Welcome to the September 2009 Green InSight eNewsletter!

Jon Dougal Editor, Green InSight

To paraphrase A. Einstein
"You can't solve the problem using the same technology that created the problem". In this issue we look at some technologies and thinking about the future of societies and communities.

This insightful and progressive newsletter is concerned with present energy issues and technologies as well as the future of energy. The information is brought to you in living color, on widescreen digital HD format, and sparing paper use with our long shelf-life, greedy little electrons to deliver the latest from the far corners of the alternative and renewable energy empire to foster sustainable development. We exalt your feedback and contributions of your latest experiences and reactions to our content. Sustainability is not just our mission, it is our passion.

Making Suburbia More Livable

By: Glenn Ruffenach
Date: September 19, 2009
Source: The Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com)

Ednote: This issue of Green Insight is largely dedicated to the new look of a green-tech society. Incumbent are “green collar Jobs”, energy efficiency, a smart grid and all its enhancements. We could also include new urbanist concepts like narrower streets to slow down traffic, sidewalks and stoops so that people walk and talk their communities, live work studios, and retail, cleaning, childcare, transportation hubs where an infrastructure eliminates parking, and encourages bicycle commutes.

An article published in The Wall Street Journal helps to define the duality that cities and communities face in the near future. Declining tax revenues, new freeways and transportation corridors are changing the landscape in both urbia and suburbia.

How will we cope? What will our children inherit as their virtual “town square”? What influence with the big oil, and utilities exert over our independence?

Read the full article ►

A Peek Into the Future

By David Colker
Date: September 6, 2009
Source: FOX 59 (www.fox59.com)

Ednote: 1984 passed us by without a whimper. George Orwell’s futuristic view of society being observed by “Big Brother” sorta never happened, or was “Big Brother” just late to the dinner table.

The smart grid or green grid that’s on the horizon has some very progressive facets that are important to the society’s future, and also a big brother aspect as well. Once all those little controllers (read below) are connected to your appliances, hot water heater, your pool pump and your air conditioning, guess what? BUT- You’re not in control anymore. The utility can turn off those comfort appliances as energy demand climbs.

Read the full article ►

What Is A Smart Grid?

By: Adam Stein
Date: January 30, 2009
Source: WORLDCHANGING (www.worldchanging.com)

Ednote: Allied with the previous article “Smart Grid and Future Technology” is the question of what exactly is a “Smart Grid”? Since our national grids are sadly in need of smartness, expansion and upgrades it might be worth a discussion so we are all informed. Informed voters/rate payors make better decisions. The future of alternative energy distribution is very connected to available capacity in cross-country transmission lines as well. Note the recent failure of T. Boone Pickens dreams of mega-wind power farms. The smart grid could also offer WiFi and broad band allowing the poor not only access to the internet for job searches, but local cell-phone charging stations from street light uprights.

Read the report ►

Community Colleges and the New Green Economy: Summit to Help Meet the Challenge

Source: Green Technology (www.green-technology.org)

Millions of workers will be needed in the coming years as innovations in renewable energy, energy efficiency and other green technologies come online. Accounting for 79 percent of higher education enrollment in the state, and on the front lines of workforce development, community colleges are key to building the new green economy. They are also becoming test beds for the implementation of new technologies in green building, energy efficiency and on-site power generation.

Read the full article ►

Free parking Isn't Free

By: Seth Zeren
Date: August 9, 2008
Source: WORLDCHANGING (www.worldchanging.com)

Ednote: How much fuel is wasted while you circle and circle around looking for a parking space. Even in a parking garage do you go directly to the top floor where all the available spaces are? Not usually, I’ll bet. What about the inherent air emissions caused by this wasting of fuel? There is a new technology being implemented in many cities that allows the user to pay the parking meter with a cell phone. Additionally, you can pay the meter with you cell phone from the meeting or restaurant venue without leaving. And how about this – your cell phone or GPS unit will interact with the wifi powered parking meter to alert you of an open space nearest to where your appointment is.

This article points to the fact that we have wasted prime development (infill) space on building permit induced parking spaces. Our perception is that these parking spaces could be made more valuable as energy generating spaces from solar arrays placed over the parking spaces, and could in-turn return valuable income from that generation, instead of just heating up car’s interiors which produce another source of air emissions from all that frying plastic. Many co-housing developments are designing their vehicle storage off-site or juxtaposed but not integral.

This article is must reading for planners. We should be ready to rebuild after a Katrina-like event that gives us an opportunity to build the ideal spaces.

Read the full article ►

Bicycle Parking Pod with Lockers and Solar Showers

Date: July 6, 2009
Source: www.springwise.com

Numerous bicycle stations have appeared on our pages before, including Cycle Center in Chicago, Bikestation in California, Bike Central in New Zealand and Cycle2City in Australia. Adding to Australia's bike station innovation comes the Green Pod, a modular facility from Brisbane's Penny Farthings Pushbikes.

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10 Inconvenient Truths from the World's Biggest O&G Conference

By: Chris Nelder
Date: May 7, 2009
Source: Energy & Capital (www.energyandcapital.com)

Ednote: So auto fuel is now affordable – especially after that $4.00+/gal episode the summer 2008. Now anything around $3.00 is cheap. It’s all relative to our present day thinking. Future thinking is different. Here below we have a good inside look at the dichotomous views of the two camps – petroleum and clean-tech, and why the twain shall never meet. All the facts and nothing, but the facts. Highlights courtesy of your editor.

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A Shift in the Wind ... Freedom Based Management

A Revolution in "Life at Work"

Source: Gregory Neil Associates (www.gregoryneilassociates.com)

Thomas Kuhn wrote on Paradigmatic Change from his research on the history of science, which applies as well to the domain of business. Before Kuhn's work, the prevailing view of knowledge building in science was that it was a linear process centered on the so-called "scientific method." Kuhn found that knowledge building in science was actually a process that was marked by occasional great lurches forward or what he called scientific revolutions. In fact, most science took place within the context of a broad, tacit, explanatory framework that he called a "paradigm." Scientists take great pains to defend the assumption that they know what the world is like...To this end, "normal science" (the current prevailing view) will often suppress novelties which undermine its foundations. Research is therefore not about discovering the unknown, but rather "a strenuous and devoted attempt to force nature into the conceptual boxes supplied by professional education." The Aristotelian system that theorized that the sun revolved around the earth is an example of a such a paradigm.

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Interested in sponsoring our next eNewsletter issue? Contact Jon Dougal at (415) 798-1933 or editor@greenmotion.org.