The Forecast: Winter of Discontent, Chance of an American Spring

ALSO POSTED BY: Huffington Post 20 September 2011 When House Speakers John Boehner said last week that his relationship with President Obama is like a conversation between “people from two different planets“, he identified a disconnect that extends well beyond the House and the White House. We are two Americas headed for collision. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg touched upon it with his recent warning about the rising frustration of young people who have graduated college but cannot find jobs. The riots in Cairo could happen here, the mayor said, and he’s correct. Several factors that triggered the Arab Spring are present...

Read more...

Playing Chicken on Climate Change

ALSO POSTED BY: Huffington Post 15 September 2011 The people trying to wake us up to the realities of global warming have taken to calling themselves “climate hawks.” In the field of Republican presidential candidates, we are seeing a new breed emerge: climate chickens. Once upon a time, America elected heroes to be President of the United States, some of them veterans of war, others who earned the title in office when they refused to run from tough issues. Those were the good old days. Today national politics is dominated by personalities who in polite company might be called “differently...

Read more...

Can We Handle Nature's New Norm? Part 3 of 3

ALSO POSTED BY: Huffington Post 12 September 2011 This is the last in a series of posts on extreme weather events in the United States. Part 1 described the reactions of key political leaders. Part 2 detailed the “perfect storm” of increasing weather extremes combined with decreasing government ability to respond. This post discusses what communities can do to help themselves. In the United States and much of the rest of the world, a climate-related train wreck is in the making. Extreme weather events are increasing, while weak economies and budget deficits are undermining the capacity of national governments to respond.   In the...

Read more...

Can We Handle Nature's New Norm? Part 2 of 3

ALSO POSTED BY: Huffington Post 8 September 2011 This is the second in a three-part post. Part 1 describes how some key political leaders are reacting to today’s extreme weather events. Part 2 lays out some of the factors that are producing a perfect storm of vulnerability. Whether or not we are ready to conclude that today’s extreme weather events are linked to global climate change, it would be utterly irresponsible for us to ignore the possibility. Failing to minimize and manage the risk is a dereliction of duty to everyone who is vulnerable. That includes us all in one way or...

Read more...

Integrity. Here’s hoping I can live up to that.

The plane settles into its cruise altitude and I to writing – three hours to Chicago, swap planes, then eight to the Netherlands. Long night. I’m bound east to consult for Royal Dutch Shell. No idea what they want from me, but I’ll be most interested to chat with them about their world-view. And to give em a piece of my mind. I would anyway, but now it’s a debt. As is this blog. Once one of the world’s most progressive companies, the Shell I knew prospered under the able leadership of such Managing Directors as Bobby Reid and Sir...

Read more...

Can We Handle Nature's New Norm? Part 1 of 3

ALSO POSTED BY: Huffington Post 31 August 2011 The term “perfect storm” is overused now, but it is the perfect metaphor for the violent relationship between people and the environment today. We are experiencing a convergence of factors that are putting us at great risk. For example:   Extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and severe. The big public works projects we built to protect us from natural disasters over the past century may no longer be affordable or the best option. The idea that we can bulldozer natural systems into submission and live wherever we wish has put...

Read more...

25 August 2011 | Sonoma, CA | Infineon Raceway

Infineon Raceway’s Accelerating Sustainable Performance Summit (Download PDF Slideshow Here) Please contact [email protected] for the powerpoint slides. PRESS San Rafael Patch “Huffman Hopes to See Electric Vehicles In The Winner’s Circle “ (by Derek Wilson) 28 August 2011 Triple Pundit “Hunter Lovins on Green Vehicles: Sustainability is High Performance” (by Steve Puma) 2 September 2011 GreenBiz “Hunter Lovins Revs Up Sustainability Summit at Infineon Raceway” (by Leslie Guevarra) 25 August 2011

Read more...

Let's Make Waves for SpongeBob SquarePants

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] ALSO POSTED BY: Huffington Post 17 August 2011   The recent squall over SpongeBob SquarePants and his book about global climate change appears to have died down now. That’s a pity. Sometimes, it’s in the public interest to turn a squall into a hurricane… Here’s the backstory, in case you missed it. Last month, the U.S. Department of Education sponsored an event to encourage kids to read books. One of the books at the event featured...

Read more...

The Solar Soldier is No Fad

[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”] ALSO POSTED BY: Huffington Post 8 August 2011 We in the United States are very familiar with energy wars. Our long-time national energy strategy, as former U.S. Sen. Gary Hart points out, is to send our children off to kill and be killed in foreign lands to protect our access to oil.   We may be witnessing the beginning of the end of that tragic policy. Welcome to the age of the Solar Soldier, where a photovoltaic...

Read more...