Another of Dean Kamen's projects is the Norweigan Th!nk vehicle.
Kamen's company, DEKA, has spent over 4 million dollars developing the Stirling Engine and has recently teamed up with Th!nk Cars to assure that it gets into production in a meaningful way.
Read about the plans for a 2009 launch of Think Cars in California., here.
"Yield to Ducks"
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Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Kamen Invention Promises Clean Water
Dean Kamen has invented a lot of things but his latest inventions may just make clean water and electricity the norm, even in the most remote regions of the earth (or in space for that matter).
Dubbed Slingshot, the water purification system can generate 1000 litres of water a day from "anything wet". That's right, even the nastiest source of water comes out sparkling clean when treated with Slingshot.
According to Kamen, "The water purifier makes 1,000 liters of clean water a day, and we don't care what goes into it. And the power generator makes a kilowatt off of anything that burns - including cow and goat dung."
CNN Piece on Kamen's Invention
Fawn Among the Ferns
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Sunday, December 14, 2008
Creating Revolving Loan Funds for Renewable Energy
Whether it occurs within the context of the Stimulus package or some future legislation, one of the most effective uses of taxpayer funds could be to help local communities (or groups of communities) establish revolving loan funds to help finance renewable energy upgrades for home owners.
Based on a pilot project in Berkley California, here's how the fund might work.
A homeowner applies to the fund for a loan to finance adding a renewable energy system to his/her home.
If granted, the cost of the upgrade is paid for through the fund, with repayment tied to property taxes.
On average, in the pilot project, this loan added about $100/month to the property tax but in the first year saved between $35.00 - $50.00 per month in electricity costs, and it is estimated that in only a few years the savings will completely offset the additional property tax burden.
As the funds are repaid, they are then loaned out to additional families.
Based on a pilot project in Berkley California, here's how the fund might work.
A homeowner applies to the fund for a loan to finance adding a renewable energy system to his/her home.
If granted, the cost of the upgrade is paid for through the fund, with repayment tied to property taxes.
On average, in the pilot project, this loan added about $100/month to the property tax but in the first year saved between $35.00 - $50.00 per month in electricity costs, and it is estimated that in only a few years the savings will completely offset the additional property tax burden.
As the funds are repaid, they are then loaned out to additional families.
Labels:
revolving loan funds
Thursday, December 11, 2008
New Study Shows 38% of Adults Use Alternative Medicine
Thirty-eight percent of adults and 12% of children use complementary and alternative medicine, new data from a nationwide government survey show.
The survey marks the first time information on the use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by children has been collected at the national level.
Labels:
Alternative Medicine,
Healthy Living,
wellness
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Solar Schools Initiative
An initiative to put collectors on Schools would pay huge dividends within the context of a national economic stimulus package.
This blog entry is the first in a series of suggestions for green initiatives that would meet the five criteria outlined in the piece entitled “Hastening the Green Revolution with the Stimulus Package, published on my blog: Unified Visions. UnifiedVisions.blogspot.com”
During the campaign, Senator Obama stressed the need for improving the quality of education in America. Educational reform is a critically needed national imperative within the tapestry of reforms necessary to create a vibrant 21st Century economy. It is also a subject that calls for a broad analysis across the spectrum of issues, from class size to teacher training and standards as well as the general educational infrastructure. One thing is certain – it will not come easily or cheaply.
This is not a piece about educational reform – but it does hold the seeds for freeing the financial capabilities of communities to pay for reforms. It is a suggestion for an initiative that will help to stabilize long-term energy costs for schools. In keeping with the five criteria outlined in the original article, it also contains synergies that will quickly create job opportunities, minimize the need for future power plant production, increase the availability of renewable energy to the national grid and make America more secure in the process.
The stimulus package could include a Solar Schools initiative to place solar panels on schools all across the country in partnership with local renewable energy businesses, local governments and perhaps even local utility companies.
One of the great challenges to moving toward a future where solar energy plays a significant role in our national energy portfolio is the placement of panels. Already the battles over using raw land for solar collection are taking place around the country. At the same time, a group of innovative utilities and entrepreneurs are beginning to explore the idea of using the rooftops of large buildings already built. Likewise, the roofs of schools all over America represent an untapped resource for the generation of solar energy.
With a little bit of critical thinking, the Obama team could come up with an innovative plan for using school rooftops for solar collection while reducing the overall long-term electric bills of schools, enhancing the alternative energy portfolio of local utility companies and generating savings to property taxpayers that would open up opportunities for property tax relief, enhanced educational opportunity in the local schools or some combination of both.
Local businesses could be tapped to do the installation, thus generating jobs locally and helping these businesses struggling to hold on in tough economic times.
How do we make this happen fast? We tap into the vast well of community organizations working on sustainability issues throughout the country. By challenging them to work with local communities and schools as well as utility companies and private businesses, within 30 days we could have more good solid well thought out proposals than we could possibly fund. These groups have been operating on a shoestring already and no one knows better how to leverage community and financial resources to get the job done. By creating a additional incentive for proposals that included partial or full payback of the initial investment it would be possible to actually create opportunities for reimbursing taxpayers for the cost – or creating a local revolving fund to stimulate additional projects as repayment happens.
Even if time and the urgency of the moment required that we simply spend the funds with no recapture provisions, the gains made across the country would be well worth the investment.
The Red Pants
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This blog entry is the first in a series of suggestions for green initiatives that would meet the five criteria outlined in the piece entitled “Hastening the Green Revolution with the Stimulus Package, published on my blog: Unified Visions. UnifiedVisions.blogspot.com”
During the campaign, Senator Obama stressed the need for improving the quality of education in America. Educational reform is a critically needed national imperative within the tapestry of reforms necessary to create a vibrant 21st Century economy. It is also a subject that calls for a broad analysis across the spectrum of issues, from class size to teacher training and standards as well as the general educational infrastructure. One thing is certain – it will not come easily or cheaply.
This is not a piece about educational reform – but it does hold the seeds for freeing the financial capabilities of communities to pay for reforms. It is a suggestion for an initiative that will help to stabilize long-term energy costs for schools. In keeping with the five criteria outlined in the original article, it also contains synergies that will quickly create job opportunities, minimize the need for future power plant production, increase the availability of renewable energy to the national grid and make America more secure in the process.
The stimulus package could include a Solar Schools initiative to place solar panels on schools all across the country in partnership with local renewable energy businesses, local governments and perhaps even local utility companies.
One of the great challenges to moving toward a future where solar energy plays a significant role in our national energy portfolio is the placement of panels. Already the battles over using raw land for solar collection are taking place around the country. At the same time, a group of innovative utilities and entrepreneurs are beginning to explore the idea of using the rooftops of large buildings already built. Likewise, the roofs of schools all over America represent an untapped resource for the generation of solar energy.
With a little bit of critical thinking, the Obama team could come up with an innovative plan for using school rooftops for solar collection while reducing the overall long-term electric bills of schools, enhancing the alternative energy portfolio of local utility companies and generating savings to property taxpayers that would open up opportunities for property tax relief, enhanced educational opportunity in the local schools or some combination of both.
Local businesses could be tapped to do the installation, thus generating jobs locally and helping these businesses struggling to hold on in tough economic times.
How do we make this happen fast? We tap into the vast well of community organizations working on sustainability issues throughout the country. By challenging them to work with local communities and schools as well as utility companies and private businesses, within 30 days we could have more good solid well thought out proposals than we could possibly fund. These groups have been operating on a shoestring already and no one knows better how to leverage community and financial resources to get the job done. By creating a additional incentive for proposals that included partial or full payback of the initial investment it would be possible to actually create opportunities for reimbursing taxpayers for the cost – or creating a local revolving fund to stimulate additional projects as repayment happens.
Even if time and the urgency of the moment required that we simply spend the funds with no recapture provisions, the gains made across the country would be well worth the investment.
The Red Pants
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Labels:
Economic Stimulus,
Green Initiatives,
Obama
Monday, December 8, 2008
Quote of the Day
If you stand up and be counted, from time to time you may get yourself knocked down. But remember this: A man flattened by an opponent can get up again. A man flattened by conformity stays down for good.
Thomas John Watson
"Trees in the Mist"
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Thomas John Watson
"Trees in the Mist"
Order this image as cards, prints, canvas or poster
Hastening the Green Revolution with the Stimulus
Obama can assure his future and get the country back on track at the same time by thinking green.
President Elect Obama faces a daunting challenge in reviving our economy. The full measure of his success will be not the support he has up front but both the success and his support level as we emerge at the other end of the recession.
If we go on a national spending spree simply to stimulate short-term employment, the end result will be an American public with a fiscal hangover and a staggering debt, looking for someone to blame and likely to hold the Obama administration responsible for creation of debt built on spending instead of investment.
I am personally confident that the President-Elect understands this, but it is worth repeating over and over again lest the profligate spenders see this crisis as the opportunity to spend on projects with no long-term gain for the country.
Lets face it, getting a stimulus package passed will not be the hard part. Obama is likely to get a lot of latitude from the American people, as well as the Democrats and moderate Republicans in Congress. As difficult as this may be – it really is the easy part.
However, with some smart ideas and careful positioning Obama can dig deep into the more conservative factions of the Republican Congressional delegation as well. He can do this by focusing on investments that have long term implications and seed revolutionary change at the same time. He can do it by developing proposals that political self interest will compel even conservatives to support. By appealing to their patriotism; their market oriented and investment-minded inclinations; and, their electoral self interest, President Obama can turn the economy around, usher in a new green era based on renewable energy sources and inoculate himself against the charges of being a mindless spender in the process.
Over the next few weeks we will propose a number of ideas that can help make this happen.
Any discussion of a stimulus package to bring the nation out of this deep recession will have to take a myriad of factors (and actors) into account. Most important among them:
1. The Need for Speed:
In order for a stimulus to be effective if must proceed with “all due haste”. We can’t afford to waste a moment. History has shown us that Roosevelt’s caution in acting on the economic crisis that we now know as the great depression may have prolongued that recession by years. In fairness the presidential handover in that time was later in the year and thus nearly 3 more months of transition added to that delay, but historians and economists are generally agreed that this delay exacerbated the Depression’s depth and length. Obama has clearly demonstrated that he understands this and as much as he would deny it, Obama is acting as defacto President in may respects already, particularly when it comes to using the “Bully Pulpit” of the office to calm the nation and to focus our energy and understanding.
The need for speed will mean that general public works projects will need to focus on those that are “shovel ready”. In other words, those projects that have all the necessary environmental, legislative, federal and state approvals. In his remarks before the Governor’s recently, the President Elect showed that he understood this. More important, in later remarks he demonstrated that he would take a no-nonsense “use it or loose it” approach to assure that Governor’s looking to nab federal funds won’t overstate their readiness without consequence.
2. Investment Not Spending:
Both simple mindless spending and carefully crafted investments will generate jobs in the short run, but spending that does not have a long term benefit that qualifies it as investment in the future will run out of steam fairly quickly – perhaps before the nation emerges from the recession. The Bush approach of sending checks to taxpayer just won’t do the trick. Our nation’s resources need to be consolidated and invested.
3. Moving the Nation Toward Energy Independence
Given the very short attention span of politicians and the American people in general, historians will look back at the dramatic rise in the cost of energy in late 2007 and early 2008 as a Godsend that focused the nations attention on our greatest long term threat to peace, security and economic stability. Furthermore, recent declines in these costs have eased the pain as winter approaches another fortunately timed, but we must not allow ourselves to become complacent. Where ever possible the components of the stimulus must take into account the need to quickly move the nation toward energy independence.
Additionally, investment that focuses on creation of energy independence will bolster both small and large businesses that offer green technology and renewable energy options at a time when the lack of private investment threatens their short term viability.
4. Creating Synergies with other National Imperatives
Other national imperatives like improving the quality of education and providing healthcare to all Americans need not be cast aside in this process if we can create components of the stimulus that will create short term jobs and long term gains at the same time. Strategic investments in these areas can play an important role in addressing those issues and ending the recession as you will see from our first suggestion below.
5. Building Long Term Political Consensus:
The atmosphere of bitter partisanship that has driven the national dialog over the past decade or more must be replaced by a political realignment. To hope for a truly post partisan era is probably polyannish to the extreme but a new governing coalition where constructive engagement trumps partisanship in electoral politics might be possible. At the very least a government that governs from the “radical center” might be able to isolate the extremes on both the left and the right and truly bring about change.
President Elect Obama faces a daunting challenge in reviving our economy. The full measure of his success will be not the support he has up front but both the success and his support level as we emerge at the other end of the recession.
If we go on a national spending spree simply to stimulate short-term employment, the end result will be an American public with a fiscal hangover and a staggering debt, looking for someone to blame and likely to hold the Obama administration responsible for creation of debt built on spending instead of investment.
I am personally confident that the President-Elect understands this, but it is worth repeating over and over again lest the profligate spenders see this crisis as the opportunity to spend on projects with no long-term gain for the country.
Lets face it, getting a stimulus package passed will not be the hard part. Obama is likely to get a lot of latitude from the American people, as well as the Democrats and moderate Republicans in Congress. As difficult as this may be – it really is the easy part.
However, with some smart ideas and careful positioning Obama can dig deep into the more conservative factions of the Republican Congressional delegation as well. He can do this by focusing on investments that have long term implications and seed revolutionary change at the same time. He can do it by developing proposals that political self interest will compel even conservatives to support. By appealing to their patriotism; their market oriented and investment-minded inclinations; and, their electoral self interest, President Obama can turn the economy around, usher in a new green era based on renewable energy sources and inoculate himself against the charges of being a mindless spender in the process.
Over the next few weeks we will propose a number of ideas that can help make this happen.
Any discussion of a stimulus package to bring the nation out of this deep recession will have to take a myriad of factors (and actors) into account. Most important among them:
1. The Need for Speed:
In order for a stimulus to be effective if must proceed with “all due haste”. We can’t afford to waste a moment. History has shown us that Roosevelt’s caution in acting on the economic crisis that we now know as the great depression may have prolongued that recession by years. In fairness the presidential handover in that time was later in the year and thus nearly 3 more months of transition added to that delay, but historians and economists are generally agreed that this delay exacerbated the Depression’s depth and length. Obama has clearly demonstrated that he understands this and as much as he would deny it, Obama is acting as defacto President in may respects already, particularly when it comes to using the “Bully Pulpit” of the office to calm the nation and to focus our energy and understanding.
The need for speed will mean that general public works projects will need to focus on those that are “shovel ready”. In other words, those projects that have all the necessary environmental, legislative, federal and state approvals. In his remarks before the Governor’s recently, the President Elect showed that he understood this. More important, in later remarks he demonstrated that he would take a no-nonsense “use it or loose it” approach to assure that Governor’s looking to nab federal funds won’t overstate their readiness without consequence.
2. Investment Not Spending:
Both simple mindless spending and carefully crafted investments will generate jobs in the short run, but spending that does not have a long term benefit that qualifies it as investment in the future will run out of steam fairly quickly – perhaps before the nation emerges from the recession. The Bush approach of sending checks to taxpayer just won’t do the trick. Our nation’s resources need to be consolidated and invested.
3. Moving the Nation Toward Energy Independence
Given the very short attention span of politicians and the American people in general, historians will look back at the dramatic rise in the cost of energy in late 2007 and early 2008 as a Godsend that focused the nations attention on our greatest long term threat to peace, security and economic stability. Furthermore, recent declines in these costs have eased the pain as winter approaches another fortunately timed, but we must not allow ourselves to become complacent. Where ever possible the components of the stimulus must take into account the need to quickly move the nation toward energy independence.
Additionally, investment that focuses on creation of energy independence will bolster both small and large businesses that offer green technology and renewable energy options at a time when the lack of private investment threatens their short term viability.
4. Creating Synergies with other National Imperatives
Other national imperatives like improving the quality of education and providing healthcare to all Americans need not be cast aside in this process if we can create components of the stimulus that will create short term jobs and long term gains at the same time. Strategic investments in these areas can play an important role in addressing those issues and ending the recession as you will see from our first suggestion below.
5. Building Long Term Political Consensus:
The atmosphere of bitter partisanship that has driven the national dialog over the past decade or more must be replaced by a political realignment. To hope for a truly post partisan era is probably polyannish to the extreme but a new governing coalition where constructive engagement trumps partisanship in electoral politics might be possible. At the very least a government that governs from the “radical center” might be able to isolate the extremes on both the left and the right and truly bring about change.
Labels:
Green Office,
Obama,
recession,
stimulus package
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