WASTED- e-wasted that is… March 15, 2010

We’re all on a technological pursuit of happiness. We’ve all made tech upgrades. Remember cassette players and walkmans? Technology is improving, but our environmental situation isn’t. Before you throw out your next trashed cellphone or broken computer keyboard, consider these facts:

E-waste represents 2% of America’s trash in landfills, but it equals 70% of overall toxic waste.

Around 80 % of the e-waste in the U.S. is exported to Asia.

Fewer than 20% of cell phones are recycled each year, but if we recycled just a million cell phones, it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 1,368 cars off the road for a year

It’s energy efficient to rebuild old computers, but only about 2% of PCs ever find their way to a second user.

E-waste, also known as electronic waste, is electronic equipment that isn’t properly recycled. This is an ignored problem that is only going to get worse as time goes on and technology improves. Do your part by researching what goes into making your products, and finding a place that recycles them near you.

hear’s a neat video that sums it all up in under two minutes.

Well It’s Official. Chocolate Really Does Cure Everything. March 10, 2010

Yep. There is now a racecar that is fueled by chocolate. It is the first racecar in the world of it’s kind. Not only is it sustainable, but it’s pretty fast considering what it’s made of. It can get up to 135 mph and can go from 0 to 60 in 2.5 seconds. All of the fuel is taken from leftover chocolate waste from factories along with other factory-based oils. I think it’s insane that we can take something so common and find a use for it that is so out of the ordinary. If we can make a car that runs on chocolate, we can make a more sustainable future.

Where is the time? March 3, 2010

Everything would just be so easy if we had more than 24 hours a day, wouldn’t it? Well, now we have slightly just a little less than that.

The Chilean earthquake that shook our hearts and souls on February 27th was so powerful that it sped Earth’s rotation permanently!

This causes each day to lose approximately 0.00000126 seconds of each day! That is truly incredible!

New Sustainable City Lights? February 24, 2010

Phillips, creator of various electronics such as TVs, MP3s, Light Bulbs, and etc has taken action in creating a new concept. City lights, that’s right, not only are they creating light bulbs but they’re proposing cities with a city light that uses natural energy. This newly innovative design is like a tall street lamp, in the shape of a flower. During the day, the “flower” will open up and capture solar energy, not only does it store solar power but it will also store wind power. Late at night the “flower” will close and emit light through the LEDs, this city light will also proximity sensors which will detect movement of people in the surrounding area. If it does not detect movement then it will dim itself to conserve the store energy. From these city lights, there will be absolutely zero consumption of energy from the grid of the city’s energy.

For more information visit: http://www.usa.philips.com/

San Francisco Gets $171M Loan February 23, 2010

San Francisco, California plans to create a new sustainable transit center. Two years ago, the new build was approved to replace the old Transbay Terminal which currently serves as a hub for long distance buses. The revamped terminal is estimated to cost approximately $4 billion. Not only will it be created as a new transit center but it will also integrate several different “green” concepts.

I think the money used to create this new terminal may cost more in the long run. Using that $171M could be put towards several various concepts to create a more sustainable environment. I mean, yes it’ll be better for the environment but creating an entirely new terminal may cause more pollution than it’ll save in the future.

For more information visit: http://transbaycenter.org/project/transit-center

Wind-Turbine Highway Lights February 23, 2010

Current an eco-design firm Tak is proposing to initiate a new concept for highways–wind turbine powered highway lights. With cars speeding pass the highways so frequently highway lights are to be powered by a simple rush of air. Not only will these turbines provide energy for the overhead lights but they will also provide energy for a whole grid.

Wind turbines are like giant fans, as wind harnesses the propellers they spin, and as they spin they create a great amount of energy. This means, the rotating propellers converts the energy of wind into kinetic energy.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2010/02/a_future_where_the_whoosh_of_p.html

Work Green February 1, 2010

The University of New Hampshire has joined many other schools with creating an opprotunity to go to graduate school for sustainability. In these times, being sustainable is becoming increasingly important to many people and they feel like they need to help. I think it’s really nice that schools are recognizing this and teaching people how to have actual careers that help our planet. It’s one thing to live a sustainable life, it’s another thing to help others live theirs. I think that this is really important for other schools to follow because the people of our generation are the ones who are going to need to clean up this mess that was created, so they need to be properly educated about issues.

Eco-wineries turn wine red, white — and green January 27, 2010

(ANGWIN, Calif.)

Just when you thought that everything in this world was going green…you get a shocking testament to the fact that you are completely correct! Several (meaning 4 so far) wineries in California are going for the “Gold” LEED certification (similar to the “Silver” standard that the Marriott receives).
“We’re seeing a trend toward more sustainable wineries,” says Ashley Katz, spokeswoman for LEED.
The several wineries that are undergoing this process are using solar panels and are even thinking about the way they use their water. This is a very important attempt at these wineries to become more green. Other efforts include putting wine into underground caves for fermentation which will save up space and heating / cooling units.
Basically, what this breaks down is that when you are debating about drinking wine you can stop and think, “if I drink this then I, too, am being sustainable!”

To read more on this article go here: MSNBC

Sustainable Rolls Royce? November 23, 2009

Rolls Royce could have an electric version of its Phantom super-luxury car on the road by the end of 2010 stated an inside company source to Autocar.

In a way, it doesn’t really matter to the global market if only a few number of these cars are produced. It’s not going to make a difference for the environment seeing as climate change is billions of tons of carbon!

But if you look at it in another way, it’s a good thing. It makes electric cars even more aspirational.  Rolls Royce definitely appeals to a different social group. Even though most people will never be able to afford a Rolls Royce “Phantom”, they are paying attention to the technology. Before people are going to buy a certain product they like to be confident in it’s ability to function. Hybrid cars went through that process. At first, most people were totally puzzled, but now they’re totally normal.

Spanish Toothcarp November 23, 2009

The Spanish Toothcarp is a freshwater fish native to Spain. This particular species has found itself trapped on the endangered species list. The Spanish toothcarp is spectacular because it can withstand temperature change and differences in salinity. It’s biggest enemies right now are pollution, and the invasive specie, Mosquitofish.

Mosquitofish are eating the food that the native Spanish Toothcarp originally ate.

For more information try:

http://www.arkive.org/spanish-toothcarp/aphanius-iberus/info.html

or

http://zipcodezoo.com/Animals/A/Aphanius_iberus/