Green lodging in demand
More business travelers are demanding that hotels practice green behaviors. They are seeking out hotels that actively partake in sustainable behaviors. This can lead to industry wide changes as consumers let their demands be known.
A Deloitte spokesperson says that hotels are not quite up to par yet, but that those who make efforts to change will be the ones to thrive in the future.
Consumer voice and choice matters. If consumers continue to demand sustainability, the green movement can only go forward.
Source: Road warriors going green
Changes to come in the Amazon
The Amazon is one of the world’s richest source of unknown plants and animals. As loggers continue to slash down the rainforest, there is increasing concern about the effects of the carbon dioxide being released into the environment. The Brazilian government has had a hard time policing loggers and those who practice slash and burn.
The incoming environmental minister has promised to do something about all of this. The upcoming changes promise to be exciting–what happens there can have an effect on the environmental health of the rest of the world!
Source: Brazil’s incoming environmental minister vows to fight illegal logging in the Amazon
Swans detour through town
Who says that animals and humans cannot coexist? One English town slammed their brakes to make room for this family of swans to pass through unharmed. They were safely escorted to a nearby pond.
I would imagine that this was quite a sight!
Source: Swan family halts city rush hour
Whales inspire better fans
Biologist Frank Fish realized that humpback whales have bumps on their fins and decided to investigate. After learning that these bumps make the whales more ‘aerohydrdynamic’ he decided to see how this could be applied to everyday technology and is working with a Canadian company to make more environmentally friendly fans. This technology could potentially be used with anything that cuts through water and air.
Fish learned from the best teacher–nature. By learning how an animal in the wild is optimized to move through water, he was able to research how this can affect human technology.
The best solutions are usually the simplest.
Dog survives being trapped for 8 days
Lulu, a Colorado Springer Spaniel, survived 8 days in rubble after an explosion. Her owner was injured and hospitalized, but a passerby heard her and pulled her out.
The veterinarian said she probably survived by drinking melted snow and foraging for food in the rubble. Lulu was able to visit her owner in the hospital to make sure he was doing well.
Dogs are resilient, loyal creatures who will go through a whole lot to see their owners again. Lulu is an inspiration!
Source: Dog survives 8 days trapped in rubble after Colo. explosion
Prince Charles opens Jewish Community Centre
Prince Charles has done his part in opening a Jewish Community Centre in Poland. The idea to open the centre came to him after meeting with Holocaust survivors some years ago. The centre will be a resource for Jewish students, the elderly, and its programs will be open to the community.
It is being looked at as a way of honoring those who were killed during the Holocaust because it will bring more life to the community.
Prince Charles is not Jewish, but his participation in this project represents the beauty and good that can come when people of different faiths work together toward something greater.
10 year old knocks out college basics
Moshe Kai Cavalin is a college sophomore and honor student at the East Los Angeles College. He is also 10 years old.
While this may conjure up memories of Doogie Howser, Cavalin is for all intents and purposes just a regular boy whose parents tried to put him in a private school, but found that college would be a more suitable challenge.
Some believe that any child can accomplish such levels of learning in the right environment, so perhaps Cavalin will be one of many ‘wonder-kids’ as more parents push the bar.
Stairs now feasible for many more
A young woman from the UK has developed a product that will enable the elderly and disabled to climb stairs. It is a horizontal aid that latches on to the side of the stairs and allows users to lean on it for support.
She created the product for a teacher whose father had a stroke but was told to remain active. It is a simple product, but it is often the simplest things that make a big difference. People who would otherwise be handicapped from climbing stairs can now be empowered to get themselves up and down.
Medical images spread to the developing world
Medical imaging can be incredibly expensive, which can create a gap between those who can afford treatment and those who cannot. This seems to be changing–there are now small imagers that connect to cell phones and relay information to a processing facility. This information is then sent back to the cell phones so that the doctor using them can see the images. This can have huge implications for areas that cannot afford the large imaging machines. Doctors in developing countries or rural areas will now be able to inexpensively obtain images that will aid in diagnosing and treating diseases.
Any technological advance that allows more people everywhere to receive appropriate treatment is a great thing in my book. This can definitely help the lack of aid in the most needy parts of the world.
