Perhaps the ultimate “alternative to the alternative,” the LED (light-emitting diode) light bulb may well dethrone the compact fluorescent (CFL) as king of the green lighting choices. But it has a way to go yet in terms of cost and brightness. Until recently, LED lighting has been impractical to use for most other everyday applications because it is built around costly semiconductor technology. But the price of semiconductor materials has dropped in recent years, opening the door to some exciting changes in energy-efficient, green friendly lighting options. More
New Solar Panel Coating Captures More Sunlight
from Reuters
A new type of reflective coating can make solar panels far more efficient, soaking up nearly all available sunlight from nearly any angle, U.S. researchers said. Current solar panels—which convert energy from the sun into electricity—absorb only about two-thirds of available sunlight. But surfaces treated with a coating developed at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, N.Y., can harvest 96.2 percent of sunlight. More
Skyscrapers Can Be Environmentally-friendly and Bird-friendly
from Chicago Tribune
In Chicago and other cities, thousands of migrating birds die each year due to collisions with brightly-lit skyscrapers that lure them off course. Or they fly around the lighted high-rises until they fall to the ground from exhaustion. Some advocates claim that building-bird collisons are one of the leading causes of bird deaths in North America. But the solution to this problem doesn't appear to be getting rid of lights. It's turning them down. More
Canada's Largest Wind Energy Installation Officially Opens
from North American WindPower
Canadian Hydro Developers Inc. has announced the official opening of the Melancthon EcoPower Centre, a 199.5 MW wind power project located near Shelburne, Ontario.
Construction of the Melancthon EcoPower Centre began with the 67.5 MW phase I in the spring of 2005 and achieved commercial operation in March 2006. Construction of the 132 MW Phase II of the project began in the autumn of 2007 and is expected to achieve commercial operation in November.
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Product Showcase: LogiSon Acoustic Network
 More than 70 percent of employees say they would be more productive if their workplace was quieter. The LogiSon Acoustic Network increases speech privacy and reduces disruptions by introducing a masking sound that makes conversations and noises more difficult, or impossible, to hear. It’s a cost-effective method of improving overall acoustic comfort. More info
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Office Workers Given Blue Light to Help Alertness
from Science Daily
Research carried out at the Surrey Sleep Centre at the University of Surrey, in partnership with Philips Lighting, has revealed that changing traditional white-light lighting to blue-enriched white light helped office workers stay more alert and less sleepy during the day. More
Istanbul's Tallest Building Set to Draw Attention
from Today’s Zaman
The Istanbul Sapphire, a revolutionary, high-tech, environmentally friendly and energy-efficient skyscraper, has risen in the heart of Istanbul. The Kiler Group initiated the Sapphire project three years ago to build the city a prestigious building with extraordinary social and cultural facilities. Currently the tallest recently erected building in Europe, the Istanbul Sapphire is well poised to attract the attention of both foreign and domestic investors. More
Sustainable Design Moves to Canada’s Smaller Cities and Rural Areas
from Journal of Commerce
Today, in many urban centers, designing a building using sustainable techniques is virtually a given, with projects using the Canada Green Building Council’s LEED® guidelines to qualify and quantify success. But what about the rest of the country? Roughly half of Canada’s population currently lives in rural locations and cities of less than 500,000 people. Are these residents benefiting from sustainable design philosophies? More
Green Light for Grey Buildings - New Hope for Old Offices
from ScienceAlert
Australia has lagged behind in regulating for building performance. California, for instance, legislated for energy efficiency in the mid 1970s. However, over the past five to 10 years, the Building Code of Australia (BCA) has steadily tightened its rules and is now poised to benefit from the experiences of those quicker off the mark. Even when efficiency is the topic, the throw-away mentality seems to apply, even to major structures such as office buildings. Many are attracted to the glamour of the new and innovative and less inclined to value what’s already there. More
Medieval Fortresses or Gazprom Tower?
from Russia-InfoCentre
The “Gazprom City” complex with a 400-meter skyscraper is planned to be built in St. Petersburg, Russia, on the place of Swedish fortress of Nien destroyed by Peter the Great and the 14th century fortress of Landscrona that was stormed by Alexander Nevsky’s son. St. Petersburg archeologists insist on preservation of remains of the medieval fortresses. More
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Workplace Obesity Program Shows Modest Effects After Just One Year
from Science Daily
Environmental changes implemented at 12 Dow Chemical Company worksites helped employees there achieve modest improvements in health risks, including weight management, decreasing tobacco use and blood pressure, says Emory University public health researcher Ron Goetzel, PhD. Researchers found that after one year, employees who participated in the environmental weight management interventions significantly reduced their blood pressure risk and maintained a steady weight when compared to employees at control sites who only received individual interventions. More
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AgilQuest Corporation
 Most office systems end with hoteling, but that’s just where we get started. We’ll help you make your entire workplace as agile as your workforce. More |
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Perhaps the ultimate “alternative to the alternative,” the LED (light-emitting diode) light bulb may well dethrone the compact fluorescent (CFL) as king of the green lighting choices. But it has a way to go yet in terms of cost and brightness. Until recently, LED lighting has been impractical to use for most other everyday applications because it is built around costly semiconductor technology. But the price of semiconductor materials has dropped in recent years, opening the door to some exciting changes in energy-efficient, green friendly lighting options. More
