we pull[ed] the trigger

Haiti, An Unlikely Location for Luxury

Wed, 22 May 2013 21:03:32 -0400

Though Haiti remains a poor country, upscale hotels like the $15 million Best Western Premier are opening there.

ecowatchorg: Study Links “America’s Favorite Herbicide” to...

Fri, 03 May 2013 21:17:00 -0400

Study Links “America’s Favorite Herbicide” to Autism, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s

“A new review of hundreds of scientific studies surrounding glyphosate—the major component of Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide—sheds light on its effects within the human body …”

http://ecowatch.com/2013/study-links-monsantos-roundup-autism-parkinsons-alzheimers/

ecowatchorg: 13 Spills in 30 Days Moving oil is a dirty...

Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:06:02 -0400

ecowatchorg:

13 Spills in 30 Days

Moving oil is a dirty business, and never has that been more clear than this past month. Since March 11, the global oil industry has had 13 spills on three continents.

The First Seabed Extraction Of Methane Is Reported. This Means Even More Methane Leaking Into The Atmosphere With 23 Times The Global Warming Potency Of CO2.

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 01:20:41 -0400

wotfigo:

Japan Oil, Gas and Metals National Corporation

JOGMEC announces the first successful extraction of methane hydrate from seabed deposits.

From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Gamechanger.

6,000 dead in Syria in March

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 17:48:00 -0400

Can this be a big deal yet?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21995400

"How will driverless cars change our cities? -Cities will greatly expand, again -Buildings and..."

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 15:56:57 -0400

“

How will driverless cars change our cities?
-Cities will greatly expand, again
-Buildings and parking will be uncoupled, freeing up valuable land

Change is coming

”

- http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2013/03/how-will-driverless-cars-change-our-cities.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+marginalrevolution%2Ffeed+%28Marginal+Revolution%29

climateadaptation: ecowatchorg: FOIA-Matic: A Tool for...

Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:24:27 -0400

climateadaptation:

ecowatchorg:

FOIA-Matic: A Tool for Pollution Response Transparency

SUBMIT FEEDBACK UNTIL 5PM TOMORROW.

To help citizens find out how the Coast Guard and Environmental Protection Agency responded to pollution reports, we are proposing FOIA-matic, a new feature to be added to Louisiana Bucket Brigade‘s iWitness Pollution Map and SkyTruth‘s Gulf Oil Spill Tracker. This simple tool will enable anyone to easily submit a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the Coast Guard and EPA to find out if there was any response or enforcement to a pollution report.

Excellent. FOIA is complicated and expensive. Now, citizens can find more information from government regarding pollution (among other enviro-y things). Pass it on.

Note the above oil fire was just a few days ago.

We pulled the trigger

theremina: Living Wall These vegetated surfaces don’t just look...

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 17:26:53 -0400

theremina:

Living Wall

These vegetated surfaces don’t just look pretty. They have other benefits as well, including cooling city blocks, reducing loud noises, and improving a building’s energy efficiency.What’s more, a recent modeling study shows that green walls can potentially reduce large amounts of air pollution in what’s called a “street canyon,” or the corridor between tall buildings.

For the study, Thomas Pugh, a biogeochemist at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in Germany, and his colleagues created a computer model of a green wall with generic vegetation in a Western European city. Then they recorded chemical reactions based on a variety of factors, such as wind speed and building placement.

The simulation revealed a clear pattern: A green wall in a street canyon trapped or absorbed large amounts of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter—both pollutants harmful to people, said Pugh. Compared with reducing emissions from cars, little attention has been focused on how to trap or take up more of the pollutants, added Pugh, whose study was published last year in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

That’s why the green-wall study is “putting forward an alternative solution that might allow [governments] to improve air quality in these problem hot spots,” he said.Compared with reducing emissions from cars, little attention has been focused on how to trap or take up more of the pollutants, added Pugh, whose study was published last year in the journal Environmental Science & Technology.

That’s why the green-wall study is “putting forward an alternative solution that might allow [governments] to improve air quality in these problem hot spots,” he said.

Full Gallery

climateadaptation: “Top 10 Solar Projects Under Construction.”...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 17:10:26 -0400

climateadaptation:

“Top 10 Solar Projects Under Construction.” I know, not my usual content. I just found these projects interesting.

Veneer or Inspiration?

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:35:24 -0400

Veneer or Inspiration?

ecowatchorg: U.S. Solar Market Grows 76 Percent in 2012 With...

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 16:44:29 -0400

ecowatchorg:

U.S. Solar Market Grows 76 Percent in 2012

With another record-breaking year, solar is the fastest growing energy source in the U.S., powering homes, businesses and utility grids across the nation.

climateadaptation: Inspiring read on women architects who...

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:17:45 -0400

climateadaptation:

Inspiring read on women architects who defied great odds (re: men) via ArchDaily.

A sampling:

Sophia Hayden Benett was the first woman to receive an architecture degree from MIT when she graduated in 1890

Marion Mahony Griffin, was not only one of the first licensed female architects in the world, but was the first employee of Frank Lloyd Wright

Charlotte Perriand applied for a job at Le Corbusier’s studio in 1927. Unimpressed, he dismissed her work with the comment: “We don’t embroider cushions here.”

Jane Drew was an early proponent of Modernism in England and was responsible for bringing Le Corbusier’s work to India.

I voted for this

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 17:20:04 -0400

I voted for this:

Damn straight

Darkness Falls

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:30:45 -0400

Darkness Falls

vurtual: Nigeria’s Cost & Energy-Efficient Floating Schools...

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:41:36 -0400

vurtual:

Nigeria’s Cost & Energy-Efficient Floating Schools (by NLÉ)

The Makoko Floating School is an ambitious project that is currently under construction in the water community of Makoko in Lagos, Nigeria by NLÉ, a collaborative agency whose mission is to provide architectural change for developing cities. The project seeks to create floating buildings that are designed to serve as educational classrooms for neighborhood children.

The three-story architectural structure, built as a triangular prism, is intended to float on water with a base made of 256 plastic drums. The floating construct is built with locally sourced wood, electrically powered with solar panels, and designed to house about 100 students.

While this first generation of floating buildings is being designated solely as educational center, the project is opening a new chapter in architectural design that can be applied to a variety of facilities for poor communities like Makoko to urbanize efficiently. Because of the project’s green initiatives, each building is more affordable and cost-effective. Additionally, they accommodate for the climate changes that are resulting in the rise of sea levels.

Entropy Wins: Civilisations Decline: Biofuel Rush Wiping Out America’s Grasslands At Fastest Pace Since The 1930s Dust Bowl

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 16:08:42 -0500

Entropy Wins: Civilisations Decline: Biofuel Rush Wiping Out America’s Grasslands At Fastest Pace Since The 1930s Dust Bowl :

wotfigo:

Rates of grassland loss are ‘comparable to deforestation rates in Brazil, Malaysia, and Indonesia’

America’s prairies are shrinking. Spurred on by the rush for biofuels, farmers are digging up grasslands in the northern Plains to plant crops at the quickest pace since the 1930s. While…

Pop culture families

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 13:12:58 -0500

Pop culture families

theatlantic: Chopped Dice, a Pinch of Sequin, and 1 Grenade:...

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:24:22 -0500

theatlantic:

Chopped Dice, a Pinch of Sequin, and 1 Grenade: How to Make Guacamole

A delightful, quirky take on an instructional recipe video from stop-motion genius PES.

Nummy

Photo

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:30:03 -0500

ecowatchorg: BP Oil Spill Trial Begins Today: Will They Be Held...

Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:49:56 -0500

ecowatchorg:

BP Oil Spill Trial Begins Today: Will They Be Held Accountable?

For BP, all the wriggling and half-truths surrounding the spill have to stop. The oil giant has to finally come clean. “BP can hire all the smiling faces they can find for their commercials, but in court it’s a game-changer. They will have to start telling the truth.”