Fresh bread and bicycles.
While Europe is dealing with congestion and greenhouse gas by turning urban centers into pedestrian zones many American cities are carving out more parking spaces. via nytimes [RK]
Top 10 dirtiest cities in usa.
here are the dirtiest cities: atlanta, baltimore, houston, las vegas, los angeles, memphis, miami, new orleans, new york, philadelphia. who’s the dirtiest? via msnbc [RK]
Green lighting solutions. 2011 icff.
New York Design Week plus energy-efficient plus sustainable equals green lighting solutions.
1] qisdesign
2] aqua creations
3] perhacs studio
4] hulger design
5] peter stathis | joby
6] dcs corp
Wasara sustainable tableware.
now at national building museum shop
Eco-friendly paper tableware made of reed pulp, bamboo, and bagasse (sugarcane waste), which is usually discarded in the process of making sugar. Fully biodegradable.
[ national museum shop ] [ wasara ]
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about phil patton
Join earth hour saturday march 26.
turn off your lights at 8:30p local time for one hour.
turn
At 8.30pm local time on Saturday 26 March 2011, Earth Hour will celebrate a worldwide commitment to ongoing change for the betterment of the one thing that unites us all – the planet.
Your journey can start here by signing up and adding your voice to the hundreds of millions across the globe who have already spoken with their actions. Check out the inspiring Earth Hour 2011 video to see what the planet’s voice looks like.
Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating. Global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, CN Tower in Toronto, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.
In March 2009, hundreds of millions of people took part in the third Earth Hour. Over 4000 cities in 88 countries officially switched off to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2009 the world’s largest global climate change initiative.
On Saturday 27 March, Earth Hour 2010 became the biggest Earth Hour ever. A record 128 countries and territories joined the global display of climate action. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Asia Pacific to Europe and Africa to the Americas switched off. People across the world from all walks of life turned off their lights and came together in celebration and contemplation of the one thing we all have in common – our planet.
Earth Hour 2011 will take place on Saturday 26 March at 8.30PM (local time). This Earth Hour we want you to go beyond the hour, so after the lights go back on think about what else you can do to make a difference. Together our actions add up.
Earth Hour by WWF
Earth Hour is organized by WWF. With almost 5 million supporters and a global network in over 100 countries, it’s one of the world’s largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth’s natural environment and build a future where people live in harmony with nature.
Zero footprint one minute calculator
For your own personal carbon calculator [ see zerofootprint ]
Pepsico announces new green bottle.
100% recyclable PET plastic bottle.
PepsiCo announces it has found ways to create a molecular structure identical to petroleum-based PET for a bottle that looks, feels and protects products just like existing PET containers. The bottle is made from plant-based, renewable resources that is fully recyclable.
The company’s new “green” bottle is currently being made from materials such as switch grass, pine bark and corn husks. In the future, components for the bottle may include orange and potato peels, oat hulls and other byproducts left over from the company’s food business.
It’s a very meaningful step in the right direction when it comes to food packaging. Petroleum is much too valuable for it to end up in a landfill.
PepsiCo initially will outsource for biowaste but their goal is a closed-loop system with their own waste. Expect a pilot production of the new bottle in 2012 and then a full-scale commercialization if it’s successful.
Though these bottles are not biodegradable they encourage recycling. Most importantly people can try to reduce their consumption and drink liquids from a reusable container. Susan Collins, executive director of the Container Recycling Institute says, “It’s reduce, reduce, reduce, then reuse and recycle.”
Rival Coca-Cola Co already produces a “plant bottle,” which is 30 percent made with sugar cane. It is expanding use of that packaging and efforts to convert the remaining 70 percent of its bottle to a plant-based material.
A much different outcome was recently experienced by Frito-Lay’s SunChips, who scrapped a biodegradable bag after consumers complained that the bags were too loud when handled. Seriously.
Visualizing construction carbon.
infographics give meaning to UK plan to reduce future construction CO2 via procurement, transport and greener homes.
resources: [ ConstructCO2 ] [ martin brown’s posterous ] [ @EEPaul ] [ @fairsnape ]
Atomic birdhouses.
not what you expected when you google atomic birdhouses?
Nevertheless, handmade from recycled wood, these houses and feeders are finished with a Poly-Soy protective clear finish made from a rapidly renewable resource material, providing a glossy finish, resistance against weather, stains, and moisture, and protection from water, mildew, and UV rays.
producer: who else but atomic birdhouses
Chevy dealers getting volt demos.
GM has announced it was dispatching demonstration Volts to Chevy dealerships in the Volt’s initial launch markets of California, Connecticut, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Texas, Virginia and Washington, D.C. GM said the move would allow people to test drive the vehicle – and would likely boost business for its other models as well.
500-plus demo Volts will be delivered to dealerships in the first quarter of 2011, and by the end of the year, “more than 2,500 U.S. dealers will receive a dedicated Volt for consumer demonstrations and test drives.”
Interestingly, GM feels the extended-range electric car believes 85 percent of people looking up information about the Volt end up checking out other models, too. “We are seeing that the Volt is increasing traffic onto our dealer showroom floors and is exposing consumers to Chevy’s line of ‘gas-friendly’ vehicles, including the Cruze Malibu and Equinox,” Cristi Landy, Chevrolet’s marketing director, said in a statement.
How to achieve a worry-free electric driving experience ? The problem isn’t the car it’s “range anxiety” about “refueling.” How to find charging stations: U.S. Department of Energy; Better Place.
Green building 101. Bioclimatic design.
Green Building 101: Using Bioclimatic Design to Build a Passive, Sustainable Dwellings. via reuters [RK]