Environment

Lawsuits Champion the Environment

- Adam Clare

In the coming months many companies could face large fines from the damage that they have done to the environment. There is a growing trend in the USA and Europe to sue those responsible for environmental damage that as resulted in damage that went beyond just the environment. Confused? This example from the linked article should help you out:

In the United States, there are currently about a dozen cases involving demands for tighter regulation and claims for damages. Among them is a case brought by property owners in Mississippi against oil and coal companies they accuse of playing a role in Hurricane Katrina, which struck the region with devastating consequences in August 2005.

Solar is Hot in Germany

- arvin

A german co-worker told me how it rains practically everyday in his native town. So how does the country become the world’s top solar power producer?

Apparently, what’s good for the planet is also good for the German economy:

There are now 250,000 jobs in Germany in the renewables energy sector… jobs in solar power alone to double to 90,000 over the next five years and hit 200,000 in 2020.

As with any new development, there are critics who want to slow down government incentives for solar power use, but the government has other plans:

So far just 3 percent of Germany’s electricity comes from the sun, but the government wants to raise the share of renewables to 27 percent of all energy by 2020 from 13 percent.

But why in Germany and not anywhere else in the world? Frank Asbeck of SolarWorld AG explains:

Germans have a fondness for inventing and developing technologies — especially when it might lead to big export rates. Helping fight climate change is a bonus.

Ship it safe, ship it popcorn

- Cam Proctor

Until now Lush, a British cosmetics company, used shredded paper in the boxes in which it sold soaps, massage bars and other delicate items. As part of its drive to be greener, Lush has come up with a great solution for packaging: instead of using polystyrene chips to keep fragile items intact in the post, the chain is now using an edible and far more biodegradable solution: popcorn!

Popcorn packaging is just another example of how natural materials can replace many supposedly superior man made materials. The popcorn packaging will obviously reduce the amount of paper used by the chain. I would like to see if the popcorn will be grown locally and organically and reused or at least eaten. However, a side effect of this is that transport emissions will also be reduced, since popcorn is 60% lighter than paper.

24 Goes Carbon Neutral

- Cam Proctor 3 Comments

“Jack Bauer can do anything!” – Everyone

“Can he kick Global Warming’s butt?” – Me

“The show is going carbon neutral.” – Everyone

Well that might be a long way away from saving the planet from man made destruction, but the effort should be applauded none the less. And I mean, come one, he has his hand full with terrorists. In their final season, 24 plans to cut emmision by:

* Use biodiesel to power generators and production vehicles
* Run all on-stage production activities on green power
* Integrate fuel-saving and low-emission hybrid vehicles into the production fleet
* Rewire an entire stage to use electric power (which will be purchased green power), rather than diesel-generated power

Those Crafty Japanese!

- arvin

First it was paper cranes, now it’s bridges. Architect Shigeru Ban is moving us along the twenty-first century by using very old technology: paper! Ban has created an cardboard bridge in France.

Weighing 7.5 tonnes, the bridge is made from 281 cardboard tubes, each 11.5 centimetres (four inches) across and 11.9 millimetres thick. The steps are recycled paper and plastic and the foundations wooden boxes packed with sand.

It’s environmentally friendly, can be rebuilt and totally cool.

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