We Demand 100% Renewable Energy In 10 Years
$427 million. That’s what the oil and coal industries spent during the first half of 2008 on lobbying and advertising. They’re protecting their interests – and hurting ours.
This ad is running on TV right now, but we need millions more to see it. The special interests will outspend us, but we can compete head-to-head with them when we find ways to share these messages for free.
Book Review: Dire Predictions Understand Global Warming
Dire Predictions Understand Global Warming
It is a fundamental problem with our society today, we live in a world of high tech science, that almost no one understand. However a picture being worth a 1000 words, the new book by Michael E. Mann and Lee R. Kump is worth several million words. Dire Predictions understanding global warming, the illustrated guide to the findings of the IPCC (boy that’s a mouthful) Is just that, a picture book to explain the science in the IPCC reports.
This book is 208 pages of brilliant color photographs, charts, diagrams, infographics, examples, explanations, and even a little text thrown in to make the whole thing sensible. It starts with climate change basics, explaining the hows and whys of global warming. Then quickly moves into the projections, impacts of climate change, vulnerability and adaptation issues, and my favorite section solving global warming.
This book is really nice, it teaches in a style a lot of people understand, visually. The charts graphs and models are all easy to read and really bring home the impacts of global warming. In a way this book is absolutely horrifying. When this information is presented in such an easy to understand way you almost become overwhelmed with the sheer depth of the shit we are in. Looking at a table of numbers will in no way bring home the problems we are having like seeing these well made infographics. This is why I am glad a sizable and well thought out part of the book is devoted to prevention of global warming, adaptation to what we can’t prevent, and solutions for a greener future.
If you know someone who just “doesn’t get it” when it comes to the IPCC and climate change, I recommend you get them this book.
The Book Of Rubbish Ideas: Reducing Waste The English Way
The Book Of Rubbish Ideas is a step by step guide to reducing the amount of waste you produce. Also issuu is a pretty interesting service by which you can embed documents into your website…I thought I would test them both out at the same time. If you are interested in reducing your waste (always a good idea), or some fun DIY projects (something I am a fan of), or publishing your own stuff online, check it out.
Boston Area School Offering Online Sustainability Courses
This actually looks really cool, not only can you learn all about LEED certification, but you can telecommute and save some gas at the same time!
Email I got below.
—
Dear Sustainability Enthusiast,
We are pleased to announce more courses in our comprehensive selection of ONLINE sustainable design COURSES, through the Boston Architectural College, starting next week. The BAC has been a pioneer, offering the first Online Sustainable Design Certificate Program in the US, in partnership with BuildingGreen, Inc., making education about green building available to anyone, at any place.
The courses start on September 2nd and end on October 25th. They are organized in 8 weekly units, and are all taught by expert green building professionals. The courses can be taken completely online, from any location with internet access, and they are designed to be highly participatory, with weekly assignments and instructor feedback.
All courses count for college credit, and 24 AIA HSW units. A number of our courses have been recognized by the US Green Building Council (USGBC) Education Providers Program, as high quality educational offerings.
Courses can be taken individually, or may be applied toward completion of the Sustainable Design Certificate.
Please see below all our September offerings.
Without prerequisites, can be taken as introductory courses:
- Sustainable Design as a Way of Thinking
- Materials, Resources and Indoor Environmental Quality
- Green Practice: Energy and Air Quality
- Site Design, Landscaping and Site-Water Issues
With some prerequisites, more advanced courses:
- Environmental Systems
- Building Envelope
- Sustainable Design in Practice
This September, we are introducing a new detailed, 8-week, ONLINE course, designed to prepare those interested in taking the LEED accreditation exam:
- LEED Accreditation Exam Preparation
We are also excited to announce the launch of a new, Sustainable Planner’s track of courses:
- Sustainable Communities: Land Use, Transportation, and Planning
- Sustainable Transportation
The online sustainable design courses start approximately every two months. The next course start date after September is October 27th.
For more information about our sustainable design program please visit our website at www.the-bac.edu/green, or feel free to email us at ce@the-bac.edu or call us at 617 585 0101.
We look forward to having you in our online courses.
Best regards,
Anna Stefanidou
Director of Global Education
Boston Architectural College
320 Newbury St, Boston MA 02115, USA
Ph: +1 617 417 6086
Fax: +1 617 532 0989
AIDG Almost There, Needs Your Help
The fantastic non-profit AIDG, that brings renewable energy technology to the people that need them most is trying it’s hardest to get some much needed funds for their efforts. They are in the top 125 but need MORE VOTES. Please help them out, as they are super awesome.
Project)
The Countdown Continues: 4 days to go
Nominate AIDG
today.
Before
you scroll down to the technology review do you have 5 minutes to help
AIDG? Despite a late start AIDG has caught up to be part of the top
125 projects (out of 1190) in the member’s project nominations, but we
still need your help to get into the top 25.
Our
project (AID-Lab:
Life-Changing Tech for the World’s Poor) is about working with major
corporations,
the work we're trying to do now and increasing that impact
worldwide.
You can
help get sanitation, energy,
clean water and agricultural tech to people who need it the
most. Nominate our project and get your friends and family to
do the same.
Here’s
how it works:
- Visit our
project page http://www.membersproject.com/project/view/S399RQ - Click the
“Nominate this Project” button on the center of the
page - Log in as an
American Express card member, or sign up as a guest
member - Click
the Nominate this Project button again - Optional
(but very much appreciated!) Click on the discuss button and tell the jury
about how the project will help create huge change.
And you’re done!
We’re 900 nominations short, so your support can make a big
difference fast. We’ll keep you posted on how we’re doing.
The nomination period ends September 1. So don’t
delay.
We are also
seeking comments on what technologies you would like to see produced by
major corporations for people at the bottom of the pyramid. Please nominate
us using the instructions below. Once you have nominated us you can use the
“post your comments” link at the bottom of the page to post
comments.
We are using this second update to introduce you to the AIDG
Technology Review. This is a special newsletter that we will be sending out
3 times a year to highlight different technologies that have been featured
in our blog. If you like some of these stories you must join the Technology
Review mailing list to receive them in the future. Use the preferences link
at the bottom of this email, and once you get to the preferences page check
off the Technology Review newsletter box. You might also want to start
reading the blog at www.aidg.org/blog.
Sam
Redfield and Pico Hydro
The post about Sam Redfield’s work with AIDG on permanant magnet
alternators and a bucket based pico hydro system was the most popular post
AIDG has ever had. With almost 2,000 unique visitors in almost 20 minutes,
it ended up breaking our server from the load. Take a gander at the
following links to see what all the fuss was about:
Photoset:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/
Blog
Post:http://www.aidg.org/
Shawn Frayne’s Windbelt
This post about Shawn
Frayne’s Humdinger Windbelt winning the Popular Mechanics Innovation
Awards is a taste of things to come. Shawn has been working with AIDG and
Xelateco to scale up the Windbelt technology. Look for some exciting posts
on Windbelt developments in the next few months.
IDDS Roundup
Amy Smith’s
IDDS did an amazing job once more bringing together aspiring technology
designers and students from the world over to tackle some compelling
appropriate technology problems. Check out the links below for some of
Cat’s photos of IDDS 2008 (or take a trip in the wayback machine to
IDDS2007 here: http://www.aidg.org/component/
)
http://www.aidg.org/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/
Appropriate Technology Roundup
The
appropriate technology roundup presents a snapshot of different appropriate
technology solutions from around the world. It comes out on the blog
roughly two times a month.
Round-up #29 http://www.aidg.org/component/
Round Up #28 http://www.aidg.org/component/
Round Up #27 http://www.aidg.org/component/
Round Up #26 http://www.aidg.org/component/
Round Up #25 http://www.aidg.org/component/
Round Up #24 http://www.aidg.org/component/
Round Up #23 http://www.aidg.org/component/
Round Up #22 http://www.aidg.org/component/
Round Up #21 http://www.aidg.org/component/
Round Up #20 http://www.aidg.org/component/
Want to read more? Look through the Appropriate Technology
section of the Blog:
http://www.aidg.org/
And don’t forget to Nominate AIDG for Amex Member’s Project:
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