Cars & Transportation

Good public transportation is an increasingly important element for any city, especially as the trend towards urbanization continues its steady march. As we all know, mass transit relieves congestion, reduces air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, and saves a good deal of energy. So whenever I catch wind of a project that goes beyond the already-green parameters of typical transit, I can't help but get a little tingly. Poland, for instance, has announced it will be bringing what may be the greenest subway cars yet to the Warsaw underground: Not only are they super energy efficient, but the entire cars are almost entirely recyclable.

Business & Politics

Six years ago, the green blogosphere was pretty much TreeHugger for the lite, Grist for the funny, but if you were serious, there was Worldchanging. And it was Worldchanging. Co-founder Jamais Cascio wrote on November 19, 2003:

We're under no illusions. The world is stumbling its way to hell, environmentally, politically, economically -- but whining about it isn't going to change it. What can give us hope is a combination of good ideas, novel tools, innovative technologies, unexpected collaboration, and a healthy doses of democracy and transparency. So that's what we talk about here.

And they never wavered from that position.

Design & Architecture

Image Credit: Green Building Advisor

From LEED towers to single family houses, the problem is the same; Some complain that the buildings don't save enough energy. Building envelope expert Joe Lstiburek complains that LEED wants buildings to be too ventilated. Why? "Because of activists on the LEED committee that say everything in a building is unhealthy and sick." Meanwhile, others complain that sealing up buildings and houses are a health disaster waiting to happen.

Travel & Nature

Photo credit: Wikipedia/Creative Commons

Lonesome George is quite a character. He's a Pinta Island tortoise, and, as Brian noted when he visited a few years ago, he's the last of this breed. Yep, that means when he's gone, that's it -- his species will be lost to the world forever.

That doesn't mean that all hope for him or his kind is lost, though.

Food & Health

Photo: Kelly Rossiter

I've tried lots of vegetarian chilies over the years, but I seldom find them really satisfying. My book club was having a chocolate themed dinner and I found this recipe for Pinto Bean Mole Chili and decided to try it. Everybody loved it, and they ate the entire pot, along with all the other main course offerings that people brought.

Business & Politics

Image credit: George Kelly, used under Creative Commons license.

Matthew recently urged the green movement to regroup, refine and redefine its messaging, now that climate legislation looks unlikely in the foreseeable future and climate skepticism/denialism has undergone a political resurrection. Certainly, the politics of climate progress look more dismal than they have in a good few years. The question is, do we let the failure of government to tackle the environmental issue become an excuse for our own inaction, or do we galvanize ourselves to step up the fight?

Design & Architecture

Images Credit Tyler Held

TreeHugger loves repurposing, even more than recycling. Artists and designers have the opportunity to challenge us with new ideas, new ways of looking at what we used to throw away. But can one have too much of a good thing?

Designboom writes that Philadelphia designer Tyler Held "focuses on his process of repair and customization. he exposes the renovation of a once discarded object by highlighting functional and aesthetic hybridity." In this case, he creates a hybrid between an old stove and a monster sound system.

Food & Health

Image credit: Loveable Loo/Joseph Jenkins

Whether I am writing about recycling poop as a key to sustainable farming, or reviewing Gene Logsdon's guide to managing manure, it's not uncommon for commenters to rave about the Humanure Handbook. I've yet to read this famous tome for myself, though I have posted a video of author Joseph Jenkins explaining how to compost human poop. And now I've just discovered that for the time-poor, or DIY-shy, Mr Jenkins and associates are actually selling composting toilets fully assembled or as kits. And they'll set you back a lot less than some of their high-tech counterparts.