Citizen Brand

Now this is what I call wind power

Now I know there are some people out there who don't want those big wind mill turbines dotting the landscape or even the ocean scape....but I wonder how they would feel about a giant "tethered tornado" in their backyard.  Thanks to triplepundit for the pointer.

Seems a guy named Louis Michaud has come up with an idea to create an "atmospheric vortex engine" that will actually create a tornado that he believes can create energy.

"This so-called atmospheric vortex engine will suck in hot air through a series of ducts at the base and channel it into an open roof arena. This would lead to the production of a tornado-like funnel of air that would provide the turbulent push to turn power-generating turbines."

"In order to generate electricity from this crazy machine the fans that create the vortex double as the power generators as well. Once the vortex is generated the twister will spin on its own without any additional or constant energy input needed claims Michaud. This self propelled full-grown tornado will suck in air through its base to continue spinning. This influx of air will turn the fans which will convert the mechanical energy into a claimed 100 megawatts of electricity."

Being a native Kansan and having lived through a tornado when I was 10 years old, this isn't such a crazy idea.  I have often thought during our summer thunderstorms that if we could just figure out how to harness the energy from them, we would solve a lot of problems. We will see if it can work next spring when Michaud tests a 12 foot model in Ontario. 

Happy National Park Week

Did you know this past week has been National Park Week?  Neither did I until Kurt pointed it out to us.  As he accurately points out, we should not limit ourselves to one week to celebrate our 300 plus incredible public spaces that preserve some of the most beautiful and unique scenery on this earth.  It's the end of a long week and seems like a good time just to sit back and look at some of that scenery.  Put a favorite song on and enjoy the journey.

Redwood National Park - California

Glacier National Park - Montana

Guadalupe Mountains National Park - Texas

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve - Kansas

Cumberland Gap - Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia

Denali National Park - Alaska

Acadia National Park - Maine

  Rocky Mountain National Park - Colorado

Channel Islands National Park - California

Hope you enjoyed the journey. 

Chicago Green Festival

Brady and Alicia of Two Hands Worldshop (aka - my son and daughter-in-law) spent Earth Day weekend at the Chicago Green Festival.  Visit the THW blog for their first person reports from the Windy City.

If you missed Chicago, there will be two more Green Festivals this year in Washington D.C. in October and San Francisco in November.

Another voice for our Parks

My desire to help our National Parks pales in comparison to Kurt's.  His National Parks Traveler website is not only the best voice of advocacy for the budget cuts that are putting our Parks in peril, but it is a truly beautiful blog to read and his photographs are worth a look each and every day.

Since it is almost officially summer and time to hit the road and take in some of the beautiful vistas we have to offer, get revved up by going to Jesse's Life.  He did the "Lost in America" thing, quit his job last year and has been on the road ever since traveling the country and seeing the sights.  He visited one of my favorite places on earth earlier this year - Rocky Mountain National Park.  Here is one of his pictures of the Park.

And here is a photo from one of my recent trips to Rocky Mountain.  This is Long's Peak, a mountain I have yet to climb but have known many who have.  It is an imposing edifice that is so massive.  It is the centerpiece of the Park and is easily visible on clear days even from the eastern Plains of Colorado.

Budget cuts can't hurt Long's Peak.  But they can hurt the ability of the Park Service to do the job they need to do to make the visitor experience the best it can be and to protect the Park for generations of visitors to come.

Read Kurt's and Jesse's blog and then consider writing something yourself about what our National Parks mean to you.

National Parks and Blueprints

What could a national park and a blueprint possibly have in common you might ask?

  The common thread is a new print public service campaign from the National Parks Conservation Association and a pro bono effort from Young & Rubicam, Chicago.  It's a great campaign that has blueprints for Yosemite Falls, the Delicate Arch and a Sequoia tree and the payoff line is "It's not like we can make new ones."

The ad campaign is a continuation of the NPCA's overall campaign to educate the public and put pressure on elected officials to recognize the deteriorating conditions of America's national parks.  The group's effort began with the release of a report in 2005 titled "Faded Glory."  If you have visited even one of our national parks, please take time to glance at this report and think about what you can personally do to convince our elected officials of this need.  If you have children, grandchildren or are contemplating having one or the other, think about what we are leaving them as a legacy if we continue to ignore our parks.

So I am renewing my mission launched in April to respectfully request that each of you make some noise about helping America's National Parks get the proper budget support they deserve.

If our elected officials can't get their act together, then we may have to resort to this idea:  corporate sponsorship of our national monuments.  Thanks to Ernie Schenck for the post.