ReGeneration Round-up: 2008-04-24
Solar Efficiency More Than Doubled by Nano “Popcorn Balls”
Of the many cool eco-innovations I encounter during my strolls through various blogs, none are more numerous or interesting to me than what is happening in the field of solar energy. This article, provided by our friends at ecogeek, covers an exciting new development with dye-sensitized solar cell technology, which until now were less efficient than thin-film cells. Researchers at the University of Washington have found that rearranging the solar cell configurations into popcorn balls (tiny spheres grouped into bigger porous spheres) increases the efficiency of these cells by 250%. Lead author of the study, Guozhong Cao, said at a national meeting of the American Chemical Society in New Orleans that these findings could “lead to a significant breakthrough in dye-sensitized solar cells.” That means cheaper and more efficient solar technology for the rest of us.
42 Ways to Eliminate Trash From Your Life
No Impact Man recently presented a list of 42 ways to not make trash. Some are easily implementable, like No. 35: buying only from the bulk section at your local grocery store, and No. 18: carrying a reusable bottle or cup with you. Others would require considerable more sacrifice, such as 27-29: substituting baking soda for shampoo, toothpaste and deodorant, or No. 9: bringing a reusable container for take-out orders at restaurants. While many of these suggestions are discomforting, the list does tell us a lot about the amount of waste simple (and not so simple) daily living creates, and comments on the tremendous sacrifices Colin Beavan, aka No Impact Man, is making to bring this topic to life.
Will Trains Will Make a Comeback to the United States?
AutoblogGreen has delivered some welcome news about the future of rail travel in the United States. Pointing to recent large purchases of railroad shares and the rising property values along old rail routes, John R. Stilgoe, a professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, has predicted that rail travel will once again play a key role in U.S. society. Stilgoe also cites population growth, rising gas prices, and advanced technology as the primary factors driving railroad development. “Experts anticipate that there will be 150 million more Americans by 2050,” says Stilgoe. “Anyone who drives knows that the highways are already jammed and can hardly accommodate additional traffic.” No argument here. This is especially welcome considering the United States’ dismal showing in an international report on rail use around the world.
Founder of Cal-Earth Institute and the Earth Dome Dies at 72
I learned from NPR’s Morning Edition this week that the global community lost a true pioneer of green building last month. Iranian-born designer and architect, Nader Khalil, passed away on March 5th in Los Angeles, but his revolutionary and innovative designs will continue to inspire for generations. Khalil is perhaps best known for founding the Cal-Earth Institute, where students got real experience building his brilliant earth domes - affordable dome-shaped structures made literally from the Earth that, thanks to their arch design, are able to withstand earthquakes. He had been working on developing sustainable and affordable structures for well more than 20 years - before it was as popular as it is today. With investment and development in “green” projects on the rise, it’s comforting to know that Dr. Khalil’s legacy will live on, despite the tremendous void his death leaves the world.
Joining the ReGeneration so the next generation can live on this planet.
by Lynn Pyle / April 28, 2008
Green means that my grandchildren will be able to share this beautiful planet.
by Lynn Pyle / April 28, 2008
An excellent way to reduce waste is to limit packaging. In Switzerland, chicken comes in a plastic pouch. There is no tray to throw away. Packaging is merely advertising and required notices. We need to find a better way to include those without excess packaging to support them. That should be attractive to manufacturers because packaging costs money to produce, and it has weight which adds to shipping costs. What would the bottom line look like for supermarkets if they no longer had to buy 2/3 of their packaging for chicken? Think about all the possibilites at just the meat counter.
by Paul McKelvey / April 29, 2008
Item No:18 is easy to implement.
18: carrying a reusable bottle or cup with you
I guess their are so called paper cups being used widely in almost all DELL offices. These paper cups are non degradable and non recyclable because they are actually plastic+ paper. Why not as a corporate policy eleminate these cups.
Also, the amount of paper being used for printing is enormous. For e.g. everyone gets a copy of training material, which never gets used and I am not sure whether this paper gets recycled. As part of DELL corporate initiative, we should have recycling done in all the DELL sites.
by Nature Lover From India / April 30, 2008
Simple things go a long way… avoid using disposable shaving razors, electric razors, disposable pens & disaposable anything… you’ll be contributing less to the trash can! Buy large size instead of regular… save on packaging trash
by Aj / April 30, 2008