TreeHugger

Sonoma County Welcomes Electric Vehicles With Plans For 200 Charging Stations

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:49:00 -0500

Image via: Coulomb Technologies Sonoma County, CA is preparing to install 200 new ChargePoint electric vehicle charging stations throughout the county. The infrastructure is being installed in preparation of electric vehicles being sold like hot cakes starting over the next few years, but the plan hinges on a little thing calle...

Louise Galvin Launches U.K.'s First Carbon-Neutral Beauty Company

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:33:10 -0500

Photo credit: Louise Galvin Louise Galvin, hair colorist to the stars and the woman behind the eponymous haircare line, can add another pip to her collar: Louise Galvin is U.K.'s first beauty company to become carbon-neutral. Pumped full of naturally derived ingredients like essential oils, natural extracts, and vegetable-based moisturizing and conditioning agents—no sulfates, parabens, silicone, petrochemicals, synthetic fragrances, or polymers, thanks—Galvin's cruelty-free follicle-primping products maintain cl...

More Low-carbon Grilling Tips: Minty Marinade

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:07:54 -0500

Before: how not to grill--high flame, smoke and charring. Photo via flickr by (appropriately) Combust When barbecuing your free-range meats and line-caught fish this July 4th, be sure to whip up some marinade first. Yesterday, I offered ten ways to avoid carcinogenic HCAs and PAHs when grilling (or any high-heat cooking, for that matter). Thanks to a comment from a reader, I dug digger into tip # 4, the marinating suggestion that lessens HCAs, and discovered some compelling results and recommended recipes for significa...

Chinese Government Raises Fuel Prices by 10% (That's Good!)

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:35:48 -0500

Those prices are in Yuans per liter, I think. Fuel Subsidies Punish Virtue The Chinese government has recently decided to raise fuel prices by about 10%, the third increase in the past few months, following a 6-7% increase on June 1st, and a 3-5% increase in March. The stated goal is to bring the price of fuel in China closer to what the market price is. From a green point of view, this is good because subsidized fossil fuels only encourages waste, over-consumption, and the buying of vehicles that aren't fuel efficient. It also artificially reduces the competitiveness of technologies that aren't based on fossil fuels, slowing down their adop...

Has the 'Organic' Label Become the Biggest Greenwashing Campaign in the US?

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:27:19 -0500

Photos via Critical Bench, and the Guardian We're well aware that more and more products are apt to be labeled with false green claims to try to grab the attention of increasingly green consumers--and 98% percent of them were guilty of exactly that last year. Now consider the federal, USDA regulated

Speak Up for Energy Independence Day

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 15:00:19 -0500

Assembly Room, Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where in 1776 the Declaration of Independence was signed; and, in 1787, the U.S. Constitution was drafted. Image credit:Flockr, Dailyville photostream. Excerpted. Perhaps that title is becoming common from those of us who've been fighting for clean energy for the U.S. instead of the same old dirty fossil fuels, but as chants of "Drill, baby, drill!" continue to emanate from some corners, we must stick with it. We've hit summer's stride - It's time for the 4th of July holiday weekend, people are traveling, ...

Fashion That Goes Vroom: Smart Car, Colette Commission Eco-Friendly Wearables

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:43:51 -0500

Photo credit: Colette Renowned Parisian retailer Colette and the cutest car this side of Sanrio have put up a united fashion front, rallying five designer labels from Paris, New York, Berlin, Brazil, and Denmark to produce a tres exclusive, tres limited-edition collection of bags, jewelry, tees, and accessories for the urban car brand. Revolving around the themes of urban mobility, design, and sustainability, the co-branded

Global Warming is Shrinking the Soay Sheep of Scotland

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 14:28:15 -0500

Photo: Wikipedia, CC The Incredible Shrinking Sheep! Could the changing climate be shrinking animals? That seems to be the case for the Soay sheep of Scotland. "The island of Hirta, on the western coast of Scotland, is home to a special breed of sheep. Soay sheep, named after a neighbouring island, are the most primitive breed of domestic sheep and have lived on the isles of St Kilda for at least a millennium." These sheep are already smaller on average than other breeds of sheep, but according to a recent study, they have been getting even smaller......

Stephen Colbert Takes on the Supreme Court, Mocks Toxic Waste Dumping Decision (VIDEO)

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:46:20 -0500

Image via friends v1 Stephen Colbert took on the Supreme Court case that outraged environmentalists everywhere--you know, the one that ruled that toxic waste from a gold mine could be dumped in a lake, subsequently eradicating all life within. Colbert's take will most likely make you even more angry, but at least it's funny as hell. Watch the video after...

War in Pakistan Exposes 2 Million Refugees to Contaminated Water, Disease Risk

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:08:02 -0500

Photo via the Takeaway As fighting between the Taliban and the Pakistani military escalated in South Waziristan, millions of people were forced to flee their homes—it was Pakistan's biggest exodus since the country's founding in 1947. The two million refugees now face a slew of severe health risks—among them, a contaminated, damaged water supply and insufficient access to health care. ...

Richard Branson Opens Farm to Fork Eco-Resort in NJ

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:41:00 -0500

Image via: Ninety Acres Culinary School Richard Branson, known for supporting all types of wild and high profile schemes (renewable energy, carbon capture, alternative fuels for Virgin Airlines and even eco-resorts on his famous islands), now he's into something a little more mellow: funding a F...

US Consumers Prefer "100% Natural" Food Label

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:36:24 -0500

The cultural legacy of R. Crumb's 60's cartoon character, "Mr. Natural," may well be that US consumers have an instinctive preference for the "100% Natural" label over the "100% Organic" one, and by a wide margin (as pictured). That's according to recent survey of 1006 people by the Shelton Group, which offeres detailed results in a commercially-sold EcoPulse market report....

Living in Glass Houses: Vodafone's Solar Powered Mobile Home

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 12:28:24 -0500

Vodafon is sending this solar powered minihome around Spain to promote their telephone and internet services, complete with a family of four that is blogging about it at La Casa Móvil. Designers Waskman design studio, with creative space Culdesac, squeezed a lot into not much space. No doubt the glass wall makes it feel bigger, albeit without much privacy....

Reduce Your Carbon Footprint By Flying to Paris (Slideshow)

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:07:08 -0500

I know, that contradicts everything we have been saying about the carbon footprint of flying, but there are a lot of lessons to be learned from visiting other places and cultures. In Paris, it's more than just the smaller carbon footprint of urban dwellers; it is about food, bikes, walking, transit, and a different style of living. So many lessons. ...

Orange's Futuristic Solar Tent for Stylish Off-Grid Charging

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 11:00:00 -0500

Images via Orange Taking their Chill-n-Charge tent to a whole new level, Orange has dreamed up a concept solar tent that would use flexible solar fabric and modern design to create a place to relax and charge up gear while off grid. Check out images of the concept tent and how it would work. ...

FICO Is Greening Our Credit, and the Business in General

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 10:00:00 -0500

Dealing with your FICO score can sometimes make you see red, but the company is trying to throw in some green. They launched a Sustainable Enterprise Initiative in 2008, with the goal to reduce the company's IT energy use by 50% and paper consumption by 80% by 2010. They've already made some serious headway on that goal. ...

The Blogosphere's Top 5 Ways to Green Your 4th of July Celebrations

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:42:58 -0500

This week on TreeHugger we've been looking at ways you can make your Independence Day celebrations greener than the grass you'll be having your BBQ on. Avoiding carbon from BBQ's, vegan celebrations in Texas, fireworks and the environment, have all been highlighted, so let's take a tour on the blogosphere party bus to see what other bright green 4th of ...

San Francisco Turns Intersection into Park in 72 Hours (Video)

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:13:13 -0500
Image credit: StreetFilms Dangerous intersection reclaimed as public space One of my favorite things about the folks at StreetFilms is that they don't just report on innovative projects for livable streets - they deconstruct what has been done so we can all learn from it. It's like they are building a sense of collective literacy around planning and public space. Whether it's physically separated bike lanes or

Eco-Activism, Charitable Donations, and You

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0500
Photo via N.ico Natural Papa is running a fundraiser drive that reminds us how vital taking action is to environmentalism. Some of the bigger names in the green blogosphere, including TheGoodHuman and TwilightEarth have gotten together to rally funds for some important environmental groups. And the best part is, you get a say in how the fundraiser goes down. Check out how this special eco-charity drive works....

Bridgedale Adds Bamboo Socks And Reduces Global Warming

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 08:11:49 -0500
The other week I was sitting in a medical waiting room reading, as you do, a copy of Reader Digest. There was an intriguing article about Jackie Heinricher, her Booshoot company, and the plan to bring large scale bamboo cultivation to North America. At the time I thought I should follow up on that story. So I was very surprised to come home and find in my email inbox a missive regarding outdoor sock company Bridgedale’s connection with Booshoot and their Plant A Boo campaign. It seems once upon a time the US had 5 million acres of bamboo under crop. The Plant A Boo project is looking to reinvigorate this swift growing g...

Students Get 568 Km Per Liter, Hope For More

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 07:00:00 -0500
Sakarya University students with their hydrogen-powered car. Photo via SAİTEM. Gas prices in Turkey are among the highest -- if not the highest -- in the world, a fact I was rudely awakened to last summer when some friends and I rented a car to drive from Istanbul to Edirne, a round-trip of around 500 kilometers, to watch the oil-wrestling championships. (A story in and of itself.) We paid about $100 for the gas alone, some 38 liters of it. If we'd been driving the SAHİMO,...

Rate Your Stinky Hippy Factor: Do You Really Need Deodorant?

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 06:17:33 -0500
Photo via Jeff the Trojan @ flickr. An informal survey of the global TreeHugger gang revealed an interesting (and perhaps slightly redolent) tendency to move away from the use of deodorant each and every day. In fact, the majority of responding THers have partially or even wholly given up on deodorant, primarily kicking the habit due to trouble finding them without pore-clogging aluminum chlorohydrate or petroleum-based propylene glycol. <...

Chelsea Football Team is the Greenest, Plus Other Winners

Fri, 03 Jul 2009 05:41:12 -0500
Image from Chelsea Football News The winners of the Green 500 awards have been announced--these are organisations taking part in a London-wide campaign to reduce carbon emissions. The greenest football (soccer) team is Chelsea Football Club. Despite the fact that their captain drives a Ferrari, the team has a serious environmental policy. It encourages supporters to use public transport to get to the games. They also have a car-sharing scheme for fans an...

Sneak Peek: Leanne Marshall for Bluefly.com

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 20:21:13 -0500
Photo credit: Bluefly Leanne Marshall, Project Runway's Season 5 winner, presented a sneak peek of her long-anticipated sustainable collection for Bluefly.com on Tuesday. Available exclusively at the online retailer starting July 8, the nine-piece collection comprises a tank and a tunic in two colorways, a skirt, jacket, and three different takes on the dress, including a smoldering off-the-shoulder fuchsia number and an ultramarine duchess-silk-and-organza confection. ...

Ten Ways to Avoid Carbon from Barbecues This 4th of July

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:43:18 -0500
Hmmm, the smoky flavor of carcinogens give PAHs for thought. Photo via Flickr by brandi666 Stand out of the line of fire of smoky fumes. Sure, that's the first defense. But what about the dangers of grilled dogs, ribs, and salmon? I've long heard tales of how a charcoal grilled burger is the equivalent of a carton of cigarettes. So when flipping through Cure magazine at my acupuncturist’s office, I discovered an article from Lena Huang about “Good Grilling” with easy steps t...

Pathway To Corporate Sustainability: A Profile Of SAP, Global Business Software Provider

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:25:40 -0500
Outer-hallway meeting room, with privacy glass, allowing natural light penetration. SAP, USA, newly constructed LEED "Platinum" headquarters building. I recently had a chance to speak with representatives of the global business software company SAP, as well get a tour of the firm's nearly completed LEED Platinum US Headquarters building in Newtown Square Pennsylvania. The result, written as a composite interview, is a profile of SAP's global sustainability strategy, punctuated with a photographic tour of the new building. There was a discussion of sustainability strategy wit...

Holy Crap! Toilet-Paper Wedding Dress Displays Unparalleled Dedication

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 17:55:25 -0500
Photo credit: Cheap Chic Weddings Major, major kudos to Ann Kagawa Lee of Honolulu, Hawaii, winner of Cheap Chic Wedding's annual toilet-paper wedding dress contest, who made this mind-boggling matrimonial ensemble out of bathroom tissue—a textile fit for a recession!—tape, glue, and a breathtaking amount of commitment. Lee's stunningly detailed creation, which has drawn comparisons to an Oscar de la Renta couture gown, according to the Web site, was inspired by a potent combo of Gone W...

Washington D.C. Event: Fashion Fights Poverty Hosts Fashion Swap on July 18

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:36:51 -0500
Photo credit: Fashion Fights Poverty Mark your calendars: One of the largest fashion fundraisers in our nation's capital, Fashion Fights Poverty, will be hosting Washington, D.C.'s first fashion swap on July 18. Bring in your gently used togs to be consigned, traded for "new to you" pieces, or donated to D.C.'s Covenant House, an organization that offers shelter, protection, food, clothing, counseling, and job training to disadvantaged youth. Details below....

Transport TW: Zero Emission Car Powered By Magnetic Fields

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:30:06 -0500

Photo courtesy of EcoFriend Car designer Harsha Vardhan suggests that this two-wheeler concept is the car of the future. His Transporter TW (Twin Wheel) is a single-seater electric vehicle that uses magnetic fields for driving the car. The two gianormous wheels, suspended over a superconducting fluid, are propelled by those shifting...

All Ocean-Going Ships Near California's Coast Must Now Use Cleaner Fuel

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:01:39 -0500
Photo: Flickr, CC This is a Big Deal A Californian regulation mandating that all ocean-going vessels within 24 miles of the state's coast must use cleaner burning low-sulfur diesel fuel is now in effect. This will have a big impact on air quality (big cargo ships have terrible emissions, and we too often overlook them and focus on cars & trucks), reducing smog and saving an estimated 3,600 people from premature deaths between 2009 and 2015. "The req...

EDUN LIVE and YOOX.com Introduce "Ever.Green" Tees Designed by Celebrities

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:58:42 -0500
Photo credit: Edun This week saw the launch of a sustainable collaboration between YOOX.com, an online fashion and design boutique, and EDUN LIVE, an offshoot of EDUN that specializes in T-shirts. Dubbed "ever.green," the series of limited-edition, 100 percent organic cotton tees for men and women will capitalize on the star power of its celeb guest designers to garner sales, the proceeds of which will go directl...

Re-Think The Shark! Clever Ad by Save Our Seas Foundation

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 15:01:55 -0500
We Can't Limit Conservation Efforts to Cute & Cuddly Animals... Here's a clever ad about "Re-Thinking the Shark" by the most excellent Save Our Seas Foundation (check out their proje...

Oh No Mommy! Will the Greenies Take Fireworks Away From Us?

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:35:09 -0500
Photo: Flickr, CC Obligatory Post About Green Fireworks for the 4th of July Fireworks are fun - who doesn't like explosions? - and a good excuse to get together with family and friends, but they're also not very clean. In Beijing, China, the smoke from fireworks during the new year celebrations tripled pollution levels overnight, and the toxic metals used to get the bright colorful sparks fall back to Earth, contaminating soil an...

Enter MTV's Copenhagen Climate Video Challenge

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 13:32:12 -0500
They used to play videos but now they air reality shows 24/7 that feature a bunch of rich knuckleheads. But MTV isn't all bad. In fact, they are sponsoring a really cool contest for youth around the climate negotiations in Copenhagen later this year. MTV is inviting its viewers to enter the Internews Earth Journalism Awards Competition by entering the MTV Positive Change category of the competition "with your best, most original piece of conte...

Endangered Species Alert: Amur Tigers Found to Have an Effective Wild Population of Just 35

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:57:00 -0500
Amur Tiger at the Zurich zoo, photo: Tambako the Jaguar via flickr A few months ago I included the Amur Tiger (also know as the Siberian Tiger) in a slideshow of animals which very well could go extinct in the coming decades. It was for good reason, as a new piece from the BBC shows. This largest of all the tigers has an effective wild population of just 35 individuals:...