Sundance Channel

Can’t afford a hybrid? How about a car conversion?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 19:20:16 +0000

Gone out to kick the tires, or perhaps test drive a Prius, Volt, or LEAF? In some areas of the country you may not have been able to find one; In those where you could, the sticker price may have you rethinking this whole "going green" thing. Even with various state and federal tax incentives, a new hybrid or electric vehicle will likely set you back over $20,000. So maybe this time you buy the conventional subcompact and hope the prices come down next time you're on the car market?

Green tech finds (12/16/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 20:17:29 +0000

Plastic bottles you can eat, a tiny solar home, and hybrid street sweepers… this week’s green tech finds. Audi’s green history: You likely associate the phrase “green cars” with Toyota and Honda; Denis Duquet at The Car Guide thinks Audi should be on that list, also… More bang from your bike: Fandi Meng’s I-Green battery [...]

Green tech finds (11/18/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 18:52:01 +0000

Gardening apps, high-speed rail, and electric vehicles made from electronic waste... this week's green tech finds.

Finnish culture meets green building: Traditional Finnish building involves a lot of wood, and the Luukku House design combines this tradition with solar energy, high-efficiency windows, and other "green" features. The design has won awards from both the Finnish Timber Council and Solar Decathlon Europe. (via Good News from Finland)
Onsite composting for restaurants: GaiaRecycle's new G-30H provides onsite composting for restaurants and schools... no need to have those food scraps hauled away (or -- shudders -- throw them in the trash).

Green tech finds (9/30/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 19:15:19 +0000

Solar ivy, French hybrids, and green cheese... your weekly green tech finds.

Are smart grids smart for cities?: Stephen Hammer at Harvard Business Review wonders if smart grid technology is the most efficient way to make our cities more sustainable.
New portal features green tech ready for funding: Looking for a green technology investment opportunity? The US Department of Energy's new Technology Commercialization Portal features over 200 marketing summaries of technologies ready for investment or licensing. (via Environmental Leader)

Green tech finds (8/5/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 20:58:37 +0000

NASCAR, bicycles, and recycled guns... your green tech finds for the week.

It all started with the bicycle: Trade pub Mechanical Engineering sings praises to the bicycle... not only as an engineering breakthrough for its time, but also as a "platform" for other transportation developments.
NASCAR goes solar: Well, sort of... the Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania now operates the tenth-largest solar farm in the US (and the biggest of any sports arena in the world).

How to promote your new hybrid car: host a global warming debate

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 20:53:27 +0000

If you've ever been to one of the big auto shows, you know that big announcements by the car companies often have many of the makings of a rock concert. For its promotion of the new CT 200h compact hybrid at the New York Auto Show, Lexus took a totally different approach: it hosted a debate on climate change.

Next green car technology hub: Starkville, Mississippi?

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 31 May 2010 17:19:10 +0000

If you're a betting person, what university would you wager on for creating the next generation of cleaner vehicles? MIT? Cal Tech? Stanford? Turns out you may want to look a little further south... the student team from Mississippi State University took the flag at the second year of EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge.

Green tech finds (5/20/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:54:21 +0000

Poop, planes, and bikes... it's green tech finds time.

Poop-powered data centers: Want to run a data center more sustainably? Start shoveling! Scientists from HP's sustainable IT ecosystem lab presented the idea of powering these energy hogs by farm wastes at the ASME International Conference on Energy Sustainability. (via GreenTech Pastures... how appropriate!)
The low-emission airplane? A research team at MIT has presented an airplane concept to NASA that "...is likely to use 70 percent less fuel than existing ones while slashing noise and emission of nitrogen oxides."

Green tech finds (2/18/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:10:18 +0000

Wave power, robots, and solar roads… it’s time for this week’s green tech finds. Use your iPhone to argue climate science: Gotten into yet another argument with your conservative brother-in-law about the facts surrounding climate change, and need support fast? There’s an app for that… (via The Guardian) Wave power coming to the Pacific Northwest: [...]

Green tech finds (2/11/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 22:44:29 +0000

New skins for old buildings, hybrid race cars, and solar chargers that work inside... your green tech finds for the week.

Reskinning old buildings: New green buildings are great, but what about older, existing structures? Australia-based Laboratory for Visionary Architecture (LAVA) has conceived of a building "skin" that "which could create a microclimate, cooling the building inside," and could contain all sorts of sustainable goodies like solar panels and rainwater collection systems. (via Fast Company)
Poop to carbon capture: West Virginia chicked farmer Josh Frye is trying to do his part to curb climate change -- and make a little extra money -- by turning chicken manure into biochar.

Green tech finds (12/17/09)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:10:03 +0000

Satellite deforestation tracking, a muscle hybrid, and DIY solar panels… this week’s green tech finds. Vampire-proof your home: Charger maker iGo has launched three new products designed to help you reduce the use of standby power (i.e. vampire power). An 800hp hybrid? That’s what start-up Kepler Motors claims about its concept the Motion (pictured above). [...]

The Copenhagen Wheel: smart hybrid biking

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:19:24 +0000

While most of the news we've heard coming out of Copenhagen involves climate negotiations among world leaders, the Danish capital is also hosting business expos, technology demonstrations, and even artistic events during the UN Climate Summit. Yesterday, the team from MIT's SENSEable City Lab joined in the festivities to unveil the Copenhagen Wheel, a simple enhancement for ordinary bicycles designed to make city cycling a little less taxing, and a little smarter.

Green tech finds (8/6/09)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 18:34:32 +0000

Green tech galore... here are this week's finds.

Smart car charging comes to San Diego: If you envision freeloading friends trying to charge their cars up at your place in the future, fear not: as a part of its testing of car-charging stations, San Diego will have participants use a Plug Smart "intelligent charger" that makes sure the drivers get the bill for the electricity.
Package delivery by UrbanMole: Both Fed-Ex and UPS (among others) are doing there best to green up their operations. Designer Phillip Hermes' UrbanMole concept would take the trucks off of the street completely with a "capsule-like device ... that travels through an underground pipe network that transports packages of all stripes." (via Cleantechnica)

Green tech finds (7/17/09)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 19:45:55 +0000

It's that time again... your weekly green tech finds.

The Google of hybrid tech? Toyota's talking to Mazda about a partnership to share the larger company's hybrid technology.
Want to support your favorite environmental non-profit? Start using social media...

Green tech finds (6/18/09)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 18:03:48 +0000

Deutsche Bank's online carbon counter Phones, flashlights, and sweet solar-powered rides... all that and more in this week's green tech finds.

Funding priorities: Is a national smart grid the best investment right now? Or would local micro-grids fed by renewable power serve us better?
More proof that teenagers do know it all: Fourteen-year-old David S. Dixon built "a street-legal quadricycle with a solar-powered electric motor" for a middle school project. (via Gas 2.0)

Green tech finds (5/28/09)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 28 May 2009 19:13:16 +0000

Here's your weekly run-down of breaking green tech stories...

Need a reason to spend more time on Facebook? Timberland and changents.org have you covered with their new game Earthkeeper Heroes: Mission Possible. (via sustainablog)

Jayhawk engineering students transforming Volkswagen Bug into eco car

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Mon, 18 May 2009 20:54:22 +0000

A 1974 Volkswagen Super Beetle is probably not your idea of a dream car. At 25 mpg, it's probably also not your idea of a green car. But a group of mechanical engineering students at the University of Kansas have completed a year-long project aimed at making a Bug much more eco-friendly... with an eventual goal of creating a 500 mpg vehicle.