An international team of scientists has come up with a method to make wool carpets from all-natural materials that can be re-processed after a life cycle.

Erutan

Most carpets are biodegradable but they are glued together using latex. When carpets are thrown away, they end up in an oven to burn for extra energy in other industries or they go to the local dump.

There is a new project that is being funded by the Dutch Government called Erutan or “nature” spelled backwards. Their slogan is “It’s a natural solution – sheep eat grass, from the sheep, we get wool, and from the wool we make a carpet with natural ingredients.” The researchers decided to replace all synthetic substances and chemicals with organic materials, enzymes and polymers. The adhesive is based on natural compounds such as lignin or tannic acid.

It is a joint venture of three Dutch companies – James, Best Wool Carpets, and Bond Textile Research, working in cooperation with three technology developers – Research Institute TNO in the Netherlands, Technical University of Graz in Austria (TUG) and Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Spain (UPC).

They have managed to create an all natural carpet that looks and feels like any carpet that is on the current market. There is no latex involved so when the carpet reaches it end of life, it can be re-cycled to a type of fertilizer for agricultural uses.
The team are hoping their carpets will revolutionize the industry.

But the scientists did not want to stop at changing basic ingredients – they decided to make all other processes associated with manufacturing eco-friendly as well.

For instance, the researchers from Technical University of Graz in Austria came up with a way to wash dirty, greasy raw wool from New Zealand sheep without any detergents, salt or any other chemicals.

They clean it with enzymes. With enzymes in washing powders everything has gotten faster, you use less water, it’s much better for the environment and those enzymes come from nature.

As for color, they are using natural ingredients versus the synthetic dyes that are currently used.

As for availability, it is not clear. Will keep you posted.

…. as the green future unfolds.

Trade plus Aid Biogas Digester Project

This is another program that is helping South Africa. There has been a grant for 22 towns to get this biogas digester. As you will see, the towns that have gotten their new biogas digesters installed are very happy campers!

… as the green future unfolds.

Decentralized Energy is the Best Way to Generate Clean and Green Energy!

Quasar-Wooster-Ohio

In Kenya, Lake Victoria is choking with water hyacinth. The people have been critical of the government for not clearing the weed out of the Lake. The local people currently use it to make furniture and baskets.

In walks a green technology…. a portable unit that can generate biogas and liquid fertilizer from the water hyacinth. It is called an anaerobic digester. .An anaerobic digester is a system that takes an organic waste stream and through the process of anaerobic digestion (meaning without oxygen), microorganisms break-down the waste stream which generates biogas in the process. However, they tested this unit at the Nairobi Dam, Naivasha and Victoria Lakes and were successful in breaking down the water hyacinth.

How is it done? They innoculate the digesters contents with a bacteria obtained from animal intestines. In a continuous digester, organic material is constantly or regularly fed into the digester. The material moves through the digester either mechanically or by the force of the new feed pushing out digested material. Unlike batch-type digesters, continuous digesters produce biogas without the interruption of loading material and unloading effluent. There are three types of continuous digesters: vertical tank systems, horizontal tank or plug-flow systems, and multiple tank systems. The contents are emptied and can produce enough fertilizer for up to 4 towns. What a neat way to get and keep agriculture going in these towns.

It has been asked that if the digester can take care of the hyacinth, won’t they run out? The answer is no as the weed is very abundant throughout East Africa. It is a weed and we all know how weeds grow when close to water.

… as the green future unfolds.

May your holiday be safe, fun and full of good food!

… as the green future unfolds.

Have you had the experience of driving/charging a Hybrid yet?

Well, it seems that the EV plugs are being installed across the country to charge any hybrid that hits the roads. This is an example of how to use one.

One place the EV plug is installed is the Whole Foods Markets. All you have to do is to pull into a parking spot marked “EV charging only” and pull your cell phone out. As you look at the Charge point Station, it has an LED display that blinks above a metal panel. It is not real obvious as to what to do next with the exception of a toll free number that is on the post. So give it a try!

A Customer Service Representative answers and asks for your name, phone number, location and e-mail. The e-mail is for identification when you call back in to end the charge. Once all of the questions are answered, you will hear a click. Just lift the panel, plug in your car, and go shopping.

Now it takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to get a full charge on the go. So if you come back early, you can certainly call, unplug and boogie.

On the Toyota Prius, a full charge is capable of traveling 13 miles at a maximum highway speed of 60 mph on lithium-ion battery power. After the 13 miles, it converts to utilizing the gas engine. So, Toyota is bragging that this car gets 50 miles per gallon. This car will be out on the market next year. Are you reserving yours yet? As you can tell, it does not matter what type of hybrid you will own, the plugs will be universal.

Once you get home, you can plug it into your standard wall plug (110 volts) and it will take 3 hours to charge. However, if you plug it into a 220 volt outlet, it takes half the time.

The cost to your electric bill will be only 33 cents if your electricity provided runs about $0.11 per kilowatt hour. This is a cost that can be absorbed by most households. Even in a week, the cost is a little more than a dollar menu item at M C Donnells.

With the Nissan Leaf, the Chevy Volt, and the Honda Fit, there are many options to choose from within your price range. Most will be at your dealership sometime in 2012.

As for the EV stations, there have been 4600 posts funded by the DOE for across the nation. They are also making sure that you can find them via online. Maybe even some of the super apps for your phone. For now, they are free to use. It seems to me that these hybrids will be pretty simple to drive, charge and/or own.

… as the green future unfolds.

On a sadder note, my partner in crime passed away last week due to the most unfortunate circumstances that are too much to explain here. Anyway, may the good Lord take care of this most loving, humorous, intelligent and empathetic human being I have ever known and will be sorely missed! Thank you to all who have been coming by looking for a new post. Thanks to Theresa who has kept Forced Green alive while I was gone.

Surrounding and interlaced with New Green City are the ‘hubs’ of new residential communities. From hubs for people that favor futuristic domes and modernistic abodes with geometric flare, to folks who prefer the quaint country comfort of historically inspired homes.

Herbert K. Lau

Each hub supports ‘wheels’ of up to 16 homes, allowing each home a large backyard and that cul-de-sac feel. Each wheel has 4 avenues to enter and exit, one to the ‘Hub Heart’, one to a major thoroughfare outside the hub, and two for connecting to the wheels on either side.

Image Credit: Tom Curtis

Strategically located between each wheel are raingardens, artificial depressions in the landscape that collects and stores storm water runoff preventing flooding and erosion. Raingardens slow run-off and allows the water to soak into the ground, where the water filters through soil layers before entering the groundwater system. Planted with native vegetation that is hardy and attractive and gives color to the landscape at all times of the year. The plants are a selection of wetland edge vegetation, such as wildflowers, sedges (any of numerous grass-like plants), rushes, ferns, shrubs and small trees, all taking up excess water flowing into the raingarden. Root systems enhance infiltration, moisture redistribution, and diverse microbial populations involved in biofiltration. (more…)

To quench your information thirst, here is an update to Solar Roadways project along with their getting more funding !

They say a picture is worth a thousand words but in this case, a video can answer a thousand questions.  If this does not answer your Solar Roadways question, email us again!

New Green City … as the green future unfolds.