Green

Robot Plant Powered By Polluted Water

Gilberto Esparza, a Mexican artist has developed ‘Planta Nomada’, which can also be called ‘Nomadic Plant’ – it is an amalgamation of a machine and a plant which holds micro organisms and plants from the Lerma Santiago River in Mexico which is heavily polluted and then converts these elements into electrical energy.

Esparza’s creation, a fabulously ‘green’ robot is driven by a microbial fuel cell. The self sufficient robot uses its multiple legs to move towards water when it needs to be recharged. The robot ‘walks’ towards the water, and using a tube, sucks in the water, and then turns it into electricity. The plants the robot already has are also nourished by the water taken in. One expert, while commending the newly developed robot said that its locomotive system was still a bit doubtful, as it could quite likely fall into the river while trying to replenish its supply of polluted water.

The Nomadic Plant is referred to by LABoral as “a metaphor for the alienated human condition and the impact its activity has on nature. The work is ongoing experimentation hoping to instigate critical reflections on the ambiguity of the force wielded by technology.”

While Esparza’s creation leans more towards art, his ‘Nomadic Plant’ robot makes you think: the fact that a self sufficient robot, cleans up as it goes, using up polluted water in order to up its energy levels, while also giving life to the vegetation on it. This could even be a good enough pointer for the future in terms of fine-tuning plant life in order to survive and live off polluted environments.

New ‘Smart’ Roof Reads the Thermometer, Saves Energy in Hot and Cold Climates

You can either have a roof that helps to cut air conditioning costs during the summer, such as a ‘cool roof’; or you could get one that helps warm up the house during the winter. Whichever one you choose, you can only have it one way.

Recently, scientists spoke of a new development – a ‘smart’ roof which is coated with used cooking oil disposed at fast food restaurants. What is even better: the ‘smart’ roof can also read a thermometer, making it switch roles. This way, the roof either reflects the sunlight or absorbs it, depending on the climate.

The new development was outlined in San Francisco at the 239th National Meeting of the American Chemical Society.

Ben Wen, Ph.D., leader of the research project and also the vice-president of United Environment & Energy LLC in Horseheads, N.Y said this new development was one of the most practical and innovative coatings for roofs. He spoke of how the new roof coating would help save electricity and fuel, thus leading to lesser emissions from roofing products which are petroleum based. He also highlighted the top recycling factor as well.

Previous to this new development, scientists proved that ‘white roofs’ were great ways to beat the heat, proving to be a good reflector and a great mechanism to cool down buildings, especially during the scorching summer heat. This however, does have its minus points, especially during winter.
The ‘intelligent’ roof coating could cool down the roof temperature on hot days by as much as 50-80%, and heat it up on cold days up to 80%. Scientists say that even though this could mean just a few degrees in temperature, it could have a huge effect on the electricity bill.

Men’s suits for the businessman

When one thinks of business suits, one normally associated them with big brand names such as Armani and so on and so forth that are trendsetters when it comes to fashion regardless of whether it is for men and women. The fact remains that they also burn a hole in your pocket and even though some people don’t paying big bucks for expensive men’s suits, it still leaves a lot to be desired for those who aren’t necessarily well-financed.

However, there are several online stores at which you can find suits and clothes that keep up with the latest trends related to almost anything in formal and casual wear, and what is heartening to know is that they are not that expensive either.

For the business man, the single breasted and three buttoned wool suit is a popular choice. Whether you are self-employed or work for a multinational corporation, how you present yourself (both with your work and your choice of clothes) often works out to your advantage. And that advantage normally translates into more money for the company and which obviously works out for you as well.

All you have to do is shop online, and you can find clothes in a host of colors, styles and types of material that will suit your requirements down to the last detail. Take your time to pick them, constantly look for discounts and clarify any doubts if you do have any before you spend your money.

Waste at Home – Part 1 – Reduce

Taking action against waste at home is one of the best things you can do to help the environment. Each household is capable of producing almost a ton of waste each year, and sometimes even more. So you can see how this adds up and creates a problem for the nation as well as the world. Here are some steps you can take to reduce the amount of waste produced.

Avoid buying it if you really don’t need it.

Buy long lasting products, it may cost you a bit more but its longevity will help you and the environment.
Opt for toys that do not require batteries. If you really need batteries then switch to rechargeable ones or find toys that contain rechargeable battery packs.

Just because it is broken, do not throw it away. Get it fixed or fix it yourself. If it is an electrical item please seek help when fixing it.

Try to buy foods that require little or no packaging. For example, buy apples or oranges as opposed to getting a packet of potato chips. Buying bulk
packs of food will also help as the packaging will be less overall. For example, buying large packets of cookies is a good idea as opposed to small ones.

Shift to reusable bottles ad containers for your drinks and food.

Try to avoid disposable items. For example, use a standard camera instead of a disposable one. Another example is using metal crockery and cutlery
whenever possible and stop using tissues and go back to washable handkerchiefs.

About Earth Hour 2010

There are a few moments when people of no matter which race, sex, color and caste put aside, if only for an hour, for a noble cause. Yes, it is the Earth Hour, which is held on the last Saturday of March every year.

Since the city of Sydney started this in 2007, where non-essential lights and appliances were switched off for an hour, every major city in the world has joined in agreement to do the same every year since then. Of course, this is purely to create awareness towards the need to take action in respect to climate change and the growing rate of greenhouse emissions.

The Earth Hour in 2010, almost three years later, was no different. Held on March 27 between 8:30 to 9:30 PM at each city’s local time, this event crossed the one billion mark in terms of participants, making it the largest event to-date.

With about 126 countries joining the event in 2010, and over 214 ambassadors also supporting the cause, 45 corporations such as Accenture, Nokia Siemens and HSBC among several other big names have also joined in the effort towards this noble cause that has been organized by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).

Interestingly, some people point out (rather accurately) that the time to raise awareness in the world has been done a long time ago, and that it is time that larger steps are taken to deal with this growing problem effectively by harnessing support be it at the individual, community and business level.

And perhaps just in observance of a simple gesture, turning off a switch for an hour. That is all it takes.

The Green Supply Chain Defined

As the emphasis has shifted from thoughtless industrialization and consumerism to conserving the Earth’s natural resources thanks to the early warnings of environmental issues such as global warning and so on and so forth, corporates (thanks to fervent activists and government legislation) is warming up to the idea of going green with every manufacturing process and their supply chain that has been a part of their businesses for a long time.

A typical supply chain consists of the following steps such raw material extraction, transportation to manufacturing plant, manufacturing the completed product, transportation to locations where consumer purchases these products, Retail or Consumer use, transportation after consumer/ retail use and product disposal. One can reduce the carbon footprint, if recycling can be inculcated into this loop.

Even most of these steps cannot be changed there are two steps that greatly influence the ‘reducing the carbon footprint’ of a particular product namely concept and design. Interestingly, if product is conceptualized and designed/ redesigned with an emphasis on it being a ‘green’ product, then the following steps in the supply chain just need to be tweaked to fit the green product’s original intent, with the disposal step not posing a problem like the ones we have today.

On the other hand, if a company resorts to recycling components of products they prepare, then one will find this loop to be a closed one where the items to be disposed then are transported to the manufacturing plant along with other raw materials to be reused, rather than having to spend more energy to create the reusable components again. This reduces costs for the company, with obvious financial benefits due to goodwill from the people who use their products.
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The Effects of Pollution

There’s no doubt that the delicate ecological balance of our planet has been disturbed by contaminants that has been described as ‘pollution’ in several ways with far-reaching effects. Not only does it affect the environment but also living creatures spanning plants, animal and even us, humans.

Pollution has existed in several forms throughout the ages. Here are some of the types that have classified by scientists, as environmental abuse has gathered more and more support due to its increase at an alarming rate.

Air, water, noise, light, visual and thermal pollution as well as radioactive and soil contamination remain the largest contributors of contaminants in several ways other than littering. However, our perspective of pollution could change when we understand the far reaching effects that it poses, which could then lead to taking steps towards a greener world.

Plants and Trees

Pollution in several forms affect the environment in the form of acid rain which can kill trees, ozone holes in the upper layer of the atmosphere that can cause damage to plants and trees due to excess ultraviolet radiation. This can also alter the process of photosynthesis and plant metabolism, while these contaminants can be passed up the food chain as well.

Animals

Skin cancer, the damage of lung tissue, reproductive processes, gastrointestinal irritation, liver, kidney and nervous system damage as well as being the cause of disease, deformity and death for several species are some of the effects that pollution has on animals.

Humans

Similar to animal life, it also causes similar physical disability and deformity as mentioned earlier but also psychological and behavioral issues amongst humans.

Green Google Saves Money and Energy

Apart from being a company known for its innovative initiatives in products that are regarded to be at the cutting edge of the IT industry, Google is also taking steps to ensure that the least amount of energy is utilized despite the ever growing demand for their products and services. To put it succinctly, Google is taking steps (and coming up with solutions) that will lead the way towards a clean energy future.

Not only is it about reducing their carbon footprint but also about ensuring efficient computing, and if that’s not enough encouraging their employees to go green while also providing tools by which their users (and one can only imagine how many!) can save energy on a daily basis.

With the massive computer infrastructure that has to be kept running, in order for the millions of Google’s users to use their services uninterrupted, the use of large amounts of electricity is no doubt a must. However, since most of this energy comes from coal that produces greenhouse emission gases which in turn affects the Earth’s climate, a three step approach is being taken to do just that.

This is being carried out by increasing the efficiency of their operations (by reducing the energy usage significantly at their data centers) as well as aggressively pursuing other sources of renewable energy by which we can produce electricity at a cheaper rate in comparison to coal, such as the RE<C initiative. Finally, in some circumstances where greenhouse gases cannot be eliminated, initiatives like RechargeIT, Google PowerMeter, and their proposal called Clean Energy 2030 are some ways by which Google intends to show us the way forward in saving money and energy in the coming years.

Earth Day

Some people say that the future lies in our hands whereas others say that it is definitely out of our control, like the Mayans predicted. But regardless of whoever is right, things have changed rather drastically (as it is being taken far more seriously) since the first Earth day was celebrated by the United Nations in 1971, conceptualized originally by the peace activist John McConnell and then celebrated on April 22 worldwide each year, for which the credit goes to U. S Senator Gaylord Nelson.

To put it simply, Earth Day is about appreciating as well as creating awareness for the Earth’s environment, and how important it will be to future generations. However, this appreciation and awareness does not stop at words but is driven by its philosophy in action – the three Rs.

Reduce – The first step is to reduce the amount of trash that we generate, and that comes from buying fewer things, perhaps more suited to one’s needs rather than their wants.

Reuse – This one is linked to the first step which means that instead of trashing what we buy immediately, one should find creative and new ways to reuse these items that were meant to be disposed of.

Recycle – This step involves ‘reusing’ what you bought but in a different way. If one can dispose of used items such as plastic, paper, aluminum cans, glass and so on and so forth at recycling facilities to be reprocessed for use again, it will limit the amount of garbage to a large extent.

The options are endless to conserve resource and it just depends on the individual to do his bit, really.

Seven Eco Friendly Ways to Go Green for Free

It is not wrong if one considers ‘going green’ a lifestyle choice, one which requires the use of products that do not harm the environment (both plants and animals) as well as recycles products that can have negative repercussions as well. In doing so, one creates an environment (in simple ways) that also facilitates a healthy lifestyle as well.

This is not just the responsibility of organizations, government but pertains to choices that we can make differently from day to day at home, on our way to work. And it can be done for free, if not for a profit.
Here are several eco-friendly ways by which one can go green for free:

1. Save energy – Be careful how you use the resources that we take for granted everyday such as electricity. You can use fluorescent bulbs as well as shut off electronic equipment when not in use. This can save you a lot of money if you cannot go for an alternative power source like solar panels.
2. Use eco-friendly products as well as groceries that are organic in nature.
3. Recycle metal, paper and glass based products.
4. Fertilize your garden or lawn with garbage with food compost.
5. Carpool to work, work from home, or plan your trips combining daily errands in order to save miles. Even better still, try and walk to complete your errands.
6. Buy recycled items at garage sales or recycle furniture, clothes, paper (books) and appliances appropriately.
7. Conserve water by using it sparingly, and perhaps even using a rain barrel to water your garden.

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