• Avoid power blackouts by turning off the power and creating a blackout…interesting.  Cuba Orders Extreme Measures to Cut Energy Use – reuters
• Sunlight propulsion…Dream of Solar Sailing in Space Lives on in New Project – cs monitor
• It’s always tough on the singles scene…(video)  Bees Fight to Death Over Females – bbc
• Didn’t I see Putin hunting tigers with his shirt off recently? Russia to Launch Program to Save Tigers Worldwide – msnbc
• Today’s the day – keeping the eco fashion local – Nau pops up in Soho – mother nature network
• NBC Launches 3rd Annual Green Week Sunday – green is universal
• Brown is beautiful…Brown Pelicans Recover From DDT, No Longer Endangered – enn
• It’s not cousin Duane…close those doors and windows…Origin of Household Dust Pinned Down – livescience

In my family, Thanksgiving was always the most stressful of holidays.  Would there be enough food? Would so-and-so come?  Would the house be clean enough?  Rarely among those concerns was, how sustainable is this holiday?  Well, times they are a changing and this Thanksgiving we’ll have a local turkey, relatives arriving via carpools and organic wine.  You can join the green Thanksgiving festivities with these easy tips.

The Food
Really, Thanksgiving is all about the food, but you don’t have to skimp on the stuffing to make this Thanksgiving more sustainable than last. Most families will not be convinced to give up the turkey this Thanksgiving. If you can go vegetarian or turkey free, more power to you; if not here are some alternatives:

• Make a shopping list before you go out.  Trying to think on the fly will cause unnecessary purchases.  Making the list well in advance will allow you to look for the best local options, rather than making frantic last minute decisions.  Try to minimize car mileage by planning your route precisely.
• Buy local and/or organic.  Thanksgiving is all about using your local resources to make delicious food.  Get your turkey from you local farmer’s market or local producers. You can look for a turkey provider near you, here.

It’s not just about the turkey!

• Take the 100-Mile Thanksgiving Challenge, and keep all your Thanksgiving foods close to home. If you’re in Albany, Seattle, Washington, Kansas City, Flagstaff, or Montgomery, The Daily Green has prepared 100 Mile Challenge recipes to use.
• Drink green.  Only buy wines with real cork stoppers, rather than plastic.  Trees are not cut down for cork, and it is a crucial part of the forestry industry.  Look for organic wines and liquors, and freshen tap water with a filter and some lemons.
• As the food coma starts to set in, think about your leftovers before you take that oh so alluring nap.
• Avoid plastic wrap. Most plastic wraps contain PVC which quickly winds up in landfills and has been linked to harmful environmental consequences.  Use aluminum foil or, even better, send family home with glass or ceramic storage containers that they can return to you after.  (The really conscientious may bring their own reusable leftover container, just in case…)
• Keep your hands dry!  A new study from the University of Bonn in Germany found that your dishwasher uses less soap, half the energy and 1/6 of the water you might during hand washing.  Air dry the dishes rather than heat drying them.
• Donate your fat.   If you’re in Texas, call up Plano and see if they’re still collecting turkey fat and turning it into biofuel.
• Donate leftover food to a shelter or food bank.

The Family
Thanksgiving is also about getting connected with family. For some, it’s the one time in the year where everyone is in the same room. Go green together!

• Know your guests.  Does Aunt Susan only eat white meat?  Is Danny a vegetarian?   Knowing who’s coming and what they’re expecting will help you shop efficiently and maximize your green options for each person.
• Pick a location that’s easy for everyone to get to.  The less air travel the better, and if you do fly consider carbon-reducing efforts to make up for it.
• Carpool.  Pick each other up on the way.
• Try to avoid sitting around the television on Thanksgiving Day.   Many towns have live parades, and your childrens’ school friends might be playing in football games in the area.  If you have diehard fans in the mix, make sure they’re all watching the same television, and aren’t scattered throughout the house.  Take the football out of the closet and see if anyone’s apt to want to throw the ball around, or organize an informal game of touch.

The Decorations
Home made decorations can be both fun and green.

• Send online invitations or organic ones.
• Thanksgiving is an earthy time. Use your creativity with sticks, stones, leaves, flowers and branches from your backyard or neighborhood.
• If you can’t get sticks or don’t want to get crafty, look for organic floral arrangements at your local farmers market or online.
• Use non-toxic cleaners to get that mom-level-clean before she actually shows up.

Modern green home design doesn’t always have to be flashy and exotic.  Maryann Thompson Architects designed this simple, yet refined, contemporary residence to meet a client’s desire to create an environmentally sensitive and sustainable home that could be built within a limited budget.  The home’s design is deliberately straightforward – a simple box structure adorned with an asymmetrical roof line – a direct response to the client’s request that the house express the attitude of “benign neglect.”  The North Easton, MA residence, which is nestled in a typical suburban development of neo-colonial homes, received LEED Silver certification under the USGBC’s new pilot program for housing.  The house sits at the end of a 900′ driveway on a heavily wooded lot which abuts conservation lands and belies the suburban setting.  The 3000 SF home was designed to be aesthetically sympathetic and integrated into its 5.5-acre site and incorporates low maintenance and naturally occurring materials – reflecting the homeowner’s relaxed and informal lifestyle.

Many common-sense sustainable features were incorporated in the home’s design.  Expansive windows on the front façade take full advantage of the house’s south-facing orientation.

During the winter months, when the sun is lower in the sky, abundant natural light enters the public spaces and upstairs bedrooms, opening the house to solar gain and thereby reducing mechanical heating demands. The house’s remaining heat requirements are resolved via two pellet stoves and an efficient radiant heating system powered by solar panels.  The asymmetrical roof shields the upstairs rooms against the intense summer sun.

Cross-ventilation eliminate the need for for central air-conditioning without compromising comfort.  The residence also features recycled and energy efficient materials, including a recycled-tire rubber roofing system, reclaimed hardwood cabinetry, casework and flooring materials, recycled glass tiles and thermal efficient windows.  Running electrical lines to the house assures the residents access to an emergency power source and enables them to sell unutilized energy back to their local utility.  Very green indeed.

PLX Kiwi
Sure, hybrid vehicles can considerably cut gas consumption compared to conventional cars, but if you’re not ready to buy a new car, the patent-pending PLX Kiwi can help increase the fuel efficiency of your current ride by as much as 33 percent.  Compatible with any 1996 vehicle and up, the PLX Kiwi easily connects to the OBDII port (usually located under the steering column) where it gathers your car’s sensor data, including vehicle speed, RPM, engine load, oxygen sensor readings, and so on.  The Kiwi monitors and analyzes your driving behavior, then determines your car’s maximum fuel efficiency and identifies areas in need of improvement.  It even keeps track of how much gas and money you save when you modify your driving habits.  To learn more, watch the demo video.  It’s available @ plxkiwi.com for $299.99.

reNEW solar battery charger
This ‘Pez’ inspired solar battery charger is one clever concept.  Unlike conventional battery chargers, the top load, bottom dispenser design takes out the “guess” factor in fully charging your batteries.  Batteries retrieved from below always come out fully charged, so you’ll never have to pick and choose.  And, because the frame can either stand on a desk or be hung on a window, the charger is versatile and visible for the home or office.  Made from biodegradable plastic and sustainable wool felt, it’s a wiser and eco-friendlier alternative to conventional chargers.  Unfortunately, it’s still in its concept stage.  via: yankodesign.com

solar headphone radio
This Solar Headphone Radio is perfect for listening to the radio while outdoors, whether you’re gardening, taking a morning walk, or camping outside.  Its ultra-thin film solar technology provides 1-3 hours of listening power for every one hour of sunlight, with a fully charged headset able to run for as long as 20 hours.  Because it automatically recharges in light (even when in use), as long as you’ve got the sun shining above you, you’ll never have to worry about losing power.  It’s available for purchase @ ecotopia.co.uk for £24.95 (~$41.01) and comes with a 3 year warranty.

The Kiran solar lamp
The Kiran lamp combines solar technology with highly efficient LEDs to provide up to 8 hours of 360-degree lighting that is four times brighter than a kerosene lantern (see photo above).  The lamp can be hung, carried, or placed on any surface, and features 2 brightness settings to provide versatility for both indoor and outdoor use.  It is expected to be available on the market soon, and is set at a price of only $10, making it the world’s most affordable solar lamp.  Learn more @ Dlightdesign.com

Freedom Dynamo electric shaver
No batteries and no electric bill…here’s an electric shaver that offers more than just a close shave.  It brings you freedom from dead batteries and saves you the hassle of outlets.  With its Wind ‘N Go lever, men will never have an excuse to go unshaven again.  One minute of winding provides enough power for a full shave.  And, with three individual heads that flex and rotate, it won’t slack on performance.  You can purchase yours from Think Geek for $49.99 (price includes a travel case, mirror, cleaning brush, and adapters).

Wind power innovator, Mariah Power, and Connecticut’s Quinnipiac University are installing the first micro-wind farm at a U.S. university.   The 25 turbine installation, which will be installed along the new York Hill Campus’s main walkway, will power about 50% of the campus’s exterior lights.  The 35 to 45 foot Windspire vertical axis wind turbines will create a “wind terrace”, or “kinetic sculpture garden” that, when combined with a sweet view of Long Island Sound, will hopefully become student destination.

read the full press release

Techie fun, marketing innovation and wind speed site analysis all on your iPhone?  Mariah Power and Create with Context will soon release an iPhone app that will let you know how much wind is whipping through your property and if it’s enough to spin a Windspire small wind turbine.  Just hold your iPhone into the wind and it will measure the wind speed and do the math.  The app will also estimate how much CO2 your potential Windspire installation will save the environment.

You can sign up at Mariah Power’s website to be notified when the app is available.

Related: previous Altcon posts on Mariah Power and its vertical axis wind turbine

We’re just trying to have some fun here…

• You’ve been working for ten long years to complete a 30′ tall sculpture of Queen Elizabeth out of 20,000 recycled Ballantine Ale cans and your kidneys are about shot.
• Putting your Hummer in neutral going down hills has saved you only .008 gallons of black gold per mile.
• You tried a pair of hemp sandals but found them largely un-combustible and difficult to fit into any of your old hash pipes.
• Your neighbor’s wind farm is blocking your view of the local oil refinery.
• They have yet to make an authentic Ben Roethlisberger jersey out of organic cotton.
• The Wave Power installation in your Koi pond won’t power your 3,000 cubic foot hot tub.
• Scientists have failed at all attempts to make a 100% organic version of Velveeta.
• Hamburger Helper’s new ‘All Vegan Simulated-Sirloin Helper’ just doesn’t get the job done for you.
• That ‘Soy Hold’ hair gel you bought makes you look like Marie Osmond on a bad-hair day.
• You were recently mauled by a horde of carpenter ants after a failed attempt to talk them out of your house.

Related: previously on altCon – 10 reasons to go green

A green stimulus package for your eyes, ears and mind…

• For teens and tweens, online community and webzine Girl360 goes green this month, featuring an interview with eco model citizen, Summer Rayne.
• AWEA’s Wind Power Finance & Investment Workshop will be held at the New York Marriott Marquis October 13 & 14 – learn about wind energy incentives to help finance the growth of this powerful industry.  Register here.
• Learn how you may win a Biomega folding bike (retails for $1700) via Inhabitat
• Dept of Energy Kicks off the 2009 Solar Decathlon, A Competition Powered by the Sun
• Clothing company, Icebreaker transforms synthetic tees into running shoe bags in window of Paragon, by Union Square in NYC
• 20th Anniversary of Bioneers Conference and Workshops, October 15 – 18 in San Rafael, CA.  AltCon readers receive 20% off with this link (includes free Bioneers’ Membership).
• Vote for your favorite video in the Drive Smarter Challenge – checkout 10 short videos aimed at helping to drive smarter, reduce gas consumption and drive fewer miles.  Rate the videos 1-5, contest ends Monday, October 19, 11:59p (EDT)
• Prince Charles sends SOS to save our rainforests.
• Review of emerging eco fashion designers at Portland Fashion Week, Day 2.
• Check out www.blogactionday.org/, an annual event that unites the world’s bloggers in posting about the same issue on the same day on their own blogs with the aim of sparking discussion around an issue of global (more…)

• More than just beer will flow…Milwaukee Seen as Hybrid Hub – boston herald
• Thank you oil industry…Mighty Caribou Herds Dwindle, Warming Blamed – msnbc
• Could biofuel from processed waste cut carbon emissions by 80%? Is Garbage the Solution to Tackling Climate Change? – sciencedaily
• In Great Britain’s Marine Power Race, Sea Snake Leads – reuters
• The scent of change…SD Town Gets Rid of 44 Tons of Stinking Bison Meat – myway
• Green Roofs Curb Global Warming, Study Confirms – livescience
• Isn’t this when they used to schedule witch hunts? It’s Harvest Moon Time – enn/gizmodo
• In related news…Vampires Vow Till Death Do Us Part at Ohio Wedding - aol news

Some of our natural sources of alternative energy, like wind and wave power, just won’t cooperate by producing power when we, or utility companies need it.  One solution – stop wasting energy produced in low demand situations, like nighttime0 – and store the energy for a time when it is most needed (or you can charge more for it).  Beacon Power, a Massachusetts company, is using a $43 million Federal loan guarantee to build a $67 million energy storage facility in Stephentown, NY.

Beacon’s Smart Energy 25 design is centered around a flywheel storage system that works by accelerating a cylindrical assembly called a rotor (flywheel) to a very high speed and maintaining the energy in the system as rotational energy.  The energy is converted back by slowing down the flywheel. The flywheel system itself functions as a kinetic, or mechanical battery, spinning at very high speeds to store energy that is instantly available when needed.  Beacon’s Smart Energy 25 flywheel has a high-performance rotor assembly that is sealed in a vacuum chamber and spins between 8,000 and 16,000 rpm.  At 16,000 rpm the flywheel can store and deliver 25 kWh of extractable energy.

Beacon Power has designed a grid-scale system it calls the “Smart Energy Matrix” which is a multiple integrated system of (10) Smart Energy 25 flywheels interconnected in an array, or matrix, to provide energy storage for certain utility applications. (more…)