A post published at www.alternative-energy-news.info today announced the development of a new type of washing machine that washes a load of clothes in a teacup. Well, not literally, but the machine uses only a cup of water...
Jun 26, 2009
Knock your socks off and wash them too?
Jun 25, 2009
Heading Down the Wrong Street?
A story on NPR today, presented by Richard Harris of NPR, told of a think tank that was lobbying against the Cap & Trade system of reducing carbon emissions. The contention of the think tank is that penalizing industry for carbon emissions is the wrong way to go about it. Ever since I heard about the concept of Cap & Trade, that idea crept into my mind. Their idea is to spend stimulus money on R & D for new energy sources and systems to bring the cost of alternatives down....Making energy more expensive will certainly make people use less.....
Jun 20, 2009
A Step Forward ? ...or Tokenism?
This week congress passed a new war funding bill for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and where ever we decide to invade next. (Pardon my sarcasm.) Tacked onto that bill was a little debated "cash for gas guzzlers" bill. It probably couldn't have made it on it's own. The bill gives the owners of clunkers who trade them in to be scrapped a voucher for buying a new vehicle. Will this do the environment any good, or is it just a stimulus package for the auto industry?....
Jun 13, 2009
You Can't Lose 'em All
These days it's unusual to hear something good about climate change. I recently wrote about Bolivia's Chacaltaya glacer totally disappearing. I don't really enjoy writing about global disaster, but when it happens we should take note. Bolivia's loss could present some serious problems for them. I was pleased today to see an article in the Arizona Daily Star about a glacier in Argentina, called the Perito Moreno Glacier. The glacier seemes to have shrugged off any hint of global warming....
Jun 12, 2009
Fox is in the Chicken Coop
Twenty-eight states and the District of Columbia have adopted renewable energy standards requiring electric service providers to increase the amount of renewable energy sources. In my home state of Arizona it is currently 15%. At this moment in time President Obama has proposed a new Federal law mandating electric energy providers to generate 12% of their electricity from renewables, such as wind, solar, hydroelectric, or geothermal sources by 2012, and 25% by 2025. Both houses of Congress are considering different versions of this proposal, but their goal is only a meager 3% to 6%. The fox is in the chicken coop...
Jun 9, 2009
Water: Our Next Crisis 2
I have written before about the water crisis we are facing. It may make the energy crisis look like child's play. We can invent substitutes for gas and oil but we can't invent a substitute for water. It is essential for all living things. Not only that, it is vital to growing food and manufacturing all manner of things.
