Solar road unveiled in France

Who knew roads could do so much more than serve as paths for vehicles to get from one place to another? If Japan has roads that heat up to combat snow, then France has a solar road, which was launched in December 2016 in the village of Tourouvre-au-Perche in Normandy, France. The solar road, which is called Wattway, is only 1 km long and is composed of 30,000 square feet of solar panels–and costs €5 million. The goal of the road: to generate power for street lighting in the village. The concept is interesting, though it still remains to be seen whether this will be an effective endeavor. Its future looks bright, if the current situation of the world’s first solar road in Amsterdam is anything to go by; the solar road has been used by around 150,000 cyclists, and it’s produced over 3,000 kilowatts of energy so far. In any case, projects like this solar road can stir up a lot of interest and help people better figure out how to implement other solar projects in different, creative ways.

Photo by CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/Getty Images

We’re back!

It’s been a few years, but we’re back and we fully intend to resume posting here again and sharing as much good green news as we can. We’re keeping the old posts for your perusal, but we’re taking out some that link to pages that are no longer up and products that no longer exist. If you’re new to this blog, welcome, and if you’ve been dropping by every now and then hoping to see something new from us, well, we’ll do our best to not disappoint you and to give you more of what you want! Stick around and let’s keep the goodness flowing!

Goats to mow the lawn at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport

A cute goatOkay, so the happy, smiling goat in this picture will not be among those who will be working at O’Hare. But I’ll take any excuse to post this picture.

Anyway, O’Hare Airport is taking on some unique employees: a herd of 25 goats and a goat herder who will keep the goats in line. The goats will take on landscaping duties, or tasks that are considered “sustainable vegetation management grazing services.” They were obtained from Butcher & the Burger, a Chicago restaurant, and will get to work on grazing in “hilly areas near creeks and streams and roadway right-of-ways.” They’ll stay in a trailer at night, and a fence will help keep them away from the airfield itself.

It sounds unusual at first–until you realize that this is one of O’Hare’s ways to become greener. Having the goats around will save quite a lot on landscaping costs, make fuel and equipment unnecessary, and eliminate the need for grass cutting. This step is definitely in line with O’Hare’s goal of becoming the most sustainable airport in the U.S.

Good green things

Vasari bag by Jil Sander

  • The Vasari bag by Jil Sander looks like a brown paper bag and is made from 100-percent coated paper. It could be an eco-friendly alternative to the usual brown bags but would you really be able to stash food in a $290 bag?
  • If you buy a FEED diaper bag, you’re helping to make sure that one mother and one child get a one-year supply of micronutrient powder through the United Nations World Food Programme.
  • Here are some good tips for cat owners who are looking for eco-friendly cat litter.
  • In Jajpur District in Orissa, India, people are clamoring for eco-friendly Ganesh figures.
  • Whole Foods is now offering eco-friendly gift cards.

    • Good green things

    Organic rainbow cake

    • People are going nuts about rainbow cakes. At least, I see pics of them all the time around Tumblr and Pinterest. I have no idea how to make this, but if I ever got the urge to do so, this rainbow cake recipe from Inhabitots may be a good one to follow, especially because it doesn’t use toxic food coloring.
    • OregonLive.com has a simple tip for people who are throwing a party and need eco-friendly place markers: use what’s in your yard! Click here to check out their suggestion.
    • The Giant’s Causeway Visitors’ Centre garnered an ‘Excellent’ BREEAM rating for its energy efficiency, pollution reduction, smart land use and planning, and green materials, among others.
    • The Huffington Post has posted a guide to help you make sure that you’re getting the most eco-friendly wines.

    McDonald's recycled uniforms

    Green threads for McDonald’s service crew in London

    Soon, 2,000 employees of the four McDonald’s Olympic Park branches will be wearing eco-friendly uniforms. The uniforms were designed by husband-and-wife tandem Wayne and Gerardine Hemingway, who partnered with Worn Again, and the clothes have been described variously as “mod” and “Mad Men-inspired.” The uniforms will enter a “closed loop,” which means that any old or damaged clothing will be reused instead of discarded. McDonald’s employees will also be wearing recyclable aprons made from recycled plastic.

    Good green things

  • Jeans are a basic wardrobe staple for practically everyone, but did you know that making them requires a lot of water and chemicals? Fortunately, companies are finding ways to make some green jeans, either by using organic fabrics or natural dyes. A new method called Advanced Denim uses up to 92 percent less water and up to 30 percent less energy than conventional methods.
  • Fans of organic beauty products will be thrilled to know that a new hair care line called Muse Organics has been launched recently.
  • Welsh company Bikes and Buttons is doing something different with children’s parties by giving them a green twist and teaching kids about recycling and the environment.
  • This gorgeous Laguna Beach home may get LEED-certified soon. If you’ve got your heart set on it, make sure you have $17.9 million.