Dr. Katharine Hayhoe’s presentation yesterday on global warming was fabulous.
Of particular interest was her position on her Christian faith as it affects the role she plays as a scientist and advocate for climate change mitigation. (more…)
Today’s the big day for environmentalists living near Santa Barbara; Dr. Katharine Hayhoe is speaking at Westmont College, an extremely high-end interdenominational Christian liberal arts college. (more…)
There are probably a dozen posts here on biomimicry, the science of looking at nature for clues as to designing things and solving problems. As the subject’s most visible spokesperson, Janine Benyus, says in her fabulous Ted Talk, “For centuries we’ve been learning about nature; now it’s time to learn from her.”
Janine Benyus at TEDGlobal 2009
The meme here claims to be about biomimicry, and, at a certain level, it most certainly is, but I wonder if its creator wasn’t suggesting that this is the way our entire civilization should function.
The challenge: Our civilization is as far from making a concerted effort to make this happen as we are to putting an end to war or deciding that it’s wrong for 26 people to have the same collective wealth as the bottom 3.8 billion, or giving up our notions that our own race or religion is superior to all others. (more…)
The headline above is the claim of the boat pictured here. Let’s do a little math. We’ll assume that the solar panels are the standard size (65″ X 39″), and they have a 25% efficiency. In full sun that’s close to directly overhead, that’s about 11 KW or 14.7 horsepower. (more…)
Market conditions are forcing the shuttering of coal plants, which are being replaced by natural gas and renewable energy. So why do we have a reversal of the trend towards lower emissions that began in 2005? (more…)
2250 megawatt coal-fired power plant
From the American Energy Society:
The Trump administration is looking into shutting down Energy Star, a 25-year-old voluntary regulatory program run by the EPA. Launched in 1992, Energy Star sets efficiency standards in more than 70 product categories, including appliances, heating and cooling, and lighting equipment. (more…)
I was in London for a few days when the OJ Simpson trial was going on, and, to my astonishment, most of the folks over there were tracking this event far more closely than many Americans. I learned not to assume that foreigners are uninterested in the bizarre goings-on in American justice. (more…)
If you happen to be within a train ride of Santa Barbara, you may want to join me this Thursday in checking out a talk by Katharine Hayhoe at Westmont College, an extremely high-end interdenominational Christian liberal arts college. (more…)
Here’s a nice photo presentation of aquaponics-based farming.
I’m ashamed to admit that my initial reaction to this was quite negative. “You’re going to use energy to light the place and pump nutrient-rich water across the plants’ roots? There is a reason that God gave us dirt, rain, and sunshine,” I smirked. (more…)
Here’s a 
