Center for Children's Health and the Environment

Children's Unique Vulnerability to Environmental Toxins: "Children have greater exposures to environmental toxins than adults." Mount Sinai School of Medicine - Center for Children's Health and the Environment

American Chemical Society session to focus on TeraHertz-rays - the next wave in imaging technology

American Chemical Society session to focus on T-rays - the next wave in imaging technology: "T-rays are the next wave in imaging and sensing technology. Based on the terahertz (THz) region of the electromagnetic spectrum -- defined by frequencies from 0.1 to 10 THz, just between infrared light and microwave radiation -- T-rays are opening the door to a wide variety of applications.

'The last 20 years have seen a revolution in pulsed THz science and technology,' says Zhang, the J. Erik Jonsson '22 Distinguished Professor and director of the Center for Terahertz Research at Rensselaer. 'It is an extremely attractive research field with interest from sectors as diverse as the semiconductor materials, medical, manufacturing, space, and defense industries.' "

Researchers develop technique to use dirty silicon, could pave way for cheaper solar energy

My Thoughts: the wonders of materials science: Annealing the Silicon allows the iron ion impurities to gather in less disruptive patterns within the silicon wafer. Similar to Annealing Glass in an Oven to remove stress within the structure of a vessel created from "the supercooled metalic liquid" that the world calls "Glass". Researchers develop technique to use dirty silicon, could pave way for cheaper solar energy: "The researchers found that they were able to manipulate the distribution of the metal impurities by varying the cooling rate of the silicon. When the material is cooled quickly, the metal defects are quickly locked in a scattered distribution. By simply slowing down the cooling rate, the metal impurities diffused into large clusters.

'Using this cooling technique, we were able to improve the distance electrons could travel by a factor of four compared with dirty silicon that had been left unaltered,' said Buonassisi. 'Although this is still not as efficient as ultrapure silicon, it is the proof of principle that poor-quality silicon can be easily improved. We are now looking at other techniques that could further enhance the efficiency of dirty silicon.'

The researchers point out that techniques such as varying the cooling rate of silicon is an easy, cost-effective adjustment to current manufacturing procedures. "

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Includes "Envrionmental Health Perspectives Report" the National Toxicology Program: Center for Toxicogenomics (study of how toxins may change gene expression)

What the Bleep Do We Know!?� - The Movie

What the Bleep Do We Know!?� - The Movie: "Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most people are even incapable of forming such opinions.
- Albert Einstein





I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.
- Galileo Galilei





If I could take all your words away and give you but a sparse few, they would be: �I now know, I am absolute, I am complete, I am God, I am.� If there were no other words but these, you would no longer be limited to this plane.
- Ramtha





To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right.
- Confucius "

ISA | Managing industrial power

ISA | Managing industrial power: "Co-generation economics
There are essentially three types of steam turbine generators at work in power generation: backpressure turbines, condensing turbines, and extraction turbines.
There are a multitude of combinations of these turbine types including backpressure units with extractions and units with multiple extractions with or without condensing stages.
How can a co-generation plant produce power cheaper than a large modern central station utility? Comparing heat utilization in a utility plant versus a co-generation plant can see the answer.
The thermal efficiency of a utility plant can be about 39% or a heat rate of @ 8750 Btu/kWh. Adding transmission and distribution losses of 5%, the net output to customers' costs is about 9200 Btu/kWh.
However, in an industrial plant where power generates from a non-condensing turbine, the heat in the low-pressure steam can also go for process use. In fact, heat utilization in an industrial plant can be, up to 85%. Thus, the ratio of heat utilization in an industrial plant to that of the utility is at least 2 to 1.
However, in general, the cost of power produced by condensing turbines in an industrial plant is higher than the incremental cost of power from the utility. Only in cases where the utility rates are high and the industrial plant's incremental fuel cost is extremely low does power produced via condensing turbines cost less than utility generated power.
Condensing power is expensive because of the large proportion of the heat in the throttle steam is lost in the condenser. Ideally, condensing turbines should not run at all, or if they must be for some reason, their loading should be at a minimum."

thermal depolymerization technology - Innovation Scorecard

My thoughts : Best treatment for slaughter house waste in my opinion. sterilization of material (like an autoclave) with energy recapture.

Innovation Scorecard: "It sounds too good to be true -- and indeed, some observers say the thermal depolymerization technology is far from proven. (Appel fielded a call in 2003 from a Securities and Exchange Commission investigator concerned that the company was hyping its science in advance of an IPO. No offering was planned, then or now.) But on a small scale, it shows remarkable promise.
CWT's secret to innovation? It thinks inside the box. 'We look for where we can take advantage of existing infrastructure,' says Appel. Some alternative energies such as hydrogen fuel cells and biodiesel, he points out, require customers to adopt new machinery and practices. But 'you can't alienate the people with the existing infrastructure. That's a self-serving boutique mentality.'
Instead, CWT engineers look for ways to innovate within existing systems. The company's fuels are designed to burn in today's boilers and engines, while leftover materials are ground into farm-ready fertilizers. CWT also applies in-the-box thinking to smaller logistical practices. 'Seventy-five percent of my team is focused on optimizing,' says Appel.'Is there a better pump to pump the fuel? Is there a better heater to heat it? Can we do it better?' "

mission statement CRC

We, “The Coalition to Rethink the Cities” seek to bring together professionals and citizens of all types to develop a vision of the city center that will promote the physical and mental health & well-being of all it inhabitants from a scientifically-based healthy & holistic full life cycle prospective.

 We seek to envision, design, codify and build city center architectures and systems that promote health and happiness among city dwelling citizens. The promotion of the health of a whole population through modification of the environment. The science of Euthenics is our calling.

 Rethinking, Redesigning, Re-codifying and Rebuilding the American Urban/Suburban Architectural Cityscape in light of this Holistic Human Needs-based vision of the city center and its architectural systems is our work

In pursuit of this Goal: We have set down the following priorities in our vision of the city center of the future that will promote the physical and mental well-being of it inhabitants from a healthy & holistic full life cycle prospective. We seek to promote the design, construction and codification of innovative architecture that meet the following needs of citizens:

 City Center Transit systems designed to promote citizen safety and energy efficiency. Regional Transit funding for regional transit projects.
 City center architectures designed to promote and protect the city sidewalk, which it is believed promotes a healthy increase in physical activity, stress-reducing casual social interactions, commerce and innovation among inhabitants within a community.
 City center buildings designed to support inhabitants from infants to the aged, from the active to the idle, from the healthy to the diseased.
 City center buildings and systems designed conserve instead of costing energy.
 City Center buildings and systems designed to minimize the use of toxic construction materials and incorporate systems that isolate and protect their inhabitants from environmental toxins such as contaminants in water, soil and air.
 City center buildings and systems designed to neutralize instead of create pollution.

We of this Coalition do abide by Scientific Principle in our analysis of city systems. Our Sciences include: Medical Sciences, Public Health, Epidemiology, Toxicology, Structural Engineering, Architectural Engineering, Civil Engineering, Sanitation Engineering as well as the Social Sciences of History, Psychology and Sociology. All these fields affect the humanly built environment or measure the effects of that environment on humans. The primary goal of the “Coalition to Rethink the Cities” is to bring these various professions together into a dialogue to build a more holistic vision of the City Center & its Architectures.

DuPont builds future on biotech _New "Nylon" from Bacteria

www.delawareonline.com � The News Journal � DuPont builds future on biotech: "Barry Marrs, a DuPont biochemist, oversees troughs of plants grown by overhead sun lamps. 'Nature is a better chemist than man,' Marrs says."

Start-up sees new dawn for old solar tech | CNET News.com

Start-up sees new dawn for old solar tech | CNET News.com: he says : he can do it at a competitive 7.8 cents per kilowatt hour.

"for now, Slawson's still on a mission. 'The technologies are there but we lack the political will to make it happen,' he argues. 'America needs an Apollo-type program to convert to a sustainable energy system for America, once and for all, and get off the reliance on oil, which is going to run out in 50 years. And we need big corporations to execute the plan.'"

Instructors at Solar Living Institute

Instructors

Passive Solar and Green Building Design

Passive Solar and Green Building Design
August 5, 2005, San Francisco, CA: "Passive Solar and Green Building Design
Contact: sli@solarliving.org or 707-744-2017
This course�taught by David Arkin, AIA�is geared to the building professional: contractors, engineers and architects as well as production or custom housing and commercial developers. Priorities of green building are presented, including site analysis, climate response strategies, protecting ecological resources, energy efficiency, and green construction system options and material choices. Additional priorities include passive heating and cooling strategies, daylighting and natural ventilation, indoor air quality, water efficiency, and creating healthy buildings. The course is taught through a combination of topical presentations, case study examples and hands-on utilization of tools found at the Pacific Energy Center. David is a principal of Arkin Tilt Architects, a Berkeley firm known for its award-winning projects which embody a marriage of thoughtful design and ecology. He has taught similar courses for the Institute over the past seven years. Instructor: David Arkin."

Berkeley: Architect builds own model 'green' house

Berkeley: Architect builds own model 'green' house
"Parlette, 37, rebuilt his Camelia Street bungalow into a soaring dwelling of glass and light -- a showcase "green" house that expresses both his desire to live in a sustainable world, and his architectural flair."

Dairyland Power 900 cows fuel 600 homes

Dairyland Power 900 cows fuel 600 homes
LA CROSSE - Dairyland Power is really living up to its name.

This week, the La Crosse-based cooperative dedicated its first cow-powered generating plant in Dunn County, north of Eau Claire. And more are coming soon.

At Five Star Farms, manure produced by Lee Johnson's 900 milk cows now generates enough renewable energy to power 600 homes.

It works like this: Manure goes into a digester tank that creates methane gas. Dairyland buys the gas and uses it to make electricity with a small generator right on the farm.

The $2 million plant was built by Microgy Inc., which licensed Danish digester technology that has been used at 20 European facilities over the last 15 years. Microgy says its digester produces four to six times as much methane gas as other technologies, which makes it financially feasible.

"There were a lot of naysayers," said Johnson, who visited Denmark to check out the technology before he invested in cow power. "But I felt that with Dairyland's backing, I couldn't imagine it wouldn't work."