Posts
Been meaning to post this for a while now. It's an interview I did for a pretty cool company called Recycling For Charities that raises money by recycling used electronics. Check it out.
Dave
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Recycling For Charities
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Oil Rigs in The Heart of LA? You Bet.
Found this on LA Green Girls Blog. Oil Derricks in Beverly Hills? Wild.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Return to the Gyre
For anyone interested in an update on the North Pacific Gyre, the plastic floating mass of garbage in the middle of the pacific, my friend Lyndsay just returned from a month at sea and had an article in the New York Times today. She told me that Captain Moore, who was back out with her, said that it has grown quite a bit since he was last there.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Friday, October 2, 2009
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Friday, September 25, 2009
Whole Foods and Sigg Bottles
Check with your local Whole Foods, but many of them are taking the older Sigg Bottles and offering replacements.
Dave
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Blind Spot
Check out this preview from the web site that sells this film about the perils of peak oil. It's a bit of a depressing film but an important one nonetheless, and, most importantly, very accessible.
Dave
Walmart going renewable
I'm not a fan of Walmarts for a lot of reasons, but I think credit needs to be given where it's due. Check out this story about their stated goal to use only renewable energy in all of their stores. Of course it may just be hype, but seeing as they are already among the top 50 green power purchases in the US, there may be something to this. Hopefully other corps will take note.
Dave
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Some new news from the North Pacific Gyre
http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_13258216?source=most_emailed
Monday, September 21, 2009
Inspirational Kennedy Quote
"But even if we act to erase material poverty, there is another greater task, it is to confront the poverty of satisfaction - purpose and dignity - that afflicts us all. Too much and for too long, we seemed to have surrendered personal excellence and community values in the mere accumulation of material things. Our Gross National Product, now, is over $800 billion dollars a year, but that Gross National Product - if we judge the United States of America by that - that Gross National Product counts air pollution and cigarette advertising, and ambulances to clear our highways of carnage. It counts special locks for our doors and the jails for the people who break them. It counts the destruction of the redwood and the loss of our natural wonder in chaotic sprawl. It counts napalm and counts nuclear warheads and armored cars for the police to fight the riots in our cities. It counts Whitman's rifle and Speck's knife, and the television programs which glorify violence in order to sell toys to our children. Yet the gross national product does not allow for the health of our children, the quality of their education or the joy of their play. It does not include the beauty of our poetry or the strength of our marriages, the intelligence of our public debate or the integrity of our public officials. It measures neither our wit nor our courage, neither our wisdom nor our learning, neither our compassion nor our devotion to our country, it measures everything in short, except that which makes life worthwhile. And it can tell us everything about America except why we are proud that we are Americans."
Friday, September 18, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Go see The Age Of Stupid
A very cool looking movie that will hopefully make folks think a bit. A man in 2055 looks back at the year 2008 through video clips and asks the question : Why didn't they do anything when they had the chance?
Monday Sept 21, the makers of the film are holding a worldwide premiere in order to get it in the Guinness Book Of World Records and get some attention. To be a part of it check out the site.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
MIT Tracking Seattle Trash
Check Out Veggie Trader for local produce
Check it out.
Dave
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Container Homes!
Built tough from weathering corrugated steel, these incredible tough building blocks of international trade are designed to withstand stacking, stuffing and strapping and are reused over and over again. There is an estimate of over 18 million of these containers floating, riding and flying around the earth today, but the most recent sustainable design trend has found these containers revamped to contain a more delicate cargo: People.
More Here
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The Cove
It's one thing to find a great documentary. It's another to find one that enlightens and inspires. And it's still another to find one that is so well made, that you'd swear it was scripted.
The Cove is just that and more. Check out the trailer below and then go see it with all your friends. Then call everyone else and tell them to see it.
Why you ask?
Because this illustrates how powerful one man can be, and moreso, has actually had an effect. To date, the annual dolphin slaughter that takes place in Taiji, Japan, has not begun. Will it eventually? Not if enough people see this film it won't.
If you've ever said "i'm just one person, what can I do", run out and see this film!
Oh yeah, and one final note. If you don't want to see the film because you think it'll be too graphic, fear not. I won't lie to you, there's a tough 2 minutes of film towards the end of the movie, but it's not nearly as bad as what you probably think you'll see, and what these filmakers probably saw. Check it out, you'll be glad you did.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
City Chicken
Dave
Sigg contains BPA afterall
There are people out there who say that BPA isn't a problem, and as far as I'm concerned, it's academic in this case. The bottom line to me is that they were not honest about their product with consumers.
I used to carry a Sigg bottle and even talked with some folks at the company back in February of last year. But after some research, I decided that i'd be happier with a stainless steel bottle than an aluminum one with the coating. While Sigg states that they have extensively tested these coatings, my thought has always been "Why take a chance?".
According to the president of the company, Steve Wasik, the bottles in question are pre 2008 and you can figure out if you have one and see a list of FAQ here. In addition, if you want to email Steve himself, he can be reached at steve.wasik.ceo(at)sigg.com.
Supposedly they are accepting returns of BPA bottles but I can't find any info. I'll post it up when I do.
Dave
Update: The Sigg Bottle Return Site is http://mysigg.com/bulletin/exchange_program.html. You ahve to get your bottles in by 10/31 and you are required to pay to ship it to them.
The Seven Deadly Plastics
Fantastic little song that will help you remember what's what in the recycling world.
Monday, August 31, 2009
The Daily Ocean
Finaly getting around to posting this. A reader sent in a link to her cool blog called The Daily Ocean. For 365 days she is picking up all trash she finds on the beach and cataloging it. Talk about an eye opener! Very cool.
dave
Dirt
Another great doc, this one on the importance of topsoil and the problems we are facing in losing it.
It's Over: 5 Reasons Why The Electric Car Wins
Original post at TriplePundit
It could take ten years or more to become apparent, but I’ll call it now: the electric car will replace the internal combustion engine.
A caveat: I am not an automotive industry expert. Which is why I’m right. I’m not mired in the details, the past failures, the what ifs or the buts. All I see are the big, obvious things. When it comes to sea change in human behavior, though, obvious matters.
So, since no prediction is worth its salt without an accompanying list, the following are five overlapping reasons why our children will all be driving electric cars.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
And A Little Town Shall Lead Them
Did you hear the news? Finally, a government led by the people has stood up and said “no” to plastic water bottles and the environmental degradation they cause. And may I say, it’s about time.
The small town of Bundanoon in New South Wales Australia voted last week to officially ban the sale of plastic water bottles from within the cities limits. The 350 residents who turned out to vote (a record by some accounts) agreed almost unanimously with two residents voting no; a gentlemen worried that the ban would increase soda usage, and another resident who just so happens to be a member of the plastic water bottle industry (shocking, no?).
Monday, July 20, 2009
Carbon Offset Guide
For anyone interested, Greenopia has put together a list of their top ten Carbon Offset Companies. Carbon Offsets are a way of taking responsibility for your footprint. They have caused a lot of controversy because many people feel that they are being used by rich people to buy their way out of changing their habits, and the truth is, in some instances, they have.
Having said that, if you have changed what you can and are struggling with the next steps to take, CO's offer a chance to make things a little better. By using their calculator you can figure out what your offset needs to be and give them some money to help offset the cost of renewable energy, plant a tree, or invest in renewable energy technology. Bottom line is it's a way of doing a little more than you already are, if you have the funds. I dn't think it means you have any less responsibility to change than anyone else, but it does help speed the process and may make you feel a little better at the same time.
Dave
Monday, July 13, 2009
XS Projects
A great clip about one woman's idea on how to help the poor of Indonesia support themselves while alleviating the trash problem as well. Check them out at XS Projects.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Nissan's Big Bet: Mass Market For EVs
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The Governor's School of North Carolina
I spoke last night (and am speaking again tonight) to the best and brightest students in North Carolina who are attending a state funded summer program on two North Carolina campuses. To say that the experience has been (and I'm assuming will continue to be) overwhelming is a complete understatement. The reception that I received, their open minded approach and the intelligence I saw in these students gives me great hope. The Governor's School is truly shaping tomorrows leaders and I just wanted to throw a shout out to the incredible minds that I have been encountering and continue to encounter while here.
While the students have impressed me to no end, the faculty is equally if not more impressive! In the short time that I have been here I have seen a level of commitment that is fairly unparalleled. These are the bright minds that should be molding our future and it is my hope that they continue to do what they are doing for a long time coming. These are the folks that are doing it right!
Every state should have a program like this and every young mind should be challenged the way these kids are being challenged - to think, to explore, and to continue learning and evolving.
Thank you to everyone who has made my experience memorable.....you inspire me.
Dave
P.S. Ironically, the reason that I am here in the first place is because of Katherine T., a teacher who asked me come to speak to her class in California last year. One of her students who heard me speak sent me one of the greatest letter I have ever received, so I'm glad I was able to return the favor.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
The Secret Life of T-shirts
I found this really good write up about what goes into the making of an average t-shirt at emagazine.com. It's quite the eye opener.
Dave
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Where Can I Recycle.....?
Just type in what you need to recycle and where you are and voila, instant answers. It's just that simple.
Recycling and Composting in San Francisco Now The Law!
Mayor Gavin Newsom just made SF the first place in the country to make recycling and composting mandatory. This is a huge step forward and one I hope other cities will follow. Check out the writeup here.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
DOE Money Heading Towards Electric Vehicles!
According To Paul
We've been waiting for several months to hear this good news. Three EV pioneers, Tesla, Nissan and Ford, are receiving loans from the Department of Energy’s Advanced Technology Vehicles Manufacturing program. Totaling $8 billion, the funds will be used to manufacture efficient vehicles and electric drive components.
In Tesla's case, they'll receive a total of $465 million to set up their factory in Southern California for the production of their hot Model S. This car has generated a lot of interest given its superb styling, performance and efficiency. The price point of $57K makes it affordable for a large segment of the population. Part of the money will be used to set up a production line for their battery packs and electric drive trains to be sold to other manufacturers such as their new partner, Daimler.
Nissan will receive $1.6 billion to build EV and battery factories in Tennessee. Having experienced the drive train for their new EV, I am very pleased that this will enable them to ramp up quickly to 150,000 EVs annually. This car will appeal to a larger segment of the population given its price of around $30K.
Ford is the big surprise for me. They're getting the lion's share of the money at $5.9 billion. They'll use it to increase the efficiency of several of their cars and trucks. I assume some will go toward building their new EV with the help of Canadian parts supplier, Magna.
This announcement assures that large numbers of electric vehicles will be available to U.S. customers starting late next year and growing rapidly soon after. Additionally, tens of thousands of jobs will be created.
There will more announcements to come. I'm betting that Bright Automotive in Indiana will be on the next list of recipients. They sure deserve to be.
Paul
******
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
In House Sewage Treatment Coming To An Office Near You
From Wired Magazine.
Picture the lobby atrium of a new, green building, one filled with leafy plants and trees. Now imagine that those trees are growing in waste collected from the building's toilets.
If that idea has the whiff of failure about it, well, sniff again. Increasingly, building designers are managing sewage in-house—really in-house. The Port of Portland, for example, is integrating waste management into the lobby of its new headquarters under construction. The Living Machine uses soil and bacteria to filter out pathogens, essentially turning wastewater into nonpotable water. But the signature element of the system is the plant life that grows up and out of it—right into the lobby. "It's going to provide a kind of greenhouse feel," says Greg Sparks, engineering design manager for the port. "It'll soften the hard edges of the typical office building."
Everybody likes trees, but (aesthetics aside) sending poop from the bathroom to the lobby may seem sort of icky. In environmental terms, though, it's a solid choice. Just as photovoltaics can help take a building off the power grid, living machines take strain off the pipes and municipal wastewater facilities on the "sewage grid." They also show that being green means thinking more creatively about our brown and yellow.
1 Wastewater from the entire building flows into a holding tank where solids settle, like in a septic tank. The reclaimed liquid up top gets pumped to the lobby.
2 Garden-like "wetland cells" layered with plants, soil, and rocks collect the water and capture biological compounds and pathogens.
3 On its way out of the garden, the water is further sterilized by ultraviolet light in the pipes. Then it's recycled back into the plumbing system.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
The Lazy Environmentalist
For anyone who gets the Sundance Channel, the Lazy Environmentalist premieres tonight and I am one of the experts in the opening show. Not sure how it came out as i haven't seen it, but we don't get Sundance so if anyone catches it, let me know.
Thanks
Dave
Saturday, June 13, 2009
PIA's Plug-In Vehicle Tracker
Want to know who'e coming out with what electric vehicle and when? Plug In America has put together an awesome page that tracks pretty much everything you want to know about new EVs in the works and when to expect them.
Check it out.
Dave
Friday, June 12, 2009
Energy Secretary Chu At CalTech
According To Paul
Full Speech Here
I heard that Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, was giving the commencement address at CalTech this morning, so I jumped in our solar-powered RAV and drove over to Pasadena to hear what he had to say.
Pasadena is a beautiful city, and the section of town where CalTech is located is old and very wealthy. Walking through the leafy campus, Jacarandas in full bloom, I admired the buildings that for decades housed some of the smartest students our country ever produced as well as a sizable number of foreign kids intent on getting the best education possible in their chosen fields of mathematics, science and engineering. My anticipation over Dr. Chu's speech grew with each step.
He did not disappoint.
Those of us in the EV movement were overjoyed when Obama picked Dr. Chu to head the Energy Department. An actual Nobel-winning PhD in physics who has a deep understanding of our predicament regarding energy and climate change in charge of the Energy Department. A true breath of fresh air!
He broke the ice by defining the term, nerd, using the Wikipedia definition (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nerd), since most in his audience proudly considered themselves as such. I think it's actually on the form when you apply to CalTech.
Having dispensed with the obligatory humorous start, he got down to business by reminding the audience that, in the early 70's, scientists solved the pressing need to grow more food in order to keep millions from starvation and expressed that our problems today are every bit as important if not more so. He implored the students to take seriously the need to act fast in solving these problems and to not allow those who prefer faith over reason to interfere with the task at hand.
As one would expect, he talked about energy mostly, but my ears pricked up when he said we needed to prepare for the "inevitable transition to electricity as the energy for our personal transportation". While most may have missed the importance of this comment, it meant everything to me. Those at the top of the Obama administration understand the need to move from dirty fossil fuels to renewable electricity, and their efforts so far show they are serious.
Chu's defunding, at the federal level, of the hydrogen fuel cell vehicle means he knows we need to put our efforts toward solutions that are ready now, not some expensive, inefficient technology that requires us to continue buying our energy from oil companies.
As the speech ended and I started to go, the strains of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 "Ode to Joy" flowed out of the loud speakers and I walked through the beautiful purple flowering Jacarandas happier than I've been for a while. Maybe these scientists, engineers and mathematicians can indeed help us to ward off the worst of what will come.
Paul
******
Air France Search Hindered by Garbage
I was wondering if this would be a problem and indeed, it looks like it is going to be. Apparently, the searchers for the Air France flight that went down the week before last are having problems telling what's plane debris and what's trash.
Now let's take a look at this for a moment. Middle of the ocean and a plane that has hit the water. Other than depth and visibility, there should be no problem locating this stuff if you could figure out where it was. The idea that they are finding stuff, only to rule it out as garbage and not from the plane is absolute insanity. It just goes to show how bad things have gotten and it's sad that it takes a tragedy to bring it to light.
Dave
Monday, June 8, 2009
Food Inc. The Movie
I saw the filmmakers speaking about this movie back in February. It looks to be a really amazing film that has important info that everyone in the industrialized world needs to see. Food and they way we consume it is at the heart of the problems at hand and I truly believe that the way to start a change is by educating people as to what they are a part of.
Dave
Friday, June 5, 2009
Port of Long Beach goes electric!
It's been a long time coming, but we have finally achieved the first "cold ironing" of a tanker in the Port of Long Beach. Cold Ironing is the term for plugging a ship's electrical system into the on-shore grid to supply power so that the ship's giant diesel engine can be turned off while it's docked. Normally, these engines crank out massive amounts of pollution, equal to "a day's worth of driving by 187,000 cars", according to estimates by the Port of Long Beach.
The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) initiated suits against the ports over 7 years ago to make this happen, and it was a long difficult fight, but the NRDC's attorneys persevered and eventually won. This event marks the first of what we hope will be the electrification of all the tanker and cargo ships while docked in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. For too long, the people living downwind of the ports have suffered the ill effects of this pollution with heart and lung disease, cancers and asthma rates that are significantly higher than average.
An earlier post of mine highlighted the hybridization of the tugboats that guide these massive ships into berth, further extending the benefits of electrifying what had been exclusively internal combustion-powered vehicles. Every kilowatt hour used to replace the burning of petroleum helps us to clean our environment, saves us money and reduces the need to fight wars over oil.
Paul
*******
Port of Long Beach takes 'giant step' toward pollution reduction
Port officials unveil what is billed as the world's first electrical shore-side power system for tankers, which are notorious fuel guzzlers and air polluters.
Docked in Long Beach on Wednesday with a fresh load of oil from Valdez, the Alaskan Navigator didn't look like much of a trailblazer.
The massive tanker sat silently, with a few thin cables draping down to some gray metal boxes. Missing was the incessant rumble of diesel engines, which on an average cargo ship would be running constantly to keep electrical systems going -- burning quite a bit of diesel fuel and generating a significant amount of pollution.
But the 941-foot Navigator, anchored at the BP oil terminal's Pier T on the Long Beach port's main channel, isn't average. The vessel, owned by Alaska Tanker Co. of Portland, Ore., was plugged into what is billed as the world's first shore-side electrical grid.
The massive tanker sat silently, with a few thin cables draping down to some gray metal boxes. Missing was the incessant rumble of diesel engines, which on an average cargo ship would be running constantly to keep electrical systems going -- burning quite a bit of diesel fuel and generating a significant amount of pollution.
But the 941-foot Navigator, anchored at the BP oil terminal's Pier T on the Long Beach port's main channel, isn't average. The vessel, owned by Alaska Tanker Co. of Portland, Ore., was plugged into what is billed as the world's first shore-side electrical grid.
Only the Navigator's sister ship, the Frontier, is similarly equipped. Oil tankers are notorious fuel guzzlers and air polluters because of the power that's needed to pump vast amounts of crude out of a ship. It's the rough energy equivalent of a day's worth of driving by 187,000 cars, according to the Port of Long Beach.
At a ceremony formally unveiling the port's dockside power system, port Executive Director Dick Steinke described it as "another giant step" toward cleaning up the air.
The project cost $23.7 million and took three years to complete, port officials said. The port contributed about $17.5 million to the project and BP paid the rest.
Roger Brown, regional vice president of BP, said the emissions reductions amounted to 50% even when factoring in pollution created by power plants in generating the electricity.
ron.white@latimes.com
Roger Brown, regional vice president of BP, said the emissions reductions amounted to 50% even when factoring in pollution created by power plants in generating the electricity.
ron.white@latimes.com
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Lighting Up the Darkness in Rural Africa
Check out this very cool article from the NY Times about a solar powered LED lantern that Phillips is using to change lives in Ghana.
Dave
Farm To School Programs
A friend turned me on to this article on connecting school lunch programs with local farms. What a concept? Better nutrition and supporting local farms which decreases food miles as well as helping to bolster the local economy.
Check it out.
Dave
Farm to School Programs: a lesson in win-win relationships
May 28th, 2009 by LeeAnn Smith MPH, RD
This September the federal Child Nutrition bills which cover the National School Lunch and Breakfast Programs, will be up for evaluation and amendment during the reauthorization process. This window of opportunity arises every five years for lawmakers to improve upon child nutrition programs. The nation’s burgeoning childhood obesity epidemic is forcing health leaders and politicians alike to prioritize childhood nutrition. This is an opportune time to position school food as a key factor in improving health and nutrition of American children who, on average, receive 35 to 40 percent of their daily calories from school meals.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Clean Power Supplies For The Future?
This is a pretty good post from Edmunds.com about an article in Energy and Environmental Science on the dangers of cellulosic ethanol as an answer to our energy needs. I've often felt that biofuels are not a long term solution (although in reality I don't think there will be a silver bullet solution but a hodge podge of different ones) and the findings in this study are interesting to see. According to the study, wind powered battery electric vehicles are the least environmentally damaging solution to our transportation needs. Interesting reading and worth checking out.
Dave
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