How to Find a Reputable Eco Travel Company

When it comes to planning a holiday, some people like nothing more than to sit scouring the internet for hours, maybe sometimes days or weeks, in an attempt to find the perfect holiday. Others find it a right pain in the neck. And when you’re desperately trying to be responsible and uphold your eco-friendly beliefs, finding a tour company that can prove their practices are genuinely green can be daunting. Read more here, http://www.ecotourismlogue.com/planning-a-trip/how-to-find-a-reputable-eco-travel-company.html

US Researchers Hope to Tap Ocean Flows for Electricity

Researchers in the United States are set to begin testing underwater turbine systems that can produce electricity from ocean water flows.
The same energy that drives ocean waves and currents may be a rich source of electrical power. Researchers in Florida say even gentle flows of two or three knots are enough to drive a propeller attached to an underwater turbine. Advocates say ocean power could be cheap and help replace oil or coal-based systems that are blamed for global warming. Read here, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52241

New Ohio Law Expected to Spawn 5,000-7,000 MW Wind Market

Following unanimous Senate concurrence with an Ohio House bill, legislation to establish a 12.5%-by-2025 renewable electricity standard (RES) is headed to the desk of Governor Ted Strickland (D). The governor is expected to sign the bill on May 1st, but has offered no public statement regarding the final legislation. More, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52310

Bioheat Gaining Support in the Northeast United States

With heating season coming to a close in the Northeast, businesses, homeowners and other utility customers are looking back at their heating bills and thinking about how they might bring them down next year. While conservation is an option for some, many people aren't willing to sacrifice comfort to save money. Bioheat systems may provide some relief. Read here, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52272

Eco Friendly Cars For The Cheapskate

Sometimes I think it would be nice to buy a brand-new shiny car, but then I think about all the downsides. Car payments. Being at the mercy of what the manufacturers are willing to create. The off-gassing that we call "new car smell." Credit checks. Learning how to negotiate with car dealers. Let me tell you what I've done instead.... More here, http://greenhome.huddler.com/wiki/eco-friendly-cars-for-the-cheapskate

Some scary water stats from an expert

MENLO PARK, Calif.--How much water does it take to make a pair of leather shoes? Eight-thousand liters.
That's from Hans Enggrob, head of innovation at the DHI Water Group, a research and consulting firm, speaking at the Nordic Green conference taking place this week at SRI International's offices here.
More, http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9925900-54.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=GreenTechblog

Green burials coming to B.C., possibly Ontario

A burgeoning industry catering to the desire to be green -- even in death -- will soon offer mourners a new environmentally friendly option to bury their loved ones in British Columbia and is also working toward setting up shop in a small southern Ontario community. Read here, http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080420/green_burials_080420/20080420/

10 Ways You Can Improve Earth's Health

The scientific and political arguments surrounding the health of our planet can make the whole topic seem beyond the grasp of the individual. How fast is the climate changing? Exactly what effect to humans have? And what will the government do about it? Interested, read here, http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20080422/sc_livescience/10waysyoucanimproveearthshealth;_ylt=AovFB.1vWhvPyiDaS2h7.xWs0NUE

New Hydroelectric Dam in Congo Could Double Africa's Electricity Capacity

Several African governments and the world’s largest construction firms and banks met recently to discuss a proposed $80 billion hydroelectric dam that would double the amount of electricity available to the African continent.
Proponents hope the Grand Inga dam in the Democratic Republic of the Congo will jump start the continent’s economy, and say the dam will produce twice as much electricity as the world current largest dam, the Three Gorges in China.
More, http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/apr/21/congo.water

Rock Port declares itself 100 percent wind powered

ROCK PORT, Mo. (Map, News) - Officials in this northwest Missouri town christened a four-turbine wind farm this week, making Rock Port the first U.S. city to get all of its electricity from wind power. Read here, http://www.examiner.com/a-1349767~Rock_Port_declares_itself_100_percent_wind_powered.html?cid=rss-Missouri_Headlines

Costa Rica Is 99% Powered By Renewable Energy

Costa Rica is a country rich with renewable energy. In fact, it gets about 99% of all its electrical energy from clean sources, and it’s aiming to be the first country to become carbon neutral (more about that below). Some of Costa Rica’s energy sources include geothermal energy, the burning of sugarcane waste and other biomass, solar and wind energy. However, the largest source of energy is hydroelectricity — its hydroelectric dams provide more than 82% of the country’s electricity.
Read more here, http://www.metaefficient.com/renewable-power/costa-rica-is-99-powered-by-renewable-energy.html

Clipper Windpower: Setting Up To Become a Global Player

The year 2007 was an eventful one for the U.S. wind power industry, and it certainly was an eventful one for Clipper Windpower. Now, 2008 is starting out in similar fashion for the Carpinteria, CA-based US wind turbine manufacturer and wind power project development company. More here, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52228

Renewable Energy Holds Promising Future in India

According to the 11th New and Renewable Energy five-year plan recently proposed by the government of India, from 2008-2012 the renewable energy market in India will reach an estimated US $19 billion. Investments of US $15 billion will be required in order to add the approximately 15,000 megawatts (MW) of renewable energy to the present installed capacity. Read more, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52214

Solar Leasing Makes Cents

In California, a combination of state incentives, a federal tax credit, and a new solar leasing program could create the perfect storm for the state's solar industry. SolarCity is changing the landscape of the residential solar market in California and the Phoenix metropolitan area by offering solar leases, which significantly reduces the upfront cost of going solar. Read more, http://www.triplepundit.com/pages/solar-leasing-makes-cents-003044.php

Process That Makes Ethanol with Vinegar Absorbs More Carbon Dioxide, Doesn't Use Corn, and Is $1.50 a Gallon

ZeaChem HQ (TGW) – ZeaChem technology has perfected a process that turns virtually any form of biomass into cheap ethanol.
The process would eliminated recent criticism of ethanol in that it ZeaChem’s process would not necessarily need corn, soy, or any other food to create the fuel.
Read more here, http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9891603-54.html?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=GreenTechblog

MIT Professor Improves Solar Cell 27%, Cuts Costs at the Same Time

An MIT researcher claims he can improve the efficiency of multicrystalline silicon solar cells by 27% at a cheaper cost.
The claims are based on tests done on extremely small solar cells by Professor Emanuel Sachs and his startup, 1366 Technologies.
Read more, http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/20476/

Debate rages over plastic bottle chemical's safety

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Canada is moving to get rid of products with a chemical common in plastic baby bottles, the United States is expressing concern over its safety and some retailers are planning to stop selling these items.
But whether the chemical bisphenol A poses genuine health risks in people remains a matter of debate, with industry groups defending its safety and environmental activists saying studies involving animals show otherwise. More here, http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080418/wl_canada_nm/canada_plastic_bottles_controversy_col_1

Urban Sustainability: A Force for Change

Over the last 50 years urban populations have exploded, causing a slew of environmental and social problems. However, many community planners see the world's urbanization not as a threat, but as a powerful force for addressing climate change and building a sustainable future. Read here, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52180

Fuel Choices, Food Crises and Finger-Pointing

The idea of turning farms into fuel plants seemed, for a time, like one of the answers to high global oil prices and supply worries. That strategy seemed to reach a high point last year when Congress mandated a fivefold increase in the use of biofuels.
But now a reaction is building against policies in the United States and Europe to promote ethanol and similar fuels, with political leaders from poor countries contending that these fuels are driving up food prices and starving poor people. Biofuels are fast becoming a new flash point in global diplomacy, putting pressure on Western politicians to reconsider their policies, even as they argue that biofuels are only one factor in the seemingly inexorable rise in food prices. Read here, http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/15/business/worldbusiness/15food.html?ei=5065&en=9e715f242c497f48&ex=1208923200&partner=MYWAY&pagewanted=print

As other staples soar, potatoes break new ground

LIMA (Reuters) - As wheat and rice prices surge, the humble potato -- long derided as a boring tuber prone to making you fat -- is being rediscovered as a nutritious crop that could cheaply feed an increasingly hungry world. Read here, http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN0830529220080415?feedType=RSS&feedName=worldNews&rpc=22&sp=true

What It Costs To Build A Vertical Farm

The traditional concept of farming may soon be taking a new twist. Up until now, most people have envisioned farms as outdoor sprawling fields located in the country, but in the future, the picture may be replaced with a citified version of three dimensional "farms" that will be located right on busy city streets inside tall buildings, with one "field" stacked floor after floor on top of the other in order to make the best use of dwindling resources and space. Read here, http://gogreen.whatitcosts.com/vertical-farm.htm

Global warming rage lets global hunger grow

We drive, they starve. The mass diversion of the North American grain harvest into ethanol plants for fuel is reaching its political and moral limits. "The reality is that people are dying already," said Jacques Diouf, of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). "Naturally people won't be sitting dying of starvation, they will react," he said. Read the story here, http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/04/14/ccview114.xml

How to Reduce Paper Waste and Styrofoam Usage in Packaging

Next time you bite into fish bought at the deli, think for a moment what brought it to your store: Probably a wax coated box. A box that is difficult or impossible to recycle, depending on area facilities, and requires separate sorting, adding to the labor involved in processing store waste.
Read more, http://www.triplepundit.com/pages/how-to-reduce-paper-waste-and--003020.php

The real Good Life: An entire village turns against supermarkets and grows its own food

It was a sitcom that inspired many a household to live off the land.
And although it might not attract the likes of Margo and Jerry to move to the area, an entire village is trying its hand at the Good Life.

In a bid to become less dependent on supermarkets, the residents of Martin are working together to become as self-sufficient as possible. Read here, http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=559580&in_page_id=1770

WMU Researchers Create Biofuels from Waste Oil & Algae

Researchers at Western Michigan University (WMU) are working to develop two biofuel production processes that could help the city of Kalamazoo, Michigan move toward environmental sustainability. More, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52163

Texas Study: Benefits of Wind Transmission Outweigh Costs

A long-awaited study identifying the transmission infrastructure needed to link wind-rich areas in western Texas with population centers in the central and eastern parts of the state concludes that such transmission could be built at modest cost to ratepayers. More, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52103

Green Gasoline Could Power Future Cars and Jets

Researchers have made a breakthrough in the development of "green gasoline," a liquid identical to standard gasoline yet created from biomass sources like switchgrass and poplar trees. More, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52115

Focus on European Smart Grids

A host of initiatives across Europe has led to an explosion in interest into how, and where, smart grids will be implemented and deployed. More, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52104

Vertical Axis Wind Turbine Gets Funding

Mariah Power HQ (TGW) – Mariah Power has raised $500,000 from venture capital firm Big Sky Partners for its vertical axis wind turbine, it said this week. More, http://thoughtsonglobalwarming.blogspot.com/2008/04/vertical-axis-wind-turbine-gets-funding.html

Chevy Volt’s Lithium-Ion Batteries Road- Tested By Month’s End

GM’s plug-in hybrid electric car, the Chevy Volt, will have its lithium-ion batteries road-tested by end of the month. Engineers have already been testing the Volt’s electrical hybrid system, the so-called E-Flex architecture, but only with nickel-metal hydride hybrid batteries in place. The newer, more advanced lithium-ion batteries are seen as the key to to the vehicle, since they store energy more efficiently than other batteries of the same size. More, http://gas2.org/2008/04/10/chevy-volts-lithium-ion-batteries-road-tested-by-months-end/

Europe’s EPA Advises Suspending Biofuel Targets

Today the European Environment Agency’s (EEA) Scientific Committee recommended suspending the EUs target for 10% biofuel usage by 2020, due to concerns that first-generation biofuels (those made from food crops) are environmentally unsound. More here, http://gas2.org/2008/04/10/europes-epa-advises-suspending-biofuel-targets/

The Northwest Clean Energy Horizon

Vancouver, BC [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]
Good weather and an appetite for sustainability appear to be the main factors driving the formation of a world-class "clean energy cluster" in the Pacific Northwest. Skilled workers with strong creative talent are attracted to the area, and it's no coincidence that a range of renewable energy firms are setting up shop here as a result. More, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=51926

Al Gore: New thinking on the climate crisis

In Al Gore's brand-new slideshow (premiering exclusively on TED.com), he presents evidence that the pace of climate change may be even worse than scientists were recently predicting, and challenges us to act with a sense of "generational mission" -- the kind of feeling that brought forth the civil rights movement -- to set it right. See the video here, http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/243

Olympic Torch Emits 5500 Tons of CO2 - More Than the Country of Niue

Mt. Olympus - If you need another reason to get pissed about this year's Olympics, you've got one: by the time it's done, the Olympic torch will have emitted about 11 million pounds of CO2.That is 5500 tons of the stuff, more than the whole country of Niue. More here, http://thoughtsonglobalwarming.blogspot.com/2008/04/olympic-torch-emits-5500-tons-of-co2.html

Renewable Energy Comes to Israel's Valley of the Sun

A heady mix of environmentalism, entrepreneurism, participatory democracy and shifting notions of energy and national security is brewing in Israel's Arava Valley. Bordering the Negev desert plateau in Israel's far south, the relatively sparsely populated region has already bloomed into an agricultural center, thanks to underground aquifers, desalinization and prudent, innovative water resource management. More, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52065

Solar Thermal Electricity: Can it Replace Coal, Gas, and Oil?

One of the most common arguments against large-scale use of renewable energy is that it cannot produce a steady, reliable stream of energy, day and night. Ausra Inc. does not agree. They believe that solar thermal technology can supply over 90% of grid power, while reducing carbon emissions. More here, http://cleantechnica.com/2008/03/27/solar-thermal-electricity-can-it-replace-coal-gas-and-oil/

Earth Day is Coming

Earth Day is April 22,2008
Check out some events. Earth Day links,
Earth Day Site, http://ww2.earthday.net/
Canada, http://www.earthday.ca/pub/index.php
USA, http://www.earthday.gov/
WWF, http://www.worldwildlife.org/earthday2008/
Tree Hugger, http://www.treehugger.com/earth-day/

"Th!nk City" it feels like a car!

According to the guy in this video the Th!nk City is the only EV that feels like a car. It might not be the most beautiful car out there but I believe it’s the most reliable EV with it’s 125 miles driving range and a full charge of only 8 hours. If you compare it to a Smart that uses fuel, the Th!nk is better for your wallet and better for the environment. That of course is the case if you live in Europe because the car is not available in North-America and probable won’t be for the next few years. More, http://www.talkgreen.ca/thnk-city-it-feels-like-a-car/

Hydrogen-based Vehicle Research Initiative is Making Progress

A public-private effort to develop technologies for more fuel-efficient automobiles and to investigate the feasibility of hydrogen-based vehicles has made significant progress in most research areas, according to a new report from the National Research Council. Read the report here, http://www.renewableenergyworld.com/rea/news/story?id=52025