Posts Tagged ‘Consumer’
Wineries Returning To Tree Cork
Wine aficionados rejoice! The return of the wine cork is at hand. American wineries’ use of cork has declined from 90% to 70% in recent years, and not just run-of-the-mill cheap table wine producers were switching from cork to aluminum or plastic. One of the reasons for the decline was. . .
Hybrid Diesels- Not For U.S.
Diesel hybrid vehicles are in the works and coming to a European city by spring 2011. Unfortunately, plans to import them into the U.S. have not been formalized by the European car manufacturers. Peugeot, who once had a U.S. presence, will be the first European manufacturer to sell a diesel. . .
Do We Still Need Daylight Savings?
Does Daylight Saving Time (DST) conserve energy? Recent studies are beginning to shed some light on the efficiency of seasonally changing the clocks. Matthew Kotchen of the University of California, Santa Barbara has been studying the effects of DST on U.S. electricity usage. In 2006 Indiana instituted daylight saving statewide. . .
Just How Green Is That e-book?
It seems that the jury is still out on the environmental impact e-books is having in the market place. Just how green can they be? The e-books in question, well at least the category leaders, Amazon’s Kindle, Apple’s iPad, Barnes and Nobles Nook, and Sony’s e-reader, have only been in. . .
Labor Day Reflections
What ever happened to the Labor in Labor Day? Labor Day became an official U.S. holiday when President Grover Cleveland signed the bill passed by Congress into law on June 28, 1894. Peter J. McQuire, founder of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of New York City back in 1882,. . .
Are Food Makers’ Health Claims Valid?
Just how valid are food makers’ health claims on their packaging? We as consumers tend to believe what we read on a food package, unless of course there is a far overreaching claim that a even a 5 year old knows is a bunch of bull. Something like Redco Food’s. . .
Eating Locally Vs Sourcing Globally
There seems to be a brewing battle between locavores and conventional food producers. Locavores are individuals that buy their seasonal produce, beef, and fish from local producers. Locavores like to purchase locally grown foodstuffs to within a 300 miles radius of where they live. Conventional producers source their food from. . .
NOAA Reopens Another 4,281 SQ Miles To Fishing
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reopened another 4,281 square miles of Gulf waters to commercial fishing yesterday. The reopening according to NOAA came after consultation with the FDA and Gulf states. The NOAA moved to reopen the previously closed waters after sensory analyses (smelling the fish, and checking. . .
Green Lawn Love Affair
How did your lawn fare through this torrid summer? Was it a little browner, or perhaps weedier than last year? America has a love affair with green bucolic lawns for as far as the eye can see. Local governments enact ordinances to make sure that the neighborhood lawns maintain a. . .
The Ultimate Electric Party Car?
Canadian based Motive Industries, Inc. plans on building an all-electric car made from hemp fibers. The car, named the Kestrel, will be a compact, and it will be able to transport four people up to speeds of 60 mph. It will have a driving range of 100 miles before needing. . .
Single Malt Car Fuels
How about a bottle of single malt scotch for your gas tank? Well, not quite a bottle of your favorite single malt scotch will go into your car’s gas tank, but a group of Scottish researchers from the University of Edinburgh believe that scotch may be perfect for your car’s. . .
Time To Push Geothermal
There is one area in the sustainable energy debate that seems to be relegated to the back of the bus – geothermal. Most of the coverage surrounding Washington’s energy initiatives are on solar, wind, and when we can lift the ban on deep-ocean drilling. Missing the bus on tapping geothermal. . .
Global CO2 Emissions Fall 1.3 Percent
For the first time in over a decade worldwide carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions fell by 1.3 percent. Total global carbon dioxide emissions fell in 2009 to 31.3 billion tons. The Internationals Wirtschaftsforum Regenerative Energien, IWR, (a German based Renewable Energy Industry Institute), issued their annual report highlighting the drop in. . .
Report Challenges Big Ag Interests
The National Research Council, an independent influential scientific body, issued a report criticizing the current state of industrialized farming. The NRC has been around since 1916, and its mission is to provide elected leaders, policy makers, and the public with expert scientific advice. Their report, “Toward Sustainable Agricultural Systems in. . .
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