Make this year’s Halloween a little greener. October 31 is a day that traditionally sends shivers down your spine, but you can do your part to make sure the skeleton on your porch is doing the spooking, not refined sugars, vinyl costumes, and extreme energy usage. The scary flip side to All Hallow’s Eve is that this holiday is stooped in eco-unfriendly decorations, costumes, sweets, etc. Here are some steps you can take to make sure your Halloween stays green. (more…)
The current shocks to Wall Street have led many to believe that financing for green energy projects will be largely scrutinized as the government attempts to clean up the current credit mess. (more…)
Chevrolet Announces Electric Vehicle in a Class of its Own
On September 16, Chevrolet revealed their new production vehicle. This revelation isn’t just a new vehicle, though – it’s a new class of vehicle. Chevy Volt is an E-REV, an extended-range electric vehicle. The Volt can travel up to 40 miles without expending a single drop of gas, and producing zero emissions. Over 200 engineers and 50 designers at Chevy are working on the Volt, turning the dream of traveling gas-free into a reality.
Chevy Volt uses a lithium-ion battery with a myriad of onboard accessories to extend the range of the volt past the 40 mile mark, including gasoline and optional E85 ethanol to recharge the battery while you’re driving. The plug for the Volt can be used with any common household outlet. (more…)
With the latest advances in biomimicry, scientists have created a cement manufacturing process, known as the Calera process, that incorporates waste CO2 emissions. The process mimics the natural formation of sea corals, using spent CO2 as a raw material. The method will consume about a half ton of CO2 for every ton of cement.
The Current State of Cement Emissions
Cement is currently a huge source of greenhouse gas emissions, making up about 5% of Earth’s emissions, making it the third largest source of pollution by greenhouse gases in the United States. (more…)
One of the easiest and effective ways on cutting down on emissions each day is for people to bike to work whenever they can. However, the most common excuses for not doing so are the time it takes to get there and the whole “sweat-stains problem.”
The solution has finally come. Optibikes are electric bikes that enable the rider to travel easily at speeds up to 30 mph with a limited amount of pedaling and then provide the user with the opportunity for a great exercise on the way home from work. (more…)
Recently, oil companies and researchers have been looking for alternative fuels that could play a part not only in opening up a new avenue in renewable resources but also create a new eco-friendly manner of supplying the growing energy needs of our population.
Algae Pros and Pros
There may be no prospect with as much potential as pond scum. Otherwise know as algae, this biological organism transforms sunlight into energy with enough efficiency to double its weight multiple times a day. (more…)
New federal laws to cut down air pollution from auto painting and stripping has forced some auto painting shops to start going green. Now this doesn’t mean freeways will take on the aerial appearance of vines weaving through the urban jungle. It simply means methods and products used by these shops will be revamped to be more eco-friendly.
Leading the Way in Green Technology
Adam D. Haddad, owner of a Worcester, Massachusetts auto body shop, has spearheaded the effort in this green transition. The shop, Accurate Collision, is one of the firsts to comply with the new laws. It has led the way by switching from petroleum-based paints to water-based paints. (more…)
In the latest celebrity move to show support for environmental awareness, Johnny Depp has bought his own $3.6m island. Besides using it as a hideout from the paparazzi, the actor has some interesting plans for it.
His 35-acre plot in the Bahamas, aptly called “F*ck Off Island”, of course has no power lines or other technology connecting it with the outside world.
Thus, Depp met with a bit of a challenge in powering his island getaway. Diesel generators were not a conceivable option to the star so he turned to Mike Strizki, a pioneer in self-sustainable environments.
Self-Sustaining Habitat Design
Strizki designed a system for Depp’s island, which closely resembles Strizki’s New Jersey home, only on a much larger scale. The home was the nation’s first solar-hydrogen house in existence. You can check out a tour of the complex by Strizki himself. (more…)
In a Moscow meeting between President Dmitri A. Medvedev of Russia and President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela this week, news broke that the two oil-rich nations would be working together more closely than ever before. Their new partnership would involve coordinated action that would potentially impact global gas and oil markets, and would include foreign policy considerations as well.
During these talks, there has also been the undercurrent of news that Chavez is expected to purchase more than one billion dollars in Russian arms. Aside from this, the two leaders discussed a strategic partnership to counter American strength in the global oil market in general, and in the region with Venezuela, specifically.
