Daily Archives: January 9, 2009

Airline to Pursue Legal Action to Recoup Damages?
Feelings have been running high about the future of aviation in the UK. We’ve seen the Conservative Party coming out against a new Heathrow runway, we’ve seen anti-aviation protesters scaling the Parliament building, and we’ve even seen flightless penguins joining the flying and climate change debate. But one controversial tact

Since 2004, the Mexico City government has been trying to convince residents to separate their trash for recycling and composting purposes. An ambitious solid waste law requires residents and businesses to separate organic waste from inorganic trash.

Unfortunately, a lot of plastic and other inorganic matter ends up in the organic receptacles, stymieing efforts to generate a clean channel of compostable garbage. As we repor

all images via dvice

OK, so why is that top bar sticking out either end? Turns out that there is an LED integrated into each end, evidently solar powered too, though I can’t see any solar cells. Or perhaps you can open it up and fill the thing with a dozen D batteries.

Image: Google Maps. We think this is the Widows Creek power plant where the spill happened, but if anyone from Alabama could confirm, please do so in the comments.

Coal Waste Spill at At Alabama Coal Plant
It wasn’t so long ago that we were writing about the big environmental fail (that’s the current lingo, I think) in Tennessee where 2.6 million cubic yards of coal ash sludge broke through a dike and covered 400 acres up to six feet deep. Now the Tennessee Valley Authority says “a waste pond at its Widows Creek power plant in northeast Alabama ha

Schwinn has put out a very cool electric assist bike using battery technology created exclusively for this bike by Toshiba.

Read on to watch a video demonstration.

A volunteer on an Earthwatch project measures a coral reef that has been affected by climate change and runoff.
Image credit:James Crabbe

By: George Grattan (Note: The opinions expressed in this blog are the author’s, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Earthwatch.)

On his way out the door-with a reputation and a record as one of the worst modern American presidents on scientific and environmental issues – President George W. Bush nevertheless did something right: with the stroke of a pen, he created the largest marine conservation area in the world across nine sites in three regio

Hymini has the greenest-looking booth that I’ve seen so far at CES, and it’s because they are super serious about alternative energy. They’ve debuted a family of alternative energy chargers, and a few more really cool items are featured at their cube.

Read on for a video explaining their new ways to charge gadgets via bike, and their Polli-Bricks.

While writing the obit for Empyrian Homes I alluded to the original Acorn house, describing it briefly and noting that Acorn founder John Bemis put it together with Architect Carl Koch. I could find little information, other than references to a Life Magazine article and one reference to a book by Koch. Through the wonders of ABE I was able to find and buy a copy from William Davis and Son in Oreland PA.

And what a remarkable story it tells, and how little things have cha

CES is rife with greenwashing, and one booth that made it to the miniscule and well hidden “Sustainable Planet” section is Fuji’s EnviroMAX batteries. These are anything but eco-friendly and the advertising for them makes me turn green, and not in a good way.

Fly ash spill near graveyard. Kingston, TN. Image credit:Lane Boldman

There is no such thing as clean coal. It is filthy, it is destructive when mined, it is poisonous when burned and it contaminates ground water when the coal ash is land-filled or spilled. And more and more lately it’s also turning out to be a bad investment. Coal stories over the past month make it clear: The future’s not looking so bright. Witness these events — the good, the bad, and the ugly: