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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

 When people think of ways to reduce their carbon footprint, they typically consider reducing their water consumption, turning off the lights and even purchasing cars with better gas mileage. What many people fail to take into consideration is the fabrics that they choose to cover their bodies and their furnishings with. While not all fabric is created green, there are some smart choices that you can make when it comes to your textiles. Here are five fabrics that you should look for the next time you shop:

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Climate change is poised to take center stage in the U.S. legal arena once more, spurred by a threatened lawsuit by one of the champions of the theory. Dr. Michael E. Mann is often credited with popularizing the idea of climate change among the general public and was responsible for creating the famous graph illustrating the sharp increase in temperatures worldwide due to the impact of the Industrial Revolution. As a result, Dr. Mann has been a consistent target for climate change skeptics. The most recent attack came from the conservative journal National Review, which published a blog post naming Mann as “the man behind the fraudulent climate change ‘hockey-stick’ graph.” Mann has threatened to sue the National Review for defamation of character because of this quote and the tone of the blog post. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

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Recent legislation in New York and Massachusetts is expected to boost the renewable energy market in these states. As New York’s governor, Andrew Cuomo signed into law an extensive package of tax credits and exemptions to promote the use of solar power within the state. Similar alternative energy legislation got the stamp of approval from Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick, who stated, “Producing clean energy locally not only frees us from the volatile pricing of conventional generation but also helps the environment.” These states are in the forefront of what is expected to be a larger trend throughout the nation, spurred in part by recent climate change pronouncements and increasing worries about environmental impact around the world. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I spent most of the day dialing for dollars, as they say, trying to make connections with the top 100 financial planners in the country.  I knew this was going to be tough; it’s SO much easier to work referrals than it is to establish relations with people you don’t know.  But these people are extremely important to the 2GreenEnergy mission, as they work for many thousands of high- and ultra-high net-worth individuals. 

 Here’s a typical response:  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

When possible, I like to take public transportation rather than drive, since it lowers my carbon footprint, and allows me to work en route.  Also, all things equal, I like to support Amtrak, as my fare helps bring this system that much closer to profitability. 

Amtrak is subsidized by the U.S. taxpayer.  I don’t resent that; I think the federal government should support a public transportation asset whether it’s profitable or not.  I do, however, expect some level of good sense in the allocation of these funds.  I took an Amtrak bus last week from the train station in Santa Barbara to Union Station in Los Angeles, because the schedule was slightly better for me than the trains that run between the same two points.  I was the only passenger out of 48 seats!  That bus would have run, absolutely empty, had it not been for me. 

Come on, how about a little common sense here?  I don’t have a problem with your spending our money, but please do it responsibly.  As one example of what I’m sure are dozens: don’t run buses between train stations. 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Here’s Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. talking about renewable energy, the externalities of fossil fuels and nuclear, subsidies for oil companies, corruption, energy policy, climate change, ocean acidification, etc.  Wow.  Not only do he and I agree on literally everything, we even use a lot of the same words and phrases to tell the story.

I’m going to send him copies of my books by way of introduction, and see if I can’t drum up some way of contributing to his efforts.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

As one can imagine, the law firms that work for the renewable energy industry are quite busy in helping their clients navigate the issues that surround the development of major projects, whether they’re in solar, wind, biomass, etc.  The large law firm Stoel Rives specializes in this space, and was good enough to speak with me at length at last month’s Renewable Energy Finance Forum; they even sent me free copies of a dozen or so comprehensive and beautifully printed documents that summarize the major legal issues confronting developers in each major arena within the clean energy industry.

I had to laugh when I looked at the first couple of pages in the publication: “The Law of Marine and Hydrokinetic Energy,” as it shows at a glance one of the major reasons that the United States is moving at a snail’s pace with respect to the development of alternative energy technologies.

Imagine, if you will, that you’ve invented some new way of extracting energy out of moving water, and you have an eye towards commercializing it.  You come across this manual, pour yourself a hot cup of coffee, and begin reading.  The introduction includes: (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Here’s a good article on the passing of George McGovern.  Like its author, I too was a fan.  I was 17 years old in 1972, too young to vote by a frustratingly narrow margin, but I remember being taken by a talk McGovern gave in which he said, (and I’m paraphrasing based on my memory 40 years later):  “I’m a liberal, which, if it means anything, suggests that government has a role in improving society, including taking care of people who are unable to take care of themselves.  If that strikes a chord with you, I’d appreciate your vote.” 

If anyone can give me an example of candor in our modern presidential campaigns that remotely resembles that, I’d sure love to see it. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

Like most environmentalists, I was peeved with the presidential candidates’ avoidance of the climate change issue in their first two debates.  Here’s a good article that has convinced me that this is probably best for those of us concerned with the subject.  The typical American voter is not disposed to process this stuff well, in a time of financial pain. 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Hydrokinetics

I was lucky enough to stay on a magnificent property in Northern California this past weekend, an Italian-style villa made even more spectacular by a rushing river running through it, which bathed my fellow guests and me in what is arguably the most soothing and tranquil sound on the planet.

Coincidentally, our host told me that he is very interested in renewable energy, and asked me about solar panels. But when we finally got around to walking down to the river, I was impressed at what I saw, and told him that I’d do some rough calculations on the power that could potentially be extracted from the river itself.

I just wrote to him:

Per our talk, I’ve done a few calcs based on the hydrokinetic power you may be able to take out of the river that runs through your property. Even with the river running at the seasonal low point, at a minimum you have at least 50 gallons per second, dropping at least a few feet.

Potential energy = the mass of the water * gravitational acceleration * the height from which the water’s falling. Here, let’s round that off to 200 KG * 10 M/sec/sec * 1 meter = 2000 joules/sec = 2000 watts. Even though you won’t get all that due to efficiency losses, that’s not too bad, and, in the winter and spring, I’m guessing you’ll get at least 5 – 10 times that.

The bad news is you will have to make some changes in the flow of the river in the form of a small dam, which may not be feasible for various reasons. In any case, I thought you’d be interested to know that such a project could be worthwhile if you wish to pursue it.

 

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