Arguably the greatest internet-related development since online match-making, the StumbleUpon toolbar for Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox is a somewhat recent revolution in internet browsing.
The basics idea of SU follows:
Complete a profile.
Select your interests.
Click the 'Stumble' button.
Recieve a random webpage related to your interests and profile.
Stumble again!
But what does stumbling have to do with eco-visionaries? In the 'Interests' page of your profile, select such topics as 'Alternative Energy', 'Environment', 'Ecology', 'Politics', etc. Webpages recommended by other users for these categories will pop up at every stumble, resulting in a multitude of random new discoveries that increase awareness and generate curiousity.
Take a look at http://www.stumbleupon.com/.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Green Olympics
Prior to the start of the 2008 Olympic Games, there was much debate regarding Beijing's environmental condition. Air quality, water availability, and resource consumption in particular recieved heavy criticism, and many top athletes chose to stay home in light of the circumstances.
Now that the Games have begun, however, medal-winners, record-breakers, and scandals have taken the majority of the media's attention, and environmental news regarding China's efforts to host a 'Green Olympics' has been taken a back-seat.
Fortunately, the Beijing Olympic Commitee has devoted an entire website to their commitment to tougher environmental standards. Here, fans can read about the Bird's Nest extensive water collection, the Olympic Village's renewable energy sources, and the temporary Beijing regulations that curb emissions and increase air quality.
Take a look! http://en.beijing2008.cn/12/12/greenolympics.shtml
Now that the Games have begun, however, medal-winners, record-breakers, and scandals have taken the majority of the media's attention, and environmental news regarding China's efforts to host a 'Green Olympics' has been taken a back-seat.
Fortunately, the Beijing Olympic Commitee has devoted an entire website to their commitment to tougher environmental standards. Here, fans can read about the Bird's Nest extensive water collection, the Olympic Village's renewable energy sources, and the temporary Beijing regulations that curb emissions and increase air quality.
Take a look! http://en.beijing2008.cn/12/12/greenolympics.shtml
Monday, August 11, 2008
Environmental Fiction Reading List
When speaking of environmental literature, there are many authors that stand out: Rachel Carson, Aldo Leopold, Terry Tempest Williams, Ed Abbey, Sigurd Olson, Gary Snyder, John Muir, Gretel Ehrlich, Annie Dillard…
The following short list of fiction is meant as a compliment to those classics – a step in a different direction for sure, but one that maintains a thematic (although sometimes abstract) connection to the Earth. Humorous, dark, adventurous, suspenseful, or witty, each book is well-written, original, and thought-provoking, and a great addition to any reader’s collection.
Wilbur Smith, Elephant Song
Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Daniel Quinn, Ishmael
Carl Hiaasen, Skinny Dip
Lyn Miller-Lachman, Dirt Cheap
Lydia Millet, How the Dead Dream
Brian Clarke, The Stream
The following short list of fiction is meant as a compliment to those classics – a step in a different direction for sure, but one that maintains a thematic (although sometimes abstract) connection to the Earth. Humorous, dark, adventurous, suspenseful, or witty, each book is well-written, original, and thought-provoking, and a great addition to any reader’s collection.
Wilbur Smith, Elephant Song
Cormac McCarthy, The Road
Daniel Quinn, Ishmael
Carl Hiaasen, Skinny Dip
Lyn Miller-Lachman, Dirt Cheap
Lydia Millet, How the Dead Dream
Brian Clarke, The Stream
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Solar power coming to a home near you...
Just this week, a U.S. scientist at MIT announced an incredible breakthrough in solar technology that has the potential to bring energy from the sun into the mainstream.
Because of its cost, low-availability, and conditional operation (it only works when the sun is shining), solar power has yet to be adopted by the average household, even in places like California where incentives exist to encourage residential adoption of the technology. Despite the dramatic increase in the country's solar capacity, it still accounts for only a tiny fraction of one percent of total U.S. energy use.
Professor of Energy Daniel Nocera wants to change all of that, and in a hurry. His new technology would allow the energy collected from the sun to be stored much more efficiently as hydrogen and oxygen. A fuel cell could then use these elements to generate electricity - even in the middle of the night - removing the primary drawback to solar energy in residential application.
You can read the full story at http://www.enn.com/energy/article/37841.
Because of its cost, low-availability, and conditional operation (it only works when the sun is shining), solar power has yet to be adopted by the average household, even in places like California where incentives exist to encourage residential adoption of the technology. Despite the dramatic increase in the country's solar capacity, it still accounts for only a tiny fraction of one percent of total U.S. energy use.
Professor of Energy Daniel Nocera wants to change all of that, and in a hurry. His new technology would allow the energy collected from the sun to be stored much more efficiently as hydrogen and oxygen. A fuel cell could then use these elements to generate electricity - even in the middle of the night - removing the primary drawback to solar energy in residential application.
You can read the full story at http://www.enn.com/energy/article/37841.
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