JUNE 30th, 2009
Ethanol production has come under much criticism for driving up the price of corn on the world’s markets. This week it’s algae, mixed with a good does of technology, to the rescue! Dow Chemicals announced plans to join Algenol Biofuels in a pilot-scale project to use algae and carbon dioxide to produce ethanol fuel. The facility is planned to be located at Dow’s Freeport, Texas site. Want to know more?
JUNE 30th, 2009
Every year at Cannes ACT (Advertising Community Together) puts together an exhibition of the best social and environmental advertising. This provocative poster, produced by ACT themselves, promoted the exhibition last week.
ACT is a non-profit association that promotes responsible communication on environmental and social sustainability. ACT shows how advertising professionals can use their core talent - creativity - to play a significant role in addressing today’s crucial world issues.
JUNE 25th, 2009
The Sear’s Tower in Chicago, America’s largest skyscraper, will undergo a “green” retrofit costing $350 million that will make the 110-storey office tower a beacon for environmentally sound space. Plans include wind turbines, green roofs and solar panels, all of which will reduce electricity consumption by a staggering 80 per cent and water usage by 40 per cent. The Tower will be renamed the Willis Tower later this summer. The project is scheduled to take 5 years to complete and create 3,600 jobs.
JUNE 25th, 2009
The Neo Team are passionate cyclists and look forward to a world where bikes dominate over cars, and every office has a Green Pod. Originating in Australia, this multi-use structure combines bike storage, lockers, a changing room and a shower into an area no bigger than a standard parking space. The compact design has been outfitted with a 12V electrical system that can run off of solar panels embedded on the roof, powering hot water, locks, LED lighting and a self-cleaning mechanism that ensures showers are cleaned after each use. The Pod can be installed both indoors and out, making it one more way for organisations to encourage their employees to pedal to work.
JUNE 25th, 2009
Here is a credit-crunchtastic way of using your credit card - turn it into a guitar pick! While many of these DIY tools are hand cut, a company named PickPunch has developed a handheld punching device that makes the shaping process very easy.
JUNE 24th, 2009
Bathed in summer sunshine and surrounded by wildflowers and permaculture gardens, The Neo Team recently spent the day at the awesome Brighton Earthship brainstorming new and creative ways to bring about positive change. The Earthship is a completely self sufficient building using a combination of wind, solar and bio-diesel for power. The roof acts as a giant dish to capture rainwater, and a grey water system feeds into the garden surrounding the rammed earth building. What a perfect place for a day of inspiration! Contact the fabulous folk at Stanmer Organics for your next grid free event!
JUNE 22nd, 2009
A new hydrogen-powered car, whose designs will be “open source” and posted for free use on the web, was unveiled this week in London. Called the Riversimple, it produces less than a third of the greenhouse gas emissions of the Toyota Prius and Honda Insight. The open-source decision was made to speed the car’s commercialisation, with the company hoping entrepreneurs globally will adapt it to local conditions. The Riversimple is the brainchild of Hugo Spowers, a motorsport engineer, and developed in partnership with Cranfield and Oxford universities.
JUNE 22nd, 2009
A new manifesto, ‘Greener and Wiser‘, produced in conjunction with Age Concern, Help the Aged, Green Alliance and Natural England, calls for older people to be trained as local volunteer environmental advisers. With a growing older population and widespread apathy amongst the younger generation, the ‘Greener and Wiser’ manifesto recommends making use of the older generation to ‘age proof’ local environmental strategies and develop intergenerational projects for the community.
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