• Decarbonize,  Energy Conservation,  Go Electric,  Heat Pumps,  Heating & Cooling

    Decarbonize Your Life (Part 3)

    Heat pump water heaters are one example of low-hanging efficiency fruit as they are 2-4x more efficient than other water heaters. This is the third article in a four-part series showing how, with modest steps and a middle-class income, a family has dramatically reduced emissions and is sequestering what remains through a small reforestation project. Their life is better for it. Decarbonize Your Life (part 1) Decarbonize Your Life (part 2) Many organizations have charted a path to a decarbonized world by 2050 and broken down required action into four areas or “pathways.” In past issues, we discussed the first two pathways–Decarbonizing Electricity and Electrifying Everything–and how individuals can take…

  • Electric Vehicles,  ENERGY,  Go Electric,  Heat Pumps,  Heating & Cooling,  Solar

    More Electrifying Stories

    Bill Mollison, of permaculture fame, made a rather profound observation: “Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.” Applying his words to the problem of climate change, climate scientists and millions of concerned individuals agree that the solution is simple: stop burning fossil fuels and switch everything to electric power. A simple solution but a massive global undertaking to make it happen. It is happening and so we bring you a few items that caught our attention in the months since our Spring issue. JFK Airport To Go Solar The largest rooftop solar array in New York City and on any U.S. airport terminal will…

  • Coal Burning Power
    ENERGY,  Fossil Fuels

    The Top 11 Clean Energy Developments of 2020

    2020 will be a year to remember. Fortunately, we don’t only have to remember it for a global pandemic, wildfires, an economic recession, racial justice protests, and locust swarms. Plenty of exciting and positive things happened in the energy space throughout the year. Here we list our top eleven (in no particular order).  1. Coal Is on Its Way Out  US power companies announced the retirement of more than a dozen coal plants in 2020, representing 26 gigawatts of power. And in Europe, coal plant retirements outpaced the commissioning of new generation for the first time. And while other regions may not be as quick to phase out coal as…

  • house of matches on fire
    Publisher's Page,  Think Piece

    House Fires

    Greta Thunberg gets it: our house is on fire. This is the second time in my lifetime that our house has been on fire. I was only 3 years old when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941, thus starting WW II. I was too young then to remember that day, but I do remember the cold day in February of 1946 when my father came home from the Philippines. Our family was lucky, others weren’t, as more than 400 thousand didn’t come home. It took more than 16 million Americans (out of a population of only 140 million) serving in the military to put that fire out, plus…