Design Thinking » thoughts by Tim Brown Rare earth metals and recycling: What cell phone makers have to learn from EV companies Recycling rates for rare earth metals being used in electric and hybrid vehicles are miserably low, according to a new report out of the U.N.’s envrionmental branch (PDF). Apparently, less than 1 percent of these materials are being recycled and reused, which is utterly unsustainable. This could spell doom for the green technology sector if major changes aren’t made in the next several years. But alternative energy cars aren’t the only culprits in the rare earth metal recycling game. According to the U.S. Recycling isn’t an issue solely because it would reduce material costs. Rare earth metals are also, increasingly, a foreign policy issue. Recycling is the logical solution to all of these concerns. Efforts to recycle more electronics, particularly computers and cell phones, are underway. Because they are opening up an entirely new industry, electric car companies have had to establish responsible recycling plans from the start. But the cell phone industry faces a tougher battle.
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DesignShare Home International Space Spending | Dennis' Blog Despite current thrashing over the U.S. space program, the United States continues to lead the world in spending on civil space exploration. At rates of more than $18B per year, the expenditures dwarf its nearest competitors. Nonetheless, space continues to decline as a national investment priority, as measured by its share of the total government budget, and also by its share of Gross Domestic Product. First a little calibration for those unfamiliar with how much actually gets spent around the world. While total dollars count for a lot, it is also instructive to look at how much of a country’s economy, or government budget, is invested; this gives some indication of space as a relative priority. India’s investment stands out even further when expressed as a share of its total government budget. A final note is while the accumulated budgets of major partners are not insubstantial, the portions of those budgets devoted to human space flight are. Like this: Like Loading...
Japan Space Budget up 3%: Focus on Milspace Supported « Japan Space Policy 2011年1月14日 Japan’s general activities space budget will see a 3.0% rise to 309.9 billion yen (US$3.75 billion) for the fiscal year starting April 1, 2011 over the prior year, according to figures released by the Strategic Headquarters for Space Policy (SHSP), January 14. The Ministry of Education Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) is to receive a budget of 177 billion yen, up 18 billion yen for the current year, with substantial rises in budgets a number for the development of a number of high profile programs, said Keichi Tabuchi, Unit Chief, Office for Space Untilization Promotion, MEXT, January 14. Main budget increases are for the the Hayabusa-2 asteroid sample return mission; the GCOM-W water circulation observation satellite; the ALOS-2 earth resources and disaster observation satellite; the Epsilon fast-launch solid-fueled medium launch vehicle; the ASTRO-H X-ray astronomical satellite; and the Bepi Colombo Mercury probe. Like this: Like Loading...