Green Environment

Read the rest of LOT-EK Unveils Plans for Solar Taichung Cultural Center Made from 1,620 Recycled Shipping Containers Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: "green wall", Ada Tolla, arup, Cargotecture, Design Competition, Giuseppe Lignano, graywater reuse, lot-ek, rainwater filtration, recycled shipping containers, shipping containers, SurfaceDesign, taichung, Taichung City Cultural Center, Taiwan, upcycled shipping containers, vegetated wall, vertical garden

THERE’S a section on the Heartland Institute’s website pointing readers to “Stuff We Wish We Wrote”. After events over the last year or so, the chaps at the fossil fuel-funded “think tank” might want to add a new section with the title “Stuff We Wish We Hadn’t Wrote”. The Heartland Institute, for those who don’t know, is a Chicago-based group promoting any view or position that argues we shouldn’t do anything about human-caused climate change. They run campaigns, hold conferences, write op-eds in the media and pay contrarian scientists. Right there on the think-tank’s homepage, the group proudly displays a quote from The Economist magazine describing Heartland as “The world's most prominent think-tank promoting scepticism about man-made climate change.” Yet as is the case with most things Heartland says about climate change, things are not always as they seem. Heartland’s boastful quote is taken out of context and comes from this article in The Economist, documenting a spectacular own goal by Heartland. Heartland, The Economist wrote, had lost an estimated $825,000 in funding after running a billboard campaign that equated acceptance of human-caused global warming to the values of serial killer Ted “Unabomber” Kaczynski. So when The Economist was describing Heartland as a prominent think-tank promoting climate science denial, it wasn’t doing it in a good way. No wonder then that Heartland didn’t hyperlink the quote. This brings us to Heartland’s most recent example of self-aggrandizing – implying the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) thinks they’re awesome because it translated two of Heartland’s reports, only to be told by aforementioned academy to apologise for misrepresenting what they had actually done. Here are the nuts and bolts of the story. On June 11, Heartland released a statement detailing how CAS had translated two volumes of its NIPCC reports  – Climate Change Reconsidered. The main contributors to the reports, contrarian scientists Craig idso, Fred Singer and Australia-based Robert Carter, were due to fly to Beijing to launch the report, Heartland said. Internal Heartland documents have shown that in 2012, Heartland planned to pay Idso $11,6000 a month for his work on the NIPCC report. Singer was to receive $5,000 per month and Carter would get $1,667 monthly. On June 12, Jim Lakely, Heartland’s communications director, took to the think-tank’s blog - “Somewhat Reasonable” - with unfettered excitement. Under the headline “Chinese Academy of Sciences publishes Heartland Institute research skeptical of Global Warming” Lakely wrote that CAS’s translation now placed “enormous scientific heft” behind the “questionable notion that man is responsible for catastrophically warming the planet”. In a typically restrained and understated manner, Lakely quotes Heartland President Joseph Bast as saying: “This is a historic moment in the global debate about global warming.” Bast then tries to drive a wedge between China and other countries involved in United Nations negotiations to agree a deal to cut emissions of greenhouse gases. China’s previous refusal to sign a deal, Bast claimed, was now justified because CAS had translated the Heartland book and this “indicates the country’s leaders believe their position is justified by science and not just by economics.” Professor Carter told Lakely that Chinese companies would soon leave their Western counterparts in the competitive dust becuase, he said, they were still “hindered by the IPCC’s leaden and outdate global warming ideology”. Climate sceptic blogger Anthony Watts was similarly excitable, running a post with the title “Heartland’s NIPCC report to be accepted by Chinese Academy of Sciences in special ceremony”. That these statements were published on a Heartland blog with the title “Somewhat Reasonable” seems beautifully ironic, given what followed. Presumably finding Heartland’s actions Somewhat Unreasonable, the Lanzhou Branch of the National Science Library of the

Juliet Eilperin drops this vial of nitroglycerin into her latest Washington Post piece: … according to several people familiar with his private remarks at the home of clean-tech entrepreneur Vinod Khosla, Obama expressed concerns about the political pain involved, saying that “dial testing” of his State of the Union speech showed that the favorability ratings “plummeted” when he vowed to act on climate change if Congress refused to do so. Not exactly “profiles in courage.” Not exactly “the Environmental President.” This may not come as a big surprise given how Obama’s once soaring rhetoric on the moral urgency of climate action has recently crash landed. But what makes this particularly feckless is that dial testing is all but meaningless. Compared to using polls to determine political positions — a common if widely criticized practice — using dial tests to do so is like consulting your horoscope. For those who aren’t political junkies, I recommend this introduction, “What Are Those Squiggly Lines on CNN Telling You?” Dial-testing relies on hand-held dials that can be turned to register positive and negative reactions in real time. Participants in the focus group — 30 is a typical size — sit together and are instructed to continually adjust the dial to reflect how they react to a word, phrase, or sentence. Here is a typical expert view of the value of dial group information: Cliff Zukin, director of the public-policy program at Rutgers University and former head of the American Association for Public Opinion Research, argues that dial-testing is unhelpful and misleading. He points to the fact that the sample of voters is far smaller than even the tiniest poll. “It has no scientific validity — it’s not a sample of anything that has generalized validity,” he says. What’s more, he argues, it introduces inaccurate numbers that assume a power of their own. “The problem with bad numbers is that people tend to believe their eyes.” So the President is basing his climate policy decisions on something that has no scientific validity. Awesome. Perhaps next time it’ll be Tarot cards. Or denier blogs, which are much the same thing. Even worse, it’s entirely possible that respondents give a negative dial reaction for something that in fact works. CNN’s focus group is run by Rita Kirk, who concedes: … there’s no way to know if they represent participants’ true reactions or what they think they should feel — as Kirk acknowledges, a significant body of research shows negative ads work even though voters, independents especially, claim to hate them. What’s more, the process of dialing itself changes how the participants experience the debate. “[Participants] say they pay more attention, because they are focusing on the words,” says Kirk. Assuming team Obama is only interested what independents think, it should be no surprise that many would have an instantaneous negative reaction when Obama says he might act alone. Independents are, by choice, not part of any political party, and they are well known to love pledges of bipartisanship. Obama, of course, has spent more time pushing the benefits of bipartisanship himself than explaining how and why Congress has been obstructionist on climate change. Indeed, as we have reported, “Team Obama Launched The Inane Strategy Of Downplaying Climate Change Back In March 2009.” How popular would it be if Obama were to pledge to enforce laws already on the books to reduce carbon pollution and advance clean energy? Stanford public opinion expert Jon Krosnick has found that candidates “may actually enhance turnout as well as attract voters over to their side by discussing climate change.” Climate action is not only a political winner according to pretty much every poll, it is a moral necessity, something Obama himself made clear just l

Kirsten Gibson is an intern for ThinkProgress. Credit: Shutter StockThe Seattle City Council unanimously passed a far-reaching Climate Action Plan Monday, with the ultimate goal of reaching zero net emissions by 2050. The ambitious plan, crafted by city officials and community members, provides a long-term vision for reducing the city’s greenhouse gas emissions while building vibrant, prosperous communities. Specifically, the plan focuses on three areas where Seattle can benefit the most from improvements: transportation and land use, building energy and solid waste. “We can do something meaningful, not just for the planet, but also to create the city we want to live in, one that is safer to walk and bike and has cleaner air and water,” said city councilman Mike O’Brien. The plan includes improving and expanding the city’s bus system, building the infrastructure to make it safer to walk or bike around, and building out the region’s light-rail system. These moves would help reduce carbon emissions by 40 percent, according to the Seattle Times. To curb building energy costs, the plan details the continuation of projects to weatherize homes and to develop a way to rate home energy performance when a house is listed for sale. Ways to conserve of electricity and water were identified as areas to improve upon and preparing for the possible impacts of climate change on at-risk populations, such as the poor. The plan also includes strategies to prepare for adverse climate effects that the city could be subject to, such as identifying flood prone areas and creating land use plans that would adapt for rising sea levels. In addition to the city council’s climate plan, Mayor Mike McGinn announced an energy efficiency initiative that will cut emissions and could save homeowners 35 to 50 percent in energy costs. Many cities have prioritized plans for climate change in the wake of unprecedented extreme weather and rising average temperatures. On Monday, 45 mayors from cities across the country pledged to take action to prepare and protect their communities from the increasing disasters and disruptions fueled by climate change. And in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, New York City’s mayor, Michael Bloomberg, released an extensive climate resiliency plan last week. PlaNYC includes 250 recommendations to address the reality of climate change and prepare for its impacts.

The Mapdwell Project is a collaborative effort by researchers, academics, and professionals at MIT to develop a community resource of research-driven and tested information on sustainable practices. The Sustainable Design Lab at MIT collaborated with design studio MoDE (Modern Development Studio) to create a user-friendly interface that makes complex data simple and easy to understand. The fundamental goal of Mapdwell is to deliver a tool that enables communities to make informed decisions about how to incorporate sustainable technologies like solar power into their lifestyles through community awareness and access to information about energy efficiency and smart development. The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing! Read the rest of MIT’s Mapdwell Project Tracks Sustainable Development Around the World Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: "sustainable development", green design, green graphics, green map, green technology, mapdwell, mapdwell project, MIT, renewable energy, solar exposure map, solar power map, sustainable design

To promote the value of turning garbage into something valuable, artist and designer Francis Sollano transformed discarded nursing uniforms into a spectacular chandelier he’s called ‘Farfalla’ (aka “bow-tie pasta”). The DIY project can be applied to any fabric, varying on the patterns and colors depending on the look one aims to achieve. Want to learn how to make your own? Follow the instructions after the jump! The article above was submitted to us by an Inhabitat reader. Want to see your story on Inhabitat? Send us a tip by following this link. Remember to follow our instructions carefully to boost your chances of being chosen for publishing! Read the rest of DIY: Learn How to Make a Gorgeous Farfalla Chandelier with Recycled Fabric Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: butterfly chandelier, farfalla, farfalla chandelier, francis sollano, green lighting, recycled materials chandelier

If your heart has ever ached looking at pictures of animals pent up in tiny pet store cages or pens at the zoo, prepare to be outraged. CNN and other internet sources have uncovered a souvenir scheme in China that seems like a sick joke, but isn’t. Live animals—turtles, fish, lizards and other amphibians—are being trapped in tiny plastic bags and sold as decorative key chains. Vendors claim that the bag contains crystallized oxygen and nutrients designed to keep the animals alive, but in reality, most die within a day or less due to oxygen deprivation. What’s even more shocking is that thanks to China’s lax animal protection laws, most customers are encouraged to microwave and then eat the animals upon their demise. Read the rest of Live Animals Trapped In Plastic Bags Sold as Key Chains in Horrifying Chinese Souvenir Scheme Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: animal abuse, animal rights, Beijing, china, live animal key chains, souvenirs

On Monday, twenty-two people peacefully obstructed the entrance to the building that houses the State Department’s offices in downtown Chicago. They were then arrested without incident. Last week in London, several protesters were arrested inside the Parliament building after attempting to disrupt a speech by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Hundreds were arrested in 2011 for trespassing on Parliament Hill in Ottowa. In February, former NASA climate scientists James Hansen and dozens of leaders of the environmental movement like Michael Brune of the Sierra Club were arrested in front of the White House. Some 1,252 people were arrested in front of the White House in 2011 over 15 days. All of these people have one thing in common — they are willing to risk arrest in an attempt to stop the U.S. and Canada from building the northern leg of the tar sands-pumping Keystone XL pipeline. Monday’s protest was particularly significant since most of the activists who walked to the State Department’s Chicago office and got arrested were former Obama campaign staff, donors, and volunteers. Organized by CREDO Action, Rainforest Action Network, and The Other 98%, the protesters went to State Department offices because that is where the decision process currently rests as the department drafts a Final Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. The protest took place in Chicago because that is President Obama’s hometown and where he chose to locate the organization built upon his successful presidential campaign: Organizing for Action (OFA). Many of the 22 that walked to the State Department’s Chicago office and got arrested were former Obama campaign staff, donors, and volunteers. Elijah Zarlin worked as a Senior National Email Writer on the 2008 Obama campaign for almost a year (it his t-shirt featured above, worn by many protesters on Monday, displaying President Obama’s words on his commitment to climate action) . Following the 2008 Democratic primary campaign, Zarlin told Climate Progress he remembered then-Senator Obama telling campaign staff that if they wanted to do something about climate change, they had to win the general election. “I took that to heart,” he said. “I never thought I’d be back in Chicago to risk arrest in order to get President Obama to do the right thing on climate change,” said Zarlin, who now works for CREDO. He said he participated in the sit-in because “we haven’t seen leadership and policies to truly make an impact,” despite the president’s “commitment he made to his staff and supporters to fight climate change.” In 2011 he was part of the 1,252 people who were arrested at the White House protesting Keystone. Becky Bond, CREDO Action’s political director, said that the protest that happened Monday was “a preview of what’s to come if [President Obama's] State Department recommends approval of the pipeline.” More than 62,000 people signed the Pledge of Resistance, which is a commitment to risking arrest “to send a message to the president that he must reject Keystone XL.” This pledge was announced following the State Department’s release of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, and prepares for the final statement. After that is released, the Obama Administration has 90 days to decide if the project is in the national interest. If they do, that decision triggers the pledge, which Bond said would be “the biggest burst of civil disobedience in modern American history.” Activists will prepare with trainings on how to approach local disobedience. The protesters have a sense that the usual avenues of activism are inadequate and more people have shown a willingness to do anything within their means to get the administration to understand the serious climate consequences of allowing a pipeline like this to be constructed. A re

We recently told you about Moto Electra‘s bold attempt to drive an electric motorcycle across the United States in just 3 days – and on June 6th the team accomplished this world record-breaking feat! Battling temperatures over 100 degrees, punishing rain and bike repairs, the racing team hit their goal while showing the world the potential of electric motors. Read the rest of Moto Electra Sets World Record by Crossing the US on an Electric Motorcycle in 3 Days Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: battery technology, coast-to-coast drive, coast-to-coast motorcycle drive, coast-to-coast motorcycle record, cross country drive, electric bike, electric motorcycle, electric motorcycle coast-to-coast, electric transportation, electric vehicle, Moto Electra, Moto Electra Racing, Thad Wolff, world record drive

There may be killer asteroids headed for Earth, and NASA has decided to do something about it. The space agency announced a new "Grand Challenge" on June 18 to find all dangerous space rocks and figure out how to stop them from destroying Earth.