Green Options » University of Michigan http://greenoptions.com/tag/university-of-michigan Posts tagged 'University of Michigan' Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:18:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 en Robotic Aircraft Sets World Record with 23 Hour Flight http://gas2.org/2009/10/14/robotic-aircraft-sets-world-record-with-23-hour-flight/ http://gas2.org/2009/10/14/robotic-aircraft-sets-world-record-with-23-hour-flight/#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 04:18:50 +0000 Jerry James Stone http://gas2.org/2009/10/14/robotic-aircraft-sets-world-record-with-23-hour-flight/

A fuel-cell-powered aircraft set a world record by staying aloft for a whopping 23 hours and 17 minutes on just a single load.

In fact, the unmanned aircraft broke the previous record by double. Of course, the plane was built by the Naval Research Laboratory and not by students from the University of Michigan. Still, those students kept their plane in air for over 10 hours–impressive!

Of course their plane was only $2,500. I am guessing the Navy-built one cost us a whole lot more.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2009/10/14/robotic-aircraft-sets-world-record-with-23-hour-flight/feed/ Americans Cut Energy Use - By Moving West http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/21/americans-cut-energy-use-by-moving-west/ http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/21/americans-cut-energy-use-by-moving-west/#comments Mon, 21 Sep 2009 18:55:31 +0000 Susan Kraemer http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/21/americans-cut-energy-use-by-moving-west/

As a nation, we have been moving away from regions of the US with extremes of hot or cold, and towards the West and Southwest for about the last fifty years.

A new study has found that as a result, our average (per person) use of energy for heating and cooling has diminished, resulting in a reduction in combined energy demand over the last fifty years.

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]]> http://cleantechnica.com/2009/09/21/americans-cut-energy-use-by-moving-west/feed/ Michigan Students Set World Record for Longest Flight by Fuel Cell Powered Plane http://gas2.org/2008/11/23/michigan-students-set-world-record-for-longest-flight-by-fuel-cell-powered-plane/ http://gas2.org/2008/11/23/michigan-students-set-world-record-for-longest-flight-by-fuel-cell-powered-plane/#comments Sun, 23 Nov 2008 20:29:50 +0000 Andrew Williams http://gas2.org/2008/11/23/michigan-students-set-world-record-for-longest-flight-by-fuel-cell-powered-plane/

A group of students from the University of Michigan have set a new world record for the longest flight ever by a fuel-cell powered plane.

Late last month the team, known as SolarBubbles, flew the $2,500 plane (video) around a field in Milan, Michigan for a total of 10 hours, 15 minutes and 4 seconds - smashing the previous 9 hour record held by a Californian engineering company.

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]]> http://gas2.org/2008/11/23/michigan-students-set-world-record-for-longest-flight-by-fuel-cell-powered-plane/feed/ $5,000,000 Donation from BPA Supporter: Conflict of Interest, or Business as Usual? http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/10/14/5000000-donation-from-bpa-supporter-conflict-of-interest-or-business-as-usual/ http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/10/14/5000000-donation-from-bpa-supporter-conflict-of-interest-or-business-as-usual/#comments Wed, 15 Oct 2008 04:26:13 +0000 Derek Markham http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/10/14/5000000-donation-from-bpa-supporter-conflict-of-interest-or-business-as-usual/ BPA in plasticsBisphenol A (BPA) is found in products in every area of our lives, from baby bottles to canned food linings. From CDs to helmets. Electronics to dental sealants.

It’s not good for you.

Nalgene stopped using it.

Canada banned it.

California considered banning it, but didn’t.

BPA has been detected in over 90% of Americans tested, and it is possibly linked to breast and prostate cancer. This synthetic hormone may harm the reproductive system of humans. The FDA has studied it and released a draft assessment declaring it safe.

A panel studying the FDA’s draft assessment will soon make a pivotal decision as to whether BPA can continue to be used in contact with food. The chair of the panel is Martin Philbert, who founded and directs the University of Michigan’s Risk Science Center.

The Risk Science Center recently received a $5,000,000 donation (25 times its annual budget) from Charles Gelman, a supporter of BPA, and critic of government regulation. Gelman is a retired industrialist with his own page on SourceWatch. He donates to organizations like the Cato Institute and the Mackinac Center for Policy Research.

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]]> http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/10/14/5000000-donation-from-bpa-supporter-conflict-of-interest-or-business-as-usual/feed/ Michigan Solar Car Team Seeks Edge with Sun Data http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/07/18/michigan-solar-car-team-seeks-edge-with-sun-data/ http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/07/18/michigan-solar-car-team-seeks-edge-with-sun-data/#comments Fri, 18 Jul 2008 21:05:06 +0000 Shirley Siluk Gregory http://ecolocalizer.com/2008/07/18/michigan-solar-car-team-seeks-edge-with-sun-data/ University of Michigan, media release.)The University of Michigan team taking part in this summer’s North American Solar Challenge is hoping to maximize its car’s performance with the help of solar radiation data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Team Continuum is one of 24 teams taking part in the 2,400-mile race, which started July 13 in Dallas, Texas, and ends July 22 in Calgary, Alberta. As the Michigan team approached Sioux Falls, South Dakota, this week, it planned to optimize its race strategy with information from NOAA’s Surface Radiation Network (SURFRAD).

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