Posts for energy
Fukushima’s Children are Dying
More than 48 percent of some 375,000 young people—nearly 200,000 kids—tested by the Fukushima Medical University near the smoldering reactors now suffer from pre-cancerous thyroid abnormalities, primarily nodules and cysts.
NPI’s LVL technology
NZ and in particular NPI has to offer more that matchstick buildings. However that requires a big deal of early cross-discipline coordination and communication as well as a digital workflow to optimize systems early.
India Passes World’s First Corporate Responsibility Law
Not quite sure whether it is actually the world's first one, since Norway has done a similar thing: Norway Mandates CSR Reporting Via GreenBIZ India is the first country to pass a corporate responsibility law requiring larger companies to spend 2% of each year's profit…
Electrification of NZ’s vehicles
In 2010, the Centre for Advanced Engineering at Canterbury University studied the impact of various rates of electric vehicle (EV) uptake on New Zealand’s electricity grid. In their lowest uptake scenario, they projected 200,000 EVs on our roads by 2025, while a rapid-uptake scenario projected…
Design and time frame boundaries
I find is astonishing how little though we tend to put into design really. Particularly when it comes down to buildings that are supposed to last 50+ years.
Purpose and bigger picture
I must admit that I am having one of those moments again. I had WWF calling me to help protecting some cuddly animal. Last time it was a polar bear, then a panda and I have to admit I have forgotten what it was this…
The issues of cheap oil and what the solution may be
It really strikes me that the actions we are sometimes doing and the behaviour we are showing sometimes makes no sense whatsoever. I refer to the latest articles about oil spills, Siberia, Canadian tar sands, burst pipelines and similar articles throughout the press and various…
How a Seattle school became the region’s first ‘Living Building’
Via Puget Sound Business Journal, May 10, 2013 When it rains hard, a stream of water gushes through a Seattle elementary classroom. Teachers don’t mind. Nor do the students, who had a hand in designing the classroom, which is in the West Coast’s first certified…
Sustainability and reduction
Sustainability in itself does not necessarily relate to any reduction. Please look up the definition of “to sustain” and I think you won’t find any mentioning of any “reduction”. The issue is what people attribute to the word when they talk about it.