Newcastle-upon-Tyne Named Greenest City in the U.K.

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:15:07 GMT

Newcastle-upon-Tyne has been named the greenest city in the U.K. in a sustainability audit conducted by Forum for the Future. Photo by Draco2008 via Flickr.com. Shrouded in smoke and the center of ship building, Newcastle-upon-Tyne was once a major industrial center. But the city has been transformed into the greenest city in Britain in recent years, according to a sustainability audit, The Guardian reports. Newcastle was a bit of a surprise, surpassing cities that typically come to mind when Britons think "green city," such as Bristol and Brighton & Hove, which ranked second and third, respectively. But perhaps Brits shouldn't have been quite so surprised. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Bluefin Tuna: On the Verge of Collapse...Or Not?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:52:30 GMT

Scientists don't quite agree on whether bluefin tuna, pictured above, is on the verge of collapse. Photo by Jose Cort courtesy of the NOAA. Bluefin tuna is on the verge of total collapse. Maybe. It depends on who you ask. We may have been talking about bluefin tuna shortages for years, but many scientists and conservation bodies are now sounding panicked. This week, the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT) is meeting in Brazil to review population and fishing data, and set quota recommendations for the coming year. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

EPA Bans Pesticide Insecticide Carbofuran by 2010

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 07:41:51 GMT

A worker sprays carbofuran on a tree in Kannenfeldpark, in Basel, Switzerland. Photo by pppspics via Flickr. As of the end of the year, one more pesticide will be absent from food crops grown in the United States. In May the EPA ruled that the current residue limits of the insecticide carbofuran on food crops was too high, and the agency has now decided to fully revoke carbofuran tolerances (more commonly known as residue limits). What this means is no carbofuran residue on a food will be deemed acceptable as of 2010. The move follows in the footsteps of the European Union, which banned carbofuran nearly a year ago. But the U.S. ban isn't all that surprising--it has, after all, been three years in the making.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Renegade Genetically Modified Flax Seed is Crippling Canadian Market

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:36:03 GMT

Flaxseed from Canada's prairie has been contaminated with a genetically modified seed. Photo by bdearth via Flickr. It sounds like science fiction: A genetically modified flax seed--named after an experimental plant in a sci-fi flick--is popping up in flaxseed harvested in Canada's prairie. This might not be so strange in today's world of genetically modified foods if it weren't for one thing: The seed never made it to market and all seed was supposed to have been destroyed in 2001. The flax mystery was brought to light in a recent article in The Globe and Mail, which revealed the contamination has prompted Europe to put a halt to imports of Canadian flax--a move that could bring the $320-million industry to its knees.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Chew on This! Boston Suburb Hires Goats to Mow Lawn

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 07:11:58 GMT

Andover, Massachusetts is starting a pilot project that will use grazing goats to maintain a 3.5-acre meadow. Photo by Jon Stammers via Flickr. A Boston suburb is sidelining commercial mowers in favor of a local farmer's goats to maintain a public meadow. Six dairy goats will chow down on a 3.5-acre meadow that is part of the Virginia Hammond Reservation, a conservation area in Andover. The plan makes sense on several levels. It will cut out carbon emissions that previously accumulated from the use of commercial mowers. Not only will the plan cost the city nothing, they'll save on the cost of labor, gas, and equipment maintenance.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Ireland Says Not in this Country: Bans Genetically Modified Crops

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 21:42:35 GMT

Ireland has taken the bold step of banning the cultivation of all GM crops. Photo by ellievanhoutte via Flickr. Prince Charles has called it the "biggest environmental disaster of all time," while Monsanto and others maintain it's safe for humans and the environment. Genetically modified foods are a contentious issue, but Ireland is erring on the side of caution, placing a ban on growing any genetically modified crops.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation Unveils Floating House

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:36:54 GMT

The Float House, designed by Morphosis Architects, is the latest design to be built by Brad Pitt's Make It Right Foundation, which is helping families rebuild eco-friendly homes in the Lower Ninth Ward in New Orleans. Photo courtesy of Morphosis Architects. It's like you're Noah and your house is an arc where people can take refuge from flood waters. Sound crazy? Think again. Brad Pitt's Make it Right Foundation unveiled the first Float House on Wednesday. The home, designed by Morphosis Architects, basically turns into a giant raft in the event of flooding, rising up on guide posts that keep it from floating away. To say that this design floats my boat is an understatement; but there is one thing about it that my eco-heart can't love: The chassis that allows it to float has a polystyrene core.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Water Sucking Solar Farms Breed Water Wars

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 10:37:35 GMT

A worker inspects a large mirror that directs the sun's energy to water-filled troughs at a solar thermal plant in the Israeli desert. Photo by Steve Jurvetson via Flickr. If you thought there were water wars brewing before, just wait. The sun is often touted as a fantastic source of energy, which it is, but there's a hitch: Many solar projects consume enormous amounts of water. How much water are we talking? According to a recent New York Times article, proposed plans for two solar farms in Nevada would gulp up 1.3 billion gallons of water annually--or 20 percent of the area's available water. And the worst thing is this heavy water use in renewable energy projects is all about the bottom line.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Yellowstone Grizzlies Back on Endangered Species List

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 07:00:29 GMT

A grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park. Photo by Fidelis Orozco via Flickr. Two years after the grizzly bears of Yellowstone Park were removed from the Endangered Species List, a federal district judge in Montana has ordered the bears be placed back on it. According to United States District Court Judge Donald Molloy's 46-page ruling, the re-listing of the bears was necessary to protect the species from the inadequate population management regulations, and the poor attention to the decline in whitebark pine, the seeds of which are a key source of food.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

U.S. Government Hires Kansas to Track Environmental Hazards and Health Problems

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 11:25:56 GMT

Kansas is the latest state to receive funding from the CDC to simultaneously track health problems and environmental hazards. Photo by Tim Samoff via Flickr. While many scientists suspect or believe environment plays a key role in chronic health issues, there is little comprehensive data from the general public to draw accurate correlations. But that is changing thanks to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) program that has just added another state--Kansas--to its list of states that are tracking both environmental hazards and health problems. Kansas has the unique opportunity to examine the relationship between illness and environment in a green community--Greensburg, Kansas. The number of states involved in the CDC program is now 17, and New York City is the sole local health department that receives funding.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Climate Change Puts Bird Migration on Ice

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 10:25:38 GMT

A family of brants on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska. Photo by Jeff Wasley, U.S. Geological Survey via USGS. It seems every time we turn around, climate change is throwing away the rule book. This time, the problem is with a species of bird that is staying put in the winter months instead of migrating south.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Mercury Rising: Temperature Will Soar in Some U.S. States Within the Century

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:03:21 GMT

The Nature Conservancy's ClimateWizard map shows the projected temperature increases in the United States by 2100. Image courtesy of ClimateWizard.org. The heat is on. We all know climate change is a very real and very dangerous fact of life, and many people are changing their lives in an attempt to stop it. But just how hot could things get? The Nature Conservancy has developed a new online tool called the ClimateWizard, which maps past and projected climate data. According to their calculations, several U.S. states are expected to see sharp temperature increases by the turn of the next century--not in most of our lifetimes, but certainly in our grandchildren's.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Weird Ways Global Warming is Changing Animal Populations

Fri, 28 Aug 2009 07:15:45 GMT

Fishing could become a pastime of the past if global temperatures continue to rise, according to a recent study. Photo courtesy of Wayne National Forest, via Flickr. We all know global warming is generally changing the planet for the worse, but the specifics aren't always on our minds. You'd have to be living under a rock not to know glaciers and ice caps are melting, and water levels are rising, but did you know trees are dying, and the Arctic Sea floor is releasing methane? And what about shrinking sheep? Scientists are discovering the varied ways warmer temperatures are changing the planet's ecosystems, and three recent studies shine a light on the complex ways rising temperatures are changing (or will change) wildlife population levels.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

'Killer Spices' Help Organic Farmers Achieve Natural Pest Control

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 04:37:46 GMT

Murray Isman, Ph.D., of the University of British Columbia, is developing essential oil pesticides to offer better pest control on organic farms. Photo by Martin Dee, University of British Columbia, via the American Chemical Society. Some delicious herbs and spices may be the key to natural pest control on organic farms, according to researchers at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. Dubbed "killer spices" and "essential oil pesticides" by researchers, the essential oils of clove, mint, rosemary and thyme can be mixed together several different ways and diluted in water to create a spray that either detracts or kills pest insects, but is safe for farmers to handle and consumers to ingest. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Greenpeace Rocks: Group Drops Boulders into Swedish Seas to Prevent Bottom Trawling

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 10:02:41 GMT

Greenpeace places boulders into the German North Sea to prevent bottom trawling in this August 2008 photo. The environmental organization placed 180 boulders into the sea off the Swedish coast earlier this week to curb bottom trawling there as well. Images courtesy of Greenpeace/Bente Stachowske. I'm often on the fence regarding Greenpeace's methods, which can cross the line from activism to radicalism. But I can't help but love a recent approach the organization took to dealing with a tangled net of European politics. Last Monday, Greenpeace activists dumped about 180 massive boulders (0.5 to 3 tons each) into the waters off of Sweden. Why? It's simple: Big boulders make bottom trawling impossible.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

USDA Proposes 'BioPreferred' Label for Biobased Products

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:20:00 GMT

The USDA has proposed a new 'BioPreferred' label for bio-based products, such as sustainably harvested wood flooring and plant-based cleaning products. Image courtesy of the USDA. Wish there was a label for sustainable bio-based products? Well sit tight-there's one on the way. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) released their plans for a BioPreferred label in the Federal Register last Friday. The program will allow manufacturers to voluntarily label their products 'BioPreferred' so consumers can make informed choices about the products they purchase and use. Under the proposed plan, the label could be used on any product that is "wholly or significantly" made with renewable biological ingredients; in other words, anything made with "renewable plant, animal, marine or forestry materials." So just how many products are we talking? ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Plant Barcodes to Help Quash Illegal Trade of Endangered Species

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:15:00 GMT

Plant DNA 'barcodes' can help identify plants quickly and easily, without requiring an on-site visual ID from a botanist. Photo by Victoria Porter via Flickr.com. After four years of research, scientists have decided on a standard 'DNA barcode' for identifying plants. It sounds cool, if you like science (which I do), but is it perhaps one of those findings that's great if you're a researcher, but pretty much useless to the rest of the world? Well, no. According to a BBC article, DNA barcodes can be used to investigate illegal trade of endangered plant species.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Society of Environmental Journalists Announces 2008-2009 Award Winners

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 11:28:00 GMT

Andrew Nikiforuk was named the winner of the 2008-2009 Rachel Carson Environment Book Award earlier this week. Images courtesy of sej.org and Greystone Books. Cue the horns: The Society of Environmental Journalists has announced the winners of the 2008-2009 Awards for Reporting on the Environment-and the honorees have produced a bevy of shocking, personal and illuminating stories in the U.S. (plus one from Canada). The Rachel Carson Environment Book Award went to Canadian Andrew Nikiforuk for Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

AAA to Launch Eco Icon in TourBook Guides

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 14:46:00 GMT

TourBook image via AAA.com. Photo via Dawn Ashley/Flickr.com. You're on a road trip when you take a detour and decide to make an unexpected stop for the night. Do you think about whether there's a green hotel, motel, B&B or other eco-friendly lodging in the area? Would you even know where to look for one? Enter the American Automobile Association's 2010 TourBook guides.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Short Documentary Shows Toxic Trail of "Recycled" E-Waste Leads Overseas

Fri, 10 Jul 2009 17:30:00 GMT

A man sorts e-waste in Guiyu, China. Photo courtesy of Allison Cross. Ever wonder what happens to all your old PCs, broken keyboards and ink cartridges? If you take your electronics to recyclers, you probably have visions of workers in well-ventilated buildings wearing masks and gloves as they take apart the toxic components of your electronics ... But that's not the reality. Ghana: Digital Dumping Ground, a 20-minute documentary that recently aired on PBS's FRONTLINE/World (you can view it online), reveals a shocking amount of e-waste from North America ends up in the developing world where children and adults scavenge for components they can sell or melt down motherboards for gold scrap. The doc is the work of Frontline correspondent Peter Klein and a group of graduate students at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. The journalists set out to follow e-trash trail and it took them first to Ghana, then to China and India. I e-mailed Allison Cross, a friend who worked on the documentary, to ask her a few questions about how the story unfolded.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Green Beauty Products Abound at (You Guessed It)...GreenBeauty.ca

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:31:00 GMT

Photo via GreenBeauty.ca. Looking for green beauty products can be a nightmare. Some so-called "green" products are about as eco-friendly as bottled water, and many products that are great for the environment just don't stand up to our hectic lives (particularly in the sweltering summer months). Wouldn't it be lovely if a store just did all the filtering and testing for us? Enter GreenBeauty.ca, a new online retailer that specializes in environmentally friendly, healthy beauty products-and, we're happy to report, they ship to the United States.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Piggy Paint Nail Polish Turns Toes Green (In a Good Way!)

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:07:00 GMT

Piggy Paint Nail Polish is geared to kids, but adults will love their non-toxic formula, too. Photos courtesy of Piggy Paint. This little piggy went to market, this little piggy stayed home. This little piggy ate roast beef, this little piggy had none. And this little piggy went "Wee, wee, wee" all the way . . . green? The chemicals in most nail polishes had me thinking twice about nail polish this summer-until I gave Piggy Paint a second chance. Marketed as a kid-friendly, non-toxic nail polish, Piggy Paint is equally great for eco-friendly, health-conscious adults. The water-based, odorless polish is free of formaldehyde, toluene, phthalates, bisphenol A, ethyl acetate and acetone. And did I mention it comes in a wide range of bright colors, perfect for summer? The real question however is: does it actually work?... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Caribbean Coral Reefs 'Flattened' Over the Past 40 Years

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:51:00 GMT

A coral reef off the coast of Haiti. Photo by Franco Caruzzo via Flickr.com. You know those underwater pictures of pretty branched coral rising up from reefs in the Caribbean? Well that lovely coral is all but gone. Not disappearing, gone-on more than 75 percent of coral reefs in the Caribbean. Recent research suggests branched coral, which looks like underwater trees, has been replaced by short, rival species. The culprit? ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

BPA-Spiked Urine: New Study Points to Polycarbonate Bottles

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 18:33:00 GMT

Drinking from a polycarbonate bottle for just one week can increase the amount of BPA in your body by nearly 70 percent, a new study out of Harvard School of Public Health suggests. Photo by Ben Garney via Flickr.com. UPDATE: This post was updated from its original version on 6/15/09. It's hard to miss the focus on bisphenol A (BPA)-we know it leeches from bottles and cans into beverages and foods. But a new study out of the Harvard School of Public Health is the first to make a direct link between urinary BPA levels and drinking from polycarbonate bottles, a material widely used for baby bottles and drinking containers. The results of the study are unsettling: ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Beyond Glaciers: Yosemite's Big Trees Disappear

Fri, 29 May 2009 11:30:00 GMT

A man stands in front of a centuries-old tree in Yosemite National Park. Photo by Buddhika Gammudali via Flickr.com. There's no denying the splendor of the giant trees that grace the west coast. But even giants aren't impervious to climate change, it seems. Just as Yosemite's glaciers are disappearing, so too are the trees. An examination of data collected from the 1930s to 1990s has revealed that the numbers of giant, old-growth trees in Yosemite National Park have dropped dramatically during the 60-year span-and that worries researchers. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

The Latest Buzz On Disappearing Honey Bees: Some Improvement

Fri, 22 May 2009 15:12:00 GMT

Image via Flickr.com/Allan Hack. The good news: Honey bee colony losses were down this past winter compared to losses during the two previous ones. The bad news: A whopping 29 percent of honey bee colonies vanished between September 2008 and April 2009. These newly released stats are the results of a survey conducted jointly by the Apiary Inspectors of America and the Agricultural Research Service's Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Md. (a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture). Researchers admit that while improvement is always good, they are still very worried about-and perplexed by-the fate of the honey bee.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Business Card Company MOO Offers Smart Designs and Stateside Shipping

Fri, 15 May 2009 10:45:00 GMT

MOO customers often share a sampling of their business cards on Flickr. Each card can be printed with a unique image. Photo via: Hidde de Vries/Flickr.com. I've long been a fan of U.K.-based printing company MOO. Sure, MOO business cards are a little pricey, but you get a different photo printed on each card, and I freely admit to being swayed by the wow-factor. Despite my serious crush on these cards, I've never ordered any. I just couldn't bring myself to buy a product that would have to be flown across an ocean to land in my hands. But when I once again found myself on the MOO website last week, my carbon footprint-weary heart soared with joy.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Churches and Synagogues Worship Green Building

Fri, 08 May 2009 14:40:00 GMT

The Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation synagogue in Evanston, Ill., is one of ten LEED certified houses of worship in the United States. Photo by Steve Hall/Hedrich Blessing (courtesy of Ross Barney Architects). Homes and offices are going green across the country, and an entire city is even being rebuilt green. But there's a new space embracing the eco-revolution. It seems churches, synagogues and other houses of worship are listening to their eco-friendly parishioners-and apparently their religion. A report from the Associated Press published yesterday on msnbc.com featured the growing trend of houses of worship seeking LEED certification. So far ten U.S. congregations are LEED-certified, and another 54 have applied for approval. So why are congregations making this move to greener spaces?... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Clean Water Appears Out of Thin Air with EcoloBlue

Fri, 01 May 2009 18:27:00 GMT

The EcoloBlue Atmospheric Water Generator. Image supplied by EcoloBlue. Imagine a machine that makes clean water out of the air. It might sound crazy, but it exists, and you can get one for your home. It's name? The EcoloBlue Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG). To be honest, I was a little skeptical when I got an email about this product, but the more I learned about it, the more interested I grew-and I'm not the only one. Organizers of the Green Inaugural Ball nixed bottled water for an EcoloBlue machine, and the Global Green Pre-Oscar Party-supported and attended by Leonardo DiCaprio, Rosario Dawson and Neil Patrick Harris to name just a few-also had EcoloBlue's AWG on hand. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Book Review: Mom, Will This Chicken Give Me Man Boobs?

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 15:05:00 GMT

Book cover courtesy of Greystone Books. Photo by Ville Miettinen/Flickr.com. I have to admit, I was drawn in by the title. But I would challenge you to find me one person who wouldn't want a closer look at a book titled: Mom, Will This Chicken Give Me Man Boobs? So I flipped the book open, read the first page, and I was hooked.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

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