The green movement has produced more gardeners than ever before.
People wanting to have rich delicious fruits and vegetables from their backyard instead of pesticide-ladened ones from the grocery have made a beeline to begin their gardens.
There are many benefits to having an organic garden, here are just a few of them.
What is Organic Gardening? (more…)
Choosing an electric car over a gasoline vehicle saves the environment from harmful emissions, but there are other things to take into consideration besides Mother Nature.
Although full electric vehicles are not yet widely adopted in the United States, the electric buzz is spreading across the nation.
So, what are some things to keep in mind for drivers thinking about going electric and how many Americans are already plugging in their cars?
Some Surprising Statistics (more…)
Good things are happening in The Philippines. According to this report, there are three different reasons that they’re outpacing China in terms of economic growth. They’re also deeply committed to a diverse, eclectic renewable energy strategy. Though it’s not mentioned in their website (linked above), I happen to know that they’re looking at OTEC (ocean thermal energy conversion) (more…)
As suggested here, I’ve been asked to do some work for a lobbying form in Washington DC, helping a few of their clients, where appropriate, apply for government grant money. The process has heightened my awareness of the workings of government, and, as a consequence, the rhetoric used to describe our nation’s focus on sustainability. Here’s a press release that really “lays it on with a trowel,” as my favorite grade-school English teacher used to say.
We’d all love to believe that our government was honestly concerned about all this good stuff, and acted consistently and effectively to save us money, trim bloat, protect our well-being, and conserve natural resources. This, however, seems to be a clear case of “the lady dost protest too much, methinks.”
WASHINGTON — The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) continues to save taxpayer dollars by increasing energy efficiency and reducing pollution according to the recently released sustainability and energy performance scorecard for Fiscal Year 2012. GSA uses the Office of Management and Budget scorecard as a benchmark to identify and track progress toward meeting sustainability and energy performance goals. Under Executive Order 13514, President Barack Obama directed federal agencies to lead by example in clean energy and to meet a range of energy, water, pollution, and waste reduction targets.
“Going green saves green, and at a time of shrinking budgets GSA remains committed to helping government cut costs by increasing sustainability,” said Acting Administrator Dan Tangherlini. “GSA continues to demonstrate ongoing progress towards implementing the President’s Executive Order targets, and is uniquely positioned to help other federal agencies meet their goals.”
GSA has worked to green federal buildings through the use of innovative technologies such as solar panels, advanced lighting systems, geothermal technology, wind power, and low-flow plumbing systems. Last year, GSA reduced water usage in buildings by nearly 20 percent from FY 2007, ahead of its goal of 10 percent, leading to a cost avoidance of approximately $6.5 million. GSA avoided spending $65.5 million on energy in FY 2012 by reducing energy use intensity levels in its buildings by nearly 25 percent from FY 2003, ahead of its goal of 21 percent. The agency also exceeded its FY 2020 greenhouse gas reduction target in FY 2012, reducing emissions by more than 35 percent from FY 2008 levels — that’s equivalent to taking 162,000 vehicles off the road for a year.
In addition to being on track to meet its own sustainability goals, GSA procures sustainable products and services to help make a more sustainable government.
According to an email I received yesterday:
Last year, Monsanto spent nearly $6 million on lobbying, and their payoff was the “Monsanto Protection Act,” which was written anonymously, passed in secret, and allows Monsanto to keep selling genetically engineered seeds even if a federal court says they may pose a health risk. Now, Monsanto has sneaked an amendment into the farm bill that would block GMO labeling laws moving forward in states like Vermont and Connecticut. This time, Monsanto may have gone too far. A massive backlash is growing against the Monsanto Protection Act, and Senator Jeff Merkley is demanding a floor vote to repeal it. (more…)
In response to my rhetorical question at the conclusion of my recent post on climate change: “(Given that we appear incapable of going after the problem itself), are we going to put dikes around the 217,490 miles of the planet’s coast lines?” frequent commenter Glenn Doty writes:
Part of the disconnect lies in the fact that the models from the IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) don’t show that we’ll need dikes around most of the coast-line within 20-40 years, and no government plans for a longer time frame than that.
Excellent point. Regarding (more…)
According to this article in SmartGridNews, Consolidated Edison, the power utility that serves New York City and the surrounding region, is in the process of spending $1 billion to upgrade its power delivery infrastructure so to minimize outages in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.
“Sandy caused incredible damage to our energy delivery systems, disrupting the lives of millions of New Yorkers,” said Con Edison Chairman and CEO Kevin Burke. “While we recognize that these weather events represent a ‘new normal,’ our goal through our investments is to lessen the hardships that violent weather causes for our customers.”
I found it interesting that the increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events and the climate change that is causing them are so openly acknowledged by captains of industry. It’s hard to understand how people of this stature can affirm the existence of an enormous threat, and bulk up on infrastructure to alleviate the symptoms, but not put a plan in place to deal with the problem itself. Are we going to put dikes around the 217,490 miles of the planet’s coast lines?
I know many readers share my excitement about the physics behind clean energy, and appreciate the opportunity to learn more at every available opportunity. To that end, let me share with you a YouTube channel that I know you’ll enjoy. Here’s one segment of it, concerning the molecular structure of glass and the transfer of energy with in, which, while it might sound like a snooze, is incredibly well done and captivating for audiences of all academic backgrounds.
I’m sure readers will join me in checking out other episodes that may have even stronger bearing on the science of renewables. Please post some links in the comments section if you come across something you’d like to share.
The wedding I attended on the Outer Banks of North Carolina earlier this week led to a chance encounter with Bob Solarz, a good friend of my brother. Even Bob’s last name itself sounds like a propitious start for a conversation on clean energy and sustainability, and sure enough, he’s the president of a full-service civil engineering and consulting company whose focus is sustainability. Bob told me all about some of the projects he’s done, including this one, Kensington CAPA High School, Philadelphia, PA, which won LEED Platinum Certification.
Bob’s company, Gilmore and Associates, does a great deal of work in that region of the country that taps into their skills in sustainable water management, low-impact development (LID) planning and design, and several other related disciplines. I enjoyed the conversation, learned a great deal, and came away gratified that there is so much attention being applied to ensure that each one of our new buildings is environmentally responsible.
Keep up the good work!
My mother and I spent a wonderful day together on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, our destination for the wedding of my eldest nephew, and the eldest of Mom’s five grandchildren. Our task for the day was to find a number of interesting places where we could take a few short walks, getting some exercise and learning a bit about the local environment. And of course, in addition to all this good stuff, I’m always on the alert for material for this blog.
Our first stop was (more…)
