Brummet's Conscious Blog

   -- Solar Power News --  One of our readers directed us to this fantastic solar energy article put out by PV-Magazine.com that inspired me to write this post. The article was celebrating " the world's biggest solar/storage project " located in Northern Australia. Apparently the vast solar farm will also send energy to Singapore via a "submarine transmission link".   This is the largest current solar farm of our time, at 12,000 hectares in size. While powering more than 3 million homes annually, this project also brings 8 billion dollars to the region and creates about 1500 jobs for the area.  Dave and I once fantasized about winning the lottery and besides securing our future, helping family pay off their debts, and donating to cherished causes, we dreamed also of giving solar power to any one on our street that wanted it. Helping to create jobs, sustainability and both neighbourhood value and pride. Oh to dream - right? :) Here in the Kootenay Region th...

Fortis BC and Empower Energy Corp present: Here Comes THE SUN Renewable Energy seminars for home and business. Ideas to save energy, save money and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  KEYNOTE SPEAKER “Solar John” Best selling author of Fun With Solar 30 DIY solar projects and the future of solar SATURDAY OCT 13 9 AM TO 4 PM 122 NW Blvd Creston, BC Gins On Canyon conference room Tickets: $25 in advance $40 at the door Reserve online at www.crestonvalleychamber.com OR at the CV Chamber of Commerce Call 250.254.2555 for info ~~ Visit the Brummet's @:  http://BrummetMedia.ca

Recommended Resources Alrighty then... (ha ha) it's time for another installment of some of the most inspiring, educational and potentially life changing resources that will have you feeling better about the state of the world. ...Don't believe everything you hear on TV - there is way more good going on in the world than bad and you don't have to look very far to find it. Feel free to browse the 10 years worth of archived posts from this blog... where you'll find more amazing, inspiring stuff! -- Believe it or not, about 20 years' worth of potentially life-saving drugs are sitting in labs right now, untested. Why? Because they can't get the funding to go to trials; the financial risk is too high. Roger Stein is a finance guy, and he thinks deeply about mitigating risk. He and some colleagues at MIT came up with a promising new financial model that could move hundreds of drugs into the testing pipeline. https://www.ted.com/talks/roger_stein_a_b...

-- Quote of the Day --    Fifth Group’s Steve Simon was speaking at a conference  about how implementing sustainability programs into businesses requires patience and determination, but the reward is great: “When you implement sustainability projects at your restaurant, understand from the outset that persistence is key... Start slowly and then build up your efforts to meet the goals you have set. At Fifth Group we started with waste diversion and instructed our staff on how to recycle, then source separate organics. Of course there were challenges, but we eventually were able to divert hundreds of thousands of pounds of former ‘waste’ from the landfill…in every location. It has cost us virtually nothing to implement and it’s the right thing to do.” -- Green Building --  I read recently about an interesting zero-energy house was created by The Shibaura Institute of Technology , winning them awards for ...

-- Quote of the Day --    "In an earlier stage of our development most human groups held to a tribal ethic. Members of the tribe were protected, but people of other tribes could be robbed or killed as one pleased. Gradually the circle of protection expanded, but as recently as 150 years ago we did not include blacks. So African human beings could be captured, shipped to America and sold. In Australia white settlers regarded Aborigines as a pest and hunted them down, much as kangaroos are hunted down today. Just as we have progressed beyond the blatantly racist ethic of the era of slavery and colonialism, so we must now progress beyond the specialists ethic of the era of factory farming, of the use of animals as mere research tools, of whaling, seal hunting, kangaroo slaughter and the destruction of wilderness. We must take the final step in expanding the circle of ethics."  ~Pete Singer -- Solar Energy --  ...

 -- Quote of the Day --     “ I, for one, truly believe that individuals can make a difference in society.  Since periods of great change such as the present one come so rarely in human history, it is up to each of us to make the best use of our time to help create a happier world. ” ~ Tenzin Gyatso, H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama -- Positive News --  Did you know that: - Solar energy accounted for nearly a third of all new electricity generating capacity installed in the U.S. in 2013? - More Solar has been installed in the last 18 months than in the previous 30 years? - Parking lots in the US equate to more space than all the highways and roads in the entire North American continent?  ...Imagine if every parking lot installed raised solar panels that not only shaded the parking area and reduced Urban Greenhouse Effect (because the pavement and cement would be cooler) but also generated power for surrounding buildings and ...

-- Conscious Discussions Talk Radio -- * Airs live @ 10-11 AM (Pacifc)  - Chat room open for live listeners - all episodes are archived indefinitely within moments after they air live, and are available for you to listen to later on at any time of day. Sign up via itunes for the Conscious Discussions Radio show: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id262138144     Reduce with David Beardsley of the UK & Africa http://reducetheuse.co.uk, and Reuse with Andrew Masters of France http://rootsproduction.com   Access the live (8-9 PM Pacific) or archived episode: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/consciousdiscussions/2013/12/05/reduce--reuse   Ways Consumers Are Benefiting From Green Energy   * ...

 -- Quote of the Day -- "The way to happiness: keep your heart free from hate, your mind from worry. Live simply, expect little, give much. Fill your life with love. Scatter sunshine. Forget self; think of others. Do as you would be done by. Try this for a week and you will be surprised." ~ Norman Vincent Peale -- Positive News --  Solar power is gaining recognition now that the technology has improved and the price has come down. It is encouraging to see larger corporations, like Honda, take on this technology - helping the solar industry along its climb to general distribution.    Honda Motor Co. has installed a9-kilowatt solar power generating system at the Adachi Odai location of its Honda Cars Tokyo Chuo dealership network in Adachi Ward, Tokyo. The goal is to complete similar projects for Honda dealerships across Japan by the end of fiscal 2013. -- Blog Contest --  Check out the major prizes available via Ami...

-- Brummet's in the Media --  Drop by the blog link below to find my article offering an introductory explanation on what writers will have to face once they've signed a publishing contract: http://amiblackwelder.blogspot.com -- Conscious Discussions Talk Radio --  Sign up via itunes for the Conscious Discussions Radio show: http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id262138144   As promised we are featuring another Best of Conscious Discussions episode, Vol #18... highlighting interesting discussions with three different experts across the globe on: Composting, Eco-Toilets & Diapers   Drop in via the link below to access this fascinating discussion: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/consciousdiscussions/2012/05/13/best-of-cd-series--vol-18 -- Conscious Living Event -- May 13  - 17th  Renewable Energy International Location : Denver, CO (USA) Info : The American Solar En...

-- Alternative Energy -- Today, we have a special treat lined up for you... this article on green energy alternatives for home applications comes from Katherine Tworsey of CompareElectricityRates.com Five Ways to Generate Your Own Power At Home With the high costs of energy today we all look for ways to cut our expenses. At home, energy costs are something, which can really add up over a year’s time. It isn’t like we can simply stop using electricity. A great part of our life at home involves the need for energy. Between computers, home entertainment games, television and our appliances, we are used to turning things on for just about everything we do.  The price of all our demands is felt when we get that monthly electricity bill. It is not likely, with the constant additions to electrical conveniences being made available to consumers, that we will decrease our usage of power in the future. Here are five possible alternatives to relying on the electrical c...

-- Quote of the Day -- “There is no duty we so underrate as the duty of being happy.  By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.”  ~ Robert Louis Stevenson ...This quote has me thinking of high-energy joy-filled folks that I've known that are reaching toward retirement age, or are retired, and have this boundless energy for life. People like Aunt Wanda and Uncle Gary, Hildegard, Barry and Bruce, Dave and Leslie... and others whose age is no barrier to happiness in and excitement for life. The way these people live their lives actually inspires hope in others, helping us see our lives differently. So many in this world become exhausted and bruised by life and lose enthusiasm for participating and finding joy, which perpetuates the fear of what age and the future will bring for those around them. We are blessed to have known several shining, positive influences that have influenced the way we perceive this life.  -- Conscious Discussions Talk Radio -...