Photo by Rennett Stowe via Flickr Creative Commons As the smart grid rolls forward, we’re seeing an upswing in wariness from consumers, utilities and other organizations who have serious questions about the security of our grid. Indeed, security has been an ominous issue that no one wants to ignore as the smart grid develops, yet few can really address the scale, let alone the solutions. Adrian Turner of Mocana , a device security solutions company, met with me to talk about some of the risks associated with having every… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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When I first saw the images of C. F. Møller ‘s award winning “socially conscious” Danish prison design in Inhabitat, I wondered what was so different; it had a bunch of star-shaped panopticon-like buildings surrounded by a honking huge 20 foot wall that is the most intimidating thing I have seen this side of the West Bank. In fact there are other green prison approaches, and you don’t have to go to Scandinavia; In Brampton, Ontario, Klei… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …Just the Greed… Alabama Surfers Tell More Stories From The Gulf Oil Spill (Video)
January 10, 2011 No Comment
It’s a new year, nearly nine months on since the start of the Gulf oil spill, and NRDC has released a new video in their Stories From The Gulf series. Produced in collaboration with
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Photos via Jaymi Heimbuch Appliances and gadgets have become an increasingly significant portion of our electricity bills. As pointed out during a panel on energy efficiency at CES, the portion has gone up from 8% in the 1990s to 41% for homes, and from 2% to 26% for businesses. That’s a substantial jump, and it means that energy efficiency is a more important topic than ever. Noah Horowitz, Senior Scientist, Natural Resources Defense Council, David Katzmaier, Senior Editor, CNET, and Brian Markwalter, Vice President, Research & Standards, Consumer Electronics Association … Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Image credit: Frank Hebbert , used under Creative Commons license. Whether it is cnet uk arguing that electric cars still suck , or Top Gear’s allegedly deceptive review of the Tesla Roadster , range is often one of the biggest flaws that critics of electric cars like to harp on about. Yet, from a sustainability perspective at least, electric cars’ range may actually be their… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Image credit Darya Pino. Click to enlarge Darya Pino of Summer Tomato prepared this terrific flow chart to he… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Photo: allvoice If you are a Romanian politician, don’t mess with the witches. Witches in that country are reacting strongly and with great venom to the introduction of taxes on their business. In response, a dozen of them cast spells against the government. They threw poison mandrake plant into the Danube River “so evil will befall them.” They also tossed in the usual evil eye remedies such as cat excrement,a dog’s body and a herbal mix. No word yet of the targeted Minister’s demise…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …What To Do With Discarded Christmas Trees? A Habitat For Fish And For People
January 10, 2011 No Comment
Photo: US Forest Service While many cities have programs that turn leftover Christmas Trees into mulch and wood chips, (in NYC they call it Mulchfest , and you can go home with a bag of mulch). But in recent years, other uses such as structural aquatic habitat for fish have become more popular in many lake areas across the United States…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
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After all the presents have been unwrapped, and those Yuletide carols have all been sung, millions of folks around the world suddenly find themselves with a withering young pine tree in their living-room whose time has come. Sadly, most of these old Christmas trees, so beloved and cherished just a few weeks earlier, end up unceremoniously cast to the curb to be made into mulch. But for some of the most famous Christmas trees, like the ones adorned each year in New York City’s Rockefeller Center, the passing year brings with it a new life — providing something a bit more lasting than holiday cheer…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Photo: diveofficer / CC Many adjectives come to mind when thinking about ants, but ‘idle’ likely isn’t among them. But recently biologists discovered that after a lifetime of service in their namesake occupation, older leaf-cutter ants eventually decided to hang their hats, enjoying a retirement of sorts in their golden years. While the study may not appear to have overt real-word implications, researchers insist it may help us better understand our own notions of productivity, especially later in life. “This study… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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