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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Biomass

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…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Hydrokinetics

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…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Geothermal

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…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

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.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

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.”

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

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…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

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…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Every day, it seems we read more about hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles, most of which appear to be written purely to further confuse people who don’t really understand this in the first place.  An excerpt from the article linked above: “Fuel-cell vehicles …. can operate on renewable hydrogen gas.”  As the author must know, the concept of “renewable hydrogen gas” has no meaning at all.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

About once a month or so, I like to write a short piece on the proliferation of “stuff” in our affluent Western lifestyles, and effects that this explosion of goodies is having on us.  Mainly, I mention that our hyper-consumerism contributes directly to the decline of the natural environment around us, and I point readers to Annie Leonard’s wonderful project, “The Story of Stuff.”  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

I’m sending a “2GreenEnergy Alert” (e-newsletter) to our subscribers in a few minutes with the subject line: “Cashing in on the Skyrocketing Electric Bicycle Market.”  I’ve just added a company in Seattle with a unique approach and capability to the retail e-bike space to our list of clean energy investment opportunities, and, even though the amount of cash required is tiny compared to some of the larger deals, I think this is an exciting opportunity for the right person.