Who knew the New York City subway was so green? (Well, greener than I thought it was, anyway.) According to a poster I chanced upon last night at a subway station:

• 63 percent of NYC Transit's refuse was recycled in 2007.
• 8,931 tons—about 50 percent of the refuse collected from the MTA's 468 subway stations—gets recycled
• 49,419 tons of metal, glass, plastic, and paper from train yards, bus depots, and facilities is recycled through other resource-recovery programs.
• 1,497
  
  

• Sustainable Schoolyard Exhibit at US Botanic Garden

  Last week we had the pleasure of checking out the One Planet--Ours! Sustainability for the 22nd Century installation at the United States Botanic Garden just a stones throw from the Capitol in Washington, DC. Despite the odd name (isn't sustainability for the 21st century hard enough?) the federally-funded exhibit offered a dazzling array of inspiring eco demonstration projects, including the kinds of energy technologies the current administration and government has done so little to support. One of the many cool exhibits was

  
  

• We Need a “New Operating System” for the Modern World! Yale Univ’s Dean of Environmental Studies Says

  photo: Gilbert Rodriguez In a practical sense, to make the type of changes in theory and practice which many TreeHugger readers would probably like to see happen to make the world a more ecologically sustainable place, we may have to compartmentalize a bit. Overturning the whole system may prove difficult, but at least according to Yale University’s Gus Speth that is the type of change needed. Orion Magazine currently has an interview with Speth which I think is important to read, but here are some excerpts to give you to s...

  

  
  

• Cancer Fighting Tips, Carrot Ginger Soup and a Petition for the Next President

  :: Avoid these common household products to steer clear of cancer. :: Sooth your tummy--and your taste buds--with Kelly's Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon. :: Sign a petition asking the next elected U.S. President to grow a food garden at the White House....

  

  
  

• Texas Coal Wars Opens Next Week

  Image source: Fighting Goliath Film Fighting Goliath: Texas Coal Wars, documents how a group of citizens stood up to the proposed development of 19-coal-fired power plants in central and east Texas. Mayors, ranchers, CEOs, community groups, legislators, lawyers and citizens, who might otherwise have had nothing in common, all joined together for different reasons but one purpose: to stop the states' fast-track approval of coal-plant construction. The group eventually came to include over 36 cities and local government offices across the state. Robert Redford narrates the movie and says that he got involved because he...

  

  
  

• Boston's Blackout, The Hypnos and Big Ice Breaks Free

  Boston turns off their lights in an effort to save cash and energy. Citroën plans to unveil their Hypnos, a new diesel-electric hybrid crossover concept car. An ice chunk the size of Manhattan breaks free in Canada's northern Arctic. The Green Routine offers eight easy tips for an eco-friendly garden. A new study reports that one in three public schools are are built within 400 meters of a major highway--causing a spike in respiratory illnesses. Mo...

  

  
  

• Ce n'est pas Réchauffement Global (This Is Not Global Warming)--With Apologies To Magritte

  Treehuggers no doubt remember Knut. He’s the polar bear cub who would likely have died after being rejected by his mother, save that he became a media sensation when his Berlin zookeepers decided not to let Nature take its course. While some animal activists objected, the public at large seems to have responded in unison: “How could anyone let anything this cute die?” You’ve no doubt also seen equally captivating pictures of many of Knut’s’ wild cousins—images that distill all of the scientific complexities of global warming and melting sea ice into a single powerful concept: this magnificent animal is going to drown in front of your eyes—this is global warming, and it’s y...

  

  
  

• Green School Fundraising with Carbon Offsets

  While there may be no doubt that school fundraising of all angles is a standard of the educational system in America and beyond, there’s one product that you just may never heard of being used to help raise funds for schools; carbon offsets. With a new program called Brighter Schools put out by the folks at Brighter Planet, schools receive 20% of the cash raised from any purchase of carbon offsets through the program by students, teachers, friends and allies of their school. There’s even a way for schools to track their overall impact as a team reducing their carbon footprint through the website. ...

  

  
  

• Creative Recycling: Tin Cans into Flatware

  Unusable misprinted tin cans are rolled into handles for flatware and serving pieces. Gina at Epicurious says they are "sure to dish up conversation, as well as the salad." She also notes that "the metal is left untreated, so while they can go in the dishwasher, it is advised that you hand wash and dry them immediately to prevent rusting. And while the pieces are not sharp, they are rough and are not recommended for families with small children." Hmmm, maybe not such a good idea. Available at

  
  

• Sea Levels Still Will Rise Because of Global Warming: Just Not as Much as We Thought

  In the past couple of weeks I’ve felt a bit like the bringer of climate change doom here at TreeHugger. Well, here’s something to balance all that out, at least slightly. From Yahoo News/Reuters: Worst Case: 6.6 Feet Sea Level Rise by 2100 It appears that previous predictions about sea levels rising by 20 feet or more by the end of the this century overstated the case a bit. Tad Pfeffer of the University of Colorado, along with scientists from the University of Montana the University of California at San Diego now say that a “realistic wor...

  

  
  

• “Lawnmower” Tidal Turbines Could Produce Electricity at Half the Price

  By some estimates, the UK could generate 5-15 gigawatts of electricity using tidal turbines. Photo: Franny Dynamite. About six weeks ago we reported on the world’s first commercial-scale tidal turbine, SeaGen, beginning the first stage of its operations. SeaGen, like most other tidal turbines works a bit like a wind turbine tuned on its side, spinning as water moves past the blades and generating electricity. However, a new tidal turbine design unveiled yesterday by engine...

  

  
  

• Biking Across America with WE ADD UP - Day 31: Bon Appetit!

  This post is one in a series of video blogs about biking across America with WE ADD UP to raise awareness about how to stop global warming. Check out more posts in this series here. A month and 11 states ago today, the bike trip began. With coupon in hand, Eric and Carson found a buy-one-get-one-free Indian dinner in the Boise newspaper and d...

  

  
  

• Zoica Matei Creates Trans-Seasonal Fashion

  Image source: Zoica Matei We've talked about this idea before, but Zoica Matei is making slow-fashion and trans-seasonal fashion her banner. The clothing is designed with healthy, organic materials, but there is also an emphasis on keeping clothing longer and not changing out wardrobes with the changing of the seasons. She creates timeless pieces that are more than just t-shirts with sayings, but rather clothing and outfits that can be worn every day. Items are designed to be worn to work or running errands or going out to dinner, thus giving them more functionality and a longer lifespan. Originally from Romania, Matei began designi...

  

  
  

• Ivory Gull Wins Most Polluted Bird on the Planet Award

  Image source: Bird Holidays If the ivory gull could, it would tell that polar bear, 'I wouldn't eat that if I were you' - eating carcasses of other animals is what got the ivory gull in this predicament in the first place. The ivory gull, which lives in the Arctic, was recently found to have the highest concentrations of PCBs and DDT when its eggs were tested. The more interesting point is that both of these chemicals are banned in many countries, though DDT is still used to control disease vectors in some countries. How did this bird get top prize? Well, the prevailing winds sweep...

  

  
  

• “Drill Baby Drill” Screams Punctuate McCain’s Energy Policy in Acceptance Speech

  Last week when I posted on Barack Obama’s acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, I promised John McCain would get the same treatment. As much of his speech focused on his past record of service and pointing out differences between his campaign and Obama’s, his relevant passages (other than passing remarks) in regards to the environment were pretty much given in one go. So, here ther...

  

  
  

• Horse and Buggy + Wind Turbine = Indiana Amish Begin Embracing Renewable Energy

  photo: Cindy Seigle The intersection of spirituality and environmental awareness seems to be getting more crowded. Over the summer there were a couple stories of Hindu temples, both in India and the United States, installing various forms of renewable energy. Pope Benedict XVI professed a slightly greener version of the faith at a speech in Australia (BBC News). Apparently, the Dalai Lama is down with solar (

  
  

• A Reader Responds to Project Better Place Getting Wired

  I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again –– Israel’s electric car scheme Project Better Place –– needs some serious rethinking. Shai Agassi, who founded the company (pictured above), proposes new infrastructure for the swappable batteries, leased and paid for much in the same way as the cellular phone industry: you pay for use and not the device. Israel and Denmark are buying. In August Wired magazine featured Agassi on the cover (you can it read here). The story extols the virtues of the new paradigm in electric cars that Agassi is offering. I’ve blogged m...

  

  
  

• San Francisco Set To Vote on Greener Public Power

  Public Power Makes It's Way Onto the City's Ballot The boxing gloves are out in San Francisco in a fight pitting Mayor Gavin Newsom and Pacific Gas and Electric against a broad base of citizens, supervisors and politicians. At the center of the fight is Proposition H, a proposal that would put the city's power grid back in the hands of San Franciscans. The proposition will enable a feasibility study of publicly owned power and will also set green mandates for the new grid system. With the switch, public power proponents plan to derive the city's electricity from 50 percent renewables by 2017 and one hundred perce...

  

  
  

• Microbes in Dirt Provide Electricity for African Villagers

  A makeshift microbial fuel cell: a bucket, waste water and a graphite sheet. Photo: Lebônê Providing electricity to people in countries where either the grid is not reliable, or nonexistent and unlikely ever to be built, can make a huge difference in people’s quality of life in very practical ways. We’ve written before about companies such as D.Light Design which have solar-powered replacements for kerosene lanterns , and efforts to bring small-scale solar panels to off-grid villages...

  

  
  

• Greenbird's Bid for Fastest Wind-Powered Vehicle Rained Off

  Wind-powered Record Attempt Cancelled The frustrating thing about trying to work with, rather than against, Mother Nature is that, well, sometimes Mother Nature just doesn’t want to play along. No sooner had April posted on Greenbird, the record attempt sponsored by TreeHugger favorites Ecotricity to become the fastest land-yacht in the world, that we hear the disappointing news that the attempt has been cancelled. Apparently it just wouldn’t stop raining:...

  

  
  

• Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival Announces 2008 Dates

  Image from Blue Gold Courtesy of Planet in Focus Film Festival We attended last year so we are excited to see that the announcement of the ninth edition of the Planet in Focus International Environmental Film & Video Festival. It will run October 22 through October 26 in Toronto with over 80 (of over 450 entries) of the world's premiere films and videos on a wide range of environmental themes and subjects by Canadian and international filmmakers. This year’s Spotlight Program - Food: Th...

  

  
  

• Jargon Watch: Scorpacciata

  scorpacciata [score-POTCH-chee-yatta] n. eating a particular ingredient in copious amounts in peak local season. Can it be turned into an adjective, like "If this tomato season doesn't end soon I'm gonna be scorpacciatic." ::Apartment Therapy...

  

  
  

• Mexican Food Company Switching to Biodegradable Packaging

  Grupo Bimbo, Mexico's largest producer of baked goods, announced this week it will be replacing its plastic packaging with a new biodegradable plastic in all main supermarkets and retail outlets in Mexico City. The new plastic packaging is oxo-biodegradable and contains an additive made by the British company Symphony Technologies. Oxo-biodegradation is a two-stage process where the breakdown and release of carbon dioxide, water and biomass is accelerated. Inst...

  

  
  

• Ponoko ID: If You Can Think Of It, They Can Design and Make It

  We show a lot of what we call "downloadable designs" on TreeHugger; as we said on our Absolut World website, "With digital designs we decide what we want from the best in the world, not what Mr. Store Manager picks out." That is why we completely fell in love with Ponoko, an "online space for a community of creators and consumers to use a global network of digital manufacturing hardware to co-create, make and trade individualized product ideas on demand." They have put together a catalogue of designs that are available now, but have added a new feature t...

  

  
  

• FrogLight LED Bulb Goes in Standard Socket

  Of course, one of the benefits of LEDs is that they last so long that they can be built right into the fixtures or even the fabric of the building. But people own lamps already, and Frog Design "realized the easiest way to create acceptance was to deliver the technology in an already widely accepted form. The form of a standard light bulb was then the obvious choice. It would not ask consumers to change their form of power, their light socket or replace the lampshade attached to the bulb." So they built the LEDs into the traditional incandescent lightbulb form. "To create the biggest impact on society, this design had to keep the barriers to acceptance a...

  

  
  

• Sydney Becomes Australia's First Carbon-Neutral Government Body

  Photograph by Warren McLaren Last month the City of Sydney declared that it had become Australia’s first carbon neutral government. It is important to note that whilst the total area of this southern metropolis is said to be equal to the size of London and nearly twice that of New York, at 4,000 square kilometres, the claim to carbon neutrality really only applies to the local government area called "Sydney." That spans the central business district and surrounding suburbs, and is about 26 square kilometres. But still, it's not a bad claim to fame. The city council looked at their emissions as a result of fuel for their fleet of cars and trucks and running City...

  

  
  

• Smack in the Middle of My Backyard: Golf Courses on Google Earth

  One reason I moved to my current town was the proximity to green hills and mountains, and the promise of hiking adventures (and fresh air). Only about one hour from central Tokyo, I live in a town with some 80,000 people, and I like it a lot. However, when I downloaded Google Earth, I was in for a surprise. It is one thing to see the road signs and an occasional golfer walk by (most take the special membership-only golf-course buses from the train station). Suddenly, on Google Earth, there was my house (yellow X marks the spot) surrounded by golf courses (red circles)! The NIMBY phenomenon could not have...

  

  
  

• Bike-Sharing Goes Global: 5 Programs You Should Know About

  What is Bike-Sharing? If you at all familiar with the Zip Car model of car-sharing, then you should already undersand how bike-sharing works. Essentially, in a bike-share program bicycles are made available at special kiosks or racks that are strategically placed around a city. Users can access the bikes 24 hours a day, either by inserting a credit card or by paying an annual fee for a membership card. The bikes can then be returned at any of the stations in the city. While the details of the program vary by city, the basic concept has caught on and...

  

  
  

• Eco-Club Wars: Dancers (Literally) Light Up Rotterdam's WATT, London's Club4Climate

  Though Amy Winehouse, the pop singer I erroneously reported would open Holland's "sustainable" WATT dance clublast week was nowhere near Rotterdam (Iggy Pop & The Stooges were the opening act), there were revelers enough to light up the dance floors and gaze upon the gray water toilet flushing system in ...

  

  
  

• Guerrilla Gardening Sunflowers Rise Up

  On May 1, International Sunflower Guerrilla Day, eco-warriors around Europe planted sunflowers in celebration of the first day of summer and nature's fertility. Guerrilla gardening is a slightly subversive way of making ugly, neglected bits of public space beautiful by planting seeds and plants in the dark of night and waiting for them to grow. Here is the result of the midnight efforts of one brave group of gardeners. London's guerrilla gardeners planted sunflowers across the Thames River from the Houses of Parliament. They found an aban...

  

  
  

• Phoenix Becomes Nation's Solar City

  Image source: National Renewable Energy Laboratory The Greening Greater Phoenix Initiative, launched today, is encouraging more green businesses such as solar and clean technology, green building, renewable energy and other green industry organizations. The program is a joint initiative by Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) and SolarCity to encourage green businesses to locate in Phoenix and make Maricopa County the greenest in the US. The City of Phoenix, City of Scottsdale and the City of Surprise (who's on first? no really, their name is Surprise) are all joining in the initiative by adopting renewable energy and green building standards city-wide. As p...

  

  
  

• An Eco-Memo, Strawberries Romanoff and How to Reduce a Lap Dog's Carbon Paw-print

  :: Go guerilla on colleagues who don't recycle. :: Savor the end of summer's berry bounty in Emeril's Strawberries Romanoff. :: Even a tiny toy poodle can have a big carbon paw-print. Learn how to reduce it!...

  

  
  

• McMansion Treehouse: Gigantic Two-story Kids Playhouse Spells the Death of the Small Footprint

  That icon of American childhood, the treehouse, has succumbed to the McMansion phenomenon. The place of refuge that you may remember as little more than a haphazardly mounted platfor...

  

  
  

• Sexy Tramps Greet Duck Stamp Callers

  Duck Stamp in Sex Scandal Paul Walsh of the Minneapolis Star Tribune appears to have broken a story that will lead to a lot of chuckles and some exasperation. Hunters who have purchased the self-adhesive $15 Federal Duck Stamp and use the number printed on the card to order more stamps are greeted by a sexy voice advising them that they can "talk only to the girls who turn you on" for $1.99 per minute. The root of the error: the Federal Duck Stamp program phone number 1-800-STAMP24 was turned into the toll-free number for a sex-line, 1-800-TRAMP24, when the prefix 782 was mis-printed as 872....