Archive for October, 2009

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We’re almost into November, which means planning the holidays, scoring last minute Halloween candy, and readying the house for winter, even if you live in Los Angeles.  It’s also the time to sort out your favorite charities for tax-deductible donations, max out your health insurance plans, and scrounge for purchases for which you can get a tax rebate:  which is why I’m bringing up the Energy Star tax credits you can earn while making your home energy efficient! (more...)

I miss Bobbie Batista.

Remember her?

Bobbie Battista was one of the early 1990s CNN reporters (more...)

I’ve been to most large North American cities, and I have to say Ottawa has one of the more impressive recycling programs.  The city of Ottawa is hard on its citizens:  according to its data, Ottawa residents are in the middle of the pack, behind Halifax and Edmonton but ahead of Calgary and Montreal.  Here’s where I give Ottawa high marks: (more...)

Journalists, and yes, of course, bloggers, are up in arms over the recent water main problems in Los Angeles.  Drive somewhere in our City of Angels, see a road dug up, and chances are a water main has burst, sending city employees in a tizzy who would rather make sure that Mayor Antonio’s one million trees die in supermarket parking lots.

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One highlight of Ottawa lies outside of the city limits.  Cross the Ottawa River into Quebec, and less than 10 miles from the city’s center is Gatineau Park, which shocks you with its beauty, tranquility, and recreation opportunities.  Hiking through Gatineau Park on Sunday, I had no idea we were close to a city of one million people. (more...)

Okay, so we're sure it's an intern in Arnold Schwarzenegger's office that found GGP and decided to follow us Twitter, but nevertheless, it's exciting for us!  His office follows about 104,000 other Twitter users, but it seems the word on GreenGoPost is getting out.  Thank you to everyone for your support! There are countless sites, blogs, and news sites on green technology and renewable energy issues.  We hope to highlight what's smart and practical . . . and welcome your continued insight and suggestions.

There are two things you should try in Canada that are hard to find south of the border.  First, peameal bacon, which is a lean cut of pork, similar to uncured ham, and great on a sandwich or with eggs.  Next, there’s poutine, the most pleasurable guilt:  French fries with cheese curds and gravy.  You’ll either love it or loath it.  A calorie bomb, you should only have it once per trip.  In Ottawa, “chip wagons” are scattered around the city, parked on street corners offering hot dogs and decadent poutine.  Now here’s one question I have:  where does all that used cooking oil go? (more...)

I don’t understand the fuss over hapless Richard Heene and his wife.  They should not be going to jail, because clearly, they were conducting an experiment to see how solar-powered balloons could generate power for homes without the eyesore and noise of those humongous wind towers.  Balloon boy, sadly, only hid in the rafters because the experiment went awry, meaning that another season of “Wife Swap” with a family that drives SUVs and leaves the lights on all day would not be in the works.  Furthermore, had they explained this to Larry King, he would not have understood a word of it. (more...)

Recently I went to a Green Jobs Fair sponsored by the Los Angeles Community College District.  I figured it would be a good opportunity to network and meet companies; after all, few people actually get a job through such an event, so I went for the heck of it, with zero expectations.  Unfortunately, my expectations were way too high.  I left after 15 minutes, and felt terrible for telling a friend of mine, a recent USC grad who’s trying to land a job in the green tech sector, about this joke of an event. (more...)

As Ottawa's population grows, districts once in decline are making a huge comeback.  Wellington Village, on Ottawa's west end, was considered gritty and lacked shops and services earlier this decade.  Now, this neighborhood, where I've been staying the past week, is thriving.  Shops and restaurants have moved in, homeowners have purchased homes and beautifully refurbished them, and buildings once vacant are now full of lofts and condos.  On Holland and Wellington is one stellar example of high density building using green construction standards:  The Currents. (more...)

One way to learn about the Argentine experience, the pride of the Porteños, their glorious and troubled past, and current troubles yet future hope, is to get on the Buenos Aires Metro, which locals call the Subte.   Most of the city’s landmarks and business centers are accessible by the Subte—and getting there can give you a lesson on culture paired with any big city’s government inefficiencies. (more...)

Many cities are begging for stimulus funds for transportation projects, which, I'm afraid, could end up with buses and trains going nowhere.  Ottawa serves as a model of what works when investing in transportation projects.  For a city of 1,000,000, Canada's capital has a transportation system that is relatively cost effective and convenient. (more...)

We are very removed from our food sources.  Few of us have visited a farm.   We almost believe that apples really do come from those perfectly contoured plastic packages, and that uniform slabs of steak in a store's meat section is just the way meat develops.  But imagine if you had a farm in the middle of your city that could clue you in to the daily operations of farms and ranches.  There is such a place in the middle of Ottawa and its one million residents. (more...)

Recently a friend and I attended a day-long LEED workshop in Santa Monica.  The instructor was enthusiastic and knowledgeable (in fact, he stayed an extra hour to cover the material with us); the class small, providing a  great opportunity to cram in more information; and the venue was a LEED-certified silver showroom, giving us live examples of more sustainable building and interior design.

In a nutshell, LEED and the US Green Building Council provides a suite of standards for the green building industry.  The Bank of America Tower in New York City is the first Platinum LEED skyscraper; the University of Minnesota’s football stadium opened this year, this first such venue meeting LEED standards.   (more...)