Posts from — June 2007

The XO is a $175 laptop designed for all school-aged children in emerging nations by the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) movement. Each machine features a wireless router and a webcam. A transformer hinge configures the laptop for e-book reading and gaming. An extra-wide touchpad supports pointing, drawing and writing. A screen that is sunlight readable is even available. The XO comes complete with energy efficient batteries and my favorite feature: it can be hand-powered by a pull cord!

The mission of the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) movement is to ensure that all school-aged children in the developing world are able to engage effectively with their own personal laptop, networked to the world, so that they, their families and their communities can openly learn and learn about learning. Focusing on designing, manufacturing and distributing XO laptops to children in lesser developed countries, the OLPC is initially concentrating on those governments that have made commitments for the funding and program support required to ensure that all of their children own and can effectively use a laptop.

It’s an education project, not a laptop project. — Nicholas Negroponte

The news only gets better…the target price is $100 and OLPC expects the current price to decline as demand increases in the coming years.

[youtube 3IORykJgZ2o]

Patagonia holds a special place in the hearts of adventurers, mountaineers, kayakers, trekkers and nature-lovers alike. With the arrival of the new Indigo Patagonia hotel and spa in Puerto Natales, Chile there is no excuse for not booking that flight and reserving that hotel room!

“What’s all the fuss about?” you ask. In the new main hotel building of Indigo, Chile’s favorite modern architect has done it again. Sebastian Irarrazaval has succeeded in striking a true balance between understated luxury and a straight-forward humility toward its surrounding environment.

The six-storey, 28-room building sits in the middle of Patagonia’s magnificent splendor. It’s an honest building that fits in its place as if it had always been present while also standing out as something you will definitely want to discover and explore.

If / When you go, be sure and check out their Spa: complete with three outside jacuzzis overlooking the Balmaceda glacier.

Happy Trails!

Sir Richard Branson is on a roll…the President of Virgin Atlantic has delivered the first batch of motorcycles that will help to bring much-needed medical support to small villages and communities in Kenya and throughout Africa.

The money for the motorcycles was raised by Virgin Atlantic’s patrons, the onboard charity appeal and by staff who took part in a wide range of fundraising events over the past year. The money was then donated to support the work of the charity Riders for Health. Riders for Health has been working in Africa for close to two decades and will be purchasing and maintaining the motorcycles. The motorcycles will allow a team of healthcare workers to provide rural communities with improved access to essential drugs and basic health services.

Click on http://www.riders.org/en/html/movies_ewan.php to watch an inspiring film that provides greater insight into the work of Riders for Health. The film is narrated by biker and actor Ewan McGregor. For more information on the work of Riders for Health please log onto Riders.org.

Sitting atop craggy Himalayan peaks between India and China, the remote and stunningly vibrant Buddhist Kingdom of Bhutan is slowly awakening. In an effort to offer foreign visitors a rare, close-up, Amanresorts has pioneered a novel circuit with a series of intimate lodges called Amankora (derived from “aman” or “peace” in Sanskrit and “kora” or “circular pilgrimage” in Dzongkha, the Bhutanese language). Four lodges make up Amankora in Bhutan’s central and western valleys.
The lodges utilize “clean” electricity, mostly drawn from a hydro electric grid. Recycling activities boast a 95% capture rate. Adhering to ancient cultural, religious and social traditions, Bhutan annually offers a limited number of travellers wonderful insights into life in the Himalayas as it has been lived for many centuries. Guests may either visit one of the lodges or, to truly experience all that Bhutan has to offer, Amanresorts can plan a custom-made itinerary, including one or more of the Amankora lodges located in Gangtey, Paro, Punakha or Thimphu.

[youtube bsV_8-FFGgc nolink]

A Chinese farmer has made his own solar-powered water heater out of beer bottles and hosepipes. Sunlight heats the water as it passes slowly through the bottles before flowing into the bathroom as hot water, reports China Economy Network.

“I invented this for my mother. I wanted her to shower comfortably,” says Ma Yanjun, of Qiqiao village, Shaanxi province.

Read More:

Europe’s first regular passenger train service powered by bio-fuel set off on its maiden journey across Britain with prime minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown hailing the launch for helping to combat global warming. The train, run by Virgin Trains, will use a blended fuel made up of 20 percent biodiesel, which is derived from biological material — typically vegetable oil.

What I wouldn’t give to be a turtle some days…to be able to retreat into my hard shell, to go within when the world is too demanding, to remain calm, peaceful, and happy…going along at my own pace. Well, being that that isn’t an option currently, the Turtle Sanctuary at Le Meridien Bora Bora is a haven for the little guys — and a whole new swimming experience for us humans

The Sanctuary’s main goal: to help save the magnificent hawksbill, green sea turtles. The hotel even offers educational presentations to teach guests about these beautiful creatures, and guests can swim with the turtles in the picturesque lagoon or even “adopt” a turtle and help in the quest to return these animals to their natural wild habitat as you track its progress online.

Are you planning your big day, looking for ways to make it memorable while also being good for the planet? Sit back, relax, take a deep breath…we’ve got just the thing that’s going to get the ball rolling. It’s no secret that the $70 billion wedding industry is seeing more and more signs of eco-friendly sensibilities taking root. Books about green weddings are showing up all the time.

From Michelle Kozin’s “Organic Weddings”, Carol Reed-Jones’ “Green Weddings That Don’t Cost the Earth” to Emily Anderson’s “Eco-Chic Weddings” – and of course, let’s not forget the current issue of the bridal magazine The Knot that features a special section on green weddings. Are you looking for a place to register, register for wedding gifts with a socially and environmentally responsible company like Gaiam (800/869-3603). Gaiam offers an array of green products for the home, from hemp rugs to recycled glass dishware. Have everything you’ll need already? Consider asking your guests to donate to a charity/nonprofit in lieu of gifts. A big warm “Thank You” to all our readers out there who contributed by sending in some groovy wedding planning tips of their own…a few we particularly enjoyed discovering:

• Request organic & fair trade. Go local with your food & drink to cut on food miles.
• Source recycled materials for your invitations, or just use e-mail.
• Use biodegradable confetti, or collect petals from flowers a florist was throwing out.
• Offset the carbon emissions produced by your wedding (and honeymoon flights) through

Happy Wedding Day!

By allowing people around the world to literally “watch over” and protect twelve intact, but highly vulnerable, villages in Darfur region of Sudan, Eyes On Darfur breaks new ground in protecting human rights. Using commercially available satellite imagery and posting them online to enlist help in preventing violence.

It also includes archive images showing villages destroyed since the conflict began and a petition urging Bush to stand with other world leaders to actively work to protect human rights .

For years computer users have accessed remote images from their desktops to monitor hot spots such as crime-ridden streets or rush-hour bottlenecks. “Now this is being tied to political, economic and social activism in really interesting ways” said Lars Bromley of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an international nonprofit group that publishes the journal Science and provided technical assistance for the project launched today in conjunction with a conference at the University of California, Berkeley by the Crisis Prevention and Response Center for Amnesty International whose hope is that the pictures will increase pressure for change.