DM July 2007

July 31, 2007 Tuesday

Investors Opt for Eco-friendly Cave Homes
Homes Worldwide - Bath,UK
When renovated, the caves can have mains drainage and sewage, mains electricity, satellite television and even a broadband internet connection. ...

Eco-Cities - Building Better Cities for the 21st Century
Environmental News Network (press release) - San Rafael,CA,USA
Sewage will be treated and used for irrigation and composting. Another environmentally friendly city will be created in the oil rich region of Abu Dhabi in ...

Everyday living - unplugged
Guardian Unlimited - UK
Are these the eco-townies of the future? I reckon there are 75000 people living in nearly 25000 off-grid homes in the UK. These are homes not connected to ...

Eco-house faces demolition for
Times Online - UK
They compost their sewage using a reed bed and make do without a fridge or washing machine. But the couple have been told to demolish their beloved home ...

Bowmanville resident beats
Newsdurhamregion.com - Durham,Canada
"We're not trying to take you off the grid, just help reduce your gas bill 60-70 per cent," said Terry. "With basic plumbing knowledge and a little bit of ...

Malta receives first solar installation
Earthtimes.org - USA
VALLETTA, Malta, July 30 The Palazzo Falson Museum has installed a solar array on its roof, making it the first solar technology in Malta. ...

State solar plan getting heat
MSNBC - USA
Earlier this month, SunPower Corp., the San Jose company that designs, manufactures and markets large solar technology and systems, reported second quarter ...

Use your computer printer to make polymer solar cells
Xinhua - China
... of Technology imagine the new polymer-based technology, they invented it because purified silicon, a core material for making conventional solar cells, ...

Swiss Thin-Film Solar Module Production Line Heads East
RenewableEnergyAccess.com - Peterborough,NH,USA
"Oerlikon Solar is the absolute leader in thin-film solar technology and, at present, is the only supplier of mature production plants for thin-film solar ...

Community living in fear as sinkholes grow bigger
SABC News - Auckland Park,South Africa
A part of the land that they are living on is caving in because of sinkholes. Experts say the sinkholes are caused by over-usage of underground water as a ...

Sinkholes threaten Mexican capital
Austin American-Statesman (subscription) - Austin,TX,USA
Unregulated growth on top of cracks in the earth result in sinkholes, which cause more than headaches; one man is thought to have died in this sinkhole in ...

Pretty yet practical
Los Angeles Times - CA,USA
Eberle's garden was enveloped in rammed earth walls whose strata of red, burnt orange and copper were embedded with aggregate. The idea was to emulate walls ...

Mercado developers ask city to waive fees, provide security
Arizona Daily Star - Tucson,AZ,USA
"It's unfair," said Tom Wuelpern of Rammed Earth Development Inc., one of four companies building homes on site, many of which will be Sonoran-style row ...

Discovering ancient Galilee's hidden shelters
Ha'aretz - Tel Aviv,Israel
... habitation in time of need, in contrast to the underground caves used as hiding places inside Jewish communities located in the Galilee," Shivtiel said. ...

Children of Darkness
New York Times - United States
They stepped through the gate and headed for the tunnel's mouth. Almost immediately, the space became not pitch black, as expected, but a dirty gray,

'Root cellaring' is a natural way to make garden flavors linger longer
Napa Valley Register - Napa,CA,USA
Among other things, her 220-year-old house has a root cellar that'sa natural for storing fresh stocks of vegetables and fruits, cured meats, ...

A Tale of Two Homesteads
Mother Earth News - Topeka,KS,USA
We learned a lot from the advice of new friends and neighbors, who taught us what grows well here, and how to build a root cellar for storing fresh food in

18th century trading house under restoration
Gateway Newspapers - USA
Under the kitchen floor is a 4-foot crawl space, which pre-dates the addition, that was probably a root cellar to keep food cool. ...

Modern couple find themselves in the past
News & Observer - Raleigh,NC,USA
The root cellar fills. Heather "perfects her goat's-milk cheese and masters the subtleties of woodstove baking." New confidence infuses Logan. ...

Uncommon garden sheds
Telegraph.co.uk - United Kingdom
One of the "people's favourites" was the Shinglesea garden with its picturesque railway carriage, based on a neighbouring cottage to our seaside house on ...

July 24, 2007 Tuesday

Worst flooding in centuries ravages England
Globe and Mail - Canada
By the end of Tuesday, the Thames and Severn rivers, the largest in Britain, are in danger of bursting their banks after weeks of record-breaking rainfall. ...

Algae-viation fuel
domain-B - India Air New Zealand and the Boeing Company are working with a Kiwi bioengineering company to make an eco-friendly aviation fuel from pond algae. ...

Record-breaking temperatures top charts after 68 years Salt Lake Tribune - United States
The old record for July 14 was 103, set in 1939, said National Weather Service meteorologist Randy Graham. "This was a long-standing record," he said. ...

The Kennedy Bunker Hidden history by the sea Nantucket Independent - MA, USA
Today, the American flag flying nearby is a reminder of the bunker's place in history. Although the former bomb shelter remains hidden from view, ...

'Hobbit-home' demolition fears
ic Wales - United Kingdom
by Steffan Rhys, Western Mail THE owners of a Hobbit-style wood and earth home threatened with demolition for years failed in another bid to save it

Solaria Panels Win Backing
Wall Street Journal - USA .. manufacturer of solar cells by volume, is throwing funding as well as manufacturing muscle behind a California start-up's new technology to lower the

Solar panels too pricey? Try printing them out
MSNBC - USA... New Jersey Institute of Technology have developed a quick and simple method for do-it-yourselfers to power their homes with inexpensive solar cells that

China Police Raid Vacation Bible School; Children "Traumatized ...
BosNewsLife - Budapest,Hungary
However most believers, estimated to be over 100-million, reportedly prefer to gather in underground 'house churches', held often in homes of believers, ...

New Worlds: Research produces more salt-tolerant plants
Jerusalem Post - Israel The increasing number of sinkholes - gaping holes that open up around the Dead Sea due to the reduction of its water level - is worrying geologists and ...

Clearing of trees reveals earthen cavities in Progress Energy road ...
Citrus County Chronicle - Crystal River,FL,USA He said the cavities have hard bottoms and are not sinkholes. He said his road construction crew told him surface cavities like these commonly turn up on ...

Bright Days at Suntech Power
Motley Fool - USA
With one of the largest dedicated solar R&D teams in the world, we are an industry leader in solar technology innovation, and we will continue to stay ahead ...

One Laptop per Child Announces Final Beta Version of its ...
Business Wire (press release) - San Francisco,CA,USA Engineered to operate "off the grid." The B4 computers can be powered by numerous alternative power sources, including a pull cord, a solar panel, ...

The Utopia Experiment: A radical crash course in self-sufficient ...
Independent - London,England,UK
Others arriving soon will oversee future projects, such as the construction of a hydro-power system in the stream and a root cellar for winter storage. ...

Billionare builds semi-secret underground party lair, underneath ...
Neoseeker - USA
Mr. Nicholas' underground vortex of inebriation also featured a bar. It was known as "Nick's Cafe", and was about 2000 square feet.

A Sunny View of Oblivion
NewsReleaseWire.com (press release) - USA
Many ancient cultures developed a highly sophisticated understanding of astronomy. An obsession of the Mayans, the more they learned, the more they

July 17, 2007 Tuesday

Plastic Solar Cells Get a Boost by Doubling Up IEEE Spectrum - New York,NY,USA
But now a team of researchers from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, in Korea, ...

In the Desert, Harnessing the Power of the Sun by Capturing Heat ...
New York Times - United States
"There's really this renaissance of solar thermal technology, and people are working very hard on how to reduce costs," said Martin Heming, the executive in

Old miner's cabin on the move
Vail Daily News - Vail,CO,USA
Inside, among the original floorboards, is a trapdoor leading to an ancient root-cellar. The cabin's walls are papered with the original sheets of a Denver

Largest underground aquarium comes up in J&K
Hindu - Chennai,India
Jammu, July 16 (PTI): The largest underground aquarium in the sub-continent has come up in this winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir. ...

Life is good off grid
Gary Post Tribune - Gary,IN,USA
His next project is to build an underground house for himself. The only thing he can't get to work is his garden. Despite the organic gardening encyclopedia ...

Volcanoes belch 'slugs' from deep underground
Cosmos - Sydney,Australia
by Hamish Clarke SYDNEY: The explosive gases that make some volcanoes dangerous, come from deep underground, rather than near the surface as was previously ...

Hey Noah -- we may need another Ark
Norman Transcript - Norman,OK,USA
And when you thought it could not get much worse, sinkholes are popping up (or is it caving in?) In case you are wondering, sinkholes are grownup potholes.

Rolls-Royce Phantom at $372600 Has Stately Ride, Cute Gadgets
Bloomberg - USA
At one point I drive into an underground garage with a steep 40-foot tunnel entryway. It's not much wider than the Rolls. Three-quarters of the way down I'm ...

In West China, saving the go-go juice
Energy Bulletin - USA
Bustling underground walk ways are now full of vendors selling everything from socks to flowers to baskets of puppies to take home as pets. ...

Bamboo shoots up in test-tube garden
San Francisco Chronicle - CA, USA
(Remember the scene in "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," when Ziyi Zhang leaps across a lush grove of towering bamboo that bends and sways to her every move

Missile dismantled, warhead removed
Great Falls Tribune - Great Falls,MT,USA
... Phase I. Phase III consists of closing missile silo wastewater-treatment facilities, such as sewer lagoons and removing or inactivating storage tanks. ...

Pa. beekeepers swarm picnic for information
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review - Pittsburgh,PA,USA
By Rick Wills The abrupt death of one-quarter of the country's honeybees is more of a puzzle than researchers had thought, and a solution could be years

Home style: On the house
Times Online - UK
The designer and engineer Tom Chudleigh masterminded the smooth joins and curves of the bauble-like spherical tree house in a forest on Vancouver Island, ...

Unusual trailer keeps 'em guessing -- and interested
Indianapolis Star - United States
By Anthony Breznican That's the question moviegoers are asking about a mysterious trailer promoting an unnamed film shown in previews before "Transformers.

Strange Summer Business
Hamptons.com - Southampton,NY,USA
On Cedar Street close to Stephen Hand's Path in East Hampton, just such an "underground house" was built back in the 70s (of course with whatever the ...

NKorea Calls for End to US Sanctions
Forbes - NY,USA
Moves to resolve the standoff gained momentum in the wake of North Korea's underground test nuclear explosion in October, after which the US took steps to

Mexican food is different in Mexico
San Jose Mercury News - CA, USA
Another favorite is tacos "de barbacoa," sheep that has been steamed for several hours in underground stone ovens. Taco stands can be found on virtually ...

Tending a garden for a friend whose manure is golden
Newsday - Long Island,NY,USA
We collect rainwater in barrels, and I just scoop it out. I don't have time for anything fancier." But she gives much of the credit for her success to ...

Sun not global warming factor, according to UK & Swiss scientists
iTWire - Australia
The Sun's brightness (or irradiance, which is a direct indicator of the amount of energy coming from the Sun to the Earth) increased between 1977 and 1985, ...

Peru: Record-breaking cold in the Andes
ReliefWeb (press release) - Geneva,Switzerland
The most severe cold weather on record--temperatures falling to below-zero extremes--is threatening the lives of thousands of children and pregnant mothers

A Guide to Organic Eco Efficiency.
4Hoteliers - Wanchai,Hong Kong
Specifically prohibited from organic products are generically modified organisms, irradiation and the use of sewage sludge; all three practices are

July 10, 2007 Tuesday

Chilton Is Home To Underground Cave Network
CBS 5 - Green Bay - WI
CHILTON (WFRV) - A great way to beat the heat this summer is to head down underground that is. The underground cave network at the LedgeView Nature Center

Report on Hardened Underground Facility near Natanz
By steve@steveclemons.com(steve@steveclemons.com)
(Natanz nuclear enrichment facility) Just released in the Washington Post is an interesting story on the existence of a new -- heretofore unreported -- hardened underground facility and set of tunnels conneted to Natanz.

Underground caverns cause trouble in Auburn construction
News 10 Now - Syracuse,NY,USA
The building is cooled and heated using a geo-thermal system that taps into underground water, which maintains a constant temperature year round.

Buried complex unearthed in Westchester; may date from 1800s
Newsday - Long Island,NY,USA
While no one is certain what it was used for, some historians and archaeologists have suggested it may have been a root cellar, Haviland said. ...

Army Energy Answer: Inflatable Domes
Wired News - USA
The circular structures, built by Italy, TX's "Monolithic Dome Institute," are already being used to house schools, churches, and a "one-of-a-kind laser ...

At home in the dome
Denver Post - Denver,CO,USA
... Estes Park artist Jeff Hardman created custom indoor waterfalls for the synthetic stone column at the heart of this monolithic concrete dome house. ...

Tornado swarm hits Taranaki
TVNZ - New Zealand
Several tornados hit Taranaki on Thursday night, most of them within a 15 kilometre radius of New Plymouth. Bell Block, Egmont Village, Oakura and Waitara

US leads search for climate solutions
BBC News - UK
No wonder Miasole's thin-film solar technology is attracting so much interest, and money ($35m from venture capitalists in one funding round last October). ...

July 3, 2007 Tuesday

Ancient Tea Blend Brews Up New Craze In Natural Food Aisle
The Register-Guard - Eugene,OR,USA
"It's a very intriguing product; there's so much mystery to it," Lee said. "There's the idea of how old is this kombucha that I'm drinking? ..

~Mile Hi Church gets 60 feet higher - in one day
YourHub.com - Denver,CO,USA
The monolithic dome sanctuary is designed to be environmentally-friendly and energy efficient, taking fewer natural resources to operate. ...

Conergy to Supply Solar Power Technology to Abu Dhabi (Update1)
Bloomberg - USA
By Matthew Brown July 2 (Bloomberg) -- Conergy AG, Germany's largest solar power company, will supply technology to Abu Dhabi, which the World Wildlife Fund ...

It'sa go
Laramine Boomerang - Laramie,WY,USA
Walk through the fence and down a gradual slope, and suddenly you're standing inside an old cold-war missile silo, a dark tunnel large enough for four semis ...

Rocket test 'perfect' in old Chugwater silo
KIFI - Idaho Falls,ID,USA
Timothy Bendel and Frontier Astronautics own the former nuclear missile silo that serves as the launch site. Bob Steinke head SpeedUp, the company that is ...

Wyo rocketeer eyes sky
Jackson Hole Star-Tribune - Casper,WY,USA
The partners of Frontier Astronautics, owners of an old Atlas E missile silo situated on the short-grass prairie near Chugwater, organized an open house ...

Extend gardening season with the right greenhouse
Cherokee Sentinel - Murphy,NC,USA
+ Pit Greenhouse: A pit greenhouse is somewhat like a basement greenhouse. In a pit greenhouse, you'll plant at ground level, and then dig a hole a few feet ...

Alcatraz: From prison to eco-paradise
The Australian - Sydney,Australia
"We have to haul off all the sewage.'' "We pump it. It comes through the plumbing system, and it's pumped on into a boat, and then it's taken over to the ...

Angst-Ridden Germans Turning To Backyard Bunkers
Deutsche Welle - Germany
Call it a storm or fall-out shelter, or just an old-fashioned German air-raid bunker. But the government-approved Gartenschutzraum or backyard shelter is ...

The Power of Light
Modern Car Care - Phoenix,AZ,USA
Most LED signs will lose about 40 percent of their brightness after an initial burn-in period. A correct purchase should be made based on knowledge and ...

Los Angeles to Break 130-Year Drought Record
dBusinessNews Los Angeles (press release) - Los Angeles,CA,USA
Highly unusual weather patterns will become more common as a result of global warming. This record-breaking dryness and the growing population are creating ...