Kayakas!

There is a lot of green stuff going on around Peterborough, Ontario- there are probably more straw bale builders and green roof planters there than anywhere else around. They also share their knowledge- Saturday, April 29 is the Green Expo, with 65 exhibitors, a screening of “the End of Suburbia” (the producer is driving up in his Smart Car) with other presentations by straw bale builder and author Chris Magwood, Click here to advertise on thousands of blogs including mine

Before the fabulous Maker Faire last weekend I had a chance to see “Who Killed the Electric Car?” at the San Francisco Film Festival. Of the intertwining stories told in this artful documentary, the one about hydrogen fuel cell as red herring is one of the most compelling. The Bush administration and many environmentalists alike continue to talk about fuel cell cars as if they’re about to pop up at our local dealerships, poised to solve our ills at any moment. In a news conference at a Washington gas station this week, House Speaker Dennis Hastert touted fuel cell cars as bringing relief to current high gas prices. He then rode off around the corner in a fuel cell car, but quickly hopped out and back into his waiting SUV (see the lovely photo montage). Electric vehicles and PHEVs (more commonly known as plug-ins) on the other hand are available now and can also provide relief for gas prices and environmental problems. The newly unveiled all-electric Modec delivery van is a case in point.

Prism Solar Technologies in New York has developed a proof-of-concept solar module that uses holograms to concentrate light, possibly cutting the cost of solar modules by as much as 75 percent, making them competitive with electricity generated from fossil fuels. Currently, the approach to overcoming this cost factor of silicon-based solar panels is to concentrate light from the sun using mirrors or lenses, thereby reducing the total area of silicon needed to produce a given amount of electricity. But traditional light concentrators are bulky and unattractive — less than ideal for use on suburban rooftops.

We”ve previously pondered why people buy hybrid cars; our general perception is that altruism rules over economy, that it”s not necessarily for the cash saved at the pump. An article over at MSN puts seven hybrid models through the ringer to see how the total cost compares between the hybrids and their conventional counterparts; sure, all hybrids have higher sticker prices, but will they ever save you the difference? Their study found that, over five years time, the only hybrid that will actually save you money is the Toyota Prius. All other hybrid models will cost between $300 and $3,700 more than their non-hybrid counterparts over five years. There are lots of “real-world” variables that could work out differently for different drivers (miles driven, city vs. highway mileage, fluctuations in gas prices, etc.) but it”s interesting to see it worked out from a purely dollars and cents point of view, and that it might actually be a selling point for the Prius (not that it needs any more). Use the gas savings calculator to see if it”d be worth it for you, and read the whole article. ::MSN Money via ::AutoblogGreen

When Lloyd gave us the DL on what I call “silly water” and Warren filled us in on the not-so-silliness of the bottled water industry - TreeHuggers turned out for the drink debate and posted lots of comments on the relative merits of various hydration sources. Click here to advertise on thousands of blogs including mine

Even though we just featured another coffee table in our Sneak Peek series, technically the Full Slant coffee table by Rhubarb Décor is both a coffee table and a bookshelf. It fuses a novel approach of displaying books utilizing their natural tendency to lean with the elegant nature of bamboo ply. The table was inspired by watching books housed between vertical walls. According to designer Todd Laby, “They seemed to try to find comfort by leaning awkwardly under the weight of gravity and yet were slowly damaging their spines. I decided to create useful spaces where books could recline naturally and still remain upright. Hence the name “Slant”.” The table is made from bamboo ply, chosen for its unique strength and beauty, as well as to showcase that sustainable materials are more then mere material substitutes, that their unique properties can both enhance and drive innovation to create ever more useful, modern and intriguing products. ::HauteGREEN and ::Rhubarb Décor

Check out the rest of the Sneak Peek Series for a glimpse at the best in sustainable home design.

We”ve featured electric cars and bikes from Zap! previously on TreeHugger. Now the company has released this electric dirtbike called the “Mud E”. It”s aimed at “kids aged 8 and up”, and the specs say the range is up to 12 miles and speed is up to 20 mph. The charging time is 4-6 hours using a standard outlet. Recycle Free is selling the bike for $849 including shipping. :: Zap! via Free Energy News

Part four out of our five-part series has more easy, affordable things you can do by the end of the day today to make a positive impact on our planet.

10) When it comes to toilets, we”ve seen a lot of gadgets: dual-flush handles, controllable-flush handles, alternative toilets, the UnBathroom emergency toilet, a water recycling toilet and reviews of the best low-flow toilets. They”re all valuable in their own way, but rather than rushing out to buy one of them, there”s an even easier way to save lots of water: make your own frugal flusher. Just place a brick or similarly voluminous object in the tank of your toilet; by displacing some of the water, there”s less of it to flush each time, and less valuable wet stuff goes down the drain.

::25 Ways to Save the Planet: 25 - 11; we finish off the series tomorrow — don”t miss it!

Image Martin Specht for The New York Times.

A few months back we reported that Whole Foods would be going 100% wind powered and because of it they’ve achieved #13 on the Reader’s Digest: America’s 100 Best. “Our special issue celebrates the Best of America- the best toy inventor, movie trailer, math teacher, headline, buzz cut, seaside stroll, street name, cool car, chess player, block party, sandwich, globetrotter, stick artist, view from a dentist’s chair- 100 surprises in all,” the May 2006 issue states. This is great news, not only for Whole Foods, but for the company who they are working with, Renewable Choice. Founded a few years ago, they are now a leading national provider of wind power. Via ::Musings of an Eco-Entreprenuer