Five Percent: Conserve Energy

I got an Economics degree almost 25 years ago. I think I might like a refund, as it has not lived up to its promise. (more…)

The stock markets are down, reflecting the impact of a weak American economy. The weak American economy is attributed to the sub-prime housing bubble, and energy costs. President Bush is responding similarly to this crisis as he did to Katerina: denial, with a smattering of acknowledgment wrapped as “economic stimulus” which is translated as “more money for the rich”. But this is not a political polemic. Been there. Done that. This is a little reminder that the 10% drop in the markets witnessed in these last few weeks is just one of the many signs of a fragile economy. And of course I think that fragility stems from two related issues:

1. Our Dependence on Excessive Consumption

Oh, hmm, yeah, that’s only one thing. The whole energy thing, and that pesky Iraq war thing, and that gnarly global warming thing, a nation that is grossly overweight — these are all just outcomes of our excessive consumption.

But why do we consume so much? (more…)

I just spent an hour raking leaves from our front lawn. My daughter came out and helped. She jumped in a few leaf piles. Now she’s out riding her bike. We could have hired a landscaping contractor (so: consider how this little trade-off reflects not just our energy problems, but a rather large social issue).

Here are some benefits: (more…)

I think it’s time for all of us to organize our efforts and make the changes needed to conserve energy, raise awareness of global warming, and use the power of many to get a lot done.

My mom always said “Many hands make light work” (usually as we attempted to skulk away from unwashed dinner dishes). But she’s right. The power of many people acting in concert can be pretty amazing. And in the realm of energy, global warming, conservation, and environmentalism there’s a lot to be done. (more…)

Last week, I wrote about high gasoline prices in Chicago and my realization that I could have easily taken public transit to the airport, rather than the cab that was ever-so-conveniently waiting for me, with the ever-so-convenient assistance of the personnel at the hotel to whisk me away to the airport.

I presented my ideas to Hilton Hotels via their website, and got prompt replies … but I didn’t get a strong sense that there was any real interest in providing an “active” effort, just the “if you ask, we’ll tell you” response. I doubt I would get anything more substantive from other major hotel chains, but perhaps this is worth trying.

I could be wrong about my perceptions of the response I got, so here’s the email thread (in reverse chronological order, with contents bolded and with the personal details removed) for your perusal. I would encourage others who think this simple step might help to contact Hilton and other hotels. (more…)

One of the many right-wing, conservative organizations I belong to sent me a list of companies who see an opportunity to capitalize upon the coming misery and despair of humanity as we run out of oil (and the price goes up) or as temperatures rise and cooling costs increase (and the price of oil goes up) or as climate changes, causing imbalances in ecosystems that create havoc and chaos (very lucrative, as we have seen in Iraq). But really, how much can we really invest in ExxonMobil and Haliburton?

I have a hedge investment. What if it turns out that all this hoo-ha about what those liberals call “global warming” and I call “balmy climate advancement” has any merit? Well clearly they are too afraid of their own shadows to know how to properly exploit the golden opportunity that balmy climate advancement affords. And that’s why, just as a hedge, I am giving all my conservative friends out there a tip: invest in those green funds run by the commies. For example, one group called Co-op America has suggestions for Social Investing: 7 Ways Your Investments can Fight Climate Change. If we all invest in their little companies, maybe we can smote those Prius-driving, bike-riding, organic-eating pinko-pansies for once and for all.

Ah sarcasm. If only I got paid for it I would be a rich man.

Yeah, get a bigger car. Drive more. Screw the hybrid golf carts: I want a Hummer. And now I feel entirely justified, because this report from Environmental Defense, a bunch of tree-hugging, commie, smarty-pantses show clearly that car emissions account for only 20% of annual US global warming emissions. Not even worth messing with. (I’m joking)

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We drove back from Cape Cod today after a long weekend. There sure are a lot of large vehicles on the road … and hardly any small or efficient ones. Repeatedly, we observed trucks of the class Expedition/Yukon/Suburban/Tahoe carrying a single person. Compared to the average mileage, these behemoths do poorly: where average is ~25 MPG highway, they get about 1/2 of average. Our Prius today arrived from our trip in our driveway reporting average mileage of 48.2 MPG, which is about 2x better than average, so about 4x better than the big truck SUVs.

I hear people saying the Prius is small. They need room for … something. I am not sure what. (more…)

In their radio show May 28th, the “Car Talk” hosts let me down. I felt compelled to write them this letter:

Boys (if I may address you formally),

I nearly lost control resulting from my hands being off the steering wheel as I listened to your show last week. You were counseling a woman on buying a car for her husband, and systematically ruled out a hybrid, in particular the Prius because it’s highway mileage was not as good as city. How can you look at yourselves in the mirror? (more…)

Thank god for the liberal, East Cost, elite media.

If you haven’t yet seen the Stephen Colbert speech at the 2006 White House Correspondents Dinner, stop what you’re doing, get ready, and then watch it. It’s uncomfortable. It’s shocking. In some places it’s really not funny at all. But it’s very, very real. And it demonstrates that sometimes, as in Shakespeare, only the fools speak the truth to the King.

And also, thank god for Thomas Friedman, whom I believe we should nominate for President of the World. I have read his current book The World is Flat, which is stunning in it’s equanimity and (what used to be) conservative positions. This man says globalization is … good. And that we should … embrace it. And that it is an … engine of economic opportunity. And that (those silly liberals who support) protectionist measures are bad. And he’s right. As I read the book, I wondered if he really was the same columnist I knew from the New York Times. Isn’t the Times, um, kinda liberal? And no, he’s not the token conservative Op Ed guy, either.

Well, all is right in the world now that (more…)