Well, it is fathers day and I had a great one. I started the morning having breakfast with my dad and sister. Later in the morning my wife, kids and I set out for 6 flags park in Valejo. Wow, what a mistake! Traffic was backed up for miles. I thought there was an accident and took the surface streets instead of highway 80.

As we approached the park from the North now, the traffic was still so backed up that we spent 25 minutes on the off ramp! Yes, 25 minutes. My wife made phone calls and we tried to decide if skipping the park would upset the kids too much. As we neared the intersection at the bottom of the off ramp and could see the miles of freeway backed up to the park exit from the other side, we knew, it was not worth the effort.

We headed home and a few hours later took the kids to the new Chuck E Cheese in Concord. This was a much better option, the place is clean and everything works like it should. We went a little overboard on the tokens, but I think we still saved money over the 6 flags option. Although I must point out that we have season passes for 6 flags, so we would have only had to buy food today.

While we were having a nice family / fathers day, news reporters were looking for things to write about. One of the things I discovered tonight is directly related to my work, reducing green house gases. Now let me just say "Happy Fathers Day" and get on to the article;

A quote from the article: - Coventry Valley Farm is one of 15 Vermont farms working with Stonyfield Farm Inc., whose yogurt is made with their organic milk, to reduce the cows' intestinal methane by feeding them flaxseed, alfalfa, and grasses high in Omega 3 fatty acids. The gas cows belch is the dairy industry's biggest greenhouse gas contributor, research shows, most of it emitted from the front and not the back end of the cow. -

This is a step in the right direction. If the cows are happy and I'm sure they are with less gas, then this is the type of change that I perceive as an obvious choice for diary farms. Cows and all related industry account for the largest contribution to green house gases, more than the auto industry. This makes a simple diet change a very powerful and easy improvement for the environment.

This website I just discovered today has a lot of information about household products. There is information to help you figure out healthy and green alternatives to things we use everyday.

I think this site has potential with a more environmentally aware population. This information can be good for the health of your family too.

www.goodguide.com

By the way, the site is currently in Beta or testing and may not work 100%. So if you click something and it doesn't do anything, please forgive them they are still under construction.

"The realization of Spaceport America is upon us. New Mexico has been working towards this end for decades," said NMSA Executive Director Steve Landeene. "When we turn that first shovel of soil, we will be breaking ground on a whole new future for the people of New Mexico and their children. This is a significant step in the history and future of spaceflight."

Go take a look, the website is really cool and a lot of renewable technology comes from necessity in space exploration. Also sustainability and green technologies.

California State Treasurer Bill Lockyer announced the sale of US $20 million in clean renewable energy bonds (CREBs) for the California Department of Transportation. The money from these bonds will be used for the installation of solar panels. The installation is expected to save tax payers $52 million dollars over the expected life of the equipment, 25 years.

This is one of several processes a state or government entity can get their hands on solar power to save money and protect the environment in the process. I am currently in the process of researching solar installations for our school district. The amount of research is stagering, but I am well on my way to a recommendation.

The AWEA (American Wind Energy Association) has made an effort to designate June 15th as Global Wind Energy Day. The idea is to petition for the advancement of wind energy.

I personally have a project in the wind category, a vertical axis wind turbine design that is highly efficient and already well on its way to production.

This is something we can all benefit from. If you follow the link, you may discover a picture of me with my kids standing directly in front of my turbine.