Four senators, including former presidential candidate Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on April 27 introduced a bill that would transition the U.S. to 100% clean energy by 2050. Sanders, alongside Sens. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., Senator Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Senator Cory Booker, D-N.J., created the legislation amid President Donald Trump’s efforts to unwind former President Barack Obama’s climate protections. The “100 by ’50 Act,” lays out a roadmap for the transition, and is the first bill introduced in Congress that envisions a 100% fossil fuel free U.S., according to a news release from Merkley’s office.
Continue reading... →Despite our increasing usage of renewable energy, there are still some big hurdles to achieving sustainability. The most recent challenge, which underlines the need for increased investment in renewables, comes in the form of storing renewable energy for later use. Most of us became familiar with the concept of cryogenic storage in the Sci-Fi movies and comic books we enjoyed as kids. While this actually deals with the preservation of usable electricity instead of human bodies, the idea is very much the same. Thanks to some recent breakthroughs, scientists have found that we can freeze energy via liquid nitrogen or liquid air. A process that works by collecting the heat dissipation that occurs by exposing incoming electricity to extremely low temperatures, cryogenic energy storage is an attractive option on account of its relatively low cost and its smaller physical storage requirements.
Continue reading... →A monumental new biotechnology agreement between IKEA Supply AG and Newlight Technologies will signal another move away from unsustainable virgin fossil-based plastics in line with IKEA’s sustainability goals. The latest agreement will see IKEA invest in a 10 billion pounds production licence with Newlight sustainable materials. IKEA now has the exclusive rights in the home furnishings industry to use Newlight’s exciting carbon capture technology to convert bio-based greenhouse gases, from biogas and later from carbon dioxide, into AirCarbon thermoplastics for use in its range of home furnishing products.
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