Fossil Free China Tests Hydrogen-Powered Mass Transit China has started testing the world’s first hydrogen-powered tram. Although hydrogen fuel cells have been around for a while and are currently being used and tested in a variety of vehicles, including buses, the country is the first to master the technology for trams. Hydrogen is extremely abundant and can be extracted from a variety of sources, both renewable and non-renewable. Hydrogen-fuel cell…
Embracing Invasives Rethinking the Balance of Nature Environmental journalist Fred Pearce, author of the new book The New Wild: Why Invasive Species Will Be Nature’s Salvation, traveled across six continents and ecosystems from remote Pacific islands to the United Kingdom and the Great Lakes to reveal some outdated scientific ideas about invasive species and the balance of nature. Pearce argues that mainstream environmentalists are correct that we need a rewilding…
Spring Cleaning Connecticut Initiates Mattress Recycling Connecticut has introduced the nation’s first-ever mattress recycling program to get old beds off the curb and into the renewable waste stream via Park City Green, a cavernous warehouse in Bridgeport where mattresses go to die and get reborn. One of only two mattress recycling facilities in the state, it employs workers that manually break down bedding parts, separating the materials into giant piles…
Secular Socialization Today’s Young Adults Are the Least Religious Ever Researchers, led by San Diego State University psychology Professor Jean M. Twenge, Ph.D., found that millennials are the least religious generation of the last six decades, and possibly in the nation’s history. They analyzed data from 11.2 million respondents from four nationally representative surveys of U.S. adolescents ages 13 to 18 taken between 1966 and 2014. Results published in the…
Bottomless Well De-Salting Water Could Help Drought-Stricken Areas A team from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Jain Irrigation Systems has devised a method of turning brackish water into drinking water using renewable energy. This solar-powered machine is able to pull salt out of water and disinfect it with ultraviolet rays, making it suitable for both irrigation and drinking. Electrodialysis works by passing a stream of water between two electrodes…
Wind Win A Third of U.S. Power May Be Wind by 2050 According to a new study by the U.S. Energy Department (Tinyurl.com/EnergyDepartmentWindReport), wind power could provide more than a third of the nation’s electricity in a few decades, while posting a net savings in energy costs. Undersecretary for Technology and Energy Lynn Orr, Ph.D., states, “With continued commitment, wind can be the cheapest, cleanest option in all 50 states…
Happy Eco-Birthday! Parties that Celebrate Life and the Planet The most memorable birthday parties make us feel good, and going green makes them feel even better. Youngsters Location matters. Consider a park or beach as a setting to promote exercise and time outdoors. Children’s museums and wildlife centers frequently host kids’ birthday parties. Other “experience parties”, as suggested at Tinyurl.com/GreenChildPartyTips, include pottery making, tie-dyeing organic T-shirts or touring a local…
The world has become less peaceful over the last seven years, according to the 2014 Global Peace Index. It measures peace in 162 countries according to 22 indicators that gauge both the absence and fear of violence. This is the seventh year the index has been produced. Results from the 2014 Global Peace Index show that since 2008, 111 countries have deteriorated in levels of peace, while 51 increased. E urope retains its position as the most peaceful region, with 14 of the top…
A new service called Plated (Plated.com) is providing households the ability to prepare a fresh, homemade dinner without having to think about menu planning or grocery shopping. The ingredients arrive at the door in a biodegradable box, pre- portioned and ready to cook in 30 minutes. Customers browse a rotating menu of chef-designed recipes on the Plated website and select their favorites each week, add the number of plates to the shopping cart and set a delivery…
In 2010, the U .S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) proposed recommendations for environmental marketing claims. The agency has sent warning letters to 15 marketers informing them that their claims may be deceptive, and requested more scientific evidence that plastic bags labeled as biodegradable, or “oxodegradable”, implying the bag will break down in time when exposed to oxygen, were true to the claim. Because many bags are dumped in the low-oxygen environment of a landfill, the FTC considers those advertised…