Sustainability
Generating Wind Power Alternative
So I found this concept rummaging through some of my dad’s Popular Sciences. It was done by a student at Arizona State University. The overpass mounted turbines spin using the air being pushed aside by passing cars and is believed to create enough energy to power a small house. For how long was unclear. I admire the innovated thinking involved but the article judged it harshly. They felt the aesthetics weren’t integrated to it’s environment, but then again neither is smog.
What I found brilliant and some what ironic about the concept was that it works off the highway infrastructure. An infrastructure that was designed to make Americans dependent on cars and in turn dependent on foreign oil. Imagine if the answer to our energy crisis relied not on people driving less but on people driving more.
Source Popular Science
Recharging AA’s Using Wind
Brilliant. The Febot Concept. By Korean Designers Ji-yun Kim, Soon-young Yang and Hwan-ju Jeon
Source Gizmodo
Majora Carter: Solving Inner City Issues With Sustainability
Majora Carter started Sustainable South Bronx (SSBx) and The Bronx Environmental Stewardship Training (BEST) program developed to clean up the neighborhood while creating jobs which in turn lowered local crimes rates.
Majora came to understand that crime, poverty, and unemployment were all inherently connected to poor environmental conditions and that police did little past dampen the crime rate. Nothing was addressing the underlying reasons why people were behaving in such self destructive manners. So in 2001 Majora began SSBx along with the job training program BEST. BEST trained local residence (some ex-cons) for local green jobs. Quickly after these program began she noticed how badly locals had been urning for a clean and green neighborhood. It boosted neighborhood moral and encouraged healthy living habits. To date BEST has trained nearly 200 people, 90% whom have gotten jobs. And what about all the ex-cons? Everyone of them has remained out of prison and has kept their job.
This program really caught my eye because it deals with an inner city issue solved through sustainable practices. Rarely do those two things converge. Also because it’s financially self sustaining. It should be noted that good green intentions are fine but they won’t go any where unless they’re grounded in economic reality. This is a terrific example of where it all harmoniously came together and made cents.
Jesus x Solar Panels : Who Knew
After last years announcement of wanting to be the first carbon neutral state in the world, the Vatican this week put up their first solar panels in a $1.5 million effort.
“Those who destroy the environment are also big sinners”, says Italian Cardinal Deacon Renato Raffaele Martino. “It’s a big insult to God.”
Source Treehugger.com
High Design + Cost Effectiveness + Recyclable Materials = A Truly Sustainable Product
This gorgeous table called 3fold was designed by London-based design firm FormTank. It uses a single standardized sheet of steel and after being cut is formed by hand. Too bad it’s 3,851 Euros.
Source: Core77