Green
Starbucks begins offering free two-click WiFi access in US and Canada
Mmm… nothing like the smell of a warm caramel macchiato in the morning being masked by the smell of fresh greenbacks being burned, right? All jesting aside, we’re pretty stoked about the world’s most recognized coffee joint turning off the paywall surrounding its in-house WiFi hotspots, and in case you missed the original announcement , we’re here to remind you that the free-for-all begins today
Supersonic Green Machine sends greetings from the future
While most of us are busy debating the relative merits of pocket-sized technology, NASA is mulling over ideas on a much grander scale. Submitted as part of the Administration’s research into advanced aeronautics, the above Lockheed Martin-designed aircraft is just one vision of how air travel might be conducted in the future
Inhabitat’s Week in Green: a US team wins the Solar Decathalon!
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us. This week Inhabitat reported live from the scene of the Solar Decathlon in Madrid as 17 stunning solar-powered houses competed for the title of the world’s most energy-efficient prefabricated house. The winner was just announced this evening and we’re thrilled to see that an American team won: Virginia Tech’s shape-shifting Lumenhaus
LCDs can be transformed from e-waste to infection fighters, says new research
Researchers at the University of York have discovered a possible use for discarded LCD s which should come as a relief to anyone familiar with the world’s rampant e-waste problem. According to the report, which will be presented today at the Green Chemistry and Engineering Conference in Washington, D.C., a process of heating, then cooling and dehydrating the PVA (polyvinyl-alcohol, the key component of LCDs) with ethanol produces a surface area of mesoporous material with great potential for use in biomedicine . The resultant product’s anti-microbial properties can now be enhanced by adding silver nanoparticles, producing something which is anti-bacterial and can kill things like E.coli
Chrysler’s Peapod NEV killed in bankruptcy
Chrysler’s Peapod neighborhood electric vehicle always seemed like more of an experiment than a profit-maker, and unfortunately idealism isn’t too popular with creditors — according to Edmunds , the Peapod was canceled in March as part of the company’s bankruptcy proceedings. Apparently adapting the Peapod’s button-cute design to federal safety standards was overly expensive, so Chrysler and new part-owner Fiat will convert the existing Fiat 500 to electric operation. The Peapod design and other assets are up for sale, so there’s a chance someone else will pick up the pieces, and Peapod designer Peter Arnell may yet build a full-speed EV in the future, so we’ll keep our eyes open.
LG’s solar hybrid AC unit probably won’t do much to cool your power bill
Air conditioning that’s 90 percent more efficient ? Pshaw. How about solar air conditioning that powers itself on the sunniest days?
