The Green Enterprise

View as list
View as grid

TR Videos

Online video from TechRepublic features quick peeks at new technologies and hot products, tips and hacks for improving IT and digital living, and technology news and analysis from ZDNet.

Inside eco-friendly air travel

March 29, 2010, 10:30am PDT

You can reduce your carbon footprint when traveling through San Francisco International Airport. Purchase a carbon offset for your flight -- and help restore redwood forests in Northern California at the same time. ZDNet's Sumi Das explains how it works.
A bright idea for wasteful office lighting

March 26, 2010, 7:57am PDT

Commercial office buildings are one of the main culprits of the current climate crisis. They consume large amounts of electricity and release excessive carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Adura Technologies has developed a mesh-based lighting system that is reducing costs and consumption inside buildings. The technology consists of wireless radios that plug into florescent light fixtures giving employees more control over their personal lighting space. Adura has also created a dual motion sensing-personal control system that is being used at UC Berkeley that allows students to break the hard-wired connection and control their lighting from their desktop PCs.
Cracking the carpool conundrum with new collaboration software

March 25, 2010, 8:50am PDT

Getting employees to rideshare has always been a difficult challenge for businesses. But Paul McGrath, CEO of Ridespring may have an answer. He’s developed web-based software that organizes carpooling into a one-stop destination, so users can share their daily commute information across the organization more easily. The software also has incentives built-in, so the more employees carpool the more likely they are to be rewarded for ridesharing.
Smarter aerodynamics make big rigs more fuel efficient

February 26, 2010, 3:25pm PST | 1

The scientists at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory are testing new drag reduction devices that could one day make large trucks more aerodynamic. The new truck designs will provide trucks more fuel efficiency, possibly saving the trucking industry as much as 10 billion dollars in fuel costs.
Hi-tech coffee roaster burns 80% less carbon

January 27, 2010, 8:34am PST

Equator Coffees, a specialty coffee wholesaler, is going green throughout its business operations. The co-founders, Helen Russell and Brooke McDonnell are using sustainable farming practices to grow their coffee cherries by partnering with local farmers in developing countries. On their site, they also have a smart coffee roaster that burns 80 percent less natural gas than a traditional coffee roaster and a food composter that turns excess coffee waste into fertilizer.

Bon Appétit nourishes Silicon Valley cafeterias with locally-farmed food

January 15, 2010, 1:40pm PST

ZDNet takes a tour of Yahoo's kitchen to see the sustainable options, food management company Bon Appétit has implemented. Innovations include locally farmed food options, a low carbon diet calculator that measures your food intake against your carbon footprint, and a food dehydrator that converts excess food scraps into mulch.
Tesla Test Drive: Time to Try an American Car?

September 4, 2009, 11:22am PDT | 2 | Latest comment by HAL 9000

MoneyWatch picked six American cars to check out now. The sleekest of the bunch is the new Tesla Roadster, which does zero to 60 in under four seconds.
How does a solar cell work?

July 16, 2009, 3:51pm PDT

How does solar conversion work now and how do we want it to work in the future? Paul Altivisatos, interim director for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at UC Berkeley, explains how a solar cell works and how the solar energy of the future, via a solar fuel generator that converts energy the same way plants do, can become more efficient. He says that rather than looking for what's next, he looks to the end result--an ideal usage for materials.
What drives solar stocks?

July 15, 2009, 4:07pm PDT

At the Intersolar Conference at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Vishal Shah, solar equities research analyst at Barclays Capital, predicted that the U.S. market will remain a strong force for solar stocks as commercial projects continue to grow. In addition, he says, many other countries--China, India, and Japan, among others--have added government incentives to their solar strategy.
Opportunities for investing in solar technology

July 15, 2009, 2:39pm PDT

At the Intersolar Conference in San Francisco, Scott Stephens, Photovoltaic Specialist for the U.S. Department of Energy, explains why he's optimistic about the future. He expects the market to stabilize and manufacturing to begin to consolidate. In addition, he says, the DOE is always searching for solar technology that improves on efficiency, scalability, and durability.
Capital flowing into green

June 18, 2009, 12:49pm PDT

At Greentech Media's Green Building Summit in Menlo Park, Calif., Cascadia Capital CEO Michael Butler discusses three subsectors of the green-building industry that recently began receiving the most capital from the stimulus plan and private sectors.
Who will manage the smart grid?

June 17, 2009, 10:03am PDT

At Greentech Media's Green Building Summit at SRI International in Menlo Park, Calif., tech executives discuss the future management of smart-grid technology and whether the balance of power will go toward utility companies, government regulatory agencies or building owners.
Speeding up construction on ‘green’ homes

June 15, 2009, 4:03pm PDT

At Greentech Media’s Green Building Summit at SRI International in Menlo Park, Calif., Serious Material Chairman Marc Porat discusses the challenges associated with building "green" residential homes. He believes it’s important for the green industry to persuade governments to mandate environmentally sustainable buildings in order to speed up construction.
Tech execs talk smart design for ‘green’ buildings

June 15, 2009, 2:09pm PDT

At Greentech Media’s Green Building Summit at SRI International, in Menlo Park, Calif., tech executives discuss what is needed to construct and design "green" buildings. Executives contend that many "green" buildings are not energy efficient and smart design means more than picking the right materials and products.
Tomorrow's smart grid

May 29, 2009, 3:36pm PDT

At the Churchill Club's 11th Annual Top Ten Tech Trends, venture capitalists discuss whether the smart grid and smart meter trends will continue to produce innovation and what the motivating factors will be.