MATTER - Clean Technology, Green and Sustainable NewsMatter Network covers the clean technologies, energy efficient products and strategies for combating climate change that are powering the shift to a sustainable economy.Tesla Mulling SUV At $20,000- September 18, 2008 AutoblogGreen brings exciting news today about the next step for the California startup that shook up the auto industry with its successful launch this Spring of the all electric Tesla Roadster. But since none of us can actually afford that, we wait with baited breath to hear of the possible next steps for the company. Here it is. Elon Musk, Tesla's founder, who also funded the beginning of SolarCity was musing about a possible SUV, for possibly as little as $20,000, to be built in conjunction.http://www.matternetwork.com/2008/9/tesla-mulling-suv-at-20000.cfm Heat Waves Reduce Carbon Uptake- September 18, 2008 In research published in Nature on Wednesday, scientists reveal the discovery that plants and soil can take up to two years to recover from heat waves, greatly reducing their carbon uptake. The scientists carved out miniature ecosystems in chambers about eight feet by four feet with their plant communities and soil intact, in such a way that light, darkness, temperature and rainfall could be carefully controlled and levels of CO2 monitored. They based the experiment on data from 150 years of.http://www.matternetwork.com/2008/9/heat-waves-reduce-carbon-uptake.cfm Report Reveals Flawed U.S. E-Waste Policies- September 18, 2008 In a harsh review of U.S. hazardous waste laws, independent government investigators highlighted the need for improved regulation of electronic waste in a new report. A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report released on Wednesday said a "substantial quantity" of discarded electronics, such as computers, televisions, and cell phones, are sent to the developing world where they are dismantled in conditions unsafe to workers and dangerous to the environment. "The..http://www.matternetwork.com/2008/9/report-reveals-flawed-us-e.cfm 3M Moves to Boost Renewable Energy Market Share- September 18, 2008 Minnesota-based 3M Co., a major supplier of plastic, electronic, and office products including many familiar brands, is launching a new business unit focused on renewable power and the supplemental products needed to support installation of solar and wind-power technologies.This operation will be dedicated to improving 3M’s position in the energy market. Currently, the company produces $200 million worth of solar panels and films used in various window and rooftop solar applications. 3M...http://www.matternetwork.com/2008/9/3m-increasing-renewable-industry-market_5135.cfm Bill Gates Invests in Sapphire Energy- September 17, 2008 Bill Gates' investment firm, Cascade Investment, is putting its money where the algae is, funding Sapphire Energy.Based in San Francisco, Sapphire Energy is working on a process to make automobile fuel from algae. Last year, it announced that it had produced 91 octane gasoline from algae, and dubbed this fuel "Green Crude." The Green-Crude process can also be used to produce the chemical equivalents of jet fuel and diesel.Thus far, no firm has succeeded at making algae-based fuel.http://www.matternetwork.com/2008/9/bill-gates-invests-sapphire-energy.cfm |