There have been many disasters in recent years: Tsunamis, forest fires, floods, hurricanes, but the I was surpried at how much the earthquake in Haiti has generated a flurry of fund raising activities.

I came across a blog post which talks about various technologies that can be used in the relief efforts as well as the reconstruction of Haiti.

The post also talks about Social Media and how it contributes tothe effort.

http://carbonoutreach.blogspot.com/2010/01/five-ways-haiti-can-use-solar-power-for.html

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• The Cost of Oil Last week the barrel of oil had its highest one-day increase ever. Every time that I hear news concerning oil prices, that always makes me realize how dependent we are on oil. I try to imagine how we could get out of that dependency. The thing is, even if the......
• Buildings and energy consumption. An interesting article on the architecture 2030 website about energy consumption as it relates to buildings. The article shows three pie charts with the first two showing U.S. energy consumption and the third one showing worldwide energy consumption. Surprisingly, it shows that transportation only accounts for 1% of energy consumption......
• Copenhagen Summit -- controversial for all the wrong reasons Last June, a group of scientists met up in Copenhagen as part of the preparation for the December summit. They hinted at some bad prognosis in regards to climate change. At the time, I thought that this would be the focus of the December summit: Forcing industrialized nations to put......

• The Key to a Strong Blog Analyze what brings readers to your blog, and then find a way to build upon that. When I speak with owners of medium sized blogs, the first thing I recommend highly to them is to put aside time to analyze their blogs current performance, with focus on the blogs successes......
• Bring Your Weblog to Life with Video Blogs Perhaps you have not noticed that there has been a tremendous explosion in the way of online media, especially throughout the past couple of years. Now that hosting and bandwidth are becoming significantly less expensive, and because publishing tools are becoming better, simpler and cheaper, it has never been easier......
• Bags of candy & piles of links So, how many bags of candy did you hand out to trick-or-treaters last night? It can get expensive. Will you be picking up more today now that they're likely on sale? We should just call this candy week. We bought three little bags and that was it, but our area......

A mutual funds company, Global mutual fund, has a “green” portfolio which it calls: “Portfolio 21″.

The corporation newly announced its top 10 companies. I was somewhat surprised to see companies listed which I never thought of as “green”.

For instance, the Autodesk corporation.  On the other hand, since 3D CAD cuts down the use of paper, that would make it a candidate. But Autodesk goes further, it has recently partnered with the U.S. Green Building Council with a goal of integrating its technology with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

Railways are inherently efficient land-based transportation, and East Japan Railway continuously operates to decrease its power consumption. It has introduced reduced-weight railcars, and is installing solar and wind systems at some of its “eco stations”. The company is also working to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions of the entire transport system by promoting inter-modal transportation by combining rail with additional modes of travel.

The Henkel company, out of Germany, creates an array of bio-based detergents and adhesives, minimizing the company’s reliance on fossil fuels. More than two-thirds of its products’ formulations are usually based on renewable raw resources.All new products must help with sustainable development.

Itron manufactures advanced metering national infrastructure system that allows two-way communication between utilities and consumers. This assists customers to participate in demand response and energy conservation programs.

Natura Cosmeticos, of Brazil, is more than just a cosmetics organization. It promotes the development and discovery of new and renewable raw materials, and supports sustainable agriculture and agroforest systems.

Potlatch is promising as being a leader within the domestic sustainable forestry industry. The company recently achieved Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification for all its forestlands and also finds other business opportunities for its forestland by way of recreation leases and conservation easements.

Red Electrica is Spain’s leading power transmission company. It is responsible for the management of its country’s electricity distribution system. Spain has become the second-largest European wind-power producer and expects to have wind farms producing 13,000 megawatts by 2011.

Sharp, a well recognized name in consumer electronics products, is the world’s largest producer of solar cells and is one of just a few industry leaders to support a solution to e-waste in the United States.

Umicore is based in Belgium, and is the world’s leading recycler of precious metals. Examples include materials for rechargeable batteries, fuel cells, and auto catalysts.

Vestas, a Danish company, develops, manufactures, and markets wind energy products. This company has a clear sustainability strategy based on manufacturing equipment and operating facilities for the renewable energy sector.

Sometimes, even companies which you never thought of as “green” do contribute to a better environment.

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• Pleasantville The other day, I watched the movie "Pleasantville" (1998, starring Tobey McGuire). Briefly, the story revolves around two 1990's teenagers being "magically" transposed in a 1950's sitcom where their influence begins to profoundly change that complacent world. To me, this film shows two things very well: 1) The implications of......
• Masdar to be the first zero polluton city The city of Masdar near Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirate wl be the first city to produce its energy entirely by way of renewable energy such as solar and wind energy. They wil also recycle all their waste and as such, have a "zero carbon" footprint. Of course,......
• GM files for bankrupcy--the end of the car era ? I wrote a little essay on the future of the automobile,"The end of the car era ?"in it, I talk about how the snootiness and myopic visions of American auto manufacturers led to this current situation. I also talk about whether it is a good thing to keep pushing the......

• Buying Carbon Offsets - Which Company Do You Choose Holy Moly, which one to choose? This is just a small sampling of the companies that are offering carbon offsets for sale so that you can take action against the CO2 that you emit, whether from your house, your car, airline travel or whatever the case may be. Since we......
• Activating Kundalini Can you give us a step by step methodology to activate our chakras/kundalini? First be still, in being still you head the body. Still all choice, still all will, still feeling, still speech. Look not here or there.  Be still and know. The crown chakra is the seat of knowing.......
• Wind Energy Products for Homes In many areas around the world wind energy is being baptized the most inexpensive, and cost effective way to produce energy in the globe today. You can even buy wind energy supplies for homes if you deem fit so you can start enjoying the joy of knowing that there......

Clean coal, Carbon Sequestration, these are expressions we hear quite often when dealing with the production of electricity using fossil fuel other than oil. About twice a week, a new coal plant opens in China.

I came across a blog post on the topic of patents and innovations and the possible competition between China and the US regarding advances in the field of clean coal. The cold war between the former Soviet Union and the US helped advance our exploration of space and the resulting technology that has now become part of our lives. It is thought that perhaps a similar rivalry could stimulate the advancement of cleaner technologies.

There are two things to consider when it comes to energy: 1) Is it clean? 2) Is it renewable?

No matter how clean you make your coal burn, it is not a renewable resources and its mining can also be a source of environmental degradation.

Technological prowess  should be aimed at developing means to better harness clean and renewable energy sources.  The harnessing of  the wind has been done for centuries, certainly we could use that head start to our advantage.

Sometimes I feel like a lot of brain resources are wasted on too many dead ends when it comes to finding solutions to our energy needs.

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• The Evil Liberal Agenda According to the Conservatives, the Liberals have an agenda:  They want to rule the world.  Here are the facts:  Al Gore owns 100% of 100% of all the green companies in the world, on top of donating money to all those non-profit organizations who own large pieces of land that......
• Either way, you are right! Whether you think that 1,849 is the number of projects that I have or that project 1,849 itself contains 1,849 projects, either way, you are right. Project 1849 is about the sharing and the dissemination of ideas, information, knowledge. Over the coming months, I will present a multitude of topics......
• China's low carbon and sustainability problems I came across an interesting article about the low carbon emissions and sustainability problems facing China as the country moves increasingly towards urbanization. It is predicted that china will have 75 percent of urbanization by 2050, which means much more energy consumption and green house gas emission. China currently lacks......

• Video - The Reality Of So-Called "Clean Coal". From the Reality Coalition, who are debunking the myth of "clean coal". The video is pretty funny, and sadly true. Coal companies are spending huge sums of money marketing coal as "clean" rather than actually making it so. But the truth is in America, burning coal for electricity emits more......
• Think Progress: Chevron Bankrolling Opposition to California Clean Energy Initiative Where am I supposed to buy gasoline? From ThinkProgress: On Sunday, Chevron CEO David O’Reilly appeared on Meet the Press and emphasized the importance of “promoting alternatives” to fossil fuels. “Most of our companies are involved in this. I know we are.” Shell CEO John Hofmeister agreed: “There’s so much......
• What is the Feed in Tariff Program? The impact of climate change has resulted in many governments coming up with programs to counter the negative impact. To do this, there has been an effort to move towards using renewable energy sources. A Feed-In Tariff (FiT) is an incentive program to promote the implementation of renewable energy......

With the inauguration of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, I think I should push on with the publication of my book. Getting all the facts right and all the details in before final review.

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• Either way, you are right! Whether you think that 1,849 is the number of projects that I have or that project 1,849 itself contains 1,849 projects, either way, you are right. Project 1849 is about the sharing and the dissemination of ideas, information, knowledge. Over the coming months, I will present a multitude of topics......
• How clean is clean coal ? Clean coal, Carbon Sequestration, these are expressions we hear quite often when dealing with the production of electricity using fossil fuel other than oil. About twice a week, a new coal plant opens in China.I came across a blog post on the topic of patents and innovations and the possible......
• Leaner posts I remember in high school and college when I would cringe when the teacher would ask for a 1,500 words essay. I thoughts I'd never find enough material to fulfil those requirements. Flash forward to today and I have to pare down my posts so they don't exceed 1,500 words.......

• Useful Golf Book: 2nd Edition By Chris Kretz For those of us that enjoy the lighter side of golf, this is a definite must read and chances are you'll be rolling on the floor in no time at all. Too often, golfing books are so serious that it is difficult to wade through them. The industry seems to......
• Audio Review: Artemis Fowl (Book 1) by Eoin Colfer by First Mate Keira, guest reviewer. Title: Artemis Fowl (Book 1) Author: Eoin Colfer Narrator: Nathaniel Parker # CDs / Minutes: 5 CDs (approximately 72 min. each) Format: Unabridged Compact Disc Grade Reading Level: 6.2; Ages 10-17 Audio Clip Preview: Download Clip (Right click, save as.) Summary: Artemis Fowl......
• Dating Sites Dating first started in the Western world to make it possible for people to get to know others and have relationships even with their busy modernized life styles. It spread all over the world in a very short period of time with the help of the internet. It developed as......

I found an interesting story on what good journalism should be instead of what we have been served lately.

It concerns Al Gore and Copenhagen, Cop15, sure turned out differently than what I expected.

There was more talk about prostitutes and protesters being arrested.

Al Gore just got some bashing concerning predictions about Arctic ice melting.

There is a Science teacher in the US that I follow on Twitter. He came up with a better researched and balanced piece than professional journalists at www.timesonline.co.uk

Click here to read the story, it is a good insight on how good journalism should be.

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• Are you being truthful ? Tim Ferriss sent a message on Twitter earlier today about an online service that allows you to analyze, in real time, whether or not the person you are talking to on the phone is telling the truth or is nervous for one reason or other. LiarCard.com calling cards, is the......
• The only problem with politics is the politicians Politicians make me sick. In a recent post, I commented on my disagreement with Cap and Trade, and why it wouldn’t resolve any issues.  All the hoopla and controversy around the upcoming Copenhagen Summit has to do with politicians not agreeing on political issues.  The United States has yet to......
• Food import export and the Asian diet In a recent visit to China and South Korea, Canadian Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, of course discussed many topics. One topic was Canadian beef import to South Korea. Following the mad cow disease situation, South Korea has banned the import of Canadian beef for past six years. Currently, Asia has......

• Affiliate Marketing - What Are Keywords and Why Do You Need Them to Sell Your Affiliate Products What is a keyword?A keyword is a word that describes your product, service or web page you are trying to market. For example this article could have the keywords: "Keywords", "Affiliate", Internet", "Products" etc. The main use for these keywords is describe what is found in the product or......
• This Week On TechCrunch: Zuckerberg eaten by zebras, Al Qaeda invests in Twitter, Spotify profitable and more The only good thing about the deadline for this week’s TechCrunch round-up falling on Christmas Day is the absolute certain fact that you won’t be reading the results. After all, with the holiday season in full swing, no one in their right mind will be reading TechCrunch. I certainly won’t.......
• Review: Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary Taubes Good Calories, Bad Calories took the author five years to write, and it contains some groundbreaking information that will undoubtedly be the cause of much controversy. Whether or not you agree with Taubes assertions, the book is certainly well worth the read and it is obvious that he did put......