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Transportation
NFL Food Waste Fuels the Future
Dec 30th, 2013 | By Cedric Rose
At FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland, a new partnership with the Cleveland Browns and the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy has implemented a new system which will divert an estimated 35 tons of stadium food waste from landfills into biodigesters for conversion into energy. The system, called Grind2Energy, is far more than an industrial-strength garbage disposal — it’s an integrated system that includes leasing, installation, and service coverage of a closed system that grinds up food waste into a slurry and transports it to an anaerobic digestion facility where it is converted to energy.
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Innovation
Vecarius: Taking the Heat...and Using It
Dec 23rd, 2013 | By Amy Leibrock
Our global oil system is operating at near capacity—97 percent—which just isn't sustainable. Because 70% of oil consumption in the U.S. is used for ground transportation, reducing the amount of gas used by vehicles is key to heading off an impending crisis. Boston-based Vecarius, which recently won the 2013 Sustainable America/Greentown Labs Fellowship, is working to tackle this problem by turning vehicles' exhaust waste heat into energy, technology that can reduce fuel usage in vehicles by 5 to 10 percent. We talked to CEO Steven Casey to learn more about his innovative product.
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Eco Living
Help Us Build a Sustainable America
Dec 20th, 2013 | By Amy Leibrock
As the year comes to an end, we’re asking for help from our supporters to implement more programs for a sustainable future. Read about our mission, highlights from 2013, and be a part of our efforts.
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Eco Living
10 Ways to Feel Less Guilty About Waste This Christmas
Dec 17th, 2013 | By Amy Leibrock
Did you know that household waste increases by more than 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year’s? Don’t be dismayed. You can help the planet by making a few smart choices this year. Here are 10 ideas for greening the season.
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Eco Living
The Sustainable America 2013 Gift Guide
Dec 14th, 2013 | By Amy Leibrock
If you're still shopping for holiday gifts (and who isn't), we've put together a great collection of gift ideas that will help anyone on your list live the sustainable lifestyle. We've got ideas for locavores, cooks, bike commuters, and anyone who likes to save money on gas (um, that's everyone, right?)—as well as a few last-minute gifts you can whip up in your kitchen in a pinch.
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Food System
Flipping the Farm-to-Table Equation
Dec 13th, 2013 | By Amy Leibrock
A handful of high-end farm-to-table restaurants in cities like New York City and Orlando have found a new way to get the most out of the close ties they keep with local farmers. Vegetable peelings from the kitchen and leftover fare from diners’ plates is catching a ride back to the farm to become gourmet livestock feed. The arrangement means savings for farmers and, thanks to better-fed birds, cows and pigs, better-tasting meals on customers’ plates.
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Food System
Desperately Seeking (Black-Eyed) Susan
Dec 11th, 2013 | By Ellen Niz
Did you know there are 10 million acres of front and back yards in America—enough to produce 43.5 million tons of food—but only 35 percent of U.S. households grew food in 2012? Growing where you are gives people the power to eat healthier and revitalize their communities, but many gardeners lack the land they need, and those with the land don’t always know what to do with it.
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Innovation
Vecarius Wins Sustainable America/Greentown Labs Fellowship
Dec 9th, 2013 | By Amy Leibrock
We’re thrilled to announce the winner of the 2013 Sustainable America/Greentown Labs Fellowship. Vecarius, a vehicle waste-heat recovery company based in Boston, was chosen from a field of nine finalists who pitched their business ideas to a room of 60 entrepreneurs, investors, engineers, and students at a networking event Thursday at Greentown Labs in Somerville, Mass.
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Innovation
Turning Truckers Into Treehuggers
Dec 5th, 2013 | By Amy Leibrock
As more and more Americans realize the truth about idling their cars, we can’t forget about the millions of truckers transporting products for us across the nation’s highways. You might not realize how much time those trucks spend idling to power their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems inside the cabs of the trucks in which they basically live while on the road. Regulations require them to take at least an eight to 10 hour break every day—and for much of that time, their trucks are idling or using diesel-powered auxiliary units for power.
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Eco Living
4 Ways to Give Back on #GivingTuesday
Dec 3rd, 2013 | By Amy Leibrock
Today is the second-annual #GivingTuesday, and we love the idea—it's a great reminder to consider the causes whose work you want to support. Sustainable America, hopefully, is one of them. We have come up with a list of ways you can help support our mission to reduce U.S. oil consumption while increasing U.S. food production on #GivingTuesday.
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