Boeing recently announced that their new 787 jet assembly plant in South Carolina will be completely powered by renewable energy. The new facility will have a roof covered with solar panels to provide most of the energy needed for operations — a whopping 10-acre solar array.
New Boeing Factory 100% Powered by Renewable Energy
She Used 4 Easy Tips to Lose 232 Pounds
Anita Mills has been overweight for as long as she can remember. She recalls “plumping up” at age 5 and weighing 200 pounds in junior high.
The doctor warned her that her life depended on her ability to lose weight. He gave her a piece of paper with four simple steps for her to follow. She started the simple regimen in August 2009.
- Eat 8 ounces of food every 3 hours
- No sugary drinks
- Do not skip meals
- Do not tell anyone what you’re doing
Royal Wedding: Prince Invites Families of Fallen Army Buddies
Prince William has given the families of his Army pals killed in combat prime seats at his wedding, reports the Daily Mail.
His training mentor Major Alexis Roberts died in Afghanistan and 2nd Lieutenant Joanna Dyer was killed in Iraq. The wedding guest list includes Alexis’s widow Susie and Joanna’s sister Holly.
He also invited a Cavalry comrade who suffered terrible burns after he was ambushed in Afghanistan. He will attend the royal wedding with his wife of three years, Michelle, who nursed him back to health as he underwent more than 60 hours of operations.
Richard Branson Plans to Save Lemurs
Using an undeveloped island he owns in the Caribbean, billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson plans to create the first wild colony of lemurs outside of Africa, saying Monday it’s a ‘radical idea’ to save an endangered primate that is disappearing.
Branson said he plans to bring the first group of about 30 lemurs from zoos in coming weeks to Moskito Island.
Breath Test Can Detect Cancers That are Hard to Find
A simple breath test can distinguish between healthy people and those with head and neck cancer, according to a study published in the British Journal of Cancer.
This is the eighth most common type of cancer but less than half of patients survive because it is often diagnosed late because there is no reliable way to screen for it.
Jimmy Carter and 3 Other Elders to Visit North Korea, Ease Tensions
Ex-U.S. President Jimmy Carter and three other former leaders arrived in Beijing on Sunday en route to North Korea to discuss the revival of nuclear disarmament talks.
Carter and the group of veteran statesmen known as the Elders are to travel to Pyongyang on Tuesday as part of international efforts to restart the negotiations on ending North Korea’s nuclear program.
Smartphone App Helps Troops, Vets Manage Stress
Veterans dealing with symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder can turn to their smartphones for help any time with the “PTSD Coach” application created by the Veterans Affairs and Defense departments.
PTSD Coach lets users track their symptoms, links them with local sources of support, provides accurate information and helpful individualized strategies for managing symptoms, officials said. The app is now available for download from the iTunes Store and will be available for Android devices by the end of the spring.
Your Next Car Will be Made of Pineapples and Bananas
Scientists have developed a new fiber from fruits like pineapples and bananas that is almost as strong as Kevlar, the fiber used in bulletproof vests. The new fruity “nono-cellulose” fiber is so strong that researchers plan to use it to reinforce plastics like those used to make automobiles.
Protections for Long Island’s Last Wilderness Expanded
New York state officials chose Earth Day on Friday to announce purchase of a large tract of land in Long Island’s pine barrens as a preserve for hikers and other naturalists and a source for pure drinking water.
Egypt Revolution Hero to Leave Google, Start NGO
Wael Ghonim, the Google executive who became the hero of the Egyptian revolution, on Sunday said he planned to take an extended break from the Internet giant to set up his own NGO in Egypt.
He said his technology focused NGO will help fight poverty & foster education in Egypt.
Ghonim, Google’s head of marketing for the Middle East and North Africa, administered the Facebook page that helped spark the uprising that toppled president Hosni Mubarak’s regime.
(READ the AFP article in France 24)
Beaver Patrol: Wildlife Lovers Help Critters Cross Busy Highway
Beavers living near U.S. 2 in Vermont need a traffic cop, Mandy Hotchkiss decided.
There’s probably hundreds of beavers living in the wetlands along the flooded shores of Lake Champlain, and as many as 25 of the creatures have gotten hit by cars as they crossed the highway in past weeks.
So on Friday morning Mandy stood alongside the road holding a sign — and her friend dressed up like a beaver.
Jon Bon Jovi Opens New Housing for Homeless Teens in Philadelphia
Mayor Michael Nutter joined Jon Bon Jovi and formerly homeless youth in a special ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday for the new Covenant House Rights of Passage apartments in Philadelphia.
“The program not only will provide a safe place for homeless youth, but also provides skills and experiences needed to become independent and responsible adults,” said Mayor Michael Nutter. “The city is proud to be part of such an important and unique program.”
Jon Bon Jovi Opens New Housing for Homeless Teens in Philadelphia
Mayor Michael Nutter joined Jon Bon Jovi and formerly homeless youth in a special ribbon cutting ceremony Tuesday for the new Covenant House Rights of Passage apartments in Philadelphia.
“The program not only will provide a safe place for homeless youth, but also provides skills and experiences needed to become independent and responsible adults,” said Mayor Michael Nutter. “The city is proud to be part of such an important and unique program.”
Soccer Ball Creates Usable Energy With Every Kick
25 percent of the world’s population, more than 1.5 billion people, live in areas with no access to electricity. After considering this problem, four female Harvard University engineering students dreamed up an innovative solution. They developed the “sOccket” — a soccer ball that creates usable energy from every kick.
U.K. Company to Make Power from 50 Year-Old Garbage
150,000 landfill sites dot the continent of Europe. Now, digging up this waste could power 60,000 homes. If a pilot project by U.K. company Advanced Plasma Power comes to fruition, these mounds of debris may soon be feeding the power grid.
While several other European countries are engaged in feasibility studies, it is near Hasselt, in Belgium, that this rubbish revolution is springing to life.
How to Turn a Pallet into a Garden
If you live in an apartment or condo unit with a balcony, LifeOnTheBalcony.com has a unique way to utilize a small amount of that space to create a productive garden.
Fern, the site’s blogger, gives us a tutorial on how to make your own pallet garden…
‘Vote Mobs’ Hope to Engage Canadian Youth
Hoping to inspire the youth of Canada to vote in the upcoming May 2 federal election, groups of university students in various parts of the country are injecting a little excitement into the process with their impromptu “vote mobs”.
In the last federal vote, only 37 percent of eligible voters between 18-24 came out to vote.
(READ the story at the BBC)
New Yorkers Pay Kindness Forward Annually Since 9/11
Jeff Parness, like many New Yorkers, was changed by the terrorist attacks of 9/11. He lost a good friend when the Twin Towers fell, but was also deeply moved by the support the city received from across the country following the attack.
In 2004, he established New York Says Thank You, a nonprofit organization that sends volunteers from New York City, particularly the city’s beloved firefighters, to help rebuild other disaster-stricken communities each September.
“I want to show the world that New Yorkers will never forget what people did for us following 9/11,” says Parness.
And, volunteers from those towns often join Jeff in continuing to ‘pay it forward’ on subsequent projects which, to date, have involved more than 7,000 people nationwide.
A new documentary on Jeff & his organization, “New York Says Thank You”, premieres next week at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Watch the film’s trailer, and CNN’s Hero of the Week video below… (READ CNN story here)
New Yorkers Pay Kindness Forward Annually Since 9/11
Jeff Parness, like many New Yorkers, was changed by the terrorist attacks of 9/11. He lost a good friend when the Twin Towers fell, but was also deeply moved by the support the city received from across the country following the attack.
In 2004, he established New York Says Thank You, a nonprofit organization that sends volunteers from New York City, particularly the city’s beloved firefighters, to help rebuild other disaster-stricken communities each September.
UMass Students Transform Campus Lawn into Permaculture Food Garden
Planting begins this month for a group of students at the University of Massachusetts Amherst who are pioneering a sustainable solution for campuses across the country.
The UMass Permaculture Committee is transforming a 12,000 square foot conventional grass lawn into a sustainable permaculture garden for supplying fresh food to its campus community.
In September the all-volunteer team moved 250,000 pounds of organic matter, intentionally using lawn carts to avoid any fossil fuel consumption, laying the foundations of a huge fertile garden to be planted that month.