triskele’s Recent Comments

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  staying positive

  To Umbra's discussion about selective caring, I would add that things are SO MUCH BETTER than they were just a year or two ago.   The tide of awareness has turned.   When energy is at the top of many political to-do lists, and cities vie to be the most green and young evangelicals believe that they are called to take care of the planet and organic products are on ordinary grocery shelves and major manufacturers are making green cleansers and you can see bamboo clothing in mainstream catalogs....you can see hope turning to action.   People are recognizing the impacts of their daily lives.   And,the first step is recognizing you have a problem, right??  

  Combine that with some amazing technology and engineering we have available RIGHT NOW in energy, alternative product manufacturing, and many other areas... take heart.  We are on the way, and we are far from alone in rolling up our sleeves to do the good work.  Then, roll up your sleeves with people you like...On Umbra on staying positive posted 1 year, 9 months ago 10 Responses

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  small and natural body care

  Remember that  you may be able to find small and local for some products.  For example, I buy soap and lip care from a small local business that started selling at the local farmer's market  and now also does mail order (Moon Dance soaps).   So keep your eyes open and see what you can find to support your neighbors and cut down on transport-generated carbon.On Umbra on green-company buyouts posted 1 year, 9 months ago 13 Responses

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  green jobs

  I cannot emphasize enough how important Umbra's advice is about finding and following what you love and what you are good at. That said, also think about whether you want to be a worker bee or a leader. You will go farther faster with an advanced degree. I have a Master's of Environmental Management from Duke, which has served me very well.  I do really wish I had complemented that ecological science and policy coursework with a law degree.  For some reason, that law degree is a very effective entry ticket to leadership positions, as long as you really know the issues.   Another great combination is an environmental undergrad and a green business school MBA.   UNC-Chapel Hill has the Center for Sustainable Enterprises, but it isn't the only choice.   Whatever you study, learn the basic environmental science and policy issues as a foundation.  You will be learning for the rest of your career, and you need to be able to understand how it all fits together.  ALSO, don't ignore writing and speaking skills... whatever you know is worthless if you can't effectively communicate it.  Good luck and Welcome to the field!On Umbra on choosing a college posted 1 year, 9 months ago 21 Responses

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  nuke vs coal

  one nuke vs coal issue you don't hear much is that of the embodied energy of the nuke plant itself, because the plant is made of a whole lot of concrete and concrete requires a whole lot of energy to make.  The numbers I heard were that building the nuke plant uses so much concrete that the greenhouse gases emitted in its concrete production won't begin to be offset by the non-greenhouse gas electricity it produces  for 20 years.  That is, the plant doesn't become carbon neutral for 20 years.   While I haven't verified those numbers (maybe you can, Umbra?) they make a lot of sense from what I know about embodied energy and concrete production.  

  another less-bandied issue is that of opportunity costs.   Nuke is SO expensive (even not including the costs the government takes on for regulation, covering risks, paying for the eventual storage of  waste whenever we actually do it., etc, etc..) that we can get a lot more benefits from that money ($/KWHr) by putting it into other options like energy  efficiency  (now about 3-5cents/kw) and wind power (now cost competitive with natural gas powered electricity).  Both of these are obviously safer and cleaner.On Umbra on nuclear vs. coal posted 1 year, 9 months ago 25 Responses