Tag Archives: chicago
In Focus: The Chemicals in Chicago’s Air
Scientists have found that Chicago’s air is infested with chemicals courtesy of airborne compounds that are traveling as far as the Arctic. The chemicals, called cyclic siloxanes, are toxic to aquatic life. Where do they come from? From chemicals in deodorants, lotions and conditioners. “These chemicals are just everywhere,” said Keri Hornbuckle, an engineering professor at the [...]
Biggest U.S Urban Farm Coming to Chicago
Last month, we wrote about an innovative urban design project in Chicago that’s being lauded as the greenest street in America. Now, planners are fine-tuning details of another ambitious redevelopment initiative – one that would create the biggest urban farm in the US in the city’s historic, but downtrodden and poverty-stricken South Side district. 100 acres of [...]
In Focus: Urban Solar Projects
Deutsche Bank recently installed a 122 kW solar array on its North American headquarters in New York City. The array is the largest PV system currently installed in Manhattan. And at 737 feet off the ground, it’s also the highest elevated flat solar panel system in the world. The system is expected to reduce carbon [...]
Garbage Goes Electric in Chicago
A handful of garbage trucks in Chicago will be a whole lot quieter than their predecessors, thanks to an all-electric powertrain control system (ePCS) from Motiv Power Systems. The Bay Area startup won a contract for $13.4 million, it’s largest customer contract to-date, to provide the city of Chicago with 20 electric refuse trucks using [...]
Top 10 “Cleanest Air” U.S Cities
On average, people take more than 21,600 breaths a day. Yet, research suggests two-thirds of the American population does not think much about the quality of the air they are breathing. The AirGenius Awards, sponsored by Honeywell, set out to ‘clear the air’ by checking out which U.S. cities had the cleanest air in America. [...]
Chicago: Sustainable Urban Design Mecca
The greening of a “street” may not sound like much, but a 1.5-mile stretch of road in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood is being lauded as the greenest street in America – as an example of how cities can use sustainable design principles to improve the urban ecosystem. The street is the first to use an innovative new roadway material called [...]
Singapore: Eco-Home Growth Exploding
With the alarming rate of pollutants in the environment, everything is being substituted these days with its ‘eco-friendly’ version. Whether it is transportation, painting colours for children or the house constructing material, the smart minds of the world are trying their best to minimize the effect of green house gases in the environment as much [...]
Here Come the Eco Friendly Dentists
Dentistry puts a lot of strain on the environment. Each year dentists dump over 10,000 kilos of mercury contaminated waste products into landfills and other waste repositories. Many other products they use are also toxic. Adding tons of toxic waste into an already overburdened waste management system further pollutes the environment. The machines most dentists [...]
REPORT: Clean Energy Under Siege
A new report by the Sierra Clubfollows the money trail behind the “attack on renewable energy.” A few of the key points are as follows: The tremendous growth in clean energy in recent years has made it a threat, and therefore a target, from “oil, coal, and gas interests.” Those interests have launched a coordinated, [...]