Monday, October 31, 2011

'Rethinking Bamboo' in Beijing

As curator of the Beijing International Design Triennial 2011 (BIDT) Freeman Lau invited Yksi Design to be one of the participants for the exhibition 'Rethinking Bamboo'. Yksi presented works from their own collection: bamboo chair, bamboo coat hangers and bamboo lamps.

Liberation of Light on Tour by Yksi

Andasol 3 CSP plant in Spain

Thailand Flood Aerials

This footage was shot on board a Thai Army Bell Jet Ranger helicopter on 25 October 2011. They generally flew from central Bangkok near Victory Monument (not flooded) north over the Chao Phraya River (Main river going through Bangkok and threatening to flood it). They flew north to north west generally over Nonthaburi, Bang Bua Tong, Pathum Thani out to a remote village near Ayutthaya where they dropped relief supplies. Then they looped to the east slightly returning to Bangkok.

TED 2011: Less stuff, more happiness by Graham Hill

Writer and designer Graham Hill asks: Can having less stuff, in less room, lead to more happiness? He makes the case for taking up less space, and lays out three rules for editing your life.

Toyota Prius Vehicle Proximity Notification

With the number of electric and hybrid vehicles such as the Prius on the road increasing, concerns over the quietness of these vehicles have been building. Toyota has developed a sound to be projected by external speakers that rises and falls with vehicle speed, isn't masked by other environmental noise, and can be heard around obstacles and by individuals with some hearing loss.

TEDGLobal 2011: We can recycle plastic by Mike Biddle

Less than 10% of plastic trash is recycled -- compared to almost 90% of metals -- because of the massively complicated problem of finding and sorting the different kinds. Frustrated by this waste, Mike Biddle has developed a cheap and incredibly energy efficient plant that can, and does, recycle any kind of plastic.

TEDGlobal 2011: My mushroom burial suit by Jae Rhim Lee

Here's a powerful provocation from artist Jae Rhim Lee. Can we commit our bodies to a cleaner, greener Earth, even after death? Naturally -- using a special burial suit seeded with pollution-gobbling mushrooms. Yes, this just might be the strangest TEDTalk you'll ever see ...

TED 2011: Stories cut from paper by Béatrice Coron

With scissors and paper, artist Béatrice Coron creates intricate worlds, cities and countries, heavens and hells. Striding onstage in a glorious cape cut from Tyvek, she describes her creative process and the way her stories develop from snips and slices.

RSA Animate: The Divided Brain

RSAnimate REMIX: The Economic Consequences of Mr Brown

In 2009, Stein Ringen, Professor of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Oxford, gave his assessment of the New Labour government and the state of the British constitution. This was the subject of the first experimental, prototype RSAnimate. Visual scribe Andrew Park presents his remastered version of the animation here...

An Electric Catamaran Cruiser: Infinyte I4

The Colorado River Running Near Empty: Chasing Water

Photojournalist Pete McBride asks: Is the Colorado River more than just the plumbing for our western states? He journeys from the river-irrigated fields of his family ranch in Colorado to the Sea of Cortez to find out.

Cyprus Runs Out Of Water

Earth's Frontiers travels to Cyprus where the country has become the first in the European Union to run out of water.

Trash Gas for Trash Trucks

Natural resources may be limited, but humanity's consumption guarantees an abundance of one unlikely "resource" -- garbage. On average, a typical American throws out about four pounds of trash per day, or more than 240 million tons of garbage every year. Most of that waste winds up in landfills and releases methane as it decomposes. But what if that gas could be harnessed as a clean energy source?

Solar-Powered Landfills

Alternative truck fuel isn't the only kind of energy technology being pioneered at landfills. In fact, an energy company and a landfill operator in Georgia have found a way to generate solar power.

UNAIDS launches report on HIV in Asia and the Pacific

Asia and the Pacific's AIDS epidemic is at a critical juncture and UNAIDS released a report on HIV in the region at 10th International Congress on AIDS in Asia in Busan, South Korea. The following video news release explores the ever changing face of the epidemic in the region.

South Korea's smart class with no paper from 2015

South Korea has launched a policy that the schools will have to employ 'smart' technologies in their classes effective from 2015. Using digital texts and online attendence are included.

Surfing the Waves of Change

Surfing the Waves of Change is an animation exploring the idea of community resilience using the metaphor of a surfer to explain how communities can make themselves more resilient in these changing times.

Transition Japan: Bye bye nukes in Japan by 2012

Samsung Electronics to launch flexible OLED based products in 2012, probably start with phones

Samsung Electronics says that it plans to launch products with flexible OLED panels next year, probably starting with mobile phones, then followed by tablets and other portable devices. The company is actually hoping to introduce the products in the "earlier part of 2012".

UC Davis West Village promotes "green living"

See what makes UC Davis West Village the largest planned zero net energy community in the United States.

TEDGlobal 2011: Freeing energy from the grid by Justin Hall-Tipping

What would happen if we could generate power from our windowpanes? In this moving talk, entrepreneur Justin Hall-Tipping shows the materials that could make that possible, and how questioning our notion of 'normal' can lead to extraordinary breakthroughs.

Nokero Solar Light Bulb in 60 seconds

Nokero is a small, for-profit social enterprise out of Denver colorado working on a shoestring budget to solve the problem of energy poverty.

The Naked Truth about Increasing Water Access

This is "The Naked Truth", the first in a series of videos that expose the truth about project implementation. Sustainability is an easy word to say, but it is hard to achieve in the field. We ask hard questions of our work, and move beyond the simplistic messages that dominate the water sector landscape in an effort to program better in the field, to improve over time and to hopefully support a world where communities like this one in Uganda are truly aid independent.



More at: Water For People

Water For People: A global nonprofit supporting long-lasting access to water and sanitation

Frozen Planet by David Attenborough

Ronaldinho to promote AIDS awareness through sport

Ronaldo de Assis Moreira—the Brazilian football star also known as Ronaldinho—has accepted an invitation from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and Brazil's Ministry of Health to promote AIDS awareness through sport.

Introducing the Nest: The World's First Learning Thermostat

Meet Nest, the world's first Learning Thermostat. Nest learns from your temperature adjustments, programs itself to keep you comfortable, and guides you to energy savings. You can control the thermostat from anywhere using a smartphone, tablet or laptop, and Nest never stops learning, even as your life and the seasons change.

Kids of the Gulf: A Film About Kids Changing The World

Kids of the Gulf is a documentary film featuring 2 kids that are determined to have a positive impact in the Gulf coast region in the aftermath of the BP oil spill. Through the sharing of stories from the perspective of kids, the initiative empowers other kids from around the world to speak out and make a difference on issues that are important to them in their own communities.

This film provides a way to affect real change in the world by connecting kids and youth with the tools to make a difference. Become a part of it, and join our movement to empower kids and youth across the globe!

Nissan Leaf Nismo RC: Demo Run at Odaiba

The Nismo RC shows its skills in a very Japanese discipline, the drift and more specifically Gymkhana during Motorsports Japan Festival (MSJ2011) at Odaiba, Tokyo.

Cylindrical Mirror Optical Illusions On The iPad

Using an optical illusion method called mirror anamorphosis and the iPad's multi-touch capability, a research group at Ochanomizu Women's University is developing an all-round display for the iPad. Unlike in ordinary mirror anamorphosis, in this system, the user rotates a cylindrical mirror on the iPad, so objects reflected in the mirror also rotate. This makes it easy to display content in 3D.

"A Door To Anywhere" Video Chat System

A research group from Wakayama University is developing a system to help people feel closer together while they video chat. In this system, the interface between the display and the user is held, and shaped like a door. When the user stands in front of the webcam and opens the door, the display appears to connect the user in the other person's space.

Presentation System Inserts Presenter Into Presentation

A research group from Meiji University and AIST has developed a new way of giving presentations, where the presenter manipulates slides using gestures. In this system, the presenter's gestures are detected using Kinect, and they directly manipulate objects on the slide, like text and graphics. Normally, if a presenter stands in front of the screen, part of it is hidden by their shadow, but with this system the objects are dynamically repositioned.

Interactive Dance Floor at Temple Night Club San Francisco Creates Clean Energy Through Power Of Dance

The Sustainable Dance Floor (SDF) isn’t only used in San Francisco. Introduced in the Netherlands in 2008, it’s used to promote sustainable energy use at events and exhibitions around the world.

Poop to Plastic

Landfills aren't the only place innovators are turning waste into green products. Sewage treatment plants could be a gold mine in the quest to replace the millions of barrels of petroleum used every year to make plastic for packaging.

Dying to Be Green

One of the hardest things to talk about in life is death, and what happens after we pass away. But there's a growing movement to consider the environment when planning a funeral.

Happy Halloween from Greenpeace UK

Movement calls for Day of Nonviolence in Social Networks

December 25 will be the first 'Day of Non-Violence' in social networks. The movement is meant to reduce violent content on the Internet and to call on media companies to make responsible decisions on their content.



Join: http://www.facebook.com/peacedayonline

Activate: How to mobilise a million

Storm Troopers: OWS digs deep as batons & bullets rain on #OccupyWallStreet

Protesters from the Occupy Wall Street movement face new challenges as unseasonably bad weather hits the East Coast. Alongside a sweeping police crackdown they'll now be up against plummeting temperatures, snow and strong winds.

Occupy Denver video: Cops pepper-spray protesters, fire rubber bullets #OccupyWallStreet

The most violent clash between OWS supporters and the police so far has erupted in Denver, as the authorities attempted to dismantle an Occupy camp. The Internet is swamped with hundreds of angry messages and pictures of rubber bullet wounds. Denver police took their best shot at dismantling the OWS camp over the weekend. To disperse the crowd they used tear gas, batons, and rubber bullets, which are considered to be a "safe deterrent."

Magis Spun Chair MyAreaDesign it

TEDTalks: Hasan Elahi: FBI, here I am!

After he ended up on a watch list by accident, Hasan Elahi was advised by his local FBI agents to let them know when he was traveling. He did that and more ... much more.

Brit Hume Bashes Mitt Romney For Climate Flip-Flop

Brit Hume says Mitt Romney has run past his quota of flip-flops after changing his position on man-made global warming

Eliica 370 km/h electric car

With hybrid cars gaining popularity with manufacturers and consumers alike, Keio University have developed a prototype electric car which can reach speeds in excess of 370 km/h. This version of the car is able to go from zero to 100km/h in 4 seconds, and using Lithium-Ion batteries can travel 200km. Each of the cars 8 wheels are connected to an electric motor which can deliver a combined 640hp.

Painting Your Roof White Doesn't Work Against Climate Change

Painting roofs white has been--like changing lightbulbs--one of the well-cited easy ways out of climate change. By reflecting more light and heat back to the atmosphere, a white roof should act like a natural anti-warming device, while also reducing your energy costs by keeping your house cool in the summer. Turns out, painting your roof white would be simply a massive waste of white paint.

Source: Fast Company

Seeds of Freedom Trailer

Global agriculture has changed more in the past 50 years than in the previous 10,000. Nowhere is this conflict more poignant than in the story of seed. This is the trailer for the film Seeds of Freedom, to be launched in early 2012. The film explores the history of the corporate takeover of seed, and the impact that this is having on communities across the world. The loss of indigenous seed goes hand in hand with the loss of biodiversity, the loss of cultural traditions and practices, the loss of livelihoods and the loss of independence in agriculture.

Photo Competition by Adaptation Fund: Adaption to Climate Change

In an effort to raise awareness on the importance of adapting to the adverse effects of climate change, the Adaptation Fund invites you to demonstrate what adaptation means to you.

The best three images will be selected by a jury composed of: Cristina Algarra, IPADE Foundation Pedro Armestre, Photographer Marco Gordillo, Manos Unidas NGO, Sofía Moro, Photographer.

All entries must be received by November 22, 2011. The winners of the contest will be announced at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Durban, South Africa at the Adaptation Fund Side Event.

Read more at: Adaptation Fund

The Adaptation Fund has been established by the Parties to the Kyoto Protocol of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to finance concrete adaptation projects and programmes in developing countries that are Parties to the Kyoto Protocol.

Adapting to coastal erosion in Senegal

Coastal erosion and sea level rise are the main threats to the livelihood of the population of Saly Portudal, mainly depending from fishery and tourism. This is one of the three villages on the coast of Senegal that benefits from the adaptation project for vulnerable zones against coastal erosion, funded by the Adaptation Fund.

The Future Makers: Concentrated Solar Power and Energy Storage

"One hour of sunlight could provide enough power for the world's industrial energy needs for one year... The research group here at the University of NSW started in the mid-70's and by the end of the 70's we'd established a bit of a reputation because we could make solar cells that had very high voltage output. Our group sort of shot to international attention because we were doing very much better than anyone else on this one parameter." Professor Martin Green

"I think that in the future as the price of both thin film and standard screen printed solar cells comes down, we're going to see them being integrated everywhere. People will all of a sudden realise that its absolutely ridiculous to build buildings without using photovoltaics on your windows, or on your roof" Nicole Kuepper, PhD Student UNSW and Eureka Prize Winner

It took me 2 and a half years to finish my PhD. I remember very clearly, it was about 5 o'clock in the afternoon, I took my sample...and the first time I succeeded in growing continuous poly crystalline silicon thin film on glass, I was so excited. At that moment, I said "I got my PhD degree."
Unfortunately there was nobody there to share the happiness with me, but that was one of the many moments I experienced with excitement at the University of NSW. Its very important to share collaboration of new ideas, and allow the commercialisation of those new ideas." Dr Zhengrong Shi

The Future Makers: Solar Thermal Power

With recent attention on global warming, there's been a big focus on the problem, but what about the solutions? The Future Makers tells the story of key Australians leading the way on the world stage in renewable energy. Some are designing a future based on models in nature. Others are creating a sustainable energy model for a 21st C economy. People creating solutions that won't cost the earth.



"Solar Thermal electricity uses the sun's heat to actually make steam or make a very hot fluid...to turn a turbine and create electricity. Our technology is effectively just changing the boiler in such a system. Instead of using a nuclear boiler, we use a solar boiler. There are far more solar turbines on order throughout the world than there are nuclear turbines. Its just happened all of a sudden. And we also see timelines of plant installation which are between 2 and 4 years from the shaking of the hands, and nuclear's lucky to have 7 or 8 years". Dr David Mills

"The market for solar thermal electricity around the world is just enormous. We are currently concentrating on the Californian area and in the very near future, we'll see developments in Australia. The next big area, is likely to be North Africa, supplying power into Europe. There's already electrical cables across the Mediterranean, where that can be fed into. Then there are the western deserts of China which have the potential to be a major solar resource." Emeritus Professor Graham Morrison.



The Futurre Makers: Biomimicry Wave Power

"Bio-mimicry at heart, is innovation inspired by nature. It's a process of learning from, and then emulating, life's blueprints, recipes, and relationship strategies."

"Its accepted that there's more than 5,000 times the world's current power usage in the oceans. Now that's all forms of energy, its tidal, waves, currents, temperature and salinity gradients. Just the waves that break on our coastlines alone is about twice the world's current power usage, so even to utilise a small fraction of that is going to be very meaningful"

"We're seeing more interest, more demand for large scale installations, and eventually, you will see large wave/tidal farms. Its gone past the point of being speculative and an emergent technology. I firmly believe its on the verge of widespread acceptance.

For our designs, by looking at nature, we could see ways that natural structures alleviate excess forces. They bend over when the waves are too large and they move in a natural, streamlined manner, with the wave forces. We borrow some of that aspect of these natural systems. We integrate it into our designs, and thereby can make very lightweight, flexible structures that are more cost effective".

Global Wind Day: A Full Size Wind Turbine on the Schuman Roundabout in Brussels

The building of a full size wind turbine blade on the Schuman roundabout in Brussels, right in front of European Union buildings. It has been put up to mark Global Wind Day on 15 June and the beginning of the EU's Green Week (1-4 June).

20% Renewable Energy in the European Union by 2020

Osmotic Power: Where Fresh Water Meets Salt Water

A secure renewable energy: a modern power





Population Connection: "World Population"

A Graphic Simulation of the History of Human Population Growth

How Many People Have Ever Lived on Earth?

The question of how many people have ever lived on Earth is a perennial one among information calls to PRB. One reason the question keeps coming up is that somewhere, at some time back in the 1970s, a now-forgotten writer made the statement that 75 percent of the people who had ever been born were alive at that moment. This factoid has had a long shelf life, even though a bit of reflection would show how unlikely it is.

For this "estimate" to be true would mean either that births in the 20th century far, far outnumbered those in the past or that there were an extraordinary number of extremely old people living in the 1970s. But if we judge the idea that three-fourths of people who ever lived are alive today to be a ridiculous statement, have demographers come up with a better estimate? What might be a reasonable estimate of the actual percentage? In this video, PRB senior visiting scholar Carl Haub, with some speculation concerning prehistoric populations, approaches a guesstimate of this elusive number.

7 Billion and Counting

Global population trends result from varying levels of population growth and decline among countries. This informative video provides a simple and compelling overview of population trends that have created a world of 7 billion people.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Early snow warns of harsher US winter

In parts of the US, snow has arrived more than a month earlier that its usual first appearance. Although the levels do not compare to usual winter standards, the early start could be a harbinger of rougher weather to come. The Farmer's Almanac, famous for its long-range weather predictions, says the winter of 2011-2012 will be unusually cold and stormy across the US. The National Weather Service agrees, blaming the cyclical weather phenomenon known as La Nina.

TEDxWWF 2011: The New Sweet Spot - And How to Find It by Rory Sutherland

Rory will share with us his views on how the most interesting scientific work nowadays comes often not from within a single discipline but from the happy collision of different fields. In the same way the most interesting business ideas may come from a new combination of old approaches. Rory Sutherland is the Vice Chairman of the Ogilvy Group

TEDxWWF 2011: Lessons from the Sea by Isabelle Autissier

Having had the opportunity to sail around the world, solo, four times, Isabelle has been profoundly moved by her experiences. She will share with us some of the things that the sea has taught her about life and living on our planet.

TEDxWWF 2011: What Nature Can Teach Us About Design by Jane Fulton-Suri

As designers we're inspired by looking at the world. Most often we take an exclusively human-centered view, but we'll learn more if we broaden that view to include the natural world. If we're curious and look carefully, nature will teach us to design for human needs and desires in more elegant and sustainable ways. Jane Fulton Suri is Managing Partner and Creative Director at IDEO

An Integrated Spirulina Algae Microfarm in France

EcoDomaine Ferme de Bouquetot is located 3 km from the Normandy Coast. This experimental integrated farm has four 50 m2 algae ponds. One pond is grown on organic nutrients from a biogas digestor. Ponds are heated, covered and insulated to retain warmth.

TEDxWWF 2011: Creativity versus climate change by James Alexander

What if creativity and smart marketing could be combined to help inspire people to lead a greener life? James will show us how it could be done.

Village Spirulina Farm in West Africa

An historical video of the integrated village system pioneered by Dr. Ripley Fox in Farende Togo in 1988. This remote village participated in an experimental project growing spirulina. Solar panels charged batteries to drive paddlewheels. A small 100 m2 basin could grow enough to supplement the diet of 100 children a day. Pouring pond water through a screen, spirulina became a thick paste, then was loaded in a solar dryer. Dried algae was distributed at the health clinic. Undernourished children took spirulina as a daily supplement. One tablespoon a day mixed with water brought remarkable results.

TEDXOkanaganCollege: A History of Design by Brenda Martens

Brenda Martens has worked in the building industry for over 20 years, and is a practitioner, educator and advocate in the field of green building and sustainability. Brenda looks at the history of design related to green building.

Algaewheel: Algae Production System

TEDxWWF 2011: Is the world's current economic model really sustainable? by Will Day

Will Day, a thought leader in sustainability, looks at what we currently understand of global trends, particularly focusing on issues like population, water and ecosystem health. He will also share his analysis of the the perverse incentives in the current model by which we live - the things we measure, things we value, and the short term nature of our demands. This all calls into question the ability of the planet to support a high consumption lifestyle for 9+ billion people.

New York 'Occupy' demonstrators battle cold as storm moves in #OccupyWallStreet

An early snowstorm has made its way up the northeast coast of the US, and is now proving to be a challenge for the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators who have set up camp in New York's financial district. The snow is predicted to be between five to 10 cm over the next 24 hours. Tents started to spring up earlier this week but many people are still sleeping under makeshift tarpaulins, exposed to the weather. Volunteer medics say hypothermia is already a problem.

Hydroelectic Power: How it Works

Power Outages From East Coast Snowstorm Top 2.3M

An unusually powerful nor'easter dumped wet, heavy snow Saturday on parts of the mid-Atlantic region, weighing down or toppling leafy trees and power lines and knocking out electricity for more than 2.3 million as it headed toward New England.



Yep, that's climate change

Urban Green Energy's Eddy Wind Turbine

Roof-mounted eddy, one of UGE's innovative vertical axis wind turbines, spinning calmly by the beach.

Commercial Spirulina Algae Farm in Thailand

Boonsom Spirulina Farm in Chiang Mai Thailand offers an algae farm tour, spirulina health spa and Green Diamond supplements. Featuring novel spirulina foods, waffles, ice cream, beer and facial masks.

Occupy Baltimore Wins Support of Police and Fire Fighters Unions #OccupyWallStreet

Occupy Baltimore Takes on Public Education System

Russia calls it time on putting clocks back

Many European countries are putting their clocks back one hour this weekend for the winter. But Russia has decided to stay on summer time this year, and will not change their clocks back one hour. Its hoped the an extra bit of daylight in the afternoon, there will be less crime, lower electricity bills and Russians will feel just a little bit happier.

Algae Bioreactor: Incredible Oil Production

Micro-algae consumes organic waste and absorbs sunlight to produce oil.

Greening The Most Unlikely Items

Waste not, want not - from landfills to sewage treatment plants, innovators around the country are working on ways to reduce humanity's environmental footprint and get more from our waste. This week, energyNOW! explores the ways people are "going green" in unlikely areas.

Trash Gas for Trash Trucks Natural resources may be limited, but humanity's consumption guarantees an abundance of one unlikely "resource" - garbage. On average, a typical American throws out about four pounds of trash per day, or more than 240 million tons of garbage every year. Most of that waste winds up in landfills and releases methane as it decomposes. But what if that gas could be harnessed as a clean energy source?

1,000 strip off for naked Dead Sea photo by Spencer Tunick

Spencer Tunick, who has photographed hundreds of people in the nude at landmarks including the Sydney Opera House and Mexico City's Zocalo Square photographed over 1,000 naked people floating in one of the world's saltiest seas.

The Boardwalk Hybrid Wind and Solar Powered Streetlamp by Urban Green Energy

The Boardwalk operates completely on wind and solar energy. The components include a 60 watt LED light powered by a 600 watt eddy vertical axis wind turbine (VAWT) and a 150 watt solar panel. The Boardwalk's distinguishing feature is its old-fashioned and traditional design, reminiscent of the gas streetlights from the 1900s. The Boardwalk is a completely off-grid lighting solution that is perfect for parks, pathways, and quaint passageways.

Eco-Urban Sculpture, art for a sustainable future

Orlando De Urrutia Architecture & Sustainable Urbanism has designed the Sensory Eco Urban Sculpture, which it defines as a new creative concept for the current times where new materials are used to create interactive spaces where the viewer can not only admire the artwork but can also feel and interact with it.

It is constructed using recyclable materials that do not alter the environment, whether urban or natural, where it is located. It also includes renewable energy sources, including solar, wind, water and land.

Source: LiveGreen Blog

Saturday, October 29, 2011

Sanya Hybrid Streetlamp by Urban Green Energy

A Sanya streetlight by UGE spins calmly in the Korean coast. The streetlamp sees an eddy vertical axis wind turbine dancing in the wind and is complemented by a 150 W solar panel

Algae Photo Bio Reactor

Each element of a hanging gardens photobioreactor is designed to follow the sun's rays, like the sunflower and other heliotropic plants, in order to optimise the use of light. No part of the culture is ever in the shade. This optimisation can increase natural light input by 10-15%.

Plantbook Laptop would recharge through electrolysis 

Designers Seunggi Baek and Hyerim Kim have come up with an amazing, new, eco-friendly laptop computer concept inspired by the workings of the bamboo plant, which soaks up nutrients when emerged in water.

The device consists of a cylindrical structure, with two very thin rollout screens for the keyboard and monitor. To recharge, simply roll the Plantbook back into a cylinder and soak it in a beaker of water where it obtains energy from hydrogen generated by electrolysis. In the processes, it even gives off oxygen!

The energy necessary for electrolysis is provided by a solar heat plate attached to the top of the device. A leaf shape illuminated by a green LED indicates how far along the battery is in the charging process. The notebook’s green color is meant to reflect its intrinsic environmental-friendliness.

Source: LiveGreen Blog

+ Pool makes swimming in NYC’s rivers possible

Unmanned travel pods at Heathrow Airport

On demand, unmanned, laser guided travel pods are now transporting passengers to and from the terminals at London's Heathrow Airport.

Spirulina: The Amazing Algae

Biofuel Production using Microalgae

First Commercial Spirulina Farm in California

This historical video of Earthrise Farms, the first US spirulina algae farm, was made in 1983 shortly after Earthrise began operations in the Imperial Valley of Southern California. With several expansions into the 1990s, Earthrise Farms grew into the world's largest spirulina farm on over 40 hectares, with a capacity of over 500 tons of spray dried spirulina powder per year.

Speakers wall made from 1000 recycled loudspeakers by Benoit Maubrey

During the ACCROCHE-COEURS festival in Angers/France the SPEAKERS WALL (MUR SONORE) Project was realized by Benoit Maubrey. For this electroacoustic sculpture he used an original segment of the Berlin Wall and extend it with 1000 recycled loudspeakers, radios, and amplifiers. People can call up the sculpture and talk through it for 3 minutes. The whole sculpture amplifies peoples‘ statements and functions as a „Speakers Corner“ through which people can talk through.

Open UNESCO

A world with seven billion people

This is how we prepare for a sustainable future: by helping build cities worth living in.

OWS wants Wall Street to hit 'Share' button #OccupyWallStreet

As thousands continue to protest across America as part of the anti-corporate 'Occupy' movement, the mainstream media's at pains to point out there's a lack of a unified agenda. Lori Harfenist returned to where it all started in New York, to discover that every demonstrator has a special something to say to Wall Street.

Underwater Art Exhibit Debuts on Artificial Reef Off Key West

An underwater art exhibit has debuted on a former Air Force missile tracking ship sunk in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary seven miles south of Key West to become an artificial reef.

Austrian art photographer Andreas Franke is exhibiting a dozen digitally composited images on the Gen. Hoyt S. Vandenberg that was scuttled in May 2009. The 4- by 5-foot photographs stretch along some 200 linear feet on the starboard side of the Vandenberg's weather deck, 93 feet below the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.

Franke photographed the wreck last year. He digitally added other elements to the images to create the artwork. One picture depicts a girl wielding a butterfly net to capture fish shown in an original underwater image of the wreck. In another, kick boxers compete adjacent to one of Vandenberg's iconic tracking dishes. The 20-square-foot images are encased in plexiglass and mounted in stainless steel frames sealed with silicone. A project organizer said Sunday he hopes the exhibition will remain in place through the end of the year.

The Toilet Bike Neo runs on human poop by TOTO

The Japanese toilet maker TOTO created "Toilet Bike Neo", which moves with BIO-GAS converted by human poop. The bike travels around Japan and promoting their environmental action "TOTO GREEN CHALLENGE".

The Banker: Be a Robin Hoodie

Be a Robin Hoodie. Sir Ben Kingsley, Noel Clarke (Kidulthood, Dr Who), Tom Felton (Harry Potter) Joe Dempsie (Skins), Blake Harrison (The Inbetweeners) and Jaime Winstone (Kidulthood) star in new campaign film for the Robin Hood Tax.

Next Generation of Solar Cells

Pollution and cost from carbon-based fuels like oil are driving scientists and engineers to find simple and cheap ways to produce renewable solar energy. Join UW's Dr. Cody Schlenker at the October Eastside Science Café to discover how the next generation of solar cells could revolutionize the way we think about the role of carbon in everything from smart phones to water purification.

GE To Supply 350 Wind Turbines To BP Wind Energy For U.S. Projects

BP Wind Energy will purchase 350 General Electric 1.6-MW wind turbines for U.S. wind farm projects being developed in 2011 and 2012. Total value of the equipment orders and a five-year services agreement is about $750 million.

GE's wind turbines will generate more than 560 MW of electrical power for the projects. BP Wind Energy placed two wind turbine orders with GE—the first for 88 units and second for 262—for delivery in 2011 and 2012, respectively. BP Wind Energy's Mehoopany Wind Farm, to be developed in Scranton, Pa., will use GE's 1.6-82.5 technology. The company's Flat Ridge 2 Wind Farm will be built using 262 GE 1.6-100 wind turbines and will be located 43 miles southwest of Wichita, Kan.

Arizona Public Service Co. and First Solar have completed 17-MW Paloma Solar Power Plant in Arizona as part of the AZ Sun Program. The solar facility consists of 275,000 thin-film photovoltaic panels mounted on fixed-tilt steel supports. Under the AZ Sun Program, APS plans to invest in the development of 100 MW of turn-key, utility-scale solar photovoltaic power plants across Arizona. The four-year program is expected to have 100 MW online by 2014 and create more than 1,000 Arizona construction jobs. AES announce commercial operation of 98-wind facility, 32-MW energy storage project in West Virginia

AES Wind Generation and AES Energy Storage have announced the commercial operation of AES Laurel Mountain project in West Virginia. The project includes a 98-MW wind plant and 32-MW of integrated battery-based energy storage. The project will supply emissions-free renewable energy and clean, flexible, operating reserve capacity to the PJM Interconnection. The 32-MW advanced storage project provides PJM with regulation service, delivering instantaneous response to grid operator requests for power, helping to match generation and demand.

AES Laurel Mountain consists of 61 GE 1.6 MW wind turbine generators and 32-MW of A123 Systems energy storage devices. The 61 wind turbines are mounted on 80-meter towers deployed along a 13-mile stretch of Laurel Mountain located in Randolph and Barbour counties near Elkins, West Virginia.

The design and construction of the site will be managed by SOLON in conjunction with Tucson Electric Power and the Arizona Research Institute for Solar Energy at the University of Arizona. Saft's state-of-the-art Li-ion battery will provide various grid-support services, including reducing renewable output power volatility, optimizing renewable power performance and VAR support, among other functions. Deliveries for the 2-year project are set to begin end of 2011.

Located at the University of Arizona's Science and Technology Park in Tucson, the SMRT site will be attached to a 1.6-MW solar plant developed by SOLON. Saft's battery will work in conjunction with SMA America's utility-grade power management solution, which is based on its Sunny Central and Sunny Island solar inverter technology.

Humanix iSave SC1, the soft electric car

Israeli OWS: 'Social Justice' rally returns to streets #OccupyWallStreet

A massive protest for economic justice is expected to take place in the Israeli capital in just a few hours. RT goes live to Tel Aviv to speak with Israeli-American columnist and writer Bradley Burston.

We will we will occupy Wall Street, occupy Wall Street, occupy Wall Street #OccupyWallStreet

OWS protesters marched to five banks in Manhattan on October 28, delivering thousands of "angry letters" - in the form of paper airplanes. Protesters targeted Chase, Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Wells Fargo and Citigroup in their "mass paper airplane throwing" event. Other gathered in the New York subway, shouting "Occupy the MTA!" and "No fare for the unemployed!" Some dressed up in Robin Hood costumes as part of a campaign for a financial transaction tax to redistribute wealth.

The Pirates of Europe and the Big Bazooka

Just for fun, a compilation of the official video footage of the October 2011 European Council on the euro crisis.

Occupy Winter: OWS left out in the cold #OccupyWallStreet

Hundreds of Occupy Wall Street activists will have to battle plummeting temperatures, as well as corporate greed, without any power supply. New York authorities have confiscated generators and fuel from their camp in Lower Manhattan, citing fire safety concerns.

Risking life for America... at OWS? #OccupyWallStreet

Police heavy-handedness in dealing with the Occupy Wall Street protesters, has dominated recent headlines. When Iraq war veteran Scott Olsen was badly injured during an Occupy Oakland rally earlier this week, the incident quickly went viral on the net. And as RT's Anastasia Churkina reports, the movement is now attracting people from all walks of American life.

Stunning Tokyo Time Lapse Video by Samuel Cockedey

A tribute to Ridley Scott and Vangelis, whose atmospheric work on Blade Runner has been a huge source of inspiration in my shooting time lapses, as well as for entire generations of filmmakers. I hope this will make many of you want to revisit (or discover if you haven't yet) this genre-defining movie. Shot roughly over a year in Tokyo with a Canon 5dmk2, mainly in the Shinjuku area.

The Queen Going Green?

Queen Elizabeth wants stop wasting energy in family's residences in the UK.

TEDxSantaCruz 2011: Trustology by Gonan & Johan Premfors

Gonan and Johan are the main drivers behind the coaching and human consciousness movement on the Arabian Peninsula. Both are faculty members of the Coaches Training Institute (San Rafael, Ca.) They are the founders of Parentology, a relationship philosophy and series of workshops, currently delivered on four continents. Johan and Gonan have worked with thousands of people including business leaders, families, professional athletes, and governments.

Gonan is from Istanbul, Turkey but has lived in Dubai since 1988 where she enjoyed a long career in finance before embarking on the human development path in 2005 by bringing the Coaches Training Institute and professional coaching to the Arabian Peninsula. Johan is from Stockholm, Sweden but grew up in Pakistan, Kenya and Turkey. He is a former private banker turned telecommunications entrepreneur and later professional coach. They live in Dubai with their teenage daughter.

Robin Hood on the Road: Bill Nighy Visits A Food Bank

The number of food banks in the UK has quadrupled in the last few years. The majority of people who use them are in work. As part of the Robin on the Road trip Bill Nighy visits one.

Study: Japan nuke radiation higher than estimated

The Fukushima nuclear disaster released twice as much of a dangerous radioactive substance into the atmosphere as Japanese authorities estimated, reaching 40 percent of the total from Chernobyl, a preliminary report says.

The estimate of much higher levels of radioactive cesium-137 comes from a worldwide network of sensors. Study author Andreas Stohl of the Norwegian Institute for Air Research says the Japanese government estimate came only from data in Japan, and that would have missed emissions blown out to sea.

Read more at: 3 News

World First: Samsung Africa Introduces Solar-Powered Internet

Samsung Africa launched its Solar Powered Internet School model at the Samsung Engineering Academy. The project is designed particularly for use in remote rural areas with limited to no access to the national grid.

Each Solar Powered Internet School is built in a 40 ft long shipping container, making them easily transportable via truck to remote areas. Fold-away solar panels provide enough energy to power the classroom’s equipment for up to nine hours a day, and for one and a half days without any sunlight. The solar-panels themselves are made from rubber instead of glass to ensure they are hardy and durable enough to survive long journeys across the continent.

Source: Alternative Energy Africa

Nissan Electrifies LCVs at Tokyo Truck Show

Nissan unveiled three LCVs at the Tokyo Truck Show today, each variations of the Atlas F24 light-duty truck that tap advanced battery and other technologies used in the LEAF electric vehicle.

The launch of NASA's newest Earth-observing satellite: NPP

This episode of This Week @NASA also features stories on the Expedition 29 crew as they prepare for the November flight to the International Space Station, the latest in a series of tests to certify the Orion spacecraft's readiness for water landings, a look at the most complete digital topographic map of Earth ever produced, and the James Webb Telescope pleases the crowd at the Baltimore Harbor.

CNN Promotes Keystone XL Tar Sands Pipeline

Oil company propaganda by oil addicted CNN?

Heavy Rain Expected in Sri Lanka

According to Meteorological Department Heavy Rain expected in the next few days in many areas of Sri Lanka. Met Department states that 5 people got killed due to lightening and request public be aware of lightening and not to use electrical goods at the time of lightening .

Source: Earth Lanka

Saran Renewable Energy in India: A biomass gasifying plant in Bihar

Saran Renewable Energy in India has set up a biomass gasifying plant in Bihar to supply energy to local businesses plagued by constant electricity cuts and reliant on noisy, dirty diesel generators. They won an Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy in 2009.

The Banker and The Robin Hood Tax

Campaign video by Richard Curtis and Bill Nighy, about the Robin Hood Tax, a tiny tax on bank transactions that could raise hundreds of billions for public services and to tackle poverty and climate change at home and around the world.



http://www.robinhoodtax.org

Inovateus Solar's Video at Solar Power International (SPI) 2011

This is the video Inovateus Solar LLC played at thier booth during Solar Power International 2011 in Dallas TX, featuring the GE's new line of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations.

Plastic Co. Solar Farm in North Kingstown

The World's Largest Offshore Wind Farm: Horns Rev 2 West off Denmark

Animation of proposed London Array Offshore Wind Farm: 1000 MW

Wind 101: FAQ about Offshore Wind Farms

Explore some of the challenges related to installing wind turbines in the sea and bringing the power on shore. Learn how to transport the off-shore wind energy to the power systems on land and find out why DC transmission is better than AC for connecting off-shore wind turbines to the land substations.

Dr. Helen Caldicott on Fukushima and the Perils of Nuclear Power

Earth Focus: Australian physician, author, and anti-nuclear activist Helen Caldicott discusses with Earth Focus correspondent Miles Benson what the Fukushima disaster really means for the health and future of the people of Japan. Dr. Caldicott also explains the links between nuclear power and public health in the United States and Europe. Dr. Caldicott received her medical degree from the University of Adelaide Medical School. In 1977, she joined the staff of Children's Hospital Medical Center in Boston and taught pediatrics at the Harvard Medical School from 1977 to 1978.

She served as President of Physicians for Social Responsibility, an organization of 23,000 doctors committed to educating others on the dangers of nuclear energy from 1978-1983. She also worked to establish similar groups focused on education about the risks of nuclear energy, nuclear weapons and nuclear war. One such group, International Physicians for Prevention of Nuclear War was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985. She is the author of seven books including: Nuclear Madness (1979); Missile Envy (1984); If You Love This Planet: A Plan to Heal the Earth (1992 and 2009); The New Nuclear Danger: George W. Bush's Military Industrial Complex (2001 and 2004) and Nuclear Power is Not the Answer to Global Warming or Anything Else (2006). The Smithsonian Institution named Dr. Caldicott as one of the most influential women of the 20th century.

Bangkok flood defences hold

The complex networks of flood defences erected to shield Thailand's capital from the country's worst floods in nearly 60 years are holding, as coastal high tides hit their peak.

Friday, October 28, 2011

Back to the Start

Coldplay's haunting classic 'The Scientist' is performed by country music legend Willie Nelson for the soundtrack of the short film entitled, "Back to the Start." Download the song now available on iTunes. Label and proceeds benefit The Chipotle Cultivate Foundation. http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-scientist-single/id458479961

The film, by film-maker Johnny Kelly, depicts the life of a farmer as he slowly turns his family farm into an industrial animal factory before seeing the errors of his ways and opting for a more sustainable future. Both the film and the soundtrack were commissioned by Chipotle to emphasize the importance of developing a sustainable food system.

WikiLeaks Funding Killed By Corporations

Companies such as PayPal, MasterCard, Visa and Western Union have not let their customers use their services to donate money to the Julian Assange founded WikiLeaks. Ana Kasparian and Cenk Uygur discuss on The Young Turks.

Ocean Energy Power Buoy Animation Video by ACRE

Australian centre for renewable energy (ACRE) animated video, explaining the benefits of ocean energy and power buoys.

"No more Nuclear Power" 100 Women from Fukushima. A sit-in Action in Tokyo

"No more Nuclear Power" "Evacuate children living in contaminated areas" 100 women from Fukushima will be sitting in front of Agency of Ministry and Trade located in Tokyo, giving a peaceful appeal for three days. Another 100 from all areas in Japan will be sitting from 10/30-11/5.

The 2050 EU Energy Road Map: EU Must Shift to Renewable Energy; Manufacturers Embrace Sustainability

The 2050 energy road map for the European Union to be published by the end of this year will conclude that the EU must make a drastic shift from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. A draft of the proposed plan notes that because of this change, electricity prices will rise until 2030 as the renewable sources are brought up to scale, but will become cheaper over time. The draft report notes that alternative energy will not only curb emissions but also restrict exposure to volatile fossil fuel prices and vulnerability to imported oil and gas supplies.

The importance of sustainability to manufacturers has increased dramatically over the last two years, according to a study by American Small Manufacturers Coalition. The 2011 Next Generation Manufacturing Study, conducted by the Manufacturing Performance Institute, reports that 59 percent of manufacturers now rate sustainability as important to their success, up from 35 percent in 2009. 27 percent of manufacturers now see themselves as at a "world class" level of sustainability, up from 7 percent in 2009.

Sheep Keep Grass Around District's Solar Panels Trim

The Carlisle Area School District paid about $2 million for the solar panels and other funding came from a grant. District officials expect the panels to pay for themselves in about eight years.

Dutch 2012 Orphiro Electric Bike



Source: Anders Bekeken

The electric bicycle e-RockIT

Great, never seen before.

BMW ActiveE 2011 Electric Car Field Test

BMW is about to launch another electric-vehicle field test, this time a two-year lease on the Active E, an electrified version of the two-door BMW 1 Series coupe. BMW claims the Active E has a 100-mile range.

GM Electric Motors 101 by Chevrolet

Honda Fit EV Concept: 2013 Honda Fit EV to debut at Los Angeles Auto Show

Honda will roll out the production version of the 2013 Fit EV at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show in mid-November.

Iberdrola In-Port Race Preview: Final Countdown Volvo Ocean Race 2011-2012

In Alicante, Europe, the final countdown to this years Volvo Ocean Race is well underway!

2012 Volvo Ocean Race, the Teaser

This year is the 11th edition, it will start on October 29 2011 from Alicante in Spain to end in Galway, Ireland 9 months later! Six crews of 11 people will compete on 39,000 nautical miles (72228km) making only eight stops!

Robin Hood Gatecrashes the Bankers' Bash

Robin Hood Tax campaigners sneaked into the bankers' summer party to find out about The City's excesses.

Sam West Asks What Have the Banks Done To Life in Britain?

Sam West talks about the effects of the economic crisis on people in the UK

The Robin Hood Tax

Small change for the banks, big difference for the world. A tiny fee on the trade in financial transactions paid by banks, not by people it would raise billions of dollars for fighting poverty and climate change at home and around the world. http://www.robinhoodtax.org

Born Dealers: An All New Series on Planet Green

Tune in Saturday, November 5 at 10 pm and visit planetgreen.com for more!

Bill Gates on energy: Innovating to zero!

At TED2010, Bill Gates unveils his vision for the world's energy future, describing the need for "miracles" to avoid planetary catastrophe and explaining why he's backing a dramatically different type of nuclear reactor. The necessary goal? Zero carbon emissions globally by 2050.

The Empty Menu

IBM THINK Forum: Making the World Work Better by Bridget van Kralingen

Bridget van Kralingen, General Manager, IBM North America discusses Making the World Work Better at the IBM THINK Forum

Fukushima women peacefully protest nuclear

Women from Fukushima hold a three day sit-in in Tokyo calling for the permanent evacuation of at-risk children in areas of high radiation - and also the permanent shut down of nuclear reactors currently switched off in Japan.

Cylindrical Mirror Optical Illusions On The iPad

Euro leaders agree on euro crisis deal: A 50% "haircut" on Greece's sovereign debt

After more than 7 hours of negotiations, on Thursday euro zone leaders managed to secure a deal with the bank sector of a 50% "haircut" on Greece's sovereign debt.

"The agreement includes a voluntary contribution by private creditors who had lent to Greece", Van Rompuy said. The president of the European Council also stated that the objective of such loss is to reduce Greece's debt by 120% of its GDP by 2020.

A bank recapitalization of 106 millions has also been agreed on. French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said in a press conference that the results come as a global "relief" for the "whole world". "the whole world was expecting a decision that was strong from the eurozone", said the French president.

Communities Smashed By Flooding In Honduras

A rash of flooding in Central America has submerged many poor communities in Honduras. While many families have lost everything to the flood waters, WFP is working to ensure that no one goes hungry.

Mitt Romney: 'We Don't Know What's Causing Climate Change'

Speaking at the Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh, PA, Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney reverses an earlier stance and rejects man-made global warming.

World's 7 Billionth Person Has 1 In 7 Odds Of Being Hungry

This year we welcome a seven billionth person into the world knowing that there is one in seven chance that person will be born into hunger. Nearly a billion people in the world go to bed hungry each night. Yet there are more than twice as many people online. You are one of them. Just think what we could achieve if all two billion of us came together to take a stand against hunger.

NASA Launches New Weather and Climate Change Monitoring Satellite

After a five-year delay, an Earth-observing satellite launches to test new technologies aimed at improving weather forecasts and monitoring climate change.

Cradle to Cradle Festival 2011: The Next Industrial Revolution

Stevia Helps Rice Grow in Tsunami Ravaged Paddies

B&L Corporation has succeeded in producing 5,400 kg of rice per hectare in paddy fields that were inundated by seawater from the tsunami due to the East Japan Earthquake. This cultivation trial was done in Ishinomaki in Miyagi, using an agricultural preparation called Farm-A.

Farm-A is a concentrated, matured liquid made only from stevia, a perennial plant indigenous to Paraguay. It contains 0.2% nitrogen, 0.2% phosphate, and 1.1% potassium. Stevia is usually used as a sweetener, but B&L has used a unique fermentation process to increase stevia's effectiveness as an agricultural preparation. Farm-A is the only product made by fermenting stevia.

Voices and photos from the Heart of Borneo

The 'Voices from the Heart of Borneo' exhibition features photos taken by people living in remote Borneo who have never used a camera before. Through their images, they tell their stories and create visual documentation about nature, culture, village life, and other issues of interest and concern.

The photographs are a way to communicate indigenous knowledge and concerns to international organizations, government officials, and others making plans for the future.

Presentation System Inserts Presenter Into Presentation

Presentation System Inserts Presenter Into Presentation

Thousands flee Bangkok floods: A 5-Day Public Holiday

The government in Thailand has declared a 5-day public holiday to allow people to move to safety as flood waters reach the centre of Bangkok.

The government in Thailand has declared a 5-day public holiday to allow people to move to safety as flood waters reach the centre of Bangkok.

Occupy Wall Street in Context by Duke University #OccupyWallStreet

Robert Korstad, a Duke University professor of history and public policy, takes viewer questions during a live "Office Hours" conversation October 27, 2011, on how the current Occupy movement compares with post social movements. He is joined by Duke sophomore Anastasia Karklina, a participant in the Occupy Duke demonstration.

Eurozone strikes debt deal

European leaders have reached an agreement on the debt crisis sweeping across many countries of the continent in an emergency summit held in Brussels.

But there are many questions on how the debt deal will be implemented, which calls for capitalisation of banks, write-off by private bond-holders of Greek debt and leverage of European rescue fund to $1.4 trillion.

There are lots of details which Europe's leaders have not yet addressed like how the banks will raise all the extra money, and will the rescue fund really work? The leaders have brought themselves time; a significant achievement, but not the end of the story.

Electric Walking Aid With Fall Prevention And Power Assist Technology

Murata Manufacturing have developed a prototype version of an electric walking assistance car. This product uses the technology used in Murata's promotional robots, Murata Seisaku-kun and Murata Seiko-chan, which prevent them from falling over.

TEDxWinnipeg 2011: The Future of Learning, Let's Change Everything by Khal Shariff

Khal Shariff - Entrepreneur, CEO Project Whitecarde: How do we use computer game technology in traditionally non-game friendly industries? A new paradigm has been created for informing and personal enrichment, which is visually stunning and exceptionally compelling, and will benefit people from around the world. And we are just on the cusp of its true potential.

Project Whitecard has received worldwide recognition for ground breaking success using your kids favourite video game technology to "turn swords into plowshares". The Robomath instructional game will reach over 1.25million kids this year, making it the second largest distribution of a single learning software title in the world. Specializing in 3D visualization conveying complex data and information, Project Whitecard products are sought after by NASA and the Canadian Space Agency, as well as government and industry around the world.

Scott Miller: Helping People out of Poverty

Over 300 New Species Found in the Philippines by the California Academy of Sciences

The California Academy of Sciences recently launched an expedition to the Philippines, where they discovered over 300 new species and encountered some unexpected problems.

TEDxAmoskeagMillyard 2011: Unexpected Myths about Agricultural Sustainability by Gary Hirshberg

Gary Hirshberg is the husband of writer Meg Hirshberg and the father of three yogurt eaters. He is President, and CE-Yo of Stonyfield Farm, the world's leading organic yogurt producer, and the author of Stirring It Up: How to Make Money and Save the World (Hyperion, 2008). Gary frequently speaks on topics including sustainability, organic agriculture and the profitability of green business.

Since 1983, Gary has overseen Stonyfield's growth, from its infancy as a seven-cow organic farming school to its current $370 million in annual sales. Stonyfield has enjoyed a compounded annual growth rate of over 23% for more than 19 years, by consistently producing great-tasting products and using innovative marketing that blends the company's social, environmental, and financial missions. Stonyfield entered into a partnership with Groupe Danone in 2001, and Gary is now Managing Director of Stonyfield Europe, with organic brands in Canada, Ireland, and France.

Recycled Island by WHIM

Recycled island is a proposal to recycle plastic litter in the ocean to a new floating habitat. A prototype can be built from coastal pollution. The video gives a brief introduction on the design concept.

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Tens of thousands evacuate flood-hit areas in Bangkok with a smile

Tens of thousands of people are trying to leave the Thai capital as floodwaters begin to rise. Bangkok's governor has ordered evacuations for two northern districts in the city.

From #OccupyWallStreet: Get Off Oil Now

What an 85-year-old man believes is the future our economy needs. Take in October 2011, from Occupy Wall Street in Zuccotti Park (Liberty Park), Manhattan, New York. A protest against the banks, the market, debt and lack of jobs.

Senator Barbara Mikulski Opens Webb Telescope Exhibit

With luminaries from political, science and technology fields looking on, NASA's Deputy Administrator Lori Garver joined U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.) for a special dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony of a permanent exhibit of NASA's James Webb Space Telescope at the Maryland Science Center in Baltimore.

ISS Cameras Capture New Views of Hurricane Rina

From an altitude of 248 miles, external cameras on the International Space Station captured new views of Hurricane Rina at 3:18 p.m. EDT on Oct. 26, 2011, as the storm churned 180 miles south-southeast of Cozumel, Mexico. At the time the ISS passed overhead, Rina had been downgraded to a Category 1 hurricane, packing winds of 85 miles an hour. The National Hurricane Center is forecasting Rina to turn to the northeast toward the northwest coast of Cuba over the weekend after it passes north of the Yucatan Peninsula.

Former Top Wall Streeter Denies Insider Trading #OccupyWallStreet

A former board member of Goldman Sachs and Procter & Gamble pleaded not guilty Wednesday to federal charges accusing him of acting as "the illegal eyes and ears in the boardroom" for a friend

Meet the 0.01 Percent: War Profiteers #OccupyWallStreet

Help give your local Occupy group the tools they need to fight corporate power. War industry CEOs make tens of millions of dollars a year, putting them in the top 0.01 percent of income earners in the U.S.

These guys use their corporations' massive lobbying dollars to keep their job-killing gravy train rolling. Last year, their companies spent a whopping $46 million on lobbying, corrupting our politics and ensuring that their bank accounts continue to fatten at our expense. These executives are some of the main reasons why we're wasting so much on war instead of rebuilding our own nation here at home.

1 of 7 Billion: A Global Film Competition by 7 Billion Actions


Film is uniquely powerful in bringing issues to life and putting a human face to the challenges facing the world – and their solutions. "1 of 7 Billion" is a global short film competition, organized by the 7 Billion Actions initiative and the Foundation 10.12.48. It is designed to inspire filmmakers everywhere to use their talents to explore one of the seven key issues targeted by 7 Billion Actions:
• Poverty and breaking the circle of inequality
• Empowerment and progress of women and girls
• Young people
• Reproductive health and rights
• Healthy environmental and healthy people
• Aging
• Urbanization-planning for growth.

Entries may be submitted through this platform or through the website of the Foundation 10.12.48 (www.fundacion101248.org), starting on October 31, 2011. The deadline for submissions will be 9pm EDT on February 15, 2012. Winners will be announced on 8 March, 2012, which is International Women’s Day.

Submission Requirements:
• Films must be in digital form.
• Films should be from 1 to 10 minutes in length, including credits.
• Entries must have English subtitles if presented in another language.
• The author of the piece will be responsible for the originality of the work.
• Each entry must focus on one or more of the 7 key issues of the 7 Billion Actions campaign.
• Each team or individual may submit up to two short films.
• Films must be accompanied by an online entry form.

The competition jury will be selected by 7 Billion Actions and the Foundation 10.12.48. It will include representatives from the film community, human rights organizations, and individuals who are active in promoting cultural events. The jury will choose ten finalists from the entries submitted. Then, through online voting, users will choose the three winners. Voting will take place from 16 February to 6 March 2012.

Read more at: 1 of 7 Billion

The International Bill of Human Rights: The Covenants

Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Passports

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

The Story of Human Rights

Thailand criticised over flood response

Thailand's prime minister has defended her government's handling of the country's flooding disaster. The floods have tested Yingluck Shinawatra who has been in power for just three months. Tens of thousands of people have been trying to flee the Thai capital, Bangkok, as authorities ordered evacuations in two northern districts of the capital.

Counting on Each Other in a World of 7 Billion

This slideshow with music explores the ways in which the UNFPA mandate can contribute to making a world of 7 Billion successful for everyone.

Hurricane Rina on Course for Mexico's Caribbean Resorts

Tourists fleeing Hurricane Rina crowded Cancun's airport Wednesday even as the cyclone lost some of its punch while heading toward Mexico's resort-studded Caribbean coast

Unleashing the Power of Women and Girls by 7 Billion Actions

Panelists addressed a wide range of issues from access to reproductive health to education and empowerment of women.

First Colorado Snow Storm Knocks Out Power

Snow from the first storm to hit the Front Range knocked out power and heat to thousands of homes and businesses Wednesday and downed tree branches while bringing more snow to Colorado's mountains.

IMF chief, Christine Lagarde: We have a comprehensive plan

IMF chief, Christine Lagarde, on Thursday told journalists waiting outside the European council that after long our of hard negotiations, "we have a comprehensive deal".

UNITED by 7 Billion Actions

By the end of 2011 the world will have reached 7 billion people. The United Nations Population Fund is leading an innovative global campaign to bring awareness to the opportunities and challenges that this milestone presents. But 7 Billion people means 7 Billion hearts. Music has always been the best way to speak to the hearts of the people. Playing for Change has partnered with the United Nations to present an original song around the world to serve as an anthem for such an important time “United”.

Europe agrees on eurozone emergency deal

After more than 7 hours of negotiations, European Commission president. Jose Manuel Barroso, and European Council president, Herman Van Rompuy, on Thursday at 4 am told journalists in a press conference that euro zone leaders have managed to secure a deal with the bank sector of a 50% "haircut" on Greece's sovereign debt.

"The agreement includes a voluntary contribution by private creditors who had lent to Greece", Van Rompuy said. The president of the European Council also stated that the objective of such loss is to reduce Greece's debt by 120% of its GDP by 2020.

A bank recapitalization of 106 millions has also been agreed on. French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said in a press conference that the results come as a global "relief" for the "whole world". "the whole world was expecting a decision that was strong from the eurozone", said the French president.

World population. The Seventh Billion

The planet's population is hurtling towards 7 billion. But its growth will start to slow

7 Billion People by National Geographic Magazine

With the worldwide population expected to exceed seven billion in 2011, National Geographic magazine offers a 7-part series examining specific challenges and solutions to the issues we face. The magazine introduces the series with its January cover story "7 Billion," offering a broad overview of demographic trends that got us to today and will impact us all tomorrow. The first in-depth story will appear in the March issue, focusing on humans' impact on the planet's geology. Other stories will follow throughout 2011.

Editor's update: in 2050, 70% of the population will be living in "urban areas," not "megacities" as stated in an earlier version of this video.

Stand With Occupy Oakland #OccupyWallStreet

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