Home / treehugger.com rss archive / October-03-2007


Mister Miser: The Amazing Folding Urinal
In an example of what has be the perfect companion to the Dream Door fold-out bed, we present Mister Miser, the magical folding urinal that requires a scant 10 ounces of water per flush. TreeHugger loves space-efficient, folding design and water efficiency (though it doesn't hold a candle to this flushless wonder); we just never thought we'd see the two put together in this truly weird inven...

DIY: Make Your Own Shoe Rack
Our pals over at domino magazine have a trifecta of DIY projects for the shoe enthusiast; the do-it-yourself shoe racks come in beginner, intermediate and advanced varieties -- enough assortment to fit anyone's inventory.While none of the instructions are explicitly "green" in nature, we really like DIY projects because they allow you to go as green as you want. When you need a modified bookcase, go second hand; when they call for paint, go low- or no-VOC, and you'll be greener for your efforts.Having so many shoes that you need a separate shoe rack ain't that green, but if you're...

India's Barefoot College Revolution: Hands-On, Bottom-Up & Community-Driven
Above: Bhanwar Gopal, an artist from the Barefoot College, prepares traditional Rajasthani masks for plays and puppet shows with material from recycled World Bank reports. "We keep getting these reports that no one reads, so we decided to put them to some use," founder Bunker Roy says. [Image: BBC]A quiet but sure revolution in sustainable development has been underway for the last 35 years in Indias desert state of Rajasthan, where a new model of rural empowerment and education has taken form in the so-called Barefoot College, an alternative, community-based learning centre that trains rural citizens in the practical training programs for solar engineering, rainwater har...

table 433: Recycled Venetian Blind Coffee Table
In a piece somewhat reminiscent of Scrapile's work, designer Stefan Hoelldobler of collective die fabrik took offcasts from the venetian blind industry and laminated them together to create the stunning table 433. Named for the number of pieces (that's right, 433 offcuts), the table is highly customizable and pretty darn great looking. ::die fabrik via

TH Forums Highlights: Green Fashion, Goat Mowers + More
1) Let's talk fashion with Forums user Louisevissen, a fashion photography student who's curious about the way that green fashion is marketed to us green consumers. "I believe that it could become a strong point in magazines such as Vogue and be marketed in just as glamourous a way, and be able to help the environment." Can green fashion bring the...

How Toxic is Your City?
In a slide show by BusinessWeek, America's most toxic cities are placed front and center. Contaminated sites are plagued by calamities-in-the-making such as man-made chemicals seeping into the soil, rupturing underground petroleum-storage tanks, pesticide application, or the direct discharge of industrial wastes into the soil.Baltimore, Milwaukee, and Portland, Ore., are three of the biggest offenders when it comes to number of contaminated sites per c...

Lights Out San Francisco
Photo: J. BachMany times, all it takes is a small act to get folks thinking about a big problem. Something as simple as turning off your lights for one hour on a Saturday night can symbolize the large amount of wasted energy most of us use every year. When thousands of your friends and neighbors do it with you? That's called a movement. On October 20th, residents and businesses in San Francisco will turn off all non-essential lights from 8pm to 9pm. The event, called "Lights Out San Francisco" aims to draw attention to carbon emissions produced from wasted energy....

Americans Want Climate Change Leadership ... Or Do They?
Oh lookie here, another poll: A Yale University survey found that 40 percent of Americans say that a presidential candidate's position on climate change will strongly influence how they vote.One of the most surprising findings was the growing sense of urgency, said Anthony Leiserowitz, director of the Yale Project on Climate Change and the studys principal investigator. Nearly half of Americans now believe that global warming is either already having dangerous impacts on people around the world or will in the next 10 yearsa 20-percentage-point increase since 2004. These results indicate a sea change in public opinion.Althou...

Dream Door: Open It Up, Have Sweet Dreams
How's this for a "less is more" concept: "Dream Door" takes the Murphy bed concept a step or two further, just folding down out of the wall and using about as much space as a sideways door.It's a little too submarine-y for most real-life applications, but the idea is solid: you don't need a bed while you're awake, and you don't need wall space while you're asleep. Most adults would probably find the Dream Door a bit confining, but its diminutive size and virtually non-existent footprint might fit well in a kids room; plus, there's nowhere for monsters to hide under the bed.

Herbert Muschamp Dead at 59
Those of us who write about architecture and design have read a great deal of Herbert Muschamp, former architecture critic for the New York Times. He was at times accused of "iconoclasm and obscurantism and unapologetic dilettantism" (observer) but his "wildly ranging, often deeply personal reviews made him one of the most influential architecture critics of his generation." Nicolae Ouroussoff, the current critic, writes: Mr. Muschamp seemed as interested in the ideas that pushed architecture forward as he was in the successes and failures of buildings themselves. He was also known for weaving together seemingly...

Green Halloween: Ghostly Lights
Photo credit: samattStave away ghoulish creatures with the radiant glow of candelight. If the thought of carving giant pumpkins again this year makes you howl, here are some of the lesser-known green 'ween ideas we've gathered: 1. Floating pumpkin candlesTrace the bottom of a pure beeswax or soy votive candle on the top of a miniature pumpkin. Cut the out circle carefully with a sharp blade and then pop the candle snugly within. Rinse, repeat. Fill a glass bowl with water and float your pumpkin candles on the surface. ...

The Mobile Track Apartment
We love transformable designs, ideas for small spaces, multifunctional space. We also love looking at the new designs on Yanko and show a lot of them. This design by Setmund Leung Kam Biu has been shown everywhere in the last few days, but we didn't show this one. Why not? Perhaps it is the copy: ...

Local Farms Want Fair Trade Certification, Too
Photo credit: sms467A group of farmers is calling out for what it has dubbed "agricultural justice." And to bring the international fair-trade movementthe same one that lobbies for worker equity and sustainability across the globehome to the Midwest. Coffee was the originator of the fair trade movement, Liz Haywood, general manager of Bluff Country Co-op in Winona, Minn., tells the Winona Daily News. Domestic fair trade is the new frontier.In 2001, members of the Local Fair Trade Network...

Electric vehicles dangerous for the blind?
It's a topic that's been recycled so many times; that hybrid and electric vehicles are silent, which may mean that people step out in front of them without seeing them. Some say that it's a danger; others say that people will simply learn to be more vigilant. However, if you can't see, then you can't check to see if something's coming. Some people have to rely on noise to hear traffic approaching....

Local Farms Want Fair Trade Certification, Too
A group of farmers are calling out for what they've christened "agricultural justice." And to bring the international fair-trade movementthe same one that lobbies for worker equity and sustainability across the globehome to the Midwest. Coffee was the originator of the fair trade movement, Liz Haywood, general manager of Bluff Country Co-op in Winona, Minn., tells the Winona Daily News. Domestic fair trade is the new frontier.In 2001, members of the Local Fair Trade Network (LFTN) kickstarted discussions on how to reconnect growers, sellers, and...

Thermal Insulating Nano-Paint Generates Electricity
As far as alternative energy schemes go, this one almost sounds too good to be true: Industrial Nanotech has just unveiled its nanotech-based line of thermal insulating paint, Nansulate, which - when properly applied inside of a structure's walls - promises to effectively generate electricity. The thin sheets of thermal insulation would use the temperature differential between the interior and exterior of the building to produce a near constant supply of electricity, since - as company CEO Stuart Burchill argues - "there is almost always, day or night and...

There's Plenty of Grey Area in Living Green
We have been following Vanessa Farquharson's website Green as a a thistle, where she has been writing about the challenge that she took on in March: " Each day, for an entire calendar year, doing one thing that betters the environment. The idea is that everything I do, I keep doing (so if I switch brands, it's a permanent switch; if I turn down my thermostat, I keep it down), so that by day 365, I'll be living as green a lifestyle as it gets." It started off easy but she is up to day 217 and notes on the blog that it isn't always so much fun. She writes about her experie...

Etsy's Handmade Halloween Costume Contest
Calling all crafty ghouls and goblins: Get your monster mash on and enter Etsy's Handmade Halloween Costume Contest, and you could scare up over $2,000 worth of spooktacular goodies and prizes.TreeHugger (that's us) will be helping Etsy pick a winner from the Green category, so put all your sustainable, upcycled, and eco-friendly costumes up for sale at your Etsy shop no later than 11.59 p.m. on Oct. 26. The first-place winner will get a $150 Etsy gift certificate, plus a $100 donation in their name to Conservation International. For a full list of categ...

Quote of the Day: Danny Seo on the Little Things
Try this: Think about every time you throw something away and how it got to this point in becoming trash. How many times have you gone to the ATM to withdraw cash and hit the "yes" button to get a printed receipt only to throw it immediately away? We usually press the "yes" button out of habit. It's time to break this wasteful habit.How many times have you tossed a used coffee cup onto an overflowing trash can, carefully placing your cup on top of an already teetering pile of trash? there a very good chance the cup (along with others) will fall over and litter the streets. You see, the litter you see on the streets isn't put th...

The TH Interview: Wendy Reed
Starting today, Energy Star's Change a Light, Change the World campaign is hitting the road, touring the country (see the full schedule here) by bus to spread the good word about the difference we all can make in the fight against global warming by changing our light bulbs to energy-saving compact fluorescent light bulbs (see TreeHugger's earlier coverage of the tour here).TreeHugger recently had the chance to chat with ...

Make Your Own Baby Shoes
Photo credit: Heather BaileyYou don't have to settle for sweatshop-produced booties fresh off a pollutant-spewing container ship from Chinawith a bit of stitchery know-how you can have your wee one shod in custom-fitted, handmade slip-ons made from felted sweaters, fabric remnants, and other salvaged bits and bobs.There's Martha Stewart's how-to, of course, but your options don't end there. Fabric designer

Renault Unveils Logan Eco Concept
French carmaker Renault is hoping to score big at this year's Challenge Bibendum in Shanghai, China, with its just introduced Logan eco Concept. With an estimated carbon dioxide emissions rating of 97 g/km (equivalent to about 3.8 liters/100 km), the experimental car is powered by a B30-compatible 1.5 dCi diesel engine and features a host of other optimizations - including modified pistons, a more effective injection system and new gearbox ratios. The car's dashboard is equipped wi...

Transformers: Overlapping Culture and Technology
In North America our planners are obsessed with separating the cars from the pedestrians, the commercial from the residential; there is so much space wasted and so much less chance for creative interaction. Robert Oullette says "While that approach makes for a much safer society, it also reduces the chance for unexpected and creative adaptations. This [40 second] videotaken in Bangkokillustrates just how adaptive people can be in societies where planning is an afterthought."

Structured Nano-Technology Membrane Developed To Concentrate CO2 From Power Plant Emissions
"A new type of membrane has been internationally patented by researchers at The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim. The membrane is made from a plastic material that has been structured by means of nano technology. It catches CO2 while other waste gases pass freely.""The technology is effective, inexpensive and eco-friendly, and can be used for practically all types of CO2 removal from other gases. Its effectiveness increases proportionally to the concentration of CO2 in the gas.""The agent helps so that the CO2 molecules in combination with moisture form the chemical formula HCO3 (bicarbon...

Microsoft Creates EcoDrive to Educate Drivers, Reduce C02 Emissions
As part of a bid to get their software into vehicles around the world, Microsoft is taking the initiative to help drivers be more eco-conscious through an onboard computerized system that provides personalized feedback to help educate drivers about their C02 emissions. Theyre calling it the EcoDrive system, and developed in conjunction with Fiat and their Blue & Me system, it collects data on a vehicles efficiency which can be downloaded from a dashboard socket to the PC via a USB key....

Can Big Kitchens Be Green?
Donald Chong: Small Fridges Make Good CitiesWe have often stated that it is hard to call big houses green, but can big kitchens be considered green? We were asked by Kitchen and Bath Business Green- a trade publication serving "the business of building eco-friendly kitchens and baths" (there truly is a magazine for everything!) Read the edited version here or the full version below. KBBGreen: Are big, open kitchen layouts environmentally friendly, and how so or how not? LA: In an era of global warming...

Wired LivingHome Tickets on Sale Oct. 8
Tickets to Wired's Brentwood Calif.-based LivingHome go on sale in five daysso green-building and prefab lovers should get 'em while they're hot. The $4 million LEED-certified modernist home"where luxury and the environment live in luxury" as the mag oft repeatswill be open to the public for tours on Oct. 27 to Nov. 11 and will host educational programming and a series of exclusive invite-only events with eco movers and shakers. A percentage of ticket sales will benefit

There's Only So Much Water to Go Around - Just Ask This Fish
Posts on water saving seem to be popular on TreeHugger no bad thing given the droughts and water shortages that are persisting in many parts of the world this year. Previously we brought you articles about The Navy Shower, the Selective Flush, and TreeHugger TVs take on

Permaculture Association UK
Yesterday we brought you news of two important green tourism initiatives, the budget St Athans Hotel in central London and the Earthship France project that is creating an innovative new type of vacation rental in Normandy. Given that we read about both of these in the newsletter of the Permaculture Association UK, we thought it was about time that we acknowledged this grassroots environmental organization in a bit more detail [disclosure: this author ...

Coal Released Mercury Ruins Fishing and Duck Hunting
Perhaps half the residents of the US still think climate change is no big deal. Fishermen and hunters are learning the hard way, though, that heavy reliance on coal has an impact on the fun part of their lives. Burn too much coal and the odds increase you can't eat what you catch or shoot because of mercury contamination. The US State of Utah, where coal provides 93% of the electricity consumed, is emblematic of the problem.Fishing was once one of America's most popular pastimes. Its popularity slipped over recent decades, as rural people moved to metropolitan areas. City-f...

Survey: Et Tu, Toyota?
When Treehugger has called Toyota hypocritical for wrapping itself in green and then introducing the Tundra, commenters were outraged, suggesting that Toyota was just responding to market demand. Now Tom Friedman points out that Toyota is joined the big three American auto makers to lobby against tougher mileage standards in the Senate to keep mileage room to build giant pickups. Rep. Ed Martkey told Friedman a lot of people have bought Priuses or Camry hybrids to fight global warming and reduce our dependence on foreign oil and...

Don't Worry, Sonny and Rico, Your Boat Can Run on Orange Peels
Crockett and Tubbs will still be able to speed in their stingers and drive their Ferraris in Florida; the new governor Charlie Christ, who is purported to be an environmentalist, says that they can keep them going with sugar cane and orange peels as fuel. According to Reuters:"I don't think they're going to have to change at all. I just think they're going to have to change what they use to power it, like ethanol," said Crist, a Republican who took over Florida's governorship in January from Jeb Bush, the younger brother of President George W. Bush."My desire is that we would be able to develop more ethanol production from sugar cane, and fran...

Tom Friedman on Toyota's Duplicity
Tom Friedman of the New York Times is on a roll of late; while we have been critical of his views on coal and energy, his article last week on 9/12 was on the button, and today he exoriates Toyota for supporting the American auto makers in their efforts to water down efforts by Congress to legislate improved mileage standards."Now why would Toyota, which has used the Prius to brand itself as the greenest car company, pull such a...

Chair Survey: London Design Festival
What is it about design and chairs--there were so many chairs by so many different designers all over the London Design Festival. We loved the toilet paper chair, or loo paper chair as they would call it in the UK, made of wood and you know what by a Japanese designer....his email, masako_sugar@hotmail.com, came on a piece of loo paper too. He creates furniture " to make the audience sparkle and grin".The brightly coloured blue "Meltdown Chair" was created by heating and pressing a seat-shaped former into a ball of rope. The rope liquifies as it co...