O:9:"MagpieRSS":23:{s:6:"parser";i:0;s:12:"current_item";a:0:{}s:5:"items";a:35:{i:0;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:48:"Green Eyes on: Day of Decadence Done? Simplify.";s:11:"description";s:1391:"Sara and her mom discovering the great outdoors.
I think, and I think you’ll agree, that our days of decadence are done. I mean, who can afford a $5 daily coffee fix everyday anymore? Who can afford the bottomless tank of yesteryear’s monster SUVs? Who can afford to travel? Or heat and cool their McMansion? It seems that we have been living in a time of decadence; a time of $100 burgers and $12.5 million bras. Key words: have been. Is it safe to say t...
";s:4:"link";s:107:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406665344/green-eyes-on-day-of-decadence-done-simplify.php";s:4:"guid";s:88:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/green-eyes-on-day-of-decadence-done-simplify.php";s:8:"category";s:63:"Food & Healthbuy nothingcookingliving with lessrecipessara snow";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:10:00 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:88:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/green-eyes-on-day-of-decadence-done-simplify.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1391:"Sara and her mom discovering the great outdoors.
I think, and I think you’ll agree, that our days of decadence are done. I mean, who can afford a $5 daily coffee fix everyday anymore? Who can afford the bottomless tank of yesteryear’s monster SUVs? Who can afford to travel? Or heat and cool their McMansion? It seems that we have been living in a time of decadence; a time of $100 burgers and $12.5 million bras. Key words: have been. Is it safe to say t...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222729800;}i:1;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:63:"UK Conservatives Plan Trains not Planes - Not Everyone is Happy";s:11:"description";s:1394:"Image credit: Stephen Fung – a typical high-speed train in TaiwanUK Conservative’s Plan for Trains No Planes – Green or Not?
We TreeHuggers tend to be big advocates of the environmental benefits of trains vs. planes, so we should all be overjoyed that the UK Conservative Party, who are currently riding high in the polls, have announced plans to scrap a third runway at Heathrow and to instead build a £20bn (US$36bn) rail link between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. And according to The Guardian, the
";s:4:"link";s:88:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406638907/uk-conservative-rail-plan.php";s:4:"guid";s:69:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/uk-conservative-rail-plan.php";s:8:"category";s:54:"newsair travellondontrainstransportationunited kingdom";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:38:10 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:69:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/uk-conservative-rail-plan.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1394:"Image credit: Stephen Fung – a typical high-speed train in TaiwanUK Conservative’s Plan for Trains No Planes – Green or Not?
We TreeHuggers tend to be big advocates of the environmental benefits of trains vs. planes, so we should all be overjoyed that the UK Conservative Party, who are currently riding high in the polls, have announced plans to scrap a third runway at Heathrow and to instead build a £20bn (US$36bn) rail link between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. And according to The Guardian, the
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222727890;}i:2;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:83:"James Kunstler on Financial Crisis: There’s Another Tsunami Rising On The Horizon";s:11:"description";s:1397:"photo: Stanley Johnson
Leave it to James Howard Kunstler to remind us of how bad things can still get...With all the volatility on the stock market today, and the dismal U.S. financial news, I thought it appropriate to turn to the post-peak oil apocalypse sage for some words of wisdom. In today’s installment of Clusterf**k Nation , Kunstler continued his ongoing harangue against what he sees as essentially a ponzi scheme writ large on Wall Street, with a slight bit of ‘I told you so’. He then addressed the ‘unseen tsunami’ of energy scar...
";s:4:"link";s:125:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406596435/james-kunstler-peak-oil-tsunami-coming-behind-financial-crisis.php";s:4:"guid";s:106:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/james-kunstler-peak-oil-tsunami-coming-behind-financial-crisis.php";s:8:"category";s:46:"newsalternative energypeak oilrenewable energy";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:39:56 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:106:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/james-kunstler-peak-oil-tsunami-coming-behind-financial-crisis.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1397:"photo: Stanley Johnson
Leave it to James Howard Kunstler to remind us of how bad things can still get...With all the volatility on the stock market today, and the dismal U.S. financial news, I thought it appropriate to turn to the post-peak oil apocalypse sage for some words of wisdom. In today’s installment of Clusterf**k Nation , Kunstler continued his ongoing harangue against what he sees as essentially a ponzi scheme writ large on Wall Street, with a slight bit of ‘I told you so’. He then addressed the ‘unseen tsunami’ of energy scar...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222724396;}i:3;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:95:""Exclusive Gated Community" to be Built Under Guise of Delhi's 2010 Commonwealth Games Village?";s:11:"description";s:1397:"Image:Construction workers work on the site of the residential complex of the Commonwealth Village being constructed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in partnership with private builder Emaar MGF (Getty)
Whether it’s Beijing or Vancouver, it seems that big-ticket developments for “the big games” can be smoke-and-mirrors operations for shipping out ‘undesirable’ populations (the poor, mentally ill or homeless persons) or conveniently sidestepping public accountability (sure, the
";s:4:"link";s:92:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406570912/delhi-commonwealth-games-2010.php";s:4:"guid";s:73:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/delhi-commonwealth-games-2010.php";s:8:"category";s:29:"newsconservationindiaolympics";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 16:00:00 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:73:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/delhi-commonwealth-games-2010.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1397:"Image:Construction workers work on the site of the residential complex of the Commonwealth Village being constructed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in partnership with private builder Emaar MGF (Getty)
Whether it’s Beijing or Vancouver, it seems that big-ticket developments for “the big games” can be smoke-and-mirrors operations for shipping out ‘undesirable’ populations (the poor, mentally ill or homeless persons) or conveniently sidestepping public accountability (sure, the
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222722000;}i:4;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:63:"Protecting the Environment Will Combat Poverty: Wangari Maathai";s:11:"description";s:1246:"photo: Ricardo Medina
The morning plenary session at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting last Friday was on the “Global Impact of Rural Innovation” and had quite a distinguished panel of speakers. Well, every session at CGI had impressive credentials, but this one was particularly inspirational. Here are some of the highlights from Wangari Maathai , founder of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya:...
";s:4:"link";s:143:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406554123/protecting-environment-combats-poverty-wangari-maathai-clinton-global-initiative.php";s:4:"guid";s:124:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/protecting-environment-combats-poverty-wangari-maathai-clinton-global-initiative.php";s:8:"category";s:52:"Travel & Natureclinton global initiativekenyapoverty";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:55:48 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:124:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/protecting-environment-combats-poverty-wangari-maathai-clinton-global-initiative.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1246:"photo: Ricardo Medina
The morning plenary session at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting last Friday was on the “Global Impact of Rural Innovation” and had quite a distinguished panel of speakers. Well, every session at CGI had impressive credentials, but this one was particularly inspirational. Here are some of the highlights from Wangari Maathai , founder of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya:...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222721748;}i:5;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:72:"Endangered Chimpanzees Could Get Respite In Rwandan ‘Forest of Hope’";s:11:"description";s:1332:"
Though much of the talk at last week’s Clinton Global Initiative meeting was about improving the lives of our fellow human beings, Rwandan president Paul Kagame was in attendance, seeking support for a historic conservation corridor in his country, which it is hoped will provide relief for endangered chimpanzees in the region. The Gishwati Area Conservation Program is being promoted in conjunction with the Great Ape Trust of Iowa and Earthpark is being billed as a “forest of hope”. This is what it’s all about:
...
";s:4:"link";s:138:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406522476/gishwati-area-conservation-project-rehabiliates-forest-protects-chimpanzees.php";s:4:"guid";s:119:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/gishwati-area-conservation-project-rehabiliates-forest-protects-chimpanzees.php";s:8:"category";s:64:"Travel & Natureconservationdeforestationendangered speciesrwanda";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:54:13 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:119:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/gishwati-area-conservation-project-rehabiliates-forest-protects-chimpanzees.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1332:"
Though much of the talk at last week’s Clinton Global Initiative meeting was about improving the lives of our fellow human beings, Rwandan president Paul Kagame was in attendance, seeking support for a historic conservation corridor in his country, which it is hoped will provide relief for endangered chimpanzees in the region. The Gishwati Area Conservation Program is being promoted in conjunction with the Great Ape Trust of Iowa and Earthpark is being billed as a “forest of hope”. This is what it’s all about:
...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222718053;}i:6;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:59:"Calculate Your Carbon Footprint Just By Carrying Your Phone";s:11:"description";s:1270:"
Image Credit: The Guardian
A new software app for your phone takes all the calculating part out of figuring your carbon footprint. All you have to do is carry your phone around - which most of us do anyway - and it does the calculations for you. But, that also means it knows what you're doing at all times. ...
";s:4:"link";s:122:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406493991/calculate-your-carbon-footprint-just-by-carrying-your-phone.php";s:4:"guid";s:103:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/calculate-your-carbon-footprint-just-by-carrying-your-phone.php";s:8:"category";s:42:"newscarbon footprintcell phoneselectronics";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 14:32:00 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:103:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/calculate-your-carbon-footprint-just-by-carrying-your-phone.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1270:"
Image Credit: The Guardian
A new software app for your phone takes all the calculating part out of figuring your carbon footprint. All you have to do is carry your phone around - which most of us do anyway - and it does the calculations for you. But, that also means it knows what you're doing at all times. ...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222716720;}i:7;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:67:"Intelligent Dashboards: The Next Big Thing for Smart Sustainability";s:11:"description";s:1387:"
Intelligent dashboards are quickly becoming the major way in which people track and manage carbon footprints and environmental impacts. From home energy use to businesses carbon output, all the way up to the green-mindedness of a city, a state, or a country, we are beginning to use dashboards as an effective way to know where we stand.
West Coast Green 2008 highlighted this point through several avenues. First, the showhouse Harbinger featured a
";s:4:"link";s:129:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406477237/intelligent-dashboards-the-next-big-thing-for-smart-sustainability.php";s:4:"guid";s:110:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/intelligent-dashboards-the-next-big-thing-for-smart-sustainability.php";s:8:"category";s:92:"Science & Technologycarbon emissionscarbon footprintenergy efficiencyenvironmental footprint";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:55:00 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:110:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/intelligent-dashboards-the-next-big-thing-for-smart-sustainability.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1387:"
Intelligent dashboards are quickly becoming the major way in which people track and manage carbon footprints and environmental impacts. From home energy use to businesses carbon output, all the way up to the green-mindedness of a city, a state, or a country, we are beginning to use dashboards as an effective way to know where we stand.
West Coast Green 2008 highlighted this point through several avenues. First, the showhouse Harbinger featured a
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222714500;}i:8;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:26:"How to Go Green: Commuting";s:11:"description";s:1387:"Photo credit: IMAGEMORE Co., Ltd./Getty Images
With gas prices ever on the rise, people living farther from the workplace, and traffic conditions worsening by the week, the daily commute is increasingly having an impact on our wallets and our lifestyles -- as well as global climate change. From getting the best gas mileage to work-from-home jobs to reducing air tr...
";s:4:"link";s:88:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406459998/how-to-go-green-commuting.php";s:4:"guid";s:69:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/how-to-go-green-commuting.php";s:8:"category";s:139:"Cars & TransportationTake Actionhow to green your lifebikingcar sharingcar-freecarbon footprintcommutingdrivingpublic transportationwalking";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:38:32 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:69:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/how-to-go-green-commuting.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1387:"Photo credit: IMAGEMORE Co., Ltd./Getty Images
With gas prices ever on the rise, people living farther from the workplace, and traffic conditions worsening by the week, the daily commute is increasingly having an impact on our wallets and our lifestyles -- as well as global climate change. From getting the best gas mileage to work-from-home jobs to reducing air tr...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222713512;}i:9;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:65:"The Atlantic’s ‘Blowback’ is Just Wind Power Fear-Mongering";s:11:"description";s:1389:"photo: Ana
A recent article from The Atlantic found its way into my inbox and I feel the need to comment. Simply titled “Blowback" it asks the question whether the robust expansion which wind power has seen in the United States (and indeed the world) of late may not be subject to the same sort of bust that has hit the ethanol market. In it author Matthew Quirk correctly identifies, if overstates, some of the genuine issues with wind power making further inroads into the US energy mix and the goes on to simplify t...
";s:4:"link";s:115:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406450149/the-atlantic-blowback-just-wind-power-fear-mongering.php";s:4:"guid";s:96:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/the-atlantic-blowback-just-wind-power-fear-mongering.php";s:8:"category";s:66:"alternative energyethanolunited states. renewable energywind power";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 13:28:13 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:96:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/the-atlantic-blowback-just-wind-power-fear-mongering.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1389:"photo: Ana
A recent article from The Atlantic found its way into my inbox and I feel the need to comment. Simply titled “Blowback" it asks the question whether the robust expansion which wind power has seen in the United States (and indeed the world) of late may not be subject to the same sort of bust that has hit the ethanol market. In it author Matthew Quirk correctly identifies, if overstates, some of the genuine issues with wind power making further inroads into the US energy mix and the goes on to simplify t...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222712893;}i:10;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:65:"3 Green Apartment Tips, Soy-Based Ink Toner and Pretty #6 Plastic";s:11:"description";s:1226:"
:: Are you a renter? Live green legally with these landlord-friendly renovation tips.
:: Speak up in the office and suggest a switch to soy-based ink toners in the copy room.
:: Transform pesky #6 plastic into pretty jewelry charms....
";s:4:"link";s:117:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406406267/green-apartment-tips-soy-based-ink-toner-reuse-plastic.php";s:4:"guid";s:98:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/green-apartment-tips-soy-based-ink-toner-reuse-plastic.php";s:8:"category";s:50:"TH Exclusivesapartmentseco-friendly officeplastics";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:38:00 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:98:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/green-apartment-tips-soy-based-ink-toner-reuse-plastic.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1226:"
:: Are you a renter? Live green legally with these landlord-friendly renovation tips.
:: Speak up in the office and suggest a switch to soy-based ink toners in the copy room.
:: Transform pesky #6 plastic into pretty jewelry charms....
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222709880;}i:11;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:39:"Solaleya Makes Weird Houses Feel Normal";s:11:"description";s:1303:"
Solaleya makes highly efficient homes. They showed off their designs at West Coast Green last week. The thing is, they look a bit like landed UFOs. Not that dome houses are exactly new, but they also aren't the most common of house forms.
Even so, I have to admit I totally wanted to live in one by the time I finished listening in about their designs at their booth on the tradeshow floor. ...
";s:4:"link";s:102:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406406268/solaleya-makes-weird-houses-feel-normal.php";s:4:"guid";s:83:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/solaleya-makes-weird-houses-feel-normal.php";s:8:"category";s:71:"Design & Architecturearchitectureconstructiongreen buildingsmall spaces";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:30:00 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:83:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/solaleya-makes-weird-houses-feel-normal.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1303:"
Solaleya makes highly efficient homes. They showed off their designs at West Coast Green last week. The thing is, they look a bit like landed UFOs. Not that dome houses are exactly new, but they also aren't the most common of house forms.
Even so, I have to admit I totally wanted to live in one by the time I finished listening in about their designs at their booth on the tradeshow floor. ...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222709400;}i:12;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:63:"Toxic Teens, Apple's Aluminum Laptop and MOMA Gets Pre-Fabulous";s:11:"description";s:1387:"
:: The Environmental Working Group exposes the high levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals found in teenage girls' bodies.
:: Apple is rumored to soon release their eco-friendly laptop stateside.
:: The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) pumps up prefab in their current exhibit, Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling.
:: Sony Ericsson develops an energy efficient cell phone called GreenHeart.
:: With solar panel steals on the rise so are a...
";s:4:"link";s:92:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406381981/chemicals-apple-laptop-prefab.php";s:4:"guid";s:73:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/chemicals-apple-laptop-prefab.php";s:8:"category";s:64:"best of hugg.comcomputingcosmeticsgreen buildinghousing industry";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:01:00 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:73:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/chemicals-apple-laptop-prefab.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1387:"
:: The Environmental Working Group exposes the high levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals found in teenage girls' bodies.
:: Apple is rumored to soon release their eco-friendly laptop stateside.
:: The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) pumps up prefab in their current exhibit, Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling.
:: Sony Ericsson develops an energy efficient cell phone called GreenHeart.
:: With solar panel steals on the rise so are a...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222707660;}i:13;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:76:"Integrity Block and Straw Wall Bring Ancient Construction Back To The Future";s:11:"description";s:1387:"Integrity Block may be a brand new company, and Green Design Systems might be struggling to find funding to launch their Straw Wall, but the concept behind their products is as old as the human desire to build shelters.
Shown off at West Coast Green 2008, the compacted earth blocks of Integrity Block, and the compressed straw panels of Straw Wall were among the greenest and ...
";s:4:"link";s:143:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406369434/integrity-block-and-straw-wall-bring-ancient-building-methods-back-to-the-future.php";s:4:"guid";s:124:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/integrity-block-and-straw-wall-bring-ancient-building-methods-back-to-the-future.php";s:8:"category";s:83:"Design & Architecturematerialsconstructiongreen buildingrecycled building materials";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:50:00 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:124:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/integrity-block-and-straw-wall-bring-ancient-building-methods-back-to-the-future.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1387:"Integrity Block may be a brand new company, and Green Design Systems might be struggling to find funding to launch their Straw Wall, but the concept behind their products is as old as the human desire to build shelters.
Shown off at West Coast Green 2008, the compacted earth blocks of Integrity Block, and the compressed straw panels of Straw Wall were among the greenest and ...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222707000;}i:14;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:38:"At IIDEX: Elegant LEDs From MPLighting";s:11:"description";s:1138:"
LEDs used to be rare and noteworthy; now they are just expensive. There were a couple of rows of LED vendors on display at IIDEX, most clunky and inelegant, still put together by engineers instead of designers. A rare exception was MP Lighting from Vancouver, Canada. They had a booth full of LED eye candy that really stood out. Shown above is an integrated wine rack and LED illumination that would look lovely in my wine cellar....
";s:4:"link";s:91:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406369435/elegant-leds-from-mplighting.php";s:4:"guid";s:72:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/elegant-leds-from-mplighting.php";s:8:"category";s:34:"lightingdesignerslightingvancouver";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:30:36 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:72:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/elegant-leds-from-mplighting.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1138:"
LEDs used to be rare and noteworthy; now they are just expensive. There were a couple of rows of LED vendors on display at IIDEX, most clunky and inelegant, still put together by engineers instead of designers. A rare exception was MP Lighting from Vancouver, Canada. They had a booth full of LED eye candy that really stood out. Shown above is an integrated wine rack and LED illumination that would look lovely in my wine cellar....
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222705836;}i:15;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:57:"Forest Groundcover Turned Into Beautiful Home Accessories";s:11:"description";s:1212:"West Coast Green 2008 showed off innovative green ways to build homes and structures. But it didn't stop there. Also featured at the convention were eco-friendly ways to decorate. NaturesCast is one such way, utilizing dry leaves and twigs harvested from forests around Compostela, Province of Cebu, The Philippines.
More photos of the beautiful creations after the jump....
";s:4:"link";s:110:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406351115/forest-groundcover-turned-into-home-accessories.php";s:4:"guid";s:91:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/forest-groundcover-turned-into-home-accessories.php";s:8:"category";s:93:"Design & ArchitectureFashion & Beautyaccessoriesmaterialstablesaccessoriesdecoratingfurniture";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:20:00 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:91:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/forest-groundcover-turned-into-home-accessories.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1212:"West Coast Green 2008 showed off innovative green ways to build homes and structures. But it didn't stop there. Also featured at the convention were eco-friendly ways to decorate. NaturesCast is one such way, utilizing dry leaves and twigs harvested from forests around Compostela, Province of Cebu, The Philippines.
More photos of the beautiful creations after the jump....
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222705200;}i:16;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:82:"Forgive Me Earth For I Have Sinned, It's Been One Week Since My Last Carbon Offset";s:11:"description";s:1393:"photo: caribb
There’s no getting around the fact that despite the best intentions of many of us in the green movement, we live and work in a society which spews out a lot of carbon emissions. It’s part of the structure of our nations and no matter what we do on an individual level, it’s unlikely that we really can reduce our carbon footprint below a certain level. All but the most eco-ascetic of us have a higher carbon footprint than is optimal. The easy answer to addressing that excess carbon is to offset it, using one of the myriad services available.
A new piece in
";s:4:"link";s:116:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406351118/are-carbon-offsets-more-than-environmental-indulgence.php";s:4:"guid";s:97:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/are-carbon-offsets-more-than-environmental-indulgence.php";s:8:"category";s:78:"Take Actioncarbon emissionscarbon neutralcarbon offsetsenvironmental footprint";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:17:02 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:97:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/are-carbon-offsets-more-than-environmental-indulgence.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1393:"photo: caribb
There’s no getting around the fact that despite the best intentions of many of us in the green movement, we live and work in a society which spews out a lot of carbon emissions. It’s part of the structure of our nations and no matter what we do on an individual level, it’s unlikely that we really can reduce our carbon footprint below a certain level. All but the most eco-ascetic of us have a higher carbon footprint than is optimal. The easy answer to addressing that excess carbon is to offset it, using one of the myriad services available.
A new piece in
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222705022;}i:17;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:56:"At IIDEX: Green Concrete Counters from Concrete Elegance";s:11:"description";s:1297:"TreeHugger visits IIDEX, the International Interior Design Exhibition, an annual trade-only design show in Toronto.
"Green" and "concrete" are two words that I never thought I would use together, but Alla Linetsky convinced me. She mixes up a special blend that is 77% recycled, 92% local and 30% lighter. She significantly cuts the amount of cement that goes into the concrete (the manufacture of cement is responsible for 5% of the world's greenhouse gases). This stuff won't pass any tests for concrete used in construction, but you don't need a structural countertop....
";s:4:"link";s:94:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406351119/iidex-green-concrete-countertop.php";s:4:"guid";s:75:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/iidex-green-concrete-countertop.php";s:8:"category";s:58:"materialscountertopsgreen buildinghousing industrykitchens";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 11:00:06 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:75:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/iidex-green-concrete-countertop.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1297:"TreeHugger visits IIDEX, the International Interior Design Exhibition, an annual trade-only design show in Toronto.
"Green" and "concrete" are two words that I never thought I would use together, but Alla Linetsky convinced me. She mixes up a special blend that is 77% recycled, 92% local and 30% lighter. She significantly cuts the amount of cement that goes into the concrete (the manufacture of cement is responsible for 5% of the world's greenhouse gases). This stuff won't pass any tests for concrete used in construction, but you don't need a structural countertop....
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222704006;}i:18;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:70:"No Shortage of Alternative Energy Innovations at West Coast Green 2008";s:11:"description";s:1304:"
Ricardo Baiáo has some very cool concepts for products that utilize alternative renewable energy sources. A solar powered outdoor stereo system, a futuristic golf car-style EV, and a kineticly charged cell phone are three of the ideas shown of at the Innovation Pipeline of West Coast Green 2008.
The Sunflower - pictured above - is a cd player and loudspeaker system that charges via sunlight. It's a cool-looking way to have a renewably powered party on your patio. The concept is just one of many bouncing around in Baiáo's head. Get a closer look at his other innovations after the jump. ...
";s:4:"link";s:113:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406340548/no-shortage-of-innovation-at-west-coast-green-2008.php";s:4:"guid";s:94:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/no-shortage-of-innovation-at-west-coast-green-2008.php";s:8:"category";s:79:"Science & Technologyprototypesconcepts & prototypeselectric vehiclessolar power";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:55:00 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:94:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/no-shortage-of-innovation-at-west-coast-green-2008.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1304:"
Ricardo Baiáo has some very cool concepts for products that utilize alternative renewable energy sources. A solar powered outdoor stereo system, a futuristic golf car-style EV, and a kineticly charged cell phone are three of the ideas shown of at the Innovation Pipeline of West Coast Green 2008.
The Sunflower - pictured above - is a cd player and loudspeaker system that charges via sunlight. It's a cool-looking way to have a renewably powered party on your patio. The concept is just one of many bouncing around in Baiáo's head. Get a closer look at his other innovations after the jump. ...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222703700;}i:19;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:47:"At IIDEX: Revive Socially Responsible Recycling";s:11:"description";s:1387:"
Jim Reid and Melody Syne of Revive
TreeHugger visits IIDEX, short for International Interior Design Exhibition, an annual trade-only design show in Toronto.
Often when companies downsize, move or redecorate, the old stuff gets carted off to the dump. What is a Lehman Brother to do with a building full of furniture? Call Revive. They take it away for the same cost of a regular pick-up-and-dump service, and transfer it to their Green Solutions Foundation, a registered charitable organization. The Lehman Brother gets a tax receipt to use against last year's bonus, while the furniture and other items are donated to non-profits, schools, health care facilities an...
";s:4:"link";s:95:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406321100/iidex-revive-furniture-recycling.php";s:4:"guid";s:76:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/iidex-revive-furniture-recycling.php";s:8:"category";s:85:"Business & Politicscharitiesconsumer goodscorporate responsibilityrecycledreusability";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:30:02 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:76:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/iidex-revive-furniture-recycling.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1387:"
Jim Reid and Melody Syne of Revive
TreeHugger visits IIDEX, short for International Interior Design Exhibition, an annual trade-only design show in Toronto.
Often when companies downsize, move or redecorate, the old stuff gets carted off to the dump. What is a Lehman Brother to do with a building full of furniture? Call Revive. They take it away for the same cost of a regular pick-up-and-dump service, and transfer it to their Green Solutions Foundation, a registered charitable organization. The Lehman Brother gets a tax receipt to use against last year's bonus, while the furniture and other items are donated to non-profits, schools, health care facilities an...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222702202;}i:20;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:50:"Bamboo Mountain Bikes are Growing on Calfee Design";s:11:"description";s:1209:"
Bamboo has long been a material of interest for TreeHugger. And, of course, bicycles are, in the words of Julie Andrews, one of our favourite things. When the two hang out together it is extra exciting and such is the case to learn via Wired that Craig Calfee of Calfee Design has expanded his bamboo/hemp offerings beyond road bikes into mountain bike, and beyond that he has a vision that one day he’ll be able to ‘grow’ his own frames. Another pic and more detail follows.
...
";s:4:"link";s:98:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406315615/bamboo-mountain-bikes-calfee-design.php";s:4:"guid";s:79:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/bamboo-mountain-bikes-calfee-design.php";s:8:"category";s:58:"bikesmaterialsbamboobicyclesbikingcaliforniaghanamaterials";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:30:00 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:79:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/bamboo-mountain-bikes-calfee-design.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1209:"
Bamboo has long been a material of interest for TreeHugger. And, of course, bicycles are, in the words of Julie Andrews, one of our favourite things. When the two hang out together it is extra exciting and such is the case to learn via Wired that Craig Calfee of Calfee Design has expanded his bamboo/hemp offerings beyond road bikes into mountain bike, and beyond that he has a vision that one day he’ll be able to ‘grow’ his own frames. Another pic and more detail follows.
...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222702200;}i:21;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:74:"Google Earth Layer Maps Renewable Energy Potential of US Contaminated Land";s:11:"description";s:1393:"All those dots are EPA-managed contaminated land... Image: EPA
If you’ve ever been playing around with Google Earth and thought that it would be a great tool to help inform people about the renewable energy potential in various parts of the United States, you’ve been thinking along the same lines as the Environmental Protection Agency. A new Google Earth layer they’ve released allows you to view the potential of various type of EPA-managed contaminated land for a full spectrum of renewable energy types. When you first load the layer, with all the defaults on, the US looks like a pincushion of colored dots. Check it o...
";s:4:"link";s:127:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406315616/google-earth-layer-maps-renewable-energy-potential-united-states.php";s:4:"guid";s:108:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/google-earth-layer-maps-renewable-energy-potential-united-states.php";s:8:"category";s:59:"alternative energyepapollutionrenewable energyunited states";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:25:59 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:108:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/google-earth-layer-maps-renewable-energy-potential-united-states.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1393:"All those dots are EPA-managed contaminated land... Image: EPA
If you’ve ever been playing around with Google Earth and thought that it would be a great tool to help inform people about the renewable energy potential in various parts of the United States, you’ve been thinking along the same lines as the Environmental Protection Agency. A new Google Earth layer they’ve released allows you to view the potential of various type of EPA-managed contaminated land for a full spectrum of renewable energy types. When you first load the layer, with all the defaults on, the US looks like a pincushion of colored dots. Check it o...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222701959;}i:22;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:81:"A Few Familiar Faces at West Coast Green: PaperStone, Aquaduct Bike, and LiveRoof";s:11:"description";s:1387:"
There were a few familiar faces at West Coast Green 2008 and it's great to see cool technology continuing to grow.
First off, the Aquaduct made an appearance. The Aquaduct is a pedal powered water filtration system useful for people in developing countries.
The person collecting the water rides the bicycle over to the water source, and fills up the 20 gallon tank. As the person pedals back home, "the peristaltic pump draws the water from the storage tank, through a filter to a 2 gallon clean tank. That tank can be removed and taken indoors. When more water is needed, the tank is replaced, th...
";s:4:"link";s:108:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406302486/a-few-familiar-faces-at-west-coast-green-2008.php";s:4:"guid";s:89:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/a-few-familiar-faces-at-west-coast-green-2008.php";s:8:"category";s:119:"Design & ArchitectureScience & Technologymaterialswatergreen buildingrecycled building materialsrecycled consumer goods";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:25:00 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:89:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/a-few-familiar-faces-at-west-coast-green-2008.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1387:"
There were a few familiar faces at West Coast Green 2008 and it's great to see cool technology continuing to grow.
First off, the Aquaduct made an appearance. The Aquaduct is a pedal powered water filtration system useful for people in developing countries.
The person collecting the water rides the bicycle over to the water source, and fills up the 20 gallon tank. As the person pedals back home, "the peristaltic pump draws the water from the storage tank, through a filter to a 2 gallon clean tank. That tank can be removed and taken indoors. When more water is needed, the tank is replaced, th...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222701900;}i:23;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:37:"Dr. Laura Jana on Cellphones for Kids";s:11:"description";s:1237:"
Dr. Laura Jana is a paediatrician and author of Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood with Insight, Humor and a Bottle of Ketchup. She was on a panel with me and the subject of cellphone safety came up. I asked her what she thought about giving cellphones to kids. The advice was straightforward.
...
";s:4:"link";s:87:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406302487/laura-jana-on-cellphones.php";s:4:"guid";s:68:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/laura-jana-on-cellphones.php";s:8:"category";s:46:"Food & Healthcellphoneschildrenhealthradiation";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:00:42 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:68:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/laura-jana-on-cellphones.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1237:"
Dr. Laura Jana is a paediatrician and author of Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood with Insight, Humor and a Bottle of Ketchup. She was on a panel with me and the subject of cellphone safety came up. I asked her what she thought about giving cellphones to kids. The advice was straightforward.
...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222700442;}i:24;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:47:"Stair of the Week: The Prefabs at Home Delivery";s:11:"description";s:919:"
With only 570 square feet to play with, Oscar Leo Kaufmann and Albert Ruf devote a good portion of the System3 house at the Home Delivery exhibition to this lovely stair, with hundreds of mini-portholes lighting the way. ...
";s:4:"link";s:86:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406277780/stairs-of-home-delivery.php";s:4:"guid";s:67:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/stairs-of-home-delivery.php";s:8:"category";s:24:"prefabdesignprefabstairs";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:30:00 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:67:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/stairs-of-home-delivery.php";}s:7:"summary";s:919:"
With only 570 square feet to play with, Oscar Leo Kaufmann and Albert Ruf devote a good portion of the System3 house at the Home Delivery exhibition to this lovely stair, with hundreds of mini-portholes lighting the way. ...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222698600;}i:25;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:79:"Home Delivery: Modern Prefab Lives Fast, Dies Young, Leaves Good Looking Corpse";s:11:"description";s:801:"
The show starts on the sidewalk: Visiting Home Delivery at the at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
...
";s:4:"link";s:84:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406255924/home-delivery-roundup.php";s:4:"guid";s:65:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/home-delivery-roundup.php";s:8:"category";s:38:"prefabarchitectureeventsnew yorkprefab";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:04:26 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:65:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/home-delivery-roundup.php";}s:7:"summary";s:801:"
The show starts on the sidewalk: Visiting Home Delivery at the at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222697066;}i:26;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:67:"San Jose Shows Off Water Recycling Program at West Coast Green 2008";s:11:"description";s:1387:"
San Jose is working hard on its Green Vision, part of which is recycling 100% of its used water by 2022. Well underway is expansion of the South Bay Water Recycling, a program that ensures water is cleaned and reused for industrial purposes to help take the load off the water table so drinking water is always available.
One way to prevent water shortages is to reduce use, and the city is providing some serious monetary incentives for businesses willing to cut back on water consumption. A booth at
";s:4:"link";s:117:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406234157/san-jose-shows-off-water-recycling-at-west-coast-green.php";s:4:"guid";s:98:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/san-jose-shows-off-water-recycling-at-west-coast-green.php";s:8:"category";s:84:"Science & Technologyrecycledwatercaliforniarecycled consumer goodswater conservation";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:98:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/san-jose-shows-off-water-recycling-at-west-coast-green.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1387:"
San Jose is working hard on its Green Vision, part of which is recycling 100% of its used water by 2022. Well underway is expansion of the South Bay Water Recycling, a program that ensures water is cleaned and reused for industrial purposes to help take the load off the water table so drinking water is always available.
One way to prevent water shortages is to reduce use, and the city is providing some serious monetary incentives for businesses willing to cut back on water consumption. A booth at
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222696800;}i:27;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:24:"Dumpster Diving in Style";s:11:"description";s:920:"
When artist Michel de Broin gets home from a hard day's pedalling in his Flinstonemobile, he can relax in style in his converted dumpster....
";s:4:"link";s:87:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406222305/dumpster-diving-in-style.php";s:4:"guid";s:68:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/dumpster-diving-in-style.php";s:8:"category";s:57:"Design & Architectureartistsbathroomsdumpster divingwater";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:25:14 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:68:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/dumpster-diving-in-style.php";}s:7:"summary";s:920:"
When artist Michel de Broin gets home from a hard day's pedalling in his Flinstonemobile, he can relax in style in his converted dumpster....
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222694714;}i:28;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:67:"Z-Pitcher from Zero Water Removes Almost Everything From Your Water";s:11:"description";s:1389:"
In Bottlemania, Elizabeth Royte concluded: “I come away from my investigations with at least one certainty; not all tap water is perfect. But it is the devil we know, the devil that we have standing to negotiate with and to improve."
Many of us do exactly that, eschewing bottled water but using Brita or other filters to polish it a bit, while still worrying about lead, perchlorates, antibiotics, hormones and other contaminants. Perhaps now we have a little help from the Rajan family, who have invented and produced the ZeroWater filter. It is a five-stage unit that takes almost everyt...
";s:4:"link";s:80:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406211998/zero-water-filter.php";s:4:"guid";s:61:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/zero-water-filter.php";s:8:"category";s:45:"waterbottled waterdrinking waternew yorkwater";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:00:28 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:61:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/zero-water-filter.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1389:"
In Bottlemania, Elizabeth Royte concluded: “I come away from my investigations with at least one certainty; not all tap water is perfect. But it is the devil we know, the devil that we have standing to negotiate with and to improve."
Many of us do exactly that, eschewing bottled water but using Brita or other filters to polish it a bit, while still worrying about lead, perchlorates, antibiotics, hormones and other contaminants. Perhaps now we have a little help from the Rajan family, who have invented and produced the ZeroWater filter. It is a five-stage unit that takes almost everyt...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222693228;}i:29;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:61:"A Picture is worth...When Shipping Container Housing Goes Bad";s:11:"description";s:1177:"
Jimmy Stamp at Life Without Buildings compares current shipping container architecture proposals from LOT-EK, Adam Kalkin and others to Icelandic designer "B. Börkur Eiríksson’s dark vision of a smoggy dystopic future where we’re all crammed into mile-high towers by colossal mobile crane systems."
Extraordinary image follows:...
";s:4:"link";s:93:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406195617/when-shipping-contaiers-go-bad.php";s:4:"guid";s:74:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/when-shipping-contaiers-go-bad.php";s:8:"category";s:56:"Design & Architecturebuildingsicelandshipping containers";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:30:29 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:74:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/when-shipping-contaiers-go-bad.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1177:"
Jimmy Stamp at Life Without Buildings compares current shipping container architecture proposals from LOT-EK, Adam Kalkin and others to Icelandic designer "B. Börkur Eiríksson’s dark vision of a smoggy dystopic future where we’re all crammed into mile-high towers by colossal mobile crane systems."
Extraordinary image follows:...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222691429;}i:30;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:67:"Greener Leather Tannery in Vietnam to Supply Global Footwear Brands";s:11:"description";s:1387:"
Leather is a very contentious material. Certainly whenever we mention it here, we are inundated with emotional responses from readers. Leather has been a integral element of human history from at least 2,000 BC. But, even setting aside issues of animal welfare, it has not been the greenest of industries, as this report on the leather production process in Pakistan clearly indicates.
So it was pleasing to see a recent media release announcing the construction of a greener leather tannery in Vietnam, that will...
";s:4:"link";s:98:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406181298/greener-leather-tannery-for-vietnam.php";s:4:"guid";s:79:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/greener-leather-tannery-for-vietnam.php";s:8:"category";s:101:"footwearmaterialschinacorporate responsibilityfootweargermanymaterialsrenewable energytextilesvietnam";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:00:09 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:79:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/greener-leather-tannery-for-vietnam.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1387:"
Leather is a very contentious material. Certainly whenever we mention it here, we are inundated with emotional responses from readers. Leather has been a integral element of human history from at least 2,000 BC. But, even setting aside issues of animal welfare, it has not been the greenest of industries, as this report on the leather production process in Pakistan clearly indicates.
So it was pleasing to see a recent media release announcing the construction of a greener leather tannery in Vietnam, that will...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222689609;}i:31;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:46:"Japan To Subsidize Solar Panels For Your House";s:11:"description";s:1387:"(Photo: AFP/Getty Images from the AIST display of new, flexible solar cells)
80 percent of newly-built homes will be equipped with solar power systems by 2030? Sounds good to me. Japan plans to provide a subsidy of about 200,000 yen (just under $2,000) to households that buy a solar power system to promote its use and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Nikkei. The subsidy represents 10 percent of the cost of a standard solar power system, which is about 2 million yen:
The Minist...
";s:4:"link";s:89:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406195620/japan-will-subsidize-solar.php";s:4:"guid";s:70:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/japan-will-subsidize-solar.php";s:8:"category";s:51:"solaralternative energyjapansolar energysolar power";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:47:39 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:70:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/japan-will-subsidize-solar.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1387:"(Photo: AFP/Getty Images from the AIST display of new, flexible solar cells)
80 percent of newly-built homes will be equipped with solar power systems by 2030? Sounds good to me. Japan plans to provide a subsidy of about 200,000 yen (just under $2,000) to households that buy a solar power system to promote its use and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Nikkei. The subsidy represents 10 percent of the cost of a standard solar power system, which is about 2 million yen:
The Minist...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222688859;}i:32;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:82:"The Go Green Initiative's School of the Week: Groton Central School in Groton, NY!";s:11:"description";s:1204:"
When you hear that our Go Green Initiative School of the Week is located in Groton, NY and has a terrific lunch scrap recycling program called Rot-N-Groton, you know they’ve got both a sense of humor and a knack for getting students involved in cool ways recycling and putting together a greener campus.
Of course, their Goin’ Green T-shirt initiative also has students raving about the worth of a dollar and the benefits of recycling.
...
";s:4:"link";s:80:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406161151/the_go_green_in_3.php";s:4:"guid";s:61:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/the_go_green_in_3.php";s:8:"category";s:190:"Business & PoliticsCulture & CelebrityDesign & ArchitectureFashion & BeautyFood & HealthScience & TechnologyTake Actionrecyclededucationgreen schoolsgreen youthnew yorkrecyclingunited states";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:38:40 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:61:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/the_go_green_in_3.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1204:"
When you hear that our Go Green Initiative School of the Week is located in Groton, NY and has a terrific lunch scrap recycling program called Rot-N-Groton, you know they’ve got both a sense of humor and a knack for getting students involved in cool ways recycling and putting together a greener campus.
Of course, their Goin’ Green T-shirt initiative also has students raving about the worth of a dollar and the benefits of recycling.
...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222688320;}i:33;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:36:"London Design Festival: Gnocchi Bar";s:11:"description";s:1387:" It's not your usual addition to a Design Festival, but it tastes good and it is very stylish, so why not. Arabeschi di Latte is a group of Italian feminist architects who focus on food and our relationship to it. They create events and performances relating to experiential responses to food.
At London Design Festival they set up a gnocchi bar and a tiny temporary cooking studio. In a small corner of Designersblock, passers-by could learn to prepare gnocchi, a traditional italian potato dish. The pot of water was boiling away and participants were given their own pre-boiled potato. They peeled it, minced it and and rolled it and made it themselves, and then ate ...
";s:4:"link";s:80:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406111034/london_design_f_1.php";s:4:"guid";s:61:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/london_design_f_1.php";s:8:"category";s:56:"Design & Architecturearchitectscookingexhibitslocal food";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 05:26:59 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:61:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/london_design_f_1.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1387:" It's not your usual addition to a Design Festival, but it tastes good and it is very stylish, so why not. Arabeschi di Latte is a group of Italian feminist architects who focus on food and our relationship to it. They create events and performances relating to experiential responses to food.
At London Design Festival they set up a gnocchi bar and a tiny temporary cooking studio. In a small corner of Designersblock, passers-by could learn to prepare gnocchi, a traditional italian potato dish. The pot of water was boiling away and participants were given their own pre-boiled potato. They peeled it, minced it and and rolled it and made it themselves, and then ate ...
";s:14:"date_timestamp";i:1222684019;}i:34;a:9:{s:5:"title";s:68:"From Kitchen Scraps to Biogas - Stockholm Embraces Garbage Disposals";s:11:"description";s:1387:"
From the 'everything that goes around comes around' department: in Sweden it is a rare thing to find a kitchen equipped with a garbage disposal, those noisy finger hazards that are extremely commonplace in American kitchens. And while many TreeHuggers eschew the garbage disposal habit for composting of kitchen scraps, a surprising counter-trend is occurring in Sweden's larger cities.
From a hefty fee to a discount for garbage disposals
Previously, a high annual fee discouraged apartment dwellers from thinking about owning a garbage disposal - municipal engineers were worried about gas build-up in sewer lines and other blockages from running liquid garbage th...
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From the 'everything that goes around comes around' department: in Sweden it is a rare thing to find a kitchen equipped with a garbage disposal, those noisy finger hazards that are extremely commonplace in American kitchens. And while many TreeHuggers eschew the garbage disposal habit for composting of kitchen scraps, a surprising counter-trend is occurring in Sweden's larger cities.
From a hefty fee to a discount for garbage disposals
Previously, a high annual fee discouraged apartment dwellers from thinking about owning a garbage disposal - municipal engineers were worried about gas build-up in sewer lines and other blockages from running liquid garbage th...
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Sara and her mom discovering the great outdoors.
I think, and I think you’ll agree, that our days of decadence are done. I mean, who can afford a $5 daily coffee fix everyday anymore? Who can afford the bottomless tank of yesteryear’s monster SUVs? Who can afford to travel? Or heat and cool their McMansion? It seems that we have been living in a time of decadence; a time of $100 burgers and $12.5 million bras. Key words: have been. Is it safe to say t...
Image credit: Stephen Fung – a typical high-speed train in Taiwan
UK Conservative’s Plan for Trains No Planes – Green or Not?
We TreeHuggers tend to be big advocates of the environmental benefits of trains vs. planes, so we should all be overjoyed that the UK Conservative Party, who are currently riding high in the polls, have announced plans to scrap a third runway at Heathrow and to instead build a £20bn (US$36bn) rail link between London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds. And according to The Guardian, the 
photo: Stanley Johnson
Leave it to James Howard Kunstler to remind us of how bad things can still get...With all the volatility on the stock market today, and the dismal U.S. financial news, I thought it appropriate to turn to the post-peak oil apocalypse sage for some words of wisdom. In today’s installment of Clusterf**k Nation , Kunstler continued his ongoing harangue against what he sees as essentially a ponzi scheme writ large on Wall Street, with a slight bit of ‘I told you so’. He then addressed the ‘unseen tsunami’ of energy scar...
Image:Construction workers work on the site of the residential complex of the Commonwealth Village being constructed by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in partnership with private builder Emaar MGF (Getty)
photo: Ricardo Medina
The morning plenary session at the Clinton Global Initiative meeting last Friday was on the “Global Impact of Rural Innovation” and had quite a distinguished panel of speakers. Well, every session at CGI had impressive credentials, but this one was particularly inspirational. Here are some of the highlights from Wangari Maathai , founder of the Green Belt Movement in Kenya:...
Though much of the talk at last week’s Clinton Global Initiative meeting was about improving the lives of our fellow human beings, Rwandan president Paul Kagame was in attendance, seeking support for a historic conservation corridor in his country, which it is hoped will provide relief for endangered chimpanzees in the region. The Gishwati Area Conservation Program is being promoted in conjunction with the Great Ape Trust of Iowa and Earthpark is being billed as a “forest of hope”. This is what it’s all about:
...
Image Credit: The Guardian
A new software app for your phone takes all the calculating part out of figuring your carbon footprint. All you have to do is carry your phone around - which most of us do anyway - and it does the calculations for you. But, that also means it knows what you're doing at all times. ...
Intelligent dashboards are quickly becoming the major way in which people track and manage carbon footprints and environmental impacts. From home energy use to businesses carbon output, all the way up to the green-mindedness of a city, a state, or a country, we are beginning to use dashboards as an effective way to know where we stand.
West Coast Green 2008 highlighted this point through several avenues. First, the showhouse Harbinger featured a 
Photo credit: IMAGEMORE Co., Ltd./Getty Images
With gas prices ever on the rise, people living farther from the workplace, and traffic conditions worsening by the week, the daily commute is increasingly having an impact on our wallets and our lifestyles -- as well as global climate change. From getting the best gas mileage to work-from-home jobs to reducing air tr...
photo: Ana
A recent article from The Atlantic found its way into my inbox and I feel the need to comment. Simply titled “Blowback" it asks the question whether the robust expansion which wind power has seen in the United States (and indeed the world) of late may not be subject to the same sort of bust that has hit the ethanol market. In it author Matthew Quirk correctly identifies, if overstates, some of the genuine issues with wind power making further inroads into the US energy mix and the goes on to simplify t...
:: Are you a renter? Live green legally with these landlord-friendly renovation tips.
:: Speak up in the office and suggest a switch to soy-based ink toners in the copy room.
:: Transform pesky #6 plastic into pretty jewelry charms....
Solaleya makes highly efficient homes. They showed off their designs at West Coast Green last week. The thing is, they look a bit like landed UFOs. Not that dome houses are exactly new, but they also aren't the most common of house forms.
Even so, I have to admit I totally wanted to live in one by the time I finished listening in about their designs at their booth on the tradeshow floor. ...
:: The Environmental Working Group exposes the high levels of hormone-disrupting chemicals found in teenage girls' bodies.
:: Apple is rumored to soon release their eco-friendly laptop stateside.
:: The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) pumps up prefab in their current exhibit, Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling.
:: Sony Ericsson develops an energy efficient cell phone called GreenHeart.
:: With solar panel steals on the rise so are a...
Integrity Block may be a brand new company, and Green Design Systems might be struggling to find funding to launch their Straw Wall, but the concept behind their products is as old as the human desire to build shelters.
Shown off at West Coast Green 2008, the compacted earth blocks of Integrity Block, and the compressed straw panels of Straw Wall were among the greenest and ...
LEDs used to be rare and noteworthy; now they are just expensive. There were a couple of rows of LED vendors on display at IIDEX, most clunky and inelegant, still put together by engineers instead of designers. A rare exception was MP Lighting from Vancouver, Canada. They had a booth full of LED eye candy that really stood out. Shown above is an integrated wine rack and LED illumination that would look lovely in my wine cellar....
West Coast Green 2008 showed off innovative green ways to build homes and structures. But it didn't stop there. Also featured at the convention were eco-friendly ways to decorate. NaturesCast is one such way, utilizing dry leaves and twigs harvested from forests around Compostela, Province of Cebu, The Philippines.
More photos of the beautiful creations after the jump....
photo: caribb
There’s no getting around the fact that despite the best intentions of many of us in the green movement, we live and work in a society which spews out a lot of carbon emissions. It’s part of the structure of our nations and no matter what we do on an individual level, it’s unlikely that we really can reduce our carbon footprint below a certain level. All but the most eco-ascetic of us have a higher carbon footprint than is optimal. The easy answer to addressing that excess carbon is to offset it, using one of the myriad services available.
A new piece in 
TreeHugger visits IIDEX, the International Interior Design Exhibition, an annual trade-only design show in Toronto.
"Green" and "concrete" are two words that I never thought I would use together, but Alla Linetsky convinced me. She mixes up a special blend that is 77% recycled, 92% local and 30% lighter. She significantly cuts the amount of cement that goes into the concrete (the manufacture of cement is responsible for 5% of the world's greenhouse gases). This stuff won't pass any tests for concrete used in construction, but you don't need a structural countertop....
Ricardo Baiáo has some very cool concepts for products that utilize alternative renewable energy sources. A solar powered outdoor stereo system, a futuristic golf car-style EV, and a kineticly charged cell phone are three of the ideas shown of at the Innovation Pipeline of West Coast Green 2008.
The Sunflower - pictured above - is a cd player and loudspeaker system that charges via sunlight. It's a cool-looking way to have a renewably powered party on your patio. The concept is just one of many bouncing around in Baiáo's head. Get a closer look at his other innovations after the jump. ...
Jim Reid and Melody Syne of Revive
TreeHugger visits IIDEX, short for International Interior Design Exhibition, an annual trade-only design show in Toronto.
Often when companies downsize, move or redecorate, the old stuff gets carted off to the dump. What is a Lehman Brother to do with a building full of furniture? Call Revive. They take it away for the same cost of a regular pick-up-and-dump service, and transfer it to their Green Solutions Foundation, a registered charitable organization. The Lehman Brother gets a tax receipt to use against last year's bonus, while the furniture and other items are donated to non-profits, schools, health care facilities an...
Bamboo has long been a material of interest for TreeHugger. And, of course, bicycles are, in the words of Julie Andrews, one of our favourite things. When the two hang out together it is extra exciting and such is the case to learn via Wired that Craig Calfee of Calfee Design has expanded his bamboo/hemp offerings beyond road bikes into mountain bike, and beyond that he has a vision that one day he’ll be able to ‘grow’ his own frames. Another pic and more detail follows.
...
All those dots are EPA-managed contaminated land... Image: EPA
If you’ve ever been playing around with Google Earth and thought that it would be a great tool to help inform people about the renewable energy potential in various parts of the United States, you’ve been thinking along the same lines as the Environmental Protection Agency. A new Google Earth layer they’ve released allows you to view the potential of various type of EPA-managed contaminated land for a full spectrum of renewable energy types. When you first load the layer, with all the defaults on, the US looks like a pincushion of colored dots. Check it o...
There were a few familiar faces at West Coast Green 2008 and it's great to see cool technology continuing to grow.
First off, the Aquaduct made an appearance. The Aquaduct is a pedal powered water filtration system useful for people in developing countries.
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";s:4:"link";s:87:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406302487/laura-jana-on-cellphones.php";s:4:"guid";s:68:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/laura-jana-on-cellphones.php";s:8:"category";s:46:"Food & Healthcellphoneschildrenhealthradiation";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 10:00:42 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:68:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/laura-jana-on-cellphones.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1237:" Dr. Laura Jana is a paediatrician and author of Food Fights: Winning the Nutritional Challenges of Parenthood with Insight, Humor and a Bottle of Ketchup. She was on a panel with me and the subject of cellphone safety came up. I asked her what she thought about giving cellphones to kids. The advice was straightforward. ...
With only 570 square feet to play with, Oscar Leo Kaufmann and Albert Ruf devote a good portion of the System3 house at the Home Delivery exhibition to this lovely stair, with hundreds of mini-portholes lighting the way. ...
";s:4:"link";s:86:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406277780/stairs-of-home-delivery.php";s:4:"guid";s:67:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/stairs-of-home-delivery.php";s:8:"category";s:24:"prefabdesignprefabstairs";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:30:00 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:67:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/stairs-of-home-delivery.php";}s:7:"summary";s:919:"
The show starts on the sidewalk: Visiting Home Delivery at the at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. ...
";s:4:"link";s:84:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406255924/home-delivery-roundup.php";s:4:"guid";s:65:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/home-delivery-roundup.php";s:8:"category";s:38:"prefabarchitectureeventsnew yorkprefab";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:04:26 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:65:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/home-delivery-roundup.php";}s:7:"summary";s:801:"
San Jose is working hard on its Green Vision, part of which is recycling 100% of its used water by 2022. Well underway is expansion of the South Bay Water Recycling, a program that ensures water is cleaned and reused for industrial purposes to help take the load off the water table so drinking water is always available. One way to prevent water shortages is to reduce use, and the city is providing some serious monetary incentives for businesses willing to cut back on water consumption. A booth at
";s:4:"link";s:117:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406234157/san-jose-shows-off-water-recycling-at-west-coast-green.php";s:4:"guid";s:98:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/san-jose-shows-off-water-recycling-at-west-coast-green.php";s:8:"category";s:84:"Science & Technologyrecycledwatercaliforniarecycled consumer goodswater conservation";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 09:00:00 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:98:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/san-jose-shows-off-water-recycling-at-west-coast-green.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1387:"
When artist Michel de Broin gets home from a hard day's pedalling in his Flinstonemobile, he can relax in style in his converted dumpster....
";s:4:"link";s:87:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406222305/dumpster-diving-in-style.php";s:4:"guid";s:68:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/dumpster-diving-in-style.php";s:8:"category";s:57:"Design & Architectureartistsbathroomsdumpster divingwater";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 08:25:14 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:68:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/dumpster-diving-in-style.php";}s:7:"summary";s:920:"
In Bottlemania, Elizabeth Royte concluded: “I come away from my investigations with at least one certainty; not all tap water is perfect. But it is the devil we know, the devil that we have standing to negotiate with and to improve." Many of us do exactly that, eschewing bottled water but using Brita or other filters to polish it a bit, while still worrying about lead, perchlorates, antibiotics, hormones and other contaminants. Perhaps now we have a little help from the Rajan family, who have invented and produced the ZeroWater filter. It is a five-stage unit that takes almost everyt...
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Jimmy Stamp at Life Without Buildings compares current shipping container architecture proposals from LOT-EK, Adam Kalkin and others to Icelandic designer "B. Börkur Eiríksson’s dark vision of a smoggy dystopic future where we’re all crammed into mile-high towers by colossal mobile crane systems." Extraordinary image follows:...
";s:4:"link";s:93:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406195617/when-shipping-contaiers-go-bad.php";s:4:"guid";s:74:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/when-shipping-contaiers-go-bad.php";s:8:"category";s:56:"Design & Architecturebuildingsicelandshipping containers";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:30:29 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:74:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/when-shipping-contaiers-go-bad.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1177:"
Leather is a very contentious material. Certainly whenever we mention it here, we are inundated with emotional responses from readers. Leather has been a integral element of human history from at least 2,000 BC. But, even setting aside issues of animal welfare, it has not been the greenest of industries, as this report on the leather production process in Pakistan clearly indicates. So it was pleasing to see a recent media release announcing the construction of a greener leather tannery in Vietnam, that will...
";s:4:"link";s:98:"http://feeds.treehugger.com/~r/treehuggersite/~3/406181298/greener-leather-tannery-for-vietnam.php";s:4:"guid";s:79:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/greener-leather-tannery-for-vietnam.php";s:8:"category";s:101:"footwearmaterialschinacorporate responsibilityfootweargermanymaterialsrenewable energytextilesvietnam";s:7:"pubdate";s:31:"Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:00:09 -0500";s:10:"feedburner";a:1:{s:8:"origlink";s:79:"http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/09/greener-leather-tannery-for-vietnam.php";}s:7:"summary";s:1387:"
(Photo: AFP/Getty Images from the AIST display of new, flexible solar cells) 80 percent of newly-built homes will be equipped with solar power systems by 2030? Sounds good to me. Japan plans to provide a subsidy of about 200,000 yen (just under $2,000) to households that buy a solar power system to promote its use and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Nikkei. The subsidy represents 10 percent of the cost of a standard solar power system, which is about 2 million yen:
The Minist...
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When you hear that our Go Green Initiative School of the Week is located in Groton, NY and has a terrific lunch scrap recycling program called Rot-N-Groton, you know they’ve got both a sense of humor and a knack for getting students involved in cool ways recycling and putting together a greener campus. Of course, their Goin’ Green T-shirt initiative also has students raving about the worth of a dollar and the benefits of recycling. ...
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It's not your usual addition to a Design Festival, but it tastes good and it is very stylish, so why not. Arabeschi di Latte is a group of Italian feminist architects who focus on food and our relationship to it. They create events and performances relating to experiential responses to food. At London Design Festival they set up a gnocchi bar and a tiny temporary cooking studio. In a small corner of Designersblock, passers-by could learn to prepare gnocchi, a traditional italian potato dish. The pot of water was boiling away and participants were given their own pre-boiled potato. They peeled it, minced it and and rolled it and made it themselves, and then ate ...
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From the 'everything that goes around comes around' department: in Sweden it is a rare thing to find a kitchen equipped with a garbage disposal, those noisy finger hazards that are extremely commonplace in American kitchens. And while many TreeHuggers eschew the garbage disposal habit for composting of kitchen scraps, a surprising counter-trend is occurring in Sweden's larger cities. From a hefty fee to a discount for garbage disposals Previously, a high annual fee discouraged apartment dwellers from thinking about owning a garbage disposal - municipal engineers were worried about gas build-up in sewer lines and other blockages from running liquid garbage th...
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