Monday, March 31, 2008

Organic corn ‘outbreak’ reported

In an attempt to make a statement about genetically modified corn on Kaua‘i, a loose conglomeration of community members has started to distribute organic corn seeds and corn seedlings island-wide.

According to Lauren Shaw-Meek, a manager at Vim & Vigor in Lihu‘e, the idea of the organic corn “outbreak” is to bring attention to what the group sees as the perils of GMO corn. By poking fun at the possibility of an organic corn “outbreak” the message is a little lighter and may reach a wider audience.

Read more at source . . .

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

A Bit of Humor

Indian Chief 'Two Eagles' was asked by a white government official, 'You have observed the white man for 90 years. You've seen his wars and his technological advances. You've seen his progress, and the damage he's done.'

The Chief nodded in agreement.

The official continued, 'Considering all these events, in your opinion, where did the white man go wrong?'

The Chief stared at the government official for over a minute and then calmly replied. 'When white man find land, Indians running it, no taxes, no debt, plenty buffalo, plenty beaver, clean water.
Women did all the work, Medicine man free. Indian man spend all day hunting and fishing; all night having sex.'

'Only white man dumb enough to think he could improve system like that.'

Thursday, March 06, 2008

Waste from Whisky Cleans Contaminated Water

While there may be no real magic in whisky, there appears to be some alchemy in one of its by-products. A by-product from whisky production has just been shown to clean contaminated water and soil.

Read more . . .

Friday, December 28, 2007

Soccer Moms Versus College Students: Who's More Environmentally Responsible?

"Protests couldn't happen without college students, who have plenty of time on their hands, but research carried out at the University of Granada reveals that busy housewives raising future college students are still more willing to separate glass from other garbage than the students themselves."

Read more . . .

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Looking at Sustainable Design That Doesn’t Suck

In the Fort Greene section of Brooklyn, New York, a space that was a parking lot just five years ago has recently been transformed into one of the borough’s best scenes. Habana Outpost, a restaurant-cum-cultural center, features open-air market, outdoor movies, great food and drink, and a social hub for the creative and diverse local community. Underlying it all is an ethic of sustainability: The eatery, powered by renewable energy, boasts dozens of green building features—none of which takes away from the enjoyable experience. We took a look at some of the Outpost’s most inventive innovations.

Read more and see pics . . .

Saturday, October 13, 2007

Report Urges U.S. to Pursue Space-Based Solar Power

WASHINGTON – A Pentagon-chartered report urges the United States to take the lead in developing space platforms capable of capturing sunlight and beaming electrical power to Earth.

Space-based solar power, according to the report, has the potential to help the United States stave off climate change and avoid future conflicts over oil by harnessing the Sun's power to provide an essentially inexhaustible supply of clean energy.

The report, "Space-Based Solar Power as an Opportunity for Strategic Security," was undertaken by the Pentagon's National Security Space Office this spring as a collaborative effort that relied heavily on Internet discussions by more than 170 scientific, legal, and business experts around the world. The Space Frontier Foundation, an activist organization normally critical of government-led space programs, hosted the website used to collect input for the report.

Read more . . .

Thursday, August 23, 2007

Solar photovoltaic panels could lead to cheques from your electricity supplier

Paul Norris has the kind of power bill we all dream of - his electricity supplier sends him a cheque.

  • Useful information
  • How it works
  • He generates so much electricity from the solar photovoltaic (PV) panels on the roof of his three-bedroom house in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, that he not only satisfies his own needs but also exports excess supplies to the National Grid.


    Diagram showing how solar photovoltaic panels work
    Diagram showing how solar photovoltaic panels work

    "The main reason I had it installed was because I was worried about climate change, but it's great to actually make some money out of it," he says.

    "Most people imagine it only really works during a sunny summer's day, but it even produces a decent amount of power on a cloudy day in the middle of winter."


    Ready more . . .