I was contacted out of the blue by a gentleman living in Mexico. He has an idea to help promote conservation of energy and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. His idea has caught the attention of the Mexican government. He is a German by birth now living in Mexico. His idea is simple. On September 9, 2009, he is asking everyone to turn off all lights from 9:00 PM for two hours. He doesn't say if he wants the entire western hemisphere to shut off lights at once. 9:00 PM west Coast time is only 6:00 PM east Coast time where it wouldn't be dark yet. His concept would amount to a rolling black out, which may be equally effectice...

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On August 21, 2009, the LA Times announced that Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was heading a project to switch the lighting for the Capitol building over to energy saving lights, presumably Compact Fluorescents (CFL), although the article didn’t specify which type bulbs would be used. Republican Minority leader, who has never heard a Democratic proposal he liked, complained that it would take 50 years to recoup the cost. I’m not sure he knows what he is talking about. What it will do is send a powerful message to the American public and the world that the United States is serious about reducing our carbon footprint….

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On July 30, 2009, the venerable New York Times reported that a new study by the consulting firm, McKinsey, had released a study saying that making our homes and businesses more energy efficient could reduce our projected energy use by 23 percent by 2020. Where in blazes have they been?

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Kenneth Harney’s column in the Star’s business section reports that a new generation of energy-efficient mortgages are being offered by the FHA, Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae. The FHA was directed to offer a minimum of 50,000 new energy-efficient mortgages. An energy-efficient house is defined as one in which energy consumption is reduced by 20 percent after renovations. Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae were directed to develop new mortgage products and more flexible underwriting guidelines to reward energy conscious borrowers and builders…

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In part one and two of this blog subject, relative to how I live the green life, I revealed that I drove a a gas guzzler and why. I also revealed that I was a big water hog. I have a swimming pool. In my town, Tucson, Arizona, that's not unusual. Water is not only a vital resource, but it uses a lot of energy to purify and pump it around. We have passed peak water some time ago. I have done some really positive things too in spite of my hogishness...

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A report on NPR, on April 15, 2009, stated that the use of bottled water has decreased 1% in the past year, due primarily to the bad economy. The commentator was urging the public to use our excellent tap water that we enjoy here in the United States. The reason given to reduce the purchase of bottled water was concern over dumping the plastic bottles in land fills. Recycling was barely mentioned and the fact that the bottles were made from petroleum was not  mentioned at all. Most people couldn’t tell you what water bottles are made from. Even those few that are recycled are sent to China and then sold back to us. The main problem with bottled water, aside from the fact that the bottles contain a product we already get piped to our homes, is that the bottles are made from a non-renewable resource. They are made from petroleum. That’s why we need to stop buying them.

America has water in virtually...

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Here we go again. Sound like Ronald Reagan? He did come from California. California did help kill the electric car known as the EV (for electric vehicle) back in 1998. At that time California mandated that 5% of autos sold in California get zero emissions by 2001 and 10% by 2008. GM developed a little electric vehicle, (the EV). They obviously had no intention of really developing and selling them. They leased them and after a bad battery was replaced by a very effective one, and after a very negative "Sales" campaign, managed to convince California they didn't work (Read Who Killed the Electric car? in this blog site). They recalled all of the EVs and crushed them. Well it's happening again.....

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