NewWays for Environmental and Social Change

The first large-scale ocean-based wind power project is set for beginning research.
StatoilHydro announced plans to test offshore wind turbines, starting with a 2.3-megawatt turbine measuring 65 meters high, buoyed and tied down by three anchors. While not the only ocean-bound wind turbine project in the works, this new project, called Hywind, will launch in 2009 [...]

Editor’s note: We’re pleased to welcome Max Gladwell, of MaxGladwell.com, as a regular guest writer on sustainablog. Max Gladwell covers the nexus of social media and green living. We feel that these two trends and technological developments hold tremendous promise for improving quality of life for everyone on the planet.
If you’re reading this blog, then [...]

In the forested Northeast, where I live, you occasionally come across big stands of red pine. They’re wonderful trees–jigsaw puzzle bark, a gorgeous hue against snow or blue sky–but if you know the history, they have another meaning, too, just as sweet. Red pine are a fairly rare native species in this area, but they were one of the trees of choice for the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. They grow straight; they make good phone poles. For whatever set of silvicultural reasons, there are a lot of these groves of 70-year-old trees. Every time I wander through one, I think of Franklin Roosevelt and try to imagine the crews that came out to plant them.

Not only has the city of San Francisco taken the lead to ban the use of plastic bags, but also the mayor has placed an executive order on the buying of plastic bottled water. Not only is the manufacture of plastic water bottles destructive to the environment, relying heavily on chemicals for production to transportation, [...]

With Earth Day around the corner here are 5 easy steps to power down with our computer, by generating less waste. The obvious is to be conservative as to what your print while using both sides of the paper. An the least obvious is to reassure a CD or DVD is fully packed with data, [...]

Using the suns rays as renewable source of energy is old technology. Finding clever ways of using the sun for providing energy dates as far back into China (700 B.C.) Sure, when thinking about renewable clean, green, and efficient technology today we must think in terms of technology diversity. But what if we could utilize [...]

A friend over Spring Break mentioned while stopped at a red light that Canada has become an Idle Free Zone. Most have observed the scenario; a person waits in a driveway, parking lot, or shopping center either to chat on their cell phone, to read a map, or to pick someone up – all while [...]

PetroSun has announced it will begin operation of its commercial algae-to-biofuels facility on April 1st, 2008.
The facility, located in Rio Hondo Texas, will produce an estimated 4.4 million gallons of algal oil and 110 million lbs. of biomass per year off a series of saltwater ponds spanning 1,100 acres. Twenty of those acres will be [...]

Originally posted at InHabitat

A new website offers innovative way to track your carbon footprint, while linking your personal green incentives in the market space, with real savings.
Makemesustainable.com is a virtual neighborhood where eco-enthused users come together to monitor their environmental impact, discuss ways to reduce carbon emissions and track monetary savings rendered by small alterations to daily habits.

[youtube Ls7beTVd8ow&eurl]

Over 10,000 people in Oregon have decided to put the power of elections back into the hands of the people. Oregonian have developed an alternative plan to counter the troublesome conventional elections that tend to balloon campaign spending and marginalize many prospective candidates from entering a fair playing field.
Find out more about an idea for [...]

Matter of Trust is a non-profit engaged in finding innovative and practical ways, of taking a closer look at the symbiosis and relationships in nature, and our surplus of consumption. Following the aftermath of a oils spill south of the Golden Gate Bridge, Matter of Trust tossed down mats of human hair to mop of [...]

Ever walk barefoot in sauntering summer heat across asphalt, and one can sense the amount of energy streets can absorb from the sun. Collect this energy into under ground storage tanks through integrative piping, then consider the idea of heating down town buildings during colder months. And how about the reverse of this process - [...]

Bamboo a prolific resource that grows like a weed in certain temperate climates can now be incorporated into electronics. Starting with this eye catching and eco-friendly bamboo finished laptop.
Read more about this latest in design at Commondreams.

Imagine rows of solar panels angled facing south in rows like corn stalk. Arizona is gearing up for installing the first major solar power plant and the future is looking much brighter.
http://www.inhabitat.com/2008/02/25/world%e2%80%99s-largest-solar-power-plant-coming-to-arizona-in-2011/

This self-guided advice for setting up your own solar unit looks like a fifth grade science experiment. This is a simple to follow online manual for getting a few appliances off the grid or as back up to a power outage. Imagine the less strain we would have on the conventional power grid, if each [...]

Check out this latest MARS technology for harnessing wind when your far from the grid. MARS is a light weight wind turbine that can send electricity right down the tethered line and looks about a spacey as the name. The 1,000 foot line allows you to fly MARS higher than a kite were wind may [...]

In cases of glioblastoma multiforme - a severe form of brain cancer two proteins delivered to the tumor cells by viruses seem to achieve both: destroy brain cancer cells and train the immune system in recognizing the tumor cell’s antigens. Studies conducted at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center suggest that trials in human will soon begin to [...]

Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory intend to extract carbon dioxide from the air, treat it chemically to produce fuels. The project is called Green Freedom. Read original publication at: http://bioage.typepad.com/greencarcongress/docs/GreenFreedom.pdf
This may be a viable energy alternative, but certainly anyone remotely concerned about our reliance on nuclear power may be weary. Read more about the [...]