Homeostasis

Portugal Makes the Leap to Renewable Energy

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:09:00 +0000

From the NY Times, written by Elisabeth Rosenthal

Five years ago, the leaders of this sun-scorched, wind-swept nation made a bet: To reduce Portugal’s dependence on imported fossil fuels, they embarked on an array of ambitious renewable energy projects — primarily harnessing the country’s wind and hydropower, but also its sunlight and ocean waves.

Today, Lisbon’s trendy bars, Porto’s factories and the Algarve’s glamorous resorts are powered substantially by clean energy. Nearly 45 percent of the electricity in Portugal’s grid will come from renewable sources this year, up from 17 percent just five years ago.

Land-based wind power — this year deemed “potentially competitive” with fossil fuels by the International Energy Agency in Paris — has expanded sevenfold in that time. And Portugal expects in 2011 to become the first country to inaugurate a national network of charging stations for electric cars.

There's so much more to know: Portugal Makes the Leap to Renewable Energy - NYTimes.com

A Living Building

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 11:11:00 +0000

From Oregon Sustainability Center

Environmental Performance, Realized

OSC is a forceful response to the mounting challenges of climate change and ecological degradation, set in an urban landscape that is ripe for practical and replicable solutions. It highlights the importance of buildings and their corresponding infrastructure as a central element of urban sustainability by combining advanced technology, integrated systems, and innovative operations management.

OSC will use only non-toxic, resource-wise, locally sourced and healthy materials, creating a healthy and productive indoor environment to nourish its occupants. No carbon emissions will emanate from the building, which will adhere to the strict standards of net-zero energy and water performance.

OSC’s operations management includes supporting tenants to reduce emissions through everyday choices in resource use. This simple solution can be replicated, immediately, in buildings new and old — presenting a profound paradigm shift for building resource use.

Read on and learn! Oregon Sustainability Center - A Living Building

'Peace Gardens' bring needy communities together, 'saving our own neighborhood'

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:45:00 +0000

From Sustainable Cities Collective, written by Kaid Benfield

This is a great story: grassroots-driven gardening in western North Carolina is bringing diverse, underserved communities together around the cause of local sustainability, enlivening neighborhoods in the process.

I’m visiting family in my home town of Asheville, a small city where it seems everything has changed, yet everything has stayed the same, too, over the decades. I’ve written before how it is both fascinating and a little unsettling to have the sleepy Bible-Belt community in which you grew up and went to high school go all trendy on you. There’s a price to be paid for that, I think, but I like what has happened to the city much more than not.

A sign for the Peace Garden (by: PVCPG)One of the changes is a noticeably heightened consciousness here about sustainability. The local ‘alternative’ weekly paper, Mountain Xpress, has current stories referring to walkable densities and river cleanups. There are solar panels visible downtown and green messages on signs and bumper stickers. Nothing seems without controversy and the usual neighborhood concerns, but you sense that many of the residents and local politicians get it here.

Keep reading: 'Peace Gardens' bring needy communities together, 'saving our own neighborhood' | Sustainable Cities Collective

Is foam a hidden danger in helmets?

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 13:06:00 +0000

In a counter-intuitive finding, scientists report that the foam used in helmets and other body armor indeed absorbs damage when compressed slowly, but can cause as much injury as a hard object when hit at high speeds.

The materials scientists at New York University (NYU) also found that bones themselves fracture differently according to loading—another factor that will lead manufacturers to select protective materials according to the speed of impact, whether for sports equipment, military armor, car interiors, or submarines.

Their findings—which appear in Materials Science and Engineering: A and in the Journal of Biomechanics—could change the methods of diagnosis for soldiers and football players whose injuries are not immediately detectable but whose symptoms evolve over time.

More: Futurity.org – Is foam a hidden danger in helmets?

Electric Audi Hydron is Both a Car and a Boat

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 12:37:00 +0000

From Greenopolis, written by Jerry James Stone

Designer David Cardoso has created a concept car bound to get your attention: an electric car that not only drives on land but also at sea.

The concept might seem hair-brained, but let's not forget that the FAA recently approved a flying car. So a production model amphibious car might not be that far off!

See more: Electric Audi Hydron is Both a Car and a Boat | greenopolis recycling rewards

The Dark Side of Vitaminwater

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 11:39:00 +0000

From the Huffington Post, written by John Robbins

Now here's something you wouldn't expect. Coca-Cola is being sued by a non-profit public interest group, on the grounds that the company's vitaminwater products make unwarranted health claims. No surprise there. But how do you think the company is defending itself?

In a staggering feat of twisted logic, lawyers for Coca-Cola are defending the lawsuit by asserting that "no consumer could reasonably be misled into thinking vitaminwater was a healthy beverage."

Does this mean that you'd have to be an unreasonable person to think that a product named "vitaminwater," a product that has been heavily and aggressively marketed as a healthy beverage, actually had health benefits?

Likely you've seen this post; but have you read the comments? John Robbins: The Dark Side of Vitaminwater

The well-traveled vegetable

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:45:00 +0000

From Grist, written by Jennifer Prediger

It's Week Nine of a takeout eater's initiation into the delicious world of Community Supported Agriculture, which I’m keeping track of in this Urbivore's Dilemma series.

This week's CSA box was filled with radicchio, beets, scallions, summer squash, cukes, cilantro, and a sweet pepper. I took it all on my first vacation trip out of the city this summer. Yes, I was that person on the train heading to Fire Island with a tote bag full of vegetables on her lap. This made me think of my great-grandmother riding the old trolley in D.C. with a bag of vegetables on her lap. And the many ancestors before that, all with veggie totes on their laps riding horses and on ships crossing the Atlantic. Oh, how the mind wanders on a vacation.

Go straight to the full story: Urbivore’s Dilemma, Week 9: The well-traveled vegetable | Grist

Hipsters Didn't Invent City Gardens

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:43:00 +0000

From The Atlanic via Tom Philpott at Grist

Urban agriculture actually dates back 10,000 years to the dawn of farming. Big cities arose alongside farms, not after them, according to an in-depth article about the origins of urban gardening by Tom Philpott on the environmental news site Grist. The past century's explosive growth created an artificial division between urban and rural, and today's garden hot spots in Brooklyn and San Francisco may, in fact, be a return to tradition...

Get traditional: Hipsters Didn't Invent City Gardens - Food - The Atlantic Hey, I'm all for old-fashioned (to the point of Luddite)

Colorado schools taste change in student meals

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:09:00 +0000

From the Denver Post, written by Karen Auge

One day in April, Durango students sat down to a lunch that included Tuscan blend vegetables, a choice of fresh fruit and a salad bar.

For parents who remember school veggies as limp green or orange wads floating in watery brine and smelling of tin cans and steam trays, Durango's fancy local produce and grass-fed beef might seem nothing short of revolutionary.

The day might be coming, though, when that menu is the norm.

More and more adults, swept along in the organic, buy-local tide, are turning gripes into action and crafting changes to make school food healthier and — dare we say it — even tasty.

Improvements can't come soon enough for children whose doctors are now advised to check them for
Dixie Nydam uses a spatula to get the last remnants of tomato sauce out of the can while she and her team make a baked ravioli with meat sauce, using grass-fed ground beef during a Denver Public Schools class. (Judy DeHaas, The Denver Post)
high cholesterol and blood pressure before they're old enough to write.

Continue reading and pass on the fries, OK? Colorado schools taste change in student meals - The Denver Post

What is 'The Future of Water'?

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 12:34:00 +0000

From Sustainable Cities Collective, written by Kevin LeMaster

A new exhibit now underway at Krohn Conservatory highlights Project Groundwork, a $3.2 billion, multi-phased project by the Metropolitan Sewer District of Greater Cincinnati (MSD).

"The Future of Water", jointly presented by MSD and the Cincinnati Park Board and on display through August 15, is designed to raise public awareness of the issues an overabundance of storm water can cause – from flooded basements to impaired water quality to sewage overflows in local streams.

The exhibit also demonstrates what local citizens can do to help, like planting a green roof, installing a rain barrel.

More: What is 'The Future of Water'? | Sustainable Cities Collective

EPA Develops Software to Secure Nation's Water Supply

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 11:31:00 +0000

Canary software enhances detection of hazardous contaminants in drinking water systems

Scientists from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) have collaborated in developing innovative water quality software that enhances a water system’s ability to detect when there has been intentional or unintentional contamination. The Canary software can help detect a wide variety of chemical and biological contaminants, including pesticides, metals, and pathogens. Once contamination is detected quickly, a water utility can issue a “Do Not Drink” order to prevent customers from ingesting the water.

"This cutting-edge technology helps to protect all Americans and secure our nation's water supply from threats," said Paul Anastas, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Research and Development. "The new software also improves our drinking water systems and allows water utilities to quickly advise customers when their water is not safe to drink."

Drinking water utilities use the software in conjunction with a network of water quality sensors to rapidly detect contamination and to more accurately assess when and how they need to respond. The software helps to distinguish between natural variation in water quality measurements and hazardous contamination, and sends an alarm to indicate when water utilities should take steps to investigate and respond to potential contamination. In addition to achieving homeland security goals, Canary can be used to enhance day-to-day water quality management, and ensure the safety and security of water for all consumers.

The Greater Cincinnati Water Works is the first utility to pilot the software and has been using Canary to assist in detecting and managing contamination incidents since 2007. The software is currently being evaluated in four other U.S. cities -- New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco -- and in Singapore.

EPA and DOE received a 2010 “R&D 100 Award” from R&D Magazine for developing Canary. The R&D 100 awards recognize the top high-technology products of the year.

As a free software tool, Canary is available worldwide to drinking water utilities striving to provide safe water to their customers. The software has been accessed by more than 600 users in 15 countries.

More information on Canary: http://www.epa.gov/nhsrc/news/news122007.html

More information on EPA’s Water Security initiative: http://cfpub.epa.gov/safewater/watersecurity/index.cfm

Tell Your Senators: No Taxpayer Handouts to Frankenfood Companies!

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:00:00 +0000

From Center for Environmental Health

The US Senate is expected to consider a bill that sets bold new policies for U.S. food aid. It's long overdue.

Unfortunately, a stealth provision in the current draft turns the bill into a lucrative handout for the companies that genetically engineer foods. The bill would make global hunger projects pay biotech companies to develop new genetically modified (GMO) crops.

The Global Food Security Act (S. 384) is intended to change U.S. food aid policies to more effectively address global hunger. But advocates for eliminating the inequities that truly drive poverty and starvation have long noted that GMOs offer no real solutions for resolving hunger -- they actually perpetuate the very dependence on first-world technologies that keeps poor farmers and their families at risk of hunger.

Take Action Here:CEH

Eco-Tip: Mosquitoes at Home and in the Wild

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:02:00 +0000

From Generation Green, written by Caroline Cox

My co-worker Ali just came back from a beautiful, inspiring, and mosquito-filled camping trip at Lake Tahoe. She watched her friends liberally dousing themselves with various common repellents, mostly containing that nasty-sounding chemical DEET, and decided she’d rather be bitten and itchy than covered with DEET.

You probably haven’t had the opportunity to meet Ali, but I can tell you one thing about her. She has remarkable patience. I know this because over and over again she graciously lets me steal and rewrite her blog posts. And she put up with those obnoxious mosquitoes all weekend. (I consider myself pretty patient with mosquitoes, but the last time I was camping in a horde of mosquitoes, we came home early and barbecued on our not-very-scenic deck instead of with the snow-capped mountains at 7,000 feet.)

Ali was right to be suspicious of DEET. Consider what a Duke University toxicologist has found in laboratory experiments: application of DEET causes “neuronal degeneration” (in plain English that means dead brain cells; for all the scientific details click here).

But mosquitoes, although they have a significant and irreplaceable role in many of the world’s most beautiful places, are more than just an itchy nuisance. They can also carry dangerous diseases. So what should you do?

Here are some tips to avoid both mosquito and repellent problems: Eco-Tip: Mosquitoes at Home and in the Wild | Generation Green

First Factory Built Solar Charging Station

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:39:00 +0000

From Alternative Energy News

Factory Built Solar Charging Station International Green Energy Expo Korea 2010 was chosen as the venue where SunPods SP-300 was first displayed. This is the first factory built-to-order solar-powered integrated electric-vehicle charging station – ready for powering up immediately. This ready-to-use solar power platform from SunPods is called EV Plug-N-Go.

Check it out!First Factory Built Solar Charging Station

How “green” are those hiking boots?

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:08:00 +0000

From MarcGunther.com, written by Marc Gunther

In a world where it’s so hot or dry that no one wants to hike, bike, run or climb, outdoorsy companies like Nike, Patagonia, REI and Timberland will be in deep trouble.

So it makes sense—and it’s certainly about time—for the companies that sell outdoor apparel and equipment to come up with common standards to measure the environmental impact of their products.

This week, an industry group called the Outdoor Industry Alliance announced that its members have spent several years doing just that. The companies unveiled “a ground breaking environmental assessment tool” that they call an Eco Index, saying:

It provides companies throughout the supply chain a way to benchmark and measure their environmental footprint, allowing them to identify areas for improvement and make informed sourcing and product life cycle decisions.

It sounds good, doesn’t it? The trouble is, the group says it will take a long time for the industry to develop and agree on standards that are simple, reliable and meaningful enough to present them to consumers. In fact, there’s no commitment to turn the index into a shopper-friendly tool, the industry says:

What? What do they say? Go-> How “green” are those hiking boots? « Marc Gunther

P.S. Confessions of a boot masher: no matter how environmentally light are my hiking boots, the fact that I demolish a pair a year (actually this year I wrecked two pair) means that Missy Miss Carbon Lightness is Next to Godliness, here, isn't, in this regard, so very green. Waaaaaaaaa!

Delightful Denim: Great Crafts That Reuse Your Jeans

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:03:00 +0000

From Planet Green via craftster.org

It's hard to part with a beloved pair of jeans, but when they become too worn, too small, or too stained, it's time to let go. Don't toss them out, though; here are some great ideas of things to make using the denim that remains.

1. Area rug
Use several scraps of denim to create this beautiful quilted patchwork rug.

2. Coasters
Even the seams of your jeans can be reused. Make these great coasters by rolling the seams and gluing with fabric paint. Quick, easy, and really cute!

Get three more ideas: Delightful Denim: Great Crafts That Reuse Your Jeans - Planet Green

10 Best Cities for the Next Decade

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:10:00 +0000

From Kiplinger's

They're prosperous, innovative, and they'll generate plenty of jobs, too.

We live in challenging times. Unemployment remains high, and the U.S. lead in technology and science is slipping as many foreign countries gain ground. But some U.S. cities, though slowed by the Great Recession, still thrive by lifting good old American innovation to new levels. And that will help put more Americans back to work and keep our international edge.

In Kiplinger's latest search for top cities, we focused on places that specialize in out-of-the-box thinking. "New ideas generate new businesses," says Kevin Stolarick, our numbers guru, who this year evaluated U.S. cities for growth and growth potential. Stolarick is research director at the Martin Prosperity Institute, a think tank that studies economic prosperity. "In the places where innovation works, it really works," he says.

After researching and visiting our 2010 Best Cities, it became clear that the innovation factor has three elements. Mark Emmert, president of the University of Washington in Seattle, put his finger on two of them: smart people and great ideas. But we'd argue that it's the third element -- collaboration -- that really supercharges a city's economic engine. When governments, universities and business communities work together, the economic vitality is impressive.

And it's no coincidence that economic vitality and livability go hand in hand. Creativity in music, arts and culture, plus neighborhoods and recreational facilities that rank high for "coolness," attract like-minded professionals who go on to cultivate a region's business scene. All of which make our 2010 Best Cities not just great places to live but also great places to start a business or find a job.

Get the list and check it twice: http://www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/10-best-cities-2010-for-the-next-decade.html

Lab errors lead to GM leak

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 12:06:00 +0000

From GM Watch, written by David Fisher

A probe into the escape of genetically engineered plants from a government laboratory found scientists had left routes open.

Scientists also washed out their high-security specialist containment laboratory with water that was flushed straight into the storm water system.

Details of a criminal investigation into a GE breach at a Plant and Food Research glasshouse laboratory are exposed in papers released under the Official Information Act.

The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry documents describe a slew of failures and oversights by the government agencies charged with overseeing New Zealand GE laws.

Read all about it: Lab errors lead to GM leak

Clean-tech investment booms to $1.5 billion in second quarter 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 11:04:00 +0000

From the L.A. Times, written by Tiffany Hsu

There aren’t that many clean-tech deals being made in the U.S., but the ones that are making it through just came off a mighty fine quarter.

Electric car manufacturers and support companies especially. The big winner of the quarter was Palo Alto EV infrastructure firm Better Place, which landed $350 million in funding.Better place
The Golden State also dominated, according to analysis of data from Dow Jones VentureSource.

“This might as well be a California report,” said Mark Sogomian, a partner and Los Angeles clean-tech leader at Ernst & Young. “Almost all of the companies are California-based. This just highlights how much activity there is in the state.”

Keep reading ... Clean-tech investment booms to $1.5 billion in second quarter 2010 | Technology | Los Angeles Times

U.S. dietary supplements often contaminated: report

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 12:12:00 +0000

From Yahooo News, written by Maggie Fox

Many popular dietary supplements contain ingredients that may cause cancer, heart problems, liver or kidney damage, but U.S. stores sell them anyway and Americans spend millions on them, according to Consumer Reports.

The consumer magazine published a report on Tuesday highlighting the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's lack of power to regulate such supplements, and said the agency rarely uses what little power it does have.

The report from the influential group urged Congress to speed up small moves toward giving the agency more clout, especially in regulating supplements.

Despite the "natural" labels carried by many of the supplements, many are contaminated.

Yikes, right? Read on:U.S. dietary supplements often contaminated: report - Yahoo! News

For the self-reliant, the wild is a free buffet

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 13:10:00 +0000

From the LATimes, written by Jessica Gelt

On an overcast Saturday morning, Christopher Nyerges — the head of Eagle Rock's School of Self-Reliance — gingerly skirts a feral clump of bright green weeds.

"Always watch where you're stepping 'cause you might be stepping on our lunch," he says to the 17 students following him. Resembling troops in an outdoorsy New Age army, the group wanders through Pasadena's Hahamongna Watershed Park, scouring the dirt hills, shallow valleys and parched riverbeds of the land for edible plants as part of a wild food outing that Nyerges regularly teaches.

Nyerges knows what most urbanites don't: that food is in the eye of the beholder. He scans the foliage around him with sharp, knowing eyes, recognizing the shape and veins of a leaf; the texture of bark on a tree; the color of a berry; the gentle slope of a stem crowned with flowers. It's all salad to him.

All salad? Puh-leeze, there's lots more to feral food than a salad plate. Hop over to my other blog, Es*sense: Esmaa's Sense of Things and search 'wild foods' for other ideas. But first, read the rest of this: For the self-reliant, the wild is a free buffet - latimes.com

In the Works: Immunotherapy for food allergies

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 12:40:00 +0000

From the LATimes, written by Amber Dance

Caroline Cooper will pack her bags and head off for college this fall secure in the knowledge that she'll be able to safely eat anything the cafeteria dishes up.

Her mother, Heather Cooper, meanwhile, will not have to worry that Caroline, 17, will go into anaphylactic shock while alone in the dorm.

This is notable because from the time she was 11 months old until this past spring, Caroline Cooper was severely allergic to milk — a bit of cheese or yogurt could have killed her. But early last year, the teenager began a type of immunotherapy, eating minute but gradually increasing amounts of milk protein. In March she tasted her first bite of ice cream, the same day she was accepted in the honors business program at the University of Texas at Austin.

What's in this for you, right? Go->In the Works: Immunotherapy for food allergies - latimes.com

'Cracking the Code' to Keeping Manufacturing Jobs in America

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:56:00 +0000

From the Huffington Post, written by Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm

An excerpt:

At General Motors' Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant, Chevrolet is building its hottest -- no, coolest -- vehicle in its lifetime, the new plug-in electric Chevrolet Volt that'll hit dealerships this fall. A few miles away, Chrysler is cranking out its new Jeep Grand Cherokee. That new Jeep, which its CEO tells me is "flawless," is not your father's Jeep -- it's designed and powered for fuel efficiency and economy.

These two plants help tell the story of the auto industry's turnaround. A year ago, they were either idled or sat static, waiting for bankruptcy issues to be resolved and the economy to improve.

But they also tell the story of what it takes to keep and grow manufacturing jobs in the United States. The old hands-off model didn't work. The new model requires a different mindset and new partnerships among the companies, labor and government. And we don't have to endure bankruptcies to do it.

First, the auto companies needed to get religion. Everyone knew they couldn't keep operating the way they always had. But it took some "tough love" to shake up both GM and Chrysler management. And new blood brought in a set of new strategies. They recognized that consumers and the country care about clean energy and reducing our dependence on oil. The car companies are making major new investments in green technology in all aspects of their business. I'm not talking just about electric engines but lightweight materials, green chemistry, full-scale recycling and even LEED gold-certified engine plants (check out the new Chrysler Trenton Engine Plant!).

Entire post: Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm: 'Cracking the Code' to Keeping Manufacturing Jobs in America

Low-carb diet trumps low-fat on 'good' cholesterol

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:12:00 +0000

From Yahoo News, written by Stephanie Nano

Over the long term, a low-carb diet works just as well as a low-fat diet at taking off the pounds — and it might be better for your heart, new research suggests.

More (or less): Low-carb diet trumps low-fat on 'good' cholesterol - Yahoo! News

Mother Earth News Fair

noreply@blogger.com (Esmaa Self) — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 11:10:00 +0000

From Mother Earth News

Join Mother Earth News at Seven Springs Mountain Resort, Seven Spring PA, for the first annual Mother Earth News Fair - a fun-filled, family-oriented sustainable lifestyle event, featuring hundreds of practical, hands-on demonstrations and workshops from the leading authorities on:

* Renewable Energy
* Small-scale Agriculture
* Gardening
* Green Building
* Green Transportation
* Natural Health

Check out the speakers list: Fair Speakers