Reware’s Juice Bag
Reware’s Juice Bag - Engadget - www.engadget.com /: "The Voltaic definitely ain’t the only game around when it comes to solar backpacks anymore; we’ve seen a lot of knockoffs of late, but Reware’s Juice Bag also is the first we’ve seen that plays up the hybrid angle, its ability to jack into a car cigarette lighter for a little extra oomph."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 4:15 PM (0) comments

 
BBC NEWS | Europe | Mystery of German exploding toads
BBC NEWS | Europe | Mystery of German exploding toads: "Mystery of German exploding toads
Toad (Pic courtesy of Freefoto)
The toads of Altona are dying in their thousands
Toads in an area of northern Germany are being killed off by a mysterious disease - they are exploding.

Thousands of the amphibians have died in recent days in a pond in Hamburg's Altona district, with their bodies swelling to bursting point.

The toads' entrails are propelled for up to a metre (3.2ft), in scenes that have been likened to science fiction.

Scientists are baffled. Possible explanations include a unknown virus or a fungus in the pond."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 12:41 PM (0) comments

 
What Corporate Sustainability Leaders See in the Years Ahead
What Corporate Sustainability Leaders See in the Years Ahead: "Bill Malloch
General Manager, Environmental Business Opportunities for Nike Global Footwear, Nike
I believe that we'll see more collaboration between design and engineering to address the challenges that an increasing number of educated consumers are demanding, with new tools emerging as vehicles for companies to develop better products and engage more deeply with their supply chain.

Consumer interest in sustainability will also become clearer. A growing community of consumers is already asking for products with fewer chemicals and less waste that, at the same time, don't compromise on performance, style and value. "
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 12:23 PM (0) comments

 
AutoWeek - The Auto Enthusiast's Online Resource
AutoWeek - The Auto Enthusiast's Online Resource: "Chinese Prefer Green: Environmentally friendly vehicles to star at Shanghai show
ALYSHA WEBB | Automotive News
Posted Date: 4/21/05

Automakers will show green vehicles at Auto Shanghai 2005, which opens Thursday, April 21.

China's central government says it will give preferential treatment to automakers that produce environmentally friendly vehicles, such as hybrids."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 12:22 PM (0) comments

 
HillBilly - environmentally friendly wax
HillBilly - environmentally friendly wax: "An entrepreneur in Vancouver is creating what he says is a ski and snowboard wax that is friendly to the environment.

Industry wide chemical use
'We don't want to come out and throw mud at ski wax manufacturer, but the fact is ski wax companies and the ski industry have been unwittingly co-opted into polluting mountain areas and watersheds for about the past 20 years,' says Tyler Bradley.

'The reason is that things aren't regulated in the chemical industry, and chemical companies weren't regulated to release their medical records and test data. Up until recently, everybody assumed this stuff was safe.'

Chemical awareness
Bradley had set out to create a wax that is not created from paraffin, which comes from fossil fuels. In doing so, he learned about the chloroflurocarbons in ski wax.

'It's really just a Pandora's Box from there when you see how nasty this stuff is, and how little the public knows about it.'. He also said that applying the waxes without proper ventilation may pose health risks. "
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 12:22 PM (1) comments

 
DIY solar-powered scooter
DIY solar-powered scooter - Engadget - www.engadget.com / : "If you've been looking for that perfect way to make your scooter look even geekier (and considerably less aerodynamic), let us direct your attention to the latest creation of one Don Dunkee %u2014 the DIY solar scooter. Don says the converted EVT 4000E generates 120 watts/hour in good sun, charging the battery to about half full in 9
hours. And yes, the panels fold up, so you don't have to worry about only riding in the wide lane on your morning
commute."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 12:01 PM (0) comments

 
Daimler's SMART coming to the U.S.
Daimler%u2019s SMART coming to the U.S. - Engadget - www.engadget.com / : "Daimler-Benz%u2019s diminutive SMART car is coming to America. Specialty vehicle company ZAP (for Zero Air Pollution) has
won approval from the U.S. government to distribute a version of the popular car that%u2019s been modified to meet U.S.
emissions and safety standards. Pricing is said to run from about $12,000 to $20,000. While we dig the car%u2019s fuel
efficiency (60 mpg!), style and size, we%u2019d still be terrified to drive it on America%u2019s SUV-clogged highways. However,
it should be a natural for cities like New York, where it may even be able to beat BMW%u2019s Mini at squeezing into tight
parking spots."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 10:59 AM (0) comments

 
The Environmentally-Friendly Honda Civic Hybrid - The Monroe Street Journal - Automotive
The Environmentally-Friendly Honda Civic Hybrid - The Monroe Street Journal - Automotive: "Every once and awhile, we each get the opportunity to make a decision to do the right thing; be it for our classmates, our society, or for the one thing that influences every single one of us...our environment.

Enter the 2005 Honda Civic hybrid. With the optional Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), it gets 48 mpg in the city and 47 mpg on the highway. About the same combined mileage as for the Toyota Prius, the only other compact gasoline-electric hybrid sedan on the market. The power-train assigned to this task is a 1.3-liter SOHC 8-valve inline-4, 85 hp, 87 lb-ft continuously variable auto combined with a modified version of the Integrated Motor Assist (IMA) energizer introduced on the Insight several years ago. A thin electric motor sandwiched between the gasoline engine and the five-speed transmission provides up to 13 horsepower to boost the Civic's performance. During coasting and light braking, this motor also serves as a generator to recharge the Civic hybrid's nickel-metal hydride battery located between the rear seat and the trunk. "
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 12:49 PM (1) comments

 
Newswise | Grass Makes Environmentally Friendly Biofuel
Newswise | Grass Makes Environmentally Friendly Biofuel: "Grow grass, not for fun but for fuel. Burning grass for energy has been a well-accepted technology in Europe for decades. But not in the United States.

Yet burning grass pellets as a biofuel is economical, energy-efficient, environmentally friendly and sustainable, says a Cornell University forage crop expert.

This alternative fuel easily could be produced and pelleted by farmers and burned in modified stoves built to burn wood pellets or corn, says Jerry Cherney, the E.V. Baker Professor of Agriculture. Burning grass pellets hasn't caught on in the United States, however, Cherney says, primarily because Washington has made no effort to support the technology with subsidies or research dollars."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 12:47 PM (0) comments

 
Chez Philippe, Only Vegan, Environmentally-friendly Bed & Brekfast Opened in Montreal, Canada : Khalsa News Network- KNTimes.com
Chez Philippe, Only Vegan, Environmentally-friendly Bed & Brekfast Opened in Montreal, Canada : Khalsa News Network- KNTimes.com: "Chez Philippe is the only fully vegan environmentally-friendly Bed & Breakfast in Montreal. All breakfasts are cooked using plant-based ingredients. Breakfast menus include specialties such as waffles, crepes, fruits puddings and fruit mousse, along with fair-trade teas and coffee. As much as possible organic produce are used in the preparation of the breakfast dishes. Non vegetarian guests enjoy the food and are amazed to discover what can be prepared without eggs or dairy."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 12:46 PM (0) comments

 
Car that runs on compressed air - Mar 30, 2005
My only question is, just how much energy does it take to compress the air in the first place?

CNN.com - Car that runs on compressed air - Mar 30, 2005: "(CNN) -- A Korean company has created a car engine that runs on air.

The engine, which powers a pneumatic-hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), works alongside an electric motor to create the power source.

The system eliminates the need for fuel, making the PHEV pollution-free.

Cheol-Seung Cho, of Energine Corporation, told CNN the system is controlled by a computer inside the car, which instructs the compressed-air engine and electric motor what to do."
- posted by Chuck Eesley @ 12:17 PM (0) comments