With a tighter household budget, most people are wondering about ways to save money - including energy conservation. However, it's easy to leave the process at wondering. In a very insightful National Geographic article, Peter Miller discusses the ups and downs of making his home more energy efficient and reducing his carbon footprint. He and his wife made a goal of reducing the carbon their household produces to 20% of the US average.

Miller's efforts to conserve energy and reduce emissions range from the more mundane - such as using compact fluorescent light bulbs and cutting down on car travel - to some less common and more insightful ways of conserving. He describes the "energy audit" that he and his wife did, revealing areas of their house with poor insulation. All of his tips are useful and within the means of most homeowners. Miller found that he and his wife saved $190 on energy bills.   Read more...

An autistic child from Thailand, frustrated by the first day of school, sat on a third-story ledge and refused to budge. Bangkok authorities were unable to persuade the boy to come down, until fireman Sonchai Yoosabai heard about the boy's love of superheroes. Yoosabai made a quick change into his Spider-Man costume - apparently he had one laying around at the fire station. Of course, the boy didn't hesitate to follow Spider-man's instructions to walk slowly back from the ledge.

This Sydney Morning Herald article inspired me on two levels. First, the story is literally a kid's dream come true. But second, the story made me stop and think about our everyday heroes a bit more. Although costumed superheroes sell movies and comic books, most heroes wear plain clothes. For the rare moment, regular people may "put on costumes," work their magic and transform lives. Most of the time, however, they go about saving lives in much more mundane fashion: a random phone call, returning a lost wallet, even sometimes just a smile for a stranger.   Read more...

With the pressures of bills, the job or the job hunt, the practices we most need to combat stress are the most neglected. We don't have time to exercise, to connect with friends or to meditate. But when you consider the risks of running yourself ragged - sickness, reduced energy and reduced resilience in the face of new challenges - we don't have time to neglect personal maintenance. And although research on meditation is still scattered (studies tend to focus on groups with specific ailments, like chronic pain or ADHD), thousands of "average" people can attest to the power of meditation in reducing pain, stress and depression while increasing their ability to focus and respond to challenges.

Interested in trying meditation, but still don't think you have the time? Beginning meditation isn't as difficult as you might think. So, without taking any more of your time, here are five ways to fit much-needed meditation into your schedule.   Read more...

Schoolbuses never seemed like the safest idea to me: These big, yellow monstrosities with no seatbelts and no real separation between the driver and a bunch of rowdy little kids. But schoolbuses are getting a whole lot safer, and it has nothing to do with seatbelts or paper-airplane proof barricades. Diesel retrofit programs are greatly reducing childhood exposure to toxic air pollution, and they are becoming more and more common, especially in the northeastern United States.

According to the EPA website, 24 million children ride a schoolbus every day, spending an hour and a half traveling on the bus. The noxious fumes released from a diesel bus engine are circulated right back into the bus and breathed in by children, contributing greatly to childhood asthma and other respiratory health problems. But through the hard work of environmental and health groups, as well as the growing public concern about health problems associated with diesel exhaust, a number of cities and states are now requiring these pollution-reducing retrofits on their vehicles.   Read more...

As I walked along 5th Avenue from 96th St. to Central Park North in Manhattan last night, talking on the phone with someone from college I’d seen earlier in the day for the first time in 20 years, the message “There is so much life to be lived” kept running through my head. Sharing memories with Carole, who I reconnected with via Facebook, made me laugh and remember how much fun we had as silly, confused, searching, 18-22 year-old students. YES! We had fun! Perhaps it didn’t all seem that way at the time, but we can choose now to focus on the fun and not the drama we created.

When I hung up the phone, I walked into the subway station and waited for my train. I pulled out my iPod and hit ’shuffle.' A dance tune came on and I began to sing quietly and move my feet to the beat. “Why don’t you dance, right here, right now?” I dared myself. Thinking about my Radical Openness policy and a commitment to do something Radically Unusual once a day, I started to dance, slowly and self-consciously at first, and then I just closed my eyes and let the rhythm consume me. Spinning around on the subway platform I again heard “There is so much life to be lived.”   Read more...

Last July, returning from a trade show, I opted to take the train through the woods of New York home to Toronto. Train rides and hot baths have always been great ‘idea releasers’ for me; this one did not disappoint (I wonder what a bath ON a train would do!?). Not only did it release an idea, but allowed me to transition into the next phase of my life; one that is more aligned with my core values and ethics. The idea? Mobius Manitou.

The name Mobius comes from the discovery by German Mathematician August Ferdinand Mobius in 1858 and is symbolic of eternity and infinity. Though it appears double sided, a Mobius Strip can be traversed entirely and endlessly without ever stepping over an edge. Manitou, to the Algonquins of Eastern Canada and North Eastern USA, is the word for spirit, as well as for life energy. Together, the words Mobius Manitou stand for the Infinite Spirit in ourselves, the ‘other’, and the animals and nature that surround us. Mobius Manitou, the web site, hopes to provide a forum to create honouring and supportive connections between each.   Read more...

One thing that we've been doing here in Grand Rapids, Michigan as part of our Helping Hands Project is to piece together various care packages for our homeless community. These packages include handmade hats, scarves, some snacks, toiletries, pen/paper, and the like as well as an inspirational and encouraging handwritten card.   Read more...

Are you fascinated by the prospect of transmitting power to devices wirelessly? By computers that can think like people? By the prospect of diagnosing cancer - before someone has it? By phrases like "probabilistic electronics" or, say, "transcontinental brain-machine interface"? Geek out for a couple of hours by watching the video of the IEEE 125th Anniversary Media Event. Although you do have to take a moment to register, the video is well worth it.

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers brought together 7 experts to present about cutting-edge research - from pattern recognition to cancer research to brain-machine interaction to the latest in mobile computing. For a two-minute digest, take a look at Radio Worlds' article on the IEEE event. The presentations last for just over an hour and a half, with half an hour for some good questions about privacy rights & policy, engineering education and our societal perception of engineers.   Read more...

Business School Ashridge, in association with the European Academy of Business and Society (EABIS), and with the support of HP and WWF, are running a competition to find the best ideas from management and other post-graduate students about how organisations can innovate to create value from the shift to low carbon economy. The deadline for entries is 3 May 2009.   Read more...

This is an invitation to join Peace and Collaborative Development Network, an online initiative to bring together professionals, academics and students involved in Conflict Resolution, Human Rights, International Development, Democratization, Social Entrepreneurship and related fields.

The network fosters interaction between individuals and organizations around the world and currently has over 5,600 members. The site is a terrific networking tool where you can find local and international partners and practitioners, share resources, read guides to careers, scholarships, internships, funding, and IT resources in the field and exchange best practices. Discussion topics and personal blogs can be posted. The site also has a video section where members can access and view videos related to the field.   Read more...