Image via YouTube video Hand-crank chargers are kind of a pain in the neck — or elbow — but they can be handy for charging gadgets when you’re off-grid. There are a handful on the market, but why not just hack your own? If you have a hand-crank emergency flashlight, you’re good to go. Ben Heck offers a cool way to modify it into a cell phone charger as a quick afternoon project. … Read the full story on TreeHugger
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When birds, like the dodo, go extinct, it may be a sign of a much more widespread problem. Image credit: Wikimedia Commons “Every 20 minutes,” the saying goes , “we lose an animal species.” In reality, however, it is difficult to collect the data that details this trend—and motivates policy makers to take action. Now, researchers believe they have found a way to estimate ecosystem-wide rates of loss based on one easily observed group of animals: birds…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …Passat BlueMotion Sets Guiness World Record by Going 1,526 Miles on a Single Fuel Tank
October 5, 2010 No Comment
Photo: VW All Production Models Should Have These Fuel-Saving Tricks A Volkswagen Passat BlueMotion has recently set a new Guinness World Record for the “longest distance travelled by a standard production passenger car on a single tank of fuel”. The trip begun in Maidstone in Kent. The VW headed to the South of France and then turned back, running out of fuel close to Calais after completing a distance of 1,526.63 miles without ever refueling. That’s an average of 74.8 miles per gallon (US)!… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …Protesting Coal, Roof Painting Parties & Weatherization ‘Barnraisings’ – More Great 10/10/10 Action
October 5, 2010 No Comment
If the White House announcing that it will be installing solar panels after all–let’s not begrudge that they didn’t take 350.org and Sungevity up on their offer of free new ones–hasn’t inspired you to get to work this Sunday as part of the 10/10/10 … Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …‘Top Public Companies Responsible For A Third Of All Environmental Damage’ In The World
October 5, 2010 No Comment
Annual environmental costs in 2008 attributable to top 3,000 publicly traded companies. Image credit:Trucost PLC, via Environmental Leader. The UN recently hired a consultant named ” Trucost ” to quantify adverse environmental impacts of cultural practices, world-wide. The report looked closely that portion of the estimated impacts associated with large publicly traded firms (as pictured). The headline coverage you’ll see on this… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …‘Top Public Companies Responsible For A Third Of All Environmental Damage’ In The World
October 5, 2010 No Comment
Annual environmental costs in 2008 attributable to top 3,000 publicly traded companies. Image credit:Trucost PLC, via Environmental Leader. The UN recently hired a consultant named ” Trucost ” to quantify adverse environmental impacts of cultural practices, world-wide. The report looked closely that portion of the estimated impacts associated with large publicly traded firms (as pictured). The headline coverage you’ll see on this… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Photo via celesteh The oak tree is an iconic part of the California landscape, but an insidious pathogen threatens to wipe out as much as 90% of the state’s live oaks and black oaks within 25 years. It’s called ” sudden oak death ” and has been moving along the coast since 1995. Over 100 different plants can play host, but it’s most devastating to the oaks. Yet, a new program that leans on the efforts of citizen scientists is helping researcher track the spread of the pathogen, and hopefu… Read the full story on TreeHugger
Continue reading …Valencia Design Week 2010: The Three Little Pigs, a Cardboard Fable (Photos)
October 5, 2010 No Comment
Three Little Pigs by Sanserif Design Studio. Image Credit: Sanserif Here’s a fun installation by Spanish design studio Sanserif Creatius , called The Three Little Pigs . It is a fable about the value of the materials with which we design. Exposed in the middle of Habitat Valencia , as part of Valencia Design Week , the beautiful pieces of furniture represent classical objects from the 18th century til now, revamped in cardboard, a fully renewable and biodegradabl… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Photo: Dominic Alves / Creative Commons . Greenpeace is on a roll in Argentina. After celebrating the agreement to make powerful companies take back toxic waste , they are now cheering after the approval of a new law to protect glaciers from mining operations. Not without exceptional pressure from mining lobbies and after a heate… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Photo by Infrogmation Ever been peeved that a pothole has gone unfixed for ages, posing a danger to the health of your car, or your safety as a cyclist? You’re most certainly not alone. A new app called Fill That Hole is giving an outlet to people who want their local authorities to get on target and fix roads before they get worse, or hurt someone…. Read the full story on TreeHugger
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