July 2010

Americans donated fewer dollars in 2009 than during previous years, and for those of us still tightening our belts, charity can be last thing on our minds. You don't need to break the bank to help a good cause, however. You only need to click your computer mouse and win a few games.

Simple click charities began a decade ago with the Hunger Site, which donates all proceeds to organizations that fight for food security across the globe. Visitors create revenue by viewing advertising banners on the site. Recently this donation method has evolved into a more interactive form of altruism by combining clicks with cracking puzzles. You get the satisfaction of knowing you're giving to a good cause while also having a good time.

Residents in Battle Creek, MI are advised to steer clear of the Kalamazoo river because some 840,000 gallons of oil have leaked into it, creating potentially hazardous fumes. The oil isn’t stopping there though, it’s moving toward Lake Michigan and may be there within several days. This oil spill, in tandem with the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and other recent oil spills certainly point to a systemic problem in the way we’re transporting and creating energy.

Electricity is the driver behind it because it provides ultimate convenience; our way of life would change drastically without it. Instead of working to convince people that they don’t “need” things, maybe we should spend more time and resources on developing technology that will create energy without side effects. Fusion energy holds that potential, and it’s the same energy our sun broadcasts into space every day.

GM has been working hard to overcome the bad PR that surrounded their bailout by the US and Canadian governments. They’ve been especially keen to show off their green efforts such as the hybrid Chevy Volt and their “zero landfill” project. GM’s next green idea comes in the form of a greenhouse gas-friendly air conditioning unit.

If you purchased a car before the early 1990’s its air conditioning unit was most likely powered by Freon (R-12). Freon was great at giving drivers a comfortable environment but it was even better at spewing out greenhouse gases that were harmful to the ozone layer. That’s why the industry switched over to the less harmful R-134a in the mid 1990’s.

Amazon hasn’t had the best relationship with publishers when it comes to e-books. Their insistence on discounting titles and pushing the Kindle have resulted in public spats that included Amazon banning all Macmillan titles from their site earlier this year. It’s no wonder that their new deal with literary super agent Andrew Wylie cuts out publishing houses in favor of a direct relationship with clients that include Salman Rushdie.

It seems all the big time TV suppliers are coming to the table knowing far well where they each will sit in the market. Initially, it was about who could hit the market first with slim LED or plasma TV models, then it was about 3D, and now, once the dust has settled a bit, TV suppliers like Samsung, Sony, Panasonic and Vizio, with recent releases and trends, are wrapping up their niche market with the hopes of becoming the first or the best in those niche areas.

It wasn't all that long ago that a TV was a just TV. Sure, there were slight differences in the product, but the market landscape was nothing like it is today. Now, a consumer has an infinite amount of choices when it comes to things like technology, size, components and features that it make it downright difficult to purchase a TV.

Recent product releases and statistics, however, might help consumers understand where TV suppliers are headed and if it fits the niche the consumer is looking for.

Samsung

The British Defense Ministry and the Pentagon are working together to develop a solar plane that can stay airborne for months rather than days. It’s called the Zephyr, and it’s finishing a test flight this Friday that will have lasted 2 weeks. The military often drives technology innovation and in this case it seems that green tech is no exception.

Primarily the Zephyr is intended for long term surveillance because it has no need to land – that allows it keep a continuous stream of intelligence flowing while staying safe from attack at a high altitude. Thin silicon solar arrays are attached to the top of 74-foot wings to power the Zephyr’s lithium-sulfur batteries. Overall it ways less than most humans at 110lbs, so carrying much of an additional payload is out of scope at this point.

If mosquitoes pick on you unfairly, you can blame your parents. Each of us has a unique chemical signature, partially determined by genetics, and some people produce more irresistible odors in their breath and sweat than others. Mosquitoes identify food sources and avoid predators by reading these chemical signatures, and researchers may have discovered an environmentally friendly insect repellant in the compounds given off by mosquito predators.

A single data point does not a pattern make but this past June is the hottest month ever since we’ve started recording temperatures, and 2010 has also offset 1998 as the year with the most warmest months. Facts like that make it difficult to claim global warming is a figment of imagination, and it shifts the discussion more toward what causes it instead.

Humans certainly are creating carbon dioxide (among many other waste materials) and pumping them into the atmosphere but so far scientists haven’t been able to prove the connection between that waste and global warming. At least not to the satisfaction of businesses and other entities that are profiting from said waste production.

The NOAA says:

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Ramblers Way Farm. All opinions are 100% mine.

The American wool industry has been in decline for decades, a trend attributed to the rise of synthetic materials and cheap overseas labor. Ramblers Way Farm, however, aims to prove that wool clothing isn't all about scratchy long johns. The company crafts thin, luxurious garments and strives to produce them in a way that benefits both the environment and local communities.

If a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery powering each wheel is a prerequisite for your electric car-driving experience then a Mercedes SLS AMG may just be in your future. This sports car prototype claims 0-60mph in 4 seconds, and similar to the 2010 Toyota Prius it comes standard with regenerative braking. The question is, who can afford it?

Mostly the affluent, or people who save religiously for long periods of time because if it’s priced anything like the Tesla Roadster (Mercedes hasn’t released official pricing yet) then it’ll cost over $100,000. So as far as long-term, measureable impact on the environment the SLS AMG won’t get us very far because it’s out of reach for the masses. But at least it shows that electric cars are nearly as capable as their gasoline powered cousins.

Paper has persisted in the workplace and everyday life despite the fact that many people consider it a visceral reminder of chopping trees and devastated ecosystems. Some companies are making an effort to improve paper’s image, and their own image at the same time, by reducing its carbon footprint. That in mind, Office Depot is delivering on its goal of using all renewable energy at its headquarters and during the manufacture of its 100% Recycled Envirocopy paper.

The concept sounds good, and shifting demand for electricity away from non-renewable sources like coal will definitely encourage power companies to develop new energy infrastructures. Making paper an environmentally friendly option may also take a swing at some of the electronic office trends that have prevailed for years, as well as the success e-books.

As any host knows, guests leave more than well wishes and fond memories behind. It can take a crew armed with heavy duty garbage bags and disinfectants to clean up after everyone goes homes, and the bigger the celebration, the bigger the mess. An event like the World Cup, a cause for large-scale construction projects and long-distance travel, can easily generate hundreds of tons of waste. Celebrations don't have to harm the environment, however, and a little planning and creativity can make your own party green.  

Ask Nissan for its list of top 10 projects right now and the all-electric LEAF is sure to be on it, but the company is looking beyond that too. Appealing to drivers who don’t want to plug their car in every night, Nissan is developing a car it expects to benefit from double the mileage of a standard gasoline car. That makes the efficiency gains on hybrids like the 2010 Toyota Prius look modest with their 15-30% increase in mpg.

Better features and bigger numbers are a prerequisite for anyone entering a competitive landscape late, and Nissan is a decade behind its two biggest competitors. If it can get the pricing right and maintain a reputation for high quality, safe cars then it may just have a chance at pulling in new customers by leapfrogging Toyota and Honda.

Knowing where your food comes from is a popular topic among chefs. They want to know exactly where their potatoes were dug up from and if their beef was fed grass rather than corn. So, it’s no wonder that many chefs are wondering about seafood from the Gulf Coast in the wake of the BP Oil spill. A group of chefs including Chicago’s Rick Tramonto and Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio decided that they needed first hand knowledge of the situation.

The duo were joined by a number of chefs including Susur Lee and sustainable seafood advocate Rick Moonen in Louisiana last week. Their aim was to get as much information from local and federal officials on the safety of the seafood so they could educate their diners who had been asking a lot of questions.

General Motors was pummeled by the competition in recent years when it came to innovation. They kept churning out inefficient pickups and SUVs while their rivals like Toyota invested in hybrid technology which led to the Prius. However, Chevy’s Volt seems to have arrived at the right time for the carmaker to flaunt their hybrid technology and newfound mojo.

Taking a page from their promotional push at this year’s SXSW festival, Chevy plans on making the Volt available to as many curious car buyers as possible. Their marketing director Tony DiSalle said, “there’s no better way to sell and market the Chevrolet Volt than to put people in it.”