A Massachusetts based company, Metabolix, just figured out how to grow plastic inside a plant.

By mixing the genes of a few different species, Metabolix was able to coax switch grass into growing its proprietary bioplastic in significant amounts right the grass leaves!

The new plastic, which we'll just call PHA (because we don't want to write polyhydroxybutyrate a bunch of times), can be used in manufacturing everything from credit cards to packaging materials.

The advantage here over other bioplastics is that all of the chemical processes occur within the plant. There is no need for polymerization or complex chemistry after harvesting. Just cut the grass, get rid of the plant matter, and you've got plastic.

And, of course, the advantage over traditional plastics is that it doesn't come from petroleum, which we're starting to run out of.

Their aiming to get the plastic into commercial production by 2012.

Via CNet and Metabolix

Of course I've always known that Kevin Rose (founder of Digg) was an EcoGeek. But it's good to get a little proof for everyone.

In this video Kevin basically advocates for a "whole-house switch" with a twist. These things are, basically, buttons you can push that will turn off all the unnecessary devices in your house whenever you leave. So, basically, everything except your refrigerator.

Kevin's twist is to tie it into his iPhone for device management and GPS capabilities.

So, for example, certain devices could power down whenever Kevin leaves his house. Other devices could power down whenever Kevin was sleeping. But then, if Kevin wakes up, or approaches his home again, the system would know, and automatically turn on the devices he would soon be needing (his PC, his router, etc.).

I love the idea. Whole-house switches always seemed to me like they would be ripe for neglect. But this system would be entirely transparent. Taking responsibility out of the user's hand is generally a powerful solution to these kinds of problems.

But we'll have to wait and see if anyone snatches up the idea. To me, it sounds like a pretty killer ap. for the Android platform. Like many things, it'd be a lot simpler to do with an Open Source platform.

Via Smart Planet