Climate Technology
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Drill, baby, drill
A veteran of the Manhattan Project is developing technology that could make it easier to tap geothermal energy locked deep underground. Potter Drilling It’s the archetypal Silicon Valley story: Unknown entrepreneur toils away on a Big Idea in an anonymous office park until discovered by one of the Valley’s legendary deep-pocketed investors. Another boy wonder […]
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Chrysler opens with a Fiat at the New York Auto Show
Photo courtesy of the New York International Auto Show. How will Chrysler save itself (and maybe even the auto industry)? With a tiny blue coupe tricked out with italian-leather seats, of course. If there was any doubt about how large a role Fiat will play in Chrysler’s restructuring, Chrysler vice chairman Jim Press silenced those […]
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15 green sports venues
Think the only thing green about pro sports is the turf? Think again. As the first crack of the bat rings through the spring air this week, we take a look at sports venues in North America that are scoring big on the eco-field (now if only the teams could do something about all that […]
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Umbra advises on running shoes
Q. Hi Umbra, I’m a long-distance runner in need of a new pair of shoes. I’m looking for the company with the most sustainable practices. Any suggestions? I’ve heard some promising things from different companies (e.g., Nike’s shoe-recycling program, ASICS’ commitment to recycled materials), but I remain undecided about what which company offers the best […]
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Amid a sea of troubles, ethanol now has an antibiotics problem
Hard times for corn fuel Photo: Todd Ehler I’ve been writing for a while now about problems with distillers grains, the leftover mash from the corn-ethanol process. A third of the corn that goes into ethanol winds up as distillers grains. Finding a high-value use for this “coproduct” is absolutely vital to the corn ethanol […]
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Empire State Building to get efficiency overhaul
I’ve been wanting for a while to start a column called “Sexy Retrofits,” exploring the idea that the key to green building is overhauling existing buildings, not starting from scratch. Despite what Larry Page might think. It’s not the most glamorous notion, but it is energy efficient, cost effective, and exciting. I swear! So consider […]
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First quarter cleantech VC funding hits $1 billion — green stimulus funds soar to $400 billion
Clean tech venture capital funding in the first quarter of 2009 hit $1 billion, according to “findings released today by the Cleantech Group in cooperation with Deloitte.” For the authors of the findings, the headline news was global cleantech VC funding “dropped 41 percent during 1Q09, compared to the previous quarter.” But that $1 billion […]
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Toyota Prius sales down 55% compared to March ’08
Today, Toyota Motor Sales reported March ’09 sales numbers, which showed a 55 percent decline for the Prius brand. In March ’08, Toyota sold 20,635 Priuses, but in March ’09, only 8,924. (Maybe everyone is holding out for the 2010 model?) Overall, Toyota numbers were down 36 percent from March ’08, but up 19 percent […]
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Seattle’s transit-supporting sales-tax hike goes into effect
Photo: Seattle Municipal Archives via Flickr If you noticed this week that your bar tab was a bit higher than usual, it’s probably because of that extra shot of tequila you’re now regretting the sales tax hike. As of April 1, residents in King, Pierce, and Snohomish county started paying more for their purchases — […]
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Every job can be green, part one
Fortunately for your humble correspondent, Van Jones was so busy when the editors of the new book, Mandate for Change: Policies and leadership for 2009 and beyond, were looking for an author for their chapter about green jobs, that they turned to me instead. This is part one of three posts that will serialize my […]
