Air Conditioning Reinvented -- As California warms, more and more people will be cranking up the AC. That will increase electricity demand, which in turn will mean more fossil fuels burned. It doesnt help matters that most air conditioners are built for Floridian humidity -- not California's dry heat. Even our newest AC units are far less efficient than they could be. Now, the California Energy Commission has launched a program to require climate-specific AC units, and its calling on private inventors to design them.

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Air Conditioning Reinvented -- As California warms, more and more people will be cranking up the AC. That will increase electricity demand, which in turn will mean more fossil fuels burned. It doesnt help matters that most air conditioners are built for Floridian humidity -- not California's dry heat. Even our newest AC units are far less efficient than they could be. Now, the California Energy Commission has launched a program to require climate-specific AC units, and its calling on private inventors to design them.

email reminder

With gas prices hovering above four dollars a gallon and soaring flight costs, many people have elected to stay close to home this summer. More drivers have begun turning to hybrids and gasoline alternatives, such as biofuels. While taking the energy from plants to run our cars has great promise, there are challenges too. In this rebroadcast, we report on the next generation of biofuels being developed right here in the Bay Area.
Host: Andrea Kissack

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With gas prices hovering above four dollars a gallon and soaring flight costs, many people have elected to stay close to home this summer. More drivers have begun turning to hybrids and gasoline alternatives, such as biofuels. While taking the energy from plants to run our cars has great promise, there are challenges too. In this rebroadcast, we report on the next generation of biofuels being developed right here in the Bay Area.
Host: Andrea Kissack

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Anyone who has ever been on a beach cleanup can tell you that the number one thing littered on the sand is not candy wrappers or broken glass or even cigarette butts. What you see are tiny bits of plastic, called "nurdles." These bits of plastic degrade but don't bio-degrade, which means they just become smaller bits of plastic. Nurdles are ingested by sea creatures and end up in our food chain. What are the hidden consequences of nurdles, and what can be done about the plastic all around us?
Host: Andrea Kissack
Reporters:
• David Gorn

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