TreeHugger

Geoengineering Redux: Fertilizing Trees with Nitrogen to Fight Climate Change

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 23:51:44 -0500

Image from Joshua Rappeneker It's not quite ocean iron fertilization, but I have a feeling this new geoengineering proposed will still raise quite a few hackles. The idea, which originated with Federico Magnani of Italy's University of Bologna, is, as the name implies, fairly straightforward: You would fertilize, or "dope," as the New Scientist's Catherine Brahic put it, trees]]>...

On Climate Change, Africa Votes As One Country And One Continent

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:14:00 -0500

Gainesville In anticipation of the upcoming meetings to update Kyoto next month in Poznan, Poland, the 53 African nations met recently to develop the Algiers Declaration, stating that they will vote as one bloc during climate change negotiations, reports the Monterey Herald. Forests, renewable energy and deserts are the three major issues that African nations are most concerned about and its felt that voting as one bloc will give them more power during negotiations. Europe is hoping to get in on the action.]]>...

It Slices, It Dices: Wireless Router Vase

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 14:54:07 -0500

“The STC Router successfully bridges the gap between lifestyle and technology with it’s flower vase functionality.”]]>...

US Farmer’s Incomes Now Tied More to Ethanol Than Food, Economist Says

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 13:17:00 -0500

photo: Mike Slichenmyer Not to belabor the point, but of all sources of renewable energy taking a beating in the current economic storm, biofuels seem to be getting hit full force. Recently the world’s largest ethanol producer, Verasun, filed for bankruptcy and predictions have it that as many as 40 more plants could be shuttered within the next few months. What this means for farmer’s i]]>...

Rooftop Solar Power Installations to Receive Generous French Feed-In-Tariff

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:13:00 -0500

If it were in France, this solar power installation would be receiving more money for the electricity it generates. Photo: Chris Muezer Compared to its neighbors to the east, southeast and southwest, France has lagged behind in promoting solar power—though it has a backlog of some 400 MW of solar installations, it only has about 18 MW currently online. That’s all about to change with the introduction of a substantial feed-in-tariff for commercial solar installations. The hope is to make good on Minister for Energy and the Environment Jean-Louis Borloo’s promise to increase France’s supp]]>...

xChange Offers Energy Efficiency Automation for Manufacturers

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 10:57:00 -0500

Screenshot via Earth2Tech xChange Point is an energy efficiency tool offered by Eps Corp, an energy management company, which supposedly will offer an immediate return on investment to manufacturing companies, thanks to energy savings and zero upfront capital costs. The tool is a software interface and hardware that attaches to manufacturing systems and machinery. It will provide real-time monitoring of energy use – pretty much exactly howGreen Electronics Council. The council, which created EPEAT, has formed a partnership with resellers in order to get energy efficient and eco-friendly computer equipment out to more consumers. Read on to find out where you can get greener gear.]]>...

360 Wind Powered Wal-Mart Stores by April 2009

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:55:00 -0500

While the solar panel in this photo is pretty much a token renewable energy gesture, Wal-Mart’s wind power commitment is significantly more substantial. Photo: Wal-Mart Stores Say what you like about Wal-Mart (and I certainly have said some less than flattering things), but sometimes the world’s largest retailer does something undeniably positive: Like make its first major purchase of wind power in the United States. Announced yesterday, Wal-Mart Stores will be supplying 15% of the electricity in approximately 360 Texas stores and other facilities though wind power, purchased from Duke Energy. Wal-Mart says that the pu]]>...

UbiGreen: Not Just Another Carbon Footprint Phone App (Honest!)

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:42:00 -0500

You gotta love it when your phone does work for you. Especially when that work it keeping your carbon footprint in check. Intel and the University of Washington are developing UbiGreen, which promises to be one of the easiest phone apps to use when it comes to greening how you get around town. All you have to do to know i]]>...

EWA Squeezes Water From Thin Air, Like In Old Biblical Times

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 03:19:16 -0500

water scarcity problems around the globe. An Israeli company EWA believes they have found a way to get around the enormous amount of energy]]>...

$5 Billion in Corn Ethanol Subsidies Should Be Eliminated, Food Before Fuel Urges

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:44:00 -0500

Cargill ethanol facility in Iowa, photo: Steven Roermerman Regular TreeHugger readers will know that most of the posts about corn ethanol on this site are not exactly favorable, neutral at best. Compared to other feedstocks for ethanol, biodiesel, or some of the ‘green crude’ being developed, corn simply isn’t the best choice—not that other feedstocks also don’t have their problems, not by a long shot (palm oil plantations being the oft-us]]>...

Green IT Report Round-Up: IBM, Toshiba, SAP, Xerox

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:05:00 -0500

Photo via Getty Images Four big companies have recently churned out reports on how they’re doing with their greener sides. Not only is it fun to check out what they have to say, but it is also invigorating to see so many major companies trying to increase transparency, lighten their carbon loads, and help us do the same by producing better products. Read on for more on what these big four have to say. ]]>...

Four Major Companies Join Smart Grid Demand Organization

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:38:00 -0500

Photo via Blude The Demand Response and Advanced Metering Coalition (DRAM), a group that works to educate and influence policymakers and the mainstream about smart grid technology, is changing its name to the Demand Response and Smart Grid Coalition (DRSG). But that’s not the interesting news. The interesting part is that it has accepted a few big names into the fold. Google, CPower, CSG and CSE have all joined the coalition, helping to add their industry influence to t]]>...

The North Face Installs 1 MW Solar Power System at West Coast Distribution Center

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:30:00 -0500

image: Recurrent Energy The number of companies finding room on their property/roof for solar power systems continues to rise. Outdoors gear manufacturer The North Face has announced that it has completed installation of a 1 MW solar power system at its West Coast distribution center in Visalia, California. All of the electricity from the system, which is owned and operated by Re]]>...

Ditching Lead: Breakthrough Material Helps Us Minimize Lead in Electronics

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:58:00 -0500

An example of a combinatorial library chip, part of a magnetic smart materials library. Via UMD A new discovery by researchers at the University or Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering may mean a significant reduction in the use of lead in electronics, without having to devise whole new ways of creating electronics. The lead-free material discovered is called bismuth samarium ferrite (BSFO) and can be used in a wide range of electr]]>...

The TH Interview: Chris Goodall—Ten Techs to Save Our Butts (Part One)

Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:16:00 -0500

Mr. Goodall phrases it more elegantly than we have, to be sure, but the premise is the same: if we want to avoid big trouble in paradise, we need to get very busy with radically new technologies. Goodall is an author (his previous book was How to Live a Low-Carbon Life), blogger, and a regular contributor to the Guardian Environment Network. His new book, Ten Technologies to Save the Planet (see WHOI Believe it or not, there actually has been a good deal of research done on whether salps, a group of tubular, free-floating tunicates (which one of my former professor affectionately to as nature's "poop machines"), could help slow climate change. (And, if you don't, try typing "salp carbon," or some variant, into Google Scholar and see what you find.) How, you wonder? By living up to their nickname, of course: producing copious amounts of carbon-replete waste, or particulate organic matter (POC), that are exported to]]>...

Fuel Cell Stickers for Charging Gadgets

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:32:00 -0500

Photo via Cleantechnica Slap a sticker on your cell phone and consider it charged. Well, that’s the goal of myFC, anyway. The Swedish-based company is working to make charging hand-held devices incredibly easy and efficient, and they’ve devised the FuelCellSticker, which could be just such a solution. ]]>...

Acronym Alert: AWWI, The American Wind Wildlife Institute

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:26:00 -0500

photo: Brent Danley While few people would doubt that wind power shows great promise, where new wind farms get built is often a contentious issue, with one of the issues being (of course) impact on wildlife and the environment. That's where the newly formed American Wind Wildlife Institute comes in. The group of 20 wind power and environmental organizations will collaborate on research, mapping, mitigation and public education on best practices in balancing habitat protection and wind farm siting. AWWI counts as its members the following organizations:]]>...

National Geographics Shows Its Gamer Side, Launches Video Game Series

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:05:00 -0500

Photo via Neeta Lind National Geographics is launching into video games, something we’re a bit surprised hasn’t already happened considering the teaching potential behind them. The games have been built in conjunction with recent articles and television programs launched by the nature icon. The first game is already available and more are on their way. But, has National Geographics captured the potential behind them - are they worth the godwin d It’s quickly becoming common knowledge that the efficiency of a charger plays a big role in the energy consumption of a device. Energy Star makes this very clear, and so does Motorola's history in making efficient chargers for cell phones. According to Reuters, "The [cell phone] industry has become the world's top consumer electronics business by volume." That means the energy wasted by crummy chargers is significant. And the industry's manufacturers need to step up and fix this issue. The five ]]>...

Free Solar-Powered WiFi Coming to a Town Near You

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:14:00 -0500

Photo via Meraki Tired of trying to find a decent café with free WiFi, or waiting in front of the library until it opens so you can hop online and check email? Meraki, a company big on getting Internet access to everyone, is working to make finding a free connection while out and about a whole lot easier for you. Starting December 4th, they’ll be shipping solar-powered WiFi units, so you can have WiFi wherever, whenever. ]]>...

40 Corn Ethanol Plants Could File For Bankruptcy by Early 2009

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 10:08:00 -0500

photo: Stefanie Seskin Two weeks ago, the world’s largest ethanol producer, Verasun, filed for bankruptcy. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg: According to an Omaha, Nebraska investment banker (quoted in the Des Moines Register) the number of ethanol plants filing for bankruptcy could rise from 16 so far this year to as many as 40 by early 2009.]]>...

Race to REACH: Chemicals Illegal in Europe if Not Registered by 1 December

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 09:30:13 -0500

ECHA REACH Deadline Draws Near Yesterday was a record day at the new European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) in Helsinki Finland. Chemical manufacturers and importers are in a panic to get data submitted. With less than two weeks left before the pre-registration deadline 1 December, ECHA has announced that the IT infrastructure has been enhanced, and an emergency back-up plan is in place in case the last-minute rush overwhelms the systems. What is all the excitement about? The end of chemical use as we know it is at hand. Any company that fails to register their chemical(s) with the ECHA by 1 December, will find that their products are illegal ]]>...

Waterboxx Offers Possibilities for Reforestation in the Desert

Wed, 19 Nov 2008 08:00:26 -0500

AquaPro Holland website. It appears to be just a run of the mill, regular, rectangular plastic bucket with a whole in the centre, but the Waterboxx is actually a sophisticated design that traps night time condensation. Those dewey drops along with the little rain that falls in arid areas is distributed in small doses to the seed or young tree inside. This seemingly simple invention could have some amazing implications. ]]>...

What Makes a Good Product Service System?

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:55:06 -0500

Photo: matze_ott Ah, the product service system (or PSS): one of TreeHugger's favorite concepts shrouded by one of the clunkiest names. For anyone who'd like a quick refresher, a PSS replaces a product with a service; instead of paying for the product itself (and whatever maintenance and upkeep it requires), you pay to use the product for a bit, and then give it back. Think of it this way: a PSS is often an answer to the question, "Hey, do you really need to o]]>...

1000 Football Stadiums Filled With Oil = 1 Year of Global Energy Consumption

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 15:20:00 -0500

I’m not sure if Malhotra was referring to American Football or what the rest of the world calls football, but both stadiums are quite large. Wembley Stadium photo: Lawrie Cate. Got your attention now? That amount of oil equivalent, three cubic miles, is how much the world uses in a year if you take into account all sources of energy, says Ripudaman Malhotra of SRI International's Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory in Greente]]>...

Hydropower on China’s Nu River, Alternatives to Huge Dams (Video Clip)

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 13:28:00 -0500

You may have seen the TreeHugger interview with Goldman Environmental Prize winner Yu Xiaogang where he talks about hydropower in China and the tradeoff between increasing power supply and the environmental and community concerns of doing so. For some more info on the issues surrounding developing hydropower]]>...

Cambodia’s First Ethanol Plant Will Use One-Fifth of Nation's Cassava Crop

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:55:00 -0500

Cassava, not in Cambodia... photo: The Ewan Just a quick one on ethanol and Southeast Asia: Chinaview.cn is reporting that Cambodia has opened the nation’s first ethanol production facility. Using cassava as a feedstock, at least initially all of the plant’s production will be for the export market (primarily the European market...). Here are the rest of the details:]]>...

Wave Power With a Twist: Searaser Pumps Water Into Storage Ponds for On-Demand Ocean Hydropower

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:10:00 -0500

images: Dartmouth Wave Energy Here’s a wave power technology which you may not have heard of: It’s called the Searaser and (though only in prototype stages, I’ve got some reservations about how well it may scale up, as well as the name which somehow I always see as 'Sea Eraser') it may be worth watching. The principle is fairly simple and proven in a different context: Use the Searaser to pump quantities of sea water up a hill where it can be stored in ponds until needed and then released downhill to drive hydroelectric turbines to create power. This is how the Searaser works:]]>...

Single Stream Recycling - Watch and Learn

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 10:39:52 -0500

Interested to learn exactly what happens to your recyclables once you toss them in the blue bin? RecycleBank offers a whole series of videos on YouTube that shows you just how recyclables are processed. Read on for more from the series.]]>...

Electronics TakeBack Coalition Grades TV Makers on Recycling

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 09:42:00 -0500

Photo of TVs via Elsie Esq Just yesterday we half-heartedly gave Sony some props about their new Green Glove television recycling program. Well, turns out the company offers some of the best recycling services around. The Electronics TakeBack Coalition has released a report card for TV manufacturers and has graded companies on the quality of their recycling programs. The re]]>...

Data Center Equipment Getting "Miles-Per-Gallon" Measurement Standard

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 08:00:00 -0500

Photo via Paul Hammond A major measurement used in figuring out the efficiency of a data center is PUE, or Power Usage Effectiveness. However, that measures the efficiency of data center cooling and power supply. What about the efficiency of the equipment humming away within the data center? The Green Grid, a consortium of IT firms that is gaining industry clout, plans to give data centers a satisfactory way to measure how efficient their equipment is, and give eve]]>...

Young Children Building Antibodies to Cockroach and Mouse Proteins Face Environmental Health Risks

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 07:02:28 -0500

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Shipping Containers Perfect for Emergency Waste Water Treatment

Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:00:00 -0500

Photo via Gizmag Clean water in disaster areas and developing nations is a major element in being able to deal with improvements. An ingenious use of shipping containers and waste water treatment methods is helping to make clean water and waste treatment easier than ever. The Deployable Aqueous Aerobic Bioreactor, or DAAB, was developed by the Texas Research Institute for Environmental Studies at Sam Houston State University, and PCDworks. And it seems to b]]>...