Photo via the New Republic It's a widely held notion that politicians have long been in the pocket of Big Oil. And there's good reason for that perception: oil companies' huge campaign donations, vast lobbying power, and close ties to politicians have ensured that their taxes remain low , that hidden subsidies are around to provide extra funding, and that they receive preferential treatment in US energy policy. But there could be a new, ... View original post here: The Next Big Oil: Big Smart Grid?
So there really isn't anything that deep to this image. It's just a (more or less) life-sized blue whale eye. And on the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society site you can educate yourself/be mesmerized/ waste some time for a while staring at it while the entire life-sized animal scrolls across your browser window. Believe me, it's way cooler than you might think:... Read more from the original source: Ever See a Blue Whale Life-Sized on Your Computer? Now You Can
published December 21, 2010 and has No Comments
Craft fairs offer tons of local, handmade gifts. Photo by Orin Zebest via Flickr.com. Guest bloggers Andrea Donsky and Randy Boyer are co-founders of NaturallySavvy.com . The holiday season is in full swing, and that means one thing: the spirit of... Read the full story on TreeHugger See original here: How to Find the Best Local, Handmade Gifts
Read more...published December 17, 2010 and has No Comments
Photo: david.nikonvscanon , Flickr, CC The plans are being called the "largest shakeup of the UK energy sector" since the 1980s, and indeed, if implemented, they could have a profound impact on carbon emissions. The proposal, announced by UK energy and climate secretary Chris Huhne, would seek to position renewable sources as the "dominant" sources of energy generation by ...
Read more...published December 17, 2010 and has No Comments
Image: Zunal It may only be a matter of time now before Oregon is home to the world's largest wind farm -- a massive, 845 MW project just received a partial guarantee for a billion-plus dollar loan from the US Dept. of Energy. Furthermore, the site for the project, in Eastern Oregon, has been finalized. And lets not forget ...
Read more...published December 13, 2010 and has No Comments
Images credit ILEK You can't always get what you want, but but dream homes always show a lot more than you need. From the beloved Monsanto House of the Future to Michelle Kaufmann's Smart Home in Chicago, they always have more gizmos, more space and even more parking than most people can ever dream of owning. The Plus Energy ...
Read more...published December 13, 2010 and has No Comments
Photo via antijoe The Faucher family in Deleware has an affinity for holiday lighting, or rather, an obsession. The family decorates their house with a whopping one million lights. If your jaw dropped open, we're right there with you. The total cost of their energy bill at the end of the month is an estimated $82,300. That's the cost ...
Read more...published December 13, 2010 and has No Comments
Screenshot: YouTube You might not realize it when you watch them again and again year after year, but some classic holiday films are sending messages above and beyond 'don't be a Scrooge.' If you look a little closer at these 11 great films -- from "Gremlins" to "A Christmas Carol" -- you'll see subtle green messages on invasive species, ...
Read more...published December 9, 2010 and has No Comments
Photo: Ford Electric a Perfect Fit As previously reported , Ford and Azure Dynamics have partnered to make an electric version of Ford's Transit Connect utility van. This week, the first electric vans have started shipping to a variety of customers like AT&T, Southern California Edison, Xcel Energy, Johnson Controls Inc., New York Power Authority, Canada Post and Toro... ...
Read more...published December 9, 2010 and has No Comments
Photo: Peter Blanchard , Flickr, CC There's a unique initiative built into the new EU constitutional treaty, called the "European citizen's initiative". It allows a million or more people to join together, in the form of a petition, to ask the governing body to change legislation. And guess what the first test run for the initiative's efficacy is going ...
Read more...published November 30, 2010 and has No Comments
Photos: Wikipedia, Public domain. Investing Now for a Better Future In a speech at the National Press Club, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu made the case for more R&D in the U.S., especially in the energy sector ("the 2010 federal budget is $3.6 trillion, of which 0.14 percent went for research and development related to energy"). Dr. Chu explains ...
Read more...published November 30, 2010 and has No Comments
Starbucks has very proudly announced the completion of a pilot project where they have proven that paper cups can be recycled into new paper cups. They call it a breakthrough in their "goal of ensuring 100 percent of its cups are reusable or recyclable by 2015" In a press release they say: "This innovation represents an important milestone in ...
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The office building, going for LEED Platinum, is built on top of a brick factory from another era. It rises to the challenge. Go here to read the rest: The Centre For Green Cities At Evergreen Brickworks Demonstrates How To ...
"The stakes are very high and scientists are not the best people to deal with the social, ethical or political issues that geoengineering raises." View original here: Geoengineering is a Technical Fix for a Political Problem
