Several Japanese firms will kick off new projects to build geothermal power plans this year for the first time in nearly two decades.
With active volcanoes scattered around the country, geothermal energy has powerful potential as a domestic source of energy. The greener power plants emit far less carbon dioxide than their fossil fuel and nuclear counterparts. Mitsubishi Materials Corp, Electric Power Development Co, or J-Power, Nittetsu Mining Co Ltd and Kyushu Electric Power Co will lead the way. (Reuters News has the full report)
Japan Geothermal Projects Pick Up After 20 Years
Turning Air into Water? Gadget Does Just That
Remember those sweltering summer days when the air was so muggy you could practically drink it? A new home appliance is promising to make that possible by converting outdoor air into nearly 13 quarts of fresh water every day.
Originally envisioned as an antidote to the shortage of clean drinking water in the world, the WaterMill has the look of a futuristic air conditioner and the ability to condense, filter and sterilize water for about 3 cents per quart.
At $1,299, the 45-pound device doesn’t come cheap, and it is neither the first nor the biggest machine to enter the fast-growing field of atmospheric water generators. But by targeting individual households with a self-cleaning, environmentally friendly alternative to bottled water, Kelowna, British Columbia-based Element Four is hoping its WaterMill will become the new must-have appliance of 2009.
Garage Invention Turns Restaurants Into Power Plants
Invented in a garage, a new generator burns the used oil from restaurants’ deep fryers to generate electricity. The first Vegawatt is being tested at a seafood restaurant in Dedham, Massachusetts. So far, the system offsets about $2.50 worth of electricity with each gallon of waste oil poured into it. Vegawatt’s founder and inventor, James Peret, estimates that restaurants purchasing the $22,000 machine will save about $1,000 per month in electricity costs, for a payback time of two years. (Wired has the feature story)
First British Baby Born Without Cancer Gene (Updated w/ Video)
On Friday, the first baby in Britain to be screened for a deadly breast cancer gene while still an embryo was born safely in London. The parents didn’t want to pass on the gene that would have ensured cancer in 80% of offspring. The technique used to ensure that the girl would be born free of the cancer gene is called pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and has been used previously in Britain to prevent babies being born with more than 60 inherited disorders, including cystic fibrosis and Huntington’s disease. (Times of London has the story)
Also, this video below, offers another version of the uplifting aspect of the procedure.
Free Laptops Arrive for Kids in Mali (Video)
Children in rural Mali are being given the opportunity to develop their computer skills, thanks to the charity, One Laptop Per Child. 30 laptops have arrived in one of Mali’s rural villages providing children with access to laptops — and the internet — for the first time. The pilot program was launched in November. (Reuters Video below)
Yo-Yo Ma Brings Remix Culture to Music’s Ivory Tower
Plenty of indie, hip hop, and pop artists have welcomed others to remix their songs online. Now classical music aficionados can get in on the act. Renowned cellist and 15-time Grammy winner Yo-Yo Ma is hosting an online competition, inviting listeners to add their own accompaniment to his performance of the traditional hymn Dona Nobis Pacem, from his latest album, Songs of Joy & Peace. 125,000 had already participated by the date of this WIRED magazine article of December 22, 2008.
New ‘Recycled Water Bottle’ Phone Unveiled
The first major mobile company to make a significant step towards an eco-friendly cell phone has released a model made from recycled water bottles. The Motorola W233 Renew is pledged to be the worlds first carbon neutral phone. In addition it has been confirmed that the company will also offset the carbon dioxide used in manufacturing, distribution and operation by investing in renewable energy sources and reforestation. They were also able to reduce the size of the box by 22% and use recycled paper for the manual and other printed materials.
No prices have been disclosed as yet but the model is due to be showcased at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas.
(Info from Reuters News)
Boy Gets Specially Made Goalie Gloves by Puma
A boy from Gloucester, England got the perfect gift this Christmas. His parents presented him with a pair of gloves designed especially for him by Puma. Joseph Pritchard was born with a condition that left him with two fingers and one thumb and found traditional gloves would fall off during Football practise. His parents wrote to several big sports companies to see if any of them would be interested in helping them with their quandry and were delighted when Puma called them and confirmed they would be only too happy. They even imprinted the 8 year-old’s name on the tabs.
The boy’s school has hailed the child as being an inspiration as he has also had a leg amputated and shows no sign of backing down from following his passion in sports.
(News and photo obtained from www.news.bbc.co.uk)
Bush Creates Largest Marine Protection Zone in the World
With the stroke of a pen today, President Bush will designate three new areas in the Pacific as Marine National Monuments to create the largest area of ocean protection in the world, measuring 195,000 square miles.
The three areas include the Mariana Trench and the waters surrounding three uninhabited islands in the Northern Mariana Islands, Rose Atoll in American Samoa and seven islands along the equator in the central Pacific Ocean.
(photo, right, by NOAA)
$4M In Counterfeit Shoes Being Donated To Haiti
A shipment of more than 27,000 pairs of shoes will soon be on its way to a country in desperate need of a donations. The U. S. Customs and Border Protection is donating the counterfeit shoes, worth more than $4 million, to Haiti, after intercepting them at Port Everglades and the Port of Miami. (CBS-4 in Miami)
Newspaper Reader Donates Van to Theft Victim
This warmed my heart, and I thought it deserved national attention: A Kentucky woman whose van was stolen while she was visiting her husband in a Lexington hospital has a replacement vehicle, thanks to the kindness of people who read last week’s newspaper story.
A 1993 Plymouth Voyager van was washed and given an oil change before being presented by Dana Hager, a teacher at Danville High School. “It’s always easier to give than to receive,” Hager said. “I was so glad to do it.”
More was donated to the victim, like money for gas and offers of meals. (Read more in Kentucky.com)
10 Most Inspiring Stories for 2008
These are some of top good news stories from last year that really tugged at the heartstrings. They were also ten of the most popular stories of 2008 according to viewers of the Good News Network. Grab a box of tissues, and cheer for the hero dogs, inspiring teens and selfless citizens…
1) Moment of Mercy Stuns Crowd at Softball Finals – During collegiate playoffs, a member of one women’s softball team hit a home run over the fence, but collapsed with a knee injury after rounding first base. Players on the opposing team asked umpires if they could carry her around the remaining bases so that her home run could be counted as her own — her first home run ever. (Video with photo, here) Video courtesy of Positive Coaching Alliance, www.positivecoach.org
2) A Victim Treats His Mugger to Dinner – Julio Diaz bought his mugger some dinner and possibly changed the teenager’s life. The man earlier handed over his wallet to the knife-wielding teen, and as a result had to ask for it in order to pay the tab at the diner. (When he got his wallet back he gave the kid $20 and likely a new lease on life. (NPR story and audio)
3) Good Samaritan Buys Strangers’ Gasoline – A Portland, Oregon man surprises strangers at a gas station, offering to pay their tab if they ‘pay it forward’. David brought tears of joy to the amazed drivers saying, “Just do something nice for someone else, whatever is in your budget to do for someone else.” (CNN Video at Good News Network)
4) Sheriff Suspends Foreclosure Evictions Against Innocent Renters – Even renters who have not missed a payment are caught in the foreclosure squeeze nationwide, but now Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart has taken a stand saying he would help innocent renters who are playing by the rules, but whose landlords are facing foreclosure, by protecting them from surprise eviction. (Video and text story)
5) Argentine Dog Saves Abandoned Baby – A newborn Argentinian baby abandoned outdoors in cold winter by her 14-year-old mother was found being kept warm by a farmer’s dog that moved it under cover and placed it alongside her own brood of puppies. (BBC has a video and story)
6) Coffee Customers Pay It Forward, and Forward, and Forward – Even in these tough times, it is becoming “downright common” for Starbucks customers at this drive-thru window to pay the bill for the car behind them. One cashier has even seen 15 cars of kindness in a row… Even in Wal-Mart people are paying it forward. (CNN video at Good News Network)
7) Kindness Tornado Rips Through Town – Without warning Biddeford, Maine experienced a tornado of kindness on Thursday. Residents were lifted up and spirits were tossed into unfamiliar territory as Michael Chase of the Kindness Center churned up a whirlwind of “100 acts of kindness in 100 minutes.” (Good News Network w/ photos)
8) Hero Dog Wouldn’t Leave Kittens in House Fire – In Australia a terrier has surprised and delighted fire-fighters by refusing to leave a litter of newborn kittens caught in a raging house fire. Leo the dog, had refused to leave the house choosing instead to guard a cardboard box containing 4 new-born kittens. Firefighters found the box and rescued the lot. (Video, story and photo at GNN and Reuters)
9) Wave of Human Compassion Holds Back the Flooding -Hundreds of people in Quincy, Illinois are bending over shovels with a single task: filling sand bags for delivery down river to people they don’t even know. Helping hands of all ages filled a million and a half sandbags to
bolster levees for towns along the Mississippi River. (NBC News Video from GNN)
10) Dog Pulls Injured Dog From Highway Dodging Traffic – Footage from a traffic camera overlooking a busy freeway in Santiago, Chile captured a dog performing a heroic act — pulling an injured friend from oncoming traffic. The hero dog dodges out to drag the severely injured canine across lanes of traffic as cars swerve around it. Rescue workers arrive to help the dog in the end. (Good News Network)
Solar Installation Nearly Doubled Last Year in Calif.
Despite the turbulent economy, or perhaps because of it, the amount of electricity generated in California by solar energy soared in 2008 — and applications for rebates under the state’s Million Solar Roofs program reached record levels in the last five months of the year.
“While we don’t have the final numbers yet, it appears we nearly doubled the amount of solar installed in 2008 versus 2007,” said Molly Tirpak Sterkel, director of the California Solar Initiative. “That’s a magnificent story.” (Updated link – San Jose Mercury News)
Four Steps to Get You Mentally Ready for 2009
In the new year, if you begin to “spiral down”, no matter what the reason, it is a sign. Something is out of whack. If you don’t feel hopeful about your relationship, the economy, or your career; if you see others who seem to have it all figured out and secretly envy them; if your projects overwhelm you, you need something to help you spiral back up.
Even though an occasional dip is normal, it doesn’t mean you have to stay there for long. Here are four ways to move yourself through the valley so you can ascend the mountain.
Florida Panther Numbers on the Rise
Encouraging news about the elusive Florida panther is found in a new report released by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which says that the number of panthers has tripled in the last 20 years. Back in the early 90’s there were believed to be only 35 of the endangered cats left in the wild. Now researchers count as many as 100.
Craigslist Hoax Turns Into ‘Miracle at Wabash and Union’
What started as an online hoax culminated on Christmas day with dozens of people banding together to help those in need, in what’s now being called “Miracle at Wabash and Union.”
The hoax was presented as a promise on Craig’s List to provide a free meal behind the abandoned church at Wabash and Union to anyone in need. The online classified was determined to be a cruel joke, but just to make sure no one was disappointed, a man who’d seen the ad, posted that he would make a turkey and round up some old clothes to bring down to the dilapidated church building on Christmas Day. . .
”I thought, at the very least, I can be there,” said Thomas Peace. “Me with one turkey is better than nobody at all. I had no idea what would happen.”
Over the next several hours, Peace watched posts flood Craigslist’s free section, with people promising to show up with toys, food, paper plates, plastic silverware and anything else they could offer.
The “Miracle at Wabash and Union” demonstrates the power of online social networking and affirms the old-fashioned determination of people to help their neighbors when times are toughest.
(Read the rest of the story at Willits News, Mendocino County, Calif.)
Thanks to a Joe Trippi Twitter story tip; Photo courtesy of John Stone, www.eyeclectic.net
ABC’s ‘Persons of the Year’ are Inspired Lot
ABC’s World News in New York chose to look back on some of the more extraordinary stories this year of people making a difference. (Three pages of highlights begin here)
Some examples-
Bob Blair: Five years ago, former prisoner of war Bob Blair started Volunteer Farm in Woodstock, Va., where volunteers grow and harvest vegetables for the hungry. Since “World News” featured Blair in June, he said he’s produced 35 tons of vegetables with the help of 3,100 volunteers.
Vince and Vance Moss: These twin brothers are doctors who after hearing about the suffering of civilians in war-torn countries, these twin brothers — both U.S. Army reservists since college — felt compelled to act. They approached the U.S. military and State Department about a medical mission to Afghanistan to treat civilians. Their idea was rejected because of safety concerns, so the Mosses took matters into their own hands. They chartered a plane, stocked it with medical supplies, hired their own security and flew to Afghanistan — all at their own expense.
Kiwi Birds Get Help Averting Extinction
Kiwis, the endangered birds that are the national symbol of New Zealand, are now being nursed back to healthy numbers by an innovative conservation effort featuring communities taking matters into their own hands.
More than two dozen privately run sanctuaries have sprouted in recent years. Thousands of volunteers have stepped up to trap, kill or chase away nonnative predators.
Elsewhere, baby spotted kiwis are being introduced to the wild by researchers for the first time in a century. (MSNBC has the AP story)
Adoptive Parents Visit Guatemala to Give Back (Updated with Link)
Last month, a group of American adoptive parents traveled to Guatemala to donate $30,000 worth of food, toys, clothes, and shoes to 1,000 poor indigenous families.
What started as a simple service trip for a handful of women who had bonded as they all went through the Guatemalan adoption process at the same time has snowballed into Helping Mayan Families, an effort that raised more than $30,000 worth of supplies to help provide free medical and veterinary clinics, Christmas baskets of food, and toys, clothes, and shoes to 1,000 poor indigenous families. (Christian Science Monitor)
Animal Odd Couple Best Friends (Video)
At the Tennessee elephant sanctuary, where animals usually pair up with each other, one elephant instead has formed a lasting bond with Bella the dog. They are inseparable.
Recently when Bella was confined to bed rest after a spinal injury, Tara, the elephant, remained standing in vigil at the back door for days.
Steve Hartman reports on this inspiring friendship in the CBS video below…