Epcot: Land of eco-propaganda

Rhetorical question for you: Are airboat tours really eco-friendly?

I found myself wondering that here during my Florida vacay in the Everglades after our boat ran over I think our third coot (one of those small black water birds that pops in and out of the water).

Anyway, we went over to Epcot yesterday with the Brit tourists we came down here to visit (why else would we come to Orlando in August)? I was amazed by how many of the exhibits were focused on environmental issues. Guess I just forgot that science is sort of the whole point of the place. Anyhow, a couple of things worth noting. First, I was intrigued to find that something like 10 percent of our current energy needs are served by renewable energy sources. I suppose I thought it was more.

There were two other exhibits that fascinated me, when I got past the extremely annoying product placement mentions.

One had to do with sustainable farming, which I will have to research more when I am home and not writing blog entries on my iPhone. Two words for you, though: eggplant tree (for those gardeners who don't actually have space to garden in).

The thing I can link to right now, since the Disney "cast" graciously provided little info sheet is a couple of cool technologies that were in the House of Innoventions (their version of a high-tech home).

Worth mentioning are the Magic Planet from Global Imagination. I totally wish I had one of these thing when I was in school. Think of your basic global and then think of it digital. This a basically a spherical display that never goes out of date. You can pull up all the latest atmospheric and climate information about the regions you're exploring. I haven't the foggiest idea of what it costs. But worth checking out.

The other cool product was a hot waterheater from WaterFilm Energy. Instead of constantly making hot water, it monitors the state of the supply within the house and adjusts accordingly.

Growing weary of the iPhone screen.