The UK government has recently released the UK Housing Energy Fact File 2013 and there are a fair few interesting points to come out of it, as the following infographic shows, with an analysis below. (more…)
I had a lengthy breakfast meeting yesterday with 2GreenEnergy’s intern Louis de Saint Phalle, during which we spoke about the overall state of the world vis-à-vis climate change and the fossil fuel industry that, according to our scientists, is the main force driving this ecological catastrophe. My young colleague has lived all over the world, and now, for the time being at least, has consented to live in Santa Barbara, to facilitate my work with him. And it’s not too painful for either of us; this beautiful small city with mild weather affords us few complaints.
(more…)
Lots of folks comment on the imperative to “get off the grid,” and I certainly understand that. I’m reminded of a young man who wrote to us shortly after 2GreenEnergy opened in 2009 who was so torqued with Pacific Gas and Electric (the utility serving Northern California and a great deal of adjacent territory up that way), that he wrote, “I HATE PG&E; rather than heat my place in the winter, I wear four or five sweaters and do jumping jacks.”
Here is another note to our terrific new intern, Louis de Saint Phalle, who just asked me during a phone call if I had any other ideas to guide his research and writing on the national security implications of energy policy.
Louis, sorry, but I don’t have too many additional thoughts on the matter. I think the most interesting thing would be for you to select and then support (or reject) a basic thesis on the subject, perhaps: The American people are being systematically lied to about the viability of their country’s de facto energy policy (i.e., fossil fuels), the only real winners from which are the fossil fuels companies themselves. (more…)
Today’s society has a set of problems that are unique to any generation that came before it. From the silent generation on up through the baby boomers, generation X, and now the millennials, each era had its own social problems to work through.
Here are some environmental factors that contribute to modern society’s problems. (more…)
An increasingly important element in environmental policy is the preservation of our water supplies. 70% of the earth’s surface is covered by water but only 2.5% of this is drinkable fresh water. This freshwater has been on the planet since the time of the dinosaurs. It is recycled and renewed constantly via the water cycle but as the global population increases more pressure is being put on our water supplies.
Water is in a state of crisis, based on statistics reported by the UN, water usage has grown at twice the rate of population increase in the last century. (more…)
Going green is often considered as being costly; however this is not always the case, particularly when it comes to saving energy. There are many things you can do to save money whilst saving the environment, and we’ve provided a list of these below.
Take Advantage of the Green Deal
In his discussion of my recent post on the need for a sane energy policy, Marc Vendetti comments on the importance of energy storage:
One of the larger impediments to renewables being viewed as a complete replacement for fossils….is storage. Here is a Gates Foundation-backed company about to roll out a battery storage product that is relatively inexpensive, sustainable and environmentally-friendly. This company will be joined by many others in the coming years and the technology will continue to improve. If we really embraced innovation and change in this space, our transition to renewables could be swift.
I think you’re exactly right here, Marc. (more…)
My friend Larry Miles, whose innovative company sits at the forefront of developing low-cost, high-efficiency wind turbines, wrote me concerning my post “We Need An Energy Policy.” I thought readers might find this interesting.
