wit

Oregon 'solar apiary' combines energy production with honey

Pollinator power, y'all.




wit

"Eco-Luxurious" domes blend harmoniously with Quebec landscape

Bourgeois / Lechasseur architects figure out how to square the circle.




wit

There's nothing wrong with repetitive cooking

Much of the world eats the same thing every day. Why are we so preoccupied with variety?




wit

Learn the footprint of your meat consumption with the Omni Calculator

Some useful tools for working on a 1.5 degree lifestyle.




wit

With GO Box, you can have zero-waste takeout

The 'library subscription' model for food containers is becoming increasingly popular.




wit

Teenager invents way to videochat with your pet, give it treats

The device uses a tablet or smartphone to connect you with your pet during the day, give it treats and make sure it's not tearing up the furniture.




wit

Cancer-sniffing dogs detect lung cancer with 97% accuracy

Authors of a new study say dogs may help develop over-the-counter tests capable of life-saving early detection.




wit

Explore history from your couch with Google Maps Gallery

Travel back in time and explore the geography of history from the comfort of your home with the new gallery of Google Maps.




wit

Explore one of the West's last wild rivers with Google Street View

The software lets you virtually float down the Yampa River, which has been largely unchanged by man.




wit

Google mapping city air quality with Street View vehicles

Now we'll be able to see air pollution information along with city maps.




wit

See how the world’s cities will look with rising oceans

3D maps created by Climate Central show how sea level rise could change some familiar cityscapes.




wit

Why I always travel with a paper map in hand

Who needs GPS? Nothing beats a trusty paper map for navigating a foreign city.




wit

Indiana utility to quit coal and cut CO2 90% within 10 years

This ambitious goal is all the more remarkable because NIPSCO is currently 65% coal dependent.




wit

Bumble bees could vanish forever within a few decades

The most important pollinators on the planet are disappearing in areas where temperatures are getting hotter.




wit

Expect a meat tax within 5-10 years

An investor network managing $4 trillion in assets has warned investors that they should prepare for the inevitable -- a climate-driven "sin" tax on meat.




wit

Decarbonization must treble to keep up with climate change

Progress is being made. But the climate keeps unravelling.




wit

Heat pumps may soon be charged with propane instead of greenhouse gases

Not just for barbecues, some companies are switching over completely.




wit

How can we deal with the Asian Carp invasion?

A major report just released offers expensive technological solutions. We reivew options ranging from barriers to bow-hunting.




wit

UK supermarket Tesco says it will ban products with excessive packaging

The company is ramping up pressure on suppliers to design less wasteful packaging.




wit

Canada moves forward with its single-use plastics ban

A scientific assessment has confirmed enormous amounts of waste and definite harm to wildlife.




wit

Iceland marks lost glacier with a plaque

The ancient Ok glacier, a fraction of its former size and unable to move, was declared dead in 2014.




wit

Towns in Maine declare food sovereignty with local ordinances

In an effort to support local food production and defend customers' rights to buy and eat whatever local farm products they want, 16 towns in Maine have created their own local food ordinances.




wit

People with these conditions should sleep at least 6 hours a night

New research finds that normal sleep may be protective against early death for people with certain health risks.




wit

Modular kitchen unit liberates small spaces with its flexibility (Video)

This modular design can adapt to any situation, meaning more usable space can be freed up.




wit

Hang your hobs on the wall when you aren't cooking with them

Adriano Studio shows the future of induction cooking with Ordine




wit

Would you live in an apartment without an oven?

It is evidently big news in Toronto that condos are being sold without ovens, but it shouldn't surprise anyone.




wit

Nice shades: Lisbon renovation keeps cool with automated wood shutters

Solar control, security, privacy and ventilation, all in one clever device – why don't more buildings still have shutters?




wit

Ferran Adrià's elBulli Restaurant Aims for Zero Emissions with Architect Enric Ruiz-Geli's Smartgrid

Image credit: El País According to El País on sunday, celebraty chef Ferran Adrià is plotting a zero emission premises for his restaurant elBulli on the coast of Catalonia, Spain. The 2010 chef of the decade (nominated by The Restaurant magazine) closed




wit

Mexico Aims to Be Top Biofuel Producer With Algae Oil

When you think Mexico, think biofuels (not just tequila). That's the message of OriginOil, a Los Angeles, California, company that's been contracted by the Mexican government to produce 1 percent of the




wit

Vivobarefoot will launch an amphibious shoe made with algae-based foam this summer

The company that makes "shoes for people who don't want to wear them" is introducing a new model of adventure shoe constructed with EVA foam made from algae biomass.




wit

Transition City Bristol: Tackling Climate change and Peak Oil with Community Planning

The Transition Town concept, a community focused response to climate change and peak oil, which was pioneered by Rob Hopkins, and which we reported on here and here, is spreading even further. For the first time, it is being tried on a city-wide scale,




wit

Go knock yourself out with unconventional parenting, but please stop talking about it

"Most people are already operating ‘off grid’ in different ways to varying degrees, but the vast majority don’t feel the need to make a big lifestyle song and dance about it."




wit

What Does Al Gore Have to Do With Football?

This week former Vice-President Al Gore made a stop by Atlanta last week to talk about...well, climate change. But while he was there, he took the time out to talk to one of the NFLs most green athletes, Atlanta Falcons fullback Ovie Mughelli. Still




wit

Slow Food Pop-Tarts, Made with Serious Love (A Foodie Gift Find!)

With science pointing to all the pitfalls of sugar on human health and longevity, I have ever more reason to curb desserts and hidden sugars. Sadly, "reason" lacks in my vocabulary during the holidays. On




wit

Mom Charged With Vehicular Homicide For Crossing Street After Kid Killed By Hit-and-Run

I have been trying to write something punchier than David Goldberg at Transportation for America did but I cannot, this event is "so utterly outrageous, so emblematic of the failure of our current transportation




wit

How to reverse desertification. With rocks.

Could strategically-placed rock walls help to re-green the desert?




wit

Tree-dwelling gray foxes decorate with skeletons

As the only canids that can climb trees, gray foxes frequently drag fawn and rabbit skeletons onto the branches with them.




wit

Can we make steel without CO2 emissions using renewable hydrogen?

Yes, in theory. Doing it in practice is a whole other story. This is another example of how the hydrogen economy is a fantasy.




wit

UK pilot project mixes "green" hydrogen with natural gas

So many flavors and colors of gas these days. They are all problematic.




wit

Another problem with fracking: Increased sexually transmitted infections?

If a massive water footprint, air pollution, contaminated drinking water, earthquakes, and general environmental degradation weren't bad enough...r




wit

Bald eagles are littering Seattle backyards with landfill trash

Some 200 bald eagles are scavenging the goods at Cedar Hills Regional Landfill and dumping the leftovers in suburban backyards.




wit

African grey parrots surprise researchers with their altruism

Few other animals are known to be intrinsically motivated to assist others in need.




wit

Striking natural furniture weaves geometry with traditional craft techniques

Featuring eye-catching geometries, local and non-toxic materials, these unique furniture pieces meld a medley of traditional weaving and woodworking techniques.




wit

Here's a modernist desk that grows with a child into adulthood (Video)

Hand-made with high quality, sustainably harvested woods, this is one desk meant for both kids and grown-ups.




wit

Stair of the week is a shifting workspace with alternating treads

These multi-talented stairs do more than one thing in this apartment renovation in Brooklyn.




wit

Another Problem with Carbon Credits: They Get Stolen

At least $40 million worth of carbon credits have been stolen in recent weeks from various registries across Europe, in what some are calling a growing black market for carbon credits.The Wall Street Journal explains that there are




wit

Old Chapel Is Made into a Giant Musical Instrument, Controlled with Laser Pointers (Video)

A Czech church was 3-D mapped and made into a one of a kind musical instrument, controlled by visitors' laser pointers.




wit

Interview with Tom Miller, CEO of Blu Skye Sustainability Consultants

As the CEO of sustainable consulting firm Blu Skye Sustainability Consultants, Tom Miller oversees teams and strategies that are changing the way the world makes things--from the design stage and production




wit

What Role Do Carbon Offsets Play in a Struggling Economy? Q&A with the Carbon Neutral Company

Are carbon offsets still relevant in turbulent economic times, and how has the concept evolved? Join us for a live chat with the Carbon Neutral Company to find out.




wit

On the East Coast, a Sailing Regatta with Carbon Neutrality

Using alternative fuels, carbon offsets, and strict on-board rules, the Atlantic Cup aims to be the first carbon-neutral race in the U.S.