Posts Tagged by sustainability
Annie Leonard of “The Story of Stuff”
| April 13, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Sustainability |
Last night I had the pleasure of coming face to face with one of my true heroes: Annie Leonard (of “The Story of Stuff” fame) at the University of California at Santa Barbara. Annie commanded the riveted attention of a packed audience, before taking audience questions and then entertaining one-on-one conversations with people like me. What a fabulous human being! So alive, so dedicated, with an intellect and a sense of humor that are literally breath taking.
Like so many of the world’s top environmentalists, Annie never dreamed of the level of penetration her ideas would have. Read More
Environmental Radicals and Pragmatists
| April 12, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Sustainability |
I just edited a 15-page article on sustainability a friend had written for publication in a magazine. I thought it was really good, and, in addition to my complimentary remarks on his writing, I mentioned that, in terms of environmentalism, that he an I were “almost blood brothers.”
He wrote back: “I like your ‘almost blood brothers’ sentiment.”
I responded:
The only reason we’re not completely blood brothers is that you’re a bit more radical as an environmentalist. I think I tend to be more pragmatic given that we live in a market economy. But here’s where we completely agree, which I’ll distill into a sentence:
Corporatocracy, exacerbated by (U.S. Supreme Court Decision) Citizen’s United, has turned us into roboconsumers, most of whom have extremely unenlightened viewpoints of our responsibilities as stewards of the Earth.
Free Report: How Sustainable Is Our Way of Life?
| April 11, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Sustainability |
Here’s another in our continuing series of free reports based on the reader surveys we do here at 2GreenEnergy. Those of us who are wondering what life on Earth will be like in 10 or 20 years will want to grab this 17-pager on our planet’s overall sustainability: http://2greenenergy.com/jan-survey-report/
Will the global economy recover after the resolution of the U.S. recession, the European debt crisis, and other immediate woes?
Will technological innovation outpace population growth, the depletion of resources, and man’s impact on the natural environment?
Will mankind gain a better understanding of the impact it’s made on the natural environment, raising awareness of our need to reduce, re-use, and recycle, and driving innovation in clean tech?
Will we enter a sustained period of negative economic growth, created by our civilization’s having “hit the wall” with respect to scarcities in energy, water, and food?
Again, here’s the report: http://2greenenergy.com/jan-survey-report/. I hope you enjoy it.
The Strengths and Weaknesses of Hydrokinetics
| April 10, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Hydrokinetics |
Here’s a continuation in our series of videos made for young people and newcomers to the subject who may benefit from an introduction to certain of the renewable energy technologies. This piece, less than five minutes in length, is a primer on hydrokenetics, i.e., extracting energy from moving water.
Teak Reforestation
| April 9, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Sustainability |
We all hope that the investments we make grow over time — figuratively speaking — i.e., the asset value grows. In this short video, I discuss an investment opportunity that literally grows: your own grove of teak trees. I look at it as the ultimate in socially responsible investing (SRI).
Early Books on Environmentalism and Sustainability
| April 7, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Sustainability |
I figured it was time to read the seminal pieces on environmentalism and sustainability. So, for Christmas, I asked my daughter for a copy of Beyond the Limits, the follow-up to Donella Meadows’ et. al. The Limits to Growth. Very good, but very frightening.
How Would Business Function in the Absence of Environmental Regulation?
| April 3, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Sustainability |
Here’s an ad for a seminar on sustainability.
Waste. It’s more than an environmental taboo; it’s a total disregard of valuable resources. And that affects everyone’s bottom line. Brand reputations, market share and valuation depend on meeting objectives. How do you achieve optimal energy, environmental, and fiscal practices?
And here’s the issue I have with it: Read More
Free Report: How Sustainable Is Our Way of Life?
| April 2, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Sustainability |
Soon we’ll publish another in our continuing series of free reports in which we aspire to provide an understanding of the most important trends that face civilization today. Based on a survey conducted in January 2012, we attempt to answer the question: How sustainable is our way of life? As always, I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to each of the participants.
As I go about my work in preparing the report, it’s obvious that we really DO live in interesting times. At the risk of oversimplifying: What a horserace this is: ignorance and greed vs. enlightenment and technology — and they’re neck-and-neck. Read More
CleanTech Forum Offers Ideas in Renewable Energy and Sustainability More Generally
| March 28, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Sustainability |
I’m up at the CleanTech Forum today, meeting people, making new friends, and checking out the latest ideas in renewable energy, electric transportation, and sustainability more generally. There are quite a few concepts in water purification, including a system to remove selenium, mercury, etc. from industrial waste water.
I spoke with the CEO of Mar Systems, whose first customer was happily dumping water with 15 parts per billion into the local river. Recently, regulators, who were armed with compelling empirical evidence that mercury was hugely toxic in concentrations far lower than that, changed the requirements, and forced the company to find a solution or close its doors. Bingo. A sale was made. Read More
Survey: Is Our Way of Life Sustainable?
| March 25, 2012 | Posted by Craig Shields under Sustainability |
I’m wondering if I could ask your help in another of our surveys.
There is not too much doubt that the last 150 years have brought ever-accelerating damage to our environment. There IS, however, a great deal of controversy about the ultimate consequences of this damage to mankind and the life-forms that share the planet with us.
In particular, I note that great minds studying this subject come to two different and mutually exclusive conclusions. People like Amory Lovins and Jeremy Rifkin present very compelling cases that migrating to a low-carbon energy schema will drive a robust economy. Others, notably Bill McKibben and Nate Hagens, don’t see this at all, claiming that, because we’ve reached the end of cheap energy and freely available credit, “the party’s over.”
This survey is an opportunity for you to provide your own assessment. If you click the link below, you’ll be taken to a page on which you can agree or disagree with various propositions concerning the sustainability of our economy, our use of energy, and our overall way of life. Thanks very much for your ongoing support.
Survey: Is Our Way of Life Sustainable?
