Photo via Brian Gratwicke
Does the intelligence of an animal factor in on your decision whether or not to eat them? Many people consider pigs to be incredibly intelligent, but they're still mostly factory farmed in often abhorrent conditions. Scientists are pushing for dolphins and other cetaceans to have non-human person status, complete with inalienable rights. But they're still hunted every year as a fish stock, as the documentary The Cove has highlighted. And what about cephalopods, a.k.a. octopuses and squid, which are known to be highly intelligent -- so...Read the full story on TreeHugger

All images from Push House
In much of the world, hemp is thought of as a useful building material; Warren recently showed us an interesting house from Australia and it is common in the UK. But in America, it is still the butt of hippie jokes; Matt Hickman of the Mother Nature Networks describes a new house in Asheville, North Carolina with references to Tommy Chong and describes the interior:...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image via Elephant Journal
We've had an influx of iPhone apps based on the Gulf oil spill, and many of them also donate proceeds to helping clean-up efforts. So what makes Puff Puff: Gulf Spill any different? It's still an app about the life post oil disaster and it donates 30% of net proceeds to ecosystem restoration in the Gulf of Mexico. But perhaps the importan...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image credit: Brondell Simple Flush
Dual-flush toilets have always been popular here on TreeHugger. After all, it seems insane to use the same amount of drinking water to flush your number ones as your number twos. (It actually seems insane to use drinking water at all, but that's another story.) But rather than just advocating ripping out your old fixture—we've always been keen on adapting your old throne. From the Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photo via The Daily Mail
The ocean's whales are some of the Earth's most massive and majestic animals, reaching sizes of up to 80 feet long and 150 tons. As the targets of centuries of whaling, they have a violent history -- and are still recovering from an industry that depleted their numbers substantially.
But while whales can be aggressive at times, they are more often gentle, curious creatures -- and likely to check out foreign objects in the water, including boats and photographers.
Read the full story on TreeHugger
