Environmentally safer concrete

According to an article in the New York Times, a new bridge on I-35 outside of Minneapolis is built using a concrete blend that is friendly to the environment.

The bridge was built to replace a bridge that collapsed in 2007. The engineers were focused on finding a more durable concrete to prevent a future collapse. Their solution was to use multiple blends of concrete that were specialized for each component of the bridge.

Most of the concrete blends used in the project were made without Portland cement, the traditional bonding material with a high carbon footprint. Instead, Kevin MacDonald of Cemstone Products Company developed a way to use industrial waste products--fly ash and blast furnace slag--as the bond material.

Using these recycled materials reduces the carbon footprint of the bridge because their carbon output was already accounted for when they were originally produced. Portland cement also releases about one ton of CO2 for each ton of concrete.

MacDonald is just one of many researchers working on reducing the carbon footprint of concrete.

Harvesting manure for biofuel

According to an article in Environmental News Network, the world's largest biomass power plant is located in the Netherlands. It runs on chicken manure and provides power for 90,000 homes.

The power plant has a 36.5 MW capacity and generates approximately 270 million kWh of electricity annually. It uses the carbon dioxide and methane gasses produced by the manure to produce power.


Not only does this method of power production spare the carbon cost of traditional power sources (coal, oil, etc), but it prevents the methane and CO2 in the manure from escaping into the atmosphere.

The power plant will use about 440,000 tons of chicken manure per year, which is about one third of the total yearly amount produced in the Netherlands.

San Francisco boosts green economy

San Francisco is currently enrolled in two programs that have proved effective at stimulating a green economy, according to an article in CleanTechnica.

One program is geared around energy efficiency for commercial and multi-family residential properties. Known as SF Energy Watch, the program provides technical assistance and financial incentives. SF Energy Watch will pay for up to half of upgrade costs towards energy efficiencies.

The other program, Go Solar SF, provides incentives to install solar panels. Using a variety of federal, state and local incentives, residents can reduce the cost of a solar installation by about 50%.

Residents and businesses using Go Solar SF are responsible for 2MW of solar production, about one quarter of the total solar production in the city. They also provide about 150 jobs in the city.

Good news is growing trend

According to an article in Newsweek, good news is becoming more popular as we are increasingly inundated with bad news.

Daniel Stone writes that he wanted an alternative to all of the bad news he read, but as a journalist, withdrawing was not an option. He found the website of Ode, a monthly magazine targeting "Intelligent Optimists," as his go-to source for good news, but there are many other outlets, including Seattle radio station KJR-FM , the Good News Network, and this blog, Daily Hope.

The good news is, good news is more than just a cure for the bad news blues. According to studies, good news can have a positive effect on mental health, as well as blood pressure and sleep patterns.

Update: White House Vegetable Garden

According to a release by Slow Food USA, Michelle Obama has broken ground on the new vegetable garden at the White House.

She worked with a group of 26 area fifth graders on Saturday, March 21 (the first day of spring) to remove sod from the area they are planting.

Alternative hyrdo power source

Thursday's edition of The Columbian in Vancouver contained an article about an experimental form of hydro power. University of Michigan researcher Michael Bernitsas has developed a system to take advantage of the vortices naturally created by currents.

A vortex is an eddy or a whirlpool created by water (or air) flowing past an object. In rivers, vortices have traditionally been a challenge for engineers because of the pressure and vibrations they create in underwater structures. Bernitsas has worked for years to control these vibrations, but recently began work to harness them.

He designed a system of cylinders that are placed perpendicular to the river's current. The current causes the cylinders to move up and down which can be used to generate electricity.

Bernitsas hopes that his system will provide a greener alternative to hydroelectric dams. Unlike the turbines in dams, the cylinders do not contain blades and should reduce the level of risk to fish that traditional hydroelectric power has posed. The system is also designed to work with currents as slow as one knot, while dams require a speed closer to 5 knots to work. According to Bernitsas, most rivers in the world are flowing at speeds of 2 to 3 knots.

The system has yet to be field tested, but Bernitsas has several experiments lined up to determine its long-term viability. If it proves successful, Bernitsas' work has been considered as a possible option for use with the Columbia River Crossing Project in the Portland/Vancouver metro area.

Organic garden at the White House

One week ago, our blog was about Roger Doiron's campaign to establish an organic vegetable garden in the White House grounds. His work with Eat the View, along with other groups, including White House Organic Farm Project and others, has paid off.

Michelle Obama announced her intention to establish an organic vegetable garden at the White House. Though details are not confirmed yet, speculators predict that the garden will be planted on the South Lawn near the fountain. The residence staff is also expected to be responsible for the upkeep of the garden, rather than the National Park Service staffers that are generally responsible for the White House Grounds.

Once built, the Obama's garden will be the first at the White House since the Roosevelt's Victory Garden, built during World War II.

Activists hope that the White House garden will set an example to the nation about growing and eating healthy food. Obama seemed to confirm this when she said she "want[s] the White House to be a place of education and awareness."