Water Conservation BreakthroughHere’s a unique application of the “Internet of Things” to the challenges facing civilization with respect to conserving water. It’s a “smart-home” network that can be quickly, easily and economically retrofitted in existing multifamily housing complexes that monitors the use of the major points of water usage: toilets, showers, and washers.

It’s rare that I find a company so well-positioned for success.  These guys’ strength is based on the fact that financially, this is a huge win for everyone concerned: the building owner (who gets his investment back quickly via savings on his water bill), the tenant (who saves money by conserving water), the company selling the product (and services to support it—wait till you see this business model), as well as our civilization as a whole (which just found an extremely effective tool to deal with one of its thorniest issues).

More info is available here.

They’re looking for an accredited cleantech investor to come on board and help accelerate their progress.  If you happen to know of someone who may be interested, please call or write, and I’ll connect them directly with the principles.

 

 

 

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Keep ‘em Mean, Keep ‘em Green—The Future Office(Note: One of our 2GreenEnergy supporters in the UK asked me to publish this piece for her; I happily complied. – ed)

It’s difficult to think of a time when being environmentally friendly was in the same league as being some mad, Manson-like hippy who rubbed mud all over themselves instead of showering – but it really was only a few decades ago.

Indeed, according to national newspaper The Guardian, a concept as simple as the paperless office was deemed ridiculous just four decades ago. Even as late as 2003 a study was published entitled The Myth of the Paperless Office.

Yet times change and, thanks to the wonders of email and increasingly speedy internet connections, offices are shedding A4 sheets like a snake sheds its skin – paper consumption is at its lowest on record. (more…)

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It’s amazing how parochial some people are in their beliefs about energy.  I’m on an  email distribution list for the proponents of advanced nuclear, which normally means molten salt reactors based on thorium.  I’m a proponent too; who wouldn’t support the idea of a carbon-free source of baseload power with essentially no dangers in terms of operations, waste disposal, or weapons proliferation?  If we can do that cost-effectively (and the jury’s out on that) who would be so pigheaded to say it’s a bad idea? (more…)

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Liquid Fluoride Thorium ReactorEarlier in the week, we received the good news from our scientific community: following  the ban of CFCs and other compounds in the late 20th Century, the ozone layer that protects our Earth from harmful UV rays has made remarkable progress towards repairing itself. Of course, this makes us think of the current crisis with respect to climate disruption.  Can we simply ban a few chemicals, and expect the whole problem to evaporate in front of our eyes? (more…)

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When people think of air quality, they often think of the air outdoors. Indoor air pollution, though, can also be a big problem. Very often, the air in your home isn’t as clean as you think. Sometimes this is obvious but other times there can be impure or even dangerous elements in the air. Let’s look at some sustainable, green, and effective ways to improve the air quality in your house. (more…)

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One of the best ways of communing with nature is by going on a camping trip. It’s a wonderful educational opportunity, and if you’ve never been camping then you don’t know what you are missing. Camping is certainly a favoured family activity and there are more than a few ways to camp. You can go the comfortable way (in luxury), or the more traditional cramped in tent camping-style. (more…)

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Renewable Energy and Crowdfunding If the future looks even remotely like the past, there’s certainly no reason to believe that the UN meeting in New York next month will be any more successful than the dismal failures of the numerous similar sessions held over the last few years.

Here’s an article that suggests the opposite. Is it possible that momentum is building in the direction of a unified response to climate disruption? Personally, I think the author here is dead on course.

 

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How To Keep Shooting In Full Color When You're Going GreenBy 2010, 69% of businesses in the US had jumped aboard the Green Initiative. Going green is everything these days. It actually costs me less to buy eco-friendly light bulbs at my neighborhood store because companies have more incentive to churn out and market green products. It’s not just a marketing scheme, though: It matters if we go green, because our planet really is in trouble. (more…)

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Overturning Citizens UnitedWhat a magnificent time to be alive.  Last night, the Senate here in the United States did something great: they voted 79-18 to advance a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, meaning that every single senator will be forced to say—on the record—whether or not they think money and speech are the same thing. (more…)

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Let's Support the "Carbon Fee and Dividend"There are a great number of different ways to address the long-term environmental damage, climate disruption in particular, posed by our civilization’s consumption of fossil fuels. The problem, obviously, is an economic one. (more…)

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