First Oregon city offers electric car charging

Posted on October 6, 2010 by quest

The Oregon city of Hillsboro is the first city in the state to offer electric vehicle charging stations. Hillsboro sees itself as a fiscally conservative, yet progressive and forward thinking. It takes great pride in the supportive, cooperative attitude of the local government toward residents and business. Coulomb Technologies will install Level II ChargePoint Networked Charging Stations for plug-in and electric vehicles. Thirteen Level II charging stations are now installed in downtown Hillsboro at their new “green” intermodal transit facility. Coulomb Technologies is a leader in electric vehicle charging systems with the ChargePoint Network now operating in 14 countries. Coulomb charging stations are all part of the ChargePoint Network, which is open to all drivers of plug-in vehicles and all manufacturers of plug-in vehicle charging stations.

Nearly one year ago, the City of Hillsboro was one of Coulomb’s largest installations in the United States,” said Richard Lowenthal, CEO of Coulomb Technologies. “We are proud to continue this relationship with the first ever Level II charging stations in the state. As more and more electric vehicles are introduced in Oregon cities like Hillsboro will be EV ready with the necessary infrastructure to fuel these zero-emission vehicles.”

Additionally, one Level II station has been installed at the Hillsboro Civic Center, with two more to be completed by the end of October, 2010. The charging stations are available for public use and located 15 miles outside of Portland. Coulomb’s Level I and Level II CT2100 family of charging stations are dual output stations designed for public outdoor applications for the North American marketplace. Coulomb’s northwest distributor Charge NorthWest installed and maintains the stations.

The White House will go Solar

Posted on October 5, 2010 by quest

Maybe the White House was listening after all. It was just a few weeks ago that member students from 350.org went on a solar mission along with environmentalist Bill Mckibben to ask the White House to reinstall solar panels that Jimmy Carter had installed in the 70′s and that were later removed by Ronald Reagan. Just announced today Steven Chu US Secretary of Energy said, “As you know, President Obama (Weekly Address) has a strong commitment to American leadership in solar technologies and the jobs they will create. Through the Recovery Act, we’re supporting the deployment of today’s solar technologies. And we will double our renewable energy generation capacity by 2012. We’re also investing in the next generation of solar power through the R&D programs at the Department of Energy.

Today, we’re taking an important next step. As we move toward a clean energy economy, the White House will lead by example. I’m pleased to announce that, by the end of this spring, there will be solar panels and a solar hot water heater on the roof of the White House.These two solar installations will be part of a Department of Energy demonstration project. The project will show that American solar technology is available, reliable, and ready to install in homes throughout the country. Around the world, the White House is a symbol of freedom and democracy. It should also be a symbol of America’s commitment to a clean energy future.”

On 10/10/10, 350.org will be holding a Global Work Party to celebrate climate solutions and send our politicians a clear message: “We’re getting to work—what about you?

Sleek eco friendly designs for urban vertical farms

Posted on October 5, 2010 by quest

IBM’s recent rollout of CItyOne should be a wake up call that business as usual just isn’t going to cut it. CiyOne is IBM’s new interactive ecosystems game. CityOne is an innovative way to create collaboration among all the participants of our cities. Maybe it’s wishful thinking to hope our political representatives will figure that out and start working on a national renewable energy plan that includes solar and wind power that can transform the nation to new prosperity. But than again it’s our job to tell them that green jobs is what we want and need.

When you think green though it’s important to recognize its impact effects every aspect of daily life. That includes the idea of vertical farming as a method to meet increased food demand and reduce co2 emissions. We as a nation have a tremendous about of knowledge that has to be shared in order for us to move ahead.

No where is this more apparent than in agribussiness. Recently Richard Keller, AgProfessional editor writing about two agribusiness conference the Farm Progress Show and Agriculture 2.0 Global Investments Conference wrote” Both glass building farming systems were outlined at the New York City Agriculture 2.0 Global Investments Conference for agricultural innovators and investors. The attendees of the conference in September were quite different than those attending the Farm Progress Show at Boone, Iowa, at the end of August.

ITALIAN DESIGNED VERTICAL FARM

At one conference, most attendees thought global warning is a make believe concept, and at the other conference, attendees were positive that changes in global weather are obvious and not a theory. At the farm show, tripling the yield per acre by 2050 was a typical discussion goal, and at the conference, two speakers outlined the goal to find financing for multiple-story greenhouse-type building for growing food crops by 2050 in the middle of cities.” In Vancouver,BC Terrashere Systems is already operating a small scale vertical facility. Vertical farming and TerraSphere Systems

Green Pioneers Use Solar To Empower Community

Posted on October 5, 2010 by quest

We’re starting to see all kinds of very, very interesting ideas, inventions and solutions come into play as people, businesses and social enterprises from across the country begin to turn their green dreams into reality.

Global powerhouse IBM just launched CityOne an interactive game designed to spark innovation, conversation and communication with city planners, business leaders and urban inhabitants to create the cities of the future now. I haven’t played it yet but it looks like fun. But the new developments aren’t coming from just the likes ofIBM and bay area solar leader SunPower. Tony Coiro a Purdue student has just created a solar powered motorcycle. And proving there’s a way for solar challenged houses, condos and apartment dwellers to get a stake in green energy, David Brosch and some of his neighbors formed a company called University Park Community Solar, The Maryland based operation has jumped through alot of red tape to get to where they are now. David Brosch had a

IBM has eco game

Posted on October 4, 2010 by quest

IBM’s new interactive ecosystems game CityOne is an innovative way to create collaboration among all the participants of our cities. Today announced the availability of CityOne, the world’s first Smarter Planet interactive simulation designed to help business and civic leaders discover how to make their cities and industries smarter by solving real-world business, environmental, and logistical problems.

Historically, simulation gaming has been used extensively in the military, by athletes and by scientists to discover effective new strategies and techniques and develop the skills needed to implement them. Businesses have realized the value of this and are deploying their own games to create life-like simulations of real markets, customers and business situations that they deal with every day.

CityOne presents a unique opportunity for business leaders, city planners and government agencies to develop and budget improvements that address the challenges facing today’s global cities. Delivered as a simulation game, players have the opportunity to explore more than 100 real-world scenarios to transform cities through technologies that reduce traffic congestion, save water, streamline supply chains and tap alternative energy sources through a series of crisis scenarios. In all of the missions,

Obama on solar and wind energy

Posted on October 4, 2010 by quest

Audio: Over the past twenty months, we’ve been fighting not just to create more jobs today, but to rebuild our economy on a stronger foundation. Our future as a nation depends on making sure that the jobs and industries of the 21st century take root here in America. And there is perhaps no industry with more potential to create jobs now – and growth in the coming years – than clean energy.
For decades, we’ve talked about the importance of ending our dependence on foreign oil and pursuing new kinds of energy, like wind and solar power. But for just as long, progress had been prevented at every turn by the special interests and their allies in Washington.
So, year after year, our dependence on foreign oil grew. Families have been held hostage to spikes in gas prices. Good manufacturing jobs have gone overseas. And we’ve seen companies produce new energy technologies and high-skilled jobs not in America, but in countries like China, India and Germany. It was essential