Your Computer Overlords are Almost Here
Jeremy Howard isn’t a doctor, but he can play one–scratch that; he can be one–by teaching a computer how to teach itself to do valuable diagnostic testing. Because the computers that Howard programs?...
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OmniProcessor Makes Drinking Water From Sewage
In many parts of the world, clean drinking water is more precious than gold. Either there is no waste water infrastructure or, if there is, the process is so basic it does little to nothing to treat...
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Five Social Media Campaigns That Raise Awareness About Food Waste
The new year is underway, and you’ve probably already decided to keep or ditch your resolutions. Like you, there are some changes I’d like to make in my life as well. Along with exercising more and...
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Turning Rice Straw Into Sustainable Materials For Building
One of the broad benefits that’s come out of organic farming: more and more, farmers don’t view byproducts of harvesting and processing their crops as waste. Rather, they’re often used as soil...
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Paper From Plastic Bottles: An Environmental Win?
Remember Cradle to Cradle? Even if you didn’t read the book, terms like “upcycling” – which it made popular -have become a part of our common language when discussing resource reuse. The physical book...
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Smarter Commercial Trash Cans For Greener, Cleaner Public Spaces
I’m a daily user of publicly-available commercial trash cans: whenever I have the dog out for a walk, I’ve usually got to make a deposit. Like most of us, I take those trash receptacles for granted,...
View ArticleRecycling Those 3D Printing Fails: The Cruncher
I’m still not sold on the idea that 3D printing is a useful consumer-level technology, but it’s definitely got its uses for designers and researchers. Regardless of who’s using the technology, though,...
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Cellulosic Ethanol From Agricultural Waste May Have Just Gotten A Bit Cheaper
I know the notion of “food vs. fuel,” or the economic impact of using grains – mainly corn – to make ethanol is controversial. Lester Brown of the Earth Policy Institute – a source I trust implicitly...
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The Waste Biz: Using An Anaerobic Digester To Turn Brewery Waste Into Energy
Turning brewery waste into energy isn’t a new idea: all of that spent grain has captured the imagination of waste entrepreneurs before. A partnership between Utah-based Pure Energy Group (PEG) and...
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New EU Project Explores Deriving Graphene From Food Waste
I’ve certainly seen many references to potential super material graphene over the past few years… but I haven’t really dug into them. But not only does this material have the potential to...
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The Waste Biz: Time To Shake Up The Recycling Business?
A few years ago here in St. Louis, you couldn’t turn on local news or open a newspaper without seeing a report on copper theft. Old abandoned buildings were getting their old copper pipes stripped,...
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Poop Power: New Plant Makes Ethanol From Cow Manure
Credit: Shutterstock As we’ve noted before, the food vs. fuel debate may become one we don’t need to have: inedible feed stocks for ethanol are popping up all over the place. Many of those still have...
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This Waste To Energy Project Is Electrifying Rural Vietnam
Photo credit: Photographic Art Viet Nam / Shutterstock.com UPDATE: It turns out that the information I relied upon for this post needed updating, so I’ve written another post with more accurate...
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New Plastic Recycling Codes Could Turn 3D Printers Into Home Recycling Stations
I’m still coming around on the notion of 3D printing as a useful consumer technology, but news out of Michigan Tech has given me a big push. The university’s Open Sustainability Technology group...
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From Drains To Drafts: Craft Brewers Will Compete To Recycle Residents’...
We aren’t embarrassed to discuss strange and unusual topics on sustainablog. We’ve told you about everything from why some are choosing to compost their loved ones’ bodies to how a company is turning...
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The DIY Biogas Plant: Turn Your Organic Wastes Into Cooking Fuel
Organic waste in an in-ground biogas plant in Zambia. Photo credit: SuSanA Secretariat at flickr cc I’ve been fascinated by the notion of the do-it-yourself biogas plant ever since I read about a...
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The Politics Of Chicken Poop: Should Manure Get The Same Treatment As Other...
Photo credit: Shutterstock UPDATE (3/27/15): Perdue reached out this morning to explain the situation, and it turns out I misunderstood what’s going on here. AgEnergy According to Julie DeYoung with...
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The Zero-Emission Mobile Juice Bar: Herb-N-Juice
Photo credit: Jennifer at flickr cc Food trucks have become the hottest trend on wheels. They offer unique flavors and dishes to satisfy lines of awaiting customers. But like any restaurant, food...
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The Waste Biz: How To Boost The Production Of Methane Gas From Landfills… Really
On first glance at today’s headline, you might be scratching your head. “Why would we want to boost production of methane gas from landfills? Isn’t it a potent greenhouse gas?” It is… but, despite...
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How Long Will That Spinach Last? New Food Safety & Waste App Knows
We’re getting into Spring and Summer vegetable season; for most of us, unfortunately, that also means getting into a regular pattern of cleaning spoiled produce out of the fridge. We have good...
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