Project Kaisei – a group of innovators, scientists, environmentalists, ocean lovers, sailors, and sports enthusiasts – have come together to find remedy to undo one of our most serious man-made environmental disasters – the ever-growing Plastic Vortex.
Their first mission - to study ways to capture marine debris in the North Pacific Gyre and possible retrieval and processing techniques that could potentially be used to detoxify and recycle these materials into diesel fuel – is scheduled for this summer. They’ll begin with the largest area of the Vortex in the North Pacific Subtropical Convergence Zone – northeast of Hawaii and the-plastic-vortex1approximately five days by boat from the San Francisco area. The [...]
Project Kaisei seeks to solve the Plastic Vortex
Boston to (finally) begin curbside recycling
Boston – known for baseball, the Freedom Trail and Quincy Marketplace – is finally stepping up into the green movement. As of July 1st, they’ll begin residential curbside recycling, something that the majority of both large metropolitan areas and smaller towns across the country have been doing for years.
Boston will deliver more than 55,000 64-gallon carts to single-family homes and 6-unit-or-less apartments over the next year. The city expects that using the single-stream recycling system will save the city $1 million per year in waste disposal costs. It costs the city $40 less per ton to recycle than to send it to a landfill or incinerator, according to city officials.
With such an anticipated savings, [...]
US Government considering bulldozing 50 cities to create green space
Urban sprawl reached its zenith in the ’90’s. But with today’s recession and roller coaster gas prices, sprawl has often turned to blight from dwindling populations and bankrupted businesses.
The Obama administration is reportedly considering plans to raze sections of 50 economically depressed US cities, condensing these both the towns and city services. Dubbed “shrink to survive, this program could turn bulldozed districts into forests, meadows and parks.
A proposal currently underway in Flint, Michigan would serve as the model for such a venture. Originally the home of General Motors, Flint now suffers from a higher-than-average unemployment rate (about 20 percent) and a rapidly dwindling population. Local politicians claim the city must reduce as much as 40 percent to avoid [...]
"Green" Exit Signs bring surprising Cost Savings
They’re in every commercial building - unassuming red on white lights you can see from across the room. But those exit and emergency signs consume more energy than you might imagine
On July 1st, Exit Sign Warehouse(ESW) will launch Flex Green, a program that could have a significant impact on the environment and a company’s bottom line.
Flex Green is an opportunity for fiscally and environmentally responsible businesses to upgrade code compliant (UL 924 listed) exit sign technology in their buildings at little or no expense to the business itself. Companies choosing to retrofit their building signage will receive rebates and wholesale pricing.
The annual financial savings of using cutting-edged LED or Photo-luminescent technology can be astounding. A business that replaces traditional fluorescent or [...]
A Solar-Wind Turbine?
Put two great alternative energy technologies into one and what do you get?
Bluenergy, a Santa Fe, New Mexico start-up, has come up with a hybrid vertical axis wind turbine that’s covered with solar cells. Based on sailing engineering, the wind rotor is rotated by two spiral-formed vanes. The sun and wind produce electricity as one element.
Bluenergy Solarwind’s 5 kw double-helix design is touted to perform at wind speeds from as low as 4 mph up to 90 mph. These amazing wind turbines also profess dual energy capture; low maintenance; and an all-important silent, safe operation for birds, humans and bats.
Standing at 18′ high by 6′ wide, these blue hued photovoltaic cells have an aesthetic appeal as well. System installation costs are relatively [...]
Recycling creates a Beautiful Partnership
An elementary school in Stockton, CA has cut their waste stream by 20 percent.
They didn’t do it on their own. Corporate America stepped up to help make it happen.
Dart Container Corp (http://3.ly/66I),whose manufacturing plant was located nearby, helped the students at Westwood Elementary School by accepting their polystyrene lunch trays, which were cleaned, sorted, then sent to the plant. This allowed the students to recycle 90 percent of their otherwise non-recyclable trays.
What’s even more inspiring in this story is that Dart doesn’t make polystyrene trays but agreed to accept the material from the school at no charge. Dart then “upcycled” the material to make new products – picture frames and decorative [...]
Nissan to produce electric cars in the U.S.
Nissan Motors plans to begin producing electric cars and their lithium ion batteries in the U.S.
Nissan North America’s headquarters in Smyrna, Tennessee will be the site of their new electric car assembly lines. The overall investment is projected at 50 billion yen ($516.4 million and could rise to 100 billion yen.
Capabile of making 50,000 to 100,000 eco-friendly vehicles a year by 2012, the Smyrna plant is expected to first produce a small passenger car. Nissan also intends to construct a production facility with NEC Corp for high-capacity lithium ion batteries at the Tennessee site.
The company has applied for a loan from the U.S. government under a low-interest-loan program to support the automobile industry.The Nikkei Business Daily reported Nissan will soon receive approval for a loan exceeding 100 [...]
Environmentally-Friendly ReUsable Tableware for Toddlers
Until recently, conventional children’s tableware contained BPA and thilates, now recognized as hazardous chemicals. With the introduction of alternative bioplastics, which produce less greenhouse gases than traditional plastic, parents of young children now have safe, eco-friendly choices.
Florida-based Re-Think It, Inc. recently introduced their Dandelion Earth Friendly brand ReUsable Tableware designed especially for toddlers. The diverse Dandelion brand– which includes adorable organic developmental toys, organic rattles and teethers – includes “feeding items” such as bowls, divided plates, forks and spoons made of reusable PLA corn plastic.
“Eco-green is on everyone’s radar,” says Kelly Rundle, Director of Sales for Re-Think It. But no one company was offering retailers a one-stop shop, something missing [...]
Think Solar Day on Sunday
Father’s Day is two holidays in one. The first annual Solar Day - a day promoting the benefits of solar energy - is taking place in some of the country’s top metropolitan cities.
John Reed, a San Francisco Bay area business man who’s brainchild this was, sees this as a way to recognize that we have control over our home and business energy, even if we can’t control the oil and gas companies.
For more details on Solar Day, see www.solarday.com.
Let’s make June 21st an annual Solar Day around the globe.
Six Flags plans to cut waste, protect ecosystems
Six Flags announced their company-wide Green Initiative, with plans to cut waste, reduce fuel and electricity use and protect the watersheds and ecosystems across theme park and water parks.
The theme park giant is creating groundbreaking pilot program at four parks. Vehicles and trains currently running on diesel will be converted to vegetable oil generated in Park kitchens. Lighting will shift to LED lamps and park lights, reducing green house gas emissions from electricity consumption.
Six Flags also plans to further recycling and waste reduction efforts. Partnering with Coca-Cola, they’re already placed over 3,000 recycle bins in all twenty Six Flags parks in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
“Six Flags is taking aggressive steps to help protect and [...]