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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Clean your Home without Polluting the Planet

Imagine 275 pesticides all over your home. According to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), everyday sprays, liquids and concentrated powders make this collection of poison more of a reality than an exaggeration. The purpose of these antimicrobial pesticides are to disinfect and sanitize; and protect against foul odors, bacteria and fungi. While they’re effective at cleaning, too many also have health risks if they touch bare skin or make contact with eyes. They also consistently kill plant and wildlife after being flushed or poured into the sewer system. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Climate “Disruption”This afternoon, my wife and I attended a screening of “Disruption,” a documentary on climate change and a presentation of the work that 350.org has done to organize what we hope will be the single largest assembly of people in the history of humankind.  The film is a little under an hour in length, and it’s utterly fabulous; I hope you’ll take the time and stream it from the website linked above.

The level of action and enthusiasm on the part of many millions of people here in the U.S. is really heart-warming.  It’s clear that Americans are really starting to come around on this issue, and that we will no longer allow our “leaders” to remain the pawns of the fossil fuel industry.   We’re starting to demand change here, i.e., a firm, clearly-stated energy policy that phases out fossil fuels over a fairly short period of time.  I believe we’ll soon see exactly that.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Hydrokinetics

Brazilian Politics Looking Better than Ever for Renewable EnergyOf all the renewable energy investment opportunities I’ve come across over the last couple of years, the collection of small run-of-river hydro projects in Brazil is possibly my very favorite, as the collection is enormous, and the technology is arguably the single most environmentally friendly way to generate power.  From a business perspective, all the ingredients for success are in place:  Brazil is extremely progressive in terms of encouraging renewables, and power is expensive and becoming scarce.  Best of all, the front-runner for the presidential election is an ardent environmentalist.  Doesn’t get much better.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Hillary Clinton Nails Presentation on Climate Change, Economic Benefits of a Cleantech RevolutionThere are 4339 posts on this blog, and not a single one mentions Hillary Clinton; it’s time to rectify that.

Is she an insincere politician?  Obviously.  But that doesn’t mean she’s off-base when it comes to climate change and the economic benefits of a cleantech revolution.  Check out the performance she put on in Las Vegas, linked above; she nailed that.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Tesla’s “Gigafactory” Accelerates All Things Environmental

It looks like the Tesla “Gigafactory” will be built in Reno, NV, enabling the assembly of batteries for 500,000 electric vehicles annually. That’s a peck of EVs in anybody’s book (see photo).

Tesla believes that their new vehicle, the Model 3, will be quite popular. With an MSRP of approximately $35,000 and a range of 200 miles per charge, it’s hard to argue against that idea. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Earth: A Pale Blue DotIf now seems like a good time for a mind-blowing experience, take a couple of minutes and check out this video on planet Earth, juxtaposing some incredible imagery with a voice-over from legendary astronomer Carl Sagan. Anyone with a pulse is in for quite a number of realizations about our lives, our relationships with others, and perhaps the notion of sustainability. Enjoy.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Wind Energy

Wind Energy InfographicsI’m very fond of the people at AWEA, the American Wind Energy Association, and I’m also quite keen on well-made infographics that speak to the job growth potential represented by the wind industry, and by renewable energy more generally.  For that reason, let me suggest that you check out two fine examples, which I’ll call wind energy infographic #1 and wind energy infographic #2.

Fantastically impressive stuff.  Wait until you see the flat-out economic growth that wind power brings us between now and 2020.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Tesla Might Get an Exemption from California's Environmental LawsCalifornia has always been at the forefront of environmental regulation innovation, with a wide range of environmental policy tools aimed at reducing the human impact on the environment and encourage the use of greener technologies. But now, it seems that the state might waive some of its toughest environmental laws in an effort to land one of the most talked-about investments at the moment – Tesla’s Gigafactory. While stepping up as one of the front-runners in the self-driving cars market, Tesla Motors announced its plans to build a large plant for producing electric vehicle batteries, that would be able to churn out up to 500,000 batteries a year, immediately igniting a fierce battle between a number of states for this project, that is thought to be one of the most significant investments that the U.S. has seen in a long time. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Little Green Things We Can All Do in Our WorkplaceOne of the most controversial questions in the entire field of sustainability and green living is whether the damage has been done and whether the climate change is irreversible. The author of this article is not someone who claims to have the knowledge enough to make even an uneducated guess about whether this is true, but he is someone who is aware that little things we all do every day will surely do no harm. (Can’t we assert that that they will do at least some level of good?  – Ed.) (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Overturning Citizen's United--The Brightest Day for Democracy Since the Days of Jefferson

I wrote earlier:  Democracy is such a powerful idea that it appears capable of surviving even when the most powerful forces of Earth are trying so desperately to destroy it.  It seems that this Monday, our leaders will have the opportunity to nullify a law, based on a U.S. Supreme Court decision that was made almost five years ago, that currently enables corporations to spend as much as they wish to influence our elections.

But I forgot to make the most obvious point:  If this actually happens, we should all celebrate a huge victory. (more…)

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