GreenMonk: the blog

• Big Green Gathering festival cancelled after ‘political pressure’ from police | Environment | guardian.co.uk

  Police today set up road blocks around a music festival site to keep thousands of environmental campaigners away from one of Britain’s longest-running festivals.

  Up to 15,000 people had begun to gather for the Big Green Gathering in the Mendip hills, Somerset, which was officially due to start on Wednesday. But organisers were forced to cancel it on legal advice yesterday after the police took out an injunction to prevent the festival going ahead.

  tags: uk, uk police, big green gathering, police, greenmonktv, climate camp

• 6 Natural Mosquito Repellents | Intent.com

  Before you head for the hills or plan your next outdoor BBQ, think twice about using DEET to keep the mosquitoes at bay. DEET has been recently linked to brain damage, and since there are many natural options that are as effective or more effective than DEET there’s no need to take the risk.
  DEET, or diethyl-meta-toluamide, as its known in chemistry circles, has recently been linked to brain cell damage. Duke University research shows that regular use of chemical repellents like DEET may damage brain cells and interact with medications. The pharmacologist conducting the study observed brain cell death and behavioural changes in animals exposed to DEET after frequent and prolonged use. Another study showed that up to fifteen percent of DEET is absorbed by the skin into the bloodstream.

  After more than 30 years of research on the effects of chemicals on the brains of rats, Mohamed Abou-Donia, Ph.D, discovered, in two separate studies, that the frequent and prolonged applications of DEET cause neurons to die in regions of the brain that control muscle movement, learning, memory and concentration. Moreover, rats treated

  with a comparable human dose of DEET (40 mg/kg body weight) performed far worse than control rats when challenged with physical tasks requiring muscle control, strength and coordination. Such effects are consistent with physical symptoms in humans reported in medical literature, especially by Persian Gulf War veterans, claims Abou-Donia.

  Even U.S. Evironmental Protection Agency (EPA) toxicologist Michael Watson noted an instance “where exposure to DEET caused six cases of brain damage in girls aged one through six – and three of them died.”

  So what do you do if you wish to avoid the potentially dangerous effects of DEET while still keeping the mosquitoes at bay? While Mother Nature offers dozens of different options, here are some of my top natural mosquito repellents:
  Before you head for the hills or plan your next outdoor BBQ, think twice about using DEET to keep the mosquitoes at bay. DEET

  tags: deet, mosquito, mosquito repellent, brain damage, citronella, greenmonktv, soy oil

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

• DOE Rolls Out $47M for Smart Grid Demos, Unveils First Smart Grid Status Report

  Eight smart grid demonstration projects in seven states have just hit pay dirt. The Department of Energy today announced awards of more than $47 million in stimulus funds for the projects, adding to the $17 million that the agency invested in them last year after a competitive application process. Among the companies cashing in today are Massachusetts-based American Superconductor, Consolidated Edison (Con Edison) of New York, California’s Zenergy Power and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

  tags: doe, stimulus, smart grid, greenmonktv

• Thank You Vancouver! The City Gave a Lane of the Burrard Bridge to Cyclists : TreeHugger

  A week ago, the city of Vancouver converted 1 of the 5 lanes of Burrard Bridge into a bike lane for a 3-month trial. This was a controversial move, many motorists predicted the apocalypse and the media, smelling blood, were on the scene to interview angry drivers. But as Gordon Price documented on his blog (choice cuts below), carmaggedon was averted and cyclists, pedestrians and joggers turned out en masse.

  tags: vancouver, bike lane, cyclists, pedestrian, burrard bridge, greenmonktv

• Meet Belcha – Europe’s biggest carbon polluter (and it’s about to get even bigger) | Environment | The Guardian

  The biggest single producer of carbon emissions in the European Union has been named – and it is about to get even bigger. The appropriately titled Elektrownia Belchatow – a massive coal-fired power station – belched out 30,862,792 tonnes of CO2 last year and by 2010 the whole generating facility will have grown by 20%.

  tags: carbon emissions, co2, belchatow, poland, coal, sandbag, greenmonktv

• London Needs to Set Walking and Cycling Targets for 2012 Olympics : TreeHugger

  What London needs is more bike lanes (especially physically separated ones) and maybe even some pedestrian-only streets.

  The city will live with the legacy of the 2012 Olympics for a long time. Come on, seize the moment and make London a more bike and pedestrian-friendly city.

  tags: bike lanes, pedestrian only, bike sharing, london 2012, olympics, greenmonktv

• Worldchanging: Bright Green: Mountaintop Mining Legacy: Destroying Appalachian Streams

  The environmental damage caused by mountaintop removal mining across Appalachia has been well documented. But scientists are now beginning to understand that the mining operations’ most lasting damage may be caused by the massive amounts of debris dumped into valley streams.

  tags: appalachian mountain, mountain top removal, environmental impact, greenmonktv

• The Lifesaver Bottle

  A way cool invention, the Lifesaver bottle uses an ultra filtration system, originally developed for industrial applications.

  Lifesaver bottle will remove bacteria, viruses, cysts, parasites, fungi and all other microbiological waterborne pathogens. It does all this without the aid of any foul tasting chemicals like iodine or chlorine.

  As I pointed out to a friend one day “using chemicals to kill bacteria is not always effective and anyway all you are doing is drinking a chemical cocktail with some dead pathogens in it.”

  tags: lifesaver, water, purification, greenmonktv

• Energy saving database of electrical products, best energy efficient products ranked by electricity usage

  the best place to find energy saving electricals that save you money and help the environment – in-use and standby power ratings of most electrical items

  tags: sust-it, energy efficient, energy consumption, appliances, greenmonktv, wii

• Police at Kingsnorth: hiding badges, searching kids, blasting music and suffering bee stings | Environment | The Guardian

  Two female protesters who challenged police officers for not displaying their badge numbers at Kingsnorth power station, Kent, were bundled to the ground, arrested and held in prison for four days last August, according to an official complaint lodged last month. Val Swain, 43, and Emily Apple, 33, both mothers with young children, said they were targeted because they campaign for Fit Watch which opposes police surveillance at demonstrations.

  tags: uk, police, kingsnorth, fit watch, greenmonktv

• First ‘climate friendly’ labels appear on foods – environment – 16 July 2009 – New Scientist

  SWEDEN is to become the first country to slap “climate-friendly” labels on food products. The hope is that the labels will prompt consumers to buy greener products, but there are worries that some companies may use the scheme to “greenwash”.

  tags: greenwash, climate friendly, labels, labelling, sweden, greenmonktv

• Major Breakthrough With Water Desalination System

  researchers at the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science are working hard to help alleviate the state’s water deficit with their new mini-mobile-modular (M3) “smart” water desalination and filtration system.

  tags: m3, water, desalination, ucla, greenmonktv

• Eco Tech: Trashed LCD Screens Have Medicinal Value, Study – Ecofriend

  Apart from containing several toxins that always make trashed LCD screens an ever increasing threat to the ecosystem, researchers believe that LCD screens carry compounds that can be recycled for their medicinal value. These researchers opine that the solution is not just for hospital patients but also for e-waste.

  tags: ewaste, lcd, medicinal, pva, greenmonktv

• LEDs and efficient TVs point the way towards my dream green home | Environment | guardian.co.uk

  It’s the final push to bring our 1920s house into a modern, low-carbon age – this week, we focus on the last few touches – appliances and rare light bulbs

  tags: green home, good energy, appliances, light bulbs, LED, greenmonktv

• The low-carbon wine baa | Environment | guardian.co.uk

  A New Zealand winemaker believes he has struck upon the solution to reducing the carbon footprint of wine – and the answer, which may come as no great surprise, lies in sheep. Miniature sheep, that is.

  There are only 300 of them in the world and they were originally bred as cute miniature pets, but Peter Yealands believes that babydoll sheep could help him to reduce the environmental footprint of his wine.

  tags: wine, sheep, babydoll, carbon footprint, greenmonktv

• 350: The Number That Will Save the Planet : Planet Green

  You have likely seen the number 350 pop up when talking about carbon emissions. The number is key to survival of the planet – it represents the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that is safe to have if we expect life to continue to thrive.

  As author and activist Bill McKibben noted during Earth Month, top scientist James Hansen and his NASA team have stated that anything above 350 parts per million “is not compatible with the planet ‘on which civilization developed and to which life is adapted.'” In other words, we need to be under that number, or else. Right now, we’re well above it at 387 parts per million, and that’s a problem.

  tags: 350, ppm, co2, greenmonktv

• Calculate Your Water Footprint : Planet Green

  We have carbon footprint calculators galore. But thankfully, we’re all becoming increasingly aware of how our water consumption habits impact future supplies. We’re quickly learning that our water footprint is a very important thing to know so that we can actively work to reduce it.

  tags: water, water footprint, calculator, greenmonktv

• On the apparent Apple suicide

  Every once in a while you get a story so strange and horrible that it takes a while to sink in. I’m talking about the suicide of a Foxconn employee who was caught doing something with an “iPhone prototype” and jumped out of the window.

  tags: suicide, foxxcon, china, apple, iphone, greenmonktv

• UN climate expert warns against US carbon tariffs – COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009

  Trade tariffs in a House-passed bill to limit heat-trapping pollution could undermine US efforts to persuade developing countries to enter into a new global warming treaty, says IPCC chairman Rajendra Pachauri.

  tags: trade tariffs, rajendra Pachauri, ipcc, us, global warming treaty, greenmonktv

• Finland: Study finds tap water purer than bottled water | Inside the Bottle

  Tap water in Finland has been found to be significantly purer than bottled drinking water.
  A fresh study by the National Public Health Institute indicates that bottled water contains up to 100 times more microbes than the average for tap water. Water in spring water machines contained up to 1,000 times more microbes than tap water. The study found that being kept for a long time in plastic containers significantly weakens the quality of bottled water.

  tags: finland, tap water, bottled water, microbes, greenmonktv

• Fair Trade Chocolate Hits the Mainstream | GreenBiz.com

  An announcement from a major chocolatier is giving social justice advocates something to smile about. Cadbury proclaimed its popular Dairy Milk chocolate bar sold in the U.K. will now contain 100 percent Fair Trade certified cocoa, harvested sustainably from farms in Ghana.

  Sweet! <- intentional pun ;-)

  tags: cadburys, dairy milk, chocolate, greenmonktv, fairtrade

• Giant Flowers Give You Free Wifi and Electricity – The Next Web

  As part of Toyota’s national marketing campaign for the third generation Prius hybrid car to launch in 2010, the company is planting giant solar-powered flowers in urban areas. The flowers generate electricity and provide free Wi-Fi and electricity for anyone passing by.

  tags: toyota, toyota prius, flowers, power, wifi, greenmonktv

• China promises solar subsidies to boost industry – COP15 United Nations Climate Change Conference Copenhagen 2009

  Over the next two to three years the Chinese government will pay up to 50 percent of the price of solar power systems of more than 500 megawatts. In remote areas it will pay up to 70 percent of the cost.

  tags: china, solar, subsidies, solar power, greenmonktv

• Money can’t buy YOU love — but it can buy the fossil fuel industry the GOP’s love « Climate Progress

  Oil companies, electric utilities and the coal industry have poured more than $250,000 this year into the coffers of the National Republican Congressional Committee, the party’s House fundraising arm that has played a lead role in attacking Democrats who supported climate legislation.

  tags: gop, republican party, oil, coal, utilities, fundraising, bribery, greenmonktv

• Shipping Eco-Friendly Products in Mulfunctional Packages | Dornob

  This is a beautifully simple example of brilliant green packaging design. It solves three common product design problems at once by (1) providing sturdier packaging for shipping shirts, (2) making it easy to recycle and (the best part) (3) having it transform into something sustainable, reusable and useful that works with the object in the package.

  tags: packaging, green packaging, design, hanger, hangerpak, greenmonktv

• 30 Workers Now Occupy Ill-Fated UK Wind Turbine Plant : Planetsave

  The planned closure of a wind turbine manufacturing facility on England’s Isle of Wight moved several workers to seize control of the plant on Monday night.

  tags: vestas, sit in, greenmonktv

• Aviation now contributes 4.9% of climate change | News & Events | Manchester Metropolitan University

  A group of experts reporting to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has increased dramatically the figure it believes aviation contributes to climate change.

  In a report published last month, the eight international scientists put aviation’s total contribution -‘radiative forcing’ – in 2005 at 4.9%.

  tags: aviation, radiative forcing, climate change, ipcc, greenmonktv

• Indian Farmers Use Mobile Phones to Control Irrigation – Business Center – PC World

  Mobile Operator Tata Teleservices is testing technology that allows farmers to use their mobile phones to remotely monitor and switch on irrigation pump sets in far flung locations.

  Service looks expensive for india, we’ll see how it pans out…

  tags: tata, tata teleservices, mobile phone, irrigation, greenmonktv

• FT.com / Technology – Samsung to spend $4bn on eco-tech

  Asia’s biggest producer of chips, flat-panel screens and mobile phones, announced plans to invest Won5,400bn ($4.3bn) by 2012 to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

  tags: greenhouse gas emissions, samsung, greenmonktv

• Mercedes-Benz Confirms 526 HP Fully Electric Gullwing : Gas 2.0

  It’s official. Last week, German automaker Mercedes-Benz confirmed its intentions to build a fully electric version of the SLS AMG Supercar.

  The AWD car will have separate transmissions for both axles and electric motors at each wheel. With a combined power output of 392 Kw–which packs 649 lb-ft of torque–the car will get a jaw-dropping 526 horsepower.

  tags: mercedes, amg, mercedes benz, bev, electric car, gullwing, supercar, greenmonktv

• Harvard stunner: “Realistic” first-generation CCS costs a whopping $150 per ton of CO2 — 20 cents per kWh! « Climate Progress

  Harvard’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs has published a blockbuster study, “Realistic Costs of Carbon Capture.” The paper concludes that First-of-a-Kind (FOAK) carbon capture and storage plants are going to be much more expensive than most people realize:

  1. The costs of carbon abatement on a 2008 basis for FOAK IGCC plants are expected to be approximately $150/tCO2 avoided (with a range $120-180/tCO2 avoided), excluding transport and storage costs….

  This yields “levelised cost of electricity on a 2008 basis is approximately 10¢/kWh higher with capture than for conventional plants.“ So pick your favorite price for new coal plants — Moody’s said last year that is about 11¢/kWh — and add 10¢ and you get 20+¢/kWh.

  tags: ccs, carbon capture and storage, harvard, greenmonktv

• Ian Thorpe: Australia’s dirty little secret – Crikey

  In a speech given at the “Beyond Sport Summit” in London on Thursday July 9, 2009, Australian Olympic legend Ian Thorpe dove head first into Australia’s failure to address the problems in its indigenous communities.
  A shocking indictment of the neglect of Australia’s Aborigines

  tags: ian thorpe, australia, indigenous people, aborigines, greenmonktv

• HP wins Walmart’s design challenge

  HP developed a sturdy and stylish messenger bag and put the HP Pavilion dv6929wm Entertainment Notebook PC inside.
  The unique HP Protect Messenger Bag guards the notebook during shipping and is put directly on a Walmart shelf. Customers leave Walmart with just their new notebook, accessories and a convenient, reusable messenger bag— and avoid the hassle and waste of boxes and excess packaging.

  tags: hp, walmart, messenger bag, laptop bag, pavilion, greenmonktv

• TEDGlobal: The genius of the natural world | Media | guardian.co.uk

  From bacteria-free surfaces based on shark skin to carbon-sequestering cement, Janine Benyus says humanity should look to nature for technological inspiration

  tags: janine banyus, biomimicry, greenmonktv, ted

• Police make more arrests at wind turbine factory protest | Environment | guardian.co.uk

  Two men detained outside Vestas plant on Isle of Wight as owners erect fence around site in response to demonstration against its closure

  tags: uk, police, uk police, vestas, sit in, greenmonktv

• Editorial Ass: Is It True?! Are 40% of Books Printed Pulped?!

  A little while ago, we were talking about low publishing salaries, and the causal low publishing profit margins. Carol asked the question–is it true that 40% of books printed are destroyed? That we publishers overprint and don’t sell and then destroy bunches of books?

  Before I get into answering this question, I want to warn you that the whole system is so stupid you’re going to want to hit your head against a wall. So try not to sit near any walls.

  Um. Yes. The answer is yes.

  tags: books, paper, pulp, overprint, greenmonktv

• Nikebiz:Media: Press Releases:2009:Amazon Leather Policy

  NIKE today reinforced its commitment to the environment by releasing new leather sourcing guidelines aimed at helping slow the rate of Amazon deforestation due to cattle grazing within the basin.

  tags: nike, leather, amazon rainforest, deforestation, greenmonktv

• GreenSmith Consulting: I Hate to Break it to You About Neoprene, But….

  It’s easy to say you haven’t got something in your product. Encouraged even. Petroleum free is a popular one. And yet, what are the consequences of what’s used in its place? GreenSmart faced this quandry, and came up with an interesting, evolving solution.

  tags: neoprene, petroleum, GreenSmart

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

• Samsung Investing $4.3 Billion Towards Greener Gadgets : TreeHugger

  In its Eco-Management 2013 report, the South Korean company Samsung says it is investing $4.3 billion in greening its gadgets and its facilities by, you guessed it, 2013. That’s a whole lot of pocket change to be thrown into positive change.

  tags: samsung, green, greenhouse gas emissions, sustainability, greenmonktv

• Are we on the brink of saving rainforests?

  Until now saving rainforests seemed like an impossible mission. But the world is now warming to the idea that a proposed solution to help address climate change could offer a new way to unlock the value of forest without cutting it down.

  tags: rainforests, rainforest, redd, climate change mitigation, greenmonktv

• Smart Grid Status According to the DOE, and Security According to (eep!) Black Hat : TreeHugger

  Status of the Smart Grid According to the Department of Energy
  The DOE has just released a state of the smart grid report as part of a directive in the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 that tells the Secretary of Energy to “…report to Congress concerning the status of smart grid deployments nationwide and any regulatory or government barriers to continued deployment.

  tags: smart grid, doe, black hat, smart grid security, greenmonktv

• Nobelist Krugman: Fear of carbon markets and speculation is “99% wrong and bad for the planet” « Climate Progress

  There are many obstacles to taking action on climate change. Most of those obstacles have deep roots: there are powerful interest groups that don’t want market prices to reflect true costs, and there are ideologues — financially supported by these interest groups — who don’t want to admit that sometimes the government has to intervene.

  But there’s also, it seems, growing opposition to cap-and-trade from people who should be on the side of progress — but whose reaction is basically “Eek! Markets!Wall Street! Speculation! Bad!”

  We don’t need this.

  So let me talk a bit about why this reaction is 99% wrong, and bad for the planet.

  tags: krugman, carbon markets, cap and trade, greenmonktv

• FedEx Converts 92 Delivery Trucks to Diesel Hybrids with Lithium-Ion Batteries : TreeHugger

  FedEx is announcing today that it has converted 92 of its trucks to diesel-electric hybrids (using lithium-ion batteries), bringing the total number of hybrids the company has to 264. There are a few reasons why these conversions are noteworthy. First, despite a bigger and more powerful engine (going from a 5.9L 175 HP diesel engine to a 6.7L 200 HP one), the converted trucks show an improvement of 44% in fuel economy, a decrease in particulate matter (PM) emissions of 96% (!), and a reduction of NOx emissions by 75%

  tags: fedex, diesel electric hybrid, diesel, hybrid, fuel efficient, particulates, NOx, greenmonktv

• Guardian Environment Network: Mountaintop mining legacy: Destroying Appalachian streams | Environment | guardian.co.uk

  The environmental damage caused by mountaintop removal mining across Appalachia has been well documented. But scientists are now beginning to understand that the mining operations’ most lasting damage may be caused by the massive amounts of debris dumped into valley streams

  tags: appalachia, mountain top removal, coal, pollution, greenmonktv

• Steven Chu | The Daily Show | Comedy Central

  US Energy Secretary Steven Chu believes the cap-and-trade bill is a great opportunity for America to lead a new industrial revolution.

  He came on the today show with Jon Stewart and was remarkably unfazed and even funny dealing with Jon

  tags: daily show, jon stewart, steven chu, greenmonktv

• Cutting Costs and Saving Energy – Vodafone

  A new report issued by Vodafone, in collaboration with Accenture, concludes that mobile technology could cut Europe’s annual energy bill by at least €43 billion and effect a reduction in annual greenhouse gas emissions by at least 113Mt CO2e by 2020. This represents 18% of the UK’s annual CO2e output in 2008 and approximately 2.4% of expected EU emissions in 2020. However, this opportunity can only be realised if industry and governments collaborate.

  tags: vodafone, mobile, mobile technology, greenhouse gas emissions, co2, carbon connections, greenmonktv

• Corporate pranksters show a lot of bottle in Bhopal fight

  Dow has come under fire from activists because in 2001 it took over Union Carbide, which owned and ran the pesticide plant in the central Indian city where the world’s worst industrial accident took place.

  In December 1984 a storage tank leaked toxic gas methyl isocyanate into the air. More than 500,000 people were exposed to the deadly fumes.

  Estimates of the death toll vary but it is generally accepted between 8,000 and 10,000 died within the first three days and some 25,000 since.

  Thousands more suffered health problems from the incident and subsequent pollution at the site.

  As the 25th anniversary of the disaster approaches, activists are pressuring Dow to clean up the area’s contaminated water supply.

  “The company has claimed that it is not responsible and that Union Carbide had settled its responsibility before Dow became the owner, but water in the city is still contaminated,” said Mr Bonnano.

  tags: bhopal, union carbide, dow chemical, unpotable water, pollution, greenmonktv

• China offers big solar subsidy | Green Business | Reuters

  China has launched an unprecedented plan to offer hefty subsidies to independent solar power projects, a move that sparked a rally in the sector on Tuesday.

  tags: china, solar power, subsidy, greenmonktv

• Household Cleaners, Air Fresheners Linked to Asthma in Adults

  Regular use of household cleaning sprays and air fresheners may increase the risk of adult-onset asthma, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

  tags: household, cleaning sprays, cleaning products, asthma, air fresheners, greenmonktv

• EnviroSpeak.tv

  Drive around the San Francisco Bay Area and you can see the emerging corporate infrastructure of the new green economy.

  In a downtown Oakland office tower, you’ll find the headquarters of BrightSource Energy, a solar thermal power-plant developer that has scored contacts to build more than 2,600 megawatts’ worth of solar farms. Off Highway 101 in the Silicon Valley suburb of San Carlos, Tesla Motors is developing its next electric car. Down the road in Palo Alto, Shai Agassi‘s Better Place is designing regional electric-car charging networks and battery-swapping stations for Australia, Canada, Denmark, Israel, and the United States.

  Backing those companies is VantagePoint Venture Partners. The venture capital firm is making big bets on green tech by funding nearly two dozen startups involved in everything from LED lighting to algae biofuels to water to the smart grid.

  tags: green tech, vantagepoint venture partners, vc, greenmonktv

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

• Obama Administration Seeks to Restrict Antibiotics in Livestock – NYTimes.com

  The Obama administration announced Monday that it would seek to ban many routine uses of antibiotics in farm animals in hopes of reducing the spread of dangerous bacteria in humans.

  In written testimony to the House Rules Committee, Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, principal deputy commissioner of food and drugs, said feeding antibiotics to healthy chickens, pigs and cattle — done to encourage rapid growth — should cease. And Dr. Sharfstein said farmers should no longer be able to use antibiotics in animals without the supervision of a veterinarian

  tags: antibiotics, food, drugs, farmers, farming, chickens, pigs, cattle, greenmonktv

• Army Works to Cut Carbon ‘Bootprint’ – Green Inc. Blog – NYTimes.com

  The army is beginning to measure its carbon footprint, as part of a broader emphasis on the costs of climate change.

  tags: army, Carbon bootprint, climate, change, greenmonktv

• UNLV prof to Congress: Mining contaminates Colorado River – Las Vegas Sun

  Restarting uranium mining near the Grand Canyon poses a contamination risk to the Colorado River, serving more than 25 million people in western states, a UNLV hydrology professor told a congressional committee today.

  tags: uranium, uranium mining, colorado river, greenmonktv

• Climate change could put the heat on California crops – Los Angeles Times

  “Climate change is not just about sea-level rise and polar bears,” said UC Davis researcher Eike Luedeling, lead author of the study. “It is about our food security. Climate change may make conditions less favorable to grow the crops we need to feed ourselves.”

  tags: california, food security, Climate Change, greenmonktv

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.

• Carbon cost of Downloads vs. CDs | Kate’s Comment

  An interesting article calculating the carbon costs of downloading music vesus buying the CD

  tags: download, music, cd, greenmonktv

• Desertec: African solar power for Europe – UPI.com

  If it makes it beyond the drawing broad, Desertec would be the world’s largest, most ambitious and expensive green energy project ever: a series of solar thermal power plants across the Sahara desert connecting Africa under the Mediterranean Sea to Europe’s power grid.

  tags: desertec, siemens, abb, abengoa solar, rwe, e.on, greenmonktv, solar energy

• BP Gives up on Jatropha for Biofuel – Environmental Capital – WSJ

  BP has indeed given up on jatropha, the shrub once touted as the great hope for biofuels, and walked away from its jatropha joint venture for less than $1 million.

  tags: bp, jatropha, biofuel, d1, greenmonktv

• Synthetic Genomics and Exxon Mobil team up on algae. – Environmental Capital – WSJ

  Exxon’s $600 million deal with Synthetic Genomics to brew fuel from algae could mark a coming of age for alternative fuels.

  tags: exxon, synthatic genomics, craig venter, algae, biofuel, greenmonktv

• Jeff Biggers: Jimmy Carter’s Next Urgent Mission: Polarized Appalachian Coalfields

  Never has Carter’s hands-on determination for economic revival and reconciliation between divided communities been more needed in the most polarized part of our country–the devastated coalfields of Appalachia.

  tags: appalachia, jimmy carter, coal, mountain top removal, greenmonktv

• Tiny nation at war with rising tide – Winnipeg Free Press

  A tiny island nation in the Pacific Ocean — that could be wiped off the map because of global warming — is seeking to to set an example for the world by shedding its dependency on oil and becoming powered entirely by renewable energy sources.

  tags: tuvalu, sea level rise, flooding, renewable energy, greenmonktv

• How Cell Phones Are Changing the Face of Green Activism : TreeHugger

  Today, mobile phones are ubiquitous. The sheer volume of the devices on this planet is staggering – in the US alone, 450,000 cell phones are discarded every day. Over half of the world’s population has quick, easy access to cell phones and wireless technology. For example, 97% of people surveyed in Tanzania had access to a mobile phone, while just 27% could access a land line phone. In Kenya, only 19% of the country’s 36 million people are reached by traditional banking methods…but virtually all have access to mobile phones. Knowing these facts, it isn’t surprising that the devices are being used as a key tool for environmental change.

  tags: mobile phone, activism, treehugger, greenmonktv

• Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change chief says benefits of tackling climate change will balance cost of action | Environment | guardian.co.uk

  The cost of tackling climate change will be paid for by benefits that would come from better energy security, employment and health, Rajendra Pachauri says ahead of major announcement on 2013 reports

  tags: ipcc, rajendra Pachauri, Climate Change, cost, energy security, greenmonktv

• Cranes nest in Fens after 400-years – MSN Environment UK

  Cranes are nesting in The Fens for the first time in 400 years, wildlife experts believe.

  The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) says young cranes have been seen at its Lakenheath Fen reserve near Brandon, Suffolk, during the past week.

  tags: cranes, birds, fens, uk, rspb, greenmonktv

• Department of Energy – US-China Clean Energy Research Center Announced

  U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu, Chinese Minister of Science Wan Gang, and Administrator of National Energy Administration Zhang Guo Bao today announced plans to develop a U.S.-China Clean Energy Research Center. The Center would facilitate joint research and development on clean energy by teams of scientists and engineers from the U.S. and China, as well as serve as a clearinghouse to help researchers in each country.
  Priority topics to be addressed will initially include building energy efficiency, clean coal including carbon capture and storage, and clean vehicles. The U.S. and China together pledged $15 million to support initial activities.

  tags: steven chu, us china clean energy research center, greenmonktv, china, us

• Tidal plant to power Incheon

  a 1,320-megawatt tidal power plant will be built on a 157.45-square-kilometer area of sea near the islands of Ganghwa, Jangbong and Yeongjong. The government will build it by 2017 at a cost of 3.92 trillion won ($3.0 billion), the report said.

  tags: tidal energy, tidal power, korea, greenmonktv

• Walmart’s Sustainability Index: The Hype and the Reality | Joel Makower on GreenBiz.com

  Walmart has just unveiled its new Sustainability Index, a project that’s been in the works for more than a year, but which is — finally, after much anticipation and more than a little handwringing by industry, activists, and others — part of the public discourse. The advance stories over the past few days have been amped up to the point of breathlessness, involving adjectives like “huge” (perhaps) and “audacious” (probably), with one story suggesting the Index will “shake the world” (um, no comment). Such hyperbole is understandable: any green commitment that Walmart makes is potentially a big deal.
  But now that reality has hit, it’s time to take a more sober assessment of what’s really going on here.

  tags: walmart, wal-mart, walmart sustainability index, sustainability, index, greenmonktv

• Footprint Calculator

  How much land area does it take to support your lifestyle? Take this quiz to find out your Ecological Footprint, discover your biggest areas of resource consumption, and learn what you can do to tread more lightly on the earth.

  Only works for US and Australia 🙁

  tags: ecological footprint, resource consumption, global footprint, greenmonktv

• Pattie Maes demos the Sixth Sense | Video on TED.com

  This demo — from Pattie Maes’ lab at MIT, spearheaded by Pranav Mistry — was the buzz of TED. It’s a wearable device with a projector that paves the way for profound interaction with our environment. Imagine “Minority Report” and then some.

  tags: ted, augmented reality

• Record rain in Karachi kills dozens – CNN.com

  Cleanup efforts unfolded Monday in Pakistan’s largest city, Karachi, after torrential monsoon rain over the weekend killed dozens, cut power to 15 million and broke a 32-year record.

  tags: pakistan, karachi, monsoon, rain, flooding, floods, Climate Change, greenmonktv

• Sandbag: real action on climate change

  EU wide map of polluters in the carbon market showing those with an excess of credits and those in need of credits

  tags: carbon credits, ets, greenmonktv, sandbag

• Kids’ lower IQ scores linked to prenatal pollution

  Researchers for the first time have linked air pollution exposure before birth with lower IQ scores in childhood, bolstering evidence that smog may harm the developing brain

  tags: smog, air pollution, iq, lower iq, exhaust, greenmonktv

Posted from Diigo. The rest of my favorite links are here.