Go Fly A Kite, Possibly Power A City | 3BL Media

High-altitude wind-turbine kites could soon harness enough energy to power the world many times over.

The Carnegie Institution for Science, together with California State University recently published a study concluding that high-altitude wind-turbine kites might be able to effectively power large cities. In fact, according to the study, the winds that glide through the jet stream hold about 100 times more energy than all the electricity being consumed daily.

Old Ben Franklin certainly was on to something with the whole kite thing, then, don’t you think?

While there seems to be some debate as to whether or not Franklin actually discovered electricity, he certainly was looking in the right place.

Wind blew the kite around. Lightening hit the kite. Franklin establish the relationship between lightning and electricity. That led to the invention of the lightning rod, which led to the invention of the power generator. And the knee bone’s connected to the shin bone, and the shin bone’s connected to the.. wait, what are we singing about?

Uh, well… With scientists now trying to find ways to harness all the electricity the wind has to offer, I think we may have come full circle.

The Carnegie study researchers compiled over 28 years worth of data and concluded that high altitude winds contain enough energy to meet the world’s global energy demand. They also determined that winds over highly-populated centers in Asia and the U.S. may be the best places to harvest the energy.

So Big Apple-ers may soon look into the sky and find more than Macy’s Parade floats.

Researchers are currently busy dreaming up wind-turbine models that fly so high, air-traffic controllers would have to reroute planes around them. The kites would hover high in the atmosphere and allow jet stream currents to flow through their turbines at a rate 10 times faster than winds would flow near the ground.

The high-altitude turbine kites capture wind energy through a system of spinning rotors. The harvested kinetic energy to turned into electricity, then sent back down the wire to a distribution grid.

The kite turbines could provide a reliable and renewable solution to current energy problems, according to the study.

Researchers also suggest that the wind-turbine kites could be economically competitive with current energy production costs over the long term.

I think Old Ben would be proud.

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UPS Donates $1 Million to Haitian Earthquake Relief – Here’s How You Can Help | 3BL Media

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) ATLANTA, GA – Jan. 15, 2010 – UPS (NYSE:UPS) contributed more than US$1 million in cash and in-kind support to earthquake relief efforts in Haiti through its charitable arm, The UPS Foundation.

 The $1 million donation will include $500,000 in cash and up to $500,000 of in-kind services for the shipment of needed supplies.  The funds will be divided between The American Red Cross, CARE, UNICEF and other organizations that assist with long-term relief activities.

“With hundreds of thousands of people affected, our hearts go out to Haiti,” said Dan Brutto, president of UPS International. Brutto serves on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.  “Through our financial commitment and logistics expertise, UPS is positioned to respond quickly to the urgent needs and tremendous suffering that have been created by the earthquake.  We felt it was critical that we act fast to support the relief efforts.”

With a network that extends around the globe, UPS has been a leader in disaster relief and response.  In recent years, UPS relief efforts in the Philippines, Samoa, China, Myanmar and across the United States have included warehouse management, transportation network design and supply chain distribution.
           
In addition to providing financial and in-kind commitments to Haiti relief, UPS is a member of the World Food Programme’s Logistics Emergency Teams (LETs) and anticipates the activation of those teams.  The LETs initiative involves providing “loaned” logistics experts to oversee on-site disaster response, normally for a deployment of three-to-six months.

UPS provided logistics support in Haiti just two years ago when the island nation was slammed by hurricanes and flooding.  One of the UPS experts dispatched in 2008, UPS Americas Region Health and Safety Manager John Vera, describes crisis response in Haiti as extraordinarily difficult because the country has little modern infrastructure.

“Our job is to respond quickly and get supplies to those who need it most, but it’s not an easy task in Haiti,” said Vera.

UPS will continue to work closely with relief organizations that are active in the Haiti recovery effort over the coming weeks.

About The UPS Foundation Founded in 1951 and based in Atlanta, Ga., The UPS Foundation’s major initiatives include programs that support community safety, nonprofit effectiveness, economic and global literacy, environmental sustainability and diversity.  The UPS Foundation pursues these initiatives by identifying specific projects where its support can help produce a measurable social impact.  In 2008, The UPS Foundation donated $46.9 million to charitable organizations worldwide.  Visit community.ups.com for more information about UPS’s community involvement.

For additional information on UPS disaster preparedness, please visit www.pressroom.ups.com/disasterprep.

For More Information Contact:

Ronna Branch
404-828-4393

Lynnette McIntire
404-828-7895

McKesson Donates More Than $200,000 in Funds and Medical Supplies to Support Relief Effort in Haiti | 3BL Media

This week the healthcare services and IT leader, McKesson Corporation, responded to the devastating earthquake in Haiti with donations of more than $200,000 in cash and medical supplies. Funding and much needed supplies including crutches, orthopedic braces, gauze, masks and mosquito nets were donated to relief organizations World Vision International and the Red Cross. McKesson employees across the company are also responding with their support through the McKesson Foundation’s matching gifts program. Employee gifts to 501c3 organizations involved in the response effort are being matched dollar-for-dollar.

As part of McKesson’s work with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response, McKesson is also supporting HHS response teams by quickly fulfilling orders of vaccines and medicines bound for Haiti. The McKesson team stands ready to continue to support the relief effort as needs are identified on the ground.

fort-Haiti”>3blmedia.com

$20 a Gallon, Part 8: $18 Gas – A Renaissance of Rail! | 3BL Media

So we’re eating local food, enjoying our local community, walking more driving electric cars, and the planet is healing—what about going places to visit friends and relatives?

Well, At $18 a gallon, as author Christopher Steiner points out in $20 Per Gallon, we’re going to start riding the rails again. Not like the hobos in a John Steinbeck novel, but as a preferred, speedy way to get to and from most places.

Rail in the US has been in decline ever since the Zephyr sped its way from Denver to Chicago in 1934. It made that rip in 13 hours and 5 minutes- about 5 hours less than it takes by car to day. Its top speed was 112.5 mph. The Zephyr was the grandparent of today’s high speed rail, which moves people much more energy and resource efficiently than either planes or cars. But the US has lagged behind in rail ever since- today trains in Europe , Japan, China Korea- even Spain typically exceed 150- 200 miles per hour, while travel in American trains has actually slowed dramatically over the years.

Cheap oil has lured us away from rail to autos and planes. But at $18 a gallon, that will all change. The US is already beginning to subsidize rail again, which is only fair, since US taxpayers have been subsidizing highways to the tune of 150 billion a year.  Even at $4 gas, rail can be competitive. Our one high speed train, the Acela runs between Washington DC and Boston with stops in Baltimore, Philly, NYC and a few towns in between. It cost as much or more than the plane, but you can walk right on the train without security checkpoints or needing to arrive 90 minutes ahead of departure. When all is said and done, it’s twice as fast as flying with fewer delays. And it’s usually full – you can relax, talk in the phone or plug in your computer and make use of the travel time the whole way. Less energy, more productive work time- real waste to resources.

If Spain can do it, we can. California is already moving to connect the state by high speed rail from San Diego to San Francisco and Sacramento. Texas will link Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, with spurs to Galveston and Corpus Christi and from Dallas to Oklahoma City and Tulsa. Kansas will link up from Oklahoma City to Wichita to Kansas City.

Florida will jump in and connect Miami-to Fort Myers, up to Tampa and on to Orlando and Jacksonville. Chicago will regain its status as a rail hub reaching out to Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Indianapolis and St Louis which will connect to the Kansas City to Houston line. And Chicago will link to NYC, a trip that now takes 21 hours on our old trains and 16 by car, to a 6 hour high speed trip. And rail will continue to grow and speed up. We were the first to connect a continent by rail, and at $18 a gallon, The City of New Orleans, The Vermonter, and The Zephyr will rise again. In our final installment in this series, we’ll look at gas at $20 and beyond, and the future of energy.

$20 a Gallon, Part 7: $16 Gas – Local Food Rises Again!
$20 a Gallon, Part 6: $12 Gas – Bye ‘Burbs, Hello City Life!
$20 a Gallon, Part 5: $14 Gas —Small Town Renaissance
$20 a Gallon, Part 4: $10 Gas — Drive Small and Clean
$20 a Gallon, Part 3: $8 Gas Clears the Friendly Skies!
$20 a Gallon, Part 2: $6 Gas Kills SUVs dead!
How Rising Gas Prices will Spur Waste into Resources

Greenopolis.com is dedicated to our users. We focus our attention on changing the world through recycling, waste-to-energy and conservation. We reward our users for their sustainable behaviors on our website, through our Greenopolis Tracking Stations and with curbside recycling programs.

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You Can Make Money Without Doing Evil | 3BL Media

This one of Google’s 10 guiding principles. It echos what the Google’s co-founders, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, wrote in a manifesto they distributed before the company took its stock public in 2004, “We believe strongly that in the long term, we will be better served – as shareholders and in all other ways – by a company that does good things for the world”.

 While there are business reasons for pulling out of China (i.e. compromising the security of worldwide services because of inappropriate manipulations by the Chinese state security), the move speaks more to the company’s belief in acting with integrity by standing up for human rights and speaking out against censorship. According to Gartner analyst Whit Andrews, ”Being righteous is in their DNA”.

It’s clear that the four Wall Street bankers that faced the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission yesterday don’t share Google’s genetic code. “Mr. Blankfein (of Goldman Sachs) himself never admitted that there was any responsibility for Goldman Sachs to make sure the products themselves were good products,” said Phil Angelides, chairman of the Commission.

Integrity has an ROI. By taking a stand in China, Google could very well increase its value among Internet users who are opposed to the Chinese government’s policies.

Do the right thing – it’s good for your business and it’s good for you too.

More on this topic (What’s this?)

GOOG (All Allan, 1/5/10)

China SWF Official Says US Dollar Has Bottomed, China Has A Say On The US Dollar; There Is No nee… (Shocked Investor, 1/12/10)

Read more on Google, Investing in China at Wikinvest

Emergency Relief for Haiti | 3BL Media

Gap Inc. was deeply saddened by the news of  Haiti’s devastating earthquake on January 12, 2010. Our thoughts and prayers are with the people of Haiti.
 
We are working with the U.S. and Haitian governments to support and provide relief to earthquake victims. To help in the recovery, Gap Foundation will make a $150,000 grant to Mercy Corps, a nonprofit which provides emergency and disaster support and services by investing in the local community in affected areas both immediately and over the long term.
 
We’ve developed a dedicated site to match all Gap Inc. employee contributions to Mercy Corps made by February 28.  We are also working with other agencies to identify and support specific areas of need.

If you would like to help, you can donate to Mercy Corps at http://www.mercycorps.org/haiti. 

CSR Minute: Green Meetings Conference; Asian CSR Center

Corporate Social Responsibility News: Green Meetings Council Industry’s Conference; CSR Asia + Asian Institute for Technology Create the Asian Center for Corporate Social Responsibility at AIT.

Sustainable 1.4 ct. Emerald Pendant Necklace To Be Given Away | 3BL Media

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) January 15, 2010 – C5 company, a leader in sustainable fine jewelry, announced this week that they will be giving away a gorgeous emerald necklace with a retail value of $1000 to one lucky Facebook fan.

In an industry with a long history of social and environmental devastation, C5 company stands apart. Founded in 2008 as a custom jewelry company, C5 has quickly gained positioning as a leader in the sustainable jewelry space. All of their jewelry is made with reclaimed precious metals and ethically sourced gems - both fair-trade mined and lab-created.

Lab-created gems, such as the 1.4 emerald featured in the pendant that is part of the C5 promotion, are chemically, physically and optically identical to their mined counterparts. However, unlike mined emeralds, the rich green color of the gem is inherent in the growth process. Perhaps even more appealing to conscious consumers is the fact that lab-created gems are not marked by the same degree of negative impact as those that have been harvested from the earth.

The emerald pendant, which hangs from a 16″ 14 karat gold chain, will be raffled on February 28, 2010 if C5 can attract 500 fans on Facebook by that date.

Green Commercial Cleaning Done by Reliable Janitorial Services In the Arizona and New Mexico Area | 3BL Media

(3BLMedia/theCSRfeed) January 15, 2010 – The Green Business League has a sister company named Green Clean Institution.  The Green Clean Institution specializes in educating and certifying Janitorial firms that want to have Green practices, services and products.  GCI has been around since 2005 and has helped more than 2,500 cleaning companies Go Green.  GCI is more than just a janitorial certification company they give you an edge on your competition and they are a breath of fresh air in to any cleaning company that might be stuck in their old ways.

The truth is most janitorial firms are “Faking Green.”  Claiming your company is Green because you have some Green products is like claiming to be a great golfer simply because you own some clubs.  The public is finally wising up and questioning whether these phony Green claims by janitorial firms are for real.  We all know that there is only one way to keep everyone honest, and that is by Green Certification by an independent program like the Green Clean Institute.

First of all, the Green Clean Institute Certified™ seal is a federal trademark, so you cannot cheat the system by designing a fake logo of your own.  This is one that you must earn.  I am always proud to tell my customers that my service is not just Green because I say so.  I include a copy of my Green Clean Institute certificate in every bid package.  This one items alone has allowed my company to stand up and walk away with the contract while the others scratch their head.

A new janitorial firm called Reliable Janitorial Services has just become Green Clean Certified. Reliable Janitorial Services was founded in 1999. Today, it provides a full range of professional janitorial services to the Albuquerque, Gallup, NM Area, Phoenix, AZ Area, NW New Mexico and NE Arizona. We are a full service cleaning company specializing in commercial buildings, medical facilities and mining operations offices.

The owner of the company Mr. Vasser gives professional edge to Reliable Janitorial Service because he has the confidence and the experience to get any commercial cleaning job done.  They have the ability to provide excellent customer service and capability to be professional.  They ensure complete satisfaction in sometimes difficult circumstances while minimizing disruption to workflow.  Their quality of work is a the highest level throughout GCI experiences with Reliable Janitorial Services.

Their services include but are not limited to:

* Commercial Cleaning,

* Floor Maintenance (Stripping and Waxing),

* Carpet Steam Cleaning,

* Window Cleaning,

* Routine Daily Cleaning,

* Restroom Sanitation,

* Detail Cleaning,

* One-Time Service Contracts available.

Reliable Janitorial Services is an outstanding janitorial service is not an option! It’s our standard service that each customer can rely on everyday of the year! A clean, healthy and safe environment is part of our commitment to your customers and staff. To prevent the spread of germs our scope of work checklist includes sanitizing phones, door knobs, light switches, etc.  Our employees complete a thorough training program as well as have security clearance to allow us to clean classified or secure areas. Insured, neat, courteous, dependable, trained, and closely supervised janitorial services. All supplies and equipment are kept at the jobsite with additional inventory at our office for quick restocking.  Each employee has a scope of work check list, specifying areas to be cleaned and the frequency including any special needs or requests.

If you live or work in the Albuquerque, Gallup, NM Area, Phoenix, AZ Area, NW New Mexico and NE Arizona area and you are looking for a reliable and experienced cleaning company please visit the Reliable Janitorial Service website.  You wont regret it.

 For more information or for a free estimate please give us a call:

 Albuquerque, NM Area Call (505) 307-8406

 Gallup, NM Area Call (505) 722-9192

 Phoenix, AZ Area Call (602) 284-6122

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