The incredible, edible spoon

Still hungry after that big bowl of soup? Now you can eat your spoon—yes, your spoon—if it’s an Edible Spoon from green product company Triangle Tree. Made from corn-based ingredients, it comes in three flavors: Plain, Spicy and Sweet.

“My goal when I founded Triangle Tree was to create products that are both eco-friendly and innovative,” says owner, Anatoliy Omelchenko, on the company website.

As for the spoon, “It’s 100% biodegradable,“ says the company. It had better be if you’re going to eat it!

Packs of Edible Spoons are available in supermarkets, and may start appearing soon in restaurants near you. Just check with your server first to make sure you’ve got the edible kind.

Students start Plastic-Free Wednesdays campaign

St. Louis University in the Philippines has started a Plastic-Free Wednesdays program in which campus vendors will use no plastic “to go” containers.

“Every student, faculty member, non-teaching personnel or any canteen customers who wish to buy packed foods will have bring his own food container,” said Albert Francis Abad, president of the university’s Supreme Student Council. Customers can borrow utensils on the condition that they leave a valid ID as collateral.

As residents of an island nation, it’s not surprising that the students are particularly aware of the environmental damage done by plastic. A new report, Marine Debris as a Global Environmental Problem, clearly identifies plastic debris as a rapidly growing global problem:

“Man-made debris in the oceans is now found from the poles to the equator and from shorelines, estuaries and the sea surface to ocean floor. While the types and absolute quantities vary, it is clear that plastic materials represent the major constituents of this debris, and there is no doubt about the ubiquity of such debris on a truly global scale.”

But the students at St. Louis University, the report also offers solutions, including an overhaul of the design and marketing of plastic products and waste management infrastructure.

Affordable, Eco-friendly Solar Energy

Many people still see solar energy as the expensive but eco-friendly alternative to fossil fuel power. What they don’t know is that in 2011, the prices of solar panels and other equipment necessary for producing solar energy fell off a cliff. What does that mean and how did that happen?

Well, first of all, China got into the solar energy game. As always, they undercut production prices of solar panels, forcing some U.S. and German solar panel manufacturers into bankruptcy. Those companies particularly reliant on government grants and incentives were hardest hit. While the plunging prices are not so good for the economy, it is great news for those interested in creating their own eco-friendly power sources.

“Everyone's missing the real story and it's amazing how brain dead some people are," said Jeremy Rifkin, an adviser to the German government and European Union on climate change and energy security. "It's absolutely a positive thing that solar prices are dropping faster than anyone thought they could.

"It's actually a great success," the U.S. economist told Reuters. "Those criticizing solar for that are being ignorant or disingenuous. It's a winnowing out process similar to what the computer and communications sectors went through. More companies that can't stay ahead of the curve will go belly up."

People in the U.S. have taken advantage of the falling prices. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), solar power installations in the United States increased 67% in the 4th quarter of 2011. Part of that growth is due to more than just falling prices. Government incentives based on the U.S. Treasury Department’s 1603 program, due to be renewed this year, also give homeowners and businesses an incentive to go green with solar energy.

“Extension of this worthwhile program will allow taxpayers to reap the significant economic and energy policy benefits associated with the expanded deployment and use of solar energy,” SEIA writes.

“The 1603 program has helped leverage over $24 billion in private sector investment in for a wide range of clean energy projects, and extending the 1603 program will create an additional 37,000 jobs in the American solar industry in this year alone,” President and CEO Rhone Resch states.

About the author:

This Guest post is by Christine Kane from internet service providers, she is a graduate of Communication and Journalism. She enjoys writing about a wide-variety of subjects for different blogs. She can be reached via email at: Christi.Kane00@gmail.com.

Plastic tsunami heads for U.S. shores

As if the Pacific Garbage Patch weren’t enough cause for alarm, we now have a wave of floating plastic trash and other debris headed for the shores of North America. The tsunami that rocked Japan on March 11, 2011 washed an estimated five million tons of debris in the ocean, with as much as 1.5 million tons still afloat. Scientists think it may reach U.S. and Canadian shores later this year or early in 2013. And while the magnitude of the March ’11 tragedy is rightly foremost in everyone’s mind, the plastic tsunami may offer an opportunity for research that could help reduce ocean plastic pollution. Several research organizations, including 5 Gyres, will be sailing out to meet the plastic Leviathan in order to learn more about how plastic moves in the world’s gyres, or systems of ocean currents. “At no other time can we pinpoint exactly when all this debris entered the ocean,” Anna Cummins of 5 Gyres told Green Technology Forum.  “We’ll be able to look at how long it’s taking to break down and how fast marine organisms are colonizing on the plastic. Their research will also aid with cleanup. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Oregon State University Extension, Oregon Sea Grant, state and local agencies, and conservation groups are partnering for a series of community meetings to share information and science about the tsunami debris, according to Environmental News Service.

Who’s got the greenest cities?

Many cities and towns all over the world have been touched by the common tendency toward renewable energy and green technologies. Their achievements include setting up impressive recycling programs, planting large areas of protected vegetation, and promoting the use of resource-saving technologies. But some cities are far ahead of the majority when it comes to green technologies implementation, serving as good examples for eco-friendly policy-making. 1. Reykjavík, the capital of Iceland, is a perfect example, operating on renewable energy thanks to a natural abundance of volcanic and geothermal energy. Only 0.1% of the city’s total energy production is driven from fossil fuel resources. In addition, the transport system of the city is considered to be the greenest in the whole world, completely based on nonpolluting hydrogen energy. 2. San-Francisco is a leader among American cities from the point of green technologies usage. It is famous for its strict laws on reduction of waste and emissions, its ban on plastic bags for shopping, and its advanced recycling program. Other examples of the city’s progressive ecological policy are the establishment of energy-saving technologies, construction of green buildings, and numerous improvements in transport systems, water and air quality. 3. The third biggest city in Sweden, Malmö, is another popular ecologically-advanced city in the global arena. It is a vivid image of urban sustainability, focused on renewable energy and the abundance of greenery. The state program of transforming Malmö into a totally green city has facilitated the reduction of carbon emissions from transport and encouraged the establishment of solar cell panels in a large number of buildings. Initially, they were placed in schools, hospitals, museums and in objects of urban infrastructure, showing that local authorities are also eager to change the situation. It is impossible not to mention that a big share of expenses is covered by the state budget, insomuch as the construction of an environmentally clean city can be quite an expensive issue. 4. The second place after San Francisco on the American continent is taken by Vancouver (pictured), the cleanest city in Canada. This town aims to gain the title of the most eco-friendly city in the world by 2020. Therefore, it is reasonable to look through some of the Vancouver’s records as the world’s center of innovations in clean technologies. All in all, this city boasts one of the lowest levels of carbon dioxide emissions, a 90% share of renewable sources (mostly hydroelectric power plants) in energy production, recycling of 55% of wastes, and managing of 200 green parks. 5. Portland (in the state of Oregon) is the third cleanest city in North America. It is famous for improvements in transport usage: people are encouraged to use eco-friendly means of public transport or bicycles. Free parking is offered for electric vehicles in addition to charging stations for electric vehicles. Guest author Maria Kruk is an author for Patentsbase.com.