Green Options » ecoscraps

Al Gore’s Speech with Commentary

Philip Proefrock — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:23:45 +0000

Al Gore presented a dramatic and widely discussed speech on matters of climate, carbon emissions, and energy last week. Maybe you didn’t get to listen to it at the time, and would like to read the text, but reading speeches can be boring.

Science-fiction author and journalist Bruce Sterling, who founded something called the Viridian Design Movement back in 1998 has posted the text of Gore’s speech interspersed with his own comments (((which he nests in triple parentheses))).

It makes an interesting document that much more fun to read:

We’re borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. (((Or, “American politician schemes to save civilization.” Hey, it’s a plan. Who else has got such a plan? Any similar politician of any other country? No, I didn’t think so.)))

Free Global Warming eBook

Philip Proefrock — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:41:10 +0000

Island Press is marking the 20th anniversary of ‘global warming’ as a term entering the public consciousness with a free electronic copy of The Challenge of Global Warming, an early book addressing the issue.

On June 23, 1988, NASA Scientist James E. Hansen testified on Capitol Hill before the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Hansen told the Senate committee that global warming was real – and was happening now.

Other news sources also had articles and coverage of the 20th anniversary of ‘global warming.’ Links to some of those stories can also be found on the Island Press site.

Godfather of Green Building

Philip Proefrock — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:04:26 +0000

Kansas City MO architect Bob Berkebile is one of the key figures in establishing the importance of green building in this country. Berkebile was instrumental in the founding of both the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) as well as the American Institute of Architects’ Committee on the Environment (COTE).

Those once-radical ideas have started to go mainstream. In 1993, Berkebile helped create a new group that wasn’t confined to architects: the U.S. Green Building Council. The inaugural meeting of the council fit into a conference room at AIA headquarters. Last November, more than 22,000 green-building advocates and entrepreneurs traveled to Chicago for the council’s annual conference.

Read a profile of Berkebile via: The Pitch

Tap Water Is OK

Philip Proefrock — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 21:20:00 +0000

Restaurants in seven cities across the US are part of the initial wave of the Food & Water Watch “Take Back the Tap“ Campaign.

“The consumer advocacy group is working with cities across the nation to urge local restaurants and chefs to sign a pledge to switch to serving only tap water, help educate customers about the benefits of tap over bottled water.”

Read more of this story »

Carbon Neutral Panties? Green Lingerie Hits High Street

mcmilker — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 18:21:49 +0000

The Economist reports bras and panties from the world’s first carbon neutral clothing factory are set to hit Britain’s high streets this month.

Photo credit: losiek at Flick’r Under Creative Commons License

The Most Beautiful Iceberg You Might Ever See

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:44:02 +0000

Icebergs, glaciers and ice caps might soon be endangered species, thanks to climate change, so enjoy them while you can. One of the most extraordinary images of an iceberg I’ve yet to see appears in the U.K.’s Telegraph: a marbled “rainbow” iceberg photographed by a Norwegian sailor in the Antarctic.

Fight Environmental Radiation with Style

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Mon, 12 May 2008 15:28:52 +0000

Worried about the potential health effects of cellphone radiation? A clothing company named Remus has unveiled a stylish solution: the E-Blocker suit for men that features metal woven into the fabric to reflect radiation from mobile phones and Bluetooth devices. No word on whether E-Blocker fashions for women are in the works, though.

The ‘AquaBuoy’ Wave Energy Converter (w/animation)

Timothy B. Hurst — Tue, 06 May 2008 07:35:00 +0000

Cool looking contraption, huh? What you’re looking at is Finavera Renewables’ latest project in scalable wave power technology. If you think that picture is pretty cool, you’ll enjoy the animation: This story contains additional media. Click here to view the media.

Photo: U.S. Minerals Management Service

Could You Get By on 5 Gallons of Water a Day?

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:31:32 +0000

Think you could get by using only as much water as a rural African villager: about 20 liters (a little over five gallons) per day? Brits Sophie Morris and Paul Martin each describe their experiences taking the 20-liter challenge. (Hint: both suffer bouts of “flushitis” in facing the fact an average toilet uses eight to 10 liters per flush.)

Shades of Green and The Green House: By Brad Gilchrist and Peter Menice

Joe Mohr — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 17:35:51 +0000

I got the wonderful opportunity to interview Brad Gilchrist one of the creators (along with Peter Menice) of the cartoon The Green House. We will be highlighting their weekly strip “Shades of Green” on the EcoScraps blog every Monday. As an aspiring cartoonist it was very informative and interesting to hear about the directions their work has taken them and how they ended up together creating The Green House. Brad and Peter have both enjoyed successful careers as cartoonists, but I feel the true success is on its way. By “true success” I mean making a comfortable living doing what you love while making a difference in the world. As Brad puts it in the interview after the break:

“Which means more people seeing that living a simple, conscious life is more cool and rewarding than having a McMansion and a Hummer or II.”

You can play a part in their success by calling or e-mailing your favorite papers and tell them about the strip and the web site.

For my interview with Brad Gilchrist…

My Server’s Greener Than Yours

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 17:11:38 +0000

Today’s Register features an amusing series of screenshots illustrating how computer companies and Web hosts are falling over one another in the race to put on a green face for their customers. One of my favorite comments in the post: “So, do windmill makers use servers on their web sites to advertise the greenocity of their windmills?”

Canada Says ‘Yes’ to Clotheslines

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 17:07:40 +0000

What’s more unsightly: a backyard clothesline or a dangerously warming world driven to the tipping point by greenhouse gas emissions? Ontario officials have decided on their answer, which is why they’ll be banning local bans on outdoor clotheslines this summer.

Attack of the Spiders

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:56:17 +0000

Honeybees and songbirds might be getting harder to find, but not redback spiders. In fact, so many of the poisonous arachnids are swarming the tiny Baralaba Multi Purpose Health Service hospital in Australia’s Queensland state that officials are closing the facility for one day so they can fumigate. Authorities blame the infestation on warm temperatures that have encouraged the hatching of more spiders than usual.

James Bond Driver Dunks $230,000 Aston Martin

Max Lindberg — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 11:52:33 +0000

While filming the new Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, the stunt driver of Bond’s $200,000 Aston Martin, misjudged and drove off a cliff into 150 feet of water, knocking him out. 29 year old Fraser Dunn came to and managed to swim to shore with only minor injuries. Police weren’t amused, he was fined about $800 for dangerous driving.

Source: Ananova

Green Renovation Profiled on NPR

Philip Proefrock — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 05:47:58 +0000

As part of their Earth Day coverage, NPR’s All Things Considered took a look at a LEED Platinum home renovation in Washington DC. Peter Yost from the green building resource BuildingGreen helped to explain some of the possibly unfamiliar green building terms and explained how the elements of this renovation contributed to its being one of the greenest homes in the country.

While building tours on the radio can’t show pictures, the NPR website has several accompanying pictures along with the story and an interactive kitchen tour with more information about the project.

image: NPR

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished … Again

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 16:55:00 +0000

In yet another ludicrous example of people being punished for conserving (see a previous instance here), water-strapped Atlanta and Fulton County are mulling a 15-percent water rate hike to offset revenue losses caused by residents trying to reduce their consumption.

Beer Shortages May Be Coming Due to Climate Change

Philip Proefrock — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 21:01:42 +0000

Among the many other ill effects it is causing, global climate change may also be contributing to failures of hops and barley crops. Without these two essential ingredients, the supply of beer will be reduced, and prices for what remains will rise dramatically.

According to Jim Salinger, a climate scientist at New Zealand’s National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research, the warming globe will likely cause a decline in the production of malting barley, which, when combined with the scarcity of hops right now, stands to have a profound and negative impact on the world’s beer supply starting now, and for decades to come.

More information at Treehugger.

Image Source: Tnarik - via Flickr CC photo

Big Brother Vs. Greens

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:29:54 +0000

An exclusive investigative report in this week’s Mother Jones provides yet another compelling reason to shred and recycle your office paper: revelations about a now-defunct private security firm that searched through Greenpeace’s trash for documents and targeted other environmental groups such as the Center for Food Safety and the Environmental Working Group.

China Wins the Gold Medal in Rain Control

Jennifer Lance — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 03:53:37 +0000

The Chinese plan to use cloud seeding to prevent rain during the Beijing Summer Olympics opening ceremonies. The chances of rain on Aug. 8 are close to 50%.

Source: LA Times

Hybrid Cars a Threat to Blind People?

Shirley Siluk Gregory — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 16:23:08 +0000

Hybrid cars and other vehicles with silent engines could pose a threat to visually impaired people who rely on traffic noises to judge when it’s safe to cross the street, according to the National Federation of the Blind. To address that concern, two U.S. House representatives have introduced a bill that would require the Secretary of Transportation to study ways to protect the blind and others from quiet cars.