Big wind’s Don Quixote, T. Boone Pickens, has seen some of the wind come out of his sails.  Pickens is scuttling his plan for a giant Texas wind farm and will now pursue several smaller wind projects, possibly in Texas and the Midwest.  Lack of financing, an abundance of cheap natural gas and lack of power grid infrastructure were key obstacles to the Pickens plan.

In related wind energy news, The American Wind Energy Association has release its latest wind energy progress report.  The report reflects some of Pickens’ dilemma: Wind Technology gets an A-, while Transmission and Integration come in with a C- (we know that’s really a D).  For more details take a take a look at the full AWEA 20% Report Card.  The “20%” refers to a recent Department of Energy Report that estimated that Wind Energy could make up 20% of the U.S. electrical supply by 2030.   Without stronger support from Washington and a major overhaul of the electrical grid, that goal remains firmly in doubt.

T shirt junkie that I am, ‘was jonesing for a cute, quick change. Bumped into Jump, and thought you’d like to get in the swing.

Scoop neck, Alternative Apparel organic cotton, utilizing “discharge silk screening process instead of white ink.  The process removes the color from the shirt.” Check the size chart, looks like it runs small.

Great color, “Earth ocean,” from circlesandsquares ($28) @ etsy.com

Get your “eat healthy and save the planet” message out there every time you whip-out this serving tray.  Now if they had just made it out of recycled polypropylene…

$40 @ the designglut store

Related:  previously on altCon
(2.5.09) Cultivating Thoughts on Food
(6.16.09)  Food, Inc. – feed your head and soul

• These geniuses just discovered it’s going to require both innovation and sacrifice…Major Nations Scrap Goal of Halving CO2 by 2050 – reuters
• Big oil’s big scam? Beyond Petroleum – naturenews
• NASA Satellite Reveals Arctic Ice Has Thinned 40% in Five Years – guardian.uk
• Make it illegal to sell, and buy, any and all ivory. Elephant-Sized Loopholes Sustain Ivory Trade – sciencedaily
• The dreams of the future fall prey to the realities of the present…Plans for a High-Speed Rail Line are Rebuked in Cash-Strapped Cali – csmonitor
• Is there no end to the creepy…Could Michael Jackson Have Been Cloned – livescience

Is a robot the future of urban trash collection? A group of Italian scientists think it might be.

In the 1980′s the Italian town of Peccioli built one of the most advanced trash disposal sites in Italy, designed to recycle and produce green energy. For 20 years, it’s been Peccioli’s most profitable business. Peccioli’s affinity for innovative trash collection and the fact that its narrow, winding streets can often prove impassable to big, unwieldy, garbage trucks provided local scientists with a perfect test site for their new robotic creation – DustCart.  A group of  scientists from a nearby university in Pisa called Peccioli’s City Hall and asked for permission to run a test of their new prototype. The scientists transformed a terrace into an outdoor laboratory, laying wires on the cobblestone, installing webcams at street corners, and setting up a control room to monitor DustCart’s operation.

DustCart is designed to answer a customer’s call for a trash pick-up, make its way to their location and ask for a personal ID number that identifies the user and tracks the garbage. It also asks for the kind of trash being dumped – organic, recyclable or waste. DustCart then opens its belly bin, collects the trash and takes it to a dumping site.

“The main benefit we expect for both service provider and citizens,” said Paolo Dario, a soft-spoken scientist who heads the Robotics Department at the Scuola Superiore Sant’ Anna University, “is the fact that this service is available on demand.”

Besides replacing the garbage man, Dario said DustCart could also eliminate the noise pollution that comes with traditional Italian trash collection by running on a silent, lithium-battery operated engine. The robot is also outfitted with special sensors that monitor air temperature, as well as air pollutants, such as: nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, ozone, benzene, CO and CO2. (more…)

Already familiar with Kaia House Organics, (November, ’07) we were very interested in sampling their first-ever, summer nail polish collection.  So with their compliments we polished and removed, and now, file a Tried and True Green Products Review.

What we tried:  Bio-Polish Clear Skies Top & Base Coat, Soy Polish Remover and Miami; (L to R, above).
What we think:  We recommend them, and here’s why. (more…)

During my recent trip to the sunny state of Florida, I pondered the reality of subdivision after subdivision covered in terracotta tile roofs.  The thought occurred to my sun scorched brain that Florida, California and many southwestern states would be a perfect environment for solar tile roofing technology.  I took up the search for a product that integrates solar cells into the actual tiles of the roof – foregoing the use of boxy, obtrusive, traditional solar panels and conforming to the pervasive roofing style.  I unearthed a partnership between two companies, California-based, US Tile, and SRS Energy, that has developed Solé Power Tile.

The Solé Power Tile system is designed to seamlessly integrate with US Tile’s traditional curved, clay roofing tiles, while incorporating advanced photovoltaic technology into the new tile’s design. (more…)

Zipcar continues to push the envelope in the car-share/car rental space.  The company is introducing the first Electric Vehicle Pod to be located behind Westminster City Hall, in London, UK.  The location will include an all-electric vehicle (EV) Citroen c1 and a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Toyota Prius.

In 2003 Zipcar became the first car sharing company to offer hybrids to its members.  In 2004, in partnership with Toyota, Zipcar offered its first EVs – the electrified Toyota RAV 4.  In the past 5 years Zipcar has added nearly 1,000 hybrids to its fleet. To date, the company estimates more than 100,000 unique members have driven an EV or hybrid providing members a great way to test drive and evaluate a wide range of alternative energy vehicles.  via: press release

• There is strong evidence to the contrary…Palin: ‘I am not a quitter; I am a fighter‘ – cnn
• Could global warming shrink my waistline? Shrinking Scottish Sheep Tied to Warming – msnbc
• Wildlife management (video)…Woman Stashes Squirrel in Cleavage – aol news
• Iconic Skyscrapers Find New Luster by Going Green – yahoo! news
• Underwater deer… Aquatic Deer and Ancient Whales – bbc
• The hard news…Guy Ritchie Adding Large Vegetable Garden to UK Estate – ecorazzi