Tag Archives: science & technology

Blue Jeans Hold Secret To Making Better Solar Cells

Photo via lifecreations Researchers at Cornell University have found a seemingly simple solution to creating more efficient solar cells. It turns out that particular molecules found in blue jeans and some ink dyes can be used in a process for assembling a structure called “covalent organic framework” or COF, which can help create cheaper, flexible solar cells. While organic materials haven’t proven very easy to use so far for creating solar cells, the researchers are finding that these molecules found in every-day materials might be just w… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Blue Jeans Hold Secret To Making Better Solar Cells

Shocking: Industrial Fishing Like You’ve Never Seen it Before (Video)

“Seeing death on this scale has quite an impact on the team.” About 5 minutes into the video above, a film crew dives in the South Pacific waters and films for what is probably the first time ever (that’s what they claim, anyway) the inside of a giga… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Shocking: Industrial Fishing Like You’ve Never Seen it Before (Video)

Gov. Jindal’s "Barrier Island" Plan Could Reroute Oil Spill Up Mississippi River

Photo via Skytruth Back when I was on the ground in the Gulf, I reported that Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal had announced a plan to stop the oil spill from reaching his state’s shoreline: building up barrier islands out of dredged materials to act as a shield. I was skeptical of the plan then, as I was worried that environmental concerns were not being taken into account. It turns out my hunch was correct — scientist after scientist has now come forward questioning the approach, arguing that it … Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Gov. Jindal’s "Barrier Island" Plan Could Reroute Oil Spill Up Mississippi River

Burning Tap Water and More: GASLAND Exposes the Natural Gas Industry

Image: Gasland What the frack? In 2008, Josh Fox received a letter from a natural gas company. They were interested in leasing land owned by his family to do natural gas drilling. The offer was for $100,000, but instead of taking the money, Josh decided to do some research on the natural gas industry and ended up making a documentary called GASLAND. It focuses on the impact that modern natural gas extraction, which primarly uses hydraulic fracturing( aka “fracking”), has on communities and the environment. Check out the trailer below, it’s pretty good…. Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Burning Tap Water and More: GASLAND Exposes the Natural Gas Industry

China’s Coast Under Siege By Massive Algae Slick

Soldiers struggle to clean the Qingdao coast during a similar algae bloom in 2008. Image credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan Qingdao, China, is famous for its temperate sea air and “Tsingtao” beer but, during the summer, the gentle coast becomes a fertile bed for massive, smelly, algae blooms. The last major bloom occurred in 2008 and threatened the sailing competitions of the Beijing Olympics. This year, another bloom as blossomed—and has grown by 50 percent in less than a week…. Read the full story on TreeHugger

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China’s Coast Under Siege By Massive Algae Slick

Light Bulbs To Get Nutrition-Style Labels Next Year

Image via FTC Late last year we reported that the US Federal Trade Commission proposed a new label for compact fluorescent lightbulbs that would show vital statistics like mercury content and the light output in terms of lumens rather than watts, which would make the brightness of CFLs, LEDs and other lighting technology more comparable among consumers. Well word has just hit that the new system has been approved and we’ll soon see … Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Light Bulbs To Get Nutrition-Style Labels Next Year

Security Is Next Multi-Billion Dollar Boom for Smart Grid

Photo via [jeremy] The security of the smart grid, from privacy and ownership of personal information among consumers to hackers’ ability to fell the entire grid in one sweep of malicious code, has been a hotly debated topic since the smart grid’s earliest days. So it is no surprise to hear that security measures that protect the grid is set to be a multi-billion-dollar industry in the very near future. According to a new report by Pike Research, 15% of all smart grid investments over the next few years will be for security, representing about $21 billion by 2015… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Security Is Next Multi-Billion Dollar Boom for Smart Grid

Polluting Two-Stroke "Mototaxi" Goes Solar

Photo of solar-powered mototaxi by Universidad Nactional in Lima. What’s worse about the two-stroke engines still common workhorses in motors of all kinds – the pollution or the noise? In Lima, Peru, plagued by air pollution, it’s probably the former. An ingenious professor at the University of San Marcos has designed a solar panel retrofit of the two-stroke “mototaxis” that fill the streets of the city which can run on pedal-power or a battery hooked to the solar panels…. Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Polluting Two-Stroke "Mototaxi" Goes Solar

Spirit Airlines Says "Check Out The Oil On Our Beaches"

When Spirit Airlines last graced the pages of TreeHugger it was during the election, when they advertised: “We believe in offshore drilling and other plans that will help keep fares low for you” with a well-formed tush in the foreground (below the fold). Now the Consumerist shows us their new campaign, “Check Out The Oil On Our Beaches” , complete with BP (Best Protection) sunscreen. OOPS, UPDATE: They have pulled it and apologized. … Read the full story on TreeHugger

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Spirit Airlines Says "Check Out The Oil On Our Beaches"

WTF? Is BP Burning Endangered Sea Turtles Alive? (Videos)

A lucky Kemp’s Ridley sea turtle that didn’t get burned. Photo: Wikipedia, public domain . Destroying the Evidence? Kemp’s Ridley is a critically endangered species of sea turtle that can be found in the Gulf of Mexico. According to Mike Ellis (see the video interview below), BP has been keeping rescue teams from getting to the turtles and has even been burning them alive, along with other animals. Because Kemp’s Ridleys are listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act, killing or ha… Read the full story on TreeHugger

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WTF? Is BP Burning Endangered Sea Turtles Alive? (Videos)