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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

In response to my piece suggesting that “the new living large is living small,” Erik writes:

I agree that many people will eventually see consumerism as utter foolishness. I also have to agree with some commentators here that this will most likely happen when people are with their backs up against the wall. … It’s our internalized beliefs about what makes us happy that must change. Lust for material growth without limits is no less than a surrogate for our deeper human needs for psychological and spiritual growth.

Wow, that’s really well written. I completely agree. It’s a shame more of us can’t see past the thin veil of materialism and begin to see our lives in grander terms. But this is precisely the aim of modern consumer marketing: to convince us that we’re inadequate as people if we don’t get that big car, big house, or latest gadget; in fact, we’re bombarded with these messages at every turn. Thus the utter brilliance of The Story of Stuff.

Yet I’m wondering if I don’t see a recent change in consumer tastes. There are many reasons that I don’t drive a 5800-pound Cadillac Escalade or 6600-pound Hummer, or some equally ridiculous car, but one of them is that I don’t want to be on the receiving end of the contemptuous glares of a growing number of people communicating, “We all need to share this planet. You obviously didn’t get the memo on this, did you?”

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Renewables - Business

For those interested in tracking the progress I’m making in writing my third book, here is the title: Renewable Energy – Following the Money.

The project is based on the notion that the migration from fossil fuels will happen precisely when it becomes profitable.  Therefore, understanding the trajectory by which renewables gradually displace their dirty counterparts means wrapping our wits around each of the main economic components: subsidies and incentives, taxes and disincentives, lobbying and campaign finance reform, improving efficiencies, cost reduction associated with to scale and technological breakthroughs, addressing demand with conservation and efficiency, and the development of ancillary solutions like energy storage, smart-grid, electric transportation, etc.   (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

In response to my piece on “living small,” frequent commenter Arlene writes:

Well said, Craig. It is unfortunate (for me) that I don’t believe humans will do the “right thing” until their backs are up against it.

I totally understand.  I think most people’s behavior is shaped by their surroundings and the messages they receive from the world around them. Unfortunately, the media surrounds us with suggestions that people can’t be trusted, and that even honest people, if they’re smart, look out for themselves.

Like a mouse attacking a wolverine, I try to issue consistent messages of compassion.  Even when I’m slamming someone or something, I try to advocate for what’s right, and point people in that direction. I realize it’s just a tiny contribution to the totality of kindness in the world, but I suppose it’s at least something.

And speaking of kindness, I hope you’ll check this out; this is exactly what I’m talking about. The more people are exposed to stuff like this, the better off each and every one of us are.

 

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

I’ve been lucky enough to derive so much pleasure from business travel – and to conduct so much business during personal trips — that I long ago ceased to try to separate the two.

Case in point: this trip back East for Christmas, where I carved out an hour and a half to meet with the CEO of Momentum Dynamics, less than an hour’s drive from my family’s home in the suburbs of Philadelphia.

Momentum Dynamics offers breakthrough technology in inductive (versus conductive) charging. For those scratching their heads here, we find this concept implemented in today’s electric toothbrushes, which are charged miraculously by merely replacing the brush – sans metal contacts — back into its base unit. Unbeknownst to the user, it sits there next to a modulating magnetic field that induces an electric current to flow into a conductive circuit within the toothbrush, recharging the battery. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Nuclear

Global nuclear capacity has remained flat in growth in the last decade, the worldwide operational installed capacity increased insignificantly from 370 GWe at the end of 2005 to 375 GWe at the end of 2010. Nuclear capacity in the OECD countries peaked in 2006 at 2,259 TWh and declined to 2,136 TWh in 2009. A severe earth quake and tsunami in March 2011 that ravaged the pacific coast of northern Japan resulted in devastating incident in Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. Following this incidence several countries have announced safety reviews of their nuclear power programmes. (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Electric Vehicles

Over a cold beverage during the holidays, my brother Geoff (terrific person) came to ask me about my level of satisfaction with what I’m doing here at 2GreenEnergy. “It’s a mixed bag,” I told him, candidly. “It’s a combination of experiences that, depending on which day you ask me, could be:

• Deeply rewarding, as we’ve helped move countless cleantech deals forward – in fact, many more than I’m directly aware of,

• Fantastically frustrating, in that this project – and the adoption of cleantech generally — is moving far more slowly than I possibly could have imagined given the urgency, or  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

Are you familiar with our surveys here, in which we ask readers to weigh in on the important topics of the day?

Please consider and comment on the following set of ideas, which I’ll send out as soon as I get it finalized, to get your take on where we’re headed as a species.  I intend to get folks to provide their level of agreement on a scale of 1 – 5, on the following propositions:

◊ The global economy will probably recover after the resolution of the U.S. recession, the European debt crisis, and other immediate woes — and a period of sustained growth is likely to follow.

◊ Technological innovation will outpace population growth, the depletion of resources, and man’s impact on the natural environment.

◊ Mankind will gain a better understanding of the impact it’s made on the natural environment, which will significantly raise awareness of our need to reduce, re-use, and recycle – as well as drive innovation in clean tech.

◊ We’re likely to enter an indefinite period of negative economic growth, created by our civilization’s having “hit the wall” with respect to scarcities in energy, water, and food, which are likely to have horrific consequences in the forms of wars, social chaos, and class divisiveness.

◊ Yes, such scarcities are likely, but they will force everyone, rich and poor, to do more with less. But that’s really not such a bad thing, as it will force us all closer to nature, hard work, and the roots of true happiness.

◊ We’re very likely to experience one or more cataclysms of Biblical proportions between now and 2015: a huge nuclear accident, clear evidence of a runaway rise in Earth’s temperature and sea levels, a complete meltdown in the international banking system, “World War III,” or something of that scale.

◊ Though things may get bad, human dignity and kindness will prevail, as exemplified by the aftermath of 9/11, where the incidence of mutual support was hundreds of times greater than that of looting. I.e., in situations like these, people are far more likely to help one another than to take advantage of them.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

To wrap our wits around where we truly are as a species and who we need to be to avoid the brunt of the catastrophes heading our way in the 21st Century, let’s observe: How do we actually behave with respect to our consumption of energy?

The answer, generally, is that only a very small minority of people have gotten the  message that what they’re doing matters.  Almost no one thinks before turning on a light:  “I can flip this switch if it’s really too dark to see, and it’s OK to spend that energy if I need to.  But if I don’t need to, I shouldn’t, because the world will be a slightly better place if I don’t.”   Or: “I could open this (petroleum-derived) plastic container of creamer for my coffee, but isn’t there an open jug of milk within easy reach?”  Or: “Walk or ride?” “Bike or car?” — or the dozens of other choices we make on a  minute-to-minute basis.  Very few people have gotten the message that their personal decisions to use energy actually matter — that they come at a cost to all of us — and worse, that this cost is far higher than we had previously imagined.

Perhaps we can liken this behavioral issue to littering.  (more…)

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

On the cover of the current edition of Bill McKibben’s “Eaarth” is this quote from Barbara Kingsolver:  “Read it, please.  Straight through to the end.  Whatever else you were planning to do next, nothing could be more important.”  That’s quite a statement, but I have to say that I agree.  As close to all this as I am, I have to admit that I didn’t realize how convoluted — yet at the same time, so critically important — these issues of international relations are as they relate to environmental sustainabililty.

It may be too late to get back the Earth we had 100 years ago (thus the moniker “Eaarth”), but it’s not too late to avert the utter catastrophe that we’re most certainly facing if we pretend that our current energy-related practices can be continued indefinitely.

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by craigshieldsPosted on Posted in Sustainability

To my shame, I’m just now getting around to Bill McKibben’s masterpiece “Eaarth.”  It’s one of those works one reads and wishes there were a way to make required reading for everyone.  Not only is he arguably the most visible and important environmentalist of our times, he writes in a supremely warm and accessible way — engaging, but at the same time precise.  If you haven’t picked up a copy, I urge you: don’t let another day go by.  

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