Environmental Technologies

Everyone knew it was crazy to try to extract oil and natural gas buried in shale rock deep below the ground. Everyone, that is, except a few reckless wildcatters - who risked their careers to prove the world wrong. Things looked grim for American energy in 2006. Oil production was in steep decline and natural gas was hard to find. The Iraq War threatened the nation’s already tenuous relations with the Middle East. China was rapidly industrializing and competing for resources.

George Bird Grinnell, the son of a New York merchant, saw a different future for a nation in the thrall of the Industrial Age. With railroads scarring virgin lands and the formerly vast buffalo herds decimated, the country faced a crossroads: Could it pursue Manifest Destiny without destroying its natural bounty and beauty? The alarm that Grinnell sounded would spark America's conservation movement. Yet today his name has been forgotten - an omission that John Taliaferro's commanding biography now sets right with historical care and narrative flair.

The grid is an accident of history and of culture, in no way intrinsic to how we produce, deliver and consume electrical power. Yet this is the system the United States ended up with, a jerry-built structure now so rickety and near collapse that a strong wind or a hot day can bring it to a grinding halt. The grid is now under threat from a new source: renewable and variable energy, which puts stress on its logics as much as its components.

For all of neuroscience's advances, we've made little progress on its biggest question: How do simple cells in the brain create intelligence? Jeff Hawkins and his team discovered that the brain uses map-like structures to build a model of the world - not just one model, but hundreds of thousands of models of everything we know. This discovery allows Hawkins to answer important questions about how we perceive the world, why we have a sense of self, and the origin of high-level thought.

On the morning of April 26, 1986, Europe witnessed the worst nuclear disaster in history: the explosion of a reactor at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Soviet Ukraine. Dozens died of radiation poisoning, fallout contaminated half the continent, and thousands fell ill. In Chernobyl, Serhii Plokhy draws on new sources to tell the dramatic stories of the firefighters, scientists, and soldiers who heroically extinguished the nuclear inferno. He lays bare the flaws of the Soviet nuclear industry....

Step into the vibrant world of technology and sustainability fusion with the new eBook "Blockchain for a Green Future"! This product is mindfully curated to provide you with a comprehensive understanding of the powerful potential in combining blockchain technology with environmental sustainability. Chapter One breaks down the complex concepts of blockchain technology and environmental sustainability for anyone and everyone. The examination of blockchain application in the sustainability domain begins in Chapter Two, providing real-world examples and discussing potential limitations and ...

Unlock the power of the sun with Solar Power Demystified, your comprehensive guide to mastering rooftop solar panels and harnessing renewable energy for your home. Dive into an informative journey that demystifies the world of solar energy, providing everything you need to know from the basics to the advanced. Start with a solid foundation in Chapter 1, where you'll learn about the numerous benefits of going solar, understand key efficiency metrics, and familiarize yourself with essential solar panel terminology. Explore the different types of rooftop solar panels in Chapter 2, breaking ...

Making earth science accessible and entertaining, The Wondrous Workings of Planet Earth explains how our planet works - and how we can protect it - from its diverse ecosystems and their inhabitants to the levels of ecology, the importance of biodiversity, the cycles of nature, and more. Science- and nature-loving listeners of all ages will delight in this utterly charming guide to our amazing home.

A soaring bridge is an obvious infrastructural feat, but so are the mostly hidden reservoirs, transformers, sewers, cables, and pipes that deliver water, energy, and information to wherever we need it. When these systems work well, they hide in plain sight. Engineer and materials scientist Deb Chachra takes listeners on a fascinating tour of these essential utilities, revealing how they work, what it takes to keep them running, just how much we rely on them—but also whom they work well for, and who pays the costs.

Bold is a radical, how-to guide for using exponential technologies, moonshot thinking, and crowd-powered tools to create extraordinary wealth while also positively impacting the lives of billions.

“What’s for dinner"? seemed like a simple question - until journalist and supermarket detective Michael Pollan delved behind the scenes. From fast food and big organic to small farms and old-fashioned hunting and gathering, this young listeners’ adaptation of Pollan’s famous food-chain exploration encourages kids to consider the personal and global health implications of their food choices. The Omnivore’s Dilemma serves up a bold message to the generation that needs it most: It’s time to take charge of our national eating habits - and it starts with you.

Discover the incredible potential of solar energy with the compelling new eBook, How Solar Panels Work. This comprehensive guide illuminates the fascinating world of solar technology, providing readers with a deep understanding of how sunlight transforms into the electricity powering our everyday lives. Begin your journey with an introduction to solar panels, where you'll learn what they are, their historical evolution, and why they matter in today's energy landscape. Dive into the science behind these marvels with an exploration of light, photons, and the fundamentals of photovoltaics, ...

Unlock the secrets to slashing your energy bills and embracing a greener lifestyle with Calculating Your Energy Savings with Solar Power. This comprehensive guide is your ultimate resource for understanding, investing in, and maximizing the benefits of solar energy for your home. Start with a thorough introduction to the cost-saving benefits of solar power. Delve into the basics of solar energy, discover why it’s a financially savvy choice, and get an insightful overview of the potential savings that await you. Move seamlessly into how to assess your home's solar potential, evaluate ...

Weisman visits an extraordinary range of the world's cultures, religions, nationalities, tribes, and political systems to learn what in their beliefs, histories, liturgies, or current circumstances might suggest that sometimes it's in their own best interest to limit their growth.

The climate is the fundamental issue of our time, and now we face a critical decision. Whether to be optimistic or fatalistic, whether to profess skepticism or to take action. Yet it seems we can barely agree on what is really going on, let alone what needs to be done. We urgently need facts, not opinions. Insights, not statistics. And a shift from thinking about climate change as a “me” problem to a “we” problem. The Carbon Almanac is a once-in-a-lifetime collaboration that focuses on what we know, what has come before, and what might happen next.

Introducing "Skyward" - a fascinating must-read eBook for aviation enthusiasts, history buffs, and futurists alike! Dive into the unparalleled world of human flight as we take you on a captivating journey across its entire history, from its humble beginnings to the cutting-edge innovations that will shape our skies and beyond. In Skyward's gripping chapters, you'll explore the extraordinary origins of aviation and follow the remarkable achievements of the Wright Brothers. Continue soaring through the early days of powered flights, and witness the breathtaking advances in aeronautical ...

Hope Jahren is an award-winning scientist, a brilliant writer, a passionate teacher, and one of the seven billion people with whom we share this earth. In The Story of More, she illuminates the link between human habits and our imperiled planet. In concise, easy-to-understand chapters, she takes us through the science behind the key inventions—from electric power to large-scale farming to automobiles—that, even as they help us, release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere like never before.

Prepare to embark on an enlightening journey with "Ecosystems of Tomorrow". This immersive e-book pulls back the curtain on the world of ecosystems and the technology pushing its restoration to unprecedented heights. Chapter One sets the stage, masterfully elucidating the importance and subtleties of ecosystems. By Chapter Two, you’ll find yourself immersed in a captivating history lesson, exploring the degradation of these systems. Your sense of hope is rekindled in Chapter Three with insights into Nature's resilience and capacity for self-healing. The heart of this e-book breathes life ...

Welcome to the world of 3D printing, where fantasy becomes a tangible reality! "Building The Future" invites you on an immersive journey to explore this groundbreaking technology. This cutting-edge eBook elucidates the ins and outs of 3D printing, bringing each concept to life through engaging text for the tech enthusiasts, dreamers and innovators. Our introductory chapter ensures you grasp the fundamental concepts of 3D printing, laying the groundwork. Next, we plunge into the riveting depths of 3D technology, exploring its underlying science and various types with ease and clarity. Our ...

Through clear-eyed essays and vibrant conversations, infused with data, poetry, and art, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson guides us through solutions and possibilities at the nexus of science, policy, culture, and justice. Visionary farmers and financiers, architects and advocates, help us conjure a flourishing future, one worth the effort it will take—from every one of us, with whatever we have to offer—to create.