Biomimicry is the process of transferring nature’s principles into human technology. Scientists and inventors are increasingly borrowing ideas freely from nature. Why?

Man-made technology will probably never catch up with nature. If a car traveling 70 miles on a single gallon of gas is impressive, just look to what a tiny hummingbird can do – it can fly 500 miles nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico!

Our very nature as humans still make us try, incessantly, to innovate, to build better things.

Why not take advantage of principles that have been tested for millions of years in nature?

This is not some abstract concept. Humans have already been using this concept of biomimicry to produce impressive results already:

1. Achieving color without pigment: Following the inspiration of the Blue Morpho Butterflies which get their color just from ambient light, IMOD displays have been designed for easier to read screens even in bright sunlight.
2. Aerodynamics, Fuel-efficiency and Safety: Despite its funny shape, the angular box fish is surprisingly aerodynamic, and it has proven as an inspiration for Mercedes’ Bionic Car.
3. Seaweed secretion wards of bacteria: Compounds have been created that mimic the furanones in seaweed which help prevent bacterial build up.  A departure from ‘anti-biotics’ which kill bacteria, this approach simply inhibit bacterial growth.
4. Microscopic texture to keep surfaces clean and dry: Inspired by lotus leaves that repel water and dirt from their surface naturally and easily, a class of wet-proof, self-cleaning products are making their way into our lives.
5. Getting the sun to work harder for us: Mimicking the translucent polar bear hair that keeps the polar bear warm even in their frigid habitats with little direct sunlight, a translucent polyester fabric has been invented that recreate the effect of solar energy collection.
6. Staying sharp with lots of use: Imitating the process of bruxing which rats use to keep their incisors sharp, a new generation of industrial blades have been invented that self-sharpen with each use.

As you can see, Biomimicry is already yielding breakthrough technologies.

In an inspiring talk, Janine Benyus, author of an authoritative book on the subject of Biomimicry (biomimetics, bionics, or bio-inspiration, as it is sometimes called), provides more fascinating examples of this concept.

And because the champion adapters in the natural world are, by definition, those that can survive without destroying the environment that sustains them, biomimicry can contribute to the long-term health of our planet.

Let us hope for more sustainable  innovation inspired by nature in these coming years.

The average homeowner can reduce or eliminate their annual electricity bill by installing a solar power system. They will never again have to worry about another electric bill if they install a properly sized solar panel array. Even though these systems are fairly easy to install, there are a few problems that homeowners can encounter that may prevent them from seeing the maximum return on their investments. Some of these issues have been overcome in recent years with improvements to the solar power technology and these innovations make these systems the perfect answer for most homeowners. These developments can be useful whether you are using purchased solar panels or a DIY solar panel.

Their home’s orientation to the sun is probably the largest concern for most homeowners. Homes must have a side that faces south in order for solar panels to operator at peak efficiency. This ensures that the solar panels have a good amount of sun exposure throughout the day, as the sun travels across the sky. This was a critical concern in years past as older solar panels were very specific in their need to have a constant sun exposure for most of the day to generate power. Even it positioning was just a little off, it could have a major impact on power output.

Modern solar panels solve this problem by using more efficient solar cells in their construction. Besides producing more electricity with similar amount of sunlight, these newer solar cells can also tolerate a more severe angle relative to the sun. Because of this, they have a wider tolerance for locations that would not have been good choices for older systems. So, these newer solar cells are ideal for installations there is less than perfect alignment. During periods of diminished sunlight, like on cloudy days, these newer solar panels will produce more electricity than older ones, in addition to these situations that are out of traditional alignment. These newer panels don’t have to be rotated during the data to point directly at the sun. This makes it much easier to do a homebuild a solar panel install.

This is a vast improvement over older cells that required a strong consistent amount of sunlight to produce power. Because of this, older panels were inactive when the sun was rising in the morning and setting in the late afternoon. There is sunlight at these times, but not enough to cross the threshold these older panels need to produce power. Even during these periods of lower levels of sunlight, newer panels will produce electricity in proportion to the amount of light. These panels produce maximum electricity when the sun is at peak, but can generate power in proportion to the amount of sunlight, as long as some light is striking the panels. Having this ability to generate a variable amount of power from even weak sunlight allows these newer solar panels to produce more power each day and adds to their total power output for the year. The additional power this will provide can add significant savings and allow the homeowner to justify a solar power system for their home.

A solar power system is one of the best ways to increase the resale value of your home. No matter whether you supplement the electricity provided by the power company or supply all of the electricity needs of your house, a solar power system will definitely increase the value of your home. A simple do it yourself solar charger will get you started in the right direction.

Open Cell Insulating Foam has its place in the world of interior insulation. Just like its stronger (higher density) cousin, it provides excellent insulation due to its very high degree of air tightness. It is especially desirablefor attic insulation.

Open cell foam is sprayed in place. Good quality foam looks like a hard mass without cavities or holes. Only below a microscope can the outburst or open cells be seen. Open cells are created by a high number of blowing agent which causes the cells to pop like balloons. This is by design: it augments the yield, cuts the cost of the finished products, and makes the foam breathable. The breathing pace is very slow , so the building is substantially still airtight, but the insulation permits vapour in the other building segments to outflow.  Today a lot of home proprietors are using spray foam which can make a big contrast to the general temperature of your domicile .

Open Cell Insulating Foam serves a long list of benefits to the people living or working in a domicile or structure :

1) Energy savings. In many evaluations in the U.S. the foamed residences consume around 50% less energy than abodes with ordinaryinsulation, even when insulated to similar U-value. So it is not the U-value but the air tightness that is important . Typical constructs lose 70% of all inside air every hour. This is called the (involuntary) air changes per hour/ACH. When you use E:zero E500, ACH is 0.1 instead of 0.7. The fact is that your heated or conditioned air is lost about 7 times more often if the house is not foamed. Many suppliers do not tell you this but we know it’s a fact.

2) IAQ – Indoor Air Quality: A great anxiety around the world. Foamed houses allow the occupants to supervise the unwanted intrusion of moisture, allergens, dust, and everything else penetrating the building envelope. IAQ is greatly improved in a foamed home.

3) Quiet – very quiet, because sound is an air wave which travels through the imperfections of the dwelling envelope. Besides, Open Cell Insulation Foam is soft and simply absorbs sound.

4)  Healthful, because foam is inert ; it does not react. Beyond that, it’s water-based! Many people don’t know that car seats, pillows, and mattresses are made from a close relative of insulation foam. No worries there.

5) The environment loves foam, too! Homes insulated with foam may reduce CO2 emissions by 50%. Here is a unique chance to save the planet and money in one step.

6) Technical details: a cubic meter of E500 weighs only 8 kg. E500 passed the European burn test SBI EN 13823. Open cell foam is not waterproof, and it is not a vaporisation barrier. It is made for CPI in Germany.

Open Cell foam provides the best   roof insulation for your home and based on the points highlighted above this foam technology seems to be the way to go. When dealing with cavity wall and attic insulation open cell foam is always the most environmentally sound choice

The specific cause of global warming currently remains a mystery even though scientific research is being done. Identifying the specific cause and retarding it’s growth are the target of diligent efforts. The likely results of global warming continuing at the current rate can be predicted. Although alarmists have made preposterous predictions of dire outcomes it should be kept in mind that there are some legitimate reasons not to ignore the issue entirely.

Global warming is simply the term used to describe the circumstance of surface air and ocean temperature averages raising. The temperatures have slowing increased over the years showing that this may be a trend that could very well get out of hand one day. Of course, many people and scientists are claiming that human activity could very well be the main cause of all of the problems with global warming. However, there is also the need to take natural causes into consideration.

Getting Educated

To insure that the gravity of global warming is understood by future generations education is  of tantamount importance. The problems could very well grow to levels of impossible proportions if we don’t take steps toward a resolution.  Our efforts will illustrate the importance of the problem to future generations. Students should be taught about global warming in their early grade school years. The basics of the global warming can be introduced to younger students who can not yet grasp the more complex issues.

Lessons can delve more deeply for students as they progress through school Projects and assignments on global warming is a great way to make sure that the kids are truly getting involved and that they are really thinking hard about this. Discussion of global warming within the family home setting is an excellent idea regardless of your school district’s policy on in depth teaching of the subject. If your school district does not teach on the subject then the home discussions will be their only source.  If the school does teach it, this will reinforce and impress the importance on the student.

Current information and pricing can be found at Lo-VOC PVC Cements. BLI Lighting Specialists carries the entire line of Morris Products which feature a complete line of Lo-VOC PVC Cements and Purple Primer/Cleaners.

Recently in a press release Morris Products comments on the new formulation to the PVC Cement line.

Effective January 1, 2010 all Morris Products PVC Cements, Primers, and Cleaners will be Lo-VOC. We have redesigned all of our Plastic Pipe Solvent Formulations to meet the Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) emission requirement limits as established by the California South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) Rule 1168.

We are devising these changes to adapt to current legislating in the states of CA, CT, MD, NJ and RI, and proposed legislation in other states that will create similar requirements. These same standards have also been adopted by the U. S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Rating System. These formulas are as good as the Plastic Pipe Solvent formulations they supplant, but with less VOC emissions.

MORRIS-GWG producer of over 4,100 electrical, lighting, datacom, and tool products is also the master distributer in the Electrical market for United Elchem PVC Cements, Primers, Clearners & Arfco Roof Flashings.

It should be noted that while Cements that are Lo-VOC , Primers, and Cleaners make up a large part of this line , Access Panels, Cutting Oil and Roof Flashings are included as well.  In the tools section you will find PVC Pipe Cutters capable of cutting pipe 1”, 1 ¼” and 2” in diameter.

Commitment to better products such as Lo-VOC PVC Cements has been well received by contractors and DIY person across the United States.  Morris Products provides top quality products and outstanding insight into the electrical supplies market. 

Morris Products has joined with BLI Lighting Specialists (www.budgetlighting.com) to provide the entire line of items in the Morris catalogue.  BLI Lightings Specialists have been on-line since 1996.

Wherever the value of the business oriented idea certainly will increase, you will have Commercial Patio Furniture often at resorts, bistros, gardens or night clubs. Commercial Patio Furniture can be also present in state park systems, church buildings, doctor’s offices, educational facilities and also resorts. It definately will attract the right type of people who like to enjoy the outdoors. Anywhere you’ve Commercial Patio Furniture set up you will find that one can find far more people as well. Whether it is all light weight aluminum, rattan, plastic or perhaps resin and even teak, the Commercial Patio Furniture will come to you made of the most excellent of components. You’re able to choose the materials as well as model that best matches your layout patio décor.

The best kind of Commercial Patio Furniture will always make for a excellent outdoor seating arrangement. You will need to always make sure that what you’ve is tough and also long lasting if you select the Commercial Patio Furniture. The white frame, the shades, the sleek use of aluminum or maybe solid wood assures that you obtain a top quality product, one that can last you for a long time ahead as well as keep your customers pouring in as well.

Commercial Patio Furniture is the perfect must have which clients surely expect. While you enjoy your beverages and also food, there can be nothing far more relaxing than having the ability to sit around a patio seating arrangement.

Commercial Patio Furniture is simply the best kind of furniture to be put in front of swimming pools, water parks and also apartment residential areas. The best kind furniture to have a entire bunch of people gathering around it, and having a good time! There might be absolutely nothing much more useful and also simple than to add Commercial Patio Furniture to further improve the design of the area. You will be instantly in a position to add the ideal kind of beauty and also chic that buyers take pleasure in. The Commercial Patio Furniture come to you in a great line which is full of products. You’re able to obviously find the right one from those.

Buy Commercial Patio Furniture and watch your profit raise.

A unique area to visit while in Costa Rica is the quiet small village of Mal Pias. Situated on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica nearly the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, this area boast of vibrant colors and sceneries. The name Mal Pais originated from the Chorotoga tribe who inhabited the area. Storey’s in the area would tell us that the word Mal Pais was coined from the word “mah pah” which is a large stone used by the Indians to draw. Many of the best Costa Rica vacation rentals are located in the Mal Pais area.

Thought as the Hawaii of Central America, the coastline of Mal Pais is made up of very unique rocky formations which form a fascinating and interesting shore . Looking at those interesting formations, one would marvel at the how mother nature sculptures herself and creates a fabulous work of art. Even more , if you travel down the beach of Mal Pais , you could be impressed with the sight of pelicans sailing along the shorelines or diving for fish! Such a glorious and peaceful sight indeed !

There are several reasons why travelers come to Mal Pais. Scuba divers would come for its unique and pristine tropical nature. University students from around the world studying ecology and biology would come trekking from the close by Cabo Blanco National Park which is located some approximately 1.7 miles south of the village. The Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve is like a nursery for many aquatic species, most of which are endangered or threatened by human activities .

Mal Pais offers a tourist haven along its three kilometer road which is dashed with charming hotels . Most of these Costa Rica hotels has fantastic views and very good lodging guaranteed to make you feel at home while soaking up the golden sunset of the Pacific.

Near by Cabo Blanco

The oldest of Costa Rica’s National Parks, the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve is located at the extreme southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. In our opinion it is the most fabulous such nature reserves in the country, with a genuinely one of a kind combination of weather and geographical destination . It is also one of the first protected areas established in Costa Rica , all the way back in 1963, a first step that has now become an extensive national park system and has led Costa Rica becoming one of the world’s foremost authorities in the ecotourism industry.

The attractive features held in the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve are numerous and wide-ranging. It houses over a thousand hectares of mixed forest, known as moist tropical forest , as well as primary and secondary forest, and is home to a stunning menagerie of animals that includes anteaters, armadillos, coyotes, howlers, monkeys (both spider and capachun) and white tailed deer .

At the entrance to the reserve is Cabuya, a tight knit community that is on the border of the main gate to the Reserve and offers excellent accommodation and hospitality as well as numerous activities which just to name a few are sports fishing, bird watching (Cabo Blanco is the nesting place for more than a hundred and fifty different types of birds), beachcombing, hiking, scuba diving or trips to various places such as the Isle of Tortuga and an undersea volcano. All in all, Costa Rica National Park, Cabo Blanco is the perfect area to sample the unspoiled simplicity of an old fashioned Costa Rican way of life. When traveling the southern Nicoya Peninsula Mal Pais and Cabo Blanco are definitely worth the visit.

Wood pellet stoves in recent years have seen impressive growth as a primary or secondary heat source plus attractive room feature. One of the key incentives for wood pellet stoves are the automatic operation as well as low maintenance. Also due to the high oil along with gas prices, heating with wood pellets is a much cheaper alternative. Biomass pellets are also carbon neutral, as well as do not contribute to climate change, different oil as well as gas. Therefore now there are more plus more monetary incentive schemes for installing a biomass pellet stove and using pellets. Fuel experts expect to see the high prices of oil, gas along with electricity continue into the future. This is due to increased global demand due to increasing global population, increased taxes plus supply issues due to political disputes and war.

Learn more about Pellet Stoves Pros and Cons

Most of the oil and gas used to heat our homes as well as run our cars is bought from Russia plus the Middle East. Our heavy addition to oil in addition to gas to power our lives has resulted in a faith of fossil energy fuel. We have now entered a time of economic uncertainty and increasing joblessness, while we continue to import fuel at higher as well as higher prices. Energy pellets for wood pellet stoves can be constructed from local wood resources, dropping the need to import energy from abroad while at the same time fighting global warming. As stated local wood resources can be used to produce fuel pellets for wood pellet stoves. Generating energy pellets form local resources can generate permanent jobs in the growing green fuel sector. It also means cheaper energy for the local consumer due to reduced raw material along with wood pellet fuel transportation. Local pellet fuel production can benefit the economy in addition to planet.

Read more about Pellets Stoves

Unlike wood fuel pellets perform differently under burning, specifically in the percentage of ash produced. Though some biomass pellet stoves due to poor burn pot as well as pellet feed designs cannot use all wood energy pellets efficiently without complications. A wood pellet stove which can use a wider collection wood fuel pellets is much cheaper to run, plus some wood energy pellets can price half as much as traditional premium biomass pellets. However the differences in design are not obvious, this guide has been developed to highlight these difference to help consumers to get the best value for money. At PelHeat we develop small scale pellet production solutions along with you can see from the video above, along with test burn a wide assortment of biomass fuel pellets. We therefore developed this guide to help consumers purchase more pellet energy flexible wood pellet stoves to save hundreds even thousands in pellet fuel costs.

More information on Quadrafire Pellet Stoves

So how’s that 2010 new years resolution doing? Well, if you’re like many of us, you may have already given up.  It can be extremely difficult to change one habit.  In fact, we may well go year after year making exactly the same agreement to ourselves to break a foul habit.  Subsequently we have a tendency to end the vow of breaking that habit(sound familiar smokers, habitual soda drinkers, or fast-food eaters?).  It’s a vicious cycle! How do we shatter it?

I propose we accept a method of changing various effortless things in our life, today, rather than getting only one target for transformation.  Imagine if varying in only one approach isn’t enough? Since we tend to make decisions to change, even in lesser ways, we obtain momentum plus assurance in our power in making constructive adjustments regarding a number of the more difficult things like working out repeatedly and at last losing that extra weight.  So let’s start building with the intention of gaining confidence!

I see two straightforward yet important ways I can modify our planet along with myself.  First, I’ll employ eco friendly reusable or recycled grocery bags rather then plastic one use bags and paper bags when I shop.  Secondly, I’ll keep in mind to make use of stainless steel water bottles. You may be startled as a result of what a helpful influence these two painless practices can have on the world.

These ways of life are straightforward, painless as well as affordable.  Furthermore, in spite of common perspective, plastic containers and bags are not enslaving(we swear, no withdrawals or cravings)!  Countless aren’t attentive of how our utilization of these products impinge on our planet’s health.  Once upon a time not way back, we weren’t alert of the destructive effects of cigarettes.  We accepted cigarette smoke as the status quo.  A number of us still smoke or live in towns where smoking is allowed inside public places.  Using reusable grocery bags and reusable water bottles will be brand new healthy ways of life and so easy in comparison with something akin to quitting caffeine, high fructose corn syrup or removing fast food from our diet programs.  Stash a stockpile of eco bags in the vehicle or your backpack.  Make a small investment in a stainless steel reusable water bottle and carry it with you all the time.  You will not only shrink the detrimental affects of disposable bag and disposable bottle rubbish in the environment, additionally you will encourage other people to build these easy transformations of their lifestyles at the same time as well. The superlative outcome is how you will feel about yourself when you comprehend you are now a part of the solution, instead of the crisis.  Check out the stats in addition to the facts:

Disposable bag usage:
Plastic bag waste pollutes our parkland, valleys, ponds, rivers, lakes, and oceans.Just since year started(as of March 1st, 2010), it’s estimated that more than 82 Billion plastic bags have been consumed in the USA.
According to the EPA this contributes towards the deaths of countless thousands of marine mammals (who ingest and subsequently gag or pass away of starvation consequently). In California alone, an estimated 19 billion plastic bags wind up within landfills every year. Although there’s arguments on the subject of which one (plastic opposed to. paper) is worse for our eco systems, there isn’t any debate that the widespread adoption of eco reusable shopping bags is by far the perfect resolution for this major environmental problem.

Plastic bottle usage:
According to the Container Recycling Institute (CRI), more than 21 billion beverage cans and bottles have been land-filled, trashed and burned so far this year (yes just since 2010 started). CRI also states that Americans buy an estimated 34.6 billion single serve plastic bottles every year and hundreds of millions end up in the same places that disposable bags end up.

We all dream of a day when we finally break loose of our bad habits:  quitting smoking, eliminating fast food in our diet, or just getting off the couch and working out!  You understand you can do it!  Determine what you’ll be able to simply change right away, and take action on it.  So make an easy change as part of your life today: Implement a reusable shopping bag and reusable water bottles habit and begin building momentum used for larger improvements that are beginning as part of your destiny today!

The current heating options today are very limited, fossil energy oriented along with getting more as well as more expensive to run. Gas along with oil heating ideas began to dominate the heating market from the 1970′s, by way of many leaving behind coal and biomass heating options because of the other maintenance required. Also, at the time, oil as well as gas was actually very cheap, in addition to could more than compete on a charge basis. Therefore to consumers the alternative was clear, less work for the same heat as well as fee. On the other hand, now the charge reward of these fuels are long gone, as well as additional implications of using these fuels are coming to light. Oil, gas and coal heating solutions are carbon polluters, as they place additional carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. This rise in carbon dioxide is one of the key contributors to climate change along with global warming. The only way we can lessen as well as slow these effects is to limit our use of fossil fuel, as well as adopt low carbon as well as carbon neutral heating alternatives. Biomass, as well as additional wood resources can now play a significant role in carbon emission reduction.

Learn more about Wood Pellets For Sale

Where in the past heating by biomass meant purely log heating, or maybe biomass chip, today there are much more consumer friendly along with practical heating options. Yet many people today still have log fires for their main living space, very few actually use that as their main warmth source. The reasons are obvious, as well as the same reasons why many moved away from biomass heating. Wood energy pellets can bring wood heating back firmly into the 21st century, in addition to truly work around a busy modern habits while meeting the total heating requirements of a building of any size. With the pellets uniform small size, enlarge density as well as reduced moisture percentage along with proficient, practical and clean energy source is born. Owing to these properties wood fuel pellets can be used in automated pellet stove in addition to boilers for complete heating needs.

Read more about Biomass Energy

Biomass pellet heating systems are in fact very straightforward, however efficient at what they do. The pellets are held in a hopper, which can normally at least hold ample fuel for the entire day. At the base of the hopper is a screw feeding auger, which will take the pellets to the burning chamber. The speed as well as timing of the auger is restricted via a computer which controls all the features on the stove. The burning chamber has a burn pot, igniter and fan assistance. When the computer is told to operate the stove, via a thermostat for case, the auger will feed pellets, the igniter will start the fire along with the fan providing incineration air. By means of the right amount of air fed into the fire restricted via the computer proficient incineration can be achieved by way of no visible smoke, plus more warmth generated than any biomass log stove. To produce a pellet there are a variety of steps in addition to processes. The matter is ground to a fine particle size, dried and then finally compressed into a pellet. The pellet mill is the main piece of apparatus, plus using immense forces of pressure and warmth melts the biomass to form a solid as well as durable biomass pellet energy.

More information on Biomass Fuel