Cycling is good for our health and our planet’s too! The vehicle gives out zero emissions. We all know that but what we don’t know and might find it to be bizarre is the fact that someone’s creativity has resulted in an Eco-bike Concept that facilitates growing plants on your bike!! Yes, I too was intrigued and took time to absorb the fact. But Aji Kusuma’s latest bicycle design is creating ripples of excitement among the co-contestants who participated in the Design 21 (a social design network)’s competition.

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There are no doubts about the fact that when it comes to cycling, the activity is a safe bet for keeping oneself in shape without increasing one’s footprint on the planet. Innervision 1 is a bicycle which is just perfect for all those eco-conscious health freaks. Created by industrial designer Matt Clark, this bike has a great green quotient. Its frame is unique. Carved out from recycled plastic, the bike is an ultra light addition to products that originate from the healthy practice of recycling! The designer has kept in mind all the issues involved in the production process and accordingly designed Innervision 1. Besides the exterior plastic frame (reinforced plus unreinforced recyclable polypropylene) there’s also an Innerframe.

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Cow power could emerge as one of the green and renewable energy sources to generate electricity in future. Till now the manure produced by bovine and livestock animals has been used in farms only (that too to a certain extent). But now, it can be used to generate electricity which might meet upto 3 % energy (read electricity) consumption needs of entire North America!

The research being conducted by scientists at University of Texas (Austin) believe the results of it will imply on all countries with a large number of livestock (including India). Production of biogas from cow dung is not a new thing and it has been used in rural India to cook food and for other heating purposes. But this research stresses upon the anaerobic digestion (a process which helps in compost formation) of manure which yields energy-rich bio-gas potent enough to generate electricity by rotating standard microturbines.

In recent times, the interest and efforts in analyzing and using cow waste for studying its effect on climate change, has seen an upward trend. The IPCC reports that nitrous oxide and methane (both are Green House Gases) produced by naturally decomposing livestock manure heat up our atmosphere many times more than what CO2 does! Hence, the panel recommends proper utilization of this livestock manure. The latter if utilized fully could generate approximately 100 billion kilowatt hours of electricity (a scenario where the Americans will thank cows profusely for providing resources beyond milk and meat!)

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All you nature lovers out there you ought to do this if you haven’t done this so far!
Well, I am talking about calculating your carbon footprint. The latter is an exercise done to find out one’s current fuel emissions. That is to say, if you say you are an eco-friendly dude then take this test and prove it that you are!! You don’t have to face brain teasers. Just fill a questionnaire comprising simple Q’s on basics, transportation, home energy, waste. Honestly answers the questions and the rest job will be done by the carbon calculator. The latter is courtesy of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
A spreadsheet version (Microsoft Excel, 63kb) of the calculator is also available; it includes descriptions of the formulas used in each step of the calculator. If your score comes out to be high then there’s help at hand as well.  Ways to reduce the size of your footprint on road and at home are also suggested. I wont write any more now…because am I going to find out what’s my footprint….right away!!!

Via NewsDay

To greet the summer at the gates instead of the usual “barbosa” review will propose today a beautiful video. This is the “sneak peek” of the new cycle of conferences good Al Gore made to the “mythical” TED TALKS to March 2008: New thinking on the climate crisis. After the success of an inconvenient truth Al Gore back with a new round of TALKS (which we hope to see soon also in Italy) on climate change and the challenges that humanity will face in the coming years.

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