Hacker News with Generative AI: Sustainability

Chemists find greener path to making ethylene oxide, a key industrial chemical (phys.org)
Scientists have discovered a potentially greener way to produce a crucial industrial chemical used to make many everyday products, from plastics and textiles to antifreeze and disinfectants, according to a study published in Science and co-authored by Tulane University chemical engineer Matthew Montemore.

Chemistry, Sustainability, Industrial Chemicals, Materials Science

7 points by PaulHoule 2 days ago | 1 comments

Small German town starts testing geothermal power utilizing new techniques (apnews.com)
Residents in the German town of Geretsried have long wanted to run their buildings with clean heat and electricity from geothermal energy instead of fossil fuels.

Geothermal Energy, Germany, Renewable Energy, Sustainability, Technology

90 points by PaulHoule 2 days ago | 20 comments

Repairable Flatpack Toaster (kaseyhou.com)

Repairable, Design, DIY, Consumer Products, Sustainability

823 points by t-3 3 days ago | 261 comments

Permacomputing (permacomputing.net)
Permacomputing is both a concept and a community of practice oriented around issues of resilience and regenerativity in computer and network technology inspired by permaculture.

Permacomputing, Resilience, Computer Science, Sustainability, Community

87 points by ngc6677 4 days ago | 43 comments

Solarpunk (wikipedia.org)
Solarpunk is a literary and artistic movement, close to the hopepunk movement,[3] that envisions and works toward actualizing a sustainable future interconnected with nature and community.[4][5][6] The "solar" represents solar energy as a renewable energy source and an optimistic vision of the future that rejects climate doomerism,[7] while the "punk" refers to do it yourself and the countercultural, post-capitalist, and sometimes decolonial aspects of creating such a future.[8]

Solarpunk, Literature, Art, Sustainability, Future

423 points by nis0s 4 days ago | 268 comments

Why Vermont farmers are using urine on their crops (bbc.com)
Urine was used as fertiliser in ancient Rome and China. Now farmers in Vermont are bringing this practice back to boost harvests and grow crops in a more sustainable way.

Agriculture, Sustainability, Vermont, Fertilizer, Ancient History

115 points by rmason 4 days ago | 120 comments

Harvest the sun twice: Agrivoltaics promises sustainable food, energy and water (sheffield.ac.uk)
Combining solar power production with agriculture can significantly boost crop yields, conserve water and generate low-carbon electricity for areas particularly vulnerable to climate change, a new study has shown.

Sustainability, Agriculture, Energy, Climate Change

184 points by gnabgib 7 days ago | 108 comments

'The flying bum': can a UK firm making airships get off the ground? (theguardian.com)
Airlander maker HAV scales up to build world’s biggest aircraft, which it says will have 90% lower emissions than a conventional plane

Airships, Transportation, Sustainability, Innovation, UK

9 points by n1b0m 10 days ago | 0 comments

Modern Synthesis is making compostable materials that last a lifetime (techcrunch.com)
Jen Keane’s claim to fame is that she grew a shoe using bacteria, coaxing the microbes to deposit their nanocellulose materials in the shape of a sneaker. But she’s kind of over that.

Biotechnology, Sustainability, Materials Science, Composting

7 points by PaulHoule 12 days ago | 1 comments

Polyethylene packaging and alternative materials: A life cycle assessment (sciencedirect.com)
A comprehensive life cycle assessment was conducted to evaluate the potential environmental impacts of polyethylene (PE) packaging and its alternatives, including paper, glass, aluminum, and steel in the United States.

Environmental Impact, Packaging, Sustainability, Materials

5 points by PaulHoule 13 days ago | 1 comments

Hands-On with Vescin: MINI's New Vegan Friendly Interior That Replaces Leather (motoringfile.com)
We love the smell and touch of high quality leather. But there’s a big environmental impact due to the production of leather in the quantities that companies like MINI need. So much so that MINI has made the bold decision to eliminate leather from its coming starting with the all new J01 MINI Cooper electric. But can the vegan only interior compete against leather? We went hands-on with the new MIIN to find out.

Automotive, Sustainability, Veganism, Interior Design

27 points by teleforce 19 days ago | 71 comments

Durable plastic gets a sustainability makeover in novel polymerization process (phys.org)
Car tires, replacement hip joints, bowling balls—these and other items are made from a class of plastics called thermosets, known for extreme durability.

Sustainability, Materials Science, Chemistry, Polymers

89 points by PaulHoule 25 days ago | 29 comments

Reflect Orbital: Sunlight after dark using a constellation of spatial reflectors (reflectorbital.com)
Reflect Orbital is selling sunlight using a constellation of in-space reflectors.

Space, Technology, Sustainability, Climate Change

37 points by nateb2022 25 days ago | 45 comments

Building a list of European projects/companies, can you help me to add more? (github.com/uscneps)
An up-to-date list of recommended European projects, curated by the community to support and strengthen the European tech ecosystem, specifically for users interested in privacy and sustainability.

European Tech, Open Source, Community Projects, Sustainability, Privacy

24 points by uscneps 27 days ago | 31 comments

Convert plastic bottles into 3D printer filament (sustainabledesign.studio)
Convert plastic bottles into 3D printer filament!

Recycling, 3D Printing, Sustainability

35 points by svarrall 28 days ago | 14 comments

Adding cooking oil to asphalt to create self-healing roads (thetimes.com)

Civil Engineering, Sustainability, Materials Science, Innovation

19 points by zdw 29 days ago | 22 comments

America's "First Car-Free Neighborhood" Is Going Pretty Good, Actually? (dwell.com)
It’s been two years since Culdesac Tempe, the self-proclaimed "first car-free neighborhood in America," opened with a goal of making walkability its centerpiece.

Urban Planning, Sustainability, Transportation, Arizona

61 points by prawn 30 days ago | 105 comments

How huge parts of the US could become uninhabitable within decades (independent.co.uk)
The United States is no stranger to extreme weather, but the accelerating effects of climate change are pushing some regions closer to the brink of uninhabitability. From oppressive heat in the Southwest to rising sea levels and storm surges along the coasts, the challenges are diverse, daunting, and interconnected.

Climate Change, Environment, United States, Extreme Weather, Sustainability

9 points by this_weekend 31 days ago | 2 comments

Polish city is using mussels to monitor water quality (2020) (awa.asn.au)
While all water professionals are aware of the delicate balance between human systems and biological indicators, the thought of relying on the mechanisms of mussels to safeguard a city’s population from polluted drinking water takes trust in nature to new heights.

Environmental Science, Water Quality, Biology, Sustainability

204 points by gscott 32 days ago | 62 comments

New thermogalvanic tech paves way for more efficient fridges (cosmosmagazine.com)
Researchers have developed a technology that they say could make more efficient and eco-friendly refrigerators.

Refrigeration, Technology, Sustainability, Science

91 points by westurner 33 days ago | 51 comments

MNT Reform Next 12.5" open hw laptop, future-proof, modular, highly performant (crowdsupply.com)
Based on the Classic MNT Reform, MNT Reform Next takes open source hardware to a new level. It gives you more freedom than any other laptop available today. Swap modules, print your own case, and customize your keyboard. By combining high performance and high mobility with modularity, customizability, and repairability, MNT Reform Next has the potential to become more than just your daily driver. Since MNT Research is deeply committed to open hardware, all sources are public.

Laptops, Hardware, Customization, Sustainability

7 points by cassianoleal 34 days ago | 0 comments

Overshoot: How the World Surrendered to Climate Breakdown (lrb.co.uk)

Climate Change, Environmentalism, Books, Sustainability

7 points by mitchbob 34 days ago | 1 comments

Cargo ship captures CO2 from its own exhausts and stores it on-deck (newatlas.com)
Transporting goods on huge fossil-fueled cargo ships is a dirty business. But one such vessel is about to embark on a pilot that could clean up shipping's act considerably. An onboard system has now been installed on the Clipper Eris that will capture CO2 from its exhaust outlets and store it in tanks.

Shipping, Sustainability, Climate Change, Technology

4 points by gnabgib 35 days ago | 1 comments

AI, but at What Cost? Breakdown of AI's Carbon Footprint (loopbreaker.substack.com)
Amid the excitement and tech moguls' gold rush to the next model, have we stopped to consider the environmental cost of running these models—with their hundreds of billions of parameters—for hours on end, scaled across multiple instances, serving millions of users simultaneously?

Artificial Intelligence, Environmental Impact, Technology, Sustainability

92 points by tnahrf 38 days ago | 162 comments

Volvo FM Electric semi trucks helping to fight wildfires in NSW, Australia (electrek.co)
The New South Wales Rural Fire Service is putting the new, 600 km Volvo FM Electric semi truck through its paces as they work to decarbonize their emergency vehicle fleet and keep Australia safe from the devastating effects of wildfires.

Electric Vehicles, Wildfires, Australia, Sustainability

6 points by zfg 40 days ago | 6 comments

Ask HN: I need interviews with datacenter employees for a grad school project (ycombinator.com)
I’m a material science grad student at UC Berkeley doing a datacenter sustainability project for the school of Haas’ Lean Launchpad class.

Data Centers, Sustainability, Research, Interviews, Business

13 points by caloricflow 40 days ago | 13 comments

Eco-friendly aluminum battery lasts 10k cycles with minimal loss (techxplore.com)
Large batteries for long-term storage of solar and wind power are key to integrating abundant and renewable energy sources into the U.S. power grid. However, there is a lack of safe and reliable battery technologies to support the push toward sustainable, clean energy. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Central Science have designed a cost-effective and environment-friendly aluminum-ion (Al-ion) battery that could fit the bill.

Battery Technology, Renewable Energy, Sustainability, Environment

30 points by Brajeshwar 40 days ago | 11 comments

Modular PC Design: Sustainable Approach Enhanced Repairability Reduced E-Waste (intel.com)

Modular Design, Sustainability, E-Waste, Repairability

23 points by pabs3 42 days ago | 53 comments

Intel Calls for More Modular PC Designs, Easier Component Replacement/Upgrades (phoronix.com)
In an Intel blog post today they outlined their desire for a more modular PC design to enhance repairability and reduce e-waste.

Hardware, PC Design, Sustainability, E-Waste

10 points by pabs3 42 days ago | 0 comments

Intel pitches modular PC design to make repair less painful -DIYers may disagree (theregister.com)
Intel claims a more modular approach to PC design could make systems easier to repair and reduce electronic waste – and it has some proposals for you.

Hardware, Repair, Sustainability, DIY

7 points by rntn 42 days ago | 1 comments