Author: silviomarcacci

The World’s Oldest Carbon Experiment

13 years ago silviomarcacci 0 Comments

A few miles outside Washington, D.C. a team of scientists from the Smithsonian Institution are predicting the impact elevated atmospheric carbon levels could have on our world. That’s nothing new, as scientists around the world work on the same problem every day. But what sets their work apart is what they’re studying to make predictions: a Chesapeake Bay salt marsh.

This virtual “climate crystal ball” is the nation’s longest-running experiment to measure CO2 levels, and is predicting what plant life will look like by 2100 if atmospheric CO2 levels continue to rise.

Major League Baseball Goes Green

13 years ago silviomarcacci 0 Comments

Baseball has long been considered America’s national pastime, but the efforts of one Major League Baseball team to reduce energy demand and the amount of garbage it sends to landfills could help make the sport one of America’s greenest pastimes.

energyNOW! correspondent Lee Patrick Sullivan visited the Seattle Mariners to find out how a novel sustainability program allows the team to recycle 82 percent of their trash, cut water use by 60 percent, save $1.2 million dollars in energy costs so far, and inspire their fans to become more environmentally friendly at home.

Changing the Climate Conversation to Conservation

13 years ago silviomarcacci 0 Comments

Polls show Americans are less concerned about climate change today, down 12 percent over the past 10 years, and in some parts of the country the term “global warming” is practically taboo. So why then are some of the states with the biggest populations of global-warming skeptics also some of the states making the biggest investments in renewable energy?

energyNOW! correspondent Lee Patrick Sullivan visited Kansas, where some clean energy advocates say they’ve figured out what it takes to convince climate-change skeptics to invest in renewables and energy efficiency. Their advice: stop talking about global warming and change the conversation to energy conservation.

The Interstate Clean Transportation Corridor

13 years ago silviomarcacci 1 Comment

Alternative transportation fuels have been heralded as a way to shift heavy-duty trucks away from diesel or gasoline toward cleaner burning fuel, but the transition has remained a road too far for one main reason – lack of infrastructure.

Even though gasoline prices are high and reducing pollution is an imperative to environmentalists, it’s still easy to find a gas station whenever you need one. The nationwide network of filling stations has been built over the past 100 years, giving oil-based fuels an advantage over newer alternatives, like hydrogen or natural gas.

energyNOW! correspondent Lee Patrick Sullivan traveled to California to learn about efforts to build a new network of alternative fuel filling stations – the Interstate Clean Transportation Corridor (ICTC).

Electric Bikes Put a Charge into Commuting

13 years ago silviomarcacci 1 Comment

Across much of the globe, bicycles are the most popular form of transportation. In fact, some estimates say about twice as many bikes as cars are on the world’s roads, and a growing number of these bikes, around 120 million, are electric. Bicycles may be the most popular form of transportation in countries like China or Denmark, but that’s not yet the case in America – we love our cars.

However, high gasoline prices and environmental concerns could combine with new technology to make e-bikes the future of two-wheeled transportation in the U.S. energyNOW! correspondent Josh Zepps met one of the world’s top e-bike experts, an e-bike retailer, and a family of commuters who wouldn’t want to travel any other way.

Daryl Hannah Heading to White House Keystone XL Protest

13 years ago silviomarcacci 3 Comments

The ongoing protest against the proposed Keystone XL pipeline project is picking up momentum, and serious star power. In an exclusive interview, actress and environmental advocate Daryl Hannah told energyNOW! that she’s joining the protest outside the White House this week.

More than 200 people have been arrested since the protest began on August 20, and sit-ins are planned to run through September 3rd, the day a decision is expected on the proposal from the U.S. State Department.

Living off the Grid: Not Just for the Amish Anymore

13 years ago silviomarcacci 18 Comments

Whether you’re reading this on your computer or mobile device, you needed electricity from the grid to power at least one device in the process. Those electrons come from far-flung power plants, across miles of transmission lines, and out of a plug in your wall. This process may seem like just another part of life, but it’s not the only option.

energyNOW! correspondent Patty Kim met some of the estimated 180,000 families across North America using clean energy technology to become self-sufficient and enjoy all the comforts of modern life, off the grid.

Guarding the Grid

13 years ago silviomarcacci 0 Comments

In 2003, an overheated power line near Cleveland, Ohio sagged into a tree and shorted out. It started a cascade of power line failures across the Midwest, Northeast and parts of Canada, and causing the worst blackout in U.S. history. Since then, utilities and grid operators have used new technology and procedures to prevent another major blackout – but can they compete with an aging grid and estimated $1 trillion in required new investment?

energyNOW! anchor Thalia Assuras looked at cutting-edge technology that can prevent blackouts before they occur, talked to federal officials about government efforts to create a safer and smarter grid, and went inside the high-tech nerve center of the country’s largest grid operator to see how we’re guarding the grid.

Plastic “Tree” Uses Biomimicry to Convert Atmospheric CO2 into Green Gasoline

13 years ago silviomarcacci 9 Comments

Recycling has always meant reusing materials like glass or plastic, and reducing atmospheric carbon has traditionally meant cutting emissions, but what if the two could be combined and make combating climate change profitable by recycling carbon out of the atmosphere?

energyNOW! correspondent Josh Zepps looked into a new technology that could pull a thousand times more carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere than trees, and could one day power our cars and trucks with green gasoline.