I thought I’d reproduce here a part of the Thank You letter I receive for my annual contribution to the Turimiquire Foundation, a non-profit whose purpose is to improve the quality of life for the poorest of the poor in a remote part of Northeastern Venezuela. These folks have made a huge difference in the lives of tens of thousands of families, and, in my mind are noteworthy for two main reasons: (more…)
I normally keep my investment strategies to myself, but I was thinking about this just now, and I thought I’d mention some things that make me salivate in terms of opportunities:
First, here’s what I decline to buy:
Won’t buy on moral grounds: anything that includes war machines, fast-food, fossil fuels, tobacco, and corporate news (the six corporations that control over 90% of what you and I take for “news”). What about alcohol? The notion of hypocrisy enters here. I drink a moderate amount of wine in the evenings during the week, and a martini or two on the weekends; I’m certainly not casting stones here. (more…)
In response to my post: Are We Ready for the Next Step in the Evolution Toward (Or Away From) Eco-Consciousness?, frequent commenter Chris writes:
I am equally concerned about too much government as I am about too little government. Too much government in my mind is a do nothing full time state or federal legislative body and too little government was witnessed in the oversight of Wall Street in 2008…. The Arthur Andersen (Enron) and Dynegy fiascos… Legal or illegal shell companies and governments that allow corporations to hide or shield money from taxation. (more…)
Sustainable living is quickly becoming mainstream as businesses, families, and communities incorporate more environmentally friendly standards into every day practices. For example, many families now consciously choose less waste over convenience, and businesses make investments that lead to energy efficiency in the long term. It appears this lifestyle is the inherited legacy of the next generation of scientists and engineers as well, and it has shaped many of their ideas for the future. Here are six examples of sustainable innovations formulated by today’s students.
One of the most common problems faced by cyclists are inattentive motorists, failing to give them right of way or driving too close to them, putting cyclists’ safety at risk. Even though traffic accidents involving cyclists are pretty common, automakers have not been focused on trying to find a solution that would prevent these type of accidents, but Jaguar Land Rover is looking to change that. The British manufacturer has been working on a new safety system, that can make the road much safer for cyclists. (more…)
Since the Mercedes-Benz F-015 is an electric vehicle (with both batteries and fuel cells), one might think it would have EV fans dancing for joy about this incredibly futuristic car. And the language that Mercedes uses is certainly lavish enough: The result is more like a carriage than a rocket ship. Passengers “inhabit” the Mercedes-Benz F 015 rather than drive it, and the interior has the visual cues and physical features of a mobile office rather than the usual jet-fighter cockpit.
Personally, I’m betting against all this extravagant use of interior space for even the wealthy (actually, extremely wealthy) consumers to “inhabit.” (more…)
Tesla Motors’ stock price may be as volatile as the devil. But its steady drumbeat of innovation and promotion sure isn’t. Here’s the latest in what they’re saying about their network of charging stations that require you to pull off the road for as little as 20 minutes: Superchargers enable long-distance travel for free, for life.
That’s some powerful and concise language there. (more…)
I hope readers here check out the comments as well as the posts themselves; there really are some good ones.
Frequent commenter “MarcoPolo” has some pretty right-wing/libertarian beliefs, and, as I’ve told him, “We just need to “agree to disagree” on most points in terms of political philosophy—and even most of the science associated with sustainability.”
Having said that, I normally try to read all comments carefully, especially when they counter my beliefs, to see if there is some concept from which I might benefit. We learn most from our efforts to disconfirm our beliefs, rather than hunting around for things that support what we already think. (more…)
A colleague mentioned that he was one of a large number of investors who had lost money in Raser Geothermal in the 2000s (the “aughts”). I’m well aware of how little talent is required to be a Monday morning quarterback, but from what I know of the pros and cons of geothermal generally, this sounds like it was a bad idea from the beginning.
The concept behind Raser was compressing the timescale required to get a geothermal plant operational by doing the drilling and the plant construction at the same time. (more…)
In response to my recent piece: In Terms of News and Ideas, Most Americans Live on a Bizarre Little Island, my colleague Bob Huff writes: You’re preaching to the choir. I couldn’t agree more. US news is just one new distraction after another to avoid having to address real, resolvable issues (which require an understanding of facts).
Bob: Yes, unfortunately, “preaching to the choir” is an unavoidable aspect of this 2GreenEnergy enterprise; I get unsubscribes from people who think I’m Chicken Little cum Leon Trotsky, (more…)
