Environment Archive

  • Electrolux will clean the oceans of plastic debris, then make vacuum cleaners

    Electrolux will clean the oceans of plastic debris, then make vacuum cleaners

    Posted on June 24, 2010 | No Comments
    Did you know that, according to Electrolux, a Swedish appliance manufacturer, there are gigantic piles of plastic debris floating about our planet's oceans? Some of these are as big as the state of Texas! Way to go, humans! So, Electrolux's proposal? Collect all that trash, then turn it into vacuum cleaners. You couldn't make that up if you tried.

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  • Incredible photos of the oil slick need to be seen

    Incredible photos of the oil slick need to be seen

    Posted on April 30, 2010 | No Comments
    This oil slick is serious business. So serious, in fact, that I'm going to mention it right here.

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  • President Obama wants hybrid limo, Secret Service says no

    President Obama wants hybrid limo, Secret Service says no

    Posted on April 8, 2010 | No Comments
    President Obama wanted his motorcade to be as environmentally friendly as possible. To that end, he requested his presidential limo be a hybrid. That's nice of him. Unfortunately, the Secret Service said, "Um, no. That's not going to happen, sorry."

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  • Scientist: Don’t bother going green because there’s nothing we can do to save the planet

    Scientist: Don’t bother going green because there’s nothing we can do to save the planet

    Posted on March 31, 2010 | No Comments
    Well, I hate to be the one to break this news to y'all, but here we are. You know the "green" movement, where companies try to say things like, "Oh, our products are more safe for the environment than our competitors' products"? I don't want to say it's complete nonsense, but the scientist who devised the Gaia theory—our planet is an organism, and we should do our best to ensure its survival—has just said that there's no chance in hell that we're going to save the planet. His advice? "Enjoy life while you can." So, so amazing.

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  • Add Samsung to Greenpeace’s hate list (for now)

    Add Samsung to Greenpeace’s hate list (for now)

    Posted on March 3, 2010 | 2 Comments
    Greenpeacenow officially hates Samsung. The environmental organization has taken issue with Samsung's inability to remove Brominated Flame Retardants, or BFRs, from its products. BFRs have been linked to environmental damage, and specific types have been banned from Europe altogether because of the potential for human harm.

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  • Sprint suddenly gets all Captain Planet on us with green movement

    Sprint suddenly gets all Captain Planet on us with green movement

    Posted on February 23, 2010 | No Comments
    Being eco-friendly should definitely be high on the priorities list for electronics manufacturers and service providers, so I'm pretty happy to see that Sprint is doing its part to make our planet a nicer place for future generations. Just in case you're the apathetic type when it comes to the three Rs (recycle, reuse, reduce!), Sprint has put some incentives into place for you.

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  • Compost-powered heating

    Compost-powered heating

    Posted on February 22, 2010 | No Comments
    The last time I ever dealt with a compost pile was back in elementary school science class  with an over-zealously earth-minded teacher. While I could never find that much enjoyment from decaying matter, Japanese design firm Bakoko has created an interesting greenhouse heated by various compost chambers in the walls. Designed to sustain tea gardens through [...]

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  • Greenpeace will be at CES cutting a promo on anti-green companies

    Greenpeace will be at CES cutting a promo on anti-green companies

    Posted on December 18, 2009 | No Comments
    I've inexplicably become CrunchGear's go-to green writer. If there's a “green” tech story out there, I'm on the scene. Why, I don't know, especially because my attitude toward the environment is, “Meh, I'm lucky if I hit 70 years old, what do I care?” Don't tell that to Greenpeace though. The activists made famous by that Seinfeld episode will be at next month's CES (as will all of your friendly neighborhood CrunchGear writers) to give the lowdown on what companies are green and what companies are a bunch of jerks.

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  • California approves new TV energy regulation: Energy consumption to be cut in half by 2012

    California approves new TV energy regulation: Energy consumption to be cut in half by 2012

    Posted on November 19, 2009 | No Comments
    Looks like California approved the new energy standards for televisions. The Consumer Electronics Association is predictably upset, whinging on about “constraining” innovation and choice, while environmental groups are predictably thrilled. The state's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, hailed the decision, and said that it will make California a “world-leader” in “the fight against climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.”

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  • IBM developing zero-emission data center technology

    IBM developing zero-emission data center technology

    Posted on November 9, 2009 | No Comments
    We've already established that your favorite tech company, from Apple to HP to Nintendo, and everyone in between, is being pressured to go green. While some of the tactics may be a bit silly, I think it's safe to say that you'd rather see these companies green than not green, right? It makes us feel good about ourselves, that even though we're buying hunks of plastic and metal—Lord knows what chemicals are in these things—the company in question is trying to make everything as environmentally friendly as possible. In the spotlight today is IBM, which continues to develop technology that could, one day, lead to zero-emission data centers.

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  • California Cool Cars regs put the kibosh on radio, cellphone, and GPS reception

    California Cool Cars regs put the kibosh on radio, cellphone, and GPS reception

    Posted on October 13, 2009 | No Comments

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    We've seen plenty of tech over the years meant to mitigate our destruction of the environment -- from greener autos to Grateful Dead-themed cellphones -- most of which don't really ask us to tone down our consumer impulses all that much. But how about these new "Cool Cars" regulations recently adopted by the California Air Resources Board? By the year 2016, all autos sold in the state must have windows that prevent 60 percent of the sun's energy from entering the vehicle. To achieve this, windows are given a coat of glazing that contains microscopic specs of reflective metal oxide -- which will seriously hamper reception for your GPS, cellphone, and (this is of special interest to Engadget readers) white collar criminal-style work release ankle bracelet. As you can imagine, companies like Garmin are fuming -- although we suppose that if they play this right they can make a killing in the external car antenna business. It just goes to show you -- when it comes to environmental catastrophe, everyone's a victim.

    [Via AutoBlog]

    California Cool Cars regs put the kibosh on radio, cellphone, and GPS reception originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Tue, 13 Oct 2009 03:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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  • Apple quits U.S. Chamber of Commerce over environmental policy

    Apple quits U.S. Chamber of Commerce over environmental policy

    Posted on October 6, 2009 | No Comments
    Seemingly overnight, Apple has become the poster child of the responsible, Green company. (Apple recently posted all the details of its efforts; Greenpeace is now BFFs with Apple.) In fact, it's so pro-enviroment (as if anyone is anti-environment!) that it just quit the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which is a huge organization that represents business interests to the various powers that be. The USCC, however, is all up in arms about all this “nonsense” about new laws designed to protect the environment and whatnot, so it's doing its damnedest to ensure that those laws don't get passed. That's what has upset Apple.

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  • Apple to Greenpeace: Look, we’re trying our best, ok!

    Apple to Greenpeace: Look, we’re trying our best, ok!

    Posted on September 25, 2009 | No Comments
    It looks like all of Greenpeace's needling of Apple over the past few years has paid off, as the house that Jobs built is about to announce its successes in becoming a more green company. Think carbon emissions data,all that jazz. Even though Apple is trying plenty hard to assuage the Green Brigade, it thinks it's being treated rather unfairly.

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  • For whatever reason, the knives are out for HP

    For whatever reason, the knives are out for HP

    Posted on July 29, 2009 | No Comments
    It looks like the cool thing to do now is bash HP over its environmental record. Yesterday's Greepeace action was a huge story for several minutes, drawing attention, apparently, to the company's rubbish record with respect to various chemicals in its products. And today The Register has photos of shipping containers, used to ship things.

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