Researchers from Towson University have come close to making science-fiction an everyday reality by “trapping” a rainbow. Most people are familiar with the idea of a cloaking device or invisibility cloaks thanks to Star Trek and Harry Potter, but a real-world experiment designed to understand how to use and manipulate light involved using an array of 25,000 “invisibility cloaks,” each smaller than a hair’s breadth, to snare a rainbow, slowing light to a near-stop.

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Post tags: array invisibility cloak, clean tech, cloaking device, eco design, green design, Harry Potter, invisibility cloak, rainbow cloaking device, science, science fiction, star trek, sustainable design, Technology, towson university, united kingdom, Vera Smolyaninova

A controversial geoengineering experiment that would have simulated the cooling effect of a volcanic eruption was canceled this week over a patent dispute. A team of scientists in the United Kingdom had announced last year their plans to send a gigantic balloon 12 miles above earth to recreate a volcanic cloud and study whether it could have cooled the earth. But arguments over a patent application, submitted before this proposed project had even begun, raised concerns over a potential conflict of interest.

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Post tags: artificial cloud, geoengineering, geoengineering experiment, geoengineering projects, global warming, patent dispute, SPICE, Stratospheric Particle Injection for Climate Engineering, united kingdom

The French energy giant Total announced today that it has finally stopped the natural gas leak at its Elgin platform in the North Sea, 150 miles off the coast of Scotland. The Elgin leak, which started March 25, released gas at a rate of 7 million cubic feet a day at its peak and led to the evacuation of its workers amid fears of an explosion. The leak has cost the company $3 million a day and could deny the United Kingdom as much as six percent of its natural gas supplies this summer.

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Post tags: elgin leak, Elgin platform, Gas Leak, natural gas leak, north sea, north sea gas field, oil and gas, total, total gas, united kingdom

Next week, winds permitting, 24,000 bars of hand-pressed chocolate will arrive in the United Kingdom port of Portsmouth with an unusual claim: the bars are the world’s only carbon neutral chocolate confections. Sailing on the 105 foot-long wooden brigantine Tres Hombres, the 100 gram (3.5 ounces) bars of Gru Grococo bar will retail for £12.95, or $21 in stores, which almost certainly makes it the most expensive chocolate bar on either side of the pond.

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Post tags: brigantine, carbon footprint, carbon neutral chocolate, caribbean, chocolate, cocoa, fair transport, Grenada, grenada chocolate company, gru rococo, rococo chocolates, tres hombres, united kingdom

Have you ever wanted to be the center of attention like a scene-stealing celebrity? CuteCircuit is making that possible with their wearable technology savvy as they launch ready-to-wear smart textiles, like LED light-up dresses.  If you want to feel like Katy Perry walking down the red carpet, click ahead and see what kind of creations you can rock.

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Post tags: CuteCircuit, digital printing, eco-fashion, Ethical Fashion, green fashion, Katy Perry, led clothing, LED dresses, LED fashion, LEDs, London, smart textiles, Spring/Summer 2012, Sustainable Fashion, sustainable style, U.K., united kingdom, wearable technology

A war of words between Donald Trump and the Scottish government is escalating over plans to install wind turbines near Trump’s golf course, set to open this summer near Aberdeen. Trump claims Scotland’s emphasis on developing wind power will ruin the economy. Scottish leaders reply that a renewable energy policy is the best way for Scotland to boost economic development as the country edges towards a 2014 referendum on leaving the United Kingdom. The rhetoric on both sides has become heated, and Trump plans to testify in front of a parliamentary committee tomorrow.

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Post tags: "clean energy", "wind power", aberdeen, Alex Salmond, Donald Trump, golf, golf course, renewable energy, Scotland, scottish coastline, Trump International Golf Links, united kingdom, wind turbines

Leading British singer Adele isn’t just rolling in the deep – she’s also rolling in the green! We found out this morning that the chanteuse will be giving her new seaside home in Brighton a solar-powered makeover to make the property more eco-friendly. The solar retrofit will allow the house to be powered without the use of any fossil fuels.

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Post tags: Adele, adele house, adele solar house, adele's house, brighton, eco design, green design, renewables, Simon Konecki, solar, solar home, solar panels, Solar Power, solar retrofit, sustainable design, sustainable lifestyle, UK, united kingdom

Texas Governor Rick Perry has attacked the United Kingdom’s Foreign Office for its contribution to an initiative that tried to “educate” Texas politicians on climate change. Two state senators from Texas in 2009 were flown to the UK, where they received a briefing from government officials and climate change scientists. Additional money was spent on a conference in Austin that focused on climate change and featured a video of Prince Charles making an appeal to Texas lawmakers, expenditures that Perry was none too happy about.

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Post tags: Climate Change, cop15, Environmental Defense Fund, kyoto protocol, Rick Perry, texas, Tory Fraser, UK Foreign Office, united kingdom

Mayor Boris Johnson has come under fire for his office’s recommendation that municipal trucks spray saline solution along busy streets to reduce air pollution levels before the upcoming London Olympics. The “dust suppressants” behave like a glue, attracting dust particles to the ground so that they stick to roads instead of floating in the air. The process is used in 15 different sites across London, all of which, the director of a local non-profit points out, are close to government air quality monitoring stations. Simon Birkett, Director of Clean Air London, accused the Mayor’s office of spraying the suppressants before air readings are taken to monitor pollution levels.

Read the rest of London Mayor Accused of Using Dust Suppressants to Lower Pollution Levels Before Olympics

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Post tags: 2012 summer olympics, air pollution, Air quality, Boris Johnson, Clean Air London, dust suppressants, London, olympics, pm10, pm10 particles, Pollution, united kingdom

We are happy to report that the Duchess of Cambridge seems to be an undercover thrift store shopper! Grazia Daily tracked her gorgeous gray National Portrait Gallery coat-dress to a secondhand store called The Stock Exchange that calls itself the “premier venue for the fashion-conscious bargain hunter.” We love that even the future Queen of England can’t pass up a good, eco-friendly deal – hit the jump for more details about royal bargain hunting!

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Post tags: Catherine Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, eco-fashion, Ethical Fashion, green fashion, Jesire, Kate Middleton, secondhand clothing, Sustainable Fashion, sustainable style, thrift stores, U.K., united kingdom, vintage clothing, vintage shopping

Investors, environmental groups, and academics sent a letter to the Bank of England (which is responsible for keeping England’s economic stability) this week, urging it to assess the risk that carbon intensive investments in the United Kingdom have on citizens and investors alike. Five of the 10 largest companies in the U.K.’s benchmark stock index (the FTSE 100) are high-carbon companies, and the group addressing the letter believes that puts the U.K. at risk financially. The authors of the letter argue that depending on finite, unsustainable resources for investing while the world moves into renewable technology is untenable and poses a threat to everyone affected by investments in those companies.

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Post tags: bank of england, carbon emissions, carbon heavy, carbon intensive, english investments, green investments, investing in green, sustainable investing, sustainable investments, united kingdom

Dulas recently delivered the National Trust’s largest solar PV array in the UK at their grade I listed Llanerchaeron property in Wales. At just under 40 kWp (37.5kWp) and combined with the existing 7.5 kWp solar PV array, the installation should generate up to half of the electricity that the house requires. Having provided a full planning consultancy service for multiple solar PV sites across the National Trust portfolio in Wales, Dulas advised a free-standing ground mount ballasted array would provide the optimum solution to be delivered within tight timescales. Mike Clay of Dulas Ltd said of the installation: “By taking forward thinking steps and engaging with a highly experienced company the Trust has been able to best utilize the space available to gain maximum benefit from the feed in tariff. By prioritizing the installation Dulas was able to commission the project in time to take advantage of the highest feed in tariff rates providing the best possible financial rate of returns for the Trust.” The Trust has made a commitment to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels by 50% within the next eight years. It aims to cut carbon emissions from energy use for heat and electricity by 45%, beating the government’s target of a 34% reduction in CO2 by 2020.

+ Dulas

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Post tags: alternative energy, dulas, green design, green power, Llanerchaeron, National Trust, photovoltaic installation, renewable energy, solar installation, Solar Power, sustainable design, united kingdom, Wales

We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw this glistening yellow cape made from spider silk. The un-dyed, untreated garment is the world’s largest piece of clothing made entirely from the durable natural material. Now on public display at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the textile accredits its unearthly glow to the lady golden orb spider.

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Post tags: eco-fashion, eco-friendly capes, Ethical Fashion, golden orb spiders, green fashion, London, madagascar, Nicholas Godley, spider silk, sustainable capes, Sustainable Fashion, U.K., united kingdom, Victoria & Albert Museum

Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Kate Middleton‘s wardrobe attracts some serious attention. With many Brits and others around the world looking to Kate for clothing inspiration, we really think she could boost ethical fashion in the UK simply by donning an ethically made cardigan or a pair of fair trade flats and taking a stroll down a posh London street. And we know at least seven of Britain’s leading ethical designers agree with us because we talked to them about what sustainable styles they’d like to see the duchess wear next. Read on to see what they said!

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Post tags: britain, Duchess of Cambridge, eco-fashion, Emesha, Ethical Fashion, green fashion, Henrietta Ludgate, House of Tammam, Kate Middleton, Michelle Lowe-Holder, Olga Olsson, Outsider, Sustainable Fashion, sustainable style, U.K., united kingdom

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Post tags: "solar energy", alternative energy, Cottrell & Vermeulen Architects, eco design, energy counter, Green Building, green design, photovoltaic panels, reduced carbon emissions, sustainable design, united kingdom, Westborough Primary School

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Post tags: biodome, biome, biosphere, cornwall, Eco Architecture, eco design, Eden Project, flowers, garden, Gardening, green architecture, green design, greenhouse, Nicholas Grimshaw, plants, Tim Smit, united kingdom

Eyewear comes in many shapes and sizes, but few are made with sustainable materials. But here’s a collection from two Royal College of Art graduates that turns human hair into stylish sunnies and vision sharpening specs. So whether you’re a bright blonde or a bold and brazen brunette, Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves’ aptly named “hair glasses” are sure to get heads to turn.

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Post tags: bizarre eco-fashion, eco-fashion, eco-friendly eyeglasses, eco-friendly eyewear, eco-friendly sunglasses, Ethical Fashion, green fashion, hair glasses, human hair, Studio Swine, sustainable eyeglasses, sustainable eyewear, Sustainable Fashion, sustainable style, sustainable sunglasses, U.K., united kingdom

The changing Atlantic jetstream is slowing down the United Kingdom’s wind, raising questions about the efficacy of ambitious offshore wind farm programs. Wind speeds have reduced by 20% since 2008, according to a Telegraph report, and 2010 was the stillest year in the decade. Scientists predict that the jetstream over the UK will continue to slacken over the next four decades as a result of changing solar activity. Meanwhile, the coalition has plans to build thousands of wind turbines in order to meet the European Union goal of supplying 15% of the UK’s energy using alternatives to fossil fuels by 2020.

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Post tags: alternative energy, atlantic jetstream, britain, eco design, EU, green design, Offshore Wind Farm, renewable energy, sustainable design, united kingdom, wind energy, wind speed, wind turbines

Would you wear a dress made of iridescent bug parts? Victorian actress Ellen Terry did in one of the most iconic portrayals of Lady Macbeth in theater history. After 120 years of wear, tear, and alterations, the gown—and the 1,000 naturally shed beetle wings that adorned it—looked less than glistening. The painstaking restoration took 1,300 hours and £50,000 ($81,000), but the emerald-green number is ready to make its stage entrance once more.

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Post tags: beetles, bizarre eco-fashion, eco-fashion, Ellen Terry, Ethical Fashion, green fashion, National Trust, Sustainable Fashion, sustainable style, U.K., united kingdom

Read the rest of Old Subway Cars Transformed into Cool London Art Studios

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Post tags: artist studio space, green studio space, London, london prefab architecture, london underground studio space, Prefab Housing, subway converted to studio space, subway offices, tube office, united kingdom, village underground