kuros said:
"not in St. Louis Mo
Prop M to fund and expand rapid transit
failed
Big cuts coming this spring..." [read]
John said:
"It's still an island. Any serious poaching is going to be a close-ended proposition pretty quick. ..." [read]
John said:
"I don't know about the cats, but any tool library with four dibbles gets my vote.
Sounds like a locavore's dream...." [read]
Johnny Yuma said:
"Throwing chemicals that can cause injury to others is battery. Fouling the anchor of a ship at sea risks the lives of all hands aboard.
Boa..." [read]
Ron Wagner said:
"All the above are correct and insightful. Please educate yourself on this issue. Read Alcohol Can Be a Gas. Read up on ethanol and cattle fed. The ..." [read]
AJ said:
"Whilst it is mostly cheap wine that appears in the "Chateau Cardboard" packaging, there is at least one wine (Banrock Station) that put the same qu..." [read]
If you’ve been waiting for something great to make you stand up and find a way to change the world there’s no doubt that the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge is built for you. Launched in collaboration between the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the Siemens Foundation and Discovery Communications as a means to educate, empower and inspire students and their teachers to become agents of change in making the environment a top issue in their neck of the woods.
And the prizes for the top entries that students submit are sure to grab their attention!
Taking creativity and sustainability to the next level, workers in Maggie's Organics new worker-owned coop are now using left-over scraps from the crew-top organic socks manufactured there to make sock monkeys. This is the first product produced by the worker-owned co-op, located in North Carolina, and is the first product made for the Eco-Menagerie line. Each of the monkeys has distinct detailing like two-toned arms, sewn-on faces and mischievous smiles, and they come in a variety of shades.
It is not with any infrequency that I get asked the “what else can I do” question. People and families who are already buying local and organic foods, being conservative in their fuel and electricity consumption, composting and recycling, and plenty of other “beginner” steps, email me to ask, “so what else can we do?” To this I give two answers: get others on board (as in, encourage your neighbors) and volunteer.
There are hundreds of thousands of worthy organizations out there doing tremendously good work, but they could do so much more with a little extra help – your time, talents or money. I have a few favorite organizations that I support: The Organic Center (of which I am a board member), microfinance institutions like FINCA, other food and environmental groups, and another recent favorite: The Breast Cancer Fund. Here’s why I’m so into The Breast Cancer Fund.
MTV’s Environmental Campaign Slams False Green Claims
Whether it’s political greenwash or commercial greenwash, lying, exaggerating or otherwise distorting truths to appear more sustainable than you really are is not something we TreeHuggers take lightly. It would seem that we’re not alone either – MTV have just released the above video as part of their Switch Campaign – targeting companies, politicians and celebrities for eco-hypocrisy. All together now:
The Eco-fy store is an online art shop where all of the profits from the sold artwork go to environmental causes. The work appears to be done by a semi-mysterious artist referred to only as Artist McKenzie. According to the website, the artist uses sustainable wood frames, either tree-free or recycled paper, and uses eco-friendly inks on all of her works.
Planet Green's Junior Producer, Rebecca Goodman rocks out at the Virgin Music Festival and brings back the eco-scoop.
At 10:30 a.m., on a recent Saturday morning, I began my journey to the Virgin Music Festival in Balitmore which has Pimlico Race Track rocking out the green way. Leaving from West Falls Church, VA, I elected to take public transportation to get myself to what would turn out to be a green-leaning and totally good time.
With the school year just beginning and Christmas not too far away there’s a great line of plush toys designed to help teach kids about the world around them that just may work well in the early elementary or PreK classroom or even as a stocking stuffer.
The toys, called Idbids, are a trio of colorful characters that each encourage kids to make “iddy biddy” steps to go green through various activities that work to simplify complex issues and make them easy for kids to understand.
Each character has green feet, it’s very own personality and is dedicated to a particular environmental element.
I do... Want Solar Power
Our friends at the Daily Green have a nice heart-warming story about Sarah and Kiril Lozanov, a young couple who decided to use their wedding registry to go solar. They couldn't afford the 1.7kw solar system needed to power their 800 sq. ft. condo by themselves.
"As we curled up to create our gift registry, we talked about the kind of life we wished to lead,” recalled Sarah Lozanov, a renewable energy specialist at Solar Servicein Illinois. “We thought about the clean, healthy world we value, and concluded that the only thing really wanted was a solar system,” she said.
Read on to find out how they educated their families about solar power and what commitments they had to make to their homeowner’s association.
Fake Plastic Fish: Affluence: Sustaining the flow by Beth Terry
"Having affluence means that the good things in life flow toward you. But if affluence is flow, then do those of us lucky enough to have been born into great (relative) wealth have a responsibility to keep the waters moving, to sustain (our word from last month) the flow? Or is it our right to dam it up and stop it, thinking we can keep all the goodies for ourselves?"
Inhabitots: MEET THE MAKER: Kristen Angelo of Boopalina & Bebe by Desmond Williams. "Boopalina & Bebe is a playful, independent children’s eco-lifestyle brand with an offbeat, alternative design edge. Today we’d like to share our interview with Boopalina & Bebe founder Kristen Angelo. This interview is the first of our ‘Meet the Maker’ series where Inhabitots writers go behind the scenes to chat with designers about what inspired them to ‘go green’ and push forward on the frontier of sustainable design for families."...
Photo: courtesy Richard Byrd
Got three million and change? Get in line. The hottest eco-friendly home on the market is a $3.5 million, LEED Platinum, 1920s Spanish stunner recently renovated by Adrian Grenier’s go-to green expert Richard Byrd of “Alter Eco” fame. The guy may be brand new in the eco-development department, but in this, his first sustainable home, he hits all the marks. Think reclaimed materials like 300-year-old Spanish roof tile, CFL bulbs, solar trees, low-flow sinks and toilets, and a carpet made entirely from post-consumer waste recycled plastic water bottles. (Check out more pics after the jump!) And that's not all...
...
In Kyoto, Japan, the 9th International Manga Summit was held on September 6-8, 2008 and the main theme for this convention was "Environmental Innovation". Those in charge of the summit note:
Kyoto was the site of the United Nation's Convention on Climate Change. We envision a convention that will boost awareness of sub-themes such as "global warming prevention", "dietary education", and "The 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle)", while advocating the passing of the torch of a promising culture to the children and young people responsible for the next generation.
In fact, comic arts in Japan has a long tradition of using the screen or manga book to convey environmental messages as important parts of the plot. One of the pioneers, Tezuka Osamu, was way ahead of the times with his early trailblazing works from the 1940s and 1950s, often set in a future filled with robots and high-tech gadgets - and Astroboy as the hero helping the underdogs against unfair destructive development, as in the classic episode of Red Cat from 1980 that you can watch below the fold!...
If you’re looking for the place where committed teachers, parents, administrators government officials and a whole host of other school related and not-so-school related personnel get together to compare best practices and stimulate their nerve endings when it comes to environmental issues and our schools there’s no better event than the Go Green Earth Summit, and the conference this year is next month in Syracuse, NY.
...
Oops, Photos of Production Volt Leaked
Finally, a look at the production version of the GM Volt plug-in hybrid. These are from a media site (explaining the guys in suits standing around - they are engineers who worked on the Volt), and according to the Detroit News, the leak was accidental.
Less Edgy, More Mainstream
As you can see above (and many more photos below), the production Volt is a lot less angular than the concept Volt. It looks a lot more like a normal car, taller and less sporty, but more practical. While some car nuts will mourn the loss of some of the distinctive traits of the concept volt, we're pretty sure that this new look, which is closer to the Mazda 3, will attract more buyers. Read on for more photos....
Image source: Do It Green! Minnesota
For those living in Minnesota and wanting to go green, look no further than the Do It Green! Minnesota Magazine, (formerly the Twin Cities Green Guide). Now in its second year, the magazine offers over 100 articles on becoming more environmentally conscious around your home and neighborhood.
The magazine is not a "buy green guide," though there are some business resources on the last few pages, but rather a huge resource on how to get your hands dirty saving the planet. Each page includes a new article on a green topic, as well as additional business and reading resources, to provide you with more information. Some of the more interesting articles include: "Sue's Starters for Global Warming Action," "The Connection Between Recycling and Global Warming" "Who is Teaching Your Child?" "Good Neighbor Agreements" and "Eco by Stealth." "The How to Get Your Representatives to Listen" is written by Minnesota House of Representatives Elected Official Paul Gardner....
Band tours 5,000 miles unsupported by automobile
We caught with the Ginger Ninjas when they played the Davis Farmers Market, but they’ve been rather busy since then. We borrow directly from their website; “In 2007, the Ginger Ninjas became the first band in the history of rock and roll to tour by bicycle, unsupported by automobile. On a 5,000 mile [8,000 km] odyssey from their home in Northern California to the pyramids of southern Mexico, they promoted transportation cycling while also exploring the frontiers of pedal-generated electricity, using their own bikes to power a hyper-efficient sound system.”
Apparently the listening audience were encouraged to take turns getting up on stage to pedal the bikes to make the sound, taking as the Ginger Ninjas put it, “crowd participation to a new level.” What was conjured up as ‘a one-time adventure/statement/experiment’ has now taken on a life of its own and the band is endeavouring to develop the concept into a rather audacious world tour. ...
Despite the fact that there’s often so many things stacked against kids growing up in the inner-city, there’s one young eco-hero that’s defying the odds and making an incredible difference while helping to shed a bit of light on how successful students can be at affecting change in their own neighborhoods.
Because when Juan Hernandez recently moved to West Oakland from Bakersfield, California and found his asthma flaring up to the point where he could no longer engage in his favorite sport, running, he decided to step up and do something about it.
...
Two of us folk singers are ditching our station wagons to tour the country by train instead.
The music and the mechanism that will propel us around the country has become appropriately named Railroad Folk. Here is the story of how we sewed together our tour by train. ...
Palin on the Environment, Beyond the Sound Bites
We’ve all heard the big ones by now: Sarah Palin doesn’t believe in global warming (as a result of human practices, at least), she’s suing the federal government to get polar bears removed from the endangered species list, and she vigorously supports opening the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve up for drilling.
But Palin’s stance on environmental issues is far more detailed than those simple, sound bite-friendly talking points. A recent Associated Press article delves into her repeated run-ins with environmentalists and federal marine scientists and breaks down her votes on a slew of environmental issues. Take a look at some of the Alaskan governor’s votes and stances:...
Solar powered Hello Kitty chargers sound adorable, right? And the little one just has to have every piece of Hello Kitty merchandise there is—it’s part of the collector’s set! She needs them all! Even the overwhelmingly pointless, waste-producing products like this Hello Kitty Disposable Solar Powered Cell Phone Charger.
...
http://view.break.com/565864 - Watch more free videos
We're no strangers to liberal thinking, alternative medicine, or off-beat ideas. Hell, it's no accident that the very name "TreeHugger," is a play on the hippie-type folks that stood up and changed the face of environmentalism a few decades ago. Of course, when we started this site in the summer of 2004, our goal was to take green mainstream with some figurative tree-spiking (and modern design--check out our very first post) but it will always take a certain amount of radical thinking to keep the movement going.
The infamous group Earth First knows that. The purposely decentralized anti-organization that has randomly reared its head over the past few decades has alternately been blamed and taken credit for wreaking environmental havoc with stunts such as tree-sitting and car-bombing. In the video above, they're (supposedly) at it again. Only this time they're not being destructive, but rather taking part in a kind of ritualistic primal scream therapy session that can only be described as the Passion of the Trees.
Surely their good intentions, compassion, and close relationship with nature are a good thing. But is their new-age enthusiasm the kind of alternative approach that will throw a monkeywrench in the current mainstreaming of green? Or is it just the antidote we need to a world being flooded with greenwashing? Tell us what yo think in the comments below.
Via:: Linkognito...
While there may be no doubt that school fundraising of all angles is a standard of the educational system in America and beyond, there’s one product that you just may never heard of being used to help raise funds for schools; carbon offsets.
With a new program called Brighter Schools put out by the folks at Brighter Planet, schools receive 20% of the cash raised from any purchase of carbon offsets through the program by students, teachers, friends and allies of their school. There’s even a way for schools to track their overall impact as a team reducing their carbon footprint through the website.
...
Though Amy Winehouse, the pop singer I erroneously reported would open Holland's "sustainable" WATT dance clublast week was nowhere near Rotterdam (Iggy Pop & The Stooges were the opening act), there were revelers enough to light up the dance floors and gaze upon the gray water toilet flushing system in the lavatories.
30% electricity reduction 50% water, waste, CO2 reduction
WATT is the first creation of a group of entrepreneurs united under the name Sustainable Dance Club, and planning to expand the concept, perhaps first to London or Berlin. WATT's signature feature is the piezo-electric dance floor - a meter shows dancers what they are generating (approximately 5 - 10 watts per person) and also drives LED lights in the floor.
Environment and hedonism hand in hand?
But the London club Surya Club4Climate is saying it was first with a piezo-electric dance floor with "crystal blocks which generate up to 60 percent of the club's electricity." Hard to say who has the greener disco, but hit the jump for info on Surya's run-in with Friends of the Earth and the clubs' credos....
Image source: Getty Files
Feeling overwhelmed about the state of the planet? Read this book. Feeling like you could be doing more but don't know what to do? Read this book. Feeling like everyone is pointing and laughing because you're an eco-geek who is into recycling, composting and reusing plastic silverware? Read this book.
Flight of the Hummingbird: A Parable for the Environment, is the tale of a forest that is on fire and how the different forest animals respond to the challenge. It is often the smallest and least likely in the crowd who can make the biggest difference. The subtitle of this book should have been, 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.' Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is the illustrator and each of the drawings are so appropriate and fit in beautifully with the story. ...
Comedy Show Tackles Clean Energy
From the Earth to America environmental comedy show, through National Energy Wasting Day to our coverage of The Onion’s “Obligatory Green Issue”, we TreeHuggers are not averse to the occasional joke in our quest for a greener world. But I for one must say that the idea of an entire comedy show based on renewable energy is a little surprising. What’s even more surprising is that it’s actually pretty good. Take host Chuck Roy’s take on New Belgium Brewery’s wind-powered beer:...
Etsy is holding a contest to pick web readers' favourite choices of handmade children's items in seven different categories: furniture, toys, eco-friendly, art, home decor, clothes and accessories. All are made for children by independent designers. Etsy is that wonderful website that features all things handmade to buy and sell by artists and artisans. Everyone can vote for their favourite items and win a chance to go on an Etsy shopping spree--now that's a fun prize.
Yours truly is the judge for the eco-friendly category (no hints on my choice). And what a delightful selection there is. We have already written about Sam, the mischievous stuffed toy for little boys. A big fat lion made out of vintage fabrics will be a jungle friend for your little one. With autumn coming all too soon, there is a sweet selection of hats for the girls. The forest green hat out of felted wool with a flower stitched on is a real cutie. As is the hairband made with eco-spun felt and a vintage button. But keep an eye out for the other categories too: a vintage chair with a handwoven seat and a charming little rocking chair with painted flowers. Vote before September 8, 2008. :: EtsyMore on Etsy
:: Etsy Debuts Handmade Challenge
:: Etsy Gets Trashioned
:: How to Green Your Baby...
With kids across America heading back to school there’s no better time to take a look at a unique line of notebooks that just may make a difference while helping them realize the importance of considering their paper usage on a daily basis as The Banana Paper Company has put out these spiral notebooks with the eco-conscious child in mind....
While I’m not sure exactly how many Hindus read TreeHugger, but considering that tomorrow is Ganesh Chaturthi I thought I’d pass along this video clip.
Last year about this time Jasmin wrote about how one Pune-based company, eCoexist is trying to raise awareness about the environmental hazards of immersing idols made of plaster of paris into water—a practice which increases water pollution as the idol dissolves. As a practical matter they are advocating (and selling) Ganesh idols made of natural clay (known as shaadu in Marathi) which dissolves quickly when immersed, as well as other steps to reduce the environmental impact of Ganesh Chaturthi. Even if you’re not Hindu, it’s interesting to watch how these idols are made and see how quickly they can dissolve. “That which has come from the earth, should most easily be returned to the earth.”...
I probably shouldn't be writing this review; I live exactly one mile from the house where my mother was born ninety years ago, and except for the first two years of my life in Chicago, always have. On the other hand, I live in Toronto, the same city that Richard Florida now lives in, and which he considers a spiky, creative city. It is part of the mega-region he calls Tor-Buf-Chester, just down the thruway from Bos-Wash and Chi-Pitts. I am not surprised to find that I appear to live in a zone favoured by neurotic people. bordering on a coastal zone for people open to new experiences.
These are just some of the concepts that Florida uses to reinvent the map of America. He suggests that where you live is probably the single most important decision that we make in our lives. He also tells us that technology is not letting us stay put and work on our computers in our small towns, "you can telecommute to your high-tech Silicon Valley job, a ski-slope in Idaho, a beach in Hawaii or a loft in Chicago" but in fact making us more mobile, more likely to migrate to the hot spots of creativity, excitement and diversity. And if you want to really succeed, that is where you have to be.
...
We'll be working on better category archives soon. In the meantime, take a look at the weekly archive if you really want to dig around, or use the search box at the top of the page.
TreeHugger breaks it down for you in a series of in depth how-to articles that will help you green your life. No time like the present!
If you’ve been waiting for something great to make you stand up and find a way to change the world there’s no doubt that the Siemens We Can Change the World Challenge is built for you. Launched in collaboration between the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA), the Siemens Foundation and Discovery Communications as a means to educate, empower and inspire students and their teachers to become agents of change in making the environment a top issue in their neck of the woods. 
Photo: courtesy Richard Byrd
Got three million and change? Get in line. The hottest eco-friendly home on the market is a $3.5 million, 
In Kyoto, Japan, the 
If you’re looking for the place where committed teachers, parents, administrators government officials and a whole host of other school related and not-so-school related personnel get together to compare best practices and stimulate their nerve endings when it comes to environmental issues and our schools there’s no better event than the Go Green Earth Summit, and the conference this year is next month in Syracuse, NY.
...
Oops, Photos of Production Volt Leaked
Finally, a look at the production version of the GM Volt plug-in hybrid. These are from a media site (explaining the guys in suits standing around - they are engineers who worked on the Volt), and according to the 
Image source: Do It Green! Minnesota
For those living in Minnesota and wanting to go green, look no further than the Do It Green! Minnesota Magazine, (formerly the Twin Cities Green Guide). Now in its second year, the magazine offers over 100 articles on becoming more environmentally conscious around your home and neighborhood.
The magazine is not a "buy green guide," though there are some business resources on the last few pages, but rather a huge resource on how to get your hands dirty saving the planet. Each page includes a new article on a green topic, as well as additional business and reading resources, to provide you with more information. Some of the more interesting articles include: "Sue's Starters for Global Warming Action," "The Connection Between Recycling and Global Warming" "Who is Teaching Your Child?" "Good Neighbor Agreements" and "Eco by Stealth." "The How to Get Your Representatives to Listen" is written by Minnesota House of Representatives Elected Official Paul Gardner....
Despite the fact that there’s often so many things stacked against kids growing up in the inner-city, there’s one young eco-hero that’s defying the odds and making an incredible difference while helping to shed a bit of light on how successful students can be at affecting change in their own neighborhoods.
Because when Juan Hernandez recently moved to West Oakland from Bakersfield, California and found his asthma flaring up to the point where he could no longer engage in his favorite sport, running, he decided to step up and do something about it.
...
Two of us folk singers are ditching our station wagons to tour the country by train instead.
The music and the mechanism that will propel us around the country has become appropriately named 
Palin on the Environment, Beyond the Sound Bites
We’ve all heard the big ones by now: Sarah Palin doesn’t believe in global warming (as a result of human practices, at least), she’s suing the federal government to get 
Solar powered Hello Kitty chargers sound adorable, right? And the little one just has to have every piece of Hello Kitty merchandise there is—it’s part of the collector’s set! She needs them all! Even the overwhelmingly pointless, waste-producing products like this 
While there may be no doubt that school fundraising of all angles is a standard of the educational system in America and beyond, there’s one product that you just may never heard of being used to help raise funds for schools; carbon offsets.
With a new program called 
Image source: Getty Files
Feeling overwhelmed about the state of the planet? Read this book. Feeling like you could be doing more but don't know what to do? Read this book. Feeling like everyone is pointing and laughing because you're an eco-geek who is into recycling, composting and reusing plastic silverware? Read this book.
Flight of the Hummingbird: A Parable for the Environment, is the tale of a forest that is on fire and how the different forest animals respond to the challenge. It is often the smallest and least likely in the crowd who can make the biggest difference. The subtitle of this book should have been, 'Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.' Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas is the illustrator and each of the drawings are so appropriate and fit in beautifully with the story. ...
Etsy is holding a 
With kids across America heading back to school there’s no better time to take a look at a unique line of notebooks that just may make a difference while helping them realize the importance of considering their paper usage on a daily basis as The Banana Paper Company has put out these spiral notebooks with the eco-conscious child in mind....
I probably shouldn't be writing this review; I live exactly one mile from the house where my mother was born ninety years ago, and except for the first two years of my life in Chicago, always have. On the other hand, I live in Toronto, the same city that Richard Florida now lives in, and which he considers a spiky, creative city. It is part of the mega-region he calls Tor-Buf-Chester, just down the thruway from Bos-Wash and Chi-Pitts. I am not surprised to find that I appear to live in a zone favoured by neurotic people. bordering on a coastal zone for people open to new experiences.
These are just some of the concepts that Florida uses to reinvent the map of America. He suggests that where you live is probably the single most important decision that we make in our lives. He also tells us that technology is not letting us stay put and work on our computers in our small towns, "you can telecommute to your high-tech Silicon Valley job, a ski-slope in Idaho, a beach in Hawaii or a loft in Chicago" but in fact making us more mobile, more likely to migrate to the hot spots of creativity, excitement and diversity. And if you want to really succeed, that is where you have to be.
...
