You may have heard of ”The New American Home”, a Las Vegas showcase home that generates just as much or more energy than it uses. Although the home is more of a sustainability lab than a dwelling, the house helps us explore and understand the potential for energy production and use in everyday life. This …
Author Archives: Rocco Panetta
Who Wants To Rebuild A Bankrupt 19th Century Boat Builder?
Is it possible for a 19th century boat maker to recover from bankruptcy and reclaim their rightful place in the boat-making industry? With a lot of hard work, it is, and two Harvard school buddies like Steve Heese and Stephen Julius to help make it happen. That’s what Chris-Craft had been lucky to have. A …
Will The NYC Styrofoam Ban Be Good Or Bad For Manufacturing?
The styrofoam cups, clamshell containers, and trays found in restaurants and eateries throughout New York City will soon be a thing of the past. Starting in July, a single-use polystyrene container ban will go into effect throughout the city. Now businesses are working on ways to adapt to this change and seeking alternatives that offer …
Making Plastic Recycling Waste Water Free
While recycling is a vital part of making plastics a sustainable part of our future, many recycling processes aren’t always efficient or waste-free. Often, waste water is a byproduct of plastic, ABS, and polystyrene recycling. However, a new technology may make it possible to recycle these materials without producing waste water. It may also yield …
What Happens When The Plastic Industry Takes Action?
Statewide plastic ban bans are struck down. At least that’s what appears to be happening in California where The American Progressive Bag Alliance, and supporters of bag ban suspension, have collected enough signatures to force a referendum on the new law. Senate Bill 270 was signed into law last October and was set to take …
Getting To Know The Fungi That Makes Meals Out Of Plastic
What if there was a fungus that actually ate plastic, quickly and efficiently? The problem of slow biodegrading and non-recyclable waste materials in landfills, city dumps, and waterways would be over, right? Thankfully, there is such thing as plastic eating-fungi. One type is called Pestalotiopsis microspora and it was found in the Amazon rainforest just three …
Will Cheaper Oil Mean A Price Break For Plastics?
If consumer activity is any indication, the economy is feeling a little more stable and shoppers are feeling a little more optimistic and spend-happy. Some economists say the recent and dramatic drop in gas prices may be a major contributing factor; as the more consumers save at the pump, the more they’ll spend that money …
How Do You Make Plastic Move Like Fabric?
3D printed garments and accessories have been a favorite of fashion designers and creative techies since the technology has become widely accessible. However, 3D printed objects are mostly limited to just a few types of plastic. As a result, designers have had to be clever with the structure of the objects they print, especially …
The Lighter Side Of Plastic Recycling
In the issue of plastics and sustainability, there’s no getting around the facts that plastic is useful and necessary to our modern way of living, and that there are issues when it comes to the need for efficient recycling, waste management, and improved sustainability of plastics and their manufacture. On the latter front, researchers may …
What Is The Real Impact Of Plastic Bag Bans?
Proponents of plastic bag bans see their growing prominence as a strike for the environment, and a blow to Big Oil petroleum companies, as well as shift in a culture of consumption. But is the issue really as simple as that? Plastic bag manufacturers have a different point of view, one based in retaining jobs, …