Search results for new york waste – The Green Optimistic

Alternative Ways to Take Part in the Climate Strike Today

Mila Luleva — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 10:48:01 +0000

The World’s biggest climate strike is taking place today ahead of the upcoming United Nations Climate Action Summit in New York. Do you want to be part of it? Here are a few ideas of what you can do in case you are unable to join the crowds. I honestly cannot imagine that there are […]

The post Alternative Ways to Take Part in the Climate Strike Today appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Life without single-use plastics: the case of San Pedro La Laguna

Effie P — Fri, 25 Jan 2019 07:30:19 +0000

“You don’t need a straw for beer, so why use one for soda?” argues Victor Tuch Gonzales, municipal planning director in the Guatemalan town of San Pedro La Laguna. By 2016, the town, and the nearby lake of Lake Atitlan, were drowning in plastic. The waste disposal plant that had been built to handle ten […]

The post Life without single-use plastics: the case of San Pedro La Laguna appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

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 […]

The post Call it Fashion: How We’ve Come to Wear Toxic Clothing appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Coffee Grounds Can be Used to Capture Carbon

Mila Luleva — Wed, 09 Sep 2015 17:56:26 +0000

Scientists in South Korea have found a way to turn coffee grounds from waste into a cheap and effective material that captures carbon. Coffee grounds have found quite a number of applications over the years- from being used in cosmetics instead of microplastics, through unblocking drains and replacing chemical fertilizer, all the way to being […]

The post Coffee Grounds Can be Used to Capture Carbon appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

New York is the Dirtiest Megacity in the World, Scientists Say

Mila Luleva — Tue, 12 May 2015 19:25:49 +0000

New York City was declared the world’s leader in total amount of solid waste disposal, leaving behind all the usual suspects, including Mumbai, Mexico city and Moscow, way behind. Overflowing garbage containers, landfill sites that are now mountain-high, not enough incineration plants, and wrong (or non-existent) recycling practices, these are the painfully typical problems of most cities around […]

The post New York is the Dirtiest Megacity in the World, Scientists Say appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Water Repellent Material Created by Lasers Could Help Solar Panels

Mila Luleva — Mon, 26 Jan 2015 13:36:27 +0000

A revolutionary new laser method for etching metals resulted in the development of super water repelling material. It makes water droplets bounce off it, taking all dust particles with them, a property that gives huge promises to the solar panel industry. We all know that to maintain solar panels as efficient as they are designed to be, […]

The post Water Repellent Material Created by Lasers Could Help Solar Panels appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Bio-reactive Food Label Expires Along With the Products

Mila Luleva — Wed, 05 Nov 2014 09:37:14 +0000

Food waste is a major problem in the Westernized world, with tons of perfectly good produce being thrown away simply because it has past its ‘best before’ date. Now, new type of labels, made of gelatin, might change that, as they will degrade along with the product. With climate change threatening world’s food resources, it […]

The post Bio-reactive Food Label Expires Along With the Products appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Would You Eat a Lobster Picked at a Supermarket Dumpster?

Mila Luleva — Tue, 14 Oct 2014 13:08:47 +0000

How would you feel if you go to a restaurant, and you suddenly find out that the food that you’ve been served comes from a near-by dumpster? To spare you the surprise, I’ll tell you that this is exactly what you will get if you decide to dine in Skipchen, in Bristol, England. According to […]

The post Would You Eat a Lobster Picked at a Supermarket Dumpster? appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Solar Development Greens Up Mounds of Trash

Ari Luis — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 12:43:41 +0000

Green Mountain Power may not be the best name for a power developer that covers a large area with black solar cells. Just the same, residents of Rutland, Vermont are glad that the solar developer has come to break ground in their town. The company is putting up a 2MW photovoltaic array on what was […]

The post Solar Development Greens Up Mounds of Trash appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Solar Panels to Generate Clean Energy from Rooftops of Public Schools in NYC

Mila Luleva — Thu, 02 Oct 2014 09:05:53 +0000

Major cities around the world keep impressing us with incredible initiatives and long term commitments to sustainability and renewable energy. The latest comes from New York City, where the Mayor’s office has committed to installing rooftop solar panels on 24 public schools, no later than 2016. New York City is only one of the many metropolitans […]

The post Solar Panels to Generate Clean Energy from Rooftops of Public Schools in NYC appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

The Incredible 99% Percent of Sweden’s Waste Is Recycled or Reused

Mila Luleva — Thu, 04 Sep 2014 08:27:34 +0000

Sweden’s waste-to-energy program is going strong, as the country announces that now only 1 percent of their waste goes to landfills, while the remaining 99% are reused or recycled. About two years ago, all news feeds were flooded with the announcement that Sweden does not have enough waste on the country’s territory to maintain their […]

The post The Incredible 99% Percent of Sweden’s Waste Is Recycled or Reused appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

A Positive Look on Climate Change

Mila Luleva — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 11:41:45 +0000

With all that is happening around us- droughts, floods, hurricanes, food and water scarcity, it is quite difficult to be positive about climate change. But, when I was asked to comment on the topic “How a society on the brink of collapse due to climate change will cope in the future?”, I realized there is […]

The post A Positive Look on Climate Change appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Scientists Turn Hemp Into Cheap Pseudo-Graphene for Supercapacitors

Mila Luleva — Thu, 14 Aug 2014 12:32:35 +0000

All these stories we hear about the miracle material graphene, and everything it can do especially when it comes to energy storage, somehow miss to tell us that it comes at quite a huge price. This is why finding an affordable alternative was the main goal of scientists from Clarkson University, New York, who not […]

The post Scientists Turn Hemp Into Cheap Pseudo-Graphene for Supercapacitors appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

High-Tech Garbage Bin Pays You for Disposing Waste

Mila Luleva — Fri, 27 Jun 2014 12:05:41 +0000

When you were little, did your parents used to give you a few coins as a reward because you did something good, like taking the trash out? If yes, this new gadget that I am going to tell you about, will make you have the super cool flashback of the good old days. But if not, […]

The post High-Tech Garbage Bin Pays You for Disposing Waste appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

First Ever Plastic Bottles Made Out of Ocean Waste Hit Supermarket Shelves

Mila Luleva — Tue, 13 May 2014 11:23:17 +0000

The horror stories about plastic pollution of our oceans are hitting us almost every other day. Some of the most shocking ones include the sabotaging of the search for the Missing MH370 Flight by ocean garbage, and the one that showed pictures of newly discovered areas at the bottom of the ocean, that already had garbage […]

The post First Ever Plastic Bottles Made Out of Ocean Waste Hit Supermarket Shelves appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Air Pollution Cost $1.3 Billion in New York

Benji Jerew — Mon, 07 Apr 2014 14:38:16 +0000

Every addiction has its side effects, some of them deadly. In the case of our worldwide fossil-fuel addiction, the side effects are numerous, including carbon dioxide emissions and air pollution. Air pollution, in turn, leads to other problems, such as smog. Now, smog may seem, at least to those who haven’t experienced it, a cosmetic […]

The post Air Pollution Cost $1.3 Billion in New York appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Park Passive House is First in Washington State

Benji Jerew — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 13:49:32 +0000

What is a “passive house?” The idea has been around for about twenty years, building the world’s most-efficient homes. Perhaps better if I let someone else explain what a passive house is and where it all started, in 1991… The idea of the passive house is to significantly reduce energy expenditures in the home. Typical […]

The post Park Passive House is First in Washington State appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

New York And California Ban Polluting Microplastics In Cosmetic Products

Mila Luleva — Tue, 18 Feb 2014 21:21:40 +0000

How much do micro beads in exfoliating products actually pollute? According to governmental officials and environmentalists in New York and California, a lot. Assessing the impact these tiny plastic particles have on marine ecosystems, experts propose their complete ban in these two states, in order to prevent future major environmental disaster. Just over a year […]

The post New York And California Ban Polluting Microplastics In Cosmetic Products appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Low-level Nuclear Waste Disposal Seems Easy Money-Making Business

Mila Luleva — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 15:27:39 +0000

Have you ever wondered what companies should do in order to safely dispose of nuclear waste? Considering the current charging rate per cubic foot, it is bound to be quite a lot, but actually, according an article at the The New York Times entitled “America’s most valuable hole in the ground“, the figures are completely […]

The post Low-level Nuclear Waste Disposal Seems Easy Money-Making Business appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

NY’s Biggest Wastewater Treatment Plant Accepts Food Waste, Produces Biogas For Grid

Mila Luleva — Mon, 30 Dec 2013 19:18:34 +0000

New York City is about to become the proud owner of the biggest wastewater biogas plant, which will supply sustainable energy to the national grid, thanks to the Newtown Creek project. The new technology is a real breakthrough, which has the potential to convert 100% of the food waste and wastewater into gas, which is […]

The post NY’s Biggest Wastewater Treatment Plant Accepts Food Waste, Produces Biogas For Grid appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Six Months After The Start of the Food Waste Challenge, New York Composts 2,500 Tons of Food Waste

Mila Luleva — Thu, 05 Dec 2013 18:50:46 +0000

Exactly half a year after New York City Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, began the campaign to divert half of the food waste away from landfills, the first results were officially announced this week. The incredible 2,500 tons of food were donated or composted instead of being dumped. This has been a major achievement for the city, and […]

The post Six Months After The Start of the Food Waste Challenge, New York Composts 2,500 Tons of Food Waste appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

New York City “Benefits” from Cheap Pennsylvania Natural Gas

Benji Jerew — Thu, 28 Nov 2013 17:55:04 +0000

Those who use natural gas for heating, cooking, and even transportation, generate fewer greenhouse gas emissions than traditional propane, gasoline, or diesel fuel. Thanks to the abundance of natural gas, these user also spend much less on fuel for the same tasks. Building owners in New York City, for example, have been upgrading their systems […]

The post New York City “Benefits” from Cheap Pennsylvania Natural Gas appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Climate Change Wrecking Montana Wildlife Tourism, Goodbye Trout

Benji Jerew — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 18:57:19 +0000

The world is in a delicate balance, at least before human-caused climate change started to muddle things up. Take, for example, the delicate balance of wildlife in Montana, which is known for what I could call wildlife tourism. Of course, besides just looking at wildlife, there are plenty of chances in Montana to taste wildlife […]

The post Climate Change Wrecking Montana Wildlife Tourism, Goodbye Trout appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Top 10 World’s Worst Polluted Places by Blacksmith Institute

Mila Luleva — Thu, 07 Nov 2013 19:09:18 +0000

Researchers from the New York-based Blacksmith Institute took on the task to establish which are the top ten most polluted areas on the planet, as part of the institute’s annual report. Based on severity of health risks to citizens and types of pollution threats, the group managed to outline the places where deaths caused by […]

The post Top 10 World’s Worst Polluted Places by Blacksmith Institute appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Global Food Waste Carbon Dioxide Emissions Equivalent to Three Billion Cars

Benji Jerew — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 19:45:58 +0000

Ask anyone about carbon dioxide emissions and, depending on their field of interest, they may respond with changes facing the automotive industry, or perhaps power generation, food waste might be somewhat of a rarer conversation piece. The next time you go to a restaurant and leave food on the plate or you see that your […]

The post Global Food Waste Carbon Dioxide Emissions Equivalent to Three Billion Cars appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Electricity From Carbon Dioxide and Water Produced by Dutch Scientists

Mila Luleva — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 13:55:12 +0000

Researchers from Wetsus, the center for excellence for sustainable water technology in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, established a method to create an electrical current from carbon dioxide (CO2) using a combination of membranes and water. The study, published in the Journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters, provides a mean for handling the greenhouse gas from electric […]

The post Electricity From Carbon Dioxide and Water Produced by Dutch Scientists appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Rapid Re(F)use Initiative Could Turn New York’s Trash Into New Islands

Mila Luleva — Tue, 23 Jul 2013 12:34:52 +0000

A new initiative called Rapid Re(F)use has an aim to recycle and reuse New York’s waste by turning it into various structures and islands instead of sending it to landfills. Supported by Mayor Bloomberg, the project is set to aid the city council handle the 12,000 tons of waste produced by the city each day. […]

The post Rapid Re(F)use Initiative Could Turn New York’s Trash Into New Islands appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

NYC Considers Food Recycling to Generate Electricity

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 03:07:06 +0000

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has already made many drastic changes in the city, from banning smoking in parks and restaurants, trying to curb soda consumption, and encouraging bike riding as a mainstream mode of transportation, and he’s at it again. This time, Bloomberg has dreams of requiring New Yorkers to gather and separated […]

The post NYC Considers Food Recycling to Generate Electricity appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Waste-to-Energy Facilities in UK Attracting Investors

Mila Luleva — Fri, 31 May 2013 09:04:01 +0000

Across the UK, waste-to-energy facilities are being approved as an effective alternative to polluting landfills. Three major projects have attracted the interest of investors, who are seeking for technologies that will replace the harmful landfill sites. The first project is the construction of a large incinerator in the area of south London. The company Viridor just […]

The post Waste-to-Energy Facilities in UK Attracting Investors appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Toxic Contaminants Threaten More Lives Than Malaria

Mila Luleva — Fri, 10 May 2013 18:12:25 +0000

Earlier this week, a research conducted by scientists at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York established that toxic pollutants from contaminated land cause more deaths in developing countries than infectious diseases such as malaria. The study lead by Dr. Kevin Charham was based on samples collected from various locations in India, Indonesia […]

The post Toxic Contaminants Threaten More Lives Than Malaria appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Half of New York’s Food Waste Will No Longer Go to Landfills

Mila Luleva — Fri, 03 May 2013 05:23:54 +0000

Big restaurants and major food chains in the city of New York joined forces in a common cause to keep food waste away from landfills. Last week, the city mayor Michael Bloomberg announced that more than 100 restaurants have set a target to reduce commercial food waste added to landfills by up to 50%. The […]

The post Half of New York’s Food Waste Will No Longer Go to Landfills appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

KLM to Introduce New Weekly Bio-Fueled Transatlantic Flights

Mike Sandru — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 20:55:52 +0000

Dutch carrier KLM is planning to introduce weekly transatlantic flights that will be running solely on biofuels obtained from old cooking oil. This marks an important step towards satisfying the ever-growing demand for sustainable air travel. With this move, then, KLM offers commuters between Amsterdam and New York the option to reduce their air travel […]

The post KLM to Introduce New Weekly Bio-Fueled Transatlantic Flights appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

New York Green Project to Use Destructive Rain Water

Mike Sandru — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 17:57:57 +0000

The problem with New York City and other similar older cities is that they are just not set up to deal with so much rain. Having paved most of the city, there is little ground left to soak storm waters, so much so that the sewers are overloaded, resulting in dumping of a water and […]

The post New York Green Project to Use Destructive Rain Water appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

North Dakota Light Pollution Seen From Space UPDATED

Benji Jerew — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 08:01:31 +0000

When looking at satellite photos of the earth taken at night, it is easy to see urban areas as brights spots in a sea of black. Rural areas barely even register on these night shots. The reason for this is mainly because of street and building lighting, and light pollution on a grand scale can […]

The post North Dakota Light Pollution Seen From Space UPDATED appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

New York City Produces Less Trash, But Costs Remain the Same

Benji Jerew — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 21:17:52 +0000

Trash, a common sight in New York City, is actually not nearly as common as in decades earlier. Still, garbage trucks by the hundreds daily haul out tons of the stuff. Of course, this is normal in a city of 11+ million residents. Compared to the year 2000, actually, New Yorkers are producing about a […]

The post New York City Produces Less Trash, But Costs Remain the Same appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

New Method for Increasing Heat Transfer Rate Has Far-Reaching Implications

Leigh Hutchens — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 07:30:41 +0000

Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering in Troy, New York have developed a new method for increasing the heat transfer rate across two different materials. This method might advance LED devices, collecting solar power, harvesting waste heat, and cooling computer chips. The study was funded with support from the National […]

The post New Method for Increasing Heat Transfer Rate Has Far-Reaching Implications appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Are We Ready for Single Passenger Electric Vehicles?

Benji Jerew — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 20:47:30 +0000

The way that public transportation is set up here in the US, it’s no wonder to me that not as many people utilize it outside of the cities. In major cities, like New York, subways and buses are well-suited for commuters and people who need to get from place to place within the city. Outside […]

The post Are We Ready for Single Passenger Electric Vehicles? appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Solar Islands Take Advantage of Wasted Real Estate to Power Cities

Benji Jerew — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 19:51:09 +0000

We’ve all heard the argument, “Not in my back yard,” when it comes to energy installations. This seems to apply to even clean energy installations, such as wind and solar. People complain about “all that wasted space” or other seemingly valid complaints, while ignoring the real issue, clean energy. DNV KEMA Energy & Sustainability [DNV] […]

The post Solar Islands Take Advantage of Wasted Real Estate to Power Cities appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Thermal Mass Construction Revolutionizes Green Residential Architecture

Maria Reyes — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 18:02:19 +0000

Thermal mass construction (TMC) operates on the principle that it is more energy-efficient to keep a relatively massive structure at a steady temperature than it is to manipulate the temperature of air. TMC has been hailed as the evolution of residential architecture. An empty refrigerator uses more energy than a full one. Objects denser that […]

The post Thermal Mass Construction Revolutionizes Green Residential Architecture appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Brothers Build Abu Dhabi’s First Viable Recycling Service

Mike Sandru — Wed, 16 May 2012 18:45:42 +0000

Apparently, the United Arab Emirates have a problem with recycling: even if you, as a simple citizen, were to have this initiative, it would almost seem an adventure. The only way to do it is by driving to remote collection points, which discourages the general population and lowers the recycling level below 10%. Conscious of […]

The post Brothers Build Abu Dhabi’s First Viable Recycling Service appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Microwave-Burnt Biomass Could Help "Black" Energy Industry Become Cleaner

Ovidiu Sandru — Sat, 19 Feb 2011 18:43:24 +0000

James Clark, the director of the University of York's Green Center of Excellence, will present some of the newest chemical technologies that could help producing clean biofuels and at the same time eliminate waste, at the Annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).

The post Microwave-Burnt Biomass Could Help "Black" Energy Industry Become Cleaner appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

New Microbubble Production Making Biofuels and Wastewater Treatment More Efficient

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 11:29:37 +0000

I didn't really actively realize that current biofuel production technologies imply the usage of fossil fuels at certain moments of the production process. This fact reduces the biofuels' credibility as a cleaner source of energy and increases their carbon footprint.

The post New Microbubble Production Making Biofuels and Wastewater Treatment More Efficient appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Proof-of-Concept Piezoelectric Generators Used to Recover Energy from Wind

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:48:03 +0000

City College of New York researchers, led by professor Yiannis Andreopoulos, are studying how to incorporate piezoelectric electricity generators into cars and planes, so they can convert the kinetic energy of motion into electricity.

The post Proof-of-Concept Piezoelectric Generators Used to Recover Energy from Wind appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

ETT: Intercontinental Vacuum-Based Transportation System Can Reach 4,000mph

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:18:36 +0000

ETT stands for Evacuated Tube Transport, and it is a new concept of a transportation system that makes use of vacuum pumps, tubes and cabins to take people from point A to point B with only 2 percent of the energy required otherwise to power an airplane, a car or a train.

The post ETT: Intercontinental Vacuum-Based Transportation System Can Reach 4,000mph appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Electricity to be Generated From Garbage Landfills Using Plasma

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 18:33:49 +0000

Unlike incinerators, which use combustion to break down garbage, there is no burning, or oxidation, in this process. The heat from plasma converters causes pyrolysis, a process in which organic matter breaks down and decomposes. Plasma torches can operate in airtight vessels. Combustion requires oxidization; pyrolysis does not.

The post Electricity to be Generated From Garbage Landfills Using Plasma appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Tesla’s Radiant Energy System

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 29 Jan 2008 20:52:33 +0000

Brooklyn Eagle July 10, 1932 Nikola Tesla states: I have harnessed the cosmic rays and caused them to operate a motive device. Cosmic ray investigation is a subject that is very close to me. I was the first to discover these rays and I naturally feel toward them as I would toward my own flesh […]

The post Tesla’s Radiant Energy System appeared first on The Green Optimistic.