Green Tech

OPX Biotechnologies is a bit different than the other companies out there trying to make fuel from microbes.

It's not touting that it's found a magic microbe for turning wood chips into ethanol or synthetic petroleum. In fact, it doesn't even have a microbe in mind yet. Instead, the company has devised a system that speeds up the process for figuring out how the genome in a particular microbe functions and how it can be better exploited.

The tool, developed at the University of Colorado at Boulder, lets researchers test the function of different genes simultaneously. Right … Read more

Two companies that deal in diapers have attracted notable funding within the past week, leaving Dan Primack of Private Equity Hub to muse about the rise of a "diaper bubble."

gDiapers, which makes eco-friendly diapers, announced yesterday that it raised an undisclosed sum from 2x Consumer Products Growth Partners and Golden Seeds angel investors. gDiapers' hybrid diapers, perhaps the Prius of the Pampers world, consist of a flushable, compost-ready insert that fits inside decorative cloth panties.

Online marketplace Diapers.com raised $7 million in Series B funding last week, mostly through Bessemer Venture Partners. The Web site sells … Read more

As if the burden of divorce weren't bad enough, people with failed marriages can be blamed for global warming, according to a study by Michigan State University.

Divorced couples use up more space in their respective homes, which amounts to to 38 million more rooms worldwide to light, heat and cool, noted the report.

And people who divorced used 73 billion kilowatt-hours more of electricity and 627 billion gallons of water than they would otherwise in 2005.

Dissolving a marriage also means doubling possessions, from the lowly can opener to the SUV. The report, however, did not estimate how … Read more

Twelve percent of Americans are willing to pay more for greener electronics, according to a Forrester Research survey of 5,000 people. The study forecast that electronics companies will learn to target this segment of the population, equivalent to 25 million consumers.

The report broke down shoppers into three categories: "bright" green, green, and un-green. Another 41 percent may care about environmental woes, but not enough to pay more for greener gadgets, while green issues were of little or no concern to another 47 percent of people surveyed.

"Bright" green consumers are otherwise known by the … Read more

Tesla Motors founder Martin Eberhard, or at least a person who claims to be him on an online message board, says he's not happy about being pushed out of the management team.

Eberhard this summer stepped down from the CEO spot amid production delays and was replaced with interim CEO Michael Marks. In November, Tesla appointed a permanent CEO. What was less noticed was that Eberhard at that time also stepped down from the board. His official connection to the company now, besides being a major stockholder, is as a member of the advisory board.

On the Tesla Motors … Read more

The U.K. Housing Ministry released official details on an expansive $18.6 billion redevelopment project that would be water-neutral and feature carbon-zero buildings.

The Thames Gateway 9 billion-pound ($18.6 billion) project would span 40 miles along the Thames River from London's Canary Wharf to Southend in Essex and Sittingbourne in Kent.

If approved by Parliament, the Thames Gateway could be "Europe's largest regeneration project," according to the proposed plan (PDF) from the U.K. Ministry of Housing and Planning.

But the ministry has also repeatedly said it wants the project to be an example … Read more

Google to enter clean-energy business. It's a search engine, it's a $700 stock, it's a clean energy investor. Google surprised many this week with plans to get into the renewable energy business. Skeptics and fans await results. Roundup.

Can baking soda curb global warming? A start-up in Texas says it can turn the carbon dioxide emitted by power plants into baking soda. CNET News.com.

Ethanol Craze Cools As Doubts Multiply. Corn-based ethanol is considered renewable energy but it continues to draw fire from environmentalists, locations that host refineries, and, increasingly, investors. The Wall Street Journal.

Cleaning … Read more

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the vast waste of materials at the gargantuan Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Mobile phones frozen into buffet ice sculptures just scratch the surface of the showcase of an industry that thrives on planned obsolescence.

Three years ago, I'd asked the planners of CES about its waste management, receiving befuddled looks in return. But then I stopped worrying and learned to love my free CES vinyl laptop bag, stuffed with plasticky swag that will outlast the bones of any great-grandchildren I may ever have.

Sure, there were e-waste recycling awards back … Read more

Many people aren't totally sure what to make of Google's ambitious announcement on Tuesday that it intends to generate one gigawatt of electricity--the equivalent of a few power plants--from renewable-energy sources.

After all, what is a company that makes its money from search and advertising know about the stodgy world of utilities and power generation?

I would argue that Google's commitment to clean energy is a smart move.

Will it make fabulous riches from its investments? We won't know for a while. But in the meantime, its announcement has done exactly what the Googlers wanted--it focused … Read more