EcoHearth: Come Home to the Earth

A company with origins in NASA’s Mars program claims to have developed a revolutionary energy source. The normally secretive California-based Bloom Energy Corporation issued a press release (pdf) on February 24, 2010, introducing its fuel cell and allowing 60 Minutes a rare look at the technology. The Bloom Energy Server™, also called the Bloom Box, promises constant, renewable power that removes dependence on the power grid, produces energy more efficiently than current methods and allows users to greatly reduce their carbon footprints. Read on…

The excitement generated by a recent study stating that 90% of petroleum-based plastics can be replaced with plant-based bioplastics is understandable—since it would mean reduced demand for oil, lower CO₂ emissions and biodegradable plastics. Unfortunately, the figure has been misinterpreted beyond the study’s intent. Due to several limitations, this lofty goal won’t be attainable any time soon, but that does not reduce the promise of bioplastics. Read on…

Compared to telecommunications networks, electricity grids are pretty dumb. A power company has little information about your electricity usage. It does not know when you switch on your AC and for how long before you decide to switch it off. In fact, it has no way of knowing whether it was your AC you switched on or some other electrical appliance. This will all change soon, benefiting both your pocketbook and the Earth. Read on…

Does cloud seeding help or harm the environment? While Moscow’s mayor has promised a snow-free winter this year, others fear there may be unintended environmental side-effects from firing silver iodide and other substances into clouds. Even if cloud seeding proves harmless, can humans be trusted to decide where the rain, snow, fog or hail should fall without upsetting nature’s fine balance, as well as each other? Read on…

Robert Rodriguez prints most of his projects on recycled paper, but his sustainability crusade doesn’t stop there. He also seeks out safe, chemical-free inks and low-energy, low-waste printing presses. Rodriguez is the manager of Paper Tiger, an independent, environmentally focused printing company in Santa Fe, NM. [Paper Tiger, which became a site sponsor after this article was assigned, offers a 15% discount to our readers. – Ed.] The shop is one of many environmentally focused printing companies around the country. Most are trying to green their complete printing operations—and to educate customers to demand sustainability when choosing a commercial printer. Read on…