When the moon is in the seventh house
By Kurt Robbins
November 29, 2007 – 2:51 pm
The 2012 Olympics in London is going to have a green slant with the carbon neutral torch and all. Now London wants to unveil the world’s first tidal-powered lunar clock. The clock designed by the British firm Aluna Limited, will be the first public art installation to power homes while providing aesthetic at the same time. The clock will be 40 meters wide and five stories high and will be made of three concentric recycled glass rings. The power to illuminate the clock will come from turbines in the river Thames that will also help power homes. With the ebb and flow of the tides energy is created and the clock is illuminated and energy is stored to power homes.
From Aluna’s website:
“Aluna is powered by the very thing it is designed to measure, the Moon.
The Moon creates the tides and Aluna transforms the tides’ kinetic energy into electricity, most likely utilising latest tidal current technology - turbines that sit in the water and ‘go with the ebb and flow’.”Hopefully these ambitious projects represent and project the message that there are alternatives to the traditional power sources we have grown accustomed to.
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Not just food for thought
By Kurt Robbins
November 29, 2007 – 2:51 pm
Algae may have one more hat to wear now that the search for alternative fuels is rivaling that of Christopher Columbus searching for the new world. Algae is being touted as a new and viable source of biofuel. LiveFuels Inc. out of Menlo Park, CA is researching the oil producing potential of the aforementioned slim and have an initiate in place to hopefully replace millions of gallons of fossil fuels with this new algae based biofuel by 2010.
“The challenge facing LiveFuels’ scientists will be growing and transforming algae cheaply into biocrude within days rather than millennia. The entire United States’ supply of imported oil could potentially be grown on 20 to 40 million acres of marginal land, leaving the 450 million acres of fertile American soil that are presently farmland still available to feed the nation.”
“LiveFuels will enable American farmers to replace imported oil with home-grown biocrude and supply it to the United States,” said Morgenthaler-Jones. “Other countries are ahead of the U.S. in biocrude research, but other countries were once ahead of us in the space race too. America put a man on the moon in eight years, and America can make its own biocrude in four.”
LiveFuels Inc is part of a collobrative effort on the part of the Department of Energy. Sandia National Laboratories is leading the way along with the liveFuels alliance in sponsoring dozens of labs around the country over the next three years.
It’s great to see a federally funded program moving forward like this, hopefully there will be more programs lke this in the future.
Via Inhabitat via LiveFuels
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Going Going Green
By Kurt Robbins
October 18, 2007 – 9:51 am
The San Francisoc Giants have agreed in a partnership with Pacific Gas and Electric to install solar panels on the port walk outside of AT&T Park.
From the website:
“The port walk is a signature location of the ballpark,” said Peter Magowan, Giants president and managing general partner. “We will showcase solar power in one of the most visible locations on the waterfront. In turn, we hope to send a message to our fans, television viewers and the greater community about the importance of using energy wisely and efficiently.â€
The 590 panels will provide 120 kilowatts of power and will be connected to San Francisco’s power grid. The power created is enough to run the scoreboard for about a year or a handful of homes. Although the panels will not supply power to the stadium, they will hopefully set a good example and hopefully start a trend for other professional sports teams.
San Francisco Giants via Treehugger
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harnessing wind and methane for your drinking pleasure
By Kurt Robbins
October 18, 2007 – 9:50 am
New Belgium Brewing company in Fort Collins, CO doesn’t just produce mouthwatering libations for all of legal age to enjoy, they strive to be energy efficient and socially responsible. For almost ten years New Belgium has been using wind power and water sheds to create energy for the brewing process.
From New Belgium’s sustainability page:
“In 1998, New Belgium took an employee vote and became the country’s first brewery to subscribe to wind energy. The decision came after our engineers, looking to minimize CO2 emissions, discovered that city’s power plant, which supplied the brewery with electricity, created the bulk of our emissions. Employee owners voted to dip into their bonus pool to help finance the conversion.â€
They also use watersheds in which grey water from the beer making process is transferred to closed pools filled with anaerobic bacteria. These microbes feed of the organic residue from the brewing process and create methane gas that is used to create electric and thermal energy for the brewery.
New Belgium gets 30 percent of its energy from the watershed process and the other 70 percent from wind power, meaning no fossil fuels are burned in creating their golden goodness.
When a company turns out a quality product and is as forward thinking as New Belgium loyal consumers are sure to be found. Companies like this provide an encouraging example for others to follow. Cheers New Belgium.
New Belgium via Great Green Gadgets
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By Kurt Robbins
October 13, 2007 – 9:09 am
Hoping to shred the gnar but concerned your traditional polyurethane foam board is increasing carbon footprint? There is a new solution from Home Blown surf blanks in San Diego, they have created the Biofoam surf blank. Unlike a traditional petroleum based surf board, Biofoam is made up of 50% agricultural products. New technologies and chemistry has enabled them to make biomaterials from plant oils that mimic those of petrochemicals for a similar cost.
From the website:
“A preliminary life cycle analysis indicates that using Biofoam results in 36% less global warming emissions, a 61% reduction in non-renewable energy use, and a 23% reduction in total energy demand. Studies also show that foams containing the biomaterials tend to take longer to discolor under UV. Foams with biomaterials have finer and more uniform cell structure than those made with petrol-based materials. The foams of biomaterials also exhibit superior hardness relative to foams with conventional materials.â€
With the number of surfers out there and the organizations committed to saving the oceans and cleaning the beaches, maybe it’s time to take action on another front. The petroleum based surf board industry is almost in direct contrast to a lot of the messages that these organizations put forth. If there are enough of these boards in the line-up and people start to take notice it can only be a good thing.
Check out the website and look for Biofoam at your local shop.
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By Kurt Robbins
October 12, 2007 – 9:10 am
That Granite counter top, although beautiful, isn’t exactly eco friendly. Well, thanks to a gentleman by the name of Joel Klippert there is a solution for those wanting to stay green. His environmentally friendly, bio-composite EcoTop surfaces are the perfect alternative. From counter tops, tabletops, floors, and walls for residential or commercial settings, EcoTop has you covered, no pun intended, well maybe.
From the website:
“EcoTop is composed of a Forest Stewardship Council-certified 50/50 blend of bamboo fiber, a rapidly renewable resource, and recycled wood fiber salvaged from demolition sites. These materials are bound together by a water-based resin formula that is both petroleum-free and VOC-free. Because of this, EcoTop products can earn you up to six points on your next LEED project.â€
EcoTop is no slouch for looks or sophistication either. It is available in seven different colors form white to black and several in between. For a little extra green, custom colors can be ordered. Not just a pretty face, the bamboo fibers in the EcoTop formula make it highly scratch and stain resistant, on par with other paper-based surfaces.
So if you or someone you know is looking to do a little green remodeling or are embarking on a green new build, look EcoTop up and see if anything strikes your fancy.
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No, it's not Sunny Delight.
By Kurt Robbins
September 29, 2007 – 8:46 am
Need a charge for the go? Solar Style has you covered with their portable solar energy chargers. They are dedicated to giving you ultimate freedom in the form of a mobile power source for your portable electronics. Their solar charger absorbs light energy through the use of small collapsible solar panels. The panels turn the collected energy into electricity, which then charges the Battery-on-Board. Once the Battery-on-Board is charging you are able to charge your electronic devices. You’re even covered when it gets dark by the Battery-on-Board feature that stores power that is not used for the future.
From the website:
“How many times has your battery on your Cell Phone or digital device run-out at the most inconvenient time? As long as there is indoor/ outdoor light…you have access to power. Imagine, not having to carry additional batteries for all of your digital devices. One Solar Charger enables you to charge your Cell Phone, PDA, MP3, CD Player, Gaming Device and Digital Camera.â€
Solar Style has a number of products designed for use with all types of portable electronics, from your run of the mill cell phone to your blackberry, blueberry, or Ipod. GroovyGreen has a great video review of one of the chargers here.
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How do they keep the water in the bottle if it's biodegradable?
By Kurt Robbins
September 29, 2007 – 8:40 am
Fiji water has nothing on BIOTA, the first beverage company in the world to use biodegradable bottles for their water. The bottles are made from corn instead of oil, like traditional bottles, and will degrade in 75 to 80 days in a commercial composting situation. It might take a little longer for those of you composting at home.
From the website:
“As part of its natural photosynthesis process, corn stores carbon from the air in the starchy portions of the plant. BIOTA bottles are made by developing a resin that begins with harvesting corn and breaking down the starches into natural plant sugars. The next step in this simple, yet patented process includes fermentation, separation and polymerization to make what is called plastic polylactide, or PLA.â€
The bottles compost using heat, micro-organisms and moisture to break down. For those of you wondering about storing these things not to worry, they don’t break down after 75 days on the shelf, they must be opened and emptied and under the right conditions. Plastic bottles are a major source of non composting refuge that are filling up our landfills and polluting our beaches. I commend BIOTA for doing their part.
BIOTA via GreenMaven
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A little cranking goes a long way
By Kurt Robbins
September 25, 2007 – 4:13 pm
Have you ever found yourself waking up at 3am and wondering who turned the light on? Not saying there was wine involved, maybe the book you were reading couldn’t hold your attention. There is now a solution to this energy wasting, sleep-depriving problem. Yuko Taguchi has come up with “the Wind-Up Lampâ€. This modest bedside lamp has a crank on the side that you wind up to generate power and start a timer. Once the power is used up, the lamp goes out leaving the room dark and your dreams intact.
Here’s more from the designer’s website:
“This is for people who can’t sleep without the light. Also, people who read in the bed sometimes forget to turn off the light. The key functions as a switch and a timer. Wind-up to turn the light on before you go to bed. The light will stay on until the key winds back. You will come to know how many times you need to wind-up. Its main source of power comes from its powerful spring-driven generator. As the high carbon tensile steel spring unwinds, power is transferred to a small dynamo electric generator which produces enough electricity to power of the light.â€
Yuko Taguchi via Treehugger
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No mowing required
By Kurt Robbins
September 21, 2007 – 2:30 pm
Shingles will burn your house down, and tile promotes urban runoff — what you need is a living roof, generating oxygen for all mankind. One of the leaders in this concept is a company called LiveRoof. They have developed a modular system that lets you easily transition over to a green roof in an instant.
Once you make the wise decision to join the LiveRoof community, installing the roof is a breeze. The modules are prepared ahead of time and set up to the dimensions of your roof. Specially engineered soil is placed inside the modules and plants are grown to maturity, which is about 1 inch high. Next the modules are transported to your home. You’re thinking now what, well, LiveRoof has thought of everything, they have developed special truck to roof conveyors that hoist the modules to the roof. After this, a thorough watering and you officially have a green roof.
A live roof saves you money, conserves energy, extends the life of the roof, and insulates you home. For more info and more reasons to think about going green check out their website.
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