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!
Colbert Was Right
In urban areas, cyclists need to watch out for cars. But in more rural places, there are other dangers. 57-year-old Jim Litz, a science teacher in Missoula, Montana, learned this when he t-boned a black bear while riding his bike to work. Read on for the details.
While the issue of the immigration prevention wall the US is building along the Mexico border and its potentially devastating environmental impact has been featured on TreeHugger before, it’s not an issue which seems to be in the forefront of many people’s minds of late. Given its potential impact on the many ecosystems the wall will bisect that’s too bad. To provide just a little bit more awareness, the Sierra Club has put together a short (5:55 min.) video outlining what’s going on and what they feel should be done. Check it out.
Somehow we missed Mountain Hardwear’s move towards more sustainable practices. The outdoor gear and apparel company, which was started about 15 years ago by old hands from Sierra Designs, has been up to some interesting green type stuff this year.
Giving the initiatives pride of place in their PDF newsletter, they describe how almost half of their laminates for waterproof/breathable shellwear are now solvent free, how 20% of their Mountainwear line is made what they designate as ‘sustainable fibers’, meaning organic cotton, hemp or wool. And finally, on the product side of things, that their anti-microbial (low pong) treatments are derived from Chitosan, which while admirably biodegradable, will not endear itself to our vegan friends, as it is normally made from the exoskeletons of critters such as crustaceans.
And as the above pictures indicate they’ve also been busy greening their built environment. More on that after the fold.
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.
Because nature is beautiful and most of us probably don't take enough time out of our day to admire it, we put more photos of polar bears below the fold.
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.
photo: Greenpeace Esperanza
The last time Prince Charles graced this site was when he was (cough) more than slightly critical of GM crops. In fact he called them potentially the “biggest environmental disaster of all time.” While statements like that are bound to cause controversy on a number of fronts, the Prince’s statements earlier this week that we need a sense of “wartime urgency” about rainforest conservation can probably be embraced with less hubbub. His suggested method may still cause a stir:...
Halogen-Free CPUs
Chip-maker Intel has announced that is has started shipping four halogen-free Xeon processors (series 5200 and 5400). The chips are functionally the same as the previous versions, and they are drop-in compatible.
What's Wrong With Halogens?
Halogens might not sound that bad because we're familiar with the word (all those lamps), but the Halogen family includes fluorine, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and astatine. "Halogens are highly reactive, and as such can be harmful or lethal to biological organisms in sufficient quantities." Now, we're not saying that your CPU is dangerous to you (don't try too eat it, though), but over the manufacturing of millions of them, it adds up to a lot of halogens. Removing them will no doubt make electronics recycling safer....
Photo by Brent Stirton/Getty (National Geographic)
Though some feared the Rwandan genocide and decade-long civil war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo had driven it to extinction, the rare Okapi still stalks World Heritage site Virunga National Park, according to the first ever photos of the animal in the wild, released yesterday.
A deer-like creature known for its zebra-like stripes, the okapi (pron. oh-cop-ee) is the closest living relative of the giraffe, with whom it shares a long blue tongue. It has a small bump in the corner of its head, a trait that once led to speculation that it was the inspiration for the unicorn. Okapi is so rare it itself was once thought to be mythical.
As a "blood" animal, the okapi is hardly alone. Though poaching and habitat loss are predominant threats, an untold number of vulnerable species have been effected by -- and effect -- war and politics.
Like global warming, the slaughter of animal species can no longer be simply seen as a long-term environmental issue, but as one that directly impacts security -- and leads to human atrocities. ...
In these crazy credit crunch times, bartering and swapping have become more and more popular as a way to exchange goods for services without laying out any cash. There is food swapping at markets (you take my zuccini and I'll take your chutney) and now in Lewes they have printed their own money--the Lewes pound--and will be using it as currency in 30 shops in the small town in East Sussex. When you shop in supermarkets 80% of the money leaves the local economy. When you shop locally you are strengthening the whole community.
But Petra Barran has taken the bartering philosophy to the extreme. She has been travelling around Britain in a former ice cream truck called Choc Star and offering homemade chocolate desserts in return for an evening meal and a place to sleep at night.
...
Kidney Stones More Frequent Because of Global Warming
According to a study published in the July 15 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA (and reported in the September issue of Scientific American), Kidney Stones will be more frequent during the 21st century.
It's not exactly making headlines, but according to the researchers, there could be an extra 1.6 to 2.2 million cases of kidney stones by 2050, a 7 to 10% increase on the current numbers. This could cost about 1.3 billion of medical costs, and of course cause a lot of pain.
Why Will Kidney Stones Become More Frequent?
The minerals that are dissolved in urine can crystalize under certain condition, and one of the contributing factors is dehydration. Read on for more details about geographical risk factors....
Image source: Kona Bikes
Kona not only sells good bikes, sponsors riders to jump off things taller than our heads, and promotes recreational and functional biking, but it also is putting those bikes to work all over Africa. Their AfricaBikes program not only helps HIV/AIDS workers deliver medicine, but now the bikes are also being used to ensure that over 6 million people have access to water. The bikes also allow healthcare workers to move from seeing 1-2 patients a day by foot to over 6 a day.
This September, Kona Bikes will donate 100 Africabikes to the World Wildlife Fund for water projects in Tanzania, Africa. The Ruaha River, which supports over 6.35 million people, often runs dry for several months each year. This is not because of climate change, but because of poor river management. In 2005 the Water Users Association was developed to help monitor and maintain the river. Thanks to the bike program, last year was the first time in five years that the river has flown throughout the year. ...
Here's a walking tour that shows a green and sustainable side of London that most Londoners don't even know about. Insider London's Green Tours offer three hours of hard walking and bussing around the town, focussing on the most pioneering, sustainable-design goings-on in the city. The tour takes in the buildings, shops and architecture that make visitors see the city with new eyes. The "Cutting Edge Green" tour stops at brand new buildings which have been built according to sustainable principles; complete with green roof and solar panels. It visits retro-fitted developments and floating barge communities. It also includes organic shops, a fair trade chocolate boutique and a chi-chi hotel. They even ride on a hydrogen bio-diesel eco-bus (who knew!). And for the food and drink stop: a favourite vegan restaurant--Root Master, housed in a decommissioned Route Master double decker bus, parked in a funky part of the east end (pictured).
...
A new series of stamps from the Royal Mail has been issued to commemorate ten endangered species in Britain. The almost-gone insects range from the stag beetle to the Adonis blue butterfly. They include the red-barbed ant and the hazel pot beetle. Then there is the noble chafer, the southern damselfly, the barberry carpet moth and the purbeck mason wasp. All of them vulnerable or endangered. They are part of the "Action for Species" series which highlights endangered species and were photographed from specimens in the collection of the Natural History Museum in London. It has a comprehensive collection of 28 million specimens.
...
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.
...
Somewhere beyond that forest clearing in the Adirondacks could be some old growth forest. Photo: Stacy Lynn Baum.
When most people think of old growth forests in North America, and I include myself in this, they think of some majestic stand of timber in California, the Pacific Northwest or in British Columbia. Well, that’s only part of the picture: Though obviously not contiguous, New York has nearly 350,000 acres of old growth forest. The good news is that under a new law the portion of these forests on public land will be protected from from development. ...
Photo by Karl Manzer, via Momentum magazine
Many people will agree that spending time in the natural environment helps us better appreciate the wonders of our unique little planet. The understanding thus gained often leads to positive action to clean up our own mess. But there remains that eco-conundrum of how do we get ourselves from our mostly urban existence to those deserts, mountains, rivers, coasts and forests with their many lessons to learn. Flying and driving can seem somewhat counterproductive to the greener future we strive for.
Well, there is a small but growing band of people who have decided to enjoy their outdoor experiences without toting along any climate change baggage. They cycle, walk or paddle to the trailhead from the nearest bus stop or train station. And the really keen even forgo the public transit and simply set off from home. Like Goran Kropp, who in 1996, rode a bike, laden with mountaineering gear, from his home in Sweden all the way down to Nepal, then climbed to the summit of Everest -- before mounting his trusty steed and riding home again! ...
photo: Leonardo F. Freitas
Though Brazil has made a number of moves towards monitoring and slowing rates of Amazon deforestation of late which seem to be beginning to work, the Amazon's future still does not look so good, Worldwatch Institute reports.
The bad news is that between August 2007 and July 2008, 8,147 square kilometers of forest were cleared, with 84% of that occurring between August 2007-April 2008. The good news is that this amount is the lowest increase since deforestation first was monitored in the 1970s, and only a 69% increase from last year.
So, what’s Brazil doing to address the situation? He’s a (very) brief rundown:...
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. ...
This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here.
In January 2005, Carson and a few friends climbed Mount Washington in New Hampshire. Day 36 of the bike trip, 2008 brought Carson and Eric to Mount Washington, Oregon. As Carson points out, both versions of the Mount Washington bring all sorts of interesting challenges. Seeking to alleviate one of the bike trip's major pains, Carson puts some talcum powder to good use before tackling the last day of the bike trip across America.
...
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.
...
This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here.
A month and 11 states ago today, the bike trip began. With coupon in hand, Eric and Carson found a buy-one-get-one-free Indian dinner in the Boise newspaper and decided what better way to reminisce about the frequent struggles of the journey's first two Appalachian weeks and the fallow field doldrums of the third. Although Carson's hands and fingers were numb and tingled with the memory of 2,200+ miles, another body part - the belly - was soon feeling the effects of the bike trip.
...
One reason I moved to my current town was the proximity to green hills and mountains, and the promise of hiking adventures (and fresh air). Only about one hour from central Tokyo, I live in a town with some 80,000 people, and I like it a lot. However, when I downloaded Google Earth, I was in for a surprise.
It is one thing to see the road signs and an occasional golfer walk by (most take the special membership-only golf-course buses from the train station). Suddenly, on Google Earth, there was my house (yellow X marks the spot) surrounded by golf courses (red circles)!
The NIMBY phenomenon could not have been brought home more clearly. Not In My Backyard? This is one of the many towns where Tokyo's businessmen come to play their 18 holes. Have you had a similar experience using Google Earth? Share your pain in the comment section....
Image source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The Greening Greater Phoenix Initiative, launched today, is encouraging more green businesses such as solar and clean technology, green building, renewable energy and other green industry organizations. The program is a joint initiative by Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) and SolarCity to encourage green businesses to locate in Phoenix and make Maricopa County the greenest in the US. The City of Phoenix, City of Scottsdale and the City of Surprise (who's on first? no really, their name is Surprise) are all joining in the initiative by adopting renewable energy and green building standards city-wide.
As part of the program, SolarCity will be hosting 6 seminars in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Surprise on September 20 and 27, which will be open to the public. Representatives will be on hand to talk about solar installations, particularly on residential buildings, as well as government rebates and cost savings. In addition, as part of the kickoff there is a 2008 GreenSummit Conference, September 5-6 in the Phoenix Convention Center....
This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here.
There was no Internet connection or cell phone coverage in Fairfield, Idaho, and we do not suppose that is much of a surprise. The countryside and mountains in Idaho are vast and empty, but utterly majestic and spectacular. Eric got a flat tire 15 miles into the Day 30 ride, but changed it in record time: how could one get anxiety in this serene and seemingly boundless landscape?
...
Northern Fulmar photo: Wikipedia
Earlier in the summer it was announced that Canada would be protecting a large chunk of Ontario’s boreal forests from further development. Today brings word that nearly 4,500 square kilometers (1,740 square miles) of Arctic wilderness in Nunavut Territory will also be protected (ENS).
Three sites located on Baffin Island—Niginganiq (Isabella Bay), Qaqulluit (Cape Searle) and Akpait (Reid Bay)—will be given the status of National Wildlife Area. This means that the natural features of the area will be protected from disturbance and activities considered harmful to species living there or the habitat as a whole will be prohibited.
...
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. 
![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://test-treehugger.pairsite.com/nav-commenters.gif)
photo: 
Halogen-Free CPUs
Chip-maker Intel has 
Photo by Brent Stirton/Getty (National Geographic)
Though some feared the Rwandan genocide and decade-long civil war in the 
In these crazy credit crunch times, bartering and swapping have become more and more popular as a way to exchange goods for services without laying out any cash. There is 
Kidney Stones More Frequent Because of Global Warming
According to a study published in the July 15 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science USA (and reported in the September issue of 
Image source: Kona Bikes
Kona not only sells good bikes, sponsors riders to jump off things taller than our heads, and promotes recreational and functional biking, but it also is putting those bikes to work all over Africa. Their 
Here's a walking tour that shows a green and sustainable side of London that most Londoners don't even know about. Insider London's Green Tours offer three hours of hard walking and bussing around the town, focussing on the most pioneering, sustainable-design goings-on in the city. The tour takes in the buildings, shops and architecture that make visitors see the city with new eyes. The "Cutting Edge Green" tour stops at brand new buildings which have been built according to sustainable principles; complete with green roof and solar panels. It visits retro-fitted developments and floating 
A new series of stamps from the Royal Mail has been issued to commemorate ten endangered species in Britain. The almost-gone insects range from the stag beetle to the Adonis blue butterfly. They include the red-barbed ant and the hazel pot beetle. Then there is the noble chafer, the southern damselfly, the barberry carpet moth and the purbeck mason wasp. All of them vulnerable or endangered. They are part of the "Action for Species" series which highlights endangered species and were photographed from specimens in the collection of the Natural History Museum in London. It has a comprehensive collection of 28 million specimens.
...
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.
...
Somewhere beyond that forest clearing in the Adirondacks could be some old growth forest. Photo: 
Photo by Karl Manzer, via 
photo: 
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 
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 
One reason I moved to my current town was the proximity to green hills and mountains, and the promise of hiking adventures (and fresh air). Only about one hour from central Tokyo, I live in a town with some 80,000 people, and I like it a lot. However, when I downloaded 
Image source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The Greening Greater Phoenix Initiative, launched today, is encouraging more green businesses such as solar and clean technology, green building, renewable energy and other green industry organizations. The program is a joint initiative by Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) and SolarCity to encourage green businesses to locate in Phoenix and make Maricopa County the greenest in the US. The City of Phoenix, City of Scottsdale and the City of Surprise (who's on first? no really, their name is Surprise) are all joining in the initiative by adopting renewable energy and green building standards city-wide.
As part of the program, SolarCity will be hosting 6 seminars in Phoenix, Scottsdale and Surprise on September 20 and 27, which will be open to the public. Representatives will be on hand to talk about solar installations, particularly on residential buildings, as well as government rebates and cost savings. In addition, as part of the kickoff there is a 2008 GreenSummit Conference, September 5-6 in the Phoenix Convention Center....
Northern Fulmar photo: Wikipedia
Earlier in the summer it was announced that Canada would be protecting a large chunk of 
