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,

The Bay Area is West Coast Green

Posted on October 1, 2010 by quest

West Coast Green is in full effect at Fort Mason in San Francisco. The conference has become a leading forum for environmental and social change. Four years since it’s inception, West Coast Green continues to provide dynamic, big-picture, systems-thinking education, strategy, connections and professional development to those seeking a better world. Throughout the year the organization works to serve the community in part through West Coast Green Institute(WCGI).

WCGI has developed a program dedicated to transforming low-income communities into ones that are sustainable, healthy, empowered and vital neighborhoods. Some past projects have been the Fort Mason Design Slam, the Innovation Pipeline and Green Jobs Pavillion; a live multi-media, interactive space simulating our future economy right on the tradeshow floor. Attendees were introduced to more than 50 employers, training centers and financial resources. This allowed them exposure to opportunities in the green industry.

This years’ conference called, “Where Innovation and Opportunity Converge” brings together more than 150 speakers such as Arianna Huffington, Van Jones, Lisa Michelle Galley, Arno Harris, Panama Bartholomy and Hunter Lovins just to name a few. Hundreds of green companies are exhibiting and thousands of people will attend. The creative festival like nature of the event has made it something you, family and friends will really enjoy.

New: Eco Friends Shop

A strong voice for sustainability and more

Posted on September 28, 2010 by quest

“I went to Iraq believing in the mission, and now I realize we were lied to,” Juan Beltran says in this video “We can’t be dependent on oil.” When Juan was deployed to Iraq, departing from his wife and daughter, it was with a wholehearted belief in the good of serving his country. Tragically, a helicopter crash broke Beltran’s neck, leaving him quadriplegic. Now, back home, he views the war in a much different light. Wanting to move toward a sustainable future for his family, and set an example others can follow, Beltran has enlisted the help of generous volunteers to turn his Chino, California property into an eco-friendly, self-sufficient farm.

The home is being remodeled with the likes of solar panels, LED lighting and a more efficient design. The Beltran’s have goats that keep the grass short and provide fertilizer, hens that provide a free daily breakfast, and a vegetable garden.
Beltran is a beacon of inspiration and hope, expressing that he harbors no bitterness about what happened to him: “I’m happy with my wife and my daughter, and this beautiful house that I have, even if I’m in this condition — It doesn’t matter.”