Tsumani debris may strike the West Coast for years

This massive dock that landed in Oregon is the likely the tip of the debris maelstrom to hit the West Coast for years to come

Seven feet tall, nineteen feet wide and 66 feet long, the concrete and metal dock that washed ashore in Newport, Oregon is a stunning residual remnant of last year’s Fukushima disaster. An awesome sight, the derelict dock that made the more than 6,500 mile trek from Minamisoma, Japan is a harbinger of serious debris yet to come.

Environmentalism and Innovation at Sierra Nevada Competition

The Sierra Nevada Innovation Challenge featured innovative companies and products that could change industries, the environment and peoples lives

California has long had a reputation for moving environmentalism forward while fostering innovation. This was more than apparent at the first annual Sierra Nevada Innovation Challenge, held at the Sierra Nevada Brewery last week.

The range of products presented was a kaleidoscope of innovation, creativity and ingenuity.

To learn more about the remarkable new companies, products and innovations that participated in this exciting competition, go to http://bit.ly/LDVDEM.

Park in the Sky: New York’s High Line

The High Line – a jewel overlooking the Big Apple

New York City may be famous for the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center Memorial, but it is also home to one of the country’s most innovative public parks. The High Line, a 1 1/2-mile-long greenway, runs above ground on what used to be an elevated rail freight line.

For more on this remarkable park in the sky, go to http://bit.ly/KAHJz8.

The PURE Glass Bottle – a great way to stay hydrated

We Americans love our water bottles. Even though we purchased more single use plastic kind last year than the year before, we can’t wait to grab the latest, colorful ones we see on store shelves. Made from stainless steel, aluminum, BPA-free plastic – the choices are mind-boggling.

For those looking for a different, sexy looking portable bottle, check out the PURE Glass Bottle.

Polymer Lawn Care Saves Water – A Ton!

Aqua Cents – a remarkable innovation that dramatically cuts lawn water waste and use

Landscape irrigation accounts for almost one-third of all residential water use, totaling more than 7 billion gallons per day in the United States. Almost 50 percent of that is wasted– both commercially and residentially– due to evaporation, wind, improper system design, or overwatering.

With many cities facing severe water shortages and a drought spreading throughout the Southwest, lawns are squandering a precious resource we cannot afford to lose. More cities across the country are installing water meters, and California has mandated that these be installed in all cities by the year 2025.

But saving water requires more than metering. It means rethinking how we water our plants, and developing new best practices that will help us create substantial water savings.

Aqua Cents is an extraordinary technology that could help us with both.

To learn more about how this award-winning technology can help dramatically cut water usage, see http://bit.ly/O7mN8E.

The surfboard industry moves towards sustainability

A slab of polyurethane foam can, in the hands of a craftsman, become a beautiful surfboard. But the waste product created during the process has, until recently, been of little value or concern.

Sustainability is a new but growing trend within the surfing industry. There are as yet limited sustainably-produced options for surfers to choose from.

Green Travel Guides from TripSketch make planning easy

As gas prices take an apparent welcome dip and summer heats up, thoughts turn to summer getaways.  Whether it’s a trip to the coast, visiting family or just hitting the road, road trips take time consuming planning.

TripSketch, a San Francisco Bay area mobile travel and trip planning company, has just launched a suite of nine new mobile “apps” for the iPhone and Android called Regional Green Travel Guides.

Will New Orleans new disaster prevention system keep the waters out?

The new Seabrook Floodgate Complex was built in “record time” to protect New Orleans

New Orleans became the poster child for governmental and agency foot-dragging when it came to revitalization and replacing the enormous devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. But after seven years and full funding from Congress, there is the real possibility that the city could weather the approaching hurricane season well.

Solar trees set to open in Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay

Solar SuperTrees at Singapore’s Gardens by the Bay

You may recall I did a series of stories earlier this year about Siingapore’s green transformation. One of these stories featured Singapore’s waterfront horticulturally-themed park Gardens by the Bay. The long awaited opening day is now just days away – set for June 29th. And one particular area the crowds is sure to seek out will be the Solar Super Trees in Bay South. Located mainly in a Supertree Grove, these 18 fantastical “tree” towers soar up to 164 feet (50 meters) in height and are embedded with photovoltaic cells to collect solar energy. They’re also entwined with a living skin of bromeliads, ferns and climbing flowers, all of which are illuminated at night. With these and the hundreds of thousands of  remarkably colorful plant species and cutting edge green features that abound throughout the park, visitors may well end up being gloriously and delightfully overwhelmed.  Gardens by the Bay, its domed conservatories, lakes and sustainable building technologies is sure to become one of Singapore’s national icons.

Chemical-free desalination and fracking – a viable solution?

Atlantis Technologies has announced a new, low-cost technology that eliminates the use of chemicals for fracking

Among the many environmental issues related to fracking – a process in which high pressure water is injected into the ground to drill for and extract resources such as oil and gas – are the amount of water required and the serious chemicals used in it.

Atlantis Technologies, a southern California start-up company, recently announced it had created “a low-cost, chemical-free desalination system that can remove salt from oil, gas, mining, and industrial waste water.”