EARTH PORTATION curated News June 28th

ANIMALS - Death to All Bees! (And Other Great Videos)

"Bees. Who Needs Them?" An anti-bee propaganda film captures our imagination, as do these other great bee-related videos ...

http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-agriculture/death-all-

ART - African artist El Anatsui makes wall hangings out of recycled materials

This African artist uses recycled bits and pieces for his massive wall hanging ...

http://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/culture/el-anatsui-recy

ART - The final weekend at Arts & Ideas

Here is a look at what is happening during the final two days of the International Festival of Arts & Ideas, Friday & Saturday, June 28 & 29. For more information, visit the festival's website ...
http://news.yale.edu/2013/06/28/final-weekend-arts-idea

BOOKS - Books of The Times: Colum McCann's 'TransAtlantic' Explores Ireland and U.S.

In "TransAtlantic," Colum McCann uses a historic nonstop flight as a narrative anchor to take a kaleidoscopic look at more than 150 years of American and Irish history ...
http://www-nc.nytimes.com/2013/06/28/books/colum-mccanns-tra

CLIMATE - Human-Caused Global Warming Behind Record Hot Australian Summer

Australia's summer of 2012 was known as "the angry summer," with record heat, extreme bush fires and flooding striking the nation in quick succession. [More]-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com ...
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=human-cause

EARTH - A Year in the Life of a Green Planet

[More]-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com ...
http://www.scientificamerican.com/gallery_directory.cfm?phot

ECONOMICS - INSTANT MBA: A Culture Of Trust Is Directly Connected To Productivity Levels

Today's advice comes from Don Peppers, founding partner of Peppers & Rogers Group at TeleTech via LinkedIn. "If you want your company to be successful, you need to cultivate a culture of trust, which will encourage your employees to work better with each other and to enjoy doing it. The general level of trust within your firm is directly connected to your firm's productivity and competitive success." Peppers says that employees are encour ...

http://www.businessinsider.com/trust-leads-to-a-more-product

ECONOMICS - If You Live In New York And You Rent, You're Paying A Huge Tax You Don't Even Know About

If you live in New York City, you probably know that your income taxes are high. A combined city and state tax rate of 10.4% kicks in at just $22,000 of taxable income for a single person. You probably don't know that New York City has some of the country's highest taxes on apartment buildings-and if you're not subject to rent control, much of that cost is flowing through to you as a renter. Not all property taxes are high here: New York ...

http://www.businessinsider.com/if-you-live-in-new-york-and-y

ENERGY - Home Solar PV In Europe Not Subject To VAT (Consumption Tax), EU Court Rules

Editor's Note: This is quite big news (if I'm understanding the ruling correctly), but I haven't seen much coverage of it. Perhaps that's just because it's related to the EU and I don't follow many EU-based sites. No VAT (consumption tax) on home solar PV could be a big step forward. (Correct us if we're missing something.) Solar photovoltaic systems purchased for household use within the European Union will no longer be subject to any VAT ( .. ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/28/home-solar-pv-in-europe-

HOMES - Japanese Students Create Brilliant Straw Home Heated by Compost

Read the rest of Japanese Students Create Brilliant Straw Home Heated by CompostPermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: "energy efficiency", A Recipe To Live, Architecture, Botanical, green materials, Japan, LIXIL, recycling / compost, Straw, Waseda Universit .. ...

http://inhabitat.com/japanese-students-create-straw-home-hea

MUSIC - 5 Bands You Should Be Listening To This Weekend

There's always so much great music coming out from week to week and sometimes it's just hard to keep up with it all. Lucky for you, we at FILTER are happy to scour through all the music out there and compile an easy list for you to check out. This week, we have gathered some of our favorites from all over the world that we thought would be worth a listen. We take you from Iceland to Australia in hopes that you'll discover some new music across bo ...

http://www.businessinsider.com/new-bands-for-summer-music-20

MUSIC - Showing Off the Accordion's Hip Side

The Accordions Around the World festival this summer offers accordionists a chance to shed a stodgy image ...
http://www-nc.nytimes.com/2013/06/27/arts/music/showing-off-

PERMACULTURE - Compost pickup reaches New York's suburbs

The Town of Bethlehem tests out a weekly composting service ...

http://www.treehugger.com/green-home/compost-pickup-reaches-

SCIENCE - Large-scale quantum chip validated

A team of scientists at USC has verified that quantum effects are indeed at play in the first commercial quantum optimization processor ...
http://phys.org/news/2013-06-large-scale-quantum-chip-valida

SCIENCE - Michele Dufault Endowment for Yale Women in Science established

Yale has established the Michele Dufault Endowment for Yale Women in Science, a $14 million fund named in honor of a Yale College senior who died in 2011 in a tragic accident at Sterling Chemistry Laboratory, while pursuing her dreams as a scientist ...
http://news.yale.edu/2013/06/28/michele-dufault-endowment-ya

SCIENCE - On the hunt for neutrinos

Every second, trillions of particles called neutrinos pass through your body. These particles have a mass so tiny it has never been measured, and they interact so weakly with other matter that it is nearly impossible to detect them, making it very difficult to study their behavior.Since arriving at MIT in 2005, Joseph Formaggio, an associate professor of physics, has sought new ways to measure the mass of neutrinos. Nailing down that value - and ...

http://www.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/faculty-profile-joseph-fo

SCIENCE - The Limits of Psychophysics, and Physics

Psychophysics secretly dominates our social sciences. Such physics-ing often improves experimental practice, but its mathematical methods face new challenges. As every infant knows, but too many...-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com ...
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/2013/06/

URBAN - Aaron D'Innocenzo Built this Green Desert Home by Himself in Eight Years

Read the rest of Aaron D'Innocenzo Built this Green Desert Home by Himself in Eight YearsPermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: "energy efficiency", "natural materials", Aaron D'Innocenzo, California, desert architecture, desert homes in California, eco design, green desert homes, green design, Jackrabbit Wash, Joshua Park, mojave desert, sustainable desig .. ...

http://inhabitat.com/aaron-dinnocenzo-built-this-green-deser

URBAN - Austria's Blob-Shaped Kunsthaus Graz Art Museum Generates its Own Solar Power

Read the rest of Austria's Blob-Shaped Kunsthaus Graz Art Museum Generates its Own Solar PowerPermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: "solar energy", Architecture, art museum, blob, Colin Fournier, energy efficient, graz, Kunsthaus Graz, photovoltaic units, Sir Peter Cook, Solar Power, vienn .. ...

http://inhabitat.com/austrias-blob-shaped-kunsthaus-graz-art

URBAN - Can we get rid of plastic foam in our buildings?

It's the next big trend in green building, but it is expensive, difficult and people think you are nuts ...

http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/can-we-get-rid-

URBAN - Dogchitecture: Mexican Designers Create Amazing Architectural Homes For Dogs

Read the rest of Dogchitecture: Mexican Designers Create Amazing Architectural Homes For DogsPermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: Animals, Architecture For Dogs, BNKR, DIY, dogs, Esteban Suarez, Exhibition, Felipe Fadón, green materials, mexico, Nuugi, Photos by Dogchitecture, Recycled Materials, shelters, tiny home .. ...

http://inhabitat.com/dogchitecture-mexican-architects-create

URBAN - Plus-Shaped Pool is One Step Closer to Floating on NYC's East River

An amazing floating pool is being planned for NYC's East River, but it needs your help. Called the + Pool because of its plus-shaped design, the waterbody already has the backing of many New York officials but it needs extra financing to complete a test model this summer. In exchange for contributions to its Kickstarter campaign, + Pool is offering personalized tiles to be permanently placed on the walls of the pool when it's complete as well as ...

http://inhabitat.com/floating-plus-shaped-pool-is-one-step-c

URBAN - Rusty Tin Shed Transformed Into Beautiful Two-Story Studio in Sydney

Read the rest of Rusty Tin Shed Transformed Into Beautiful Two-Story Studio in SydneyPermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: "sustainable architecture", australia, corrugated metal, eco apartment, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, material reuse, raffaello rosselli, Recycled Materials, recycled metal, rental, shed, studio, studio apartment, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, sydney, tin shed, tinshed, vaca ...

http://inhabitat.com/rusty-tin-shed-transformed-into-beautif

URBAN - Sculptural Wooden House in Sweden Bends to Make Way for an Oak Tree

Read the rest of Sculptural Wooden House in Sweden Bends to Make Way for an Oak TreePermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: Architecture, bent house, Botanical, Claesson Koivisto Rune, Daylighting, Fagerstrom House, falu red, L-shaped, ok tree, Swede .. ...

http://inhabitat.com/sculptural-wooden-house-in-sweden-bends

URBAN - Songjiang Hotel: Construction Begins On Chinese Eco-Resort Nestled into 100-Meter-Deep Quarry

Construction just began on a sustainable hotel resort built into a 100-meter high quarry in the Songjiang district just outside Shanghai. Looking like a villain's lair from a James Bond movie, the 19-story hotel complex will feature a huge waterfall pouring down from its roof and two of its first floors will be submerged in the water.Read the rest of Songjiang Hotel: Construction Begins On Chinese Eco-Resort Nestled into 100-Meter-Deep QuarryPerm ...

http://inhabitat.com/songjiang-hotel-construction-begins-on-

WIND - WindMade Wants Consumers To 'Show You Care'

For many people around the world, especially in the western developed world where greater choice is widely available, being able to choose what product to buy based on a variety of criteria is important. For some, they choose to buy only locally made products, while others might focus on a products ability to be recycled.WindMade have latched on to this desire to 'choose', creating the "first global consumer label identifying products and co .. ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/28/windmade-wants-consumers

WIND - World's first hybrid wind/current generator could generate double the power

A new kind of hybrid generator promises to double the power output for the same surface area, by also harvesting energy from ocean currents ...

http://www.treehugger.com/wind-technology/worlds-first-float

ANIMALS - Death to All Bees! (And Other Great Videos)

"Bees. Who Needs Them?" An anti-bee propaganda film captures our imagination, as do these other great bee-related videos.

http://www.treehugger.com/sustainable-agriculture/death-all-bees-and-o

ART - African artist El Anatsui makes wall hangings out of recycled materials

This African artist uses recycled bits and pieces for his massive wall hangings

http://www.treehugger.com/slideshows/culture/el-anatsui-recycled

BOOKS - Books of The Times: Colum McCann's 'TransAtlantic' Explores Ireland and U.S.

In "TransAtlantic," Colum McCann uses a historic nonstop flight as a narrative anchor to take a kaleidoscopic look at more than 150 years of American and Irish history.

http://www-nc.nytimes.com/2013/06/28/books/colum-mccanns-transatlantic

CLIMATE - Human-Caused Global Warming Behind Record Hot Australian Summer

Australia's summer of 2012 was known as "the angry summer," with record heat, extreme bush fires and flooding striking the nation in quick succession. [More]

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=human-caused-global-w

EARTH - A Year in the Life of a Green Planet

[More]

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

http://www.scientificamerican.com/gallery_directory.cfm?photo_id=3B235

ECONOMICS - INSTANT MBA: A Culture Of Trust Is Directly Connected To Productivity Levels

Today's advice comes from Don Peppers, founding partner of Peppers & Rogers Group at TeleTech via LinkedIn. "If you want your company to be successful, you need to cultivate a culture of trust, which will encourage your employees to work better with each other and to enjoy doing it. The general level of trust within your firm is directly connected to your firm's productivity and competitive success." Peppers says that employees are encour ...

http://www.businessinsider.com/trust-leads-to-a-more-productive-team-d

ECONOMICS - If You Live In New York And You Rent, You're Paying A Huge Tax You Don't Even Know About

If you live in New York City, you probably know that your income taxes are high. A combined city and state tax rate of 10.4% kicks in at just $22,000 of taxable income for a single person. You probably don't know that New York City has some of the country's highest taxes on apartment buildings-and if you're not subject to rent control, much of that cost is flowing through to you as a renter. Not all property taxes are high here: New York ...

http://www.businessinsider.com/if-you-live-in-new-york-and-you-rent-yo

ENERGY - Home Solar PV In Europe Not Subject To VAT (Consumption Tax), EU Court Rules

Editor's Note: This is quite big news (if I'm understanding the ruling correctly), but I haven't seen much coverage of it. Perhaps that's just because it's related to the EU and I don't follow many EU-based sites. No VAT (consumption tax) on home solar PV could be a big step forward. (Correct us if we're missing something.) Solar photovoltaic systems purchased for household use within the European Union will no longer be subject to any VAT ( ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/28/home-solar-pv-in-europe-not-subjec

HOMES - Japanese Students Create Brilliant Straw Home Heated by Compost

Read the rest of Japanese Students Create Brilliant Straw Home Heated by CompostPermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: "energy efficiency", A Recipe To Live, Architecture, Botanical, green materials, Japan, LIXIL, recycling / compost, Straw, Waseda Universit ...

http://inhabitat.com/japanese-students-create-straw-home-heated-by-agr

MUSIC - 5 Bands You Should Be Listening To This Weekend

There's always so much great music coming out from week to week and sometimes it's just hard to keep up with it all. Lucky for you, we at FILTER are happy to scour through all the music out there and compile an easy list for you to check out. This week, we have gathered some of our favorites from all over the world that we thought would be worth a listen. We take you from Iceland to Australia in hopes that you'll discover some new music across bo ...

http://www.businessinsider.com/new-bands-for-summer-music-2013-

MUSIC - Showing Off the Accordion's Hip Side

The Accordions Around the World festival this summer offers accordionists a chance to shed a stodgy image.

http://www-nc.nytimes.com/2013/06/27/arts/music/showing-off-the-accord

PERMACULTURE - Compost pickup reaches New York's suburbs

The Town of Bethlehem tests out a weekly composting service.
http://www.treehugger.com/green-home/compost-pickup-reaches-new-yorks-

SCIENCE - Large-scale quantum chip validated

A team of scientists at USC has verified that quantum effects are indeed at play in the first commercial quantum optimization processor.

http://phys.org/news/2013-06-large-scale-quantum-chip-validated.htm

SCIENCE - Michele Dufault Endowment for Yale Women in Science established

Yale has established the Michele Dufault Endowment for Yale Women in Science, a $14 million fund named in honor of a Yale College senior who died in 2011 in a tragic accident at Sterling Chemistry Laboratory, while pursuing her dreams as a scientist.

http://news.yale.edu/2013/06/28/michele-dufault-endowment-yale-women-s

SCIENCE - On the hunt for neutrinos

Every second, trillions of particles called neutrinos pass through your body. These particles have a mass so tiny it has never been measured, and they interact so weakly with other matter that it is nearly impossible to detect them, making it very difficult to study their behavior.

Since arriving at MIT in 2005, Joseph Formaggio, an associate professor of physics, has sought new ways to measure the mass of neutrinos. Nailing down that value - and answering questions such as whether neutrinos are identical to antineutrinos - could help scientists refine the Standard Model of particle physics, which outlines the 16 types of subatomic particles (including the three neutrinos) that physicists have identified.

Those discoveries could also shed light on why there is more matter than antimatter in the universe, even though they were formed in equal amounts during the Big Bang.

"There are big questions that we still haven't answered, all centered around this little particle. It's not just measuring some numbers; it's really about understanding the nature of the equation that explains particle physics. That's really exciting," Formaggio says.

Joseph Formaggio Photo: M. Scott Brauer

Paradigm shift

Formaggio, the only child of Italian immigrants, was the first in his family to attend college. Born in New York City, he spent part of his childhood in Sicily, his parents' homeland, before returning to New York. From an early age, he was interested in science, especially physics and math.

At Yale University, he studied physics but was also interested in creative writing. The summer after his freshman year, in search of a summer job, he "called every publishing house in New York City, all of which resoundingly rejected me," he says. However, his call to the Yale physics department yielded an immediate offer to work with a group that was doing research at the Collider Detector at Fermilab. That led to a senior thesis characterizing the excited states of the upsilon particle, which had recently been discovered.

As a student, Formaggio was drawn to both particle physics and astrophysics. At Columbia University, where he earned his PhD, he started working in an astrophysics group that was studying dark matter. Neutrinos were then thought to be a prime candidate for dark matter, and the mysterious particles intrigued Formaggio. He eventually joined a neutrino research group at Columbia, which included Janet Conrad, a professor who is now at MIT.

While a postdoc at the University of Washington, Formaggio participated in experiments at the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory (SNO), located in a Canadian nickel mine some 6,800 feet underground. Those were the first experiments to show definitively that neutrinos have mass - albeit a very tiny mass.

Until then, "there were definitely hints that neutrinos undergo this process called oscillation where they transmute from one type to another, which is a signature for mass, but all the evidence was sort of murky and not quite definitive," Formaggio says.

The SNO experiments revealed that there are three "flavors" of neutrino that can morph from one to the other. Those experiments "basically put the nail in the coffin and said that neutrinos change flavors, so they must have mass," Formaggio says. "It was a big paradigm shift in thinking about neutrinos, because the Standard Model of particle physics wants neutrinos to be massless, and the fact that they're not means we don't understand it at some very deep level."

Another possible discovery that could throw a wrench into the Standard Model is the existence of a fourth type of neutrino. There have been hints of such a particle but no definitive observation yet. "If you put in four neutrinos, the Standard Model is done," Formaggio says, "but we're not there yet."

'A giant electromagnetic problem'

In his current work, Formaggio is focused on trying to measure the mass of neutrinos. In one approach, he is working with an international team on a detector called KATRIN, located in a small town in southwest Germany. This detector, about the size of a large hangar, is filled with tritium, an unstable radioactive isotope. When tritium decays, it produces neutrinos and electrons. By measuring the energy of the electron released during the decay, physicists hope to be able to calculate the mass of the neutrino - an approach based on Einstein's E=mc² equation.

"Because energy is conserved, if you know how much you started out with and how much the electron took away, you can figure out how much the neutrino weighs," Formaggio says. "It's a very hard measurement but I like it because the experiment is a giant electromagnetic problem."

The KATRIN detector is under construction and scheduled to begin taking data within the next two years. Formaggio is also developing another tritium detector, known as Project 8, which uses the radio frequency of electrons to measure their energies.

Formaggio hopes that one day, tritium-based detectors could be used to find neutrinos still lingering from the Big Bang, which would require even larger quantities of tritium.

"There are many holy grails in physics, and finding those neutrinos is definitely one of them. People look at the light from the Big Bang, but that's actually closer to 300,000 years old, or thereabouts. Neutrinos from the Big Bang have been around since the first second of the universe," Formaggio says.

http://www.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/faculty-profile-joseph-formaggio-06

SCIENCE - The Limits of Psychophysics, and Physics

Psychophysics secretly dominates our social sciences. Such physics-ing often improves experimental practice, but its mathematical methods face new challenges. As every infant knows, but too many...

-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/mind-guest-blog/2013/06/28/the-lim

URBAN - Aaron D'Innocenzo Built this Green Desert Home by Himself in Eight Years

Read the rest of Aaron D'Innocenzo Built this Green Desert Home by Himself in Eight YearsPermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: "energy efficiency", "natural materials", Aaron D'Innocenzo, California, desert architecture, desert homes in California, eco design, green desert homes, green design, Jackrabbit Wash, Joshua Park, mojave desert, sustainable desig ...

http://inhabitat.com/aaron-dinnocenzo-built-this-green-desert-home-by-

URBAN - Austria's Blob-Shaped Kunsthaus Graz Art Museum Generates its Own Solar Power

Read the rest of Austria's Blob-Shaped Kunsthaus Graz Art Museum Generates its Own Solar PowerPermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: "solar energy", Architecture, art museum, blob, Colin Fournier, energy efficient, graz, Kunsthaus Graz, photovoltaic units, Sir Peter Cook, Solar Power, vienn ...

http://inhabitat.com/austrias-blob-shaped-kunsthaus-graz-art-museum-ge

URBAN - Can we get rid of plastic foam in our buildings?

It's the next big trend in green building, but it is expensive, difficult and people think you are nuts.

http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/can-we-get-rid-plastic-fo

URBAN - Dogchitecture: Mexican Designers Create Amazing Architectural Homes For Dogs

Read the rest of Dogchitecture: Mexican Designers Create Amazing Architectural Homes For DogsPermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: Animals, Architecture For Dogs, BNKR, DIY, dogs, Esteban Suarez, Exhibition, Felipe Fadón, green materials, mexico, Nuugi, Photos by Dogchitecture, Recycled Materials, shelters, tiny home ...

http://inhabitat.com/dogchitecture-mexican-architects-create-wonderful

URBAN - Plus-Shaped Pool is One Step Closer to Floating on NYC's East River

An amazing floating pool is being planned for NYC's East River, but it needs your help. Called the + Pool because of its plus-shaped design, the waterbody already has the backing of many New York officials but it needs extra financing to complete a test model this summer. In exchange for contributions to its Kickstarter campaign, + Pool is offering personalized tiles to be permanently placed on the walls of the pool when it's complete as well as ...

http://inhabitat.com/floating-plus-shaped-pool-is-one-step-closer-to-c

URBAN - Rusty Tin Shed Transformed Into Beautiful Two-Story Studio in Sydney

Read the rest of Rusty Tin Shed Transformed Into Beautiful Two-Story Studio in SydneyPermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: "sustainable architecture", australia, corrugated metal, eco apartment, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, material reuse, raffaello rosselli, Recycled Materials, recycled metal, rental, shed, studio, studio apartment, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, sydney, tin shed, tinshed, vaca ...

http://inhabitat.com/rusty-tin-shed-transformed-into-beautiful-two-sto

URBAN - Sculptural Wooden House in Sweden Bends to Make Way for an Oak Tree

Read the rest of Sculptural Wooden House in Sweden Bends to Make Way for an Oak TreePermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: Architecture, bent house, Botanical, Claesson Koivisto Rune, Daylighting, Fagerstrom House, falu red, L-shaped, ok tree, Swede ...

http://inhabitat.com/sculptural-wooden-house-in-sweden-bends-to-make-w

URBAN - Songjiang Hotel: Construction Begins On Chinese Eco-Resort Nestled into 100-Meter-Deep Quarry

Construction just began on a sustainable hotel resort built into a 100-meter high quarry in the Songjiang district just outside Shanghai. Looking like a villain's lair from a James Bond movie, the 19-story hotel complex will feature a huge waterfall pouring down from its roof and two of its first floors will be submerged in the water.Read the rest of Songjiang Hotel: Construction Begins On Chinese Eco-Resort Nestled into 100-Meter-Deep QuarryPerm ...

http://inhabitat.com/songjiang-hotel-construction-begins-on-eco-resort

WIND - WindMade Wants Consumers To 'Show You Care'

For many people around the world, especially in the western developed world where greater choice is widely available, being able to choose what product to buy based on a variety of criteria is important. For some, they choose to buy only locally made products, while others might focus on a products ability to be recycled.WindMade have latched on to this desire to 'choose', creating the "first global consumer label identifying products and co ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/28/windmade-wants-consumers-to-show-y

WIND - World's first hybrid wind/current generator could generate double the power

A new kind of hybrid generator promises to double the power output for the same surface area, by also harvesting energy from ocean currents.

http://www.treehugger.com/wind-technology/worlds-first-floating-windcu

EARTH PORTATION curated News June 26th

CLIMATE - 10 Key Clean Energy Statements From Obama's Climate Speech

Obama spent a long time (rightfully so) setting the stage in his climate and energy speech by discussing the threats of global warming and climate change. But, on a hot and sunny summer day in DC, Obama also trumpeted a strong plan to use more clean energy. Here were 10 of his key statements about clean energy (imho):US just doubled solar & wind electricity: "Over the past 4 years, we've doubled the electricity we generate from zero-carb .. ...
http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/26/10-key-clean-energy-stat

CLIMATE - 8 Images to Understand the Drought in the Southwest

In states like Missouri, last summer's drought was downright scary. Farmers saw their corn shrivel in the fields, ranchers ran out of feed for their cattle, and commerce on the Mississippi River slowed to a crawl, as barges struggled to avoid newly exposed rocks on the low-flowing river. But this spring brought relief. And now, after one of the wettest springs on record, life will return to a different sort of normal for many Midwestern farmers, ...

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/8-images-to-understand-th

CLIMATE - All-Time Heat Records Broken in . . . Alaska?!

A massive dome of high pressure, sometimes referred to as a "heat dome," has set up shop over Alaska, bringing all-time record temperatures just a few weeks after parts of the state had a record cold start to spring. In some cases, towns in Alaska were warmer on Monday and Tuesday than most locations in the lower 48 states. Forecast temperature anomalies on June 19 from the GFS computer model. Click image to enl ...

http://www.climatecentral.org/blogs/all-time-heat-records-br

CLIMATE - Heat Wave May Threaten World's Hottest Temp. Record

A brutal and potentially historic heat wave is in store for the West as parts of Nevada, Arizona and California may get dangerously hot temperatures this weekend and into next week. In fact, by the end of the heat wave, we may see a record tied or broken for the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth. The furnace-like heat is coming courtesy of a "stuck" weather pattern that is setting up across the U.S. and Canada. By early next week, the j ...

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/heat-wave-to-threaten-wor

CLIMATE - Joe Romm On Obama's Climate Speech (+ Video & Transcript Of Obama's Speech)

Dr Joe Romm is a leading voice on climate and energy policy and politics issues. As his Climate Progress bio notes, under President Bill Clinton, Dr Romm was "acting assistant secretary of energy for energy efficiency and renewable energy in 1997, where he oversaw $1 billion in R&D, demonstration, and deployment of low-carbon technology." And, very notably, Dr Romm has been a leading critic of President Obama on climate change matters. S .. ...
http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/26/joe-romm-on-obamas-clima

CLIMATE - President Obama proposes new climate change plan. (VIDEO)

Today, President Obama announced his new climate change plan, which includes a proposal to establish new rules for cutting carbon pollution from existing power plants. Read the plan and watch the speech here ...

http://www.treehugger.com/energy-policy/president-obamas-cli

CLIMATE - Record 2012 Greenland Melt Challenges Climate Models

A weather pattern that may have become more common in recent years was largely responsible for causing last summer's record melt in Greenland, according to a new study. The research, published this week in the International Journal of Climatology, found that a giant protective dome of high pressure established itself above Greenland throughout the summer of 2012, leading to above-average temperatures and more abundant sunshine than in a typical ...

http://www.climatecentral.org/site/40

CLIMATE - U.S. Airports Face Increasing Threat From Rising Seas

When Hurricane Sandy struck New York City on October 29, 2012, the dark waters of Flushing Bay poured over the edges of LaGuardia Airport, flooding parts of the facility's 7,000-foot long east-west runway, and damaging lighting and navigation systems. The floodwaters created an eerie image of jetways ending in water, as if they had been converted into boat ramps. This was not the first time that LaGuardia suffered major flooding during a storm, ...

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/coastal-us-airports-face-

EARTH - "With six feet of sea-level rise, South Florida is toast."

Throughout Earth's history, the shape of the continents has changed dramatically. With the planet's temperatures rising, we can expect to see some of these geological changes in our lifetimes - especially when it comes to low-lying areas like Florida. Here's what might be in store for that state.Jeff Goodell has a fascinating article over at Rolling Stone about what will happen to Miami over the next 30 years as storm surges get higher and sea le ...

http://io9.com/with-six-feet-of-sea-level-rise-south-florida

EARTH - A view of Earth that'll make you go whoa

From ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano comes an absolutely gorgeous view of our planet from space.Parmitano captured this view of a cloud-covered Earth yesterday from the International Space Station. He arrived aboard humanity's orbital outpost back in May, as a member of Expedition 36. He's been tweeting photos from low-Earth orbit ever since - follow him on Twitter for regular updates![ESA and Luca Parmitano via Amy Shira Teitel ...

http://io9.com/a-view-of-earth-thatll-make-you-go-whoa-58516

ENERGY - 100% Renewable Energy And Beyond!

While many countries still discuss whether or not a 100% renewable energy system - or "just" a 100% renewable electricity supply - is even theoretically possible, Germans seem no longer bothered by such unscientific doubts. To make matters "worse," some of them (including myself) are even convinced that a transition to a 100% renewable energy system can and should be accomplished within only a few decades' time.Some people might find this di .. ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/26/100-renewable-energy-and

ENERGY - Breakthrough NREL Lab Could Solve Renewables-Grid Integration Problems

Grid integration is the million-dollar question for clean energy - as renewables, electric vehicles, and the smart grid scale up, how will they impact reliability?ESIF exterior rendering via NRELWell, we now have a million-dollar answer from the Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). NREL has launched the Energy Systems Integration Facility (ESIF), a revolutionary research facility dedicated solely to researching .. ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/25/breakthrough-nrel-lab-co

ENERGY - Top Solar Power Countries Per Capita & Per GDP (CleanTechnica Exclusive)

Following up on my top solar power state rankings, below are rankings of the top solar power countries per capita and per GDP. These solar power by country rankings are key to seeing who the solar power leaders are in relative terms. It's great that giant countries like the US and China are investing in solar, but how do their investments really compare when we compare to country populations and GDP? That's the important question - that is, .. ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/26/solar-power-by-country-s

ENERGY - Why Obama's Plan To Accelerate Permitting For Renewable Energy Is A Big Deal

President Obama is expected to make commitments for streamlining the permitting process for renewable energy projects on federal land during his talk at Georgetown University today ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/williampentland/2013/06/25/why-o

ENERGY - Will Europe Heed To Calls For 100% Renewable Energy Target For 2050?

European legislators have been urged to set a 100% renewable energy target for 2050 by the Global Alliance for 100% Renewable Energy. The Alliance, launched in Europe recently, criticised the EU legislators for not setting aggressive long-term renewable energy targets.Middelgruden Offshore Wind Farm in DenmarkCredit: United Nations Photo | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0Alliance members, which include World Future Council, the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar .. ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/25/will-europe-heed-to-call

HOMES - 3 tents and a shed create a beautiful, luxury home

These temporary dwellings in Sonoma County became a beautiful, and quite luxurious, home ...

http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/3-tents-and-she

HOMES - In San Jose, Buy A House, Get A Tesla

Real estate agents are always thinking up novel ways to sell homes, throwing brunches, cocktail parties, and offering interior design services. Now, a realtor in San Jose is offering a Tesla Model S to the person who buys a $1.35 million home ...
http://www.forbes.com/sites/michelinemaynard/2013/06/25/in-s

HOMES - Passive House, Passivhaus, what's in a name?

We have been asking that question for a while and it keeps coming up ...

http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/passive-house-p

MOVIES - How Our Visions of Virtual Reality Have Changed in the Past 40 Years

The other day, Second Life celebrated its 10-year anniversary. But long before that venerable virtual world came into existence, we were dreaming up images of virtual reality and cyberspace.Top image: Tron vs. Tron LegacyIt seems like there are a few basic ways to represent "cyberspace" and virtual reality. You can have basic reality, with the occasional glitches or incongruities. You can create a surreal dreamscape that is clearly not ...

http://io9.com/how-our-visions-of-virtual-reality-have-chang

SCIENCE - Rich, educated westerners could be skewing social science studies

The vast majority of psychological studies recruit test subjects who are Western, educated, industrialized, rich and democratic - or "WEIRD." Which is... well, weird, given that these people represent a very small segment of the global human population, from a cultural standpoint.You might expect culture to have very little impact on the results of a psychological study. If you assume that psychology is informed primarily by biological ...

http://io9.com/rich-educated-westerners-could-be-skewing-soc

SOLAR - Top Solar Power States Per Capita (Updated) vs Top Solar Policy Leaders (CleanTechnica Exclusive)

Last year, I put together rankings of the top solar power countries per capita, per GDP, and per TWh of electricity production. In January, I then created rankings of the top solar power states per capita and followed those up with rankings of the top solar power states per capita vs the top solar power countries per capita. Check out those previous rankings and some similar wind power rankings via the links on the bottom of this page.Recent .. ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/25/solar-power-by-state-sol

SPACE - How to detect massive alien spaceships powered by stars

Some visionaries speculate that extraterrestrial civilizations may be capable of using the energy extracted from their suns to power planet-sized spaceships. A professor from the University of Edinburgh says he knows how we might be able to find such objects. Top image: Julian-Faylona.In 1948, astronomer Fred Zwicky, the esteemed co-discoverer of dark matter, speculated that "fusion jets" could be used by a future civilization to navigate our sun ...

http://io9.com/how-to-detect-massive-alien-spaceships-powere

SPACE - What if the moon was replaced by planets from our solar system?

Writer and artist Ron Miller wanted to see what it would look like if the Earth's moon was replaced by other planets from our solar system ...

http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/what-if-moon-was-

URBAN - Another reason not to build glass towers: They are not resilient

Superstorm Sandy and the Alberta floods demonstrate the need to design buildings that keep the heat in or out when the power fails ...

http://www.treehugger.com/resilience/another-reason-not-buil

URBAN - Beautiful Churches That Have Been Converted into Secular Buildings

What happens to churches whose religious residents have left? Often, they become a bit more secular. Here are some of the most gorgeous and surprising architectural afterlives for these houses of worship.St. Jakobus Church, by Zecc Architects, Utrecht, Netherlands, 2007-2009(via ZECC)A Selexyz bookstore from a 700-year-old Dominican Church, by Merkx + Girod Architects, Maastricht, Netherlands, 2007(via Merkx + Girod and OpenBuildings)Bonney Aven ...

http://io9.com/beautiful-churches-that-have-been-converted-i

URBAN - Citylab Design Studio Unveils Bamboo Lenggong Valley Visitor Center for Malysia

Citylab Design Studio just unveiled their winning proposal for an archaeological visitor centre in Lenggong Valley, Malaysia - the UNESCO World Heritage Site where the skeleton of the 10,000-year-old Perak Man was found (among other artifacts dated from the Paleolithic era to the Bronze Age). The visitor center will be made from bamboo, which can be grown and cultivated on-site, and it will reintroduce heritage tropical forest at the palm oil est ...

http://inhabitat.com/citylab-design-studio-unveils-bamboo-le

URBAN - Los Angeles' Alameda Square to be Transformed Into One of the Nation's Largest Creative Campuses

Built in 1918, Los Angeles' Alameda Square is one of the nation's largest historic industrial centers. Creative Space, an integrated development and marketing firm, is in the process of upgrading and turning the largely unused space into the country's largest creative campus focusing on fashion, tech and creative startups. Renowned architect Joey Shimoda (TOMS Shoes) and branding expert Mathew Foster (Ace Hotels) are contributing with modern desi ...

http://inhabitat.com/los-angeles-alameda-square-to-be-transf

URBAN - Master of Light: Danish Architect Henning Larsen Dies at Age 87

Danish architect and founder of self-titled firm Henning Larsen Architects has died at his home in Copenhagen at the age of 87. Known as the "master of light", Henning Larsen founded his architecture firm in 1959, and over the course of a long career oversaw a versatile array of projects including the luminous Harpa Concert Hall in Island, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and the Malmo City Library in Sweden.Read ...

http://inhabitat.com/master-of-light-danish-architect-hennin

URBAN - Naturally Ventilated YAK01 Home Keeps its Cool in Thailand's Tropical Heat

Read the rest of Naturally Ventilated YAK01 Home Keeps its Cool in Thailand's Tropical HeatPermalink |Add todel.icio.us | diggPost tags: Air quality, Architecture, Ayutt and Associates Design, cool, cross-ventilation, Daylighting, glass, L-shaped, modern home, natural light, Thailand, YAK0 .. ...

http://inhabitat.com/naturally-ventilated-yak01-home-keeps-i

WATER - As Calgary Floods, Scientists Warn of Rising Risks

The normally tame Bow and Elbow Rivers that course their way through downtown Calgary, Alberta, have taken over the city, transforming Canada's fourth-largest city into North America's Venice. A slow-moving storm system, coming on top of an unusually wet spring, has produced massive flooding across southern Alberta, prompting tens of thousands to hastily evacuate sections of Calgary, and producing surreal images of the city's landmar ...

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/as-calgary-floods-scienti

WATER - California's Snow Loss to Hit Winter Sports, Water Supply

By Tim Radford, Climate News Network LONDON - By mid-century, the snow-capped mountains of Southern California will be a lot less snowy, according to a new study from the University of California Los Angeles. The mountains beyond Pasadena, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Venice Beach and other iconic addresses will have 30 to 40 percent less snow on top and none at all at lower elevations. And by 2100, snowfall could be reduced to about a third of i ...

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/loss-of-snow-in-californi

WIND - Redesigning The Electricity Market For Wind And Solar

This article first appeared on RenewEconomyLate last year, RenewEconomy wrote an analysis entitled the energy markets are broken. We were pilloried by some for exaggeration and being overly dramatic. But we simply drew on insight from the experts, and now they are quite open about the problem: the world's energy markets do need to be redesigned, otherwise they cannot cope with the impact of wind and solar.The International Energy Agency, in .. ...

http://cleantechnica.com/2013/06/26/redesigning-the-electric