Blogs

Lessons From the Field—Rainwater Harvesting in India

How will vast regions of India, where highly unreliable rainfall makes the difference between famine and sustenance, cope with climate change? Over 85 percent of the cultivated area in this country is either directly dependent on rain or depends on rain to recharge its groundwater. Seasonal rain provides water for irrigation, drinking, and household needs. It provides water to livestock and is necessary to grow fodder for animals. The question of how these areas will adapt as rainfall becomes even more variable with climate change is especially important now, as groundwater is being pumped from deeper and deeper wells to grow water-guzzling crops like sugarcane, rice, wheat and even flowers. ...
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Friday,17 September, 2010 | Hits: 420

Maintaining Food Crop Diversity: An Interview with Gary Paul Nabhan

Nabhan is working with U.S. farming and ranching groups to provide incentives for maintaining ecological services such as pollination, watershed health, and soil erosion control, an effort he calls “The Next Frontier.” Guest author Fred Bahnson interviewed Gary Paul Nabhan, a lecturer, food and farming advocate, folklorist, and conservationist who lives and farms in the U.S. Southwest. Nabhan discusses his new book, the future of agriculture, and how 1,400-year-old Lebanese farming techniques influence his land ethic. ...
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Friday,17 September, 2010 | Hits: 204

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is where Sustainability Starts

Companies want to promote their efforts to be more "sustainable". But what does this mean? There is no hard and fast definition, so what being sustainable means to a company is open to some interpretation. Many companies start their quest to me more sustainable by looking at the life cycle environmental impacts of their products. The focus is not only on is this a great product, and is it helpful to users to reduce energy use, or in some other way to be "green" but on what are the manufacturing, distribution, and ultimate disposal impacts as well. These are all part of the life cycle of products. ...
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Friday,17 September, 2010 | Hits: 93

Sewage-cleaning device produces electricity, too

The sewage-cleaning electricity generator could be commercially viable within the next five yearsSmall units that purify household sewage could provide a source of electricity for urban and remote communities in the developing world, according to researchers. The units would be populated with Shewanella oneidensis, one of several types of bacteria that can break down organic matter in sewage, producing electrons and protons. If the sewage is placed between electrodes with the bacteria present, this process can be harnessed to generate an electrical current. ...
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Friday,17 September, 2010 | Hits: 118

Renewable Energy at the Tipping Point

In China, more than 150 million people heat at least some of their water using solar hot water systems No longer a mere suggestion of what might be, renewable energy is hitting a tipping point, with far-reaching implications. For the first time, understanding the scale and patterns of renewable energy development has become essential to any full analysis of trends that will shape the global energy economy and the health of the planet. That is the story told by a new report that the Worldwatch Institute helped research and write: the Renewables Global Status Report 2010. Produced by the REN21 network of governments, NGOs, and industry associations, the report paints a remarkable picture of a booming new economic sector that has powered its way through a deep global recession, emerging stronger than ever. ...
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Friday,17 September, 2010 | Hits: 100

India, UK to collaborate on fuel—cell technology, health care

[NEW DELHI] India and the United Kingdom have signed pacts on affordable health care, environment friendly energy technologies and bridging the urban-rural divide in India, as part of wider bilateral collaboration. Under pacts signed by India’s junior science minister Prithviraj Chavan and UK minister for science and universities David Willets last month (29 July) in New Delhi, the two countries will invest £ 3 million (US$ 4.7 million or Indian rupees 218.06 million) each to promote partnerships between groups already working on fuel cells. ...
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Tuesday,03 August, 2010 | Hits: 79

Supply and Sustainability: Piecing Together the Energy Puzzle

The global energy sector is at a crossroads. Key issues such as lack of energy independence, the security of energy supplies, and climate change have become important items on the agendas of governments everywhere. This has sparked a heated debate about the most appropriate energy mix in those countries that are considering the use of nuclear power and renewable energy, and in companies that are committed to tackling climate change. These issues were discussed in depth during a panel session on the future of energy at the recent Wharton Global Alumni Forum in Madrid, moderated by Stephen J. Kobrin, professor of multinational management at Wharton. ...
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Friday,17 September, 2010 | Hits: 144

China continues to invest in new coal-fired power plants and air pollution control

China has had more coal-fired capacity than the U.S. for some time. It has also had more electrostatic precipitators. Now it has surpassed any country in terms of flue gas desulfurization (FGD) systems. In the not too distant future, it will become the number one operator of SCR systems for NOx Control. The McIlvaine Company tracks each Chinese power project and also the retrofits of air pollution control systems in a service entitled Chinese Utility Plans. Here are some recent projects: ...
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Sunday,15 August, 2010 | Hits: 85

IPCC Did Good Work But Needs Fundamental Reforms, Review Concludes

image: IPCC Though the Nobel Peace Prize-winning IPCC has done good work in its past assessments of climate change science, an independent review of the way the organization operates says "fundamental reforms" are needed-- among those are shorter terms for the organization's chair and establishing an executive director to oversee operations and act as spokesperson. ... Read the full story on TreeHugger read full article ...
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Tuesday,07 September, 2010 | Hits: 33

Men Waste £2,000 in Fuel While Lost Because They Won't Ask for Directions

Image: Google Maps 276 Extra Miles Per Year on Average According to a study by British insurer Sheilas' Wheels (watch out for the bright pink website), men waste about £2,000 in fuel over their lifetime because they won't ask for directions when they are lost, leading to an average of 276 extra miles being driven per year. Definitely not green...... Read the full story on TreeHugger read full article ...
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Tuesday,07 September, 2010 | Hits: 28