Category Archives: cool sites

10 Ways Humans Helped The Planet – Well, at least were nicer to it

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This is tough to put up on the website primarily because I have never conquered Adobe Flash. But since their post is actually a summary of 10 of their articles from the last year I will put up the sitation  (yes I spelled it that way on purpose), the head line and a copy of part of their third story. The slideshow is pretty cool however so check all of the pictures out.

http://news.discovery.com/earth/earth-environment-green-2010-101228.html

How Humans Helped the Earth in 2010: Slide Show

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Here are parts of the third article. Complete with the photo I pray.

http://news.discovery.com/earth/wind-farms-float-away-from-nimbyism.html

Wind Farms Float Away from NIMBYism

Analysis by Zahra Hirji
Thu Jul 1, 2010 09:09 AM ET
WindFloatSeascape

One of the biggest complaints of offshore wind farms is the eye-sore factor. Apparently residents would prefer a giant coal-fired power plant polluting the planet from far away to a clean source of energy they actually have to look at. This is the essence of the NIMBY (“Not In My Back Yard”) whine.

But NIMBYist whinging is shrill, and for the residents of Nantucket Sound, powerful. Their opposition to the construction of an offshore fleet of wind turbines, part of the Cape Wind project, was enough to delay the project for years.

Enter the Windfloat.

Windfloat is an ocean-based floating wind turbine designed by the California company Marine Innovation & Technology. The turbine sits atop a 3-legged floating foundation that is based on the designs of offshore gas and oil platforms.

Due to the bulky structure of current coastal wind turbines, the structures are anchored in the seabed – limiting their positioning to shallow water depths ranging between 98 to 164 feet.

This new design, however, proves that a turbine’s size and weight need not be compromised for distance from shore. Researchers suspect that the Windfloat foundation can support a 5 megawatt turbine with a height of around 230 feet.

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More tomorrow.

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Energy Year In Review – Here they come

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This one is a pretty good for being sort of an over view.

http://www.good.is/post/year-in-review-2010-the-year-in-clean-energy/

  • December 22, 2010 • 8:00 am PST

Year in Review 2010: The Year in Clean Energy

It was a record year for solar power, and the electric car began its comeback but, thanks to our increasingly desperate need for fossil fuels, 2010 also saw the largest accidental marine oil spill in history. We’re getting closer to workable clean energy, but will we get there quickly enough? And can we do it without Congress’s help?

With the economy hemorrhaging jobs, President Obama kicked off 2010 with the January announcement of $2.3 billion dollars in tax credits for companies building clean energy technology—everything ranging from turbine blades to batteries to solar panels.

It’s not all just solar panels. Off the coast of Reedsport, Oregon, a New Jersey-based company called Ocean Power Technologies began building a wave-power farm, using giant plungers that rise and fall with the waves. It isn’t operational yet, but the plan is for 10 of these generators to collectively power about 400 homes.

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For the reast of it please see the blog post itself. More tomorrow.

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Energy Savings Through Christmas Decorations – Even businesses can

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I had no idea how wide the custom had spread.

http://www.christmasdesigners.com/?gclid=COy__vLpgqYCFUS5KgodHRvsoA

Christmas Decorations and LED Christmas Lights

#1 Choice for Pros and Christmas Enthusiasts Alike!

  • Innovative, top quality LED Christmas Lights
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  • Commercial Christmas Decorations for cities, businesses and organizations.
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  • 30 years designing, building, installing and selling high quality Christmas and holiday decorations and lighting.
  • Our high volume purchasing allows us to pass our savings onto our customers by offering the best prices available anywhere.

Popular Categories

LED Christmas Lights

LED Christmas Lights

Replacement Bulbs & Cords

Replacement Bulbs & Cords

Christmas Designers has been in the commercial Christmas and lighting business for the past 30 years. During that time we have had the privilege to design and create some of the most imaginative and unique Christmas displays in the world.

Our specialty is indoor and outdoor commercial Christmas decorations, ranging from small garland pole decorations to giant Commercial trees, reaching heights of over 100 feet tall.

More recently, we’ve expanded our business to include the Christmas Enthusiasts market as well as the wholesale Christmas markets. By tapping into our 30 years of experience designing, building and installing Christmas decorations and lighting, we’re able to offer products and services unmatched in the industry.

With our base year round staff of 25 employees and our seasonal staff of over 100, we are unmatched in the industry when it comes to hands on experience with Christmas decorations and LED Christmas lights.

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One more shopping day until Christmas. Guys get going. More tomorrow.

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An Environmental Funny Moment – This mockumentary is pretty hilarious

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I love the language here. But the site and the trailer are a little rocky. Or maybe it is my 5 year old computer. Who knows. But in all its glory here it is.

http://howtoboilafrog.com/

Make Friends / Make Fun / Make Trouble




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More tomorrow

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He Is Not A Survivalist – He just likes to do things the hard way

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MY favorite quote that I shall only paraphrase is, I could just jump in the car and go to the store for a lot of this stuff..but.

http://www.straight.com/article-357270/vancouver/peak-oil-spurring-locals-selfsufficiency

Brennan Wauters believes that the world has reached peak oil production, and that learning how to do things such as grow your own food and fix household items will help you take care of yourself.
By Carlito Pablo, November 10, 2010

What if you woke up one day and found that the world as you knew it had ceased to exist? It’s a thought that has probably crossed the minds of many and perhaps been quickly dismissed by most as silly.

For Brennan Wauters, this prospect is real. That’s why he’s preparing for what he describes as a “collapse”.

From Wauters’s perspective, the game changer is peak oil. He believes that in the past five years, the world has reached the point of maximum production of oil, and that the supply of this fuel source is on the decline. One day, the pumps may run dry.

But the 42-year-old Vancouver man is not the type to hunker in a bunker. He isn’t storing food, buying gold, or stocking up on weapons to survive in a post-oil world.

“I’m more a survivalist in the sense that I think we have to be psychologically prepared,” Wauters said. “I concentrate on being able to do things with as little as possible. It’s also an exercise to me, like there’s many things that I could just go to the store for. But I deliberately take a harder route just to test my own capabilities, to give me confidence that whatever happens, everything will be fine.”

Learning to grow food is one of those things. Peppers were ready for picking when Wauters showed the Georgia Straight the vegetable plots at the East Side house where he lives with a number of other people. There were also chickens and honeybees out back.

“If there’s a general economic collapse, people are not going to have jobs,” he said. “So they’re going to have time on their hands. And that probably means growing food so that they don’t have to depend upon some larger infrastructure. That’s the clear objective.”

Wauters is also collecting books on edible and medicinal plants. That way, when the Internet is no longer working, he’ll have something to rely on for farming information.

He’s also learning “wildcrafting”, or methods of gathering food from the wild and living off the land. He likewise considers knowledge of canning and smoking food to be important.

Wauters builds sets for movie productions for a living, and that partly explains why he has a large collection of tools. He particularly values hand implements—drills, saws, and sets of screwdrivers—which he said will all be useful when power devices can no longer be plugged into wall sockets.

He can also fix a bicycle, noting that this human-powered conveyance will eventually become more valuable than the automobile.

According to Wauters, neighbours come to him to repair various broken household items. The house where he lives has a shed that stores numerous tools, such as pickaxes, shovels, and rakes.

“The survival aspect is really two things,” he said. “It’s a mental exercise which helps you cope with adversity, and then the other thing is that it prepares you to be creative. You have to be creative to solve those problems that we’re going to face. We can no longer run to the store to buy something to solve our problem.”

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More tomorrow.

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Diabetes And Pollution – Another reason to save energy

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I have tried to get people to save energy at home to save money. You always will. I have tried to get people to save energy to avert global warming. I have tried to get people to save energy to be modern. You know better appliances equals a better life. But now there is a health advantage as well.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/203295.php

Pollution Levels Constantly Linked To Diabetes Risk

rate icon Editor’s Choice
Main Category: Diabetes
Also Included In: Water – Air Quality / Agriculture
Article Date: 02 Oct 2010 – 10:00 PDT

Scientists have found compelling evidence of a link between adult diabetes and pollution levels – when particulate air pollution is higher, diabetes risk goes up, even after taking into account such factors as ethnicity and obesity rates, according to an article published in Diabetes Care. This study was carried out by researchers from Children’s Hospital Boston and Harvard Medical school. The study focused on adult diabetes prevalence, meaning diabetes Type 2.

The fact that higher pollution usually means more cars, which could mean less physical activity, which might lead to higher obesity levels, resulting in higher diabetes rates were factored into this study – in other words, the scientists found a direct link between pollution levels and diabetes risk, after taking into account these variables which may occur in high pollution areas.

This is one of the first large-scale population based studies to detect an association between diabetes rates and levels of air pollution, the authors write. It corroborates previous studies which found a link between higher insulin resistance and particulate exposure among laboratory mice.

The investigators concentrated their attention on fine particulates of 0.1 to 2.5 nanometers, or PM2.5, which is commonly found in motor vehicle exhaust fumes, haze and smoke.

John Pearson and John Brownstein, PhD, of the Children’s Hospital Informatics Program and team gathered data on PM2.5 pollution in every country in mainland USA (not including Alaska) from the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) for 2004 and 2005.

They combined the EPA information with data from the US Census and the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) to establish adult diabetes rates, as well as adjusting for obesity, physical activity, geographical location, population density and ethnicity – known risk factors for diabetes.

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Clear the air and we are all healthier. More tomorrow.

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Energy Efficient Roofs – Paint it white or

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It’s Jam Band Friday – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvYsBlg4QEM

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http://www.professorshouse.com/your-home/environmentally-friendly/energy-efficient-shingles.aspx

Energy Efficient Roof Shingles

Home > Your Home > Environmentally Friendly > Articles > Energy Efficient Roof Shingles

image of energy efficient shinglesThe right roof is essential to designing an environmentally friendly and energy-efficient home. If you’ve got typical shingles or hot asphalt on your roof—as many homeowners do—you could be doing better. Below are a few cutting-edge roofing techniques that can cut your energy costs and make your house greener at the same time.

Use recycled shingles. If you want an environmentally friendly roof, the worst thing you can do is install 15-year, non-recycled shingles. These are among the most disposable building materials, are hardly ever recycled, and contain toxic volatile organic chemicals that evaporate under the heat of the sun. This means that just by sitting under the sun and heating up, your home is releasing toxic chemicals into the air. For a greener option, use recycled asphalt shingles that use reclaimed materials, reducing waste. These shingles often have a 50-year lifespan instead of 15, so you won’t have to replace them as often.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kilR-4rQS5g

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Consider metal. Metal roofs are more energy-efficient than shingles. Metal roofing is typically made from aluminum, copper, or steel, and you should ensure that your roofing is lead-free. Metal does not have the kind of heat-absorption qualities shingles have, so it will absorb and radiate less heat into your home. In fact, the right color metal will actively reflect sunlight, keeping your home cooler in hot summer months when the sun is most intense. Metal roofing also stands up to the elements better than shingles typically do—it’s the best for rainwater catchment systems, and snow slides off it easily.

Reflective coatings. To make your shingled roof more energy-efficient, brush a reflective coating on. Uncoated shingled roofs typically absorb around 80% of the sunlight that hits them—heating your home in the summer and driving up your air conditioning bill. A coated roof, however, can reflect about 80% of heat—giving you significant energy savings.

Clay and slate. Two natural materials that make excellent green roofing choices, clay and slate are both energy-efficient, can be disposed of without pollution, and are much less toxic than shingles. Corrugated clay tiles encourage air flow on the surface of the roof, keeping the home cool in the summer. However, hail will shatter it, which is why it’s typically only used in warmer climates. Slate is far more durable—it can last up to 100 years with minimal maintenance. Slate can also be reclaimed and recycled.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9B7YeDmmTFc

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Building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV). This is a roofing system that’s coated with a film that converts sunlight into electricity—a solar-power coating for your roof. This system uses tiles or shingles, and the electric current flows on the edge of the roof. The tiles look like slate, and can be installed by most roofers—an electrician will also be needed to hook the solar-energy system up to your home’s electrical system. The charge it generates isn’t huge—about 1 kilowatt of energy per 100 square feet of tile

Roof turbines. Companies in the Netherlands, Scotland, and Britain are developing small turbines designed to install on roofs and convert wind power into home electricity. The turbines are typically around six feet across, and are usually mounted on the roof or a pole. Roof turbines feed energy into a converter, which transforms it into electricity for home use. They can typically provide enough power to operate lights, a refrigerator, a television, and a computer—providing significant energy savings. However, the amount of energy an individual house sees will depend on how windy its location is

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More next week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1EAog6Crv7c

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Jetson Green – What a cool site

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Everyonce in awhile you come across a site that is just the bees knees. This would be one.

http://www.jetsongreen.com/2010/10/versatile-origin-prefab-from-blu-homes.html

Versatile Origin Prefab from Blu Homes

By Preston Koerner | October 11, 2010 | topics: Prefab, Residential, Single-family

Blu-homes-origin-haney

Shown is a new installation of three Origin series prefabs by Blu Homes.  Each with a mixture of standard and custom elements, these modules were installed behind a company co-founder’s existing home in Wayland, Massachusetts.  The prefab cluster is used as a photo studio, art studio, and media room and was built with radiant floor heating, cedar sunshades, a roof deck, galvalume siding, heat recovery ventilation, and bamboo flooring.

Blu-homes-origin-haney-sunshades

Anne Haney, spouse of Blu Homes co-founder Bill Haney, said, “I adore my new home studio – it’s modern, airy and bright. I no longer have to commute, pay rent, and we both get to see more of our kids,” according to a statement.

These completed Origin modules cost about $100,000 each, though the newly revamped Origin series starts from $82,000 for a shell and from $109,000 for a full home.

Origin is available in 18’x24′, 18×36′, and 18×48′ plans, with up to one bathroom and two bedrooms.  Blu also offers flat, shed, or gable roof lines.

Standard features include energy-efficient recessed lighting, Energy Star appliances, efficient ventilation, low-flow fixtures, and cement board siding.  Custom options include LED lighting, cedar v-groove siding, FSC certified floors, and cedar screens.

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More tomorrow.

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The Massive Hungarian Toxic Spill And ME – You may wonder

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I put off posting about the nasty and unconscionable toxic spill in Hungary because I felt a little guilty. I said in an earlier post that I was kinda bored and having a little difficulty posting because after the Gulf Spew and Russia caught on fire talking about more down to earth topics and residential energy issues was…well…not exciting. Then I said something like we could always wish for another disaster. So then the Hungary Dam Failure happened and I was …ahhh … sheepish. But today and tomorrow we shall make amends.

http://www.peopleandplanet.net/?lid=29373&section=37&topic=23

‘Hungary must lead drive to defuse East Europe’s toxic time bombs’

Posted: 12 October 2010

As efforts continue to prevent a further spill from a toxic reservoir near the Danube, WWF has called on Hungary, as president-elect of the EU, to mount a major push to reduce the large stockpiles of poorly maintained mining wastes across eastern Europe.

The call from WWF comes as emergency operations continue to head off an increasing risk of further large scale flows of toxic aluminium processing sludge from the broken reservoir above the town of Kolontàr. The initial breach of the reservoir walls killed at least seven, inundated six villages and sent a caustic alkaline plume towards the Danube.

Toxic sludge, Hungary
Kolontar, Hungary, inundated by the tide of toxic sludge now heading down tributaries of the Danube. Photo credit: WWF Hungary

WWF has issued a photograph showing that the reservoir wall was clearly degraded and leaking more than three months before the disaster. Work has nearly finished on a secondary dyke, 1500 m long, 30 m wide and 8 m high through and alongside Kolontàr, to reduce damage from any further spills.

“The human and ecological disaster at Kolontàr – the greatest chemical disaster in Hungary’s history – has made clear the need to re-assess current regulation of such mine waste sites and begs the question how many other ticking time bombs there are in Central and Eastern Europe,” said Gabor Figeczky, interim CEO of WWF-Hungary.

Mining and mineral processing tailings dams – presumably including the Kolontàr reservoir – were listed as a priority concerns in a 2004 comprehensive study on mainly eastern European hazardous and toxic waste sites from the European Commission’s Joint Research Center.

Overall, however, environmetnal pressure groups say that information on sites,and on the risks they present, is extremely poor. WWF released a list of recent Danube releases of toxic wastes and some of the major hazard areas last week, “but it is by no means provides the kind of exhaustive analysis that is needed,” said Andreas Beckmann, Director of WWF’s Danube-Carpathian Programme.

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More tomorrow.

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Energy Conservation According To Google – Mixed record

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Google has this Feeling Lucky button that just sucks when it comes to energy issues. The company itself has a mixed bag. They helped push an energy fuel cell of a dubious nature by installing 3 of them on their main campus. They do like solar and wind and have both in operation or have bought energy from those sources. But this button is just rotten. I am usually bored with posting when I do this now, but in the beginning I was excited. I know you say, “How could Doug be bored with the exciting field of residential conservation”? I guess I want another oil spill or maybe Russia to catch fire again. Sick isn’t it. The first three you get if you used the regular search are not much better:

  1. Residential Energy Efficiency

    www.ServiceMagic.com Get an Energy Audit For Your Home. Free Auditor Listings. Search Now!?

  2. Residential Energy Efficiency

    www.Dow.com/HealthyHome Show Us How By Sharing a Video. Win A Renovation Makeover Package!

  3. Energy Efficient Building

    www.energyefficientbuilders.com Green construction & contracting Save 50-80% on heating and AC

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I mean DOW?

And too my surprise you can not even use the get lucky button anymore. Really? Why do they even have it up there. Apparently the “read your mind” algorithm they just introduced broke the get lucky thingie because as soon as you type in a single letter that option goes away. But when you just click on it empty it thinks you want to get lucky about the google LOGO. These people are dorks.

http://www.businessinsider.com/google-just-effectively-killed-the-im-feeling-lucky-button-2010-9

Google Just Killed The “I’m Feeling Lucky Button”

Nicholas Carlson | Sep. 8, 2010, 1:35 PM
Google just effectively offed one of it’s oldest, quirkiest features – the “I’m Feeling Lucky” button.

The good news is that in the process, Google added at least another hundred million dollars in revenue.

It used to be that you could go to Google.com, type a search query into the search box and then, by clicking “I’m feeling lucky,” go directly to the page that would have been listed as the top search result.

But then today happened, and Google announced “Google Instant.” Now, when you go to Google.com and start typing a search into the search bar, Google instantly begins showing search results. Users no longer have a chance to click the “I’m Feeling Lucky Button” before they begin seeing search results. Yes, the button is still there on Google.com – but essentially, the feature is dead.

So, how does killing the “I’m feeling lucky” button gain Google more than $100 million?

In 2007, Google search boss Marissa Mayer estimated that 1% of all Google searches go through the I’m Feeling Lucky button – skipping Google’s search results pages entirely

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More Tomorrow

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