From Scratch

Dearest readers, As the NRDC has so generously provided us with this letter template , please feel free to personally thank Obama for rejecting the permit for the Keystone XL tar sands oil pipeline project. This project would've endangered much of the U.S. as well as Canada's natural environment and regional species. The pipeline would've transfered crude oil from Alberta's Boreal Forest through Montana, Nebraska, and Oklahoma to refineries in Illinois among other U.S. states. Additionally, the pipeline would've run on top of a large aquifer in Nebraska, risking contamination on the aquifer and the surrounding groundwater. The project poses lots of risks and definite pollution. Read more about it on this NRDC Blog . Tuning out, M

I have written a couple articles for the recently debuted HGTV Remodels website, and would like to share these helpful articles with you, dear readers. The two articles are on solar panel installation for homeowners— regarding the monetary, societal, and structural costs, and your solar system options. Interested in beyond just the in-depth, thoughtfully researched article? I'm also including links to the HGTV Remodels website so you can peruse through the awesome pics and watch some great supplementary videos. Exploring Solar Energy Options: http://www.hgtvremodels.com/home-systems/exploring-solar-energy-options/index.html The True Cost of Solar Energy: http://www.hgtvremodels.com/home-systems/the-true-cost-of-solar-power/index.html Exploring Solar Energy Options Solar energy systems are now more varied, reliable and cost-effective, and solar energy can be harnessed to power almost anything under the sun. With growing usage, this renewable source of energy will have a ...

May.18.2011 (started this post then, finishing it now) Regardless of what I perceived as a waning interest in the Fukushima Daiichi March metldown, I admit, in these past weeks I've observed a variety of Fukushima-focused articles, editorials and news reports all pertaining to nuclear technology and its future potential. Nuclear-centric news and media attention has been a long time coming. Considering how energy resources and the future of energy production -ranging from topics debating oil vs coal- are now consistently on the media radar, active nuclear power plants, as well as planned nuclear power plants should have been part of this energy discussion the whole time. It is sad that Japan's tragedy was the source of renewed nuclear discussions (pros and cons), but it means so much that we are now engaging discourse. Yes, I am part of this new hype as well-- I rarely discussed nuclear power in any of my newspaper articles, blog entries or even in discussion among frie...

Updates on the Fukushima Daiichi power plant melt downs haven't made front page news in some time now.  The imminent threat and its trickle effects is no longer breaking news. And this is the reality of most environmental disasters such as BP's Gulf oil spill, and more recently, how about those twisters that ravaged the South?  However,  I do gratefully and praisingly note that if I search, I can still find updates on the responses to Japan's radiation exposure, and the state of effected residents. These updates may be on the back burner- err- back pages, but they exist.  Check out the WSJ's Asia-Japan section for updates on radiation effects on both affected residents and Tepco workers. Though much of its content is subscriber exclusive, the WSJ is doing an excellent job of covering the diaster from multiple perspectives as well as reporting on the difficulties in assessing blame and liabilities. Of course much of the reporting is on Japan's meltdown is necessary...

Yes, waves are great for a sweet surf, boogie-boarding, and just general beach wading, but if it could be utilized as more than just a recreational catalyst, then why not? "Wave farms have been tried in such places as Scotland and Australia. All work on the same principle: capturing the motion of ocean waves and turning it into electricity. In recent years companies have developed a vast array of devices, including hydrokinetic buoys that bob in the surf, hulking underwater turbines and huge, partly submerged "sea snakes" — tubes that use wave action to power electric generators. A collection of partially submerged cylindrical devices placed off the coast of Portugal in 2008 was heralded as the world's first wave farm." I came across this article on the Los Angeles Times site, reporting on the prospect of bringing wave energy harnessing technology to Southern California. I am a proponent of research on wave energy technology, but I admit the ...

I've spent a lot of time mulling over nuclear power, specifically the Japanese plants. Why would anyone want to expose a population, and the environment to inherently harmful and dangerous chemical reactions? How is it justified, and what glitzy marketing scheme actually convinced people to OK it? In all my mulling and weighing, I've realized that nuclear power is in fact imperative to Japan. A curse indeed, Japan doesn't have fossil fuels to utilize as an energy source, and it does not want to be dependent on imports. As it seems, Japan's adopted nuclear fission as its home brewed fossil fuel. To address the fuel rod proponents, yes, I can see how meltdowns could be paralleled in harm and distress to coal mine disasters and oil spills. (Though do you think there could ever be a glorious Chilean miners-type rescue in a nuclear meltdown? EDIT: see Fukushima 50: WSJ - 3-24-2011 ) I agree that across the board, all sectors of the energy market exhibit regulatory ne...

NYT>Science>Environment>Green>Yet Another Route to Cellulosic Ethanol>Feb. 10, 2011 Corn ethanol plant in Colorado. A/B) My personal commentary: Lately I've been reading a lot about biofuels— oh, and natural gas/hydraulic fracking, but I'll focus on just one energy source for now. A lot of good questions to ask about biofuels pertain to its viability— economically and sustainably. This NYT's blog post addresses revenue methods for one biofuels plant in particular,  Ineo Bio. I say it's a pretty clever strategy. To summarize the article, Ineos Bio, a subsidiary of a major chemical company, introduced a new concept for bringing biofuels to a commercial scale. This concept involves a three-way stream of revenue. The strategy kind of reminds me of how media advertising works now, in a bundle. To incentive advertisers, media companies throw in 'free' ad space, ie, Seventh Generation pays $1,000 for a half-page ad in The Economist , The Economis...