James Bond: Ridding the World of Bad Guys and Bad Air

On November 17, James Bond brought the idea of “going green” to theaters. His new movie, Quantum of Solace, includes many eco-friendly ideas that subtly make an impressive statement.

For starters, many of the cars that Bond is found driving are Hybrids. Although we found that Hybrids are ultimately not worth the purchase (described in an earlier post), the movie is still trying to make an environmental statement.

To make the eco-friendly motif even more apparent, Bond’s enemy is named Dominic Greene. At the end of the movie, Bond and his assistant are directed to an eco-hotel powered by hydrogen fuel cells, where Greene is making the final arrangements to his coup. Of course this hotel was run by hydrogen mainly for dramatic purposes (the entire hotel catches on fire and combusts in the end), but the idea of an eco-hotel was cleverly placed into the viewers’ minds.

One last environmental topic that is portrayed in the movie is our nation’s increasing dependence on oil.  I was told that in an earlier Bond movie Bond’s girlfriend is killed by being covered in gold paint. In this movie, one of Bond’s girls dies from being covered in oil. When comparing the two, it can be inferred that our nation views oil as the new gold.  Just as the movie indicates, we have upgraded to a new source of wealth and power.

From car chases to hotels blowing up, Quantum of Solace combines action with environmentally friendly ideas. So if you consider James Bond a hero, follow his example and put a little Green into your life.

*Images taken from AP Images

Read Full Post »

Saving the Ecosystem One Rock at a Time

Scientists have recently discovered that a certain type of rock, called peridotite, has the ability to soak up carbon dioxide. This is a remarkable discovery because carbon dioxide is a main greenhouse gas. Scientists claim that this rock can soak up the carbon dioxide at a rate that can potentially slow down the process of global warming.

Peridotite is the most common rock found in the Earth’s mantle, but also conveniently appears on the earth’s surface. This type of rock is mainly found in Oman, which is close to a place that produces large amounts of carbon dioxide in order to produce fossil fuels. Although scientists deemed the process of withdrawing the rock and transporting it to power plants that emit greenhouse gases too expensive, they still believe that its presence can benefit our environment.

Klaus Lackner, from Columbia, developed another environmentally friendly procedure that uses synthetic trees to suck carbon dioxide out of the air. Scientists believe that if this technique were combined with the Peridotite procedure, 4 to 5 billion tons of gas could be stored per year.

Unfortunately, this type of rock is not found in the United States, China, or India, which are the greatest greenhouse gas emitters. Alternative techniques would have to be developed in order for this process to work. But if this idea were to be carried out in the future, it is a fact that our atmosphere would greatly benefit.

*Information acquired from:

http://green.yahoo.com/news/nm/20081107/sc_nm/us_climate_rocks.html

*Image taken from AP Images

Read Full Post »

Prisons Go Green

The Pew Center on the States reported this year that in the year 2007 states spent more than 49 billion dollars on food, housing, clothing, treatment, and supervision for 2.3 million convicts. In order to help cut costs and clean its surroundings, one prison in Littlerock, Washington turned its convicts into environmental saviors.

Robert Knowles, who has been behind bars for 13 years, is one of these convicts that are doing their part in turning their temporary home into a “green” prison. Knowles performs various tasks to help “greenify” the prison, such as planting thousands of pounds of organic vegetables in fertilizer that will modify the soil. Other responsibilities held by the inmates include raising bees, growing organic tomatoes and lettuce, composting 100% of food waste, and recycling shoe scraps that are later made into turf.

According to the secretary of the Washington Department of Corrections, Eldon Vail, “It reduces cost, reduces our damaging impact on the environment, engages inmates as students. It’s good security.” Prisons consume incredibly high amounts of energy and water and administrators believe that turning prisons “green” will help in conserving these resources.

Many of the inmates are finding the responsibilities bestowed upon them to be life changing. By participating in various tasks, they are learning how to better their surroundings and act as leaders. In return, this participation helps them better themselves. Daniel Travatte, the main inmate in charge of caring for his prison’s three beehives, stated, “I’m trying to change myself. A lot of people go through prison with no intention of changing. I love working with the bees. It keeps me busy. I have a lot of responsibility to take care of.” By granting these convicts responsibilities that ultimately change the environment in a beneficial way, they are obtaining the confidence and self-esteem needed in order to change them.

*Photos taken from AP Images

*Information acquired from:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081102/ap_on_re_us/green_prisons;_ylt=AgXUP_BtDOqIPJKa05inMj.zvtEF

Read Full Post »