Forced Green

I was going to make this a short and sweet New Year’s message, then I heard this
news and …. well, pardon me while I digress from the holiday message a moment.

Today Lake Superior State University released it’s annual list of ‘Banished Words’.
Number 1 on the list is ‘GREEN’, AND any variations of the word. Number 2 on the list
is ‘CARBON FOOTPRINT’ and/or ‘CARBON OFFSET’.

‘GREEN’, is an easy generic word for anything having to do with healing and Read more…

Seventy-six percent (76%) of all electricity generated by US power plants goes to
supply the Building Sector. Buildings are responsible for almost half (48%) of all
greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions annually.

With this in mind, Architecture 2030, a non-profit independent organization, was
established by architect Edward Mazria in 2002. 2030’s mission is to rapidly
transform the US and global Building Sector from the major contributor of GHG to a
central part of the solution to the global-warming crisis. Read more…

American Wind Projects

The U.S. wind industry is on its way to charting another record-shattering year of
growth. That capacity will generate over 60 billion kWh of electricity in 2009,
enough to serve over 5.5 million American homes and eliminating the burning of

* 30.4 million short tons of coal (enough to fill two 1,000-mile-long coal trains),
* 91 million barrels of oil per year, or
* 560 Bcf of natural gas (about 9% of the natural gas used for electricity generation)

Hull, Massachusetts - Offshore Wind Turbines
This resort town, population 11,000, plans to moor four 260-foot-tall turbines a Read more…

In Reverse Order - (Cause it’s easier to swallow this way.)  I am sure there is more but below is
my list.

—— The UGLY :

Caribbean Monk Seal - Now Extinct

Humans hunting the docile creatures for research, food and blubber left the population
unsustainable, say biologists who warn that Hawaiian and Mediterranean monk seals could
be the next to go.

Polar Bears Resort To Cannibalism As Arctic Ice Shrinks

Scientists have noticed increasing reports of starving Arctic polar bears attacking
and feeding on one another in recent years. Less than 30 years ago, there would still Read more…

Have you ever noticed on the news coverage of horrific events, the people jumping
into a freezing river to save others or racing into a burning building to rescue
victims, never, ever stop to ask about religious affliations, ethnic origins,
sexual orintation, or the native language of the rescuee? They don’t care. Because
at that moment, the only thing that matters is perserving life, even sometimes, at Read more…

Smart Water

A standalone desalinator needs 17 gallons of diesel fuel and 66.5 kilowatts of
electricity to make 1,000 gallons of freshwater, but now, the Solar Cube, (made
by Spectra Watermakers in California), churns out 1,500 gallons of drinking water
on just 22 kilowatts of its own solar and wind power. The innovation is a pump
that triples efficiency by recapturing hydraulic pressure during the filtering
process. Solar Cubes are now bringing freshwater to remote regions and places
short on infrastructure and electricity without paying the CO2 price - way cool. Read more…