Yesterday I made a flippant and slapdash remark to a reader who questions the role of government support for renewable energy, where he was commenting on my piece about “Big Wind.” In my apology, I wrote:
I should have taken the time to express myself better. Here’s an attempt in that direction, using the following bullet points: (more…)
They say the future of our planet becomes relevant when we choose to invest in the next generation. In theory, decorating a home is easy. The right furniture and a perfect color blend should be enough to satisfy our need for a pretty space. However, when you’re decorating a space for your child, you’re forced to think about more than just design. Safety should also be a priority. When decorating their room, find a way to merge beautiful furniture with practical elements. Create a greener environment that’s appealing and comfortable, but also practical and safe. Here are some guidelines to help you out. (more…)
2GreenEnergy Supporter Gary Tulie writes from his home in scenic Buckinghamshire, England (pictured): Hi Craig, I have wondered for a long time how big wind turbines might eventually get. This article indicates a possibility of reaching 50 MW per turbine. With blades 200 metres long for a sweep of around 420 metres diameter and the blade tips traveling 1320 metres or 0.8 miles with every rotation.
Yes, I know you’re interested in this; one of the key contributions you made to “Bullish on Renewable Energy” covered this section. This article is truly amazing.
Gary then cautions: Don’t expect them on the market next week! My guess is modest scale proof of concept by around 2020, commercial applications at 10 to 20 MW by 2030, with larger machines maybe by 2040.
As I wrote yesterday, Obama is not checking out of here without making some extremely important reforms before he goes, and he seems to be picking up the pace as the time for his departure from office nears. Here he’s going after Citizens United, the US Supreme Court decision that grants corporations the right to spend as much money as they like to influence our elections and eviscerate our democracy. (more…)
In the modern world, scarcity of resources has made human beings adopt recycling techniques to avoid wastage of what is already scarce. By so doing usage of raw materials is reduced and prevent pollution of the environment hence making planet earth habitable for both living and non-living. There are several ways of managing waste such as: (more…)
Frank from Florida writes: How can a pro-nuke person honestly say that he or she is “concerned for our descendants and all species around us?” Don’t they know that after a nuclear accident it takes generations for living things to come back and thrive? (more…)
When it comes to the design and construction of sustainable, “green” buildings, the use of geothermal to provide heating and air conditioning may be the single most important and exciting concept around.
Of course, developers, architects, and owners of large industrial and commercial real estate (as well as multi-family residences) can earn LEED points for everything from bicycle racks to waterless urinals, and there is nothing wrong with that. (more…)
Those of us who concern ourselves with environmental matters unanimously agree that the Obama Administration has represented a complete about-face in this arena from that which came before. Yet it’s hard not to notice our president’s work in dozens of other humanitarian matters, e.g., this one, where he banned solitary confinement for juveniles. (Pictured: a boy sentenced to life in prison at age 12; if you can think of anything more stupid and heartless, please let me know.)
Sir: You have almost a year left, and so many reforms left to make in the name of decency and compassion. Don’t. Slow. Down.
Here’s a discussion about a senior scientist’s attempt to deal with rising CO2 levels as they pertain to ocean acidification. He favors seeding the seas with lime (calcium oxide, from limestone, pictured left), and explains why basalt (which is super-abundant) isn’t as good:
We have years, not decades, to keep ocean pH from dropping below 8.0, where extinctions are guaranteed. Ocean warming already makes that even more difficult because it aggravates the effect of pH drop. (more…)
It’s the birthday of the man who created the Periodic Table of Elements – Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev. A couple of things bear mentioning here.
• There is nothing in the visible universe that isn’t some combination of items on that chart that we all remember from our high school chemistry classes (though it’s been expanded since those days). (more…)
