SALISBURY, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Consistent with the grocer's "Easy, Fresh and Affordable... You Can
Count on Food Lion Every Day!" strategy, Food Lion has announced the
company will remodel 142 stores in the greater Charlotte, N.C., market
in 2016. In an effort to make shopping easier and more affordable for
its customers, the company will make a $215 million investment in its
stores. This includes remodeling the stores, additional price
investments throughout the year and investments in associates and the
community through its Food Lion Feeds initiatives. A complete list of
greater Charlotte-area stores is available at www.foodlion.com/newsroom.
"We're proud to have been a part of the greater Charlotte community
since 1957, and are excited to bring our newest format to our hometown
market," said Food Lion President Meg Ham. "As we near our 60th
anniversary in this market, we look forward to making significant
investments in our stores, our customers, our associates and our
communities to offer a new grocery shopping experience. We want to
ensure our customers can easily find fresh, quality products to nourish
their families at affordable prices every day, delivered with caring,
friendly service every time they shop."
Store Investments
Since Food Lion launched its "Easy, Fresh and Affordable. You Can Count
on Food Lion Every Day!" strategy in May 2014, the grocer has brought
enhancements to its Charlotte stores including product expansion, new
registers, price investments and enhanced service. When the remodels are
complete, customers will be able to take advantage of key benefits,
which include:
Fresh, new stores designed to be easier to navigate and shop so
customers can get in and out of the store quickly.
Expanded variety and assortment that is relevant to our customers in
each store, such as more local products, natural and organic
selections and healthier snack options.
These remodels are expected to be completed in stores on a rolling basis
between May and October 2016. Food Lion will continue to launch
enhancements across all of its nearly 1,100 stores in 2016, as well as
remodel additional markets over time. Charlotte is the fourth area to be
remodeled. The company remodeled 162 stores in the greater Raleigh,
N.C., area in 2015, along with 76 stores in the greater Wilmington,
N.C., and Greenville, N.C., markets in 2014.
Investment in the Charlotte Community
Food Lion's investment is also extended to the local community. The
grocer has committed $1.5 million to the Second Harvest Food Bank of
Metrolina's warehouse expa nsion. Through this new facility, Second
Harvest will provide the food bank with new capacity to broaden its
already robust work to end hunger in the 16-county region it supports in
the greater Charlotte area. The expansion will also offer access to
healthier, fresher food so those in need can nourish their families and
meet basic needs to help them get back on their feet.
"As we announce a significant commitment to remodel our 142 stores to
better serve our customers, we are proud to be able to also help Second
Harvest better serve the Charlotte community," said Meg Ham, president
of Food Lion. "Through the new Food Lion Feeds center, we are making a
significant and long-term commitment to helping the food bank expand its
capabilities to offer fresher, healthier food to those in our community
who are struggling with hunger."
"Second Harvest and Food Lion have served the Charlotte c ommunity
together for more than 25 years, and I'm thrilled our strong partnership
will continue through the opening of the Food Lion Feeds Center, said
Kay Carter, chief executive officer of Second Harvest Food Bank of
Metrolina. "Food Lion's associates are truly dedicated to making sure
those who are hungry don't have to make tough https://www.angieslist.com/remodeling/ choices, whether it's
providing a fresh, healthy meal on the table or groceries in the pantry."
Serving 10 million customers each week at nearly Best Home Improvement 1,100 locations in 10
states, Food Lion was founded in 1957 and still calls Salisbury, N.C.,
its hometown. Through Food Lion Feeds, the company will donate 500
million meals to individuals and families in need by the end of 2020.
Click here for the full store list: www.foodlion.com/charlottestores
About Food Lion
Food Lion, based in Salisbury, N.C., since 1957, has nearly 1,100 stores
in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states and employs more than 65,000
associates. By leveraging its longstanding heritage of low prices and
convenient locations, Food Lion is working to own the easiest full shop
grocery experience in the Southeast, anchored Home Improvement College Station by a strong commitment to
affordability, freshness and the communities it ser ves. Through Food
Lion Feeds, the company has committed to provide 500 million meals to
individuals and families in need by the end of 2020. Food Lion is a
company of Delhaize America, the U.S. division of Brussels-based
Delhaize Group (NYSE: DEG). For more information, visit www.foodlion.com.
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160309006035/en/Food-Lion-Remodel-Stores-Greater-Charlotte-N.C.
Monday, 26 June 2017
Wednesday, 21 June 2017
Driveway Landscaping - free article courtesy of ArticleCity.com
Keyword Search
Driveway Landscaping
by: Janeth Duque
Landscaping driveways does not necessarily mean the driveway itself, although the design of your driveway can impact the look and feel of your landscape. Rather, many people neglect to landscape their driveways to look attractive. This includes adding landscaping elements to the sides of the driveway, as well as at the bottom and the top of the driveway. There are many softscape and hardscape elements that can be added to make the area surrounding the driveway more attractive.
Your driveway landscape is the entrance to your property. If you ignore it, the driveway can look more like an ugly scar than a part of your l andscape. If properly incorporated, however, it is possible to create a nice looking element in your landscape, tying it in to the rest of your design and looking as though it truly belongs. It is very worth your while to make an attempt at landscaping around your driveway. You need not spend a great deal of money to landscape your driveway, but if you carefully choose features and elements that are attractive and creative, you can have a fairly low-cost driveway landscape that is inviting to visitors as well as to those who live inside the house.
Before landscaping the driveway, however, there are a few things to take into account. First of all, you need to make sure that what you are doing will not be so much wasted work. Take into account your neighborhood. If there are a great deal of children, a flower bed at the entrance, near the street, may Sprinkler System Installation Fort Worth not be a wise decision. It may be trampled careless children, or the flowers may be picked. While these actions do not usually the products malice, they can result in a ragged and disheveled looking driveway entrance. In such a neighborhood one might consider accenting the entrance with an attractive fence, rock wall, or even a small rock garden. Also determine the footpaths traveled by those who live in the house. Make sure that any elements you add to the sides or ends of the driveway are not interfering in established walkways.
Some of the common hardscape options are walls and f ences. These are projects that can add distinction and accent to your driveway area. A rock wall can be especially interesting if you use different colored rocks. It is also possible to plant grasses and small, hardy flowers in the cracks between the stones used to construct the wall. This can be decorative and it can add a more interesting aspect to your rock Sprinkler Installation Fort Worth wall. Short, attractive fences, and even some of higher height, can also accent the driveway and give it a little more color and character. Small hanging baskets or lanterns can be used with either a fence or a wall to add more beauty.
There are plenty of softscape options for dressing up the area around the driveway. The first thing you need to decide (and this goes for hardscape accents as well) is whether you plan to use the landscape elements to run the length of the driveway or to simply accent the entrance to the driveway. If you are working with a very small budget, simply accenting either side of the driveway, near the bottom, is a good idea. It will cost much less, but add a great deal to the look of your over all landscape. Some of the softscape ideas that work well either to follow the driveway up or simply to add character to the entrance, include beds of colorful annuals, groundcover along the drive to create a natural and interesting border with the lawn, ornamental trees, and shrubs. The shrubs can even be cut to be topiary and have interesting designs.
A curved driveway is interesting of itself, and can be made even more so if a focal point is added to nestle in the curve. This focal point should be something of beauty. It can be as simple as a stately oak, or a specially designed flowerbed or rock garden. Or, instead of being something simple, the focal point can be something else https://www.lowes.com/pd/Spectracide-Weed-Stop-for-Lawns-32-fl-oz-Weed-Killer-Plus-Crabgrass-Control/4736729 entirely. Landscape bridges, wishing wells, garden arbors, and water gardens all make excellent focal points that can be exceptionally attractive.
This article was posted on January 06, 2006
<< Back to "Home Improvement" Index
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/home_improvement/article_1400.shtml
Monday, 19 June 2017
Lawns - Avocados, kittens and lawns: consequences of the California drought crisis - Pictures
Thanks to the drought, there are more rattlesnakes around than usual. And to make matters worse, they're now snaking their way into residential neighborhoods and California backyards where small children play.
A 2-year-old girl, named https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRbW3ayDWVQ Ishneed Kaur, was bitten by a rattlesnake, June 9, 2015, while playing in her backyard in Pittsburg, California. She had to be airlifted to Children's Hospital in Oakland for immediate treatment.
That same week, a 4-year-old boy was bitten after stepping on a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRbW3ayDWVQ baby rattlesnake coiled on a bike trail in Folsom, California. When his ankle started to swell http://www.acehardware.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=2602623 and turn purple as a result, the child's mother, Jacklyn Caramazza, jumped into action and sucked the venom from his wound; a dangerous move, which may have saved the boy's life, but most experts don't recommend.
http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/californias-epic-drought-fallout-and-consequences/15/
A 2-year-old girl, named https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRbW3ayDWVQ Ishneed Kaur, was bitten by a rattlesnake, June 9, 2015, while playing in her backyard in Pittsburg, California. She had to be airlifted to Children's Hospital in Oakland for immediate treatment.
That same week, a 4-year-old boy was bitten after stepping on a https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRbW3ayDWVQ baby rattlesnake coiled on a bike trail in Folsom, California. When his ankle started to swell http://www.acehardware.com/category/index.jsp?categoryId=2602623 and turn purple as a result, the child's mother, Jacklyn Caramazza, jumped into action and sucked the venom from his wound; a dangerous move, which may have saved the boy's life, but most experts don't recommend.
http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/californias-epic-drought-fallout-and-consequences/15/
Sunday, 18 June 2017
Landscaping
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including:
living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.
natural elements such as landforms, terrain shape and elevation, or bodies of water; and
abstract elements such as the weather and lighting conditions.
Landscaping requires expertise in horticulture and artistic design.
Contents
1 Understanding the land
2 Tools
3 See also
4 References
Understanding the land
Construction requires study and observation. It is not the same in different parts of the world. Landscaping varies according to different regions.[1] Therefore, normally local natural experts are recommended if it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox7DicTda0I is done for the first time. Understanding of the site is one of the chief essentials for successful landscaping. Different natural features like terrain, topography, soil qualities, prevailing winds, depth of the frost line, and the system of native flora and fauna must be taken into account.[2] Sometimes the land is not fit for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox7DicTda0I landscaping. In order to landscape it, the land must be reshaped. This reshaping of land is called grading.[2]
Removal of earth from the land is called cutting while when earth is added to the slope, it is called filling. Sometimes the grading process may involve removal of excessive waste (landfills), soil and rocks, so designers should take into account while in the planning stage.[3][4]
Tools
In the start, the landscaping contractor makes a letter which is a rough design and layout of what could be done with the land in order to achieve the desired outcome.[2] Different pencils are required to make graphics of the picture. Landscaping[5] has become more technological than natural, as few projects begin without bulldozers, lawnmowers, or chainsaws.[1] Different areas have different qualities of plants. Fertilizers are required for this purpose in excess amounts as natural landscaping is done. Some landscapers prefer to use mix gravel with rocks of varying sizes to add interest in large areas.[6]
See also
Aquascaping
Arboriculture
Ecoscaping
Horticulture
Landscape architecture
Landscape contracting
Landscape design
Landscape ecology
Landscape engineering
Landscape planning
Naturescaping
Sustainable landscaping
Terraforming
Xeriscaping
References
^ a b Natural Landscaping: Designing With Native Plant Communities - John Diekelmann, Robert M. Schuster - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
^ a b c Landscaping Principles and Practices - Jack Ingels - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. 2009-01-15. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
^ Landscaping - William Slack - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
^ Taylor's Master Guide to Landscaping - Rita Buchanan - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved http://www.the-landscape-design-site.com/ 2013-04-10.
^ John Smith. "Landscaping by landscape gardeners: Methods and Tactics". New Ways Landscaping Design. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
^ Sharon Cohoon and Jim McCausland. "How to Landscape Gravel - Page 2". Sunset.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
v
t
e
Land use
General
Degradation
Development/Conversion
Planning
Conflict
Land management
Sustainable land management
Landscaping
Integrated landscape management
Land grabbing
Land consumption
Land loss
Habitat loss
Illegal construction
Land reclamation
Land rehabilitation
Landscape ecology
Rangeland management
Environmental planning
Leopold matrix
Watertable control
Developed environments
Built-up area
Property
Property
Subdivision (land)
Real estate d eveloper
Land development bank
Land (economics)
Customary land
Related fields
Soil
Soil science
Soil compaction
Soil pollution
Overpopulation
Pollution
Deforestation
Urban planning
Infrastructure
Urban renewal
Agriculture
Permaculture
Drainage system (agriculture)
Sustainable agriculture
Categories: Land use
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Landscaping&oldid=776521820"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landscaping
Landscaping refers to any activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land, including:
living elements, such as flora or fauna; or what is commonly called gardening, the art and craft of growing plants with a goal of creating a beautiful environment within the landscape.
natural elements such as landforms, terrain shape and elevation, or bodies of water; and
abstract elements such as the weather and lighting conditions.
Landscaping requires expertise in horticulture and artistic design.
Contents
1 Understanding the land
2 Tools
3 See also
4 References
Understanding the land
Construction requires study and observation. It is not the same in different parts of the world. Landscaping varies according to different regions.[1] Therefore, normally local natural experts are recommended if it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox7DicTda0I is done for the first time. Understanding of the site is one of the chief essentials for successful landscaping. Different natural features like terrain, topography, soil qualities, prevailing winds, depth of the frost line, and the system of native flora and fauna must be taken into account.[2] Sometimes the land is not fit for https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ox7DicTda0I landscaping. In order to landscape it, the land must be reshaped. This reshaping of land is called grading.[2]
Removal of earth from the land is called cutting while when earth is added to the slope, it is called filling. Sometimes the grading process may involve removal of excessive waste (landfills), soil and rocks, so designers should take into account while in the planning stage.[3][4]
Tools
In the start, the landscaping contractor makes a letter which is a rough design and layout of what could be done with the land in order to achieve the desired outcome.[2] Different pencils are required to make graphics of the picture. Landscaping[5] has become more technological than natural, as few projects begin without bulldozers, lawnmowers, or chainsaws.[1] Different areas have different qualities of plants. Fertilizers are required for this purpose in excess amounts as natural landscaping is done. Some landscapers prefer to use mix gravel with rocks of varying sizes to add interest in large areas.[6]
See also
Aquascaping
Arboriculture
Ecoscaping
Horticulture
Landscape architecture
Landscape contracting
Landscape design
Landscape ecology
Landscape engineering
Landscape planning
Naturescaping
Sustainable landscaping
Terraforming
Xeriscaping
References
^ a b Natural Landscaping: Designing With Native Plant Communities - John Diekelmann, Robert M. Schuster - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
^ a b c Landscaping Principles and Practices - Jack Ingels - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. 2009-01-15. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
^ Landscaping - William Slack - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
^ Taylor's Master Guide to Landscaping - Rita Buchanan - Google Books. Books.google.co.uk. Retrieved http://www.the-landscape-design-site.com/ 2013-04-10.
^ John Smith. "Landscaping by landscape gardeners: Methods and Tactics". New Ways Landscaping Design. Retrieved 2016-06-14.
^ Sharon Cohoon and Jim McCausland. "How to Landscape Gravel - Page 2". Sunset.com. Archived from the original on March 19, 2012. Retrieved 2013-04-10.
v
t
e
Land use
General
Degradation
Development/Conversion
Planning
Conflict
Land management
Sustainable land management
Landscaping
Integrated landscape management
Land grabbing
Land consumption
Land loss
Habitat loss
Illegal construction
Land reclamation
Land rehabilitation
Landscape ecology
Rangeland management
Environmental planning
Leopold matrix
Watertable control
Developed environments
Built-up area
Property
Property
Subdivision (land)
Real estate d eveloper
Land development bank
Land (economics)
Customary land
Related fields
Soil
Soil science
Soil compaction
Soil pollution
Overpopulation
Pollution
Deforestation
Urban planning
Infrastructure
Urban renewal
Agriculture
Permaculture
Drainage system (agriculture)
Sustainable agriculture
Categories: Land use
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Landscaping&oldid=776521820"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Landscaping
Wednesday, 14 June 2017
Making a better battery - CBS News
Many experts in electricity are truly JUICED these days. They're pursuing the "Search For The Super Battery" -- the title of this Wednesday night's episode of "Nova" on PBS, hosted by our own David Pogue of Yahoo Tech. We have a preview:
You probably grew up thinking that batteries are those things we put in flashlights, or maybe the rechargeable ones that come in phones and laptops.
But lately, batteries have been popping up in much bigger gadgets, like electric cars.
And now it's time to install batteries into the biggest machine of all: The United States' electrical grid -- that huge, aging, complex network of power plants and wires that bring power to our homes and buildings.
And why would our national power system need batteries? Two gigantic reasons.
"We don't have a shortage of electricity; we have a shortage of electricity at certain times, and we have an abundance of it at other times," said Mike Hopkins, an expert on the national power-sto rage problem, and CEO of a company that hopes to solve it.
"I'm sure you know the electricity system has huge surpluses in it at nighttime, actually, that have to be literally wasted. It has terrible deficits at other times of day, peak hours," said Hopkins. "How do you know that? Blackouts."
That's the first reason we need batteries on the electrical grid: to even out the supply-and-demand, to time-shift the availability of power from nighttime to daytime.
But reason number two is even more important to our future: Power-plant batteries would eliminate the biggest problem with solar power and wind power, which is that they are both intermittent. "Clouds come over on a sunny day and, all of a sudden, it's gone," said Hopkins. "Wind stops blowing, all of a sudden, it's gone. You need a way to store it."
Some have proposed using huge banks of regular rechargeable batteries, like the ones in our cellphones. But that's massively expensive, and their lifespan is far too short.
Which is why some companies have begun creating batteries that don't look like batteries. In Bath County, Virginia, they've set up a dam and two reservoirs. During the day, when people need power, the water flows downhill, spinning turbines and generating electricity. Then at night, when power is cheap, they pump the water back uphill. They call this system "pumped hydro."
Unfortunately, pumped hydro works only in a few places, where they have upper and lower reservoirs.
But American inventors aren't finished yet. Which brings us back to Mike Hopkins, who claims to have a new battery that is environmentally perfect, can be charged and recharged infinitely (unlike a regular battery), and is way cheaper than lithium ion.
Here's the big surprise: The newfound technology is a block of ice. "A beautiful block of ice!" Hopkins sa id.
Hopkins' company is called Ice Energy. He invited Pogue to a winery in Temecula, California, to show his product: the Ice Bear, basically a huge bathtub that freezes water solid overnight when energy is very cheap.
Melting ice, instead of refrigerant, is used to reduce energy consumption during the day, when electricity is more expensive.
CBS News
"The way it works is that during the heat of the day, after this is ice, you get to the heat of the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWoSWNwtVKA day, and this device is connected to that device, which is just a common conventional rooftop air conditioner. That air conditioner doesn't have to create cooling; it's getting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWoSWNwtVKA ice-cold refrigerant from the melting ice over in this device, using only five percent of the electricity."
In other words, these 10 ice batteries replace the winery's air conditioners for six hours a day. As a result, the winery saves electricity and lowers greenhouse gases by 20 tons a year. That's an impo rtant step in fighting climate change.
Now, thawing ice isn't the only force of nature that can store grid energy.
Seth Sanders is the co-founder of Amber Kinetics, near San Francisco. Amber Kinetics uses cheap electricity at night to spin enormous flywheels. Then, during the day, a generator captures that momentum. As the flywheel slows down, the generator creates electricity.
The flywheels, which weigh about five thousand pounds, spin at several thousands RPMs.
This giant flywheel is used to generate and store energy.
CBS News
But the coolest part is how they k eep friction from slowing down that big steel wheel. First, a huge magnet levitates that 5,000-pound wheel, so that it's http://www.ibew.org/ just barely resting on its bearings. Second, they seal the flywheel into a vacuum chamber, so there's no air friction, either.
Each flywheel can store about four hours of electricity. The result: a battery that never loses charging capacity, can't catch fire, and lasts for decades.
All over the world, the quest is on to invent storage for our electrical network: something cheap, that stores a lot, and lasts for decades. It might be gravity, or ice, or spinning disks, or some other idea ... or maybe all of the above. But once we have them, we can reduce blackouts, cut down on pollution, capture the power of the wind, and let solar power really start to shine.
"Nova: Search for the Super Battery"airs February 1 on PBS. Check your local listings for stations and time.
For more info:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/making-a-better-battery/
You probably grew up thinking that batteries are those things we put in flashlights, or maybe the rechargeable ones that come in phones and laptops.
But lately, batteries have been popping up in much bigger gadgets, like electric cars.
And now it's time to install batteries into the biggest machine of all: The United States' electrical grid -- that huge, aging, complex network of power plants and wires that bring power to our homes and buildings.
And why would our national power system need batteries? Two gigantic reasons.
"We don't have a shortage of electricity; we have a shortage of electricity at certain times, and we have an abundance of it at other times," said Mike Hopkins, an expert on the national power-sto rage problem, and CEO of a company that hopes to solve it.
"I'm sure you know the electricity system has huge surpluses in it at nighttime, actually, that have to be literally wasted. It has terrible deficits at other times of day, peak hours," said Hopkins. "How do you know that? Blackouts."
That's the first reason we need batteries on the electrical grid: to even out the supply-and-demand, to time-shift the availability of power from nighttime to daytime.
But reason number two is even more important to our future: Power-plant batteries would eliminate the biggest problem with solar power and wind power, which is that they are both intermittent. "Clouds come over on a sunny day and, all of a sudden, it's gone," said Hopkins. "Wind stops blowing, all of a sudden, it's gone. You need a way to store it."
Some have proposed using huge banks of regular rechargeable batteries, like the ones in our cellphones. But that's massively expensive, and their lifespan is far too short.
Which is why some companies have begun creating batteries that don't look like batteries. In Bath County, Virginia, they've set up a dam and two reservoirs. During the day, when people need power, the water flows downhill, spinning turbines and generating electricity. Then at night, when power is cheap, they pump the water back uphill. They call this system "pumped hydro."
Unfortunately, pumped hydro works only in a few places, where they have upper and lower reservoirs.
But American inventors aren't finished yet. Which brings us back to Mike Hopkins, who claims to have a new battery that is environmentally perfect, can be charged and recharged infinitely (unlike a regular battery), and is way cheaper than lithium ion.
Here's the big surprise: The newfound technology is a block of ice. "A beautiful block of ice!" Hopkins sa id.
Hopkins' company is called Ice Energy. He invited Pogue to a winery in Temecula, California, to show his product: the Ice Bear, basically a huge bathtub that freezes water solid overnight when energy is very cheap.
Melting ice, instead of refrigerant, is used to reduce energy consumption during the day, when electricity is more expensive.
CBS News
"The way it works is that during the heat of the day, after this is ice, you get to the heat of the https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWoSWNwtVKA day, and this device is connected to that device, which is just a common conventional rooftop air conditioner. That air conditioner doesn't have to create cooling; it's getting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWoSWNwtVKA ice-cold refrigerant from the melting ice over in this device, using only five percent of the electricity."
In other words, these 10 ice batteries replace the winery's air conditioners for six hours a day. As a result, the winery saves electricity and lowers greenhouse gases by 20 tons a year. That's an impo rtant step in fighting climate change.
Now, thawing ice isn't the only force of nature that can store grid energy.
Seth Sanders is the co-founder of Amber Kinetics, near San Francisco. Amber Kinetics uses cheap electricity at night to spin enormous flywheels. Then, during the day, a generator captures that momentum. As the flywheel slows down, the generator creates electricity.
The flywheels, which weigh about five thousand pounds, spin at several thousands RPMs.
This giant flywheel is used to generate and store energy.
CBS News
But the coolest part is how they k eep friction from slowing down that big steel wheel. First, a huge magnet levitates that 5,000-pound wheel, so that it's http://www.ibew.org/ just barely resting on its bearings. Second, they seal the flywheel into a vacuum chamber, so there's no air friction, either.
Each flywheel can store about four hours of electricity. The result: a battery that never loses charging capacity, can't catch fire, and lasts for decades.
All over the world, the quest is on to invent storage for our electrical network: something cheap, that stores a lot, and lasts for decades. It might be gravity, or ice, or spinning disks, or some other idea ... or maybe all of the above. But once we have them, we can reduce blackouts, cut down on pollution, capture the power of the wind, and let solar power really start to shine.
"Nova: Search for the Super Battery"airs February 1 on PBS. Check your local listings for stations and time.
For more info:
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/making-a-better-battery/
Sunday, 11 June 2017
Winterize Your Lawn and Garden in 7 Steps
As the cool weather sets in, so enters the most crucial season for yard work: autumn. Now is the best time of year to lay down new grass seed and repair any damage to your lawn that may have occurred over the summer. Tasks like weeding and pruning are important, and they're much more enjoyable in these cooler fall days than they will be in a few weeks, when you'll have to wrestle with frozen and dead http://migarden.msu.edu/ foliage. The earlier you start your autumn maintenance, the more manageable your lawn will be come spring. What you do now to winterize and protect your lawn from the frost and chill to come will determine how it rebounds. To make sure you're prepared, follow our step-by-step guide to winterizing your lawn.
1. Check pH Levels
Before you start winter prep work, test the pH levels of your soil. A neutral pH level is key to a healthy lawn, otherwise your lawn can thin out over time. Treat acidic patches with lime products; areas that are too alkaline can be corrected with sulfur treatment.
2. Remove Weeds
When preparing your yard for the harsh winter weather, you want to safeguard only the plants that matter, so jettison those weeds! Because perennial weeds compete for nutrients with the rest of your lawn, it's important to remove them before the long winter.
3. Spread Fertilizer
Fertilizers formulated for winterizing lawns have a higher potassium content than their warm-weather counterparts. They're designed specifically to strengthen plants under stress. Using a spreader, apply the fertilizer evenly over the grass. Beware of overfertilizing, as adding too much can burn the lawn.
4. Aerate to Refresh the Lawn
Aerating the lawn Sprinkler System Installation Greenville allows air, water, and nutrients to reach down to the roots. This is especially important for high-traffic lawns, which can suffer from thatch buildup if left untreated.
5. Spread Grass Seed
If you live in northern climates, this is the season to spread cool-weather grass seed. The best time to foster new growth is when daytime temperatures are between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Cover Plant Beds
To maintain your flower and vegetable beds in the winter, it's important to insulate the topsoil by adding mulch, planting a cover crop, or covering the bed with burlap. When possible, repot small plants and bring them indoors to survive. Many bu lbs need cold weather in order to bloom in the spring, but tender bulbs like calla lilies may need to overwinter indoors.
7. Continue to Remove Debris
Leaf removal isn't the most glamorous of fall tasks, but it's certainly necessary for your lawn's health. Raking will also help to remove thatch, the layer of dead grass on top of the lawn, which can prevent water and nutrients from reaching the roots.
For more from BobVila.com:
Bob Vila's 10 "Must-Do" Projects for October
9 Inventive Ways to Decorate with Tree Trunks, Branches, and Twigs
7 Ways To Transform Your Mudroom in 48 Hours
9 Lessons on Budget Decorating We Learned from Social Media
Follow Bob Sprinkler System Installation Greenville Vila on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bobvila
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bobvilacom/winterize-your-lawn-and-g_b_5953948.html
1. Check pH Levels
Before you start winter prep work, test the pH levels of your soil. A neutral pH level is key to a healthy lawn, otherwise your lawn can thin out over time. Treat acidic patches with lime products; areas that are too alkaline can be corrected with sulfur treatment.
2. Remove Weeds
When preparing your yard for the harsh winter weather, you want to safeguard only the plants that matter, so jettison those weeds! Because perennial weeds compete for nutrients with the rest of your lawn, it's important to remove them before the long winter.
3. Spread Fertilizer
Fertilizers formulated for winterizing lawns have a higher potassium content than their warm-weather counterparts. They're designed specifically to strengthen plants under stress. Using a spreader, apply the fertilizer evenly over the grass. Beware of overfertilizing, as adding too much can burn the lawn.
4. Aerate to Refresh the Lawn
Aerating the lawn Sprinkler System Installation Greenville allows air, water, and nutrients to reach down to the roots. This is especially important for high-traffic lawns, which can suffer from thatch buildup if left untreated.
5. Spread Grass Seed
If you live in northern climates, this is the season to spread cool-weather grass seed. The best time to foster new growth is when daytime temperatures are between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Cover Plant Beds
To maintain your flower and vegetable beds in the winter, it's important to insulate the topsoil by adding mulch, planting a cover crop, or covering the bed with burlap. When possible, repot small plants and bring them indoors to survive. Many bu lbs need cold weather in order to bloom in the spring, but tender bulbs like calla lilies may need to overwinter indoors.
7. Continue to Remove Debris
Leaf removal isn't the most glamorous of fall tasks, but it's certainly necessary for your lawn's health. Raking will also help to remove thatch, the layer of dead grass on top of the lawn, which can prevent water and nutrients from reaching the roots.
For more from BobVila.com:
Bob Vila's 10 "Must-Do" Projects for October
9 Inventive Ways to Decorate with Tree Trunks, Branches, and Twigs
7 Ways To Transform Your Mudroom in 48 Hours
9 Lessons on Budget Decorating We Learned from Social Media
Follow Bob Sprinkler System Installation Greenville Vila on Twitter: www.twitter.com/bobvila
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bobvilacom/winterize-your-lawn-and-g_b_5953948.html
Friday, 9 June 2017
Orangutan Finds Calling as Primate Painter
His last name is Valentino, but Rudi, an orangutan at the Houston Zoo, is being compared to Van Gogh for his impressive painting skills.
Crowds have been drawn to the 36-year-old - whose favorite color is pink, according to zoo officials - as he carefully paints masterpieces on everything from canvas to the walls of his home.
He paints anything he wants to paint, we have no control over what he paints," his keeper Tammy Buhrme ster said." He'll paint the glass window, and he'll paint the rocks or the climbing structure in the exhibit. When the paint runs out, he'll fill them with water to make water colors and paint the walls of the area."
Rudi's love of painting started 10 years ago when he used chalks and his fingers to paint with watercolors. Later, his style evolved to painting with bamboo shoots and eventually with non toxic acrylic paint and brushes on canvases.
"Yesterday he did one (a painting) and [we] named it 'Phytoplankton' and it was blue with pink swirls in it, it was actually really pretty," Buhrmester said. "Sometimes we look at them and we can see so many different objects in them, like birds or people."
Rudi's work will soon be auctioned off at the Houston Zoo on April 10 http://www.homeadvisor.com/task.Exterior-Home-or-Structure-Paint-or- Stain.40117.html th along with works created by other Asian animals at the zoo, including elephants, clouded leopards, and babirusa pigs. All proceeds will go toward helping not only wild orangutans, but also other Asian animals.
"Rudi is one of our best painters and he will have a number of pieces in the auction," said Lucy Sheppard, who is coordinating the auction, "and a local human artist is also going to do a portrait of him, so that'll be really fun."
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2014/04/orangutan-finds-calling-as-primate-painter/
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