With fossil fuel stockpiles running out, the world is in a race against the clock to come up with clean, renewable uses of technology that will meet our needs without hurting the next generation’s ability to meet their needs.  But, which countries are leading the way in renewable energy innovations?

The U.S. Army has explored plenty of renewable energy innovations.

One way to answer this question is by looking at which nations took out the most clean energy-related patents. Economists Antoine Dechezleprêtre and Matthieu Glachant analyzed patent awards by the European Union’s World Patent Statistical Database to see which nations produced the most clean technology inventions between 2000 and 2005.

1. Japan

The Dechezleprêtre and Glachant study found that Japan was responsible for 37.1 percent of innovations related to clean energy between 2000 and 2005. This matches up well with a 2002 report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, which found Japan’s environmental policies were strict, effective, well-enforced, and properly monitored.

2. United States

The U.S. is the global leader in carbon capture and storage, a method of grabbing CO2 from point sources and storing it so it can’t get into the atmosphere. The United States holds almost 70 percent of CCS patents across the world, according to British non-profit institute Chatham House.

Dechezleprêtre and Glachant found the U.S. came up with 11.8 percent of the world’s green inventions between 2000 and 2005.

3. Germany

In terms of green technology, Germany is best known for its solar panels, although it also uses many other types of renewable energy. The German Ministry for the Environment and Reactor Safety says that over 100 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity was provided by renewable energy in 2010.

As per Dechezleprêtre and Glachant’s analysis, Germany was responsible for 10 percent of the world’s eco-friendly patents during the studied period.

4. China

China’s growing population is contributing to a bigger demand for energy, and political leaders are investing more into renewable energy for the country. As per the Center for American Progress, China invested $33.7 billion into renewable energy in 2009.

In the Dechezleprêtre and Glachant assessment, China was the source of 8.1 percent of global green innovations.

5. South Korea

South Korea has made renewable energy investing a priority. The South Korean government placed more than 80% of its $38 billion stimulus package into green investments in 2009, according to Forbes magazine.

This small country came up 6.4 percent of the planet’s renewable energy inventions, as per Dechezleprêtre and Glachant.

6. Russia

Like China, Russia has not traditionally been known for focusing on environmentalism, but this is starting to change. Russia’s emphasis on technology and science in education gives this country the potential to become a leader in eco-friendly technology.

In the previously mentioned study, Russia was responsible for 2.8 percent of global renewable energy innovations.

7. Australia

Australia’s status as an island gives it special opportunities and challenges when it comes to environmental decisions. The nation’s prime minister, Julia Gillard, recently unveiled a plan to tax its biggest emitters of carbon dioxide by July of 2012, which would make it the first country to place a price tag on carbon.

Dechezleprêtre and Glachant found that 2.5 percent of green technology-related patents came from Australia.

8. France

As in many European countries, the environment has long been a hot topic in France, and green products are becoming more popular among consumers.

In terms of green inventions, France tied with Australia in the above study.

9. United Kingdom

The U.K. may not produce many renewable energy innovations, but it’s good at importing other countries’ inventions, especially when it comes to wind and water power, according to a Forbes magazine report.

The United Kingdom produced 2 percent of renewable energy innovations covered in the Dechezleprêtre and Glachant study.

10. Canada

Canada isn’t a yet a big player in renewable energy, although a lot of its electricity comes from hydroelectric dams. However, with the use of wind power expanding, Canada has opportunities to pioneer new uses of green technology.

Canada was responsible for 1.7 percent of global green innovations in the patent analysis study.

Although eco-friendly patents and innovations don’t tell the whole story when it comes to a country’s environmental policies, the fact that these countries are investing in renewable energy means they are looking to the future—and that is a big part of the green mindset.

Hill adds: “I was searching for a more modern version of the Dechezleprêtre and Glachant patent study, but I couldn’t find anything on a global scale. Although their study uses information from 2005, it wasn’t published until 2009.”

Ashyia Hill is a business blogger and social media advocate with CreditDonkey, where she helps entrepreneurs evaluate small business credit cards.

Photo: RDECOM

New paper-based bottles use 70 percent less plastic. Source: Seventh Generation

In the 1967 Dustin Hoffman movie, The Graduate, a businessman at a trendy cocktail party said, “The future’s in plastic.” Today, at Seventh Generation and its development partner, Ecologic, a new paper bottle containing laundry detergent may soon have insiders repeating the mantra, “The future’s in paper.”

This March, Seventh Generation is distributing a new liquid laundry detergent bottle made from 100 percent recycled cardboard and newspaper. Seventh Generation’s Natural 4X Laundry Detergent bottle, designed with Ecologic Brands, features a fully-recyclable and compostable outer shell made from 70 percent recycled cardboard fibers plus 30 percent newspaper fibers. A recyclable lightweight plastic pouch is inside. The new bottle uses 66 percent less plastic than a typical 100 ounce 2X detergent bottle, the company reports.

Ecologic was founded in 2008. President Julie Corbett designed a bottle combining a sturdy molded fiber shell made from cardboard boxes and old newspapers with a thin inner plastic pouch and re-sealable cap. She patented her technology and Ecologic Brands was born.

When empty, the bottle’s shell can be recycled with other household paper. The #4 plastic pouch and the #5 cap can go into the plastic recycling bin. The Natural 4X Laundry Detergent will be available on natural retailer shelves throughout the country by the end of March.

Created as an alternative to rigid plastic bottles and laminated cartons, this design features a biodegradable and compostable shell made from recycled cardboard and a lightweight recyclable liner with 70 percent less plastic than a rigid container. Consumers gain the functionality they expect with a re-sealable cap, a rigid outer container and easy-to-grip profile. Disposal is simple: Consumers split open the shell’s side to separate and recycle components.

Ten package designers and developers have been named finalists in the “Package of the Future” competition, a key component of Project 2020: The Consumer Experience, sponsored by DuPont.

During November 2010, Environmental Leader reported about this company’s launch of new packaging that featured 96% post-consumer-recycled  content. This packaging was developed by Seventh Generation and partner, Consolidated Container Company, the packaging is made of resin derived from recycled milk jugs and other plastic bottles.

The GreenReportCard.org website and the College Sustainability Report Card are both initiatives of the Sustainable Endowments Institute. The Institute is a nonprofit organization engaged in research and education to advance sustainability in campus operations and endowment practices.

GreenReportCard.org recently released its annual list of the top 52 sustainable colleges and universities in the nation. Wilson says, “In the past, the highest overall score was an “A-”. For the first time, seven schools achieved an “A.”  While the schools with the highest grades are Brown University, Dickinson College, Oberlin College, Pomona College, University of Minnesota–Twin Cities, University of Wisconsin–Madison and Yale University, below are some additional schools to take notice. Let it be known that I am not associated with any of these schools. (To see the full list of green colleges and universities go to The 2011 College Sustainability Report Card.) I chose these schools because I felt that the schools that made A’s were quite repetitive (they made the same initiatives and reforms.) So I wanted to highlight what other schools were doing to add some variety.”

Colorado College: Colorado Springs, Colorado

Colorado College is located in an area lush with forestry and wildlife. So it’s no surprise that it wants to ensure that the state’s beauty is properly preserved. According to the report card, students recently conducted a semester-long campaign that managed to reduce energy by 12 percent and increased the waste diversion rate by more than 200 percent. In addition, aside from the campaign, students also collectively work together to educate children about environmental issues, hand out fair trade coffee, and operate a bike and car-sharing program. Colorado College’s ultimate goal is to achieve carbon neutrality within the next decade. To help implement their goal, the school has installed electric metering and steam line insulation in all of its buildings, lighting retrofits in 90 percent of buildings, and an energy management system in about 65 percent of the buildings. And to reduce waste, the college mandates that all printers are set to print double-sided. About 43 percent of the school’s food budget is spent on local products.

Arizona State University: Tempe, Arizona

ASU was not only the first public university in the U.S. to create a School for Sustainability where students can take courses such as international development, the economics of sustainability and sustainable ecosystems, but also the first school to create a housing facility where those who like to live green can unify. In general the school as a whole works together to put on programs to save the planet such as RecycleMania and the Solar Decathlon. About half of all the students do their best to use an alternative means of transportation, such as utilizing the campus shuttle or ASU’s bike-sharing program. The dining hall has been trayless since 2008 and serves some vegetarian-fed meat and hormone and antibiotic-free chicken and milk. Like most universities, ASU recycles standard materials such as paper and electronics, and donates or reuses forgotten items at move-out.

Tulane University: New Orleans, Louisiana

Since 2006, Tulane University has reduced its green house gas emissions by 3 percent. In order to continue with its mission to be a more sustainable facility, the university has not only implemented a variety of energy management systems, it has begun to install a number of low-flow faucets and showerheads, and weather-informed irrigation systems all across campus. While there is currently no building that meets LEED standards as of yet, the university has a huge construction project in Dinwiddie Hall, which is expected to meet LEED standards. As a new reform, all new incoming freshmen receive information about sustainability during orientation.

University of Minnesota

According to the report card, UMN has managed to effectively reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by installing numerous energy efficiency technologies. Some include creating a cogeneration facility, installing an energy management system and lighting retrofits. In addition, UMN generates about 3 percent of its energy from burning oat hulls for biofuel, the report card states. The university shines when it comes to its dining facilities and green practices. For example, the school ensures that it composts about 30 tons of pre- and postconsumer food waste each month; most of the food severed at the university is local and organic such as cage-free eggs, grass-fed beef, and hormone-free milk; and to encourage students to be more sustainable the school also offer discounts for students who use reusable bags, mugs, and to-go boxes.

Virginia Commonwealth University; Richmond, Virginia

Like many of the other schools that made the grade, this university spends about 16 percent of its budget on local and organic food products. Almost all of the dairy and milk products are hormone and antibiotic free; almost all of the seafood is sustainably harvested; and all of the coffee and chocolate are fair-trade. In addition, not only is the dining hall a trayless zone, the university also operates a program that reuses and recycles surplus goods such as furniture, appliances, and clothing. As far as the structure of the buildings is concerned, there are exactly 11 that meet LEED standards (covering about 14 percent of campus). The school has also made additional initiatives to be green having installed water-saving technologies that include low-pressure showers, dual-flush toilets, and waterless urinals.  According to the report card, full-time students can ride the bus for free and employees who carpool receive the best parking

Kate Willson, who writes on the topics of top online colleges.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: katewillson2@gmail.com.

Simon Dale's low-impact home in Wales

This marvelous and imaginative home was built in Wales by Simon Dale.

He writes: “This building is one part of a low-impact or permaculture approach to life. This sort of life is about living in harmony with both the natural world and ourselves, doing things simply and using appropriate levels of technology. These sort of low cost, natural buildings have a place not only in their own sustainability, but also in their potential to provide affordable housing which allows people access to land and the opportunity to lead more simple, sustainable lives. For example this house was made to house our family whilst we worked in the woodland surrounding the house doing ecological woodland management and setting up a forest garden, things that would have been impossible had we had to pay a regular rent or mortgage.”

Kitchen view

I recommend looking at the series of videos produced by this thoughtful gentleman and his family.

Michael Bluejay on his bike. Photo: Bluejay

For those wondering if they or their friends have attained the 21^st century status of being electricity hogs, they might wish to get familiar with Michael Bluejay, known to many as Mr. Electricity on his website. He publishes useful information about how much electrical energy various home appliances use, and often waste. He starts off with the second biggest user, the refrigerator (The top rank goes to the air conditioner). In most homes the refrigerator is the second-largest user of electricity (13.7%), right after the air conditioner (16%). (Dept. of Energy).

Bluejay refers to his lifestyle as that of a minimalist, saying saving electricity is about more than saving money. “Saving electricity doesn’t just save money, it also saves the environment.”

He goes on to state this is news to a lot of people. “After all, when you plug something into the wall, it seems clean enough — you don’t see or smell any pollution, like you do with your car. But the pollution is there — it just happens at the power plant.”

What this means to today’s electricity gobbling homeowners involves either using less electricity in certain cases or sometimes just better, or newer appliances. Consumers can start lowering appliance electricity use by choosing more efficient appliances. With most appliances you save energy by using them less, but you can’t very well do that with your fridge. The main way to save money with your fridge is to use an efficient model.

Bluejay elaborates here: “New fridges aren’t just a little more efficient, they’re incredibly more efficient. A 1986-era 18 c.f. fridge uses 1400 kWh a year, while a modern energy-efficient model uses only 350 kWh — a whopping 75% reduction. At 15¢ kWh, trading in a pre-1986 fridge for a new efficient one would save about $158 a year in electricity costs.  And some older fridges are even worse than the average.

He adds an important consideration to the numbers he uses. “All the figures on this page are with any ice maker turned OFF.  When the icemaker is on then usage could be as much as double. (Consumer Reports)  If you trade in an old fridge without an icemaker for an icemaker-equipped fridge, and you run the icemaker, you might not see any savings.

If your fridge was made before 2001, then yes, you should almost certainly trade it in.  Older fridges are wildly inefficient.  The best modern models use less than half of what 1993-2000 fridges used.”

For those ready to get a new refrigerator, he adds this counsel: “Get an EnergyStar model.  In the U.S., look for the Energy Star label, which identifies fridges that are at least 20% more efficient than standard models.

There is much worthwhile information on Mr. Electricity’s website. A visit is more then worth the time.

A composting toilet from BioLet in Sweden. Photo: BioLet

For those considering building without a septic tank or access to a sewer line, it might be time to look at composting toilets, especially if putrid smells can be avoided.  Swedish-based BioLet has manufactured waterless toilets for 35 years and indicates odor is not a problem, especially in Sweden where waterless toilet systems are required in many places. Here, the average American uses 7,665 gallons of water each year just flushing the toilet.

Just a few years ago mention of a composting toilet brought far more in the way of frowns than applause. As Peter Andersson, BioLet USA’s president pointed out in a press release, “People would go, “A what toilet…?!?” You either quickly changed the subject, or went into an ever-lasting explanation about what it is, how it works and especially why on earth anybody would want to have a toilet that doesn’t flush. Things are changing.”

Biolet waterless toilet Photo: BioLet

That is certainly true for the number of shopping options that exist today. Try an Internet toilet mall, for instance, called http://www.compostoilet.com/ which offer a variety of composting toilets including Sun-mar and Biolet brands. The green toilets use little water and are designed to help the environment while reducing your water bill.

Another waterless toilet retailer, Letsgogreen.com contends that a composting toilet is the most economical, convenient and environmentally friendly way to process toilet wastes when you can’t connect to a sewer or septic system, or in areas of water shortage.”

As BioLet’s website states, “These days, waterless toilets – and toilets that use less water – have become very common; in some areas they are even considered a necessity. Waterless urinals can be found at many airports or sport arenas, and people are gradually becoming more educated about wise water usage. “

The principle is very simple. Human waste is transformed into a dry, odorless material that can easily be disposed of, or even recycled back to the earth. The toilet consists of various control mechanisms that guarantee an odor free operation and let’s the proud owner of a BioLet appreciate the benefits of having a fully functional toilet while doing his or her part to protect their nation’s precious water resources.

For more information, BioLet’s video archive provides much worth watching.

Mohammed Bin Abubakar, explains nursery to writer, Glenn Meyers. Photo: Oteng Foster

As gardeners go, Mohammed Bin Abubakar holds a unique position. He has built a forest where once there were only rushed rocks and the unsightly remnants of an old gold mine.

He serves as the reclamation coordinator at Newmont Mining Corporation’s Brong Ahafo Gold Mine in Ghana which started production a few years ago. One Newmont employee, Gloria Dwummah-Adu, says Abubakar has made a beautiful forest out of this mining wasteland and that many should follow this model.

Fondly, she refers to this 75-acre site as “Bin’s garden.” Now birds sing and the shade from the rapidly growing forest is a welcome relief to all who enter these woods.

Abubakar’s reclamation work began some time ago when Australian-based Normandy Mining employed him. When Normandy was sold to Newmont in 2002, he began working for Newmont Ghana Gold, Ltd. This is a green, well-designed forest that invites exploration.

Newmont Ghana employee, Gloria Dwummah-Adu in the reclaimed forest. Photo: Oteng Foster

“Wow! This is awesome!” exclaims MS. Dwummah-Adu.

Abubakar discusses how he built the forest. “We were tasked to establish a plantation to convince the locals that surface mining by the company will not destroy their land. And before that we established this nursery that you see here.”

He and his team then applied the knowledge they acquired from his training to reclaim the wasteland. They started with a nursery, which is now being used for other mining reclamation projects. Abubakar says that when they established this nursery, they decided to bring back the original trees, which used to be on the land.

To build this forest, Newmont, led by Abubakar, approached the chief of the town, asking that his village provide an area where the reclamation team could demonstrate its capabilities of reclaiming land. “And fortunately, there was some land – about 75 acres – he gave it to us free of charge to demonstrate to the people that if our company says we are going to reclaim the land it will be true,” says Abubakar. “Lo and behold, we established this forest which you see here.”

Many a mining operation should take a look at how this former mining site has undergone reclamation.

Of the many species of grasses, bamboo provides many uses. Source: Master Garden Products

Who knows? Perhaps one gateway out of America’s economic doldrums will come from a boom. There are plenty of people looking at what was once just regarded as a tropical and oriental product, bamboo.

As writer Harry Sawyers noted over a year ago in Popular Mechanics, “Bamboo has come into vogue as a green, sustainable resource that’s used for everything from cutting boards to clothing to wood floors. But until now, almost all of the bamboo in products sold here has come from overseas. That could change soon, as new planting techniques may lead to millions of new acres of bamboo shoots in the American South.” Some wonder if a plant like bamboo can revitalize farmland on the Mississippi Delta.

The American Bamboo Society (ABS) was formed in 1979. Today it counts over 1,400 members living throughout the U.S. and in 37 other countries. For those who are interested, the ABS issues a bimonthly Magazine and the Journal to disseminate information about the use, care, propagation and beauty of bamboo.

Bamboo forests may soon grow in America, Source: Popular Mechanics

Of interest, bamboo is regarded by many as a wood product, due to its hardness and durability. In reality, though, it is a grass. Considered the largest of the grasses, there are over 1600 species of bamboo, 64 percent of which are native to Southeast Asia. Thirty-three percent grows in Latin America, and the rest in Africa and Oceania. In North America there are only three native species of bamboo as opposed to the 440 species native to Latin America, writes master garden products

Bamboo varies in height from dwarf, one foot (30 cm) plants to giant timber bamboos that can grow to over 100 feet (30 m). It grows in many different climates, from jungles to high on mountainsides. Bamboos are further classified by the types of roots they have. Some, called runners, spread exuberantly, and others are classified as clumpers, which slowly expand from the original planting.

Author Paul Schneider has written prolifically about his love affair with bamboo, providing a cornucopia of information about growing the grass in colder climes.

“Bamboo has proven to be an aesthetic asset to our garden here in Cambridge, New York (north of Albany on the Vermont border; confirmed Zone 4). It mixes well with many other plants both perennial and annual. Depending on the species, it can be used as a tall or medium background plant, a “statement” plant or as a low border or ground cover plant.”

For others, it is grown more as a wood product. “To grow bamboos,” writes Schneider, “New England gardeners must be willing to accept the challenge of working with a plant that normally doesn’t grow in their climactic zone. And they must also understand that the taller bamboos will not grow to the height they would reach in Zones 5 or warmer.”

According to Patrick Malcolm, Golden Bamboo was the first of the Phyllostachys bamboo cultivars to be introduced into the United States, in 1882. In Alabama, where bamboo was to be primarily used as a fast growing windbreak, it was planted by southern tobacco farmers. The poles from the golden bamboo have probably landed more fish in the southeastern U.S. than any other means of fishing, hence the name, fishing pole bamboo.

For those wanting bigger and better, there is Giant Timber bamboo. Its dark green to golden stalks that grow to 100 feet tall, featuring 6 inch poles that are 6 inches in diameter.

There are fundamental ROI issues to regard, writes Sawyers: “Getting the revenue flowing could prove to be the biggest obstacle. Unlike cotton, which promises a return on investment at the end of a single growing season, bamboo crops must mature for three or four years before they’re ready for the first harvest.”

i-plas makes lovely products from recycled plastics. Source: i-plas

Massachusetts’s grocers are decreasing the number of disposable bags being used in an effort to develop sounder approaches for waste management. At the same time, the use of recycled plastics products in the construction field is growing.

Waste & Recycling News reports that early results show the number of disposable plastic and paper bags has dropped significantly in Massachusetts following the implementation of a public-private partnership aimed at discouraging plastic bag use at grocery stores.

The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection and the Massachusetts Food Association began the program in 2009. The joint initiative to reduce the distribution of disposable bags shows 12 supermarket chains, covering 384 stores report the 25% disposable bag distribution reduction. The state and grocers have a goal of reaching at least 33% by 2013.

Meanwhile, across the Atlantic, the innovative recycling technology at i-plas is being used to develop many attractive commercial and residential building products that may otherwise have gone to landfills. The UK company reports or plastic waste that other recyclers cannot handle are being used to produce a range of recycled plastic products which outperform the traditional alternatives of wood, steel and concrete; products which are technically advanced, commercially successful and environmentally responsible.

Innovative recycling in action, c/o i-plas. Source: i-plas

UK-based i-plas has developed a comprehensive range of sustainable building products for use in construction projects for both home and export markets. Many of these recycled plastics have been developed in conjunction with major building and civil partners and effectively offer an environmentally friendly alternative to traditional methods where timber, concrete and steel are used.

One product category includes a range of fences that offer environmental, aesthetic, commercial and economic solutions. The company’s encouraging marketing claims for fencing products include:

• Lasts five times longer than timber,
• Reduces whole life cost.
• Minimal maintenance and easy to clean.
• Labor saving.
• Less flammable than timber.
• Can be cut, screwed, nailed and bolted.
• Will not rot, crack, split or splinter and is resistant to algae.
• Reduces the carbon footprint of any project.
• Is 100% recycled and can be recycled.
• UV resistant.
• Diverts material from landfill.

Vertical garden on French building from Patrick Blanc Photo: Blanc

Credit for inventing the vertical wall goes to French botanist and inventor, Patrick Blanc,  shown in this building photo.  According to Blanc’s website, the vertical garden was conceived from watching natural environments – many in jungle locations – and watching how plants can grow without soil. The vertical wall can also functions as an air purification system.

Vertical garden options from Vertigarden

One up and coming vertical gardening company in America, PlantsOnWalls, based in San Francisco, is developing and marketing numerous vertical wall applications for interior and exterior walls, calling them living walls (lower photos). Another vertical gardening company of note is a UK-based VertiGarden, whose work is shown here.

PlantsOnWalls system for growing herbs vertically. Source: PlantsOnWalls

PlantsOnWalls states that its panels are made with 100% recycled water bottle PET plastic fiber felt that is non-toxic, UV stable and will last a lifetime. The felt pockets that are part of the wall system are mounted to a lightweight recyclable plastic board that provides support, while keeping the back dry.

Many observers might ask how a vertical garden can be watered. Simply water the top row of pockets that are part of the wall system, the company Website says. This patent pending design is intended to keep the interior moist while keeping the front dry. And in cases of overwatering, excess moisture not absorbed by the plants will drip from the bottom of the panel. Runoff can be collected in drip trays to be recirculated or drained away. A video of how this system works can be seen here.

Plants that can be grown in such a wall system include succulents, various ivies, herbs and low-light ferns. The company adds that most plants can be grown where it receives its proper light, water and nutrient requirements.