WWF - Use your Ideas to Save the Planet

If you suddenly have a lightbulb-shining-over-your-head kind of thought that could help our planet, don't keep it to yourself: go to http://www.openplanetideas.com/ and share it with the world. Why should an idea be left on a neural shelf in some dusty corner of your brain when there's an opportunity for it to be heard and perhaps even brought to life? Watch the video and find out how your idea can make a difference!

Open Planet Ideas from Open Planet Ideas on Vimeo.

Find out more at http://wwf.panda.org/how_you_can_help/open_planet_ideas/?utm_source=Newsletter_09_2010&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Newsletter

Green electricity for the world

Intelligent electric solar roads. Time to say goodbye to asfalt!




Source: http://blogs.suntimes.com/ebert/pages-for-twitter/green-electricity-for-the-worl.html

Cleaning Up My Life: Living Small... Could you do it? (Video)

Have you ever looked around at all the stuff you have that you don't actually need? What if you could re-organize your home into a more green, functional and free way of life? Could you do it? Watch the video and find out.


Cleaning Up My Life: Living Small... Could you do it?

Black Silicon Solar Cells

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) discovered a new technique that not only enables solar cells to absorb more sunlight but it also reduces the manufacturing time and cost. They achieved all of this by etching a trillion of tiny holes into a silicon wafer the size of a compact disc. These wafers aren’t really black: they just look black because none or very little sunlight is reflected into our eyes, doing a much better job at absorbing sunlight than a solid surface does.

“By mixing gold and chemicals into a cocktail and spraying it on silicon, they were able to create a black silicon wafer in under 3 minutes at room temperature. At 100 degrees Fahrenheit they can do it in less than a minute — this bodes well for mass manufacturing.”, Brit Liggett ( Inhabitat )

But not only the process is faster and cheaper and makes more efficient silicon solar cells, it is also more eco-friendly:

“The technology would replace a process that uses dangerous silane gas, as well as cleaning gases such as nitrogen trifluoride, which has 17,000 times more punch than carbon dioxide in contributing to global warming. A switch to the black silicon wet etch technology would mean huge reductions in greenhouse gases, and improvements in the energy payback for resulting PV devices. It also reduces the capital costs of starting a factory line by about 10 percent, because it replaces several expensive vacuum vapor tools with a simple wet bath, Goodrich said”, Bill Scanlon ( NREL NEWS )

Could black become the new green?

Find out more:

http://www.nrel.gov/features/20100902_silicon.html

http://inhabitat.com/2010/09/03/new-black-silicon-solar-cells-are-cheap-and-absorb-more-sun/

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/10/black-silicon-sionyx-solar-power-technology-breakthrough.php

15 Reasons Why Crowdrise is way cooler than Facebook

Crowdrise is a fundraising website created by Edward Norton & Friends, where you can be a part of fundraising projects, create your own projects, volunteer and donate to your favourite projects and charities. It’s a dynamic community where there’s always something going on, from contests to voting sprees. But for some reason I can not understand, most people (at least the ones I know) seem to rather spend their time on Facebook than on Crowdrise. I’m sure they only do that because they don’t know what they’re missing, so I came up with 15 reasons why Crowdrise is a lot cooler that Facebook.


1- At Crowdrise you get to help great causes and unlike “Causes” on Facebook, you always have a very ego-boosting feedback
2- At Crowdrise you will always get votes and comments from a lot of people, even if they don’t like you (or in fact know you). In Facebook you only get comments from your friends (when you do get comments from your friends).
3- You can upload photos to both websites, but at Crowdrise they always tell you that you look great in your pictures when you upload them, even if you don’t.
4- The Crowdrise crew is a lot nicer and funnier than the Facebook crew (who are just plain normal).
5- You get to be “Friends” with Crowdrise Verified celebrities with a great sense of humour. They can vote for you and comment your page! If you ask nicely they may even donate to your projects. At Facebook you have a million celebrities’ pages and most of them are either fake, boring or both.
6- Crowdrise gives you the chance of winning awesome prizes like Apple iPads, laptops, iPods, and clothes. At Facebook you may win a new fence in Farmville.
7- At Crowdrise you may get to be treated like royalty: when you get to 100,000 points you become a Doctor, at 200,000 a Tsar, you’re a Mime at 300,000 points, a Baron/ness at 500,000, a DJ at 750,000 and when you get to 1,000,000 points you are a Sir/Dame. At Facebook the only titles you have are the nicknames your friends come up with.
8- In Crowdrise you get to play Rock, Paper, Scissors and if you win you get 1,000 points, that may help you win great prizes. In Facebook’s games you always get virtual prizes that don’t really contribute to your happiness (the only thing they contribute to is your obesity, because of the time you spend seated playing them)
9- At Crowdrise they have a picture of a napkin, and not just a napkin, a red napkin!
10- Because I say so, and I have an awesome taste!*
11- At Crowdrise you may get to be the Crowdrise Featured Human Person and everyone will try to impress you. In Facebook, well, you just don’t…
12- When Crowdrise is in the news is always for a good thing. When Facebook is in the news is usually because someone decided to post too much information about themselves online and is complaining about the lack of privacy.
13- It is scientifically proved that Crowdrise members live up to 5 years longer than Facebook members.*
14- If helping old ladies cross the street is too tiring for you, you can still practice your good deed of the day at Crowdrise. You can always post a nice comment about someone on Facebook but it’s not really the same, is it?
15- Crowdrise makes you a better person. *


*-This may not necessarily be true but I’m sure it is.

If you have more reasons why Crowdrise is cooler than Facebook, please share them by commenting.

Important Causes

Internet has made it easier for everyone to connect with each other. It can be a lot of fun but I think that it should also be used for more serious matters. We, the ones that are lucky to play around here on Facebook, Twitter, Blogger and so on, have the responsibility of at least pausing for a second to read the important things that are going on in the world. And, even if we don't have the money to donate to these causes, we should at least spread the word. Maybe someone else will have the means to help. That's the beauty of the Internet. It's so easy that I don't see why not do it. I hope you all agree and that you help me get these causes more visibility. Thank you.

My Projects on Crowdrise:

Stopping the Seal Hunt

BENEFITING: Humane Society of The United States

"Last year, more than 205,000 individual seals were killed during the seal slaughter, and Canada will soon begin its annual merciless murder of seals for their fur, where the ice runs red with blood, again. There is no larger commercial massacre on the planet.

Despite the majority of Canadians against the hunt, thanks to government subsidies and increased harp seal quotas over the past ten years, the seal hunt is back and worse than ever.
Our goal is to reach people who wants to come with us or support to try rescue seals in 2011.(Unfortunately not this year)
That will be a real action with the media support.
Come be part of saving the Canadian seals on site...", Ayberk D.

Enterprise Green Communities

BENEFITING: Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.

"At Enterprise, we create opportunity for low- and moderate-income people through fit, affordable housing and diverse, thriving communities.
Central to our mission is Enterprise’s fundamental commitment to give people living in poverty an opportunity to move up and out. (...) Green Communities is the first national green building program developed for affordable housing. We focus on the use of environmentally sustainable materials, reduction of negative environmental impacts and increased energy efficiency. And we emphasize designs and materials that safeguard the health of residents and locations that provide easy access to services and public transportation.", Edward Norton


Badwater for Good Water Walk

BENEFITING: 4Others

"JOIN THEM IN MAKING A DIFFERENCE by financially supporting the group of youth participating in the "Badwater for Good Water Walk." Just $1 can provide clean water for 1 African for 1 year! $10 can provide 1 African clean water for a lifetime! 100% of the funds we receive* will go directly to drilling and repairing clean water wells.", 4Others


San Diego Humane Society

BENEFITING: San Diego Humane Society & SPCA

"The money I raise will help the San Diego Humane Society shelter and adopt animals, investigate animal cruelty and neglect, and rescue animals in emergency situations. (...) Please give what you can and know it's going to one of the best animal charities in the world.", Allyson Miller



My Causes on Facebook

Some of these are:

Fight Animal Cruelty

Donations Go To: American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals dba ASPCA (A 501(c)(3) nonprofit)

Animals across the country are abused, neglected, or without homes. The ASPCA was founded in 1866 to battle animal cruelty through education, disaster preparedness, fighting to pass humane laws, rescuing animals from abuse, and sharing resources with shelters across the U.S.

For over 140 years the ASPCA has been dedicated to guarding the lives of those who have no voice--animals who would otherwise have no one to look after their welfare. The mission of the ASPCA, as stated by our founder, Henry Bergh, is ?to provide effective means for the prevention of cruelty to animals throughout the United States.

STOP ABUSE ON CHILDREN

Donations Go To: Kids Help Phone (A Canadian charity)

When young people reach out for help, either by phone or online, Kids Help Phone is there for them with the immediate, caring, professional, anonymous help and hope they need and deserve. Kids know they can trust us - we don’t trace calls or IP addresses, and we don’t use call display. Our counsellors are all paid professionals, not volunteers. Phone Counselling: On the phone, Kids Help Phone provides immediate, bilingual, professional counselling to kids 24-hours a day. We receive calls from young people between the ages of five and 20 who call from almost 3,000 Canadian communities every year. Online Counselling: Kids Help Phone also provides counselling to young people in the “Ask a Counsellor” section. Kids can also get help through our online “Help Yourself” services: reading questions from other kids in the “Ask a Counsellor” section and benefiting from the counsellors’ responses; visiting the “Express Yourself” section; and visiting the informational topic library. Each of our counsellors has access to a database of more than 36,000 community and social service agencies that allows us to refer kids to services right in their own community. Public Education Program: Since young people choose to contact us on their terms, we are in a unique position to contribute to the awareness and public dialogue on children’s issues and to the development of policies and practices that improve the well-being of all Canadian children. We release research reports and partner with academics to analyze the rich data we have. Student Ambassador Program: The mission of the Student Ambassador Program is to give high school students the opportunity to have a positive volunteer experience by raising funds and awareness of our counselling services while gaining new skills and contributing to the success and well-being of their generation and generations to come. For more information about Kids Help Phone, visit http://www.kidshelpphone.ca/

Wildlife Conservation Network

Donations Go To: Wildlife Conservation Network, Inc. (A 501(c)(3) nonprofit)

The Wildlife Conservation Network is dedicated to protecting endangered species and preserving their natural habitats. We partner with independent conservationists around the world who live and work with local communities and are exploring new ways to resolve the conflicts between people and wildlife. WCN provides these conservation entrepreneurs with financial, technical and administrative support. To magnify the effectiveness of their work, we sustain a strong network of wildlife supporters through which champions of conservation may learn from each other and communicate directly with passionate donors.

Against wearing fur

Donations Go To: Defenders of Wildlife (A 501(c)(3) nonprofit)

To stop as many people as possible from wearing real fur

Defenders of Wildlife is a solution-oriented organization dedicated to saving rare animals and plants, conserving habitat, and building a broad constituency for protecting wildlife and wild places. We harness the skills and expertise of more than 100 scientists, wildlife specialists, educators, activists, economists, and attorneys to work in the halls of Congress, state legislatures, the courts, local communities, and more than a dozen offices in North America. We develop and encourage conservation of entire ecosystems and interconnected habitats while protecting predators that serve as indicator species for ecosystem health. Through this multi-pronged approach of education, advocacy, research and litigation, we specifically work to protect native animals and plants, restore and preserve habitat, and advocate for conservation legislation.

Stopping the Seal Hunt

Donations Go To: Humane Society of The United States (A 501(c)(3) nonprofit)

Help bringing the Seal Hunt to an end

The HSUS seeks a humane and sustainable world for all animals--a world that will also benefit people. We are America's mainstream force against cruelty, exploitation, and neglect, and also the nation's most trusted voice extolling the human-animal bond.
Our mission statement: Celebrating Animals, Confronting Cruelty

World Wildlife Fund

Donations Go To: World Wildlife Fund (A 501(c)(3) nonprofit)

1.Protecting natural areas and wild populations of plants and animals, including endangered species.
2.Promoting sustainable approaches to the use of renewable natural resources
3.Promoting more efficient use of resources and energy and the maximum reduction of pollution.

Take action against the Seal Hunt

About a year ago I posted a text about the seal hunt and hoped that whoever read it would look up more information and feel like doing something about it. Just to remind you of what I'm talking about:

"(...) baby seals in Canada continue to be killed in a brutal way to feed the human greed for more money. Because they are after these seals skin they try not to shoot them, hitting them with sticks instead untill they die. Others do shoot them and then leave them to die on the ice while they go looking for more seals. The competition is high and the conditions are harsh so they try to kill as many as possible. Sometimes some of them are actually skinned alive!"

If you'd like to read the full text or to access links to other websites on this subject, here's the link to the original post: http://wwwland-of-wonders.blogspot.com/2008_05_01_archive.html

The difference now is that YOU CAN HELP the Humane Society of The United States to put an end to this cruelty by helping me raise some money to this cause.

Please support me by donating to my cause at this link.
http://www.crowdrise.com/stopkillingseals/fundraiser/barbaraoliveira

When you get to my page, just click the big orange DONATE button. It's so easy you won't even believe it. Any dollaramount helps but if you donate exactly $29 you'll be signed up for a chance to win an Apple iPad.

It doesn't have to be a lot of money. Just donate something and you'll be a part of this worthy cause.

Help Protect Pikas From Global Warming

"Pint-sized rabbit relatives, pikas live in high-elevation boulder fields surrounded by mountain meadows throughout the western United States. Specially adapted to cold alpine conditions, they cannot tolerate high temperatures. Rising temperatures and drier conditions in summer can expose the animals to heat stroke, reduce food in mountain meadows, and make conditions too hot for them to find food. In winter, because they remain active rather than hibernate, pikas rely on insulating snowpack and their dense coats to keep them warm – but the loss of winter snowpack due to climate change exposes them to deadly winter cold snaps.

Rising temperatures caused by greenhouse gas pollution have already caused drastic losses of lower-elevation pika populations. More than a third of documented pika populations in the Great Basin mountains of Nevada and Oregon have gone extinct in the past century as temperatures warmed. In California, pikas have moved upslope in Yosemite National Park over the past century, and they have largely disappeared from the Bodie Hills in the Sierra Nevada mountains in recent decades. Scientists project that global warming will virtually eliminate suitable habitat for the pika in this century if greenhouse gas emissions are not drastically reduced.

It’s not too late to prevent the extinction of the pika, but we must act quickly to slow global warming. The Fish and Wildlife Service needs to hear from you. Please use the form below to support the listing of the American pika and urge the government to reduce greenhouse gas pollution to levels that will protect the pika and other wildlife species from extinction. "

Act Now!



Source: Center for Biological Diversity
Image:http://fuzzywuzzyblog.files.wordpress.com/2007/10/pika.jpg