Sundance Channel

New Chicago green building brings lighter footprint to food distribution

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 21:47:22 +0000

While I don't have numbers at my fingertips, I'd be willing to bet that most new LEED certified commercial buildings fall into the office space category: corporate headquarters or other buildings in which lots of people work behind desks. There's nothing wrong with that; These structures certainly use plenty of energy and water, and elements of green building such as the focus on daylighting and air quality make for more pleasant and productive workplaces. But what about those buildings where products are manufactured, processed and/or distributed? In many cases, these are the real resource hogs sorely in need of, at the very least, a good green retrofitting. And new structures built around resource efficiency can be real cost savers for their owners.

Energy, water efficient vertical farming: PlantLab

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 20:52:09 +0000

While proponents of conventional and organic farming continue to debate the agricultural methods that can feed a world of six to nine billion people, they have one thing in common: both generally focus on land-based farming. While that seems like a no-brainer, indoor agriculture is as old as the greenhouse... and has become significantly more sexy with the concept of the vertical farm. To date, many of the ideas about growing food and plants in skyscraper-like buildings are just that: concepts. Dutch research company PlantLab is a step beyond that: they've been experimenting with a completely controlled environment for growing food, and found that not only could it help meet growing food demand, but do so with significantly lower energy, chemical, and water inputs.

The light bulb ban that wasn’t

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Wed, 26 Jan 2011 13:03:55 +0000

Heard the news? Incandescent light bulbs will be banned come 2012. The government will force you to buy mercury-laden CFLs or expensive LED bulbs... so better start stockpiling the light bulbs now! You may have run across this rhetoric, especially now that California has chosen to implement upcoming federal standards a year early (they started on January 1). You may be tempted to pick up a case or two of incandescents. But if you dig just a bit deeper, you'll find that much of the rhetoric surrounding these new regulations is just that... Repeat after me: there is no light bulb ban on the horizon.

Green tech finds (12/30/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 20:30:48 +0000

For our last green tech finds of the year, we've got some predictions (of course), as well as new thoughts on tobacco, and high praise for white roofs.

Green tech predictions: IBM's fifth annual "Next Five in Five" list of tech predictions has four items with a green bent, including much more efficient "breathing" batteries, and environmental data collection from all of us via our phones and other devices. (via Information Week)
Green tech hopes: Heather Clancy at GreenTech Pastures isn't going so far as to make predictions, but has a thorough list of stories she'd really like to write in 2011.

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 (8/12/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 20:06:49 +0000

The greenest cell phone companies, solar Marines, and DIY LED Facebook notification... your green tech finds for the week.

Smart energy cities: The NRDC's Smarter Cities project has published a list of 22 US cities taking the lead on more sustainable energy use and production. (via GreenTech Pastures)
LED Facebook notification: OK, this is only marginally green, but Instructables has a project up for a DIY Facebook notification device that uses LED lights.

Green tech finds (7/8/10)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:04:42 +0000

Industrial hemp... you can't smoke it, but, apparently, you can run your car on it. That and more at this week's green tech finds.

Recycle your iPod, buy an iPhone 4: Apparently, that's what a lot of people are thinking. UK recyclables buyer MoPay has seen a 70% surge in iPod recycling since the release of the new iPhone. (via IT Pro Portal)
The solar smart phone: Puma's new smart phone can run on solar power, and displays how much energy a user is saving when in sun power mode. Unfortunately, it's only available in Europe right now... (via Springwise)

Green tech finds (11/5/09)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 22:51:34 +0000

Bricks, robot fish, and eco-warriors... this week's green tech finds!

Find a green business... and a coupon: GenGreen Digital Media has just added a new feature to its Find Green iPhone app: coupons. Find a business that has what you want (and shares your values), and save some money in the process.
Online carbon reduction for builders: the Rocky Mountain Institute has just released Green Footstep, an online tool that allows builders to assess (and reduce) that carbon emissions of building and retrofitting projects.

Green tech finds (9/11/09)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:41:34 +0000

Tree-power and homemade submarines... all that and more in your green tech finds for the week.

Google... the solar company?: The company announced on Wednesday that it's "working to develop its own new mirror technology that could reduce the cost of building solar thermal plants by a quarter or more."
Wind power from the air conditioner: Renewable energy company EarthSure has announced its WindAir system, which is designed to "[transform] the exhausted air flow from central air conditioning units into a source of renewable, clean energy."

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)