10 Funniest Green Videos – Funny may not save the Earth but it could help

Posted on August 8, 2008 by Doug Nicodemus

OK so I am a lame poster. I really don’t know how to post video on CES’ blog so I am just going to have to leave activation switchses before each discription:

http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/funniest-green-viral-videos-460808

8.7.2008 10:12 AM

10 Funniest Green Viral Videos

The Web’s Best Environmental Humor

As this oh-so-useful timeline of Internet memes shows, viral videos have long kept cubicle warriors smiling through their TPS reports and teenagers laughing all the way to MySpace. It’s not all fun and games though: from Obama Girl to Tea Partay to OK Go, effective viral videos can shape elections, push millions of products and establish artists.

Short, catchy videos can also draw attention to causes and motivate people to action. Just ask The Nature Conservancy, or even TDG’s own Glen, The Global Warming Groundhog.

While it can be debatable whether serious “mission” movies like Blood Diamond or thrillerized fare like The Day After Tomorrow really make an impact with viewers, history shows that humor — done well — can be a powerful force for social change. Think Jonathan Swift, Lenny Bruce and Shakespeare. Or arguably the good folk of JibJab.

You also might want to check out the new site Go Green Tube, which offsets a pound of carbon for each video viewed.

So here are our picks for the best green viral videos. Add yours in the comments, and tell us what you think of these selections!

Note: Several of these videos include strong language and adult themes, and are not suitable for children. Also note: the videos get funnier as you go down the list. So let the countdown begin…

10. Best Student Film – Save the Animal Crackers!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1274138740/bctid1457695778

This video has great production values, and executes a smart, amusing concept really well. We didn’t find it sidesplittingly hilarious, but it definitely makes an impact. Plus, we like the fact that it was made by college students.

The National Geographic Channel had asked college kids to create something for their Annual Preserve Our Planet Film + PSA Contest, with the theme “what you do counts.” This finalist is by Genna Duberstein of American University.

9. Best Music Video – Canvas Bags by Tim Minchin

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVh15aUt8-c

Australian-born comedian, actor and musician Tim Minchin is a self-proclaimed “rock ‘n roll megastar,” and he wants you to pledge to reject plastic bags (in favor of oh-so-cool canvas totes). The London-based, eyeliner-loving performer often closes his live shows with this rousing anthem, whipping the audience into a frenzy of environmental fervor, not dissimilar to America’s own Reverend Billy (but again, with more eyeliner, and bare feet).

“Canvas bags” isn’t so much funny ha ha as it is oddly fascinating. It’s over-the-top satire, catchy and entertaining. Definitely worth checking out.

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Anyway you get the idea. You can go to the main site above and get the other 7. They are all funny AND every video you view there will be a POUND of CARBON offset for you. So without furthere adue or howerver you say it, drum roll and all that crap…gong!

1. Best Video by Pro Comics Learning New Media – The “Green Team”

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/fa1420df1f

When people think “viral videos,” many think of Funny or Die, especially the classic “Landlord” sketches with a certain baby. But one of the other gems that helped get the experimental site going is the odd-ball “Green Team,” starring Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and Adam McKay. The do-gooders poke fun at all the green advice out there, with tips that include: “Track coyotes. And when you catch them, always remember they’re a great source of meat and protein.”

Funny or Die was founded by Ferrell and McKay’s production company, Gary Sanchez Productions. Videos are voted on by users; those that are deemed funny stay, but those that are not “die” and head to the site’s “crypt.” The Green Team is clearly hilarious.

Tommi Lewis Tilden provided research for this post. Also check out these great green videos from a friend’s site.

ADM Plans To Drill Pollution Away – One last place to pollute

Posted on August 7, 2008 by Doug Nicodemus

As I have said before ADM’s plan to sequester carbon by deep well injection in Illinois is a bad idea. This is an experiment the outcome of which they can not predict. There are at least 2 Toxic Injection sites in Ohio and Oklahoma that they could build a pipeline to and not threaten the environment. A project in North Dakota took that approach and is doing (dare I say it) well.

illinois environmental protection agency

1021 north grand avenue east, P.O. Box 19276, springfield, illinois 62794-9276-( 217) 782-3397 james R. thompson center, 100 west randolph, suite 11-300, chicago, IL 60601 – (31 2) 814-6026

rod R. blacojevich, governor douglas P. scott, director

ILLINOIS EPA NO.: 1150155136

USEPA NO.: ILD984791459 LOG NO.: UIC-143

NOTICE NO.: UIC-01-08 DATE: August 2, 2008

PUBLIC NOTICE

UNDERGROUND INJECTION WELL PERMIT HEARING for ARCHER DANIELS MIDLAND CO., DECATUR

The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) hereby gives notice of intent to issue an Underground Injection Control (UIC) permit to Archer Daniels Midland Co. of Decatur. The facility’s mailing address is 4666 Paries Parkway, Decatur, Illinois. Carbon dioxide (CO₂) generated during fermentation at the facility’s ethanol plant will be compressed then injected through a deep injection well into the geological formation known as the Mt. Simon Sandstone. This formation extends from approximately 6500 feet below ground surface to approximately 8000 feet below ground surface and is capped by a confining layer of shale between 300 and 500 feet thick. The permit would allow construction and operation of a single deep injection well, 2 optional deep injection zone monitoring wells and 4 required shallow groundwater monitoring wells.

Interested citizens are invited to review copies of ADM’s permit application, Illinois EPA’s draft permit and technical fact sheet at the following location:

Reference Desk, Decatur Public Library 130 N. Franklin St. Decatur, IL 62523

A public hearing to address the proposed issuance of this UIC permit has been scheduled for 5 pm to 8 pm, September 16, 2008 in the Madden Auditorium at the Decatur Public Library. The hearing will be held in accordance with Illinois EPA’s “Procedures for Permit and Closure Plan Hearings” (35 111. Adm. Code 166) and 35 111. Adm. Code Section 705.182, copies of which may be obtained from the Agency Hearing Officer (listed below). Requests for special needs interpreters (e.g. sign or Spanish-speaking) must be made to the Agency Hearing Officer by August 20. 2008.

Written comments will be accepted from the public for 45 days before the hearing, at the hearing, and for 30 days after the hearing. Comments must be postmarked by midnight October 17, 2008. Comments and interpreter requests should be made to:

John Kim, Hearing Officer (#21)

Illinois EPA

1021 North Grand Ave. East, P.O. Box 19276

Springfield, Illinois 62794-9276

Phone 217/782-5544

(MORE)

rockford – 4302 North Main Street, Rockford, IL 61103 – (815) 987-7760 • des plaines – 9511 W. Harrison St., Des Plaines, IL 60016 – (847) 294-4000

elgin – 595 South State, Elgin, IL 60123 – (847) 608-3131 • PEORIA-5415 N. University St., Peoria, IL 61614 – (309) 693-5463

bureau of land – peoria – 7620 N. University St., Peoria, IL 61614 – (309) 693-5462 • champaign – 2125 South First Street, Champaign, IL 61820 – (21 7) 278-5800 springfield – 4500 S. Sixth Street Rd, Springfield, IL 62706 – (217) 786-6892 • collinsville – 2009 Mall Street, Collinsville, IL 62234 – (618) 346-5120

marion – 2309 W. Main St., Suite 116, Marion, IL 62959 – (618) 993-7200

printed on recycled paper

All comments submitted will become part of the Administrative Record and will be evaluated by Illinois EPA prior to making the final permit decision. The Agency will respond to comments on the draft permit, specify which provisions, if any, of the final permit may have been changed and indicate whether additional documents have been included in the Administrative Record. Anyone who submits written comments will be notified of the final permit decision. Inquiries about the permit appeal process should be directed to the Public Involvement Coordinator listed below.

The permit application, draft permit, related information and all data submitted by the applicant, as part of the Administrative Record, are now available for public inspection Monday through Friday between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. at the Agency’s headquarters by appointment only. Please contact:

Mara McGinnis, Public Involvement Coordinator (#5) Illinois EPA

1021 North Grand Ave. East, P.O. Box 19276 Springfield, Illinois 62794-9276 Phone 217/524-3288 PLEASE TELEPHONE AHEAD FOR AN APPOINTMENT TO VIEW THE DOCUMENTS.

###

If this goes bad…it goes very bad.

Children’s Environmental Health Risk – That is if they live long enough to confront Mean No Green

Posted on August 6, 2008 by Doug Nicodemus

Their is no such thing as profit, from an environmental perspective. When you take into account the human and environmental damage from industrial waste and product transportation the “extra money” simply and magically disappears. Right into our children. Did we think that if DDT was killing Eagle Babies it wasn’t killing ours?

http://www.childenvironment.org/

Protecting Children Against

Environmental

Threats to Health

We need to find definitive answers about the relationship between toxic chemicals and health so we can protect our children, now and in the future.

Philip Landrigan, M.D.
Chairman of Mount Sinai’s Department of Community and Preventive Medicine

Why are children now suffering from diseases that were virtually

unheard of a generation ago?

Today’s children are subject to a whole host of diseases that come from toxic environments. These can include some of the following:

Asthma
Autism
Allergies
Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder
Leukemia
Pediatric Brain Cancer
Birth Defects
Obesity
Diabetes

Our Mission

The mission of the Children’s Environmental Health Center is to protect children against environmental threats to health.The CEH Center accomplishes this by guiding, supporting, and building the programs of the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine of Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Our Goals

To support scientific research on the preventable environmental hazards that cause disease in children
To design and carry out cost-effective programs to prevent environmental disease
To educate medical students, pediatric residents, fellows, pediatricians, obstetricians, and other practicing physicians to become the next generation of leaders in environmental pediatrics and preventive medicine
To communicate widely and credibly to policy makers, elected officials, government agencies, and the public the health risks to children and adults from environmental threats
To provide credible scientific information to parents, grandparents, teachers and the general public on how to make better personal choices to protect our children

About the CEH Center

Mount Sinai’s Department of Community and Preventive Medicine is renowned for its work in children’s environmental health, occupational medicine, epidemiologic research, and disease prevention. Department Chair Dr. Philip Landrigan and his team of medical researchers are uniquely qualified to identify environmental hazards and protect the health of our children.

Dr. Landrigan is an international leader in public health and preventive medicine. His research helped catalyze the U.S. government’s phase-out of lead from gasoline and paint beginning in 1976. Dr. Landrigan chaired a National Academy of Sciences Committee on Pesticides and Children’s Health, whose report secured passage of the major federal pesticide law in the United States, the Food Quality Protection Act of 1996. This is the first federal environmental law to contain specific protections for infants and children. His work as Senior Advisor to the Environmental Protection Agency was instrumental in helping to establish the EPA’s Office of Children’s Health Protection.

For more information, please contact us at (212) 241-6145.

http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/cceh/

MISSION

The Center for Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention is a multi-disciplinary collaborative research organization established to examine how toxic chemicals may influence the development of autism in children. The Center’s goal is to contribute knowledge about autism that will lead to new strategies for the prevention and treatment of this mysterious condition.

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that typically affects a person’s ability to communicate, form relationships with others, and respond appropriately to their environment. Autistic children are limited in their social interactions, often locking into repetitive behaviors and rigid patterns of thinking.Parents and health professionals have raised concerns about how environmental factors such as pesticides, a variety of chemicals, or even some ingredients included in vaccines may effect the development of the disorder. We are the first center to examine the roles of a wide range of toxic chemicals, genetic predisposition, and the interplay between these two in altering brain development during early life and leading to abnormal social behavior in childrenTo learn more about the NIEHS/EPA Centers for Children’s Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research program, please click on the following links: U.S. EPA Children’s Centers website (http://www.epa.gov/cehc) and NIEHS Children’s Center website: (http://www.niehs.nih.gov/translat/children/children.htm).

Center Directors

Isaac Pessah, Ph.D., Director – Center for Children’s Environmental Health
Irva Hertz-Picciotto, Ph.D., Deputy Director – Center for Children’s Environmental Health
David Amaral, Ph.D., Research Director – UC Davis MIND Institute :} http://www.who.int/ceh/en/

Children are our future, numbering over 2.3 billion worldwide (aged 0-19) and representing boundless potential. Child survival and development hinge on basic needs to support life; among these, a safe, healthy and clean environment is fundamental.

Children are exposed to serious health risks from environmental hazards. Over 40% of the global burden of disease attributed to environmental factors falls on children below five years of age, who account for only about 10% of the world’s population. Environmental risk factors often act in concert, and their effects are exacerbated by adverse social and economic conditions, particularly conflict, poverty and malnutrition. There is new knowledge about the special susceptibility of children to environmental risks: action needs to be taken to allow them to grow up and develop in good health, and to contribute to economic and social development.

Each year, at least three million children under the age of five die due to environment-related diseases.
Acute respiratory infections annually kill an estimated two million children under the age of five. As much as 60 percent of acute respiratory infections worldwide are related to environmental conditions.
Diarrhoeal diseases claim the lives of nearly two million children every year. Eighty to 90 percent of these diarrhoea cases are related to environmental conditions, in particular, contaminated water and inadequate sanitation.
Nearly one million children under the age of five died of malaria in 1998. Up to 90 percent of malaria cases are attributed to environmental factors

Our work on children’s environmental health is carried out in the following activity areas:

National profiles
CEH indicators
Capacity building
Guidelines, good practice and tools
Research

In addition, this web site provides access to a large number of publications, statistics, indicators, fact sheets on children’s environmental health, as well as links to other related WHO and non-WHO sites.

We are creating a whole medical institution to treated our for the TOXICS we give them. What kind of sense does that make?

So What Do The Children Have To Say About The Environmental Rapists?

Posted on August 5, 2008 by Doug Nicodemus

That’s right according to several studies there is at least 10% of the USA that could be described as Mean No Greens or environmental grumps. They are usually white middle aged guys. I call them enviro rapists. They are stealing their grandchildrens futures. So what do the kids think?

http://itsgettinghotinhere.org/

Some climate strategies are sexy, and energy efficiency is certainly not one of them. Despite this, I am thoroughly convinced that a concentrated push for global energy efficiency is the most productive direction for the climate movement. The opportunities are truly massive: energy efficiency measures could halve US projected energy consumption in 2030. Globally, energy efficiency improvements could profitably reduce 2020 energy consumption by 1/4. And because increased energy efficiency is primarily blocked by political, not technical, barriers, activists could achieve huge results if they unified around this goal.

For now I just want to sketch out some of the potential of energy efficiency, and suggest policy directions to be explored. Further analysis should explore how the low cost of energy efficiency measures could be used to counter republican calls for nuclear and drill,drill,drilling.

It’s clear they are not happy:

http://www.unep.org/tunza/youth/

It is inspiring when young people from around the world use their knowledge, sense of motivation and energy to bring about action for the environment. Young people bring a fresh outlook to environmental activism. TUNZA is about empowering You to act. This section “Youth Action Around the World” draws upon the experiences of other young environmentalists to find solutions and inspire action. It also publishes the good work of youth in areas related to environmental development.

Read on…be inspired!To share your story with us, click here.

Global

Global – International Youth Summit Go 4 BioDiv Declaration.
This declaration was signed by 50 young adults from 18 countries in the International Wilderness Camp and National Park Bavarian Forest. It was presented at the United Nations Conference of the Parties, Convention on Biological Diversity.

Australia

Australia – Aussie Kids Turning The Tide.
A group of young people in Gladstone, Queensland, Australia who get together to plan environmental activities and how to get others involved.

Africa

Uganda – Environmental Sustainability
Indigenous NGO sensitizes the community on ways to protect the environment

Egypt – Make Use Of Waste!
Young people launch the ‘Culture, Clean and Development Campaign’ to encourage recycling of waste

Kenya – Clean Up the World Report from Mathare Youth Sports Association
Kenyan youth participate in Clean Up the World activities by sensitizing the communities living along the Mathare River on the effects of dumping waste in the river.

Kenya – Youth Helping Youth
Young people seek to save forests.

Nigeria – Fighting Water Pollution
Young people establish a project to reduce water contamination.

Nigeria – Young People Advocate For Sustainable Environments
Youth Action Initiative request for a voice in policy and decision making

Asia & the Pacific

China – Environmental Song
Shiqing Cui, Chairman of the Association of Volunteers for Environmental Protection, wrote a song entitled “The Dangers of Tomorrow”. The text has been translated into both English and Chinese

India – Saving The Environment
Student pledges to save the environment

India – Preventing Pollution: Protecting The Environment
Two students from Vivekanandha Higher Secondary School, Pondicherry, India, take action to save the environment

India – Catalysts for Change
Students setup a clean-up & environmental monitoring campaign.

Vietnam – Water… A Human Right
Vu Thuy Ahn campaigns for water-rights

Europe

Turkey – The Fatma zcan Swallow Project
Youth develop environmental action plan to save swallows.

Sweden – Protecting Mountain Forests
European activists join hands against the destruction of Mountain Forests.

Britain – Pioneering Sustainble Living
A British student develops a Zero-Energy house.

Britain – Sustainable Transport Book Project
Peace Child International is working on a book that will be written and edited entirely by children and young people.

Latin America & the Caribbean

Peru- Demanding Sulphur-Free Fuel
A Youth Campaign pioneered by Comité Ambiental Juvenil

Guyana- Celebrating Guyana’s Rich Biodiversity
North Rupunini Youth Support Wildlife Management Projects

North America

Canada – Enhancing Biodiversity in an Urban Wetland
Students adopt a marsh as a research and conservation areaUSA– Green Teens Clean Up the World
Jessie Mehrhoff, a previous Junior Board Member from Connecticut, and other Green Teens participate in Clean Up the World weekend.USA– Against all Odds: Action for Climate Change
Despite the US Government’s decision not to sign the Kyoto Protocol,students take action for clean energyUSA – Sundance Festival
Kids and grown ups celebrate the glory of the sun and of nature
USA – Lighting Up New York
The first environmental resolution in the history of the New York City Youth Congress
USA – Roots & Shoots
Smitha Ramakrishnaeen has been working for the Project SOAR, University of Arizona extension center as a mentor for kids from an inner city school in Chandler. She is being trained on Project Wet activities and is mentoring kids. Some of the activities she is doing was adapted from what she learned in Mexico City at the forum. I hope things are going good for you folks.

West Asia

Lebanon – Making the Difference
A devastating fire destroys a forest , prompting young people to take organized action to fight deforestation nation-wide.

Apparently there are a lot of them too.

Screw The Environment – Humans were meant to pollute and they have the right to pollute

Posted on August 4, 2008 by Doug Nicodemus

I never thought I would be citing Kathryn Rem at the SJ-R for an environmental article. Don’t get me wrong she is a dandy writer, in the same league with Tim Landis (whom I regularly “borrow from”), but she usually writes a food column. I read it faithfully because I am a minor foodie, and she usually has cool things to say. In her Seeing Red About Green, she broke a story that I might have missed. Thanks Ms. Rem!

www.sj-r.com/features/x379998865/Kathryn–Rem-Seeing-red-about-the-green-movement

This is the article that I think she based her article on:

http://industry.bnet.com/retail/2008/07/14/one-quarter-of-consumers-say-screw-the-environment/

Retail Industry

Industry news and insights by Lisa EverittOne-Quarter of Consumers Say ‘Screw The Environment’Two new studies say 10-26 percent of shoppers are “Never Greens,” whose reactions to environmental claims ranges from apathy to outright anger.

Mintel International in Chicago coined the term “Never Green” to describe 10 percent of the shopper universe. A second study by The Shelton Group of Knoxville, Tenn., found that 26 percent of respondents were “hardcore skeptics,” mostly upper middle-class, conservative, middle-aged men.

reporter Jim Edwards profiles William Coverley, a retired investment banker from Ohio, who just bought his 10th vehicle, a 2008 GMC Yukon XL that gets 14 miles per gallon.

“I don’t care about the environmental reasons and I’ll tell you why,” Coverley said. “All this stuff about carbon emissions, no one really knows about the output of the sun and yet it’s the single most important input behind global warming . . . Are the Chinese going to be environmentalists? Are the Indians going to be environmentalists? Are the Russians? I don’t think so.”

Edwards suggests studying your market carefully before launching green marketing, because emphasizing environmental claims may cost you the business of people like Coverley or Washington accountant Sally Herigstad. She bought organic produce by mistake at Fred Meyer and was dismayed to discover a recently deceased two-inch caterpillar in her steamed broccoli.

Shelton Group CEO Suzanne Shelton found that 46 percent of respondents felt “guilty, skeptical, irritated or unaffected by green issues,” and the same percentage put their comfort ahead of convenience and environmental concerns. The study was commissioned by Shelton Group client BP Solar.

Lisa Everitt

A Denver-based business writer, Lisa Everitt is a veteran of daily and weekly newspapers and trade magazines, including The Natural Foods Merchandiser, Rocky Mountain News, Inter@ctive Week, San Francisco Business Times, and the Peninsula Times Tribune.

So in the end that is what the environmental movement is up against. The environmental Rape Crowd, proud that they are stealing from their grandchildren because their grandparents stole from them. If you think they aren’t vocal, you would be wrong.

www.screw-the-environment.imgwebdesign.co.uk

www.deadbabyseals.gather.com

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2041643/posts

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODDDu25OG6M

http://screwtheenvironment.blogspot.com/

www.iammamahearmeroar.blogspot.com/2007/09/screw–environment.html

http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/4/8/214522/1724

Nuclear Future – Probably Not – Or as W says Nuclr

Posted on July 31, 2008 by Doug Nicodemus

Oh yah, they were gona go gangbusters on this ultra new design. Ah would that be untested?

http://southernstudies.org/facingsouth/2008/07/revelations-of-nuclear-reactor-design.asp

FACING SOUTH

A New Voice for a Changing South

PO Box 531 • Durham,NC 27702 • Telephone: (919) 419-8311 • Fax: (919) 419-8315

July 28, 2008

Revelations of nuclear reactor

design flaws spur

legal action over

Duke cost estimates

In states across the South, utility companies are pushing ahead with plans to construct a new kind of nuclear reactor. Designed by Westinghouse Electric Co., the AP1000 is to date but an idea on paper, having never been tested with a demonstration model in the real world.
And now it appears there are serious problems with the reactor design, which is delaying the regulatory approval process. Those problems, in turn, have sparked legal actions by public-interest groups calling on utilities commissions in the Carolinas to revoke $230 million in approved pre-construction costs for two new reactors planned by Duke Energy of Charlotte, N.C.

Last week, Friends of the Earth in Columbia, S.C. and the Durham-based N.C. Waste Awareness and Reduction Network filed legal motions seeking the cost revocation. They argue that the design problems threaten Duke’s chances of ever completing two new AP1000 reactors it wants to build at the proposed Lee Nuclear Station on the Broad River in Cherokee County, S.C.. They also say the delays mean Duke can’t provide a reliable cost estimate for the station by year’s end, a commitment the company made to both commissions during hearings on pre-construction costs.

“Duke Energy’s customers should not be stuck holding the bag if the company keeps pouring millions into that risky project,” said Friends of the Earth’s Tom Clements. “The state regulatory agencies must now reverse their earlier decisions to approve Duke’s reactor project and require that the company not come back for reconsideration until the reactor design is finalized.”

In a June 27 letter to Westinghouse, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the company’s recent withdrawal of technical documents due to design problems had delayed the agency’s review of key components and systems. Earlier this year, as part of the application process for building new plants, Duke Energy and other companies filed some 6,500 pages of technical documents from Westinghouse.

The NRC wants to review and certify plant designs separately from the plant applications. Because the agency expects more design modifications as its review continues, it’s likely that all the projects involving the AP1000 will be delayed.

The same type of reactors are being proposed by Progress Energy for its Shearon Harris plant in Wake County, N.C. as well as the company’s planned facility in Levy County, Fla.; SCE&G for the Summer Nuclear Plant in Fairfield County, S.C.; Georgia Power’s Vogtle plant in Burke County, Ga.; FP&L’s Turkey Point nuclear plant in Miami-Dade County; and Tennessee Valley Authority’s Bellefonte Nuclear Generating Station in Jackson County, Ala.

A public hearing about the Bellefonte plant is scheduled for this Wednesday, July 30 at 9 a.m. at the Scottsboro Goosepond Civic Center in Scottsboro, Ala. The AP1000 design problems are expected to be part of the discussion.

Concerns about the reactor design were also raised during the July 17 public meeting in Waynesboro, Ga. about the two new reactors proposed for the Vogtle plant. Though the NRC does not expect to certify the reactor’s final design until 2012, the NRC said they expected to issue a license for Vogtle in 2011, leading nuclear opponents to level charges of “rubber stamping.”

The AP1000 reactors are being built by a consortium, 80 percent of which is owned by Westinghouse Electric (which in turn is owned by Japan’s Toshiba Corp.) and the rest by Louisiana-based The Shaw Group’s nuclear division. In December 2006, the AP1000 Consortium won a contract with China’s State Nuclear Power Technology Co. to build four new nuclear power plants in that country.

Solar Power Goes Main Stream – I mean Main Street

Posted on July 30, 2008 by Doug Nicodemus

Amanda Beals has been trying to get me to post some of Main Streets “Environmental Coverage” for a while now. Here one is but Solar Jackets by Designer People? Whoa

http://mainstreet.com/5-solar-solutions

5 Solar Solutions

By Sean Leviashvili (07/28/08)

The Greatest Green Gadgets Ever

Some companies are struggling to go green, but rumor has it Toyota (TM) is going greener.

Japanese business paper the Nikkei reported earlier this month that the company plans to install solar panels on the redesigned Prius in 2009. The solar panels will provide two to five kilowatts of electricity to power utilities like air conditioners and radios.

Sales for the Prius are booming, especially in light of rising gas prices and the growing go-green trend. But if you aren’t ready to give up your gas guzzler, or simply can’t afford a $25,000 car, there are other ways you can get in on the solar craze.

Take a Look!

It’s in the Bag:

Chargers:
With an internal rechargeable battery, the Solio Classic charger acts as a hybrid giving you the option to connect to a home outlet or accept energy from the sun. The Solio can charge multiple gadgets including an iPod (AAPL), cell phone or digital camera. Check out the range of models ($79.95-169.95) at solio.com. Depending on the amount of sunlight, the Solio charger is capable of charging your gadget in under two hours.

Bags:
To charge on the go, invest in a solar backpack or messenger bag. According to Krissie Nagy, a sales and marketing representative from Voltaic Systems, an hour of direct sunlight will yield 1.5 hours of full cell phone use, or 3 hours of iPod play. Voltaic bags come with eleven different adaptors, including the latest Samsung charger, along with a car charger socket that covers adaptors not included.

Different bags have different charging potentials, and the devices you plan on charging should influence your purchasing decision. Charging a laptop, for example, is only possible in bags yielding at least 17 watts of electricity, such as the Voltaic Generator, available at voltaicsystems.com for $599.

Solar Jackets:
The Ermenegildo Zegna designed solar powered jacket charges devices right in your pocket. But this luxury doesn’t come cheap. The price: $995. According to the company’s official website, www.zegna.com, the jacket uses solar cells on the detachable neoprene collar, and powers devices at 5 or 6 volts, so it can charge your cell phone or iPod, but nothing larger.

AT HOME

Solar Water Heating:
Installing a solar water heating system costs between $5,000 and $8,000, says Gary Trainer, professional engineer for Solarplex in San Antonio, Texas. The installation process requires solar panels and a separate water tank, which works with anti-freeze and your home’s original water tank to produce hot water. The system, Trainer says, can cover 60 to 80% of your total water heating needs. And, while the initial purchase is costly, the long-term payoff is substantial. “After about eight years, you’ll really see the value in the system,” Trainer says. “At that point, the system will basically pay for itself.”

Solar Pool Heating:
With solar pool heating, you can extend your swim season by months. Depending on the size of your pool, buying and installing a solar pool-heating system costs anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000. According to the eere.gov, a branch of the Department of Energy’s website that focuses on energy efficiency and renewable energy, the cost of heating your pool with solar power runs from $7 to $12 per square foot.

Solar pool heating can save hundreds of dollars each year, and according to Trainer, this system has the greatest payoff of all solar heating systems. “The most expensive installment is the conventional grid type stuff, where you use solar power to reduce the energy your in-house utilities use,” Trainer admits. “But it’s not difficult to install a [solar] heating system for your pool for three or five thousand dollars, and the payout is great, it’s about two to four years.”

Solar heating systems all require solar panels (amount will vary based on the system), and a prior consultation to decide if solar power is right for you.

“There are certain conditions where it is just impractical,” Trainer says. “Trees are usually the number one reason, along with space limitation, and limited access to the sun.”

For more information on how to incorporate solar energy into your life, log on to The Department of Energy’s official website.

Oil Falls to 121$$ A Barrel – We are all going to die, but it will take awhile and be mildly uncomfortable

Posted on July 29, 2008 by Doug Nicodemus

This is the last time I am going to post about nasty icky oil (that we should stop burning anyway) until it falls below 100$$ a barrel. We need the stuff for pharmecuticals, and parts for our satellites/space craft. Stuff that only oil can be used to make. Transportation ain’t one of them and we need to quit using it for that. Oil will be below 100$$ a barrel by the end of August. All of the oil people should be freaking out because we used some 800,000 fewer barrels in May the USA and those kind of changes usually are permanent.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080729/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_prices;_ylt=AshIG6iZs_taqFegOtxj5tOs0NUE

Oil hits 7-week low on demand worries, dollar gain

By4 STEVENSON JACOBS, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK – Oil prices tumbled to their lowest level in seven weeks Tuesday as a stronger dollar and beliefs that record prices are eroding the world’s thirst for energy sparked another dramatic sell-off

The drop — as much as $4 a barrel during the day — was a throwback to oil’s nosedive over the past two weeks and outweighed supply concerns touched off by a militant attack Monday on two Nigerian crude pipelines. It was oil’s seventh decline in the last 10 sessions.

Light, sweet crude for September delivery fell $1.89, or 1.52 percent, to $122.84 a barrel in early afternoon trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Earlier, prices fell to $120.42, the lowest level for a front-month contract since June 10; they have now fallen more than $25 from their trading high of $147.27, reached July 11.

More concerns that crude’s run-up over the past year has pushed prices to unsustainable levels fed Monday’s decline. The U.S. Transportation Department said Monday that U.S. drivers logged 9.6 billion fewer vehicle miles in May — or 3.7 percent — compared to the same period last year, the biggest drop ever for the historically busy summer driving month.

And demand for oil in the U.S. — the world’s thirstiest consumer — continues to fall, dropping by 891,000 barrels per day in May compared the same month a year ago, the Energy Department’s Energy Information Administration said Monday.

“We’re seeing both statistical and anecdotal evidence of very rapidly weakening demand picture,” said Jim Ritterbusch, president of energy consultancy Ritterbusch and Associates in Galena, Ill.

The declines accelerated after oil briefly dipped below $122, a key resistance level that triggered technical selling by computers programed to dump oil contracts once prices fall below a certain threshold. The next technical level traders are watching is $117.

“I think we could see $117 a barrel in a one-week time frame, and this market could eventually get to $100,” Ritterbusch said.

Also weighing on prices was a sharply stronger dollar compared to the euro, which made commodities less attractive to investors who have bought oil futures as a hedge against inflation and weakness in the U.S. currency.

The euro bought $1.5557 compared with $1.5752 late Monday in New York.

“It looks like oil is selling off today with the very, very strong dollar and nothing to drive it higher. Quiet seems to be bearish these days,” said Tom Kloza, publisher and chief oil analyst at Oil Price Information Service in Wall, N.J.

In a further sign high prices are curbing Americans’ consumption for fuel, retail gas prices fell further below the $4-a-gallon mark. The average price of a regular gas fell 1.7 cents to $3.941, according to auto club AAA, the Oil Prices Information Service and Wright Express.

Monday’s attack in Nigeria targeted two pipelines believed to be owned by a unit of Royal Dutch Shell PLC and was the latest in a two-year campaign of attacks on the country’s oil industry. Shell said a pipeline had been damaged in attacks and that some crude production had been shut down to prevent the oil from spilling into the environment.

The oil company said Tuesday it may not be able to fulfill some oil-export contracts because of the damage. Shell didn’t specify how much oil production was cut by the attack or how long repairs would take.
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http://in.reuters.com/article/businessNews/idINIndia-34728620080729

‘Abnormal’ oil prices could fall to$80-OPEC pres

By Muklis Ali

JAKARTA (Reuters) – OPEC should not consider cutting production after oil’s steep two-week decline as markets are now balanced, OPEC President Chakib Khelil said on Tuesday, adding that prices could yet fall another $50 a barrel.

Khelil, who is also Algeria’s oil minister, said oil prices could fall to $70 to $80 in the long-term, if the U.S. dollar continued to strengthen and geopolitical anxieties eased.

“The price today is abnormal at $123 a barrel,” said Khelil, speaking to reporters on a visit to Jakarta to meet Indonesia’s energy minister.

He did not elaborate, but OPEC ministers have said repeatedly that they believe the surge in oil prices is not being driven by a shortage of supply.

Asked if OPEC members should cut supply if oil prices continue to decline, he said: “No, I don’t think so, why should they cut production? They always want to make sure there is good supply and demand and to satisfy the demand.”

U.S. oil prices have fallen by $22 from a record high above $147 a barrel earlier this month amid growing concerns that high prices and slowing economic growth are causing a decline in demand, but prices are still up 30 percent on the year.

“We are not worried about any price, because we don’t decide the price. We just meet the demand,” he said.

Khelil said he did not see any signs of demand destruction from high prices.
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Solar Power – Then there are the people working to get us off oil and coal

Posted on July 28, 2008 by Doug Nicodemus

Too many people and too little time. But they are trying.

http://www.solarbuzz.com/News/Newspage.asp

July 28, 2008

Pueblo, CO, USA: Colorado State University-Pueblo to Install 1 Megawatt PV System

Colorado State University-Pueblo soon will be the home of a solar electric system in excess of one megawatt, one of the largest such systems for an education facility in the United States. Under this innovative arrangement with Black Hills Energy (formerly Aquila) and BP Solar, the system is estimated to contribute more than 10 percent of the University’s electricity needs. Installation of the ground-based solar array will begin in July with full operation scheduled for late this fall.

The University will purchase the electricity generated by the solar array from BP Solar, who will install and operate the system. Black Hills Energy will purchase the solar on-site renewable energy credits generated from the system from BP Solar. The system will be constructed on the east side of campus between the physical plant complex and the softball fields on a strip of land that could not easily serve any other purpose.

“We view this as an extension of the commitment the University and the CSU System have made to renewable and sustainable energy,” said CSU-Pueblo President Joseph Garcia. “Because this solar array will be visible from new facilities being constructed to support our new athletic programs and the planned development on our eastern campus border, it will serve as a strong statement about the University’s commitment to supporting sustainable energy resources.”

“We are proud to be able to bring large-scale solar energy to Pueblo,” said Mary Shields, vice president of global sales and marketing for BP Solar. “The CSU-Pueblo campus is the perfect place to demonstrate the clean, efficient power that solar can provide to communities throughout Colorado and other parts of the U.S.”

Garcia added that the new system supports Governor Ritter’s New Energy Economy to make Colorado a hub for solar energy and supports Black Hills Energy’s effort to bring more solar energy to Colorado. As part of its Solar Rebate Program, Black Hills Energy will provide a $200,000 upfront rebate incentive for the installation of the solar system. The program helps Black Hills Energy meet Colorado’s Renewable Energy Standard, which requires that five percent of Black Hills Energy’s electricity sales be generated from renewable sources.

“Black Hills Energy is excited to be a part of this project and about the solar energy contribution this system will provide CSU-Pueblo,” said Gary Stone, Black Hills Energy vice president for Colorado electric operations. “Combined with the Black Hills Energy Solar Rebate Program, biomass and wind resources already in use, the CSU-Pueblo solar system builds on Black Hills Energy’s commitment to renewable energy for the communities we serve in Colorado.” With new facilities being brought on-line during the next six months, including a new $11.2 million student recreation center, CSU-Pueblo estimates the completed project will generate savings in utility costs and help absorb the cost of increased demand. Garcia said the project is a winning venture for all three partners.

“In short, this project will help control the University’s utility costs as prices and usage increase, promote the use of sustainable resources, help satisfy Black Hills Energy’s state mandates, and allow BP Solar to bring a major solar project to Southern Colorado,” Garcia said.

Smart Growth Advocates (SGA), a local non-profit, connected the partners last year. “Assembling the combined talents of a team of this caliber ensured results which exceeded expectations. Our goal was to highlight the effectiveness of public-private partnerships to deliver concrete sustainable solutions, and we are elated with the result,” said Vickie Massam, SGA President.

Further details about: BP Solar
:}July 24, 2008Tempe, AZ, USA: First Solar to Build 10 MW Solar PV Power Plant for Sempra Generation

First Solar will build a 10 megawatt photovoltaic power plant for Sempra Generation near Boulder City, Nevada. First Solar will design, engineer and construct the turnkey PV power plant and will provide monitoring and maintenance services for the plant over its lifetime. Sempra Generation will be the developer for the project, and will own and operate the PV power plant once completed.

Construction began in July, and the 10 MW PV power plant is expected to be completed by the end of 2008. The solar modules to be deployed in this ground-mount project will be produced at First Solar’s manufacturing facility in Perrysburg, Ohio.

“Sempra Generation has a proven track record for successful energy resource development and we are pleased to work with them to bring additional renewable electric generation to the region,” said Mike Ahearn, chief executive officer of First Solar.

The 10 MW PV power plant will be adjacent to Sempra Generation’s existing El Dorado combined cycle natural gas plant. By co-locating this new PV power plant with existing infrastructure and the associated interconnection and transmission facilities, Sempra Generation will maximize their land and transmission. As a result, the impact to the immediate environment is minimal and the project completion timeline will be shorter. The PV power plant will serve customers in California and the Western United States.

“This new solar project is another step in Sempra Generation’s long-range plan to emerge as a leading renewable-energy developer,” said Michael W. Allman, president and chief executive officer of Sempra Generation. “The combination of Sempra Generation’s experience in developing power-generation projects in the region with First Solar’s expertise in advanced, thin-film photovoltaic solutions is a natural fit. ”

First Solar explains that it is a cost leader in the solar PV industry, driven by an advanced thin film semiconductor manufacturing process. At the end of 2007, over 300 MW of First Solar PV modules had been installed worldwide and First Solar expects to ship 420 to 460 MW of PV modules in 2008. Together with its project partners, First Solar modules have been deployed in several of the largest ground and rooftop PV power plants in the world.

Further details about: First Solar
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Oil Is 125$$ A Barrel – We are all going to die!