The nuclear plant in Japan has gotten considerably worse than what we were originally led to believe by the news media. Maybe it was a miscalculation, and maybe they were trying to tone down any hysteria that it might’ve caused at that time.

What they are saying as April 1, 2011 isn’t very reassuring. I can only hope someone wouldn’t be foolish enough to use this as an April Fools Joke!

According to the report, Japan has gone into a “maximum alert” due to plutonium found in the soil around the damaged Fukushima Nuclear Plant and radioactive water that has leaked from a reactor in the plant.

With radiation showing up around the world, I haven’t heard what the levels really mean- is it worse than getting an x-ray?

 Link to International business times:

I was reading http://www.treehugger.com/  (a ‘green’ blog) today and there is a posting that is very interesting relating to the state of the nuclear plant in conjunction with the recent earthquake.

Link to story here:

The writer states that he is not an expert on this subject, yet he poses some very interesting questions, and answers some of these questions to the best of his ability/ resources.

It may be awhile before we find out more accurate information about this tragedy!

Mini FAQ link here:

I received a link from a friend recently about Rachel Botsman and the ‘rise of collaborative consumption’ called “What’s mine is Yours”. She has collaborated to write a book about recycling and reusing on a truly global level. This is a theme that has been on the rise, and gaining speed. Pass the link on, it is really inspirational. Retailers won’t like it because it will reduce sales. But this is about waste and re use, not creating more waste and consumerism.

Rachel is a compelling speaker, and her talk on TED.com is great. This is well worth the watch.

Ted.com  is about ‘ideas worth spreading’ and a site worthy of frequent visits for tangible content, not fluff and gossip.

Enjoy!

ECO (Earth Conscious Optics) has created a line of eyewear using high quality recycled metal and plastics. They have a program that plants a tree in Africa or Southeast Asia for every pair of frames sold. They also have a program that recycles glasses that people no longer use, and distributes these to people in need of eyewear in Africa and Southeast Asia in conjunction with One Sight.

One Sight is an organization that sends Ophthalmologists to Africa and Southeast Asia to perform eye exams on people that might not otherwise have the opportunity to have their eyes examined. 

Please visit the site here:

And article here:

Fuel cells are starting to pop up all over California. A wide variety of businesses such as breweries, food processing, waste water treatment plants, grocery stores, hotels, a casino and even a jail.

Each unit can be the size of a large SUV, saving large amounts of money and reducing the carbon footprint.

These units take oxygen from the air and combine it with fuel such as natural gas in an electrochemical process that produces electricity without using combustion.

They are expensive, but their costs can be recouped in roughly 10 years, and are much more environmentally friendly than anything we are currently using. Buyers are eligible for tens of thousands of dollars in government rebates and available tax incentives.

There are more than 40 cities in California that are producing about 35 megawatts of power. That’s enough electricity to light up about 35,000 average homes.

Some of the high profile installations include Google Inc. in the Bay area and eBay Inc. in San Jose.

Read More Here:

High tech 3D vending machines have been introduced in Japan by the Coca Cola Company in 2009. This eco friendly equipment uses mini solar panels along with energy-saving LED lighting. Instead of using Freon, non-CFC refrigerants are used as well as heat pumps. This sustainable refrigeration program is designed in partnership with BMW Group’s DesignworksUSA.

Coca Cola’s new climate protection initiative is likely to boost the Japanese green movement. The company has set a goal to improve the energy efficiency of cooling equipment by 40 to 50% by 2010. The company announced that it would install about 1,500 solar machines around the country in 2010, which are powered almost entirely by solar energy.

The new design cuts overhead costs, allowing the company to offer products at lower prices. Coca Cola will install 75,000 new machines in 2011. The company has plans to replace all existing Coca Cola vending machines in Japan with 3D units by 2020.

It has been said that carbon emission reduction will exceed 52.5 million metric tons over the life of the vending machine with the implementation of the program.

The phase out of the inefficient incandescent light bulbs is expected to be starting in 2012. The bulbs most relevant to consumers are the 40w, 60w, 75w and 100w standard incandescent light bulbs.

The EISA (Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007) is providing a three year phase out that will start with the inefficient 100w bulbs the first year (2012). The second year will be the 75w bulbs and the third year the 60w and 40w bulbs will become unavailable.

Currently there are three  options for replacing the incandescent light bulbs: Halogen, Compact Fluorescents (CFL’s) and solid state (LED). The Halogen lights will look the most like the incandescents. CFL’s and LED use a lot less energy. They both have drawbacks of their own. CFL’s have a small amount of mercury and need to be disposed of or recycled appropriately. LED’s have no mercury, but are currently considered considerably more expensive limiting their use to commercial and business applications for now.

Levi Strauss has developed a new way of manufacturing jeans using less water. They are hoping to save 16 million gallons of water by spring 2011. Some are referring to them as ‘waterless jeans’. This new process can save from 28% up to 96% of water. The launch of these jeans is expected to be in January 2011 under the Levi 501, 511, and 514 brand.

Kelly Benander- Director of Corporate Communications at Levi Strauss- is quoted as saying “We took the idea of jeans that use fashion forward finishes that people love to wear such as the worn in look, creases around the pockets etc., but made with a lot less water. We went into laundries, talked to suppliers and asked how to create this.”

This is an interesting planter that is self watering as well as attractive. It is good for those of us that don’t have green thumbs!

The water reservoir can last up to 2 months.

It is ideal to monitor the planter to see how the water usage is for each plant in the beginning.

There is a visible indicator that shows where the water level is, so it is easy to monitor.

They come in 4 colors: Green, White, Light Blue and Light Grey.

They cost about $42 usd.

Link to manufacturer Greenamic:

Assembly Overview in Flash format:

I was recently reading ‘This Old House’ for their usual helpful winter heat saving tips when I discovered something I’ve never heard of before.

Many of us know how much heat we lose up the chimney, even if you have dampers and glass doors. I have glass doors, but I do not have a damper- it probably came out when someone put in an insert many years ago. Dampers can also become warped with age and heat, and not create a decent draft block.

I noticed an item called a Chimney Balloon™ and they come in many sizes to fit the myriad of chimney openings. They are made of PVC and are inflatable making them easy to install and remove when you want to have a nice fire.

I read somewhere that you can order one from Ace Hardware and avoid paying the shipping costs. You need to do a little research about how to best measure the opening. There may be some applications where they may not work- chimneys and dampers vary tremendously. You can do a Google search for Chimney Balloons™ and you will find there are different manufacturers that make these.

According to the Department of Energy, a lit fireplace sucks about 24,000 cubic feet of furnace-heated air up your chimney each hour.

‘Battic Door’ also makes many devices to help save energy in the home.