Category: Environment

The Cycling Cog

The Cycling Cog is a website for cyclists, obviously, but the neat thing about this site is that it is web 2.0! It’s a social networking site for cyclists where they can find cycling tips and ride buddies. Features of the site include the ability for cyclists can create their own cycling groups, they can post their own events and blogs, plus post information that is important for the places they live in.

One thing I find particularly interesting is that people can post their stolen and recovered bikes.

Portugal Gets a Tan

Portugal has started building their largest solar power facility yet!

“The 58m euro (£40m) plant near Serpa, 200km (125 miles) south of Lisbon, will produce enough electricity for 8,000 homes when it starts next January.

The 11-megawatt solar power plant, to be made up of 52,000 photovoltaic modules, will cover a 60-hectare (150-acre) southern-facing hillside.”

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.”