Vegetal steel: bamboo as eco-friendly building material

This article mentioned that the building material of choice for the 21st century might just be bamboo. Boosters call it "vegetal steel,'' with clear environmental appeal. Lighter than steel but five times stronger than concrete, bamboo is native to every continent except Europe and Antarctica. Unlike slow-to-harvest timber, bamboo's woody stalks can shoot up several feet a day, absorbing four times as much world-warming carbon dioxide. Bamboo's abundance is, ironically, an obstacle to wider acceptance. Its most visible use is as rickety, makeshift housing - feeding the stereotype that it is poor man's lumber.

Wal-Mart to pay more for long-lasting products, same goes for more eco-friendly products, according to retailer

In this article, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is willing to pay more for products that last longer and hurt the environment less. They are willing to pay more on the product but it does not mean a higher price for customers. They are looking at a very small amount of dollars and the savings in the supply chain that they are finding because of sustainability in some cases will more than offset the incremental costs of paying for a better quality item. To meet that goal, it has developed a "packaging scorecard" that will rate its 60,000 suppliers on their ability to cut waste and conserve resources. the scorecard had already produced a lot of change in the packages of its most popular products.

Renewable energy sources continue to draw attention of Colorado Colorado Springs

In this article, interest in energy and the environment continues to grow among utilities and environmental groups in Colorado, and delivering that energy affordably is on the minds of consumers. Last fall, Colorado Springs Utilities dropped the idea of a coal plant because of lobbying by Environment Colorado and concerns that were raised by residents during public meetings regarding the project. Questions about wind and solar power continue to be addressed at the state and local level. The Colorado Renewable Energy Standard Bill, which is intended to increase the state's use of clean energy, such as wind, biomass and fuel cells, continues to make progress. The bill, which has passed the House, requires Xcel Energy and Aquila to increase their use of renewable energy to about 8 percent by the year 2010.

Case Study: Sun Shines on a Green Home

Take Ben and Aviva Saitz, who live in a 30-year- old split-level in Englewood with their sons, Mack, 9, and Miles, 6, two dogs and a turtle. In October, they installed a 24-panel, state-of-the-art solar electric system on the roof of a bedroom, joining a small but growing club of about 1,000 residential solar users in the state.The price tag on the Saitzes' system was $38,000. It's a thrill to witness the house to produce more energy than it's consuming, solar owners say. The system doesn't require batteries in the basement. The panels require little or no maintenance. Appliances run just the same. The system's frame is visible from the street. Saitz has high praise for the Boulder Company that has installed more than 350 photovoltaic systems in Colorado, including more than 20 at Nyland, a co-housing project in Lafayette. The employee- owned company has 30 workers. All of them get the same salary, and "our organizational chart is a circle," says spokeswoman Heather Leanne Nangle. Solar buyers are "environmentally focused," he said, and they have disposable income.We picked up $22,000 of the Saitzes' $38,000 bill. In 2004, Coloradans passed Amendment 37, committing the state to developing renewable energy, such as wind and solar power. Now, Xcel Energy tacks on an average $1.12 fee to each customer's monthly bill to help make it happen. Xcel has paid out $19.5 million to homeowners who install solar units. Typically, the home systems cost $18,000 to $26,000, and the upfront rebate from Xcel is $9,000 to $13,000, figured in part on a $2.50-per-watt refund, called a renewable-energy credit, Henley said. However, there are some homeowners in Colorado who don't have to pay Xcel every month but rather get paid by Xcel because their panels are feeding more energy into the grid than the home is consuming, Henley said.

Another Dawn For Solar Power

In this article, President Jimmy Carter held the first and only press conference on the White House roof. Atop the West Wing, he unveiled a $28,000 solar cell system that captured the sun's energy to provide hot water for the White House. He also launched a sweeping drive aimed at harnessing the sun, the wind, and other renewable resources to generate 20% of America's electricity by 2000. There are two basic concepts for tapping the sun's energy: collect its heat or convert its light. The solar-thermal approach uses mirrors to reflect the heat energy from a large area onto a small space, such as a pipe filled with a fluid like molten salt. Once the fluid's temperature has been raised to hundreds of degrees, it can be used to boil water and produce steam for a conventional generator. With the other approach, called photovoltaics, a semiconductor -- typically silicon -- absorbs the photons streaming from the sun and reacts by giving off a flow of electrons, or electricity.

Portugal Makes Waves in Alternative Energy

In this article, the coastal country is fast becoming an enthusiastic leader in drawing power from the sea, the wind, and the sun. Portugal's sunny climate and picturesque coastline have long been a magnet for tourists. But now, those natural attractions are drawing a different kind of attention. From solar photovoltaics to electricity generation from wind and ocean waves, some of the world's most ambitious and innovative renewable-energy projects are taking shape in this historically poor country of 10.5 million on Europe's western rim. Cylindrical floating generators built by a Scottish company, Ocean Power Delivery, are expected to provide enough power to supply 1,500 households. The facility will be operated by Enersis, a unit of Semapa, a Portuguese developer of hydroelectric and wind-generation projects. To encourage such projects, the Portuguese government is providing incentives ranging from R&D grants to preferential tariffs for electricity generated from renewable sources.

case study-Starbucks Buys Wind Power to Reduce Climate Impact, 1 June 2005

Starbucks Coffee Company committed recently to purchase wind power to offset a portion of the energy used in its operations. The commitment puts the company in the top 25 U.S. purchasers of renewable energy. Mitigating climate change is the driver behind Starbucks' decision to buy renewable energy certificates, which allow any size company to support renewable energy. Starbucks has a strong ethic of environmental and social responsibility. With its dependence on agricultural production, Starbucks is especially concerned about the effects of global warming.

Case study-KLIA finds being green pays, June 2007

KLIA is practice environment-friendly in airport operation. They feel that they should contribute and put effort to save the planet-earth because it is a part of their social responsibility. Environment-friendly airport not only can help create a more pleasant and calming atmosphere for travelers, the airport operators also wish that it can increasing awareness of environmental issues today.

Office Depot offers to recycle old PCs, 13 July 2004

Much rubbish occurs in our earth nowadays. This article has given an idea that consumers can recycle one electronics product a day for free as part of a limited summer initiative. Office supply retailer Office Depot is partnering with Hewlett-Packard to offer recycling of one electronic product a day for free all through the summer so don't be so quick to toss out your old PCs, fax machines or digital cameras. So as a responsibility consumer, we should support it by acting although customers won’t get any cash or rebates for bringing in dated electronics.The offer includes all brands of electronics, and products including computer monitors, digital cameras, copiers, fax machines, cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and TVs that are 27 inches or smaller.

Save energy and juice up your bottom line, 28 June 2006

This article shows amid soaring electricity prices, small firms that invest in renewable energy can qualify for subsidies, rebates and incentives. New hybrid gas-electric car that use less gas than average cars and meet an emissions standard qualify. There is a similar credit for alternative-fuel and fuel-cell cars. Meanwhile, businesses can get tax credits and state rebates by building energy-efficient offices or improving the energy efficiency of existing commercial buildings. But for many small businesses, installing a renewable energy system is no small task. Eligible equipment includes geothermal heat pumps, solar panels, solar hot water systems and wind energy. Some options are best incorporated in new buildings, while others can be added to an existing building. In addition, a business that is generating power from a renewable energy source can trade "Green Tags" or renewable energy certificates (RECs) in wholesale and voluntary retail markets, and reduce their energy bill significantly.

How Algae Clear the Air, 1 November 2005

This article shows that pond scum is useful to reduce pollution and power production. According to founder of Green Fuel Technologies in Cambridge, Mass., Berzin has designed a system that reduces power-plant emissions by redirecting smokestack exhaust into algae-filled bioreactors. The algae feast on the greenhouse gases, consuming 30 to 80 percent of the plants' pollutants, depending on the stage of photosynthesis. By this evidence, as briefly conclusion that by using natural resources can helps in saving environment.

Lean, Mean--And Green? Environmental "efficiency" can be a plus for a stock. Really. 26 July 2004

This article shows an example for the world's fourth-largest energy company shoulders the risk of cleaning up 218 federal Superfund sites, yet it still earns an A rating (on a CCC-AAA scale) from Innovest. Chevron's proactive investment in solar, wind, and hydrogen power, as well as its effective efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, outweighed its failings when ranked among other oil and gas companies, the analysts contend. Alcoa (AA, $32), the world's largest producer and miner of aluminum, earns an even higher AA for its aggressive efforts to recycle waste, co-generate plant power, and produce new, environmentally friendly aluminum. And IBM (IBM $86) gets a top-of-the-heap AAA for reducing nonhazardous waste by up to 79%, recycling, and cutting carbon emissions by 30%.

Case study - Trade-offs and global warming – 9 May 2007

When we hear an elected official blither on about the scandal of high gas prices, which is a sign that global warming is way down the list of priorities. Sticker shock at the pump does more to increase conservation than any other policy. This is trade-offs, you cannot have both cheap gas and a serious global warming policy; you cannot both subsidize U.S. farmers and have efficient bio-fuels. For example, the more politician talks about U.S.-produced bio-fuels, the less serious he or she is about either oil dependency or global warming. Because it takes a lot of energy to grow, move, and convert corn into energy. Determining the energy balance between corn-based ethanol and conventional fossil fuels was so close that it was really just a matter of definition. Taxing the sources of global warming is the most efficient and cheapest way to deal with the problem. This tax can work to change people’s habits; smart policy recognizes this as a fact of life.