Biomimicry
Here’s a great little story of biomimicry in action, i.e., imitating naturally evolved biological processes to improve the design of solutions that benefit human civilization. (more…)
Tagged with: Biomimicry
Coal: The Good News and the Bad News
While domestic coal consumption is at its lowest in the last 40 years, U.S. coal exports are at a record high. Yes, more than half of all coal plants in the U.S. have closed in the last ten years, but we are exporting 116 million tons of coal to 53 countries around the world (the top five of which are India, The Netherlands, Japan, South Korea, and Brazil) resulting in a zero net gain.
Tagged with: U.S. coal exports
Of Dubious Relevance to Environmental Sustainability
Occasionally I’ll come across a photo so wonderful that I feel compelled to put it in a blog post, even though the relevance to environmental sustainability may be something of a stretch. This is one such instance. Obviously, I could write: “This is what we’re working to protect.” There. I like that.
(Bigger version below.) (more…)
Tagged with: environmental sustainability
Franklin Delano Roosevelt on Fascism
Aristotle’s law of non-contradiction states that contradictory propositions cannot both be true. For example, it can’t be both raining and not raining in the same sense at the same time. (more…)
Tagged with: fascist country
Free Speech on College Campuses
The main reason that I haven’t written a book in the last few years is that I’ve come to understand that the issues thwarting environmental sustainability have relatively little to do with the technological and economic aspects of things like renewable energy, and almost everything to do with law and politics. (more…)
Why Has Wave Power Been Slow to Take Off?
Here are excerpts from the article linked below that attempts to answer the question posed above. After each, I’ll add my own comments.
Article: Why has wave power lagged behind other renewable energy sources? (more…)
From Guest Blogger DLight: Off-grid Solar
I promised I would publish this piece for a guest blogger. — Craig
Renewable solar energy became a favorite choice among homeowners as an alternative power source. This energy depends on the sun’s radiation absorbed by solar panels to generate electricity. (more…)
Tagged with: Off-grid Solar
Putting Humpty Dumpty Back Together Again
We’ve all heard the stories in which the ancient Romans sewed salt into the fields of the cities they plundered, making it difficult for future inhabitants to grow crops. While it turns out that these tales are more myth than fact, there is most definitely a tendency for victors to make it hard for those coming later to reverse course. (more…)
Trump’s Budget Calls for a 70% Cut To Renewable Energy Funding
Here’s an article on Trump’s suggestion that the U.S. essentially ax its support of renewable energy. (more…)
Steelmaking: Greater Efficiencies, Reduced Emissions
I thought I’d let you know that I’m just finishing up a writing project for a client, concerning one of the most exciting set of technologies I’ve come across in a long while. When implemented, this will drive incredible improvements to both the energy efficiency and the emissions profile associated with the manufacture of steel, and give rise to an entirely new industry: carbon-neutral synthetic fuels.
A quick summary goes like this: (more…)
