WorldChanging has a brief post pointing to a symposium on urban life after oil - Re-Imagining Cities: Urban Design After the Age of Oil.
A number of great journalists were covering last weekend's Re-Imagining Cities: Urban Design After the Age of Oil symposium in Philadelphia. The University of Pennsylvania School of Design and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted this conference, which was organized with support from the Rockefeller Foundation to address the need to re-imagine and rethink how cities are designed and organized in a future without oil. Our own Alex Steffen gave a mainstage talk at the international event, which featured a number of thinkers whose work we've written about before here, like Bull Dunster, Elizabeth Kolbert, Robert Socolow, Andy Revkin, William J. Mitchell, David Orr, Neal Pierce, Bill Rees, Thomas Campanella, Harrison Fraker, and ARUP's Sir Peter Head.
From brief recaps of plenaries and workshops to lengthier discussions of the theories presented (and their presenters), the pieces posted to the Next American City liveblog offer a taste of what was seen and heard at this innovative gathering of great minds.
New greenhouse gases emitted in making flat-screen televisions or some refrigerants might be capped under a planned U.N. treaty to combat global warming, delegates at U.N. talks in Ghana said on Friday.
Emissions of the recently developed industrial gases, including nitrogen trifluoride and fluorinated ethers, are estimated at just 0.3 percent of emissions of conventional greenhouse gases by rich nations. But the emissions are surging.
VW has been talking for a long time about its L1 concept, so called because it uses a measly 1 liter of gasoline to go 100 km. For us Americans, that translates to about 230 miles per gallon.
The disconnect between peak oil concerns and the presidential race is almost total. As prices at the pump rise, each candidate is now talking about their so-called solutions to the problem. Despite clear new warning signs from Russia, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Nigeria that peak oil is nigh, the candidates remain unwaveringly oblivious to the true causes of rising fuel prices, preferring instead to dwell on irrelevant-actually, counterproductive-measures like suspending the federal gas tax during the summer months or taxing Big Oil. This is akin to putting a band-aid on a melanoma.
Last week, Pickens stopped by The Times to discuss his push to wean the U.S. off foreign oil by dramatically ramping up development of its infrastructure for wind and natural gas. Below is a partial transcript.
T. Boone Pickens: We are now importing oil that costs us $700 billion a year. That's four and a half times what the Iraq war costs. Nobody running for president even speaks about this. Yet they talk a lot about the Iraq war. When you look at it, the world oil supply is about 85 million barrels of oil a day. And demand is about 86-plus million barrels a day.
T. Boone Pickens, a conservative billionaire who made his money in oil, is creating strange bedfellows with his aggressive plan for renewable energy such as wind power and natural gas.
Last month, he held two conference calls with more than 27,000 members of the Sierra Club to talk up the plan. The environmental group, with some reservations, is on board. Last week, he met with Al Gore.
Today, he is scheduled to be on the University of Michigan campus, selling his ideas to students. He said he expects a packed house.
Our Renewable Nation is possibly the most adorable project ever conceived to advocate renewable energy. It's an eco-video project helmed by the McCullough family, who are traveling across the country in a vegetable oil powered VW Beetle. They're visiting wind farms, solar installations, talking to companies developing sustainable technologies, and documenting all their interviews and travels on video.
Each of the videos stars 9-year old Carrick McCollough, the cutest kid to campaign in the name of renewable energy. And it's effective. Don't believe me? Just watch the video after the jump, where Carrick implores grownups to not blow it for him and his generation. How can we say no to this?
Part of creating the ultimate sustainable planet will be our ability to find sustainable energy sources in a variety of means, such as sunlight, water flow, wind, and yes, even rain. We are of course speaking of the kinetic energy which can be harnessed from rain, which up until a few months ago, was not being considered for use in a consumer product...
Lightdrops Umbrella
This kinetic energy is created from piezoelectric material, which is able to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. Now, we aren't talking about a whole lot of energy being created here, approximately 1 microwatt to 12 milliwatts per rain droplet. While not much in the large scheme of things, this technology has been put to use in a new LED umbrella called Lightdrops, which is able to self power an internal LED light using the rain from which it is protecting its user from.
Why you should listen to her: Majora Carter is a visionary voice in city planning who views urban renewal through an environmental lens. The South Bronx native draws a direct connection between ecological, economic and social degradation. Hence her motto:
'It's like 10 electric razors running at once,' said one resident. 'A powerful generator,' confirmed another. Harbormaster Ted Rose stressed the seriousness of the problem. 'Sometimes it gets so loud you have to talk above it. It can drown out conversations and wake people from a dead sleep.'
Let's take a trip down the Palouse to check in with the most progressive university in our region (come on local schools, that ought to light a fire). It seems like we're always talking about new and exciting environmental stories coming from our neighbors to the south, and today is no disappointment ...
Editor's Note: Hear Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. executive Mark Case talk more about the utility's smart grid program in BBJcast, the Baltimore Business Journal's weekly podcast devoted to the top business news in the region. Available on iTunes, search "BBJcast."
Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. is seeking as much as $200 million in federal stimulus money to pay for nearly half of a "smart grid" program that will help customers reduce energy consumption during times of peak demand.
When your squadron commander meets you at your jet, it's normally not a good sign. "Waldo, we need to talk," he said as he headed for the aircraft hangar. Had I messed up? Was I in trouble? I gulped. Was something wrong at home?
High prices are just the tip of the energy crisis iceberg. Now is the
time to think about how we use our natural resources before your
wallet gets hit any harder. More people are looking to renewable
energy sources to help offset these costs and to remove our dependence
on finite energy sources. Solar and wind are two of the easiest
renewable energy sources for a homeowner to use, but professional
installation is costly.
Surprisingly, do it yourself solar panel and wind generator kits are
easy to find and easy to use. With large companies like GE producing
these kits, the build your own solar panel sets are very affordable
and offer quicker return on your investment than purchasing and
professionally installing a solar energy system. In general the
instructions are easy to follow, even for teens and children, and in
no time you are on your way to your own solar or wind power system. My
blog talks more about this at http://solarandwindforhome.blogspot.com/
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What Is Leprosy Disease? Leprosy is a chronic, granulomatous infection caused by the... According to historical records, this disease spread through the slave trade and migration routes from... In this article, we talk about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of Leprosy
Like TB, leprosy is caused by a bacterium. The bacterium is Mycobacterium Leprae. It was discovered by Armauer Hansen in Norway in 1873. This is why it is also called Hansen's disease. Although its bacterial nature was known at the time, it was not considered infectious.
Like TB, leprosy is caused by a bacterium. The bacterium is Mycobacterium Leprae. It was discovered by Armauer Hansen in Norway in 1873. This is why it is also called Hansen's disease. Although its bacterial nature was known at the time, it was not considered infectious.
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