Monthly Archives: March 2010

PopSci -  A step towards bio-batteries Algae has been floated again and again as a possible means of biofuel production, usually through chemical processes that extract sugars or other organic compounds that can be processed into fuel. But what if we could simply steal electricity from algae, no processing or chemical wizardry necessary? We...
Read More »

Stewart Lee Udall - “My dear ones, your generation will face a series of environmental challenges that will dwarf anything any previous generation has confronted. I’m hoping to add some insights of my own based on things I learned as a policymaker in the 1950s and ’60s, when I observed and participated in some...
Read More »

From EERE News: Nissan has announced that its new electric vehicle, the Leaf, will sell for slightly less than $33,000, and will be available in some markets by the end of this year. The automaker will also offer a deal on personal charging docks for customers. The electric Nissan Leaf will begin appearing in...
Read More »

EPA has come a long way from the card catalogue! HERO’s search engine makes it easy to search through the hundreds of thousands of studies used in risk assessment. EPonline -  The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released the Health and Environmental Research Online (HERO) database on March 24. HERO provides access to the scientific...
Read More »

From Consumerist -  The new energy credit for 2009 and 2010 is available on these items purchased for your primary personal residence only: Energy-efficient windows Skylights Central air conditioners Electric heat pumps Water heaters Exterior doors Insulation Natural gas, propane or oil furnaces Natural gas, propane or oil hot water boilers Biomass fuel stove...
Read More »

GOOD -  Living in the suburbs often looks like the cheaper housing option—until you factor in the cost of transportation, that is. The Center for Neighborhood Technology has an amazing online tool that maps 161,000 American neighborhoods and adds the transportation costs to the housing costs in a given place so you can see...
Read More »

From The Consumerist – In Florida, acres of delicious strawberries are starting to ripen, and… being left to rot and plowed under. Thanks to cold weather at just the right point of the winter growing season, berry crops are so bountiful that it’s more cost-efficient to let the berries rot than it is to...
Read More »

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) — The world seems awash in natural gas. …Forecasting agencies, long known to play it safe before touting new trends, are only predicting a modest increase in gas’ share of the world’s overall energy mix by 2030. But some analysts are saying it could be much higher, with big implications for...
Read More »

VIA – Consumerist Chrysler announced today that it plans on releasing an electric car for the U.S. market in 2012. The vehicle will be based on the Fiat 500EV, which Chrysler and its controlling owner, Italian car maker Fiat, showed off at the Detroit Auto Show earlier this year.“The Fiat 500 is a small,...
Read More »

Consumerist: Last year, an audit showed that Energy Star gave its rating to products that misrepresented their energy usage. This time, auditors posed as companies and submitted completely absurd appliances for EnergyStar ratings, like a gasoline-powered alarm clock the size of a portable generator, and a space heater with a feather duster on top...
Read More »

Copyright Kobelco Eco-Solutions Co. JFS - Major Japanese gas supplier Osaka Gas Co., Kobe City in western Japan and Kobelco Eco-Solutions Co., announced on October 19, 2009, that they would jointly start a test project to purify biogas generated in a sewage treatment plant to the level of city gas, and to feed the...
Read More »

From the DrumBeatWashington considers a decline of world oil production as of 2011 The U.S. Department of Energy admits that “a chance exists that we may experience a decline” of world liquid fuels production between 2011 and 2015 “if the investment is not there”, according to an exclusive interview with Glen Sweetnam, main official...
Read More »

Considered the most threatened ecosystem in Bangladesh, the moist deciduous Sal forest (Shorea robusta) is on the verge of vanishing. In 1990 only 10 percent of the forest cover remained, down from 36 percent in 1985 according to statistics from the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO). A new study in the online open-access journal...
Read More »

GreenEconomyPost Ceres has released the first comprehensive assessment and ranking of water disclosure practices of 100 publicly-traded companies in eight key sectors exposed to water-related risks: beverage, chemicals, electric power, food, homebuilding, mining, oil and gas, and semiconductors. The report highlights best practices, key gaps and trends in water reporting and lays out a...
Read More »

GreenEconomyPost- Huge Cost Savings Achieved with LED Lights Using Network Cables A network-based LED lighting technology for commercial buildings optimizes energy-efficiency for commercial lighting and provides comprehensive sensor data for building performance. “The holy grail right now for real estate is creating interoperability between information technology networks and the electrical grid.” Mr. Gilbert said....
Read More »

After my Economic Update post… I may need one of these to retire in DesignBoom – Shelter has simple storage, a makeshift washroom, a kitchen, and a sleeping area.  The roof acts as a rain catcher which collects free water. Design enthusiast, paul elkins, develops mobile units, and other small scale vehicles.   burning...
Read More »

American Streamlined Cars Peaked in 1920, MPG peaked in 1950′s Gas Plasma Engine: a new type of energy source is touted as the vehicle’s soon-to-come power drive: “This engine is a closed two-cycle reciprocating engine that has no intake, uses no air, emitting no exhaust at all! The fuel is self-contained and hermetically sealed...
Read More »

Via Next100 With all the attention paid to carbon pollution and global warming these days, it’s easy to forget the importance of traditional air pollutants like ozone smog, lead and fine particulates… causing sickness and even death, as well as billions of dollars in damage to crops and structures. While carbon pollution continues its...
Read More »

NextBigFuture: World Uranium Demand Could be Up 400% -  Barry Brook, a leading australian academic, predicts that global demand for mined uranium will rise 
at least fourfold over the next 30 years, driven by rising electricity demand and scaling back on fossil fuel dependence. Japan is planning to build at least 14 nuclear power...
Read More »

Electric cars a major environmental threat? It wasn’t long before the war of words began on the efficiency of electric cars and their impact on the environment. Today’s comments from controversial author Clive Matthew-Wilson paint a gloomy picture of electric cars as “often less efficient and more polluting than the petrol cars they replace”....
Read More »

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency…EPA first issued its ranking of cities with the most Energy Star labeled buildings last year. This year, Los Angeles remains in first place; the District of Columbia picks up second; Denver and Chicago move into the top five; and Lakeland and New York City are new to the top...
Read More »

rom EarlyWarning So claims the International Wood Markets Group. According to the Vancouver Sun’s reporting (via Mountain Pine Beetle): A new report on the mountain pine beetle epidemic describes it as one of North America’s largest natural environmental disasters that will put an estimated 16 major sawmills out of business in B.C. and lead...
Read More »

All from EPA’s Superfund, TRI, EPCRA, RMP & Oil Information Center Monthly Reports from November 1991 to December 2009 are now available at www.epa.gov/superfund/resources/infocenter/reports.htm As future reports are made available, they will be posted at this location.  Reports include a representative selection of common questions and answers, as well as summaries of new publications and...
Read More »

CBO Federal Climate Change Programs … Congresses and Administrations have committed several billion dollars annually to studying climate change and reducing emissions of greenhouse gases, most notably carbon dioxide. Most of that spending is done by the Department of Energy (DOE) and by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, although a dozen other federal...
Read More »

Big & Green 2003…history behind LEED Green architecture became a worldwide cause in the 1960s and 1970s in response to growing awareness of environmental degradation and rising fuel prices. The first green architects focused primarily on single-family homes, although some promising work was done on other small-scale buildings. In the late 90′s  several rating...
Read More »

Lawmaker eases green building bill standards (UPDATE) State Rep. Louis Molepske Jr., D-Stevens Point, said his bill still would require all public buildings of at least 10,000 square feet — including state, municipal and public school district projects — be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver standards. But the measure no...
Read More »

LA Times California officials Thursday abruptly halted a controversial effort to slash the carbon footprint of automobile air conditioning. “Cool car” rules would have required a clear reflective glaze on vehicle windows as a way to block excessive sunlight and heat. They were adopted in June by the state’s Air Resources Board and were...
Read More »

I do not endorse or promote products… but Steve Spence always offers such great ideas just by reading and looking at what his group is doing over at Green-Trust.org. Here are a few pictures and you can go from there.  Methane Digester Video and Plans-  Axial Flux Wind Turbine Plans  This is the Green...
Read More »

Is the CLEAR sustainable program economically sustainable?While current Cap-N-Trade program on the table has clear winners and epic losers…  but, the CLEAR program appears quite different.  I thought ‘sustainable’ meant spending and living within the means of our resources? Anchorage Daily News: CLEAR stands for Carbon Limits and Energy for America’s Renewal, and its...
Read More »

Valentin Technologies introduced a ‘new concept drive’ that theoretically gets 170 mpg. Hydraulic drives are used on everything from hightech tanks and jets to simple lawnmowers. While their 170mpg claim will need to be proven, the idea of hydralic fluid drives already has great potential to reduce energy consumption, drive line wear and friction....
Read More »

Inhabitat The new nuclear age has officially begun. First President Obama announced $8 billion in loan guarantees for nuclear power, and now Toshiba has teamed up with TerraPower, a Bill Gates-backed startup, to develop hot tub-sized nuclear reactors that only need to be refueled every 60 to 100 years. Continue at Inhabitat
Read More »

Inhabitat – Solar Powered Cellphone Towers in India to Save 5 Million Tons of CO2 and $1.4 Billion India‘s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy is poised to mandate that telecom operators power their cellphone towers with solar panels instead of the diesel generators that are currently used. This may not seem like such...
Read More »

Nexreg on REACH Compliance The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published proposals to identify eight chemicals as Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) and possible candidates for authorisation..Interested parties are invited to comment on the eight proposals by 22 April 2010. The detailed proposals along with the potential chemicals are available here: New public...
Read More »

From PopSci  “The vast majority of environmental kinetic energy surrounding us everyday does not occur in periodic, repeatable patterns. Energy from traffic on a busy street or bridge or in a tunnel, and people walking up and down stairs, for example, cause vibrations that are non-periodic and occur at low frequencies,” Najafi said. “Our...
Read More »

A new spin-out company from The University of Nottinghamaims to lower wind energy costs by four times and reduce the cost of storing excess wind energy by five times. NIMROD Energy Ltd is being launched this week by Professor Seamus Garvey. The system is also four times more efficient in terms of the amount...
Read More »

Energy Secretary Talks Up Small Modular Nuclear Reactors But Only Provides $39 million in BudgetSteven Chu says one of the most promising areas is small modular reactors (SMRs). If we can develop this technology in the U.S. and build these reactors with American workers, we will have a key competitive edge.Rod Adams points out...
Read More »

The first re-use of nuclear fuel in a Candu reactor has started at Qinshan nuclear power plant in China.Over the next six months, another 24 of the ‘natural uranium equivalent’ (NUE) bundles will be used in two of the reactor’s fuel channels.  If successful over a one-year trial, this practice could help China get...
Read More »

VIA HAckaDay Are you still using heat sinks and fans to cool your computer? Lame. Tearing up your property to bury geothermal coils is definitely the way to go. has been working on this for about a month and is just getting back data from the first multi-day tests. Take some time to...
Read More »

The Jakarta Post reports that, according to the local NGO People’s Coalition for Justice in Fisheries (Kiara), Indonesia’s has lost 2.2 million hectares of mangroves in less than thirty years, going from covering 4.2 million hectares in 1982 to just 2 million hectares today. Please read full at mongabay
Read More »

From Toby Ng – More than words can say See more here
Read More »

StrangeMaps – A Piccadilly Fantasy: London in 2050 So it’s 2010, and we’re not living on Mars, nor even zipping through the sky in flying cars. But neither do we have to bow to our new insect overlords. The promises (and threats) of the future never quite materialise how we once imagined them. The current...
Read More »

From The Cost of Energy  The UNEP (United nations Environment Programme) has release their report Sick Water. From the Executive Summary: The world is facing a global water quality crisis. Continuing population growth and urbanisation, rapid industralisation, and expanding and intensifying food production are all putting pressure on water resources and increasing the unregulated...
Read More »

From HAckAday This bicycle add-on uses an electric motor to help you out. This way the motor takes advantage of the gearing normally available to the cyclist. What interests us most about the system is the DIY battery work they’re doing. The cells are using Lithium Iron Phosphate technology. The li-ion cells you’re used...
Read More »

Batteries: A number of studies have shown that storing batteries in the freezer helps them retain their charge longer. This is less true for alkaline batteries (freezing extends their shelf life by only about 5%) than it is for NiMH and Nicad batteries often used in electronics. Keeping NiMH batteries in the freezer can...
Read More »

Quote of the day VIA Cal-OSHA Reporter “When you go out and you accomplish something” you are “subject to controversy.” Responding to a state senator’s question about why the board is under such scrutiny these days. Haase – Disclaimer for everyone I have ‘appeared to have judge’:I would only judge people I already have...
Read More »

I never drank much soda, but gave it up completely when I found out just two a week could raise my cancer risk 87%* Now Pepsi is taking the initiative to remove it from schools. Consumerist -  This is a bit of bittersweet news for those of us who remember sneaking down to our...
Read More »

From EIA quarter report…  total income -59%Based on these figures future pain and volatility is inevitable… Crude oil prices in Q409 were 39 percent higher than in Q408 and 24 percent higher than the average for the fourth quarter of 2004-2008 (in Q409 dollars). Natural gas prices of Q409 were 36 percent lower than...
Read More »

Via Boing2 - A sane, hype-free guide to natural food certifications. Which labels can you trust? Which are marketing hooey? And how much do we really know about “Certified Organic”? Everywhere you look, food is trying to impress you with how natural it is, but the message is vague and often misleading. What does...
Read More »

Not huge but something we can all do is nice. In case you didn’t know — though if you’re a reader, you probably do — that cell phone charger you have plugged into your wall socket is pulling power even when you’re not charging your phone. AT&T figures that enough power is wasted in...
Read More »

As discussed yesterday… a sustainable energy future requires sustainable resources for raw materials production. If the costs for raw materials for solar, wind and batteries continue to skyrocket and resources dwindle, how is this and different paradigm? The key will be to build these energy resources around sustainable resources. Simple math that appears to...
Read More »

The University of Wisconsin is hosting a tutorial on how to make your own Organic Light Emitting Diodes. This is so amazingly awesome. We want you guys to make some. Someone make your own matrix and display some patterns on it and submit it. Please. Though we’ve seen lots of uses for OLED screens, we never...
Read More »

VIA DocUticker:  OpenCRS -  In the aftermath of a major disaster, communities may need to rebuild, replace, or possibly even relocate a multitude of structures. When recovery activities take place on such a potentially large scale, compliance with any of a number of local, state, and federal laws or regulations…the National Environmental Policy Act...
Read More »

VIA PopSCI: “Pfizer Employee Claims Company Fired Her After Infection From An Engineered Virus” A former Pfizer scientist is suing the pharmaceuticals giant after alleging she contracted an artificial, HIV-like, virus created by a colleague. In her lawsuit, Becky McClain claims Pfizer unlawfully dismissed her while she suffered bouts of paralysis brought on by...
Read More »

“Carbon-based fuels, in their cleaner forms, must keep carrying the load. Renewables just cannot ramp up fast enough to replace them. Let’s consider what gas can mean for the future. The real future, not the pipe dreams of the hydrocarbon deniers.” - James Mulva, CEO of ConocoPhillips And another nice one: By John Dizard,...
Read More »

I was forwarded a email regarding a ‘secret’ battery technology from ‘Rob Matthies’. (full linked here)Nearly every week for the past decade I have been sent information on the ‘next perpetual motion machine’ or ‘energy storage device’… most in the long run prove only that the inventors of the technology were simply wrong about...
Read More »

Read More »

Featured in this months PopSciThe ability to reprogram the immune system is one of the most sought-after goals in medicine. Now researchers are closer than ever to pulling it off in patients with Type 1 diabetes… Bluestone’s drug is what is known as an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody. The success of anti-CD3 represented the first...
Read More »

This months PopSci brings a beautiful concept for Sustainable Waterscraper Sarly Adre Bin Sarkum’s Water-Scraper Sarly Adre Bin Sarkum, via eVolo …the most impressive eVolo Magazine entry in this year’s competition goes the opposite route, by dropping the building straight into the sea.The whole building would be a self-sufficient, floating, arcology. Wind, solar, and...
Read More »

VIA da Boing 2: Terra preta means “black earth”. More importantly, if less literally, it means fertile soil—created 1000s of years ago out of nutrient-starved rainforest dirt by the strange alchemy of charcoal. Biochar really is a promising product, but we’re only beginning to understand how promising it might be, where it would be...
Read More »

The Department of Labor:  “We’re striving to make sure that the public is well informed not only about what we do, but also how our vital information and services may be easily accessed. This is a great way to get new ideas to better serve the public. “Your input during this process is critical...
Read More »

For the Documerica Project (1971-1977), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hired freelance photographers to capture images relating to environmental problems, EPA activities, and everyday life in the 1970s. DOCUMERICA – David Hiser The U.S. National Archives digitized more than 15,000 photographs from the series Documerica (Local ID 412-DA) and included them in our online...
Read More »

Fact Sheet: The Department of Energy’s Loan Program paves the way for federal support of clean energy projects that use innovative technologies, and spurs further investment in these advanced technologies. To date, DOE has conditionally offered or closed 12 loans or loan guarantees. According to estimates from the companies, these projects will collectively create...
Read More »

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration sent letters to about 15,000 workplaces with the highest numbers of injuries and illnesses resulting in days away from work, restricted work activities or job transfers, known as the DART rate. Workplaces receiving notifications had DART rates more than twice the national average among...
Read More »

StoryofStuff  - Why the $#^& do we need Cap N Trade? It is NO answer to any climate, energy or environmental problems… The Story of Cap & Trade from Story of Stuff Project on Vimeo. From the New York Times and James Hansen: Cap and Fade “At the heart of plan is cap...
Read More »

Is the Government’s hope of rebuilding the economy on Green Energy a possible? Watch at CBS NewsKey points from the video: * China is the number one exporter of solar panels, supplying 29% of the world’s solar panels. The US makes 6%. * In a few years, China is expected to become the top...
Read More »

Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Based on data going back to 1895, the monthly analyses, prepared by scientists at NOAA’s National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C… the winter season (December through February) and the month of February, state that temperatures were below normal for the contiguous United States. VIA DocUticker
Read More »

From SociologicalImages  Notice the high levels of production of chickens throughout the southeast. This is a relatively new occurrence; poultry producers moved into the region due to lower wages and fewer environmental regulations compared to other areas, making it less likely their huge containment facilities would lead to a lot of opposition.…maps found at...
Read More »

Environmental Protection – Supreme Court Refuses to Hear SSM Exemption Case The U.S. Supreme Court chose not to review a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in American Chemistry Council v. Sierra Club…the circuit court decision closed the “startup, shutdown and malfunction” exemption that effectively allowed major...
Read More »

7th in my series ‘future energy fail’ – Underground Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) FIRST CAES project was built in 1978 in Germany (new tech fail) “…The first Compressed Air Energy Storage (CAES) plant in the United States actually went online in McIntosh, Alabama in 1991 where engineers created a geological pocket 900 feet...
Read More »

Green czar thinks low-cost heliostat technology could be available within a few years (businessgreen) Google’s high-profile plan to develop renewable energy that is cheaper than coal could soon bear fruit, after the search giant revealed it has developed a new mirror technology that could slash the cost of building a solar thermal plant. Bill...
Read More »

It appears that the majority of its “organic” food from China can not and does not have to be certified to be ‘certified organic’. BreakitDownblog… an email by Scott McNeil   – As Large Food Markets claim “organic” food from China is certified “organic” by independent labs… Scott McNeil found out, it means absolutely...
Read More »

Cal/OSHA inspectors are loudly protesting a Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) probe into their outside activities that they say is unnecessarily intrusive and violates their privacy. “Be overly inclusive,” DIR directed DOSH employees.…Inspectors are being required to disclose teaching, training or presentation activities for their entire tenure at DOSH. One DOSH official is reported...
Read More »

Join Lux Research: Financing in the Hydrocosm: Why Water IT is a Smart Bet “Modern agriculture accounts for 86% of the world’s water consumption. However, in regions where crops and livestock are actually cultivated, the rate of consumption often outstrips what local water sources can provide….Biofuels make the situation even worse. Included into the...
Read More »

Cal-OSHA Quote of the day: “It’s a big turnaround. Nowadays, the major oil companies are putting such an emphasis on safety and environmental compliance that all the contractors that work in the oilfield have to raise their standard to meet the requirements of OSHA and the EPA.” – Jim Solberg, oilfield safety expert Go...
Read More »

Boing 2  “Detroit looks at downsizing to save city“ WashingtonTimes - Operating on a scale never before attempted in this country, the city would demolish houses in some of the most desolate sections of Detroit and move residents into stronger neighborhoods. Roughly a quarter of the 139-square-mile city could go from urban to semi-rural....
Read More »

6th in my series ‘future energy fail’ Electro-Magnetic Association (EMA) Motor (Pulsed Capacitance Discharge Engine) From the Boing2  – The 1974 Fascination car with an EV Gray fuelless engine. The Fascination Car was the brain child of Paul M. Lewis, of the Highway Aircraft Corporation. It was developed with a standard engine, but he...
Read More »

OSHA will host a “Green Jobs” forum to help workers and small business employers understand the hazards posed by green jobs in construction, energy, and waste management and recycling. The event, scheduled for April 1 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. EST at the Labor Department in Washington, D.C., is part of a series...
Read More »

Via David Schaller – Sustainable Practices Since 2001, the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center for Patient Partnerships has helped nearly 2,000 people negotiate insurance and employment issues, find second opinions and locate clinical trials, and move past the paralysis of a frightening diagnosis. The center operates on a simple principle: people facing life-threatening or serious...
Read More »

WDNR – Water officials’ annual reminder to private well owners to test their water to make sure it’s safe to drink carries added emphasis this year. DNR recommends you test your well water every year to make sure it’s safe for your family to drink. WDNR Photo Groundwater Awareness Week, March 7-13, focuses on...
Read More »

The gribble — thorn in the side of harbormasters, plague of the age of sail — might just be good for something after all. They don’t exactly look like the saviors of our energy economy, but that’s exactly what some researchers think they could be. Gribbles — tiny crustacean pests with a knack for...
Read More »

A converted 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco that downs about 56 espressos per mile, the Daily Mail reports. The concept came out of the BBC1 science program called “Bang Goes the Theory,” and will go on a 210-mile drive between Manchester and London that consumes about 11,760 espressos. But coffee aficionados shouldn’t scream just yet –...
Read More »

Type in the code onto the milk carton to find out where yours is from! Find out about your milk, yogurt, chocolate milk, soy and organic milk, coffee creamer, cottage cheese, ice cream…see full list
Read More »

Thoughts of Bucky this morning (see via peak energy) I am planning out sustainable urbanism for low income communities and was inundated with Bucky thoughts that brought me to this: How about a ‘pneumatic transport system’ using air generated by direct and stored wind power.  Berkeley - Pneumatic transportation uses compressed air for propulsion;...
Read More »

I signed up for the new GMG, not sure if this is just a ‘green media wash’ yet from the ‘typical’ global warning group by media moguls and celebrities??? but one of these signed sustainable guitars would make my son and I giddy. My father made his first guitar which my son and I...
Read More »

Can a mass consumer fast food distribution chain ‘ever be green’? Well McD’s is giving it a shot for you to get a few green burgers LogoGuru- the McDonald’s franchises in Europe are playing their part in environmental awareness through their new logo design.  The world famous yellow-colored “M” logo design is going on...
Read More »

I like Gary’s theory better PopSci – decades of debate on the cause of the mass extinction that killed off the dinosaurs and a slew of other species on Earth 65.5 million years ago. Now, after reviewing 20 years worth of data and research, an international team of scientists concludes that it was a...
Read More »

Lovin the EcoHacks – ‘spent the weekend building generators that run off of syngas.’ All Powers Lab produces Gasifier Experimenter Kits to convert raw material to energy. The kits use Gasification to make a “natural gas like” fuel from materials such as wood chips, walnut shells, construction debris or agricultural waste. So is...
Read More »

EXPLAINING A MATHEMATICAL THEOREM If you can’t explain a mathematical theorem to a ten-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself. G.S. Tahim, mathematician, Bloomington, Indiana
Read More »

Car is my power station Micro-grids could operate reliably without the need for a national grid backup if they tapped the vast amounts of power stored in the batteries of electric and hybrid vehicles, to balance out fluctuations in supply and demand. Vehicle-to-grid, or V2G, technology, which will enable electric car owners to make...
Read More »

Monbiot anti-micropower rant is anti-green Everybody in UK eco-circles is talking about George Monbiot this week, which is just the way he likes it. George Monbiot is an unashamed cheerleader for big power – his column in the Guardian has previously come out in favor of large nuclear power stations, and this week he...
Read More »

5th in my series ‘future energy fail’ 1980 datsun KingCab (Via PopSci)  
Read More »

The USDA is advising consumers to stop using “Bee-Shield” and “MD Quality” brands of hand sanitizer, as both are harboring high levels of an infectious bacteria. The brands are sold only in Puerto Rico, but the irony can be felt everywhere. (Via Microbe World) – Linked via the Boing2
Read More »

Food, Farms, and Famine posted about what the label “organic” means. The specific wording, and where on the package the statement is placed, is an indication of just how “organic” the product might be: Read full including video from Sociological Images
Read More »

Here are 10 companies that caught our attention. Any one technology is unlikely to solve the looming climate change and peak oil problems, but working together within the larger system, they could tilt the globe away from catastrophe and towards a sustainable future. Wired has a look at some of the companies searching for...
Read More »

Gas 2.0 has a post on a speech by Shell CEO Peter Voser on the electric car market (I think he’s being overly optimistic that a significant proportion of cars will still be running on petrol in 2050) – Even Shell’s CEO Expects Electric Cars to Dominate. Speaking at a conference in Santa Barbara,...
Read More »

Who will win in healthcare reform? Hint -It is a number$ game… not you. Read more here Why are they rejecting single payer?   (AKA H.R. 676) Health Care Reform? Not about health and no one cares…. Billions gone and never mind over 20,000 Americans die every year… True Health Care Reform: 10 Missing Pieces...
Read More »

Preliminary Analysis of the President’s 2011 Budget Read the full blog post  from CBO Director >
Read More »

Energy Information Administration has released “Financial News for Major Energy Companies, Fourth Quarter 2009 (The News).”  Net income for these companies increased 4-fold over that of the fourth quarter 2008 (Q408). Higher crude oil prices and increased production of oil and natural gas contributed to higher profits. Net income for the oil and natural...
Read More »

Jordan Barab, deputy assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health riffed on OSHA’s theme as the “new sheriff in town” at the New Jersey Occupational Safety and Health Education Program (OSHEP) Conference held in East Brunswick, New Jersey Wednesday, February 24, 2010. “I know you’ve all heard Secretary Solis’ statement that “There’s...
Read More »