The latest products, services and cleantech applications and how they are tackling some of our most pressing social and environmental issues.
In the wake of natural disasters, it can be easy to feel like there’s nothing we can do to prevent or minimize the damage they cause. However, often this is not the case. Some cities are already making changes to offset future crises, and it’s time we learn from their efforts. Similarly, we can look at urban planning mistakes in cities such as Houston, Texas, which exacerbated the effects of Hurricane Harvey, in order to identify potential weak points in other cities.
Though harmful greenhouse gases are charged with driving unprecedented — and dangerous — climate change, they’re proving to be an unlikely ally to researchers working on solutions to treat African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) and reduce the variability of renewable power.
Sustainable isn’t a word often used to describe the cruise industry, which has historically received less than stellar grades for its environmental performance (although there have been signs of improvement). But Peace Boat, an NGO working to promote peace, human rights, sustainable development and respect for the environment, has unveiled a new ship worthy of the descriptor.
Back in 2015, we first learned about + POOL, a wildly ambitious idea by four enterprising New Yorkers to make the City’s notoriously polluted Hudson River swimmable with the help of a floating, water-filtering pool.
Scientists at the US Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL) have developed a technology that could finally make it economically feasible for coal plants to curb their carbon emissions.
Researchers at MIT have developed a new membrane system that could be used to convert power plant CO2 emissions into fuel for cars, trucks and planes, as well as into chemical feedstocks for a variety of products. Funded by Shell Oil and the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, the breakthrough is the work of MIT postdoc Xiao-Yu Wu and Ahmed Ghoniem, the Ronald C.
While discussion around the future of urban mobility largely focuses on electric vehicles and public transportation, buzz is growing around the role of bikes in driving down emissions in cities. Congested city streets pose considerable challenges for delivery trucks, a problem that French startup FlexiModal endeavors to solve with its BicyLift bicycle trailer. The emissions-free logistics solution allows the operator to move Euro pallets (120 x 80 cm) by bicycle and by hand in areas where circulation of traditional delivery vehicles is limited. The trailer weighs 55 lbs. and has a carrying capacity of around 400 lbs.
Carlsberg Group is now one step closer to achieving its Together Towards Zero goals — the company’s brewery in Falkenberg, Sweden is now 100 percent powered by biogas and clean electricity, thereby reducing its CO2 emissions to zero.
Cross-Posted from Waste Not. Your morning cup of java could be good for more than just a caffeine buzz — Shell and Vancouver-based sustainable clothing company LEZÉ the Label are fueling a sustainable future with the help of waste coffee grounds.
I was driving through rural Pennsylvania recently and saw a fascinating billboard. Sponsored by an organization that promotes coal and natural gas, the sign declared, “The truth is that 90 percent of our energy comes from fossil fuels.” Technically, that’s true (ish), but it’s also meaningless.
Coal and oil are still the world’s main energy sources, but there’s massive public support for a cleaner energy future. According to a new survey, people across all ages, political standpoints, education and geographies are in favour of a shift to ‘green’ energy, and three out of four believe that it will boost their country’s economy. The backing for renewable energy is clear: In the largest survey of attitudes on the subject* ever conducted, 82 percent favour a change from black to green energy.
On a rainy Tuesday afternoon at Sustainable Brands ‘17 Copenhagen, I caught the bus ferrying several attendees to visit Ørsted’s Avedøre Power Station. It was an eye-opening experience, especially to someone who had never been inside a power plant before!
Nature could hold the key to reversing or mitigating the effects of climate change — a concept that the Biomimicry Institute and Ray C. Anderson Foundation are banking on. The two organizations have issued a call to action for entrepreneurs to look to the planet’s living systems to create viable solutions to the global climate crisis.
Corresponding with the launch of its updated Global States and Regions Annual Disclosure report in partnership with CDP and the 2017 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP23), The Climate Group has announced new members and progress for its electric vehicles (EV100), energy productivity (EP100) and renewable electricity (
The popularity of electric vehicles is on the rise, but infrastructure constraints have largely kept a widespread EV boom from becoming reality — until now.
Renewable energy solutions are on the rise, particularly in the realm of efficiency and storage advancements, making emissions-free electricity more accessible and affordable for all. One drawback, however, is the pressure intermittent renewable energy puts on electrical grids, but Dutch energy expert Alfen may have found the answer. The company has developed the Cellular Smart Grid Platform (CSGriP), which divides the central grid into smaller cells that can operate autonomously and even self-heal.
There’s no denying it: Clean energy is on the rise in America. Each year, investments in renewable sources of power continue to increase, bringing with it economic and job growth. In fact, it’s on track to deliver an increasing share of total energy supply, putting traditional energy sources to the side. That’s why organizations across the country are committing to renewable energy as a way to meet their sustainability goals and cut energy costs.
Following a recent commitment to source 100 percent sustainable cotton by 2020, Target has introduced a new climate policy and Science-Based Target Initiative-aligned goals aimed at reducing its carbon footprint.
Nearly three weeks after Puerto Rico was pummeled by Hurricane Maria, the island is still feeling the storm’s disastrous effects. The destruction of transmission lines across the island has left much of Puerto Rico’s population in darkness and without access to information technologies. The problem is critical, but Elon Musk believes Tesla technology may hold the key to rebuilding the US territory’s antiquated grid.
Earlier this week, the Larta Institute, an accelerator for small businesses and startups in science-based innovation, announced that its subsidiary, Larta Inc. has been awarded an exclusive contract by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) to manage its national Commercialization Assistance Program (CAP) for as many as 450 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I and II awardees per year beginning in September 2017. The DOE granted over $224 million to SBIR recipients in 2016.