Efficient Lighting

How Does LED Lighting Work?
- LED is short for light-emitting diode.
- First introduced in 1962
- LED light functions through the process of electroluminescence, where the electrons find holes in the particular device the LED light is being geared towards, and emits photons. The color of the light depends on the energy of the photon.
Advantages and benefits of using LED lighting:
- Lower energy consumption
- Longer lifetime
- Low toxicity
- Unlike florescent lights, LED lights don’t use mercury
- Versatile: used to light planes, brake lights and turn signals in cars, and traffic lights as well
- 75% less energy consumption than traditional lighting
- 70—80% more efficient and has an even more dramatic effect

How Do Solar Panels Work?

- Utilizes the basic element of silicone. When it’s completely neutralized, it’s an ideal platform for electron transmission
- Also known as photovoltaic module/photovoltaic panel
- Panels use photons and energy from the sun to generate electricity, a process also known as photovoltaic effect.
- From this, light is split into different wavelength ranges to their corresponding cells in other series
- Many households have switched to solar lighting, whether it is with electricity throughout their house or the manner in which they heat their jacuzzis.

Canyon Crest Academy

Ecco Hollywood

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=3YkDCjQ-IoI

A Sustainable City Rises Up in the Desert

In the midst of the Arabian Desert surrounding Abu Dhabi, an architectural firm is in the process of constructing what they claim will be the first carbon-neutral city. The New York Times' Nicolai Ourousoff describes it in the following way: "Designed by Foster & Partners, a firm known for feats of technological wizardry, the city, called Masdar, would be a perfect square, nearly a mile on each side, raised on a 23-foot-high base to capture desert breezes. Beneath its labyrinth of pedestrian streets, a fleet of driverless electric cars would navigate silently through dimly lit tunnels. The project conjured both a walled medieval fortress and an upgraded version of the Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland." Some of the amazing features of this model of sustainable development include sun shades that open automatically as the day begins and close at night, with photovoltaic cells attached to the sun shades to generate electricity. Water, waste, and transport systems operate under the city, in a series of tunnels. No carbon-emitting cars will be allowed to enter the city, and the layout of the streets above ground is at an elevation to catch the desert breezes and constructed at angles to maximize shade. Fittingly, "[Masdar} will be the home to a research institute focused on sustainability and renewable energy." For more on this, just go to the story, "In the Arabian Desert, a Sustainable City Rises."

Barbara Kingsolver on Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

In preparing for our trip to the farmers' market in Fullerton (corner of Wilshire and Pomona), let's take a look at an interview with Barbara Kingsolver, author of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. Here, she explains what she and her family sought to do: to eat locally, to become more aware of what they were eating, and to grow their own food as well as they could. For more on Kingsolver's book on eating locally, check out her web site at http://www.animalvegetablemiracle.com/

Energy Transition

The first video gives a clear example of how easy personal changes that help the environment can be. It illustrates a movement towards green public transportation instead of individual car use and wind and solar energy instead of coal powered energy. Also, this video shows a fun way of communicating real change.

The second video shows the relationship between the industrial economy and the environment. High executives from different companies like Johnson & Johnson, Sony, and The Coca-Cola Company discuss their ability to actually turn a profit with more sustainable practices.

Sustainable energy is the provision of energy such that it meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Sustainable energy sources are most often regarded as including all renewable sources, such as plant matter, solar power, wind power, wave power, geothermal power and tidal power. It usually also includes technologies that improve energy efficiency. Conventional fission power is sometimes referred to as sustainable, but this is controversial politically due to concerns about peak uranium, radioactive waste disposal and the risks of disaster due to accident, terrorism, or natural disaster.

Nuclear power makes global warming worse. It is not a clean solution to the climate crisis, but instead diverts scarce resources from the green techologies that really work: renewables, conservation, and efficiency technologies that can really can solve the climate crisis while also generating wealth, jobs and economic stability.

Despite the nuclear energy industry's well-funded efforts to convince the public otherwise, uranium fuel for atomic power plants is in limited supply. Like coal, oil and gas, it will soon run out, leaving scores of giant reactors useless and abandoned.

Wind, solar, bio-fuels, and other forms of renewables form a proven, immensely profitable multi-billion dollar industry, with rapid growth on the horizon. In concert with increased efficiency, currently available green power technology can power our entire planet, while solving the global warming problem and guaranteeing our future prosperity.

BIOMASS COULD PROVIDE 15% OF U.S. ENERGY DEMAND BY 2030

A joint feasibility study conducted by the US Departments of Agriculture and Energy has concluded that the US has the potential to produce a billion dry tons of biomass per year, while still continuing to meet the nation’s food, feed and export demands.

Commercial-scale wind farms, now a $15 billion/year industry, have jumped forward as the world's cheapest and fastest-growing new energy producer.

WIND POWER COULD GENERATE MORE THAN ENOUGH SUSTAINABLE ELECTRICITY TO MEET GLOBAL ENERGY NEEDS

After analyzing more than 8,000 wind-speed measurements to identify the world's wind-power potential for the first time it was found that wind captured at specific locations, if even partially harnessed, can generate more than enough power to satisfy the world's energy demands.

Geothermal technology uses superheated steam from the Earth's core to create energy in more than 20 countries worldwide. The steady 55-degree heat of the Earth's crust also works the building of homes and offices, including large urban skyscrapers. This nature-based technology provides valuable supplemental heat in winter and base-line cooling in summer.

UNTAPPED GEOTHERMAL RESOURCES COULD PROVIDE 25,000 MW OF ELECTRICAL GENERATING CAPACITY

The GEOTHERMAL ENERGY Association (GEA) released data showing the untapped geothermal power potential in the West. This data shows almost 100 undeveloped geothermal power sites. These sites have a total production potential approaching 25,000 MW of electrical generating capacity -- enough to meet more than 70% of California's electricity needs.

RENEWABLE ENERGY BECOMING COST-COMPETITIVE WITH FOSSIL FUELS IN THE U.S.

Renewable energy resources provide just over six percent of total U.S. energy today, but that figure could increase rapidly in the years ahead.

RENEWABLE RESOURCES COULD PROVIDE 99 PERCENT OF U.S. ELECTRICITY GENERATION BY 2020

The Energy Analysis Office (EAO) of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) issued for the Office of Science a DRAFT analysis, for comment, of the technical potential for renewables. EAO's preliminary analysis included a summary table representing near-term and ultimate technical potential for RENEWABLE ENERGY resources (economic and market considerations are not taken into account). The seven-page document is entitled "Near-Term Practical and Ultimate Technical Potential for Renewable Resources."

The representation for the near term potential is given in percentage of electric generation in the United States in 2020. Near-term potential is restricted by near-term challenges, such as infrastructure and reliability problems, electricity storage, and technological ability to use the resource. Nonetheless, the "near-term practical" potential of renewable resources as a percent of U.S. electricity generation in 2020 is estimated to be 99-124 percent, or - in terms of primary energy - as 47-55 quads/year (electricity only).

Photovoltaic (PV) cells, which convert sunlight directly to electricity, can make buildings energy self-sufficient. New breakthroughs are allowing solar features to be integrated into roofing shingles, windows and even paint. Big desert-based power towers and trough-mirror arrays are proving increasingly profitable.

Soy diesel and corn-based ethanol can profitably supplant fossil fuels. Advances using easily grown perennials like switchgrass, hemp, kudzu, algae and a wide range of trees and weeds will make biofuels even cheaper and cleaner.

China Overtakes the U.S. in Energy Consumption

A recent post by Michael Klare, energy expert, tells the story of a rising China--a nation that has exceeded the U.S. in its consumption of energy. In "China, Energy, and Global Power," Klare outlines the repercussions of this startling new development. He writes,
"One can read this development in many ways: as evidence of China's continuing industrial prowess, of the lingering recession in the United States, of the growing popularity of automobiles in China, even of America's superior energy efficiency as compared to that of China. All of these observations are valid, but all miss the main point: by becoming the world's leading energy consumer, China will also become an ever more dominant international actor and so set the pace in shaping our global future."
Which just goes to show that we are all connected and that our fate lies in our common understanding of the limits of our planet to absorb our many ambitious undertakings. For more on this, go to "China, Energy, and Global Power: Twenty-First Century Energy Superpower."

November Ballot-CA

Often times many propositions go unnoticed until the election, where final decisions are made at the polling place. I would to submit the importance of being an educated and active voter. By not voting after a bit of research, or even not voting at all, many people refuse their simple freedom given to them by the great founders of this country. Important initiatives are on the ballot this November. Below I have listed and given details on (based on/taken from the Official CA Voters Guide) two propositions which may have an effect on the environment.

Propositions:

21 ESTABLISHES $18 ANNUAL VEHICLE LICENSE SURCHARGE TO HELP FUND STATE PARKS AND WILDLIFE PROGRAMS. GRANTS SURCHARGED VEHICLES FREE ADMISSION TO ALL STATE PARKS.

This proposition idea is really creative and gives an incentive to add an extra tax. It was put on the ballot by a voter petition and promotes conservation and preservation of our precious state parks. By giving people an extra reason to go to and witness the beauty of nature, people have a larger incentive to want to preserve our natural environments. It would raise over $500 million dollars but after all of the necessary deductions, about half would go to the parks. The big question is wheter or not we are willing to add another tax to ourselves in the current economic atmosphere.

23

suspends implementation of air pollution control law (ab 32) requiring major sources of emissions to report and reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming, until unemployment drops to 5.5 percent or less for full year. initiative statute.

This is another intelligent prop that was added by a petition of voters. It would prevent Assembly Bill from coming in to effect, "until unemployment rates drop to 5.5% or less for a full year." This would allow families to get back on their feet without getting more taxes added to them. The most important thing to do right now is preserve current jobs while making more. The Bill it would suspend has been argued to possibly cause higher unemployment and a lack of new jobs. With California having one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation, 12.2%, it is important to foster jobs rather than cut them. This prop does not take away the AB 23 but just puts it on hold.

more info on the other propositions check out:

www.voterguide.sos.ca.gov/propositions/

-bijan mohseni

Climate Denial Crock of the Week--Arctic Ice Is Not Melting

In yet another posting from "Climate Denial Crock," Peter Sinclair refutes claims that the arctic ice is on a rebound (as predicted by Watts Up with That) with interviews and data from climate scientists. It's always good to see undeniable evidence presented in such a compelling manner.