Industrial Revolution 2

Metropolis Magazine: Part 2: The Green Roof

The California Academy of Sciences balances a commitment to biodiversity with a demand for beauty.

By Belinda Lanks

Posted September 17, 2008

How does a landscape architect cultivate nature without corrupting it? The question goes back at least to the 18th century, when the novelist Samuel Richardson wrote that the ideal was for the artist ‘not to level hills, or to force and distort nature; but to help it, as he finds it, without letting art be seen in his works, where he can possibly avoid it.’ The undulating green roof that sits atop the new California Academy of Sciences building in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park tries to strike a?similar balance. Like the museum it shelters, it is designed to respect the natural world even as it appropriates it, serving at once as a wildlife habitat and a first-rate work of art.

When the roof (along with the building) opens to?the public this month, it will be, at 2.5 acres, the?largest such ‘living’ structure in California. Conceived in 1999 by the architect Renzo Piano (who also designed the building)”

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Technorati Tags:
Sustainable Architecture, Green Architecture, Sustainable Construction

San Francisco Business Times:

“Nanoprinting’ is hot solar item. Technology pits efficiency vs. cost in panel market

by Amy Coombs

Conventional solar panels will remain the best bet for users who need to get the most electricity from limited space, says Gerber.

The solar industry is competing in a Space Age-like rush to develop the next generation of solar panels. Thanks to a key summer finance deal and the achievement of critical technology milestones, the thinnest and perhaps most cost-effective new technology may soon hit the market.”

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Technorati Tags:
Solar Panels, Solar Power

Title: San Francisco Green Business Conference
Location: San Francisco, CA
Link out: Click here
Description: Co-op America\’s Green Business Conference brings together business leaders at the forefront of the sustainable and environmentally responsible business movement for two days of structured networking, visionary speakers, and problem-solving sessions.
Start Date: 2008-10-12
End Date: 2008-10-13

Title: End-to-End Electricity Conference presented by Greentech Media
Location: NYC, NY
Link out: Greentech Media
Description: End-to-End Electricity will examine the fundamental ways that renewable energy is reshaping the power market today, and provide a close examination of where investment and innovation is succeeding and where critical gaps have emerged.
Start Date: 2008-11-17
End Date: 2008-11-18

2007-2008 Annual Report Now Available: “2007-2008 Annual Report Now Available

New York, Oct 23, 2008

New York, October 23 /ANSI/ — The 2007-2008 Annual Report from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is now available.

Entitled Bridge to the Future, the report details ANSI’s achievements and growth in its 90 years of existence. The document also documents the financial activities of the Institute over the past year.

The report was delivered to members during ANSI’s annual business meeting, held today as part of the World Standards Week series of events.

‘As we mark ninety years of successes, I express ANSI’s appreciation to the members and partners that have made it possible for us to collectively develop, implement, and maintain the solutions that satisfy national, regional, and global needs,’ said S. Joe Bhatia, ANSI president and CEO. ‘We thank our members, customers, and colleagues for your past support and we look forward to continuing to work with each of you well into the future.’” More on this…

Dr. Steven Chu and Dr. Arno Penzias will highlight green technology and photonics.:
“Nobel Laureates to Speak at OPTOmism 2009

Dr. Steven Chu and Dr. Arno Penzias will highlight green technology and photonics.

Last update: 3:56 p.m. EDT Oct. 27, 2008

WASHINGTON, Oct 27, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) — Dr. Steven Chu and Dr. Arno Penzias, both Nobel Laureates for physics, will be plenary speakers at the OPTOmism 2009 conference and exhibition. OPTOmism will focus on photonic products for green technology and is being co-founded by the Optoelectronics Industry Development Association (OIDA) and PennWell Corporation. The inaugural event will be held in Santa Clara, CA May 18-20, 2009. ” More on this from MarketWatch…