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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

It would be interesting to know the LCA (life-cycle analysis) of this product.  True, it doesn’t cause trees to be harvested, and let’s suppose the loss of the bamboo has zero ecological impact.  But how much energy is required to harvest, process, package, and ship the bamboo?

One thing’s for certain: It’s expensive as hell. $1.37 per roll, about four times what the conventional product costs.

I like their marketing:

“It’s vegan.” That’s good.  I’d hate to think that the toilet paper I use comes from egg shells or cow hides.

My very favorite: “Conveniently delivered to your door before you need it.”  Well, I have to admit, that’s far better than after you need it.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

When this device called Lomi is plugged in and run for 10 hours, it turns about 0.1 cubic feet (about 3/4 of a gallon) of food waste into compost for the garden, using a total of about 2.5 kWhrs.  Could anyone thinks this is a good idea for the environment?

In addition to the specious claims about ecology, here’s some more advertising for the true moron in your life:  “Lomi takes care of your food waste so you can spend time on things you actually enjoy.”  Loading and unloading this is faster than throwing food waste in the garbage?

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

I thought I’d publish this piece by senior energy analyst Robert Rapier, and then comment on it.

If you are one of those people still raging about Biden and gasoline prices, then I can put you into one of three categories. You are either 1). A partisan who knows better, but doesn’t care; 2). Someone who prefers simple answers even if they are wrong; or 3). Someone who doesn’t understand the factors that move gasoline prices.

Let’s assume you are in that third category. There is some hope for reaching you with facts. Here they are. Last summer U.S. oil production dropped by 3 million BPD. See the graph below. It was the largest short-term drop in history, and that was on Trump’s watch. It wasn’t his fault, but he also was powerless to prevent it.

Incidentally, it is perhaps a great historical irony that President Obama oversaw the largest oil production gains of any president in history. Again, not because of him. He just happened to be in office when fracking took off.

Since last summer’s plunge, oil production has bounced back by 1.5 million BPD, but we are still 1.5 million BPD below where we were in January 2020. But demand started to recover last summer. The people raging against Biden surely don’t know this: During the last five months that Trump was in office, oil prices increased by 43%. Again, not his fault, but he was also powerless to prevent it.

What we have seen since Biden took office is a continuation of the same trend that started in September 2020. Demand has recovered, and supply has not. When you are missing 1.5 million BPD of oil supplies — which has also played out in many other countries — you are going to have surging prices. There is absolutely nothing a President can do about it. He can scream at the oil companies. He can scream at OPEC. But there is nothing he can practically do to move the needle in the short term when 1.5 million BPD of oil supplies are missing.

Oh, and if you are one of those “Biden is preventing drilling” people, consider this. Since he took office, the number of rigs drilling for oil has risen by 62%. Again, not because of him, and not despite him. A function of the rising price of oil.
You can argue with me about this if you want, but you will be wrong.

First, let me say how much I admire this guy’s writing; don’t you love the closing line?

More importantly, this is a crystal clear exposition of a critical datum: Contrary to what uninformed people believe, the president has virtually no effect on things like gas prices.  It’s pitiful to hear Trump supporters say sarcastically, “Thanks, Biden” when prices rise.

Presidents should be judged on the degree to which the policies they create make Americans’ lives healthier, safer, more productive and more pleasant.  On top of that, I would throw in the leader’s character.  We shouldn’t tolerate presidents who are criminally insane.

Not naming any names here, of course.  🙂

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

As shown here, this concept far predates the modern Republican party, but, to my mind, it became their MO in the early days of the Trump administration, surrounding the phrase “fake news.”

Trump’s critics, including most of the mainstream news, pointed out, quite correctly, that most of what came out of the president’s mouth was completely false, and dubbed it “fake news.”  When Trump saw how effective this was, he turned it around, and began using the term to describe the New York Times, the Washington Post, CNN, MSNBC, and all other participants in print and digital media that didn’t report the news as he wanted them to. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

Centrist?  What does that mean?  She’s impeding our country’s transitioning to clean energy, even though there is widespread support for 100% clean energy by 2035.  From the article linked below:

The results (of a survey of 22K+ people) are overwhelmingly positive: across the country, Americans think favorably of clean energy and share an interest in federal action to move the country toward 100% clean electricity by 2035.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

As shown below, Fox News does a great job in keeping its viewers up to date on “breaking news” that never actually breaks.

The only real difference between their 2019 and 2021 claims is that now (without evidence) the immigrants are bringing disease.

If it uses misinformation to elicit fear and hate, it’s on the air.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

As if anyone couldn’t have seen this coming, the value of Trump’s real estate holdings have taken a hit as a result of his politics.

Well before Trump was elected, I happened to be speaking with a woman sitting next to me on an airplane who told me that she was slated to go to a trade show in Las Vegas the following week, but refused when she learned that it was to be held at the Trump International Hotel.  “I wouldn’t set foot in that place,” she explained.

Fast forward five years, and now we have the Big Lie and the insurrection, not to mention the racism, fraud, and the rest.  How many decent people want to lend financial support to a completely despicable human being?

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Readers from outside the U.S. who may not be following the depravations of American politics will not likely understand the billboard here.

Texas is governed by a man who is anti-vaccination, anti-science in general, anti-voter rights, and rapidly anti-abortion.  The state’s COVID-19 case rate is among the highest in the country, and most Texans, sick or healthy, are angry that their home has become such a backward society.

In the billboard, “Texas” is used as a verb, meaning to destroy a state with regressive policies, and fortunately, most Virginians don’t want to suffer that fate.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Climate Change

From this piece in the New York Times:

In a major win for climate advocates and supporters of wind and solar energy, New York State environmental regulators refused on Wednesday to allow two companies to upgrade their gas-fueled power plants — signaling a newly aggressive approach to ending fossil-fuel emissions that drive climate change.

“Climate change is the greatest challenge of our time,” said Gov. Kathy Hochul (pictured) in a statement that praised a decision to deny upgrades at two gas-fueled power plants.

The timing of the announcement is doubtlessly tied to Biden’s appearance in Glasgow this weekend, and there’s nothing wrong with that.

The world is in the process of phasing out fossil fuels in favor of low-carbon energy sources, i.e., renewables and nuclear, all of this driven by a blend of public environmentalism and the pressure that we the people apply to government, as well as market forces and corporate PR.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

I normally don’t write about one-off crimes that stupid, hateful people commit, because the actions of one person, regardless of how depraved. doesn’t have any statistical meaning.

Here, however, the irony here is too great to ignore.

Voter fraud is rare, but it does exist.  It seems like a huge risk to take to generate one extra vote for a candidate.

Apparently, the state of Texas found 16 votes (out of 11 million votes cast) that didn’t match any known person at that address.  From the Texas Tribune, Texas Republicans are using this to:

….stage a sweeping legislative campaign to pass new voting restrictions and election rules, proposing significant changes to nearly the entire voting process and taking particular aim at local efforts to make voting easier. It was formally touched off by Abbott early this year when he named “election integrity” one of his emergency items for the legislative session despite no evidence of widespread voter fraud. 

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