I’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…)
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…)
From 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…)
I’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.
Unfortunately, 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…)
Nissan 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…)
Apparently, 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.
I 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.”
There is a growing interest on the part of ordinary families to adopt more eco-friendly lifestyles and contribute to a healthier economy. If you and your family share the same direction, take a look at five simple home improvement projects that will help sustain the environment and re-channel economic resources to address other needs.
1. Change those light bulbs
Changing your light bulbs is the simplest and easiest home improvement project you can undertake. If you are still using incandescent light bulbs, replace them with compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or light-emitting diode (LED) lamps. By doing this you will still have the same amount of illumination but you will be using less energy.
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I thought you might be interested in a conversation I’m having with a friend about my new book project. I began:
I’m thinking of writing another book—this one rather exuberant in its tone. I believe that we’re poised at the edge of an amazing turnaround in the energy industry, based on:
• The steady rise of worldwide eco-consciousness, and our response to the rising number of eco-related disasters that are happening all around us
• Huge money’s licking its chops at the fact that the cost of renewable energy has fallen to the point that it’s super-competitive with fossil fuels
• The recent development of key elements of the other parts of the puzzle: smart grid, energy storage, electric transportation, efficiency, etc. (more…)
