Posts Tagged ‘Energia’

Antartide

martedì, maggio 18th, 2010

ANTARTIDE (Centro Studi e Comunicazione Ambientale)

Il Centro Antartide trova la sua origine nelle attività di divulgazione ambientale promosse, a partire dal 1984, dall’Univeristà Verde. Dal 1992, agisce nel campo dello studio, dell’educazione, della comunicazione ambientale e sociale intervenendo in particolare sui temi del risparmio idrico, della mobilità sostenibile e della sicurezza stradale, dei rifiuti, dell’energia, della qualità urbana, dell’educazione civica.

Si occupa di educazione, comunicazione ambientale e sociale.

Lo spettro delle attività è ampio: campagne di sensibilizzazione, tesi di laurea, laboratori didattici nelle scuole, visite guidate a scopo didattico, indagini, mostre, concorsi, editoria, rassegne cinematografiche, eventi spettacolari…

Italian Valley

mercoledì, maggio 5th, 2010

Italian Valley è un nuovo sito (è attivo dai primi giorni di maggio) realizzato dalla rivista Wired con la collaborazione ed il patrocinio del Ministero della Pubblica Amministrazione e dell’Innovazione. Questa iniziativa è nata nell’ambito della partecipazione dell’Italia all’Expo di Shangai 2010, il cui titolo è “Better City, better life”. Si tratta di una raccolta selezionata di progetti innovativi riguardanti diversi campi quali: costruzioni e urbanistica, ambiente, comunicazione e media, salute, protezione civile, conservazione del patrimonio storico, mobilità, sicurezza, e-governememt…

Ritengo che alcuni progetti possano essere casi studio utili per alcuni gruppi come energia, comunicazione, servizi alla persona…

Vi consiglio di andare a vedere, per ora sono presenti 258 progetti.

Simply Sma

mercoledì, aprile 14th, 2010

Simply Sma è un supermercato situato vicino a Brescia e il primo in Italia in cui  tutto, ma proprio tutto, è stato progettato in un’ottica di sosteniblità. In questi giorni a Brescia città ne verrà inaugurato un altro.

Carrelli e cestini realizzati con plastica riciclata dai tappi delle bottiglie (4.500 tappi circa per un carrello e circa 1.200 tappi per i cestini), banchi del pane e della gastronomia in legno riciclato, piastrelle rivestite da vetro ricavato da neon esausti, shopper biodegradabili, tetto dotato di impianto fotovoltaico, impianti di refrigerazione avanzati i cui divisori sono realizzati con plastica totalmente riciclata al 100%, vasche per la raccolta di acqua piovana per irrigare il verde circostante, prodotti sfusi e a “KM zero”. Un insieme di soluzioni che garantiscono un risparmio energetico totale di oltre 220.000 KWH (Kilowatt/ora).

Water Treatment Facility Disguised as a Park

mercoledì, aprile 14th, 2010

Waterfront Toronto, the innovative and ambitious plan to revitalize Toronto’s old harbour, has led to the development of Sherbourne Park, a new $28 million storm water treatment facility that will also function as an accessible public park. It’s a prime example of green infrastructure in action. The Star writes: “The idea that everything we build in a city should do double- (even triple-) duty is one whose time has come.”

Is Energy Independence Possible

mercoledì, aprile 14th, 2010

Arizona State University (ASU) and the New America Foundation hosted a panel on U.S. energy independence at the National Press Club. Michael Crow, President of ASU, said while there’s been a lot of discussion on the idea of energy independence, the goal was to outline the “revolutionary steps” needed to actually achieve energy independence.

The Living Building Challenge

mercoledì, aprile 14th, 2010

Metropolis magazine wrote about the Omega Institute of Sustainable Living in Rhinebeck, New York, one of the world’s greenest buildings. According to Metropolis, the institute creates its own energy through on-site geothermal and solar systems, and uses local, non-toxic materials – “there’s virtually no PVC, lead, or mercury to speak of.” The building was created using the International Living Building Institute’s living building standard. Certified living buildings must consume zero energy and water, consist of non-toxic materials, restore habitat, and produce food (all of these are actually required). 

One of the more interesting features is the building’s “eco machine,” a system that clearly demonstrates for visitors how plants and fish remove human waste from water. The system was described as “a self-contained sewage system that mimics nature’s self-corrective principles by freeing plants, bacteria, micro-organisms, algae, and fish to feast on human waste, thus purify-ing it, much as a stream cleanses its own ecosystem.”

How to Expand Urban Agriculture

mercoledì, aprile 14th, 2010

The National Building Museum’s well-known “For the Greener Good” series featured a panel on urban agriculture, including Josh Viertel, President, Slow Food USA, Liz Falk, Director and co-Founder, Washington D.C.-based Common Good City Farm, and Steve Cohen, food policy and programs, City of Portland’s Bureau of Planning and Sustainability. The panel was moderated by Allison Arieff, Food and Shelter Ambassador, GOOD and “By Design” columnist, The New York Times.  

Chase Rynd, Executive Director, National Building Museum, framed the discussion by saying how and where we produce food has an enormous ecological impact. ”How we produce, transport, and store food has a huge impact. Food is directly related to the built environment.” Because of industrial food systems, people are losing their connection with nature. Bringing vegetable gardens back to communities, shortening food transportation times (and lowering the environmental costs of food transportation), can help improve the urban environment and make communities more engaging and “aesthetically pleasing.”

Beautiful eco-homes

mercoledì, aprile 14th, 2010

In the ‘Story of the Three Little Pigs,’ the first house that the wolf blew down by huffing and puffing was one made of straw, but if Oryzatech has its way, not only will straw houses withstand wolves, they’ll withstand earthquakes, cold, and fire with the Stak Block.

Oryzatech has patents granted and pending on a manufacturing process that renders rice straw waste into sturdy, stackable construction blocks. Each ‘Stak Block’ can be locally-produced of 96% recycled carbon-sequestering content, making them LEED credit worthy when used in construction.

The company has entered prototype production and is seeking investors in order to make Stak Blocks available for general construction applications.

Common structural materials like wood, steel and concrete require huge amounts of energy to manufacture and distribute, while all the common insulating materials are themselves oil based products.  Oryzatech’s STAK BLOCK will be the first truly resource-efficient structural/insulating wall system available for builders.  The blocks will by definition be manufactured where food is grown, utilizing the annually renewable supply of waste straw that is currently burned 

In the ‘Story of the Three Little Pigs,’ the first house that the wolf blew down by huffing and puffing was one made of straw, but if Oryzatech has its way, not only will straw houses withstand wolves, they’ll withstand earthquakes, cold, and fire with the Stak Block.

Oryzatech has patents granted and pending on a manufacturing process that renders rice straw waste into sturdy, stackable construction blocks. Each ‘Stak Block’ can be locally-produced of 96% recycled carbon-sequestering content, making them LEED credit worthy when used in construction.

The company has entered prototype production and is seeking investors in order to make Stak Blocks available for general construction applications.

Common structural materials like wood, steel and concrete require huge amounts of energy to manufacture and distribute, while all the common insulating materials are themselves oil based products.  Oryzatech’s STAK BLOCK will be the first truly resource-efficient structural/insulating wall system available for builders.  The blocks will by definition be manufactured where food is grown, utilizing the annually renewable supply of waste straw that is currently burned

 

Design and the elastic mind

martedì, aprile 13th, 2010

http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/2008/elasticmind/


This is the web site of a big exhibition at the Moma in New york, about last innovations in international experimental design

Maybe you can find interesting informations….

Gli aerei andranno a spazzatura

sabato, aprile 10th, 2010

British Airways sta preparando una flotta di aerei alimentati da carburante biocombustibile (2014 data presunta). La spazzatura (rifiuti industriali, agricoli e domestici) verrà trasformata in kerosene sintetico tramite il processo Fischer-Tropsch. BA ha infatti firmato un accordo con la compagnia americana Solena affinché vengano installati quattro impianti per la produzione di biocarburante nella zona Est di Londra. Tale miglioramento permette da una parte di ridurre l’emissione di CO2 ma anche di sfruttare i rifiuti come risorsa.