Saturday
The Green Police On Superbowl Sunday
Friday
Greening Vancouver: 2010 Olympics - Premier Gordon Swoops In To Take Green
Looking something akin to an Olympian Superhero, Premier Gordon Campbell kicked off this pre-Olympic Weekend by flying over Robson Square, not quite in a cape but certainly the next best thing...on the zip line at Robson Square.
"The harness was quite comfortable," he said afterwards.He and Olympian Charmaine Crooks were the first to ride the Zip Line and launched what will be free rides offered starting Feb. 12th, the first official day of the Winter Games. The ride speeds revellers off a four-storey-high tower and along a 170 meter wire.
![[premier-gordon-campbell-rides-robson-zipline-06.jpg]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsSxuQcJkxWwIn7MSTL13IY2Ny_tjkVrq9nSCptuFERdtteiQbzW1NPsm4p4yZzKwhlZjJRACEupmoRQSh6I9vMTcYVk5iZ8x9F_BOajIl-_xOfnruwNBb4kMcQ67f-YrHkrMC9O3PHg/s1600/premier-gordon-campbell-rides-robson-zipline-06.jpg)
Photo Courtesy VanCityBuzz
“That was great. I was trying to do a somersault backwards and I didn't quite make it," yelled the super-fly Premier Campbell to reporters watching below. “This is going to be a fun place for people to come,” he said. “I want everyone to know it's there for them, it's free for them, it's their Olympics, so come down and have a good time.”
Campbell was out and about promoting all things green that VANOC (Vancouver Olympic Committee) and the Province of B.C. has done to make these games green.
FACT: The 2010 Winter Games will produce only about a tenth of the carbon dioxide emissions generated by previous Winter Games. The games will be run primarily on clean renewable hydro electricity provided by BC Hydro. For a complete rundown on how the timing devices and broadcasters et al will be powered by Clean Energy go to the Power Smart Village site.
The 2010 Winter Games will produce the lowest carbon dioxide emissions from power generation in the history of the modern Games, at only about a tenth of previous Winter Games.
Club Energy is one of the Fun things offered at the Power Smart Village. The dance floor actually lights up as you dance, powered by your energy. And it's sustainable. No bouncers, no cover charge. They challenge you to prove you really can "Light up a room!"
For Sustaianability and the Winter Games, the Power Smart Village is Renewable Energy Central for the 2010 Winter Games. It thrives on people power. It’s a free, interactive gathering place in downtown Vancouver. It promises to "deliver fun and insight into living greener in B.C." And, well, why not the World!
On February 10th, they're hosting a So You Think You Can Dance session at 3pm and 6pm.
Contestants will have the choice between two to three songs to perform their best dance moves, concentrating both on creativity and movement. Judging will be based on number of steps taken within the allotted time, as well as audience preference.
More Things to do at Power Smart Village: Tour an energy-efficient Home of the Future, or join the cheering as Games events are broadcast live on a 65-inch energy-efficient TV. Get creative with their digital Expression Wall. Create electricity – literally – on their sustainable dance floor.
AT 333 Dunsmuir Street, Downtown Vancouver
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More Places to check out:
House of Switzerland opening today, Casa Italia opening tomorrow. We got a sneak peek inside Irish House and sees the castle being built for a DJ. Check back regularly as new info is being added daily leading up to and during the Games.
Greening Vancouver: 2010 Olympics - Premier Gordon Swoops In To Take Green
Thursday
Grammys Night Gets Some Organic Goods
"World Peace through Sustainable Individualism"
There were so many events to choose from on this night, I decided to let the universe guide my path. At first I thought I would be meeting one of my “Be the Change” girls at either the Warner Brothers event or an Alanis Morissette party, but her phone died and I wasn’t sure where the events were or what the deal was.
So I looked in my emails at a list of Grammy parties and found myself drawn to the Jamie Foxx event at the Conga Room in downtown. So I spontaneously went, found $5 parking, and tried to schmooze my way in. After an unsuccessful attempt, I decided to email the contact person. I waited patiently for a response and decided to take off after about 30 minutes.
On with the adventure…..I love going out solo! My friend, who is a chef at the Farmers Kitchen in Hollywood called me and insisted that I pick him and a bunch of fabulous organic, vegan, farm fresh food up and head out somewhere.
Needless to say, I was so thankful that life guided my path.
I did know that Louie Vega, house music producer, deejay, and Grammy winner was performing at Deep, an event that happens every Sunday at the Vanguard and is produced by Marques Wyatt, also an amazingly talented deejay, producer, and yogi. So I picked up my friend and the goods and we bounced over there.
Upon arriving, it was like a path was cleared for us. We slid in there, danced like crazy for hours, and provided happiness for all of the bartenders and talent with the delicious food that we brought. I realized that I had gone out that night in the hopes of influencing some big wigs with my visions of an organic world all the while searching for something that has been with me for years…..house music. And when I say house music, I mean deep, funky, soulful, spiritual, get down all night long kind-of music, in a place where dancers and free spirits drink more water than alcohol. There was only one thing missing, which my friend and I provided….the conscious food.
The next day I saw an email response about the Jamie Foxx event with a password to get in. Had I waited another 20 minutes, I would have been in. Needless to say, I was so thankful that life guided my path.
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Grammys Night Gets Some Organic Goods
Green at The Grammys 2010?
By Janine Johnson[Founder of GreenWave]
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Green at The Grammys 2010?
Wednesday
Greening Hollywood: This Is Our Moment
As Obama said, “the nation that leads the clean energy economy will be the nation that leads the global economy.”
WIND
We say, all eyes on China: The world’s largest wind power project is currently in Texas (with a capacity of 782 MW), but China “is in the midst of building a wind corridor that could grow to a staggering 20,000 MW, 25 times the size of Texas’ Roscoe Wind Farm.” This wind farm in China is expected to have a capacity of 5,000 MW by the end of this year.
SOLAR
And in the fall, China announced plans to build a 2000 MW solar photovoltaic farm, “33 times bigger than the world’s largest today, a 60 MW farm in Spain.”
Thoughts from Zachary Shahan...
Hollywood
Well, coming out of left field with this one, this is my final idea of who might be more powerful than Obama. Of course, like “the media” this isn’t a single person. Nonetheless, it is something to consider.
As we all know, climate change rose to the top of national and even global concern when Al Gore made “An Inconvenient Truth” and people saw this movie on the topic. This, without the flash and flare of Hollywood even, was a prime example of how popular forms of media can affect the population and politics.
Millions of people watched Obama’s State of the Union speech, but how many millions more saw Avatar?
The popularity and influence of Hollywood could be a stronger force getting more people behind climate and clean energy legislation than Obama ever could (at least, in the population at large — the people who do elect members of Congress).
A new video on the web has just come out along exactly these lines, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Felicity Huffman, Forest Whitaker, Ed Norton, Justin Long, and others. I am writing about that in my next post, so stay tuned. If “Hollywood” continues on this path, I think it alone could drive the necessary public support for climate and clean energy legislation, but they need to really get behind it, (do more than a youtube video).
Well, it is a string of thoughts here. And I guess the point of it is, we cannot only pin our hopes and disappointments on Obama or even Congress. We have to look at the issue more broadly; tackle tragic media coverage of these issues; engage in our democracy more ourselves to get people in all sectors energized around the fact that if the US doesn’t give Obama and Congress some support and some push, China is going to win the game before we realize we’re playing with them; and hope that some bigshots in Hollywood or other popular arenas help get the common citizen behind strong climate and clean energy legislation.
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Greening Hollywood: This Is Our Moment
American Idol And Clean Energy
Image: Stage lights by Richard Anderson on flickr.com
By Tina Casey [Originally on CleanTechnica]
In a high tech, low key twist on American Idol, green technology competitions are springing up all over the country. Among the newer ones is the Clean Energy Prize sponsored by the University of Michigan and DTE Energy, and it offers some clues about the technology stars of the sustainable energy future. For one thing, they better be prepared to go on stage and pitch their talent – one element of the competition is an oral presentation before a panel of judges.
DTE’s involvement is another interesting aspect of the competition. A large part of the company is a conventional natural gas utility, Detroit Edison, but an emerging part is DTE Energy Ventures, which focuses on sustainable energy tech. That puts DTE among a growing list of large energy companies that are turning more investment resources over to sustainable fuels – yet another indicator that peak times for fossil fuels are on the horizon.
The Clean Energy Prize Competition
The competition has already winnowed the starting field of 32 hopefuls down to eight teams from six different Michigan colleges and universities. The projects include advanced energy storage, services that help consumers manage energy consumption (especially peak demand), kinetic energy for wireless devices, biogas digesters/composters for restaurants, and “green” silane gas production (silane is used in electronics, flat screen displays and solar panels). Like California’s Cleantech Open, the competition focuses squarely on commercialization. Advancement in the competition is based on a written business plan, and the prize money is targeted towards jump starting new clean energy businesses.
Conventional Utilities and Emerging Clean Energy
DTE is by no means the first conventional utility to jump from fossil fuels into sustainable energy. Industry giant Duke Energy already owns more than 700 megawatts of wind power and last year it announced plans to build hundreds of mini-solar energy plants in North Carolina. Just this month Duke also announced the purchase of a 14 megawatt solar plant that will provide energy for San Antonio, Texas.
Start-Ups and Clean Tech Competitions
Clearly the big players see a potential gold mine in moving away from fossil fuels, and they have the resources to go after it. The emergence of clean tech competitions helps start-ups get in on the sustainable energy action, providing seed money in the form of prizes or investment opportunities (the ZINO Society is a good example). They can play an especially important role in developing sustainable technologies that are scaled to individuals and small sites, which are an essential part of the sustainable energy puzzle but may not represent an attractive market for larger companies.
American Idol And Clean Energy
Tuesday
Super Bowl Sees Green
Jack Groh is the first and only director of the NFL Environmental Program. The mission of this vast environmental program is to reduce solid waste and increase recycling and landfill diversion, as well as tap renewable energy for game-day usage, and for the two weeks of events leading up to the game. Now in its 18th year, the NFL has developed an array of standard programs that can carry over despite the Super Bowl's annual change in venue,...
Bio for Jack GrohJack Groh is Director of the National Football League's Environmental Program and a principal in the consulting firm of Groh Associates. Mr. Groh has been a communications and environmental consultant for more than 19 years and has worked on Super Bowl since 1993. He has been involved in environmental projects for the US Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory, the Northeast Sustainable Energy Association, the American Solar Energy Society, the State of Rhode Island, the National Clean Cities Coalition and the United States Consortium for Automotive Research. He has also worked on a number of environmental projects sponsored by General Motors, Ford Motor Company and Chrysler. His environmental work has been recognized for its high level of community, government, and sponsor support and participation; its practical approach to environmental problem-solving; and the significant return on investment (ROI) it provides to an event host community. He has helped event organizers develop environmental initiatives that cut costs and and provide measurable community benefits. Mr. Groh has delivered presentations on environmental project development to academic and corporate audiences across North America and Europe. He has been a featured speaker at environmental conferences organized by the United Nations and by the International Olympic Committee. Prior to working in the environmental and communications field, Mr. Groh was an award-winning journalist. Associated Press, UPI, and the Society for Professional Journalists have presented awards for his investigative journalism work. Mr. Groh is a nationally licensed soccer coach and director of coaching for his hometown club in Warwick, RI. He serves as an adult leader for the Boy Scouts of America and as an on-air fund raiser for the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS).
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Super Bowl Sees Green
Blue Green Angels And Green Peppers
The Blue-Green Angels
By Matt Sloustcher, GreenPepper
From GreenPepperBlog
"Companies in all sectors now feel..competitive pressures to launch green programs, as markets across the globe acknowledge their ability to seriously effect the environment and climate... including many sophisticated Fortune 1000 firms."
For More Information please see Eco Consulting * Eco Media
Survey Results
A survey conducted by GreenPepper and Media-Screen in 2007 of nearly 500 consumers and corporate executives showed that 75%t of respondents indicated that efforts seem more credible when endorsed by environmental groups that have programs designed to have a direct impact on local communities. In addition, most companies interested in going green have not figured out which environmental groups they should partner with, citing lack of trust or common goals, and uncertainty on which NGOs to seek out.
To receive a copy of the complete survey findings, please send an email to greenpepper(at)peppercom(dot)com
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Blue Green Angels And Green Peppers
Monday
Film Finds Environmental Friends Across The North and South Borders
Green Filming North And South: A Comparative Analysis
The following is a quick comparison of two popular areas to film with Hollywood productions who take their film dollars out of Hollywood. Both areas, New Mexico and British Columbia, have green agendas and promote best practices when it comes to film production and responsible stewardship of the local environment.
New Mexico's Green Filmmaking Initiative is a voluntary program to encourage environmentally sensitive film & television production.
The New Mexico Film Office offers online materials to productions about the use of alternative materials and environmentally friendly practices in the production office and on-set. This would include information on: recycling; purchasing locally made and/or organic products; donating unused/unwanted items to local school, church
Reel Green B.C. Already known as a ‘green’ industry sector, BC’s entertainment production community understands that a light footprint on our environment means a longer life for our valued resources and a longer welcome in BC communities. The production industry also understands there is more that can be done to make its activities green and Reel Green BC captures a grassroots movement within the industry to do just that. Meet Me Half WayFilm Finds Environmental Friends Across The North and South Borders
Sunday
Planet Earth, Poem By P.K. Page
It has to be spread out, the skin of this planet,----- In Praise of Ironing by Pablo Neruda
has to be ironed, the sea in its whiteness;
and the hands keep on moving,
smoothing the holy surfaces.
It has to be loved the way a laundress loves her linens,
the way she moves her hands caressing the fine muslins
knowing their warp and woof,
like a lover coaxing, or a mother praising.
It has to be loved as if it were embroidered
with flowers and birds and two joined hearts upon it.
It has to be stretched and stroked.
It has to be celebrated.
O this great beloved world and all the creatures in it.
It has to be spread out, the skin of this planet.
The trees must be washed, and the grasses and mosses.
They have to be polished as if made of green brass.
The rivers and little streams with their hidden cresses
and pale-coloured pebbles
and their fool's gold
must be washed and starched or shined into brightness,
the sheets of lake water
smoothed with the hand
and the foam of the oceans pressed into neatness.
It has to be ironed, the sea in its whiteness.
and pleated and goffered, the flower-blue sea
the protean, wine-dark, grey, green, sea
with its metres of satin and bolts of brocade.
And sky - such an 0! overhead - night and day
must be burnished and rubbed
by hands that are loving
so the blue blazons forth
and the stars keep on shining
within and above
and the hands keep on moving.
It has to be made bright, the skin of this planet
till it shines in the sun like gold leaf.
Archangels then will attend to its metals
and polish the rods of its rain.
Seraphim will stop singing hosannas
to shower it with blessings and blisses and praises
and, newly in love,
we must draw it and paint it
our pencils and brushes and loving caresses
smoothing the holy surfaces.
© 1994 P.K. Page
P.K. Page passed away on January 14, 2010. God Bless this sacred soul.
Planet Earth, Poem By P.K. Page