Bio Plastics

We all use plastics in our daily life in a vast number of ways such as in household appliances, wrappers, containers etc. One advantage of plastics is that it can be easily manufactured and molded into a variety of shapes and sizes.  Discarded plastics container scan again be recycled and made into a new product. However, most of the left-over and discarded plastic waste often ends up in a landfill or is incarcerated which gives a lot of noxious fumes that pollute the atmosphere.

Plastic waste has been deemed to be one of the most polluting of all waste materials as it synthetic nature does not allow it to degrade into the soil. There has been a focus on alternatives to using plastics, and one such alternate is the usage of bio-plastics-which are derived from biological sources and are degradable.

Bio plastics are commonly made from natural substances such as corn, vegetable fats etc. They are two different broad applications in using bio-plastics. One is to create a bio-degradable form of plastic which easily disintegrates and does not cause environmental pollution. The other is to create plastic polymers from a natural source-thereby decreasing our dependence on petrochemicals and chemical sources of plastics.

Some examples of bio plastics are as below.

PLA - Derived fromcane sugar .It can be made into foils, molds, cups and bottles. PLA can be easily processed and is similar to conventional plastics.

Cellulose based plastics-derivedfrom common cellulose. Ex-Cellulose acetate

Thermoplastic Starch: This is one of the most widely used bio-plastic and is derived from natural starch and similar substances. They are often blended with other variety of bio-plastics and have diverse uses.

Renewable polyethylene: PET is one the most widely used variety of plastics, and also is one of the most polluting materials in recent times. Ethanol derived from natural sources can be made into PET, as ethanol is one of the building blocks of PET. Natural ethanol can be derived from a large number of sources such as sugarcane, corn etc. Sourcing the basic material from a natural source would significantly decrease the amount of pollution and the carbon footprint in making commercial ethanol.

GreenSmart turn coke bottles into laptop bags

Plastic bottles are among the top disposable stuff which is contributing in increased pollution and it is important to give them a second life. From a company that is serious about saving the environment, comes a line of gear for transporting your laptops.

GreenSmart has sent us their Mandrill laptop bag, which is named after the largest species of monkey, and is also endangered. With the Mandrill, you can store your sweatshirt or a pair of shoes under the bungee cord on the front. Your laptop has its own separate access garage that will fit up to a 16″ laptop comfortably. The Mandrill gives you a large mid-section for your notebooks or texts and a front pocket for the smaller items, along with two side pockets for bottles or cellphones. (more…)

Green roofing specification and standards

Earlier this year, the city of Chicago, Illinois, and Green Roofs for Healthy Cities co- hosted the first green roof infrastructure conference and trade show in North America. (At least six green roofs already exist in Chicago, including one covering city hall, and an additional 42 are in the planning stage.) Over 500 architects, landscape architects, roofing contractors, city planners, developers, and others attended the conference to learn and share on the subject, and generate support for green roofs throughout North America. (more…)

Green Cloud to ‘Clone’ its HQ at Data Center in Nashville

After the six months of its operations, Green Cloud Technologies has achieved the backup and now providing the telecom services along with Managed IT solutions. Currently where American companies are moving toward green data centers, Green technology is featuring this company because it has scheduled to open its third quarter in Nashville in 2012. (more…)