Comments bburtis has made

Hard to accept, but true, or very soon will be.  Makes me think of the days after the Valdez spill, when commentators and officials talked somewhat condescendingly about the "subsistence" cultures along the shores of Prince William Sound.  Today I realize that what that word really refers to is "people who know how to live off what's there."  Fits right in with the definition of sustainability this demands.

Neither nuke nor coal

Good answer.  Would have liked to see a little more about the best alternative: EE - energy efficiency.  The less you use, the less these plants get used, the fewer get built.

Unfortunately, nukes run all the time (except when they are shut down to disgorge their toxic fuel onto the local landscape), so you won't effect them much - and coal plants are so cheap (because the true costs to public health and natural resources etc. are not measured or charged for) that they are pretty much first on to the grid as well.

But if we can really cut down our hunger for electrons, we can make a difference.

I really think nukes are worse, because of the amount of CO2 released in construction (as triskele notes above) and in taking care of the spent fuel, and the GHGs released during fuel processing, and in "decommissioning" - and because they really are trying to make a case for being OK, which coal plants don't have a shot at doing.  But I'm happy to settle for "neither".On Umbra on nuclear vs. coal posted 1 year, 10 months ago 25 Responses

Pitt Homes

I'm hoping that Mr. Pitt will consider the floating homes concept that is in use in the Netherlands.  Given the direction we are heading in in terms of climate change, I think that is a necessary part of the "green" definition in this case.  Otherwise, you're building flotsam and wasting carbon.On Brad Pitt pledges $5 million for green homes in New Orleans posted 2 years, 2 months ago 3 Responses

CFCs

Congratulations on highlighting the role of CFCs in global warming.  Folks who promote nukes as a solution should pay more attention to this.  For instance:
"Uranium enrichment plants located in Paducah, Kentucky and Portsmouth, Ohio that produce nuclear fuel for Seabrook and other nuclear power stations are the nation's largest contributors of CFC-114, a chemical coolant that destroys the earth's ozone layer. Emissions from these two fuel enrichment plants represented 88% of all U.S. industrial sources and 14% of all industrial CFC-114 emissions worldwide in 1999." 2003, Nuclear Information and Resource Service.

The global warming potential for almost all CFCs is in the thousands of times that of CO2 (114, in 100 years, is about 9000), so a little goes a long way.On Pay No Attention to That Protocol Behind the Curtain posted 2 years, 8 months ago 2 Responses

corporate action on climate

You missed one - because they released this today, 2.2.07, when most eyes and ears are on IPCC.  But the nation's largest bank, Bank of America, announced it will extend its $5000 hybrid incentive program to all 185,000 employees.  That's in addition to their commitment to direct emissions reductions - and their building of the "greenest skyscraper in America."

The bank learned of the hybrid incentive from Timberland, which worked with Clean Air - Cool Planet, where I work, to develop their program.  The point is, action begets action in the business world - show me you can do it, and I'll try it.  So we hope, as more people (read: consumers) become aware of the dangers of global warming because of reports like the one today and sound media reporting, more companies will talk about the ways they are taking action to reduce emissions.  That will help make it less scary and more possible to do something about this global problem created by individuals.On Business is already acting on the climate threat -- and waiting for Washington to catch up posted 2 years, 9 months ago 6 Responses

Freaky Town

Thanks, David.  Made my day.  Couldn't agree more.  I don't have much experience with unanestitizing large populations, but I think Mother Nature does.  Might be just what we need, this convergence of trends, to get the TVs off more frequently.  

In the meantime, I'm going to write to the members of my all-Republican congressional delegation and suggest that, if they are really on the side of the rule of law and the Bill of Rights, they could issue some public statements condemning acts of deliberate, rage-inspiring, murderous wing-nuttedness.  I can't wait to get their reply!

Bill B.

print

And another for Orion.

The Onion -- which is technically not a magazine, I guess.

The NY review of books.

harper's

Bill B.