National Advertisers Attracted to Local Trends

Daily deal sites like Groupon and local check-in services like foursquare typically appeal more to small local businesses as marketing partners. But large agencies are finding their national clients are interested in their own local advertising opportunities as local online and mobile ad revenues shoot upward. Full Article

Latest Red Tide update

No samples have been collected so far this week on the east coast of Florida or in northwest Florida.

In southwest Florida, Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week in samples collected alongshore of Hillsborough, Pinellas, Sarasota and Collier counties.

An Ice Cube in the Heat... Downtown Sarasota eco artsy Parking Garage

Last week a trip up to Sarasota on a sultry humid evening to the "Ice Cube" (neat nickname) parking garage kick-off event which was simply brilliant, masses of green features, PV on the roof, Electric Charging stations (Steven King has apparently already checked them out), water conservation cisterns for landscape irrigation and two Chevy Volts on view. 
Maybe the best feature COULD be the opportunity for outdoor Special Events, there's certainly plenty of parking :)

and the view is particularly spectacular of Downtown and out to the Gulf... 

Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. Reduces Carbon Footprint While Growing Business, Improves Water Use Ratio And Launches Recycling Joint Venture – Press Releases on CSRwire.com

Coca-Cola Enterprises, Inc. Reduces Carbon Footprint While Growing Business, Improves Water Use Ratio And Launches Recycling Joint Venture – Press Releases on CSRwire.com

This mornings biking jaunt

Social Media Marketing Brings New Revenues, Customers

As companies around the world increase their use of social media marketing, the channel is proving its worth. Many are seeing increases in customer acquisition through social media, and those taking advantage of the space are also growing their revenues. Full Article

Corona interested in a pilot project? Corona CMO Talks Social and Mobile Marketing

Corona, interested in a pilot Strategic Community Investment Program beneficial to Beaches, Parks and Community? Most of the elements are already in place and we're looking for a sponsor or sponsors. Could tie-in very nicely :) The program could be easily emulated in geo's throughout the country and utilize Social Media Channels

article via Chief Social Marketer and Patricia Odell

If you don’t know where your beach is, real or imagined, Corona will help you find it. It’s latest program, “Find Your Beach,” uses social and mobile to encourage people to dream up their own beach setting as opposed to just enjoying the tranquil beach images Corona has conjured up for years. n May, a major retail promotion, “Corona Beach Getaway,” sweepstakes set the stage for the summer program with codes placed on bottles and cans of Corona and hidden in packages distributed across the country. Phase two, “Find Your Beach” kicked off with TV spots, but focuses on a new Facebook page and mobile program. 

Jim Sabia, chief marketing officer for Corona parent Crown Imports, talks about the importance of social media in the Corona campaign.

Read Full Story

Amp it up! Department of Energy Commits Support for Landmark Rooftop Solar Project

Benefits everyone....

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced the offer of a conditional commitment to provide a partial guarantee for a $1.4 billion loan to support Project Amp. This project will support the installation of solar panels on industrial buildings across the country, with the electricity generated from those panels contributing directly to the electrical grid, as opposed to powering the buildings where they are installed. Supported by funding from the Recovery Act, the solar generation project includes the installation of approximately 733 megawatts (MW) of photovoltaic (PV) solar panels, which is nearly equal to the total amount of PV installed in the U.S. in 2010. The project sponsor estimates Project Amp will create at least one thousand jobs over a four year period.
"This unprecedented solar project will not only produce clean, renewable energy to power the grid in states across the country, but it will help us meet the SunShot goal of achieving cost competitive solar power with other forms of energy by the end of the decade," said Secretary Chu. "In addition, Project Amp will create at least a thousand jobs across the U.S. and increase our global competitiveness in the clean energy race."

DOE Announces Energy-Saving Project at U.S. Forest Service Sites Leveraging Nearly $2.5 Million in Private Investment

Several days ago The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC) project at more than 50 U.S. Forest Service sites. The project, awarded by the U.S. Forest Service to Honeywell International, will use avoided energy costs to leverage private-sector investment to help improve the energy efficiency of facilities in the Forest Service’s Northern Region, which encompasses 25 million acres in 5 states. Administered by DOE, the Forest Service contracted with Honeywell to install energy-saving measures at sites in Montana and Idaho that will reduce annual energy consumption by 16 percent. The project will leverage almost $2.5 million in private investment to install energy efficient and renewable energy technologies and will support the equivalent of 27 jobs for a year. The resulting improvements will save the Forest Service over $267,000 in energy costs in the first year and approximately 14 billion British thermal units (Btu) per year—enough to power 147 homes annually.
Full story

The Divergent Demographics of Groupon and LivingSocial

Insight for Geo's campaign decisions utilizing Groupon or LivingSocial

Both highly successful daily deal sites, Groupon and LivingSocial share similar business models and services, but the commonalities end there. Research suggests that the sites' geographic, demographic and advertising targets are quite different. Full Article

Red Tide report 6.24.11 via FWC

East Coast

Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week in the Indian River Lagoon (Brevard County) or offshore of Volusia County.

 

Discolored water reported in the Indian and Banana Rivers (Brevard County) for the past several weeks (first reported 05/13/2011) is from a continuing bloom of the prasinophyteNephroselmis. No effects of this bloom have been reported.

 

 

Northwest Coast

Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in samples collected this week alongshore of Dixie and Levy counties or offshore of Hernando County.

 

Southwest Coast

Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week alongshore of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Manatee, Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties or offshore of Pinellas County and the Florida Keys (Monroe County). Two samples collected alongshore of Sarasota County (out of 25 total samples) and one sample collected offshore of Sarasota County each contained background concentrations of K. brevis. 

 

You can access this week’s interactive Google Map in the attached file.

 

In order to view this map, you must have Google Earth installed on your computer. The Google Earth software can be downloaded from the Google Earth Web site through the following link: (http://earth.google.com)

Hands Across the Sand Siesta Key tomorrow

Heads up for tomorrow..

State and National link:
http://www.handsacrossthesand.com/?utm_source=Suncoast+Surfrider+Chapter+List&utm_campaign=f86dc4d80e-ISD_and_HATS_reminder6_20_2011&utm_medium=email
On June 25th at 12:00 PM in corresponding time zones, people around the world will join hands on beaches and in cities for the second annual Hands Across The Sand to oppose expanded offshore drilling and call for clean energy solutions for a sustainable planet.
Hands Across The Sand is a movement made of people of all walks of life and crosses all borders and political affiliations. It is about supporting the advancement of clean energy sources that will sustain our planet. This movement is not about politics; it is about protecting coastal economies,
oceans, marine wildlife and fisheries from the threats of expanded offshore drilling and the accidents associated with this.
Hands Across The Sand participants are joining hands on June 25th to say NO to offshore oil drilling and YES to clean energy. We are joining hands to implore leaders and decision makers to end the United States’ dependence on oil and coal and embrace a clean energy future for a sustainable planet.
STEP 1
Go to the beach at 11 AM in your time zone for one hour, rain or shine.
STEP 2
Join hands for 15 minutes at 12:00 PM in your time zone forming lines in the sand against oil drilling in your coastal waters. Yes to clean energy.
STEP 3
Leave only your footprints.
Siesta Key was just selected as the worlds most beautiful beach. Let's keep it that way!

Walkabout on Lido Key with E.G. Bennington, Horticulturist

To kick-off the start of one of our Strategic Community Investment Projects it necessitated a Nature Walk to capture pictures for the interns who will create the graphics for the program.  We covered a fair bit in limited time (check the map out, and no we didn't walk on water for some bizarre reason my GPS and Google Earth shows it this way!).

E.G. gave us all an in-depth education (he's a wealth of knowledge on this subject) on the Native Plants let alone the Invasive ones and the ongoing battle with the latter. Interestingly though there's a partnership of sorts with local citizens wanting the removal of Australian Pines and the Park too, benefitting both in the process let alone the habitat. On to the next stage....

Long live the Tesla S

via Mashable, Charlie White...
I hear you can fit a Surf Board inside (me likes) and/or have a third row of seating...

 The Tesla Roadster electric car is dead (see update below). Tesla Motors announced Thursday it would stop taking orders for the $109,000 vehicle in two months, concentrating instead on the development of its next-generation Model S electric car, a four-door sedan that will cost about half as much.

The iconic Tesla Roadster, now in version 2.5, has been a specialty two-seater from the get-go. It impressed reviewers with its snappy acceleration, sporty carbon-fiber body designed (update: and built) by Lotus, and relatively long 245-mile-rated range. But that $109,000 sticker price for the hand-built car — a “base price” that usually went much higher with sport options — proved too steep for the mass market.

For mainstream drivers, Tesla announced plans for a lower-priced electric car in 2008. The Model S will sell for around $57,400 (up from its previously announced $49,000) when it’s ready for sale in mid-2012, according toThe New York Times.

We caught our first glimpse of a flashy Model S prototype at the Consumer Electronics Show last January, where we were awestruck by its sleek design and huge instrument panel powered by an Nvidia graphics processor.

Update: While the Tesla Roadster as we know it is on its way out, a Tesla Motors spokesperson tells us “a version” of it is coming back: “The Roadster will always be the cornerstone of Tesla, and we look forward to bringing back a version of the supercar that takes full advantage of our advanced electric powertrain in the next several years.”

Take a close-up look at the Model S, on which all of Tesla’s hopes are now pinned:

Whats the algae type we saw the other day? And the answer is...

Answering a Tweet question on the algae type. Well its probably Red Drift Algae. I pulled up numerous articles tying into its minimal appearance here. And some feedback from Mote Marine certainly helps too!

Red drift algae lining Fort Myers Beach - NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral & Naples, Florida

#OurWatershedProject: The Golden Canna is back

Three weeks since taking the Machete' to the Golden Canna after its full bloom and going to seed (when the leaves look their worse) along with some professional advice I found by just cutting it completely back new strong vibrant growth occurs along with another showy display.

Even better for the embankment with a good root system in place our erosion has all but stopped since we installed the Native Plants in 2005/6

We'll need it when the rains and downpours arrive....

7 Free QR Code Reader Apps for Android [PICS]

Info on those QR apps...

http://mashable.com/2011/06/22/qr-code-apps-android/?utm_source=iphoneapp&utm_medium=rss&utm_content=textlink&utm_campaign=iphoneapp

Its time to see the Manatees

Another early AM Paddle-board with the lack of rain leaving the waters still very clear, although that should change as soon as we have those summertime deluges which seem to come later every year now.

It was quite the sight not seeing the three Manatees but quite a few more. If you have the opportunity get out and see them now,  as it looks like that rain which we sorely need is about to appear by this weekend and the water clarity is surely going to go downhill

Red Tide update 6.22.11

No samples have been collected so far this week on the east coast of Florida or in northwest Florida.

In southwest Florida, Karenia brevis was not detected in water samples collected this week in Safety Harbor (Pinellas County) or alongshore of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. Two samples collected alongshore of Sarasota County (out of 20 total samples) contained background concentrations of K. brevis.

ISO 50001 a new global energy efficiency and energy management standard

The Department of Energy (DOE) today recognized the publication of ISO 50001, a new global energy efficiency and energy management standard which will help organizations worldwide save money in their buildings and industrial facilities. The new international standard will pave the way for long term energy savings and serve as a critical tool for the implementation of the Department’s energy efficiency programs. This voluntary standard, developed by a project committee of 45 partnering countries from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), provides organizations with a framework for continuous energy performance improvements. The framework will encourage adoption of best practices that reduce the energy use of existing equipment and facilities, require the use of energy performance data to target cost-effective upgrades, and emphasize the design and installation of highly efficient energy systems and equipment. By increasing their operational efficiency, organizations that adopt the ISO 50001 standard will save money by saving energy.
Full story

Gulf Alliance GOMA Smart Yard info

Developed by a partnership between the Education and Nutrient Priority Issue Teams, Smart Yard, Healthy Gulf  is a new public education campaign designed to reduce fertilizers entering local waters by helping people make responsible lawn fertilizer decisions.  Applying the proper amount of fertilizer at the proper time(s) of the growing season keeps lawns looking vibrant. It can save time and money. Not only will lawns be something to be proud of, but the Gulf of Mexico will be more resilient and healthy, including Gulf seafood!

GOMA (Gulf of Mexico Alliance) website gets update

The GOMA website is receiving some revamping and if your interested on keeping up-to-date with News and Events for the Gulf of Mexico this site would be a good place to start.

The Gulf of Mexico Alliance is a partnership of the states of Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas, with the goal of significantly increasing regional collaboration to enhance the ecological and economic health of the Gulf of Mexico

6.17.11 Red Tide Report

East Coast

Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week in the Indian River Lagoon (Brevard County) or offshore of Volusia County.

 

Discolored water reported in the Indian and Banana Rivers (Brevard County) for the past several weeks (first reported 05/13/2011) is from a continuing bloom of the prasinophyteNephroselmis. No effects of this bloom have been reported.

 

 

Northwest Coast

Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in a water sample collected this week alongshore of Citrus County.
 

 

Southwest Coast

Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week alongshore of Manatee, Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties or offshore of Lee County. One sample collected alongshore and one offshore of Pinellas County and one sample collected inshore of Sarasota County each contained background concentrations of K. brevis.

Virginia Tech Wins EcoCAR Competition

On Thursday evening a team of students from Virginia Tech University learned they received top honors when they were named the overall winners of EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge after designing and building an extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) using E85 (ethanol). Virginia Tech competed against 15 other universities to take home the top prize of the three-year competition sponsored by the Department of Energy and General Motors. This unique competition helps train students and engineers to become the next generation of workers the U.S. needs to lead the global auto industry.
"The ingenuity and dedication shown by the students of Virginia Tech in building this next-generation vehicle will help them launch careers as leaders in the clean energy field," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu. "With the experience and skills these innovative students have gained through the EcoCAR competition, they will help reduce our nation's reliance on oil imports and keep U.S. industries competitive in the global marketplace."
EERE

Article: Nets That Could Help Save 7 Million Tons Of Fish A Year

Nets That Could Help Save 7 Million Tons Of Fish A Year
http://www.fastcodesign.com/1664090/nets-that-could-help-save-7-million-tons-of-fish-a-year

(Sent from Flipboard)

More Brand Fans Say They're Loyal Followers

eMarketer... Brands are after social media users to connect with them so they can keep customers engaged and increase their lifetime value. As the practice of "liking" and following companies has expanded, it also seems to have kept its value for marketers in terms of loyalty and likelihood to purchase

"Like" some of the latest innovations from the Trendwatching.com report

Consumers’ desire to broadcast their lives on social media is truly unabated (check out SOCIAL-LITES), and apps like Foursquare and Gowalla, or Facebook’s Like button are making it easier for people to tell their friends where they are, what they are doing, and what they are liking. But how about making it super-easy to bridge the offline physical world experience with the online? Check out some of these examples:

• In April 2011 at the AutoRAI Amsterdam Motorshow, car manufacturer Renault handed out RFID-equipped cards which could connect to Facebook accounts. Users could physically ‘like’ a car by swiping the card against its corresponding card-reader and the ‘like’ would then appear on their Facebook profile.

• Last August, Coca-Cola invited selected Israeli teenagers to the Coca-Cola Village - an activity based summer camp (YouTube video here). Upon entry they were given special RFID-enabled wristbands that they could swipe as they stopped by attractions (from swimming to massage), and would update their online Facebook status. The wristbands also allowed for automatic Facebook tagging of any photos taken.

• At the PIAS Nites music festival in Brussels in March 2011, attendees were given a card that linked to their Facebook account. They could connect on Facebook to new friends they met in person by swiping their cards together over a card reader, or take photos is a special booth that automatically updated their Facebook profile.

What Does the Mobile Market Look Like for Nonprofits?

What Does the Mobile Market Look Like for Nonprofits?

eMonitor and DwellGreen. The savings keep rolling in...

I had the opportunity to review our FPL Electric stats online, now we been using the eMonitor and implementing reductions after finding out which circuits had the most bleed as I would call it.

It's been a learning process but with some trail and error and not exactly a full month, the drop has been pretty substantial and I thought were 'Switched On' (pun intended) as far as energy retrofit goes.

Now its down to some more fine-tuning and some circuit monitoring changes. The Microwave circuit doesn't need anymore monitoring... it hardly counts. The Hot Water heater definitely benefits from the A/C Heat Exchanger which is easily verified when its switched on and doesn't pull any kw. So most of our hot water is almost free at the moment.

Any other suggestions?

5 Amazing Charity Ads Shown at Cannes [VIDEO]

http://mashable.com/2011/06/02/youtube-cannes-contest/

(BN) BMW Carbon Lets Vehicles Follow Bicycle Road to Lightness

Bloomberg News, sent from my iPad.

BMW Carbon Lets Vehicles Follow Bicycle Road to Lightness: Cars

June 15 (Bloomberg) -- Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is spending $100 million to gain an edge on German luxury rivals by entering the commodities business.

BMW is building its own carbon fiber factory, the first carmaker to do so, to secure supply of the lightweight material and lower expenses by refining the production process. Even though carbon fiber has cost 20 times as much as steel, BMW is embracing the material to reduce the weight of its electric cars and counteract the added heft of their batteries.

Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen AG's Audi have joined BMW's pursuit of the material, which is 50 percent lighter than steel, as they strive to meet tighter environmental rules. BMW has partnered with SGL Carbon SE, the only Europe- based producer of the material, to build the plant, prompting VW to buy 9.9 percent of SGL to ensure its own access. The battle has made SGL the world's most expensive carbon-fiber company.

"The capacity to produce carbon fiber isn't that big, so manufacturers are looking to secure access," said Robert Outram, program manager for automotive chemicals with Frost & Sullivan in Oxford, England. "There are not many people who do it well. It's a long-term strategy play."

VW's SGL investment prompted Susanne Klatten, a member of the Quandt family which is BMW's largest shareholder, to raise her SGL holding to 27 percent from 24 percent. The Wiesbaden, Germany-based company's price-to-earnings ratio of 43 is double the value of rivals Toray Industries Inc., Teijin Ltd. and Hexcel Corp.

Weight Concerns

Weight is a top concern for high-end carmakers. Much of their profit is generated by big cars, which tend to burn more fuel than smaller models. Mercedes's $91,000 S-Class tips the scales at 4,500 pounds and gets 25 miles per gallon on the highway, compared with 33 miles per gallon for the 3,300-pound Toyota Camry. Electric vehicles add further pressure to reduce weight because of the batteries.

"In electric-mobility, the weight of the car will be a decisive factor," BMW Chief Financial Officer Friedrich Eichiner said. "There is a close correlation between low vehicle weight and range in electric cars."

Carmakers have also in the past avoided carbon fiber because the parts require drying times that aren't currently compatible with the pace of assembly lines. Planemakers including Boeing Co. started using the material much earlier because they produce at a slower rate and have simpler structures to form out of the reinforced plastics.

Because of its light weight, the cycling industry has been using carbon fiber since the 1980s. The material helped Greg LeMond win the Tour de France three times.

BMW Electric Cars

Carbon fiber for BMW's i3 battery-powered city car, due in 2013, and its i8 hybrid sports cars will be made at a factory in Moses Lake, Washington, about 180 miles east of Seattle. The plant will start production in the third quarter and will have an initial capacity to make 1,500 tons of carbon fiber, which will then be processed into components in Germany.

Daimler is following suit by building a facility in Esslingen, Germany, which will start producing parts for the $102,600 SL roadster next year. The joint venture with Tokyo- based Toray is part of Daimler's goal of reducing vehicle weight by 10 percent with each new generation. The company estimates that trimming a car by 100 kilograms (220 pounds) reduces carbon-dioxide emissions by eight to 10 grams per kilometer. Daimler and Toray are investing 825,000 euros ($1.2 million).

Audi, which uses the material in the R8 sports car and RS3 sporty compact, has joined with Voith GmbH to create tools for mass-producing carbon-fiber components. Voith, in turn, is the third-largest shareholder of SGL.

Formula One

Until BMW's push, the use of carbon fiber in the auto industry was limited to Formula One race cars and exotic high- performance brands like VW's Lamborghini and Bugatti. Tata Motors Ltd.'s Jaguar plans to build the chassis for the 700,000- pound ($1.15 million) C-X75 supercar out of carbon fiber.

Demand for carbon-fiber components will probably rise nine fold to $94.1 million by 2017, according to Frost & Sullivan. Cost will continue to be a hurdle for mainstream adoption.

Carbon fiber costs about $20 a kilogram, according to Frost & Sullivan. That compares to less than $1 for steel. The material is also difficult to work with. The fibers need to be woven into sheets and then hardened, typically with resin. Frost & Sullivan estimates that manufacturing costs add 70 percent to the final price of carbon-fiber components.

Stuttgart, Germany-based Daimler is taking a more measured approach to carbon fiber and doesn't see a need to buy a stake in partner Toray to ward off other manufacturers.

Painful Process

"We get much more out of our concrete joint venture with them" than being an investor, Chief Financial Officer Bodo Uebber said in an interview in March.

While the long-term future for carbon-fiber in the auto industry may be promising, the process of introducing new auto technology is "painfully slow" and manufacturing parts from carbon fiber isn't yet ready for large-scale production, said Glen Liddy, a London-based analyst at JPMorgan Chase & Co.

"There are cheaper alternatives to make cars more efficient," said Liddy, who's covered SGL for more than a decade and has an "underweight" rating on the company. "There's no need to rush into carbon fiber."

To contact the reporter on this story: Chris Reiter in Berlin at creiter2@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net .

Find out more about Bloomberg for iPad: http://m.bloomberg.com/ipad/

Slay home energy vampires via Chicago Tribune

They are the night stalkers: vampire appliances (TVs, computers, DVD players and cellphone chargers) that siphon energy around the clock, even when idle. The average U.S. home has 40 such devices that draw power continuously and account for nearly 10 percent of homeenergy use, according to the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

The good news is that with the proper equipment you can drive a stake through the heart of these energy wasters.

You don't have to spend money to slay a vampire. A simple step, such as unplugging cellphones and MP3 players once they're charged, is a helpful suggestion. If you use a desktopcomputer with a separate monitor, configure its energy settings so that it powers down when not in use; that alone could save you up to $85 per year, the EPA says.

Look for home appliances, such as microwaves and cordless phones, with low standby-power ratings. The website for theFederal Emergency Management Agency's Standby Power Data Center (eere.energy.gov) can tell you how much energy a device uses when it's idle.

Next Generation Lighting

With my eMonitor kw usage measurements in hand its pretty easy to see the difference in energy used between any of my blend LED, Compact Flourescent and dated Incandescent. The sooner LED costs come down the better, its the easy low hanging fruit of energy consumption.

EERE article... Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced nearly $15 million to support eight new research and development projects that will accelerate the development and deployment of high-efficiency solid-state lighting technologies like LEDs and OLEDs. Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have the potential to be ten times more energy-efficient than conventional incandescent lighting and can last up to 25 times as long. The projects selected today are located in four states across the country and are focused on advancing core R&D goals, developing new products, and expanding domestic manufacturing capacity to help the U.S. remain competitive in this growing technology market.
Full story

Todays 6.10 Red Tide report

East Coast

Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week in the Indian River Lagoon (Brevard County).

 

Discolored water reported in the Indian and Banana Rivers (Brevard County) for the past several weeks (first reported 05/31/2011) is from a continuing bloom of the prasinophyte Nephroselmis. No effects of this bloom have been reported.

 

 

Northwest Coast

Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week alongshore of Okaloosa, Franklin, Dixie and Citrus counties or offshore of Taylor and Dixie counties.
 

 

Southwest Coast

Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week alongshore between Pinellas and Collier counties or offshore of Pinellas, Sarasota and Collier counties and the Florida Keys (Monroe County)

EERE News: Department of Energy Announces up to $70 Million to Advance Technology and Reduce Cost of Geothermal Energy

Quite a staggering amount of untapped energy

EERE News: Department of Energy Announces up to $70 Million to Advance Technology and Reduce Cost of Geothermal Energy

US Online Ad Spend Poised to Grow 20% in 2011... Video the fastest-growing

Online ad spending is returning to pre-recession growth levels, with steady increases projected through 2015 as marketers continue to invest more in digital channels.

eMarketer expects US online advertising spending to reach $31.3 billion this year, a dramatic 20.2% increase over 2010 spending. By 2015, nearly $50 billion will be spent on online ads in the US.

“The internet has become as fundamental as television to advertisers,” said eMarketer principal analyst David Hallerman. “As consumers continue to increase their time spent online and as a resurgent economy continues to bolster ad budgets, we’re going to continue to see an influx of dollars toward the internet. More ad formats, such as video, and more channels, especially social media and mobile, are also key contributors to the spending gains

Plastic Reef... this will be worth watching.

I wonder if anything will grow on the reef? What do you think?

Dubai's Eco Plastic Industries has come up with a novel method for protecting the country's shoreline from erosion and tidal damage -- an artificial reef made from recycled plastic.

The structures, which will be placed along the Arabian Gulf to replace lost coral reefs, will be located in accordance with Environment, Health and Safety (EHS) guidelines on marine protection. They will be monitored by underwater cameras to ensure they are functioning properly.

Gerry Sherard, sales and marketing manager at Eco Plastic's partner company, Ecosol, said: "We want to give people a reason to want to recycle. Seeing how their waste plastics have been turned into something useful for underwater life gives a sense of responsibility and pride to the children."

The initiative was announced to coincide with World Oceans Day.
By Anthony Clark

77% of consumers buy green products

Plastics News - Study: 77% of consumers buy green products

June 7th Red Tide update.

No samples have been collected so far this week on the east coast of Florida.

In northwest Florida, Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in a water sample collected this week alongshore of Citrus County.

In southwest Florida, Karenia brevis was not detected in water samples collected this week in Bishop Harbor (Manatee County), alongshore of Sarasota County or offshore of Sarasota County and the Florida Keys (Monroe County)

Cash Less Trends

The latest Trendwatching.com report provides some insight to the progressive move to a Cash-Less economy. I use my Starbucks app extensively, still a bit of the 'Wow' factor too.

Mini gets its Electric Scooter Mojo on

Ciao Baby.....

eMonitor and DwellGreen Round 2

Main Breaker off... The install went seamlessly enough and there was actually plenty of room to fit in the sensors, so much so I would probably upgrade to 24 sensors instead of the 12 at a future date once I get this wired (no pun intended!)
First thing to get fired up was my online eMonitor home page and I've just included the latest graphic, pretty in-depth too (only 9 days so far) as I try out ways to reduce our usage, secondly I soon had my iPhone app version on now I can readily see if something has been left on. Its also a great safety feature if say a cooker has been left on or a Fridge Door is open, TV Monitor not turned off. By-the-way Verizon you had better make those DVR's and set top boxes more efficient... Energy Star please.

Checking the usage is getting fairly additive and I'm already getting those kw down. Just as well as things are heating up!! Its Florida after all.... to be continued
Has anyone else used the the eMonitor? I'll be interested in your feedback

Social Marketing's Benefits rival Email for Small Business

As small businesses have adopted social media marketing in larger numbers, they have discovered a cost-effective and easy to use channel for connecting with current and potential customers. While social does not yet have the proven effectiveness of direct mail or advertising, high levels of adoption indicate the benefits outweigh the risks.

Red Tide update

East Coast
Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week offshore of Volusia County.

Discolored water reported in the Indian and Banana Rivers for the past several weeks (Brevard County) is from a continuing bloom of the prasinophyte Nephroselmis species. No impacts have been reported.


Northwest Coast
Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week alongshore of Levy and Pasco counties.


Southwest Coast
Karenia brevis, the Florida red tide organism, was not detected in water samples collected this week alongshore of Pinellas, Hillsborough, Sarasota, Charlotte, Lee and Collier counties or offshore of Pinellas and Manatee counties. One sample collected alongshore of Manatee County contained background concentrations of K. brevis.


You can access this week’s interactive Google Map in the attached file.

In order to view this map, you must have Google Earth installed on your computer. The Google Earth software can be downloaded from the Google Earth Web site through the following link: (http://earth.google.com).

This information is also available on our Web site: (http://myfwc.com/research/redtide/events/status/statewide/).
The Web site also provides links to additional information related to the topic of Florida red tide including satellite imagery, experimental red tide forecasts, shellfish harvesting areas, the FWC Fish Kill Hotline, the Aquatic Toxins Hotline (for information or to report human health effects), and other wildlife related hotlines: (http://myfwc.com/research/redtide/events/status/contact/)


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Florida Fish and Wildlife Research FWC latest articles and updates

Marine Resource Aerial Imagery Database

http://myfwc.com/research/gis/data-maps/marine/mraid/

The FWC's Fish and Wildlife Research Institute is exploring the use of satellite imagery and computer software as a time- and cost-saving alternative to manual seagrass mapping.

 

New Publications

http://myfwc.com/research/publications/scientific/new/

 

Research Spotlight: Keeping Their Eyes on Bay Scallops

http://publish.fwc.state.fl.us/research/about/outreach/research-spotlight/bay-scallops/

 

Researcher Spotlight: Sarah Stephenson

http://myfwc.com/research/about/careers/scientist-interviews/sarah-stephenson/

Learn more about Sarah and her current research on bay scallops.

 

Stock Enhancement Research Internship

http://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/stock-enhancement/outreach-education/internship/

Interns interested in marine aquaculture assist hatchery biologists with the propagation and rearing of red drum, spotted seatrout, zooplankton, and phytoplankton.

 

Stock Enhancement Research Volunteer Opportunities

http://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/stock-enhancement/outreach-education/volunteer/

Volunteers are needed to help with outreach and education events at the Stock Enhancement Research Facility, located in Manatee County.

 

Species Account - Finfish

http://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/status-trends/finfish/

Species accounts provide a summary of biology and fishery information for a particular species. The accounts provide life history information, statewide landings, trends in catch rates, and results of recent stock assessments. 

 

Species Account - Invertebrates

http://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/status-trends/invertebrates/

Species accounts provide a summary of biology and fishery information for a particular species. The accounts provide life history information, statewide landings, trends in catch rates, and results of recent stock assessments.

 

News

 

FWC seeks continued angler participation for tarpon study

http://myfwc.com/news/news-releases/2011/may/05/tarpon-dna/

 

Updates

 

Bay Scallop Season 2011

http://www.myfwc.com/research/saltwater/mollusc/bay-scallops/season/

Open harvest season for bay scallops along Florida's Gulf coast runs June 25-September 25. These extended dates for the 2011 season are not intended to be permanent.

 

Commercial Fisheries Landings in Florida

http://myfwc.com/research/saltwater/fishstats/commercial-fisheries/landings-in-florida/

Download Florida landings data for all commercially harvested finfish and invertebrate species.

 

Fish Kill Database Directory

http://research.myfwc.com/fishkill/

Search the fish kill database for records of fish kills and fish abnormalities reported in Florida as far back as 1972.

 

Internship Opportunities

http://myfwc.com/research/about/careers/internships-volunteers/internship-opportunities/

 

Manatee Mortality

http://research.myfwc.com/manatees/

Search a summary manatee mortality database for information by county, cause of death, and date.

 

Red Tide Current Status Statewide Information

http://myfwc.com/research/redtide/events/status/statewide/

This summary report of current red tide conditions around Florida includes a map of sampling results and regional status reports. Reports are generally updated on Friday afternoon. Additional information, if available, is provided on Tuesday afternoon.

Plastics News - Legislature approves expanded Oregon bottle deposit law

Plastics News - Legislature approves expanded Oregon bottle deposit law