waxing blogosophical
Isn’t it amazing that much of Africa banned free plastic grocery bags long before even San Francisco did? And the U.S. still hasn’t made any movement on that front. When, oh when, will we finally catch up with the green movement sweeping the world?!?!
Both of these great finds are from my buddy Shane’s Facebook newsfeed. Thanks Shane!
You will probably need a NYT username and password to read both. Should be free to register.
No Furnaces but Heat Aplenty in ‘Passive Houses’
An awesome new type of architecture that nearly eleminates the need for heating in homes and other buildings.
Stop Being Stupid
Op-Ed by columnist Bob Herbert on the status of the US and what we should do going forward.
This is a great read. Al Gore calls for a complete overhaul of our energy infrastructure in the next 10 years. Ambitious and visionary. I love this man.
An underwater turbine that generates electricity from tidal streams was plugged into the UK’s national grid today. It marks the first time a commercial-scale underwater turbine has fed power into the network and the start of a new source of renewable energy for the UK.
Tidal streams are seen by many as a plentiful and predictable supply of clean energy. The most conservative estimates suggest there is at least five gigawatts of power in tidal flows around the country, but there could be as much as 15GW.
We are taking measures to conserve water in my house. California is in a critical water shortage, and the Governator is encouraging us to conserve. San Francisco get’s its water from Hetch Hetchi reservoir in Yosemite (i.e., the Sierra Mountains). So, it is even more important that we conserve since our water supply is directly affected by the low snowfall.
Here are some good links on conserving water. The first is from my hero Barbara Boxer. The second is a cool site that graphically illustrates the different areas of the house.
Some things my house is doing:
What has a smaller carbon footprint: Purchasing meat or produce at Safeway or a local farmer’s market? The answer may surprise you and isn’t as simple as you think.
I’ve been meaning to watch The End of Suburbia since I first heard about it in 2004. Well, I finally got around to watching it on the flight back from Virginia on Sunday. The documentary explores the history of suburban development, and its fate when peak oil production is reached. These guys knew exactly what they were talking about. Almost everything they predicted for 2010 almost four years ago is coming to pass today.
A few relevant quotes include:
What would it be like to live after the Hubbert Peak with world oil declining. And, I have this list of things:
$7 Trillion lost out of the US Stock market 2 million jobs lost in the United States Federal budget surplus gone State budget surpluses gone The middle class disappearing. Kenneth Deffeyes
Author, Hubbert’s Peak: The Impending Oil Shortage
Because energy prices and the economy are so closely intertwined, [reaching Hubbert's peak globally] would probably result in an economic recession.
Richard Heinberg
Dr. Trix has a great post over at Jedi Mind Trix about whether or not to eat fish. I’ve been struggling with this exact issue. I’m a vegetarian but a couple of years ago I allowed myself to eat fish again. Reports of the over-fishing problem and mercury levels have made me rethink this choice.
I read a great interview/book review a few weeks ago about what fish to eat and not eat. In the interview, Taras Grescoe discusses his book Bottomfeeder: How to Eat Ethically in a World of Vanishing Seafood. The rule of thumb is: don’t eat bottom feeders (that means NO SHRIMP!). Also, if you’re going to eat tuna, only buy Skipjack. And the only acceptable Salmon is Alaskan wild. The list goes on, but not for very long. There are few fish that are still healthy and morally/environmentally responsible to eat.
In today’s blog post, Dr. Trix links to The Green Guide’s interactive fish guide. And for printable wallet guides to what fish to eat or avoid click here or here.
Dr. Trix asks whether it wouldn’t be more environmentally responsible to occasionally eat meat whose source and farming practices we can verify. I’ve struggled with that exact issue. My dad is a cattle rancher who raises his beef free-range and certified organic. Wouldn’t it make sense for me to have my dad reserve some of the meat from one of his cows for me? I’ve seen the cows and the various pastures they graze in (they graze at different pastures of varying elevations depending on the time of year and relative heat). I feel like I know the answer to this dilemma. I’m just not sure I can give up fish yet…
