Best of Treehugger

San Diego Reduces Water Consumption By 11 Percent

Sasha Jones — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 13:30:00 PDT

Like much of Southern California, San Diego wrestles with unflagging drought conditions, but some years are worse than others. In 2009, the city declared a drought emergency and made plans to slash consumption by 8 percent. Now, in 2010, the numbers reveal that San Diego managed to surpass its goal by 3 percent. More importantly, though, the city does not plan to stop there. The water restrictions put in place last year will remain standing, and the conservation venture will continue indefinitely.

But, as Jaymi Heimbuch points out on Treehugger, San Diego's conservation rates could skyrocket further if the city were to step back and rethink its technique. Rather than focusing on water used for showering or dishwashing, policy-makers should pay more attention to water used for landscaping, business, and agricultural purposes:

While shorter showers and water-savvy dish-washing methods are helpful, that's not where the real water waste happens. Around 30% of a household's water use goes to landscaping. Wasteful household water use mainly revolves around lawns. Next on the list of things that boost a water footprint are habits like taking baths and hanging on to toilets with too-big tanks.

But looking at the bigger picture, it isn't necessarily even households that should get the focus, but rather businesses such as agriculture and manufacturing. Farms use 70-80% of the water in the United States. If San Diego really wants to curb its water use, it should shift from scolding Joe Plumber to requiring businesses to account for and report water use, then start trimming the fat. A recent estimate showed that state-wide water conservation among California businesses would save enough water to supply San Francisco, San Diego, and Los Angeles.

How do you think California can reassess its water conservation strategy?

Originally posted on Treehugger. Photo (cc) by Flickr user Stormydog via Treehugger.

Subway Branch Takes Company Slogan Literally

Sasha Jones — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 06:00:00 PDT

At the Subway across the street from Tokyo Station, the catchphrase "Eat Fresh" has taken on new meaning. The store recently installed a hydroponic lettuce garden that produces the ultimate fresh ingredient, grown without any agrochemicals. As a member of the world's largest single-brand restaurant chain, this Subway's move could signal a shift toward support for local, sustainable food. However, it's more of a symbolic gesture than a large-scale transformation. For now, the garden can only accommodate about 5 percent of the store's lettuce needs, and produces lettuce twice the price of trucked-in produce. But, as Jeymi Heimbuch argues on Treehugger:

Clearly, it's not a terribly practical move for providing all locally grown ingredients. More than anything, it is a small experiment and statement to show that sustainable, fresh food can be created just about anywhere...even if it's in micro-amounts. And sitting around watching lettuce grow can actually make a Subway a slightly more appetizing place to eat.

Other similar ultra-fresh vegetable options are being explored through Subway Yasai Lab, so maybe soon alongside the lettuce, we'll see hydroponic tomatoes and cucumbers?

The project is still in its infant stage, but sometimes the most interesting part of progress is watching it grow. Check out the original post on Treehugger. Image courtesy of Treehugger via InventorSpot.

Five Reasons to Trade Your Four Wheeler for a Two Wheeler

Sasha Jones — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:30:00 PDT

This morning, Treehugger put together a persuasive list of reasons to stop driving and start cycling. Aside from the fairly obvious health benefits, a more active commute can influence your productivity and even your work attendance. Plus, it goes without saying that any reprieve from the drudgery of rush hour traffic is a serious advantage. Here's the rundown by Warren Mclaren:

Cycle commuting is apparently safer than not cycling to work. A Danish study assessing the health status of 30,000 people over a 14 year period found that, with all other factors being equal, simply cycling to work lowered the risk of death by 40%. Studies have indicated that cyclists have at least 15% lower absenteeism than non-cyclist workers, with the higher the frequency and longer the distance cycled, the lower the rate of absenteeism. Bicycle Victoria calculate that if you pedal at about 20 kilometres per hour, (~12.5 mph) for half an hour, then you'll burn the energy roughly equivalent to five Weetbix, or three bananas. A bicycle commuter who rides about 6.5 kms (~4 miles) to and from work, each work day avoids over 900 kg of CO2 emissions, annually. Other studies show a 4% to 15% increase in productivity, and 27% less task errors for physically fit employees.

Originally posted on Treehugger. Photo (cc) by Flickr user Richard Masoner.

Climate Change Refugees, Coming Soon

Rosie Spinks — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 14:30:00 PDT

The Panama Islands have experienced some of the first instances of what is likely to be a common phenomena—climate change refugees. Various climatic factors combined with consistent sea level rise over recent decades has resulted "in ankle deep water for days at a time," a Treehugger post states.

Climate change refugees pose a significant problem during relocation in regards to what happens to the peoples' autonomy as a community, culture, and even country. It is no small matter to move a country like the Maldives to a whole other area of the world. A recent study by the International Institute of Environment and Development showed that 643 million people are at risk thanks to rising seas.

While this news is far from uplifting, it serves as tangible evidence of the human cost of climate change. Perhaps examples like this one will serve as an impetus for changing people's personal habits in the developed world, where the threat of rising sea levels is less imminent.

See the full post here.

Photo (cc) Flickr user Elbragon via Treehugger.

Plantable Print: The New Trend in Sustainable Packaging

Sasha Jones — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 17:00:00 PDT

As a devoted reader torn between my love for print and my love for trees, I'm eager to check out this horticultural alternative to the digital revolution. The cover of novelist James Kaelan's first book, We're Getting On, is made with birch seed paper, so that when you finish the book, you have the option to return it to the earth from whence it came. Furthermore, as Bonnie Alter writes on Treehugger:

The author is doing his book tour on a bicycle because he recognises that it is difficult to be carbon free in the manufacturing of the book, no matter how hard one tries. So he wants to make the promotional part as emission free as he can. He will be staying at organic farms and eating vegan power bars. He will be travelling from Los Angeles to Vancouver. Calling it the Zero Emissions tour, he will be visiting 22 towns, biking 1900 miles in 40 days.

Or, if you're the lending type, you can wrap it in Little Kay Garden's Gift Wrap, made from recycled paper packed with wildflower seeds. When I consider the cabinets at my house stuffed with wrapping paper recycled from birthdays and Christmases long past, this sounds like an excellent alternative.

For more examples of grow-able packaging, check out the full post on Treehugger.

Image courtesy of zeroemissionbook via Treehugger

Pollution-Eating Concrete to Save Your Lungs

Rosie Spinks — Thu, 8 Jul 2010 17:00:00 PDT

Researchers in the Netherlands have recently tested a special type of concrete that has the potential to absorb nitrogen oxides, which are a much more potent greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide. If implemented, this concrete could cut down on the the smog and acid rain caused by car exhaust. As Treehugger reports:

We already knew it worked in the lab, but this was a real-world test and the results are pretty impressive: a 25 to 45% reduction in oxides of nitrogen (NOx) over the special roads. This could mean that someday our roads and other concrete structures could be used to clean up the air.

This seems like a practical idea, though it is somewhat of a secondary fix that doesn't attack the root causes of pollution. However, if city dwellers decide to walk, rather than drive, on this NOx-hungry concrete, then maybe we're on to something.

Read the Treehugger post here.

Photo (cc) Flickr user GeoCam20000 via Treehugger.

Design Students Find Surprising New Use for Outdated Speedos

Sasha Jones — Wed, 7 Jul 2010 13:30:00 PDT

When swimming competitions updated their regulations for swimwear this year, the Speedo LZR racer swimsuit was rendered obsolete as a sellable item. Luckily, Speedo decided not to throw out these otherwise perfectly good suits, but instead donated 600 of them to students at the Chelsea College of Art and Design for an upcycling project. The designers went to work and stretched the material to its limits, harnessing its elastic power to build this stunning pavilion.

Although recycling has gained significant momentum in the past decade, our society is still overflowing with junk and so-called useless materials. Rather than letting them fester in dumps, more and more designers should take cues from the innovative upcycling movement. Have you seen an inspiring use of "trash" lately?

Check out Treehugger for the full post and more pictures.

Photos courtesy of designboom.com via Treehugger.

Offshore Oil Strike: Fun for the Whole Family?

Sasha Jones — Tue, 6 Jul 2010 16:00:00 PDT

The premise of a board game from 1970 has become eerily prophetic in retrospect—players build oil rigs, drill offshore, and cringe when their rigs explode. The biggest difference from the current reality is that clean-up only costs $1 million—about one percent of the actual cost for BP. Brian Merchant considers the context in which the game was designed on Treehugger:

It's interesting to consider that the aura around offshore drilling at the time must have been pretty different from today -- you'd think it was dangerous, alluring, adventurous by the board game -- someone thought this game would be a good idea, maybe even hit. It wasn't, and evidently was pretty unpopular. But it nonetheless remained as a slightly prophetic, and ironic artifact from a company that's now touted as being Beyond Parody.

If only the adventure had stayed one-dimensional. Check out the full story here.

Image courtesy of Metro via Treehugger.

Bait Bikes: Clever Theft-Deterrent or Entrapment?

Patrick James — Fri, 2 Jul 2010 13:00:00 PDT

Inspired by a Toronto campaign to reduce bike theft, British police are deploying GPS-fitted, poorly locked and unlocked "bait bikes" around town and tracking their whereabouts after they are inevitably stolen. It's apparently quite effective—trial runs led to 45-percent drops in bike thefts. It not only helps police catch lowly bike thieves, but also leads them to warehouses full of stolen bike collections.

But as Treehugger notes, some people think the practice of using poorly locked bikes to snare thieves (who are often either junkies, kids, or both) amounts to entrapment.

What do you think: Does using bait bikes constitute entrapment?

Photo via Treehugger

Pop-up Eateries Implement Sustainable Design

Rosie Spinks — Thu, 1 Jul 2010 14:00:00 PDT

It makes sense that the rise of pop-up restaurants has coincided with the decline of economy—the smaller investment, use of social media, and potential for a huge customer base overnight considerably reduces the risk in such dismal financial times. Treehugger reports today about a newer aspect of the pop-up trend, highlighting spots that are constructed using reclaimed, borrowed, or already existing building materials. Examples are all over the globe, using everything from old shipping containers to leftover scaffolding. The post quotes an interview from DeZeen with the architect of Studio East Dining in London:

A fast build with a life span of just 3 weeks, the primary structure, weighing 70 tons, is constructed from hired materials borrowed from the existing construction site, including: 2000 scaffolding boards, 3500 scaffolding poles, and reclaimed timber, used to create the walls and floors of the 800 square metre dining space. The cladding material which encases the roof, is a semi-translucent membrane, using industrial grade heat retractable polyethylene which is 100% recycled after use; as with the other materials, all will be returned to the site afterwards and recycled without any waste.

See the full post and more examples here. Are these eateries a good idea or a sustainable facade? Tell us what you think.

Images courtesy of Muvbox and DeZeen via Treehugger

FDA Takes One Step Forward, One Step Backward

Sasha Jones — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 15:30:00 PDT

The FDA has long fought to regulate and cut back the widespread use of antibiotics in animal feed, which has created resistant super bugs that cause approximately 100,000 deaths per year in the United States. Most recently, they issued a policy proposal urging that antibiotics should only be used for agricultural livestock under a veterinarian's supervision, in the case of natural illness.

Brian Merchant writes on Treehugger:

This is another instance where the case seems so clear cut that it's hard to take arguments in favor of continuing to overuse antibiotics seriously. 100,000 people die every year so corporations can get more meat faster (and engage in animal cruelty along the way). Most people may not care about the impact of grotesque antibiotic use on animals, because folks just don't tend to engage emotionally with livestock -- but perhaps the outrageous number of human lives that are lost every year will resonate.

Infectious disease experts have been warning about antibiotic overuse for years now. Maybe it's time we take them seriously, and get behind the FDA, as well as the legislation drafted to banish antibiotics from agriculture.

But as Treehugger also pointed out today, the FDA's proactive stance on agricultural antibiotics is matched by a bewildering inaction concerning Bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical that might disrupt the endocrine system. The National Resources Defense Council has filed a lawsuit against the FDA for "its failure to act on a petition to ban the use of Bisphenol A in food packaging, food containers, and other materials likely to come into contact with food." Lloyd Alter quotes from the NRDC's press release:

BPA is found in wide variety of products, including the lining of liquid infant formula cans, soda or beer cans, fruit or vegetable cans, and pizza boxes as well as consumer products made from polycarbonate plastics, including baby bottles, sippy cups, and reusable water bottles. More than 93 percent of the general population has some BPA in their bodies, primarily from exposure through food contamination and other preventable exposures.

BPA-free alternatives are already available and on the market. The FDA has no good reason to drag their feet on banning it," said Dr. Sarah Janssen, a senior scientist in the Environment and Public Health program at NRDC. "It's upsetting that food is most people's primary source of exposure to BPA. The FDA should act now to eliminate this unnecessary risk.

For more information on the lawsuit and on how to avoid BPA, check out the rest of Alter's article here. For the rest of Merchant's rundown on antibiotics, click here.

Photo courtesy of Treehugger via MediaSpan.

Visionary Vegetarianism: Meat, Dairy, and the Future of Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Sasha Jones — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 13:30:00 PDT

Your individual dietary choices could mean more than ever, according to a new study by the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. If the American population were to reduce its consumption of meat and dairy products, in conjunction with changes in farming practices and technique, the United States could reduce emissions of methane and nitrous oxide by 80% by 2055.

Matthew McDermott elaborates on Treehugger:

Summing up the research, study lead author Alexander Popp of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research says, "Meat and milk really matter. Reduced consumption could decrease the future emissions of nitrous oxide and methane from agriculture to levels below those of 1995."

"The calculations show that global agricultural non-carbon dioxide (non-CO2) emissions increase significantly until 2055 if food energy consumption and diet preferences remain constant at the level of 1995. Taking into account changing dietary preferences towards higher value foods, like meat and milk, associated with higher income, emissions will rise even more. In contrast, reducing the demand for livestock products by 25 percent each decade from 2015 to 2055, leads to lower non-CO2 emissions even compared to 1995." (Science Daily)

The researchers note that in addition to changing consumer demand for meat and dairy products--which they cite as the most important thing--technical changes in agriculture technique to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions are also necessary to see these sort of emission reductions.

Read the full post on Treehugger.

Photo by Tambako the Jaguar (cc) via Flickr courtesy of Treehugger.

Jersey Offshore: Wind Farms Can't Hurt

Patrick James — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 14:00:00 PDT

Alternative-energy naysayers sometimes argue that building things like offshore wind farms would not only be unfeasible, but that they would also do enough environmental and financial damage to render them worse than sticking with coal or other traditional energy sources. Not so in the Garden State, where Treehugger reports that, "an environmental impact assessment looking at proposed offshore wind farms in New Jersey shows that there will be little negative impact on wildlife, shipping or tourism."

That's great news for the Northeast. You can read the full report here.

Photo (cc) by Flickr user milst1

Urban Sprawl Heats Things Up

Rosie Spinks — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 13:30:00 PDT

Researchers at Georgia Tech have recently found evidence that in decentralized and sprawling cities (such as Los Angeles), the frequency of very hot days is higher than in more compact cities. The post by Treehugger notes that the resource-intensive nature of urban sprawl creates a positive feedback that only serves to makes matters worse:

A roundabout connect the dots: Sprawling urban areas mean more trees cleared --» with larger housing spaces, increasingly cooled by air conditioning powered by greenhouse gas spewing sources --» means increasing average temperatures --» means more air conditioning usage --» [repeat]. Time to rethink this norm from both an energy and architectural/urban planning perspective.

The post also offers some interesting links about life before the thermostat, as well as some much needed solutions to our air conditioning addiction.

Photo (cc) by Flickr user Matt Lemmon via Treehugger

The Humble Tent, Redesigned for Disaster Relief

Brittany Wong — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 11:30:00 PDT

In the wake of a disaster, supplying shelter to the displaced is crucial. Taking its aesthetic cues from a tent (albeit a forward-thinking, futuristic one), the unfolding disaster relief shelters of German interior design firm Form-Al combine speedy humanitarianism with smart design. The flat-pack shelter, recently unveiled at the DMY International Design Festival Berlin, is made of light composite panels that come in small dimensions for compact building in the event of a disaster.

Treehugger, off a tip from Designboom, has more on the instant shelters, which impressively expand from about 80 to180 square feet when unfolded.

The shelters are shipped flat and are assembled manually by first folding the walls and roof to attain the basic shape. adjustable substructures are then mounted and placed on top of this primary construction to finalize the building.

Relief structures, quick to assemble and affordable to produce, have provided housing for those left homeless in the aftermath of natural disasters like Haiti’s recent earthquake. Inhabitat has an overview of pre-fab emergency shelters, a number of which use renewably generated power and feature rainwater collection.

Image via Designboom

Six Reasons to Care About the Ocean's Well Being

Brittany Wong — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 10:30:00 PDT

The dire state of our oceans goes well beyond the scope of the Gulf Oil spill; major pollution, rising sea levels, and the encroaching extinction of much of the ocean’s wildlife have long been problems. But those issues can be difficult to connect to tangible aspects of our everyday lives. To bring home some of the more immediate costs of an imbalanced ocean, Treehugger asked Andrew Sharpless, CEO for the Oceana ocean protection organization, to pitch six concrete reasons why protecting our oceans should be important to us all.

Those who care about bolstering the economy and jobs should care about the sea, Sharpless says, as he links the declining state of the ocean to the declining state of the economy:

"Hundreds of millions of jobs around the world—ranging from fishermen to lifeguards—depend on healthy seas and fisheries," Sharpless said. The current economic situation in the Gulf, where jobs are being lost and businesses are folding due to the ongoing oil spill, is proof positive that a body of water is only an economic engine when it stays healthy. Sharpless says over 200 million people worldwide rely on the ocean's bounty for their livelihoods.

For five more of Sharpless’s reasons, including one lobbed at bacon fans the world over, head over to Treehugger.

Photo (cc) via Flickr user europhication&hypoxia

Cycle Northern California Coast for Climate Change (Then, Have a Beer)

Brittany Wong — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:30:00 PDT

Treehugger’s shining some light on the upcoming Brita Climate Ride, a five-day fundraising bike ride for climate-change awareness taking place along the California coast from September 21 to 25.

The ride, the pilot for the first sustainable-certified multi-day sporting event, is open to a maximum of 150 riders. Over the course of five days, cyclists will pedal 320 miles as they trek from Eureka to San Francisco, a route that features characteristically beautiful Northern California vistas, including the Redwood Forest and Wine Country. Expect to complete the ride on a sloshy, celebratory note—the finish line is located at the Tour de Fat bike and beer festival in San Francisco's Golden Gate Park.

Here’s Treehugger with specifics on the route and registration.

So how much will riders pedal a day? Day 2 is the big one, clocking in at 75 miles. On day 3, riders can choose to go either 71 miles or 100 mile—a shuttle bus is available for the difference. Day 5 is a mere 30 miles.

Riders are each expected to raise a minimum of $2,400, which benefits Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Green America, and 1Sky. To help make both the fundraising and the training easier, registration conveniently comes with your own personal fundraising Web page and training/logistical support. All your needs along the way—campsites, luggage transfer, road support, meals, bike mechanics, and bike guides—are included. Plus, climate savvy fellow bikers will address the crowd each night as part of Climate Ride's expert speaker series.

Sounds like they set you up pretty well in advance. Who’s up for the challenge?

Photo via Brita Climate Ride via Treehugger

Video Conferencing Cuts Carbon Emissions

Brittany Wong — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 10:00:00 PDT

Next time you begrudge an early morning video conference, consider the reduced carbon emission of your tele-presence tête-à-tête. A new report by the Carbon Disclosure Project sponsored by AT&T shows that videoconferencing can equal cost and carbon-cutting for companies that make use of the virtual meetings.

Treehugger has more on the study:

According to the report, adding a telepresence to their repertoire can mean U.S. and U.K. businesses "cut CO2 emissions by nearly 5.5 million metric tons in total...and achieve total economy-wide financial benefits of almost $19 billion, by 2020." As businesses are forced to cut back drastically in both areas to survive the latest economic slump and get ready for stricter regulations in GHG emissions, we could see a big jump in the use of telecommunications instead of face-to-face meetings and cross-country flights.

The report, titled "The Telepresence Revolution", concluded that along with helping to "speed decision-making, improve employee productivity, and provide workers with a better work-life balance," having a telepresence is a big boon for big businesses.

If our re-envisioning of smart business communication incorporates Skype, and similar telecommuting software that work to curb CO2 emissions, that’s fantastic. And if video conferencing allows for discreetly remaining in your pajama bottoms on those work from home days, even better.

Photo (cc) Flickr user scottfeldstein