Ideas for the world, FREE!
Energy
It’s not just finding renewable energy sources, it’s actually using them
Sep 25th
Ecotricity is a British electric company dedicated to changing the way electricity is produced. They take the money customers spend on electricity and invest it in clean forms of power like wind energy. Ecotricity is the only green electricity company actually building these new renewable energy sources. In 2007 alone they invested £25 million in wind energy. For every pound a customer spends on electricity, Ecotricity spends another pound on renewable energy.
The company has 33 wind parks either in operation (15), in construction (6), or in the planning process (12). This amounts to 108 wind turbines and 276,000 tonnes of CO2 saved every year. Over 40,000 homes and businesses are powered through Ecotricity, serving folks all over the United Kingdom.
The company has 33 wind parks either in operation (15), in construction (6), or in the planning process (12). This amounts to 108 wind turbines and 276,000 tonnes of CO2 saved every year. Over 40,000 homes and businesses are powered through Ecotricity, serving folks all over the United Kingdom.
Though Ecotricity specializes in wind energy, the company is also moving toward investing in green gas (biofuels essentially) and solar energy. They also have a program called Microtricity, where homes will get paid, you heard correctly, to create electricity out of their own homes. One kilowatt of solar panels for one home creates 850kWh of electricity, paying you £364/$571 a year tax-free. This saves about £64/$100 per year on the electric bill, combining to an annual benefit of £428/$671. With results like that, who wouldn’t want Ecotricity?
It’s nice to know poop’s good for something
Sep 24th
In one dog park in Cambridge, Massachusetts, dog owners can recycle the poop to light up the park at night.
The “Park Spark” poop converter is actually two steel, 500-gallon oil tanks painted a golden yellow, connected by diagonal black piping and attached to an old gaslight-style street lantern at the Pacific Street Park. Boston artist Matthew Mazzotta, who is not a dog owner, got the idea after he visited the park with a friend in 2009. Mazzotta had recently traveled to India and saw people there using poop in so-called “methane digesters” to cook food. As he watched the park’s trash can fill with bags of poop, he remarked to his friend, “In other countries, they use that.”
The “Park Spark” poop converter is actually two steel, 500-gallon oil tanks painted a golden yellow, connected by diagonal black piping and attached to an old gaslight-style street lantern at the Pacific Street Park. Boston artist Matthew Mazzotta, who is not a dog owner, got the idea after he visited the park with a friend in 2009. Mazzotta had recently traveled to India and saw people there using poop in so-called “methane digesters” to cook food. As he watched the park’s trash can fill with bags of poop, he remarked to his friend, “In other countries, they use that.”
Instead of putting bags of poop in the trash bin, signs on the tanks instruct owners to use biodegradable bags supplied on site to pick up the poop and deposit it into the left tank. People then turn a wheel to stir its insides, which contain waste and water. Microbes in the waste give off methane, an odorless gas that is fed through the tanks to the lamp and burned off. The park is small but has proven busy enough to ensure a steady supply of fuel.
Burning the methane, which is 30 times more potent as a greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide, helps the environment. With dogs dropping tons of poop in cities everywhere, Mazzotta thinks the idea of using its untapped power has broad appeal.The project was funded by a $4,000 grant from Council of the Arts at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where Mazzotta earned a master’s degree in visual studies last year.
It Doesn’t Always Have to be about Subsistence Farming and Growing Locally
Sep 22nd
Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market will open its second GreenChill certified store at Oceanside Blvd. & College Blvd. in Oceanside, California on Wednesday. Two weeks ago, Fresh & Easy opened its first GreenChill store in Rosemead, California, which was also the first grocery store in Southern California to utilize a CO2 refrigeration unit.
EPA’s GreenChill Partnership works with food retailers to reduce refrigerant emissions and decrease their impact on the ozone layer and climate change. Under the agreement with the EPA, Fresh & Easy works to achieve to the following:
- Transition to refrigerants that have a lower environmental impact;
- Lower refrigerant charge sizes and eliminate leaks; and
- Adopt green refrigeration technologies, strategies, and practices.
According to the Environmental Protection Agency, GreenChill’s food retail partners have refrigerant emissions rates 50% lower than the EPA-estimated industry average. If every supermarket in the nation reduced refrigerant emissions down to GreenChill’s average, they could prevent the equivalent of 22,000,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere every year. That is equal to the annual greenhouse gas emissions of 4.2 million passenger vehicles. In addition, these stores would save over $100 million every year, which would help customers save money too.
Fresh & Easy worked closely with partners Kysor/Warren and Southwest Refrigeration on the Oceanside store, which earned its silver certification award from the EPA GreenChill Partnership by meeting tough benchmarks for cutting emissions that harm the earth’s protective ozone layer and contribute to global warming. Fewer than 40 of the nation’s 35,000 grocery stores have received GreenChill Store Certification awards.
On average, Fresh & Easy stores use 30% less energy than a typical supermarket – helping save customers money while helping the environment. Fresh & Easy uses LED lighting in external signs and freezer cases, offers customer recycling in every store, and uses advanced refrigeration and freezer units to cut back on energy usage.
Steve Hagen, Fresh & Easy’s Director of Procurement presenting at the FMI Energy & Store Development Conference said today, “In addition to our efforts to reduce refrigerant emissions, we also are working on innovative ways to save energy, such as utilizing skylights, LED lighting and technological advancements like EnviroTower, which saves a significant amount of water in our stores.
Rethinking the bicycle seat
Sep 20th
Riding a bike is great for the environment, but bike seats aren’t known for their comfort, especially for men. But sexual health and comfort can be improved for male bicyclists with the no-nose bicycle seat, which the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has conducted studies on and concluded that have demonstrated the effectiveness of no-nose bicycle saddles in reducing pressure in the groin and improving the sexual health of male bicycle patrol police officers. The seat is designed to move the pressure to different parts of the body, and needs to be adjusted for a rider’s height and physiology.
But not all bikes and bike seats are created equal, and for male bicyclists who go through similar problems, it actually might be best to just adjust the current seat on the bike rather than get a new one with a sleek design. Bicycle saddles only cause numbness 1) if the bike is improperly adjusted; 2) when a rider isn’t fit and 3) after a very long and intense ride. Also, not all bikes have adjustable seats or additional seat posts, so its best to check first with a bike shop or doctor about the options. Nonetheless, there’s no reason to give up bike riding all together, as numbness and discomfort is solvable. Just keep in mind three things:
- Exercise is good for sexual health! Sitting in a car and cubicle every day is not a recipe for a great love life.
- With proper bike fiting, cycling should be numbness and pain free.
- Experiment with different seats–nose as well as no-nose. Everyone’s physiology is different and there are myriad saddle styles to choose from. Here’s a little tip, though: don’t go with the saddle that feels softest to the touch, and do a reasonably-long ride on a saddle before making a decision!
The World’s First Solar-Powered Air Conditioner Is Here
Sep 19th
In Dezhou, China, the Shandong Vicot Air Conditioning Co., Ltd. unveiled the world’s first directly solar-powered air conditioning unit at a solar-powered air conditioning conference (demonstrating that conferences exist for things that yet don’t). Experts and academics present at the conference unanimously agreed that Vicot’s solar-powered air conditioning unit is a great innovation in China’s solar-powered technologies sector, and an extremely significant step forward for the industry’s future strategy and development.
Predictions have been made that by 2060, the world will run out of traditional energy sources, meaning that humankind would not be able to keep cool in the summer heat. The goal is to have renewable energy sources make up 30 percent of all energy sources by 2020, 50 percent by 2050. This new air-conditioning system boasts an optimal 85% thermal cooling conversion efficiency, and its ability to utilize solar power is twenty-seven times that of the average water heating unit. It also allows for 24-hour continuous cooling, heating, and supply of hot water, while natural gas can be used as a supplemental energy supply.
“This solar-powered air conditioning unit is the result of three years of hard work and the pioneering research efforts of Chinese and American scientists and engineers. The product is a fine example of globally cutting-edge technology. Solar-powered air conditioning units can be widely used in low-carbon buildings, and its cost is relatively low, so in 3.5 years, the unit’s initial investment can be recouped, and in 6.7, the entire investment can be recovered,” remarked Shandong Vicot Air Conditioning Co., Ltd.’s president Li Wen.
Predictions have been made that by 2060, the world will run out of traditional energy sources, meaning that humankind would not be able to keep cool in the summer heat. The goal is to have renewable energy sources make up 30 percent of all energy sources by 2020, 50 percent by 2050. This new air-conditioning system boasts an optimal 85% thermal cooling conversion efficiency, and its ability to utilize solar power is twenty-seven times that of the average water heating unit. It also allows for 24-hour continuous cooling, heating, and supply of hot water, while natural gas can be used as a supplemental energy supply.
“This solar-powered air conditioning unit is the result of three years of hard work and the pioneering research efforts of Chinese and American scientists and engineers. The product is a fine example of globally cutting-edge technology. Solar-powered air conditioning units can be widely used in low-carbon buildings, and its cost is relatively low, so in 3.5 years, the unit’s initial investment can be recouped, and in 6.7, the entire investment can be recovered,” remarked Shandong Vicot Air Conditioning Co., Ltd.’s president Li Wen.
Statistics show that consumption of energy by buildings and other structures in China is 27.45% of the country’s overall energy consumption, so the incorporation of energy-saving measures in these structures is imminent as well as relevant and substantial. Currently, energy consumption in buildings and structures is mainly attributable to heating units (65%), water heating units (15%), electricity (14%), and kitchen appliances (6%).
The Rats Will Power The Matrix
Sep 19th
French researchers have created just that, and it’s smaller and more powerful than current batteries meant to function inside a living being. And the battery has the survival readiness as rat’s themselves, as it’s the first batter to work inside a living rat. The battery worked for 11 days in its first trial. During the trial, the device produced 2 microwaves of power over several hours with a peak energy density of 24.4 microwaves per milliliter (or .73 microwaves per inch). A standard pacemaker battery requires a sustained power of 10 microwaves. A larger version of the biocell could easily power a pacemaker and would be significantly smaller that batteries currently in use.
Don’t worry, the rat was not harmed during the experiment and survived without complications. Upon removing the device, the researchers found that the rat’s body had ‘accepted’ it by coating the device with tissue containing newly grown blood vessels. This proves the body would facilitate oxygen and glucose movement to the implant.
“In the future we are expecting to develop, for instance, implantable biosensors able to monitor the level of glucose to control the insulin pump,” an implant used to treat diabetes, said study co-author Serge Cosnier of the Université Joseph Fourier in Grenoble, France.
Don’t worry, the rat was not harmed during the experiment and survived without complications. Upon removing the device, the researchers found that the rat’s body had ‘accepted’ it by coating the device with tissue containing newly grown blood vessels. This proves the body would facilitate oxygen and glucose movement to the implant.
“In the future we are expecting to develop, for instance, implantable biosensors able to monitor the level of glucose to control the insulin pump,” an implant used to treat diabetes, said study co-author Serge Cosnier of the Université Joseph Fourier in Grenoble, France.
It’s Flying, with Style
Sep 15th
Efforts are underway to harness the wind in the upper layers of the atmosphere, which could contain as much as 870 terawatts of power — that’s 870 trillion watts! Being able to harness this energy has one significant advantage: it would take less raw material per watt of power, translating to a lower cost per watt.
One design, from Joby Energy, hopes to launch a 500-kilowatt winged turbine next year,. The company claims to be able to use just 20 tons of material per megawatt, compared to the conventional wind power industry average of 96 tons. In order to keep such a turbine from floating off into space, Joby plans to attach tether propellers with a cord. Makani Power’s idea is an airborne wind turbine, which launches when wind speeds reach 3.5 m/s. The turbine does not have any fuel or batteries and fliest crosswind in a circular pattern in order to generate power.
One design, from Joby Energy, hopes to launch a 500-kilowatt winged turbine next year,. The company claims to be able to use just 20 tons of material per megawatt, compared to the conventional wind power industry average of 96 tons. In order to keep such a turbine from floating off into space, Joby plans to attach tether propellers with a cord. Makani Power’s idea is an airborne wind turbine, which launches when wind speeds reach 3.5 m/s. The turbine does not have any fuel or batteries and fliest crosswind in a circular pattern in order to generate power.
How Can I Recycle This?
Sep 14th
Well, a blog by the same name can show you how, with all kinds of products that would seem to not have any more uses beyond what it was made for. Take household keys for example. How could anyone possibly reuse or recycle these? Suggestions from the blog include using them to make jewelry, or donate them to charity (yes, there is actually a charity that recycles the metal in the keys). There’s also tips on how to recycle VHS tapes, corks, cell phones, floppy disks and egg shells. The website got started with a plate of pistachio nut shells. From the thought of what to do with those shells came the realization that the conundrum with the pistachio shells often comes with many other household items and empty containers. Four years on, “How Can I Recycle This?” has covered nearly 800 items and has had over 10,000 suggestions of ways to reuse, repurpose or recycle things that would otherwise go in the bin. They’ve covered items from around the home, office and garden, things for particularly hobbies or sports, and random bits of technology that have broken or are just out of date.
It’s Not Easy Being Green
Sep 13th
But it could be easier if everyone is green together. Website Ecofirms.org does just that: connecting environmentally friendly companies and organizations from around the world into an online database. This will help these companies establish new partnerships as well as help eco-friendly consumers find service with the green attitude they are looking for. Companies can register to be listed with no cost at all and even publish environmental essay, reports and research. To register as a an ecofirm, companies must meet at least one of four criteria: the main activity is focused on preserving the environment, the promotion or selling of eco friendly products / services / lifestyle, the holding or pending of supporting eco certifications or eco memberships, and/or are registerration as GO, NGO, Non Profit, or Charity. The website also features video and news covering eco-friendly issues.
Boxes Going Green? All Over The Place?
Sep 8th
Oh well, it was Lifebox, then UPS and now Ebay. Ebay is now giving out in its green boxes. But hang on – this one’s a little different. Ebay is not going to ship your stuff in it but is just going to give the box to you. The box has space for you to write where its from and a message to a person you are handing it to. The concept is that you will use the box to give someone something and in turn that someone uses it to give someone else, something else. Confused yet? Yeah, I can understand. Ebay’s Skype buyout was as confusing. But now the good part – if each of the 100,000 (only??) boxes being “given away” is reused 5 times Ebay estimates that we will save about 4000 trees, 2.4 million gallons of water and conserve enough energy to power 49 homes. Nice thought but the lucky few who get these boxes better use it at least 5 times! Images after the break.
