According to this article, Tesla’s announcement of its new Model D—and simultaneous statement that we’ll have to wait three more years for the affordable Model X, or whatever it will be called in 2017/18—was “received fairly well by automobile analysts.” Really?
I’m not saying that it’s bad news for stock-holders. Yes, the stock price is off sharply, but many believe it’s poised for an immediate rebound. (more…)
When Elon Musk posted a tweet saying Tesla is about to “unveil the D” a couple of days ago, it kept millions of people guessing what that “D” might stand for, with most auto experts speculating that it either points to a driverless car, or an all-wheel drive vehicle. It turns out that those who predicted that Tesla is going for a new version of the Model S, one with an all-wheel drive, were right. (more…)
Everyone is trying to benefit the environment, but it’s hard to know how one person can help. Whether you’re trying to save money, trees or animals, there are many ways to contribute to a greener tomorrow.
Reduce and Reuse
The best way to avoid unnecessary garbage is to not make it in the first place. When making a purchase, ask yourself if you really need the product. While the new version might be environmentally friendly and made with natural materials, you will actually have less impact by not owning it at all. (more…)
Man, life is tough sometimes. One of my very best friends, a devout environmentalist, asked me today how involved I was on the 2014 California referendum that would ban fracking in our county (Santa Barbara, CA). It’s called “Measure P.”
I began to explain, “The concept of fracking is far more complicated than most people understand.” No sooner were those words out of my mouth than I realized how condescending this was coming off. Fortunately, we became distracted and we dropped the subject. (more…)
Apparently, Marco Rubio (pictured), Mitch McConnell, and the legion of other climate deniers in the U.S. Congress are all coached by the same guy. There is no other explanation for the fact that their responses to questions on their anti-scientific position on the subject are identical in every case: “I am not a scientist.” (more…)
When I was a young lad, barely out of my parents’ gentle and loving reach, I took a course in ethics. The range of topics we discussed that semester was immense, but I’ll never forget the conversation around Princeton University moral philosopher and animal rights champion Peter Singer, whose reasoning challenged every thought I’d ever had on the subject.
40 years later, Singer’s work, that he had begun as a young man in the 1970s, has moved forward into the demand for legal protection of many animals, and it’s expanded in ways that I’m sure he himself never could have imagined. Here’s an article on the new-found rights of chimpanzees, elephants, dolphins, orcas, and other non-human primates, based on the laws surrounding unlawful imprisonment.
A colleague whose expertise lies in advanced nuclear sent me this earlier today—a comment a reader had written on his blog:
“How sad is it that we continue to debate renewables vs. dated nuclear technology, when we should be leading the world in developing all promising technologies. (more…)
I sure like the way Dr. Ken Caldeira thinks. Those of you familiar with the Myers-Briggs personality test will recognize the man as an “N,” meaning “intuitive”; he forms abstractions that are useful for creating a high level of understanding. Check this out:
Dr. Ken Caldeira has argued for a policy goal of zero carbon dioxide emissions. (more…)
It’s hard to understand public apathy on important issues, when we’re constantly bombarded with proof that our voices actually matter.
Over the last 50 years, Lego, one of the most revered brands on the planet, has been ensconced in a co-marketing deal with Shell Oil. Not no more. (more…)
We at 2GreenEnergy are lucky enough to have super-intern Louis de Saint Phalle working for us, vigorously researching and writing on important matters in the renewable energy arena. I was delighted that Louis actually moved out to Santa Barbara (from Paris) for several months, to facilitate interaction with me; we enjoyed many interesting conversations, and he even came up for dinner with my wife and some other friends. Best of all, he’s the “gift that keeps on giving,” in that he continues to produce excellent reports, like this one. -ed.
About a month ago, the Solar Energy Industries Association released its report for the second quarter of 2014, in collaboration with Green Tech Media Research. Although the full report comes at a price not affordable by many (probably best not to know how much exactly), the publicly available executive summary provides really interesting numbers that give an idea of where solar is at right now. Here are some main points if you haven’t checked it out. (more…)
