Kenya Using Ecotourism To Save Lions

Posted on June 6, 2012 by QuestPoint

The ongoing struggle for lions to exist against the twin threats of poaching and a diminishing habitation has been brought to international attention through two films – The Last Lions and African Cats. The Last Lions is a National Geographic production which addresses the sobering statistic that there are roughly only 20,000 lions left in the wild in Africa. To put this into perspective, 50 years ago the numbers were close to 500,000, so today’s figure of 20,000 represents a horrifying drop in numbers of approximately 96% – the main cause of the decline in numbers being due to poaching activity. Filmmakers Dereck and Beverly Joubert are passionate on the subject and set out a very strong case to have lions protected by governmental and international accords in the same way that other endangered species such as the elephant are protected. The couple cite the fact that the eco-tourism industry benefits to the tune of billions of pounds each year which should bring with it the moral and financial imperative to protect the animals that tourists want and expect to see.

The Disney nature production African Cats is a sympathetic portrayal of the difficulties facing lions and other big cats and serves to raise awareness of the subject to a wider audience – especially among children (the film carries a U certificate). Both films underline the necessity and the urgency of the work currently being carried out at the Porini Camps in Kenya. Porini safari camps are at the spearhead of the conservation of wildlife. Interaction with local communities is crucial to their success. Porini lease farmland from the Maasai tribes in Kenya and allow the vegetation to recover from over grazing and farming and to become restored as part of the lions’ wider natural habitat. It’s a business model that benefits all parties. The Maasai are employed as wardens and guides as an alternative to farming: Porini safaris benefit from their wealth of local knowledge and tracking skills and the wildlife benefits as poaching is no longer financially attractive because the average wage earned at the camp is 5 times the national average.

Restoring land to its natural state is just part of the conservation work Porini is committed to. Visitors to the camps wanting to contribute to the safeguarding of the area and its wildlife for the future have the unique opportunity of some hands on conservation work.

Empire State Building Saves Millions Going Green

Viking River Cruises Organic And Solar

Posted on June 5, 2012 by QuestPoint

This year may mark the 15th anniversary for Viking River Cruises—and with the launch of six new ships in a single season, the most significant year in the company’s history—but the world’s leading river cruise line has plans to continue momentum in 2013 and beyond. Viking River Cruises today announced its complete 2013 cruise program, offering guests a broader selection of choices than any other river cruise line—from ships and staterooms to destinations and pace of exploration. Viking’s 2013 program introduces four inspiring new itineraries and two new land tour extensions, as well as the launch of an additional six Viking Longships and the complete refurbishment of its Russian fleet. In addition to the six state-of-the-art Viking Longships launching in 2012, Viking will continue expansion in 2013 with the launch of six additional Viking Longships—Viking Bragi, Viking Forseti Viking Rinda, Viking Skadi, Viking Tor and Viking Var. Designed by celebrated maritime architects Yran & Storbraaten—the team behind the Disney Dream and the Yachts of Seabourn—the new ships integrate patent-pending technology and innovations such as diesel-electric hybrid engines, solar panels and onboard organic herb gardens.

“We take pride in the way we design experiences for our guests—from carefully-crafted itineraries that focus on the destination to excursion choices that allow travelers to set their own pace each day,” said Torstein Hagen, Chairman of Viking River Cruises. “By providing guests with the opportunity to tailor every aspect of their cruise, we ensure they have the most personal and unforgettable vacation possible.”

With diverse and scenic cruise itineraries in Europe, Russia, Ukraine, Egypt, China and Southeast Asia, Viking guests experience the heart of a destination along its waterways and during culturally rich shore excursions. And with the world’s largest fleet of river cruise ships, Viking offers guests the most stateroom choices—with the new Viking Longships featuring the largest suites sailing Europe’s waterways. With a vast network of contacts and an intimate understanding of each port city, Viking Concierges can reserve a table at the best restaurant, recommend specialty shops, order theater tickets and even arrange for a private guide and car service.

Lights Camera Food… Farmers Going To LA

GE Opens Electric And Hybrid Vehicle Innovation Center

Posted on June 4, 2012 by QuestPoint

The first-of-its-kind center reinforces GE’s commitment to the deployment of more efficient vehicles in its fleet and in customer fleets. Showcasing the latest in a growing array of alternative fuel vehicles in electric, natural gas, propane, hydrogen and other formats, the center gives GE’s commercial customers the opportunity to learn about and test drive numerous alternative fuel cars and trucks in a single location with assistance from GE’s fleet, transportation, energy and advanced technology experts.“We believe that businesses, through their company fleets, can lead the way in putting drivers across the country and around the world into cleaner, more productive vehicles,” said Deb Frodl, chief strategy officer for GE Capital Fleet Services and global alternative fuel leader for GE. “The best way to accelerate adoption of alternative fuel cars and trucks is to experience them. Once they get behind the wheel, they can see that these vehicles are real and ready for action.”

“Through our Vehicle Innovation Center, we are committed to sharing alternative fuel vehicle technologies and solutions with our customers and helping them put more of these vehicles on the road.” Located on the campus of GE’s fleet management business headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minn., the center features a private half-mile driving course and a vehicle center that includes alternative fuel vehicles from 20 automotive manufacturers. With 6,000 square feet of classrooms and showrooms, the center also allows visitors access to a variety of products and solutions from GE’s ecomagination portfolio, including solutions for the smart grid, Electric Vehicle (EV) charging stations, Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) in a Box, fuel savings mobile applications, and other advanced energy and infrastructure technologies.

The center supports GE’s broader ecomagination business strategy – to accelerate the development and deployment of clean energy technology though innovation and R&D investment. GE Capital Fleet Services will run the center in collaboration with other GE businesses and GE energy and transportation experts around the world.“The city of Eden Prairie is delighted and proud to be the home of GE’s Vehicle Innovation Center, “ said Nancy Tyra-Lukens, mayor of Eden Prairie. “This is truly a world-class facility and we are pleased to have GE working on the future of sustainable transportation right here in our own community.

Fukushima Fallout (2012)

Sidwell Friends, SolarCity and Common Cents Solar Saving Energy

Posted on June 4, 2012 by quest

Sidwell Friends School is generating its own electricity from sunlight and reducing its impact on the environment and utility grid thanks to 224 new solar panels. The new 53-kilowatt system is the result of a unique partnership between the school, SolarCity and Common Cents Solar. The new solar system will generate clean solar electricity and create thousands of dollars in electricity bill savings for the school over its lifetime.”Solar electricity offers Sidwell Friends the environmental benefits of carbon free energy production, financial savings and rich teaching opportunities,” said Michael Saxenian, Assistant Head of School and CFO of Sidwell Friends School.

SFS worked with Common Cents Solar, a local non-profit that facilitates solar projects, to launch a program of community-based “solar bonds”. The bonds will be repaid over about ten years after which the SFS community members may donate the system to Sidwell Friends, providing free energy for the remaining life of the system, estimated at 20 years or more. In 2010, the school and CCS installed a 120-panel system on the SFS Lower School gym roof using a similar financing model.

“Nonprofits have an underutilized financial gem—their own dedicated community. Involving their community in the move to solar has a multiplying effect– exposure, sense of ownership, collective pride, increasing awareness of the viability of solar,” said Ketch Ryan of Common Cents Solar.“Schools can go solar today and start saving on utility bills tomorrow, and free up additional funds for student services,” said Leon Keshishian, Mid-Atlantic Vice President for SolarCity. “A lot of schools are feeling the budget crunch and solar can be an answer—I think a lot of school administrators would be surprised at how inexpensive and easy making the move to solar can be.”

Do it Yourself Renewable Energy

Paddlemen In Plastics Gulf Stream Challenge

Posted on June 3, 2012 by quest

Watermen Bill Whiddon and Thaddeus Foote, will make the first ever attempt to stand-up paddle (SUP) across the Gulf Stream, from Bimini, Bahamas to Miami, to raise awareness for Surfrider Foundation’s Rise Above Plastics campaign to reduce plastics in the ocean.

The Bimini-Miami Blue Water Challenge marks the launch of a grueling 17-hour, non-stop adventure taking paddle boarders 48 miles across the deep blue waters of the powerful Gulfstream current armed with only a board, a paddle, and their wits. The intrepid paddlers will endure one the earth’s most powerful oceanic currents, exposure to shifting weather conditions, extreme isolation, and all the risks of open ocean navigation in order to reach their destination. Whiddon & Foote will be the first to attempt to stand-up paddle across the Gulf Stream. The weather-dependent window is June 3 – 10, 2012. The athletes will depart Bimini and continuously paddle from 3:30 AM to approximately 5:30 PM. The crossing will start in Bimini, Bahamas and land on Miami Beach (approx. 3rd Street) where they will be celebrated by Surfrider Foundation volunteers

By completing this journey, Whiddon and Foote hope to raise awareness of the impacts that discarded plastics are having on the world’s marine environments. The Surfrider Foundation Miami Chapter is an official partner of the crossing and is fighting the proliferation of marine plastics through its Rise Above Plastics (R.A.P.) campaign. R.A.P. is aimed at increasing the rate of plastic recycling and reducing the release of waste into the oceans.

What if California Apartment Dwellers Could Save with Solar?

Empire State Building Saves Millions Going Green

Posted on June 2, 2012 by quest

“First and foremost, making the Empire State Building energy efficient was a sound business decision that saved us millions of dollars in the first year,” said Anthony Malkin of the Empire State Building Company. “We have a proven model that shows building owners and operators how to cut costs and improve the value of their buildings by integrating energy efficiency into building upgrades.” One year after an innovative building retrofit project, the Empire State Building is ahead of plan and has exceeded its year one energy-efficiency guarantee by five percent, saving $2.4 million and establishing a commercial real estate model for reducing costs, maximizing return on investment, increasing real estate value, and protecting the environment.

Mr. Malkin and the Clinton Climate Initiative (CCI) Cities program, an aligned partner of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, assembled a coalition of leading organizations focused on energy efficiency and sustainability. The team was comprised of the Empire State Building Company, LLC; Johnson Controls, Inc.; Jones Lang LaSalle; and Rocky Mountain Institute.”Mr. Malkin had a vision of bringing innovation to his historical landmark. The results are just beginning to pay off while at the same time creating a new model for the world to follow,” said Dave Myers, president of Johnson Controls, Building Efficiency. “It is critical that we tackle the billions of square feet of inefficient office buildings around the world to meet our growing energy needs, save money, create jobs, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.”

The core energy efficiency retrofit at the Empire State Building is complete, with the balance of the project to be finished as new tenants build out high-performance workspaces. Not only is the Empire State Building more energy efficient, but it is also estimated to have saved 4,000 metric tons of carbon, the equivalent of that offset by 750 acres of pine forests. Once all tenant spaces are upgraded, the building will save $4.4 million a year, a 38 percent reduction of energy use that will cut carbon emissions by 105,000 metric tons over the next 15 years. In the United States, 40 percent of energy is consumed by buildings, according to the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. In dense urban settings like New York City, commercial buildings account for up to 75 percent of energy used. If every commercial building in New York City followed this blueprint, carbon emissions would be reduced by 4 million tons – the equivalent to that generated by a typical coal-fired power plant.