April 5th, 2013

When last we wrote about the notorious “Monsanto rider” tucked into the last big federal budget bill, it appeared to have attached itself magically to the legislation. No one stood up and claimed ownership. But of course someone originated the insidious rider, which gives Monsanto carte blanche to plant, even in the face of federal lawsuits.

[Read more →]

September 20th, 2012

Research by French scientists showing that rats fed GMO corn developed tumors and died prematurely has prompted the French government to continue its ban on genetically engineered crops.

But the study came in for criticism from scientists in other countries shortly after it was published Wednesday in Food and Chemical Toxicology.

[Read more →]

August 31st, 2012

GE turbines in Brazil (Photo:

Fast-growing Brazil has been criticized for chopping down rainforests to make way for beef cattle, soy and sugar farms.
But those days may be behind us. Brazil is fast becoming an industrial leader with a growing green conscience, as two reports out this week show.

[Read more →]

June 24th, 2011

The txchnologist blog, sponsored by GE, has assessed several famous rooftops in the Big Apple to see how solar could reduce the building’s electricity costs.

Celebrities like Madonna could save a lot — and could afford the installation costs — of solar, according to the blog, which challenges the wealthy and famous to think about it.

[Read more →]

November 1st, 2010

U.S. venture capital investment in clean tech companies in Q3 fell to $575.6 million, a 55 percent decrease in capital, according to an Ernst & Young LLP analysis based on data from Dow Jones VentureSource. There were 53 financing rounds in the quarter, a 22 percent decrease in deals compared to Q3 2009.

[Read more →]

December 3rd, 2009

As people try to shift to using compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, one of the challenges is that the common screw-shaped design is less aesthetically pleasing and harsher than a typical incandescent, glass bulb. There have been a few attempts to disguise the CFL within a bulb-like cover but now GE is announcing a CFL that the company says comes much closer to replicating the classic light bulb we’re all familiar with.

Using miniaturized electronics developed by GE Consumer & Industrial engineers and scientists, the company says its exclusive new design — protected under more than a dozen U.S. patent applications — is practically identical to a standard incandescent light bulb. The GE Energy Smart CFL bulb features a spiral CFL inside the glass bulb and the electronics housed in the neck of the bulb. GE says the new bulb is Energy Star qualified.

GE says the new bulb will help with certain fixtures were made with the traditional shape in mind. For example, many small lamps use a clip on shade that can’t easily accommodate a corkscrew–shaped CFL.

[Read more →]

November 19th, 2009

Remember Chevy Chase’s escapades with a ladder and those strings of outdoor lights in Christmas Vacation? Apparently many Americans would have been happy to help him kick that plastic Santa to death.

A new survey commissioned by GE of 1,050 Americans found that dealing with those tangled, twisty lights appears to be one of the Christmas season’s biggest hassles.

Of the people who plan to decorate with lights (870), a majority (56 percent) cited untangling last year’s lights as the season’s “biggest hassle”. Others noted that stringing lights on the house or in the yard (47 percent) and stringing lights on the tree (39 percent) as the season’s biggest non-joyous headache.

[Read more →]

May 1st, 2009

From Green Right Now Reports

GE Global Research said this week it will create an Ecoassessment Center of Excellence to study ways of assessing and managing the environmental impact throughout the full lifecycle of its products.

The new center is expected to evaluate products for their environmental impact beginning with the raw materials used in early stage research through every step, ending with the disposal of each product at the completion of its useful life. GE said a dedicated, multi-disciplinary team of scientists and engineers will systematically develop better, more energy efficient ways to design and manage products.

[Read more →]

February 19th, 2009

Photo: PRNewsFoto/SunPower Corporation
SunPower trackers installed at the Lake County Sanitation District wastewater treatment plant in Lakeport, Calif. follow the sun’s movement during the day, increasing sunlight capture by up to 30 percent over conventional fixed-tilt systems.

From Green Right Now reports

SunPower Corp., a manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells, solar panels, and solar systems, GE, California’s Lake County and the Lake County Sanitation District (LACOSAN) announced the completion of a 2.2-megawatt solar-electric power system on three sites in northern California.

The companies said that this new system, combined with an existing 1-megawatt solar power installation, makes Lake County the largest solar power installation on county facilities in California. The combined 3.2-megawatt system produces the equivalent of 94 percent of the facilities’ electricity requirements.

[Read more →]

February 3rd, 2009

By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now

Confused about light bulbs? There’s a dizzying array on the market, not just at Home Depot and Lowe’s and online at 1000Bulbs.com, but at many home supply stores.

For any given lighting job, you may find yourself confronted with several types of bulbs that could work — CFLs (compact fluorescent bulbs), a halogen or two or ten, and some of those ongoing, but supposedly outgoing, incandescents. Conversely, for specific needs, like say the flame-shaped bulbs you need for your chandelier, you might find the choices wanting, perhaps there’s an incandescent available, but not an EnergyStar CFL.

[Read more →]