Live with it

It's a touch fatalistic, but many climate scientists now accept that there will be some level of climate change as a result of global warming and argue that we should prepare for it.

Technorati tag: Climate Change

Green Drinks

A meet and greet social event for eco types. Greendrinks meetings are similar to Critical Mass rides, they just sort of happen because a bunch of like-minded people decide they should. There isn't a Manchester one set up, someone should sort that out (don't look at me, I'm crap at that sort of thing. I signed up to loads of MeetUp events and haven't been to one yet, I'm not the organising sort.)

via Treehugger

Technorati tag: Green

Food Miles

Air freightng food overnight just so we can have out of season veg is the worst offender when it comes to the hidden cost of our food, but domestic production, being much larger, causes more damage overall. The best solution is to get food as near as possible to straight from the farmer, preferably grown within 20km of your home. Which is close to what Northern Harvest achieves, so I'm a bit smug.

Technorati tag: Food Miles

Emissions Neutral Vehicle

The ENV is a fuel cell powered motorbike that runs so silently its manufacturers are thinking of adding an artificial vroom.

Technorati tag: Transport

Sunlight in a tube

Scientists have developed a way to get sunlight deep inside buildings using optical fibres. The sysytem would allow major savings on electric lighting during daylight, and be backed up by flourescent tubes when it is dark or overcast.

via Slashdot

Technorati tag: Lighting

Utility Scale

Farmers in Michigan are turning to wind power as an alternate source of revenue or supply, despite the state having no Alternative Energy policy. A couple of turbines can go a long way toward writing off large energy bills, or the land could be leased to companies wanting to set up their own windmills.

via Sustainablog

Technorati tag: Wind Power

Over the Hump

A follow up to yesterday's Peak Oil post. Top energy industry analysts Herold have started doing a company by company analysis of when supplies will run out. (Salon article, take a Day Pass to be able to read it.)

Technorati tag: Oil

The Colour of Money

Blair and Brown are certainly talking the talk this week. But will telling G8 Plus members that green thinking could be a moneyspinner get through to enough people? And are they really walking the walk when the government plans road and air expansion left, right and centre?

Technorati tag: Climate Change

Peak Oil

What is Peak Oil? And how is it measured? Treehugger has a primer on the subject.

Technorati tag: Oil

Bicicleta

Carpet made from recycled bike inner tubes.

Technorati tag: Recycling

Windy City

Manchester council plan to have a few wind turbines and solar panels included in future developments. It'll look cool, but are they also going to insist on energy efficent design to double the impact? I hope so, because I like the idea of living in Britain's greenest city, which is their stated aim.

Technorati tag: Manchester

Building in a bag

A very specialised type of pre-fab building, this. Cement impregnated canvas on an inflatable frame means a rigid structure can be erected in a disaster zone simply by adding water and pumping up the tent. It's almost as cheap and portable as a tent but far stronger.

Technorati tag: Pre-fab

Big biodiesel

America's biodiesel producers are forming co-ops to increase output and raise their profiles.

Technorati tag: Biodiesel

Small plots

The Windowsill Organic Gardener.



Technorati tag: Gardening

Blown over

Germany is way ahead of us in generation of electricity from windfarms and is aiming for 20% generation. However, a recent report claims that the cost of connecting all these farms to the grid is exorbitant and other methods would reduce greenhouse emissions more cheaply. Of course, the antis have jumped on this, but I say we should be looking at the long term needs for power supply and realise that costs can be spread over quite a long time.

via Human v Nature

Technorati tag: Wind Power

Solar Tower

LAnd has been purchased- 25,000 acres in Australia- for the world's first large scale Solar Tower, generating electricity by heating air and funneling it up a kilometre high chimney to drive wind turbines.

Technorati tag: Solar Power

Fab

Treehugger on prefabricated houses.

Technorati tag: House

Directories

Two directories that should hold some useful information. I'm putting them here so I can come back later and mine them when I have the time-

DOE National Laboratories : National Renewable Energy Laboratory : Research Databases

DOE National Laboratories : National Renewable Energy Laboratory : Research Areas

Technorati tag: Renewable Energy

StreetCar

It's all about image. The StreetCar is a very modern bus designed to look and, with segregated roadways, move like a tram. The idea is to get professionals onto public transport and out of their penis replacements. Might work.

Technorati tag: Transport

Starts at home.....

50% of those surveyed by the Energy Saving Trust believed that going green was more expensive, totally missing the point of saving energy. This is why there needs to be a programme like "How to Save the World for Free". I really need to complete the second draft of the proposal.

The Energy Saving Trust

Technorati tag: Energy