Another common sense idea that makes great business sense. This time from SolarWall.com. What is the SolarWall® technology?
Well,The SolarWall technology is an unglazed solar air heating system
that is usually installed on a wall. The solar panels heat the fresh
air that is required in commercial, industrial and institutional
buildings. The installation costs are relatively low and the payback can be immediate to a few years. SolarWall has one of the
best returns on investment of any renewable energy product and a better
payback than many other building products such as high efficiency
windows, photovoltaic panels and heat recovery devices.
Recently I found a new website called eHealthHelp.com that offers to "Help Navigate the Healthcare Maze". The first thing I found that I liked was a graphic overview of the Healthcare Industry which includes some important milestones in Health Insurance history and some of the recent percentages of GDP being spent on Healthcare in this country. I also appreciated the helpful set of links to additional information healthcare resources such as Quack Watch and the National Council Against Health Fraud.
And of course if you don't currently have Health Insurance you can search for available Health Insurance Plans. There are links to eHealthInsurance.com, InsureMe.com and Insurance.com where you can get free online quotes for Health, Auto and Life Insurance. So please check out eHealthHelp.com and the Health Insurance Plans available. You won't be disappointed.
The world produced an estimated 130
million bicycles in 2007—more than twice the 52 million cars produced.
Bicycle and car production tracked each other closely in the
mid-to-late 1960s, but bike output separated sharply from that of cars
in 1970, beginning its steep climb to 105 million in 1988. Following a
slowdown between 1989 and 2001, bike production has regained steam,
increasing in each of the last six years. Much of the recent growth has
been driven by the rise in electric, or “e-bike” production, which has
doubled since 2004 to 21 million units in 2007. Overall, since 1970,
bicycle output has nearly quadrupled, while car production has roughly
doubled.
Promoting the bike as a clean and efficient
alternative to the personal automobile is a practical way for cities to
reduce traffic congestion and smog. To simultaneously confront those
problems as well as climate change and an emerging obesity epidemic,
government leaders and advocacy groups are working to bring cycling
back to prominence in the urban transport mix.
I was reviewing some Permaculture literature I had on hand and came across an article on Aquaponics. So I followed a few links and arrived at BackyardAquaponics.com. Hmm. What's that? Well, here's the definition from Wikipedia.
Aquaponics (IPA: /ˈækwəˈpɒnɪks/) is the symbiotic cultivation of plants and aquatic animals in a recirculating environment. Aquatic animal effluent (for example fish waste) accumulates in water as a by-productaquaculture of keeping them in a closed system or tank (for example a recirculating system). The effluent-rich water becomes high in plant nutrients but this is correspondingly toxic to the aquatic animal. Plants are grown in a way (for example a hydroponic
system) that enables them to utilize the nutrient-rich water. The
plants uptake the nutrients, reducing or eliminating the water's
toxicity for the aquatic animal. The water, now clean, is returned to the aquatic animal environment
and the cycle continues. Aquaponic systems do not discharge or exchange
water. The systems rely on the natural relationship between the aquatic
animals and the plants to maintain the environment. Water is only added
to replace water loss from absorption by the plants or evaporation into
the air.
I also found another great site at NSAIS which has a free 28 page PDF which also has a great definition of Aquaculture.
In aquaponics, nutrient-rich effluent from fish tanks is used to fertigate hydroponic production beds. This is good for the
fish because plant roots and rhizobacteria remove nutrients from the water. These nutrients—generated from fish manure,
algae, and decomposing fish feed—are contaminants that would otherwise build up to toxic levels in the fish tanks, but instead
serve as liquid fertilizer to hydroponically grown plants. In turn, the hydroponic beds function as a biofilter— stripping off ammonia,
nitrates, nitrites, and phosphorus— so the freshly cleansed water can then be recirculated back into the fish tanks. The
nitrifying bacteria living in the gravel and in association with the plant roots play a critical role in nutrient cycling; without these
microorganisms the whole system would stop functioning.
Keep watching The Hope Initiative as we plan to add more news and info about this sustainable food production method.
Hymotion releases the L5 PIug-in Conversion - 100+ MPG
Plugin Systems for Hybrid Vehicles just inched a little closer to the mainstream. A123Systems has released the Hymotion L5 Plug-in Conversion Module which will convert your 2004 to 2008 Toyota Prius (sorry Classic owners) Hybrid into a plug-in hybrid capable of 100+mpg for 30-40 miles. CalCars.org has been a leader in this space and now A123 is making a plugin as simple as a trip to the dealership.
The ost of the L5 is a reasonable $9995 which includes a standard 3 year warranty and installation at one of their Green CHIP (Certified Hymotion Installer Partner) locations. Currently this includes San Francisco, Los Aangeles, Seattle, Minneappolis and Washington DC. So it will be a while before this becomes available here in little old Knoxville, TN but I'm confident that it won't be long. (Well at least it will arrive in Atlanta or Nashville which is close enough.) I did a little price checking on Edmunds.com and currently a 2004 Prius is worth about $15000. Add another $10000 for this pack and you now have a 100+ MPG sedan for roughly $25000. Sign me up, when it gets here, of course.
