Folding Wind Turbine Concept: the Eolic Posted on February 8th, 2010
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This concept is pretty cool and could be useful, especially for those who camp or move between homes or home and office. It’s limited in what it can do, but the concept is cool. In fact, some people like scientists and foresters or the like might find it useful in the field as a portable power source.
It’s Eolic, a foldable, portable wind turbine.
Designed by Sergio Phashi and Manuel Pantano of Marcos Media, the Eolic is also meant for disaster situations or even military applications. It’s a relatively small “pod” case that, when opened, can be unfolded and set up to be a stand, pole, and wind turbine with generator all in one unit. It should be capable of putting out more power than the smaller, basically hand-held units that are currently on the market.
It’s just a concept, but a good one that might have actual market potential.
Opening the pod, the unit folds out to reveal the tripod stand with the folded turbine at center. The pole under the turbine telescopes in three sections while the turbine unfolds to reveal three blades. Wiring runs down through the telescoping stand and out. When fully extended to its maximum height (unspecified), guy wires can be released and staked into the ground around it for added stability.
Pretty cool concept.
How Much Would $10/Week Boost Your Local Economy? Posted on February 7th, 2010
I was reading Hartke is Online, as I often do, and saw a story about local food economies and a study done by Virginia Tech about the economics of local food purchases. It blew my mind. The study’s talking points are in PDF form at this link, if you want to read it.
The study shows that if everyone in Virginia spend only $10 a week purchasing locally-sourced foods, the VA economy would be boosted by a whopping $1.65 billion (with a B, folks) annually.
The study basically breaks down each region of the State of Virginia by population and assumes $10/week in localized food purchases per household. The Central District would see about $162.6 million on its own while the more populous Northern District would see over half a billion!
I decided to do a rough version of this study for my own state, Wyoming. Here’s what I got:
Wyoming’s total population is 532,668 according to the U.S. Census’ 2008 estimates. There are an estimated 193,608 households in the state. That number is what matters, since the idea is to calculate $10 per household per week. That’s $520 per year per household.
So, the local economy would see a $100,676,160 (one hundred million+) boost. Wow.
What about your state? How much of a boost would this kind of localized spending do for where you live? The calculations are easy, you just need to go to the U.S. Census website, search for the quick facts on your state, and do what I did.
Post your state’s local economic boost in the comments!
Hybrid Value and 3 Things to Consider When Buying One Posted on February 5th, 2010
The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) has developed a one-size-fits-all Hybrid Scorecard to help consumers decide if a hybrid model they’re considering is right for them. Despite coming from this group of scientists, the Scorecard is not exactly scientific.
Most of the criteria and scoring, actually, is pretty subjective and based on opinion rather than measurable fact. With all that said, it does have some use for some people. If you’re concern is about how “eco-friendly” and “carbon reducing” the car is, then this scorecard is for you. If you’re more about fuel savings, cost savings, and other factors then you will be better off doing your own research.
The big score on the card is the “Environmental Score,” which is a subjective ruling (with a scientific stamp of approval! yay!) giving each car a score based on its ability to “maximize reductions in both global warming and smog-forming emissions.” The score isn’t a comparison of one hybrid model to the next, it’s a comparison of that hybrid model with its closest gasoline counterpart.
Here’s how I score hybrids versus gasoline cars (aka “ICE” or internal combustion engine) when I’m considering whether it would be worth buying. Some of you might find my criteria for comparison a little more practical:
The Union of Concerned Aaron presents:
The Hybrid Vehicle Buying Scorecard
There are three major points to consider when purchasing a new vehicle, whether it be an internal combustion engine-only (ICE) chassis or a gasoline/diesel hybrid-electric chassis (“hybrid”).
1. What is the mileage of the vehicle in both city and highway driving according to the EPA?
The mileage of the vehicle is important because this is a direct representation of potential fuel savings and emissions reduction overall. It should be noted, however, that a TDI diesel engine actually puts out fewer emissions than a gasoline-electric hybrid. In fact, many diesel cars actually get higher mileage numbers than their gasoline and hybrid counterparts. They’re just harder to find in the U.S.
Another consideration is how far you drive and whether that driving is mostly freeway/highway at speed. If, for instance, you live in the suburbs and your commute to work is 20 miles each way (40 miles/day), but most of that commute is on city streets or sub-45mph roads, then the city mileage is what will be most important for you. If you drive 40 miles/day to work and most of that driving is on the highway or freeway at 55mph+, then you are going to be concerned with highway mileage.
In the first scenario, the Toyota Prius shines, but in the second scenario, an all-gasoline Honda Civic or Volkswagen Jetta TDI is actually much better. Why? Because hybrids are generally more efficient at lower speeds and start-stop scenarios than are their gasoline and diesel counterparts.
2. Will the cost of the car be worth the fuel or other savings?
Most hybrids include a lot of premium packaging because, for now, that is how automakers must sell them in order to turn any kind of profit. Hybrids cost much more to produce than their gasoline counterparts, but pricing the car that high above its ICE competition would not sell many hybrids, so the upsell the car by adding a lot of mandatory premium packaging to it.
Diesels, especially hyper-efficient TDIs, are also expensive because they do not generally sell well in America and so they are nearly always imported, at higher cost, rather than made here. In addition, the best TDI vehicles are usually higher-end German vehicles such as Audi or BMW.
If over two years’ time you’re going to potentially save $3,000 in fuel costs by going hybrid, is the extra $8,000 you’ll spend to get one really going to be worth it? Of course, the social benefits might be what you’re after regardless, so you can ignore the real economics of the whole situation if you want.
3. Will next years’ model be better and should you wait?
Hybrid and electric vehicle technologies are advancing quickly and this year’s Prius will not be next year’s model. Do you really need a car right now, or can you hang on with what you’ve got and wait it out? Also, don’t forget the power of the clunker. Buying a used car can often save you a pile of cash and get you where you need to get going without the expense. Many cars made in the late 1990s and early 2000s are extremely fuel efficient.
For instance, in our house, my wife drive’s a Honda Civic that was built in 2000. That car gets 35mpg on the freeway and 27mpg in-city. It’s a no-frills, dependable car that requires only standard maintenance to keep rolling for a lifetime. Why trade that in on a new car payment when most vehicles today still only get about that in mileage?
Another option is conversion. Converting many nearly-dead gasoline vehicles, so long as they’re fuel injected, to compressed natural gas or other options is actually pretty affordable in comparison to the expense of purchasing a whole new car. Many DIY home mechanics save even more by converting their old clunker into a great electric, natural gas, or greasel (diesel engine running on used kitchen grease) that is both eco-friendly and practical.
Whatever you decide, remember that “eco-chic” is not the same as “environmentally-friendly.” Don’t spend money just because you think it will make you look cool. Doing that makes you no better than the jackass that buys the high-dollar Hummer so he can belch fumes around town with his hat on crooked.
Genetically Modified Forest Planned for U.S. Southeast Posted on February 3rd, 2010
International Paper and MeadWestvaco are planning to transform plantation forests of the southeastern U.S. by replacing native pine with genetically engineered eucalyptus
Genetic engineering is coming to the forests.
While the practice of splicing foreign DNA into food crops has become common in corn and soy, few companies or researchers have dared to apply genetic engineering to plants that provide an essential strut of the U.S. economy, trees.
But that will soon change. Two industry giants, International Paper Co. andMeadWestvaco Corp., are planning to transform plantation forests of the southeastern United States by replacing native pine with genetically engineered eucalyptus, a rapidly growing Australian tree that in its conventional strains now dominates the tropical timber industry.
The companies’ push into genetically modified trees, led by their joint biotech venture,ArborGen LLC, looks to overcome several hurdles for the first time. Most prominently, they are banking on a controversial gene splice that restricts trees’ ability to reproduce, meant to allay fears of bioengineered eucalyptus turning invasive and overtaking native forests.
If such a fertility control technology — which has come under fire in farming for fear seed firms will exploit it — is proven effective, it could open the door to many varieties of wild plants, including weedy grasses, to be genetically engineered for use in energy applications like biomass and next-generation biofuels without fear of invasiveness.
The use of such perennial plants — so named because, unlike annual farm crops, they live and grow for many years — has long interested business and government, including the Energy Department, which has collaborated with ArborGen. The plants, which include many grasses targeted for cellulosic ethanol, can be harvested when needed and, given their hardiness, grow on marginal land.
Yet many questions remain about the effectiveness of the fertility system used by ArborGen, which, according to leading scientists, has never been rigorously studied in multiyear trials to prove that it can effectively control plants’ spread. More research must be conducted before such systems are relied upon to restrict pollen and seed spread, they say.
Even medical students want conventional medicine to include alternative therapies Posted on February 2nd, 2010
The title of this article comes directly from an article of the same title on NaturalNews. That article, by S.L. Baker, can be read by clicking here. What follows is my commentary based on our recent experiences.
During the process of my wife’s pregnancy and the birth of our baby Heidi, we encountered no less than eight medical doctors. Three of them were obstetricians, two were interns/residents (new doctors), two are regular MDs, and one a Naturopath. Because of where we live and my wife’s high risk category, our child birth took place in a hospital. While conventional, it was not the way many might envision how the birthing process takes place in a modern facility.
In the Cheyenne Regional Medical Center, the Labor and Delivery section is just that: women in labor and delivering babies are there. What’s different is that the entire process takes place in a single room (per mother). When we checked into the hospital after Kathy’s water had broken, we were given a room in L&D. We never left that room until after our baby was born.
Then we moved down the hallway to another room (with more comfortable beds) for recovery before going home.
This is important because that is a big step forward for the modern birthing process. Not too long ago, it was all surgically-oriented with mothers giving labor in one room, being rushed to an operating-type room for birth, and then another room for recovery. The birthing process was treated like most other illnesses that could be cured with surgery. People wearing masks, gowns, gloves, safety glasses, and pushing around huge carts full of stainless steel equipment are no longer part of the process.
In fact, we had a resident and a regular OB in the room during Heidi’s birth. The experienced OB was more a cheerleader than a doctor, excitedly telling my wife when to push, how hard to push, how well she was doing, etc. The resident, who was doing the actual birth, was doing the same, though more concentrated on watching the progress and checking on vitals and other technical things to make sure all was well.
For my part, I was holding my wife’s hand and leg and nervous as hell. Then Heidi’s head appeared. Seconds later, the whole baby was there and being placed on my wife’s stomach. I watched her take her first breath of air and was offered the umbilical to cut.
A couple of minutes later, the new baby was moved to a heat table (a little table with a gentle heat lamp). I helped a nurse wipe the little one down, weigh her, tape on a vital sign monitor (a little red light on her foot), and measure length, head circumfrence, etc. We then watched her breathe for a few minutes and waited for the first scream. That’s, apparently, the best way to tell if a baby is going to do well: by how loudly they can cry. No amount of medical technology can replace the baby screaming about how crappy it is to be in the wide world instead of in the comfortable womb, it appears.
Four years ago, some friends of mine had a baby, though that was in a different hospital. Their experience was very different. When baby was born, he was rushed to another room for washing and weighing and whatnot and brought back later. The parents were secondary to the whole procedure and, other than mom’s medical needs, were largely ignored in the process.
In contrast, our experience was one where the doctors and nurses wanted us to be involved. I was there to help give Heidi her first bath. Kathy was there to help them administer the baby’s hearing test. In fact, during our 2-1/2 days in the hospital, our baby never left our sight. The nurses and doctors prefer it that way now.
During Kathy’s pregnancy, we dealt with another obstetrician (OB doctor). He and the one who was there to cheerlead during the birth are from the same clinic where we went for pre-natal care. That doctor asked what kinds of vitamins, supplements, medications, etc. my wife was using during the pregnancy. The usual prenatal vitamins and Omega-3s were expected, of course. Doctors are willing to accept those as “normal.”
What he didn’t expect was her intake of Flax seed oil for neurological help and development as well as beginning Evening Primrose supplements at week 34 of the pregnancy to help with cervix softening and so forth. The doctor, rather than looking at us as if we’d landed from another planet when we made these claims, instead asked where we’d learned about them and if we had any other information. He was especially interested in Primrose, as he’d never heard of it at all.
I told him what I knew and we showed him the bottle. Of course, thanks to the FDA, it can’t say anything about what it’s for on the bottle, so that did little but prove to him that it has prostyglantins in it. Those are the magic ingredient for cervical softening – which also appears in male sperm, by the way, hence its name.
The residents who talked with us before, were there during, and checked on us after the birth were both curious about things we were talking about. We refused vaccinations, for instance (at birth, they want to give a Hepatitis B vaccine) and I explained why and the simple explanation of “she just got born, why pump her full of stuff right off the bat and what is Hep B got to do with birth anyway?” was understood.
They were interested in the supplements, how we’d altered our diet, and so forth. One of them asked for my email and has since received several links from me to show him the various information I’ve gathered over time (much of it on NaturalNews) about alternative medicine for child birth and baby care.
It seems that more and more doctors are beginning to see that there is a lot of validity to many forms of alternative medicine and health care. The problem now is that because there’s no money in these things for Big Pharma and related industries, very little scientific study has been done; so convincing doctors of their merits on a universal basis is not likely until that changes.
All in all, though, our experiences with the doctors and nurses involved in pregnancy, birth, and well baby care have been very good. With few exceptions, they’ve been willing to talk to us about our wishes, are understanding of our reluctance and refusals for some of their conventional medicine, and seem generally accepting of our explanations. Some are even curious about learning more.
Hopefully, this trend continues.
