Becycle

Becycle is an interesting project being run up at Aberdeen University.

In September 2007 a number of students started to develop a fully free bicycle repair workshop and bicycle lending library. The workshop supplies tools and know how to students to assist them in bicycle repair works. Additionally it has shown very successful to repair unused bicycles- gathered through sponsorships- to send them back onto Aberdeen’s roads in form of a lending library- again free of charge.

The workshop managed not only to circulate a number of bikes in the University community but also gained access to repair tools, spare parts and knowledgeable folks and runs a web page that has been having over 1250 visits since it went online in October 2007.

In only three months this project has proven very popular and could potentially grow to great things.

The aim of the workshop is to support sustainable transport, to encourage students to do simple repair works by themselves and to provide a space for exchange and skill development complementing the University’s sustainable transport policies. Source

I wish it success.

First of Many

Today I went to work in daylight, and left 10 hours later in daylight. I am sure that this is a first for 2008.

Personal Wind Turbine

This came through on Kirou's newsfeed: the alternative power source HYmini is now available for purchase.

A quick search and there's a longer article on CoolHunting. I'm more interested.

I find the manufacturer's site: hymini.com

I finally see a photo giving me an idea of scale. I'm impressed. I want to see if I can secure it to a pack during the day and use it to generate and store power. Even tie it between 2 guylines overnight.

YouTube search brings up some good videos, for example, this one:

I want one for the next long hiking session. After 3-days, I get concerned about recharging the mobile phone. And finally, it looks like the output is via USB instead of some proprietary connection.

Action Day: Environmental Issues

One of the main environmental issues that affects me directly is the destruction of the wild places in the UK. I may be viewed as selfish, but I don't see why massive pylons should be driven through scenery like this:

Alternatives arrangements can usually be found, whether skirting national parks, or underground, or via sea lines. These may be expensive in the first place, but if power companies were made to incorporate aesthetic losses in to their calculations, then the scales may balance differently.

We all need places to escape to, and Scotland employs a lot of people in the tourist industry. What happens to the local economy when tourists stop coming to see the like of this?

Blog Action Day 2007

Today is Blog Action Day, and the theme this year is the environment.

If you have a blog and want to join in, all you have to do is use today to post something related to the environment, in whatever way, shape, or form you prefer. You can pick an environmental issue that has meaning for you and let everyone know why it's important. Source: Blogger Buzz, Blog Action Day.