Hi Tech Rooftop Mapping For Solar Power Potential

Posted on April 20, 2012 by quest

GeoEye, a leading provider of geospatial information and insight, today announced a strategic relationship with Geostellar, an innovative technology company that is transforming the solar energy industry. Under the terms of the agreement, GeoEye will supply high-quality Earth imagery, digital surface models and other mapping data to help Geostellar dramatically expand its service. GeoEye also intends to take a small equity position in the company.

Geostellar has built a breakthrough analytics platform that automatically determines how quickly a given property owner can recoup an investment in solar energy. The company’s platform models roof slope, shadows, weather patterns, local utility rates and solar energy subsidies to automate what has historically been a highly manual process. Geostellar has built solar maps in Washington D.C., Boston, Indianapolis, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New Jersey, where government agencies have made aerial imagery freely available. Geostellar needed a strategic partner to help collect and process massive amounts of Earth imagery data to catalog the solar power potential of every commercial and residential property in the United States. GeoEye will become Geostellar’s Earth imagery vendor of choice and apply image processing capabilities developed by GeoEye Analytics to provide the data required to develop solar maps for every key metropolitan market in the United States.

“High quality, digital surface models and mapping data provide critical fuel to our engine,” said David Levine, founder and CEO of Geostellar. “Our strategic relationship with GeoEye will help millions of residential and commercial property owners understand how quickly they can generate a return on investment by going solar.”

Solar Eclipse Live From Mt. Fuji Using Solar Power

Mike Biddle: We can recycle plastic

Hydroponics Leaders Merge To Serve Urban Farming

Posted on April 20, 2012 by quest

Terra Tech Corp. a leader in controlled agricultural products, announced that it has merged with GrowOp Technology Ltd., a cultivation equipment manufacturer focused on the rapidly emerging medical Cannabis market and maker of “The Big Bud.” Derek Peterson, CEO of GrowOp Technology and newly appointed CEO of parent company Terra Tech Corp., says that traditional urban agriculture shares many of the same technologies and processes that are utilized in the cultivation of medicinal cannabis. Much of the technology that exists today has been funded by commercial cannabis cultivation.“Urban agriculture is a remarkable solution for effectively and efficiently feeding our global population, while delivering a product that is significantly more healthy for both the consumer and the planet,” said Peterson. “If not for cannabis being one of the largest cash crops of this country, the industry would be years behind in technological advancements.”

“Farming is going both urban as well as vertical, and tools like ours are going to be the staples of this new city-centric approach to agriculture,” said Peterson. “We are excited about the opportunity in this market, especially in terms of consolidation, and we plan to implement an aggressive acquisition campaign now that we are a public company.” “As more cultivation moves indoors, urban farmers need a new set of tools to regulate and manage these operations. The global population is growing exponentially, forcing us to seek out and adopt alternative methods for food production. Indoor, vertical and greenhouse cultivation are potential answers to many of our existing agricultural limitations,” suggests Russell Winnett, COO and lead design engineer of GrowOp Tech.

With a global population of approximately 7 billion, scarcity of food and the resources to produce it are rapidly becoming a concern. This increased need to sustain our population puts a strain on other global resources as the production and transportation of food significantly increases greenhouse gas emissions. Terra Tech believes this coupled with greater access to information and understanding that locally grown produce is not only better for the environment but also has a higher degree of nutrition has led to this current surge in hydroponically grown crops. Terra Tech intends to position itself to capitalize on this “growing” market. Locally grown produce is not only better for the environment but also has a higher degree of nutrition has led to this current surge in hydroponically grown crops.

Solar Power Has Ripple Effect On Job Creation

AAA Recycling Batteries Planting Trees For Earthday

Posted on April 19, 2012 by quest

Electric and hybrid vehicles are coming on strong as recent surveys show – and electric charging stations and new ion battery technology are an important component to their success. As this field evolves drivers want to know more. And who knows more about driving then AAA. In Honor of Earth Day, AAA Mid-Atlantic Plants a Tree for Every Auto Battery Replaced and Recycled from April 22nd – April 28th. In honor of Earth Day, April 22, AAA Mid-Atlantic will be planting trees in America’s National Forests, literally, on behalf of their members who take advantage of AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Battery Service. For every AAA member who uses AAA’s Battery Program to have a new car battery installed and the old battery recycled by the auto club, a tree will be planted in the national forest.

AAA has recycled more than four million automotive batteries and continues to promote the environmental importance of recycling this essential automotive part. Improperly stored or disposed car batteries create health, fire and safety hazards for humans, animals and the environment. To provide a simple solution, AAA encourages motorists to recycle their used batteries during its Great Battery Roundup from April 22-28 at their local AAA Car Care Insurance & Travel Center, and in recognition of their effort a tree will be planted in a national forest.

AAA has recycled millions of pounds of lead and plastic through the automotive battery recycling efforts of the AAA Mobile Battery Service and the AAA Approved Auto Repair network and AAA owned repair facilities. The auto club first began its mobile battery recycling efforts in 1997, and this year, AAA anticipates it will replace and recycle an additional two million batteries via its roadside battery replacement service. Regionally, AAA Mid-Atlantic recycles over 100,000 batteries a year on average throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. AAA has also started a mobile electric vehicle charging service in California, Oregon, Washington, Florida, Tennessee and Georgia.

One Day On Earth To Screen Worldwide On Earth Day

Virgin Gets Its Green On In San Francisco

Posted on April 14, 2012 by quest

Virgin America, the only California-based airline, is partnering for the fifth consecutive year with the California State Parks Foundation (CSPF) for its 15th Annual Earth Day to support vital environmental restoration and clean-up projects across the state. Virgin America teammates (along with employees from presenting sponsor Pacific Gas and Electric Company) were pitching in today at San Francisco’s Candlestick Point State Recreation Area where they were planting native trees, installing new redwood garden boxes and landscaping to help restore and preserve the park. Virgin America teammates in other cities across the country are also participating in local environmental clean-up events throughout Earth month. In addition to Virgin America’s efforts on the ground, the airline was the first domestic airline to offer guests the ability to offset their carbon in-flight by using the Red seatback touch-screen entertainment system to make a donation to CSPF or to offset the carbon emissions of their flight via the nonprofit Carbonfund.org.

“We’re pleased to continue our partnership with the CSPF for the fifth year in a row, in order to support their efforts to protect and restore our state’s natural resources — especially those in underserved communities like Candlestick Point,” said David Cush, President and CEO of Virgin America. Candlestick Point State Recreation Area is the state’s first “urban” park and includes a community garden, open wildlife areas and other public spaces that support a better way of life in the underserved Bay Area neighborhood. “We are proud to continue our partnership with Virgin America – an airline that has long supported environmental work and our efforts on behalf of state parks,” said Elizabeth Goldstein, President of California State Parks Foundation. “Not only are Virgin teammates helping us on the ground by volunteering in state parks, Virgin also helps us from 35,000 feet by providing an in-flight donation option on its entertainment platform.

Virgin America’s efforts will also stretch across the nation with clean-up and restoration projects. “Our region has long been known as a model for the nation and the world in terms of championing sustainable best practices,” said San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee.” San Francisco which was named the “Greenest City in North America” will also be hosting a FREE Eco-Event for Everyone! Celebrating Earth Day in San Francisco, Sunday, April 22nd, in the event features two-stages of Music and Speakers, plus Workshops, Organic Chef Demos, Eco-Fashion Shows, Holistic Health, and Clean-Energy Zones, a Permaculture Village, Interactive Art, a Huge Kids Zone and much more. The festivities run 10am to 6pm at the Civic Center Plaza in Downtown San Francisco. Sponsored by SF Parks Alliance, Nissan.

Green Icon Van Jones Speaks To Rebuild The Dream

One Day On Earth To Screen Worldwide On Earth Day

Posted on April 13, 2012 by quest

A new feature-length documentary film — the first to include footage filmed in every country on earth captured all on the same day, and created with the help of the United Nations and an international community of filmmakers –is to debut on Earth Day, April 22, 2012 at screenings in more than 160 countries worldwide.

Four years in the making, “One Day on Earth” is a video time capsule of one day – 10 October 2010. More than 19,000 filmmakers, both professional and novice, contributed 3,000 hours of footage. The project, headed by Founder/Director Kyle Ruddick and Co-founder/Executive Producer Brandon Litman, donated video cameras to more than 95 UN country offices, which resulted in unusually intimate access to remote places including Papua New Guinea and South Sudan.

Featuring music by Paul Simon, Fela Kuti, Sigur Ros, and others, the film captures a dazzling array of human experiences, from the birth of a newborn in Mongolia to a clock collector in Rio De Janeiro’s favelas. The film fluidly shows how crises confronting the world – from water shortage to poverty – connects us all, and offers rarely seen images from life in North Korea, Iran, and Kosovo.

ODOE has utilized Tugg, a web-platform that enables individuals to choose the films that play in their local theaters. The film has been financed by sources including significant support from the Ford Foundation‘s JustFilms initiative.

Fela Kuti

One Day On Earth Video

FREE PUBLIC SCREENINGS On April 22, the film will screen for free in more than 160 countries.

Dickson Despommier on Vertical Farming

Winning The Solar And Renewable Energy Race

Posted on April 12, 2012 by quest

In the global race to secure private clean energy finance and investment, the United States reclaimed the top spot, after trailing China since 2009. Globally, investment grew to a record $263 billion in 2011, a 6.5 percent increase over the previous year, according to new research on clean energy financing in Group of Twenty (G-20) nations released by The Pew Charitable Trusts.

The United States attracted $48 billion in clean energy investment, a 42 percent increase over 2010. This helped propel the addition of 6.7 gigawatts (GW) of wind and, for the first time, more than 1 GW of solar energy, enough to power 800,000 homes. Total U.S. installed renewable energy capacity at the end of 2011 was 93 GW, second to China. However, America will be hard-pressed to sustain last year’s success in the wake of now-expired Treasury grants and the Department of Energy’s loan guarantee programs. Also, the production tax credit concludes at the end of this year.

“In 2011, the global clean energy sector grew again, the U.S. reclaimed its lead as the top destination for private investment, and consumers reaped the rewards of significantly reduced prices for clean energy technologies, such as solar panels, which are now nearly 50 percent cheaper than a year ago,” said Phyllis Cuttino, director of Pew’s Clean Energy Program. “And yet, the yo-yo effect of U.S. clean energy policy hurts the ability of the United States to consistently compete and turn U.S.-led innovation into manufacturing, deployment, and export opportunities. Creative, stable, and transparent policies remain a critical signal to private investors.”Read the full Report - U.S. Retakes Lead From China in Clean Energy Race