Our Green Pacific

People in Kenya are growing a nutritious and drought-resistant wheat that makes better bread and grows well on barren land:

Hot and barren, Kenya´s dry lands have long been unfit for agriculture, at best merely a grazing area for wild animals and livestock. Today, the landscape is more picturesque and productive, lined with golden stalks of wheat yielding precious grain for Kenya´s farms and families. The wheat is a new variety, one that is high yielding and resistant to drought. Source

Cuba’s urban farming program a stunning success:

This is the future, IMHO! Havana - For Miladis Bouza, the global food crisis arrived two decades ago. Now, her efforts to climb out of it could serve as a model for people around the world struggling to feed their families. Source

Mexico City plants lawns on roofs to fight warming:

Mexico City - Mexico City, one of the world’s most polluted capitals, is planting rooftop gardens on public buildings as part of a program launched on Thursday to combat global warming. Source

EU reaches landmark deal to cap airline emissions:

Brussels - The European Union reached a landmark agreement Thursday to cap emissions from aircraft, raising the stakes in an increasingly ferocious battle with the United States over how to regulate global greenhouse gases. Source

A car running on hydrogen? Now, that’s a novel idea: Warning: this may be a scam.

In a suburb of Toronto, Canada, a small company called Rothman Technologies, Inc., has in fact discovered not one but two viable methods for breaking down ordinary water into hydrogen and oxygen. Neither method involves the need to spend a billion dollars. They are simple answers. Source

Bright Future for Solar Power Satellites:

Satellites would electromagnetically beam gigawatts of solar energy back to ground-based receivers, where it would then be converted to electricity and transferred to power grids. And because in high Earth orbit, satellites are unaffected by the earth’s shadow virtually 365 days a year, the floating power plants could provide round-the-clock clean, renewable electricity. Source

Mercedes to Cut Petroleum Out of Lineup by 2015:

In less than 7 years, Mercedes-Benz plans to ditch petroleum-powered vehicles from its lineup. Focusing on electric, fuel cell, and biofuels, the company is revving up research in alternative fuel sources and efficiency. Check yesterday’s fine diary by dotcommodity here. Original Source

The U.S.’s First Offshore Wind Farm…FINALLY:

The story of offshore wind in America has been so far, pretty depressing. In general, wealthy people with otherwise green ideals have put a damper on offshore wind simply because they don’t want to look at them in the distance. Source

Future of Education - Instant Knowledge Online:

Old style education focus on memory and knowledge. New style education needs to focus on how to find immediate answers to complex problems from a starting point of ignorance, using new technology. Source

A Trove of Links Here for the best Solar Panels and Inverters:

The following resource is a joint review presented by Solar Power Authority and our friend in Colorado, Solar Dave. Source