Plug-in hybrid cars have become quite popular among car buyers in the last decade or so, due in large part to extremely high gas prices and concerns over the negative effects that gasoline-powered vehicles have on the environment. That’s why plug-in hybrids, along with electric cars, are gaining momentum and sales of these types of vehicles are constantly on the rise. But, hybrid cars are relatively new to the market, and not everyone knows what they are all about. (more…)

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I had the pleasure of speaking with Norfolk Southern’s corporate sustainability officer, Blair Wimbush, just now.  One of our interns who documents role models in corporate sustainability had done a nice piece on Norfolk Southern, a large freight railway operating in 22 states here in the U.S., and I was impressed with a great number of the company’s initiatives focused on efficiency, reduction of carbon footprint, and assumption of great levels of responsibility for its environmental impact generally.

In addition to simple corporate citizenship; there is business at stake here as well; some of Norfolk Southern’s sustainability initiatives, (more…)

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Here’s a wonderful article that explains how smart grid and the adoption of electric vehicles really depend upon one another.  Like so many of the other things we cover here on a daily basis, the question isn’t “Are we going in that direction?” but rather “How soon?” which itself is a function of “What is the calculus by which huge business interests that favor the status quo can be pushed into helping, rather than hindering, the effort?”  (more…)

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Trees are a crucial factor in the filtration of our air, and absorb carbon dioxide from the environment, which is a key contributor to air pollution and global warming. Many people are pledging to plant trees to reduce the effects of pollution on our health as well. Here are a few key things to keep in mind when it comes to caring for your trees.

Don’t Forget to Mulch

Mulch is important for the health of your trees as much as it is for the health of your flower garden. It insulates the soil by providing a sort of buffer between the roots and severe temperatures, whether it’s extreme heat or extreme cold. It also retains water, which helps to maximize watering sessions by keeping roots moist for longer. (more…)

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I often caution cleantech entrepreneurs to make sure they confine their business concepts to arenas in which much larger and moneyed competitors will not enter and immediately squash them.  An example I often give (or gave) was electric transportation.  If you offer a freeway-speed electric sedan, you’re competing with Nissan and the rest. However, it’s unlikely that these massive OEMs are going to want to enter the e-bike market.

Oops.  Got that wrong.  (more…)

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Siemens, the German industrial giant, just completed the installation of a platform in the North Sea that will link two large offshore wind farms and transmit the power (ultimately 6.2 gigawatts) to the mainland, powering 500,000 homes with wind energy.

To summarize:  While the Americans are saying that it can’t be done, or that it needn’t be done, the Germans are simply doing it.  Meanwhile, I would say: Wir sehen lustig aus (we look silly).

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Here’s a recent article by one of my true heroes, Annie Leonard, on How To Be a More Mindful Consumer.  I met Annie after a talk she gave a few years ago, and congratulated her on the incredible work she’s done in popularizing the ideas in her “Story of Stuff” project – which, believe it or not, just celebrated its 6th birthday.

The seminal video (linked above) has many millions of views on YouTube, and, I’m happy to announce, it’s been shown to millions of kids in schools.  (more…)

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Those who think that federal subsidies for renewable energy are an unacceptable extravagance will be pleased to know that, by 2025, they will no longer be necessary, according to this report by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory.   Of course, this will create a certain irony: the tax-payer will have ceased supporting a public good (clean energy) but will still be sending tens of billions of his dollars annually to the oil companies,  the largest and most profitable group in the known universe – one whose products cause climate change, ocean acidification, lung disease, and war.

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Starting in September, I’ll be doing a great deal of work to promote ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) and the industry leader within it, aptly named Ocean Thermal Energy Corporation.  Although I’m not at liberty to discuss our strategy in any great detail, suffice it to say that I propose to create massive public understanding of the energy industry, the role of renewables, the consequences to our environment and to human health of the status quo in energy, and the prospect of a future in which OTEC replaces diesel as the energy source of choice for the one billion people living near tropical oceans.

In other words, it’s rather like the campaign “Ethical Oil” (an attempt to legitimize the development of the Canadian tar sands), only without the lies.  (more…)

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I’m off on a hike that will ultimately take me to a vintage car show.  I was explaining my viewpoint on the history of automotive design and engineering to my daughter just now, which I summarize as follows:

From the perspective of aesthetic design, the 1930s was the high-water mark (see 1935 Duesenberg pictured here).  (more…)

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