Go Green
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While you were paying attention to Herman Cain, the Kardashians and the Penn State child sex abuse scandal, the U.S. Department of Energy administered last rites to the planet. What's the biggest story of the last several weeks? Rick Perry’s moment of silence, all 53 seconds' worth?
Game Over for Planet Earth: The Month’s Biggest Story You Never Read | Economy | AlterNet
For its part, Loblaws had already begun to charge five cents for bags in Toronto in January 2009 and in the rest of the country in April 2009. It reports that its national plastic bag distribution dropped 55 per cent in 2009 and that it diverted 1.3 billion plastic bags from landfill sites in 2009."
How a landfill works: Infographic | MNN - Mother Nature Network
How Can It Be Warming When It's (Almost) Always Cooling? | ThinkProgress
Figure 1: BEST land-only surface temperature data (green) with linear trends applied to the timeframes 1973 to 1980, 1980 to 1988, 1988 to 1995, 1995 to 2001, 1998 to 2005, 2002 to 2010 (blue), and 1973 to 2010 (red). Dana of Skeptical Science has a good post on the denier’s latest spin, “ Going Down the Up Escalator ,” reposted below. One of the most common misunderstandings amongst climate “skeptics” is the difference between short-term noise and long-term signal. In fact, “ it hasn’t warmed since 1998 ” is ninth on the list of most-used climate myths , and “ it’s cooling ” is fifth.
Scientists may have found the cause of the world’s sudden dwindling population of bees – and cell phones may be to blame. Research conducted in Lausanne, Switzerland has shown that the signal from cell phones not only confuses bees, but also may lead to their death. Over 83 experiments have yielded the same results. With virtually most of the population of the United States (and the rest of the world) owning cell phones, the impact has been greatly noticeable. Led by researcher Daniel Favre, the alarming study found that bees reacted significantly to cell phones that were placed near or in hives in call-making mode. The bees sensed the signals transmitted when the phones rang, and emitted heavy buzzing noise during the calls.
It's Official- Cell Phones are Killing Bees | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World
I’m not one of those guys who corners folks at parties to rant at them about biodiesel or calls people “fucking idiots” for being skeptical about global warming. But I should also point out that I’m not one of those Andrew Dice Clay “Fuck the whales” types either. The problem with all the bravado on both sides of the ecology debate is that nobody really knows what they’re talking about. Trying to form opinions on climate change, overpopulation, and peak oil hinges on ginormous leaps of faith based around tiny statistical deviances that even the scientists studying them have a hard time understanding.
TOXIC: Garbage Island 1 of 3 - Toxic | VBS.TV
Photo credit: Zainub Razvi Plastic bags have become the bane of our existence. They pollute our waterways, get tangled in trees and bushes, and take hundreds of years to break down into smaller pieces.
Japanese Inventor Akinori Ito Converts Plastic Bags into Fuel | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World
Plastic Recycling Codes - Which Plastics Are Safe - The Daily Green
By Jeffrey M. Smith In America, we generate 10.5 million tons of plastic waste per year with only 1-2% being recycled .Thorium One ton of thorium can produce as much energy as 200 tons of uranium and 3.5 million tons of coal, according to the former director of CERN. An abundant metal with vast energy potential could quickly wean the world off oil, if only Western political leaders would muster the will to do it, a UK newspaper says today. The Telegraph makes the case for thorium reactors as the key to a fossil-fuel-free world within five years, and puts the ball firmly in President Barack Obama’s court. Thorium, named for the Norse god of thunder, is much more abundant than uranium and has 200 times that metal’s energy potential. Thorium is also a more efficient fuel source — unlike natural uranium, which must be highly refined before it can be used in nuclear reactors, all thorium is potentially usable as fuel.
Development of Tiny Thorium Reactors Could Wean the World Off Oil In Just Five Years | century hitech
Turtle found that pooped plastic for a month | MNN - Mother Nature Network
TURTLE FOOD: Sea turtles often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, a favorite food item. (Photo: motleypixel/Flickr) As the world's experts on plastic pollution gather this week in Honolulu for the Fifth International Marine Debris Conference, a disturbing new report has been released that chronicles what decades of plastic pollution in our oceans has done to sea turtles. The turtle was rescued in 2009 after marine biologists in Melbourne Beach, Fla., noticed that it seemed to be having problems digesting food. After dislodging a large piece of plastic from the animal's gastrointestinal tract, the turtle proceeded to defecate 74 foreign objects over the next month.
Green businesses aim to solve both environmental and social problems, instead of causing them. In addition, they adopt principles, policies, and practices that improve the quality of life for their customers, employees, communities and the environment. Creating more green businesses is a core part of President Obama’s... more Green businesses aim to solve both environmental and social problems, instead of causing them. In addition, they adopt principles, policies, and practices that improve the quality of life for their customers, employees, communities and the environment. Creating more green businesses is a core part of President Obama’s economic stimulus plan.
Green Business - Business Exchange
Why just use solar power or wind power when you can use both? Designed by Francesco Colarossi, Giovanna Saracino and Luisa Saracino as part of an Italian design contest to re-imagine a decommissioned bridge (for which it placed second), this so-called Solar Wind concept would have solar cells embedded in the roadway (an idea that's already catching on ) and an array of 26 wind turbines underneath, which the designers say could produce enough energy combined to power 15,000 homes. To make the design greener still, the designers have even included a "green promenade" that would run alongside the road, which they suggest could be used to grow fruits and vegetables that'd then be sold to folks driving by. Incidentally, while it's less focused on technology, the design that placed first in the contest (a so-called "vertical village") is pretty impressive in its own right -- check it out after the break.
Solar Wind bridge concept could power 15,000 homes, grow vegetables -- Engadget
1ℓimit faucet looks more like an elegant test tube inverted on top of a tap. The glass tube holds exactly one liter of water, sufficient for a quick handwash. The theory being that we waste almost six liters of water and use only one, while washing hands.
1ℓimit – Faucet Design by Yonggu Do, Dohyung Kim & Sewon Oh » Yanko Design
Starting this coming spring, a slick new solar-powered electric vehicle will be hitting the streets of Europe. Italian car designer Pininfarina and French battery manufacturer Bolloré have officially announced that the five door Blue Car hatchback is now ready for production. A fully-electric vehicle with solar panels by 2010? Count us in!
Solar Powered Blue Car Hitting the Streets in 2010 | Inhabitat - Green Design Will Save the World
ET3 is E vacuated T ube T ransportation T echnology (E+3 T's). The ET3 vision is ' Space Travel on Earth ' ™ a global Evacuated Tube Transport (ETT) network sustainably offering crystal clean, lightning fast, almost free, recliner comfort transport for 90% of people and goods by the year 2030. The ET3 mission is to provide a fair and open market where licensees may profitably leverage their assets to optimally implement ETT to maximize transportation value for all .