Inspirational and good news.
Intolerance lies at the core of evil.
Not the intolerance that results
from any threat or danger.
But intolerance of another being who dares to exist.
Intolerance without cause. It is so deep within us,
because every human being secretly desires
the entire universe to himself.
Our only way out is to learn
compassion without cause. To care for each other
simple because that ‘other’ exists.
– Rabbi Menachem Mendle, the Lubavitcher Rebbe
In honour of his memorial (yahrzeit)
Recycling is becoming easier with new technologies, techniques and other innovations, which means that we can start reusing discarded items that have ended up in landfills. The recycling and reuse sector of the American economy has grown so much that it currently employs as many people as the auto industry!
“Without recycling, given current virgin raw material supplies, we could not print the daily newspaper, build a car, or ship a product in a cardboard box,†says Powell. “Recycling is not some feel-good activity; it is one of the backbones of global economic development.†To his way of thinking, recovering cast-offs and putting them to good use “are key ingredients to industrial growth and stability.â€
The Make blog has some neat ways to blend almost anything using pedal power. The idea to make all these pedal powered blenders came from a Starbucks where customers blended their own drinks by pedaling.
In a story that is making it’s way around the web, researchers at the University College London have devised a new way to produce computer chips.
The production of computer chips currently takes a vast amount of energy to heat furnaces to 1000 degrees Celsius. The heat transforms silicon to silicon dioxide, a key ingredient of computer chips. The new process encourages this reaction using cool ultraviolet light instead of intense heat.
Computer manufacture is one of the most polluting industries out there. This is one step towards reversing that trend.
A new study by the Real Property Association of Canada reveals that adding green features to a building equals better sale value!
“Rick Nevin and Gregory Watson found that people pay $10-$20 more for a home for every $1 reduction in annual fuel bills.
The Heschong Mahone Group found that ‘adding skylighting to the average non-skylit retail store would be likely to improve its performance by 40%’.
Pennsylvania Power and Light noted a conversion’s electricity savings amounted to a payback in 4.1 years with a 24% return on investment.However benefits from lower absenteeism and higher productivity meant a simple payback of just 69 days,a 540% return on investment…
Not only are green buildings good for the environment, provide healthier places to live and more productive places to work ,they can command higher rents and prices, attract tenants more quickly, reduce tenant turnover and cost less to operate and maintain.”
And in other building related green new, scientists have figured out how to use people power!