Urban Farmers Grow New Green Acres

Posted on November 9, 2011 by quest

“Green Acres is the place for me. Farm living is the life for me. Land spreading out so far and wide. Keep Manhattan just give me that countryside.” With that Mr. Douglas (Eddie Albert) and wife Lisa Douglas(Eva Gabor) left New York City for Hooterville. Well it turns start out things have changed since the 1965 TV sitcom hit the airwaves. As new solar solutions are being implemented to address how we heat, electricfy our homes – and transport ourselves; so too are some very basic assumptions about how and where we get our food.

Global population analyst have just announced the world population is now 7 billion people. How can we know for sure what the real current world population is?That’s a whole lot of mouths to feed in world that’s already struggling with stone age energy, political, transportation and economic systems. Urban farming is taking on unique characteristics such as what we’re seeing in Chicago and Atlanta.

Urban farms provide healthy food

In his recent Ted Talk Urban Farmer Roman Gaus frames out some of the big issues we face as a world society and how urban farming can provide solutions to challenges we’ll have no choice in facing.

But while the idea of community gardens, rooftop farming and vertical farming may seem new: Victory Farms was in full effect in America over 70 years ago.

Urban Farming: Past Present Future

Green Tech Companies in Growth Mode

The Challenging World Solar Challenge Race

Posted on November 6, 2011 by quest

The results of the 2011 Veolia World Solar Challenge, a prestigious international racing event that attracts the world’s best technical universities and colleges has been announced. Race officials reported,” As was stated at the awards ceremony, the near perfect weather experienced in the past three or four events lulled many experienced Solar Challengers into a false sense of security. This time there were those who were able to take on a few hours unexpected static charge while waiting for bushfire ravished roads to reopen. Others struggled under the thousands of square kilometres of smoke haze which drifted across the continent, often thick enough to blot out the sun altogether.” As reported here three US teams UC Berkeley, Stanford and the University of Michigan were strong contenders going into the World Solar Challenge. The competition aims to help discover new automotive technologies that rely on the power of the sun by engaging student teams to develop electric vehicles for a week-long, 1,877 mile vehicle endurance test across the Australian Outback from Darwin to Adelaide. In first place was Tokai University – Japan. Second place was Nuon Solar Team – The Netherlands. In third place was the University of Michigan – United States.

Teams not able to maintain a reasonable minimum speed are invited to maximise their experience in the event by running their solarcar for a few hours each day before moving their car forward in their truck or on their trailer. The rules surrounding this exercise allow a great deal of flexibility in their application to enable the particular circumstances and the conditions to be taken into consideration. The finalisation of the results was delayed mostly by the contention of one team who, so desperate to show their sponsors a clean finish, demanded recognition of a place the number of irregularities involved denied them.

A small number of teams questioned the number of solar kilometres attributed to them so the decision was taken to audit all the log books where these are recorded in the team log by the Observer (which the team manager should sign at the end of each day) and transmitted to Mission Control for incorporation into the overall results. Interesting errors such as trailered Km being substituted for Solar Km, and solar credits being given to Control Points instead of actual distance covered were discovered and the complications of this event outlined earlier led to some interesting arithmetic from some Observers! Some gained from the exercise, others not. The figures have now been checked and cross checked with the result that we are now able to verify the Official Record and present the final results.

Eco Fashion…Where does it come from?

Thousands Gather Outside White House Against Pipeline

Solar Powered Education On the Move In South Africa

Posted on November 6, 2011 by quest

Samsung recently unveiled its first Solar Powered Internet School in South Africa to help students in their studies without having to worry about electricity or Internet connectivity. The environmentally-friendly, transportable classroom is a perfect fit for Africa as it addresses one of the region’s biggest challenges – providing stable supply of electricity in rural areas.Despite differing views on the industry’s outlook, Samsung continues to believe solar energy can always be put to good use – not just generating electricity for residential or commercial utilization, but also for something really meaningful that can positively impact people’s lives.

A prime example of this is the use of solar power in education. Of course, solar-powered calculators, notebooks or other educational resources all contribute to improving the learning environment for young students. But what about an entire school or classroom that’s powered by solar energy? The 12-meter renovated container has solar panels installed on the roof that can generate nine hours of electricity a day, powering the electronic equipments inside the classroom. The classroom is equipped with a 50-inch electronic board, Internet-enabled solar-powered notebooks, Samsung’s Galaxy tablet computers as well as Wi-Fi cameras – all of which help enrich the learning experience. Up to 21 students can use the classroom, and the entire curriculums until grade 12 are stored in a central computer server enabling two-way learning by connecting to the Internet. The school can also be moved easily with a truck so that students in even the remotest of areas can continue their education.

The Solar Powered Internet School is just one of Samsung’s efforts to contribute to the local community with its innovative technologies and plans to expand these schools to other regions throughout Africa. Samsung last year identified solar as one of its new growth businesses, aiming to invest 6 trillion won ($5.4 billion) until 2020 to generate 10 trillion won in annual revenue by that year. Samsung SDI Co., which makes rechargeable batteries for mobile devices, is responsible for their solar business, currently has a capacity to produce 150 megawatts, with plans to increase production to 3 gigawatts by 2015.

Recycling for elegant floors

Hawaii Teacher Rolls In An Electric Vehicle

Posted on November 1, 2011 by quest

Chad Miller, a language arts teacher at Kailua High School, received the prestigious designation as the 2012 Hawaii State Teacher of the Year during ceremonies hosted by the Hawaii State Department of Education. With Hawaii focusing on the development of the state’s abundant wind, wave, sun, geo-thermal, ocean-thermal and bio-mass energy resources, this year, an electric car (use for a year) was awarded to the 2012 State Teacher of the Year during ceremonies held at historic Washington Place, across from the State Capitol.

Miller will represent the state of Hawaii at the 2012 National Teacher of the Year program next year. The use of the Mitsubishi iMiEV was provided by Cutter Mitsubishi and was presented by Mitsubishi Motors North America president and CEO Yoichi Yokozawa, who said, “I believe the state of Hawaii is a great location for electric vehicles. The state can be an example to the world for zero emission cars. Hawaii can show others how to make it work.” Two electric vehicle charging stations –one for the teacher’s residence and one for the teacher’s school parking space– were provided compliments of AeroVironment, a Monrovia, California-based supplier of EV charging stations.

Pat Ah You, general manager of Cutter Mitsubishi, reminded Miller that Honolulu allows free parking for electric vehicles at all City and County public parking facilities and parking meter stalls on streets and roadways throughout the island of Oahu.”The electric car presentation to the teacher is significant this year in that it demonstrates Hawaii’s new car dealers’ commitment to education, the new renewable energy transition, and to the next generation of young people who are customers in the future,” said Ah You.

The Western Solar Energy Zone

Eco Fashion…Where Does It Come From?

Posted on October 31, 2011 by quest

How we dress says lot about who we are. “How’s the weather where I work? “ “Am I feeling blue or bright?” “Am I retro or edgy, sassy or sexy, professional or bohemian…”Fashion is the business of selling dreams and fashion brand campaigns with all their glamour and imagery compete to capture our imagination. If the dream this season is “those boots”, then every girl must have the “it” pair of boots till of course the next “it” pair comes along.

But amidst all the glitz and glamour, we as consumers are rarely exposed to what goes on behind the scenes and the price we as customers pay for buying into the dream. As more and more horror stories about the negative human and environmental impact of the fashion industry emerge, the new trend that’s hopefully here to stay is one of ethical fashion. But what do “ethics” in fashion mean anyways and as a consumer why should I care? Even industry professionals often disagree on this stuff, making it a lot harder for the end consumer to navigate all the options out there. Here are a few terms you’ll hear often and an attempt at explaining what they mean, so that you as a consumer can decide if it’s something you want to get behind.

Fair trade

Fair trade put simply means that people who made your clothes were paid a fair living wage for making the clothes, instead of being made in a sweat shop that uses child labor. Most of us at one point or another in our lives have done minimum wage jobs, been through a lay off or been treated unfairly at work. The problem is a lot more severe in developing countries, where it often constitutes human rights violations, why would we want to contribute to that? Read the full article

Sonica Sarna is head of design and product development at “Raasta”, an ethically made hi-fashion clothing line made in partnership with rural artisan communities in India. The clothing and accessories use handloom fabrics and natural dyes while maintaining a boho-chic sensibility ( www.raastaonline.com) . Join Raasta at their exclusive launch party on Nov 2nd at 6.30 pm at BellaPelle, 9 Maiden Lane, San Francisco.

Upsolar Sponsors “Dancing Flowers”

Electric Vehicles A History of Moving Americans Reborn

Posted on October 29, 2011 by quest

The popularity of mass-produced electric or hybrid cars is recent, but the idea behind using electricity as a power source for cars is more than 100 years old. The Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History will explore the history of the electric car from the early 20th century to the present in a new display as part of the “America on the Move” exhibition opening Oct. 27 through January 2012. “Electrifying Cars” showcases two cars—a 1904 Columbia electric runabout, the best-selling car in the United States at the turn of the century and a 1913 Ford Model T touring car, a gasoline car equipped with an early type of electric starter and electric headlights. The cars, along with a battery charger for General Motors’ EV1 and images of additional electric models, car owners and power sources, follow the historical, cultural and physical development of the electric car.

A look at electric vehicles in history

“Electricity has always been a popular feature of cars,” said Roger White, associate curator of Road Transportation. “By the 1920s manufacturers used batteries not to propel cars but to apply the conveniences of electric cars to gasoline-powered cars.” He added that in recent years a market has developed for all-electric cars and hybrid cars with gasoline and electric propulsion because they reduce energy costs and air pollution. “These cars can draw energy from a variety of sources including fossil fuels, regenerative braking and renewable sources such as solar panels and wind power,” he said.

In the early 20th century, Americans could choose electric, steam or gasoline cars. Wealthy city residents, particularly women, bought electric cars because they were easier to operate. By the 1920s, gasoline-powered cars were the vehicle of choice because they could be driven much farther than electric cars between fill-ups, and gasoline pumps, unlike electric power stations, could be readily located anywhere. Since the 1960s, smog, greenhouse gases, global warming and strained oil supplies have prompted researchers, government and the public to take a new look at electric hybrid and all-electric cars. In the 1990s GM and other manufacturers worked to put electric cars on the market. GM’s EV1, Honda’s EV+, Ford’s Ranger EV and Toyota’s RAV4 EV were leased. But by 2003, the manufacturers determined that the electric car was not commercially viable and ended the leases. By 2010, the market led to the reintroduction of electric cars, and for the first time in almost 100 years consumers could purchase all-electric or new types of hybrid cars.

IBM Backs Sustainable Eco Smart Cities

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