TresSugar

T. Boone Pickens Is Going to Save the Economy With Hot Air

CitizenSugar — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 12:15:44 -0700

I'm saying it right now: T. Boone Pickens for president. The former oil-man-billionaire-turned-wind-power revolutionary is suddenly everywhere and it's like a breath of fresh air. Pickens of his eponymous Pickens Plan is building the world's largest wind farm. His website, which launched today, is determined to shock the US into becoming the Saudi Arabia of wind.

The hemorrhaging of $700 billion dollars a year, an increase of about 50 percent more reliance on foreign imports since the 1970s, is ruining our country. Pickens says, "I've been an oil man my whole life, but this is one emergency we can't drill our way out of."

To see a consciousness-rocking explanation of the Pickens Plan by T. Boone himself (oh, and also changing my name to T. Boone) read more.

Though he's started running flashy ads to promote his plan, I'm sold on this straight-forward, Perot-style chart presentation. One watch and you'll wonder why T. Boone just tipped today. Starting with the optimistic, "we got more wind than anybody else does," his plan is explained in the most lucid way I've seen, showing how his one wind farm in Pampa, TX, can save the US $300 billion a year.

Is wind power the answer, or a lot of hot air? At least there hasn't been a massive "wind spill" today, unlike some nuclear sites. Is the Pickens Plan the salvation our economy needs?

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Scotland Says No to Massive Windfarm and Job Creation

LibertySugar — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:00:03 -0700

The Scottish government has refused a plan to build a massive windfarm, which would have produced significant amounts of renewable energy. Local authorities and businesses supported the plan, as a way to create at least 600 jobs and give Scotland a market edge in renewable-energy production. Around the world, individuals and corporations looking for a financial windfall are eager to invest in energy from the air.

So is the Scottish government anti-environment? Quite the opposite, actually. The 181 wind turbines - each 140 meters tall, mounted in concrete bases of up to 1,000 cubic meters - would have been build on the Lewis Peatlands Special Protection Area, a habit for legally-protected bird species. Thus, it did not comply with EU environmental protection laws.

When businesses push for environmental solutions that ironically have a negative impact on the environment, is greed, rather than green, behind the plans? If governments want to recruit industries and corporations, do they have to allow for some collateral damage?

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An Awesomely Existential Ad

GiggleSugar — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 10:30:00 -0800

Leave it to the Germans to turn a humble PSA into an existential art film. You'll be somewhat confused as the plot unfolds, but the payoff is utterly brilliant. Poor Mr. W - no one likes him because he's always doing annoying things like mussing their hair and turning umbrellas inside out. But then, he finds his purpose in life.

Gore Shoots For the Moon With 10-Year Climate Change Goal

LibertySugar — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 09:01:55 -0700

Al Gore wants every kilowatt of electricity we use to be produced by wind, sun, and other sustainable energy sources within 10 years.

Gore is giving a speech on global warming right now in Washington, but previewed his finer points to the Associated Press saying he hopes the new president will share his deadline. Though he has endorsed Barack Obama, he praised both Obama and McCain for being "way ahead" of most politicians in the fight against global climate change.

The cost of switching to alternative electrical sources could be as much as 3 trillion dollars over 30 years in public and private money. It's a spendy bill, but Gore says it will "pay itself back many times over." To see how he hopes to incite change, read more. Gore added:

I have never seen an opportunity for the country like the one that's emerging now. . . . It's an expensive investment but not compared to the rising cost of continuing to invest in fossil fuels.

Gore actually compared his challenge to President Kennedy's pledge in May 1961 to land a man on the moon by the end of the decade. In order to meet his target, Gore said nuclear energy output would continue at current levels while the nation would have to increase its use of solar, wind, geothermal, and clean coal energy. This would require enormous investments in technologies that reduce energy waste and link existing grids, as well as support from the public. (Note to Gore: Have you adjusted your at-home energy use yet? I have!)

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The Obama Girls Go Green at School

CitizenSugar — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 08:00:00 -0800

On Friday, CasaSugar let you know about the American Institute of Architecture's offer to help the White House become an international model of energy efficiency. If President-elect Barack Obama takes AIA up on the offer, he'll really be getting somewhere with his aforementioned green building goals. But, as it turns out, Obama has already begun to walk the walk: after much ado, he and Michelle have decided to send their daughters, Malia and Sasha, to an environmentally friendly, LEED-platinum school, the Sidwell Friends School in D.C. To hear about the school's eco-friendly architecture, read more.

When Sidwell decided to construct a new middle school, which was completed in September 2006, the school opted for sustainable design to express its commitment to environmental stewardship. Some of its eco-friendly components include constructed wetlands, water-efficient landscaping, use of local, regional, and recycled materials, a green roof, natural ventilation, and solar panels. In March 2007, it was awarded a LEED Platinum rating, making it not only the first K-12 school in the United States to have such a rating, but also the first LEED Platinum building in all of D.C.

Sidwell Friends also offsets electricity and gas for all buildings on both campuses as well as employee travel through the purchase of carbon offsets, and 50 percent of its energy purchased is from wind energy. The school also practices green housekeeping, food service, and composting. Now, that's walking the talk! Maybe Sidwell Friends' architects, KieranTimberlake, can show the White House a thing or two.
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Army Green: 5 Ways the Military Will Lighten Its Carbon Load

CitizenSugar — Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:00:56 -0700

I don't know why I'd never thought about the military as a progressive force for change until I read this, but it makes sense: racial integration and that miracle we call the internet both marched out of the military. Now, one more modern change is coming - the military is going greener than fatigues!

The Department of Defense is responsible for over 1.5 percent of all US energy consumption, and it's now looking (prepare for the most overused phrase in "eco" . . . "journalism") to green up its act. (At least I spared you a "Red, White, and Green" joke - this time.) To see five ways the military and Department of Defense hope to cut bills and conserve energy on their new mission to save the planet, read more.

Create portable solar and wind power stations for emergencies like Hurricane Katrina.
Fuel Air Force planes with biofuel.
Develop hybrid military vehicles.
Install solar panels on air-base buildings.
Spray tents with foam insulation (hold your breath!) to reduce heating and air-conditioning needs.

The foam insulation alone has cut energy use by 45 percent. Is this money well spent? Is the military the perfect place to nurture environmental advances or do reports like these camouflage eco-deficiencies in other areas of government?

You Drive Me Crazy? McCain's Car Prize and Obama's Ethanol

CitizenSugar — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 11:00:32 -0700

John McCain is putting money where his energy mouth is: he's just announced he's proposing a $300 million government prize for the successful development of a car battery that far surpasses existing technology. The prize haul is equal to $1 for every man, woman, and child in the country, which he says is "a small price to pay for helping to break the back of our oil dependency."

If you're thinking about entering, the winning device should deliver power at 30 percent of current costs and have "the size, capacity, cost, and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars." Looking toward rewarding success in finding eco-autos, he's also promoting a Clean Car Challenge that will give US automakers with a $5,000 tax credit for every zero-carbon emissions car they develop and sell.

McCain says of the prize, "In the quest for alternatives to oil, our government has thrown around enough money subsidizing special interests and excusing failure. From now on, we will encourage heroic efforts in engineering, and we will reward the greatest success."

Get out of my dreams, get into my car? Perhaps.

Who's driving Barack Obama's "Pink Cadillac?" To find out, read more.

Last summer Obama was on hand to cut the ribbon at the new VeraSun Energy ethanol processing plant. As a senator from Illinois, the country’s second largest corn-producing state, he delivered a full-throttle endorsement of ethanol as an alternative fuel.
He said that ethanol, “ultimately helps our national security, because right now we’re sending billions of dollars to some of the most hostile nations on earth.” Saying that US oil dependence, "makes it more difficult for us to shape a foreign policy that is intelligent and is creating security for the long term.”

McCain sharply disagrees on the corn-as-fuel plan as well as subsidies for it, saying, “we made a series of mistakes by not adopting a sustainable energy policy, one of which is the subsidies for corn ethanol, which I warned in Iowa were going to destroy the market.” Obama favors the subsidies, some of which inevitably wind up in the hands of the same oil companies he says should be subjected to a windfall profits tax.

Who's driving the better auto alternative? More ethanol? A prize for developing a better battery? Is either plan "Paradise by the Dashboard Light?"

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Energy-Conscious Homeowners Hung Out to Dry

LibertySugar — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:00:20 -0700

People across the world are again drying their clothes on clothes lines, as a way to cut energy costs and contribute to conservation. According to the New York Times, some of these savvy washers are finding themselves on the wrong side of the law.

Places like Ontario, Canada, still ban clotheslines, which can be an eyesore in affluent communities. When families purchase their homes, the restriction is attached to their deeds, as a result of long-standing neighborhood covenants. (In fact, my lease bans me from hanging clothes outside!) But, the aesthetic security is not doing much for environmental or financial security.

No one has figured out a way to make machine clothes dryers more energy efficient. In the meantime, bans on outdoor drying are common in Europe and North America as a way to preserve the quality of neighborhoods. This is quite the dilemma for residents who want a clear green conscience, but aren't exactly prepared to see property values slide.

Are you re-evaluating your drying habits? Would you participate in this act of civil disobedience, if it meant saving money and the planet? Are you prepared to stare at your neighbors underwear drying in the wind?

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