TreeHugger Job!
Written on 11/27 at 10:08 PM by Andy Posner
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From now on, not only will my writing be available for everyone's enjoyment on the greatest website on the internet (andyposner.org) it will also be available on the 15th most popular website on technorati (http://www.treehugger.com). Yes, that's right, I'm now a Cars and Transportation writer for treehugger! I get paid between $16 and $20 per post, plus I get bonuses depending on how popular my post is. I will be posting on Mondays, Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. My first post can be read athttp://www.treehugger.com/files/2007/11/honda_unveils_fuelcellcar.phpBe sure to "digg" my posts: that's how I make more money! The cool thing about the job is that it forces me to become more economical in terms of my use of words. The posts aren't long (generally 200-500 words) and they obviously have to get people's attention. Beyond that, I have to learn more about the latest trends in transportation.Of course, the only downside, aside from the fact that I will have to be spending about an hour to an hour and a half per post, is that I have to personally approve all the comments, and so far I have gotten about 5 in the first hour since my post was posted! Oh well, I'm pretty excited about the job. If nothing else, it seems like a great way to network, get my name out there, and add something to my CV.So, check out my writing on treehugger, but don't let that interfere with your obsession with my website. After all, mine is the greatest website on the internet!
My Body Is A Paradox
Written on 11/26 at 10:09 PM by Andy Posner
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At first glance, my body seems to be a paradox: I have a very strong immune system, yet I get sick all the time. What can explain this most intractable of problems? Well, it turns out that my frequent bouts of illness are not related to germs, viruses or infections and, therefore, have nothing to do with the strength or weakness of my immune system. I get sick because I get overly excited. It's that simple. Nearly every time a cascade of ideas, plans and projects washes over me, my body shuts down and starts to ache; my head begins to throb; my eyes get dry and scratchy; and my throat gets sore. It's gotten to the point that I can predict when it will happen-and still be powerless to stop it. The onset of these symptoms wouldn't be so bad-and they aren't that bad, since, as they aren't symptoms of a real cold, they go away much more quickly-if it weren't for the fact that they are part of a larger cycle that goes from idea to excitement to sickness to exhaustion to disappointment. But let me back up for a moment. I should mention that the underlying cause of this cycle is that I demand greatness of myself and, if i feel I am not achieving it, I push myself beyond my limits. I do so for the simple reason that ever since I "discovered" the idealism of the Romantics when I was 16, I have heard people tell me that idealism is but a phase of my life that I would grow out of. I understood even then that it's not that the ideals are bad, but rather that most people choose not to live up to them.
Case Study: Debs Park, California
Written on 11/21 at 10:11 PM by Andy Posner
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Note: I wrote this paper for a class at Brown called Sustainability in the Built Environment The Audubon Society has plans to build "hundreds of urban nature centers. . .by the year 2020" with the aim of "bring[ing] nature to those inner-city children with few opportunities to leave the city. . ."1 Thus when it came time to build the first of these centers at Debs Park, located 10 minutes from downtown Los Angeles, the Society wanted something that would capture its ideals and values and create a model for future development. In order to do so, the design team started with the objective of creating a building "that complemented the landscape, blend[ed] into the environment" and focused the visitor's attention on the nature trails, courtyard and Children's Garden. Yet while sustainability was a high priority from the start, the decision to seek LEED Platinum status wasn't made until a donor made a contribution specifically for that purpose. Ironically, the donation freed the designers to pursue an entirely off the grid, or building, by forcing them to meet LEED's stringent criteria. The Center's unique geographical location enabled it to be in a natural setting while remaining close enough to urban centers to be relevant and accessible to large groups of people. This is because the 17 acre site, situated in the 282-acre Debs park, is only .25 miles from a freeway, half a mile from a light rail station, and within walking distance of 30,000 school children. At the same time, however, the center is sufficiently isolated from electricity, natural gas and sewer lines (1/4 mile) to justify generating all of its energy, as well as treating all of its wastewater, onsite, without adding significantly to the cost of the project. Indeed, the final cost was only 5-7% higher than that of a conventional project, despite the fact that the Center boasts, among other things, a 23 KW PV array, a 269 DC KwH battery bank, the first "completely solar-cooled [HVAC] system in Southern California," two solar water heaters, and extensive wastewater treatment systems.
Passion
Written on 11/21 at 10:10 PM by Andy Posner
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I cannot sleep. Or rather I choose not to because I prefer to pursue the course of thoughts pulsing through my mind. Today is thanksgiving, a holiday, and one would suppose that I would "take the day off." But I no longer know what that means. Being in a position where I am able to let my mind roam freely, yet know that that roaming will lead to a thesis, a job, a career path, means that I can dream audacious dreams made all the more powerful by the realization that I can truly make them come true. Every time I come up with a new idea more audacious than the last my first reaction is "hold it there. Let's not get ahead ourselves." But then something amazing happens: I read an article or a book, or a meet with a professor, and I come to understand that rather than holding myself back, I should be thinking even bigger.
A New Mantra
Written on 11/20 at 10:16 PM by Andy Posner
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A New Mantra For a long time now one of the defining mantras of the environmental movement has been "Reduce. Reuse. Recycle." It's the kind of simple message--wrapped in alliteration--that makes for fantastic bumper sticker reading. Unfortunately, it's also the kind of message that utterly fails to inspire anything other than guilt and limitations, a fact clearly demonstrated by unabashedly rising rates of consumption in the U.S. and around the world despite decades of pleas for consumer self-abnegation. And regardless of what one thinks of our American bumper sticker culture, the fact remains that the "Three R's" of environmentalism are representative of a much broader message: that in order to reconcile humans with nature, humans must restrict themselves while engaging in several select token activities, such as recycling, changing light bulbs, or buying hybrid cars. Yet these activities are just that: token. They can not begin to scratch the surface of global climate, poverty, water, waste, toxic materials, health and deforestation issues. All this is not to say that we should not do what we can in our personal lives to affect change; rather, it means that we need a new, inspiring message, one that presents global problems as opportunities, galvanizes people to action, and unleashes human potential and creativity. Oh, and it just so happens that the new message is simple, wrapped in alliteration, and fits on a bumper sticker too: Invent. Invest. Implement.
- Meet My New Folding Bike! (Poetry & Musings)
- Green Microfinance: Advancing Social Equality and Environmental Sustainability in the United States (Ideas)
- Photos of Some Upgrades to My Bikes! (Poetry & Musings)
- Executive Summary of the Capital Good Fund Business Plan (Ideas)
- Photos of My Cervelo Race Bike! (Poetry & Musings)
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…