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| Headline |
Author |
Published |
Section |
Vehicle of change
The Big Green Bus rides again |
Sarah van Schagen |
10 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Witness the Big Green Bus. Hard to miss, even amid the glaring sun and smog at Bonnaroo. I happened upon the crew of Dartmouth students at the festival last year and got just a few minutes to chat with them. This year, I sought them out on the festival grounds and then met up with them again when they rolled into Seattle last weekend.During their 12,000-mile trek this summer, the Big Green Busriders are stopping at various events and landmarks ranging from a Doobie ... |
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| Topics: biofuels, education, energy, green living, innovation, placemaking, tech (all these topics) |
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What the world needs now ...
Is a lot more solutions like this |
JMG |
09 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| This is what the world needs more of: a focus on implementing soft technologies rather than a mania to design ever more complex ones. |
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| Topics: innovation, Tanzania, tech, water pollution (all these topics) |
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Word Gets Around
New bike, parking policies leave polluting vehicles in the dust |
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09 Aug 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Word Gets Around New bike, parking policies leave polluting vehicles in the dust Now for some wheely good news (sorry, it had to be done): officials around the globe are moving forward on innovative eco-transportation schemes. Last week, the city council of Reykjavik, Iceland, enacted a rule that gives free parking to those who drive fuel-efficient vehicles. In Ontario, Cana ... |
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| Topics: bikes, Canada, cars, energy, France, Iceland, innovation, news, placemaking (all these topics) |
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More ways to use our friend the wind's energy
Clever video |
JMG |
01 Aug 2007 |
Gristmill |
| A short video -- proof that ingenuity is alive and well: |
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| Topics: bikes, green living, innovation, placemaking, wind power (all these topics) |
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Policies to promote technological innovation
Here are some |
Jason D Scorse |
30 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Last week I discussed the basic arithmetic associated with population and economic growth, which will make it impossible to dramatically reduce greenhouse-gas emissions without major improvements in technology. (Some commenters protested, saying that current technology is sufficient, but they are mistaking the ability to reduce emissions based on current levels of income and population and what emissions will be as countries grow and economies expand.) Now I wo ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change mitigation, innovation, tech (all these topics) |
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LS9 promises 'renewable petroleum'
New company says it can make better, cheaper biofuels |
David Roberts |
30 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Picture a liquid fuel that is derived from the same feedstocks as cellulosic ethanol (switchgrass, sugar cane, corn stover) but contains 50% more energetic content and is made via a process that uses 65% less energy. Unlike cellulosic ethanol, this fuel can be distributed via existing oil pipelines rather than gas-hogging trucks and trains, dispensed through existing gas stations rather than specialized pumps, and used in existing engines rather than modified " ... |
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| Topics: biofuels, energy, GMOs, innovation (all these topics) |
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Solar confusion
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Kate Sheppard |
19 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| This is a neat concept -- a solar water filter -- brought to us by reader Zack Scott: But I'm confused. Does this work, say, if I'm lost in the woods and waterless? Does it filter out enough of the undesired elements to render water safe for drinking? Thoughts from Gristmillers? |
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| Topics: tech, solar thermal power, innovation (all these topics) |
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No Rush Hour
New York hems and haws over Manhattan congestion fees |
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16 Jul 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| No Rush Hour New York hems and haws over Manhattan congestion fees Today is a make-or-break, do-or-die, fish-or-cut-bait, poo-or-get-off-the-pot, we-wish-we-could-think-of-more-hyphenated-clichés day for New York, as state legislators, Governor Eliot Spitzer, and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg wrestle over Bloomberg' ... |
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| Topics: climate, health, innovation, New York City, news, placemaking, politics, public transportation, state politics, urban planning (all these topics) |
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Sushi powered
Japan experiments with seaweed as biofuel |
Jerome Woody |
13 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| As birthplace of the Kyoto Protocol, Japan is one of the pioneering countries in climate change policy and research. In 1990, Japan pledged to reduce carbon emissions by 6 percent by 2012. One of their proposed stratagems for meeting this goal is to replace the 132 million gallons of gasoline that Japan car drivers use with a biofuel option. Domestic biofuel production has always been difficult in land-lacking Japan, which in the past had to consider importing bi ... |
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| Topics: biofuels, energy, ethanol, innovation, Japan (all these topics) |
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The wind and the William
Malawian man powers village with a $16 windmill |
Kate Sheppard |
11 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| A great story via Inhabitat: With all the sobering news lately about global warming and war, it's important to remember all the positive things that are also going on in the world at any given time. Case in point: the story of intrepid Malawi youth William Kamkwamba who, despite having no education or training, recently engineered and built a windmill that powers his entire village. It's certainly the most inspiring story we've read this month, and we think you'll a ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, innovation, Malawi, renewable energy, tech, wind power (all these topics) |
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Cameron Diaz wants you to make an 'ecospot'
Make a short eco-video about climate change and you could win a Toyota hybrid |
Grist |
10 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Are you a creative type with a hankering for 15 minutes of fame? Would you settle for 15 seconds? Enter this new eco-video contest and you could win public acclaim -- and a Toyota hybrid. Cameron tells you how: (Having trouble viewing the video? Download the latest version of Flash.) Current TV and the Alliance for Climate Protection (both Gore-driven projects) have teamed up to promote :60 Seconds to Save the Earth, a contest soliciting video public service announcemen ... |
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| Topics: Cameron Diaz, cars, celebrity, climate, climate change mitigation, green living, innovation, movies (all these topics) |
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Luke ... I am your filter ...
New bike helmet filters pollutants |
Sarah van Schagen |
10 Jul 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Speaking of bikes, a new helmet with a decidedly Storm-Trooperish look may soon help cyclists breathe easier, filtering out particulate matter as they ride. |
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| Topics: bikes, green living, innovation (all these topics) |
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If I Could Escape
Ford, Southern California Edison partner to test plug-in hybrids |
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10 Jul 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| If I Could Escape Ford, Southern California Edison partner to test plug-in hybrids Two No. 2 businesses have unveiled a first-of-its-kind alliance: Ford Motor Co., the No. 2 automaker in the U.S., and Southern California Edison, the country's second-largest utility, will partner for "real-world" testing of plug-in hybrid vehicles. Starting late this year, F ... |
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| Topics: Big Auto, business, cars, electric vehicles, green living, hybrids, innovation, news (all these topics) |
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And the Peanuts Are Free-Range
With fans and fanfare, Boeing unveils new fuel-efficient aircraft |
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09 Jul 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| And the Peanuts Are Free-Range With fans and fanfare, Boeing unveils new fuel-efficient aircraft Yesterday, Boeing unveiled a new fuel-efficient airplane to a crowd of more than 15,000 workers and onlookers, as tens of thousands more watched by satellite. The 787 Dreamliner -- nicknamed the "greenliner" -- boasts a body that's half carbon-fiber composite; because the material is lighte ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, greening biz operations, innovation, news (all these topics) |
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Stick It Where the Sun Do Shine
Groovy new battery could change the way energy is stored |
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05 Jul 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Stick It Where the Sun Do Shine Groovy new battery could change the way energy is stored A type of battery created by Ford Motor Co. in the 1960s for use in electric cars could help utilities around the world. Sodium-sulfur batteries provide efficient energy storage, and could reduce the need for new transmission lines, substations, and power plants. The new generation of room-sized, $2.5 millio ... |
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| Topics: electricity grid, energy, energy storage, innovation, news (all these topics) |
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The Long and Windy Road
California is no longer leading the pack on wind energy |
Kate Galbraith |
28 Jun 2007 |
Main Dish |
| Last year, California suffered the ultimate indignity in its quest to be the "greenest state." It was passed by red Texas -- the oil heartland -- for the title of state with the most wind-power generating capacity. The numbers get even more depressing. Last year, California's wind capacity grew at a slower rate than any of the other top 10 wind-producing states. Texas's w ... |
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| Topics: California, energy, innovation, renewable energy, Texas, wind power (all these topics) |
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Turning Lemons Into Powerade
Waste Management announces $400 million methane-to-energy plan |
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28 Jun 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Turning Lemons Into Powerade Waste Management announces $400 million methane-to-energy plan Renewable energy got a boost this week: mega-hauler Waste Management said it will spend $400 million over five years to build 60 landfill-based facilities that will convert methane to electricity. The potent gas -- which results from the decomposition of organic yummies like trash and cow manure -- is t ... |
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| Topics: business, energy, innovation, news, renewable energy, waste (all these topics) |
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Search Engine Engine Search
Google pledges $10 million for plug-in hybrid research |
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19 Jun 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Search Engine Engine Search Google pledges $10 million for plug-in hybrid research Google has gone all googly-eyed over plug-in hybrid vehicles, pledging more than $10 million in funding for the nascent technology. At a sunny photo op at its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters yesterday, company officials showed off a handful of Toyota Prius and Ford Escape cars that ... |
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| Topics: cars, electric vehicles, electricity grid, energy, hybrids, innovation, news, Prius (all these topics) |
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Fun Guys
Two recent college grads make insulation using mushroom spores |
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11 Jun 2007 |
Daily Grist |
| Fun Guys Two recent college grads make insulation using mushroom spores Let's play a word game: we say "college students" and "mushrooms," you say the first thing that comes to mind. OK, now get ready to eat your words, because two recent Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute grads are having a different kind of fun with their fungi. Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre used mushroom spores to create a new ... |
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| Topics: energy, green building, innovation, news (all these topics) |
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Thin Is In
On thin-film solar panels |
Umbra Fisk |
06 Jun 2007 |
Ask Umbra |
| Dear Umbra, I read that thin-film solar panels are now being produced on a wider scale. I always hear that they can be sandwiched into window glass, but are there any companies that are actually using the technology in architectural products? How does thin film compare to the traditional PV panel? Jen Oakland, Calif. Dearest Jen, Thin films compare well to the traditional photovoltaic panel, and are commercially available in such fo ... |
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| Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, energy, innovation, renewable energy, solar voltaic power (all these topics) |
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GM Volts into the lead
Looks like the plug-in might actually happen |
Joseph Romm |
30 May 2007 |
Gristmill |
| General Motors is apparently serious about introducing a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, which I have repeatedly argued is the car of the future (PDF). The race is now on between Toyota and GM as to who will be the first to introduce this game-changing vehicle. The Chevy Volt is to be the "legacy" of Robert Lutz, GM's vice chair of product development, according to Business Week's "Auto Beat" column. The Volt will go about 40 miles on an electr ... |
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| Topics: Big Auto, cars, electric vehicles, energy, green living, hybrids, innovation (all these topics) |
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Global warming and the vision thing
Concrete images of a greener society |
Jon Rynn |
21 May 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Global warming activists have often advocated policies based on numerical goals or painted scary scenarios of the future. But there is a third way to advocate for long-term policies: propose solutions that contain a positive vision of a fossil fuel-free society. The importance of this approach was underlined to me when I heard Betsy Rosenberg of the radio show Ecotalk interview Chip Heath, an author of the business-oriented book, Made to Stick. She asked Heath what he ... |
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| Topics: climate, climate change adaptation, energy, innovation, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Suzuki edits the Sun
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David Roberts |
09 May 2007 |
Gristmill |
| Famed Canadian eco-hero David Suzuki was handed the reins to guest edit an entire edition of the Toronto Vancouver (!) Sun on Sat. May 5. 'What I would love to do is put a green slant in every area,' he added, explaining he thinks the mainstream media do not do enough to highlight how the environment is connected to all areas of the news. 'You may get [stories] about floods in Bangladesh, drought in Ethiopia and forest fires in northern Alberta, and they are a ... |
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| Topics: David Suzuki, environmental movement, green living, heroes, innovation (all these topics) |
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Electric cars: going nowhere fast
Electric motocycles may be bridge to electric cars |
biodiversivist |
02 Mar 2007 |
Gristmill |
| I see this pea-green electric car biffing around the neighborhood now and then. I test drove a similar car a year or so ago. Entrepreneurs just can't resist testing the electric car market. One company after another goes out of business, only to be replaced by the next guy in line. It might help if they would make them less silly looking. Adding a fourth wheel might have been worth it in this case. However, the problem isn't just marketing. You can't just make an elec ... |
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| Topics: cars, electric vehicles, innovation, placemaking (all these topics) |
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Bright Lines: An introduction
A new path forward for climate change campaigners |
Ken Ward |
07 Feb 2007 |
Gristmill |
| ((brightlines_include)) Our climate agenda is inadequate and may even be detrimental to the sort of effort U.S. environmentalists must now undertake. I'd like to offer for comment an alternative 'bright lines' framework for climate action, and propose a shift in role and agenda for U.S. environmentalists that takes account of the circumstances in which we find ourselves and squarely faces the almost incomprehensible challenge before us. Our goal, put starkly and simp ... |
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| Topics: environmental movement, innovation (all these topics) |
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