Green Environment

The world is on a crash course to run out of freshwater, according to United Nation’s Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. At yesterday’s UN’s International Day of Biological Diversity, Ban Ki-moon addressed a number of the water security issues facing the planet today. Only a small amount of water on earth is freshwater, and the Secretary General reinforced that there is a delicate relationship between water and biodiversity. Read the rest of UN Says the World Is On Course to Run Out of Water Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: ban ki-moon, Biodiversity, Climate Change, conservation, ecology, ecosystems, global crisis, United Nations, water issues, water shortage

New York-based textile artisan Sinje Ollen‘s Clothing for Furniture brings new life to dusty and damaged furnishings by covering up holes, stains and other blemishes. Ollen’s colorful removable covers are made from hand-knit wool, and she carefully consults with all of her clients before beginning work – so each piece is unique. We had a chance to check out this amazing project at Wanted Design during New York Design Week – read on for a closer look! Read the rest of Clothing for Furniture: Sinje Ollen’s Colorful Knits Give Old, Damaged Furnishings a Fresh New Life Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Arne Jacobsen Egg Chair, Berry Pi, clothing for furniture, eco design, green design, green interiors, knitted covers for furniture, new york design week, New York green designers, Sinje Ollen, sustainable design, textile arts, textile designers from New York, wanted design

It’s probably fair, if crude, to talk about national societies as having “moods,” or going through particular psychological states — especially in economic depressions, when they become more fearful and less willing to take risks. The United States has spent the last few years mired in the worst economic slump since the Great Depression, and a cap-and-trade system or a carbon price is unquestionably an attempt to structurally raise the price of some forms of energy. However meritorious, those policies are something of a step into the economic unknown, and thus understandably worrying to the average voter. So if the economy is affecting the national mood, that’s a problem for policy efforts to fight climate change. And earlier this week, the Washington Post’s Brad Plumer dug up a new study that put some hard data to that phenomenon at the political level. What Grant Jacobsen of the University of Oregon did was take a look at how unemployment in various states changed the votes of senators from those states. He used the League of Conservation Voters’ (LCV) scorecard as a measure of 296 senators’ friendliness to pro-environment votes. Then Jacobsen determined how their score changed as unemployment in their state went up and down between 1976 and 2008. The result? For every one percent point unemployment went up, the average senator’s LCV score dropped 0.48 percentage points. Jacobsen statistical analysis also suggested this result was like due to a meaningful correlation between unemployment and the vote score, rather than random chance or noise. To make sure he wasn’t just reading swings in the political leanings of the legislative body, Jacobsen also compared the American Democratic Association’s (ADA) scores — a widely accepted measure of liberalism — to his findings. With that control, the relationship between voting and unemployment actually strengthened, to 0.64 percentage point drop in the LCV score for every one percentage point increase in unemployment. Jacobsen also found the LCV decline was 0.83 percentage points when just looking at Republicans, and 0.29 when just looking Democrats, though the latter result wasn’t as statistically robust. Now, changes of 0.64 and 0.48 may not sound like big swings on a score that goes from 0 to 100, but lawmaking is a game of inches. Just to bring the point home, Jacobsen also looked at how votes from 1981 to 2008 would’ve changed if a given state had always experienced its minimum unemployment rate. (See table at right.) Accounting for whether a particular Senate vote was straight majority or involved a filibuster, he determined that environmentally favorable votes would’ve increased from 36 percent to 41 percent under improved economic conditions. That’s almost a 14 percent increase in the rate of favorable votes. Not exactly peanuts. This fits in with other studies on the relationship between support for environmental policies and the economy. As Plumer noted, Matthew Kahn and Matthew Kotchen used Google searches and surveys in a 2010 finding that higher unemployment lowers voters’ concern with global warming. Jacobsen’s paper mentions two other studies showing that per capita income increases correlate with higher support for environmental legislation, and more upcoming work from Kahn and Kotchen. Furthermore, the Center for American Progress’ Dan Weiss previously went through the history of environmental legislation, and found that most of the bills passed when unemployment was low. “The first Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Endangered Species Act, and Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (hazardous waste disposal) were all enacted when unemployment was 6 percent or lower,” Weiss determined. “Only six major environmental laws were enacted with annual unemployment over 7 percent, and none with unemployment greater than 7.7 percent.” U

Approximately 27.4 billion disposable diapers end up in US landfills each year, and then they take about 500 years to decompose once they get there. If you want to stop contributing the the problem with your baby’s diapers, cloth diapers are a great option, but getting started does seem a bit intimidating. Inhabitots recently caught up with Carolyn Sutton of Charlie Banana to learn about the basics, and they made a great video so that you can follow along step by step. Click here to check it out! READ MORE > Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: buying green diapers, carolyn sutton, charlie banana, charlie banana diapers, cloth diapering, cloth diapering how to, cloth diapers, diapers, eco baby, eco friendly diapers, eco-friendly design, green baby, green design, green diapers, guide to cloth diapers, how to cloth diaper, how to use green diapers, julie seguss, Luca

It’s hard to imagine a time when driving cross-country was a challenge, a time when gas stations were infrequent and roads were unreliably paved. But that’s exactly what inspired the people at Moto Electra Racing to attempt to ride their electric motorcycle across the country in a record-breaking three days. With 2,500 miles to cover, that’s an average speed of 70 mph with 20 stops for charging and catnaps — a challenge for any rider. Read the rest of Moto Electra Looks to Set Record by Crossing US in an Electric Motorcycle in Just 3 Days Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: coast to coast trip on an emotorcycle, coast to coast world record, cross country motorcycle, electric motorcycle, electric motorcycle cross country, electric motorcycle racing, electric motorcycle world record, green motorcycles, green racing, Moto Electra motorcycles, Moto Electra Racing, Moto Electra world record, Thad Wolff cross-country, Thad Wolff racing

Like many a septuagenarian, Yuichiro Miura underwent heart surgeries during his 70s — four of them, in fact — not to mention convalescence from a broken pelvis and leg suffered when he was 76. But unlike many other people his age, Miura made an ascent of Mount Everest after he turned 80.

This summer’s been one of the hottest yet, but if you’re already sweating from the intense heat, you can rest easy — I’ve got a sweet, refreshing treat that is sure too cool you down! Popsicles are a delightful and refreshing staple for the summer season, and I know personally that it’s hard to let a day pass without biting down on a delicious bar (or maybe 5…). But buyer beware — if you’ve been heading to your local supermarket for a box, you should know that not all popsicles are made equal. High fructose corn syrup pops laden with #5 red and #8 blue dye dominate grocery store shelves, and those yucky popsicles pose more of a health risk than an innocent indulgence. If you’re looking for a healthier — not to mention cheaper — alternative, your best bet is to make your own delicious and nutritious popsicles at home! Jump ahead for my easy DIY popsicle tutorial featuring one of my favorite recipes: Summer Strawberry Popsicles. Not only will you be able to cool down with a batch of mouth-watering, refreshing and healthy popsicles, but you’ll have saved yourself money and time by making your own at home. All you need is a freezer, popsicle molds and something sweet to put in ‘em! Read the rest of HOW TO: Make Homemade, Healthy, Organic Popsicles To Beat the Heat! Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: bing, bing search, blender popsicles, diy popsicles, eco popsicles, green popsicles, handmade popsciles, healthy popsicles, home made popsicles, Homemade Popsicles, how to make popsicles, How to Make Your Own Healthy Popsicles At Home, make your own popsicles, natural popsicles, organic popsicles, popsicle activities, popsicle molds, popsicle recipes, strawberry popsicles, vegan popsicles, vegetarian popsicles

New Yorkers looking to make some extra cash by renting out their pads on Airbnb may be in for a very rude (and expensive) awakening. An NYC judge recently fined a man who listed his condo on Airbnb $2,400 after finding that he violated a 2011 law which says it’s illegal to rent out an apartment for less than 29 days. Do you think the law is fair, or does it need to be amended? Read on for the full story. READ MORE > Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: Airbnb, airbnb illegal in nyc, cheap nyc hotels, Christine Quinn, emily giske, illegal airbnb, is airbnb legal, nyc airbnb, nyc apartments, nyc hotels, nyc rentals

Design company Monstrans‘ newest chair is made from a single sheet of renewable bamboo plywood, putting a clever spin on the classic folding chair. The Folding Chair, which was on display at ICFF this week, solves is portable and it saves space, folding up into a single piece with a handle. Aside from being efficient and useful, the chair also yields minimal construction waste and material use. Read the rest of Monstrans’ Single-Sheet Bamboo Chair Folds Flat for Easy Storage Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: eco design, folding chair, green design, ICFF, Monstrans, small living, sustainable design

Photo via Shutterstock A new study by the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Bonneville Power Administration finds that two underground sites in the Pacific Northwest are ideal for storing energy produced by the wind. Compressed air energy storage plants could capture the wind during times when breezes are more abundant at night and demand for electricity is low for use during peak hours. Able to switch between power storage and generation in a matter of minutes, the method could be an important means to assist states reach their Renewable Portfolio Standards. Read the rest of Renewable Energy Could Be Stored in Facilities Deep Underground Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: "wind power", alabama, boardman, bonneville power administration, columbia hills site, Department of Energy, Electricity, geothermal, germany, natural gas, northwest power and conservation council, Oregon, Pacific Northwest, pnnl-bpa, renewable portfolio standard, washington, yakima minerals site