Environment

Now you can flush your body when you die

What will become of your body when you die? Worm feast? Up in smoke? Cryogenic freezing?

The second option is becoming very popular. By 2025, more than 50 percent of dead Americans will be cremated, according to the Cremation Association of North America. If you've also decided to convert to ashes but don't want your vaporized mercury dental fillings polluting the air, here's a greener method to treat your remains.

Scottish firm Resomation has installed its first commercial body dissolving unit at a Florida funeral home, advertising it as a more environmentally friendly alternative to interment and cremation.

The Resomator s750 is a 7-foot stainless steel tank. It works by immersing the body in a mix of water and potassium hydroxide, which is heated to 356 F. It's also subjected to pressure equivalent to 10 atmospheres during the two- to three-hour process.

The mortal remains are turned into ash and sterile, DNA-free liquid, which gets flushed. Bones are crushed in a separate process, and any implants including mercury fillings are recovered. There are no airborne mercury emissions.

Resomation says its alkaline hydrolysis machines cut greenhouse emissions by a third compared to cremation, and use only one-seventh the energy. … Read more

Rising biomass demand could drive land grabs

Rising global demand for cleaner energy from biomass could drive more land acquisition in poorer nations where food security and land rights are weak, an International Institute for Environment and Development report said today.

"If left unchecked, the growing pressure on land access could undermine livelihoods and food security in some of the world's poorest countries," the London-based nonprofit research group said, calling for more public scrutiny into global biomass expansion plans.

Biomass energy makes up 77 percent of world renewable energy, and trees and woody plants account for 87 percent of that biomass, the report said. … Read more

Recycled newspapers could fuel your car, say scientists

Don't give up on the newspaper industry just yet--it could soon be powering your car. Researchers at Tulane University have discovered a strain of bacteria that can turn paper into butanol, a biofuel substitue for gasoline.

The bacteria, dubbed "TU-103," was found when the folks in David Mullin's lab in Tulane's Department of Cell and Molecular Biology were weeding through the contents of some animal droppings one day. It turned out to be some lucky scat--TU-103 is believed to be the first bacterial strain from nature that produces butanol directly from cellulose, an organic matter found in everything from paper to Caesar salads.

"Cellulose is found in all green plants, and is the most abundant organic material on earth, and converting it into butanol is the dream of many," said Harshad Velankar, a postdoctoral fellow in Mullin's lab, in a statement last week. "In the United States alone, at least 323 million tons of cellulosic materials that could be used to produce butanol are thrown out each year." … Read more

China's BYD struggles with electric-car efforts

BYD's profit warning and failure to deliver its promised electric-car plan sent shares plunging to a more than two-year low, as the Chinese auto and battery maker backed by Warren Buffett struggles with steady sales declines and waning popularity of its top model.

Shares in BYD plummeted more than 14 percent today after the company warned it could post a third-quarter loss.

The grim warning and ensuing stock drop has put a spotlight on the company's strategy and on Buffett, whose investment in BYD has lost around $2 billion in value since taking a stake in 2009. His … Read more

U.S. carbon emissions up nearly 4 percent in 2010

U.S. emissions of the main greenhouse gas rebounded nearly 4 percent last year as factories ran harder while the economy recovered and as consumers boosted air conditioning during the hot summer, the government said today.

U.S. carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of oil, coal, and natural gas, which accounts for about 80 percent of U.S. overall greenhouse gas output, rose 213 million tonnes, or 3.9 percent, last year, the Energy Information Administration said.

It was the first rise in the emissions blamed for global warming since the recession pushed them down in the previous two … Read more

Copenhagen: A city of SUV cyclists

COPENHAGEN--The Danes practice what I call green pragmatism.

It's the realization that people, even those who believe in the cost- and health-benefit analyses of going green, are not going to change their behavior unless the new option is both practical and convenient.

But presented with cool technology in the marketplace and education on why a change might be beneficial, people will adopt new best practices offered to them. It's why the Toyota Prius has become so successful, while things like CFL and LED light bulbs are still struggling.

This is certainly the case here in Copenhagen. The self-described &… Read more

The art of climate change

When people think of batiks, many probably think of psychedelic wall hangings made in crafts class or at summer camp. They haven't seen Mary Edna Fraser's work.

Her hand-dyed canvases--some 8 feet tall or larger--depict the solar system, barrier reefs, hurricanes, tsunamis, oil spills, and melting glaciers in vibrant color and stunning narrative patterns.

To make batiks, removable wax is applied to fabric, creating areas that will repel dye while unwaxed areas absorb it. Much of Fraser's recent art represents her personal response to a warming planet.

"Current impacts of global change stir my scientific and … Read more

Simultaneous sunset and moonset seen from ISS (photo)

For astronaut Ron Garan and the rest of the crew of the International Space Station, this extraordinary view of a simultaneous sunset and moonset is a daily occurrence (this one was captured on July 31). The station orbits Earth every 90 minutes, so the crew gets treated to this scene about 16 times a day.

Toyota, 3M, Siemens top green brands in survey

Interbrand released a report today ranking the world's most green brands in terms of both perception and performance.

The companies on their list are not just using green initiatives as a way of creating a positive image with consumers. They are also making money from them.

Toyota ranked first, not only due to the financial success of its hybrid-electric Prius and its partnership on the all-electric Tesla. But since 1992 the auto manufacturer has also made large strides reducing energy use, water consumption, waste, and toxic emissions, according to Interbrand.

Among the 50 top green brands, Toyota is followed … Read more