All the blogs are agog right now over Chris Brigham's Bike Shelf that we showed on TreeHugger a while back. It is one of a number of designs that we have seen recently that kill a couple of birds with one stone: They give you an elegant way to store your bike inside in small spaces; T...
Solar probably won’t really take off until it makes more economic sense to slap some photovoltaics on your roof than to continue paying your utility company for their dirty, probably mostly coal-fired power. That day has arrived in parts of sunny California and Hawaii, and it’s coming...
Urban Roots is a documentary about farming within the city limits of Detroit , and as such, it’s a handy way to get an education on the subject in something like 90 minutes. It’s showing March 6 at the San Francisco Green Film Festival. Also, Shepard Fairey made the poster for the fil...
When it comes to understanding and embracing sustainability, organizations know the what and the why, but they're still grappling with the how. That's the focus of a new report by the London-based sustainability consultancy Lavery Pannell . In "Sustainability: the HOW ," Grey Lavery a...
February 22, 2012, Wakayama, Japan - In a very rare example of extreme bravery the Wakayama Court Judge presiding over the case of Sea Shepherd Cove Guardian volunteer Erwin Vermeulen, has declared the Dutch activist not guilty. This outcome was completely unexpected from a justice sy...
Of all the subjects that haunt the climate conversation, none is so vexed as growth . The details are complex, but the dilemma is simple: Growth seems to improve humanity’s quality of life and drive ecological overshoot at the same time. On one hand, economic growth leads to poverty r...
For the first time, preliminary data recently reported to the EEA by Member States allow a comparison with the legally binding emission limits for 2010 set in the EU NEC Directive . The directive covers four main air pollutants: sulphur dioxide (SO2 ), nitrogen oxides (NOx ), non-meth...
Participants in the Millions Against Monsanto march. Taking a play from the gay marriage battle , GMO-labeling advocates are taking a state-level approach. The plan has been to pass labeling bills in states where food is on the public’s radar, in order to convince Congress, the Food a...
At first blush, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Masdar and Singapore might not seem to have a lot in common. But they are among the seven cities that can serve as models for the smart urban centers that are needed as more and more of the world's population become city dwellers. Today 52 percent...
1998 MON 810 is approved for experimental plantings in Europe. Over the years Austria, Hungary, Greece, France, Luxembourg, Bulgaria, France and Germany all ban MON 810. 2008: France bans MON 810 based on environmental concerns. September 2011: The European Court of Justice tells Fran...
This combination bike and scooter is nominally the work of fancypants designer Philippe Starck, but that’s partly because “everyone in Bordeaux, France” doesn’t have as much label cachet. (More than “everyone in Normal, Illinois” or something, but still.) Before Starck got his hands o...
Assuming the Climate Strategy memo was not shared with the Institute’s entire Board, it would be extremely embarrassing for the memo’s author and inner circle recipients to admit they had withheld it from other Board members. This would create a powerful incentive for the author to de...
Sea Shepherd receives € 900,000,- from Dutch National Postcode Lottery Geert Vons and Laurens de Groot receiving the cheque. Photo: Roy Beusker While the Sea Shepherd ships were engaged in a cat-and-mouse game with the Japanese whalers down in the Southern Ocean, the yearly Goed Geld ...
Anywhere you look these days, sustainability considerations are playing an increasingly visible role in our lives and businesses. But what of their place in the national sports we devoutly cheer, debate and, yes, occasionally curse until we're at the brink of hoarseness? Consider that...
Sometimes it’s nice to stop worrying about the fate of the planet and just appreciate it for its beauty — and it doesn’t hurt if its beauty is slightly enhanced by being part of a massive environmental art project. Sonja Hinrichsen’s snow drawing looks like it could be a Marimekko fab...
Construction is to begin in March on Mongolia’s first wind farm, and its backers hope it will be the beginning of a renewable energy boom. Mongolia’s first wind installation is a $120 million project that will provide 5 percent of the country’s electricity demand. Transmission lines w...
While out boating in the Coral Sea off the Gold Coast of Eastern Australia, friends Ryan, Damian, Naomi, Ramone and Katrina noticed a wallaby “swimming for dear life.” Damian immediately jumped in to rescue the kangaroo. Though wallabies have been known to swim short distances in fres...
In my green lexicon, "gamification" gets a special prize: it's among the clunkiest words to enter the sustainability conversation, yet may just have some of the greatest potential to alter the behavior of consumers, employees and households. Businesses are fast picking up on the promi...
Cliff Stearns in the seamy spotlight. Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.) was a moderate back when GOP moderates were allowed in the House of Representatives. Those days are past, however, and Stearns has had to scramble to adapt to the new atmosphere of Tea Party fruitcakery. He was trounced...
In most parts of the country, natural gas is currently significantly less expensive than fuel oil or even coal. Switching to natural gas from these fuels would, therefore, reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly and have a reasonable return on investment. A client of mine operat...
Throwing a baby or bridal shower, birthday party or family gathering can be stressful. To make matters even tougher, the after-party cleanup often involves picking recyclables out of your trash can, removing litter from your lawn and disposing of guests’ leftover gift wrap and food pa...
Infertile couples are exposed to three to five times higher levels of phthalates compared to fertile couples who have naturally conceived a child, finds a study from Italy. The couples had higher levels of four different classes of phthalates in their urine, including the phthalate co...
Clean drinking water is something we might take for granted at home, but travelers need to be really careful about the source of their water. If they haven't done the groundwork to determine the safety of the tap water, they could be in for a world of hurt, as there are many places wh...
When I was in my twenties, it was easy to stick to the belief that anything claiming to have ‘anti-ageing’ properties was just an overused marketing ploy. My 20s, alas, were a decade when it never crossed my mind that I would be getting older. Now looking forward to, erm, the big 4-0 ...
In January 2012, research group Environment California released a report highlighting the phenomenal growth of solar energy in the state of California. California, which is leading the nation in deployments, has installed just over 1,000 megawatts of solar power through 2011. While Ca...
We do have to be realistic about the situation: assuming gas prices stay near record low levels for a long period of time — which they likely won’t — renewables deployment won’t grow at the rate we need it to. But if you look at the where large-scale renewables stack up with the cost ...
Many companies are busy using IT to enable greener practices yet don't get around to making IT green. Recently Autodesk -- the leader of 3D design software used by manufacturers, architects and engineers to enhance a product's sustainability -- completed a major data center retrofit. ...
, Amazon has now stopped selling the products due to public response. The EIA stated that the website has “a stated policy of prohibiting the sale of unlicensed or illegal wildlife products including endangered species,” but 147 illegal items were found for sale. Now, the whale produc...
This is a toy for the next generation of kids -- kids growing up with smart meters attached to homes with energy management systems always tracking how much renewable energy is coming in, and how much is being used. It's for kids that will think solar power is second nature, and renew...
In terms of smart grid trends, the United Kingdom ranks high in the areas of raw excitement for vendors. With a goal of installing 47 million meters by 2020, and an open bid for $7.5 billion in communications contracts , companies large and small are looking to be a part of what’s hap...
