201 Street » Enviroment

Sustainability is the Trend in Home Building

Brody — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 00:03:23 +0000

The newest trend in home building is green, or energy efficient, housing. Builders are beginning to realize that although building sustainable housing is more expensive initially, it is more appealing to people because in the long run they will save more money in their energy bills than the extra costs. In today’s economy people are unwilling to spend money that they do not absolutely need to spend. Saving money in the long run is very important not only for each family but for the economy as well.

Green building is not only great for the consumer, but is better for the environment as well. The less energy each house has to consume means less pollution in the environment. Houses that are built upon the eco-friendly designs typically have low flush toilets, water saving faucets and energy efficient appliances which all help conserve water usage to cut down bills and slow the depletion of our fresh water source.

The building materials of the home are also chosen based on durability and recycled content, meaning they are using recycled materials that are built to last. The design of the house is also created to reduce the environmental impact of the house, meaning it will not have a negative impact on its surroundings.

Since the idea of sustainable building has become popular, green building programs such as the NAHBGreen have come into existence. These programs advocate for green building, offer instructions and reasons to go green and set standards. When furnishing the house, there are also programs such as the Next Day Blinds builders program, which offers a direct connection with the company and will help design blinds specifically for the house. Next Day Blinds coupons can also be found online to help reduce the cost.

Sustainability is the future of home building as well as home buying. As this trend picks up momentum, traditional housing will become part of the past and new energy efficient housing will become the future.

Sustainability is the Trend in Home Building is a post from: 201 Street

Maria Telkes and Solar Power

Brody — Tue, 22 Feb 2011 18:45:34 +0000

With the advent of new solar technologies, there is a greater need today for understanding the complexity of solar energy. Although it has origins that are really connected to the beginning of life on the planet, its innovations have come to full force in the 21st century. Now, companies like California solar installers can make it possible for people to benefit from all the innovations, and make the most of this incredible source of energy.

There is a long history of visionary thinking in connection to solar power, and there are plenty of visionaries around today. In terms of sheer dedication to the cause of promoting the sun’s potential, there are few more esteemed than the Hungarian physicist Maria Telkes . A relative contemporary of Einstein, she moved to the US an worked for MIT, among other institutions. But it was MIT that saw her furthest effects on the world at large.

She not only was instrumental in getting solar heat into houses, she was also instrumental in advocacy for the development of this highly useful resource. It was a grant from the Ford Foundation that enabled her to develop solar ovens, which could not only be used to prepare most any national dish, but were also safe enough for children to use. Her work has left a long legacy, but it also still holds enormous potential for further development from the next generation of visionaries.

Maria Telkes and Solar Power is a post from: 201 Street

Sinking the Sea Taxi in Miami

Brody — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 16:59:53 +0000

On most days, the idea is to keep your ship afloat, but on December 30th of 2009, right before the end of the decade, the ship known as the Sea Taxi was towed to a spot off Key Biscayne and sunk, simultaneously changing its name to the Ophelia Brian. It became the biggest ship ever deliberately sunk to become an artificial reef in Miami-Dade County for the sport of scuba diving. This ship was originally constructed in 1965, forty-five years ago, by J.J. Sietas in Hamburg, Germany. The 210 foot vessel was christened Hoheburg, and has had a number of name changes over the years — the Marianne C., the Wilma, the Black Sea, the Ocean Breeze 1 — but ended its life above water as the Sea Taxi. Today, the Ophelia will serve as an artificial reef, which will provide another place for recreational diving, for eco tourism, even for fishing to the locals at home in Miami and the travelers in that city’s hotels. Previously, two other ships were sunk as artificial reefs — the Herbert Horn Type 458, sunk in 1984, and the Marie Horn Type 451, sunk in 1976. Below the surface of the water, their names changed, too, to Ultra Freeze and Deep Freeze.

These deliberately created wrecks will last for decades, and furnish a home for corals and marine fish, in addition to the opportunities made possible for fishing and diving. South Beach Dive and Surf is one of a number of sea diving companies that enable you to visit and explore these artificial reefs. You’ll find the PADI Five Star facility in the center of the fashionable South Beach area and within an easy walk to restaurants and hotels and other popular tourist sites. Established in 1995, they boast an experienced staff that will help you make your dives, according to your own level of experience. If you’re into diving, or know someone who is, this is an excellent way to explore a side of Miami most people don’t get to see, the world of Miami underwater!

Sinking the Sea Taxi in Miami is a post from: 201 Street

Wind Turbine Picks up Speed

Brody — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 17:07:07 +0000

It’s not a new idea to harvest the wind to generate electricity; the wind turbine was created in 1888 by Charles F. Brush in order to do just that. Enough energy was produced with these early turbines to supply one to two homes. Today, large commercial scale wind turbines will produce approximately 3 megawatts of electricity or more and power up to 750 homes in the United States. A dramatic growth in this industry has recently popped up in the U.S., along with an increased wind power capacity of 27 percent. According to the American Wind Energy Association, an additional increase of 26 percent is expected this year. Enthusiasm for small-scale wind turbines is on the rise, too.

Residential wind turbines were established and commercialized around the 20′s in the U.S. and became very popular and wide spread, but then the Rural Electrification Administration extended electric lines to most of the remoter areas in the 30′s and 40′s, which reduced the necessity of wind turbines. The oil crises of the 70′s brought back a flurry of renewed interest in residential wind turbines and the power they produce, tax credits and incentives helped spur the industry, but those supports ended in the 80′s.

Now, in the new century, interest in residential wind power has rebounded. Recent growth in wind turbine companies attribute utility rebate programs and a growing need for cleaner energy technology. Many others in the wind turbine industry say the reason for the increased number of financial incentive programs is to help reduce the very high initial costs associated with purchasing and installing a wind turbine. Another factor in the increase is because people simply want to do the right thing concerning the environment; they are looking for way to make a difference.

So, these days, there are hopes with the residential wind turbine industry to the passing of legislation, which would establish a federal tax credit for people who purchase a wind turbine; an immediate benefit to taxpayers and will aid in driving down the price of wind turbines to due an increase in manufacturing.

Wind Turbine Picks up Speed is a post from: 201 Street

Going Green in India

Brody — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 17:06:14 +0000

It was strange when I arrived to my room at a Five Star Hotel India and was bombarded with placards on the bed, on the dresser-drawers, on the bathroom counter and posted on the door was way with which I could go green while enjoying my stay in India. Apparently, The Maharashtra government and the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board along with the Department of Environment have all gotten together and have made it a huge project to make all tourist aware of how to help India in her attempts to reduce the impact and amount of harm all of us tourist can cause.

I appreciated that the hotel provided me with a traditional wind-up alarm clock rather than using an electronic one. The placard said I would be saving almost 48 grams of carbon dioxide each day. Another placard by the lamps said that they have switched from using 60 watt light bulbs and replaced them with a more energy-saving fluorescent bulb. This will produce four times less greenhouse gas emissions.

When I was eating in my hotel room, the hotel also offered me a free newspaper. On the front page reported that the budget for the ‘afforestation’s programme’ which was announced yesterday by The Maharashtra government will bring down the sales tax on composting machines used for making compost from organic solid waste. The Indian government is appealing to its people to unite to combat climate change. Asking everyone to pitch in to do their part in reducing carbon emissions. So, it seems that even the tourist industry is doing it’s part to help. I’m kind of glad, in a way, that they are. I feel somehow better for travelling to an already stressed out country and not adding to the stress and doing my part in helping with such simple ideas as reusing my shower towels and not getting new clean sheets put on my bed everyday. Simple really.

Going Green in India is a post from: 201 Street

Along the Banks of the Singapore River

Brody — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:38:17 +0000

Long before the Singapore of today, before the best Singapore hotels and resorts and restaurants, there were immigrants setting up on the shores of the Singapore River. This small area of the city was soon transformed from a tiny fishing town, to an international seaport, to a destination for modern travelers. There are various times in the river’s history, from the Pre-Colonial days, to Colonial and past. Tales of legends lay heavy on these shores, and modern travelers will hear of them should they spend just a bit of times, walking along the water and checking in with the local pubs and cafes, where the elders tell their stories.

Stamford Raffles founded Singapore during a time when many of the business men, the merchants and the fishermen had yet to become what they are today, the forefathers of a great nation. Lifestyle was meagre at that time, but built the legs of hard-work that the prosperity of the country stands upon today. The MerLion stands testament, at the river’s mouth, of the hard work and the dedication of the early inhabitants and immigrants of Singapore. Bridges now criss-cross the river, fro the simple as in the Ord Bridge to the elegant in design such as the Anderson Bridge. Anderson is located in the historic district as well as is the Cavenagh Bridge. This one was built in 1869 and leads up to the Empress Palace. This is the location now of the Victoria Concert Hall, named in honor for Queen Victoria and is the home of the Singapore Symphony.

Many mosques sit along the banks of the River, two of which are visited regularly by tourists are the Omar Kampong and the Tan Si Chong. Also close to the mosques are other historical points of interest such as the House of Parliament and the three Quays, the Boat, the Clarke and the Robertson. These memorials and historical landmarks also draw many visitors each year, and there are many seminars and lectures given at the museums along the river, describing and defining each of the locations particular part in the history of the country. Many choose to take in the sites by walking along the bands, while others take advantage of the boat tours that take place all day long up and down the river.

Along the Banks of the Singapore River is a post from: 201 Street

Vultures of Mumbai

Brody — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:37:33 +0000

I came to Mumbai to witness the return of the vultures. I’ve heard about their reappearance through a friend of mine who lives not to far from Kolkata. She’s been one of the few Parsi activists pursuing a different way other than leaving the dead on the ‘Tower of Silence’ because it’s been sited that a number of the vultures have dwindled in an alarming rate around Mumbai and around Kolkata.

I met her in the lobby of one of the 5 Star Mumbai Hotels, and we went off to observe the skies of Kolkata. She told me that it was definitely good news for the Parsi community and that a man who was the first to photographer of piles of half-eaten, rotting bodies from the Tower and who live in Mumbai, vigourously campaigned for ending this ageless ritual practice of leaving corpses to be fed by vultures. It has been proven that it hasn’t worked. The vultures have disappeared and died with the indiscriminate cutting down of tall palm trees and particularly around the Tower itself. The disappearance was notice back in 2005 and the disappearance has been attributed to the overuse and widespread use of Diclofenac, which is a medicine to treat cattle with which these birds feed on.

Recently, around two dozen of the vultures have been sighted near the Race Course and the nests were spotted on a few tall trees near the Victoria Memorial in Kolkata. Suggesting that the birds are once again breeding. Forest officials and bird-lovers have described the development as wonderful news. The forest department has begun to launch a vulture breeding program at the Buxa Tiger Reserve in the Northern part of Bengal. As we arrived to Kolkata, I look out the windshield of the car and saw several vultures circling and riding the thermals high up in the sky and my friend and I smile.

Vultures of Mumbai is a post from: 201 Street

The Incredible Juhu Beach of India

Brody — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:15:08 +0000

Juhu Beach in India is a site that draws many to her shores and provides such accomodations as the India five star hotels. A bit of a play on words, as many come to this beach in order to capture, or attempt to capture, the beauty of the colors, on the static frame of canvas. Many artists come to India to paint, which given the array of color and beauty it is no wonder. The tubes of paint necessary for one setting up their easel on Juhu beach must include and assortment of blues, as the waves which hit the beach night and day are brilliant turquoise, with strokes of green and purple.

This particular section of the Indian coastline will wash away the tensions and worries of a world that is becoming so modern that parents communicate with their children more via text messages than actual conversation. Juhu is in close proximity to other local beaches as well, equally serene and colorful, such as Santa Cruz, Andheri, and Vile Parle. The sunsets here, pull out the canvas and the paints once again, for to capture a sunset off of the Juhu shore is a bit like capturing a small part of heaven to bring home. The horizon line seems to go on endlessly, and the warmth of the oranges and reds is simply out of this world. From, literally, out..of..this..world, ethereal. The sun falling into the Arabian Sea will be a vision of India that will grace, and haunt, ones memory for the rest of their lives.

Once the sun sets, the air shifts a bit, as the serenity gives way to celebration. Ferry rides are available, similar to those at Chowpatty Beach. Also similar are the food stalls and the local chefs, and grandmothers, cooking on the beach the most delightful tidbits. Many of which will lead foreigners to search out the best Indian restaurants of their home towns once they return from vacation, for once one experiences the taste, one will have a taste for India for the rest of their lives. On the week end, the atmosphere is even more festive as the vendors and the acrobats take to the streets, and cricket games are taken up on the sand. This is such a hot spot in the country that, as in the U.S. film industry Malibu Beach has frequently appeared in the movies of Hollywood, Bollywood film makers film Juhu regularly, such as in the Danny Boyle film, “Slumdog Millionaire”.

The Incredible Juhu Beach of India is a post from: 201 Street

Zuari River

Brody — Tue, 26 May 2009 21:09:22 +0000

With a total length of 34 kilometers, he Zuari River is the longest river in Goa. It originates in the Western Ghats at Hermad-Barshem. In the interior region it is referred to as the Aghanashani. Its cerulean waters flow Southwest through the talukas of Tiswadi, Ponda Sanguem, Quepem, Mormugoa, and Salcete. There are many beautiful riverside areas for tourists staying in Goa hotels to have a picnic and enjoy their afternoon. The also have the option of booking a river cruise.

The Mandovi Rivers along with the Zuari form the backbone of Goa’s agricultural industry. With the construction of the CumbarjuemCanal, which links the two rivers, they have the capacity to enable ships to reach the iron ore mine interiors. The waters of both of the rivers flush out into the Arabian Sea at Cabo Aguado. Vasco da Gama is the port city that lies on the mouth of Zuari River.

The Arabian Sea is a beautiful body of water that forms a specific region of the Indian Ocean. India lies on its East side, Pakistan and Iran are on its North side and it is bounded on the West by the Arabian Peninsula. It has a maximum width of 2,400 kilometers and a maximum depth of 4,652 meters. The Indus River of Pakistan is the largest river to feed into the Arabian Sea. It has two important branches, which are the Gulf of Arden in the Southwest and the Gulf of Oman in the Northwest. The Gulf of Arden connects to the Red Sea through the straight of Bab-el-Mandeb. The Gulf of Oman connects to the Persian Gulf. There are other smaller gulfs including the Gulf of Cambay and the Gulf of Kutch, which lie on the Indian Coast. The Sea has constituted major trade routes throughout history, and has connected various cultures. Sailors have used the seasonal monsoon wind to carry them across its waters.

Zuari River is a post from: 201 Street

Musicians, Dancers and Matadores of Spain

Brody — Tue, 26 May 2009 19:38:29 +0000

Spain is known for their beaches, their art, their cuisine and their fiestas. In every village, festivals are occurring throughout the year, such as the Pamplona Bull Runs, the Fireworks festival in Valencia, and the incredible festival of Seville, the the Feria de Abril. Throughout Spain traditional forms of art and sport have elevated the participants to celebrity status and provide locals and visitors with incredible experiences. Two such forms that occur daily, and that are celebrated with festivals, are the Flamenco Dance and Music, and the Bullfighters.

The traditional song and dance throughout the country of Spain is the Flamenco. This is an emotional art form often touching on subjects such as nature and love, the songs are known for their tonal tragedy, their intensity and by the emotional depth of the musicians. The core of this art is the song, sounding at various moments a bit lighter sometimes as in the bulerias, and more serious as with the soleares. As with the dancing, this is often an improvised art, with the structure of traditional chords and rhythms providing the backbone for the improvisation. The female dancers are recognized for their graceful and emotive hands and the incredible way they hold the positioning of their bodies. The men are known for their ability to perform the tap dance like rhythms of the intricate steps of the Zapateado. The music has hints of Asian influences, and the dance is similar to the dances of traditional India.

The information on where to catch these shows can be found in any of the five star hotels. Spain is also the country of the Bull-fight and matadors, where the fiestas are the most traditional and represent the culture, the art and history of the entire country. Regardless of the pressure put on the country by animal rights groups, the King of Spain refuses to ban the sport, which in Spain is considered an art. The bull-fights are celebratory and ritualistic expressions, often connected with days of feasts honoring the Spanish conquest of the Moors. Today, the bull fighting is a major business and many of the top bull-fighters are regarded with the reverence of the country’s rock stars and soccer players. On visiting Spain either the Flamenco shows or the Bull-fights provide the traveler with the unique insight to this culturally and historically rich country.

Musicians, Dancers and Matadores of Spain is a post from: 201 Street