Home / treehugger.com rss archive / September-10-2007


Green Scene 2007: San Diego
Saturday night the Fashion elite of San Diego and the fashion curious were out in full force for the annual Green Scene 2007. The event was hosted by Zagrodnik + Thomas Architects in the ZTA Gallery and featured a mixture of green art, architecture and fashion. The ZTA Gallery opened at 6pm where attendees could peruse the collection of green art, architecture, design and fashion items from local artists and businesses. This preview hour was a nice time to taken in the art, and more importantly the community. There were just as many kids as adults at this event, oohing and aahing over the...

Fall Fashion 07: Loyale Introduces the First Vegan Faux Fur Jacket
This fall, Loyale introduces the first-ever vegan faux-fur jacket, perfect for bundling yourself in as the mercury level dips and the leaves conspire to ripen into hues of red and gold. Both the faux fur and lining are made out of 100 percent organic cotton, grown domestically in Texas.Available in stores for a limited time from September to February, the $425 Costilla Jacket was born out of the New York City-based company's ethos of chic, eco-conscious style. "Many people purchase traditional faux fur in order to protect animals; however they are not aware of the environmental consequences," says Jenny Hwa, Loyale's...

Not a Box Lighting: More Cardboard Design from David Graas
Designer David Graas (remember his awesome furniture?) has applied his cardboard-centric no-waste design philosophy to lighting with the fun "Not a Box" series. Again, using the packaging as the product, the pendant lamp "comes as a box with all parts inside (bulb, plug, cable etc. + manual). You cut top and bottom yourself and then install. The cut out of the lamp shape functions as a graphical image of the lamp that could be inside the box, but is not." Quite similar to the previous "Not a Lamp" design (pic below the fold), we love the cheeky, minimalist design; toss in the super-eff...

Senator Bond Slams Global Warming Bill
This is an oldie but goodie: Global warming could shrink the global economy by 20 percent, according to a 2006 report by economist Sir Nicholas Stern. But taking action now, he says, would cost just 1 percent of the global gross domestic product.We were reminded of the The Stern Review when we heard Sen. Kit Bond's (R-Mo.) criticism of Congress's latest global-warming-legislation proposal, saying that imposing limits of greenhouse-gas emissions would threaten the nation's economic growth....

Disney to Test Toys for Toxins
It used to be, companies like Disney would license their characters to toy companies and just count the royalty cheques. Not any more; their image is at stake. According to the New York Times, Disney will begin its own testing of toys featuring Disney characters like Sarge, including random testing of products already on store shelves.It sends the message that we are looking over their shoulders, said Andy Mooney, the chairman of Disneys consumer products division. Disney and other marketers are clearly becoming concerned that their brands will be harmed in the long run if they do not intervene. As we said earlier, Don...

Body Shop Founder Anita Roddick Dead at 64
For years there were not too many products that included the words "against animal testing" on their labels. Since she founded the Body Shop, it has promoted healthy, green products and good green design. John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace said: "She was an amazing inspiration to those around her, not just in environmental and human rights issues, which were two of her passions.She was so ahead of her time when it came to issues of how business could be done in different ways, not just profit motivated but taking into account environmental issues.When you look at it today, and how every company claims to be green, she was living this decades ago. She was ...

World's First Sustainable Tuna Fishery Certified
Photo credit: parkermanThe San Diego, Calif.-based American Albacore Fishing Association (AAFA) is the first sustainable tuna fishery to be officially certified by the Marine Stewardship Council, an independent non-profit organization that promotes environmental responsibility in an industry plagued by overfishing and accidental bycatch.Sushi and sashimi lovers take note: Overfishing has caused a dramatic decline in the bluefish tuna population, with the...

Body Shop Founder Anita Roddick Dead at 64
For years there were not too many products that included the words "against animal testing" on their labels. Since she founded the Body Shop, it has promoted healthy, green products and good green design. John Sauven, executive director of Greenpeace said: "She was an amazing inspiration to those around her, not just in environmental and human rights issues, which were two of her passions.She was so ahead of her time when it came to issues of how business could be done in different ways, not just profit motivated but taking into account environmental issues.When you look at it today, and how every company claims to be green, she was living this decades ago. She was ...

TH Forums Highlights: Water Heaters, Using Compost + More
Nothing cures a case of the Mondays like a quick trip through TreeHugger Forums...1) "Is it a good idea to put my water heater outside?" wonders Forums user Maurices5000, who wants to move it from the kitchen to...somewhere that makes more sense, space- and efficiency-wise. Outside is at the top of the l...

When In Brazil, Under The Wires Put Your Still
Clause reversal happens with translation to English. And elsewhere. You'd think we TreeHuggers would like to stay as far away was we can from EMF. But, Brazilian researchers have determined that a dose of low frequency electromagnetic radiation will can boost ethanol production up to 17%. Hence the notion to locate the fermenter under the high tension wire rack. A pretty good land use compatibility too. So, as we've said once before "Let The Power Be With Us.""In a new study, Victor Perez and colleagues showed that yeast-based fermentation of sugar cane -- the main source of bioethanol in Brazil -- in ...

Big Houses Are Not Green: America's McMansion Problem
Stan Cox of Alternet writes on a subject near to our heart: McMansions. "The recent mansion boom produced millions of energy-wasting homes with thousands of square feet that Americans don't need -- not the behavior of a society that's thinking about a sustainable future.He notes that efforts to control maximum size of housing is considered a property-rights intrusion, but that "Many neighborhood homeowner associations across the country mandate a minimum size -- often 2,500 to 3,000 square feet for new houses. Under their rules, property rights are sacrificed for the sake of perceived property values."He also picks up a point make by

Castro Wades Into Climate Change Debate
Though he has not been seen in public for over a year, Cuban leader Fidel Castro continues to excoriate President George W. Bush and U.S. policies from his sickbed via essays published in the Cuban press. In recent months, Castro's anti-U.S. tirades have swerved in a surprising direction: addressing environmental issues, and in particular, climate change. Most recently, Castro chastised Bush for asking Asia-Pacific leaders to sign a new framework on climate change that could compete with other international efforts.Castro wrote that the U.S. and Australia, the host of last week's annual Asia-Pacific Ec...

Melting Ice Cap Triggering Earthquakes, Endangering Wildlife
Just when you think it can't possibly get any worsewell, it does. The Greenland ice cap is apparently melting so quickly that it is triggering earthquakes, as pieces of ice several cubic kilometers in size break off.Already, the Arctic ice cap has shrunk to the lowest level ever recorded, according to a new analysis from Seattle researchers. But scientists monitoring the meltdown say the acceleration could be catastrophic in terms of sea-level rise, making predictions by the Intergovernmental Panel of Climate Change in February far too low....

UNEP Bringing Solar Power Into Indias Rural Mainstream
For many people living in rural areas in India, clean or renewable energy is something seen as unaffordable and out-of-reach in practical terms but for the last few years, a project piloted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is attempting to change that perception by bringing solar power into the rural mainstream in India through micro-financing. The project has already reached approximately 100,000 people in the state of Karnataka saving money in the long-term and transforming the quality of life for many even if it is just to provide a few extra hours of uninterrupted lighting at night.Consistent and affordable access to clean energy sources i...

Converting Your Car To An Electric Vehicle
Gasoline-powered cars. They are perhaps the most inefficient device that many of us use daily. We really should all be driving electric vehicles. The internal combustion engine is inefficient in term of pollution, gas costs and maintenance costs (this page explains why electric cars are 90% cleaner than gas-powered cars). But, as you may have heard, there are no electric vehicles available today that resemble conventional cars or trucks. Companies like Phoenix Motorcars, Tesla Motors,

Greenwashing Your Countertop: LG Eden
First off, anyone who markets green products with lame hippie imagery should be smacked round the head, and is going to get looked at really closely. So what is it? It is a thermosetting acrylic countertop material that is "one of the most environmentally conscious acrylic products in the industry" from a company that advertises "When we go green, we go all the way."And why is it green? Because "the Eden Collection is created from a minimum of 12% pre-consumer recycled material."- somewhat akin to calling a product vegan when it is made from 88% lard. When you look at their "how to screw LEED points out of this"

10 Ways to Ensure Healthy Food
Photo credit: piperExcerpted from 10 Ways to Ensure Healthy Food for You and Your Family by Farm Aid.1. Know Your FoodAsk questions to learn about how and where your food was produced.2. Be an Active Food ShopperTell your local grocer and restaurants that you wan them to source their food from family farmersand support those that do!3. Ensure That Your Food Dollars Support Family FarmersBuy from family farmers directly and look for family farm-identified food at the grocery store....

Chinese Company Plans Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bike
Last year, we mentioned China's rush towards fuel cell technology. Although most of this work was intended to break into China's booming consumer auto market, apparently the technology is working its way into the bicycle market as well. Last week the Shanghai Pearl Hydrogen Power Source Technology Company, aka Pearl Hydrogen, unveiled a brand spankin' new bicycle powered by hydrogen fuel cells. The bike features a pair of hydrogen fuel "bottles" that can propel it up to 100km (62 miles) at 25 kph (15 mph). And, although the bike will retail for just over $2600, the company expects to reduce...

Farm Aid 2007: The Recap
Getting to Randall's Island, New York City for Farm Aid 2007: A Homegrown Festival wasn't as nerve-wrecking as we'd thought. Event buses regularly ran to and from the site, ferrying the waiting hordes at 125th St. and Lexington Ave. And we do mean hordes.New York City was sought out as a venue for the first time in the 22-year history of the annual benefit concert, which was first launched in 1985 in Champaign, Illinois to raise funds for beleaguered family farmers and to spread awareness that American farm families were struggling to make a living. (More than $30 million has been raised, to date) "Some people tho...

Most Huggable: Dark Green Fashion in NY, Renting Sun Power, Food Additives Linked to ADHD, and More
LighterFootstep likes long walks on the beach, treasure hunting, and beachcombing for coastal trash This Google Map mashup shows cob, strawbale, and other low-impact homes around the countrySunEdison doesnt want to sell you solar panels; it wants to rent you the ability to capture the suns energyWe always knew that purple drink meant trouble. A new study links food additives and attention disordersInhabitat explores the deep, dark, green depths of

Put All Your Plugs in Reach with the Electric Table
TreeHugger knows that the easiest way to avoid phantom power is to keep your power strips organized and unplug everything when you aren't using it. This isn't always the easiest task, when you have twelve cords snaking about, plugged in to strips that are hidden away beneath desks and behind shelves so they're out of the way (and really hard to reach). The Swedish design firm Broberg & Ridderstrale Design & Architecture has come up with an interesting concept to help you avoid this back-breaking, T...

Converting Your Car To An Electric Vehicle
The gasoline-powered cars. They are perhaps the most inefficient device that many of us use daily. The internal combustion engine is inefficient in term of pollution, gas costs and maintenance costs. We really should all be driving electric vehicles (see an introduction to them here). But, as you may have heard, there are no viable electric vehicles on the market today. Companies like Phoenix Motorcars, Tesla Motors, Commuter Cars and

A Picture is Worth... Playful Polar Bear
Polar bears are getting quite a lot of media attention these days because of global warming and people are becoming more familiar with them. But here's a side of them that we don't see every day: The playful side. Above is a wild male polar bear, about 1,200lbs and probably hadn't eaten in 4 months, playing with sled dogs in the North of Manitoba, Canada. This is not a unique event, it happens more often than we think in nature. Don't try this at home, though. Via ::Animals at Play...

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Failing to Protect Our Air, Again
Ozone, a chemical that occurs naturally in the upper atmosphere, helps protect us from the sun's radiation. But, when it's released close to Earth's surface through human activity, ozone is dangerous and can cause numerous adverse health effects such as asthma and lung damage. The Clean Air Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to control pollution from ozone based solely on the best available science. Yet the EPA has announced a draft ozone pollution standard that falls short of what the agency's own scientists and science advisors consider safe. In June, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a

Planet Earth Wins Four Emmy Awards
Over the weekend our family brought home some Emmy gold with their smash hit, Planet Earth! The winning categories included: Outstanding Cinematography for Non-Fiction Programming, Outstanding Music Composition for a Series, Outstanding Sound Editing for Nonfiction Programming, and top honors in the Nonfiction Series category. Not a huge shocker given the massive amount of acclaim its received, but were never the less still proud. ...

Makool Loves You & Revamped Vintage Ties
Makool Loves You, an indie boutique in Portland, Ore.the center of the known universe, these days for everything cool and craftliciousgussies up vintage men's ties with silk-screened designs, appliqus, and hand embroidery. Snag one of these $58 one-of-a-kind for your favorite corporate bot, emo boy, or Avril Lavigne teeny bopper. Take a gander at some other designs below. ::Makool Loves You....

Mater: Creating Design that Matters
Mater, a new design brand from Denmark, is showcasing that there is a better way to do business. Launching their first collection this week at the Maison et Objet fair in Paris (and continuing in a few weeks at 100% Design in London), the company's vision is to create timeless and beautiful design based on an ethical business strategy; they're looking to combine "exclusive high end home accessories with working methods that support people, local craft traditions and the environment."As such, Mater is committed to creating ethical, sustainable and socially responsible design in accordance ...

Lifehacker Tip: Optimize Your Power Strip
TreeHugger often suggests that turning off your power strip can save a lot of energy consumed by the phantom loads in so much electronic gear. I just did a quick check of my desk and found twelve devices plugged into three power bars with no rhyme nor reason; no wonder I don't practice what I preach. Gina at Lifehacker came up with four great suggestions:-Separate the always-on devices from the shutoffable ones.-Label the plugs.-Put the stuff you unplug often in easy-to-reach positions.-Position your gadgets for optimal usage.Get the detail behind these simple and logical steps at ::Lifeha...

Mining Interests and Salmon Fishers Square Off in Bristol Bay
Things are big in Alaska, including environmental battles, and none are bigger than the one brewing in Bristol Bay. That's the Bristol Bay of salmon fame, home of the largest sockeye salmon fishery in the world. Mining interests want North America's biggest deposits of gold and copper, found upstream of Bristol Bay. To get it, they're hoping to build one of the world's biggest mines, and the project would include a number of huge dams. The money involved is staggering, $300 billion in ore deposits, and $450 million in annual revenue from salmon. Claims and counterclaims make decisions difficult. Mine proposals insist tha...

Quote of the Day: Marion Nestle on Advertising to Children
Photo credit: greg_robbins Adults may be fair game for marketers, but children are not. Children cannot distinguish sales pitches from information unless taught to do so. Food companies spend at least $10 billion annually enticing children to desire food brands and to pester parents to buy them. The result: American children consume more than one-third of their daily calories from soft drinks, sweets, salty snacks and fast food. Worse, food marketing subverts parental authority by making children believe they are supposed to be eating such foods and theynot their parents...

Exporting Toxic Toys: Good Enough for Somebody Else
The Consumer Product Safety Commission just pulled another lot of childrens' art sets from Toys R Us: "Consumers should immediately take the products away from children," warned a news release from the federal government's watchdog for thousands of household items. "The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families."But evidently the same organization lets American companies ship the same crap to other countries, and last year allowed the shipping of tainted art supplies to Venesuela and contaminated crayons to Jamaica. There is not a lot of consumer protection in these countries, according to David Pittle, a former CPSC chair. "If the United States doesn't have very many in...

Farm Aid 2007: The Press Conference
Photo credit: Paul Natkin/Photo Reserve Inc. 2007While we're recovering from yesterday's completely awesome Farm Aid 2007, here are a few clips from the press conference, courtesy of the official Farm Aid blog. We'll be back with our recap in two shakes of a grass-fed lamb's tail, party people.

Microsoft Launches Private Bus Service- Windows Included
Microsoft has introduced a 14 bus fleet to keep employees happy, out of bumper-to-bumper traffic, and reduce air pollution and traffic congestion. "It is a great corporate decision to take a look at where the transportation system isn't meeting the needs of your commuters and fill in the gaps," said John Resha, general manager of the Urban Mobility Group, "The system we've got can't evolve quickly enough." Companies shouldn't have to to this; public transit should. "This is something that the county bus system should be doing and they're not," said Stephen Gerritson, executive director for Commuter Challenge, a Seattle non-profit.Like

Survey: Are Eco-Celebs Hypocrites?
Erin asks "What is behind the almost obsessive urge to point out the short-comings of celebrities that advocate living a more eco-friendly lifestyle? After writing about green celebs for a couple of years I know well the difference celebs can make when they put their weight behind a cause, so why the apparent need to disgrace high profile eco-advocates?" View MicroPoll

Drop House Project
How did we miss this? In 2005 the Drop House was built for Algeco, a huge European modular builder and space rental company. (it just bought Williams Scotsman in the States). The design team, composed of Armen Neouze, Antoine Rope-maker, Jacques Freeze and Olivier Charles took the standard item in the RV biz, the "pop-out," and turned it into architecture. The usual limits on vehicle width can really limit the space inside, so pop-outs create a lot more room. In the Drop House, they also create an external design element that completely changes the notion of trailer. ...

Camphor Hosts Carnival of the Green
This week is Carnival of the Green # 94 and it's being hosted by Camphor! 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 less than 10 dates left!), please click here to link to our previous post....

Big Steps in Building: Ban Minimum Floor Areas
We spent the summer borrowing bandwidth from a timberframe builder in Dorset, Ontario. Early in the summer his design for a small 512 square foot tower was published in a popular cottaging magazine. Brad Johnson of Portico Timberframes is quoted: "If you stay smaller and simpler, you can come up with a good design at a much lower cost, use fewer resources and minimize your impact on the environment."Except that you are not allowed to. In almost every jurisdiction around, there are minimum floor area requirements, usually designed to keep out the riff-raff and ensure that tax assessments keep going up. Brad's phone...

Organic Wool: The New Golden Fleece in Australia?
It has oft been decreed that Australia rose to prosperity on the sheeps back. Even today, half a century after those boom times eased, wool continues to represent about 6% of the gross value of agricultural production, and our sheep flock of about 107 million curly haired ruminants apparently occupy some 25% of Australias land mass. Yet organic wool seemingly only makes up 1% of this renewable fibre crop. Though international demand might succeed in pushing that higher. In May this year the country saw its largest-ever feature sale of organic wool with 620 bales of certified and accredited organic wool sold. A...

HoneyDrip: New Furniture from David Brunicardi
David Brunicardi, the San Francisco-based furniture designers we've mentioned here and here, has ventured into the world of oriented strand board (OSB) in his new collection. "HoneyDrip" utilizes OSB, a cousin to plywood made from wood chips (and made eco-friendly by using non-toxic, formaldehyde-free resins), to create an alluring, playful set of furniture; included in the collection is a coffee table and credenza (both above) as well as a cocktail table and computer desk (after the jump). Says the designers'...

The Pendulum Effect: Review And Prospects For Sustainability
Veterans of US environmental management know well the Pendulum Effect. A public health or natural resource issue enters public consciousness. California, the most populous US state, passes a law to manage the issue (Pendulum swings to the "left"). The US Congress, EPA and/or FDA regulate a bit less stringently for all states (Pendulum moves toward the "middle"). Some markets are thus made, and some lost. But overall economic impacts balance out to the positive.Subsequently, a new President takes office with a deregulatory agenda (Pendulum swings to the "hard right"). As before, it falls to States and municipalities to take the regulatory ini...

Argentine Government Shuts Down (and Re-Opens) Shell Refinery: Green or just Politics?
It is so sad that whenever we hear about something that should be good green news in Argentina, we have to start wondering what is behind it. That happened with the governments strong opposition to the installment of pulp factories in the limit between Entre Rios province and Uruguay (arguing they will contaminate the Uruguay and Rio de la Plata rivers): why did the government care so much about this river when the Parana river has dozens of pulp factories contaminating the water? Paranoid as it might sound, some groups argued that the factories were going to be installed in Entre Rios but ...

Procrastinator Alert: Current TV's Ecospot Challenge Deadline is Wednesday
Heads up, procrastinators: the 11th hour (no, not that one) has arrived. It's go time to submit your video to Current TV's :60 Seconds to Save the Earth contest, as the September 12 deadline looms. Still looking for ideas? Check out "Trading Up," a quick flick about relationships, gas mileage, and having someone that "gets you," posted above. Recall that celeb judges l...

Book Review: Green is the New Black
Tamsin Blanchard, the author of this new book on fashion and the environment, has written about style and the latest must-haves in all the major newspapers here. Whilst she is not as much of an acknowledged authority on environmental matters as Lucy Siegle, she certainly knows her stuff about fashion. She says that she loves clothes and has always loved clothes but " the problem is, lately, the whole business has started to look kind of ugly..." This is the start of a wide-ranging look at all aspects of personal style and fashion through "light green" eyes. She is not doctrinair...

Dress to Express: (the) Benefits of Cycling
Weve long pummelled our readers with the benefits of cycling. Now you can wear those sentiments on your sleeve. Well, your chest, at least. The delightful image above was design by C.I.C.L.E. (Cyclists Inciting Change thru Live Exchange) and can be found gracing their organic cotton T-shirts. C.I.C.L.E. is a a project of Social and Environmental Entrepreneurs (SEE). Based in Los Angeles they promote the bicycle as a viable, healthy, and sustainable transportation choice. Which is kinda like saying the sun rises in the east, but a message worth reinforcing at every...

Bikestation - Providing the Facilities that Cyclists Deserve
Yesterday we brought you an inspiring video of a Bike Move, which basically consists of friends moving an entire household, couches, tables and all, using nothing but pedal power. Now BikeTV bring us another great example of bike culture, namely a video of Seattles Bikestation a secure parking space for urban cyclists. We actually reported on the concept of Bikestations back in 2005, but it looks like they are now up and running in a number of citi...

The Green Bag Lunch Program: Destined For The Masses?
I must admit that Im not entirely sold on the whole idea behind the Green Bag Lunch program, but the idea does sound interesting... Essentially, for $5 you and your child head over to their website, and pick through the menu to choose tomorrows lunch. Its all healthy, organic stuff, and packed in an eco-friendly bag. Then, they ensure its delivered to your childs school tomorrow.The meal itself features a main course, two sides of fresh fruit or vegetables plus a dessert. And the bags made from only recyclable, biodegradable, or reusable materials which are, in fact, a better choice for the planet. But whos going to consistently pay the $5 for their kids lunch at school? Granted, the...

Epoq NEV - Electric Driving on a Budget
We can't all afford a Tesla, and even some fairly plain electric cars are still very pricey. You can get electric driving for an affordable price though, but you do have to make some compromises. The Epoq NEV is an electric vehicle designed for short journeys and use in hotel/industrial/academic complexes. Its low speed and short range rule it out as a viable gas vehicle replacement on highways and larger roads, but it does have one advantage - price. At only $9,500 it's certainly one of the cheaper electric vehicles on the market at the moment. You could certainly consider this for city driving, but bear in min...

Dive Into School With the Blue Planet
Scientists from Israels acclaimed Weizmann Institute have just written a textbook curriculum in Hebrew for middle school students that teaches the link between man and the environment. It recently won recognition by the United Nations educational unit UNESCO as a worldwide model for how environmental studies should be conducted. Called the Blue Planet, the book and program focuses particularly on the water cycle in the Earths ecosystems, and is intended for use as an effective learning tool through its wide and systematic approach, including various activities, experiments and field work that will help develop young students thinking skills and und...