World’s first high-capacity flash charging electric bus

I thought this was awesome, and definitely something that can catch on in Bellingham. The latest in electric vehicles, this new technology has the ability to charge a high capacity electric bus in only 15 seconds. Developed in Switzerland, this bus will be charged for 15 seconds at selected stops, which allows the vehicle to charge while passengers are exiting and entering the bus. At the end of the bus line, there will be about a 3 to 4 minute charge to fully recharge the batteries, all at about a 400 killowatt boost. This is an invention that can only further the benefits of public transportation, and is paving the road in stopping the use of gas vehicles altogether. Below is a really cool video explaining it a bit more:

The Natural Cure to Save Crops

Growers in the UK are turning towards a new way to combat grey mold- without the use of pesticides. This is being done using bumblebees, and is the newest way in keeping strawberry crops as natural as possible. So what is grey mold? It's formal name is botrytis cinerea, and it manifests after the fruit has been picked and causes major damage to crops all across the world. So how can bumblebees help? The bees are routed through a one- way system in their hive through a tray of harmless fungus spores which, when delivered to flowers, ensure that the fruit is protected as it grows and protects it through the fungus. They've been called the "flying doctors", and I think this is a great alternative to dangerous pesticides  I'm curious to see if it catches on in the US.

Canada's Greenest House?

I love to read about green houses and green living, and this recent article I found was really interesting. In Peterborough, Ontario, a man named Chris Magwood is calling this single family home Canada's Greenest House. So how is it so green?

The house is built with actual prefabricated straw, and is insulated using Durisol insulated blocksbelow. The interior is finished in wood and plaster, and is chemical free. They avoided plastic foam whenever possible, and uses a complete rainwater collection and filtration system. The list goes on, and this home carries a price tag of about US$ 630,709. It's a pricey endeavor, but this was one of the few green houses that I thought was very aesthetically pleasing as well. Though it may not be worth the cost to you, I think these ideas are solid and will continue to push the housing market into a more sustainable direction.

New Designs for Cooking in Kenya

Recently I came across this really cool video from the Swedish architect firm Claesson Koivisto Rune, showing their latest innovation. They came up with an idea for a cook stove that is both aesthetically pleasing, safer, and inexpensive. A large problem in Kenya is the dangers of cooking over inefficient and unhealthy cook stoves, and this is just the latest idea in remedying this problem. I think overall it's a great idea, but I just hope it's aesthetic features don't unnecessarily raise the cost, because I think functionality and affordability are the most important features.

Ocean Debris Bill Dies in Committee

Plastic pollution in our oceans and coastlines are a major problem with detrimental consequences. Not only does it take ages to decompose, it kills wildlife and creates unsightly "garbage patches" all across our oceans.  Recently Bill 521 was proposed to combat this pollution, proposing that California manufacturers would be forced to figure out how to reduce 95% of plastic pollution by 2014 and not complying would result in a financial penalty of up to $10,000 per day.

Though this sounds like a great step towards a more sustainable future, that bill died in the state Assembly last Friday. The panel failed to act on this bill, and as a result it killed the legislation for the session. The excuse was that the bill put too much liability on producers rather than consumers, but pointing fingers while continuing to let our waters become polluted with litter isn't going to help anything.

Ecological Footprint Recalculation

Before:

                         

After:

At the beginning of the quarter I calculated my footprint, and found that it would take 4.3 planet earths if everyone in the world lived like I did. That was a lot, and after setting a lot of goals and sticking to them, I am proud to see that I reduced my footprint by almost a whole planet. Looking back at my first set of results, I can see that the biggest area I reduced was my consumption of goods. This I believe is partly due to the fact that I made a goal to start buying less packaged, more natural foods. I wanted to learn how to cook more, and try to buy items that were made at least semi locally. Though it's taken a slight toll on my wallet, knowing that I'm helping the environment and local growers makes it worth it. I also noticed that after taking this class I started to recycle a lot more, and was more careful about bringing reusable bags and buying products that used less packaging. This was something I didn't set as a goal for myself, but noticed that it still had an affect on my ecological footprint, which was a pleasure to see. The other sections didn't change much, mostly because they were either pretty sustainable already and/or I couldn't make the changes within the time period. But overall, I'm very happy with my progress and am excited to continue to work on my footprint after this class and hopefully reduce my impact further.

A Cap on Carbon

I've always associated China with a few things: their massive number of people, their innovations, and their pollution. Pictures of China often look like they were taken on a cloudy and foggy day, when in actuality that haze is smog and pollution. I recently read an article talking about China's new efforts to reduce pollution. They announced the details of their first carbon trading program, which is set to begin next month. Seven cities and provinces will take part in this program, with China expecting to completely implement the program by 2014. 

This carbon cap is a necessity for China, as their carbon consumption is causing more and more negative effects to their population, along with the obvious toll on the environment. Beijing schools are starting to build air purified domes over playgrounds so children can safely play outside, and many expatriates are leaving the country all together. Recently Beijing has also broken records- and not in a good way. Their pollution levels just topped 775, which breaks the Environmental Protection Agency's air quality scale of 0-500. China itself uses 47% of the worlds coal, with their consumption levels continuing to grow. 

Overall this cap is crucial for the well being of China and its citizens, not to mention the environment. Though they've committed to making environmental changes before and haven't followed through, this idea is hopefully going to become the driving force in a climate transformation.