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As someone who blogs to you all frequently about algae, it is with great enthusiasm that I write a few words about the 'blob' that appeared in Chukchi Sea, Alaska. The 'blob' or sometimes referred to as the 'glob'  or the 'goo', is 12 miles long of black filamentous, or 'hairy' plant life. It was discovered in a far end of Alaska. The growth of algae is a natural occurrance, and this particular strain is considered at this point, aside from trapping a few jellyfish, to be non-toxic.

The growth of algae is a response to the way light and nutrients combine in water. These conditions may include an area of low water level, creating a surface algae. Algae grows very quickly once the perfect conditions present themselves. So what does it all mean? Well, that is yet to come, but it is possible that this algae form is natures response to global warming in a more positive way than we are used to concluding when we hear the phrase ' response to global warming'.

Check out GEOENGINEERING WOWS on this web-site, where it is noted that when the cold water from below is pumped up to produce surface algae the result is one of the greatest cleaners of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. What suggests this is a possibility is the remote location of the origin of 'the blob', an area where the surface water is extremely cold. Cold water causes algae to bloom, blooming algae cleans carbon dioxide from greenhouse gasses. This cold, cold water which exists right on the surface combining with sunlight, at the intensity it is at these days with the factors of global warming, and the right nutrients and voila, it's the blob! Allowed to grow undisturbed, the growth begins and the algae is undeterred from it's mission.

However, certainly only blanket statements from scientists are currently available, because the analysis will take some time. What we do know is best summed up by 'Coast Guard Petty Officer 1st Class Terry Hasenauer (who) says, "It's certainly biological. It's definitely not an oil product of any kind. It has no characteristics of an oil, or a hazardous substance, for that matter. It's definitely, by the smell and the makeup of it, it's some sort of naturally occurring organic or otherwise marine organism.' The Blob

Environmentalists have been becoming increasingly concerned recently that the economic slowdown may impede businesses from adopting more sustainable business practices, and that the drive towards greening our world is losing momentum. This week saw some encouraging signs to the contrary, with two major retailers forwarding significant initiatives to put their weight towards sustainability.

The first is Walgreen's, which cut the ribbon on its first LEED certified store in San Diego, as announced in June. BGTV member ecologism covers the opening here with a detailed description of the building as well as Walgreen's approach towards sustainability which includes merchandising its almost 7,000 stores with more environmentally products.

The other major announcement came from Wal-Mart, that behemoth retailer that generated over $400B in sales last year, and whose moves shape and influence the entire retailing ecosystem. The initiative involves a labeling system which requires every one of its 100K suppliers to calculate and disclose the environmental impact of its products, including environmental costs of production, transportation, and longer term effects. These labeling systems are considered incredibly complex, and while Walmart's system has been in the works for years, it will still take more time to implement (2011 is the earliest estimate).

Environmental labeling systems aren't an entirely new idea. Several models have existed in Europe and Asia for some time, and in 2007 UK Supermarket chain Tesco launched a "carbon labeling" program. But when Walmart gets involved, the ripple effects will be massive given the company's size and influence over how products are made distributed (it comprises 50% of some retail indexes). Of course the labeling is only one aspect of driving actual change in the production cycle, but Walmart believes that transparency is the first step.

You can find more on the topic and even follow the Twitter stream here on BingTweets.

Nestor Archival, a building contractor from the Philippines, has designed his home full of holes. Nestor's perspective is that homes need ventilation. In the Philippines, where it is very hot, this has proven to be an effective design idea. The design goes against some of the usual thinking behind building a house, that Nestor states is based on our ideas of security. So, despite having holes in the front door, and every room, including bathrooms, bedrooms, his home is very safe, but more importantly, very economical when it comes to cooling it.

The holes are both square and round, and seem to pepper the house. Lodged inside the holes are pieces of plastic piping. The piping is taken from what is discarded at construction sites. There are screens attached to the hole, keeping out the insects. There are also holes in the ceiling. These are stuffed with the neck of empty wine bottles, and their glass bodies hang, acting like the bodies of light bulbs. These empty wine bottles run along the ceiling, these 'light bulbs', allow for ventilation, provide light, and cost absolutely nothing to run.

But Nestor doesn't stop there, determined to prove his dedication to reducing his carbon footprint, he has garden fences made of glass bottles, baking soda containers for lamp shades, and railings made out of soda cans. For more, check out HOUSE OF HOLES

Why Waste A Ribbon When You Can Plant A Tree...

San Diego, CA- Walgreens celebrated the opening of the nations first green drugstore yesterday not with a traditional ribbon-cutting ceremony but with the planting of a native tree. "We felt that planting a tree was much more appropriate then cutting a ribbon and then throwing it away" said Jamie J. Meyers, The LEED AP Project architect who was there for the celebrations.

Walgreens, the nations largest drug store chain is once again changing the landscape for the American consumer, this time for the greener. The store in question was designed from the ground up around the dual mission of efficiency and sustainability. Not only is it the first drug store in the U.S. to meet the USGBCs stringent LEED design standards but the 24-hour store also sells a host of environmentally friendly products. By exceeding LEED requirements and integrating eco-friendly product lines into their inventory they have taken steps that cannot simply be attributed to the common corporate "greenwashing"

A Serious Commitment...

With this project and future plans for many more like it, Walgreens has made a serious commitment to sustainability. Here are just a few of the things they have built into this store on the architectural side;

-Take for instance the landscaping: They used all native plants which will require no watering whatsoever once they have adjusted to transplanting. Here in San Diego that's a pretty big deal as we are in the midst of a level two drought emergency...

-They took great pains to reduce lighting energy waste by utilizing 75% natural sunlight during daytime hours. This was achieved with the installation of solar tubes and skylights that shine down from the ceiling. This combined with LEDs in their signs and coolers reduces lighting related energy use by 50%

-They are mitigating storm water pollution from the surrounding buildings by collecting and filtering water as it flows onto their lot.

-Water use is estimated at 50% below LEED standard levels.

-75% of materials were architectural salvage from the previous structure that existed on the lot.

-A white roof was included to reduce cooling related energy use as well as to mitigate the urban heat island effect.

-There are many other green details as well, such as hybrid car parking spaces, a bike rack, and a site in part chosen for it's close proximity to public transportation.

While other companies have made token gestures to the green movement Walgreens really seems to get it. While there is still room for further improvement, the significant steps they have taken to "go green" far surpass the typical dog and pony show that passes for environmentalism these days in many companies.

At some point the question was seriously posed- "How can we make ourselves more efficient and sustainable?" And someone took the time to find some awnsers. Yet here we find the question that all modern companies will be faced with as energy prices soar and the public becomes more aware of their own effect on the planet. Whether it's the product they produce, the service they provide, or the goods that they sell companies large and small cannot escape the changes that are occurring in our environment. Those who don't respond to these changes will end up like Walgreens competitors such as Eckerd; just struggling to keep up with the pack.

Signed into law on February 17, 2009 by President Obama the Recovery Act does include measures to enhance energy independence but exactly how far does the stimulus package go towards a Greener economy? By some accounts only $60 billion of the allotted $787 billion dollars will support shovel-ready traditional and “green technology” water, wastewater and energy infrastructure needs at the state and local level. Under the specific heading of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy $16,800,000,000 will be divvied up by the Department of Energy into various energy programs. A sizeable portion ($3,200,000,000) will be made available for Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants. These grants must adhere to the criteria set forth by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Specifically defined as implementation of programs authorized under subtitle E of title V.

While this is a large amount of money - proportionately speaking - is it enough given the task at hand? In large part energy technologies in this country haven’t changed since Thomas Edison designed the Pearl power plant in Manhattan in 1882. Can 125 years of complacency be turned around with a mere 2.5% of the stimulus package directed towards the solution? Stay tuned.

Our government does appear to be on the right track to a certain extent. It seems they do see value in achieving efficiency for their own buildings. The Real Property Activities Federal Building Fund has set aside $4,500,000,000 to convert GSA facilities to High-Performance Green Buildings. Green-retrofits are also on the agenda for other government housing programs including the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Last night I went to see Food, Inc. In my opinion the movie did not have much new to say about Big Agribusiness but it was well worth seeing, to see how many key people in government that have determination over our national food policy have previous relationships with companies like Monsanto, as well as reaffirm the fragility consumers have over their food choices.

The panel discussion that followed the movie included friends Lisa Taranto of Tricycle Gardens and Lisa Dearden of The Center For Rural Culture and The Goochland's Farmer's Market. The audience participation was lively- I particularly liked a cardiologist who said, "Everyone complains about the high cost of eating better, but don't understand that the medicine to treat the ailments caused by poor health and not eating well are more expensive. We all need to understand that we, individuals, need to be responsible for our own health."

One question asked repeatedly was "How can we make good food affordable for those that need it most and can't afford it?"

We rely on the grocers, the farmers. We can vote with our purchase dollars, telling these businesses that we, as consumers, want humanely raised, pastured meat, and fresh, local vegetables. But what was not discussed was that not only should you take responsibility for your own personal health (eat well, work out, to prevent sickness and disease), but that each person should have the RIGHT to responsibly grow their own backyard (and front yard) veggies, that each person should have the RIGHT to responsibly have a few laying hens and mini-goats for (here's where I reel it back to economics) AFFORDABLE fresh eggs and milk for their family.

Have you seen the statistics on childhood diabetes and obesity lately?!?

Address affordability, health, passing on a sense of connection to animals and land to our children while providing them exercise: If you have a back yard:

Get some chickens! : ) 

I promise you, your children will chase and play with those chickens allllllllllllll day long, while teaching them about animals and where their food comes from.

For those (including zoning) that feel chickens are messy and smelly, I offer up an urban coop for your inspection.

Chickens naturally want to be in the brush, scratching for grubs while being protected from predators. So in your average residential back yard, they will be eating the japanese beetles from underneath your rose bushes, hiding in the acuba, pecking through your ivy. Therefore, their "mess" remains in areas that are not trafficked by the rest of the family.

...If only the dogs behaved so!

Unfortunately, many counties and cities have forbidden responsible urban farming. Did you know that a pair of mini-goats, each about 50 pounds, can provide your family with a gallon of fresh milk a day? Both of my dogs are larger than that. My local zoning says I have have three dogs - so I could have three 200 pound mastiffs - yet won't allow a few laying hens in the same back yard?

This is where we, as consumers, need to not only buy locally, eat well, but tell our local government that it should be everyone's right to be sustainable, to have, if they choose, those affordable, healthy options for their family.

P.s. If you like, join our FaceBook urban chicken group, CHICKUNZ, and if you're local, sign the petition for urban chicken in Henrico!

I have recently designed a small pavilion for Copenhagen International Wood Festival, near Statens Museum for Kunst, its a laboratory for wooden creations in public space. It's the first of its kind in Denmark, and takes place from August 10th to 22th. The festival is arranged by WoodWorks.

 more on: http://www.sorenkorsgaard.com/woodworks.htm

Sequestering carbon has been the most popular method of dealing with carbon dioxide emissions. But now companies like Green Carbon out of British Columbia, have demonstrated a way to turn CO2 back into it's separate forms, carbon and oxygen. They call it recycling carbon, and it's loads cheaper than burying it, about $70 per metric ton in savings.

Both the economics and the technology are equally interesting. There is an advantage of being able to still have access to the carbon and an ability to control it, which aren't available when burying it. These two factors it's inventor Viva Cundliffe had in mind. Viva Cundliffe is the environmental engineer who has spent five years on this project. How do people think of these ideas? Well, part of his perspective is thinking of carbon as an asset.

The process uses heat and 'special catalysts' to split 'post-combustion CO2.' The carbon comes out looking like 'pulverized coal'. They either re-inject it into a 'chamber, or transport it as a pellet.' Another conversion of CO2 being looked into is it's conversion into formic acid. CARBON RECYCLING

A prototype has been tested in Kamloops in 2006. Then again in 2008, and the third takes place this year. Cundliffe remarks that the results were 'as predicted and a lot better.' This is great news, there looks like much to look forward to from Cundliffe's discovery.

Hey BGTVers,

We hope you all had a great holiday weekend.

You may have noticed that over the weekend our beloved site lost some functionality, which was effected by some spammers. These passionate pharmaceutical vendors have knocked out one of our user databases and as a result some of you have been unable to log into the site.

While we're under reconstruction, we have rolled back our databases to a previous version. Fortunately, Copeland has been able to salvage most of your posts (we got some great ones in the past week or so!) which we'll be reposting to the site in the coming days. Unfortunately, however, we lost the accounts of some new users who joined our community recently. If you're one of the new members who registered in the past week and you don't see yourself in the Share section, we apologize and hope you will sign up with us again!

Thank you for your patience as we get our site tuned up. Stay tuned on the sites, or follow us on Twitter for ongoing updates.

This summer your vacation plans may include some hiking, as it is so easy to just go camping, or hiking instead of spending money on flying somewhere and hotel rooms.

Remember to consider yourself like a guest at someone's house, and be respectful towards nature during your visit. There are things to remember while hiking to minimize the damage of your presence. For instance, taking your pet monkey as shown in the picture (or maybe that's a dog), raises your level of ecological impact. Other examples include to remember to stay on the trails. Stepping on flowers and into the fields of flora and fauna is damaging. In case you were wondering, you can actually kill some flowers by stepping on them. Picking at trees, moss and bark is damaging to the trees. And of course it goes without saying that you shouldn't litter. Even throwing rocks or sticks seems harmless enough, but it's really not. You run the risk of disturbing animals, and when they feel threatened they just might come looking for you! More tips on HIKING TIPS

There are little worlds in every group of living things witnessed along your hike. What appears to be some rocks or a fallen branch somewhere is actually home to living creatures and plants. Like the saying goes, take a picture, it'll last longer!

Just like the scale of impact would imply, mountain bikes cause the most damage, hikers cause some damage and then there are the Barefoot Hikers! Yes, people are causing 'virtually no trail erosion' BAREFOOT HIKERS hiking trails in their bare feet. Sounds like good times.

If you don't know where to hike check out www.localhikes.com and get going!