Photo by Laverrue via Flickr

From recycled water bottle islands to the latest developments in sustainable transport, Ecoble has shared the coolest green gadgets, current eco politics, and our favorite sustainable innovations with you for nearly a year-and-a-half now – here’s the 10 posts our readers have enjoyed the most. Let us know which Ecoble article is your favorite in the comments!

What do you get when you combine bamboo, a little plywood, and 250,000 plastic bottles? Your own sustainable floating island, of course! Richie Sowa built the island off the Mexico coastline – for the second time in 2007, after the original Spiral Island suffered during strong winds.

Global warming – is it real; is it our fault? Our most popular climate change article urges every individual to ponder, research, and investigate those questions for themselves before sitting back and doing nothing.

What can you do with an old cassette tape? Or a few empty CD cases? Newspapers, old clothes, or rubber bands? Check out these 10 unusual ways to recycle ordinary objects to see insulation, coin purses, and even bridges made out of simple, household things!

Prefab houses are the latest trend in eco-friendly housing. FlatPak offers customized prefab homes, as well as office buildings, starting with an earth-friendly foundation that can be adapted to sandy, mountainous, or extreme terrains.

Sustainable transportation has come a long way in the past few years. Electric cars like the Zoop, the sleek diesel Loremo boasting 150 mpg, and even the robotic looking Helios are just the beginning of what’s in store for the future of green automotives.

What could you do with a glowstick that never burnt out, continuously glowing all day and night for 15 years – no recharge needed? Glowpaint’s Litroenergy uses self-luminescent micro particles to create the longest lasting light source currently available that requires no type of energy.

What happens when an astronaut drops a camera or loses a wrench in space? Where do old satellites go when they no longer work? What about debris and pieces that fall from rockets as they travel? It becomes space junk, cluttering the universe, occasionally falling back to Earth, and interfering with rocket travel until we figure out a way to remove it!

What if skyscrapers were more than just towering hunks of metal, constantly contributing to smog and air pollution? What if they generated wind power and provided space for public parks? Maybe even providing fresh fruits and vegetables for the community? This green architectural concept would turn skyscrapers into climate change allies instead of the enemies they’re currently seen as.

Solar power is seeing a lot of new potential lately. The sun is powering cars, homes – and now boats! This innovative design lets you enjoy the luxury of boating without the environmental harm of gas engines. The solar powered boat features pedals for an eco-friendly backup energy option.

Living off-the-grid isn’t too hard – especially with these creative energy-free gadgets. Gravity lights, magnetic refrigerators, and no-energy-required espresso makers are perfect accessories for a sustainable home. Power gadgets on the go just by moving with a kinetic energy band or relax in your very own wood-burning jacuzzi.

Top Ten Ecoble Articles of All Time is a post from: Ecoble

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By Mysi Anne via Flickr

Global warming has been discussed and debated until we’re all about sick of hearing the debates and discussions. Instead of analyzing scientific data or arguing over who’s to blame for climate change, take a look at these intriguing global warming images of the shocking and unusual changes we’ve experienced in recent years. These oddities may or may not prove that global warming is real in your book, but they’re amazing nonetheless!

Vegas Wonderland

December 2008, Las Vegas sees their first big snowfall in 30 years.

Sheffield Underwater

June 2007 floods in the UK. Photo by Random_Dave

Extreme Weather in the Land Down Under

The Heat is On in Southern Cal

2007 California wildfires Malibu. Photo by kia40671

Northwest Forest Massacre

Tree death rates in old growth forests have doubled in the last 50 years. Photo by Weatherbox

Ike the Terrible

Galveston Island, TX underwater 2 days before Ikes Sept.14, 2008 landfall. AP Photo by David Phillip

Goodbye Froggy

Frog populations have been declining around the world since the late 1980s. Green frog by Hamed Saber

Dry in the Southeast

Lake Alatoona in Georgia near the public side of a campground swimming area during the widespread drought of 2007. Photo by mjn9

Icy China

The worst winter weather in half a century left thousands without electricity, homes, and transportation in early 2008.

We’re Not in Kansas

Feb. 2008, at least 48 deaths blamed on tornadoes from Texas to Indiana.

Definitely Not Kansas

Hot, Hot, Hot

This summer's undergarments will be invisible. Image from focalplane

The Dry Sunburned Country

Victorian side of Lake Hume during 2007 drought. Photo by suburban bloke

Humongous Twister

This tornado touched down briefly in Mitchell County, Iowa in June 2008. AP Photo by Lori Mehmen

An Icy 2007 for the Eastern US

Ice in Texas during the January storms that created winter chaos up and down the east coast. Photo by jonmatthew photography

Katrina the Devastater

The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in Bay St. Louis, MS - tires still look good anyway! Photo by St Louis Garage

Texas Flames Continue to Blaze

Already responsible for the destruction of 6 homes and over 6200 acres, as well as a death, extreme wildfires continue to ravage Texas. AP/The Reporter-News, Ronald W. Erdrich

Monster Typhoons

Typhoon Saomai claimed over 100 lives and more than 50,000 homes in China, Aug. 2006. The worst storm in half a century. Via National Geographic

Hurricane Omaha

Worst Storm in a Century

July, 2007 - heavy rain, wind, and lightening trapped hundreds and destroyed homes in Chongqing, China. Image via ChinaDaily.com

20 Amazing Images Attributed to Global Warming is a post from: Ecoble

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Here are 10 of our favorite fresh new faces:

Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy

Here’s a nice change, blasting the Energy Department out of its fossilized, fossil-fuel state and into the 21st Century. Instead of an oil company exec, Obama has appointed a Nobel Prize-winning physicist with a track record in working toward energy efficiency. As Director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Chu gained a national reputation as a speaker; among other things, he liked to point out that companies who claimed they couldn’t possibly cut back energy use suddenly manifested miracles of efficiency when they stopped paying lobbyists and hired engineers instead.

Lisa Jackson, Director, Environmental Protection Agency

After years of neglect, bending over backward to industry demands, and interference in basic science by political hacks, Jackson will be a breath of fresh air at the EPA. As head of New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection Jackson has been implementing that state’s climate plan, which aims to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020. If New Jersey can do it, there’s hope for the U.S. “I can think of few people more qualified and ready to lead the EPA during these challenging times,” notes Senator Tom Carper (D-DE)

Carol Browner, “Global Warming Czar”

The longest-serving EPA Director in history (all of Clinton’s eight years) and a “well-known environmental wonk”, Browner brings her geeky science background to the White House, where she will head a new council to coordinate White House energy, climate and environment policies. She’s been lauded by everyone from the Audubon Society to the Center for American Progress; the conservative American Enterprise Institute, in contrast, finds her “excessively partisan”, which must come as a shock after the easy-going, non-partisan environmental policies of the Bush years.

John Holdren,  Science Advisor

Can you imagine a world in which the President’s science advisor publishes articles with titles like: “The Future of Climate Change Policy: The U.S.’s Last Chance to Lead”? Science was not exactly respected during the Bush years; it was more swept under the rug, then beaten with the broom. Holdren, a physicist-turned-environmental-policy-expert, is better than “change we can believe in” – he’s “change we can demonstrate with empirical proof”.  Oh – the subtitle for that article, which appeared in the October Scientific American? “McCain or Obama can end shameful U.S. foot-dragging and rally the world against climate change.”

Nancy Sutley, Chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality

As Deputy Mayor of Los Angeles, Sutley has been working on that sprawling city’s climate change initiatives; prior to that she worked at the EPA, the California EPA, and served as energy advisor to California Governor Gray Davis. She’s also a woman of color, born in  South America, and an open lesbian. Says Warner Chabot, CEO of the California League of Conservation Voters: “Nancy Sutley rocks!… one of the most ethical, effective environmental policy leaders in government.”

Jeff Merkley, Oregon Senator

What a nice concept – a Senator who, instead of being a former business exec, is a former executive director of Portland Habitat for Humanity. As Speaker of the Oregon House, he racked up such an impressive record that the Oregon League of Conservation Voters named him “Caretaker of the Year”. He’s bringing in a plan to fight climate change by, among other things, having U.S. cities adopt some of the initiatives he pushed through in Oregon, such as investing in renewable energy and conservation.  Merkley took out incumbent Senator Gordon Smith, whose League of Conservation Voters score of 37 percent was much improved by an election-year conversion that might not have lasted had he been re-elected. Ironically, Smith was the black-as-dirty-coal sheep of the generally very green Udall family – cousins Mark (D-CO) and Tom (D-NM) are newly-minted senators themselves, with Mark a former director of Colorado Outward Bound.

Paul Tonko, New York Congressman

A familiar face in Upstate New York, Tonko brings a solid progressive vote to this solidly Democratic district (a nice change after years of hawkishness under Sam Stratton and moderateness under Michael McNulty). Tonko is an engineer, spent years in the NY State Legislature, and then was head of the New York Energy Development Authority.

Phil Shiliro, Assistant to the President for Legislative Affairs

You probably haven’t heard of him, and probably don’t even know his job exists – there are no YouTube videos, or even a pic of him on the White House website [update - they've finally got one up!]. But he’s the guy that schmoozes with the Congress, making sure that Democratic lawmakers (and maybe even a Republican or two, you never know) are on board so that legislation gets passed. Effective liaison was one of the big failures of the Clinton White House, and Obama is already making smarter choices – Shiliro is a former chief of staff to Henry Waxman (more on him in a moment) with nearly 30 years of Capital Hill experience. An environmental lawyer, he joined Waxman’s staff in 1982 to work on the Clean Air Act.

Henry Waxman, California Congressman

Not exactly a new face, but probably the most significant change in Congress this year. Henry Waxman booted John Dingell (D-GM) from the chairmanship of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where he had been single-handedly holding up, slowing down and sabotaging any legislation that Detroit automakers didn’t like. Waxman, in contrast, has been the go-to guy on just about all things green: He wrote the Safe Climate Act (which may now be able to pass); he also wrote the Global Warming Statement of Principals and got 152 House members to sign on. He’s also been a key defender of the Clean Air Act and the Safe Drinking Water Act. (Likely key player in helping Waxman oust Dingell: Phil Shiliro)

Jerry McNerney, California Congressman

Not a new face again, but a pleasant surprise – a green face we didn’t expect would stick around. McNerney is a wind power executive (!) and two years ago he knocked off one of the most anti-green Congressman, the scandal-plagued Richard Pombo. McNerney walked cautiously during his first term, thinking he would only be able to hang on in this solidly Republican district as a blue-dog moderate Democrat. But he won re-election over a rock-ribbed conservative, and it looks like he’s here to stay.

Green Politicians: 10 eco-friendly additions to Washington is a post from: Ecoble

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Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Baxterclaws

What if you could eliminate your commute by working from home?

Or, even better, what if you could take your work with you anywhere: to a Hong Kong hotel room or to a warm beach in the Maldive Islands?

Work from wherever you want? Sound too good to be true? For some adventuresome people, it’s reality.

Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Shiznotty

Location Independent Living

Thousands of people work from home, but there are a growing number of “location independent professionals” (LIPs) who can work from anywhere (as long as there’s internet access, of course).

And by eliminating the need to travel to–and work in–an office, LIPs are improving their quality of life and reducing their carbon impact at the same time.

Many LIPs have used their freedom to become perpetual travelers. In other words, they don’t have a home-base. They spend two or three months in one city (or country), and then move on to the next location when the mood strikes.

Photo courtesy of Lea Woodward

Take Lea and Jonathon Woodward, for example. Originally from the UK, they have run their online company from beaches and furnished apartments in Grenada, Argentina, Canada, South Africa, Thailand, Panama, and the United Arab Emirates.

Location independent living is one of the ultimate ways to live simply. With no home-base, needs are minimal and traveling light is a must.

Plus, because their jobs allow them to work from anywhere, the Woodwards have eliminated their commute. And they’ve eliminated their need for an office entirely.

Kick Your Commute: Environmental Impact

The average American spends over 100 hours per year getting to and from work. Although some workers walk, bike, or carpool, the vast majority of commuters drive to work. Considering that the average car emits 20.4 pounds of CO2 emissions per gallon of fuel, a reduction (or complete elimination) of your commute would significantly impact your annual carbon emissions.

Photo by Guillermo Esteves

For example, if 5% of New Yorkers stopped commuting via vehicle, they would eliminate 150 million pounds of CO2 emissions per year. This is equivalent to planting a forest 1.3 times the size of Manhattan!

Goodbye Office: Environmental Impact

Office buildings themselves are responsible for a staggering level of energy consumption:

Buildings accounted for 39.4 percent of total US energy consumption. Residential buildings accounted for 54.6 percent of that total, while commercial buildings accounted for the other 45.4 percent. EPA

These numbers show that roughly half of the buildings in the US are for personal use and the other half are for commercial use. If working independently (or from home) can reduce the need for commercial buildings, this can only help reduce energy consumption resulting from commercial buildings.

Of course, building greener buildings helps, too.

Location Independent Living: Not for Everybody

Unfortunately, not all careers lend themselves to becoming “location independent.” And not everyone is interested in working from exotic or relaxing locales. (Although you’ve got to admit, it’s tempting!)
But even if location independent living isn’t for you, you can still start kicking your commute.

More and more businesses are recognizing the economic benefits of having employees work from home. Increased productivity and fewer sick days among staff are just some of the benefits that resonate with employers.

Some sectors are receptive to having employees work from home one or more days per week. Consider broaching the subject at your office. You never know, it might be the first step to a location independent career!

Flickr Creative Commons Photo by Go Dolphin

If commuting is a necessity for you, consider what you can do to reduce the environmental impact of your commute.

Everyone is able to reduce the impact of their commute in one way or another. A once-a-month carpool? A greener vehicle? A bike commute or two during the summer?

Small steps lead to larger changes, so start kicking your commute!

Kick Your Commute: Go Green by Working From Home (Or From Somewhere Warm and Sunny) is a post from: Ecoble

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Photo by Lori Greig

Whether you like to read, enjoy learning new things, or just need a good resource to make your life a little greener – check out these free eco ebooks and satisfy your literary cravings:

On Transportation

The Green Motoring Guide by Drive offers an in-depth fuel comparison, the scoop on the best green cars available now, and tips to make your drive time more environmentally friendly.

108 Tips to Raise Your Fuel Economy provides a wealth of info that will help you save money and decrease your carbon footprint. The green ebook is free when you subscribe to Wise Bread’s feed.

Gas Saving Devices – Fuel Saver or Consumer Scam is a must-read before you spend money to make your car more efficient. A number of websites sale this ebook for as much as $20, but it’s available free through ebooks Canada. (Warning – link is directly to the pdf file.)

Biodiesel 101 offers all the info you need to brew and use your own biodiesel, specifically in the state of Arizona.

On Global Warming and Climate Change

Global Warming: A Mind Mappers Guide to the Science and Solutions is an easy to read ebook by Jane Genovese, explaining the cause, effect, and solutions of global warming using illustrative mind maps.

The Challenge of Global Warming, written by NASA scientist James Hansen with the help of other contributers in 1989, is now available as a free ebook from Island Press. The book examines scientific proof of climate change and measures that can be taken to reduce the overall global impact.

Gone with the Winds by Jane Air is a unique twist on environmental ebooks. Read all 28 chapters of this romantic, yet satirical, take on global warming from a poetic view.

On Renewable and Alternative Energy

The Solar Energy Guide is an informative ebook from SolReka with everything you need to know about photovoltaic panels and their uses. Again, this link takes you straight to the book.

Biogas Methane Explained by Steve Last is a bit technical but worth the read if you’re interested in learning more about biomass and waste energy.

Sustainable Energy Without the Hot Air, by Cambridge physic professor David Mackay, gives knowledgeable insight into the future of sustainable and renewable energy.

Photo by Bob Cox

On Green Living

An Inconvenient Doofus by Steve Lee is a 62-page ebook with images, tips for a greener lifestyle, and plenty of humor. The link above will take you straight to the PDF file or you can get more info here.

Living Green is a collection of 101 tips to improve the environment. This link also takes you straight to the ebook.

The Guide to Greener Electronics is a publication by Greenpeace, updated every 3 months. Take a look at the most recent edition, updated Nov.24, 2008, here in PDF format.

On Sustainable Architecture and Green Building

Green Building 101 is a basic guide to sustainable building and remodeling from the folks at Tree Hugger Consulting in Oregon.

How to Buy a Solar Hot Water Heater by John Van Doren has all the info you need to make an informed purchase of solar hot water heaters. (PDF link)

Photo by Papalars

On Green Business

You Can’t Afford Not to be Green – 51 ways your business can save money and the planet. Read it online.

State of Green Business 2008 provides a summary of the latest advancements in eco-friendly business practices, including telecommuting, energy efficiency, and alternative transportation. This link takes you to the PDF version.

Of course, ebooks are only good for the environment when you print less.  The Green PDF is an initiative to reduce greenhouse emissions by urging changes in our printing and reading habits.

If you know of a green ebook worth reading, let us know in the comments!

18 Free Green Ebooks Worth Reading is a post from: Ecoble

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