Image credit: Paul Wheaton
They might not be for everyone, but tiny houses have a lot going for them. They use less materials, consume less energy and, crucially, they encourage inhabitants to live with less. From life inside a tiny 7'x12' portable house to an off-grid DIY cordwood home built for $2500, we've already learned many of the tricks of life in a smaller home. Here we...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Image credit: bdearth, used under Creative Commons license.
When I wrote about goat as a less destructive alternative to beef, the responses ranged from supportive to outright disgusted. So I'm sure this latest suggestion will land me in equally hot water, especially with the rather scary looking vegan zombie. But with meat con...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Image credit: Watershed Management Group
As I argued in my post on why masturbation is an economic act, human beings have countless non-monetary ways to facilitate trade and build true wealth for themselves and their communities. From Portland's tool libraries to crop mob-style volunteer farm labor, the...Read the full story on TreeHugger
photo: Saad Akhtar/CC BY
China became the largest national carbon emitter in 2007, overtaking the US. Last summer China also became the world's largest consumer of energy. Currently its per capita carbon footprint (6.8 tons) is roughly similar to that of Italy and greater than those of France--meaning that on an average basis, acknowledging significant differences ba...Read the full story on TreeHugger
photo: Tar Sands Action/CC BY
A new report by the Cornell University Global Labor Institute echoes what opponents of the Keystone XL pipeline have been saying on jobs and energy security: The Read the full story on TreeHugger
Image credit: The Vegan Zombie
Whether you dig Emeril's almond milk and dairy yoghurt milk shakes, or you prefer the Vegan Zombie's purist vegan fettuccine alfredo, almond milk has a lot going for it. But what if you can't find it in the stores? It turns out it's pretty easy to make your own. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Image credit: The Vegan Zombie
From cooking vegan French toast surrounded by undead monsters, to fettuccine Alfredo in a vegan hide-out, the Vegan Zombie has already produced some awesome examples of animal-free extreme cookery. Now the show hits the road, as The Vegan Zombie hits New York in the midst of a zombie apocalypse.
And he even proves that good vegan dessert is not an oxymoron. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Photo: Anonymous
It's well-known that dams have a huge environmental impact: they are destructive, expensive, displace millions and threaten pristine wildlife habitats and populations worldwide. Not...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Image credit: BBC
Update: There has been intense speculation as to whether the BBC were hoaxed into believing Rastani was a trader. It looks like speculation of a Yes Men style hoax is overblown, but an interview with the UK's Telegraph raises some important questions regarding Rastani's status as a professional trader.
When I argued that ...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Image credit: The Perennial Plate
The extreme weather of this summer was both dramatic and devastating here in the US. But the news cycle being what it is, our attention has moved on to other issues and other stories. Meanwhile, residents, businesses and especially farmers are left still trying to pick up the pieces. And it is a problem that is only likely to get worse as our climate gets more unstable.
Luckily, some farmers have CSAs and community backing to fall back on. Others are not so lucky. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Image credit: Paul Wheaton
As my plan to transition my garden into extreme Lazivore mode for a couple of years takes shape, I am sure others are planning on ramping up production next year. And as part of those plans, many will be dealing with that most irksome of pest—the slug. Unless you are squeamish, you can always look at training chickens to eat slugs. But there are ...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Image credit: Ecofilms Australia
When I wrote about one farmer's approach to encouraging a selective community of :"weeds", it seemed to touch a nerve with many readers. Rather than pursue weed eradication at all costs, it seemed so much more sensible to understand the role that weeds play in our farm/garden ecosystems, and to adapt our weed control methodologies accordingly.
For one Australian farmer, it's as simple as mowing the lawn. But that's just one part of a renegad...Read the full story on TreeHugger
With research showing the installed cost of solar dropping 11% in just 6 months, it's little wonder that corporations like Wal-Mart are ramping up their plans to go solar aggressively. Walgreens made headline back in 2006 for its commitment to solar, but that commitment to solar has only continued. Now the company has just Read the full story on TreeHugger
Image credit: Peugeot
When I posted the Fully Charged review of Volvo's AWD plug-in hybrid diesel, there was much excitement at such an efficient, versatile car. And much consternation that it would not be available in America. News that Peugeot is getting ready to launch the AWD diesel hybrid crossover, and will be offering a plug-in version in the near future, will once again raise the profile of diesel hybrids as a potentially efficient, if expensive, form of car.
At l...Read the full story on TreeHugger
All photos from AskNature (be sure to check out the site if you have a minute), unless otherwise noted.
Interview with Janine Benyus, President of the Biomimicry Institute
Biomimicry has already influenced our lives in more ways than you'd likely begin to imagine: Anti-virus software? Airport scanners? That's biomimicry. If you're a regular Treehugger reader, you already know that. And you probably already know that biomimicry is currently helping to drive some of the most intriguing trends in sustainable design. Th...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Image credit: Peak Moment TV
I'm an optimist. And with all the positive attributes of plenitude economics and local investing, I don't often feel the need to focus on potential calamity as a reason to create alternatives. Nevertheless, no political model or civilization lasts forever, so contemplating what happens next is only smart. In fact, says one...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Image credit: Wal-Mart
While Fox bashes solar on one hand, and embraces it on the other, other corporations are more unequivocal in their embrace of this rapidly-growing technology. When I wrote about IKEA's ambitious solar energy plans, for example, some commenters called on Wal-Mart to step up to the plate. But, when it comes to solar, Wal-Mart was already doing more than most. And an announcement...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Photo credit: joiseyshowaa via Flickr/CC BY-SA
Cities are the future. More than 50% of the globe's population now lives in urban areas. By 2050, 70% will. In China, the most populous nation in the world, 120 cities have over 1 million residents. Some have over 20 million. This trend grants us some fantastic opportunities in improving worldwide sustainability, mostly because the population density of cities makes them more inherently efficient. Which is why Janette Sadik-Khan, the Commissioner of New York City's Department of Transportation, pr...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Photo credit: Paul Morse, Clinton Global Initiative/Flickr
"It is technically difficult to figure out how we're going to deal with climate change," President Barack Obama said in a keynote address at this year's Clinton Global Initiative. "Not impossible, but difficult."
Obama used most of his 15-minute talk to tout his new jobs plan, telling the international audience that "When America's growing the world is more likely to grow." But he took some time to hit on topics like scienti...Read the full story on TreeHugger
Image credit: The 4th Amazing Pittsboro Pepper Festival
When I wrote about the annual Pittsboro Pepper Festival last year, I likened it to a revival of the harvest festivals that have been a part of almost every agrarian culture in history. But really, the idea spreads even wider than food and farming—if we want to create lasting, cultural change we need to throw more parties.
Really good ones. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger
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