Image: Anonymous for Animal Rights From secret footage of cruelty in a commercial hatchery to shocking pictures of supposedly organic egg production , we know that pictures can play an important role in exposing the abuse inherent in the factory farming industry. Now one group of activists have taken this principle to the next level—embedding a hidden webcam in an Israeli … Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Westwyck development from Sanctuary magazine. Photo: Emma Cross Inside the 13th issue of Sanctuary Magazine you’ll find design notes on passive cooling, which is harder to achieve than passive heating. And a companion article argues that whilst fixed eaves work well at the height of winter or summer, the transitional months of spring and autumn (fall) require more resident participation, “passive houses need active inhabitants.” Such a building, with operable shading would offer energy rewards, whilst being simple and fun, “just like sailing!” Yet another article discusses the life cycle assessment (LCA) of building materials… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …New Governors Kill $1.2 Billion High Speed Rail Lines in Ohio, Wisconsin
November 8, 2010 No Comment
Photo: John Leech Two candidates for governor made opposing high speed rail projects in their states a central part of their campaign — Scott Walker in Wisconsin and John Kasich in Ohio both claimed that high speed rail was too expensive, and a waste of taxpayer money. Between the two states, $1.2 billion of federal stimulus money had already been allotted to create jobs and jump start high speed rail infrastructure. Both candidate… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Image credit: Peak Moment TV From a cell phone app empowering bike repair on the go , to community-based bike co-ops , we’ve seen plenty of initiatives aimed at enabling folks to fix their own bikes and take charge of their transportation in the process. Now, thanks to the good people at Peak Moment TV, I’ve come across another—and these guys even offer free bike maintenance to farmers!… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Image credit: Collapsus When I interviewed my friend Tim Toben , he argued that one of the most important things we can do is to “tell the story about the transformation from a world powered by fossil fuels to a world powered by renewable energy — in poetry, music, art, dance. Make it real for people who can’t imagine their way out of the hole we find ourselves in.” I’ve just come across a fascinating multimedia (or transmedia, apparently) project that aims to do just that. The only trouble is, … Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Photo: Flickr , CC Studying Bird Flight Patterns Can Lead to Better Conservation Efforts It’s pretty obvious that a lot of human activities affect birds directly (millions of birds are killed by cars, cats, buildings, pesticides, etc), but just the presence of human structures on the ground can apparently affect bird flight patterns and populations. Indeed, birds might seem completely free to fly wherever they want, but they are actually greatly influenced by what’s on the ground below where they fly. If we can better understand… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Honda’s Next Hybrid Drivetrain May Have Lithium-Ion Batteries, Ditch IMA
November 8, 2010 No Comment
Photo: Flickr , CC The key word in the title above is “may”. It’s not a done deal yet, but to me it makes so much sense that I’d be surprised if Honda didn’t go that route, especially after its CEO showed enthusiasm for electric cars . This info comes from Honda’s head of R&D…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
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