Global Methane Initiative Moves Forward

Photo: Josh Sommers

Carbon dioxide isn’t the sole contributor to global warming and climate change. An even larger and more dangerous chemical is methane, the abundant naturally occurring gas that can be found almost anywhere — from coal mines to cow farts and composting piles.

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Broken-Hearted Lawmakers Just Can’t Quit Incandescent Light Bulbs

state legislators try to preserve incandescent lights

America’s love affair with the incandescent light bulb may still be smokin’ hot, but the affection appears to be somewhat one-sided according to a recent article by Rob Lever for AFP. Lever details more than a dozen cases in which state lawmakers are trying desperately to ensure that the beloved bulbs stay on the market, despite new federal energy efficiency standards that effectively phase out the old technology.

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Honda Hybrid Too Fast for Formula 1000, Asked to Leave

honda-hybrid-too-fast

“Fast” and “hybrid” are words that once were not associated with each other. Now hybrid tech is being seen as a performance advantage, which is why Formula 1,000 organizers asked a Honda Insight to bow out for being too fast.

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Solar Bikinis for iPhones, iPods, etc? Apparently, Yes

Solar Photovoltaic Bikini, designed by NYU student Andrew Schneider. (click to enlarge)

An NYU student from Brooklyn decided he wanted to create a swimsuit that would cool his beer. The result: using flexible solar photovoltaics surrounded by plastics, he created a bikini that can power your iPhone, iPod or similar devices. Apparently, he’s getting to work creating a male version as well, the iDrink. This one, having more surface area, will be able to power a 1.5 amp peltier junction that can cool a beer in a custom coozy.

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Next Up: Hand-Drawn Electrical Circuits for LEDs

Photo: Bok Yeop Ahn

Engineers at the University of Illinois have developed a silver-inked rollerball pen that allows users to draw electrical circuits and interconnects on paper, wood and other surfaces.

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New Jersey Pulling Out of RGGI? Not Yet, but Maybe.. (& Clear Reasons Why It Shouldn’t)

new jersey governor chris christie

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, one of the Republican party’s many two-faced liars (who says he is promoting renewable energy but is, in fact, doing everything he can to fight its growth), recently announced that he was pulling the state out of the Northeast’s climate change and clean energy cap-and-trade program, the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI). Well, it turns out, Governor Christie may not have the power to do so soon… but it’s going to be a close call.

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