OffGrid-Living.com

Houzz.com - A Social Network for Home Designers and Portfolio of Beautiful Design Ideas.

2012-01-10T19:19:00.000-08:00

eclectic family room design by minneapolis general contractor John Kraemer & Sons

Rather than build new, the greenest thing you can do is to renovate. The amount of energy, not to mention waste in building a brand new house is considerable. So, how do you plan a renovation ? You make a list. What are the things you want to change ? What rooms ? What appliances ? What systems ? And remember think GREEN. What are the Energy Star rated appliances on the market ?

In the old days one approach would be to look through magazines, and cut out pictures of rooms and themes that you liked. As a Designer we would recommend you start a scrap book, a wish list of your favorite interiors. This could get expensive since many of the very best Interior Design and Architecture Magazines run about $15 a pop. So if you need to buy and look through hundreds of Magazines to find and cut out images of what you are looking for this gets very very expensive.

Luckily, today there are web sites that catalog some of the best Interior Remodelling photos available and you can sign up and look through thousands of images - for Free. One of the best Sites that we have discovered is called Houzz.com.

For the best Remodelling ideas Check out Houzz.com a leading destination site for home design enthusiasts-- professionals and homeowners. The site features over 200,000 high quality interior and exterior photos, thousands of highly-engaging articles, and product recommendations.

traditional exterior design by phoenix architect Don Ziebell

Winter's on the way...Think warm thoughts and heavy blankets !

2011-11-22T10:45:00.000-08:00

faux suede comforter

Winter time and Living off the grid, It's time to stock up on fire wood and stay under those heavy faux comforters. Check out these great Cabela's Faux-Suede/Shearling Comforter Sets.

Faux-suede face reversed to high-loft shearling, Crafted of specially finished polyester
Delivers the performance and appearance of real shearling
With a soft feel to please the skin and a designer look to please the eye,Cabela's Faux-Suede/Shearling Bedding is a true gift for the senses. Each Comforter and Sham has a rich, faux-suede face that reverses to high-loft shearling. All pieces are made of specially finished polyester for comfort, long-lasting performance and the appearance of real shearling. Stitching is typical of the rough stitching of real hides. Bed Skirts have a 14" drop. Each Faux-Suede/Shearling Comforter Set includes a comforter, a faux-suede bed skirt and two 20" x 26" shams (Twin includes one sham, King includes two 20" x 36" shams). & Machine washable.
Colors: Buckskin, Chocolate.

Also check out these great extra large coffee tables and fieldcrest luxury towels

TED : 6 ways Mushrooms could save our World

2011-10-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

Mycologist Paul Stamets studies the mycelium -- and lists 6 ways that this astonishing fungus can help save the world.

TED : Is Thorium the answer to our energy problems ?

2011-10-11T20:05:00.000-07:00

Very interesting talk at TED. How come we are not hearing more about Thorium ?

You can sign this ..... PETITION

If you want the Government to Provide Funding for Liquid-Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR) Research and Development for Energy Independence.

Thorium is nearly a Perfect Fuel. Fund it's development.

It has been presented to Google and TED.com. Videos below.

Liquid-Fluoride Thorium Reactor (LFTR) has been proven by previous US research and operated for nearly 5 years (1965-1969).

LFTR is PASSIVELY safe. During a loss of power or overheating, nuclear fuel is separated (passively) into non-critical holding tanks. It runs at low pressure compared to existing reactors.

LFTR is CHEAP, proliferation adverse, and domestic.

Thorium has proven reserves of well over 1000 years of current world usage.

Thorium could produce power for the entire world at levels far beyond current production.

Imagine a world with nearly infinite power.

www.energyfromthorium.com/

http://flibe-energy.com/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWUeBSoEnRk

Created: Oct 06, 2011
Issues: Energy, Environment, Science and Space Policy

The New Commodore 64 only $349 - Back to the Future.

2011-10-10T19:59:00.000-07:00

The year was 1982, we wanted an Atari, and my dad came home with a Commodore 64 Computer instead. A computer that was 30 years ahead of it's time.

Well, the year is now 2011 and, It's back... and better than ever! The new Commodore 64 is a modern functional PC as close to the original in design as humanly possible. It houses a modern mini-ITX PC motherboard featuring a Dual Core 525 Atom processor and the latest nVidia ION2 graphics chipset. It comes in the original taupe brown/beige color, with other colors to follow.

A Keyboard Better Than the Original

The new Commodore 64 features genuine Cherry brand key switches, which provide a feel much better than the original, with a lovely IBM classic mechanism and click sound. The keys are the exact same shape as the original and are color matched. No expense has been spared. This is the ultimate hackers keyboard on which to wield your key-fu.

Modern Media for a Modern Day Computer

The new Commodore 64 also features a slot or tray load DVD R/W(Bluray optional) on the left side of the unit.

The base Commodore 64 comes with 2 GB of DDR3 memory and is expandable to 4 GB.

A 21st Century Update

A multi format card reader/writer and a USB slot are provided on the right side of the unit. There are an additional 4 USB slots on the rear of the unit for all your peripheral needs.

The classic power light is now the power button.

Connects to the Latest TVs and Monitors

The new Commodore 64 can be connected to the latest televisions and monitors, and can deliver 1080p HD quality video playback and 6 Channel High Definition Audio for an excellent home theater experience. It also incorporates wireless n wifi for exceptional internet video streaming quality.

The New Commodore 64 Is Fun!

Play all your favorite 8-bit era games within seconds of turning the Commodore 64 on, by either selecting the C64 icon from the boot menu to run a C64 emulator directly, or from within our own Commodore Operating System where you can launch classic games in seconds.

Note: Commodore OS 1.0, along with emulation functionality and classic game package, will be mailed to purchasers when available. In the meantime, units come with the Ubuntu 10.10 operating system on CD ready to install.

A Computer for Work or for Play

Don't forget that the new Commodore 64 is a fully functional PC compatible, so you can even install and use the latest versions of Windows if you really feel you need to. We provide a beautiful graphical boot menu at start up from which Windows can be selected to run, so you needn't lose any of the functionality of the new C64's included Commodore operating systems.

Buy Here : The New Commodore 64

My next home on wheels ....

2011-09-02T03:23:00.000-07:00

I'll see if I can pick up one of these ultra-light Airstreams on Ebay. I'll just have to make sure I'm in good shape when it comes time to cycle up hill. What do you think ?

Photos of my Wild Flower Garden.

2011-08-16T03:23:00.000-07:00

Click to enlarge images .... Daylilies, Echinacea, Sage, Mint, and others ... This is a sunken, or lower rain garden, which means I never have to water it. I have planted these flowers at the lowest point in my yard so all the water naturally runs down to feed the plants.

Jobs in the Energy Efficiency Sector

2011-07-08T15:06:00.000-07:00

According to CNN Money : The prospects for finding a job in most areas of the economy may be getting bleaker by the day, but one sector stands out: energy efficiency.
Over half the energy professionals surveyed recently said they cannot find enough qualified people to meet current hiring demands in this fast-growing industry.

Most of the energy efficiency jobs will be for sales specialists, program managers and engineers involved in the push by utilities to squeeze every last bit of energy out of the existing power grid. A program manager's job could include things like getting a group of office building owners together to agree to let a utility automatically turn down the air conditioners in a group of buildings during a heat wave.

Is Fusion the answer to all our energy problems ?

2011-06-29T13:00:00.000-07:00

I was reading this interesting article on CNN regarding Fusion Energy. Let's hope this pans out.

Outdoor furniture built for strong winds.

2011-06-25T14:31:00.000-07:00

Lately the weather has been a bit severe. Winds, rain, thunderstorms, wind... Did I mention the wind ? A few years ago we bought a Gazebo. It took me a few hours to assemble the roof, hang the canvas screen and secure the posts to the ground. We had much enjoyment sitting and having meals behind the protection of the screen away from the very hungry mosquitos. Eventually I also strung a series of outdoor lights and we also enjoyed our evenings in the backyard. Then the winds came. We happened to be downtown for some sort of musical festival and as usual the skies turned dark grey, then green and it poured cats and dogs. I mean cats and dogs. I was anxious to get home since I din't think the roof, even with it's roof opening could take the wind. The 1st thing I noticed when we arrived home was all the neighbors plastic lawn furniture strewn about. Screens were blown off the windows and shingles were missing. Our Gazebo ? It was a crumpled mess and the roof was blown about 20' away hanging across the fence. Luckily I was able to get some new pieces to rebuild the roof and I planted some evergreens to act as a wind break to prevent a repeat event. The one thing that didn't get destroyed or blow away was the heavy
patio sets constructed of a heavy metal.

Black Pearl for Sale. Living off the grid. Way off the grid.

2011-06-01T08:11:00.000-07:00

I found that the Black Pearl is for sale at the reduced price of $994,000. Thinking I'll sell the house and move down to Nantucket where I'll run a 3 day tour Pirate Adventure in the Cape Cod - between Hyannis and Nantucket Island. I'll need a crew of about 12 sea worthy lads and ladies. Leave a comment if you are interested in joining along. Pirate Ship for Sale

About the boat : A group of men wanted to build a copy of the famous "Black Pearl", not only as it used to look but also with the same materials and in the same place where this famous ship was built 338 years ago! The wood used included the Santa Maria wood for the frame and the Pine for the sheathing. The Black Pearl was constructed according to a primitive drawing by one of the sea robbers, who was sailing this ship. A lot of time was spent drawing and designing the ship, constructing and paying attention to all the details to preserve the original look of the vessel.

This ship will hold a capacity of 70 tourists and 8 crew members who can live aboard comfortably. The ship has 2 cabins with a bathroom and a toilet, two other smaller cabins and a cabin for a crew. It also has an equipped kitchen which is located in the bow. The ship also offers 2 public toilets for men and women.

This ship has 5 huge canvases and is 27 meters long and 7 meters wide. A main pole is 25 meters high and a standby pole is 18 meters high. The ship has 3 decks and an underdeck. We believe that you will be as enthusiastic as we are after seeing this new pearl of the Caribbean Sea!

Henry Morgan was born in Welse in 1635. A sailor and a soldier, who served under the British Crown, became one of the most famous sea robbers of all time. At first he was a slave on the Barbados, then he went to Port Royal where he bought a leadership of the ship called Ganymed. Later when he was under the Lord Christopher Myngse´s command he took part in a foray with his ship and connected two highly valuable points in the Caribbean Sea, Truhia and Grenada, to the British Crown. He received attention of generals, common sailors and soldiers and respect of all captains in the Caribbean Sea thanks to his skills, cleverness and brightness. Afterwards he gave rise to Liberty Brotherhood and finally also to his own republic of the sea robbers. In 1667 Henry Morgan decided to build pride of his fleet, the Black Pearl. It was his flag-ship, where he spent his all free time and from where he operated all of his robber's actions, legal sea fights under the British flag and even wild inordinate drunks. He could make the best of the hostility between the Spaniards and the British. As he still ploughed the sea between Jamaica and Panama, he decided to build his ship on the Honduras coast, i.e. approximately halfway to the present town of La Cieba. It was very close to his favorite Roatan Island, where he often anchored, rested with his crew and repaired ships damaged in fights. Since the island was surrounded with a coral cliff being highly dangerous for ships, any ship of his chasers did not risk getting to Morgan. At present his favorite place on the Roatan Island is called Port Royal like the famous pirate town in Jamaica. It lies on the east part of the island in the direction to the Honduras coast. The Black Pearl was floated in 1669. This ship took part in many fights and robberies; the biggest one was an invasion in Panama in 1671. One year later, Morgan was put in prison in England. He, however, proved his innocence in a plot and was finally promoted to a noble status in 1674. Later he returned to the Jamaica as its governor and the main judge. Henry Morgan died after long illness in England in 1688.

Salary Comparison for Project Manager (Construction) with 10 Years Experience versus Construction Foreman.

2011-05-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

I found this great Salary Cost Comparison Tool on PayScale.com where you enter your Job Title, number of years of experience, City, and it creates this graph showing a range of salaries for that position. I ran a comparison for Construction Foreman versus Project Manager (Construction) with 10 years experience working in Ottawa .....

Salary Comparison for Project Manager with 10 Years Experience versus Architectural Technologist.

2011-05-16T14:46:00.000-07:00

I found this great Salary Cost Comparison Tool on PayScale.com where you enter your Job Title, number of years of experience, City, and it creates this graph showing a range of salaries for that position. I ran a comparison for Architectural Technologist versus Project Manager (Engineering and Architectural field) with 10 years experience.....

Idle Free City Signs, Now that's a good idea.

2011-04-13T16:07:00.000-07:00

How come I have never seen one of these before ? What a Great idea. I wonder if this became a LAW how quickly we could reduce Carbon Emissions. Ever notice how many people sit in their cars with the motor running ?

Voluntary idling is one of the many daily actions that seem negligible but that, when taken cumulatively, can have a large impact on total emissions of carbon dioxide and on the environment more generally. The pernicious impact of idling has long been recognized. Many countries have pursued anti-idling initiatives, including a nationwide campaign in Canada
and regional campaigns in Japan and Great Britain. Domestically, at least 13 states have state-wide anti-idling laws, and scores of counties and cities have their own anti-idling rules. For a summary of anti-idling regulations in the US, see:
http://epa.gov/smartway/documents/420b06004.pdf

The average annual carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from 5 minutes of daily idling ranged
from 220 lbs to 440 lbs per year, depending on engine size. Given that each US household or family has 1.8 passenger vehicles, on average, this translates to approximately 400 lbs to 800 lbs of reduced carbon dioxide emissions per family if they can eliminate 5 minutes of voluntary idling each day.

Most voluntary idling is pure waste. It wastes gasoline, and therefore money, impairs the operating efficiency of our cars, and emits additional greenhouse gases. So why do we do it? Perhaps the biggest reason is that our rules of thumb for driving cars derive mostly from a time before electronic ignition became universal, and therefore are outdated. If you recall
when you learned to drive, you were probably told by your parents or your instructor that turning off and on the car repeatedly would
(1) wear out the battery,
(2) wear out the starter, and
(3) waste gas.

Today, nearly every passenger vehicle engine (cars, SUVs, and pickups) uses electronic ignition and none of these three concerns exists any longer.

You can get your Idle Free City Signs here : Custom Traffic Signs

Safety Signs : Different situations require different types of safety signage. SafetySign.com proudly offers a huge selection of stock traffic signs and custom traffic signs to cover all your safety signage needs.However, for very special occasion you may need a very special sign. Their recently introduced three steps Custom Design Tool allows you to select your own color theme, content and even imaging. Design your do not enter, road construction, street name signs, stop signs, crossing signs, caution signs, speed limit signs and so much more. These signs are available in a variety of sizes and are built from durable, weather-resistant materials such as: plastic, aluminum and reflective aluminum.

Japan's nuclear agency said it was planning to raise the nuclear threat level from 5 to 7, the highest category

2011-04-11T19:35:00.001-07:00

This does not sound good. http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/04/12/us-japan-idUSTRE72A0SS20110412

Radioactive Fish detected off Japan : Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant

2011-04-05T06:07:00.000-07:00

If anyone was wondering what happens to radiation as it dissipates into the Pacific Ocean, well today we have our answer. Fish.

Japanese utility and government authorities suffered fresh setbacks Tuesday with the detection of radiation in a fish and news that water gushing from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant into the Pacific had radiation levels more than millions of times above the regulatory limit.

Readings from samples taken Saturday in the concrete pit outside the turbine building of the plant's No. 2 reactor -- one of six at the crisis-plagued plant -- had radiation 7.5 million times the legal limits, said an official with the Tokyo Electric Power Company, which runs the plant. Newer findings, from Tuesday afternoon, showed a sizable drop to 5 million times the norm. (CNN)

Is Micro-Hydro the answer to our Energy Problems ?

2011-03-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

With the apparent failure of the Ontario Wind Farm and Solar Micro-FIT Programs along with the catastrophic results of the Nuclear meltdown in Japan I'm starting to wonder if we are finally waking up to the fact that Hydro Energy is the Solution to our Energy problems.

Especially in a place like Ontario that has abundant water resources not to mention the fact that the earth's surface is mostly covered with the stuff.

Hydropower uses turbines to convert the energy of flowing water into electricity. Micro-hydro systems generate less than 100 kW and are usually “run of the river” operations that don't involve large dams or water storage reservoirs, so they generally create very little impact on the local ecosystem.

A simple micro-hydro system consists of:

1. An intake or weir that diverts water from the stream or river
2. A pipeline or canal that carries the water to the turbine : Plastic PVC Piping
3. A trash rack that filters out debris before water enters the turbine
4. A turbine (usually enclosed in a powerhouse) that converts the mechanical energy of falling water into electrical energy
5. A tailrace that brings the water back to the river or stream
6. Transmission lines that carry the electricity to its destination

The amount of energy you can capture depends on the flow rate (how much water flows per second) and the head (the vertical distance it falls). You'll need at least a year's worth of data on water flow to decide if it's worth installing a system at a particular site.

Depending on your needs and physical set-up, you can choose to install a stand-alone system or connect to the power grid. In either case, you'll need transmission lines to deliver the electricity to its destination.

Basic Numbers

According to the Integration of Renewable Energy on Farms website, a low or ultra-low head system costs $2,000-9,000 per kilowatt, installed. Most turbines have a life expectancy of at least 25 years.
Benefits, Drawbacks and Possible Pitfalls
Benefits:

* Reliable, proven technology
* Low operating and maintenance costs
* No emissions

Drawbacks:

* Water flow can be affected by seasonal changes and climate fluctuations
* Micro-hydro systems require regular maintenance: making sure the intake is not clogged, clearing out silt, checking for leaks, greasing machinery, tightening belts, etc.

More on : Micro-Hydro Power Generation
More Information on: injection molding companies
More information on: other fabricating types

Is Silver a good hedge against rising Oil Prices ?

2011-03-28T21:21:00.000-07:00

As the price of Oil rises, so does the price of Silver and Gold bullion. Recently Oil has risen from about $95 to $105, Gold Bullion has gone from $1,100 to $1420 and Silver from $18 to $37. Percentage wise Silver seems to be the big winner here . Did I miss out on this bullion bull market ? Typically Gold and Silver rise when there is high inflation, but inflation is stuck around zero. So why this steep rise ? I guess as Oil climbs, and Deficits climb the end result will eventually be Massive Inflation.... at some point. So maybe it's not too late. So how does one invest in Silver and Gold ? I owned a few coins (which unfortunately I sold when silver was at $20) so that may be the way to go. I have been tracking the Silver ETF (SLV on the DOW) but noticed that it swings well below the asking price of the bullion and never seems to trade at the highs. So I'm thinking that there is some manipulation there. When you buy an ETF you also pay a commission similar to a Stock Trade. So where is the best place to buy bullion ? I learned that the Canadian Mint produces the finest quality (9999 fine silver) so I visited their web site, entered my address and they emailed me a list of places to buy gold bullion and more specifically the Canadian 1 Oz. Silver Maple Leaf.
I also learned that in the US there is a way to set up a gold IRA
So I'll keep my eyes on the price of Oil and the price of Silver and on any dips in the prices maybe I'll order a few more coins as a hedge for that eventual inflation.

Eco-friendly Cork Flooring from BuildDirect.com

2011-03-28T20:47:00.000-07:00

I was doing some research on dark colored flooring and was surprised to find a beautiful cork flooring from a company called BuildDirect.com and sent for some Free samples.

Cork flooring was first used popularly at the end of the 19 th century. By the early 20 th century, Frank Lloyd Wright was incorporating cork flooring in some of the public buildings he designed. Many of these buildings still feature these original cork floors.

Cork flooring is a product made from the bark of the cork oak tree, a material which is ground, processed into sheets and baked in a kiln to produce tiles that serve as flooring for offices, light commercial locations, and residences. Cork flooring is most popularly harvested, manufactured, and sourced in Southern Europe, with Portugal being one of the most prominent regions from which cork comes. This is an area where the cork oak species is plentiful and where hand-harvesting is most practical.

Why is cork known to be an environmentally sensitive choice?

Harvesting the cork oak for its bark is strictly regulated, limiting such harvesting into nine-year cycles. The individual cork oaks must be at least 25 years old before they are harvested and when they are, the health of those cork oaks must be ensured. The cork oak is harvested by hand, and remains unaffected by the harvesting process. The bark of the cork oak grows back, leaving the cork oak as healthy as ever. As such, cork flooring is one of the most renewable sources for flooring there is. The cellular nature of cork flooring allows warmth to be held in, making it a very warm flooring to walk on, even in winter months. Another aspect of the kind of insulation cork flooring provides is that of sound, which is naturally absorbed. This makes for almost silent footfalls and can have a significant quieting effect in areas which are normally associated with echoes and other distracting ambient sounds, such as in foyers and hallways.

A natural substance found in cork called suberin, a waxy material that is a key component in the makeup of the cells in found in cork, is responsible for the moisture-resistant nature of cork and cork flooring. Suberin is also insect-resistant as well as adding a level of fire resistance.

A beautiful little cabin in Washington State

2011-03-27T02:07:00.000-07:00

Found this very interesting blog called "The Yonderosa" ... follow along on their journey to build
a 496 Sq Ft. getaway in the mountains of Eastern Washington. Spectacular images and landscape. Someone is living their dream.

Cost ? The total cost for this structure was less than $10,000. All labor including building the cabinets was done by owners. Materials only.

The attention to detail on this little jewel is something to behold. I'm not sure I'd be able to pack up and leave a the end of each visit. Although not designed as a permanent "Retirement Home" I could well imagine adapting the site for a long term stay. Like, forever and ever. http://theyonderosa.blogspot.com/search/label/buildin

FDA Bans Milk, Vegetable, Fruits Imported From Japan After Nuclear Plant Crisis

2011-03-22T16:00:00.000-07:00

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said today it will stop all milk products and vegetable and fruit products imported from Japan from entering the U.S. -- a response to public fears about radiation from Japan's crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Fear of Spreading Radiation in Japan.

This announcement comes despite the agency's repeated assurances that radiation found in foods in Japan was small, and posed no risk to the U.S. food supply. ABCNews

What Products does the US import from Japan ?

2011-03-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

I'm wondering how radiation may affect Japanese exports and I found this list of items that are Japan's Top Exports to the US.

Most Popular Products Traded Between Japan & America

Cars, motorcycles & computer accessories are big Japanese exports to the U.S. while military apparel & precious metals are fast-growing imports into Japan from America.

Japan exported US$148.1 billion worth of merchandise to the United States in 2006, up 7.3% from 2005 and up 22% in just 4 years.

Japanese imports from the U.S. rose 7.3% to $59.6 billion in 2006, up 16% since 2002.

In terms of the merchandise flow between the two countries, America’s trade deficit with Japan was $88.4 billion in 2006, up 26.4% from 2002. The U.S. trade deficit with Japan increased 7.2% in 2006 from 2005 – down from the 9.2% deficit increase in 2005 from the year earlier.
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Japanese Exports to U.S.

Of the $148.1 billion in American imports from Japan in 2006, the following product categories had the highest values.

1. Passenger cars …US$43.5 billion (29.4% of Japan to U.S. exports, up 23.8% from 2005)
2. Car parts & accessories … $10.4 billion (7%, down 6.2%)
3. Other industrial machinery … $5.7 billion (3.8%, up 11%)
4. Computer accessories … $5.4 billion (3.6%, down 1.9%)
5. Video equipment (e.g. DVD players) … $4.9 billion (3.3%, down 14.5%)
6. Electric apparatus & parts … $4.1 billion (2.7%, up 0.2%)
7. Engines & parts … $4.0 billion (2.7%, down 8.8%)
8. Machine tools … $3.8 billion (2.5%, up 17.3%)
9. Semi-conductors … $3.4 billion (2.3%, up 16.8%)
10. Excavating, paving & construction machinery … $3.38 billion (2.3%, up 12.9%)
11. Motorcycles & parts … $3.1 billion (2.1%, up 5.4%)

Fastest-Growing Japanese Exports to U.S.

Below are American imports from Japan in 2006 with the highest percentage sales increases from 2005.

1. Meat products … US$2.8 million (up 70,400% from 2005)
2. Spacecraft … $1.9 million (up 2126%)
3. Zinc … $10.6 million (up 1823%)
4. Fuel oil … $527.3 million (up 340%)
5. Precious metals … $134.1 million (up 106.2%)

Read more at Suite101: Japan's Top Exports & Imports: Most Popular Products Traded Between Japan & America http://www.suite101.com/content/japans-top-exports-imports-a25186#ixzz1HMjxqfuA

Energy from the Ocean using Columbia Power Technologies' SeaRay

2011-03-19T18:43:00.000-07:00

According to Columbia Power Technologies, the SeaRay’s design allows it to extract up to twice the energy from ocean waves as other developing technologies. By employing what the company refers to as a “heave and surge” energy capture design, the SeaRay is able to reportedly tap the full energy potential from passing waves. Its design also looks to make it uniquely conditioned to survive a harsh battering about at sea.

Columbia Power Technologies indicated its longer term goal is “to deliver megawatt-scale devices, capable of operating in the widest range of temperate zone coastal load centers around the globe.” To do that, they’ll need funding and, it would seem, they now have it. Though details on how much funding they attained was not disclosed, Columbia Power Technologies did confirm that private backers were on board saying: “…the closing of Columbia Power’s recent private capital signifies excellent validation of the company’s vision and technical development capabilities.”

For those who wonder if there is money to be made from wave power for companies like Columbia, consider this: according to the start up “the world’s oceans are estimated to contain enough practically extractable energy to provide over 6,000 terawatt hours of electricity each year, which is enough to power over 600 million homes and is worth over $900 billion annually.” It looks like there might be gold in them there ocean waves after all.

What happens to Radiation as it is "dispersed" over the ocean ? Maybe Radiation eating Seaweed will take care of it.

2011-03-18T18:36:00.000-07:00

I keep reading over and over again that we don't need to worry about radiation on the West coast since it will be dispersed before it reaches us. I started to wonder, where does "dispersed radiation" disperse to exactly ? Does it evaporate into the atmosphere ? Does it come back down as rain ? Does it fall into the ocean ? What does the ocean do with radiation ? Does it disperse there ? Where will this radiation end up ? on the beaches ? Probably it will end up being absorbed by all that seaweed. What happens to Seaweed when it absorbs too much radiation ? Do we get iridescent Seaweed ? Irradiated Seaweed ? Monster Seaweed ? Do the fish end up eating the seaweed ? Can we eat the fish ? I had similar questions as I watched BP dump dispersants into the Gulf of Mexico. Where did all those dispersants go ? I know, I know..... they simply dispersed. Same place the radiation goes. They just disappear, never to be seen again. Oh well....

The National Post : "Radiation may reach California" The United States is boosting radiation monitoring on the West Coast and Pacific territories, as officials forecast that low levels of radiation could be detected in California by Friday.
News that an “atomic plume” -so small it might not be detectable -was heading towards California -almost 9,000 kilometres away from the Japanese crisis -has already sparked fear.

Kirk Smith, a professor at the University of California School of Public Health at Berkeley who has studied the fallout from Chernobyl and the health risks of radiation, said some of his students had discussed moving to Denver to get away from fallout, unaware that exposure to naturally occurring daily radiation is higher in mountainous Colorado than at sea level in California.

“The radiation you get on a flight to Denver would be far higher than anything that could come from Japan,” Mr. Smith said.
San Francisco residents have rushed to stores to buy potassium iodide pills, which can protect against radiation exposure, said Eileen Shields, a spokeswoman for the city Public Health Department.

“People are wasting their money and there is no reason to do it because there is no radiation level sufficient to merit this,” Ms. Shields said. The Johns Hopkins Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response warned that the drug may have serious side effects for people with certain allergies and kidney and thyroid problems.

A forecast by the UN’s Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization, “indicates that monitoring stations in Southern California may be able to detect extremely low levels of radiation late Friday
It added that if a radioactive plume moved across the Pacific at its current strength, “it may not be detectable and would pose extremely minor health consequences even if trace amounts are detected.”

The radiation from Japan poses far less threat than 1950s-era atomic weapons testing or the 1986 Chernobyl accident, weather and public health experts said.
Bombs tested in the U.S. in the 1950s and 1960s released much more radiation than is coming from the Fukushima plant." (via NationalPost.com)

For low dose exposure of Gamma Radiation, for example among nuclear workers, who receive an average yearly radiation dose of 1.9 cSv, the risk of dying from cancer (excluding leukemia) increases by 2 percent. For a dose of 10 cSv, that risk increase is at 10 percent. By comparison, risk of dying from cancer was increased by 32 percent for the survivors of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Where are the robots at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant?

2011-03-17T19:18:00.000-07:00

Japan is known for their amazing robots. Why are they sending workers to their death - high radiation level Kamakazi missions to drop water on deteriorating Nuclear reactors ? They should be using robots to run waterlines from the ocean to the pool to ensure that the Nuclear fuel rods stay below water. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_fuel

Animated Map showing Radiation from Japan toward California.

2011-03-17T18:20:00.000-07:00

LA Times reports, small amounts of radioactive isotopes from the quake-crippled Japanese nuclear power plant are being blown toward North America. Though they could reach California by Friday, officials said they see no health danger and stressed that any radiation reaching here would be well within "safe limits". LATimes Blog

Prevailing winds from Japan will blow radiation out to Pacific.

2011-03-16T07:44:00.000-07:00

"Weather forecasters, expect winds to blow the radiation out across the Pacific.
"The World Health Organization would like to assure governments and members of the public that there is no evidence at this time of any significant international spread from the nuclear site," Michael O'Leary, WHO's representative in China, said in a statement.
The WHO is working with Japan's government and the International Atomic Energy Agency to assess the situation, and does not think there is significant risk to health for people outside a 30-km (20-mile) exclusion zone around the facility. (via CNN)

An officer at the Hong Kong Observatory shows a forecast trajectory of radiation releases from Japan during a news conference in Hong Kong March 15, 2011.

Of the 104 Nuclear Power plants now operating in the U.S., ground was broken on all of them in 1974 or earlier.

2011-03-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

As of 2008, Nuclear power in the United States is provided by 104 (69 pressurized water reactors and 35 boiling water reactors) commercial nuclear power plants licensed to operate, producing a total of 806.2 TWh of electricity, which was 19.6% of the nation's total electric energy consumption in 2008. The United States is the world's largest supplier of commercial nuclear power.

Ground has been broken on two new nuclear plants with a total of four reactors. The only reactor under construction in America, at Watts Bar, Tennessee, was begun in 1973 and may be completed in 2012. Of the 104 plants now operating in the U.S., ground was broken on all of them in 1974 or earlier. In September 2010, Matthew Wald from the New York Times reported that "the nuclear renaissance is looking small and slow at the moment".

Nuclear Power Plants in Canada. Why so many in Ontario ?

2011-03-15T19:26:00.000-07:00

Courtesy Canadian Nuclear Society

On the map, circles represent research reactors, triangles represent commercial facilities. Please refer to CNS' site map for more detail.

Research 1-Univ Alberta, Edmonton (S), 2-Saskatchewan Research Council, Saskatoon (S), 3-AECL Whiteshell (WR-1, S Demo), 4-McMaster Univ, Hamilton (P), 5-Univ. Toronto (S), 6-Royal Military College, Kingston (S), 7-AECL Chalk River Laboratories (NRU, NRX, PTR, ZED-2, ZEEP), 8-Nordion, Kanata (S), 9-Ecole Polytechnique, Montreal (S), 10-Dalhousie Univ., Halifax (S). S=Slowpoke II (20 kw); P=Swimming Pool (5 MW). AECL's Whiteshell reactors and Chalk River NRX and ZEEP reactors are shutdown.

Commercial 1-Bruce and Douglas Point, 2-Pickering, 3-Darlington, 4-Gentilly, 5-Point Lepreau, 6-NPD. Douglas Point, Gentilly 1, and NPD have been decommissioned; Bruce A2 is mothballed.

Canada has focused on the CANDU (Canadian Deuterium-Uranium) design, which uses heavy water as the moderator and coolant and natural uranium as the fuel. Canadian companies operating the reactors are - Ontario Power Generation (Nuclear division), Bruce Power, and Quebec Hydro - and the New Brunswick Power Commission operate the commercial facilities. Dr. Jeremy Whitlock's The Canadian Nuclear FAQ answers numerous questions on the CANDU design and history.

Canadian nuclear reactors are regulated by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), the successor to the former Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB)
Nuclear Plants in Canada

CBC: Iodine therapy unnecessary: B.C. officials

2011-03-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

The B.C. provincial government is recommending pharmacies not dispense or stockpile potassium iodide for sale in connection to the nuclear reactor situation in Japan.
"It is recommended that pharmacies do not dispense or stockpile potassium iodide tablets," provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall, said in a statement. CBC : BC Iodine Sales

Alternative to Nuclear Power in Japan. Solar Lily Pads ?

2011-03-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

If Japan loses all of it's Nuclear facilities, how do they generate power for 127 Million People ?
Solar, Wind, Geothermal, Hydro ?
I remember reading about a Scottish architecture firm ZM Architecture who has proposed using Solar Lily Pads on Glasgow’s River Clyde to harness the sun’s rays and send electricity to the city's grid. The concept took first place in the International Design Awards, (IDA), ‘Land and Sea’ competition. The lilypads are designed to be moved and dismantled easily as they are simply tethered to the river bed, with integrated motors used to rotate the discs for maximum exposure to sunlight throughout the day. If thin film lily pads with nano-Solar photovoltaics could be secured to the Ocean Floor is this the answer ?

Plan B. How do we move 127 Million people off the Island of Japan ???

2011-03-14T22:03:00.000-07:00

If things go sideways quickly in Japan and Nuclear Plants begin to disintegrate, do we have a plan to move 127 Million People off the island ? If radiation spreads, what are the options ? How can we help ? What can we do ? How many boats are needed ? Should we be sending them now ?

I hope that someone somewhere is planning for the worst case scenario. Is this written into someone's Risk Management Plan ? Maybe at the UN ? And all those Nuclear facilities scattered around the globe better start thinking "Major concrete Dykes"

If Serious Nuclear Meltdown and Radiation in Japan, Which Way Would Prevailing Winds Take the Radiation?

2011-03-14T21:37:00.000-07:00

I'll see if I can find some other Prevailing Wind maps from Japan as well as the levels of radiation that would reach North America. Via EconomicPolicyJournal.com

Of a more immediate concern how do we protect the 127 Million People living adjacent to these Nuclear plants in Japan ? How do we move these people to safety ????

O Caritas - O Love. Cat Stevens /Yusuf : Great is the noise from the earth and the seas

2011-03-14T20:30:00.000-07:00

Hunc ornatum mundi
Nolo perdere
Video flagrare
Omnia res
Audio clamare
Homines
Nune extinguitur
Mund(i) et astrorum lamen
Nune concipitur
Mali hominis crimen
Tristetat(e) et lacrimis
Gravis est dolor
De terraeque maribus
Magnus est clamor
O caritas, O caritas
Nobis semper sit amor
Mos perituri mortem salutamus
Sola resurgit vita
Ah, this world is burning fast
Oh, the world will never last
I don't want to lost it here in my time
Give me time forever here in my time.

[Translation of Latin: ]
(I don't want to lose the harmony of the universe
I see all things... burning, I hear men... shouting.
Now is the light of the world and the stars going out
Now does the blame for the disaster fall upon men.
Grief is heavy with sadness and tears
Great is the noise from the earth and the seas
O love, O love be with us always.
We who will perish salute death. Life alone goes on.)

Japan Nuclear Plant Meltdown. March 11 2011 8.9 Earthquake and Tsunami

2011-03-13T07:40:00.000-07:00

March 13 2011 : U.N. agency- State of emergency at nuclear power plant in Onagawa, Japan, where excessive radiation levels reported.

The news is frightening. With the March 11 8.9 Earthquake and ensuing Tsunami in Japan causing the potential Nuclear Meltdown at 3 different plants, I realized there are many Industrial Facilities that are affected in earthquakes and coastal city Tsunamis. Nuclear Radiation is the immediate concern, but what about the Asbestos plants in India, Brazil and China ? If the Ocean floods these areas the particles of Chrysotile Asbestos could cover much of the earth with a fine layer of ASBESTOS. It is time for Canada to stop mining and selling Asbestos. Mesothelioma-Canada.info

Offgrid Library on the Kindle.

2011-03-10T18:23:00.000-08:00

Kindle
Thinking about the Kindle just for the Search, Annotations, Dictionary, and Wikipedia

Search:
Kindle's keyboard makes it easy to search within a book, across your library, in the Kindle Store, or even the Web. To use the Search feature, simply type in a word or phrase you're looking for, and Kindle finds every instance in your book or across your Kindle library. Looking for the first reference of a character in your book? Simply type in the name and search. You can extend your search to the Kindle Store to find related titles you may be interested in. Explore even further by searching Wikipedia and the Web. Web access is not currently available for some customers outside the U.S. Check your country.

Bookmarks and Annotations:
By using the QWERTY keyboard, you can add annotations to text, just like you might write in the margins of a book. And because it is digital, you can edit, delete, and export your notes. You can highlight and clip key passages and bookmark pages for future use. You'll never need to bookmark your last place in the book, because Kindle remembers for you and always opens to the last page you read.

Share Meaningful Passages:
Share your passion for books and reading with friends, family, and other readers around the world by posting meaningful passages to social networks like Facebook and Twitter directly from Kindle, without leaving the page. Want to post or tweet about a great new book or newspaper article? When you highlight or create a note in your book or periodical, you can easily share it with your social network. Help your network of family and friends discover new authors and books.

Public Notes:
Share your notes and see what others are saying about Kindle books. Any Kindle user – including authors, book reviewers, professors and passionate readers everywhere – can opt-in to share their thoughts on book passages and ideas with friends, family members, colleagues, and the greater Kindle community. Learn more

Popular Highlights:
See what our community of millions of Kindle readers think are the most interesting passages in your books. If several other readers have highlighted a particular passage, then that passage will be highlighted in your book along with the total number of people who have highlighted it. Now it’s easier to review, remember, and learn more from the books you read. Learn more.

Built-In Dictionary with Instant Lookup:
Never get caught without a dictionary. Kindle includes The New Oxford American Dictionary; with over 250,000 entries and definitions, so you can seamlessly look up the definitions of English words without interrupting your reading. Come across a word you don't know? Simply move the cursor to it and the definition will automatically display at the bottom of the screen. Never fear a sesquipedalian word again - simply look it up and keep reading.

Wireless Access to Wikipedia:
Kindle also includes free built-in access to the world's most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia, Wikipedia.org. With Kindle in hand, looking up people, places, events, and more has never been easier. It gives whole new meaning to the phrase walking encyclopedia.

High Tide and Green Grass with the Rolling Stones, Tickets from A CheapSeat.com

2011-03-10T17:50:00.000-08:00

High Tide and Green Grass
Music interlude: Listening to some early Rolling Stones on my ipod, I was thinking I'd like to see them in concert some day.... While Searching for concert tickets on Google I stumbled upon ACheapseat.com Who is ACheapSeat.com?
A Cheap Seat is a professional ticket broker with access to many events across the country. They provide you with the hottest deals on premium tickets every day. Browse their ticket inventory and you're bound to save more than just a few bucks! The reason is, they are able to negotiate great prices on many tickets and then they pass those savings on to the consumer. That's why much of their business comes from repeat and referred customers. You would be hard-pressed to find a online ticket company that will gladly help, advise, and provide expertise on your tickets purchase. All that while offering you the lowest possible prices in a nationally competitive environment. Pretty awesome.

You can search by City, Venue, and artist. They also have tickets for Sports, Theater, Opera and more.... Here are a few we found :
Rolling Stones Tickets
Katy Perry Tickets
Britney Spears Tickets
Jeff Dunham Tickets
Jerry Seinfeld Tickets

Simply Rain Barrels ....

2011-03-06T19:46:00.000-08:00

Interested in Rain Water harvesting
I was looking through some various Rain barrel designs and really liked this one from SimplyRainBarrels.com The removable screen on the top safeguards the quality of your stored water by keeping out insects, animals, and debris. To access the water, simply adjust the shut-off valves on the hose hook-up or spigot. Dual overflows release water in the event of over filling. Using a linking kit, you can connect this barrel to others like it to increase your water storage capacity.

The RTS Flat-Back Rain Barrel can hold up to 50 gallons of water. It features a flat side to sit flush against a wall, saving space, while making it easy to trim grass or maintain the area around each barrel. The one piece design makes the rain barrel safe for children and pets, and also keeps wildlife from gaining access to it.

About the Materials
Each RTS Flat-Back 50-Gallon Rain Barrel is produced from UV8- stabilized resin. This fade-resistant plastic material will never rot or become prey to insect infestations. The heavy-duty, rotational molded construction ensures a long lifespan. The unique advantage of these rain barrels is the use of roto-molding. Rotational molding produces vinyl products as one piece with a consistent, even wall thickness to prevent separation and leakage.

SimplyRainBarrels.com is an excellent source for Rain Water Barrels of every size, finish, style, and material. File under: Rain barrels for sale

Cat Stevens "Into White"

2011-03-06T19:09:00.000-08:00

I built my house from barley rice
Green pepper walls and water ice
Tables of paper wood, windows of light
And everything emptying into white.

A simple garden, with acres of sky
A Brown-haired dogmouse
If one dropped by
Yellow Delanie would sleep well at night
With everything emptying into white.

A sad Blue eyed drummer rehearses outside
A Black spider dancing on top of his eye
Red legged chicken stands ready to strike
And everything emptying into white.

I built my house from barley rice
Green pepper walls and water ice
And everything emptying into white

Living off the grid & watching Holmes on Homes with Satellite TV

2011-03-05T08:18:00.000-08:00

Satellite TV Is A Great Way To Watch Holmes On Homes

Written by my friend Melvin Strong

I have often thought that I would like to get involved in flipping houses. Then I take a look at one of my favorite television programs on HGTV. I watch Holmes on Homes on satellite TV that I got after coming across this DIRECTV Offers Comparison, and as I watch him locate some pretty gruesome problems with the houses he works on, I kind of cringe. There is no doubt that some flipping projects can be money pits, and more money than I think I could ever get my hands on.

I guess that is one reason they have put such programs on, even though Holmes is not flipping houses, he is helping people to repair their homes after someone else has messed the job up. This is a good service to the people who watch this program.

One thing that we all have to remember is that not every contractor is as honest as Mr. Holmes appears to be. Some are just doing the job to earn some money, and they are not even qualified to do the job in the first place.

This is the reason it is always a good idea to get recommendations from friends and family, and others that you trust, before you hire someone to work on your home. It will surely save a lot of time and money and distress when you do it that way.

Off the Grid in Hawaii

2011-02-28T13:53:00.000-08:00

When looking to live off the grid, you can pretty much go anywhere. So the question is.... where do you want to live ? If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be ? Italy, France, the Bahamas ? How about Hawaii ?

The island of Maui, part of the world famous Hawaiian island archipelago is a budding and highly attractive tourist attraction for many reasons. Another great opportunity to enjoy Hawaii and Maui in particular, however, is in the real estate market. The most historic city on Maui is the community of Lahaina, which once served as the capital of the Hawaii Kingdom and as a major whaling port. Lahaina is a dream destination for shoppers and sightseers in addition to boasting such historic and culturally significant attractions as the Banyan Tree, Maria Lanakila Church, the Lahaina Jodo Mission, the Whalers Village, and Kaanapali Beach. Beaches represent a good deal of the attractiveness of Maui in the real estate market, offering activities such as surfing, sunbathing, swimming, and snorkeling.

The North Shore of the island of Maui is famous for Mokuleia Bay, Honolua Bay, Boulder Beach, Kahakuloa, and the Kaukini Gallery and Gift Shop, while Central Maui is home to the largest city on Maui, Kahului, several shopping centers, and the lush valleys that give Maui the nickname of the “Valley Isle”. Some other attractions include the Maui Tropical Plantation, the Maui Ocean Center, and Kepaniwai Park and Heritage Gardens. The Wailea Coast is another interesting destination, and here one can find Ma’alaea Bay and Beach, the Kealia Pond Bird Sanctuary, Wailea Beach, and the volcano Haleakala. Haleakala, part of rural Maui, is a dormant volcano that bears massive religious and cultural significance for the Hawaiian people and that offers beautiful views and an outstanding lookout.

The Green Choice - Build new or remodel ?

2011-02-25T10:29:00.000-08:00

If you are considering buying a new bigger house, have you really taken a good look around at what you already have ? As you know it is always greener to reduce, re-use, and recycle. Why not consider the same approach to where you live ?

Rather than moving into a bigger home where it will cost you more to heat, clean and fill with stuff, it is always better to re-assess what you have and remember that "small is beautiful" It is amazing what you can do to a small home with eco-friendly natural materials like wood and stone.

To see some ideas of what is possible with "remodeling" and our favorite "kitchen remodeling" visit FosterRemodeling.com.... You can find a lot of excellent resources online. In one of our earlier posts we also discussed the idea of using an Amish Cook Stove, where you heat your water, home and cook your breakfast all at the same time. As Henri David Thoreau said .... "Simplify, Simplify".

Solar-powered backpack $250 by VoltaicSystems

2011-02-24T21:21:00.000-08:00

OffGrid Solar Backpack ForSaleInOttawa.info

Besides charging all your handheld electronics, it has 1,500 cubic inches of storage space, a padded laptop sleeve, integrated phone pouch and plenty of other pockets.

Solar Charger Specifications VoltaicSystems.com

Two 2.0 Watt Solar Panels generate power in sunlight. They are waterproof, lightweight and built to withstand abuse.
Power: 4 Watts total peak output at 6 or 12 Volts (selectable depending on charging application)
Charge times: 4-5 hours in the sun will fully charge a typical phone, 1 hour will provide about 3 hours of talk time.
Universal USB Battery stores power for use anytime and is
specially designed to charge efficiently from solar. When not in the
sun, the battery can be charged using the USB Power Cable or
optional AC travel charger or DC car charger making it just as useful
on the grid as off
Charge times: Battery will be fully charged from 7 hours of direct sun, 5.5 hours from USB port on laptop or optional DC or AC
Capacity: 3,000mAh, 11 Watt hour capacity
Output: 5.5V, 600mA via USB port
Input: 4.8-12V, 650 mA
Connect to Devices via the USB Port or 5 standard adapters
Back to top
Bag Specifications
Detachable Charging Section: Solar charging section zips off and can be attached to another bag, bike rack, etc. with the included straps and clips
Volume: 1500 cubic inches (25 liters)
Dimensions: 18" high x 12"wide x 8" deep (46cm high x 30cm
wide x 21cm deep)
Weight: 4.5 lbs (2050 grams) including battery and solar panels Padded laptop pocket: Dedicated pocket fits up to a 17" laptop
Wire channels: placed throughout the bag for headphones, bladder
tubes etc.
Phone pouch: Sits on the shoulder strap and allows you to
charge with easy phone access
Removable waist strap
Built for Comfort: High density padding in the shoulder straps and
back. Mesh backing material for better air flow
Fabric: 600D shell made from recycled PET (soda bottles),which is
waterproof, lightweight and UV resistant

Compatibility
The product will recharge all these handheld electronic devices and thousands more. Connect any USB charger direct to the battery's USB port or select from 9 included adapters. This is a short list of some of the more popular phones and handheld devices. If you have a question about compatibility with your device or expected charge times, please email us at support@voltaicsystems.com
Apple: iPhone 1G, 2G, 3G, 3GS, 4G, iPod Touch, Classic, Nano, Shuffle, iPad (limited, read more) A BlackBerry: Bold 9700, Curve 8520, Pearl 8130, Storm 9530,A Tour 9630 Dell: Mini 3i Flip: SlideHD, MinoHD, UltraHD HTC: Eris, Evo, HD2, Hero, Incredible, myTouch 3G Garmin: Oregon, Dakota, and zumo Series, eTrex with nuvi with Garmin's power cable Iridium: 9555 Satellite Phone via Iridium car charger and panel output set to 12V LG: Chocolate, Incite Kodak: zi6, zi8 Motorola: Backflip, Droid, Droid X, Pro and 2 Nintendo: DS with a USB charging cable Nokia: N72, N900, N97 Mini, X3, X6 Samsung: Galaxy S, Instinct, Mythic, Rogue Palm: Pre, Pre Plus Sony: PSP TomTom: XL, XXL and GO Series
DSLR Cameras: In addition, you can adjust the Voltage output of the solar panels from 6V to 12V. The 12V setting is suitable for charging larger 7.4V DSLR camera batteries. You will need an optional camera battery cradle that supports the specific battery in your camera. Read our "Charging Camera Batteries" post to learn more.

House Hunters on HGTV

2011-02-24T13:58:00.000-08:00

House Hunters Is A Great Real Estate Program

Written by Lawrence Lester

I often watch HGTV which is home and garden television channel. I love House Hunters this is a program that follows a couple, single person or family as they search for the perfect home. The program highlights people from a variety of income levels and from all over the country.

I live in the western United States, and it's interesting to view homes in other parts of the country. It's incredible to see the price difference in other cities, and if I were to move the show allows me to see other appealing locations.

It seems as though they never pick the home that I would buy. I'm always attracted to homes with nice kitchens and bathrooms. I like the homes that have yards for children and animals to play in. I record the show on my DVR with my cable tv. My husband doesn't care for it, and I often watch it late at night when everyone else has gone to bed.

When my mom comes for a visit we enjoy watching House Hunters for several hours together, and we bet on which home they'll choose. I often lose at this betting game, and luckily for me we don't bet very much money on it. I need to bet against which home I would pick, and maybe I would win more often.

Photography by Mark English

2011-02-19T09:26:00.000-08:00

I was at the coffee shop the other day and noticed these beautiful photos by Mark English, I thought this photo was from Tuscany. But it's Ottawa, Canada.
This Canadian born artist spent the first half of his life admiring the colours and light on the beautiful shores of Nova Scotia. Now living in Ottawa Ontario, Mark continues to enjoy photography and does it not only for the love of it, but also to capture the images we miss as we hurry through our every day lives. Marks photos have been requested by National Geographic and he has provided services for Members of Parliament. Mark is also maintains a Nikon professional certification. Visit : http://www.MarkEnglish.com

Eco-shopping for Offgrid-Living in the UK @ Earthwhile.co.uk

2011-02-14T10:20:00.000-08:00

Off-grid Living in the UK ?
We've discovered a great online based shop that specialises in eco-friendly products.

They have some really great Solar Kits like the Solar Mate: The Solar Mate I is a solar powered lighting kit in a box. In the box is a solar panel, a low energy light bulb and all the fixings you’ll need to light 16m2 for between five to seven hours every day (five hours in winter, and seven hours in summer). A standard car/caravan battery is required but is not supplied with this kit. The Solar Mate I comes with a 10 year warranty, and so will easily pay back its investment many times – as there are no electricity bills to be paid! The bulb supplied has a 3000 hour lifecycle, and is fully replaceable, whereas the solar panel has a life expectancy of 35 years.

You can also find energy saving products for the winter season including home insulation (items such as loft insulation, garage insulation and pipe lagging) and outdoor lighting (items such as solar powered lights).

They also have a good range of eco- friendly toys and gifts in our Toy and Gifts Category including: wooden toys, flip flap, slate coaster and placemat set, and our new range of designer reusable shopping bags by Envirosax. Click here to see the Entire Shop

Happy Valentine's Day !

2011-02-14T08:28:00.000-08:00

Valentine became a patron saint of lovers when the Roman Emperor made it illegal for couples to get married.
He needed men for his army and could not draft married men. Valentine continued to marry couples in secret.

When the emperor found out, he had valentine thrown into prison. While in jail he became a close friend of the jailer's young
daughter. Just before he was executed for his crime, he sent her a letter in which he told her to remain faithful to God.
He signed it, "From your Valentine." He is a saint because he died for doing what was correct. He was a martyr for LOVE.

Love everyone, always. Happy Valentine's Day

Moratorium on Offshore Wind Projects in Ontario.

2011-02-13T06:59:00.000-08:00

Are Solar Farms next ?

The Financial Post reports, "In what looks like a rush to prevent more erosion of support, Premier Dalton McGuinty’s Liberals Friday declared a moratorium on offshore industrial wind turbines. The announcement from the Ministry of Energy stated; “No Renewable Energy Approvals for offshore have been issued and no offshore projects will proceed at this time.”

The change of heart would appear to be a desire to head off more political opposition. With McGuinty touring the province trying to boost the Liberals tattered image, now is not the time to anger more voters with news of more wind projects. In order to keep the developers happy the press release left the door open to revisit offshore wind by couching the release with the words, “at this time.”

The hue and cry about wind turbines, onshore, has already resulted in a rural population that is up in arms over health and other reasons. Many others have simply attacked the economic side of the argument, noting that wind turbines are unreliable, do little if anything to reduce CO 2 emissions and have caused our electricity rates to spike because they also need to be backed up with gas generation plants.

Blessing offshore turbines would also alienate another set of voters who have cottages or homes on the water and don’t want to see their views despoiled by these 40 story behemoths. Additionally, the province’s notorious Feed-in-tariff program envisaged paying offshore developers 19 1/2 cents a kilowatt hour, still well above the market rate for electricity. As we know, wind has the unfortunate capacity to deliver electricity when it is not needed, driving up electricity rates. " FP Article ...

Unplugged, by land and by sea, in Costa Rica

2011-02-12T13:54:00.000-08:00

An aerial view shows the remote, wild environs of the eco-resort Playa Nicuesa in Costa Rica.

Eco-Travel never looked so good.... Off the Grid and Off the hook. No cell-phone connection? No problem. Creatures -- and creature comforts -- keep visitors entertained at an eco-resort in Costa Rica on the boundary between jungle and ocean.

If you are looking to get out of the City and back to the land Costa Rica looks like the place to go. More...

Top 10 Small-scale Renewable Energy Innovators

2011-02-12T13:49:00.000-08:00

A computer-generated graphic of Masdar city, currently under construction in Abu Dhabi, which will host the next generation of small-scale renewable energy companies. Photograph: Fosters + Partners

From high-rise plant factories to solar rubbish dumps, here is the pick of small companies at the World Future Energy conference

Abu Dhabi hosting the World Future Energy conference is like Dracula running a meeting of blood coagulant specialists. Never mind that the emirate has vast oil and gas reserves and is throwing up scandalously inefficient buildings by the score, it really wants to make the world believe that the future will be renewable power. More ...

Canada exporting Chrysotile Asbestos to India ... and Mesothelioma

2011-02-10T20:08:00.001-08:00

Why is Canada still exporting Asbestos .... This MUST be Stopped !

I thought Asbestos was banned in the US, Canada and Europe... but I learned today that Canada still mines and exports Chrysotile Asbestos to India, Brazil and other places that make products and then sell them back to the US, Canada and Europe.
Chrsyotile Asbestos causes Mesothelioma which causes death.

Feb 05 2011 - In the face of opposition in the Province of Quebec to continued asbestos exports, Quebec's Liberal Industry Minister Clement Gignac has delayed granting a government guarantee on a $58-million loan needed to reopen
the Jeffrey underground asbestos mine in the Quebec town of Asbestos. Montreal Gazette: Quebec, India to sign mining deal

Feb 03 2011 - New York Times: In a Town Called Asbestos, a Plan to Restart the Industry That Made It Prosperous

"Mesothelioma, more precisely malignant mesothelioma, is a rare form of cancer that develops from the protective lining that covers many of
the body's internal organs, the mesothelium. It is usually caused by exposure to asbestos.

Its most common site is the pleura (outer lining of the lungs and internal chest wall), but it may also occur in the peritoneum
(the lining of the abdominal cavity), the heart, the pericardium (a sac that surrounds the heart) or tunica vaginalis.

Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos and glass particles, or they have been exposed to
asbestos dust and fiber in other ways. It has also been suggested that washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos or
glass can put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma.Unlike lung cancer, there is no association between mesothelioma and smoking, but
smoking greatly increases the risk of other asbestos-induced cancers.

Those who have been exposed to asbestos often utilize attorneys to collect damages for asbestos-related disease, including mesothelioma.
Compensation via asbestos funds or lawsuits is an important issue in mesothelioma (see asbestos and the law)." (Wikipedia)

Feb 10, 2011 - Here is a link to the Chrysotile Regulations for Safe Use in Quebec

Policy Concerning the Increased and Safe Use of Chrysotile

On June 19th, 2002, the Québec government adopted a "Policy concerning the increased and safe use of chrysotile asbestos".
An interdepartmental workgroup, involving thirteen (13) departments and organizations, and presided by the Ministère des Ressources naturelles,
worked during one full year to put together this policy.

The objective of this policy is to encourage departments and government agencies, as well as Crown corporations and municipalities to increase
their use of products containing chrysotile. Québec currently processes about 2% of its chrysotile production (6,000 tonnes out of a total output of some
300,000 tonnes per year) and the Québec government hopes to double this domestic consumption in the medium term, by increasing the use of materials
containing chrysotile, namely chrysotile-cement pipes and sheets, as well as bituminous pavement with chrysotile.

Organizations targeted by the policy shall have the obligation to make sure that suppliers of chrysotile products that meet policy standards are
invited to submit proposals when these organizations proceed with calls for tenders and acquisitions of goods. The policy also provides for assistance
measures for the development and marketing of new products that contain chrysotile.

The implementation of this policy will be coordinated by the workgroup that elaborated the policy, and it will be accompanied by measures
designed to ensure the safety of workers and the public in general, which will essentially be overseen by the Ministère de la Santé et des Services
sociaux (MSSS), the Ministère de l’Environnement (MENV) and the Commission de la santé et de la sécurité du travail (CSST).

Quebec was the fifth largest producer in the world as of 2008, behind Russia, China, Kazakhstan, and Brazil
(U.S. Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries, January 2010).
Quebec exports 95 percent of its chrysotile production, mostly to Asian and other poor countries.

In 1999 the government of Canada went before the World Trade Organization to challenge, unsuccessfully, the ban on asbestos in France. So now they just ship it all to India ?? Crazy.

Amazon drought causing extreme Carbon Emissions.

2011-02-06T10:04:00.001-08:00

Trees and other vegetation in the world's forests soak up heat-trapping carbon dioxide as they grow, helping cool the planet, but release it when they die and rot.

As a result of last years drought, a study has predicted the Amazon forest would not absorb its usual 1.5 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in both 2010 and 2011. In addition, the dead and dying trees would release 5 billion metric tons of the gas in the coming years, making a total impact of about 8 billion metric tons, according to the study.

In comparison, the United States emitted 5.4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from fossil fuel use in 2009. Click for complete Amazon Drought Article on Canada.com

The last drought in this area occurred in 2005 and was considered a once in 100 year event. Last year it happened again. So here we are 5 years later. Has 100 years been compressed to 5 ? Is this an exponential acceleration of the effects of Carbon induced Global warming ?

I hope we can figure out a way to de-salinate Ocean water and bring it to the Amazon forest.
And quick !

Ojibwe story of Creation and the The Seven Fire Prophecy

2011-02-06T04:55:00.000-08:00

Way-nah-boo-zhoo held up his hands to make them stop making such a noise and said, “You have all puffed yourselves so full of air to make everyone think you are great. Because of this you could not swim to the bottom of the waters. In a new earth you must remember that you are all connected. Not one of you is more important than another. You must learn to love, honor, and respect each other in the circle of life. Each of you has some energy to share with the others of the circle. And the circle finds a way for each to make a contribution. These are the Original Instructions that you have forgotten. Perhaps Wazhusk, the muskrat, can do what all of you wish. Would you be happy to live on the new earth if the muskrat brought the first mud from the bottom of the waters?”
“The Eighth Fire is a term arising from the teachings of the Seven fires prophecy. The teaching suggests that if enough people—of all colors and faiths—turn from materialism and instead choose a path of respect, wisdom and spirituality, environmental and social catastrophe can be avoided, and an era of spiritual illumination will unfold.”

There are Off Gridders then there are Off-Griders ? Which one are you ?

2011-02-05T19:39:00.000-08:00

According to research by SayMedia Research : THERE ARE 56 MILLION OFF THE GRIDDERS IN THE US. THAT'S ONE-THIRD OF THE ONLINE ADULT POPULATION.

SAY Media - Off The Grid Research from SAY Media on Vimeo.

What we found: Consumers are spending less time with live television and more time with online content as well as time-and-device-shifted premium video content. These young, educated, affluent, Off The Grid consumers are increasingly difficult for marketers to reach through traditional broadcast media.

Implications for the Modern Marketer: Instead of trying to reach broad targets of demographic groups, focus on building scale from smaller and passionate communities. Focus on attentive reach, not frequency; when you achieve engagement with the consumer, the optimal frequency may in fact be one. Consider cost per engagement pricing to minimize wasted impressions.

Amish Cook Stove : Heat your home while cooking your breakfast.

2011-02-05T05:48:00.000-08:00

Enjoying the luxury of hot water can cost a family as much as $500 a year. Not so if you own a Kitchen Queen. This stove completely eliminates the need to run a conventional hot water heater, And the real beauty is your water is heated with energy that would otherwise be lost to the environment. You actually get free hot water while your food is being cooked and your house is being warmed. More ...

"Of course every stove works with heat convection, which is to say that heat naturally rises. But the Kitchen Queen takes a better advantage of this principle. Look at grandma's old stove in Figure 1. See how the heat circulates over the top, down the far side next to the water reservoir, under the bottom and then out the flue. Now compare Figure 2 to see how heat circulates in the Kitchen Queen. notice that the flow is first directed under the oven, up the right side, over the top, and then out the flue. The flow of heat and smoke is not directed at any point to take an unnatural downward turn. This is why we say the Kitchen Queen works with natural heat convection. This is truly a remarkable innovation in the design and function of a wood cook stove and, to our knowledge, is the only stove currently being manufactured that routes the smoke this way.

What are the advantages? It simply works better. The smoke and heat travel in a natural direction. But, most importantly, the smoke is not routed past any cooling surface, and therefore, is not cooled below 250 degrees F, the point at which liquid creosote is deposited on the cooling surface. This means less work for you."

Too much snow. Jan 5, 2011

2011-02-05T05:24:00.000-08:00

Subject: TOO, TOO, TOO MUCH SNOW (I just received this email)

You can click on each image to enlarge and see more detail.

Email says : Some of these pictures were taken in Lead, South Dakota, on January 5, 2011.That's just off I-90 close to Rapid City near the Wyoming border. Check out the Hot Tub location.

However, I have recognized that several of the photos are from Quebec and Ontario Canada. Probably from 2006 Snow Storm.

Does Ontario Micro-Fit Program make sense ?

2011-01-22T04:44:00.000-08:00

I was reading a story in the Ottawa Citizen about a couple who have borrowed $70,000 to install Solar Panels on their roof to generate $1,000 worth of electricity during the summer months....

This is how the article reads "Last spring, they dipped into bank account and took on a mortgage to invest $70,000 in Hydro One's MicroFit program, signing a contract to install and then maintain the solar panels that will funnel power back to the grid over the next 20 years. The contract guarantees them, 80.2 cents for each kilowatt hour, which explains why he likes sunny days.
It's welcome money for the couple who stretch their dollars living far from the nearest shop or town. During the sunny summer, they received monthly cheques for $1,000, but that dropped off in the fall when the clouds rolled in." (Citizen)

So I was curious about the math and ROI on this scenario. Especially if they are retired. If I borrowed $70,000 at 5 % interest, that would cost me around $3,500 per year.. but if Interest rates jump (as they are expected to) soon I would be paying $5,000 per year.

If they are making $1,000 per month during the summer (Jun, July, Aug) only when it's sunny. I'm curious to know what the other months produce.

Av. hours Sunshine (per day) via Livingin-Canada

Month....Hr.Sun....$$$

Jan.... 3.3 ... $ 370
Feb.... 4.4 ... $ 494
Mar.... 5.2 ... $ 584
Apr.... 6.3 ... $ 707
May.... 7.4 ... $ 831
Jun.... 8.4 ... $ 943
Jul.... 8.9 ... $1,000
Aug.... 8.0 ... $ 898
Sep.... 5.7 ... $ 640
Oct.... 4.4 ... $ 494
Nov.... 2.8 ... $ 314
Dec.... 2.6 ... $ 292

Total = $ 7,567

If they are making $7,567 per year and spending $5,000 year that means they are ahead by 2,567 per year ? So it will take about 27 years to pay back the $70,000 invested. If the contract is for 20 years does that mean that Ontario stops paying them after 20 ? And if they are also required to maintain the system, that means yearly or bi-yearly check-ups what are those costs ? If something is not covered by warranty malfunctions what is that cost ?? I know that the cost to maintain my furnace and AC each year is around $300, but my car can be as high as $2,000. Everyone forgets about the cost of Maintenance. Also does this system add to the cost of the Insurance on the home ? I'm sure if they have added $70,000 value to the house that increases Insurance and Property Taxes.

I would also like to know if these panels degrade over the 1st 5 years or so does that mean they produce less power ?

This just doesn't add up to me. What do you think ? Maybe my math is all wrong. I have made a lot of assumptions and you know what they say about assumptions. But I'd like to see ALL the numbers. I'd like to have an update on these numbers in 5 years.
"Pioneering Spirit Article"

Hydro rates rising in Ontario. Is it time to install Solar panels ?

2011-01-01T07:32:00.000-08:00

With the Hydro rates doubling in Ontario I thought I'd get a quote for installing Solar Panels on my roof through the Ontario MicroFit Solar Program. I was able to send a plan of my roof via Google Maps to a local Solar company and they sent me the following quote: I could install 6 KW of Solar Panels to my South and East Roofs for a cost of $47,000.

Through the Ontario MicroFit Program the government would pay me 80.2 cents for every KWHr I produce from my solar panels tied to the Grid for the next 20 years. That means that I'd earn about $6,000 per year and would have a ROI (Return on Investment) of about 8 years. I would still need to buy my own electricty from the Grid at a current cost of about 10 cents per KWHr.

Only problem is I don't have $47,000 just sitting around, so I'd probably have to borrow the $47,000 at about 5 % Interest on a Line of Credit. That would cost me an extra $2350/year .... So I'd really only be making about $3,650 /year, which means it would take about 13 years to pay for the system.

My question is what is the degradation of these panel's efficiency to produce electricity over the 1st 5 years, 10 years, 15 years etc ....

I have found various opinions on this stating that hey would lose anywhere from 5 % over the 1st 10 years to as much as 50 % over the 1st 5 years. If the Solar panels degrade (due to UV rays, snow, rain, freeze thaw cycles) do I really make $3,650 per year ?

The other problem with this solution is the amount or lack of sun we get here in Ontario. We are not Nevada. I need to do some more research but so far I'm thinking I'll need another approach. If only I could just install enough Solar panels to run my Air conditioner. That makes the most sense.

Casting Call: Nick Rosen is making a Documentary about Living Off the Grid

2010-12-04T05:12:00.000-08:00

Nick Rosen* is an award winning Documentary Film Maker, author of the recent book "Off the Grid: Inside the Movement for More Space, Less Government, and True Independence in Modern America." He is also the creator of Off-Grid.net Nick is now preparing to start filming a documentary about people who are living off the Grid (US and Canada)or even just thinking about it. He's looking for people who would like to tell their story. Are you sick and tired of rising Hydro Costs ? Ready to look into installing Solar, Wind or Geothermal ? If you are interested Contact nick@off-grid.net Filming starts next month.

* Nick Rosen is an author, campaigner and award-winning documentary-maker. His latest book "Off the Grid: Inside the Movement for More Space, Less Government, and True Independence in Modern America" is published by Penguin Books and will be released July 27, 2010 in the US only.
His book How To Live Off-Grid, published by Doubleday June 2007, is a guide to escaping the rat race; part of an ecological campaign to change the rules on planning permission via his website Off-Grid.net started in 1996.
In the early nineties, Nick became a freelance journalist, primarily writing for The Times and The Guardian. It was during this period that he met Katharine Hamnett and co-founded the short lived eco magazine TOMORROW.
In 1992, Rosen formed a TV production company, Vivum, and began to make documentaries for the ITV First Tuesday series. In 1992-3 he produced Brezhnev's Daughter, a documentary about the way the Nomenklatura were coming to terms with the new order in Russia. It won Best International Production prize at the NY Film and TV Festival.
Rosen wrote "The Durlacher Report" which became the base document in many of the early Internet IPOs, such as Demon, Pipex and Easynet[citation needed], and followed this with The Net-Head Handbook, a satire about the dawning of the internet.
In 2004, Rosen produced Sacred Ground, the fight for Ground Zero, for PBS and Channel 4 – a film about the battle to build a meaningful memorial at Ground Zero, and in 2006 he produced Britain’s Commuter Nightmare, a one-hour documentary for Channel 4 Dispatches.
In 1999 he met his wife, Turner nominated artist Fiona Banner. They married in 2005 and have a young daughter.
He is the son of scientist Dennis Rosen.

Off the Grid: Inside the Movement for More Space, Less Government, and True Independence in Modern America

2010-12-03T14:19:00.000-08:00

Off the Grid: Inside the Movement for More Space, Less Government, and True Independence in Modern America [Paperback]
I enjoyed reading this book. It was not at all what I was expecting, but with an open mind you can glean a lot from its pages.
This book is not a "how-to" book on living off the grid.... rather it reads like a Homesteader's "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" with various snippets and character sketches of the bizarre, a conspiracy theorist's nightmare in the heartland of America. Is this really the story of the typical off-gridder ? Maybe this is what happens when people who want to live alone realize that they need to live in a community. Contradictions abound.
Do we all run away and produce our own power stations ? What about sharing ?

This book made me want to crunch some numbers. Could I do it ? What would I need to really live off the grid where I am? I certainly don't want to find some land in the dessert and struggle with a composting toilet, but maybe it is time we figure out how to improve the systems we need to efficiently reduce our footprint. Why is it that it costs $3,000 to buy solar panels to produce 350 watts of power ? (a few light bulbs and a computer) If we are destroying this planet you would think that someone somewhere could invent a better Solar Power system.

The stories and snippets of these people struggling to survive is frightening. I could never imagine living like this with a small family. What is driving them to such extremes. Are they all running away from something ? Is this really what the Off-grid community is all about ? I think Nick will need to write a follow up to some of these stories. It left me with more questions than answers.

While reading the book I couldn't help asking the question "Who is John Galt?" If you have read Ayn Rands "Atlas Shrugged" you will know what I mean. Why are so many people unplugging and simply walking away from the daily grind. Is it the economy ? Yes. And High unemployment means that those remaining workers are working harder than ever. And most importantly people are getting tired of working to pay for all the stuff they need to live. Is there a better way. There has to be. In my mind we need to first reduce our consumption. Maybe there is a place between Off-Grid and On-Grid. That's what I'm looking for.

Video: Inside the Offgrid Cabin with 350 Watt Solar Power

2010-12-02T20:20:00.001-08:00

Video : 400 Sq Ft Off-grid Cabin with 350 Watt of Solar Power

2010-12-02T19:31:00.000-08:00

This house cost $2,000 to build, Solar Power was $3,000 and $200 per year of Propane. No Mortgage Payments, and no Utility Bills. Awesome.

Light on the Earth : The Solar Option

2010-11-25T09:34:00.000-08:00

Light on the Earth -- Written to provide homeowners with factual information about the installation and use of solar energy, this book in indispensable as it educates and informs how to achieve an affordable, reliable solar energy installation. Meant to be shared with the installer, electrician, or contractor, this book outlines all of the important design and cost issues that are often overlooked, resulting in less than satisfactory performance and elevated costs. The necessity of the rapid transition to renewable energy for the benefit of the global ecology has never been so well documented. Light on the Earth: The Solar Option leads the way to a solar future that maintains a high standard of living. Jonathan Cole, an international solar consultant, who has been developing solar energy systems for 27 years, shares first-hand experience to assure your investment in solar is based on factual, practical information. Available at Amazon.com

LightOnTheEarth.org

TED: The Green School in Bali.

2010-11-25T07:10:00.001-08:00

DOW POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingles Receive UL Certification

2010-11-17T11:13:00.000-08:00

DOW POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingles Receive UL Certification
Watch Video
Revolutionary Technology from Dow is First Solar Shingle to Obtain UL Safety Mark
MIDLAND, MICHIGAN – November 1, 2010 – Today, The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) announced that the DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle is the first residential solar roofing shingle with an integrated connection system to receive Underwriters Laboratories (UL) safety certification. The DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle is a ground-breaking photovoltaic solar panel in the form of a solar roofing shingle that can be integrated into rooftops with standard asphalt shingle materials. It reduces installation time and complexity using a revolutionary system design that eliminates on-roof wiring, minimizes through-roof penetrations, and allows the product to be installed in the same manner as a standard roofing shingle.

"The receipt of UL safety certification represents the successful completion of a rigorous and comprehensive multi-test process for the DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingles," said Dow Solar Vice President, Jane Palmieri. "This is another important milestone towards the planned 2011 commercialization of Dow's solar shingles, and represents a crucial third-party validation of the safety of this product. We are dedicated to making solar easy for homeowners, builders, and roofing contractors who already trust the performance and safety of building products bearing the Dow brand."

Given the new and unique nature of the DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle, Dow Solar worked closely with UL – a trusted global resource for product safety certification and compliance solutions - to indentify a series of rigorous tests to assess the safety of the unique design and of all the elements of the combined solar and roofing product. The final listing awarded to the DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingles represents compliance to a diverse sequence of UL's safety and building standards, specifically, UL 746, 1703, 1897, 790, 486 and 514. Over 50 individual tests were conducted to assess the safety of the DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingles against building code standards, including wind and fire resistance, and electrical code requirements, such as proper wiring and photovoltaic (PV) connections.

"UL has been leading the development of PV equipment testing methodologies and standards since the 1980s, and has contributed to the safe operation of PV equipment by providing safety testing and certification services for PV equipment manufacturers worldwide," said Jeff Smidt, Vice President and General Manager for UL's Global Energy business. "In the case of Dow's solar shingles, we had to take a unique approach in order to test the product as both a roofing shingle and a PV system. We are proud to provide the UL mark to this first-of-its-kind solar shingle from Dow."

In addition to the vitally important design and material safety tests performed by UL, Dow will continue with its own reliability and durability testing in support of commercialization. Dow is currently performing tests on installed systems of DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingles in addition to individual shingles in order to assess the durability of the product, utilizing Design for Reliability and Physics of Failure methodologies to measure performance against weather, extreme temperatures and more.

Dow has chosen thin-film CIGS (Copper Indium Gallium deSelenide) as the PV material in the DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ solar shingle, and Global Solar Energy (Tucson, AZ) was selected as the preferred supplier in support of the product launch. CIGS technology offers the best balance of low cost and highest sunlight conversion efficiency of the commercialized thin film technologies available today, and the flexible foil substrate of the Global Solar Energy CIGS cells provides the necessary level of flexural durability to allow the DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle to perform reliably in a demanding application environment.

Breaking the traditional barriers to residential solar adoption – complexity, affordability and aesthetics – this technology offers the missing link needed by the energy industry to drive solar adoption across the U.S., and will bring the possibility of safe and reliable solar power to American households. The DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle is expected to be commercially available in select U.S. markets by mid 2011.

About DOW™ POWERHOUSE™

In 2007, Dow received a $20 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy as part of its Solar America Initiative to develop "building integrated" solar arrays for the residential and commercial markets. In October 2009, Dow Solar unveiled the DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle as the first in a portfolio of building related solar energy generating products. Since its introduction, the Solar Shingle has been hailed as revolutionary, including being named one of the "50 Best Inventions of 2009" by TIME magazine.

The innovative product design provides an unprecedented integrated roof appearance and simplified installation. It combines a roofing shingle with a solar cell, enabling the DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle to be installed by a roofer along with standard asphalt roofing materials. This makes the DOW™ POWERHOUSE™ Solar Shingle an easy choice for homeowners looking for a residential solar solution that is easy to install and aesthetically pleasing. Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) products from Dow Solar are evidence that Dow is focused on developing energy alternatives and expanding Dow's commitment to use chemistry to solve the world's energy challenges. More information about Dow Solar can be found at www.dowsolar.com.

About The Dow Chemical Company

Dow combines the power of science and technology with the “Human Element” to passionately innovate what is essential to human progress. The Company connects chemistry and innovation with the principles of sustainability to help address many of the world's most challenging problems such as the need for clean water, renewable energy generation and conservation, and increasing agricultural productivity. Dow's diversified industry-leading portfolio of specialty chemical, advanced materials, agrosciences and plastics businesses delivers a broad range of technology-based products and solutions to customers in approximately 160 countries and in high growth sectors such as electronics, water, energy, coatings and agriculture. In 2009, Dow had annual sales of $45 billion and employed approximately 52,000 people worldwide. The Company's more than 5,000 products are manufactured at 214 sites in 37 countries across the globe. References to "Dow" or the "Company" mean The Dow Chemical Company and its consolidated subsidiaries unless otherwise expressly noted. More information about Dow can be found at www.dow.com.

About Underwriters Laboratories

UL is an independent product safety certification organization that has been testing products and writing Standards for Safety for more than a century. UL evaluates more than 19,000 types of products, components, materials and systems from more than 66,000 manufacturers each year. In total, there are more than 20 billion UL Marks appearing on products worldwide. UL's global family of companies and network of service providers includes 68 laboratory, testing and certification facilities serving customers in 102 countries. For more information, visit: http://www.ul.com/newsroom.

For Editorial Information:

Greg Baldwin
The Dow Chemical Company
+1 989 638-0745

Kate Nigro
Dow Solar
+1 989 638-9629

Chris Grams
GolinHarris
+1 312 729-4364
cgrams@golinharris.com

Bloggers, Webmasters and Publishers earn $$$ by placing text links on their Site.

2010-11-11T08:51:00.000-08:00

Better than any Affiliate program - We signed up with Intellilinks and are already earning $80/month by placing short text links on our Blog. Some advertisers are paying as much as $500/month when you add a content-related link to your web site or blog.

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Intellilinks handles the sale of your links through their state of the art marketplace, and their sales team is constantly working to sell ads on your site. The Intellilinks staff handles the billing and support as well. It's completely hassle free for the publisher.
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Moving Walls. My Design of a 420 Sq Ft Apartment in New York. Jovoto Contest.

2010-11-07T06:29:00.000-08:00

Working with the Golden Section - subdivided space with rotating walls for Dining area and Bed rooms
Dining Table, benches store into walls that swing into place to divide space and then close to conceal kitchen. The beds also hide in swinging walls that rotate back to create storage on their back sides. The entire space can be transformed by rotating walls to varying degrees.

You can Join the contest or vote for my design here : Jovoto Contest

$70,000 in prizes for Design of 420 Sq Ft Apartment from www.jovoto.com/contests/life-edited

2010-11-01T18:55:00.000-07:00

Product Design: Design a jewel box of an ultra-low-footprint apartment in 420sf (~39 m2). Win up to $70,000! Click here for more.

With some design and technology magic, even small space can allow for almost anything. Consider:

* transforming space - use one space for work, play, sleep, guests
* digitize everything - photos, books, music
* from ownership to access - think car-sharing instead of owning, pay-per-view instead of downloading, smart space-sharing and subletting
* only the essentials - cut down on extraneous stuff, leaving only what’s really necessary

The design needs to support the life of a real person in the apartment - someone who works, eats, lives, and entertains.... allow for:

* a sit-down dinner for 12
* a comfortable lounging option for 8 people
* space for 2 guests with some visual and ideally auditory privacy
* a home office
* a work area with space for a rolling tool chest
* a hideable kitchen

Mandatory Requirements

Apartment Functions:
You must use one or more of the Resource Furniture Space Saver designs to combine some of the functions, but the rest is up to you.
Kitchen - The kitchen should have an induction cook-top, a combination microwave/oven, a small fridge (could be a drawer fridge), a dishwasher, an espresso machine, a juicer, a smart system for storing non-perishable food, and a soda water maker. The kitchen should be hide-able.
Bath - The apartment needs to have a toilet, a sink, a shower, and perhaps a steam room. The setup should look great, be space efficient, conserve water and energy, and have low embodied energy. Must have audio privacy.
Bed - The apartment should have at least a queen size bed, ideally raised off the floor.
Storage - Significant storage is needed for clothing, tools, sports equipment, food etc. (perhaps 300 or 400 cubic feet?)
Home Office - The office is built around a Mac 31” monitor and a 17” Macbook Pro.
Recycling and Reuse - There needs to be a convenient space/system for composting as well as a recycling and reuse "center" (stuff that will be given to friends or donated to charity).
Work Area - There should be a space to store a rolling tool cabinet and an area to do minor in-home repairs, bike maintenance, etc.
Entertainment & Telepresence - There should be Amina in-wall speakers to be used for entertainment and Cisco ūmi Telepresence. The 31” monitor will also be used in the entertainment and Telepresence center.

Materials and Other Considerations:
Flooring - The floor should look great, feel great, wear well, have low embodied energy, be easy to clean, and be maintainable by a Roomba.
Materials - When selecting materials, consider lifecycle and health concerns such as offgassing. Push for low embodied energy materials wherever possible.
Light, Sound - The apartment should be able to be made dark enough to not see one’s outstretched hand. Surfaces should absorb sound.
Shoes - This will be a shoeless apartment, therefore shoes need to be organized or stored near the entrance. A place to sit to take off/put on shoes might make sense as well.
Robot Servants - Low, hidden area where Roomba and Scooba cleaning robots might be stored away to charge.
Bike Storage - It would be nice to be able to hang the Strida in a closet and to slide the Schindelhauer ThinBike into a slot somewhere such that it is out of sight.
Plants - Plants should only require tending to once a month.

Nice to have:
Home automation - House systems might be controllable via mobile phone and internet, with simple on and off controls for all appliances.
Steam Room - It would be nice to have a few luxury items in the apartment such as a steam room. How do you optimize a steam room (less volume?), so it’s as eco-friendly as possible?
Lockable Storage - A portion of storage should be lockable such that some of it can be easily secured when the apartment is sublet.
Wall surface/area - There should be a way (magnets?) to display inspirational photos, images etc.

Assumptions and things already considered:
Air quality - The air will meet or surpass PlaNYC and the American Lung Association "Healthy House" certification.
Resource Usage - The space will use 70% less energy than a typical apartment, saving money and increasing peace of mind. Heating, cooling, and water usage is 20% of a similarly sized NYC apt. The apartment will be super-insulated, use high efficiency appliances and technologies such as a heat recovery ventilator to achieve this.
Lighting - It is anticipated that we will incorporate directional LED lighting into the ceiling so that none or very little additional lighting is needed anywhere.
Windows - It is assumed that we will replace the windows with super energy efficient pan and tilt models. Shading can be programmed using a Mechoshade Home System.

Working to bring SolarCity to Canada

2010-10-17T17:57:00.000-07:00

I'm working to bring SolarCity Residential Solar-Lease to Canada. Maybe we'll get it here in Ottawa 1st. SolarCity is perhaps best known for introducing a new solar lease option, called SolarLease, in 2008 that can significantly reduce or eliminate the upfront cost of installing solar power. SolarCity's solar lease can allow some homeowners to pay less each month by adopting solar power than they previously paid for electricity from the utility company. In 2009, Paramount Energy Solutions (a division of Paramount Equity) became a SolarCity Certified Partner, and began offering financing options. SolarCity installs panel technologies ranging in high efficiency from Sanyo to lower efficiency, cost-efficient thin-film solar modules from First Solar as well as string ribbon from Evergreen Solar, Sharp, Yingli, Kyocera and Suntech Power, among others. Read more here : Residential Solar-Lease and here: Elon Musk

The E.D.G.E. (An Experimental Dwelling for a Greener Environment) A "micro" house on a bluff.

2010-07-24T16:20:00.000-07:00

The E.D.G.E. (An Experimental Dwelling for a Greener Environment) A "micro" house on a bluff.

Video of the E.D.G.E House by Mary Louise Schumacher of the Journal Sentinel

On the Lake - Gitchee Gumee

2010-07-24T08:42:00.000-07:00

Kayaking on Lake Superior (Gitchee Gumee) with my Dad and brothers.

Hip to be round

2010-07-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

Circular homes also boast high energy efficiency. Because a round structure can offer the same interior square footage as a conventional home, but with a smaller wall area, there's less exterior space exposed to energy-sapping heat and cold. Hip to be round

BP, What a mess. Where is Sarah Palin now with her "Drill baby Drill" ?

2010-06-16T12:18:00.000-07:00

A quote from Palin in Loveland, CO, October 20, 2008.

And whether Joe Biden approves it or not, we will develop clean coal technology and we will safely drill for the billions of barrels of oil that are warehoused underground, including our offshore sources. We will drill here and drill now. (Cheers, applause.) Drill, baby, drill. Drill, baby, drill."

And recently on Twitter Sarah Palin says: "Extreme Greenies: see now why we push 'drill,baby,drill' of known reserves & promising finds in safe onshore places like ANWR? Now do you get it?"

Well Sarah, I'm an Extreme Greenie. I get it. We need to find something other than oil. Get it ?

Why did BP start with dispersants rather than scim the oil into tankers ?

2010-05-28T06:58:00.000-07:00

I was listening to CBC radio this morning and there was an interesting story about a similar spill in Saudi Arabia. In that case they were able to recover most of the oil by scimming the oil from the surface and pumping it into tankers. In the Gulf of Mexico BP decided to break the oil down with dispersants where a lot of the oil appears to be sinking to the bottom. If this oil sinks and covers the breeding grounds of many species I would say the environmental disaster has only begun. Why was BP so quick to use dispersants ? Were they afraid of how the oil slick would look from satellite images ? Is this a question of optics, of image, of appearances ? Were they allowed to destroy the environment below the surface so that the surface would appear unblemished ? Is this why the decision was made to use dispersants ? I know what happens to the oil on my paint brushes when I wash them with solvents. The oil coats the bottom of my brush-washing cup.

And now this: Thu May 27, 4:37 PM

By Jason Dearen,Matthew Brown, The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS - Marine scientists have discovered a massive new plume of what they believe to be oil deep beneath the Gulf of Mexico, stretching 22 miles (35 kilometres) from the leaking wellhead northeast toward Mobile Bay, Alabama.
The discovery by researchers on the University of South Florida College of Marine Science's Weatherbird II vessel is the second significant undersea plume recorded since the Deepwater Horizon exploded on April 20.
The thick plume was detected just beneath the surface down to about 3,300 feet (1,000 metres), and is more than 6 miles (9.6 kilometres) wide, said David Hollander, associate professor of chemical oceanography at the school..... The researchers say they are worried these undersea plumes may are the result of the unprecedented use of chemical dispersants to break up the oil a mile undersea at the site of the leak.
Hollander said the oil they detected has dissolved into the water, and is no longer visible, leading to fears from researchers that the toxicity from the oil and dispersants could pose a big danger to fish larvae and creatures that filter the waters for food.

"There are two elements to it," Hollander said. "The plume reaching waters on the continental shelf could have a toxic effect on fish larvae, and we also may see a long term response as it cascades up the food web."
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/100527/world/us_oil_spill_new_plume

Why didn't BP start with Top Kill and entomb the well ?

2010-05-28T06:50:00.000-07:00

I have been wondering a lot lately as we watch the "environmetal disaster" worsen in the Gulf.... why didn't BP or the US government entomb the well immediately in a concrete chamber. Why are they using mud ? Is it because they want to eventually gain access to this huge resevoir of oil? Just how big is this find? Is it enough to eventually fill the Gulf ? All of the methods so far seem to have been driven by economics or greed. How can BP get the oil to the surface, and sell the stuff. Sad.

EPA asks BP to stop using Toxic Dispersant. BP won't comply, EPA changes its mind.

2010-05-26T02:59:00.000-07:00

Update: "Concerned about the unprecedented amounts of dispersant in use, the EPA issued a directive last week instructing BP to seek less toxic alternatives. But the oil company responded that other chemicals had either not been tested on deep water spills or weren’t available in the quantities needed." http://onthescene.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/05/25/epa-to-bp-use-less-chemical-dispersant/

However, EPA Administrator Defends Response To Oil Spill, Use Of Dispersants: "Lisa Jackson, the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), says that scientists have given, and continue to give, careful consideration to the use of chemical dispersing agents on the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

In recent days, some scientists have voiced concern about the use of one dispersant in particular: Corexit. They say that long-term effects of the chemical, especially in deep seas, are unknown." http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2010/05/epa_administrator_defends_admi.html

Three Years without Oil.

2010-05-18T10:16:00.001-07:00

Video from CNN. Three years without oil - http://bit.ly/d4dF2R #cnn

Dispersants being used in the Gulf of Mexico - BP Oil spill / MSDS on 2 Butoxyethanol

2010-05-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

I don't think I'll be eating any fish that comes from the Gulf of Mexico (or Atlantic Ocean) for a while ….. Today they are saying the oil and dispersants may also enter the loop current that will take the toxic waste into the Florida keys and the Atlantic Ocean.
"Dispersants being dumped in large quantities into the Gulf of Mexico may cause central nervous system effects, nausea, vomiting, anesthetic or narcotic effects," and "repeated or excessive exposure to butoxyethanol [an active ingredient] may cause injury to red blood cells (hemolysis), kidney or the liver." - Countercurrents.org (see link below)
---------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is a link to the MSDS on 2-butoxyethanol http://www.sciencelab.com/xMSDS-2_Butoxyethanol-9923187

Section 3: Hazards Identification
Potential Acute Health Effects:
Hazardous in case of skin contact (permeator), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, of inhalation. Slightly
hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant). Severe over-exposure can result in death.
Potential Chronic Health Effects:
CARCINOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available.
MUTAGENIC EFFECTS: Mutagenic for bacteria and/or yeast.
TERATOGENIC EFFECTS: Not available.
DEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY: Not available.
The substance may be toxic to blood, kidneys, liver, central nervous system (CNS).
Repeated or prolonged exposure to the substance can produce target organs damage. Repeated exposure to a
highly toxic material may produce general deterioration of health by an accumulation in one or many human
organs.

OSHA requires companies to make Material Safety Data Sheets, or MSDSs, available for any hazardous substances used in a workplace, and the ones for these dispersants both contain versions of a disturbing statement. 9500's states that "Component substances have a potential to bioconcentrate,"
This is not what you want to hear about toxins being dumped in the sea by the hundreds of thousands of gallons. The EPA defines bioconcentration as the "accumulation of a chemical in tissues of a fish or other organism to levels greater than in the surrounding medium." In other words, substances that bioconcentrate tend to move from water into fish, where they can do damage to the fish itself, as well as be passed on to predator fish -- and on up the food chain, to human eaters.
And just how toxic is this stuff? The data sheets for both products contain this shocker: "No toxicity studies have been conducted on this product" -- meaning testing their safety for humans.
This is jaw-dropping. According to Ronald Tjeerdema, chair of the Department of Environmental Toxicology at UC Davis' College of Agricultural & Environmental Sciences, who has been studying dispersants since the '90s, "The industry typically only stockpiles one or two of these things," and while Corexit 9527 has been the dispersant of choice for a long time, in recent years, Corexit 9500 has gained prominence. Yet Nalco has done no toxicity studies on these industry-dominating products now in heavy use in the Gulf?
They do appear to have toxic properties. Both data sheets include the warning "human health hazards: acute." The MSDS for Corexit 9527A states that "excessive exposure may cause central nervous system effects, nausea, vomiting, anesthetic or narcotic effects," and "repeated or excessive exposure to butoxyethanol [an active ingredient] may cause injury to red blood cells (hemolysis), kidney or the liver."
It adds: "Prolonged and/or repeated exposure through inhalation or extensive skin contact with EGBE [butoxyethanol] may result in damage to the blood and kidneys." http://www.countercurrents.org/philpott070510.htm

So, what's in the stuff? According to their data sheets, both 9500 and 9527 are composed of three potentially hazardous substances. They share two in common, organic sulfonic acid salt and propylene glycol. In addition to those two, Corexit 9500 contains something called "Distillates, petroleum, hydrotreated light," while Corexit 9527 contains 2-Butoxyethanol. Frustratingly, the sheets don't give exact information about how much of the substances are in the dispersants; instead they give ranges as a percentage of weight. For example, Corexit 9500 can be composed of anywhere from 10 to 30 percent petroleum distillates, while 2-Butoxyethanol makes up anywhere from 30 to 60 percent of 9527. (Countercurrent.org)

According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2-Butoxyethanol#Safety Safety
It is recommended that one use precautions when working with glycol ethers such as 2-butoxyethanol, as it is toxic. Employers are required by United States federal law to inform employees when they are working with these substances
Some animal studies indicate that it produces reproductive problems, such as reduced fertility, death of embryos and birth defects.People exposed to high levels of 2-butoxyethanol for several hours have reported nose and eye irritation, headaches, vomiting and a metallic taste in their mouths. In addition to inhaling 2-butoxyethanol vapor, research has shown that skin can also absorb 2-butoxyethanol vapor from the air, making skin a major pathway of exposure to this chemical. It has been linked to some autoimmune diseases such as chronic fatigue syndrome and autism and some forms of anemia.
2-Butoxyethanol is frequently found in popular cleaning products. It is difficult for consumers to know whether their favorite cleaner contains the chemical because manufacturers are not required to list it on the label.

This compound is on California's list of hazardous substances,though it was removed from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency‎'s list of hazardous air pollutants in 1994.
In recent years 2-butoxyethanol has come under increased scrutiny in Canada, and Environment and Health Canada has recommended that it be added to Schedule 1 of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).
William Nazaroff, a professor of environmental engineering and chairman of the Energy and Resources Group at UC Berkeley, has argued that EGBE should have remained on the federal contaminants list, and concluded in a study that the use of some common household cleaning products containing EGBE could expose people to levels 12 times greater than California's one-hour guideline, especially when indoor use is considered.These products are not required to list it on the label when diluted to a certain point. The safety of the products is defended by the American Chemistry Council and the Soap and Detergent Association, industry trade groups.

Excessive human exposure:
Moderate respiratory exposure to 2-butoxyethanol often results in irritation of mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and throat. Heavy exposure via respiratory, dermal or oral routes can lead to hypotension, metabolic acidosis, hemolysis, pulmonary edema and coma. Blood or urine concentrations of 2-butoxyethanol or its major toxic metabolite, 2-butoxyacetic acid, may be measured using chromatographic techniques to monitor worker exposure or to confirm a diagnosis of poisoning in hospitalized patients. A biological exposure index of 200 mg 2-butoxyacetic acid per g creatinine has been established in an end-of-shift urine specimen for exposed U.S. employees. (Wikipedia)

Yikes !

The Seed Cathedral. UK Pavilion at Shanghai Expo 2010.

2010-05-04T20:30:00.000-07:00

Thomas Heatherwick: “The Seed Cathedral sits in the center of the UK Pavilion’s site, 20 meters in height, formed from 60,000 slender transparent rods, each 7.5 meters long and each encasing one or more seeds at its tip. During the day, they act as optic fibers and draw daylight inwards to illuminate the interior. At night, light sources inside each rod allow the whole structure to glow. As the wind moves past, the building and its optic “hairs” gently move to create a dynamic effect ” Stunning !

Solar Air Heating System. How does it work ?

2010-05-04T17:13:00.001-07:00

How Does the Solar Air Heating System Work?

Option A: Solar Air Heat via Wall Panel System
This solar air heat system creates a warm, soothing feeling by using air as the working fluid for absorbing and transferring solar energy.
- When installed on the wall, you can easily heat up a room and also transfer hot air to other rooms.
- If you mount the panel on the wall you will need to drill 2 holes in the wall. One will be for the inlet and other one for the outlet. Four screws hold the panel together.
- The air is supplied from the wall panel directly to the room you would like to heat up.
More Information

My Measure & Dimensions App. for iPhone

2010-04-29T16:40:00.000-07:00

I want to get this one.... My Measures & Dimensions

My Measures is a powerful application for storing and sharing object dimensions.
A must have tool for all real estate agents, engineers, carpenters, architects, auction sellers, construction workers...
All you have to do is take a photo of an object you wish to store dimensions of. Then you add dimensions: arrows, angels and text. Now your measures are stored and you can see and share them anytime anywhere.

The Real Science of Avatar

2010-04-25T14:55:00.000-07:00

The Real Science of <i>Avatar</i>

Camping Yurts Video

2010-03-30T10:12:00.000-07:00

Video showing how to set up a 12' Camping Yurt using s kit from CampingYurts.com

Earth Hour 2010 Saturday March 27th 8:30 PM

2010-03-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

Lights out. Help heal the earth. Reduce your consumption. More information here ..... http://www.earthhour.org/Homepage.aspx

Solar Power for your iPhone. Novotek SolarSurge.

2010-03-12T05:57:00.000-08:00

The SolarSurge, from NovoTek, uses the sun to charge an external supplemental battery enclosed in a case that surrounds the iPhone. According to the company, this is the first solar charging solution approved by Apple, and it works with the iPhone 3G, 3GS, and the iPod Touch. The charger is available on the company’s Web site; the iPhone version is $80, while the iPod Touch model is on sale for $53.

Home Depot Sunforce 2500 Watt Solar Kit. $8,550

2010-02-18T10:31:00.001-08:00

This kit is an ideal solution for off-grid backup power and rural electrification. This kit includes ten 123 Watt solar panels, one 2500 Watt Pure Sine Wave inverter, and two 50 Amp charge controllers. The solar panels are easy for anyone to install, maintenance free, and completely weatherproof. The panels contain high efficiency polycrystalline solar cells. The Pro Series inverter has a continuous output of 2500 Watts, with a surge power of 5000 Watts. The inverter has the following protections; soft start system, low battery shut down, DC input overload voltage, output overload, overload temperature, short circuit shut down, high speed cooling fan. The inverter comes with a wireless remote control key chain. The 50 Amp Pro Series Charge Controller features include; temperature compensation, reverse polarity protection, PWM Boost charging for more efficient solar power systems.

Kit includes (10) 123 Watt Polycrystalline Solar Panels with Sharp® Module, (1) 2500 Watt Pro Series Pure Sine Wave Inverter, (2) 50 Amp Pro Series Charge Controllers
Solar panels have high efficiency polycrystalline solar cells
Connect multiple panels for more power!
Ideal solar kit for off-grid back-up power, remote power, and rural electrification
MFG Brand Name : Sunforce
SunForce 2500 Watt Solar Kit

Home Depot SunForce 200 Watt Solar Panel Kit - $1,180

2010-02-18T10:21:00.000-08:00

Here's a good starter kit: contains (2) 100 Watt Pro Series CIGS solar panels. These panels are high efficiency PV modules made using the latest polycrystalline Copper Gallium diSelenide (CIGS) solar cells. The modules provide for consistent power and do not degrade when exposed to sunlight. The modules are constructed using high quality and proven technology in its construction and makes for a robust lightweight solar module. Key panel features include; ultra-rough 3.2 mm toughened and textured glass, 3 layer Tedlar® with aluminum interlayer, reinforced anodized aluminum frame, pre-drilled frame for easy mounting, high quality junction box with diode protection, 25 Year limited warranty. This kit is ideal for off-grid home systems, rural electrification, water pumping, battery charging, and much more! Kit includes (1) 30 Amp charge controller and (1) 200 Watt inverter.
SunForce Solar Kit - $1,180

Snow Storm in Washington DC - Short by Nathan Golon

2010-02-16T06:01:00.001-08:00

Washington, DC Snow Storm from Es Video! on Vimeo.

Duron Solar Systems

2010-02-15T06:58:00.000-08:00

Priced at $130, the DURON provides 10 hours of dim lighting or three hours of bright light. The system, which provides a constant supply of clean energy, has been put to use in many schools and small businesses located in rural regions throughout India. Duron currently has plans to sell only a few thousand DURON systems. http://www.duronenergy.com/product_info/

Belvedere Log Cabin Kit, 4 bedroom, $118,000

2010-01-31T09:36:00.000-08:00

2,700 Sq Ft, 4 Bedroom Log Cabin Kit for $118,000. This One looks nice too. Just add land, solar panels and mix.....
Belvedere Log Cabin Kit Here is the 2009 Price List

Log Cabin Kit 1248 Sq Ft $55,800

2010-01-31T09:04:00.000-08:00

I found this really nice Log Cabin Kit for a 1248 Sq Ft Off-grid Home. I'm going to cost this out - adding Solar panels, geothermal and Wind Power. Pretty Nice to start with a base price of $55k though.
http://www.loghomes.ca/fiche_technique/Canadiana-II.pdf And here is there 2009 Price List - opefully they update for 2010. http://www.loghomes.ca/en/Pricelist%202009/CND%20Timber%20English%20Pricelist%2001-2009/Timber%20CND%20pricelist%2016-01-2009.htm

The New Economy House. Small is Beautiful

2010-01-30T06:51:00.000-08:00

Good concept. Live small and save on everything. 1,771 sq ft home for $170,000. Just need to find a nice piece of land on the river. http://www.neweconomyhome.com/Site_2/New_Economy_Home_2.html

CGI Architecture Short.

2010-01-23T19:27:00.000-08:00

The Third & The Seventh from Alex Roman on Vimeo.

Natural Swimming Ponds - Ottawa

2010-01-15T17:32:00.000-08:00

I stumbled across this article last spring and was very interested in doing something like this- but then I couldn't find the link again - Now I'll know where it is. How to build you own natural (no chemical) backyard swimming pond. Awesome ! http://www.pondclinic.com/WebImages/OttawaMagazine_Feb09-DistTest.pdf

Time-lapse video of Balehaus Construction

2009-12-28T11:15:00.000-08:00

Check out this 1 minute time-lapse video from the strawcam at Bath. Green Pre-fab Straw Bale construction at it's finest.
http://www.bath.ac.uk/features/balehaus/strawcam/

Merry Christmas from Cicely Alaska.

2009-12-23T03:54:00.000-08:00

The Raven Christmas Story.

The Cap and Trade Bubble Disaster

2009-12-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

Interesting. I'm very afraid when I hear the names Enron and Goldman Sachs in the same sentence.
How about we invent electric cars and switch to Geothermal and Solar Energy instead ????

http://storyofstuff.com/capandtrade/#cop15

$4375 Grant for Geothermal Energy in Canada.

2009-11-28T12:26:00.000-08:00

Canadian Federal Grant for Geothermal Heat Pump Installations.

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) is offering homeowners a new residential energy efficiency assessment service. Under the ecoENERGY Retrofit Program, a property owner can qualify for federal grants by improving the energy efficiency of their home and reducing their home's impact on the environment.

NRCan-licensed energy advisors conduct a detailed on-site assessment of your home's energy use. These advisors then provide you with a personalized written report, including a checklist of recommended retrofits to improve the energy efficiency of your home. The homeowner then has 18 months to complete these retrofits. The highest grant that NRCan is offering is for the installation of a ground-source (geothermal) heat pump. When you replace your existing heating system with a geothermal heat pump, you are entitled to a $4,375 grant. The maximum grant you can receive through this retrofit program is $5,000.

http://oee.nrcan.gc.ca/residential/personal/retrofit-homes/retrofit-qualify-grant.cfm

Insulation Technology Fact Sheet.

2009-11-28T12:18:00.000-08:00

Wall Insulation Technology Fact Sheet:

http://www.ornl.gov/sci/roofs+walls/insulation/fact%20sheets/wall%20insulation%20technology.pdf

10 Best ways to reduce your Carbon Footprint.

2009-11-28T12:14:00.000-08:00

Excellent resource....

http://lifegoggles.com/489/10-easy-ways-to-reduce-your-carbon-footprint/