Archive for August, 2010

Maine’s state motto – “dirigo,” Latin for “I lead,” – is very fitting, especially when it comes to weatherization.

With the help of nearly $41.9 million in funding from the Recovery Act, the state expects to weatherize more than 4,400 homes – creating jobs, reducing carbon emissions, and saving money for Maine’s low-income families.

Cathy Zoi, DOE’s Assistant Secretary for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and Maine’s Governor John Baldacci spoke on a conference call last week to announce 31,000 homes weatherized in the month of June, and to highlight the state’s weatherization progress.

LabBox: The World’s Smallest Hydroponic Gardening System

Aug 24th

Gardening indoors can be tricky – especially when growing plants that require carefully controlled environments with lots of light. Enter Pocket Grow’s LabBox, a high-tech planter that is being billed as the world’s smallest automatic hydroponic system on the market. This fully-contained terrarium uses an automatic drip irrigation system and high-intensity, energy-efficient LED lights to keep your plants healthy. Plus, the trippy purple glow will look great against your black light posters.

+ LabBox

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Post tags: green design, green gardening, hydroponic gardening, LED, micro grow, pocket grow, sustainable design

NPR’s Report on California’s Quest for Clean Power

Aug 24th

National Public Radio (NPR) aired a special report on California’s effort towards clean energy last week. Here is a quick summary of the five-day report.

Day 1: Calif. Leads In Clean Energy, But Challenges Loom

Ever since the creation of the first wind farm in the San Francisco area, California has been the leader of renewable energy power. One major incentive for California to keep this title is the vigorous standards set by the state in 2002. The long term goal is for utilities to get 33% of their energy from renewable energy sources by 2020. The short term goal is to get to 20% by the end of this year.

“California is a world leader in protecting the environment and in fighting global warming, and we have done an extraordinary job — not only for California but also inspiring other states and other nations to do exactly the same,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said when announcing the 33 percent goal two years ago.

Although most utilities will probably only hit the 18% mark by the end of this year, some such as Tom Bottorff, senior vice president at PG&E Corporation, believe reaching this goal is “feasible and doable.”

The chart below, courtesy of California Public Utilities Commission, shows how California will use renewable energy sources:

Day 2: ‘Big Solar’ Struggles To Find Home In California

With such ambitious renewable energy goals, California needs to build large solar farms to support its plan. Ironically, some environmentalists are putting up a fight because of the damage to solar farms place on natural ecosystems. Case in point is the Panoche Valley which potentially could power 120,000 homes without the extra cost of new power lines. To Michael Peterson, CEO of Solargen Energy, the Panoche Valley area looks as if “God made this to be a solar farm.” (If you’re interested in seeing what the Panoche Valley looks like, check out this quick video)

But once again environmental critics worry about the wildlife located in the Panoche Valley such as the endangered blunt-nosed leopard lizard. To reach the California goal, this kind of debate with environmentalists needs to be resolved quickly.

Day 3: A (Load) Balancing Act: The Challenge of Clean Power

Utilities are using solar and wind power to the greatest extent that they can in order to achieve that 33% mark in 2020, but one of the major setbacks with both forms of renewable energy is the inconstancy of energy production and the inability to store this excess energy.

“Our electric grid today, as we’ve built it and managed it, is a huge ‘just in time’ delivery system,” says Dave Hawkins, an engineer at the California ISO. Hawkins says that in order for the lights to come on when we flip a switch, energy supply and demand have to be in perfect balance.

One proposed solution is batteries like the one in Huntington Beach which stores 2-megawatts of energy (enough to power 1,500 homes). Batteries could help keep the energy flow in “perfect balance,” but batteries are an expensive technology. Other solutions include flywheels, compressed air and pumped hydro all of which would keep the energy flow in balance but are either too expensive or too risky.

Day 4: Full Steam Ahead for California Geothermal Plans?

Another way California is looking to achieve its renewable energy goal is by looking at geothermal energy. Geothermal energy extracts the steam power created deep beneath the earth’s surface and utilizes this power to drive electric generators. Concerns regarding geothermal are the small earthquakes it causes. According to David Oppenheimer, a geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey, even though geothermal provides “the conditions for small earthquakes…big earthquakes are rather unlikely.” Currently 80% of the nation’s geothermal power comes from California, but increasing the geothermal effort quickly seems less than likely.

Day 5: Tribal Lands Struggle To Bring Clean Power Online

Indian tribes have been investing in renewable energy sources since the economic downturn. The major detriment has been Indian tribes’ inability reap the benefits of tax incentives for renewable energy and their inability to tax businesses operating on Indian land. With the Obama administration, however, this detriment has changed.

Tribes are now eligible for stimulus money, and there has also been an increase in the amount of federal aid that is available to them for energy development, to about $7 million a year.

Indian tribes now stand to supply the renewable energy many utilities need to reach California’s goal.

So, all in all, California is trying hard to achieve its clean energy goals whether it be from solar, wind, or geothermal. No doubt, difficulties will arise from environmental to monetary concerns, but with enough strength and conviction, California will reach its goal and receive 1/3 of its electricity from renewable sources by the year 2020.

www.myenergysolution.com

Studio Millegomme Upcycles Tires Into Awesome Art Installations

Aug 24th

Studio Millegomme’s amazing art installations are yet another reason why we never “tire” of seeing recycled rubber used as a building material! The international collective of tire crafters was recently invited to create a functional on-site installation for the design biennale in Venice out of 50 tires. The result was this cool, serpentine sitting space that was both functional and beautiful.

Mobile Phone App Enables Wild Food Foragers

Aug 24th

Foragers unite! Now when you discover some sweet street-side amaranth or blackberries, you can share the surplus with Boskoi, a mobile phone app for wild foods. Named after the greek word for grazer, the app lays out a map of local fruits and herbs and allows users to edit and add their own finds. Now there’s even more reason to test the limits of your 3G network and spread word of your explorations. Get out and find some food!

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Post tags: app, boskoi, green design, green technology, iPhone, map, sustainable design, urban foraging, wild foods

Is NASCAR Going Green?

Aug 24th

Out of all the sports in the world, NASCAR is the one that involves pushing fossil-fuel powered vehicles to their limits over and over again — but recently the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing announced several green initiatives and renewable projects. Not only does the sport have the world’s largest solar-power sports facility in the Ponoco Raceway, Pennsylvania, but it has just announced the first entry in its new “green” sponsor category. Liberty Tire Recycling has been tapped as the official tire recycler of the MAKE #50 Motorsports Chevy Silverado race team in the Camping World Truck Series.

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Post tags: liberty tyre recycling, liberty tyre recycling nascar, nascar renewable power, nascar sustainable power, ponoco raceway nascar solar, ponoco raceway solar power, timon singh

Secretary Chu and Vice President Biden Highlight Innovation

Aug 24th

Later Today, Secretary Chu will join Vice President Biden at the White House to unveil a report that offers fresh analysis on how Recovery Act investments are impacting innovation, science and technology. Tune into the video stream below at 10:45 AM EDT to watch as Vice President Biden and Secretary Chu outline how these Recovery Act investments will help make cutting-edge technologies more affordable in the marketplace and in turn spur further economic growth and job creation.

Novaled Unveils Ultra-Modern OLED Lamp Prototypes

Aug 24th

Green lighting just keeps getting better and better as evidenced by Novaled’s newest prototype designs. Lit by energy-efficient OLEDs, these ultra-modern new lamps are marked by a stripped-down form factor that showcases the lighting elements at work. They can be found in Novaled’s OLED user manual, a new 200-page report filled with market analysis of materials, a look at state-of-the-art OLED technology, and an overview of the industry.

+ Novaled

Via Oled-Display.net

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Post tags: eco bulb, eco design, eco lighting, green design, green lamp, green lighting, green products, gren bulb, LED, LED lighting, Novaled, OLED, sustainable lighting

‘Lung-Shaped’ Fuel Cell Increases Energy Efficiency

Aug 24th

Photo by Brandon Baunach

The human body is arguably one of the finest machines ever created by nature, and now a team from Norway’s Academy of Science and Letters in Oslo are looking to it for inspiration as they design the next generation of hydrogen fuel cells. More specifically, they are looking at the lungs — according to Signe Kjelstrup, who is heading the team, making fuel cells in the shape of lungs could cut down on the amount of expensive catalysts needed, such as platinum, while increasing efficiency. It is hoped that the research will enable hydrogen cars to manufactured en mass.

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Post tags: biomimetrics, body, eco-friendly, fuel cell, FuelCell, green, hydrogen, hydrogen fuel cell, HydrogenFuelCell, lung, lung fuel cell, lung shaped fuel cell, oslo, platinum, platinum fuel cell, power, renewable energy, research, science, Signe Kjelstrup, SigneKjelstrup, university

Dude! Canada to Build a Cannabis Car

Aug 24th

Here’s one way to get college students to go to class: assign them to build things with cannabis. Several Canadian companies are teaming up with polytechnic schools in Alberta, Quebec and Toronto to make an electric vehicles out of hemp. The cars will hold up to three passengers, reach 55 miles an hour and go for up to 100 miles without having to be recharged.

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Post tags: canada, cannabis, carbon fiber automobile, electric vehicles, EVs, hemp, Motive Industries, TM4 Electrodynamic Systems

Win $150 of Awesome Green School Supplies!

Aug 24th

Were you thinking about paying for school supplies this year? Why bother when you could win them for free! That’s right, we’re giving away a sweet bundle of green back-to-school goodies to one lucky winner – and it could be you! This prize package (worth over $150) includes 3 gorgeous 100% recycled hardcover notebooks by ecosystem, 2 100% recycled binders from Naked Binder, 2 Naked Binder tabs, 2 Naked Binder pouches and to carry it all to class in style, an Instinctive Approaching Pack made from 100% recycled polyester! So what are you waiting for — enter today!

ENTER TO WIN HERE >

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Post tags: back to school, contest, eco bag, eco binder, eco notebook, eco school supplies, ecosystem, giveaway, green back to school, green bag, green binder, green notebook, green school supplies, naked binder

NASA Architect’s Cricket Trailer Showcases Space-Age Design

Aug 24th

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Post tags: cricket trailer, eco design, garrett finney, green architecture, Green Building, green design, lightweight design, mobile home, tiny house, tiny house design

RUBBiSH: Old Tires Now a Sink Surface

Aug 24th

Minarc recently took an R+D Award from Architect Magazine for this sink made of recycled rubber tires. RUBBiSH, as it’s called, is made through a process whereby tires are melted, stripped of particulates and impurities, and stretched in a lightweight layer over a sub-material to create the surface. RUBBiSH is available in a 1/8 inch sheet of rubber or in a framed option where the product is held in place by two sheets of aluminum at the countertop edge.

Credits: Minarc.

Prius Gets Optional Sound Enhancer to Protect Pedestrians

Aug 24th

The Prius might be good for the earth, but it’s a bane to many pedestrians and bicyclists because it has an almost-silent engine. Many people (especially the blind) have been concerned about accidents — if you don’t hear the car coming, how are you supposed to get out of the way? Pedestrian lobbyists even introduced a bill — that was passed last year — that requires the government to conduct studies on just how dangerous silent electric vehicles are and how to address the problem. Well, Toyota has decided to test their own solution — all next-generation Prius vehicles sold in Japan will now come with an optional sound package. For 12,600 yen (or $148) you can protect pedestrians around you with an add-on that makes your engine sound like a real gas guzzler.

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Post tags: electric vehicles pedestrian, engine sound option, prius, prius engine sound option, prius sound option, silent electric vehicles, silent prius engine, toyota prius soun

Beautiful Casa en Santa Elena Nestles Smartly Into Hillside

Aug 24th

Spotted at Plataforma Arquitectura, this simple and elegant vacation retreat sits in Santa Elena near Arvi Natural Park, Colombia as a complement to the gentle landscape. Architect Antonio Sofan snuggled the 106 square meter home into the hillside and incorporated a large outdoor deck onto the roof, significantly increasing the home’s living space with a minimum of land disturbance. A pink mosaic tile wall on the decked roof beacons visitors to the unique entrance, and provocative pixelated window treatments help keep the design light.

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Post tags: Antonio Sofan, bamboo concrete, columbia architecture, cork floor, low impact vacation home, Medellín House, roof deck, Santa Elena house

Beijing Water Cube Reopens as Happy Magic Water Park!

Aug 24th

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Post tags: “sustainable architecture”, Beijing, building reuse, china, Daylighting, eco design, forrec, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green renovation, happy magic water park, reuse, Sustainable Building, Water Cube, water park

Rural Tennessee Town Gets Solar Parking Lot with EV Chargers

Aug 24th

Anybody’s who ever said that electric vehicles are only for the bright lights of a big city just got proven wrong by Pulaski, Tennessee — population 7,871. Local business Richland, LLC (with help from federal and state funds) just spent $180,000 on a solar parking lot with EV charging stations. Now that’s what we call a little town with big green dreams. Pulaski is just 74 miles due south of Nashville, Tennessee where the all-electric — and hotly anticipated — Nissan Leaf is set to debut this coming December.

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Post tags: charging your electric vehicle in tennessee, charging your ev in tennessee, pulaski tennessee ev charger, pulaski tennessee solar charging station, solar electric vehicle charging station, solar ev charging station, solar parking lot, tennessee electric vehicle charging, tennessee ev charging, tennessee nissan leaf

LIVE: Secretary Chu and Vice President Biden Highlight Innovation

Aug 24th

Later Today, Secretary Chu will join Vice President Biden at the White House to unveil a report that offers fresh analysis on how Recovery Act investments are impacting innovation, science and technology. Tune into the video stream below at 10:45 AM EDT to watch as Vice President Biden and Secretary Chu outline how these Recovery Act investments will help make cutting-edge technologies more affordable in the marketplace and in turn spur further economic growth and job creation.

6 Absolutely Heavenly Green Houses of Worship

Aug 24th

When we think about houses of worship, we think of ancient mosques, archaic temples and centuries old churches – not necessarily on the cutting edge of green building. But did you know that some of the most eco-conscious structures out there are indeed holy buildings? Check out some of the coolest ones, including a Thai temple built from one million (yes, one million) recycled bottles and the most famous church in the world with a solar array by clicking through our photo gallery!

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Post tags: “sustainable architecture”, Ancient Church Turned Modern Bookstore, cathedral of christ the light, church, eco building, eco church, eco house of worship, green architecture, Green Building, green church, Kuokkala church, Rammed Earth Reconciliation Church in Berlin, recycle bottle building, recycled architecture, Recycled Bottle temple, Recycled Materials, SOM, Sustainable Building, Temple of a Million Bottles, Thai Temple Built From One Million Recycled Bottles Thai Temple Built From One Million Recycled Bottles, vatican, Wat Pa Maha Chedio Kaew

Flexible Kpod Space from KitHAUS

Aug 23rd

KitHAUS, a California-based prefab company, recently introduced a tiny new design called the Kpod. The 117 square-foot structure is made with bolt-together aluminum framing, SIPs, dual-glazed windows, cement board siding, and either a wood or steel clad sliding barn door. KitHAUS specially designed a solar power and HVAC system for the Kpod, though solar is not included in the sub-$20,000 price tag. Perfect for shedworking, Kpod is ideal as a backyard studio, workout space, or something similar.

[+] Get more info on Kpod from kitHAUS.

Credits: kitHAUS.

Green-Roofed Landsbanki Office Connects the City of Reykjavik

Aug 23rd

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Post tags: “sustainable architecture”, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green roof, Iceland, landsbanki headquarters, Reykjavik, Sustainable Building, Urban design, Work AC

The 2010 Architecture and the City Festival Starts Next Week!

Aug 23rd

Attention all San Francisco Bay Area architecture fans! We’re thrilled to announce that next week marks the start of AIASF’s 2010 Architecture and the City Festival! This month-long festival is one of our favorite annual events, showcasing some of the Bay Area’s best new architecture projects, eye-opening lectures and exhibitions, and fun activities and tours. As always, there’s host of green events in this year’s lineup that we can’t wait to check out, so join us as we explore the city of San Francisco in a whole new way. Spots are sure to fill up quick, so check out this year’s calendar register today!

+ 2010 Architecture and the CIty Festival

+ Architecture and the City Festival Coverage on Inhabitat

Lead photo by Mike Chino for Inhabitat

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Post tags: “sustainable architecture”, architecture and the city festival, bay area, Green Building, green design, San Francisco, sustainable design

Can the UK Really Cut Transport Emissions 76% by 2050?

Aug 23rd

It’s generally agreed the world over that transportation is the largest contributor to global warming. As such, governments have begun heavily investing in high-speed rail projects and other transport schemes in order to keep emissions down. In the UK a new study out of the Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York has reported “a significant breakthrough in climate change policy by showing how to make drastic cuts in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from transport.” The study revealed that a low-carbon transport future would create a less stressful, quieter, healthier, more resilient and confident society. While you may be thinking this is a blatantly obvious statement, the really interesting part is actually how society would go about reducing those emissions. From the technological to the financial to behavioral changes, those in the UK feel that a clear and phased program could potentially enable a 76 percent reduction in emissions by 2050.

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Post tags: carbon emissions, Climate Change, CO2, CO2 emissions, emissions, Global Weirding, greenhouse gas emissions, greenhouse gases, Stockholm Environment Institute, timon singh, transport, transport emissions, transportation emissions, Transportation Tech, UK, uk transportation emission reduction, united kingdom

Rain Barrel Art Raises Water Awareness in Chicago

Aug 23rd

A collection of artfully-decorated rain barrels recently landed at the Chicago Center for Green Technology after traveling to different eco events around the city for the past six months. Named Recycle the Raindrops, the exhibit aims to raise awareness about how collecting rain water can relieve stress on water treatment facilities, reduce water consumption, and help to control flooding. Local artists created scenes on their barrels that showcase the benefits of re-using rainwater, touching on topics ranging from global issues with water access to adequate sanitation.

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Post tags: Art, CCGT, center for green technology, chicago, collection, Cook County, Design, Eco, green, green roof, illinois, painting, rain barrel, Solar Decathlon, Sustainable, water issues

Dutch Designer Gives His Country’s Windmills Bamboo Wings

Aug 23rd

Dutch designer Gijsbert Koren has given his country’s famed windmills an even more sustainable edge by outfitting them with these fab new bamboo blades. Each blade has been constructed from two layers of handwoven bamboo mats that are reinforced with an eco-friendly resin. Koren’s mats are handwoven by tribal craftsmen in India — this choice of materials helps sustain the crafts trade in these Indian tribes by offering them another source of income.

Citizen Architect: Film Explores Rural Studio’s Green Architecture

Aug 23rd

If you’re an avid follower of the field of green architecture, then you won’t want to miss a PBS documentary tonight on the life and work of Samuel “Sambo” Mockbee — a great pioneer in affordable green building in the US. Citizen Architect explores his now legendary work through its powerful design sensibility and his ingenious use of reclaimed materials. Stepping away from a lucrative career, he helped found Rural Studio at Auburn University with the intent of training young architects how to push the limits of design and materials to create affordable, beautiful structures for low-income communities. The documentary focuses on the residents of West Alabama, who became the primary clients of Rural Studio. Read on for a look at Samuel Mockbee’s vision and the influence his work has had within the field of architecture.

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Post tags: Auburn School of Architecture, Citizen Architect, Green Building, Jimmie Lee Matthews, low income green building, PBS documentary, reused architecture, reused building materials, Rural Studios, Samuel “Sambo” Mockbee

Oil-Eating Microbes Successfully Clean Up Mumbai Oil Spill

Aug 23rd

Need proof that oil-eating microbes actually work? Look no further than Mumbai, where scientists recently used the Oilzapper (a mixture of five bacterial strains and corn cobs) to munch on oil spilled on a kilometer-long stretch of beach. So far the technology has been successfully used to treat over 130,000 tons of contaminated soil.

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Post tags: India, microbes, mumbia, oil, oil spill, oil spills

A Look Inside the Labs

Aug 23rd

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit Argonne National Laboratory and Fermilab – two of the Department’s national laboratories that are renowned for their cutting-edge research. There I obtained a firsthand look at some of the most innovative projects in the world of science and technology. The origins of these labs go back to the University of Chicago and the ground-breaking work of Nobel Laureate Enrico Fermi in the Manhattan Project, including the successful production of the world’s first self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction. My visit persuaded me that we can expect more transformational breakthroughs from these labs in the years to come.

Kabloom Seedbom is a Grenade that Makes Flowers, Not War

Aug 23rd

Looking for a green gift that will really blow the recipient away? These Kabloom Seedboms are just the thing. Made up of an explosive mix of organic compost and flower seeds packed in a recycled paper shell, these “grenades” do more growing than blowing up. All you have to do is chuck one into any soil-filled patch of land, and then check back over the next few weeks as it fills with fragrant flora.

+ Kabloom Seedboms

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Post tags: eco products, eco-gifts, flower sprouting bombs, green design, green products, kabloom, seed bombs, seedboms

Inflatable Research Lab Rolls Across the Arctic Tundra

Aug 23rd