As much as I love visiting large cities and national capitals, having limited time abroad often denies you the opportunity to view the true soul of a country.  To me, Chicago presents visitors a near-perfect American city in architecture, culture, and spirit; Lyon reveals France's charm and cuisine; and Daejon allows you to glimpse everyday Korean life and a gateway to the country's spectacular nature.  Salvador lacks Rio's glamour or São Paulo's constant business drumbeat, but this city of 2 million, capital of the state of Bahia, is arguably the heart of Brazil.  Your initial impression of Salvador may be jarring, but that will quickly bloom into optimism and affection. (more...)

Are you an engineer, fully engaged in green tech issues, and often walk into a room full of men?  Are you interested in eco-fashion?  Perhaps you are a graduate student wanting to enter this space.  Or maybe you have a passion for electric vehicles.  And you probably aware that many of the green revolution has its roots in women like Rachel Carson.

Have I got the conference for you, September 1-2, in Pasadena.

 

Spearheaded by Jaime Nack of Three Squares Inc., The Women in Green Forum will bring together an international audience of women focused on environmental issues, including academic researchers, business experts, energy analysts, and technology developers.  (more...)

I'm so thrilled.  After years of NIMBYism, supported by the hypocritical likes of Henry Waxman, the Metropolitan Transit Authority approved the subway to the sea.  Well, it's more rail to the sea as we are talking about a light-rail line.  Although one neighborhood, Cheviot Hills, fought tooth and nail against the project (even though the line wouldn't run through their neighborhood), it looks like expanded mass transit in LA is going to happen.

I realize that defending Toyota in February 2010 is like defending Richard Nixon in August 1974, but I'm about to do something that will make me about as popular at a Green Drinks gathering as a big juicy Costco steak.

 

I'm going to cut Toyota some slack.

 

I have not followed this story as closely as all the automobile bloggers out there.  It seems to me that they knew of all these problems and either at least, underestimated the problem, or at worst, tried to sweep them under the floor mats.  That was a mistake.  (more...)

When I lived in Korea during the mid-90s, one of the simple pleasures in life was having everything delivered.  Whether it was the yogurt lady, adorned in yellow vinyl in case the tropical monsoon storms suddenly unleashed their fury; the dry cleaning cantor (when he came to our building, I thought he was loudly chanting "Satan," but he was just booming the Korean word for laundry); the devilishly delicious plates of greasy jja-jjang-myun, a noodle dish swimming in black bean sauce; or a refrigerator that my dear friend arranged to have dragged across town to her apartment . . . delivery, usually by a scooter, was mostly a happy way of gathering goods and services. 

 

What amazed me is that anything got delivered at all:  Korea has the most illogical address system, a matruska-like mess where you go from large (as in country, then province), to small (the block number or building name on the street).  I always loved going into the local restaurants and looking at the local precinct maps.  Block number 2 on my street may have been next to number 3, or 31, with number 77 following.  I got dizzy trying to figure out the madness.  When Korea co-hosted the World Cup in 2002, logistics slightly improved as streets were given name, but that U2 song still reminds me of Korea. (more...)

I was amused when someone passed on this story of what some park rangers in the province of Drenthe in the Netherlands are using to foil bikers who are off-roading illegally.  They are riding what you may be seeing a lot more of in the next decade:  the electric motorcycle.

 

Electric motorcycles are a nascent market in the US right now, but they are establishing a foothold in Europe.  Bikers from the Harley-Davidson school of testosterone my sniff at electric motorbikes, but these vehicles offer much potential:  they have great torque, operate silently, can accelerate quickly, and most models have a range of over 100 miles per charge. (more...)

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...)

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.

The debate over climate change and energy independence is often divisive and polarizing.  First we must confront the apathetic and the nay-sayers, which has not been easy in the USA with the purported "Climate-gate" bruhaha and our concern over 10% unemployment.  The Obama Administration has not been very helpful with its "green jobs" rhetoric--I think every week we have heard of the push for "home weatherization" schemes, which leaves me with the image of former Avon salespeople tapping our walls to make sure they are properly insulated (is this really the best Obama & Co. can do?).  Then you've got the debate over who should lead . . . corporations, or government?  Well, what about non-profits?  One organization with a stellar "green" record is the American Jewish Committee (AJC), a 103-year-old advocacy group with 32 chapters in the United States. (more...)

Unless you have been asleep the last 50 years, you probably have heard that Los Angeles has a bit of a traffic problem.  The glorification of the "car culture" has taken a toll on Angelinos and its visitors.  Road rage is even more on the rampage, parking is a constant hassle, and residents who thought they were safe often deal with speedsters who are always trying to find that perfect surface street shortcut.  Once you are out of the West Side, you really notice LA's decaying infrastructure:  potholes that look as if they should be in Chicago, parking meters that often do not work, and street lights that have not had their timing checked since, perhaps, Eisenhower was president.  So what is a stressed out commuter to do?  For a city its size, Los Angeles actually has few highways, so we will not see any new ones soon.  We hear constant talk about a subway to the sea, but most of us will not be in any physical condition to ride it by the time it opens.  One issue in LA is that you have so many constituencies and layers of government.  One organization, however, is working hard to find a holistic approach, intertwining many short-term solutions to ease the traffic that is such a deal breaker for many residents and potential employers in the Southland:  FAST. (more...)

 

Santiago is the Athens of South America.  I say that because most visitors dismiss the city as a crowded, polluted, and dull eyesore.  But like Athens, once you get past the smog and do some exploring, the city offers much for the visitor.  Old neighborhoods from centuries past laced with cobblestone streets, are now lined with trendy cafes and restaurants.  If you crave the conveniences of home, huge malls and superstores will make you blush.  Your palate will enjoy the visit as well:  Chilean food is hearty, produce is cheap and plentiful, and you will never want to buy an avocado at home again after seeing how cheap they are throughout Chile.  Just be prepared if you are a caffeine fiend:  Chilean coffee is terrible (instant is the norm), so you have to settle for Starbucks or McCafe.  Overall, experiencing all that Santiago offers is easy and just plain fun:  the city has the most modern and extensive subway system in South America. (more...)

It's Sunday afternoon, and after walking up and down Sunset Boulevard taking care of some errands, I'm sitting in our backyard with the view of Century City and the Wilshire Corridor in the far distance.  I've grown to love that stretch of Wilshire, starting with the former Bullock's department store (now Southwestern Law School), slicing through Koreatown, the Miracle Mile, LACMA (LA's art museum), and finally posh Beverly Hills . . .continuing on to Westwood and Santa Monica.  Wilshire Boulevard defines Los Angeles.  If only I didn't have to drive there, but Henry Waxman and his fellow limousine liberal constituents delayed any planning for twenty-plus years, only to see traffic in their neighborhoods . . . get worse! (more...)

Just about every news wire is talking about--SURPRISE--that countless pickup trucks were traded in for . . . pickup trucks.  In fact, about 15% of the new cars that owners drove off the lots thanks to this program got less that 20 mpg.  You may not think this was an egregious amount, but when you consider that buying a new car is the equivalent of putting FIVE years worth of carbon in the air, the program's a flop.  What started out as a way to improve the environment and air quality is now a program that a desperate Obama Administration wants to tout as a way in which it is  "saving" the economy.  What any credible economist will tell you is that cash for clunkers did nothing but "pull demand forward," i.e., throw a bone to those that most likely would have purchased a new vehicle soon anyway. (more...)