Phrases like “real food” and “farm-to-table” may sound like elitist jargon tossed around at upscale restaurants. But the country’s top chefs, several of whom traveled to Washington for Obama’s inauguration this week, hope that Obama’s flair for good food will encourage people to expand their horizons when it comes to what they eat.

These chefs tout locally grown, environmentally friendly and — most importantly — nutritious food. They urge diners, even those who may never be able to afford to eat at their restaurants, to grow their own vegetables, shop at farmer’s markets and pay attention to where their food comes from. (more…)

This may be trivia to some folks but these are the facts!

Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize in Physics 1921 for his ground-breaking experiments
with solar power and photovoltaics.

German solar industry has generated 10,000 jobs in production, distribution and installation

A world record was set in 1990 when a solar-powered aircraft flew across the US in 21 stages, using no fuel at all.

Water is the most commonly used renewable energy resource, providing enough power to meet the needs of 28.3 million people. (more…)

A new invention could soon change the face of disaster tent cities and shantytowns across the globe. Called “Universal World House,” the structures are light, cheap — and made of paper. The prime purpose is to create intelligent housing settlements almost instantly for the displaced and the urban poor. The price for the 36 square meter (387.5 square foot) structures won’t be more than $5,000 (£3,375), each. Already road-tested in some of the worst slums in South America, the paper house has passed with flying colors.

Gerd Niemoeller, its inventor, is a co-founder of the Swiss company The Wall AG, which holds the patent for material used in the construction of the mini-homes. Designed together with the German development aid agency GTZ, and with the architect Dirk Donath, from the Bauhaus University in Weimar. (more…)

Cute yet holds a 1000 lbs plus 2 people!

The U.S. Army announced the acquisition of 4,000 Neighborhood Electric Vehicles (NEVs). An initiative to potentially replace up to 28,000 gas-powered vehicles at more than 155 Army installations with in the coming years. Estimates put the savings over a six-year service lifetime at 11 million gallons of fuel, not to mention 115,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Global Electric Motorcar (GEM), a division of Chrysler, delivered the first six NEVs to Fort Myer, Virginia. Two of the NEVs are four-seat sedans. The other four are two-seat trucks with flatbeds and a payload capacity of 1,000 pounds. Both models have a range of 30 miles at 25 mph on a full eight-hour battery charge, can charge their batteries at any three-pronged household outlet, and cost about $10,200 each.

Then there is the New York project: (more…)

Norwegian Wind Power

The Scandinavian country has the longest coastline in Europe and lots of strong wind. Norway’s Oil and Energy Minister released a 30 page report by the Energy Council stating: “Norway ought to have access of up to 40 terrawatt hours of renewable energy by 2020-2025, of which about half would come from offshore wind power.”

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Welcome Back!

The number of bald eagle breeding pairs in the lower 48 states increased from nearly 500 in 1963 to nearly 10,000 in 2006, according to the U.S. Fishand Wildlife Service, which attributes the comeback to the U.S. ban in 1972 of the pesticide DDT, along with the bird’s protection under the Endangered Species Act.
(more…)

The increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere not only drives global warming, but also raises the amount of CO2 dissolved in ocean water, tending to make it more acidic, potentially a threat to sea life. The ocean’s delicate acid balance may be getting help from an unexpected source, fish poop.

Alkaline chemicals like calcium carbonate can help balance the acid. Scientists had thought the main source for this balancing chemical was the shells of marine plankton, but they were puzzled by the higher-than-expected amounts of carbonate in the top levels of the water. (more…)

totally portable

No, it’s not a town in Texas. A new commuter bike has just been released that a great number of people commuting by bike these days will love. The SwissBike TX is a full-size bike (26″ wheel) that folds to fit in the back of a Mini Cooper. The whole philosophy behind this bike is that it offers the full-size stability and ride quality that is needed for a good commuter, while still having all the benefits of a small wheel folder. In short, it can go anywhere. Terrain is not an issue.

In terms of energy, the bike is obviously human powered, but they perceive that the SwissBike will go far in getting more people out of cars and onto bikes for their commute, drastically reducing one’s carbon footprint. With the concept of Drive and Cycle, if your commute is a long one or through an area that is not condusive to

Folds up to fit in the trunk of a car.

riding, leave a SwissBike in the trunk for part of the drive and when you hit traffic, ride the rest of the way in. The ability to commute how you want at any given moment on any given day, goes a long way in removing some of the obstacles that keep people from commuting by bike. This is a concept most of their office including their CEO uses daily and while it is not as aggressive as those who commute 40 miles/ day, at this point it is a great step in the right direction.

Also, they would like to extend a discount on their bikes to you. Use the code “forcedgreen” at checkout to get a free carrying case when a bike is purchased. It’s an easy way to get on a cool bike, save a good chunk of change, and reduce your carbon footprint.

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