MINI NUCLEAR REACTORS ... Manufacturers of refrigerator-sized nuclear reactors will seek approval from U.S. authorities within a year to help supply the world’s growing electricity demand. The minis would power a small factory or town too remote for traditional utility grid connections. So far, no manufacturer has sought certification for any small reactor, according to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Formal approvals would probably take three to five years, the same as for bigger reactors, said Scott Burnell, a spokesman for the commission. Visit Hyperion Energy's website to read more.
KEYS TO GREEN ... Just rented a car for Memorial Day weekend. Enterprise asked whether I wanted to spend an additional $1.25 to offset the carbon emissions. Interesting. I researched. Enterprise, National and Alamo all participate in the Keys to Green program. The cost is somehow based on average CO2 emissions generated by a rental car operating in their fleet. In the first year 42,000 metric tons of carbon were offset. They say based on U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standards, it's equivalent to saving 4.8 million gallons of gasoline and 98,000 barrels of oil. Carbon offsets mean we're not using less, just doing more? Is this a consumer conscience issue or a productive way to deal with our reliance on fossil fuels? This isn’t a new concept but I’d like reader input. Email me.
KEVIN COSTNER AIDES GULF ... Seemingly out of nowhere I find out actor Costner has been funding a team of scientists for 15 years in hopes of developing a technology to clean up massive oil spills. Their research has resulted in a “powerful centrifuge” that he claims can separate oil from water and dump the oil into a holding tank. The device was demonstrated to BP officials in New Orleans last week. Costner and representatives from Ocean Therapy Solutions, the firm that developed the machine, said it's capable of cleaning up to 210,000 gallons of water per day, leaving the water 99 percent clean of crude. Has anyone heard of this project before? Watch the video.
CAN YOU GO NO OIL? ... CNN Living has done a story on a self-described New Age hippie who switched to alternative energy 3 years ago. He uses solar power to run home appliances, rides bikes and uses a Chevy pickup with an electric motor when necessary. His energy consumption was cut by nearly 30 percent last year. Serious kudos, dependency is rarely a positive word. However, I'd like to start a discussion on how oil is used. A quick look says a 42-gallon barrel of oil creates 19.4 gallons of gasoline and the rest (over half) is used to make 6,000 other common products. Feel free to correct my stats, but I venture to say the greenest of green would miss some of them. Even the 'hippie' uses a plastic tub to carry things on his bike. Where does everyone stand on where cuts should be made? It all takes drilling. I want your feedback. Email me.
GLOBAL COOLING FOR DEBATE ... U.S. geologist Dr. Don Easterbrook is urging the world to drop global warming because global cooling has already begun. A paper was presented to the 4th International Conference on Climate Change in Chicago on May 16 . His full resume. Easterbrook's key reasons global cooling is even more harmful to humans than global warming, and a cause for even greater concern: 1. twice as many people are killed by extreme cold than by extreme heat; global cooling will have an adverse effect on food production because of shorter, cooler growing seasons; increase in per capita energy demands for heating; decrease in the ability to cope with problems related to the population explosion, specifically the demand for food. He's not the first, and not the last, to make these claims. Read more.
‘LIGHT’-ENING YOUR SPENDING ... Call it thanks for reading, but I like to pass on possible money saving opportunities when something new comes along. Seems ICON International has developed a breakthrough LED lighting fixture that, for the first time, won’t cost any more than the standard fixture it replaces. ICON has already launched the Satellite 2120 lighting system for a preferred grocery customer and is currently working on a specialized system for the Boston Aquarium. According to ICON, “it produces little heat and minimizes UV rays that accelerate ripening of produce and flowers. It won’t fade upholstery and precise color and light saturation can duplicate natural light, or change color hue.” This is a customizable product, for more info contact ICON directly.
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