But the definition of circular economy remains unhelpfully broad.

fastcompany.com - by Adele Peters - February 5, 2019

When Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport remodeled a terminal, it didn’t buy light bulbs; instead, the company signed a contract for “light as a service” from Signify, the company formerly known as Philips Lighting. Signify owns the physical lights, giving it the incentive to make products that last as long as possible and that can be easily repaired and recycled if anything breaks.

The service is one example of a shift to a circular economy model. Rather than just mining materials and manufacturing products that ultimately end up in landfills, companies are increasingly trying to figure out how to use resources in closed loops.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

DW Documentary - November 8, 2017

Climate change and rising sea levels mean the island nation of Kiribati in the South Pacific is at risk of disappearing into the sea.

But the island’s inhabitants aren’t giving up. They are doing what they can to save their island from inundation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ0j6kr4ZJ0

Image: One Concern

fastcompany.com - by Katharine Schwab - November 15, 2018

 . . . One Concern is launching a machine learning platform that provides cities with specialized maps to help emergency crews decide where to focus their efforts in a flood. The maps update in real-time based on data about where water is flowing to estimate where people need help the most. It’s the latest in a wave of AI-powered tools aimed at helping cities prepare for an era of severe, and increasingly frequent, disasters.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

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Our platform provides unprecedented situational awareness and actionable insights for decision-makers.

A Sept. 7, 2017, satellite image from NOAA shows the eye of Hurricane Irma, left, just north of the island of Hispaniola, with Hurricane Jose, right, in the Atlantic Ocean. Six major hurricanes formed in the Atlantic in 2017, including Harvey, Irma and Maria.  (Photo: AP)

CLICK HERE - STUDY - Dominant effect of relative tropical Atlantic warming on major hurricane occurrence

usatoday.com - by Doyle Rice - September 27, 2018

The catastrophic 2017 hurricane season – which included such monsters as Harvey, Irma and Maria – was fueled in part by unusually warm ocean water, a new study suggests.

And because of human-caused global warming, the study said similar favorable conditions for fierce hurricanes will be present in the years and decades to come . . .

 . . . "We show that the increase in 2017 major hurricanes was not primarily caused by La Niña conditions in the Pacific Ocean, but mainly by pronounced warm sea surface conditions in the tropical North Atlantic," the study said.

New solar flow battery with a 14.1 percent efficiency. Photo: David Tenenbaum, UW-Madison

CLICK HERE - STUDY - Chem - 14.1% Efficient Monolithically Integrated Solar Flow Battery

theverge.com - by Angela Chen - September 27, 2018

Solar energy is becoming more and more popular as prices drop, yet a home powered by the Sun isn’t free from the grid because solar panels don’t store energy for later. Now, researchers have refined a device that can both harvest and store solar energy, and they hope it will one day bring electricity to rural and underdeveloped areas.

The problem of energy storage has led to many creative solutions, like giant batteries. For a paper published today in the journal Chem, scientists trying to improve the solar cells themselves developed an integrated battery that works in three different ways.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Image via Upworthy

CLICK HERE - The GrowHaus

upworthy.com - by Sam Dylan Finch - August 31, 2018

How do you get healthy food on the table when you can't find any?

This is a question that Ortilia Lujan Flores had grappled with many times before.

She wanted affordable, nutritious food, but lived in a neighborhood that didn’t have an accessible grocery store.

Flores couldn't drive, which limited the few food options she had. "There was nowhere to go," she explains.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

Figure 1. Average estimated annual residential rooftop PV market capacity potential from 2017 – 2030 (Source: NREL)

sepapower.org - by Jeffrey Cook - August 16, 2018

If the solar industry reaches this Department of Energy (DOE) target, it could dramatically alter the energy market and present a future where residential PV becomes a standard, cost-effective home installation, versus a luxury or long-term investment. A recent NREL report — Cost-Reduction Roadmap for Residential Solar Photovoltaics (PV), 2017-2030 — models a set of pathways that the industry could follow to realize this future. The analysis focuses on two key markets for residential PV cost reduction: installing PV at time of roof replacement and installing PV at time of new construction. These two market segments were selected because each offers significant cost reduction opportunities while representing a 30 gigawatt (GW) annual market nationwide (see Figure 1).

A section of the Kalinago Territory about a month after Hurricane Maria

dominicanewsonline.com - June 1, 2018

KALINAGO TERRITORY — The largest disaster-preparedness-focused gathering of Dominicans since Maria made landfall will take place 9AM tomorrow, June 2nd, in the Kalinago Territory. Over 60 Kalinago residents and government officials will come together for a day-long workshop to review how emergency management procedures worked and failed in the wake of Hurricane Maria.

Co-led by the Kalinago Council and the Dominica Resilience Systems, this workshop will ask concerned citizens to review how emergency systems performed with respect to 26 core mission critical functions, which consist of everything from water and evacuation routes to emergency shelters and supply chains.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

ALSO SEE RELATED ARTICLE HERE - Kalinagos to discuss development agenda for Kalinago Territory

by Roosevelt Skerrit - May 29, 2018

I am preoccupied with what preoccupies my people and as a result, my goal has always been to elevate every family in Dominica.

The ongoing process of procuring land, sourcing funds and signing contracts to build safe, reliable homes continues. Let us build with pride and great efficiency and work together to make our tomorrows better than our yesterdays.

CLICK HERE - Original Announcement

CLICK HERE - CLADE X LIVESTREAM (ARCHIVED)

A panel of experts play out a pandemic exercise on May 15 to demonstrate what policies and strategies the U.S. government should have in place. (Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security)

submitted by Mike Kraft - washingtonpost.com - by Lena H. Sun - May 30, 2018

A novel virus, moderately contagious and moderately lethal, has surfaced and is spreading rapidly around the globe . . .

. . . So began a recent day-long exercise hosted by the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. The simulation mixed details of past disasters with fictional elements to force government officials and experts to make the kinds of key decisions they could face in a real pandemic.

(CLICK HERE - READ COMPLETE ARTICLE)

A wide canvassing of views across the Caribbean Community told a clear message that there needs to be a refocussing, redirecting and reorganizing of the Community to move it forward and reignite the flames of integration.

The Strategic Plan outlines the Strategic repositioning of the Community.

A Caribbean Community that is integrated, inclusive and resilient; driven by knowledge, excellence, innovation and productivity; a Community where every citizen is secure  and has the opportunity to realize his or her potential with guaranteed human rights and social justice; and contributes to, and shares in, its economic,  social and cultural prosperity. A Community which can be a united force in the global arena.

Press Release - Strategic Plan for the Caribbean Community 2015 – 2019: Repositioning CARICOM
http://caricom.org/communications/view/strategic-plan-for-the-caribbean-community-2015-2019-repositioning-caricom

Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica - October 6, 2017

Address to the nation by Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit with a 12-point economic recovery plan for Dominica.

CLICK HERE AND SCROLL DOWN FOR TRANSCRIPT

The General Public is asked to the note that a hotline has been set up at the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) to register their queries, concerns and seek clarification on all matters in regards to Post Hurricane Maria efforts. Hotline Telephone Numbers:

1-767-277-8667

1-767-285-0989

1-767-614-3000

Persons can also contact the EOC at the following email address: domeocmaria@gmail.com

https://www.facebook.com/SupportRooseveltSkerrit/posts/1006756119466242

A LIST OF INFORMATION RESOURCES RELATED TO HURRICANE MARIA - 2017 . . .

CLICK HERE - Hotline - Dominica - Emergency Operation Centre - Hurricane Maria

CLICK HERE - Government of the Commonwealth of Dominica - Office of the Prime Minister - Hurricane Maria Information

CLICK HERE - Situation Reports - Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA)

CLICK HERE - reliefweb - Dominica

CLICK HERE - reliefweb - Hurricane Maria - Sep 2017

CLICK HERE - Humanity Road - Hurricane Maria - 2017