Lifeboat Foundation: Safeguarding Humanity
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Category: sustainability

Rome wasn’t built in a day, but some of Earth’s finest gemstones were, according to new research from Rice University.

Aquamarine, emerald, garnet, zircon and topaz are but a few of the crystalline minerals found mostly in pegmatites, veinlike formations that commonly contain both large crystals and hard-to-find elements like tantalum and niobium. Another common find is lithium, a vital component of electric car batteries.

“This is one step towards understanding how Earth concentrates lithium in certain places and minerals,” said Rice graduate student Patrick Phelps, co-author of a study published online in Nature Communications. “If we can understand the basics of pegmatite growth rates, it’s one step in the direction of understanding the whole picture of how and where they form.”

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This is one of four blogs in a series examining current challenges and opportunities for recycling of clean energy technologies. Please see the introductory post, as well as other entries on solar panels and wind turbines.

us department of energy[ caption] courtesy union concerned scientists. by james gignac, lead midwest energy analyst this is one four blogs in a series examining current challenges and opportunities for recycling clean technologies. please see the introductory post, as well other entries on solar panels and wind turbines. special thanks to jessica garcia, ucs’s=

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Battery Council International (BCI), Chicago, and Essential Energy Everyday have released a study showing lead batteries have a recycling rate of 99.3 percent, making them the No. 1 recycled consumer product in the U.S.

The groups say the near-perfect rate of recycling is attributed to industry investment in a closed loop collection and recycling system that keeps 1.7 million tons of batteries out of landfills annually.

The National Recycling Rate Study, released in conjunction with America Recycles Day Nov. 15, 2017, demonstrates the sustainability of lead batteries and their role in environmentally friendly energy storage for automotive and industrial applications, say the organizations.

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Article from Vice.com. I guess owning a Tesla does have its own drawbacks. Tesla can disable features from your car if you didn’t pay enough money. And it seems it’s hard to repair if you get into an accident, due to Tesla’s tight ownership. Insurance companies may quickly declare these Teslas as total losses.

This is pushing some people to jailbreak their cars to return these features. Especially those that are already declared as total losses. (So voiding the warranty really doesn’t mean much to them)

Interesting. bigsmile

Tesla is getting more aggressive in revoking paid software features on used cars, raising the stakes in a battle over what used Teslas can do that has raged for years.

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Tesla (TSLA) has received a massive new order of Tesla Semi electric trucks from a truck-leasing company.

It might be its biggest order for the Tesla Semi program yet.

When Tesla launched the Tesla Semi in 2017, the automaker used the same reservation model that made it successful with passenger electric vehicles.

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There are many options for living on Mars. 3D-printed ice habitats around the poles, building underground, etc. The technology is finally here.

This is part of the reason why the surface is so cold, ranging from −143 in the polar regions during winter and 35 °C (−226 to 95 °F) near the equator during midday in the summer. But because the air is so thin, a person standing on Mars (in the summer and at noon) would experience extreme cold anywhere above their ankles.

And then there’s the radiation, which is roughly 40 times higher than what humans are regularly exposed to here on Earth (worse, when a solar event occurs). There are also massive dust storms that can envelop the entire planet and block out all sunlight. Last, there’s Martian gravity, which is about 37% of what we experience here on Earth.

In short, Mars is cold, dry, irradiated, and the air is thin and unbreathable. But with the right kind of living strategies and technology, living on Mars could be possible. In particular, life on Mars will rely heavily on 3D printing, in-situ resource utilization (ISRU), renewable energy, radiation shielding, and lots of recycling and compost systems.

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Circa 2015

Audi may just be reaching the point of producing electric vehicles, but an Ohio-based industrial designer has an idea for where they should go after mastering that craft.

Kevin Clarridge of Columbus, Ohio, has shared a few sketches of his design for a wheel-free Audi sedan straight out of the 22nd century. A post to his Facebook page Oct. 8 shared a few images, while his Behance profile shows a few more color options for this concept.

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The secrets of the solar system can drive economic return for all.

The launch of NASA’s fifth Mars rover marks a new milestone in the era of space exploration. It puts focus on the need for greater collaboration, equity and inclusion among international partners to ensure the sustainable, peaceful and fair use of resources. Guidelines for interacting and norms of behaviour are as essential to ensure success in space as on Earth.

The Artemis Accords: a framework for cooperation

The Artemis Accords, recently announced by NASA, is a framework to encourage international cooperation and ensure a safe, prosperous and sustainable future for all humankind in space. The Accords are bi-lateral agreements between the United States and other nations who wish to collaborate with NASA on the Artemis program, and they build on existing agreements with countries already involved in NASA-led programs such as the International Space Station.

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