Déjà Vu All Over Again: Offshore Oil Platform Explodes in Gulf of Mexico [Update]

Image: Google Maps Thankfully, No Deaths This Time An offshore oil platform exploded and caught fire today in the Gulf of Mexico. It is located about 80 miles off the Louisiana coast, west of the site of BP's massive oil spill. All 13 people who were on the rig were evacuated and only one was injured, reports the U.S. Coast Guard.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 2 Sep 2010 | 7:20 pm EDT

Audit finds PG&E smart meters accurate

However, the utility's customer service is faulty, according to an independent review of the controversial yet pioneering smart-meter program.

Source: Green Tech | 2 Sep 2010 | 4:32 pm EDT

Universal Cell Phone Charger Coming Soon...At Some Point...In the Maybe-Not-Distant Future...

Photo via kalleboo A common complaint about cell phones is that there is no universal charger -- if you don't have the one that works specifically for your phone, well, you're just out of luck when your battery dies. It's not only a hassle for cell phone owners, but it's a huge problem for e-waste as the chargers become useless when the corresponding cell phones are tossed aside for newer models. But progress toward a more environmentally responsible (and plain common sense) solution for a universal charger that works will all phon... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 2 Sep 2010 | 3:12 pm EDT

New York City Inks Contract for Up to 475 Compressed Natural Gas Buses

Photo: New Flyer What's the Difference Between CNG and Diesel? The Board of the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority (the "MTA") has awarded New Flyer of America a contract for up to 475 buses. The contract is for 135 40-foot compressed natural gas ("CNG") heavy-duty transit buses with options for up to an additional 340 CNG buses. We know that buses are a pretty green way to move lots of people around in urban area, but how much better are CNG buses compared to regular diesel buses? The U.S. Department of Energy has some numbers to allow us to compare.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 2 Sep 2010 | 2:01 pm EDT

New York City Inks Contract for Up to 475 Compressed Natural Gas Buses

Photo: New Flyer What's the Difference Between CNG and Diesel? The Board of the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority (the "MTA") has awarded New Flyer of America a contract for up to 475 buses. The contract is for 135 40-foot compressed natural gas ("CNG") heavy-duty transit buses with options for up to an additional 340 CNG buses. We know that buses are a pretty green way to move lots of people around in urban area, but how much better are CNG buses compared to regular diesel buses? The U.S. Department of Energy has some numbers to allow us to compare.... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 2 Sep 2010 | 2:01 pm EDT

David Suzuki: Our Obsession With Private Automobiles is Unsustainable

bitefight via Torontoist Quote of the Day from David Suzuki in the Georgia Strait:

Technological developments [such as electric cars etc.] are welcome, but maybe it's time we started rethinking our car culture as whole. The average car in North America carries 1.5 people, which means that most cars on the road only have a driver in them. Is it really efficient to use more than 1,000 kilograms of metal to transport 100 kilograms of huma... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 2 Sep 2010 | 1:48 pm EDT

Focus EV to use liquid thermal battery control

Car will take its battery pack temperature, then automatically cool or warm it to optimal temperature range before charging or engaging the battery.

Source: Green Tech | 2 Sep 2010 | 1:35 pm EDT

Motor City getting in on electric fever

Coulomb Technologies installs free public electric-charging station in downtown Detroit as part of ChargePoint America program to encourage EV adoption.

Source: Green Tech | 2 Sep 2010 | 1:28 pm EDT

Cisco buys Arch Rock in smart-grid push

Networking giant to augment its IP-based communications tech with planned purchase of start-up Arch Rock, which makes wireless sensors for buildings, data centers, and utility networks.

Source: Green Tech | 2 Sep 2010 | 10:46 am EDT

When Bike Sharing Falters (and Why We Can't Let It)

Photo credit by batega via flickr. In its early days, Barcelona's Bicing seemed like an unparalleled success. With 400 stations and 3,000 of the squat, burly red-and-white bikes stationed around the city, Bicing quickly became part of Barcelona's big city atmosphere and was enthusiastically received by inhabitants. But after five years, something scary started to happen, in addition to the vandalism and Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 2 Sep 2010 | 8:11 am EDT

Cisco, Itron team on smart-grid networking

Cisco and smart-meter maker team on communications system based on IP to connect everything from people's homes to power distribution equipment on the grid.

Source: Green Tech | 1 Sep 2010 | 2:59 pm EDT

Exploiting Utah's Oil Shale Deposits is Fossil Foolishness (Video)

Ahead of its upcoming report Fossil Foolishness: Utah's Pursuit of Tar Sands and Oil Shale Western Resource Advocates has produced the above short video detailing, as you might imagine from the title, why even though it may be ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 1 Sep 2010 | 2:35 pm EDT

Waste Management going for 'black gold'

Garbage collector plans to offer organic gardening products made from expanded organic waste collection service.

Source: Green Tech | 1 Sep 2010 | 2:06 pm EDT

California To Extend Carpool-Lane Access To 40,000 Plug-In Hybrids

Photo: Flickr, CC Should Access for Regular Hybrids be Phased Out? In California, vehicles that meet certain fuel economy and tailpipe emission criteria are granted special access to the high occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV, aka the carpool lane). In car-centric places like Los Angeles, it's a huge advantage. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill (SB 535) into law that extends HOV-lane access to 40,000 qualifying plug-in hybrid ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 1 Sep 2010 | 1:30 pm EDT

California To Extend Carpool-Lane Access To 40,000 Plug-In Hybrids

Photo: Flickr, CC Should Access for Regular Hybrids be Phased Out? In California, vehicles that meet certain fuel economy and tailpipe emission criteria are granted special access to the high occupancy vehicle lanes (HOV, aka the carpool lane). In car-centric places like Los Angeles, it's a huge advantage. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill (SB 535) into law that extends HOV-lane access to 40,000 qualifying plug-in hybrid ... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 1 Sep 2010 | 1:30 pm EDT

Is the UK's First Green Cell Phone Rating System Bending the Rules?

Photo via KhE O2, a communications company in the United Kingdom, has just launched the country's first green cell phone ranking system -- something of which Apple did not want the iPhone to be part. But G... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 1 Sep 2010 | 12:45 pm EDT

Amazon Deforestation Down 16% Over Past Year, New Data Shows

photo: Leo Freitas via flickr According to preliminary data from Brazilian NGO Imazon, deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon is down 16% over the past twelve months, with 1,488 square kilometers (574 square miles) of forest cleared. All that tree felling resulted in 95.6 million metric tons of CO2 released into the atmosphere, Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 1 Sep 2010 | 12:23 pm EDT

Philly subway to capture energy from braking trains

The smart grid goes underground in Philadelphia, where a battery will store energy from regenerative braking, cutting power costs and earning revenue on the grid.

Source: Green Tech | 1 Sep 2010 | 12:15 pm EDT

Cotton Cloth Coated in Nanotubes Electrifies Bacteria to Purify Water

Image via Stanford University Fresh, clean, drinkable water is an increasingly rare thing on this planet, especially in places that are suffering through catastrophes like floods or must deal with high levels of pollution without the resources to set up water treatment facilities. But a project from Stanford University researchers could see cheap, simple filtration devices distributed through developing nations. How simple? Well, it's just a piece of cotton cloth coated in nanotubes that filter out nearly all bacteria at a rat... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 1 Sep 2010 | 11:22 am EDT

Report: 3.24 million plug-in EVs sold by 2015

As automakers gear up for market push of assorted plug-in vehicles, it looks like Chinese and U.S. drivers will buy the majority of them, according to Pike Research.

Source: Green Tech | 1 Sep 2010 | 10:48 am EDT

Notre Dame Begins Test Run of iPads With a Paperless Course

Photo by Jaymi Heimbuch The University of Notre Dame is taking the use of e-readers in classrooms seriously, embarking on a one year study of how the devices integrate into classrooms. The first course to have students use an iPad instead of any text books is Project Management, a class with 40 students that will not only use the iPad as a book, but will also be encouraged to use it for everything else in daily life and report back their impressions (hmmm, could that possibly have been at Apple's request?). Apple is making a big push to turn iPads into the next big thin... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 1 Sep 2010 | 10:45 am EDT

Electric Sports Cars, SUVs and Mini-Vans in Fully Charged Round-up (Video)

Image credit: Fully Charged Robert Llewellyn has been busy once again. Having road tested of the BMW Mini-E, explored fast electric car charging, and reviewed the Nissan Leaf, the cult British TV presenter and comedy actor has also been trying out some more unusual EV's. From a fully electric Range Rover SUV, through... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 1 Sep 2010 | 10:19 am EDT

Court Ruling Means Cape Wind Has All Permits Allowing Construction to Begin

photo: Martin Abegglen via flickr All the regulatory paper shuffling required to get the 240 MW Cape Wind project started is finally coming to an end. As Renewable Energy World reports, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court has ruled that the state can give the project a "composite certificate" superseding local regulatory agencies, some of which do not look favorably on the wind f... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 1 Sep 2010 | 10:00 am EDT

Female Cyclists Demand Respect, and Kisses from Hot Men

Image credit: Joe Plommer/The Mule Bar Girls April may believe we need more girls on bikes, but there is no doubt that gender politics and cycling can be an explosive mix. When I wrote about podium girls—or the practice of bike races employing female cyclists to look pretty and kiss men—the response from our readers was mixed to say the least. Some felt it was just part of the culture, others fe... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 1 Sep 2010 | 9:49 am EDT

The Chevy Volt Goes to China (In 2011)

Photo: GM Hopefully It'll Have More Commercial Success than BYD EVs China will be one of the initial markets to get the Chevy Volt PHEV, and today GM is announcing that the first drivable Volt has landed in the Middle Kingdom. "GM has made a long-term commitment to bringing our industry-leading technology to China," said Kevin Wale, President and Managing Director of the GM China Group. GM delivered two Chevrolet Volts to the Shanghai Expo for use as VIP transportation. The Volt will shuttle special guests to and from Shanghai's 2010 Expo Park and demonstrate what the future of the automobile might look like... Read the full story on TreeHugger

Source: TreeHugger | 31 Aug 2010 | 4:30 pm EDT

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