STOP… Solar Time!

Posted on May 3, 2012 by quest

Consistently raising the bar within the timepiece industry, Casio America, Inc. has introduced the newest model to its Pro Trek series, the PRG550-1A1. Built with Casio’s easy-to-use, one-touch triple sensor technology, the PRG550-1A1 includes a digital compass, altimeter, barometer and thermometer making it the ultimate tool for rugged, outdoor adventures.”The PRG550-1A1′s enhanced features are designed to make outdoor activities seamless and enjoyable,” said Shigenori Itoh, Chairman and CEO of Casio America, Inc. “The simplicity of this watch is what makes it fashionable and functional and the enhanced styling makes it easy to go from the mountains to the boardroom.”

Casio’s Pro Trek series of watches feature the most cutting edge sensor technology; the new PRG-550 is a 3 hand analog model with an LCD window. The triple sensors measure compass bearing, altitude/atmospheric pressure and temperature. The multi-purpose second hand points towards magnetic north and can indicate the latest change in atmospheric pressure or show a change in altitude from a pre-selected location, depending on the function selected. While the LCD displays numerical sensor information such as compass direction angle value, altitude, atmospheric pressure, and temperature, the PRG550-1A1′s full auto LED light activates with just a flick of the wrist and operates by Casio’s Tough Solar Power technology, allowing readings to be accomplished with ease. Casio’s Tough Solar Power technology adds to the PRG550-1A1′s efficiency by allowing the timepiece to power down when not exposed to light for a certain period of time, thus conserving energy.

In addition to other features, the PRG550-1A1 is powered by Casio’s Solar Power 100M, is water resistant and is can manage low temperature (-10 degrees C/14 degrees F). With a black, resin band, the PRG550-1A1 is lightweight and provides durability and comfort on every excursion. The PRG550-1A1 will be available in June 2012 at select department stores and sporting goods stores.

Solar Power Set For 20 Square Miles Atop LA Rooftops

Solar And Clean Energy Political Myths Revealed

Posted on April 28, 2012 by quest

The common wisdom is wrong: There is no political “fault line” that divides Americans along party lines when it comes to clean energy issues and solutions. Majorities of Republicans, Independents and Democrats agree that the United States should move away from its reliance on dirty energy sources that foul the air and water and toward a future that makes greater use of clean energy sources, according to a major new ORC International survey conducted for the nonprofit and nonpartisan Civil Society Institute (CSI).

A key finding: More than three out of four Americans (76 percent) – including 58 percent of Republicans, 83 percent of Independents, and 88 percent of Democrats — think that the United States should move to a sustainable energy future through “a reduction in our reliance on nuclear power, natural gas and coal, and instead, launch a national initiative to boost renewable energy and energy efficiency.”

However, the bipartisan support for clean energy does not mean that Americans think that Washington, D.C. is on the same page with them. More than three out of four Americans (77 percent) – including 70 percent of Republicans, 76 percent of Independents, and 85 percent of Democrats — believe that “the energy industry’s extensive and well-financed public relations, campaign contributions and lobbying machine is a major barrier to moving beyond business as usual when it comes to America’s energy policy.” The complete article: Survey- “Partisan Divide” On Energy Issues Is A Myth, Strong Bipartisan Support Seen For Shift To Cleaner Energy

See More On A Train

Washington, D.C. Gets Top Environmental City Ranking

Posted on April 24, 2012 by quest

MaxPoint Interactive, a company that helps retailers and brands drive local in-stores sales with its innovative Digital Zip technology, today issued the results of an indexing study that analyzed billions of data points to determine the U.S. neighborhoods that are the most eco-friendly. Washington, D.C ranked the highest based on their passion for environmental news and issues. It was followed by Austin, TX, and Honolulu, HI. San Francisco which ranked number one in an Economist study last year followed in at number four.

“The results of this Interest Index were particularly surprising because we found that we have clusters of consumers who are ‘talking the talk’ and some that are ‘walking the walk’ when it comes to acting in an environmentally friendly way, yet both groups are important to advertisers” said, Gretchen Joyce, chief operating officer of MaxPoint Interactive. In this particular indexing study, MaxPoint discovered that there are two very distinct neighborhood types when it comes to going “green”— those who demonstrate interest by reading and discussing environmental issues and those who make purchasing decisions to support environmentally friendly products.

Using the data gleaned from this index, MaxPoint implemented highly targeted neighborhood-level digital ad campaigns for a major luxury car dealer was looking to increase overall brand awareness of its new hybrid vehicle high-end eco-friendly vehicle and drive sales. It also provided insight to a major solar solutions company was interested in targeting the neighborhoods across the U.S. most likely to purchase a solar panel to power their homes. As a result of a focused digital advertising campaign, the company was able to target consumers passionate about the environment, who own homes, and have an average household income of $60K or higher.

Green News Wall

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

What Green Jobs? These Green Jobs

Posted on April 19, 2012 by quest

Earlier this year Kellé McMahon is the CEO of The Green Science Academy wrote,”American companies, small companies, large companies, startups and mid-size companies all of which contribute to the growth and development of a new established emergent industry coined “the green economy.” The green economy encompasses many different aspects of the energy market sector. The United States has seen the largest growth in the solar market sector over the past two years. The industry has seen growth over 120% since 2006 (Engineering Magazine July 2010) and is experiencing a explosion of growth in the commercial residential sectors.”

Carol McClelland, PhD author and Founder of Green Career Central recently wrote -
Debunking Myths About Careers in the Green Economy, she says,” As we talk with people at networking meetings and our group calls, we hear them make assumptions about the Green Economy that aren’t true. They may have been true at one point, but times have changed. Are you holding yourself back from entering the Green Economy due to any of these assumptions?”

Now a new study from Environmental Entrepreneurs‘ report shows clean energy sector growing across country, industries could lead to 46,000 jobs in 42 states. Among other things the report says,”Manufacturing companies making everything from electric vehicles to solar panels and wind turbine parts announced 35 projects in the quarter that would create more than 10,000 jobs.” Read the article…