| |
[Jul. 30th, 2006|04:22 pm] |
Ocean PH levels are 30% higher than ever* before
please read this article by Martin Mittelstaedt of the Globe/Mail. Many have been discussing it, Forbes has talked about it, even Fox News mentioned it, but this is a great explanation. And it;s a serious issue, based on this report that came out earlier this month from Joan Kleypas and her krewe at Boulder's NCAR.
Basically 1/2 of the CO2 we've 'allegedly' been pumping in to the atmosphere has been winding up in the oceans. which is good cause it slowed down global warming (imagine if there was twice as much CO2 there already) but the HORRIBLE thing about it is that it is turning our oceans into acid. And faster than has probably ever happened before on the planet. There is already a 30% higher PH level in the oceans, than there has been since the industrial revolution (actually 30% higher than its beein in over 600,000 years). And that's bad news for shellfish, as the acid eats their shells, and also deadly bad news to the coral reefs (as if they already weren't having enough problems) and of course, that is bad news for over 25% of the Oceans species who live at least part of their lives in the corals... ok and bad news for every animal who eat that 25% once they leave the reefs...
its the opposite of the old high school experiment where one would take some vinegar (acid) and some cacium (baking soda) and it would produce bubbling CO2... here you take the air's CO2 and the Shellfish's calcium and get acid. And it ain't pretty.... What do we do to stop this? |
|
|
| DEKA's new water purifier works with anything (even cow poo)! |
[Jun. 1st, 2006|06:32 am] |
I searched all of HUGG and elsewhere, to see of anyone has talked about this yet. And i am surprised that the response has been kinda lullish. Sure, the Segway didn't take over the world the way Jeff Bezos said it would [personally I'll hold off jugement and wait to see what one with a fuel cell can do (they were designed to run on FCs, thats a lot more juice, i expect to see a 60mph on/offroad segway for police and armies coming our soon enough],
but Dean Kamen's newest invention certainly can and hopefully will change the world. He has invented a stirling-engine based water purifer!! "Distill the water, no matter how dirty, and bacteria, viruses, metals like arsenic and most other stuff will be removed. A few pollutants, ingredients in some pesticides for example, could remain, since they vaporize at about the same temperature as water, but they can be removed, if necessary, by other means." And Kamen tested it out recently in Bangladesh, powered by cow-poo it proved easy and reliable and of course made great clean water (1,000 liters a day!) Wowza! |
|
|
| first of many... |
[Apr. 28th, 2006|06:43 am] |
Take it with a tsp of salt, ok?
Desalination! It's a huge thing really. And I have a lot to say about it (noooo I have a lot to say on something?? really! stop the presses!!). But not now--this is just a segue, a little story to introduce something that is going to be huge, but really we have to think about before jumping in feet first. Anyway at this point here's a glimmer of hope, not only for potable drinking water but maybe even for some peace on earth..... |
|
|
| The Power Pipe! |
[Jan. 6th, 2006|09:31 am] |
eco-gestalt; when things make sense instantly!
Ok, there's the eco-side to why this is great. And then there's the other reason why... and let's start with that one: Anyone who's grown up in a house with 4+ people knows what it's like to be the last one taking a shower. Mmmmmmm! Nothing like getting 5 minutes into a good lather and then pooof! All the hot water is gone and you get an involuntary cold shower. Pretty much everyone has experienced that. And cold showers may be fun in the dog days of summer, or when you are a little overheated, but not fun at all when it's 7:30 am and you, half asleep, have to get ready to start the day... So here's the power-pipe! This ingenious little gizmo will ensure that there's a near-endless supply of hot water (like one of those tankless heaters, only much smarter)! Oh, and of course saves money, energy and greenhouse gas emissions!
( Read more... ) |
|
|
| roofoop water filters. green, of course |
[Dec. 8th, 2005|07:49 pm] |
In Bedfordshire the water cleans
Chris Shirley-Smith and the professors at Imperial College London and Cranfield University in Bedfordshire have perfected a rooftop garden system that cleans your home's grey water and then allows you to reuse it as "green" water (water that was grey, but is now clean enough to use to flush, saving more water...).
"The beauty of the system is that it is not ‘high-tech’ in the traditional sense.
It does not require sophisticated maintenance, just tending, like any garden." Says professor David Butler, and that just pleases me as punch! Almost like that's what i've been moaning for in the past few posts. Ahhh a nice resolution to the day!
The company is called WaterWorks UK. They rock! Made my day! |
|
|
| Buld It Solar: I love these guys!! |
[Nov. 14th, 2005|07:19 am] |
Build It Solar. These guys rock! a non-profit site with more info than you can assimilate in several sittings! the site is full of case studies and tools like solar calculators... these folks know their stuff, and have scoured the web to bring us some highly selected information. Amazing tools for anyone from the DIYer to the environmental consultant.
My two favorite sections are the experimental solar section (duh) which has an amazing array of experiments... including the (pre-Sunball) heliostat, solar bubbles(!), and even horizontal "pond" water heaters... very cool.
One of the other favorite things from this site is the top 10 energy projects with a 1-year payback. Next time someone tells you that green technologies are just too expensive, here's some heavy heavy info to cram down their throats (in a nice friendly way, of course). Not only that but these are also ways that pretty much everyone can have some nice savings..... |
|
|
| Well ….someone has to let the cat out of the bag! |
[Aug. 26th, 2005|04:30 pm] |
Ontario is about to leap ahead of the rest of North America with sweeping new all inclusive green energy deal!
Big breaking news! Sometime in September they are going to announce it, and by years end they planning on implementing a renewable energy scheme that will most certainly help Ontario leapfrog into the 21st century in clean green style! Last week Dwight Duncan, Minister of Energy for the province, sent letters to the OPA (Ontario Power Authority) and the Ontario Energy Board instructing them to implement specific changes by December. These changes will facilitate this renewal, and that is pretty much what it is, a virtual renaissance (of green energy)!
This is how it breaks down; the province has decided that it will pay people a premium for green energy. Called feed-in tariffs, they are in use in Germany and Japan and being looked at seriously by several US states and some of our Provinces. So far Ontario is the first to step up to the plate,( Read more... ) |
|
|
| Sanyo's think Gaia! |
[Jul. 30th, 2005|05:57 pm] |
hats off to Mrs. Tomoyo Nonaka, Sanyo's new CEO
a few weeks ago it seems, she shook up the tables, at the Japanese electronics giant, unveiling a completely new green direction. The entire plan is called "think GAIA" and according to it's vision, Sanyo will reshape itself to be a company that "pleases life and the Earth." Pretty lofty and we wish them all the success in the world!
thinkGAIA is comprised of four separate aspects, as described by Sanyo;
1. SANYO Blue Planet : Tackle global environmental problems
2. SANYO Genesis III : Pioneer the expansion of a sustainable and clean energy society
3. SANYO Harmonious Society : Create a compassionate and prosperous society. And;
4. SANYO Product Circulation: Realize zero emission, 100% recycling and a
detoxified product life cycle
obviously a big part of genesisIII (what happened to GenesisII?) is going to be their solar pV division.. but I am very curious to see what else they have up their sleeve... this is exciting... especially after what Jeff Immelt is doing with GE's transformation into "ecoMagination".. very exciting indeed |
|
|
| water water everywhere and drop by drop to drink! |
[Jan. 5th, 2005|09:22 pm] |
Appropriate Technology Affordable Solar Water Desalination
ok. so they say water, drinkable water is getting scarce. according to the UNEP by 2025 two out of every three people on the planet will be living in "Water-Stressed" conditions. And as climate change escalates, there will be a need for more alternative methods for agriculture (lots of hydroponics and indoor/underground farms-- which will all require water), we are simply going to have to get more water into circulation. And while many overdeveloped nations will undoubtedly have offshore wave/wind systems with built-in desalination systems, I can’t say I’m really worried about them. Those tech fetishists will get along fine. But that’s hardly 2 out of every 3 people…. And what’s more striking is that the above mentioned UNEP document is from 2000 and the list of most “Water-stressed conditions” reads like the present list of Tsunami countries. Indonesia and India topping the list. So two things are apparent; one, that many places that are in dire need of water, will not have the funds for the high tech turbine/desalinators, they need a more affordable solution. And even more important is that these people need drinking water now, as the situation has become a thousand times worse.
Well Agua delSol in sunny Arizona manufactures and sells solar water desalinators based on the designs of company founder and Solar Pioneer, Horace McCracken (I had the honor of meeting Mr. McCracken a few years before he passed away, and this amazingly inspiring man had many inventions that are sure to be well know as we progress trough the 21st century). The process is ingenious buy very simple:
Sea-water is contained in an elevated cistern, and gravity fed into the Desalinator. Which is a rectangular box. The box is raised in the back, so that the glass-top has a 40 degree angle to the bottom. All day long the sun passes through the glass and heats up the water which evaporates. As it beads of water roll down the glass and are caught and collected. While one can easily make a few gallons of water per day—like any good design, they're modular,
so you can link them up in a grid and collect as much water as needed.
If it were my birthday and I was about to blow out some candles, my wish right now would be that who ever is in charge of getting water to the victims of the tsunami know about this technology. |
|
|
| all robots aren't scary pt. 3 |
[Dec. 22nd, 2004|09:02 pm] |
i think my pennance is almost over... but, this month, RPI announced some great strides taken on their SAUVE (Solar Autonamous Underwater VehiclE) which is a PV powered robot that can sense biological or chemical impurities, alert other SUAVEs-- and who knows, in the future send out for some biochem neutralizer bots to clean up whatever mess the SUAVEs find.... not too shabby! (Rensselear Campus News) |
|
|
![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
scalarparty's journal