Here’s a wonderfully entertaining crash-course in U.S. history that aims, appropriately enough, at the founding of the colonies in the early 17th Century. I was intrigued that the settlements in Massachusetts and Virginia had radically different conceptions of how people were expected to treat one another, the nature of human rights, and the proper role of government in our lives.
Happy Thanksgiving to all.
This year is the 200th anniversary of the confirmation of the conservation of energy, marked by the publication of British engineer Peter Ewart’s paper “On the Measure of Moving Force” in 1813. Of course, the consequences of this are enormous. For one, we’re no longer on the hunt for perpetual motion machines. What we are looking for, however, are economically feasible means of taking enormous quantities of energy, e.g., that which has come from the sun, and harvesting them into useful work, by converting one form of energy into another.
Here’s an infographic on energy that readers may find useful.
As always, I’m willing to be wrong. But I believe that wave energy, i.e., that which is derived from the wind that blows over the ocean and creates the relatively small bit of kinetic energy that becomes the ups and downs that surfers so enjoy, is a lost cause in terms of a cost-effective way to power our planet. If you think I have this wrong, please let me know.
Here’s an attempt at the subject of wave energy that a reader sent me today that you may find interesting.
We’ve been hearing about various processes for converting waste-tires to energy, fuels, and other valuable stuff (e.g., carbon black) for decades now. And yes, there really are a few people with pyrolysis technology that really works; my friends from the Ukraine have equipment that’s been running 24/7 for the last three years. Having said this, we need to be frank: there are also many hundreds of others who, let’s just say, “make exaggerated claims.” (more…)
I wanted to write a short post to introduce a fellow I have known indirectly for a few years now: Paul Grist of Archon Energy, a developer of cutting-edge run-of-river hydro projects in California. I know what you’re thinking: You want to get a permit to mess with flowing water in California? (more…)
There are quite a few options after moving to utilize possible renewable energy sources around your home, such as wind turbines, solar panels and more. In most cases using solar panels is the popular choice for heat, lighting and electrical power.
If you have enough land with strong and steady winds you will be able to generate a good amount of electricity using a wind electric system. (more…)
Here’s an informative interview with South African activist and professor Patrick Bond, who spoke with Democracy Now!‘s Mike Burke at the March for Climate and Social Justice in Warsaw. As he discusses here, Dr. Bond believes, as I do, that the concept of carbon trading is unworkable, and will do little if anything to reduce emissions.
Here’s the executive summary of the IEA’s (International Energy Agency) 2013 World Energy Outlook. No surprise: it expresses concern about climate change from our unabating reliance on fossil fuels, which represents about two-thirds of our total greenhouse gas emissions. Although the authors admit uncertainty about the energy policies of mega-consumers of coal (i.e., China now and India soon), their conclusions aren’t rosy:
“In our central scenario, taking into account the impact of measures already announced by governments to improve energy efficiency, support renewables, reduce fossil-fuel subsidies and, in some cases, to put a price on carbon, energy-related CO2 emissions still rise by 20% to 2035. This leaves the world on a trajectory consistent with a long-term average temperature increase of 3.6 °C, far above the internationally agreed 2°C target.”
Saving the environment isn’t just about petitioning your local leaders to implement legislature and expecting others to do the job. Like with anything else, changing the world starts at home. If you want to clean the environment and make the world a greener place, consider putting any of these six methods into practice in your house.
Grow a Garden in Your Backyard (more…)
It’s the birthday (1632) of the philosopher Baruch Spinoza, whose most important ideas, according to the Writer’s Almanac, were that “everything in the universe is made of a single substance, and that everything in the universe is subject to natural laws. He also argued that the soul and the body are not really separate, but two parts of the same thing. He believed that God did not stand outside the universe, but rather that the universe itself was God, and that everything in the universe was perfect and divine.” (more…)
