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Green tech finds (7/14/11)

“Brown” hybrids, super-efficient wind turbines, and a solar-powered golf bag… your green tech finds for the week.

• Not all hybrids are created equal: Yep, the Prius, the Honda Civic Hybrid, and the Ford Fusion Hybrid all deliver on the value promised by this vehicle platform. But, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, there are also a number hybrid models that just aren’t worth the cost, and do very little in terms of fuel efficiency… check out the video from CNET above to see the top five “brownest” hybrids.
  
  
• Enterprise, Fed Ex love them some EVs: Yesterday at the National Summit on Energy Security, Andy Taylor, CEO of Enterprise Holdings (which owns Enterprise Rent-a-Car and others) and Fred Smith, CEO of Fed Ex, made impassioned arguments for ramping up vehicle electrification. Marc Gunther has the details…
  
  

Green tech finds

eople-powered gyms, transmitting from turtles in Illinois, and combining flies and poop for good use… your green tech finds for the week.

• The open-source solar concentrator: Designer Eerik Wissenz claims that his Solar Fire open source solar concentrator concept can harvest power at ten times cheaper than photovoltaics. Check it out in the video above… (via Earth Techling)
• New university trend — the human-powered gym: Powering exercise and recreation facilities with energy harvested from workout equipment is catching on at universities… the Sustainable Cities Collective takes a closer look at Drexel University’s approach.
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Comments: Posted by: Jeff McIntire-Strasburg
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Tags: climate change / endangered species / green building / human power / organic waste / shipping containers / solar / wind power / wineries

Green tech finds (5/26/11)

Diaper-eating mushrooms, recycled oil booms, and global warming’s effects on your wi-fi signal… this week’s green tech finds.

• Solar and wind power for apartment dwellers: Jonathan Globerson’s Greenerator concept allows apartment dwellers to harvest both wind and solar power from their balconies. (via Inhabitat)
  
  
• GM recycling oil booms into Volt parts: Lots of oil booms left over from last year’s BP oil spill. Instead of letting them get tossed into landfills, GM is collecting these materials and recycling them into air-deflecting baffles for the Chevy Volt. (via Earth 911)

Green tech finds (4/7/11)

T-BOX-2010_liteonaward from jiangqian on Vimeo.

We’ve got mushroom materials this week… plus another upgrade in ENERGY STAR standards, and algae’s potential for cleaning up nuclear wastes…

• Dell piloting mushroom packaging: I mentioned this development last year… this week, Dell packaging guru Oliver Campbell announced that the company will be piloting use of a mushroom-based packaging materials for shipping products. (Note: Spent a few days in Austin to attend a Dell CAP Day last week… they paid for my trip).
  
  
• Ford’s looking at mushroom-based foam insulation: Yep… a mushroom twofer — Ford’s also considering using Ecovative’s material to replace petroleum-based foams used as insulating material in its cars interior elements.
  
  

Green tech finds (3/24/11)

Lots of solar this week… plus an app for Earth Hour, and lighter footprints for U.S. embassies.

• Water, water everywhere: It’s World Water Week, and this cool new interactive map and tool allows you to explore water supplies and consumption by country, and to see the embodied water in a wide range of products. (via @togethergreen)
  
  
• The Earth Hour app: Earth Hour 2011 is this Saturday… and this year, while the lights are off, you can check in on activities around the world with the Earth Hour iPhone app. (via The Alternative Consumer)
  
  

Green tech finds (2/3/11)

warning signs from Susan Ngo on Vimeo.

T-shirts that detect pollution, wind power from transit tunnels, and solar power in coal’s heartland… your green tech finds for the week.

• The pollution-detecting t-shirt: NYU grad students Nien Lam and Sue Ngo’s Warning Signs t-shirts display either a heart or a pair of lungs that change color according to the levels of carbon monoxide in the air. Watch it work above… (via Green Energy News and @greeneconpost)
  
  
• All renewables by 2050? A brand new report from WWF claims we can get there, “…with only isolated residual uses of fossil and nuclear fuels.” (via Mail & Guardian Online)
  
  

Green tech finds (1/27/11)

Electric scooters, drainwater heat recovery, and 313 mph… this week’s green tech finds.

• 80% by 2035: Hard to think of any bigger news this week than President Obama’s call for massive investment in clean energy technology… with a goal of 80% of the US’ energy coming from “clean” sources by 2035. SustainableBusiness.com has some reactions to the POTUS’ declaration of a “Sputnik moment.”
  
  
• Green foundry jobs come to Michigan: The small town of Eaton Rapids will be home to a new foundry that will produce castings for wind turbines. (via MLive)
  
  

Green tech finds (1/6/11)

The mother of all electronics trades shows — CES — starts today, so lots of new on that front this week… plus another green Groupon, and hornets that harvest solar power.

• CES’ green cred for real?: CES is promoting itself as green this year; Heather Clancy at GreenTech Pastures and Matthew Wheeland at Greenbiz dig into the claims, and the impact, of the monster trade show.
  
  
• Bob Marley comes to CES: The House of Marley, a company founded by the legendary musician’s family, is debuting its eco-friendly lines of earbuds, headphones, and docks at CES.
  
  

Green tech finds (12/30/10)

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 (12/23/10)

Because green tech never takes a holiday… your finds for the week.

• Biodegradable Styrofoam: Styrofoam is a great insulating material… but is made from a nasty chemical mix that doesn’t break down. AeroClay blends milk proteins and clay to create the insulation benefits of Styrofoam (along with strength and light weight) without the waste impact. (via Springwise)
  
  
• Are wind turbines good for crops? Preliminary research from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory suggest that might be the case… see the video above. (via GreenTech Pastures)
  
  

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)
  
  

Green tech finds (10/21/10)

Hybrid CFLs, more convenient e-waste recycling, and Steven Chu on Youtube… this week’s green tech finds.

• Floating wind turbines pay off: A new study from Energy Technologies Institute finds that floating offshore wind turbines are both technically and economically feasible because of stronger, more consistent winds. (via Cleantechnica)
  
  
• Grades are out on electronics takeback…: And while no one’d doing a stellar job, Dell, Asus, and Samsung received the highest marks from the Electronic Takeback Coalition in their new Recycling Report Card. (via Mother Jones’ Blue Marble)
  
  
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Comments: Posted by: Jeff McIntire-Strasburg
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Tags: electronics / green building / recycling / ships / wind power

Green tech finds (10/14/10)

A solar-powered motorcycle, a geothermal motherlode in West Virginia, and Abraham Lincoln meets clean energy… your green tech finds for the week.

• The solar-powered Suzuki: Purdue University physics major Tony Danger Coiro has received a provisional patent for the ’78 Suzuki motorcycle he converted into a solar-powered vehicle. Check it out in the video above… (via Cleantechies)
  
  
• More Google renewable investments: The Internet giant has announced a $5 billion investment in a mid-Atlantic offshore wind “grid.”

Green tech finds (9/30/10)

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 (7/22/10)

Infrared photography, a green Motel 6, and solar in the South Pole… this week’s green tech finds.

• Lower-carbon flying: Air travel is pretty energy and carbon-intensive, but GE’s trying to make flying a bit greener with “software that will help pilots choose the most environmentally efficient flight trajectories taking into account conditions on four dimensions – latitude, longitude, altitude and time.”
  
  
• California’s the green energy leader… right? Maybe now, but according to Alexis Madrigal at The Atlantic, Alaska and Hawaii may have some of the most innovative approaches out there for moving to low-carbon energy sources.
  

Green tech finds (7/15/10)

Fishy iPhone apps, soy car parts, and another solar Air Force base… this week’s green tech finds.

• Sustainable seafood and wine? There’s an app for that… The Blue Ocean Institute and Brancott have launched the free Fishphone iPhone app, which not only provides sustainable seafood information on the go, but also suggest wine pairings.
  
  
• The eco-travel planner: The Rainforest Alliance has beta launched its new sustainable travel guide and planner, SustainableTrip.org. Currently focused on south of the border destinations, the site features tour operators, hotels, restaurants and other amenities that have been certified by reputable NGOs.
  
  

Green tech finds (5/27/10)

Energy to ice, and cardboard to energy… and much more. Here are your green tech finds for the week:

• Nokia still tops in greener electronics: That’s the word from Greenpeace, which released the latest update on its Guide to Greener Electronics. The Finnish company has stayed ensconced in that position; the biggest mover this time was Toshiba, which dropped from 3rd place to 14th. (via Fast Company)
  
  
• Alabama airships: 21st Century Airships, a division of E-Green Technologies, will build its updated versions of the blimp (they prefer airships) in Alabama… so another win for the green jobs push. The vehicles can be used for transporting cargo and people very efficiently, and could even be employed by the military for high-altitude observation.
  
  

Green tech finds (4/15/10)

Your pre-Earth Week green tech finds…

• Wind farms and weather: Wind power’s one tool in our arsenal against climate change, but large-scale wind installations can end up creating their own “micro-climates” with unique weather effects. (via Greenopolis)
  
  
• Greener summer road construction: Doesn’t mean you’ll get around it any faster, but the Missouri Department of Transportation is using warm-mix asphalt for road work (which requires less heat, and thus creates lower carbon emissions) while looking into materials consisting almost entirely of recycled glass.

Green tech finds (3/25/10)

Is the solution to carbon capture sitting in your conditioner bottle? This, and more, at this week’s green tech finds.

• Biomimicry and boat-building: We noted earlier this week that David de Rothschild set sail on the Plastiki. Designer Michael Pawlyn explains how biomimicry played into the creation of this boat made from plastic bottles.
  
  
• A greener web: Greentouch, a consortium of academic and corporate partners, is exploring methods to make the internet, and other computer networks, much more energy efficient.
  
  
• Another greener smart phone: Sprint has unveiled its LG Remarq at the International CTIA Wireless Show. The phone features some recycled materials, and meets RoHS standards; its charger is even ENERGY STAR certified. (via TFTS)

Climate Science Controversy Flares in EPA Budget Hearing

U.S. EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson’s appearance today before a Senate Committee to justify the agency’s $10 billion FY 2011 budget became a showcase for the split in the Senate over climate change and clean energy that has to date prevented approval of a climate bill. The House of Representatives passed a climate bill in June 2009.

Green tech finds (2/4/10)

Hummer horse carts, cheap(er) wind power, and make-you-own toilet paper machines… this week’s green tech finds.

• Sony adds to its green cred: The VAIO W Series laptop and Aspen phone both feature power saving and recycled materials. (via Stuff.tv)
  
  
• Trash to energy in Milwaukee: Developer Alliance Federated Energy announced Project Apollo, a trash-to-syngas project planned for the city’s North Side.
  
  

Green tech finds (1/21/10)

Glitter-sized solar panels, green electronics, and cow fat… your green tech finds.

• Lubing your engine with cow fat: Green Earth Technologies‘ G-OIL, a “bio-oil” created from cow fat, has been named the official motor oil of green racing series American Le Mans.
  
  
• Design your own electric vehicle: Trexa has created a concept platform for electric vehicles, which could allow specialty vehicle developers to create cars much like tech developers create iPhone apps (via Auto Blog Green)
  
  

Obama Awards Clean-Tech Manufacturing Tax Credits Worth $2.3 Billion

President Barack Obama today announced the award of $2.3 billion in Recovery Act Advanced Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits for 183 clean energy manufacturing projects across the United States.

Green tech finds (1/07/10)

Will 2010 be a good year for green tech? Looks like it from the first finds of the new year…

• Green tech at CES: It’s that time of year again… the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show opened today in Vegas, and CNET is keeping on top of green tech on display.
  
  
• The sun doesn’t shine all the time: That’s one of the criticisms of solar power… but start-up Sun Catalytix thinks it might have a solution to storing energy produced when the sun is shining: mimic photosynthesis.
  
  

California Approves New Wind Power Transmission Lines, Solar Roofs

California energy regulators have approved Southern California Edison’s request to construct a 173 mile long electricity transmission line to bring wind power generated in the Tehachapi Wind Resource Area in Kern County to Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties.