the illustration.) You wonder if I'm a crazed liberal environmentalist wacko for writing this, correct? The better question is What Evil Genius Fed Arsenic To The Chickens?. Although it is true that McDonalds and several major chicken brands have recently required their suppliers to drop the arsenic supplements from chicken feed, arsenic is still purposefully fed to chickens in the USA. LA Times reports on the practice of feeding cows chicken poop: but from the angle of added Mad Cow Disease risk. That particular risk would be pretty low on my Chicken Little, Sky-Is-Falling list. (You see, I'm not as crazed as you think.)... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Philadelphia Vanquishes New York With Highest Bicycle-Commute Rate

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 07:10:20 GMT

Phillies fan bicycle helmet. Image credit:MLB Phillies Shop The Philadelphia Bicycle Coalition reports, based on a US Census survey, that Philadelphia is ranked number one among the ten largest US cities for bicycle commuters per-capita. Per the Census data, 1.6% of Philly commutes are estimated to be by bicycle. Poor New York City came in at 6'th place (0.6%). "Philadelphia also tied for 10th among the country's 60 largest cities and the second highest percentage among east coast cities (only Washington DC has a higher percentage). Philadelphia's percentage of commuters who bike is nearly three times the national average of 0.55%." Look below for the rankings for all ten of the largest US cities.q... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Exxon-Mobil, Shell, Southern Company, AEP, & Duke Power Take Biggest Hits From Cap & Trade

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:43:41 GMT

Carbon allowances and cash flows in the oil sector Image credit:Point Carbon Research The above diagram is reproduced directly from Monday's report from Point Carbon. They're estimating a rough average of a 5% increase in gasoline price at the pump (around 15 cents per gallon at today's prices) from Cap & Trade. Read on for news about who will be the corporate revenue winners and which facilities will be the operating-cost losers, when and if a Cap & Trade bill, as in it's present configuration, would be enacted. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Walmart As Government: Screening Chemical Product Formulations To Protect Public Health

Sun, 01 Nov 2009 11:58:50 GMT

Delinquent dioxane isomers seen lurking in darkened store aisles: Walmart to the rescue! Or not. Image credit:Wikipedia GreenBiz has an update on the significant progress Walmart has made with managing hazardous product ingredients in the interest of public health. Back in May of 2009, we are told, Walmart introduced its suppliers to a chemical ingredient screening software package called GreenWERCS. The plan, as Walmart sees it. Product formulators, personal and home care brands mainly, are told by the big boxer to feed chemical data to the software beast. (Presumably, those which refuse risk losing market share.) Algorithms in the GreenWERCS software rake over all entered data to analyze composition and report hazards of retailed 'chemical' product formulations. Walmart buyers flag products with ingredients that are legally codified, in Europe or America, as:

Persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic substances (PBTs);
Carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxicants (CMRs); and
Potential hazardous waste.
Probable endocrine disruptors.

So far so good. Here's the money quote from GreenBiz: ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

US Plastic More Expensive To Make, Will Have Higher Carbon Footprint Under Cap & Trade

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:32:36 GMT

Cleaning up waste plastic before it goes into the ocean. Image credits::Algalita Marine Research Foundation In Europe they commonly make commodity plastics from oil-based feedstock: petroleum naptha from the refinery. In the USA, however, plastic is mostly is made from natural gas as raw material. The chemical industry is not pleased with the current cap and trade provision being voted on in Congress. They anticipate C&T will drive utilities to burn more natural gas and less coal to generate power (a good thing by most people's reasoning), which means (per the chemical industry argument) higher operating costs, and ultimately customers getting plastic from European instead of US factories. They also seem to be arguing that European plastic makers have a higher carbon footprint per Kg of plastic made (because of the oil feedstock and trans-atlantic shipping). Utilities could also switch to renewable energy instead of all gas. And, Americans could recycle more plastic, thus avoiding all the waste plastic that ends up in the ocean (as pictured). That would lower prices. Bet these two sentences are not in their 'talking points.'... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The Climate Battle Is Ours To Lose, As Corporate Execs Fragment Over Cap & Trade Legislation

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:19:37 GMT

Contribution of technology segments to reduce CO2 emissions by 50 percent by 2050. Image credit:Strategic Analysis of the Global Status of Carbon Capture and Storage.Synthesis Report Coal industry figure head, and Massey Energy CEO, Don Blankenship recently published an opinion piece in The Hill, in which he criticizes corporate supporters of Cap &Trade. In it, he analogizes with the "You Lie" outburst from Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC), inferring it may be pertinent to to those execs who support Cap & Trade legislation before Congress. He further notes that "corporate proponents of cap-and-trade are often motivated by personal gain or a desire to appear sophisticated." ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

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

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 07:16:58 GMT

"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. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Good Way To End Paper Recycling Completely: Make Ethanol Motor Fuel From Waste Paper

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 07:31:40 GMT

Hardwood pulp futures market price trend. Image credit:INO.com Today's printing and writing papers commonly have 20-30% recycled content. For fiber packaging materials, 60 to 100% recycle content is typical. It took decades for industry to reach those levels. Can you imagine what would happen if the paper industry had to price-compete against oil companies for waste paper feedstock? Recycled content of all manner of papers would surely decrease. More virgin forests would have be cut to make up the difference, whenever ethanol demand spiked. Singled-minded researchers from the National University of Singapore seem to have conveniently overlooked that predetermined outcome.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Trend Watch: Pot Growing In Abandoned McMansions

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 20:12:19 GMT

The lastest in American architectural innovation. Image credit, Photobucket, darkrose05rx8 The bad guys bought abandoned or repossessed homes, ripped out interior walls, illegally tapped into power and water, and grew pot commercially. What starts in California goes viral a couple years later. So, don't be surprised if DEA operatives begin cruising upscale developments in Florida or Connecticut. Possible counter-intel tactics by the bad guys: hire broke soccer moms to stop by and smile at the neighbors; keep up the landscaping services; and, install solar panels - paid for with government incentives. Boston.com has the full story.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Rest In Peace: Voluntary Food Packaging Label "Mark"

Sat, 24 Oct 2009 13:18:37 GMT

Image credit:original from Smart Choices website. Cross added to indicate change of status. The US packaged food industry Smart Choices labeling program, which went from front-of-package to front page "FAIL" in the space of just two months, began, as our earlier post described, as a label, "...whereby consumers can see if their food purchases meet the criteria set forth by the program for healthy eating. ...Kellogg's Froot Loops meets those criteria. Other smart choices include Fudgsicles, Lunchables and Mayonnaise." The just-suspended label was an industry designed and managed, voluntary effort which seemed designed to fend off a prospective government (FDA) standard for food labeling. New York Times explains that they are suspending operations, which, assuming FDA moves ahead, means "RIP," just in time for Halloween.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

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

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:16:20 GMT

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.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Conserving Water Lowers Greenhouse Gas Footprint - Significantly

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 07:38:22 GMT

Lawn irrigation spray head. Image credit:Louss Sprinklers This headline seems confusing but is easily explained. Water did not magically show up at your shower on the 31'st floor. It was pushed up to your bareness by a series of massive electric pumps. Water your lawn in the suburbs: same thing. Water distribution is the most energy-intensive in the high-and-dry. Nevada and California, for example, have especially 'energy intensive' water due to the extensive labyrinth of supply canals and pipes relied upon. Astoundingly, an estimated one quarter (25%) of America's electricity consumption is associated with moving and treating water. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Political Myth: Trappers, Hunters, & Fishers Are Against Strong Climate Legislation

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:20:11 GMT

Theodore Roosevelt on visit to Quebec Canada, September 1915 - guide seated. Image credit:Harvard College Library, via TheodoreRoosevelt.org, picture biography. Note: PETA members may wish to scroll to the next post. Hunting, fishing, and trapping organizations are asking their Senators to support strong climate legislation in the US Congress. Looking at the wide sweep of US fish and wildlife management history, the fact that 'hook and bullet' groups have expressed support for climate action should be viewed as a return to the historical norm. And no wonder. As a Reuters article points out, it's hard to live in denial if you "spend a lot of time outdoors and notice changes like shifting bird migrations or earlier spring run-offs in rivers from melting snow." The mythical view of all political conservatives as 'anti-conservation' arose from political campaign consultants stoking fear over the prospect of of over-reaching gun and ammunition controls, for example. Political conservatives may favor fewer regulations, but that does not mean they categorically oppose all endangered species protections, open lands conservation, public parks, or the need for climate action. In other words, city-dwelling "tree huggers" have more in common with the rural 'hook and bullet crowd' than they might care to admit. And vice versa.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

USEPA Yanks Existing Fill Permit For Spruce Mine #1: Largest Mountain Top Removal Project Ever Proposed

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 07:29:56 GMT

Stream fill permit revoked by USEPA under never-before used statutory authority. Image credits:WV Gazette, pdf file excerpts, letter of October 16, 2009, from USEPA Region III, Acting Regional Administrator, to USAE West Virginia District Engineer. The biggest Rocky Top execution ever scheduled by an Appalachian coal company has been called off by the Obama Administration. Seven miles of stream bed will not be buried as a result. EPA yanked a final permit for the Spruce #1 mine: one approved earlier by the US Army Corps of Engineers. This is a real precedent setter, administratively speaking. As the circled sentence indicates, it's the first time that EPA has invoked a regulatory power established 35 years ago Congress. The revocation ought to be a 'what were we thinking' moment for the US Army Corps of Engineers. Will the mining company write the project off; or will it fight for the permit it at the public hearing, or, later, in the courts?... Read the full story on TreeHugger

USEPA & NHTSA To Propose New Efficiency Metrics For Electric & Hybrid Vehicles

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:27:10 GMT

Image credit:ETV Motors animation video excerpt. Mpg and Kilometers per liter are so 'Model-A .' The world needs efficiency metrics that make sense for all EV types, in all nations. At this moment in the history of surface transportation, a unilateralist metric is called for. Coincidentally, a widely applicable standard could be proposed in about a year, as the US Environmental Protection Agency and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a DOT subsidiary, have jointly announced a proposed rule-making for revised methods of measuring and reporting greenhouse gas and corporate average fuel economy standards (CAFE). NHTSA's statutory role is explained here. They are tackling the electric and PHEV vehicle efficiency conundrum together.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Where's The Political Engagement With Climate Change-Caused Reductions In Crop Yields?

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 12:34:33 GMT

"Changes in log yield if crop is exposed for one day to a particular 1C temperature interval..." Excerpted partial image and partial caption credit: PNAS, publication of Wolfram Schlenker and Michael J. Roberts, Supporting Information Appendix (pdf) Most people realize that grain yields can fall when croplands are either continuously very wet or extremely dry, for extended periods. Futures market traders closely track weather reports and soil moisture at critical times of the year, knowing that changes in these can affect yield and, hence, prices on relatively short notice. Extreme US examples include: Upper Mississippi River floods eliminating yields over vast acreages; and, South Texas farmers losing hope of producing crops of any sort. What happens, though, when soil moisture is acceptable, but it's extraordinarily warm at critical times in the food crop's life cycle? ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Fecal Flags: A Global Standard For Combating Doggie Doo Pollution

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 07:30:20 GMT

"Pile looking for its owner" Image credit:The Local, Germany's News In English In Germany private citizens have been flagging dog droppings as a prank to embarrass dog owners into cleaning up their mess. Across the Atlantic, city workers officially mark the doo doo with fecal banners in Wilmington North Carolina's Halyburton Park, where the effort is designed to reduce the pollution impacts of the large volumes of dog waste which tends to accumulate in city parks. Diverting dog waste to the landfill is important because, left on the land, it gets carried into streams, ponds, and lakes by stormwater runoff, contaminating beaches with fecal coliform and stimulating algae growth.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

US Wind Industry Follows "Starbucks Rule" For Turbine Siting

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:00:09 GMT

World's largest, 781.5 megawatt wind farm, located in West Texas USA. Video credit:Sunday Morning Show Business Week reports that the best way to expedite wind farm construction in the USA is to bypass the gale forces of "not in my back yard" local opposition. The industry's rule-of-thumb for averting NIMBY totally is to propose no project locations closer than 30 miles to the nearest Starbucks.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Recent Posts by TreeHugger's John Laumer, Philadelphia