Tag: "energy"
Have sewage, will travel
Unless our sewage happens to end up in the Bay and in the headlines, most of us probably never give a second thought to where our wastewater is headed each time we run the tap or flush the toilet. To learn more about the travels of sewage, I took a tour of the Las Gallinas [...]
Post on May 06, 2008 by Ann Dickinson
Mapping Our Carbon Footprints
Your house may not be your biggest contributer to global warming. Credit: Jim Gunshinan. My focus in this blog had been on green homes, but there are other areas of our lives that account for our total carbon footprint–how much carbon we are responsible for adding to the atmosphere–a measure of our contribution to global [...]
Post on May 02, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
One Part Perspiration, Five Parts Inspiration
These 5 folks are full of bright ideas. Image Source: PiccoloNamekACI trains home performance professionals through national and regional conferences and through the Web. Last week I participated in my eighth ACI national conference. The annual conference is where I go to network; learn about all aspects of home performance; recruit authors for Home Energy [...]
Post on Apr 18, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
Producer's Notes - Biofuels: Beyond Ethanol
A sample of switchgrass at Sandia National LaboratoriesIt doesn't need to be said that there's a heated debate about how to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions with actions that lessen our society's carbon footprint. Biofuels like ethanol or biodiesel are one option. They're touted as being carbon neutral because the CO2 they emit comes from crops [...]
Post on Apr 08, 2008 by Sheraz Sadiq
Stop Energy Going Down the Drain
Here are three of the DWHR devices tested, showing the headers: Left to right, the Retherm S3-60, GFX G3-60, and PowerPipe S3-60. Credit: Charles ZaloumI don't think there is one big solution to our energy problems and the environmental problems related to the use of fossil fuels–there are lots of little solutions that in the [...]
Post on Apr 04, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
Chevron's Plans
Richmond city officials are expected to approve a controversial upgrade to the Chevron refinery plant. Quest reports on the decision and explores the debate around Chevron's billion dollar proposal. You may listen to the "Chevron's Plans" Radio report online, as well as find additional links and resources. Amy Standen is a Reporter for QUEST and [...]
Post on Mar 21, 2008 by Amy Standen
$15 per gallon of gas… coming soon?
What will life be like when gasoline reaches $15 per gallon? We may have to slow down our too-often fast paced and frenetic lifestyles—a blessing in disguise? That's the question asked of a group of scientists, sociologists, others, and myself who gathered at the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE) Summer Study in [...]
Post on Mar 07, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
Building to Beat Climate Change and Save Energy
Low winter light over the town of Iqaluit, the capitol of Nunavut,Canada. Photo by Bill Semple, architect and senior researcher at the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.I recently heard Tom Friedman, the New York Times columnist, speak at Lawrence Berkeley National Lab about his soon to be published new book, Green: The New Red, White [...]
Post on Feb 23, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
Reporter's Notes: Designer Biofuels
Concern over global warming and rising gas prices has just about everyone, including presidential candidates, touting biofuels. Taking the energy from plants to make a gasoline alternative that can run our cars has great promise. But there are challenges to meeting the nation’s goal to replace 20 per cent of the nations annual gasoline consumption [...]
Post on Feb 14, 2008 by Andrea Kissack
Who Controls Your Thermostat? Part 2
No, this is not Big Brother. Credit: Jim GunshinanThe answer to the question, Who controls your thermostat?, which I raised in an earlier post, is now clearly answered. You control your thermostat! The California Energy Commission (CEC) was to require, as part of the 2008 Title 24 building standards, that all new homes be outfitted [...]
Post on Jan 25, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
2007 Energy Bill a Mixed Bag
It would be easy to think that the 2007 Energy Bill, signed by President Bush at the end of last year, was all about automotive fuel economy. The legislation that requires fleet-wide average fuel economy for cars and light trucks to reach 35 miles per gallon by 2020 has generated a lot of buzz. On [...]
Post on Jan 11, 2008 by Jim Gunshinan
Super Laser
It's one of the most expensive high-tech projects the United States has ever attempted, and some say it will never work. QUEST visits the National Ignition Facility in Livermore, where scientists will soon aim the world's largest laser at a target the size of a pencil eraser. The goal? Nuclear fusion — and, they say, [...]
Post on Jan 10, 2008 by Amy Standen
The New Clean Tech
If investment is any guide, California's renewable energy companies are leaping into the new year. Investors poured billions of dollars into clean tech in 2007 to catapult green technologies to market. In the first three quarters of 2007, U.S. venture capital firms invested $2.6 billion in clean tech companies. That's compared with $1.8 billion for [...]
Post on Jan 03, 2008 by Lauren Sommer
Mercury falling with the rise of CFL bulbs
Broke Your CFL? Don't Panic! The typical dose of mercury in a CFL is about the size of a pen tip (circled in red), and these doses have been getting smaller and smaller. (Photo provided by EPA.)Australia has already begun to phase out the incandescent light bulb, and the energy legislation recently signed by President [...]
Post on Dec 28, 2007 by Jim Gunshinan
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