July 12, 2009
Would you like to provide solar lanterns to a village in India?
It is estimated that about 1.6 billion people on this planet live without access to electricity, and 400 million of them are in India. The "Solar Lantern Project" aims to provide solar rechargeable lanterns to rural areas in India where electricity is still not available. This project has been advocated and promoted by Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, Director- General of The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), India.
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投稿者 econetworks : 08:03 PM | コメント (0) | トラックバック (0)
Blogroll Review: P-Power, B-Buy, C-Can
P-Power
Pee power. Scientists may have found a way to extract hydrogen from urea, one of the main major components in ordinary pee. That compounds is way for the body to get rid of toxic ammonia that comes out at the end of various metabolic processes.
In many rural areas, urea would be the ideal source of nitrogen for fertilizing plants but it may also be a source of power one day.
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投稿者 econetworks : 08:00 PM | コメント (0) | トラックバック (0)
May 13, 2009
Blog Review: Corny Carpet, Cocoa Car, and Carbon Consolidation
Pretty much everything you eat these days contains corn, whether in the form of corn syrup, sauces, starch, or other food additives. Pretty soon, we will also get upholstery made from this plant. Already being used for biofuels, corn is also a chemical feedstock.
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投稿者 econetworks : 03:50 PM | コメント (0) | トラックバック (0)
April 16, 2009
Blog Review: Space Beams, Leaded Batteries, and Sins
This seems like something out of a James Bond movie. There is a startup, Solaren, which is trying to build panels in space that converts sunlight into a radio frequency beam aimed at a receiving station near Fresno. The station then converts the radio waves into electricity.
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投稿者 econetworks : 03:47 PM | コメント (0) | トラックバック (0)
September 02, 2008
Livin' at the Mart
I've moved and I'm in Japan! I'm working at a place called IGES. It’s a four letter abbreviation like YMCA, but we also work on environmental policy. It's situated in Hayama, a famed resort town in Japan. Like many resort towns, you are surrounded by breath-taking scenery, beautiful houses, trendy people, and not too many places to get your groceries. Fortunately, for me, there is the Family Mart and the great news is that they are taking a major step to lower its carbon footprint!
投稿者 econetworks : 04:39 PM | コメント (0) | トラックバック (0)
August 26, 2008
Site of the Week: Alltop Green
One of the great things about the web is how fast information (both good and bad) propagates. All over the world, the Internet is changing how we get our news. Now, anyone with an idea can self-publish with no review and news can be seen in real time. Well, Alltop Green is probably the most comprehensive site for aggregating rss feeds from blogs reporting on green news, updated continuously.
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投稿者 econetworks : 12:08 PM | コメント (0) | トラックバック (0)
August 12, 2008
Tokyo not Eco-Minded?
It's very known around the world that Japan is one of the most energy efficient countries. Moreover, awareness of global warming and its human causes are also well accepted in this country. Yet, it seems that the residents of Tokyo may not be so willing to make sacrifices in order to lower their greenhouse gas emissions further. In an AFP article that a colleague of mine at cleantechblog noted, more than 90% of Tokyo citizens do not want to trade off on their lifestyle to stave off climate change.
投稿者 econetworks : 05:56 PM | コメント (0) | トラックバック (0)
August 05, 2008
Book Review: The Family Tree
How do talking dogs save the planet?
Ever since I was young, I've let my imagination run freely and pretend seeing invisible animals from the future! Some of my friends are amused while others are just perplexed. But, talking animals may not be as silly as one could think. I recently read Sheri Tepper's The Family Tree, a fictional novel about ecological fallout.
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投稿者 econetworks : 03:44 PM | コメント (0) | トラックバック (0)
August 04, 2008
InterSolar 2008
This year brought InterSolar 2008 to San Francisco for the first time. The event was held in conjunction with SEMICON West at SF's Moscone convention center. One of my colleagues in SF did a general survey and found some very interesting trends. In addition one of the participants gave me his views on why Sharp has not fared well in the American market.
投稿者 econetworks : 02:37 PM | コメント (0) | トラックバック (0)
June 22, 2008
Kudzu to the Rescue?
I continue to be inspired by how plants could be used to address humanity's growing demands for almost everything. It's been said that crops are grown to satisfy the three F's: food, fiber, and fuel! The discussion for bio-ethanol has already moved on second generation biofuels, which use rapidly growing crops in which the entire plant (consisting mainly of cellulose) is efficiently converted to ethanol.
Recently, I read about a crop that is gaining attention for it's potential to provide cellulosic material: kudzu.
投稿者 econetworks : 06:01 PM | コメント (0) | トラックバック (0)
