New Sustainable City Lights? February 24, 2010

Phillips, creator of various electronics such as TVs, MP3s, Light Bulbs, and etc has taken action in creating a new concept. City lights, that’s right, not only are they creating light bulbs but they’re proposing cities with a city light that uses natural energy. This newly innovative design is like a tall street lamp, in the shape of a flower. During the day, the “flower” will open up and capture solar energy, not only does it store solar power but it will also store wind power. Late at night the “flower” will close and emit light through the LEDs, this city light will also proximity sensors which will detect movement of people in the surrounding area. If it does not detect movement then it will dim itself to conserve the store energy. From these city lights, there will be absolutely zero consumption of energy from the grid of the city’s energy.

For more information visit: http://www.usa.philips.com/

Global Warming News: Late Night Style February 24, 2010

“According to a survey in this week’s Time magazine, 85% of Americans think global warming is happening. The other 15% work for the White House.” –Jay Leno

“President Bush has a plan. He says that if we need to, we can lower the temperature dramatically just by switching from Fahrenheit to Celsius” –Jimmy Kimmel

O'Brien (left) and Leno (right) discuss the effects of global warming.

“Experts say this global warming is serious, and they are predicting now that by the year 2050, we will be out of party ice.” –David Letterman

“NASA just released their new report on global warming or, as President Bush, calls it — Spring.” –Jay Leno

“According to a new U.N. report, the global warming outlook is much worse than originally predicted. Which is pretty bad when they originally predicted it would destroy the planet.” –Jay Leno

Thanks, Jimmy. February 24, 2010

We all know by now that Portland State is the ULTIMATE sustainability campus. In fact, our school is so ultimate that we received 25 MILLION DOLLARS from the generous James F. “Jimmy” Miller to continue to develop PSU’s sustainability programs and practices. This hefty grant will also help our school reach the goals listed in 2010′s “Climate Action Plan,” released January 15th. The plan outlines the ideal campus changes in the coming 5 years, including a 40% decrease in the number of single occupancy trips made to PSU by vehicle (oops… guilty), reducing all catering and dining facilities to zero waste, and enhancing student exposure to, and experience with climate change.

I look forward to seeing how these goals will spark change around campus, and I feel lucky to be a part of the ultimate sustainability school.

2010 Climate Action Plan

http://www.pdx.edu/sites/www.pdx.edu.sustainability/files/media_assets/Portland%20State%20University_CLIMATE%20ACTION%20PLAN_Discussion%20Draft.pdf

San Francisco Gets $171M Loan February 23, 2010

San Francisco, California plans to create a new sustainable transit center. Two years ago, the new build was approved to replace the old Transbay Terminal which currently serves as a hub for long distance buses. The revamped terminal is estimated to cost approximately $4 billion. Not only will it be created as a new transit center but it will also integrate several different “green” concepts.

I think the money used to create this new terminal may cost more in the long run. Using that $171M could be put towards several various concepts to create a more sustainable environment. I mean, yes it’ll be better for the environment but creating an entirely new terminal may cause more pollution than it’ll save in the future.

For more information visit: http://transbaycenter.org/project/transit-center

Wind-Turbine Highway Lights February 23, 2010

Current an eco-design firm Tak is proposing to initiate a new concept for highways–wind turbine powered highway lights. With cars speeding pass the highways so frequently highway lights are to be powered by a simple rush of air. Not only will these turbines provide energy for the overhead lights but they will also provide energy for a whole grid.

Wind turbines are like giant fans, as wind harnesses the propellers they spin, and as they spin they create a great amount of energy. This means, the rotating propellers converts the energy of wind into kinetic energy.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/commuting/2010/02/a_future_where_the_whoosh_of_p.html

Growing Green? February 23, 2010

New innovative ideas about going green are being created every day. Have you ever thought of growing grass under a lamp? With this new lighting source, growing grass is possible indoors. Adding soil and water in the designated area allows grass to grow even without turning on the light. This gives a great reminder on how the grass is always green.

My Daughters View on deforestation. February 5, 2010

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kya98XFBt9M

Are we being sustainable?

check it out!

My daughters view of deforestation. February 5, 2010

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kya98XFBt9M

Check it out!

Tornadoes in Southern California February 3, 2010

January 25th, 2010, Southern California experienced their first tornadoes in the history of the state. Tornadoes are known for dominating the US Mid-West states like Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa -not Southern California. The only natural disasters that California has to deal with is earthquake. This alternation in natural disaster is a big warning about the changes in the climate that the humankind and the Earth has to face. People around the world, even at this point of our climate changes, still underestimate the impact global warming will have on our society. May these tornadoes be an eye-opening experience for people everywhere about the gloomy future that we are heading in.

Rain, rain, go away… February 3, 2010

I recall one time in high-school my class was talking about Oregon and how green it was. There was a student making a comment about how the fresh the air was compared to Ohio. They even commented how they appreciate how ‘there’s a park practically at every corner’. My teacher then replies the fresh air is thanks to the constant rain Oregon is known for; constant rain acts as a constant air-filter.
With that thought in mind I wander onto California. California has one of the worst air-quality in the U.S. (no kidding since the sky has a hint of purple in the air; I would joke that I can tell if a picture was taken in California by the color of the sky). Yes, California has a lot of cars on their roads, but so does Washington and they don’t have poor air-quality that California suffers. However, it does not rain as often in California as it does in Washington. Especially since California is a desert. Then this brings up another question, what would California be like if it did rain more frequently?