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    " . . . The quality of the fruits and vegetables available at grocery stores is terrible. Most are laden with toxic substances, such as sulfates on grapes, pesticides . . . many times fruits and vegetables are imported from foreign countries that use toxic pesticides that are illegal in the United States."
    As stated by Dr. Ronald Steriti in our article Antioxidants and Organic Foods

Norway Powers Up with Poop!

March 31st, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese

poopDon’t start pooping into your gas tank, but apparently one person’s year of bowel movements can produce 2.1 gallons of biodiesel.

So, to capitalize on the power of poop, the Norwegian capital of Oslo will convert sewage from a local treatment plant, processing the waste of 250,000 people, into fuel for its 80 city buses, which travel 62,000 miles each.

Compared to normal gas, costing more that 1.0 euro per liter, poop fuel goes for only 7.2 euros. City officials are excited about it:

“We’ve been waiting for this for a long time. It’s extremely good for the climate and also for the quality of urban life,” beams Olaf Brastad of the Bellona environmental organisation.

“I see absolutely no downsides. On the contrary, it is an optimal way of using a renewable energy that has always been there, just waiting to be exploited,” he adds.

The initiative, if extended to Oslo’s second waste treatment plant and complemented with biofuels made from food waste, could provide enough fuel for all of Oslo’s 350 to 400 buses.

“If our entire fleet switched to biomethane, carbon dioxide emissions would be reduced by around 30,000 tonnes per year,” Anne-Merete Andersen of Ruter, the operator of Oslo’s public transport system.

And despite what you might think. The crappy fuel doesn’t stink. Other countries have gone poop gas too. Kalmar, Sweden is making fuel out of animal poop and so is the Toronto Zoo.

Biofuel is a great move for all three countries, because in right now, the cost of regular gas in Canada is $4.58 per gallon and $7.52 in Sweden and Norway.

Via Cosmo and Discoblog.

Entire Swedish Town Goes Biofuel!

March 9th, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese

swedenKalmar, Sweden, a city of 60,000, along with the surrounding 12 towns, adding up to a quarter of million people, is jumping off the grid, cutting oil and switching to biofuel.

City officials insist they’re not eco-freaks, just giving people the tools to make a change, saying the technological part is easy. Changing the culture is hard!

The community will rely on all sorts of eco-friendly power, such as ethanol, biogas and hydropower.

Desperate to get off oil entirely, Kalmar has wanted to kick oil since the 1970s, when oil prices shot up, average price of gas in Sweden is still over $7.50 per gallon, but the city’s new energy aspirations will put Kalmar very close to its goal of being fossil fuel free by 2030.

Kalmar’s revamped energy systems include biogas made from chicken poop and wood waste, as well as an 85% ethanol blend from Brazil, windmills, hydropower, nuclear energy and old school steam power. The switch is also expected to save the town money; The Chicago Tribune reports.

Kuzumaki, Japan is another eco-marvel. The town of 8,000 residents generates 161% of its power from clean energy, using solar panels, wind turbines, cow dung and more!

Go Skycar, Go!

January 20th, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese

skycar
Yup, that’s a car. And it’s flying! It’s the world’s first flying car and it’s totally street legal and powered on biofuel, reaching speeds of 120 miles per hour on road and 170 mph in the air. All it takes to drive one is a license and paragliding certification.

After its test drive/flight in England, the Skycar’s next trip will be a 3,700 mile journey from England to the African Sahara. The car’s designers hope the expedition will raise $100,000 for charity. It’s sticker price is 35 to 40 thousand British pounds.

Great, now we can get car sick and air sick. At the same time!

Via TreeHugger.

747 Soars on Plant Fuel

January 6th, 2009 - Gerald "Gerry" Pugliese

During a 2-hour test flight, Air New Zealand flew a 747 aircraft on a 50-50 blend of conventional fuel and biofuel made from the jatropha plant.

Jatropha, a flowering plant native to Central America, is more durable than traditional biofuel crops, like soybeans and corn, requiring less water and fertilizer and can be grown in sandy, saline or infertile soil.

It also has a higher yield per seed, producing 30-40% of its mass in oil. A barrel of jatropha oil costs roughly $43, while crude oil can surge over $120 per barrel.

Results of the test flight will be reviewed in hopes of finding a viable, cheaper source of fuel for the struggling airlines.

Another experimental jet fuel is being derived from algae. Even animal lard, including liposuctioned human fat, can be converted to fuel.

Via The New York Times.


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