tag:www.naturalawakeningsnj.com,2005:/categories/lit-bitsLit Bits Lit Bits | Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey Healthy Living Healthy Planet2022-07-10T12:23:19-07:00urn:uuid:94770fc1-f1e1-45af-9739-6b390e40c7bf2022-07-01T17:49:14-07:002022-07-10T12:23:19-07:00NASA Research and Innovations are Spinning2022-07-01 17:49:14 -0700Kristy Mayer<p>From reducing greenhouse gas emissions to advancing renewable energy technologies to better understanding the processes leading to warming, NASA’s research and innovation spinoffs are growing. <br></p><p><br></p><p><b>All-Electric Flight</b></p><p>With NASA’s help, a company designed a high- power battery pack that could meet safety requirements for the agency’s all-electric experimental airplane. Now the company is selling batteries based on that development for use in some of the first all-electric passenger planes.</p><p><br></p><p><b>Sniffing Out Gas Leaks</b></p><p>A spectrometer created to look for methane on Mars is 1,000 times more sensitive than competing technology. The device can be handheld or mounted on a drone or car and lets natural gas producers easily spot and stop leaks.</p><p><br></p><p><b>Putting CO2 Back into Beer</b><b> </b></p><p>Most small breweries vent the carbon dioxide created during brewing and then buy more to carbonate the beer itself. Now the same technology for manufacturing resources on Mars has been adapted to enable breweries to capture CO2 and then recycle it to carbonate the beer.</p><p><br></p><p><b>Running on Empty</b></p><p>The voltage controller, invented by a NASA engineer in the 1970s, is one of NASA’s most-used innovations. It enables machinery to automatically decrease energy consumption when full power is unnecessary—for example, escalators and elevators without passengers.</p><p><br></p><p><b>Solar Flexibility</b></p><p>With NASA funding, one company developed a cheaper way to produce high-efficiency solar cells and used it to make affordable, portable, flexible solar panels. Its solar cells now power troops’ devices in the field, as well aircraft and satellites.</p><p><br></p><p><i>For more, visit </i><a href="http://www.spinoff.nasa.gov/climate-change" target="_blank">spinoff.nasa.gov/climate-change</a><i>.</i></p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:20f7bcb0-ad92-4e68-b3e6-58592d611cbc2022-05-28T19:42:29-07:002022-06-06T18:53:03-07:00One Huge Scoop at a Time: Innovations in Removing Plastic from Oceans and Waterways2022-05-28 19:42:29 -0700Kristy Mayer<p>Cleaning oceans of over 20 billion tons of plastic waste is a daunting task and passionate commitment for Boyan Slat, 27-year-old Dutch inventor and entrepreneur. Age 18, he conceptualized a way to use the natural forces in the oceans to passively gather plastic so cleanup time could be reduced to years instead of millennia. <br></p><p> Slat targeted an area known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch for the first big clean up, however, he needed to know more about the plastic in that area to know how to build the system he imagined. Researchers had been mapping data on ocean plastic since the 1970s, but the data was scattered and biased toward smaller pieces due to the methods used in sampling. To gather the information he needed, an unprecedented mapping project was initiated. By coordinating 50 boats taking samples at the same time, he was able to gain critical information for designing an effective system.</p><p> To safely collect floating plastic without harm to fish or plankton, Slat designed a system of floating booms and processing platforms. Once gathered, plastic can be brought to shore for repurposing or recycling.</p><p> In September 2018, Slat and his team the launched the world’s first ocean cleanup system from San Francisco, and deployment inside the Great Pacific Garbage Patch followed soon after. Increasing efficiency is ongoing, and its latest system iteration, System 002 (a.k.a. Jenny), began cleanup in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in late 2021. In the first five months of operation, 40,273kg of plastic was collected and reported effects on marine life were more negligible than expected.</p><p> Slat is CEO of The Ocean Cleanup, a non-profit organization developing and scaling technologies to rid the oceans of plastic. He gives lead to a team of about 80 people, but spends most of his time on research and engineering.</p><p> Slat has received recognition and multiple awards for his innovative accomplishments including the UN’s highest environmental accolade—Champion of the Earth. The Ocean Cleanup is also working on scalable ways to efficiently intercept plastic in rivers before it reaches the oceans.</p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:c988f13a-09e5-4fb2-b5d0-7e5d9a8b41312022-05-03T17:56:04-07:002022-05-03T17:59:43-07:00Newspaper for the World Garden2022-05-03 17:58:53 -0700Kristy Mayer<p>In 2016, a “Green Newspaper” was published by a company in Japan that wanted readers to be able to grow herbs with it. The special edition shared environmental news and was printed with plant-based ink on 100% biodegradable paper. Seeds were embedded in the paper that would grow into butterfly and pollinator attracting flowers or edible herbs.<br></p><p>Using the Green Newspaper as a tool, the publisher also hosted environmental educational events in schools throughout Japan. Plus, demonstrations were held on how to plant the paper along with lessons on sustainability and recycling. </p><p>The initiative reached 4.6 million people, and generated over $700,000 for the publisher. Its significance carries further in that it reimagines how newspapers can be transformative for both the environment and publishing.</p><p><i>Source: </i><a href="http://www.OneEarth.org" target="_blank">OneEarth.org</a></p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>urn:uuid:8bd26458-97c2-4315-b188-d1200c9da1212022-05-03T17:58:05-07:002022-05-03T17:58:05-07:00Solar Without Sun2022-05-03 17:58:04 -0700Kristy Mayer<p>In 2020, Carvey Ehren Maigue, a 27-year-old Filipino student at the Mapua University Manila, won the James Dyson Award for Global Sustainability, beating over 1,800 applicants.<br></p><p>Drawing inspiration from the Northern Lights, Maigue imagined a method to suspend rotting fruits and vegetables mixed in a resin so that when hit by sunlight, the particles would absorb and emit light at the edges. From there, the light could be captured and converted to electricity. He calls this technology AuREUS which stands for Aurora Renewable Energy and UV Sequestration.</p><p>Because AuREUS can harvest UV light regardless of weather, it opens the door for walls and windows to become new energy sources. Research is ongoing to get the right luminescent particles to allow sourcing of the dyes from fruits and vegetables to 100% rather than being supplemented by chemicals.</p><p><i>Source: </i><a href="http://www.JamesDysonAward.org" target="_blank">JamesDysonAward.org</a></p><hr /><p><small>Original article published at <a href="www.naturalawakeningsnj.com">Natural Awakenings North Central New Jersey</a></small></p>