This week in Awesome Stories, we look at amazing places, solar energy, sugar powered batteries, success and education.

Amazing Places

image credits: imgur.com | mindphoto.blog.fc2.com

I would I love to see some of these amazing places. Several call me deeply like the tulip fields and the Hitachi Seaside Park, but these wisteria tunnels look so welcoming that I’d like to curl up and rest a while in their warm glow. How about you? What’s your favorite?

Kudos to Kenya

Kenya has just unveiled bold plans to build 9 huge solar plants with the goal to generate 50% of their electricity from solar by 2016. Whether they can meet this audacious plan in unknown. If they do, it would be a great example for other developing countries. Solar investment is already growing in Kenya and other developing countries, who might bypass fossil fuel, going straight to renewable energy systems. Kudos to Kenya!

Keep Swimming

Boy did I need this the other day. I was having a very challenging day and simply watching this helped me let go a little and at least smile. Simple and wise advice. Sometimes the best we can do is just keep moving.

Sweet Success!

Researchers at Virginia Tech have developed a process to make batteries from sugar! The batteries would be biodegradable with no harm to the environment, nor risk of fire like in current batteries. Zhang claims that within 3 years, these new batteries could be running some of the cell phones, tablets, video games and other electronic gadgets. Professor Zhang and his department have several successes in working with enzymes in unique ways. He’s published articles on creating edible starch from non-food plants and developed a new way to extract hydrogen in an economical and environmentally friendly way that can be used to power vehicles.

Kandi Machine

The Kandi Machine is a clever idea. This Chinese electric car company, Kandi Technologies, stores electric cars in a vertical garage and rents them by the hour to help commuters get around in Hangzhou. The idea is to make electric cars accessible and easy while helping drivers be more green. The government has started to encourage electric cars to help allieviate congestion and pollution. The garages sound fun and may help change the idea of car ownership. You put in your credit card and out comes a car; everything is automated! They seem to have thought of everything; offering hourly, daily and even long term leases with battery charging and swapping all included. I want one here!

Chasing Success

Sam Polk shares an intimate look at the greed and addiction-like behavior that drove him and many others to chase money and success. I’m glad I walked away at a young age, though at times I still yearn for material ease, which is something I haven’t experienced for a long time. Since then, I’ve been chasing spiritual success with the hope, or maybe delusion, that it will make me happy. That’s the pot of gold I’ve been chasing. How about you?

Lately, my focus is more on compassion, self love and surrendering to love.

Study Abroad

Norway and other northern European countries often lead the world in studies on quality of life. Norway takes this even further by offering advanced education to anyone who wants it for free, even foreign students. Wow! If you like the idea, you can sign a petition that Credo Mobile is promoting for free tuition at public colleges.

What’s beautiful in your life? Keep on appreciating and growing it! Blessings, Brad