Frank Wojciechowski
Folded solar cell
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/Yw1top5iAH4/
benefits of going green what is environment what is an environment
Monday, April 30, 2012
Leaf-Mimicking Design Boosts Output of Solar Panels
By adding microscopic folds onto the surface of photovoltaic materials, a design variation borrowed from a natural leaf, researchers say they have been able to boost the solar output of flexible plastic solar cells by 47 percent. According to the scientists, who published their findings in the journal Nature Photonics, the folds acted as a sort of “wave guide,” channeling light waves and increasing the material’s exposure to light. “I expected that it would increase the photocurrent because the folded surface is quite similar to the morphology of leaves, a natural system with high light harvesting efficiency,” said Jong Bok Kim, a researcher from Princeton University and lead author of the study. “However, when I actually constructed solar cells on top of the folded surface, its effect was better than my expectations.” And since the researchers used relatively inexpensive plastic materials — as opposed to the more expensive silicon commonly used in panels — they hope their findings will help lead to a cheaper and efficient source of solar power.
Urban Heat Effect Drives Faster Tree Growth, Study Says
In a new study, researchers say native red oak seedlings planted in New York City grew far faster than in cooler rural settings. After planting seedlings in two city locations, including Central Park, and in separate locations in the Hudson River Valley and the foothills of the Catskill Mountains, researchers from Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory found that the city trees produced eight times more biomass than those planted in the country. According to their study, published in the journal Tree Physiology, the city trees were exposed to maximum daily temperatures 4 degrees F warmer than the country trees, and minimum averages more than 8 degrees F warmer, driven largely by the well-known “urban heat island” effect. The warm city nights, in particular, allowed the seedlings to perform more of the chemical reactions needed for photosynthesis. The seedlings were planted in the spring and, after caring for all the trees with fertilizer and weekly watering, biomass was measured the following autumn.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/OXfKuWqZBNk/
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Ethical living: what's happened to charity clothing banks?
The recycling bank I usually donate our cast-off clothes to has been replaced by a bin from a commercial recycling company. What's going on?
Over the past 20 years the rag-and-bone trade has had a makeover. Phase one was triggered by the rise of fast-fashion consumerism, when we bought in bulk at low cost and discarded clothes quickly. The lion's share of our cast-offs was slung into landfill (900,000 to 1.2m tonnes a year still ends up there), but the portion we donated to charities put huge pressure on their recycling systems, not least because the clothing was of very low quality. Despite being barely worn, it was hard to sell to British consumers, especially when they could buy new from the high street for the same price. Swamped by old vest tops, many charities turned to private waste processors to do their recycling and sell it to developing countries, receiving a percentage of profits. But the charities still owned the bins and banks. On average, a bag of donated clothes processed in this way earns a charity around £7.
We have now entered phase two. Recyclers report a slight drop in donations, and old clothes command record prices. Some cash-strapped councils have also called time on free pitches for charity clothing bins. Yours is one of these. It has been replaced by collections for private waste contractors. Some will give a percentage of proceeds to charities, but this is substantially smaller than if the charity controls the bin itself.
If you can't beat them, join them. That seems to be the mantra of the Salvation Army (SATCoL is its clothing recycling division), which has just splashed out on a textile sorting company, Kettering Textiles, in order to have 100% control.
Not every charity has the funds and knowledge to do this. They are in a battle for your old threads. Warring factions include cash-for-clothes collections which bypass charities and high-street fashion companies re-using clothing, fibres and scraps. This makes sense when prices for raw materials such as cotton are so high, and it is a bit of an eco victory.
But our hearts go out to the charities. Profits from donated clothes are already lost to bogus collectors and now their cash cow is pursued by all manner of fibre hunters. So next month a consortium of 7,000 shops launches a Choose Charity Shops campaign, urging us to take clothes straight into the store. Most donated clothes will be sold to the huge secondhand clothing markets in developing countries, but it keeps the charity of your choice in the game.
Green crush of the week
The earth has an extraordinary defender in eco explorer Pen Hadow. His expeditions, including a 2003 solo trek from Canada to the Geographic North Pole (he's the only man to have done this), have contributed significantly to environmental and climate science. In preparation for another record-setting polar exploit and scientific survey in 2013, he is doing an eco ultramarathon (as ambassador for the Royal Parks Foundation) in October. For the man who has swum through ice and hauled sledges for 1,200km it will surely be a walk in the park.
penhadow.com
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/apr/29/lucy-siegle-charity-clothing-banks
how to save the energy environmental effects environmental management
Rethinking Carbon Dioxide: From a Pollutant to an Asset
Three startup companies led by prominent scientists are working on new technologies to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The scientific community is skeptical, but these entrepreneurs believe the process of CO2 removal can eventually be profitable and help cool an overheating planet.
BY MARC GUNTHER
BY MARC GUNTHER
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/7rFIXuZ9GKM/
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Brita FilterForGood Music Project Joins the Spring 2012 Campus Consciousness Tour
Tour Will Combine Music, Environmental Awareness and Offer Students Opportunities to Go Green There’s still time to celebrate Earth Month! The Brita FilterForGood Music Project has teamed up with the Spring 2012 Campus Consciousness Tour (CCT) (featuring GRAMMY-nominated artist J. … Continue reading
natural environment environmental technology our environment
Shell says no to North Sea
Oil company insists it can't make the numbers add up to justify offshore windfarms
Shell will not be joining David Cameron's crusade to attract private sector investment into creating a North Sea wind revolution despite its commitment to turbines in the US.
Simon Henry, the company's finance director, said Shell "can't make the numbers" add up to justify building offshore windfarms. That contrasts with onshore turbines in America where it controls almost 1 gigawatt of wind power. The British government should support an industry that is "already successful" – such as oil and gas – as much as chase a renewable power sector that is still trying to become profitable, Henry added.
He was speaking as Shell reported enormous first quarter profits and as Cameron made a rare plea for help with renewable power at the Clean Energy Ministerial meeting in London. The prime minister described renewables as the "fastest growing energy source on the planet".
He believed that "the UK's biggest opportunity is in the North Sea," he said. Past success of the oil and gas sector there had come about because of the "ingenuity of the private sector" and government and business together could enable the UK to lead the world in both wind power plus carbon capture and storage, he added.
Shell, which has enormous experience of oil and gas operations in the North Sea, said the current economics of wind power did not stack up, although it promised to keep a "watching brief". Henry said his company was spending $6bn on "alternative" energy including biofuels but also warned the government that it must be careful that a vast amount of the public subsidies going into renewables did not end up all going to "Asian manufacturers", which dominated many supply chains.
North Sea oil companies won tax concessions from the government in the March budget but are still smarting from being hammered by a £2bn windfall tax the year before.
Shell is looking at the potential for onshore shale gas production in Britain and wider Europe but suspects progress in the sector will be slow because this is a "small continent with a lot of people."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/apr/26/shell-says-no-north-sea-wind-power
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Tribunal to hear plea against nod to Jindal's power plant
The National Green Tribunal today agreed to hear a plea challenging the environmental clearance granted to Jindal Power Ltd on November 4, 2011, for increasing the capacity of its 1,200 MW coal-based thermal power plant in Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh to 2,400 MW.
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Source: http://timesofindia.feedsportal.com/fy/8at2Eth0YvnTA2Fy/story01.htm
how to save the energy environmental effects environmental management
Shunning Nuclear Power Will Lead to a Warmer World
A physicist argues that if we allow our overblown and often irrational fears of nuclear energy to block the building of a significant number of new nuclear plants, we will be choosing a far more perilous option: the intensified burning of planet-warming fossil fuels.
BY SPENCER R. WEART
BY SPENCER R. WEART
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/86P_q-PgqLI/
Saturday, April 28, 2012
On the Road Back to Rio, Green Direction Has Been Lost
Twenty years ago, an historic environmental summit in Rio de Janeiro produced groundbreaking treaties and high hopes that pressing issues would be addressed. But as organizers prepare for the Rio+20 conference in June, there is little on the agenda to suggest any substantive action will be taken.
BY FRED PEARCE
BY FRED PEARCE
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/MxvESdQs0FM/
environment and health global warming causes environmental conservation
Iran: Opposition sites under cyber attack
Several blogs and sites reported [fa] in recent days several Iranian reformist and green sites such as daneshjoonews have been under cyber attack. Written by Fred Petrossian · comments (0) Share: Donate · facebook · twitter · reddit · StumbleUpon · delicious · Instapaper
Source: http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/04/27/iran-opposition-sites-under-cyber-attack/
Shell says no to North Sea
Oil company insists it can't make the numbers add up to justify offshore windfarms
Shell will not be joining David Cameron's crusade to attract private sector investment into creating a North Sea wind revolution despite its commitment to turbines in the US.
Simon Henry, the company's finance director, said Shell "can't make the numbers" add up to justify building offshore windfarms. That contrasts with onshore turbines in America where it controls almost 1 gigawatt of wind power. The British government should support an industry that is "already successful" – such as oil and gas – as much as chase a renewable power sector that is still trying to become profitable, Henry added.
He was speaking as Shell reported enormous first quarter profits and as Cameron made a rare plea for help with renewable power at the Clean Energy Ministerial meeting in London. The prime minister described renewables as the "fastest growing energy source on the planet".
He believed that "the UK's biggest opportunity is in the North Sea," he said. Past success of the oil and gas sector there had come about because of the "ingenuity of the private sector" and government and business together could enable the UK to lead the world in both wind power plus carbon capture and storage, he added.
Shell, which has enormous experience of oil and gas operations in the North Sea, said the current economics of wind power did not stack up, although it promised to keep a "watching brief". Henry said his company was spending $6bn on "alternative" energy including biofuels but also warned the government that it must be careful that a vast amount of the public subsidies going into renewables did not end up all going to "Asian manufacturers", which dominated many supply chains.
North Sea oil companies won tax concessions from the government in the March budget but are still smarting from being hammered by a £2bn windfall tax the year before.
Shell is looking at the potential for onshore shale gas production in Britain and wider Europe but suspects progress in the sector will be slow because this is a "small continent with a lot of people."
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/apr/26/shell-says-no-north-sea-wind-power
Friday, April 27, 2012
E-eye to keep a tab on tigers in Corbett
With poachers posing a massive threat to tigers in India, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has launched a pilot project in Uttarakhand's Corbett National Park for round-the-clock surveillance of the park using high definition cameras.
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Source: http://timesofindia.feedsportal.com/fy/8at2Eth0YoGjw2Eq/story01.htm
Digital Defenders: Tribal People Use GPS to Protect Their Lands
From the rainforests of central Africa to the Australian outback, indigenous people armed with GPS devices are surveying their territories and producing maps they can use to protect them from logging and other outside development.
BY FRED PEARCE
BY FRED PEARCE
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/oE3O9wduvds/
GOOD Maker Finalists: Unconventional Lending Libraries
Have more, own less. That’s the ethos behind the online communities helping people lend and exchange the stuff collecting dust in their garages. Think swap.com, NeighborGoods, and GiftFlow. Thanks to hundreds of digital platforms like these, the sharing economy is booming, curbing wasteful forms of hyper-consumption in simple but innovative ways. So we took notice when many of you proposed GOOD Maker projects that take borrowing offline and create space for connection in your neighborhood. These submissions give us reason to hope that collaborative consumption isn’t merely a trend, but a movement that’s here to stay.
Take the Hamline Midway Coalition in St. Paul, Minnesota. The community organization submitted a creative plan to start a neighborhood library that stocks gardening tools which are usually expensive and only needed for short projects. In other words, the kind that are perfect for sharing. Why purchase a $200 weed wrench when you can borrow one for the afternoon?
In Portland, OR, Kitchen Share Southeast operates a community library of specialty cooking utensils. The program, which was started by Americorps volunteer Kim Mack, plans to offer neighbors a diverse collection of free kitchen appliances and tools, from pasta machines to popcorn makers. Mack envisions Kitchen Share, a participant in the GOOD 100 Challenge on GOOD Maker, expanding someday to include a community-supported kitchen where locals can swap both recipes and cutlery.
Last summer, fellow Portland resident, artist, and GOOD Maker finalist Laura Allcorn created FLUX, a lending service that offers fashionistas an alternative to owning. Says Allcorn, “FLUX was born out of a curiosity I had in the future of fashion. It’s clear, given the rising costs due to material shortages, that our current pace of consumption is not sustainable.” She thought about how little she wore some of the garments in her own closet, especially dresses and blouses that seemed to lose their luster after a few wears. After gauging local interest, Allcorn opened a brick-and-mortar storefront for six weeks to experiment with the free service, discovering that women enjoyed the experience almost as much as spending money at a boutique. She remembers, “Many said they loved finding something new to mix into their wardrobe. The pieces they borrowed somehow made their other garments feel new again.” The next FLUX pop-up is set to open in Portland this summer.
Want to learn more about GOOD Maker and how to submit a brilliant idea of your own? Drop us a line at maker[at]goodinc[dot]com, sign up for our email list, or check out the current challenges on GOOD Maker.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/good/lbvp/~3/3bx1bZnNK4Q/
going green at home eco friendly building materials go green articles
India keen to set up bio-technology based industries in Nepal
Indian entrepreneurs are willing to invest both capital and technology for setting up of biotech based industries in Nepal, the country's Ambassador to Nepal Jayant Prasad said.
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Source: http://timesofindia.feedsportal.com/fy/8at2Eth0YdoNX2Cu/story01.htm
water in the environment conservation of environment conservation of the environment
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Spotlight: The Royal British Legion's Celebrity Supporters
The Royal British Legion, founded in 1921, is a membership organization that provides welfare services and campaigns on issues affecting Service people, ex-Service personnel and their families.
Celebrity supporters
The Royal British Legion has 4 known supporters, including Stella McCartney, Robin Gibb, and Vera Lynn
Areas of work
Read more about The Royal British Legion's work and celebrity supporters.Related articles
- Royals To Attend James Bond Premiere
- X Factor Stars Top The Charts For Charity
- Radiohead Release Charity Song For Royal British Legion
- Stephen Fry And Joanna Lumley Recite Poems For Soldiers
- Celebrities Make The Sound Of Silence For Charity
Find out more about contributing, or how to contact celebrities.
Copyright © 2012 Look To The Stars. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this via email or in your news reader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright, and we would be grateful if you would contact us.
Source: http://www.looktothestars.org/charity/1327-the-royal-british-legion
Want to Make Rational Decisions? Think About Them In a Foreign Language. | 80beats
Behavioral economists have documented the all too many ways that humans are predictably irrational. Emotions and biases often just get the better of us. In a new study in Psychological Science, however, psychologists found that people forced to think in a foreign language made more rational decisions. C’est vrai!
Psychologists took classic scenarios from behavioral economics and posed them to students in their native and foreign languages. Here’s an example of one:
There’s a disease epidemic sweeping through the country, and without medicine, 600,000 people will die. You have to choose one of two medicines to make:
If you choose medicine A, 200,000 people will be saved. If you choose medicine B, there is a 1/3 chance of saving 600,000 people and a 2/3 of saving no one. Which medicine do you choose?
Most people would go with A, the less risky bet, because we’re risk-averse when the choice is framed as a gain—as in “saving people.” But what if we framed the question a little differently in this second scenario?
If you choose medicine A, 400,000 people will die. If you choose medicine B, there is a 1/3 chance of saving 600,000 people and a 2/3 of saving no ...
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/DiscoverMag/~3/Cxu2oX08E14/
Glaciers in Asian Range Are Gaining Ice, Study Says
A new study has found that a series of glaciers located in a mountain range along the rim of the Tibetan plateau may actually be gaining mass, in contrast to global trends. In an analysis of satellite data, a team of French researchers found that numerous glaciers in the Karakoram mountain range, which straddles China’s border with India and Pakistan, increased in ice thickness from 1999 to 2008. While it is unclear why glaciers in this mountain range are getting thicker as most of the planet’s glaciers are losing ice, recent studies suggest that the region’s climate has actually cooled; from 1961 to 2000, weather stations recorded increases in winter precipitation and lower summer temperatures. Otherwise, “we have no idea what’s behind the odd behavior of these glaciers, or when it started,” said Julie Gardelle, a glaciologist at the University of Grenoble in France and lead author of the study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/X_T_0QZ-0NE/
Infographic: Americans Say 'Drill, Baby, Drill'
As gas prices rise and some traditional sources of energy are depleted, Americans' opinions on where the nation should get its fuel have shifted considerably. The emphasis on funding solar, wind, and other environmentally friendly power projects has given way to renewed attention toward offshore oil and gas drilling.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/good/lbvp/~3/TsDqps8BlIs/
environment protection protection of the environment protection of environment
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Free guide to Britain's wild flowers, this Sunday with the Observer
Get out and about this weekend with our free pocket guide to Britain's wild flowers - an exclusive extract from Sarah Raven's Wild Flowers
Inspired by childhood excursions with her botanist father, award-winning garden writer Sarah Raven shares her love of Britain's wild flowers. From wetlands to wastelands, and from coasts to chalk downs, our pocket guide features her pick of some of the most breathtaking wild flowers that the British Isles has to offer.
With conservation organisations and grant aid encouraging habitat restoration over that past 20 years, wild flowers may be more restricted in range than they once were, but are far from extinct. Everyone in the UK is less than an hour from a wild flower site so start exploring with this hugely informative and beautiful pocket guide.
Don't miss our guide to Britain's wild flowers - this Suday with the Observer.
To save more than £20 on Sarah Raven's Wild Flowers click here to buy now.
guardian.co.uk © 2012 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/apr/24/wild-flowers-guide-sarah-raven
water in the environment conservation of environment conservation of the environment
Gujarat bags award for watershed mangement project
Gujarat has been given the Prime Minister's Award for excellence in public administration 2010-11 here on the Civil Services Day saturday for working the integrated watershed management programme.
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Source: http://timesofindia.feedsportal.com/fy/8at2Eth0YkAKv2E2/story01.htm
Floating Wind Farm Research Receives Boost from U.S., UK Leaders
U.S. and UK officials have announced plans to work together in developing floating wind turbine technology, an innovation that could open new areas of the world’s oceans to wind energy generation. In a collaboration announced in London, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu and UK Energy Secretary Edward Davey said they would help fund research into floating platforms that would support turbines in waters as deep as 500 feet, where wind speeds are consistently higher than near-shore wind farm sites. Officials hope floating turbine technology will reduce the costs of offshore wind, avoiding expenses associated with building on seabed foundations and allowing turbine repairs to occur in port rather than on the water. “Floating wind turbines will allow us to exploit more of our wind resource, potentially more cheaply,” Davey said.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/YaleEnvironment360/~3/hFf0gKCCatU/
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Make-A-Wish Teen Meets The Wanted
Boyband The Wanted recently took time out from their busy schedule to meet a special teen with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
14-year-old Jordanne, who has Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2 (an incurable muscle-wasting disease), travelled from her home in Gloucestershire to meet band members Max, Siva, Jay, Tom and Nathan at the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff before they took to the stage as part of their first ever UK arena tour.
Before meeting the band Jordanne, who relies heavily on her pink electric wheelchair, was able to listen to the sound check along with her Mum, Samantha, and sister, Shannon. Jordanne was so overwhelmed when Siva blew her a kiss and Jay came down to speak to her that she cried! After the sound check she finally got to meet them all, including her favourite – Nathan – who had a discussion with her about the quality of his bacon sandwiches! After meeting the band Jordanne said: “This was what I had been waiting for, for two weeks, and it was overwhelming. I really love them!”
Jordanne was diagnosed with SMA Type 2 when she was just two years old. In 2008 she had a scoliosis repair to straighten her spine and currently sleeps on a ventilator. Jordanne’s Mum, Samantha, explains how her illness restricts her from doing certain things and the family as a whole have to be more aware of everything. She said: “I’m really pleased that Make-A-Wish was able to fulfil her wish – we’re very grateful to the charity.”
Jordanne went on to say: “There wasn’t just one good moment, the whole thing was amazing! …I’m still getting flustered and excited about it now. Thank you, Make-A-Wish, for everything you do and have done for me. That little bit of magic still brightens up my down days.”
Related past articles
- Justin Bieber And Miley Cyrus Back World Wish Day
- Ashton Kutcher Caddies For Michael Jordan For Charity
- Stars Come Out For Michael Jordan's Celebrity Charity Golf
- Make-A-Wish Kids Prepare For WWE WrestleMania XVIII
- Ne-Yo To Perform At Michael Jordan's Celebrity Charity Invitational
Find out more about contributing, or how to contact celebrities.
Copyright © 2012 Look To The Stars. This article may not be reproduced without explicit written permission; if you are not reading this via email or in your news reader, the site you are viewing is illegally infringing our copyright, and we would be grateful if you would contact us.
Source: http://www.looktothestars.org/news/8243-make-a-wish-teen-meets-the-wanted
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