tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39350898788085355022024-02-06T18:36:20.826-08:00Climate Change ColloquiumA public forum where ideas are generated to address climate change. All emails can be sent to controlclimatechange@gmail.comClimate Change Colloquiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117628428804030657noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935089878808535502.post-25005189047039157132007-09-25T06:28:00.000-07:002007-09-25T06:30:15.968-07:00Eleventh Hour Movie Review.We cut down a tree and flood our neighbor with 50,000 gallons?<br />There’s ancient sunlight in my tank?<br />What does our ecosystem cost?<br />We vote every day?<br /><br />More than four dozen green gurus tell us stories, make intriguing connections, and provide some beautiful imagery in “The Eleventh Hour”. Okay, so one of them is ‘Romeo’ DiCaprio (producer and narrator), but this film is less about stats, guilt, and blame and more about offering some hopeful solutions to our current climate dilemma. The presentation tries to cover a lot of ground and can appear a little schizophrenic, but is generally an answer to everybody’s question: “So what can I do about it?”<br /><br />Billed as the sequel to Al Gore’s ‘An Inconvenient Truth’, we find that there’s more to say about the hole we’ve dug into our ecosystem, and so much more to say about how to creatively build ladders out.<br /><br /><a href="http://11thhouraction.com/">http://11thhouraction.com/</a><br /><br /><strong>Contributed by Joe Popp</strong>Climate Change Colloquiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117628428804030657noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935089878808535502.post-72229462419944461322007-09-05T12:25:00.000-07:002007-09-05T12:48:02.398-07:00Your very own adaptive re-use!<span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">If you're the kind of person who wakes up one day & finds that you have been recycling containers, products or goods in such a way that they come in handy often & are a part of your everyday life, send us pictures at controlclimatechange@gmail.com<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">A maximum of 3 images per person & each image no larger than 200 KB.<br /></span></span><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Entries will be moderated for offensive content (ie porn, nudity & offensive language).</span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"><span style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></span><br />-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Re-used glass jars - submitted by Manasi.</span><br />As an Indian (who cooks a lot) I found that using all the empty pepper steak bottles for storing my spices wasn't such a bad idea. Then, the olive bottles followed & then the Frappachino bottles followed. Now the giant, glass apple-juice bottles are looking like contenders for lentil storage.<br />Most of my friends find my spice cabinet very intimidating - turmeric in honey bottles, cumin in frappachino bottles, bay leaves in fresh cream jars & peanuts in salsa bottles.<br />What the heck! They're reused, not in a landfill & would keep my mother out of the kitchen.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiFoVkkgo0tbZ-zebwn8gtywtMjMRToeyp1UMlCCOVROioYao0CsJMz7j3GjgKhuIOwhZOuZvcRG2KFa0ZIVcK8WfbuuD9U8P0LsddNKSxXzGyYdJD_XlMWkgoyeb7KG_dgAjAQSqk4_E/s1600-h/IMG_2433.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYiFoVkkgo0tbZ-zebwn8gtywtMjMRToeyp1UMlCCOVROioYao0CsJMz7j3GjgKhuIOwhZOuZvcRG2KFa0ZIVcK8WfbuuD9U8P0LsddNKSxXzGyYdJD_XlMWkgoyeb7KG_dgAjAQSqk4_E/s400/IMG_2433.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106806205224657170" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78-18SHlKws6uKqTVVOMuMRJ7PgQLGvaLwQA_Lc83fu7AcyZC5VkH_590aeIyQK80rdoz19ReD4IdTN22mbGRgt1_Y-qXE0djbZg2W058rdr-9MLsOS6paE332gNHbX4tzGQo9VisOrry/s1600-h/IMG_2436.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg78-18SHlKws6uKqTVVOMuMRJ7PgQLGvaLwQA_Lc83fu7AcyZC5VkH_590aeIyQK80rdoz19ReD4IdTN22mbGRgt1_Y-qXE0djbZg2W058rdr-9MLsOS6paE332gNHbX4tzGQo9VisOrry/s400/IMG_2436.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106806106440409346" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrzGNEbpAR_IYWLHEep5HzJbicWQb0O2vgWaQt4jv2i_ST5G0tekxerQyaNDA25vfLJUtr1v-EIYpDbYWWhT0z1PRhSCcHWH_4fbWLBdDytl0rQFqxNWkF-tfbhXHQfJAYPqsFY-cxokW/s1600-h/IMG_2434.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKrzGNEbpAR_IYWLHEep5HzJbicWQb0O2vgWaQt4jv2i_ST5G0tekxerQyaNDA25vfLJUtr1v-EIYpDbYWWhT0z1PRhSCcHWH_4fbWLBdDytl0rQFqxNWkF-tfbhXHQfJAYPqsFY-cxokW/s400/IMG_2434.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5106805986181325042" border="0" /></a>Climate Change Colloquiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117628428804030657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935089878808535502.post-5042169544502043232007-08-22T11:45:00.000-07:002007-08-22T11:48:07.974-07:00TV shows about Climate Change & us.Meghan G from yelp.com says:<br /><br />"On the topic of global warming and the climate I thought I would share that NPR and National Geographic have teamed up to do a year long series called Climate Connections. They are looking at how we are affecting the climate and more importantly and mostly overlooked by other media outlets, how the climate is affecting us. Great stories from all over the world that really make you think." Links:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9657621">http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9657621</a><br /><br /><a href="http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/climateconnections/">http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/climateconnections/</a><br /><br />Thanks Meghan!Climate Change Colloquiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117628428804030657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935089878808535502.post-3308341687277911742007-08-22T10:54:00.000-07:002007-08-22T11:01:46.704-07:00Clara - One of SevenClick on the bold link below to read the story of Clara, a determined African woman who brought clean energy to her District.<br />Clara is a shining example of entrepreneurs who brave odds to make a living & a positive social impact at the same time.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;color:#000000;"><a href="http://www.eandco.net/newsletter/newsletter_s07_clara.php">One of Seven</a></span><br /><span style="font-size:180%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ff0000;">The story is from the E+Co website </span><a href="http://www.eandco.net/"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ff0000;">http://www.eandco.net</span></a><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ff0000;"> E+Co invests in entrepreneurs working with clean energy all over the world. I read about them in the book "The Fortune at the Bottom of the pyramid" by CK Prahalad.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ff0000;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Thanks for reading!</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;">Manasi</span>Climate Change Colloquiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117628428804030657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935089878808535502.post-19887086283681979612007-08-21T16:01:00.000-07:002007-08-21T16:07:59.444-07:00Noteworthy people & websites out to make a positive impact<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.yelp.com/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.greendimes.com%2F" onclick="externalLinks(this);">http://www.greendimes.com/</a><br /><br />Recommended by Chloe F. who says:<br />"For $0.10 cents per day they will stop 75-90% of junk mail that comes to you, and they will plant 10 trees"<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="Recommended%20by%20Chloe%20F.">http://www.betterworldshopper.com/</a><br /><br />Recommended by Chloe F.<br /><strong>"BETTER WORLD SHOPPER </strong> is a site dedicated to providing people with a comprehensive, up-to-date, reliable account of the social and environmental responsibility of every company on the planet AND making it available in practical forms that individuals can use in their everyday lives. Coming out of more than 5 years of intensive research, this work is based on a comprehensive database of over 1000 companies and utilizes 25+ reliable sources of data to cover everything from the environment to human rights, community development to animal protection.+ = from the website<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19378595/site/newsweek/page/0/">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19378595/site/newsweek/page/0/</a><br /><br />Recommended by Miriam who says:<br /><br />"Here's a great article on why we ought to give up our bottled water habit.<br /><br />Battling Bottled Water<br />San Francisco is cracking down on the sale of single-serving plastic water bottles. Mayor Gavin Newsom speaks out on why he's leading the charge."Climate Change Colloquiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117628428804030657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935089878808535502.post-6340387513180563772007-06-26T07:16:00.000-07:002007-07-07T07:58:02.406-07:00Noteworthy News<a href="http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070614/ZNYT05/706140906/-1/RSS"><span style="font-size:130%;">Putting Energy Hogs in the Home on a Strict Low-Power Diet</span></a> - LARRY MAGID<br />An eye opener for all those who think they couldn't possibly be more energy conscious.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Suggested by Chloe</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Of potential use to: everyone.</span><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mid-atlanticimports.com/grn.htm"><span style="font-size:130%;">Green Recycling Network</span></a><span style="font-size:130%;"> </span><br />"Green Recycling Network offers an innovative system to improve efficiency and financial results for large facility owners while simultaneously contributing toward a cleaner environment. We are a collaboration of companies that recycle materials used during the deconstruction phase of renovations."<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Suggested by by Tim Morton</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Of potential use to Architects, Contractors, home/business owners.</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.njbiz.com/view_release.asp?aID=2509"><span style="font-size:130%;">Headwaters Technology Innovation Receives Highest Environmental Award Given In The US</span></a> - from njchamber.com<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Suggested by Manasi Kashyap</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Of potential use to: Institutions gunning for green innovations, green innovators.</span><br /><br /><br /><br />If you have something noteworthy to contribute, please email us at controlclimatechange@gmail.com<br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mid-atlanticimports.com/grn.htm"></a>Climate Change Colloquiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117628428804030657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935089878808535502.post-13759209961665780252007-06-06T06:44:00.000-07:002007-07-07T07:58:12.113-07:00Climate Change - How responsive have you been?Hi all,<br />Climate change has most of us thinking and some of us acting.In what way have you responded?Please take the poll on the right hand side of the blog. If we’ve missed listing something important to you, please feel free to leave a comment on the blog. <strong>Mozilla Firefox</strong> users will find the poll to the right & <strong>Internet explorer</strong> users will have to scroll down some.<br /><em>Please select only appropriate choices to keep the poll real (the poll is on the right side of the page).</em><br /><br /><strong>Some of the choices include:</strong><br />-Taking your own grocery bags instead of bringing back plastic ones.<br />-Buying less over packaged goods.<br />-Printing double sided.<br />-Retrofitting the house with some energy efficient appliances.<br />-Wearing more clothes in winter instead of turning up the heat.<br />And more ...<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The results are public. To view them, click "View results" at the bottom of the poll box.</span><br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"></span></strong><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><strong>Your comments are very welcome! If you wish to talk about how difficult or easy it was to make your change in attitude stick, please tell us about it!</strong></span>Climate Change Colloquiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117628428804030657noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935089878808535502.post-50280806959489688112007-06-04T08:13:00.000-07:002007-07-07T07:58:28.934-07:00Local Law 86, the Green Building Standards LawQuote from Mayor's Office of Operation:<br /><br />"Background: Local Law 86, the Green Building Standards Law, became effective on January I, 2007. The law is designed to reduce New York City's electricity consumption, air pollution and water use, as well as improve occupant health and worker productivity through the use of green building standards in certain capital projects. Executive Order 97 of 2006 authorizes the Director of the Office of Environmental Coordination (OEC) to exercise the Mayor's duties for the implementation of the law, including rulemaking, administering exemptions, monitoring compliance, publishing findings on other proposed standards, and taking all actions necessary to implement and administer the law. Mayoral rules implementing the provisions of Local Law 86 have been promulgated. Local Law 86, EO 97 and the rules can be downloaded from OEC's website at <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/oec">www.nyc.gov/oec</a>.<br />Applicability and Requirements: Local Law 86 applies to certain city-owned or city-funded building construction or renovation projects, with the exception of residential and industrial projects, that begin design after January I, 2007. Projects in design before January I, 2007 may also be subject to the law unless final design was approved by the Office of Management and Budget through the issuance of a Certificate to Proceed or City capital dollars were received from the City treasury before January I, 2007.Capital projects of entities that are not City agencies are not subject to Local Law 86 unless 50% or more or $10 million or more of the estimated project costs are paid out of the City treasury."<br />Local Law 86 is available to be viewed at <a href="http://www.nyc.gov/html/oec/downloads/pdf/LL86/2Green_Buildings%20Rules-Final_Text-_Legal_1680311_.pdf">http://www.nyc.gov/html/oec/downloads/pdf/LL86/2Green_Buildings%20Rules-Final_Text-_Legal_1680311_.pdf</a><br /><br />Thanks to P.V. Anantharam for this information!Climate Change Colloquiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117628428804030657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935089878808535502.post-23459934274586640952007-05-07T10:24:00.000-07:002007-07-07T07:59:33.945-07:00"Regulating" impact. GreenSTAT the smart green regulator.<strong><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">Your comments on the design ideas below are welcome.</span></strong> Please click on the image for a larger view.<br /><strong><span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);"></span></strong><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdLXmbuybG3127y7hMBMXEQU225v09ACqcUhEbi2D87UeoroAtRFI2XQGaTeqQvCMLxfPozE132hVc2Jm5N61TMUG9R3mE8Wpvvl3mlm5mec6XF_2HHT4KCftzE11edNXSgZCrUXE82kN/s1600-h/REGULATORS.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5061872285776584786" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbdLXmbuybG3127y7hMBMXEQU225v09ACqcUhEbi2D87UeoroAtRFI2XQGaTeqQvCMLxfPozE132hVc2Jm5N61TMUG9R3mE8Wpvvl3mlm5mec6XF_2HHT4KCftzE11edNXSgZCrUXE82kN/s400/REGULATORS.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><strong>GreenStat</strong>– is the concept sketch of a climate control regulator/thermostat that consists of an analog display of emissions & dollars spent (or saved) directly tied to the temperature settings of the house.<br />The display would make it possible for residents to monitor in real time the impact their use of heating/cooling has on both the environment & their wallets.<br />Armed with such pertinent data, users are less likely to be careless about the settings of their thermostats & better able to gauge environmental impact while monitoring air-conditioning costs.<br /><br /><strong>How will “GreenStat” work?<br /></strong>The regulator could be programmed specifically to individual residences or work-places by gathering temperature data in real time from sensors placed in separate rooms & plugging in current costs of heating/cooling. Data related to emissions, produced due to heating/cooling and location on the globe would also be tied in.<br /><br /><strong>Why a climate control regulator?</strong><br />The building industry is one of the largest polluters in the world. Energy used for indoors heating/cooling generates millions of tons emissions every year. So far control of energy use for indoor temperature regulation has been largely controlled by the product itself or building management.<br /><em><span style="color: rgb(0, 51, 0);">De-centralizing the point of temperature regulation and allowing individual users to make informed decisions about the use of energy & it’s environmental/monitory impact could stand to affect the building industry is a very positive way by reducing emissions.</span></em><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCkkhU01bQd8Crl21pgdATVJ6MHtk4Tzx5cC-iUhAHl00EIe6YUbAbCQg-QOGGY2FIos3BObwygp7EB6qlmpjAPfGIsSpM-qjhT84mZ62m38J82M8eii8I8K2BXYGIunAgib4Z6TEMBAj/s1600-h/house.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5061872161222533186" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrCkkhU01bQd8Crl21pgdATVJ6MHtk4Tzx5cC-iUhAHl00EIe6YUbAbCQg-QOGGY2FIos3BObwygp7EB6qlmpjAPfGIsSpM-qjhT84mZ62m38J82M8eii8I8K2BXYGIunAgib4Z6TEMBAj/s400/house.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdrAZvrvT1tFDGuwaRZSpgkgz5IloSP1zwd7otier0VEyEPfNbxdBjcmS3vC3KxjZ0b_mSh06vRKpbOYzyHKmnVZr82V_TfMnL4nlpCTIzKf1OspEngnUgBMTgjYoB02i_cF3hcw5Fxs5Y/s1600-h/REGULATORS.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><div></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUCoXEFk1KLeoVqGYMnIIoU78PlVjhEAo2tcGJwZ4-1nEX6cPtpyqWiyGGWujfrmhJNVzvlYGLilE4HON943I_Er4K4YNbK0VJchBAT7ktcUC2bmCFXqjCYUTKWrhyG5TFymLZNAQs3Jv5/s1600-h/house.jpg"></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div></div></div></div></div></div>Climate Change Colloquiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117628428804030657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935089878808535502.post-76457664060054480602007-05-05T10:02:00.000-07:002007-07-07T07:59:44.619-07:00Controlling YOUR impact on climate change - travel green.<span style="color: rgb(204, 0, 0);">We would love to have your input or comments. If you can make this work or run with it, it's yours. If think there's a better way to do this, tell us & we'll publish it. This is very open-source & collaborative. So far, 5 CCC members have worked on this idea. If you know of anyone who would be interested in using this idea, please let them know.</span><br /><br />Below is a concept-sketch for a travel mapping website (like Mapquest or Google Maps), that would calculate:<br />1. Your trip cost (using your zip code for fuel cost - a one time entry).<br />2. Your trip emissions (using car model & fuel grade - a one time entry).<br />3. AND give you locally available mass transit alternatives.<br />Also, (this is debatable) if you consistently saved emissions by making informed decisions (read use of mass transit, bike routes, hybrid/electric cars), it would give you “green points” which you could redeem to buy sustainable products. These decisions would be recorded on a system similar to the "smart trip" card in Washington DC.<br />The premise is that armed with such pertinent & quantifiable data, people are more likely to be conscious of their impact on the environment & their wallets.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9_-mzCVFrXvffbG_w59wKD7azJ4MmdZHoqeA1X9Qo_DtXN9hMXZ_FBKPbOiE3M79vct7fsxT7V-5314oFVdEmwOY96u_LeZ46mbDBqTTuVG-vA4DQwuS346TqVP1jIEyLAiySUglJjg3/s1600-h/greenTRAVEL+2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062292342168068226" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9_-mzCVFrXvffbG_w59wKD7azJ4MmdZHoqeA1X9Qo_DtXN9hMXZ_FBKPbOiE3M79vct7fsxT7V-5314oFVdEmwOY96u_LeZ46mbDBqTTuVG-vA4DQwuS346TqVP1jIEyLAiySUglJjg3/s400/greenTRAVEL+2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjko63F0RIrPZwQXCRPywJnLM8VEW9Sob020TWs3U11-f07qFkxKRXVK1TOayaKPv3qOJdKR23e2_OWgBzKgKWOH4KyQy8jfR2G9xCzXWjzKB959crxsARUHXby3O9DLMMEkQKAFhwwTZne/s1600-h/greenTRAVEL.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062292277743558770" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjko63F0RIrPZwQXCRPywJnLM8VEW9Sob020TWs3U11-f07qFkxKRXVK1TOayaKPv3qOJdKR23e2_OWgBzKgKWOH4KyQy8jfR2G9xCzXWjzKB959crxsARUHXby3O9DLMMEkQKAFhwwTZne/s400/greenTRAVEL.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQx3mG3uPJNtIWnSKJmDiye0gVIrwK3JeAlaUMuZsmfHxxTo0Vf5_L637EEIEk08YLxhIZqPs9yyr-TqTteQGkNZy9qI4YgMfFSRXaIT7Iu7IO7yTjxJNiPFuy9m53hZJ-UrF3LVR-SGaN/s1600-h/greenTRAVEL+option+Hybrid.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5062292213319049314" style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center;" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQx3mG3uPJNtIWnSKJmDiye0gVIrwK3JeAlaUMuZsmfHxxTo0Vf5_L637EEIEk08YLxhIZqPs9yyr-TqTteQGkNZy9qI4YgMfFSRXaIT7Iu7IO7yTjxJNiPFuy9m53hZJ-UrF3LVR-SGaN/s400/greenTRAVEL+option+Hybrid.jpg" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span style="font-family:Times-Bold;">Allowing consumers to quantify environmental impact through user interface design.</span></b></span> <p class="MsoNormal"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVOBsNDbt4ZgAUbDLKXJupDJLYqaK8L9KdxzZd37ck-3_DGe6hpvC_msZkDHnvIROBVRjvj20kJYtlnsORNXSfJy0qH_JKVOU3UNc2xSvxJhCr5XZ3aVk__PF9vQ_RIEvC4tR1mYvn9CTx/s1600-h/GreenTravel+concept2.jpg"></a></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >More than government and institutions, it is people who have become motivated to act upon climate change. Consumers are pushing industries to produce more eco friendly products.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >Many continue to plant trees, recycle trash, use public transport & conserve resources in ways that are possible for them. </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span style="font-family:Times-Italic;">Yet how many people are aware of the environmental</span></i></span><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span style="font-family:Times-Italic;">impact their actions (positive or negative) have in terms of hard numbers</span></i></span><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >?<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >The CCC is currently working on ideas in the realm of transportation & indoors climate control through which it believes that </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span style="font-family:Times-Italic;">people - not just regulatory bodies - will truly be</span></i></span><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span style="font-family:Times-Italic;">able to control climate change</span></i></span><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >The ideas currently on the boards are both practical & very marketable due their fungibility. They are in simple terms - “grafts” on existing technologies. We believe that resources already exist through which these ideas could be implemented in a short period of time should the appropriate individuals or organizations take them on.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span style="font-family:Times-Bold;">GreenTravel</span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >- is a conceptual website layout based on existing road & travel mapping models not unlike Mapquest or Google Maps.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >GreenTravel allows travelers to plug in the make/type of vehicle with fuel grade they intend to use along with the start & destination addresses. The search results show (in close approximate numbers) the amount of emissions generated for a specific mode of transportation they use (say an SUV, hybrid or public transit). The website also allows them to explore more sustainable alternatives for travel (such as ride-shares, bikes & buses locally available). Apart from providing users </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span style="font-family:Times-Italic;">real emission numbers</span></i></span><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span style="font-family:Times-Italic;">through inbuilt algorithms </span></i></span><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >on which to base their travel decisions, the website would also allow them to tap into an existing infrastructure of sustainable travel practices.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >The website would also be a place for certified green products to advertise themselves<o:p></o:p> & perhaps offer “green rewards” to users who consistently make less polluting travel decisions.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span style="font-family:Times-Bold;">Why “GreenTravel”?<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >Next to the building industry, the </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span style="font-family:Times-Italic;">transportation industry is the next biggest polluter</span></i></span><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >. </span><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >A solution similar to this website (or an adaptation of it) could stand to make a significant impact on climate change by </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span style="font-family:Times-Italic;">influencing the travel decisions of millions of</span></i></span><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" > </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span style="font-family:Times-Italic;">commuters </span></i></span><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >many of whom are already using existing travel mapping websites.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span style="font-family:Times-Bold;">Who stands to gain from “GreenTravel” ?<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >First and foremost – the community. Secondly, websites such as Google Maps,</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span style="font-family:Times-Bold;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></span><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" > Mapquest & others could gain substantially by making </span><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span style="font-family:Times-Italic;">design tweaks on their existing websites </span></i></span><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >to accommodate green/sustainable travel alternatives.</span><span style="font-size:100%;"><i><span style="font-family:Times-Italic;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><b><span style="font-family:Times-Bold;">New info that might be needed for the website:</span></b></span><br /><span style=";font-family:Times-Roman;font-size:100%;" >1. A database of makes/types of cars available<br />2. A database of different fuel grades available and costs of such based on local zip code.<br />3. A database/algorithms of average emissions produced by specific car sizes/models & fuels grades combined together.<br />4. A way for people to validate their “green points” & for them to redeem them.</span><span style=";font-family:Times-Bold;font-size:10;" ><o:p></o:p></span></p><strong>Websites which could use this approach:</strong></div><div><strong>1. </strong><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&amp;amp;amp;amp;hl=en&tab=wl&q="><strong>Google Maps</strong></a></div><div><strong>2. </strong><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps?ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&amp;amp;amp;amp;hl=en&tab=wl&q="><strong>Mapquest</strong></a></div><div><strong>3.</strong><a href="http://www.traffic.com/"><strong>Traffic.com</strong></a></div><div><strong>4. </strong><a href="http://walkingguide.mapmyrun.com/"><strong>http://walkingguide.mapmyrun.com/</strong></a><br /><strong>5. </strong><a href="http://www.bikemetro.com/route/routehome.asp"><strong>http://www.bikemetro.com/route/routehome.asp</strong></a></div><div><strong>6.</strong><a href="http://bycycle.org/"><strong>http://bycycle.org/</strong></a></div><div><br /><br /></div><p class="MsoNormal"><o:p><br /></o:p></p><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 102);"></span><div><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnnkpYlPMd1IeHQA9lgNP1KNHTevgUFNUFw0cAdfYnLw2Z291FtFDBOIaiyNo_NkqHGLiLaRG5B4YYZ-FEDERdGWW5_hlrReGkADU1KSOXpiuNW4bIdXkn6SBFaaQEN4AO68HE2xTUTBMm/s1600-h/GreenTravel+concept3.jpg"><br /></a></div>Climate Change Colloquiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117628428804030657noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935089878808535502.post-10061497696685229832007-05-04T19:41:00.000-07:002007-07-07T07:59:56.583-07:00Design Sketches to come shortly...Finishing touches are being applied to design sketches & narratives & shall be uploaded shortly.<br />Both these concepts address climate change & the environment directly - one is a website concept layout called "GreenTRAVEL" & the other one is "GreenSTAT".<br />All of these have been shown to friends, workmates & family, some of whom were struck speechless by the ingenuity of the ideas & wondered why no one's put them into action yet.<br />Others barfed on them, & brought up interesting (and often vile) criticism.<br /><br />Stay tuned...Climate Change Colloquiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117628428804030657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935089878808535502.post-55687309752191308072007-05-03T06:49:00.001-07:002007-07-07T08:00:20.749-07:00Members & what they do.<strong>What members do:</strong><br />Most members of the CCC have full time jobs. They are essentially volunteers who beleive that they have something positive and practical to contribute towards addressing climate change. They also agree that climate change cannot be addressed only at the 'top' or policy making level - it needs to be a 'bottom up' process. Members try to explore ideas which if implemented would create awareness & also stand a chance of surviving in the market. There are no rules. A lot of dialogue & ideas are explored & some of them come out looking very promising.<br /><br /><strong>Who can be a member?</strong><br />Anyone. From anywhere. If you're already in the process of working on ideas or projects related to the environment elsewhere in the world, we'd love to hear about them. You can email us (use the link on the right) and we'll publish your doings. If you'd only like to comment on what we've published without becomming directly involved, we welcome that too. All you have to do is leave a comment. Comments are published after moderation.<br /><br />Below is a growing list of CCC members:<br /><strong></strong><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><strong>Joe Popp</strong>:</span> A favorite amongst the young folks that work with him, Joe has not yet been known to get in anyone's hair. He has an unnaturally high threshold of tolerance & would have made a great peace negotiator if he hadn't been an Architect. He took to the CCC idea early on & is always willing to be part of where it goes.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><strong>Manasi Kashyap</strong>:</span> Manasi complains a lot. Especially about how much people waste. She would love to be known as a tree hugging vegetarian but eats way too much meat for that to become possible. She trained as an architect but has a horrible weakness for yarn, making her a noisy loom-weaver in her spare hours.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><strong>Steve Breslin</strong>:</span> Steve's defining moment in life arrived when he was mistakenly labelled "Dr Steve Breslin" at a science & technology conference attended by many PhD persons. He still hangs the label outside his office door. Steve's knowledge about labs & scientists is surpassed only by his love for walking around barefoot. He's an architect and also (we think) an engineer. Steve isn't afraid to explore brave new ideas even if they smell funny.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><strong>Bill Jackson</strong>:</span> often bikes to work. He studied at Texas A&M University & is a 3D visualization wizard. People quickly learn to be good to Bill or he morphs their faces into laughable jokes and puts them somewhere where everyone can see them. He was the first CCC member-recruit who didn't give Manasi the "you're nuts!" look.<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(153, 0, 0);"><strong>Venkatachalam Plachikkat</strong>:</span> also known as Chalam tends to think that architects should leave everyone the hel* alone. He might be gradually changing that point of view. He studied to be an electrical engineer but is happy living in the world of finance. He devours, on an average, 6 movies a week - most of them foreign films and also likes eating pitted prunes.<br /><br />And growing...Climate Change Colloquiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117628428804030657noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3935089878808535502.post-27610437942601456582007-05-01T11:16:00.000-07:002007-07-07T08:00:10.883-07:00The Climate Change Colloquium comes to be.Climate change has become a global phenomenon that is forcing responses from all countries, cultures and professional disciplines. It is emerging to be much like the danger AIDS is to mankind only much bigger as it stands to affect all life. As disciplines like the applied sciences and the industry start to respond to the potential threats to biodiversity and increasing global warming, individuals could contribute much through dialogue and design at a grass roots level.<br /><br />The Climate Change Colloquium is a collaborative public platform for the development and discussions of ideas that have the potential to address climate change. Within the CCC, ideas come together to form both new stand-alone concepts and also ‘grafts’ on existing products, services and technologies which would make them potentially more viable in addressing climate change. As a diverse and widespread forum of individuals the CCC is exceptionally positioned to serve as a creative platform to address climate change.<br /><br />CCC was initiated by architects who believed that as a profession they understood the implications of the built environment and were uniquely capable to act as catalysts while bridging diverse disciplines. CCC is also driven by concerned and innovative individuals with a pragmatic bent of mind and positive attitudes who believe that to be most effective climate change should be addressed ‘bottom-up’. The CCC connects with other institutions and industries actively addressing climate change and shares with them the ideas it has developed so they may be taken up by interested parties who have the means and resources to implement them. In return, support from organizations and individuals willing to support the CCC is very welcome.Climate Change Colloquiumhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08117628428804030657noreply@blogger.com2