Coral Reefs in Danger? Climate Champ to the Rescue

Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:45:34 GMT

Rebecca Chan, a California Climate Champion and Columbia University sophomore, recently returned from Okinawa, Japan where she studied the effects of climate change on coral reefs and discussed the ramifications of a warming world with scientists and locals. In 2004, Rebecca did her own study on marine ecosystems and climate change. She was a National Finalist in the Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge and won second place in the California State Science Fair for her research on water pollution and its effects on water fleas. She is currently studying to become an environmental lawyer. Treehugger was lucky enough to speak with Rebecca about her journeys. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Missouri Accidentally Bans Tupperware from its Waterways

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 17:47:02 GMT

Photo: GregPC via Flickr Are you thinking of taking your family rafting near the Ozarks this Labor Day? Well, you'd better leave your Tupperware at home. A poorly written Missouri law has mistakenly banned polypropylene from most of the state's waterways. Lawmakers in the Show-Me-State meant to outlaw the polystyrene containers that have been polluting their rivers but wound up banning dishwasher-safe plastic instead.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Illuminating Candle Pollution

Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:56:34 GMT

Photo: Gailf548 via Flickr You can add paraffin candles to the list of seemingly mundane objects that can negatively affect your indoor air quality. According to a new study put out by American Chemical Society, burning candles is a common and long unrecognized source of indoor pollution. Paraffin candles can release human carcinogens and are extremely hazardous in poorly ventilated areas such as the bathroom. Concerns about these candles are not new. The American Lung Association voiced concerns years ago. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Youth Volunteers Tire of Green Grunt Work

Sun, 16 Aug 2009 15:28:54 GMT

Photo: NIOSH via Flickr It is the youth who seem to be the most interested in the green movement, probably because they have the most at stake. If environmental conditions degenerate to the point of no return, young people are going to have to deal with the overpopulated, flooded and hungry world of the future. Lots of folks are working to prevent this Beyond-The-Thunderdome sort of scenario from playing out, especially those aforementioned youth. However, when these green-spirited youngsters sign up for some conservation-themed volunteer work, they are quickly handed a shovel, some gloves and maybe a bucket and told to dig holes and/or pick up garbage from the roadside. Some of these youthful helpers felt they were being punished when assigned such distasteful tasks. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Filling Tires with Wood May Increase Gas Mileage, Quality

Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:56:33 GMT

Photo: Shadyside Lantern via Flickr. Trees may be employed to build the fuel-efficient tire of the future. Wood science researchers at Oregon State University have been studying microcrystalline cellulose. This substance can be created from most types of plant fiber, and it can be used to replace a percentage of silica that is commonly utilized as reinforcing filler in the manufacture of tires. (The OSU study replaced 12% of the silica.)... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Women Should Sing to Their Tomatoes. Guys Should Shut Up.

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 18:33:59 GMT

Photo: The Ewan via Flickr We may live in society that stresses equality between the genders, but when it comes to gardening, women seem to have an upper larynx. According to a recent experiment by the Royal Horticultural Society in England, tomato plants grow faster when they are crooned at. The sung-to tomatoes grew two inches higher than their unserenaded counterparts. Female voices worked especially well for hasty tomato growth. Male voices, on the other hand, couldn't make the tomatoes grow as quickly, and in some cases, low-voiced males were able to stunt the growth of the tomatoes by warbling at them. This must be why we throw rotten tomatoes at horrible singers. Wokka Wokka. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Are Shredded Tires Polluting Our Playgrounds?

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 18:54:34 GMT

Photo: Mykl Roventine via Flickr The EPA is reexamining whether crumb rubber, made from shredded tires, is safe for playground applications. Previously, the EPA had okayed shredded tires for civil engineering and public recreation projects, but pressure by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility has caused the EPA to reassess the possibility of health risks.

Where we are right now is, we just don t have a recommendation," EPA spokesman Dale Kemery said. "I wish we did.

... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Hope May Be Harmful to the Environment

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 15:20:03 GMT

Photo: Gene Hunt via Flickr Imagine that you are on a rocket ship that might be headed into the sun. One of the leading scientists on board tells everyone that the ship is going to become trapped in the sun-s gravitational pull within ten years. The scientist shows everyone a picture of the rocket ship's trajectory into the sun. He uses evenly spaced dashes to denote flight path. There is also some hard math to go along with the pictures. After revealing this evidence, the scientist spends the next few years throwing up his arms in defeat and shouting, "Doomed! Doomed!" even at parties. Now, let's imagine that another leading scientist comes in and says, "Yeah. We might hit the sun, but we can avoid this tragedy by making a few simple lifestyle changes. Enacting these changes will give us enough fuel to get out of the sun's gravitational pull. The important thing is not to worry." (End ham-fisted metaphor.) Which one of these scientists is more helpful? According to a couple of Michigan researchers, neither scientist is very helpful. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Search for Air France Flight 447 Hindered By Garbage

Sun, 07 Jun 2009 15:30:24 GMT

Photo: jdj150 via Flickr Air France Flight 447 crashed into the Atlantic ocean near Brazil this week. Rescue workers and officials are pessimistic that they will find the downed craft or the black box. The first major obstacle was that the aircraft was not on radar when it went down. That meant rescue workers had to look for floating debris and work their way back to the plane. John Perry Fish of American Underwater Search and Survey on Cape Cod

They'll have to work with flotsam. You get the wind and current data and work back. You have to distinguish between the light material that is on the surface and exposed to the wind, and the buoyant material, which is floating, but just under the surface and not exposed to the winds.

But the ocean in that area is so garbage-filled that rescue workers are having trouble locating any signs of the plane among the floating piles of waste. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Mechanical Animals to Terminate Poaching

Sun, 31 May 2009 14:41:31 GMT

Photo: Tostie14 Via Flickr If you would have told me three months ago that a robot turkey was a worthwhile invention, I would have argued with you. "No," I would have said. "I'm not quite sure what turkeys do with their time, but I'm pretty sure that we don't need to replicate it mechanically." But I would have been wrong, wrong about the turkeys. Game and Fish Departments across the United States have been using mechanical animals to snare poachers. Thousands of arrests are made each year with the help of robotic decoys. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Bike to Work, Pocket 20 Bucks a Month

Sun, 24 May 2009 05:11:36 GMT

Photo Credit: f650biker via Flickr Remember that Renewable Energy Tax legislation that passed a few months ago? It was filled with all sorts of green goodies, like alternative energy credits and money for weatherization assistance programs. Congress, doing something uncharacteristically awesome, slipped in an Easter egg that went went mostly unnoticed. Hidden deep within the flapdoodle and flummery of congressional legalese jargon is a nifty little tax credit for commuters who bike to work. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Cult Members Imbue Lakes With Positive Energy, Fiberglass

Sun, 17 May 2009 12:56:06 GMT

Photo of Orgonite by Nimbus186 via Flickr Four members of Orgonise Africa, a New Age group, were arrested by Mozambican police for attempting to sabotage the Cahora Bassa dam by dumping a corrosive substance into water supply. The four men, a German architect, a Portuguese hotelier, a Botsanan pilot and a South-African "prophet", explained that they weren't trying to damage the dam. Instead, they were attempting to "bring positive energy to the region" by putting a material known as orgonite into the lake. In reality, the quartet didn't want to hurt anyone. They were only trying to keep the Illuminati from controlling the world through microwaves. The group had clearly advertised their intentions on their website. The charges were downgraded from terrorism to dumping toxic chemicals into the water, but nothing has been ruled out. Although this sounds bizarre, this is hardly an isolated incident. People are "gifting" our lakes and rivers with orgonite all over the world. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Alternative Builders Search for Solutions in Southern California

Sun, 10 May 2009 13:46:11 GMT

The 6th annual Alternative Building and Design Expo took place in Santa Monica, California on May 8th and 9th. They had free valet bicycle parking, but non-valet car parking cost eight dollars, just another fine example of how going green saves you money. The expo had over 150 exhibits and ongoing lectures by leaders in green building and design. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Was "Free Willy" Better Off in Captivity?

Sun, 03 May 2009 16:42:30 GMT

Photo: Digicla via Flickr Keiko the killer whale, also known as Willy from the movie Free Willy, died in captivity in 2003. Many attempts were made to release the whale into the wild. All were failures. Now, researchers are saying that the efforts to free Keiko were mistakes. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Yangtze Alligator Population May Be on the Upswing

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 13:02:21 GMT

photo: Unforth via Flickr Only 120 Yangtze alligators live in the wild. The Yangtze River, the alligators' natural habitat, is so polluted that the ecological damage has been called "largely irreversible." Poaching is another obstacle to the reptiles' recovery. The alligators are considered a delicacy, and the meat is thought to cure colds and cancer. In 2006, with only 150 specimens in the wild, farm-raised Yangtze alligators were still being served in restaurants. Things looked bleak for the world's most endangered crocodilian species. But despite these insurmountable odds, the alligators have been marshaling a comeback. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

A Chat with Peapod Designer Peter Arnell

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 10:00:53 GMT

Via Peapod The Peapod, a neighborhood electrical vehicle, will be available to consumers on Earth Day. It costs $12,500. It goes 25mph, has a travel range of thirty miles and is not allowed on highways. These are fairly typical statistics for an NEV. But why then did Fast Company name the Peapod as the number two way to jump start the auto business? It has a lot to do with the design and the marketing. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Vespanomics 101 in Costa Mesa

Sun, 12 Apr 2009 10:22:02 GMT

Photo: Vespa Piaggio, the parent company of Vespa, held a "scooter salon" in Costa Mesa, California on April 6 in order to publicize the opening of the Piaggo Technical Center. The salon featured scooter rides, a little wine, some chocolate-covered strawberries and a speech by Vespa CEO Paolo Timoni. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Sick Turtle Checks Self Into Hospital

Sun, 05 Apr 2009 04:55:17 GMT

Photo: Corvette Diver via Flickr A 73-pound loggerhead turtle materialized in the waters near the Turtle Hospital in Marathon, Florida on March 29. Loggerhead turtles are not common in the harbor. When hospital personnel first spied the turtle, they assumed it had gotten lost. After further examination, the staff observed that the sea-bound reptile had large barnacles on its shell and appeared to be emaciated, both signs of poor health. Hospital workers sprang into action. Dinghies were deployed and nets were wielded. For nearly an hour, there was no sign of the turtle. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Humpback Stranded in Hong Kong Waters

Sun, 29 Mar 2009 12:58:36 GMT

Photo: El Cap'n via Flickr A humpback whale, approximately ten meters in length, has been stranded in Hong Kong waters since March 18. Humpbacks are not native to the area. In fact, this is the first recorded instance of a humpback whale near Hong Kong. Scientists believe that the aquatic mammal is an inexperienced and confused juvenile who became lost during migration. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Oil Spill Clean-Up May Be More Harmful to Fish than the Oil Spill

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:54:28 GMT

Photo: ingridtaylar via Flickr Oil spills just got messier. According to a biologist at Queen's University, the detergents used to clean oil spills may be more harmful to fish than the oil that gets spilled. Biology professor Peter Hodson warns that the oil-dispersing detergents that do such a bang-up job of degrading and diluting oil in the long term increase the bioavailability and the toxicity of the oil to rainbow trout by 100-fold in the short term.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Bad Economy, Production Problems Gobble Turkey Diesel Company

Sun, 15 Mar 2009 14:50:37 GMT

Photo: Steve Voght via Flickr Changing World Technologies, the maker of "turkey diesel," has filed for bankruptcy protection. Reasons cited include rising costs of commercializing its patented waste conversion methods, mounting debts and lack of financing. Brian Appel, chief executive, had made plans to take the company public but withdrew due to the unstable state of the markets. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Ads, Ventures at the 2009 Natural Products Expo West

Sun, 08 Mar 2009 21:33:51 GMT

The Natural Products Expo West was held in the Anaheim Convention Center across the street from Disneyland. The Natural Products Expo is billed as the world's premier trade show for natural, organic and healthy products. 52,000 industry professionals are estimated to attend the event every year. Treehugger was there. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

UnTreehugger: 4 Guns that Shoot Food

Sun, 01 Mar 2009 14:58:43 GMT

photo by allygirl520 via Flickr Death isn't the only thing you'll find down the barrel of a gun. Now you can find food in those guns, just the way nature intended. What could be better than wrapping your lips around the barrel of a gun in order to get a piece of candy, a marshmallow or a shot of bourbon? Not much, friend. What does this say about our culture? The world's food supply is waning. The US is in the midst of an obesity epidemic. Yet, we have people sticking fake guns in their mouths, pulling the trigger and "killing" themselves with nourishment. And not ironically enough, the chow ejected by these weapons is pretty unhealthy.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Stephen Fowler: Environmentalist Behaving Badly

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 11:52:41 GMT

photo: Liz Link via Flickr On the latest edition of TV's Wife Swap, English-born environmentalist and effete popinjay, Stephen Fowler traded spouses with the paintball-loving, ATV-riding, fast food-guzzling mayor of a rural Missouri town. Mr. Fowler's new wife was Gayla Long, a bucolic mother of four. This sounds like a collision course with wackiness, but it was not wackiness that was found at the end of that collision course. It was cruelty. Mr. Fowler, a green entrepreneur and biofuel developer, spent two weeks berating Mrs. Long. He called her "overweight," "simple," and "a dumb redneck." After a week of forcing Mrs. Long to abide by his rules, he threw a hissy fit when asked to abide by hers. He even forbade his children from speaking to her. Mr. Fowler applauded sarcastically after seeing Mrs. Long read. "You read that so well," he said. "Congratulations. I didn't know you could read." To make matters worse, Mr. Fowler said and did these vindictive things while wearing shirts that said, GO SOLAR, SUSTAINABILITY, and TREEHUGGER.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

A Good (Self-Sufficient) Man is No Longer Hard to Find

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 19:32:03 GMT

photo by mahalie via Flickr Good news for those self-sufficient off-grid livers and rural-based organic farmers who may have spent Valentine's Day alone in the wilderness. Lonely farm girls-of dirty joke lore?-are looking for the callous-handed love of a farming man, and they are finding these rugged, earthy fellows through a site called FarmersOnly. The site is aimed at uniting lovelorn ruralites for the purposes of holy matrimony and, possibly, a roll in the hay. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Are Gift Cards the New Bottled Water?

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 13:38:58 GMT

photo by Arvindgrover via flickr You can buy disposable, plastic gift cards at the corner store. Most supermarkets devote an entire end cap to the solicitation of gift cards. The logos and products of various chain stores grace the front of these cards: Starbucks, McDonalds, Target, iTunes, Chili's, Pizza Hut, etc. You can buy gift cards in dozens of denominations to almost any corporate store. Now there is a new gift card on the market. It's made by the credit card companies. A citizen may buy a sixty dollar Visa/MasterCard/Discover/ETC Gift Card and give it to their cousin as a birthday gift. The cousin now has sixty dollars that he can spend like cash. But it's not cash. It's a disposable gift card that works like cash but is somehow different than cash. What? This is too stupid to catch on. Oh,really? They've already bottled up the water and sold it to us at a premium, proving nothing is too stupid to catch on. They'll probably start bagging up the air and selling that. And we might buy it. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

10,000 Crocs Make Their Way to Ecuador, Go For Children's Feet

Sun, 01 Feb 2009 14:45:13 GMT

photo by TherapyCatGuardian via Flickr Thousands of Crocs have found the feet of poor children in Ecuador. For many Ecuadorian youngsters, these are the first Crocs they've ever seen. This isn't the first time that Crocs have gone for children's feet. Last year, 10,000 Asian-born Crocs made their way across the globe and went for the soles of poor Haitian kids. In 2006, 400,000 Crocs were thought to have crisscrossed the map, finding their way to the feet of the less fortunate. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Teen Climate Champ Warms Schools to Solar Power

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:47:56 GMT

photo courtesy of the British Council Seventeen-year-old Climate Champion Adam Raudonis is the head of Students for Solar Schools, a grassroots organization that aims to outfit high schools with solar panels. The pupil-led group is currently focusing on its first four schools-three in California, one in New York-but has plans to unite with like-minded students around the country. Adam and other young scholars involved in his organization are hard at work, raising funds, collaborating with school leaders, creating petitions and talking to contractors in an effort to create solar-powered, sustainable schools. Treehugger had the privilege of speaking with Adam. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The Ballad of the Bicycle Bandit

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 18:50:10 GMT

photo by Dave Haygarth They say that the natural death of a bicycle is for it to be stolen. That means a great percentage of bicycles end up in the hands of criminals. The thieves usually peddle the bikes to used bike shops or sell the metal for scrap. One Toronto bike thief simply hoarded his booty of over two thousand bikes. With so many bikes going through the hands of so many criminals, it's only natural that some of those bikes be employed for dubious purposes. Bank robbery, for example. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

VitaminWater Sued Over Lack of Health Benefits

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 13:14:36 GMT

photo by Mica Photographs Coca-Cola, the maker of VitaminWater, is being sued by the Center for Science in the Public Interest over alleged deceptive marketing practices. Those practices include using buzzwords like "definitely au naturel" and "triple antioxidants" on the product's packaging. VitaminWater's incredibly obnoxious and hard-to-navigate website even claims that these miracle beverages can boost immunity or help your joints stay flexible. The marketing ploy has allegedly tricked consumers into purchasing VitaminWater for its "healthful benefits." Coke responded by calling the lawsuit "ridiculous."... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Recent Posts by TreeHugger's Josh Peterson, Los Angeles, California