One flush at a time

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Dec 292011
 

save water!

During a recent discussion with my GreenCupboards.com teammates, I learned that the average American wastes thousands of gallons of water every year simply by flushing the toilet.  The average toilet uses up to five gallons of water with each flush.  Although we all agree that we’re not prepared to give up the luxury of indoor plumbing, the GreenCupboards.com team began to wonder if there is a way to save some of that water.

This curiosity led me to the discovery of the water bottle method.  Think of it this way: Every time you flush the toilet you could be saving a bottle of water.

Here’s how it works:  The toilet tank (which is located behind and above the bowl) is designed to fill until the water level reaches a designated point.  Place a bottle filled with water into the tank of the toilet. This displaces water.  Each time your tank fills it will be filling around the object (the water bottle). Therefore, each time you fill up your toilet it will be using less water.  To keep the bottle from floating in your tank use some rocks or pebbles to weigh it down.

We all have to start somewhere. One bottle of water may seem small but it will add up.  Try it out!

Images:

http://j-large.hubpages.com/hub/how-to-save-more-water-at-home

http://www.underdogcentral.net/2010_12_01_archive.html

2 Liter Bottles of Light

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Jul 142011
 

The slums of the Philippines are getting an extreme home makeover in the form of two liter bottles in their ceilings. The bottles function as 60-watt lights powered by 100% solar energy. Refraction is an amazing thing, if you drilled a hole in your ceiling light would drop directly through the opening in a straight line casting a shadow on the ground in the shape of the hole. By placing a bottle filled with water into the hole, the light is refracted by the water and emitted at 360 degrees like a light bulb. Light bulbs are taken for granted in America, yet are luxury item for the Philippines slums. The two liter bottles filled with water and a small amount of bleach to keep algae from growing, act as a light in the often-unlit slums.

The initiative in the Philippines to provide these lights to those who need them is known as “A liter of light”. It is estimated that each bottle light will last for about five years, which is more than any store-bought light bulb will do you for.

Its not just the Philippines who are getting on board with liters of light. Many Americans struggling with high utilities bills amidst economic woes are looking for innovative solutions to their financial problems. The liter of light is definitely innovative, extremely functional, affordable (if you get lucky you may be able to dumpster dive and not pay for a thing), and green. So if you’re thinking your garage is looking a little dark, then you might want to try out some liters of light out for yourself to see if they live up to the hype.

It’s rare that the simplicity of a project or initiative shocks me with its sublime form and function, yet this is one of those projects. I hope you enjoy “A liter of light” as much as I have, be sure to check out the videos below for additional information and demonstration.

Check out other Solar Powered Lights on Greencupboards.com


Sources:

http://lifehacker.com/5195641/diy-no+electricity-lighting-from-2+liter-bottles

http://uk.reuters.com/video/2011/07/11/bringing-light-to-the-poor-one-liter-at?videoId=216968892&videoChannel=82


Godzilla Breeding in Japan?

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May 262011
 
An artist rendering of what Godzilla's anatomy may be like

An artist rendering of what Godzilla's anatomy may be like

This is my third article covering the happenings at the Fukushima Nuclear Reactors in Japan; news from the plant has been conflicting. Citizens of Japan and many other nations alike, are wondering if one of the reactors did in fact melt down and if news of it has not been released.

The March 11 the Tohoku Earthquakes disrupted Japan’s nuclear plants, and has since been releasing massive amounts of nuclear waste into both the water and Japanese soil. Greenpeace, an environmental activist group has reported findings of over 50 times the amount of radioactivity in the water (Iodine- 131, Cesium-134, Cesium- 137) than “safe” official limits, these findings have been independently verified by third party lab’s in France and Belgium.

Will we soon see Godzilla rise from the waters off the coast of Japan? Possibly. The cesspool of un-controlled radioactive waste is mixed with the element of life that’s structure is fundamentally altered by radiation.  Furthermore, the breeding in the water is probably skyrocketing due to the fact that fishing off of the coast of Japan has ceased. This is increasing the possibility of a “mutant” monster which could quiet possibly be Godzilla, and within the realm of comic books and Revelation both.

There is no evidence that can disprove this “mythical beast” theory, for geneticist do know that these things are within the realm of possibility. In light of recent “Judgment Day” predictions perhaps they are no so far off?

Japanese officials have warned, “People do not bother fishing now. If you caught fish or other marine products in waters near the plant, they wouldn’t sell,” (Breitbart Online).

Perhaps Godzilla is breeding in the waters of Japan as I type, and alas, the movies were right.

Is that Godzilla there in the smoke?

Even if there is no beast from the water anytime soon, do you know about the very real risk of radiation poisoning? And what the worst-case scenario is? It may not be Godzilla but it could cause people to become sterile or have deformities in newborns. Did you know that radiation could get caught up in the rain and pour down on you? Radiation from Japan has already cycled around our atmosphere, now it is in our water, and still the problem is not solved.

I will leave you to decide what the problem is, be it nuclear energy in the first place or poor government regulation? The choice is yours.

Sources:

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=CNG.925fb1bc06c719f0ccd4c0a6da4f9506.331&show_article=1

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/leak-feared-stricken-japan-nuclear-plant-071027708.html

Images:

http://www.rodneyanonymous.com/2007/07/oh_no_there_goes_tokyo.html

http://javonon.comlu.com/index.php?id=godzilla

All About Seahorses

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Feb 222011
 

The horses of the ocean, the seahorse gets its name from its facial similarity to the horse, with a long snout. There are over 50 different types of seahorses, yet the seahorse is still an endangered species. They are captured in the hundreds and used in Chinese, Japanese and Korean medicine.

The Seahorse is classified as a hippocampus. Hippos is Greek for horse, and kampos means sea monster. In ancient Greek mythology it was told that the sea Gods rode around on creatures that were half horse half fish. The imagery associated with them is that of the modern day seahorse.

The Seahorse, however, is much too small to ride. Measuring anywhere from an inch centimeter to 12 inches. They are a vertebrae fish, with a hard outer covering, fins, and gills. The Seahorse looking unlike most fish was first mistaken to be an amphibian or even an insect. The seahorse eats mostly shrimp, plankton, and worms. The seahorse has no teeth so it cannot must eat soft invertebrate. The seahorse itself is covered in interlocking bones that act as an armor.

Unlike most species, the male seahorse is responsible for carrying and nourishing the eggs for reproduction. The mating process of the seahorse is a prolonged process of courtship in which the seahorse couple will spend days mimicking each other’s movements and following one another. On a full moon, the female will release her eggs of which the male will pick up and store in a pouch on his chest to fertilize and nourish. A litter of seahorses is usually large between 200 and 600 are released yet it is estimated that only .5% will survive. Like many animals the males will fight for the attention of the female hitting one another with their tails and even biting (don’t worry the seahorse bite doesn’t hurt much).

The seahorse life span is roughly four years. Starting out at no more than a millimeter in length the reproductive age for a seahorse is 6 months to death. Seahorses are traded readily both alive and dead, for medicine and souvenirs. If humans are not careful they could soon lose the horses of the sea.

Images:

http://montereybayaquarium.typepad.com/sea_notes/seahorses/

http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Yellow-Seahorses-Hippocampus-Guttulatus-Mediterranean-Posters_i2634128_.htm

Buttonless Remote Control Innovations

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Dec 292010
 

Remote controls are old technology like VHS to Blue ray, the Wii, and X-box Kinect are the new new. Technology is getting farther away from the black plastic rectangle with buttons. What if you controlled your TV, and video games by paddling through water? Or the movement of a rocking chair. The following are two new innovative ideas to control your technology remote-free.

Channels: Paddling your hands through two buckets on either side of a seat you can control your position on the screen with this remote. The design is supposed to be very tactile, imagine changing the channel by simply splashing your hand in a pool of water.

Cadence Chair: This control is set in a “standard issue rocking chair” the prototype asks the user try to match the rhythm of the music playing by rocking in unison, if you do, a video will be unlocked.