There are many of us who fail to realize the results of our actions upon the environment, but we can do a lot to improve upon our habits to do better. The following tips will give you an idea what you can do to make your self-storage experience a better one:
Using insulated storage units
In many cases people tend to store their belongings in basements, sheds and worse where they become easily damaged by humidity and pests. (more…)
A friend sent me an article in the journal “Agricultural Economics” that projects that food prices will be 25% higher in 2050 as a direct result of climate change on crop yields.
I respond that this is incredibly complicated and hard to predict. Of course we have extreme weather events, droughts, desertification, increased level of crop diseases, disturbances in the jet stream, and farmers displaced from their ancestral homes by sea-level rise, but we also have longer growing seasons in the extreme latitudes. I’m terrified by the prospect of runaway climate change, but I don’t put too much credence in authors who project things like this many decades hence.
I had a pleasant surprise earlier this afternoon that I thought I’d mention. A docent who was leading a small group of us through an exhibition of contemporary art and concepts in modern architecture happened to mention that a certain designer’s works were aimed at minimizing energy in the heating and cooling of our buildings. Better yet, the artist/architect had been trained as a biologist, and had gotten her ideas from the way grasshoppers cool themselves in the hot summer afternoons. (more…)
I’m sure most readers are aware that 2013 was the driest year on record for us out here in California, and there’s not a drop of rain in the extended weather forecast. The article linked above has some terrific photography on this subject, for those who may be interested. The subject of the photo in the post itself here is our own Cachuma Lake, just a few miles from our house, less than 40% full at this point, and shrinking further every day.
Last evening, I had an interesting conversation with a reader that I’d thought I’d share. She asked two good questions:
1) Won’t our efforts to migrate away from fossil fuels hurt our economy? I explained that this is complex. Certainly paying more for energy is a drag on the economy, as it adds costs to businesses, and leaves consumers with less disposable income. But there are other important considerations: (more…)
Here’s an article from the New York Times that makes an important point: as industry becomes increasingly aware that climate change is cutting into its bottom line, it takes action – and that action tends to (though does not always) militate in the direction of more eco-friendly business practices. Case in point: when Coca Cola lost a lucrative deal in India because of the massive drought, it put the wheels in motion for operating strategies that would minimize the waste of water. (more…)
Green living has many benefits both for human beings and for nature. Many people today are turning to green living. There are people that want to stick to eco-friendly way of life but don’t know what exactly they should do. If you are such a person, we suggest you take a look at our tips and suggestions for an economical, fun and easy start of green living. Following these simple steps will ensure a simpler lifestyle that won’t be harming the nature or your wallet. So take advantage of our advice. (more…)
Summarizing my position on the Keystone XL pipeline, energy policy, and job growth: instead of investing in what “Story of Stuff” founder Annie Leonard (pictured) refers to as the “dinosaur economy” of the 20th Century, I would aggressively phase into what really needs to be done: energy efficiency and renewable energy. The impressive number of permanent and high-paying jobs associated with this transition has been well documented. (more…)
It’s good to see progress being made in biofuels, in particular, feedstock that grows well in the desert, irrigated with salt water. According to this article, Boeing and research partners in the United Arab Emirates have made some considerable breakthroughs here.
But it’s hard to imagine how this can be cost-effective, even at scale, given the extremely low efficiency with which plants convert radiant energy from the sun to excess chemical energy, available for us to consume. Plants evolved to maximize their own survival, not so we could harvest them and use large amounts of extra energy to fly our jets. It is for this reason that I support efforts like WindFuels, which use large amounts of off-peak energy and point sources of CO2 to synthesize carbon-neutral gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel.
Many people speculate on the future of humankind. Will we develop technology in time to avert the disasters we’re causing to our environment? Do we possess the decency and sanity necessary to channel all this technology in a productive direction, or will the stupid, the evil, and the corrupt use it to destroy our civilization? All of these are unanswerable at this point; all that we, as people of good will can do is to try our best.
What is certain, however, is that the development of technology began in earnest about 400 years ago and hasn’t (and won’t) let up. I mention this only to celebrate the birthday of Sir Francis Bacon (1561), who, according to the Writers Almanac: (more…)
