Students and Post-it Notes Help Schools Cut Their Energy Bills

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Aug 16, 2011

Simple yellow Post-it notes with the message “When not in use, turn off the juice,” pointedly left on classroom computers, printers and air-conditioners, have helped one public school district in New York save $350,000 annually on utility bills.

Energy consumption across New York City’s 1,245 school buildings is down roughly 11 percent since 2008, as motion detectors have been installed on classroom lights and unused refrigerators and freezers have been unplugged for the summer.

The money saved on energy is also being used to buy energy-efficient windows and boilers in one school district.

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Architects Launch Rebuilding Effort After UK Riots

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Aug 16, 2011

Photo of UK rioting, by Beacon Radio on Flickr -CC

In the aftermath of the riots, a couple of noble London are injecting some guerrilla design into the cleanup process, and helping those who can’t rebuild.

Instead of allowing storefronts and homeowners to suffer, architecture school graduates Lee Wilshire and Nick Varney decided to launch Riot Rebuild, as a “post-riot urban intervention” to harness the power of volunteer construction workers, architects, interior designers, and other qualified builders to help those in need.

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Program Helps High School Students Overcome Depression and Avoid Suicide

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Aug 16, 2011

stressed woman, by Anita Patterson via Morguefile

With suicide ranking third as the leading cause of death in American youth aged 15-24, a new prevention program tested in Ohio schools has proven it can help teens overcome depression and thoughts of killing themselves.

A just-released study shows that the 6000 students who have gone through the program are significantly less likely to report that they are considering suicide, planning suicide or have attempted suicide than before participating in the program.

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Racing Team Helps Boy Fulfill Dream: A New Bionic Hand

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Andrew Norris

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Aug 16, 2011

A 14-year-old British boy born without a hand is getting his wish after writing to the boss of his favorite Formula One racing team, Ross Brawn, who had previously been a student at the boy’s school.

The high-tech bionic hand costs £30,000, and the boy’s family had nowhere near the money to purchase the advanced equipment. His “plucky letter” moved Mr. Brawn to action.

(READ the story, and watch video, from the BBC)

Hundreds Rush to Help Victims After Stage Collapse: “A Hero Every Ten Feet”

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Aug 16, 2011

Gov. Mitch Daniels joined with officials to publicly grieve at a memorial service today on the site of the tragic Indiana State Fair stage collapse that killed five on Saturday. They also praised the reactions of hundreds of ordinary citizens and off-duty rescue workers who rushed to help the victims.

“We come today with hearts that are broken, but hearts that are full,” Daniels told the few hundred people gathered, his voice cracking.

“My heart is full for those who acted in courageous ways. … There was a hero every 10 feet on Saturday night. I cannot tell you how proud I am to be the employee of six-and-a-half million people like that.”

State Police Sgt. Dave Bursten said, “You had law enforcement, you had citizens, you had people jumping in to lift pieces of equipment off the injured.”

(READ more at ABC News)

Photo by John Stone, Eyeclectic.net

Hundreds Rush to Help Victims After Stage Collapse: “A Hero Every Ten Feet”

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Good News Network

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Aug 16, 2011

Gov. Mitch Daniels joined with officials to publicly grieve at a memorial service today on the site of the tragic Indiana State Fair stage collapse that killed five on Saturday. They also praised the reactions of hundreds of ordinary citizens and off-duty rescue workers who rushed to help the victims.

“We come today with hearts that are broken, but hearts that are full,” Daniels told the few hundred people gathered, his voice cracking.

“My heart is full for those who acted in courageous ways. … There was a hero every 10 feet on Saturday night. I cannot tell you how proud I am to be the employee of six-and-a-half million people like that.”

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Firefighters Rescue 1,000-Year-Old Tree From Drought

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Aug 15, 2011

Just outside of Rockport, Texas, stands an ancient Live Oak that for well over 1,000 years has offered a long, cool shadow to weary locals during hot summers — and now they’re returning the favor.

Soaring temperatures and dry conditions had some locals worried that the big oak may succumb to drought, so fire fighters brought their hoses and pumped a deluge of life-giving water on the majestic tree.

It took 11,000 gallons of water to simulate half an inch of rainfall.

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Red Wolf Comeback in N.C. Helps Other Animals Thrive

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Aug 15, 2011

Good news for a wolf is good news for a turkey. At least it is in Eastern North Carolina, where red wolves are making a comeback and helping other animal species along the way.

Wolves’ role in helping ground-nesting birds, like the quail is well known. Raccoons eat the birds’ eggs, and red wolves prey on raccoons. More wolves mean fewer raccoons and more quail and turkey.

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Offshore Wind Farms are Good for Wildlife, Say Researchers

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Aug 15, 2011

A Dutch study has found that offshore wind turbines have “hardly any negative effects” on wildlife, and may even benefit animals living beneath the waves.

The evidence was based on studies of a large-scale wind farm off the Dutch coast in the North Sea.

Birds avoided the offshore wind turbines, while marine species, including mussels and crabs, found shelter and new habitats that actually contributed to increased biodiversity.

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First Chinese-American Born US Ambassador to China Takes up Post

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Aug 15, 2011

The new US ambassador to China, the first Chinese-American to take up the post, said Sunday that the two countries could solve many of the world’s problems if their governments work together more.

At a news briefing, Gary Locke said the two countries could provide global leadership and his priority was to promote understanding between the nations.

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Peregrine Falcons Return to London After Century of Decline

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Aug 14, 2011

After decades of declining numbers, the world’s fastest creature is populating Britain’s cities once again.

The peregrine falcon, which can travel at speeds of 200mph, is returning to Britain’s cities in droves, with the highest number recorded in the capital for hundreds of years.

The regal bird of prey in the UK has increased more than fourfold since the 1960s when the population was devastated by the effects of toxic pesticides.

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States Recycle Old Roofing Shingles into Asphalt for Roads

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Aug 14, 2011

Illinois has joined the ranks of states that allow their public road projects to use an asphalt mix that includes recycled shingles.

Saying, “We can’t keep throwing things into landfills,” Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation Friday that will help turn old roofing shingles into asphalt for new road surfaces on public projects around Illinois.

Like most green initiatives, environmental advantages are just some of the benefits. The ability to reduce costs is an attractive argument for further recycling. With asphalt being created mostly from petroleum, the price savings on raw materials alone is significant. The Missouri Department of Transportation reports approximately $20 million in savings in 2009 by using recycled shingles in their hot-mix.

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States Recycle Old Roofing Shingles into Asphalt for Roads

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Aug 14, 2011

Illinois has joined the ranks of states that allow their public road projects to use an asphalt mix that includes recycled shingles.

Saying, “We can’t keep throwing things into landfills,” Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation Friday that will help turn old roofing shingles into asphalt for new road surfaces on public projects around Illinois.

Like most green initiatives, environmental advantages are just some of the benefits. The ability to reduce costs is an attractive argument for further recycling. With asphalt being created mostly from petroleum, the price savings on raw materials alone is significant. The Missouri Department of Transportation reports approximately $20 million in savings in 2009 by using recycled shingles in their hot-mix.

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Workers Win Lottery After Getting Laid Off

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Aug 14, 2011

Ottawa lottery winners celebrate - CBC video capture

Disappointment turned into celebration and happiness after a group of manufacturing plant employees in Ottawa won $7 million in the lottery a day after their company announced massive layoffs.

Ten employees who got layoff notices on Wednesday at SMART technologies were part of the group of winners

(WATCH the video below, or READ the story from CBC)

This $1 Plastic Chip Can Diagnose HIV In 15 Minutes

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Aug 14, 2011

In Africa, waiting for blood work can take weeks, and many people don’t bother getting their results. A new device could make testing in remote villages a possibility, and that could lead to drastically improved treatment.

Columbia University researchers have a partial solution–a $1 plastic chip that can diagnose HIV and syphilis in 15 minutes, according to results published this week in Nature Medicine.

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Department Of Energy Crowns Light Bulb Of The Future Contest-Winner

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Aug 13, 2011

A Philips LED bulb is the winner of the U.S. Department of Energy’s $10 million competition to develop a low-cost, energy efficient, high-performance replacement for the incandescent bulb.

The 60-watt incandescent bulb is one of the most widely used types of light bulbs by consumers. It also is extremely wasteful in its energy usage. The energy-saving L Prize winner uses less than 10 watts of power, providing an energy savings of 83 percent, while still emitting the same amount of light, and with the familiar warm glow.

If every 60-watt incandescent bulb in the U.S. was replaced with the 10-watt L Prize winner, the nation would save about 35 terawatt-hours of electricity and avoid 20 million metric tons of carbon emissions. That’s enough electricity to power the lights of nearly 18 million U.S. households.

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Department Of Energy Crowns Light Bulb Of The Future Contest-Winner

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By

Good News Network

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Aug 13, 2011

A Philips LED bulb is the winner of the U.S. Department of Energy’s $10 million competition to develop a low-cost, energy efficient, high-performance replacement for the incandescent bulb.

The 60-watt incandescent bulb is one of the most widely used types of light bulbs by consumers. It also is extremely wasteful in its energy usage. The energy-saving L Prize winner uses less than 10 watts of power, providing an energy savings of 83 percent, while still emitting the same amount of light, and with the familiar warm glow.

If every 60-watt incandescent bulb in the U.S. was replaced with the 10-watt L Prize winner, the nation would save about 35 terawatt-hours of electricity and avoid 20 million metric tons of carbon emissions. That’s enough electricity to power the lights of nearly 18 million U.S. households.

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Bears Saved From Forced Vodka Drinking

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Aug 13, 2011

Ukraine’s Environment Minister Mykola Zlochevsky vowed last week to free all bears kept in restaurants as entertainment, Interfax news agency reported.

Captured and tamed bears are still used for entertainment purposes and often forced to drink alcohol, a tradition that has survived since the rule of Russian emperors.

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Obama Announces Higher Fuel Standards For Trucks

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Aug 13, 2011

Fire trucks and concrete mixers, semis, heavy-duty pickups and all trucks in between will, for the first time, have to trim fuel consumption and emissions of heat-trapping gases under new efficiency standards announced Tuesday by President Barack Obama.

The White House said the standards, which apply to vehicle model years 2014 to 2018, will save businesses billions of dollars in fuel costs, help reduce oil consumption and cut air pollution.

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Photo of Broom Army Inspires the Web After England Riots

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Aug 12, 2011

photo of London broom army, by Andrew Bayles

Following the riots in London, crowds of people turned out Wednesday to help clean up the glass and ashes left on the streets of cities across the country.

Andrew Bayles joined the volunteer army in Clapham Junction. “The riots were shocking and I was really rocked to the core by what was going on.”

Since then, his photograph of brooms raised in the air has become an internet sensation via Twitter, and used by journalists around the world to underscore the decent citizens, which have come out in full force to outnumber the troublemakers.

“The ‘Broom Army’ tag and my photo is something that I think is very special,” Andrew told the BBC. “It is a movement of solidarity to stand up for everything that is good about this country. I am very proud to have been there to help in the clean up and very proud that the image is being used countrywide to inspire further support in the clean-up effort.”

READ the full story about how the photo came to be in the BBC.

And, VIEW these moving photos from Clean-ups in Manchester.

Photo by John Stone, Eyeclectic.net

Thanks to Andrew Norris for submitting the links! – See a collection of his submitted stories on his Profile Page..