Image: Wikipedia, CC Americans have been known for a long time for their love of big cars and big engines, but this is slowly changing. Big V6 and V8 are slowly losing ground to smaller and more fuel-efficient 4-cylinder engines, a trend that still has momentum despite a drop in fuel prices in 2009. According to Ward's Auto, in 2009 "the installation rate for V-6 and V-8 engines fell to 57.1%, from 63.9% in '08, continuing a 5-year decline from a peak this decade of 76.2% in '04."...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Photo: Kia South-Korean Automakers Could Help Make EVs More Affordable I have a love/hate relationship with concept cars. It's always fun to see what automotive engineers can come up with, and they have a lot more freedom to innovate with concept cars than with production models, but a lot of the time, the results can be impractical and/or silly, and you just know that they'll never make a production version. That's why I'm happy to see that Kia's electric car concept is based on a production model. Read on for the technical specs....Read the full story on TreeHugger

All images taken by author at London Fashion Week AW10 Drama, colour and detail, that's what the most fabulous ethical fashion accessories are about this season at London Fashion Week. Like this incredible tagua (vegetable ivory) and waste cattle bone necklace from Leju. We love a bit of tribal drama in our lives and appropriately enough the necklace is called Read the full story on TreeHugger

Images via EnergySavvy EnergySavvy is the newest tool to hit the web for homeowners looking to minimize wasted energy. By creating a profile of your home and getting a score based on your current energy efficiency, you can find out the various ways to improve your home's energy efficiency, find contractors to help you make the improvements, and discover what rebates you qualify for in making your improvements. As the company states, it's the Match.com for home owners looking for some extra love in the home improvement department. ...Read the full story on TreeHugger

Image: Fast Company Portland gets a lot of love from the green movement, and for good reason. By making use of a blend of transportation options (biking, aerial tram, pedestrian walkways, trolleys, etc) and cultivating an appealing aesthetic for each to coexist in, Portland has come up with a great model for transit-oriented d...Read the full story on TreeHugger