General

Latest Fukushima Nuclear, Apr 14th, 2011. TEPCO announced today that the disaster level according to INES is at 7 equaling it to the nuclear Chernobyl accident. The amount of radioactive materials released into the surrounding area is 10% of those released after the Chernobyl accident, but still qualifies Fukushima to be at level 7 - major accident. At this time, washing leafy vegetables and consuming less milk is only a precautionary measure, more news will follow.

March 21st: Radiation level around Fukushima Daiichi have raised due to rainfall. A typical person in Japan recieves an average radiation dose of 3.75 miliSieverts/year. Radiations at levels above 100 milliSieverts/year are proven to cause cancer. Short-term exposures of emergency workers at Nuclear power plants are allowed up to 250 milliSieverts. Currently radiation levels are below 3 miliSieverts.

Latest Fukushima Nuclear, March 20th: External power connected to reactors 5 and 6, dose equivalent down from 3.44 mSv/hr to 2.75mSv/hr; Fuel ponds temperatures reduced: reactor 5 (from 68°C to 43°C), reactor 4 (from 57°C to 52°C). Reactor 3 pressure built up but no need for significant venting (sources: world nuclear news)  

Researchers from Brazil announced successful development of a new form of plant fiber-based plastic as stiff as Kevlar and supposedly stronger, lighter yet more eco-friendly than plastics currently in use. Can we expect fiber-based dashboards in future Nissan leafs, GM Volts etc.? Are these fiber-based plastics truly eco-friendly?

When finely grinding up cellulose tiny fiber particles are produced. Mixing these tiny particles, which are so small that 50,000 of them could fit into the width of a human hair, into the plastics, results in stronger and more durable plastics. Alcides Leao, the team leader responsible for the development of fiber-based plastics sais, that these nano-cellulose fibers can be almost as strong as Kevlar, and in addition, they are a renewable source.

Japan has been struck by a 9.0 earthquake, flooded and leveled by a 10m tsunami and 2 out of 10 Fukushima Nuclear reactors (Reactors 2 and 3 of Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant I) have been heavily damaged. Presently radiation at 8 miliSv (dangerous if exposed more than 6 hrs at a time). You can read more here. Google has set up a site where you can donate funds directly to those who need them, JUST FOLLOW THIS .

A lot of people who know nothing about nuclear power are saying a lot of things these days during the Japanese nuclear crisis. I’ve toured two different nuclear reactors and my experiences there have taught me a few things that you may not know and that might shed some sober light on this subject.

Guess: How Many People Have Already Been Exposed To Radiation?

Almost 7 billion people are exposed to radiation each day. That's right, the entire population of the world is constantly absorbing radiation from the earth, from the sun, and from the universe. As a resident of Denver Colorado, I get about three times as much radiation as most people do along the coasts. The Mile High City is above much of the atmosphere, and the Rocky Mountains are full of radioactive substances. People living in other parts of Colorado are exposed to even more radiation. Radiation is everywhere; the question is really how much radiation people are receiving beyond their normal exposure. Think about that when you hear a panicked report of slightly elevated levels of radiation in Tokyo.

Dan Kanter is the lead guitarist in Justin Bieber’s band. He’s supportive, in the background even though he could be famous, but most importantly wanted by his colleagues. Charlie Sheen supposedly just the opposite. Which role will you pick on this Fat Tuesday or any holiday, the supportive one? Who will you support? Family and friends by overcooking and overloading on food and drinks or your body and planet by eating a healthy meal and not overdoing it? How green is your behavior?

When it comes to choosing between our own comfortable pleasures which are very easy to imagine and anything unimaginable, no matter how good it is, we always tend to pick the most comfortable thing. Does that mean we’re only as green as it suits us? Most of the time and in most countries.

In a fast-paced, overly efficient society, diapers have become as much about speed and convenience as they have about quality and fit. Check the clock, then the diaper, grab the diaper bag, clean up the baby, wrap 'em up, strap 'em up, and move on. It’s the baby pit stop, and it is an essential reality of parenthood that occurs just about bi-hourly. Thankfully, parents are beginning to slow down enough to weigh out which diaper to use for those all too common pit stops, and for those claiming to live “green,” it is all about alternative options to the wasteful disposable diaper.

It’s hard to tell exactly where the hybrid car industry is going to go. Just a few years ago, hybrid cars were on the rise to offset the steadily increasing gas prices. Then, murmurs of electric cars generated overwhelming enthusiasm for the prospect of never spending another dollar at the gas pump. Now, electric cars are hitting the streets and hybrids feel a bit in no man’s land between the common gasoline engine and the idealistic electric car.

Statistics show that hybrids peaked in 2007 before the gas price explosion in 2008 and before the worst periods of the longest recession since WWII. Last year, hybrids had fallen 17% since that time to around 289,000 cars.

So why is the industry so hard to understand when the hybrid trend is clearly downward?

LCD TV manufacturers should certainly not panic about the recent sales statistics released, but there may be reasons to rethink the routine, electronics trends that have dictated sales prices for years.

Curve-shaped product lives mixed with descending pricing structures are the products of economists and business folks trying to grapple the complexities of the buying behavior of consumers living in a world of constant technological advancements. A product comes on the scene at a premium price with the latest and greatest technology and as time goes by, prices drop and more people start buying it until it no longer is in demand and the product slowly phases out. It is routine with all products.

So what explains the latest trends of increased spending on LCD TVs, a product in existence for years?

This is an era where many are thinking about switching out that big SUV for a car that’s better for the environment. But what about switching out your family pet for a nice indoor plant?

A new book called Time to Eat the Dog? by a husband and wife team in New Zealand argue that every aspect of life should be put under the microscope of sustainable living, along with pet ownership.

Dogs that require a meat diet, according to the authors, have a surprisingly large ecological paw print. It takes more than two acres of land to keep a medium size dog fed. In contrast, a Land Cruiser needs about half that.

I agree that feeding dogs a dried meat diet is not a good idea – and could even be called irresponsible from the earth’s perspective. But couldn’t you say the same thing about a man or a woman with a high percentage of meat in their diet, especially if it travels long distances to reach a dinner plate?

On the weekend we celebrate with pride the legacy of Martin Luther King Junior, it’s worth a look back at some of his famous remarks, this time from an environmental perspective.

It’s obvious that King was a man who respected the earth, just like he respected it’s people. He preached a philosophy of responsibility, unity and nonviolence: Three valuable lessons for anyone trying to make an impact in and on the environmental world.

Responsibility

King: Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.

I wish I had a count of the number of times friends and family members have asked me to stop talking about factory farming or environmental degradation because they just didn’t want to think about it. If we would only let our mind get the facts straight, our consciences would do the rest.

Unity