Green Projects

Do-it-yourself projects to reduce your carbon-footprint and help the environment.

Plastic Turns into Oil When “Blest”

The Japanese company Blest has done something truly astonishing.  They have created a machine which converts plastics back into oil.  To be more accurate, they have developed several such machines, in varying sizes, from a home table top model to larger industrial scale versions meant for continuous use.

You can watch the Blest CEO, Akinori Ito, explain the machine in this video.  According to what is shown in the subtitle clip, any type of plastic, including styrofoam, plastic bags and bottle caps, can be converted back into oil.  The oil can then be converted into gasoline and other oil by-products.

I don’t know why we haven’t been hearing about it before now, since the technology has been around for over a year, but the $10,000 price tag does make it less than accessible for most people.  Fortunately, it is Blest’s goal to continue to work on the technology and eventually create a machine that will be affordable for everyone.

In the meantime, perhaps it is time for businesses with a large need for oil and gasoline to invest in the continuous use versions.  How fast could we clean up the planet if one large shipping company fueled their trucks on recycled plastic?  Or how about if one of the major oil companies bought one of these machines?

Birmingham, AL to Host 2010 Green Building Focus Conference and Expo

Green Lifestyles - Tuesday, August 24th, the city of Birmingham, Alabama will host the 2010 Green Building Focus conference and expo. This 3-day event, which will be held at the Jefferson Convention ComplexBeginning Tuesday, August 24th, the city of Birmingham, Alabama will host the 2010 Green Building Focus conference and expo. This 3-day event, which will be held at the Jefferson Convention Complex, is designed to showcase the latest in sustainable building development. Focused on exploring the popular and growing demand for green building, this year’s conference aims to inform and educate the southeast region’s leading architects, engineers, property owners, and construction professionals, as well as students, faculty, and those interested in learning more about the recent trends, technologies and materials available in the green building movement. Read More »

EarthPans and EcoBees

ecobeesA couple of new green things have caught my eye recently and I wanted to pass them along.

The first is EcoBees, a new movement and website, dedicated to recycling and reuse.  The way it works is much like Freecycle™, but they weren’t totally satisfied with the way it works, which is why they started EcoBees in the first place. Read More »

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