Sat.Feb 01, 2020 - Fri.Feb 07, 2020

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Washington State Intends To Be The Clean Energy State And Nuclear Is Key

Jim Conca

A new study of energy needs in the Pacific Northwest concluded that more diverse, low-carbon electricity sources are needed to maintain energy reliability and achieve a carbon-free system by 2045. And some of that has to be nuclear.

Energy 387
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Why 'climate tech' is the new cleantech

GreenBiz

This article is adapted from GreenBiz's weekly newsletter, Transport Weekly, running Tuesdays. Subscribe here. I have the sad claim to fame of being one of the journalists most associated with the bubble and bust of Silicon Valley's tortured love affair with cleantech. It perhaps wasn't the most advantageous career move, but it was an interesting ride to follow, and I'm betting the ride ain't over yet.

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How Hydropower Can Be More Environmentally Friendly

U.S. Green Technology

One of the most difficult challenges in the environmental field is determining which source of energy will be the most beneficial. Unfortunately, even some of the safer options, like hydropower, still have adverse effects. Of all the available energy sources, experts want to find ones they can classify as renewable, clean and sustainable. While each.

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Costa Rica Is At Nearly 100% Renewable Energy For Electricity

CleanTechnica

Costa Rica got more than 99% of its electricity from renewables last year. It wants to do better.

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Electrofuels Are the Future: The Driving Force to Decarbonizing Heavy Transport

Speaker: Ayesha Choudhury - Senior Vice President, Head of Capital Markets at Infinium

With the first wave of the energy transition, renewable energy sources (such as solar and wind) have begun replacing coal power generation. However, some sectors are lagging behind and struggling to decarbonize more than others, including large-scale transportation like commercial aviation, shipping, and rail transit. Electrofuels (aka eFuels) are the next generation of solutions to help the hardest-to-abate sectors pivot from their reliance on fossil fuels.

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Plastic to-go containers are bad, but the alternatives might not be much better

GreenBiz

Single-use plastic bans are showing up across the nation. But compostable plates and forks may not solve the plastic crisis.

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Branching out for a new green revolution: Gene identified that improves yield of rice, say researchers

Envirotec Magazine

Soil Nitrogen Promotes Rice Branching: Nitrogen fertilizers (High N, right) increase the number of rice plant flowering branches (compared with Low N, left), thus boosting grain yield. The researchers say they have now discovered the underlying gene that controls this nitrogen-responsive increase in branch number (Photo credit: Kun Wu/Xiangdong Fu, Chinese Academy of Sciences).

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$64 Million Makes It Official: Renewable Hydrogen In, Natural Gas Out (Eventually)

CleanTechnica

New $64 million push for renweable hydrogen gives natural gas stakeholders yet another reason to reach for the Alka-Seltzer.

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Not pulp fiction: Absolut, Coca-Cola and the paper bottle project

GreenBiz

The two brands are part of a ‘pioneer community’ that also includes Carlsberg and L’Oreal.

Packaging 383
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Japan’s Expert Panel Agrees That Dumping Radioactive Water Into The Ocean Is Best

Jim Conca

An expert panel is recommending that the Japanese government allow Tokyo Electric Power Company to release radioactive water from its crippled Fukushima nuclear plants into the ocean. And that’s a good thing to do since a gallon of this water is as radioactive as a family-sized bag of potato chips.

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Brazilian home uses solar energy for 100% self-sufficiency

Inhabitat - Innovation

Brazilian firm 24 7 Arquitetura has set a stunning modern home into a challenging mountainous landscape in Brazil’s Nova Lima region. In addition to the home’s contemporary aesthetic, which is comprised of several exposed concrete blocks, the residence is completely self-sustaining thanks to its massive rooftop solar array that generates all the power the home needs.

Energy 337
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AR/VR Simulations for Sustainable, Regenerative, Circular Cities

Speaker: Nik Gowing, Brenda Laurel, Sheridan Tatsuno, Archie Kasnet, and Bruce Armstrong Taylor

With 191 country signatories to the Paris Climate Agreement now hard at work in the race to zero carbon by 2050, much of the heavy lifting in ecosystem sustainability falls on the shoulders of the world's densely populated urban centers. This conversation considers how today's AI-enabled simulation media, such as AR/VR, can be effectively applied to accelerate learning, understanding, training, and solutions-modeling to sustainability planning and design.

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How to Get Rid of Ticks in the Yard?

The Environmental Blog

Tick Nests. With the onset of the warm season, the question of the treatment of forests against ticks is raised. “The parasitic Ixodid ticks are the most dangerous to humans. They attack animals and humans and are able to transmit pathogens of a number of heavy diseases, such as tick-borne encephalitis” – Meredith Hayes Health expert from Beezzly says.

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Maersk is testing a biofuel that could alter the course of shipping

GreenBiz

The LEO Project, which includes BMW, Levi Strauss, H&M and Marks & Spencer, proposes using a commonly found paper production byproduct as the source of maritime fuel.

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Oxford-Cambridge rail scheme’s “net gain” commitment shows HS2 failing nature, says RSPB

Envirotec Magazine

A site in Birmingham cleared for work on HS2, in December 2019. Transport Secretary’s announcement of preferred route for East West Rail timely reminder of HS2’s failure to protect environment, says conservation group. Responding to the Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapp’s announcement on 30 January of the preferred route for the proposed East West Rail connection between Oxford and Cambridge, the RSPB has said the scheme highlights the environmental shortcomings of its more (in)famous

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Futuristic, seashell-inspired home is clad in reclaimed wood

Inhabitat - Innovation

With its tubular volume and light-inviting cutouts, the design for the Scandinavian Seashell Home was not only inspired by nature, but also counts on several sustainable features, such as reclaimed wood cladding, to reduce its environmental impact.

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How Digital Transformation will Bend the Curve of the Linear Economy Toward the Circular

Speaker: Bruce Armstrong Taylor, Co-Founder & Managing Director of SmartNations Foundation, Jimmy Jia, Venture Partner at Pi Labs, Fabienne Durand, Senior Advisor to the SmartNations Foundation, & Roger Strukhoff, Executive Director of the Tau Institute

The Climate 4.0 Economy. Climate change is here. We see it in many ways already. Weather catastrophes: Texas freezing over, the wildfires of California, the increasingly unpredictable violence and frequency of hurricanes, the rapid melting and disappearance of polar ice caps. Much more evidence all around us. What can we do in our corporate organizations, in our homes and communities, to change the current course?

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Five Young Black Climate Justice Leaders You Should Know

Defend Our Future

During Black History Month we celebrate and honor black leaders not only from throughout history, but also those who are doing life-changing work today. That’s why we wanted to help elevate some of the most influential young, black leaders doing exceptional work right now in the fight against climate change and who are lifting up the voices of those disproportionately impacted, including people of color and Indigenous peoples.

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Championing diversity and inclusion requires courage, provocation, smart goals

GreenBiz

Cultivating a culture of inclusion is easier said than done even in organizations with mature programs. And with the workforce shifting dramatically in recent years given the rise in technology and four generations learning to work together, the task remains for most diversity and inclusion leaders, quite monumental.

Organic 454
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New film showcases solutions for Baltic Sea eutrophication

Envirotec Magazine

Vantaanjoki, Finland, one of three river basins used in case-study form in the 18-minute film. Launch of documentary on innovations for recycling nutrients from agriculture and wastewater. A short film Sea of Opportunity , launched on 30 January, presents three innovative technologies that can recapture phosphorus and nitrogen for reuse in agriculture: BioPhree, from Aquacare in the Netherlands; Ultra from TerraNova in Germany; and Ravita from HSY in Finland.

Recycling 274
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Seaweed pavilion encourages environmental conservation at WEF

Inhabitat - Innovation

Made from kelp and rattan, the organic pavilion immerses visitors in the scents and colors of the ocean as a reminder of the importance of environmental conservation.

Organic 324
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Antarctica’s glaciers are melting so fast, you can swim in them. In a Speedo.

Grist

Even as someone who spends most of her time thinking about climate change, it’s easy for me to forget about the looming danger of changes happening at the bottom of the earth. But Lewis Pugh, a British endurance swimmer and ocean advocate, doesn’t want anyone to forget about the melting glaciers of Antarctica, and to get our attention, he decided to go for a swim.

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How to shape your sustainability story

GreenBiz

I’ve been working in sustainability marketing — helping companies communicate about what they’re doing on sustainability in order to drive brand preference and sales — for 15 years. I used to spend a lot of time trying to convince executives of the power of sustainability as a lever: to attract and retain employees, to drive consumer preference, to appeal to investors.

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Vast amounts of valuable energy, nutrients, water lost in world’s fast-rising wastewater streams, says study

Envirotec Magazine

Wastewater from agriculture: The study says about 13.4% of the global fertilizer nutrient demand could be supplemented by full nutrient recovery from wastewater. Enough energy to power all households in the USA and Mexico; Enough nutrients to meet ~13% of world fertilizer needs; Enough water to fill Lake Victoria in seven years, Lake Ontario in four.

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Portugal-based nonprofit refurbishes old buildings with natural insulation

Inhabitat - Innovation

Critical Concrete promotes green architecture and social action through summer school programs that refurbish a home for a family in need every year.

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Solar Games make installation a spectator sport at Intersolar 2020

Solar Power World

Team SPW volunteered on a residential solar installation in 2017, but our two-day 2.5-kW system was amateur hour compared to what I watched at Intersolar North America’s inaugural Solar Games contest. Installation teams from Colorado, Nevada and California competed to install a 3.15-kW system in under 90 minutes — and got extra points for getting… The post Solar Games make installation a spectator sport at Intersolar 2020 appeared first on Solar Power World.

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How leading companies use LinkedIn to promote sustainability messages

GreenBiz

Telling your story should be easy with so many social media platforms available. Success lies in selecting the best channel and using tactics specific to sustainability messaging.

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Researcher creates drone system to give early warning on natural disasters and act as wifi hotspot

Envirotec Magazine

Dr Duong says he has developed a low cost system using drones that can fly over large areas, taking real-time measurements and providing information about weather conditions. A researcher at Queen’s University Belfast has invented a low cost telecommunication system using drones which provides early warning on natural disasters and acts as a wifi ‘hotspot’ when phone signal is disrupted during extreme weather such as earthquakes, tsunamis or hurricanes.

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1920s building in Buenos Aires becomes a gorgeous, solar-powered residence

Inhabitat - Innovation

Moarqs rose to the challenge when presented with the task of renovating a 1920s building into what is now the Tacuari House — a modern, energy-efficient residence that operates on solar power.

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ClipperCreek sells 90,000th charging station

Charged

EVSE manufacturer ClipperCreek is on a roll – the company recently produced its 90,000th charging station, an HCS-D40P model, at its manufacturing facility in Auburn, California. In addition to building chargers, the company is a Tier 2 OEM supplier for EV manufacturers, and provides circuit boards for the Level 1 chargers that come with new EVs.

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How corporates can use their land for conservation and climate action

GreenBiz

In 2010, a partnership effort between Atlantic City Electric, New Jersey’s Division of Fish and Wildlife, and the Conserve Wildlife Foundation of NJ found a way to use utility rights-of-way to help the eastern tiger salamander adapt to climate change.

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Nuro Claims A Self-Driving First: U.S. Approval To Deploy Toaster-Styled Delivery Bots

Forbes Green Tech

The tech startup created by two former Google engineers will deploy battery-powered R2 driverless delivery vehicles on public streets–little vans without steering wheels, pedals or side-mirrors

Startups 133
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myfoods smart greenhouses can grow nearly 900 pounds of produce a year

Inhabitat - Innovation

Combining permaculture principles with smart technology to monitor plant health, the myfood smart greenhouses aim to change people’s relationships with food as a means of reducing the global carbon footprint.

Health 278
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Amazon and Rivian work together to develop new electric delivery van

Charged

Amazon caused quite a stir when it announced an unprecedented order for 100,000 electric delivery vans from Michigan-based Rivian. Would a startup company be able to fill such a large order on such a tight timeline? The first of the new EVs is scheduled to hit the road in 2021, and Amazon hopes to have 10,000 of them in service by 2022. Amazon’s transportation team spent 18 months evaluating a variety of EV options.

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The new normal: Can business focus on driving positive change?

GreenBiz

Sponsored: If the pace of innovation and level of commitment to building a sustainable future are any indication of future trends, the 2020s will be the decade of circularity.

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The Future Of US Solar Is Bright

Forbes Green Tech

All in all, the future of solar is bright. Most major studies show solar expanding significantly as costs decline and societies use their values to drive their energy choices.

Energy 132
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The best sources for plant-based protein

Inhabitat - Innovation

If you are looking for ways to bring more plant-based foods onto your plate, here are 10 excellent sources of plant-based protein.

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