If you are planning to go green, whether individually or as a business, the financial instrument called "carbon offset" can be a good friend. Buying carbon offsets is a good approach to negate the greenhouse gas emissions from your business or daily lifestyle that cannot be easily reduced in the short-term. You can think of it as a way to assuage guilt. At the most basic, you pay some financial ...
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The hunt has begun... that is, for a practical electric vehicle, that can be plugged in to a solar panel, in order to go further off-grid. Back a year ago, when the solar panels went up on the roof, I had hoped that all that buzz about plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles would mean that something affordable would be on the market in a year or two. So finally, I need to replace our old creaky car, and am really ...
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Recently I wrote a blog about how to get involved in the fight against climate change. Today, I thought, I should write about a nifty city program I am involved with along this front -- my contribution to the challenge, if you will -- that has been quite an eye-opening experience. You see, the city where I live (which shall remain anonymous to maintain some privacy) recently commenced a citizens task force to work ...
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In the recent McKinsey Quarterly, there is an interesting report on a global survey that shows corporations need to account for consumer concerns about climate change. In it, consumers say that a corporation’s performance in addressing the problems of the environment and climate change affects not only how much they trust the company but also whether they would buy its products. Consumers also expect companies to ...
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A high-school student in Honolulu, Hawaii -- Olivia Klein -- has decided to take on an ambitious junior year project. Inspired by being her school's delegate to the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Summit, she decided to build a biofuel car for her independent project. It has been a great learning experience for Olivia. From not knowing much about car -- not to mention experience with cars being only 16 years old -- ...
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In case you haven’t heard, you are needed in the fight against global warming. Eugene Kleiner, a partner at the famous venture capitalist firm, Kleiner Perkins, once said, “Sometimes panic is an appropriate response.” Panic is a good motivator to do something, but taking action is a better way to keep our spirit and hope up, in the face of such a major global challenge. Fortunately, doing your part ...
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The Environmental Defense Fund has just released an interesting book, called "Earth: The Sequel", subtitled "The Race to Reinvent Energy and Stop Global Warming". It is a message of hope, about how humankind ingenuity can "save ourselves from ourselves by getting the end of the story just right" (Fred Krupp, author and president of EDF). It is a story on how we can stop global warming through ...
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My first car ever was a Chevy Geo Prizm. I still remember it fondly, as any “first” tends to be. But then I watched the DVD “Who Killed The Electric Car?” This documentary chronicles the saga of the first GM electric car, the EV1. Its debut lease program was greeted with adoration and the EV1 quickly built a loyal fan base that included celebrities, environmental activists, and regular Janes ...
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Have you noticed how much trash is usually generated after a party and thought about how it sullied an otherwise wonderful atmosphere? Ballparks, night clubs, birthday party, even sometimes, green events, can create tremendous amount of waste, pollution, and emission from all those things we toss away, all those miles we commute to get to them. If your family or your company is hosting a green event, make sure it ...
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First, electric cars. Now electric scooters. Would this be another class of vehicle to go zero-emission soon? I sure hope so, for the millions of motorbikes that are polluting the air in developing countries. Here is a picture of Ho Chih Minh City in Vietnam during rush hour. I have tried crossing the street (there is no choice if you are a pedestrian there) and it is real scary. Here is a picture of ...
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