Forced Green

So, the holidays have arrived and you are not sure if you want to
go green or stay with tradition.  Well, Focus Organic has worked to
ensure that it will be your easiest decision of the season.  Following
this holiday guide will give you peace of mind.

There are steps that can be taken and gifts that can be given to reduce your
impact this holiday season, and it’s not as hard as it might seem. Following
steps you would follow on any other day, such as turning off your lights,
unplugging electronics when not in use, and walking, biking, or using public
transportation when possible, plus some tips especially for the holidays will
help to make this year’s festivities more earth-friendly.

Fair warning its lengthy, so grab yourself a cup of coffee, put your tray tables
in the upright and comfortable position and read on!

While you are there, please feel free to enter Focus Organic’s Giveaway which
includes a kit that has approximately 14 items to assist the consumers efforts
to go green.

Vu1 Technology introduces Electron Stimulated Luminescence™ Lighting Technology

Let me start out by saying that if you think you have all the energy efficient
lighting figured out…..   OH, No Grasshopper!

It is neither incandescent, fluorescent nor LED. Vu1 has been quietly developing
an alternative technology, and the lighting industry might be on the verge of a
genuine shakeup. Electron Stimulated Luminescence (ESL™) Lighting Technology is an
entirely new, energy efficient lighting technology.

ESL Lighting Technology uses accelerated electrons to stimulate phosphor to create
light, making the surface of the bulb “glow”.  ESL Technology creates the same light
quality as an incandescent but is more energy conserving. There is no use of the
neurotoxin Mercury (Hg) in the lighting process. Read more…

I found this at EcoGeek and found it to be another interesting idea.

FloDesign, a Massachusetts based engineering firm, has designed a new wind turbine
that deviates from the standard windmill in a compelling way. Its main feature is a
stationary piece in front that directs wind into the spinning blades. Overall, the
machine looks more like a jet engine than a wind turbine and it packs quite a punch
as well – a FloDesign turbine can generate as much power as a conventional turbine Read more…

Ambrosia for Evergreens

If this seems a little early, some folks do have a tradition of buying their
Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving.  So……

To prolong the green and beauty of Xmas trees and the freshness of natural evergreen

holiday decorations, mix a batch of this special holiday concoction.

*    add 1/4 cup of Miconized Iron (available at garden centers) to
one gallon of hot water

*    add 2 cups of light corn syrup

*    add 4 tsps of chlorine bleach

This stuff is powerful and can stain carpets, so keep a plastic sheet spread underneath.

Trim an inch off of the tree trunk and add more as it evaporates. Using a
turkey baster would help in reducing spillage.

Your tree and natural evergreen decorations will remain fresh and beautiful right
through the holidays.

Alright, now hit me with your best family secret recipe for keeping your greens
fresh through the holidays.  Come on, tell me…

The Global Seed Vault, opened this year on the far-northern Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, is a backup for the backups. It’s badly needed as around half the seed banks in developing countries are at risk from natural disasters or general instability.

Superman had it right: if you want to keep something safe, build a mountain fortress above the Arctic Circle. That’s the thinking — more or less — behind the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. Almost every nation keeps collections of native seeds so local crops can be replanted in case of an agricultural disaster. The Global Seed Vault, opened this year on the far-northern Norwegian island of Spitsbergen, is a backup for the backups. It’s badly needed — as many as half the seed banks in developing Read more…

Afsaneh Rabiei, Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at
North Carolina State University, has invented a space-age material so light and
strong that it could revolutionize everything from vehicle bumpers to armor to
biomedical devices.  A brand new material that can save energy and lives.

“Basically, it is a new material for all sorts of safety devices,” said Rabiei
Her invention isn’t the first metal foam, but she says it’s the strongest. The main weakness of
existing metal foams is the varying sizes of their cells - tiny pockets Read more…