With all the talk about global sustainability and the importance we place upon it, let’s take an occasional look at the larger perspective of Earth’s place in the universe.  For those interested in the cosmos, the video linked above will provide that – in spades.  As far as we’re aware, all the good and evil, all the strong and the weak, the exhilaration and the despair, everybody you’ve ever known — or ever will know — exists on an unimaginably small grain of sand. 

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The New Year brings a whole host of home renovation projects to the surface, as what better way to start 2014 than with an improved home? A main one that people tend to put off for as long as possible is the replacement of windows, due to it usually being a large and sometimes costly task, but with energy prices rising and global warming becoming ever more apparent, surely it is your duty to make your home a more energy efficient domicile.

Therefore you may be left wondering if you should embark upon this venture, and we’re here to help. (more…)

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Like Jesse Berst, my colleague at SmartGridNews, I too am suspicious of claims that consumers of electrical power are motivated solely by lower costs.  However, I find it hard to believe that some of these other benefits of smart grid, e.g., resetting your thermostat with your cell phone, are of great value either.  You’re coming home from work and you want your house warm when you get there, so you use your Internet connection to crank the heat.  I understand that, but I sure can’t get too excited about it.  Maybe that’s just me. 

What is of obvious value is using IT and communication technology to lower the overall environmental footprint of providing us the power we need.  And this comes in dozens of different forms, like demand response and other forms of peak-shaving, as well as charging our electric vehicles at times when renewable energy is available for the purpose.

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I’m one of these people who likes to think he has his finger on the pulse of the major trends in his chosen discipline – in my case, clean energy and transportation. If, five years ago, you had wanted to bet me that there would be mass interest in autonomous vehicles, like the Induct Navia, discussed in this article, or BMW’s driverless car (pictured here) I would have bet you $100 against a dime you’d be wrong.  But, for some reason that I can’t fully understand, this subject is all the rage here as we enter 2014.  (more…)

As I’ve mentioned, I think the world of my colleague Stuart L. Smits, CEO of New Energy Ventures. Among other things, Stuart is involved in the use of clean energy to rebuild after Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.  He is acutely aware of the fact that, once the immediate aftermath is dealt with, and some normalcy is restored, the hard and most difficult work begins – and I think his plan is worth checking out. 

Here are three basic facts: (more…)

Not too many years ago people couldn’t imagine life without their traditional cleaning products and brands that had been used by their parents and grandparents. We used them to clean our kitchen counters, floors, toilets, do our laundry and dishes and so much more. They were all very effective, making things nice and shiny, however what we couldn’t see was really hurting us. Many of these products actually contain chemical substances that are dangerous to our health. (more…)

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Here’s a post by 2GreenEnergy friend and supporter Alex Nicolson that I think you’ll find interesting:

I would like to point out that the green revolution and in particular, renewable and clean energy products such as solar power, wind turbines, geothermal and algae-based fuels are not waiting for viable technology; it already exists in many forms. What they are waiting for is a massive sea change in our antiquated financial accounting systems. (more…)

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As I told the people who interviewed me on yesterday’s “This Green Earth” radio show, “Any energy solution that doesn’t have a positive effect on the emissions being created in China and India isn’t really a solution at all. We either collectively solve this problem or we doom humankind to unthinkable levels of suffering.”  And here’s a bit more urgency associated with the subject:  China’s recent approval of a huge increase in its coal production capacity, despite its already crippling levels of air pollution

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As promised, here is the podcast from my appearance on yesterday’s edition of “This Green Earth,” from NPR affiliate KPCW in Park City, Utah.  I’m sure you’ll agree that hosts Nell Larson and Chris Cherniak did a stellar job.

As I expected, they really wanted a fair and well-balanced presentation, and their questions led me in that direction.

There was a question I couldn’t answer specifically: what percentage of fossil fuels will we need to eliminate in order to have a sustainable approach to energy?  I’m sure the Bill McKibbens of the world could address that; in fact, I think I’ve seen the figure, but I couldn’t recall it. (more…)

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I thought readers would enjoy the conversation I had with young Niklas Kennedy:

I am in 6th grade. I go to Pacific Grove Middle School (pictured here) and I am doing a project on renewable and clean energy. I would like info on alternative energy from you. I think that renewable energy is very good for nature while fossil create CO2 gas that cause problem in nature. Renewable energy is good for the environment while fossil fuels are very bad for the ecosystem. Maybe you could make vibration energy from vibrations from the ground.

PS. I support you! (more…)

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