Comments GreeningTX has made

  • Mr. Preston, please don't talk about nuclear's cost/kWH without including the extremely-long-term costs of waste disposal.On SolarReserve's 24/7 solar power plant posted 2 weeks, 5 days ago 98 Responses
  • Speth's diagrams are from Steffen, et al. 2004. Global Change and the Earth System: A Planet Under Pressure. Springer. Google Books has the full text: http://books.google.com/books?id=qTy684W9LNQC&dq=Global+Change+and+the+Earth+System:+A+Planet+Under+Pressure&printsec=frontcover&source=bn&hl=en&ei=eILaSpy8PI6k8Ab90-i2BQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CBoQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=&f=falseOn Why Branson and SuperFreakonomics are wrong, in pictures posted 1 month, 1 week ago 33 Responses

  • You write that "Borlaug honed in on one thing." No, he didn't. He homed in. Please don't contribute to the mangling of the language.

    On Thoughts on the legacy of Norman Borlaug posted 2 months, 2 weeks ago 14 Responses

  • The Chamber seems to have several objectives: (1) drag the Christian right into full-scale opposition to climate protection legislation by equating climate science with the biological science that the right already finds abhorrent; (2) create a pretext for derailing the legislative process; (3) give the climate denialist position an infusion of political credibility by creating a show trial in which denialist perspectives are treated on par with mainstream scientific perspectives; (4) give the denialists a prominent, seemingly objective platform for using crackpot interpretations to demand further years of delay in pursuit of ever-more-highly-refined levels of ever-elusive scientific certainty on an ever-expanding list of particulars; and (5) when/if mainstraim climate science "wins" the case, give the denialists a basis for demonstrating that the entire governmental/scientific establishment is unwilling to be objective.

    On US Chamber of Commerce calls for ‘Scopes Monkey Trial’ on climate change posted 3 months ago 19 Responses

  • Several years ago there was some evidence that triclosan in wastewater effluent resulted in the formation of a low-grade form of dioxin downstream. I was also informed by at least one industrial chemist that dioxin contamination was showing up in triclosan produced by Asian companies that then were coming to dominate the market. Any info on these angles, Lou?

    On Saying goodbye to a common--and toxic--antimicrobial chemical posted 4 months ago 9 Responses

  • It's easy to flush with water that would otherwise be wasted. For example, use a large jug to catch water while you wait for the flow from your shower head to warm up, then dump from the jug straight into the toilet bowl. You can also flush with water from mopping your floor, shampooing your dog, washing your car, backwashing your pool. How about rainwater from a downspout? Get creative and you'll rarely have to use the flush lever! Spill no drop before its time!

    On Ask Umbra's video advice on saving money (and water) in the toilet posted 4 months, 1 week ago 12 Responses

  • A Google search will turn up lots of sources. Or you can convert an old bedsheet. Any of these will easily keep water from penetrating.

    On Ask Umbra's video advice on showering posted 5 months, 2 weeks ago 10 Responses

  • 1. In the summer, shower with cold water. Exhilirating.

    2. The rest of the year, capture the water that flows while you're waiting for the hot water to arrive. Use it later to flush the toilet, bathe the dog, water the plants.

    3. Try what one of my students does: capture most of the shower water in a basin for subsequent use.

    4. Push for building code changes that would allow gray-water systems to be installed during new construction or renovation.

    On Ask Umbra's video advice on showering posted 5 months, 2 weeks ago 10 Responses

  • I get the distinct impression that the average member of the this-is-the-best-we-can-hope-for crowd knows a good deal less about the specifics of the legislation than the average member of the we-must-not-settle-for-this crowd.

    On Gore vs. Hansen: Enviros take sides in debate over House climate bill posted 6 months, 1 week ago 57 Responses

  • probably off on the fuel cost/gallon

    I doubt that USPS, buying such an enormous quantity of gasoline, paid the retail price. So more gallons might have been consumed.On Mail delivery cutbacks could trim vehicle emissions posted 10 months ago 11 Responses

  • URL for text of Solomon study

    http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/01/28/0812721106.f ...On Revkin has leading system dynamics expert Sterman on NOAA's 1,000-years-of-hell paper posted 10 months ago 2 Responses

  • Where to find the study

    http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2009/01/28/0812721106.f ... On NOAA: Global warming 'irreversible' for next 1,000 years posted 10 months ago 15 Responses

  • Don't forget ...

    Don't forget to

    (1) re-run Umbra's numbers with the actual mileage of the diesel vehicle you would purchase. The carbon numbers of the diesel look a whole lot better if you assume 50 mpg (which is what I get with my 2004 VW Jetta TDI than if you apply EPA numbers for this particular vehicle: 31 city, 42 highway).

    (2) Whichever vehicle you choose, drive it like you care. Learn hypermiling techniques and apply them assiduously and with gusto.

    And:

    When you go to TDIclub.com, don't spend all your time in the TDI 101 Forum dwelling on maintenance and repair issues. Head for the Fuel Economy and Biodiesel forums, which is where the fun is. On Umbra on biodiesel vs. hybrids posted 10 months, 3 weeks ago 12 Responses

  • Good gauge is readily available

    I suspect that a federal law requiring automakers to install a gauge of this sort in every vehicle sold would have a significant impact on public driving habits. I've been using ScanGauge II for over a year now, and it has done a lot to help me boost my mpg. It provides a steady stream of mpg data (based on the car's onboard computer data) that has helped me finally learn how to efficiently use those darn pedals. Caution: Challenging oneself to maximize mpg on each trip is addictive, and setting personal mpg records can cause giddiness.

    http://www.scangauge.com/On Ford Smart Gauge urges driver fuel efficiency posted 1 year, 1 month ago 2 Responses

  • Low-tech solution for chimney drafts

    Several companies sell products to place inflatable devices inside the flue of wood-burning fireplaces or just below the damper. I tried one of these and couldn't get it to work well with the configuration of my firebox and damper.

    So I went low-tech: A $3.39 red rubber playground ball. Deflated it. Stuffed it up the flue. Inflated it. Nice tight seal. I placed a marker on the log rack as a reminder to remove the ball before striking a match. Got soot on my hands, but, hey, that's what soap is for.On Umbra on unused fireplaces posted 1 year, 1 month ago 2 Responses

  • Mercury? What mercury?

    Here's an astonishing video.

    http://www.Break.com/index/japanese-dude-smashes-floresce ...On CFLs can increase mercury pollution in some areas, study finds posted 1 year, 1 month ago 1 Response

  • Put TDIs on the darn list!

    In my 2004 VW Jetta TDI turbodiesel station wagon, burning 20% biodiesel, I'm getting better than 50 mpg in routine urban/suburban driving. Someone driving the same vehicle with a more conventional driving style would get 44-45 mpg. For the life of me, I cannot figure out Grist and others are praising similarly sized hybrid sedans that get only 35 mpg. Maybe the list is based on EPA mileage estimates, which disregard the fact that diesel engines, unlike "gassers," get progressively more efficient over the course of their first 100,000 miles? On 15 Green Cars posted 2 years, 2 months ago 27 Responses