Environmentally Refreshing Product

In an effort to reduce its carbon footprint PepsiCo has unveiled a new beverage bottle made 100% of plant-based materials.  Which means it is 100% plastic free!  The bottle is completely recyclable and is made from materials such as potato peels, orange peels, and oat hulls. 

The bottle will begin pilot production in 2012 and, upon successful completion, will then be introduced full-scale to the market.  This is in the wake of similar eco-friendly product containers released by PepsiCo such as SunChips 100% compostable bag, and the Eco-Fina Aquafina water bottle made using 50% less plastic.   

 

Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering

On March 2, Democrat representative Eddie Johnson introduced a bill to congress called H.R. 889: Fulfilling the Potential of Women in Academic Science and Engineering Act of 2011.  The purpose of this bill is “to provide for fulfilling the potential of women in academic science and engineering, and for other purposes.”

This bill would require demographic information on federal grants awarded via the National Science Foundation (NSF), and would require the Office of Science and Technology Policy to conduct workshops that will educate others in preventing gender bias in the evaluation stage of federal research grant proposals.   The bill has been referred to a congressional committee for further research. 

If you support this bill, let your congressional representative(s) know!  You can find out how to contact your representative(s) here: http://www.contactingthecongress.org/

Top o’ the Shamrock to ya’!

 The shamrock, often confused with a four leaf clover, is a popular symbol of Ireland and Saint Patrick’s Day.  With all the green surrounding this historical holiday, one may wonder “what makes shamrocks green?”

Chlorophyll is a biomolecule found in all green plants and is what gives plants their green color.  These molecules absorb light which allows for photosynthesis to occur, giving plants energy to grow and flourish. 

Photosynthesis is the process that allows plants to produce oxygen.  The plant absorbs carbon dioxide, the chlorophyll absorbs light, and photosynthesis occurs allowing the plant to grow.  In the process of this growth, the plant releases oxygen into its surrounding environment.

To learn more about this process, check out NBC’s Special “The Chemistry of Green: Chlorophyll” on the link below.

Khan Academy Bringing Free Education to the World

Distance learning and supplementation of education through outside resources is quickly becoming the standard for increasing the depth of educational materials available to classrooms.  Faced with ever-increasing budget cuts, educators are looking toward resources such as Khan Academy to supplement the quality of materials available to students.

With 1,800 lessons and 24 million views, Sal Khan, has created a revolutionary method of learning that even Bill Gates himself uses for him and his children.  Khan Academy is a free resource that anyone can use.  It features individual profiles built to work toward educational goals in a variety of subjects to include biology, chemistry, physics, and math.  

Instructors can establish “coach” profiles and connect with their students to measure student progress.  These tools allow instructors to monitor students’ progress, much like an assessment, to have insight as to which areas students need instructors to hone in on.  The non-for-profit’s founder, Sal Khan, seeks to simply bring quality information to people throughout the world.  

http://www.khanacademy.org

i-Tree: Re-leaf for Trees Worldwide

Forest management helps to maintain our world’s forest from destruction by fire, deforestation, and pestilence.   Next week the U.S. Forest Service is releasing software called i-Tree, used to detect invasive species of pests in forests.  

All too often, pests such as the Asian longhorned beetle are introduced to a population biologically incapable of protecting itself.   As a result, forests often become blemished long before the invasive species is detected and exterminated.   

Forest management is crucial to maintaining this finite resource that has a vital role in our ecosystem.  SCIENCE SCREEN REPORT Volume 40 has an excellent episode titled: FOREST MANAGEMENT – Conserving our Resources.

Source:
http://blogs.usda.gov/2011/03/03/i-tree-software-to-help-communities-fight-invasive-species/

The Power of the Ocean

The alternative energy industry is quickly growing.  As the costs of oil climbs, governments look to renewable resources to power homes, businesses, and vehicles.  Not one to shy away from showing off its ever-present power, the ocean is now among one of the many resources being tapped for alternative energy. 

Recently, the Air Force Academy constructed and tested a 1:300 scale wave tank and converter (capable of converting ocean wave power into electrical power).   Ultimately, researchers were able to obtain 99% efficiency from the converter.  The principal researcher, Stefan Siegel, believes a full sized unit will work in a real world setting.  The academy will conduct a 1:10 scale test at Texas A&M’s wave tank facility, one of the largest in the world. 

 

Simultaneously, Ocean Power Technologies (OPT) is working with the Navy to produce PowerBuoys that use a hydraulic pump (activated by the bobbing of the buoy in the wave) to power a generator linked to the power grid.  The buoy is capable of producing enough energy to provide electricity to 25 homes.  Proponents for wave energy tout the constant power production of the ocean, unlike the unpredictable wind and the ever setting sun. 

 

http://cnn.com/video/?/video/international/2010/02/25/earth.frontiers.hawaii.wave.bk.a.cnn

http://blogs.forbes.com/williampentland/2011/02/27/air-force-perfects-ocean-power/

Sail Powering Cargill Ship

Powering shipping vessels may soon take on a new look.  SkySails is equipping companies with computerized, parasail-like kites capable of reducing a ship’s fuel use by up to 35%.  This reduction in fuel can help turn around the prediction that by 2050, the shipping industry will be accountable for up to 18% of global greenhouse emissions.  

Cargill, food and livestock supplier and sponsor for SCIENCE SCREEN REPORT and SCIENCE SCREEN REPORT FOR KIDS, signed up this week to have a 320-square meter kite tied to a ship that hauls loads up to 30,000 deadweight tons.  In 2012, when this kite-driven vessel is in operation, it will be the largest equipped with a SkySail kite.   Many believe that the leadership of large corporations such as Cargill, will lead the way for other shipping companies to look toward this eco-friendly way of shipping products and supplies.   

Source:

http://www.fastcompany.com/1732700/cargill-propelling-meat-across-the-ocean-with-skysail-kites-green-shipping