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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Nuclear

We speak often about ending the subsidies for Big Oil, in an effort to create a level playing field for renewable energy, and simply to stop transferring wealth from the U.S. tax-payer to the captains of the most profitable industry on Earth. And the discussion is heating up even further, now that America is $15 trillion in debt.

Here’s an article that points out that the federal government has spent more than $95 billion (in 2011 dollars) on nuclear energy research and development (R&D). That is more than four times the amount spent on solar, wind, geothermal, biomass, biofuels, and hydropower combined.

Its authors note:

Many in Congress talk of getting big government off the back of private industry. Here’s an industry we’d like to get off the backs of the taxpayers. …..One thing we strongly agree on is the need to end wasteful subsidies that prop up the nuclear industry. After 60 years, this industry should not require continued and massive corporate welfare. It is time for the nuclear power industry to stand on its own two feet.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Part of the beauty of attending talks like the one environmentalist Annie Leonard (“The Story of Stuff”) gave last night lies not on the stage, but rather in the audience.

I sat in the front row (for some strange reason unappealing to most people), and right next to me was Marc McGinnes, one of the top contributors to the sustainability movement over the last 40 years. We chatted amiably for about 20 minutes before Annie took the stage.

Wow. I’m so glad I didn’t miss this opportunity.

by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

When Annie Leonard (“The Story of Stuff”) spoke last night, she made it clear that, with all the bad news in the world in terms of resource depletion, toxicity, population growth, injustice, etc., there is some fabulous news: the vast majority of people both understand these issues and want to do something about them. 85% of Americans think corporations have too much control over our lives. 85%!  — that’s six out of every seven. Three-quarters (74%) think we need more environmental controls.

Annie thinks this is huge, and it’s hard to disagree. She asked the audience, “Do you know how many people agreed with Dr. Martin Luther King’s position when he made his ‘I Have a Dream’ speech? (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Politics

Anyone who’s ever been to Vermont recognizes that these people think and act differently from the rest of the country.  Fiercely brave and unapologetically independent, Vermont cuts to the chase, unafraid to take clear and decisive action when it’s demanded.

Yesterday, the Vermont State Senate voted 26-3 (that’s pretty decisive, I would say) in favor of an amendment to the Constitution that would make clear that corporations should not be afforded the right of free speech that people enjoy under the First Amendment.

State Senator Virginia Lyons (D) led the charge. Nice going, Vermont!

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in 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. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in 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.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Photovoltaics

Here’s an interesting piece by super-blogger Marc Gunther, suggesting that subsidies for solar have been misapplied and have created weird market conditions. No argument from me there. Handing people money to do a certain thing is a guarantee that they’ll do exactly what you’ve asked them to do – and no more. Thus the imperative to be very sure you’ve been precise in that request. I’ll be the first to admit (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Science

Ross Guthrie, one of 2GreenEnergy’s web-programming superstars, has just completed this page that offers a compilation of the Basics of Renewable Energy, the videos and infographics that my team and I have been putting together over the past few months.  It looks sharp to me, but I’d be interested in your opinion.  

I encourage you to send this to young people or newcomers to the subject who  may be looking for an accessible starting point.

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Question: How is it possible for the concentration of certain toxins to increase in our groundwater for several decades after those chemicals have been banned? For example, the concentration of soil disinfectant DCP (used heavily in the 1970s and finally banned in 1990) will peak about 2020, and will remain in significant quantities until about 2050.

Answer: Can be found at http://2greenenergy.com/cool-guess-answers/8732.

Relevance:  Most of the effects of the actions we take today – good or bad — have repercussions for extremely long periods of time. This reminds us of what Thomas Jefferson famously said, “It is incumbent upon every generation to pay its own debts as it goes.”  Not to moralize, but I think he nailed something there.  

 

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Frequent commenter MarcoPolo writes:

Craig, EREVs (extended range electric vehicles), are not simply ‘Plug-in hybrids’. The GM Volt is an astonishing example of US engineering, and advanced technology.  All Americans should feel proud of the GM Volt.

I have to admit that it’s a cool idea, and I’m glad that GM appears to be onboard with a migration, albeit a slow one, away from oil.  But I do believe that the EREV (as they call it) will be a short-lived concept that will have little bearing on the future of transportation.

Btw, the difference between the terms “extended range electric vehicle” (EREV) and “plug-in hybrid” is semantics. In fact, I recall thinking when I saw that GM had coined the phrase EREV in an attempt to differentiate the Volt from the other plug-in hybrids, “Now that’s marketing at its finest.” All such vehicles have batteries that provide a given range, and internal combustion engines (ICEs) that extend that range. Yes, there are variations on the theme as to what precisely the ICE does (charge the battery? power the car? both?) But we’re really talking about a single concept.

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