Archive for August, 2010
SiteFab Combines Prefab Elements with Onsite Construction
A new startup in Portland, Oregon called Minimalist+ offers two prefab designs plus on-site buildings. The buildings are designed by AIA award-winning designer Michelle Jeresek. The two designs start at $160 per square foot. The higher priced model includes EnergyStar appliances, low-e windows, dual-flush toilets and other green goodies.
We combine the craftsmanship and on-site care of expertly “stick-built” homes with the speed, efficiency and quality control of pre-fab construction. The result (and it’s a game-changer) is the minimalist+ SiteFabTM process.
Petrichor
Petrichor (pronounced /ˈpɛtrɨkər/; from Greek petros “stone” + ichor the fluid that flows in the veins of the gods in Greek mythology) is the name of the scent of rain on dry earth.
The term was coined in 1964 by two Australian researchers, Bear and Thomas, for an article in the journal Nature.[1] In the article, the authors describe how the smell derives from an oil exuded by certain plants during dry periods, whereupon it is absorbed by clay-based soils and rocks. During rain, the oil is released into the air along with another compound, geosmin, producing the distinctive scent. In a follow-up paper, Bear and Thomas (1965) showed that the oil retards seed germination and early plant growth.[2]
Eastern Washington Residents Battle Solar Pollution and Wind Spills
PALOUSE, Wash. — While residents of the Gulf States and along the Kalamazoo River in Michigan are battling to clean up the recent oil spills there to protect the environment and their livelihoods, two Palouse residents are battling to clean up spills of other sorts.
“Each and every day I have to go out and do battle with the sun that comes up in the east until it sets in the west,” said Dave Tharp of Palouse, Wash.
“Every day, that blasted sun comes up and coats my solar electric panels with sunshine. That sunshine then makes electricity that I have to figure out a way to use up. One way or another, I have to use the electricity that the sun gives me or the energy that falls on my roof just goes to waste,” complained Tharp who, with wife Sharon, installed the solar panels recently. “I just can’t seem to keep the panels clear of the stuff,” Tharp said. Read the rest of this entry »
Feeding Fewer Than 9 Billion
Andrew Revkin has been writing about environmentalism’s elephant in the room — population:
Discussions of food policy, climate change, international security and many other global issues often take place in isolation, cut off from consideration of other factors delineating the pinch points as humanity’s population and appetites crest in the next couple of generations.
via Feeding Fewer Than 9 Billion – Dot Earth Blog – NYTimes.com.
