Open Architecture Network

:: Get the do goodin' dirt from the man on a squeaky-clean and green mission, Josh Onysko of Pangea Organics. :: Cranberry salsa? Now that's a modern and tasty twist on traditonal Thanksgiving fare. Try it along with these other deliciously sustainable side dishes. :: Breathe new life into an old, unworn dress. Use its fabric to make a sexy new scarf!...

Image source: Gainesville In anticipation of the upcoming meetings to update Kyoto next month in Poznan, Poland, the 53 African nations met recently to develop the Algiers Declaration, stating that they will vote as one bloc during climate change negotiations, reports the Monterey Herald. Forests, renewable energy and deserts are the three major issues that African nations are most concerned about and its felt that voting as one bloc will give them more power during negotiations. Europe is hoping to get in on the action....

Image source: Shuuichi Endou/Tuvalu Overview Tuvalu, made up of four small coral-reef islands and five atolls off the coast of Australia, will be one of the first to go as sea levels continue to rise. Shuuichi Endou decided his response was to take 10,000 photographs, almost one for every person on the island to capture the spirit and essence of the people, reports the Japan Times Online. When the island is gone, and the population has dispersed and assimilated into area nations, will the photographs be the only thing keeping this nation together? ...

Video clip: Amory Lovins on climate change, geoengineering and unintended environmental consequences. In case you’re not a regular US News & World Report reader, we’d like to point out that Amory Lovins, co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute (which is a guest contributor to TreeHugger) has been just listed as one of

Electronics are often so ugly and inanimate; why not make them do multiple functions like this combination wireless router and vase? Finally, electronics you can really call green! No doubt the flowers will last so much longer in that energizing bath of EMF. The designers say that “The STC Router successfully bridges the gap between lifestyle and technology with it’s flower vase functionality.”...

Image source: Eco-Tools Now that you've slowly updated your makeup stock to include eco-friendly and lead-free makeup, why not also update your brushes with ones made from sustainable and recycled materials by Eco-Tools. We've railed against the untested and toxic chemicals found in common makeup, but the brushes used to apply the gunk are rarely discussed. The brushes by Eco-Tools are available in drugstores across the US and are priced to not break the bank. A great gift idea for...

photo: Mike Slichenmyer Not to belabor the point, but of all sources of renewable energy taking a beating in the current economic storm, biofuels seem to be getting hit full force. Recently the world’s largest ethanol producer, Verasun, filed for bankruptcy and predictions have it that as many as 40 more plants could be shuttered within the next few months. What this means for farmer’s i...

Photo via Dave Hogg Being a Girl Scout has come a long way from making jewelry out of tree bark and safety pins and selling cookies. And it’s a good thing, too. Tomorrow, 25 Girl Scout Juniors and Cadettes will participate in a day-long camp focused on improving energy efficiency in buildings. They’ll learn the bulk of the lessons by performing an energy audit of the Math and Science Center and the Program Center at Camp Dellwood in Indianapolis, IN. How...

If it were in France, this solar power installation would be receiving more money for the electricity it generates. Photo: Chris Muezer Compared to its neighbors to the east, southeast and southwest, France has lagged behind in promoting solar power—though it has a backlog of some 400 MW of solar installations, it only has about 18 MW currently online. That’s all about to change with the introduction of a substantial feed-in-tariff for commercial solar installations. The hope is to make good on Minister for Energy and the Environment Jean-Louis Borloo’s promise to increase France’s supp...

Getty Images While the Internet does a lot for improving the environment – from providing ways to reduce energy, reduce consumption of physical goods, telecommuting capabilities and so on – it also creates the ability to do incredible harm to ecosystems. With the ability to offer ways to quickly, conveniently and anonymously trade exotic animals and plants, the Internet is actually a source of harm. Thankfully, though, China recognizes the harm of wildlife trading, and the International Fund for Animal Welfare and

photo: Better Place Electric cars may not be commercially available yet in the US, and aren’t expected to be widely available much before 2012, but when they are the San Francisco Bay Area will be ready. Palo Alto-based Better Place has announced that it plans to begin setting up a network of electric car power stations in the Bay Area, to be ready by 2012. Coulomb Technologies has also announced that it will be building a network of 40 charging stations along California highways, beginning in 2009. But that’s not all:...

Photo credits: Kelly Rossiter Children can be pretty entrenched when it comes to eating habits. We've all known kids who don't like foods touching each other on the plate, who won't eat certain textures, or who like to eat the same foods over and over again. As children get older and start moving into the world more, they can occasionally surprise us by being willing to try things they had previously rejected. Being given snacks at school, dinner at a friend's house, going away to ...

Screenshot via Earth2Tech xChange Point is an energy efficiency tool offered by Eps Corp, an energy management company, which supposedly will offer an immediate return on investment to manufacturing companies, thanks to energy savings and zero upfront capital costs. The tool is a software interface and hardware that attaches to manufacturing systems and machinery. It will provide real-time monitoring of energy use – pretty much exactly how

A "blue cruise" near the Marmaris coast. Photo by Sarp Koknar via flickr. There's trouble in paradise, at least the part of it around the popular vacation town of Marmaris, on Turkey's western Mediterranean coast. Long struggling to keep development in check, residents have had up to here with new plans to expand the area's port and mining operations. A local environmental organization recently issued an SOS: "That’s enough. Do not let Marmaris fade away." ...

photo chaps1 at flickr The 'kycklingdebat' or chicken debate is hot in Swedes' minds since Svenska Dagbladet (SvD), on of the country's two main dailies, published a long report on the short lives of the 74 million chickens annually born and bred here. Swedes are eating more and more chicken meat and have been encouraged by both pundits and industry to do so, as chickens are supposedly more climate friendly than either pigs or beef cattle, notorious consumers of food and water. But SvD's report may chill some hearts, as the findings point to ...

Computer resellers are going to have an easier time marketing their green gear thanks to the Green Electronics Council. The council, which created EPEAT, has formed a partnership with resellers in order to get energy efficient and eco-friendly computer equipment out to more consumers. Read on to find out where you can get greener gear....

While the solar panel in this photo is pretty much a token renewable energy gesture, Wal-Mart’s wind power commitment is significantly more substantial. Photo: Wal-Mart Stores Say what you like about Wal-Mart (and I certainly have said some less than flattering things), but sometimes the world’s largest retailer does something undeniably positive: Like make its first major purchase of wind power in the United States. Announced yesterday, Wal-Mart Stores will be supplying 15% of the electricity in approximately 360 Texas stores and other facilities though wind power, purchased from Duke Energy. Wal-Mart says that the pu...

You gotta love it when your phone does work for you. Especially when that work it keeping your carbon footprint in check. Intel and the University of Washington are developing UbiGreen, which promises to be one of the easiest phone apps to use when it comes to greening how you get around town. All you have to do to know i...

Image credit: Transition Towns Wiki – creator unknown. Peak Oil Educators Embark on World Tour On Tuesday I wrote about an article in the Times newspaper documenting the incredible spread of the Transition Towns movement, and anyone who has been reading TreeHugger for a while will know I'm a big fan. However, the significance of one fact in the Times article escaped my attention – Transition Towns are going on tour. More specifica...

The Re:Fashion Awards celebrate the designers, brands, media and businesses that promote ethical fashion and support environmental projects. It's the first dedicated awards ceremony for ethical fashion and the party brought together a celeb-sprinkled crowd and the Who’s Who of the ethical fashion industry to drink and gossip in its honour. You read it here first: almost all of the nominees and the winners have already been written up in TreeHugger at some point. But it's nice to give some love and su...