"The real-life Tasmanian devil could not look more different than its slobbering, whirling, rabbit-terrorizing animated counterpart even if it tried. And, while the iconic Loony Tunes fireball is safely ensconced in Toon Town, the fox-size Australian marsupial is being threatened with extinction by a mysterious and contagious cancer that spawns misshapen facial tumors." -- Treehugger article found here

Ok... I don't really get the point of solar-powered swimsuits... What happens when you want to swim... "OUCH THAT HURT BZZZZZZZZZZ"... but they do exist.


This bikini can power up an ipod or mobile phone on the beach. It was featured in a Fashion show in Valencia during the World Sailing Cup. It will be available to buy shortly. The manufacturer is Triumph and also has a few other models.

Here's another solar powered bikini - http://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/04/solar_powered_b.php

This bike should be available shortly. It is under production in china and should start being sold at the end of the year. Expected price is $399.

You may not realize about it, but along with indoor air pollution being created from household cleaners, it is also emitted from the products you have in your house. Take, for instance, leather. Leather is basically decayed animal skin. It is not decaying because it has been bathed with chemical upon chemical. In fact, in most of the U.S. many of these chemicals are illegal to use even for industrial use. Americans tend to get around that by importing leather from such countries such as India and Italy. However, these chemicals still have an offgasing effect, and emit Voltaile Organic Compounds, or VOCs, into the interior of the building.
Leather is not the only product that offgasses VOCs, and include many chemicals used in making products such as paints and lacquers, paint strippers, cleaning supplies, pesticides, building materials and furnishings, office equipment such as copiers and printers, correction fluid and carbonless copy paper, graphic and craft materials (i.e. glues and adhesives), permanent markers, and photographic solutions (i.e. fixer). They can also be found in carpet backing, plastics, and cosmetics. Thankfully, not all products have harmful VOCs, but care should be taken into account to choose products that have low-VOCs.
One alternative to carpet is VCTT, or Vinyl Composition Tufted Textile. It is a "carpet" with impenetrable low-VOC backing, and keeps water and other liquids from seeping through and growing allergens. It is easily cleanable with paper napkins because stains won't go through, or dye the vinyl fibers. The only thing to watch out for might be for heated transfers. You can also choose a low VOC emitting wood floor.

More about indoor air pollution:
- Article from Science Daily about Indoor Particulate Pollution
- Article from Ecology Center that says most of the different types of toxins you'll encounter, and some of their related health effects.
- A book from Amazon entitled: The Healthy Living Space: 70 Practical Ways to Detoxify the Body and Home", I will buy this book within the next few months and will have a review as well. I'm also considering buying the book "How to Grow Fresh Air: 50 House Plants that Purify Your Home or Office".
-"Better Basics for the Home: Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living" This book is reccomended by Treehugger.com and "offers more than 800 simple and practical alternatives to common household toxins, covering everything from skin care to gardening."

Did you know:

• There is an estimated 17,000 petrochimicals available for home use, and only 30% of which have been tested for exposure to human health and the environment.


• There are an average of 63 synthetic chemical products found int he average American home, or about 10 gallons of harmful chemicals.


• According to US EPA Estimates, indoor air pollution levels can be from 2 to above 100 times higher that of outdoor levels. (Good building insulation actually helps cause this) Opening a window can help.


• The institutional cleaning industry uses about 5 billion pounds of chemical for cleaning each year.


• The average janitor uses 23 gallons (87 liters) of chemicals a year, 1/4 of which are health hazards.

Here are some basic ingredients for non-toxic cleaners:
Baking Soda - Cleans and Deoderizes. Good Scouring powder.
Borax - Cleans and deoderizes. Disinfectant. Softens water. Look in laundry section of grocery store.
Soap - If bought w/o synthetic scents, colors or additives it will biodegrade safely and completely and is non-toxic. It is sold as liquid, flakes, in bars, or in powder form.
Washing Soda - Cuts grease and removes stains. Disinfects. Softens water. Also called Sodium Carbonate.
White Vinegar/Lemon Juice - Cuts grease and freshens.

Recipes:
( Household Cleaner )
( Window Cleaner )
( Disinfectant )
( Oven Cleaner )
( Drain Cleaner )
( Toilet Bowl cleaner )
( Air Freshener )
( Ceramic Tile Cleaner )
( Tile, Labatory, and Basin cleaner )
( Garbage Disposal Freshener )
( Mildew Remover )
( Rug and Upholstery Cleaner )
( Carpet Cleaning Foam )
( Floors )
( Furniture Polish )

All these recipes here. They also have a section on doing laundry.
Here is another article on "How to clean your house without hurting the planet"

This video is titled House of the future. It shows a house, which currently exists, that uses motion sensors, greywater systems, solar power heaters, and PVs. It also uses passive solar heating (which is the way the building is designed to collect heated/cool air depending on the time of the year (note the "blinds" in front of the windows for keeping too much light from entering during the summer). There is no question that green houses in the future will have these things and much more, since these are already the norm in green houses.

This video is british, however it still has some wonderful ways to save energy. 10 ways to save energy. (btw, number 7 in the US would be energy star appliances). Parts of it, however, didn't make sense to me. For example saving over 123 stadiums worth of CO2... is that every second, weekly, once, or annually?



Here is another video from the same British series, but this one is about how much Britians waste in energy per year. I especially like the "My Car would be Chocolate"... chocoholic? :P

First of all, I have to say I have a huge respect for Robert Redford. He has been an environmentalist and Human Rights activisit since before the founding of the Sundance Institute in 1969. A lot of people don't realize that he started the sundance festival on Timphaven as an attempt to create a place that exemplifies environmental conservation and artistic experimentation. He had a lot of offers to fill the land with hotels and condos, but never took any of them. He has a ski resort, and a hotel, and the institute, but the rest is preserve. Ever since Sundance preserve was created, its mission has been "to inspire action for the benefit of civil society".

Starting April 17, 2007 Sundance Channel will have the premiere of a new block of shows called The Green(TM). One of these shows is called "Big Ideas for a Small Planet" produced by Scout Productions (the same producers of "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy") and will have 13 episodes. It is presented by Robert Redford and hosted by Majora Carter, director of Sustainable South Bronx.

for more information on the block of shows click here.


This is a segment from Greening the Ghetto that Majora Carter spoke at about her project.

I'm looking forward to watching these blocks of shows; thankfully I have enough time to figure out where to watch it.