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March Madness in the Workplace St. Louis Business Journal Share     With the tournament's March 16 opening round approaching, outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. estimates March Madness could cost employers US$1.8 billion in unproductive wages during the first week of the tournament alone, when the most games are played during daytime work hours. Its figure is based on 20 minutes of wasted time per employee and builds off of a 2009 Microsoft/MSN survey that found 45 percent of Americans planned to enter at least one college basketball pool last year. But bosses, before you install Internet filters and organize reconnaissance missions to uncover the work-a-day habits of college hoops fans in your midst, please note a small detail about such estimates—they are never right. More
Push Begins for 'Building Star' Incentives for Commercial Properties Environmental Leader Share
First there was ENERGY STAR®, the long-established energy ratings system. Then came Home Star, an incentive program supported by President Obama. Now, the U.S. Senate has introduced a bill that would establish a Building Star program to provide incentives to commercial buildings related to their energy efficiency. Building Star would promote energy efficient installations in commercial and multi-family residential buildings. More
The Freshwater Factory: A Bubble-shaped Skyscraper That Desalinates Sea Water Fast Company Share
Why would you ever put a skyscraper in the countryside? In the case of Design Crew for Architecture's Freshwater Factory skyscraper, the idea actually makes sense. The skyscraper, designed for the 2010 eVolo skyscraper competition, isn't meant for human inhabitants. Instead, its series of bubbles are filled with water-filtering mangroves that desalinate seawater without using any electricity. More
The Afterlife of Olympic Villages MSN Share
For the 2010 Winter Olympics, about 3,000 of the world's best athletes and officials took over a corner of downtown Vancouver, British Columbia—not to mention the little city that skiers and bobsledders created 70 miles north, in Whistler. Such Olympic villages can be billion-dollar creations that are in the world’s spotlight for just a few weeks. So what happens to these glamorous villages when the athletes pack up their medals, memories and dirty laundry to fly home? More
The Pentagon Goes Green One Wedge at a Time Center for American Progress Share
This year, the Pentagon's Quadrennial Defense Review—a strategy document that lays out the Pentagon's vision for its missions and force structure every four years—identified climate change as both a potential source of conflict and a factor in military operations. But the Pentagon building itself, located in Arlington County, Va., is currently undergoing a big green renovation. More
Americans of All Races Don't Get Enough Sleep USA Today Share
All Americans are struggling to get more snooze time, but a recent report shows that race and cultural differences play a role in sleep-related habits. The National Sleep Foundation released its annual "Sleep in America Poll," which reveals how much sleep Americans are getting, what their bedtime habits are, and who's seeing the doctor and taking medications when sleep is elusive. This year, for the first time, the report explored differences in the sleep habits of different ethnic groups: Asians, African Americans, Hispanics and whites. More
10 MW Dubai Skyscraper Makes 10 Times More Renewable Energy Than It Needs Inhabitat Share
The 10 MW Tower is an eco skyscraper and renewable energy generating machine that harvests wind and solar power. A 5 MW wind turbine sits at the top of the building harnessing the wind, while the power of the sun is collected via a 3 MW concentrating solar system plus a 2 MW solar updraft system. Designed by UAE-based Studied Impact, this 50-story skyscraper will put out 10 times as much energy as it needs, pumping renewable power back into the Dubai electric grid. More
Three Simple Checkpoints on the Road to a Clean Energy Future GreenBiz Share
The debate about moving to a clean energy economy is over. The question is, how long will it take? Some, like the recent Wall Street Journal article "The Long Road to an Alternative-Energy Future" by Michael Totty, posit "we shouldn't expect" clean technologies to significantly dent fossil fuel use anytime soon. But while Rocky Mountain Institute agrees that new energy innovations in solar, wind and electric vehicles may take years to overtake existing products or technologies, there are several ways to make the road a bit shorter. More
Big Power from Tiny Wires: Carbon Nanotubes Can Produce Powerful Waves That Could Be Harnessed for New Energy Systems Science Daily Share
A team of scientists at MIT have discovered a previously unknown phenomenon that can cause powerful waves of energy to shoot through minuscule wires known as carbon nanotubes. The discovery could lead to a new way of producing electricity, the researchers say. More
For Olympic Games, London Dreams of a Cloud Castle The Christian Science Monitor Share
A group of architects, artists and other big thinkers are certain that they don't have their heads in a cloud as they plan what could be the most startling structure to emerge from the London Olympic Games of 2012. More |
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