Last October, Secretary of Energy Dr. Steven Chu promised that by the end of this spring, the White House would have solar panels on its rooftop as well as a solar water heater installed. Would it surprise you to learn that this has not happened yet?
As various factions of Christianity begin to embrace global climate change and mankind's responsibility for both causing it and fixing it, it will be interesting to see how the Republican presidential candidates respond to questions about the state of the environment and what America should do about it.
U2's David Evans, aka The Edge, and his partners plan to build five environmentally-friendly homes on an undeveloped 156-acre tract of land above Malibu Beach in the community of La Costa, which happens to be one of the most environmentally sensitive areas in Southern California.
With so many incredibly large issues facing our country at this time, it's amazing that the new U.S. House of Representatives majority would spend any of its time working on its own composting problems. Since the GOP takeover of the House this year, for instance, there has been great debate over balancing the budget and how to put a handle on our growing federal deficit -- not an issue to be taken lightly as this situation is going take decades to solve.
News Corporation, the parent company of Dow Jones and Fox News, has declared itself carbon neutral. According to a memo from Chairman Rupert Murdoch:
At the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was one of this year's piñatas. First, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich took his stick and made a major swipe at the EPA by calling for its shutdown and elimination. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour was a little more cautious, merely stating that through the EPA, the Obama administration is "trying to achieve through regulation what it can't pass through legislation." Following up on that statement, Barbour told a group of Kentucky coal executives that the EPA is over-regulating the coal industry with its strict environmental standards.
If you want to get some high-flying action going at a party, just bring up the company Halliburton. When some people hear the word "Halliburton" they immediately recall that it's the company where former Vice President Cheney amassed great wealth. Others identify the multinational corporation as a major player in the oil field services industry. In any case, just mention Halliburton and emotions typically fly high. Although it's not the only company involved in the oil industry, in some corners, the word "Halliburton" seems to have become synonymous with the word "evil." The company is seen as signifying all that is wrong with our energy policy, both abroad and at home, as Halliburton leads the charge to exploit shale formations in North America.
To borrow a phrase from former presidential candidate Ross Perot, that "sucking sound" you may be hearing could be the departure of the nascent American solar manufacturing industry.
Even though the holidays are now over, there are certain gifts that just keep on giving. Last week, for instance, Sarah Palin accused conservationists of "hypocrisy" because they send her letters on paper written with wooden pencils. While discussing the tree and lumber harvesting industry, Palin was quoted as saying:
The holiday season is now in full throttle, which can mean only thing: Let's consume. And let's consume as much as is humanly possible in a very short period of time. Most of this consumption will take place in shopping centers, malls, and retail outlets, as well online. We are encouraged to purchase as much as we can in order to satisfy the bottomless pit of our needs and, more importantly, to spur on the recovery of our weakened economy. According to economists, if sales are stronger this year than last year, then we must be headed in the right direction.
Almost 150 years ago, Confederate troops in South Carolina fired the first shots of the Civil War at Fort Sumter, leading to the bloodiest period in American history. Today Fort Sumter National Monument is taking the first shot at ushering in a new era of energy independence through collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), the Department of Interior (DOI), the National Park Service, South Carolina Research Authority, and the Center for Hydrogen Research. Their collaborative efforts are designed to take the island off the electric utility grid, and make it completely self-sufficient.
Now that the election is over and the new Republican majority is set to take over the House of Representatives come January, members of Congress are vying for committee leadership positions. One position in particular is for the chair of the Committee on Energy and Commerce. Established in 1795, it is one of the oldest standing committees in Congress, and has been in continual service for more than 200 years. Its responsibilities include oversight of consumer protection, public health, food and drug safety, telecommunications, air quality and environmental health, interstate and foreign commerce, and the supply and delivery of energy. Whoever wins the position of chair will certainly wield a tremendous amount of influence over these issues.
Amtrak has announced it's purchasing the next generation in energy efficient passenger trains that use approximately 2,134 BTUs per mile (which compares to 3,578 per mile for a passenger car and 3,942 per mile for domestic airplane flights). The 70 new locomotives will come on line between 2013 and 2019 and replace 64 locomotives, some dating back to 1980. These new trains will mostly be manufactured domestically in Sacramento by Siemens AG. And the manufacturing facility will have 2 megawatts of solar cells on its roof. These new trains will feature regenerative braking--much like that in hybrid automobiles--which will also generate electricity. Their top speed will be 125 miles per hour.
The next giant step in sustainability is now literally alive at the Omega Center for Sustainable Living (OSCL) in Rhinebeck, NY. Having achieved full certification under the Living Building Challenge by The International Living Building Institute, "a non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to the creation of a truly sustainable built environment in all countries around the world," the OSCL is now an icon for sustainable building.
Now that football season is in full swing, I'm enjoying viewing some of the more outlandish commercials that run during the games. One in particular that comes to mind is the advertisement for Chrysler Corporation's Dodge Challenger, which originally aired during last summer's FIFA World Cup. To recap, the commercial shows a line of Revolutionary War-era British soldiers setting up a skirmish line to fight the oncoming American patriots led by General George Washington. At this point, three Dodge Challengers zoom through a valley toward the Red Coats with Washington leading the charge. And to make sure we really get the point, the Challenger driven by the Father of Our Country has the Stars and Stripes attached to the hood. The British are overwhelmed and as they begin to run away, the voice over says, "In America, we get a couple of things right: cars and freedom."
Last week, Buffalo-based businessman and controversial Tea Party candidate Carl Paladino won the Republican primary for New York State Governor over former Representative Rick Lazio by nearly twice as many votes. That humiliating defeat for Lazio came after he had focused the final weeks of his campaign on the proposed Cordoba Community Center at 49-51 Park Place in Downtown Manhattan, AKA "The Ground Zero Mosque." Essentially, along with asking whether the project should in fact be built, Lazio also wanted to know whether it would be funded by elements around the world that are hostile to the U.S.
Following the oil rig explosion in the Gulf of Mexico last week, I was asked to appear on The Alyona Show on Russia Television to discuss whether we've really "learned anything" since the devastating BP oil spill in the Gulf last spring. [To view the interview, visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXfE5atXBMU.] But that question is loaded because we all know that the real issue is not whether we have learned anything, but rather how we will approach similar situations in the future. The recent explosion was a great way to dive back into the problems with offshore oil exploration and production.
Last week, Roger Meiners, a senior fellow a the Property and Environmental Center in Bozeman, MT and a professor of economics at the University of Texas, Arlington wrote an op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal proclaiming the federal stimulus program directed at creating green jobs to be a "turkey." Meiners' reasoning is based on the cost of installing solar panels at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's Ennis National Fish Hatchery at a cost of $179,000--all paid for by stimulus money.
When shopping, how many times do you hear the cashier ask, "Would you like a receipt"? And how many times do you take one? Well, here's some eye-opening news that may help make that decision easier.
The good news at press time is that the spill at the Deepwater Horizon oil well in the Gulf of Mexico has been plugged. Whether it will hold or not has yet to be seen, and what will ultimately be done with the well is also unknown. However, it's a great piece of news after 90 days of this environmentally devastating disaster.
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