Vehicle That Runs on Algae-based Fuel

The latest invention from American environmentalists is Algaeus, the world's first plug-in hybrid car powered by algae fuel. This vehicle pretty much resembles Toyota Prius, having a nickel metal hydride battery as well as a plug. The car runs on green crude, created by Sapphire Energy.
There is no need to make any alteration to the gasoline engine. Rebecca Harrel, the producer of a documentary film entitled FUEL and the co-founder of the Veggie Van Organization, says that their latest invention is so effective that it is able to run from coast to coast on just 25 gallons. She believes that the algae-based fuel is the invention that could be used during the next Apollo mission.
Algaeus will be used to promote both green energy and the movie, which tells about the ongoing dependence of the United States on foreign oil. Rebecca Harrell will be on a ten-day tour together with the director of the film Josh Tickell. The two will take the vehicle on tour together will several other green vehicles, including the biodiesel-powered bus.Because fuel produced from green algae will not be available at local gas stations, Sapphire Energy looks forward to increase the production of green crude by 2 million gallons a year over a two-year period. The company hopes that in the near future the cost of algae-based fuel will be competitive with fossil fuels. link....

Latest Rare Animal Sightings to Be Observed on Google Earth

Soon those who enjoy watching wildlife will have the possibility to observe latest rare sightings of animals by simply using their computers.
It is worth mentioning that some researchers use cameras with infrared triggers, which are also known as camera traps, in order to watch, count and spot large mammals in remote areas.
Recently it was reported that Google Earth will feature latest images taken by camera traps established in Ecuador by researchers from Earthwatch.
By adding their photos on Google Earth, researchers look forward to increase awareness of endangered species, promote donations and engage tourists in supporting preservation efforts.
"It's a form of fishing or hunting that doesn't kill anything," says on of the Earthwatch's scientists, Mika Peck of the University of Sussex in Brighton, UK, who is also the leading researcher of the project.
Some of the rare mammals caught on camera in the cloud forest feature the spectacled bear, also known as "Paddington Bear", which lives in South America; puma and deer.
Researchers hope to expand their idea by taking rare sighting in other reserves and thus motivate the local government to use this in order to control all their forests. They hope that the system will start running by July. link....

Latest Invention: Synthetic Tree to Collect Huge Amounts of CO2

The latest invention of researchers from Columbia University is an artificial tree that is able to capture carbon dioxide a thousand times faster that a real tree. The lead researcher and a professor of geophysics at Columbia University, Klaus Lackner, has been developing the project for over 10 years and holds hope that the artificial tree will be a very important tool for tackling climate change.
Scientists will use their latest invention to trap greenhouse gas emitted by vehicles or airplanes. The synthetic tree, which resembles a cylinder, will not require direct sunlight, water of branches to work properly. According to Lackner, the tree is flexible in size and can be placed almost anywhere.
Here's how it works: the synthetic tree gathers the greenhouse gas on a sorbent, cleans and pressures the carbon dioxide and then releases it. The technique of gas absorption resembles that of a sponge that collects water.
During a whole day one artificial tree will be able to collect one ton of CO2, which equals to the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by 20 cars. The technology is currently in the development stage at Global Research Technologies, a company based in Tucson, Arizona, co-founded by Lackner, who at the moment is its chairman. Such invention might serve well for the environment by it is quite costly - each synthetic tree requires $30,000 to make, reports CNN.
Data presented by the U.S. Department of Transportation shows that currently in the United States there are about 135,932,930 vehicles, which means that in order to absorb the amount of carbon emitted by these cars, the country would need to "plant" 6.8 million synthetic trees (that's $204 billion). With the current global economic crisis the project will probably remain in the development stage for some time. Still, Lackner and his team look forward to push their latest invention full-force. The researcher managed to arrange a meeting with U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu to talk about the concept. link....

Top 5 Most Inspiring Green Buildings

With a high level of carbon emissions that lead to climate change, governments worldwide take actions to reduce the footprint by forcing plants to lower greenhouse gas emissions while making use of green energy. A lot of architects follow the same path by developing sustainable energy-efficient buildings that use the sun and wind to generate power. Below you will find 5 buildings that we selected as the most inspiring eco-friendly projects.
Harvest - Vertical Farm by Romses Architects
In one of our previous articles we wrote about this incredible building. The idea of this farm lies in vertical farming of vegetables, herbs, fruits, fish and egg laying chickens. It will also include a boutique goat and sheep dairy facility.
A number of design elements included in the Harvest will be able to generate renewable energy by making use of geothermal, wind and solar power. Every structure of the building will have photovoltaic glazing as well as small and large-scale wind turbines. Non-edible parts of plants and animals will be fertilized to produce methane that will basically add energy back to the grid. Irrigation for crops and roof gardens will be provided by a large rainwater cistern mounted on top of the farm.

Gish Family Apartment Complex

This complex is located in downtown San Jose. It features 35 apartments that offer quality at an affordable price. In fact, the complex represents a transit-oriented family apartment building that includes two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments, from which 13 are set aside for people with developmental disabilities. Besides being an incredible structure from the architectural point of view, the building also takes advantage of renewable energy technologies and a number of other green building features, including reuse of an urban brownfield site, a roof-top photovoltaic array, as well as heating and hot water systems.

The Edible House - Green House of the Future

We might soon cultivate our own food, according to architects that were asked to design the green house of the future. Specialists from the Rios Clementi Hale Studios from Los Angeles developed an incredible concept of a green 3-story building that doubles as a vertical garden. They named their design The Edible House. It is made of 3 prefab containers that are stacked on top of one another. Due to the fact that the containers are stacked on top of each other, the footprint of the Edible House is rather small. According to the designers this is a "nod to the importance of building dense, urban-style houses in order to reduce energy use." The building's three floors include the eating and living space, found on the bottom, sleeping rooms in the middle, and room for office and/or studio on the top together with a magnificent deck.
The green aspects of the design include vertical axis wind turbines, installed on the roof, facing an evaporative cooling reservoir. Such systems are going to considerably reduce the energy use. Besides, the designers included a photovoltaic awning, installed over the top deck. It will have two functions: energy production and shading. The Edible House will also include adjustable doors on its sides that will provide natural cross ventilation. Probably the most interesting feature of the house is that it will allow people to walk out on the deck and collect vegetables from personal edible garden.

The Terry Thomas

Initially the idea of The Terry Thomas building was to offer a healthy work environment that would show the possibilities of eco-friendly design. The building is located in Seattle. Its four floors provide 37,000 square feet of office space, including shower facilities to support bicycle use. The main goal was to reducing the dependence on energy. The ground level of the building houses restaurant space and a central courtyard, where office workers can gather and communicate. There are also 2 levels of an underground garage were workers can park their vehicles and bicycles. Some other sustainable practices include simple interior finishes, daylighting and natural ventilation. The Terry Thomas was erected without air conditioning in order to save energy. However, it has a cooling central courtyard, heat-resistant blinds, as well as automatic exterior vents that control temperature.

Envision Green Hotel

We wrote about this egg-like skyscraper previously, noting that it is part urban eco-resort, part wind tower. The building makes use of wind and atmospheric conversion systems to produce natural air without any mechanical involvement. Photovoltaic exterior sheathing produces energy. Recycled pools of water are used as water reservoirs and fire barriers. The wind turbine generates power that heats the boiler, thus producing steam that is needed for the chiller water plant found beneath the building. The water plant then cools and heats the entire construction. There are a lot more features that designers wish to include in this building, such as LED curtains that would change color during the day to highlight the process when the day turns into night. link....

Air Conditioning

Trane Air Conditioning Products and Services

With their well known motto, "Its hard to stop a Trane", Trane air conditioning, heating and ventilation has been one of the major leaders in the residential and commercial heating and cooling industry. A Norwegian immigrant to the United States started the Trane company. Mr. James Trane, the founder of the company, first started working in the plumbing industry in his own shop in La Crosse, Wisconsin in 1885. Although originally a heating company, Trane and his son Reuben, a mechanical engineer, soon also expanded into keeping houses cool in the summer as well as warm in the winter. In 1931 Trane air conditioning units went on the market and in 1938 a new concept in Trane air conditioning, the Turbovac, a sealed refrigeration machine make a huge breakthrough in air conditioning units for large buildings and spaces. Currently Trane has moved into many different markets and has become one of the recognized leaders in the field of heating, ventilation and air conditioning as well as building automation, energy conservation and environmentally friendly products. Currently the Trane brand is sold in over 100 countries in the world with over 400 specific locations that manufacture, sell and distribute exclusively Trane products. The large company has several subsidiary companies including American Standard heating and air conditioning products. Trane employs over 29,000 individuals worldwide with 11,000 service technicians located worldwide for installation and maintenance of Trane systems. The yearly profit for Trane air conditioning and heating and subsidiary companies is over 6.8 billion dollars and there are 29 different manufacturing plants for the company located in countries such as Brazil, United States, France, England, Egypt and Mexico. Trane air conditioning units are sold either as residential or commercial, with many different options within each division. Trane manufacturers energy efficient air conditioning units and strives to exceed the set standards by the various governmental regulatory boards. They also have produced a split-system home air conditioning unit that can result in energy savings to the homeowner of up to sixty percent over other similar products on the market.Since the company offers both Trane air conditioning and heating systems, it is possible to integrate both systems into one energy saving system. Combining or using the "total comfort system" for year round costs savings is also an option with the company. Each of the components, Trane air conditioning and Trane heating systems are designed to have the highest efficiency when in use, meaning lower year round energy bills. Another option, the CleanEffects air cleaning system, can remove allergens and other harmful airborne contaminants from the entire home, leading to easier breathing and less risk of germs throughout the house. link....

Air Quality

Copier Air Quality Is Important in Offices

You can prevent waste and save paper with copiers that are capable of double-sided and/or multi-page printing services. If you also buy remanufactured toner cartridges instead of always buying brand new toner cartridges you can help to reduce the amount of waste that is placed in landfills or transformation service facilities. When you purchase refurbished copiers, you are again helping to reduce waste. Although, refurbished copiers may not be equipped with the new energy efficient components.ENERGY STAR® copiers have some of the same energy saving features as most new computers. An ENERGY STAR® copier is capable of going to "sleep" or even powering itself down when it is not in use. If a copier complies with ENERGY STAR® requirements it may be able to cut the amount of energy use from between 30 and 40 percent. The ENERGY STAR® feature may even help you to reduce energy use by lowering the running time of your air conditioning and maintenance service costs.You can set-up your copier to help you improve the indoor air quality of your office. You can do this by setting the performance standards to allowable standards for ozone, particulate matter, styrene and volatile organic compounds from the toner cartridge. After you have set-up your copier the emitted ozone concentrations should beat a minimum complying with the state and federal occupational standards.You can make your copier less hazardous by not using toners with diphenyl ethers (PBDE) or polybrominated biphenyls (PBB). These chemicals are carcinogenic, mutagenic and teratogenic substances. You may also purchase copiers that all lead-free solder construction of the printed circuit boards or use no arsenic, selenium or cadmium in the photoreceptor.Another way that your copier can help air quality is waste prevention with a copier capable of Double-sided Copies. Some copiers available on the market feature automatic double-sided copying. This feature helps to save paper and energy. Based on how often the double-sided printing option is used, double-sided copying, also known as duplexing can reduce paper use. With the double-sided printing option your copier is turned into an energy saving piece of office equipment. The double-sided printing option makes a copier energy saving because it takes 10 times more energy to produce paper than it does to copy an image onto it. Digital copiers present paper-saving options with multi-page printing, as well as improvements in the way that paper is handled.In review, you can help the air quality of your office and even the globe by buying and using ENERGY STAR® copiers as well as newer technology copiers that can perform double-sided and multi-page printing services. You may also want to buy environment friendly toner cartridges as well as refurbished copiers and remanufactured toner cartridges. link....