The New York City Beats

Project Driveway Fuel Cell Program

2010-05-31T23:13:00.001-04:00

If you see this vehicle around the NYC area that is me driving around in a fuel cell powered vehicle. Finally, after waiting for two years in the "Project Driveway program". I was the lucky recipient of a Chevy Fuel Cell Equinox vehicle. Not everyone in the program gets to drive one. It is like a lottery and I won it!! and then I have to give it back in a few months.

"Project Driveway" is the first large-scale market test of fuel cell vehicles with real drivers in the real world. Why? Because hydrogen fuel cells use zero gasoline and produce zero emissions other than water vapor. They're a sustainable technology for a better environment. And they will ultimately reduce our dependence on petroleum.

Equinox Fuel Cell is an electric vehicle powered by the GM fourth-generation fuel cell system, our most advanced fuel cell propulsion system to date. The electric motor traction system will provide the vehicle with instantaneous torque, smooth acceleration and quiet performance.

Although these vehicles aren't available to purchase, they're already receiving recognition from Green Car Journal. The Chevy Equinox Fuel Cell was given its 2008 Green Car Vision Award^®,³ the first time the magazine has recognized a limited production vehicle for its forward-thinking technologies. The Equinox Fuel Cell won the award over several nominees, including the Honda FCX Clarity and Toyota Prius Plug-In.

For the past 28 years, the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) has been conducting research on hydrogen fuel cells for use in transportation, industry and residential use. According to the LANL, "Hydrogen & Fuel Cell Research at Los Alamos has made significant technological advances in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane (PEM) fuel cells, Direct Methanol Fuel Cells (DMFC), and related technologies such as the electrolyzer (a fuel cell in reverse, liberating hydrogen from electricity and pure water)."

Unlike many of the hybrid and "green" cars currently on the market, hydrogen fuel can offer the promise of zero emission technology, where the only byproduct from the cars is water vapor. Current fossil-fuel burning vehicles emit all sorts of pollutants such as carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide, ozone and microscopic particulate matter. Hybrids and other green cars address these issues to a large extent but only hydrogen cars hold the promise of zero emission of pollutants. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that fossil-fuel automobiles emit 1 ½ billion tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere each year and going to hydrogen fuel based transportation would all but eliminate this."

Not only that, hydrogen cars will lessen the United States' dependence upon foreign oil. The so-called "hydrogen highway" will mean less dependence upon OPEC, the big U. S. oil companies, oil refinery malfunctions and breakdowns and less resistance from oil-selling nations like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia or from hostile nations who would rather sell elsewhere.

President Bush when he was in office allocated approximately $2 billion in hydrogen highway research funds. California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was pushing to get 200 hydrogen filling stations built by 2010 stretching from Vancouver, British Columbia, all the way down to Baja, California (but has fallen short of this goal because of a poor economy and lack of political will).

Since Californians buy one-fifth of the nation's cars, the new hydrogen car technology could replace the current gasoline engine automobiles in what is called "disruptive technology" where something so innovative comes along it simply replaces the old technology very quickly.

Then again, a more likely scenario is that dual-fuel automotive systems will be developed that can run on either gasoline or hydrogen fuel as the hydrogen infrastructure is being developed. The conversion from gasoline-powered internal combustion engines to hydrogen powered combustion engines is agreed upon by most scientists and engineers to be a particularly easy transition and would buy time for hydrogen fuel cell cars to be fully adapted.

The new small scale alpha prototype, however, that is being designed to NextEnergy specifications will be able to output at both 350 bar (5,000 psi) and 700 bar (10,000 psi) satisfying the international protocols for the European Union and the United States.

Besides home refueling the new hydrogen generator, which will be able to accept both electricity from the grid (in off peak hours presumably) and the intermittent power of renewable energy such as wind or solar power, may also be headed for warehouses to be a part of the emerging hydrogen forklift and palette truck market.

But, according to Dr. Cooley, ITM Power’s main thrust going forward in refueling hydrogen cars is a two pronged approach. The first prong is the building of the ITM Power HFuel commercial refueling station that is getting ready for prime time now. And, the second approach is the development of a home hydrogen refueling station that meets international automaker standards.

This way, consumers will be able to refuel their hydrogen cars at home, take a road trip, refuel in town or another town as needed, then head back home where they will refuel overnight. Putting part of the national refueling infrastructure inside of people’s garages will cut down on the amount of large-scale commercial refueling stations that will need to be built in public area and will be consumer-friendly as well.

This is the type of win-win situation that is necessary in order to expedite the building of the hydrogen refueling infrastructure that is so badly needed within the next 5 years in order to keep up with the major automakers who say they will be rolling out commercial H2 vehicles in 2015.

From my personal experience I am slowly getting comfortable with the vehicle and prefer to drive it than my own Honda Civic. There are four fueling stations in the NYC area where I can go to and the fueling station in the Bronx seems to be the more reliable. Shell is the only oil company to start investing in the hydrogen pumps. When I fill up the tanks they take about 4Kg in total. Each Kg is about a gallon from all my recent research. I wanted to start "gestimating" the total cost of fuel but without and infrastructure in place is hard to do. My guess is that it will cost anywhere from $3-7 per Kg and filling up will take 5 or 6Kg but that is just a rough guess. I am so excited about the program and the potencial use of fuel cell in the future. I feel the US is always one step behind as Japan has the infrastructure in place and makes use of this energy and has the "Clarity" hydrogen vehicle on its roads.

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Green Gadget Winner!!

2010-02-26T15:52:00.002-05:00

The 2010 Green Competition has begun! I attended the Green Gadget Conference in NYC where the conference tackled all of the issues surrounding energy efficiency and sustainable design, from innovative advances in packaging and product manufacturing to end-of-life recycling solutions. It is great to see that some people care about sustainability and the future of our planet and the people in it.
The conference also has a Greener Gadgets Competition of which focuses on highlighting a new class of sustainable product concepts, from those that create their own energy to those that minimize the need for any electricity at all. The voting began online but will be decided at the end of the conference by us the audience. The competitors are:

AUG is a concept that encourages the localization of Living goods (Produce, Meats, & Dairy) throughthe use of a bar-coded "Producers" directory from any mobil device or website.(404 votes)

The Automan 500 is a subwoofer for home audio/video entertainment systems. Custom designed to be built by hand. Each piece constructed from a retrieved stock car tires and sustainable materials. (556 votes)

The BioCharger180 is the first charger for consumer electronics products made with ecological plastic comprised of 40% natural fibers which has a timer that fully stops the charge after 3hours (124 votes)

Corky - While an ordinary wireless mouse can use dozens of batteries in a year, this mouse generates its own power simply through the movement of the user's hand. (496 votes) (302 votes)

DeviceX - This open-source, rechargeable, rugged device gathers accurate, rapid, high volume data from field workers; it transmits it instantaneously to a centralized database to originate immediate, focused and more informed action. (302 votes)

Econav 480 - GPS Vexia Econav indicates you in a personalized way information to save fuel and CO2 emissions by visual and audio indications in real time: gear shifting, excessive acceleration, inadequate braking. (117 votes)

EMPOWER- Through ethnographic research Empower takes advantage of the overlooked and ever reciprocating motion of a glider style chair for the storage and use of usable power for consumer electronics. (624 votes)

The EnergyHub Dashboard gives consumers total control over their energy usage. They can view real-time data, control devices in their home, and compare their usage with their neighbors' or friends'. (329 votes)

The Fair Energy Clock - Fair aims to save all that unnecessary use of energy both in everyday items like battery chargers or discontinued use systems. (149 vote)

The InCharge battery station brings recharging out from the garage workbench or from beneath the desk, providing an elegant, easy to use, self-sorting solution which fits into daily life.
(757 votes)

Orange Solar Tent - Kaleidoscope, on behalf of Orange, utilized emerging eco-energy technology to optimize the Glastonbury festival experience. Keep your bearings, and your communication gadgets fully charged through this solar powered tent. (389 votes)

Niteo is both a lamp and a charging station for small electrical devices. Niteo converts chemical energy, available in a bio-convertible substrate, directly into electricity.

Rocco is the first sustainable, energy generating Rocking Toy. Rocco teaches children about energy generation and conservation by converting kinetic energy created through rocking into electricity. (198 votes)

RollerGen - Use your bicycle-pedaling energy to recharge all your mobile gadgets. While riding, a high power dynamo fills a battery pack that in turn powers all your devices.
(238 votes)

The Smart Grid Home Controller is a Z-Wave controller that utilizes ANY wireless standard in a smart meter to connect to the smart grid for energy and cost savings.
(697 votes)

Turbine Light - (my personal favorite) Lights up city by harvesting renewable energy contained in the air turbulence generated by passing traffic (318 votes)

And it looks like the top 4 finalists are: The Corky, Empower, Illumicharger, and the AUG Living Goods Program!

My personal favorite did not make it but wish them the best for their wonderful product. Solartent, Turbine Light, and

AND THE WINNER IS!!!!.....…….

In 3rd place: The Illumicharger

In 2nd place: Empower

1st place: AUG The Living Goods Program
by John Healy

Ports 1961 Fall 2010 at Bryant Park

2010-02-13T23:24:00.000-05:00

The following are images I took photos from Ports 1961.

Farewell at Bryant Park for Fashion Week

2010-02-13T23:14:00.000-05:00

BRYANT PARK IS HAVE ONE LAST TIME FOR HOST OF MERCEDES BENZ FASHION BEFORE THEY MOVE TENT TO NEW PLACE DAMROSCH PARK IN LINCOLN CENTER SEPT 2010 UPPER WEST SIDE. Here is a peek at what goes on inside the tent.

Turbine Light Technology

2010-02-07T17:56:00.001-05:00

Turbine Light will be one of many featured at the Greener Gadget conference on February 25, 2010, in NYC. This amazing technology has been developed by TAK Studio to light up the city streets/highways by harvesting renewable energy contained in the air turbulence generated by passing traffic. This is one of many competing in the Greener Gadget Competition. I will be attending the conference and reporting on all the other interesting gadgets.

Apple's iPad Unveiled!

2010-02-07T00:13:00.001-05:00

Apple’s by invitation only event of their new product the iPad is

the most talked about in the tech news. From my reliable sources inside this is the information I filtered and speculations stopped:

I personally love all gadgets regardless but usefulness is a key importance.

It is called iPad single button tablet, bigger than iPhone and smaller than a laptop the hardware is half inch thin, 1.5 pounds -- 9.7 inch IPS display, running a custom 1Ghz apple A4chip. It can browse, email, photo, ebooks and video.

It will come in 16,32 and 64gigs. Connectors: 30pn dock, speaker, mic Bluetooth and wifi. It runs on Apple iPhone apps. Starting at $499 it is the new must have gadget!

Out Of Many:Official Trailer

2010-01-14T22:53:00.002-05:00

Out Of Many:Official Trailer -

“Out of Many,” follows five ordinary people inspired to witness an extraordinary moment in history – the inauguration of Barack Obama.

A direct, “in the trenches” view of the mass exodus and harmonious chaos leading to the Mall in Washington DC that cold January day, “Out of Many” takes you on an unforgettable trip to the heart of our nation – and the moment that changed America.

There’s Sara, an unemployed theater manager from Brooklyn; Eric, a divorced Los Angeles Firefighter; Shayla, an expatriate photographer just back from Paris; Diana, a Bronx cop, Air Force reservist and former Republican; and Ryan, a cyclist from Portland who crossed the country on his ten-speed in the hopes of scoring a ticket to Obama’s swearing in.

“Out of Many” is a movie made as a true collaboration, built from a simple Internet post about a film project looking for help, and resulting in a project with over twenty subjects, crew and production personnel.

NY International Latino Film Festival- 2009

2009-07-30T13:16:00.008-04:00

JUAN MELENDEZ

"Juan Meléndez" - tells the incredible, true story of Juan Meléndez, who was sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit. A Puerto Rican migrant farmer raised in New York City, Meléndez was accused of murder in the state of Florida. While claiming his innocence, Juan Meléndez was convicted and put on death row for 17 years, 8 months and 1 day. Told by Meléndez, his mother, lawyers and friends, this personal drama illustrates the legal, political and public policy issues around the application of the death penalty in the U.S. and Puerto Rico.

The Least of These

The Least of These explores one of the most controversial aspects of American immigration policy: family detention. Detention of immigrant children in a former medium-security prison in Texas leads to controversy when three activist attorneys discover troubling conditions at the facility. This compelling film explores the role - and limits - of community activism, and considers how American rights and values apply to the least powerful among us.

FASHION WEEK FALL 2009 in NYC

2009-02-22T22:49:00.000-05:00

The last year at Bryant Park for the Fall 2009 Fashion week it all seemed PINK as Barbie celebrates her 50th anniversary and took over inside the tent. As I went into the tent this year I noticed the sad list of sponsors, a definite sign of our economy. Regardless once you step foot into the tent it was Barbie pink magic everywhere. The BARBIE letters were sitting in the middle and were filled with small Barbie figures that shaped the gigantic letters. As I went to several shows I noticed the energy is always there and the talented designers that dedicate there lives for fashion still put on beautiful garments that go down the runway regardless of their own financial situations. I was very impressed with some of the shows.

Nicole Miller is always one of my favorites as her garments showed the classic style and elegance.

The African Collective was comprised of The THISDAY/ARISE Magazine African Fashion Collective, presented by West Africa's largest recently launched newspaper, ARISE, helped present the collections by several designers of African descent. Xuly Bet from Mali; Stoned Cherrie, the South African label by Nkhensani Nkosi; Momo and Tiffany Amber, both from Nigeria.was very refreshing and a shock to me as I didn't realize that the show had 4 designers with very distinctive looks and wonderful styles. To my shock was also the fabulous 60 years old Grace Jones who struts like the DIVA she is and looks better than a 20 year old. Ms. Jones had come down the runway of the first designer Xuly and a digital form on a giant screen that sung 'Man-Eating Machine' as she strutting down the catwalk. Jones received a standing ovation as she strutted the reflecting runway not once but three times.

Barbie was another big production show with a great video design in the background of the runway. Barbie had big everything video, hair, accessories, makeup and brilliant designs. It was great to see little girls walk down the runway with each of the models towards the end of the show they were so happy. Out of the tent we were only invited to Negret Taciroglu at the Waldorf of which was and honor and pleasure to see her work. The DJ had a slight problem in the beggining as I was a few feet away from him and the sound wasn't coming out but finally it started to work and her clothes came slowly down the runway. It was the first time that I have time to breath and look carefully at the collection. Her clothes were very elegant and exquisite. I managed a short interview at the end backstage of which she stated she was an ex-model turn designer. Great Job!!

Terexov was at the tent again this year. This young vibrant designer doesn't take himself seriously as I managed a short interview with him backstage and saw a preview of his new line before it went on the runway. He has an elegant youthful approach and he want the women who wear his clothes to take life not so serious but with great elegance.

I want to express my thanks to MICA Runway and give Jade thanks for the opportunity to video and photograph this event for their great organization.