TH Exclusives

Dear Pablo: We have 12 recessed light bulbs in our kitchen on a dimmer switch. How much money and energy we would save if we switched to dimmable CFL bulbs? They would have to be cost effective because cash is tight these days.

TH Exclusives

Dear Pablo: Why should I turn down my water heater? Isn't it just as efficient to dilute really hot water with cold water in the faucet than to use barely warm enough water straight out of the hot side?

TH Exclusives

Those of you who, as I do, have long felt that photosynthesis was the unsung hero of the energy debate will find much to like about Oliver Morton's "Eating the Sun." Though ostensibly about the history of photosynthesis, this epic volume is so much more: an account of the planet's early development, a vivid recounting of some of the twentieth century's most heated scientific rivalries and discoveries and a shrewd, almost philosophical, take on the climate and energy crises.

Morton, who has written for several publications, including The New Yorker and The Economist, and who is now Nature's chief news and features editor, has the keen eye of a scientist and the flowing writing style of an accomplished novelist. Where another might have struggled with the sheer scope of this book, Morton ably guides the reader through the dense narrative, describing every technology, theory and equation down to the minutiae with the ease of an accomplished scholar-scientist (at over 400 pages, that is quite a feat).

TH Exclusives

Jim Clark in his gallery with one of his favorite Inuit sculptures

As a young man looking for adventure, Jim Clark took a job as an Alaskan king crab fisherman. Fifteen years later, he had found as well a deep and abiding love for the land, the art, and the culture of the Inuit. A former first mate of two Alaskan king crab fishing boats, Clark now owns Look North Gallery, in Red Hook, Brooklyn. The gallery draws attention to Inuit art, and by extension, to the global warming crisis. Clark showcases both established and emerging Inuit artists in the gallery, and in 2008 Look North began representing the Polar photography of world-renowned fine arts photographer Rena Bass Forman. Treehugger recently asked Jim Clark about the gallery, the Inuit, fishing, and Red Hook's incoming Ikea.

TH Exclusives

Wolf Trap president and CEO Terrence D. Jones

With the performing arts, a good showing is when the fall of the curtain leaves you shuffling off into the night a bit dazed, a bit dazzled, and perhaps, just a bit thoughtful. This media, like no other, has the power to make you laugh, cry, and cringe. It has the power to captivate and influence.

So tapping the performing arts to raise environmental awareness and educate audiences about climate change sounds pretty savvy to us.

A pioneer and major player in this field is the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, the only National Park for the Performing Arts in America.

Based in Vienna, Virginia -- about a 20-minute drive from Washington, D.C. -- the $28-million-organization holds more than 270 performances a year. We chatted with Wolf Trap president and CEO Terrence D. Jones.

TreeHugger: We love the concept of using the arts as a way to raise awareness of environmental issues. Can you name a few individuals who have successfully done this in the past? Why you think this works?

TH Exclusives

Named for the cultural epicenter of northern Finland, Oulu adds a shock of green to Williamsburg's bricks and asphalt. Unlike the other bars in the torrent that's hit the neighborhood, Oulu features a living facade and a thoroughly green design. I caught up with Evangeline Dennie, the woman behind Oulu's unique look, and we spoke about design, materials, and the therapeutic possibilities of architecture.

TreeHugger: What other projects have you worked on recently? How is Oulu different?

Evangeline Dennie: One of my most recent and significant projects was to design the interim memorial at Ground Zero, called the Tribute Center. I was hired by the architecture firm of record (BKSK) to be an in-house architecture design consultant. I was given the amazing opportunity to conceive the design concept and layout, which was eventually built in 2006.

TH Exclusives

Ed. note: This is the first post in the "Dumb" Questions series of posts that TreeHugger is writing to provide answers to some basic questions about the environment and all things green. We realize that many of these questions/answers will seem, well basic, to most of you, but please bear with us: we just want to make sure that everybody is on the right page! After all, what's the fun in having you read our posts if you get stuck on a basic premise?

To answer this question, it helps to first have a rudimentary knowledge of the planet's hydrologic, or water, cycle. The water cycle, in essence, describes the processes by which large quantities of water move continuously through the Earth's oceans, land and atmosphere over short and long time scales. It is primarily dominated by the oceans — which account for 96% of the planet's water and where 86% of global evaporation takes place — though it has no defined starting or ending point.

TH Exclusives

With so many new green consumer products offered, we thought it a good time to get some refresher points from Jacquelyn Ottman, New York City-based green marketing and design expert. Jaquelyn is a 20-year veteran who's left her green footprints on the TreeHugger archives here, here, and here. Here we go.

TH: The US Congress seems to be moving toward enactment of new environmental laws, after a decade-long hiatus. An expanded USEPA budget is even being supported. How risky is it to design a new green product around a prospective US regulatory requirement?