In the face of $140+ barrel oil (and heading higher), Peak Oil, and Global Warming, an ever-growing definition: Freedom from Oil!
For those fighting to achieve that freedom, was another tool just added to the arsenal? The The Freedom Prize is in the tradition of the X-Prize:
An X PRIZE is a $10 million+ award given to the first team to achieve a specific goal, set by the X PRIZE Foundation, which has the potential to benefit humanity. Rather than awarding money to honor past achievements or directly funding research, an X PRIZE incites innovation by tapping into our competitive and entrepreneurial spirits.
Since diving into the deep end when it comes to energy issues, almost every day sees new fascinating concepts, approaches, and technologies. Fascinating ... exciting ... even hope inspiring at times. And, as well, as the passion builds, so many of these are truly Energy COOL.
This is a somewhat different path of discover and discussion when it comes to Energy COOL thinking. This isn't some emergent technology about to blow your mind away nor news of some momentous change in policy, but a window on a movement to communicate better paths forward through our public gardens.
So, join me in my stroll through a garden and, I hope, plan to take your own stroll.
A wave of interest in small dwellings — some to serve ... as temporary housing, others to become space-saving dwellings of a more permanent nature — has prompted designers and manufacturers to offer building plans, kits and factory-built houses to the growing number of small-thinking second-home shoppers. Seldom measuring much more than 500 square feet, the buildings offer sharp contrasts to the rambling houses that are commonplace as second homes.
This video is the rage among the Global Warming denial sect, as they pass it around and post it with great glee following Carlin's death. Their RIP is a celebration that George was one of theirs.
You got people around you.
The country's full of them right now, people walking around all day long, every minute of the day, worried about everything ...
the greatest arrogance of them all, Save the Planet. ...
The Washington Post is establishing a firm 21st Century tradition: when it comes to Global Warming, take guidance from Faux News, "Fair and Balanced".
Multiple times in the pastweek, both in reporting and on the editorial page, The Washington Post continued a seemingly iron tradition of coloring Global Warming science by ensuring that skeptics and deniers have their say as well, without providing any indication to the 'regular' reader that serial skeptics received a silver platter invitation to the Post's pages to spread their deception.
Earlier this year, EnviroCab started service in Arlington, Virginia. This is an all hybrid, 50-taxi company and, simply, my favorite taxi service.
For the taxi owners/operators, they face an investment decision. While there is a somewhat higher cost to buy, the cost to own benefits are huge. Yet, while there are a few examples like EnviroCABs, the nation's taxi fleets are not flocking to dealers to get hybrids. This is something that should be happening nearly everywhere in the country. Now!!!!
Energy has become an ever-more central part of my life: personal, intellectual, and professional. This ranges from working with the Energize America team, to serving on the Board of The Energy Consensus (a non-profit working to change the discussion of energy in DC), being trained by The Climate Project, blogging, giving lectures, writing letters to the editor and OPEDs on energy/environmental issues, advising organizations as to energy options, to efforts to foster local initiatives re renewables and energy efficiency patterned on San Francisco's Vote Solar to advising friends/neighbors re home energy efficiency, to spending a few minutes at the end of the day (especially before weekends) turning off lights and computers in many offices at the end of the work day, to working to change the energy patterns in my own home ...
RE the home: a question from a Congressional staffer helped me realize something about the implications of these efforts.
Friday, the first day of protests, the announcer announced Exxon-Mobil's sponsorship of the Seventh-Inning Stretch but Exxon-Mobil's name didn't appear on the main scoreboard(even as Exxon-Mobil advertising did show up on banner ads around the stadium). At Sunday's game, the billboard simply said "Seventh Inning Stretch" and there wasn't a syllable from the announcer about any form of Exxon-Mobil sponsorship. One has to wonder, is there an impact from public embarassment? Is Exxon-Mobil being sent to the dugout step-by-step?
Last evening, amid gorgeous weather, a call to action sent me out to the ballgame. While the 14-inning game was great (GO NATS!), play on the field wasn't the only action.
The Strike Out Exxon campaign began yesterday. The Washington Nationals new stadium is the "greenest" in baseball. Yet, who is one of their principle advertisers: that great friend of the environment Exxon-Mobil. A coalition has come together to call attention to this absurdity and to Exxon-Mobil's roadblocking of action against Global Warming.
Prior to the industrial era, the atmosphere was at about 280 parts per million of carbon dioxide. Now, we are about 387 and growing at nearly 2 ppm per year.
The 'old' (a few years ago) scientific consideration was that it seemed we could stabilize, without utterly catastrophic risk, at 450 ppm or below. This is the guiding thinking behind cutting carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050.
Jim Hansen, NASA and one of the strongest voices in climate research, came out with work stating that we must fall to 350 ppm to avoid catastrophic climate change, considering the impacts that we are already seeing globally.
Recall Deep Throat (All the President's Men), that basic piece of advice: "Follow the Money." As we listen to the George W. Bush's, John McCain's, the Republican Party's, and the RWSM's response to what George W. Bush described as America's "addiction to oil", remember those words.
In face of addiction, is the Republican Party fighting to get us (the US) to a treatment center? Struggling to help us (the US) get off the addiction? Preparing us (the US) for going cold turkey? No, they are struggling for ways to feed the addiction and keep us hooked. Hooked, that is, as the problem worsens even more such that the inevitable crash truly will be a crash and burn of our nation.
John McCain went to Houston Oilers' territory for his first major energy speech. Totally apropos, because the best he could come up with was to argue for putting drills everywhere one can imagine.
Across the world, people are passing around with great excitement the news that there might be a bug that will create oil. And, not just bio-derived oil, but carbon-negative oil. One little bug, too small for the naked eye to see, and all our problems are solved!
Have you noticed? Right now, much of Iowa and the Midwest is suffering through a 500 year flooding event. Does it seem like 100 and 500 year events are becoming ever more frequent? If your answer is yes, your impression fits with the scientific analysis. Now, we have to be careful (extremely careful) in the face of denialist tendency to pounce on a single apostrophe or word out of place, but looking toward the changing weather events and their real impacts, you have to be a fool not to be scratching your head wondering whether there is something larger going on here. Now, as per always, it is near impossible to state that Iowa floods are hitting due to Global Warming. It is, however, reality that these floods are within the predictions for the types of weather events and extremes to be expected with ever increasing Global Warming.
Taking aggressive action to green schools is about one of the smartest steps the nation can take, action that should go beyond bipartisanship to true unity of action as it is a win-win-win-win strategy along so many paths:
Save money for communities and taxpayers
Create employment
Foster capacity for 'greening' the nation
Reduce pollution loads
Improve health
Improve student performance / achievement
And, well, other benefits. In the face of these benefits, "The White House threateneda veto, saying it was wrong for the federal government to launch a costly new school-building program."
It is ever so tempting to scream "GAS PRICES" and call for lowered gas prices if you are a candidate challenging for Congress or elsewhere. Ever so tempting to pander to (quite real) concerns about skyrocketing prices with counterproductive calls for cutting gasoline prices. These, however, fly in the face of the realities of Peak Oil and ever increasing demands for oil. Promising lower gasoline prices (or hinting at them) might (MIGHT) be good short-term political moves but is counter-productive in the long term and represents an abandoment of the type of leadership required in the face of Peak Oil and Global Warming. A real opportunity exists, however, to combine Energy Smart and Politically Smart action.
Austin, Texas, is a leader in the United States on paths toward a more energy smart future. MSN called it the "Greenest City in America." IT has smart growth policies, has a focus on plug-in vehicles, wind power, and ... well, many things.
Yearly Kos 1 was in a center of conspicious consumption: Las Vegas. YK2 in a leading city when it comes to green roofs which had the Cool GlobesCool Globes up when we were there. Netroots Nation is going to an even greener pasture. And you can send a friend there through the DFA Scholarship for Netroots Nation.
A wave of interest in small dwellings — some to serve ... as temporary housing, others to become space-saving dwellings of a more permanent nature — has prompted designers and manufacturers to offer building plans, kits and factory-built houses to the growing number of small-thinking second-home shoppers. Seldom measuring much more than 500 square feet, the buildings offer sharp contrasts to the rambling houses that are commonplace as second homes.
people around you.
part of my life: personal, intellectual, and professional. This ranges from working with the 
week, 
"Follow the Money." As we listen to the George W. Bush's, John McCain's, the Republican Party's, and the RWSM's response to what George W. Bush described as America's "addiction to oil", remember those words.
excitement the 
the Midwest is suffering through a 500 year flooding event. Does it seem like 
new stadium. A tax-payer paid stadium. A 
Representatives (facing an Administration veto threat) 
gas prices if you are a candidate challenging for Congress or elsewhere. Ever so tempting to pander to (quite real) concerns about skyrocketing prices with 
consumption: Las Vegas. YK2 in a leading city when it comes to green roofs which had the Cool Globes
