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Is Apple working on a fuel cell-powered MacBook?

A new patent filing suggests that the tech giant has fuel cells in mind for future computers and gadgets.




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The philosopher's stone for a new era: quest for a cheap hydrogen economy

Hydrogen is abundant in water and full of energy. We just need a cheap way to get the hydrogen where we need it.




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Toyota plans 90% CO2 cuts from cars, 100% from factories by 2050

Just one more reason for Big Oil and Big Coal to worry.




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Power from poo: Breakthrough could lead to sustainable electricity from sewage

Oh, the wonderful things that poo can do.




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Riversimple won't sell its Rasa hydrogen car, but will lease its mileage

Goodbye car ownership, hello "mobility as a service."




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Hydrogen: folly or fuel of the future?

They are not efficient, there is no infrastructure, and they are shills for the fossil fuel industry.




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Are Antiques Green? Not a Simple Answer

Image credit: Jenni Grover What's the Carbon Footprint of the Antique Industry? I've been told I think too much. (Though I've also been told the opposite is true!) From musing over whether carrots are vegan to wondering about the true cost of my rural




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New Study Finds Kindle Greener Than the Printed Word

(Image: Geekbrief)The battle, no doubt, will rage on for some time over which is greener, e-books or the printed stuff. A new item of evidence, however, has been submitted: a report by the Cleantech Group has concluded that in a spine-to-spine lifecycle




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Can 400 Green Labels Do Anything But Confuse The World's Consumers?

The marketing and branding services group BBMG just reported on his year's annual survey of green consumer attitudes. Questions were asked to determine recognition of 13 of




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Is LEED Breaking Up with FSC-Certified Wood?

After a long-lasting and loving monogamous relationship between the US Green Building Council and the Forest Stewardship Council, it seems the USGBC is considering, not a break up, but definitely thinking




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Bioneers 2009 - Annie Leonard Bringing Out More Stories of More Stuff

Annie Leonard is having an incredible run with her short documentary The Story of Stuff. The film still gets 10,000 views per day and has already reached 7.3 million people over the 22 months since it was released. The film




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Trend Watch: Pot Growing In Abandoned McMansions

The bad guys bought abandoned or repossessed homes, ripped out interior walls, illegally tapped into power and water, and grew pot commercially. What starts in




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All UK and Irish Tetra Pak Packaging to be FSC Certified

Image from Tetra Pak Tetra Pak is the world's largest packaging company so when they decide to do something environmental it has a big impact. They have just announced that all of their UK and Irish packaging will be FSC (Forest Stewardship Council)




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Ask Pablo: Real or Fake Christmas Tree?

Yes, they seem tacky and don't make your house smell like a coniferous forest but they also won't dry up and shed their needles all over the place




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Care to Air Design Challenge by Levi's

Air-drying clothing is definitely the cheapest, and especially the most eco-friendly way of drying your clothes; no energy or machinery is needed. However, if you live in a small space, a rainy country or simply are a busy (or forgetful) person,




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Designing Out Waste in Industry Becomes a Priority for Big UK Businesses

This week a new report has been published by UK environmental think tank Green Alliance which unites top UK businesses on a mission to design out waste in industry. The report is called A Pathway To Greener Products and calls on the new coalition




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Ask Pablo: Is Boxed Water Really Better?

In past articles I have shown that boxed




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Ask Pablo: What is the Best Environmental Choice for Yoga Mats?

Each year thousands of PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) yoga mats are sold




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Big Surprise: New Study Shows Insulated Concrete Forms Are Better Than Crap

I have always wondered why a sandwich of polystyrene and concrete is considered green, and have taken significant abuse for my position on insulated concrete forms (ICF). Now an interim report from the impressive-sounding MIT Concrete




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When Is It OK to Knock Down Old Houses?

The largest collection of prefab houses in the UK is about to be demolished. Built by German and Italian prisoners of war in 1945, these small bungalows are a remnant of war-time years when housing was at a premium.




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Life Cycle Analysis Compares Footprint of Gas and Electric Passenger Cars

Electric cars are the darlings of the green technology futurists. But wait, cries a receding voice, "what about the environmental impact of all those batteries?" Until recently, that lurking uncertainty shadowed the




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Nissan's Mark Perry on the Arrival of the Leaf (Podcast)

Amid a media flurry starring a displaced polar bear and an easy-breathing Lance Armstrong, Nissan has become the unlikely leader as it delivers a mass-produced, affordable electric car. The Leaf is now arriving in the driveways of eager customers, and




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Are Plastic Bags the Greenest Option After All?

I must admit I have never really understood the environmentalist obsession with plastic bags. As I noted in my post on a ban plastic bags rap that went viral, I've always felt there are




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Europeans To Ban Fire Retardants and Phthalates Critical To American Building Industry

Comments to the post What is the Best Way To Build A Wall? Not A Simple Answer wondered why we wanted to reinvent the wall. The consensus was "Having XPS on the exterior is, I think, the easiest and best solution." I will be




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Ask Pablo: Are Plastic Bags Better After All?

Dear Pablo: Is it true that plastic bags have less impact on the environment than the alternatives?




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Tour of the Second PassivHaus in UK

This lovely looking Victorian house in west London seems deceptively straightforward except for a tiny plaque on the front door. It notes that this is the second house in the UK to reach PassivHaus standards. And that is no mean




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Ajiro Bamboo Velobike: A "Grown Vehicle" That's Farmed, Not Factory-Made

Bamboo may seem like a questionable material for making bikes, but we've seen our share of great bamboo bikes -- and hey, there's even DIY bamboo bike-building classes out there. Taking advantage




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Ask Pablo: Is It Really Better To Recycle Paper?

Dear Pablo: I have a tough one for you: shall we recycle our paper? There are both the CO2 and the chemical aspects to consider, and there's arguments against recycling paper in each case.




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Levi’s wants you to help lower the impact of jeans

Today, Levi’s released a new Life Cycle Assessment for their jeans as part of an effort to promote more sustainable water usage.




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This tip can save you from drama

I've seen way too many friendships destroyed over this simple mistake.




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When to plant pumpkins so they're ready for Halloween

Since pumpkins generally require around 75 to 100 frost-free days, it's a good idea to get a jumpstart on planting them.




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8 surprising wild plants you can eat

Whether lost in the wilderness or just foraging in the woods for delicacies, all of these plants can be safely consumed.




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Vintage photos: World War II ‘victory gardens’

Urban farming was way more than a fad in the 1940s.




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Synthetic fabrics and car tires are major source of microplastic pollution

We hear a lot about plastics breaking down at sea, but scientists are discovering that a shocking quantity of plastic enters the ocean already in microscopic form.




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Ever heard of the powerful Balloon Council?

For almost 30 years the Council has been fighting against regulation that would limit balloons for environmental reasons.




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Plastic in the Ocean: a graphic overview

Learn about the extent of ocean plastic pollution and what you can do to help.




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How oysters are restoring New York's polluted harbor

These busy filter-feeders clean the water, attract biodiversity, and offer protection from storms.




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Palau becomes first nation to ban chemical sunscreens

The island nation in the western Pacific wants to protect its coral reefs from toxic sunscreen runoff.




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Is Idaho turning wastewater into beer?

I investigated a rumor about the northwestern state




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California teen collects 50,000 rotting golf balls from coastal waters

Alex Weber, 18, has just published a study that analyzes how these balls enter and degrade in the water.




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Mythbusting: Bottled water isn't safer than tap water

We are using way too many plastic bottles for no reason.




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The world water crisis by the numbers

In honor of World Water Day, here are the sobering numbers behind the billions of people living without safe water.




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Use cold water in your cleaning machines

Whether it's laundry or dishes, turn down the dial for environmental savings and gleaming results.




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What's wrong with my tomato plant? We have the answer

Here are 4 common problems with tomatoes during the summer – and tips for how to fix them.




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Toyota Passo Sette: Yaris-Sized 7 Seat MPV

The Amazing Shrinking car It seems like Toyota has learned quite a bit from building the Toyota iQ (follow link for photos), the "Smallest Four-Passenger Car in the World". But the question really was, if they can fit 4 people in a car that small, how




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Toyota to Go Bold In Bid to Revive Flagging Sales

Toyota Goes Bold Even Toyota, the maker of the much revered Toyota Prius, has been unable to escape the fallout from the economic downturn. In fact, Toyota just posted its first operating loss in 70 years, and the company is responding with bold plans




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Detroit Auto Show 2009: All-New Toyota Prius to be Unveiled Soon (But We've Already Seen It)

The Best-Selling Hybrid Car Gets a MakeoverIt might not be very suspenseful because we've all already seen leaked shots of the 3rd generation Toyota Prius hybrid (see below -




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Detroit Auto Show 2009: First Look at Toyota FT-EV Electric Car Concept

Diminutive but Electrifying The Toyota FT-EV electric car concept that debuted at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show is based on the platform of the 57 MPG Toyota iQ microcar that recently went on sale in Europe and that is apparently already a hit in




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Detroit Auto Show 2009: New 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid Will Get 50 MPG, Optional Solar Roof

Photo: Michael Graham Richard. Click to see 2010 Toyota Prius Slideshow.2010 Toyota^ Prius Hybrid: Hello WorldAfter some not too suspenseful waiting, here it is. The official debut of the 3rd generation Toyota Prius hybrid! You can see tons of




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GM Volt Versus Toyota Prius: Which Design Type Will Be More Effective At Reducing Stack & Tailpipe Emissions, And Energy Consumption?

This is one of those comparison posts that that could draw many angry comments: like Could Hype Sell An Inferior Hybrid? - Ford Fusion versus Toyota Camry did. Please carefully read the caveats.