I was happy to be a guest on Rex Parry’s “Business To Business Radio” show this morning; it airs on KFNX 1100 AM in Phoenix.  There were two 7.5-minute segments, that can be found here and here.

Rex demonstrated that he is a well-informed guy who asks good questions.  I was impressed.

He says he wants to do this regularly; I’m in.

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T. Boone Pickens says: “The Keystone XL oil pipeline would eliminate the United States’ dependence on OPEC.  Canadians say they have 250 billion barrels [of tar sands, the dirtiest form of crude]. That’s exactly what the Saudis claim they have,” he told CNBC. “You’re sitting there with the same amount of oil available to the United States from Canada . . . as [from] Saudi Arabia.”

No offense, but I think we already knew this. (more…)

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Here’s a terrific video on the pros and cons of self-driving cars.   Astonishingly, it looks like we are indeed headed in that direction.

To me, this is an example of a sad fact about our civilization and our modes of technological innovation.   (more…)

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Hello, I am a senior at the University of Central Florida. I am in an organization called The Unifying Theme and we are conducting a research project about the attitudes people have about the environment in correlation with their hometown and environment around them. It requires people from across the globe to submit videos answering a short set of questions. Detailed information can be found in the link above.  Please let me know if you have any other questions! Any help spreading the word or even doing the video yourself would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

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The second that electric cars started showing up on dealer lots, people took to the Internet and started sharing different stories and myths about the electric car. While some of these myths may be a little more grounded in truth than others, it’s clear that a great deal of hyperbole and (indeed) even some hysteria have surrounded this mode of transportation. Subsequently, it’s way past time to debunk a few of these myths. (more…)

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Small world. I’m a member of a tiny, local club:  The Savvy Investors of Santa Barbara.  We have no more than 20 people at our monthly meetings, and take turns doing talks on our areas of expertise.  What are the odds that next week’s speaker would also be in sustainable energy policy?

This Monday evening, Rinaldo Brutoco, a fabulous public speaker, has the podium. (more…)

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Here’s a comment on a post I just read from a fellow named Grant Schreiber that struck me, as it addresses my oft-made point about the issues of population growth and sustainability.  He writes:

The planet has too many First World people. If you’re scratching out a living on a dirt farm somewhere in South Asia, it hardly matters if you have one kid or ten. If you’re living in the U.S., your only child is far more damaging to the planet than entire villages. Consumerism, not population, is the threat. The poor kids that work in the factories that make the toys the rich kids play with for twenty minutes before breaking are not the problem. The magical thinking is that there can be infinite growth on a finite planet. The religion is Mammon, the worship of greed. (more…)

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Although the news may be filled with headlines about solar energy, solar incentives, and the benefits of going solar, many homeowners still have lots of questions about solar power, how it works, and the cost of its installation.  Solar is an ideal way to power your home.  Once you understand how this form of energy works and how it can save you money while providing reliable electricity, you’ll want to make the switch to solar energy.  In addition, solar is a clean energy that is as good for your home as it is for the environment. (more…)

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One of the most prominent arguments against solar power is the fact the sunlight is used to generate power and can be thwarted with clouds or nightfall. Although sunlight is indeed one of the most powerful of methods for this kind of technology, it isn’t as mandatory as some would like you to believe. It’s not the Sun that generates the power for solar cells to collect, but it’s the intensity of the light itself. (more…)

We’re reaching the closing months of 2013, a year that many were afraid would never even occur (we can recall the craze of December 2012, despite zero scientific evidence the world would end). Luckily, 2013 not only happened, but also brought a corporate push toward renewable energy that will hopefully continue to spread. Earlier this year Walgreens announced it will be building the nation’s first zero net retail building. For the first time, customers will be privileged enough to shop in a major retail store with zero net energy consumption. (more…)

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