We like the wit and imagination being poured into sustainable architecture. We particularly like where green roofs are going. But we weren’t expecting this – a water filtration plant with a green roof so large it’s going to become a golf course. Hole in one, guys.

In a post that couldn’t be more timely, BldgBlog ponders the role that healthily-designed urban architecture has on the transmission of infectious diseases, and wonders: “What would a biosecure world look …

Tags: architecture , climate change , lifestyle , politics , technology , wildlife

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In the worldwide struggle to get clean water to those in need, it’s people who are the biggest problem.

That’s the conclusion of the World Water Forum, which met this month in Istanbul to examine global water supply problems and offer suggestions to world governments. At the Forum, the United Nations published their summary of the state of world water supplies. In a word – mismanaged. The summary pointed toward the lack of international cooperation, the often unbalanced allocation between commercial, food-producing and domestic supplies and, in particular, the absence of …

Tags: economy , government , local government , politics , united nations , water , water management , water reclaiming

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It just became official: global warming is bad for our health.

You think? This headline may look like something lifted from The Onion – but in fact we’re talking legally and in the Here and Now. For the first time, the Environmental Protection Agency appears to have designated greenhouse gases (the most infamous being carbon dioxide) as a danger to human health, opening the way to regulating these gases under the Clean Air Act.

In other words: the government is legally required to directly …

Tags: emissions , government , greenhouse emissions , legislation , politics

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I’d like to say that Michelle Obama is one smart lady. She’s doing something that many of us garden-loving idealists have been wanting for a long time: planting a White House veggie garden. Not since Eleanor Roosevelt’s WWII Victory Garden has there been such extensive planting at the White House.

Visible from E Street, an 1,100 square foot piece of south-facing lawn is being filled with raised beds and will be planted with 55 varieties of vegetables, berries and herbs, with surplus to be donated to a …

Tags: garden , gardening , Obama , politics , sustainability , vegetables , White House

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One of my favourite winter fruits is the clementine – it’s small and sweet, easy to peel, packs a punch with the vitamin C and it typically doesn’t have any pesky seeds.

Wait a minute! The only reason it doesn’t have seeds is because the orchard keeper has kept bees from pollinating the fruit. A seedless clementine – or any other variety of mandarin citrus such as a tangerine – attracts such a premium that growers in California want legislation to force beekeepers to move away …

Tags: agriculture , bees , citrus , clementine , food , politics , pollination , seedless

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The self-styled eco fur debate rages on. Is it right to support the fur trade in creatures that are becoming a modern ecological menace? Meanwhile, sales in bushtail possum or “paihamu” furs continue to thrive. Ecopreneurist takes a closer look.

Have you had a look at the new-style Mother Jones, the website of the nonprofit organization whose magazine has won umpteen National Magazine Awards? They’ve gone Open …

Tags: decor , green , lifestyle , news , politics , sustainable , technology , web

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First up – free stuff! We’ve rhapsodized about the joys of Freecycle before, and no doubt we’ll do so again – it’s that good. But it’s also an opportunity for people to offload the craziest possessions – take these 18 items at The Daily Green.

Sustainable power is the way to tackle the imminent energy crisis head-on, but a few ground rules need to be laid down first. First, if it’s still using non-renewable resources behind …

Tags: energy , environment , green , green links , politics , renewable , salt , science , shopping , sustainable , technology , wood

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“Nature Knows Best” is a safe rule of thumb – hence the exciting field of biomimicry. For more examples of ideas that we’ve borrowed from the best, have a look at this fifteen-strong list over at Brainz.

Have you used vinegar to clean your coffee-maker, or chalk to keep ants in check? If not, you might want to flick through these extraordinary uses for 16 household items, over at Woman’s Day….

Tags: environment , health , lifestyle , medicine , news , politics , pollution , science , sustainable , technology

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As we’ve mentioned before, there’s a growing trend for municipal authorities taking matters in the own hands when it comes to the environment. And why not? When their own governments get it wrong or take too long to implement innovative new measures, it’s local government that misses out on the benefits, such as substantial savings on power and waste management.

This article from the Wall Street Journal (via Kottke) looks at nine such examples, including:

rooftops …

Tags: Community , energy , local , local government , Obama , politics , renewable , sustainable

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