HP Recycling Bottled Water Bottles to Produce Ink Cartridges

HP HQ (TGW) – Hewlett-Packard (HP) announced today that it has developed a system to use recycled plastic to manufacture its ink cartridges.

More than 200 million cartridges have already been produced using 5 million pounds of recycled plastic already.

5 million pounds of plastic would fill more than 200 tractor trailers.

The program combines recycled plastic bottles with other recycled plastic and up to 30% new plastic to create the cartridges.

Via :: Press Release

Lightbulb Powered by Radio Waves Produce 7x the Light Per Watt

Luxim HQ (TGW) – Lightbulb maker Luxim has raised $21 million for its long lasting high intensity discharge (HID) lightbulb that creates light using radio waves.


The lamp uses a radio frequency amplifier to pump RF waves to an antenna inside a resonant cavity. The interaction between the waves and the crystal cavity convert trapped gases into a plasma.

Luxim’s bulbs get 120 lumens per watt, compared to the HID standard of only 90 lumens per watt. Compare that to LEDs, which get about 70 lumens per watt and a 100 watt 120 volt incandescent lightbulb will produce about 17.1 lumens per watt.

Therefore, the bulbs are more efficient.

It has a 5 times lifetime over regular bulbs, as well.

Via :: Green Tech Blog

U.S. Government Abandons Plans for First Clean Coal Power Plant

U.S. (TGW) – The future of the world’s cleanest coal-burning plant is in jeopardy after the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) backed off plans to fund the research project.

The FutureGen plant was supposed to be the first facility in the world to utilize carbon sequestration technologies.

However, the Energy Department, which was supposed to bear about 75% of the costs, is balking at cost overruns of about $900 million.

Energy Secretary Sam Bodman met with Illinois officials, and told them he plans to "direct the department to begin to pursue other options," according to some of the officials.

"After our meeting today it is clear that Secretary of Energy Sam Bodman has misled the people of Illinois, creating false hope in a FutureGen project which has no intention of funding or supporting," Senator Dick Durbin said in a statement.

Via :: Reuters :: Press Release

Generating Power From Walking - The Crowd Farm Concept

Imagine powering your electricity by sitting down. Two MIT students have found a way to be lazy and generate their electricity by doing exactly this.


James Graham and Thaddeus Jusczyk have showed that the simple act of sitting on a stool can generate enough power to turn on 4 LED lights and that a single stride provides enough power to light a single 60 Watt light bulb for 1 second.

A relatively few 84 million strides could power a space shuttle launch.

The Crowd Farm concept relies on the related principle that mechanical movement can be converted into electricity, though on a larger scale. The mechanics would be supplied by a spongy floor in which embedded blocks move under the weight of passing pedestrians. The conversion process itself could be handled by a generator that uses a rotating coil and electromagnets to produce an electric current from the mechanical movement.

This all leads you to ask yourself, very seriously, “How much power do I generate by sitting on the toilet?”

Via :: Press Release

How To Build A Solar Powered USB Charger

How To Build A Solar Powered USB Charger - Watch more free videos

Scientists Harvest Energy from Rain

France (TGW) - Scientists at the CEA/Leti-Minatec in Grenoble, France have developed a system to produce energy from vibrations caused by raindrops.

“Our work could be considered as a good alternative to power systems in raining outdoor environments where solar energy is difficult to exploit,” researcher Thomas Jager said.

When a raindrop hits a surface, it produces a perfectly inelastic shock. To capture this energy, the scientists used a PVDF (polyvinylidene fluoride) polymer, a material that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. Electrodes in the PVDF pick up the vibrations and convert them to energy.

The scientists have yet to develop a system that can store the power for practical use.

Via :: Physorg

Intel Becomes Largest Purchaser of Green Power in the U.S.

U.S. (TGW) – Intel will purchase 1.3 billion kilowatt hours a year of renewable energy certificates, making Intel the single largest corporate purchaser of green power in the United States.


"We have a long history of commitment to the environment and energy efficiency is an important consideration in everything we do, from building transistors to designing microprocessors and running our factories," said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini.

The certificates will subsidize the development of wind, solar, biomass and small-scale hydro-electric sources of energy, Intel said.

The Environmental Protection Agency estimated the purchase is the equivalent of taking more than 185,000 cars off the road for a year.

Via :: Press Release

Ann Arbor to be First City in U.S. Using 100% LEDs

Michigan (TGW) – Lumecon and Relume Technologies has won the contract for converting the city of Ann Arbor, Michigan over to 100% light emitting diodes (LEDs) for its 1000 streetlights.

The city will be the first in the country to use 100% LEDs.

The plan is expected to cut energy use for streetlights in half, and will reduce the city’s CO2 emissions by 2425 tons a year.

Via :: Press Release

Eco TV Uses Less Energy Than a Lightbulb

CES (TGW) – The new Philip’s 42 inch Eco TV, unveiled recently at CES 2008, has many green features.

Probably the most eco-friendly, as well as the most innovative, is the ability to dim the backlight based on program material. The backlight also dims in responsive to lighting conditions of the viewing area.

The TV uses only 75 watts during use and only .15 watts during standby; that is less than the average incandescent lightbulb.

The Eco TV is also lead free.

Via :: CNET

New Solar Car is Expensive, Ugly :(

At a price of $24,600, is it worth it?

iChapters: Buy an eBook, Plant a Tree

UPDATE: They've planted a tree 'in my honor'. :)

You may have heard of Eco-Libris, the site that plants a tree for every book you buy. iChapters has a similar program, but it may be even greener.

The program
Unlike Eco-Libris, at iChapters, you buy e-books, instead of funky old fashioned paper books. iChapters sells print textbooks as well, but we all know that buying print textbooks is out of fashion.

The books are extra cheap because the site sells directly to students; books are 40 to 50% off.

The green
For every eChapter or eBook purchased, one tree will be planted. So far, 24,000 trees have been planted.

The drive also has a Facebook page; Prizes include a cash prize for purchases on iChapters, a free pass for one year to all U.S. National Parks, and more.

Greenpeace: Mainstream Environmental Extremism

(Special Report) - Part 4 in a series on extremist environmentalist groups

Greenpeace, though one of the most famous international environmental groups, can be considered extreme. The group’s leadership mandates peaceful direct action, but that does not mean it cannot engage in some pretty extreme activities.

Basic Ideas
On its official website, Greenpeace defines its mission as the following:

Greenpeace is a global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace by:

Catalysing an energy revolution to address the number one threat facing our planet: climate change.
Defending our oceans by challenging wasteful and destructive fishing, and creating a global network of marine reserves.
Protecting the world’s remaining ancient forests and the animal, plants and people that depend on them.
Working for disarmament and peace by reducing dependence on finite resources and calling for the elimination of all nuclear weapons.
Creating a toxic free future with safer alternatives to hazardous chemicals in today's products and manufacturing.
Supporting sustainable agriculture by encouraging socially and ecologically responsible farming practices..

Goal
End climate change, defend nature, destroy all nuclear weapons, and to have toxic free lifestyles.

History
Greenpeace started in 1970, when activists from the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament wanted to stop a planned nuclear test in Alaska. The test was not prevented, but it laid the groundwork for the Greenpeace organization.

Though the organization is nonviolent, it has engaged in some radical, though nonviolent, activities. In French Polynesia, Greenpeace engaged in civil disobedience to protest nuclear experiments taking place there.

In 1985, the French blew up the Greenpeace ship the Rainbow Warrior to prevent the organizations protest of nuclear testing.

Since then, Greenpeace has only been more radicalized. It has chained itself to coal power plants, and recently made headlines blocking Japanese waling ships from refueling.

Website(s):
http://www.greenpeace.org

Solar Powered Toothbrush Doesn't Require Toothpaste

(Special Report) – The Shiken Company of Japan wants to revolutionize the way you brush your teeth – and it wants to make you greener.

The Soladey-J3X uses solar power to create a chemical reaction in your mouth to kill plaque and bacteria.

The brush doesn’t even use toothpaste, and it leads to "Complete destruction of bacterial cells," according to inventor Kunio Komiyama.

Switzerland the Greenest Country in the World

Earth (TGW) – The Environmental Performance Index (EPI) ranking released today by experts at Yale and Columbia universities lists Switzerland as the greenest country in the world, followed by the Scandinavian bloc (Sweden, Norway, Finland) and then Costa Rica.

How countries were ranked (simplified)

The United States came in at number 39 (it came in #28 in 2006) out of the 149 countries listed, well behind the United Kingdom at 14 and Japan at 21.

"The United States, though very high in the Environmental Health score, ranked at 107th in the Ecosystem Vitality category, below countries like Sudan and Myanmar, which have significant nonenvironmental challenges and limited resources for environmental protection," the experts said in a report accompanying the ranking. "Poor performance in the areas of air emissions and climate change reduced the United States’ score significantly.

"The EPI’s climate change metrics ranking the United States alongside India and China near the bottom of the world’s table are a national disgrace," Gus Speth, dean of the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, said in a statement.

Via :: AP

ELF and ALF -- "The Top Domestic Terrorist Threat"

(Special Report) - Part 3 in a series on extremist environmentalist groups

These homegrown terrorists have carried out more attacks in the U.S. since 9/11 than any Islamic terrorist group -- and yet, they receive very little media attention.

The Earth Liberation Front (ELF); the Animal Liberation Front (ALF); the Revolutionary Cells—Animal Liberation Brigade (RCALB); the Animal Rights Militia (ARM); the Justice Department (not the government’s). These are all animal and environmental extremist groups. Are they all the same movement under different names? Yes.

Basic Ideas
All of the above organizations actively endorse violent action for their cause besides ALF. All are for the protection of animals and nature. In particular, these sets of groups are against animal testing.

Goal
To end inhumane actions against living things, and to prevent the harm of the Earth.

History
Earth Liberation Front:
ELF was founded in 1992 by members of the Earth First! movement. In 2001, the FBI named ELF the top domestic terrorist threat. ELF has carried out many attacks, mostly arsons.
Animal Liberation Front:
ALF evolved in the UK from a group called the Bands of Mercy, which opposed fox hunting. In the U.S., it appeared in the 1970s. Since then, it has grown internationally. ALF has taken part in many raids to, in their opinion, rescue animals on which tests are being performed, or in zoos, aquariums, etc. One action that was very successful was the movie “Unnecessary Fuss”, which was produced in part with PETA. The 26 minute long video showed researchers laughing and joking as they used a hydraulic device to cause brain damage to baboons.
ALF is against violence.

Revolutionary Cells—Animal Liberation Brigade:
RCALB has been accused of being the ‘terrorist wing of the Animal Liberation Front’. ALF does not support the actions of RCALB. RCALB has taken responsibility for two successful bombings (luckily no one killed) and an attempted third.
Animal Rights Militia:
ARM has taken responsibility for several mail bombs, and is most famous for a 68 day long hunger strike. ARM has been accused as being another militant wing of ALF.Justice Department
The Justice Department, also accused of being another militant wing of ALF (also denied), has been called by The Independent as "the most sustained and sophisticated bombing campaign in mainland Britain since the IRA was at its height." The organization has attempted to assassinate Prince Charles, and has attempted to assassinate over 80 researchers.

Supporters
These movements are leaderless, meaning participants in each group form autonomous cells and act independently.

Website(s)
Animal Liberation Front