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Post tags: Architizer A+Awards, Bloom Phytoplankton Farm, carbon dioxide emissions, carbon footprint, floating building, fresh water, global warming, global warming solution, marine life, phytoplankton, reduce carbon dioxide, rising sea levels, SITBON ARCHITECTES, water issues

Roses may be red, but they’re definitely not green according to research from Scientific American. As millions of partners exchange bunches of red roses in the run up to Valentine’s Day, they may want to consider that the traditional flower of love has an environmental impact worse than most other crops. In fact, according to environmental flower site Flowerpetal.com, the 100 million roses grown for a typical Valentine’s Day in the US produce some 9,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

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Post tags: carbon dioxide, carbon footprint, carbon impact roses, CO2, crops, environmental impact, environmental impact roses, flowers, red roses, roses, valentine's day

The cotton industry consumes a pile of water and emits significant greenhouse gases, but new research reveals that growing cotton in Africa exacts a smaller ecological price. Cotton Made in Africa commissioned Hamburg-based Systain to conduct an independent study as part of an Aid by Trade Foundation initiative to determine the carbon and water footprint of African smallholders. It turns out that their cotton plantations emit 70 percent less carbon dioxide and consume 18,000 liters less water per kilogram of cotton lint than conventional operations such as those in Pakistan.

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Post tags: Africa, aid by trade foundation, carbon dioxide emissions, carbon footprint, clothing, cotton, ecological footprint, greenhouse gases, Pakistan, water footprint

In two years Brazil will host the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and as one of its main sponsors Coca-Cola has pledged to reduce the tournament’s environmental footprint by launching a plastic bottle recycling scheme. The project will see the drinks giant donate plastic bottles that will be reused in the linings of 6,773 seats in Rio de Janeiro’s new Maracanã Stadium, which will host the World Cup final.

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Post tags: 2014 FIFA World Cup, Brazil, Brazil World Cup, carbon footprint, Coca Cola, Coke, FIFA sponsor, PET, Plastic bottles, plastic recycling, plastic seats

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Post tags: aluminum shutters, Architecture, carbon footprint, classrooms, Daylighting, france, housing, mixed-use, Paris, PARK(ing), shading, theater, Urban design, [BP] Architectures

Last week the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency and the EC Joint Research Centre, reported that the carbon footprint of the individual Chinese citizen has matched that of the average European. Now the organizations have added that despite the world’s best efforts to stem climate change and implement renewable energy technologies, global levels of  carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions have risen by a disturbing 3% in the past year.

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Post tags: airline emissions, carbon footprint, china emissions, china industrial growth, Climate Change, CO2 emissions, emission goals, emission reduction, European emissions

China’s industrial growth has really taken off in the last decade – and new research shows that the per capita emissions of the world’s most populated country are now almost on a par with the European average. While the title of the world’s large emitter has fluctuated between the US and China over the past few years, China’s emissions per person have always been lower than those in other developed countries – however it now looks like that is about to change.

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Post tags: airline emissions, carbon footprint, china emissions, china industrial growth, Climate Change, CO2 emissions, emission goals, emission reduction, European emissions

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Post tags: 4th of july, 6 green tips, biodegradable packaging, carbon footprint, corn cups, eco design, green design, independence day, Meatless, organic popsicles, public transportation, recipes, sustainable design, vegetarian grilling

Photo by Shutterstock

Think that simple t-shirt you’ve got on is free from environmental impact? Think again. USAgain has drawn up an eye-opening infographic that illustrates the damage a single t-shirt has on the earth. From excessive water usage to heavy carbon emissions, things get pretty ugly when it comes to your Beefy-T. Find out more after the jump.

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Post tags: carbon footprint, eco-fashion, eco-friendly T-shirts, Ethical Fashion, green fashion, infographics, Sustainable Fashion, sustainable style, sustainable T-shirts, USAgain

Next week, winds permitting, 24,000 bars of hand-pressed chocolate will arrive in the United Kingdom port of Portsmouth with an unusual claim: the bars are the world’s only carbon neutral chocolate confections. Sailing on the 105 foot-long wooden brigantine Tres Hombres, the 100 gram (3.5 ounces) bars of Gru Grococo bar will retail for £12.95, or $21 in stores, which almost certainly makes it the most expensive chocolate bar on either side of the pond.

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Post tags: brigantine, carbon footprint, carbon neutral chocolate, caribbean, chocolate, cocoa, fair transport, Grenada, grenada chocolate company, gru rococo, rococo chocolates, tres hombres, united kingdom

Google’s new data centers in Taiwan will keep cool during the day thanks to ice made overnight. A thermal storage system, the first of its kind for Google, will balance the company’s energy needs during off-peak night hours, when electricity is cheaper, and during the day when there is more demand on the local grid. The cooling system is another reason why Google repeatedly ranks as a leading green information technology (IT) company.

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Post tags: alternative energy, carbon footprint, data centers, Google, green it, information technology, Taiwan, Thermal storage, thermal storage system

Climate talks have stalled, and many countries view geoengineering — like cloud whitening or constructing a space-based sun shade — to be too risky. Could the genetic engineering of the human body to make people smaller and more energy-efficient, for example, be a last-ditch effort to combat climate change? That’s just one of the controversial ideas floated by authors S. Matthew Liao, Anders Sandberg, and Rebecca Roache in a new paper that’s set to be published in the journal Ethics, Policy and the Environment.

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Post tags: bioengineering, carbon footprint, Climate Change, CO2, DNA, genetic engineering, geoengineering, global warming, kyoto protocol, livestock, Meat, Newborn Baby, S. Matthew Liao, science, Technology, vegan, vegetarian, vegetarianism

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", carbon footprint, Daylighting, eco design, green design, insulation, Lollipop House, Moon Hoon, skylights, south korea, sustainable design, timber framing

While some companies become more sustainable by overhauling their workplaces into state-of-the-art, ecotastic offices, most businesses don’t have the money or the ability to do that. Instead, we must try to green the spaces that we have, which are often decades-old buildings with drafty windows and aging HVAC systems. Fortunately, there are plenty of  long-term changes that your company can make to become more sustainable – without affecting their business practices or breaking the bank. In that vein, we’ve outlined below 6 simple ways that almost every company can implement to reduce its carbon footprint.

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Post tags: "energy efficiency", carbon footprint, carbon measuring, energy efficiency lighting, green work place, how to reduce your company's carbon footprint, measure your carbon footprint, meatless mondays, sustainable work environment, sustainable work place

Read the rest of PHOTOS: SFO Terminal 2 is the First U.S. Airport to Achieve LEED Gold Certification

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", carbon footprint, eco design, Gensler, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green transportation, inhabitat interview, inhabitat pics, inhabitat pictures, LEED gold, LEED gold certification, photos of SFO Terminal 2, San Francisco, san francisco airport, SFO, sfo t2, SFO Terminal 2, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, terminal 2

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", carbon footprint, carbon sponge, china, Daylighting, Eco Architecture, eco design, footprint, green design, green roof, Hangzhou Xintiandi, hotel, jds, JDS Architects, mixed-use development, pixelated roof, sustainable design, terraced roof

Read the rest of Russia’s First Active House is 7 Times More Efficient Than the Average Home

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Post tags: active house, alternative energy, BIPV, carbon emissions, carbon footprint, Crown Prince of Denmark, eco design, green design, Moscow, passive design, Polygon, polygon lab, Russian, skylights, solar panels, sustainable design, velux

Over the past few years, Ford has increased its use of eco-friendly recycled and bio-based materials in its vehicles, such as soy foam seat cushions, castor oil foam in instrument panels, wheat straw-filled plastic parts, recycled resins for underbody systems, and recycled yarns on seat covers. Now the company is investigating coconut fibers, also known as coir, as a potential replacement for petroleum to reinforce its molded plastic car parts. The new plastic could be used for door and seat trim, plastic storage bins, and cup holders, and reduce Ford’s carbon footprint as well as make its cars more recyclable.

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Post tags: alternative transportation, carbon footprint, eco-friendly car manufacturing, eco-friendly car parts, Ford coconut plastic, Ford coir car parts, Ford recyclable cars, Ford Scotts Miracle-Gro, green automotive design, green transportation, recyclable car parts, sustainable manufacturing

The world lost a great leader and visionary yesterday when Apple founder Steve Jobs passed away at age 56. It’s not a stretch to say that Jobs actually changed many of our lives, bringing us inventions beyond our wildest dreams – from Macbooks to iPods and iPhones, the state of technology was thrust into the future because of his determination and ingenious developments. Under his direction, Apple also made significant environmental strides to reduce its footprint in many ways.

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Post tags: apple, carbon footprint, CEO of Apple, eco design, green design, mac, Steve Jobs death, sustainable design

Last month marked the anniversary of the announcement of the Emancipation Proclamation, which we all know ended slavery for good 149 years ago, right? Wrong. While that’s what we in America are taught in our textbooks, slavery is still alive and well around the world (including in the U.S.). In fact, most of us have several slaves working for usat this very moment. Don’t believe us? Answer a few questions on Call + Response‘s new website Slavery Footprint about how many electronics, clothes and other products you own and you’ll be able to see approximately how many unpaid human servants work for you and even where they are.

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Post tags: carbon footprint, eco beauty, eco-fashion, Ethical Fashion, green beauty, green fashion, online calculators, online tools, Slave labor, slavery footprint, sustainable beauty, Sustainable Fashion, sustainable style, sweatshops