Green Daily

New York City passed a tough E-waste bill earlier this year that would require electronics makers to get meet recycling benchmarks. Mayor Michael Bloomberg vetoed the bill, saying it violates interstate commerce laws, but City Council yesterday overrode that veto.

Both Council and the Mayor have already agreed on legislation that requires electronics manufacturers to take back used gadgets and appliance. But Bloomberg balked at setting touch penalties for non-compliance. Now that City Council has overridden his veto, the new bill effectively becomes a law -- but it's up to the mayor's office to enforce that law. And since the law doesn't actually take effect until 2012, when Bloomberg will no longer be in office, it's anybody's guess as to whether the law will actually be enforced or if the issue will be decided in the courts.

If the law does ever actually go into effect, electronics manufacturers would be required to recycle at least 25% of their items that are sold in New York City. If they fail to meet that target, they will have to pay $50,000 for each percentage point they're off by.

'Cause seriously, who wants to pay four bucks a gallon for gas?

Ridership on subways in major urban areas, including Southern California, South Florida, and Denver, Colorado. It's also up 11% in Philly, which is surprising, considering the city just raised its transit fees.

And it's not just trains that commuters are opting for: motor scooter sales jumped 24% in the beginning of 2008; Seattle reports a 17% increase in vanpool riders; and bike tip blogger Paul Dorn reported that traffic tripled on his two websites that offer cycling tips for commuters. (But commuters are still wary of bicycle use - this article reports that, though bike use is up 6% in Philly, for example, most people don't feel safe cycling to work). Four words: MORE BIKE LANES, PHILLY!



via [USA Today]

In spite of overwhelming scientific evidence that mankind is heating up the planet, only 47% of Americans think it's actually happening, and among Republicans the number is only 27%, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center. What's more remarkable is that the percentage who believe is actually down from a year and a half ago.

Overall, 71% of Americans think the planet is heating but a slim majority don't think it has anything to do with us. Republicans are far less likely to believe in human-caused global warming than Democrats (27% vs 58%), and older people and those living in rural areas are more prone to denial than their younger, urban counterparts.

The survey also found that only 49% of Republicans surveyed think the earth is getting warmer at all, astonishing in light of the measurable facts that 11 of the hottest years on record have been in the the last 13, and 2007 was the 2nd warmest year ever. As recently as January of 2007, 62% of Republicans were at least able to recognize that was the climate was changing, even if they disagreed with the scientific consensus on the reason behind it.

So what's going on here? How is it that in spite of the fact that man-made climate change has been confirmed or endorsed by every major scientific organization in the world from NASA to the Royal Meteorological Society to the Federation of American Scientists, more people have decided that it simply isn't happening?

Last week eBay opened its brand new offices settled under the largest solar panel roof that San Jose has ever seen. The 197,000 square foot building was designed by Valerio Dewalt Train Associates. "Building 17" will house 800 employees from eBay's Pay Pal branch.

In addition to its impressive roof, many of the textiles from carpeting to cubical fabric are made from post-recycled materials. Lights will turn off if rooms are empty and shades will automatically close if the sun is too hot. There is even a large reflection pool outside that will help to cool the building as the water evaporates. EBay claims to have achieved a LEED's gold rating for their new office.

And all this time, I thought eBay was run by little men in my computer. Weird.

1). This pic at left, courtesy of London's Daily Mail, is quite possibly the creepiest thing I've ever seen.

2). Dude should blame pollution. No, really: according to researchers at the University of London, even though baldness is hereditary, toxins and carcinogens from pollution can exacerbate the condition by blocking the mechanisms that produce protein from which hair is formed.

Basically, "pollution" counts as any particulates that worm their way into your bloodstream, from smog to cigarettes.

So, all you men predisposed to male-pattern baldness living in big cities and smoking a pack a day? Watch it. Unless they come up with an anti-pollution gel, you could be bald-headed sooner than you think.

via [Grist]

Author Taras Grescoe has a new book out called Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood, which takes a long hard look at the industry that puts seafood on your table, and comes up with some pretty revolting revelations. Below, some "frightening facts" to think about on your next trip to Red Lobster, lifted directly from the publisher's marketing materials:

• "Farmed salmon is fed with a meal made from the hydrolyzed poultry feathers and the ground-up carcasses of chickens culled from avian flu outbreaks.
• In 2007, melamine, the toxic additive from China that killed pets throughout North America , was found in the pellets used to feed farmed salmon.
• Scallops are routinely soaked in STP, a neurotoxicant used in paint strippers and carpet cleaners, so they'll retain water and weigh more at supermarket check-outs.
• In almost two-thirds of stores in the United States , inspectors have found that salmon sold as high priced "wild-caught" is actually from a farm.
• Thanks to global warming, eating grouper, red snapper, and other reef fish is infecting increasing numbers of diners with ciguatera, a potentially fatal disease that causes vomiting, abdominal cramps, and bizarre neurological symptoms.
• Prawns are routinely rinsed in chlorine to kill pathogens, and processors in countries like India and Thailand use caustic soda and borax to artificially color the prawns they export to Europe and North America .
• Because juvenile salmon are now stocked in freshwater lakes in South America before being farmed, they're picking up parasites from lake fish. For the first time, eating salmon, in the form of gravlax, salmon sashimi, and ceviche, can give you tapeworms.
• Because of high levels of mercury, Health Canada recently advised that children under five should eat no more than one can of albacore tuna per week.
• Scottish farmed salmon is so laden with PCBs and dioxins that, according to Environmental Protection Agency standards, having a fillet more than once every four months significantly increases your risk of cancer.
• Tilapia and tuna are treated with carbon monoxide, also known as 'tasteless smoke,' to prevent them from turning brown. A piece of tuna sprayed with tasteless smoke will remain a marketable cherry red even if it's kept in a car's trunk for several months. "

Delicious!

If you haven't got the book, I'd highly recommend a look at Grescoe's website, which offers a handy summary of what seafood to eat while if you want to retain both your health and your environmental ethics.

Slashdot announced this week news of a town in Missouri that will soon be 100% wind powered. Rock Port, Missouri has a population of only about 1400 people (according to the 2000 census), so it only takes four 1.25 Megawatt wind turbines to provide enough power.

The turbines are located at the Loess Hill Wind Farm. According to the farm's website, the turbines connect directly to the city's high voltage line, though the supply does have backup from other power sources in the municipal system. The U.S. Department of Energy's State Energy Program highlights Rock Port here.

Sounds like a win-win situation, doesn't it? Unfortunately, not everyone likes the sight of these towering turbines, which brings us to another problem often associated with environmental remedies: NIMBY, which stands for Not In My Backyard. Everyone likes the idea of green power, but when it comes down to having to look at the tall metal structures, many people refuse. One man has caused quite a stir in his historic Atlanta neighborhood, where neighbors say the windmill owner has "invaded the public view" and also accused him of erecting the structure simply to show off his "environmental bling."

For ages, man has pondered over the question: who will watch the watchers? Well, in terms of their energy consumption, now we know. It's Wal-Mart, of course! Last week, the National Governors Association announced that they are teaming up with Wal-Mart to help transform their state capitols into lean, green, pork-barreling machines.

For the next 2 years, Wal-Mart will send engineering experts to 20 state capitol complexes in order to assess how their energy consumption can be reduced. Honestly, it's a good thing that state governments are working for lower energy consumption -- and who better to help them out. Wal-Mart has certainly done a good job revamping their image from the ultimate evil corporation to one of the largest green retailers around.

According to a study by McGraw-Hill Construction, the demand for green building materials has risen substantially over the past six years and is expected to worth as much as $20 billion by 2012. In addition, if current trends continue, more builders will be going green than not

One of the reasons that builders are choosing green materials is because with the housing market slowing, many believe that energy saving features will make the sale of a new home easier. Another factor is that buyers are looking for higher quality homes now and putting a small amount of money into special materials might get the house sold more quickly.

Ray Tonjes, chair of the Green Building Subcommittee for National Associantion of Home builders has declared, "It's official. Green has gone mainstream." But you knew that already, didn't you?

I'll admit it. I live in a state with a bottle deposit law, but I don't take my bottles back to the store to get my deposit back. It's just not what I'm used to doing, and I don't buy a lot of bottled beverages. Of course, I put my used bottles out on the curb for recycling, so the environmental impact of my bottle consumption is the same whether I return my bottles to the store or not. But a lot of people don't recycle their bottles. And there's at least some evidence that bottle deposit laws can help convince them to do so.

Michigan, for example, claims a 97% bottle recycling rate. And Michigian has a statewide bottle deposit law, as do 10 other state. Now New Jersey lawmakers are considering becoming the 12th estate to enact a bottle deposit law. And the usual debate is coming up: would a bottle deposit law actually encourage recycling, or is it just another tax on New Jersey shoppers?

Windmills aren't just for jazzing up the mini-putt anymore. A new report from the Department of Energy says that the wind could rock 300 gigawatts of electricity into the grid by 2030, providing 20% of America's electrical needs. The key word here is "could" , since it'll require an approximate 20 fold increase in the amount of wind power being produced, meaning the number of turbines being installed will have to increase from 2000 in 2006 to 7000 in 2017.

However, change is in the, uh, wind. Tycoon T. Boone Pickens is planning to drop $10 billion for a 4 GW wind farm in Texas, and 2008 is set to be a record-breaking year for the number of wind GW being generated in the US. Overall, wind power production reached almost 17 GW last year, of which 5 GW was installed in 2007 alone. And with oil prices hitting new highs weekly, investors are starting to like the look of wind farms on the horizon.

Apart from the obvious benefits of weaning America off of fossil fuels, which still generate about 70% of US electricity (mostly from coal and natural gas) the impact on climate change mitigation efforts would be considerable. It's estimated that if 20% of electrical power were supplied by wind turbines, it could reduce CO2 emissions from fossil fuel power plants by 25%.

Read the full report here.

via [Wired]

Every week we pick a theme to explore in more depth, and this week that theme is eco-friendly pets. To read all our posts related to this theme, click here.

You might think that after the Michael Vick drama, celebrity pit bull owners might have realized that they were under intense scrutiny by -- pardon the pun -- watchdog groups. Apparently, some of them didn't get the memo. After having multiple run-ins with the law over alleged animal cruelty, rapper DMX is finally facing some serious consequences for his not-so-humane treatment of pit bulls.

Deputies arrested him on charges of animal cruelty and drug possession at his home in Arizona Friday, after they found 3 pit bull carcasses partially buried on his property. One of the dogs had apparently been burned. That was enough of a reason for animal control to seize the rapper's 5 pit bull mixes. And get this, authorities seized 12 underfed pit bulls from DMX's property around the time of the Michael Vick case last year -- only they didn't find evidence of dog-fighting. This time, it looks like they've already got a much stronger case against him.

[via Ecorazzi]

A new report from the Australian Farm Institute says that farm production in that country could double in the next 40 years. Mick Keogh, executive director of the Institute says that warming could actually increase rainfall and crop growth in parts of the country, and that with a little adaption, most farmers would be able to boost production.

The study disputes earlier research from Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE) which warned that climate change would devastate Australian agriculture, reducing output by as much as 10% by 2030.

The conflicting reports demonstrate a couple of things - firstly, Australia's a damn big place, full of different weather and different opinions. Secondly, climate change is nothing if not unpredictable, which doens't make the idea much more appealing.

Fair warning: This is pretty creepy.

What if, instead of burying or cremating dead bodies, we dissolved them in lye and flushed the liquid down the drain?

Well, my friend, get used to the idea: it could be the wave of the future. The process is called alkaline hydrolysis, and it uses lye and 300-degree heat, along with 60 pounds of pressure per square inch, to destroy bodies in huge cylinders that resemble iron lungs.

To date, no mortuaries use the process, and only two medical centers practice it, but only on cadavers donated to science. Although some places, including the Mayo Clinic, use it on human medical waste and animals.

Sometimes everyone wants to talk about the Yankees, and sometimes everyone wants to talk about gas prices. Personally, I'd rather not talk about either. But gas is on everyone's lips, from Hillary Clinton to Chris Matthews, the price of crude is just crude.

But gas prices are only one factor in how much consumers are spending for fuel. Congestion, vehicle size and distance also play major roles. According to Forbes cities like Houston have the cheapest gas, but drivers there are spending the most on gas.

You see, while drivers in Houston are paying a mere $3.44 a gallon for gas, they're also driving huge vehicles. According to a U.S. Department of Transportation study 20-percent of drivers in the south drive trucks and another 16-percent drive SUVs.