hippie flavor

EJF Shrimp Campaign

To satisfy our demand for shrimp, thousands of miles of coastal habitats around the world often in developing countries have been destroyed. Forests and wildlife have been lost, and water and soil is polluted by shrimp farms. Protests by local communities have been met with threats, intimidation and violence.

via crookedindifference

The results of overfishing: Collapse of Atlantic cod stocks off the East Coast of Newfoundland in 1992

via crookedindifference

Put the WeedWhacker and Herbicides Away, Get a Goat | UrbanNeighbourhood.com

“University of Northern British Columbia professor Annie Booth tracked the effectiveness and eating habits of a herd of goats over the span of two years.

“Turns out that goats are incredibly effective in clearing weeds; while any farmer could have told you that this was the case, Booth’s study is the first that actually quantifies the lawn management skills of a heard of goats.

“The University of Washington’s Bothell campus hired a number of goats a few weeks earlier, and is considering acquiring a permanent herd. The University has discovered that, not only are goats cheaper than human labor, but they also provide free fertilizer. The university says that the goats are a way to cut their carbon emissions.”

Oregon’s Zero-Energy Office Tower | inhabitat.com

“The Portland-based Oregon Sustainability Center is being developed using the LBC’s doctrine of neither taking resources nor causing environmental harm — this means that the building will produce all of its own water sources and energy…

“Rainwater will be collected for irrigating the many trees and plants that will be incorporated to make the space feel more natural for its fortunate occupants and visitors.”

via urbangreens: age-of-ecology

Setting sail to shut down bluefin tuna fisheries | Greenpeace International

“The Rainbow Warrior is heading out to confront one of the most irresponsible and destructive fishing operations in the world. Mediterranean bluefin tuna have been exploited to the brink of extinction - making them the most visible and tragic example of oceans and fishery mismanagement.

“The crisis facing our oceans and key species like the bluefin tuna requires urgent action: the scientific consensus is that over 80 percent of the species has already been fished. If current fishing rates continue, scientists predict that the bluefin could disappear as a commercial species in just a few years. Globally, over 90 percent of large fish like tuna have disappeared from our oceans, and some scientists warn that all commercial fisheries could collapse within decades.”

via veggieparadise

Sustainable Living Pavilion | ecofriend.org

The Living Pavilion is a low-tech, zero-impact structure that makes use of reclaimed milk crates as a framework where a green wall can be grown. The pavilion’s construction has been kept simple and modular. Relying on commonly available materials for assembly, the pavilion will provide a shaded area away from direct heat, which will be kept cool by the evaporation from its planted surface.

via urbangreens: blog-architecture

Social Life Ecology | wag-architecture.co.uk

WAG have continued to develop their sub/urban cohousing permaculture research, which was recently commended by Europan. The scheme has been developed through the use of Ecology Diagrams - drawings which aim to capture all of the material, energy, information and social flows acting upon a site.

The design is aimed at meeting a growing niche demand in the housing market. The proposal is an opt-in community for individuals and families who want to take the next step in sustainable modern living. The Social Ecology is organised through the collective ownership and management of a community freehold, with private leaseholds for dwellings. There are shared car pools, rather than private car ownership, and instead of roads, a network of cycle routes and footpaths cross the site. There is an ecology of green spaces - from public to private. There are a range of dwelling types, clustered into groups of twenty units, organised around a linear public park, a permaculture based community school, a market hall and democratic billboard mediaspace. Each co-housing cluster overlooks shared garden, organic food growing and playground spaces. The individual dwelling units are organised around private courtyard gardens, which are treated as an external living rooms.

photo via filipx on flickr

via makdreams: urbendisaster

Philips Biotower Puts Farming in the Kitchen (With Style) - Gizmodo

The Philips BioTower is a self-contained farm that produces hundreds of calories of various food sources a day, cascading nutrients from the top to the bottom. Its five-level design breaks down like this:

• Levels 1 and 2: Plants
• Level 3: Algae
• Level 4: Fish and Shrimp
• Level 5: Organic Waste

YouTube video

Growing food locally (not to mention, in your own kitchen!) is a great way to reduce the carbon footprint of the food that reaches your plate.

[h/t crazyfishor]

Target calls it a wrap on plastic bags

The retail giant Target has confirmed it will ban plastic bags in its 283 Australian stores next month. It will be the first large retailer to break ranks and ban bags on environmental grounds.

Instead of issuing plastic bags to shoppers at checkouts, from June 1 Target will require shoppers to either bring their own bags or buy reusable bags for $1 each or compostable corn starch bags for 10 cents each.

Target says the ban will stop 100 million plastic bags from going into landfill and polluting the environment each year - or just under 3 per cent of the 4 billion bags that pass through Australian checkouts each year.

via robotsalsa: mhking: thephlipside: peetypassion

Environmental Sustainability by City and State » citypass.com

Graphic Sociology » American Public Transportation - Costs and Usage]

urbangreens:

The Vancouver Compost Demonstration Garden teaches Vancouver residents how they can ‘go green’ at home. Composting is part of a larger City strategy named ‘Grow Natural’, which shows the public how to “save time, money and the environment by using natural yard care techniques.”

via City Farmer News