Apr 30
Cosmic Log: How risky is offshore oil?
Science editor Alan Boyle’s Weblog: The fallout from the Deepwater Horizon oil-rig explosion and spill illustrates how a catastrophic event affects our perception of risk — and what we do about it.
Deepwater Horizon – Oil platform – Alan Boyle – Business – Environment
Visit the original post at: MSNBC.com: Environment
Apr 30
Field Notes: Vietnamese American shrimpers fear spill’s toll
Many who fled their native land settled in Louisiana to try and forge a new life. Now they’re facing the prospect of having their livelihoods uprooted again.
Louisiana – Vietnamese American – Ethnicity – Environment – Oil spill
Visit the original post at: MSNBC.com: Environment
Apr 30
Oil efforts not effective, La. governor says
As oil from the massive leak in the Gulf of Mexico started to ooze into coastal wetlands along Louisiana, the state’s governor says cleanup efforts are “not effective”.
Gulf of Mexico – United States – Oil – Energy – Business
Visit the original post at: MSNBC.com: Environment
Apr 30
Experts: Oil spill is the ‘bad one’ they feared
What makes an oil spill really bad? Most of the ingredients for it are now blending in the Gulf of Mexico.
Gulf of Mexico – Oil spill – Environment – Energy – Petroleum in the Environment
Visit the original post at: MSNBC.com: Environment
Apr 30
FBI Investigates Bribery Allegations After Coal Mine Tragedy
Photo via the Post-Gazette
Surprise, surprise. I have to say that it would have been more unexpected had this not come to light: Massey Energy, the company that owns the Upper Big Branch Mine where 29 coal workers lost their lives, is under investigation for bribing safety inspectors. Very little has been confirmed yet except that the FBI is indeed conducting an investigation, …
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Apr 30
Bottled Air Concept Preps Us for the Apocalypse
Image via Yanko Design
This might be something the folks on the coast of Louisiana wish were more reality, less concept right about now. It’s bottled fresh air. “Why,” you might ask, “do we need bottled air?” Considering the rate we’re clogging up the atmosphere with pollution, the designers at designaffairs STUDIO are planning for our future, and it seems to include ready access to clean oxygen w… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Apr 30
60% of Americans Live Where Pollution "Reaches Dangerous Levels"
The effective manner in which the US has dealt with air pollution in cities since the passage of the Clean Air Act is a point of pride for environmentalists as well as legislators. But that’s not to say that pollution doesn’t persist in many parts of the nation — far from it. One recent report found that a staggering 175 million Americans — 6 out of 10 people — live in areas where particulate pollution reaches dangerous levels. …
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Apr 30
New federal rule targets harmful mercury emissions
The Obama administration says 5,000 deaths could be prevented each year under new rules announced Friday to limit the amount of mercury and other harmful pollutants released by industrial boilers and solid waste incinerators.
Mercury – Pollution – Environment – Waste management – Business
Visit the original post at: MSNBC.com: Environment
Apr 30
New federal rule targets harmful mercury emissions
The Obama administration says 5,000 deaths could be prevented each year under new rules announced Friday to limit the amount of mercury and other harmful pollutants released by industrial boilers and solid waste incinerators.
Mercury – Pollution – Environment – Waste management – Business
Visit the original post at: MSNBC.com: Environment
Apr 30
BP Oil Spill: Videos to Catch Up
With so much news coverage on the disastrous BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, I thought it would be helpful to compile some of the better video clips from various news outlets. Below you’ll find a growing number of video clips on the BP oil spill. If you have a video you would like to see added to the list, please post a link in the comments below.
Apr 30
Weed Could Bring Affordable Solar Power Worldwide
Purple pokeberry power (Photo: Muffet on Flickr)
Never underestimate the power of weeds. Case in point: the common pokeberry weed – whose red dye was once used by American Civil War soldiers to write letters home – may now hold the secret for revolutionizing the next generation of low-cost photovoltaic cells, making widespread, affordable homegrown solar power a real possibility, especially for developing nations.
… Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Apr 30
Green:Net 2010 – Turning Atoms into Bits: Using Computing to Cut Carbon and Stuff From Our Lives
Photos by Jaymi Heimbuch
Green:Net is all about how technology is benefiting our struggle towards sustainable living. But rather than a festival of green gadgets or services that do little more than help one monitor how much juice their gadgets consume, the event is a gathering of the best minds that look at how technology can play a role in utterly transforming how we interact with our world. IT has its own footprint to worry about, it’s true, but it’s minute compared to the footprint of transportation and buildings, and more importantly, IT can be used to drastically … Read the full story on TreeHugger
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Apr 30
Vladimir Putin Hearts Polar Bears
Photo via Scrape TV
File this one under ‘Slow News Friday’, I guess. Maybe the AFP got sick of all of the nasty oil slick news and the headache-inducing climate bill developments — so the news agency filed this report about how ex-Russian president Vladimir Putin loves polar bears. Guess the AFP thinks there’s something funny about the fact that the same leader that’s gone to lengths to craft a steely image on his ex-…
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Apr 30
Vestas: Fine-tuning offshore O&M
WindEnergyUpdate speaks to Vestas’ COO and senior VP of operations, Bo Mørup, about offshore O&M strategy and how developers and investor can maximize their return on their wind farm investments.
