Plastics Without Oil. Here's How. What The Future Of Wave Energy Looks Like. The 10 Most Oil-Addicted Counties In The U.S. America Hit With Record Devastation From Wildfires. Wildfire smoke: Dan Pearce via FlickrThe National Interagency Fire Center reports that 2012 just broke the record for most acreage burned by wildfires as of this date (see chart below). The previous record was set in 2006, another mega-drought year.
Year-to-date statistics for acreage burned by wildfires National Interagency Fire Center That's nearly 7 million acres—or 10,893 square miles—that have burned so far this record hot and dry year. Currently 39 large fires and fire complexes are actively burning 1,401,968 acres. Night view of western wildfires, August 17 NASA image by Jesse Allen, using Suomi NPP VIIRS dataIn Northern California, where I live, fire bloomed with August's dry lightning strikes. Jeremy Couso at SusanvilleStuff.com—listening in on the late night fire scanner—learned how one such fire was thwarted by a lone man in the dark last weekend: Then came the report of a lightning fire burning in rugged terrain southeast of Eagle Lake.
Fire and smoke map for August 20. OGE: Matt - SmartHours Customer.
Indians have least eco impact, most sustainable behaviour. Washington: Indian consumers emerged as the most conscious about their environment footprint in a new survey that found that Indians were more guilty about their impact even when they had the best sustainable behaviour. According to new global analysis by the National Geographic Society, India topped a list of 17 nations on best sustainable behaviour, with consumers in the US last on the list. Ironically, people in developing countries like India, China and Brazil -- in that order -- were making the most sustainable choices, while consumers in the rich nations had the least sustainable lifestyles. India accounted for a Greendex score of 58.9, followed by China at 57.8 and Brazil at 55.5, while the US was ranked the lowest at a score of 44.7.
People in India and other developing countries were also found to be the most "guilty about the impact" they have on the environment. In contrast only 21 per cent of US consumers are guilty about the impact they have on the environment. Welcome To Masdar City. How International Regulations Are Changing American Supply Chains. Nature deficit disorder 'damaging Britain's children' 29 March 2012Last updated at 20:15 ET By Richard Black Environment correspondent, BBC News Children "learn by doing" in the natural environment, says the National Trust UK children are losing contact with nature at a "dramatic" rate, and their health and education are suffering, a National Trust report says. Traffic, the lure of video screens and parental anxieties are conspiring to keep children indoors, it says. Evidence suggests the problem is worse in the UK than other parts of Europe, and may help explain poor UK rankings in childhood satisfaction surveys.
The trust is launching a consultation on tackling "nature deficit disorder". "This is about changing the way children grow up and see the world," said Stephen Moss, the author, naturalist and former BBC Springwatch producer who wrote the Natural Childhood report for the National Trust. "The natural world doesn't come with an instruction leaflet, so it teaches you to use your creative imagination. It cites evidence showing that: U.S. Poised For Passenger Rail Boom. Can Technology Help Farmers Adapt to Climate Change? Plastic Forever, Couple Makes Lovely Art Out of Beach’s Plastic Trash. California Sets New Rules To Boost Zero-Emission Car Sales. Google Data Centers Get High Marks for Green and Safety Practices. Google announced Thursday that a number of its U.S. data centers received recognition for green practices and safety methods. Google is the first major Internet company to earn both ISO 14001 and OHSAS 18001 certifications.
The centers were able to reduce oil consumption by using generators less often and changed how they handle, package and ship batteries. "We do this because we want to be the gold standard in environmental and workforce safety, and because we care about the communities where we live and work," Google said in a blog post. Data centers in the following U.S. locations received the certifications: The Dalles, Ore.; Council Bluffs, Iowa; Mayes County, Okla.; Lenoir, N.C.; Monck's Corner, S.C. and Douglas County, Ga. Check out the video above to learn more. Tiny Car Gets 350 MPG, Beats Corporate Competitors In Energy Derby. Infographic: The Economics Of Making Your House More Energy Efficient. The idea of the home of the future--equipped with all sorts of fancy, clean energy features--is an appealing vision.
Sadly, many of us have houses that are already stuck squarely in the present. To do something like add solar panels, or even just insulate better, requires what can be an extreme cash outlay. But there's an upside: If you're improving your house to be more energy efficient, you're going to start saving money. Are you going to save enough to make your expenditures worthwhile?
That's the question that the latest infographic from solar provider One Block Off The Grid attempts to answer. Should you throw down for that retrofit? The truth is, it depends on what you want to do, and--more importantly--how long you're going to stay in your house. If you're just passing through, consider efficient shower heads (paid off in less than a year with it's $300 of savings) or a programmable thermostat (just a hair over six months).
The Most Energy Efficient States In The Nation. Energy efficiency--it's all the rage these days. From CFL light bulbs to Energy Star fridges, it's easy to try to reduce your personal energy consumption. But those advances stem, in large part, from regulations and subsidies from local, state, and federal governments. At the state level, there's a tremendous differences in how those regs and dollars hare doled out. A new study from the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy ranks all 50 states in terms of how energy-efficient friendly their policies are. These metrics include how much the state is doing to increase efficient transportation, building, and power production, as well as the standards it enforces on appliances and the programs it has in place to help citizens be more efficient. Unlike electric car adoption, which hews to a strict red state/blue state divide, the efficient states are spread more evenly across the country (Idaho is just as efficient as Pennsylvania).
Electricity pylons: The art of power.