Photo: Emma Alter I first had couscous twenty-five years ago when my son was born. A friend brought over a huge pot of ratatouille so I wouldn't have to cook for a couple of days. Along with it came a little bag of stuff that was completely foreign to me. Luckily she included directions for making couscous, because I was clueless as to what to do with it. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Credit: YouTube screen capture. Don't polar bears have it hard enough, with the impacts of climate change on their Arctic homes? If the thought of a polar bear stranded on a patch of melting sea ice doesn't depress you enough, try this video on for size. It shows American hunters shooting and killing a beautiful white polar bear, then cheering the kill and holding up the bloody carcass as a trophy. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Samsung has been known to put out some green-minded cell phones, from the Blue Earth solar powered phone that seemed promising to the Reclaim, an inexpensive phone for the masses that carries a lighter footprint. Now, their Restore has just been released, perfect for anyone with an affinity for texting rather than talking. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Once again we see how in architecture and design, regulation drives innovation; when Vancouver allows backlane housing, we get an explosion of ideas and prototypes. Architect Michael Katz and designer Janet Corne offer the L41 ("all for one") that squeezes everything you need for comfortable living into 220 square feet. According to the Tyee, It is designed to "tread lightly on this earth" and answer the question "how small can we build a home and keep it delightful?" ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image via Yanko Design Designing snazzy solar accessories has proven to be a tough job, judging by what we've seen come off of the drawing board. Normally, solar bags are rather clunky things that don't work all that well, with just a small handful of expensive exceptions. One designer has decided it's worth going into more brand-sp...Read the full story on TreeHugger

MIT plans to cut their energy use by 15 percent in three years. Photo by Francisco Diez via Flickr. Guest bloggers Andrea Donsky and Randy Boyer are co-founders of NaturallySavvy.com. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is partnering with NSTAR, a Read the full story on TreeHugger

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele, Milan. Image: chairman moneko via Flickr In January, McDonald's Italy announced the launch of its McItaly menu. The burger giant has always offered different menus throughout the world to cater to local tastes so it's no real surprise that they've chosen Italy - a nation of proud culinary diversity - to go McLocal. So great, McDonald's supports local food systems now, right? Well, not so fast. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Credit: Karel Losenicky/Yoox via Kaight NYC Katherine Hamnett, the original eco-warrior fashionista, has designed a capsule beachwear collection with Yoox just in time to make a big splash t...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photo: Chad King, via sanctuarysimon.org On Thursday, the California Academy of Sciences kicked off its Oceans Conference with a recently released report on the impacts of climate change on the Gulf of Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries. The impacts report is a first step towards a climate change action plan fo...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image from London2012 : Olympic Park London's 2012 Olympic pledge, to be the greenest Olympic Games ever, started with great enthusiasm. But some wondered about that goal when McDonalds was announced as the official supplier of food. Then came the stories of construction going over-budget and of course the recession kicked in.... Now it has been announced that a plan to build a massive wind turbine on site has been scrapped. It was supposed to have produced 20% of the Olympic Park's ener...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photo via Iri5 While reusing the licks, riffs, and lyrics of other artists is fairly common practice in the music world today, one visual artist has begun recycling aging music collections and turning them into truly original creations. Nary a music connoisseur alive doesn't have a few cassette tapes floating around or tucked away in a closet somewhere, safely out of sight. Tubthumping, anyone? But instead of letting those tapes rot away, or worse, fall into the hands of future generations--w...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photo via Fast Company It may look like the perfect vacation getaway for say, Oscar the Grouch, but the first trash-built hotel is attracting some upper-crust, non-muppet clientele. Constructed on the banks of the Tiber in Rome, just across the river from Vatican City, the temporary hotel was designed to highlight the growing problems of litter that collects on Europe's beaches--12 tons of which make up the building's walls. Unlike the Read the full story on TreeHugger

Two of photographer Antonio Briceño's diptych portraits from Rwanda. Photos via Art Works for Change. The head of a cooperative of honey harvesters, a park guide, and a doctor who uses a garden of medicinal plants to treat asthma and other ailments are among the key "puzzle pieces" in preserving Rwanda's biodiversity while providing its people with suffi...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Check out the video of last year's event. Couresty of Streetfilms In a grand finale to National Bike Month, 2,500 bikers will take on an 18 mile, family-friendly course through the heart of the NYC borough. Starting and ending...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Poop in the river is something Chicago can get behind. Image credit:Photobucket, scubastza Chicago is claiming that USEPA should not force the City to separate sewers and disinfect combined storm water and sewerage discharges that otherwise will go into area river channels. EPA's request that Chicago do these things would require significant expenditure and Chicago is resisting. You won't believe the reasoning that City Officials are officially citing as a basis of their opposition. Hint: it's not about the money and it'...Read the full story on TreeHugger

photo via flickr Much has been made in the media about the president's perceived inability to get mad over the BP oil spill and the inability for either the government or BP to stop the gusher. Obama, or probably more accurately, his handlers, are aware of this criticism and have pushed back with photo ops and speeches to show the president's resolve. Less reported than the president's mood or his flashes of anger is how Americans are viewing this crisis and if th...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Audubon retrieves oil-coated turtle from NOAA. Photo: Audubon Nature Institute With the recent declaration of the rusty grebe extinction, due to a non-native carnivorous snakehead murrel being introduced to its habitat, Lake Alaotra in Madagascar, as well as drowning in nylon fishing nets, there's no chance of resurrecting it. Unlike Cuba's Zapata rail, which is critically endangered by the mongoose and catfish - not as long as the Audubon Species ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Courtesy photo. The Ethical Fashion Forum (EFF) is accepting applications for the 2010 Innovation Award, an annual sustainable design competition and, along with The Fairtrade Foundation, they have launched a new category sponsored by Tesco: The Fairtrade Cotton Award. If you are an aspiring green designer or if you are established and want to broaden your audience, this is the competition for you. Click through for details, deadlines(!), and view photo...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image: No More Dirty Looks A Book Every Girl Should Own Every girl likes to look her best. That is why she should read No More Dirty Looks: The Truth About Your Beauty Products, and the Ultimate Guide to Safe and Clean Cosmetics. Siobhan O'Connor and Alexandra Spunt have delivered an easy-to-read, understandable source that answers the questions:

• Does this beauty product work?
• Is it worth the risks?
• Is there a better solution for beauty without the drawbacks of harmful chemicals?

And last but no...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image via: Wonderlane/Flickr Weekday vegetarians ready to ramp up their meatless-ness may find inspiration in this recently released study in Environmental Health News. For five days, 25 study participants dwelled in a Buddhist temple and adopted a monk's lifestyle--including their oftentimes veggie...Read the full story on TreeHugger