Blog – Page 1353 – 2GreenEnergy.com

Americans Largely Unconcerned About Climate Change

craigshieldsPosted on April 5, 2014 Posted in Climate Change

According to a Gallup Poll taken last month, only 35% of Americans say they worry “a great deal” about climate change, a significantly smaller fraction than 43% of the population who say they worry about the subject “only a little or not at all.” I’ve read a few articles recently that suggest that this is strange, given the recent report from the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) that, to my surprise, made something of a splash in the mainstream media.

Fortunately, climate change is only one of a half-dozen good reasons to knock off our addiction to fossil fuels. Yes, there are people who don’t believe in human-caused global warming. But are there people who don’t believe in terrorism or lung cancer?

The Long and Fascinating History of Solar Energy

craigshieldsPosted on April 4, 2014 Posted in Photovoltaics

Here are all 10 parts of a video I recorded recently on the history of solar energy. It’s an interview with John Perlin, author and scholar-in-residence in the physics department at the University of California at Santa Barbara. John is best known for his highly acclaimed book “Let It Shine! — The 6000 Year Story of Solar Energy.” I certainly learned a great deal from the discussions, and I hope you will too.

I’ve been making my way through the book, and it really is excellent. A great number of my heroes in the field of environmentalism and sustainability, people like Lester Brown, Jeremy Rifkin, and Amory Lovins have written glowing endorsements, and I can see why. It’s very well researched and documented, and presented in an interesting and accessible manner.

I did this with my cell phone, so don’t expect it to look like it came from Steven Spielberg, but I believe you’ll find the content to be of value.
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Tagged with: History of Solar Energy, solar energy video, solar power, solar pv

From Guest Blogger Jason: How Green is My Steel Industry?

craigshieldsPosted on April 4, 2014 Posted in Efficiency

Steel is a critical part of modern civilization. The steel industry is an economic driving force that provides the materials for a wide range of other industries.

The production of steel has historically also been a very dirty process that results in numerous greenhouse gas emissions, slag waste and requires enormous amounts of energy to fire high temperature blast furnaces. (more…)

Tagged with: energy efficient furnaces, environmentally-conscious, green, green it, green tech, recycling steel, steel, steel industry

From Guest Blogger Brett: The UK Government Energy Fact File 2013 Reveals How We Use Energy in Our Homes

craigshieldsPosted on April 3, 2014 Posted in Efficiency

The UK government has recently released the UK Housing Energy Fact File 2013 and there are a fair few interesting points to come out of it, as the following infographic shows, with an analysis below. (more…)

Tagged with: energy efficiency, energy use

From Guest Blogger Sabahat: Time to Give an Unwelcoming Welcome to Whitewashing’s New Partner in Crime: Greenwashing

craigshieldsPosted on April 3, 2014 Posted in Sustainability

In recent years, we’ve all seen a drastic increase in these Green terms when it comes to technology :

“Energy efficient”

“Lead Free monitors”

“Eco Friendly [Can be Recycled]

“Sustainable”

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Tagged with: Greenwashing, sustainability

ExxonMobil Responds To Investors’ Concerns re: the Report of the International Panel on Climate Change

craigshieldsPosted on April 2, 2014 Posted in Fossil Fuels

I had a lengthy breakfast meeting yesterday with 2GreenEnergy’s intern Louis de Saint Phalle, during which we spoke about the overall state of the world vis-à-vis climate change and the fossil fuel industry that, according to our scientists, is the main force driving this ecological catastrophe. My young colleague has lived all over the world, and now, for the time being at least, has consented to live in Santa Barbara, to facilitate my work with him. And it’s not too painful for either of us; this beautiful small city with mild weather affords us few complaints.
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Tagged with: climate change and the fossil fuel industry, ecological catastrophe, ExxonMobil’s response to nervous stockholders, IPCC International Panel on Climate Change, loss of biodiversity, ocean acidification, sea level rise, water and food shortages

Getting Off the Electricity Grid

craigshieldsPosted on April 1, 2014 Posted in Energy Storage

Lots of folks comment on the imperative to “get off the grid,” and I certainly understand that. I’m reminded of a young man who wrote to us shortly after 2GreenEnergy opened in 2009 who was so torqued with Pacific Gas and Electric (the utility serving Northern California and a great deal of adjacent territory up that way), that he wrote, “I HATE PG&E; rather than heat my place in the winter, I wear four or five sweaters and do jumping jacks.”

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Tagged with: battery banks, compressed air energy storage, de-carbonize our energy, energy storage, getting off the grid, Pacific Gas and Electric, phase out fossil fuels, pumped hydro

Energy Policy and Its National Security Implications

craigshieldsPosted on March 31, 2014 Posted in Renewables - Politics

Here is another note to our terrific new intern, Louis de Saint Phalle, who just asked me during a phone call if I had any other ideas to guide his research and writing on the national security implications of energy policy.

Louis, sorry, but I don’t have too many additional thoughts on the matter. I think the most interesting thing would be for you to select and then support (or reject) a basic thesis on the subject, perhaps: The American people are being systematically lied to about the viability of their country’s de facto energy policy (i.e., fossil fuels), the only real winners from which are the fossil fuels companies themselves. (more…)

Tagged with: cost of repairing damages from extreme weather events, de facto energy policy i.e., empowering terrorism and states hostile to US interests, fossil fuels, lung disease and other healthcare issues, national security implications of energy policy

From Guest Blogger Angie: Life 101 — Three Environmental Factors Contributing to Society’s Problems

craigshieldsPosted on March 31, 2014 Posted in Sustainability

Today’s society has a set of problems that are unique to any generation that came before it. From the silent generation on up through the baby boomers, generation X, and now the millennials, each era had its own social problems to work through.

Here are some environmental factors that contribute to modern society’s problems. (more…)

Tagged with: environment, pollution, processed foods

From Guest Blogger Harvey: Saving Water in the Work Place

craigshieldsPosted on March 31, 2014 Posted in Sustainability

An increasingly important element in environmental policy is the preservation of our water supplies. 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water but only 2.5% of this is drinkable fresh water. This freshwater has been on the planet since the time of the dinosaurs. It is recycled and renewed constantly via the water cycle but as the global population increases more pressure is being put on our water supplies.

Water is in a state of crisis, based on statistics reported by the UN, water usage has grown at twice the rate of population increase in the last century. (more…)

Tagged with: conservation, saving, water, water conservation