I think it’s safe to say that most people recognize the triangle-shaped recycle symbol on the bottom of plastic products. I’ve often wondered what the different numbers mean. So, we asked our researchers on the This Weeks View.

By Jonathan Wheatley in São Paulo
Published: November 26 2007 22:20

Rabobank, the Dutch bank that is the world’s biggest provider of finance for agriculture, is preparing to launch a carbon credits scheme to encourage replanting of forests illegally cleared in the Xingu region of the Brazilian Amazon.

Read the Entire Article at FT.com

We’ve all heard that our vehicles are among the biggest contributors to air pollution, but did you know that they are responsible for at least one-third of all smog? The experts estimate the average vehicle pollutes two to four times its weight in emissions every year. For example, if you have a 5,000 pound car, it emits 10,000-20,000 pounds of pollution every year (depending on how much gas you consume). So, what can we do? Once again, David McGrath, author of 25 Ways to Raise a Healthy Family and Planet – The Ultimate Guide to Green Living, gives us some practical ideas on how to reduce our gasoline consumption in this week’s informative article.

We’d like to encourage you to sign up for the Billion Bag, Bottle and Bulb Challenge to help Reduce the Use! of one-use plastic items.

Have a great green week!

Greg

A team of researches has managed to create flexible paper batteries, which could end up powering future generations of gadgets. The paper batteries use carbon nanotubing and ionic liquids to store energy, which means they don’t contain the toxic materials found in batteries currently available.

What’s more, the batteries integrate all components into one structure, which makes them more efficient. In regular batteries power is lost every time it is transferred from one component to another.

The amount of power the batteries can currently generate is modest, but the design is flexible and might eventually end up powering cars as well as gadgets. Some experts are however skeptical about what the design will eventually achieve, but the creators of the paper battery remain optimistic, though even they admit the design is still some way from breaking through in the commercial market.

Read more from the BBC

The New York Times reports that major technology companies are trying to reduce the amount of power wasted by PCs and servers. Google and Intel are the leading members of the group behind the “Climate Savers Computing Initiative”.

The initiative’s guidelines set and energy efficiency rating of 90% as a major target. The proposed measures could potentially have an effect equal to removing the emissions of 11 million cars.

A spokesman admitted that the new standards would make buying a new PC slightly more expensive, but pointed out that this would be compensated by the energy savings.

Read more on this story from the New York Times (free registration may be required)

Scientists are eying one of the most powerful winds on earth as a potential power source. The only catch: it’s over 6 miles (10 kilometers) above the surface of the earth.

The jet stream is a high altitude wind. Well known to air travelers for making some long flights quicker one way than the other. But scientists say the wind is so powerful it could provide for all current energy consumption, worldwide, a hundred times over.

The plan calls for a giant turbines which will not only gather power from the jet stream, but actually use the wind’s power to stay up like a kite. The cable serving as the string to the kite will also be the electrical transmission line taking the energy back to the earth’s surface.

Though the technology needs more research optimists predict it may be in operation within two decades. Others, while optimistic about the long term possibilities of using the jet stream to generate energy, are more cautious about the speed of adoption.

The high altitude turbines overcome the most common objections to wind turbines, they cannot be heard and will barely be visible. On the other hand they may pose new problems for planes and birds, which will have to be investigated (and if necessary overcome) as part of the new research.

Read more on this story from the San Fransisco Chronicle