In the News

Pennsylvania-made and exhibit-quality chairs soon to be available for everyone's patio

Fast Company Thursday, April 25, 2013

York County-based manufacturer Emeco teamed with design star Konstantin Grcic to produce stunning outdoor furniture for the new Parrish Art Museum in Long Island, reports Fast Company.

The six-piece series includes two chairs (lounge and side), whose curving seatbacks attest to Grcic’s effort to use as little metal as possible, as well as four tables of varying heights. But the real innovation lies beneath the minimal frames. All the pieces use a common hub--or, what the designer refers to as the “heart”--for joining the elements of the chair “to form a strong, integral anatomy.”

Original source: Fast Company

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Lancaster County company among those funded for federal advanced energy research projects

Forbes Thursday, December 06, 2012

Landisville-based Electron Energy, experts in rare earth magnets and magnet design, is cited in a Forbes report on the U.S. Department of Energy's ARPA-E -- or Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy -- program.

Electron Energy in Pennsylvania is due to receive $2.9 million to come up with better magnets that don’t require rare earth materials and perform better than what are being used to make the motors in wind turbines and electric cars today. Rare earth mining isn’t environmentally friendly and is concentrated in China, which has restricted rare earth export in the past. ARPA-E has previously funded projects for developing rare earth-free magnets and motors.

Original source: Forbes

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York College study on tech in the workplace uncovers eight deadly mistakes

Modesto Bee Thursday, April 26, 2012

The Modesto Bee writes about online research conducted by the Center for Professional Excellence that uncovers eight deadly mistakes for new employees when it comes to how workers abuse technology and undercut their professionalism.

Among 261 respondents, 32.6 percent checked lack of urgency (or poor time management); 12.3 percent, poor attitude. In between were sense of entitlement, poor performance/work ethic, poor attendance, lack of commitment, lack of initiative and IT abuses. Take note of the last, a relative newcomer in the minds of most of us. Could attitude toward the use of technology be permeating the workplace as a component of professionalism? Poor attitude toward it, especially the refusal to keep current, should be viewed as equally detrimental to job security as abusiveness.

Original source: Modesto Bee

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Paste tunes in Pennsylvania's must-hear musical acts

Paste Thursday, April 12, 2012

Paste spotlights 11 musical acts, from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh to Wilkes-Barre, and spanning a variety of genres.

The long stretch of Pennsylvania turnpike that takes you from Philly to Pittsburgh may be one of the most unexciting rides you’ll experience. But these two cities -- as well as spots in between like Harrisburg or Lancaster -- have no shortage of new, exciting bands to discover. Pennsylvania has it all: hip-hoppers, hard rockers, front-porch-folk rockers, indie rockers, dream weavers, power poppers, EDM’ers, and singers/songwriters galore.

Original source: Paste
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Inspired by a piano and a banjo, Lancaster area high school student invents land mine detector

Fast Company Thursday, April 05, 2012

Fast Company interviews Marian Bechtel, a Lancaster-area teen who's developed an inexpensive device that uses sound waves to locate land mines.

"My parents are both geologists," she says. "Years ago they got connected with an international group of scientists working on a project called RASCAN, developing a holographic radar device for detecting land mines. During the summer before 8th grade, I met all of these scientists and talked with them about their work and the land mine issue. I was really touched and inspired by what they had to say, and wanted to get involved in science and possibly land mine detection."

Where does a 17-year-old find inspiration for life-saving innovation? In her music practice:

"I noticed that when I played certain chords or notes on the piano, the strings on a nearby banjo would resonate," says Bechtel. "I heard this, and it was almost like the story of the apple falling on Newton’s head -- I thought that maybe I could use the same principle to find landmines. So, I began doing research and talking with scientists in humanitarian de-mining and acoustics; three years later I had built a prototype."

Original source: Fast Company
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PA is one of country's top states for green jobs

The Atlantic Thursday, March 29, 2012

The Atlantic reports on a government study showing that Pennsylvania is the state with the fourth-highest number of green jobs, and about 3 percent of all jobs in the commonwealth can be considered green.

The report defines green jobs across five categories: production of energy from renewable sources; energy efficiency; pollution reduction and removal, greenhouse gas reduction, and recycling and reuse; natural resources conservation; and environmental compliance, education and training, and public awareness.

The majority of these green jobs (2.3 million) come from the private sector. The public sector employed about 860,000 people. The largest sector of employment was manufacturing, with more than 450,000 green jobs.

This squares with a July 2011 Brooking Institution study of clean economy jobs, which identified 2.7 million clean economy jobs across the United States. The report found that median wages for clean economy jobs are 13 percent higher than median U.S. wages, and that a disproportionate share of clean economy jobs are staffed by workers with relatively little formal education. This has created a sizable group of "moderately well-paying green collar occupations," according to the report.

Original source: The Atlantic
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To be happy with your life and where you live, try moving to Lancaster County

Intelligencer Journal / Lancaster New Era Thursday, March 08, 2012

A nationwide poll finds that residents of Lancaster County are more satisfied with their lives and communities than people anywhere else in the country, the Intelligencer Journal / Lancaster New Era reports.

Many people were not surprised by the results, noting the county has a reasonable cost of living, quality schools, solid values and the experience of all four seasons.

Like farmland? Drive down rural roads near Intercourse, one woman said. Like city living? Check out Lancaster's historic buildings.

We have the Barnstormers for baseball fans and First Friday for art aficionados, residents said.

Original source: Intelligencer Journal / Lancaster New Era
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Pennsylvania helping pay for wind farms being built across the commonwealth

EarthTechling Thursday, February 16, 2012

EarthTechling spotlights several wind power projects funded partially with state money, including planned wind farms near Altoona, Johnstown and Somerset.

The Twin Ridges Wind Farm in Somerset County, being developed by New York City-based EverPower Wind Holdings, received a $12.7 million Renewable Energy Program construction grant. The grant is the largest ever awarded by the program, which has also provided grants to the 30-MW Patton Wind Farm in Cambria County and enXco’s 38-MW Chestnut Flats Wind Farm in Blair County. Once completed, Twin Ridges will generate 20 percent of Pennsylvania’s wind power.

The $238.8 million project is expected to generate an additional $226.2 million in private economic investment, and is expected to be operational by the end of 2012.

In addition to Twin Ridges, funded projects include a ground-mounted photovoltaic (PV) array in Chester County, a solar thermal system for the Franklin County YMCA, two residential geothermal systems, and a high-performance building project in Bucks County, among others.

Original source: EarthTechling
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PA teen draws president's attention with robot that allows seniors to see their grandkids

CBS 3 Thursday, February 09, 2012

President Obama took special notice of a robot that a Pennsylvania teen brought to the recent White House Science Fair, CBS 3 in Philadelphia reports.

President Obama says he’s very impressed with the high-tech work from young people like Benjamin Hylak of West Grove, Pa.

“Benjamin Hylak, where’s Benjamin? There’s Benjamin right here. He was worried that folks at his grandmother’s senior center were getting lonely, so he built a robot with a monitor and a video camera, so it’s like a moving Skype, and it moves around the center and it allows seniors to talk to their kids and grandkids even when they can’t visit in person.”

Original source: CBS 3
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High-tech system to guide visitors away from full parking lots in Gettysburg

WTOP Thursday, February 02, 2012

WTOP explains how sensors, cameras and mobile phones will determine when parking lots at the Gettysburg Civil War battlefield are full, then direct tourists to take shuttle buses from overflow lots.

Backup systems will be installed using cameras and cellphone technology to ensure the cars are counted accurately.

"Essentially, the idea is no one system determines when the parking lots are full," park spokeswoman Katie Lawhon said.

Parking lots fill up only a few days each year, Lawhon said. But the system is designed to prevent headaches during the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg in 2013. Tourism officials expect as many as 4 million people to visit Gettysburg next year.

Original source: WTOP
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Steelmaker training Penn State students to take over future retirees' jobs

The Patriot-News Thursday, February 02, 2012

The world's largest steel company and two Penn State campuses are partnering to train future workers at a Harrisburg-area steel plant, The Patriot-News reports.

Many of the employees at ArcelorMittal Steelton have worked there for decades. As they retire and the plant upgrades, the company needs skilled workers who understand new technologies, said Ray Napoli, president of United Steelworkers Local 1688.

ArcelorMittal broke ground in Steelton in December for a $54 million high-efficiency reheat furnace project that it hopes to use this year, spokeswoman Mary Beth Holdford said.

Meanwhile, Marcellus Shale gas exploration has provided cheaper fuel for manufacturing, and because the company makes steel directly for the exploration, production and gas-distribution processes.

Original source: The Patriot-News
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Quanta Technologies' windows save customers money in more ways than one

The Philadelphia Inquirer Thursday, February 02, 2012

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on Quanta Technologies, a company whose storm windows enable homeowners to save energy without buying entirely new replacement windows.

Quanta bought the assets of a Chicago-area window-manufacturing company that was going out of business, and, in July 2010, began moving the equipment into 50,000 square feet of what had been an RCA television-tube factory just outside downtown Lancaster. Timing could not have been better.

Studies by the federal Energy Department showed enough energy savings from low-e storm window retrofits to enable them to pay for themselves within five years. Consequently, Pennsylvania added them to its Weatherization Assistance Program priority list -- recommended energy-savings actions -- in the fall of 2010, about the same time Quanta introduced its first commercial product.

It was that federally funded weatherization program, which provides retrofits to low-income homes, that Quanta first set out to serve. Its QuantaPanel 500 series, a low-e storm window that attaches to the exterior of existing single-pane or double-pane clear-glass windows, cost typically less than one-fifth the installed cost of an Energy Star replacement window, according to Quanta officials.

Original source: The Philadelphia Inquirer
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New WikiLeaks-style website created as outlet for whistleblowers in Appalachia

Associated Press Thursday, January 12, 2012

The Associated Press reports on Honest Appalachia, a newly launched website set up to accept leaked government and corporate documents from several states, including Pennsylvania.

The region also was selected, (co-founder Jim) Tobias said, because of its relatively rural area, believing there was less media scrutiny in the region and that a resource like Honest Appalachia would be particularly valuable.

Many newsrooms have shut down and many journalists have lost their jobs, Tobias says, increasing the chances that corruption and misconduct will go unchecked. And many whistleblowers are skeptical of sharing their information with mainstream media.

"We believe our country desperately needs watchdogs at the local, state and regional level," Tobias said.

Original source: Associated Press
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Chester County's Organic Mechanics makes money on dirt

Entrepreneur Thursday, December 22, 2011

Mark Highland and Organic Mechanics, operating in the tiny Chester County borough of Modena, are achieving success by shaking up the huge specialty soils market.

Founded in 2006, Organic Mechanics is now profitable and will pay off one of its first low-interest business loans this year. The seven-employee firm, which started with just one product, now sells nine different SKUs on the East Coast and in the Midwest at independent garden centers and Whole Foods Markets.

Instead of peat, Organic Mechanics' mixes contain compost, which Highland says requires less watering and is reusable for a second season, another green aspect attractive to serious gardeners.

Original source: Entrepreneur
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Spotlight on small and sustainable York County farm

The Patriot-News Thursday, December 15, 2011

The Patriot-News features a York County farm that incorporates sustainable practices, such as pasture-raising animals and using them to till the soil.

Specifically designed moveable pens for the poultry and pigs are a crucial part of the operation. For example, mobile structures for the pigs are built to be the width of a vegetable row. The porkers till the soil as they voraciously root and forage for food, preparing the ground for the next crop. No Rototiller or tractor is used on the farm, unless you count the animals.

Another resource-saving system is the row of rain barrels lining each side of the hoop house where carrots, peas, lettuces, tomatoes and other vegetable crops grow. The barrels are connected to drip tape irrigation lines that automatically water the vegetable beds. Walden has plans to add a second tier of vegetables above those growing on the ground to maximize the use of space in the hoop house.

(Farmer Homer) Walden learned from other pioneers and their methods, including Joel Salatin and his well-known mobile poultry pens, but refined them with his own designs that he believes make them more efficient. He wants his systems to be easy for kids and older people, not just farmers in prime physical condition.

Original source: The Patriot-News
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Lancaster-York : In the News