Author: TerraCurve
Website: http://www.terracurve.com/2008/12/18/arizona-celebrates-the-…

The Valley METRO Light Rail system will serve 26,000 daily passengers from Mesa, through Tempe and into Phoenix when it opens on Dec. 27. The $1.4 billion rail system includes 28 stations, nine parking locations, a maintenance facility and many trains.

Tempe is the only Arizona city to have a light rail system that runs from one city border to the other. These stations serve some of Tempe’s most visited locations, including Arizona State University, Sun Devil Stadium, the Mill Avenue District and Tempe Town Lake. The trains stop in front of some of Tempe’s largest business parks.

An award-winning bridge across Tempe Town Lake puts on a colorful light show each time a light rail train crosses. A LEED Gold certified maintenance facility and new Transportation Center pending LEED certification provide a seamless transition from rail to bus or bike.

The new light rail line is part of Tempe’s integrated transportation system connecting rail, buses and bicycles. Downtown Tempe is…

(Read the rest of this article at the following article source link for the full story)

For more information click the following article source link for the full story:
http://www.terracurve.com/2008/12/18/arizona-celebrates-the-…

Author: TerraCurve
Website: http://www.terracurve.com/2008/12/18/un-tourism-must-be-part…

Countries meeting in Poznan made progress on a number of issues that are important in the short run - up to 2012 - particularly for developing countries, including adaptation, finance, technology, and reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation.

Progress was made in the area of technology with the endorsement of the Global Environment Facility’s “Poznan Strategic Program on Technology Transfer.” The aim of this program is to scale up the level of investment by levering private investments that developing countries require both for mitigation and adaptation technologies.

In addition, the conference discussed in detail the issue of disaster management, risk assessment, and insurance essential to help developing countries cope with the inevitable effects of climate change.

“Governments have sent a strong political signal that despite the financial and economic crisis, significant funds can be mobilized for both mitigation and adaptation in developing countries…

(Read the rest of this article at the following article source link for the full story)

For more information click the following article source link for the full story:
http://www.terracurve.com/2008/12/18/un-tourism-must-be-part…

Author: Green Talk
Website: http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/green-talk/jRYI/~3/488947941/…

What is round, comes off a tree, and cleans your laundry without polluting the Earth?  (No, this is not a trick question like who comes first the chicken and the egg.  We all know the answer to that question, the egg!)  Okay, back to the question, so what little gem just pops right into the laundry and make your wash naturally clean?  Studio OM’s Soapberries!

Soapberries look like shriveled up brownish nuts and are considered hypoallergenic and safe for all fabrics. The minute I saw the word, “nuts,” I worried that people who have nut allergies could not use this product.  According to the Company, Soapberries are not botanically related to nuts.

What are these wrinkled up hard look-a-like raisins? They are the fruits that are harvested from the Chinese Soapberry Tree which grow in India and Nepal.  Thereafter, the seed is separated from its outer skin and the skin is dried in the sun. The skin becomes hard like a shell.

I asked if these nuts were fair trade. Courtney Gay,…

(Read the rest of this article at the following article source link for the full story)

For more information click the following article source link for the full story:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/green-talk/jRYI/~3/488947941/…