Eco-Portal: An Information Gateway Empowering the Movement for Environmental Sustainability
Earth News
August 28, 2008
- Hot Docs: Obama Vs. Olympics, Bankruptcies Soar, Banking Woes, and More
Today's selection of timely reports - 2 months
source: (U.S. News) - North Pole ice cap melting faster than ever
AFP - The Arctic ice cap keeps melting under the effects of global warming and in August saw its second largest summer shrinkage since satellite observations began 30 years ago, US scientists said.
- 2 months
source: (Yahoo! Green News) - Rofin-Sinar, Manz in thin-film solar alliance
The companies plan to develop a new machine concept for the production of thin-film solar modules. - 2 months
source: (Cleantech Group - Latest clean technology news) - Live Architecture: Grow Your Own Home
Engineers are sculpting tree roots into park benches, playgrounds and even homes. - 2 months
source: (U.S. News) - UK minister says energy comes before climate: report
LONDON (Reuters) - The battle against climate change must not take precedence over the need to guarantee energy security, British industry minister John Hutton was quoted on Thursday as saying in an apparent policy change.- 2 months
source: ( Reuters: Environment) - The Daily Five: Thursday, 28 August, 2008
Tropical Storm Gustav reorganizes and threatens Gulf Coast oil facilities; compressed air energy storage for windfarms; and what’s your water footprint?
Gustav take an unexpected jog to the south, increasing threat to petroleum facilities: Early Thursday, an Air Force reconnaissance plane discovered Tropical Storm Gustav had reformed to the southwest overnight, pushing forecasts tracks westward toward the heart of the Gulf Coast’s oil platforms and transit facilities. Oil prices have pushed steadily upward over the past 48 hours on fears that the storm — now forecast to reach Category 3 intensity — might cause serious damage to the belt of offshore platforms and shipping terminals which stretch from Texas to the mouth of Mobile Bay. Industry officials say a major strike could halt production of up to 1.2 million barrels of crude oil per day. (National Hurricane Center)
Ford Spends $75 Million to Retool Michigan Truck Plant for Small Car Production: Ford Motor Company appears to be keeping its promise to retool truck and SUV assembly plants to produce a new generation of smaller vehicles. Company officials announced this week it will spend $75 million to convert a Michigan plant’s Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator line to produce their new C-Class passenger car. It’s a major project, and production isn’t expected until the 2010 model year. Ford says it will move to consolidate its model line, producing some of their successful European models in North America and Asian markets. (Treehugger)
Compressed-air storage coming to wind power: One of the traditional problems with windpower is producing base electricity — the juice which must be available to customers at all times, regardless of whether the wind happens to be blowing. Storing electrical energy on an industrial scale is not currently practical. But a New Jersey company thinks they have a solution: storing that energy in the form of compressed air. Energy Storage and Power plans to invest $20 million developing a system which would pump compressed air into underground caverns, such as depleted natural gas well or salt domes. The compressed air could then be released on demand to run turbines and generate electric power. (CNET)
Swift Enterprises Joins Race for Alternative Jet Fuel: The race to find an economical replacement for jet fuel is picking up steam. Indiana-based Swift Enterprises has developed aviation fuel made from landfill waste, sorghum, algae, and woodchips. It’s crazy expensive for now: about $60 per gallon. But that cost is expect to drop to about $1.80 per gallon once fullscale production gets underway. (CleanTechnica)
Our Water Footprint is Deeper than it Looks: Most people are familiar with the term “carbon footprint” by now. How about a water footprint? Social media and Green living blogger Max Gladwell explores the similarity between the two concepts. Consuming a glass of beer has a footprint of about 75 liters, while a kilo of corn weighs in at about 900 liters. A similar amount of beef accounts for nearly 1600 liters of fresh water. WaterFootprint.com has more. (Max Gladwell)
- 2 months
source: (EcoTech Daily) - The Fix: Carbon Footprint: Saving at Home
Reducing your home’s carbon footprint can be worth it, for the environment and the pocketbook.
- 2 months
source: (NYT > Environment) - Environment is a priority (Vail Daily)
Restoring Trust, Building Community — Step 7: The environment is a community issue. Taking care of our environment is a fundamental step in building community. Our community must work together to build a cleaner, healthier and safer environment for future generations. - 2 months
source: (Yahoo! News Search Results for environment) - Solar's Convention In The Sun
The DNC shines on an alternative energy industry. - 2 months
source: ( Forbes.com: Energy News ) - Artisan - Fruits and Vegetables with an Eternal Shelf Life
These powerful antioxidants are now as fabulous to look at as they are to eat, thanks to Margaret Dorfman. All are made by hand from fresh produce that has been cured, dried, and aged (chemical-free, of course) that she forms into paper-thin translucent bowls.
Dorfman calls the products parchment, as she says the texture and translucency calls to mind the skin parchments of medieval Europe. She uses over 20 different fruits and vegetables, some that vary by season, like beets, zucchini, daikon, purple cabbage and red and yellow bell peppers. Spring and summer bring cantaloupe, watermelon and snow peas, andthere are pumpkins, yams, and green and gold acorn squash in the fall. Look for sets of zucchini and Mexican papaya and beet, and a set of orange and and cantaloupe.
Dorfman suggests the bowls be used to hold potpourri, or a candle in a glass votive, which illuminates the magnificent colors and shapes. - 2 months
source: (Ecosalon) - Decor - Fall Decor Color Trend: Purple
It's the color of Elizabeth Taylor's eyes, the fragrant bundled plant used for soothing pillows, and the heart awarded for acts of bravery in battle. No wonder shades of purple - from lavender walls to orchid bedding - are making a splash in the prettiest eco-friendly bedrooms this fall.
I have accessed subtle shades of lavender for several clients in recent months. One husband requested the somewhat soft choice for his bedroom, admitting it is his favorite color. He's a tall and husky Scotsman who might don a kilt but could never be thought of as feminine. His wife complied and they are now thrilled with the calming effect of purple power.
Here are a few berry sweet choices for you:
The Wisteria bedding from Willow Natural Home is organic jacquard cotton woven sheeting available in separates or in sets ($246 for a queen; $300 for the King).
The sensuous and soft Honeycomb Throw from LoooLo Textiles is pricey at $500, but what divine luxury to cuddle with on a wintery day. It's organic and from Switzerland and the shade is divine.
For walls, try the Cardinal color milkpaint from Bioshield Paint, which uses only non-toxic ingredients in this ultra-natural wall coverage. You will find your walls glow in daylight and appear romantic in the soft light of evening.
For a sweet and sophisticated eco wallpaper in the purple family, the Windsor Purple and Black Lead Scattered Daisy pattern from Woodson & Rummerfields is comprised of low V.O.C. silk and vegetable dyes and is a sweet touch in the bath off the master bedroom. It's availalbe at Wandrlust.
On a side table, place the amethyst quartz tea light holder from Viva Terra (only $42) and on the floor, tiptoe through the amazingly dense Field of Flowers Rug in purple from Plushpod. It ranges from $1165 to $6,230 for the largest. (Flokati - we adore it.)
Don't forget a fresh bouquet of purple flowers.
Editor's note: Sara here. As someone who had a lavender bedroom wall for over a year, I'm all for purple decor - but it's also fall's striking fashion color. Be sure to check out Allison's purple trend forecast.
Flower image: geishaboy500
- 2 months
source: (Ecosalon) - Fashion - Flower Power
I’m not usually a girly girl, but lately I’ve been getting in touch with my floral side. Stuck in the rut of San Francisco’s foggy "summer", I needed to find a way to bring some sunshine into my wardrobe. Kim White’s vintage floral bags are my bright solution to the dreary, solid greys of my cityscape.
Kim unearthed an amazing collection of vintage floral fabrics from the ‘50s through the ‘70s that were originally intended as furniture upholstery. Naturally, the durability of these fabrics lends itself perfectly to handbags. The beauty is in the history of these gorgeous textiles and each is truly an original. Big or small, flocked or embroidered, Kim’s plentiful prints fill the glass on a day when I’m feeling half empty.
- 2 months
source: (Ecosalon) - Wellness - Salad Gets the Glow
For the first time, food irradiation techniques have been approved by the FDA for keeping salad clean and fresh.
Food irradiation is a controversy. Treatment of food with ionised radiation (which doesn't contaminate products with radioactivity, if you're wondering) stimulates the formation of molecules that blast away bacteria, ranging from salmonella to E. coli.
Irradiating is a good way to kill off micro-organisms...and there's the rub, because in doing so it's strong enough to change the chemical composition of foods and strip away nutrients. The European Union currently limits the authorized trade in irradiated food to dried spices and seasonings. One potential problem is that irradiation might encourage bad habits - sloppy food hygiene, in particular. And irradiation is used to extend shelf-life in the same way preservatives do, at the expense of nutritional content.
So what does this mean for shoppers in the U.S.? Just that they should be aware that in opening irradiation up for widespread use, the FDA is somewhat out on a limb - and consumer rights groups like Food & Water Watch are far from impressed.
Image: catsper
- 2 months
source: (Ecosalon) - Lifestyle - 20 Unforgettable Works of Environmental Art
Environmental art has the power to change the way we view our world. Some artists showcase the innate beauty in nature, while others make a statement with agit-prop or controversial imagery. Here are 20 powerful and unforgettable works whose artists seek to make you rethink your relationship with the Earth and its creatures.
1. Earth from the Air
Earth from the Air by Jann Arthus-Bertrand. A photographic documentation of the planet. Not just pictures, but portraits, showing a sense of place in many places around the world.
2. The Litmus Garden
The Litmus Garden designed by T. Allen Comp. With the help of over a hundred volunteers over an April weekend in 2001, a toxic river of coal mining waste was transformed into a series of cascading pools that eventually filter and clean the water before it flows into Blacklick Creek in Vintondale, PA. Different trees have been planted at the edge of each pool which reflect the different colors of the water as it purifies.
3. River Cubes
RiverCubes by Bob Johnson. The artist harvested debris found in local rivers and created sculptures of trash to be displayed nearby. The resulting “cubes” are ugly displays of plastic and rusting metal, but are powerful commentaries on what humans leave in a landscape.
4. Marsh Zone 2000
Marsh Zone 2000 by Mark Brest van Kempen. A large trash container was filled with remnants of a marsh which was the native ecosystem of Fairfield, CA, before it became a city. This container was moved around the city with special signs designating parking spaces for cattails, tule reeds and other plants that were there before the asphalt was.
5. Rivers and Tides
Rivers and Tides by Andy Goldsworthy. This 2001 film is a treasure, bringing environmental art into the public eye as it documents Goldsworthy’s playful and observant works using only the natural materials at hand to create something even more beautiful than nature itself.
6. Crude Awakening
Crude Awakening by Dan Das Mann and Karen Cusolito. An installation at 2007’s Burning Man, a huge oil derrick was erected and surrounded by worshipping figures. One night, fireworks exploded over the derrick, climaxed by a huge fireball burning 900 gallons of jet fuel and 2,000 gallons of liquid propane. The derrick burned to the ground, symbolizing the end of our addiction to oil.
7. Zero Circles
Zero Circles by Daniel Dancer. Circles of stone placed on logging and mining roads on public lands, these installations are meant to raise awareness of private profits made from mining, logging and grazing on public lands.
8. Wheatfield – a Confrontation
Wheatfield - a Confrontation by Agnes Denes. In 1982, the artist planted 2 acres of wheat atop the Battery Park Landfill in Manhattan. 1,000 pounds of wheat were harvested and taken around the world in “The International Art Show for the End of World Hunger.” The point of this piece was a “comment on human values and misplaced priorities.”
9. Time Landscape
Time Landscape by Alan Sonfist. A radical art proposal for its time (1978), Sonfist planted a vacant lot in Manhattan in with trees that were native to the area before New York became the city it is today. He has gone on to create other historically accurate landscapes around the world.
10. Spiral Jetty
Spiral Jetty by Robert Smithson. A stone jetty built into the Great Salt Lake of Utah, this earthwork has been submerged and exposed over the years since it was created in 1970. As of February 2008, there has been a proposal for exploratory oil drilling in the lake, 5 miles away from the Jetty. This drilling could ruin this work of art as well as degrade the surrounding environment.
11. A Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing
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A Sheep In Wolf’s Clothing by Sam Easterson. A video artist, Easterson was curious about seeing the world from an animal’s point of view. He straps tiny helmet-cams onto sheep, buffaloes, tarantulas and more. His goal is to put together the largest library of video captured from the viewpoint of animals and plants.
12. Agricultural Compositions
Agricultural Compositions by Jean Paul Ganem. The artist turns fields of human waste and pollution into colorful landscapes made up of compositions of different kinds and colors of plants. Beautiful views from the air.
13. Self-Portrait As Revealed By Trash
Self-Portrait As Revealed By Trash by Tim Gaudreau. For an entire year, Gaudreau photographed all the trash he threw away. An eye-opening piece on the environmental impact of just one human.
14. Surrounded Islands
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Surrounded Islands by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Certainly one of the largest scale installation pieces, this artistic couple created huge pink polypropylene sheets and temporarily surrounded 11 small islands off Miami with the plastic cloth. Their other works include wrapped trees and an “iron curtain” made of old oil barrels.
15. Edible Estates
Edible Estates by Fritz Haeg. Bringing public awareness to the pointlessness and waste of the suburban lawn, Haeg has created numerous regional prototype gardens of edible landscapes at various museums around the world, which include drawings and documentation as the gardens grow.
16. Concrete Flags
Concrete Flags by Shai Zakai. The artist wanted to bring attention to excess concrete that was being poured into a creek in Israel. Flag shapes were “cookie cuttered” out of dried concrete in the stream and displayed. This art was used to raise money to clean the cement debris and restore the creek to health.
17. Trashlog
Trashlog by Nico Van Hoorn. Bringing awareness to the abundance of trash in the streets, for three years Van Hoorn walked every day and picked up one piece of trash which he then scanned and posted to his website. The original trashy blog.
18. Hundreds and Thousands
Hundreds and Thousands by Diana Lynn Thompson. Intimately connect people with nature, Thompson spent an entire summer numbering every leaf on 5 trees in Bear Creek Park in Surrey. When the leaves fell, she (and a whole slew of helpers) gathered them up and pinned them to a museum wall.
19. Micro Landscapes and Dissected Ecosystems
Micro Landscapes and Dissected Ecosystems by Josh Keyes. Slicing ecosystems down to their very core, Keyes’ paintings showcase tiny glimpses into what creates the little pieces of our world.
20. Music For Animals
Music For Animals by Jim Nollman. Wanting to bridge the gap between the species, Nollman makes recordings of himself playing music with animals – complete with the songs from the animals themselves.
Editor's note: Sara here. Honorable mention goes to environmental art in social media. "The shade of poison trees" by butler.corey is featured at the top of this post. There's something so haunting about a single leaf - and the tension of the water.
If you enjoy this post don't miss 15 Books That Will Forever Change How You See the World and 9 Life-Changing Inventions the Experts Said Would Fail.
- 2 months
source: (Ecosalon) - Mazda Debuts Kazamai Direct-Injection Crossover Concept at Moscow Show
The Mazda Kazamai. Mazda Motor Corporation used the Moscow Motor Show (28 August-1 September) to debut its Mazda Kazamai concept car—an implementation of Mazda’s current ‘Sustainable Zoom-Zoom’ strategy. The Kazamai concept crossover showcases how Mazda could combine its aggressive design with 30% improved average fuel economy and fewer emissions than current production models.
Russia has rapidly emerged as an important global market, and may pass Germany to become the largest auto market in Europe this year, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers LLC (PWC). (Earlier post.) Between 2004 and the end of 2007, Russia’s automobile market grew by about 1.28 million cars. During this same period, Mazda increased sales from 8,565 units in 2004 to more than 50,000 units last year.
One of the country’s biggest segments is the sports utility vehicle (SUV), representing nearly 16% of the total sales volume in 2007. Between 2004 and 2007, the segment became 10 times larger and this growth is expected to continue over the mid-term in Russia. Mazda’s mid-sized sports crossover SUV, the CX-7, has been on the market for less than a year in Russia and has already found more than 7,900 customers—easily Mazda’s largest market for the CX-7 in Europe.
The Mazda Kazamai concept car addresses the growing popularity of SUVs in Russia and gives a strong hint at where Mazda might be going with a compact crossover SUV. It is meant to appeal to young, upwardly-mobile Russians with a strong sense of style and urban lifestyle demands.
Despite its powerful exterior look, the Mazda Kazamai concept’s aerodynamic performance is achieved through a flat floor panel, a rear diffuser, and a low roof line. The aim was to make the Kazamai’s aerodynamics more than 10% better than other vehicles in its class.
To reduce the bodyweight, Mazda leveraged CAE applications and focused on four major areas: collision safety, handling, NVH, and strength. At the same time, lightweight materials and new processing/joining technologies were leveraged to support the use of aluminium or aluminium-alloy is used for the bonnet, chassis and engine block. The designers aimed to make it 100 kilograms lighter than similar models by employing plastics for the panels, fenders and the engine cover. These features also contribute to advanced handling and improved fuel economy and CO2 emissions.
The ideal match for the Mazda Kazamai concept, says Mazda, would be a next-generation 2.0-liter direct injection gasoline engine, which Mazda engineers are currently developing. Mazda Kazamai will feature a DISI (Direct Injection Spark Ignition) engine based on the current Mazda CX-7, with advanced technologies to minimize energy loss and improve thermal efficiency. Mazda’s next generation 2.0-liter DISI gasoline engine also has combustion control technology and variable valve control that deliver strong torque throughout the revrange for excellent engine response as well as superior fuel economy. A next-generation catalyst also ensures superior emissions performance.
This engine is coupled to a lightweight and next-generation compact six-speed automatic transmission that is highly responsive and delivers the direct feel of a manual transmission, and four-wheel drive for superior traction. In combination with Kazamai’s next-generation aerodynamics and its lightweight body, this powertrain would deliver an estimated 30% improvement in fuel consumption and emissions (versus the current MZR 2.0-liter gasoline engine) without compromising driving pleasure, says Mazda.
- 2 months
source: (Green Car Congress) - Environment is a priority (Vail Daily)
Restoring Trust, Building Community — Step 7: The environment is a community issue. Taking care of our environment is a fundamental step in building community. Our community must work together to build a cleaner, healthier and safer environment for future generations. - 2 months
source: (Yahoo! News Search Results for environment) - EU lawmakers mulling changes to bloc's CO2 curbs
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union's main tool against global warming could be altered to lighten the impact on heavy industry and reduce the chances of the EU tightening its CO2 reduction goals, a document seen by Reuters shows.- 2 months
source: ( Reuters: Environment) - President meets with Environment Minister (Unian)
President Victor Yushchenko held a meeting with Minister for Environment Georgiy Filipchuk. At the meeting sides discussed reorganization of Ukrainian forestry, according to the President`s press-office. - 2 months
source: (Yahoo! News Search Results for environment) - No drain on the environment (The Arizona Republic)
One Valley company is the latest to dive headfirst into cleaning dirty pool water rather than draining it - an effort its managers say will help owners keep the environment clean and save them money. - 2 months
source: (Yahoo! News Search Results for environment) - Environment America endorses Barack Obama (The Daily Texan)
Barack Obama may have snagged the "green vote" this month when a national coalition of 25 environmental groups decided to endorse him, but questions remain about the impact of the organization's support. Environment America, composed of 25 environmental organizations representing 25 states, conducted a poll of its members' opinions of Obama's and John McCain's proposed environmental and energy ... - 2 months
source: (Yahoo! News Search Results for environment)
