A new look at Solar

The Solé Power Tile system is the first building-integrated photovoltaic roofing product designed to blend in with curved roof tiles commonly found in the Pacific West and Southwest of the United States.

The triple-junction amorphous silicon thin-film technology incorporated within the Solé Power Tile is manufactured by United Solar Ovonic and allows the system to produce an estimated 8-20% more energy than incumbent crystalline silicon panels.

Any power generated by the system which is not used by the building (or stored in batteries if that option is chosen) is fed into the grid. Utility companies then give a credit for the amount of energy generated.

Source: Idea Connection

Glass Leaf Produces Energy by Sweating

Glass Leaf Produces Energy by Sweating

Electrical engineers in the US think that synthetic leaves could be used to generate electricity in a different way – by sweating.

The new synthetic leaves lose water through evaporation to create that mechanical water pump effect, and use it to generate power.

The System could be scaled up to produce artificial trees that generate power entirely through evaporation wherever there's a cyclical change in humidity. Although the modest power output is not enough to rival solar technology, Maharbiz thinks it could act as a complementary technology – the sunlight that generates solar power could also drive transpiration to boost the electricity generated.

Source: New Scientist

Could urine be the way forward for transportation?

New Products and Inventions

Researchers from Ohio University have developed an efficient way to produce hydrogen from urine. The technique could fuel vehicles while cleaning up wastewater from sewage plants.

Producing hydrogen from urine could be done at a fraction of the cost of producing it from water, as the hydrogen atoms are less tightly bound to nitrogen than they are to the oxygen atoms in water, thus taking less energy to break them apart.

However, urea quickly turns into ammonia, and produces emissions which can cause health problems such as chronic bronchitis and asthma attacks...

Source: Idea Connection

The Chairman's Message - The Art and Health Issue

The Art of Good Health and Well Being

It is with great pleasure the Creative Leadership Forum announces it will be a principal sponsor for Australia’s landmark international conference on health and creativity - The Art of Good Health and Wellbeing - to be held from 7 - 13 November 2009.

Health and Wellbeing – of individuals and communities – can be preserved and improved through engagement in creative activities - the visual arts (painting, drawing, sculpture, photography, craft), theatre, music, dance, writing, comedy, circus and film.

Contemporary healthcare and health education promotes healthy lifestyles and a positive approach to ageing. This trend is taking place at a time when life expectancy is increasing and there is a growing prevalence of long-term health conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, cancer, diabetes, respiratory conditions, arthritis, obesity and cardiovascular disease.

In addition, as the baby boomer era approaches later life, there is a growing demand for healthy ageing information and resources in line with an expectation of a high quality of life in retirement and aged care.

To address these global issues and mobilise support for the use of the arts in healthcare as a valuable social and economic strategy, ARTS AND HEALTH AUSTRALIA, the national arts in healthcare advocacy and networking organisation, is convening an international conference at the Glasshouse Arts Conference and Entertainment Centre in Port Macquarie in November 2009.

Healthy ageing (from a lifelong perspective) and mental health will be a key focus of the conference. Special interest areas include creative ageing, arts and health hospital programs for adults and for children, aged care facilities and community services, indigenous health, research and evaluation, and international exchange.

These themes will be explored in a highly interactive manner with 70 plus workshops and seminars led by an outstanding list of internationally recognised knowledge experts including

· Dr Joke Bradt, PhD, MT-BC, LCAT, Assistant Director, Arts and Quality of Life Research Center, Temple University, Philadelphia 

· Dr Gary Christenson, MD, Director of the Boynton Mental Health Clinic and Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, University of Minnesota Medical School; Artistic Director, Center for Art and Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, USA

· Alison Clough, Director, Pioneer Projects and Looking Well Centre, Bentham UK

· Dr Cheryl Dileo, PhD, MT-BC, Professor of Music Therapy and Director: Arts and Quality of Life Research Center, Temple University, Philadelphia

· Professor Ian Gibbins, Sc(Hons), 1977; PhD, 1981; Fil.dr (hc) 1995, Head of Anatomy & Histology, Flinders University, South Australia

· Mary Grehan, Arts Director, Waterford Healing Arts Trust, Ireland

· Alan Hopgood OAM, playwright, film maker and actor, Victoria

· Lindy Hume, Artistic Director, Sydney Festival

· Ralph Kerle, Executive Chairman, Creative Leadership Forum, Sydney

· Dr Jeffrey Levine, Gerontologist and photographer, New York

· Kim McConville, CEO, Beyond Empathy, Australia

· Carrie McGee, BA, Educator, Art and Alzheimer’s Program, Museum of Modern Art, New York

· Shanti Norris, Co-founder and Director, Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts, Washington DC 

· Susan Perlstein, Founder and Director of Education, National Center for Creative Aging, Washington DC and founder Elders Share the Arts, New York

· Paula Terry BS, Director, Office of AccessAbility, National Endowment for the Arts, Washington DC 

· Mike White, M.Phil, MA, Senior Research and Development Fellow in Arts in Health, Centre for Medical Humanities and St Chad’s College, University of Durham, UK

· Naj Wikoff, MA, Fulbright Senior Specialist and President Emeritus of the Society for the Arts in Healthcare, Washington DC

The conference has the support of the Department of Health and Ageing, Alzheimer’s Australia (NSW), Regional Arts (NSW), Arts Access Australia, Aevum Living, Ramsay Healthcare and national and state leaders in healthcare, the arts, education and government.

For full programme details, accommodation and to register and book click here.

We look forward to participating in this event and to meeting those CLF members who choose to attend. Please feel free to pass this information through your network. Your support will be greatly appreciated.

.

Ralph Kerle interviews Elizabeth Ann MacGregor, Executive Director Museum of Contemporary Arts about Creativity, Arts, Education and the influences we enjoy

Elizabeth Ann MacGregor from Grant Crossley on Vimeo.