Now, generate green power from your balcony!

WASHINGTON: Apart from that perfect view, your balcony can be used for something more valuable-a personal generator that converts wind and sun to power from a balcony.

Industrial designer Jonathan Globerson's Greenerator design could be a way to preserve the view while reducing reliance on coal, reports Discovery News.

Looking a little like a cross between a double helix and a barber shop pole, the Greenerator design calls for a wind turbine, a half-dome shaped compartment for the generator, a controller, ultracapacitor, inverter and a solar panel attached to a balcony edge with a rail clamp and floor screws.

Globerson's design calls for magnetic levitation to reduce the wind turbine friction, as well as flexible thin-film solar cells that would require less material than traditional solar panels.

According to his design specs, the Greenerator wouldn't be powering your whole apartment, but it could reduce the annual cost of electricity by 6 percent.

The Greenerator alone could power a refrigerator or a 32" flat panel TV, which strikes me as being fairly impressive for such a seemingly small generator.

So far, a 1:4 scale prototype of the Greenerator is up and running: According to Globerson's site, "the prototype turbine works, although from watching the video I think the design will need streamlining to reduce vibration and noise. Plus, I'd want anything metallic that's attached to my balcony to go through extensive safety testing-not just for humans, but also for wildlife."

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US water has large amounts of likely carcinogen: Study

WASHINGTON: A US environmental group has found that drinking water in 35 American cities contains hexavalent chromium, a probable carcinogen, The Washington Post reported Sunday.

The study by the Environmental Working Group -- the first nationwide analysis measuring the presence of the chemical in US water systems -- is to be made public on Monday, the daily reported.

The group found hexavalent chromium in the tap water of 31 out of 35 cities sampled. Of those, 25 had levels that exceeded the goal proposed in California, which has been trying aggressively to reduce the chemical in its water supply.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency is considering whether to set a limit for hexavalent chromium in tap water. The agency is reviewing the chemical after the National Institutes of Health, deemed it a "probable carcinogen" in 2008.

Hexavalent chromium has long been known to cause lung cancer when inhaled, and scientists recently found evidence that it causes cancer in laboratory animals when ingested. It has been linked in animals to liver and kidney damage as well as leukemia, stomach cancer and other cancers.

A widely used industrial chemical until the early 1990s, hexavalent chromium still used in some industries, such as in chrome plating and the manufacturing of plastics and dyes. The chemical can also leach into groundwater from natural ores.

The chemical compound was first made famous in the hit 2000 Hollywood movie " Erin Brockovich" about the eponymous environmental crusader who also commented on the EWG's alarming finding.

"This chemical has been so widely used by so many industries across the US that this doesn't surprise me," said Brockovich, known for her fight on behalf of the residents of Hinkley, California against Pacific Gas & Electric.

In that case, PG&E was accused of leaking hexavalent chromium into the town's groundwater for more than 30 years, and ultimately was made to pay 333 million dollars in damages to more than 600 inhabitants of the town, which it was required to clean up.

"Our municipal water supplies are in danger all over the US," Brockovich told The Post. "This is a chemical that should be regulated.
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Clean Ganga project underway to up dolphin population

MAMALLAPURAM: The ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) is planning to get down to cleaning the Ganges river in order to revive the freshwater dolphin population, Union minister for environment and forests Jairam Ramesh said on Monday during a visit to the crocodile bank on the East Coast Road near Chennai.

"Currently, the breeding grounds and habitats of the dolphins have been affected by the pollutants in the river, leading to a decline in their numbers. With this cleansing, we plan to revive the population," he said.

The Ganges river dolphins, which now enjoy the status of the national aquatic animal is one of the four species of freshwater dolphins in the world. But poaching, excessive pollution and dam building has greatly reduced their numbers. As a consequence, the dolphin conservation plan was formulated this year.

According to Dr Sandeep Behera, member of the Dolphin Conservation Committee under the MoEF and senior coordinator in the World Wildlife Fund (WWF-India), the plan to clean the river which forms part of both the Dolphin Action Plan and the Ganga Action Plan (GAP) is already underway.

"The plan envisages drastically reducing the flow of pollutants into the river. The government proposes to direct all industries along the river and its tributaries to stop discharge of effluents by recycling waste water. Already, the Central Pollution Control Board has closed down 56 tanneries along the river," he said.

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Maharashtra chalks out action plan to tackle pollution

CHANDRAPUR: Maharashtra government is set to implement a time-bound 'action plan' for tackling the problem of pollution in industrial towns and cities.

The government has has set March 31, 2011 as deadline for implementation of the plan to bring the pollution level below 70% in all the industrial towns and cities, environment and culture minister Sanjay Deotale said.

Deotale, who is also the guardian minister of Chandrapur district, was talking to reporters here.

Chandrapur stands 4th in the country and tops the state in pollution levels, he said.

The action plan is comprehensive and will take care of pollution levels in air, rivers and lakes/tanks, he said.

Bodies like municipal corporation, municipal council and gram panchayat will be roped in for the anti-pollution drive, the minister said.

Deotale stated that the industries responsible for pollution shall also be dealt with sternly and directed to install equipment to keep the emission levels under control.

The government will also initiate steps for the conservation of rivers, lakes and village tanks, he said.

Deotale said the government was aware of the plight of farmers who suffered losses either due to drought or excess/ unseasonal rains in the state. Hence, a policy to help farmers has been framed.

According to the policy, the farmers shall get compensation ranging from Rs 7,500 per hectare to over Rs 10,000 per hectare depending on the type of loss and crops, he said.

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Republicans plan to fight Obama pollution plan

WASHINGTON: The incoming chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee is promising a fight over the Obama administration's new approach on limiting greenhouse gas emissions.

Congress failed last year to pass limits and let companies buy and sell pollution permits. That system was known as "cap and trade" - but to Republicans it was "cap and tax'' because they said it would raise energy prices.

The administration now says it will act on its own to clamp down on power plant and oil refinery greenhouse emissions by developing new standards over the next year.

But Michigan Rep. Fred Upton tells "Fox News Sunday" that the Republican-led House won't "let this administration regulate what they've been unable to legislate." He says Republicans want to tackle the problem "in a reasonable way.
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Crocodile sanctuary in the offing: Jairam Ramesh

CHENNAI: The central government will set up a crocodile sanctuary spread over 1,600 sq km near the Chambal river to protect the species, union Environment and Forests Minister Jairam Ramesh said on Monday.

The Chambal river flows through Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

According to him, a gharial protection authority would also be set up in the three states at an outlay of Rs.8 crore.

Ramesh visited the Madras Crocodile Bank, around 40 km from here, and said there were around 200 breeding adult gharials in the country which were facing extinction.

The idea for a sanctuary for gharials was first mooted by the founder of Madras Crocodile Bank Romulus Whitaker.

He also said that dolphin would soon be declared as endangered marine species.

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Jackals endangering flight safety at Kolkata airport

KOLKATA: Last week a jackal strayed onto the runway of the N S C Bose International Airport here forcing the pilot of an aircraft to abort take off and delayed two incoming flights.

The jackals as well as birds are attracted to garbage dumped from markets in areas surrounding the airport which pose a danger to air safety.

Adding to the problems is the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS)'s recent ban on using guns and firecrackers to scare away birds and animals from the airport premises.

The problem was discussed at a meeting of the Airfield Environment Committee headed by West Bengal home secretary G D Gautama with officials of the local civic bodies around the airport and the Airports Authority of India two weeks ago.

"Garbage attracts birds and animals, including jackals and wildcats causing trouble for airport operations," airport Director R Srinivasan said.

"Steps have been taken to keep the area adjacent to the airport clean and free from garbage," he said.

Cages have been set up by the forest department inside the airport to trap jackals.

"We are keeping in touch with forest department officials. Recently some jackals and wildcats have been caged," Srinivasan said.

The BCAS recently relaxed its directive on use of firecrackers to scare away birds and animals at the airport.

It, however, stipulated that firecrackers when used should be done in the presence of the Central Industrial Security Force, which is incharge of the security of the airport.

Airport sources said the relaxation has not helped matters much. The sources also said though a few jackals were trapped in cages, it was not proving to be effective.

"Since jackals are clever animals, they have understood the danger to them and avoid the cages," sources said
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Feeding birds impact male mating chances

LONDON: Feeding birds can delay their dawn chorus, says new research, which pointed out that the extra food could have a major impact on male mating chances.

Scientists have discovered that the growing trend of providing wild birds with food such as sunflower seeds and fat balls is changing their behaviour.

As well as causing songbirds to delay the dawn chorus by 20 minutes, or skip it altogether, the extra food could have a major impact on male mating chances, the journal Animal Behaviour reports.

"Dawn singing is used to show off to females and keep away competitors, so delaying or skipping song at dawn may have detrimental effects on male chances of paternity," says Valentin Amrhein, zoologist at the University of Basel, Switzerland, who led the study, according to the Telegraph.

"Our advice is to keep feeding birds in gardens during the winter when it can save lives, but stop feeding by the end of March to avoid the breeding season."

Around 48 percent of Britain households now provide food for wild birds, according to the researchers.

It began as a way of helping birds survive the winter, but the scientists say birds in urban areas are now often fed well into the breeding season or even all year-round.

The scientists investigated the effects of extra food on the great tit, one of the best-known visitors at garden feeders.

The springtime study compared the dawn song behaviour of birds with and without access to supplied food.

It found 36 percent of the birds with supplementary food skipped the dawn singing altogether - nearly four times the rate of the other birds.

Of those that did sing, the average chorus for fed birds was 20 minutes later than for those without extra food.

Scientists believe birds could become reliant on provided food, making it less necessary to forage early. An alternative theory is that the additional food may attract predators, or rival males, which distract the birds.

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Lightning strikes, rat bites, falling off toilet-how Brits got injured in 2010!

LONDON: Rat bites, lighting strikes, falling off toilets-are some of the top reason why Brits had to run to the hospital in 2010, reveals new data.

Yearly hospital admissions data has revealed a number of unusual reasons for trips to the emergency room.

According to the NHS figures, seventy-five people needed treatment for lightning strikes.

There were 460 admissions nationally for injuries from a powered lawn mower, 1,120 from wasp, bee or hornet incidents, 30 due to 'cataclysmic storms' and 24 for rat bites.

The figures come from the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) inpatient data for the financial year ending April 2010.

There were 3,680 injured riders or passengers on animal-drawn vehicles and 6,419 people who fell on or off a ladder.

As many as 1,419 patients fell out of trees and 310 injuries from contact with plant thorns, spines and sharp leaves.

And 2,079 admissions got injured while being carried or supported by other persons (including being dropped) and 46,463 were due to a fall on the same level (including falling from or off a toilet).

"The databases show the wide variety of different accidents people have had," the Daily Mail quoted a spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents, as saying.

"Some of them sound fairly light-hearted but these are accidents that result in people having to be admitted to hospital.

"The good news is that most accidents are preventable. A bit of forward planning and thinking about any possible risks can help," said the spokesman.

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Wind, warmer water driving Antarctica ice loss

LOS ANGELES: West Antarctica has been losing ice and scientists now think they know why.

New satellite images and airborne data point to wind and water as the main culprits. Stronger winds lift warmer water onto the ice shelf, leading to the acceleration of ice loss.

Ted Scambos, a glaciologist at the University of Colorado, Boulder, says the phenomenon has led to major ice thinning in the Antarctic Peninsula and the Pine Island Glacier, the biggest of the western glaciers.

Understanding what's driving the Antarctic ice loss will help scientists better predict future sea level rise.

The findings were presented Wednesday at the American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco
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Regulators OK major greenhouse gas rules

SACRAMENTO,Calif: Hoping other states will follow suit, California regulators overwhelmingly approved the nation's most extensive system giving owners of power plants, refineries and other major polluters financial incentives to emit fewer greenhouse gases.

The Air Resources Board voted 9-1 Thursday to pass the key piece of California's 2006 climate law - called AB32.

"We're inventing this," said Mary Nichols, chairwoman of the state's air quality board. "There is still going to be quite a bit of action needed before it becomes operational."

Officials said they hope that other states will follow the lead of the world's eighth largest economy. State officials also are discussing plans to link the new system with similar ones under way or being planned in Canada, Europe and Asia.California is trying to "fill the vacuum created by the failure of Congress to pass any kind of climate or energy legislation for many years now," said Nichols.

A standing-room only board chambers featured testimony from more than 170 witnesses Thursday. Outside the chambers, a few climate change skeptics held signs reading "Global Warming: Science by Homer Simpson."

Some businesses that would fall under the new rules say the system could dampen California's already flagging economy, complicate lawmakers' efforts to close a $28.1 billion revenue shortfall and lead to an increase in the price of electricity.The rate increases, however, would still need approval from the state.

Governer Arnold Schwarzenegger told the board he is sensitive to the recession, but argued that many of the new jobs being created under the system are in the clean technology industry."The real jobs we're creating right now are green jobs. Since 2006 or so green jobs have been created 10 times faster than in any other sector, so it's also an economic plus," he said.But he said reducing greenhouse gas pollution is not just about climate change, but about human health and national security.

"I despise the fact that we send $1 billion a year to foreign places for our oil and to places that hate us. We send this money to people that hate us and that are organizing terrorists and trying to blow up our country," he said.

Supporters say the system will help spur economic recovery and innovation, pushing business to invest in clean technologies.They say the billions of dollars the state collects in the system could help fund clean air programs and help offset any increases in utility rates. Details of the uses of these new funds is still uncertain.

California has already enacted the strictest climate-related regulations in the country involving renewable energy mandates for utilities, tighter fuel-efficiency standards for automobiles and low-carbon fuel standards.The state's landmark climate law had a Jan. 1, 2011, deadline for devising and enacting the so-called cap-and-trade system.

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Global waterways fuelling growth of greenhouse gas nitrous oxide

WASHINGTON: A new study has revealed that a potent greenhouse gas called nitrous oxide has increased by more than 20 percent over the last century - and human activities are driving that growth.

The source could be traced to the growth of nitrogen fertilizers and the cultivation of crops that return nitrogen to the soil naturally. Some of the nitrogen entering streams is converted to nitrous oxide.

According to Stephen Hamilton, a Michigan State University professor, nitrous oxide exists at low levels in the atmosphere, but is responsible for 6 percent of climate warming and also contributes to stratospheric ozone destruction.

"And on a per molecule basis, its global warming potential is 300-fold greater than carbon dioxide," he said.

Jake Beaulieu of the Environmental Protection Agency and team members conducted experiments on 72 U.S. rivers and streams. They studied the production of nitrous oxide from the process of denitrification, in which bacteria convert nitrates to nitrogen gases.

"Even with more than 99 percent of denitrified nitrogen in streams and rivers being converted to the inert gas, dinitrogen, river networks still contribute to at least 10 percent of global anthropogenic nitrous oxide emissions," Hamilton said.

The study concluded that the growth of this greenhouse gas can be cut short by reducing the use of fertilizer and other sources of nitrogen.

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Dry weather affects apple farming in Kullu

KULLU, (Himachal Pradesh): The apple farming and other fruits in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district are deteriorating due to intense dry cold wave in the region.

The bad climatic change in Himalayan region due to global warming has resulted in less rain and snowfall.

The apple farmers and other fruit growers have suffered financial loss due to the dry weather.

Farmers fear if the weather remained dry for the next few days then it would severely affect the yield of apples and other fruits grown in the region.

S.S. Bhardwaj, associate director Regional Research Centre of Himachal Pradesh Horticulture University said the progressing dry season is having a severe effect on the production of fruit crops in the lower and higher regions of the province.

"Further the dry season which is progressing has created a disturbance in the sowing and growth of different crops and will also severely affect the fruit crops if this weather continues for another few days," said Bhardwaj.

The farmers have been praying for heavy snowfall, which would fulfill the chilling hours required for apple and other fruits grown in the region.

"This is a very dry season and all the fruit production has been severely affected. We pray to God that as the winter arrives there should be heavy snowfall and rainfall so that the chilling hours for the apples and other fruits and the moisture, needed in the fields, should be completed," said Dharambir Dhami, a farmer.

"This dry season is very hazardous for our crops and we pray that there should be snowfall and rainfall in our province at the earliest," he added.

The dry weather has also affected the production of other crops such as wheat as the growth of the crop is dependent on a good amount of rainfall.

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