Is Climate Change a Moral Issue?
Written on 09/22 at 10:38 PM by Andy Posner
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environment
philosophy
". . .every American who understands the full threat of global warming has a moral obligation to make as many personal changes as possible right now."–Mike Tidwell, in an essay entitled "Forget the Light Bulbs"Al Gore has not only helped bring the issue of climate change into our political discourse, he has also shaped and framed the discussion in terms of a moral issue. In a country obsessed with family values and strong morals, that is perhaps an effective way of getting the attention of, for lack of a better term, "the religious right." However, by making environmentalism, and therefore environmentalists, bearers of moral propriety, he has created a situation in which the lay public views the green movement as sanctimonious.
Britain Claims it Can Be Carbon Neutral By 2027
Written on 07/30 at 10:46 PM by Andy Posner 0 comments
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environment
By cutting Britain's energy consumption in half and producing the rest of its energy from renewable sources, the center for alternative technology has come up with a plan it says will make Britain carbon neutral by 2027. They have written a 114 page report detailing their plan that can be downloaded here.
What About The Mercury in Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs?
Written on 07/23 at 10:47 PM by Andy Posner 0 comments
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environment
Compared to incandescent light bulbs, compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs offer tremendous energy savings. It used to be that the only complaint with CFL's was that the quality of the light was poor and difficult on the eyes, and some people found it annoying that they buzzed. Well, I can attest to the fact that those problems have been solved, as the CFL's that I just purchased put out excellent-quality light and are extremely quiet as well. There is, however, one more issue with these bulbs: they contain tiny amounts of mercury.
Ethanol Could Leave the World Hungry
Written on 07/13 at 10:48 PM by Andy Posner 0 comments
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environment
Many people, especially the auto companies and politicians in Washington, are excited about Ethanol and its purported ability to wean us from foreign oil, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and support the American economy. Numerous bills have been passed subsidizing the production of Ethanol, to the point that farmers can now make more money growing Ethanol for fuel than for food. This, argues Lester Brown, could spell disaster for the "two billion poorest people in the world who simply want to survive." The article does a fantastic job of showing the problems with Ethanol and then demonstrating several cheaper and more effective alternatives. This article was written in August of 2006 and appeared in Fortune Magazine.
Live Earth: What is it Really Going to Accomplish?
Written on 07/06 at 10:51 PM by Andy Posner 0 comments
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environment
Concerts were held all over the world today, ostensibly to raise awareness about global warming, and apparently to get people to pledge to making small, simple changes in their lives that require little effort, such as putting in energy-efficient light bulbs and drinking tap, rather than bottled, water. The concert is also, according to liveearth.org, "asking people to support a 90% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050 and a comprehensive international treaty on global warming by 2009." While that sounds great, as best I can tell, the concerts haven't done a good job of highlighting the drastic steps that need to be taken to solve the problem, as well as the economic and social opportunities that this creates for us. The problem with having pop stars push a serious issue is that they tend to be uninformed and more likely to be interested in partying than lobbying for change. The counter argument, of course, is that their wide appeal is useful for reaching a lot of people, and I would agree, but even the hosts of the concerts seemed to be eager to turn global warming into a hip, shallow problem.
Welcome. I call this the ideas blog. That’s because this is where I explore new ideas, discuss new inventions, and chronicle how they are being implemented in the real world. I call these the three I’s: Invest. Invest. Implement. Here I will look at everything that’s going on in the world of information technology, open-source software, renewable energy, energy efficiency, micro-credit/poverty alleviation, social justice, politics and literature. If that sounds overly broad, keep in mind that many of the world’s most intractable issues--poverty, hunger, injustice, environmental degradation--are profoundly intertwined. Solving them requires big ideas, and that’s what this blog is all about.
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Green Microfinance: Advancing Social Equality and Environmental Sustainability in the United States
Click here to download a PDF of my complete thesis. Questions and comments are much appreciated!
My masters thesis in Environmental Studies at Brown University looks at how microfinance--the provision of small…
A Solution to the Limited Success of Micro-Credit in the United States?
Micro-credit has undoubtedly been a runaway success in developing countries as a tool of both poverty alleviation and economic development. To date, some 100 million people have been reached by micro-loans, and Muhammad Yunus, the founder of the Grameen Bank…
Tonight, the Oneness of Things
It is late and my mind should be drifting through the colorful abyss of deep sleep, yet instead i find that tonight sleep will not come. I am like a hungry flower who dreams of bees so ardently that all…