USGBC Affordable Green Neighborhoods Grant Program 2012
by: Sustainable Design News, 2012-05-27 21:05:44 UTC
The 2012 USGBC Affordable Green Neighborhoods Grant Program, made possible by a $500,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation, awards $25,000 cash and educational resources to developers of affordable housing who are committed to building sustainable communities through the LEED for Neighborhood Development program.
LEED for Neighborhood Development integrates the principles of smart growth, new urbanism and green building, while benefitting communities by reducing urban sprawl, increasing transportation choices and decreasing automobile dependence, encouraging healthy living, and protecting threatened species.
Stir It by Anna Blattert for Postfossil
by: Dezeen, 2012-05-28 09:32:17 UTC
These carafes by Zurich designer Anna Blattert of Swiss collective Postfossil incorporate little baskets to hold fresh ingredients like lemon or mint for making flavoured tap water. (more…)
gucci - biodegradable liquid wood sunglasses
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2012-05-29 08:48:00 UTC
the italian fashion house presents the first application of the biodegradable material liquid wood seen in the eyewear sector, in addition to their new eco-friendly packaging.
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Morocco Building 500 MW Solar Power Project
by: Eco Geek Latest, 2012-05-25 15:17:52 UTC
Morocco is a country that is bursting with solar power potential -- it gets 3,000 hours a year of sunshine -- but it relies heavily on the import of fossil fuels. That may be turning around with plans for a 500 MW solar complex to include solar PV and concentrating solar installations and a larger goal to reach 2,000 MW of installed solar power capacity by 2020.
The complex will be built in Ouarzazate and should be completed by 2015. The first phase will be a parabolic trough facility. When completed, the project will prevent 240,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year, the equivalent of taking 80,000 cars off the road. The large project has been funded by at least partially funded by a $297 million loan from the World Bank.
Morocco also has great wind power potential along its coastline with a technical potential of about 10,000 MW, though a lack of transmission infrastructure to get that power into the grid is holding development back. Morocco's plans to install a mix of solar and wind power could reduce its fossil fuel imports by 2.5 million tons a year and carbon emissions by 9 million tons a year.
via CleanTechnica
Life-Cycle Analysis Shows Renewables Produce Only 5% of the Emissions of Coal
by: Eco Geek Latest, 2012-05-27 19:17:09 UTC
The 'fuel' used to generate power from the sun or the wind is, of course, emissions free. But we realize that it is necessary to look at more than just the fuel input in evaluating the total impacts of various technologies. Life-cycle analysis (LCA) goes beyond the operational comparison and also looks at the impacts of creating the equipment to harness those energies as well as the effects of decomissioning them at their end of life.
Research by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has looked at a wide range of studies carried out to asess the greenhouse gas effects related to different forms of energy. THe NREL meta-study sought to equalize and balance the different studies carried out by different researchers in such a fashion that they could be compared with each other.
The conclusions show that "greenhouse-gas emissions from wind power and solar photovoltaics are about 5% of those from coal and that nuclear energy emissions are on par with those from renewable energy."
Renewables such as solar and wind produce far fewer greenhouse-gas emissions than coal, oil or natural gas while in operation. But the meta-analysis looked even deeper, at emissions estimates starting with the manufacture of solar panels, wind turbines, coal plants or natural-gas lines, all the way to the emissions estimates for decommissioning the sites.
While it may seem intuitively obvious, the ability to cross-compare between different studies has not been there previously, and this will allow for better comparison between different techologies, as well as giving a more even picture of the benefits of renewable energy.
via: NA Windpower
Clean Power and Renewable Energy Growth in MENA Region
by: Environmental Leader, 2012-05-29 13:31:44 UTC
Sustainability is now firmly on the agenda in the Middle East; with the development of Masdar at the hub of a low carbon future, we are continually seeing a shift away from fossil fuels towards a variety of clean energy and power solutions. Some of the most surprising movements are happening in oil-rich countries such [...]
alejandro delgado: amparo
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2012-05-25 16:59:00 UTC
a handcrafted light object made of recycled cardboard that is modeled after the representative rituals of the colombia pacific region.
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ross lovegrove: solar tree at clerkenwell design week
by: Designboom - Weblog, 2012-05-26 13:13:00 UTC
designed to mimic natural forms, the leaf-like solar panels and LEDs of ross lovegrove's sculpture provide sustainable street lighting for st. john's square in london.
read more
New Blueair Air Purifier Just Makes Sense
by: Jetson Green, 2012-05-23 19:56:59 UTC
This the new Blueair Sense designed by Claesson Koivisto Rune. It was designed to shatter barriers in the bland world of air purification with a contemporary design, touch-less control, compact size, low energy consumption, quiet operation, and optimal clean air delivery rate. All Blueair units are Energy Star certified and use “HEPA Silent” technology, and I understand Blueair Sense will be no different. I’ve asked Blueair for pricing and availability information and will update this article when I hear back.
[+] More about air purifiers by Blueair USA.
Credits: Blueair.
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Apocalypse-proof condos already sold out
by: Crave Green tech, 2012-05-26 15:46:43 UTC
In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit the remnants of humanity.
(Credit:
SurvivalCondo.com)
What's your favorite doomsday scenario? Epidemic? Nuclear fallout? The Rapture redux? How about the Mayan apocalypse?
None of these will ruin your day if you live in Survival Condo, a converted nuclear ballistic missile silo in Kansas. With supplies of food, air, and water, you can wait out Armageddon underground.
For years, developer Larry Hall, a former software engineer, has been working on a 1960s-era Atlas F missile silo in north-central Kansas, turning it into luxury lockdown residences in preparation for inevitable end-times (see cleanup photos here). He says all units in the complex sold out this month, and there's even a waiting list.
Why did he want to turn this 174-foot-deep hole into condos? "To have a safe place for the increasing number of threats that are occurring," Hall says. But why are people willing to pay $2 million apiece for the 1,820-square-foot units?
"Pick any of the following: global climate change, fear of terrorism, possible economic collapse, the solar cycle and possible loss of power grid, possible pandemics, civil unrest, ... [Read more]
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