Yay! I am so excited to hear that solar panels are soon going to be far more affordable. Seems like an odd thing to be giddy over, but I know this will help a lot of people run their homes more energy efficient which means they will save money while also helping the environment.
Folks at Colorado State University are playing a huge role in figuring out how to make it easier for everyone to participate in helping their world at a lesser cost.
Professor W.S. Sampath and his research group at the Materials Engineering Laboratory at Colorado State have developed a manufacturing technology to efficiently produce photovoltaic solar cells, which can be one of the most affordable and efficient energy sources of the future.
The college has also recently made a commitment to using wind power for energy. They will be running 20 buildings on campus with wind power. This will save them $4,700 a year in utility costs!
I hope more schools begin to follow suit with Colorado State.
It's not often my home state makes national news. Especially when the news is positive. But Delaware has plans for an offshore wind power installation.
"Bluewater Wind completed a critical phase of negotiations with Delmarva Power & Light. The result of these negotiations is expected to lead to the development of the nation's first offshore wind park, and a 25 year supply of stable-priced, clean renewable energy for Delaware."
It would provide 30 percent of the power to about 300,000 homes. Delmarva would pay 10.59 cents per kilowatt hour for the wind energy. Lord I hope that doesn't mean our electric bills go up again.
The plan will put 150 turbines off the coast of Rehoboth Beach by about the year 2014. (That's two to three years later than Bluewater originally proposed finishing the project.) "The turbines would sit 400 feet above sea level when a blade is at its highest point."
And the tagline is "Future Friendly is about living today, with tomorrow in mind."
So far the participating brands are Ariel, Lenor, Fairy and Flash. So far this is completely based in the UK, but I'm sure it will spread over here to the states soon enough. At least I hope we take the intiative.
I would definitely look for the future friendly mark on my products. If I see one with and one without I could be persuaded to change what I buy. I think this is a great idea. Like any cause, when I see something with the pink ribbon for breast cancer, I am more prone to buying that product than if it didn't have the ribbon. I suppose it makes me feel like I'm doing a small part in helping a big problem. =o)
So look for the Future Friendly logo if you wish to buy products that save energy and water or reduce waste.
LED Fluorescent Replacement Tubes last up to 50,000 hours which is up to 50 times longer than standard incandescent bulbs. They do NOT contain toxic mercury as compact fluorescent(cfl) bulbs do which makes LED bulbs MUCH more environmentally friendly, safer, more energy efficient and more durable.
Section9 LED you will find the most advanced LED lighting products available. And really why wouldn't you want to save yourself some money while also helping the environment? Kermit says it's not easy being green, but this seems pretty simple to me. =o)
But I don't think this is something I'd have at home. I do think this would be perfect for the office though. This umbrella pot would definitely beat throwing a soggy umbrella on the floor under my desk.
I wonder how it works exactly though. I mean, how much water is involved in that little pot part. Do I need to do the umbrella shake first?
Nine Lego-like "building block" galaxies initially detected by Hubble likely contributed to the construction of the Universe as we know it. "These are among the lowest mass galaxies ever directly observed in the early Universe" says Nor Pirzkal of the European Space Agency/STScI.
The galaxies were identified by James Rhoads of Arizona State University, USA, and Chun Xu of the Shanghai Institute of Technical Physics. Three of the galaxies appear to be slightly disrupted -- rather than being shaped like rounded blobs, they appear stretched into tadpole-like shapes. This is a sign that they may be interacting and merging with neighbouring galaxies to form larger, cohesive structures.
The site is dedicated and about "cool cities" that have made a commitment to stopping global warming by signing the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement. Begun in 2005, the Cool Cities campaign empowers city residents and local leaders to join and encourage their cities to implement smart energy solutions to save money and build a cleaner, safer future.
Currently, there are 681 "cool cities" across the United States and each city has a profile describing the steps they have been taking to improve their local environment. In Delaware the only cool city is Wilmington and it has one milestone because the City Signed the US Mayors' Agreement. Tennessee has four "cool cities" Chattanooga, Chattanooga, Knoxville and Nashville. Nashville has four logged milestones: Establish Campaign, Engage The Community, City Signs the US Mayors' Agreement and Advanced Smart Energy Solutions.
It's really interesting to look through and see what different places are doing to help with the issues at hand in our environment.
