GoodGuide a start to uncovering mysterious products

by Peter Daining 1 day 6 hours ago
in

GoodGuide a start to uncovering mysterious products Ever pick up a can in the grocery store and ask these questions: Where did this come from? How was it made? Who made it?

If you’ve asked these or similar questions, you probably realize it’s nearly impossible for the average Joe to find the answers – especially while standing under glaring grocery store lights.

A new Web site – www.goodguide.com – is collecting answers to these questions for more than 70,000 foods, toys and personal care items, and finally giving  consumers some guidelines on how to find healthy, products that are also environmentally and socially made.

Exxon hypocritically backs global warming naysayers

by Ryan Roff 1 day 21 hours ago
in

image As the popularity of gas continues to tumble due to fears of emissions creating global warming and hybrid cars creating a better alternative, Exxon has interestingly backed lobby groups who discredit climate change in an attempt to change public perception.

Oil companies have a history of hiding and distorting truths in order to accelerate profits and stimulate demand. Unethical behavior ends up under the table because the public cannot discern the hidden truths from the publicized fallacies. That is, however, until financial records leak and spending patterns seize to line up with advertising campaigns promoting alternative energy and reduced emissions.

ExxonMobil, for years, has been promoting its brand according to current trends in an effort to appeal to the masses. As trends shift, so do Exxon's corporate stances and statements. Words like "environmental footprint" and "climate change" are currently being thrown around on their web site to boost their green image.

The issue is, ExxonMobil's money is not where their mouth is.

Recycle carbon dioxide using algae, another clean coal farse?

by Matt Jansen on July 1, 2009
in

Recycle carbon dioxide using algae, another clean coal farse? Even though coal power is a primary source of electricity for many people right now, renewable incumbents like wind and solar power are slowly marginalizing its customer base. Owners of coal power plants are happy with their existing cash cows though, and certainly won’t give up their cash cows easily.

That’s partially why clean coal has received so much attention, and scientists are likely to receive a strong financial backing if they’re able to claim new efficiencies in coal processing. Some of those claims are more realistic than others, but Algenol Biofuels says it’s identified a way to convert carbon dioxide into ethanol.

GM slams Toyota, rejects blueprints for 2010 Prius

by Matt Jansen on June 29, 2009
in

GM slams Toyota, rejects blueprints for 2010 Prius GM is in a cutthroat mood right now, and considering its state of affairs and bankruptcy situation that’s an appropriate state of mind. The company is shedding brands, shedding people, and shedding facilities wherever possible in a quest to rediscover profitability. Toyota has offered to license its 2010 Prius hybrid technology to GM, but the American automaker doesn’t seem interested.

Toyota is working through its own set of economic difficulties with the downturn in North American markets, and that means it too is halting expansions and searching for cuts. It may seem illogical then that Toyota is offering secrets to its flagship hybrid car the 2010 Toyota Prius, but the silver lining has immense potential.

China: Strong U.S. climate bill could lead to global treaty

by Peter Daining on June 28, 2009
in

China: Stronger U.S. climate bill could set up global treaty The climate bill approved by the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday is much more than just the U.S.’s first mandatory cap and trade on greenhouse gas emissions.

The legislation, whether it gets through the U.S. Senate or not, will set the stage for the United Nations global climate conference in Copenhagen, Denmark, in December.

Xie Zhenhua, China’s top climate change official, said a stronger bill would have sent this clear message to the world: the U.S. is serious about curbing the problem of climate change.

“We think we should give a positive evaluation to the bill,” Xie said. “But in the area of tackling climate change, especially on the issue of cutting emissions, if the U.S. could take some more positive and stronger measures, it would give a bigger impetus to the Copenhagen conference at the end of the year.”

Pickens, Musk hope to compete with Prius, Insight, Detroit

by Peter Daining on June 25, 2009
in

Pickens, Musk hope to compete with Prius, Insight, Detroit The push toward clean energy automobiles has opened the door for small companies to squeak out some valuable market place.

Or at least big-money investors such as oil tycoon T. Boone Pickens and PayPal founder Elon Musk think so.

Pickens invested in V-vehicles, which is looking into other energy sources such as natural gas. In his blog, Pickens said 97 percent of U.S. natural gas is produced in the states, and its use produces 30 percent less green house gases than home heating oil.

“As part of our continuing effort to strengthen America's energy independence, I am urging anyone who can - in a residential, a commercial, an agricultural or an industrial setting, to closely investigate shifting from imported oil to propane or natural gas,” he wrote.

IBM’s lithium-air leaves lithium-ion and maybe EEStor behind

by Ryan Roff on June 25, 2009
in

IBM’s lithium-air leaves lithium-ion and maybe EEStor behind Electric cars, like the Chevy Volt and Tesla Roadster, needed a battery that would revolutionize consumers’ dependency on gas by creating an electric alternative. The result: the Volt and Tesla Roadster quickly decided on a lithium-ion battery that initially scored high marks from both industry leaders and consumers alike. That is, at least, before EEStor and lithium-air joined the competition.

Lithium-ion created a buzz among electric car enthusiasts because of its super-charged abilities (at that time) that blew the standard nickel and lead batteries out of the water and generated enough energy to power a vehicle; certainly, the low-maintenance, high voltage, high density, rapid recharge battery deserves its praise, but it simply cannot compete with the proposed specs of the EEStor and lithium-air batteries.

Kite styled wind turbines offer seductive power source

by Matt Jansen on June 23, 2009
in

Kite styled wind turbines offer seductive power source Wind whips through Earth’s atmosphere at speeds ranging around 92-398 kilometers per hour and that would easily pump out megawatts of electricity. The kicker? To harvest that wind power you’d have to fly a device 7-16 kilometers above the surface because that’s where jet streams of air make their gusty home.

Scientists have developed technology to fit that need in the form of airborne wind turbines that look similar to oversized kites. That technology even in its current state could generate 40 megawatts of energy and future iterations could power the world’s energy 100 times over by using 10% of Earth’s available land space. So what’s holding us back?

Are some Toyota dealers price gouging 2009 2010 Prius buyers?

by Matt Jansen on June 23, 2009
in

Are some Toyota dealers price gouging 2009 2010 Prius buyers? When the 2004 Toyota Prius arrived at dealerships, demand for the car had reached a fevered pitch. Gas prices were sky high and consumers often were swallowing an unpleasant pill by paying several thousand dollars above MSRP for a line item dealers referred to as “market value adjustment”. Fast forward to now: gas prices are still reasonable and competition is heating up with the 2010 Ford Fusion and Honda Insight.

Of course a dealer is going to aim for the highest price possible, but in this buyer’s market their ability to negotiate upward is diminished. That sentiment is reflected in some recent buying experiences consumers are sharing. Now it seems more Toyota dealers are willing to haggle.

Clean energy economy growing roots, sprouting green jobs

by Peter Daining on June 20, 2009
in

Clean energy economy growing roots, sprouting green jobs While the clean energy sector is still a relative sapling, a new study shows it will become an important player in the U.S. economy.

From 1998-2007, the clean energy economy grew 2.5 times faster than overall jobs, according to a study by the Pew Charitable Trusts. And with the wheels of government slowly churning out greener policies, the future of clean energy looks bright.

California leads the way with 125,390 clean jobs and 10,209 of America’s 68,203 clean businesses, according to the report. These companies include everything from hydrogen fuel cell makers to solar wind power transmitters to the designers of traffic monitoring software.