“We must take rapid, effective, innovative action to change the ways we generate and use energy; renewable energy is ubiquitous, offering a new model of energy generation that is local, democratic, and free from the abuses of a centralized monopoly.” This week I focus on community energy. The call to action above is from the Energy Democracy, Renewable Communities Alliance …
Book Review: The Power Surge
As I write about energy each day, I often wonder what the trade-offs or consequences will be if a technology takes off, or even if it fails. How will it, if at all, alter America’s energy landscape? From my point of view, we are a country in fear of change and in fear of taking action. We are a country …
Book Review: Fractured Land
When is the last time you filled up your tank with a gallon of gas that was less than $2? For me, today. As oil prices have plummeted with gas prices falling suit, many people are attributing all the extra oil to fracking. But what is the cost, financially and environmentally speaking, of oil drilled in this manner? A new …
Book Review: Flight Behavior
I recently read the novel Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver, a book about climate change. When I first began reading the book I had no intentions of doing a review, but as I got deeper into the book, and the characters voiced their opinions, about media in general, my intentions changed. The premise of the book is that millions of …
Book Review: Build Your Own PHEV
This week I went techie and read “Build Your Own Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle,” by Seth Leitman. I chose this book because I drive an EV – the Ford C-Max, and when I purchased my vehicle, I opted against the plug-in component because I didn’t have a place to charge my car (I live in an apartment complex). In the …
Book Review: Renewable Energy- Following the Money
Rainy Iowa days make it a nice time to spend the night reading and this week I finished “Renewable Energy- Following the Money,” by Craig Shields who is the editor of 2GreenEnergy.com, a great “greencentric” blog. I had mixed emotions on the book and let me explain why. The book consists of a series of interviews with various energy expects …
Book Review: A Bird on Water Street
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to wake up, walk outside and there were no animals, living things others than humans and nothing was green but all brown? Well this is the world of Jack, growing up in a Southern Appalachian copper mining town. The environment is so bad that the air eats through a pair of …
Book Review- Three Green Rats: An Eco Tale
Tru dat rat. Ok, so if you don’t have kids or hang out with kids, you may not have any idea what I just said. But the three green rat brothers of Tintown’s Broken Bottle Lane encourage us to walk softly and reduce, reuse and recycle in the children’s tale, “Three Green Rats: An Eco Tale“. Written by Linda Mason …
Book Review: How Are You Mother Earth?
Calling people of all ages. I’ve finally found a truly entertaining and educational book about climate change and the environment. “How are you Mother Earth?” written by Gordon Hunter, a scientist, takes the reader on the journey with Katie, her boyfriend Mike and her father when they take Mother Earth to the doctor for a check-up. Well, it turns out …
Book Review – Ruminations on the Distortion of Oil
I recently finished reading the book, “Ruminations on the Distortion of Oil Prices & Crony Capitalism,” by Raymond J. Learsy. The book was a historical review of his writings dealing with Big Oil and why oil prices are so high. In other words, “an overview of…our enslavement to oil and the money inextricably tied to it.” A former commodity trader, …