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Concrete

The manufacture of concrete is responsible for up to 10 percent of worldwide CO2 emissions. That's a lot. Apparently, though, the world of concrete is abuzz with innovation: Worldchanging brings us concrete that is light and concrete that is bendy, while Treehugger ups the ante with concrete that eats pollution. Who knew?

New models in Nike’s ‘Considered’ line an improvement

As Metaefficient has already pointed out, Nike has added new models to its "Considered" line of eco-friendly(er) shoes. And I have to agree with Meta's note that for the most part, these are an improvement.

Perhaps the folks at Nike read my original post!

Should nuclear fusion be considered a green energy source?

Thanks to Treehugger for reminding me to blog about the cover story of National Geographic's August issue: Powering the Future. I'm sure some Gristmillians will find flaws in some of the article's assertions and statistics, but as Treehugger Michael Richard notes, it seems to be a good introductory piece for the uninitiated.

What I found of interest was the inclusion of fusion as a possible green energy source. I did a quick search of the Grist archives and found very little. So what is it doing in a NG feature story?

Here is how the section for fusion starts off:

Fusion is the gaudiest of hopes, the fire of the stars in the human hearth. Produced when two atoms fuse into one, fusion energy could satisfy huge chunks of future demand. The fuel would last millennia. Fusion would produce no long-lived radioactive waste and nothing for terrorists or governments to turn into weapons. It also requires some of the most complex machinery on Earth.

From what I read in NG, there seems to be no downside to fusion, assuming you can actually make it work. So, I headed over to the indispensable Wikipedia and dug a little deeper.

What victory looks like

Another great essay over on Tom's Dispatch: Rebecca Solnit reflects on what victory looks like in the real world:

Greener automakers

Everybody and their uncle is linking to this NYT essay, but it seems a bit half-baked to me. If the author is seriously trying to argue that an American car company could remake itself as completely green, making only hybrids and low-emission diesel cars, in today's market, and not become a "niche player," well, he's nuts. I think American automakers have adopted a disastrously brown strategy over the last 20 years, but turning in a new, greener direction is going to take time, thought, and care.

On a related note, it's too bad the auto industry isn't more competitive, such that a niche company making exclusively green cars could get off the ground.

The energy bill negotiations are entering the home stretch.

The conferees were hard at work over the weekend and are meeting this evening at 5 pm EST to have what might be the last official meeting of the conference. All the remaining controversial items are on the table. Will Rep. Barton be able to get support for his MTBE deal? Will Sen. Bingaman's climate change language survive? How much ethanol will the country be required to use by 2012? Tune in and find out.

Missed the early episodes? Catch up with these factsheets courtesy of Rep. Waxman.

Green architect Raphael Sperry answers questions

Raphael Sperry. With what environmental organization are you affiliated? I’m the president of Architects/Designers/Planners for Social Responsibility, which is a small nonprofit with a national membership and active local chapters in Northern California, Seattle, and New York City. What does your organization do? ADPSR has a broad mission of advancing peace, environmental sustainability, and social […]

Umbra on green weddings

Dear Umbra, We are having a wedding in Kauai in September and are expecting about 40 guests. I would like to make it as “carbon-neutral” as possible. We’ve already instituted some greening aspects — recycled invitations, recycling at the reception, etc. — but would like to take it a step further. Obviously, air travel is […]

Queen of the Dammed

British royals to bolster green rep with efficient mini-hydro plant On Friday, a local U.K. council approved Queen Elizabeth’s plan to build a mini hydroelectric power plant dedicated to Windsor Castle. The energy-efficient four-turbine plant on the River Thames is expected to supply enough electricity to keep about a third of the castle juiced. It’ll […]

You Put Yer Superweed in There

Herbicide-resistant superweed discovered in field of GM canola Opponents of genetically engineered crops have long warned that genetic modifications could “leak” into other plant species via interbreeding, possibly creating a new breed of hard-to-kill superweeds that would lead farmers to use more and more herbicides. Multinational biotech corporations have long said, ha ha, that’s crazy. […]