Ecomagination has published my interview with Randy Olson, a most unusual kind of filmmaker. For the first half of his career, Olson pursued the career that is the dream of many a geeky adolescent: marine biologist. By the young age of 38 he actually achieved it. He earned a tenured professorship in marine biology at the University of New Hampshire. But upon achieving his dream he found it wasn’t quite a fit with his personality and aspirations. You see, Olson harbored another unrealistic fantasy, that of being a documentary filmmaker. He thought he could do both by working as a full-time academic and making movies on the side. But that’s before the scientific community met his plan with derision and scorn. […]
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One little-known problem with the giant hydroelectric dams of the Columbia River in the Pacific Northwest is that they kill salmon, millions each year. It’s not just the adult ones going upstream to spawn, which have gotten lots of attention; it’s the young ones heading downstream. As many as 10 percent of salmon smolt perish as they try to wriggle through the whirling blades of the hydroelectric turbines. A solution is on its way, and I wrote about it in a story for Popular Mechanics that was published yesterday. […] In August 2011, I visited New York City in search of its most interesting and attractive green roofs. Here are the best in one entertaining video slideshow. Based on research and visits, I believe the five sites captured here represent the best green roofs in New York, and by “best” I mean I the most unique, diverse and beautiful. If there is a fabulous planted roof in New York that I missed, or another unforgettable spot elsewhere in the country that deserves attention, please let me know in the comments. […] Geothermal energy — or drilling down to trap the earth’s internal heat — is an exciting source of clean power because it exists everywhere and could supply a steady and reliable source of energy. But what does it look like, that power under our feet? In order to create the idea behind the infographic for the latest “Innovate” column in Sierra magazine, I had to dig down and find my inner sketchist. […] Vortex induced vibration is a terrifically destructive force that that has just recently been tapped as a source of renewable energy, in the form of the VIVACE converter. One day this new type of generator might electrify entire cities. But the phenomenon of vortex induced vibration has intrigued and bedeviled engineers since the days of Leonardo da Vinci. […] |
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