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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

I had a pleasant surprise earlier this afternoon that I thought I’d mention. A docent who was leading a small group of us through an exhibition of contemporary art and concepts in modern architecture happened to mention that a certain designer’s works were aimed at minimizing energy in the heating and cooling of our buildings.  Better yet, the artist/architect had been trained as a biologist, and had gotten her ideas from the way grasshoppers cool themselves in the hot summer afternoons.  (more…)

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

I’m sure most readers are aware that 2013 was the driest year on record for us out here in California, and there’s not a drop of rain in the extended weather forecast. The article linked above has some terrific photography on this subject, for those who may be interested.  The subject of the photo in the post itself here is our own Cachuma Lake, just a few miles from our house, less than 40% full at this point, and shrinking further every day.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Last evening, I had an interesting conversation with a reader that I’d thought I’d share.  She asked two good questions:

1) Won’t our efforts to migrate away from fossil fuels hurt our economy?  I explained that this is complex.  Certainly paying more for energy is a drag on the economy, as it adds costs to businesses, and leaves consumers with less disposable income.  But there are other important considerations: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Here’s an article from the New York Times that makes an important point: as industry becomes increasingly aware that climate change is cutting into its bottom line, it takes action – and that action tends to (though does not always) militate in the direction of more eco-friendly business practices.  Case in point: when Coca Cola lost a lucrative deal in India because of the massive drought, it put the wheels in motion for operating strategies that would minimize the waste of water.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Green living has many benefits both for human beings and for nature. Many people today are turning to green living. There are people that want to stick to eco-friendly way of life but don’t know what exactly they should do. If you are such a person, we suggest you take a look at our tips and suggestions for an economical, fun and easy start of green living. Following these simple steps will ensure a simpler lifestyle that won’t be harming the nature or your wallet. So take advantage of our advice. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

Summarizing my position on the Keystone XL  pipeline, energy policy, and job growth: instead of investing in what “Story of Stuff” founder Annie Leonard (pictured) refers to as the “dinosaur economy” of the 20th Century, I would aggressively phase into what really needs to be done: energy efficiency and renewable energy.  The impressive number of permanent and high-paying jobs associated with this transition has been well documented. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Synthetic Fuel

It’s good to see progress being made in biofuels, in particular, feedstock that grows well in the desert, irrigated with salt water.  According to this article, Boeing and research partners in the United Arab Emirates have made some considerable breakthroughs here. 

But it’s hard to imagine how this can be cost-effective, even at scale, given the extremely low efficiency with which plants convert radiant energy from the sun to excess chemical energy, available for us to consume.  Plants evolved to maximize their own survival, not so we could harvest them and use large amounts of extra energy to fly our jets.  It is for this reason that I support efforts like WindFuels, which use large amounts of off-peak energy and point sources of CO2 to synthesize carbon-neutral gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Many people speculate on the future of humankind.  Will we develop technology in time to avert the disasters we’re causing to our environment?  Do we possess the decency and sanity necessary to channel all this technology in a productive direction, or will the stupid, the evil, and the corrupt use it to destroy our civilization?  All of these are unanswerable at this point; all that we, as people of good will can do is to try our best.

What is certain, however, is that the development of technology began in earnest about 400 years ago and hasn’t (and won’t) let up.  I mention this only to celebrate the birthday of Sir Francis Bacon (1561), who, according to the Writers Almanac: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

It appears that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will significantly delay the formal publication of climate-change rules for power plants — rules that could force some coal plants to close. Whether it’s an attempt on the part of Democrats to get past the 2014 elections, or whether it’s rooted in the Republicans friendly relationship with Big Energy, no one seems to know.  Either way, as my colleague Jesse Berst of SmartGridNews reports, “It seems that coal plants will have a reprieve in 2014.”

Unfortunately, this type of behavior is to be expected; there is no reason to think that Washington has the least interest in serving the will of the people, who, according to this report from US News, overwhelming support a rapid migration away from fossil fuels in the direction of renewable energy.

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Earlier today, a friend from the U.K sent me a business plan on a bold new idea in sustainability.  It’s a clever attempt to use the strengths of media in our pop culture to forward a unified voice from “We the People” to the effect that we’re all concerned about the fate of humankind, and that we need to come together to develop and implement solutions to the challenges that stand in the way of a viable future.   (more…)

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