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Production of chemicals from wood waste made more environmentally-friendly and cheaper

Researchers have discovered that the bacterium Cupriavidus basilensis breaks down harmful by-products which are produced when sugars are released from wood. They also managed to incorporate the degradation process in bacteria which are in common industrial use. This breakthrough does away with the need to resort to costly and environmentally unfriendly methods for removing by-products, thereby boosting the appeal of waste wood as a sustainable resource for biochemicals and biofuels.
By sciencedaily.com
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Will London 2012 be ‘The Green Olympics’?

TheWinter Olympicsare over and amongst the medals and trouncing the US at hockey, Vancouver was praised for hosting the “greenest Olympics ever” withLEED certified buildings, the use of recaptured gas and the construction of a hydrogen highway. However, London looks set to raise the bar even higher with plans to blow Vancouver’s achievements out of the water in 2012. The London Olympic Authority have stated that they are aiming to makeLondon 2012the first sustainable Olympic Games, setting a precedent for future events.

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Post tags:'sustainable architecture',green archtiectures,Green Building,green design,green events,hydrogen highway,London 2010 Olympics,london olympic games,Olympic stadium,sustainable design

By Timon
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Scarcity of phosphorus threat to global food production

Phosphorus is just as important to agriculture as water. But a lack of availability and accessibility of phosphorus is an emerging problem that threatens our capacity to feed the global population. Like nitrogen and potassium, it is a nutrient that plants take up from the soil and it is crucial to soil fertility and crop growth.
By sciencedaily.com
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Architects Tell Californians to Brace for the Next Big Earthquake

The USGeologicalSurvey has said thatCaliforniahas a 99.7% chance of having a magnitude 6.7earthquake— or bigger — in the next three decades. University ofCalifornia, Berkeley Professor and formerArchitectureDepartment Chair Mary Comerio says that, “California is probably the best-prepared place in the world,” but there are stillpreventative measuresto be taken. She’s trying to bring the green community, architects and the construction industry together to lobby for retrofit laws for old buildings that are at risk.

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Post tags:architect,Architecture Department Chair,Berkeley Professor,building collapse,California,Chile,earthquake,earthquake preparedness,green renovation,haiti,Landscape Architecture,Mary Comerio,Policy,preparing for an earthquake,quake,retrofit,San Francisco,seismologist,seismology,university of california

By Brit Liggett
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Discovery in legumes could reduce fertilizer use, aid environment

Escalating use of nitrogen fertilizer is increasing algal blooms and global warming, but a recent discovery by researchers could begin to reverse that. They have revealed a key step in how symbiotic bacteria living in legumes turn nitrogen into plant food, which could be used to improve the process in some plants, reducing the need for chemical fertilizers.
By sciencedaily.com
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Hugo Chavez Sends Army to Change All Lights in Venezuela to CFLs

Due to a bad drought that’s dried up thehydroelectricplants that supply more than two-thirds of its power, Venezuela has been suffering through its worst energy crisis in the last 50 years. PresidentHugo Chavez’s solution? Change all the light bulbs! Well, that might not be the only action the country is taking (they’ve also put electricity rationing into effect) but an army of Venezuelan soldiers has been given direct orders from the president to distribute thousands of Firefly energy-efficientCFL bulbs. The big switcheroo may not make it rain, but the president sure hopes that it can cut the energy his citizens consume in the meantime.

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Post tags:'clean energy',cfl,compact fluorescent light bulb,eco lighting,energy crisis,energy efficient lighting,green energy,green lighting,hugo chavez,light bulb,south america,venezuela

By Yuka Yoneda
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