Tag Archives: Culture

Getting Off Oil: Forget Hybrids And Solar Panels, We Need Active, Exciting and Vibrant Cities

Some cities are not only walkable and cycleable, they’re skateable! Matt has noted that almost three quarters of our oil goes for transportation , and concludes that we have to create “more communities where the average person’s daily needs are met on foot, on non-motorized vehicle and via public transportation.” But is there proof that this actually works? Does it mean that we have to turn all of our cities into Manhattan or Copenhagen? No, we don’t. We don’t have to create new communities and put everybody in a passivh… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Getting Off Oil: Forget Hybrids And Solar Panels, We Need Active, Exciting and Vibrant Cities

Smart Cars Turned Into Mini Tanks (With Video)

Photo via Car Connection On the Lighter Side… Smart cars can be great little urban cars, but for some people, they aren’t exciting enough. Do-it-yourself enthusiasts have fixed that by doing all kinds of things to the diminutive ForTwo, including, among others, putting in a high-revving motorcycle engine in place of the tame factory diesel and putting monster tuc… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Smart Cars Turned Into Mini Tanks (With Video)

Can Rivers Be Used for Swimming Again?

Image: The sculpture “First Generation” by Chong Fah Cheong depicts the Singapore River as in olden days, via williamcho, Flickr As July practices heat waves in preparation for some real hot August, one cannot help but yearn for the olden days, when people would jump into the nearest river to cool down. But that was before industrial wastes made the water too dirty for swimming. Before we protested, passed laws, an… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Can Rivers Be Used for Swimming Again?

Quarter Of American Bridges Declared Structurally Deficient or Functionally Obsolete

Bridge closed. Image credit: Ivan Cockrum Scholars & Rogues blog has a nice overview of the crumbling US bridges issue. In a phrase, upgrades and repairs are not keeping up with wear and tear. Fixing the bad bridges is anticipated to cost “$650 billion over 50 years.” Not good news for the ‘less government, reduced taxes’ crowd. But let’s focus on the environmental dimensions. There is good news and bad…. Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Quarter Of American Bridges Declared Structurally Deficient or Functionally Obsolete

Battle Over Nile River Ownership Threatens One of World’s Largest Wetlands

Photo by Michael Gwyther-Jones When we think of the Nile river, we think of Egypt, but for African countries upriver, ownership of the Nile is under hot contention . The river flows through 10 nations from its headwaters in Ethiopia to the Mediterranean, but historically only Egypt and the Sudan have rights to the water. Nations now speaking out include Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda, who have signed a treaty that will secure rights to the w… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Battle Over Nile River Ownership Threatens One of World’s Largest Wetlands

PETA Says: We Resort to Naked-Women-Gimmickry Because It Works

Last week we wrote about PETA’s latest campaign that features Olivia Munn in the buff , intended to bring attention to the cruel treatment of circus elephants. We questioned the ad’s true effectiveness. PETA sent in a response to the post, expressing reasons why they feel the use of nudity works to further their cause. Thanks for making some points about Ringling’s cruelty to animals even though you don’t like PETA’s new anti-circus PSA featuring Olivia Munn. … Read the full story on TreeHugger

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PETA Says: We Resort to Naked-Women-Gimmickry Because It Works

Today on Planet 100: Psychic Octopus Retires (Video)

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Today on Planet 100: Psychic Octopus Retires (Video)

T-Shirt Company Helps Public Give BP the What-For

Photo via UNitedWeFit UNitedWeFit is making sure that BP hears everyone’s opinion about the oil disaster. In a nation-wide tour called “Bang the Drum,” they’re taking oil barrels into public places and allowing anyone to write their thoughts onto them. They’ll then be hand-delivered to BP’s offices in Houston, Texas on July 20th. … Read the full story on TreeHugger

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T-Shirt Company Helps Public Give BP the What-For

Stewart + Brown Sustainable Sweaters for Fall 2010 (Photos)

Stewart + Brown Image courtesy of Stewart + Brown. Stewart + Brown ‘s luscious knits for fall have us craving crisp, cool weather. The California-based green fashion label uses only fine merino wool or Mongolian cashmere, culled from a co-op that help nomads in the region sustain their centuries-old practices, in their line of luxury sweaters. We exclusively released images from… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Stewart + Brown Sustainable Sweaters for Fall 2010 (Photos)

Ontario’s New Eco Fee Hits a Few Green Bumps

Image from jp fire Ontario, Canada’s largest province by population, has introduced a new eco fee. The Ontario government has imposed this environmental fee on manufacturers and importers of goods that produce hazardous waste. The list of items includes cleaning products, asthma inhalers, laundry detergent, paints, antifreeze, fluorescent bulbs, sun screen, potting soil, windshield washers and fire extinguishers. The cost to taxpayers and the environment of landfills filling up with garbage that can’t be recycled is huge and growing. The goal is to shift the c… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Ontario’s New Eco Fee Hits a Few Green Bumps