Finally, we”d like to thank you. The group of people who”ve come together around Worldchanging — readers, allies, the extended network of sources and occasional collaborators, volunteers, contributors, and supporters — is the most amazing group of people we”ve ever known, and a source of constant inspiration and optimism. Thank you.
On Wednesday, Fortune magazine weighed in on the continuing conflict between paper products giant Kimberly-Clark and environmental groups Greenpeace and the National Resources Defense Council.
An amateur mathematician, Hagar Dronbecker, has discovered that Pi repeats itself at the hyper-thousandth level. The idea came upon him while he was eating a heirloom green and red tomato sandwich drizzled with balsamic vinegar and olive oil. (Note: the photo above is not the actual sandwich but an approximation.)
They have a lot of wood in Finland, and a lot of very talented modernist architects to use it. The FMO (Finnforest Modular Office) Tapiola Building, winner of Finland”s top wood design award, is built from sustainably harvested wood, prefabricated in modular elements. - the facade is made from 1200 factory produced parts combined with 17,000 individually machined wooden parts. Says structural engineer Jukka Ala-Ojala:“The wooden structures are complicated and as wooden technology has not been used to this extent before, it has been a steep learning curve for the whole team One particular achievement was convincing the authorities that the building would meet the stringent European safety codes.With no previous experience of such a complicated wooden structure in office construction, they were particularly concerned about the fire risk.†Pekka Helin, the primary architect, is confident about the popularity of wood in modern projects: “A modern wooden office building shows how wood can meet today’s architectural demands for more ‘human’ and environmentally-friendly structures. I see a bright international future for such buildings as the wood renaissance continues. †::Finnforest
Just a couple of weeks ago we interviewed Jeremy Leggett , CEO of London based SolarCentury. It seems that he and his team have been busy since then. Last week, his company announced that they were the UK’s fastest growing renewable energy company for the second year running, and the day after that they made a high-profile pledge that the company would be donating 5% of its net profit to SolarAid, the UK’s first solar energy charity for the developing world. The charity was launched at the Climate Clinic Night at the Labour Party Conference in Manchester this week, ensuring high visibility amongst politicians and decision makers. The charity aims to relieve poverty through the use of solar energy. It will also run education projects in matters relating to solar energy, climate change and the protection of the environment. SolarAid will also carry out research into renewable energy generation, distribution, supply and use in the developing world.
We have been meaning to post this for some time now, but never quite got round to it. Going Green, the London electric car dealership who we reported on here, has a link to a report by ABC news on the G-Wiz, or Reva as it is known in India where it is manufactured. The short report chronicles the experiences of London-based Daisy Goodwin, comparing the miniscule running costs of her nifty city car against the massive fuel bills of her husband”s SUV. Whilst the report itself reveals nothing new to those who have been following the rise of this car, it”s fun to see the thing in action. It is cetainly also good to see it get attention in the mainstream media as a very real and practical reponse to high prices at the pumps. [Written by: Sami Grover]
The recent cases of E. Coli in organic spinach have reinvigorated the debate about food safety: how much do we know? What do we need to know? How much forest land must be plowed under to provide the resources for organic farming? Why is copper sulfate an approved organic fungicide if it is known to have negative environmental impacts? Are synthetic fertilizers really worse for the environment than “natural” fertilizers? Will 2.3 million people die if we convert all farming to organic methods?
In a nice piece of unplanned synergy, this is our 5,000th post, and tomorrow is our three-year anniversary.
They have a lot of wood in Finland, and a lot of very talented modernist architects to use it. The FMO (Finnforest Modular Office) Tapiola Building, winner of Finland”s top wood design award, is built from sustainably harvested wood, prefabricated in modular elements. - the facade is made from 1200 factory produced parts combined with 17,000 individually machined wooden parts. Says structural engineer Jukka Ala-Ojala:“The wooden structures are complicated and as wooden technology has not been used to this extent before, it has been a steep learning curve for the whole team One particular achievement was convincing the authorities that the building would meet the stringent European safety codes.With no previous experience of such a complicated wooden structure in office construction, they were particularly concerned about the fire risk.†Pekka Helin, the primary architect, is confident about the popularity of wood in modern projects: “A modern wooden office building shows how wood can meet today’s architectural demands for more ‘human’ and environmentally-friendly structures. I see a bright international future for such buildings as the wood renaissance continues. †
In the early 90s, inspired by the “street sheet” style newspapers sold by homeless people in New York, a small group in London launched 
