Archive for July, 2007
July 31st, 2007 -- Posted in Environment |
We have a lot of books, and getting rid of them is tough. We have tried eBay, garage sales and Freecycle, but books are different, They are the ultimate “long tail” product; somebody is interested in it but how do you find them?
Jeff Bezos knew this. There are more books than any store could stock, or that one neighbourhood could aborb. Books are small and dense, catalogued by a universal numbering system and relatively easy to ship; he built Amazon around them and the rest is history.
That is what is so interesting about Swaptree, a new trading system for books, CD’s and DVD…
July 31st, 2007 -- Posted in Environment |
Asking school kids to reconsider the impact of their actions and
July 31st, 2007 -- Posted in Environment |
Some of our readers love their gas powered toys and defend their users: “the most habitat destruction I have come across in decades of hiking, biking, XC skiing, snow shoeing, is from foot traffic (hikers). They are the ones bringing in picnics, bottles, cans, etc… and just tossing them. Not all, mind you, but bikers don’t carry this stuff, and responsible 4X4 don’t even consider it since they just put the garbage back in the vehicle.” Some hummer owners even fill them with biofuel.
July 31st, 2007 -- Posted in Environment |
We’re on quite a roll here with news about natural beauty products, last week we told you about the UK brand Nude Skincare and the US brand Suki, now we’ve hopped back over the pond again to look at Laidbare, another UK brand. Sarah Silvester only started creating her own line of natural beauty products at the beginning of 2006, but has already developed a wide range of products using fresh ingredients, organic extracts and vitamins. We think her brand is notable for creating products for men as well as women. We haven’t seen many natural skincare prod…
July 31st, 2007 -- Posted in Environment |
Standard Disclaimer: We know, second homes are evil. But they are such wonderful demonstrations of the talent of young architects, and they so often demonstrate how much can be done with small spaces. They just as easily could be first homes, and some of them are gems.
As an example, Tommie Wilhelmsen’s Kolonihagen Summerhouse is full of neat ideas. The big gesture is the sleeping loft hanging out over then entrance, creating a covered porch below and a lovely sleeping area above. …
July 31st, 2007 -- Posted in Environment |
Agent Smith to Morpheus: “Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment. But you humans do not. “You move to an area and you multiply and multiply until every natural resource is consumed and the only way you can survive is to spread to another area.”
As Eamon O’hara said to the BBC, “Undeniably, climate change is a serious problem but it is only one of a growing list of problems that arise from a fundamental global issue. For many decades, the symptoms of unsustainable human exploitation of the natural environment have been mounting: species extinction, the loss of biodiversity, air and water pollution, soil e…
July 31st, 2007 -- Posted in Environment |
Not so long ago, it was difficult to see the label
July 31st, 2007 -- Posted in Environment |
A commercial fish farm in El Borboton, Honduras is using fish guts–heads, skins, and internal organs–to produce biodiesel. Instead of dumping what’s left after filleting for commercial sale, Saint Peter’s cooks the parts down to produce 300,000 gallons of fish oil fuel. The fuel is then used to run the 10 trucks and eight buses that bring employees to work.
“The oil comes in with water in it and has to be separated by raising it to 90 degrees C (194 degrees F) in a tank, where we add methanol, glycerin and other chemicals to make biodiesel,” says Juan Munoz, who heads up the workers who produce the fuel.
“We produce annually 300,000 gallons (1.135 million liters) of biodiesel, which cos…
July 31st, 2007 -- Posted in Environment |
Two years ago we first covered Tokyo’s underground farm; It is called Pasona O2 and was set up as a means of providing agricultural training to young people who are having trouble finding employment and middle-aged people in search of a second career. Of course, since we first posted the interest in local food has increased dramatically and there has been much more interest in urban farming. We also came upon some new information:…
July 31st, 2007 -- Posted in Environment |
If you are into real green, this is the issue for you, focusing on landscape and gardens. Historic modernist gardens (Great title- Avant Gardens) by Robert Royston introduce the issue, then a series of stunning reflecting pools in case study houses. Pierre Koenig would use the pools to create a microclimate, and in the hottest months would pump water up to the roof and let it fall back through downspouts, cooling the air through evaporation. Barton Myers’ watery roof is shown as well.
Cover story is Aidlin Darling’s renovation of an Ernest Born beach house in San Francisco, shown in
« Prev - Next »