Is there a Hotel Greenwashing Police?

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 05:00:47 GMT

Photo by Alamy via the Guardian To psychologically prepare for cold weather, I've been planning a trip to somewhere warm this winter. Like me, more and more people who love to travel are also concerned about the eco-friendliness of the hotels they're choosing. According to the annual North America Hotel Guest Satisfaction Index Study, hotel guests' awareness of "property-initiated 'green' programs" shot up in 2009: 66% of hotel guests state that they are aware of their hotels' conservation efforts (up from 57% in 2008). More and more hotels are playing into it, ramping up their marketing efforts to ensure their environmentally-conscious practices are recognized. Unfortunately, the "green" efforts that hotels have been marketing aren't always actually so green. The practice of "greenwashing" -is used by hoteliers to draw the heads of eco-tourists into their hotel beds- and it is on the rise. So how can we separate the green hotels from the greenwashed? ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Bioneers 2009: Brock Dolman's Watershed Approach

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 06:00:58 GMT

photo by Jason Elon Goodman Bioneers 2009 wasn't your typical conference, and especially not a typical conference on climate change, which can give off an underlying feeling of doom and gloom. Bioneers represents a welcome change, as, even when dealing with the sensitive critical environmental issues of our time (sea level rise, tropical diseases, megadroughts, hypercanes, failed states) the annual conference still always somehow manages to seem upbeat. Every year the conference highlights environmental luminaries (including TH's own Ken Rother!) and this year was no different. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Fred Krupp at the World Innovation Forum: Cap and Trade will Drive Eco-innovation

Mon, 11 May 2009 01:59:55 GMT

Fred Krupp being interviewed at the World Innovation Forum. Photo courtesy of Dov Friedmann - PhotographybyDov.com Attendees from over twenty countries filled the Nokia Theater in NYC this past week to hear speakers on a range of topics, including disruptive innovation, global innovation, and the behavioral economy. As it was the World Innovation Forum, innovation was naturally on everyone's mind. Fred Krupp spoke about Eco-Innovation. Krupp, the President of Environmental Defense Fund and author of Earth: The Sequel, held an apropos talk given the simultaneous discussions by the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the draft Waxman-Markey bill. The bill, if passed, will be the most significant action the U.S. taken to date in addressing climate change. Krupp lured attendees by pronouncing that the climate change bill would lead to a "gold rush" for innovators with "new fortunes to be made." ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

5 Great Rain Barrel Designs, Plus Top Tips for Using Them

Wed, 15 Apr 2009 08:00:21 GMT

Photo from tampa bay aquarium rain barrel painting contest Droughts and possible water rationing have been in the news recently in California, Israel, Mexico, and Australia. As much of the water used is these regions is for watering gardens and lawns (residential irrigation can account for up to 40% of consumption) an efficient way to help alleviate the burden of water shortages is to use good old-fashioned rain barrels. With spring hitting its stride and people looking to get back in their gardens and cut back on spending, it is the perfect time to explore rain barrels and other tools for capturing water. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Powershift09 Conference Brings Thousands of Activists to DC Demanding Clean Energy

Wed, 04 Mar 2009 23:30:37 GMT

Powershift 09 Rally on Lawn of the Capitol photo from Fritz Meyr's flickr page Powershift 2009 was an energetic and informative conference that culminated with a march of 3,000 plus young (and young at heart) people demanding clean energy and green jobs. The inclement weather only made the march more inspiring. Other Powershift 2009 highlights included: Protestors visiting their representatives in Congress and the Senate; Four young leaders giving testimony to the House Select Committee for Energy Independence and Global Warming; and an anti-coal protest at the Capitol Power Plant. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Companies Should Conserve Water and Disclose Water Use Says New Report by Pacific Institute

Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:19:50 GMT

image from gardenmandy.com What do tourism, agriculture, forestry, electric power and silicon chip makers all have in common? All are industries heavily dependent on water. According to a report released February 26 by the Pacific Institute and Ceres, industries and investors are not paying sufficient attention to their water uses and needs. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Fruit for Thought? Tu B'Shevat with TreeHugger and 92YTribeca

Sat, 14 Feb 2009 23:37:23 GMT

TreeHugger's own Matt Mcdermott teaching the green gospel of carbon footprint calculation Photo by Bonnie H. I've always been a big fan of holidays that celebrate food and of meeting up with my TreeHugger colleagues in person. So when the invitation came to attend a 92YTribeca- hosted Tu B'Shevat Shabbat with TreeHugger's Ken Rother and Matt McDermott as guest speakers, I couldn't resist attending. Tu B'Shevat is a lesser well known Jewish holiday. It is usually celebrated at the end of January/early February. This year, Tu B'Shevat, the 15th day of the Jewish month of Shevat, coincided with the solar calendar date of February 9 and began at sundown on February 8. The holiday is also known as the New Year for Trees. Today it is essentially the Jewish Arbor Day and many Jewish environmental organizations have adopted it as an environmental awareness and tree planting day. So it is a good time even in the middle of winter in the Northeast U.S. to celebrate the birthday of the tree and the fruits that it provides. It is a great reminder of what spring will bring. It is also a great reminder that nature exists beyond New York City, the concrete jungle that I call home. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

5 Great Green Ways US Cities Are Leading by Example

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 13:45:00 GMT

Portland, Oregon streetcar photo: Russell Bernice At TreeHugger we are always big fans of individual actions and DIYers, but sometimes if you do things on a bigger scale you just get so much more bang for your buck. The last couple of years, community groups, companies, and government agencies have all been putting forward initiatives to "go green". Some of these initiatives go back almost 30 years, proving you don't need to reinvent the wheel. Some use carrots and incent residents to go green by giving some green incentives. Other measures might seem more restrictive, banning guilty pleasures, but hey, they do it for our collective good:... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Student Monkey-Wrencher Raises Bids, Then Funds, for Utah Land Leases

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:00:47 GMT

Tim DeChristopher after his now-famous auction bidding. Photo via the Salt Lake Tribune. Is protesting via an auction paddle the new style of eco-civil disobedience? As we previously noted , the Bush Administration's sale of leases on Utah's wild lands drew complaints from many environmental groups. "This is the fire sale," said Stephen Bloch of the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance. "This is the Bush administration's last great gift to the oil and gas industry." ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Seven of the Darn Cutest Baby Animal Photos on the Web

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:00:44 GMT

photo via The Daily Mail

If cuteness stirs up the crowds enough to preserve endangered species or protect rapidly disappearing habitats, so be it. We scoured the Web for the cutest baby animal photos out there: And these seven are guaranteed to make your heart melt into a sticky mess. Speaking of melting--since global warming and melting glaciers have been the topic of many a TreeHugger post--let's start with some arctic cuteness.

1. Everyone's Favorite Baby Polar Bear: Knut

Yes, Knut is very cute. He captured the interest not only of Germany, but of polar bear lovers the world over when he made his adorable debut at the Zoo Berlin. Knut is all grown up now, but he is still a powerful reminder of the plight of the polar bears and the dangers of global warming.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

5 Green Government Leaders Who Don't Get the Attention They Deserve

Tue, 16 Dec 2008 11:00:00 GMT

Just because you're doing good work doesn't mean you always receive the attention you deserve. To rectify that here are some green government leaders who haven't had the spotlight placed upon them as often as some of their more prominent colleagues.They may take on issues that aren't always as sexy as some others--water infrastructure, sewers, nuclear waste dumps, opposing offshore drilling, controlling refinery emissions and invasive species--but each one of these leader's earns TH's vote:... Read the full story on TreeHugger

New Yorkers and Food Politics

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 20:45:12 GMT

Manhattan Borough President Stringer telling it like it is photo via the Observer I was surprised the other morning when Brian Lehrer, on his eponymous WNYC radio show, stated that he had received 600 comments suggesting Michael Pollan as President-elect Obama's Secretary of Agriculture. Who knew New Yorkers cared so much about agriculture and food? But the interest was evident yesterday, as five hundred food and community activists, students and researchers, gathered in Columbia University's Lerner Hall to share ideas and to listen to government officials speak about the "Politics of Food."... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Never Feed Them After Midnight! Gremlins look-alikes Pygmy Tarsiers Found after Being Hidden from View for 80 Years!

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:40:24 GMT

photo via Texas A&M In our own species, trends from the 1980's have come back into fashion recently-witness the reemergence of leg warmers-and now the animal kingdom is getting in on the '80's thing too, as Pygmy Tarsiers, animals closely resembling creatures from the 1984 movie Gremlins, and thought to be extinct, have been found in the mountaintop forests of Indonesia. The carnivorous primate had not been witnessed alive since 1921, but three live specimens were found and tagged this summer. (In 2000, Indonesian scientists accidentally trapped and killed a pygmy tarsier mistaking it for a rat). ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

5 U.S. Local & State Government Officials Putting the Environment First

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:00:00 GMT

While the federal government has been asleep at the wheel for most of the last decade, local and state government officials have been a driving force in many green initiatives. Through the U.S. Conference of Mayors and regional alliances such as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initative (RGGI), environmental action has been taken which hopefully will spread to other cities and states, and lead to more stringent federal environmental regulations. Here is what five of the top US state and local government leaders have been doing for their cities and states. First up, New York City's Subway Mayor:... Read the full story on TreeHugger

12 Warriors, Adventurers With Really Loud Green Messages

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:00:04 GMT

Photo: David de Rothschild via Men's Vogue There are some powerful voices that have paved the way for us here at TreeHugger. Voices that rose above the chatter and made huge waves, felt around the world. Many of these voices come from people are close to nature, the outdoors; people who are risk-takers and thrill-seekers and wow us with their fearlessness, their ability to pioneer the way. These are the eco-warriors, the environmental activists and adventurers who fight for causes and demand change, heedless of costs to themselves. Here are 12 that we really admire.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Highlights from the 1st day of the Clinton Global Initiative

Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:40:52 GMT

Former President Bill Clinton seemed happy to be in his role of statesman again on the first day of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) - an event which gathers government leaders, business leaders, rock stars, and sports heroes who work together to implement solutions to world problems. The attendees have demonstrated leadership in one of the 4 CGI target areas: global health, education, energy & climate, and poverty alleviation. Clinton jovially warmed up the crowd by thanking them for braving busy, mid-day New York City traffic, but then quickly grew more somber as he stressed that we are facing disasters of all kinds: hurricanes, earthquakes, financial quakes, energy and food price hikes, and climate change. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Bill Clinton Chats With Bloggers About Pickens Plan, Offshore Drilling, Clean Energy--and Gives "TreeHugger" a Thumbs Up

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 17:20:54 GMT

Bill Clinton and TH's Bonnie H. (who didn't take this low quality photo) Former President Bill Clinton sat down last night and chatted with a select group of excited bloggers about current affairs, the economy, and last but not least, the Clinton Global Initiative. After some initial minutes of giddy shoe-gazing in a waiting room while Clinton finished up a conversation with the President of Paraguay, the former Prez spent over an hour with TreeHugger, Mydd.com, American Prospect, and writers from a few other political, technological, and philanthropic blogs. The bloggers launched into questions almost immediately which Bill answered candidly and confidently. The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) brings together global leaders from business, government, academia, and NGO's who work together to implement solutions to world problems. CGI attendees are a mostly self-selecting group. The companies included have demonstrated leadership in one of the 4 CGI target areas: global health, education, energy & climate, and poverty alleviation. Being in New York City and with the madness on Wall Street, it didn't take long before the topic of the economy came up. First the questions focused on how the downturn would impact philanthropy, but quickly ensued and expanded to how the whole mess occurred and WJC's thoughts on the bailout. WJC's take on it all- the economy was too focused on housing/real estate as people's only decent option to create wealth.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The Solar Taxi's Speedy Trip Through New York City

Sun, 21 Sep 2008 12:07:01 GMT

Louis Palmer, Jeremy Friedman, the solar taxi and fans at NYU Louis Palmer took his solar taxi on a quick tour through New York City the other week, making pit stops at Green Drinks, NYU, and Wall Street. Although it was a quick trip-Louis spent only eight days total in New York-it was the longest time Palmer has spent in any one location in the past year. Cruising around in the taxi at speeds of up to 55 mph, Louis has traveled 57,000 kilometers in one year.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

It is September 19th- Happy PARK-ing Day!

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 18:30:16 GMT

Times Up! ladies sporting their summer attire and hanging in their park on 7th Avenue As the website states, "get out your benches, roll out your sod" Today is the third annual PARK(ing) Day. PARK(ing) Day is an international event that reclaims at least 200 PARKing spots in 50 cities across the world. Park(ing) Day NYC is organized by the New York City Streets Renaissance, a city-wide campaign for livable, people-friendly streets. NYC Streets Renaissance offered grants to people turning spaces into human hangout places for the day. The goal is to give residents a spot of green relief from all the asphalt and also to start a conversation about what public space is and how it should be used. You can cozy up to a park for a few moments or a few hours. Gather your coworkers, neighbors, and friends, your park is a place to relax with friends and strangers, and to chat about a multitude of urban planning topics: urban foraging, water issues, the importance of open/green space for city dwellers, etc.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

How Green was the 2008 US Open? Were there net-ecobenefits?

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:00:28 GMT

Roger Federer clamoring for more 7 express trains This year, with much fanfare, the U.S. Open went "green." Greening meaning the United States Tennis Association (U.S.T.A) reviewed its operations and supply chain and strove to reduce environmental impacts. Well, the balls were green and the court was green. And, not having been at the tournament in previous years, it is possible I did not have enough perspective on how much greener it may have become. But, while I applaud all greening, and especially the greening of sports events, since they often do have enormous outreach potential to their millions of television viewers, in the view of this casual observer/attendee, the Open could have been plenty greener. USTA green initiatives The goal of the U.S.T.A was to make the 2008 tournament one of the first green sporting events in the world. Partnering with the NRDC, Evian, Lexus, IBM, and Constellation Energy, the USTA incorporated green initiatives such as: passing out 100,000 wallet cards with eco-friendly tips; a plastic bottle and aluminum can recycling program; and over 80 Evian recycling receptacles spread around to make recycling easy. And now that the Open is over, approximately 20,000 Wilson tennis ball cans will be recycled, and the 60,000 balls that were used will be reused for the National Tennis Center, and then donated to community/youth programs. The 2.4 million napkins used in the concessions were made from 90% post-consumer waste. Lexus, the "official vehicle of the U.S. Open," which provided transportation for the tennis players, used hybrid vehicles to "comprise 20% of the overall fleet." And the Open attempted to promote mass transit by giving away $4 MetroCards, in partnership with NRDC to 100 fans on each day of the two-week event. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Conflux Festival Hits NYC Streets this Weekend

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:18:32 GMT

Helmet Piece in front of Center for Architecture Conflux New York kicked off to an interesting start with a panel on Thursday that focused on the psychogeography of rivers. Conflux is a five year-old festival of panels and outdoor performance art, in which hundreds of artists turn New York City into an urban art laboratory, will run for the rest of the weekend. The Center for Architecture is hosting the event's indoor activities. The outdoor activities include art installations, street art performances, botanical walking tours, scavenger hunts, public-transit expeditions, and solar powered Morse code workshops. Thursday afternoon's panel, "Persuasive Ecologies", was moderated by Mark Sheppard and hosted the architects David Benjamin and Soo-in Yang (The Living) and Professor Natalie Jeremijenko (xClinic) as panelists. I knew it would be interesting, as Benjamin, Yang, and Jeremijenko all had fascinating installations up at Eyebeam's exhibit in the Spring. One of the areas they are all focusing on now is river ecology and water quality, subjects that are especially dear to my treehugging heart. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

A Flotilla of Artists Sail down the Hudson River-Swoon and her Switchback Seas

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 23:55:02 GMT

photo by Angela Coppola You know that summer is over in New York City when the gallery openings kick up speed. Thursday evenings, Chelsea streets become cluttered again with wine sipping gallery hopping enthusiasts. One of these art openings in particular caught my eye. "Swoon and Swimming Cities of Switchback Sea" will open this Sunday, September 7th, at Deitch's Studio in Long Island City, Queens. I've always been a fan of Swoon's street art. What is striking about the Swimming Cities exhibit is that the artwork in question is actually a fleet of seven performance art rafts decorated and bound together with found urban decayed materials collected by Swoon and her crew. The boats have been making a three week journey down the Hudson River from Troy to Manhattan, sailing around the tip of New York City to finally dock in Long Island City this weekend. On Tuesday, I noticed on the website that the fleet was temporarily docked and performing at 70th Street and the East River, so I went to check them out.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Summer's Soiree- Celia Chen shows how to throw an eco-chic party

Sun, 24 Aug 2008 23:35:28 GMT

August has been mild in New York City and a perfect time for another Night of Eco-Chic Entertaining, presented by Celia Chen and her online magazine Notesonaparty.com. As with the magazine's inaugural party in the spring, Celia used the opportunity of throwing a big bash to show how partying on a grand scale can be environmentally conscious. She partnered with the venue The Xchange to hostess a green roof-top party that was as delicious as it was glamorous. Party-goers were fed by Sage Events, a company which promises to provide clients with sustainable catering by seeking out small, local farms and offers hormone-free chicken, grass-fed beef, organic milk and eggs, and fair trade coffee and tea. Guests crowded around the chefs preparing fresh, made-to-order Cioppina ("San Francisco" style paella), and waiters circulated with delicious, signature treats like the "Heirloom Tomato, Long Island Corn and Scallion on a Zuchinni Cake" and the "Grass Fed Beef Empanadas with Tomatillo Salsa." ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Green Buildings in New York not just for the hoity-toity anymore- says new study by McGraw Hill and USGBC

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 18:30:10 GMT

Bronx Borough President Carrion responding to audience member questions The idea of green building merging with affordable housing is not a new one. However, often when we hear about new LEED residential homes, it is the $2.5 million smacker Venice Beach variety we find out about. So it is reassuring to find that affordable green building is on the rise-and that green building is not just for the hoity-toity anymore.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Wanted: Green Electronics Blogger to Write for TreeHugger ($1000 Referral Reward!)

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:50:48 GMT

Image via Sparking Tech We're looking for a full-time blogger who can cover the latest, hippest, greenest gadgets and electronics. We are looking for someone who has in-depth knowledge and passion about this topic, can identify and explore current and emerging trends, understands how tech relates to the average consumer, their household and the economy, and can communicate it all clearly to our diverse audience. We're talking about someone who can reach deep into the corners of the Internet and return the with hip prototypes, low-energy computers, upgrading advice, manufacturer responsibility ideas, e-waste reduction concepts, thoughts on grid optimization, and useful websites and apps, etc. Does this like sound like you or someone you know? Then, keep reading, because we also offer a $1,000 referral reward if you connect us with a successful long-term hire. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The early bird gets the iPhone. And also gets media attention for an organic farm at the White House

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:35:49 GMT

Farmboys turned fanboys? You may have heard that the iPhone 3G went on sale this morning. I saw a line outside of the AT&T stores here in Manhattan, and I heard there was a line around the block this morning at the Union Street Apple store in San Francisco. But for the most part the lines this year paled in comparison to the initial launch. Yet my friend, Daniel Bowman Simon, takes the cake. Or, should I say, the Apple. Daniel and five other members of The WhoFarm environmental collective have just finished spending a week outside New York City's flagship Apple store waiting to buy the new iPhone 3G in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Record for "longest time waiting in line to buy something." ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

El Segundo's First Annual Environmental Expo

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 18:20:49 GMT

This past Thursday, before the madness of the 4th of July set in, the City of El Segundo, California held its first ever Environmental Expo. Summer was in full swing as people shopped for organic corn and grass fed beef to grill, and for green bikinis to wear, over the holiday (And you know you are in Southern California, when there is a booth at an environmental expo with green bikinis.) ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Not your Typical Grandma -- An Interview with Goldman Environmental Prize Winner Rosa Hilda Ramos

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 10:50:10 GMT

Rosa Hilda Ramos accepting Goldman Prize Rosa Hilda Ramos is a 63-year-old grandmother, environmental activist, and one of the recipients of the 2008 Goldman Prize, recognizing grassroots environmental heroes. Ramos mobilized her community to legally take on the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. Now she is using part of the $7 million she won in a judgment against the Power Authority to permanently protect Cucharillas Natural Reserve, one of the largest wetlands in her area. On Earth Day, she arrived in the Puerto Rican legislature with one hundred children dressed as butterflies. The kids came with songs, dances, and origami butterflies. Rosa's goal is cleaner air for her community and their children -- in other words more butterflies as neighbors, and fewer trucks! Treehugger (TH): What inspired you to start Communities United against Contamination (CUCCo)? Rosa Hilda Ramos (Ramos): My husband and I bought what we hoped was our dream home in Catano, across the bay from San Juan, Puerto Rico. We soon discovered we actually bought a nightmare, as the town had the most polluted air on the island. At night, the air became a toxic soup. Catano had the highest cancer incidence of type O cancer in young people, and also the highest morbidity rate in asthma patients. Catano was surrounded by polluting industry; none of the industries were in compliance with the Clean Air Act standards.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

P.S. Farm? PS1's Public Farm 1 is now open for picking

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:25:11 GMT

View of Public Farm 1 and Citi-Tower with water pool This summer, PS1's Saturday afternoon parties will have a working farm with tomatoes, lettuce, herbs, and, yes, egg laying chickens! Chickens courtesy of the Queens County Farm Museum's Michael Grady Robertson. Public Farm 1-or "PF 1"- was the Young Architect Program (PS 1's YAP) winning project this year, and last night, MOMA members and press were welcomed to the unveiling of PS1's summer 2008 courtyard installation, a vertical farm structure which is the design and creation of WORK Architecture. A Lower East Side firm run by the young and enthusiastic husband-and-wife team, Amale Andraos and Dan Wood, WORK beat out their competitors with the creativity and fun of their very green design. With perhaps a bit of exhaustion in their attractive faces, Andraos and Wood told us that a lot of the work came to fruition only in the last few days. The chicken coop, for example, was a well kept secret, kept even from PS1's Director Alanna Heiss. The idea in part, as in previous years, was to create an "urban beach." Winning designs in the past have done this with tents, canopies, and water. (Shade and water are especially important for dancing revelers on humid summer Saturdays.) But what is really unique about this installation is that WORK has truly created an urban vertical farm in Queens. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The French Rabbit Strike Again- TH Interviews Jean Charles Boisset about the wine industry

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 17:45:39 GMT

TH did a story about the French Rabbit a few years ago, and now Jean Charles is back preaching his innovative wine packaging to oenophiles and the masses. He is fully aware that some people in the wine industry may think he is an extraterrestrial. Even some previous TH readers said "I'll pass and stick with glass". But, certainly not Tom who is opening a wine bar in New York City.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Recent Posts by TreeHugger's Bonnie Hulkower, New York, New York