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scientists at the University of Puerto Rico have developed a system to monitor wildlife in tropical rainforests, using captured audio in real time to remotely record the sounds made by animals. Using hardware that includes iPods, solar panels, and car batteries, the scientists created a network of radio-connected listening posts around the world that allows them to collect data 24 hours a day over long periods of time. The sound will help them track the effects of environmental changes—such as deforestation and climate change—on endangered species.
The growing popularity of urban farming and gardening has been great not only for aspiring agricultural enthusiasts, but also for the catalogs that cater to them. While there has been an outcropping, so to speak, of useful, well-made and reasonably priced tools and equipment, there has been an additional proliferation of items that are, well, not exactly essential to one’s farming and gardening needs.
If you are going to visit such restaurants, go during their first few months of operation. The famous chef, or some competent delegate, will be on hand early in the history of the restaurant to make sure it gets good reviews from sophisticated food critics and smart food bloggers; because the chef is famous, these reviews will appear quickly. Then everyone will want to go there, and the place will become a major social scene. The laughing and the smiling will set in. Beware! That’s when you need to stop going.
The criteria set out by the Gates Foundation are pretty strict. The toilets have to be hygenic and sustainable, discharge no pollutants, generate energy, recover nutrients and only need a tiny amount of water.
KB Home's Fisher Plantation in Apopka will be the first community in the area to include solar power systems as standard. The systems are expected to help homeowners reduce monthly energy bills by as much as 50 percent compared to regular homes.