Articles from Around the Web

"Other methods are quite new. McCarty’s farm reduces water consumption by using soil-moisture probes and smart cow-cooling technologies and ups energy efficiency with electric tractors, LED lighting and variable speed motors. The longer-term, direct supply relationship with Danone has really changed the trajectory of his family’s farm, he said."

"About 80 percent of Lego bricks are made from oil-based materials, and the company acknowledged in September that it would be unable to meet a 2021 pledge to use recycled plastic without boosting production emissions. The company sells an estimated 60 billion bricks annually."

"One challenge for all these approaches is determining exactly how much CO2 the decarbonated water absorbs and at what rate, figures that are critical for selling carbon credits to companies looking to offset their emissions. To avoid that uncertainty, Equatic plans to pipe its CO2-stripped seawater to the top of a 13-meter-high cooling tower and drop it through the air, where it absorbs atmospheric CO2 in a way that can be precisely measured before it is returned to the ocean."

"Vidalia is working with farmers on developing a not-for-profit that would distribute the technology to any mills or supply chains that would adhere to its standards. 'Farmers are teaching us,' Feibus said. 'They’re eking a living out of a very challenging environment and are innovative, entrepreneurial and deeply committed to the land and the way of life.'"

"Oil-field-services company Schlumberger said late Wednesday that it would pay 4.12 billion Norwegian krone ($381.5 million) for the stake in the company and would contribute its own carbon-capture business to the combined venture. Schlumberger may also make 1.36 billion Norwegian krone in performance-based added payments in the next three years."

"The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Belgium have been the primary users of geothermal aquifers, but Darcy aims to change that. Ed said the startup has expanded to Wisconsin and will now begin adding more states that have the right groundwater characteristics to work with its technology."

"Maine used to host a nuclear power plant that generated 119 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity — enough for the entire state’s energy needs. The Maine Yankee Atomic Power plant in Wiscasset provided good jobs and massive tax revenue for the town, with the plant contributing 91% of the town’s tax base in 1996. Plant employees who lived locally did not have to pay for their utilities, a great perk for many Wiscasset residents. After several referendums against the plant and maintenance that became too expensive to fix, Maine Yankee was closed in 1996. Today, almost 20 percent of Wiscasset residents live below the poverty line."