Posts Tagged ‘biofuels’

Believe it or not, I'm giving a presentation to a USC alumni group 2 days after I return...Thur., Feb. 25, 7pm, at the Village Idiot (no pun intended), in the Melrose area of L.A. If you think you'd like to attend, or know someone that will, please DM me on Twitter (leonkaye), or email me directly (my email is all over greengopost's site), and I will forward the invitation. I think I have a lot to say about the hype . . .

So far it is a small group, so there should be some good discussion. A fellow alum, from Brazil, will talk about his work on biofuels. He his not to be missed! Nor am I . . . :)

Sunday night we joined Daniela Mercury´s bloco for Salvador da Bahia´s Carnaval.  It was wild--more details on that later.

I think we joined the best bloco.  The way Carnaval works is that you have these trios, which are like floats, where the singer or band performs. On the trio, which is a jerry-rigged semi-truck, are the VIPs invited by the group.  For a few hundred bucks, you buy a special t-shirt, or adaba (will rewrite this later), that lets you hang out with the trio and follow it up the route.

I will post pictures later, but I embedded a flip video showing a snapshot of Carnival. What I loved about Daniela Mercury´s bloco is that her trio was slatered in native Brazilian plants--palm fronts, mangrove leaves and branches . . . and birds of paradise.

Oh, and of course, Petrobras was a sponsor . . . these huge trucks were powered by B-20, a blend of 80% diesel and 20% biodiesel. You would not want to be standing near the exhaust pipes long, but it was quite the experience!!!!

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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...)

Finland is the quiet sibling amongst the Scandinavian family of nations.  Bordering Russia, it doesn’t have the “brand” recognition that Sweden (Ikea and ABBA), Norway (fjords), and Denmark (Maersk).  In the renewable energy debate, you don’t hear about Finland’s policies to the extent you hear about Germany’s solar, France’s nuclear, or Sweden’s biofuels. (more...)

Sorry PETA, but dogs make great pets.  They are wonderful at so many levels.  They teach kids responsibility and time management, they guard the house (the stats show you’re less likely to be burglarized if you have a pooch), they keep you company without conditions, and they may even be beneficial for your health (blood pressure, exercise, etc.).

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I visited Bulgaria in 2003.  I had zero expectations.  Basically I was running out of places in Eastern Europe to visit, so I thought, what the hey.  I ended up loving the country—it’s one big open air museum, has friendly people, and great food and wine.

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American farmers are often resistant to change, and have an antagonistic relationship with those in the green movement.  But there’s no reason why they can’t be part of the “green revolution,” and there’s a new program that can help smaller family farms improve their bottom line. (more...)

I have great memories of Sweden.  Well, I’ve only been there once, in 1997, but memories of the long summer nights, beautiful, friendly—and tall—locals, and trains that make Amtrak look like a donkey cart have stuck with me.  Now I have even more reasons for my fascination of Sweden.

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Well, I’ve got an amusing story.  There is much discussion about air travel and how it may be very harmful to the atmosphere.  In a snapshot, the amount of fuel discharged by airliners is obscene, and may even be more harmful that auto emissions because the air up high is thinner. (more...)