A Bit From The Green Glossary For Everyday People:
Eco-footprint – Measures how much land and water area a human requires to produce the resources he consumes and to absorb his wastes. It compares human demand with planet Earth’s ecological capacity to regenerate. Estimating how much of the Earth (or how many planet Earths) it would take to support humanity if everybody lived a given lifestyle. Example: For 2005, humanity’s total ecological footprint was estimated at 1.3 planet Earths – in other words, humanity uses ecological services 1.3 times as fast as Earth can renew them. If you want to calculate your own eco-footprint, try this site … (more…)
In 1800, Alessandro Volta made the first battery by layering plates of silver and zinc with blotting paper that had been soaked in salt water, he called it a voltaic pile. Each layer in the pile increased the battery’s voltage. In 1859, a French physicist named Gaston Plante created the lead acid cell. It later became the world’s first rechargeable battery.
Lithium-ion batteries (sometimes abbreviated Li-ion batteries) are a type of rechargeable battery in which a lithium ion moves between the anode and cathode. The lithium ion moves from the anode to the cathode during discharge and in reverse, from the cathode to the anode, when charging. Lithium-ion batteries can be formed into a wide variety of shapes and sizes so as to efficiently fill available space in the devices they power. They’re generally much lighter than other types of rechargeable batteries of the same size. (more…)
Seventy-six percent (76%) of all electricity generated by US power plants goes to
supply the Building Sector. Buildings are responsible for almost half (48%) of all
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually.
With this in mind, Architecture 2030, a non-profit independent organization, was
established by architect Edward Mazria in 2002. 2030′s mission is to rapidly
transform the US and global Building Sector from the major contributor of GHG to a
central part of the solution to the global-warming crisis. (more…)
The U.S. wind industry is on its way to charting another record-shattering year of
growth. That capacity will generate over 60 billion kWh of electricity in 2009,
enough to serve over 5.5 million American homes and eliminating the burning of
* 30.4 million short tons of coal (enough to fill two 1,000-mile-long coal trains),
* 91 million barrels of oil per year, or
* 560 Bcf of natural gas (about 9% of the natural gas used for electricity generation)
Hull, Massachusetts – Offshore Wind Turbines
This resort town, population 11,000, plans to moor four 260-foot-tall turbines a (more…)
A standalone desalinator needs 17 gallons of diesel fuel and 66.5 kilowatts of
electricity to make 1,000 gallons of freshwater, but now, the Solar Cube, (made
by Spectra Watermakers in California), churns out 1,500 gallons of drinking water
on just 22 kilowatts of its own solar and wind power. The innovation is a pump
that triples efficiency by recapturing hydraulic pressure during the filtering
process. Solar Cubes are now bringing freshwater to remote regions and places
short on infrastructure and electricity without paying the CO2 price – way cool. (more…)
If you do not think that there is a movement beginning, you are wrong!
A little town very close to me here in deep East Texas, Lindale, has decided
they need to develop some opportunities to grow the city. They are now working
with Decker Energy International, Inc., a Florida based privately held company,
to assist them in building a 35-50 megawatt wood-fired biomass power plant.
This plant will have 25 full time jobs. Along with more jobs to build it. Yeah!
The proposed site is 43 acres that is currently owned by the Lindale Economic
Development Corporation (LEDC) which will also be part of the Lindale
Industrial Park. This project will cost the city about $130 million. (more…)