Posts Tagged ‘global warming’

Hot? Take Off Your Suit!

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011
hawaiian-shirt-friday.jpg

(photo: Lazurite on flickr)

Remember those frigid winter mornings when Dad would tell you to quit whining already and put on a sweater if you were so cold? Well if you haven’t figured it out by now (which, duh), he was trying to save energy (i.e. money) by keeping the thermostat low.

Today, the Japanese government is doing essentially the same thing. But… kookier.

They’re pushing a new program called “Super Cool Biz.” Participating companies are encouraged to save energy by keeping their thermostats set to 82 degrees Fahrenheit this summer. After all, the nation is still trying to manage with reduced energy availability after some of its nuclear power plants were destroyed in the tsunami. But a nice side effect will be lower electricity bills for participating companies and a smaller carbon footprint for the entire nation.

The super cool part? Shorts, sandals, and Hawaiian t-shirts are all suddenly upgraded to “business casual.” We want pictures of super cool board meetings.

How are you staying cool this summer without contributing to a scorched earth?

Volkswagon Wows With 300MPG Car

Thursday, February 10th, 2011

“Volkswagen has made a car it says can travel 313 miles on a gallon of diesel, and that emits just 24 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre travelled.

The XL1, which seats two adults, combines a 0.8 litre two cylinder diesel engine with an electric motor. The car is constructed around a carbon fibre reinforced polymer monocoque to reduce the weight to just 795 kilos. German rival BMW is also making an electric carbon fibre car, while Mercedes is to make carbon fibre parts.”

What do you think?

What influences your taste in cars?

Segregation Resurfaces In The South… TILE Two-Liners 1.10.11 >> 1.14.11

Monday, January 10th, 2011

MONDAY

  • Southern Sudan is likely to become Africa’s newest country, wrapping up a bloody 20-year civil war with the north. One of the Southern Sudanese citizens voting for independence said, “My vote is for my mother and father, and my brothers and sisters who were murdered in the war.” (BBC News)

TUESDAY

  • China gets into carbon trading – an approach to global warming that requires carbon-producing companies to basically buy the right to pollute from other companies. Huge news for one of the world’s biggest economies – largely powered by coal. (The New York Times)

WEDNESDAY

  • The commission investigating BP’s giant oil spill confirms that mistakes by BP and others led to the spill. Oil industry: Prepare to be regulated. (The Wall Street Journal)

THURSDAY

  • North Carolina school board restores policy of economic segregation in public schools. (The Washington Post)

FRIDAY

  • Health care coverage is becoming unaffordable for more and more Americans. Even nonprofit health insurance provider Blue Shield of California has raised rates 59% over 5 months. And another 15% increase is on the way. (The Los Angeles Times)

Alternative Energy Sources For Europe Are Found In Africa

Thursday, August 12th, 2010

For solar energy that could power the European continent why not look to the desserts of Africa?

  • The German physicist Dr. Gerhard Knies has developed a plan that could supply 15% of Europe’s energy by 2050.
  • He proposes building dozens of solar plants across the North African dessert and putting thousands of miles of power cables under the Mediterranean Sea to carry the electricity to Europe.
  • The idea is backed by some of Europe’s biggest corporate names, including Munich RE, Siemens AG and Deutsche Bank.

Facts & Figures

  • The plan would cost $529 billion.
  • For now, each company in the Desertec Industrial Initiative contributes €150,00 annually.

Best Quote

“I see a solution, so the problem is solved. Of course, to implement it is something else.” – Gerhard Knies, Physicist, Desertec Industrial Initiative

Global Climate Change (GCC) is…

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

Global climate change is the sum of all the alterations in the Earth’s climate that are happening as a result of human activities – most notably the emission of greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. GCC includes global warming but also includes increases in storms, droughts, and other extreme weather. Global climate change is already and will continue to have a great impact on the global economy, health, and safety of people around the world.

Greenhouse Gases are…

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Greenhouse gases are thought to be a major culprit in global warming. Gases including carbon dioxide (CO2), methane, and even water vapor, trap heat from the sun and make the Earth warmer – just like glass in a greenhouse traps heat and makes the air inside warmer. These gases exist naturally in the atmosphere, but human activities have increased their concentrations and subsequent air warming to a level that could potentially have disastrous climactic effects.

Mayors Take Climate Change Into Their Own Hands

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

What do you do when your state’s ski resorts are firing their employees due to lack of snow, and the federal government doesn’t seem to care?

  • On Friday, Greg Nickels, President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, announced that 1,000 mayors around the country had signed on to an agreement to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in their cities in keeping with the Kyoto protocols, an international agreement designed to combat global warming.
  • With most of the nation’s population and economy concentrated in cities, mayors felt it was their duty to step in to reduce emissions where the federal government fell short. The U.S. government has not yet signed on to the Kyoto protocols.
  • In addition to reducing emissions in their own cities, the group of mayors also lobbies Congress for grants and funding for greenhouse-gas-reducing projects, and advocates for a nationwide reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 7% of the 1990 level by 2012.

Facts & Figures

  • The city of Cleveland has converted to 25% renewable energy.
  • Boston has increased its use of solar power by 300%
  • Los Angeles met the 7% Kyoto target for emissions reduction four years early in 2008; Seattle reduced its 1990-level emissions by 8% three years earlier than that, in 2005.

Best Quote

“I am signing up because this is too important an issue for us to stand on the sideline. This is not a group without diversity, it’s not a group that agrees on everything, but it is a group that is completely united and committed to this one issue.” – Scott Smith, Mayor of Mesa, AZ