Prius Hearse

On the lighter (or maybe darker) side of green, prius has recently released a prius hybrid hearse. Though it's currently in Japan, I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually made it's way to the states before long. The price tag is a little steep (to the tune of $80,000) but if nothing else I guess it's worth noting that the ultimate goal is to make all vehicles more efficient, even ones for the recently deceased!

Milking our way to more oil

There is a lot of talk in the scientific community about a new source of oil found in our never ending quest to avoid alternative fuels.

"Mahapatra, and Band note that some geologists believe that much of the world's crude oil originated in diatoms, which produce an oily substance in their bodies... Estimates suggest that live diatoms could make 10−200 times as much oil per acre of cultivated area compared to oil seeds."

Though this is encouraging news as far as a potential for buffering the inevitable depletion of our current fuel sources. This could ultimately lead to more stalling in the search for alternative fuels. Here's to hoping that this is used to help us in the right direction rather than leading us farther down the wrong one!

Full story can be found here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090622165830.htm

Air Quality Index

Everyone should go check out the AQI site and see what the index is in their area. It's really fascinating to study the stuff we breathe in on a daily basis without even realizing it, and understanding the related health effects of various toxins and pollutants.

The AQI info site can be found here: http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=static.aqi

An interactive map can be located here: http://airnow.gov/index.cfm?action=airnow.national

Obviously big cities tend to have a little more air pollution, but I was really surprised to see how many "Moderate" ratings Florida received as opposed to Texas which rated almost entirely "Good".

How do these people breathe?!

Next time you want to complain about air pollution or harmful emissions here in the states, think of this picture.

This is a recent picture from Beijing relating to a news story regarding air quality and it's drastic change since the Olympics.

"China poured some US$20 billion into 'greening' the city after it won the bid in 2001, including doubling the number of subway lines, retrofitting factories with cleaner technology and building urban parks. Government officials also imposed drastic cleanup measures just before the games in mid-July, including pulling half the city's 3.3 million vehicles off the roads, halting most construction and shutting down dozens of factories."Clearly some of those strict policies have loosened since the event, and it has returned to business and pollution as usual in Beijing. A bit of a silver lining for the Olympians though:

"There has been no evidence so far of any health problems linked to the short-term exposure of athletes or spectators during the Olympics, researchers noted."

Maybe this is why Phelps has been losing some events here in the US since the Olympics? You heard it here first.

Full story can be found here:
http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Asia/Story/STIStory_393024.html

Here's a little positive news on the emissions front

Construction vehicles in Houston are being outfitted with new technology to reduce emissions. This tech is coming from the Univerisity of Houston via a half a million dollar grant from the EPA.

"UH's researchers will supervise the installation of Nett Technologies' BlueMAX™ selective catalytic reduction system, which is classified by the EPA as an emerging technology, on five TxDOT nonroad vehicles. They then will do testing and analysis on the BlueMAX's ability to reduce emissions, which will provide the EPA with real-world performance data."

I really hope this catches on, I applaud Houston for being forward thinking regarding emissions and the environment despite the fact that so much of their economy and infrastructure is based off of one of the biggest enemies to the EPA's attempt to meet emissions goals (i.e. big oil).

Full story can be found here: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154537.php

Copenhagen Climate Report

Confirming what most of us already know, radical climate change is beginning to show it's effects on modern society, furthering the proof that climate change won't just take it's toll on our children's children, as we will likely see many of the effects in our generation. Research presented during the Copenhagen Climate Report outlines some measures used to determine contemporary effects of climate change.

"Key climate indicators such as global mean surface temperature, sea-level rise and extreme climatic events are already moving beyond the patterns of natural variability within which contemporary society and economy have developed... The bottom line is that limiting global warming to a manageable extent will require all our ingenuity for the climate-smart evolution of existing structures."

While the trend of "going green" is certainly a step in the right direction, more widespread efforts are going to need to be made in order to halt and reverse climate change. Smarter agricultural methods are one of the methods outlined in the story.

"Analyses led by PIK indicate that twelve billion people could be nourished on less than one third of the present agricultural area, if the best sites were used for the most appropriate crops and if world food trade would operate undistorted by protectionism."

While in theory this is a simple way to provide drastic change, in reality such an undertaking would likely be remarkably expensive and time consuming. Despite this, I applaud the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research for proposing methods with so much potential.

The full story can be found here: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090618085750.htm

The Spenda Effect

I came across a really interesting article today about how artificial sweeteners are making their way into the drinking water supply.

"Sewage treatment plants fail to remove artificial sweeteners completely from waste water. What’s more, these pollutants contaminate waters downstream and may still be present in our drinking water... Until now, only sucralose has been detected in aquatic environments."

The verdict is still out on whether artificial sweeteners pose any health risks, but this really exemplifies the problems with water purification as food science (and science in general) evolves.

The full story can be found here:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090617123650.htm