Just How Entertaining Can Climate Change Really Be?

All images by author: KT Tunstall, Robyn HItchock, Graham Coxon + Kathryn Williams performing at SHIFT Festival

If anyone needs a right good laugh it’s surely those ever so glum and deadly serious environmentalists. One of the many problems with the perception of climate change and sustainability is that people still think it’s utterly depressing, self sacrificing and worthy – how dull! Last week at the Southbank Centre in London the <a href="http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/…Read the full story on TreeHugger

Winter Olympics Have Too Much Green and Some Snow

Image from engadget

The Vancouver Winter Olympics are starting next week and there is a lot of rain in Vancouver…and not that much snow on the mountain. The truth is they are calling them the Spring Olympics because there is a little too much green happening right now. Let’s focus on the positive: there are some surprising sustainable as…Read the full story on TreeHugger

Pandas on a Plane: Super Fuel-Efficient FedEx Plane to Transport Pandas to China in Record Time

Photo: Wikipedia, CC. FedEx.

A Panda Express Ride for Mei Lan (3 years old) and Tai Shan (4.5 years old)
Mei Lan and Tai Shan are two US-born giant pandas that are about to leave their homes at the Washington D.C. Smithsonian Na…Read the full story on TreeHugger

1300 Megawatts Worth of ‘Distributed’ Solar Panels to Rise in California

Photo via All American Patriots

As you’re likely aware, many of the biggest solar farms planned for the US keep hitting snags–many are facing environmental disputes, such as the solar plant planned in the Mojave Desert. So instead of waiting around for the major wattage from such plants to become available, the NY Times reports that utilities are turning to…Read the full story on TreeHugger

Greener Gadgets 2010: What’s the Greenest Gadget of The Year?

Image via Greener Gadgets

The Greener Gadgets competition has begun. Gearing up for the Greener Gadgets conference in New York City on February 25, the Consumer Electronics Association has kicked off a competition to see what is the greenest gadget idea of the year. Will it be the Orange Solar Tent, which charges up your camp site? Or AUG, a barcode system that helps you find locally produced goods? Or will it be Corky, a computer mouse made of cork that is charged by the movement of your hand? You get to decide! Check out the 18 entrants and find out how to vote. …Read the full story on TreeHugger

PDBEs: Where Do They Come From And What Are They Doing To Us?

PBDEs are even bio-accumulating in cute polar bears. Image: Flickr, Just Being Myself

Almost three years ago, John listed some of the suspected problems with polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) flame retardants, including being an endocrine disruptor and impairing thyroid functioning. Last week, John and Cara wrote wrote about how researchers found the likelihood of conceiving in a given month was cut in half if a woman had high PBDE levels in her blood.

So what are they, why are they there, how do th…Read the full story on TreeHugger

Americans Support Strong Climate & Energy Policy: Yale Poll

photo: joanna8555 via flickr.

A recent poll by Yale University showed that American’s attitudes about global warming are turning more skeptical and less urgent. But another Yale poll, released today and conducted in conjunction with George Mason University, shows that doesn’t mean there isn’t support for stronger climate and energy policy:…Read the full story on TreeHugger

NHTSA to Look Into 2010 Toyota Prius Braking Problems

Photo: Toyota

The Japanese Government Told Toyota to do the Same
Now’s not a good time for Toyota, and it’s not a good time for the 2010 Prius hybrid, a kind of “halo” car for the company. Yesterday, I wrote about an acceleration problem that Apple co-founder and engineer extraordinaire Steve Wozniak found on his 2010 Prius, but today it is the car’s brakes that come under scrutiny….Read the full story on TreeHugger

World’s First Light-Powered Chip Can Lead To Self-Powering Touchscreen Devices

Photo via Discovery News; Credit Dawn Bonnell

Embedded solar cells have become all the rage in gadgets from cell phones to even netbooks. However, it usually means having the gadget lay face down in the sun for as long as an hour to get a minimal amount of charge. You can’t really use it while it’s charging, and the i…Read the full story on TreeHugger

Bread & Butter Berlin: Planet Earth’s High-Performance Gear Made of PET Bottles

Planet Earth’s Tread jacket, new for Fall/Winter 2010. Photo copyright Mairi Beautyman

If you think of high performance sporting gear made from PET bottles, probably the first name that comes to mind is Patagonia — personally, I’m a big fan of the Women’s Coolweather Tights and Stretch Velocity Hoody. But Patagonia is not the only company pushing this…Read the full story on TreeHugger

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