Comments Lloyd Wright has made

  • Internet

    The internet was not developed by the US national labs.  The credit belongs to Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Calliu who were working at CERN in Switzerland at the time.  On What Californians know that Shellenberger & Nordhaus don't posted 2 years, 1 month ago 13 Responses

  • Great article

    Agree 100%.  When was the last time the government labs invented a technology that was truly transformational?

    Instead of spending billions on largely wasted R&D efforts in search of some magic bullet technology, the government should simply use its purchasing power on real actions today.  One simple step would be the government purchase of green electricity (e.g. non-hydro renewables or energy efficiency upgrades) for all its activities.  I believe the national government is the single largest purchaser of electricity in the country and its influence would be substantial.  

    Likewise, the national government could replace its vehicle fleets (e.g. postal vehicles) with zero-emitting options (with an emphasis on non-motorised options).

    Now that would be transformational.
    On What Californians know that Shellenberger & Nordhaus don't posted 2 years, 1 month ago 13 Responses

  • Gas tax AND fuel economy standards

    I think you have created a bit of a false choice by saying that is a question of a gas tax OR improved economy standards.  Both are probably necessary.

    There are many problems relying only on fuel economy standards.  First, the market movement to heavier SUV-like vehicles has meant that a portion of the market has left the light-duty vehicle category, and thus has circumvented LDV fuel economy standards.

    Second, even in the car-saturated US, there is an annual trend to driving more distance.  Thus, savings from better fuel economy simply are being overwhelmed by the increasing number of kilometres driven.

    While I am not necessarily a fan of Greenspan, his proposal for a US$ 3 per gallon gas tax is very much welcome.  Such a tax would have a significant impact on usage (probably more than a fuel economy increase).  We would be wise to use Greenspan's tax recommendation for political gain (and conveniently ignore most of the rest of his recommendations).
    On Greenspan on energy posted 2 years, 2 months ago 8 Responses

  • Re: What's so bad about beer?

    Well, it is not just a US-issue, but also globally.  Alcohol is involved in a significant number of deaths and accidents.  It is also often involved in acts of violence and other crime.  Alcohol is attributed to family violence and family break-ups.  

    Should the type of product affect whether it is sustainable?  Well, what about guns, other weapons, SUVs, Learjets, fur clothing, etc.  Maybe someone produces a nice version of these products, but I am not sure they should be on this list.
    On 15 Green Business Founders posted 2 years, 2 months ago 33 Responses

  • Questionable products

    A motorised vehicle manufacturer and a producer of alcohol?  You might want to consider the deleterious social side effects of these products before giving the producers too many kudos.On 15 Green Business Founders posted 2 years, 2 months ago 33 Responses

  • "Green" car list: A bad idea

    Last week the Norwegian government banned the use of words like "green" and "environment" when advertising cars.  I would suggest that Grist refrain from ever using the words "green" and "car" in the same sentence again.On 15 Green Cars posted 2 years, 2 months ago 27 Responses

  • US bias

    It seems like US individuals and institutions dominate all these top 15 lists developed by Grist.  It is understandable given this is Grist's home base.  But given the US' position these days on global environmental issues (like not signing the Kyoto Protocol), Grist really should think about broadening its horizons.

    Other than a single Canadian university and two UK universities, there is nothing else outside the 50 states.  Is it possible that Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, continental Europe, and elsewhere have no green universities worthy of mention?  Would it be so difficult to track down such institutions?
    On 15 Green Colleges and Universities posted 2 years, 2 months ago 62 Responses

  • Peñalosa

    Enrique Peñalosa, the former Mayor of Bogotá, is a huge miss on your part.  He transformed a city with a new mass transit system, the world's largest car-free day, the world's longest pedestrian corridor (19 km), and over 200 km of cycleways.  Many on your list are big names who have made green-related statements but have done virtually nothing in terms of actual implementation.  Perhaps you should consider a new list...the "greenwash 15".On 15 Green Politicians posted 2 years, 5 months ago 34 Responses

  • Carbon balance of atheletes and actors

    Your attempt at these lists is commendable.  It would be nice to find wealthy, high-profile persons who live ecological lifestyles.  However, many of these persons, such as Yao Ming, have endorsements that promote consumerism.  Further, how much flying do these persons do and what is their subsequent carbon balance?  It is one thing to talk the talk and another to walk the walk.

    I would add one name, though.  Matt Bonner plays for the Toronto Raptors of the NBA and he has decided not to own or use a car.  On 15 Green Sports Stars posted 2 years, 5 months ago 15 Responses

  • CyberTran costs

    The article suggests that the CyberTran infrastructure costs will be in the area of 10% of a comparable conventional rail systems.  Since LRT systems today range from about US$ 20 million per km to US$ 40 million per km, that would imply CyberTran is only US$ 2 million to US$ 4 million per km.  

    Even more boldly the article goes on to say: "To replace buses with a form of transit that is less expensive, more convenient, and more comfortable would be a kindness to city and commuter bus riders, and to the cars that currently share the streets with them."

    If CyberTran is less expensive than bus system, then it would have to be less than US$ 1 million per km.  

    These statements are very difficult to believe.  An automated system such as CyberTran will have to be grade-separated (elevated or underground).  An automated surface-level system would create safety problems for pedestrians and other vehicles.  

    The lowest cost grade-separated system in the world right now is the Kuala Lumpur monorail and it costs in the range of US$ 25 million to US$ 30 million per km.

    I hope the numbers implied in the article are correct since it would be quite an impressive accomplishment.  On the other hand, making outlandish claims merely to gain investors will ultimately harm the project's credibility.  One should be careful in not being too reckless with the possible costs.On Public transit that would work in Houston posted 3 years ago 29 Responses