Working with Coretec Inc., a manufacturer that specializes in energy-saving machinery and systems, Fuji Electric announced last December that they had come up with a weed-control mat that is now getting attention as a possible new application for photovoltaic power. Municipalities in Japan occasionally use weed-control mats over soil to keep unused or sloped areas [...]
Archive for the ‘Justin Manger’ Category
An Unusual Two For One: Controlling Weeds While Generating Energy
April 16th, 2012 
Justin Manger Bamboo Keyboard from iZen
April 12th, 2012 Justin Manger You spilled soda on your wireless keyboard and that darn M key keeps sticking. You broke down and bought a new iPad, then realized you didn’t want to compose long messages by tapping on the glass (perhaps the MacBook Wheel is what you are looking for) and are thinking about a keyboard accessory. Maybe you [...]
Weather Disasters Set Record for Costs in 2011
April 11th, 2012 Justin Manger 2011 saw a slew of natural disasters in the U.S. that brought a record of 14 separate weather events with costs exceeding $1 billion each. From hurricanes and floods, to heat waves and droughts, to tornado outbreaks and wildfires, it was a wild year for Mother Nature. There were over $46 billion in damages tallied [...]
Five Friday Facts: Technology and US Fuel
April 6th, 2012 Justin Manger The incredible drop in imported liquid fuels such as oil over the last 6 years is due in large part to technological breakthroughs in drilling and recovery techniques that has let the U.S. capture more of its natural (though non-renewable) resources. The debates over the pros and cons to this trend of using advanced technology [...]
Posted in Business, Economics, Five Friday Facts, Justin Manger 
Tags: Energy, Fracking, Natural Gas, Oil Consumption, Water 
No Comments »Apple To Use Bloom Energy Fuel Cells At New Data Center
April 4th, 2012 Justin Manger In a following up to our post in February about the green data center Apple is planning to build in North Carolina, a few more interesting details about the facility have come to light. Aside from being LEED Platinum certified and having the largest end-user solar power array in the U.S., there will also be [...]
Number Of Green Jobs In U.S. Measured For First Time
April 2nd, 2012 Justin Manger The numbers have been crunched by the Labor Department and the results are in: green jobs accounted for an eye-poppingly low 2.4% of the United States’ total employment in 2010. However, this was the first ever survey of green goods and services jobs, so we don’t yet have something with which to compare the results. [...]
Posted in Business, Economics, Green Economy, Justin Manger, News, Policy, President Obama Tags: Alternative Energy, Clean Energy, Green Product, Solar Energy No Comments »You Can Now Stroll Through Amazonian Rainforest on Your Desktop; Good or Bad?
March 27th, 2012 Justin Manger What do you all think of this? Google Maps now takes you into the heart of the Amazon rainforest. My reaction is split: 1) Great! I’ve always been interested in learning more about the rainforests and I think people being able to access information about them will lead to increased understanding and eventually recognition that [...]
Posted in Behavior, Conservation, Education, Justin Manger, News, Op-Ed, Sustainability Tags: Conservation, Environment, Nature, rainf No Comments »You Won’t Believe the Size of This Chameleon (If You Can Find It!)
March 26th, 2012 Justin Manger In case you haven’t seen it, this incredibly tiny chameleon is worth a look. The diminutive creature would fit on your thumb’s fingernail (see picture at left). Found in Madagascar off the southeast coast of Africa, the Brookesia Chameleon is a full adult reptile about 1 inch long. Some of the species in this genus [...]
Japan’s 2010 CO2 Emissions Down By 12.3% Compared to 1990
March 23rd, 2012 Justin Manger That’s the good news. 20 years of efficiency gains, technological improvements, and policy tweaks have reduced the amount of CO2 produced by Japanese industries. What’s interesting is that emissions are actually up since 2009. Now, with the nuclear industry nearly shut down nation-wide (2 of 54 plants are in operation) and imports of oil, coal, [...]
Posted in Behavior, Business, Japan, Justin Manger, News, Policy, Sustainability Tags: Carbon Dioxide, Energy Conservation, Environment No Comments »Five Friday Facts: Is Silence In Nature Possible Anymore?
March 23rd, 2012 2nd Green Revolution This week’s facts come from an interesting piece in the NY Times Magazine section that talks about researchers and ecologists catching sound in Alaska’s Denali Park. Worry that the constant hum of modern human life is negatively affecting natural habitats has led to several efforts to gather recordings of what nature sounds like without humans [...]
Posted in Behavior, Conservation, Five Friday Facts, Justin Manger, Sustainability, Transportation Tags: Environment No Comments »
