Philips Demonstrate Transparent OLEDs
via MetaEfficient Reviews by Justin on 4/23/09
Philips demonstrates transparent OLEDs (think windows that double as lamps at night).
NovaLED unveils an OLED lamp.
The Podcar: A Cross Between a Taxi and a Personal Bus
via Green Options by Amiel Blajchman on 4/17/09
Masdar City, located within Abu Dhabi, is introducing personal rapid transit “podcars“.
Basically, a cross between the convenience of grabbing a cab and a public bus; the podcars will be a component of Masdar City’s public transportation system.
As part of Masdar City’s car-free design; these podcars will be part of a network of electric taxis without drivers (!). The first of these podcars (also known as personal rapid transit – PRT) are set to debut this year.
EPA Finds Greenhouse Gases Pose a Threat to Public Health
via Green Options by Timothy B. Hurst on 4/17/09
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency published findings of a study on Friday, suggesting that climate change endangers public health and welfare. The landmark findings could be the basis for federal regulation of CO2.
The proposed endangerment findings, which will now move to a public comment period, also state, “In both magnitude and probability, climate change is an enormous problem. The greenhouse gases that are responsible for it endanger public health and welfare within the meaning of the Clean Air Act.”
Chief among the findings is that global climate change has the potential to make U.S. air quality management more difficult, and therefore future air quality management decisions should begin to account for the impacts of climate change.
Tasmania wombat poo paper a hit
via BBC News | Science & Environment | UK Edition on 4/18/09
Paper made out of wombat droppings is helping a local industry in Tasmania to buck the economic trend, the BBC’s Phil Mercer reports.
Climate Change May Wake Up Sleeper Weeds
via Earth News, Earth Science, Energy Technology, Environment News on 4/19/09
Canberra (SPX) Apr 20, 2009 – Weeds cost Australia more than A$4 billion a year either in control or lost production and cause serious damage to the environment. In an address to the GREENHOUSE 09 conference on climate change, CSIRO researcher, Dr John Scott, said, however, that those cost estimates were only based on the damage caused by weeds known to be active in Australia.
Bionic Penguins to Destroy Humans from Water and Air
via Gizmodo Australia on 4/20/09
Bionic penguins that travel underwater independently. Bionic flying penguins. Robotic arms made of fiberglass rods with free will. Molecubes that assemble into infinite-growing robots. All for real, as this video shows. I’m leaving the planet.
Valley twin towers have green hue – Brisbane Times
via greenstar location:australia – Google News on 4/21/09
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Valley twin towers have green hue |
RAILWAYCOVER
via Design Under Sky by Adam E. Anderson on 4/21/09
In Collaboration with Rosemarie Trockel and Catherine Venart German landscape architecture firm Topotek 1 was commissioned to create an open space that cover a set of train tracks.
A concrete cover over subterranean train tracks provides a connection between the newly constructed housing complexes south of Theresienhö-he in Munich. A new type of open space is conceived on this extraordinary site between Bavaria Park, Theresienwiese and West Park. The train tracks beneath the large concrete cover constituted the starting point for the project design developed in collaboration with Rosemarie Trockel and Catherine Venart. A series of play boxes was installed / Several play boxes were installed on the cover, in a row as an allusion to the trains traveling beneath; this procession of containers transports material and, in a figurative sense, the powers of the imagination, just like a toy box.
This newly developed site incorporates three materials that can also be identified as elements of landscape: a sports and playing area are made of rubberized tartan, a moraine is formed by a lawn and, between them, there is a large expanse of sand and gravel (der Bezug war falsch – “ma-terials” und dann wurden die Bereiche als Subjekte genannt). A pine grove accentuates the slightly curved north perimeter of the track. Along both sides of the open space green front-gardens connect the project with the adjacent housing. The landscape cover is a generous open area accessible from all sides which, on the one hand links the residential areas on both sides by means of imagined movement but on the other hand, provides a soothing contrast to the density of the adjoining housing developments, and a sense of the being faraway within an absurd locality.
{All Imagery by Topotek 1}
Developers often see green as requirement
via CTBUH Global News on 4/21/09
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April 19, Atlanta
At the Brookwood, one of Buckhead’s newest high-rise condominiums, it’s easy to spot the floor-to-ceiling windows, stone countertops and private balconies that add zeroes to the price. Harder to find are the energy- and water-efficient technologies hidden in the closets, plumbing and walls that have the Brookwood on track to earn Leadership in Energy Efficient Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council…more |
Green and mean: The downside of clean energy
via New Scientist – Online News on 4/21/09
How do you choose between a wilderness and a power station? The tough choices associated with large-scale renewable energy projects are dividing the green movement
New tenant sues over GPO ‘delays and defects’ – The West Australian
via greenstar location:australia – Google News on 4/21/09
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New tenant sues over GPO ‘delays and defects’ |
Army Stops Making ‘Eco-Friendly’ Tungsten Bullets Because They Cause Cancer
via Gizmodo Australia on 4/21/09
The Army’s tungsten-based bullets were designed to be more eco-friendly, but research showing tungsten increases cancer risk pushed them to pull the plug. The problem, Danger Room points out, is that tungsten munitions are everywhere.
Entire State of Texas Could be Powered by Solar
via Green Options by Jake Richardson on 4/22/09
A recent study released by Public Citizen, a consumer advocacy organization, and several environmental organizations has concluded that solar technology alone could supply electricity for the whole state.
They cite a number of mind-blowing prospects from a variety of sources, all pointing to Texas as having the number one solar generating potential of the US states.
Oxfam predicts millions more victims of climate change
via Earth News, Earth Science, Energy Technology, Environment News on 4/22/09
London (AFP) April 21, 2009 – Hundreds of millions of people will become victims of climate change-related disasters over the next six years, Oxfam said Tuesday, urging governments to change the way they respond to such events.
Toronto Trying to Force Green Roofs – Could Your City be Next?
via Green Options by Stephen Boles on 4/21/09
North of the border a controversy is starting to gain steam in the nation’s largest city, Toronto. The city has proposed a by-law that would make ‘green roofs’ mandatory in new construction of condos higher than 7 storeys and office or retail complexes greater than 54,000 square feet (about 1/4 of a Wal-Mart Supercenter). The proposed law would require 30-60% of the surface area of buildings’ roofs to be green (depending on the size of the building) and violators would be subject to fines up to $100,000.
Light Bulb Condom Does Not Protect Against STDs, Only the Dreaded EU
via Gizmodo Australia on 4/23/09
Depending on your location, you may have heard that the European Union is banning all frosted incandescent bulbs in order to stimulate the adoption of efficient lighting. This bulb condom helps get around the rule.
Sky-Terra Towers Poised to Steal the Last Remnants of Sunshine from Humanity
via Gizmodo Australia on 4/23/09
Sky-Terra were designed with the intent of creating a green space in the sky. But am I the only one who sees a flaw with this logic?
Emission Free: 5 Huge Renewable Energy Projects to Watch For
via Green Options by Dave Levitan on 4/23/09
In February, President Obama called for a doubling of the US renewable energy capacity within three years. Yesterday, Obama visited a wind energy company in Newton, Iowa and again emphasized the importance of new forms of power generation:
“Now, the choice we face is not between saving our environment and saving our economy. The choice we face is between prosperity and decline. We can remain the world’s leading importer of oil, or we can become the world’s leading exporter of clean energy.”
With billions in stimulus dollars heading toward improving the electricity grid and building sustainable energy infrastructure, emission-free power may be coming to your neighborhood sooner than you think. Here are five of the biggest, most ambitious projects that are in the pipeline, both in the US and elsewhere.
Citi Achieves First Ever LEED Platinum Accreditation for a Data Centre – StreetInsider.com (subscription)
via “embodied energy” – Google News on 4/22/09
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Citi Achieves First Ever LEED Platinum Accreditation for a Data Centre |
The Augmented Environment 
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