Thursday, June 23, 2011

Sustainability | Harry Potter series go digital with e-books

The long-awaited launch of the ebook versions could itself bring in many new readers to a series of stories that has already sold 400 million copies around the world and generated a record-breaking movie franchise made by the Warner Bros. studio.

Rowling said Pottermore was about giving something back to her fans around the world, who were among the first to create a large and influential online community. It was also about encouraging people to read more, she added.The free-to-access website, www.pottermore.com, will also feature an "online reading experience" allowing fans to immerse themselves in the world of Potter and his friends through graphics and videos.

The site opens for registration on July 31, the fictional Harry Potter's birthday, and the first million people to register will get early access to the website and the chance to help put the final touches to the experience.The site will open to all users in October.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Sustainability | Green Chemistry Award for New Formula Paint


Sherwin-Williams has received an EPA green chemistry award for its paint formulation that contains recycled plastic bottles and produces less air pollution than typical oil-based paints.
The new paint combines the performance of alkyd, or oil-based, paints, with acrylic paint’s low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which can cause respiratory irritation and damage to kidneys, lungs and nervous systems. According to the EPA, Sherwin-Williams manufactured enough of these new paints in 2010 to eliminate over 800,000 pounds of VOCs.
The water-based acrylic alkyd paint features another environmental benefit – it is made from recycled PET plastic bottles, in addition to acrylics and soybean oil. Consumers can find the new paint formulation in several of the company’s products: ProClassic Waterbased Acrylic Alkyd, ProMar 200 Waterbased Acrylic Alkyd and ProIndustrial Waterborne Enamel.
The EPA awarded Sherwin-Williams with a Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award in the “designing green chemicals” category at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., last night. In its 16th year, these awards recognize the design of safer and more sustainable chemicals, processes and products that prevent pollution and reduce Americans’ exposure to harmful chemicals.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

News l Takashi Murakami's "First Day of Summer"



To celebrate and welcome the event of Summer Solstice, or the longest day of the year, Google has featured Japanese contemporary artist Takashi Murakami's creation, tagged "First Day of Summer."


The doodle is a representation of a day when Earth and the moon's axial tilt is closest to the Sun. Commonly referred to as "Midsummer", the Summer Solstice is observed on the 21st of June every year on the Northern Hemisphere with festivals, gatherings, rituals and other celebrations. However, in the Southern Hemisphere, the event is celebrated only in December.


Murakami is known for his sculptures and paintings that are highly influenced by Japanese Anime culture. The artist was named to the Time 100 in 2008, and worked with designer Marc Jacobs on reimagining the monogram of the French design house, Louis Vitton.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Sustainability | Home make cleaning products

Do you know that many people are spending most of (if not more than) a week's pay every year on dish
soap, laundry detergent, and other cleaning products?Yet the recipes for cleaning products are as numerous
as recipes for dinner. Share with you here are just a few to help with dishes, clothes and more.

Dishwasher Detergent

Simple recipe for dishwasher soap:
• 1 cup of borax
• 1 cup of baking soda
• ¼ cup of table salt
• 2 packets (half an ounce) of unsweetened lemon Kool-Aid

You can try to save even more by buying ingredients in bulk, but another idea is to find smaller and much
cheaper boxes at your local dollar store: a good idea to since you'll want to try a small amount at first to see
if you like the results. The amounts listed above are good for 16 loads -- one tablespoon each -- so even
small batches will last a while.

Some other recipes online vary: For example, we found one that suggested combining only borax and baking
soda, 1 tablespoon each per load. Another suggested adding a little citrus essential oil to make it smell nice:
We didn't try that one, however, because we had difficulty finding inexpensive citrus oil online. Then there's
this recipe, which goes in a different direction altogether:

• 2 bars of shredded Octagon soap
• 1 cup of baking sod
• ¼ cup of washing soda
• ¼ cup of lemon juice

This one calls for melting the shredded soap in five quarts of water and then mixing in the other ingredients. If
that sounds a little like the recipe for laundry detergent we wrote about last year, that's because it is.
Laundry Detergent

When speaking of laundry detergent, that's easy, too. You'll need:
• 4 cups of water
• ⅓ bar of cheap soap, grated
• ½ cup washing soda (not baking soda)
• ½ cup of Borax (20 Mule Team)
• 5-gallon bucket for mixing
• 3 gallons of water

First, mix the grated soap in a saucepan with 4 cups of water, and heat on low until the soap is completely
dissolved. Add hot water/soap mixture to 3 gallons of water in the 5-gallon bucket, stir in the washing soda
and Borax, and continue stirring until thickened. Let the mix sit for 24 hours, and voila! Homemade laundry
detergent.
Other Cleaning Products

If you like the results of your homemade concoctions on clothes and dishes, why stop there? The next time
you're at the store, instead of picking up a bottle of some expensive cleanser, grab these six items and make
your own cleaning supplies:

Vinega - It may smell a little weird, but vinegar can handle everything from dishes to laundry and even
weeds. We've written about the wonders of vinegar before.

Baking soda - Eliminates odors and helps with stains, and also works as a natural method of pest control -- cause ants hate it.

Borax - This mineral salt beats bleach as a toilet cleaner and is also useful for scrubbing walls. And as you
see in the recipes above, works with laundry, too.

Fels-Naptha soap - This one's actually made by one of those big cleaning companies: Dial. They recommend it for "pre-treating" stains. In other words, "use this in addition to a bunch of our other expensive
products, like Purex!" But you can turn the tables by using it as part of a recipe for your own laundry
detergent, and they can keep the Purex.

Rubbing alcohol - Works as a disinfectant and is also a great glass cleaner. It also gets grime off plastic and metal surfaces like patio furniture or bathroom fixtures.

Lemon juice - This cuts through dish grease and is an ingredient for homemade furniture polish -- but it's not the easiest thing to preserve long-term.

If making your own cleaning products sounds a little extreme, there are still simple ways to save. The best?
Buying generics. And if you insist on using name brands, at least clip those coupons -- but only the ones
worth your time.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Sustainability | Gregory Unruh: Sustainability Standards And Sustainability Creep

In scheming is to Sustainable Brands 11 Conference, in June, we have been interviewing panelists inclusive Ben Packard, VP Global Responsibility, Starbucks; Steve Arbaugh, VP Brand Marketing, Interface; Jennifer Schwab, Chief Sustainability Officer, Sierra Club Green Home and Bonnie Nixon, Executive Director, The Sustainability Consortium. The theme of our event is rising sustainability standards, that are defining what sustainability means in every industry, business and product class. we considered I'd share a few primary insights.

In a Harvard Business Review article, we called the sustainability standardization routine a"greening frenzy," since it's a bit similar to a stuff oneself frenzy in the wild. The clarification of what is sustainable, similar to a carcass, is up for grabs, and countless contending voices are perplexing to affirm the prize. How the routine plays out will have aggressive implications for roughly every business.

The flooring company, Interface, has been a colonize in sustainability and thus has a long-term perspective of how it has evolved. Steve Arbaugh describes how the firm proposed out charting its own course, identifying Interface's sustainability problems and then defining its own goals and targets. Over time other companies have completed the same, and Steve sees familiar threads emerging.

Violinist | Summerfield Violinist Semifinalist At The International Competition

Collins, 22, is the daughter of Mark and Karen Collins. She graduated from the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Juilliard School to come to New York in the fall. He plays a violin from 1734, provided by the Virtue Foundation.

Eighteen violinists from around the world made in the early rounds of the competition in Queenstown. Collins was chosen as the first of six alternates - Competitors are invited to prepare for competition, if one of the original semi-finalists are unable to participate. It 'been invited to participate after the withdrawal of the Chinese violin Qiang Xiaoxiao.

The first six competitors now compete in the next round in Concert House, Auckland Town Hall on Wednesday and Thursday. Three finalists will be selected who will perform with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra Saturday.

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Green Technology | Green Technology "One Way To Protect Our Planet!

Living in the 21st century has forced people to get involved in clean technology is known as green technology. This technology is a blend of environmental science and latest technology to protect the environment and resources to mitigate the negative effects of human activities on earth. green technology is based on the best development that is not only done to the planet, but also to make our society more productive. It 's a very good approach to implement major innovations that can change our lives. It 'going to dominate the services and products that save the planet, but also meet the needs of consumers. The growth of "Save the Planet" awareness has led to some important development and research in technologies that can make this world a better place to live.

Objectives of green technology:
Green Technology is the method of the next generation of our modern society, because it is really harmful to use technology to those with negative effects on our planet. Every living thing depends on the planet to survive and find the best way forward. Therefore, it is our responsibility to take care of the earth and to find ways to protect it. Greentech is the best alternative to conventional technologies and the best thing is that it has positive effects on our land. It 's time to promote recycling and lighting products can be recycled and reused. Waste and help reduce pollution and better human beings will also be better for the future.

Thursday, June 2, 2011

Good Family Lifestyle | Planning Your Kitchen - Lifestyle And Design Style

Planning your new kitchen should be a of the many interesting adventures, primarily if spending time in your kitchen is a passion. Unfortunately, for many of us, it can appear exceedingly daunting primarily if you have a paltry bill and a large request for a immaculately propitious mental condition kitchen. Let's break down the key kitchen and pattern formulation questions in elementary demand and precedence the useful experience of kitchen designers with 20 in addition to years of knowledge.
Lifestyle: what type of kitchen?
Most critical for planning, and how you outlay your budget, will be a prioritization of your basic requirements. This unequivocally boils down to how you will use your kitchen. Determining who and how your kitchen is used with help you outline is to features you many desire. Let's examination a couple of key lifestyle mandate for you to consider:
Chef Lifestyle " will highlight effectiveness and functionality. This kitchen would underline large adjoining work areas with lots of opposite space, easy to access storage, and well-planned charge lighting.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Music l MUSIC WITH 1000 PAIRS OF JEANS

Sustainability | For The 'revolution' Generation Calls For Greater Sustainability: Survey

Montreal cultural revolution was a generation ago in the 1960s is all about sex. Now, recent research shows, it's all about sustainability.
Not as titillating revolution, maybe, but the result is definitely important "young adults participating in the new research is commensurate with the threat of global warming with the threat felt by the grandparents of World War II began.
That is why young adults in Montreal, Halifax and New York are ready to change their behavior based on sustainable values, according to a new study done by researchers at Montreal's Concordia University, the Universite du Quebec a Montreal , Dalhousie University in Halifax and Fordham University in New York City.
The 8000 young adults from 20 countries took the world on the Global Survey for Sustainable Lifestyles, sponsored by Environment Programme? United Nations, said that only their dreams to build a more sustainable world, but that They are willing to make the necessary changes to their lifestyle to make it happen.
"They want to be active and take concrete measures to achieve this," said Guy Lachapelle, a political science professor at Concordia and one of the researchers. "The study shows that changing the culture and policy makers to note that."

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