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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

What Is Green Mining And How Does It Help The Environment?Green mining in general refers to the latest technological advancements in the mining industry that allows for lower waste production and lowered environmental impact. Aimed at the preservation of Mother Nature, green mining also seeks to reduce the use and wastage of water in the mining procedures. Green Mining is said to have been originated in Quebec, Canada where several groundbreaking technologies were developed by the Canadian Mining Industry. Explosive free rock breaking technology produces less waste by electrically heating up veins containing the valuable gems and minerals. Listed below, are the various ways by which Green Mining helps the environment. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Three Ways to Build a Greener Business with ISO 14001The ISO 14001 standard is one of the best ways to show how green and sustainable your business is. With the environment high on the agenda for many businesses, it’s no surprise that the number of ISO 14001 certificates issued since 2004 have gone up by over 70 percent! So let’s take a look at some of the ways that ISO 14001 helps to build a greener business.

Actively Seek Room for Improvement (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

A Fond Welcome to Meghan Seyler, One of our Newest Interns at 2GreenEnergyI’m so happy that Meghan Seyler has decided to dedicate some of her time this summer to the cause here.  I love her passion for the subjects of cleantech and sustainability, and the incredible pace at which she works.

Currently, Meghan’s working on a research project to understand what Google and the other high-flying tech giants are doing in the development of cleantech.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

What Does “Sustainability” Really Mean?Every month or so I have a good reason to go to the San Francisco Bay Area, normally for a conference on renewable energy, or perhaps a few meetings with clean energy entrepreneurs or investors.  Because I live in the northern part of Santa Barbara County, driving is by far my best option, and my favorite part of this is that the drive provides me with a long period of time (about four hours) to listen to radio programming that I otherwise would have missed.

During my trip up north a couple of weeks back I enjoyed a terrific hour-long conversation on sustainable seafood, in which a panel of three or four experts discussed the matter, then took calls.  Here are a few highlights: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Sustainable TransportationFrom where you’re sitting right this minute, can you take public transportation to the airport? Many of your answers will be in the affirmative.  Maybe you’re in Paris, and you take the RER to De Gaulle.  Or maybe you’re in my home town, Philadelphia, and you take Septa to PHL.

But for most of us in the U.S., the answer is no.  And what does that tell you about your local government’s commitment (by which I mean its real commitment, vs. what they’re telling you) to eco-consciousness and sustainability?  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

2GreenEnergy on the East CoastI’ll be headed back to the East Coast in the week following, this one for a ton of meetings in New York City, then headed south for appointments in rural Pennsylvania and finally Washington DC.

Unfortunately (once I leave Manhattan) I’ll be driving, as the train doesn’t serve my intermediate stops very well at all.  The train is less expensive and far better for the environment; it doesn’t slow down for toll booths, and it doesn’t get speeding tickets; it also provides the opportunity to write and do other work.  Unfortunately, it only goes where the tracks take it.

In any case, if you happen to be in the vicinity and want to get together and talk about renewable energy investment opportunities, please let me know.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

“Years of Living Dangerously" Covers Climate Change in a Fantastically Interesting WayUnfortunately, the masterpiece documentary series on climate change “Years of Living Dangerously” that aired from April to June of this year was made available only on the cable channel “Showtime,” and so had a fairly limited viewership.  That’s a pity, as last night at the University of California at Santa Barbara, my wife and I came to learn how incredibly well-done this series was; we attended a screening of one of the nine shows that were produced, after which Adam Bolt, one of the show’s writer/editors, participated in an interview, and then took questions from the audience. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Driverless Cars?  Say It Ain’t SoNissan CEO Carlos Ghosn made some radical statements this week on Nissan’s beating its competitors by rolling out driverless cars for sale by 2020.

Say it ain’t so.  I’m so disappointed to see that the automotive world is even talking about heading in this direction.

There is so much wrong about the 20th Century auto paradigm, which is essentially defined as follows: Everyone of driving age aspires to own a 4000-pound piece of steel that burns gasoline, sits unused 23+ hours per day, has, on average, 0.25 passengers in the one remaining hour, costs a fortune, and clogs our freeways and parking lots.   

Please don’t tell me the new paradigm keeps virtually all this waste and insanity in place. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Smart Grid

News Flash: Public Education Is Important in Smart Grid ImplementationApparently, the main reason that the U.K. is doing far better than the U.S. in terms of implementing smart meters is that those clever Brits embarked on a plan to educate the public on the benefits before (rather than after) they began to distribute the product.  Who knew?

Sarcasm aside, it’s a sad truth that the average American has a very weak understanding of the major issues surrounding the generation, transmission, distribution and consumption of energy—as well as the environmental consequences of our non-existent energy policy.

Of course, this lack of understanding is not an accident; it’s the product of a carefully conceived plan to confuse and misinform voters-to convince them that a vibrant economy and a sustainable approach to energy are mutually exclusive.  The precise opposite is true.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

The Future of Transportation: The Dreaded Parking MeterI have both good and bad news for folks who own cars and occasionally have to park them in urban areas.

First the good news:  Almost 20% of the gasoline consumed in urban driving is eaten up by people looking for parking spaces, and the parking meters of tomorrow will be able to tell your smart phone when those spaces are available, virtually eliminating this horrific waste of resources and contribution to the overall levels of pollution, to say nothing of the aggravation associated with this activity.

The bad news?  A friend of mine in the venture capital community told me the other day that one of his projects is the development of parking meters that automatically write tickets upon the expiration of time; i.e., you’ll get a ticket if you’re a nanosecond late to pick up your car.  I refrained from comment; as my second grade teacher used to say, “If you can’t say something nice (and I couldn’t), don’t say anything at all.”

 

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