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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Every year, GreenerCars.org releases a list of cars that are rated according to their Green Score. While many potential car buyers look to this list for environmentally-sound automobile choices, we thought it would be more entertaining to peruse the list for the cars with the lowest green ratings. Here are five vehicles that would make any decent environmentalist lose sleep.

1. Bugatti Veyron

This multimillion-dollar car is about as sexy as they come. With curves that can make even the Victoria’s Secret models jealous, this car is an amazing piece of machinery. The amazing acceleration of the Veyron can take it from 0 to 60 in under three seconds and may very well burn half of a tank of gas in the process. You can expect to earn just eight miles to the gallon tooling around the city (Monte Carlo, of course) and only 15 mpg on the highway. If you’re green, forget your dreams of owning this environmental monstrosity. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Commenting on my post on Bernie Sanders’ article on renewable energy, frequent commenter Tim Kingston writes:

(We) need to have nuclear in the mix. Try powering a steel mill or an aluminum smelter with solar panels and wind turbines. Good luck with that! But I guess Sanders is okay with that because he and most greenies would welcome the demise of heavy industry in the US and the well-paying jobs that go with it.

Tim, I don’t think you’re being fair to the huge segment of the world’s population that is concerned about both economic vitality and the quality of the natural environment.  I don’t presume to speak for all environmentalists, but from my own perspective, I respect the value of well-paying jobs.  In fact, at one point, I had over 100 employees on my personal payroll, a group I paid more than twice the average for our industry, simply because I knew I needed the very best in the business.  I wrote a $65,000 payroll check every week during that period.  My people appreciated it, and I considered them the bargain of the century. 
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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Here’s an article by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders on renewable energy, sustainability, energy policy, climate change, and energy efficiency:  items one would think would enter into a discussion between two prospective leaders of the world’s most powerful country – but were conspicuously absent in each of the four debates.  He concludes:

Mitt Romney’s energy policy is a relic of the 19th century. We need a 21st century plan. The fate of the planet is at stake.

I really like Sanders’ style.  How someone running as an independent, with such distinctly free-thinking viewpoints, gets elected U.S. senator is something of a mystery.  Only in Vermont, I suppose.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

A couple of weeks ago, I reported that PBS’s “The News Hour” was rightfully lambasted for their treatment of global warming. They fell into the trap that many media outlets do: they gave equal time to the climate skeptics, even though they are in the slim minority as far as the scientific community is concerned.

Last night, another PBS show, Frontline, aired this documentary called “Climate of Doubt,” a set of interviews that demonstrate how climate skeptics mobilized, built their argument, and undermined public acceptance of a global scientific consensus.  This is an extremely powerful and well-constructed piece, from which I conclude, as I’ve so often said, that the power of skilled public relations becomes more awesome and frightening with each passing year.  You’d have to go back to Germany in the 1930s to find an era in which PR turned public opinion on an issue so quickly and massively.

 

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

 When people think of ways to reduce their carbon footprint, they typically consider reducing their water consumption, turning off the lights and even purchasing cars with better gas mileage. What many people fail to take into consideration is the fabrics that they choose to cover their bodies and their furnishings with. While not all fabric is created green, there are some smart choices that you can make when it comes to your textiles. Here are five fabrics that you should look for the next time you shop:

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Climate change is poised to take center stage in the U.S. legal arena once more, spurred by a threatened lawsuit by one of the champions of the theory. Dr. Michael E. Mann is often credited with popularizing the idea of climate change among the general public and was responsible for creating the famous graph illustrating the sharp increase in temperatures worldwide due to the impact of the Industrial Revolution. As a result, Dr. Mann has been a consistent target for climate change skeptics. The most recent attack came from the conservative journal National Review, which published a blog post naming Mann as “the man behind the fraudulent climate change ‘hockey-stick’ graph.” Mann has threatened to sue the National Review for defamation of character because of this quote and the tone of the blog post. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

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Recent legislation in New York and Massachusetts is expected to boost the renewable energy market in these states. As New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo signed into law an extensive package of tax credits and exemptions to promote the use of solar power within the state. Similar alternative energy legislation got the stamp of approval from Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, who stated, “Producing clean energy locally not only frees us from the volatile pricing of conventional generation but also helps the environment.” These states are in the forefront of what is expected to be a larger trend throughout the nation, spurred in part by recent climate change pronouncements and increasing worries about environmental impact around the world. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I spent most of the day dialing for dollars, as they say, trying to make connections with the top 100 financial planners in the country.  I knew this was going to be tough; it’s SO much easier to work referrals than it is to establish relations with people you don’t know.  But these people are extremely important to the 2GreenEnergy mission, as they work for many thousands of high- and ultra-high net-worth individuals. 

 Here’s a typical response:  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

When possible, I like to take public transportation rather than drive, since it lowers my carbon footprint, and allows me to work en route.  Also, all things equal, I like to support Amtrak, as my fare helps bring this system that much closer to profitability. 

Amtrak is subsidized by the U.S. taxpayer.  I don’t resent that; I think the federal government should support a public transportation asset whether it’s profitable or not.  I do, however, expect some level of good sense in the allocation of these funds.  I took an Amtrak bus last week from the train station in Santa Barbara to Union Station in Los Angeles, because the schedule was slightly better for me than the trains that run between the same two points.  I was the only passenger out of 48 seats!  That bus would have run, absolutely empty, had it not been for me. 

Come on, how about a little common sense here?  I don’t have a problem with your spending our money, but please do it responsibly.  As one example of what I’m sure are dozens: don’t run buses between train stations. 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Here’s Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. talking about renewable energy, the externalities of fossil fuels and nuclear, subsidies for oil companies, corruption, energy policy, climate change, ocean acidification, etc.  Wow.  Not only do he and I agree on literally everything, we even use a lot of the same words and phrases to tell the story.

I’m going to send him copies of my books by way of introduction, and see if I can’t drum up some way of contributing to his efforts.

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