China is delaying its construction of a massive earth-changing project that will divert billions of tons of water to its parched north, in an attempt to mitigate environmental damage.

The four-year delay, reports the Wall Street Journal, will impact the central of three sections of the "South-to-North" water diversion project, which at $62 billion may cost three times what the Three Gorges Dam, the world's largest, cost. The project is designed to move water over hundreds of kilometers, from China's central and southern regions to the north using three massive pipes. It could mean the relocation of some 300,000 people and carry enough water along its three routes to satisfy half of California's water needs.

A project that moves that much water across such a large distance is going to present a little more than the usual kind of environmental problem. Forget Chinatown; this could turn water tensions into water wars.

Globe and Mail
TreeHugger readers will know of the Pacific Gyre, the "island of garbage twice the size of Texas" slowly spinning in the ocean. Like everything in life, it can be seen as a serious problem, or an opportunity. Michael Barton, in his graduating thesis at the University of British Columbia, proposes to gather it together for "the construction of a synthetic land commodity." He won an award of Excellence from in the Annual Canadian Architect Awards for "The Enthalpy of Empty Space."

Hertz, the world's largest car rental company, is entering the burgeoning car-sharing market with a new offering called Connect, as first reported in Budget Travel. Connect will first be available in New York City, London, and Paris, and will add 20 additional cities this year, challenging Zipcar's dominance in the market.

Hertz is hoping the car-sharing initiative will boost its eco cred, evident in the heavily green-toned web site. As a more concrete endeavor, this year, Hertz added 3,400 Toyota Prius hybrid cars to its rental fleet. Connect will also offer hybrid and the BMW Mini Cooper. The company also says Connect helps the environment by reducing congestion, emissions, and energy use.

Image via ExtremeCraft

ExtremeCraft.com is working on a project, gathering 1,000 creative ideas for reusing materials, and your ideas are wanted. But the deadline is fast approaching.

Read on for how you can contribute.

Toyota Goes Bold
Even Toyota, the maker of the much revered Toyota Prius, has been unable to escape the fallout from the economic downturn. In fact, Toyota just posted its first operating loss in 70 years, and the company is responding with bold plans for innovative new vehicles. For instance, we've known for a while that Toyota has been planning a solar-assisted Prius (a hybrid vehicle with a rooftop solar panel to help power onboard electronics). Now, however, there are reports that "Toyota Motor Corp. is secretly developing a vehicle that will be powered solely by solar energy." Read on for more.

Recent Comment by ian : "ok, i found something: approximately 20 miles on a 6 hour charge of full sun (difficul..." [read]

For well over two years we have been wondering why they still allow chemicals like triclosan in products like soap, creams and even toothpaste. We know people are crazed about using antibacterial products, even though they do more harm than good. They are possibly gender-benders and may be responsible for killing amphibians. So why are they still so ubiquitous? Because the EPA continues to think that they are just fine.

Photo via D'Arcy Norman

If you received new gadgets during the holiday and are wondering what to do with your old devices, Tekserve and the Lower East Side Ecology Center are providing a solution.

Mike Olson and Pete Saari, founders of Mervin Manufacturing. Image: Annette Veihelmann

Can a snowboard be green, or is that an oxymoron like a hybrid Hummer? As was noted previously, a sport where you a) drive two hours, b) get electrically winched up a hill to c) slide down artificial snow, d) repeat is questionable, but as an avid shredder (or as they used to derogate us grownups, "grays on trays") I will take anything I can get. Like Burton's new Eco Nico, which the New York Times tells us is: