In case you've got a thirst for bottled water, think again... Because it's far more energy efficient to use a refillable bottle and the liquid right out of your tap than having it shipped vast distances in a plastic bottle that winds up needing to be recycled in the end.

And while I'm willing to bet there's plenty of Treehuggers who knew that already, the folks at "Think Outside the Bottle" are hoping to start a major trend in the right direction, convincing young and old alike to take a pledge that they'll switch from the ubiquitous and trashy plastic bottle to one that

6:22:06 PM    comment []

Ice Energy has come a long way since our 2005 post describing a possible 30% energy saving benefit, and Lloyd's update called Ice Bear: Thermal Storage for Cheaper AC. Now we're allowed to look inside (pictured), and see there's been some progress on the marketing side as well.

Just recently Ice Energy announced a partnership with Pacific Gas & Electric (arguably the country's 'greenest utility') as part of the utility's $10 Million Shift & Save program and expect to be picked up by a multitude of others...

3:05:22 PM    comment []

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the world’s leading scientific body on global warming and climate change, released its latest scientific synthesis report over the weekend.  It came as the firmest statement yet that the climate crisis is now upon us and immediate action to dramatically reduce the fossil fuel pollution causing global warming is crucial. “Warming of the climate system is now unequivocal,” the scientists report.  New heat records continue to be made, sea level rise is accelerating and tropical storms are intensifying.  If humanity does not quickly gain control of its global warming emissions, a quarter of more of the Earth’s species are threatened with extinction.  Our own species is threatened with water stress and accompanying disruptions in food supplies.  This Washington Post article presents a good summary of the findings. It appears global warming and its effects are accelerating faster than expected, and even the harsh new IPCC report might be too optimistic. This Der Spiegel commentary notes details that did not make it into the synthesis:[base ']Ä¢ Since 2000 carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere have been growing over twice as fast as the average in the 1990s.[base ']Ä¢ The Arctic ice pack surface reached a record low in 2007, 23... (more)

(Posted by WorldChanging Team in Climate Change at 1:35 PM)

[WorldChanging: Tools, Models and Ideas for Building a Bright Green Future]
3:04:28 PM    comment []