tagged w/ Environmental Awareness
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HOV lanes are designed to encourage ride sharing in passenger vehicles during peak driving hours. These lanes are typically reserved for vehicles carrying two or more passengers or busses only. Recently Ontario, Canada has come to the decision to allow electric vehicles to drive in the HOV lanes regardless of the number of passengers.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV’s) and full battery electric vehicles (BEV’s) are both eligible to apply for special green license plates which would allow them to drive in HOV lanes. Though scooters like the Libert-E, which are restricted to local roads, are ineligible, cars like the T.25 would be allowed to drive in these lanes. The model is being applied to promote the sale and use of electric vehicles across the province.
Do you think electric vehicles should be allowed to drive in HOV lanes even if they are only carrying one passenger or should they be forced to follow the same rules as petrol-fueled vehicles?
HOV lanes are designed to encourage ride sharing in passenger vehicles during peak... more
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Electric scooters have traditionally been designed for short distance commutes of only a few miles. With time-consuming charging periods and limited distances between charges the average consumer has seen them as little more than a novelty item for quick trips to the store or around a college campus. However, new developments in battery technology are changing the way that the electric scooter is being designed.
The Libert-E scooter’s battery technology is based upon lithium ion technology. The battery is compact, lightweight and can be fully charged in under two hours. Also, the length of time the battery can stay charged has increased meaning that currently the Libert-E can run for 55 miles before a charge. The convenience of the battery and ease of charging means that a stop at Starbucks for a latte allows you enough time to give the battery full charge.
With these changes in technology would you purchase an electric scooter like the Libert-E? If so, where would you drive it?Electric scooters have traditionally been designed for short distance commutes of only... more
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A family of musicians in Nashville, TN has jobs and social lives that take them to different parts of the city throughout the day. Instead of owning 5 separate cars, they travel to and from work and band practice on electric scooters. Nashville is located two miles from their suburban home, with easy downtown access via side streets – perfect for electronic scooters. Traveling at a top speed of 35 MPH, the scooters are ideal for an urban location that has reduced speed limits and more traffic congestion.
Do you live in an area that would benefit from an electric scooter?
Be sure to check out current.com/urbanmobility for more news, community discussions and upcoming videos about Urban Mobility.A family of musicians in Nashville, TN has jobs and social lives that take them to... more
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In the Driving and Parking segment, the Smart Grains team demonstrates its new technology, which attaches to the road surface and delivers a signal via text or email when a parking spot becomes available. This device cuts down on the amount of time drivers spend searching for parking spots, thereby reducing carbon emissions. What if a road were built that cut down carbon emissions just by driving on it?
A new type of pollution-eating concrete, developed by researchers at the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands, has decreased oxide of nitrogen (NOx) emissions by upwards of 45 percent on a 1,000-square-meter test section of road.
How it works: “The air‑purifying concrete contains titanium dioxide, a photocatalytic material that removes the nitrogen oxides from the air and converts them with the aid of sunlight into harmless nitrate. The nitrate is then rinsed away by rain. These stones also have another advantage: they break down algae and dirt, so that they always stay clean." (Science Daily)
What are some other ways you can imagine that would minimize your car’s carbon emissions?In the Driving and Parking segment, the Smart Grains team demonstrates its new... more
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How many times has this happened to you? After spending 30 minutes circling the block searching for a parking space, you finally find a spot only to realize that you have no change to feed the meter?
To make parking more convenient cities like White Plains, N.Y., have begun installing smart parking meters in their garages. These new meters accept cash, credit card and now phone payments. A new system has been installed allowing drivers to register for a free service, which allows you to enter your space and credit card number via your cell phone. And if you’re payment is about to expire you can set up an alert which will warn you 10 minutes before your expiration time that you need to refill your meter.
(Photo credit: Getty Images)
Though we may still lament the issues of driving and searching for parking, new technologies like the smart meters in White Plains and parking alert systems by Smart Grains will ensure that we waste fewer minutes searching for parking thereby reducing fuel consumption.
What kind of smart parking technology does your city have?
How many times has this happened to you? After spending 30 minutes circling the block... more
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Bjarke Ingels is a big deal in Denmark, his architectural design firm BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) has offices in Copenhagen and New York City. His team has recently been commissioned by the municipalities of Metropolitan Copenhagen to look at the potential for urban development along the city’s train line.
Bjarke initially wanted to focus on designing graphic novels when he went to university, but ended up with a very different career:“Originally I never had any intention of becoming an architect, I wanted to become a graphic novelist. And because we don’t have a comic book academy in Denmark, but we have a Royal Danish Art Academy where they educate artists and architects, that was the path I went”
The Bjarke Ingels Group has an innovative idea that would transform the way Denmark and Sweden use thier existing rail lines. How would you re-design your city's transit system to be more efficient?
Bjarke Ingels is a big deal in Denmark, his architectural design firm BIG (Bjarke... more
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What a unique way to save energy
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What would you do in the event of a zombie invasion?
A social experiment that asks people to look at their irrational fears juxtaposed to a very real crisis within our environment.What would you do in the event of a zombie invasion?
A social experiment that asks... more
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Complete the journey during the final hour of Project: Southern Tier
In Episode 4 join Jeff and Mike on Easter Sunday where they continue to explore spirituality and religion and how they relate to the environment. You'll meet the Crescent Circle Swamp Witches and learn about how their spirituality connects them to Mother Earth. How do they feel about Over Population?
From Louisiana the cross-country trek heads for Mississippi. Specifically to a place called Turkey Creek. See how a local community organization is taking action to fight against erosion and development that threatens their historic set of traditions and values.
A stop in Mobile, AL happens to occur on the second annual Earth Hour, a global event that aims to get people to use less or nothing for one hour. What could be happening in Mobile? Have they heard about the call to action? Is there a location participating in the event?
Upon realizing where they were on Earth Hour (Mobile, AL) Jeff and Mike suddenly realize a new potential goal for finishing this crazy trek. Earth Hour 23 days away and 1000 miles. Can the riders make it to Key West by Earth Day?
This half hour closes with the last of the spirituality collected on the ride. From Orlando to Miami see what the Jewish and Muslim faiths say about being interconnected with the Earth and how they feel about free choice and God's will.
Also learn about something called the interfaith environmental movement going on in Miami and Orlando FL and Orange County, CA.
http://www.vimeo.com/22636394Complete the journey during the final hour of Project: Southern Tier
In Episode 4... more
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Redondo Beach officials said initial assessments suggest oxygen depletion in the King Harbor basins caused the massive fish die-off.
City Manager Bill Workman said city officials with the help of marine experts would help determine if there was any environmental issue involved. Tests are now being performed on the water as officials begin removing the dead fish, which city officials estimated to be in the millions.
“There are no visible signs of any toxins that might have caused [the die-off] and our early assessment is that this was oxygen depletion,” Workman said. “This is similar to what we experienced five years ago but that was distinctly a red tide event but there’s no discoloration of the water, no associated foaming in the waves, Workman said. “There are no oil slicks or leaking of substances into the water.”
Workman noted that the harbor had been teeming in recent weeks with bait fish that even after their deaths “had no signs of degradation.”
“It looks like what happens to goldfish when you don’t change the water in the tank, mouth open and belly up,” Workman said.
Although he said it did not appear that the die-off was due to a red tide, the city diverted all of its city crews to the harbor to help with the response to the fish kill by bringing in dumpsters and nets.
Workman also said the city was preparing to call in volunteers to assist with the cleanup. In addition, he said, marine biologists that deal with red tide monitoring also came to harbor to assist, including from USC's marine biology department.
Fish, including anchovies, sardines and mackerel, were floating lifeless in Basins 1 and 2 of the north side of King Harbor Marina.
"There’s basically fish everywhere you go in the harbor," said the harbor's assistant manager, Jason McMullin, who added that there were reports that a red tide may have driven the fish into the harbor in massive numbers, where they died because of limited oxygen.Redondo Beach officials said initial assessments suggest oxygen depletion in the King... more
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Animator Adam Fisher made this stop motion video, entitled “Timber,” wherein he shaves his human mane (and probably loses all of his superpowers) with his fingers in order to teach us all about conservation, and left us with this message: “I used MY natural resource to make a film about OUR natural resources.” If you aren’t one to be freaked out by stop motion animation or grossed out by humongous hairy face decorations, then the video is actually pretty neat
http://www.geekosystem.com/stop-motion-beard-shaving-psa/Animator Adam Fisher made this stop motion video, entitled “Timber,”... more
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http://dcbureau.org/201101111292/National-Security-News-Service/high-level-nuclear-waste-no-where-to-go.html
Many nuclear power advocates appeared in front of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future in Augusta, Georgia, on Friday in support of a permanent repository for nuclear waste and supported the concept of reprocessing nuclear waste.
Environmentalists opposed reprocessing because there is no permanent waste repository and reprocessing creates more waste. They believe reprocessing wastes taxpayer dollars on special interests.
BRAC went to Augusta because the Department of Energy’s massive nuclear facility, the Savannah River Site, and the Southern Company’s two huge new nuclear power plants under construction are nearby.
During a day-long meeting, the 15-person Commission, launched by President Barack Obama last January, heard from an array of speakers. Most of them criticized the Obama administration’s decision to abandon the Yucca Mountain project in Nevada, which was designed as a permanent repository for 70,000 tons of spent fuel from the 104 commercial reactors located in the United States. “It was a short-sighted decision with devastating consequences,” said U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC). He added that South Carolina has paid more than $1.3 billion to “build a hole that we are not going to use” so “we either want our money back or we want to use that hole.”
Graham also said that more nuclear power plants could “create new jobs in America that pay very well.” But “to those who wish to have a Nuclear Renaissance, we will not be able to get there until we come up with a waste disposal plan.” The Senator said he supports reprocessing because he believes it “make sense” and “could be achieved in a reasonable period of time.” He did not address the issue of disposal of nuclear waste created by reprocessing.
Graham praised the Obama administration’s support for the multi-billion dollar Mixed Oxide Fuel (MOX) program at SRS. The goal of this project, authorized in 1999 during the Clinton administration, is to dispose of 36 metric tons of surplus U.S. military weapons grade plutonium by irradiating it and turning it into fuel that can be used in nuclear reactors to produce electricity. Once the plutonium has been irradiated, it can no longer be used in a nuclear weapon without elaborate further reprocessing. This new technology is unproven. Currently commercial reactors in the United States are not designed to use MOX fuel.
“I would say something good about the Obama administration: Secretary Chu has been one of the best Secretaries of Energy I ever have to deal with. The administration, generally speaking, has had a good vision for the development of commercial nuclear power; they have put on the table loan guarantees more robust than under the Bush administration. Secretary Chu has also convinced me that another form of reprocessing, better than what the French, the British and the Japanese do, may be achieved in the next decade,” Graham said. (SRS received one of the largest amounts of Recovery Act funds in the country.) He believes the risk of proliferation from reprocessing is “overstated.”
Speaking on behalf of the Central Savannah River Area Chambers of Commerce, Brian Tucker said, “The federal government’s decision to abandon Yucca Mountain has sent a very bad message” to the local community and has made “SRS a de facto permanent repository.” He also supports the MOX program and believes that “blending down weapons-grade uranium into low enriched uranium suitable for fuel in commercial power reactors” and using it in Tennessee Valley Authority reactors to provide electricity is the “kind of well-executed, innovative, problem-solving technology that we believe can be brought to bear in helping to resolve the pressing issues being addressed by this Commission.”
Manuel Bettencourt, from the SRS Citizens Advisory Board, agreed with the Chamber of Commerce and stressed the fact that SRS has significant resources that could assist in research and development of ways to reprocess nuclear waste. The concept of reprocessing nuclear waste was also supported by Clint Wolfe, the executive director of Citizens for Nuclear Technology Awareness, who explained that coal and gas emissions threaten the world’s water and air while nuclear energy “has the potential to provide a clean alternative” and remains “safe.”
In opposition to reprocessing, environmentalist Tom Clements, the Southeast Nuclear Campaign Coordinator for Friends of the Earth who ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate from South Carolina on the Green Party ticket last year, told the Commission, “There is really no rush concerning high-level waste. There is time to make the right decision.” According to Clements, “the path forward in a medium term is to secure on-site storage, it’s not recycling or reprocessing. …We are all concerned about future jobs but reprocessing is not a good idea.” Clements raised concerns about proliferation, because reprocessing has been used to create plutonium, the core material for nuclear weapons, and noted that reprocessing will bring more high-level radioactive nuclear waste to South Carolina.
The activist said that the Department of Energy (DOE) is now proposing “a so-called energy park” at SRS and wants to create four experimental nuclear power plants capable of burning radioactive waste for fuel. Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, the consortium of private government contractors that operates SRS under contract with the DOE, defends the energy park and says that it could be the potential alternative to Yucca Mountain.
Clements said, “The environmental groups have not been involved in the discussion” of the energy park and “there was no discussion with the public.” He said, “Their (DOE) mission is clean up; they need to get back to that mission.” He added that the mission of the MOX plant was never to use the fuel for purposes like producing electricity. “I think it’s more about money going to special interests than anything else,” he said. “It’s going to be a grand battle” if government decides to push forward with reprocessing. “We don’t want South Carolina to become the new Yucca Mountain.”
Charles Utley, from the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, told the Commission that they should work toward a nuclear-free future for the nation. He said solar and wind power “have a great potential as clean energy sources” that will help ease dependence on foreign oil.
After the testimonies, the public made brief comments. A long line of witnesses pleaded against nuclear power. A student in environmental engineering came to the podium with her one-year-old sister and asked the Blue Ribbon Commission to take into account her sister’s future when making its deliberations.
At the end of the meeting, co-Chairman Brent Scowcroft noted, “There is a feeling in the country that the government keeps changing the rules with Yucca Mountain” and one of the problems the Commission faces is “how to set a system in which people can have confidence it won’t be changed with the next election cycle.”
The Commission’s next hearings will be in New Mexico January 26 through 28, where members will tour the Energy Department’s Waste Isolation Pilot Plant and hold public meetings in Carlsbad and Albuquerque. The Blue Ribbon Commission is to publish a draft report in mid-2011 and a final report in 2012.http://dcbureau.org/201101111292/National-Security-News-Service/high-level-nuclear-wast... more
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A lead poisoning outbreak that has killed more than 400 children in the rural farmlands of northern Nigeria remains 'a neglected, underfunded emergency,' the U.N. warned Friday, saying many villages remain coated with the deadly metal...
www.indiareport.com/India-usa-uk-news/ap/Health/78198A lead poisoning outbreak that has killed more than 400 children in the rural... more
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THE REAL NEWS NETWORK ~ http://therealnews.com/t2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=31&Itemid=74&jumival=6037
30,000 indigenous Ecuadorians fight for compensation against Texaco (now Chevron), accused of 3 decades of massive toxic dumping in the Amazon. The damage long done... We watch today as the indigenous people of that land stand up to Chevron to get restitution for their destroyed environment after Chevron's/Texaco's decades of open deliberate ecological misdeeds.
What do we all get in return?
We get to watch another text book example on how Large Corporations avoid doing the honorable thing and correct their past actions and misdeeds. We see a powerful corporation use every means possible to corrupt the legal the system, so Chevron can walk away from the ecological disaster destroyed lives and they created as they sucked-up $$$ billions of dollars of Ecuadorian Oil.
This is how Corporations Do Business...? = YES
This is how Corporations Should do Business...? = NO
We need to clean - up the way our Governments and our Corporations do business!
We need to DEMAND TRANSPARENCY and Personal Responsibility in both our Governments and in our Corporations.THE REAL NEWS NETWORK ~... more
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If you ask the “experts” what is the biggest challenge facing the environmental protection movement as a whole these days is and you will get a thousand different answers. But there really is one challenge far greater than all the others combined – public awareness.If you ask the “experts” what is the biggest challenge facing the... more
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"Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite of your changing moods" - C.S. Lewis quotes"Faith is the art of holding on to things your reason has once accepted in spite... more
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"Some prices are just too high, no matter how much you may want the prize. The one thing you can't trade for your heart's desire is your heart." - Lois McMaster Bujold"Some prices are just too high, no matter how much you may want the prize. The... more
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"If once the people become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, Judges and Governors, shall all become wolves. It seems to be the law of our general nature, in spite of individual exceptions." - Thomas Jefferson"If once the people become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and... more
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