There Is One Clear Winner In The Corn Vs. Solar Battle
Researchers claim putting solar on less than 4 percent of farmland used to grow corn for ethanol would benefit everyone, especially farmers.
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RethinkX: The First Step To Replacing The Inefficient Cow, Milk
This article is based on RethinkX’s Food and Agriculture Report that came out in September 2019, but it was David Waterworth’s article a month ago on RethinkX’s new report that summarizes RethinkX’s research on energy, transportation and food that got me interested in the subject enough to read the whole … [continued]
CleanTech Talk 1/2: CEO Karsten Temme Of Pivot Bio On Microbes Slashing Agriculture GHG Emissions
There’s a reason why Pivot Bio has gone through several successful funding rounds, most recently a $430 million Series D round. Its product is not only good for the climate and good for crop yields, it makes farmers’ lives easier.
Saving Mexico’s Native Corn With Sustainable Furniture
Fernando Laposse is a Mexican designer who is drawing most of his inspiration from Mexico, its people, its craft, and their relationship to the natural world. We talked with Fernando about the role of design in raising awareness towards sustainable issues and he introduced us to one of its latest project: Totomoxtle, which showcases the range of species of native corn that exist in Mexico.
Climate Change To Reduce Global Yields Of Staple Crops 23% By 2050s
Global production of the 4 most important staple crops in the world — maize/corn, wheat, rice, and soybeans — will be reduced by around 23% by the 2050s as a result of worsening anthropogenic climate change, according to new research published in the journal Economics of Disasters and Climate Change.
Are Photovoltaics Or Biofuels Better At Energy Conversion?
Editor’s Update: I’ve added an extensive reader comment to bottom of this post. “The energy source for biofuels is the sun, through photosynthesis. The energy source for solar power is also the sun. Which is better?” This is the question posed by University of California – Santa Barbara Bren School of Environmental … [continued]
Worst Drought in Decades Could Affect U.S. Energy Markets
Editor’s note: solar PV and wind energy use a ton less water than their electricity counterparts (nuclear, coal, oil, and combined cycle power plants). Despite the imminent landfall of Hurricane Isaac in the Gulf Coast, the United States is currently experiencing its worst drought in decades, as measured by the U.S. … [continued]
Report Continues Good News for Renewable Gasoline and Diesel
Presented at the 244th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), scientists have shown that a new process for converting municipal waste, algae, corn stalks, and similar materials into gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel is showing the same promise it did in larger operations as it did in … [continued]
Copper Sucking Corn Cleans Polluted Soil
In a twist on the old set a thief to catch a thief ploy, researchers at Michigan Technological University have found that a copper-loving bacteria can help corn suck copper contamination out of soil. The discovery could help clean up highly contaminated abandoned mining sites that have resisted other forms of “green” remediation.
EPA’s New Ethanol Ruling Could Make 42 Million Automobiles Cleaner But Raises Sustainability Issues
United States’ Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has increased the percentage of ethanol blending optional for cars and light-weight trucks made in or after 2007 to 15 percent (E15). This is the first increment in the ethanol blending standard in more than 30 years. Since 1979, automobiles had an option to use only … [continued]
