Archive for February, 2010
Caltech makes flexible, 86% efficent solar arrays
California Institute of Technology (Caltech) scientists have created a new type of flexible solar cell that enhances the absorption of sunlight and efficiently converts its photons into electrons. The solar cell does all this using only a fraction of the expensive semiconductor materials required by conventional solar cells. The silicon wire arrays are able to convert between 90 and 100 percent of the photons they absorb into electrons—in technical terms, the wires have a near-perfect internal quantum efficiency. (photo credit: Caltech/Michael Kelzenberg).
16 Strange & Amazing Bicycle Concepts
See this Simply Green article with photos of some wonderfully inventive and fun bicycle designs.
Community Pinapple Harvest—Volunteers Needed
Pineapples are ripening in the former Maui Land & Pinapple Company fields but, due to layoffs, are going unharvested. The new owners, Haile Maile Pineapple Company has offered to let volunteers for Maui non-profit Waste Not Want Not pick the fruit for the Maui community. The crop will be distributed to the Maui Food Bank and other community service organizations.
Volunteers are needed to pick the pineapples for 3 hours on Mondays and Thursdays. To volunteer, Call James Mylenek at 874-8038 or email him at james@wastenotwantnot.org or go to the Waste Not Want Not website and click on Volunteer tab. James will then contact you with details about dates, times and locations.
Maui Land and Pinapple went out of business, Haile Maile Piinapple Company organization has hired back 65 workers but doesn’t have enough staff to pick the ripe pineabpples. Instead of plowing under, agreed to let volunteers pick the fruit.
Waste Not Want Not gathers fruits and vegetables that would otherwise go unharvested and delivers them to food banks and other places that serve meals to the hungry. You can also help them win $250,000 to get unused fruit from the backyards of Hawai’i to the needy in the ‘Pepsi Refresh Project’.
South Maui Sustainability 