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As discussed in Pelosi is painting the House GREEN, in the beginning of March, Nancy Pelosi directed the House Chief Administrative Officer to come up with a plan to ‘Green the House’.

This is moving forward. As per Democrats Painting the House GREEN …, the preliminary report (summary: pdf) of the Green the Capitol Initiative was released. It has real, substantive, and meaningful elements. It merits support, applause and, well, some examination.

The Green the Capitol Initiative does have some great material … but from what is there, it also seems to miss real opportunities and real elements for greening the People’s House. In terms of examination, therefore, we should look to see where Nancy could paint the House a Darker Green … a Brighter Shade of Green. [Read more →]

While America’s leaders fiddle around and our rail seems to go down in flames, Europe is strengthening its rail system. Two interrelated items to consider:

• High-Speed Trains are expanding in Europe and are cutting travel times.
• European train systems are combining in an alliance program to be better positioned to fight discount airlines.

Well, in the United States, rail is not totally ignored.  PlaNYC: A Greener, Greater New York has some rail elements and Minnesota has bills being considered in the legislature for bonds to build high-speed rail to Chicago.  These, however, are isolated elements and not showing a national focus on developing integrated high-speed rail for providing high reliability post-Peak Oil intercity transport.  In Europe, on the other hand … [Read more →]

As discussed in Nancy painting the House GREEN, in the beginning of March, Nancy Pelosi directed the House Chief Administrative Officer to come up with a plan to ‘Green the House’.

Thursday, the preliminary report (summary: pdf) of the Green the Capitol Initiative was released. It has real, substantive, and meaningful elements. It merits support, applause and, well, some examination.

Note: Credit upfront to Cunctator who highlighted this in Hill Global Warming Week: Capitol Going Green that, sadly, only got three comments (two by me).

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Bit-by-bit, when Americans hear “Jim Hansen“, they think Global Warming and not the Muppets (Jim Henson).  While Henson cared about warming our hearts and getting smiles from kids while educating them, Hansen hopes to educated us so that we’ll act forcefully enough when it comes to Global Warming so that tomorrow’s kids will have reasons to smile and we’ll do a little less warming of the heartland. 

Jim Hansen, perhaps America’s top scientist on climate change issues, is forcefully out of the closet.  A version of a February 26 National Press Club speech has just been published by The Nation.  In Why We Can’t Wait, Hansen lays out five recommendations for action to address global warming challenges.

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Ohio’s wind energy potential actually exceeds the electricity demand of the entire state of Ohio

Says Dennis Elliott of the Department of Energy’s National Renewable Laboratory (NREL) as reported in a Beacon Journal article.

Ohio is proving the value of applying new research methods. Previously, Ohio was thought to have only marginal wind power conditions. But, NREL is now “revisiting some states like Ohio that earlier had been dismissed for having insufficient winds.”

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As reported here , in the beginning of March, Nancy Pelosi tasked the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the House on ‘greening the Capitol’ …

a critical initiative to address energy conservation, efficiency and cost savings for the U.S. Capitol and congressional office buildings

The House of Representatives should provide leadership to the nation in providing an environmentally responsible and healthy working environment for our employees.

Well, the Preliminary Report: Green the Capitol Initiative is out … and the initiative is real … the House will be providing leadership. Pelosi and the Democrats intend for the House to walk the walk when it comes to a new way forward for a sustainable and prosperous energy future.

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One of the top students of predictions of peak oil predictions is Robert L. Hirsch, formerlay of DOE and now at SAIC.   He gained fame for the Hirsch Report, Peaking of World Oil Production: Impacts, Mitigation and Risk Management.   Well, Hirsch has a new article in World Oil Magazine entitled Peaking of world oil production: Recent forecasts.

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Today, Democratic Presidential candidate Senator Dodd came out with a speech in which he called for a Corporate Carbon Tax.  While I have much in agreement with this, in reality, the nation should not have a “tax” but a fee.  A Global Warming Impact Fee … [Read more →]

One challenge for trying to change pollution is going from the individual to the globe … and imagining the ‘invisible’ in a way we can each comprehend. It is easy to see the trash on the street and tell your child not to throw a candy wrapper on the ground. It is simple to understand that you don’t run your car with the garage door closed while your doing work in the garage.

Easy to imagine … easy to see … easy to comprehend. What is the impact in terms of mercury for leaving the lights on in the house? Or, just what is mean in terms of air pollution to drive the car? Well, World Wildlife Fund is trying to help Chinese imagine and conceive the invisible.

“Drive one day less and look how much carbon monoxide you’ll keep out of the air we breathe.” (Click image to enlarge)

Interested in solar electricity?  Have I ever got the deal for you …

That, in part, is CitizenRE‘s claim that has been viral through the web — advertisements at website/blog after website/blog.

The promise:

• Citizenr? will put solar electricity on your rooftop and sell the electricity to you at a fixed price (based on your current rates) for decades to come;
• Citizenr?’s revolutionizing the entire process of solar electricity such that they can deliver these systems for a fraction of the price than the market currently sees.

Oh, the ads are appealing … and those of us terrified for the future are hopeful for solutions, for paths that promise a better tomorrow.  

Oh, the promises are lovely … I, for one, was within seconds of signing and faxing in a contract.

But, is something too good to be true, true?  My doubts are rocketing through the web …

WARNING: This is a long discussion — and, yet, it only gives a shadow of what is out there on Citizenr?.

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