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Leaded Atmosphere May Have Delayed Global Warming
The lead in gasoline used until the 1980s may have been responsible for keeping the earth cooler than it would have been otherwise.
Researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, WA, say that lead "supercharges" ice-nucleating dust particles in the atmosphere.
This may have delayed global warming during the middle of the twentieth century and offset it until about 1980, when global temperatures began rising steeply.
AIA Announces Awards for Green Projects
The Portola Valley Town Center and other Peninsula buildings were among the awardees of the recent American Institute of Architects Committee
on the Environment "Top Ten Green Projects for 2009." Recipients included The Chartwell School, overlooking Monterey Bay, which uses natural
ventilation, daylighting, radiant heating, and photovoltaics; and, the affordable housing complex Gish Family Apartments in San Jose, which features
high-density development, passive heating and cooling strategies, and a photovoltaic system. The Portola Valley Town Center is a group of
civic buildings that boast a small construction footprint, restoration of site environment, and passive design features.
Projects Show Affordable Homes Can Be Green
Builders in Harrisonburg, VA, are using EarthCraft-certified homes to show that a small initial cost can yield a lifetime of green savings,
even in pricier markets. The secret "is getting everybody to do the little things right," according to Aaron Yoder, owner of AM Yoder & Company,
who built homes there. That includes good insulation and properly-sealed ductwork. Central Valley Habitat for Humanity has also been building
in the area. Their EarthCraft homes cut utility bills. "I was shocked," said one of their residents, who saw her utility bill drop by more
than half after moving in. Energy efficient homes in western Massachusetts
are also affordable. Homes in Wisdom Way Solar Village have double-wall construction, dense-pack cellulose insulation, rooftop photovoltaics
and solar-thermal arrays. While these homes cost about $38,000 above code (mostly for solar), they generate about 80% of their needed power
and require heating units about half the size they otherwise would.
Feature Stories
Thin Film Solar Tiles Blend In: Solé Power Tile from SRS Energy is practically indistinguishable from plain tile at a distance. The company claims their tiles perform as well as others on the market and are easy to install.
Plastic Cups Boost Biodiesel Performance: Polystyrene, the common material in plastic cups and other foam containers, can be used as an additive to biodiesel fuel. A study by mechanical engineers at Iowa State University shows that the plastic can be dissolved in biodiesel and then used to run a diesel engine. Concentrations up to about 5% by weight increase performance. In biodiesel, the plastic simply disolved, but doesn't break down as readily in petroleum-based diesel.
Gail Koffman contributed to today's stories.People mean different things by "green". Check out some of the options on our green philosophy section.
Why go green? We have a couple of choices, covered in this video.
On the Horizon news links are provided on the main Green Making website and echoed in the Green Making twine on the Twine website.