While learning to be more eco-friendly, I run into things daily that I don’t quite understand. Some of it, honestly, takes me by surprise. Solar power is a perfect example. I’d love to say that I completely understand solar power, but I really don’t. Sure, I know it’s energy from the sun… I’ve seen solar panels, certainly. But do they… collect the suns rays? How do they turn the sunlight into energy?

Here’s a 7 minute video made by PG&E, a giant utility company in California, that exlains solar power and how it’s converted into electricity.

There’s also a video on PG&E’s website that’s definitely more detailed and informative. And if you’ve got the time — 1h47m, that is — I highly recommend it!

“We will have solar energy as soon as the utility companies solve one technical problem — how to run a sunbeam through a meter.” — anonymous

Forget pesticides! It’s not hard to have a beautiful pesticide-free lawn, all you need is a bit of time and a little elbow grease.

• Did you know that grass actually grows best when certain kinds of organisms are present? Forget shooing them off (she says politely, knowing full well that pesticides do much more than shoo…), let them play! Earthworms eat and recycle (heh, poop) plant material that releases nutrients into the roots of the grass helping it grow! (via)
• Mow your lawn at the high end of its range — that way the roots have a chance to really develop. Deeper root systems can tolerate drought, heat, shade, disease, and pests much better. (via)
• Leave the grass clippings on your lawn! I know, I know — you don’t like how it looks, right? But trust me, it adds plant nutrients and organic matter to your soil. Researchers have estimated that grasscycling reduces fertilizer need by 25%! Saves you money and effort and keeps grass clippings out of landfills too. (via here and here)
• Don’t overwater — I mean, not only is it a huge waste of water (this is a personal pet peeve of mine) but overwatering helps weeds grow, causes oxygen starvation of grass roots, and makes your lawn’s roots shallow. Eep! Here’s a hint: If the top two inches of your lawn are dry, then it’s time to water. If not, leave it alone! (via)

According to the University of California’s integrated pest management program, “A vigorously growing turf resists pest damage and weed invasion.” So keep it growing healthy and strong and you shouldn’t have any need for pesticides!

That’s right! After some deeper digging, I managed to find a photo of Jesse James’ “Hydro-hell” hydrogen vehicle.

According to HydrogenCarsNow.com, Jesse plans to beat the current 186 mph record (held by BMW) by going a whopping 250 mph… in a car that he made himself! Well, repurposed. Still… crazy! I don’t think I’d trust anything I’d built enough to try and go as fast as humanly possible in it, but hey – I’m just a blogger, not a crazy-homemade-hydrogen-powered-car-with-cool-racing-stripes mechanic, right?

James has taken a Dees-Milodon Engineering-Davis B Streamliner that is over 40 years old and once raced at the Bonneville Salt Flats with a top speed of 237 mph and repurposed the vehicle with hydrogen.

“The 10,000 psi gaseous H2 tanks come from Quantum Technologies and the engine is a modified Chevy 572 internal combustion engine with twin turbos. If Jesse James lives up to his outlaw name, good things will happen with this hydrogen racecar.”

I know I’ll be watching — I wish that more press were pushing this (though I hear the show isn’t very popular) cause I think that if he does actually beat this record, it could be great press for hydrogen cars! What do you think?

I love robots. There’s no secret there — I’ve always been a huge fan. I subscribe to Google Alerts for ‘robots’ cause I want to keep tabs on how soon I can have one of my very own to do housework, cooking, take pets for walks, and hey, maybe play chess or Monopoly with.

Well, the Nature Conservancy is having a pretty cool contest right now. Their new ROV (remotely operated vehicle) needs a name. That’s right! They have a neato little underwater robot — albeit for more altruistic reasons than I.

This ROV will be swimming along the seafloor to study the effects of trawl fishing off California’s Central Coast. It will take pictures and video which researchers will use to help pioneer environmentally and economically sustainable fishing techniques. Cool!

Alright, so I feel bad wanting a robot slave to do my bidding now that I’ve read this. So here, I’ll help name the ROV.

You have the choice between 5 options:
Beagle — Darwin’s famous ship.
Petrale Patrol — Fishy!
Rachel Carson — An environmental legend and an inspiration.
Rock Lobster — What is a sea robin, exactly?
Nemo — In honor of their latest underwater adventure.

Oh! Ooh! Rock Lobster. Definitely. *sings* Everybody had matching towels!

Your turn. Head to the website and enter. I just did!