Obama administration announces desert 'solar energy zones'

The Obama administration on Thursday unveiled its road map for solar energy development, directing large-scale industrial projects to 285,000 acres of desert land in the western U.S. while opening 20 million acres of the Mojave for new development. http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-solar-desert-20111028,0,7889585.story

 

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles times by Julie Cart

Plastic water bottle-makers sued by California over green claims

California Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris filed a lawsuit against three companies Wednesday for allegedly making false and misleading claims about their plastic water bottles' recyclability and biodegradability. The lawsuit is the first to enforce California's environmental marketing law, which  makes it illegal to label a plastic food or beverage container as biodegradable because plastic takes thousands of years to break down naturally and may never do so in a landfill. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/10/attorney-general-biodegradable-bottle-lawsuit.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+GreenspaceEnvironmentBlog+%28Greenspace%29

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times –Greenspace-Posted by Susan Carpenter

 

 

Burning oil from BP spill produced carbon plumes

Chalk up another environmental impact from last summer's Deepwater Horizon oil spill: Nine weeks of burning off oil slicks from the surface of the Gulf of Mexico following the BP spill released an estimated 1 million pounds of soot into the atmosphere, according to a study released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.  http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/10/bp-oil-spill-pollution-air-quality.html

 

Article courtesy of the Los Angeles Times –Greenspace-posted by Julie Cart

Up to 20 millions tons of tsunami debris headed for U.S. shores

Prepare for a garbage deluge.

An estimated 5 tons to 20 tons of debris sucked into the ocean during Japan's massive tsunami is due to hit U.S. shores, University of Hawaii scientists say. The wall of water struck in March, so that means the garbage should be here -- sometime in 2014.

Hey, it takes a long time to cross the Pacific Ocean if you’re a couch. Or a fridge. Or a piece of a house. Or a Coke can.

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/10/up-20-millions-tons-of-debris-headed-for-american-shores-in-2014.html

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times-Nation Now –posted by Deborah Netburn

 

 

Robotic surgery grows, but so do questions

These days, some surgeons have four arms and are made of metal and plastic.

Use of a robotic assistant called the Da Vinci Surgical System has quadrupled in the last four years, and the machine now helps with incisions and sutures in 2,000 hospitals around the world. Da Vinci is a multi-purpose robot — the only one of its kind — that can scrub in on heart bypass and valve repair operations, hysterectomies, prostate removal surgeries and other procedures. http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-robotic-surgery-20111017,0,3304377.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Amber Dance, Special to the Los Angeles Times

Glendale to monitor impact of electric cars

The first 100 people to buy an electric vehicle will get a $200 rebate from the city of Glendale in exchange for installing a special socket that will help measure the potential impact of more cars tapping into the power grid.

As plug-in electric vehicles become more popular, officials want to be prepared for the influx of energy use, so it’s requiring all electric-vehicle owners to install a special socket that will measure the effect on the power supply, said Ned Bassin, assistant general manager of customer and support services at Glendale Water & Power. http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/greenspace/2011/10/glendale-to-monitor-impact-of-electric-cars.html#start

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times -Greenspace by Britanny Levine, Time Community News

California has 1 in 4 U.S. solar energy jobs, study says

Reporting from Sacramento

One in every four solar energy jobs in America is held by a Californian, and growth in the clean-tech industry is burgeoning nationwide, a new study said.

In August, California had an estimated 25,575 solar-related jobs out of 100,237 for all 50 states, according to the National Solar Jobs Census 2011. The census is scheduled for release Monday by the Solar Foundation, a research and education organization in Washington.

California's solar jobs tally was more than four times greater than runner-up Colorado, which had 6,186 solar jobs  http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-solar-jobs-20111017,0,3230671.story

Article courtesy of The Los Angeles Times by Marc Lifsher