 |
The Searaser is a device invented by a British engineer that harnesses ocean wave to pump sea water uphill, from where it can flow downhill to create hydroelectricity, raising hopes of a cheap, abundant source of renewable energy. In trials the device has pumped water more than 160ft above sea level, using only the natural motion of the waves. There are now plans for a much larger version, capable of pumping to a height of more than 650ft.
|
|
 |
The idea of harvesting algae from the open ocean keeps popping up each time oil prices reach records. In the 1970s, several similar ideas were launched and received modest funding, both in the USA, Japan as well as the EU. Seaweed is an energy rich, sustainable resource that does not use up agricultural land.
|
|
 |
This Winter, consider a more eco-friendly form of insulation instead of the hazardous fiberglass standby. The product consists almost entirely of natural denim and cotton fibers that are 100% recyclable, reducing landfill waste. The denim and cotton are also 100% post-industrial. It requires a minimal amount of energy to manufacture aiding the environment with energy conservation and reduction in pollution compared to other types of traditional insulation.
|
|
 |
Selling billions of gallons of water in everlasting plastic bottles to people that already have access to clean water is turning our planet into a gigantic garbage dump. 60 million plastic bottles are thrown away each day in the USA alone. Only 14% actually get recycled, meaning 86% become garbage roaming our planet or cluttering landfills. It will take 700 years to begin composting, 24 million gallons of oil are needed to produce a billion plastic bottles, bottling and shipping water is the least energy efficient method ever used to supply the liquid, and it is the second most popular beverage in the United States.
|
|
 |
Green burials is a growing trend amongst the older generations nowadays. It ensures that the burial site remains as natural as possible in all respects. Interment of the bodies is done in a bio-degradable casket, shroud, or a favorite blanket. No embalming fluid, no concrete vaults. We don’t usually expect graveyards to give us much besides a chance to express grief, but a small town in Spain has found a new use for them: energy powerhouses. It has placed more than 400 solar panels on top of mausoleums in the local cemetery.
|
|
 |
Last winter, Ottawa was buried in more than 400 centimeters of snow. Clearing it off the roads and trucking it to the city's snow dumps cost $88 million. So, the city council asked for a study to examine the feasibility to use the "cold energy" stored in tons of snow collected from city streets in the winter to cool buildings such as hospitals, universities and government complexes during the hot summer months.
|
|
 |
The President elect brief rundown of his economic recovery plan to create 2.5 million jobs include the following statements "...building wind farms and solar panels, fuel-efficient cars and the alternative energy technology that can free us from our dependence on foreign oil and keep our economy competitive in the years ahead...That is the chance our new beginning now offers us, and that is the challenge we must rise to in the days to come."
|
|
 |
China heralded a new era for the emerging markets when it announced its $600 billion domestic economic stimulus package. Amongst the spending plans is the Hubei Province project to construct nine "eco-cities" as part of a nationwide focus on "energy conservation and environmental protection."
|
|
 |
Even the most environmentally-conscious among us use batteries containing toxic substances on a daily basis and most fuel cells and batteries contain a core of heavy metals, which are expensive and pollute the environment. Now UK chemists have discovered a property in the mushroom enzyme "Laccase" that could revolutionize the way fuel cells are produced. They discovered that the substance is every bit as effective as a catalyst on fuel cell electrodes as platinum.
|
|
 |
As many homeowners now recognize, the cost of energy is quite high. To the point that it’s financially beneficial to adjust consumption. Even small reductions in energy consumption can collectively amount to billions of dollars in savings.
|
|
