Perhaps, because the tunes cry, "Music is my Sanctuary", I am optimistic about the idea of pulling cars off the road in China (BBC). Without going to the extreme of the Mel Brooks musical the Producers, fascism can be good for the environment, at least during the Olympics:
But an article in the state-run China Daily gave details of the further, stricter measures that could be introduced."More vehicles could go off the roads, and all construction sites and
some more factories in Beijing and its neighbouring areas could be
closed temporarily," a front-page article said. This was confirmed by Professor Zhu Tong, of Peking University, who advises the Beijing government about air pollution.
He confirmed that 90% of the city's private cars could be taken off the roads under these stricter controls
Note: the intro to this is the same as some other clips we’ve shown on this subject, but this one really does a better job at showing the extent of the damage caused by the spill--if you want to get quickly caught up on what's happened over the past since the spill happened, this is the one.
One more eyewitness video clip showing the aftermath ...
We often complain that there is a lot of embodied energy in existing buildings and that they should be preserved and renovated; we have also repeated Donovan Rypkema's comment that architects are overly fond of "green gizmos" instead of simpler technologies. The new Institute of Sustainability at Arizona State University has its feet planted in both camps; it is a refab of an old nursing school and it is most definitely decorated with the greenest of gizmos: cute little AeroVironment wind turbines....
Image credit: TerrapassDishwasher Cooking Puts Waste Heat to Work
It’s been a long time since Treehugger covered the rather obscure art of dishwasher cooking, but just like cooking with your car engine, there is some logic to using up heat that would otherwise go to waste. Personally I’ve always been a little too nervous of soap-sud encrusted salmon to give it any serious thought – but Adam Stern over at Terrapass is a braver s...
Did you get a bunch of junk for Christmas and you don't know what to do with it? Or maybe you want to clean out your closet and wish you could get something in return for all the things you're planning to FreeCycle?
The SwapItShop is an online trading system that lets you trade unwanted stuff for points, which you then put towards other items on the website that strike your fancy. ...
English architecture studio Foster + Partners is about to start building a sustainable luxury apartment building in one of Buenos Aires top neighborhoods, Puerto Madero. The first of this high profile firm in South America.
The building, called The Aleph, was designed with the aim to selectively recycle some parts of an old property and to take the most advantage of the city's sun for light and climate control. Plus, the architecture firm is closely analyzing the buil...
(Photo from Shizenjuku)
Sirerdrick made a good point in the comment to Bonnie's post about Food Foraging, noting that in Japan, you can find a lot of wild foods, including bamboo shoots, fern saplings, and ginkgo nuts. Actually, today, January 7 is a traditional day to celebrate the first herbs that grow this time of year. This afternoon I noticed that my supermarket sold the herbs, so I didn't have to do much foraging, but I like the way they make stuff available:...
image from ajooma.net
Food foraging has moved from being something out there on the fringe to an almost mainstream hobby. Or necessity, if things continue the way they are going. Given the mood of these times, more and more people are taking it up. Courses are being offered to city slickers so that they can become educated in the ways of the forest--a good idea because there are dangerous plants that can be eaten mistakenly. Even a pro like Nicholas Evans, author of the Horse Whisperer, recently needed dialysis after eating the wrong wild mushrooms in Scotland.
Hugh Fearnley-Whitti...
:: So you want to make the switch to green energy but don't know where to start? Check out our guide to Finding Green Energy Anywhere!
:: Video games are hugely popular, and in many ways they are green (certainly more energy efficient than driving around). Here are 5 tips to make your video games even greener.
:: Don't know what to do this winter? Here's why you should visit your local library!...
Coconuts in the Trunk
Researchers from Baylor University have figured out a way to make trunk liners, floorboards, and car-door interior covers using using fibers from the outer husks of coconuts. Usually these are made from synthetic polyester fibers. This sounds like a (small) win, though we have some reservations. Read on for more....
Controversial pollutant levels. Here is the BBC data (fair use thanks)
We often complain that there is a lot of embodied energy in existing buildings and that they should be preserved and renovated; we have also repeated Donovan Rypkema's comment that architects are
Image credit: 
Did you get a bunch of junk for Christmas and you don't know what to do with it? Or maybe you want to clean out your closet and wish you could get something in return for all the things you're planning to FreeCycle?
The 
English architecture studio 
(Photo from 
image from ajooma.net
Food foraging has moved from being something out there on the fringe to an almost mainstream hobby. Or necessity, if things continue the way they are going. Given the mood of these times, more and more people are taking it up. Courses are being offered to city slickers so that they can become educated in the ways of the forest--a good idea because there are dangerous plants that can be eaten mistakenly. Even a pro like Nicholas Evans, author of the Horse Whisperer, recently needed dialysis after eating the wrong wild mushrooms in Scotland.
Hugh 
Photos: © Timothy Hursley - The Arkansas Office
10 Akron Street, Kyu Sung Woo's smart new graduate student housing complex for Harvard University in Cambridge, MA, has received high praise from the US Green Building Council: a 
:: So you want to make the switch to green energy but don't know where to start? Check out our guide to 
Coconuts in the Trunk
Researchers from Baylor University have figured out a way to make trunk liners, floorboards, and car-door interior covers using using fibers from the outer husks of coconuts. Usually these are made from synthetic polyester fibers. This sounds like a (small) win, though we have some reservations. Read on for more....