“I’m not picking that up.” I’m staring at a 15-foot ship wrecked on Playa del Rey beach. My partner in crime today, Matt, is teasing me for dragging him to the beach at 9am on a Saturday morning. He peruses the trash collection log we have to fill out. “So I guess we mark this under boat parts.  Because there is no section for a whole boat.” Today is Heal the Bays’ Annual Coastal Cleanup Day. I’m here to work not verbally spar so I ignore Matt’s snarky comment and snap... [Read more]

In the desperate search for renewable energy sources scientists are turning to bacteria to more efficiently produce hydrogen. Hydrogen has long been touted as a potential wonder fuel for cars and other energy needs. However, the majority of hydrogen production has been relegated to cost-effective methods involving extraction from fossil fuels. This manufacturing process releases large amounts of CO2 making hydrogen a dirty fuel source. Fortunately, scientists with the Agricultural Research Service... [Read more]

As we Ecogeeks ogle our ever-expanding supply of fancy gadgets and even fancier chargers it’s hard to imagine a life without these lux comforts.  How could I run 3 miles without my Ipod to distract me?  Do you really expect me to write a blog post with a pencil? We get so wrapped up in our technology that we overlook the technological needs of the rest of the world.  Isn’t it fortunate then that Freeplay Energy’s charitable wing the Freeplay Foundation attempts to bring communication and... [Read more]

Imagine a six-inch spy plane that sends back visual and chemical data in real time, runs on vibrations as well as sun and wind power - and looks like a bat! Thanks to a five-year $10-million grant from the Army the University of Michigan College of Engineering will be making this Batman wet dream a reality. The renewable robot will be developed at U-M’s newly created Center for Objective Microelectronics and Biomimetic Advanced Technology a mouthful also appropriately known as COM-BAT. The University... [Read more]

 Few green spaces exist around Skid Row in downtown Los Angeles.  Grimy gray buildings, tents of the homeless, and barbed wire fences are the most frequent sights. Grocery stores and vegetable markets are rare because quickie marts and liquor stores monopolize the area.  But if you peek through the fence of the Rainbow Apartments on Skid Row you would see something quite different - a 104 square foot garden virtually climbing concrete. With the help of the non-profit Urban Farming  the tenants... [Read more]

Sitting behind cardboard “privacy screens” answering personal questions about my sex life is not exactly comfortable, but this particular volunteer activity – giving blood – is not about comfort. The part I dislike the most, the dreaded finger prick, will happen after I finish this little oral quiz so I’m stretching my answers out. “Have I ever paid anyone for sex? Let me think. Hhhhmmmm. Just one second – I have to think over my entire life.” The nurse’s face indicates she doesn’t... [Read more]