Jay Leno’s frictionless MagLev Wind Turbine
by Douglas Tapia
Doug Tapia posted this in January. It was exciting enough, I thought it worth posting one more time. GRM Read more of this >>
Photos from recent shoot with Doug Eichelberger & George Nez
by Douglas Tapia
A few images from a recent trip to Doug Eichelberger’s Lucky Ranch, near Larkspur, Colorado. This was a fantastic trip, with a number of really exciting green building techniques being discussed. More to follow!
Biodegradable, Soil-Enriching Erosion Control
by Douglas Tapia
As part of the company’s ongoing commitment to the environment and to sustainable development, Newmont Ghana is, under the supervision of Mohammed Bin Abubakar, the reclamation coordinator for Newmont Ghana’s Ahafo mine, employing a rather unique erosion control system.
Not content with the long-term environmental consequences associated with traditional plastic netting commonly used to control erosion around roads and waterways, Bin Abubakar sought a more responsible solution. What he came up with was a revolutionary project that forgoes plastic netting in favor of locally manufactured, biodegradable netting. Read more of this >>
Bin’s Garden from Newmont Ghana
by Douglas Tapia
Mohammed Bin Abubakar is the Reclamation Coordinator for Newmont Ghana’s Ahafo Mine in Ghana, west Africa. In this short piece below, he and others discuss the nursery he oversees for Newmont Ghana and the ways in which his efforts are helping Newmont to change the perceptions about mining in rural Ghana.
Click Here to view “Bin’s Garden”
Author’s vision for “Ecotopia” as timely as ever
by Douglas Tapia
Imagine, a world where recycling is required, food wastes are turned into organic fertilizer, and most energy comes from solar, sea, wind, and geothermal power. This green utopia was envisioned by Ernest Callenbach in his 1975 novel “Ecotopia.”
Even in the 1970s, Callenbach’s vision was firmly grounded in sound science. Says Callenbach in a recent piece in The Capital Times (Madison, WI), ”I was trying to raise the question that we could be doing all this stuff in 1975 and why aren’t we? Our goose will be cooked if we don’t do it now.”
Read more of this >>
Recyclers feeling the pinch
by Douglas Tapia
Glen Stubbe / MCT
I came across this piece last night, published by the Raleigh News & Observer which paints a fairly bleak picture for the price of recycled materials in the near term:
When the economy slows, consumers cut back on purchases, and in turn manufacturers ship fewer products. The demand for used corrugated cardboard, for example, drops. Corrugated cardboard, which is used to make packaging, brings about $25 per ton, one-fifth of the $125 a ton it brought in April.
