You’ve probably heard the economic downturn’s good news for the environment because people aren’t buying unnecessary things. But the economic downturn can actually mean people ARE buying things — energy-efficient things, that is.
The Shelton Group just released a study (PDF) showing that consumers are willing to buy green even in this down economy — if [...]
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Archive for March, 2009
Pittsburgh Gets Federal Stimulus Dollars for Green Projects
Posted in March 31st, 2009
by Dave Tyler in Thin Film Solar
Pittsburgh’s plans to make itself into a hotbed for solar power and other green technology got a metaphorical fist bump last week with the visit of two cabinet secretaries to announce funding from the federal stimulus package.
Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced $11 million green stimulus funding during their trip. They also toured a welding and heating and air conditioning training facility at Allegheny County Community College, where officials showed off the skills needed for energy efficient projects. Allegheny County will get $8.1 million, City of Pittsburgh will receive $3.4 million out of a $3.2 billion pot being divvied up around the country.
Best of Green:Net! Power Grid Goes 2.0
Posted in March 30th, 2009
Fish Oil Diet Could Curb Greenhouse Gases From Cow Farts
Posted in March 30th, 2009
Irish scientists have discovered that adding just a small amount of fish oil to the diet of cattle can vastly reduce the amount of methane produced by, ahem…cow farts.
Climate scientists have long known that, pound for pound, methane is 20 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping the suns rays, making it a highly potent greenhouse gas. An incredible 900 billion tonnes of the noxious fumes are produced each year by methanogen bacteria that live in the digestive systems of ruminants such as cattle, sheep and goats.
US Scientists Say Burning Ice Could Provide Green Power
Posted in March 30th, 2009
US Scientists have revealed how natural gas locked up in frozen water crystals could provide massive amounts of energy, and claim that it could even be totally emissions-free.
The astonishing claim was made by Tim Collett of the United States Geological Survey at last weeks national meeting of the American Chemical Society. Collett told the gathering that, to the naked eye, clathrate hydrate (CH) looks like everyday ice but, as well as being partly made of water, the molecules are also organised into “cages”, which trap individual molecules of methane.
Remarkably, a new method of extracting the methane and ’swapping’ it with carbon dioxide could turn the substance into a revolutionary carbon-neutral fossil fuel.
Best of Green:Net! How California Cut Energy And Costs With IT
Posted in March 30th, 2009
Best of Green:Net! Using the Internet to Solve the Energy Crisis
Posted in March 29th, 2009
Sink-to-Yard Graywater Retrofit Could Make Desert Bloom
Posted in March 29th, 2009
by Tina Casey in Thin Film Solar
Researchers at New Mexico State University are testing a relatively inexpensive plumbing retrofit that could help buildings capture relatively clean graywater from plumbing before it hits the sewers, and reuse it onsite for outdoor watering. It’s a green four-for-one: the NMSU graywater system conserves water, relieves sewer systems of excess flow, fosters tree growth to cool buildings, and reduces stormwater runoff by improving soil and vegetation.