Eco-Portal: An Information Gateway Empowering the Movement for Environmental Sustainability
Earth News
January 07, 2009
- Japan to monitor greenhouse gases from space
Reuters - Japan's space agency will launch a satellite later this month to monitor greenhouse gases around the world, officials said Wednesday, hoping the data it collects helps global efforts to combat climate change. - 2 days
source: (Yahoo! Green News) - Keeping the green in infrastructure
Transportation officials are ready to get started working with funding from President-elect Obama's infrastructure plan, and environmental advocates want to find a way to steer them towards the green projects. Sarah Gardner reports. - 2 days
source: (Marketplace - Sustainability) - BoxTone Software for BlackBerry Platform Bright Spot In A Challenging Technology Sales Environment; Maintains Double ... (PRWeb via Yahoo! News)
BoxTone(R) Inc., the expert in mobile user management, today reported that sales of its management, monitoring and support software modules for the BlackBerry(R) platform finished the most recent fiscal year on a double-digit growth trajectory, exceeding sales plans and making the company a rare success story in an otherwise difficult macro environment for enterprise technology sales. - 2 days
source: (Yahoo! News Search Results for environment) - Firm claims silver bullet for 'vampire loads'
A Spanish company says it has developed a way to kill the vampires lurking in your living room--the numerous appliances that suck electricity even when they are not in use.
Good for You, Good for the Planet received a patent for a microprocessor-based design that cuts an electronic machine's electricity use to zero. It is now negotiating with several large manufacturers to incorporate the technology into power strips or into appliances, according to President Jorge Juan Garc - 2 days
source: (Green Tech ) - Barack Obama, Robert Gates, and the Rumsfeld Pentagon-State Relationship
Defense secretary talks big on diplomacy, Stephen Glain writes, but must put money where his mouth is. - 2 days
source: (U.S. News) - Besides Sanjay Gupta, Which Other Journalists Should Join the Barack Obama Administration?
CNN's Sanjay Gupta is in talks to become surgeon general in the Obama administration. - 2 days
source: (U.S. News) - Messing About in Boats
You might get a buzz from hurtling down the ski slopes or exploring underwater worlds as a SCUBA diver. I know that I do. Yet while these sports bring me closer to nature and help me appreciate the beautiful planet I live on, they are not exactly green. Take into account the equipment, distance to travel to a suitable location and in the case of skiing, the construction and maintenance of necessary infrastructure in otherwise wild places.
I’ve been looking for new ways to enjoy nature without putting so much strain on the planet. While I love hiking, sometimes I’m looking for something more immersive and exciting. Enter kayaking.
I started kayaking in 2006 when I was lucky enough to join a trip to Spitsbergen in the Arctic. Sea kayaking was an absolutely stunning way to explore this environment. You might think it would be cold, but the exercise keeps you warm and there’s no wind chill factor. The beauty is that you can cease paddling at any time and glide silently, so it lets you get up close and personal in a way that you simply can’t in a motorized boat. I was hooked.
Now it clearly wouldn’t be very green if we all had to fly to the Arctic to try kayaking. But the beauty of the sport is that it can be done anywhere there is water, from the ocean and rivers, to harbours and lakes. You can probably do it close to your home - whether that be San Francisco or Manhattan, Sydney, Australia or London, UK.
You might have tried open cockpit kayaking - where you sit on top - on holidays but it’s worth investing the time to learn a proper closed cockpit kayak. You’ll stay warmer and drier for starters but these “proper” kayaks are also faster and easier to maneuver so you will ultimately get more out of the sport this way. You can try river or lake kayaking, sea kayaking in a longer, more stable boat that sometimes has two people paddling, and people even play games such as polo in kayaks.
Kayaking keeps you fit - incidentally it’s more about core strength so pilates and yoga are more helpful in training for yoga than upper body weight lifting. It’s a sport that can be enjoyed equally well if you are single or you have a growing family - especially since many sea kayaks are built for two. It gets you close to nature and helps build eco-consciousness. It’s not motorized, so the only pollution comes with the construction of the kayak itself. Very often an individual kayak will be used by dozens of people and be housed in a club house by the water, minimizing transport hassles.
And when you go on holidays, there are many wonderful places to try out your new kayaking skills, from the seal-filled lochs and isles of Scotland to the sun-drenched aquamarine waters of Greece. Search for kayaking holidays on ResponsibleTravel.com for more great holiday ideas around the world that won’t cost the earth.
As Ratty said to Mole in Kenneth Graeme’s The Wind in the Willows (you did read that book when you were small, didn’t you?): “There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats.” I quite agree.
Image: zevotron
- 2 days
source: (EcoSalon - The Green Gathering) - Freeset Bags: Setting Women Free
When Kerry and Anne Hilton uprooted their lives to help the people of Calcutta, it broke their hearts to witness women selling their bodies just to keep from starving. Appalled that so many souls resort to prostitution as a means of survival, it was clear that they had found their calling.
The Hiltons decided to take advantage of the surplus of jute in West Bengal and pursue what they called “the business of setting people free” with the establishment of Freeset Bags. Here, many troubled victims of the sex trade, lacking even basic sewing skills, went from novices to master artisans with the help of Kerry and Anne. To further support their cause, you can buy their handcrafted totes, slings and messenger bags at Original Good.
- 2 days
source: (EcoSalon - The Green Gathering) - Need to Lose a Few Extra Pounds? Visit a Developing Country and Try the Poverty Diet.
I just came back from an extended vacation to find my clothes hanging off of me in loose folds. No, I didn’t go to a fancy weight loss retreat. My vacation was an all-inclusive of sorts, but instead of a ship’s buffet of delicacies served up 3 times a day, I was studying Spanish, living with a Guatemalan family, and eating my meals with them.
The headline isn’t meant to be offensive. It’s just that this is the first time I haven’t had to make a New Year’s resolution to drop those extra 5 or 10 pounds. As I think about the crazy diets that people all over the country are starting this week - The Cookie Diet, The Eat-Whatever-You-Want-For-One-Hour-A-Day-And-Starve-Yourself-the-Rest-of-the-Time Diet, the Caveman Diet - I can’t help but reflect on the almost unfathomable privilege inherent in not only being able to choose what and how much to eat at any time of the day, but also in our efforts to not eat, when a large part of the world struggles to get enough to eat. Guatemala being only one such place.
My experience wasn’t typical compared to other students I spoke with. It was better. My host mom ran a small restaurant in her home kitchen, so she’s a very good and resourceful cook who provides meals with more variety than most students are treated to.
Here’s a typical day:
Breakfast: Mush - a very thin, watery oatmeal with a banana cut up in it (if you are lucky) and lots of sugar. We’d also get a pancake, but that wasn’t typical, and coffee - very nice!
Lunch: This is the big meal of the day. Usually a 2 or 3-ounce portion of some type of meat and a half-cup of rice or potatoes - always accompanied by tortillas (the one thing there was always more of). Sometimes we’d have a vegetable, but not always. On another day, we’d get a clear chicken broth with potatoes and squash in a small bowl, accompanied by a small piece of chicken (usually a back or part of a thigh) and occasionally, a quarter of an avocado.
Dinner: A small scoop of beans, two fried eggs and more tortillas.
This was it. No snacks, no desserts, no seconds, no big feasts, nothing. On Christmas Eve we had tamales, which were special, but it wasn’t a feast, it was tamales with sliced white bread, nothing more.
Though I was hungry some of the time, I was living quite well compared to most Guatemalans. So, I was surprised to discover that I’d lost about 7 pounds.
Here’s a snapshot of what poverty in Guatemala means:
According to the World Bank, Guatemala has one of the most unequal income distributions in the hemisphere. The wealthiest 10% of the population receives almost one-half of all income; the top 20% receives two-thirds of all income. Somewhere between 32% and 70% of the population lives on less than $2 a day (or about 15 Quetzales) depending on whom you ask and when the statistic was gathered. The cost of basic food items has gone up 40% in the past two years, pushing many people into poverty. By some estimates, up to half of children in Guatemala live with chronic malnutrition.
The poverty in rural areas is worse than in the cities. A schoolteacher or well-paid factory worker in a city makes about $130 - $150 a month, or about 1,000 Quetzales. What does this money buy, foodwise? It’s hard for me to tell, because when I went to a market or restaurant, I paid tourist prices. A typical and cheap breakfast in a restaurant cost me about 20 Q. At the market a dozen tortillas cost 2 or 3 Q; a few pieces of fruit, 5 Q; a bag of rice, 10 Q; a half a chicken, 14 Q. Even if you consider that the prices for locals might be a bit less than the prices I paid, it’s not difficult to see how hard it would be for a family to get enough nourishment.
Many Guatemalan people (especially indigenous rural dwellers) have nothing to eat all day except tortillas. Some days they might get beans or rice, but not every day. Luckily, many rural Guatemalans are able to practice subsistence farming, or they would surely starve. But for many, even this tenuous way of life is threatened. As the country opens to more foreign investment and privatization through organizations like the World Bank, and treaties like CAFTA, more and more lands are being opened up to extractive industries that contaminate the land and push rural Guatemalans into lives of even more miserable poverty in the cities. You can read about Guatemalan resistance to open pit mining here.
The next time you’re worried about those extra holiday pounds, please take a moment to count your blessings. I know I will.
Image: greencolander
- 2 days
source: (EcoSalon - The Green Gathering) - Your Grandma’s Hardware
If you’re like me, you have a soft spot for vintage hardware, such as these classic hex glass knobs, an American favorite from 1900 to 1940. I love marrying these to bathroom cabinets and drawers. And while reproductions are readily available (i.e. Resto), you can locate the good oldies and many other pulls at House of Antique Hardware.
This site is a valuable remodeling resource, not only for the glass but also for iron, wood and brass. I used the drop pulls on my media wall unit to add some depth. The rings are ideal for sprucing up an old dresser, the finishing touch after a few coats of low VOC white paint.
The old Eastlake ring pulls, Victorian metal, and ebony and brass drops are among the varied selection I found at this site.
You can even locate replacement pulls and hinges, icebox accessories, wheel furniture casters and toe caps. Casters are ideal on English country furniture, giving sofas and ottomans a little boost in flair and height. While many of the hardware styles are associated with antique and retro interior design, they mix easily in a modern setting, providing a reminder of our charmed past. Plus, it’s better to recirculate the old, rather than always buying shiny and new.
- 2 days
source: (EcoSalon - The Green Gathering) - For the Love of Agroforestry
For the record, I love Kate Organics.
Launched last summer by husband and wife team Kate Fisher and Henry Schwab, the line is already getting picked up by the best eco retailers in the industry. For good reason. Not only is the line full of classic pieces you’ll wear for years (and if you’ve mastered layering, most definitely year-round), it’s just so darn pretty.
The Movie Star Dress in organic cotton for winter and another Movie Star in Organic cotton voile debuting soon for Spring is a wardrobe staple for women currently living the life of a movie star or simply pining away the hours rehearsing for it.
Cut for many figures, all the billowing and draping will accent the good things about your silhouette this post holiday season and move you forward to where ribbon candy, pumpkin pie and Swedish meatballs are horrifying edibles of the past, things you didn’t mean to eat.
They also plant a tree for every garment they sell through the organization Trees For The Future, so you can spend a reasonable amount of money on a timeless piece and know everyone’s breathing better because of you.
Or, at least that’s what you tell your husband with conviction when he asks about your purchase.
- 2 days
source: (EcoSalon - The Green Gathering) - GM and JVs Set Sales Record in China in 2008
General Motors and its joint ventures sold 1,094,561 vehicles in China in 2008. This is a record for GM in China and the second consecutive year that its sales in what has become the company’s second-largest market topped 1 million units.
Domestic sales of vehicles from GM’s SAIC-GM-Wuling mini-commercial vehicle joint venture rose 17.9% last year to 647,296 units, keeping SAIC-GM-Wuling atop the segment for the third consecutive year. The Wuling Sunshine minivan was China’s best-selling vehicle in 2008 and the first to surpass 400,000 units in sales in a calendar year.
Domestic sales by Shanghai GM, GM’s passenger car joint venture, totaled 445,709 units in 2008. Sales were down from 2007 due to limited new model introductions. Shanghai GM will be completely renewing its product portfolio over the next few years, starting with the recently released Buick New Regal and Buick Enclave, and the recently announced Chevrolet Cruze.
Sales of the Chevrolet brand in China grew 15.7% to 199,155 units, and sales of the Wuling brand grew 17.4% to 606,499 units.
GM and its joint ventures completed several important projects, including the expansion of SAIC-GM-Wuling’s plant in Qingdao and Phase II of its Liuzhou West Plant. In addition, Shanghai GM (Shenyang) Norsom Motors’ second vehicle manufacturing plant opened and its first Chevrolet Cruze rolled off the production line on 17 December.
GM and its joint ventures also moved forward on other key programs, including construction of Shanghai GM’s proving ground in Anhui province, SAIC-GM-Wuling’s new engine plant in Qingdao, and the GM Asia Pacific and GM China Headquarters and Center for Advanced Research and Science in Shanghai.
- 2 daysWhile we expect vehicle sales in China to remain steady in 2009, we anticipate China remaining the world’s fastest-growing major market over the next decade.
—Kevin Wale, President and Managing Director of the GM China Group
source: (Green Car Congress) - The Bad News Banks
Bank of America is preparing investors for lousy results while Wells gets its debt downgraded. - 2 days
source: ( Forbes.com: Energy News ) - Expo: REAL Server 2009 due in February (Macworld.com via Yahoo! News)
REAL Software, creator of the REALbasic cross-platform software development environment, announced Tuesday at Macworld Expo that REAL Server 2009 will ship in February. REAL Server is a cross-platform, multi-user database server. - 2 days
source: (Yahoo! News Search Results for environment) - Report: Mazda to Apply Next-Gen H2-Gasoline Rotary Engine in Coming RX-9
Germany’s auto motor und sport magazine reports that the coming Mazda RX-9, due in 2012, will use a future version of Mazda’s RENESIS dual-fuel hydrogen-gasoline rotary engine.
Mazda Motor Corporation has already equipped a version of the RX-8 with a current RENESIS hydrogen engine and began leasing the RX-8 Hydrogen RE to its first two corporate customers—Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd. and Iwatani International Corporation—in 2006. (Earlier post.)
The RENESIS Hydrogen RE incorporates an electronically controlled hydrogen gas injector system. The system draws air from the side port during the intake cycle and uses dual hydrogen injectors in each of the engine’s twin rotor housings to directly inject hydrogen into the intake chambers.
Mazda is working on the next-generation RENESIS rotary, shown at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2007: the direct injection 16X, a 1,600 cc (800 cc x 2) engine with a new trochoid chamber shape aimed at further improving thermal efficiency and boosting torque at all engine speeds. (Earlier post.)
Styling for the RX-9 will be based on the Taiki concept, also unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show in 2007, according to the report.
- 2 days
source: (Green Car Congress) - PHEV System Manufacturer Odyne Corporation Shutting Down
Odyne Corporation, a developer and manufacturer of propulsion systems for medium- and heavy-duty Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV), is suspending operations.
As disclosed in October 2008, Odyne retained Matrix USA, LLC to explore strategic alternatives. (Earlier post.) These efforts have not been successful. Accordingly, Odyne announced that, after careful consideration, it has determined to wind-down the operations of the company, terminate substantially all of its employees, discontinue its operating leases, resolve its outstanding liabilities and liquidate its remaining assets.
Odyne had developed a proprietary PHEV system combining electric power conversion, power control and energy storage technology, with standard electric motors, storage batteries and other off the shelf components.
- 2 days
source: (Green Car Congress) - PepsiCo Touts Water, Energy Savings from 2007
<img src="http://www.greenbiz.com/files/imagecache/blog_landscape_large/0109Pepsi.jpg" alt="Pepsi truck - CC licese by Flickr user Dawn Endico" title="CC license by Dawn Endico " />For the first time, PepsiCo has been able to compare year-by-year water, electricity and fuel use for its entire operations.
- 2 days
source: (GreenBiz.com) - South Korea to Invest $38 Billion in Green Projects
<img src="http://www.greenbiz.com/files/imagecache/blog_landscape_large/0109Workers.jpg" alt="Workers - CC license by Flickr user Daquella manera" title="CC license by Daquella manera " />The country hopes to spur job growth and boost its economy by pumping funds into a range of efforts, from making bike tracks to turning garbage into energy.
- 2 days
source: (GreenBiz.com) - Closing The Loop For Carpeting
For more than 15 years Zeftron Nylon's 6ix Again program has collected and recycled waste commercial carpet, turning used nylon 6 - a type of nylon that is infinitely recyclable - into brand new nylon.
Richard Radke, Zeftron's marketing specialist, spoke with GreenBiz Radio about Zeftron's Cradle-to-Cradle certification and how it's 6ix Again program helps find alternate uses for unwanted carpet.
- 2 days
source: (GreenBiz.com) - South Korea to Invest $38 Billion in Green Projects
<img src="http://www.greenbiz.com/files/imagecache/blog_landscape_large/0109Workers.jpg" alt="Workers - CC license by Flickr user Daquella manera" title="CC license by Daquella manera " />The country hopes to spur job growth and boost its economy by pumping funds into a range of efforts, from making bike tracks to turning garbage into energy.
- 2 days
source: (Energy & Climate | Energy Efficiency | Greenbiz.com)
