Cars & Transportation

We’ve already reported on moves by the Australian arm of TNT to incorporate biodiesel hybrid trucks into their fleet, and now we hear that not only does the company's British arm already have 50 electric vans on its fleet, but is adding a further 100. The new feet, which will apparently be the largest zero emissions fleet in the world (and yes, we know 'zero emissions' depends very much on the energy source used to charge them), will be replacing diesel vehicles over the next year and a half. If initial trials of these and other electric vehicles prove successful, there are plans to roll them out across Europe. Peter Bakker, CEO of TNT, had this to say:

Cars & Transportation

Beautiful and bicycle helmet seems like an oxymoron but here's proof that it doesn't have to be. With Bike to Work Days being celebrated, pretty cycling hats likes these prove there is no excuse not to wear one with pride in front of your fellow workers and bikers. They are designed by an eco-conscious Japanese-born designer who got fed up with looking terrible on her bike so she created her own collection of helmets that are funky and still meet all the safety requirements. They are all hand-painted in carefully chosen feminine, delicate colours and have "diamond" trimmed chin straps. The designs are cleverly positioned on the back and on the left-hand side so drivers and pedestrians can admire you as you go. Helmets are available in a full range of lovely colours and there is a "designer" label on the back of each one.

We love the "Kiku", which is a chrysanthemum pattern, in pink (pictured left). But then there is "Sakura", cherry blossom, which comes in bright turquoise (pictured right). Or perhaps "Hanabi" (fireworks) in cool minimalist grey and white. Or for the traditionalist, Rose, in dusty pink. The possibilities for wardrobe matching are endless. :: cyclefashion Via :: Cycle Chic

TH Exclusives

Wolf Trap president and CEO Terrence D. Jones

With the performing arts, a good showing is when the fall of the curtain leaves you shuffling off into the night a bit dazed, a bit dazzled, and perhaps, just a bit thoughtful. This media, like no other, has the power to make you laugh, cry, and cringe. It has the power to captivate and influence.

So tapping the performing arts to raise environmental awareness and educate audiences about climate change sounds pretty savvy to us.

A pioneer and major player in this field is the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, the only National Park for the Performing Arts in America.

Based in Vienna, Virginia -- about a 20-minute drive from Washington, D.C. -- the $28-million-organization holds more than 270 performances a year. We chatted with Wolf Trap president and CEO Terrence D. Jones.

TreeHugger: We love the concept of using the arts as a way to raise awareness of environmental issues. Can you name a few individuals who have successfully done this in the past? Why you think this works?

Design & Architecture

Here's today's ridiculous packaging.

We try to feature both bad packaging and good packaging design, but we don't need to tell you that it's easier to find examples of the former.

Recent Comment by thespyofcharles : "hmm... perhaps i shall reconsider my excessive gift packaging gag i was planning... or ..." [read]

Business & Politics

Expecting to keep about 25,000 pounds of reusable goods out of the landfill, this Saturday’s inaugural "Green Apple Move Out" collection drive being organized to coincide with the annual dorm move-out means students rooming at NYU will have a greener choice when it comes to getting rid of that old futon they just keep meaning to find another use for.

Business & Politics

Recently only a pipe dream, the carbon market has exploded in recent years. With “cap and trade” schemes available in the EU and more recently British Columbia - Canada’s most western province - plans are set to follow suit in Australia, New Zealand and the rest of Canada. Even the typically sluggish United States seems poised to adopt some form of emissions trading scheme, with all three presidential candidates stating their support for some permutation of a carbon trading initiative.

Whatever the time frame, it seems near inevitable that companies will face increasingly binding laws to account for the amount of carbon dioxide (and equivalent gases) they release into the atmosphere. And with the emergence of this trend, a new speculative market has evolved, offering an increasingly attractive area for earning a profit.

Science & Technology

The Solar Industry Tries to Stay One Step Ahead of Regulators
As solar panels become more mainstream and a higher volume of them is produced, they are bound to attract more attention from regulators. Many of the biggest companies that make solar panels have decided to preempt that wave of regulation by voluntarily joining up and creating the first large-scale scheme to recycle solar panels in Europe. The goal is to have the system in place by the end of this year.

"We will be the first in Europe to establish such a system. And I could well imagine that it will become a model for other countries," said PV Cycle President Karsten Wambach, who also heads SolarWorld's Solar Material division.

Business & Politics

We recently wrote about how difficult is for consumers to know which is better: saving gas by purchasing items online; or, reducing one's greenhouse gas "footprint" by avoiding potentially inefficient shipping procedures (especially with reference to wasted packaging and the prevalence of air freight and partial-load deliveries).

In that post - Buying Green Online - Gasoline Saver Or Climate Bigfoot? - we suggested how useful it would be if, when choosing a shipping method, a carbon footprint estimate could be presented on the computer "checkout" screen, representing the GHG emissions associated with actual route(s) and shipping method choices. The general idea being to help consumers make a quantitative, rational decision between the several ways to 'green one's footprint' (as pictured).

As things stand, now, on Amazon, or with any other online store for that matter, evaluating that tradeoff is like putting a micrometer on a fog bank.

Along comes TerrPass, with exactly the kind of service we were thinking of!