Oregon's 2009 climate change agenda announced | Post Carbon Cities
2008-01-10
2007-12-18
The ultimate present [moment]
Long Views � Blog Archive � The ultimate present
High speed photography of exploding "still life" as metaphor for the moment before chaotic unraveling of social and ecological systems.
2007-12-17
2007-12-05
Catalog Choice - Eliminate unwanted catalogs you receive in the mail
Catalog Choice - Eliminate unwanted catalogs you receive in the mail
Just found this thanks to Gil Friend's blog. I've tried this recently with another service, and I have yet to see any results, but taking four pounds of paper out of the mailbox and transferring it directly to the recycling bin is really taking a toll on my Eco-psyche (and has been for years). Does Victoria lie awake at night and dream about the trees?
2007-11-02
A Carbon-Negative Fuel (?)
WorldChanging: A Carbon-Negative Fuel
This is a conversation Tom Ward and I have been having of late... the evolution of charcoal and its uses and functions in the post-modern world. This sees bio-char as a fuel and an amendment to the soils, theoretically sequestering carbon in the process. It's a great article, with equally thoughtful comments and critiques.
2007-11-01
Microwind Generator: 30X More Efficient and Cheaper!
Microwind Generator: 30X More Efficient and Cheaper! | EcoGeek
A brilliant design. A magnet on a taught string bounces in wind and produces electricity.
2007-10-28
Triple Pundit: A juicy issue...
I have long held that Organic Soy, Hemp, or Almond milk (soup broth, etc.) in a non-recyclable* Tetra-Pack does not a green product make. This is one of those dilemmas of availability, as the alternative is often... nothing. The Triple Pundit article quoted below lists the promise of Biomimicry to make the process of reclamation more energy efficient. Now, if they'll just start doing something about that here in the states.
*Due to the lack of infrastructure here in the states, they are either landfill or shipped great distances to be 70% reclaimed.
Triple Pundit: A juicy issue...
Have you enjoyed some soy milk today? Perhaps a nice juice pack? Or added to your soup with a broth in a box? It's so convenient, having packaging that allows you to not depend on refrigeration, and not be limited by short expiration dates. Most of those packages are created by Tetrapak. They seem benign, these aseptic packages, keeping the germs at bay, and storing well for another day.
And yet, there's a problem: To get this level of non refrigerated packaging, it requires layering multiple materials upon one another, including cardboard, polythene, and aluminum. Add to this the plastic spout at the top, yet another material, and you'll find that recycling these is beyond the means and willingness of most places.
2007-10-10
Convenience Wins, Hubris Loses and Content vs. Context, a Presentation for Some Music Industry Friends at FISTFULAYEN
This is an interesting article, both for what it is saying about the music industry (and content providers as a whole) as well (and perhaps more importantly) about illuminating the role that vested interest plays in stifling creativity and technological development in order to protect current position.
Imagine, for example, what cars would look like today if only we used our inherent ability as humans to create rather than protect, rather than the DRM-like struggle that was illuminated in the movie Who Killed The Electric Car? I know, the standard answer is that the market would encourage it if it were economical, but read this article (and watch the aforementioned movie) for an insight into the greater story, beyond the dogma of Econ 101.
The viewpoint of the author is very refreshing, and may point to a greater trend emerging in our approach to exchanging our creative potential.
"I’m here to tell you today that I for one am no longer going to fall into this trap. If the licensing labels offer their content to Yahoo! put more barriers in front of the users, I’m not interested. Do what you feel you need to do for your business, I’ll be polite, say thank you, and decline to sign. I won’t let Yahoo! invest any more money in consumer inconvenience. I will tell Yahoo! to give the money they were going to give me to build awesome media applications to Yahoo! Mail or Answers or some other deserving endeavor. I personally don’t have any more time to give and can’t bear to see any more money spent on pathetic attempts for control instead of building consumer value. Life’s too short. I want to delight consumers, not bum them out.
"If, on the other hand, you’ve seen the light too, there’s a very fun road ahead for us all. Lets get beyond talking about how you get the music and into building context: reasons and ways to experience the music. The opportunity is in the chasm between the way we experience the content and the incredible user-created context of the Web."
2007-10-06
WorldChanging: Electric Vehicle Roundup
Sure, some of these may never see production, or may be 'optimistic' about the features and performance, but it truly is refreshing to see the design and engineering shake-up going on in industry as a whole; and the automotive world in particular.
This is a great article that shows some of the pre-order possibilities (and some that are ACTUALLY being produced) of EVs today. What I like about the article is the focus on start-ups and smaller companies (the Chevy Volt is conspicuously absent from the list) that are following a classic innovation path (as documented in The Innovator's Dilemma) to unseat the unresponsive Dino's of Detroit, and even some that think they are the greenest thing going.
Now, if we can just keep our old Camry going for a few more years...
2007-10-01
Welcome to the Corn Ethanol Backlash | EcoGeek
From the original:
Welcome to the Corn Ethanol Backlash | EcoGeek | Ethanol, Have, Corn, Biofuels, Barley: "The Economist published a story entitled (no, I'm not kidding) Ethanol Schmethanol, which points out some of the limitations of the fuel itself, while National Geographic's cover story 'Green Dreams' bemoans the inefficiency of the current ethanol system. Finally, WIRED's cover story hits on much the same topic, but from a more technical perspective, with a focus on cellulosic ethanol and switchgrass. Long story short? Corn ethanol isn't working. It's inefficient, reduces supplies of actual food which actual people need to actually eat, and increased demand is only leading to the destruction of the last untouched American prairie lands. But solutions might be on the way in the form of cellulosic ethanol, which is much more energy efficient (though more expensive) to produce, as well as alternate forms of biofuels that are more energy dense and gasoline-like than ethanol (namely butanol.)"
2007-09-23
Google Docs in Plain English
Oops sorry, double post. Check it out over on The EQ Blog.
http://eqmedia.blogspot.com/2007/09/google-docs-in-plain-english.html
2007-09-13
2007-09-10
The Great Iraq Swindle: : Rolling Stone
There is a great video to accompany this story.
The Great Iraq Swindle: : Rolling Stone: "How is it done? How do you screw the taxpayer for millions, get away with it and then ride off into the sunset with one middle finger extended, the other wrapped around a chilled martini? Ask Earnest O. Robbins -- he knows all about being a successful contractor in Iraq."
2007-09-05
U.S., Canadian West set joint carbon-cutting target | Environment | Reuters
U.S., Canadian West set joint carbon-cutting target | Environment | Reuters
"Our collective commitment will build a successful regional system to be linked with other efforts across the nation and eventually the world," California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said in a statement.
As far as i can tell, Schwarzenegger (and his staff) have a brilliant approach to the carbon reduction issue: In the face of an administration that is ranging from denial to delusional (that is, the spreading of) in its policies and fancy for industry lobbyists when it comes to issues of "the Environment", The Gov.'s (Arnold, not U.S.) approach is to supersede the federal layer in favor of an inter-regional, trans-national carbon emission reduction initiatives and "treaties".
The challenge for the plan should be to address 1) potential challenge from courts about the authority for states to make these arrangements on their own, and 2) "giving it teeth" so that the agreements are binding in the face of what will surely be challenges to the political will to accomplish the benchmarks in reductions.
The federal state seems to have impaled itself on the entrenched interests of the status-quo. Hopefully these inter-regional networks can form a cohesive, ad-hoc global approach to the carbon issue. Could this be the nascent stages of a new global body? Arnold for President... of the World?
2007-09-03
Focus the Nation
"On January 31, 2008 thousands of schools and organizations will collectively shift the national dialogue on global warming." Focus The Nation is the organization anchoring the event.
Its message is positive yet sober: we can do this, but we had better get cracking. Two quotes stood out (for me) in perusing the site:
"David Orr closed out the event with inspiring—and challenging—words. We may be crossing a political tipping point. But time is not our friend. An aggressive efficiency and renewables policy can get us to where we need to be by mid-century. But we do not have a moment to spare, or the time to indulge in half measures or false solutions."
and,
"Dr. Martin Luther King spoke these prescient words in a speech not long before his assassination:
“We are now faced with the fact, my friends, that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time [and] life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. … Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words ‘Too late.’”"
The introductory video is a realistic message to this generation regarding the scope of the ecological challenge upon us, and the response required. It realizes the requirements of developing and implementing the necessary infrastructure to make the kinds of Carbon Emission Reductions that are being called for in order to mitigate the effects of the industrial era on the ability of this planet to sustain conditions favorable to human and other life.
Most of the organizing focus seems to be coming from college campuses, which seems appropriate since they are the ones who will inherit what will need to be nothing shy of an evolution of human commerce.
Focus the Nation
2007-08-28
The Cheapskate Guide: 50 Tips for Frugal Living | zen habits
One person's "Cheapskate" is another's "Eco-conscious lifestyle", as saving personal resources also makes ecological sense. (And as one commenter points out, it is actually a post on frugality, as a cheapskate is "someone who stiffs their waitress.")
Nonetheless, a nice collection of some good advice, not all of it obvious to the seasoned cheapskate, er environmentalist.
The Cheapskate Guide: 50 Tips for Frugal Living | zen habits
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