Aquamarine to flick switch on first oyster device

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:19:38 GMT

Marine energy firm Aquamarine Power is today expected to formally launch its first grid-connected wave energy device at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC).

Scotland`s first minister Alex Salmond is expected to attend the ceremony where the 500KW Oyster device will be officially turned on for the first time and begin transmitting energy to the grid.

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How green is your smart card?

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:16:09 GMT

It may not be the most obvious source of waste and carbon emissions, but given that all of us probably carry at least two or three bank and smart cards, their environmental impact can soon add up.

This week, Dutch digital security giant

Dell protects laptops with bamboo packaging

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:13:09 GMT

Dell will start shipping two of its products padded with bamboo cushioning, a part of the company`s broad plan to reduce its packaging while using more recyclable material.

The Dell Inspiron Mini 10 and Mini 10v netbooks will be cradled in cushioning made from bamboo instead of the typical paper pulp, foam or corrugate that is used to protect electronics. The outer cardboard box for the netbooks will contain 25 per cent post-consumer recycled material.

Dell is sourcing its bamboo fr...

Low carbon bus fund gets EU green light

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:10:15 GMT

The government`s plans for a new �30m fund to help promote the adoption of low carbon buses was given a green light from Brussels yesterday after the European Commission concluded that it did not contravene rules governing state aid.

The Commission ruled that the scheme was entirely in line with EU state aid ...

World bank arm offers $200m in loans to reforest Indonesia

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:05:34 GMT

The International Finance Corp (IFC) is offering loans to Indonesian companies that are interested in reforesting degraded land, in an effort to reduce carbon emiss...

Carbon trust highlights need for climate innovation centres

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:02:11 GMT

A global network of Climate Innovation Centres is required to meet the local clean tech requirements of developing countries more effectively and to address the failure of existing technology transfer arrangements from the developed world.

These are the findings of a joint paper written by researchers at the UK�s Carbon Trust and the Indian Institute of Technology in Delhi. The report, which builds on earlier work, was published in the November issue of

Solid-state devices get energy boost

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:59:15 GMT

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) are working on a way to boost the energy efficiency of solid-state devices by harvesting the currently wasted heat they generate for conversion into usable electricity.

The organisation has published a paper on the subject this month in the Journal of Applied Physics and hopes to see its so-called quantum-dot ...

Solar-powered aeroplane takes to the runway

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:55:14 GMT

A prototype of the world�s first solar-powered aeroplane had its initial runway outing yesterday in Switzerland, hitting speeds of up to five knots and covering 2km.

Further tests will take place today to see whether the plane, which is as wide as a jumbo jet but weighs the same as a medium-sized car at just 1,500kg, can hit 10 knots when taxiing without the support of a security trolley device under the cockpit. The device, which was used yesterday, was intended to protect it in case the la...

Funding scheme to reduce rainforest destruction

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:50:55 GMT

Efforts to reduce the destruction of tropical rainforests have received a boost following the creation of a five-year emergency funding scheme backed by 35 governments around the world.

The plan was announced by the Prince of Wales at a meeting in St James� Palace, London and the aim is to seek initial

E.ON completes US wind farm on former coal mine

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:27:10 GMT

E.ON is further expanding its wind energy portfolio in the United States by opening its new Stony Creek wind farm in Western Pennsylvania. The wind farm is the fifth such project successfully completed this year. It brings E.ON�s installed wind power capacity in the US to nearly 1,700 megawatts (MW). Only a few weeks ago, E.ON Climate & Renewables, which is responsible in the E.ON Group for renewable energies and climate protection projects, completed the fourth and last section of the world...

Better protection for homes and communities from flooding and drought

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:20:03 GMT

Communities, homes and businesses will be better protected from the risk of flooding and water shortages in future under plans published in the Flood and Water Management Bill by Defra today. The Bill addresses many of the recommendations from Sir Michael Pitt�s review of the summer 2007 floods. It will give the authorities that manage flood risk better powers to do so, putting local authorities in charge of dealing with local flood risk and the Environment Agency in charge of overseeing f...

Workplace Wasters - Brits revealed to be more environmentally aware at home than in the workplace

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:15:27 GMT

Brits are happy to recycle and follow green practises at home but leave their environmental conscience at the door when they arrive for work. That�s the conclusion of a new survey by Tickbox.net/Opinion Matters out today which highlights how attitudes towards recycling and energy saving differ between the home and the workplace.

For instance, just over 40% of people said they recycled plastics at home but not at work, with women being the worst culprits. Similarly, other poor workplace...

Ceres applauds SEC decision allowing financial risks in environmental and social resolutions

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:11:36 GMT

Ceres president Mindy Lubber praises the Securities and Exchange Commission for its decision yesterday to allow shareholder resolutions seeking information from companies on the financial risks they face from social and environmental issues including climate change.

The decision, outlined in SEC Staff Legal Bulletin No. 14E (CF) reverses an SEC rule that prevented investors from directly asking companies about the impacts of climate change and other pressing concerns on their financial bott...

Climate issues loom at the UN world food summit

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:12:28 GMT

A three-day United Nations summit on world food security opened in Rome this week, with a grim message from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon that on any one day more than 17,000 children will die of hunger - one every five seconds, 6 million a year - even as the planet has more than enough food for all. Climate related factors are a major cause of this problem, he added.

`Today, more than one billion people are hungry,` he told the assembled leaders, calling for immediate action on long-term re...

New registry provides access to eco-impact of industries

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 10:03:56 GMT

European leaders have taken a major step forward to give the public access to the pollutants European industries emit, store and transport.

The European Commission and the European Environment Agency launched the latest pollutant-disclosure project: The European Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (E-PRTR). The E-PRTR is a public and searchable database containing information about air, water and land pollution from industrial facilities and the types of waste transferred from fac...

Intel eyes up wind and electric vehicle markets

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:41:13 GMT

Chip manufacturer Intel is eyeing up opportunities in wind forecasting for power generation, and information management for electric vehicles, according to a senior executive at the company.

John Skinner, the director of marketing for its Eco-Technology division, told Reuters yesterday that the IT giant was actively investigating clean tech sectors where its processors could play a useful role.

`We see numerical forecasting (in wind) as a very interesting opportunity,` he said, addin...

Australia`s climate bill row heats up

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:35:50 GMT

The simmering tensions between Australia`s government and the opposition over the country`s proposed climate change bill threatened to boil over today, with Prime Minister Kevin Rudd accusing opposition climate sceptics of adopting a Medieval mentality.

`It is as if we are back into the trial of Galileo or something and they are simply arguing somehow that the science is fiction and that they alone, in their own prejudiced universe, occupy fact,` Rudd told parliament, as his Labor governmen...

WWF tops list of NGOs that are best for business support

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:29:55 GMT

WWF and Forum For The Future lead the growing numbers of NGOs advising top UK firms on environmental issues, according to a new report from industry analyst

Workers accused of leaving green habits at the office door

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:26:10 GMT

The government has today urged businesses to step up efforts to promote environmentally sustainable behaviour among staff after a major new survey revealed many workers are guilty of leaving good green habits at the office door.

The government-commissioned survey of more than 830 adults found that while people were increasingly likely to recycle and try to save energy at home, many did not take the same care in the workplace.

The poll, which was carried out by research firm Tickbox.n...

Government charges up electric car network with fresh �30m

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:21:03 GMT

The government formally launched its new `Plugged-in Places` initiative yesterday, inviting local authorities and businesses to bid for up to �30m of funding to set up networks of electric car charging points.

The total number of points to be funded depends on local requirements, but the government said that it hopes to create between three and six cities in the UK with a comprehensive charging infrastructure.

Transport Secretary Andrew Adonis said the new funding means the governmen...

California bans large energy wasting TV screens

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The US state of California again shows to be in the forefront of legislating on environmental issues. New energy efficiency standards on large-screen TVs have been adopted by the California Energy Commission

The legal standards mean that most television sets sold in the state consume less energy with limits set up for 2011 and 2013.

Large screen TVs account for about one tenth of Californian households` electricity consumption.

The law is expected to be mimicke...

Success at RWM 2009

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The 2009 Recycling and Waste Management show, staged at the NEC, Birmingham, UK proved to be a great success and provided a perfect platform for the launch of the new INOX SREX Permanent Magnetic Drum.

Before the show, companies were invited to bring samples of their waste along to the Eriez stand so that they could see first hand what the new Drum is capable of. The interactive nature of the Eriez stand caught the attention of passers by, resulting in a constant crowd of people around th...

Com-paK Plus™ packages take control!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The latest members of the Com-paK Plus family � DB 166C and DB 236C � offer the same advantages you�ve come to expect from our popular line of packaged blowers. Like all Com-paks, the DB models offer reduced footprint, simple installation and maintenance, as well as reduced noise and vibration. What�s more, these units feature our Omega Control Basic� � providing full control and package protection!

The controller integrates motor starters and instrumentation, which reduces installation ...

Consistent, reliable vacuum!

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Kaeser�s complete line of vacuum systems includes our popular Com-paK Plus blower series. These positive displacement, tri-lobe blower packages provide consistent, reliable vacuum with heavy-duty construction and low noise levels � all at a very competitive price!

The Com-pak Plus series delivers flows to 3305 cfm and vacuum to 15� hg, plus a warranty that is unsurpassed in the industry. The complete, customized packages include inlet and discharge silencers, a high-efficiency, EPAct comp...

FIND mapping portal and consultancy services launches to the environmental sector

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

FINDmaps.co.uk has launched to the environmental sector as a result of overwhelming success in the property world. FIND is the UK`s most advanced online mapping tool for businesses and works for free on any internet browser - they use a �software as a service� business model where you only pay for the data you use. This makes a highly cost effective solution to companies reviewing software, data management and licensing. FIND�s aim is to change the way environmental professionals work through it...

Environmental Expert Latest News & Press Releases

Aquamarine to flick switch on first oyster device

How green is your smart card?

Dell protects laptops with bamboo packaging

Low carbon bus fund gets EU green light

World bank arm offers $200m in loans to reforest Indonesia

Carbon trust highlights need for climate innovation centres

Solid-state devices get energy boost

Solar-powered aeroplane takes to the runway

Funding scheme to reduce rainforest destruction

E.ON completes US wind farm on former coal mine

Better protection for homes and communities from flooding and drought

Workplace Wasters - Brits revealed to be more environmentally aware at home than in the workplace

Ceres applauds SEC decision allowing financial risks in environmental and social resolutions

Climate issues loom at the UN world food summit

New registry provides access to eco-impact of industries

Intel eyes up wind and electric vehicle markets

Australia`s climate bill row heats up

WWF tops list of NGOs that are best for business support

Workers accused of leaving green habits at the office door

Government charges up electric car network with fresh �30m

California bans large energy wasting TV screens

Success at RWM 2009

Com-paK Plus™ packages take control!

Consistent, reliable vacuum!

FIND mapping portal and consultancy services launches to the environmental sector