tagged w/ Sustainable
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This simple make-it-at-home hoe is a powerful device that enables you to plough vast fields in your own back yard, grow all the food and dig all the wells you need. No longer will there be any need for supermarket shopping for groceries or spending hard-earned cash on environmentally-unfriendly packs of bottled water. To top it all off, you get all your daily exercise and a trim figure, just like the cavemen.This simple make-it-at-home hoe is a powerful device that enables you to plough vast... more
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In the wake of the failed climate talks in Durban, South Africa; a record-breaking 5.9% increase in greenhouse gas pollution in 2010; and recent, extremely alarming reports by scientists of plumes of methane gas gushing up from the thawing sea beds of the Siberian Arctic, we find ourselves standing at the end of the road. 1
If we allow the infamous "one percent" to continue with business as usual, we will soon be arriving at civilization's last stop, climate hell. If we allow the U.S. and global fossil fuel/military industrial/corporate agribusiness economy to keep turning up the planet's delicately balanced thermostat, raising average global temperatures by two degrees Celsius or more, we will soon pass the point of no return, detonating runaway global warming. Among the catastrophic consequences of runaway global warming will be the release of a significant portion of the 1.7 trillion tons of deadly methane now sequestered in the shallow Arctic seabeds and permafrost (equivalent to twice the amount of total greenhouse gas pollution currently in the atmosphere). As the International Energy Agency warned on November 9, the world is accelerating toward irreversible climate change. We will lose the chance to avert catastrophic warming if we don't take bold action in the next five years to sharply reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions; drastically increase energy efficiency in the food, transportation, utilities, and housing sectors; and safely sequester billions of tons of greenhouse gases in our soils, plants, and forests through organic soil management and permaculture practices. In other words we have approximately 1800 days left to avert catastrophe.
One of our major tasks as farmers or food consumers is to educate the public to the heretofore-undisclosed fact that the world's energy and chemical- intensive industrial food system is the major cause of global warming. That is the central message of this rather detailed essay. We go into depth and explain the details of this deadly state of affairs, because our fate and the fate of the human species depends upon rapidly changing what we farm and what we eat. The good news is that we can stop and reverse this suicidal food and farming system by taking decisive action, not only in the political policy realm and through our growing street protests and occupations; but also by voting with our farms, gardens, and forks for an organic, sustainable, and re-localized food and farming system. This new agro-ecological system will drastically reduce GHG emissions, and at the same time naturally sequester billions of tons of climate-destabilizing greenhouse gases, in our soils, plants, and trees. But the hour is late. We must jumpstart this great transition immediately.
Millions of Americans are still in denial about global warming or else waiting vainly for Washington to pass laws and regulations to alleviate the problem. Many of those aware of the crisis are calling for cap and trade, or a carbon tax, or a ban on coal and tar sands, or stronger emissions standards, and energy efficiency. A large part of the agenda for reversing global warming involves reducing fossil fuels use by 90% over the next 40 years. But with non-stop advertising from the polluters and a do-nothing, indentured congress, that gets millions from the fossil fuel industry, the likelihood of federal legislation, at least in the near future, to solve the problem appears remote. Only persistent campaigning and the encircling of the White House by 15,000 demonstrators finally got the President's attention about the dangers of the Keystone tar sands pipeline.
Of course we must stop the coal industry, natural gas fracking, the nuclear industry, and the tar sands juggernaught. We must unite a critical mass of the 99% to cut Wall Street and the corporate elite down to size and implement a 21st century New Deal that not only brings about full employment and economic justice, but also environmental and climate sustainability. But there's something else we can do, immediately, and it's as close as our back yard, our farm field, or the knife and fork in our hands.
The failed climate conferences in Kyoto, Copenhagen, Cancun, and Durban have concentrated most of their energy and effort on fossil fuel emissions, but very little on emissions from industrial agriculture, and the demonstrated ability of organic food and farming to cool the planet and sequester climate-destabilizing greenhouse gases. Recent research and reports, however, conclude that factory farming in the U.S. is responsible for more GHG emissions than the entire transportation and industrial sector combined; including cars, trucks, buses, airplanes, trains, boats, and factories.
The main climate and health issues with the U.S. industrial farming system are:
a) Enormous quantities of greenhouse gasses emitted from fertilizers, animals, animal feed production, animal processing, and the shipping, cooling, and freezing of all food products;
b) Huge subsidies to the wealthiest, chemical and energy-intensive farmers for growing unhealthy food;
c) Too much emphasis on meat production and other harmful, fatty foods.
Despite these serious problems, the U.S. government and big agriculture aggressively promote our factory farming system to developing countries as a solution to their hunger problems.
More at the linkIn the wake of the failed climate talks in Durban, South Africa; a record-breaking... more
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In the run-up to Christmas, many charities are encouraging us to shop ethically. By making moral choices about what you put in your shopping trolley, these charities say, you will not only have a guilt-free shopping experience but you will be helping millions to escape the worst excesses of poverty. But what exactly are these ethical principles which underlie the fair trade label and what do we really know about it? In this revealing report, we ask the public if they buy into fair trade and the response is a mixed bag. Many base their purchasing decisions on price and need and plenty of people who know the score in the developing world see it as far from fair.In the run-up to Christmas, many charities are encouraging us to shop ethically. By... more
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The wind up is a small gadget with big uses. This seemingly normal handle is a device designed to power any electrical appliance by simply winding it up. Tipped to become the century’s most important invention preventing trillions of units of carbon emissions from polluting the air, reports suggest the wind up could reverse the effects of global warming within our lifetime.The wind up is a small gadget with big uses. This seemingly normal handle is a device... more
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Thomas Edison’s direct current technology is gaining popularity as engineers are finding that it can carry electricity over long distances with less loss of power than alternating current.
The revival of DC for long-distance power transmission began in 1954 when the Swedish company ASEA, a predecessor of ABB, the Swiss maker of power and automation equipment, linked the island of Gotland to mainland Sweden with high-voltage DC lines.
Now, more than 145 projects using high-voltage DC, known as HVDC, are under way worldwide.
While HVDC equipment remains expensive, it becomes economical for high-voltage, high-capacity runs over long distances, said Anders Sjoelin, president of power systems for North America at ABB.
Over a distance of a thousand miles, an HVDC line carrying thousands of megawatts might lose 6 to 8 percent of its power, ABB said. A similar AC line might lose 12 to 25 percent.
Direct-current transmission is also better suited to handle the electricity produced by solar and wind farms, which starts out as direct current.
In most situations, solar or wind energy has to be converted, and sometimes reconverted, into AC before it can be used. With HVDC, conversions can be reduced. DC grids can also more easily manage the variable output that occurs, say, when a storm hits or the wind dies.
http://www.siemens.com/about/pool/business/energy/e_hvdc_458px.jpgThomas Edison’s direct current technology is gaining popularity as engineers are... more
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Welcome to Dharavi where residents are reaching for the sky. They want Dharavi to surpass London as a great city. Unlike the poverty tourism and accolades awarded to communitarian slum living by the likes of Prince Charles and Kevin McCloud, Dharavi residents think big. Sadhvi Sharma takes us through the streets and introduces us to aspirant families for whom Dharavi is a place of transition. The least we can do, she argues, is support their aspirations.Welcome to Dharavi where residents are reaching for the sky. They want Dharavi to... more
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A pot that will grow food for your family and the entire world from the comfort of your own home is now a reality. A breakthrough in food production, a single pot will grow food for an entire household. In less than a week, you can grow your own tomatoes, parsnips, peppers and greens without worrying about the well-documented health and environmental risks of genetically modified food. What’s more, famines will be a thing of the past and nasty supermarkets will die a natural death, as they should. So get your pot, some seeds and start growing.A pot that will grow food for your family and the entire world from the comfort of... more
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worrg
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3 months ago
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Schatz Energy Research Center engineers prepare a fuel cell test station for the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in the United Arab Emirates.Schatz Energy Research Center engineers prepare a fuel cell test station for the... more
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Three years ago, the grasslands of Mike Livingston's Colorado ranch were drying out.
For a rancher whose livelihood depended on those diminishing grasslands, it was an oncoming economic and ecological disaster in slow motion. For the wider world, it was one more example of how prairies and savannas from Alberta to Africa are inexorably being swallowed by growing global wastelands.
Desertification caused by climate change and human activity now threatens the livelihoods of more than 1 billion people worldwide, according to the United Nations. Globally, 52 percent of land used to grow food has been affected either moderately or severely.
But on that patch of Colorado prairie, something different happened: The grass came back. Today, "the grass has covered the sand," says Mr. Livingston. A dozen or more sandy, wind-blown basins have become lush and green.
What made the difference was a simple idea with tremendous global consequences. In short, Livingston tried to turn the clock back on his land by moving his cattle around the land in a way that mimics the movement of buffalo centuries before. The idea is called Holistic Management, and users say it is a powerful tool to undo the damage that humans have inflicted on grasslands worldwide.
"Human beings are a desert-making species," says Luc Gnacadja, executive secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification. But Holistic Management "is a game changer."
Developed by an African rancher, Allan Savory, over several decades and established on his Zimbabwe ranch in 1992, the Holistic Management model is now making inroads in the United States. Backers say it has the potential to revitalize broad swaths of the American West. To do so, however, would require a change in decades-old ranching practices, which means that the revolution, for now, is starting small.
The idea behind Holistic Management is that grasslands were healthier before modern ranching began. The reason: As huge herds of herbivores roamed the landscape, they revitalized it, nibbling plants to stimulate root growth, trampling the ground in ways that broke apart caked earth to allow seeds to germinate and water to seep in, and fertilizing the ground with their dung.
As grasslands have been fenced off, however, herbivores have become sedentary, and these processes have been impeded. Holistic Management (HM) involves using livestock as though they were the grazing mammals of old, herding them across property according to a planned schedule. The approach is now being applied to more than 40 million acres around the world – about the size of the state of Wisconsin. In the US, interest has grown since Mr. Savory won the 2010 Buckminster Fuller Prize, which rewards "a strategy that has significant potential to solve humanity's most pressing problems," according to the website.
More at the linkThree years ago, the grasslands of Mike Livingston's Colorado ranch were drying... more
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The banana leaf tampon is all the rage for menstruating women from Sweden to Singapore to Sierra Leone. This made-to-measure tampon is the latest in sustainable gadgetry and a breakthrough in global female sanitary provision, affordable for women even in the most remote parts of the developing world. This is the friend we have all been waiting for. It will help women in rural communities achieve their full potential and take part in all aspects of society. Hail the banana leaf tampon. Here’s how to make one of your own.The banana leaf tampon is all the rage for menstruating women from Sweden to Singapore... more
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A breakthrough in low cost water technology, the tippy tap is a simple device for hand washing with running water at no cost to the environment and a marvel for the poor in rural areas, where disease and germs dominate. The idea behind the tippy tap is, just because you’re poor does not mean you have to be dirty. Here’s how to make your own tippy-tap in your front room.A breakthrough in low cost water technology, the tippy tap is a simple device for hand... more
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Eco, Fashion and Technology meet when environmental economist Pamela Peeters uses the Samsung Galaxy Tablet on the set of her new ethical fashion show Earth-A-Wear.Eco, Fashion and Technology meet when environmental economist Pamela Peeters uses the... more
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Want to stand out from the crowd and do your bit for the environment at the same time? The bag for life is the latest rage for holiday makers venturing deep into the African savannah. This unique invention will not only do away with those nasty plastic bags, it will keep you safe from deadly malaria injecting mosquitoes without the need for destructive stinky, sticky icky chemicals and insect repellent sprays. What’s more, you can make your own bag for life on a shoe-string budget and here’s how.Want to stand out from the crowd and do your bit for the environment at the same time?... more
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National Geographic Magazine, June 2011.
If you’ve ever been pummeled by a wave at the beach, you know that moving water packs a wallop. The Electric Power Research Institute estimates that wave and tidal energy could supply 7 percent of the electricity for the United States—and in the United Kingdom, that contribution could be double. Engineers are designing all sorts of devices to tap this clean, renewable energy: “snakes” that jiggle over the water’s surface, buoys that bob with the swell, and turbines that spin in the current. (Items illustrated here show the diversity of wave power devices but wouldn’t be implemented together.)
Since populations are often concentrated near coasts, energy from moving water can be produced close to where it’s needed. And unlike wind energy, dependent on inconsistent gusts, this technology is as predictable as the tides. Technical and financial hurdles still exist, but projects are in the works for waters off Maine, New York, Oregon, Canada, and Scotland. Ocean power farms might be just over the horizon. —Juli Berwald
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Japan is looking for new sources of energy, and wave power would be a great choice. This new technology would probably be expensive to build, but with the added bonus of not generating any nuclear waste.National Geographic Magazine, June 2011.
If you’ve ever been pummeled by a... more
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http://www.resourceinvestor.com/News/2010/10/PublishingImages/10-24-10-mhft-NissanLeaf04-11.jpg
ENCINITAS, Calif., May 19, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Stellar Solar is walking the talk so to speak when it comes to practical, real-world applications of solar power. Co-founder and Vice President of Sales and Marketing Michael Powers recently took delivery of a new 2011 Nissan Leaf electric car that is being powered primarily from electricity generated by his 3.5 kW Stellar Solar residential solar system.
Stellar Solar actually followed in the trailblazing footsteps of one of their customers, Peter and Julie Norby of Carlsbad, California, who have been powering their Mini E electric Mini Cooper for the past year with their Stellar Solar system.
"Given our standing as one of the leading residential solar and commercial solar installers in San Diego County, purchasing the Nissan Leaf and powering it with a Stellar Solar installed system provide great real-world examples of both," said Michael Powers. "Besides that, on a personal cost savings level, I am now driving for around 2 cents per mile (versus 20 cents for a gasoline car) and saving over $2,000 per year on fuel costs alone."http://www.resourceinvestor.com/News/2010/10/PublishingImages/10-24-10-mhft-NissanLeaf0... more
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Freeganism is a total boycott of an economic system where the profit motive has eclipsed ethical considerations and where massively complex systems of productions ensure that all the products we buy will have detrimental impacts most of which we may never even consider. Thus, instead of avoiding the purchase of products from one bad company only to support another, we avoid buying anything to the greatest degree we are able.
Freegans are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources. Freegans embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed. http://www.makeahistory.com/index.php/recent-news/42951-freegan-Freeganism is a total boycott of an economic system where the profit motive has... more
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worrg
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9 months ago
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Available here: http://www.ecobold.com/products/54-green-kids-books-peace
Peace books for children by Honeymoon Press. The author, Tiana Krahn, was born in the UK and currently lives in California with her illuminous daughter and their "crooked cat Fred". When she couldn't find the right book that was sustainable and stylish, and that her daughter could put in her mouth, she decided to create her own.
There are two books: peace and love. They are both bright, with adorable images, and wording throughout the book. They are also meant to open up a dialog about what peace and love means in different cultures and languages. You can sing to your kids (or with them), what a great message to send them at this point in time. It leaves the reader - and listener - happy and empowered.
These books that teach peace and love by Honeymoon Press are printed on 100% recycled paper which is also 100% chlorine free paper. The ink is vegetable based. Imagine how many things kids and babies put in their mouth, books included, so we better to be safe than sorry! She also said that the the whole point of the company was to make a book that was 100% green. This educational book will sure be popular amongst parents and kids ;-)
Below is the a little more detail about what each book teaches:
Peace: is a book about peaceful people doing peaceful things. It teaches how to say the word 'peace' in several languages, but also focuses on the ways people find peace in their simple day to day activities.
Love: explores the concept of love, and depicts the myriad of ways we experience it. This book shows that love of nature, and of ourselves, and others is all interconnected, as it celebrates loves importance in our lives.Available here: http://www.ecobold.com/products/54-green-kids-books-peace
Peace... more
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