EU report questions conventional biofuels' sustainability (News)
by: Euractive, 2012-04-11 05:56:02 UTC

Conventional biofuels like biodiesel increase carbon dioxide emissions and are too expensive to consider as a long-term alternative fuel, a draft EU report says.

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Florida seeks to delay approval of BP settlement
by: Reuters: Green Business News, 2012-04-13 23:39:45 UTC
(Reuters) - The Attorney General for the State of Florida has asked a federal court to delay granting preliminary approval of BP Plc's $7.8 billion settlement with businesses and individuals suing over the massive 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Walmart Sustainability Report: Supplier Scorecards to Launch in 100 Categories this Year
by: Environmental Leader, 2012-04-16 06:37:12 UTC
Walmart expects to develop supplier scorecards in up to 100 major product categories by the end of this year, in the latest stage of development for its Sustainability Index, according to the company’s 2012 Global Responsibility Report. The move follows efforts last year to integrate the index into Walmart’s business. In January 2011 it piloted [...]

SunShower SSIP House Built in NOLA
by: Jetson Green, 2012-04-12 19:02:38 UTC

In September 2010, I mentioned the winning design in a competition involving steel SIPs from OceanSafe.  The REOSE Sunshower SSIP model, designed by Tulane University professors of architecture, Judith Kinnard and Tiffany Lin, is now complete and demonstrates a home that can withstand hurricane-force winds and extreme weather while still incorporating the latest in energy- and water-saving technologies.

Located at 222 Harrison Avenue in New Orleans, Sunshower SSIP House was built with readily available, off the shelf materials that fit in a single cargo container.  The idea is that a kit of the same materials could be deployed elsewhere to create a home fit for post-disaster recovery.

The Oceansafe SSIP panels are made with an EPS core and galvalume panels that snap together to withstand winds of up to 225 mph and an earthquake of up to an 8.6 magnitude.

Sunshower has about 1,050 square feet with two bedrooms and two bathrooms.  Part of the roof is optimized for 5 kW of solar panels, while the other funnels water into a 1,000 gallon Rainwater Pillow.  The home also benefits from solar thermal, geothermal, a small wind turbine, and back-up batteries.

Woodward Design + Build and C&G Construction built the Sunshower SSIP House with sustainable design consultant The Regen Group for a total estimated construction cost of between $110,000 – $150,000 (roughly 60 vendors contributed materials to the home).

[+] More about the Sunshower SSIP House in New Orleans.

Credits: Oceansafe and The Regen Group.

Related Articles on JetsonGreen.com:

1. SSIPs SunShower House in New Orleans
2. Reclaimed Tiny House Built by Students
3. Traditional Style Passivhaus Built in Ohio

Scientists achieve high speed of artificial photosynthesis, comparable to its natural counterpart
by: Ecofriend, 2012-04-16 10:55:18 UTC
Dattatreya Mandal:

Artificial photosynthesis has always remained us of the ‘Holy Grail’ of sustainability oriented research, especially when it comes to the naturalistic process of harnessing energy. In this regard, scientists from Swedish KTH Royal Institute of Technology have successfully contrived a catalyst that can split water molecules into oxygen and protons. However, the brouhaha is not only about the chemical reaction, which actually has been accomplished before in lab conditions. But, in this case, it is the efficient rate at which it was achieved that is intriguingly baffling.

In natural conditions, photosynthesis entails the ‘breaking’ of water molecules at a turnover rate of up to 400 oxygen molecules per second per catalyst. But when the analogous procedure is mimicked in an artificial scale, the rate drops to a whopping hundred times less than that of the natural process. In fact, up till now, the predicament of slow reacting happened in spite of the successful direct generation of hydrogen from water.

However, in this particular instance, the researchers have developed a catalyst with a special molecular structure. This unit consists of a plane of bipyridine dicarboxylic acid, in which the metallic atom of Ruthenium is embedded, along with two projecting isoquinolines. This efficacious design pattern accounts for a turnover rate of 300 oxygen molecules per second per catalyst, which is comparable to natural photosynthesis.

So, at the end of the day, it is all about the utilization of infinite solar energy for directly producing power. In this regard, the scientists are confident that the cost effectiveness of artificial photosynthesis fueled by such advanced technologies can seriously compete with coal in just ten years time.

Via: TreeHugger

Multiplo Transformer Folds Into Just About Anything You Need
by: TreeHugger Design, 2012-04-12 15:22:00 UTC
your bed, table, sitting room and much more in some easy moves.

Can clothing companies make sustainability trendy?
by: Greener Design, 2012-04-12 13:00:13 UTC

The Danish Fashion Institute and BSR are trying to cultivate a taste for green among fashionistas, bargainistas and the industry that serves them.

EU countries failing on 2020 waste target (News)
by: Euractive, 2012-04-02 05:36:39 UTC

Europeans dump the bulk of their rubbish in landfills and many EU countries appear to be falling well short of 2020 targets for recycling municipal waste, new data from the EU statistical agency show.

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Aquatina Is a Pocket-size Collapsible Water Bottle
by: Inhabitat , 2012-04-12 21:49:28 UTC

It takes about seven liters of water to produce and transport one liter of bottled water, and this is why many of us at Inhabitat opt for filtered water fresh from the tap. One practical way to carry around this treasured H2O is a reusable bottle, and we’re absolutely loving this colorful, collapsible bottle dubbed Aquatina. Made in the UK, the Aquatina is dishwasher safe and PET and BPA free. But best of all? You can flatten it down to just a couple inches tall after you’ve guzzled its contents!

+ Aquatina

Photos © Aquatina

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Making Cheaper, Better Windmills
by: fast company, 2012-04-09 19:13:01 UTC

GOAL: Cheaper, Better Windmills

PROJECT: Makani Airborne Wind Turbine (aka the Flying Windmill)

Thesis Wind power can be cheaper than solar and greener than coal, which bodes well for the $77 billion (and counting) annual market. But turbines are clunky and expensive--both huge barriers to adoption. So what if they soared like kites?

Method Makani built a carbon-fiber wing, with triblade propellers to mimic traditional windmills. The gizmo, which flies in circles, is tethered to the ground by a wire that transmits the electricity its propellers generate. Onboard sensors and a computer chip work automatically to direct its path. "Once the blade gets high enough, it can coast without help from a motor," says CEO Corwin Hardham. "It flies by hitting the wind flow perpendicularly, like a kite."

Remaining Challenges 1. Refine navigation "The wing can already be controlled with the tech in your iPhone," says Hardham. But his team is still perfecting the autopilot algorithms, so the wings don't careen off course.

2. Build bigger, stronger turbines Although Makani's 20-kilowatt prototype has withstood all kinds of stress, the company plans to market a 600-kilowatt version. It must now make sure its materials hold up at that high capacity.

3. Reduce noise During early development, Makani used loud hobby motors. It has since upgraded, but may need to fine-tune to meet noise standards.

RESULTS:

TRADITIONAL TURBINE*

MAKANI TURBINE

WEIGHT

60 metric tons

1.1 metric tons

CONSTRUCTION COST (PER MEGAWATT)

$1.4 million

~$1 million

HEIGHT

262 feet

656 feet

ANNUAL ENERGY PRODUCTION

1.6 million kWh

2.1 million kWh

UTILITY COST (PER KILOWATT-HOUR)

5-10 cents

3-6 cents

*NEG-Micon NM44/750

Illustration by Crystal Chou

A version of this article appears in the April 2012 issue of Fast Company