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Green Building
Come With Me on a Plastic Carpet Ride!
December 26, 2012 11:45 AM - Allison Winter, ENN
Cities are often littered with trash and plastics on every street corner. The haphazard candy wrapper, bottle or plastic bag blowing in the wind creates eyesores for locals and tourists alike. But what is the litter situation in the desert? You won't find too much garbage where there aren't any people, that is unless it's a piece of plastic artwork. Dutch collective, WE MAKE CARPETS, was recently commissioned by the Taragalte Festival in southern Morocco to turn ordinary plastics into a magic carpet piece of artwork.
Decal-like Sticker Will Make Solar Panels More Applicable
December 24, 2012 10:07 AM - Editor, ENN
Solar panels have been popping up on everything from rooftops to parking garages and even Christmas lights. However, these stiff and rigid heavy panels often limit their applications. Fortunately, researchers at Stanford University have developed flexible, decal-like solar panels that can be peeled off like stickers and stuck to virtually any surface, from papers to window panes.
Which State Leads the the Solar Power Race?
December 20, 2012 11:09 AM - Guest author, Jeana Brookes, Clean Techies
According to the Solar Energy Industries Association, in the second quarter of 2012, California again led the nation in installed solar capacity, with a total of 217 MW. The state is expected to lead the nation in the solar race again in 2013. According to new research from the California-based NPD Solarbuzz, California is projected to keep its position at number one in 2013, much thanks to its combination of policy initiatives and citizen motivation.
State to Get Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
December 17, 2012 03:40 PM - Tim Faulkner, EcoRI News
Rhode Island plans to install at least 30 public electric vehicle (EV) charging stations next year. The state Office of Energy Resources (OER) is directing the project to expand EV use across the state. Building EV charging stations, the OER says, will create jobs, reduce pollution and "accelerate Rhode Island's transition to electrified transportation." The charging stations are also part of a larger push to reduce petroleum consumption.
Vancouver Uses "Warm Mix" Paving Process, Uses Recycled Plastic in Asphalt
December 17, 2012 09:32 AM - Gina-Marie Cheeseman, Triple Pundit
The Canadian city of Vancouver is using innovative materials to pave its new roads: asphalt made up of wax from recycled plastic. The city is calling the asphalt mix a "warm mix" paving process, according to Fast Coexist. Using a warm mix, as Fast Coexist explains, allows asphalt to be "produced and transported at lower temperatures." Using lower temperatures means that 20 percent less gas is used to heat the warm mix asphalt. Produced by GreenMantra Technologies, a Toronto-based company, the warm mix asphalt is made from 100 percent post-consumer recycled plastic waste.
The Incredible Elephants of the Sahara
December 14, 2012 09:20 AM - David A Gabel, ENN
African elephants are known for hanging around rivers and mashes in the savanna and the edge of jungles. However, their range actually extends well into the north, all the way up to the Sahara desert. In Mali’s Gourma region, around the city of Timbuktu, there exists a species of desert-adapted African elephant (Loxodonta Africana). Every year, they undertake an amazing migration across an area of 32,000 square kilometers (over 12,000 square miles) in search of food and water. This annual journey was recently recorded by researchers from the group Save the Elephants, University of British Columbia, and Oxford University, who attached GPS collars to nine of the elephants and tracking them by satellite. Their report documents the elephants’ record-breaking trek to survive in the largest and harshest elephant range in the world.
Green Building Designs Can Help Protect Homes During Natural Disasters
November 28, 2012 07:44 AM - David Bainbridge, Triple Pundit
One of the best antidotes to climate change is rarely discussed. Buildings in the U.S. generate 40 percent of the global warming gases and use 70 percent of the electricity. If we do things right, we can cut energy use 90 percent in new buildings and 70 percent in retrofits while improving comfort and health. In new buildings, this may be done at no cost if integrated resilient design strategies are adopted. We can improve comfort, productivity, how students learn, health and security, often at no added cost.
Combatting Indoor Air Pollution from Downtown Cities
November 6, 2012 09:28 AM - Allison Winter, ENN
Air is constantly being circulated in large cities as air conditioning and heating units intake city air and use it to heat and cool their offices and residential buildings. As urban populations expand, and as downtown buildings grow higher and higher, we often forget about the growing pollution within the downtown areas. And because these buildings are so close together, neighboring buildings are often forced to intake polluted air into their indoor air systems. To combat this issue, researchers from Concordia University have modeled scenarios and have figured out a way to solve a portion of circulating polluted air.
Iskander Malaysia: World's First "Smart Metropolis"
November 2, 2012 09:40 AM - Editor, ClickGreen
Malaysia is currently building the world's most advanced low-carbon mega-city comparable in size to the area of Luxembourg, with an expected population of 3 million by 2025. Iskandar Malaysia, the first "smart metropolis" of Southeast Asia founded on principles of social integration as well as low carbon emissions thanks to a green economy and green technologies, is a potential template for urban development in emerging countries with burgeoning populations, international experts say.
Study Reveals High Levels of Formaldehyde in Child Day Care Centers
October 26, 2012 09:25 AM - David A Gabel, ENN
In a comprehensive survey conducted by University of California (UC), Berkeley, researchers analyzed the indoor environmental quality of day care centers. In general, the results were similar to most indoor environments except for formaldehyde. This and several other contaminants were found to exceed California state health guidelines. The source is believed to be the cleaning and sanitizing products and furniture coatings.