The Solar Decathalon teams are really kicking things up a notch this year. First we see the Penn State team using celebs, like Ed Begley Jr. Next we see the Virginia …Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photos via the BBC

In the remote, flood ravaged region of Bihar, India, a scarcity of trees has led the local people to adopt an alternative to traditional cremations. They’ve begun using cow dung in the burial ritual instead–a move that saves an entire tree for every ceremony. Strange as it may seem, the people in Bihar have no aversion to cremating their dead with cow dung–it’s entirely socially acceptable, rapidly growing as a practice, and is now done b…Read the full story on TreeHugger

Why do I love the idea of downloadable designs? Because people do such amazing things out of so little substance, and they ship ideas, not objects. Like this iPhone stand designed by french industrial designer Julien Madérou, downloadable from his website Dessine Moi Un Objet. It is folded out of a single sheet of paper.

…Read the full story on TreeHugger

Initially, the Tokyo International Film Festival passed on screening The Cove, the documentary about the annual slaughter of dolphins in Taiji, Japan. Though it didn’t offer a reason, considering the government’s media ban on whale/dolphin news due to the controversy involving Japanese whaling, it was no surprise. Ironically, the theme for this year’s festival is: “Action for Earth 2009.” So what happened?…Read the full story on TreeHugger

A bountiful fall harvest; pumpkins. Credit: samatt

As the days get shorter and the weather gets colder, I’m ready for butternut squash soup and pumpkin pie! What’s in your fall harvest? Do you have beans, beets, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, chard, cauliflower, chicory, endive, garlic, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, onions, parsley, peas, or pumpkins — all in season — in your garden? Prove it! This summer we asked for your Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image via: NuHemp

NuHemp claims their pet dog food provides holistic benefits for your pet, improves joint function and digestion, as well as improves your pet’s coat. We know the benefits of hemp for humans, and now pets are joining the ran…Read the full story on TreeHugger

Images: Zipcar

Car-Sharing Goes High-Tech
Car-sharing is a great way to have most of the benefits or owning a car without most of the downsides. Zipcar, one of the heavy-hitters of the car-sharing world, has released a new iPhone and iPod Touch free app that will make interacting with the company’s reservation service and vehicles better than ever, and that’s good news because the more attractive and convenient car-sharing becomes, the more cars we can take off our roads….Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photo via Engadget

So Kindle seems to be bombing out among university students as a replacement for textbooks, at least in one trial run. But we mention that the Tablet from Apple could be a better solution since it is more interactive, and more familiar to anyone currently using an iPhone. And word on the street is that’s just where Apple is headed with the new device, along with revolutionizing newspapers and magazines. …Read the full story on TreeHugger

John Pucher

We have noted before that suburbs make you fat. Now research by John Pucher of Rutgers University suggests that cars make you fat.

And before you start commenting “correlation does not imply causation”, consider that it makes a great deal of sense. Blogger Felix Salmon calls it the Urban Diet, noting that people who don’t have a car c…Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image via: Ma-Eh on Flickr.com

Do you love to compare your monthly energy savings? Do you have spreadsheets tracking years worth of data showing monthly snapshots of each new energy efficient upgrade you’ve installed? Well then you’re in luck because My Emissions Exchange will pay you when you show them how you lowered your energy bill over the last year. (Even…Read the full story on TreeHugger