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World's longest sea bridge
According to a May 1 article for BBC News online, China celebrated the opening of what is now the world's longest
sea bridge. Work began on the 22.5 mile-long bridge in 2003, with costs
totaling 11.8 billion Yuan (US$1.7 billion). The structure links
Shanghai to the port city of Ningbo. Built to regulate traffic
congestion in the region, the bridge will cut driving time between the
two cities in half.
Going solar
On May 1, Technology Review reported that solar electricity might soon become much cheaper. Solar
power costs nearly three times more than conventional energy sources
and uses crystalline silicon as the active material. An increase in
production will soon take place and the amount of silicon could grow
from 15,000 tons to 123,000 tons by 2010. This will result in a
sharp decrease in solar panel prices—making solar energy more
affordable.
New employees: expect lower wages
If you're currently a job seeker, don't expect to get paid your dream
salary. In fact, many new employees are settling for positions with
lower salaries. On May 5, Jobfox released details of a recent decrease in salaries. According to the
report, the economy is forcing job seekers to lower their expectations.
Some salary ranges have dropped by US$10,000. The fields affected by
these salary decreases include software design and development, project
management, finance and government positions. Maybe it's now time to
pick the best job over the best salary.
Plug it in
What if all you had to do was plug in your car at the end of the night? Well according to the May 2 issue of The Wall Street Journal,
this may be the newest generation of hybrid vehicles. The plug-in
electric car could run 10 to 40 miles on electric batteries before
switching to the gas engine. To recharge the battery, just plug it into
your everyday electricity outlet. This increases the need for readily
available electricity—similarly to the need for a gas station
when you're almost at empty—and could force utility companies to
either buy or make more electricity or build new power plants
altogether.
Survey finds hospitals unprepared for large-scale disasters
A May 6 article in USA Today reported that hospital trauma centers in seven major U.S. cities are
lacking the capacity to handle a terrorist attack. Thirty-four
hospitals in New York City, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago,
Houston, Denver and Minneapolis were surveyed. Many of the hospitals
did not have the adequate space needed to treat a large number of
people in the emergency room at once. Few beds were available in the
intensive care units and even fewer regular beds were available for
those with less serious injuries. Some contingency plans established by
certain cities are not enough during a catastrophic event; not one city
is prepared for a large disaster.
Making the green transition
In an April 30 article, CNN.com discussed a new phenomenon called the “transition
initiative.” This movement encourages cities around the world to
work toward a carbon-free environment—taking steps to be less
energy-dependent. Totnes, England was the first to implement this
initiative about a year-and-a-half ago. Since then, 50 other towns in
the U.K. have joined the movement, as well as cities in Australia
and New Zealand. Some say that the world has used nearly half of all
oil reserves. Despite alternative energy sources, cutting down on
energy usage seems to be a must. Various initiatives are being
encouraged throughout these “transition towns” such as
step-by-step plans to avoid reliance on carbon fuels, planting trees
for emergency food and establishing locally-run energy and construction
companies. Many look at this notion of localism as a step back in time.
But to the people involved in the movement, planning for the future is
crucial.
Commuters switch to public transportation
According to a May 5 article in Business Week,
more employees throughout the U.S. are switching from cars to
company-subsidized transportation. Sky-high gas prices have pushed more
people to sign up for these services. According to transportation
experts, ridership has increased 40 percent in the past year. Public
transportation companies have been trying to break people's car habits
for years and are pleased with the current trend. With demands so
high, some companies are having a tough time keeping up—even
Microsoft began a shuttle service last fall.
Paper or plastic?
You've probably heard this question many times at the grocery store,
but what's your response? An article in the May 12 issue of FORTUNE magazine described how in the United States alone, the plastic bag
industry is worth US$4 billion. Believe it or not, Americans use more
than 100 billion plastic bags every year. To combat this growing
problem, 28 U.S. cities have proposed laws restricting plastic bag
usage. Some have taxed their plastic bags at 25 cents per bag. While
the U.S. isn't quite there yet, countries including Bangladesh and
Taiwan have gone as far as banning plastic bags altogether. The next
time you visit the supermarket, see if the store offers reusable bag
options—Kroger and Wal-Mart do.
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