GoingGreen Feed

Laptops and phones that self-destruct on command

dougvining — Mon, 12 May 2008 01:26:00 -0700

Have you got a laptop or printer that needs to be recycled? Here's a cool idea for making them capable of disassembling themselves when required:

“Active Disassembly is a promising technique for recycling electronics that relies on shape-memory connectors inside devices to pop apart under heat, separating valuable components without any manual labor required.

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Green Power for Earth Day

greenpower — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:31:00 -0700

It just so happens that you can get the novel, Green Power by Charles Vrooman, for half price during the week we celebrate Earth Day. Check it out at: http://www.publishamerica.com.

This new action filled thriller addresses a solution to environmental problems with the use of an alternate source of energy. However, this tactic appears to be a disaster when an epidemic breaks out pointing to the methane digesters as the cause.

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Trees, Water & Climate

Ed Ring — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 00:41:00 -0700

On the U.K. based website The Independent, their science section published a report on March 19th entitled “Dams: Deep Trouble.” Below this ominous title, the tag line read “Are vast dams around the world masking the full extent of sea level rise?”

The story goes on to state “over the past 50 years, new dams and reservoirs have held back some 10,800

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Peak Oil? Not in my lifetime...

dougvining — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 18:55:00 -0700

The notion of peak oil is like the notion of peak horse manure - it becomes irrelevant before it actually occurs. I say this for two reasons; one, we haven't yet discovered the undiscovered oil fields and technologies that vastly increase the known reserves of oil; two, new technologies will emerge faster than we think to remove our reliance on oil as the primary driver of the energy economy.

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Go Green with Green Power

greenpower — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 03:51:00 -0700

The new action filled thriller novel, Green Power, addresses a solution to environmental problems with the use of an alternate source of energy. However, this tactic appears to be a disaster when an epidemic breaks out pointing to the methane digesters as the cause. For more information, please visit the author’s website: http://www.freewebs.com/vrooman.

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Cost Fixation

ltglv — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 05:57:00 -0700

Why is cost the #1 focus? There was a time when quality was worth a few cents more. Isn't paying a little more for something that lasts twice as long worth it?

And what about the fight between form and function. Remember when a coffee pot may not have looked so great but it didn't wind up all over your kitchen counter. Isn't all the coffee winding up in the cup more important than a new design?

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Could GM Hydroponics solve China's food crisis?

dougvining — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 08:40:00 -0700

If your immediate response is "What crisis?" then you haven't been watching CNN or reading the Economist. We think they could and we've written a MindBullet to explore this scenario. Problem is, if you convert China's medieval farming practices into high-tech low-labor agricultural industry you end up with about half-a-billion unemployed rural workers. Or do you?

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PML Flightlink's Wheelmotors

Ed Ring — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:28:00 -0700

Is an affordable EV mini-roadster almost here? PML Flightlink’s EW Series of roadworthy in-wheel motors includes the EW 30/60. Each of these motors weighs just under 40 pounds, or 18 kilograms, and each motor runs up to 14.4 kilowatts, or 19.3 horsepower.

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Is energy conservation immoral and dangerous?

dougvining — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 21:36:00 -0700

We recently explored this topic in a MindBullet with a dateline of 2009:

Back in 2007, Dr Brian Cox, a member of the High Energy Physics Group at the University of Manchester, started a ripple that has now turned into a political and social tsunami.
"Our responsibility is not merely to look after the Earth, but also to be custodians of our civilization.

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No ! Nader No !

ltglv — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 09:00:00 -0800

Back in the day, I remember Mr. Nadar being an advocate for the consumer.

When did he become an advocate for himself?

As we all vividly recall in the infamous 2000 election, Nadar garnered enough votes to keep Al Gore out of the White House. Just think of the difference the past 7 years would have been.

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Water and Energy: Tipping Points

leebrunosf — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 12:13:00 -0800

The connection between water and energy is inextricable. And yet planners have been largely working in the dark. Part of the problem: a lack of tools.

That’s why researchers at Sandia National Labs in New Mexico, when studying the issue for their own planning purposes, decided to develop an interactive computer model. It permits administrators to better understand how energy and water are linked.

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Biofuels' Black Eye

leebrunosf — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 11:27:00 -0800

Scientists have decided corn-based ethanol might not be the emerald bullet once thought. Last week, the journal Science reported findings which show that if corn-based ethanol were used as a substitute for petroleum-based fuels it would nearly double the output of greenhouse gas emissions. Earlier projections had estimated a shift to corn-based ethanol would reduce the level of greenhouse gas emissions by a fifth.

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News from the Future: Energy Crisis

dougvining — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 23:02:00 -0800

In the not-too-distant future we may have a scenario of serious price shocks as the energy crisis deepens.

Get the full story and comments from subscribers at MindBullets online.

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Solar Integrated's BIPVs

Ed Ring — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 18:55:00 -0800

That they are pioneers in ”BIPV” technology (building integrated photovoltaics) makes Los Angeles based Solar Integrated a very interesting company. But the what makes Solar Integrated really, really interesting is they very likely have the most inexpensive photovoltaic solution in the world today.

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Solar Integrated's BIPVs

Ed Ring — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 18:55:00 -0800

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