sundance

Green tech finds – 8/18/11

Old school shipping, CO2 as a source of fuel and yet another new solar technology for charging your phone: this week’s green tech finds.

Another recycling robot: While not as directly practical as the ZenRobotics Recycler we mentioned in an earlier post, Florida Robotics‘ Dr. R.E. Cycler is designed for educational purposes – essentially, to show kids what happens to the aluminum cans that go into those blue bins. Take a quick look at it above. (via Fast Company and @TaigaCompany)

Duck hunters: the best advocates for Gulf Coast environmental restoration?

During last year’s BP oil spill, I noted in several different venues that, as someone who grew up on the Gulf Coast, I saw this disaster as another chapter in a long history of active degradation of coastal environments. The spill itself deserved the attention it received… but I also hoped that it would bring the decades of destruction into focus.

Shark diving more valuable than shark finning

Shark fin soup has a long history in Chinese culture as a culinary symbol of prosperity and success, so it’s not surprising the the country’s economic growth has led to an increase in the dish’s consumption… and the killing of up to 73 million sharks a year largely to serve this demand.

Fortunately, public awareness campaigns on the threats to worldwide shark populations seem to have helped: in Hong Kong, for instance, this delicacy is losing its status as a “must have” for celebratory meals. A new study by Australian Institute of Marine Science, though, may completely redefine the equation between shark meat and success, as they’ve found that living sharks may have much greater economic value than dead ones.

Green tech finds (10/28/10)

Electricity from beer, DIY electric bikes, and purple wind turbines… it’s green tech finds time!

• Beer power: Suffolk, UK’s Adnam’s Brewery will be contributing waste to an anaerobic digestion plant which will create enough power for 235 homes in the area. (via Green Upgrader)
  
  
• Florida utility offers solar hot water option: Lakeland Electric became the first utility company in the country to offer fixed-rate solar hot water service this week. (via The Ledger)
  
  

The organic golf course: green or greenwash?

US presidents golfing on vacation is hardly news, but President Obama’s choice of a course for his ten days of family time in Martha’s Vineyard this month did make the New York Times… because the Vineyard Golf Club “is thought to be the only completely organic golf course in the United States…”

Gulf oil spill clean-up: how you can help

With the sunken Deepwater Horizon oil drilling rig now potentially leaking 25,000 barrels of oil a day, and a projected clean-up cost of $5 billion, the thought that you may be able to help with this environmental and economic disaster may seem far-fetched. Yet numerous non-profits have mobilized in the face of this emergency, and they need your help. Some of the things you can do to support clean-up efforts:

• Volunteer: Many groups are enlisting volunteers to contribute to clean-up efforts. If you’d like to lend a hand directly, you can sign up with the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, The Sierra Club, the National Audubon Society, and Mobile Baykeeper. Obviously, these are just a few of the organizations looking for volunteers… several Facebook groups, and at least one website, have sprung up to coordinate these efforts.

Earth Week action: plant a tree

Yep, it’s time of year again… Earth Day is just a few days away. What actions do you have planned to decrease your environmental footprint? The Conservation Fund has an idea: plant a tree. Its Go Zero campaign is working “to acquire land on behalf of national and state parks or wildlife refuges and to [...]

42 Tribal Wildlife Grants Awarded in 16 States

The Hopi Tribe will conduct an assessment of golden eagles in Arizona, the Poarch Band of Creek Indians will restore longleaf pine habitat in Alabama, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe will develop a Tribal Wildlife Management Plan for their reservation in New York, and in Washington state the Jamestown S’Kllalm Tribe will work towards restoring the Dungeness Elk Herd to its historic range.

American Pika Denied Endangered Species Protection

The American pika does not meet the criteria for protection under the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced Friday after completing a review of the species’ status and evaluating current and future threats to the small, mountain-dwelling mammal.

Global Passions for Football and Biodiversity Harnessed for Life

The world of international championship football and the world of biodiversity conservation are coming together this year in a partnership announced Wednesday by the German sport lifestyle shoe and clothing company PUMA and the United Nations Environment Programme.

World’s first barge-based wetlands classroom launches in September

Apparently, “floating environmentalism” isn’t limited to Huck Finn wannabees: on September 14, the Learning Barge, a joint project of the University of Virginia School of Architecture and the Elizabeth River Project, will be christened and opened to the public. Designed as an environmental education center for teaching elementary and middle school students about water and [...]