Smart Innovations, Better Lightbulbs Among 2009's Top Green Technologies
By Our Green Team | Feb 5 2010, 15:26

The many innovations in eco-friendly technologies last year have the potential to pave the way for a greener, more sustainable future for all of us.

So what sort of developments showed the most promise? Consider these:

• The 100,000-hour lightbulb - Researchers around the world are working to develop the next generation of ultra-efficient and long-lasting lightbulbs. Colin Humphreys, a materials scientist at Cambridge University, believes the answer lies with gallium-nitride LEDs (light-emitting diodes), which have the potential to be much more energy-efficient than even compact-fluorescent bulbs and are greener, too, because they don't require mercury. This particular type of LED can also provide light for up to 100,000 hours - about 60 years' worth of lighting for the average homeowner. Humphreys says a commercially available gallium-nitride LED might be just five years away.
• Smart is the way to go - 2009 was the year when "smart" - as in smart energy grids, smart meters and even smart cities - became a big buzzword. IBM began working with several cities around the world to implement smart technologies to automate services, manage traffic and do other innovative things to save energy and improve efficiency. And officials in Britain announced plans to put a smart energy meter in every home by the year 2020. By letting homeowners see exactly how much energy they're using at any moment, and which appliances are most energy intensive, smart meters are seen as a way to help boost conservation at the user level.
• Let's pull energy from the air - Scientists last year made considerable advances in technologies that can capture kinetic energy - basically, the energy of anything that's moving, from sound waves to people - and store it for use. Some of the innovations included gear that lets pedestrians draw energy from their strides to power an iPod or mobile phone; batteries that can recharge using the energy of sound waves; and remote measuring devices that are powered by vibrations.
• A world powered by the sun - The solar energy that strikes the Earth every day would be more than enough to provide all the power our civilization needs. That fact last year inspired a new project - Desertec -- that aims to install a vast array of solar-thermal power facilities across the North African desert. The energy that array could generate could not only meet the energy needs for much of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, but could also power desalination operations to provide much-needed water in desert regions.
• Electricity goes mobile - 2009 also saw the idea of the electric car going mainstream, in that big car-makers were not only talking about, but actually developing plug-in hybrids and all-electric vehicles. The biggest splash was made by Nissan, which unveiled its LEAF, the first all-electric car designed for the mass market.
• Biofuels 2.0 - The quest for a fuel to replace oil led to a boom, and then a bust, for corn-based ethanol, which proved to be less of a good thing than once hoped (because it requires the use of prime farmland, is energy- and water-intensive and competes with food production). Last year, the focus turned onto so-called next-generation biofuels: things like crop waste, municipal waste and even algae, which can be produced on marginal lands or even - as one proposal suggested - on floating platforms at sea.

Insights and Inspirations: Correspondence from Abroad
By Our Green Team | Feb 12 2010, 17:26

Thanks to the internet, I was recently able to work remotely while in Vietnam for my best friend's wedding. Vietnam is an interesting and enchanting place with a lot of history. Now that I'm back at home base in Vancouver, my mind continues to swirl with the reflections and perspectives I gleaned from this trip.

Still a developing country, Vietnam is a bustle of activity with a population of over 86 million - the 13th most populous country in the world. Through history, Cham culture and the cultures of other ethnic minority groups have been integrated to create the unique Vietnamese culture. The country's past as a colony of France is also still evident in its many French colonial-style buildings and homes.

Topographically, Vietnam is a verdant tapestry of soaring mountains, fertile deltas, thick forests, sinuous rivers, mysterious caves, otherworldly rock formations, heavenly waterfalls and 3,260 kilometers of coastline. Vietnam is ranked among 16 countries with the highest biodiversity in a wide range of ecosystems, with an estimated 12,000 plant, 275 mammal, 800 bird, 180 reptile, 2,470 fish and over 5,500 insect species.

Beyond nature, the curious and open-minded visitor will find in Vietnam a feast of rich culture, historical heritage and decadent food. Due to its climate, there are many indigenous tropical fruits and everything is organic.

To think of any of this becoming more westernized and fading is a terrible thought. Although tourism has brought positive benefits to the economy, the 3.8 million visitors each year contribute to environmental degradation, especially biodiversity deterioration. Vietnam has prioritized ecotourism in its strategy for tourism development to ensure both sustainability and economic benefits:

"Tourism development has become a spearhead economic industry indeed. It is necessary to improve the quality and effectiveness of tourism activities, bringing into full play the natural conditions, and cultural and historical tradition to meet the domestic and international demand for tourism and to catch up with tourism development in the region." (Document of the IX National Congress 2001).

One example can be seen in the northwestern part of Phu Quoc. There, three eco-resorts - Thang Loi, Bo Resort and Mango Bay - offer low-density getaways featuring solar power, replanting of endemic vegetation and renewable construction materials such as earth, leaves, stone and bamboo. Mango Bay is even involved with large forest preservation projects, is building a handicraft center for local communities and is setting up a tourism school.

It is truly beautiful to see Vietnam rising from poverty and gaining strength after it has been through such horrible times, and it's even greater to see the nation taking steps to ensure that its development will not only bring prosperity to its people but also provide a sustainable future.

My visit there made me realize something important: in your travels, wherever you may go, remember that the people there have graciously granted your visit, so be respectful of their home and tread lightly.

Buyer Beware: Not All Green Claims are Created Equal
By Our Green Team | Feb 19 2010, 13:15

You can't miss a day, it seems, without hearing that some big-name company or another is "going green"and taking steps to - take your choice - reduce its carbon emissions, conserve water, cut waste or produce a more eco-friendly product. The shiny, happy press releases these firms send out all sound so encouraging, so good for the planet. But how true are they, really?

As the Romans used to say, "Caveat emptor"- buyer beware.

Businesses big and small have figured out that hyping their green efforts is a good way to appeal to environment-minded customers. Sales of organic foods are up. Energy efficiency is in. More and more people are buying hybrid cars. With a growing number of people eager to go green, it makes sense that the companies who want to sell them products or services should go green too.

The problem is, not all those companies are actually as green as they make themselves out to be. In other words, they're "greenwashing"- whitewashing their images with a green spin.

Not all green PR is greenwashing, though. Some organizations really are making serious efforts to reduce their carbon footprints, build sustainable supply chains, minimize waste and tread as lightly on the planet as they can. And we're proud to say that GlobalForce is one of those organizations. We not only make sure the products we offer are as green as possible, but our whole purpose is a green one: to bring together like-minded people around the world so we can work together to build a greener, more sustainable future.

Consider the products we sell at EcoMart. We've taken care to ensure that the items we carry there come from truly green companies, not greenwashers. In fact, we've developed an EcoPoints system to rigorously assess each product's potential eco impact. And we highlight the EcoPoints score of each product on the EcoMart site so you can see for yourself how each one is rated.

Our EcoPoints system considers four factors:

1. What are the greenhouse gas emissions associated with making, shipping and using this product?
2. How is this product made and packaged to minimize use of non-renewable resources?
3. How does this product minimize water consumption compared to other similar products, both in terms of manufacture and use?
4. What kinds of innovations does this product offer to help ease the transition toward a more sustainable lifestyle?

While promoting greener products over polluting ones is important, though, that's just part of our mission here at GlobalForce. Our website itself is hosted with a green, solar-powered web host (you can learn more about that here ). And the very nature of our organization is green, because our goal is to create a global network of green-minded people like yourself so we can build a true movement for worldwide sustainability.

As Helen Keller said, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much."

What Will a Warmer, Drier Future Mean for Us?
By Our Green Team | Feb 26 2010, 18:00

Of all our natural resources, two stand out from the rest: oil and water. That's because, unlike with many other materials, neither oil nor water can be easily replaced by something else.

Between the two, though, water wins hands-down as the most vital natural resource we have. We can imagine life - as radically different as it might be - without

oil... but life without water is both unimaginable and impossible.

And that's a problem because, in many places around the world, water is already becoming increasingly scarce. Wells in India are running dry as aquifers are depleted more quickly than they can be replenished by nature. Australian farmers are turning fruit trees into mulch because a years-long drought has slashed their water supplies. And officials in China are actually relocating millions of people whose farmlands are turning to desert.

There are a lot of reasons for all this water stress, including overpopulation in some places and unsustainable agricultural practices in others. But another factor will move to the center of the stage in coming years and decades: climate change.

Yes, some regions are expected to see more precipitation as the planet warms (though not necessarily the good kind, as it's increasingly likely to arrive in the form of torrential downpours and stronger hurricanes). But a significant portion of the globe - up to 38 percent, according to one study - is projected to grow much drier. These already-arid parts of the world can expect much more water stress in years to come, which will make life for their millions of human inhabitants even more difficult, if not impossible.

How will people adapt? Some, such as those on-the-move farmers in China, will have to relocate. Others might be able to adapt in place, turning instead to innovative strategies for life in a severely water-constrained world: practices like drip irrigation or xeriscaping-style agriculture. If you live in a dry part of the planet that's likely to get drier, you might want to think about what adaptations could work best for you.

In fact, that's something we should all consider, wherever we live. Global warming is likely to bring many changes we can't predict, and those could make for a radically different environment and lifestyle for many of us. Other factors - scarcer, more expensive oil, for example - could also affect the way we live in the years to come, so thinking about our options is a smart thing to do.

Look at it this way: if you live in a hurricane-prone area, you probably keep plenty of batteries and bottled water on hand in the months between June and November. And if you live in a colder, snowier climate, you know it's a good idea to have a well-stocked pantry and a supply of firewood if a blizzard traps you at home and leaves you without electricity for a week or so. Why shouldn't we all be giving the same sort of thought to making equally important preparations for life in a world altered by climate change?