More Americans Work in Solar Power Than for Apple, Facebook, and Google Combined In Brief Following an amazing 30-fold increase in PV sales over the past nine years, the solar industry in the U.S. now employs more than 260,000 workers nationwide. That’s more workers than Apple, Facebook, and Google combined. Numbers Don’t Lie Anyone watching the solar market has seen an amazing increase in solar photovoltaics (PV) sales over the past nine years, and GTM Research reports that the industry is still growing during the first quarter of 2017. In just under a decade, the solar market has experienced a 30-fold increase, and 2016 alone saw a notable surge in annual global PV demand in excess of 50 percent over the previous year. At one point in March, the share of California’s power demand going to solar actually topped 50 percent for the first time. Solar Power Delivers Jobs As of 2016, California had just over 100,000 solar jobs — a one-third increase over 2015’s figures. Climate change predictions are absolutely grounded in scientific data and process.
Young Inventor Creates Plastic from Fish Scales Falmer, Sussex, England —(Map) Lucy Hughes, a 24-year-old English inventor, has used skin and scales from fish to create a new kind of plastic that will break down in about six weeks. Her invention won this year’s James Dyson Award. James Dyson is an English inventor, famous for his designs for things like vacuum cleaners, fans, and hand-dryers. In 2004 he created the James Dyson Award as a way to encourage students to try to use their creativity to solve problems in the real world. Lucy Hughes recently graduated from Sussex University in England, where she studied how to design products. As a designer, Ms. Fishing is a big business in England, and at the University of Sussex, Ms. After some tests, Ms. She tried over 100 different experiments – many of them on her kitchen stove – before getting things just right. “I had a lot of failed attempts,” she said. Ms. MarinaTex is also cheap to make since it’s made from fish waste. Ms. Ms.
Society of Petroleum Engineers, Delta Section Popcorning My Way Through: Dey Dos at TEDxUniTn Floating Seawer Skyscraper Rids The World's Oceans Of Plastic While Generating Clean Energy Source: www.inhabitat.com | Original Post Date: March 24, 2014 – Seawer is a self-supported hydroelectric power station that can generate electricity using seawater at the same time that it cleans up plastic waste. The huge structure separates plastic particles and fluids, recycles seawater and releases it back into the ocean. The structure receives energy from the sun, ocean and plastics and moves slowly from one polluted area to the next. The project received an honorable mention in the 2014 eVolo Skyscraper Competition. Millions of tons of trash enter the ocean each year and cluster in particular areas of the world’s oceans. South Korean designer Sung Jin Cho submitted the Seawer Skyscraper project as his proposal for this year’s eVolo Skyscraper Competition. Written by Lidija Grozdanic of www.inhabitat.com
WOW! This Woman Walked the Equivalent of Half of Earth's Circumference to Raise Awareness About Water Pollution - One Green Planet When Josephine Mandamin, an elder of the Anishinaabe Indian tribe, decided to take a walk around Lake Superior in 2003, it was much more than just your average stroll: Mandamin set out to journey around the lake with the goal of spreading awareness about how human actions are polluting our water, thus making it and, in turn, ourselves sick. Since then, the amazing Mandamin has walked an estimated 25,000 kilometers — the equivalent of half of Earth’s circumference — to promote the importance of saving our water. In recent years, her unending devotion to educating people on how fracking, pollution, and other human activities are jeopardizing one of our most precious resources has inspired many others to walk along with her. Following in her footsteps, Mandamin’s niece, Elizabeth Osawamick, and another First Nations elder named Shirley Williams now organize annual Nibi (Water) Walks designed to raise awareness about the urgent need to restore the health of our water. Related
elllo #407 Trash Rules Todd: Marion, can you tell me about the trash? How do I take out the trash? Marion: OK, let's see. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, you can leave your burnable trash outside. Todd: What is burnable trash? Marion: Burnable trash is for example, milk cartons, other paper things, and food as well. Todd: OK, so burnable trash is Monday, Wednesday, Friday. Marion: That's right. Todd: OK, what about the other trash? Marion: OK, on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, you can leave your unburnable trash outside your door. Todd: OK, what is unburnable trash? Marion: Unburnable trash is for example, plastic. Todd: OK, what about plastic bottles? Marion: That's on Saturday, as well, so you can leave plastic PET bottles and also glass bottles, but in a separate bin. Todd: OK, anything else, like batteries, or clothing? Todd: OK, and where do I put the trash? Marion: You have to put all the trash in clear plastic bags and leave them just outside your apartment. Todd: OK. Marion: You're welcome.
2169-3358-2011-1-365 TEDxSanJoseCA - Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD - Brain: Memory and Multitasking Genius 6th grader invents device that hunts for ocean microplastics As one of 10 finalists of the 3M Young Scientist Challenge, 12-year-old Anna Du will now get the chance to bring her invention to the seas. One day while visiting Boston Harbor, young Anna Du noticed bits of plastic in the sand. She tried picking them up, but there was so much, she tells Boston25 News, that "it just seemed impossible to clean it all up." What's a 12-year-old animal lover concerned about the impact of ocean plastic to do? Which is exactly what Anna has set out to do. © Anna Du (used with permission) Her creation is an underwater device that uses light to detect harmful pollution in the ocean – or, a "Smart Infrared Based ROV to Identify and Remove Microplastics from Marine Environments" – and it does so without harming living organisms. Anna chose to use infrared in her ROV device because it can help scientists distinguish microplastics from other, nonhazardous materials underwater without having to send samples to a lab. Right on, sister!
Plastics 101 | National Geographic (bright music) - [Narrator] Plastics have become such an entrenched part of our lives, but what exactly is plastic and how was it made? Before plastic became so ubiquitous, it underwent a transformation from being a strictly natural product to being synthetically and widely produced. Some of the earliest uses of plastic date as far back as 3,500 years ago when the Olmecs of Mexico used naturally occurring plastics, sap from gum trees, to create rubber balls. There are no notes for this quiz.
Gulf's dolphins pay heavy price for Deepwater oil spill | Environment | The Observer A study of bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, showed that many of the marine mammals were suffering from lung and liver disease. Photograph: Alamy A new study of dolphins living close to the site of North America's worst ever oil spill – the BP Deepwater Horizon catastrophe two years ago – has established serious health problems afflicting the marine mammals. The report, commissioned by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [NOAA], found that many of the 32 dolphins studied were underweight, anaemic and suffering from lung and liver disease, while nearly half had low levels of a hormone that helps the mammals deal with stress as well as regulating their metabolism and immune systems. More than 200m gallons of crude oil flowed from the well after a series of explosions on 20 April 2010, which killed 11 workers. Another study confirmed that zooplankton – the microscopic organisms at the bottom of the ocean food chain – had also been contaminated with oil.
Graduation…now what? | Playlist | TED.com Now playing Clinical psychologist Meg Jay has a bold message for twentysomethings: Contrary to popular belief, your 20s are not a throwaway decade. In this provocative talk, Jay says that just because marriage, work and kids are happening later in life, doesn’t mean you can’t start planning now. She gives 3 pieces of advice for how twentysomethings can re-claim adulthood in the defining decade of their lives. “In your 20s, you may not get married or figure out exactly what career you want to pursue.