Google Earth Engine Tracks Global Environmental Changes
by: Eco Geek Latest, 2010-12-06 17:04:09 UTC
A new online technology from Google called Google Earth Engine allows scientists and researchers to track environmental changes by analyzing 25 years worth of images from the LANDSAT satellite, the longest continually orbiting satellite on earth.
The new project, which will be posted online for free, was introduced at the COP16 talks in Cancun last week and will include applications that monitor and measure deforestation, land use trends, water resources and more. In honor of the conference's location, the first major creation of Google Earth Engine is the most comprehensive scale map of Mexico's forest and water resources to date.
Google officials touted the power of Google Earth Engine by saying that the amount of data processed in the Mexico map would have taken three years using a single computer, but only took one day with this new platform (1,000 computers in parallel processed more than 53,000 LANDSAT scenes from 1984 - 2010).
To kick-off the project's launch, the company is offering 20 million CPU hours free to developing nations and scientific organizations to utilize this new tool.
The technology was developed by Google.org, the company's philanthropic arm, and according to Google officials, will show the public how the earth is changing under a changing climate and hopefully drive public policy.
via Washington Post
New Database Rates Energy Efficiency of Ships
by: Eco Geek Latest, 2010-12-06 18:58:45 UTC
A new online database, ShippingEfficiency.org, gives efficiency and emissions ratings for 60,000 ships worldwide to push fleet owners to start using cleaner and more efficient ships.
The project was created by billionaire Richard Branson to empower exporters, importers and even cruise-vacation-goers to choose the most efficient ships to do business with. The database lists engine size, type of ship, energy efficient features, emissions and other information about each ship along with overall ratings based on those facts.
The builders of the database have great expectations for the project. They expect it to reduce shipping CO2 emissions by as much as 25 percent.
The shipping industry has a very large carbon footprint and has been hard to regulate because shipping is a global business and national or regional restrictions are hard to enforce. The database is aiming to solve the problem by putting the power in the hands of businesses and consumers to affect change, instead of governments.
via Treehugger
designboom book report: cardboard book
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2010-12-03 18:54:00 UTC
cardboard is a cheap, readily available, familiar, portable, and recyclable material, but what makes it particularly egalitarian is the ease with which it can be used.
read more
renewable energy products at saint-étienne biennale 2010
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2010-12-04 07:00:00 UTC
on show at the saint-étienne biennale 2010 is 'demain c'est aujourd'hui #3', an exhibition curated by claire fayolle. presented are designs that prefigure the products of tomorrow, offering an outlook on the way we may be living in the future.
read more
eliumstudio for schneider electric
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2010-12-03 10:00:00 UTC
elium studio has designed a recharge terminal for electric vehicles as a response to the needs of domestic users. developed for schneider electric, the stations - one which was designed for residential applications,
the other for service stations.
read more
One Component Wind Power
by: Yanko Design, 2010-12-03 08:03:39 UTC
How would you like your very own take-it-home apply-it-yourself wind power generator? How about a whole array of them? This is a design that’s just that, take it home, unpack it, screw it into the wall, connect it to whatever battery you’ve got that can hold generated power, and let it rip! This design is made up of blades, the generator, a telescopic shaft (so that the fan can be extended or “away”, electric power plug, and switch. With an array of 15 of these fans, you can power a household of four people for a month.
Oh my goodness! One of these fans, called “Wind Cubes”, could potentially generate 21.6 kilowatt-hours per month. Times that by fifteen, and you’ve got 324 kw, the same amount the designers of this project note is the amount a family of four uses per month. Seems too perfect!
The way these “cubes” work is to be attached to a wall (outside) with three screws, click the switch to activate, and sit back to enjoy the power your mother earth is providing. Multiple cubes can be connected to not only generate more power, but strengthen their collective structure, and the fans can be pulled out or pushed back and away depending on the weather.
DO WANT, VERY VERY MUCH. Can you imagine it? Free electricity! No wonder this is a Liteon Award winning design this year! Hooray!
Designers: Liao-Hsun Chen and Wen-Chih Chang
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Poland Introducing Recyclable Subway Car
by: Eco Geek Latest, 2010-12-01 17:51:00 UTC
The Polish
subway system will be getting a new type of subway car in 2012 that will be 97.5 percent recyclable with 40 percent of the materials being locally-sourced.
The train is called the Inspiro and features a lightweight aluminum chassis, a demand-controlled air conditioning system and electrodynamic braking. The train design will also allow for more passengers per car and better flow on and off the train. The country is partnering with Siemens and BMW to build and implement the new trains.
By the end of 2012, 35 trains will be in service and the new design could reduce energy consumption by the subway system by up to 40 percent.
via
Treehugger
The Popemobile May Go Solar
by: Eco Geek Latest, 2010-12-03 16:51:15 UTC
The Vatican has made headlines with its eagerness to embrace solar power and renewable energy efforts in general. Adding to that, Wednesday, the Vatican announced that the Pope was interested in replacing his gas-fueled Popemobile, with a solar-powered one.
Already the Vatican's main auditorium is covered with a large rooftop solar array and the cafeteria is cooled by a solar cooling unit. Also, in the works is a 100-MW solar facility on Vatican land outside of Rome.
That just leaves the Popemobile, currently a bullet-proof Mercedes Benz. Apparently all the Vatican is waiting on to replace it is an auto company willing to build a solar-powered version (complete with the extreme security features). I'll be interested to see who jumps at the chance.
via Mother Nature Network
Bioplastics Not Necessarily the Greenest
by: Eco Geek Latest, 2010-12-03 17:55:21 UTC
Bioplastics would seem to be a positive development in many ways. Rather than needing to have petroleum extracted and processed to supply the feedstock for making plastic, plant-based materials are used instead. However, a study by University of Pittsburgh researchers finds that plant-based plastics are not necessarily greener than petroleum-based ones.
To reach this conclusion, the researchers looked at several life-cycle factors. Factoring in side effects of farming needed to produce the feedstock needed to produce bioplastics, there are issues such as eutrophication of waterways, ozone depletion, and even carcinogens where some bioplastics fared poorly.
Twelve different plastics were evaluated in the study. In addition to the life cycle analysis, the plastics were also ranked according to green design principles. The production of some petroleum plastics had a better score than the bioplastics did. "Once in use, however, biopolymers bested traditional polymers for ecofriendliness." Polypropolene, for example, dropped from 1st place for production to 9th place as a sustainable material.
"Each polymer is also assessed for its adherence to green design principles using metrics generated specifically for this paper. Metrics include atom economy, mass from renewable sources, biodegradability, percent recycled, distance of furthest feedstock, price, life cycle health hazards and life cycle energy use. A decision matrix is used to generate single value metrics for each polymer evaluating either adherence to green design principles or life-cycle environmental impacts. Results from this study show a qualified positive correlation between adherence to green design principles and a reduction of the environmental impacts of production. The qualification results from a disparity between biopolymers and petroleum polymers. While biopolymers rank highly in terms of green design, they exhibit relatively large environmental impacts from production."
It should be pointed out that this study is based on current methods of production. So, while the bioplastics are not necessarily the greenest option at present, improved production practices could improve their relative ranking. Farming methods that reduce fertilizer use could help decrease the eutrophication scores, for example.
The results of this study should not necessarily be used to bash bioplastics or to make the contrarian argument that petroleum ought to continue to be used. Petroleum is, after all, a finite resource, and alternative stocks will eventually need to be embraced. Producers of both petroleum-based plastics and bioplastics could work with this study to identify the most damaging aspects of their methods in order to reduce their environmental impacts.
via: Building Green
Efficient Home by Mathieu Lehanneur for Schneider Electric
by: Dezeen, 2010-12-03 18:00:41 UTC
French designer Mathieu Lehanneur has created a series of objects designed to monitor electricity consumption in the home for energy company Schneider Electric. (more…)
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