Saturday, March 22, 2014
“You know that it is a tradition in the tunnel boring industry to name the machine after woman,” Premier Christie Clark began. “We are here today to christen this machine Alice, after Alice Wilson, who was the very first woman they ever hired in the Geological Survey of Canada.”
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The Toyota Prius has been the perennial best seller for green-minded drivers, but the Tesla Model S is stealing buyers from the Japanese hybrid. Even though many Tesla buyers come from German luxury brands, the Model S is attracting most of its customers from Toyota.
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coal water, drought, Electricity, natural gas water, oil water, solar water, Sustainability, United Nations, wastefulness, water, wind water
Every year on this day since 1993, the community of nations has focused on the importance of fresh water and advocated for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. Severe droughts experienced recently in places like the American West, the Horn of Africa, Russia, China, and Australia have highlighted the fact that humans are rapidly using up the world’s freshwater supplies—and when they’re gone, they’re gone. We are spending one of our most vital resources in greater volumes every day.
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According to a report in PV-Tech, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) will offer to pay individuals and entities up to two-thirds of their purchase price of the battery storage system. A total budget of ¥10 billion ($A110 million) has been allocated to the program.
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As Mr. Robinson watched the day-to-day coverage of the catastrophic event, he began to formulate a resilient design that would be able to withstand the strong forces of a tsunami. After sketching his tsunami-ball design with Adobe Illustrator and consulting a few engineers to confirm the structure’s potential buoyancy, he began to work on its construction.
Since the initial idea, Robinson has spent the better part of two years and up to eight hours a day building the 22-foot-long, 10-foot-wide, 8.5-foot-high wooden capsule, which is made of interlocking pieces of plywood and epoxy. Recently installed with portholes, the buoyant structure was inspired by oil-derrick escape pods and a Canadian artist who builds tree-hanging wooden spheres as hotel rooms.
Once work on the oval storm shelter is complete, the gaps within the plywood skeleton will be filled with buoyant foam and the boat will be equipped with an electric motor and a structural keel. Solar panels will also be installed and connected to batteries. Robinson hopes to finish his ambitious project in May followed by one very hopeful test run in the Pacific Ocean.
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Zhong Lin Wang and his team at the Georgia Institute of Technology have come up with a generator that powers your smartphone with nothing more than typing and swiping. The idea is based on the triboelectric effect, which produces an electric charge from the friction of two different materials rubbing together. It’s a breakthrough that has already been successfully incorporated into various objects, and could mean you never have to charge your phone again!
To increase the amount of friction, and therefore output, Wang and his team added microscopic patterns to specially-adapted sheets of polymer. The result is an energy-output device called a triboelectric nanogenerator, or TENG, that can produce enough power to illuminate 1000 LED bulbs with a single stamp of the foot.”The amount of charge transferred depends on surface properties,” explains Wang. “Making patterns of nanomaterials on the polymer films’ surfaces increases the contact area between the sheets and can make a 1000-fold difference in the power generated.”
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Propagate Skyscraper converts harmful greenhouse gases into usable building materials! It is a self-propagating structure whose growth is dependant only on the weather conditions and the quality of air surrounding it. Carbon dioxide is turned into a solid material that builds upon an existing scaffolding structure. This innovative project won 3 prize at this year’s eVolo Skyscraper 2014 Competition.
Propagate Skyscraper introduces the exciting prospect of converting air pollutants into building material. The approach builds upon existing research on capturing carbon gases through carbon-philic resins and transforming them into solid construction material that can create self-propagating structures. A scaffold facilitates the initiation of the process, while the actual pattern and growth of the structure is defined by environmental factors such as wind, weather and the saturation of carbon dioxide within the immediate atmosphere. The growing structure can extend into six directions and promises a possibility of flexible creation of built environments.
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A few years ago, when the economy took a nosedive, a majority of Americans decided for the first time since the 1980s that the economy was more important to protect than the environment. Fortunately, that trend has reversed itself once again. Gallup has released a poll which shows that Americans once again prioritize the environment over economic growth by a 9 point margin, with Democrats leading the shift.
When asked if “protection of the environment should be given priority even at the risk of curbing economic growth,” 50 percent of Americans responded in the affirmative. That’s a large contrast to the 41 percent of Americans who favor growth over the environment. Ever since the question was first asked in 1984, Americans have favored the environment until 2009 when growth trumped environment for the first time. Among those aged 18-29, the margin is even wider with 60 to 30 percent favoring the environment.
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Thursday, March 20, 2014
The United States Navy Research Laboratory has unveiled two modules they are testing to capture solar energy from space and divert its power to earth. The two designs would use reflectors to concentrate sunlight to a satellite that would project the power to a receiver on the earth’s surface. If the plans are approved, the components would be assembled in space by a team of robots.
The futuristic plans headed by Dr. Paul Jaffe comprise two different designs that could create enough solar energy to power a city or a military plant. The first is a sandwich module that keeps electrical components between one enormous square photovoltaic panel that faces the sun and a square base with an extending antenna that directs the powered collected toward the earth. The electronic system in the center transforms the collected solar energy into radio frequency that can be easily beamed to the receiver.
Related: 6 Space-based Solar Power Designs
Jaffe’s second model, which opens up the sandwich design, would be more effective. The zig-zag shaped module has more surface area that extends into a step design to collect more power from the sun, making it more energy efficient. The panels would receive more sunlight without overheating, making the design safer, as well as producing more energy to be directed by the antenna in radio waves. Although Jaffe has tested models of these designs in a space-like chamber, the actual designs would be a kilometer in diameter. The NRL is currently exploring launching Jaffe’s design, either in space or high in the stratosphere.
Via Daily Mail
Related: Japan Plans to Harvest Solar Power From Space by 2030
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Whatever the rights and wrongs of Lloyd's concern that electric cars may make it harder to fix our cities, we shouldn't forget that the much talked about future of electric vehicle dominance—while much more plausible than it was a few short years ago—is by no means guaranteed.
Cars and car-dependent infrastructure are not going to disappear overnight. And fossil fuel-powered vehicles are still by far the most popular in terms of sales, and are likely to be for some time yet.
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From prefabs to using found materials, treehouses nowadays come built in an amazing variety of forms and construction techniques. But building a treehouse that doesn't harm the tree, or restrict its growth often means paying special attention to engineering or using customized components like a Garnier limb.
Toronto-based architecture firm Farrow Partnership Architects approaches this problem by hanging their curvaceous treehouse from the tree's upper trunk, rather than nailing to it.
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The bathroom is one of the easiest rooms in the house to cut back on waste, although you might be surprised to hear that. With a few adjustments to your shopping habits, you may not even need a garbage can in the bathroom anymore, nor will you produce vast quantities of empty plastic containers destined for the recycling bin.
While embarking on my own zero waste quest, I’ve gathered tips from experts such as Bea Johnson and Shawn Williamson (you can read more about them in my post about going zero waste in the kitchen), and through experimentation on my own. Here are the most significant changes one can make in the bathroom:
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Perhaps the biggest story within the electric vehicle industry to date is Tesla's planned Gigafactory. But where will it be? Tucson, if Tesla likes Tucson's proposal.
Tesla has stated that it will put its $5 billion Gigafactory (which will manufacturer more battery cells than are used in all the laptops of the world each year) in either Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, or Texas. Needless to say, officials in these states are hopeful Tesla will pick them, and bring the estimated 6,500 gigafactory jobs to their jurisdictions. Tucson has now submitted an official proposal.
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When it comes to food, it can be fairly simple and straight-forward to read the ingredients and make a decision about whether or not we want to eat it, and to avoid buying products with ingredients that don't agree with us, such as dairy or gluten or common allergens.
But when it comes to all of our personal care items, from soap to lotion to cosmetics, it isn't nearly as easy to understand which ingredients may be risky or hazardous, unless we've memorized the names of specific chemicals and additives that are known or suspected to be unhealthy for our bodies.
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People have carried the most amazing things by bike, and we at TreeHugger have helped publicize their sometimes heroic efforts to make two wheels hauls tons of goods.
For most of us, the quest is simply to move the daily necessities - groceries and rain gear, babies and beer.
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Creating a small, livable space of one's dreams can be realized through a variety of ways, be it retrofitting an old camper trailer, building a tiny home from scratch, or renovating a shipping container. This beautiful, cozy office space is actually a discarded construction trailer purchased for USD $20.
Seen over at Designboom, Ghent, Belgium-based owners Kris and Griet collaborated with architect Karel Verstraeten to create this attractive work pod that was once a construction trailer which was salvaged locally, and brought to the back of their garden by a farmer neighbour.
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It’s tempting for both vegetarians and omnivores to think they’ve got it all figured out. Selecting the type of diet one wants to follow is a highly subjective decision that reflects one’s personal lifestyle. People also tend to have strong opinions about what others eat, which leads to fierce rivalries between different dietary paths.
A thought-provoking article in The Star called “Which foods are the worst for the environment?” challenges our individual assumptions that we’re all doing the best thing for the environment. Vegetarians may think they’re saving the earth by not eating animals, and conscientious omnivores might think they’re making smart choices by exclusively eating grass-fed, pastured meat, yet choosing the optimal environmental path is never black-and-white.
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Wednesday, March 19, 2014
The last time you may have given thought to window treatments might have been when you noticed your neighbor peering into your living room window while you were eating breakfast in your undies. But in addition to providing privacy, window treatments are important for a number of reasons – they can help you sleep better, keep your house cool and comfortable, and save you energy. Did you know that the right window treatments can help you save a significant amount of money on your electricity bill each month? By carefully investing in the right window treatments for your particular environment and location, you can help prevent your house’s indoor warmth from escaping in the winter (cutting down on winter heating), and keep your house cool in the summer (cutting down on air conditioning). You can also dramatically reduce the need for electric lighting during the day by being smart about your window design. Read on to learn how to choose the best possible window treatments for your particular windows, and save money and your sanity in the process!
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Chances are, if you have owned more than one mobile phone in your life there is a drawer in your home dedicated to a collection of defunct chargers. In order to cut down on e-waste, the European Parliament voted last week to require manufacturers to produce a universal charger. The Radio Equipment Directive is expected to cut clutter by 51,000 tons annually and reduce the amount of interference between radio devices.
While companies such as Samsung, Sony Ericsson, ALCATEL, Apple, Nokia, and Motorola have all signed agreements to manufacture a single model of USB charger, there are still those who feel that the EU legislation is a step in the wrong direction. Paul Nuttal, deputy leader of the UK Independence Party, believes that demanding one style of device will stifle innovation and put the market in the hands of regulators instead of consumers.
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A Dutch start-up called Plant-e has developed a way to use living plants as a continuous source of clean energy – all that’s needed is a light source, carbon dioxide, water, and, of course, a field or patch of plants. The system works best in wetlands or watery fields like rice paddies, but it doesn’t matter if the water is brackish or polluted, so areas unsuitable for growing crops could be repurposed as a power source. There’s no complicated infrastructure to install, which makes it super easy to bring electricity to isolated regions that are currently without power.
The theory behind the Plant-e system is surprisingly simple. When plants create food using photosynthesis, a large portion of the organic matter generated is actually excreted by the roots into the soil. That organic matter gets munched on by microorganisms living in the soil, which release electrons as a byproduct of this consumption. By placing an electrode near the roots, it’s easy to harvest this waste energy and turn it into electricity.
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Sunday, March 16, 2014
In a permanent extension of a 2007 law, San Francisco has made it illegal for the City to buy or distribute plastic water bottles. Bottled water contributes to massive amounts of litter and plastic waste all over the world. San Francisco has an aggressive plan to achieve zero net waste by 2020. In late 2013, Inhabitat reported that San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors appeared ready to enact one of the strictest bans on bottled water in the nation. Days ago, the proposal became law, and plastic water bottles smaller than 21 ounces will no longer be allowed on city property starting Oct. 1, 2014.
As Inhabitat’s Charley Cameron reported last year, San Francisco’s legislation, introduced by Supervisor David Chiu, “does not prohibit private business from trading in small plastic bottles of water.” Rather, it restricts the sale at events of more than 100 people (not including marathons and other sporting events), and on all city property and parks. San Francisco Airport will also be allowed to sell plastic bottles indefinitely.
Related: More Than 90 College Campuses Ban The Sale of Bottled Water
San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors supported the legislation unanimously. Prior to the vote, Chiu held up a water bottle that was a quarter of the way filled with oil. The move illustrated just how much oil is used in the production and transport of plastic water bottles.
“He also reminded San Franciscans that the current fad of buying bottled water only started in the 1990s when the bottled water industry mounted a huge ad campaign that got Americans buying bottled water,” reports the San Francisco Bay Guardian. “Somehow, Chiu noted, ‘for centuries, everybody managed to stay hydrated.’ He, and the rest of San Francisco seem confident that they can learn to do so again.
Not surprisingly, the American Beverage Association and bottled water industry were less than enthusiastic about the bottled water ban. These critics claim that banning bottled water at concerts and other large events will drive them to choose alcohol or carbonated beverages instead of healthier water.
Via San Francisco Bay Guardian
Related: Concord, Mass. Becomes First U.S. City To Ban Single-Use Plastic Water Bottles
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One of the biggest sources of frustrations for users of mobile devices, from laptops to smartphones, is the relatively short life and small capacity of their lithium-ion batteries. But one father and son team believe they have a solution for that, and it's not a new type of battery, but rather a better way to manage the batteries so they can hold a bigger charge and last for more recharge cycles.
While we keep hearing about the coming age of the supercapacitor, which could have huge capacities and very quick charge times, it may be quite some time before we see them in the devices we use every day. In the meantime, it stands to reason that getting the most out of the batteries already in production would be a big step forward for the mobile tech industry. It would also make sense from an environmental perspective, because Li-ion batteries are already used to power a great number of gadgets, so making them last longer and hold more power would conceivably reduce the amount of waste associated with them.
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