Green Options » Oxford

British Cops Unable to Use Blue Lights on New Electric Car

Andrew Williams — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:51:56 +0000

Cops based near Oxford in the UK have revealed that they are unable to to use flashing blue lights on their new electric car - in case it drains too much power from the battery.

The Thames Valley police force is testing out the £20,000 ($33,000) Mitsubishi iMiev in an effort to improve its environmental credentials. Apart from this quite obvious setback, they have been pleased with the silent, emission-free car, capable of travelling 100 miles on a single charge (with the lights off).

Scientist Warns Oil Biz to Prepare for Global Warming Lawsuits

Timothy B. Hurst — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 20:16:48 +0000

In a forthcoming paper, an Oxford physicist argues that class action lawsuits against oil companies for damages brought on by severe weather events caused by global warming may soon be possible.

Oxford Professor Myles Allen believes that people adversely affected by climate change today are now in a position to document and quantify their losses. And that the results of his upcoming paper show a way to compute those damages and correlate them to global warming.

Mushroom Enzyme Could Make Clean Fuel Cells

Ariel Schwartz — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:02:04 +0000

Even the most environmentally-conscious among us use batteries containing toxic heavy metals on a daily basis. But a discovery made by chemists at Oxford University could one day lead to cleaner batteries for everyone. The researchers recently discovered that an enzyme produced by fungi growing on rotten wood can be used as a cheap and efficient catalyst in fuel cells.

Einstein’s 1930s Eco-Friendly, Electric-Free Refrigerator is Making a Comeback

Jennifer Lance — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 03:47:57 +0000

Malcolm McCulloch, an electrical engineer at Oxford, has completed a prototype of a refrigerator designed by Albert Einstein. This refrigerator does not use Freon, a toxic greenhouse gas worse than carbon dioxide, or electricity. The Einstein fridge was patented in 1930, uses pressurized gases (ammonia, butane, and water) to keep food cool, and contains no moving parts.

Via: The Guardian