September 2010

The mobile phone industry is poised to replace computers as the dominant form of technology productivity, and that makes it an industry to watch in terms of how it’s taking responsibility for the pollution it creates. While certainly a small step in the grand scheme, T-Mobile just finished installing 12 solar panels on a site in Chelfont, Pennsylvania. That’s a bit unique because usually carriers install solar panels in developing countries where other power sources are scarce and towers are widely separated.

Every day the average person breathes in over 2,000 gallons of air. With every breath, the lungs draw in millions of microscopic particles from the air. This particulate matter travels deep into the lungs, dodging the hair-like cilia in the respiratory tract, and triggers conditions like asthma, bronchitis and cardiovascular disease. Even healthy people can find themselves short of breath. Researchers aim to map out exactly how particulate matter spreads across the globe and how much it affects human health.

A new report from Newcastle University suggests that working from home and shopping online actually increases carbon emissions. According to researchers, buying goods online only provides carbon savings if certain conditions are met. For example, if a truck delivers at least 25 orders in one trip or if your online purchase takes the place of more than three physical shopping trips. As computers make it easier for us to conduct business from home, it's become more important to determine how exactly it impacts the environment.

Nothing is certain yet, but GM is exploring options when it comes to the lithium-ion batteries packed into the 2010 Chevrolet Volts. Each battery is capable of holding up to 16-kWh of electricity and creating some sort of shelter and connectivity to the grid for those would provide large scale energy storage.

GM warrantees the battery in the Volt for 8 years, so drivers certainly don’t need to worry about that part going bad for a large part of the vehicle’s lifespan. But eventually cars break down, and lithium-ion batteries take a long time to decompose – consequently GM is seeking to extend the product lifecycle of its batteries beyond the car.

China is now the world’s largest car market with a growing middle class that makes it a prime location for electric and hybrid carmakers to set up shop. However, companies may not be so eager to show off their green cars due to new maneuvers by the government that may force foreign companies to share their technology with Chinese firms.

Under current government guidelines, foreign companies that make gasoline powered cars in the country have to set up a partnership with a Chinese firm. The cooperative gives the foreign carmaker a 50% stake in the venture and they retain the rights to the technology used in their cars.

It’s hard to believe, but there used to be a world without the internet and the 24-hour news cycle. You got your daily news from a nightly TV broadcast, radio, and more importantly the newspaper. Newspapers are struggling to find their way in this new world with many of them closing due to declining ad revenue like the Rocky Mountain News. Many publishers hope that an iPad based subscription model could boost their bottom line.

It wasn't all that long ago that LED was best known, and in some ways only known, for its Christmas lights; now, it is the way of the future for flat panel, high definition, 3D TVs. Following the LED TV trend, late comers are now evolving into the already established, LED market with new models and new features. Toshiba is the latest to test the LED waters, but the question is, can it stack up against the industry's best?

Toshiba, in preparation for the CEDIA Expo, presented its WX800 line of 3D LED TVs that will utilize Yahoo! Connected TV. The WX800 Cinema Series features a 46-inch and 55-inch display and is the first of its kind from Toshiba.

For Toshiba,the introduction of a 3D LED TV this late in the game requires precise market positioning. Quality, price and/or additional features are a must to draw interest and get consumers excited about the TV.

Despite the magnitude of the BP’s oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, the topic is seeing fewer headlines now as general buzz and search traffic on it declines. It isn’t an imminent threat now, but the true fix to the problem is not yet in place and the company’s primary impediment is weather. A tropical storm forced BP to stop the drilling of a relief well on August 10, and it just resumed.

Right now the only thing stopping a continuation of the massive leakage is a cap of cement near the top of the original well. Not especially comforting, but according to BP the only way to fix the situation is to finish drilling a relief well that will redirect pressure away from the problem site. As with any other well drilling though, this new relief well comes with its own set of risks.

Researchers from the University of Sydney in Australia have discovered a highly efficient form of chlorophyll that could give solar panels the ability to convert more sunlight into energy. Chlorophyll is what allows plants and other photosynthetic organisms to convert the sun's rays into energy. More than half of the light produced by the sun comes in the infrared range of the light spectrum, and the recently discovered molecule, called chlorophyll f, absorbs light in the infrared part of the spectrum. Previously known types of chlorophyll only absorb light in the visible range from blue to red.

A clean house needs a fragrant scent and a liberal spray of air freshener, according to all the advertisements. Spring rain. Fresh linen. Formaldehyde. Far from leaving you with a fresh feeling, the ingredients in air fresheners can cause respiratory problems, birth defects, depression and infertility. Yet we find them everywhere, from homes to cars to hotel rooms.

The National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) estimates that 75 percent of American homes use some form of air freshener. While industry representatives state that their products pose no risk, a study conducted by the NRDC in 2007 found that a dozen common air fresheners contained phthalates. Pthalates are chemicals used to soften plastic and bind fragrances, and are known to cause hormonal and reproductive problems. The NRDC study looked at aerosol sprays, solids and liquids that continuously emit a scent. None of the air fresheners listed phthalates among their ingredients, but even products marked "all natural" and "unscented" tested positive for the chemical.

While many companies are focused on changes to existing processes that create efficiencies translating into energy or resource savings – others are rethinking their initial approach. Consider a house, which traditionally requires logs or precut rectangular boards to build out the frame. Now replace that lumber with hardened bamboo, layer the top of it with solar panels, and you get something that looks like a modern way of living sustainably.

Tonji University Shanghai displayed one such model in the 2010 European Solar Decathlon with hopes of demonstrating how people can live within the means of their home’s own carbon footprint. Traditional Chinese architecture is very apparent in the house, and it’s loaded with some hi-tech gear.

Apple’s iPad has been wildly successful for two major reasons, namely its functionality and portable nature. Students are using the tablet for interactive textbooks to lessen their load and governments are using the device to cut down on paper costs. What if you could make a tablet computer like the iPad that could be put easily into a purse or pocket and had additional features like a camera? Samsung seems to have done just that with their new Galaxy Tab.

Attending a big sporting event like the Super Bowl or Wimbledon can be great fun, but they’re not that eco-friendly. Fans don’t bother to carpool, concession stands dish out food in plastic containers, and recycling bins aren’t easy to find. The USTA wants to change up their green game by partnering with organizations like the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), GreenSlam, and Eco Evolutions for this year’s US Open.