Muse on Low Impact

mercoledì 19 gennaio 2011

Green jobs showed strong growth in California in 2008, data show

By Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times

January 19, 2011

Jobs at clean-tech or alternative-energy companies have flourished in California, with nearly a quarter of them based in Los Angeles, a new study has found.

Employers offering jobs in fields such as solar-power generation, electric-vehicle development and environmental consultation added 5,000 jobs in 2008, the latest data available. In all, about 174,000 Californians were working in eco-friendly fields by early 2009, compared with just 111,000 in 1995, said nonprofit research group Next 10.

The study, which culled data from government and private reports, was released late Tuesday.

The so-called green workforce expanded 3% from January 2008 to January 2009 — three times the growth of overall employment around the state.

A new seal aimed at bio-based products

Jan 19, 2011
By Wendy Koch, USA TODAY

Eco-friendly consumers a new way to be green is coming out: a new seal aimed at bio-based products

Eco-minded shoppers will soon see a new new U.S.-approved label on many products, including household cleaners and skin-care items, made with bio-based ingredients.

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Gannett

The new seal, to be announced Wednesday and rolled out this spring, aims to do for bio-based products what the government's Energy Star program has done for energy-efficient appliances, reports the Des Moines Register's Philip Brasher. He says it will be similar to the seal that appears on organic foods and will be administered by the same agency -- the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

"We know we have consumers who are looking to do better environmentally, and are trying to find some way to guide their purchasing decisions," Deputy Agriculture Secretary Kathleen Merrigan says in the story.The "USDA Certified Biobased Product" seal will list how much of the product is made from corn, soy or other renewable sources, the Register reports. But to qualify, products will need to meet minimum bio-based content standards.

Arca hotel

«Inspirado» en el calentamiento global y en el consiguiente aumento del nivel del mar, el arquitecto ruso Alexander Remizov ha realizado un proyecto de hotel totalmente sostenible.
Se llama «Ark» y ha sido ideado en colaboración con una empresa de ingeniería alemana y el científico moscovita Lev Britvin. Para su construcción se necesitarán madera, acero y plástico Etileno-TetraFluorEtileno.
La estructura ha sido diseñada con el objetivo de ser completamente autosuficiente gracias a un sistema de generadores de energía eólica y solar.
Este hotel flotante mediría cerca de 14.000 metros cuadrados y estaría pensado para albergar a 10.000 personas.
«Podría ser construido en sólo 3 o 4 meses y en cualquier parte del mundo» ha declarado Remizov, quien abrió su primer estudio en 1991.

Award-winning architects have designed a modern day Ark to withstand floods caused by rising sea levels.

The floating Ark Hotel is a man-made ‘biosphere’designed to be a safe, self-contained haven in case of disaster.