GREEN TALLAHASSEE

interesting take on climate change and the washing machine

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:15:00 +0000

DISCUSSIONS OF PEAK OIL

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 22:41:00 +0000

photo by David Room

During the past seven years, TheOilDrum.com has hosted analysis and discussion surrounding the possibility and implications of a near term peak in global oil production and importance of energy to society in general. One of the leading online knowledge-bases for energy-related topics. Most recently, an in-depth discussion of the obstacles to wind production in the US.

Set aside a definitive chunck of time to peruse the archives.

RECYCLING TRASH INTO A--FOREST

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:30:00 +0000

Bottles, typewriters, surfboards and buffalo skulks are among the items gathered and assembled into unique structures by a California man featured in the video below:

SOLAR CHARGERS FOR ALL OUR ELECTRONICS?

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 16:34:00 +0000

This Kindle solar charger is a logical component of a Kindle lighted case. Shouldn't all electronics have solar chargers as backup? Including book lights for the paperbacks and hardbacks that are still on our reading shelves?

NANO-SIZE SOLAR CELL?

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Fri, 23 Dec 2011 15:36:00 +0000

This may not be the answer to extremely low cost solar, but every innovation moves us a step closer. (See video below).

Notre Dame researchers have created a semiconductive paste, called “Sun-Believable,” which can turn surfaces its applied to into solar cells. The new material coats nano-sized particles of titanium dioxide with either cadmium sulfide or cadmium selenide, and then suspends them in a water-alcohol mixture to create a paste.

The paste can then be applied to a transparent conducting material, which creates electricity when exposed to light. The solar cell paint is cheap to produce, but it currently has a serious drawback: low efficiency. Silicon solar cells typically have 10-15% efficiency, while the material created by Kamat and his team has a 1% efficiency at best.

FLORIDA'S OFFICE OF ENERGY PROPOSES RESTORING TAX CREDITS

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 18:12:00 +0000

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam says his department will finish a draft energy bill before the end of the year according to this report from an online line news article in the Current.

Putnam said in the 2012 session he wants to remove regulatory barriers related to renewable energy and that he wants to restore tax credits originally in s. 212.08, F.S., that expired in 2010.

Currently, Florida has no written energy policy. Over the summer, Senate President Mike Haridopolos joined the Governor in calling for a new state energy policy that would open the door to oil and gas drilling off Florida's coast, new nuclear power and increased investment in renewable energy.

CYCLING SAVVY CLASSES

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 20:47:00 +0000

Commuter Services of North Florida has graciously agreed to sponsor up to 20 students for the next Cycling Savvy class (a $75 value), to be held Friday and Saturday, January 6-7, in Tallahassee. The class is designed to teach road and traffic-riding skills to a wide range of cyclists, opening even more roads up to Tallahasseeans who like two-wheeled transport.

Please visit http://cyclingsavvy.org/2011/10/cyclingsavvy-tallahassee/ for more information and to register.

IT'S NOTHING REALLY - A GUIDE TO GREEN GIVING

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 16:30:00 +0000

GET GREEN BEFORE THE HOLIDAY RUSH!

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:25:00 +0000

This Saturday November 19th, join Leon County and America Recycles Day to make a serious commitment to declutterng your home and office! Seriously, make your 2012 resolution right now: 'I will not bring home another electronic device until I clean out that box of miscellaneous electronic hardware in the back of the closet!'

Disclosure: I have a box of StyrofoamTM peanuts in my garage waiting for some day to take them out to the recycling center on Apalahcee Parkway. (the same place where one can take all those non-working computer parts and peripherals--NOTE: working or semi-working computers, monitors, printers, etc. can be refurbished at the Goodwill Store 2800 West Tennessee Street).

Bring Items to Reuse or Recycle
BOOKS
GLASSES
SHOES!!!!!
PLASTIC BAGS
ALUMINUM CANS
STYROFOAMTM

There is a 5K Trash Dash that starts at 8:30 AM, the one mile Recycling Run starts at 8:00 AM. Race registration begins at 7:00 AM. T-shirts for race participants are made from recycled plastic bottles.

WHERE:
Leon County Solid Waste Facility
7550 Apalachee Parkway

Activities from 8:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Open House
5K Trash Dash
1 Mile Recycling Run
Compost Bin/Rain Barrel sale
Free Paper Shredding
Recycling Activities
Vendor Displays
Live Music
Tours

TALLAHASSEE'S SOLAR AIRPORT

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:00:00 +0000


floridamemory.com

Tallahassee's Regional Airport flipped the switch on its 20-kilowatt solar array early this month and plan to monitor it over the next year to see if expanded use of solar would be a good investment for the future.

Airport officials say the $155,000 system can reduce overall energy expenses by about $5,000 to $7,000 per year. The 176 solar photovoltaic panels are expected to save the airport 45,000-kilowatt hours of power and offset 36 tons of carbon emissions.

City of Tallahassee Sustainability Target Areas

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 20:43:00 +0000

The City of Tallahassee has posted its Sustainability Target Areas and is requesting public input. The City proposes to take action across eight broad sustainability target areas that provide the framework for the plan and were formulated during Phase 1 of the planning process. The eight target areas include: Leadership, Education and Community Outreach, Health, Economics, Natural Resources, Energy, Solid Waste, and Land Development and Mobility.

The plan is available at: Tallahassee Sustainability Action Agenda

Tallahassee residents can go to the comment page.

CLASSES ON BEEKEEPING

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 19:30:00 +0000

Monday, November 21, 2011 at 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM
through Monday, January 30, 2012
Leon County Extension Center
615 Paul Russell Road
Tallahassee

A series of classes is for beginners and novices. Learn the tips and tricks for successful beekeeping. Detail at Green Calendar.

SOLAR FOR OCCUPY TORONTO

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 16:03:00 +0000

		Hack a small solar device to charge your phone or, if you're really ambitious, power your laptop over at Voltaic
ZUMA Press

BEYOND DISPOSABLE

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 15:02:00 +0000


The Butterfly, the Beetle, and the Bee.		Made from found objects, by Jami Joelle Nielsen

At this week's Sustainable YOU conference, participants tried hard to follow Tim Center's detailed instructions: There is a container for recycling, there's a container for composting (thanks to FAMU) and there's a container for trash. Here's what goes in each. . .

Meals and refreshments were served using biodegradable cutlery and plates, no meat could go into the compost, some things could only go into trash. Despite our best efforts, some rolls got into the recycling instead of compost and paper napkins caused a dilemma--clean and recycled or used and trash? Many people brought their own thermal coffee mugs from home, with not a bottle of water in sight anywhere.

Discussions around reduce, reuse and recycle were everywhere those two days. One question was: What if nothing were disposable? What if we, as consumers, questioned whether anything should be acquired that did not have some kind of life beyond its original purpose? Most us have learned the statistic that each American generates four and a half pounds of waste per day, (Story of Stuff) but what does that really mean in terms of making purchasing decisions? Is it enough to recycle most of the stuff and throw the rest into the landfill?

[Leon County outsources its landfill to Jackson County, so Leon residents can now add additional transportation to the cost of throwing something away.]

Check out the Beyond Disposable article here and There is no such thing as garbage—only wasted resources .

FABRIC GAS STATION A PROTEST

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 14:08:00 +0000

At the corner of East Colvin Street and Nottingham Road in Syracuse, N.Y., sits perhaps the only gas station that ever protested gasoline. This abandoned station was the home of the World Reclamation Art Project, and it was once covered in knitted, stitched and crocheted fabric squares that were submitted by participants worldwide to protest the world’s dependency on oil. People from across the globe sent Jennifer Marsh their handmade squares, and the International Fiber Collaborative sewed the panels together to completely cover the gas station.
from mother nature network

NATIONAL PLUG IN DAY

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Sun, 16 Oct 2011 12:37:00 +0000

Have you hugged your electric car today?

National Plug In Day, taking place today, Sunday, Oct. 16, is a nationwide observance drawing global attention to the environmental, economic and other benefits of plug-in electric vehicles through simultaneous events staged in at least twenty major cities nationwide, including one in Kissimmee, FL.

Learn more at Plug In America where you can find the plug in vehicle tracker to learn what's new and upcoming in the world of electric vehicles.

SUSTAINABLE YOU CONFERENCE - ARE YOU REGISTERED?

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 15:23:00 +0000

SUSTAINABLE YOU CONFERENCE

The City of Tallahassee, Leon County and the Collins Center's Sustainable Florida program are partnering to host the Sustainable YOU conference, October 24-25 in Tallahassee.

Featured Speaker: Majora Carter, founder of Sustainable South Bronx

This is the sixth annual Sustainable Florida conference and promises to be a great opportunity to learn about cutting edge sustainability practices and policy:

Sustainability professionals - from business, government, non-profits and beyond.
Policy makers - for state, regional, and local government policy makers, elected officials and managers along with non-government organizations, non-profit advocates and associations
Higher Education - a special track for the participants of the Educational Alliance for a Sustainable Florida (EASF) and others interested in advancing the sustainability agenda in universities and colleges.
Grassroots 101 - For the individual consumer looking to reduce expenses, live more sustainability and exploring steps that they can take in their own lives.

WHY THE OCCUPY MOVEMENT IS A GREEN ISSUE

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 15:30:00 +0000

Image by timparkinson

The following excerpt from Governing magazine describes how cash-strapped state parks are forging partnerships with corporations to close their budget gaps. Once the corporations move from contributors to owners of your park, it is no longer in the public domain and they get to regulate its use.

Use this as a metaphor for what is happening at every level of our economy and no one will have to wonder any longer about an 'objective' for the national Occupy movement. Substitute the word local park with clean energy, environmental protection, conservation, access to clean water, clean air, etc.

In New York, for example, Nestle’s Juicy Juice contributed $350,000 to build playgrounds in seven state parks. In California, Coca-Cola and Stater Bros. Markets have raised about $1.9 million to support reforestation and other state park preservation efforts. Most of these efforts come with recognition—on a playground sign, on a park pass—of the corporation’s contribution.

When a California firm called Government Solutions Group brokered a $7.5 million deal since 2004, chief executive Shari Boyer told Governing that this is not philanthropy but business: “These are partnerships. The corporation has to get something out of it.”

Asked how Coke products intersect with California’s state park mission, company spokesman Bob Phillips said Coca-Cola’s support of park restoration is part of its “live positively” platform, in which “sustainability is part of everything we do, particularly in this time of cost cutting and downsizing.” Phillips rejected the idea that Coca-Cola products were not in sync with parks’ health and environmental missions, noting instead that state parks “provide opportunities to be physically active.”

For information on Occupy Tallahassee, visit their FB page: http://www.facebook.com/occupytally

Follow Occupy on Twitter: #OccupyTally #OccupyFlorida #OccupyWallStreet, #OWS

NO EMISSION PERSONAL TRANSPORT CARS COME WHEN YOU CALL THEM

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 14:05:00 +0000

KING COAL TRAILER POSTED BY RETHINK ENERGY

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:16:00 +0000

TEN WAYS TO STOP WASTING WATER

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Mon, 12 Sep 2011 15:11:00 +0000

Good Magazine

KEYSTONE XL AND THE BABY BOOMERS

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 15:02:00 +0000

The last time author* and activist Ellie Whitney returned to Tallahassee, she talked about her experiences with Bill McKibben and the 350.org. She said that McKibben predicted the baby boom generation would lead the 'in the streets' actions against climate change and the inaction of the US government and policy leaders in adopting significant changes to our fossil fuel addiction.

The current protests over the construction of Keystone XL, a pipeline that would carry oil from the tar sands of northern Alberta down to the Gulf of Mexico, is being lead by this very group. In an guest editorial in The Washington Post, McKibben says that more than a thousand people have signed up to be arrested over two weeks beginning August 20th and calls it the biggest display of civil disobedience in the environmental movement in decades and one of the largest nonviolent direct actions since the World Trade Organization demonstrations in Seattle back before September 11th. He points out that the among the first 500 to sign up, most were 'born in the Truman administration, followed closely by FDR babies and Eisenhower kids.'

In addition, other protesters are gathering this week and next, including an interfaith rally against the pipeline scheduled for August 29th with a sit-in style action at the White House fence.

*Ellie Whitney co-authored Priceless Florida: Natural Ecosystems and Native Species, a book that was recently added to Green Tallahassee's reading table. Purchase through your independent bookseller here.

SOLAR UMBRELLAS COULD POWER YOUR LAPTOP WHILE SIPPING A LATTE

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:30:00 +0000

In places that are already using things like outdoor umbrellas, this thin film application makes perfect sense. How about Starbucks and other places that provide free WiFi outfitting their umbrellas with outdoor charging stations powered by solar? A company in Orlando, Sky Shades may be on to something.

noreply@blogger.com (GT) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:30:00 +0000

photo by coolearth.com

Sunnyland LLC is being funded, in part by the City of Tallahassee, to build inflated, balloon-shaped solar concentrators. Located in Innovation Park, the company proposes to build collectors that are significantly less expensive than polished aluminum and easier to replace or repair. See the video below (turn down your speakers to lessen the intense chirping bird ambience).

This company will join Innovation Park's other new tenants, SolarSink, a company that plans to develop of a heat sink system that captures and recycles heat energy, as a part of a solar power generation system and the much promoted manufacturer of hydrogen fuel cells, Bing Energy, Inc.