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Wretched Excess Dept: Mega-Rec-Rooms to Keep Kids Inside
Erik S. Lesser for The New York Times
Back in the day, you told the kids to go play outside; the outdoors, the street, the park, they were the rec rooms. When they got to be teenagers, they went and hung out with friends. Some got into trouble; most didn't. Things changed. Even though crime rates have dropped to the lowest level in decades, cities like New York are as clean as Disneyland and bikes are cool again, Architecture professor Dana Cuff can say to the Times:
“There is a rise in home technology, all your friends are online, and there are far fewer safe, interesting public spaces to hang out in,” she said. “All of these things come together, and p...
Does Green Box Biking Reduce Right Hook Collisions?
Portland is a cyclist's city with expanding bike paths (200 miles installed since 2000) and increasing numbers of riders, but also some pain and problems as more cyclists and motorists try to co-exist. On inner-city rides it is easy to feel that a majority of motorists are accustomed to cyclists and have shifted their habits accordingly, though big trucks still feel like a major hazard.
Portland loves green box biking
Two cycling fatalities last year (and an all-time high of six in 2007) as well as some recent highly publicized bike-car road rage clashes have made...
Live Chat About Solar Power with General Motors: Thursday, July 17
photo courtesy of General Motors
You may have read how General Motors recently announced that its Zaragosa, Spain factory would be hosting the world's largest rooftop solar array. This Thursday you can get your chance to ask GM Green Power Initiatives Manager Rob Threlkeld all about the plant, solar energy in general, and GM’s use of renewable energy. The chat will take place at the GMnext website, from 3-4 PM, EDT. You’ll have to register to participate prior to the event.
Could a Century's Worth of Carbon Emissions Be Stored Under the Juan de Fuca Plate?
Image from D G Brown
A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences makes the case that 208-250 billion tons of carbon dioxide -- roughly equivalent to a century's worth of future emissions (122-147 years, to be exact) -- could be safely stored under the Juan de Fuca plate, reports The Guardian's Alok Jha.
The tectonic plate, which ari...
TreeHugger Tip: Eco-Friendly Way to Kill Fruit Flies
How do you get rid of fruit flies?
Recently, I've been suffering from a fruit fly invasion of impressive magnitude. And despite a few attempts at ridding myself of these flies, I haven't been able to get things under control. I'll swat and kill as many flies as I can see, but still the next time I turn around there are even more flies gently fluttering about my kitchen, in what I can only assume is some sort of fruit fly taunting ritual. How...
Spanish Solar Firm to Suspend Two U.S. Projects if Investment Tax Credits Are Not Extended
photo: Getty Images
The various renewable energy incentive packages introduced into the U.S. Congress, or stalled in the Senate have been a running post topic in the last month or so on TreeHugger. Now comes word, through GreenTechMedia, that legislative inaction may result in at least one company abandoning two U.S. solar projects.
...
Vertical Farms Get the New York Times Treatment
Eric Ellingsen and Dickson Despommier
Bina Ventkataraman in The New York Times covers vertical farms: "What if “eating local” in Shanghai or New York meant getting your fresh produce from five blocks away? And what if skyscrapers grew off the grid, as verdant, self-sustaining towers where city slickers cultivated their own food?"
The politicians are even getting into it; Scott Stringer, Manhattan borough president, is “sketching out what it would take to pilot a vertical farm,” and plans to pitch a feasibility study to the mayor’s office within the next couple of months, he said. “I think ...
Toxic Take-Out, Fuel-Saving Tricks and Summer-ey Soup
:: Learn why NYC take-out has left SuChin shocked.
:: Switch off your car's A/C before arriving at your destination to save money and minimize pollution.
:: Chill out this summer with some refreshing and seasonal strawberry soup.
:: Peruse Emeril's smorgasbord of green recipes and then get cookin'!
:: Think about ...
Admit it: Jimmy Carter Was Right
Jimmy Carter in his Famous Cardigan Sweater
At least that is what the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says, and they might have a bias. However they do point out that:
He was right in seeking to raise the fleet auto mileage standard to 48 miles per gallon by 1995. (Even U.S. automakers admitted at the time that they could easily achieve 30 mpg by 1985.) Carter was right in exhorting Americans to turn down their thermostats, even if he did look nerdy in a cardigan while urging us to do so. He was right to encourage fuel conservation by proposing a 50-cents-per-gallon tax on gasoline and a fee on imported oil —- in effect, a floor for fuel prices....
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