Sundance Channel

Green tech finds: the power-free kitchen appliances edition

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:42:39 +0000

Refrigerate and cook food without electricity? We've got finds this week that get you pretty close, along with mushrooms that eat plastic, and plans to reuse dirty diapers (really!). The DIY, electricity-free refrigerator: Ever heard of a zeer pot? This very old concept for keeping food chilled only requires two clay flower pots, and some sand and water to build yourself. (via @dothegreenthing) And then cook that food without power: Well, not exactly, but with a lot less power. The Wonderbag keeps food cooking after the heat's turned off, and was originally designed for very poor people who couldn't afford much fuel. (via Inhabitat)

Green tech finds (2/17/11)

Jeff McIntire-Strasburg — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 19:17:45 +0000

Plug in a wind turbine, get solar power at night, and charge your phone with water... this week's green tech finds.

Landfill gas power comes to Detroit: Waste Management of Michigan has announced plans to build two plants that convert landfill gas into electricity in the Detroit metropolitan area. Expected output: 24.8 megawatts.
The solar panel that works in the dark: Full-spectrum solar panels aren't new... but, up until now, they've been incredibly expensive. Researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory may have hit the sweet spot... (via Cleantechnica and Greenwala)

Italy steps out of the dark ages of energy

Perrin Drumm — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:13:18 +0000

Photo by Dave Yoder for NYT

In THE AMERICAN, George Clooney's character hides away in an Italian village so remote that the only means of recreation are the church and the whorehouse, and the nearest public phone is a half-day's drive away. The town, located in the Abruzzo province, could double for Tocco da Casauria, one of Italy's oldest towns as well as the site of its latest advancements in renewable energy.

Obama To Congress: Economic Recovery ‘Begins’ With Clean Energy

Sundance Channel — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 13:00:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC, February 25, 2009 (ENS) – In his first address to a joint session of Congress Tuesday night, President Barack Obama earned repeated standing ovations from both Democrats and Republicans. He focused on three issues – clean energy, health care and education – and an overarching fourth issue – economic recovery. “The fact is, [...]

Feds Put Positive Spin on Offshore Wind Farm, Critics Persist

Sundance Channel — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 19:00:00 +0000

BOSTON, Massachusetts, January 19, 2009 (ENS) – America’s first offshore wind farm has moved closer to the construction stage now that the federal government has released a favorable Final Environmental Impact Statement on the project. The Minerals Management Service Friday issued a 2,800-page FEIS on the Cape Wind project planned for Nantucket Sound off the [...]

Japan, South Korea Plan Green Investments for Economic Growth

Sundance Channel — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 13:00:00 +0000

NEW YORK, New York, January 12, 2009 (ENS) – Japan and South Korea each have announced that they will invest billions of dollars in green projects to create jobs and spur economic growth, in what the United Nations says is the latest sign that its Green New Deal is gaining momentum. Japan has announced a [...]

Obama Vows Dramatic Action Towards a Greener Economy

Sundance Channel — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 12:00:00 +0000

FAIRFAX, Virginia, January 8, 2009 (ENS) – President-elect Barack Obama today pledged to quickly implement a plan that will save or create three million jobs by doubling the production of alternative energy; weatherizing 75 percent of federal buildings and two million American homes; and investing in new infrastructure, science, research, and technology. In a speech [...]

New Jersey to Develop First East Coast Offshore Wind Farm

Sundance Channel — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:00:00 +0000

NEWARK, New Jersey, October 15, 2008 (ENS) – Garden State Offshore Energy has won a $4 million grant from the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities to develop what will be the first offshore wind farm on the East Coast. It will be located southeast of Atlantic City, at least 16 miles off the coast. [...]

Greenspace Server Solutions

Sundance Channel — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:00:00 +0000

Rackspace, a premier server solution for individuals and businesses seeking top-notch service, has taken measures to offset the carbon emissions from their digital activities. The environmentally-concerned initiatives of Rackspace are collectively called GreenSpace. GreenSpace is working with NativeEnergy, a leading national marketer of renewable energy credits (RECs) and carbon offsets, the IT hosting specialist will [...]

One American Town Is Entirely Powered by Wind

Sundance Channel — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 15:00:00 +0000

COLUMBIA, Missouri, July 16, 2008 (ENS) – Four wind turbines supply all the electricity needed by the 1,395 residents of Rock Port. The town in the far northwest corner of Missouri announced Tuesday that it has become the first town in the United States to operate solely on wind power. Rock Port depends for power [...]

Oilman Pickens Promotes the Wind

Sundance Channel — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 16:00:00 +0000

NEW YORK, New York, July 8, 2008 (ENS) – Texas billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens is throwing his influence and money behind a campaign to wean America from its dependency on petroleum and shift to renewable energy sources, particularly wind. “I’ve been an oil man all my life, but this is one emergency we can’t [...]

Queen Elizabeth Buys World’s Largest Offshore Wind Turbine

Sundance Channel — Mon, 26 May 2008 12:15:00 +0000

ABERDEEN, Scotland, May 22, 2008 (ENS) – Britain’s Queen Elizabeth is investing in the world’s largest offshore wind turbine and also in the development of offshore windfarms in Scottish waters, her property company The Crown Estate announced on Wednesday. On April 17, The Crown Estate signed an agreement to purchase a prototype of the world’s [...]

Denmark to Install Electric Car Network Powered by the Wind

Sundance Channel — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 18:45:00 +0000

COPENHAGEN, Denmark, March 30, 2008 (ENS) – A Danish energy company and a Silicon Valley startup with Israeli links Thursday announced they will establish an electric car network in the Scandinavian nation with about 20,000 recharging stations powered by the wind. DONG Energy of Denmark and California-based Project Better Place said they will work together [...]

Britain Budgets for Future Low-carbon Economy

Sundance Channel — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 18:00:00 +0000

LONDON, UK, March 7, 2008 (ENS) – In its budget for 2008-2009, the British government has allocated hundreds of millions of pounds for clean energy technologies over the next three years. Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Hilary Benn, MP, Thursday announced an increase in funding for clean energy technologies, investments and [...]

State of the World 2008: Environmental Woes Sow Seeds of Sustainability

Sundance Channel — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 21:30:00 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC, January 10, 2008 (ENS) ï¿½ Concern about environmental degradation is beginning to impact the global economy, according to a new report by an international environmental research group. The Worldwatch Institute details a lengthy and distressing list of environmental problems caused by the global economic system, but finds some evidence that the world is [...]

Iowa Plans Energy Independence By 2025

Sundance Channel — Sat, 15 Dec 2007 16:00:00 +0000

Wind turbines in Wisconsin generate power bought by Alliant Energy to serve Iowa customers. (Photo by Todd Spinks courtesy NREL) DES MOINES, Iowa, December 14, 2007 (ENS) – Iowa’s initial Energy Independence Plan, submitted to Governor Chet Culver and members of the general assembly today, calls for the state to set standards that will reduce [...]

Man’s Best (Green) Friend: Greening Your Pets

Sundance Channel — Mon, 01 Oct 2007 15:00:00 +0000

For lots of us, a pet is just another member of the family, garnering similar attention as a child (something we covered quite extensively last week). It’s not surprising, then, that there are lots of ways to help make your pet’s life greener, too. Throw the planet a bone; we’ve got the goods on how [...]

Celebrating Energy Independence: Ideas for a Transition from Oil

Sundance Channel — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 14:00:00 +0000

When Independence Day rolls around each year, it’s only natural for us TreeHuggers to think about the different things that can mean. While it’s a nice excuse to meet up with family and friends, have a barbeque and maybe shoot off some fireworks, one of the first things that comes to our green-loving minds is [...]

Big Idea: Zero Carbon House

Sundance Channel — Tue, 24 Apr 2007 13:00:00 +0000

In every sense of the word, the Zero Carbon House [www.zerocarbonhouse.com] is a big idea. Using renewable energy and a host of smart implementations of green technologies, carbon emissions normally generated by everyday activities like heating and cooling and other power needs, growing and procuring food, and even transportation to and from the home have [...]