Spike Evolution

Tazmanian Devil conservation

2007-04-26T21:08:12Z

"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

Confused

2007-04-26T21:01:23Z

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

Suitcase Bike

2007-04-26T20:56:37Z

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.

Organic Raw Stuffed Curry Mushroom recipe

2007-03-07T00:20:17Z

Indoor Air Quality and VOCs

2007-02-27T20:48:36Z

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."

Alternative Cleaner Recipes

2007-02-27T20:25:16Z

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
Mix together:
1 tsp. liquid soap (castile, peppermint)
1 tsp. borax
Squeeze of lemon
1 qt. warm water
OR
¼ c. baking soda
½ c. borax
½ c. vinegar
1 gal. water
For surfaces that need scouring, try moist salt or baking soda and a green scouring pad.

Window Cleaner
Mix together:
2 tsp. vinegar
1 qt. warm water
OR
2 tbsp. borax
3 c. water
Rub dry with newspaper to avoid streaking.

Disinfectant
Mix together:
¼ c. borax
½ gal. hot water

Oven Cleaner
Mix together: ¼ c. baking soda
2 tbsp. salt
Hot water, as needed to make a paste.
Let paste sit for 5 minutes. Caution: Keep off wires/heating elements.
OR
2 tbsp. liquid soap (castile, peppermint)
2 tsp. borax
1 qt. warm water
Spray on oven and wait 20 minutes, then clean. For tough stains, scrub with very fine steel wool and baking soda.

Drain Cleaner
Pour together: ½ c. borax in drain followed by
2 c. boiling water
OR
¼ c baking soda down the drain, followed by
½ c. vinegar
Cover drain and let sit for 15 minutes. Follow with 2 qts. boiling water.
OR
Use a plumber's "snake" and boiling water.

Toilet Bowl Cleaner
Pour: ¼ c. baking soda into bowl and drizzle with vinegar.
Let sit for ½ hour. Scrub and flush. Add borax for stains.

Air Freshener
Commercial fresheners work by masking smells, coating nasal passages and deadening nerves to diminish sense of smell. Instead:
Find source of odors and eliminate them;
Keep house and closets clean and well-ventilated;
Grow lots of house plants;
Simmer: Cinnamon sticks
Orange peel, cloves
Water
To absorb odors, place 2 to 4 tbsp. baking soda or vinegar in small bowls in refrigerator and around the house and pour ½ cup baking soda in the bottom of trash cans.

Ceramic Tile Cleaner
Mix together: ¼ c. vinegar
1 gal. warm water

Tile, Laboratory, and Basin Cleaner
Mix together: ¼ c. vinegar
1 gal. warm water

Garbage Disposal Freshener
Grind ice and lemon or orange juice in the disposal.

Mildew Remover
Dissolve together: ½ c, vinegar
½ c. borax in warm water.
Apply with sponge or spray bottle.

Rug and Upholstery Cleaner
Sprinkle corn meal, baking soda or cornstarch on dry rugs and vacuum. Use club soda or soap-based rug shampoo.

Carpet Cleaning Foam
Mix together: ¼ c. vegetable oil-based liquid soap
3 tbsp. (or more) water
Whip ingredients in bowl with egg beater. Rub foam into problem areas of the rug. Rinse well with water.

Floors
Mix together: ½ c. white vinegar
1 gal warm water
Polishing with skim milk after floor is dry will make the floor glow!

Furniture Polish
Rub toothpaste on wood furniture to remove water marks. Polish wood with 2 tsp. lemon oil and 1 pint mineral oil in spray bottle. Spray, rub in and wipe clean. Mix two parts olive oil to one part lemon juice. After rubbing the mixture in, let stand for several hours and then polish with a soft, dry cloth. Melt 1 tbsp. carnauba wax into two pints mineral oil. Use sparingly and rub hard.

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"

House of the Future

2007-02-25T22:51:28Z

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.

British Energy Usage

2007-02-25T22:50:33Z

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

The Green(TM)

2007-02-25T22:48:59Z

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.

SOLAR POWER!

2007-02-25T22:44:23Z

Good we don't see it. Bad we don't use it.

TRAMPE!

2007-02-22T23:13:57Z

I have often thought about the role that urban development plays in one's daily life, and the life if the city, as well as the environment. One of the biggest ways people can help global warming is by riding their bikes, thereby driving less. Many people won't ride their bikes, especially in hilly geographical conditions, because of the hills. However, there are ways that city developers and mass transit workers can work around these problems. Let's take Trondheim, Norway for example. Trondheim is a university of city with over 30,000 students, 90% of whom ride their bikes as main transport. This has gotten the local government to design with bicycle transport infrastructure in mind. One such example is the Trampe.

The Trampe is a bicycle lift, much like a ski lift found in skiing areas. By entering a card into the reader, the reader sits on their bike and puts one leg on the "step" which carries them up hill. See a video of this in action.

The number of people bicycling in a community would increase enough to warrant the construction in these in many U.S. Cities. Since the opening of the Trampe in 1993, it has pushed more than 220,000 cyclist up the hill. Also, according to a user survey 41% of the lift users claim they're riding their bikes more often since the installation of the Trampe.

For more information on the Test Site Report about the Bicycle Lift, read the UTOPIA Test Site Report of the Bicycle Lift in Trondheim.

Talk about hiring a herd of workers!

2007-02-22T22:59:45Z

A winery in California has hired some new workers to help save 50% in energy useage. Who are these new workers? SHEEP!

Electrolux VEGE

2007-02-22T22:52:02Z

While the concept is still in the works, Electrolux, the same company that brought you Trilobite is developing a "hydroponic growing cupboard" called the Electrolux VEGE. It's a device that holds up to 40 of your favorite plants, herbs, and vegetables, and allows perfect light and tempature conditions for optimum growth. In other words, it's a device that allows you to grow your own vegetables at home just for the price of some seeds and whatever mineral substance they use to grow. It even has a digital readout that will tell you how the plant-growing is going. Attractive for the people more likely to kill their plants than grow them. The idea was the brainchild of Thai student Teeravit Hanharutaivan for Electrolux Design Lab

Wood Bathtub

2007-02-22T22:35:40Z

"Adagio creates gorgeous curving baths from rich ruddy African hardwood. Made of sustainable Umbila, the wood bath is carved from layers of the dark grained wood. Featuring a gentle curving form, the wooden bath gently cradles you in warm water. Finished in seven layers of natural varnish, the character and vitality of Umbila shines through. A distinctive and unusual material for bathrooms, Adagio bath brings a natural warmth and elegance. Available in limited quantities Adagio baths provide luxurious style that you’ll not see anywhere else." - Official Website

New Diesel Ad - Global Warming Ready

2007-02-22T22:32:39Z

Skystream 3.7

2007-02-22T22:29:43Z

image by Mike Levin

"This year the cutting edge of alternative energy will be selling consumers on a clean technology previously used only at an industrial level: wind power. A dozen U.S. companies are set to offer turbines that can be placed in users' yards to cut their energy bills." More info here.

Top 10 easiest ways to save gas

2007-02-22T22:07:12Z

1. Don't drive if you don't have too. Obviously if you can walk, ride a bike, or take mass transit, you should.
2. Car Pool, Ride Share, or take Mass Transit. Start a carpool program at work, or if your friends are going shopping, offer to go with/take them.
3. Combine your small trips. If you know you're going to be passing somewhere you need to stop at in the future, just do it now if possible. Starting your car over and over again is bad for your gas mileage. Just make a few trips and get all your errands out of the way at once.
4. Don't floor it at Green Lights. Let your engine get up to speed slowly but surely; then again, don't go to slow either. Going too slowly is just as bad on your gas mileage.
5. Try to drive near the speed limit. Most cars work better at slower speeds than speeding. Go 65 when the speed limit is 65.
6. Don't slam on the breaks. Using moderate acceleration and breaking will help you improve gas mileage.
7. Check your tire pressure. Underflated tires will reduce your gas mileage.
8. Don't be a packrat. I have to admit I'm guilty of this one. My trunk is pretty full. However, for every 100 pounds you carry in your car, you reduce your gas mileage by up to 2%. Get rid of the stuff you don't need in your car.
9. Keep your windows up, and your sunroof closed. Staying aerodynamic will keep your car going smoothly, but having your windows down will create drag.
10. Idle isn't not Ideal. Don't use drive thrus, try not to get stuck in traffic, etc. If your car is still running, but not going anywhere, that's wasted gas.

Treehugger Valentines Day Gift Ideas

2007-02-12T21:32:58Z

Treehugger has an article with green ideas based around Valentines Day gifts. Worth a read if you're thinking about buying something for your lover. Which, hopefully you are.. :P

There is also an article on How to Green Your Gifts.

250-MW Solar Powered Plant

2007-02-12T21:23:06Z

"A coalition of seven utilities in the Southwest is currently exploring the possibility of constructing a 250-megawatt solar power plant in Arizona or Nevada. If built, the plant could produce enough energy to power 160,000 to 200,000 homes. The proposed facility would likely utilize solar trough technology rather than more expensive photovoltaics. The group of utilities which includes: Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project, and Tuscon Electric Power is working to develop a request for proposals and hopes to seek approval for the project by early next year. In an effort to spur investments in renewable energy projects of this scope, the Arizona Corporation Commission passed a law that requires Arizona utilities to obtain 15 percent of their electricity from renewable sources by the year 2025." - Treehugger website

For more information on Solar Trough Power Plants, treehugger has an article here.

Alternative Hangars

2007-02-08T05:11:14Z

Ever get dry cleaning back, and not keep the flimsy wire hangar that you get from them with your dry cleaning? HangarNetwork has a new solution for Dry Cleaners called EcoHangars. Each Hangar is made out of biodegradeable recycled paper. They also pay for themselves as they have advertisement on them, thus Dry Cleaners don't even have to pay for them. This is a solution where all the distributor, advertiser, servicer (Drycleaner) and consumer whens. Sustainable design that meets ecological, economical, and social needs.

More info here: Green Options

Have your chocolate and eat it too

2007-02-06T23:36:20Z

Chocolate Could be a New Source of Renewable Energy" - Research from the University of Birmingham in the UK suggests that by indulging in chocolate, we could be contributing to a new source of renewable energy. Scientists at the University's School of Biosciences have found a way to extract hydrogen from confectionery waste -- a process that could have a major impact on the future handling of food waste and its potential as a supplier of renewable energy.

E-coli will produce hydrogen, which would then power fuel cells, which only emits water as a waste product. You could have your chocolate and eat it too. It even works on most types of food.

The Risks of too much City

2007-02-06T23:26:41Z

The Risks of too much City article - "Cultural historian Elias Canetti once remarked that each of us is a king in a field of corpses. If we were to stop for a moment and reflect on the number of creatures and the amount of Earth's resources and materials we have expropriated and consumed in our lifetime, we would be appalled at the carnage and depletion used to secure our existence.

.....In the great era of urbanization we have increasingly shut off the human race from the rest of the natural world in the belief that we could conquer, colonize and utilize the riches of the planet to ensure our autonomy without dire consequences to us and future generations. In the next phase of human history, we will need to find a way to reintegrate ourselves into the rest of the living Earth if we are to preserve our own species and conserve the planet for our fellow creatures."

Article is by Jeremy Rifkin and is from the Washington Post Company. The article is his views on urbanization and the detrimental effects it has had on "the wild".

941 to 1023 pounds

2007-02-06T23:13:55Z

Jamias Cascio of Open the Future, wrote an article on the carbon footprint of an everyday staple of the average American diet - a cheeseburger. The average american eats about 3 cheeseburgers per week, which equals about 150 cheeseburgers per year. According to Cascio's fairly thorough investigation of the production of a cheeseburger, the average American creates 941 to 1023 pounds of greenhouse emissions, per year, to "have it your way". Which is the rough equivalent of the annual carbon output from 7,500-15,000 SUVs if the 300 million US citizens hit the 3 burgers/week average. If Americans only ate one cheeseburger per week, that'd equal about 313 to 341 pounds of green house emissions.

I for one am glad to know that's 1023 pounds that I am not putting into the atmosphere.

Here is the Jamias Cascio's whole story at Open the Future. - Excerpt: "I wondered a couple of days ago what the carbon footprint of a hamburger might be. It's the kind of question we'll be forced to ask more often as we pay greater attention to our individual greenhouse gas emissions. Burgers are common food items for many people; it's said that the average American eats three burgers per week, or about 150 burgers per year. What's the global warming impact of all that? I don't just mean cooking the burger; I mean the gamut of energy costs associated with a hamburger -- including growing the feed for the cattle for beef and cheese, growing the produce, storing and transporting the components, as well as cooking.

...And to add the necessary correction: adding in the methane, the overall CO2-equivalent emissions from all the cheeseburgers consumed in the US (assuming the average of 3/person is accurate) roughly equal the greenhouse output of 100,000 SUVs."

Anybody actually like windows? :P

2007-02-06T22:57:16Z

Microsoft could save 45 million tons of CO2 emissions with a few lines of computer code

According to them Vista's power saving will easily save the world 5 billion dollars per year. So in other words, if these 3 "mistakes" had been fixed when XP came out it would've saved the world 25 billion dollars... or 225 million tons of C02... OOOPS.

Good designers take into account that the average user doesn't know certain things like this. A good designer would set it automatically to save the power, making it still changeable for certain users needs.

"Dave's Website" has an old article on how to adjust your power settings if you don't already know, you can find it here.

Gas Guzzler

2007-02-06T22:28:06Z

Gas Guzzler! I really don't like SUVs. I'm not impressed when the commercials say they can get like 25 mpg! WOW! not...