NY helps 45,000 low income homes get insulated

New York expects to help more than 45,000 low-income households by blowing in insulation, sealing air leaks and installing energy-efficient lighting and appliances for free.

This program is expected to create  14,000 jobs statewide as demand for contractors rises.

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Giants Delivered A Solar-Powered World Series

The San Francisco Giants are one of the first teams in the country to play in a stadium partially powered by renewable energy.

When Game 1 of the World Series started in San Francisco’s AT&T Park, the hometown Giants took the field in a stadium that boasts solar panels and was recognized in April for energy efficiency and sustainability by the U.S. Green Building Council. Their opponents, the Texas Rangers, regularly recycle everything from infield grass clippings to cardboard and office paper, according to MLB.com.

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Help Your Neighborhood Go Solar

Everyone want to add solar panels to their house but they are too expensive for many families. 1 Block Off the Grid (1BOG) is helping people like Michael Martinez use group purchasing power to reduce these costs, assisting neighborhoods all across the US to band together and go solar.

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Builders of Hope - rebuilding homes, neighborhoods and lives

This story has it all, saving older houses from demolition, reducing waste at landfills, creating "green" homes, providing affordable housing and giving the homeless and recently incarcerated folks a job.

Watch the video, read the article and be inspired.

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San Francisco Recycling Best in Nation

The city of San Francisco managed to divert 72 percent of all recyclable material from the landfill, claiming the highest recycling rate of any city in the country, according to office of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom. The percentage inches closer to the city’s goal of 75 percent landfill diversion by 2010 and zero waste by 2020.

Watch the video and

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Electric Taxis in San Francisco

Palo Alto, Calif. – (October 27, 2010) – Better Place, with support from the U.S. Department of Transportation via the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, today announced a commitment to bring a switchable battery, electric taxi program to the Bay Area in partnership with the cities of San Francisco and San Jose to further cement the region’s position as the “EV Capital of the U.S.”

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Smart Power Outlets

John La Grou unveils an ingenious new technology that will smarten up the electrical outlets in our homes, using microprocessors and RFID tags. The invention, Safeplug, promises to prevent deadly accidents like house fires -- and to conserve energy.

His solution, Safeplug, is a cheap data chip placed into the plugs of appliances that can be read by a cheap wireless receiver in the socket. The device and the outlet are now an intelligent network, trading information of the safe operating ranges of the device. This allows the wall socket to shut off power if too much energy is flowing.

Whenever there is nothing plugged in, the wall unit can just simply shut off. Considering the amount of sockets in the States alone, shutting them off when not in use can save an unbelievable amount of wasted energy. It could even prevent injuries caused by children playing with electrical sockets. 

Watch the video and read more at
http://www.ted.com/talks/john_la_grou_plugs_smart_power_outlets_1.html

I found this article at the TED site - ideas worth spreading
http://www.ted.com/

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Strip Mine to be Transformed into Solar Farm

Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio announced an agreement to create a huge solar energy field at an old strip-mine adjacent to a nature conservation site.

Approximately 300 jobs will be created to build the solar project, known as “Turning Point Solar”. In addition, Prius and Isofoton the solar companies providing the panels, have agreed to locate their North American operations in Ohio, creating an additional 300+ permanent manufacturing jobs.

Turning Point will have a total of 239,400 panels. If operating today, this project would be the largest photovoltaic solar array in the United States.

Woo Hoo!! This is such a hopeful sign. As I watch all the ads about Prop 23,it will be nice to think of this project and take hope that many folks are trying to do the right thing when it comes to renewable energy. Go Ohio.

Go California - No on 23

Read Full Story here:
http://www.solardaily.com/reports/Transformative_Solar_Array_To_Be_Developed_On_Reclaimed_Ohio_Strip_Mine_999.html

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Solar-Powered Hearing Aid Brings Jobs to Deaf People, Sound to Disadvantaged

This is a heart warming story about a technology that makes sense on so many levels. The hearing aid can be charged by solar power. The cost is $100 and deaf folks are employed to make the device.

As someone who is loosing my hearing, I hope this technology can come to America soon.

Watch a video about the product and the inventor Harold Weinstein

 Read the story here:
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/tech-transport/solar-powered-hearing-aid.html

Visit the solar ear website:
http://www.solarear.com.br/solar/index.php

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Planting Green Curtains

If there is anything I  love more  finding an idea that works, its finding an idea that works and involves plants.

Here is a just such an idea  – Green Curtains. The concept is to plant a living fence that shades a cool air pocket between the “curtain” and the building. So don't worry too much about pruning those overgrown vines - live and let grow.
http://www.ijdesign.com/blog/?p=182

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Recycling Plastic into Oil

A Japanese company called Blest created a small, very safe and easy to use machine that can convert several types of plastic back into oil.

You put in plastic bags, styrofoam containers and bottle caps and out comes gasoline, diesel, or propane. I hope that someday soon plastic bottles and styrofoam containers will be eliminated, but until that day we have to do something with them. Recycling them would be so cool.

I want one of these machines....

Here is the video and article.  Watch the movie and be amazed. the article is pretty long, but worth your time. http://ourworld.unu.edu/en/plastic-to-oil-fantastic/

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Recycled Sneakers Help Kids in Need

Greg Woodburn, a sophomore at the USC cleans used sneakers and shares them with underprivileged children in the United States and 20 other countries. I'm going to look in my closet right now, surely there is an old sneaker waiting for a new life.

Read his story online at the Reader's Digest
http://www.rd.com/your-america-inspiring-people-and-stories/recycled-sneakers-fit-for-sharing/article167335.html

Learn more about his non profit -  Woodburn's Share Our Soles (S.O.S.)
http://www.shareoursoles.org/

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Goats Gobble up Kudzu

Folks in Atlanta are using Goats to get rid of kudzu (an invasive grass). No need to use Roundup or other harmful chemicals, just Goats. I hope Goats will be used in more situations where chemicals have previously been employed. I hear they can eat berry bushes and poison oak.

Read all about it at:
http://clatl.com/freshloaf/archives/2010/10/01/trees-atlanta-employs-goats-yes-goats-to-clean-up-kudzu-at-future-beltline-park

The organization that rented out the goats may have other interesting ideas visit their site at: http://www.treesatlanta.org/

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Tree Planting in San Francisco

Charlie Starbuck has helped to plant trees on the streets of San Francisco for 30 years. As an avid gardener I applaud Charlies efforts. Trees give me tremendous  satisfaction in my backyard and I am sure the trees Charlie has planted have brought great joy to San Franciscans. 

I admire his efforts to "spread the green" in an urban environment. Planting a tree is such a "hopeful" event.

Read about Charlie's efforts at

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0405/One-man-s-volunteer-effort-to-plant-trees-in-San-Francisco

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