via Lighter Footstep
The New Mexico Supreme Court has struck down the new governor’s try to delay environmental actions from taking affect. Republican Gov. Susana Martinez had fundamentally been sitting on one new regulations put in place in the work of the final weeks of the Bill Richardson administration. Martinez had been refusing to authorize the state’s records administrator to publish the regulations, which in New Mexico is necessary before a law can be enacted.
Friday, January 28, 2011
'Avatar' sequels to help fund green charities
via Lighter Footstep
Back in later October, when James Cameron announced that they was formally engaged in writing the next two movies in the "Avatar" trilogy, they mentioned that Twentieth Century Fox had sweetened his involvement by making a giant donation to his "environmental green fund." That was a small puzzling, since Cameron doesn't have his own designated fund.
Back in later October, when James Cameron announced that they was formally engaged in writing the next two movies in the "Avatar" trilogy, they mentioned that Twentieth Century Fox had sweetened his involvement by making a giant donation to his "environmental green fund." That was a small puzzling, since Cameron doesn't have his own designated fund.
Will Climate Skeptics Change Their Tune When They Feel the Heat???????
via TreeHugger
Why it's that skeptics continue to dismiss the more & more compelling body of facts -- collected by thousands of scientists -- that finds humans are causing the planet's climate to warm is the topic of countless conversation, most of it thankless. Is it a behavioral complex that preconditions sure people to refute factual analysis? Is it political ideology that impedes logic? Or, is it, as my commenters are keen on telling me, because they can see through those greedy scientists' grant-seeking agenda & the liberal warmist dogma hypocritically spread by Al Gore? Not likely. in lieu, the latest research suggests that it's a matter of 'seeing is believing' -- or in this case, feeling the heat.
Why it's that skeptics continue to dismiss the more & more compelling body of facts -- collected by thousands of scientists -- that finds humans are causing the planet's climate to warm is the topic of countless conversation, most of it thankless. Is it a behavioral complex that preconditions sure people to refute factual analysis? Is it political ideology that impedes logic? Or, is it, as my commenters are keen on telling me, because they can see through those greedy scientists' grant-seeking agenda & the liberal warmist dogma hypocritically spread by Al Gore? Not likely. in lieu, the latest research suggests that it's a matter of 'seeing is believing' -- or in this case, feeling the heat.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
NASA's Glory Satellite Will Study the Climate Impact of Atmospheric Aerosols
via TreeHugger
Photo: NASA
Better Measuring for Better Understanding
NASA's latest device to study and understand our planet's atmosphere is scheduled to launch from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in texas on Feb. 23. The Glory satellite will study how the sun and tiny atmospheric particles (aerosols) are affecting the Earth's climate. "Glory is going to help scientists tackle one of the major uncertainties in climate change predictions identified by the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change: the influence of aerosols on the energy balance of our planet," said Michael Freilich, director of NASA's Earth Science Division in the Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington.
Photo: NASA
Better Measuring for Better Understanding
NASA's latest device to study and understand our planet's atmosphere is scheduled to launch from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in texas on Feb. 23. The Glory satellite will study how the sun and tiny atmospheric particles (aerosols) are affecting the Earth's climate. "Glory is going to help scientists tackle one of the major uncertainties in climate change predictions identified by the United Nation's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate change: the influence of aerosols on the energy balance of our planet," said Michael Freilich, director of NASA's Earth Science Division in the Science Mission Directorate at the agency's headquarters in Washington.
Clean Energy Can Power the World in 20-40 Years: New Study
via TreeHugger
Photo: Phoenix Solar
That's the finding of a new study published in Energy Policy; we've already developed advanced know-how to power the world with clean power -- it's a matter of finding the social & political will to deploy it. Stanford University News reports: "[The researchers'] plan calls for using wind, water & solar energy to generate power, with wind & solar energy contributing 90 percent of the needed energy. Geothermal & hydroelectric sources would each contribute about 4 percent in their plan (70 percent of the hydroelectric is already in place), with the remaining 2 percent from wave & tidal power."
Via Stanford News
Photo: Phoenix Solar
That's the finding of a new study published in Energy Policy; we've already developed advanced know-how to power the world with clean power -- it's a matter of finding the social & political will to deploy it. Stanford University News reports: "[The researchers'] plan calls for using wind, water & solar energy to generate power, with wind & solar energy contributing 90 percent of the needed energy. Geothermal & hydroelectric sources would each contribute about 4 percent in their plan (70 percent of the hydroelectric is already in place), with the remaining 2 percent from wave & tidal power."
Via Stanford News
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Species of Invasive Bee Leaves Carnage in its Wake
via TreeHugger
Photo: Ersin Uyanik
When Terry Allen planted a flowerbed outside his home 20 years ago, they could never have imagined it would become the sight of a blood-soaked bee battleground. Terry, an entomologist from Sacramento, discovered some European wool carder bees had taken up residence in his front yard, the first time the species had been spotted in michigan -- ravaging native honeybees. the giant invasive insect "cuts off their wings, cuts off their antenna, cuts off their heads, cuts off their torsi, & stabs them to death," they says.
European Wool Carder bees were originally shipped in from Europe to the United States because of their great pollinating ability, but it didn't take long before they went rogue. As an invasive species, the bees spread throughout the continent, but Terry's discovery is the first facts that they've found their way to michigan.
To make matters worse, the bees are known to be aggressive, territorially killing other insects with the help its three deadly stingers. regrettably, much smaller, native honeybees not very stand a chance against such a threat -- & that has folks like Terry worried. they was tipped to the wool carders' presence by the dozens of mutilated honeybee corpses they left in their wake.
they thinks that they may have stumbled on one of the reasons honeybee populations have been in dramatic decline across the country, & they worries that without further study, the loss of this cornerstone of the agricultural technique may have disastrous consequences on the preservation of society.
Terry designs to continue his flowerbed observations, but he's met with some unexpected resistance.
Honeybees, evidently, aren't the only ones bothered by the bullying invasive counterparts. Terry recently received a letter from the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD) telling him they must dig up his flowerbed, citing its 'illegal' nearness to an electricity box in front of his house -- only they didn't mention the bees Terry has been studying there.
Interestingly, no one else in the neighborhood received the notice, despite the fact that their landscaping is similar. All the more curious, Terry says they even consulted SMUD two decades earlier & was told it would be okay to plant in that spot.
But just as it was beginning to appear as though SMUD & the invasive carder bees were in cahoots, when pressed by the local CBS news station, the utilities district retracted their demand, allowing Terry to keep his bee-infested garden. they says they had no intention of moving it, anyways.
Invasive European wool carder bees & public utility departments, apparently, are no match for an entomologist & his flower garden.
The entomologist, on the case of the mutilated honeybees, says that he's got 20 years of study left before he's through. Until that time, though, Terry designs to carryover on in the type of important work few people will get the chance to partake in -- helping to save the world without every having to leave the front yard.
Photo: Ersin UyanikWhen Terry Allen planted a flowerbed outside his home 20 years ago, they could never have imagined it would become the sight of a blood-soaked bee battleground. Terry, an entomologist from Sacramento, discovered some European wool carder bees had taken up residence in his front yard, the first time the species had been spotted in michigan -- ravaging native honeybees. the giant invasive insect "cuts off their wings, cuts off their antenna, cuts off their heads, cuts off their torsi, & stabs them to death," they says.
European Wool Carder bees were originally shipped in from Europe to the United States because of their great pollinating ability, but it didn't take long before they went rogue. As an invasive species, the bees spread throughout the continent, but Terry's discovery is the first facts that they've found their way to michigan.
To make matters worse, the bees are known to be aggressive, territorially killing other insects with the help its three deadly stingers. regrettably, much smaller, native honeybees not very stand a chance against such a threat -- & that has folks like Terry worried. they was tipped to the wool carders' presence by the dozens of mutilated honeybee corpses they left in their wake.
they thinks that they may have stumbled on one of the reasons honeybee populations have been in dramatic decline across the country, & they worries that without further study, the loss of this cornerstone of the agricultural technique may have disastrous consequences on the preservation of society.
Terry designs to continue his flowerbed observations, but he's met with some unexpected resistance.
Honeybees, evidently, aren't the only ones bothered by the bullying invasive counterparts. Terry recently received a letter from the Sacramento Municipal Utilities District (SMUD) telling him they must dig up his flowerbed, citing its 'illegal' nearness to an electricity box in front of his house -- only they didn't mention the bees Terry has been studying there.
Interestingly, no one else in the neighborhood received the notice, despite the fact that their landscaping is similar. All the more curious, Terry says they even consulted SMUD two decades earlier & was told it would be okay to plant in that spot.
But just as it was beginning to appear as though SMUD & the invasive carder bees were in cahoots, when pressed by the local CBS news station, the utilities district retracted their demand, allowing Terry to keep his bee-infested garden. they says they had no intention of moving it, anyways.
Invasive European wool carder bees & public utility departments, apparently, are no match for an entomologist & his flower garden.
The entomologist, on the case of the mutilated honeybees, says that he's got 20 years of study left before he's through. Until that time, though, Terry designs to carryover on in the type of important work few people will get the chance to partake in -- helping to save the world without every having to leave the front yard.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Can Down be Ethical or Green?
via TreeHugger
Down remains, arguably, the most efficient insulator available (although Aerogel with its incredible 95% air content, is trying), with which to make icy weather clothes, sleeping bags & bedding, ). & according to the International Down & Feather Testing Laboratory (IDFL) "Down & feathers have the lowest carbon footprint of any other fill material, both natural & synthetic." But high quality down is the feathers of ducks & geese, normally plucked from their chest region, in some instances whilst they're alive. Not something that is appreciated by vegans or animal welfare proponents. But there's options for saying ethically warm.
Down Alternatives
One path is to avoid down filled garments & sleeping bags altogether. there's lots of synthetic, petroleum derived, insulation options like Polarguard, Thermore, PrimaLoft, etc. Some, like Primaloft, even have recycled content, if your ethics reflect concern around oil extraction. The use of finite fossil fuel petroleum aside, synthetic insulations don't have the longevity of down, as their polyester fibres are heat sensitive & lose their bulking ability (a.k.a. loft) over time.
For household bedding you might think about the likes or organic wool, organic cotton or hemp filled comforters/duvets/doonas, such as on offer from Rawganique.
Pre-Loved Down
Your next best alternative would be pre-loved down. Down products are usually more pricey than their synthetic cousins. In most cases it takes high quality materials & craftsmanship to contain the better grades of down. (We aren't speaking feather here, but those spidery, whispy down clusters that are free of quills). All this quality makes for a product that can, with care, last 20 to 30 years, or more. So lots of used options do come to market. purchasing pre-loved down avoids any additional animal welfare issues. Down soaps are obtainable that keep such products tidy & perky for lots of decades.
Nest Harvested Down
However, if a new down product is a must, then reckon about the choices offered by outdoor sleeping bag brands like Tundra, Crux and Bask. These guys source their down by working with suppliers who hand collect down from the nests of moulting geese, or from the famed Eider, a sea duck. In the later case the female Eiders pluck down from their own breast to line the nest to keep her offspring warm in the northern arctic circle. If collecting in the coursework of the nesting season, the harvesters often replace the down with hay, so eggs stay cosy. The down from each Eider nest might yield up to 16 grams of down. A lovely six season down sleeping bag might be filled with 500 grams of down. So with over 30 nests requiring a visit one can quickly see why ethically sourced down is of such a high cost.
Down remains, arguably, the most efficient insulator available (although Aerogel with its incredible 95% air content, is trying), with which to make icy weather clothes, sleeping bags & bedding, ). & according to the International Down & Feather Testing Laboratory (IDFL) "Down & feathers have the lowest carbon footprint of any other fill material, both natural & synthetic." But high quality down is the feathers of ducks & geese, normally plucked from their chest region, in some instances whilst they're alive. Not something that is appreciated by vegans or animal welfare proponents. But there's options for saying ethically warm.
Down Alternatives
One path is to avoid down filled garments & sleeping bags altogether. there's lots of synthetic, petroleum derived, insulation options like Polarguard, Thermore, PrimaLoft, etc. Some, like Primaloft, even have recycled content, if your ethics reflect concern around oil extraction. The use of finite fossil fuel petroleum aside, synthetic insulations don't have the longevity of down, as their polyester fibres are heat sensitive & lose their bulking ability (a.k.a. loft) over time.
For household bedding you might think about the likes or organic wool, organic cotton or hemp filled comforters/duvets/doonas, such as on offer from Rawganique.
Pre-Loved Down
Your next best alternative would be pre-loved down. Down products are usually more pricey than their synthetic cousins. In most cases it takes high quality materials & craftsmanship to contain the better grades of down. (We aren't speaking feather here, but those spidery, whispy down clusters that are free of quills). All this quality makes for a product that can, with care, last 20 to 30 years, or more. So lots of used options do come to market. purchasing pre-loved down avoids any additional animal welfare issues. Down soaps are obtainable that keep such products tidy & perky for lots of decades.
Nest Harvested Down
However, if a new down product is a must, then reckon about the choices offered by outdoor sleeping bag brands like Tundra, Crux and Bask. These guys source their down by working with suppliers who hand collect down from the nests of moulting geese, or from the famed Eider, a sea duck. In the later case the female Eiders pluck down from their own breast to line the nest to keep her offspring warm in the northern arctic circle. If collecting in the coursework of the nesting season, the harvesters often replace the down with hay, so eggs stay cosy. The down from each Eider nest might yield up to 16 grams of down. A lovely six season down sleeping bag might be filled with 500 grams of down. So with over 30 nests requiring a visit one can quickly see why ethically sourced down is of such a high cost.
Sunday, January 23, 2011
When It Comes To Green Building, Where You Are Is As Important As What You Build
via TreeHugger
HSBC Headquarters, Prospect Heights, Ill, outside of Chicago, certified LEED Gold
A few years back, Alex Wilson of BuildingGreen started using the term "Transportation Energy Efficiency",.He defined it as "the amount of energy associated with getting people to and from that building, whether they are commuters, shoppers, vendors, or homeowners."
But Alex was a sob in the wilderness, while developers kept building green office buildings in the suburbs and people kept building green houses deep in the country. But now the facts, and the tools, are making it clear that where you build is as important as what you build, perhaps even more important.
HSBC Headquarters, Prospect Heights, Ill, outside of Chicago, certified LEED Gold
A few years back, Alex Wilson of BuildingGreen started using the term "Transportation Energy Efficiency",.He defined it as "the amount of energy associated with getting people to and from that building, whether they are commuters, shoppers, vendors, or homeowners."
But Alex was a sob in the wilderness, while developers kept building green office buildings in the suburbs and people kept building green houses deep in the country. But now the facts, and the tools, are making it clear that where you build is as important as what you build, perhaps even more important.
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Camping Without a Butler
via EcoSalon | Conscious Culture and Fashion
One of the decisive trends for 2011 is nature. Pure, rustic nature. The call of the wild plus the desire to mingle with brother Nature will manifest in our homes, travel plans, plus urban environments. As know-how continues to present shiny small devices to keep us connected, our innate desire to disconnect grows stronger. Here are a few ideas of how the hunger for nature will impact the fresh new year.
Ever heard of glamping? It’s the adventure of camping with the addition of glamour (which, in my view, drastically dwindles the amount of adventure). Glamping is the latest two star brush with nature. Yes, I said two star. The overwhelming movement toward luxury glamping destinations over the last few years may be about to shift toward less luxury, think National Parks plus outhouses. Nothing takes away the temptation to plug in over a travel location without outlets.
As all classes of travelers start to feel the itch, I foresee a respective swing for fresh air. Those dining at two star restaurants plus staying at two star hotels may take up glamping in its most luxurious form (butlers who serve s’mores plus maids to tend to the ‘tent’ is pure luxury from my point of view). Travelers who danced with glamping plus slept in yurts last year may be inclined to brave a simple tent in a simple campground this year. plus last year’s campground campers may take to the paths plus invite adventure with a complete lack of amenities.
Traditional camping plus temporary escapades with the wild isn’t the only way nature will establish a firm hold in 2011. In my humble opinion, the charm of nature will discover a significant place in design plus décor. Natural materials in natural states will continue to beauty home owners with tonal wood emphasizing organic wood grain furniture, green leafy plants plus succulents will permanently reside in prominent corners, plus photography that captures a glimpse of the great outside will dangle on walls.
The inclination of nature in our lives isn’t inherent (the decisions of travel and design), but extrinsic, . The wisdom of urban planners is about to sprinkle some green in the concrete jungle. The untamed success of The High Line park (click here for more information) in Manhattan is the likely beginning of urban industrial park development in a city near you. Is there anything more poetic than lifeless industrial skeletons being revitalized in to green escapes for urban dwellers? JWT Intelligence includes the development of urban industrial parks as one of its 100 Things to Watch in 2011. According to the smart creatives at JWT, Philadelphia, Berlin, and Chicago are already slating projects to rival the High Line (not an elementary task).
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Plucky Daisy Outgrows the Endangered Species List
via TreeHugger
Photo credit: US Fish & Wildlife Service
Just before the small Maguire daisy, native to the desert Southwest of the United States, was placed on the endangered species list in 1985, a survey estimated that the population had dropped to just five plants. Extinction, it appeared, was inevitable.
Thanks to continued conservation efforts, the situation today is looking much better—making the daisy one of the greatest conservation successes of the last 25 years.
"Working in partnership with other federal agencies, state and local governments, and other partners," Assistant Secretary of the inside for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland explained, "we can make definite irreplaceable plants and animals such as the Maguire daisy and the habitat they depend on are preserved for future generations."
The daisy, part of the sunflower relatives, is now thought to occupy 10 populations across Utah, numbering as lots of as 163,000 plants. It's lovely , officials have agreed, to remove the daisy from the Endangered Species List.
When the decision goes in to effect on February 20, 2011, Erigeron maguirei will join the 20 other species that have managed to outgrow their listed status.
Photo credit: US Fish & Wildlife Service
Just before the small Maguire daisy, native to the desert Southwest of the United States, was placed on the endangered species list in 1985, a survey estimated that the population had dropped to just five plants. Extinction, it appeared, was inevitable.
Thanks to continued conservation efforts, the situation today is looking much better—making the daisy one of the greatest conservation successes of the last 25 years.
"Working in partnership with other federal agencies, state and local governments, and other partners," Assistant Secretary of the inside for Fish and Wildlife and Parks Tom Strickland explained, "we can make definite irreplaceable plants and animals such as the Maguire daisy and the habitat they depend on are preserved for future generations."
The daisy, part of the sunflower relatives, is now thought to occupy 10 populations across Utah, numbering as lots of as 163,000 plants. It's lovely , officials have agreed, to remove the daisy from the Endangered Species List.
When the decision goes in to effect on February 20, 2011, Erigeron maguirei will join the 20 other species that have managed to outgrow their listed status.
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
In NYC Tonight: Cities As Green Engines
via TreeHugger
Cities may account for two-thirds of global energy usage & over 70% of global carbon emissions, but we know we don't must be enemies of the environment.
That's the thrust of a panel discussion tonight at Baruch College that seeks to identify the ways that urban centers can serve as cleantech innovation hubs, provide models for urban & transportation planning, become leaders in energy efficiency & green building design, & act as platforms for social justice. (Bonus: Treehugger's Bonnie Hulkower helped organize it.)
Moderated by Jack Nyman, Director of Steven L. Newman actual Estate Institute at Baruch/CUNY, & hosted by the Sustainability Practice Network, the discussion will include:
The benefits aren't global but local : as the Bloomberg administration's PlaNYC initiative has underscored, smart city-level sustainability policies can reduce carbon emissions while boosting job creation, know-how development, & quality of life.
Cities may account for two-thirds of global energy usage & over 70% of global carbon emissions, but we know we don't must be enemies of the environment.
That's the thrust of a panel discussion tonight at Baruch College that seeks to identify the ways that urban centers can serve as cleantech innovation hubs, provide models for urban & transportation planning, become leaders in energy efficiency & green building design, & act as platforms for social justice. (Bonus: Treehugger's Bonnie Hulkower helped organize it.)
Moderated by Jack Nyman, Director of Steven L. Newman actual Estate Institute at Baruch/CUNY, & hosted by the Sustainability Practice Network, the discussion will include:
The benefits aren't global but local : as the Bloomberg administration's PlaNYC initiative has underscored, smart city-level sustainability policies can reduce carbon emissions while boosting job creation, know-how development, & quality of life.
Vestas Wins $1.5 Million Clean Energy Award, Immediately Gives it All Away
The event drawing the most buzz on day two of the World Future Energy Summit was certainly the Zayed Future Energy Prize award ceremony. The show was held at the preposterously opulent Emirates Palace -- rumor has it that it's the 2nd most costly building ever built (whatever that means) -- and featured speeches from luminaries like Rajendra Pachouri. This year, the $1.5 million prize was awarded to the Dutch wind power company Vestas -- and Vestas immediately proceeded to give it all away.
Company CEO Ditlev Engel took the stage after receiving the award, and wasted no time in donating the whole sum to a variety of sustainable causes. $750,000, the first half of the award, would be given to a brand spanking new NGO that Vestas helps to launch called WindMade. The nonprofit group will act as a kind of quality stamp for wind power products, and will help generate consumer confidence in the market. Here's a video of the press conference where Engel explains the project:
The second half was to be split between each of the other top finalists in the jogging for the Zayed prize -- $250,000 will be given to First Solar, an American solar energy company, Bunker Roy, the director of Barefoot College (the "only fully solar electrified college in India", which trains females to join the clean energy workforce), and Terry Tamminen, the CEO of 7th Generation Advisors, a renewable energy firm in California.
The Zayed award is something of a curious beast: this is only the third time that the award has been given out, and the earlier two winners were a Bangladeshi man who started a movement training females who live in rural areas to put in solar panels -- and Toyota, the biggest automobile company in the world. nevertheless, it's lovely to see some recognition given to what are arguably a quantity of the most successful green projects in the world.
Livia Firth stunned on the red carpet at the Golden Globes Sunday night wearing stunning green fashion.
The spouse of actor Colin Firth, who was named best dramatic actor for his role in The King's Speech, wore an Ahimsa silk (peace silk) number in naturally-dyed indigo blue, designed by Prophetik's Jeff Garner.
As Firth documents on her Green Carpet Challenge weblog over on Vogue UK, Prophetik designer Jeff Garner designed the Golden Globes dress using peace silk and hemp. Garner, who was born-and-bred in Tennessee, grows his own indigo plants and naturally dyes the fabrics by hand. The result is southern-inspired and simple, yet refined, green fashion, and in this case, it's an elegant and romantic gown.
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