I’m part of a discussion group that is largely composed of scientists whose main concern is the vast damage that our society continues to wreak upon the environment. One of the benefits I derive from this is the ability to read conversations on a range of important issues, like the one I’ve reproduced below on ocean acidification: (more…)
American author Emily Post (pictured), best remembered for her writings on the subject of etiquette, left us with this: “Manners are a sensitive awareness of the feelings of others. If you have that awareness, you have good manners, no matter what fork you use.”
When Post wrote this approximately 100 years ago, it was clear that by “the feelings of others,” she was referring to “others in one’s immediate presence.” In the 21st Century, however, we need to define manners a bit more broadly, in order to include specifically the other seven billion people who are all trying to make their way through life on a small planet with finite resources.
What to make of people who have no regard for this concept? Well, the very nicest thing to say about them is that they have bad manners.
The total number of blog posts here is rapidly approaching 6000, but there was not a single link to an episode of a reality TV show until now, where this home makeover includes an aquaponics garden. It’s hard not to fall in love with this idea, which is why I feature the whole concept as one of my top cleantech investment opportunities.
Why aren’t solar PV cells more efficient? Here’s an answer from a physicist who looks at the problem from the perspective of the Carnot Limit, i.e., the theoretical limit to the efficiency of a heat engine, which is a function of the difference between the absolute temperature of two bodies (in this case, the sun and the Earth). (more…)
Reader “Ben” writes: Hi Craig, Have you seen this? If it’s true it’s a real eye-opener! (The narrator seems kind of annoying at first but stick with it, you’ll probably get used to her. What she says is pretty stunning.)
No, I hadn’t seen it. There is a ton of truth here, but I would offer the following four comments: (more…)
Earlier in the week, I recorded a terrific conversation I had with 2GreenEnergy “Associate” Kathryn Alexander, who runs a consultancy on corporate responsibility and sustainability called “Act For Leadership.” Kathryn explains how the corporate world is in a transitional phase between “more is better” and “bigger is better” to “let’s make a difference” and “let’s create an impact.” Her prime example, of course, is Apple, whose mission is to make the world a better place via the use of computers. Some would say they’ve been moderately successful. 🙂
Here are each of the four parts of the discussion: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.
My old friend and brilliant colleague Steve Vachss (pictured below, right) writes about what he perceives to be the key force that has fashioned the U.S. into the leader of the world. He cites our favorable geography, and explains how it has given rise to advantages in global trade, agricultural self-sufficiency, a uniform language, and protection from would-be attackers. He goes on to question how much longer this uniqueness can sustain American hegemony in an era when warfare has gone high-tech and missiles can cross the oceans in just a few hours. (more…)
Recent reports commissioned by the US Department of Energy and Osram Sylvania indicate that LED is slowly but surely becoming the preeminent technology in new lighting applications. This is great news for the environment, due to the efficiency of LED lighting, but there are still other factors to consider when choosing the right outdoor lighting. The brightest light for the fewest watts might help with the energy bill, but it is not necessarily the best way to help the planet. (more…)
In a recent rundown in the International Business Times of the world’s most polluted cities, India was placed on the list six times. Delhi, Patna and Gwalior are three of the cities most affected.
Population growth and industrial development, amongst other issues, have taken their toll on the environment in India. This has led to severe air and water pollution; waste disposal problems; and pollution of the natural environment. (more…)
Generally, I’m extremely skeptical of claims about breakthroughs in battery technology. As they say, “There are lies, damn lies, battery specifications, and battery salesmen.” For some reason however, I have a tendency to believe the gist of this article on sodium-ion, as a replacement chemistry for lithium-ion (perhaps because it comes with the imprimatur of Gary Tulie, 2GreenEnergy super-supporter).
In essence, we’re talking about something that could approach the performance of lithium-ion at much lower cost and with better safety. This seems credible given the relative abundance of sodium vs. lithium, and the advantages of the chemistry vis-à-vis the absence of unwanted characteristics like self-heating. Needless to say, this is a very big deal for the adoption curve associated with electric vehicles.
I’ll be particularly interested in reader feedback on this one.
