President Nicolas Sarkozy wants to leave his legacy as others have done before him. For his “Le Grand Paris” project, he has invited 10 teams of architects to reimagine Paris as a city integrated with its suburbs and environmentally responsible. These are some interesting developments:
via NYtimes
A species is defined as introduced (also known as non-indigenous, alien or exotic) in a certain geographical area, if that area is outside the species’ native distributional range, and the species has arrived there by human activity. Introduced species sometimes are damaging to the ecosystem they are introduced into, others negatively affect agriculture and other human uses of natural resources or impact on the health of animals and humans.
There are many ways in which the introduction of non-native or exotic species negatively affects our environment and the diversity of life on our planet. But what would it mean on our moon or other planets? Sounds like the stuff science fictions are made of. Well, now the US Scientists are to grow brussel sprouts (my fav. by the way) on the moon!
According to telegraph.co.uk, the scientists (US scientists) are planning to grow hardy vegetables such as brussels sprouts on the Moon in an experiment to see if a future colony could produce its own food! Paragon Space Development Corporation in Arizona working with NASA unveiled plans to land mini-greenhouses on the moon. These little 1.5 ft tall greenhouses, capable of growing flowers and veges are designed to safely land a laboratory plant on the lunar surface, and protect it while it grows. They call the mini-greenhouse project, “Lunar Oasis”.
The miniature greenhouse is to be launched into space no earlier than 2012 by Odyssey Moon Ltd, a participant in the Google Lunar X Prize, which will reward any project which can launch, land and operate a rover on the lunar surface.
Read the whole article here.
Apparently, Paragon is very keen on developing other similar and very interesting projects that involve experiments of plants and plant-cycles elsewhere in the galaxy or right here on our earth. From their website;
Mars Greenhouse Experiment Module, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
A sealed plant growth chamber designed for deployment on Mars. They have designed the plant growth chamber, including the atmospheric control system and a molecular-level mass balance and flow model for hydrogen, carbon and oxygen throughout the plants’ life cycles.
Closed Ecological Experiment Facility, Tokyo Engineering
Gas Control and Analysis system design for the Closed Ecological Experiment Facility (CEEF) in Japan. CEEF is a human-rated regenerative life support system with controlled plant growth chambers and an animal/human habitat.
Much opportunity abounds to be creative and harvest wind and solar energy. To be eco-friendly and stylish at the same time, how cool and sustainable is that? I spied some of the neatest designs that do just that:
All images courtesy of trendir. thanks.
Mariah Power’s Windspire is a plug-n-produce vertical axis wind turbine that stands 30 feet tall and 2 feet in radius, the Windspire stands out from the crowd due to is sleek propeller-free design. It operates quietly. With an affordable price tag this Mariah Power vertical wind turbine comes complete with a high-efficiency generator, integrated inverter, hinged monopole and wireless performance monitor. Ideal for rural and suburban homes. Using a rotor, generator and inverter, the 1.2kW turbine produces about 2,000 kilowatt hours a year in winds gusting 12 miles an hour. It even comes with an internal wireless modem – you can check your power production from your computer at any time. Available in a corrosion-resistant silver paint, you can repaint it in any color you choose. It’s also easy to install and comes complete with everything needed to set it up. Via trendir
Marlec Rutland 504 Windcharger is designed for the eco-friendly boater. You’ll never worry about flat batteries, or have to hassle with refitting them – the Rutland 504 is a small wind generator that charges your battery, giving you the peace-of-mind that you’ll have power whenever you need it. Ideal for boats less than 10m in length and with battery banks around 100Ah, this Marlec wind turbine charges the battery while your boat is docked, and when you’re on the water, will continually top it up. Lightweight and portable, this wind turbine charges in windspeeds as low as 5 knots and is equipped with a safety turbine that joins the six aerofoil blade tips with an outer ring. Its low friction 3 phase alternator runs silent, and offers 360-degree free rotation on its mounting pole. You can even take it off and bring it home with you to use to run a garden pump, fountain or to provide low voltage lighting to a shed or garage.
Ideal for farms and remote locations, the Magenn Power Air Rotor System (MARS) wind turbine floats in the air while tethered to the ground, and removes any obstacles related to placement. This lighter-than-air wind turbine rotates around a horizontal axis wherever the wind is blowing and generates electrical energy. This electrical energy passes down the tether to a transformer and then transferred to the electricity power grid. The MARS Air Rotor is sustained by helium, which transports it to an altitude where it will find the best wind, and its rotation produces a Magnus effect, giving it a extra boost, keeping it stabilized and placing it in a optimal position. Capable of operating in a wider range of wind speeds, the 10 to 25 kW MARS will be available in 2009/10, and is expected to cost between the $5 USD to $10 USD dollar per watt. via trendir
Multi Directional Wind Turbine Helix Wind S322. It is an inexpensive, reliable and simple turbine, ideal for urban environments with low draw and off-grid applications. Mounted up to 35 feet high, the S322 works well in low speeds and its savonius design features a long helical blade that collects wind from every direction, forcing it through the turbine. This Helix turbine uses the wind to spin the electric generator, which is plugged into your home. During the times of no wind, your home will draw its power from the energy grid like it usually does, and at times when it’s gusting, the multi directional S322 uses the excess energy to roll your meter backwards. You’ll also enjoy its silent operation and its 3D blade is built for easy assembly and toughness. via trendir.
Ikea’s cute and adorable LED lights. They use 70% less energy while lasting four times as long as regular blubs.
Made in the UK, the Inflatable Solar Collecter for Hot Water – SolarStore uses solar heat to warm domestic water – in fact, it can heat up to three full tanks of water, reaching temperatures close to 80°C! Selling for under £100 (about $150 US), the inflatable solar collector is not only cheaper than conventional solar hot water systems on the market (compare at $2,000-$3,000), but can also be used in developing countries as well as on camping trips. Using the process of heat transfer, sunlight passes through the SolarStore’s clear outer layer, and travels down to a black inner layer that holds the water. To keep water hot, it uses the surrounding air between the clear and black layers as insulation. The SolarStore is set to hit the market in the spring of 2009.
Renewable Devices’ Swift rooftop wind energy system is safe, efficient, and a silent building mountable turbine that cuts carbon emissions while reducing your electricity bill. Designed in the UK, this turbine uses aerodynamic technology to generate electricity only when you need it. Ideal for both residential homes and businesses, Swift features an overpower regulation mechanism that controls rotation speed, which comes in handy when you’re dealing with high winds. And you control how much energy is used, thanks to its sophisticated electronic control system. It can be mounted on a rooftop or wall, and works as a stand-alone as well as off grid.
Ethanol. Corn-based ethanol is neither cheap nor ‘green’ it seems. Did its proponents claim that it will solve the world’s energy problems? I am not sure. But what I am sure of is that far more of its negative outcomes outwiegh the positives, when producing corn-based ethanol. An article by Phil Mckenna from technologyreview.com lists them;
- Ethanol derived from corn consumes up to three times more water than previously thought, according to a new study.
– Corn ethanol is already plagued by environmental concerns such as pollution from fertilizer, pesticides, and herbicides; soil erosion; greenhouse-gas emissions from production; and competition for agricultural land with food crops.
– “This is one more nail in the coffin for ethanol,” says David Pimentel of Cornell University, in Ithaca, NY, whose own studies have shown that ethanol requires more energy to produce than it releases when burned, and that the fertilizer used to grow corn for ethanol has contributed significantly to dead zones in the Gulf of Mexico (areas of the ocean with low oxygen content due to increases in chemicals in the water).
Read the whole article here.
And in the seattlepi.com from the economist this article says,
Ethanol is not much used in Europe, but it is a fuel additive in the U.S., and a growing number of cars can use either gasoline or ethanol. It accounted for only around 3.5 percent of U.S. fuel consumption last year, but production is growing by 25 percent a year because the government subsidizes domestic production and penalizes imports. As a result, refineries are popping up like mushrooms all over the Midwest, which sees itself as the Texas of green fuel.
Despite all the controversy, it has apparently been very agreeable to most, in the U.S. anyway – the government, the auto industry, farmers, taxpayers, the hawks and even the oil industries themselves;
Why is the government so generous? Because ethanol is just about the only alternative-energy initiative that has broad political support. Farmers love it because it provides a new source of subsidy. Hawks love it because it offers the possibility that the U.S. may wean itself off Middle Eastern oil.
The automotive industry loves it, because switching to a green fuel will take the global-warming heat off cars. The oil industry loves it because ethanol as a fuel additive means it is business as usual for the time being.
Taxpayers seem not to have noticed they are footing the bill.
Ethanol is not at all popular in Europe nor elsewhere in the world. This short-term, instantly gratifying, fast-paced life is exactly American. I would know after having lived in New York City for more than a decade’s worth of my time.
A new study forecasts when climate factors such as temperature, humidity and rainfall will match at geographically distant airline departure and destination points, which could help to shuffle invasive species, and the diseases they may carry, across the globe along existing flight routes….
The study, published online Jan. 22 in the journal Ecography, and the work, performed in his previous position at the University of Oxford, Andy Tatem predicts a peak risk will be reached in June 2010. That is when multiple factors converge to create a month when the climate factors at many flight origin and destination airports would be most similar…
Invasive species are non-native, alien species whose introduction does, or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health. It can be a plant, animal, or any other biologically viable species that enters an ecosystem beyond its native range. And majority of the major pathways for these invasive species to enter a country involves non other than our-human-selves.
Anyway, about the findings of this new study:
Tatem, who holds a joint position at the Emerging Pathogens Institute and the University of Florida’s geography department, said his model uses the latest forecast data for climate change and air traffic volumes…. “The model shows us that climatic shifts are not greatly significant over the next few years,” Tatem said. “But the great increase in traffic volumes from expanding economies in India and China are likely to have a significant effect on moving species….” read more here
Well, a drastic climate change of a sort seems imminent sometime in June of 2010 according to this study. As for the invasives, in lieu of getting much bad rep, there are some pros as seen here:
Climate Change’s Impact on Invasive Plants in Western US may create Restoration Opportunities
Nevertheless, invasives are a big big problem. Sigh. This map shows the estimated distribution of invasive marine species. Many marine organisms are carried in ballast water or on the hulls of ships.
What can we do?
I am sure there are many solutions including educating and spreading awareness around as well as doing our part in our daily lives.
Finally, in jest as much as in truth, below is the reason that I never wanted to live in the southern part of the US.
Burmese pythons are an invasive species in South Florida and according to The Conservation Report, there is a possibility that these invasive species could spread to one third of the US. gasp.
Happy New Year everyone! Hope all your travels to faraway or nearby lands went well. Talking of travel, I just love those maps in the back of in-flight magazines with all the flight routes sprouting out like a firework. The GEM – European Commision’s “Travel time to major cities: A global map of Accessibility” shows a similar map which captures our (today’s world) “connectivity and the concentration of economic activity and also highlights that there is little wilderness left. The map shows how accessible some parts of the world have become whilst other regions have remained isolated.
Travel time to major cities (in hours and days) and shipping lane density.
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Our connectivity through visual communication has come a long way; from the beautiful cave paintings of the earliest known homosapiens to today’s subliminally powerful world of advertising. Citrinitas has a wonderful wonderful collection of images showcasing our visual communication history timeline.
all images courtesy of citrinitas.
This wonderful site generates graphs out of any webpages. It was beautiful to watch Landscape Architeck sprout as a graph. There is something very organic about it. This flash animation is executed as an HTML DOM in java applet. I captured some screen shots along with the key;
What a great concept! I will have my reservation as soon as the restaurant is ready! (which, according to the news, can be booked, starting tomorrow, right after the scaffolding comes down!!!!).
Anyway, the design by the New Zealand based Pacific Environments Architects, is currently under construction on a site north of Auckland. It is so interesting how it all began. When NZ Yellow Pages conducted a marketing promotion to show how competent they are in helping you complete any project, they decided to really prove it. They started building a restaurant 10 metres up a redwood tree! The main idea was to source all products and services through Yellow Pages listings. Now that’s talking the talk and walking the walk for real. Besides, it looks fantastically exciting; I cannot wait to experience the whimsy of it all!
Check the progress of the Yellow Treehouse!
Lack of tree diversity in Worcester, MA is considered the most likely cause of death and vulnerability for the beautiful maple trees there. A massive infestation of the asian long-horned beetles has ruthlessly plagued thousands of Worcester’s trees, all of which now needs to be sadly chopped down . via NYtimes
In other news, Ilkka Halso’s Tree Museum is a site to see. Ilkka Halso, a Finnish artist, whose works have been investigation of visual world of science, has some amazing concepts… and photography. See more here.
Ilkka’s design intentions in his words, “I make plans and construct visually buildings, which protect nature from threats of pollution and what is more important, from actions of man himself.”
And finally, look at these amazing trees! (bottle baobab, teapot baobab and basket tree respectively) From the 10 most magnificent trees in the world.
I am in Bhutan! Despite having a little bit of a difficult time breathing at such high altitude (12,000ft above sea level), I stand in awe taking in the wonderous landscape here. The clouds are so clear and close, you could almost touch it. The global economic crisis has had no effect on the lives of the people here (so far); who are only excited about the ensuing 42 days of centennial coronation ceremony. Greetings from a place that only value GNH much much over GNP!!
Me in Kira - the traditional outfit
Thimphu, Bhutan
Awesome scenery. It seems so sereal
Waillaquera 2:47 am on 05/21/2009 Permalink
Engaging article,, will definitely visit soon..
Tandin Wangmo 11:47 pm on 06/11/2009 Permalink
Thanks Waillaquera.