#Installation of Co2 Flooding System

[dandelionsresilience]

Dandelion News - January 8-14

Like these weekly compilations? Tip me at $kaybarr1735 or check out my Dandelion Doodles!

1. In Chicago, all city buildings now use 100 percent clean power

“As of January 1, every single one of [Chicago’s municipal buildings] — including 98 fire stations, two international airports, and two of the largest water treatment plants on the planet — is running on renewable energy, thanks largely to Illinois’ newest and largest solar farm.”

2. California Rice Fields Offer Threatened Migratory Waterbirds a Lifeline

“Cranes need nighttime roosting sites flooded to a depth of about 3 to 9 inches, so they can easily hear or feel predators moving through the water. [... Bird Returns pays] farmers to flood their fields during critical migration periods [... and] provide foraging sites by leaving harvested rice or corn fields untilled, so cranes can access the leftover grain.”

3. New York Climate Superfund Becomes Law

“[Funds recovered “from major oil and gas companies” will be used to pay for] the restoration of stormwater drainage and sewage treatment systems, upgrades to transit systems, roads and bridges, the installation of green spaces to mitigate city heat islands and even medical coverage and preventative health programs for illnesses and injuries induced by climate change.”

4. Austin says retooled process for opening overnight cold-weather shelters is paying off

“[... T]he city's moves to lower the temperature threshold to open shelters and announce their activation at least a day in advance were the result of community feedback. [Shelter operators also passed out hot food.]”

5. Helping Communities Find Funding for Nature-Based Solutions

““From coastal oyster reefs to urban stormwater greenways, nature-based solutions are becoming the new normal.” That’s because these types of projects are often less expensive to build and have additional community benefits, such as improving water quality or creating parkland.”

6. Saving the Iberian lynx: How humans rescued this rare feline from extinction

“Back in the early 2000s, fewer than 100 individuals roamed the wild, including only 25 reproductive females. [...] Conservation staff [...] shape these cats into resourceful hunters and get them ready for life outside the center. [...] They’re fine-tuning captive-breeding routines, improving veterinary procedures, and pushing for more wildlife corridors.”

7. Biden cancels student loans for 150,000 more borrowers

“The 150,000 new beneficiaries announced Monday include more than 80,000 borrowers who were cheated or defrauded by their schools, over 60,000 borrowers with total and permanent disabilities and more than 6,000 public service workers[...] bringing the number whose student debt has been canceled during [Biden’s] administration to over 5 million[....]”

8. PosiGen wins another $200M for lower-income rooftop solar

“PosiGen offers a ​“no credit check” [solar panel installation to] those with a higher percentage of their income going to power and fuel bills[....] “somewhere between 25 and 75 percent” of the consumer’s monthly energy savings could come from efficiency measures such as sealing heating and cooling leaks, replacing thermostats, and installing LED lights[....]”

9. Indigenous communities come together to protect the Colombian Amazon

“At this year’s COP, Indigenous peoples celebrated the [protection of] traditional knowledge, innovations and practices[... and] the Cali Fund, which ensures that communities, including Indigenous peoples, receive benefits from the commercial use of [...] genetic data derived from the biological resources that they have long stewarded.”

10. How the heartland of Poland’s coal industry is ditching fossil fuels - without sacrificing jobs

“[Katowice, a former coal city] committed to reducing CO2 emissions by 40 per cent compared to 1990, prioritising investments in green infrastructure, and promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency. [...”]The gradual departure from heavy industry did not bring high social costs in our city,” says Marcin Krupa, Mayor of Katowice City.”

January 1-7 news here | (all credit for images and written material can be found at the source linked; I don’t claim credit for anything but curating.)

[binteirshad]

Roof-gardens

Roof Gardens' Advantages in Urban Environments

In urban settings, roof gardens are growing in popularity since they provide a distinctive means of improving a space's appearance and usability. Roof gardens offer a welcome option for businesses, apartment buildings, and homeowners in places like Atlanta where green spaces can be hard to come by. In addition to making an average structure into a visually spectacular area, these green rooftops serve the city in a number of ways, both socially and environmentally. Roof gardens can have a big impact, whether your goal is to lessen your environmental impact or create a calm haven in the heart of the busy city.

Improving air quality and lowering the urban heat island effect are two of roof gardens' main advantages. By growing vegetation and plants on rooftops, the garden lowers the building's overall carbon footprint by absorbing CO2 and other pollutants. In a place like Atlanta, when summers are hot and extra cooling measures are helpful, this is especially crucial. Additionally, the vegetation regulates the temperature within the building, acting as an insulator and potentially reducing energy expenses associated with heating and cooling.

The capacity of roof gardens to control stormwater runoff is an additional benefit. Hard surfaces like concrete and asphalt in cities keep water from penetrating the ground, which causes flooding and overburdens the city's drainage systems. By enabling water to be absorbed by the soil and plants, a roof garden offers a natural solution that lowers the chance of flooding and shields the building's structure from water damage. Thus, roof gardens can be extremely important for managing water resources and for sustainable urban development.

Adding a roof garden to a property can also raise its value for owners. In addition to improving the building's curb appearance, a well-kept garden offers a lovely area for socializing and resting. For potential tenants or buyers, a roof garden can be a major selling factor in a city like Atlanta where outdoor areas are highly prized. Additionally, companies can use roof gardens to organize events or construct welcoming outdoor workstations for staff members, adding a distinctive and useful element that distinguishes the property from others.

For professional guidance and installation services, get in touch with our staff at Roof Gardens if you're thinking about adding a roof garden to your Atlanta home. We can help you turn your rooftop into a verdant haven thanks to our years of experience creating and caring for roof gardens. We guarantee that every element is managed expertly from the first consultation to the project's completion, making the process easy and stress-free.

Get in touch with Roof Gardens right now to arrange a consultation or to find out more about how roof gardens may enhance your house. Contact us via email at info@roof-gardens@gmail.com or by phone at +1-404-479-6005. Allow us to assist you in restoring nature to the city and designing an area that is both aesthetically pleasing and ecologically conscious.

[fireprotections1]

Supply of All Types of Addressable Fire Alarm Systems

We at Fire Protection Systems are involved in turnkey Fire Fighting resolution, based in Faridabad. Fire Alarm Systems is designed to get fires early in their development once time can still be available for the safe evacuation of occupants. Early detection also plays a significant role in protecting the safety of emergency response personnel.

Call us: +91-9560583480

Gmail id: fire1525@gmail.com

Address: 1452, Sector-29, Faridabad (Haryana), Pin code: 121008

URL: https://www.fireprotectionsystems.in/fire-detection-system-supplier.html

[deepalidutt]

CLIMATE CRISIS

By Deepali Dutt Attrey

We're living in the 21st century and it's relatively apparent that nearly everyone in our surroundings must be knowledgeable or have at least heard about “ Global Warming”, “ Climate Change'' etc. Climate change or Global warming is a humongous problem which we can not neglect at any cost. Another term is there for Global warming or Climate change. It's called the “ Climate Crisis''. Climate extremity refers to the high magnitude of Global warming or Climate change and the disastrous goods they're or they can beget to humans, creatures as well as the earth Earth. Why does everyone talk so frequently about Climate extremity? Why can't we simply ignore it and move ahead and keep doing our diurnal routine work? As we all know, mortal nature is, until and unless commodity majorly affects us, we tend to ignore it. We do n’t pay attention until and unless a commodity starts affecting us oppressively and we can easily observe the changes being caused. We kept avoiding this global extremity until it started impacting us oppressively. So, where did we warrant? We demanded being “ Sustainable”! Sustainable means being suitable for the capability to use without being fully used up or exhausted. Also the question may arise how do we know if our conditioning is sustainable or not or how we're harming our surroundings which can be a major cause of Climate crisis? The simplest answer to this question is “ Observe your surroundings” and be “Apprehensive” of what's passing in our daily lives and what's the cause of it. For illustration, we know that icicles or glaciers are melting due to the nonstop rise in global temperature. This is causing a rise in the position of water bodies. Due to this, there are increased chances of cataracts which will impact the mortal population oppressively by breaking their homes, damaging the crops and other food grains which were to be vended in the requests and growers could have earned from them. Indeed, the oceanic ecosystem will also be affected oppressively with the rise in global temperature. 

 WHAT ARE THE REASONS OF GLOBAL CRISIS? 

 The main causes of the Climate Crisis are anthropogenic, that is they're convinced by mortal conditioning. Mortal conditioning led to the generation of “ Hothouse Feasts” which is the main cause of this global extremity. These conditioning impact the ecology oppressively and hang the actuality of life in multitudinous ways. Following are the reasons due to which Climate Crisis is passing 

1. Deforestation : Deforestation is the process in which the timber belt is removed on a veritably large scale by cutting down multitudinous trees. Actually, trees and other green shops trap CO2 inside themselves and release the oxygen in the terrain. CO2 traps heat.However, also the global temperature will rise ultimately, If a large quantum of CO2 is present in the terrain. 

 2. Rapid Industrialization : Industrial revolution did rapid-fire elaboration but numerous other unanticipated impacts were seen. During this period, the population was also increasing worldwide. This led to increase in the jobs and numerous new diligence were also being set up. As heavy machines were also installed, operation of coal also increased which caused Air and Water pollution. This led to environmental declination which is the root cause of the Climate Crisis. An illustration for this mortal destruction is, early 19th century metropolises in Britain used every scrap of land to the fullest. Developers erected structures on the lowest possible lots to pack as numerous people as possible into a given space. 

3. Agricultural Practises : The Global Food System is responsible for emitting nearly 21-35 0f Hothouse feasts. Multiple adulterants like CO2, CH4 and No2 are emitted which increase the global temperature. Beasts, especially ruminants similar to cattle, produce CH4 as part of the digestive process. Rice paddies also produce methane. This happens when constant flooding of fields happens and due to this, anaerobic conditions are created which leads to the production of methane. 

 4. Non-renewable energy use : Non-renewable energy coffers similar to fossil energies make a huge impact on global heads by adding the face temperature of the globe. When fossil energies are burned, a large quantum of CO2 is released into the terrain. So, how big is the impact of burning fossil energies? The average global temperature has formerly increased further 1 °C. Warming above1.5 °C pitfalls, further rise in ocean position, biodiversity loss, extreme rainfall and species extermination. 

 5. Consumer Practice : Consumption is an important aspect of mortal life. The practice of consumption is n’t wrong but “over-consuming” anything will put a strain on the health of our terrain. The further coffers we use, the further hothouse feasts will be produced. Anything which we consume, goes through the process of marketing, packaging, etc. To save our terrain from global extremity, we need to be more sensible. We should switch to sustainable consumption of goods. In this way, we won't be harming our terrain and our asked requirements will be fulfilled. We can buy durable products, we can cut gratuitous effects and can buy only those effects which are needed. We can buy locally so that we can save energy as well as it'll also reduce the air pollution. We should conclude for recyclable products so that the terrain can remain safe. We can avoid inordinate packaging or with minimum packaging so that the stress on the terrain can be reduced. 

 5. Pollution : Pollution is the preface of dangerous rudiments into the terrain. The terrain gets defiled by multitudinous adulterants released due to anthropogenic conditioning. Adulterants can be synthetic substances, or energy for illustration noise, heat or light. There are colourful types of environmental pollution Air pollution, Water pollution, Radioactive pollution, Noise pollution, Soil pollution etc. 

 

 

STEPS TAKEN BY INDIAN GOVERNMENT TO COUNTER CLIMATE CRISIS

Climate crisis is a challenge for every country. India is also tackling and making required changes and introducing policies to safeguard the environment and controlling the climate crisis. The major initiatives taken by the government are: 

PLANS AND POLICIES:

1.  National Action Plan on Climate Change (NAPCC), 2008: 

National Solar Mission to increase the development of solar technologies such as increasing production of photo-voltaic to 1000 MW/year

National Mission for Enhanced Energy Efficiency: lower taxes on energy-efficient appliances.

National Mission on Sustainable Habitat for better waste management.

National Water Mission

National Mission for “Green India”. 

National Mission for Sustainable Agriculture.

2. Environmental Impact Assessment

Management tool to regulate the impact of Industries on the environment for ensuring optimal use of natural resources for sustainable development.

Applicable for major projects like Infrastructure, thermal and nuclear power, industries, mining etc.

Industrial categorization into Red, Orange, Green and White according to their impact to maintain balance between regulation and ease of doing business. White industries do not require EIA approval.

3. Other Laws made by the Government

Environment Protection Act, 1986

Forest Conservation Act, 1980

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972

Water Prevention and Control of Pollution Act, 1974

Air Prevention and Control of Pollution Act, 1981

The Indian Forest Act, 1927

National Green Tribunal Act, 2010

4. Schemes for Energy Sectors

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana

Energy Conservation Building Code, 2017.

Green Rating for Integrated Habitat Assessment (GRIHA).

Unnat Jyoti by Affordable Lighting for All (UJALA).

Nuclear Power Programme.

[ollieofthebeholder]

leaves too high to touch (roots too strong to fall): a TMA fanfic

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Also on AO3

Chapter 6: Jon

Jon grumbles to himself as he drives back through the streets of London. Stupid. Stupid of him to have left his notes behind and stupid to be going back for them now. He could easily wait until morning. There’s no real urgency in the matter. What can he possibly do in the next—he glances at the dashboard clock on his car—nine hours that can’t wait until business hours?

But after realizing he left them in his office, he was out the door and in his car before he thought about it. Even now, he can’t convince himself to just turn around and go back. There is an odd sense of urgency propelling him, hence why he’s driving instead of submitting to the capricious whims of the late-night London Transit schedule. He needs to get to the Archives, needs to get those notes. And, all right, maybe he’ll check on Martin while he’s at it.

Really, he might as well stay overnight himself. No point in driving back and forth more than necessary. He can get whatever work he wants done just as easily in the office, and it might be useful to have another pair of hands or eyes or ears or whatever he needs, even if—

Jon terminates that line of thought ruthlessly. Martin isn’t incompetent. He just doesn’t have the training the rest of them do. If Jon thinks about it too hard, he actually feels a bit of a heel for having been so harsh on the man without troubling to ask questions. He did what he could with what he had, and now that he’s come out and admitted it, Sasha has been more than willing to help him out. He is getting better. A lot better. And it’s only been a few days.

So...yes. If he stays at the office to work, Martin can help. And probably will, if he’s still awake. It is, after all, a bit late. Jon will have to be quiet, at least at first, because if Martin is asleep he doesn’t want to wake him. He needs rest. They all do, really, but Jon is an anxious mess at the best of times and this whole...situation isn’t helping, so his sleep is ofttimes restless at best and intermittent at worst. He’ll likely end up pacing the Archives for most of the night. Maybe he’ll check to make sure that CO2 system he talked Elias into having installed is working properly. Or maybe he’ll go through the statements. Martin found one that seemed to be from Jane Prentiss; Jon meant to read it the night before, but hadn’t got around to it. Yes, that will likely be what he does.

He turns a corner and slams on his brakes. There is a veritable wall of emergency lights before him—police, fire, even an ambulance. And it all seems to be centered around...

No.

Jon isn’t one hundred percent certain the car is even all the way off, let alone pulled over to the curb, before he’s out the door and moving towards the crowd. Something is happening, and it’s happening at the Magnus Institute.

Jon scans the people clustered on the sidewalk. There aren’t many, not that he expected there to be. It is, after all, well into the evening. Most people leave at five, or close to it. In fact, most of the people on the sidewalk seem to be from nearby buildings, mere curious onlookers gawking at the spectacle. Jon doesn’t see anyone he recognizes, and he slowly begins to relax.

Then panic strikes him like an almost physical force. Martin. Martin should be easy to spot. He’s big—not fat, exactly, just big—and one of the taller employees. He ought to be standing on the edge of the crowd, a bundle of anxiety and attempted helpfulness, talking to a police officer or an onlooker or looking around to make sure he isn’t going to get in trouble for something that almost certainly isn’t his fault.

He’s not there. Jon spins frantically, but Martin is nowhere to be seen. He could be on the far side of the crowd, or he could have stepped out for something, or—

Or he could still be in the Archives.

Jon runs towards the door, hardly aware he’s doing it. Something slams into him, holding him back, and he struggles, his panic rising. Something is holding him, he’s trapped, he’s in danger, but Martin is still in there—

“Hold on, sir, you can’t go in there!”

“No, you don’t understand, I have to—my friend is in there—” Jon fights to get free.

“Crews are inside, sir, they’ll find anyone who’s in there, but you need to stay out here. We can’t have you running into danger.”

The fireman—as it proves to be—deposits Jon behind a barricade. He grips it in both hands, staring desperately at the door to the Archives. There doesn’t seem to be any smoke pouring out of the door, which is...maybe promising, but maybe not. Maybe still too late.

There was a fire in the Archives, somehow. Martin was down there. If he didn’t wake in time...or if he wasn’t able to get out, if the CO2 suppressant system triggered and he breathed in too much of the stuff...

A chasm seems to open up before Jon as he suddenly, unexpectedly faces down the idea of a world devoid of Martin Blackwood. His mind conjures up thoughts of Martin’s not-too-chipper morning, Jon every day, of his quiet determination to do his job even when he doesn’t really know what he’s doing, of the earnest way he makes his reports. Of him appearing in Jon’s office with a cup of tea, made exactly the way Jon likes it, at the exact moment he needs it the most.

In that moment, Jon understands with crystal clarity exactly how important Martin is to him, and how much it will devastate him if he is gone. His grip on the barricade tightens and he begins to wonder if he can escape the notice of the firefighters in order to—

“Jon?”

Only one person—one living person, anyway—ever addresses Jon in that slightly disapproving tone. Jon turns to find Elias standing a few feet away, one eyebrow raised and his mouth set in a flat line. “Elias. What—what’s going on?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” Elias’s disapproval is almost palpable. “I don’t see the others. I must say, I never would have expected you to run and leave them behind.”

“Leave—what do you mean?”

Elias’s lips tighten. “You think I wasn’t aware of what was going on? I did hear Tim talking about this ‘sleepover in the Archives’.”

Jon stares at Elias for a second, comprehension eluding him. Then, suddenly, ice floods his veins as he realizes what Elias is implying.

Not just Martin. Tim and Sasha doubled back to spend the night, too.

“Oh, God,” he manages to choke out.

Elias’s expression shifts. “You weren’t aware?”

“No!” Jon turns desperately back towards the Institute, towards the Archives, frantically scanning for any sign of...anything. “No, I thought—they both should have gone home by now, I—oh, God. No.”

He starts to dodge around the barricade, but Elias has his shoulder in an iron grip. “Steady, Jon. The ECDC said not to—”

“The what?” Jon jerks his head around to face Elias. Realization hits him, yet again, and while he would have sworn there isn’t enough blood left in his face for it to drain any further, he is apparently wrong about that. “Jane Prentiss is here?”

“Jon, you’re getting hysterical. Calm down.”

“Calm down? You’ve just informed me that my entire staff was in the Archives, which apparently were not only on fire but invaded by a woman completely riddled with dangerous worms, and you want me to calm down?”

“The fire was apparently small, and, I suspect, set mostly with the intention of triggering the CO2 suppressant system—”

“If that is supposed to make me feel better, Elias, it is failing.” Jon turns back to the Archives and contemplates making a break for it. It’s fifty-fifty whether Elias will stop him, or just wait to see if he survives and then fire him, but the emergency staff are—

There’s a lot of activity around one of the doors. Jon lets out a ragged gasp as two paramedics come out, wheeling a stretcher between them with a body on it. He doesn’t—can’t—know for sure who is on it, not from that distance, not in the dark and with his eyesight, but he does. He knows, with a certainty that he can almost taste, that it’s Martin on that stretcher.

And he isn’t moving.

“Jon!” Elias shouts, but Jon is past hearing him, too preoccupied with rushing across the lawn. He has to get to him, has to see—

“Stand back!” A figure in a hazmat suit suddenly looms up, barring his progress. “You can’t come in this area!”

“Damn you, that is someone I care about, I need to know he’s okay!” Jon cries, his voice cracking.

“I’m sorry, sir, but this area is off-limits until we’re sure we’ve contained the infestation,” the figure in the hazmat suit says. “You should be able to see him once he’s out of quarantine.”

“But—” Jon’s eyes desperately track the stretcher as they wheel it past, the two attendants tossing terms and orders back and forth. It is Martin, he was right, lying very still. There’s an oxygen mask clamped over his face, and he’s—oh, God, he’s covered in blood—he was attacked—the worms, or Jane Prentiss, or both, they attacked Martin, he is hurt, he might be dying, he could already be dead and the oxygen mask could just be for form’s sake and nobody will tell him because they have to control the damage and cover up what’s happening and Jon can’t even be at his side because he might still be infested with the parasites that riddled Prentiss’s body and oh, God, what will he do if Martin survives only to be like that, this is all his fault, why in the name of God’s green earth did he think the Archives would be safe, why was it only Martin he suggested stay, why hadn’t he either had all of them stay, or had all of them stay somewhere else—

The slam of the ambulance doors jolts him out of his thoughts, and he draws in a great gasp of air, which he realizes he’s been forgetting to do somewhat. It would start calming him if not for the fact that he suddenly realizes where his thoughts are trending and starts panicking all over again. “Tim and Sasha! Where are they?”

The figure hesitates, then waves at someone. Another hazmat-suited figure comes over to them, and Jon can see the scowl behind the clear plastic mask, even over the breathing apparatus. “Get back behind the barricades! This area is under quarantine, and unless you want to be quarantined too, I suggest you stay clear.”

It crosses Jon’s mind, for a fleeting second, to ask if he’d be quarantined with Martin, but the thought is gone before he can speak it, fortunately. The figure that still holds him is already speaking, though. “Mack, how many people have we found so far?”

“Two, the man they just brought out and...well, what’s left of a woman,” the second figure says. “I’m told everyone should have been gone for the day.”

“My assistants decided to spend the night,” Jon says. He can hear the hysterical quality in his own voice but is helpless to stop it. “There should be two more, a man and a woman—he’s got, ah—and she’s—” He flounders as he tries desperately to conjure up a description of either Tim or Sasha. The only face his brain seems willing to contemplate just then is Martin’s, bright and eager, pale and scared, still and bleeding.

“We haven’t found them, sir, but we’ll keep looking.” The second figure’s tone changes—concern, maybe? Still, he waves at the first figure, who shoves Jon easily back behind the barricade.

Someone, probably Elias, is talking. Jon honestly isn’t listening. He’s torn between proceeding immediately to the hospital to stalk the lobby until someone lets him see Martin—he assumes they’re taking him to the hospital, anyway—or staying here to make sure Tim and Sasha are all right. He should probably be concerned about the Archives, about what caught on fire, on whether or not any important statements got burnt and how big the fire was, and he’s not going to lie, a part of him is. But he’s willing to let that concern lie until later. Right now, he just needs everyone to be okay.

“Jon,” Elias says loudly, directly in his ear, and Jon about jumps out of his skin. He turns to see his boss looking at him with something that might be concern and might just be annoyance. “The worms are dead. ECDC is about to go in and remove Jane Prentiss’s body. I’m going in to supervise. Do you want to come?”

He really doesn’t. Quite apart from the fact that he’s been sufficiently upset by the few worms he has seen around the Institute and really doesn’t want to see how many are still in the Archives, even dead, he’s just about decided that he needs to be at the hospital. Martin doesn’t have anybody, as far as Jon knows, and anyway he needs to see for himself that Martin is all right. But he also knows that this is part of his job, and a part of him does need to see the Archives for himself as well, before...before whatever cleanup will happen.

Besides. Tim and Sasha are still down there.

“All right,” he manages. “Lead the way.”

He’s tense and distracted. Far from the mad rush that drove him a few moments before, he follows Elias at a more sedate pace, and he’s only half-aware of the fact that he’s balling the cuffs of his cardigan into his hand. Damn it, he bought this one brand-new when he got appointed Head Archivist and he’s already worried snags and stresses into the cuffs. He can’t help it, he’s got a compulsion to fiddle with the ends of his sleeves when he’s nervous or distracted—among other things—and this is hardly the first sweater he’s ruined like this, but it’s still been less than eight months and he’d sort of hoped he would be over this by now. He forces himself to uncurl his fists and shake his sleeves back into some semblance of order before entering the Archives.

They instantly go back into his curled fists when he sees the state of the Archives. There are worms everywhere. He cannot, for the life of him, figure out where they all came from. They’ve seen a few scattered around outside the Institute, one or two making their way inside, but this many? God, they must have been breeding in the damned walls...

The thought sends another sticky spiral of panic and guilt through him. If the worms were breeding in the walls of the Institute—of the Archives—and Martin’s been sleeping here this whole time—then this is entirely Jon’s fault. This could have happened at any time and he never would have known. He doesn’t doubt for a minute that Martin was awake when all this happened, but if Tim and Sasha hadn’t been there, he might have been asleep when the worms attacked.

He might not ever have woken up.

Jon looks desperately around, trying to keep his mind on the present and not on hypotheticals. There are files that have been pulled out and...are probably ruined, to be quite honest, as there’s some sort of...substance on them. There’s a great deal of activity surrounding what appears to have once been the body of a woman, in what appears to have once been a red dress, and Jon’s stomach turns uncomfortably as he thinks about Timothy Hodge’s statement...and Martin’s. The remnants of suppressant foam still linger, and while the gas seems to have mostly dissipated, the smell is...unpleasant. The smell of worms, and earth, and rot.

Then Jon’s eyes fall on a blank space, a curved-out negative in the sea of silver-white, and his heart lurches as he realizes he’s staring at the spot where Martin lay before the attendants took him out. He steps closer, not even consciously aware he’s doing it, and stares at the space, a perversion of a snow angel on the Archives floor. There’s blood on the wood, still tacky, and Jon wonders how much there is, whether it’s too much for a normal human to survive.

“Were you here when they...?” Jon addresses the nearest person, indicating the spot where Martin’s body obviously was retrieved from.

“Was the one who found him,” the figure confirms. It sounds like a woman. “Not a reporter, are you?”

“No, I’m—I-I work here.” Jon should probably point out that he is, in fact, in charge here, or at least in this portion of “here”, in theory anyway, but he’s too preoccupied with finding out everything he can. “How was—what was the situation when you found him?”

“A bloody mess.” The woman waves a hand at the area. “Worms were all dead, thankfully, but there was still a bit of gas in the place. We knew we were looking for Jane Prentiss—Mr. Bouchard called us in as soon as he knew what was what—but we didn’t know there was anyone else here. I almost stepped on him before I saw him. Thought he was another dead body at first.”

Jon’s heart nearly stops in his chest. “But then?”

“He moved. Thought it might’ve been the worms at first. They were all through him. Looked like bloody Swiss cheese. But they were all as dead as the ones out here. No, it was him, struggling to breathe. I started pulling the worms out best I could and shouted for help. The paramedics showed up and helped out. He was starting to come round at that point, but...well. People aren’t meant to breathe carbon dioxide. They gave him oxygen and wheeled him out. He’ll need to be quarantined a bit until they’re sure he’s not infested, and they’ll be checking his lungs, but really, I think he’ll be fine.”

Jon exhales heavily. He really shouldn’t be relieved. Honestly, one look around the Archives should be enough to convince him that things are...bad. They are bad. God, so many worms, and some of them were in Martin’s body. There is also a human corpse on the floor. And there’s still no sign of Tim or Sasha. But those five words give him more of a sense of relief than he’s felt since he saw the first emergency light. I think he’ll be fine. Martin will be fine.

It’s enough to relax Jon to the point that he can wade carefully through the worm corpses to check the damage to his Archives, while Elias supervises the ECDC people in preparing to remove Jane Prentiss’s body, or what’s left of it anyway. Not far from where Martin lost consciousness—not died, thank God—is another odd clearing—not so much a clearing as a slight thinning in the concentration of worms. Jon eyes it, decides it’s a concern for later, and concentrates on trying to figure out where the hell the worms came from in the first place.

He finds the answer when he wanders into his office and finds the cheap shelving unit shoved to one side, twisted and askew, and a hole in the wall behind it. It should have been an exterior wall, but no, it looks like someone put a piece of drywall over an entrance. Curious, Jon touches the hole lightly. It’s person-sized, as though someone burst through the wall. At first, he’s inclined to assume it was made by Jane Prentiss, forcing her way into the Archives, but a second glance proves otherwise. The break in the plaster indicates that it came from his office, not into, meaning that someone was in his office and, somehow, knew this tunnel was there.

That should be worrying. It is worrying. Jon wonders who did it...who would break into his office, let alone push through this wall...who would put Martin in danger, because almost certainly this is how the worms got in and attacked him. He’d suspect Tim or Sasha or both, since they’re clearly not here, but he knows in his heart of hearts neither of them would deliberately put Martin at risk. They’re a family, the four of them, even if Jon’s been trying not to admit that, and they both care about him. They wouldn’t do anything to hurt him.

But if they didn’t know...

There’s a commotion from behind him, and Jon jumps. The thought passes through his mind that Jane Prentiss might not be all that dead after all, or worse—that she’s not alone, that she brought another of her victims along with her. He grabs at the first object he sees that could reasonably be considered a weapon—a paper knife he found in one of the drawers when he first took the job—and steps out into the Archives proper, not at all confident that he can do anything but at least willing to make the attempt.

He drops the knife instantly when he sees the two figures in the middle of the Archives, both looking panicky and quite out of breath. “Tim! Sasha!”

He rushes towards them, heedless of the worms popping and squishing under his feet. Tim looks up at him and waves at something on the floor—a hole. Jon realizes all of a sudden that they’re standing next to an open trapdoor in the middle of the Archives, something he had no idea existed before this moment.

“Call...police,” he manages to gasp out between heaving breaths.

“They’re outside,” Elias says, sounding somehow both worried and annoyed. “Tim, what is going on? What is the urgency?”

Sasha meets Jon’s eyes, and he’s genuinely never seen her so scared. “There’s a body in those tunnels. It’s Gertrude Robinson and she’s dead.”

[co2extractz-blog]

CO2 Extract Expert Consulting

CO2 Extract Expert Consulting

For those in the construction industry, CO2 Extract Expert Consulting may prove to be an invaluable resource. Consultants provide assistance in maintaining and inspecting various parts of a commercial building and their environmental and health effects.

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CO2 Extract Expert Consulting is able to help contractors in such areas as the design and construction of interior and exterior structures, including mold and mildew removal, soundproofing, cooling systems, air ducts, vents, and radiant heating systems. The consultants can also provide you with more specific assistance in getting your construction project completed on time and within budget.

Additionally, the consulting professionals offer consultation for commercial landscaping, fencing, ventilation, flood control, and electrical and plumbing designs. But there is more. Services offered by a Certified Contractor (CC) include architectural consultation, engineering consultation, commercial landscaping, metal fabrication, and plumbing consultation.

Geothermal consultant services are also available. Geothermal consultants offer a wide range of solutions for energy conservation. They provide research and development of renewable energy techniques for buildings, buildings and other utilities, and for communication, heating, cooling, and water distribution.

Geothermal consultants can provide design, service, and installation of geothermal heating and cooling systems for commercial, industrial, and institutional clients. If your building is older and does not have sufficient heat transfer, the consulting firm can help you design and install a system that can generate free heat and reduce your energy costs. And if your building is constructed in a way that makes it very difficult to utilize geothermal heat, you may wish to seek expert consultation.

Meanwhile, consulting firms are always willing to assist you in knowing what you are working with and how to go about it. Consultants will guide you through the whole process, explaining every aspect of your project. As you work through it, the consultants will make recommendations about alternative designs or ways to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

A Consulting firm will put you in touch with a reputable Geothermal Specialist. The specialist can explain the technology to you, make suggestions about the best location for a new system, and assess the feasibility of your plan. He will also evaluate your current system and help you determine which parts need to be replaced or repaired.

Because of the nature of this technology, consultants are often highly skilled in a technical area. In some cases, you will be required to bring in other specialists, but many consultants are readily available to you even without additional help.

Consultants also maintain extensive knowledge of how the most effective systems work. To ensure that you understand what they are talking about, consultants will usually conduct a brief demonstration or show you how to use the systems. They can be helpful in explaining the components and how they relate to one another.

Building Conservation and Engineering Professionals (BCEP) is a professional association that supports an industry association. The BCEP's objective is to protect the environment by promoting conservation and energy efficient practices in the construction industry. If you are a construction company, BCEP provides resources and networking opportunities for the construction community.

CO2 Extract Expert Consulting is one such resource. This professional and environmental consulting services dedicated to assisting all those involved in the construction industry with efficient practices and clean technologies that preserve our natural environment. From the very beginning, they've operated on the principle that being green is good business.

[citizensclub]

The Earth is losing ice at an alarming rate and if nothing is done soon, human and animal life will be gone during the next century.....

Ice is our planet cooling system and without it we would experience extreme weather all year long. Since the first  Conference  des Parties (COP) in Berlin  in 1995 the level of Carbon Dioxide has increased by 55% worldwide with the effect of increasing the earth’s temperature enough to accelerate ice melting across the globe.

ICE IS MELTING 6 TIMES FASTER THAN 40 YEARS AGO IN ANTARCTICA CAUSING SEA LEVEL TO  RISE 1.8 METER BY 2100 FLOODING MANY COASTAL CITIES AROUND THE WORLD. FROM 1979 TO 1990 ANTARCTICA LOST 40 BILLION TONS OF ICE EACH YEAR AND FROM 2009 TO 2017 IT WAS  252 BILLION TONS EACH YEAR.  

BETWEEN 1986 AND 2005 THE LOSS OF ICE IN THE ARCTIC WAS 160 BILLION TONS PER YEAR AND NOW IT IS  447 BILLION TONS,  4 TIMES THE PREVIOUS PERIOD.

DUE To EXTREME WEATHER, GROENLAND HAS LOST 286 BILLION TONS OF ICE IN 2018 AGAINST 137 BILLION TONS IN 2002.

DUE TO TEMPERATURE RISING FASTER IN CANADA THAN ANY WHERE INTHE WORLD, 80% OF GLACIERS IN THE ROCKIES WILL DISAPEAR DURING THE NEXT 50 YEARS.

ACCORDING TO “THE GUARDIAN” TWO-THIRDS OF GLACIER ICE IN THE ALPS WILL MELT BY 2100. IF EMISSIONS CONTINUE TO RISE AT CURRENT RATE, ICE WILL HAVE ALL BUT DISAPPEARED FROM EUROPE’S ALPINE VALLEYS BY THE END OF CENTURY. 

TWO-THIRDS OF GLACIERS IN HIMALAYA COULD DISAPPEAR BY 2100 ACCORDING TO AFP KATMANDOU.

IF WE KEEP LOSING ICE AT THIS RATE  EXTREME WEATHER WILL KICK IN MORE OFTEN. ICE MELTING AND EXTREME WEATHER ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE OUR LIFE MISERABLE. THEY ARE THE MAIN CAUSE OF SEA LEVEL RISING PLUS THE FLOW OF MIGRANTS ALL ACROSS THE GLOBE WILL BE OVER 140 MILLION BY 2050. 

IF YOU WANT A TASTE OF WHAT IS COMING IN THE NEAR FUTURE JUST GO TO SOMALIA AND SEE BY YOURSELF THE REALITY OF GLOBAL WARMING. SINCE 2018 THERE IS A SEVERE DROUGHT AFFECTING THIS COUNTRY WHERE 2.6 MILLION PEOPLE (15% OF THE POPULATION) ARE DISPLACED FROM RURAL TO URBAN AREAS WITH MOST OF THEM SUFFERING FROM MALNUTRITION.

IRONNICALY,THE POPULATION ONLY IS TO BLAME FOR THE CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE DAMAGE DONE BY Mother Nature WHILE THE WORLD POLITICAL CLASS STANDS IN SILENCE  IGNORING COMPLETELY   THE WARNINGS BY THE SCIENTIFIC WORLD. WHEN DISTASTER WILL STRIKE THESE GUYS ACTUALLY IN OFFICE WILL BE LONG GONE AND FUTURE GENERATIONS, THOSE WHO THEY REFER  TO  IN THEIR SPEECH AS “OUR CHILDREN AND GRAND CHILDREN”, WILL BE STUCK WITH A DYING PLANET.

THE LEVEL OF GRENHOUSE GAS (GHG) INCREASED BY 55% SINCE 1995 AND NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN BY ANY GOVERNMENT TO CURB THE EMISSION OF. CO2 IN THE ATMOSPHERE. TODAY, JAPAN AND CHINA HAVE SATELLITES MONITORING CARBON DIOXIDE FROM SPACE AND LATELY NASA INSTALLED EQUIPMENT ON THE “INTERNATION SPACE STATION TO DO THE SAME THING. IF WE HAVE  ALL THE DATA ON HOW GHG ARE TRAVELING AROUND THE PLANET WE’LL BE ABLE TO TRACE ITS ORIGIN AND WHERE IT SETS AND AFFECT SOME REGIONS INSTEAD OF OTHERS.

ALL INFORMATION IS AVAILABLE TO POLITICIANS TO  FIGHT CLIMATE CHANGE STARTING TODAY BUT IT WILL NOT HAPPEN SOON AS THEY ARE CONTROLLED AND MANIPULATED BY THE FOSSIL FUEL INDUSTRY AND THEIR INVESTORS. GOVERNMENTS ARE CURRENTLY SUBSIDIZING THE OIL INDUSTRY WITH OVER 600 $BILLIONS EACH YEAR AND ALMOST NOTHING FOR CLEAN ENERGY IGNORING THE URGENCY OF THE POINT OF NO RETURN SET A 2030 BY THE SCIENTIFIC COMMUNITY.

NATIONS ARE SPENDING $BILLIONS ON SPACE PROGRAMS REACHING FOR THE STARS AND OTHERS ARE GETTING READY FOR A WAR THAT WILL NEVER HAPPEN WHILE OUR OWN PLANET IS ON FIRE. WE ARE NOT AGAINST PROGRESS AND NEW TECHNOLOGY BUT WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT OUR OWN SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF FUTURE GENERATIONS. TAXPAYERS’ MONEY IS CURRENTLY USED FOR CORPORATE GREED AT THE DETRIMENT OF THE WELL BEING OF THE ENTIRE POPULATION AT A TIME A TRANSITION TO CLEAN ENERGY IS DESPERATELY NEEDED.

THE WORLD  DOESN’T NEED A WAR BETWEEN NATIONS THAT WILL KILL MILLION OF CIVILIANS, POLLUTION IS ALREADY KILLING 9 MILLION PEOPLE EACH TEAR 3 MILLION OF THEM CHILDREN. WHAT WE NEED NOW  IS ALL NATIONS GETTING TOGETHER AND FIGHT OUR COMMON ENEMY: CLIMATE CHANGE.

WE HAVE THE MONEY, THE TECHNOLOGY AND THE RESOURCES TO START DOING THE RIGHT THING TODAY, THE ONLY THING MISSING IS THE POLITICAL WILL, IF THOSE POLITICIANS IN PLACE ARE NOT MOVING WE ARE GOING TO REPLACE THEM WITH OTHERS WHO WILL INITIATE ACTIONS.

P LABERGE  514-337-7668                                                                                    CANADA    

[donnnoir]

Austin, Texas                                                                         June 15, 2019

Well on to the crux of the argument; at least by installments….

Or so it seems, now if I can spew this out on a more regular basis we will be getting somewhere.  Now as previous noted I suspect rather than a purely chronological order that I will be bouncing around quite a bit.  Because no matter how I would try I would no doubt have to constantly go back and amend any attempt at some birth to present presentation.  Besides I am not sure I could make such an endeavor worthy of you the reader’s time.  Overall I consider the majority of Life to be boring to mundane at best; into which are punctuated moments and or events that go far beyond the pale of what could possibly be part of the norm of a conservative Life.  Understanding your time is immensely valuable let us begin….

Over the years whenever I have attempted to share some of the uniqueness of the events and the accompanying knowledge associated there to. Since for a long time within Popular Culture we enjoyed and endured the TV series “The X-files”.  Seeking context and relevance to our social experience, I have asked many a person if they were familiar with the series and if so.  I am sure you have noticed the poster above Mulder’s desk in the basement of the FBI’s headquarters.  The poster with a flying saucer between some trees. The caption on the poster reads “I want to Believe”.  Because of the popularity of the series this poster and that statement have become almost Iconic.  Well as a matter of fact a good friend of mine took that photograph.  His name was Paul Villa.  I meet and knew him while he lived in New Mexico, in a little town south of Albuquerque. He was a very genuine sort of individual, the kind of man that the statement “salt of the Earth” could be sincerely applied.  Her earn his daily bread as a fabricator or if you prefer as a wielder. Back in those days, this was in the ‘70’s, within the supposed community of the UFO Phenomena were individuals who were known as contactees.  Unlike the group commonly referred to as abductees, these persons via one means or another were contacted, approached and either as part of a short period of association or as part of an ongoing relationship would be involved in a dialogue or variety of ongoing communications with beings not associated with the human population on the surface of the Earth.  Paul was one such individual.  During those years I was fortunate enough to have met several such persons.  Most were if nothing else true believers; a few struck me as being at best misguided to being charlatans.  But of all these individuals Paul was the most genuine and sincere, a man of character.  He never tried to make a profit from his experiences nor did he ever feel comfortable being the center of attention.  The particular photograph used in the poster is actually one of a group or series of photographs taken at that location and time frame.  As memory severs me it is one of the group of like a dozen to twenty pictures of that particular flying saucer at that time and location. Paul never copyrighted any of his pictures, or anything else in association with this association with these visitors.  As a consequence many of his pictures have been used in movies and books by others.  Paul, himself would have condoned and appreciated the dissemination of these.  If you had ever run into him as he was picking up his photographs from the developer; and had asked for a copy of the pictures.  He would gladly do so for the price that the developer charged him for copies.  He often said that this “friends”, those that visited him in their flying saucers wanted him to more openly show the pictures and discuss the elements of what he and them discussed.  

Recently I YouTubed Paul’s name and lo and behold if there weren’t more than a couple video spots giving a brief discussion about my friend. In all honesty I only viewed two of these, an although they do a fairly good job of offering to the public a view of Paul that is objective and honest.  I do take exception to the volume of material they cite him as having had.  I recall on my visits that he had substantially more than the narrators of either video gave him credit.  As to photo-albums containing pictures of various flying saucers, space ships, observation vehicles, sampling drones, alien landscapes, phenomena, living dinosaurs and much much more these numbered in the hundreds of albums packed full of various pictures devoted to this hobby, shall we say.  Now in immediate approximate association to these were voluminous numbers of spiral notebooks.   Hahahah….. why spiral notebooks?  Well it should be quite obvious actually, in his dialogues with the different and varying persons from elsewhere.  How does one accomplish such a feat.  The new age crowd would have us all believe that some light or telepathic communication from the “superior” being would provide the solution.  According to Paul the affair was much more mundane than all that hype.  Yes, some could simply talk in a language he understood.  However, since among themselves speech is unnecessary, their mouths are used for other things.  The process of speaking was difficult for the vast majority.  Yet wishing to dialogue; the concept of writing is not limited to the constraints of physical aptitude of the one.  It is easy enough to learn the symbols or if you prefer pictography necessary to carry on a intelligent conversation, or as intelligent as could be presumed.  Now, I meet Paul in 1973, I was thirteen years old.  Yes I was a precocious young man, however.  My introduction to Paul was facilitated by Bill Miller my friend and employer under whom I was apprenticing as a silversmith.  Bill had for some time been Paul’s friend.  So I enjoyed the benefits of their association.  It also afforded me the opportunity to peruse the large library of spiral notebooks and a few of the other artifacts Paul had on open display in his living room. I should also note here that I was acquainted with the fact that Paul would limit access to his hobby depending on who was his guest.  I also was made aware that certain photographs and or artifacts would only be shown to persons he was instructed to do so with by his “friends”.  Thus I was aware I did not have full unlimited access to what was in Paul’s possession.   This may sound odd or suspicious to some; sounds rather sensible and practical to me.  

I read many kinds of documents in my visits to Paul’s home.  Some were written to JPL or some similar quasi governmental agency or contractors.  Usually concerning developments or design flaws within any given space program or vehicle.  An as always there were the spiral notebooks, to occupy my attention.  As a general rule from what was described to me, Paul would have this overwhelming sense he needed to drive somewhere.  He would just drive out beyond the urban sprawl ultimately he would end up in a remote location where he would have an encounter of one kind or another.  He was encouraged to bring his camera and take photographs.  As these encounters came with some degree of regularity and so would the conversations; he soon learned to keep a notebook to write down questions of one kind or another in anticipation of these.  From what I could tell he usually had a dozen to a couple dozen questions ready and waiting between encounters. Sometimes a line of questioning would continue on into a at large discussion, though usually not.  Much of the material I read comes and goes in my memory of events, there are a couple of notable exceptions….

The most notable exception concerned the Flood, as in the Biblical Flood of Noah.  Among a variety of questions Paul had written down the question; where did the water for Noah’s Flood come from?  The written response was simple and succinct; Mars.  Now you the reader if perhaps you are unaware, but at the time the accepted scientific stated fact was that there was NO water on Mars.  That the observable polar caps were actually frozen CO2, common dry ice.  This was taught at all levels of academia (though there was a very small group that knew otherwise; a story for another installment in my narrations if you will) from elementary schools to universities.  I thought it intriguing and filed it away mentally.  At this point may I say that though I have always wondered of the short falls, mistakes and disinformation contained within what is presented as our collective histories and of scientific note.  I like most everyone generally accepted what I was taught in our institutions of education, all be it with more then a grain of salt.  As I discovered more and more of the Truth of the matter, I abandoned these illusions and lies only keeping current so as to maintain relevance in society and even simple conversations.  Presently as the consequence of these divergent realities presses down upon all of us, I as of late no longer share my understanding from the perspective of mere food for thought, or an alternative belief system; all the while being politely accommodating of the false or failed paradigms other hold. It is a disservice to my fellow men and women to feign such a posture for the sensibilities of those who refuse to question what is before them.  Thus upon meeting I fully acknowledge and realize that my “crazy coefficient” is ostensibly high. Any one who takes a moment to share what Life has given us, usually gives me the benefit of the doubt.  An as has been the case for the majority of my Life others shall always call me “crazy”.  Which isn’t purely a bad thing!  

As we fast forward to the present; we now know that Mars once was a great water planet.  In fact it seems it had vast oceans and water in larger proportions than does our Earth.  Which bates the question of where did it all go?  Before science made these “discoveries”; I have long believed such.  Including that the water for Noah’s Flood did in fact come from Mars.  I shall leave you with that Fact to ponder.  Because believe it or not we shall be revisiting this subject and many others, so we shall have a rich WTF content….

[karisba]

Humans are messing with Earth's thermostat; we must solve climate change | Opinion

Carbon dioxide (CO2) is rising around the world and it’s because of us. Humans and other living beings have been exhaling CO2 for millions of years. So, what makes it a problem now? CO2 is very effective at trapping heat.

Without that warming effect of CO2 and other greenhouse gases, the Earth would be an ice-ball planet, about 60° Fahrenheit colder. The problem now is too much CO2 and too fast!

When we drive, fly, heat and cool our homes or plug something in, we usually cause a little fossil fuel to be burned for energy, releasing CO2.

Think of each molecule of CO2 as one feather in a down comforter. Each additional CO2 molecule makes that blanket thicker, trapping more heat.

In 1960, the world’s economies emitted about 10 billion tons of CO2 per year. Today it is about 36 billion tons per year. This CO2 will remain in the oceans and atmosphere for thousands of years, acidifying the oceans and warming the atmosphere.

The last eight years, 2014 to 2021, were the eight hottest years of recorded global temperatures. The heat-trapping effect of increased CO2 is a fact. It is not political, and it is not new science.

It is based on principles discovered in the 19th century and confirmed today. How do we know that the CO2 increase comes from us?

The CO2 that's emitted from fossil fuels has a unique carbon isotopic signature, different from CO2 from volcanic or ocean emissions. The world’s continued and growing CO2 emissions are projected to add another 2 to 3 degrees fahrenheit to global temperatures by 2050.

We are messing with Earth’s thermostat at our own peril. The extra warming will cause more droughts, like what's happening now in the American west; more flooding from downpours, like the 17 inches of rain that fell in 24 hours on Waverly, Tennessee, last August; and more forest fires, such as what roared through East Tennessee in March of this year.

What can we do to solve our climate issue? The good news is that because humans created this climate emergency, humans have the power to change it. In fact, the shift to a carbon-free economy is already under way.

In 2020, almost 80% of new power generation installed used renewable energy. Tennessee is part of the transition, with the announcement of a new electric vehicle plant coming to West Tennessee.Your state.

Your stories. Support more reporting like this. A subscription gives you unlimited access to stories across Tennessee that make a difference in your life and the lives of those around you. Click here to become a subscriber.

Visit shopping bag printing homepage for more details.

Coal is being replaced by wind and solar — not just because this change benefits the environment, but because costs of renewable energy continues to decline dramatically.  We need to mobilize our economy for this transition.

We have accomplished great projects before, like the Transcontinental Railroad, the Interstate Highway system and the modern internet. None of these bankrupted society, instead it transformed and improved it.

The climate crisis is the great challenge of our generation. Let’s put our energies into accelerating this transformation, for the sake of ourselves, our children, our grandchildren and the beautiful state of Tennessee.

[kellyp72]

Three examples of sustainable engineering

Guest post by James Ritter

As the impacts of global warming continue to be felt across the world, it’s becoming increasingly important to find and implement sustainable solutions to environmental issues. In this way, sustainable engineering could have a key part to play in protecting the planet now, and for many years to come.

Sustainable engineering is an important field that is concerned with finding ways to reduce the negative impact of human activity on the environment. In other words, sustainable engineers work to design systems and products that minimise pollution and conserve resources. This can involve anything from finding new ways to generate energy to developing more efficient methods of manufacturing. Sustainable engineering also involves redesigning and retrofitting existing systems to perform more efficiently and with less use of polluting energy sources after an analysis of system operations, production quality, and deficiencies in function.

A growing industry in the US and around the world that is increasingly accessible to students through graduate programs in colleges and universities, sustainable engineering is important not only for the health of the planet, but also for the wellbeing of future generations. By finding ways to reduce our impact on the environment, we can ensure that there will be a healthier planet for our children and grandchildren to enjoy.

Here, we highlight three examples of sustainable engineering that are already having a positive impact on the environment.

Permeable paving

Permeable paving offers a viable alternative to traditional concrete paving, which raises several environmental issues. For example, traditional concrete paving is impermeable, which means in cases of rainfall, stormwater runoff is increased and can cause severe flooding, overflowing of sewage systems, erosion damage to stream channels, diminished recharge of groundwater, and a degradation of habitats for fisheries. At the same time, impermeable concrete paving acts as a conduit for environmental pollutants, especially in urban environments, depositing these harmful substances into local bodies of water.

For these reasons and more, permeable paving is sometimes required by municipalities, which are starting to increase the regulations for using impermeable vs. permeable surfaces in new construction and renovation projects.

With proper planning and maintenance, permeable paving can be an effective method for managing stormwater and improving the environment in different ways. There are a variety of materials that can be used for permeable paving, including asphalt, gravel, and open pore pavers.

Firstly, water and precipitation are able to seep through the surface, which reduces the risk of flooding. The captured liquid can be stored in a reservoir underneath the paving and used later or slowly allowed to seep into the ground. With urbanisation occurring more rapidly around the world, this technology could be pivotal in helping to keep the people living in cities and towns safe from floods. What’s more, the paving can often be made up using recycled materials, which reduces the amount of waste in landfills, and eases the strain on the planet’s natural resources.

Seabins

In recent times, scientific research has been able to shed a light on the role our oceans have to play in protecting the wider environment. For instance, our oceans absorb around 25% of the CO2 emissions that are created by burning fossil fuels. But with pollution and mismanagement threatening the future of this precious resource, innovators are coming up with ways to help clean up our oceans and ensure it can continue to help protect the planet.

Seabins are one innovative solution to the problem of marine pollution. These devices are installed in harbour areas, and they work by collecting trash and debris from the water. Seawater is sucked into the contraption, where debris is trapped and stored, before the clean water is sent back into the ocean.

To date, the Seabin Project has been responsible for the installation of 860 Seabins all around the world that have collected almost 3 million kilograms (roughly 6.6 million pounds) of rubbish. One downside of Seabins is that they have been unable to capture microplastics that are smaller than 2mm in size. Despite this limitation, these 500mmx500mmx1800mm (roughly 20”x20”x71”) containers can hold up to 20kg (44 lbs) of refuse and have reusable catch bags that can be switched out several times per day. With the help of Seabins, we can make a real difference in the fight against marine pollution.

Green buildings

Green buildings are structures that are designed and built with the environment in mind and are intended to be more energy efficient and sustainable than traditional buildings. Green buildings can be found all over the world, and they come in all shapes and sizes. Any building can be a green building: from office towers to schools to single-family homes, there is a growing global trend toward building green.

But what are the typical features of these sustainable buildings? One of the key areas of concern is more efficient use of water and energy throughout the buildings, with greater emphasis on water conservation, renewable energy, waste reduction, and good indoor air quality. There is also more significance given to sustainability measures during the construction process of green buildings. Companies that engage in green building projects will look to use ethically-sourced, non-toxic materials; consider – in its design, construction and operation – the building’s impact on the quality of life of its occupants; and account for and mitigate the environmental impacts the building project may have, both locally and further afield.

One of the benefits of green buildings is that they can help to reduce our carbon footprint. By using less energy and resources, green buildings have a positive impact on the environment. In addition, green buildings often use recycled materials, which helps to further reduce their environmental impact. What makes green buildings a viable solution is they are an option for all different types of people, from business owners looking to design green office spaces, to people looking to build their own homes.

 James Ritter is a digital consultant with a particular interest in sustainability. He has advocated for content focussing on both local and global environmental issues. He majored in creative writing at university, and is always eager to expand his knowledge around different subjects.

[qubemagazine]

New Post has been published on Qube Magazine

New Post has been published on https://www.qubeonline.co.uk/going-waterless-could-cut-facilities-management-sector-urinal-running-costs-by-more-than-half-at-the-same-time-as-slashing-co2/

Going waterless could cut facilities management sector urinal running costs by more than half at the same time as slashing CO2

NEWS FEATURES FIRE & SECURITY SUBMISSIONS RESOURCES

Facilities management businesses could more than halve urinal running costs, at the same time as slashing CO2, by switching to waterless urinals. The findings, announced by Smarti Environmental to coincide with Water Saving Week 2022 (23-27 May), show that savings of over £1,200 are possible for every three urinals retrofitted with waterless technology.

The dramatic cost-savings are possible with the installation of Smarti Environmental’s latest product, the newly launched eco-friendly Vortex triple seal valve (TSV), which has been designed to cut urinal water bills by over half, at the same time as dramatically lowering carbon footprints, eliminating bad urinal smells, blockages and eradicating the spread of infections caused by flushing urinals.

The smart-tech, eco-friendly, retro-fit Vortex valve ends the need for water in urinals, saving on average 100,000 litres of clean water and 105kg CO2 per urinal, per year. It also prevents airborne infections caused by spray during flushing, which has been shown to spread 500,000 germs per inch, per flush, landing on skin, surfaces and clothing, spreading viruses including Covid-19, influenza and norovirus.

The Vortex TSV, which fits 98% of all urinals, enables businesses to retain existing urinal bowls while cutting annual running costs by over 50%, compared to conventional water-flush alternatives.

Based on average water bills across the UK, Smarti Environmental’s Vortex valve provides an annual saving of circa £630 on a typical bay of three urinals supplied by one cistern, rising to a saving of up to circa £1,230 in the South West.

Confirmed as the fastest flowing waterless urinal solution on the market, the fully recyclable, British-manufactured, hygienic one-way multi valve system, traps all odours so that the foul drain smells become a thing of the past.

The Vortex valve also accelerates the flow of urine down into the drainpipe, and includes an eco-friendly bio-block enzyme ring and integrated bio-tablet tablet which breaks down uric acid and bio film proteins during use, making the urine PH neutral – a world first! This means less energy is required in sewerage treatment processing, reducing environmental impact, which will appeal to many clients. When the enzyme ring depletes, it turns from blue to clear, ready to be replaced using a simple non-touch key change-out system.

Combined with Smarti Environmental’s SteriKleer enzyme in-pipe pipe-pods, the Vortex multi-valve solution actively lubricates sewerage pipes, breaking down all biofilms and uric salts in pipework to prevent blocked pipes.

With the absence of water, calcium build-up caused by a chemical reaction between water and urine cannot occur. This ends the all-too-common experience of bad drain smells, floods and overflow when water-flush urinal pipes become calcified and back-up. Importantly, this prevents expensive and entirely avoidable plumbing and maintenance costs.

Using 100% environmentally friendly enzyme technology – including its 24-hour odour and bacteria suppressing SteriKleen surface spray – Smarti Environmental technology also eliminates the need for harsh bleaches, cleaning fluids or drain un-blockers, further enhancing its environmental benefits to customers and cutting costs.

Commenting on the launch of the all-new Vortex TSV Valve, Kimberley Hill, New Business Development Manager at Smarti Environmental, the UK’s leading waterless urinal business, said: “In the facilities management sector, clean, fresh-smelling, and free-flowing urinals that don’t get blocked by uric salt build-up and biofilms, really matters. That is only possible with waterless urinals which don’t suffer from back-fill, flooding or expensive maintenance, unlike their flushing counterparts.

“Fitting waterless Vortex TSV triple seal valves guarantees an end to foul-smelling urinals, but more than that, it allows businesses to share the environmental benefits that going waterless brings; a fact that users increasingly look for, appreciate and remember, especially as the world moves to Net Zero status.”

Kimberley added: “We’re committed to helping the facilities management sector cut carbon and costs through the adoption of the waterless urinals, which is why this Water Savings week, we are pledging to offer organisations with 100 or more urinals managed by their group a free washroom trial for 3 months, and free installation of our retro-fit waterless valves. Individual facilities managers can benefit too, as our waterless technology brings overall running costs down by more than 50% compared to the cost of running conventional flushing urinals.”

As part of the Vortex TSV valve offer, Smarti Environmental undertakes a free site survey, identifying the current amount of water used and projected savings. For the trial, urinal drainage pipes are checked and, if in need of replacement, are installed at no cost within the fully serviced package option. Cisterns are removed and waterless valves fitted, all typically in just one day, minimising down-time.

  Going waterless could cut facilities management sector urinal running costs by more than half at the same time as slashing CO2

NEWS FEATURES FIRE & SECURITY SUBMISSIONS RESOURCES

[electronicdevices]

Tips for buying a dishwasher

Imagine coming home after a long and tiring day of work and being greeted with a wash basin full of dirty dishes. Now, imagine having just the perfect dishwasher to take care of that chore while you relax and unwind after all the stress. The latter is more appealing, right?

 Having a good dishwasher would significantly cut down on your chores and prove to be a good investment in the long run. But if you’ve never owned a dishwasher before or are looking to upgrade your current one, here are a few tips to keep in mind while buying a dishwasher.

 1.Size and     capacity

 There are various types of dishwashers-

6-place settings dishwasher

12-place settings dishwasher

16-place settings dishwasher

 The size of your family will determine the volume and capacity of the fully automated dishwasher. A larger family of 6 to 8 people would want a 24-inch dishwasher size with a place setting range of 12-14. An 18-inch dishwasher machine size, on the other hand, is preferable for 3-4 family members with a place setting range of 6-8.

 2. Energy efficiency

 It is critical to purchase a dishwasher with consumption in mind to focus on saving time and money and helping the environment. Examine those dishwashers for a load sensor or a half-load function. It would be preferable if they had an ECO programme.

 Ascertain that the energy label is at least A. this way, you will save money and reduce your carbon footprint by emitting less CO2. Saving money will be easy if you have a night plan with your energy company. Many dishwashers are quiet enough to run at night, which helps to reduce noise pollution. Choose one which keeps energy and water consumption in check.

 3. Cleaning efficiency

 The various compartments and load organization are critical for optimizing time and results. Examine the accessories, such as baskets, and the elements’ flexibility. Take a look and consider how to organize your plates and cutlery for the best cleaning and drying results.

 4. Brand and price

 A new built-in or portable dishwasher costs an average between AED 1500 and AED 2500. A top-of-the-line built-in dishwasher with all the best features can cost as much as AED 7000, and it typically costs AED 500 to 700 to install. Countertop dishwashers are among the most affordable options.

 5. Safety

 Another essential feature to consider when selecting a model is the safety function. Some systems can stop leaks and prevent flooding by blocking water flow. If you have children or pets at home, a safety wall for the control panel is a helpful feature.

 Important features of a high-quality dishwasher

 If you want to ensure buying the best dishwasher, you must pay keen attention to its features. Some excellent features to look out for would be adjustable dish racks, soil sensors, cutlery trays, wash zones, filter types, washing cycle options, child safety locks, hard-food cycles, etc.

One can simply not undermine the benefits of a good dishwasher as it makes life so much simpler! Some of the best dishwashers in the UAE have prices ranging from AED 1500 to 7000. Make sure that you get yours from a trusted brand so that it stays efficient for longer and does not burn a hole in your pocket. Also, you must ensure that you regularly service your dishwasher to keep it running smoothly.

 One place where you can buy the best dishwashers is Super General. Not only does it have dishwashers from top-of-the-tier brands, but they are also cost-efficient and of good quality. Super General has service centers to make your experience with gadgets and appliances an easy ride! You can either get a dishwasher for yourself or gift one to your family and friends and ease their burdens.

[ollieofthebeholder]

Still Lies the Midnight: A TMA Whumptober fic

Also on AO3. Part of a longer work.

Jon grumbles to himself as he drives back through the streets of London. Stupid. Stupid of him to have left his notes behind and stupid to be going back for them now. He could easily wait until morning. There’s no real urgency in the matter. What can he possibly do in the next—he glances at the dashboard clock on his car—nine hours that can’t wait until business hours?

But after realizing he left them in his office, he was out the door and in his car before he thought about it. Even now, he can’t convince himself to just turn around and go back. There is an odd sense of urgency propelling him. He needs to get to the Archives, needs to get those notes. And, all right, maybe he’ll check on Martin while he’s at it.

Really, he might as well stay overnight himself. No point in driving back and forth more than necessary. He can get whatever work he wants done just as easily in the office, and it might be useful to have another pair of hands or eyes or ears or whatever he needs, even if—

Jon terminates that line of thought ruthlessly. Martin isn’t incompetent. He just doesn’t have the training the rest of them do. If Jon thinks about it too hard, he actually feels a bit of a heel for having been so harsh on the man without troubling to ask questions. He did what he could with what he had, and now that he’s come out and admitted it, Sasha has been more than willing to help him out. He is getting better. A lot better. And it’s only been a couple of days.

So...yes. If he stays at the office to work, Martin can help. And probably will, if he’s still awake. It is, after all, a bit late. Jon will have to be quiet, at least at first, because if Martin is asleep he doesn’t want to wake him. He needs rest. They all do, really, but Jon is an anxious mess at the best of times and this whole...situation isn’t helping, so his sleep is ofttimes restless at best and intermittent at worst. He’ll likely end up pacing the Archives for most of the night. Maybe he’ll check to make sure that CO2 system he talked Elias into having installed is working properly. Or maybe he’ll go through the statements. Martin found one that seemed to be from Jane Prentiss; Jon meant to read it the night before, but hadn’t got around to it. Yes, that will likely be what he does.

He turns a corner and slams on his brakes. There is a veritable wall of emergency lights before him—police, fire, even an ambulance. And it all seems to be centered around...

No.

Jon isn’t one hundred percent certain the car is even all the way off, let alone pulled over to the curb, before he’s out the door and moving towards the crowd. Something is happening, and it’s happening at the Magnus Institute.

Jon scans the people clustered on the sidewalk. There aren’t many, not that he expected there to be. It is, after all, well into the evening. Most people left at five, or close to it. In fact, most of the people on the sidewalk seem to be from nearby buildings, mere curious onlookers gawking at the spectacle. Jon doesn’t see anyone he recognizes, and he slowly begins to relax.

Then panic strikes him like an almost physical force. Martin. Martin should be easy to spot. He’s big—not fat, exactly, just big—and one of the taller employees. He ought to be standing on the edge of the crowd, a bundle of anxiety and attempted helpfulness, talking to a police officer or an onlooker or looking around to make sure he isn’t going to get in trouble for something that almost certainly isn’t his fault.

He’s not there. Jon spins frantically, but Martin is nowhere to be seen. He could be on the far side of the crowd, or he could have stepped out for something, or—

Or he could still be in the Archives.

Jon runs towards the door, hardly aware he’s doing it. Something slams into him, holding him back, and he struggles, his panic rising. Something is holding him, he’s trapped, he’s in danger, but Martin is still in there—

“Hold on, sir, you can’t go in there!”

“No, you don’t understand, I have to—my friend is in there—” Jon fights to get free.

“Crews are inside, sir, they’ll find anyone who’s in there, but you need to stay out here. We can’t have you running into danger.”

The fireman—as it proves to be—deposits Jon behind a barricade. He grips it in both hands, staring desperately at the door to the Archives. There doesn’t seem to be any smoke pouring out of the door, which is...maybe promising, but maybe not. Maybe still too late.

There was a fire in the Archives, somehow. Martin was down there. If he didn’t wake in time...or if he wasn’t able to get out, if the CO2 suppressant system triggered and he breathed in too much of the stuff...

A chasm seems to open up before Jon as he suddenly, unexpectedly faces down the idea of a world devoid of Martin Blackwood. His mind conjures up thoughts of Martin’s not-too-chipper morning, Jon every day, of his quiet determination to do his job even when he doesn’t really know what he’s doing, of the earnest way he makes his reports. Of him appearing in Jon’s office with a cup of tea, made exactly the way Jon likes it, at the exact moment he needs it the most.

In that moment, Jon understands with crystal clarity exactly how important Martin is to him, and how much it will devastate him if he is gone. His grip on the barricade tightens and he begins to wonder if he can escape the notice of the firefighters in order to—

“Jon?”

Only one person—one living person, anyway—ever addresses Jon in that slightly disapproving tone. Jon turns to find Elias standing a few feet away, one eyebrow raised and his mouth set in a flat line. “Elias. What—what’s going on?”

“I could ask you the same thing.” Elias’s disapproval is almost palpable. “I don’t see the others. Never would have expected you to run and leave them behind.”

“Leave—what do you mean?”

Elias’s lips tighten. “You think I wasn’t aware of what was going on? I did hear Tim talking about this ‘sleepover in the Archives’.”

Jon stares at Elias for a second, comprehension eluding him. Then, suddenly, ice floods his veins as he realizes what Elias is implying.

Not just Martin. Tim and Sasha  doubled back to spend the night, too.

“Oh, God,” he manages to choke out.

Elias’s expression shifts. “You weren’t aware?”

“No!” Jon turns desperately back towards the Institute, towards the Archives, frantically scanning for any sign of...anything. “No, I thought—they both should have gone home by now, I—oh, God. No.”

He starts to dodge around the barricade, but Elias has his shoulder in an iron grip. “Steady, Jon. The ECDC said not to—”

“The what?” Jon jerks his head around to face Elias. Realization hits him, yet again, and while he would have sworn there isn’t enough blood left in his face for it to drain any further, he is apparently wrong about that. “Jane Prentiss is here?”

“Jon, you’re getting hysterical. Calm down.”

“Calm down? You’ve just informed me that my entire staff was in the Archives, which apparently were not only on fire but invaded by a woman completely riddled with dangerous worms, and you want me to calm down?”

“The fire was apparently small, and, I suspect, set mostly with the intention of triggering the CO2 suppressant system—”

“If that is supposed to make me feel better, Elias, it is failing.” Jon turns back to the Archives and contemplates making a break for it. It’s fifty-fifty whether Elias will stop him, or just wait to see if he survives and then fire him, but the emergency staff are—

There’s a lot of activity around one of the doors. Jon lets out a ragged gasp as two EMTs come out, wheeling a stretcher between them with a body on it. He doesn’t—can’t—know for sure who is on it, not from that distance, not in the dark and with his eyesight, but he does. He knows, with a certainty that he can almost taste, that it’s Martin on that stretcher.

And he isn’t moving.

“Jon!” Elias shouts, but Jon is past hearing him, too preoccupied with rushing across the lawn. He has to get to him, has to see—

“Stand back!” A figure in a hazmat suit suddenly looms up, barring his progress. “You can’t come in this area!”

“Damn you, that is someone I care about, I need to know he’s okay!” Jon cries, his voice cracking.

“I’m sorry, sir, but this area is in quarantine until we’re sure we’ve contained the infestation,” the figure in the hazmat suit says. “They’re taking him to the hospital. You should be able to see him once he’s out of quarantine.”

“But—” Jon’s eyes desperately track the stretcher as they wheel it past, the two EMTs tossing terms and orders back and forth. It is Martin, he was right, lying very still. There’s an oxygen mask clamped over his face, and he’s—oh, God, he’s covered in blood—he was attacked—the worms, or Jane Prentiss, or both, they attacked Martin, he is hurt, he might be dying, he could already be dead and the oxygen mask could just be for form’s sake and nobody will tell him because they have to control the damage and cover up what’s happening and Jon can’t even be at his side because he might still be infested with the parasites that riddled Prentiss’s body and oh, God, what will he do if Martin survives only to be like that, this is all his fault, why in the name of God’s green earth did he think the Archives would be safe, why was it only Martin he suggested stay, why hadn’t he either had all of them stay, or had all of them stay somewhere else—

The slam of the ambulance doors jolts him out of his thoughts, and he draws in a great gasp of air, which he realizes he’s been forgetting to do somewhat. It would start calming him if not for the fact that he suddenly realizes where his thoughts are trending and starts panicking all over again. “Tim and Sasha! Where are they?”

The figure hesitates, then waves at someone. Another hazmat-suited figure comes over to them, and Jon can see the scowl behind the clear plastic mask, even over the breathing apparatus. “Get back behind the barricades! This area is under quarantine, and unless you want to be quarantined too, I suggest you stay clear.”

It crosses Jon’s mind, for a fleeting second, to ask if he’d be quarantined with Martin, but the thought is gone before he can speak it, fortunately. The figure that still holds him is already speaking, though. “Mack, how many people have we found so far?”

“Two, the man they just brought out and...well, what’s left of a woman,” the second figure says. “I’m told everyone should have been gone for the day.”

“My assistants decided to spend the night,” Jon says. He can hear the hysterical quality in his own voice but is helpless to stop it. “There should be two more, a man and a woman—he’s got, ah—and she’s—” He flounders as he tries desperately to conjure up a description of either Tim or Sasha. The only face his brain seems willing to contemplate just then is Martin’s, bright and eager, pale and scared, still and bleeding.

“We haven’t found them, sir, but we’ll keep looking.” The second figure’s tone changes—concern, maybe? Still, he waves at the first figure, who shoves Jon easily back behind the barricade.

Someone, probably Elias, is talking. Jon honestly isn’t listening. He’s torn between proceeding immediately to the hospital to stalk the lobby until someone lets him see Martin or staying here to make sure Tim and Sasha are all right. He should probably be concerned about the Archives, about what caught on fire, on whether or not any important statements got burnt and how big the fire was, and he’s not going to lie, a part of him is. But he’s willing to let that concern lie until later. Right now, he just needs everyone to be okay.

“Jon,” Elias says loudly, directly in his ear, and Jon about jumps out of his skin. He turns to see his boss looking at him with something that might be concern and might just be annoyance. “The worms are dead. ECDC is about to go in and remove Jane Prentiss’s body. I’m going in to supervise. Do you want to come?”

He really doesn’t. Quite apart from the fact that he’s been sufficiently upset by the few worms he has seen around the Institute and really doesn’t want to see how many are still in the Archives, even dead, he’s just about decided that he needs to be at the hospital. Martin doesn’t have anybody, as far as Jon knows, and anyway he needs to see for himself that Martin is all right. But he also knows that this is part of his job, and a part of him does need to see the Archives for himself as well, before...before whatever cleanup will happen.

Besides. Tim and Sasha are still down there.

“All right,” he manages. “Lead the way.”

He’s tense and distracted. Far from the mad rush that drove him a few moments before, he follows Elias at a more sedate pace, and he’s only half-aware of the fact that he’s balling the cuffs of his cardigan into his hand. Damn it, he bought this one brand-new when he got appointed Head Archivist and he’s already worried snags and stresses into the cuffs. He can’t help it, he’s got a compulsion to fiddle with the ends of his sleeves when he’s nervous or distracted—among other things—and this is hardly the first sweater he’s ruined like this, but it’s still been less than eight months and he’d sort of hoped he would be over this by now. He forces himself to uncurl his fists and shake his sleeves back into some semblance of order before entering the Archives.

They instantly go back into his curled fists when he sees the state of the Archives. There are worms everywhere. He cannot, for the life of him, figure out where they all came from. They’ve seen a few scattered around outside the Institute, one or two making their way inside, but this many? God, they must have been breeding in the damn walls...

The thought sends another sticky spiral of panic and guilt through him. If the worms were breeding in the walls of the Institute—of the Archives—and Martin’s been sleeping here this whole time—then this is entirely Jon’s fault. This could have happened at any time and he never would have known. He doesn’t doubt for a minute that Martin was awake when all this happened, but if Tim and Sasha hadn’t been there, he might have been asleep when the worms attacked.

He might not ever have woken up.

Jon looks desperately around, trying to keep his mind on the present and not on hypotheticals. There are files that have been pulled out and...are probably ruined, to be quite honest, as there’s some sort of...substance on them. There’s a great deal of activity surrounding what appears to have once been the body of a woman, in what appears to have once been a red dress, and Jon’s stomach turns uncomfortably as he thinks about Timothy Hodges’ statement...and Martin’s. The remnants of suppressant foam still linger, and while the gas seems to have mostly dissipated, the smell is...unpleasant. The smell of worms, and earth, and rot.

Then Jon’s eyes fall on a blank space, a curved-out negative in the sea of silver-white, and his heart lurches as he realizes he’s staring at the spot where Martin lay before the attendants took him out. He steps closer, not even consciously aware he’s doing it, and stares at the space, a perversion of a snow angel on the Archives floor. There’s blood on the wood, still tacky, and Jon wonders how much there is, whether it’s too much for a normal human to survive.

“Were you here when they...?” Jon addresses the nearest person, indicating the spot where Martin’s body obviously was retrieved from.

“Was the one who found him,” the figure confirms. It sounds like a woman. “Not a reporter, are you?”

“No, I’m—I-I work here.” Jon should probably point out that he is, in fact, in charge here, or at least in this portion of “here”, in theory anyway, but he’s too preoccupied with finding out everything he can. “How was—what was the situation when you found him?”

“A bloody mess.” The woman waves a hand at the area. “Worms were all dead, thankfully, but there was still a bit of gas in the place. We knew we were looking for Jane Prentiss—Mr. Bouchard called us in as soon as he knew what was what—but we didn’t know there was anyone else here. I almost stepped on him before I saw him. Thought he was another dead body at first.”

Jon’s heart nearly stops in his chest. “But then?”

“He moved. Thought it might’ve been the worms at first. They were all through him. Looked like bloody Swiss cheese. But they were all as dead as the ones out here. No, it was him, struggling to breathe. I started pulling the worms out best I could and shouted for help. The paramedics showed up and helped out. He was starting to come round at that point, but...well. People aren’t meant to breathe carbon dioxide. They gave him oxygen and wheeled him out. He’ll need to be quarantined a bit until they’re sure he’s not infested, and they’ll be checking his lungs, but really, I think he’ll be fine.”

Jon exhales heavily. He really shouldn’t be relieved. Honestly, one look around the Archives should be enough to convince him that things are...bad. They are bad. God, so many worms, and some of them were in Martin’s body. There is also a human corpse on the floor. And there’s still no sign of Tim or Sasha. But those five words give him more of a sense of relief than he’s felt since he saw the first emergency light. I think he’ll be fine. Martin will be fine.

It’s enough to relax Jon to the point that he can wade carefully through the worm corpses to check the damage to his Archives, while Elias supervises the ECDC people in preparing to remove Jane Prentiss’s body, or what’s left of it anyway. Not far from where Martin lost consciousness—not died, thank God—is another odd clearing—not so much a clearing as a slight thinning in the concentration of worms. Jon eyes it, decides it’s a concern for later, and concentrates on trying to figure out where the hell the worms came from in the first place.

He finds the answer when he wanders into his office and finds the cheap shelving unit shoved to one side, twisted and askew, and a hole in the wall behind it. It should have been an exterior wall, but no, it looks like someone put a piece of drywall over an entrance. Curious, Jon touches the hole lightly. It’s person-sized, as though someone burst through the wall. At first, he’s inclined to assume it was made by Jane Prentiss, forcing her way into the Archives, but a second glance proves otherwise. The break in the plaster indicates that it came from his office, not into, meaning that someone was in his office and, somehow, knew this tunnel was there.

That should be worrying. It is worrying. Jon wonders who did it...who would break into his office, let alone push through this wall...who would put Martin in danger, because almost certainly this is how the worms got in and attacked him. He’d suspect Tim or Sasha or both, since they’re clearly not here, but he knows in his heart of hearts neither of them would deliberately put Martin at risk. They’re a family, the four of them, even if Jon’s been trying not to admit that, and they both care about him. They wouldn’t do anything to hurt him.

But if they didn’t know...

There’s a commotion from behind him, and Jon jumps. The thought passes through his mind that Jane Prentiss might not be all that dead after all, or worse—that she’s not alone, that she brought another of her victims along with her. He grabs at the first object he sees that could reasonably be considered a weapon—a paper knife he found in one of the drawers when he first took the job—and steps out into the Archives proper, not at all confident that he can do anything but at least willing to make the attempt.

He drops the knife instantly when he sees the two figures in the middle of the Archives, both looking panicky and quite out of breath. “Tim! Sasha!”

He rushes towards them, heedless of the worms popping and squishing under his feet. Tim looks up at him and waves at something on the floor—a hole. Jon realizes all of a sudden that they’re standing next to an open trapdoor in the middle of the Archives, something he had no idea existed before this moment.

“Call...police,” he manages to gasp out between heaving breaths.

“They’re outside,” Elias says, sounding somehow both worried and annoyed. “Tim, what is going on? What is the urgency?”

Sasha meets Jon’s eyes, and he’s genuinely never seen her so scared. “There’s a body in those tunnels. It’s Gertrude Robinson and she’s dead.”

[mdaturbines]

Aging Generator Stators and Field Rewinds Plus Modified Hot Gas Path Inspection

Mechanical Dynamics & Analysis (MD&A), as a full-service provider, was called to a forced outage necessitating two generator stators and field rewinds and a modified hot gas path inspection.

The affected units consisted of two GE® Lynn generators that were experiencing both aging and flooding with water due to leaking hydrogen coolers. Prior to this, others had tried unsuccessfully to dry out the windings and attain suitable test results. MD&A’s Generator Specialists determined that the proper solution was to rewind both stators, rewind one field with new copper, and while remaining focused on returning the units to service as quickly as possible. Concurrently, our Gas Turbine Services specialists performed a modified hot gas path inspection on the GE® 7B turbine.

Stator disassembly

MD&A mobilized to disassemble and clean the two generator units. After initial tool staging, a baseline Electromagnetic Core Imperfection Detection (ELCID) test was performed on each stator core.

The existing wedge systems were first removed. Measurements were taken to reverse engineer and manufacture new flat low-shrink black-canvas wedges, and existing filler was removed and measured as an accurate baseline for re-wedge operations.

Series loop and circuit ring connections, bar ties, and bars were then removed, followed by the binding bands to access the existing axial supports. A post-removal ELCID confirmed that no damage had been inflicted on the units during the disassembly process.

The terminal plates were removed allowing replacement of the deteriorated gaskets along with new high voltage bushings and current transformers (CTs). The original HVBs were sent to MD&A’s St. Louis Service Facility where they were disassembled so that the copper studs could be assembled with all new components.

Turbine and collector ends, as well as the slot sections of both stators, were prepared by means of CO2 cleaning then painted in preparation for installation of the new windings.

MD&A returned to the site for reassembly after the manufacture of new stator bars.

Field rewind

The Unit 3 coil was removed and transported to our one-stop-shop repair facility in St. Louis, MO. The forging was then blast cleaned, and main leads were refurbished with new copper.

NDE was then performed on the forging, retaining rings, and snap rings. The forging was then prepared and staged in the cleanroom for winding with new copper.

With temporary support wood in place, copper installation (0 and 180 deg.) with sequenced testing began. Top coil jumpers were then installed.

After permanent blocking installation, the field was moved to the assembly area for turbine-end retaining ring installation.

Following this and with final electrical testing complete, the field was moved to the MD&A High-Speed balance facility and then prepared for the return shipment.

Stator rewind and assembly

To expedite the schedule, an initial wave of bottom stator bars was sent to the site while the remaining bars were in manufacturing. Outside binding bands were installed by re-mobilized MD&A personnel, then three bottom bars were fit into 120-degree-apart slots to ensure proper alignment to the circuit rings.

Two top bars were also aligned with the pitch of the bars to ensure the top and bottom bar series plates were aligned properly, and to avoid any alignment issues during the rewinds.

A thin layer of glass laminate was installed on each slot as a uniform surface for the bottom bars.

Bars were fit onto a shoe on the collector end and carefully transferred through the bore to the turbine end and properly set into the slots. Nine close-up bars were left temporarily tied to assist with final installation.

Conductive side ripple springs were installed axially throughout the bore to ensure all bars were properly seated and to eliminate bar vibration during operation. Following placement of new slot RTDs, top bars were then installed, blocked, and tied, including installation of side ripple springs.

Installation of center and body wedges followed. End wedges were cut with an axial pinhole, and adjustment wedges ensured precise alignment with ventilation holes. Brazing of series connections between the bottom and top bars was then performed along with brazing of phase connections.

Series connections were insulated to ensure no air voids; circuit ring and jumper connections were hand-taped to eliminate voids or cracks during operation.

Blocking was installed and tied between each series loop to reduce vibration. Flooding varnish was also applied to the end windings and all accessible ties and blocks.

Frequency response and modal testing were performed with good results. Terminal plates and bushings were installed with new locking tabs and hardware.

Eight new dual-element RTDs were installed on each unit, and the two RTD glands were replaced to prevent any future hydrogen leakage.

Final testing confirmed the units were fit for continued operation. MD&A’s proactive recommendation to the owner/operator was routine maintenance every 30 months of operation for minor inspections and every 60 months for major inspections.

Hot Gas Path

During this outage, MD&A’s Gas Turbine Services specialists performed a modified hot gas path inspection on one of the Frame 7B units, clearly illustrating both technical diversity and customer confidence in MD&A’s full-scope capabilities.

MD&A gas turbine experts followed all critical work scope and sequencing details for gas turbine HGP inspections including casing and component removal, opening clearances and setback readings, concentricity measurements, and rotor clearances.

Bucket, nozzle, and shroud inspections then began.

In general, minor foreign object damage was noted along with thermal barrier coating (TBC) loss and several non-critical cracks. First stage nozzles, however, required additional action. Due to excessive TBC loss and critical cracks in various locations, these nozzles were replaced by MD&A with a refurbished set.

First stage shroud inspection showed that one seal had migrated aft. This seal was re-inserted and re-staked.

More work was required in the combustion section. Liners and transition pieces, once removed, showed severe TBC loss and were replaced with refurbished sets. Inner crossfire tubes and tube retainers showed significant wear and were replaced with new equipment. Primary fuel nozzles, although not available for detailed inspection due to outage duration, were replaced with a refurbished set.

In the compressor section, inlet guide vanes were hand-cleaned from heavy fouling and migrated inner bushings were repositioned and re-staked. Rotating blades were hand-cleaned, blended, and polished due to foreign object damage and fouling. Selected compressor stationary vanes were hand-cleaned as needed to remove any heavy fouling or minor FOD. The compressor rotor was also hand-cleaned.

Beyond-traditional-scope work was also performed. MD&A installed lube oil coolers, make-up cooling water piping, and vent and drain valves, and performed a complete borescope inspection of the compressor section, which resulted in the removal of the upper half fuel gas manifold and upper half compressor casing.

For the generator, T-4 and T-5 bearings were replaced with refurbished parts.

Also, hydrogen seals and housings, and inner and outer oil deflectors, were replaced on both the turbine and collector end bearings.

A visual inspection showed no indications of any issues with the accessory gearbox.

Final recommendations included regularly-scheduled borescope inspection of combustion, compressor and turbine sections, inlet debris monitoring, periodic inlet guide vane inspections, inlet expansion joint integrity checks, crack detection of the exhaust frame, unit monitoring for hot gasses/air leaks, and replacement of 1st stage shroud horizontal seals at the next opportunity.

Summary

MD&A is a full-service, OEM-alternative resource globally recognized for our response, craftmanship, and long-term owner/operator confidence. Projects like this stator & field rewind and hot gas path inspection, are excellent examples of our fast response, in-depth analysis, emphasis on precision, meticulous attention to detail, creativity, and inter-divisional commitment to owner/operator online trust.

[architectnews]

SAWA wooden building, Lloydquarter Rotterdam

SAWA Lloydquarter wooden building News, Netherlands Architecture, Dutch Tower Photos

SAWA wooden building, Lloydquarter

Tower Architectural Renovation Project in Holland design by Mei architects and planners

22 Apr 2021

SAWA Rotterdam Award News

Design: Mei architects and planners

The innovative Rotterdam residential building SAWA has received the Green GOOD DESIGN Award 2021. The building was designed by Mei architects and planners on behalf of Nice Developers and ERA Contour.

In November last year, SAWA also won the first prize of the ARC20 Innovation Award. Despite the fact that the building is still in the design phase, it is already in the spotlight.

Images © WAX

The Green GOOD DESIGN Award – presented by the European Center for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies and The Chicago Athenaeum: Museum of Architecture and Design – is an international prize awarded annually to exceptional projects that contribute to a healthier and more sustainable world. SAWA is praised for its innovative, daring, and circular concept, making it a deserved winner in the Architecture category.

Healthiest building in the Netherlands

SAWA will be the first 50-meter-high fully wooden residential building in Rotterdam. An exceptional feature of the project is that the building will be built in CLT (cross laminated timber), including the main supporting structure.

The building is distinctive in its appearance due to the generous green terraces and is completely designed from the point of view of plants and animals, with which the building enhances the biodiversity of the district and the city. With this ‘healthiest building in the Netherlands’, a place is created that adds value to the neighborhood, by stimulating communities, a common deck, shared facilities, and connection with existing local initiatives. The future residents are actively involved in the development of SAWA and participation meetings are regularly organized. The official sale is scheduled for the summer of this year and the aim is to start construction of SAWA by the end of 2021.

About Green GOOD DESIGN Awards

GOOD DESIGN was founded in Chicago in 1950 by Eero Saarinen, Charles and Ray Eames, and Edgar Kaufmann, Jr. to promote and foster a greater public understanding and acceptance for Modern Design. Like 1950, when Modern Design was blazing a new direction in design history, Green GOOD DESIGN attempts to impact consumer habits, restructure manufacturing output, influence the design of cities and public spaces, and raise a consciousness about our limited global resources and the disappearance of clean air, clean earth, and clean water.

The founding organizers of GOOD DESIGN in the 1950s introduced Modern Design to the public forefront with passion, innovation, and revolutionary zeal. With Green GOOD DESIGN® the current organizers aspire the same.

Previously on e-architect:

18 Nov 2020

SAWA, Lloydquarter Rotterdam

Architect: Mei architects and planners

Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands

SAWA, the tallest wooden building of the Netherlands, wins the ARC20 Innovation Award

Commissioned by Nice Developers & Era Contour, Mei architects and planners is designing “SAWA“: a unique wooden residential building in the heart of the Lloydquarter in Rotterdam. Exceptional to SAWA is that the building will be built entirely in CLT (cross-laminated timber) and is therefore the first fully wooden residential building of 50 meters high in Rotterdam. In addition, the building is distinguished by the generous green terraces, with which the building enhances the biodiversity of the neighborhood. The aim is to start construction early 2021.

Maritime history

The Lloydquarter has a rich maritime history, dating back to around 1900. The Lloyd Pier owes its name to the Rotterdamsche Lloyd shipping company, that built a terminal on the pier from which its passenger ships departed to the east of the world. The SAWA building owes its name to the trampled form with generous green terraces, as a reference to Eastern rice fields and the history of the place.

Concept

A conscious choice was made to reduce the building volume of SAWA compared to the zoning plan model and to introduce a stepped volume on the west side. This comes with several advantages. The new volume connects SAWA to the surrounding buildings in the Lloydkwartier and takes existing sight lines into account. An open square will be created on the west side of the lot and air and light will be preserved in the streets. The building’s shape also provides spacious terraces for the residents and a large communal deck on the first floor.

SAWA will house approximately 100 apartments, varying from 50 up to 100+ m2. The apartments can be freely arranged due to the column structure. This ensures a high degree of user-friendliness and flexibility for future (and next generation) residents and makes the building future-proof.

Innovation in timber architecture

In the context of the European Green Deal, UN Sustainable Development Goals and objectives of the municipality of Rotterdam to reduce CO2 emissions, the client and architect share the ambition to almost completely execute the building, including the main support structure, in CLT (90,97 %). There are multiple advantages of building in CLT: In addition to the fact that it stores CO2 and reduces emissions, construction time will be shorter compared to a concrete construction and living comfort will increase.

Together with a team of experts, existing solutions are combined, and innovations are designed to optimize the application of wood; minimizing the amount of concrete and steel in the design; and solving the resulting fire, noise, and vibration problems.

The aim is to leave as much wood as possible visible in the houses and on the galleries and balconies. Only in places where the wood will be minimally experienced (storage room, toilet, bathroom), the walls will be finished with plaster.

Most of the design solutions and technical elaborations are not new when viewed separately. The innovation of SAWA lies in the combination of all the things that contribute to the construction of a residential building of 50 meters high, of which the main supporting structure consists of more than 90% wood. SAWA will thus be an exemplary project for new generations, an important step in the sustainability goals and demonstrable evidence that things can be done differently.

Images below © Mei architects and planners

Shared values

SAWA is being developed in the heart of the neighborhood and will, partly because of this central location, provide added value to the neighborhood by creating meeting areas and by connecting with existing local initiatives. Various facilities will be added to the ground floor of the building and the green deck will function as a green connector between building and surrounding area (such as the communal garden) and add value for both residents and neighbors.

The program comprises approximately 100 dwellings, of which 50 rental apartments in the modal segment, making it possible for people with indispensable professions (police officers, teachers, nurses, etc.) to remain in the city.

The residential units are accessed through a gallery. Despite the concept of a gallery is still labeled unpopular by (amongst others) real estate agents, Mei is a strong supporter and has deliberately chosen for an open gallery to stimulate contact between residents. The success of this design choice has already proven itself in many other projects by Mei, such as Fenix I. The housing concept is enriched by various shared functions – such as shared mobility, tools, and vegetable garden – which actively create a community.

Biodiversity

Dutch cities continue to grow and experience increasing pressure. The consequences of this urbanization on the human ecosystem – eg flooding, heat stress and increasing CO2 emissions – are becoming increasingly noticeable. At the same time, the habitat of birds, bees and butterflies is being considerably limited by increasing urbanization and mineralization of the landscape. With the design for SAWA, Mei commits to changing this evolution and contribute to a healthy living environment.

In collaboration with city ecologists and biologists, SAWA is designed on a nature-inclusive basis. For example, by integrating the greenery into the balconies, terraces, and deck, by choosing the planting specifically in the location (depending on the orientation to the sun and height in the building) and by integrating nesting boxes into the architecture where possible. Therefore, SAWA increases the biodiversity of the neighborhood and taps into the existing ecological structures within the city.

Circularity

SAWA will be built using a modular construction system made of wood, using dry, separable solutions (no cast construction). This makes the building materials reusable in the future (urban mining).

The design is based on the Open Building principle: the main supporting construction consists of floors, beams, and columns. This creates a high degree of flexibility and freedom of layout for both the first buyers and the next generations, making the building future-proof.

The construction is made of Cross-laminated Timber (CLT). The trees used for SAWA come from sustainable production forests. For each tree that is cut, three new ones will be planted. The other materials that are used are biobased as much as possible and provided with a material passport.

SAWA is an installation-poor building, with a healthy indoor climate and possibilities for adaptations in the future. The houses are equipped with cross ventilation and temperature plus CO2-controlled ventilation valves in the facade. The city heating is sustainable and there will be PV panels on both the roofs and the solar crown at the highest point. The energy generated by the PV panels, is stored in batteries of the shared cars, scooters, and bicycles.

SAWA Lloydquarter Rotterdam – Building Information

Involved parties

Client: Nice Developers & ERA Contour Architect: Mei architects and planners Contractor: ERA Contour Constructor: Pieters Bouwtechniek Counselor wood, innovation, and sustainability: Aldus Bouwinnovatie Counselor biodiversity: Bureau Stadsnatuur & Piet Vollaard Counselor ecology: Copijn Counselor fire: Adviesbureau Hamerlinck Counselor wind: Peutz Counselor building physics: DGMR Counselor building costs: Maatwerk in Bouwadvies

Visuals © WAX + Mei architects and planners

SAWA Lloydquarter Rotterdam images / information received 171120 from Mei architects and planners

Mei architects and planners

Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands

Architecture in Rotterdam

Rotterdam Architecture Designs – architectural selection below:

Rotterdam Architecture Designs – chronological list

Rotterdam Architecture News

Rotterdam Architecture Walking Tours

Lijnbaan in Rotterdam Design: Mei architects and planners photo © Ossip Lijnbaan in Rotterdam

Rotterdam Architecture – selection:

FENIX Museum of Migration in Rotterdam Panoramic Viewpoint for the Fenix Warehouse

Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen Design: MVRDV, architects Aerial photograph of Depot Boijmans Van Beuningen © Ossip van Duivenbode Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

Weenapoint Complex Design: MVRDV Architects images : MVRDV and Mozses Weenapoint complex

Project Maximaal Design: Simone Drost ARCHITECTURE, Architects photo : www.roosaldershoff.nl Project Maximaal, Rotterdam Childcare Centre

Rotterdam Office Buildings

Rotterdam Architecture Studios – design firm listings on e-architect

Buildings / photos for Lijnbaan in Rotterdam page welcome

Website: Visit Rotterdam

The post SAWA wooden building, Lloydquarter Rotterdam appeared first on e-architect.

[rickysheikh92]

Egypt Solar PV Market Forecast and Trends Analysis Research Report 2020-2027

The GMI Research forecasts that the Egypt Solar PV Market is witnessing an upsurge in demand during the forecast period. This is mainly due to the supporting government regulations to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, followed by the growing need for sustainable energy resources.

Request for a FREE Sample Report on Egypt Solar PV Market

Egypt Solar PV Market Dynamics (including market size, share, trends, forecast, growth, forecast, and industry analysis)

Key Drivers

The supporting government regulations to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, followed by the growing need for sustainable energy resources, are the major factors driving the growth of the Egypt Solar PV market. Solar PV power generation systems are lucrative, environment-friendly, and renewable, particularly in Egypt. In 2019, the Egyptian government launched the 1.8-gigawatt installation of the first utility-scale PV plant. The main aim of the project is to fuel its generation capacity and integrate more renewable sources together. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, there is a fundamental change in the climatic situation in Egypt while the air and sea surface temperature is rising by an average of 1 degree Celsius or above the pre-industrial levels. Global warming will make flooding in the fertile Nile Delta, and decrease agricultural productivity, which in turn, will lead to more deaths owing to heat stress in Egypt. These factors will promote the end-uses for solar PV to enhance the environmental condition of Egypt. The government of Egypt is also preparing to introduce Benban Solar Park, will offer two million tons of CO2 emissions per year. This initiative will bring various growth opportunities for the market during the forecast period. The reduction in the price of solar PV modules as a result of growing production volumes will boost market growth. Moreover, there is a sharp fall in the cost of components driven by decrease raw material prices.

Type Segment Drivers

Based on the type, the thin film segment is expected to grow at a higher CAGR over the next six years owing to increasing consumption of energy, rising awareness regarding green energy, and the various advantages provided by a thin film such as cost and performance efficiency, and higher flexibility. They are cost-effective and are an effective way to convert sunlight into electricity. These films need ten times less quantity of material to absorb light in comparison to silicon.

Egypt Solar PV Market Segmentation:

Segmentation by Product Type:

·        Thin film

·        Multi-Si

·        Mono-Si

Segmentation by End-User:

·        Residential

·        Commercial

·        Utility

Segmentation by Deployment:

·        Ground Mounted

·        Rooftop Solar

About GMI Research

GMI Research is a leading market research company that offers market research reports for every industry. Our research teams have seasoned analysts and researchers and are always looking for industry-leading research techniques to create all-encompassing research reports. GMI Research's extensive global network allows it to collect relevant information about the industry on a regional as well as country-level basis. Our main focus is to keep our clients abridged of the emerging opportunities and challenges in a wide range of sectors. We provide step-by-step assistance to our clients through strategic and consulting services to reach a managerial and actionable decision. Our market research report offers in-depth analysis, which contains refined forecasts, a bird's eye view of the competitive landscape, major factors impacting the market growth, and various market insights to aid companies to make strategic decisions. Featured in the ‘Top 20 Most Promising Market Research Consultants’ list of Silicon India Magazine in 2018, we at GMI Research are always looking forward to help our clients to stay ahead of the curve.

Media Contact Company Name: GMI RESEARCH Contact Person: Sarah Nash Email: enquiry@gmiresearch.com Phone: Europe – +353 1 442 8820; US – +1 860 881 2270 Address: Dublin, Ireland Website: www.gmiresearch.com