The word “harbinger” was on our vocabulary list in sixth grade. The robin is a harbinger of spring.
I hadn’t come across it too often in the last 50 years…until yesterday, when 350.org’s comment today on Peabody Energy’s (the world’s largest coal producer) bankruptcy as “harbinger of the end of fossil fuels.” (more…)
This morning I happened to see an interview with the spokesperson for Amnesty International whose focus is abolishing the death penalty. No real surprises here, though perhaps a representation of today’s troubled times: (more…)
Here’s an article that speaks to the role of financial incentives for electric vehicles, the point of which is that they may not be necessary in the near future. Germany, e.g., has an EV penetration rate the same as the US, but with no incentives.
Caption: We all share a collective responsibility to be effective stewards of our environment.
I try to keep them easy to read and positive in tone.
The top line is a reference to a Cat Stevens song of the early 1970s, which, unfortunately, was 25 years before most of my audience was born. I wound up keeping it because it “works” whether or not the reader understands the allusion.
To many people, a “green business” might only exist in the form of mega successful tech companies like Google and Microsoft. The truth is, any business can help save the Earth, and they certainly should. Reducing waste and recycling does wonders for the planet, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to greening up your business. Follow these suggestions and you’ll not only be well on your way to making the Earth a cleaner and healthier place to live, but you’ll save tons of money as well. (more…)
In response to an earlier piece, a staunch advocate of free-market economics objected to the notion of a government’s making policy that phases out fossil fuels in favor of renewables, on the basis that it’s an “ideology,” and notes: “Losers always want to change the rules.”
Two points: (more…)
In the U.S., perhaps the most important legal battle pertaining to environmental sustainability and climate change is the centerpiece of the Obama administration’s efforts in this arena, the Clean Power Act. (more…)
There must be 200 posts here since 2GE’s inception in 2009 dealing with the imperative to remove Big Money from U.S. politics. The reason? Though we happen to be focused on renewable energy here, the American people will never get any of the things they want: clean energy, Wall Street reformation, universal healthcare, tighter background checks for prospective gun owners, better public education or whatever, until our lawmakers become responsive to our needs and not those of the huge moneyed interests. (more…)
Unfortunately, most of our politicians approach their role from the perspective of law; in fact, four of the last nine U.S. presidents had degrees in the subject. But what happens when someone comes along with a perspective of environmental and social justice? Check out the article linked above.
I’ve written about this earlier, but it’s such a wonderful topic that it bears repeating–and celebrating.
As my colleague Jon LeSage reports in the April edition of his Green Auto Digest, EV sales are approaching 1% of all vehicle sales in the U.S. But is this cause for celebration or sadness?
Personally, I choose the former. Everything seems to be coming into alignment as far as the migration away from oil in the transportation sector is concerned: longer range, lower prices, better charging infrastructure, and the slow but sure elimination of coal from the electric grid-mix.
