Halfway!

20 weeks down; 20 to go!

David and I are getting so excited to meet you!!!

It was great to see more of the baby at our 20-week ultrasound and such a relief to hear that all is well.

We decided not to find out the gender until birth so the suspense is starting to build!!

My bump is finally starting to show and I’m really looking forward to going home for Christmas and getting to spend some quality time with the family.

Grow, Baby, Grow!!

Baby oh Baby!

Baby oh Baby!

Due: 21 April 2011

Baby Duran's 12 weeks scan photo and is already the cutest baby I've ever seen!

Planes or Volcanoes: Which emits more CO2e per day?

via Information is Beautiful

Nothing like a natural disaster to highlight an unnatural one!

David MacKay USA Lecture Circuit

David MacKay, author of Sustainable Energy - Without the Hot Air is giving a series of free talks around the USA.  He's a really engaging speaker and I recommend checking one out if you're able!!


30-Mar-2010, Tuesday, University of Toronto

       J Tuzo Wilson Lecture
       Time: 8:00 pm
       Venue: Isabel Bader Theatre, Victoria College,

1-Apr-2010 Thursday. MIT, Cambridge, MA.

       Goldstein Lecture
       Time: 6:30 pm
       Venue: MIT, Room 34-101

2-Apr-2010 Friday.  Harvard, Cambridge, MA

       "The Future of Energy"
       Time: 4:00 pm
       Venue: Northwest Labs B103
          52 Oxford Street Cambridge, MA

5-Apr-2010 Monday.  Caltech, Pasadena, CA.

       Time: 4:00 pm
       Venue: Hameetman Auditorium, Cahill Centre for
          Astronomy & Astrophysics, Caltech.

6-Apr-2010 Tuesday.  UCSB, Santa Barbara, CA.

       Energy Leadership Lecture
       Time: 3:30 pm
       Venue: Kohn Hall, UCSB

19-Apr-2010 Monday.  Stanford, CA.

      Time: 4:15 pm
      Venue: Hewlett Teaching Center
                 370 Serra Mall
                 Stanford, CA 94305

I hope to look this good at 80!

Happy New Year!!!

2010

Year of the Tiger

I will turn 30 years of age and celebrate my 4th wedding anniversary.

David and I will each compete in a triathlon and hopefully travel to Greece on holiday.

I will read Martha Stewart's Cooking School textbook and continue practicing yoga.

I would like to buy a road bike and get comfortable being 'clipped-in'.

I will maintain my weight and increase my fitness level.

Que Sera, Sera!

ecoSENSE: Arniston Bay Wine Pouch

Ask anyone who knows me - they'll tell you I love to drink wine.
Not really in a 'snobby, expensive-is-better' kind of way but instead a 'tastes-nice, reasonably-priced' kind of way.

At £9.99 for 1.5L (2 bottles), the Arniston Bay Chenin Blanc wine pouch hits that sweet spot ~ with a twist of ecoSENSE.

This wine pouch - called Astrapouch - weighs about 20 times less than glass bottles. And since the wine is made & packaged in South Africa and then shipped around the globe, the weight of the package makes a big difference to the eco-impact. (Trust me; this phenomenon is easily detectable on recycling day!)

The best way we scientists have to measure, or quantify, eco-impact is a life-cycle analysis or LCA. (more on that soon!) The folks down at Arniston Bay did an LCA and they are sharing the results:

* 80% lower carbon footprint
* 90% less landfill waste compared to a glass (okay but NO excuses for not recycling glass!)

The light package is also perfect for picnics, tailgating and pretty much any other time you're carrying alcohol around - and the wine stays fresh for a month (not that it's ever around my house that long!)