I love Absolutely Fabulous, a British sitcom that has had a larger effect on current American TV than we realize. In one episode, Edina praises her latest client, disposable sunglasses called “PopSpecs.” Her daughter, Saffie, attacks the product for littering the planet, and Edina points out the “kind to trees” label. When Saffie asks, “How are they [...]
I’ve always believed the debate over green technology and alternative fuels should focus on the technology and fuel used on the back-end, not on “exotic” or “sexy” products such as hybrid cars. So much of the basic manufacturing and processing of materials that we use in our daily lives use a lot of energy. (more…)
Here’s a great article regarding the issue of bottled water in Canada. Thanks to a friend in Ottawa for passing it on. At a very base level, why pay for something you’re already paying for???
I despise bottled water and avoid it whenever I can. Sometimes you can’t help it—you go to an event or friend’s house, you get offered a bottle, you don’t want to be rude—so I usually end up taking it with me to be sure it gets recycled—and judging by the fact that our recycling bin [...]
We’re all in a tizzy over gasoline, oil reserves, air quality, will there be a GM next month, etc. The discussion over transport fuel brings out hysterics on all sides. (more…)
May I be blunt? We are so darned lucky to live in California. The weather’s great, don’t get me started about culture, food, and scenery, and we have sun. Well, maybe not right now . . . it’s sort of cloudy, and June Gloom is the season right now. But as I was planting my [...]
Solar energy is huge here in CA. Pasadena has become quite the hub, and cable TV ads are touting the next “Saudi Arabia” on its way in the Mojave. We just had an election that attempted to put solar panels on city properties here in LA, and trade schools and community colleges are churning out [...]
I grew up in the 70s, and one commercial or PSA I still remember is the “Don’t Be a Litterbug” campaign. American highways up till then were NASTY. Just gross. Despite Lady Bird Johnson’s best effort, many of our country’s roads were strewn with trash. We’ve gotten a lot better. Oh sure, cities like Los [...]
The problem with many renewable energy products is that they are just too expensive. It’s not PC to say this, but in the end, market forces to matter. Customers rule the market: and like your economics professor would mention, get those two supply and demand curves to align, and then you’ve got a market. Take [...]
I love The Economist. I guess the UK has to have one tame level-headed publication considering its outrageous tabloids and magazines. The latest little tidbit I ran into on their web site quoted an MIT professor’s study that basically says Not that a recession is good . . . it means promising economic initiatives such [...]