Would you believe that there are viagra “smart bird feeders that can track who eats when” according to Chronicle Online. Very interesting right? What is the purpose of having a device that could do such a thing, specifically for birds?
Well, basically it is for bird lovers to track their feeding and breeding behavior. This most definitely would be amusing to watch as birds come and go so quickly throughout the day that we don’t really give it a second thought, right?
Apparently, Cornell Lab of Ornithology makes this possible collecting data, etc. Scientists only need to tend to this tracker a few times a week to collect what they are looking for and to make comparisons.
Now your thought may be, “is this device harmful to to the birds?” This was most definitely my concern when originally hearing about it. Here is how the tracking device works according to Cornell Chronicle:
“The technology, called RFID (radio frequency identification), requires researchers to tag birds on the leg, while a battery- or solar-powered antenna and micro-computer on a feeder perch records an ID number whenever a tagged bird comes within a few inches of the feeder. The system reduces errors, records even the briefest visits and generates a complete record. Cornell ornithology researchers have now recorded more than 2.5 million visits by tagged birds to wired feeders.”
Very interesting and clever to say the least. I guess if you were really into the behavior of birds, this concept would be stellar! To see how this bird tracker works, check out this YouTube video.
Source: Cornell University/Chronicle
Image: Wikimedia Commons
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When the idea originally came out, Eco-friendly crazed people everywhere were most likely estactic about the idea. I mean electric cars needing no gas whatsoever? This just has to be perfect for our environment, right? Apparently, according to The Week, “research suggests that you have to drive an electric car a long, long way for it to be greener than a gas-guzzling vehicle.” Wow, really? Why? Well these electric cars produce just as much carbon in the engines. Because these cars batteries need to be replaced it pretty much throws “greener” out the window. I guess natural gas is the way to go for these cars to be effective, wouldn’t you say?What do you think electric cars are good for the environment? What are your thoughts and opinions on this discovery that they are not really good or beneficial for the environment?
Source: The Week
Image: Wikipedia Commons
Image by Nickd
Do you ever wonder how many individuals use paper sacks for their lunch every single day? That’s a lot of waste right there. From sandwich baggies to the brown paper sacks, there has to be a better way to have a healthier environment at lunch time. Guess what, there is? Going green with lunch boxes. I am excited to introduce to you the “Go Green Lunch Box.”
These are the coolest lunch boxes out there and they come in many styles. Some of the lunch boxes contain individual compartments with leak proof seals. No more baggies ending up in the garbage anymore. This is truly genius and is one step closer to protecting our environment if everyone considers going this route. They are on the pricier side but when you see how “green” they are, they are definitely worth it since they will last a very long time.
Each lunch box has a protective non-toxic coating which makes for easy cleaning. If you are interested in the “Go Green Lunch Box” and their products you can check them out at go green lunch box.
Source: Go Green Lunch Box
Image: Wikimedia Commons
Tags: clean energy, Earth Day, go green, lunch boxes, save 1 million trees, weather and environment, wildlife
Today, General Motors released details about the new Chevy Volt, the electric car slated to begin production as early as late 2010 for a 2011 release. You can read the release here, but this is the gist:
Photo from engadget.com
The Volt will be the first mass-produced vehicle to claim more than 100 mpg composite fuel economy.
The Volt should be able to go 40 miles on a single electricity charge without having to use any other fuel.
The extended range of the Volt means that it should get at least 230 mpg city fuel economy.
According to GM, the typical Volt driver will pay about $2.75 for the electricity needed to go 100 miles, or less than 3 cents per mile.
Larry Dignan at ZDNet points out some other facts that might make the Volt less than perfection, among them the fact that people will have to remember to plug in the Volt each day, and that the gas-free mileage will vary greatly depending on cargo, distance, air conditioning use and the number of people in the car. He notes that range will be one of the main consumer hurdles that GM needs to clear, and that price will be another; with many reports expecting the Volt to push $40,000, it’s priced out of the range of many American households.
Other observers have their own skepticisms… The engadget blog notes that the new EPA mileage measurement system is “murky,” and that’s the system that gives the Volt it’s great mpg rating. A healthy dose of “wait and see” is probably a good thing with something that’s promised to be so amazing and so high-performing, but at least the Volt is a step in the right direction.
A gradual shift from dependence on fossil fuels to alternative energy sources is a positive move. Sure, the electricity that powers the Volt has to come from somewhere, but as we get better at generating power through solar, wind and water resources, we’ll do better by our planet overall. And eventually, the price of these new technologies will be reasonable even to the average person!
Want to learn what else you can do to save trees (and the rest of Mother Earth)? Sign up for the onemilliontrees movement, sponsored by Privacy Council. You don’t have to buy an electric car to do your part… Learn how you can cut your junk mail and save a tree every year! Every little bit helps.
Today is National Underwear Day. It was started several years ago by Freshpair.com, and since its inception, it’s gone from a NYC-based fashion show and freebie giveaway to a national event and online sensation. So what does underwear have to do with saving trees?
The answer: underwear gives us another chance to be eco-friendly. Bamboo, which we wrote about in a previous article, can be used to make fabric, which is then used to make, among other things, underwear. And to hear some tell it, the underwear made from bamboo is superior to the usual kind. It dries quickly, lets your skin breathe, and feels as comfortable (or more so) than other fabrics.
Worried about style? Don’t be. Bamboo fabric is so versatile and is becoming so widely accepted that you can find cute, sexy styles in bamboo underwear, making your earth-friendly shopping as stylish as usual.
Bamboo is such a great, sustainable resource with such a low impact on the environment that we really should try to use it whenever we can as as substitute for wood and other materials. Embracing bamboo underwear is just one step on that path, and for National Underwear Day, there are few better ways to celebrate!
You can also help preserve trees by signing up for the onemilliontrees movement, sponsored by Privacy Council. Save at least a tree a year by cutting down your junk mail. You’ll do yourself and the environment a favor!
Tags: bamboo, boxers, freshpair.com, national underwear day
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