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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April 5th, 2010 by Editor

The brilliant bristling structure you see above is not the world’s largest pincushion – it’sThomas Heatherwick’s recently completedUK Pavilionat the2010 Shanghai Expo. Dubbed the “Seed Cathedral”, the six-story high structure is studded with60,000translucent rods that act as fiber-optic filaments thatchannel sunlightinto the pavilion’s interior. The densely-packed forest of filaments also contains the impetus to create living forests in the future — each 7.5 meter long “branch” contains seeds from theMillenium Seed Bankthat will be given to China one the expo has run its course.

Read the rest ofConstruction Complete on the UK’s Stunning Seed Cathedral

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By Mike Chino
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April 1st, 2010 by Editor

Complex issues have hampered China’s environmental protection efforts, but bold innovations can help it become a global sustainability leader, says a noted environmental scientist.
By sciencedaily.com
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March 27th, 2010 by Editor

Earth Hour 2010 hits the U.S. tonight at 8:30PM local time! Of course, half the world has already been celebrating from Japan to China, New Zealand to Auckland. Photos are starting to stream in from all over showing landmarks going dim and people have a wonderful time.

This shot, courtesy of theEarth Hour flickr photo stream, shows some awesome Earth Hour lantern balloons being released into the skies above Cape Town. Beautiful, right?

We here at Ecorazzi wish all of you a veryHappy Earth Hour! Have fun!

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March 18th, 2010 by Editor

Porous borders are allowing vendors in Myanmar to offer a door-to-door delivery service for illegal wildlife products such as tiger bone wine to buyers in China, according to TRAFFIC’s latest snapshot into wildlife trade in China.
By sciencedaily.com
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March 15th, 2010 by Editor

Read the rest ofSteven Holl’s Horizontal Skyscraper Aims for LEED PLatinum

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By Jorge Chapa
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February 5th, 2010 by Editor

In late 2008, theHumane Society of the United Statesfiled a lawsuit against six of the nation’s largest retailers and fashion designersfor engaging in false advertising and mislabeling of fur garments. Andrew Marc, Dillard’s, Lord & Taylor, Macy’s, Neiman Marcus and Saks Fifth Avenue were all taken to task over their use of fur from the Chinese raccoon dog.

“Despite all the designers and retailers that have gone fur-free in recent years, a hardcore group of heartless holdouts continues to peddle raccoon dog coats to unsuspecting consumers,” said Jonathan R. Lovvorn, vice president and chief counsel for animal protection litigation for The HSUS.“These defendants are the worst of the worst, and just don’t seem to care if consumers are buying their products thinking they are ‘faux fur,’ but are actually getting raccoon dog fur from China.”

Since the suit was filed, dramatic changes have taken place. Most recently, Neiman Marcus agreed to pay $25K to the HSUS after a D.C. court found that the retailer breached consumer protection laws. Saks has agreed to repay the $6,500 HSUS paid to test the coats — and along with Neiman, accepted more stringent labeling requirements, as well as pledging to support legislation pending in Congress aimed at requiring labeling on all coats made of real fur.The Truth in Fur Labeling Actwould close a loophole exempting coats under $150 from fur-related labeling requirements.

Lord & Taylor and Andrew Marc settled last year. As part of its settlement, Lord & Taylor agreed to stop selling raccoon dog garments altogether. Unfortunately, Macy’s is still fighting and the case against them continues.

Well done, HSUS!

By Michael d’Estries
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January 19th, 2010 by Editor

Since hooking up with the organizationWildAidlast year, NBA starYao Minghas been a driving force for awareness in China on the horrors of shark fin soup.

The campaign has been highly successful with their “Buy a Billboard” push — which allows anyonefor $100 to buy an anti-shark fin soup adfeaturing Ming and have it placed at a high traffic area in China for one year. Cheap, right? And apparently highly effective, too.According to the site Stop Shark Finning, 19% of the people in Beijing surveyed remembered seeing the billboards and 82% of those that say it said they would stop or reduce their consumption of shark fin soup.

WildAid has also released a new commercial featuring Ming that is being played on networks throughout China. “We have species that need our attention and protection,” Yao told reporters at a press conference launching the ad. “They are endangered by excessive hunting by humans and deprived of habitats due to human greed.”

Check out the commercial below:

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January 12th, 2010 by Editor

The news is chock full of stories about the widespread greening of China, and although it’s great news for the planet, some say it’s bad news for the U.S. Is China a competitor or partner, or both?

By Marc Gunther
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January 10th, 2010 by Editor

FORA.tv’s own Stuart Schulzke interviews climate policy critic Bjørn Lomborg, author of The Skeptical Environmentalist, on the final day of the COP15 Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen. Lomborg gives his take on agreements reached by the participating nations, his own controversial views on climate change policy, and the ongoing debate on the causes and potential effects of global warming. This interview was recorded on December 18, 2009. Bjørn Lomborg was named one of the 100 globally …

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