Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Feel Like a Hamster in a Tube?
Shweeb Monorail Technology has been developed in New Zealand for recreation park use. The technology has also received backing by Google (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/28/shweeb-google-invests-ove_n_741615.html) for their totally green no emissions fully human powered monorail. Their site http://shweeb.com/index.php?m=home has good information on the technology and answers questions providing videos of the technology.
The Shweeb site touts that there are single or double pods each having room for the person a jacket hanger and the usual size commuter area to stash your belongings. While this technology is cool I would personally feel like a hamster in a tube and that's not something I'm willing to settle for in return for a totally green zero emissions cheap commuting service.
I would want to see one fully working before I decide on concessions I might be comfortable with. I am skeptical as is because all of this green technology seems to good to be true. Exact pricing is not detailed but the technology lasts about 50 years before it has to be taken apart and recycled by smelting. For now, I will keep walking to work.
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sustainability Around Campus
The INhouse article, Get fit, save energy with Rec Center’s converters, shows off the most recent addition to the Pohl Recreation Center. Members can now use one of the largest human power plants in the US by working out on one of 36 elliptical machines at the Rec Center.
The 36 Elliptical machines hav a ReRev (check out their homepage http://rerev.com/ ) device fitted to the machine to convert the energy generated. The ReRev device comes from Florida. A 30 minute workout generates about 50 watt hours of green carbon free energy that could be put back on the power grid. Fifty watt hours of energy is enough to power a laptop for about an hour. UNT is now one of 20 Universities using the ReRev device.
You can find the article on the INhouse web address http://inhouse.unt.edu/get-fit-save-energy-rec-center%E2%80%99s-converters which also offers links at the bottom of the page to other sites for ReRev technology information. The ReRev site offers links to Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube applications featuring the ReRev technology in practice.
The Sierra Student Coalition's Campuses Beyond Coal campaign has also appeared on campus at UNT to try and transition to 100% Green Energy. More information and opportunities for volunteering may be found at http://sierraclub.org/coal/campus/default.aspx .
The 36 Elliptical machines hav a ReRev (check out their homepage http://rerev.com/ ) device fitted to the machine to convert the energy generated. The ReRev device comes from Florida. A 30 minute workout generates about 50 watt hours of green carbon free energy that could be put back on the power grid. Fifty watt hours of energy is enough to power a laptop for about an hour. UNT is now one of 20 Universities using the ReRev device.
You can find the article on the INhouse web address http://inhouse.unt.edu/get-fit-save-energy-rec-center%E2%80%99s-converters which also offers links at the bottom of the page to other sites for ReRev technology information. The ReRev site offers links to Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube applications featuring the ReRev technology in practice.
The Sierra Student Coalition's Campuses Beyond Coal campaign has also appeared on campus at UNT to try and transition to 100% Green Energy. More information and opportunities for volunteering may be found at http://sierraclub.org/coal/campus/default.aspx .
Friday, September 24, 2010
The Tug of War Between Views of Being Green Continues
Pro Green
8 Hurdles on the track of a green energy future: vision of cheap, renewable power faces a technological reality check by John Roach writing for MSNBC reveals the 8 biggest political and technological roadblocks to green energy of the future. The article lists the most probable ways to overcome these hurdles. See the link above for complete details.
· Clean up existing supply with a price on carbon (taking excess carbon dioxide from the recovered natural gas and injects the carbon dioxide underground
· Store wind and solar energy for later use
· Limit impact of transmission lines
· Drives down costs of electric cars
· Build a portfolio of transportation options
· Mine the earth for rare minerals
· Grow energy crops; save the food
· Bury hang-ups on nuclear waste
The Anti Green Opinion
The September 12, 2010 edition of Newsweek has an interesting article called “The Earth Doesn’t Care About what is done to or for it” by George F. Will. Mr. Will looks to Robert B. Laughlin, co-winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Physics, to explain this point of view which hinges on being able to think in terms of geologic time. Mr. Will points out that The American Scholar Quarterly recently printed an article that asserts that “what humans do to, and ostensibly for, the earth does not matter in the long run, and the long run is what matters to the earth.” By looking at the geological time, this perspective reflects that it is easier to think of potential situations much worse than what naturally occurs. It is a focus on the potential rather than the imminent that leads to destruction. This article supports the view that recycling campaigns are nice but the real threat is extinction of species because that is the one resource that is not fungible or replaceable. This article was interesting and it does present a new perspective to sustainability. After reading the two page Newsweek article, I want to find the article by Mr. Laughlin for a deeper look.
Recent Trends...One Person's Trash is the World's Treasure
This September 21,2010 article from MSNs GOOD page shows how to recycle an oil rig that is no longer used to mine resources. This former oil rig is now “reborn as scuba heaven”. The Seaventures Dive Resort offers a plethora of reasonably priced dive packages for the oil rig remodel. The resort offers amenities of a regular hotel but focuses on making the available dive trips the highlight. You can spend time with the manta rays, eagle rays, sharks, turtles, and other ocean wonders. The Seaventures Dive Resort has been mentioned in the Wall Street Journal in more detail.
My First Post as an Eco Rep
Greetings Eco Peeps! This week I selected two unrelated topics to discuss in sustainability news. First I looked into sustainability in hair dyes and second I looked at the latest developments in guitar technology.
Hair Dyes: The Dirt on Eco Friendly Dyes
I have used both natural plant extracts like Henna and Indigo and commercial dyes that are Eco friendly. I am frequently asked about how to go about buying henna and its comparison to other dyes out there. I wanted to try henna because I desired an auburn color that looked natural without the use of damaging chemicals as I am allergic to some hair dyes. The web page http://www.mehandi.com offers both information and purchase information for Henna and other natural ingredients to make dyes from plant extracts. I found this site to be informative and the results were accurate. I tried one of the recommended "recipes" for brunettes who want a bit of the red sparkle in sunlight. My witches brew took a few minutes to mix per the instructions that came with my henna order via Mehandi.com via the www.hennaforhair.com site. I was careful to select a BAQ (body art quality) henna so as to get the cherry red highlights with out chemicals. If you don't want to spend six hours with your head in a wrap you can still be Eco friendly with commercial boxed dyes.
So What's in the Box?
I tried Age Beautiful's Anti Aging hair color carried by Sally's at www.sallybeauty.com. The Age Beautiful brand dye is a new line from a Holland manufacturer. I tried the shade 5N which is a medium brown. I chose to go with this boxed dye over others because I had over processed hair and this dye has proteins and other nutrients. The packaging of the dye is made with 100% wind energy. More information on wind powered energy products may be found at www.NewWindEnergy.com . The inner flap of most products will specify if they are a New Wind Energy product or not. For me the boxed dye did what the label said it would with the exception of the color being much darker than indicated. I wanted a natural looking brown and I ended up with jet black hair partially because my hair was in a damaged condition before dying. I have found that both boxed dyes that use energy efficient packaging and henna both provide nice color to my brown hair but each has it's own advantages and disadvantages.
The Verdict:
I like the copper and cherry red highlights from henna but they tend to look less natural and less professional. Boxed dyes do contain chemicals but the color will be more consistent. I chose to compare the two types of dye because I care about finding earth friendly beauty products. I was a bit apprehensive in using either type of dye as I am sensitive to many commercial products. The most important decision when using henna is to make sure it is BAQ so that the henna etc. does not contain ingredients that are dangerous. The Mendahi page is the only henna retailer I know of that actually sends samples to chemists to certify the lawsone content and absence of chemicals like lead, contaminants, and pesticides. Other retailers may sell BAQ henna but Mendahi actually tests the content. I would use either product again depending on the color I want as a result. I too can be either a "black cat" or a "red cat" with henna or commercial dyes. I have gotten good results on both with complements. I currently use the Age Beautiful product because it takes less time and the color is more natural looking. Cherry red highlights can be beautiful but they are a bit eccentric for my line of work. As a law librarian the dark brown to black shades of the commercial boxed dye look more professional.
Guitar Technology : It's All About the Body
I did a Google search for "sustainability and guitars" out of curiosity this week. I wanted to find products concerning my passion for music, playing guitar particularly, and here is what I found. Some string manufacturers are creating strings from recycled metals. Advertising of this kind of string is not often publicized. I suggest reading labels in the music store when trying to find a sustainable string. Major manufacturers like Fender and C.F.Martin are coming out with models using sustainable woods like bamboo. Niche manufacturers are turning to hemp and other plants to build instruments rather than using current non sustainable woods like mahogany, spruce, maple, rosewood, poplar, and others. While some niche manufacturers offer various body materials like recycled plastics, compressed fibers, and others are being used. Hemp pulp is used by some smaller manufacturers to produce bodies that are much lighter but that the luthiers claim is still as resonant as traditional materials. I look forward to seeing some of these options available at my local music store. I have a Fender, Martin, and Traveler guitars in my collection. I am skeptical of the new sustainable materials until I try one in person because I love the resonance of traditional materials. It's good that there is interest in furthering sustainability efforts with green materials but I don't want a sacrifice in sound. These changes in manufacturing could mark a new era in music. The electric guitar was a revolutionary development in blues leading to modern rock. I wonder if these sustainable materials are all hype or if they will change the face of popular music once again. For now, I will have to wait to judge for myself. When I start to find sustainable instruments locally I will see how they play. Until then I will remain skeptical.
Hair Dyes: The Dirt on Eco Friendly Dyes
I have used both natural plant extracts like Henna and Indigo and commercial dyes that are Eco friendly. I am frequently asked about how to go about buying henna and its comparison to other dyes out there. I wanted to try henna because I desired an auburn color that looked natural without the use of damaging chemicals as I am allergic to some hair dyes. The web page http://www.mehandi.com offers both information and purchase information for Henna and other natural ingredients to make dyes from plant extracts. I found this site to be informative and the results were accurate. I tried one of the recommended "recipes" for brunettes who want a bit of the red sparkle in sunlight. My witches brew took a few minutes to mix per the instructions that came with my henna order via Mehandi.com via the www.hennaforhair.com site. I was careful to select a BAQ (body art quality) henna so as to get the cherry red highlights with out chemicals. If you don't want to spend six hours with your head in a wrap you can still be Eco friendly with commercial boxed dyes.
So What's in the Box?
I tried Age Beautiful's Anti Aging hair color carried by Sally's at www.sallybeauty.com. The Age Beautiful brand dye is a new line from a Holland manufacturer. I tried the shade 5N which is a medium brown. I chose to go with this boxed dye over others because I had over processed hair and this dye has proteins and other nutrients. The packaging of the dye is made with 100% wind energy. More information on wind powered energy products may be found at www.NewWindEnergy.com . The inner flap of most products will specify if they are a New Wind Energy product or not. For me the boxed dye did what the label said it would with the exception of the color being much darker than indicated. I wanted a natural looking brown and I ended up with jet black hair partially because my hair was in a damaged condition before dying. I have found that both boxed dyes that use energy efficient packaging and henna both provide nice color to my brown hair but each has it's own advantages and disadvantages.
The Verdict:
I like the copper and cherry red highlights from henna but they tend to look less natural and less professional. Boxed dyes do contain chemicals but the color will be more consistent. I chose to compare the two types of dye because I care about finding earth friendly beauty products. I was a bit apprehensive in using either type of dye as I am sensitive to many commercial products. The most important decision when using henna is to make sure it is BAQ so that the henna etc. does not contain ingredients that are dangerous. The Mendahi page is the only henna retailer I know of that actually sends samples to chemists to certify the lawsone content and absence of chemicals like lead, contaminants, and pesticides. Other retailers may sell BAQ henna but Mendahi actually tests the content. I would use either product again depending on the color I want as a result. I too can be either a "black cat" or a "red cat" with henna or commercial dyes. I have gotten good results on both with complements. I currently use the Age Beautiful product because it takes less time and the color is more natural looking. Cherry red highlights can be beautiful but they are a bit eccentric for my line of work. As a law librarian the dark brown to black shades of the commercial boxed dye look more professional.
Guitar Technology : It's All About the Body
I did a Google search for "sustainability and guitars" out of curiosity this week. I wanted to find products concerning my passion for music, playing guitar particularly, and here is what I found. Some string manufacturers are creating strings from recycled metals. Advertising of this kind of string is not often publicized. I suggest reading labels in the music store when trying to find a sustainable string. Major manufacturers like Fender and C.F.Martin are coming out with models using sustainable woods like bamboo. Niche manufacturers are turning to hemp and other plants to build instruments rather than using current non sustainable woods like mahogany, spruce, maple, rosewood, poplar, and others. While some niche manufacturers offer various body materials like recycled plastics, compressed fibers, and others are being used. Hemp pulp is used by some smaller manufacturers to produce bodies that are much lighter but that the luthiers claim is still as resonant as traditional materials. I look forward to seeing some of these options available at my local music store. I have a Fender, Martin, and Traveler guitars in my collection. I am skeptical of the new sustainable materials until I try one in person because I love the resonance of traditional materials. It's good that there is interest in furthering sustainability efforts with green materials but I don't want a sacrifice in sound. These changes in manufacturing could mark a new era in music. The electric guitar was a revolutionary development in blues leading to modern rock. I wonder if these sustainable materials are all hype or if they will change the face of popular music once again. For now, I will have to wait to judge for myself. When I start to find sustainable instruments locally I will see how they play. Until then I will remain skeptical.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
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