I cannot believe it is the end of the year and decade.  2009 has been full of ups and downs for all of us.  This time of year, I think, is also an opportunity to think of those who have had an impact on our lives.  So let me talk about my parents' dachshund mix, Indie, who passed away on August 4th.

 

One of the best decisions you can make is to adopt a pet.  There are some in the green community who disparage pets, screaming environmental and global warming nonsense.  To me, sustainability is about making the best possible trade-offs, and owning a pet--in my biased case, a dog--has many benefits for you and your family.  (more...)

Yesterday I mentioned The Forest of Nisene Marks in Aptos.  If you have some time, you cannot miss the stretch of beach between Seacliff and Manresa State Beaches. 

 

The best way to access the beach is to drive down Clubhouse Drive from the Rio Del Mar Boulevard exit off of CA-1.  Turn left off of Clubhouse Drive onto Via Palo Alto or Via Malibu, park your car, then find the entrance to the beach on Via Palo Alto that will take you down to the vast white sands and comforting waves of what locals just call Aptos Beach.  (more...)

I have mentioned several times the potential for dimethyl ether (DME) as a viable fuel source.  The race for harvesting DME is between East Asia, Sweden, and now Canada.  Another company, Calgary-based GV Energy, has plans on opening a DME plant in Terrace, British Columbia.

 

Like many forestry towns in the Pacific Northwest, Terrace has been hit hard by changing global economic forces.  Once Terrace was known as the cedar pole capital of the world.  Over 50,000 telephone and energy poles left Terrace, ending up all over North America, the tallest of which still stands in New York City. (more...)

Last week I was in Aptos, California, visiting my parents for Christmas.  They have lived in Aptos (just east of Santa Cruz) for over 12 years, yet until last Saturday, I was completely clueless about a treasure two miles from their home:  The Forest of Nisene Marks, a California State Park.

 

For forty years, this area was subjected to clear-cutting until loggers abandoned it in the 1920s.  In 1963, the family owning the property donated it to the state of California, and now, the 10,000 acres offer over 40 miles of hiking.  (more...)

It's the end of a year--and decade--so I wanted to discuss some tasks your firm should undertake for year-end housekeeping.  Some may not want to rehash 2009, a difficult year for many of us--but I am hearing optimism for 2010 from many corners . . . and these lean times can offer learning opportunities that can make us even better next year.  I realize the following suggestions are general--whether you are a freelancer, small company owner, or leading a division of a large firm, these suggestions can apply . . . even if your fiscal year-end is not December 31. (more...)

So it's the day after Christmas, and hopefully your tree will last till New Year's Day, or if you have some Armenian or Eastern European blood in you, it will hold out until January 6.  I do not have a problem with buying a live tree, as long is it is mulched by the city, or you pay the local Boy Scout troop a few bucks to have them recycle it for you.  Plus my impression of most Christmas tree farms is that they are run by small business owners who care about the land and are responsible.  I was, however, educated about an entrepreneur who has a fantastic idea:  renting trees.

 

Scott Martin has found a budding market in Los Angeles for his rented trees.  He operates a web site, The Living Christmas Company, where customers can select from several tree varieties and then rent them for three weeks.  The prices range from $50 for a Charlie Brown-sized tree to $185 to something more appropriate for the White House.  Martin's business is a winner all the way around:  he hires adults with disabilities, will haul away Goodwill donations, recycles used Christmas wrapping, and his fleet of delivery trucks run on biodiesel.

 

Launched as a pilot program in 2008, Martin, a landscape architect by trade, rented about 500 this year.  Let's hope his business surges even more during 2010.

It's Christmas Eve, so GreenGoPost is in Northern California visiting family.

 

As I mentioned on December 1, I had heaps of old post cards that were never sent.  Well, they have been doctored up:  enjoy!

 

 

I visited Monticello a few times.  I think TJ's house looks better spruced up for the holidays.

 

 

 

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One of the most beautiful cities in the world is Washington, DC.  It feels like a national capital with all the huge buildings and monuments, and you can focus on them during your visit, because the city is not littered with billboards (LA, take note).  If you happen to be there in winter when it snows, you are in for a treat . . . monochromatic winter tones await.

 

DC has respectable public transportation thanks to Metro, but the best way to see the city is to put on your walking shoes and walk from Union Station, to the Capitol, along the National Mall, then up to the White House.  Enjoy the neighborhoods of Northwest, starting with U Street/Cardozo, weave your way through DuPont, Adams-Morgan, and the post neighborhoods of Northwest DC.  Be sure to walk up Massachusetts Avenue, then traipse through Georgetown, finally winding your way to the Lincoln Memorial.  The walking tour takes about, oh, 10.5 hours but is worth it.

Seeing DC will eventually be easier once the new streetcars are up and running . . . they are currently running on time in . . . the Czech Republic. (more...)

It's the holiday week, so the topics will be light--partially out of convenience, as GreenGoPost is in Aptos, CA, visiting family for the holidays.  This site has over 250 postings now, and I realize my topics have cast a rather wide net.  I actually have a pretty wide definition of "sustainability" . . . to me, sustainabilty is in part holding on to some of our past ways and traditions.  One of them is an experience I had earlier this year in Istanbul, a visit to the hamam, or Turkish bath. (more...)

"What do I do now?" - Robert Redford's character in the 1971 film, The Candidate.

 

The Information Interview.  You've finally tracked down that person at that company or in that industry for which you want to work.  Maybe it took a few emails or phone calls . . . perhaps you even told that person that you had some good information you wanted to share with him or her.  So now you are going to meet that person tomorrow for coffee . . . and you do not want to blow it.  So like Redford's character, Bill McKay, you are clueless, or just nervous, about what you should do. (more...)

A few days ago I had to take my car to the shop.  With my handy Flip camera, I took some random shots as I walked from Echo Park to Silver Lake, along Sunset Boulevard. 

 

I really do believe that the best way to learn a city is to walk it:  whether it's along Chong-no in Seoul, Michigan Ave. in Chicago, or Charles Street in Baltimore, you notice so much that you miss in a bus. 

 

I hope you enjoy the little 2 minute video.  The title is a little confusing--in the video, it says "A Walk Along Silver Lake."  Once you create a movie using the Flip, you cannot edit it, and if you look on GreenGoPost's You Tube channel, there is a nearly identical video . . . but instead of the music, you hear hissing traffic noise if that's more your speed.

"Oh, how they COURT me!" - Nigella Lawson, cooing over her homemade holiday potato skins while wearing her trademark skin-tight cashmere sweater.

 

It is the season for sharing good times and food--or staring at Nigella again as she enchants you with her holiday recipes.  She makes everything appear so sensuously magical and easy, including running to the local coffee shop to order 10 cups of espresso to go for her Sunday holiday brunch--though with all those endorsements, you'd think she'd have a machine at home so she can make her own espresso for her coffee martinis!

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I've seen enough.  Hand me the keys.  I'm taking ooh-vah. - Tabatha Coffey, star of Bravo's hit reality series, Tabatha's Salon Takeover, to another clueless owner as she is gob-smacked, once again, by a poorly-run hair salon . . .

 

I know there are far more serious issues going on right now, such as the climate change conference in Copenhagen, but I figure COP15 has enough media buzz--not to mention the discussion of all the private jets and limousines that are hauling all the politicians and potentates to and around a Scandinavian city . . . in winter.

 

Which is why it may seem ridiculous that I am bringing up Tabatha's Salon Takeover (more...)

While most European Union member states are flummoxed in trying to reach that 20% renewables goal by 2020, Spain is quietly a leader in the race.  The country aims to have 30% of its electricity needs met by renewables by the end of 2010.  Spain is only second behind Germany in sourcing wind energy, and is the leader in solar thermal technology.  Your first impression may be that such a policy is the result of a strong central government policy.  But since 1978, Madrid has granted many regions in the country wide autonomy, and while relations within Spain's borders are often tenuous, there is one encouraging result:  some of these autonomous regions have the highest usage of renewable energy sources in all of Europe.  One region is Navarre (in Spanish, Navarra; Basque, Nafarroa), located in the Basque region bordering France. (more...)