Leigh Hutchens, Author at The Green Optimistic

Germans Love Their Green Vacations

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 17 Jun 2014 02:22:50 +0000

Germans tend to have an incredibly green culture, and this includes their vacations. A guidebook that details 200 green projects around the country sold out its very first printing. The Holtriem wind farm in Lower Saxony is a very popular destination . When it was built, it was the largest in Europe and has a […]

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California Drought is Bad News for Crops

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 11 Jun 2014 21:19:03 +0000

Do you realize that 80% of the water used in California is by farms? For decades, when the state actually got a good amount of rainfall annually, this wasn’t a big deal. However, now we are in the driest 30-month stretch in California’s recorded history, and that means big problems for the price of your […]

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2014 World Environment Day in Barbados Spotlights Developing Nations

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 01:35:48 +0000

The United Nations Environment Program hosts a World Environment Day (WED) on June 5th of each year to bring attention to environmental sustainability. Each year the global event is hosted by a specific country that is at the forefront of environmental innovation. WED 2014 was hosted by the small Caribbean island state of Barbados, a […]

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Scientists Hope the Gas Could be Greener

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 10 Jun 2014 01:10:11 +0000

The Dutch company DSM has funded academic researchers and scientists in order to address the climate-wrecking methane gasses excreted by cows. Methane is close to 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a contributor to global warming. Even though other grazing animals also expel greenhouse gases, statistics suggest that cows produce 26 to 53 […]

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Planet on the Brink of a Dinosaur-Scale Mass Extinction

Leigh Hutchens — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 02:31:36 +0000

According to experts, we’re speeding up the natural rate of extinction of plant and animal species by up to 10,000 times. That’s us, humanity, you and me. Researchers at Duke University discovered that the planet may be on the verge of a dinosaur-scale mass extinction. The research team concluded that the pre-human extinction rate was […]

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Chevron and BP Ditch Alternative Energy

Leigh Hutchens — Mon, 02 Jun 2014 01:57:49 +0000

Despite their fancy and expensive commercials about their dedication to renewable energy, Chevron and BP have decided to pull the plug on solar and wind energy. During one of its We Agree ads, Chevron famously stated, “Renewable energy is vital to our planet. At Chevron, we’re investing millions in solar and biofuel technologies.” To put […]

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Profits Over Environment for Fast Food Companies

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 29 May 2014 02:44:25 +0000

Fast food companies are caught on a slippery slope. They know they need to get their act together to make a concerted commitment to limiting their impact on the environment – if for no other reason than as a great public relations event – but they are beholden to the mass-produced beef and palm oil […]

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Carbon in Ancient Soil May Exacerbate Climate Change

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 27 May 2014 02:24:50 +0000

According to scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, soil that was formed on the surface of the Earth and is now buried deep underground has been found to be rich in carbon. This adds an interesting and complex dimension to our world’s carbon cycle. According to the study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, human […]

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World’s Most Dangerous Motorcycle Race Allows Electric Bikes

Leigh Hutchens — Mon, 26 May 2014 03:17:12 +0000

The world’s craziest motorcycle race, the International Isle of Man TT kicked off this weekend. Held since 1907, the race takes place on the tiny island between England and Ireland. It’s considered the ultimate test for motorcycle riding zealots. The race attracts grown men who dress like Power Rangers and ride what look like futuristic […]

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Giant Glaciers Melting Past the Point of No Return

Leigh Hutchens — Sun, 25 May 2014 17:04:29 +0000

You’ve probably heard the recent news that the ice sheets covering Greenland and Antarctica are melting at an even faster rate than previously suspected. To get an idea of the gravity of the situation you need to understand this: in some places, the ice sheets that cover Antarctica and Greenland are more than two miles […]

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Why Big Food Needs to Care About Climate Change

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 21 May 2014 15:13:49 +0000

According to a new report just out by Oxfam, climate change will send food costs soaring, leading to hunger and suffering. Oxfam intentionally aimed this report at the 10 largest food and beverages in the companies. The Oxfam study posits that not only is there a moral obligation for corporations to address climate change, but […]

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“Fixers” Do the Oil Companies’ Dirty Work – Keep the World Dependent On Fossil Fuel

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 20 May 2014 07:21:05 +0000

Although it sounds like something straight out of a movie, it’s real… when the oil giants like Chevron or Exxon-Mobil want to move in on a new oil reserve in places like the Middle East, Asia, or Africa, the first call they usually make isn’t to the government office putting it up for sale, it’s […]

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Eco-Friendly Vegan “Leather” May be a Fashion Game Changer

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 20 May 2014 07:19:56 +0000

A professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Delaware has come up with an eco-friendly leather alternative that’s made from natural oils and fibers. Whether or not you chose to wear leather usually depends on your attitude towards meat, be it vegan, vegetarian, or carnivore. Many people wear leather on the grounds […]

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Millennials Believe They Care More about the Environment Than Their Parents

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 20 May 2014 07:17:50 +0000

The Millennial Generation – people born in the 1980s and 1990s who are in their teens and 20s today – say they are more interested in environmental issues that their parents’ generation. Clinton Global Initiative and Microsoft commissioned the poll and found that 66% of millennials believe there is definite evidence the earth is getting […]

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US Military Very Concerned About Global Warming

Leigh Hutchens — Fri, 16 May 2014 10:59:20 +0000

According to 16 retired admirals and generals, America is under attack… from climate change. The Center for Naval Analyses Military Advisory Board sounded the first alarm back in 2007, flagging the myriad threats posed by global warming. A new report by the group that was released on Tuesday validated what the group discovered seven years […]

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Intense Cyclones Directly Caused by China Pollution

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 15 May 2014 15:10:00 +0000

China is infamous for its staggering levels of air pollution. We’ve all seen the striking, and heartbreaking, photos of normal citizens strolling through parks or riding bikes while wearing surgical masks. It seemed like a different word… but what if it becomes the de facto for all countries. China is fighting to contain environmental catastrophe […]

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Honeybee Colony Collapse Disorder Makes the News Again

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 14 May 2014 19:05:08 +0000

The only reason I can assume we are having this conversation all over again as though we have never had it is because we are brain damaged… According to a new study from Harvard, American honeybees are dying en masse due to exposure to pesticides. Lots and lots of pesticides. The article “Sub-lethal exposure to […]

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Study: Global Veganism Would Reduce Carbon Emissions More Than Energy Intervention

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 10 May 2014 07:23:02 +0000

Producing nearly 15% of the Earth’s greenhouse gas emissions, the meat industry is one of the top contributors to climate change. Slowly, very slowly, movements like Meatless Mondays and Vegan Before 6 have demonstrated the value, and deliciousness, of adopting a vegan diet, but a carnivorous diet is still seen as evidence of prosperity. In […]

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Better Battery Capacity, Possible Tesla Styling for 2017 Nissan LEAF

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 10 May 2014 07:15:08 +0000

In an effort to mainstream the Nissan LEAF, Nissan executives have shared some of their goals for the next version. A higher capacity battery and conventional styling top the list of changes planned for the 2017 release and are seen as a way to higher sales. Andy Palmer, executive VP in charge of Nissan’s zero […]

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Are Your Allergies Worse? Blame Global Warming

Leigh Hutchens — Fri, 09 May 2014 06:11:02 +0000

“When the well’s dry, we know the worth of water.” ~ Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanac, 1746 When most people think of Cupertino, California, they think of Apple. Few people know, however, that Cupertino is suffering terribly as the result of global warming. A full scale drought is happening in California, affecting farmers, merchants, and […]

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Anti-Fracking Politician Called “Terrorist”

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 07 May 2014 20:33:24 +0000

Rep. Jared Polis (Democrat-Colorado) thinks local communities should be able to decide how fracking is regulated in their area – if it’s permitted at all. According to the chair of the Colorado Republican Committee, Ryan Call, this makes Jared Polis a terrorist. Polis is among backers of an initiative proposed for November that would increase […]

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Chinese Company Uses 3D Printer to Construct 10 Houses in 24 Hours

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 18:20:28 +0000

The small houses that the Chinese company Winsun New Materials is building may look plain, but they represent a huge breakthrough in rapid construction. Amazingly, or scarily, enough the company used a giant 22 foot tall 33 foot wide 3D printer to create 10 small houses in 24 hours. Each home is made from recycled […]

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First Coast-to-Coast, Free Road Trip in a Tesla Model S Ended Successfully

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 29 Jan 2014 13:39:27 +0000

A pioneering father/daughter team just finished a New York-to-Los Angeles trip in a Tesla Model S on January 25, and logged close to 3,600 miles in the process. The team beat the record Elon Musk hoped to set on his long-planned Model S family road trip this spring. According to Tesla, there are 71 free […]

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Is Pope Francis an Environmentalist?

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 08:04:11 +0000

Pope Francis gave us all a big clue when he chose to name himself after Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and the environment. He also hates fracking and likes public transportation. Could the new pope be a hippie? Since Pope Francis’ election in March 2013, he has made many statements in defense […]

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ECOPROT Project: New Eco-Friendly Coatings for the Aeronautics Industry

Leigh Hutchens — Mon, 27 Jan 2014 14:02:13 +0000

A new endeavor, the ECOPROT project has the goal of industrializing an innovative procedure for producing corrosion-protecting environmentally friendly coatings for aluminum and magnesium alloys, and the aeronautics industry hopes to take full advantage of this research. This coating provides a corrosion performance comparable to that of the toxic chromates, meeting the high standard requirements […]

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Innovative Power Electronics Prevent Grid Overload During Solar Boom

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 08:05:48 +0000

Around 40% of the world’s power needs are currently met by electrical energy and that proportion is expected to rise as countries cut carbon emissions and shift to renewable energy sources. As the trend towards renewable energies increases, enabling technologies such as power electronics are becoming ever more important. Utilities are becoming increasingly concerned that […]

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Boeing Creates $3/gal Sustainable Jet Biofuel

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 08:22:37 +0000

If it weren’t for the high cost, many commercial airlines would already be using renewable fuels, and now, thanks to Boeing, sustainable jet fuel may now be affordable. Under a groundbreaking green diesel initiative, Boeing is exploring the best ways to reduce aviation’s environmental footprint. Boeing has been at the forefront of this research since […]

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Infiniti’s Luxury Electric Car Delayed Indefinitely

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 20:12:32 +0000

Much to the surprise of the attendees at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week, Johan de Nysschen, President of Infiniti, said the LE, their small luxury electric car, is delayed indefinitely. According to Nysschen, Infiniti is busy building its brand and attention to the LE ranks lower in the company’s priorities […]

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Fake Sunrise is Beijing’s Real Solution to Record Pollution Levels

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 18 Jan 2014 20:09:45 +0000

In an incredibly tragic move by one of the most polluted cities in the world, Beijing has taken to using giant video screens in Tiananmen Square to project images of beautiful sunrises and blue skies since none can actually be seen amid the thick grey smog in the city. The severe smog this week is […]

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Siluria’s New Technology Could Make Plastic Bottles from Natural Gas

Leigh Hutchens — Fri, 17 Jan 2014 18:10:47 +0000

The start-up Siluria has discovered a way to swap natural gas for crude oil as a key ingredient in the plastics around us. Siluria has an excellent pedigree. Bill Joy, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems, MIT scientists Angela Belecher, and Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen all backed the six year old start up. Thanks to a […]

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Cars are the Worst Type of Transportation, Study Finds

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 16 Jan 2014 11:20:36 +0000

A research professor at the University of Michigan Research Institute discovered that data collected between 1970 and 2010 proves that every form of transportation is more efficient than every single light-duty vehicle. The researcher, Michael Sivak, looked at transportation trends to transport a single person a given distance in a light-duty vehicle — ie, cars, […]

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MoveOn Recruits “FrackingFighters” to Combat Climate Change

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 08:38:08 +0000

The online, left-leaning, progressive organization Move On plans to recruit FrackingFighters to support anti-fracking movements across the US and will provide funding and training to 100 activists to do so. The initiative seeks to slow down the fracking boom that is anticipated to occur across the U.S. in 2014 and beyond. MoveOn has been inspired […]

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Canadian Oil Train Derails and Explodes, Dozens Evacuated

Leigh Hutchens — Fri, 10 Jan 2014 18:30:03 +0000

On Tuesday night, a Canadian freight train carrying crude oil and propane derailed in a sparsely populated region of northwestern New Brunswick, leading to the evacuation of nearly 60 people after a large fire broke out. 15 cars and a locomotive derailed in near the little town of Plaster Rock. 14 of the cars were […]

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McDonald’s Jumps on Board the Sustainability Bandwagon

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 09 Jan 2014 06:51:13 +0000

On January 7th, fast food giant McDonald’s, announced that it will begin buying only verified sustainable beef in 2016. Bob Langert , McDonald’s Vice President, stated that the company is not quite ready to commit to a specific quantity it would purchase in 2016, or when it might achieve its lofty goal of buying 100% […]

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Health Issues Plague Victims of Pipeline Spills

Leigh Hutchens — Mon, 23 Dec 2013 19:24:36 +0000

In late November, at the New Orleans Pipeline Safety Trust Conference, homeowners shared their pipeline spill experiences to industry insiders . Exxon’s Pegasus pipeline burst in Mayflower, Arkansas on March 29 and released approximately 7,000 barrels of diluted bitumen. Bitumen is diluted with a mixture of undisclosed toxic emulsifiers to help it flow through pipelines. […]

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Anti-Frackers Use Wind Turbine Blade to Block Drill Site

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 18 Dec 2013 04:59:27 +0000

In a dramatic protest on Monday in Manchester, 50 British fracking protesters delivered a 56-foot wind turbine blade to a test drilling site at 5:30 a.m. to block the entrance before police arrived. The British government is working in tandem with big energy companies to build more gas-fired power stations across the U.K. Activist Sandra […]

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Land Owners Lose 60-Acre Farm to Rare Birds

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 17 Dec 2013 03:18:22 +0000

Kenneth and Dierdre Hicks said they are devastated over having to leave 60-acre Harbour Farm in Bembridge, on the Isle of Wight, and being denied the chance to pass it on to their three sons because of an EU Special Protection Area (SPA) law. The couple contends that the rights of birds is being put about […]

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Company Uses Stored CO2 to Harvest Geothermal Power

Leigh Hutchens — Sun, 15 Dec 2013 07:34:46 +0000

At the American Geophysical Union meeting on Friday, December 13, scientists from Ohio State University, University of Minnesota, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), debuted a geothermal power plant that will lock away unwanted carbon dioxide underground and use it as a tool to boost electric power generation by at least 10 times that of […]

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$150 Million Offered by DOE In Clean Energy Manufacturing Tax Credits

Leigh Hutchens — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 06:47:59 +0000

Under a federal program that is set to expire in 2014, twelve clean energy businesses in the United States will receive a total of $150 million in tax credits for domestic manufacturing equipment, the Obama administration announced Thursday. The awards will help businesses build up their manufacturing equipment and infrastructure for products that support wind […]

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Eerie Similarities Between Media’s Coverage of Climate Change and Iraq War

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 12 Dec 2013 09:22:41 +0000

The most recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) determined without a shadow of a doubt that human economic activity is responsible for global warming. Even some of the largest insurance companies in the world have blamed huge losses on catastrophic weather events resulting from global warming. So why is the media’s reporting […]

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Wind and Solar Power Overtaking Fossil Fuels in US

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 11 Dec 2013 17:58:30 +0000

Purchase agreements for wind farms and solar projects in the United States continue to grow at the cost for wind energy and solar power decreases. 25% of all contracts for wind power are in Texas and they are regularly below $30/MWh, with some are as low at $25/MWh. Advances in equipment is lifting capacity factors […]

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Ecologists Look to Ancient Farming Methods to Curb Extinctions

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 10 Dec 2013 04:08:45 +0000

The Earth is experiencing the largest number of wildlife extinctions since the dinosaurs vanished 65 million years ago. At a conference in Turkey on December 9-14, a 115 nation group is working to find ancient farming solutions to protect the diversity of wildlife. Zakri Abdul Hamid, the founding chair of the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity […]

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Google’s Support of ALEC Draws the Ire of Environmental Groups

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 07 Dec 2013 07:13:57 +0000

230,000 activists from Sierra Club, Forecast the Facts, SumOfUs, RootsAction and the Center for Media and Democracy have joined together to urge Google to end its alliance with the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). This objection comes just as Google is participating as a corporate member in its first States and Nation Policy Summit in […]

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California Fires Warning Shot in the Battle Against Fracking Waste

Leigh Hutchens — Fri, 06 Dec 2013 10:35:51 +0000

On November 15th, Vintage Productions of Kern County, a southern California oil company, was fined $60,000 after being caught on camera dumping fracking waste into an open well site. An area farmer, Tom Frantz, caught workers from the company dumping a black liquid discharge into an unlined, open pit on the well site in Shafter, […]

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Mitsubishi i-MiEV Becomes World’s Cheapest EV: Under $16,000 After Incentives

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 18:54:57 +0000

In 2011, the Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle (i-MiEV) was first sold for $27,000 and the price was jacked up over a thousand dollars a few months later due to “unforeseen market changes.” Now, in 2013, vehicle prices have dropped drastically and the zero emission plug-in vehicle is being sold for $22,995, and that is before […]

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Tree Leaves Trap 50% of Particulate Matter Pollution

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 04 Dec 2013 07:13:31 +0000

Studies by the World Health Organization (WHO) have demonstrated that air pollution is a bona fide killer and causes more deaths than AIDS and malaria combined. Despite progress in many areas of the world, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East are still plagued by bad air pollution. Scientists from Lancaster University measured how much pollution […]

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Apple Secretive About FirstSolar Facility Purchase

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 30 Nov 2013 04:44:04 +0000

First Solar’s solar module manufacturing facility in Mesa, Arizona has just been purchased by Apple for $113.6 million. The factory, which has the largest rooftop solar array in Arizona, never had a chance to begin making solar modules. During the Solar PV cost drop that happened a while back, the thin-film solar market was adversely […]

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Black Friday, a Black Day for the Planet

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 30 Nov 2013 04:43:03 +0000

Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, US households generate 25% more waste than any other time of the year. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, that is close to 1 million extra tons of trash each year. Today, the day after Thanksgiving, is Black Friday. It’s used by American retailers to generate a frenzy of […]

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Beijing Destroying 300 Barbecues to Reduce Pollution

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 05:44:51 +0000

The Beijing Times reported that the PM 2.5 levels around street barbecues in Beijing is close to thousand times higher than the readings taken before the charcoal starts to burn. In reaction to this news, Beijing city officials have destroyed over 300 outdoor eateries that use grills as part of a three month campaign to […]

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How a Well Insulated House Saves Hundreds of Dollars a Year

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 27 Nov 2013 07:19:14 +0000

Heating and cooling costs account for between 50% and 70% of all energy costs in the average home, so maximizing the value of the energy you use is incredibly important. That means properly insulating your home. Adding insulation to a home can lower heating bills, but there are other benefits as well. When a home […]

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Ontario, Canada Wants to Ditch Coal Power Plants

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 26 Nov 2013 07:45:44 +0000

If the Canadian province of Ontario has its way, coal-burning power plants may soon be banned outright. Shockingly, Canada has been one of the worst polluters in global history. The Albertan tar sands and TransCanada’s Keystone XL pipeline are just two instances of terrible environmental endeavors. Thankfully, Ontario is now trying to distinguish itself from […]

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Science Textbooks Not Safe from Oil and Gas Industry

Leigh Hutchens — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 11:36:36 +0000

A Texas watchdog group is calling out supporters of the oil and gas industry for attempting to disrupt the Texas State Board of Education (SBOE) vote on which science textbooks will be used in the state’s schools. The SBOE has been painstakingly deciding what textbooks to approve. Much of the debate, and news focusing on […]

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Norwegian Army Embraces ‘Meatless Mondays’

Leigh Hutchens — Fri, 22 Nov 2013 07:20:34 +0000

Norway’s military just announced plans to introduce ‘Meatless Mondays’ into army diets in a bid to battle a formidable enemy – climate change. Troops will embrace a strict vegetarian diet once a week to decrease the amount of ecologically unfriendly foods they eat, whose production can contribute heavily to global warming. The initiative was not […]

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Global Warming Worsens the Rich/Poor Divide

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 21 Nov 2013 15:08:03 +0000

During the 19th conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP19) in Warsaw November 16, 2013, the economic divide between rich and poor became evident as discussions began about how to help developing countries handle the damaging effects of global warming. The Warsaw talks are scheduled to end on Friday, November 22, […]

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Most Solar Panels Facing the Wrong Way, Experts Say

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 20 Nov 2013 12:12:43 +0000

According to a new study by the Pecan Street Research Institute, solar panels should point west instead of south, as previously believed. It’s long been thought that pointing solar panels south (for locations in the Northern Hemisphere) will lead to best performance and energy output, but it turns out that pointing them west is more […]

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Japan’s Decreased CO2 Goal Casts a Pall Over UN Climate Conference

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 16 Nov 2013 03:16:32 +0000

At United Nations climate talks in Warsaw on Friday, Japan, much to the dismay of UN members, announced it is slashing its greenhouse gas emissions target after the Fukushima disaster all but destroyed the country’s nuclear power industry. The Japanese government has decided instead to shoot for a 3.8% emissions cut by 2020. This is […]

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Siemens to Unveil Wind Turbine Innovations at Upcoming Trade Fair

Leigh Hutchens — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 04:17:25 +0000

At the European Wind Energy Association (EWEA) Offshore Trade Fair in Frankfurt, Germany, Siemens Energy will be discussing plans to lower the costs of offshore wind power in the coming years by upping output, reducing weight, and improving the production and installation processes of wind power installation. At the EWEA, taking place November 19-21, Siemens […]

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Climate Change Contrarians Latch On To Cosmic Ray Explanation for Global Warming

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 03:37:36 +0000

Climate change skeptics have long been trying to find a different explanation for the climate changes than have been occurring over the last century. In an attempt to debunk the widely held belief, upheld by scientific study, they are maintaining that the sun and galactic cosmic rays are linked directly to climate change, not humans. […]

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Boeing 747 Recycled into an Eco-Friendly Home

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 13 Nov 2013 03:10:54 +0000

An American architect has completed what may be one of the most unusual homes to date – made from the wings of a decommissioned PAN AM Boeing 747-100 airplane. The owner of the Studio of Environmental Architecture firm, David Randall Hertz, designed the extremely unconventional and environmentally friendly home, known as the 747 Wing House, […]

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Countries Across the Earth Taking Steps to Lower Emissions

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 12 Nov 2013 03:36:13 +0000

Even though the little changes we make over the course of our day, like switching to low-energy light bulbs, driving hybrid cars, recycling waste, buying eco-friendly materials, and installing solar panels, may feel futile, a slowdown in the pace of emissions is proving that our individual actions are making a difference. New data demonstrates that […]

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EU Ensures Proper Electronic Waste Disposal through Radio-Frequency Tracking

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 09 Nov 2013 02:04:05 +0000

Less than 40% of the nine million tonnes of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) that Europe produces is treated according to environmental and legal requirements. If this waste is not disposed of safely and responsibly, hazardous substances can be emitted – including ozone depleting substances like chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), greenhouse gases, and oils. The new EU […]

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Hydrocarbon Drilling Impacts Aquatic Life

Leigh Hutchens — Fri, 08 Nov 2013 05:34:09 +0000

According to new research published in November in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, Joshua Thienpont and colleagues at Queen’s University discovered that drilling sumps that are related to hydrocarbon extraction can cause major issues with aquatic ecosystems. Although they are a major source of energy and combustible fuel, hydrocarbons are a big source of greenhouse […]

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CO2 Used to Make Clean Geothermal Power

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 02:29:14 +0000

Can clean geothermal power be made from carbon dioxide? Many startups and researchers are betting YES. In 2014, testing will begin to determine whether it’s possible to defray the costs of carbon capture and storage by putting the stored CO2 to use in a geothermal plant. If it works, the technology, known as carbon capture […]

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Dallas Implements Mandatory Green Building Standards, Paves Way for Rest of US

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 03:05:15 +0000

Dallas, Texas… Who would have thought Dallas would be on its way to becoming one of the greenest cities in the United States? Surprisingly, green buildings aren’t new to Dallas. The city is home to over 140 LEED-certified buildings, including 23 LEED-certified municipal government facilities. Dallas also has 59 million square feet of Energy Star-certified […]

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Unexpected Ocean Organism Devours Plastic Debris, Scientists Find

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 05 Nov 2013 03:10:05 +0000

As part of the University of Western Australia (UWA) Inquiring Minds Series, Oceans Institute Director Carlos Duarte, along with UWA PhD student Julia Reiser, presented findings that give a global picture of plastic concentrations in the world’s oceans. Computer modeling indicated that plastic debris should accumulate in central gyres of the ocean, or, in other […]

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Energy Saving Tips for the Winter Months

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 02 Nov 2013 02:57:10 +0000

Want to save money, be safe, and be green this winter? Follow this easy checklist to keep winter at bay: Keep flammable materials away from your furnace. Make sure your pilot light is burning. If it’s not, follow the directions for relighting it. Remove any dust or debris around the furnace and replace the filter […]

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Google’s Motorola Subdivision Develops an Open Hardware Platform for Modular Smartphones

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 02 Nov 2013 02:21:54 +0000

On Monday, Motorola unveiled Project Ara, a hardware platform that will let consumers build their own smartphones by snapping modular parts into a frame. Owned by Google, Motorola is taking its parent company’s lead in innovative thinking and design. Motorola’s Project Ara aims to develop a “free, open hardware platform for creating highly modular smartphones.” […]

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China Is Playing a Dangerous Game With Air Pollution

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 31 Oct 2013 02:41:03 +0000

China’s pollution problem has been top news lately, mainly because the pollution is so dense that you can see if from space. That’s right, from space. China’s problems are drastic, but they are not as unique as people think they are. In fact, most people forget about the major problems London had in the 1950s. […]

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US and UK Collaborate on Clean Water Initiatives

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 30 Oct 2013 01:16:15 +0000

A new transatlantic collaboration, Clean Water for All, will bring leading water engineers from the United States and the UK together to tackle problems of providing clean, sustainable water supplies. The 2013 Global Grand Challenges Summit initiative between the national academies of engineering in the UK and US brings together leading international engineers, innovators, and […]

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After Air Pollution Levels Reach Critical Mass, China Finally Agrees to Study the Health Consequences

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 29 Oct 2013 02:12:03 +0000

Over the next five years, China’s Health Ministry plans to create a national network to monitor the long-term impact of chronic air pollution on human health. This is big news from a country known for record-breaking levels of air pollution. China’s future network will gather data on particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers, […]

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8 Affordable Ways to Weatherproof Your Home

Leigh Hutchens — Mon, 28 Oct 2013 16:57:50 +0000

Whether it is winter or summer, one thing is certain – the temperature outside your home doesn’t match the temperature within, and unless your home is properly sealed and you have weatherproofed windows, the conditions outside have a big chance of affecting the inside. A leaky house affects the consumption for your heating and air […]

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Fox News Battles Imaginary Global Warming Bias with Actual Global Warming Bias

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 24 Oct 2013 02:56:55 +0000

It’s no wonder that getting people to believe that global warming is a bona fide phenomenon, let alone getting them to take action to combat it, is an uphill battle. Earlier this year, in a study published in the journal Public Understanding of Science, researchers found that politically conservative media outlets like Fox News actually […]

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Eco-Friendly Cities of the Future Will Use Transparent Solar Cells

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 23 Oct 2013 00:39:00 +0000

The Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO) recently conducted a study in which researchers fabricated an optimal organic solar cell with both a high level of transparency and high power conversion efficiency. This is the latest step in creating cleaner, more affordable, and more ubiquitous renewable energy. Solar panels have advanced rapidly in the 30 years […]

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Air Force Aims for Solar Power Storage Innovation

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 22 Oct 2013 02:38:27 +0000

The Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) Advanced Power Technology Office (ATO) is considering using a Hawaiian computer center in order to demonstrate an advanced system for collecting, storing, and using solar power in an attempt to show that solar power can contribute to a seamless energy management system for a high-demand facility. The ATO is […]

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Privatizing Oceans May Keep Them Safe

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 19 Oct 2013 04:16:27 +0000

A panel of esteemed scientists from the World Bank’s Global Partnership for Oceans has called for part privatization of oceans in an attempt to find an effective ways to finance ocean protection. In a newly released report, 21 conservationists, scientists, government representatives, and seafood industrialists have warned that the world’s oceans are in crisis due […]

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Earthworms Stimulate Carbon Sequestration

Leigh Hutchens — Fri, 18 Oct 2013 02:58:16 +0000

After being villainized in global warming studies and accused of being major contributors to climate change, it turns out earthworms might actually be a blessing in disguise. Approximately 20% of global CO2 emissions and 66% of nitrous oxide emissions come from soil. Emissions are produced by a number of natural biological processes involving plant roots and subterranean microorganisms. Scientists […]

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After Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, Japan Moves toward Coal and Gas Power

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 17 Oct 2013 01:16:43 +0000

In wake of Tokyo’s struggles with moving away from costly oil, Japan is planning to build 14 new gas and coal-fired power plants by the end of 2014. Two of the planned coal power plants will be finished by December, and the other 12 gas-fired plants will be completed during 2014. They will use liquefied […]

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Climate Change Killing Moose at Alarming Rate

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 16 Oct 2013 04:47:14 +0000

Climate change is playing a huge role in the gradual population decline and anticipated extinction of the moose. Minnesota had two different moose populations twenty years ago, and they were geographically separate. Since the 1990s, one of the populations has declined from 4000 to 100. The second population, located in northeastern Minnesota, has been dropping […]

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Ocean and Climate Change Paradigm Shifts to Account for New Data

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 06:14:09 +0000

Understanding the effect of climate change on upwelling ecosystems is paramount to understanding and predicting the future of marine resources. The zones affected by this upwelling of cold deep water, which is very rich in nutrients, provide up to 20 % of the global production of fish. The theory adopted by the majority of the […]

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Rust Boosts Artificial Photosynthesis, Scientists Find

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 12 Oct 2013 02:30:52 +0000

In an article published in the journal Angewandte Chemie, chemists at Boston College detailed their breakthroughs in developing a way to harness artificial photosynthesis by narrowing the voltage gap between oxidation and reduction. The team achieved the gains by coating hematite, an iron oxide similar to rust, and nickel iron oxide. They were able to […]

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With Climate Change, ‘Normal’ Temperatures Are All Relative

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 19:11:27 +0000

A prominent study published in the journal Nature, predicts that the entire Earth will pass climate departure, or the point of no return, by 2047. The study goes on to say that if global warming continues its current trajectory, average annual temperature surpass historical norms is just over a few decades away, bringing huge threats […]

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Palm Oil Considered a Carbon Time Bomb

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 05:08:21 +0000

Palm oil, also known as dendê oil, is an edible vegetable oil produced from oil palm. It can be used for cooking, or to make soaps, cosmetics, and biofuel. It’s much cheaper than other edible oils on the market, and this contributes to its high demand. Selling and exporting palm oil is one of the […]

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Baking Soda Made From CO2 Emissions

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 10 Oct 2013 02:27:56 +0000

Skyonic , a Texas-based company devoted to mineralizing carbon emissions, is planning to turn carbon capture into a lucrative business by putting the pollutants into a common baking ingredient. The very first Skyonic Skymine facility, in San Antonio, is currently under construction at a cement factory. The first-of-its-kind facility will capture carbon dioxide and other […]

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Gates, Buffett See the Future, Invest in Energy Storage

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 08 Oct 2013 02:02:44 +0000

Some of the richest men in the world are betting on energy storage investments. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet certainly are, and both believe that smart technologies will revolutionize the way the electricity grid operates. Gates has been investing in energy storage for a while, including Aquion Energy, Ambri, and LightSail. Buffett, on the other […]

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Methane Worse Than CO2 as Greenhouse Gas – Fracking Makes it Even Worse

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 05 Oct 2013 01:41:14 +0000

Methane (CH4) is a far more dangerous greenhouse gas than CO2, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). The IPCC’s latest report, released this past Monday, reports that methane is 34 times stronger a heat-trapping gas than CO2 over a 100-year time scale. Methane’s current global-warming potential (GWP) is 34, nearly 40% increase […]

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Laser-Based Lighting the New Alternative to LEDs

Leigh Hutchens — Fri, 04 Oct 2013 03:21:04 +0000

Research from the University of California, Santa Barbara has led to an alternative LED lighting that is just as bright, high-powered, and energy efficient, but powered by a laser diode and inorganic phosphors. The research was published in the journal AIP Advances. LEDs have advantages over incandescent lights, including a smaller size and greater durability […]

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Tesla Founder Gives Implementers His Blessing to Make the Hyperloop a Reality

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 02:21:10 +0000

Elon Musk, the head of SpaceX and Tesla and co-founder of PayPal, is working with fundraisers to generate enough money to create the Hyperloop that he designed with members from Tesla and SpaceX. Musk’s hyperloop, which he envisions revolutionizing travel, is a theoretical mode of high-speed transportation that would serve as an alternative to boats, […]

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EU Asks for Commitment to Preservation of Raw Materials

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 21:12:02 +0000

This week, a Strategic Implementation Plan (SIP) was released by the European Union’s High Level Steering Group of the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Raw Materials that details the way Europe can ensure a sustainable supply of raw materials in coming years. In addition to ensuring the EU doesn’t run out of raw materials, the […]

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Korean Research University Metabolically Engineers E. coli to Produce Gasoline

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 01 Oct 2013 02:10:34 +0000

On September 29, a Korean research team led by Distinguished Professor Sang Yup Lee of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) published a paper entitled Microbial Production of Short-chain Alkanes. The paper discussed a groundbreaking new strategy for microbial gasoline production through metabolic engineering […]

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Scientists Are 95% Positive That Humans Are Responsible for Climate Change

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 28 Sep 2013 02:31:01 +0000

Listen up people. This is serious. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has released an assessment of current climate research and the IPCC’s conclusions could not be any clearer. There is 95% certainty that humans are responsible for warming the atmosphere, and we are getting closer and closer to the point of no return. […]

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Plastic Shopping Bags Recycled into Nanomaterial

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 26 Sep 2013 02:24:33 +0000

At the University of Adelaide in Australia, plastic shopping bags have become high-tech nanomaterial. Researchers at the University of Adelaide’s Nanotech Research Group have figured out how to take non-biodegradable plastic shopping bags and turn them into carbon nanotube membranes, thereby turning a serious threat to the ecosystem into a resource with a host of […]

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Arctic Ice Still Disappearing at Alarming Rate, Scientists Say

Leigh Hutchens — Sat, 21 Sep 2013 02:29:44 +0000

Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security, scientists warn. Just because this year’s arctic melt represents a significant gain in sea ice from last year, the region is still poised to be ice-free by 2050. In fact, measurements of sea ice volume are at record a low-level, which means that the arctic ice […]

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Lawsuits Filed Over Fracking-Related Earthquake Damage in Arkansas

Leigh Hutchens — Fri, 20 Sep 2013 03:58:35 +0000

Hydraulic fracturing, or the forcing open of fissures in underground rocks by injecting liquid at high pressure in order to extract oil and gas, is extremely controversial and environmentalists have always argued that the risks of fracking are not worth the rewards. In what is probably a first, residents in Arkansas are suing Chesapeake Energy […]

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Human Waste Used to Combat Climate Change

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 02:15:11 +0000

Professor Nanthi Bolan of CRC for Contamination Assessment and Remediation of the Environment and University of South Australia told CleanUp 2013 in Melbourne today that the solid waste left over after sewage treatment could be used to curb carbon emissions and create more fertile soils. Annually, Australia stockpiles about 70,000 tonnes of biosolids from urban […]

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Wasted Food Harms the Climate

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 04:47:12 +0000

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has already determined that 33% of all food globally is wasted. That’s not news. What is news is what that wasted food is doing to the environment. The FAO recently published a report that asserts that the carbon footprint of food produced and that is not consumed […]

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Exxon Mobile Busted Again for Environmental Infractions

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 18 Sep 2013 04:24:31 +0000

Earlier this week, news came out that in 2010 XTO Energy, Inc., an Exxon Mobil Fracking company, received an unexpected visit from the Environmental Protection Agency and failed the surprise inspection. Very very badly. It’s only now that the gravity of the results are coming out. The violations the EPA discovered were vast, including illegally […]

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DoD, US Navy Focus on Clean Energy in Hawaii

Leigh Hutchens — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 01:51:27 +0000

The Energy Excelerator, a funding agency for renewable energy start-ups based out of Hawaii, has just been given $30 million by the US Navy to continue its work on alternative fuel initiatives. The Energy Excelerator also receives funding from the Department of Energy (DOE), among others. The agency already has a host of success stories […]

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Western Australia Innovating Carbon Management Practices

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 12 Sep 2013 02:16:16 +0000

According to researchers at the University of Western Australia (UWA), in collaboration with the Department of Agriculture and Food WA (DAFWA), Western Australia’s surface soils are storing as much carbon as they are able. In fact, in agricultural regions in the southwest of Western Australia, the soil, usually between 0-10 cm, stores as much carbon […]

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Carbon Footprint of California’s Manufacturing Industry More Accurately Calculated

Leigh Hutchens — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 03:14:30 +0000

The state of California hired a team of researchers from Ecofys and Northwestern University, and the University of California, Berkeley to develop science-based methods to assess the amount of free allowances California facilities can receive on the products they manufacture. The collaboration will help the Air Resources Board implement the cap-and-trade regulations in California. The […]

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Window Glass is Getting Smarter, Cheaper

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 10 Sep 2013 02:05:24 +0000

It might actually be possible to convince corporations to put smart windows in buildings after scientists at Heliotrope Technologies, in conjunction with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, have developed an inexpensive, energy-efficient glass composite. The new glass composite has the unprecedented capacity to selectively block the sun’s heat-producing infrared radiation and visible light. Buildings equipped with […]

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