The search for renewable sources of energy and the technologies to harness them is going on worldwide. One such project underway in the UK is quietrevolution ltd, who is developing a small wind turbine for the urban environment that is quiet, efficient and pleasing to the architectural eye.

Urban, or built-up environments, create wind turbulence which can negatively effect a wind turbine’s performance. The ubiquitous horizontal axis, propeller-type turbines can have their efficiency greatly reduced by changes in wind direction and turbulence. This is a primary reason for opting for a vertical axis wind turbine, a design that doesn’t require physically rotating into the wind every time wind direction changes, wasting valuable energy.

Using real wind data, the designers of the QR5 have shown that it produces 20% – 40% more energy than a conventional, similar-sized, horizontal wind turbine, in a typical urban location — near buildings or where the wind is turbulent.

This technology and design appear to have great potential.

learn and see more @ quietrevolution.com

Something to try when next in LA: Throw a GreenBliss EcoSpa party — all-organic — from the skincare products to champagne, light snacks and robes! Choose from an extensive menu of massage and treatments — facials, scrubs and reflexology and consider a yoga session or astrology reading to begin or end the soiree. Relax, detox, rejuvenate — you set the tone of the spa party, they set the table — what bliss!

Wellness Party Planner Randi Ragan, formerly a doc-filmmaker and writer, spent over 10 years as a yoga and spiritual retreat leader, counseling industry leaders in top spas and retreat centers in Southern California, Hawaii and Mexico. Combining her interest in eco-issues and natural health, and together with her massage therapist husband, Richard, GreenBliss EcoSpa was born. They and their staff are at your service whether you are in your home, or in your hotel accommodation. Cool way to celebrate a birthday, wedding shower or just because.

Randi and Richard support sustainable lifestyle choices, driving diesel cars fueled by vegetable oil and “greening up” their LA home for the past 4 years. GreenBliss EcoSpa party fees depend on services; select from their menu, and check out their product ingredients as well. Sweet!

• Combine heavy rains, underground streams, and sewage leaks and you have the recipe for a giant sinkhole. 2 killed in Guatemala City sinkhole collapse – ap/yahoo! news

• We know Al Gore nailed an Oscar, but this financial news story may be the most important green news of the day. TXU buyout deal has many shades of green – NYT

• In the wake of the death of 6 pilot whales in recent months, the Spanish Government is starting to take action. Spain tells ship to avoid whales – bbc

Why does this lounge chair have me envisioning my watching a spirited badminton match while sipping an Izze and vodka? Melding both style and comfort, and built with pure and renewable materials, Logic Lounge Chair is designed by Chuck Heckman of Delano Collection and developed exclusively for Vivavi. This comfort creature features a Bamboo frame, formaldehyde-free, natural latex cushioning (from rubber trees), and Designtex Sustainable Series upholstery. It’s finished with non-toxic, herbal oil. Now if I just had the $795 for the chair….
@ vivavi.com

EcoKashmere® is luxuriously soft, this crew is made from a blended base layer of Certified Organic Cotton spun with Bamboo, (70% bamboo / 30% organic cotton). It’s thermal regulating and able to withstand the elements.
With antimicrobial, absorbent, and fast-drying bamboo fibers, EcoKashmere® will never stick to your skin, even on the hottest of days, and adjusts to your body temperature under any condition. These crews wick away moisture at twice the rate of regular cotton, allowing your body to naturally regulate temperature. A great way to look and stay cool.

They’re pre-washed and ready to wear. Made in the U.S.A. with sweatshop-free labor.

$24 @ jonano

The Al Gore for president movement just got a big boost, as the film, “An Inconvenient Truth” won Oscars for Best Feature Length Documentary and Best Song; in this, the first year of the “green Oscars.”
more @ rawstory

Find the roundup of green celeb Oscars action @ ecorazzi.com/

Find Oscar’s Go Green @ oscar.com/

The Slide by MacBeth is a comfy casual slip-on shoe that’s easy-on, easy-off and has the durability of a sneaker. An elastic strap under the top is concealed and keeps the shoe securely on your hoof, while the padded ankle area provides added comfort.

Available in Men’s sizes 7-13 and Women’s sizes 8.5-12.

fairly green, vegan and stylin’ for $49.95 per pair @ veganessentials

• Indonesia is dropping giant concrete balls into an active volcano – better check the cables… Volcano ball-dropping cancelled – foxnews

• Global warming and rising waters lead to dropped insurance and impending property loss. You can’t fool with Mother Nature. Coastal Brits fear climate change – ap/yahoo! news

• Gas tank clean-up costs sky rocket – enn

Once again, Peter O’Toole is absolutely brilliant. Superb script. Be sure to see Venus, and bring the tissues. Hopefully, Oscar awaits him.

The Forest Service is considering a new management plan for the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. On the table are plans to greatly increase logging and road building in what is the world’s largest temperate rain forest. The plan is not yet finalized and the Forest Service is still hearing public opinion on the plan – so send them a message through The Wilderness Society who will forward your message directly to Forest Supervisor, Forrest Cole (that’s really his name). The Forest Service often favors harvesting our great trees over conserving them. Fight the exploitation of our federal lands. Protect our old growth trees.

visit the Endangered Spaces blog for more on the global environment