July 1st, 2010 by Editor
While offshore wind turbines have already have been constructed as a renewable energy solution, they’ve traditionally been situated in shallow waters, where the tower extends directly into the seabed. Now a group of researchers in California has studied the feasibility of placing wind turbines on floating platforms.
By sciencedaily.com
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June 22nd, 2010 by Editor
Dwell on Designis a yearly exhibition (coming up this weekend as a matter of fact) that is known for the latest and greatest in cutting edge household designs, furnishings and assorted product accoutrements.
Assustainable conceptscontinue to take a more prominent role in the show, it’s not surprising that a very unique 400 square foot home crafted out of a total of 80 – 90% recycled materials byReclaimed Spacewas the darling of last year’s event.
Boasting historically relevant supplies gleaned from 1830s Texas farmsteads such as long-leaf pine shiplap, galvanized metal and salvaged fixtures, the result of their creative construction efforts was a quaint yet fully functional modular ‘surf shack’ that was available for ownership just by bidding via Ebay.
$10,000 of the purchase price was earmarked for Los Angeles’Habitat For Humanity, and at the conclusion of a friendly, star-studded bidding war, the new owner of the humble abode became Fox’s resident Dr. Hodgins (akaThe Bug and Slime Guy) on Bones.
It turns out that this isn’t just a one-hit-wonder for actorT.J. Thyne– rumor has it that the 35 year old is intent on acquiring a number of eco-cloneReclaimed Space homeswhich he will then use to create a customized family-friend community somewhere in California.
Reclaimed Space’s 2010 version of their eco-mod home — which will be on view this weekend at Dwell on Design — boasts more elbow room than its predecessor (thanks to a separate bedroom) and is decorated with sustainable design elements that give it a Miami Beach vibe.
Global Greenwill benefit from a portion of the final auction price whichYOU can participate inthis Thursday, June 24thbeginning at 4:00 pm Pacific Standard Time, but don’t worry ifThynebeats you to the punch because you can always purchase one ofReclaimed Space’s fresh, new eco-padsright off of their website!!
By Elizah Leigh
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June 19th, 2010 by Editor
Bill Gates isn’t the only Microsoft exec tofocus on energy innovation. About a decade ago Microsoft Chief Strategist and Chief Technology OfficerNathan Myhrvoldleft the software giant to found Intellectual Ventures, which has recently spun out nuclear power startup TerraPower. TerraPower has developed a nuclear reactor design that can use waste uranium as a fuel source.
We took a tour of SunPower’s factory andsnapped these picsof solar panel trackers, production, panels and operating systems.
There were somebig moves this week by some of greentech’s startupsthat want to go public. Electric vehicle maker Tesla priced its IPO at the high range, which means that its bankers think it can do pretty well in an IPO. But at the same time solar panel maker Solyndra, which President Obama visited last month, ditched its plans to IPO, saying the public market conditions aren’t good enough.
Belkin’s has been churning out consumer electronics chargers that kill vampire power andthis week unveiledfour new additions to its Conserve line of power-saving devices. Three of them — a power strip, mobile device-charging station and wall socket timer that help save on standby or wasted power — look a lot like the existing Conserve power strip and surge protector for offices.
In the race for Governor in California candidate Jerry Brownunveiled his plan to create500,000 green jobs.
We love this John Stewart video montageof how ineffective U.S. policy, and presidential proclamations have been around energy independence and foreign oil.
If you heard about the massive lithium deposit find in Afghanistan, here’s our take on who really wants their hands on it:China’s electric vehicle players.
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By Katie Fehrenbacher
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June 14th, 2010 by Editor
Last month, Toyotashocked uswith a triple whammy of an announcement: an investment of$50 millioninTesla Motors, an information-sharing partnership with the startup automaker, and a plan forTeslato purchase the recently shuttered NUMMI (New United Motor Manufacturing) GM/Toyota plant in Fremont, California. However Toyota wouldn’t confirm that it was working with Tesla on an actual vehicle — until now. Toyota has officially announced the two are collaborating on a prototypeEV— and it will be ready later this year.
Read the rest ofToyota Officially Announces It Will Build An Electric Vehicle With Teslahttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/ohttp://www.inhabitat.com/wp-admin/options-general.php?page=better_feedptions-general.php?page=better_feed
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By Ariel Schwartz
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June 13th, 2010 by Editor
A group of business leaders including Microsoft Chairman and former CEO Bill Gates, venture capitalist John Doerr, the CEO of Xerox Ursula Burns, and GE’s CEO Jeff Immelt,unveiled a reportthis week that called for $16 billion in investment into energy innovation.
Here’s 10 things to know about the alternative energy billintroduced this weekby Sen. Dick Lugar’s (R-Ind.), which he introduced as another option to the American Power Act that was introduced by Senators John Kerry and Lieberman last month.
Check out this chartthat digs into the charge times, range, battery life and pricing of the next-generation of electric vehicles. Everything you need to know if you’re seriously considering buying one of these green cars.
Prop-16, a proposition backed by Northern California utility PG&E, and which sought to prohibit local governments from getting into the electricity industry, failed in thevote on Tuesday in California. Hoo-rah. But former eBay CEO Meg Whitman won the primary election for California Governor, and plans to put a moratorium on AB32, California’s climate change bill.
Earth2Tech launched its first video show, Green Overdrive, with the motto if it’s green we’ll drive it. In the launch episodes we drive an electric motorcycle from Zero Motorcycles, GM’s Chevy Volt, and an electric bike from Ultra Motors. Watchee.
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By Katie Fehrenbacher
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June 8th, 2010 by Editor
Pierce Brosnanteamed up with Fred O’Regan of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) towrite a lettertoPresident Barack Obamaencouraging the 44th President to not endorse a plan proposed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC) that would end the international ban on commercial whaling.
The plan, which would lift a worldwide whaling moratorium that has been in place since 1986, would be devastating to the giant mammals who already face more threats today than ever before due to illegal commercial whaling and habitat destruction.
“From the shores of Cape Cod to the California coast and across the political spectrum, Americans love whales,” the pair writes. “Five national surveys commissioned by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) over the past decade show overwhelming majorities of Republicans, Democrats, and Independents want these intelligent, gentle creatures protected for future generations.”
In a video that accompanies the letter Brosnan reminds the President that, as a candidate, he promised to end illegal whaling. Unfortunately recent reports indicate that the Obama administration plans to support the IWC proposal.
The fate of the whales will be determined later this month when the International Whaling Commission (IWC) converges at an annual meeting in Agadir, Morocco.
ReadPierce Brosnan’s letter onThe Huffington Post.
By Daelyn Fortney
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June 4th, 2010 by Editor
Like something out of a Pixar film, the always-reliableNational Enquireris reporting thatSimon Cowellrecently befriended a mouse he found in his dressing room. The rest is just begging for an 80’s montage treatment:
“Simon actually took the mouse home to his mansion in Los Angeles,” a source told the newspaper. “He then stayed up half the night feeding it milk. Simon became so attached to his new little pet he even took it on trips.”
What music would this montage have? I’m thinking either ‘Time of my Life’ fromDirty Dancingor ‘Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now’ fromMannequin.
And hell, maybe it is true — which is heartwarming to say the least. Cowell is well known for his generosity in the animal rights world (dude donates $165,000-a-year to an animal shelter run by ‘Exorcist’ actressLinda Blairin California), so befriending a baby mouse he found in his dressing room isn’t out of character.
But seriously, that montage would be awesome.
viaStarpulse
By Michael d’Estries
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May 28th, 2010 by Editor
This week we’re thrilled bring you theBest of Earth2Tech, a new feature that will highlight the most interesting news about green entrepreneurs and innovators that the folks atEarth2Techcovered.
Startup MiaSolemakes thin sheets of cheap solar by sputtering chemicals onto a thin roll of steel, using a similar technique to how potato chip bag makers get that silver coating inside the bag. It’s one of the cheapest methods around, and while the startup has gotten a bad rap in the past, it’s now shipping products to customers.
Obama’s visit to Solyndra’s solar factory made us reflect on how the Department of Energy’s $535 million loan guarantee to Solyndracould actually be a big mistake, given Solyndra has one of the highest costs of manufacturing of its solar gear. Policy wonks aren’t actually that good at picking technology winners.
Here’s our timelinefor the long — and bumpy — road that Tesla has taken to finally find a home to make its Model S, its mainstream electric vehicle, now to be produced at the NUMMI plant in California.
KiOR is a stealthy biofuel maker thatdisclosed to us this week it’s official pitch. It’s taken millions of years to carbonize vegetation and biomass into carbon-based fossil fuels like oil. Well, KiOR says it can do that process insecondsusing a powder catalyst.
Who’s the latest politician to jump on the greentech investing bandwagon along with Al Gore, Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice?Former Prime Minister Tony Blair. This week he told an audience in Sausalito that he will act as a Senior Advisor to Khosla Ventures, which is led by the famous and controversial Vinod Khosla.
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By Katie Fehrenbacher
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May 22nd, 2010 by Editor
On May 24, Jack Johnsonwill take over the Santa Monica Pier to promote the release of his latest albumTo The Seaand raise awareness for the environmental organizationHeal The Bay. Previously, free concert tickets were up for grabs for the first 2000 people to commit to a 2-hour beach cleanup on May 22.
Those who missed out on the volunteer signup can still win tickets through May 23 by following@jackjohnsonand@brushfireon Twitter. Additionally, Johnson encourages fans to join Heal the Bay in their efforts to keep California beaches free of garbage by participating in the organization’s monthly cleanup programs.
To The Sea, which will be released on June 1, was recorded at the Mango Tree in Hawaii and the Solar Powered Plastic Plant in Los Angeles—both solar-powered studios. The Santa Monica Pier concert kicks off Johnson’s summer tour. As with the 2008 tour,Jack Johnsonwill once again donate 100% of his 2010 tour profits to charity.
By Daelyn Fortney
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May 20th, 2010 by Editor
Here’s some news that’s sure to get electric vehicle fans revved up: Toyota just announced that it will invest $50 million inTesla Motorsand the two companies willpartner to manufacture electric vehiclesto meet California’s growing demand for greener cars. Bay Area residents should be especially excited, as this venture is expected to create thousands of new jobs in the San Francisco Bay Area, and is sure to be a boon to California’s flagging economy. Tesla fans as well should rejoice as the new partnership will allow the EV start-up to bring its highly coveted, iconic design to into more affordable electric vehicles like theModel S sedan, which will sell for $49,900 and gets300 miles on a 3-5 hour charge.
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By Jill Fehrenbacher
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