It’s a question that’s not asked enough – where does clothing come from, and how is it made? The clothing industry is notorious for the proliferation of child labour, disregard for the environment and the more practical challenges – such as the need to freight goods large distances due to the geography of the market. So how can we, as shoppers, know how to buy environmentally-friendly, ethical fashion? When you think about it, it’s almost impossible to find out what you’re buying into.

Rapanui is an Eco-Fashion company from the Isle of Wight that, unlike the typical earth-mother organic clothing companies, has recognised the root cause of the problem: brands aren’t communicating enough. They’ve not only designed some of the worlds greenest clothing – Organic, Sustainable fabrics in a Fairwear Foundation Audited, Wind-powered factory, but also created an innovative system to allow shoppers to trace where their products come from and how they are made on Google earth, with videos, pictures and figures showing the product and the people making it from the planting of the seed to the stacking on the shelf. All this and the founders are only in their early twenties – a fact that they say helps them keep their finger on the pulse of current fashion styles and gives them a unique advantage: with their 12-strong staff all under 25, this company is perhaps one of the only fashion houses completely run by, and for, young people.

Annie Leonard Releases New Video on Story of Bottled Water for World Water Day

by Jaymi Heimbuch

A team of scientists from the University of Sheffield have developed an innovative device which will make the production of alternative biofuels more energy efficient.

The research team has adapted a unique bioreactor for use in the production of alternative renewable fuels, to replace fossil fuels such as petrol and diesel. The manufacture of biofuels currently requires vast amounts of power and when the process uses too much energy, it is uneconomic.

By MICHAEL TOTTY

It's a tall order: Over the next few decades, the world will need to wean itself from dependence on fossil fuels and drastically reduce greenhouse gases. Current technology will take us only so far; major breakthroughs are required.

Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) has announced the near completion of its DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center in Arcadia, Florida. This solar power plant will be producing electricity by the end of month. This project is ahead of its schedule. The plant has an impressive number of 90,000 photovoltaic panels. Experts claim that this solar power plant will generate around 110MW of electricity by the end of 2010. This will provide Florida with the distinction of the second largest solar power-producing state in the country.

FPL is building three commercial-scale, non conventional solar power plants. They are DeSoto Next Generation Solar Energy Center, Florida, solar energy centers in Martin County and at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Together, these will produce a total of 110 megawatts of capacity by the end of 2010. They are expected to make Florida the second largest solar power-producing state in the country.

By Jeremy Jacquot

Ubiquitous and easy to grow, algae has long been a promising biomass-to-fuel candidate in the eyes of researchers. Now algae is a burgeoning sector in biofuels with several high-profile start-ups, including Craig Venter’s Synthetic Genomics, and the interest of big-time investors like Bill Gates and ExxonMobil. Of course, hurdles still exist to make a competitive fuel. Algal biofuels still cost too much to produce—over $8 a gallon (pdf), according to the DOE. Furthermore, most existing strains do not yield oil in the quantities needed to quickly scale up to commercial production of biofuels. Companies also need to worry about contaminating local ecosystems and the amount of water needed to grow cultures in large batches. Despite these challenges inroads—and actual fuel—are being made in the nascent field. Here are 5 projects leading the pack today.

ScienceDaily (Aug. 19, 2008) — In the world of alternative fuels, there may be nothing greener than pond scum.  Algae are tiny biological factories that use photosynthesis to transform carbon dioxide and sunlight into energy so efficiently that they can double their weight several times a day.

As part of the photosynthesis process algae produce oil and can generate 15 times more oil per acre than other plants used for biofuels, such as corn and switchgrass. Algae can grow in salt water, freshwater or even contaminated water, at sea or in ponds, and on land not suitable for food production.

The gig: Chief executive of Sapphire Energy Inc., a San Diego biofuels company that develops algae-based fuel that has been used experimentally to power airplanes and, recently, a car that was driven across the country. The serial entrepreneur has had a hand in starting several companies in industries including medical engineering and biotechnology.

Source:  LA Times
Date:  October 4, 2009
Byline:  Tiffany Hsu

Earth Protect announces the winners of the membership drawing of the prizes provided by Marty Stevens Heebner of Rebagz.

The Magnolia Tote was won by Earth Protect user "earthling" and the book, Altered Shoes - A Step By Step Guide To Making Your Footwear Fabulous, was won by Earth Protect user "paulynn."

A few years ago, my family gathered in Mississippi for a funeral. While we were there, we undertook the renovation of a living area and found it was quick and easy to make some energy efficient choices.

August 25, 2009