MetaFilter posts tagged with sustainable

Treehouses for grownups

madamjujujive — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:56:00 -0800

Whole Tree Architecture - if you'd like a house built by pioneering architect Roald Gundersen, your first step might be to hike in your nearby woods to choose some young, wind-bent, and diseased "Charlie Brown" trees. Small diameter round trees have 150% the strength of milled lumber and twice the strength of steel in tension. Besides structural and environmental advantages, whole trees make for some beautiful and naturally sculptured environments. From the NY Times article: "And when the trees are left whole, they sequester carbon. “For every ton of wood, a ton and a half of carbon dioxide is locked up,” he said, whereas producing a ton of steel releases two to five tons of carbon. So the more whole wood is used in place of steel, the less carbon is pumped into the air. These passive solar structures also need very little or no supplemental heat. Tom Spaulding, the executive director of Angelic Organics Learning Center, near Rockford, Ill., northwest of Chicago, knows about this because he commissioned Mr. Gundersen to build a 1,600-square-foot training center in 2003. He said: “In the middle of winter, on a 20-below day, we’re in shorts, with the windows and doors open. And we don’t burn a bit of petroleum."

A PATH TO SUSTAINABLE ENERGY BY 2030

kliuless — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:41:37 -0800

Wind, water and solar technologies can provide 100 percent of the world's energy, eliminating all fossil fuels. HERE'S HOW (via) BONUS -Earthships - "what the world needs now is 1 billion of these immediately" (previously) -A safe operating space for humanity -Reasons to be optimistic? -Everything is OK

Why Your World Is About to Get a Whole Lot Smaller

kliuless — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 11:33:11 -0800

Post-(cheap)oil: will the end of globalisation be the beginning of re-localisation? BONUS -The Grand Energy Transition -Energy Needs, Energy Efficiency and the Cost of Saving Us -The Homely Costs of Energy Conservation -Life after Peak Oil -Peak Water -Desalination Technology Increases Naval Capabilities -Better cheap than good: renewable power for developing world

Messy, Painful, Bloody and Dirty

chrchr — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 23:32:07 -0800

Critics of modern farming practice have swayed popular opinion in recent years. Now farmers are talking back. Farmer Blake Harris takes critics of farming to task for misrepresenting his trade. Another farmer says it's not so simple.

An Inconvenient Hoof

Toekneesan — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 11:29:45 -0800

Opening this Friday in L.A, New York, and San Francisco, Food, Inc. is a documentary about the modern food industry that features Michael Pollan, Eric Schlosser, Joe Salatin of Polyface Farm, and Gary Hirshberg of Stonyfield Yogurt. Here's the trailer. And here's a New York Times article about the film. Also available, a participant's guide book. Currently scheduled for wider release on June 19th.

Zero carbon emission living: ingenuity and woolly hats

rongorongo — Mon, 11 May 2009 07:44:40 -0800

The Reas' previous house was destroyed in a winter storm - such are the perils of living on Unst - most northerly of the Shetland isles. On re-building the pensioner couple have constructed what they claim is the world's first occupied zero carbon emission house - using off the shelf materials. Here is a video interview with them and a few more details about the house. More on the somewhat confusing definitions of zero-energy buildings. (Unst - population about 700 - also boasts its own unique bus shelter).

Spoiled: Organic and Local Is So 2008

patricio — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 15:03:27 -0800

Spoiled: Organic and Local Is So 2008 - Mother Jones asks what sustainable agriculture should really look like. Is it about food miles or should we all just eat less meat?

Sustainable Development or Green Menace?

JVA — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 08:16:50 -0800

Apparently some members of the far-right have figured it out! Environmentalists are communists! Being green is tantamount to an attack on "Western culture, and the Judeo-Christian and Islamic religions". Think this is just an American phenomenon? Think again...

Ideas for Environmentally Sustainable Living

netbros — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 22:20:51 -0800

Eartheasy is about sustainable living. It offers information, activities and ideas which help us live more simply, efficiently and with less impact on the environment. Enhance your backyard, create a fun project for the family and contribute to local wildlife conservation - develop your own Backyard Wildlife Habitat. Young children especially can learn the basics of nature appreciation through their own window into the natural world. "This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change." -- Barack Obama, Nov. 4, 2008. Here are six ways we can start building a sustainable future for ourselves and the world. Compost is the single most important supplement you can give your garden soil. Composting is a simple way to add nutrient-rich humus which fuels plant growth and restores vitality to depleted soil. One-pot cooking used to be the exclusive domain of bachelors, campers and college students just moved away from home. Here are a few variations on the "one-pot" theme, which broaden the possibilities for creative cuisine, while maintaining the simplicity and energy savings of one-pot cooking. The cost of clothing goes way beyond the price tag. The environment is impacted by the growing of fibers for textiles, the manufacture and distribution of clothing, and even the care and maintenance of garments. Here are some tips to help reduce the environmental costs of clothing. The World War II home front was the most important and broadly participatory green experiment in U.S. history. Is it a model we should use today? You can also visit the Eartheasy Shop to find products suitable for energy efficiency, water conservation, composting, gardening, food security, natural lawn care and pest control, and lighting.

The Economist: The World in 2009

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 27 Nov 2008 19:00:30 -0800

In 2009, a remarkably gifted politician, confronting a remarkably difficult set of challenges, will have to learn to say "No we can't", Guantánamo will prove a moral minefield, economic recovery will be invisible to the naked eye, governments must prepare for the day they stop financial guarantees, we will judge our commitment to sustainability, scientists should research the causes of religion, we will all be potential online paparazzi, English will have more words than any other language (but it's meaningless), Afghanistan will see a surge of Western (read: American) troops, Iran will continue its nuclear quest while diplomacy lies in shambles, the sea floor is the new frontier, we should rethink aging, (non-)voters will continue to thwart the European project -- but cheap travel will continue to buoy it -- though it has some unfinished business to attend to, and a Nordic defence bond will blossom.

The Economist: The World in 2009. Previously: 2008, 2007. How did we do last time around? And what will we probably be wrong about this time? Guest contributions: President of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva seeks greater international cooperation and sees a growing global role for the larger emerging economies. Queen of Jordan Rania calls for education reform. Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd calls upon mid-size powers to be creative and effective with their influence. Prime Minister of Spain José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero emphasizes the importance of transparency and solidarity in Europe. Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Tymoshenko, wedged between Russia and the EU, cites historical precedent. Former Secretary of State of the United States, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Henry Kissinger argues America will be less powerful, but will still be the essential nation in creating a new world order. Mayor Boris Johnson of London argues against over-regulation. Elections to watch: Brazil, Chile, European Parliament, Germany, Indonesia, Israel, Japan. Also: Russia will enter its first real difficult years under Putin, Brown might not make it, we won't ban nukes but we can pretend, Ontario will receive economic help from other provinces, Australians will grow ever more thirsty, and Britain needs to make stuff again. World in 2009 blog.

Slow Food Nation '08

stbalbach — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 10:13:59 -0800

Slow Food Nation '08 was a four-day conference with a panel of food luminaries (Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, Eric Schlosser, ..) to discuss the future of food in America. Sessions included The World Food Crisis (1:13), Climate Change and Food (1:20), Building a new food system (1:22), and more (streaming video, MP3 download, transcripts).

Big Bad Wolves Need Not Apply

5MeoCMP — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 19:07:01 -0800

The first little pig built his house out of straw [previously]. The second little pig built his house out of sticks. The third little pig built his house out of bricks; but the relatively unknown fourth little pig built several structures of all sizes out of mud (and straw), and he wasn't a hippy. Cob building is relatively simple, inexpensive, sturdy and beautiful. It allows you to create free-form structures, it doesn't require a lot of knowledge and, best of all, everyone (including the kids) can get involved. The canonical resource for cob building is probably The Cob Builders Handbook, available directly from the author, or via Amazon if you're so inclined.

You can bury a lot of troubles digging in the dirt.

batmonkey — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 07:32:53 -0800

Blooming is booming. Whether you prefer DIY or professionals, knowing what to plant and when can be daunting...unless you've got some really excellent websites on your side. And you do! Plantwire will help you find plants through conventional search, tags, or even by colour. Fine Gardening Magazine's site has much to offer: how-to section with videos, design ideas, and a fabulous plant guide. Garden Simply can help you achieve sustainable, organic gardening. Garden and Flower has several convenient guides on how to achieve gardening nirvana - including butterfly garden essentials! Plantwire is in beta and looking for input; plant pics are Creative Commons licensed from Flickr. The Fine Gardening Plant Guide is siftable by 12 categories which support multi-option selection - e.g., you can list all plants for Zone 8 then narrow down by drought-tolerant annuals and grasses, if you like.

Get your damn fruits and vegetables off my lawn.

Toekneesan — Sat, 01 Mar 2008 15:21:22 -0800

I’ve discovered that typically, a farmer who grows the forbidden fruits and vegetables on corn acreage not only has to give up his subsidy for the year on that acreage, he is also penalized the market value of the illicit crop, and runs the risk that those acres will be permanently ineligible for any subsidies in the future. (The penalties apply only to fruits and vegetables — if the farmer decides to grow another commodity crop, or even nothing at all, there’s no problem.) If you can't stop demand, curtail production. One farmer's view on the power of commodity crops. See also: Joel Salatin & Polyface Farm. Everything I want to do is Illeagal (Amazon) Michael Pollan's The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals (Amazon ) Barbra Kingslover's Animal, Vegetable, Mineral: A Year in Food (Amazon)

green design

nickyskye — Tue, 20 Nov 2007 08:52:21 -0800

Ecoble, an environment design and living site includes some interesting stories and info: Man (Re)Builds Mexican Island Paradise on 250,000 Recycled Floating Bottles l Who Has the Oil? Geography of the World’s Most Contentious Resource l BituBlock - The Sustainable Building Block Built from Trash and Sewage SpiralIslanders, Richie Sowa's blog and social network l Wiki: Spiral Island l

Eat to live to eat.

dersins — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 10:02:43 -0800

"Find Good Food Near You. Want fresh, locally grown food, but don't know where to find it? The LocalHarvest community level map makes it easy to find sustainable farmers, farmers markets and Community Supported Agriculture projects (CSAs) in your area."

Sustainable lifestyle?

Kirth Gerson — Wed, 26 Sep 2007 11:34:22 -0800

How many planets do you need? NPR has a game to assess your impact on the Earth.

From Red to Green

infini — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 02:24:38 -0800

"The model of economic development that we are currently pursuing is unsustainable. Our energy consumption per unit of GDP is seven times that of Japan, six times that of America, and even 2.8 times that of India. China’s labour productivity is less than 10 per cent of the world total, and yet our emissions are over 10 times higher than the global average." ~ Pan Yue - deputy director of China's State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA). Part of a new generation of outspoken Chinese senior officials, Pan has given rise to a tide of environmental debate, attracting enormous attention and controversy. Read his articles here : - China: economic powerhouse, environmentally unsustainable - part one and part two

Eating locally

Dave Faris — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 07:37:26 -0800

In the grand scheme of things, eating locally grown food may be more important than eating organically grown foods. To help you reach that goal, there's 100-Mile Diet, a blog that deals with the benefits and pitfalls of trying to eat only foods grown locally; The Eating Well Guide, which will help you find markets, restaurants, etc. that go along with the sustainable foodthink; and Local Harvest, which will help you find local and organically grown food sources. (PS. Now's probably the time to start signing up for your favorite CSA!)

What do I want to do when I grow up

infini — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 11:52:54 -0800

When I grow up I want to be an environmental engineer. I want to work on projects that can provide potable water for people. I want to clean the polluted Mother Ganga [Ganges] who provides life giving water from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal. Or the Nile, both blue and white, spilling fertility from her bunds on a regular cycle. I want to design products that use the least amount of energy and fuel, from recycled materials and are biodegradable. I want to seek alternative sources of energy, such as using biofuel to power cellphones. I want to design with maximum constraints. Call her mother earth, gaia, demeter, ceres or inanna, our planet is on the brink of no return. Or is it all just a matter of perspective?

It's not the length so much as the girth...

naomi — Tue, 10 May 2005 17:04:10 -0800

Once you start looking, tiny houses are everywhere.

Talkin' Engery

will — Tue, 01 Jun 2004 20:08:25 -0800

Talk Energy is a filter site for discussion about sustainable energy. Their goal is to get a million people worldwide talking about energy. Members can post to a main discussion page, create profile pages including their own journals and indentify their connections with other members. The chattiest people get free samples of neat products to review, closing the communication loop for green companies. They're also giving away $50,000 USD in home energy renovation funds to one lucky person.

Innovators have their own space to collaborate on ideas and projects. They're even offering partnerships consisting of private discussion areas for any non profit that wants one.

AlexSteffen — Sat, 17 Aug 2002 23:52:21 -0800

The World Summit on Sustainable Development, aka "Earth Summit II," will start soon in Johannesburg, ten years after the Rio Earth Summit. Have things improved at all in the last ten years? While there are some reasons to be optimistic, the data isn't cheerful. Our climate is growing unstable; tens of millions are dying or likely to die, and hundreds of millions more likely to be made refugees, because of environmental pollution and degraded ecosystems; and half the plants and animals on the planet seem headed for extinction over the next century. In short, things are grim. What steps, big or small, are you taking to do your part for the environment?