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Solar’s Future Gets Brighter with New Discovery

by Seraphinakbj Posted on September 12, 2013

University of Alberta researcher Jillian Buriak (center) worked with postdoctoral fellows Erik Luber (right) and Hosnay Mobarok to create nanoparticles that could lead to printable or spray-on solar cells. Photo: University of Alberta

For years, one of the greatest arguments against the implementation of solar power has been that it is expensive to harness. However, a recent discovery by Canadian researchers at the University of Alberta in Edmonton may prove to be a game changer.

Jillian Buriak, senior research officer of the U of A’s National Institute for Nanotechnology, led a team in discovering that materials found in the earth’s crust can be used to create inexpensive nanoparticle-based solar cells. Not only could Buriak’s discovery make solar power more affordable, it also could make solar more accessible to parts of the planet that either face high power transmission costs or are not on the traditional electricity grid.

The team discovered that phosphorus and zinc — two plentiful, natural materials — can be used to build nanoparticles that absorb light and conduct electricity. Their research, which was published in the latest issue of ACS Nano, a journal from the American Chemical Society, indicates that a low-cost mass manufacturing method would allow them to print or paint the solar cells onto surfaces. The process dissolves the particles to create an ink, then the material is processed to make a thin film that is responsive to light.

Based on the success they’ve found with their discovery, Buriak and her team have applied for a provisional patent on the process and have secured funding to allow them to take the next steps toward stepping up manufacturing.

In addition to her work with the Canadian team, Buriak is part of an international research team that includes scientists from Harvard University, the University of Toronto and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

The team is working on a global project involving next-generation solar energy technology.

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Solar’s Future Gets Brighter with New Discovery

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Train explosion in Quebec stokes debate about oil transport

by porvluef Posted on July 8, 2013

Train explosion in Quebec stokes debate about oil transport

By John Upton

Reuters/Mathieu BelangerA firefighter walks past a burning train at Lac-Mégantic, Quebec.

The latest disaster caused by the transport of oil across North America has wrecked the town of Lac-Mégantic in Quebec. A driverless train loaded with crude from the Bakken oil fields of North Dakota derailed and exploded early Saturday in the town’s center.

Dozens of buildings were leveled and at least five people were killed, while 40 more were still missing as of Monday morning. The fracked oil was en route to New Brunswick, which is home to the largest oil refinery in Canada. From Reuters:

The train, which did not have an engineer aboard when it derailed, was hauling 72 tanker cars of crude from North Dakota to eastern Canada. It rolled downhill from an overnight parking spot, gathered speed and derailed on a curve in the small town of Lac-Megantic at 1 a.m. on Saturday.

Each car carried 30,000 gallons of crude oil. Four caught fire and exploded in an orange and black fireball that mushroomed hundreds of feet into the air and flattened dozens of buildings, including a popular bar.

“It looks like a war zone here,” said Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

The disaster plunged the media into debate: Is it safer to move oil through underground pipelines (à la Mayflower, Kalamazoo, and Keystone XL), or to move it by rail?

Frackers and tar-sands miners are extracting record amounts of oil in America and Canada. Existing pipelines can’t carry the whopping bounty to refineries, so energy companies are seeking to lay lattices of new pipes. Meanwhile, the glut of liquid hydrocarbons is being loaded onto trains, which are being sent vast distances — and are triggering high-profile spills and accidents.

The Toronto Globe and Mail argues in the wake of the Lac-Mégantic disaster that “[p]ipelines are the safest way of transporting oil and natural gas, and we need more of them, without delay.” The New York Times considers the pipeline-vs.-train question more impartially, quoting environmental experts:

Edward Whittingham, the executive director of the Pembina Institute, an environmental group based in Calgary, Alberta, said there was not conclusive research weighing the safety of the two shipment methods.

“The best data I’ve seen indicates,” he said, “depending on your perspective, both are pretty much as safe as each other, or both are equally unsafe. There’s safety and environmental risks inherent in either approach.”

Accidents involving pipelines, Mr. Whittingham said, can be more difficult to detect and can release greater amounts of oil. Rail accidents are more frequent but generally release less oil.

But the comparison obfuscates an obvious reality: The oil can’t be moved safely at all. (Same goes for natural gas.)

After a string of pipeline and rail accidents in recent years, it’s clear that letting the energy industry move incendiary bulk fluids around the continent is like tossing a book of matches into the crib to keep little Johnny happy while his folks stare at the television. And that’s without even considering the climate impacts of the fossil-fuel mining binge, or the many hazards of fracking.

The weekend tragedy is a reminder that the energy industry can’t be trusted to do anything safely, let alone transport oil.

John Upton is a science fan and green news boffin who tweets, posts articles to Facebook, and blogs about ecology. He welcomes reader questions, tips, and incoherent rants: johnupton@gmail.com.

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Train explosion in Quebec stokes debate about oil transport

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Totem Bags Turns Trash Into Street-Chic Style

by xntaw2b Posted on March 7, 2013

Founded by Toronto mom Melissa Richardson, Totem Bags features street-chic purses, messenger bags and carry-alls made from upcycled materials, including truck tarps, promotional banners, seatbelts and bike tires. Earth911 sat down with Richardson to learn more about her compelling story, her design inspiration and how she took truckers’ trash and transformed it into seriously awesome upcycled fashion.

Each Totem Bags design is made from upcycled materials, such as trashed promotional banners, truck tarps, seatbelts and bicycle inner tubes. Photo: Totem Bags

An inside look at Totem Bags

When she was expecting her first daughter, young mom Melissa Richardson found herself hesitant to return to her job in the corporate world. Inspired by a successful Swiss brand that repurposed old truck tarps into bags and accessories, Richardson decided to modify the idea to fit the urban-hip fashions of her hometown of Toronto, Canada.

Totem Bags founder Melissa Richardson shows off some of her creations. Photo: Totem Bags

With the support of her husband, the budding entrepreneur started Totem Bags in 2009 from the basement of her Toronto home. Created to repurpose durable waste materials, Totem Bags emerged as a creative marriage of style and sustainability.

The young brand got its first big break when the National Ballet of Canada signed on to hand over a stockpile of promotional banners to be repurposed into new products for its gift shop. Not knowing how to use a sewing machine, Richardson sat down and created the very first Totem Bag, which later became the T2 market tote design that is still one of the brand’s biggest sellers.

Since that fateful day, Totem Bags has expanded its list of clients to include top names like Chevrolet, Audi, Honda, IMAX and the Toronto International Film Festival.

Most companies send over their old banners to be remade into bags for giveaways and in-house promotions. But the eye-catching bags made from National Ballet of Canada banners, featuring productions such as Romeo & Juliet, Sleeping Beauty and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, are some of the retail line’s most popular designs.

Other bags in the Totem Bags retail line incorporate non-branded promotional banners, truck tarps, seatbelts and bicycle inner tubes sourced from across Canada.

“It’s kind of like the Johnny Cash song ‘I’ve Been Everywhere,'” Richardson tells Earth911. “That seatbelt, it saved somebody’s life, potentially. The truck tarp has traveled across Canada and in some cases into the states as well. Every single bag has a history.”

Bet You’ll Love: Recycled Purses Will Benefit Haitian School

The Alice Messenger Bag is made from upcycled promotional banners from the National Ballet of Canada’s presentation of “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” and is one of Totem Bags’ top sellers. Photo: Ethical Ocean

As a mom and stepmom to four kids, age one to nine, you would think Richardson has adopted a more hands-off approach to her brand over the years, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Each bag in the line is handmade at a manufacturing facility about five minutes from Richardson’s home, and the Totem Bags founder gives every piece her stamp of approval before it heads out the door.

“I want to make sure that when the bags come off the line, I’m the last one who sees them,” Richardson says. “Everybody should know that I have actually touched every single bag. I continue to do that, and I will continue to do that… because I don’t want to send anything out that has any type of imperfection.”

In addition to lending a personal touch to each bag, Richardson says she is now a well-known upcycler in Toronto and receives calls daily about new shipments of waste materials waiting to be repurposed – jokingly referring to herself as “the crazy bag lady.”

“Every single bag is a win,” Richardson says. “One bag is a little less in the landfill, and that’s what I do this for.”

For more information on Totem Bags, head to the brand’s website, or pick up a bag of your own from the company’s web store or one of our favorite online sellers, Ethical Ocean.

Related: 10 Awesome Upcycled Products from Ethical Ocean

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Totem Bags Turns Trash Into Street-Chic Style

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