Word: fibers
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...suggest they be offered safer and more fuel-efficient choices. Ultralight but ultrastrong materials now remove the contradiction between big and efficient: cars can be big but also light and safe, saving oil and lives without compromising comfort or pep. For example, a midsize SUV made of carbon fiber could cut fuel use by 72%, and the vehicle's extra cost could be repaid from fuel savings in about three years. Our proposals would expand car buyers' range and freedom of choice and increase automakers' profits and competitive strength. Amory B. Lovins, CEO Rocky Mountain Institute Old Snowmass, Colorado...
While at Harvard (est. 1626), the university’s culture has become a part of my patchwork; my moral fiber; my being. I have offered my mind and flesh to the young people on this campus with an intense humility. Harvard’s shield of Veritas, meaning truth, is now emblazoned into my spirit. It will bleed through my soul until I die a satisfied human on this great blue marble I call Mother Planet...
...from bone, sends the glop through a maze of machinery he cobbled together to clean, dry and position the feathers for slicing. Finally, a giant contraption with three vacuumized tubes separates the quills from tiny bits of now pristine feather fluff. Here's where it gets interesting: this airy fiber, it turns out, is remarkably strong. It's as sturdy as nylon, 60% lighter than fiberglass and can be used to make everything from auto parts and medical devices to dollar bills and termite-proof building materials. A few weeks ago, a leading tiremaker joined a gaggle of FORTUNE...
...even heats some of the buildings. Indeed, petroleum is prohibited in the carpeting (which is instead held together by soy-based urethane). The only permissible hand soaps and cleaning products are plant based. And in the parking lot, says Justin Barone, one of two ARS researchers devoted to feather-fiber research, "you'll see a lot more bicycles and Toyota Priuses than SUVs...
...Emery's Featherfiber Corp., which licensed the feather-separating technique from ARS five years ago, it's continuing to tweak the production method at its headquarters in Nixa, Mo., while seeking investment for a full-scale factory. Emery has already demonstrated several applications for the fiber, and the math should work in his favor: a pound of raw feathers is worth about 2¢, but could fetch roughly $1 as processed fiber. "I strongly believe," Emery says, "that in a very short period of time, processed poultry feathers will be worth more per pound than poultry meat." Then again, the technology...