Day: April 9, 2022

Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTs) represent a unique form of power-generating technology. Historically, they have been relegated to fulfilling a small niche market in commercially available wind turbines due to their “yaw-less” design. Current VAWT designs lag behind their Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT) counterparts in terms of efficiency, as measured by their power coefficient. However, new research suggests that these types of wind turbines may be better suited for wind farm installations than previously thought. In this chapter VAWT farm research will be reviewed and discussed. This will then be followed by an overview of different parameters for VAWT design, with an eye toward designs suitable for installation in an optimized wind farm.

India’s first biomaterial startup, and fragrance-focussed wellness brand Phool.co, has raised $8 million (Rs60.5 crore) in a Series A round from Sixth Sense Ventures, a consumer-centric venture fund. The round also saw participation from existing investors Alia Bhatt and IAN fund.  Founded in 2017 by engineering graduates Ankit Agarwal and Prateek Kumar, Phool.co is a flower recycling technology startup. It uses floral waste—collected from dumping temple waste in rivers—to make patented organic fertiliser and charcoal-free luxury incense products.  The Kanpur-based startup currently accumulates floral waste from three Indian cities, which includes one of the biggest temples (Kashi Vishwanath), averting 13 tonnes of waste flowers and toxic chemicals from reaching into the river every day. Self-help women groups handcraft the waste into patented charcoal free incense sticks and essential oils through the ‘flower cycling’ technology.

Sustainable winegrowing is not just something we do. It’s something we live and breathe. Hahn Family Wines was one of the first wineries in the region to have all its estate vineyards certified under the rigorous Sustainability in Practice (SIP) Program.
SIP is a strict third-party program that sets the gold standard for sustainable certification. It challenges growers and wine producers to constantly review and improve practices impacting the land, its people and future generations. We are proud to have earned the SIP seal, and to offer you wines crafted with the strictest conscientious quality.
Sustainable farming is about taking the long view – making decisions that not only enhance the health of the vineyard now but will benefit generations to come. Being SIP Certified shows our dedication to the 3 P’s of Sustainability – People, Planet, Prosperity. We are committed to the ‘3 P’ approach with our measurable set of practices.

Like in many other European countries, the temperature record in the Netherlands was broken in the summer of 2019. In the city Gilze and Rijen it became 40,7 °C. Even more remarkable: this was two degrees above the old record, 38,6 °C measured on 23 august 1944!  Across the world, the weather becomes increasingly weirder, and above all, warmer. To stop this climate change, a world-wide transition to a so-called circular economy is needed. A definition to measure the ‘circularity’ of products and services is however missing. An increasing number of companies say they are on a mission to become 100 % circular, but what they mean remains unclear!

Elon Musk Unveils Tesla’s New Sustainable House – Cost $15000: Today we’ll be telling you all about the First Tesla Home. In a market where Tesla plans on taking over the entire Electric Vehicle industry, can Tesla take over multiple avenues? What plans do they have? Stick around to find out more.  Sure, you might have dreamt about having a Tesla in your garage, but how about a Tesla home? The C.E.O. of Tesla, Elon Musk, is all set to enter the housing industry. And hold on to your seats because it’s nothing short of spectacular!  Elon has been on the news almost every single day for months now. And why wouldn’t he be? He has been coming up with innovations that no one ever expected. From installing chips in your brain through Neuralink to building underground tunnels with The Boring Company, coming up with a yacht, and now home!

Parklife: Biodiversity in Contemporary Irish Art presents the work of Irish artists who consider the biodiversity of the world around us, looking at how different forms of life thrive in the urban realm as well as in more remote environments. The selected works range from detailed drawings of the various species of animals that make their home on the University College Cork campus to photographic studies of birds and plants that bring contemporary resonance to the pioneering work of Karl Blossfeldt on display in our Sisk gallery. The exhibition features a series of paintings of the Scots Pine, one of Ireland’s three native coniferous trees, as well as research investigations into the ways in which communities are conserving seeds to protect food crops for future generations. Parklife includes two new commissions from artists Amber Broughton and Peter Nash who were invited to engage with UCC Green Campus and Cork University Business School to create new works for the UCC Art Collection that focus on biodiversity and sustainability. 

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is one of the most challenging markets in need of clean energy solutions, with large humanitarian challenges and widespread population needs. But the future of sustainable development in the country rests on its ability to scale clean energy solutions and manage its diverse environmental ecosystem.  The DRC is home to the world’s second largest tropical forest massif after the Amazon with nearly 155.5 million hectares of forest. Forests (60 percent of the Congo Basin) are rich in animal and plant biodiversity (5th in the world) and provide important goods and services (non-wood forest products, timber, wood energy, bushmeat, traditional pharmacopoeia, etc.) on which the lives of thousands of rural people depend. However, a combination of population growth, poverty, poor governance and the administrative deficit is leading to deforestation and forest degradation in the country.

Businesses rely on managing data, and for 40 years, one company has been at the forefront of helping them to do just that: Oracle is a global business leader that impacts companies around the world, helping them use data for people, not just about people. But how does Oracle help companies—specifically their HR teams—thrive in a world defined by agility and disruption?  Juergen Lindner, SVP of Global Marketing, Oracle Cloud Applications, says that from the beginning, the company has never taken the easy way out:  “We started from scratch. We rebuilt, rethought, reimagined everything, from the applications layer to the infrastructure layer, and that allows us to be unique in our ability to partner with our clients.” For every line of business, Oracle has packaged business capabilities where you can start anywhere and seamlessly extend it on the same platform.

Nearly 800 million people globally are considered undernourished, and over 2 billion lack year-round access to adequate food. Many well-intentioned companies have attempted to address this issue, designing and selling affordable, nutritious products in developing countries. But unfortunately, these companies often forget one factor that is key to achieving their impact goals: Nutritious food products must be consumed frequently and consistently in sufficient quantities to produce positive health impacts. This in turn requires food companies to create consumption routines for consumers, while ensuring constant product availability. While penetration (i.e., the percentage of potential consumers who actually consume their products) has always been a key metric for food companies, few of these businesses focus on ensuring high consumption frequency for their products – including the companies marketing nutritious foods.

Cumulative photovoltaic (PV) power installed in 2016 was equal to 305 GW. Five countries (China, Japan, Germany, the USA, and Italy) shared about 70% of the global power. End-of-life (EoL) management of waste PV modules requires alternative strategies than landfill, and recycling is a valid option. Technological solutions are already available in the market and environmental benefits are highlighted by the literature, while economic advantages are not well defined. The aim of this paper is investigating the financial feasibility of crystalline silicon (Si) PV module-recycling processes. Two well-known indicators are proposed for a reference 2000 tons plant: net present value (NPV) and discounted payback period (DPBT). NPV/size is equal to −0.84 €/kg in a baseline scenario. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis is conducted, in order to improve the solidity of the obtained results. NPV/size varies from −1.19 €/kg to −0.50 €/kg. The absence of valuable materials plays a key role, and process costs are the main critical variables.

After many years of paper-based bureaucracy, the agreed process for organisations across all sectors to confirm peoples’ identities has just changed unequivocally. It’s time to go digital.  Thanks to newly introduced government legislation, employers and landlords will be able to use certified Identification Document Validation Technology (IDVT) service providers, such as SureCert, to carry out digital identity checks on their behalf.  The initial roll-out of this technology for Right to Work, Right to Rent, and Disclose and Barring Service checks forms part of a wider Government initiative that will allow people to quickly prove their identity using digital methods and businesses to then verify that identity easily through a digital tool.

Both Strategic IT and Get Lagos Now come together yearly to host an the E-Recycling PDX Event with sponsoring companies and organizations, with the purpose of fulfilling a core passion – to help give back to those in need through quality electronic donations.  Below is our QR Codes, both Paypal and Venmo for  donations. Thank you! Please remember the $5.00 coffee amount you send our way are the cost of new cords and supplies we need to get these electronics refurbished and given back out to New Avenues for Youth, Blanchet House, Raphael House and Rosehaven.  Thank you!

Founded by Isabella Weatherby in 2019, Peckham-based Peachy Den is the side-hustle-turned-main-hustle taking over your Instagram feed via it’s comfy 00s velour two-pieces and retro, 70s jumpsuits (The Kernel, FYI). Gracing the backs of Mia Regan, Kaia Gerber and more, it’s no surprise that the brand has reached It status so quickly. We caught up with Weatherby to learn more about your favourite figure-hugging ‘fits.

Now that Amazon’s “Alexa” has become a daily partner in our lives, with 83 million-plus users and more than 100 million devices sold, proving we have accepted face and voice recognition, artificial and predictive intelligence, as well as following directions from the Google Maps lady, it’s about time we accept robots making our latte and autonomous vehicles delivering our food.  The world of automation and robotics has jumped off engineering drawing boards and moved into restaurant dining rooms and kitchens. Not to mention the halls of congress and the cross-hairs of legislative policy wonks. The time has come to add Food Technology to the growing list of priorities in your food company’s strategic plans.

Eyeglasses and hearing aids recycling Since 1925, Lions International has been a champion in helping combat vision impairment and blindness. With this same conviction, Lions have also been a force in providing medical care and education to help prevent hearing loss. Below, you’ll find information on how to donate eyeglasses and hearing aids, as well as information on how to receive them if you are in need. How to donate It is only through the kindness of our eyeglasses and hearing aids donors that we can offer the gift of sight or sound to those in need. Below, you’ll find information on how and where to donate one or both. Eyeglasses There are a few ways in which you can donate eyeglasses.

The lower the frictional resistance of an aircraft in the air, the lower the fuel consumption. Using nature as a role model, the aviation industry has been intensively researching ways to reduce aerodynamic drag for many years. Now Lufthansa Technik and BASF have succeeded in making the breakthrough as part of a joint project. AeroSHARK, a surface film that mimics the fine structure of a shark’s skin, is to be rolled out on Lufthansa Cargo’s entire freighter fleet from the beginning of 2022, making the aircraft more economical and reducing emissions.  The surface structure consisting of riblets measuring around 50 micrometers imitates the properties of sharkskin and therefore optimizes the aerodynamics on flow-related parts of the aircraft. This means that less fuel is needed overall.

The Future Skills Centre (FSC) recognizes the significance of yesterday’s federal budget, which identified many crucial investments to support the nation’s pandemic recovery around affordable housing, child care, health benefits, and workforce initiatives.  FSC particularly welcomes the timely $794 million investment to build an inclusive workforce – with commitments to Indigenous peoples, immigration, and Black entrepreneurship, and $185 million to transition to a sustainable economy and green future. The budget delivers on opportunities to strengthen labour market mobility and training while driving innovation to ensure prosperity for all Canadians.  “The investment in further skills development in this budget will help ensure we have all hands on deck in Canada’s economic recovery,” says Pedro Barata, executive director of the Future Skills Centre.

Going forward with Xi Jinping’s goal of making the country a ‘major power with pioneering global influence’ by 2049, China has been leveraging its technological prowess and geopolitical heft to shape the global technological environment and standards to serve its commercial and strategic interests, a media report said. China has adopted a state-directed strategy to influence international standards-setting, and use them as a foreign policy tool to enhance its global standing, the Times of Israel reported, adding that, the Xi administration has employed a dual-track approach to set the international technological standards

The Coca-Cola Company breaks down the ins-and-outs of plastic recycling to demystify the process in a new animated film narrated by science icon Bill Nye.  Mackinnon & Saunders, the award-winning animators and puppeteers behind Fantastic Mr. Fox, Corpse Bride and more, created the stop-motion film featuring an animated—and recycled—likeness of Nye who explains the end-to-end recycling process. With Nye narrating in his signature, straightforward style, the film takes viewers on the circular journey of a plastic bottle, starting from the time it’s placed in a recycling bin to returning to the shelf as a 100% recycled bottle (excluding cap and label).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released a policy memorandum entitled Accelerating Nutrient Pollution Reductions in the Nation’s Waters. In the agency’s memo, EPA commits to supporting innovation and pursuing science-based and data-driven strategies to reduce excess nutrients in our nation’s waters, along with technical assistance and other support to help scale effective nutrient loss reduction strategies. Funding from the bipartisan infrastructure law will provide resources to accelerate these efforts, such as the work happening through the Gulf Hypoxia Taskforce on state nutrient reduction strategies.  EPA plans to accelerate progress in controlling nutrient pollution in our nation’s waters by pursuing three primary strategies:  Deepen collaborative partnerships with agriculture.  Double again EPA’s efforts to support states, tribes, and territories to achieve nutrient pollution reductions from all sources.  Utilize EPA’s Clean Water Act authorities to drive progress, innovation and collaboration.