Image credit: CosmicRevolutionKS When I interviewed my friend Tim Toben of Greenbridge and Pickards Mountain Ecoinstitute, he suggested it was important that we all "tell the story about the transformation from a world powered by fossil fuels to a world powered by renewable energy -- in poetry, music, art, dance." That's easier said than done. But one young man has been doing just that—and the result is rather strange, but oddly compelling. Apparently we...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photo via qmnonic Nothing like a flood of minks loose in a country's already fragile ecosystem to put environmentalists in a tough spot. Two fur farms in northern Greece were raided, the results of which saw 50,000 minks running for the hills. Fortunately for everyone (except the minks) the problem could solve itself in a short time. UPDATE: An animal rights group has claimed responsibility for the raids and a photo of the unfortunate outcome of the action, after the jump. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photo via National Geographic We've got a new regular slideshow here on TreeHugger: The Week in Animal Photos. Catch a glimpse of what the animal kingdom has been up to this week, from a tiger cub disguised as a stuffed tiger rescued from an international smuggling deal to a newly discovered pea-sized frog perched on a pencil tip. Read the full story on TreeHugger

Images unless noted: Findhorn Foundation While following the development of small green prefabs, It has become increasingly clear that you cannot separate the home from the context, and that what we really need is a sort of green trailer park, where people can own their unit but share common resources. It turns out that it exists, and has since 1962; Dr. Graham Meltzer just built his own home, the ecomobile, in the Park at Findhorn, a "growing eco-village and spiritual community." in North Scotland...Read the full story on TreeHugger

photo: Dave Parker via flickr In the tug of war over whether organic farming is really better than conventional chemical-laden farming, a new study in the online peer-reviewed journal PLoS One comes out solidly in support of the benefits of organic. Self-described as the most comprehensive study of its kind, researchers from Washington State University found that commercial organic farms produce was more...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image credit: MASONS via The Telegraph From police on Vectrix electric scooters to cycling proficiency courses for cops, the British police are clearly willing to think outside the box when it comes to more efficient, and effective, transportation. But when Lincolnshire police unveiled a 25mph police tractor, complete with blue flashing light, m...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image by Erin Hanson Erin Hanson's outlet is the Recovering Lazyholic, and she has some great ways of pinpointing the unfortunate condition of so many of us folks, who give in to our slovenly side a little too often. One of her projects is "Need to Want Less," a series of graphics that smartly and succinctly sums up the choices we're given about consumerism. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image Credit: Nucho via Flickr Bamboo gets used in a lot of ways, from underwear to flooring to windmills. But this summer, the roof of New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art is home to a forest of bamboo that is an aesthetic end in itself. Since April, artists Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image via YouTube video A really neat time lapse video put together by Oregon State University alum Don Pettit shows footage from his time on the International Space Station. This one shows Earth from day to night, and you can spot everything from auroras to city lights. Check it out after the jump. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

MIT's Test Cell Patrick Gillooly, MIT Solar cells are intended to mimic the photosynthesis of plants -- converting light into energy in the most efficient manner possible. But what other characteristics of plants could be handy for the renewable energy sector to mimic? How about the self-assembly of chloroplast, the component of plants that do all the vital photosynthesis. Leaves repair themselves after sun damage again and again to keep up their ability to convert light into energy. Now, MIT researchers believe they've discovered how to use this self-assembly to restore solar cells damaged by the sun....Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image credit: After Gutenberg When I posted a video of a mainstream farmer trying to green his operations, commenter Adam suggested that he was just doing it for economic reasons. That's an observation that gets bandied about a lot here at TreeHugger—that this company, or that individual, is not really interested in true sustainability. They are just in it for themselves. I guess the big question is this—does it matter?...Read the full story on TreeHugger

A design by Özgür Masur from Argande's 2010-2011 fall-winter collection. Istanbul was abuzz last week about the latest efforts to position the city as a new fashion capital and help Turkey move from manufacturer of raw materials for clothing to purveyor of style. The third Istanbul Fashion Week drew plenty of press and party-goers and even a few fashion-world celebrities. But was th...Read the full story on TreeHugger

It's Déjà Vu all over again: An offshore oil platform exploded and caught fire yesterday in the Gulf of Mexico. It is located about 80 miles off the Louisiana coast, west of the site of BP's massive oil spill. In other green news this week, the US Geological Survey has released a new report on the state of glacier retreat in the Himalaya, stating that "Many of Asia's glaciers are retreating as a result of climate change"; Animal Planet's new miniseries Blood Dolphin delves deeper into the dolphin hunts in Japan; and we reveal exclusive photos of secret titan redwood trees, located ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Images from abandonedchairsblogspot.com: Queen West There is something so forlorn and sad about a chair abandoned on the roadside. Innocent and sometimes beautiful, it is hard to resist taking them home and giving them a reason to live again. Some artists have been having the same problem. Moira Stevenson had filled up her Toronto front porch with rescued chairs until she had no more room. Her solution was photography: she photographs them before in their naked state. Then ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

photo via RAN Rainforest Action Network's new Executive Director, Rebecca Tarbotton, has big plans for the Bay Area-based advocacy group. RAN, which was founded in 1985, takes on big banks that are funding the coal industry, like JP Morgan and Chase, and it has worked to protect the world's most threatened rainforests, like those in Indonesia that are home to endangered orangutans and tigers. Tarbotton has a lot to say about RAN's future and where the environmental movement is going....Read the full story on TreeHugger

photo: Michael Graham Richard As most readers have probably heard or read by now, yesterday was a dramatic day at the Silver Spring, Maryland headquarters of TreeHugger's parent company, Discovery Communications. Early in the afternoon a lone man, later identified to be James J. Lee, entered the building, brandishing a pistol and carrying explosives, and began taking hostages. The situation ended four hours later with the hostages unharmed and Lee losing his...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photo via Animal Planet Each year in early September, Japan opens season on dolphins, and today marks the start of the season in Taiji, a now notorious place for slaughtering cetaceans thanks to the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove. And of course, activist Ric O'Barry is on the move. He delivered a petition to the US Embassy in Tokyo signed by 1.7 million people from 155 countries demanding an end to ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

New York Times Everyone in the red state is piling on the redesign of the oval office, complaining it is not patriotic enough, even though George Bush took Bill Clinton's red, white and blue garish extravaganza and turned it into a muted southern living room (and lost the red, white and blue) showing more taste than patriotism. But since...Read the full story on TreeHugger

images from Bustler The HP Skyline 2020 competition "outlined fresh visual imaginations for the skyline discarding preconceived notions" and "allowed students and professionals to partner and elucidate their visions and designs that would change the skyline thereby transforming the city itself." ...Read the full story on TreeHugger