carbon footprint Archives – The Green Optimistic

University Sets to Calculate Nitrogen Footprint

Courtney Lepping — Mon, 30 May 2016 17:26:24 +0000

The carbon footprint. This term has been in the news for years, sometimes assumed to be the highest tax on the environment. But as Nitrogen Footprint Project Manager Castner points out, the nitrogen footprint holds equal ground with environmental issues. An internationally supported project inspired by a scientist and carried out by Eastern Mennonite University […]

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Villa K Uses Natural Temperature Gradient to Reduce Energy Footprint

Annika Tostengard — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 20:49:28 +0000

The Villa K, designed by Paul de Ruiter Architects blends into its surroundings and uses very little energy. Sheathed in glass, steel and concrete, it’s built into a hillside found in Thüringen, a state in Germany. It comes complete with climate-optimization and a heat exchanger to regulate the temperature. There are solar panels located on […]

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How to Go Green This Year Without Spending Extra

Mila Luleva — Wed, 10 Dec 2014 14:21:09 +0000

It is never too late to go green, and there is no better time than the New Year. Unfortunately, it is a common misconception that being eco-friendly means you should invest in solar panels, or an expensive electric car. Well, it is not true, and here are ten tips how to go green for free, […]

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Smartphone App Tracks Your Carbon Footprint, Gives You a NEST Thermostat If You Do Good

Mila Luleva — Wed, 30 Apr 2014 18:22:19 +0000

Everywhere we read about carbon footprint, and people telling us that we have to do anything and everything possible to reduce it. However, a surprisingly small number of people understand what carbon footprint actually means and how to measure it before they take any action to cut it down. Now, a new smartphone app called […]

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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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Google Reports 9% Drop in Their Carbon Footprint in 2012

Mila Luleva — Fri, 06 Sep 2013 04:20:14 +0000

Google has reported a significant drop in their carbon footprint in 2012, as just stated by the search engine giant in their annual report. The company is extremely proud of the successful figures, and rightly so, after a long period of six years being ‘carbon neutral’. Although they continue to purchase carbon offsets in order […]

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Consumers’ Carbon Footprint Limited by Emission Trading Systems

Mila Luleva — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 19:30:23 +0000

An economist from the University of East Anglia (UEA) claims that greenhouse gas emission trading schemes prevent people from reducing their carbon footprints. Dr Grischa Perino, many of the recommendations by governmental officials and environmental NGOs within the European Union cap emissions from electricity production and aviation through the Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). The […]

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Online Tool Helps Saving Energy and Reducing Carbon Footprint

Mila Luleva — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 20:13:24 +0000

The U.S. Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Research Station, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (CAL FIRE)’s Urban and Community Forestry Program, and EcoLayers developed a tool that helps property owners estimate the benefit of planting trees in terms of energy saving and carbon footprint reduction. It is an online tool that uses Google Maps […]

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Carbon Footprint Calculations Made Easier by New Software

Benji Jerew — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 11:09:55 +0000

Up until now, the only way to calculate the carbon footprint of a line of products was to have an expert examine them one by one. This has proven to be time-consuming and very expensive. A collaborative effort between PepsiCo and the Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy at Columbia University’s Earth Institute has resulted in […]

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How The Rich and The Poor Manage Their Carbon Footprint

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 11:44:22 +0000

It’s always been a matter of taste and common sense not to throw everything to the garbage can after the first use (recycle), to drive fuel efficient cars and to refrain from causing damage to the environment. Here’s what people with totally different social statuses (rich and poor) do to control their own carbon trace. […]

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French Researcher Develops Impressive Pollution-Eating Streetlights Using Microalgae

Ovidiu Sandru — Fri, 09 Mar 2012 19:04:06 +0000

Fermentalg, the company founded and led by French researcher Pierre Caleja, has recently developed street lighting that could one day soak CO2 from the air with the use of microalgae. Caleja’s company had received several millions in funding from various private investors in recent years to discover ways of harvesting the power of microalgae to […]

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Renault Installs 60 MW of Solar Power For France Facilities

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 14:13:10 +0000

In order to decrease their carbon footprint and to raise the public awareness that they're actually doing something for the environment besides producing electric cars, Renault has decided to install a 60 MW solar array on its centers in several locations from France.

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Fat People Account for Gasoline Price Increases and Bigger Carbon Footprint, Study Says

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 20:51:38 +0000

A study of the Resources for the Future (RFF) institute from a few years ago (2009, more exactly) revealed the impact that obesity has on a man's carbon footprint. It showed that even a 10 percent increase in the rate of overweight and obesity among the population affected the miles per gallon by 2.5%, in the bad direction. This, in turn, created a 30 cent increase in gasoline prices.

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Danish Hotel Gives Free Meal to Anyone Cycling for 15 Minutes in Their Gym

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:23:51 +0000

While pointless as a way to really change something in the course of pollution reduction, a Danish hotel found a way to both motivate their customers to go green by pedaling and give them a free $36 meal voucher.

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Solar Powered Cellphone Towers Can Dramatically Reduce Own Carbon Footprint

Cristi — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 19:31:37 +0000

The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy of the Indian government will present a mandate that would require telecom operators to use solar panels to power their cellphone towers. This will dramatically reduce their carbon footprint and will make a huge difference in long term.

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Apple to Develop Self-Charging Solar Devices

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 08:13:55 +0000

Apple wants to develop a solar technology for its devices (laptops, ipods, etc). They want to incorporate solar panels in the devices’ screen, so it is invisible for the user. The device would then charge from the ambient light, and, if not used for a long time, would fully recharge itself. Motorola filed a similar […]

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Delaying Internet's Data Could Reduce Its Carbon Emissions

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 05 May 2008 19:31:26 +0000

The servers, routers, switches and other components of a network are designed to work with much larger quantities of data than they do daily, but they use just about the same amount of electricity whether they’re idle or busy. Sergiu Nedevschi of the University of California in Berkeley, US, and his colleagues from Intel Research […]

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