Water purification for the other 90%. A low cost ($2) water purification device for those living in third world countries.
(image borrowed from flickr user Nieuwslicht)
Author Archive for phoneraiser
I had my first Smart car siting today! The land of the SUV has finally been infiltrated by tiny plastic cars! The strange thing about this though, is that the one I saw was a CDi with Ontario plates. Strange. I know their are more of them around, though. My wife has occasionally been seeing them on US-75 (central expressway to the locals) prior to today.
As far as I know, the CDi has not arrived in the states yet. (Hopefully someone will say otherwise in the comments.) This is unfortunate because a Smart car equipped with the CDi diesel engine can get up to 71 mpg. 71 MPG. Not a typo. The reason they are not in the U.S.? Emissions laws. That may seem backwards, but the most stringent emissions laws in the U.S. (those based on California’s) prohibit diesel cars because of the higher particulate levels in their exhaust. Newer “50 state legal” diesels are coming on-line in the near future because of new engine technology and new lower sulfur diesel, but it can’t come soon enough. High gas prices will be the major driver of demand for these cars, but America’s dependency on oil from weak states, the environmental cost from our insatiable demand for energy, and a myriad of other reasons highlight the need for these cars.
I look forward to when they arrive. For now, I am really happy to see people adopting tiny cars right here in DFW.
How’s that for alliteration? This is a little behind the times (well more than a little, the story broke over 7 months ago) but it’s great news none the less. As of this year, the Mcdonald’s fleet of trucks (lorries to those on the other side of the pond) in the UK will be using Mcdonald’s own used cooking oil as fuel. Mcdonald’s is often used as a punching bag by health advocates and is often seen as a symbol of what is wrong with American corporations, but this is certainly a step in the right direction. This action will prevent over 1,650 tons of carbon emissions and is an example of how a company can use take small steps towards becoming more sustainable. Here’s hoping they will bring this program to their home turf.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6259328.stm
http://uk.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idUKMOL23573620070702?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0
You hate to see any type of renewable energy source taken out of commission, but it sure is cool to watch. The wind turbine self destructs after it’s brakes fail to slow it down in high winds. Story.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nSB1SdVHqQ&rel=1]
Reuse that ipod shuffle or nano packaging to create a set of ipod speakers. You could do this yourself if you were handy with a soldering iron and had a couple of speakers laying around, but here is an easier way:
http://www.tuaw.com/2008/01/23/bird-electron-ez17-b-ipod-recycling-speaker/