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World Expo Opens In Japan

More than 15 million visitors are expected to attend Japan’s 2005 World Exposition, which opened last week and runs through September 25. The theme is sustainable development; creating a new direction for humanity which is sustainable and harmonious with nature.“This is not a theme that we have chosen lightly,” say the organizers, the Japan Association for the 2005 World Exposition. Recognizing that rapid technological development, mass production and mass consumption have brought about desertification, global warming, and a shortage of natural resources, only recently have we realized the enormity of our loss.“Learning from the world’s vast collection of wisdom and methods of interaction with nature found around the globe, we hope to bring the world together for the creation of a global society allowing the multitude of cultures and civilizations to coexist together,” the organizers said. Visitors will be transported either in low emissions buses or shuttles that run on magnets. There will be several environmental pavilions, one that runs on only renewable energy and where visitors will be treated to the potential of environmental technologies, and another that allows visitors to experience the changes occuring on Earth from the inside. Restaurants will serve food with bioplastics dishware and visitors […]

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Nepal's First Certified Sustainable Nepal Forest Products

While more than 80% of all medicinal plants are collected from the wild, the collectors rarely receive a living wage. This is particularly true in Nepal where every year villagers gather some 15,000 tons of medicinal plants, pack and dry them and sell them to traders for export. Although the plants hold the promise of a potentially sustainable source of income for local villagers, most of the time they must sell their goods to medicinal herb traders, who encourage them to harvest as much as they can, while paying them poorly for their products. Once a plant supply runs out, the medicinal traders move on, leaving the villagers, who have destroyed their only source of livelihood, without recourse. Thanks to the efforts of the Nepal Nontimber Forest Products Promotion Alliance, essential oils and handmade paper harvested to protect forests and provide benefits to villagers in Nepal are now available in the US. Coordinated by the Asia Network for Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources, the alliance includes Aveda Corporation; the Rainforest Alliance; community forestry groups and local institutions; and donors, including the United States Agency for International Development and the Ford Foundation. As a result of the group s efforts, in January […]

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WorldWater & Power Corp/Conti Corp to Install $3.25M Solar System

WorldWater & Power Corp. (WWAT.OB), maker of high-horsepower solar energy systems, and its Joint Venture partner Conti Corp. have been awarded a contract from the Atlantic County (NJ) Utilities Authority (ACUA) to install a $3.25 million solar energy system at the wastewater treatment plant near Atlantic City. The contract will require a $1.9 million rebate from the NJ Board of Public Utilities Office of Clean Energy and a low-interest loan from the NJ Environmental Infrastructure Trust program. Under the joint venture agreement, WorldWater & Power will supply all solar-related equipment, engineering and design services, and Conti will provide construction services and construction project management. First phase of the project is expected to be completed by August 1 and full completion by October 1, 2005. The system will be comprised of several different arrays, on building rooftops, raised parking structures, and ground mounted. Collectively the arrays are expected to provide an annual output of 660,000 kilowatt hours in clean, economical energy. As Richard Dovey, ACUA President, explained, “Each new project brings the ACUA closer to independence of fossil fuels. With the installation of solar panels and five wind turbines in the near future, our wastewater treatment facility will, at times, be […]

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