San Fran Residents Clamor for Greener Power

San Francisco residents vying for the option of public power have had hopes dashed eleven times since the 1920s, but the fight against power entity Pacific Gas and Electricity (PG&E) is entering its twelth round, and this time supporters of the proposition – Proposition H – believe that November 4th will mark a victory for them and the environment.

Since the 1960s the Bay Guardian has championed the prospect of publicly owned power, but now the Sierra Club, eight of 11 area supervisors, and the San Francisco Democratic Party are collectively behind Proposition H. The noteworthy hold out? Mayor Gavin Newsom, who contends that “the people” aren’t terribly interested in such an initiative, and are more concerned about beggars and smacking into potholes with their vehicles. Newsom maintains Proposition H is nothing but a sheep-in-wolf’s clothing, acting as a concealed attempt to takeover the for-profit PG&E.

This doesn’t rub Prop. H supporters well, who insist that the duplicity of Newsome is unacceptable.

“It is the epitome of hypocrisy considering how flagrantly his political trajectory is attached to green policymaking,” said Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, a longtime supporter of public power. “He really is becoming a walking contradiction when he’s preaching about the need to go green while defending PG&E.”

Public power supporters are aimed at achieving a city that relies on 50% renewable sources by 2017, and 100% by 2040. While PG&E derived 11.4% of its juice from renewable sources in 2007, the company is highly likely to fall short of the 20% mandate by 2010 put forth by California. Depite criticisms, spokespeople at PG&E insist the corporation is among the greenest utilities in America.

There is little objectivity to be had by either side. Some city officials say the takeover could cost as much as $4 billion, while others vehemently disagree, arguing that the takeover would pay for itself in time. Advocates for Prop. H swear electric rates will go down; PG&E officials claim rates will rocket by $400 a year. See a pattern here?

Oh, and Mayor Newsom?  He has some intriguing ties to PG&E. The power company has co-hosted parties with him and donated to various causes tied to Newsome. Further, the mayor’s chief political strategist has been hired by PG&E as a consultant in their quest to squash Prop. H. We’ll let readers take of this what they will.

For further details on the structure of Proposition H, click here.

Source: SFGate

We get it, green is the new black

Saving the environment has never been so cool; fashion designers made “organic, green” grocery  bags that will cost you just as much as your monthly food bill would be.  Organic fashions are simple, eco friendly, and will make your bank cry.  If you’ve went food shopping with only buying organic in mind, you probably were a bit surprised when your bill was double what you normally pay, right?

For the average person, affording these things isn’t realistic. Sure it might be nice to sport the coolest, greenest hybrid car on the market, but the truth is right now they are still pricey, and we still need to be able to get around.  I’m going to give you ten ways to green your life, without spending a ton of money

1. Turn off your lights dude. You want to be green, but how many times have you fallen asleep with the TV on? How many nights go by that your computer buzzes away even though no one’s checking their email?  Before you leave the house, and before you hit the sack make sure your appliances and lights are OFF. You’ll be saving money on your bill, and preserving some energy.

2. DON’T buy in bulk. Cosco, BJ’s, Sams Club; these chains cater to large families who need 27 invididually wrapped candy bars, not just one. We understand the concept of buying in bulk, but think of all the waste that goes into making these products? If you can, avoid shopping there. If you feel like you can’t live without a thirty pack of chocolate milk, figure out a way to recycle the material.

3. BUY LOCAL! You may think there’s no one selling local produce in your area, but websites like Local Harvest use a search engine to find farmers markets, and farms in your community that are selling the good stuff. Who wouldn’t want to buy CHEAP, fresh organic produce? A tip: hit up the markets towards the ends, and sellers will lower the prices of their good signicantly since they can’t re-sell them. I’ve gotten homemade organic pies, vegges, and fruits all for under ten dollars by going an hour before the vendors closed up!

4. Direct Deposit and Automatic bill pay - does anyone actually pay their bills by mail anymore? If you do, stop. You’ll be saving a ton of trees by paying your bills online; almost every credit card, bank, and store offer free, safe ways to deposit money online and it’s easy as pie.

5. Eat at home, and compost while you’re at it. Eating out (especially at fast food joints) = tons of waste.

6.  Get thrifty! You don’t need to buy fancy organic materials to be more “green…” You’d be surprised at how much cool stuff you can find at your local Salvation Army, or even on Craigslist. One mans junk is another mans treasure, and you can find some amazing things to call your own, without breaking a budget.

7. Turn the heat down! Winter’s coming, and we all want to be toasty and warm, but we can acheive this buy throwing on another layer, NOT turning up the heat.

8. Get a water filter: Most of us love a cold bottle of water…but think about the waste! You can have clean, fresh water by getting a filter, and purchasing an eco friendly water bottle to carry arouind.

9. Reusable coffee filters. Have you ever run out of coffee filters and felt like life was over? I have. Purchasing a resuable filter will save you sanity, and help you live a bit more “green…”

10.  Nix the paper towells. I’ve got a toddler, two dogs, and two cats so paper towells were always a must in our home, and we’d go through five rolls in a week. When I realized (gulp) how much waste that was I felt a little sick, so now I collect old clothes, dishtowels, etc and use them as washclothes that I can wash when I’m done!

Most of these are probably in your face obvious, but many of us choose not to change. If you can try and green your life in any of these ways, you’re making a small but important step. Being eco-concious isn’t a trend, it’s a way of life. Share with us other ways you “green” yourself!

Solar Energy - The Only True Source of Power

Author’s note:
It is beyond the scope and space available in this blog to fully explain how important solar energy has always been.  For this reason, much of the information here is meant to be a LINK to other information, and is connected to it through hyperlinks to other web pages.  To better understand how important solar energy is, it is strongly advised that you click on some or all of these links.  Each one will open a new window, so you will be able to return easily to this article, and continue along the train of thought it offers.  — Roger

Solar energy is the most abundant form of power in the universe.  By definition, every solar system contains at least one colossal generator of raw energy.  Galaxies are composed of millions or even billions of solar power plants, and there is no known form of life that does not depend on it, either directly or indirectly.  The very air we breathe is a byproduct of solar energy acting upon the planet.  Even nocturnal plants and animals, which can’t bear to be exposed to direct sunlight, couldn’t exist without solar energy.  Even most things which are poisoned by direct solar energy depend on it to fuel their growth, or provide their food.  For humanity, solar energy is not just a viable choice, it has been the only option all along.

Primitive man discovered this truth.  He learned that crops had to have enough sunlight to grow tall and strong, and produce the largest crops.  He discovered that plants demanded sunlight, and converted it into grains and grasses, fruit and foliage, vegetables and vineyards, and from these things came everything else he needed to live and prosper.  Longer days had warm sun rays, and the shortest one was found in the dead of winter.  In many ways, primitive man knew more than most of us alive today, even though he lacked the wisdom to tie the links together, or the ability to record his findings for posterity.

But this is nothing new.  We all learned the basic truth of all existence in grade school, and most of us promptly left that knowledge in the same crowded classrooms.  We graduated from our educations, and moved into our 5 day work weeks with 9-5 jobs, and never again questioned why the modern world, with its abundant electricity, is still tied to a pattern of activity in the light, and dormancy in the dark of night.  For most of us, the sun is little more than a consequence of existence, and very few acknowledge why it is the gods of the light that rank highest among the dieties of myth and legend.

As a child in the 1970’s, I heard the first rumors of global warming, and learned such novel terms as ecosystem and food chain.  And I wondered, even then, how something as huge as a burning star could be overlooked as the most feasible way to live in harmony.  I can’t recall the times I’ve tried to patiently exlain the chain of events the sun makes possible for us, and it is difficult to relate the blank, bored stare of those I tried to convince.  Thirty-odd years later, and global warming has turned our only recourse into a demon, and those who think of the sun do so with a bottle of sunscreen in hand, and either excitement or a faint inflection of resentment in their tone.  And no one seems to be able to comprehend that the sun, instead of being our enemy, is the only real source of power we have ever had.

Without the sun, there could be no fossil fuels.  Our seasons would have long since blended into a frozen, lifeless period of perpetual darkness, and the complex chemical reactions that form natrual gases would have stalled, frozen on a wasteland of ice colder than dry ice, and just as inhospitable.

Today, I hear again and again how solar energy is not an affordable solution to the world’s problems.  And I bear the uncomprehending glare of those who are simply unable to see that we can’t afford not to use the sun.  No matter how basic the connection is, humanity seems unwilling to recognize that there isn’t another way, that there has never been another way, and that no matter how far through the cosmos we will ever go, everything we will encounter is either a product or source of solar energy, whether it be hydrogen fuel, biofuels, or the fuels which form nuclear reactions.  Not even the wind that blows through the trees would exist without the power of sunlight.  Take a cue from the totem poles and mythological dieties of ancient times, and recognize the sun for what it truly is - the only true source of energy mankind will ever know.

GYM: Concept Car for Physical Fitness

If being an electric car isn’t enough to make you look at this concept vehicle with an appreciative eye, would it help to say that it incorporates personal workout into it’s operation?  That’s right, it is flashy, sporty, and helps keep you healthy.  The car could be charged up using a connection to a conventional electric outlet, but it can also be charged by another, rarely tapped form of power: the human body engaged in physical exercise.  It has a stepping machine, a bench press, a rowing machine, and you can even do some pull-ups, keeping you physically fit at the same time as you put that aerobic energy to a practical use.

Coventry University, located in the UK, has been the origin of a number of gadgets and inventions designed to make our lives better without undo environmental impact.  We highly reccomend checking out some of the articles in Innovate: Applied research at Coventry University.