7 minutes you won't easily forget

Talk about scary! Seven minutes you won't easily forget.





Via Scientific American

Perspective: oil spill

How much oil is really spilling into the Gulf?

This video attempts to put the numbers into perspective:


Watch CBS News Videos Online

Enjoy!

Thanks to FreeTech4Teachers for the pointer to this

Let's go fly a kite

One fun summer and spring activity of youth was to fly a kite. Here is a brief 5 minute video on how the next generation of kites can provide electricity.

Ben are you listening?



Enjoy!

Failure to pay attention

Pay attention to what you ask?

There were approx. 30 in the Attleboro hall to view the movie “Escape from Suburbia” and the discussion that followed versus millions in front of their TV to watch the Super Bowl.

How much oil/coal was consumed to power the Super Bowl and all the TVs to watch the spectacle?

Oil that a short while ago had risen to historic prices generating lots of talk but now that the prices have returned to lower levels, the issue seems to have passed.

It hasn’t.

What can I do? The problem is so huge.

“Conservation is one answer… conservation is economically more sustainable.”

Reduce your household energy use. Change out regular light bulbs for the energy saving kind. Take one small step at a time but keep at it.

“Action encourages optimism”

Take the 2 Mile Challenge!

Walk or use a bike (in the warmer New England weather) to the store for those small item errands rather than take the family vehicle.

“Community is our solution. We need to help one another.”

Get active in your community. There are a number of groups in the area that are working to address this issue. The Franklin Area Climate Team is one. Check out the sponsor listing for the Green Reel series for other groups in our area.

Talk with your neighbors, share the tips and tricks you pick up with each other.

Do something today!

Note: the quotations in Bold were notes that I took from the dialog in the movie "Escape from Suburbia"

Can green jobs solve poverty?

On a more serious note, there is an interesting conversation about

Can green-collar jobs clean the "dirty-energy economy" and lift people out of poverty?

The discussion revolves around education in California where the drop out rate from public schools is now 25%. 41% for Blacks and 31% for Latinos.

Van Jones and California State Senator Darrell Steinberg discuss a unique solution for our economy and environment. Together they offer a clear vision for green economic development and its potential.

Click through to listen here.

Well worth listening to!

Energy savings

If you missed getting to the Franklin Library on Monday night to catch the talk about saving money with household energy usage, you can review the presentation document used.

Even if you are not a Franklin resident, in these days of high residential heating costs, you might be able to find a tip or two that perhaps you have not yet considered implementing for your house.

You can review the presentation here.


If there is a tip or two that you have used successfully that is not listed, please let us know.

Earth Hour - 3/29/08 8:00 PM

did you see the Google home page today? They turned the lights out!

Google users in the United States will notice today that we "turned the lights out" on the Google.com homepage as a gesture to raise awareness of a worldwide energy conservation effort called Earth Hour. As to why we don't do this permanently - it saves no energy; modern displays use the same amount of power regardless of what they display. However, you can do something to reduce the energy consumption of your home PC by joining the Climate Savers Computing Initiative.

On Saturday, March 29, 2008, Earth Hour invites people around the world to turn off their lights for one hour – from 8:00pm to 9:00pm in their local time zone. On this day, cities around the world, including Copenhagen, Chicago, Melbourne, Dubai, and Tel Aviv, will hold events to acknowledge their commitment to energy conservation.

Given our company's commitment to environmental awareness and energy efficiency, we strongly support the Earth Hour campaign, and have darkened our homepage today to help spread awareness of what we hope will be a highly successful global event.