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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

A Reminder from American Anthropologist Margaret MeadFrequent commenter MarcoPolo notes: The evolution of human society is never logical or well ordered, instead it’s fairly chaotic with all kinds of cul-de-sacs and blind alleys, but it does progress.

Yes, it does progress, but most of the real strides are driven by the brave and bold acts of a few.  Now, I’m not calling myself “brave and bold,” but it’s clear that our world changes because we make it change.  You’ve heard the quote to the left 100 times before, but it’s worth repeating.

The point: we have far more power to change the world around us than we’re led to believe.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

Who Manufactures the "News" We Receive?Here’s a quote from today’s edition of The Writer’s Almanac that I hope readers will find relevant:

Today is the birthday of … pioneering broadcast journalist Fred W. Friendly (pictured)….a large persuasive man, with strongly held opinions, (who) frequently butted heads with the network executives over their commitment to hard news over commercial interests. His forthright criticism of the network’s priorities caused him to leave CBS in 1966 when coverage of a hearing on Vietnam was scrapped in place of a rerun of I Love Lucy. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Attempting to Communicate Important Points on Clean EnergyWhen I speak in public on renewables I try to cut up a little, as I believe humor helps the audience receive my message more completely and lets the concepts sink in better.

I hope you’ll check this out, and see if you think I’m right.

It doesn’t get any better.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

When we think about the biggest carbon footprint culprits in the world, several things immediately come to mind – transportation (traffic), industry and power stations. True, these are some of the biggest contributors to the pollution, but there is another carbon footprint contributor which is not that obvious. It is, believe it or not, buildings. For instance, in the US alone, the commercial and residential building sector accounts for 39% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission per year, more than any other economy sector. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

What Goes Around Comes Around? We’ve all heard that “everything happens for a reason.”

Personally, I don’t believe that, but I most certainly do enjoy the hell out of it when justice mysteriously happens somewhere in the world.

Check this out.  (I do, of course, feel sorry for the dogs.)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

The World Is Gradually Saying No To Bottled WaterIn business meetings, I’m careful not to appear like some sort of pedantic enviro-nerd when I refuse to open up a bottle of Dasani or Aquafina, but I honestly think it’s just plain wrong to support this eco-catastrophic and deliberately mislabeled product.  That’s why I’m so happy to see purveyors on the run.

From the article: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Nuclear

The Pro-Nuke People Who Hate Renewables Are Relentless, But a Bit SillyThe pro-nuke people who are trying so desperately to eradicate solar and wind continue their tirade: Wind is a huge waste….. One full scale turbine has enough steel and concrete to build a safe 4th gen MSR with hundreds of times the energy output that is 24/7, doesn’t need fossil fuel backup or pumped water storage.  To me the faster we put the stake through the heart of wind the better. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

download (2)In rough numbers, there are 6200 posts here, about 5000 of which are mine, and, of those, there are probably 20 on the subject of writing per se.   Here’s one more….

Occasionally, we who write prose for a living are reminded of how greatly limited we are in our mode of expression, in ways that poets are not. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

Five Ways Energy Efficiency Can Improve Indoor Air QualityIf you haven’t got a job that involves being outdoors or driving vehicles then the chances are you are stuck indoors, and believe it or not we tend to spend 90% of our times indoors these days. Gone are the days of games outside, thanks to the introduction of computers and gaming consoles.

However, were you aware that most bacteria, allergens and mold are sharing that indoor space with you? No, we didn’t think so. Worse still, did you know that pollution levels inside the house are substantially more than the pollution outdoors? We are talking as high as 100 times more indoors than outdoors in some cases. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainable Building

Natural Materials for the HomeCreating the perfect “natural” home is difficult. With so many external pressures – fashion trends, price, environmental issues – it can be tricky to truly nail down everything you want. But for every plastic or metal household decor choice out there, there is a natural alternative.

Today, we’re going to look at just a few ways you can work in these natural materials into your home. While a 100% natural home isn’t possible – unless you want to live in a cave or a hut – these will certainly be enough to create a few rooms full of natural charm. (more…)

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