pisecs aries's List: impressive

• Japan's greenhouse emissions rose 6.2 percent in the year ended March 2007 from the level in 1990, according to the environment ministry. The gains were led by a 40 percent surge in carbon emissions by the commercial sector, including hotels and office buildings, and a 30 percent increase by households.

• June 24 (Bloomberg) -- Japan plans to offer subsidies and tax breaks as early as next year to encourage households to install solar panels as part of efforts to cut greenhouse gases.

   

  The government will also promote the use of biofuels, geothermal energy and hydrogen fuel by oil refiners and gas companies, a trade ministry committee said in a statement released in Tokyo today.

• 目前國民信託組織的海岸保護政策，採用長程的觀點，盡可能的伴隨自然海岸變遷動態調整，充分遵循海岸線變化的自然規律。也就是說，在難以對自然因素進行改變的情況下，要去適應其所應該發生的改變，而不是以人為建設大量的海防工程來遏止自然變遷。該組織認為海堤或消波塊這類的防禦工事（hard defences）常適得其反，不僅破壞海岸景觀、也將問題轉移給鄰近區域造成更嚴重的破壞（例如築堤效應）。
• 英國國民信託（the National Trust）希望能在地產開發失序前喚醒人民對海岸線消失的危機感，於是派遣土地管理部，進行全英格蘭、威爾斯及北愛爾蘭的海岸線現況調查；1965年由瑞汀大學（Reading University）發表的調查報告中，標示超過1500公里符合景觀優美、自然資源豐富，且面臨破壞的風險等幾項目摽的海岸線作為搶救的目標。同年，「海神事業」 (Neptune Enterprise)由Conrad Rawnsley（即創辦人Hardwicke Rawnsley之孫）正式發起，藉由購買、捐贈與保存契約的簽訂，期望能保護上述1500公里的海岸線。

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• 用人的角度去看社區，不只是荷利活式的鏡頭，城市只淪為一張固定的明信片，或幾秒的MTV。要親身體驗的步行，在貨車傍邊的搬運工人，公園中看着遊人的老人家，他試圖定義香港不止是英式的舊建築，也是把建築物放回生活中，街頭、馬路、小店，最重要還是人，尤其是大部份每天辛苦勞動的低下階層。

• Cubans share how they transitioned from a highly mechanized, industrial agricultural system to one using organic methods of farming and local, urban gardens. It is an unusual look into the Cuban culture during this economic crisis, which they call "The Special Period." The film opens with a short history of Peak Oil, a term for the time in our history when world oil production will reach its all-time peak and begin to decline forever. Cuba, the only country that has faced such a crisis – the massive reduction of fossil fuels – is an example of options and hope.

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• Kathleen Turner proposed that outdoor shade umbrellas could be used to harvest solar energy in school-grounds. It would be possible to see the harvest levels and learn about solar energy production and storage while sitting under the shades, using the attached touch-screen. Kathleen proposed that the information be used on a broad scale for education.
• The shade can be rotated during the day to follow the best orientation for energy collection as well as shade distribution, and the underside of the shade uses LED’s to show whether the energy collection is optimised in the current position.

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• Spanish artist draws life around Seattle.