Paris tests 40 urban innovations directly on public

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SmartPlanet Daily

SmartPlanet Member | April 13, 2012

A daily briefing of the newest stories on SmartPlanet, five days a week.

Paris tests 40 urban innovations directly on public

PARIS — The French capital becomes a living laboratory as prototypes pop up city-wide to innovate everyday life while giving the public a chance to respond. Read the full story

Food scraps-to-energy startup snags funding from Al Gore, First Solar chief

Some heavy hitting investors are betting on Harvest Power, a startup that takes food scraps and yard trimmings and turns them into renewable power, soil and fertilizers. Read the full story

Pollution fighting vertical gardens rise in Mexico City

Vertical gardens that clean the air in Mexico City are symbols of the city’s green pursuits. Read the full story

Protecting the power grid from electric vehicles

Honda, IBM, and a major utility has joined forces to solve the issue of what happens when many people with electric cars decide to plug-in at the same time. Read the full story

Zaha Hadid recognized for breaking architecture’s glass ceiling

The multiple award winning and boundary breaking architect wins the 2012 Jane Drew Prize.

Manufacturers link energy management to competitiveness

Industrial companies have yet to realize the full potential of operational advantages they could gain through energy efficiency initiatives, a Pike Research report suggests. Read the full story

Core4 rewrites consumer research rules with social communities

Invitation-only groups allow companies to establish an ongoing source of conversation and feedback about their brands. Read the full story

Want a ‘green’ building? Build it for disasters.

All the solar panels and eco-friendly paint in the world won’t make a structure withstand an earthquake. That’s why “resilient” is the new “green” in sustainable architecture. Read the full story