What if the Electric Car was not Killed?

Last night I (finally) watched Who Killed the Electric Car? and it did not disappoint. It really made me angry to be honest. The electric car, which will supposedly renew the automobile industry and lead us into a clean green future, was available at least 10 years ago in a viable format. We all know what happened but watching the movie in light of the auto bailouts really got to me.

GM could have been a leader in the electric car segment. Instead they did things the way they still do and ended up bankrupt and needing billions of our dollars. Now, the technological edge that would lead us out of recession and into a more sustainable future has been squandered. If they were left to go bankrupt we may have saved ourselves from future blunders of this sort. I also find it odd that during the auto bankruptcies and bailouts there was never a mention that GM had already developed and destroyed the technology that the governments were demanding they develop as a condition of the loans. The whole thing stinks and it makes me really upset that we are still 10 years away from a breakthrough. I'm afraid that this business as usual approach will keep us 10 years away 10 years from now.

Alternative Health Remedies

There is no shortage of alternative health remedies out there. Various foods, herbs and supplements are available that claim to cure everything. This article has 5 interesting ones that remedy various ailments. Some are more commonly known and all have been supported with some research.

At home I try to use some natural remedies for general health. I'm not sure if taking one specific thing cures anything but I think if you incorporate healthy choices into your lifestyle then they will all combine for overall good health. Recently I have started making my own teas from lemon balm and peppermint that I have grown in my garden. Combined with some local honey it is a great tea that may help with colds. Either way, I like it and I'm sure it has some positive properties. These are the kinds of simple things that we can all do without spending loads of money in the supplements aisle.

Brownfields to Renewable Energy Sites

I found a couple of links about converting brownfields to sites for renewable energy via an article on Slashdot. The first is an article about the idea from The Daily Climate and the second is a list of brownfield sites from the EPA.

Despite the fact that we have thousands of these contaminated sites this sounds look a good idea. It puts recycling to work in a whole new way. It looks like Detroit could become the green capital of the U.S.A. the way it was the automotive capital since it has lots of industrial sites that could be repurposed. It is such a simple idea that makes so much sense I'm surprised it hasn't already been going on. I look forward to seeing how this develops.

Urban Farming

There has been a lot going on with urban gardens and raising chickens along with a few other things. What if a an entire urban area was transformed into a farm? Check out this article about Detroit being converted into a farm. The premise is interesting and the article contains some interesting stats.

The most compelling thing that I found was the concept of a deindustrial revolution taking place. If you combine the current economic crisis with peak oil and global warming it may be forced upon us. Something to think about...

Toxic Waters

Thanks to Google Maps Mania, I found a piece on the NY Times where you can search the U.S. for toxic water pollution. Check it out here.

This is how I think modern technology needs to be used to inform the public about what is going on in their backyards, literally. There are no excuses anymore and nobody can hide behind regulatory walls or keeping things hidden from the public. Hopefully this brings in some increased responsibility on the part of those that have polluted and puts the pressure on regulators to actually regulate.

I applaud the NY Times for their work on this and it goes to show that a media outlet which is focused on quality reporting is important to society.

No Impact Man

No Impact Man is a film, book and blog about living with no impact on the environment. A very interesting and informative experiment on a dramatic lifestyle change. Get more details here and watch the film trailer here.

I think Colin Beavan has done what many of us would like to do; "unplug" and still live a productive life. I hope his experience along with the book and film prove to people on the fence that it can be done. I am one of those people and want to do it so badly but I'm terrified of how it will impact my life. I already live pretty modestly but I still rely on a lot of things that seem too hard to give up. I look forward to seeing how Colin's experience went and see what I can do.

Make It

Lots of people are making their own things or repurposing what they have. Mister Jalopy is probably on of the more famous people in this arena. Here is a piece about him on CNN and his Owner's Manifesto that he wrote for Make.

While this type of work is not for everyone due to technical limitations I think everyone can learn a little bit and there are plenty of DIY and MIY resources on the internet. It's like we all became lazy about everything because we could always buy another one or there was always a new gadget that would solve that problem. Thinking about products differently and incorporating a cradle-to-cradle design mentality will go a long way in addressing our garbage problems.

9 for Organic

In the produce aisle you may notice stickers on produce with a 4 digit code. 5 digit codes that begin with 9 indicate organic and those that begin with 8 note GMO foods. Something to be aware of when shopping for produce. For more information check out this post at Enviroblog. A handy thing from the post is a link to all the codes for produce. You can search and see what each code is so you can see exactly what you are getting.

Hints for Green Marketing

If you are running a business and have considered marketing your product or service as green review these tips. They are all great and relevant but I think one critical point is missing. Actually be green, don't just sell it. Maybe it is implied in there but I didn't get that message. Slowly, green business operations are becoming the norm but there is still a long way to go in my view. I think that green business makes sense for so many reasons. Some of these are: efficiency saves money, better products equals happier customers and finally a healthy planet and customers will be more likely to be around to need your stuff.

Cheap Stuff

Everybody buys cheap stuff. Whether it is vacuums that last 9 months or picture frames. We have come to expect, even accept, cheap products that are disposable. I found via Make an article with a title that sums it up perfectly: The Crapification of Everything is Just Beginning.

Now that just about everything is crap, how can we keep the level of garbage down? Many people have lamented the disposable aspect of a consumer society but now we have gone past that point. We expect garbage when we buy something because we are unwilling or unable to pay more. If we ever begin to pay for the disposal costs and environmental impact of our stuff we will all be bankrupt or never buy anything. It is time to evaluate what we buy and why before we're overwhelmed with garbage.