Home / treehugger.com rss archive / August-27-2007


Power Your TV, Cell Phone, or Laptop by Pedaling
One of the first-prize winners of our TreeHugger/Popular Science/Instructables Go Green contest, this gadgetry wizard shows you how to rig up your bicycle to create a human-powered generator. His instructions are fairly detailed and incredibly involved...

Gloss for a Cause: Hi-Shine Lip Treatment
New from the Body Shop: a passion-fruit-scented lip-treatment gloss ($11.50) for your kisser, featuring fair-trade marula oil from Eudafano Women's cooperative in Namibia. Sporting a translucent pale pink shade with a hint of glitter, this intensely moisturizing gloss supports self-sufficiency in women living in marginalized rural communities, as decadent and ironic it may sound when makeup is juxtaposed with poverty.As far as cause-related marketing goes, the company's largesses is significantthe Body Shop will donate at least 75 percent of the proceeds of the gloss to

100-cal Snacks Will Suck Your Wallet Dry
Junk food: enemy of your thighs, now enemy of your pocketbook. Is anyone surprised that 100-calorie portions of Chex Mix and Keebler Deluxe Cookies cost three-and-a-half times more per ounce than their regular-size brethern? Or that snack-portioned Cheese Nips cost nearly four times as much?The extra convenienceand unnecessarily wasteful packagingcosts extra money, says a new study from the Center for Science in Public Interest. ABC News notes that if you buy a large bag of the regular Che...

Old Industrial Cities Give Rise to Urban Ecovillages
Maybe we have finally found a positive result of urban sprawl. When population flight left the urban cores of many mid-sized U.S. cities empty, good housing stock, central location, and access to jobs and transportation remained in these old urban communities. Thankfully, a trend is in place to not only bring people back to these areas, but to do it with urban sustainability in mind - urban ecovillages. Now, we have covered ecovillage concepts before (read more

Book Review: Nature Babies
Tara Jon Manning, Zen queen of compassionate and mindful knitting, shows us why we should use yarns as soft and pure as the little tykes who'll be wearing them in Nature Babies ($27.50, Potter Craft), a guide to knitting for moms, babies, and a better world using organic and all-natural, buttery soft yarns.Whether it's cozies for baby bottles (which baby wants a cold bottle? Manning asks), a luxurious nursing shawl for mama, or play cubes and silly hats made from recycled felt, you'll find precious heirloom pieces that will introduce your child to lovingly crafted, no...

Make a Recycled Mini Dry Erase Board
If you have five minutes and some dinged CD casesand we'd be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn'tyou can make a yourself a mini dry-erase board. Stick 'em on the back of the car to entertain fidgety kiddies, on the fridge to remind your roommate not to eat your food, or by the phone to note down messages. Or you could Voltronize several CD cases to make a bigger board or even line them on an entire wall. The possibilities, they are endless. ::Instructables[Via Lifehacker]...

Coal: What It Costs Us
Edward BurtynskyDavid Roberts of Grist says "Coal is the Enemy of the Human Race. Coal is filthy. It destroys ecosystems to dig it up. It kills the people who work around it. Coal plants throw particulates in the air and causes respiratory ailments. They throw mercury in the water and causes birth defects. They throw CO2 into the atmosphere and causes global warming. The coal industry corrupts the political process. It lies to the public about global warming, and mine safety, and coal reserves, and everything else. It leeches money and opportunity out of the states where it is based.Jeff Goodel...

TH Forums Highlights: Bathtubs, Ultracapacitors and More
1) Forums user Teresa is looking to find the greenest option between acrylic and cast iron when it comes to replacing a bathtub "Which has less embodied energy and which is less toxic for health, an acrylic tub or a cast iron tub? I have done a lot of thinking and looking around for info and have decided that cast iron beats acrylic by a little bit." Fibergla...

Take Out: Stay at Home Furniture with Portable Storage
Take Out is a storage solution/furniture whose name reveals its function: each of the drawers is a portable briefcase that you can just pull out and take with you. It'd be especially useful for things that you can use all over the place, like toys and tools. The idea makes a lot of sense; you don't need a chest of drawers when you're out and about, and you don't need portable briefcases when you're home. We aren't crazy about the materials -- the outer shell is made from MDF and the briefcases are plastic -- but the idea is solid and green on its own, and materials would be easy to modify. Below the fold: a picture of the piece in action.

New Fuel Cell Design Could Help Laptops Run 5 to 10 Times Longer
A new fuel cell design that would convert methanol into hydrogen could provide 50 hours' worth of juice to laptops and other portable electronics. The compact device unveiled by Ronald Besser, a professor of chemical engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology, at a recent American Chemical Society meeting could be instantly recharged by swapping in a fuel pack. The model he proposed assembles the various processing steps into concentric tubes that would create a cylindrical design in which heat from a central combustor could spread in all directions greatly facilitating the required reactions. Aerogels incorpo...

Feel the Wind in Your Hair with a Vespa Lamp
Now this is what we call recycling: the series of Vespa lamps could be cause for celebration from scooter fans, recycling aficionados and anyone who thinks zipping through the streets of Milan on a bicycle you don't have to pedal sounds like fun. Created by Italy's Lamponi Lamps, these vintage-inspired lamps recall a different time and place, where sipping Chianti and eating prosciutto are as common as driving down the street; if you're still drooling over the Vespa hybrid and

Rentalism
"Rentalism" is the new consumption. I just made that word up because I think rental is on the tip of a rebirth. Now's surely the time not to be burdend by the ownership of stuff that costs money, takes up space and wastes planetary resources, but to enter the new marketplace of shared use and rentinn. A while ago I wrote an article about renting things, sharing things and falling in love. I profiled a German site called Erento, which is basically an enabler for renting. It pairs borrowers with renters. Well, heres a sneak preview of a simi...

The TH Interview: Dan Porras of Better Energy Systems/Solio
Dan Porras is Vice President of Sustainability at Better Energy Systems, makers of the hugely popular Solio solar charger which we have reported on here, here and here. In this interview Dan discusses the core appeal of Solio, its role as a trojan horse for renewable energy, and he gives his views on why Solio really is more than just a gimmick for green consumerism. He also reveals a little mo...

Get Drunk Guilt-Free
It's summer and beer-drinking time so why not make it organic? They taste just as good and benefit the environment. Since there are no artificial fertilisers or pesticides used in the grain production, that means it is healthier and better for the farmland. And if the beer is local there are less food miles too. Duchy Originals, Prince Charles' brand, makes an organic ale with a rare breed of organic barley that is grown on the Prince's own estate.Freedom Organic beer is brewed in Germany and Organic Life Magazine recently gave it 4 stars out of 5 in a 'taste test' of organic lagers, describing it as "Malty...

Confronting Our Waste
PSFK asks: Can transparency make us better citizens? They suggest that "these recycling bins in Tokyo's Shibuya Station force passers-by to acknowledge the amount of waste they and others are contributing, bringing the idea (and guilt) of over-consumption into public consciousness." Original source Future Perfect asks "to what extent is a consumer less likely to buy products with a social stigma such as a dirty magazine or more virtuous products when the act of consumption and disposal is transparent?" I think they are reading way too much into this. In Toronto they changed the garbage receptacles to clear plastic bags for security reasons and they have the same amount and type o...

The Woz on Green Design
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, 1976It's Woz week on TreeHugger; we know how he drives, now we learn how he builds. He discussed design with ECNmag: The term "energy efficient" is rather vague. At some level it implies some form of conservation. I have great reservations with that concept as well. One aspect of conservation is to use less so that there is more to go around, either to more people or for a longer time. I disagree with this concept pretty strongly. While that statement is certainly open to argument, he follows up with:...

Larry Tells Us About His Fair Trade Beans
We think it's great that awareness about Fair Trade products is growing everyday, as are the opportunities to buy them and the variety of products which incorporate this principal into their business. It's exciting that people are walking around stores with their eyes open and on the look out for that Fair Trade symbol. Often, however, we can fe...

UK Conservative Party Gets Grouchy Over 'Pay-As-You-Throw'
A while back we brought news of a report that discussed the possibility of pay-as-you-throw schemes being introduced in the UK. Essentially, pay-as-you-throw is a term used for systems that charge households for trash collection according to the amount they throw out. Such schemes are already in place in a number of other European countries, where recycling rates have increased considerably as a result. The logic of charging wasteful households more than thrifty ones makes sense on paper at lease, but would the public support such a move? If the results of a recently published surv...

Recipe of the Week: Moroccan Chickpeas
Now that we are heading into the last week before Labour Day, you may be planning a last summer hurrah for the long weekend. The recipe this week is perfect to take on a picnic, or to serve at a barbeque. It is quick to prepare and you can serve it at room temperature. It will keep in the refrigerator for a few days. It's also a great dinner possibility once the fall routine has begun. Serve it hot over rice, couscous or grilled polenta with a green salad on the side and you've got a great meal. You can also use the spice mix for a variety of things, adding it to soups and stews or using it to make pita crackers. ...

Thomas Friedman Discovers Efficiency
Mr. "World is Flat" is late to the party again, discovering that the best new source of energy is efficiency. He quotes Jim Rogers of Duke Energy (the third largest emitter of CO2 in the country) saying "The most environmentally sound, inexpensive and reliable power plant is the one we dont have to build because weve helped our customers save energy. Duke is proposing a "save-a-watt" system which rewards utilities for helping their customers conserve and increase energy efficiency.Energy efficiency is the fifth fuel after coal, gas, renewables and nuclear, sai...

Tim Flannery - Treehugging Across the Digital Divide
Our boy, Tim, has been getting himself a bit of extra exposure in the past few days. Now the 2007 Australian of the Year, and acclaimed author of The Weather Makers, has a plan to stop the deforestation of Papua New Guinea through the miracle of the web. He has an affinity for PNG, having undertaken much of his early scientific work there, tracking down tree kangaroos. Basically he wants to see villages connected to forest life also connect to internet. Hes looking to set a direct connection between well off westerners and ...

Beeline Beauty Boasts Better Bees
Never mind not-so-natural nostrums made with weirdly wonton wonders that benefit already bountiful bosses. Beeline honey-based beauty products are made with lots of luscious golden honey untampered by preservatives like paraben and formaldehyde. Instead, these products are able to offer the full benefits of the sweet stuff (antioxidant, moisturizing, healing) because they do not contain synthetic ingredients that prevent honeys beneficial compounds from being absorbed into the skin. Organic? you ask. Probably not, as the honey comes from city bees that likely visit con...

Help Judge the Best Solar Cooker
Hot Dog! It's Judgement Day for solar cookers at the Go Green contest we're doing with PopSci and Instructables. Weissensteinburg on the left says "we're using math to cook hot dogs" -the properties of parabolas. Iwilltry on the right notes "It makes a great science project. Unlike most, you'll actually get some use out of it afterwards." Read more in Jasmin's earlier post.

George Saves the World: New Green Books for Kids
Theres a couple of new books out for kids that have just been released by the Eden Project, gotten some great reviews, and may be a terrific addition to a school library or home collection. After all, what better than a classroom or bedtime story with a positive message about protecting the environment? The first is George Saves the World by Lunchtime, by Jo Readman and Ley Honor Roberts which features a boy named George, his sister, dog, and grandfather. The message to kids being that yes, you can help save t...

Transformer Clothing: Maternity Edition
Mamas-to-be can get in on the convertible-clothing action with Jessica Scott's Strapless in Seattle dress/skirt/cape combo. Made from Lyocell, a fiber derived from wood-pulp cellulose, this versatile number has a stretchy waist and bust that adjust to changing pregnancy and post-pregnancy figures. The capelet can also provide privacy for nursing moms. The outfit pictured above in Watermelon costs $95; a mini version, shown below the fold in Lime, is $15 less. ::Jessica Scott...

Long Island Sound Wind Farm Project Canceled On Cost Issues
Back in 2005 we posted about a celeb endorsement of the proposed Long Island Sound wind farm project. The Chairman of Long Island Power Authority, Mr. Kevin Law (pictured) has announced cancellation of the wind farm plans. Apparently, changing cost projections for the wind farm were only reluctantly made public over the last two years. Celebrity endorsements won't help and may hinder a project managed in that fashion. The 'freedom from foreign oil card,' as played in the endorsements did not help either, given that oil has almost nothing to do with electricit...

It's Hard to be Green When You're Rich
I mean, look at those numbers. The mega-yacht pumps our 2.3 tons of CO2 per hour; the modest 150 horse only .04 tons. The Gulfstream G400 puts out a ton per passenger per hour; the seat in first class on the Boing 777 only .06. What is a billionaire to do? According to the Wall Street Journal there are now 10,000 private jets swarming the American skies, and builders can't keep up with demand for big boats. Some are buying offsets, but "Others say the efforts are little more than window-dressing, designed to ease the guilt of the wealthy or boost their status among an increasingly green elite. Environmentalists say that if the rich really wanted to help the environment, they would stop flyin...

Heat-Seeking Bacteria Could Hold Key to Better Cellulosic Ethanol
TMO Renewables, a British company specializing in the production of cellulosic ethanol, is claiming an early victory over its U.S. competitors in the race to create the best replacement for gasoline in cars. "We believe what we've found is not far from the silver bullet, and our demonstration plant will be about showing that. We have the organism people have dreamt of -- it eats nearly anything and it makes ethanol really quickly," said Hamish Curran, the company's CEO, showing off TMO's secret weapon several bubbling vats of bacteria in its group labor...

Build Your Own Solar Powered Toys: You Know, For the Kids
As we've seen with gadgets like the H-Racer, toys are a great way to get kids of any age excited about a green future. They get to play with toys, and parents get to sneak in a little education about renewable energy, sustainable technology, whatever. Courtesy of Ecogadget comes a collection of eight solar-powered toys and gadgets that you build yourself. Though they all encourage you to behold the power of the sun, it's quite a disparate list, from a helicopter to an amphibious vehicle to a windmill (what? Aren't tho...

Coccoina Eco-Friendly Glue
Just in time for the back-to-school crew, See Jane Work bring in Cocoina's Almond Scented Paste. Nontoxic, non-solvent, and acid-free, it even tastes of marzipan for the paste-eater in your life.Used in schools in Italy since the 1930s, the $8 imported paste comes in a vintage-style silver tin and includes a stiff bristle. You can also get it in the form of a $3 glue stick for handy toting about. ::See Jane Work...

The Race to Mine the Moon's Helium
While much attention has been focused of late on the scramble by several countries to claim the Arctic floor and its rich supply of natural resources, a broader, more consequential race for resources may be looming on the horizon. Many of the world's leading powers, including the U.S., Russia, China and India, are setting their sights on the moon specifically on its vast supply of helium-3, a substance rarely found on Earth that some believe could hold the key to fusion reaction. NASA's Vision for Space Exploration is making plans to send astronauts to the moon in 2020 and on erecting a permanent base ther...

Most Huggable: Chinese Farmers Fight the Desert, Stupidest Climate Fixes, Compost Kung Fu, and More
Chinese farmers struggle to adapt their ways in the face of desertification across the countrysideDon't think of it as autumn. Think of it as nature's little hint to get compostingMan-made volcanic eruptions, energy for nothing, and carbon offsets: Environmental Graffiti prods the years stupidest climate fixesResearchers are finding Scotlands cliffs disturbingly silent: a disastrous year for seabirdsLooking for some hot energy stocks? Deep digging...

Ecojot Eco-Chic Stationery
Mirage Paper has launched a line of journals, notebooks, sketchbooks, and notepads made from 100 percent post-consumer paper waste. The acid- and chlorine-free paper and boards are also certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council. Made in Canada, the nature-inspired Ecojot uses biodegradable vegetable-based dyes and inks.And if that's not crunchy enough for you, the paper mill runs on landfill gas; plus a percentage of Ecojot's profits go toward environmental causes. More pictures below. ::Ecojot...

Guardian's Top 10 Eco-Friendly Gadgets
Many of us love gadgets though we'd prefer to do without their growing energy consumption and oft less than eco-friendly components. Thanks to this helpful list of eco-friendly gadgets drawn up by Guardian's Adam Vaughan, however, you need not sacrifice your green ethos for your lust for the latest in technology. Many of the devices he showcases we've commented on before including W...

LEDs Grow on Trees: Nick Foley's Pear Light
Though we've seen things like Candela and Cafe Au LED portable rechargeable LED lights before, none have been quite this tasty. Nick Foley's Pear Tree LED lights use the clever combination of a fruit tree and energy-efficient lighting to create something pretty unique. Each pear is magnetically attached to the tree, and contains 10 LEDs that charge when they're "growing" on the branch; "harvest" them for a good hour o...

5 Green Laptops from Toshiba
Toshiba now have more Gold rated notebooks than any other manufacturer, according to the Green Electronics Council's Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool. EPEAT is a benchmark for green electronic devices, and gold status requires meeting certain environmental requirements in eight categories; reduction or elimination of environmentally sensitive materials, materials selection, end-of-life design, product longevity/life cycle extension, energy conservation, end-of-life management, packaging and corporate performance. ...

TreeHugger Goes Back to School
Already we can hear the groans of millions of schoolchildren all across America as they trudge back across the schoolyard. What are the future leaders of tomorrow packing in their book bags? If you're looking to give your kids the head start they deserve, here's how they can score an A in Environment before the bell rings for first period.1) Keen's Hybrid Transp...

One Watt Wonder - The New CPU From VIA
VIA seems to be the rear to watch as they continue to lead the pack in cranking out energy-efficient computing parts. We reviewed this tiny motherboard a while ago and came out grinning. They also have a decent clean computing initiative which has been in place for some time. Now, they have developed the unthinkable - a new fanless processor that chugs along at 500MHz, and only requires 1 watt of electricity to run. And that's when the chip is active; when it's idle, the processor will sip a mere tenth of a watt. Exclamation point.Who's the market...

Hybrid Test Drive - 2007 Nissan Altima Hybrid
Canadian Driver has posted a review of Nissan's first hybrid, the 2007 Altima. Nissan have previously claimed that they can sell 50,000 of this model a year. It's a full hybrid, so can run on 100% electric power at times, and uses technology licensed from Toyota. Overall the impression was very good, and it seems to be a very capable and practical hybrid. One problem they found though, was that the 245-volt nickel metal hydride battery pack that lives behind the rear seat stole about 40% of the trunk space, when compared to the non-hyvrid Altima....

Quote of the Day: Wangari Maathai Speaks for the Trees
Well, I dont only think that the biosphere is in trouble, I know it is. I just have to look around in the environment, in which I live. In my own part of the part of the world, I keep telling people, let us not cut trees irresponsibly. Let us not destroy especially the forested mountains. Because if you destroy the forests on these mountains, the rivers will stop flowing and the rains will become irregular and the crops will fail and you will die of hunger and starvation. Now the problem is, people dont make those linkages.Wangari Maathai in

Chicago Climate Futures ExchangeTM to Launch Certified Emission Reductions (CERs)
Chicago Climate Futures Exchange-TM (CCFE-TM), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Chicago Climate Exchange Inc. (CCX) is launching a futures contract on Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) today, Friday, August 24, 20071. The launch of CCFE CER futures contracts marks the first time that hedging tools for CERs, a Kyoto compliant emissions instrument, are offered on an exchange-traded platform in North America. "CERs are tradable instruments, issued under the United Nations Clean Development Mechanism, for approved and verified greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction and sequestration projects undertaken in developing countries. The Kyoto Protocol allows national and corporate G...

When Good Ideas Go Bad: Toshiba's Washing Machine/Air Conditioner
Regular readers know that TreeHugger is fond of the gadget mash-up. Combine a sink and a toilet or a lamp and a broom, and we're (usually) happy as clams; it makes sense to us to double up on functionality, reduce materials and cut back on stuff, all at once. Toshiba has taken this idea and run with it, but no one told them where to run (they may have missed the starting gun) and they came up with this: a combination washing machine/air conditioner. ...

MTV's "The Real World: Hollywood" Starts Getting Green
It seems that seven strangers on the upcoming season of "The Real World: Hollywood" will have their lives taped and will be "going green" according to a press release. MTV intends to incorporate eco-friendly lifestyle choices and household items into the 20th season in hopes that the fans will begin to do the same. The release states: "'The Real World' house will include everything from solar energy solutions to bamboo flooring, recycled glass counters, some sustainable furniture and recycled vintage dcor, energy star appliances, a solar heated swimming pool and energy efficient lighting. Additiona...

Volvo Improve Mileage with Common Sense
We often feature advances in motoring technology here on Treehugger - electric, solar, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, hydrogen and all sorts of things designed to improve mileage. However, cars still aren't as efficient as they should be. We've talked about the reasons why before, and it seems that Volvo must have listened. They've announced that their new C30 will have far better fuel efficiency, all thanks to a few common sense, low-tech design features....

Would David Suzuki Dig Your Garden?
Photo credit: GeordieMacHey Canadian green fingers, environmental activist (and TreeHugger eco-hero) David Suzuki wants to find Canada's best pesticide-free lawns and gardens, plus your story, in 100 words or less, about how you made everything flourish sans chemicals.Photos and stories will be posted on his Web site; judges will pick the finalists and site visitors will then vote for a winner. If you win, you get a prize package that includes a "David Suzuki Dig...

TreeHugger Radio: The Fight to Keep Climate Science in the White House (Oh Yes, and Giant iPhone Bills)
This week we speak with a lead attorney from Center for Biological Diversity, one of three groups to sue the White House over its refusal to update critical climate reports. The Secretary of Transportation confidently declares that bicycles arent actually a form of transportation. We also hear from our tech correspondent about a new self-fueled technology with the power to turn chicken droppings into bio oil. Also, New York becomes the second state to approve climate impact stickers for new cars. Plus, while the iPhone may be sleek and efficient, theres nothing sleek about a paper phone bill hundreds of pages long. Pick up TreeHugger Radio on

Fight For Your Right... to Dry
First is was the slow food movement. Next it was slow fashion and slow furniture. Could the glamorous world of laundry be the next slow revolution? As people look for ways to decrease their energy consumption, clotheslines are steadily returning to the American landscape. However, this return to one of the original forms of solar power is being hampered (gotta love laundry puns) in some places. Some local municipalities and many homeowners associations prohibit ...

More People, More Diseases
Photo credit: forkliftWe always had a sneaking suspicion that the human race was a raging cesspool. (Some people we know prove this theory more than others.) Apparently, the experts agree: Explosive population growth, intensive agricultural practices, and changes in sexual behavior are a breeding ground for an "unprecedented number" of emerging diseases, says the World Health Organization (WHO). A new disease is rearing its ugly head every year, according to the U.N. health agency. We've already encountered 39 new pathogens that were unknown only a generation ago, including

Wired Interviews Paul Hawken
Wired News chats with environmental economist Paul Hawken about his latest book, how PBS is turning another into a 17-part TV series, and how he is organizing the environmental movement through a collection of wikis. We've excerpted some choice bits.On defending Rachel Carson:WN: Can you say more about Carson? The reaction to 1962's Silent Spring set the stage for how multinationals react to environmental and socia...

Quote of the Day: Peter Nicholson on Why Design Matters
Design, whether in the form of fashion, architecture or other discipline, is essential to achieving greater sustainability. Clothing is important not only in terms of its enormous environmental and social impact, but also as a daily reminder of the choices we make. Peter Nicholson, Foresight Design Initiative ...

Most Huggable: Two Years After Katrina, Carbon Tradings Dark Side, Bright Green Fall Fashion, and more
Two years after Katrina, New Orleans is still struggling to revive itself. The Daily Green looks into the devastation that still pervadesSolFest rocks the greenest show on Earth. Eco Libris tracked down Stephen Morris for a discussion of green publishingLabor Day is almost here, which means its time for some green tailgate partying. Wind up the radio, pour the beer, and make the most of itOver at the Daily Green, Starre Vartan proves that this seasons eco fashion choices are more abunda...

How to Hack Your Swiffer
We're still not sure what Gianfranco Zaccai, CEO of the design consultancy that brought us the Swiffer, was smoking when he called P&G's best-selling (and admittedly revolutionary) cleaning system "eco-friendly." We're stumped: Was Zaccai referring to the toxic chemicals or the prodigious waste?We scoured the Internet landscape to find the best ways of fulfilling Zaccai's sustainable dream, so you can haul your pre-green Swiffer dust mop out of retirement and back into action picking up cat hair and errant dust motes. And here's the kicker: You can kiss one-use disposables and poisonous ickiness goodbye for good....

Brad Pitt's Holy Cross Project Under Construction
And it looks very cool and interesting. Architects Matthew Berman and Andrew Kotchen appear to have pulled off a good looking, green and affordable house. While many of the smart design solutions will be invisible when the home is completed, the green materials we are showing today save homeowners money on their utility bills, improve the health of the residents -- by protecting against mold and poor indoor air quality -- and reduce environmental impact, said Matt Petersen, president and CEO of Global Green USA. If 50,000 homes were rebuilt to just half the standards used in this home, residents would save up to $56 million and reduce global warming pollution by 550,000 tons eac...

Reminder: Two Weeks Left in Current TV's Ecospot Contest
Based on the idea that we can all do something to help solve the climate crisis -- and that there isn't anything that can't be done in a more eco-friendly, less greenhouse gas-emitting way -- this sample entry to Current TV's :60 Seconds to Save the Earth video contest hops the pond to take a peek under the hood at Europe's first solar-powered recording studio. Powered by 18 photovoltaic panels, the studio is racking...

NewsFlash: Americas Next Top Young Scientist Will Be A Green One
With the countdown to Americas Next Top Young Scientist continuing in earnest, its become apparent that the winner of the Discovery Channels Young Scientist Challenge, the nations leading science contest for students in grades 5-8, will be a green one this year Of course, there are currently 400 middle school students from 44 states whove qualified as semi-finalists, but that list expects to narrow significantly on September 12th to just 40 of them who will qualify to make a trip to Washington, D.C. from October 21-24 with their parents to tackle some of the Planets m...

EPA: Let's Ignore Oil Refinery-Caused Air Pollution
The EPA seemingly defying both common sense and safety concerns recently issued an analysis concluding that the risks to human health and the environment posed by oil refinery emissions were low enough to warrant no further regulations. As an alternative to eliminating controls to "manage" the toxic emissions spewed by refineries, the agency has proposed requiring additional emissions reductions for certain storage vessels and wastewater treatment units. This, it predicts, could enable refineries to reduce emissions by 1,000-4,600 tons per year from 153 facilities saving them up to $4 million annually in the process.In doing so, h...

Greener Magazine Hosts Carnival of the Green
This week is Carnival of the Green # 92 and it's being hosted by Greener Magazine! So, head on over to this week's Carnival to check out a round up of last week's green news and events, submitted by other bloggers and green sites. To learn more about Carnival of the Green, where it will be and how to host (hurry, we're now booking into 2008 and have only 10 dates left!), please click here to link to our previous post....

Survey: Should We Publish This Crap?
I like Al Gore and think that probably most TreeHugger readers do. Yet I get a constant stream of comments criticizing him, using the same tired arguments about the size of his house or the distance he travels, often on unrelated posts. The latest :It is easy when you are rich to be "Carbon Neutral". Take our esteamed friend AL Gore as your example. Yes he flies around in a private jet telling all of us little people to walk and what ever else is in his little speach. Then in order to stay carbon neutral, he buys carbon offsets from a company that he owns. You see it...

Book Review: The Winds of Change
Once or twice a summer we hit the laundromat in Huntsville, Ontario; between the wash and spin cycles I wander over the bridge to the Bookcase, one of the loveliest bookstores I have seen anywhere. Selection is limited but every book in the joint is chosen with intelligence and care. I have never failed to find something wonderful about the environment, food or politics; last year Peter Singer; this year, Eugene Linden's The Winds of Change.Karl Marx said history repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce. Linden looks at climate change from an historical perspective and d...

Big Steps in Building: Change our Building Codes from Relative to Absolute
For at least 3700 years, since the code of Hammurabi, builders of houses have had building codes, a government minimum standard intended to protect the health and safety of its citizens. Possibly in all that time, the majority of builders have considered it the maximum as well- dont do any more or build any better than you have to. Through the energy crises of the 70's to today, energy efficiency standards kept going up, but the amount of energy used in a house went up faster because they just keep getting larger.The average post-war 1950s house was 983 square feet; by 1970 it was 1500 SF; last year it was 2350. Encouraging smaller homes, like smaller ca...

Illinois Ups The Pressure On BP - Looking At Indiana-Issued Air Permit
Yesterday we commented about The Chicago Sun Times taking an editorial position in favor of a BP fuel boycott in the Chicago, Illinois area, offered in response to more liberal wastewater discharge permit conditions, granted by neighboring Indiana, to a BP refinery. The boycott-BP stance seems a metaphor for broader changes now being seen in the national political atmosphere, with the management of shared environmental resources getting serious attention and urban newspapers wanting the green, urban demographic to take a bite of...

In Harpers Magazine: The Battle for the Melting North
The Russians placing a flag on the bottom at the north pole is not the big deal; the real battle for the resources of the north may well be between the United States and Canada. Mackenzie Funk writes a long and thoughtful article about oil in the Arctic in the September issue of Harpers Magazine.Most think there is not going to be much of a fight; Canadians are a practical people that roll over pretty consistently in the face of American interests. (not joining the coalition of the willing was a rare exception.) Because of NAFTA Canadian...

Data Storage Just Got Shinier, Sexier
Personal data storage meets personal accoutrement with this heart-shape Swarovski-crystal-encrusted pendantpart of a new line by Philips and Swarovski known as Active Crystals. Not mere ornamentation, this necklace hides a password-protected USB flash drive with 1GB of memory, enough space for 1,000 photos or 250 songs.One the plus side: You get a twofer that you are less likely to lose; also, Swarovski crystals are essentially glass, albeit glass treated with lead oxide. On the other hand, something about this is just a leetle much, or are we just turning into fuddy-duddies in our dotage?

Big Steps in Building: Change our Building Codes from Relative to Absolute
For at least 3700 years, since the code of Hammurabi, builders of houses have had building codes, a government minimum standard intended to protect the health and safety of its citizens. Possibly in all that time, the majority of builders have considered it the maximum as well- dont do any more or build any better than you have to. Through the energy crises of the 70's to today, energy efficiency standards kept going up, but the amount of energy used in a house went up faster because they just keep getting larger.The average post-war 1950s house was 983 square feet; by 1970 it was 1500 SF; last year it was 2350. Encouraging smaller homes, like smaller ca...

The Laundry: Paper Recycling at its Very Best
Weve covered the awesome work of the London-based Bioregional Development Group many times before, including their One Planet Living initiatives, and their pioneering housing development BedZED. Weve even interviewed the founders of the group, Pooran Desai and Sue Riddlestone. However, so far we have focussed very much on the organization's work with housing, yet its less well known that the group has also developed ima...

In Praise of Lemons
"Lemon tree, very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat..." Now there is an old folk song which under-estimates the virtues of this beautiful fruit. Most are grown in California, so they aren't local for all treehuggers, but the many uses of this humble fruit are worth noting. From fighting colds to cleaning your feet, the lemon is versatile and environmentally friendly. Here we go with some handy tips. Highlight your ha...

PARK(ing) Day Becomes an International Movement
Two years ago San Francisco artists put two hours worth of money in the meter and set up an instant park. It got a lot of coverage; last year they occupied Mayor Newsom's spot and activists in other cities joined in; I like London's the ping pong Park, shown above . Now it is beyond an artistic intervention; it has turned into a movement and a holiday, September 21. This year the Trust for Public Land has organized parks in 12 American cities, and worldwide, Paris...

Woolies Eco Claims for Toilet Paper Have a Bad Smell
The brown stuff has hit the spinning thing. Australias largest supermarket chain has been caught with its pants down over labelling claims that its own branded loo paper is environmentally beneficial. Turns out that Woolworths Select toilet paper is sourced via Asia Pulp and Paper (APP), one of the world's largest pulp producers, whom the Indonesia's Centre for International Forestry Research recently reported rely on the clearing of natural forests in Sumatra for 60 to 70% of their wood supply. Woolies have said that APP were due to be accredited by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) within a matter of weeks. Which is kinda odd, because one of ...

VW Diesel Lasts 562,000 Miles, Still Going
Syl Schmid has been driving his VW Jetta for 21 years, and has managed to put 562,000 miles on the clock. That's a rather high average of 26,762 miles a year, but Schmid says he reguarly got over 50 mpg. Keeping a car in good condition like this, and getting this sort of usage is probably the greenest sort of motoring you can do. The energy cost of producing the car has been spread over so many miles that it represents a very low footprint per mile....

Wind Turbine Toy Comes With Electric Car
Who would have thought that a wind turbine could be so much fun? This kit from Tamiya and Loopwing lets you charge up a capacitor and power an electric toy car. It comes in kit form, and once you've assemble it you can put the turbine outside to start charging. It only takes 5 minutes of exposure to light wind to generate enough power to run the car for 3.5 hours. At only $30 this is a brilliant way to get children excited about sustainable power, and is cheap enough to be used in schools as an educational tool. Perhaps one day they will bring out a kit that you can park a plug-in Prius on top of overnight. ::Tokyo Mango

Hummer Commercial Mileage Claims Untrue?
Who says that blogs don't break news? Auto Blog Green are claiming that the latest Hummer adverts are claiming mileage figures that just aren't true. Not in the sense that they're innacurate, as all mileage claims now are, but that they're using figures from an old model which just aren't true for the new model....

Sinking Ship Could Hold Dangerous Cargo
A ship called the New Flame is stranded off Gibraltar after an accident, and is soon going to be deliberately sunk. Efforts to remove all existing fuel from the ship have thankfully succeeded, but the ship's cargo is the next biggest worry. It is thought that at the time of the accident, the New Flame was loaded with many tonnes of old exhaust pipes, which may date back to lead-gasoline use. As well as this potential lead contamination, there is a worry about the other heavy metals that are contained in exhaust pipes.Environmental grou...

Smart Car Inventor Dreams up Fuel Cell Car
Nicholas Hayek is the CEO of Swatch, the company behind hundreds of funky and unique watch designs. He is also one of the brains behind the Smart car, which ended up being produced in cooperation by DaimlerBenz and Swatch. He has also recently announecd that he is dreaming up a new model of car, which will hopefully make as big a splash as the Smart has. He explains that it will be a fuel-cell car, designed with efficiency in mind, "I want to do whatever I can to accelerate the development of alternative and renewable technologies. Switzerland is going very slowly on this path, as the rest of the world."...

Top 10 Sexiest Green Cars
Green cars are officially sexy. No longer are they small, ugly, plodding electric commuters - they're speedy, exciting, desirable sports cars. Inhabitat has compliled a list of the 5 sexiest models, which makes for an interesting read. Unfortunately for you though, 5th and 3rd place are only concept cars, 2nd place isn't in production, and 4th place is only produced at a rate of 25 per year. We thought we'd have our own say too, and have compiled our own list of the top 10 sexiest green cars. Read it after the jump. ::Inhabitat...

Seambiotic: Algae That Clean Up and Put Out
Photo: www.jeffwignall.com Like a breath mint for a smokestack, algae can harness carbon dioxide from pools of water before the pollutants of power plants and factories are coughed into the atmosphere. And algae are doubly useful for greening our planet: The slimy green stuff that we scrape off our fish tanks is a hot candidate for a new biofuel, ISRAEL21c reports. The Israeli-based company Seambiotic partnered two years ago with a local power plant to prove their concept. And while we are hearing mixed signals on the successes of the US-based algal company GreenFuel, the Israeli company believes it is leagues ahead of its ...

Growing Artificial Coral In The Red Sea
How can we protect delicate coral habitat while still letting divers marvel at the underwater rainforest of life? Israeli scientist Dr. Nadav Shashar from Ben Gurion University sent us this YouTube video of a new project he is working on with Jordanian scientists: An artificial coral reef in the Red Sea. Known for some of the best diving in the world, the Red Sea is suffering unprecedented abuse in recent years due to pollution from fish farming, human factors and the change in water tempe...

Mexican University Designs Hydrogen Hybrid Car Prototype
The National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) is developing a hybrid car driven by hydrogen fuel cells and electric batteries, which would be the first of its kind in the country, the Heraldo de Tabasco informed. This is the only technology one hundred per cent clean in the world, as it doesnt create any kind of contaminant gases; and there are not cars with it available at commercial level yet (in Mexico), the coordinator for the Major in Technology of the Industrial Design career, Gerardo Mauricio Arzate Perez, informed the newspaper. It is fair to point that even though hydrogen fuel cells do generate fewer emissions, the production of the hydrogen cr...