The Minnesota State Fair's Eco Experience will showcase renewable energy.

From Green Right Now Reports

If you are headed to the Minnesota State Fair from Aug. 26th through Sept. 6th, you can learn about our environment and how to make it better at the Eco Experience building.

The fair will feature interactive exhibits to teach you about green building, local food, recycling, composting, waste prevention, water quality, transportation, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Outside the Eco Experience, you’ll find more than a dozen renewable energy demonstrations, including grid-connected solar and wind electricity, solar hot water, and solar hot air. Talk with professionals about which renewable energy systems make sense for your home.

Other highlights will include:

Green building products and design — Green Street is a model green community being built inside the Eco Experience to teach you about green design, energy efficiency, interior products, renewable energy systems, and environmentally friendly landscaping.

Practical tips to avoid wasting energy – The ENERGY STAR exhibit house is a traveling exhibit that is visiting the Eco Experience this year. It is modeled on an energy-efficient home and demonstrates how important energy-efficient practices and products are as a first step toward saving energy and helping fight climate change.

Space-age foam —  Have you seen advertisements for compostable chip bags or plastics made from plants? These plastics are part of a transition our society is going through as we move from petroleum-based plastics toward more sustainable plastics. The University of Minnesota is leading the way in sustainable plastic research. Major companies—including many Minnesota companies—have already invested in producing bio-based materials. Come learn about this work and ask questions about these new products.

Electric Vehicle benefits – EurocarsUS’ Tesla Roadster Sport will be in the solar carport at the Eco Experience to show off the Roadster Sport, which boasts super car performance without super car emissions. The hand-built, carbon fiber electric Roadster Sport accelerates from 0 – 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. The zero-emissions super car consumes no petroleum; plugs into conventional 120-volt sockets; and can drive 245 miles per charge. Tesla has delivered over 1,000 Roadsters to customers in 22 countries.

The Minnesota State Fair's Eco Experience will showcase renewable energy.

From Green Right Now Reports

If you are headed to the Minnesota State Fair from Aug. 26th through Sept. 6th, you can learn about our environment and how to make it better at the Eco Experience building.

The fair will feature interactive exhibits to teach you about green building, local food, recycling, composting, waste prevention, water quality, transportation, energy efficiency and renewable energy.

Outside the Eco Experience, you’ll find more than a dozen renewable energy demonstrations, including grid-connected solar and wind electricity, solar hot water, and solar hot air. Talk with professionals about which renewable energy systems make sense for your home.

Other highlights will include:

Green building products and design — Green Street is a model green community being built inside the Eco Experience to teach you about green design, energy efficiency, interior products, renewable energy systems, and environmentally friendly landscaping.

Practical tips to avoid wasting energy – The ENERGY STAR exhibit house is a traveling exhibit that is visiting the Eco Experience this year. It is modeled on an energy-efficient home and demonstrates how important energy-efficient practices and products are as a first step toward saving energy and helping fight climate change.

Space-age foam —  Have you seen advertisements for compostable chip bags or plastics made from plants? These plastics are part of a transition our society is going through as we move from petroleum-based plastics toward more sustainable plastics. The University of Minnesota is leading the way in sustainable plastic research. Major companies—including many Minnesota companies—have already invested in producing bio-based materials. Come learn about this work and ask questions about these new products.

Electric Vehicle benefits – EurocarsUS’ Tesla Roadster Sport will be in the solar carport at the Eco Experience to show off the Roadster Sport, which boasts super car performance without super car emissions. The hand-built, carbon fiber electric Roadster Sport accelerates from 0 – 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. The zero-emissions super car consumes no petroleum; plugs into conventional 120-volt sockets; and can drive 245 miles per charge. Tesla has delivered over 1,000 Roadsters to customers in 22 countries.

Hundreds of ideas and techniques for creating an environmentally sound future will be the focus of the 6th annual Pennsylvania Renewable Energy & Sustainable Living Festival in Kempton, Penn., Sept. 17 through 19.

The Mid-Atlantic Renewable Energy Association, a non-profit dedicated to informing and educating the public on renewable energy production, energy efficiency and sustainable living, hosts the annual event.

Festival-goers can get advice from experts and participate in hands-on sessions. During the three-day festival, more than 100 presenters will explore solar electricity, solar hot water, wind, micro-hydro, alternative transportation, energy efficiency and green building. Workshops will cover timber frame construction and electric and vegetable oil vehicle conversions.

Some 200 exhibitors will offer products and services designed to foster a healthy relationship between people and the planet. Dozens of alternative fuel vehicles will be exhibited, including Teslas, electric conversions, plug-in hybrids and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

Sustainable agriculture is also a focus of the festival, which will feature a farmers market. A variety of vendors will offer healthy options for every taste. The festival considers where food comes from, what we eat and how our waste can be a recoverable resource.

Family-friendly entertainment features many performers and artists. Cellist and vocalist Ben Sollee, named a Top Ten artist by NPR’s Morning Edition, is the special musical guest. Sollee plans to bike to the festival. Oscar Lloveras, internationally-known nature-inspired landscape artist, will grace the grounds with his first U.S. installation.

In a Festival screening, Gasland, the HBO award-winning documentary, looks at the environmental hazards of natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale. Indie documentary distributor Bullfrog Films also will screen films throughout the festival.

Event details

• All speakers, exhibits, entertainment and films are included with admission: $12/adults; $6/12 to 18; under 12/free. Camping is available, $15/day per campsite.
• Hours are 9 a.m. Friday, Sept. 17, through 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19, at the Kempton Community Center, Kempton, Penn., 19529 (north of Route 78 between Allentown and Reading).
• More info online at www.paenergyfest.com or facebook.com/PAEnergyFest .

Zipcar Inc., Harvard University Transportation Services and Zimride today announced Greater Boston’s first campus car sharing program for drivers under 21. The partnership will make it even easier for parents to send students to school without a car and further reduce the number of cars in Cambridge neighborhoods, already a city with one of the highest concentrations of car sharers in the country.

The partnership will expand Zipcar’s 10-year relationship with Harvard University Transportation Services by doubling the company’s on-campus fleet to up to 20 cars and bringing the total number of vehicles in Cambridge and the surrounding campus to close to 160. All on-campus vehicles will be available to area residents and Harvard affiliated members including those under 21.

With the addition of Zimride, a private network for ridesharing that uses Facebook integration to allow friends to share commutes or one-time rides, the partners will help reduce campus traffic, parking difficulties and provide substantial cost-savings for the community and students, Zipcar officials said.

Through Zimride’s customized web-based interface, Harvard faculty, staff and students will be able to find others with similar commuting patterns or one-time rides.  As a social network platform with optional Facebook integration, Zimride is fun to use and helps establish trust among users.  Just like with Facebook, Zimriders can view profiles for common networks, interests and friends before deciding to share a ride. This new transportation alternative is a fun, easy and sustainable way for everyone to collectively make a difference.

Harvard is one of Zipcar’s oldest and most successful university programs with more Zipcar members and car sharing vehicles than any other university in North America. Cambridge has seen a reduction of about 3,000 parking sticker requests between 2006 and 2009.

Houston’s popular Ruggles Green, launched a year ago off West Alabama street in the Upper Kirby District, has added a second location in the new CITYCENTRE development in the Memorial area of West Houston.

The new Ruggles Green also is a Certified Green Restaurant that conforms to guidelines set by the Green Restaurant Association. Guidelines include an extensive recycling program, no use of styrofoam, energy reduction steps, water conservation steps, use of sustainable materials, public education/outreach, and use of local and organic ingredients in food.

Green Cafe Management and GJR Partners said the new Ruggles Green location will continue with the same style menu as its original location in River Oaks. Ruggles Green offers a diverse collection of comfort foods like Spicy Fish Tacos, Warm Goat Cheese Salads, Lean Buffalo Burgers, and Wood-fired Pizzas, with an emphasis on all natural and organic ingredients.

Green Cafe officials said they are planning a multi-store expansion in the Houston area during the next two years. The restaurant management company was founded by chef Bruce Molzan, Federico Marques, and Robert Guillerman.

The software can help detect a wide variety of chemical and biological contaminants in drinking water. (Photo: Green Right Now)

From Green Right Now Reports

Scientists from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy have collaborated in developing new water quality software that enhances a water system’s ability to detect when there has been intentional or unintentional contamination.

Officials said the software, called Canary, can help detect a wide variety of chemical and biological contaminants, including pesticides, metals, and pathogens. Once contamination is detected quickly, a water utility could issue a “Do Not Drink” order to prevent customers from ingesting the water.

The Greater Cincinnati Water Works began piloting the software in 2007, and it is now being evaluated in four other U.S. cities — New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco — and in Singapore.

“This cutting-edge technology helps to protect all Americans and secure our nation’s water supply from threats,” Paul Anastas, assistant administrator for EPA’s Office of Research and Development, said in a statement. “The new software also improves our drinking water systems and allows water utilities to quickly advise customers when their water is not safe to drink.”

Drinking water utilities use the software in conjunction with a network of water quality sensors to rapidly detect contamination and to more accurately assess when and how they need to respond. The software helps to distinguish between natural variation in water quality measurements and hazardous contamination, and sends an alarm to indicate when water utilities should take steps to investigate and respond to potential contamination.

In addition to achieving homeland security goals, Canary can be used to enhance day-to-day water quality management, and ensure the safety and security of water for all consumers.

EPA and DOE received a 2010 “R&D 100 Award” from R&D Magazine for developing Canary. The R&D 100 awards recognize the top high-technology products of the year.

Canary is available for free worldwide to drinking water utilities to provide safe water to their customers. The software has so far been accessed by more than 600 users in 15 countries.