Latest Articles
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Reflections on my farm’s first year
A year ago, we signed the deed for our 12-acre farm, and I prepared for a crash course in country living.
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Ask Umbra: A vision for 2011 and New Year’s (re)solutions
The year of a spilled-oil atrocity, Russian spies, and a psychic octopus is at an end. So is the decade. Now what? Lose weight, make more money? How about this for a New Year’s resolution: to have a year full of solutions? Ask Umbra shares her solutions and asks to hear yours.
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Nissan Leaf As An Emergency Power Source
Crossposted from the Biodiversivist blog While doing a test drive I discovered that the Nissan Leaf has an ordinary 12 volt lead acid battery under the hood. It charges off of the main battery pack, which is several hundred volts. In other words, because you don’t need to run an engine to turn an […]
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Seven New Year's resolutions to make your neighborhood a better place
This year, instead of resolving to improve yourself, make a decision to improve the place you live. It's easy. Here are some ways to start.
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Gloria Steinem on population, sexual pleasure, and creating better fathers
Gloria Steinem says men need to be nurturing parents. "Men who raise children are much less likely to insist on having too many," she argues.
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Plug-in cars didn't just happen
The past few weeks have seen the realization of a dream long-held by many: several major car companies started to deliver — into dealership and garages — production plug-in vehicles. Count it as a milestone advacne in the fight against climate change…but as a part of the celebration, it’s useful to remember that this change […]
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Putting EPA's announcement on CO2 from power plants in context
EPA's announcement wasn't a huge deal -- it's just a timeline, albeit a timeline that industry will complain is too fast. But the larger subject of greenhouse gas regs is a big deal.
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Carbon accountants stand to profit from EPA plan to regulate emissions
For a host of startups that make software to manage corporate carbon emissions, the EPA action is a holiday gift that will keep on giving year-round.
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Why 'Made in America' is the gift that keeps on giving
We offer here our "holiday wish list" for American workers to preserve an innovation-led economy that makes stuff and creates good jobs here at home.
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Year-end economic musings
Last July, I wrote about trends in U.S. retail electric sales as an indicator of economic activity, and how this recession compares to prior on that metric. We’ve kept tracking that data, and it gets more interesting with each passing month. Here then, a quick update. First off, a lament. I wish EIA would update […]
