Adam Clare

Toronto Residents See the Light

Solar power maybe coming to a roof near you, if you live in Toronto. Some residents in the city are purchasing solar panels in bulk, so they can get a cheaper rate, and are installing them on their roofs. It’s a great way to save money, the environment, and meet Kyoto Protocol goals, something that Canada should be aware of.

Other communities have done this, and let’s hope that these Toronto purchasers will lead the way for others to do the same.

“In the Riverdale, Leslieville, and Beaches communities, about 75 homeowners have banded together to make a bulk purchase of rooftop solar photovoltaic panels that will meet a portion of each home’s power demands. Solera Sustainable Energies Co. won the contract and will begin installing the panels this week.
Across the city, in an area encompassing Parkdale, High Park, the Annex, and Seaton Village, a group of more than 150 homeowners has been similarly inspired and will soon invite interested solar companies to bid for their business. This grassroots project has caught the attention of the Harbord Village Residents Association, which is now considering its own bulk-purchase initiative.”

African Nations to Fight Sand

Africa’s most arid nations, you know, the ones covered in all that sand have grouped together to stop the increasing rate of Africa’s decertification. They will look into ways to protect forests that already exist, water, and improve agriculture.

“Svetla Rousseva, soil erosion researcher at Pushkarov Institute of Soil Science in Bulgaria, says the North Africa Green Belt Project will be “a good point to start combating desertification in Africa and will soon become an excellent example for the entire world”.

“Soil cannot be conserved through sporadic efforts or short-term projects; what it needs are long-term programmes backed by sound land-use policies and strategies to catalyse their development,” says Rousseva.”

Radiation Vaccine

Researchers have demonstrated on mice a vaccine that curbs the effect of radiation. The article points out that the research is a result of the fear of terrorists using radioactive materials to hurt people. The vaccine would be given to rescue workers who have to go into the radioactive areas to save people.

I think the people who would really be interested in work in nuclear power-plants! This post means for the first time ever we’ve covered two vaccinations in one day!

Memory in a Vaccine

This is pretty crazy and I take it with a grain of salt, but if this is true to any extent then this is awesome! A vaccine that can help people remember is something that I’d love to have, let’s hope this put in practice soon.

“Imagine an Alzheimer’s patient receiving a vaccine made of specialized blood cells and then showing a much- improved memory. Also, imagine that vaccine having no side effects and needing to be given only occasionally.”

Water Water Everywhere

PBS has an excellent and informative examination of the bottle water industry. I post this here because I think it is very important for people to understand what they are really drinking. It is good to know this, so we can change our lifestyles to be moresustainable.

Water is a precious resource and the coming century much of the world’s population will lack safe drinking water, and it’s important realize how destructive the bottled water industry is to the environment and our own bodies.

In 1999, The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) released a four-year study of the bottled water industry. The study tested more than 1,000 bottles of 103 different brands of bottled water, and while most of the tested bottled waters were determined to be of high quality, some brands were contaminated. About one-third of the water bottles tested contained synthetic organic chemicals and bacteria, and one sample contained arsenic levels that exceeded state health limits.

Bottled water is also a con:
“About 25% of the bottled water sold in the United States comes from a municipal water source.”