earthCell batteries promise near-zero waste and better value
by: Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine, 2011-11-09 00:35:09 UTC

If you really want to minimize the amount of toxins that you put into the environment, use rechargeable batteries. Disposable and rechargeable batteries can contain heavy metals such as mercury, lead, and cadmium, and with an estimated 3 billion batteries a year being discarded in the U.S. alone, the sometimes small amounts in each battery can really add up. Using rechargeables greatly reduces the number of batteries entering landfills, but many people don't bother buying them, or the chargers that they require. That's where earthCell batteries come in. They can be used like disposables, except that users send them away for for recharging or recycling when they're dead... Continue Reading earthCell batteries promise near-zero waste and better value

Section: ecoGizmo

Tags: Batteries, Eco-friendly, Rechargeable Batteries, Recycling

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Australia Passes Carbon Tax
by: Environmental Leader, 2011-11-08 15:39:30 UTC
Australia has passed a carbon tax, making it the second major economy after the EU to put a cap on carbon. The legislation sets a fixed carbon tax of A$23 (US$23.7) a ton on the country’s 500 biggest polluters, starting in July 2012. The program then shifts into an emissions trading scheme from July 2015, [...]

Ecological Impact of the Bottled Water Industry
by: Environmental Leader, 2011-11-09 05:20:21 UTC
The IBWA reports that the bottled water industry maintains a strong commitment to environmental protection, stating that bottled water waste contributes to about .33 percent of the country’s total waste. The rate of recycling of the PET plastic used in most water bottles is also on the rise, with about 31 percent of PET plastic [...]

Identifying Hidden Energy and Sustainability Costs
by: Environmental Leader, 2011-11-07 14:36:48 UTC
Join Environmental Leader for a webinar on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 10am PST/1pm EST, discussing hidden energy and sustainability costs. Learn first-hand how organizations are gaining comprehensive visibility of their overall energy spend with a single, enterprise-wide system of record. Register now to join Tom Harrington, senior program manager, workplace services at Intuit and Jason [...]

EPA Releases Secret ‘Watch List’ of Potential Clean Air Violators
by: Environmental Leader, 2011-11-08 02:03:38 UTC
Facilities operated by Abbott Labs, Boeing, Ford, GE, GM, Shell and Weyerhaeuser all appear on a secret EPA “watch list” published. for the first time, by NPR and the Center for Public Integrity. The EPA created the list in 2004 in response to criticism that it wasn’t being tough enough on chronic violators of the [...]

the making of: avolution avocado ceramics by C4
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2011-11-06 08:59:00 UTC

C4 design studio gives designboom an inside look at the creation of their 'avolution' porcelain avocado bowls, from the first concept sketches to the final, multipiece collection.

read more

Ezio Manzini to Lecture at School of the Art Institute of Chicago
by: Sustainable Design News, 2011-11-07 07:36:27 UTC
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago brings Ezio Manzini, Professor of Industrial Design at Milan Polytechnic and one of the world's leading experts on sustainable design.

As a design strategist, Ezio Manzini focuses on design for social innovation and sustainability, and developing design solution scenarios that encompass both environmental and social quality.



Marc Stoiber on Making Your Brand 'Future-Proof'
by: Greener Design, 2011-11-06 11:00:59 UTC

The writer and marketing consultant shares his take on the evolution of sustainability, navigating the new economy, and what companies need to pay attention to – and let go of – to survive in the low-carbon future.

Egregious Packaging Hall of Fame: Fast Food Restaurants That Defy Waste with Savvy, Sustainable Packaging
by: Inhabitat , 2011-11-06 05:06:06 UTC

One in four Americans eats at least one meal a day in a fast food restaurant. Besides it being an arguably high-calorie and low-nutrient choice (processed food loses vitamins and minerals at each step of shipping and preparation), not many seem to care. After all, even when calorie information is offered, it’s usually ignored (only about 15% of people will use the info to make a decision about what to eat). It’s no surprise then, that people who don’t care about what they put in their bodies don’t care how much packaging is left over after they’ve eaten. But some do, and they tend to be the same people who will write a letter of complaint (or write a blog post?). So, also unsurprisingly, those fast food restaurants that cater to more health-conscious consumers also have less volume and use more recyclable and compostable materials in their disposable packaging. While many traditional fast food restaurants have legitimately reduced packaging in recent years (including McDonald’s and Burger King), the three highlighted after the jump have done the most.

Read the rest of Egregious Packaging Hall of Fame: Fast Food Restaurants That Defy Waste with Savvy, Sustainable Packaging

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Biologically inspired adhesive tape can be reused thousands of times
by: Gizmag Emerging Technology Magazine, 2011-11-07 04:32:02 UTC

As is so often the case these days for those searching for a better way to stick stuff together, researchers from the Zoological Institute at the University of Kiel in Germany have turned to the biology of gravity-defying ceiling walkers, such as geckos and insects. These creatures served as inspiration for a new dry adhesive tape that not only boasts impressive bonding strength, but can also be attached and detached thousands of times without losing its adhesive properties... Continue Reading Biologically inspired adhesive tape can be reused thousands of times

Section: Research Watch

Tags: Adhesive, Biomimicry, Gecko, Insect, University of Kiel

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