
Image from Mail online
When Brighton council advertised for volunteer shepherds they never imagined that they would get hundreds of applicants. It’s not the greatest job description: no pay, lots of walking on quite steep, uneven slopes, duty in all kinds of weather including the winter and checking fences.
But the idea struck a chord and now the first of the group of 80 trained urban shepherds is out on the downs (fields of grasslands) checking the sheep to make sure they are healthy and not…Read the full story on TreeHugger



During the Copenhagen conference the Yes Men had some fun at the expense of Canada, creating a fake website, inventing press secretary Felix Charlebois, and promising a 40 percent reduction in emissions in greenhouse gas emissions.
The Canadian Prime Minister is not known for his sense of humour, and was not amused; Instead, Environment Canada went after the host of the parody website and demanded that it be taken down.
Germany’s Serverloft did not ask for a warrant or anything else, it just shut them down, along with 4500 other websites that were in the same block of IP addresses, just to be extra safe. Now the Yes Men are outraged….Read the full story on TreeHugger



Images from Kane Cunningham
It looks glorious but you wouldn’t want to own this house on a stunning cliff overlooking the sea. Three houses have already had to be demolished on safety grounds because the land is slipping away and this one is the next to go. It’s a 200ft. plunge to the bottom.
Artist Kane Cunningham has paid £3,000 for the doomed bungalow and intends to document and film its slow demise, including its last sunrise. He said “It’s the perfect site-specific installation — a stark reminder of lost dreams, financial disaste…Read the full story on TreeHugger



Images from the Times
Last week Banksy, the successful graffiti artist turned millionaire and darling of art collectors, popped up with 4 new murals on the Regent’s Canal in London. One was a hard hitting graphic protest against global warming. But he also had three other pieces along the same route; one a picture of a man painting over some graffiti and another of a rat and another of a boy fishing.
It turns out Banksy’s graffiti clean up picture was really cleaning up hi…Read the full story on TreeHugger



Image from himalayantours.com
Train travel is the way of the future: clean, environmental, fast and easy. Now you can even take one to the remote and magical kingdom of Bhutan. Known as the Land of the Thunder Dragon, it is one of those small countries in the Himalayas that seems lost in time; they had no roads or telephones until 1960 and no television until 1999.
Now they are going to have their first railway: an 11-mile (18km) link between India and Bhutan. Their first steps into the modern world. It’s all very political, of course, with India worried ab…Read the full story on TreeHugger



Photo: Imagine Surfboards
Imagine make surfboards from a 100% recycled, (and recyclable*) polystyrene foam they call, very informatively, B-XP3. Apparently this particular foam, besides being made as a waterproof extrusion, off-gasses 50% less volatile organic compounds (VOCs), during manufacture, than standard polyurethane (PU) surfboard blanks.
Tagged as Eco Boards, these planks are also laminated with a stretch bamboo cloth, instead of the usual fibreglass….Read the full story on TreeHugger



Image from the Guardian
It’s a world flight record even though it only lasted 26.1 seconds. Not your usual record, because it’s origami, and it was achieved by the president of the Japan Origami Plane Association. Takuo Toda just missed matching his personal best of 27.9 seconds, but that one was with a plane that had been made with tape.
This was one was made strictly in keeping with traditional rules of the ancient Japanese art; only one sheet of paper was folded by hand, with no scissors or glue….Read the full story on TreeHugger



Image from mail on line
There is something so irresistible about these vegetable “foodscapes”. Examining the detail and the ingenuity can provide endless minutes (surely not hours) of fun. The Houses of Parliament are built from asparagus, green beans and runner beans, mixed with baby sweetcorn to depict the intricate stonework. Look out for the watermelon dome.
This depiction of London’s skyline took three weeks and used 26 different types of fruit and vegetables. Carl Warn…Read the full story on TreeHugger



Image from 1000 Awesome Things
In the midst of the holiday celebrations it’s nice to remind yourself of the pleasures to be had from small things. 1000 Awesome Things to Celebrate is just a pause for a moment , a time to smile when you recognise some of life’s little joys again.
Things like sleeping in your own bed after a long trip, being able to carry all the groceries from the car in one swoop, the feeling of brushing your teeth with a new toothbrush. These funny and slightly sarcastic awesome things are part of a charming website, 1000 Awesome Things…Read the full story on TreeHugger



Image from Do the Green Thing
For those of you in the last throes of Christmas shopping, here’s the answer to what you could get the remaining few on your list, and it is available on Amazon, oops, Amazero.com. As the description says, buy Nothing: it’s “Compact, lightweight and easy to carry, incredibly durable, fits into your briefcase and co-ordinates with everything in your wardrobe.”
It was created by Green Thing, a not-for-profit public service and a clever website that inspires people to lead a greener life. It’s goal is Read the full story on TreeHugger



What in Hell on Earth Just Happened
By the time the world learned of President Obama’s announcement about a “meaningful” agreement to close these climate talks, called the “Copenhagen Accord,” Santa-in-chief was already on his Air Force One sleigh. And not a moment too soon.
By the wee hours of Saturday morning, as African negotiators were leading an uproar over the accord and civil society groups were protesting outside, it was still unclear which other countries were willing to…Read the full story on TreeHugger



ForestEthics reckon that American mailboxes are inundated with more than 100,000,000,000 pieces of junk mail annually. Such is the volume of US junk mail that it amounts to 33% of all mail delivered. Worldwide. Yet 44% is said to go in the bin unopened. What a monumental waste of resources.
And a precious resources at that. Over 100 million carbon storing trees need to be felled to satisfy this American mailbox madness. Each year. ForestEthics say that many trees would be like clearcutting the entire Rocky Mountain National Park three times a year. So you can see why they might be moved to point the finger at …Read the full story on TreeHugger



Photos: David Virtue website
Taking nature and his love of the sailing as his inspiration David Virtue handcrafts rings and pendants, with themes and emblems drawn from the great outdoors, such as leaves, waves, deserts, sunrises, yachts, etc. He works mostly in 14 and 18 karat gold, which he sources from a environmentally responsible refiner, who process recycled gold scrap. David’s rings of which there are about 55 varying styles, are therefore cast with 100% recycled gold.
David Virtue has been perfecting his craft for the past 35 years or so. His rings taper from front to back for increased comfort. He believes h…Read the full story on TreeHugger



Photos: From Wend magazine - Winter 2009-2010
We’re big fans of Wend Magazine. It’s immerses its readers in the wild outdoor environments, in diverse cultural environments, and in the broader environmental challenges facing the planet. Wend is a travel magazine, sure, but it takes the path less travelled. It goes by foot, bicycle, ski, canoe, sail and other more environmentally benign, yet exciting and engaging means of transport.
Last week it decided to take another largely untrammeled trail, with an announcement that its digital version of the magazine for Free. No cost. Zilch. Nada, Zero….Read the full story on TreeHugger

