Nicholas Say, Author at The Green Optimistic

Eddie Bernice Johnson Takes Over US House Science Committee, Earth Rejoices

Nicholas Say — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 21:00:16 +0000

The winds of change seem to be blowing in Washington D.C. At least at a committee level in The US House Committee on Space, Science, and Technology. The recent political shuffling suggests that Texas Democrat Eddie Bernice Johnson will be the next head of the committee, which is probably a good thing for Mother Earth. […]

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Climate Change Contributing to Evolving Migrant Crisis on US Border

Nicholas Say — Sat, 03 Nov 2018 09:33:20 +0000

Things are rough in Central America. The thousands of people who are currently headed north the the USA are fleeing violence and economic hardship, but the reasons for a devolving socioeconomic environment are bigger than many people realize. Climate change isn’t necessary the sole factor in the migrant crisis that is evolving on the US […]

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Andrew Wheeler’s EPA Looks Like More of the Same

Nicholas Say — Sun, 29 Jul 2018 08:54:54 +0000

The EPA in the US needs to change its name. The new head of the EPA has no desire to protect the environment. Andrew Wheeler is another business first, anything else doesn’t matter industry insider. Unlike Scott Pruitt, who was hopelessly corrupt, Andrew Wheeler knows how to get things done in Washington D.C. Andrew Wheeler […]

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Scott Pruitt Resigns From EPA, Mother Earth Continues Weeping

Nicholas Say — Fri, 13 Jul 2018 09:55:39 +0000

After President Trump accepted his resignation a few days ago, Scott Pruitt is no longer the head of the EPA. This looks a lot better than it really is, though it is vindicating to see Scott “I Destroy The Environment For Money” Pruitt exposed for the corrupt, wasteful, shill he has been shown to be. […]

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Pruitt’s EPA Sinks Deeper Into An Absurdity Only Trump Could Love

Nicholas Say — Sun, 29 Apr 2018 17:55:15 +0000

According to the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), burning wood for electricity is carbon neutral. This means that legally it is the same as solar or wind power, which seems like an outright lie. In all fairness, there are carbon models that both the US and E.U. use to justify this position. The idea is […]

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The Only Country on Earth That Uses Resources Sustainably

Nicholas Say — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 06:21:25 +0000

A recent study conducted by a bunch of ‘University Types’ from the University of Leeds found that Vietnam is the only country on earth that is even close to using resources sustainably, and ensuring a good quality of life for its citizens. The study isolated a number of factors to quantify ‘quality of life’, and […]

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The Energy Metals Conundrum

Nicholas Say — Wed, 24 Jan 2018 21:17:50 +0000

The seemingly unending debates about if sustainable power could ever become economic are over. And the greenies won. Wind and solar power generation are now able to compete with just about any other form of power generation. In some cases, offshore wind delivers power for a lower cost than any other option, and with no […]

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Solar Power Is a Perfect Fit for Vietnam, Even John Kerry Thinks So!

Nicholas Say — Sun, 19 Nov 2017 19:28:49 +0000

There is no doubt that Asia is taking over the future of solar power. China has become the largest manufacturer of solar power equipment over the last decade, and today they have more solar generation capacity than any other country on the planet. But there are other places in Asia that would be perfect to […]

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Tesla Semi Truck Launched: Game Changer For Mass Logistics?

Nicholas Say — Sat, 18 Nov 2017 06:02:50 +0000

When it comes to getting things done in the world today, diesel is king. Heavy industry, long haul trucking and marine transport all rely on diesel fuel, but with the introduction on the world’s first electric semi by Telsa, this could all be changing. Elon Musk is a very ambitious leader, and despite some major […]

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China Moves Closer To Being Free From Gas Powered Autos

Nicholas Say — Mon, 13 Nov 2017 07:55:28 +0000

There is little doubt that China gets “it”. In a world where urbanization has become synonymous with air pollution and using imported resources for energy, daily life becomes a question of political dependency. If cities like Shanghai or Beijing are ever going to have clean air, Electric Vehicles (EV’s) are going to be a big […]

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Germany: Wind Power Just Overtook All Other Forms of Electrical Generation

Nicholas Say — Sun, 29 Oct 2017 20:40:42 +0000

This morning in Germany, wind power created the need to pay consumers to use electricity. This is probably some sort of historic event, but if you take a step back, it isn’t hard to see how wind and solar power could shatter the world as we know it. According to estimates, sometime on Sunday morning, […]

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Meat Creates Extreme Pollution, So Eat Less of It!!

Nicholas Say — Fri, 27 Oct 2017 18:02:18 +0000

There is a massive dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Depending on where you are from, it is as large as Wales in the UK, or New Jersey in the USA. For those of you that aren’t into those sort of comparisons, it spanned more than 8500 square miles when it was measured by […]

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Tourism and Its Impact on the Environment

Nicholas Say — Sun, 22 Oct 2017 13:01:48 +0000

Most people look forward to a vacation, and who could blame them? But what many people forget is that the hospitality industry runs 24/7. With a resource base that isn’t getting any bigger, we need to become more aware of our vacation habits, and how we can harmonize them with the world we live in. […]

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How Sweet Potatoes Could Save The World!

Nicholas Say — Sat, 21 Oct 2017 18:37:12 +0000

You may have heard about the explosion in human population, rising oceans leading to lower food crop production and the famine that many are suffering from around the world. For most of the latter 20th century the solution to starvation was to send food, and not to address the core of the issue. The underlying […]

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Hurricane Harvey Drives Home The Importance of Immediate Climate Action

Nicholas Say — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 11:32:42 +0000

Let me begin by saying how much I sympathize with the victims of Hurricane Harvey, and hope that they all land on their feet. This piece isn’t a celebration of “being right”, no, it is a warning, and one that likely comes far too late. It is Almost Universally Agreed That Climate Change: 1. Has […]

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Giant Collection Fans Offer New Solution For Carbon Capture

Nicholas Say — Sat, 26 Aug 2017 20:51:31 +0000

There isn’t much to debate anymore when it comes to the harmful nature of carbon emissions. Even China has made huge changes to its energy sector, and they are moving to a much lower amount of greenhouse gas production. While meeting the emissions goals laid out in The Paris Accords is a great start, there […]

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Tesla Now World’s Fourth Largest Car Company by Value

Nicholas Say — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 22:06:35 +0000

Elon Musk has done a seemingly impossible task. In a little over a decade, Tesla Motors has risen to be one of the most valuable car companies in the world, and they only produce electric vehicles! Tesla shipped around 70,000 cars last year, so there are many that wonder about how such a small production […]

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Three Low Tech Upcycling Projects That Can Make a Big Difference!

Nicholas Say — Mon, 14 Aug 2017 13:33:48 +0000

Today it is all about tech. We all love the next breakthrough, the next Tesla, the smart grid that will save us all from our own stupidity, and all such wonderful things made possible by ever advancing human ingenuity. But here is the thing; low tech can make as much of a difference as high […]

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Why Reusable Shopping Bags Help the Environment

Nicholas Say — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 19:56:56 +0000

There is a lot of plastic that is thrown away on a daily basis. It is easy for businesses to offer great bags, and not continue to pollute the environment. Using bags that are made from durable materials is smart, and when we invest in green solutions, everyone wins! Let’s face it, most people just […]

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BMW’s Masterplan to Electric Car Transition

Nicholas Say — Fri, 28 Jul 2017 11:21:16 +0000

The Bavarian powerhouse is making all the right moves when it comes to electric vehicles. Maybe this is because they are watching the price of Tesla stock blast higher, and the market cap of a decade old company surpass automakers that have been at it for nearly a century. Or maybe it is because they […]

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How Solar XL Can Block the Keystone XL Pipeline in Nebraska

Nicholas Say — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 07:51:27 +0000

Jim and Chris Carlson know what money can buy, and what it can’t. If you don’t know these men, you are probably not alone. Many people know about Trans Canada’s Keystone XL pipeline project, and all the potential risks that it creates. But fewer people are going out of their way to resist its construction. […]

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How to Make a DIY Biomass Digester and Save Lots of Money!

Nicholas Say — Sat, 22 Jul 2017 13:54:50 +0000

I threw out a tomato yesterday, and I felt horrible about it! Not that I had much choice, the poor tomato had gone past the point of no return, and the house I am living in doesn’t make compost. While most people associate composting with gardening, it can also create heating gas for your home. […]

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Permaculture Offers Solution To Farming In Extreme Heat

Nicholas Say — Mon, 17 Jul 2017 20:00:00 +0000

Temperature records are being smashed across the US southwest. Last month Arizona set new record high temperatures three times, and as a result of the heat there have been many unfortunate consequences. In addition to the humorous pictures of mailboxes melting, many people have died, and wildfires have damaged property across the state. As of […]

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Tesla Commits to Build Largest Lithium Ion Battery Ever In Australia

Nicholas Say — Sun, 09 Jul 2017 21:00:05 +0000

When Elon Musk takes on a project, he doesn’t mess about. World’s first 100% electric car brand? Now it’s one the worlds largest car companies when measured via market cap. And it hasn’t even been a decade since the first Tesla rolled onto public roads. Now the visionary industrialist is taking on public infrastructure, […]

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Wind Power Cost vs Fossil Fuels: Who Just Won?

Nicholas Say — Sun, 02 Jul 2017 13:59:23 +0000

For a very long time people have been stuck using fuels that have some serious drawbacks. Coal is dreadful; mining it is dangerous, burning it is toxic and the leftovers are radioactive. The other options aren’t much better. Our best contender for a decent fossil fuel source is natural gas, but moving it around isn’t […]

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Paris Pull Out Meets Fierce Resistance While Southwest US Melts

Nicholas Say — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 19:30:52 +0000

When President Trump decided to pull out of the Paris Accords, the public screamed in opposition to a poorly conceived move. But now, it would appear that state and local officials from across the USA are committing to follow the Paris Guidelines, even if it isn’t official US policy. The Paris Accords were designed to […]

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Climate Deniers, Munch on This: Planes In US Southwest Unable to Fly Due to Extreme Heat

Nicholas Say — Thu, 22 Jun 2017 10:16:41 +0000

It is no secret that the summer of 2017 is a hot one. In fact, depending on how the next month goes, it may set some new records for heat. My Father who lives in Flint, Michigan was recently telling me about how he had to constantly water his eco-friendly garden, or else it would […]

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China Launches World’s Largest Floating Solar Power Plant, Surpasses US

Nicholas Say — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 19:20:32 +0000

When Jimmy Carter installed solar panels on the roof of the White House, solar technology wasn’t in any position to displace fossil fuels. But times have changed, and today solar power is capable of replacing fuels like coal. A New Future China got a bad reputation for creating a lot of pollution, but recently a […]

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Elon Musk Doesn’t Do It For The Money

Nicholas Say — Fri, 09 Jun 2017 15:55:58 +0000

Apparently Elon Musk has been the target of some rather negative comments lately, and specifically that he only started Tesla motors to take advantage of government subsidies. Well he has gone on the record, and banished this fiction from the public mind once and for all. Mr. Musk was driven to start Tesla Motors in […]

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Post Paris-Exit, World Looks to China for Climate Leadership

Nicholas Say — Sat, 03 Jun 2017 19:34:22 +0000

The exit of the United States from the Paris Climate Accords has created quite a stir in the international community. While the amount of environmental damage this action will create is unknown, the world is already looking to China to pick up the slack. China is an emerging power, and unlike the United States they […]

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Elon Musk Drops Trump In Wake Of Paris Pull-Out

Nicholas Say — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 14:51:16 +0000

There is little room for interpretation in the latest move my the illustrious Mr. Musk. Within hours of President Trump‘s decision to formally exit the Paris Accords, Elon Musk decided that he had gone well over the line, and left the President’s Business Panel. The Paris Accords are a well liked international initiative, and they […]

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Trump Blocks G7 Climate Goals and May Back Out From Paris Accords

Nicholas Say — Mon, 29 May 2017 23:00:48 +0000

The G7 Meeting that just wrapped up in Taormina, Sicily may mark a watershed moment in 21st century geopolitics. A normally conservative Angela Merkel was quoted as saying that, “The times in which [Germany] could fully rely on others are partly over. I have experienced this in the last few days,” While she stopped short […]

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Thankfully President Trump Wants to Cut Clean Coal Funding

Nicholas Say — Mon, 29 May 2017 04:32:24 +0000

The Trump Administration has been openly hostile to any kind of sustainable energy development. With the newly released federal budget it is now obvious that environmental concerns aren’t important at all to Trump&Co. In his first budget as President, Trump has decided to not only defund all sustainable development at a federal level, but also […]

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Elon Musk Pushes Tesla Closer Toward a Workerless, Automated Factory

Nicholas Say — Tue, 23 May 2017 12:56:22 +0000

There aren’t two ways about it, Elon Musk is a visionary. His latest goal is something that falls right on the border of madness, but if anyone can pull it off, he can. His new goal is to phase out the use of human labor in Tesla factories, and instead use automation to an extent […]

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Bananas Wasted at Alarming Rate In The UK!

Nicholas Say — Sat, 20 May 2017 19:55:13 +0000

The love of bananas in the UK is well documented, but what you may not know is that they are by far the most wasted food every year. Of the 15 million tones of food that is wasted annually in the UK, 20% of it is bananas. It all comes down to buying and eating […]

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Lilium Successfully Flies World’s First Electric Vertical Take Off Airplane

Nicholas Say — Sun, 23 Apr 2017 19:16:58 +0000

Once in a while something really interesting happens. I would say that the successful flight of a Vertical Take Off and Landing EV jet is pretty $*@& interesting. Lilium was founded to explore innovative ways to integrate new technologies into aerospace, and with their recent demonstration of an incredible 100% electric airplane I would say […]

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The Three Chinese EV Companies Planning to Compete With Tesla

Nicholas Say — Sun, 23 Apr 2017 06:43:47 +0000

Tesla’s Model 3 is creating a lot of buzz in the plug-in car market. While China has a reputation for being environmentally insensitive, they are currently the largest market for full EV’s. There are three companies that are looking to capitalize on the excitement that Tesla has created, and it is hard to see a […]

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EPA Hasn’t Found Contamination From Chromium Spill in Lake Michigan, Yet…

Nicholas Say — Tue, 18 Apr 2017 19:47:41 +0000

Last Tuesday a U.S. Steel facility in Portage, Indiana released hexavalent chromium into the Burns Waterway. This waterway is within 100 years of of Lake Michigan, and has resulted in a number of beach closings, though the EPA hasn’t confirmed any contamination on public beaches. Although local groups have claimed to have found traces of […]

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Toyota Is On The Hunt For New Battery Materials With AI

Nicholas Say — Sun, 16 Apr 2017 16:43:18 +0000

Battery technology is holding back green autos, and Toyota knows it. They recently announced that they would be enlisting the help of advanced algorithms in their hunt for better battery technologies. The idea is that an AI can be created that will hunt down possible battery materials that are eluding us currently, and then they […]

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Reducing Disposable Coffee Cup Use Is Easy

Nicholas Say — Sun, 16 Apr 2017 16:40:43 +0000

As many as 2.5 billion disposable coffee cups are thrown away every year, and coffee giant Bewley’s is doing what it can to make that change. In a recent program Bewley’s experimented with ways to change consumer behavior, and they discovered some promising solutions to wasteful consumer habits. When a financial incentive was given to […]

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Wood Fires Found to Create More Pollution than Previously Thought

Nicholas Say — Wed, 05 Apr 2017 10:28:15 +0000

It looks like the secondary emissions from wood smoke are far more dangerous than we previously thought. A recent study from the University of Eastern Finland has demonstrated that the formation of secondary aerosols is much higher then was estimated. When wood smoke ages in the ambient air, aerosols are created rapidly. In just three […]

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The Pollution-Promoting Laws of the US Federal Government So Far

Nicholas Say — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 18:46:59 +0000

The United States Federal Government has decided that pollution isn’t important. Some of our worst fears have been realized, with Scott Pruitt taking the EPA in a direction that will create environmental havoc. The Trumpian era has begun, with a rapid movement to change the ideas that have been a foundation for positive political action […]

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Giant Methane Release Possible At Any Moment, Report Claims

Nicholas Say — Sun, 02 Apr 2017 18:20:21 +0000

A recent report published in Palaeoworld blew the top off a little known risk that we are facing. Most people don’t know much about methane hydrate, but that won’t stop it from wiping most life from the face of the earth. While global warming is debated, there is little controversy surrounding methane hydrate and the […]

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New Plasma Treatment of Fruits and Vegetables Could Reduce Food Waste

Nicholas Say — Fri, 31 Mar 2017 12:53:19 +0000

A person in a developed country wasted around 100 kilos of food last year. It’s pathetic and now we have a new way to nanny people into continuing their disgusting behaviors by insulating them from actually caring about their buying habits. There is an extremely intelligent doctor in Australia, and she has figured out how […]

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California Gets Tough On Methane Regulations

Nicholas Say — Wed, 29 Mar 2017 05:46:32 +0000

In a recent policy action California‘s air quality board voted unanimously to adopt regulations for methane that are the strongest in the history of the United States. There have been a string of recent incidents that involve methane pollution, including the giant leak at the Aliso Canyon gas storage field. The body of regulations will […]

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German Aerospace Center Creates Largest Artificial Sun Ever!

Nicholas Say — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 13:23:34 +0000

The German town of Juelich has a brand new artificial sun, and it is the most powerful one ever created. The German Aerospace Center has created a grid of 149 xenon short-arc spotlights, and the goal is to simulate the sun’s natural light and make hydrogen. Germany can get pretty dark in the winter months, but […]

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Full Electric Plane to Connect London And Paris In a Decade

Nicholas Say — Sat, 25 Mar 2017 20:14:24 +0000

Wright Electric is developing an electric aircraft that they hope will be operational within a decade. It isn’t going to be a replacement for all jets. They plan on flying short distance routes to begin, and their design offers some amazing capabilities. Their jet, called the “Wright One”, is being engineered to fly routes like […]

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China Blames Climate Change For Rising Sea Levels

Nicholas Say — Sat, 25 Mar 2017 20:13:51 +0000

The Chinese government is dealing with rising sea levels across its coastline, and it has pointed a finger at climate change as the culprit. China’s State Oceanic Administration cites climate change as well as El Nino and La Nina as factors that contributed to the record high sea levels recorded in 2016. The average sea […]

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Trump Facing Pressure Over Environmental Policy

Nicholas Say — Sat, 25 Mar 2017 20:13:29 +0000

In the wake of the most recent G20 meeting, the Trump administration is receiving increasing pressure for a change in its stance towards the environment. The G20 communique dropped language that referred to taking steps to combat climate change, and this has raised concern from a broad range of influential parties. The 2015 Paris Accords […]

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Department of Energy’s Green Initiatives Still Alive, Despite Trump

Nicholas Say — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 17:32:25 +0000

As of yet, President Trump hasn’t de-funded the DoE and shut down badly needed sustainable energy programs. His appointee Rick Perry is making the rounds, and appears to be interested in creating connections with level headed backers of green technology. Many of the future programs that the DOE will offer come down to the new […]

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German Coal Mine Converted into Renewable Energy Storage

Nicholas Say — Wed, 22 Mar 2017 06:42:50 +0000

The Prosper-Haniel hard coal mine in North-Rhine Westaphalia is a show piece of the right way forward. It is a hard coal mine that dates back to 1863, and thankfully in 2018 it will never produce coal again. Instead of just being shuttered, it is being converted into a 200 megawatt pumped-storage hydroelectric reservoir. This […]

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Justin Trudeau’s Deceitful Way of Creating Environmental Mayhem

Nicholas Say — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 20:57:34 +0000

Justin Trudeau seems to look like a pack of lies with a nice smile, lately. The most recent absurdity to come from this “public servant” alludes to his desire to continue mining the tar sands, the goal being the production of crude oil. In a speech given to the oil industry in Houston, he said, “No country […]

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Tesla’s Expansion Plans: New Model Y EV With Longer Range

Nicholas Say — Sun, 19 Mar 2017 15:09:10 +0000

After 13 years Tesla Motors Inc is no more. Don’t worry, it’s just a name change, Elon Musk has decided to call the firm Tesla Inc, and it looks like there are some changes for the fledgling automaker afoot. The much anticipated model 3 looks to be the thin end of the wedge for Tesla’s […]

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Circular Runways Could Change Airports for the Better

Nicholas Say — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 19:07:53 +0000

Henk Hesselink is a man who has a very interesting idea about the future of airport design. In a recent study paid for by the European Commission, he developed a plan to create airports that revolve around a circular runway. While not a wholly original concept, this is the first time the idea of a […]

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Humans not the Only Reason Arctic Ice is Melting, New Study Reports

Nicholas Say — Thu, 16 Mar 2017 19:55:05 +0000

The arctic ice cap is getting smaller all the time, but humans may not be the only reason that it is shrinking. On Monday a group of US scientists announced research that suggests that a natural melt cycle could be responsible for as much as half of the ice-melt that we are observing. The study […]

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Techrules Ren Shows Off Innovative Use of Turbines in a Hybrid EV

Nicholas Say — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 16:09:46 +0000

I useally compare cars like the Ren to the Batmobile, but I dunno if Batman could handle a 1200hp, diesel fed, jet-turbine EV. Techrules has returned to Geneva this year with a “production” version of their Hybred EV supercar that debuted in concept form last year. The Ren delivers some amazing performance with really […]

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Aggressive Radioactive Boars Invade Fukushima Exclusion Zone

Nicholas Say — Sun, 12 Mar 2017 19:35:28 +0000

Image Copyright Studio Ghibli More than 6 years have passed since Fukishima became one of the worst nuclear disasters in human history. The Japanese government is allowing people to return to some of the exclusions zones that were put in place after the incident, but there is a problem. Many of the cities have been […]

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Call it Fashion: How We’ve Come to Wear Toxic Clothing

Nicholas Say — Sat, 11 Mar 2017 19:26:40 +0000

We don’t normally associate the fashion industry with massive environmental damage, but we should. In addition to being one of the most exploitative industries there is, “fashion” is also one of the worst for the planet. When we look at all of the factors that come into play, you may not want to put on […]

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East Chicago is Drowning in Lead and The EPA Is Nowhere to Be Found

Nicholas Say — Thu, 09 Mar 2017 12:35:16 +0000

Well it looks as though the residents of East Chicago are going to be the victims of an ongoing campaign to marginalize them from the federal level right on down. Trump and Co. are silent while toxic water flows into the mouths of infants and the Pruitt led EPA is sitting on its hands. The […]

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An Acid Arctic Ocean, Oh My!

Nicholas Say — Wed, 08 Mar 2017 08:50:45 +0000

It would appear that the arctic ocean is becoming more acidic at an alarming rate. Over the last 20+ years the ocean below the north pole has been acidifying quickly, and researchers are wondering when they will begin to see the effects in ecosystem. Professor Wei-Jun Cai, who was the principal investigator on the project […]

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How Automation Creates Incredible Potential for Human Advancement

Nicholas Say — Tue, 07 Mar 2017 10:51:02 +0000

Human built robotics are becoming mainstream; the advent of self driving cars is a perfect example of this. President Trump has tasked his Secretary of Transportation with evaluating the regulations for self driving cars that were set out under President Obama. Unlike many of Trump’s policies, this action seems genuine. This may be because no […]

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Londoners Who Drive Kids to School Could Pay £100 Fine

Nicholas Say — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 12:39:24 +0000

It looks like East London has had it with traffic around schools. A new policy will fine parents £100 for dropping off their kids, and if they keep at it they fines rise from there. This policy is aimed at safety, and resolving the problems that school traffic creates for the neighborhoods. In many cases […]

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Even Robots Die In Fukushima’s Old Nuclear Plant!

Nicholas Say — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 12:35:36 +0000

It seems as though yet another robot has died while trying to investigate the Fukushima disaster. This robot is the third that has failed to do much of anything, and it would seem that we know little about what is going on inside of the failed reactor. The now dead robot was able to record […]

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Australia Can Ditch Coal and Use Hydro Pump Storage to Pick Up the Slack

Nicholas Say — Sun, 05 Mar 2017 18:50:40 +0000

Australia can have a 100% green power grid, and hydro pump storage makes it possible. A recent report has delineated a way forward for creating a near zero emissions infrastructure down under. Professor Andrew Blakers from ANU led the research and based on what his team found the future of Australian green energy hasn’t looked […]

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Selina Juul Helped Denmark To Cut Food Waste By 25% In 5 Years

Nicholas Say — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 20:42:58 +0000

Denmark is showing the world just how much food we waste, and shamefully it is easily preventable. An amazing woman named Selina Juul is the mastermind of this revolution, and she knows how to apply leverage to get what she wants. In the last 5 years, Denmark has cut their wasted food by 25%, and […]

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Beijing Taxis to Turn 100% Electric, Mayor Decides

Nicholas Say — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 17:10:18 +0000

It looks like Beijing‘s mayor is at it again. For those of you forgot, Mr. Qi recently signaled that Beijing would be curbing the use of coal. Now he has decided that all new taxis will be 100% electric. This policy is being undertaken to limit the amount of pollution in the atmosphere, and make […]

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Tricky Plutonium Byproduct One Step Closer to Being Disposable

Nicholas Say — Wed, 01 Mar 2017 20:31:17 +0000

Well, what we all knew has been confirmed, refining plutonium to make nuclear weapons is pretty much a bad idea all around. But that’s not news. What is striking is that there are people that care enough to make progress on the literally tons of nuclear waste that can’t be disposed of. At Washington State […]

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Why Green Jobs Will Outlast Trump and Co.

Nicholas Say — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 08:06:35 +0000

There is a lot of angst going around when it comes to green power generation and President Trump. It’s very clear that he is openly antagonistic towards the environment, and a huge supporter of archaic, toxic energy. We are very lucky that solar and wind power in the United States are popular at a state […]

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DuPont and Chemours Forced to Pay Nearly $1Bln for Toxic Teflon Dumping

Nicholas Say — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 17:03:52 +0000

As it turns out the manufacture of Teflon by DuPont was toxic, and poisoned an entire watershed in West Virginia. The ominously named C-8, a chemical used by DuPont for decades to smooth out freshly made Teflon is highly carcinogenic. C-8 was dumped wholesale into the Ohio River for more than 30 years, and to […]

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“Ru@C?N” Catalyst Could Replace Platinum For Hydrogen Production

Nicholas Say — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 16:28:56 +0000

A group of scientists at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST) have created a new water splitting catalyst that could change the way we produce hydrogen. They call it Ru@C?N, though the marketing department has not been consulted yet. What is more important than the name is the efficiency that it offers. While […]

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How To: Natural Ant Control

Nicholas Say — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 10:02:33 +0000

Springtime means that you might be getting some unwelcome house guests. Ants become active after the cold winter, and many people struggle to control them once they get inside of the house. Some people don’t mind using poisons to get rid of them. But if you are like me, you want to limit your exposure […]

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New Plasmonic Metamaterial Could Revolutionize Solar Cells

Nicholas Say — Mon, 27 Feb 2017 07:47:37 +0000

A recent discovery at the University of California San Diego could change the field of photonics. A team of engineers has fabricated a plasmonic metamaterial that could change the way we look at optical transmission. Their new material shows promise is the field of light-based technologies, like photovoltaics, fiber optics, and lasers. Their new material […]

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Scientists Fantasizing How to Refreeze the Arctic Ice Cap

Nicholas Say — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 19:15:02 +0000

A scientist from Arizona State University has a bold plan to refreeze the arctic ice cap. Steven Desch is an astrophysicist, and he wants to build 10 million wind-powered pumps that would blast water onto the surface of the arctic ice. It sounds crazy and he knows it,”It’s ambitions and a little bit crazy in […]

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NIST Looks for New Refrigerants and Comes Up Short

Nicholas Say — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 15:55:57 +0000

The need for refrigeration is expanding, and it is expected to grow steadily for most of this century. This issue is well-known, and we don’t have a solution. In fact, we aren’t even close to one. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) just tested 138 of the most promising substances we have identified […]

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World’s Only Solid Hydrogen Piece Has Disappeared

Nicholas Say — Sun, 26 Feb 2017 10:49:16 +0000

It would appear the the first possible instance of solid hydrogen has disappeared, if it was ever there to begin with. In a terrible accident last week in his laboratory at Harvard University, Professor Isaac Silvera reports that while testing the solid hydrogen with a laser, something terrible happened. There was an audible “pop”, and […]

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Disney Makes Nikola Tesla’s Wireless Power Dreams Come True

Nicholas Say — Sat, 25 Feb 2017 19:57:08 +0000

It looks like the Disney company has made Nikola Tesla‘s dream of wireless power transmission a reality. At least on a small scale. Disney Research has announced that they have constructed a room that will allow small electronic devices to be powered wirelessly. In the same way that your smartphone uses wifi, this technology gives […]

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Why Fracking and Cracking Create Risks to Human Life and so Much More

Nicholas Say — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 19:16:14 +0000

The fracking boom in the USA has received a lot of well founded criticism; it pollutes in just about every conceivable way, and has given rise to dangerous earthquakes in many areas. In addition to all of of that, fracking is engendering a toxic boom of plastic production. The shale gas bodies that fracking targets […]

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Norway May Be First Developed Country to Phase Out Petrol

Nicholas Say — Fri, 24 Feb 2017 08:15:12 +0000

In a rather interesting turn of events, Norway is moving towards being one of the first countries to replace their Internal Combustion Engines (ICE’s) with alternative forms of power. Not that petroleum burning cars will disappear tomorrow, but with the amount of EV’s being sold in Norway, it is only a matter of time until […]

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Toshiba May Go Bankrupt as Result of Nuclear Investments

Nicholas Say — Thu, 23 Feb 2017 17:19:04 +0000

It would appear that Toshiba has purchased a very complex radioactive black-hole that may bankrupt it. The takeover of Webster & Stone by by Toshiba‘s subsidiary Westinghouse may go down in history as one of the worst investments ever made, and it all centers around nuclear power. Ultimately Toshiba is left holding the bag for […]

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Green Tea Could Be Used to Make Next Generation Supercapacitors

Nicholas Say — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 20:51:46 +0000

It seems like people are wearing and carrying more electronic technology all the time. Up to this point people have used batteries to power them, but there are other options for personal electronics. Supercapacitors would be a great way to power a gadget, and they can take a charge very quickly. Apparently, they can be […]

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An Open Letter to Scott Pruitt, the New Head of EPA

Nicholas Say — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 15:16:56 +0000

Scott Pruitt is no stranger to the EPA, he made it his mission as Attorney General of Oklahoma to sue the federal agency repeatedly for what he calls an, “activist agenda”. Today he took the helm of the EPA, and to say that he faced doubts would be wildly misleading. More than 800 employees at […]

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Expert Claims US Can Build Substantial Wind Generation Offshore

Nicholas Say — Wed, 22 Feb 2017 15:16:44 +0000

Jeff Grybowski has the right attitude when it comes to green development. He is the CEO of Deepwater Wind, which will live on in history as the first company to construct an offshore wind farm in the USA. Deepwater Wind built the nation’s first offshore wind farm off the coast of Rhode Island, and Mr. […]

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Climate Change Puts More than 1 Million Children at Risk of Death in South Sudan

Nicholas Say — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 17:22:01 +0000

The UNICEF has released a report that states that as many as 1.4 million children in South Sudan could be at risk of imminent death. This comes just one day after famine was formally declared in Unity State, in central South Sudan. The region is gripped by both a crippling drought and a civil war. […]

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Modified Four Stroke Engine Can Create Hydrogen From Natural Gas

Nicholas Say — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 17:21:11 +0000

Andrei Fedorov has figured out an amazing new way to use a four stroke engine. With some modifications he and his research team can make 100 year old design into a motor that makes Hydrogen Gas from Natural Gas. Professor Fedorov works at the Georgia Institute of Technology, and the results from a recent study were published […]

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Nuclear Watchdog Offers Update On Mysterious Radiation In Europe

Nicholas Say — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 10:42:59 +0000

In a series of tweets released yesterday the ISRN, France’s nuclear watchdog, reaffirmed that there was no risk to human health from the mysterious radiation that was found all over Europe. In addition to those reassurances the ISRN stated that the levels of radiation that were encountered in this release are 1000 times lover than […]

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Santa Monica Blasts Wells Fargo Over Dakota Access Pipeline

Nicholas Say — Tue, 21 Feb 2017 07:04:14 +0000

The city council of Santa Monica, CA has shown Wells Fargo how it feels about their involvement with the Dakota Access Pipeline. Last week the city council in Santa Monica heard more than 30 speakers in a session that lasted well into the small hours of the morning. Drums and chants were performed and speakers […]

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Mysterious Radiation Found All Over Northern Europe

Nicholas Say — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 19:32:35 +0000

France and Finland were the first to report that monitoring stations had collected small amounts of Iodine-131, which is radioactive and has a half-life of around 8 days. Shortly after the release of this report by the Finnish government, Norway confirmed that the same radiation was found by their monitoring stations. When asked why no […]

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Scott Pruitt Set to Destroy The EPA In All But Name

Nicholas Say — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 13:41:05 +0000

Given the kind of president that Donald Trump is, the nomination of a man like Scott Pruitt to head the EPA is no surprise. While holding public office in Oklahoma, Pruitt filed suit after suit against the EPA. This man wants to lower air and water quality standards that were designed to protect human health. […]

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New Flow Battery Tech Has Potential to Take Over Green Storage Market

Nicholas Say — Sun, 19 Feb 2017 17:57:42 +0000

Flow batteries are not a new technology. But in a recent report from two Harvard professors a new kind of flow battery was announced, and it is a major leap forward. One of the authors would not call it a “groundbreaking” report. But Michael Aziz is excited about the research he is doing with flow […]

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The Last Place on Earth Where You’d Expect Pollution is One of the Dirtiest

Nicholas Say — Sun, 19 Feb 2017 15:35:33 +0000

If you thought that the giant amoebas at the bottom of the Mariana Trench had it easy down there, enjoying immunity from the mess we are making of this planet, sadly, you were wrong. In a recent report published in the journal Nature, Ecology & Evolution the myth of a clean, deep ocean was shattered. […]

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Questions Surround The Imminent Loss of Antarctic Ice Shelf

Nicholas Say — Fri, 17 Feb 2017 19:31:48 +0000

There is a rather large rift in the Antarctic Peninsula’s Larsen C ice shelf, and it is growing all the time. At some point it is going to shear off, and a 2,000 square mile slab of ice will be shot into the ocean. We have no idea when this event will take place, but […]

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The Green Co-Working Place That’s Great For Everyone

Nicholas Say — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 19:20:55 +0000

Co-working is beginning to make a big impact on how people do business. Along with the major changes in organizational structure, it would appear that co-working is fostering some changing design dynamics as well. A purpose built co-working space in Lisboa, Portugal was just opened by Spanish firm SelgasCano, and they decided to bring in […]

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New Seawater Battery May Replace Lithium-Ion

Nicholas Say — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 16:16:15 +0000

A battery that uses seawater has been constructed by engineers at South Korea’s Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST). They are looking for a way to wean us off of lithium-ion technology, and it looks like they might have found a solution to our little lithium problem. The battery they developed works with […]

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Ex-US President Jimmy Carter Builds 1.3 MW Solar Farm in Hometown

Nicholas Say — Wed, 15 Feb 2017 12:55:28 +0000

In the fullness of time Jimmy Carter will be seen as the dynamic leader and fantastic human that he is. Solar power has always been of interest to the former president and he recently completed the construction of a 1.3 megawatt solar power facility in his home town. Jimmy Carter was unpopular during his presidency, […]

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How to Chill a Beer Without a Refrigerator

Nicholas Say — Tue, 14 Feb 2017 20:34:09 +0000

I have not owned a refrigerator for years. How many? Search me, I have no idea. Long enough to have forgotten the last time I had one. As a result of this, I tend to rely on other people’s refrigeration systems. I love cold beer. Sure, there are other things that I need refrigeration for. […]

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NOAA Climate Study Challenged and Defended, Again

Nicholas Say — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 21:25:04 +0000

It would appear that once again NOAA climate data is being looked at, and the entire idea of climate change is being called into question. The alleged mishandling of data by NOAA is being scandalized. A recent blog post by a former NOAA scientist has ignited this round of chicanery, and it shows no signs […]

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The Honey Bee Drones Are Coming, But Why?

Nicholas Say — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 20:41:42 +0000

In a curious new study, researchers from The National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology in Japan have announced the creation of a honey bee drone for the purposes of pollination. A chemist named Eijiro Miyako was the brains behind this project, and explained that he was, “emotionally motivated,”, by, “TV programs about […]

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Lightning Motorcycles’ Electric Bike Could Break 500 Mile Record

Nicholas Say — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 09:02:18 +0000

A journey of 500 miles on a motorcycle is impressive and record breaking. The current record for distance traveled on a motorcycle on a single tank of gas is around 320 miles. Richard Hatfield is going to challenge two records at the same time, and he has a good chance at succeeding. He got […]

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Beijing Mayor’s Bold Commitment to Limit Coal Use

Nicholas Say — Sun, 12 Feb 2017 20:12:25 +0000

In 2013 Beijing burned 22 million tons of coal. Cai Qi is the mayor of Beijing and he has had enough, in a recent announcement he has upped the ante and stated that in 2017 the total amount of coal burned in Beijing will be 7 million tons. This is a Mayor […]

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New Energy Generation Technology Can Harness Power From Body Movement

Nicholas Say — Sun, 12 Feb 2017 20:10:39 +0000

In a new report researchers from the University of Oulu in Finland revealed some ground breaking research. The material that they have been working with is from the perovskites family, and it has some incredible potential for generating power. Perovskites are a subclass of minerals that have potential for use as energy generators. Some types […]

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