By Jennifer Lance •
April 22, 2008
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The other day, my daughter asked me what time it was. I gazed up at the sun and told her it was 3:30 pm. She checked her watch, and then in astonishment asked me how I knew the time. She had no idea that you could tell time from the sun, even after we had just visited the Sundial Bridge and read the time from its cast shadows. I was reminded of a project I used to do as part of a unit on solar energy when I was teaching K-8: Human sundials.
To help children learn how the sun moves across the sky and how shadows are formed, the human sundial project takes a whole day. First thing in the morning when the sun is up, go outside with your child and trace their shadow with some chalk. Mark an X where your child is standing so they can return to the same spot. Switch roles and have your child trace your shadow in a different spot. Then, return every hour and repeat tracing your shadows and recording the time on each shadow. By the end of the day, your child will see how their shadow moves in accordance with the sun’s path, as well as changes shape.
By Max Lindberg •
February 26, 2008
The headlines are out, 1966 was the last time North America and much of Siberia have seen so much snow.
An article in Canada’s National Post summarized weather around the northern hemisphere and concluded that arctic ice is back, heavier than ever in some areas, and China is reeling from its worst winter in a century.
Of course, it doesn’t mean global warming is a non-entity, nor does it mean we’re headed for a mini ice-age. The author, Lorne Gunter, took a swipe at environmentalists this way:
“Ok, so one winter does not a climate make. It would be premature to claim an Ice Age is looming just because we have had one of our most brutal winters in decades.
But if environmentalists and environment reporters can run around shrieking about the manmade destruction of the natural order every time a robin shows up on Geeorgian Bay two weeks early, then it is at least fair game to use this winter’s weather stories to wonder whether the alarmist are being a tad premature.”
By Lee Welles •
December 18, 2007
The big day ‘o gifts is fast approaching and every child I know is bouncing off the walls! (Of course in kid-world, time is dragging painfully slow!) If you are interested in creating a more sustainable future consider an annual observance of the winter solstice. This is a great opportunity to connect our children to the endless rhythms of nature.
For most of us, the winter solstice will be Dec. 22nd. There are so many ways to approach this pivotal moment in earth’s year: astronomically, historically, agriculturally, religiously/comparative religiously, anthropologically. For example, hundreds of years before Stonehenge, there was Newgrange – a massive structure in Ireland that captures the beam of the rising sun on the winter solstice. And this year, for the first time, you can view this event live via webcast!
By Alex Ho •
July 17, 2007
According to the US Department of Energy, businesses and industries consume more than twice the amount of power as residents in states such as California. As a California company of 35,000 employees, Sun Microsystems is one of those companies that play a big part in power consumption. The power consumptions from datacenters have doubled between 2000 and 2005 and many of those datacenter have Sun Microsystems servers. Sun Microsystems has realized that it has been a
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By Max Lindberg •
July 4, 2007
Gary GerberLast week I spoke with Ryan Chao, director of Satellite Housing in Berkeley, CA about a new project that featured solar energy. Today, my guest is Gary Gerber, President and Founder of Sun Light and Power, the company that installed the solar array for Satellite Housing.
Gary founded his company in 1976, and he tells the story of what happened to solar power, and how
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If you've been looking for a little variety beyond your average flat solar panel, a Japanese company may have just what you're looking for. A spherical solar cell has been created that is designed to capture light from any direction. The cells optimize the use of reflected and indirect light resulting in an efficiency rating of 20% — well above most flat photovoltaic technologies.
The process for creating the cells
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