Green Options » adventure

Deep Down into the Antarctic Ice

Halley Research Station Team — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:48:08 +0000

It’s early Sunday morning at Halley Research Station, Antarctica. The sun is rising quickly on the horizon, the wind is low and the temperature outside is a modest -18 degrees C. Conditions look perfect. As I look across the dining room at my friends and colleagues Niv and Colin I see two smiling faces nodding back at me. Today we are going to head out to the coast and attempt to explore a large crevasse at a point on the Ice shelf known as Creek Five.

Halley Research Station sits on the Brunt Ice Shelf 15km in from the edge of the shelf. It is the British Antarctic Surveys most southerly and remote research station. I am lucky enough to be a member of the eleven strong wintering team working as the chef on Station. With the impending arrival of 24 hour darkness we are all keen to make the most of the remaining daylight, taking every opportunity to make the most of our time in this amazing place.

Green Children’s Literature: Rumer & Qix

Jennifer Lance — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 21:50:25 +0000

Oh, I hate to write a negative review, but sometimes you got to do what you got to do. Rumer & Qix: The Race to Terra Incognita by Kathleen S. Wilson is a book written for young adults, a demographic that is often ignored in the wave of green children’s literature that has been forthcoming. Most green children’s books target a younger audience, so I was excited to learn about Rumer & Qix, especially since my daughter is an avid reader and loved the Gaia Girls series and anxiously awaits the next book. Both my daughter and I were seriously disappointed in Rumer & Qix.

What’s wrong with Rumer & Qix? It’s confusing. The futuristic names are hard to follow and interfere with the story’s flow. Just consider the book description:

Rumer, a petite apprentice reporter for the 31st century Global Quotidien with a flair for fashion, loves zipping across Nanjing with her loyal sidekick, Qix, in search of stories. But now, she’s furious with her boss for asking her to cover the exploits of Alfa, the planet’s wealthiest mega-conglomerate. Her parents died in an Alfa accident and she can’t understand how he can be so insensitive. She escapes into the indie networks and soon finds herself puzzling over an image of a bizarre nature sighting. Ever since the flora and fauna were replaced with Alfa’s Syncov™ replicas eons earlier, sightings like this have been routinely dismissed. When ethereal voices relay a message confirming Rumer’s hunch that things are terribly amiss, she slips away on a globe-trotting quest for answers. An epic battle is brewing between Dr. BigCo, the powerful Alfa CEO, and his nemesis, MoNa, the vulnerable matriarch of the cosmos. Will Rumer be able to turn things around before it’s too late?

EVA Announces 2WD Diesel Motorcycle - Next Stop: Baja!

Jo Borras — Mon, 09 Mar 2009 15:10:12 +0000

Despite the latest advancements in automotive hybrid and flex-fuel technologies, motorcycles and scooters remain one of the most efficient ways for energy-conscious commuters to get around town. Unfortunately, there haven’t been any real “alt fuel” options open to motorcyclists. As such, despite the incredible efficiency of some 2-wheelers (my own Honda Ruckus gets over 100 mpg), motorcycles remain petroleum-dependent gas addicts. They may be sippers - rather than guzzlers - but still.

Enter Europe’s EVA, manufacturers of the Track T800CDI diesel motorcycle - a bike so full of exotic features and new technology that I’m almost at a loss for words … almost.

Specs and pictures of this amazing machine available after the jump.