Not only is under floor heating more econonomical but it is also better for the environment in general and yours in particular. First, underfloor heating reduces combustion gas emissions. Second, it reduces the amount and type of energy used. Third, and possibly the most important to you, is that it does not circulate dust particles or other allergens which may affect those who have allergies. Therefore everyone benefits environmentally.

Another environmental advantage to an under floor heating system is that it typically uses recycled components. Since under floor heating systems are usually radiant or convection driven and the source of power is typically electricity which is not only renewable but is also cleaner burning than fossil fuel. In addition, under floor heating systems use up to 40% less energy than conventional heating systems and all from renewable resources.

There are also considerable economical advantages to under floor heating over forced air heating systems. Electric and Water underfloor heating systems generally achieve a greater feeling of warmth at a lower air temperature since they only need to heat the floor to between 22 & 26°C, gently warming the whole floor and the occupants from the ground up. In addition, since you are running your under floor heater at a lower temperature your heating bills will be up to 20% less than with a conventional forced air system.

Land plants' ability to sprout upward through the air, unsupported except by their own woody tissues, has long been considered one of the characteristics separating them from aquatic plants, which rely on water to support them.

Now lignin, one of the chemical underpinnings vital to the self-supporting nature of land plants – and thought unique to them – has been found in marine algae by a team of researchers including scientists at UBC and Stanford University.

Why is it acceptable for someone who would never purchase "expired" milk at the store to pour "expired" milk into a cup of coffee at breakfast? A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research explores the reasons consumers are more likely to consume products that are past their expiration dates if they are in their refrigerators than if they are in a store.

Seattle startup Vu1 Corporation plans to launch a new type of light bulb that functions like a TV tube. Contrary to what you'd think, the technology is amazingly environmentally friendly. Vu1(View One) has raised $13 million to develop a brand new technology by fusing three existing technologies. "It is not induction lighting. It is not plasma. It is not fluorescent. It is not halogen.

Business should use the global downturn to forge ahead with green technologies that will save hard pressed firms money as well as the planet, a U.N. environment agency said on Thursday.

Proven and commercially available technologies can cut buildings' energy use by 30 percent without a significant increase in investment cost, said Angela Cropper, deputy executive director of the U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP).

Algae farming is a relatively safe bet in the current financial climate. Algae, a sludge colored illuminatingly lime to moss green, has going for it that it can be made anywhere –even in desert climates- and that it can be relatively swiftly adopted. A big negative is that the price of producing one gallon worth of algae based petroleum is still relatively cost inefficient compared to oil. But even at the negative end of this spectrum, there’s masses of potential.

According to Professor Demain, the petroleum-based economy in the US is getting close to the end of its lifecycle. Global oil reserves and new petroleum discoveries will not be enough to meet the annual demand worldwide. It is therefore essential to anticipate and avoid any shortfall in future supply and to provide access to new bioenergy alternatives for the marketplace.

PITTSBURGH—Inspired by the aquatic wriggling of beetle larvae, a University of Pittsburgh research team has designed a propulsion system that strips away paddles, sails, and motors and harnesses the energy within the water's surface. The technique destabilizes the surface tension surrounding the object with an electric pulse and causes the craft to move via the surface's natural pull. The researchers will present their findings Jan.

ROTHERA BASE, Antarctica (Reuters) - U.S. geologists working at an Antarctic base hailed President Barack Obama's inauguration Tuesday and expressed hopes for a stronger focus on science.

"It's a very exciting time," David Barbeau, assistant professor of geology at the University of South Carolina, told Reuters after watching the inauguration at the British Rothera research station on the Antarctic Peninsula.

Planting crop varieties that better reflect sunlight back out to space could reduce summertime temperatures by more than one degree Celsius in some parts of the world, researchers announced yesterday (15 January).

The reduction, they say, would at certain latitudes be equivalent to a seasonal offset of about 20 per cent of the regional warming expected by the end of this century due to the build-up of carbon dioxide.