Coke's Planet-Friendly Vending Machines

The kingpin of soda, Coca-Cola, is changing the face--and footprint--of the refrigeration industry by replacing its conventional fleet of vending machines with a climate-friendly model. Most vending machines rely on refrigerants known as hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), a chemical hodgepodge that has an incredible power to cool the air. HFCs can also be 1,430 times more harmful to the climate than global warming's main culprit, carbon dioxide.

Paradoxically, Coca-Cola's new refrigerant of choice is carbon dioxide.
"We talk about fighting fire with fire," says Bryan Jacob, director of energy and climate protection for Coke. He notes that carbon dioxide is nonflammable, nontoxic, comparatively inexpensive and readily available. "In the right application, CO2 can be a solution to climate change."

About 10 years ago academic research emerged on how HFCs affect global warming. Yet it took the publication of the Velders Report in 2009--which predicted a dramatic rise in HFC use due to steady growth in the refrigeration industry--for HFCs to join the list of other infamous greenhouse gases : carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. The report's silver lining is its mention of natural alternatives, including CO2, ammonia and hydrocarbons (including propane and isobutene).

"The proof that natural refrigerants work is our grandparents had refrigerators charged with ammonia, propane and carbon dioxide," says Kert Davies, director of research for Greenpeace, which has been promoting natural refrigeration technology since 1992 as an alternative to methods that harm the ozone layer and climate systems. Natural refrigerants have been successfully used abroad for decades.

Like most refrigerants, CO2 works by removing heat from the air. As it evaporates, it absorbs the heat, chilling the air inside the machine. The main difference between CO2 and other refrigerants is that CO2 must be used at a much higher pressure, which necessitates stronger pipes.

Coke and others are phasing out use of ozone-depleting refrigerants to keep drinks cool.

The trend is catching on.

PepsiCo installed 35 new HFC-free vending machines in Miami just in time for the Super Bowl. These utilize hydrocarbons--propane and butane--refrigerants that are already popular in Europe. Ben & Jerry's ice cream company (a unit of Unilever) is launching its own version of this technology at stores in the Washington, D.C., and Boston areas. Meanwhile General Electric is seeking approval to sell home-use refrigerators in the U.S. using a hydrocarbon refrigerant.

"We expect to continue using both technologies--CO2 and hydrocarbons," says Coke's Bryan Jacob. "We also hope new technologies will emerge with the ultimate goal being the elimination of HFCs."

2010 is Warmest ever in Recorded History

The year 2010 is turning out to be the warmest ever in recorded history, with the first four months reporting an average temperature of 13.3 degrees Celsius which is 0.69 degrees above the 20th century average.

The combined global land and ocean surface temperatures for the period between January and April were the warmest on record, and April was the warmest individual month ever, America's climate agency has said in its latest report. The combined April global land and ocean average surface temperature was the warmest on record at 14.5 degrees Celsius (58.1 degrees F). This is 0.76 degrees Celsius above the 20th century average of 13.7 degrees Celsius, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said.

Warmer-than-normal conditions dominated the globe, with the most prominent warmth in Canada, Alaska, eastern US, Australia, South Asia, northern Africa and northern Russia.

Cooler-than-normal places included Mongolia, Argentina, far eastern Russia, the western contiguous United States and most of China.

Arctic sea ice was below normal for the 11th consecutive April, and 2.1 per cent below the 1979-2000 average extent. It was, however, the largest April Arctic sea ice extent since 2001.
Further, satellite observations showed snow cover extent was fourth-lowest on record since 1967.

Sweet New Fuel

Bay Area biofuels startup Amyris, is proposing to do: put specially designed microorganisms to work on sugarcane in hopes of generating massive amounts of a new kind of biodiesel fuel.
The start-up said it had teamed up with Crystalsev, one of Brazil’s largest ethanol distributors and marketers, to commercialize fuels made from sugarcane.
The joint venture aims to produce a biodiesel by 2010 that will work in conventional car and truck engines. Amyris executives say they believe the new fuel will reduce emissions by 80%, compared with burning petroleum-based diesel. Even better--Amyris targets the sugarcane diesel to be cost-competitive with petroleum based-fuels, with crude oil prices as low as $60 to $65 a barrel.
"Sugarcane is the most energy-productive crop per acre of land, so, economically, Brazil is the most attractive place to be," says Amyris Chief Financial Officer Jeryl Hilleman.
Amyris’ technology harnesses a modified yeast that essentially "eats" the crushed sugarcane and spits out a hydrocarbon-like renewable fuel. The technology came from research at the lab of Jay Keasling, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

source : www.forbes.com

Storms & Clouds

Storms bring Clouds, Rain, Lightning and Thunder. The hot spark of electricity, which is formed when clouds come near each other, and then strikes the ground, is called Lightning. This spark causes a loud noise called Thunder. We hear the thunder after we see the lightning. This is because the speed of light is more than that of sound. The electricity causes a brilliant flash of lightning. Clouds are made from millions of tiny droplets of water. There are different types of clouds. The thunderclouds are the largest. Some clouds cause damage. They can rip up trees and buildings. Hurricanes and Tornadoes are such type of clouds. The lightning in the clouds is also caused by electricity.

Weather, Climate, Atmosphere

Weather consists of the day-by-day, and week-by-week changes in the atmosphere. We notice it as Sunshine, Cloud Cover, Temperature, Wind, Rain or lack of it, Frost, Snow and Ice. The weather is caused by Air, Sun and Water. Air is always on the move and makes the Wind. The Sun gives warmth, Water makes clouds, rain, snow and hail. In very cold regions ice and snow cover the land for most of the year. Fog and mist are clouds floating near the Earth's surface. It is very difficult to see things clearly, when it is foggy. Snowflakes are water drops that have frozen into ice crystals. This water cycle helps us to use the water on Earth over and over again. The Sun's heat turns the water in Sea and other water bodies into water vapors. As the air rises, it cools downs and turns the water vapors into tiny drops of water. Clouds are made from these drops of water. Water in the clouds falls as rain, hail, sleet or snow. Rivers carry the water back to the sea. Different instruments are used to measure the pressure and temperature of the air. If the pressure in the air changes, it usually means there will be a change in the weather too. A thermometre is used to measure temperatre of the air. Climate denotes the pattern of weather over a long time period of years, decades and centuries.
Climate determines the kind of plants and crops that can be grown in different regions. The Sun's heat warms up different parts of the land and sea in varying degrees. Warm air rises and cool air moves to take its place. This large-scale air movement in the atmosphere is called wind. Most regions are naturally adopted to the average rainfall they receive. When execssive rain occurs, the streams and rivers cannot cope and overflow their banks, causing floods. Some regions may also have extra rainfall because of GLOBAL WARMING. Life is less in the desert because of the scarcity of water in all its forms such as rain, mist, fog, hail, dew, snow and frost. A thin blanket of gases called the atmosphere is wrapped around our planet. Without the atmosphere our planet would be as lifeless as the Moon. It gives us air to breathe and water to drink.

Source : Pentagon Press - Earth

Earth Facts v.2

* If the Earth was the size of an apple, the atmosphere would be no thicker than the skin of the apple.
* The Jet Stream has been measured over the eastern Pacific during the winter, at speeds in excess of 460 km/hr (286 mph).
* No two people see the same rainbow. Although many people may see a rainbow at the same time, the rainbow each individual sees is formed by the reflection of specific raindrops that fall upon the observer's eyes. A person next to you will see a rainbow formed from different droplets than the one you see, and thus it is a different rainbow.
* Highs are cool and dry, Lows are warm and wet.
* Wind is due to unequal cooling that causes air pressure differences.

Earth Facts v.1

* our Earth is orbiting the Sun at more than 107,000 km/hr; but we feel as if we are standing still..!
* to reach the center of our Earth, we will have to dig down 6,378 kms..!
* about 22 kilometers above the Earth is a layer of OZONE (a form of oxygen) that shelters humans and other forms of life from the Sun's most harmful ultraviolet rays.
* if you ever held a compass, you know that something causes the needle to point north. That "something" is the magnetic field that surrounds the Earth.

The Earth

The Earth is our planet. It is a giant ball of solids, liquids and gases spinning in space around the Sun. The Earth is the only planet where life exists. This is made possible because of the light and heat it receives from Sun. Large oceans of water cover most of the Earth's surface. A blanket of air called the atmosphere surrounds the Earth. Air, Water and the Heat and Light provided by the Sun supports life on Earth. If we look at Earth from space, we can see swirling white patterns made by clouds in the atmosphere. Our planet Earth rotates on its own axis and revolves around the Sun. Rotation makes days and nights, while revolution causes weather changes. The rocky surface on the Earth is called the crust. This crust is made up of many different types of rocks such as Sandstone, Limestone, Marble, Granite etc. Under this crust is a layer called the Mantle. Its outer core consists of very hot runny metal, while the inner core is made up of solid metal. The solid inner core is the hottest part of the Earth. The Earth's rigid crust and the firm upper layer of the mantle, the lithosphere, which is about 100 kilometres thick. The lithosphere plates move and change shape, driven by the incredible heat, pressure and movement in the mantle. The surface of Earth keeps constantly changing. Over millions of years rocks buckle into mountains, and great continents drift around the globe. Volcanoes erupt and earthquakes split landscape, when parts of the Earth's crust push against each other or move apart. Daily weather patterns change over sea and land.

Our Earth

Our Earth is a part of the Universe, which also includes the Sun, the Moon, all the planets and the stars. Different galaxies, comets and clouds of dust and gas, are also a part of the universe. There are millions of stars in the universe and our Sun is one of them. Our Earth is one of the planets that revolve around the Sun.