Would the world we live in truly be a little safer…
if we all wore shoes with embedded GPS devices?
I’m not so sure.
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A New York Times article published on July 5th, took a look at a new breed of incandescent light bulbs, developed in response to an energy law passed two years ago that required such bulbs be much more energy efficient. The article, Incandescent Bulbs Return to the Cutting Edge, is worth a look for some of the technology that will be replacing light bulbs on the shelves of our stores sometime within the next few years. It also had me thinking about Edison’s invention.
Here’s the start to one of his patents involving light bulbs:
There are voices in the chorus of the world that are stilled or silent from lack of opportunity, lack of education, lack of fair treatment, lack of employment; who struggle to find food and clothing and shelter rather than raising their voices in joy and harmony. You can hear the emptiness if you listen; you can help lift those voices if you take the moment to move outside yourself to think of, and act on behalf of others.
Even a small step can make a difference, especially if many participate and try to make a difference. Reuse – If you look around your home, you may find that you have many possessions that you haven’t used in years, and are unlikely to use. Consider boxing them up, and bringing them to your local thrift shop or Good Will or Salvation Army, so that they can be used by those who will use them and who need them. Teach – Many cities, towns, counties, and communities provide free or low cost classes. If you have a specialized skill or knowledge, sharing with others may provide someone with an opportunity to turn an interest into a vocation. Teaching, being a mentor, sharing your knowledge and experiences in places like the Web; these are all ways that we can use to lift a hand out to others, and give them a hand up. Houses are built to last, at least most are, for a few years. But what happens when someone decides that a home should be replaced, and the property it’s upon should be used for another building? Usually, homes in that situation are demolished, and pieces of the building finds their way to a landfill. Much of that material is reusable, at least until it is torn apart by a bulldozer.
A New York Times article, This Old Recyclable House, explores the topic of deconstruction of homes, where the materials that make up a house are salvaged so that they can be reused. The article follows the efforts of the President of the Building Materials Reuse Association, Brad Guy, and his efforts to train a crew on how to deconstruct houses for a pilot project in Cleveland. The deconstruction industry is in its infancy, and Brad Guy is one of its biggest proponents. Guy presents some great arguments for the growth of the deconstruction industry. According to him, approximately 300 homes were deconstructed last year. The article tells us that the EPA estimates about a quarter of a million homes are demolished each year. Yet the local reuse of building materials from a deconstructed home may end up ultimately costing less than demolition, and also create jobs. Some stories on the environment that caught my attention today. Smarter Housing Development with Eco-Towns Shelter England, a housing and homeless charity, is one of the leaders of a coalition of organizations in the creation of a number of eco-towns spread around England. These eco-towns aim at affordable housing with a zero carbon impact as a whole. I hope that this is an idea that will spread to other places. Where has the Sea Life Gone? A video comparing the ocean life seen on two trips across the Pacific, from California to Hawaii, titled Empty Oceans. The first trip took place in 1958, and the second in 2008. Loss of Biodiversity Illustrated in New Stamps The Australia Post is working to raise awareness of the loss of biodiversity in Australia with a new series of stamps, which were issued today. One of the MegaFauna stamps shows a Kangaroo weighing 200 kilograms (Procoptodon goliah). Another features the Tasmanian Tiger. Four other ancient animals fill out the set. The artist, Peter Trusler, has created other stamps for the Australia post, including a series on birds of prey to support conservation, and dinosaurs. Blog Action Day 2008 is a grass roots effort where bloggers and people who create podcasts and videocasts can help spread awareness and start a conversion on a global scale. The date for blog action day is October 15th, and the focus is on Poverty. If you have a blog or podcast or videocast, sign up and help spread awareness by sharing your views on poverty, and helping to start a global discussion. The frequently asked questions page for Blog Action Day has a number of ideas on the kinds of topics that you can post about if you participate, and what I like about their list of ideas is that they want you to post something on topic to what your blog is about. Thinking about a topic here for political diamonds, I see many options. It’s exciting to see an effort like blog action day, and it shows how many people can work together to have their voices heard. I hope to hear yours… Added – Hat tip to Adam Shake of Twilight Earth, for the following video: A 24 minute long film made by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 1984. A little like traveling back to the past, but an interesting look at the importance of climate in our lives. A new approach at Political Diamonds – I’m going to try to write some posts that share news and articles that I find interesting. Inalienable Rights for Endangered Animals Ecuadorians are considering a new constitution that would protect the habitats of endangered animals such as jaguars, spectacled bears, brown-headed spider monkeys, and plate-billed mountain toucans. How well will the government of Ecuador manage these new rights? A discussion at Dissident Voice describes some of the issues surrounding this referendum in Ecuador’s Constitution Gives Rights to Nature Protecting National Parks from Global Warming Southern Colorado newspaper, The Pueblo Chieftain reports on a new initiative from the National Parks Conservation Association (NPCA) in an article titled Visitors Go Online to Protect National Parks. The NPCA website, Do Your Part for Climate Friendly Parks allows people to check their carbon footprint, and pledge their reductions in that footprint to specific national parks, including a number of steps that you can take to reduce your carbon footprint. Navy Sonar Testing and Protection of Whales and Dolphins Growing up, I’m not sure that I knew what a good thing I had going. My mom and pop always had big gardens in the back yard, and we had more fresh fruits and vegetables than we could handle, of many different varieties. We had our own little orchard in the back yard too, with apples, pears, apricots, and cherries. My parents would get up early in the morning, before the working day began, and spend time together in the backyard planting and weeding and nurturing. Many days throughout the year, they would come inside from the garden with a harvest in their arms, and mom would can a lot of stuff that we didn’t eat fresh, so that we could have the fruits of their efforts in the winter months. They don’t have as large a garden these days, but they still like to plant around the house, and everything they eat usually has something fresh in it, even if it’s the herbs that share space around the house in flower beds. When I read about topics like crop diversity, those gardens bring back some pretty pleasant memories. The miracle of plants taking sustenance from the earth and from the rain is one that we take too much for granted. Schools are one of the keystones to a more environmentally friendly world. Maybe we can learn as much as the children of the world by the greening of our schools, and by an environment concern for material in their classrooms. I came across an article today in Connecticut’s Hartford Courant which asked, How Are Schools Going Green?
The article focuses upon two different kinds of reforms happening in Connecticut schools. The first involves the schools themselves becoming more environmentally friendly and energy efficient. The second kind of reform aims at raising awareness of environmental concerns in students who attend those schools. The school reforms include things like energy waste reduction initiatives, such as:
The student reforms include:
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Copyright © 2013 Bill Slawski - Political Diamonds - All Rights Reserved |
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