7 Popular Tourist Destinations to See Before it's Too Late

Wed, 22 Apr 2009 07:00:06 GMT

Photo credit: TravelBlog There's a new kind of eco-tourist on the prowl, one who seeks out the places and experiences threatened by global warming: the climate tourist. The following seven popular tourist destinations may not be the world's most endangered ecosystems, but they all have one thing in common: a particular attraction--be it reefs or snow or beaches--under assault. From the Great Barrier Reef to the Maldives, visit these 7 destinations that are rapidly becoming less alluring vacation spots before climate change takes its toll. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Mars Candy Commits to Sustainable Cocoa Sources

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 13:06:29 GMT

Photo credit: Rainforest Alliance The link between child slavery and cocoa production and chocolate has been well-documented, even here on TreeHugger, with our piece by guest contributor Tex Dworkin of the Global Exchange Fair Trade Online Store in 2007. Candy companies like Mars that buy the vast majority of the world's cocoa have also been hounded by environmentalists over the adverse environmental impact of cocoa production, namely deforestation and overuse of pesticides, and that pressure seems to have finally paid off, at least in the case of Mars. The candy giant Thursday announced each of its chocolate products will be made from sources that meet certain environmental, labor and production standards by 2020, according to the Washington Post. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Environmental Film Festival Underway in DC

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 11:51:23 GMT

Photo credit: Jonathan Bird Productions The 17th annual Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital kicked off yesterday and will continue through March 22 with 136 eco-themed documentary, feature, animated, archival, experimental and children's films. This year's festival has several films on oceans and sea life and a special Ocean Film Series, including the world premiere of The State of the Planet's Oceans, hosted and narrated by Matt Damon. Among other special guests, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Hedrick Smith will speak March 15 about water pollution and show clips from his upcoming film, Poisoned Waters, airing April on PBS Frontline, comparing the Chesapeake Bay to Puget Sound.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Mexico City to Require Students to Take School Bus To Reduce Traffic and Pollution

Fri, 27 Feb 2009 20:53:53 GMT

Photo credit: Vivir Mexico Mexico City's minister of the environment, Martha Delgado, announced Friday that in August a pilot project requiring students to take school buses instead of private vehicles to school at 10 private schools would commence. The initiative was spurred by the success of a study carried out at the Colegio Oxford private school, which managed to get many of its 751 students to ride the school bus beginning in August 2008, El Universal (Spanish link) reported. As we've noted in the past, car use has doubled in Mexico City in the last seven years, complicating other efforts to cut pollution, so any initiative getting more cars off the road is a welcome change. According to Victor Hugo Paramo, director of air quality management for the ministry, the average velocity of cars circulating in the school zone increased from 16.8 to 25.7 kilometers an hour after the program began. The study also revealed reductions of 13% in the concentration of carbon monoxide and 8% in nitrous oxides around Colegio Oxford. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Aquaculture Industry Looks to Sustainable Feeds

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:06:31 GMT

Photo credit: Hongking International Co. Ltd Experts agree that as wild fish stocks decline and the world's population grows we will increasingly rely on aquaculture to feed the hungry planet. But many conservationists are concerned about the sustainability of an aquaculture industry that uses 58% of the world's fishmeal supply for feed -- mostly from anchovy and sardine fisheries in South America. They are also concerned about the fish in to fish out ratio, which is alarming for species like farmed salmon that require three to four pounds of protein (typically from fishmeal) to produce one pound of flesh.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

McDonald's Nominated for Seafood Champion Award

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 13:57:37 GMT

Photo credit: Jon Yang It's easy to forget that McDonald's, famous for its Big Macs and french fries, is also in the fish business. But indeed, McDonald's purchases more than 18,000 metric tons, or 43.2 million pounds, of fish a year for its popular Filet-O-Fish sandwiches. Filet-O-Fish is made with pollock, a whitefish that lives in the cold waters off the coasts of Alaska and eastern Russia. The Marine Stewardship Council has certified U.S. Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands and the Gulf of Alaska pollock fisheries as models for sustainable fisheries management, but many retailers and foodservice operators still use whitefish from other fisheries that are less sustainable and traceable.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Comprehensive Sustainable Sushi Book Released

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 14:59:18 GMT

Photo credit: SustainableSushi.net This fall, we reported that the big trio of fish-hugging organizations -- Monterey Bay Aquarium, Blue Ocean Institute, and Environmental Defense Fund -- released a card to help consumers navigate their favorite neighborhood sushi restaurants. This month, there is yet another addition to the sustainable sushi literature, this time in the form of a book by writer and fisheries expert Casson Trenor. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Mexico Launches $550 Million Wind Farm in Oaxaca

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:57:48 GMT

It was a big week for renewable energy in Mexico. Yesterday we reported that Wal-Mart Mexico has just installed a 174 KW solar array on the roof of one of its stores in the northern city of Aguascalientes. Thursday also brought the launch of one of the world's biggest wind farms in the southern state of Oaxaca by the Mexican building materials multinational company CEMEX. The move is a step in the right direction by the global cement industry, which contributes about 5 percent of the planet's total CO2 emissions.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Wyclef Jean, TreeHugger's Graham Hill and Recycle Runway Rock the First Green Inaugural Ball

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 08:00:47 GMT

The nation's capital is the place to be this long weekend, as festivities for President-Elect Barack Obama's inauguration kicked off and hundreds of thousands of visitors swarm the city for the big event. Green is a prominent theme this year, as we reported last week in a post on Five Ways Obama's Inauguration Festivities Will Be Green. Balls have progressively grown more popular at each inauguration, and this year may take the cake as the most celebrated American inauguration in history, at least in terms of formal parties scheduled in the capital. Revelers who can afford tickets -- most are well over $150 -- or make the guest lists are scrambling to get into one of the dozens of balls held between Saturday and Tuesday. Environmentalists have their chance to celebrate the new president and his promise to address the "planet in peril" at two inaugural balls. The first of the two Green Balls, sponsored by Planet Green, concluded Saturday night around 1 am at the elegant Andrew Mellon Auditorium just two blocks from the National Mall. This Green Inaugural Ball, which charged guests $500 per ticket, is not to be confused with the 2009 Green Ball, with special guest Al Gore to be held Monday night. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Mexico's Driving Restriction Law Under Fire

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 18:50:52 GMT

Some time back, we reported that Mexico City Mayor Marcelo Ebrard had decided to extend the controversial "Hoy No Circula" (Today Don't Drive) plan, a program where drivers are prohibited from using their vehicles one weekday a week based on their license plate numbers, to Saturday. The plan's objective, since its launch in 1989, has been to force drivers off the road and ostensibly reduce pollution. But many question whether the policy actually works. Some studies have shown that wealthier drivers simply take another car to work on the days when their principal car is banned. This week an academic from the Mexican Academy of Sciences called Ebrard and other city politicians out on the failings of Hoy No Circula. "Simply put, the pollution in the city has not seen any effect correlated with the Hoy No Circula measure," said Hector Rivero Rotge, researcher at the Physics Institute at Mexico's National Autonomous Universtiy. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Mexico To Enforce Trash Separation

Fri, 09 Jan 2009 17:46:25 GMT

Since 2004, the Mexico City government has been trying to convince residents to separate their trash for recycling and composting purposes. An ambitious solid waste law requires residents and businesses to separate organic waste from inorganic trash. Unfortunately, a lot of plastic and other inorganic matter ends up in the organic receptacles, stymieing efforts to generate a clean channel of compostable garbage. As we reported last year, the city produces about 12,000 tons of waste a day. Some 5,100 tons are organic waste, a huge potential resource for local farmers if only it could be collected by the city's trash services. This week, the city's environment minister, Martha Delegado, announced that she has had enough of the tomfoolery in the trash division and would hereby try to enforce the solid waste law with a mano dura, or heavier hand. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

New Research Shows Cognitive Benefits of Natural Areas

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 11:07:36 GMT

Photo credit: Milan Italy Jonah Lehrer, author of the new book called "How We Decide," had an interesting piece in the Boston Globe describing how the city affects the brain. Unfortunately, Lehrer tells us, being in an urban environment damages our basic mental processes. A few minutes spent on a crowded city street apparently reduces the brain's ability to hold things in memory and as well as our self-control. Urbanization, the frenetic energy of dense environments, and the loss of natural areas in our cities all put a strain on the brain.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Hertz Rolls Out Car-Sharing Program to Compete with Zipcar

Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:00:06 GMT

Hertz, the world's largest car rental company, is entering the burgeoning car-sharing market with a new offering called Connect, as first reported in Budget Travel. Connect will first be available in New York City, London, and Paris, and will add 20 additional cities this year, challenging Zipcar's dominance in the market. Hertz is hoping the car-sharing initiative will boost its eco cred, evident in the heavily green-toned web site. As a more concrete endeavor, this year, Hertz added 3,400 Toyota Prius hybrid cars to its rental fleet. Connect will also offer hybrid and the BMW Mini Cooper. The company also says Connect helps the environment by reducing congestion, emissions, and energy use.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Mexican Volcanic Glaciers Disappearing Due to Climate Change

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 17:33:36 GMT

Photo credit: Peakware We already know that glaciers in South America, the Arctic, the Himalayas and East Africa are melting at a swift clip. Now we have some news from Mexico. At a recent meeting of Latin American climate scientists, geophysicist Hugo Delgado of Mexico's National Autonomous University presented data showing that the glaciers atop the Iztaccihuatl and Pico de Orizaba volcanoes in Central Mexico will disappear in the next 10 to 35 years due to global warming. Delgado predicts that Iztaccihuatl glacier will be gone in 15 to 20 years, while Pico de Orizaba (the highest peak in Mexico) may last for 35 years. In 1999, Delgado's study showed that the glacier at Iztaccihuatl had a depth of 70 meters. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Cuba Relies on Urban Gardens to Feed Hungry Populace

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 13:09:55 GMT

Planet Ark/Reuters has a nice piece out of Havana about how urban gardens are filling a key void in food production after three hurricanes wiped out 30 percent of the country's farm crops. In Cuba, urban gardens have proliferated in vacant lots, alongside parking lots, in the suburbs and on city rooftops, taking up some 35,000 hectares (86,000 acres). Most gardens sell their produce directly to the community and, because the economic embargo restricts agricultural input imports, grow their crops organically. "Urban agriculture is going to play a key role in guaranteeing the feeding of the people much more quickly than the traditional farms," Richard Haep, Cuba coordinator for German aid group Welthungerhilfe, which has supported urban garden projects since 1994, told Planet Ark.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Chef Survey: Locally-Grown Produce Will Be Hot in 2009

Thu, 11 Dec 2008 14:11:46 GMT

Photo credit: National Restaurant Association As further evidence that locally-grown food is going mainstream, a new survey of 1,609 chefs by the National Restaurant Association ranked locally-grown produce as the hottest trend for 2009. In October 2008, the association surveyed American Culinary Federation member chefs, asking them to rate 208 individual food/beverage items, preparation methods and culinary themes as a "hot trend," "yesterday's news," or "perennial favorite" on restaurant menus in 2009.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Hong Kong Chefs Join Sustainable Seafood Initiative

Fri, 05 Dec 2008 15:13:17 GMT

Photo credit: Foodhoe Three renowned Hong Kong chefs have been named WWF Ocean Friendly Chefs and will design menus featuring sustainable seafood species recommended by WWF's Seafood Guide. The chefs are Lau Chun from Yellow Door Kitchen, Margaret Xu from Yin Yang Fresh HK Cuisine and Jacky Yu from Xiyan. Hong Kong residents are some of the largest consumers of seafood per capita in the world. According to the Hong Kong Ecological Footprint Report 2008, the huge demand for seafood is contributing the depletion and overexploitation of fish stocks around the world. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Starwood to Build "Luxe-Eco" Hotel in Washington, DC

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:40:34 GMT

Washington, DC, which consistently scores high in sustainability rankings for its excellent public transportation, walkability, and green space, has few accolades in the area of green building. While the majority of the nation's biggest environmental organizations are headquartered here, some of them with LEED-certified buildings, the private sector has been slow to follow their lead. But Starwood, the hotel multinational, and its partner Perseus Realty, LLC, hope to change that with plans for the city's "first green hotel" called 1 Hotel and Residences, scheduled for completion in 2010.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Coal Pellet Stove Introduced in Uganda

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 10:29:09 GMT

We've written a lot about wood pellet stoves, and are intrigued -- and a bit wary -- with story out of Uganda about a new pellet stove that burns coal pellets. Enviro Fuels Manufacturing, a Florida-based company, recently launched its Enviro High Efficiency Stove in Uganda, where many rural communities rely on coal for small indoor stoves. The company says it hopes the stoves will reduce the need for fuel and cut home energy costs, remove the pollutants generated in the combustion of fuel in the home, improve indoor air quality, and lower carbon dioxide emissions. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The Living Walls on San Francisco's Embarcadero

Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:32:37 GMT

Credit: Pelli Clarke Pelli In a blog post on design applications of water resource management, New York Times design blogger Allison Arrieff included a photograph of a glass office building currently under construction in San Francisco with veritable living walls. Intrigued, we decided to research the project at 110 Embarcadero, and learned it belongs to the design firm Pelli Clarke Pelli.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Greenpeace Goes to Africa

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 11:19:08 GMT

Photo credit: Greenpeace The international environmental lobby group Greenpeace yesterday opened its first African office in Johannesburg, South Africa. In a statement, Greenpeace said working on the ground in Africa was part of its commitment "to tackling the most urgent environmental problems facing the continent - climate change, deforestation and overfishing."... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The World's 5 Most Inspiring Green Leaders

Wed, 12 Nov 2008 12:30:00 GMT

photo: Ben Leto With a new president elected in the United States, the world may soon turn a corner and create a new unified front on the environment, and climate change in particular. But there are several leaders who have already demonstrated exceptional commitment to the environment in their home countries and in the international arena. In 2009, all of the developed nations will be under increasing pressure to transition to low-carbon and resource-efficient economy. We will be scrutinizing these heads of state above all others to see what good examples they can set for the rest of the world. And the list is....... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Bolivia's Lithium Reserves Could Power Electric Car Boom

Mon, 10 Nov 2008 10:04:33 GMT

The auto industry is beginning to look to lithium batteries to power new models of hybrid cars. The new demand for lithium could be a boon for Bolivia, the poorest country in South America, which holds half of the world's lithium reserves, according to BBC News. Lithium is a soft alkali metal found in rocks and sea water, and much of Bolivia's commercially exploitable reserves are located in the brine under salt flats of the dazzling white Salar de Uyuni in central Potosi state. Last week, Planet Ark reported that the government will invest $6 million in a pilot plant to help it figure out the best way to mine lithium.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The Best Ecolodges on the Planet According to National Geographic Adventure

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 18:23:49 GMT

Photo credit: Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa The Global Travel Editor at National Geographic Adventure has put together a handy list and a nice graphic of the 50 Best Ecolodges in the world, color-coded according to ecosystem. The hotels were chosen because they support local communities, offer authentic cultural experiences, maintain strong conservation initiatives, and increasingly emphasize adventure at the center of the experience. If you fancy jungles, you can pour over spectacular options in India, Ecuador, Bolivia and Laos, to name a few locales. We were particularly intrigued by the Banjaar Tola lodge in India dedicated to tiger conservation, overlooking the tall sal-and-bamboo forests of Kanha National Park. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Mexico City Wins Health Award For Promoting Bicycling

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:14:34 GMT

Biking in Mexico City? No, it's not an extreme sport for thrill-seekers. It's a weekend pastime for families thanks to a program called Muevete en Bici program, or Get on Your Bicycle. Mayor Marcelo Ebrard's initiative, launched one year ago, closes approximate 6.2 miles (10 kilometers) of major thoroughfares to car traffic, temporarily transforming the traffic-clogged streets into a public park and cycling route, called the cicloton. The program was honored this month by the World Health Organization in the 2008 Active Cities, Healthy Cities contest. The contest was designed to recognize the efforts of government, communities, and the private sector in Latin American cities to develop initiatives that promote healthier lifestyles. Between 40 percent and 60 percent of Latin American adults do not exercise, increasing their risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. We also like the program, of course, because it encourages residents not to drive.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Lima's Water Source Threatened by Mine Tailings

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 15:06:04 GMT

Gold mine tailings + a water source for 10 million people = Bad News. Reuters has a story on the wires today about the Peruvian government's fears that with the looming rainy season, 744,000 metric tonnes of toxic tailings from a processing plant could wash into the Rimac River, which provides drinking water to Lima. The tailings belong to Gold Hawk Resources of Canada, which processes its gold at a plant close to the river. "With the rains, there could be filtration on the hillside and cause a disaster that would affect the central highway, a mining facility, a hydroelectric plant, and the tailings would reach the Rimac River, causing a big disaster of contamination," Environment Minister Antonio Brack told Reuters.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

More New Cars Than Babies This Year in Mexico City

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 18:40:24 GMT

For every birth in Mexico City, two new cars enter the city's vehicle fleet each year, according to the Center for Sustainable Transport, or CTS in its Spanish acronym. The non-profit think tank compared the city's birth records to vehicle sales and found that the number of annual births is some 160,000, while the number of new vehicles added to the city's fleet ranges between 200,000 and 300,000, according to Mexico's National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Informatics, or INEGI. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Five Outstanding Green Restaurants

Wed, 22 Oct 2008 07:00:00 GMT

Here at TreeHugger, we've covered the sustainable food movement for years, but have never pulled together our own list of the greenest restaurants. Wait no more: these five outstanding green restaurants -- in no particular order -- are sure to please your stomach and your conscience. A little disclaimer: It turns out that four out of five of our top picks are in the United States, though we carefully weighed several options outside our borders. These chefs and restaurants distinguish themselves from the pack with a commitment to sustainable food that goes way beyond what they plate up. These chefs aren't just serving mind-blowing food: they're forging farmer-chef networks and building dynamic communities around sustainable food. Since sustainability requires the next generation of leaders to uphold high standards and find new ways to build a green food culture, we also highlight restaurants with training and mentoring programs. We're pleased to see these chefs preparing and coaching the food industry's sustainability champions of the future. From a pure food standpoint, we looked for restaurants where the chefs are serious about sourcing their food from responsible producers and prioritizing quality of ingredients over technique. That means the food at all of these restaurants is as local and seasonal as possible, simple, and assuredly delicious.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

British Charity Launches Climate Change Green Guide for Muslims

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 20:27:21 GMT

Tomorrow in London the Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences (IFEES) will launch a Muslim Green Guide to Reducing Climate Change at the Islamic Cultural Centre and the London Central Mosque. The 20-page guide explains the impact of climate change using Islamic references and encourages Muslims conserve water, heating, electricity, and consider public transport. The guide also promotes recycling and offers tips on the environmental impact of food products. The booklet has been printed in time for Ramadan, and IFEES says it hopes it will help Muslims reflect on their actions during the holy month while fasting. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

HEAT Documentary Looks at Global Struggle to Reinvent Fossil Fuel Use

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 16:03:51 GMT

Last night we attended the preview of HEAT, a two-hour FRONTLINE investigation that will air Tuesday, October 21 EST on PBS. Produced by veteran FRONTLINE journalist Martin Smith, the investigation looks at what big business is and isn't doing, both in the United States and the other biggest polluting nations, to cut carbon emissions. It also explores the vast challenges that remain in developing a system to regulate those emissions and develop the technology to reduce them. The documentary spends a fair amount of time laying out many of the basics of how we got ourselves into this climate change mess, which viewers who are already intimately familiar with the issue might find tiresome. On the other hand, with a crisis as serious as climate change, you probably can't be jarred into feeling afraid too many times; as one of climate experts in the the film says, putting the prospects of a dramatically warmer earth in no uncertain terms, "We are standing on the precipice of hell."... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Recent Posts by TreeHugger's Eliza Barclay, Washington, D.C.