Tag: carbon footprint

Impact Lab > carbon footprint
Analysis, Business, facebook, Internet, Latest Trend

Facebook’s power footprint growing and moving east

A breakdown of power usage at Facebook’s data centers during 2012, from the company’s annual sustainability report.

In 2012, Facebook’s data center energy use grew 33 percent, as the company installed tens of thousands of servers in its new company-built data centers. The growth of the company’s power usage is disclosed in the company’s latest sustainability report, which also documents the company’s move to reduce its computing footprint in Silicon Valley, even as it boosts its reliance on leased space in northern Virginia.

 

 

Continue reading… “Facebook’s power footprint growing and moving east”

0
Great New Product, Green Friendly, Plant Life, Science & Technology News

PepsiCo Unveils World’s First Plastic Bottle Made Entirely From Plant-based Materials

pepsico plant based bottle

PepsiCo’s 100% plant-based bottle.

Remember the Cola Wars? Get ready for the Bottle Wars. PepsiCo Inc. on Tuesday unveiled a bottle made entirely of plant material, which it says bests the technology of competitor Coca-Cola and reduces its potential carbon footprint.

 

Continue reading… “PepsiCo Unveils World’s First Plastic Bottle Made Entirely From Plant-based Materials”

0
Breakthrough Thinking, Culture, Current Events, Green Friendly, Health & Fitness, Historical Perspectives, Human Behavior, Latest Trend

Use 37% Less Power By Talking to Friends and Family

green friendly image logo 1234

Sharing green ideas with friends and family reduces their carbon footprint.

It’s been tagged the ‘kitchen table conversation’ approach. And if a recent trial is anything to go by it works. “Participants … cut power use by 37 per cent and their carbon footprint by 27 per cent,” says Paul Graham, one of the projects proponents. Now the search is on to find 500 folk who’ll act as convenors of these kitchen conversations with family, friends, neighbours or workmates on the topics of energy, climate change, water and waste.

It is well known that we humans are herd animals and much of our changes in behaviour result from observing our peers. The Energymark program seems to know how effective this can be. Something that Environmental Psychologist, Doug McKenzie-Mohr, Ph.D. with his work on Fostering Sustainable Behavior through Community Based Social Marketing, has long known

Continue reading… “Use 37% Less Power By Talking to Friends and Family”

0
Business, Food, Green Friendly, Science & Technology News

Self-Service Wine Pumps Coming to U.S. Supermarkets

wine_tank

The 500-liter Self-Serve Wine Vendor.

It seems like we get everything from automated vending kiosks these days, from cash to DVDs to postal service to gasoline. The French have simply taken the next logical step. Putting a modern (and greener) spin on an old way of doing business, a French vendor has begun selling wine by volume from 500- and 1,000-liter vending pumps in French supermarkets. All customers need is a container.

 

Continue reading… “Self-Service Wine Pumps Coming to U.S. Supermarkets”

0
Analysis, Culture, Current Events, Food, Global Warming, Globalism

Labeling Food Miles Catches on in Japan: Does It Help?

japan-food-miles-cafe
Japan’s New Green Outlook Takes On The Mileage Of The Food Source

Harris Teeter may be stretching the concept of local food more than most, and industrial agriculture may be making efforts to go green, but with the 100 Mile Diet still going strong as a cultural phenomenon, the idea of labeling how far our food has traveled makes a certain amount of sense. The idea is catching on in Japan—with a new scheme just being launched to label products by weight and distance traveled. But is there a danger it could be a distraction?

Continue reading… “Labeling Food Miles Catches on in Japan: Does It Help?”

0
Green Friendly, Science & Technology News

Geothermal Energy Used in Oregon Town to Stay Warm

geothermal

Pipes of geothermal water can be installed under sidewalks and roads to keep them from icing over in winter, like this sidewalk in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

In southern Oregon, when snow falls on this downtown of brick buildings and glass storefronts, it piles up everywhere but the sidewalks. It’s the first sign that this timber and ranching town is like few others.  A combination of hot rocks and water like those that created Yellowstone’s geysers have been tapped by the city to keep the sidewalks toasty since the early 1990s. They also heat downtown buildings, kettles at a brewhouse, and greenhouses and keep the lights on at a college campus.

 

Continue reading… “Geothermal Energy Used in Oregon Town to Stay Warm”

0
Breakthrough Thinking, Ecological Products, Great New Product, Green Friendly, Science & Technology News

Supermarkets Will Soon Be Powered By Shoppers Cars

Supermarkets Will Soon Be Powered By Shoppers Cars

Car power: The future of shopping 

Shoppers’ cars will be used to power supermarket tills in a revolutionary new scheme.

The weight of vehicles driving over road plates into a new eco store will power a generator that creates enough electricity to keep checkouts ringing.

Continue reading… “Supermarkets Will Soon Be Powered By Shoppers Cars”

0
Architecture, Breakthrough Thinking, Ecological Products, Great New Product, Green Friendly, Plant Life, Science & Technology News

The Renewable House: Home Building Without A Carbon Footprint?

The Renewable House: Home Building Without A Carbon Footprint?

The Renewable House is a timber frame house with hemp-lime walls.

Britain’s University of Bath’s Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering, its Department of Mechanical Engineering, and the Building Research Establishment Ltd (BRE)  formed a partnership in 2006 to conduct research on innovative and sustainable construction materials and to provide knowledge and leadership to the building industry.

  Continue reading… “The Renewable House: Home Building Without A Carbon Footprint?”

0
Ecological Products, Food, Green Friendly, People Making a Difference, Science & Technology News

Biodegradable Packaging Designed For McDonald’s

Biodegradable Packaging Designed For McDonald’s

Biodegradable packaging designed by University of the Arts graduate student, Andrew Millar 

Have you ever eaten at a fast food restaurant and noticed how much trash comes with your burger, drink and fries? University of the Arts graduate student, Andrew Millar has noticed the amount of trash and has designed an alternative eco-solution to this wasteful problem. (Pics)

Continue reading… “Biodegradable Packaging Designed For McDonald’s”

0