Every act of creativity negates an attempt to send humankind back to the Dark Ages

I am always astonished at the many ways people find to be creative.

Building bicycles that make smoothies, to name one small thing. I reported in early June about the "Upcycling 101" festival held in Casper. Local Gen-Y artist, performer and entrepreneur Betsy Bower transformed a cast-off kid's bike into a conveyance that also makes smoothies. She mounted a blender on a wooden platform on the rear bumper, ran a vertical axle to to the top of the rear tire, which drove the blender and made smoothies. Betsy also is taking old bikes and making them new with skills she learned at her father's welding business. Read the full post at http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com/2011/06/recycling-and-creativity-on-display-at.html

Meanwhile, our two Republican U.S, senators push for a "Save the Edison Light Bulb" bill that would negate energy-saving standards. What's the expression -- don't try to force your past on my future? Our Republican leaders want to turn back the clock and send us back to the horse-and-buggy days. One of these senators is younger than this blogger. Shame on you, college-educated Dr. Sen. John Barrasso, party hack.

So many innovative ideas out there powered by innovative thinkers.

This comes from Grist:

Passengers using a newly retrofitted light-rail station in downtown Phoenix, Ariz., can press a button to be showered in cool air, powered by solar energy and cold water from an efficient district cooling system. The system, which was inspired by similar installations in Dubai, uses solar power to run fans that blow cool air. The cool air itself comes from a system of chilled water that has been running in Phoenix's business district since 2001. It's called district cooling: A central plant run by NRG Thermal cools the water, which is then piped to nearby buildings to be used in lieu of less-efficient conventional air-conditioning systems. Car-free transport, distributed solar power, and district energy: It’s a triple play worthy of the Scandinavians, only it's happening in what would otherwise seem to be one of America's least sustainable cities. What is it about extreme conditions that turns desert communities [such as Phoenix and El Paso]  into hotbeds of efficiency and innovation?

So many other examples. I'll share them as I come across them, with an emphasis on Wyoming and the West, especially the big red states with regressive leaders. You know who you are.

Here's another example, this by British land artist Chris Drury and his new installation at UW in Laramie: http://uwartmuseum.blogspot.com/2011/07/new-sculpture-installation-for.html