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treehugger.com rss archive / September-14-2007
Eurobike Awards 2007 - Green Machines
You can hardly say "bikes" and "design" in the same sentence without finding something green behind the discussion. That is why we wait with great anticipation each year to learn the winners of the annual Eurobike Awards. This year, 269 entries from 27 lands made going tough for the judges at the Eurobike International Bike Conference. Top honors went to the GreenMachine, a recumbent from a small dutch company, Flevobike. This is the all-round, maintenance free bike you've been looking for. The drive train is completely enclosed, to keep your suit greaseless and your chains mud-free. A Rohloff hub ensures years of sh...
Face Off: Our Sunblock & Sunscreen Picks
1. Sunblock Vs. SunscreenSlathering yourself with sunscreen isn't the same thing as applying sunblock, a popular misconception surrounding sun protection. The key difference is how they work. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, sunscreens are chemicals that shield your skin by absorbing and/or reflecting both long- and short-wave ultraviolet rays from the sun, known as UVA and UVB, respectively. Sunblock, on the other hand, is made of physical or inorganic ingredients, such as zinc oxide and titanium dioxide, tha...
TH Forums Highlights: Edible Yards, Air-Cleansing House Plants + More
1) "Is 'hyperlocal' the new organic?" wonders Forums user OG, in relationto the topic of edible yards. Who grows their own? Who wants one? Who doesn't? "What can they do to contribute to sustainability? What are their drawbacks? Can we be food self-sufficient within a city's borders? Discuss."
Picture of the Day: Northwest Passage
I had to rotate the picture from the original source to accomodate my world view, but there it is, the northwest passage, clear from end to end. I have read of Nansen drifting in the ice, and Amundsun spending two years to get through here, and now it is something that recreational sailors are doing. Unbelievable. ::Livescience...
International Team Of Scientists To Test South Atlantic Carbon Sink In 2009
In an attempt to test the possibility of mitigating the effects of global warming, scientists from India, Germany, Italy and Chile plan on sinking carbon emissions into the Scotia Sea, off the Antarctic Peninsula in the South Atlantic, during January to March 2009.By depositing 20 tonnes of non-toxic iron sulfate into a 1,000 square kilometre area of the sea, it is hoped that the iron particles will create fertile conditions for the explosive growth of phytoplankton or algae and microorganisms that will soak up carbon dioxide....
The Travelpod: Prefab Mobile Hotel Room
Here is an idea for your next trip to Burning Man or Glastonbury: why get wet and muddy with the riffraff when you can see the show from your mobile Travelodge hotel room? It has all the accoutrements of their standard room, including a luxury double bed, bedside lights, duvet, pillows, fully carpeted floor, window blinds, dressing table & light, mirror, chair, flat screen TV, DVD player with a collection of DVD's, air conditioning, heater, bedside lights and a illuminated headboard, tea / coffee making facilities, washroom with bio-degradable toilet and washbasin with running water. All in a polycarbonate box twenty feet long by eight wide, with great views if a bit deficient in privacy...
Blissen's 2008 Hidden Habitats Calendar
West coast artists Jill Bliss and Saelee Oh have tag-teamed to bring us 13 luscious months of nature's magical, undiscovered places in all their whimsical, illustrated glory.Each 2008 calendar ($15), which measures 9.5 x 11 open, is printed in full color with vegetable-based inks on 100 percent recycled (50 percent post-consumer waste) paper, processed chlorine-free. ::Blissen...
Organic Watchdog Group Takes on Aurora Organic Dairy, USDA
Photo credit: cookingupastoryOh what a tangled web the organic industry can weave. Way back in 2005 and 2006, Wisconsin-based organic watchdog group, The Cornucopia Institute, filed complaints that the Platteville, Colo. farm owned by Aurora Organic Dairy, one of the largest organic milk and butter producers, confined thousands of organic cows in factory-like feedlots, instead of grazing them on pasture land as federal organic reg...
Wretched Excess Dept.: The View from the Onion
In The Know: Are America's Rich Falling Behind The Super-Rich?We talk often about how difficult it is for the super- rich to be green, and how unsustainable
Simple Living Manifesto: Simple Can Be Green, Too
swissmiss points us to the Simple Living Manifesto, a list of 72 ways to simplify your life. Not surprisingly, this list is full of some good green tips as well. Some favorites:9. Purge your stuff.11. Edit your rooms.13. Simplify your wardrobe.17. Limit your buying hab...
Absolut Downloads Judges: Josh Rubin
With digital designs we decide what we want from the best in the world, not what Mr. Store Manager picks out. The Long Tail is at our fingertips as we cruise from Korea to Kansas for the design that suits our taste.We have asked designers to provide examples of their work for you to download and build in our demonstration of a downloadable world, but we are also inviting the public to submit their designs as well; who knows what is out there. (Instructions here) But wait, there's more: we are putting together a talented jury to pick the best of the submitte...
Recycled Ceramics and Dishware from Sarah Cihat
Brooklyn-based designer Sarah Cihat scours garage sales and thrift shops, looking for ceramics that she can give a second life to. She takes the discarded dishware and reglazes it, turning old and frumpy cast-offs into fun, funky, artful dishes. Fond of the silhouette, most of her work features animals, people and things like anchors and skull-n-crossbones in colorful contrast the ceramics' new glaze; says the designer, "Each piece represents a rejection of more brand new products filling shelves and storage closets. Rehabilitated Dishware is a subtle statement of the importance of recycling and the renewed value of unwanted things."Her work is availab...
The Rebirth of the Seaside Pier
John McLean, Morgan Carn Partnership, Humberts Leisure & Hemsley Orrell PartnershipFrom Brighton to Atlantic City to Santa Monica, piers have been part of the culture of the waterfront. Pleasure piers were built with amusement parks and restaurants, but the main purpose was to let people walk over water in the cool sea air. After planes replaced trains and people went further for their vacations, they fell into disrepair.Now as we contemplate vacations without air travel, seaside resorts closer to home are seeing a revival, and people are thinking about piers again. BURA Seaside Network...
Bags of Goodwill
Acknowledging that everyone is getting a little fed up with the "I am not a plastic bag" phenomenon, we still couldn't ignore these great looking carrier bags. Twentytwentyone, a furniture and design store, has commissioned forty world-renowned furniture and product designers from Finland, Sweden, Germany, France, Japan, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, The Netherlands, Norway and the UK to come up with designs for Fairtrade cotton organic carrier bags. Those participating include El Ultimo Grito, Ella Doran, Jasper Morrison, Lucienne Day, Matthew Hilton, Michael Marriott, and Tord Boonjte.The bags will be on display for a week, as...
Sixteen Crazy Bikes. A Collection by Oobject
Regular readers will have seen some of these before, however for those who missed them Ooject (something like Billboard charts for gadgets) voters have curated a museum collection of 16 wacky bikes. They say they done it in honor of the Frankfurt Motor Show, record oil prices, etc, but really, who needs a reason to celebrate the fruit loopy end of the spectrum for human-powered land vehicles? Laugh, wrinkle your brow, scratch your head, vote. When we dropped by the rather chunky Gladiator Chopper, pictured above, was languishing at number 15. ::Oobject, via reader tip....
Let em Eat Cake-Good Karmas Carrot Cake IceCream
Here is a classic example of the industrial organic food product that Michael Pollan spends many pages coming to grips with in his seminal book, The Omnivore's Dilemma. An ingredients list as long as your arm, yet 90% of it is organic, and dairy free to boot. It promotes a most sustainable form of agriculture compared to, say, the usual antibiotic riddled, factory-farmed milk and genetically modified corn syrup based ice creams. Which is great. But do we need it? Would an apple grown in our backyard, or neighbourhood community garden, just as easily satisfy our sweet craving? Reduc...
Panel House Perhaps Not So Green
When we first wrote about David Hertz's Panel House, it was described as a "large, comfortable thermos". We liked it for its innovative use of refrigerator panels and other high-tech ideas. However after reading about it in the New York Times, we are reconsidering its virtues. The owner, Thomas Ennis, demolished a cottage where Jim Morrison once lived to build this 3,500 square foot glass and steel house with five car garage in the basement, complete with every energy consuming gadget that Ennis, an inventor, could think up. Push the button for the fire pit and flames leap out from a gas jet under a decorative ...
Quote of the Day: Elizabeth Kolbert on Climate-Change Skeptics
Eventually I came to think there are three major reasons [for climate-change skepticism]. One is catastrophe overload. The end of the world has been going to come several times, and we're all still here. So it's: 'Wake me up when the real end of the world is coming.'Then there's: 'If this were really as bad as you say, I would feel it by now. There'd be water lapping at my first-floor windows.' The problem is that the climate operates on a very long time lag, so if you wait until there's water lapping at your first-floor windows, you can be sure there's going to be water lapping at your second-floor windows. I don't think...
In An Absolut World: David Graas
Dutch designer David Graas is a TreeHugger favourite; we showed his new Not A Box light fixture recently, and his furniture earlier. He has contributed his Finish Yourself Stool to the download library at the Absolut Vision website; you can download and build your own scale model.Ideas, creativity and talent are global but materialization is local with downloadable designs. Try it at ::In an Absolut WorldVision of the day that we like:
Entire State Of Oklahoma Auditioning For Wind Power Play
Not the musical by Rodgers and Hammerstein: "Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain." This one will be a reality play. "Major energy players in government and business are trying to chart a billion-dollar wind frontier with Oklahoma in the middle.""They say the biggest hurdle to harnessing the region's renewable, clean and lucrative gusts is the transmission of the energy. Electricity transmission lines in rural areas, such as the Oklahoma Panhandle, are too small to satisfy the needs of populatio centers like Oklahoma City and Dallas. The plan is a logistical and financial unknown. States, their...
Expert Says: Make Healthy Fast Food Affordable
Let's face it, as much as we kvetch about them, fast-food chains and their destructive, polluting ways, aren't going anywhere anytime soon. But although fast food retailers are providing healthier food options, Nancy Childs, professor of food marketing at Saint Josephs University in Philadelphia, says that they arent providing them in a cost-effective way.Because research has demonstrated a correlation between higher rates of obesity...
A Full House For Cameron Sinclair at Idea Festival
The AMD Open Architecture Challenge was launched online to the waiting world yesterday and today, at 1pm, Cameron Sinclair will be taking it live to over 800 people at the Idea Festival at the Kentucky International Convention Center. His is the first sold out talk of the festival and everyone has come to hear him talk about the amazing work that AFH and OAN are doing. He will concentrate on the launch of AFH's first d...
The Twin Peaks of PC Design
TH appreciates good design using quality materials that get the job done. Apple, for example, was applauded mightily when their iPhone was released, suggesting it may be the last phone you will ever buy.Drawing a page from Apple's rulebook, we are now seeing PCs that also focus on extreme parts and fine design; take the HP Blackbird, pictured. Retailing for around $5500 [sic] without the monitor, HP stuffs the all-aluminum case with overclocked processors, Voodoo video cards, a 1.1 Kilowatt power supply, and liquid cooling. It even has ...
Better Displays = Better Battery Life
Those of you who passed on the frame rate trick we covered a little while back to extend your video-playing device's battery life might find this next story more interesting. Unipixel, a startup company based in Woodlands, TX, has developed a new design for a handheld display that it claims is 60% more efficient than conventional displays - one that would almost double the battery life of a cell phone (such as Apple's iPhone). Where Unipixel's display differentiates itself from its competitors is not in the technology itself - the...
Keeping Cool (and Warm) with the Sun
A Florida-based company called Solarsa has just launched one of the first pre-assembled solar cooling systems targeted specifically for commercial businesses. Its Energy Independence System 005 (EIS005) can also heat water and allows restaurants to recycle waste cooking oil. Scott Jergensen, its president, described the system as a "series of mirrors" that is "reflecting the sun into a series of collectors and is giving us electricity and hot water at the same time." The unit - which is installed at no cost (businesses just pay for the energy they use) and can produce up to
Attack Of The Vital-Juice-Sucking Chinese Stinkbugs
The Japanese beetles are bad enough, having been around my home in the hundreds of thousands for the last two growing seasons. Nothing eats them. No amount of bag trapping can control them. The good news is that all the Japanese beetles have eaten this year is my 40 foot river birch tree (3/4 denuded at end of August), all roses, all new growth on my three elephant plums, an entire climbing hydrangea, all new growth on three mature grape vines, and entire pole bean plants. The rest of the garden, however, is untouched. ...
Parking Spaces Outnumber Cars 3 to 1, Cause Environmental Problems
Photo credit: sunshinecityNo doubt about it, Americans like their carsso it shouldn't come as a shock that a ton of space is being devoted to parking spaces, whether they're suburban driveways or sprawling lots around big retailers. But a recent study by Purdue University in Indiana indicates that this growing land-use trend plays a role in heating up urban areas and trapping water pollution.The researchers surveyed the total area dedicated to parking in a midsize Midwestern county; they found that parking spaces o...
Green (Re)Building: Restoration Resources
Part of TreeHugger credo reads "'Tis better to recycle, reuse, renovate and restore than to go with new." With that in mind, here are a handful of renovation resources to help you get the most from stuff that's been around the block a time or two, courtesy of Materialicious:John Leeke's Historic Homeworks -- "Helping owners, tradespeople, contractors and professionals understand and maintain their historic and older buildings."Old House Parts Company -- focused on "18th, 19th and early 20th century restoration and home improvement Architectur...
Most Huggable: Grilling Al Franken, A Carbon Market Tanks, Barrels of Art, and More
In Australia, the countrys carbon-trading market is collapsing due to a foggy picture of its futureAl Franken is running for Senate in Minnesota. Maria Energia grills the man on his environmental agendaA new Romanian ad campaign paints the bloody scene of forest destructionThe Quality of Life Report takes stock of societys resources and its consumption habits. The paper has the right rankled, but is it even enough?French artist Francois Royer ...
TH Blog Love - Our Favourite Greens Of The Week
Camphor's: Carnival of the Green # 94 by Camphor"It is almost refreshing to see due consideration for the cost of the alternative to the environment as Vihar Seth point out the downside of Powering a Paperless World, and applaud a green digital company."Celsias: JetPack Rating System: The Volkswagen Chameleon by Doug Snodgrass"To recap, the JetPack Rating System is used to not only begin the healing process, but also for rating automobiles and buildings by a due...
Tuvalu to World: Help!
The tiny Pacific nation of Tuvalu is urging the rest of the world to do more to combat global warming, before the island-state sinks beneath the ocean's lapping waves.Home to some 10,000 people, the group of atolls and reefs is barely two meters above sea level. A 1989 U.N. report predicted that, at the current rate the ocean is rising, Tuvalu could vanish in the next 30 to 50 years. "We keep thinking that the time will never come. The alternative is to turn ourselves into fish and live under water," Tuvalu Deputy Prime Tavau Teii told Reuters....
Clean Up the Beach & Have Fun Doing It with the Bottle-Legged Octopus
One of the ideas behind creating meaningful, impactful educational experiences is, "You gotta make it fun." Here's a brilliant concept designed to do just that when it comes to learning to clean up the beach. This cute little octopus (although, technically, it's just got six legs, so...sextopus?) is missing his legs; collecting discarded plastic bottles will both restore its limbs and make it buoyant enough to float. Trash = toy, just like that. It might be so much fun that us big kids would help collect new legs, too. Hit the jump to see what happens when the little guy has all six legs. via
EcoGeek of the Week: Karl Schroeder
Karl Schroeder is the second science fiction writer to come out of the southern Manitoba Mennonite community (after A.E. van Vogt). Born in 1962, Karl grew up in a household full of books. He moved to Toronto in 1986 to pursue a dream of being a novelist, and now lives there with his wife and daughter.Karl has been a fixture in the Canadian SF writing community since the late 1980s, establishing a growing reputation with acclaimed and award-winning short stories. Since his first appearance in the American market, he has enjoyed continued and increasing success. His previous novels
Honda's FCX Fuel Cell: Production in 2008?
Ever since we first saw Honda's FCX fuel cell concept, we've been dreaming of the day that it would finally enter production and hit the streets. They've told the world to wait a few years for production and have been teasing us by intermittently showing it off; now the latest word on the street is: limited production in Japan and the US in 2008. Hey, that's next year!Wallpaper*
Mazda Shows Off Car Interiors from Biofabric
In what could be the next frontier of the green car race, the car company Mazda has developed an interior automotive fabric made from plants. It could be that Mazda saw Honda's biofabric development last year and wanted to jump on board with one of their own. What can we say - good ideas travel fast.This paragraph is dedicated to the engineering geeks: The biofabric is made of 100% polylactic acida plastic created by combining large numbers of lactic acid molecules that are made from fermented carbohydrates such as plant sugars. ...
India's PM: No Subsidies, More Local Water Conservation Strategies
In the face of a mounting water crisis, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh outlined his plan for water conservation at a national groundwater conference in Delhi on Tuesday, stating that instead of economic and commercial subsidies, a price should be put on water usage. At the same time, he urged all local governments to come up with effective strategies to popularize rain-harvesting and to engage in maintaining traditional reservoirs through more sustainable means.Water conservation and management can be done better through a package of incentives and penalties, he said. However, he noted that for the plan to be effective, other changes across the board have to be made,...
Oaxaca Boosts Eco-Tourism Sector
The southern Mexican state of Oaxaca recently launched its first annual eco-tourism fair to promote the state's burgeoning array of eco-tourism options. Fourteen communities participated in the fair, showcasing projects that include eco-tourism, adventure tourism and rural tourism.To date the state boasts 19 collectives, 30 private companies, seven sustainable agriculture farms and five coffee farms involved in eco-tourism. The state's tourism secretary, Beatriz Rodrguez Casasnovas, noted that the sector has thus far generated $1.7 million (19 million pesos), much of it benefiting small communities in need of economic opportunities. Eco-tourism, according to the
Three Million Trees Planted in Mexico City This Summer
Earlier this summer Mexican President Felipe Caldern unveiled his government's National Climate Change Strategy, a plan with specific targets for reducing as much as 25 billion tons of CO2. The plan isn't pegged to any particular year's levels, but lists opportunities for emissions reduction and carbon capture by 2014.The comprehensive carbon-sequestration section features a call to plant 250 million trees in 2007, the development of wood-based biofuels in forest communities and restoration of agricultural lands. While the tree-planting goal is obviously quite ambitious, the Distrito Federal, or Federal District, which encompasses much of Mexico City, has made a solid contribution to the goa...
German Town Scraps Road Signs to Increase Safety
Drachten roundaboutIt started in the Dutch city of Drachten: Anarchy on the roads, no signs, no lights. Now they are trying in in the German town of Bohmte: no signs or lights, ripping up the sidewalks and asphalt and replacing it all with cobblestones. It's called "shared space," a concept developed by Dutch traffic engineer Hans Monderman. Speigel notes: According to the concept, road users have to negotiate their behavior with each other, rather than have it prescribed by rules -- the idea being that people will pay more attention to what other road users are doing and hence cause fewer accidents. ...
RideAmigos: Car-Sharing in NYC
Ride-sharing gets up close and local for New Yorkers with RideAmigos, a new money- and planet-saving service that launched earlier this month. The site, which allows you to create cab-shares online, hooks you up with other New Yorkers who are embarking from the same place or headed to the same destination....
In the Shadow of the Moon
In the Shadow of the Moon, producer Ron Howard's breathtaking latest film, chronicles the history of the Apollo program by bringing together the surviving crew members of every manned Moon mission. With the help of digitally restored, rarely before-seen archival footage, the former astronauts describe, in their own words, a time when humans walked on the face of another world.The Apollo program was forged in the middle of the Cold War; In 1961, President John F. Kennedy delivered a speech to Congress challenging the United States to put a man on the Moon and return him safely back to Earth before the decade was up. ...
BuyGreen: Women's Jeans
[Ed. note: This is the second in our series of BuyGreen Guides, TreeHugger's helping hand for a quick, easy, hip way to shift your life in a greener direction today. Check out the Men's Jeans guide and stay tuned for more.]TreeHugger loves denim for its versatility: dress up your jeans with a blazer and heels for an impressive first impression; dress 'em down with a t-shirt and sneakers for running errands; or sex 'em up with a blouse or button-down for a night on the town. With so many choices out there (and more being added every day), it can be hard to find the right combination ...
Watch FarmAid 2007 Online
Photo credit: Paul Natkin/Photo Reserve Inc. 2007Didn't make it to FarmAid this year? You can catch all 21 sets of the entire Randall's Island show online, including performances by The Counting Crows (above), until Thursday, Sept. 19. (After that, it will be accessible to FarmAid members only.)Watch it for a small donation or, if you're feeling cheap, for free. Don't be that cheap person. ::FarmAid...
Fall Fashion 07: Positivitee
Wear your favorite cause on your chest (or hip, as the case may be) with Positivitee's line of sweatshop-free activist shirts and tees. "My daughters and I wish to walk softly on the Earth," says Heidi Matonis, the company's president and founder. "But we also wish to be heard."Coming this fall are six new designs, printed on 100 percent organic cotton Henley and thermal shirts, with a show of support Retired Thoroughbred Foundation (above), Oceana, Save the Children, Heifer International, the
Green Basics: Organic Food
Though known colloquially as food that is grown more healthily (and is more expensive), in order for organic food to be certified as such, it must be produced under specific, legally-regulated standards and be subject to testing in order to retain certification. In agriculture, this means that crops were grown without the use of conventional pesticides, artificial fertilizers or sewage sludge, and that they were processed without food additives (like chemical preservatives). When it comes to animals, they must be reared without the routine use of antibiotics and growth hormones and fed a diet of organic foods. In most countries, organic produce must no...
Arm & Hammer Dye and Fragrance-Free Detergent
Arm & Hammer has developed a dye- and fragrance-free version of its Essentials Liquid Laundry detergent for people with sensitive skin. Made from naturally derived surfactants and biodegradable plant-based soaps, the dermatologist-tested detergent also contains no phosphates, bleaches, or petroleum-based cleaners.This new formulation is more concentrated, which means more value for money and less packaging for the same amount of product. You can also get Arm & Hammer's Essentials Fabric Softener Sheets that are made from 100 percent plant-based soaps, although we recommend skipping the disposables and making your own. Simply mist a moist washcloth with a dab of liquid fabric soften...
Sierra Nevada Brewery: Beer Powered by the Sun
By the end of this month, the Sierra Nevada Brewery will be almost entirely off the grid. Already, the brewery has four fuel cells operating 70 to 75 percent of the facility's power, according to Cheri Chastain, the company's sustainability coordinator.In a few short weeks, the solar panels they've been installing all summer will be ready to capture some rays, enabling the brewery to approach 100 percent self-sufficiency when the sun is at its peak. (Chastain expects the brewery to be around 80 percent efficient during off-peak hours, at night, or on cloudy days.)Already a model of sustainability, the brewery also focuses efforts in recycl...
Pull the Plug on Vampire Power For Good with GreenSwitch
For all you phantom load haters, vampire power fighters and idle current killers: check out GreenSwitch, a new wireless home energy control system. With the flick of a switch, you can turn off all the electronics in your home that aren't being used, effectively cutting off all standby power from your TV, stereo, lights and other devices that draw power whether or not they're actually switched on (somewhat reminiscent of this concept). Originally developed for the hotel industry, GreenSwitch has crossed over to the residential market, and it gets the "
Razing Buffalo: Why is This Happening?
When I was in high school, we used to race to Buffalo on double lunches. It had everything: great art deco buildings, great shopping and terrific wings. It also has a great location on the biggest source of fresh water in the world, Niagara Falls for cheap green power, and a canal straight to New York City. It has the infrastructure we need to support the people who will no longer live in Phoenix because of the heat and the cost of fuel. As John asks, How Long Until The Rust Belt Becomes The Life Belt?Yet so much has changed. The New York Times says that "today, in this city beaten down by decades of factory closings and res...
TreeHugger Radio: Greenlands Bounce-back, Norways Organic Prison, and Seattles Goats
This week, Jasmin Malik Chua looks at how Greenlands melting glaciers are causing bedrock bounce-back, and what this means for earthquakes and volcanoes on the top of the world. Stan Cox tells how the go-go housing boom left America with an extra large serving of McMansions; and how the green home alternative isnt necessarily any better. In Norway, theyve got a green prison where inmates recycle and eat organic. And in Seattle, councilman Richard Conlin is about to win a fight that will let his citizens
Warren Buffett's Jet Company Makes Carbon Offseting Mandatory
While this isn't likely to make a lick of difference to you or us, it should garner the attention of those eco-celebs who still do quite a bit of flying to promote their initiatives. NetJets, the jet company owned by Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway, has just announced that from now on it plans on incorporating the costs of carbon offsetting into the bills of their European operations' clientele - which will add about 4,000 (or 2,720) to a customer's yearly cost.According to Mark Booth, the chairman of NetJets Europe, 3 of the company's top 5 customers ...
Aging U.S. Sewers Ready to Burst
Recent flooding in the Midwest has dredged up yet another crisis involving nation's aging infrastructure: Heavy rains are regularly overwhelming worn-out sewer systemssome cities have sewage pipes that are 50 to 100 years oldresulting in sewage overflow and, causing lake and river pollution, and generally being very very unsanitary (to say the least).Roughly 860 billion gallons of raw or partially treated sewage are pumped by already overtaxed sewer systems into America's waterways, says the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (...
Team 7: Sustainable Wood Furniture, Naturally
TreeHugger never tires of finding examples of companies and designers that have discovered that there is a better way to do things. Safer, healthier materials, designs that will last for generations and manufacturing that considers the planet and its people are all hallmarks of this "better way" and the latest example we've found is Austria-based Team 7. Their wide variety of classically-inspired modern furnishings is made largely with wood, which all comes from sustainably-certified forests; when it comes to manufacturing, the company has earned the Austrian Ecological Quality Certification for their ecologically-friendly...
Revisiting Potenco's Innovative Pull-Cord Generator
In an ideal world, most of our energy needs would be met by cheap, simple, yet elegant devices like Potenco's revolutionary pull-cord generator (PCG). We've raved about this power generator before and - during our brief romp through this year's WIRED Nextfest - had the chance to meet Colin Bulthaup, the startup's ambitious CEO, and test the device out for ourselves. With very little effort, we were quickly able to generate enough energy to power half an hour of talk time on a cell phone and 2 hours' wor...
Wacky Life-Sized Chess Match Aims to Educate, Cool Planet
Whats one unique, creative way to draw attention to global warming and the issues surrounding it? Well, the folks at Global Inheritance recently came up with the idea of an ultimate chess match played on a life-sized board between the forces of good and evil. Yep, that means hummers vs. bikes, coal vs. solar, factories vs. trees It all played out this weekend during the Virgin Festival in Toronto as a fun, great way to get people thinking about the better choices they can make to help slow the process of climate change that promises to checkmate all of...
How Long Until The Rust Belt Becomes The Life Belt?
Alabama is contemplating a pipeline to the Great Lakes. We've said it time and again: transient drought will not drive the US Federal government to pipe Great Lakes water to the drought stricken states. If it becomes severe enough, and the impacts come as fast as they did during the Dust Bowl era of the 1930's, it will be the citizens that move to the water and jobs, not the other way around. Let's not forget that agriculture is the largest consumptive water use category and that farmers in Alabama, like farmers everywhere, want their share of corn ethanol profits. Check out this headline from
Quote of the Day: Emily Enderle on Diversity in the Environmental Movement
Photo credit: chrisjfry It is an exciting time to be a member of the environmental movement in the United States. Large events and organizations, including the Super Bowl, the Oscars and Yahoo, are becoming carbon neutral. The largest global retailer, Wal-Mart, ...
Organic for Outdoors - Klattermusens Rimfaxe Jacket
When, last year, we dropped by Swedish outdoor gear maker, Klattermusen, we thought their Einride jacket might be made from organic cotton. We can now confirm that to be true. And theyve added other models, like the Rimfaxe, seen here, and pants. A highly wind and water resistant (tho' not wproof) super dense weave of SKAL certified organic cotton.But theyve taken the environmental design issue further and made these garments fluorocarbon-free. That is the water repellent finish on the exterior of the cloth that makes water bead into droplets (when the garment is new) is no longer a teflon-like derivative. But it was a...
Recipe of the Week - Chocolate Cake
My beloved daughter has just left for her second year of university. There are two big differences between this year and last for me. The first is that I am no longer a neophyte empty nester. I don't sob in public anymore. I still miss her like mad, but I am cool about it. The second is that she no longer lives in residence and now rents an apartment, where she may cook. So, I have undertaken a little project for her which I did for my son when he moved from home a few years ago. I am compiling and handwriting a book of her favourite recipes for her to use in her new home. My husband is devoted to his computer and thinks I am nuts to spend all that time writing whe...
The Take On Plastic Bags in Israel
There is no way to put it delicately Israelis its time to get rid of the plastic bag fetish.Bags that cling to coral reefs strangle the coral to death in the same way that they can cause the death of a person whose head is wrapped in a plastic bag, said Benny Shalmon, the regional biologist of the Nature and Parks Authority of Eilat in a recent Haaretz expose on Israels plastic bag problem. ...
Ktrak: Putting the Mountain in Bike
Snow is probably not the first thing on many of readers minds right now (though way down here, some is forecast for the mountains this weekend). But no matter. For the makers of the Ktrak say this rear track drive bicycle is equally at home in sand, as the winter white stuff. Strictly speaking its not their bike, but yours. They simply supply the kit and you take off the wheels and affix the caterpillar-like drive to the rear, and if so inclined, a ski runner to the front. Shown to the trade last year the 26 version should be turning up in shops soon, with 20 and 24 models due for release early next year. It adds bout 5-7lbs (2.2 - 3kg) to a normal bikes total weight. With a claimed 25 times...
Baby Clothes for that Special One
These exquisite baby clothes, hand-knit out of pure organic cotton, come with a heart-warming treehugger-style story. Made in Paraguay, by a small company started up by two sisters--one lives there and the other lives in London. They had wanted to do something ecological and sustainable and of good design and from their country. After getting pregnant they came up with their idea. Beautiful hand-knit baby clothes, made from the softest organic cotton grown in their native land. They are working with local people, employing 34 neighbourhood women to do the knitting and crotcheting. Some pieces are hand-loomed and embroidered as well. They named their company aravore which me...
Mr Motorvator: An Electric Assist Kit for the Brompton folding bike
The idea of a folding electric bike is pretty revolutionary. Couple the efficiency of a bicycle with the benefit of electric assist for heavy loads, weaker riders, or the avoidance of a sweaty commute, AND with the convenience of being able to carry it on mass transit, and youve got a pretty formidable mobility machine. Weve covered two such devices before, the Panasonic Off Time, and the
Breaking Green Records In Philadelphia
"Philly Car Share now claims 25,000 members, and has lowered midweek rates on Priuses to $2.90/hour, $29/day." I had a stereotype Philadelphia Pennsylvania as being bit slow on the green uptake; but those high and growing car-share membership numbers indicate otherwise. Think how many fewer parking spaces are needed when that many people share cars. And there's less "stuff" needed to make transportation happen. The idea of giving customers free rail passes to get to and from the shared cars is a brilliant green business tactic. Think about how much more empowering it is for people thinking of m...
Triko: Streetwear With A Soul
Streetwear designer Hector Estradas fashion line Triko not only gives good style, it gives back to the Earth. Organic cotton textiles and coconut shell and tagua hardware help Estrada craft his vision of fashion with a purpose. Says Estrada, "A lot of times as a designer, you're reminded that this career isn't rocket science and that nobody's life depends on what you do. The more I thought about it, though, I thought, 'This may not be huge, but I can use it as a vehicle to bring awareness to more important things.' "Among the things Triko is bringing awareness to is the cause for threatened a...
Guilt-Free Teak and Rosewood?
Luxury hardwoodsthere's just so much controversy over this one. New is very bad...and reclaimed? Well, then we just wonder what slice of architectural history was torn down. But here comes hardwood supplier East Teak. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, this firm is the first in North America to distribute reclaimed teak and rosewood stamped with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) seal of approval. Hailing from U.K.-based Brooks Brothers UK, Ltd. (no relation to the clothing company), each piece of wood is gleaned from old buildings by hand, according to East Teak, and can be ...
Return Of The Ferries: Fun & Profit With Efficiency
Yesterday Lloyd posted on the rebirth of pier vacationing: a logical outcome of reduced-impact travel and the local vacation options that had been cherished by our grandparents. Add to that, ferries are coming back...at least to the US Great Lakes."Plans for a passenger and cargo ferry crossing Lake Erie between Ontario, Canada, and Lake County got a boost Wednesday from Canadian officials who agreed to put $315,000 toward a study...But Lake County must compete with Ashtabula and Cleveland port authorities seeking similar agreements to launch ferries. Local officials expect only one ferry line will b...
Survey: If You Wanted A Pet, Where Would You Go?
While nosing around our sibling sites at Discovery I found Petfinder.com, a free matchmaking site with 255,653 pets looking for homes. Being the type of person who sees dogs only as producers of crap on the sidewalk, I found the numbers absolutely staggering- there are that many abandoned pets in shelters in America? According to our How to Green Your Pet, 70,000 puppies and kittens are born every day in the US. Where do they all go? Do animal lovers take them from shelters or chase expensive purebreds?photo from cut...
Chicago Company Offers Hybrid Conversions
Chicago based company, NetGain, create and fit plug-in hybrid conversion kits for trucks. They are also working on kits for smaller cars, which will be available in 2-3 years. NetGain employee, David Cloud, shows us how it all works in this not so in-depth piece from Fox News. Apparently the kit can improve the efficiency of a standard panel truck by 20-30%. This is a large percentage rise, but when you consider that t...
Giant 40 Million Battery for the UK
UK electricity company, Eon, are planning to build a huge battery to store power from sustainable electricity sources. Because sources like wind and solar aren't constantly reliable, some kind of storage is necessary if a 100% sustainable grid is to be created in the future. This is especially true of solar power in the UK, where sunshine is as elusive as an honest politician....
Ethanol: It's a Pasta Disasta
We have noted previously that demand for ethanol feedstocks has driven up the price of beer in Germany, tortillas in Mexico and pasta in Italy; Yesterday the Italians demonstrated that they have had enought of high prices and went on strike.Consumer groups organized protests in Rome, Milan and Palermoand even handed out free pasta, bread and milk to passers-by to help ease the pain for those who decided to support the strike and forego pasta purchases at...