England is not really known for its wines, but actually there are thriving vineyards in the South. The climate has been getting warmer in England, which has helped the winemakers, where as the climate has been cooling in France and Italy which is not good for grapes. The British vineyard owners say their wines are not well known now, but they will be in the future as more people discover them. Take a look:
Eco fabrics are very hot right now and fabric made from bamboo has been selling like crazy. It produces a soft fabric that being used by upscale designers such as Ermenegildo Zegna, Rag & Bone and Ralph Lauren. But it turns out that bamboo is not as environmentally friendly or as sustainable as many people think. For one thing, the processing required to turn bamboo into fibers suitable for clothing releases toxins in the air. Christina Binkley of The Wall Street Journal reports:
The bamboo used in textiles has to be heavily manipulated to go from stem to store. To create fabric, it's chopped up and dissolved in toxic solvents—the same process that recycles wood scraps into viscose or rayon. Indeed, bamboo fabric technically is rayon.
The Federal Trade Commission sued four small bamboo-clothing manufacturers in August, citing them for false labeling, among other concerns, under the 1958 Textile Fiber Products Identification Act. The companies had used language such as "natural," "biodegradable," and "antimicrobial." But bamboo fabric isn't natural, the FTC said, since it's a textile developed by chemists. The agency also said the biodegradable and antimicrobial qualities of the plant don't survive the manufacturing process.
In a bulletin titled "Have You Been Bamboozled by Bamboo Fabrics?" the FTC said that bamboo fabrics "are made using toxic chemicals in a process that releases pollutants into the air."
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But some wearers have other gripes about bamboo. Mr. Giardina, the FIT professor, says he found that bamboo fabric is unstable and likely to stretch out of shape in damp weather. Uniform Knitters Ltd., a Hong Kong apparel manufacturer, abandoned bamboo fabrics because they tend to shrink and have odd variances in color, according to a company spokeswoman.
According to the FTC, clothing made of bamboo is actually made of rayon, which is hardly upscale or durable. Which brings up another problem: clothing made of bamboo degrades quickly. Manufacturers are mixing the bamboo with other, sturdier fabrics such as cotton for better results. Once clothing is labeled as made of rayon or viscose (two fabrics we happen to despise) it's certainly not going to sell for the prices that it has been.
The FTC consumer alert - "Have You Been Bamboozled by Bamboo Fabrics?" - can be found here.
Msnbc.com's Dara Brown reports that new energy regulations and government incentives in Japan are sparking a surge in solar panel sales. Dara Brown says some families are expecting their power bills to be cut by over 60%. An article from the Japapn Times says the Japanese government set a goal to have solar panels in 30% of houses by 2030. They may reach that goal much sooner than 2030 if the solar panels remain a hot item and can save consumers money. Take a look:
Mars Chocolate North America celebrated the opening of its solar garden with government officials, company executives, project partners and giant M&M characters. The solar garden is comprised of more than 28,000 ground-mounted solar panels on 18 acres adjacent to Mars Chocolate North America's headquarters in Hackettstown, New Jersey.
Elle.com reports that Edun has partnered with Dazed & Confused to create hand-drawn animal tees and dresses. Artist Jo Ratcliffe drew the animal drawings. Fifteen percent of the sales of the clothes will benefit War Child, an organization that helps children afflicted by war. Edun is an organic label launched by Bono and his wife Ali Hewson. The tank top pictured above retails for $90. You can find the clothes here in Edun's online store.
Tech companies are thinking green when it comes to tomorrow's technology. CES announced that it will expand its Sustainable Planet CE Spotlight showcase by 40% at the 2010 CES. The exhibit will have nearly 5,500 net square feet of display area at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
"Green technology is a huge business opportunity in 2010, and green tech companies know the International CES is the largest global platform for launching their innovative new products," said Karen Chupka, senior vice president, events and conferences, CEA. "Due to growing customer demand across the green spectrum, we've nearly doubled the space for the Sustainable Planet at the 2010 CES. This exciting exhibit area will showcase cutting edge technologies that will change the world – benefiting the environment, renewing resources and bringing new forms of sustainable energy to developing areas around the globe."
CES will be held January 7-10, 2010 in Las Vegas. You can find the website at cesweb.org.
The ancient village of Misa Rumi lies high in the Andean mountains of Argentina. It's a remote area that is far away from the nearest power grid.
But Misa Rumi has plenty of clean, sustainable energy: the entire village is powered by solar technology. They have hot water for their bathrooms and kitchens and power for the local bakery and each home's cooking stove. The villagers no longer have to cut down trees for fuel, so the trees are protected and the residents don't have to breathe carcinogens in the smoke. A local charity made it happen and it's pretty amazing to see. Take a look:
Colleen DeBaise of The Wall Street Journal talks with Maureen Kelly, the founder of Tarte Cosmetics about landing her first account, surviving a downturn and her best tips for those wanting to start their own business. Maureen started Tarte out of her one bedroom apartment in New York and really had to push hard to get her line in the top stores. She's energetic and focused, and has a very interesting story. Take a look:
You can see the Tarte line at Tartecosmetics.com or at
Sephora.com. We love the gel cheek stain which gives a totally natural-looking blush and the Treasure Chest, which is a fun palette with every color imaginable that is perfect for those who love to play with lots of makeup looks. We also love the fact that Tarte products are 100% free of parabens, petro-chemicals, phthalates, sulfates and synthetic fragrances.
Actor/director Ed Norton (Fight Club, The Hulk) teamed up with Maasai warriors to train in Kenya for the New York Marathon this Sunday.
Ed is running the marathon to raise funds for the Maasai Wilderness Conservation.
Building a team of thirty runners, finding individual and corporate sponsors, and putting in serious training time to be able to finish the 26.2 mile race, Ed says it was like preparing for an intense acting job, only much harder. At one point he didn't think he'd be in good enough shape to run 26 miles. But now he feels confident he can go the distance. Take a look:
Julie Gordon reports for Reuters on some of the unusual and amazing inventions on display at INNOVAR in Buenos Aires. Some of the concepts included solar cookers, portable solar ovens, a bike you ride by lying face down and a shoe that stores the energy created by walking. Take a look:
The Environmental Media Awards drew a star-studded crowd. The EMA Awards honor productions, film and television personalities, musicians and musical tours that convey environmental messages in the most creative and influential ways.
Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart and Sir Richard Branson were among those attending the event. Harrison gave an award to the National Geographic Society and Calista awarded the best film award to Disney Nature Earth. Sir Richard Branson was honored for his pledge to invest all proceeds from his Virgin Airlines toward developing clean fuels and renewable energy. Take a look:
As more carmakers are making electric cars, substantial upgrades to the power grid will be required in California. One of the obstacles to everyone driving an electric car is that there are limited places to recharge the cars' batteries. To build the necessary infrastructure to support electric cars is going to be expensive.
That's going to mean larger power bills for Californians.
California's push to lead U.S. sales of electric cars may result in higher power rates for consumers in the state, as a growing number of rechargeable vehicles forces utilities to pay for grid upgrades.
The autos' effect on electricity fees is being reviewed by California's Public Utilities Commission this month as the most populous U.S. state will require Toyota Motor Corp., General Motors Co., Honda Motor Co., Ford Motor Co. and Nissan Motor Co. to sell more plug-in vehicles from late 2011.
Power companies including Southern California Edison, the state's largest, have to install new transformers and meters to handle greater demand and prevent blackouts when autos are being charged at outlets. Utility rates will rise to cover the costs, said Travis Miller, a Morningstar Inc. analyst in Chicago.
"If you look at the kind of money that will be needed for a full smart grid and support for electric vehicles, then you are talking about a substantial amount," Miller said in a phone interview. The spending may total "multiple billions" of dollars over a decade or more, he said.
From model years 2012 through 2014, the largest carmakers by volume in California must sell about 60,000 plug-in hybrids and electric cars combined, according to the state Air Resources Board. President Barack Obama is aiming for 1 million plug-in cars on U.S. roads by 2015 to curb tailpipe emissions and cut dependence on foreign oil.
Because so many people have electric cars or hybrids in Santa Monica, Southern California Edison says the area will require transformer upgrades as more people plug their cars in at night to recharge. One circuit serves ten homes. So if even as few as three people charge cars at the same time -- even at night -- that can overload the circuit. The system is set up to expect less power needs at night, so it can operate at full capacity during the day. If everyone starts plugging in cars, it's going to be a big problem.
Areas with lots of hybrids should expect rate hikes in the future.
Amazon.com and Sprig have partnered to sell this eco-friendly recycling truck. The toy comes shipped in Amazon.com's frustration-free packaging. Amazon.com has an interview here with Sprig about the truck and about partnering with Amazon.com for its packaging.
Sprig says they make the Eco-Rcecycling toy truck using recycled plastic and sawdust.
The Eco-Recycling truck is made in the beautiful Czech Republic (our toys are made in North America and Europe). We decided on a recycling truck as it really fits the message behind the toys. We make our toys out of Sprigwood, which utilizes bits of recycled plastic and sawdust. This bio-composite material is a great alternative to using virgin oil based plastics. Our eco-recycling truck smells like WOOD, is very lightweight, and has fantastic play value. What makes this toy different is its play value. The recycling truck features a great carry/push handle, 2 distinct dump mechanisms, a recycling garbage can, and a fold open truck cab. These features make this toy rich in play and smart in design. We don’t use any paints on our toys and they are also dishwasher safe on the top rack which is great for toys that are shared by lots of kids.
Sprig also says it uses little shelf packaging with its toys because they say the benefit of "not using twist ties and packaging blisters is we eliminate tons of material that usually ends up in landfills."
The toy recycling truck can be purchased here on Amazon.com for $19.99.
Retailers are starting to pay you if you will bring your own bags. USA Todayreports that Target is offering a 5-cent discount for every reusable bag customers bring. CVS will give $1 cash bonuses to customers for every four times they checkout without requesting a bag.
Target (TGT), the fifth-largest U.S. retailer last year, will announce Monday plans to give customers a 5-cent discount for every reusable bag they use to pack their purchases.
The move comes within days of drugstore giant CVS' (CVS) plan to give participating CVS customers $1 cash bonuses on their CVS cards every four times they buy something but don't request plastic bags.
The programs come at a time retailers are feeling heat from advocacy groups, lawmakers and customers to take actions on environmental issues.
Wal-Mart spokesman Kory Lundberg told USA Today that it has no plans to pay customers for not using bags. Consumerist notes that it does cost 99 cents to enroll in CVS's green bags program. Consumers who enroll receive a "leaf-shaped Green Bag Tag card."
Members of the Maldives' cabinet wearing wet suits and scuba gear held an underwater meeting today. The Maldives' officials communicated with hand signals during the meeting. The meeting was held underwater to raise awareness about the threat of global warming to the Maldives, which is Earth's lowest-lying nation. The Maldives has an average ground level of just 1.5 meters above sea level. Take a look:
Tech companies are thinking green when it comes to tomorrow's technology. CES 
Retailers are starting to pay you if you will bring your own bags. USA Today 
