green

MENLO PARK, Calif.--Carbon dioxide: It's the cause of global warming, and it could also become the cure.

Sandia National Laboratories is tinkering with ways to convert CO2 into liquid fuels or precursors to useful fuels, said Ron Stoltz, government relations manager for the lab, speaking here at a showcase for the 2007 California Clean Tech Open on Monday. At the event, organizations like Sandia, Lawrence Berkeley Lab and UC Davis showed off a few ideas percolating in their labs for alternative energy.

The idea is to heat carbon dioxide to about 1200 degrees Celsius with excess energy from … Read more

In this eco-chic era, it can be tricky to separate public-relations greenwashing claims from sincere product-greening campaigns. Businesses vying to appear ecologically kinder and gentler than the competition slap a broad variety of eco-labels onto their goods and services.

Aiming to make corporate practices simpler for consumers to decipher, a new effort by B Corporation is setting stringent sustainability standards. It will audit companies' environmental and social practices, encouraging businesses to integrate green goals into everyday operations. Businesses that pass the test can tap into B Corporation's collective marketing efforts. The so-called "triple bottom line" of serving &… Read more

NanoH2O, a desalination company that grew out of research at UCLA, has raised $5 million.

The company is trying to commercialize a membrane that consists of a matrix of porous polymer sheets embedded with specially designed nanoparticles. The nanoparticles attract water molecules and repel other particles. In reverse osmosis, seawater passes through porous membranes. The pores allow water to pass, but are too small for salt and other particles, thereby purifying the water.

Because they attract water and repel other substances through their inherent chemical properties, the particles cut in half the amount of energy required to pump the water … Read more

Many traditional societies have partaken tree house living. And some of us had tree houses when we were kids. Now a New York-based nonprofit is promising a tree house for future high-tech, low-impact living.

The group is terreform.org. In their own words, "Terreform is a nonprofit organization and philanthropic design collaborative that integrates ecological principles in the urban environment."

Terreform says it is close to making its first sale. Zoning regulations and building codes may present a problem. Walls that grow and change shape?

Like any self-respecting tree, the Fab Tree Hab would collect rainwater. The walls … Read more

GreenBorder Technologies has been acquired by Google.

The acquisition, according to a posting Monday on the Google Operating System blog, should provide the Internet giant with a Web "sandbox" for its users. Basically users could enter the sandbox, search and interact with various Web sites, and leave any viruses they encounter back in the sandbox when they exit.

As it turns out, a couple weeks back GreenBorder customers had been wondering the company's discussion board if something was afoot.

On its Web site, the security software developer noted it would discontinue sales of its GreenBorder Pro products, … Read more

BEIJING--It seemed like a pretty good place for stories.

The China Beijing International High Tech Expo, taking place right now, is the Chinese government's showcase for the country's technological achievements. There is an exhibit floor and several sessions, including a two-day symposium on "China's Energy Strategy." Topics include the growth of E85 ethanol, solar power, the coal industry and water. Both government and private sector speakers would appear. Other sessions include an overview of China's high tech exports, R&D and recycling.

It took a number of e-mails and phone calls over several … Read more

One often-cited alternative to gasoline-powered cars is hydrogen. Editors Michael Kanellos and Brian Cooley took a look at one example of a hydrogen-powered test car, a small Mercedes. To keep Kanellos from endangering himself and said vehicle, they set the top speed on this hydro-chariot at only 85 miles per hour. Take a look.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg dropped by the Today show Tuesday morning to talk about cleaning up his city. No, it wasn't time for a get-tough-on-crime talk. Instead, he wants to make the urban air a little less noxious, and maybe give the fight against global warming a little more street-level cred.

Hizzoner used the morning news-and-lighter-fare show to say that by 2012, all of the city's taxis would be hybrid vehicles. "There's an awful lot of taxicabs on the streets of New York City, obviously"--13,000 licensed yellow cabs, 90 percent of them … Read more

Transonic Combustion--which is working on engine components that will let cars run on gas, biodiesel, ethanol, vegetable oils or other fuels--announced on Tuesday that it has raised a second round of funding.

Investors in both rounds are the same--Khosla Ventures, Rustic Canyon and Venrock.

The somewhat secretive company has come up with a highly efficient combustion system for conventional engines that increases gas mileage. It also allows cars to run on different fuels, which could help goose sales of things like biodiesel. There are other techniques for allowing engines to run on a variety of fuels, but they aren't … Read more