Global warming, Climate control through memos!

This is nuts, worse than Don't ask Don't tell. According to New York Times article;
"Internal memorandums circulated in the Alaskan division of the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service appear to require government biologists or other employees traveling in countries around the Arctic not to discuss climate change, polar bears or sea ice if they are not designated to do so."
Just sweep the dirt under the rug, nobody will notice.
I have no idea why these administrative takes us to be ignorant, and I don't feel like writing about this any more.
Follow the link for NYT article, and while you are there read the series, The Big Melt.

Links;
Global warming memos
The Big Melt

Tags: The Big Melt, Global warming, Climat control, New York Times

Berkeley ranked 3rd in cleantech by Sustanlane Government

SustainLane Government just released its ranking of top US cities for cleantech incubation clusters. Which cities are the best candidates to be the center of 21st century cleantech economic development?

According to the site, cleantech refers to venture-capital (VC) funded investment for sustainability related industry sectors such as renewable energy, alternative fuels, energy efficiency, green building, advanced materials, nanotechnology and material reuse.
Berkeley got to be in the third place after Austin, Texas and San Jose, California, due to, according to the post;
3. Berkeley, CA: Another Bay Area city? Yep, UC Berkeley just landed a $500 million grant from British Petroleum, with additional funding from the state of California, so the Biosciences Energy Institute can become “the biofuels capital of the universe,” according to a managing scientist with institute partner Lawrence Berkeley Labs. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is another partner.

Well I am happy and you should visit the sites below, they are very informative sites if you are trying to be Green.



links;
Cleantech at SustainLane Government
SustainLane Government

Tags: biofuel, renewable energy, alternative fuels, energy efficiency, green building, advanced materials, nanotechnology

Energy efficient PC for your daily use

Energy efficient PC for your daily use, well I am a bit ashamed by this news because I use two PC's that have 500Watt power supplies and components to match. But I will promise at least to replace one of these with this energy efficient PCs.
From custom computer maker Jinglehorse comes this new PC called the EcoSystem. Designed around the Core Duo processor and energy efficient components, the EcoSystem PCs are built to match the performance of their Pentium 4 counterparts while using 75% less energy. The basic Jinglehorse EcoSystem configuration uses no more than 44 watts while idle and an average of 75 watts while under full load. The makers claim that it's the most energy efficient PC available today. The EcoSystem PCs are also very quiet — lower power consumption means a cooler running temperature, so minimal fans are needed and are required to run less frequently. Prices start at $895.
(Jingle horse website has disappeared and I will search for alternate PCs)

Links;
Jinglehorse EcoSystem PC (The link goes to an unrelated site, will update when real link found)
Original Treehugger post

Tags: energy efficient pc, Jinglehorse EcoSystem

BioDiesel car might bring IRS agents home!

In a bizarre news post I read states that an elderly couple is being pressed with felony charges for use of untaxed used vegetable oil as motor fuel (is vegetable oil tax free?)and in order to become legal to post a $2500 bond to become special fuel supplier.
According to the same news item, this bond is for, "On the department of revenue's Web site, David Wetzel discovered that the definition of special fuel supplier includes someone who operates a plant with an "active bulk storage capacity of not less than 30,000 gallons." Wetzel also did not fit the definition of a receiver, described as a person who produces, distributes or transports fuel into the state. So Wetzel withdrew his application to become a supplier and receiver.

Mike Klemens, spokesman for the department of revenue, explained that Wetzel has to register as a supplier because the law states that is the only way he can pay motor fuel tax.

But what if he is not, in fact, a supplier? Then would he instead be exempt from paying the tax?

"We are in the process of creating a way to simplify the registration process and self-assess the tax," Klemens said, adding that a rule change may be in place by spring."

So watch out those biodiesel cars, specially with stickers that you proudly display might bring trouble. But State Sen. Frank Watson, R-Greenville, introduced Senate Bill 267, which would curtail government interference regarding alternative fuels, such as vegetable oil. A public hearing on the bill was held at 1 p.m. 1st march in Room 400 of the state Capitol.
follow the link for the complete Herald & Review article.

Links;
Herald & Review article

Tags: BioDiesel, alternative energy, alternative feul, IRS, motor fuel tax

Is Al Gore green or others Green with envy?

Gore subsidizes renewable energy: spokeswoman for Al Gore said after he went under an attack from Drew Johnson, the president of the think tank, Tennessee Center for Policy Research, which researches public policy issues.

My question is why Drew's think tank waited for such a long time, the movie was produced in 2005. Is it jealousy or political meddling ? I don't know. If I was in Drew's team I would have published more data. So far I only hear that AP (associated Press) has seen some bills and the figures do not match. Read the AP article to ge some information.
That said, if Gore is consuming energy more than others? Why Gore?
If this was the truth why only after an Oscar Drew?
But the inconvenient truth stands, let's ge to gether and fix it!
Another question is since Johnson said his group got its figures from Nashville Electric Service. But company spokeswoman Laurie Parker told the Associated Press the utility never got a request from the policy centre and never gave it any information.

Here is a part of the statement from a spokesperson for Al Gore;
"Sometimes when people don't like the message, in this case that global warming is real, it's convenient to attack the messenger," said Kalee Kreider.

She said Gore subsidizes renewable energy sources such as solar power, wind power and methane gas to balance 100 per cent of his electricity costs.

She said Gore participates in a utility program that lets people buy blocks of "green power" for $4 a month. Gore purchases 108 blocks a month, the equivalent of 16,200 kilowatt hours.

The Gore home is also under renovation to add solar panels, Kreider said.

"For every ton of carbon they emit, [Gore] offsets that by doing investments in renewable energy sources," Kreider said.

But Drew Johnson said this is not enough.

"In general, I applaud his efforts to reduce energy consumption, but if he is going to be a spokesman for global warming, he has to be willing to make the same sacrifices," Johnson said.

Links;
Associated Press release on Al Gore
An Inconvenient Truth

Lennar Corp makes Solar power standard on all it's houses in California

According to Barbara E. Hernandez of CONTRA COSTA TIMES, Lennar Corp, One of the nation's leading home builders pledged to install solar power systems in all its new homes in the Bay Area.
Lennar made the announcement at its upscale, all-solar development in the Milano housing community in Danville. Three other projects in San Ramon slated to open this year will be solar-powered.
"Our marketing platform is that everything is included," said Peter Beucke, vice president of the Bay Area division of Lennar. "So every home in Milano will come with a solar package. ... It's now a standard inclusion in our homes."

Milano looks no different from many other high-end developments in the Tri-Valley. It comes with standard maple cabinetry, granite counters, stainless steel appliances and homes larger than 3,000 square feet. But along with the roof-integrated solar electric system, it comes with an interactive digital electrical system, a 46-inch Sony Bravia flat-screen HDTV and a home automation system that controls things such as security, music, the thermostat and lighting. Also included are a pest-control system and an irrigation system that won't water if it's scheduled to rain. Prices for the homes on Wednesday ranged from $1.3 million to $1.5 million.

Putting solar energy into luxury homes is nothing new. Most of the solar systems integrated into new homes occurred in the higher-end markets of the East Bay and San Francisco. Ventana, Edenbridge Homes' solar community of 47 homes in Vacaville, is one of the few solar projects that feature moderately priced homes, from $400,000 to $500,000, in the Bay Area.

"We've got to make solar accessible and affordable for home buyers at all income levels to be successful here," Hochschild said.

Links;
Developer makes solar power standard by Barbara

Tags: bay area solar power, solar, solar energy, solar community

Get tax breaks for your efficiency in energy management

This Tax year, you can get a tax break for being energy efficient. Tax year 2006 is the first for which you can get a tax break for making your home more energy efficient.

You can take a 30 percent credit up to $2,000 for the cost of solar water heating or photovoltaic equipment in your home. You can get a 10 percent credit up to $500 for insulation and heat-reducing metal roofs, and up to $200 for energy-efficient windows. Labor costs, though, don't count.

(For more information, see IRS Form 5695. The credit is entered on line 52 on the 1040.)

This is an excerpt from an article on CNNmoney, "10 don't-miss tax breaks" which gives you much more information on other tax breaks.

Links;
10 don't-miss tax breaks

Tags: solar tax breaks, solar water heating, photovoltaic, energy-efficient windows, heat-reducing metal roofs

Greenest Cars for all of us

Even if we all cant find Hybrid cars, there are alternatives as Mother Earth Living's article "Top Picks for Fuel-efficient Cars" points out.
The posting points you to Mother Earth News, a magazine that I frequent a lot, December/January issue's "Affordable Cars, Fantastic Fuel Economy". Links for both are available below.
I found that;
"Perhaps most exciting are three new cars that are small but practical, fun but not funky, and fuel-efficient without high price tags: the Honda Fit, the Nissan Versa and the Toyota Yaris. Their prices range from about $12,000 to $16,000; their miles per gallon stats reach into the high 30s. Then there are the longtime favorites for reliability and fuel economy — the Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla — which are as good as ever, if not better. Ditto for the best-selling hybrid Toyota Prius; in its wake automakers are improving hybrids and developing new models. Honda put new spark into its Civic Hybrid, and Toyota hybridized the best-selling family car in America, the Camry. Both have earned rave reviews." A very good start.
Of course article reviews all three cars plus wealth of othe information like;

six other especially notable fuel-efficient cars:

Toyota Prius
Honda Insight
Mazda 3 i Sport
Honda Civic GX
Ford Focus SE
Chevy Aveo5 LS

Mother Earth’s Alternative Transportation Page
Green car news and ratings
Hybrids
Reliability and safety ratings
Reviews, prices and buying tips

Follow the links to get greener.


Links;
Mother Earth Living
Mother Earth News "affordable cars.."

Tags: Mother Earth Living, Fuel-efficient Cars, green cars, Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, Toyota Yaris, Prius, Insight

Another "have OIL" Country, Indonesia goes Solar

Like Venezueala, now Indonesia is trying Solar power as a national energy solution. This out to put to shame the none Kyoto pact signing and rich countries that continue to drain energy resources of our earth.

Ika Krismantari from The Jakarta Post reports that Indonesian Government is pressing ahead with its program to electrify underdeveloped regions across the nation, will next month hold a tender for the procurement of 30,000 home solar-power units.

One home solar unit can generate between 50 and 80 watts of electricity.

J. Purwono, director general for electricity and energy use at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, said Tuesday that the government had allocated Rp 247 billion (US$27.4 million) for the project.

I think These will provide electricity to remote areas where national grid is unable to reach. The units are of lower power grade so they might not be enough to put power in to the grid.

Bravo Indonesia! I hope to visit you soon again.

Links;
Jakarta Post article on Solar tender

Tags: Indonesian solar, Solar power, solar energy, kyoto

An Inconvenient Truth, seen again

A fishing fleet! where is the water and fish. Watch the movie and you will know

I just finished watching "An Inconvenient Truth", again.
Remember the DVD was released a year after the movie was finalized and released. The truth continue to warm our planet and we still behind in our duties to protect our earth.
If the moronic idea of us to be the best on earth regarding everything else, why not this. The technology and knowledge we have we use for advancement and yet we remain the largest polluter on earth. more than 30% of the pollution has been attributed to USA.

I think, every human being need to see this movie even only if to strengthen the knowledge we have. Share the movie with your friends, inform your friends about the movie.
Watch and follow simple steps to reduce pollution by yourself instead of waiting for dumb politicians to sign in to Kyoto Protocol.
The following ten steps are taken from the climatecrisis.net website.

1. Change a regular light bulb to a Fluorescent bulb (I have changed to at least 8.)
2. Drive a little less (I do)
3. Recycle as much as possible. (I do)
4. Check your tires. Keeping them inflated right will save gas.
5. Use less hot water.
6. Buy products with less packaging, bring a bag when you go shopping.
7. Adjust your thermostat just a 2 degrees, down in winter and up in summer.
8. Plant a tree
9. Turn off electronic devices when not in use.
10. Teach people about global warming.

Links;
An Inconvenient Truth

Zebra in your garage!, Sorry Xebra

The online newspaper for bay area (San Francisco bay area), Insidebayarea.com has an article on Xebra EV, electric vehicle. Xebra is pronounced Zebra and you can get your Xebra in zebra stripes, as shown in the picture.
I was lead to this article by a blog post that questioned "almost zero emissions" attached to the description of the cars and trucks. Did I say truck? yes they do have trucks.
Links are at the end, read the articles, they are very informative.
So I went on searching about why are the almost zero emission. I could not find an answer but I can guess. The car's batteries need to be charged using electricity and to produce electricity we may be burning Oil or coal or some other form that produce emissions. So non of the EV's could be zero emission. Your Zebra will be zero emission, if you have a household that is independent from the power grid (Solar Powered etc).
Another way is to get a Xebra Xero, that has it's own 150 WATT solar panel to charge the batteries. See the picture below
So Janis and Sebastian, I think once you find the answer, it will be similar to one I gave!

Links;
Inside Bay Area's Xero emission xebra
Almost zero emissions? by Autobloggreen
Zebra striped Xebras

Tags: Xebra, zebra, NEV, EV, Bay are, Solar Powered, zero emission, solar panel

DLD07 and our environment, and what everyone could do!

Last three days were a one continues happy conference in Berlin, Germany. The event DLD '07. DLD is (Digital, Life, Design).

Remember this simple statement;
The basic idea of climate neutrality is simple: GHG emissions have a global damaging impact on the climate. Therefore, it is not relevant where emissions are generated or avoided. This is the reason why emissions at location A, for example through air travel, can be offset through additional climate protection projects at location B, for example by building a wind power plant, but also in the context of voluntary commitments to carbon neutral business activities.

What DLD did to offset all the GHG generated in the course of the DLD Conference 2007 (especially through traveling of the participants and speakers and the energy consumption at the venue) by the investing in a wind power project in Quindao, China. The emissions reduction is sponsored by 3C.
If we think about what we are doing to this and at least try to offset our offenses like DLD did, I think you can breath easily.

Links;
DLD07 conference and information
DLD weblog and environment
wind power project in Quindao, factsheet
Climate Neutral sponsor 3C

Tags: DLD07, GHG, wind power, emissions, quindao

The 100% Solar powered home

Michael Strizki heats and cools his house year-round and runs a full range of appliances including such power-guzzlers as a hot tub and a wide-screen TV without paying a penny in utility bills. His conventional-looking family home in the pinewoods of western New Jersey is the first in the United States to show that a combination of solar and hydrogen power can generate all the electricity needed for a home.

The Hopewell Project, named after a nearby town, has been developed at a time of increasing concern over US energy security and worries over the effects of burning fossil fuels on the climate.
The Hopewell Project does not advocate for or against any particular technology. Instead, we approach each application in terms of its specific requirements and operational considerations. As appropriate for a defined purpose, energy can be derived directly from the sun, wind, water, and the earth as well as being produced through chemical and mechanical processes. The Solar-Hydrogen Residence combines photovoltaic solar, electrolyzer, fuel cell, computer software, and other technologies that have been carefully selected for this installation. To meet the energy requirements of another project with different power demands or in a dissimilar environment, engineering could be more appropriately designed by employing alternative technologies.

"People understand that climate change is a big concern but they don't know what they can do about it," said Gian-Paolo Caminiti of Renewable Energy Associates, the commercial arm of the project. "There's a psychological dividend in doing the right thing," he said.

Strizki runs the 3,000-square-foot house with electricity generated by a 1,000-square-foot roof full of photovoltaic cells on a nearby building, an electrolyzer that uses the solar power to generate hydrogen from water, and a number of hydrogen tanks that store the gas until it is needed by the fuel cell.

In the summer, the solar panels generate 60 per cent more electricity than the super-insulated house needs. The excess is stored in the form of hydrogen which is used in the winter - when the solar panels can't meet all the domestic demand - to make electricity in the fuel cell. Strizki also uses the hydrogen to power his fuel-cell driven car, which, like the domestic power plant, is pollution-free.

Solar power currently contributes only 0.1 per cent of US energy needs but the number of photo voltaic installations grew by 20 per cent in 2006, and the cost of making solar panels is dropping by about seven per cent annually, according to the Solar Energy Industries Association.

Links;
The Hopewell project
New Jersey energy initiative
Where Mike works, no wonder...

Politicians proved to be toxic in canada

While the whole world is busy finding way to eliminate pollutants, Canadians have been busy testing their own politicians for toxic contents. The results were not good, Way to Go Canada!
Let's test ours too.

Links;
Canadian MPs Proved Toxic

Who will build wind farms? Enel will, in USA and Canada

Enel to Build Wind Farms in U.S., Canada from PhysOrg.com

(AP) -- Enel SpA, Italy's largest utility, said Friday it will build two wind farms in the United States and Canada with a combined capacity of 277 megawatts as part of a euro4 billion ($5.2 billion) investment in renewable energy.

[...]

Tags: renewable energy, wind energy, wind farm

Sunny California has a new meaning and a view

Californians bask in solar energy from PhysOrg.com

Soaring energy costs, environmental consciousness and financial incentives have combined to make solar panels part of the California housing landscape.

[...]

Novak tries to find his right bolt, the energy bolt

BluClimate blog has a very good analysis of the columnists like Robert Novak stand in the light of global warming and energy policies. For years they had a easy run because the political climate in the United States of America. But since last elections, even with faulty voting machines, Democrats have won. Now I hope things will start changing as ties to energy companies and congress will be seriously different. As the mentioned article states, hope United States will be united with rest of the world in saving our planet, in movements like Kyoto Protocol.
I just wrote about global warming witness' like Mitsuaki Iwago bt then people like Robert Novak too are in this world pulling the other end of the rope, and I like to see more columnists like BlueClimate exposing their blows to the healthier world. If you are world concious, I am sure you will find BlueClimate a very good read.

Links;
Columnist Robert Novak Feels the Pain in his right...
global warming witness

Global Warming Witness, Iwago, Mitsuaki

I cane across this site, “A Witness to Global Warming - Mitsuaki Iwago’s Website”, today that I spent my whole morning, going through the site, watching movies and thinking about the global warming.
I strongly urge you to visit this site and see the marvelous work done by a wild life enthusiastic. I got there because of my camera, after seeing his work on this site and else where, I wonder why "my camera does not work very well, even though mine is two or three models newer than his!"

Global warming could change climates throughout the world, raise ocean levels and bring more violent hurricanes, desertification, coral bleaching, and unseasonable rain and snow. These events would create serious problems for mankind and wild animals.

Mitsuaki Iwago has been photographing wild animals in their natural habitats for decades. His keen powers of observation and unique insight focus on the dangers that global warming poses to the natural world.

Visit “A Witness to Global Warming - Mitsuaki Iwago’s Website” to enjoy his special movies and high-quality digital photos shot with the Olympus E-1. Through his eyes and camera lenses, you too can be a witness to the effects of climate change.


Links;
Global Warming Witness, Iwago, Mitsuaki

Tags: iwago mitsuki, global warming

Hope sun will shine your way! Have a great holiday!

I hope Santa will come your way and Your holiday will be filled with laughter and Joy. If you pass by an unfortunate person, please try to make him/her smile. Don't forget that all the Kids are the same!

Best Regards!

Tags: santa, holiday, joy

Venturi Eclectic OIL Independeant Vehicle, Solar and Wind Powered

Soaring gas prices, economic crises, wars, omnipresent pollution, irreversible changes in the climate… Our world is going through a period when the stakes in terms of energy form the very basis for worldwide chaos. While admitting that no solution for energy production can be perfect, we must become fully aware of the imperative need to limit our own personal consumption of energy.

Eclectic, the first autonomous vehicle in the history of the automobile, opens up a new era in the field of mobility : reserved for daily driving in urban areas, its low energy consumption makes it the most economical environmental vehicle ever built.

Innovative and astonishing, Eclectic is much more than a simple vehicle ; it is a production and storage plant for renewable energies, either solar or wind based. Charging of these energies, which is intermittent in certain regions, can also be complemented by electrical recharging.

This new solar and wind powered vehicle is energy independent to the extent that it is able to acquire the energy it needs on its own. For sunny days it has a solar panel on its roof, and for days without sun, if there is wind, a wind turbine can be erected to charge the battery. But for moments when both sun and wind is not enough, the renewable energy sources can also be complemented by electrical recharging by plugging in to an electric outlet.

Links;
Venturi

Tags: Venturi Eclectic, Venturi, Eclectic, solar, wind, solar car