A Good Thing....

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Vermont Senators voted 26 to 4 on Wednesday to deny a request to extend the license to operate for the Vermont Yankee nuclear reactor.

It is leaking tritium like a sieve. And the operating company lied about the extent of tritium contamination in the local water supply.

Truly, the nuclear bunch is one full of honor....NOT.

The only true answer? Wind. . . Solar. . . And both close the site of use--i.e., roof top. This cuts out the necessity for long, expensive transmission lines. And prevents the homeland security issues faced by "long, expensive transmission lines."

Now, if we can just get rid of the notion of "clean coal," this country might actually become a better place.
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God Bless Michigan

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The good stuff just keeps on coming: teeny, tiny & with possible medical applications.

A tiny, tiny solar-powered sensor system is in the works.

Developed at the University of Michigan, the 2.5 x 3.5 x 1 millimeter system is the smallest in the world, and it can harvest energy from its surroundings almost perpetually.

Measuring in at 9 cubic millimeters, the micro sensor requires half a volt to operate, but the device can put out up to 4 volts of power with reasonable indoor lighting. It probably won’t be on store shelves any time soon, but the solar-powered system could be used to make environmental sensor networks that keep track of water and air quality both cheaper and more efficient. The device also has a number of possible medical applications — for example, it could monitor pressure changes in the eyes for patients with glaucoma. Eventually, the sensor could be powered by heat or movement and used inside the body.

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I Want a Tree House !

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Really, I just want a house on a lake. But this tree house would truly make it special.

[PS: I used to be the tree climbing champion of my neighborhood. So that might explain my love of the tree house.]
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New Camp Twin Lakes Treehouse Outfitted with Solar Array, Green Roof

Written by Preston Koerner | December 2, 2009 | read more: Green Roof, Recreational, Solar

The treehouse has a 1,700 square-foot roof garden, domed skylights, 1.4 kW solar array that powers the ceiling fans and misting system, two composting toilets, and a foundation built from wooden telephone poles.

Ms. Leathers' plan was selected from a total of six designs submitted by architects within Lord, Aeck & Sargent's Atlanta, Ann Arbor, and Chapel Hill offices. Her design is hidden in the trees, built with enclosed and screened spaces, and cooled by fans.

Also, students in an introductory sculpture class at Savannah College of Art and Design transformed old telephone poles into totem poles of various animals and elements of nature. The totem poles were placed along the trail leading to the treehouse and two sculptures mark the entry into the new structure.

Photo credits: © 2009 Jonathan Hillyer Photography.