The Learned Evolution Exchange

First Manhattan Hotel to Run on Fuel Cells

2005-06-14T08:39:00.000-07:00

Sheraton New York Hotel & Tower: First Manhattan Hotel to Run on Fuel Cells

06/13/2005

SustainableBusiness.com News

The Sheraton New York Hotel & Towers, the Sheraton brand's flagship hotel of Starwood Hotels & Resorts, is dedicating Manhattan's first high temperature fuel cell-powered electric plant.

The 250-kilowatt system -- technology developed by FuelCell Energy Inc. and operated by PPL Corporation -- will supply 10 percent of the hotel's electricity and hot water needs and supply back-up electric service for a portion of the hotel.

This high-efficiency technology generates electric power from natural gas without combustion. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) awarded $920,000 toward this project, which was one of the finalists selected for funding in 2002 under NYSERDA's combined heat and power program.

Starwood and Fuel Cell Energy recently announced FCEL would be supplying fuel cells throughout the hotel chain.

Colorado Rep Says Agriculture is the Key!

2005-04-22T14:28:00.000-07:00

from the Durango Herald, Durango, CO
www.durangoherald.com

April 22, 2005

Lawmaker recommends renewables

By Joe Hanel
Herald Washington Correspondent

WASHINGTON - Agriculture holds the key to ending America's dependence on foreign oil and eventually bringing down gas prices, U.S. Rep. John Salazar, D-Colo., said as the House passed a major energy bill.

The House on Thursday debated and passed the bill, which gives $8.1 billion in tax breaks in the next decade mostly to oil, coal, natural-gas and nuclear-power companies.

"It has just become a big tax break for big oil companies," said Salazar, a Democrat from Manassa.

"I have deep concerns with this (bill), because the only way we're going to be able to address self-reliance is to work on renewables."

The current form of the bill will do little to bring down gas prices, Salazar said.

"I'm concerned about fuel prices, too, but the quickest way to address them is to work on biodiesel and gasohol," said Salazar.

Biodiesel can be made from vegetable oil and blended with petroleum.

Salazar said he supports the Fuels Security Act by Rep. Stephanie Herseth, D-S.D., which would mandate the use of 8 billion gallons of renewable fuels by 2012.

"It would really boost the rural and ag economies, and it would decrease our dependence on foreign oil within a year," said Salazar said.

President Bush originally called for 72 percent of the energy bill's subsidies to go to renewable energy, Salazar said, but only 6 percent of the House Republicans' bill is devoted to renewable sources.
2005 Durango Home Ranch Show

The energy bill also aims to make it easier to open public lands for oil and gas drilling.

"I'm totally supportive of developing our natural resources, but I'm also totally supportive of making sure our local communities have time to comment, because a lot of times the impact on local communities is devastating," Salazar said.

Wednesday night, Salazar and a majority of the Democrats tried to prohibit drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but their amendment to the energy bill failed.

The Senate is also working on an energy bill, and the two chambers will have to negotiate to produce a final version. Every major energy bill has died in the Senate during Bush's presidency.

Bush and the Pope

2005-04-02T18:26:00.000-08:00

By JENNIFER LOVEN Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON Apr 2, 2005 President Bush led the nation in mourning Pope John Paul II on Saturday, saying his quarter century as head of the Roman Catholic Church and his lifetime of dedication to freedom and values made him a "hero for the ages."

"The Catholic Church has lost its shepherd. The world has lost a champion of human freedom," the president said in a brief televised statement from the White House's majestic Cross Hall entryway.

Read the rest of the story.

How honorable of President Bush to commed the Pope with such noble words. Indeed, the Pope truely was a 'champion of human freedom.' But it doesn't take much research or memory to find the Pope standing out as one of the leading OPPONENTS of Bush's war in Iraq. I just don't understand where this 'leader' gets off praising someone as so honorable, yet going against his wishes despite the fact. Perhaps Bush should have declared the Pope as an OPPONENT of freedom, that is if you consider freedom to be violence and violence to be justice.

With each story like this, I am convinced that the feeding tube connected to Bush's conscience and logical systems was pulled long ago. Despite the fact, this walking, talking vegatable lives on, forcing his twisted, contradictory words and policies onto the rest of us, despite our wishes. There is no doubt in my mind that this ball of yarn will one day, perhaps too quickly for our own benefit, unravel before our very eyes. Will it be too late?

-jb

War On Moose

2005-03-16T19:58:00.000-08:00

The Learned Evolution Exchange

Some of you might think it's better to get our oil from our homeland rather than foreign land (Alaska vs. Iraq) but shit....

This push to open the Alaskan wildlife refuge has been in the works for quite some time and thanks to the Democrats the oil crazed community has been hard pressed to make any progress. Looks like more and more people are feeling the push to increase our oil supplies since gas prices are so damn high.

Do I think this is the end of wildlife? Yes.
Am I scared? Yes.
Do I love gas? Yes.
Do I love Moose? Yes.

If something is called a wildlife preserve does that matter? No.
Are the redwoods safe? No.
Should you stop driving? No.

See the following link to read how the world ends.
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20050316/D88S8V081.html

But wait, there's more.

love.
CB

Can't say this loud enough

2005-03-15T22:29:00.000-08:00

The Learned Evolution Exchange

This is no secret. No longer does "Green Energy" need to be green. Renewable energy isn't about being environmentally sound or responsible it's about quality/art/innovation/and dare I say, progress?

Oh, and a great way to make money! Ah yes, "Green Energy" indeed.

Check out this article below. (Have you ever wished you were 25 during the internet boom and had this great idea to create an amazing search website and name it after a number larger than all particles in the universe? Only to become the 8th & 9th riches "kids" in the world? Here's our chance.)

Enjoy the read...

Alternative energy is a 'multitrillion-dollar opportunity' for investors, industry leader says

Opportunities abound for entrepreneurs looking to strike it rich by developing new energy forms, leaders of the alternative energy industry say. The owner of one large solar energy company, in fact, says the sun, wind and hydrogen, all add up to a "multitrillion-dollar opportunity" for investors. Solar power alone is now a $5 billion dollar a year industry, analysts say.

- Staff writers

News summary:
Source: http://www.fortune.com/fortune/smallbusiness/articles/0,15114,1019955,00.html

* It's little wonder that a new generation of entrepreneurs believes that clean alternative energy---geothermal, hydrogen, solar, and wind---may finally turn into a serious business.
* Advances in nanotechnology and electronic controls are driving down the costs of alternative energy even as prices of fossil fuels climb.
* According to the Solar Energy Industries Association in Washington, D.C., solar power alone has grown into about a $5-billion-a-year global industry and is expanding at an annual rate of 40%.
* Bill Gross, whose solar company, Energy Innovations, is featured in this issue, asserts that alternative energy is "a multitrillion-dollar opportunity.
* In Silicon Valley hydrogen, solar, and wind power are being talked about as if they were the next Internet.
* Although clean energy represents a relatively small chunk of venture capitalists' portfolios, it is growing briskly.
* According to the San Francisco venture capital firm Nth Power, investments in clean energy in 2003 reached $481 million, or 2.4% of all venture money invested, up from 1% in 2000.
* Last year California announced it would invest $1.5 billion in environmental technologies.
* And in November, Colorado passed a law mandating that 10% of its energy must come from wind and solar power by 2015.
* That makes 18 states, including California and New York, that have now passed environmentally friendly energy standards.
* As in every industry, from autos to aeronautics to infotech, most of the breakthroughs come from entrepreneurs.

(http://www.newstarget.com/004634.html)

-----So put away your tie-dyes and put on your damn suits.. we're all in worlds of debt... Yes, I'm talking to you America. It's time to make some damn money. (oh okay, and to also reduce our dependence on foreign oil.. did I forget to mention that?)

Love to you all.
Chris Barker

The Gates: Seeing Orange

2005-03-13T16:17:00.000-08:00

Two weekends ago, I was asked to help out on a shoot, capturing The Gates in 3D, using Jason Goodman's incredible 3D videocamera . While we captured some great footage and had a fun time with the shoot, the entire time I held an uneasy feeling in my stomach that despite the claims of the 'recycling' of The Gates, surely this claim could be half-hearted at best. So I set out to uncover the truth of the matter, and here is the first thing I found. It sums up the situation pretty well, yet leaves out mention of the Nylon fabric and Vinyl coating of the Gates, which are also very environmentally toxic.

-JB

From the New York Times Op Ed:

Seeing Orange

By TED CAPLOW

Published: February 20, 2005

THE exhibit that began last weekend in Central Park is many things to many people. For me and my beagle, Hazel, with whom I share a daily walk to work through the park, "The Gates" is just a distraction. What she wants to know is, where have all the squirrels gone? What I want to know is, from the standpoint of industrial ecology, how can Christo and Jeanne-Claude justify the environmental impact of this project?

On their Web site, the artists, with apparent pride, declare that "The Gates" has required 10½ million pounds of steel, 60 miles of vinyl tubing and one million square feet of nylon fabric, plus thousands upon thousands of steel plates, bolts and nuts to hold the whole thing together. The plastic tubes and fabric are described as "recyclable," but no mention is made of the fate of the steel.

According to the United States Department of Energy, the steel industry in this country consumes about 18 million B.T.U.'s of raw energy to produce one ton of steel. If the cast steel in "The Gates" is typical American steel, then making it has required 97 billion B.T.U.'s, an amount equivalent to the entire annual energy consumption - including that used to run cars, furnaces, air conditioners and home appliances - of nearly 500 New York state residents.

Energy for the steel industry is supplied in roughly equal thirds by coal, natural gas and electricity from the grid. Based on generally accepted rates of carbon dioxide emissions for these three sources, it appears that making steel for "The Gates" churned out 7,000 tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to the combined output of about 1,600 average American cars for a year (carbon dioxide is viewed by most scientists as a threat to the global climate system). We would have to plant more than 200 acres of trees and grow them for 10 years to remove this carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Central Park has an area of about 800 acres, but only part of this has trees; and the mature trees that dominate the park do not absorb carbon dioxide effectively, so we cannot look to the park to clean up the mess.

In terms of sheer mass, the amount of plastic in "The Gates" is dwarfed by the steel, but emissions of carbon dioxide, dioxins and other toxins from plastics manufacturing are also a concern. The plastic chosen for the supports, polyvinyl chloride, or P.V.C., is an increasingly controversial material that releases dioxins and other carcinogens to the air and water during manufacture (and possibly afterward). Polyvinyl chloride has been singled out as "the poison plastic" by Greenpeace and other environmental groups. We now have 60 miles of it in the park. Clearly, the squirrels were not consulted on this choice.

If the plastic used in "The Gates" is in fact recycled (Greenpeace warns of the "false promise" of polyvinyl chloride recycling, noting that only 1 percent gets recycled), some credit might be allowed, but at best this credit would account for only a fraction of the energy used and emissions produced. Nearly all steel is "recyclable," but the recycling rate (around 70 percent nationwide) is already accounted for in the energy intensity calculations above. More fundamentally, one cannot dismiss responsibility for the use of a primary material simply by claiming that this material could be reused. That's like claiming that no mink were harmed in making your fur coat, because you might donate it to good will someday.

This is an unenlightened view of ecology. Why could the artists not have chosen a 100 percent postconsumer material, or better yet, a biologically derived material, to begin with? Such a choice would have reduced toxic emissions from the material itself, although we would still be left with the diesel trucks and propane forklifts scuttling to and from the park to carry this enormous mass in and out.

It has also been loudly declared that the artists are paying for all of this out of their own pockets, through the sale of spinoff drawings and paintings to art collectors. These drawings can be viewed on the artists' Web site, and all share a pattern of coloration in which the city and the park, the buildings, the trees, the grass, are devoid of life, while the "The Gates" are portrayed in vivid color - the only objects of apparent interest to the artist. The setting could have just as easily been any other city, or no city at all, and little would change in the paintings. These depictions of a lifeless New York City are supposedly financing the materials, manpower and energy required to bring us "The Gates," but there is no mention of any fee paid for the pollution of the air and water, to say nothing of the threat to Hazel's squirrels.

The choice of such an unfortunate orange hue - "saffron" to the artists, but to the rest of us more evocative of sanitation trucks, prison uniforms or road pylons - becomes clear: this is the color of hazard and danger. Hazel and I have chosen to interpret the whole business as an ecological warning sign.

Ted Caplow, an environmental engineer, is the executive director of Fish Navy, a nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable technology.

Powerlight

2005-03-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

Greetings all-

I thought I would drop you all a line to give you some news in the solar energy world. These past two weeks have been quite a task at work. We, PowerLight, just sold the largest solar energy park in the US in the great city of Las Vegas. This site is a grand 3 MW project (3,000,000 Watts or enough energy to light 50,000 60 Watt light bulbs), nearly 3 times the size of the largest existing PV system in the US!! As you all might know, last year PowerLight installed the largest system in the WORLD in Germany, 10 MW and today we just submitted design for another 6 MW in Germany. In the first 5 years in business PowerLight installed just 12 MW. This gives you an idea of how fast this industry is growing. PowerLight is now, by far, the largest installer/designer of solar energy systems in the US and perhaps the world.

It's an amazing system to be apart of. Germany is now the leading Country in Renewable energy production with over 20% of their of energy being supplied by either Wind or Solar energy.

This is great news for the US as well. As the prices continue to drop and more and more states start to adopt renewable energy systems this will lead to more of these great renewable systems being implemented in the states.

To give you an idea of how much energy these Germany systems are providing we can relate this home consumption. Once both the 10 & 6 MW systems are running they will provide enough energy to power over 15,000 homes!!

I will provide a couple interactive links for more the visual interested.. Please feel free to take a look and let me know what you all think, pro's & con's. I know renewable energy seems to be a small solution but I feel we can make (and have made) a big difference. Let me know what you all think.

(I've also attached a not so happy link from IEEE remarking on our intallation in Germany. He comments on the "not so optimal" location for installation in Germany. It is my belief his argument is short sighted since the funders, i.e. investers, know the expected outcome (energy production) regardless of the location)

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/1220-05.htm
http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/WEBONLY/publicfeature/jan05/0105lsol.html
http://www.photon-magazine.com/news/news_2005-01_eu_feat_powerlight.htm

I hope I haven't bored you all too much... thanks for your interest. I would love some feedback if you are willing.

I hope you all are doing well. I send my love to you all.

Love. Chris Barker

Ten Commandments

2005-03-03T08:31:00.000-08:00

I just don't understand why the whole "10 Commandments" argument is focused soley on whether or not monuments of the Ten Commandments can be placed outside of courthouses. Why aren't we more worried about actually abiding by them? Where is that op-ed?

If only "Though Shalt Not Kill"...we need a huge, black monolith of this on the WHITE HOUSE LAWN. Forget courthouses! What about right in the middle of the Senete floor? On the backs of every soldier? On Bush's forehead?

I don't see the word "except" anywhere on them...

JB

Green Giants!

2005-02-28T07:50:00.000-08:00

Green Giants
Our study shows that the top 100 Giants are making sustainability an important component in their projects
by Staff Interior Design · October 1, 2004

Twenty of the top 100 Giants specified $10 million or more worth of green products in 2003.
Rank Firm Value of green products specified
7 Interior Architects $109,350,000
44 CUH2A $86,500,000
31 Ellerbe Becket $42,500,000
19 Hillier Architects $30,000,000
66 Gwathmey Siegel &
Associates Architects $30,000,000
12 HDR Architecture $28,000,000
70 Gould Evans Affiliates $25,000,000
28 HKS $20,000,000
61 Spector Group $20,000,000
62 Nicholas J. Tricarico, $20,000,000
84 Group Goetz Architects $20,000,000
87 Environments Group $17,500,000
25 Ai $17,000,000
29 Nelson & Associates $15,000,000
96 Daroff Design &
DDI Architects $15,000,000
59 Little Diversified
Architectural Consult. $12,000,000
63 LS3P Associates $10,500,000
8 NBBJ $10,000,000
55 PageSoutherlandPage $10,000,000
73 Francis Cauffman
Foley Hoffmann, Arch. $10,000,000

What types of green products does your firm most often recommend or specify?
Product 2004 2003
Carpet 90% 92%
Flooring 90% 79%
Wall covering 72% 70%
Fabric 71% 66%
Paint 71% 67%
Lighting 69% 56%
Building products 64% 58%
Furniture 55% 41%

from www.interiordesign.net
http://www.interiordesign.net/id_article/CA472981/id?stt=001

Sustainability School!

2005-02-25T12:05:00.000-08:00

from www.fiona.de

Maybe we could get this going here in NYC...

Educating for Sustainability
23.02.2005 - 25.02.2005
San Diego, USA

'Educating for Sustainability' - National Association of Independent Schools Annual Conference February 23-25, San Diego

Education leaders from around the world will convene in San Diego, CA, February 23-26, to debate the many ways sustainability can be applied to the school setting - from educating students about the environment to developing a governance structure and leadership style that will help a school flourish in perpetuity. The annual conference of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) brings together more than 3,000 educators for three days of inspiring speakers, more than 120 sessions, and networking events. This year's event will take place at the San Diego Convention Center, located at 111 West Harbor Drive in downtown San Diego.

Featured speakers include:

Eric Schlosser, author of the acclaimed book Fast Food Nation, will speak about "The Dark Side of the All-American Meal" on Friday, February 25 from 8 to 9:30 AM.

Amy Chua, author of World on Fire, will discuss "How Exporting Free-Market Democracy Breeds Ethnic Hatred and Global Instability" on Friday, February 25 from 1 to 2 PM.

Ned Hallowell, psychiatrist and author of Driven to Distraction, will talk about new techniques for understanding and coping with ADD in children and adults in "Delivered from Distraction: Getting the Most Out of Life with ADD," Thursday, February 24, 12:30 to 1:30 PM.

Beverly Wright, founder and director of the Deep South Center for Environmental Justice at Xavier University of Louisiana, will speak about "Confronting Environmental Racism: Voices from the Grassroots," 3:30 to 4:30 PM on Thursday, February 24.

Carol Gilligan, psychologist, professor, and author of In a Different Voice, will speak about "The Role of Women in Creating a Sustainable World," Thursday, February 24, from 10 to 11 AM.

Robert Haas, former poet laureate of the United States, will read from his work and speak about engaging students to believe that there is something they can do to preserve the planet from 10 to 11 on Friday, February 25.

In addition, more than 140 other sessions on topics related to academic leadership, school governance, international education, and teaching and learning will be offered.

Credentialed writers and editors interested in covering this event are invited to contact Myra McGovern (mcgovern@nais.org or 202-973-9717) to arrange for a press pass. For more information about the conference or about NAIS, please visit http://www.nais.org.

---

The National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) is a voluntary membership organization for more than 1,200 independent schools and associations in the United States and abroad and is the national institutional advocate for independent pre- collegiate education. Independent schools are distinct from other non-public schools in that they are independently governed by boards of trustees, and they are funded primarily through tuition, charitable contributions, and endowment income. To be eligible for membership in NAIS, schools must be accredited, nondiscriminatory, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations.
URL: http://www.nais.org

God's Politics

2005-02-14T11:21:00.000-08:00

You see I'm not a Christian,
but I can hear what God is saying.

And despite your outright claims to be,
that's not the game your playing...

Maybe in my next life I'll be a rapper, but this Saul Williams-inspired rhyme came to me the other night, and as I am not a rapper, I'll have to resort to this blog for now. This rhyme stems from an ongoing unsettledness regarding our current political situation here in the USA, where the leaders of the reigning politcal regime have co-opted God, Religion, Goodness, and Christianity and are calling it "Republican." Surely, Christianity goes well beyond the bounds of the two issues it was reduced to in the terrifying election of '04, Gay Marriage and Abortion. We also have poverty, war, enviroment, etc as major issues on a never-ending list of to-do's. But really, who wants to focus on the difficult, pressing issues?

"We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity."
- Right-wing author, Ann Coulter, who regularly appears on Cable News Networks such as CNN, FOX and MSNBC.

Finally this book in my head was written for me by Reverand Jim Wallis, who's unrelenting questioning of both sides of the politcal spectrum led to his latest book, "God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left doesn't Get It." If you are interested in forming a progressive, multi-perspective, Christian-based look at the current political situation, this is the book for you. Especially reccommended to all those out there who have forgotten Jesus' words, among them: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God," and "Love your enemies, pray for those who persicute you."

And if you are like me and wish to site Biblical passages to prove the absurdity of the current misunderstanding of Christianity, Wallis wastes no time to provide these, which I will list below.

We are in a war of words. Let's choose them wisely...

jb

xxiii-xxiv of God's Politics:

- We are not single issue voters

- We believe that poverty--caring for the poor and vulnerable--is a religious issue.

Do the candidates' budget and tax policies reward the rich or show compassion for poor families? Do their foreign policies include fair trade and debt cancellation for the poorest countries?
(Matthew 25:35-40, Isaiah 10:1-2)

- We believe that the environment--caring for God's Earth--is a religious issue.

Do the candidates' policies protect the creation or serve corporate interests that damage it?
(Genesis 2:15, Psalm 24:1)

- We believe that war--and our call to be peacemakers--is a religious issue.

Do the candidates' policies pursue "wars of choice" or respect international law and cooperation in responding to real global threats?
(Matthew 5:9)

- We believe that truth-telling is a religious issue.

Do the candidates tell the truth in justifing war and in other foreign and domestic policies?
(John 8:32)

- We believe that human rights--respecting the image of God in every person--is a religious issue.

How do the candidates propose to change the attituedes and policies that led to the abuse and torture of Iraqui prisoners?
(Genesis 1:27)

- We believe that our response to terrorism is a religous issue.

Do the candidates adopt the dangerous language of righteous empire in the war on terrorism and confuse the roles of God, church, and nation? Do the candidates see evil only in our enemies but never in our own policies?
(Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 8:12-13)

- We believe that a consistent ethic of human life is a religious issue.

Do the candidates' positions on abortion, capital punishment, euthenasisa, weeapons of mass destruction, HIV/AIDS--and other pandemics--and genocide around the world obey the biblical injunction to choose life?
(Deuteronomy 30:19)

Here are more links on the topic:

Republican Family Values

Generation S

2005-02-11T10:40:00.000-08:00

"Few of our institutions are prepared for a truly global society. Indeed, it appears that much of the preparation nature has invested in us - our physiological, cognitive, psychological, and cultural evolution - is failing us. Our neuroanatomy is tuned to respond to sudden, dramatic changes in our environment: clap your hands loudly and watch it react. We focus on immediate needs and problems, and are trapped by the illusion that what is most tangible is most real. We've been conditioned for thousands of years to identify with our family, our tribe, and our local social structures. A future that asks us to overcome this conditioning and identify with all of humankind looks alien indeed."

-Peter Senge
'Reflections' The SOL Journal

'Generation X' has left its mark. Criss-crossing arrows out into infinity, pulling apart from each other endlessly. Then comes my generation, 'Generation Y.' I like to think of this as Generation "whY," as I consider current twenty-somethings most valuable contribution to the world is the asking of difficult questions of the X. What then, is the next generation's moniker?

I'd like to propose: "Generation S." The "S," of course, is for "Sustainable."

When we now speak of sustainability, we are no longer limiting ourselves to just the 'environment' (unless expand the contextual meaning of the environment to encompass all things). This form of 'integral sustainability,' where self, culture, society, technology, and spirit are simultaneous interwoven manifestations, is what Generation S will champion. Many fear that 'sustainable' will simply become the next buzz word for advertising execs to sell their unneeded products to needy individuals, and will be gone as soon as it comes. This is a direct contradiction to the philosophy of sustainability...sustaining...

What will this future look like? How will we know when it arrives? How will we uphold the integrity of the message?

The ideal shift to sustainability will be one you didn't even know took place. Materials will look slicker, perform better, be made stronger--but will continue to be more efficiently produced, thus leaving less of a footprint on our natural world. In other words, sustainability will not mean that everything becomes brown, ugly, weak, etc. This stereotype, which is one born out of the truths of the past 30 years, will rapidly cease to exist as sustainable products begin to compete on all levels with current products.

Listen to me, with my utopian ideals. Nonsense. A couple hours of research on Google show what is coming, and in the most practical manifestations imaginable. If this shift unfolds at its best, nay-sayers won't even know it happened. If you need an SUV to take the kids to school in the morning, that is fine by me...of course, that is, if it is running with a nanobattery engine...

Green Drinks!

2005-02-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

Greenies and booze - sounds like tons o' fun to me!

Check out http://www.green-links.org/weblog/ for details...

~Baz

Green Drinks - New York
Every month people who work in the environmental field meet up for a beverage at informal sessions known as Green Drinks - its a chance to mix with other like-minded folks, to network, share info and make friends.

* When: The second Tuesday of every month starting at 6 p.m.
* Where: A different place each month
* How: Walk, cycle, bus, subway, taxi (ok if more than two passengers).
* Who: Anyone working on environmental issues, studying them, thinking green, likes networking and being social.
* Why: Fun, contacts, alcohol, info, gossip, inspiration, business and pleasure
* New: Just go up to someone and say "are you green?", and you'll be made welcome.
* Reminder: To get on this email circulation list, send an email to: nyc@greendrinks.org, if you have signed up and are not receiving these announcements – please let us know, your email host may have a block on group notices – also check your junk mail folder...
* Privacy: This email list is ONLY for Green Drinks reminders. We will not give your email address to anyone else.
* Status: Informal, self-organising network. Every month since July 2001. Average attendance: 100

Efficient China

2005-02-01T09:29:00.000-08:00

China Economic Review: Improved energy efficiency key to sustainable development

This is a compelling article, while a bit old, will only grow in relevance as time unfolds. I posted this link to expound on the idea of 'forced' efficiency. China's population explosion is no secret-- the 1.4 billion (that .4 is nearly twice the USA's population) people between Chinese borders, coupled with the diminishing resources, have led the Chinese government towards sustainable development, starting with their coal mining and manufacturing processes. These factors have given China no choice but to move in a more sustainable direction.

The USA is in no such a place, where we 'need' sustainability in order to coninue. My use of 'need' here remains only on the surface level, as our general apathy, ignorance, and current legislation hints at no such a need. What will it take? It took 9/11 to awaken a more world-centric mentality among the sleeping, but even that blow was not enough. I am afraid that polluting ourselves towards sustainable development, where the two are co-dependant, is simply not sufficient. We can not afford to wait around for a nuclear meltdown to shed some light on the matter.

So. To the majority of Americans, sustainable development is not a pressing 'need' for the USA. Sustainable development falls, unfortunately, into the abyss of 'choices' we can make both as individuals and collectively as a nation.

Is it a choice?

This is the question...

Non-Prophet

2005-01-27T08:51:00.000-08:00

The topic I'd like to address in my first ever "blogging" is in response to a question I often face as the founder of "Learned Evolution". The question is,

"Why aren't you a non-profit?"

This question is a good one, and one I've often asked myself while developing "Learned Evolution" over the past three years. As we just launched our mission on January 3rd, I'd love for this question to be the beginnings of a nice long thread on the topic, for "Learned Evolution", as the name suggests, is dedicated to 'learning' as much as possible, especially about our own choices and how they are perceived by others.

Non-profit Organizations have had incredible success in building a strong core of varying influence the world over, highly effective at bringing environmental, social and cultural awareness into the minds of individuals from Kansas to Qatar. While non-profits are an essential thread of the greater fabric of our shared existence, we've chosen Learned Evolution to be a for-profit entity, based on the principles of Natural Capitalism.

***

Concern over the nature and destructiveness of Capitalism is wholly valid. The misconception that "natural capital" is in infinate, everlasting abundance has led to a merciless conquest to uproot natural resources, in the name of markets and competition. Yet this destructiveness is but half of the story. Like all else, "change" can not be reduced to only the 'negative' or 'destructive' side of its nature; change also includes the 'positive,' or, 'creation.' To uphold this non-connotated, dual nature of Truth, I will use the term "Creastructive," which includes both creation and destruction, while going beyond them into a newly emerging territory. Creastruction is not a fight between opposites, it is a dance...

Capitalism has been, above and beyond the confines of religion, the most effective force of Creastruction the world has yet to see. While the major religions have taken the past 2,000 years to impact the world's consciousness, Capitalism has spread its wings throughout the world in a little over 200 years, transcending cultural, racial, and political bounds in its wake. Capitalism (the concept itself, not the person using it), will not take the color of your skin into consideration. It is therefore, (while of course simultaneously exclusive in certain respects) a more 'inclusive' force of change. And change that works.

"Massive Change" is the Learned Evolution mission. Without competition, global markets, and capitalism, the massive change needed to establish a world-wide, sustainable future will not work. The Earth's environment does not have the time to wait for private investors and non-profits to initiate their noble goals from the sidelines. Point blank: The only way for this massive change to occur, sustainably minded companies need to compete with the big boys.

And the big boys are already changing. Open any business magazine. Two page spreads from Exxon, HP, Shell, BP, adorn full page (sometimes two-page) spreads, highlighting their commitment to energy efficiency and conservation. Is this enough? Certainly not. While companies like BP tout themselves as "Beyond Petrolium," the fact remains that over 90% of their fuels are still of the fossil variety. However--Is this a start? Yes. The efficiency race is on. A race I'm pronouncing LE officially entered in.

More to come...

Gaviotas

2005-01-26T18:31:00.000-08:00

check out this book documenting the vision of Paolo Lugari, a man Gabriel Garcia Marquez called "the inventor of the World"

Then email me so we can try it ... mblock@learnedevolution.com