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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

I heartily recommend the PBS special: “Civilization: The West and the Rest,” which does a fine job in analyzing the six “killer apps” that resulted in the dominance of the Western culture over the remainder of the world. They are: political and economic competition, development of science, ownership of property, modern medicine, consumerism, and work ethic.

But while the show was brilliantly crafted and extremely thought provoking, I found it lacking in an important way. There is no doubt that these are the ingredients that made Western Civilization what it has become over the last 500 years or so — ingredients that have resulted in our easier, longer, and healthier lives. But are they a prescription for success in the future? The show boldly asserted this, but is it true? (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Biomass

I’m happy to report that it appears I’m making progress in arranging funding for a facility to turn buffalo dung in Southern Pakistan into fertilizer and energy. As you’re reading this, there are 400,000 dairy buffaloes standing in an area of a few square miles. On average, that’s two buffaloes for each area the size of my modest office. Collectively, they’re generating about 8,000 tons of untreated solid and liquid waste per day, causing ridiculous rates of disease and environmental ruin over a huge region. Most of this waste forms a river and flows south into the Arabian Sea, a body of water that is now so polluted that fishermen have to row their boats through five miles of sewage every morning before they encounter anything still alive.

It turns out that I have an indirect “friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend” relationship with one of the country’s ex-presidents. And that’s what it’s going to take to get the job done here, as most people from other lands (like me) have an appreciable level of concern for Pakistan’s lawlessness.

I’ll keep you posted.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Donating an unwanted car to charity is a fantastic way to benefit the environment. In addition to the environmental benefits of charitable car donation, you are simultaneously helping local charities and receiving a tax write off. The way it works is that a local non-profit car donation center such as Wheels for Wishes will arrange to have your unwanted vehicle (running or not) picked up at no cost to you, recycled, and then donate the proceeds to a local charity. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Summer has arrived and it is time to change how I use energy around the house.

First order of business was to disconnect the solar air heater from the house and remove the interface from the window in the computer room so I could put the standard 20” box fan back in the window. I set this up so it always blows out to suck air through the house. I also add a 4”x10” to 6” diameter right angle duct with a piece of 6” flexible duct which goes up to the ceiling to suck some hot air off the ceiling. Otherwise the top of the fan is at 48” off the floor and there is no reason for any of the hot air above that point to be moved. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

It is with great joy that I announce that this is our 2000th blog post.

My profound thanks to our regular readers, whose enthusiasm for the subject and willingness to tell their friends has caused the site’s traffic to grow steadily over the past three years. Thanks to the thousands of people who have interacted with us in one way or another, and to our clients, who have made all this possible.

Perhaps I’m most grateful for the dozens of fine friends I’ve made all over the world in the process.  It’s been a wonderful association — one that can only improve in the future.  

 

 

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Wow, I just noticed that our next post will be our 2000th! That’s the good news. The bad news is that I wrote 1721 of them. Let’s see if we can get a few more guest-bloggers active over the course of writing the next 2000. Fair enough?

I see each day how many readers have incredible insights to share.  Please don’t be shy.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

I just read the Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac and noted that it’s the birthday of May Swenson, an author of the 20th Century who once wrote to a friend, “Not to need illusion—to dare to see and say how things really are, is the emancipation I would like to attain.”

It’s true that we force-fit the facts into our theories. Though we all like to think we’re one of few who doesn’t fall prey to this syndrome, but I sometimes wonder how true that is in my case. My over-arching viewpoint on the world today is that we’ve reached the end of cheap energy and easy credit, and that we’re due for a large-scale correction in terms of our ability to increase our energy consumption, and thus our “standard of living” as we have (erroneously) come to define it. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Fossil Fuels

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As we pay our respects to America’s fallen soldiers this Memorial Day, let’s take a moment and remember what put so many of them in harm’s way in the first place: our dependence on oil.

While we’re at it, let’s keep in mind one more thing: Changing our energy policies will not come from Big Government and its corrupt relationship with Big Oil. If change does in fact happen, it will be driven by you and me, raising our voices and pointing out the reckless, criminal absurdity of our current approach to energy.

If you haven’t already done so, please take a moment and click here to tell your elected leaders how you as a tax-payer feel about shelling out tens of billions of dollars in annual subsidies to make the oil and coal companies even richer.

http://2greenenergy.com/express-yourself/

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

I come across new ideas for renewable energy and alternate fuel vehicles at a rate of perhaps a dozen a week. While (fortunately) there are a few good ones, most of them fail the most basic tests of science and common sense. Here’s a good example of the latter that I encountered at the EV show a couple of weeks ago: WattShocks.  In brief, the theory is that a healthy portion of a car’s overall kinetic energy is currently dissipated as heat in a car’s shock absorbers and can be captured and used to recharge an electric vehicle’s battery. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

In my ongoing quest to understand the implications of renewable energy into the job market, I came across this video on job creation more generally – a talk by venture capitalist Nick Hanauer. You’ll notice that this was made to be among the famous Ted Talks, but it never got there. For those who may be interested, here’s the reason it failed.

 

 

 

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