Silicon Investor (SI) -- The First Internet Community

STOCKTALK

We've detected that you're using an ad content blocking browser plug-in or feature. Ads provide a critical source of revenue to the continued operation of Silicon Investor. We ask that you disable ad blocking while on Silicon Investor in the best interests of our community. If you are not using an ad blocker but are still receiving this message, make sure your browser's tracking protection is set to the 'standard' level.

Politics : The Environmentalist Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Amy J who wrote (5795)	1/27/2006 3:38:00 AM
From: Skywatcher	Respond to of 36917

you know! that they only have our best interests at heart May their children drink water from the DWP

To: Amy J who wrote (5795)	2/7/2006 7:20:35 PM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 36917

January Was America's Warmest on Record By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID / AP Science Writer Recording the warmest January on record allowed Americans to save on their heating, but like all good things, last month's mildness seems to have been too good to last. The country's average temperature for the month was 39.5 degrees Fahrenheit, 8.5 degrees above average for January, the National Climatic Data Center said Tuesday. The old record for January warmth was 37.3 degrees set in 1953. On the other hand, while much of the United States was basking in warm weather, parts of Europe and Asia were being battered by bitter cold. Climate details for the rest of the world for January are expected to be available next week. During the month the jet stream, a strong high-altitude wind that guides weather fronts from west to east, stayed unusually far to the north, keeping the coldest air in Canada and Alaska, the agency said. Keeping that cold air to the north allowed mild Pacific air to moderate temperatures across the contiguous states, leading to the warm conditions. However, the jet stream is now sliding into a more typical winter pattern, according to the Climate Prediction Center. The February outlook calls for below-normal temperatures in the mid-Atlantic, the Southeast and intermountain West, and above-normal temperatures in the Southwest, the northern Plains and Alaska. Both centers are part of the government's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The records go back to 1895 when detailed climate records began being collected. During January, none of the 48 contiguous states had below-average temperatures — and 15 states in the northern Plains, Great Lakes and Midwest had record high temperatures for the month. More than 74 percent of the country was classified as "much above normal" when compared to the 1961-1990 climate normal. The Climate Data Center said that only twice since 1895 has more than 74 percent of the nation had a much above-normal temperature — March 1910 and November 1999. The record high temperatures helped reduce residential energy needs for the nation as a whole, NCDC reported. NOAA's Residential Energy Demand Temperature Index, which related energy use to climate, was at its lowest January value on record. NOAA scientists estimated the nation's residential energy demand was 20 percent less than would have occurred under average climate conditions. Among the locations recording the warmest January on record were Bismarck, N.D.; Wichita, Kan.; Blacksburg, Va.; and Rochester, Minn. For the Twin Cities in Minnesota, it was only the second January since 1891 in which the mercury did not dip below zero. By state, it was the warmest January on record for Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wisconsin. It was the second warmest January in New York, Kentucky and Wyoming. On the other hand, north of the jet stream, temperatures across Alaska were much-below average. Fairbanks reached a minimum temperature of -51 F Jan. 27, with a high of only -40 F for that day. NASA scientists recently reported that 2005 had edged out 1998 as the warmest year on record worldwide. NOAA researchers, however, said their analysis placed the two years in a statistical dead heat. ___ On the Net: National Climatic Data Center: ncdc.noaa.gov

To: Amy J who wrote (5795)	2/24/2006 1:31:49 AM
From: stockman_scott	Respond to of 36917

Venture Capital: 'Eco-friendly' cups that cut heat, waste seattlepi.nwsource.com By JOHN COOK Seattle Post-Intelligencer Friday, February 24, 2006 Ever burn your hand on a cup of coffee? A Puget Sound-area startup by the name of MicroGreen Polymers is seeking to alleviate that problem for millions of Americans with a new insulated coffee cup that it says is more durable and heat-resistant than what you'd find at the corner espresso stand. Better yet, the Arlington company says the cup can be produced entirely from recycled soda-pop bottles and will cost about the same as traditional paper coffee cups. That's an idea that should resonate with eco-friendly Seattleites who can't do without their morning jolt of java. And it could interest companies such as Starbucks, which just this month started rolling out new cups that contain 10 percent recycled paper. The concept of an eco-friendly coffee cup that conducts less heat intrigued Hayden Smith at the Green Bean Coffee House, a non-profit that serves up organic coffee in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood. "It is a great idea," said Smith, adding that her shop would be interested in using the cups in place of "double cupping" hot beverages or using the "java jackets" that are routinely put around paper cups. "It is definitely an area where waste happens and could be improved on." MicroGreen's coffee cups, plates, trays and other dish ware are still more than a year away from commercial deployment. But the 4-year-old startup -- which has licensed a thermoformed plastic technique from the University of Washington -- recently scored $2.4 million in financing from WRF Capital and local angel investors to develop a wide range of food packaging materials. The money -- the first major outside investment in the company -- will be used to develop formal prototypes. It will also go to a new manufacturing line that's under construction in Arlington. "We need to prove not just to investors but to partners and customers that this technology is scalable, and we can produce at industrial speeds," MicroGreen co-founder Krishna Nadella said. "That's a very critical aspect." Nadella and co-founder Greg Branch came up with the idea while working in the microcellular plastics laboratory at the UW. They originally thought the foamed material would work best for carpet padding, but switched gears after deciding that the market opportunity was not big enough. Food packaging -- including coffee cups, cookie trays, meal boxes and other containers -- represents an $11 billion industry. With the new focus, the entrepreneurs won $15,000 at the UW's 2003 business plan competition. They also fared well at other competitions across the country. Though still in the development stages, Nadella is confident that MicroGreen can produce coffee cups that are 15 percent to 20 percent cheaper than others on the market. "The process is not only greener, but the concept that we can use recycled material makes a lot of economic sense," said Nadella, adding that the insulation properties of the MicroGreen cup are better than doubling two Starbucks cups. MicroGreen Vice President James Sutton, a food-industry veteran who previously served as director of marketing at Tyson Foods, said the material could eventually be used in everything from car parts to televisions. For now, Sutton said the primary focus is creating packaging in the food industry that is more durable and lighter weight than existing products. "Literally, you can make things that require one-fifth the amount of material," he said. "So you are using less resources going in. If it is disposed of, you are throwing less away." To create these thermoplastic polymers, Sutton said the company infuses microscopic bubbles into solid plastic. The bubbles, 50 to 100 of which could fit on a human hair, create what Sutton calls the "honeycomb effect." That's a structure that requires less material, something that Sutton said appeals to makers of packaged goods such as cookie makers or razor-blade manufacturers. "We are literally getting more miles on the plastic, and that is kind of like being more fuel efficient," he said. The technology creates a high temperature resistance, up to 400 degrees. MicroGreen will create its own line of microwaveable dish ware, but Sutton said it plans to license the technology to other food packaging companies. It already has a joint development agreement with Reynolds Food Packaging, a division of Alcoa. And it recently signed a deal with a Japanese electronics maker, which is using the material in LCD televisions. Discussions also have occurred with a European car manufacturer and American coffee retailers, the latter representing a key market, Sutton said. "We have done our research with coffee companies," said Sutton, adding that many have been receptive. Starbucks spokesman Alan Hilowitz declined to comment on possible vendor relationships, but he did say that the company is "looking at everything" when it comes to new cup design. A spokeswoman for Highland Park, Ill.-based based Solo Cup Co., the disposable tableware giant that is supplying the eco-friendly cups to Starbucks, declined to comment on its upcoming product plans. ______________________________________ MicroGREEN Polymers microgreeninc.com