I'm sure by now we have all thought: Why isn't BP or another organization using oil sucking tankers like were used in the Persian gulf in 1993?

There are currently 3 reasons according to Admiral Thad Allen.

1. The tankers are specially modified for the job and currently there are not any in operation with the modification. This means it is not an option right now.

2. The modifications create stability issues and the environment is very different than that of the 1993 situation.

3. Currently there are many other vessels in the immediate area and this presents more complication and potential for problems.

While I continue to be frustrated by the situation it is also a small comfort to know why we have not taken certain actions. However, I want to see a lot more done and quickly. The ripple effect of this on the environment and our lives is yet to be seen and the less impact, the better. This means a quick solution is needed.

From the article:

Self-healing "smart building materials" have the potential to reduce structure repair costs, lower cement-production carbon emissions and even save lives. One barrier that has kept these materials from being commercialized, however, is their potentially labor-intensive and thus expensive production process. Recently, an engineering student from the University of Rhode Island (URI) announced that she has developed a self-healing concrete that would be inexpensive to produce.

Michelle Pelletier, collaborating with URI Chemical Engineering Professor Arijit Bose, created a concrete matrix that was embedded with a micro-encapsulated sodium silicate healing agent. When cracks formed in the concrete, the capsules ruptured and released the agent into the adjacent area. The sodium silicate reacted with the calcium hydroxide already present in the concrete, and formed a calcium-silica-hydrate gel that healed the cracks and blocked the concrete's pores. The gel hardened in about one week.

When Pelletier's concrete was stress-tested to the point of almost breaking, it proceeded to recover 26% of its original strength. By contrast, conventional concrete only recovers 10%.

To read more, follow the related link below.

Iceland's energy mix has the highest share of renewables of any country, giving it the lowest emissions intensity of any developed nation that doesn't use nuclear power. And Reykjavik Energy plays a very important role in this. "In a nutshell, Reykjavik Energy provides electricity, geothermal water for heating, and cold water for consumption to its customers," says Eirikur Hjalmarsson, CPO - Management Committee. "We also harness hot water from geothermal fields within Reykjavík itself and distribute it to our customers."

Reykjavik Energy, he says, operates geothermal plants at Hellisheiði and Nesjavellir, where it heats groundwater and distributes it to the district heating; it also produces electricity by using geothermal, high-pressure steam at those same plants.

Maybe we should follow their lead.

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The Voglreiter Auto Residence is an unusual car-shaped house located near Salzburg, Austria. This unique dwelling has been created by designer Markus Voglreiter, who initially purchased a 70's style house but wanted it to look different than all other houses in the area.

Even with the unique layout, every modern efficiency and sustainability technology has been incorporated into the design.

Every day it seems that science fiction from my childhood becomes more of an everyday reality. Now a company called Shimizu Corporation is vetting the idea of putting a ring of solar panels around the entire 68,000 mile lunar equator.

Sunlight would be converted into electricity by the solar panels, which would be transmitted via cables to facilities closest to the earth where it will be converted into microwaves or laser power in order to be transmitted to the earth.

This company dreams big! If you would like to see more of their ideas, follow the related link below.