Disease Proof : Disease Proof : Health & Nutrition News & Commentary : Dr. Joel Fuhrman

• Merriam-Webster adds new words to the dictionary every year. This year, “carbon footprint” made the list. It describes how much carbon dioxide something emits. So did “Green-collar”, any job working with the environment, and “Locavore”, people who eat locally grown food; via Fresh Greens.

• Dr. Fuhrman’s friend and veggie advocate, Heather Mills, has opened an organic vegan cafe in Hove Lagoon in West Sussex in the United Kingdom, called The Vbites Café. Heather is a big proponent of a meat-free life and may soon launch her own line of frozen vegan faux-meat foods; TreeHugger explains.

• Electric cars are already very popular in Europe, but experts speculate the sales of electric cars in the U.S. could jump 86%, by 2030. Now, the cost of battery charging systems may exceed $320 billion over the next few decades, but the healthy-savings due to less pollution could save us $210 billion; Reuters reports.

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• Besides making a mess after a good pillow fight, chicken feathers are pretty much useless and amazingly the poultry industry generates 2.7 billion kilograms of chicken feathers each year. But now, a new technology promises to turn carbonized chicken feathers into fuel tanks for hydrogen fuel-cell cars, hurricane-resistant roofing and lightweight car parts; via CleanTechnica.

• Computers have a come a long way from talking red lights in a science fiction movie. Nowadays, they can even be green. IBM is working on an energy efficient supercomputer that uses water to recycle its excess heat. It’s a revelation because normally cooling large computer systems requires hefty amounts of air-conditioning; Reuters reports.

• No doubt, the global recession is a drag. Everyone is tightening their belts, but as far as earth-saving goes, the recession has been good. People are driving less, in order to save money, so less oil was burned up. In 2008, experts say emissions actually dropped 3%; from The Associated Press.

• You’d think city dwellers would have a higher carbon footprint than people living in suburban areas. Apparently not, a new study claims urbanites emit 70% less carbon emissions in transit than suburbanites. One reason why is cities are more location efficient, meaning important destinations like work are closer to home; TreeHugger explains.

• Another way to make cities greener is to spruce up existing infrastructure. Chicago is preparing a $350 million energy efficient retrofit of the Sears Tower. The makeover will include the installation of wind turbines and solar panels on the roof. The hope is the skyscraper will be able to provide all the power it needs all by itself; The New York Times reports.

• Would you pay $175 a year to fight global warming? I think I would. That’s what experts say new climate change legislation will cost the average household each year. The $175 comes from the increased cost of doing business and higher sticker price for consumer products—like cars and refrigerators—but many households can expect rebates; via The Daily Green.

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