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From Guest Blogger Hannah Whittenly: Exploring Climate Change — Common Natural Disasters that Weren’t Common 50 Years Ago

craigshieldsPosted on August 13, 2014 Posted in Climate Change

Fifty years ago, people weren’t hearing about the number of natural disasters that are so prevalent today. According to AccuWeather.com, a report published by the New England Journal of Medicine stated that the incidence of reported natural disasters is increasing, and the majority of them are climate related.

According to the Office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance, any event is considered to be a natural disaster if it kills at least 10 people, or more than 100 people are evacuated, left homeless, or injured. More unusual events are reported every year. (more…)

Indeed, Words and Ideas Can Change the World

craigshieldsPosted on August 12, 2014 Posted in Sustainability

Robin Williams will be missed by all.

If by some chance you never caught “Dead Poets’ Society,” now’s a good time; it’s in my top five of all time.

Tagged with: Words and Ideas Can Change the World

More on Wind Energy vs. Coal-Fired Power Plants

craigshieldsPosted on August 12, 2014 Posted in Wind Energy

A reader, who happens to be an old friend from my days as a marketing consultant, writes:

One of the most useful seminars I ever attended was about rules for introducing a new technology that replaces currently accepted technology. The speaker focused his rules on Edison’s intro of electric lighting to replace gas lamps.

One rule was to use terminology that’s consistent with the current methods. That’s why he originally marketed “electric LAMPS” instead of bulbs. People liked lighting from gas lamps, so using a different energy form to create light wasn’t a stretch. (more…)

Tagged with: $700 billion in increased healthcare dollars, desertification, hundreds of thousands of cases of asthma, killing tens of thousands of people annually via lung disease, OTEC, sea level rise

Wind Energy Vs. Coal-Fired Power Plants

craigshieldsPosted on August 12, 2014 Posted in Wind Energy

A reader notes: If I were advising clean energy lobbies, I’d tell them to ignore coal discussions, and just kick butt in the marketplace. As it is now however, Obama’s statements about putting coal out of business just sets up a straw-man to fight.

It’s true that complaining about coal comes across as whining, but I can see both sides of the coin. My new book is largely about “kicking butt in the marketplace,” but it’s extremely important that people become aware of the incredible level of damage that coal plants cause. The Sierra Club’s “Beyond Coal” campaign has been a powerful force in this direction, but there’s a great deal more work to be done. Did you know that (though this is a complicated issue that brings about many “apples-to-oranges” comparisons) coal plants kill FAR more birds that wind turbines?

Tagged with: clean energy lobbies, coal plants kill FAR more birds that wind turbines, damage coal plants cause, putting coal out of business, The Sierra Club’s “Beyond Coal”, Wind Energy Vs. Coal-Fired Power Plants

Tipping Point for Wind Energy

craigshieldsPosted on August 12, 2014 Posted in Wind Energy

It seems like only yesterday that I wrote this piece in which I pointed out that Fox News was deliberately misleading its viewers with respect to clean energy. “Yes, renewables are more expensive than coal,” I admitted, “But that’s hardly a secret.”

Now, even the cost issue has evaporated.

(more…)

Tagged with: case against fossil fuels airtight, cheap wind, Fox News misleading viewers with respect to clean energy, levelized cost of energy, purchase agreements for wind energy, tipping point for renewable energy

From Guest Blogger Damian: Ways To Make Your Home Security System Green

craigshieldsPosted on August 12, 2014 Posted in Sustainability

Is there anything in this life as important as the security of your family and your home? Not really. Our inner voice tells us we need to do anything and everything in our power to protect our loved ones and when good people have come up with a way to do so (a way such as a security system), we cannot help but feel grateful. Still, what happens if you are an eco-conscious person? Can you get a top-notch security alarm and go green? Yes, you can! (more…)

Tagged with: energy, environmental, going green, sustainability

From Guest Blogger Aidan Jenkins: Struggling with the Rising Costs of Electricity? Four Tips Business Owners Need to Know

craigshieldsPosted on August 12, 2014 Posted in Efficiency

With the cost of electricity continuously on the rise, domestic consumers aren’t the only ones struggling with their power bills. Power price pains are zapping the life out of businesses too – and it’s affecting both small and large companies. The financial stress of these increasing bills is forcing business owners to take drastic actions and change the way they do business.

Small and medium businesses consume 50% of the nation’s energy output – but yet so many owners are at a loss for where to start with effective energy reduction measures. Whilst most businesses are trying to keep their costs to a minimum, the increased power bills are frightening and many people are facing a desperate battle. To help with the struggle, we’ve taken a close look into some practical tips every business owner needs to know about. (more…)

Tagged with: cost of electricity, effective energy reduction measures, Energy Efficient Business, Improve Your Building’s Energy Efficiency

National Renewable Energy Laboratory Hard At Work on “Energy Systems Integration”

craigshieldsPosted on August 11, 2014 Posted in Renewables - Science

Until earlier today, I hadn’t spoken with George Douglas, spokesperson for the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), in five years; I had interviewed him in 2010 in preparation for my first book, “Renewable Energy – Facts and Fantasies.” During our almost hour-long chat this morning, we covered a great deal of ground, including NREL’s top priority, which they call “ESI” or “energy systems integration,” which is an examination of exactly what happens when we have an enormous number of new factors affecting the power grid. (more…)

Tagged with: aggressive Renewable Portfolio Standards, control of appliances with smart phones, energy systems integration, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Renewable Energy Facts and Fantasies, rooftop solar

Apparently, Oil Money Does Not Buy Happiness

craigshieldsPosted on August 10, 2014 Posted in Fossil Fuels

Though it’s on my to-do list, I haven’t yet visited the Getty Villa, the sight of J. Paul Getty’s magnificent collection of antiquities. Checking out the video on the website linked above just now made me wonder about who Getty was as a person. Regrettably, it’s not a happy story, at least according to this listing in the New World Encyclopedia. (more…)