The Ecobore

Use less cement if you can!

2006-03-19T12:22:00.000+01:00

From Hippy Shopper
Global carbon dioxide emissions from the cement industry are greater than the entire aviation industry.
Lime mortar and plaster are the environmentally alternative to cement and their use is growing in ecological new builds. Calch Ty-Mawr Lime in Brecon, Wales is the Welsh Centre for Traditional and Ecological Building - basically they're experts in the use of lime as a building material. So if you are planning a green build, why not do our planet a favour and consider lime.

Offset your CO2 emissions

2006-03-04T11:17:00.000+01:00

We all know that we are generating too much CO2 and that it is contributing hugely to global warming. Well now a clever site has set up to allow us to pay into projects that offset our emissions. It is a great idea and very affordable. For instance I am flying to India in April, my being on that flight will generate 2.03 tonnes of CO2, the cost to offset this is £15.22 - not too bad! That money is used to fund solar energy schemes, or tree planting, or many other CO2 negative projects, carefully calculated to equate to my impact. Plus you can do the same for your car use, your home heating, all sorts of things. This is a very worthwhile project and I urge you to use it.... Happy off-setting.

Coverflow

2006-02-16T10:51:00.000+01:00

If you use iTunes for music on your Mac, then you have GOT to check out coverflow. It is FREE (for now) and takes you back to that wonderful old feeling of sifting through your LPs

check it out at http://www.steelskies.com/

It is worth bearing in mind that although coverflow looks for album art online, it seems to work MUCH better if you have already embedded the cover art into iTunes.
There is a free tool for doing this called Fetch Art...

You can get that from http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12083

For people like me who have a lot of world music it is worth bearing in mind that if your iTunes library contains unusual characters (such as arabic or Greek or accented characters that are not part of the European lexicon) the program will fall over. This isn't a problem, you just need to note where it has stopped, force quit, rectify the problem in iTunes and relaunch Fetch Art. - or alternatively clean up your iTunes library in advance.

Great article on Rothko

2006-02-15T00:06:00.000+01:00

from the Guardian:

Feeding fury

Mark Rothko was an unknown abstract expressionist when he won a plum commission - to provide paintings for New York's swankiest restaurant. So why did he pull out and give them to the Tate?

Guerilla Gardening

2006-02-14T13:11:00.000+01:00

Guerilla Gardening is a new phenomenon where people take the greening of their cities into their own hands.
Getting together and planting stuff in those areas that have effectively been abandoned by local councils.
If you live in a City and want to make it a bit prettier, check it out. It will take next to no time to do and will make a difference.

The Sky sail goes into commercial use...

2006-02-12T09:49:00.000+01:00

This is great news... and could transform the ways goods are moved at sea.

Beluga Group has become the first shipping firm worldwide to sign a contract to furnish a modern diesel freighter with sail power--in this case Sky Sail: a super-sized kite which pulls the ship across the seas. The idea has been around for a while, and poo-pahed just about as long (see the comments even after Sky Sails won the Aichi World Expo Eco-tech award, as reported in Treehugger Sky Sails Promise). But now it will become reality.

Plant a tree for free

2006-02-10T09:47:00.000+01:00

from Treehugger:
Fill out a form on Milliken’s Web site, and the carpet manufacturer will plant a tree.
Single-handedly, you can inspire physical labor out on one of the manufacturer’s 138,000 acres of forest.

Why is there no tax on aviation fuel?

2006-02-02T09:27:00.000+01:00

It seems ridiculous to me that there is no tax on aviation fuel. Flying is one of the most environmentally polluting things that any of us can do, yet I can quite easily fly back to the UK for £3. Frankly this creates a financial incentive to fly. as such it is morally wrong, and the only way to reduce air travel is to tax aviation fuel at a comparable rate to automotive fuel. Of course this is not going to happen while the Bush government is in power, but we can but push for it in the EU.

see the following from Treehugger for a true idea of the real environmental costs of flying.

Air Travel and Climate Change: Take the Train

One transatlantic flight for a family of four creates more CO2 than that family generates domestically in an entire year.(source) Because of this manytravelerss are turning their backs on flying and going overland. While this is easier in Europe with shorter distances and better train networks, it is still an option- even driving 12,000 miles creates less CO2.

In the UK you can buy green power for the same price as regular grid power

2006-01-29T10:22:00.000+01:00

from Treehugger:
Whether they know if or not, folks in the U.K. can buy green power at rates guaranteed to match what they pay for conventional power from their local utility. The power will come from wind turbines scattered around the country, all built by the company Ecotricity. They call themselves the largest independent green electricity supplier in Europe.

Green Building or Green washing - hard to tell!

2006-01-24T16:17:00.000+01:00

Architecture firm MVRDV has designed a unique housing complex for Liuzhou, China. The location of the project is a valley where the eroding mountain face will be enveloped by a series of staggered boxed structures that will leave pockets of vegetation. A wetland or constructed pond will support be created in the valley, to support both vegetation and housing at its edge. MVRDV advocates some overlap between cities and the countryside.

An amazing story of killer Whales and humans hunting side by side

2006-01-23T16:13:00.000+01:00

A group of orca off the coast of southern Australia in Eden helped local fishermen hunt and kill migrating baleen whales in the late 19th century. By flapping their tails against the water outside one family's house, the orca would notify the fisherman when the large migrants were coming through, and the humans and orca would hunt together. After a successful kill, the carcass remained in the water for a few days so that the orca pod could eat the tongue. The fisherman then retrieved and used the rest of the whale. Crazy, huh? It's a stunning, well-documented story of cooperation between species.

TV's 'sleep' button stands accused

2006-01-23T10:55:00.000+01:00

If you're not using it, switch it OFF - Don't just leave it on standby! It is costing you a lot of money and using huge amounts of power.

Britons waste the equivalent of around two power stations' worth of electricity each year by leaving TV sets and other gadgets on standby.

The entire population of Glasgow could fly to New York and back again and the resulting emissions would still be less than that from devices left in sleep mode.

Art for earth’s sake

2006-01-23T05:24:00.000+01:00

from greenfutures.org.uk

Interesting article on ecological sensitive art...

Move over Tracey
The new wave of artists are subversive shamans, subtly challenging us to live less destructive lives, says Hannah Bullock. But when sustainability becomes the message, does creativity get smothered?

How to be an ethical shopper

2006-01-14T10:26:00.000+01:00

Consumers have immense power to change companies, which respond to boycotts and other protests.

The US clothing giant Gap acquired such a reputation for sweatshop labour that it opened its supply chain to scrutiny and published the results. So how can you be sure your money does not go into the pockets of multinationals who are beneficiaries of China's sweatshops?

However it is still not easy to find about how and where things are made. Just "made in China" will probably sound alarm bells, as official Chinese figures estimate that 80% of factories falsify thier labout records to give the impression that workers are not being abused.

What we really need is an additional 'fairtrade' system for items outside of the food chain.

Shop until they drop: UK stores shocked by conditions in their Chinese factories

2006-01-14T10:18:00.000+01:00

At last, some recognition of the slave labour conditions imposed on the Chinese workers making the 'cheap' goods we all buy in the West. I'm sure you have all wondered how it was possible to buy a DVD player for less than £20.
Well the answer is clear, effectively modern day slavery.

Clothes and toys on sale in Britain's high streets are made by Chinese workers forced to endure illegal, exhausting and dangerous conditions, according to a new study. It will increase the pressure on retailers to monitor the conditions in which their products are made.

The Price of Oil

2005-12-18T19:38:00.000+01:00

Via Treehugger and from the New York Times:

"Around the world, the extraction of oil wreaks havoc on the environment. By keeping our own shorelines and wilderness pristine, we only blind ourselves to this ugly reality." Very good point- by importing oil we export the bulk of the pollution caused by its extraction and transport. "We demand clean beaches and untouched wildernesses at home but live in an energy-intensive fashion that leads other countries to sacrifice their waters and forests. This disconnect is easily explained. You don't need to alter your lifestyle much to help protect baby seals or punish Kathie Lee for supporting sweatshops, but you might need to suffer inconveniences - like higher gas prices, energy-conservation efforts and new taxes for alternative-fuels research - if better energy policies were adopted" read more above at New York Times - free subscription required

Food not Fit for a Pet and healthy alternatives

2005-12-18T10:08:00.000+01:00

From the San Francisco Chronicle
Each year, millions of dead dogs and cats are processed along with billions of pounds of other animal materials by companies known as renderers. The finished product... tallow and meat meal... serve as raw materials for thousands of items that include cosmetics and pet food.

The problem is extreme. Parts deemed unfit for human food, include animals classed as "4-D" (dead, diseased, dying or disabled). These animals (which do not meet human-food qualifications) are sent to pet food processors straight away. 4-D meat includes meat that is revolting beyond words: pus-laden, gangrenous "green liver" syndrome and worse.

You can read more at
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines02/0106-04.htm
http://www.fila.org/peak/dirtydogs.htm
and of course if you search on Google there is any number of official enquiries published on web

There is an alternative, my friend Gaby introduced me to
http://www.lifestyledesigns.fr/
These people distribute Burns Natural pet foods in France, an organic healthy alternative.
en Francais aussi...

According to their site, you can feed your animals for as little as 85 centimes a day on their produce.
Gaby feeds her pets this supplemented with human food - Corned Beef (the same name in French!) for the dogs and Sardines for the cats all from Leader Price and cheaper!!! than pet food... I shall certainly follow suit.

If you live in the UK, Burns is distributed widely, similarly there are other healthy brands in the US and Oz. It really is worth thinking about what your pets are eating!

Ramp creates power as cars pass

2005-12-17T00:08:00.000+01:00

A road ramp that uses passing cars to generate power has been developed.
Dorset inventor Peter Hughes' Electro-Kinetic Road Ramp creates around 10kW of power each time a car drives over its metal plates.
More than 200 local authorities had expressed an interest in ordering the £25,000 ramps to power their traffic lights and road signs, so we can expect to see them carpeting Britain's road network soon.

Wave Power is becoming not only possible but viable.

2005-12-13T20:06:00.000+01:00

From Treehugger - Sustainable alternative energy is becoming attractive as oil costs rise and the negative side effects of traditional energy systems begin to become apparent. One often overlooked, but rapidly growing alternative is wave power. There are fascinating new designs for harnessing the power of the wave. I found four significant technologies, all of which are in their first steps of operation and succeeding wildly.
Case in point, the Norwegian system above can go in wherever a breakwater is needed and generate 150Kw for each 500m run - none too shabby.

Unhappy crappy disposable nappies

2005-12-13T19:52:00.000+01:00

At last, somebody has come up with a disposable nappy that doesn't take 300,000 years to decompose!!! Check 'em out, they're great!!!

Arguments Against GMOs (and Industrial Agriculture)

2005-12-01T01:04:00.000+01:00

Treehugger has a great post with arguments against GMOs...
I quote "We know some people that are not very impressed by some of the most common arguments against genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Saying that we don't know what will happen once they are introduced in nature, that they could be invasive, disturb the food chain, that we're going against nature, etc. We're not saying they're not valid concerns, but it all seems a bit too speculative for some people. So as time went on, we've identified a couple of more pragmatic arguments that seem to get these people's attention and that are hard to argue against... These arguments do no apply to all kind of GMOs, of course (there are all kinds), but they do to some of the widely used kinds."

Buckminster Fuller

2005-11-29T09:43:00.000+01:00

Lovely new site all about Buckminster Fuller - the things he designed and inspired, and the continuing evolution of his thought processes. Essential for all lovers of art and science.
Here's one of his quotes...
“In 1927 I committed myself for the rest of my life to undertaking the solution of problems which were not being attended to by others which experience taught me would, if effectively solved, greatly advance society and, if left unattended, would bring about comprehensive disadvantages for all.”

Renzo Piano speaks out against urban peripheral ghettos

2005-11-29T09:07:00.000+01:00

Renzo Piano has said the recent riots in suburban Paris will be repeated for a generation unless planners and politicians 'turn peripheries into cities'.

Technological advances have not been matched by progressive municipal ethics, he says. 'What is happening today in Paris is happening everywhere. Politicians...create ghettos. In Paris it is particularly bad. Now people are starting to understand that the real challenge of the next 30 years is to turn peripheries into cities...The city is a place of tolerance, by definition, where difference must merge.
Architecture in some way has the duty to suggest behaviour. In some way. Places are the portrait of communities, and if the place is impossible, the community becomes impossible...'

Meditation makes you smarter!

2005-11-23T12:43:00.000+01:00

In an article in the New Scientist researchers at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston have used MRI to compare 15 meditators, with experience ranging from 1 to 30 years, and 15 non-meditators.

They found that meditating actually increases the thickness of the cortex in areas involved in attention and sensory processing, such as the prefrontal cortex and the right anterior insula. Well stone the crows!!!

Huge Solar Plants Bloom in Desert

2005-11-16T08:02:00.000+01:00

From Wired:

The barren deserts of Southern California are known for relentless sunshine and miles of empty space -- the perfect combination for the world's most ambitious solar-energy projects.

Two Southern California utility companies are planning to develop a pair of sun-powered power plants that they claim will dwarf existing solar facilities and could rival fossil-fuel-driven power plants.

They use STIRLING ENGINES invented in the late C19th by a Scottish priest!

Dr. Evil's Lair Evolves

2005-11-16T07:53:00.000+01:00

Lovely article from Wired about the influence of modernism and how it all turned out OK, despite the worst predictions of the C20th
also visit Milan for the Joe Colombo inventing the future exhibition:
http://www.triennale.it/triennale/sito_html/colombo/index_tot.htm

Don't chuck out that out of date food!!!

2005-11-14T17:31:00.000+01:00

I have been saying this for years, half the stuff in my cupboards is past it's use by - never stopped me using it though!

From Wired:

Next time you feel compelled to clean out the pantry, don't feel bad about putting it off.

A lot of the old food that's gone beyond the manufacturer's expiration date could still be edible for years or decades longer.

Such are the findings of food science researchers who recently subjected a panel of human tasters to samples of really old food. They discovered that artifacts like 20-year-old dried milk and 28-year-old rolled oats were still perfectly edible and sometimes even tasted OK.

"You'd think that shelf life would be much shorter," said Oscar Pike, one of the professors of food science at Brigham Young University who conducted the study. "But that's not the case."

Making a house out of an old Jumbo jet

2005-11-11T10:37:00.000+01:00

The ultimate in recycling! Build your home out of an old 747....

Rebuilding in Pakistan

2005-11-11T10:26:00.000+01:00

The president of Pakistan's Institute of Architects has criticised the
government's post-earthquake reconstruction strategy.

Aqeel Bilgrami's biggest worry, he says, is that private sector
interests will try to profit from the disaster. He has dismissed the
government's emphasis on pre-fab housing as a 'ridiculous notion
which may work for putting up makeshift hospitals and schools but
never for the gargantuan task of reconstructing some 400,000 houses...'

Pre-fab materials are not locally available, he says. 'The terrain is
such that you cannot design just one type of house. In cities accessible
by road, reinforced concrete, cement and steel using effective designs
would be suitable for government buildings, schools and hospitals.
Homes in semi-accessible mountainous areas should use whatever
material is readily available, including what can be salvaged from the
debris. 'Indigenous rubble must be re-used and, if possible, steel or
cement can be used for beams and columns...'

In remote hamlets only accessible on foot, Bilgrami wants to use
'indigenous material of compacted earth blocks...reinforcement can be
wood and wire mesh which is easy to carry and, if possible, lime or
cement to strengthen the earth...'

Hyper-Powerful and Inexpensive Solar by Pyron

2005-11-09T12:55:00.000+01:00

From Treehugger:

A company in California, Pyron Solar, is making the bold claim that its solar power system can compete head-to-head with conventional power plants. The system, developed with Boeing-Spectrolab, is very compact, and uses short-focal-length lenses to concentrate direct sunlight to photovoltaic cells. The company says these cells produce 800 times more electricity than conventional non-concentrating cells of the same size. Their first prototype, which is 23 feet in diameter and 16 inches high, produces an astonishing 6.5 KW of electricity, enough to power six homes.

CitiKitty Toilet Training Kit

2005-11-08T08:14:00.000+01:00

I just had to republish this as it excited so much passion when I emailed it out:

via Wired:

Charles Mingus was a musical genius. But he was also an expert in feline behavior modification. He trained his cat to use the toilet by gradually moving a litter box toward, and eventually over, his john. This cat potty trainer improves on the Mingus method. It's a secondary toilet seat in the middle of which sits a pan for cat litter. As your kitty gets accustomed to your bowl as its urination location, you remove inner rings, exposing the water below. I didn't think it would work either. During training, kitty risked his safety learning to poop above a bath of blue water, and I had to move a pee-soaked litter lid whenever I wanted to whiz. But after only five weeks, my cat is using the toilet without a misstep. Next task: Teach him how to flush. -- Tom Edwards

The Focus Fusion Society

2005-11-08T08:01:00.000+01:00

This appears to be a group of scientists working together on creating affordable small fusion plants...
"The goal of the Focus Fusion Society ("FFS") is to turn the dream of safe, cheap, clean, unlimited energy from nuclear fusion into a practical reality, to do it as soon as possible, and to ensure that this technology is made available to all mankind.

We will pursue this goal by developing the Plasma Focus Device for hydrogen-boron nuclear fusion. To finance the research needed, we will raise funds from the general public and publicize the need for government funding of research aimed at developing this ideal energy source."

Norway's Hydro Develops Floating Wind Turbines

2005-11-07T17:01:00.000+01:00

From Treehugger:

Don't want wind farms in your backyard? Well how about this? There's more wind at sea too!

Cutting edge LED lighting from Philips

2005-11-05T06:44:00.000+01:00

great slideshow from Business Week:

LED lighting IS the future, as LEDs get more and more efficient we will see their use in domestic environments become commonplace. They are cheap to manufacture, use little energy and last a helluva long time, so it is good to see Philips embracing them wholeheartedly.

"Philips' latest design philosophy aims at making people's lives not just more pleasing but less cluttered
In 2004, under the leadership of new Chief Marketing Officer Andrea Ragnetti, Philips initiated a study of its brand positioning. The result was a new focus on "sense and simplicity" that has guided Philips' recent and ongoing design work. As part of this effort to simplify people's lives, many products increasingly serve multiple functions. A chair and a TV set, for instance, double as lamps, casting a soft light on their surroundings. A futuristic portable music player encourages strangers to interact through sharing their favorite tunes."

The Lorax - Dr Seuss

2005-11-03T01:38:00.000+01:00

Amazon.com
When Dr. Seuss gets serious, you know it must be important. Published in 1971, and perhaps inspired by the "save our planet" mindset of the 1960s, The Lorax is an ecological warning that still rings true today amidst the dangers of clear-cutting, pollution, and disregard for the earth's environment. In The Lorax, we find what we've come to expect from the illustrious doctor: brilliantly whimsical rhymes, delightfully original creatures, and weirdly undulating illustrations. But here there is also something more--a powerful message that Seuss implores both adults and children to heed.

As good now as it has always been - and even more relevant...

This winter's must have book...

2005-11-03T01:29:00.000+01:00

From Treehugger

Toronto Photographer Edward Burtynsky takes photographs of our footprint on the planet: "Nature transformed through industry is a predominant theme in my work. I set course to intersect with a contemporary view of the great ages of man; from stone, to minerals, oil, transportation, silicon, and so on. To make these ideas visible I search for subjects that are rich in detail and scale yet open in their meaning. Recycling yards, mine tailings, quarries and refineries are all places that are outside of our normal experience, yet we partake of their output on a daily basis."

view more of his collection on his website at ::Edwardburtynsky.com

The future of Personal transport in Cities

2005-11-02T18:38:00.000+01:00

By employing the accuracy of Galileo, the new European satellite tracking system - like GPS but accurate to less than 1M - great new ideas for transport are appearing;

The transport application devised by the Vu Log company in Sophia Antipolis, France, envisages a fleet of "green" vehicles on city roads.
Commuters could use the internet or their mobile phone to find the nearest vehicle, jump in and start it with a smartcard, and then drive it to their destination.
"There would be no constraint - you could leave the car where you wanted," explained Vu Log's George Gallais.
"The service provider would come and charge the cars up every two or three days. Being used just for short distances, they wouldn't need charging every day,"

Porous Rubber Pavement: Flexi-Pave

2005-11-02T00:15:00.000+01:00

This is a subject close to my heart...
I detest the fact that we are building hard standing everywhere. There is no reason not to make most hard surfaces permeable, especially pathways and parking lots.
This new (fully recycled,)material does just that as well as being flexible, thus making it easy maintenance and at $6.67 per Sq ft. Reasonably priced too.

Bamiyan Afghanistan Laser Project

2005-11-01T23:59:00.000+01:00

From Treehugger:

Remember back to 2001, when the United Nations pleaded with the Taliban? Not to restore the rights of women in Afghanistan, but to stop their planned (and eventual) destruction of the massive 16 centuries old Buddha statues carved into the cliffs above Bamiyan. Now Japanese artist, Hiro Yamagata, has the blessing of Afghani government to install a series of laser lights to return the Buddhas.

Power Genie

2005-11-01T23:36:00.000+01:00

This is a great idea...
Did you realise that 12-16%!!! Of your power bill is being consumed by electronic devices in standby mode - The TV, the hifi, your computer and monitor - basically anything that can be turned on by remote control or has a glowing light on the front.
The Power Genie will kill all that consumption without inconveniencing you or costing a fortune.
You plug your main device into one socket and as soon as you switch this device on it brings all the other associated devices on with it. Got to be a good idea, and available for 110 and 240v systems.

Bird Flue

2005-10-30T13:05:00.000+01:00

Ah, what America is doing to combat the threat of Bird Flu!!!
With thanks to "The Onion"

Nasa's dancing space penis

2005-10-29T12:38:00.000+02:00

NASA have gone mad!
In a bid to create robots that will automatically get out of the way of humans they have created this - well - space penis!!!

Kiva

2005-10-28T12:59:00.000+02:00

Kiva provides a new, sponsor a business option for individuals to connect with small enterprises in developing countries through flexible loans.

A GREAT idea - thanks Marty...

Very relaxing!!!

2005-10-28T12:51:00.000+02:00

Thanks Debs... and you can use your left mouse button to pull George through the gaps!!!

The Meatrix

2005-10-20T23:48:00.000+02:00

Very funny spoof on The Matrix starring 'Moophius'! I am a great meat-eater, but I certainly try to avoid factory farm meat. This hammers home why!

The Climate Mash

2005-10-20T23:44:00.000+02:00

This flash animation would be hilarious if it wasn't so TRUE!!!

The LifeStraw - a personal water filter.

2005-10-20T22:08:00.000+02:00

From Gizmag

The aptly-named LifeStraw is an invention that could become one of the greatest life-savers in history.
Millions of people perish every year because they simply don’t have clean water to drink. Until now, there was not much we could do about this because systems to clean water were costly and required electricity and spare parts and and and … but the LifeStraw now offers a viable means of saving tens of millions of lives every year.

Sky sails promise to reduce fuel consumption in ships

2005-10-20T21:38:00.000+02:00

From Treehugger:

Commercial freight ships are among the largest vehicles ever made and are responsible for moving much of the world's transported goods. Ever since we got off using sailing ships, we've been using diesel. One of 100 technologies selected for the Eco-Tech awards at the World Expo in Aichi, Japan, Sky Sails is a system that puts giant sail kites on freight ships to use high-altitude winds to help pull them across the ocean.

Oz invests in Solar Tower

2005-10-20T21:03:00.000+02:00

From Wired:

The Solar Tower is 1km high and hollow in the middle like a chimney. At its base is a solar collector -- a 25,000-acre, transparent circular skirt. The air under the collector is heated by the sun and funneled up the chimney by convection -- hot air rises. As it rises, the air accelerates to 35 mph, driving 32 wind turbines inside the tower, which generate electricity much like conventional wind farms.

But the Solar Tower has a major advantage over wind farms and solar generators: It can operate with no wind, and 24 hours a day. Thanks to banks of solar cells, the tower stores heat during the day, allowing it to produce electricity continuously.

Kofi Annan: Aid quake victims before more die

2005-10-20T20:35:00.000+02:00

Please reach into your pockets.

The UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, warned today that a huge shortfall in relief funds after the south Asia earthquake risked causing a "massive second wave of death".
Mr Annan said that with so many people still in need of shelter, food and other aid in Pakistan, the risk to life there was "not over yet".

He appealed for a big increase in international donations, saying that of the funds secured so far only 12% had been given with firm commitments.

He said this sum amounted to only £20m of the UN's appeal for £176m after the October 8 quake, which is estimated to have killed 79,000 people as it devastated Pakistani Kashmir and the surrounding regions.
By contrast, Mr Annan said, within 10 days of December's tsunami appeal the UN had received more than 80% of the funds it needed.

He said he would be attending an emergency donors' conference in Geneva next week, which the UN was convening.

Speaking at a press conference at the UN's headquarters in New York, Mr Annan said: "There are no excuses ... If we are to show ourselves worthy of calling ourselves members of humankind, we must rise to this challenge."

He called for "an immediate and exceptional escalation of the global relief effort".

You can contribute directly at http://www.dec.org.uk

Harnessing artificial tornadoes as an energy source

2005-10-20T10:48:00.000+02:00

From The Economist...

WEATHER systems, as the world has recently been reminded, have awesome power. The energy released by a large hurricane can exceed the energy consumption of the human race for a whole year, and even an average tornado has a power similar to that of a large power station. If only mankind could harness that energy, rather than being at its mercy. Louis Michaud, a Canadian engineer who works at a large oil company, believes he has devised a way to do just that, by generating artificial whirlwinds that can be controlled and harnessed. He calls his invention the “atmospheric vortex engine”.

More at http://vortexengine.ca/

China To Eschew Fast Growth in New Economic Plan

2005-10-20T10:46:00.000+02:00

From the Environmental News Network:

BEIJING — China is poised to unveil a new roadmap for the world's seventh-biggest economy that scraps a long-standing policy of faster growth in favour of improving social services and curbing widespread environmental devastation.

Battle to halt sandstorms continues in North China

2005-10-20T10:44:00.000+02:00

But the Chinese have plans to combat the huge desertification taking place....

According to Liang Baojun, an official in charge of the massive shelterbelt, more than 7.7 million hectares of trees will be planted along the "Green Great Wall" during the country's 11th Five-Year Plan period

Utzon's scheme for the interior of the Sydney Opera House near completion but he will never see it!

2005-10-20T10:36:00.000+02:00

Nearly there, the restoration of the opera house to how Jon Utzon originally concieved it. And not before time...
It's almost 40 years since Utzon turned his back on the Opera House, vowing never to set foot in Australia again. In 1966 he was eased off the project, and he was conspicuously absent from the building's gala opening in 1973. "No, I will not see it now," he says, "which makes me sad. Every day I wake up and think of the Opera House. It gives me such pleasure that the building means so much to the people of Sydney and Australia - that makes me very happy."

Herzog & De Meuron

2005-10-20T10:33:00.000+02:00

I can't say that I am a fan of the Tate Modern, but this company certainly builds some incredible stuff.
This has just opened in San Francisco!

Q&A: the trial of Saddam Hussein

2005-10-19T01:12:00.000+02:00

Astonishing how the American-led invasion of Iraq can twist one's thought patterns. I read that Saddam is going to trial and my first thought is pity for him! This despite his being a brutal murderous dictator. I feel sure that if he had been overthrown from within I would feel differently. He is just a puppet being dangled on a string in the hope of drawing attention away from the real issues.

So there is a Paradise!

2005-10-15T19:19:00.000+02:00

Come 2008 the eco-travel industry will have a wonderful addition. Located in the French Polynesian Islands, The Brando will be a lavish eco-hotel built on the island of Tetiaroa. The island is owned by the late Marlon Brando and the project is being overseen by Tahiti Beachcomber SA, whose CEO, Richard Bailey, was in contact with the late actor for a number of years about the vision of The Brando. Just 26 miles north of Tahiti, Tetiaroa is currently inhabited by one person, Brando’s son, Teihotu. The eco-hotel in this unspoiled environment will be energy-autonomous, built with natural materials and will showcase the latest in renewable energy technologies. The plan for the resort is very much in keeping with the philosophy of Brando, who shared Bailey’s wish to protect the environment.

More madness in America

2005-10-15T18:55:00.000+02:00

This was sent to me by Ira who scanned it from today's Guardian.
America is going mad!!!

For those who don't remember, the Brady Campaign is named for the presidential aide who was seriously wounded during Hinckley's assassination attempt on Reagan in 1981.

Presumably, the new law was signed by Jeb Bush, America's next President :-(

This news is nothing short of revolutionary

2005-10-15T10:20:00.000+02:00

If you have a child you HAVE to read this, it is astonishing:

We now have proof positive (from multiple blind tests,) that vitamin supplements help children with learning and behavioral difficulties. Read the article, you will rush out and buy some!!!

"Again, the results were very clear. Compared with the expected progress for normal children, the recipients of the supplements improved their reading ability at more than three times the normal rate, and more than twice the rate in spelling, over three months of treatment."

All this would explain why for instance, French schools (which generally feed their kids a fully balanced vitiman rich diet,) seem to have less truancy and behavioral problems than British schools (which don't)
The government has pledged to improve school dinners in the UK, but they are probably not going far enough.

IKEA's Environmental And Social Reports

2005-10-14T19:28:00.000+02:00

I like Ikea (as many of you know! :-) )
I feel that they produce good, well designed furniture for most of the wealthy world, and that they are largely responsible for the mass consumer swing in taste towards modernism and clean scandinavian design.
At the same time they are highly concientious about not using child labour and sourcing from environmentally friendly sources.
They are not perfect, (which they recognise,) but they are trying - respect where respect is due.

Plan for freeze-dry body disposal

2005-10-14T19:20:00.000+02:00

They've been doing this in Sweden for a while...
Makes a lot of sense and allows seperation of toxic metals such as mercury before bodies go into the ground.
Bury the freeze-dried powder (which is a very good ground nutrient,) and then plant a tree on the spot - what better memorial?

A Nice new way to mount your new iMac!

2005-10-14T09:47:00.000+02:00

From Gizmodo

Building a new house or renovating? Check out this company.

2005-10-14T09:12:00.000+02:00

Fabulous company making great products like the Sunpipe (which brings day light into dark internal rooms.) The Windcatcher which uses Arabian and Egyptian ideas from 2000 years ago to naturally ventilate your office/house, and just to be super smart they have combined the two into the Solavent which also uses solar power to power an extractor fan - Ideal for an internal kitchen or bathroom.

Concrete casts new light in dull rooms

2005-10-13T22:18:00.000+02:00

This is BEAUTIFUL stuff...

Light transmitting concrete is set to go on sale later this year.

The days of dull, grey concrete could be about to end. A Hungarian architect has combined the world’s most popular building material with optical fiber from Schott to create a new type of concrete that transmits light.

A Historic Discovery, in Beethoven's Own Hand

2005-10-13T22:13:00.000+02:00

Warning registration required for the NY Times for the link above....

Heather Carbo, a matter-of-fact librarian at an evangelical seminary outside Philadelphia, was cleaning out an archival cabinet one hot afternoon in July. It was a dirty and routine job. But there, on the bottom shelf, she stumbled across what may be one of the most important musicological finds in years.
It was a working manuscript score for a piano version of Beethoven's "Grosse Fuge," a monument of classical music. And it was in the composer's own hand, according to Sotheby's auction house. The 80-page manuscript in mainly brown ink - a furious scattering of notes across the page, with many changes and cross-outs, some so deep that the paper is punctured - dates from the final months of Beethoven's life.

Freiburg Has Solar Flair

2005-10-13T21:33:00.000+02:00

From Treehugger
Imagine a city founded, ... well, closing in on 1,000 years ago, that now has a modern population of more than 200,000. Thirty years ago they were propositioned with a nuclear power plant, but being emminently sensibly people said “ No, Thanks”. Actually, they said. “Nein, Danke” as the city is Freiburg, Germany. Turning their back on isotopes, they looked to the sun and set about becoming an "ecological capital" instead. And it would appear they are exceedingly well on track. Over 400 solar installations, including the soccer stadium, hospitals, schools, fair grounds, homes and the central station. Let’s not forget the local brewery either.

Green Office Stationary

2005-10-13T12:51:00.000+02:00

We all have to print stuff - can't avoid it... But wouldn't it be nice to know that NO trees were being cut down on our behalf...
There are quite a number of papers suitable for inkjet and laser printers that are 100% recycled, including the wonderful 'Ellie Pooh' which is made of 25% Sri Lankan elephants pooh! Not only does this bind the paper but it also goes to saving elephants in Sri Lanka - good news all round I feel.
All these products need cost you no more than the stuff you are using now and if you can change your whole office over you could make a real difference...
Click on the link above to go the UK shop.

If you want more info on recycled printer papers in the UK, US and Oz see the following:
http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/10/qa_can_my_print.php

Massive earthquake appeal in UK

2005-10-10T20:19:00.000+02:00

This could be an even better place to donate...

The UK's Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has launched a major appeal for victims of the South Asia earthquake, saying funds are "desperately needed".
Thirteen aid agencies agreed to join forces in helping the relief effort.

Is the Governator really going green!!!?

2005-10-10T19:14:00.000+02:00

California Governor Signs 29 Environmental Bills.

This development seems to indicate one or both of two things: perhaps there are two out-of-synch universes within the US; or we are witnessing the beginnings of a turning away from "deregulatory" politics. From the San Jose Mercury News of 10 October we learn: "In a burst of green penmanship, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed 29 environmental bills into law.

Either way, it's got to be good news!

Kashmir International Relief Fund

2005-10-10T18:53:00.000+02:00

Please take a look at these people and donate if you can. It seems to me to be aid on a local basis.
The earthquake is truly catastrophic... We can ALL afford to give something...

KIRF is the largest charity & NGO in Azad Kashmir, providing long-
term development projects to help the people of Kashmir since 1992 KIRF delivers projects in Health, Education, Vocational Training (including Women's Development) & Water Supplies which provide lasting, permanent and sustainable solutions. Our work has benefited hundreds of thousands of Kashmiris. Our aim is to offer emergency relief only when absolutely necessary, but more importantly to provide solutions that bring self-respect and long term benefits to the Kashmiri people. The people of Kashmir do not want never ending hand-outs - their simple wish is for a chance to live their lives without dependency on others. KIRF's non-political and non-sectarian approach has led to donors from across the world to contribute to this worthy cause.

Bush "On a Mission from God"

2005-10-06T23:47:00.000+02:00

George Bush: 'God told me to end the tyranny in Iraq'

President told Palestinians God also talked to him about Middle East peace

Jeez, is this man a wacko or what!!!

Offset your CO2 if you live in the UK

2005-10-05T09:20:00.000+02:00

This is a GREAT and easy way to reduce your impact on the face of the globe.

EBICo has launched EQUICLIMATE, its innovative new CO2 offsetting service which allows households to offset the greenhouse gas they produce. Carbon Dioxide is the principle cause of climate change and, using EQUICLIMATE, householders can counteract the CO2 that comes from their home energy use. The idea behind EQUICLIMATE is simple, but original. Householders choose how much of their CO2 ‘footprint’ on the environment they want to counteract. EBICo then enter the EU market for CO2 Allowances and purchase this amount. EBICo hold-on to these allowances, such that they are permanently removed from circulation. As a result, the major producers of CO2 in Europe have fewer Allowances and, so, must produce less CO2 – offsetting the emissions from the EQUICLIMATE customer’s home.

www.ebico.co.uk

Water factory aims to filter tensions

2005-09-30T09:14:00.000+02:00

This is an old one, but still very relevant so I thought I would post it up on this new blog...

From the BBC
read more at
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3631964.stm

The solution to one of the thorniest problems in the Middle East may be taking shape on an anonymous-looking building site in south-west Israel.
Private contractors are building what they call a "water factory".

And they believe they may have found the Holy Grail, the Philosophers' Stone: an economical way to turn sea water into high quality drinking water.

It has become almost a cliche in the Middle East that the most divisive issue is not land, not oil, but water.

In fact many experts believe water will be the cause of the next war in the region.

So the prospect of limitless supplies of cheap drinking water has the engineers here very excited indeed.

"Thinking about this concept of water factory, I think that the water problems, not only in the Middle East, but in the rest of the world can be solved, at comparatively competitive prices," enthused Gustavo Kronenberg, one of the engineers in charge of the project.

"There is no problem of water, the problem is to get out the salt. There is plenty of water in the sea."

But the real problem until now has been the cost. Water desalination has been the technology of last resort, the Rolls-Royce solution for a rich desert kingdom like Saudi Arabia.

New technology

Now this plant at Ashkelon, on Israel's Mediterranean coast, promises to provide water at around $0.52 a cubic metre.

That's only marginally more expensive than the existing water costs in Israel.

At the moment the water company provides supplies at around US $0.45 a cubic metre. The water from the new plant will be higher quality, and costs are coming down all the time.

Katrina Waste Stretches Around The World

2005-09-30T08:08:00.000+02:00

From Treehugger.com

Katrina Waste Stretches Around The World

September 30, 2005 12:58 AM - Warren McLaren, Sydney

The Sydney Morning Herald, via Reuters, reports that the waste from Hurricane Katrina’s tangle with New Orleans amounts to an estimated 22 million tonnes. According the article, the debris now in south-eastern Louisiana would fill 3.5 million garbage trucks. A spokesman for the US Army Corps of Engineers is quoted as saying "The trucks would stretch 36,500 miles [58,728 kilometres]. They would reach all the way around the Earth at the equator and you would still have enough trucks left over to stretch from New York to Denver," One particularly disturbing note in the piece relates to the damaged cars. Estimates as high as 300,000 totalled vehicles have been made. Strangely the tyres are being stripped for recycling, but all the remaining metal is apparently headed to landfill. Surely it has to be cheaper to re-smelt them, instead of digging fresh iron ore out of the ground. As we’ve noted before using recycled steel can give energy savings of 75%. Sure hope Reuters got it wrong. [Pic from ABC News Katrina gallery] ::Sydney Morning Herald

The UK National ID card

2005-09-30T07:47:00.000+02:00

I don't know what your feelings are on this.
I personally am not averse to carrying an ID card from time to time - but I certainly don't want it to be obligatory, and I don't even mind it having my NI details on it if it is going to make life easier, but I feel strongly that the government is going way too far with the information that they want to register and the National Identity Register is extremely disturbing...

So, I am posting a fund-raising email from Our World Our Say in the hope that it might fire some of you up...

--------

The ID Cards Bill returns to Parliament in October and could become law imminently. Donations are urgently needed for our ID Cards Fighting Fund to place campaign adverts next week spelling out exactly what this authoritarian legislation means - and outlining precisely what voters can do to stop the Bill. http://www.securegiving.co.uk/donate_to/owos.html.

Dear Friend

"The Bill is designed to print across our foreheads a human barcode. Those who do not wish to understand the seriousness of what the Bill represents in terms of the change in the culture and society in which we live are failing in their duties as representatives of the public." - Edmund Garnier QC, Conservative MP for Harborough

I'm sending this urgent email to ask you to send a donation now to help stop the ID Cards Bill - simply go to http://www.securegiving.co.uk/donate_to/owos.html The Bill could become law very soon unless voters make their voices heard on a large scale.

This is a piece of legislation which is more suited to a police state than a western democracy. It seems to be about keeping tabs on all of us because none of the Government's justifications for the scheme stand up.

Did you know that ID Cards and the massive database underlying the scheme could cost an estimated £19.2 billion, that is a cost of over £300 per card. Immediate action is needed to stop this Bill, that is why I am making an urgent plea for donations. Our deadline is Monday, when we will meet to see how much money we have raised and how many adverts we can place. Our target is £25,000.

Our World Our Say needs your help to get across to voters exactly what this Bill means, and how they can pressure MPs to stop it. Your £20 donation - or whatever you can manage - will help us pay for adverts to get that message across. MPs supporting the Bill don't seem concerned about the civil liberties issues but they are sensitive about the cost.

The Bill's most alarming aspect is the National Identity Register, a database that will track your every action through officialdom right through your life. And although you may have committed no crime the state will be able to access your every detail. This smacks of Big Brother.

Whatever the Government says this Bill does not tackle any of the problems that it says it will. There is no evidence that ID Cards will stop benefit fraud or illegal immigration or identity theft or any of the other problems that our Government claims that the scheme is being brought in to tackle. They could actually make some of the problems worse - like identity theft. Importantly, as Charles Clarke admitted, ID Cards would not have stopped the London terrorist attacks - nor would they stop other attacks.

You and I know this is a deeply unpopular measure - only 10% of people support the Bill when told the true cost is likely to be £19.2 billion. Yet despite the enormous level of public misgiving the Government still seems determined to push ahead.

If voters don't speak up now on a large scale this piece of legislation will go through. It seems this Government that took us to war in Iraq on the basis of a lie is once again showing scant regard for our democratic processes.

When the Bill returns to Parliament this October we have an ambitious programme of action planned. Please send a donation now towards the £25,000 that we have budgeted for the campaign. First of all we must get the campaign adverts placed to get voters to deluge MPs with letters and phone calls of opposition to ID Cards. Then if we raise enough money we will buy billboards and adverts in local papers to get people to declare their homes and constituencies ID Card Free Zones.

£25,000 is a lot of money but not much when compared with the £17 million that the Government has already spent on consultants for ID Cards. £25,000 will take the anti ID Cards message to millions of voters and help mobilise opposition on the massive scale that is needed. We can only go ahead with the adverts and other action with your donations.

The voices of our 60,000 supporters are making the politicians sit up and listen. Tony Blair made a point of going on TV to deny a UK link with a possible US attack on Iran, following a campaign during the election by many thousands of OWOS supporters . Prior to this an Iran attack had not been an election issue.

OWOS action now aims to create ID Card Free Zones in constituencies across the country - as part of our overall campaign - to really make Tony Blair and Home Secretary Charles Clarke sit up and take notice.

Please consider giving £20, £50 or even £100.

150 donations of £20 could buy one full page advert costing £3,000.

£50 could help pay for 5000 ID Card Free Zone posters to go up in the windows of thousands of homes, signalling public opposition to this most illiberal of measures in constituencies of MPs who support ID Cards.

Please donate £20, £50 or whatever you can manage now by going to http://www.securegiving.co.uk/donate_to/owos.html.

The fact is this Bill is more suited to a police state than a modern democracy. Concerted action is needed now. Our deadline for donations is Monday, when we will meet to decide how many adverts we can place. We have little time left to stop this Bill becoming law. Please help now.

Thank you.

Rob Whitehead
Development Manager, Our World Our Say

To see our last ID Cards Bill advert go to
http://www.owos.info/documents/OWOSI340x262260605A-W3.pdf
You need a PDF reader to view the advert.
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
We are preparing the new advert now and will put it on the web site soon.

You can download an ID card free zone poster from
http://www.owos.info/idcardfreezone/OWOS-IDCARDS.pdf
to put up in your window.

To see if there is a local no2id group to get involved with go to: www.no2id.net

For more information about id cards go to:
www.owos.info/idcardfreezone/
www.no2id.net
www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/privacy/id-cards.shtml

Our World Our Say works to give people a voice over world-changing issues. Through re-connecting ordinary citizens with their elected representatives and giving them a voice, we aim to give people power over their own futures.

Raleigh Chopper

2005-09-30T07:37:00.000+02:00

Now c'mon, admit it... what you miss most about your childhood is your Raleigh Chopper with it's semi lethal between the legs gear change... (we've all got fond memories of those - NOT!)
Well now you can relive it with a fancy new bike from http://www.phatcycles.com (though one would imagine that in these enlightened times the gear change might be a little less, shall we say, prominent!!!)