Food versus Fuel: Native Plants Make Better Ethanol
A mix of perennial grasses and herbs might offer the best chance for the U.S. to produce a sustainable biofuel, according to the results of a new study. But making that dream a reality could harm local environments and would require developing new technology to harvest, process and convert such plant material into biofuels such as ethanol. Biofuels have become controversial for their impact on food production. The ethanol used in the U.S. is currently brewed from the starch in corn kernels, which has brought ethanol producers (and government ethanol mandates) into conflict with other uses for corn, such as food or animal feed. Already, corn ethanol in the U.S. has contributed to a hike in food costs of 15 percent, according to the Congressional Budget Office, and the U.N. To see if nonfood plants could be a source of a biofuel the way corn is, researchers followed six alternative crops and farming systems in so-called marginal lands over 20 years, including poplar trees and alfalfa.
Top 7 alternative energies listed - environment - 14 January 2009
The US could replace all its cars and trucks with electric cars powered by wind turbines taking up less than 3 square kilometres - in theory, at least. That's the conclusion of a detailed study ranking 11 types of non-fossil fuels according to their total ecological footprint and their benefit to human health. The study, carried out by Mark Jacobson of the atmosphere and energy programme at Stanford University, found wind power to be by far the most desirable source of energy. Biofuels from corn and plant waste came right at the bottom of the list, along with nuclear power and "clean" coal. Watch a video of Jacobson discussing his findings. The energy sources that Jacobson found most promising were, in descending order: • Wind • Concentrated solar power (mirrors heating a tower of water) • Geothermal energy • Tidal energy • Solar panels • Wave energy • Hydroelectric dams "The energy alternatives that are good are not the ones that people have been talking about the most," says Jacobson.
Lack of interest and aptitude keeps students out of STEM majors - On Small Business
Posted at 03:25 PM ET, 01/06/2012 Jan 06, 2012 08:25 PM EST TheWashingtonPost If ever there was a stairway to success in this economy, it appears to be a college degree in math, science or technology. A study released this week by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce found that recent graduates in computer science, mathematics and engineering all had unemployment rates below 9 percent (with the rates dropping below 6 percent among those who had some experience.) Previously, research from the same Georgetown center found that, “Over a lifetime, the earnings of workers who have majored in engineering, computer science or business are as much as 50 percent higher than the earnings of those who major in the humanities, the arts, education and psychology.” What’s more, technology start-ups consistentlybemoan the inavailability of good programmers, who are increasingly snapped up by larger companies for astronomical salaries. But it’s not just a high-school issue.
Cognito Farm
Cognito Farm works with nature to sustainably produce Grass-Fed Beef, Pastured Poultry & Eggs and Range Raised Pork. We avoid use of herbicides, pesticides and petroleum based fertilizers. We do not use antibiotics or hormones as growth promoting agents.
This Micro-Algae Lamp Absorbs 150-200 Times More CO2 than a Tree! (Video)
CleanTechnica/via French biochemist and Shamengo pioneer Pierre Calleja has invented this impressive streetlight that is powered by algae which absorbs CO2 from the air. We have featured algae-powered lamps before but this one takes out 1 ton (!) of CO2 per year. This is as much CO2 as as a tree absorbs on average during its entire life. It seems to me that this is a pretty amazing idea that could really work and clean the air pollution from urban areas (like parking lots, tested in the video above) and at the same time look good. See also: Favorite Nature Spots of the TreeHugger Team (Part 1 of 2)
Heat and Temperature
A melting ice cube on a plate. Knowing the difference between heat and temperature is important. It can lead to a clearer understanding of energy. Above is a picture of an ice cube melting in a small dish. The ice, water, dish, and are experience heat exchanges and temperature changes. In this section we will define both heat and temperature and hopefully reach an understanding of how they are related, but not identical ideas. This page covers some introductions about heat and temperature. Heat is not temperature. Often the concepts of heat and temperature are thought to be the same, but they are not. Heat ≠ Temperature Perhaps the reason the two are usually and incorrectly thought to be the same is because as human beings on Earth our everyday experience leads us to notice that when you add heat to something, say like putting a pot of water on the stove, then the temperature of that something goes up. Initial Definitions Temperature is a number. Read that last sentence carefully. 1.
