Blog – Page 1492 – 2GreenEnergy.com

For Most of Us, Our Styles of Driving Reflect Our Modern-Day Eco-Sensibilities

craigshieldsPosted on January 3, 2015 Posted in Electric Vehicles

When my father taught me to drive 45 years ago he passed along his best advice on the subject, one piece of which I remember quite vividly: Don’t back up one inch farther that you need to. He told me, “You’ll have at least 1000 times more accidents per mile driven going backward than you will have going forward.”

When I taught my kids to drive just a few years ago, I made sure they got that too, but I also passed this along as well: (more…)

Tagged with: instantaneous MPG, maximize EV range, those driving electric vehicles

Are We Making Progress in Our Discussions on Climate Change?

craigshieldsPosted on January 3, 2015 Posted in Climate Change

Frequent commenter Cameron Atwood notes: Climate denialists in congress have now slowly gone from claiming human climate disruption is “a hoax,” to “it’s nature, not humans,” to admitting “I’m not a scientist.” I’d say that’s a little progress. (more…)

Tagged with: climate denialists in congress, I’m not qualified to speak on the science, Progress in Our Discussions on Climate Change

Small Wind Power – An Artistic Stab

craigshieldsPosted on January 3, 2015 Posted in Wind Energy

Here’s a cute idea in small wind: a set of small, vertical-axis turbines that are designed to look something like a tree. It’s hard to object to an idea like this—except when its creators make wild claims:

Claim: It’s quiet but powerful. (Define “powerful.” I’m sure it’s quiet, and I suppose you could say that it’s powerful in the sense that it generates more electricity than a real tree.) (more…)

Tagged with: small wind energy, Wind Energy

Don’t Expect Miracles from U.S. Lawmakers When It Comes to the Environment—Or Anything Else

craigshieldsPosted on January 3, 2015 Posted in Renewables - Politics

It’s no secret that U.S. Congressmen routinely act with complete disregard to the interests and needs of the people who elected them; in fact, this sad truth is so pervasive in Americans’ lives that it really doesn’t even make the news anymore, and very few wonder about its cause. (more…)

Tagged with: corruption and blackmail, David Duke, NRA, U.S. Lawmakers Environment

Solar-Powered Vehicles

craigshieldsPosted on January 2, 2015 Posted in Photovoltaics

A young reader asks me about building a car powered by nothing but sunlight.

I happen to be very friendly with the first guy on the West Coast of the U.S. (Wally Rippel) to do exactly that, at least at a working scale. In 1968, he headed up the team at Cal Tech that raced cross-country against MIT with solar-powered cars. (more…)

Tagged with: Dr. Paul MacCready, Solar-Powered Cars, Wally Rippel

In Most Cases (But Not All) Taking Responsibility for the Natural Environment Is Easy, Painless, and Cost-Free

craigshieldsPosted on January 2, 2015 Posted in Sustainability

Fortunately, most of the actions that we take every day to conserve natural resources and reduce our impact on our environment come at little or no cost to us—financially and otherwise. For example, we’ve pretty much succeeded in getting Hummers off our roads, and what did that cost us? (more…)

Tagged with: converse natural resources, Hummers off our roads, reduce impact on our environment, Taking Responsibility for the Natural Environment

New Years Wishes from 2GreenEnergy

craigshieldsPosted on January 2, 2015 Posted in Sustainability

I want to wish everyone Happy New Year, and at the same time commemorate the birthday of J. D. Salinger, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, featuring the alienated teenager Holden Caulfield. There are two main theories that explain the book’s intense popularity (and then there’s mine): (more…)

Tagged with: helping others

Advice to Advanced Nuclear Advocates: Move On From the Past

craigshieldsPosted on January 1, 2015 Posted in Nuclear

As much as I stand behind the developers of solar, wind, and any other forms of renewable energy that can be made cost-effective, it appears that we will be unable to turn the corner on the environmental catastrophes associated with energy without the use of nuclear power. And fortunately, there are some exciting new technologies in this space that need to be understood by our leaders and by the voters who elect them. (more…)

Tagged with: advanced nuclear, environmental catastrophes associated with energy, Liquid Fluoride Thorium Reactors, solar wind other forms of renewable energy, Three Mile Island Chernobyl and Fukushima

Oil and Terrorism

craigshieldsPosted on January 1, 2015 Posted in Fossil Fuels

In our discussions of the oil industry and its legitimacy, we occasionally run across people who deny that oil and terrorism have any real link, e.g., this comment to my recent piece on electric transportation:

…. nor has “terrorism” got anything to do with the oil industry! (more…)

Tagged with: Islamist extremists kidnap bomb behead deny rights to women, Oil and Terrorism, oil and terrorism link, oil industry legitimacy, U.S. buys most of its oil from Canada

From Guest Blogger William Robinson: Advantages of Using Eco-Signage Menu Boards in Restaurants

craigshieldsPosted on January 1, 2015 Posted in Efficiency

(Note: I don’t edit guest blog posts, so as usual, I’ll let this stand as it was written. Having said that, a) I can’t imagine that there is anything eco-friendly whatsoever about signage like this, and b) I came across the collection of signs below, which offers my best advice on this whole industry. – ed.)

With the advent of new technology and software, the traditional printed menu boards are going out of use. The restaurants are using the new menu board software and going green for the society. The software is time saving, convenient and also eco-friendly in nature. It is gaining popularity in the entire restaurant business sector gradually. Let us discuss about all the advantages of using the eco signage software:

(more…)

Tagged with: eco-signage, menu board software