(Photo from Korea Times)

Quote of the day: “Our goal is to make 30 percent of the total population use bicycles as public transportation.” - Oh Gwang-hyun, South Korean official.

Seoul, the capital of South Korea is taking measures against global warming and responding to the high prices of gas by constructing more bicycle-only lanes throughout the city. "A city cannot effectively cope with global warming issues and traffic congestion if people commute only by car,'' according to Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoon. "We will develop Seoul into a city where citizens can commute by bicycle.''

Recent Comment by bryantp : "I go to Seoul periodically. The sky has never looked like that. Seoul is horribly pollu..." [read]

Image via Liquavista

Recently we mentioned the money and research being poured into Liquavista’s electrowetting technology. It is a way of providing incredible displays that are ultra thin, flexible, and fast enough to display even video. The technology has the power to utterly transform the dying newspaper industry and many forms of display systems.

Well, they’ve just released their first round of new displays for smaller devices like watches and cell phones.

This is Solyndra's video showing its manufacturing and installation process, which wasn't yet embedable when their new panels were first announced. Check it out.

A few weeks ago I wrote about Solyndra's new rooftop thin-film solar modules and that the company had $1.2 billion worth of contracts already in place. In an announcement this afternoon, the Fremont, Calif.-based company has provided more details about another of its customers:

Recent Comment by Anthony : "So how many watts does $1.2 billion buy?..." [read]

:: Learn how to host the hottest, eco-haute dinner parties.

:: Meet the mastermind banking on earth-friendly alternatives to Styrofoam and other wasteful food containers.

:: Looking for a cheap and fun weekend activity for the kids? Take them on a local green adventure!

Yes, it’s another solar-and-wind-powered street light. We’ve seen them before, some a little more crazy looking than others. But this one looked pretty darn cool, and has some extra efficient features, so we had to show you.

Read on for details and video footage.

Recent Comment by Raiyn : "Energy saving, polar bear stuff? Wow, just wow...." [read]

The IT industry is greening up. We’ve seen that happening across the board. But while they tout all the wonderful things they’re doing to conserve energy, prevent e-waste, cut back on the use of hazardous materials and so on, Capegemini who works with the biggest companies on a daily basis had a hard time find third party reports to back up these claims. So, they decided to take on the task of analyzing what the industry is really doing.

Capegemini talked with Google, EMC2, HP, Intel, Sun Microsystems, and IBM to create a report illustration what has occurred in the past, what is happening now, and what to expect in the future. Capegemini’s Global Outsourcing Sustainability Advisor, Brian Doherty spoke with us about some of the major elements of the report and what it really means when the IT industry says, “We’re Going Green!”

1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchú came to speak today at the local community college in my town. I jumped at the opportunity to hear such an incredible woman speak and was especially excited that her speech revolved around global environmental issues.

In light of our local celebration of Peace Week, she had a special take on how we can save the environment that tends to get second seat to quick fix ideas like shutting off the light switches and turning off the taps when we brush our teeth. Menchú focused on something different, and vital, to our struggle to reduce our impact on the Earth.

Photo credit: Alan Wong for the Daily Californian

Did living in California doom biophysical chemist Arlene Blum's cat, Midnight, to a premature death? Midnight's untimely demise was possibly due to toxic chemicals in her furniture, writes Blum in The Los Angeles Times. "In two years with hyperthyroid disease, Midnight went from a plump 14 pounds to a skeletal five," she adds. "A year ago, a veterinary epidemiologist found that Midnight's blood contained among the highest levels of PBDEs documented in animal research. That's when I learned that the chemicals in my cat came from my couch. And that my furniture is uniquely toxic because I live in California."

What are PBDEs?
PBDEs, or polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are fire retardants that have been commonly added to furniture and electronics since the 1980s. Widely used in polyurethane foam and other plastics, PBDEs are kissing cousins to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which have been banned for nearly 30 years because they can cause immune suppression, endocrine disruption, behavioral problems, and cancer.

Recent Comment by Willy Bio : "This really sucks for her. But why did she not get her cat treated with Radioiodine? ..." [read]