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1. Most Huggable: Green(er) Fridges, the Million Tree-A-Thon, Decentralized Energy + More
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2. Today on Planet Green
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3. Lance Armstrong: more bike commuters, please
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4. Victoria's Secret Offers Itty Bitty (Recycled) Bikini
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5. Handpresso: Get Your Java And Better Biceps, Too
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6. How to Green Your Kitchen
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7. Powering 20,000 Homes: The World's Largest Solar Farm Opens
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8. Syntec Biofuel: Closer to Fuel from Waste
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9. TreeHugger + SMITH Six-Word Memoir Contest: Contribute Your Story
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10. Smart Condo by Peter Busby
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11. UCLA: New Super-Porous Materials Can Trap CO2
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12. Living like Ed
Most Huggable: Green(er) Fridges, the Million Tree-A-Thon,...
best of hugg.com
Sub-Zero is working to make their huge products more efficient, but does that make them green? Take a bite out of this review of the most and least contaminated produce, and get some tips on where to buy organic fruits and vegetables. Check out this new initiative from Kedzie Press and Eco-Libris: the Million Tree-A-Thon. The goal: planting one million trees for one million books to be sold by Kedzie Press by the end of 2009. Get the scoop on an alternative to using laundry detergent and softener when washing a lo... 
Today on Planet Green
TH Exclusives
:: Watch climate change unfold before your eyes with Discovery's new Web app. :: Get recession-ready by making use of leftovers. :: Top 21 ways to reuse old tennis balls :: Find out how you can keep your eyelids peeled open, without...gasp...caffeine. :: Should you repair or replace 
Lance Armstrong: more bike commuters, please
Transportation
Lance Armstrong will soon unveil his 18,000 Austin-based bike shop, Mellow Johnny's (named after the Tour de France's yellow jersey -- or "maillot jaune"). The goal of the shop is to promote bike culture and bike commuting:
"This city is exploding downtown. Are all these people in high rises going to drive everywhere? We have to promote (bike) commuting..."Showers and a locker room will allow commuters who don't have facilities at their offices to ride downtown, store their bikes at the shop, bathe and catch a ride on a pedicab or walk the rest of the way to work.
Armstrong's advocacy could move mountains. Cycling has always been a trend-driven sport. As far back as the 1800s, manufacturers promoted their technological innovations by sponsoring racers. In the U.S., bike sales boomed in the early '70s (reaching a high they've never quite touched again) due to a sudden craze for road bikes.
That boom quickly fizzled. The industry lacked the breadth of products to sustain consumer interest. For casual riders, a lightweight performance bike just wasn't the right choice for commuting, running errands, or hauling cargo.
Then, in the '80s, a group of obsessed hobbyists in California invented the mountain bike, upending the industry and sparking a more sustained boom. At one point, mountain bikes comprised 60% of bikes sold, even though most of these machines never saw a trail. The sturdy frame, thick tires, upright riding position, and forgiving suspension of a typical mountain bike suited it well to cities and sidewalks.
Today, the mountain bike has led to a flowering of cruisers, commuters, and comfort bikes. Some have described the present day as a golden era for bikes. But despite the rosy outlook, sales have been level -- decently high, but not really growing.
Back when Lance was powering his way to seven consecutive Tour de France victories, the cycling industry referred to the "Armstrong effect," the sales boost that resulted directly from Lance fandom. The runaway success of Lance's Livestrong campaign further testified to the man's broadbased appeal.
Now Lance has turned his attention to promoting bikes for the rest of us. If he succeeds, his most lasting legacy might be as an environmental champion.
Victoria's Secret Offers Itty Bitty (Recycled) Bikini
Fashion & Beauty
Yesterday, during my post-work nosh ritual, I felt one Fig Newman too heavy as I surfed the Victoria's Secret 2008 Swimsuit must-haves, which had arrived in my inbox. Now, despite the name of their signature bra and scent, Victoria's Secret hasn't exactly been an angel when it comes to sustainable practices, but a Northeastern girl like myself (or any guy for that matter) can't deny the promise of sun and sand that the brand's swimsuits bestow on a bleak February day. This year, however, feeling oh-so-over Valentine's Day... 
Handpresso: Get Your Java And Better Biceps, Too
Design & Architecture
This French-designed portable espresso maker, which requires hand-pumping to operate, may be just the kind of gimmicky gadget that looks a lot better than it works. At a cost of 100 Euros (about $145) and also needing special (and with their excessive packaging, eco-unfriendly) coffee "pods", the Handpresso has a single shining environmental attribute- that it is human powered. That's not only a plus for camping trips or any other kind of off-grid living, it is also just plain sustainably-minded. But in spite of the smiling and sexy-looking hikers in the Handpresso infomercial enjoying w... 
How to Green Your Kitchen
how to green your life
What's the Big Deal?
The eco-friendly kitchen begins with eating green, but it doesn't end there. Energy-efficient food preparation and cleaning habits, using equipment made from sustainable materials, and dodging toxic chemicals are also important if you want to have a truly healthy kitchen. Fortunately, making the right choices for your well-being is also good for the pocket and the planet. Our straightforward and simple suggestions for preparing earth-friendly meals--from fridge to food to cleanup--will turn you into a greener gourmet in no time.
Powering 20,000 Homes: The World's Largest Solar Farm Opens
solar
With an installed peak power capacity of 20 megawatts, world's largest solar power farm has opened in Spain. This farm surpasses the solar farm at the Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada which is rated at 14 megawatts. The new solar farm consists of 120,000 solar panels and covers 100 hectares (247 acres) in Jumilla, a wine-producing region in southern Spain, where the local Mayor says 300 days of sun a year are guaranteed. The farm's total annual production will be the equivalent of the energy used by 20,000 homes. ... 
Syntec Biofuel: Closer to Fuel from Waste
Cars & Transportation
TreeHugger readers made some good points in the comments of a recent post about biodiesel. It's indeed always a dilemma between happy and sad when there's a step in the right direction in something that is far from perfect to begin with. In the mid/long-term, the internal combustion engine is on the way out. It's just not very efficient at converting liquid fuels into mechanical motion (most of the energy is lost as heat). But what about the short-term? Biofuels are a minefield. Corn ethanol? No! Methane from 
TreeHugger + SMITH Six-Word Memoir Contest: Contribute Your Story
contests
We are getting some killer memoirs over at our Six-Word Memoir Contest page, but we still don't have yours! So, get over there and tell us in six words your green life story. You could come away with an iPod nano (engraved with your six words of course), a Planet Earth DVD set or a copy of SMITH's new book, Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs from Writers Famous and Obscure. Just make sure you sign up on the contest page and enter by February 18th. More info and contest rules after the jump. ... 
Smart Condo by Peter Busby
Design & Architecture
The standard Vancouver condo is a tall building with a small floorplate on a big podium. It has worked, but perhaps does not fit everywhere. Like in one of the more, um, shall we say "challenged" parts of town that has a great collection of older, lower buildings. Peter Busby of Busby Perkins + Will is that rare bird with fabulous green credentials but can also design his way out of a paper bag, and has built an old-fashioned building with a traditional light well. ... 
UCLA: New Super-Porous Materials Can Trap CO2
Science & Technology
The atmosphere doesn't care how we do it, we just need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. So while you'll have a hard time finding people more opposed to coal plants than we are, we have to be realistic: Many of these power plants won't be closed for years and in the meantime anything that can mitigate the damage is good. That's why these new materials created by Omar Yaghi and his team at UCLA are interesting. They are super-porous - 1 gram can contain up to 2,000 square meters of surface area - and absorb 80 times their volume in carbon dioxide while letting other gases pass through. The novelty compared to other similar materials is that it doesn't... 
Living like Ed
Friends of TerraPass
Just in time for the Oscars, TerraPass is releasing two Ed Begley, Jr. videos. Ed does a good job breaking down how TerraPass works and answering some of the basic questions folks ask about carbon offsets. Let us know what you think.
Here's Ed talking about how he uses offsets:
And here he is explaining how offsets work:
In other Ed news, he is about to release his new book "Living Like Ed: A Guide to the Eco-Friendly Life." The book is a hands-on guide to greening your home and habits. It includes handy worksheets and even has a chapter on carbon offsets. If you want to meet the man in person, catch one of his upcoming book signings:
- New York, Wednesday, Feb. 20, 7:00 - 8:00 PM, Strand Bookstore (828 Broadway)
- Los Angeles, Tuesday, Feb. 26, 7:00 - 8:00 PM, Book Soup (8818 Sunset Blvd)
- Los Angeles, Thursday, Mar. 8, 2:00 - 3:00 PM, UCLA BookZone Events (308 Westwood Plaza, Ackerman Union 8133)
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