Beans Make Gas

A group of students have made a car that uses soybeans as fuel. It looks like a flash sports car too! At the Philadelphia Auto Show a few weeks back the car was put on display amongst gas-guzzlers.

One more neat thing about this car is that it was made as an after-school project to help disengaged kids stay in school. It worked, and has given at least one of the kids some perspective:

“We made this work,” says Hauger. “We’re not geniuses. So why aren’t they (car companies) doing it?”

Kosi thinks he knows why. The answer, he says, is the big oil companies.

“They’re making billions upon billions of dollars,” he says. “And when this car sells, that’ll go down — to low billions upon billions.”

Styrofoam: Eat it!

Live Science has perhaps the most informally written article on some scientists who found a way to get bacteria to eat styrofoam.

Hopefully this will make recycling styrofoam a whole lot more efficient and cost effective.

Things are Technically Good

We write a lot about technology around here, so when I say that this post is the mother of all tech-related posts, that’s saying a lot. Usually we report on one positive technology at a time; this time, we’re reporting on dozens.

The Tech Museum Awards exist to recognize and celebrate technology that benefits humanity. Nominations for the 2006 awards are currently being accepted, but in the meantime, check out the 2005 laureates. Amongst them:

Enviro Options
Enviro Options developed the Enviro Loo to make inroads into the enormous backlog of the sanitation requirement of the entire human race. The design is an attempt to produce a sanitation system that can be mass-produced, relatively cheaply. The technology is simple. It requires no chemicals… It is powered by radiant heat absorbed from sunlight and wind power. It requires minimal maintenance. It will not pollute ground water, and is user friendly.

Malnutrition Matters
Malnutrition Matters designed the VitaGoat system to benefit people in villages and rural areas of developing countries, by providing sustainable employment on a micro-enterprise basis and improving nutrition… The VitaGoat enables quick preparation of protein-rich foods such as soymilk and tofu that are highly beneficial for protein-deficient diets and especially for people living with HIV/AIDS.

CN Tower Climb

On Saturday, April 29, 2006, the WWF is sponsoring the annual Toronto CN Tower Climb to raise money to fight global warming. Having personally climbed the CN Tower before, I can say the experience alone is worth it, and raising money for a good cause is just icing on the cake. For more information just click here.

Park for Free

Salt Lake City has joined a few other American cities that offer free parking for eco-friendly vehicles. It’s an idea that encourages people to buy and use more fuel-efficent vehicles to help protect the environment.

Hopefully all cities will see the beauty in this, because smog harms the air and all things that use the air.

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