Energy
5 Reasons Why a 16-Year-Old Home Builder is a Good Role Model
Young Mr. Hay is building his own home which he plans to take to college and live in after graduation. Here are 5 reasons why Austin Hay will make you hopeful for the future.
Bill McKibben of 350.org Arrested with 70 Other Peaceful Protestors
The Daily Kos reports the arrest of activist Bill McKibben of 350.org at the White House Tar Sands Protest on Saturday August 20, 2011. Scheduled protests beginning Saturday run until September 3rd. Protestors speaking out against a plan allowing the Keystone XL pipeline’s run from Alberta to down through Texas are using civil disobedience to raise awareness and gain political attention.
Visualize 29,000 Dead Somali Children
Regardless of the politics behind the deaths in Somalia, and the whole event reeks of international drama, there are 29,000 dead children in a world where starvation is avoidable. Maybe if 29,000 dead children can be made visually commanding, more of the world would take notice.
Child Labor Nightmare in India’s Coal Mines
This wrenching image is of a young boy who works in one of India’s many coal mines near Ladrymbai, in the Jaintia Hills district in northeast India. In the Los Angeles Times Mark Magnier reported grim and disturbing details about the horrific child labor situation in the country’s coal mines:
“The young miners descend on rickety ladders made of branches into the makeshift coal mines dotting the Jaintia Hills in northeast India, scrambling sideways into ‘rat hole’ shafts so small that even kneeling becomes impossible. Lying horizontally, they hack away with picks and their bare hands: Human labor here is far cheaper than machines.”
10 Most Climate-Ready Cities in the U.S.?
Boyd Cohen, Ph.D. recently came up with a methodology to rank large cities in the U.S. based on how much they are preparing for or trying to counter climate change. He then went on to create and publish a top 10 list of the most “climate-ready” cities. While I think the term “climate-ready” is sort of a mistake, since he focuses more on efforts to stop climate change not adapt to it (which is what I would assume “climate-readiness” would be about), I think the overall idea and methodology looks great.
Solar Panels: Father’s Day Gift?
Generally, I try to keep an eye on the most popular Google searches in the U.S. For one, I think this is important for my job, to see if something I’m interested in is hot at the moment (and why) or to find out about something important I might have missed in my normal news channels. Additionally, doing so just gives me an idea of what’s happening or what’s popular at the moment, in general.
Solar Startup Scores a Cool $737 Million for Thermal Energy
Talk about landing the Holy Grail of solar power. Santa Monica startup SolarReserve locked in $737 million in guaranteed loans from the U.S. Department of Energy last Thursday for its highly innovative solar energy plant.
Switzerland Abandons Nuclear Power
The Swiss government just voted on Wednesday to abandon nuclear power in their country; their last reactor will finally go offline in 2034. The nation’s five remaining nuclear power plants will slowly be phased out, and no new reactors will be built. The government had already suspended approval for three new nuclear power stations in March, due to safety concerns.
Google Has Stake in World’s Largest Solar Power Tower Plant (in California)
Google’s product portfolio has now expanded from search engine power to solar power.
Are Big Cities Greener Than the Suburbs?
With all the traffic, electricity use, people, and public transportation, it’s easy to assume that cities emit more emissions than the suburbs with their lawns and open space. However, Jess Zimmerman of Grist cites a study in the Environment and Urbanization journal that shows carbon emissions in cities are lower than in the suburbs where people are more prone to driving everywhere. Really? Driving can make that much of a difference? Evidently, because Zimmerman goes on to say that Manhattan is one of the greenest places in America. Manhattan? Green? It’s all in how you measure it.
Los Angeles Could Easily be a Solar-Powered City
UCLA’s Luskin Center has created a “Los Angeles Solar Atlas” showing the solar potential in Los Angeles County on a variety of different scales. It created solar maps for each city and zone in the county and for the jurisdiction of each of the county’s 7 utilities, as well as for the county as a whole.
Say Goodbye to Nuclear Power
It’s the end of the world as we know it, but that is not a bad thing. This is the dawn of a new era in which the planet’s residents finally realize that nuclear energy was a really bad idea.
The horrific growing nuclear meltdown crisis in Japan is hopefully going to be the wake up call that we need to begin dismantling all of the nuclear reactors on the planet. Sustainable energy sources, like solar and wind, are now not only far cheaper than nuclear power, they are safe, clean and easy to repair when something goes wrong.
Take a Hottie to Bed — Stay Warm and Save Energy
One of the most energy-efficient ways to stay warm on those cool nights is to take a hottie to bed. A hottie uses less energy than an electric blanket or a space heater, and a hottie can help you keep your body hot and your thermostat down.