New Wave Ideas

Incredible 12km WATER BRIDGE In Germany

2012-12-07T15:52:00.003-05:00

The Magdeburg Water Bridge is a navigable aqueduct in Germany that connects the Elbe-Havel Canal to the Mittelland Canal, and allows ships to cross over the Elbe River. At 918 meters, it is the longest navigable aqueduct in the world.

The Elbe-Havel and Mittelland canals had previously met near Magdeburg but on opposite sides of the Elbe. Ships moving between the two had to make a 12-kilometer detour, descending from the Mittelland Canal through the Rothensee boat lift into the Elbe, then sailing downstream on the river, before entering the Elbe-Havel Canal through Niegripp lock. Low water levels in the Elbe often prevented fully laden canal barges from making this crossing, requiring time-consuming off-loading of cargo.

Source: http://www.amusingplanet.com/2011/04/incredible-magdeburg-water-bridge-in.html

Washington on Advancing Green Chemistry

2012-09-10T09:57:00.001-04:00

John Warner, is one of the founders of the field of Green Chemistry, co-authoring the defining text "Green Chemistry: Theory and Practice" with Paul Anastas.

John has over 200 patents, papers and books. Even more interesting is that ICIS (Chemical Industry News & Chemical Market Intelligence) has named him one of the most influential people impacting the global chemical industries. As well, in 2011 he was elected a Fellow of the American Chemical Society and named one of "25 Visionaries Changing the World" by Utne Reader. After watching this video, you can clearly see why...

Note: Senator John Kerry is present.

Teacher to the World - Incredible Story!!!

2012-09-03T18:30:00.001-04:00

Did you ever think that a man living above a tiny tea shop in Silicon Valley could revolutionize education? Guess again.

It all started with 35-year-old Sanjay Gupta uploading a youtube video for his niece about algebra. Next thing you know, 4 million students around the world were using his lessons...and then Bill Gates gave him a phone call.

Silk and Vaccines - Who Would Have Thought?

2012-08-21T10:20:00.000-04:00

When one thinks of a vaccine, the last thought that comes to mind is how it will be stored. Although this may seem like a minor problem, it actually is a big deal when transporting vaccines to developing countries that have little refrigeration storage.

The idea of creating a vaccine that could withstand diverse climates with little upkeep has been on the minds of researchers at Tufts University for a long time. Scientists at Tufts have reported that by using silk one can keep vaccines from degrading in hot countries where there is no refrigeration.

Over the years silk has been found to have very interesting and diverse properties. For example, silk proteins are strong, resistant to moisture, stable at extreme temperature and are biocompatible. This is demonstrated in the many applications they have been used for- from the creation of the "bullet-proof" vest, to being used in wall coverings, to clothing and bedding.

So why is silk so effective in preserving a vaccine? Well, David L. Kaplan and colleagues say that the silks proteins trap itself between the beta-sheets of the viral particles. This causes viral proteins to be held in their native, folded state and thus preventing denaturation. Furthermore, the structure of silk also excludes some water; enhancing its preservative qualities.

A film developed at Tufts University demonstrating silks optical properties and potential use as holographic materials. Photo: Courtesy of Fiorenzo Omenetto
Source: http://tuftsjournal.tufts.edu/2008/09/features/04/

Silk has incredible optical properties. Dr. Kaplan suggests that a sensor could be included in the vaccine to show doctors whether or not it is still fresh.

The silk protein used in the vaccine is in the form of a liquid. It is able to be a liquid because it is dissolved in a salt solution. Once this is mixed with measles, mumps and rubella it is then dried and made into films. Note that measles is one of the leading killers of children worldwide. However, after six months of storage in freeze-dried silk films at body temperature (37 C) and at 45 C/ 113 F, all components of the vaccine retained approximately 85% of their initial potency.

Tufts engineers develop a new way to stabilize vaccines and other heat-sensitive drugs using silk protein.
Source: http://now.tufts.edu/news-releases/new-silk-technology-preserves-heat-sensitive-

So how is all this possible? The research at Tufts is supported by a grant from the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering at the National Institutes of Health. Overall, it builds on a significant body of work previously published by Tufts biomedical engineers seeking to tap the potential of silk for a wide range of applications.

Simply a Medical Revolution - Printing Organs

2012-08-12T18:43:00.002-04:00

By now, most people are familiar with the incredible capabilities of 3D printing. These printers have been around since 2009 and are designing intricate devices ranging from the nano-scale level, all the way to three dimensional parts for airplanes. However, did you ever think these printers could create tissues, blood vessels and even hearts? Sounds a like the next big science-fiction novel by Robert Sawyer, or the sequel to the movie Frankenstein. Indeed, this is no science fiction story, it is merely the incredible work of a San Diego based company called Organovo.

Organovo's initial goal was to create an arterial graft for use in coronary bypass surgery. However, with the success they have been having and the strong adaptability of these "printed-biological tissues" in the body, they have set new long-term goals which involve solving problems in medical therapy that could not be solved otherwise. This is especially true in "organ transplants, where tens of thousands of people are waiting for donated organs", said Keith Murphy, CEO of the company, Organovo.

What makes tissue creation possible is that these printers use a patient’s own cells- rather than those of a donated heart or liver. Even more interesting, the parts are made from the organ recipient's own genetic matter, and precisely match the tissue or organ they replace. This allows for little risk of an immune response, which lessens the need for debilitating immuno-suppressive drugs.

Source: http://www.theatlantic.com/sponsored/connections/archive/2012/06/257654/

Can you imagine how incredible it would be to harvest organs via a 3D printer? This would eliminate growing cells in petri-dishes and the need for bioadaptability testing (i.e. most harvested organs are used in animals etc. prior to use in humans).

How does it work you ask? The printers put cells into a “mold” layer-by-layer, until eventually a three-dimensional structure is developed. After the mould has been created, the layered cells are put into a bio-reactor to fuse together…and with time- VOILA! In fact, recently Organovo arranged heart cells in a grid using the bio-printer and after they fused together in the bio-reactor, the structure actually began BEATING -just like real heart tissue!!! Think about it: skin, windpipes, bladders, and more complex structures like hearts, waiting to be printed on demand with the click of a computer mouse.

Gene Therapy for Skin Repairs Damaged DNA!

2012-07-27T13:30:00.005-04:00

If you get skin cancer, there aren't many treatments today that offer nicer/healthy looking skin prior to removal. Indeed, the main treatment that dermatologists do today for patients that have skin cancer involves physically removing the discoloured mass itself. After the fact, people are often left with a not-so-nice scar, disfigured skin and damaged DNA.

This may not be the case for much longer. Thanks to scientists at Northwestern University, treating skin cancer might become as easy as rubbing on a nanoparticle-filled lotion. Can you imagine how nice this would be for patients?! The team of researchers was led by Chad A. Mirkin and Amy S. Paller. Specifically, they applied gold nanoparticles coated with densely packed oriented strands of small interfering RNA to both mouse skin and engineered human skin.

http://www.plasticsurgerypractice.com/issues/articles/2011-07_04.asp

The mechanism of this "gold-filled nanoparticle lotion" was interesting in that after it had passed the outer layer, the particles would switch off targeted genes inside skin cells. For instance, particles applied to engineered human skin decreased expression of a gene coding for epidermal growth factor receptor by 52%. This protein is overexpressed in a number of cancer cell types. Not only did the researchers observe the particles penetrating skin, they also saw them leave. This is is crutial, because noone wants gold nanoparticles entering the body. In fact, what was really interesting is that ten days after treatment, mice retained only 2% of the gold from the originally absorbed particles.

So, many of you are probably wondering what nanoparticle are?

Nanoparticles are particles with a diameter between 1 nm and 100 nm (50 000 times smaller than a human hair!). Indeed, because they are so small, they are able to cover a large surface area, yet still maintain a very small volume. This characteristic is what makes these particles so unique and able to make products have very interesting properties. For example, this small volume and large surface area can often change the intermolecular attraction forces of molecules, altering their electrical and magnetic behavior.

What you may not know is that nanoparticles deposit on the walls of our alveoli. No one knows for sure if this is a problem. However, the effects of cigarette smoke nanoparticles on the lungs are well established...but that is a whole other article.

The field of nanotechnology is ever-evolving. However, now that nanoparticles are being used to repair genes affected by cancer, one can't help but be left with the feeling of the endless possibilities of these particles. It is only a matter of time before more and more miraculous discoveries are adopted and used for the better good of humanity.

References:

Proc.Natl. Acad.Sci. USA, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1118425109

Chemical & Engineering News Magazine. (July 9, 2012). Published by the American Chemical Society

Bill Gates Speech at Harvard Graduation

2012-07-03T13:08:00.000-04:00

Check out this inspriational speech, by none other than Bill Gates himself...

Part 1:

Part 2:

Google Launches Initiative to Archive Endangered Languages

2012-06-23T12:42:00.000-04:00

With rapid growth of the world-wide-web, the way humans interact and communicate with one another is evolving. However, with this change comes specific obligations to preserve some of the ways of communication that are sadly becoming extinct. Google, the world's most popular search engine company, recognizes this need and in response has launched a website for Endangered Languages.

So what inspired this amazing idea? It all started a couple of years ago, when a group of YouTube users approached Google for help with an endangered-language preservation project they were running on the video site. Google's staff then decided to expand the project and went searching for partners...the rest is history.

"A diverse group of collaborators have already begun to contribute content ranging from 18th century manuscripts to modern teaching tools like video and audio language samples and knowledge-sharing articles" Google said in a post announcing the new site.

This site is already archiving information from more than 3,000 languages. This includes the Harsusi language, spoken by about 700 people in Oman and the Assiniboine language, spoken natively by fewer than 150 people in parts of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. This tool will be very valuable in preserving a lot of the aboriginal languages in Canada that are already on the verge of extinction.

Unfortunately, Google has only been able to archive half of the total number of endangered languages around the world and more work needs to be done. This is why Google has partnered with the First Peoples' Heritage, Language and Culture Council (FPHLCC) (a British-Columbia based Crown corporation) and the Institute for Language Information and Technology at eastern Michigan University. In fact, once the website takes off, Google plans on handing over control of the entire project and these two groups will be responsible for maintaining and expanding the website.

Google has faith that the First Peoples' Heritage, Language and Culture Council (FPHLCC) in British Columbia can handle the project because of what they have already achieved. Indeed, around the same time Google was developing their website to preserve languages, the FPHLCC was starting to use new technology to aid in the preservation of endangered languages. In fact, they had even begun developing various keyboards that allowed users to type in some 34 languages and 61 dialects present in B.C. alone - many of them spoken by only a handful of people.

A Date with History: 17 yr old Addresses World Leaders at the UN Earth Summit

2012-06-21T06:56:00.001-04:00

What would you say if given the opportunity to tell world leaders your thoughts on climate change? For 17 year-old New Zealander, Brittany Trilford, that opportunity became a reality this morning at the Rio+20 Earth Summit. Invited to provide the opening speech, Trilford delivered a polite, but stern address to the 130 heads of state and representatives in attendance. Her demand: Do something.

While watching this Brittany speak I couldn't help but remember the speech by Severn Cullis-Suzuki, daughter of environmentalist David Suzuki, at the Rio Earth Summit in 1993. Her speech was so well done, it became an overnight hit online and she is now known as "The girl that silenced the world for five minutes". Check it out:

Lung Powered By Microchip - Harvard Research

2012-06-14T08:56:00.000-04:00

Researchers at Harvard's Wyss Institute are developing microchips comprising the cells and functionality of human organs. These organs-on-a-chip represent an advance that could prove revolutionary for pharmaceutical companies who spend billions of dollars testing new drugs in controversial - and often ineffective - animal trials.

The lung-on-a-chip offers a new in vitro approach to drug screening by mimicking the complicated mechanical and biochemical behaviors of a human lung.

Below is a video of a researcher involved in the project...

Parallel Universes - Time Travel - String Theory

2012-06-12T06:27:00.002-04:00

Have you ever thought that other Universes are closer than trillions of light years away? Me too.

Sometimes, scientists feel it is beyond the human mind to envision such massive spaces and more than three dimensions, However, over time theories of Universes and how they interact with one another is becoming more and more understood with the advancements in theoretical physics.

Below is a really interesting broadcast of Brian Greene being interviewed by Anna Maria Tremonti of CBC radio. Brian Greene wrote the book called a The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos...

If you are looking for a less intense version of the above broadcast, you would like Brian Greene talking with David Letterman on his research of the Universe and string theory.

I find appreciating and understanding astrology and astrophysical research important because without the Universe and planet, there is nothing -and thus no other research matters.

Residents of Spain Saving the Ozone!

2012-06-08T17:05:00.000-04:00

When you drive by a greenhouse, do think it could help save the world in any way? So often today the word "greenhouse" is associated with "greenhouse gasses," that we don't associate greenhouses with anything positive for the planet. However, the locals in a province called Almeria in Southern Spain, beg to differ and are using greenhouses to reduce greenhouse gas incubation, and offsetting global warming.

Since the 1980's, the Almerian people in southern Spain have been developing greenhouses for everyone. In fact, Almeria has the largest concentration of greenhouses in the world, covering 26,000 hectares.

What's so great about greenhouses you ask? Well, they actually reflect a majority of the sunlight back into the atmosphere. This allows for less to sunlight incubate in the towns/cities; reducing the susceptibility of holes in the ozone layer.

The greenhouses built in Spain are reflecting so much sunlight back into the atmosphere that they are actually cooling the province! While temperatures in the rest of Spain have climbed faster than the world average, meteorological observatories located in the so-called 'sea of plastic' have shown a decline of 0.3 degrees per decade. It turns out that the plastic’s white colour acts like a mirror, reflecting sunlight back into the atmosphere before it can reach and heat up the ground. This means that at a local level, the greenhouses offset global warming.

This story is inspiring because it demonstrates the power of collaborative thinking and how each of us can make a difference if we would just work together and have a common goal.

Iconic Cinematographer Amazes With Time-lapse Nature Video

2012-06-07T09:10:00.002-04:00

This video is perfect since World Environment Day is this week. It celebrates the incredible beauty nature has to offer and how we can find it in ourselves to feel gratitude for our ability to experience this beauty every day.

The video was created by Louie Schwartzberg, who is an award-winning cinematographer, director, and producer whose notable career spans more than three decades providing breathtaking imagery for feature films, television shows, documentaries and commercials.

As a visual artist, Louie has created some of the most iconic and memorable film moments of our time. He is an innovator in the world of time-lapse, nature, aerial and "slice-of-life" photography - the only cinematographer in the world who has literally been shooting 24 hours a day, 7 days a week continuously for more than 30 years.

This piece includes his short film on Gratitude and Happiness. Brother David Steindl-Rast's spoken words, Gary Malkin's musical compositions and Louie's cinematography make this a stunningly beautiful piece, reminding us of the precious gift of life, and the beauty all around us.

Louie was recognized as one of the top 70 Cinematographers for the On Film Kodak Salute Series. He is a member of the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

Incredible Animation: How Humans are Changing the Earth's Fate!

2012-06-04T21:55:00.001-04:00

This video shows the impact humans are having on the Earth, and in many ways changing it. It is a 3-minute journey through the last 250 years of our history, from the start of the Industrial Revolution to the Rio+20 Summit. The film charts the growth of humanity into a global force on an equivalent scale to major geological processes.

It is unbelievable how we have spread ourselves out with endless roads and shipping lanes which basically cover the whole thing. In many other videos out there we see see composite pictures of the Earth at night, showing various light of cities, but never before have we seen anything like this.

So what now?! Well, as the population continues to grow to nine-billion, we must think about how to find a safe operating space for humanity, for the sake of future generations -welcome to the Anthropocene.

This video was produced for the Planet Under Pressure Conference, and at the heart of it is a beautiful animation produced by Globaïa.

Learn more at: Anthropocene.info

I hope you enjoyed this video. If you are a fan of New Wave Ideas, make sure to subscribe to our e-mail list to get all the latest posts- free of charge.

Fish Oil Prevents Blindness - New Research!

2012-06-02T11:16:00.003-04:00

A research team at the University of Alberta has discovered that an omega-3 fatty acid in fish prevents the accumulation of a toxin called lipofuscin, which can lead to age-related vision loss.

As people age, retina function progressively declines and A2E, a component of the toxin lipofuscin, builds up in the retinal pigment epithelial cells. These events are usually worse in people who have age-related retinal diseases, such as macular degeneration.

At the University of Alberta, a team of investigators under the direction of Yves Sauve, a researcher in the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, conducted studies in mice and discovered that those fed DHA (found in fish oil) did not accumulate the lipofuscin and its compound. Lipofuscin, a brownish pigment left over from the breakdown of damaged blood cells, is also known as the aging pigment.

Sauve noted that this toxin increases twofold as people age. In their lab tests, however, "there was no increase in this toxin whatsoever. Note that this has never been demonstrated before -that supplementing the diet with DHA could make this kind of difference."

“This discovery could result in a very broad therapeutic use,” says Sauve, whose work was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science.

The team has now started another study, looking at people who have age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a condition that results in the loss of central vision and is the main cause of blindness in those over the age of 50. The researchers will look for DNA markers in the blood of study participants. The team wants to determine if participants with certain genetic markers will respond better to increasing amounts of DHA in their diet and if so, why.

Robots Dropped in Ocean to Detect and Clean Oil!

2012-05-28T22:21:00.004-04:00

When you think of the millions spent on the BP oil spill (largest oil spill in U.S. history and second-largest in world history) just two years ago, and the millions of marine life and 11 people killed, you can't help but wonder if anything is happening to prevent this from ever occurring again.

Credit: GreenPeace/http://www.danielbeltra.com/

Fear not! Scientists have recently developed both a robotic fish that can detect pollution in the ocean and a robot that can be dropped from a helicopter to clean up the pollution/oil spills.

The robotic fish was developed by European scientists to improve pollution monitoring, with the goal of reducing the time it takes for detection of a pollutant from weeks to seconds. Note that this robotic fish could also be used for under water national security, aquariums, diver monitoring and search or rescue efforts.

The robotics are designed in the shape of fish, 1.5 meters (5 feet) long and cost a staggering $31,600 (20,000 pounds) each and are made to sim like real fish would. Indeed, the fish swim independently, can co-ordinate with each other and transmit their readings back to a shore station up to a 1 km away!! Although the cost is very high, when you consider the dollars spent on relief efforts for cleaning up so many horrific oil spills over in the past, not to mention the millions given to families who lost jobs, it seems like pennies. Note that these robotic fish are also fitted with sensors to pick up pollutants leaking from ships or undersea pipelines.

Yanko Robots Designed to Clean up Oil and Filter Water Back into Ocean
Source: http://www.yankodesign.com/2012/05/21/sea-cleaning-drone/

Now that we have sorted out how to find the pollutant, how do we clean it up? There is a very neat concept by Yanko Design that just came out which consists of a small robot that can swim/propel itself and has a built in pump to separate out water from oil. It also has a compartment with bacteria that can degrade oil! The cleverest part is an "acoustic wave device" that emits high-frequency sound waves designed to keep animals at bay, so they don't join the ranks of the oil-soaked creatures that rarely survive.

source: http://www.yankodesign.com/2012/05/21/sea-cleaning-drone/

Starbucks Talks Sustainability

2012-05-27T20:06:00.001-04:00

When you go to Starbucks, do you recycle the lid or cup? I didn't think so.

Despite a somewhat unmatchable brand loyalty in the coffee space, Starbucks still takes heat due to the potential negative environmental impact of its disposable cups.

Starbucks is now rising up and taking action to become more sustainable. Recently, they rolled out plastic cups for cold beverages that are produced with polypropylene cups and lids, and launching new lightweight plastic cups to reduce resin consumption. In addition, Starbucks has a goal of making 100% of its cups reusable or recyclable by 2015.

In an attempt to find a solution to this recycling issue, Starbucks has launched an in-store recycling program at selected stores.While the program has hit some hiccups along the way, the company said it is committed to eventually offering in-store recycling on a wide scale.

Currently, Starbucks is working with ConAgra Foods to make their coffee cups recyclable. What is preventing this from happening is the non-recylcable polymer adhered onto the inside of their cups to prevent leak.

Conagra Foods are different in that they use post-industrial recycled polylactic acid and convert it into shrink film packaging materials (i.e. the inside lining of Starbucks coffee cups). The company's PLA shrink film contains more than 50% post-industrial recycled material, and it uses this material for tamper-evident seals on some of ConAgra Foods' table spreads. However, the CEO of Conagra Foods still recognizes the limitation of PLA based bio-plastics and their researchers are working hard to make sure no plastic/contamination occurs within the cups with PLA shrink film adhered to them (i.e. increased thermal stability). Below is a quote that expresses the CEO's concerns more thoroughly...

"We know there are challenges with PLA and how it can impact the bottle-to-bottle recycling strategy," she said. "But we have strict restrictions on PLA and we make sure it doesn't stay with the package because we don't want potential contamination."

By collaborating with its suppliers, Conagra has been able to convert 260,000 pounds of resin from non-renewable resources (PVC and PET g) to PLA (plastic derived from starch). It will be exciting to learn more about what Conagra can do for food companies to reduce their environmental waste and make their materials more sustainable.

Packaging Being Grown!

2012-05-22T21:39:00.004-04:00

Just when you think you have seen it all, you may have to guess again. A company named Ecovative has just come out with a packaging material made from mushrooms...yes, mushrooms.

Source: http://www.ecovativedesign.com

According to their website, they don’t manufacture these materials, we grow them. Indeed, Ecovative claims to "grow the plastic from agricultural byproducts and mycelium- a fungal network of threadlike cells. It’s like the “roots” of mushrooms. In 5 – 7 days, in the dark, with no watering, and no petrochemical inputs, the mycelium digests the agricultural byproducts, binding them into a beautiful structural material. The mycelium acts like a natural, self assembling glue." This seems like an interesting concept, but I am not sure how sustainable it is (i.e. how many mushrooms are required for one packaging material?). What I do like though is that little energy is required for the system's (i.e. produced in the dark). However, more information is necessary (i.e. life cycle analysis) for a sound opinion on the material. For instance, often mushrooms are grown in faecal matter and have to be cleaned prior to shipping/use, and I am sure the mycelium extraction process is no different

Mycelium inside Biocomposite (i.e. plastic foaming agent)
Source: http://www.ecovativedesign.com/about-our-materials/core-tech/

So how do they differ from traditional bio-plastics? Well, "he mycelium is able to grow on agricultural byproducts like plant stalks and seed husks. Ecovative says that they can use a broad range of feedstocks as well to create diverse material properties, and tune the specifications for the application... "We can tweak the density, strength, texture, appearance and more to deliver exactly the performance you need to protect your product." ...I must say that the "tweak" seems more qualitative and solid quantitative scientific studies.

All in all, I say "good for Ecoverte for thinking outside the box and trying to develop more sustainable packaging materials."

PUMA to Launch Compostable Clothing

2012-05-17T21:23:00.000-04:00

When you think of the mega-successful apparel company “Puma”, the last thing that comes to mind is “compostable clothing”. Well, you better believe it because Puma has been making some serious changes to its sustainability initiatives and has come out as a front-runner in many areas.

Recently, when Puma was asked by Reuters if the company would end its business relationship with Yonguor Textile of China, they didn’t hesitate to take action. Indeed, the question was raised after Greenpeace published a report profiling the problem of toxic water pollution resulting from the release of hazardous chemicals by textile factories in China such as Yongour. Puma didn’t completely end its relationship with Yongour, but they did decide to take responsibility. In fact, in a statement Puma released on July 26^th, 2011 the company said it recognizes the urgent need for reducing and eliminating industrial releases of all hazardous chemicals and is committed to “eliminating the discharges of all hazardous chemicals from the whole lifecycle and all production procedures that are associated with the making and using of PUMA products by 2020.”

Last year, Puma even launched its Clever Little Bag, a reusable bag to replace shoeboxes made from 65% less paper and energy. Now, It’s leading the way in materials technology and trying to tackle what will happen to their goods once people no longer want to use them.

Instead of taking the approach for customers to “buy less”, Puma wants their clothes to be compostable! This will close their lifecycle loop and allow them to hopefully reduce their impact on the environment. Puma is confident that compostable clothes and sneakers will be the future.

Compostable clothing may be something of the future, but if you follow industry closely, you will realize that it is not that bizarre. In fact, Anke Domask, who is a German fashion designer and mircobiologist, recently developed a clothing line from milk fibers. She has come up with an easy and environmentally friendly way to extract fibres from milk and her designs are proving very successful. Additionally, Linda Loudermilk, at Miami Swim Week this wear debuted a completely compostable swimsuit!

Compostable clothing certainly is an innovative idea and if promoted by a major brand like Puma, could soon become mainstream. Finally, a company is eager to reduce their environmental footprint …and go about it in the right way!

Worlds First Biodegradable Running Shoe Sole

2012-04-22T16:40:00.002-04:00

The worlds first sustainable performance running shoe! When it comes to sustainability, it's time for running gear to lead the way, not follow.

This running shoe was made by BioMoGo and utilizes recycled and other earth-friendly components. Constructed with roughly half as many parts as comparable shoes, the Green Silence requires less petroleum and energy to make. Of course, the shoe manages all of this while delivering the premium performance expected from Brooks.

image: brooks

The Key Green Features Are:

BioMoGo, the world's first-ever biodegradable midsole for running shoes
75% of the shoe's materials are post-consumer recycled
Biodegradable insole and collar foams
Packaging is 100% post-consumer recycled
Laces, gillies, and reinforced webbing are 100% post-consumer recycled
Water-based adhesives are used throughout
All dyes and colorants are non-toxic

source :http://www.brooksrunning.com/The-Green-Silence/green_silence,default,pg.html

World Vanilla Shortage

2012-04-07T13:57:00.003-04:00

You may think twice this summer before buying that tub of your favorite vanilla ice cream. Wholesale prices have risen by around 20 per cent in just two months – an increase which will hit thousands of food and drink manufactures, including ice cream makers.

“The stocks in the world are being run down and we are getting to a point now where we are likely to see the price suddenly shoot upwards,” said Nick Peksa, business development director at market analysts Mintec.

Many people don't know that there is a major vanilla shortage occurring around the world. According to Mintec, the production of vanilla in Mexico alone has fallen by 90% in the past year. As a result, panic buying has begun driving up stock prices. In fact, widespread stockpiling of Madagascan black-vanilla has pushed up the prices up even further because of a recent rush order which entailed around 40% of the world supply of black vanilla (~1000 tonnes). Note that Indonesia also produces black-vanilla, alongside India and Mexico, but these countries have been experiencing a massive reduction in production.

So what is "black-vanilla" you ask? Black-vanilla is just a fancy name for "food grade vanilla". It is called black-vanilla because of the color of the dried pods harvested from the orchids. As previously mentioned, it is only grown in a small handful of countries and as a result its price is susceptible to poor harvest.

As global warming is taking effect and the population continues to escalate, we are seeing more and more how precious our resources are; especially vanilla. In fact, vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world – after saffron – because it is so labor intensive.

According to Mr. Peksa from Mintec “Vanilla is the most expensive ingredient in ice cream production per kilogram, so it is highly likely that some producers will not be able to absorb the extra cost. This could push the price of ice cream up by around 10 per cent.”

3-D Printing Creates Toy Car Size of a Grain of Sand!

2012-04-06T11:14:00.000-04:00

When you think of 3D printed objects, the last thing that comes to mind is something as small as a grain of sand. Well, you better believe it because researchers in Austria at the University of Vienna have set a new world speed record for the fastest 3D-printed nano-objects.

Their latest task was to get the printer to make a race car model the size of a grain of sand. The race car was 0.285mm in length and created in just over four minutes. Incredible! To get an even better perspective, in order to produce this car approximately 100 layers had to be overlapped of nano-size sand, each consisting of 200 single printed lines.

So what is this good for? Well, the scientists say that the technique could be used to make small biomedical parts.

The problem in the past was the time taken to do this. In fact, the technology itself is not novel in science, but what is novel is how fast they were able to accomplish the given task using their set-up and materials. In an interview with the BBC, the scientist said that "they can speed up the original process by a factor of 500 or in some cases 1,000 times."

What is this special process that is able to do create such mind-blowing things? The formal name for the process is called "two-photon lithography." What happens here, is a laser beam is focused onto a liquid resin. This laser focusing, immediately hardens the resin, leaving behind a line of solid polymer just a few nanometers wide. Generally, 3-D printing techniques build up objects by adding layers to the surface, but what makes this process different is that the laser can create solid material anywhere within the liquid material.

Specifically, the researchers breakthrough entailed improving the control mechanism for mirrors used to focus the laser, and developing the special type of resin involved in the process.

Even more amazing is that the researchers are now going to develop bio-compatible resins so that the objects they create can be used by doctors. An example application is to create scaffolds which cells could use to build new biological tissues.

Beautifully Animated Video on Water Conservation

2012-04-04T08:37:00.000-04:00

Pure Inspiration: How Sara Blakely Turned $5000 Into A Billion Dollars

2012-04-04T08:32:00.000-04:00

Carbon Dioxide Absorbing Labels

2012-04-02T10:46:00.003-04:00

So many companies today won't switch their packaging to make it more sustainable (compostable, biodegradable). Often this comes down to cost as industry has to pay x-dollars annually to recycle or dispose of their packaging.

Yes, recycling plastic is better than throwing it away and it being sent to a landfill but the process uses a lot of energy (manufacturing, sorting, shipping) and the plastics have to be incinerated which often releases toxins into the atmosphere. In fact, last year, of the 28.9 million tons of plastic packaging generated, only 5.7% was recycled or reused in some way, and 94.3% was sent to a landfill and discarded or combusted into the environment.[i]

If companies and citizens do not take responsibility and an interest in this matter soon, the amount of waste generated is going to reach an incredible high, and result in unforgivable damage to the ecosystem. Datamonitor.com, a world-leading provider of premium global business information, is already predicting market production for containers and packaging to reach to 8.7 million tonnes by the end of 2013, representing a current annual growth rate (CAGR) of 1.6% for the 2008-2013 period.

Since it is difficult to completely eliminate the whole incineration process involved when companies recycle their plastics, Sato America has come up with a solution to reduce the impact on the environment while adapting these existing practices. They have created an ECONANO® series of labels that absorb and reduce the carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere when the labels are incinerated.

So how is it possible for a label to absorb carbon dioxide? Well, Sato America Inc., a leader in barcode printing, has created a special carbon dioxide absorbent to the label's adhesive that reduces the amount of carbon dioxide released at the point of incineration by more than 20% compared with conventional labels. Even better, than when this technology is combined with their SATO’s NONSEPA® liner-less label series, it is possible to achieve an approximate 50% reduction in carbon dioxide emissions at the time of incineration, the company claims.

To better understand the scope of SATO's environmental claims, they provide an example on their website that put these statistics into perspective...

"If you were to replace 1 million 50mm x 85mm standard labels used over the course of one year with ECONANO® labels, the CO₂ released at incineration would be reduced by 224kg. This is equivalent to the amount of CO₂ released during the manufacture, treatment and incineration of 4,814 plastic bags."

Note that this ECONANO® lable was developed by the SATO Group in collaboration with Professor Masahiko Abe of the Tokyo University of Science, and the University’s venture company, ACTiiVE.

In a recent interview, found on SatoAmerica's website they had all but good things to say about ECONANO and their company objectives...

"Reducing carbon emissions is a challenge for all businesses today,” said Etsuo Fujii, President of SATO CORPORATION. But the cutting-edge technology SATO employs in its ECONANO® series labels offers our customers a helping-hand in achieving their environmental targets, and provides them with solutions beneficial to all levels of consumer goods product identification and supply chain labeling."

What's most intriguing about this new product is how SATO is working with the current system set in place for disposing of plastics, instead of inventing something completely new that countries don't have the proper infrastructure to support.

References

[i] Ruixiang, Z., Torley, P., Halley, P. (2008) Emerging biodegradable materials: starch- and protein-based bio-nanocomposites. Journal of Material Science, 43, 3058-3071.