By Green Technology in: Green Jobs
David de Rothschild has built a boat from recycled plastic bottles and plans to sail it from San Francisco in the US to Sydney, Australia.
Yes he is from the famous Rothschild family.
The boat and crew will travel in a green manner (composting toilets and vertical green garden fertilized by composted poop) Power for on board electronics comes from solar cells and wind turbines. The boat uses glue made from cashew nuts.
Follow the journey and check out the web site for lots of geen info.
Via: Plastiki LINK
By Green Technology in: Green Jobs
San Francisco is known for embracing many things green. The city recently developed and released an iPhone app for recycling information.
"San Franciscans already lead the nation in recycling – in May [2009] we announced a 72% diversion rate of all materials going to the landfill … pledged to recycle 75% of the materials that would otherwise go to the landfill by 2010 and zero waste by 2020."
" … find out where to recycle or properly dispose of materials using … location-based mobile application. Instead of dumping old electronics or furniture on the sidewalk, the EcoFinder iPhone app tells you where these materials should go, based on your location."
" … EcoFinder iPhone app is part of our ongoing effort to provide residents and businesses in San Francisco with the information and tools to be environmentally responsible."
Via: CleanTechnica LINK
By Green Technology in: Green Jobs
Cagoule, a small company from Portland, Oregon, sells a line of gloves, hats, blankets and scarves made from post consumer recycled plastic beverage bottles.
My wife found these at our local Whole Foods Markets (Devon, Pa) and thought they looked like a great idea … quality warm fleece gloves from post consumer recycled bottles.
" … everything we make is still created from superbly soft fleece itself made from post-consumer recycled materials … We recycle absolutely everything we can and run the entire show with waste reduction firmly in mind … "
" … BottleFleece™ … made from 85% post-consumer recycled fibers obtained from plastic soda bottles and post industrial waste … soda bottles are collected by recyclers, then shredded, melted, and extruded into fibers which then become ultra-plush fleece … about 2 one-liter bottles in every BottleFleece hat … "
Via: Cagoule Fleece Link
By Green Technology in: Green Jobs
Xerox has determined that the bulk of the energy used to creat a printed document is in the paper … close to a factor of 20:1 energy to make the paper vs. energy to print on it … so to resue paper – not recycle but reuse – has the potential to save significant energy.
" … Steve Hoover, vice president with Xerox Research Center Webster, shows off a technology being developed … that enables people to reuse a piece of paper. The paper contains a photochromic compound that makes ink disappear when hit by direct heat."
Via: ZDNet LINK
By Green Technology in: Green Jobs
There is a new "movement" underway in the recycling space – call it extreme recycling … "… a new movement afoot that is raising the bar on what’s good enough. … story from the New York Times [Oct. 19, 20009 - Nudging Recycling From Less Waste to None] explains what’s being called the “zero waste” movement … not only to dispose responsibly of the waste that commercial enterprises create BUT ALSO to drastically reduce the amount of waste… create less garbage, period."
" … Honda now recycles so much of the trash created at eight of its North American facilities that it has gotten rid of the trash dumpsters at those sites. At Yellowstone National Park, concessions now use cups and utensils that dissolve when heated. …"
Via: Smart Planet LINK
By Green Technology in: Green Jobs
Starting October 1, 2009 North Carolina banned PET (#1 plastic) from landfills.
" …. banning all rigid plastic containers from landfills … focus largely on the recovery of Polyethylene terephthalate (PET). … plastic, commonly identified by the number “1″ inside a recycling symbol on the bottle, is the resin of choice for most soda and water bottles."
" … building the nation’s largest facility to recycle PET bottles, … process 280 million pounds of material per year. One of the primary partners … is carpet manufacturer Shaw Industries Group, LLC, which can turn recycled PET into polyester for use in carpeting."
" … state will be inspecting landfills starting in October, but it’s unlikely that individuals will be fined for trashing plastic bottles unless they are caught unloading a large amount."
Via: Earth911 LINK
By Green Technology in: Green Jobs
I heard about recycled blue jeans being used as building insulation at the 2009 Solar Decathlon in DC this past Saturday (Oct 10th).
"UltraTouch Natural Cotton Fiber insulation … revolutionary patented manufacturing process that has created a superior and safe product. … made from high quality natural fibers. … 
DOES NOT ITCH and is very easy to handle and work with."
" … contains no chemical irritants … requires no warning labels … no VOC concerns … it is safe for you and the environment."
" … meets 
the highest ASTM testing standards for fire and smoke ratings, fungi resistance and corrosiveness. … contains 85% post-industrial recycled natural fibers making it an ideal choice for anyone looking to use a high quality sustainable building material."
" … available to purchase nationally on The Home Depot website or through your local distributor."
Via: Bonded Logic LINK
By Green Technology in: Green Jobs
Reduce, Reuse, Recycle with Oak Hall Industries.
They have a selection of eco-friendly 100% recycled graduation gowns. Each gown is made from approx. 23 plastic bottles helping to reduce landfill space and reusing materials.
" … Colleges and Universities are making the comm
itment to turn their campuses green. … this movement can be carried forward to graduation. "
" … new line of graduation wear, named "GreenWeaver" is made of fabric spun from molten plastic pellets. … fabric so comfortably soft you have to feel it to believe it! It takes an average of 23 bottles to make each gown."
Via: Oak Hall Industries Link
By Green Technology in: Green Jobs
Penn’s Class of 2010 will wear gowns made of recycled plastic bottles to graduation. Each of the approx. 2,500 gowns are made the with the equivalent of 23 plastic bottles.
" … GreenWeaver line of regalia by Oak Hall Cap & Gown, … is Penn’s latest greening effort. … adorn its Class of 2010 seniors in gowns and caps made of 100 percent, post-consumer recycled plastic bottles."
“Penn will begin this academic year announcing our Climate Action Plan, the long-range strategy to reduce our carbon footprint … Part of that effort is to partner with vendors that promote eco-friendly options. "
" … fabric will be spun from molten plastic pellets, … average of 23 bottles needed to make each gown. Recycled plastic bottles are already used to make sweatshirts and other clothing, the company said, and the result is apparel virtually indistinguishable in color, feel or fit from traditional polyester material."
"For every gown purchased, Oak Hall said it will make a contribution to a campus environmental group. At Penn, the contributions will be designated for the University’s Green Fund."
Via: University of Penn LINK
By Green Technology in: Green Jobs
Imagine a toilet that uses no energy and turns waste into compost.
Virginia Gardiner is doing just that … check out the VIDEO of this interesting GREEN device.
" …working on a new waterless toilet system … create a toilet for city dwellers that uses no energy, and turns waste "into a commodity.""
" … portable, low-tech LooWatt effectively captures odor and allows human waste (… to be turned into a source of energy via anaerobic digestion. With 40 percent of people globally in need of sanitary facilities, it’s well worth imagining a solution that doesn’t flush drinking water down the toilet."
Via: SustainLane LINK
