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Environmental
Office depot breaks ground on first "green" store
By Emily Clark
20:56 February 19, 2008 PST
February 20, 2008 Office Depot plans to open its first "green" LEED-Certified Store and the company recently celebrating breaking ground on the Austin, Texas site. The store will be the most energy-efficient and environmentally-friendly store in Company's North American retail chain and is due to open in summer 2008. Read More
Dryer Miser: energy-saving clothes drying technology
By Emily Clark
20:32 February 13, 2008 PST
February 14, 2008 In another innovation that promises to aid us in reducing our carbon footprint, Hydromatic's new energy saving technology targets one of the biggest energy guzzling appliances found in the home - the clothes dryer. Launched at the 2008 International Builders’ Show in Orlando, the Dryer Miser system uses a specially-engineered fluid in the heat exchange process to reduce energy consumption by up to 50% and cut clothes-drying time by up to 41%. Read More
Tefal Quick Cup: hot tea in seconds
By Emily Clark
16:01 February 13, 2008 PST
February 14, 2008 Increasing awareness of the urgent need to address global carbon emissions is leading to changes in the way we consume energy in our day to day lives. It's a classic "every little bit helps" scenario - from turning off appliances at the power point to using the "eco" function on the washing machine - and following this philosophy, Tefal has introduced a great little energy saver known as the Quick Cup. This device offers a fantastic alternative to traditional kettles that take an average of three minutes to boil (and often heat excess water that isn't utilized) by delivering the exact amount of hot filtered water needed for a cup of tea or coffee in three seconds flat while using only a third of the energy of an ordinary kettle. Read More
New York’s hybrid buses prove their worth
By Emily Clark
21:23 February 6, 2008 PST
February 7, 2008 A government report has shown that the new Orion buses in New York City cost 40% less to maintain and 24% less to operate than earlier-generation hybrids. Read More
Beijing’s Olympic Aquatic Centre: the eye-catching, eco-friendly Water Cube
By Jude Garvey
23:19 February 5, 2008 PST
February 6, 2008 Construction work on the Beijing National Aquatic Center began in December 2003 in preparation for the 2008 Olympics and four years later, a stunning piece of architecture has been completed. The “Water Cube” is a rectangular-shaped steel building covered by a membrane of brightly lit blue bubbles which is incredible to look at but it is also important on an environmental level. The Water Cube consists of 100,000 sq m of ETFE, (Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene) a unique transparent plastic which absorbs solar radiation and reduces thermal loss. This is the first time EFTE has been used in China and it is the world’s largest and most complex EFTE building ever constructed. Read More
US$15 billion alternative energy investment for Masdar Initiative
By Emily Clark
17:48 February 4, 2008 PST
February 5, 2008 Following on from last year's announcement of plans to create the world’s first world’s first zero carbon, zero waste city as part of the Masdar Initiative, the Abu Dhabi government has committed a US$15 billion to help explore, develop and commercialize clean energy sources. Read More
CC Medico’s Air Launcher nozzle eases aerosol can recycling
By Jude Garvey
17:03 January 31, 2008 PST
February 1, 2008 In an era where the need to reduce, reuse and recycle is a the top of the agenda, any innovation that helps in this regard is a welcome one. In providing a solution to the specific problem of recycling aerosol cans, Tokyo-based company CC Medico has developed the Air Launcher JET Alpha nozzle, a new type of aerosol nozzle which is easily removed and separated from the can by hand, which makes recycling the cans much easier. Read More
HP advances recycling techniques for ink cartridge manufacture
By Emily Clark
00:32 January 31, 2008 PST
January 31, 2008 HP has developed engineering technology that enables it to use post-consumer recycled plastics in the production of new its inkjet print cartridges. To date more than 200 million cartridges have been manufactured using the process and materials used include multiple sources and grades of recycled plastics – from everyday water bottles to used HP inkjet cartridges. Read More
Intel goes green with power purchase
By Emily Clark
19:21 January 29, 2008 PST
January 30, 2008 Technology giant Intel has announced it will purchase more than 1.3 billion kilowatt hours a year of renewable energy certificates, making it the single-largest corporate purchaser of green power in the US. The decision is part of a Intel's multi-faceted approach to reduce impact on the environment, and places the company at the top of the EPA's Green Power Partners latest Green Power Partners Top 25 list. Read More
Energy Island: unlocking the potential of the ocean as a renewable power source
By Kyle Sherer
15:23 January 28, 2008 PST
January 29, 2008 Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion uses the temperature difference between surface and deep-sea water to generate electricity – and though it has an efficiency of just 1-3% - researchers believe an OTEC power plant could deliver up to 250MW of clean power, equivalent to one eighth of a large nuclear power plant, or one quarter of an average fossil fuel power plant. Architect and engineer Dominic Michaelis and his son Alex, along with Trevor Cooper-Chadwick of Southampton University are developing the concept with plans of putting the theory to the test on an unprecedented scale by building a floating, hexagonal Energy Island that will harness energy from OTEC, as well as from winds, sea currents, waves, and the sun. Read More
Belkin Conserve Energy-Saving Surge Protector
By Darren Quick
17:46 January 20, 2008 PST
January 21, 2008 Belkin's aptly named Conserve is an 8-outlet surge protector that reduces energy consumption by eliminating wasteful standby power, helping lower the overall impact on the environment and at the same time saving money. Read More
Third-generation G-Wiz electric vehicle launched
By Darren Quick
22:34 January 1, 2008 PST
January 2, 2008 UK electric vehicle retailer GoinGreen has announced the release of the latest incarnation of its G-Wiz range. Known as G-Wiz i, the emission free electric vehicle (EV) that has a certified top speed of 50mph, a range of up to 48 miles per charge and improved acceleration to 30mph. Extra torque enables the G-Wiz i to easily keep up with city traffic and to cope with hills, but the most attractive feature is sure to be running costs with the fuel bill for a year’s electricity costing less than the price of a tank of petrol. Read More
Hunton Energy announces plans for clean energy plant
By Darren Quick
18:18 December 19, 2007 PST
December 20, 2007 Finding new ways to capture environmentally harmful emissions and use them to generate power is a positive step in the effort to slow global warming. The latest news from this arena comes from Hunton Energy, which has announced plans to build and operate a Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG) plant at Dow’s Oyster Creek Facility on the Texas Gulf Coast which will capture 100 percent of its own CO2 emissions, using turbines to produce additional power from its byproduct steam. Read More
Pedal-powered supercomputer: MIT Cycling team sets new record
By Emily Clark
18:07 December 14, 2007 PST
December 15, 2007 Cyclists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have set a new world record in Human Powered Computation (HPC). The team of 10 used bicycles to power a SiCortex SC648 supercomputer drawing 1.2 kilowatts of electricity, riding non-stop for 20 minutes to achieve the feat of the largest HPC in history. Read More
BioOil to fuel industrial sector
By Emily Clark
17:46 December 12, 2007 PST
December 13, 2007 Missouri, USA is set to become home to a commercial industrial plant that will produce liquid biofuel from wood residues. The end product, known as “BioOil”, is an industrial fuel expected to be sold to commercial users as it is a price-competitive replacement for heating oils that are widely used in industrial boilers and furnaces. Read More
Self-powered biosensor wins iGEM Environmental award
By Darren Quick
17:46 December 9, 2007 PST
December 10, 2007 A team of students from the University of Glasgow have designed the world’s first self-powered biosensor as part of the international Genetically Engineered Machine (iGEM) competition. The device, which took first prize in the Environment section of the awards, would have the ability to detect toxic leaks in environments that are unsuitable for humans and could be used as an early warning system in a range of industrial applications. Read More
Volvo backs energy efficient forestry machinery
20:05 December 3, 2007 PST
December 4, 2007 Making forestry a sustainable industry isn't just about the best utilization and management of plantation resources, it's also about how the timber is harvested. With this in mind, Volvo has announced a new investment as the part-owner in El-forest AB, based in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. Read More
Electrolux Design Lab 07 winners announced
By Emily Clark
23:35 December 2, 2007 PST
December 3, 2007 Electrolux Design Lab 07 was the fifth edition of Electrolux’s annual initiative aimed at encouraging the design of eco-friendly and sustainable household appliances. Winners of the year’s competition have been announced with finalists from Hungary, France and China in first, second and third place respectively. Read More
Demand-response system to limit peak power use
By Emily Clark
20:59 November 18, 2007 PST
November 19, 2007 Reducing demand from customers for power during peak periods is one way to delay the need for costly new power plants. It will also help to conserve resources and moderate energy prices. Reliant Energy, a Texas-based energy provider, has completed a successful test of a new demand-response system designed to give customers greater control of their electricity usage while reducing demand for power during peak usage periods. Read More
ReLED Systems offer LED replacement for fluorescent tubes
By Emily Clark
22:38 November 12, 2007 PST
November 13, 2007 ReLED Systems has introduced a solid state replacement for fluorescent tubes which allows existing light fixtures to be simply converted to Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), offering lower energy consumption, longer lamp life and environmental advantages over fluorescent tubes. Read More
First commercial cellulosic ethanol plant in the U.S.
By Emily Clark
23:36 November 8, 2007 PST
November 9, 2007 The production of ethanol as a cleaner alternative to fossil fuel throws up a number of challenges - in particular it has been argued that the amount of land required to produce crops for ethanol fuel production is too great, taking away land that is needed for food production. The use of cellulosic biomass to make commercial ethanol has been seen as a possible solution to this problem and now Range Fuels has now announced plans for the first commercial ethanol plant in the U.S. to use cellulosic biomass. Read More
Waterproof, recyclable concrete – just add Hycrete
By Darren Quick
22:13 October 31, 2007 PDT
November 1, 2007 Hycrete Technologies has developed a water based admixture that acts as waterproofing and corrosion protection when added to regular concrete. It does this by sealing the capillaries within the concrete and making the resultant product completely waterproof. The Hycrete is so effective that no external waterproof membranes, coatings or sheeting treatments are required, which is good news for the environment as it is usually these waterproofing methods that render concrete unsuitable for recycling – without them the concrete can be crushed, recycled, and reused. Read More
Responsible tourism: sustaining world cultures
By Emily Clark
18:26 October 30, 2007 PDT
October 31, 2007 As global tourism in the developing world grows, so too does the awareness of the importance of responsible travel - being mindful of local customs, cultures and ecosystems is vital to striking a safe balance between traditional societies and new world economies. The emergence of terms like “Volunteer tourism” and increasing recognition of travel organizations that seek to promote the practice of providing help or services to the region being visited is evidence that this shift in attitude is continuing to gain momentum. Read More
World first 100% biodiesel fuel powered jet takes flight
By Emily Clark
23:14 October 18, 2007 PDT
October 19, 2007 An L-29 military aircraft powered solely by 100% biodiesel fuel has successfully completed a test flight in the skies above Reno, Nevada. Piloted by Carol Sugars and Douglas Rodante, the aircraft reached 17,000 feet without showing any significant drop in performance compared to a jet aircraft running on conventional fuel. Read More
HTI's revolutionary forward osmosis filtration system
By Darren Quick
22:17 October 14, 2007 PDT
October 15, 2007 On any given day, over one billion people lack access to clean drinking water and over 50% of hospital beds are occupied by people suffering from water-borne diseases. In the face of these facts it is clear that any technological innovation that can help combat this problem is a worthy one, with water filtration systems such as the LifeStraw and the LIFESAVER bottle having recently grabbed our attention. Now new technology developed by Hydration Technologies (HTI) has become available that allows the user to create a safe, clean diluted sports drink from any contaminated (even sewage-like) groundwater source without the use of power, pumping or chemicals. Read More
John M
- November 25, 2009 @ 17:19 UTC
