Environmental Issues

Trump administration seeks to start new California fracking projects

August 13, 2018August 10, 2018 Bret Williams

More than a million acres of public land in California could be open to hydraulic fracturing. While California fracking is nothing new, for the past five years there has been a moratorium on leasing federal public land in the state to oil companies. However, this could soon change as the Trump Administration recently took the first step in a process that could open up 1.6 million acres of public land and mineral estates in central California to hydraulic fracturing (fracking) and conventional oil drilling. The BLM intends to analyze the…

Plastic waste is adding to the ever-increasing greenhouse gases problem

August 10, 2018August 9, 2018 Amanda Giasson

greenhouse gases - Plastic waste on beach

New research from Hawaii reveals plastics release GHG emissions. Due to common plastics degrading in the environment emitting greenhouse gases (GHG), plastic waste is now an even bigger environmental problem. This discovery was recently made by researchers from the University of Hawaii at Manoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST). Exposure to ultraviolet light triggers the effect. The study, which was published in the journal PLOS ONE, reports that the most common plastics degrading in landfills and oceans emit the greenhouse gases methane and ethylene when they…

Portable recycling machine could help deal with the plastic waste problem

August 7, 2018August 6, 2018 Alicia Moore

portable recycling machine - plastic waste in water

A DIY recycling machine is small enough to travel in the back of a ute. A group of engineering students from one of Australia’s leading universities, Monash University, have created a portable recycling machine that can breakdown plastic bottles, bags, trays and containers and convert them into anything that can be made in a mold. The machine is small enough that it can fit on the back of a utility vehicle, commonly called a ute in Australia. The students took on the challenge to create the machine as part of…

Plastic straws waste to be eliminated at McDonald’s Restaurant across Australia

August 3, 2018August 2, 2018 Amanda Giasson

Plastic straws waste - McDonald's Restaurant

McDonald’s Australia is working on it eco-friendly image. By 2020, McDonald’s Australia intends to eliminate its plastic straws waste by phasing out existing plastic straws from its 970 restaurants across the country. The fast food giant is working with local suppliers to find a practical alternative. In its efforts to deal with the plastic straws waste problem, McDonald’s Australia has teamed up with local suppliers in search of a viable solution for the issue. First up, paper straws will be tested. The trial will begin this month and be rolled…

Toronto W2E project is the first of its kind in the Canadian City

August 2, 2018August 1, 2018 Bret Williams

Canada’s largest city has announced its plans to build a waste-to-energy (W2E) facility. The Toronto W2E project will be a renewable natural gas (RNG) facility and will be the first of its kind in Ontario’s capital. The project is a joint venture between the City of Toronto and Enbridge Gas Distribution Inc., a Canadian multinational energy transportation company. The facility will produce RNG from the city’s organic waste. At the Dufferin Solid Waste Management Facility in North York, the City’s Solid Waste Management Services Division will start installing new equipment…

New EV Battery Recycling program to be launched in China

July 31, 2018July 30, 2018 Tami Hood

EV battery recycling - Sign for EV Charging Station

China wants to implement a recycling strategy to prevent future pollution problems. In the not-so-distant future, EV battery recycling is expected to become a significant part of the electric vehicle (EV) supply chain and China isn’t wasting any time on developing recycling standards for these used batteries. Lithium battery waste could reach an estimated 170,000 tons by 2020. In as little as two years, experts have warned that annual lithium battery waste (this includes batteries used in electric vehicles) could reach 170,000 tons, reported Reuters. Data that was recently published…

Zoo waste to energy project the first of its kind in North America

July 27, 2018July 26, 2018 Amanda Giasson

Zoo waste to energy - Barbary Ape eating apple

Michigan State University and the Detroit Zoo have partnered for a clean energy project. A zoo waste to energy solution has been given the green light in Detroit. A Michigan State University (MSU) research team will build an anaerobic digester at the Detroit Zoo as a clean solution for the zoo’s animal and food waste problem. This will be the first anaerobic digester implemented at a zoo in North America. The team of university researchers, led by MSU researcher Dana Kirk, worked with the Detroit Zoo to build the zoo…

New study suggests global warming is climbing twice as high as previously predicted

July 24, 2018July 23, 2018 Amanda Giasson

Global warming - Earth immersed in water

The climate change crisis may be worse than current climate models have forecasted. New global warming research that was conducted by numerous researchers from 17 countries around the world, has revealed that the current climate predictions may underestimate long-term warming by as much as a factor of two. This could mean the goals of the Paris Climate Agreement may not be enough to prevent catastrophe. Green desserts and disintegrating polar ice caps could be the Earth’s potential future. The study, “Palaeoclimate Constraints on the Impact of 2 °C Anthropogenic Warming…

Revolutionary polymer recycling technology ready to be brought to market

July 20, 2018July 19, 2018 Amanda Giasson

Polymer recycling technology - Clothing - Laundry hanging to dry

Worn Again Technologies is prepared to accelerate its tech designed for recycling textiles. The British startup that has developed cellulose and polymer recycling technology has successfully reached its £5 million ($6.6 million) funding target. Having reached its investment goal, Worn Again Technologies is ready to bring its unique patented tech that can reprocess pure and blended cotton and polyester textiles to the market. Worn Again’s tech increases the potential to recycle raw materials in textiles. For over six years, the company has been intensively researching and developing its polymer recycling…

Tokyo 2020 sets high carbon-free renewable energy goals

July 13, 2018July 12, 2018 Amanda Giasson

The next Olympic Games host city is focusing on green technology and sustainability. The Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games is making every effort to reduce carbon emissions during the preparation for the Tokyo 2020 Games and when they take place. The Committee has a bold sustainability operation plan. Back in June, the Tokyo 2020 Organizing Committee announced its plans to use as many renewable power sources as possible during the Games. The plan was created with the intention of contributing to the United Nations’ 17 sustainable…

North Wales company receives funding for its MDF recycling technology

July 9, 2018July 6, 2018 Angie Bergenson

MDF Recovery is developing the world’s first tech to recycle MDF waste. The company based in North Wales is the brainchild of Craig Bennet, a Cheshire businessman who is pioneering a recycling technology designed to recycle MDF (medium-density fiberboard) waste. The firm recently received an additional £165,000 in funding to continue with the development of the technology. MDF Recovery is nearing commercialization. The company has successfully concluded proof of concept trials to create a commercially viable process that enables wood fiber to be recovered from used or off-cuts of MDF.…

Deliberate freshwater oil spill conducted in the name of science

July 3, 2018July 2, 2018 Tami Hood

Canadian researchers seek to study the effects of oil spills on freshwater ecosystems. A team of scientists in northern Ontario, Canada, are purposely creating a freshwater oils spill in small cordoned off sections in an actual freshwater lake to study the effects the oil has on the natural environment. The scientists used diluted bitumen for their research. Thousands of miles of pipelines and rail lines cross many thousands of miles of freshwater lakes, rivers, marshes and drainage basins in North America. Pumped through these pipelines and railway tank cars is…

New Uber EV Champions Initiative encourages electric vehicle rides

June 22, 2018June 21, 2018 Alicia Moore

Uber EV Champions Initiative - Electric Vehicles - Green Car

The ride-hailing network wants to help lower transportation’s carbon footprint. The Uber EV Champions Initiative is a pilot program designed to increase electrical vehicle (EV) adoption. Participating driver-partners are encouraged to deliver a minimum of 5 million EV rides over the next 12 months. The pilot program has launched in seven cities. In partnership with leading electric vehicle adoption experts, the EV Champions Initiative has launched in San Francisco, San Diego, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Seattle, Austin and Montreal. Uber drivers in each of these cities will receive different perks as…

EU has unveiled a new clean energy target

June 18, 2018June 16, 2018 Stephen Vagus

The EU aims to derive 32% of its energy from renewable sources by 2030 The European Union has announced that it will be raising it’s clean energy target. European counties have been working to increase their consumption of clean energy for some time. Previously, the EU had aimed to derive 27% of its electricity from renewable sources by 2030. Now, the EU has raised this target to 32% in the same time frame. New deal could build confidence among investors The new target has been welcomed by some environmental groups,…

Renewable energy investments continue to grow rapidly

June 13, 2018June 12, 2018 Bret Williams

Renewable Energy Investments - Jar of Coins

Report highlights the grown of clean power investments throughout the world Renewable energy is beginning to outpace coal, natural gas, and nuclear power, in terms of global investments. According to a new report from the International Energy Agency, investments in clean energy have grown quickly due to the rapidly falling costs associated with generating electricity using clean technology. Notably, both solar and wind have become the most heavily supported forms of clean power in the world. These two types of renewable power have attracted the majority of investments being made…

China is boosting it’s focus on solar farms

June 8, 2018June 7, 2018 Stephen Vagus

Country aims to embrace solar power more aggressively China has big plans for solar power and will be investing in this form of renewable energy quite heavily in the coming years. The country has embarked on an ambitious plan to derive much of its electrical power from solar farms. By 2020, the country aims to have some 110 gigawatts of installed solar capacity in place. This would be enough to power approximately 30 million average homes. China wants to replace fossil-fuels with renewable power China’s investments in solar farms highlights…

Category: Environmental