http://inhabitat.com was founded two years ago by a NYC-based architecture student who seems to be have that magic combination of writing ability, intelligence, and beauty--read: not single. The blog covers issues of ecological sustainability in design and architecture. I've already read through all of this year's archives and am loving it. Expect the plagiarism to begin soon.
Tag Archives: environment
Patagonia sells their scraps
Outdoor company “Patagonia”:http://www.patagonia.com has always been good at being environmentally responsible, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by this. The DIY shoe is really just a $30 bag of scraps with instructions on how to turn them into something that sort of looks like a shoe.
You can buy the DIY shoe at the “Patagonia site”:http://www.patagonia.com/web/us/product/collection_alt.jsp?OPTION=FOOTWEAR_COLLECTION&catcode=SHOES_SP07_US.SHOES.MENS.CASUAL#yc or you could pay a lot more for the pre-built Nike version, “Considered”:http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/03/nike_considered.php
Originally found at the “Gear Addicts blog”:http://www.sacaddicts.net/
Greenpeace releases latest "green electronics" rankings
http://www.greenpeace.org/international/news/chinese-company-tops-greenpeac the third in the series, represents the good side of one the ugliest businesses for the environment. Electronics are some of the more environmentally destructive products consumed in this world, full of toxic chemicals and harsh non-biodegradable plastics. Realizing that our appetite for the latest and greatest isn't going to just go away, Greenpeace has put together this consumer guide based on simple rankings addressing the way technology companies deal with the waste they produce.
It should be noted that Chinese computer manufacturer Lenovo has the highest ranking while uber-chic Apple maintains its last place standing. If you are an Apple user and you'd like Steve Jobs and co. to do something about making Apple more green, check out the "Green My Apple campaign.":http://www.greenpeace.org/apple/
Further reading can be found at the Greenpeace site "here":http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/toxics/electronics/how-the-companies-line-up or you can read the full reports from this and the previous two evaluations "here.":http://www.greenpeace.org/international/press/reports/guide-to-greener-electronics
More Free Wireless Internet – In the Amazon!
“CNN reports today”:http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/03/30/amazon.internet.ap/index.html that Brazil is looking to use a satellite to project an internet signal to over 150 communities deep in the Amazon, many of which are accessible only by boat. Brazil intends to crack down on illegal logging in the Amazon by creating the opportunity for communities to report such activities via the internet. What a progressive way to address an environmental hazard that results in the “destruction of hundreds of square miles of rainforest”:http://rainforests.mongabay.com/amazon/amazon_destruction.html each year.
New York City seen hosting a new kind of migrant
The unending urban sprawl emanating from New York City has caused a different kind of migration. According to this “article”:http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/006225.html from “Word Changing blog”:http://www.worldchanging.com/ wildlife has been leaving the ecological desert of suburbia for the next best thing. That turns out to be the parks and waterways of New York City. Recent urban jungle sightings include hawks, falcons, coyotes, and beavers. Yes, there are beavers in Brooklyn.
Who the hell is pro-whaling?
The BBC ran an “article”:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6355593.stm four days ago about an upcoming conference to be held in Japan aimed at overturning the global ban on commercial whaling. Since the ban, which went into effect in 1982, Japan and other countries have continued whaling under the auspices of scientific research. Environmental groups have been trying to close this loop hole of “scientific” whaling, pointing to the fact that whales captured for scientific purposes are sold on the same markets that used to sell commercially hunted whale. The practice of whaling was one of the first successful bans in the ecological movement and it’s hardly a wonder to anyone with a brain why it should be banned. These creatures tend to not have more than 1 calf every 2-3 years and it takes 15 years for a single humpback to reach maturity. Clearly this is one link in the food chain we can’t afford to lose.
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Since that article ran a Japanese whaling ship in the Ross Sea, the Nisshin Maru, caught fire and has refused the help of nearby Green Peace ships in towing it to port. “More on that”:http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6363741.stm
* Posted later on Duenos: “Harpooner”:http://duenos.net/article/362/Whalehuntingerrresearchinggame, a Japanese Cetacean Research Simulator.
A different approach to greening the countryside in China
Officials in Fumin county, China have ordered Lao Shou mountain painted green. The offices of government officials apparently face the barren mountainside and villagers in the area are wondering if this highly-unorthodox “greening” of the environment might be an effort at improving the area”s feng shui.
I don”t have any pictures of the now green mountain to show but there is “this article”:http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/14/news/green.php . If you find anything out there on the internets, let us know.
A new approach to climate change intervention
So it”s no secret, the average person doesn”t really care all that much about global warming. To many, the impending-doom ramifications of an unprecedented increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide levels are overshadowed by the appeal of slightly milder winters and the idea of a deeper tan. Still, that was no hinderance to the intrepid people at CLIF-brand energy bars as they have started to market the global climate crisis to those who actually do give a shit, winter sports enthusiasts. The “S.O.S. (Save Our Snow) tour”:http://www.clifbar.com/sos/ is all about the getting the word out to skiers, snowboarders, and alpine enthusiasts on the devastating effects that global warming could have on their beloved hobbies. What a novel approach.
For Karnataka and Tamil Nadu states the long wait is over
We can finally stop biting our fingernails over the ongoing Cauvery river dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states in southern India. After 17 years of deliberation, the special investigative panel has determined that Tamil Nadu will get the lions share of the available 689 annual cubic feet of water. And you thought the waiting in line at the DMV was bad.rnrnFor more in depth information about the conflict and its resolution (which will be appealed by the way) read this BBC news article . ‘, ‘
We can finally stop biting our fingernails over the ongoing Cauvery river dispute between Tamil Nadu and Karnataka states in southern India. After 17 years of deliberation, the special investigative panel has determined that Tamil Nadu will get the lions share of the available 689 annual cubic feet of water. And you thought the waiting in line at the DMV was bad.
nn
For more in depth information about the conflict and its resolution (which will be appealed by the way) read this BBC news article .
Drunk Russians latest sign of global warming
For anyone who has seen “An Inconvenient Truth,” you probably remember the moving animation of the cute polar bear struggling to stay dry on a fast-disappearing ice floe. The point of the clip is to show how rapidly the polar ice is melting and how it’s adversely effecting the environment. It turns out that polar bears are not alone in being left stranded out on the floating ice created by global warming. 442 fishermen from the north Pacific Russian island of Sakhalin (the barracuda-shaped land mass north of Japan) were rescued Saturday from sheets of ice, many of whom had spent their time adrift getting quite drunk.
If you still haven’t seen the documentary, you can order a free copy online from sharethetruth.us. Also, if you haven’t seen it yet, there is a pretty great Threadless tee inspired by the polar bear from the documentary. I hope some intrepid, overly clever graphic designer submits a follow-up shirt design featuring the stranded drunk Sakhalinian fishermen.