THIN FILM SOLAR PANELS

Archive for December, 2008

HP fans looking to make their laptops more environmentally-friendly will soon get the chance to upgrade to  Boston Power’s next-generation Sonata Lithium-ion batteries. The Sonata battery lasts for 1,000 charging cycles (3 years), compared to the 300 cycle limit of a conventional Li-ion battery.

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One of our Low Impact Living friends in San Diego let us know of a brilliant program there called “Adopt a Christmas Tree.” An enterprising group of environmentalists there harvest local pine trees, put them in pots, and bring the potted tree to your home.  There you can enjoy the tree and then re-plant it after the holiday season!  Or, if you don’t have land for planting, they will come reclaim the tree and plant it for you in the fire-ravaged areas of Eastern San Diego.   This is such a cool idea I practically smacked my head when I read about it!  Check out their website here.

Listen to them as the make their articulate environmental argument for the Adopt-A-Tree approach:

“Dear fellow San Diegan,

Have you ever stopped to think about the environmental impact of the estimated 32 million Christmas trees sold in America each year? Dying trees release greenhouse gasses when they decompose and overcrowd our landfills. Most of California’s cut trees are trucked in from Oregon or Washington which also wastes fuel and emits CO2.

Would you like for your family to share the fragrant smell and festive look of a live tree in your living room–without feeling guilty? So do we. We are committed to a creating win-win solutions to:

• Create a memorable holiday experience
• Support local environmental causes
• Reduce greenhouse gasses globally
• Employ starving San Diego actors and musicians
• And of course, save time & money!”

This is so gooooood!  Does anyone know of anything like this in other cities? 

I’ve noticed an increasing trend recently of people trying to squeeze out energy from every possible nook and cranny. The latest example of this is world’s first the energy-generating revolving door located at Natuurcafe La Port in the Netherlands.

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In today’s disposable society, I don’t like to think about how much perfectly-usable furniture must end up in landfills each year - just because people change their minds about the color, or the fabric looks slightly worn or faded.  That’s why I think slipcovers are a great idea, as they can extend the life of old armchairs and couches by giving them a complete change of look. 

Ready-made slipcovers are inexpensive to buy and are machine-washable, which means they can last for years.  They’re designed to fit over the top of existing upholstery, so they can completely hide unattractive fabric, unfashionable patterns, tears or stains.

There’s even a line of organic slipcovers available now.  These are available from Sure Fit and come in only sofa and loveseat sizes at the moment, although I would imagine the range will be extended in the future.  There’s a choice of two fabrics made from organic cotton; one in solid neutral colors and the other has a striped pattern.  I hope that the ever-growing interest in organic textiles will encourage other slipcover companies to start offering eco-friendly products too.

One popular misconception about slipcovers is that they don’t fit well and look untidy.  It’s certainly true that “one-size-fits-all” covers might be too loose on some items of furniture - after all, there’s no such thing as a “standard size” couch.  However, this can usually be overcome by tucking all the extra fabric into the crevices at the back and sides of the seat to get a snug fit.  A good trick here is to use a wooden spoon to push the material deep into the gaps.  Then roll up some old magazines and put rubber bands around them.  Insert these into the crevices to make sure the slipcover stays in place and prevent it becoming easily untucked.

Some seats are a bit more of a challenge.  For instance, pre-made slipcovers are made for conventional sofas and chairs with cushioned arms.  So, if your couch has wooden arms, you’ll need to add your own DIY padding to get a slipcover to fit.  This is easy enough to do.  You just need to tie something soft, such as an old blanket or towel, around each arm to make them cushioned enough for a slipcover to fit neatly.

Another handy tip for getting a slipcover to look smooth and wrinkle-free is to lightly dampen any creases with water, using a plant-mister if you have one.  Then simply use your hands to smooth out the creases. 

With a little imagination and creativity it’s possible to use slipcovers on almost any style of seat.  So, if your furniture is starting to look a little tired, think twice about throwing it out.  Why not see if you could give it a new lease of life with some slipcovers?

Earlier this week, the China Huaneng Group started building China’s largest ever solar power plant, a massive 166 Megawatt (MW) facility in the southern province of Yunnan.

The project, costing a total of 9.1 billion yuan ($1.3 billion), is scheduled to commence operations in 2010. According to the China Electricity Council, the company intends to expand its capacity for solar, wind and other clean energy projects to an impressive 10,000 MW by the end of the same year.

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