Now, it's not often that I write specifically about the things that are currently happening in my life (while I am often inspired by them), but I'm going to go against that with Green Tip #108. Those of you that know me personally know that I am engaged to be married in the next few years. I was speaking with my future in-laws recently and they were asking me if my fiancee was going to keep her name or take mine. Like I do whenever I am asked any question, I thought to myself, "What Would Al Gore Do?" In other words, which would be more environmentally friendly? And the answer is that she should take my name.
Why is that more Green, you ask? Her last name is nine letters long whereas mine is only four. Take a moment and think of all the times that you sign or write your name in a given day. Even if my fiancee only writes her name once a day on average, that could add up to 21,900 times for the rest of her life. Times a difference of five letters, and she'll be saving 109,500 letters worth of ink. I certainly don't know how much ink that adds up to, but I know it's pretty significant. And that doesn't even take into account the amount of printer ink that is used on everything form marriage certificates to job applications.
Alright! We saved a pretty good amount of ink. Case closed, right? Wrong. Let's take it one more step. Let's start a practice of when people get married, the spouse with the longer name should give it up. Yes, guys, I know it's difficult to think that many of us will have to give up our family names and take our wives, but I think it's time we embrace this change not only for the environment, but also to help with gender relations.
I know that this will eventually tend to favor naturally short last named cultures such as the Chinese (Li, Wu, Hu, etc.) and be biased against cultures with long names such as the Polish (Wojciechowski, Kwiatkowski, etc) and the Georgians (Kvaratskhelia, etc.), but surname eradication is a small price to pay to avoid biological eradication due to Climate Change.
Oh, one other thing. If your last names are the same length, pleeeease don't do the hyphenated thing because you can't choose between the two. That's the opposite of what Green Tip #108 is about. So I had better not ever meet a half Polish, half Georgian child some day with the last name Wojciechowski-Kvaratskhelia.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Green Tip #107: Be a Scrooge
Ah, yes. Don't you just love this time of year?? I hope that everyone has had a wonderful holiday season enjoying the company of friends, family and robot clones you created to replace your family. But now the time has come to take down the organic mistletoe, convert the Christmas tree growing in your living room back into a President's Day tree, and begin heading back to work. But before we do that, we need to look back at this holiday season and see what we've learned.
Christmas is notable for its characters that can inspire us and motivate us to become better people. Think of how the Grinch realizes the true meaning of Christmas and his heart grows three sizes (ow, by the way). Or Linus from Peanuts giving a rousing speech that gives everyone hope and teaches all of his friends a thing or two about interior design so they can resurrect the seemingly hopeless Christmas tree. Or Clark Griswald suffering through an unbearable Christmas Vacation to teach everyone the value of purchasing robot clones of your family so you don't have to deal with your real family.
But one character is often overlooked for the message he is able to teach to everyone. And that man is Ebeneezer Scrooge. Yes, I know, people know very well the message he learns. Some stuff about not being a jerk or liking Christmas or helping handicap kids or something. I don't actually remember.
But no, I'm not talking about what Scrooge learns at the end of the story. I'm talking about the way he acts at the beginning. His carbon footprint is insanely small!! Scrooge's story (which was first published in 1843, 130-ish years before the environmental movement of the 1970's) was so far ahead of its time! One example of a way Scrooge was able to cut his energy use is by walking to work each day. Yes, I know cars didn't exist back then, but walking is still better for the environment than taking a horse and carriage. And he also refuses to refill the coal furnace at his offices. He wasn't doing it to be cheap, he knew how many GHG's he'd be putting in the air from a coal furnace. And finally, Mr. Dickens tells us that Scrooge uses only a single candle to light his house as opposed to wasting lamp fuel to light his whole chambers. Hm... sounds familiar... maybe like Green Tip #7???
Well, there you have it. When I thought I was being really imaginative when I came up with that Green Tip, Scrooge was already doing it 166 years earlier. So I think the Christmas message is clear. Environmental stewardship doesn't have to be taught by fancy things like Ivy League Sustainability Business Management Masters Degree Programs or overly educated bloggers who think they are wittier than they really are. Sometimes you can learn what's truly important from a stingy banker from 1840's London.
Christmas is notable for its characters that can inspire us and motivate us to become better people. Think of how the Grinch realizes the true meaning of Christmas and his heart grows three sizes (ow, by the way). Or Linus from Peanuts giving a rousing speech that gives everyone hope and teaches all of his friends a thing or two about interior design so they can resurrect the seemingly hopeless Christmas tree. Or Clark Griswald suffering through an unbearable Christmas Vacation to teach everyone the value of purchasing robot clones of your family so you don't have to deal with your real family.
But one character is often overlooked for the message he is able to teach to everyone. And that man is Ebeneezer Scrooge. Yes, I know, people know very well the message he learns. Some stuff about not being a jerk or liking Christmas or helping handicap kids or something. I don't actually remember.
But no, I'm not talking about what Scrooge learns at the end of the story. I'm talking about the way he acts at the beginning. His carbon footprint is insanely small!! Scrooge's story (which was first published in 1843, 130-ish years before the environmental movement of the 1970's) was so far ahead of its time! One example of a way Scrooge was able to cut his energy use is by walking to work each day. Yes, I know cars didn't exist back then, but walking is still better for the environment than taking a horse and carriage. And he also refuses to refill the coal furnace at his offices. He wasn't doing it to be cheap, he knew how many GHG's he'd be putting in the air from a coal furnace. And finally, Mr. Dickens tells us that Scrooge uses only a single candle to light his house as opposed to wasting lamp fuel to light his whole chambers. Hm... sounds familiar... maybe like Green Tip #7???
Well, there you have it. When I thought I was being really imaginative when I came up with that Green Tip, Scrooge was already doing it 166 years earlier. So I think the Christmas message is clear. Environmental stewardship doesn't have to be taught by fancy things like Ivy League Sustainability Business Management Masters Degree Programs or overly educated bloggers who think they are wittier than they really are. Sometimes you can learn what's truly important from a stingy banker from 1840's London.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Green Tip #106: Green Recipe #1 - Eco-Friendly Beer Boiled Shrimp
So, there have been countless cookbooks that have gone into great detail about how to cook more eco-friendly, but it's my opinion that they haven't gone far enough to protect the environment. Here's the first of many recipes that I feel are as good for the environment as you can possibly be when cooking:
Eco-Friendly Boiled Shrimp
Ingredients:
1 pound of butter*
1 large onion, chopped**
1 tablespoon salt***
5 lbs large shrimp****
3 bottles (12 oz) beer*****
A large pile of dry wood
*In order to make butter eco-friendly, first find a free-range cow and milk it. Then, take the milk and churn it in order to produce organic butter (Note: befriend an Amish for best butter churning techniques)
**Onion should be grown in your own personal garden using no pesticides or fertilizers. You can never trust food companies and grocery stores when they say an onion is organic, so it's best to do it yourself. Allow several weeks for onion to grow to maturity.
***Salt should be organic, free-range salt. Don't question me! Just get some!
****Shrimp should be gathered by hand (or organically made net) from the nearest Gulf or Ocean. After walking (to save on carbon emissions) to the nearest salt water body of water and shrimp are fished, be sure to remove all bits of plastic that have been entangled in the net (from the Great Pacific or Atlantic Garbage Patches). Shrimp should be humanely put to sleep using jagged local rocks. Any other method is not environmentally friendly enough.
*****Beer should be personally brewed from only the most organic methods possible. For best results, please use the recipe and methods used by 6000 BC Ancient Iraqis. Any recipes more modern than that have surely been tainted by Big Alcohol and do not meet the Green standards of this recipe.
First, place the beer and the salt into a large eco-friendly kettle. Begin the process of rubbing wood together to start a fire. After several hundred tries and many splinters later, give up and walk to the nearest Red Lobster. Order from the menu and enjoy! Don't forget to tip your waiter or waitress!
Now I know what you're thinking... Is it really eco-friendly if I order from Red Lobster? Aren't they a large company that doesn't care about the environment and in fact is part of a global conspiracy to overfish the seas in order to destabilize fishing-based economies such as Japan and Norway as part of a plan to create a New World Order?
Maybe, but you're walking to Red Lobster, so you're cutting back on the amount of gas you're using! Way to be Green!
Eco-Friendly Boiled Shrimp
Ingredients:
1 pound of butter*
1 large onion, chopped**
1 tablespoon salt***
5 lbs large shrimp****
3 bottles (12 oz) beer*****
A large pile of dry wood
*In order to make butter eco-friendly, first find a free-range cow and milk it. Then, take the milk and churn it in order to produce organic butter (Note: befriend an Amish for best butter churning techniques)
**Onion should be grown in your own personal garden using no pesticides or fertilizers. You can never trust food companies and grocery stores when they say an onion is organic, so it's best to do it yourself. Allow several weeks for onion to grow to maturity.
***Salt should be organic, free-range salt. Don't question me! Just get some!
****Shrimp should be gathered by hand (or organically made net) from the nearest Gulf or Ocean. After walking (to save on carbon emissions) to the nearest salt water body of water and shrimp are fished, be sure to remove all bits of plastic that have been entangled in the net (from the Great Pacific or Atlantic Garbage Patches). Shrimp should be humanely put to sleep using jagged local rocks. Any other method is not environmentally friendly enough.
*****Beer should be personally brewed from only the most organic methods possible. For best results, please use the recipe and methods used by 6000 BC Ancient Iraqis. Any recipes more modern than that have surely been tainted by Big Alcohol and do not meet the Green standards of this recipe.
First, place the beer and the salt into a large eco-friendly kettle. Begin the process of rubbing wood together to start a fire. After several hundred tries and many splinters later, give up and walk to the nearest Red Lobster. Order from the menu and enjoy! Don't forget to tip your waiter or waitress!
Now I know what you're thinking... Is it really eco-friendly if I order from Red Lobster? Aren't they a large company that doesn't care about the environment and in fact is part of a global conspiracy to overfish the seas in order to destabilize fishing-based economies such as Japan and Norway as part of a plan to create a New World Order?
Maybe, but you're walking to Red Lobster, so you're cutting back on the amount of gas you're using! Way to be Green!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Green Tip #105: Don't Live By Example
Ladies and gentlemen, those of you that know me personally will know that I lived in California for almost a week several months ago and have made plans to travel back there in December. While I have tried to keep this dark secret out of the public, I cannot bear the shame of violating Green Tip #17 any longer. I have prepared an apology.
"First, please let me apologize to my family, friends, co-workers and fellow bloggers for the cloud placed over satirical Green blogs. I did nothing wrong while on the West Coast. I regret my decision to plead guilty and the sadness that decision has brought to my girlfriend, family, friends, and fellow bloggers. For that I apologize.
In September, I overreacted and made a poor decision. While I was not involved in any inappropriate conduct at the Burbank airport or anywhere else, I chose to only use public transportation that week in the hope of making it [California's pollution] go away. I did not seek any counsel, either from an attorney, self-proclaimed California liberal eco-hippie, friends, or family. That was a mistake, and I deeply regret it. Because of that, I have now come forth and I am asking my readers to review this matter and to advise me on how to proceed.
Still, without a shred of truth or evidence to the contrary, the memory of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch has engaged in this witch hunt. In pleading guilty to not recycling that week, I overreacted in California, because of the stress of the polluted air and the rumors it has fueled around the blogosphere (ugh, I hate that word). Again, that overreaction was a mistake, and I apologize for my misjudgment. Furthermore, I should not have kept this travel to myself, and should have told my family and friends about it. I wasn't eager to share this failure, but I should have done so anyway.
I love my fiance, family, friends, readers and the environment. I love serving the Internet in this blog. Over the years, I have accomplished a lot for the environment, and I hope my readers will allow me to continue to do that. There are still goals I would like to accomplish, and I believe I can still be an effective leader for eco-hippies everywhere. Next month, I will announce, as planned, whether or not I will recycle when I am in California.
As an elected [by Blogger.com and myself] blogger, I fully realize that my life is open for public criticism and scrutiny, and I take full responsibility for the mistake in judgment I made in attempting to handle this matter myself.
It is clear, though, that through my actions I have brought a cloud [of smog] over California. For that, I ask the readers of this blog for their forgiveness.
As I mentioned earlier, I have now retained counsel to examine this matter and I will make no further comment."
Okay, one further comment. The framework for the apology was provided by a former Senator from Idaho named Larry Craig. For a better appreciation of the paragraphs above, see this article here. Oh, and me stealing this speech is a good example of how to live out Green Tip #10.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Green Tip #104: No More Automated Sinks
Wow, I really do like doing Green Tips about bathrooms, don't I? Well, this is one of the rare ones that doesn't have anything to do with water conservation. Yup, this one is about saving natural gas or electricity.
This is the point where you say "HUH?" I mean, who even uses natural gas in the bathroom? Unless you're super rich and have a fireplace in the bathroom. Man, that would be awesome... Because if you've got a fireplace in your toilet, it would follow that you would have some fancy leather high-backed chairs in there too so you can sit in front of your fireplace. And what's the point of fancy leather high-backed chairs if you don't have a bar fully stocked with expensive scotch and brandy and a humidor with nothing but the finest imported Cuban cigars. And why sit around in such opulence unless you had priceless leather-bound books to look at and not ever read because you never want to ruin the ancient bindings?
So, if all this is in your bathroom, you'd want to make sure your hands are clean after you do your business. So you should always wash your hands (even if you don't have a study in your bathroom) but should you use hot or cold water? I say choose cold because then you can avoid using the natural gas or electricity that's used to heat the hot water. I know, I know, some people say that cold water doesn't kill germs, but some people also say that the world is going to end in 2012 and we all know that's not true (Global Warming will roast the entire planet next summer).
But what do you do if there's those automatic hands-free sinks? You can only get mildly warm water out of those and you don't get to choose the temperature. So Green Tip #104 is this: Don't Use Automatic Sinks. If you need to, carry around a bag of room temperature water in your pocket. The pocket of your cashmere robe, of course...
This is the point where you say "HUH?" I mean, who even uses natural gas in the bathroom? Unless you're super rich and have a fireplace in the bathroom. Man, that would be awesome... Because if you've got a fireplace in your toilet, it would follow that you would have some fancy leather high-backed chairs in there too so you can sit in front of your fireplace. And what's the point of fancy leather high-backed chairs if you don't have a bar fully stocked with expensive scotch and brandy and a humidor with nothing but the finest imported Cuban cigars. And why sit around in such opulence unless you had priceless leather-bound books to look at and not ever read because you never want to ruin the ancient bindings?
So, if all this is in your bathroom, you'd want to make sure your hands are clean after you do your business. So you should always wash your hands (even if you don't have a study in your bathroom) but should you use hot or cold water? I say choose cold because then you can avoid using the natural gas or electricity that's used to heat the hot water. I know, I know, some people say that cold water doesn't kill germs, but some people also say that the world is going to end in 2012 and we all know that's not true (Global Warming will roast the entire planet next summer).
But what do you do if there's those automatic hands-free sinks? You can only get mildly warm water out of those and you don't get to choose the temperature. So Green Tip #104 is this: Don't Use Automatic Sinks. If you need to, carry around a bag of room temperature water in your pocket. The pocket of your cashmere robe, of course...
Monday, October 11, 2010
Green Tip #103: Cool It Down
Oftentimes in The Impractical Green Resource, I don't just present the obvious facts and let you walk away with Green Tips that don't do you any good because they're really obvious. So keep that in mind when I give you Green Tip #103. It's going to start off really obvious, but if you stick it out, you'll see where I'm going with it and understand the value in my pearls of wisdom (harvested from only free range, organic oysters that have no rBGH injected in them).
So Green Tip #103 is to Stop Drinking Warm Drinks. "Well, duh!" people with little short term memory might think that have forgotten the last paragraph. "You'll save energy by not using the microwave or the stove or the cigarette lighter from your car as you cower, trapped inside by an angry swarm of bees that are after your tea with honey in it."
Well, Mr. Short Term Memory Loss But Compensating For It With Your Overactive Imagination, sit tight for a minute and keep reading. Like an onion (organically grown with no synthetic fertilizers on a farm that practices sustainable farming) or a parfait or an ogre, this Green Tip has layers. Yes, you will save energy. But you will also reduce carbon emissions.
I mentioned this a long time ago when I referenced how you shouldn't exercise, but I want you to stop breathing. Every breath you take sucks more oxygen out of the atmosphere and spits out more carbon dioxide. So every time you blow on your hot soup to cool it down, you're contributing to Global Warming. Shame on you...
So go drink that room temperature tea! (Iced Tea is bad because your fridge uses electricity to make ice) Because when your mutated, sterile grandkids ask you why your generation didn't do more to stop Global Warming from causing WWIII and wiping out 95% of the population in nuclear Armageddon, you can always say that you did your part by not drinking warm coffee.
So Green Tip #103 is to Stop Drinking Warm Drinks. "Well, duh!" people with little short term memory might think that have forgotten the last paragraph. "You'll save energy by not using the microwave or the stove or the cigarette lighter from your car as you cower, trapped inside by an angry swarm of bees that are after your tea with honey in it."
Well, Mr. Short Term Memory Loss But Compensating For It With Your Overactive Imagination, sit tight for a minute and keep reading. Like an onion (organically grown with no synthetic fertilizers on a farm that practices sustainable farming) or a parfait or an ogre, this Green Tip has layers. Yes, you will save energy. But you will also reduce carbon emissions.
I mentioned this a long time ago when I referenced how you shouldn't exercise, but I want you to stop breathing. Every breath you take sucks more oxygen out of the atmosphere and spits out more carbon dioxide. So every time you blow on your hot soup to cool it down, you're contributing to Global Warming. Shame on you...
So go drink that room temperature tea! (Iced Tea is bad because your fridge uses electricity to make ice) Because when your mutated, sterile grandkids ask you why your generation didn't do more to stop Global Warming from causing WWIII and wiping out 95% of the population in nuclear Armageddon, you can always say that you did your part by not drinking warm coffee.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Green Tip #102: Trough
I have to admit, I'm a little bit ashamed that I never mentioned this before. I mean, come on... what's the one subject I talk about more than anything else? The bathroom, of course. I've had countless (by countless I mean I don't feel like counting, not I'm unable to count) Green Tips focused on how to reduce the amount of water you use in the washroom. But how has the topic of troughs never come up in any of my posts??? It's the ultimate water saving technique!
For those of you not aware of the monstrosities that are known as troughs (I've known women that thought we were joking when my friends and I were discussing them), they are these big metal or ceramic buckets that run the length of men's bathrooms, usually in sports arenas. There's a drain at one end, so everything flows to one side without using water.
Basically, these are around because they're easier to manage and handle lots of guys. It also means that there's no privacy and they're super awkward to use. But... Ugh... I have to endorse using them because they save water... *sigh* Sometimes you've got to make sacrifices to save the planet.
I also propose that someone make a female trough. Not just to save water, but also to bring the genders closer together. Because I think that women everywhere will have much more empathy for their male companions when they know what men have been going through for all these years.
You're welcome, world.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Green Tip #101: Let it Rain
Alright! The moment you've been waiting months for! After all this time, the final results of the Tournament are here! I know that you've all been reading intently over these past few weeks as I posted daily matchups, some of which went on for over 10 pages. I'm amazed that you would stick it out so faithfully and now you're here to find out the final results.
But before I reveal the big winner, I want to remember some of the best matches. Remember last Tuesday when-
Hey, wait... What's that orange button that says "Publish Post" at the bottom of my page supposed to mean? Oh.... wait, I think that I've been writing hundreds of pages of Tournament matches and not publishing any of them... Sorry about that...
Haha, no, I'm just kidding. I haven't been writing any posts because my heart has not been in it. Let's face it, the Tournament was probably a bad idea. It wasn't as funny and witty as the Green Tips that you've come to expect. So I'm starting over. I'm going to be less structured, more entertaining. I don't think I'm going to get on a fixed schedule yet, but we'll see once I get back on track.
Green Tip #101. I almost thought you'd never come. I actually thought of you before I even posted Green Tip #100, but I never got a chance to bring you to life.
A lot of hippies will tell you to not use your shower and instead take soap and shampoo (not much if your hair is short) outside when it rains and this can be used to cut down on your water consumption. I would also recommend that you do this, but not because it will save water.
No, I want you to shower in the rain so every time you try to clean yourself and you feel that distinct burning feeling all over your skin, you will remember how painful acid rain is and how bad it is for the environment. Every burning rash that develops will serve as a reminder to write your politician and tell them to do something about acid rain. And if you are a politician, remember that you can try this new showering practice, just remember not to strip naked in public places. After all, that's over 75% of political scandals start...
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Tournament Round 3, Match 2 - (1) Bikes vs. (3) Hybrid Vehicles
Again, sorry for the delay. Hopefully things will get back on track now, at least until the end of the tournament.
Bikes
Positive News Stories (20 out of 30)
Hm! I'm really surprised at what I found when I started searching for 'bike' in the news search. There are actually some pretty interesting things going on with bikes. While many of these news stories are really nothing groundbreaking, the fact that they continue to make headlines shows that there is continued interest in biking, at least in the US.
I read stories about bike taxi companies, stories about teaching kids with developmental disabilities how to ride bikes, stories about bike cops, and stories about bike summits. All in all, I'd say people are pretty interested in biking still and I don't see this as a trend that will be ending any time soon.
Negative News Stories (-3 out of -30)
I really can't say much bad about biking. I searched and I searched, but the worst stories I could find were about people stealing bikes. I did, however read an article about the same biking summit that I mentioned in the previous paragraph, except this story was told from a negative point of view. Check it out here. It's pretty interesting to see the other side of the same story. Regardless, I couldn't find too many people that were all that upset with bikes or any negative environmental consequences of the increased use of bikes in this country.
User Comments (4 out of 20)
Bikes. Word. In that I mean that 'Bikes' is a single word.
Tomorrow we'll continue to explore the world of Hybrid Vehicles. Can another #1 seed be knocked out by an underdog?? We shall see...
Bikes
Positive News Stories (20 out of 30)
Hm! I'm really surprised at what I found when I started searching for 'bike' in the news search. There are actually some pretty interesting things going on with bikes. While many of these news stories are really nothing groundbreaking, the fact that they continue to make headlines shows that there is continued interest in biking, at least in the US.
I read stories about bike taxi companies, stories about teaching kids with developmental disabilities how to ride bikes, stories about bike cops, and stories about bike summits. All in all, I'd say people are pretty interested in biking still and I don't see this as a trend that will be ending any time soon.
Negative News Stories (-3 out of -30)
I really can't say much bad about biking. I searched and I searched, but the worst stories I could find were about people stealing bikes. I did, however read an article about the same biking summit that I mentioned in the previous paragraph, except this story was told from a negative point of view. Check it out here. It's pretty interesting to see the other side of the same story. Regardless, I couldn't find too many people that were all that upset with bikes or any negative environmental consequences of the increased use of bikes in this country.
User Comments (4 out of 20)
Bikes. Word. In that I mean that 'Bikes' is a single word.
Tomorrow we'll continue to explore the world of Hybrid Vehicles. Can another #1 seed be knocked out by an underdog?? We shall see...
Friday, August 13, 2010
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Tournament Round 3, Match 1A - (1) Recycling vs. (6) Wildlife Conservation
Well, well, well... Look who came crawling back. I knew this day was going to come where you'd realize what you've done and try to make things right. Well you can give up the act! There's no way I'm going to forgive you for the way you left me out to dry.
Oh, wait. That whole paragraph was actually what you were supposed to say to me. So, let's pretend that you said it and we'll move on. I think you've waited long enough for the end of this match up.
Wildlife Conservation
Positive News Stories (10 out of 30)
There are some pretty good news stories that relate to Wildlife Conservation. For example, Myanmar recently tripled the size of their tiger preserve. I know they've done some questionable things in that country, but it's good to see that they're committed to saving a species that has been on the brink of extinction for quite some time.
The reason why I didn't give this idea more points is that there really weren't a whole lot of news stories that were very notable. I think the reason for this is that people honestly don't really care about saving some bird they've never heard of before. They're interested if something like a whale conservation program is started, but that doesn't happen very often. Other than those darn Japanese, not too many people are still whaling today.
Negative News Stories (-1 out of -30)
Sorry, I can't say that I have any more stories of placentas (thankfully). Now, you'd think that I'd have a hard time finding stories that showed that Wildlife Conservation was a negative thing, but somehow I did. That's why I have a blog and you don't.
Great job, Wildlife Conservation experts... Here's the conversation that I imagine they had.
Expert 1 (Bob): "Hey, I've got a good idea. Let's STOP draining the Everglades. We need to do that to save some rare fish that only lives in the region (and 14 other places in the state)."
Expert 2 (Franccesca): "But Bob, won't some 18 year old have his hand bitten off by an alligator at some point in the future?"
Bob: "Come on, Fran, you know I don't believe in your psychic abilities. Come on, let's go feed some alligators so they become accustomed to human presence and gradually become more invasive into our cities."
Fran: "I wish someone would bite off your hand, Bob..."
That's not a direct quote, I'm just paraphrasing.
User Comments (0 out of 20)
Yup, we're still doing this. Get your comments in.
Results
Recycling: -1
Wildlife Conservation: 9
Well, the longest match up in history is now over! And Wildlife Conservation, the underdog, has pulled off the upset! I personally blame the placenta story...
I really hope that I can get back on schedule with this, and I'll do my best to not let you down. But don't hate me if I do skip a day or two... Come back Friday to see how Bikes and Hybrid Vehicles compare. And get your comments in!
Oh, wait. That whole paragraph was actually what you were supposed to say to me. So, let's pretend that you said it and we'll move on. I think you've waited long enough for the end of this match up.
Wildlife Conservation
Positive News Stories (10 out of 30)
There are some pretty good news stories that relate to Wildlife Conservation. For example, Myanmar recently tripled the size of their tiger preserve. I know they've done some questionable things in that country, but it's good to see that they're committed to saving a species that has been on the brink of extinction for quite some time.
The reason why I didn't give this idea more points is that there really weren't a whole lot of news stories that were very notable. I think the reason for this is that people honestly don't really care about saving some bird they've never heard of before. They're interested if something like a whale conservation program is started, but that doesn't happen very often. Other than those darn Japanese, not too many people are still whaling today.
Negative News Stories (-1 out of -30)
Sorry, I can't say that I have any more stories of placentas (thankfully). Now, you'd think that I'd have a hard time finding stories that showed that Wildlife Conservation was a negative thing, but somehow I did. That's why I have a blog and you don't.
Great job, Wildlife Conservation experts... Here's the conversation that I imagine they had.
Expert 1 (Bob): "Hey, I've got a good idea. Let's STOP draining the Everglades. We need to do that to save some rare fish that only lives in the region (and 14 other places in the state)."
Expert 2 (Franccesca): "But Bob, won't some 18 year old have his hand bitten off by an alligator at some point in the future?"
Bob: "Come on, Fran, you know I don't believe in your psychic abilities. Come on, let's go feed some alligators so they become accustomed to human presence and gradually become more invasive into our cities."
Fran: "I wish someone would bite off your hand, Bob..."
That's not a direct quote, I'm just paraphrasing.
User Comments (0 out of 20)
Yup, we're still doing this. Get your comments in.
Results
Recycling: -1
Wildlife Conservation: 9
Well, the longest match up in history is now over! And Wildlife Conservation, the underdog, has pulled off the upset! I personally blame the placenta story...
I really hope that I can get back on schedule with this, and I'll do my best to not let you down. But don't hate me if I do skip a day or two... Come back Friday to see how Bikes and Hybrid Vehicles compare. And get your comments in!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
I apologize for this, but all posts of the IGR will be suspended temporarily. I've got a boat load of personal things going on in my life right now that need to be taken care of. And I know that the timing of this couldn't be worse, with the end of the Tournament so near, but I really need to focus on other things right now. Hopefully I'll be back to posting regularly towards the end of next week, but I don't want to guarantee anything. You should use this time to catch up on any old posts that you may have missed.
Thank you, and stay Green!
Thank you, and stay Green!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Tournament Round 3, Match 1 - (1) Recycling vs. (6) Wildlife Conservation
Round three is just about to begin, and it should be a little bit more fun than previous rounds. I have a lot more flexibility in terms of coming up with silly news stories to share with everyone. I'm going to stretch this one out a bit longer so I can have a more thorough discussion of the topics. I'll only talk about Recycling today and talk about Wildlife Conservation Tomorrow. Enough of this chit chat, let's see how Recycling does!
Recycling
Positive News Stories (5 out of 30)
I'm not going to even pretend that I looked through all of the Recycling based news stories over the past year. I skimmed through a lot of headlines and I was pretty disappointed in what I found about Recycling. Most stories were from regional newspapers talking about the city or the county collecting some new item such as different numbered plastic or bottle caps or something. A lot of stories talked about raising costs to collect recyclables. But really, there hasn't been any remarkably exciting news stories when it comes to Recycling. It's become a pretty well developed concept that isn't going to change much each year.
Negative News Stories (-12 out of -30)
Negative new stories were somewhat easier to find. One in particular, which was posted 3 minutes before I started looking for news stories is the following:
(WARNING: Don't read this story while eating. Or if you plan on eating any time in your life.)
Bleaaaach! NO! Never! I originally didn't want to include this under Recycling because usually you think of plastic, not placentas when you think of Recycling, but I decided to leave it in here. Recycling, by its very definition, is taking something that you would throw away and turning it into something useful (such as a teddy bear or a lasagna).
If you really want something more normal, I did find an article that discussed how a Recycling program in California took in $1.2 Billion dollars but they wasted so much money that it actually cost the state around $1 Billion. No wonder California is having so many budgetary issues!
User Comments (4 out of 20)
To answer your concern, Chris, I update the Tournament picture on the right hand side of the page so you can see the current match up.
Okay, now that the suspense has been built, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see how Wildlife Conservation does and who the winner is.
Recycling
Positive News Stories (5 out of 30)
I'm not going to even pretend that I looked through all of the Recycling based news stories over the past year. I skimmed through a lot of headlines and I was pretty disappointed in what I found about Recycling. Most stories were from regional newspapers talking about the city or the county collecting some new item such as different numbered plastic or bottle caps or something. A lot of stories talked about raising costs to collect recyclables. But really, there hasn't been any remarkably exciting news stories when it comes to Recycling. It's become a pretty well developed concept that isn't going to change much each year.
Negative News Stories (-12 out of -30)
Negative new stories were somewhat easier to find. One in particular, which was posted 3 minutes before I started looking for news stories is the following:
(WARNING: Don't read this story while eating. Or if you plan on eating any time in your life.)
Bleaaaach! NO! Never! I originally didn't want to include this under Recycling because usually you think of plastic, not placentas when you think of Recycling, but I decided to leave it in here. Recycling, by its very definition, is taking something that you would throw away and turning it into something useful (such as a teddy bear or a lasagna).
If you really want something more normal, I did find an article that discussed how a Recycling program in California took in $1.2 Billion dollars but they wasted so much money that it actually cost the state around $1 Billion. No wonder California is having so many budgetary issues!
User Comments (4 out of 20)
To answer your concern, Chris, I update the Tournament picture on the right hand side of the page so you can see the current match up.
Okay, now that the suspense has been built, you'll have to wait until tomorrow to see how Wildlife Conservation does and who the winner is.
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Tournament Round 2, Match 8 - (2) Canvas Bags vs. (3) Recycled Products
Savor this moment! It's the very last match up of Round 2!
Canvas Bags
Green Pride (17/20)
I think I mentioned this last round, but there aren't a lot of Green ideas that can be used as fashion statements. Canvas Bags are one of them. Bags can have fun slogans advertising how much better they are for the environment then their friends. They can have fun pictures that demonstrate how much better they are for the environment then their friends. They can even have advertisements for companies that are clearly better for the environment than the companies that your friends shop at. Basically, what I'm saying is that people are proud of their Canvas Bags.
Green Guilt (16/20)
People are pretty guilty nowadays when it comes to not using Canvas Bags. It makes it even worse that they always have the bags hanging there right next to the cashier, just staring you down as if they're judging you, saying "Why do you hate the environment?" I mean, you can almost picture their sad little puppy dog eyes boring holes through your soul.
Reader Comments (2/10)
For three!!! I mean... two!!!
Recycled Products
Green Pride (17/20)
You know how I mentioned that there aren't a lot of ideas that can be used as fashion statements? Well, you can use Recycled Products as fashion statements too. For example, I have a t-shirt made of recycled Coke bottles. People can also have book bags or hats or purses made of Recycled Products. And let me tell you, as someone who wears clothing made of Coke bottles, people who wear Recycled Products like to tell other people about their Green-ness.
Green Guilt (4/20)
There's not a whole lot of pressure from society to buy Recycled Products. It's mainly a voluntary thing. You know, kind of like extra credit. You can still pass (environmentally), but it would be a whole lot easier with extra credit (Recycled Products). Nobody feels guilty for not doing extra credit.
Reader Comments (0/10)
Just think! You, could contribute to the winner of this tournament!
Time to tally the scores!
Canvas Bags: 35
Recycled Products: 21
And there you have it! Canvas Bags really brings it hard to Recycled Products. Come on back next week when I start (and finish) the third round of the Tournament!
Canvas Bags
Green Pride (17/20)
I think I mentioned this last round, but there aren't a lot of Green ideas that can be used as fashion statements. Canvas Bags are one of them. Bags can have fun slogans advertising how much better they are for the environment then their friends. They can have fun pictures that demonstrate how much better they are for the environment then their friends. They can even have advertisements for companies that are clearly better for the environment than the companies that your friends shop at. Basically, what I'm saying is that people are proud of their Canvas Bags.
Green Guilt (16/20)
People are pretty guilty nowadays when it comes to not using Canvas Bags. It makes it even worse that they always have the bags hanging there right next to the cashier, just staring you down as if they're judging you, saying "Why do you hate the environment?" I mean, you can almost picture their sad little puppy dog eyes boring holes through your soul.
Reader Comments (2/10)
For three!!! I mean... two!!!
Recycled Products
Green Pride (17/20)
You know how I mentioned that there aren't a lot of ideas that can be used as fashion statements? Well, you can use Recycled Products as fashion statements too. For example, I have a t-shirt made of recycled Coke bottles. People can also have book bags or hats or purses made of Recycled Products. And let me tell you, as someone who wears clothing made of Coke bottles, people who wear Recycled Products like to tell other people about their Green-ness.
Green Guilt (4/20)
There's not a whole lot of pressure from society to buy Recycled Products. It's mainly a voluntary thing. You know, kind of like extra credit. You can still pass (environmentally), but it would be a whole lot easier with extra credit (Recycled Products). Nobody feels guilty for not doing extra credit.
Reader Comments (0/10)
Just think! You, could contribute to the winner of this tournament!
Time to tally the scores!
Canvas Bags: 35
Recycled Products: 21
And there you have it! Canvas Bags really brings it hard to Recycled Products. Come on back next week when I start (and finish) the third round of the Tournament!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Tournament Round 2, Match 7 - (1) Low Energy Lighting vs. (5) High Efficiency Toilets
Time to begin the Green Products Region, Round 2!
Low Energy Lighting
Green Pride (14/20)
I fear that LEL is beginning to follow the path of Recycling. These new Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs have been around for some time now and people are starting to take them for granted. In fact, a lot of countries now have plans to ban the sale of high energy light bulbs within the next ten years, so after that point, people will take no pride in doing what is really the only option that they have.
But for now, people are pretty proud of the fact that they are able to cut down their energy bills by buying light bulbs that look somewhat silly and whimsical.
Green Guilt (6/20)
People aren't too guilty about not using these new light bulbs. Right now there are too many excuses (many not valid) for not wanting to upgrade their lights. They're too expensive (the lower electricity costs pay for themselves within a year or so), they have odd coloring (newer technologies have fixed that), they take too long to turn on (really, you can't wait 1/2 of a second?).
Reader Comments (0/10)
Make sure to comment!
High Efficiency Toilets
Green Pride (12/20)
I really do want to give this a higher score, because I think people would be (and most likely are) proud of their water-free toilets. But when I'm rating these ideas, I like to think about how often and how vocally people like to brag about owning the product. And the one thing that society has taught us well is that you don't talk about toilets to strangers at parties. That's just really weird, even if composting your own waste is really good for the environment.
Green Guilt (7/20)
People will feel pretty darn guilty some day. Right now, things aren't too bad and water is something that is fairly common. But once droughts begin taking hold and water is something that is almost as scarce (and valuable) as oil, people will begin singing a different song. So for now, I'll have to give this a low-ish rating, but if it makes you feel any better, I'll give this one a few future point that can be redeemed in 5 years.
Reader Comments (2/10)
Just think! You, too could contribute to the winner of this tournament!
Time to tally the scores!
Low Energy Lighting: 20
High Efficiency Toilets: 21
I hope you aren't too UPSET by that result! Come on back tomorrow to see how (2) Canvas Bags and (3) Recycled Products fare against one another.
Low Energy Lighting
Green Pride (14/20)
I fear that LEL is beginning to follow the path of Recycling. These new Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs have been around for some time now and people are starting to take them for granted. In fact, a lot of countries now have plans to ban the sale of high energy light bulbs within the next ten years, so after that point, people will take no pride in doing what is really the only option that they have.
But for now, people are pretty proud of the fact that they are able to cut down their energy bills by buying light bulbs that look somewhat silly and whimsical.
Green Guilt (6/20)
People aren't too guilty about not using these new light bulbs. Right now there are too many excuses (many not valid) for not wanting to upgrade their lights. They're too expensive (the lower electricity costs pay for themselves within a year or so), they have odd coloring (newer technologies have fixed that), they take too long to turn on (really, you can't wait 1/2 of a second?).
Reader Comments (0/10)
Make sure to comment!
High Efficiency Toilets
Green Pride (12/20)
I really do want to give this a higher score, because I think people would be (and most likely are) proud of their water-free toilets. But when I'm rating these ideas, I like to think about how often and how vocally people like to brag about owning the product. And the one thing that society has taught us well is that you don't talk about toilets to strangers at parties. That's just really weird, even if composting your own waste is really good for the environment.
Green Guilt (7/20)
People will feel pretty darn guilty some day. Right now, things aren't too bad and water is something that is fairly common. But once droughts begin taking hold and water is something that is almost as scarce (and valuable) as oil, people will begin singing a different song. So for now, I'll have to give this a low-ish rating, but if it makes you feel any better, I'll give this one a few future point that can be redeemed in 5 years.
Reader Comments (2/10)
Just think! You, too could contribute to the winner of this tournament!
Time to tally the scores!
Low Energy Lighting: 20
High Efficiency Toilets: 21
I hope you aren't too UPSET by that result! Come on back tomorrow to see how (2) Canvas Bags and (3) Recycled Products fare against one another.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Tournament Round 2, Match 6 - (2) Solar Power vs. (3) Waste to Energy
Finally! A comparison that isn't comparing two almost identical topics! Solar Power and Waste to Energy couldn't be more different!
Solar Power
Green Pride (18/20)
I don't think that it's unreasonable to assume that people are just as proud of Solar Power as they are of Wind Power. Most people would probably (if not secretly) like to have solar panels installed on their roofs and would probably brag about them quite a bit to anyone who would listen. This may change in the next 10 years or so as Solar Power becomes more popular. Then it will be like recycling in that everyone does it, so it's not really something to brag about.
Green Guilt (8/20)
When compared with Wind Power, people are probably slightly more guilty about not having Solar Power, simply because solar panels are much more inexpensive than wind turbines. I mean, you're not going to see people buying small wind turbines unless they live in an open area such as a farm. Solar panels, however, can be used anywhere that has a roof and gets a good amount of sun each day.
Reader Comments (0/10)
Make sure to comment!
Waste to Energy
Green Pride (19/20)
Okay, this is pretty darn awesome! I have to admit that I hadn't heard about this until recently mainly because it is relatively uncommon these days. But when I did hear about it, I couldn't have been more proud that people were finally doing something productive with their waste. The reason I didn't give this a 20 is that people are still a little weirded out by the idea of turning garbage into something that can run their refrigerators and Xboxes.
Green Guilt (1/20)
Waste to Energy? What's that? I've never heard of that before, and therefore do not really feel guilty that my city's not doing that. Oh, well, I guess I won't worry about it because I've got better things to deal with.
Reader Comments (0/10)
They're worth double now, so make sure you comment!
Time to tally the scores!
Solar Power: 26
Waste to Energy: 20
Well, there you have it! Solar Power comes out the winner! It's the first #2 seed not to be upset this round. Tomorrow I will talk about how (1) Low Energy Lighting and (5) High Efficiency Toilets compare with one another.
I guess now would be a good time to talk about the next round and how the scoring for that will work. As usual, there will be a total of 50 points. Up to 30 points will be given for positive news stories that have happened in the past year based on how significant the story is to the environment. Up to -30 points will be given to negative news stories that have happened in the past year. And 20 points will be given for user comments. 4 points per comment, up to 5 comments per topic. Sooo, have fun!
Solar Power
Green Pride (18/20)
I don't think that it's unreasonable to assume that people are just as proud of Solar Power as they are of Wind Power. Most people would probably (if not secretly) like to have solar panels installed on their roofs and would probably brag about them quite a bit to anyone who would listen. This may change in the next 10 years or so as Solar Power becomes more popular. Then it will be like recycling in that everyone does it, so it's not really something to brag about.
Green Guilt (8/20)
When compared with Wind Power, people are probably slightly more guilty about not having Solar Power, simply because solar panels are much more inexpensive than wind turbines. I mean, you're not going to see people buying small wind turbines unless they live in an open area such as a farm. Solar panels, however, can be used anywhere that has a roof and gets a good amount of sun each day.
Reader Comments (0/10)
Make sure to comment!
Waste to Energy
Green Pride (19/20)
Okay, this is pretty darn awesome! I have to admit that I hadn't heard about this until recently mainly because it is relatively uncommon these days. But when I did hear about it, I couldn't have been more proud that people were finally doing something productive with their waste. The reason I didn't give this a 20 is that people are still a little weirded out by the idea of turning garbage into something that can run their refrigerators and Xboxes.
Green Guilt (1/20)
Waste to Energy? What's that? I've never heard of that before, and therefore do not really feel guilty that my city's not doing that. Oh, well, I guess I won't worry about it because I've got better things to deal with.
Reader Comments (0/10)
They're worth double now, so make sure you comment!
Time to tally the scores!
Solar Power: 26
Waste to Energy: 20
Well, there you have it! Solar Power comes out the winner! It's the first #2 seed not to be upset this round. Tomorrow I will talk about how (1) Low Energy Lighting and (5) High Efficiency Toilets compare with one another.
I guess now would be a good time to talk about the next round and how the scoring for that will work. As usual, there will be a total of 50 points. Up to 30 points will be given for positive news stories that have happened in the past year based on how significant the story is to the environment. Up to -30 points will be given to negative news stories that have happened in the past year. And 20 points will be given for user comments. 4 points per comment, up to 5 comments per topic. Sooo, have fun!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Tournament Round 2, Match 5 - (1) Wind Power vs. (5) Offshore Wind
Allllll right! This one's going to be interesting. (1) Wind Power and (5) Offshore Wind Power. I'll try to differentiate them as much as I possibly can to make a good comparison between the two. Wind Power will refer to only wind turbines on land while Offshore refers to anything that is situated in water.
Wind Power
Green Pride (18/20)
Now, this is a little different than most of the other topics I've talked about so far because it's not something that individual consumers choose to buy or to take advantage of. Most Wind Power comes from the utility companies. So when I say that people are proud to have Wind Power, I mean that in that they're proud to have wind powering their city or country or space station (good luck with that). And for the most part, people are pretty proud to know that they have wind turbines near (but not too near) their homes.
Green Guilt (7/20)
I guess people are pretty responsible and know that their cities should be powered by alternative energy, but for the most part, they know that they can't see the difference between coal or natural gas powered electricity and Wind Power. So what does it matter to them where it comes from? And prices will probably rise with Wind Power so who wants that?
Reader Comments (2/10)
One vote for Wind Power!
Offshore Wind Power
Green Pride (17/20)
Nobody cares if you build wind turbines near landfills. People like that. People are pretty proud of Offshore Wind Power too, but it seems like there has been a lot more opposition to Offshore Wind Power because it tends to get in the way of beautiful beaches and scenic views. Oh, come on, people! The view isn't that bad!
Green Guilt (5/20)
This one is sort of a non-issue for a good portion of the world. A lot of people don't live near the water, so they know that they can't have Offshore Wind Power. And that means they don't have to be guilty about it! Hooray!
Reader Comments (0/10)
They're worth double now, so make sure you comment!
Time to tally the scores!
Wind Power: 27
Offshore Wind Power: 22
Well, there you have it! Wind Power comes out the winner!
I may be busy tomorrow so I might not get to post until Thursday. But when I do post, it will be (2) Solar Power vs. (3) Waste to Energy.
Wind Power
Green Pride (18/20)
Now, this is a little different than most of the other topics I've talked about so far because it's not something that individual consumers choose to buy or to take advantage of. Most Wind Power comes from the utility companies. So when I say that people are proud to have Wind Power, I mean that in that they're proud to have wind powering their city or country or space station (good luck with that). And for the most part, people are pretty proud to know that they have wind turbines near (but not too near) their homes.
Green Guilt (7/20)
I guess people are pretty responsible and know that their cities should be powered by alternative energy, but for the most part, they know that they can't see the difference between coal or natural gas powered electricity and Wind Power. So what does it matter to them where it comes from? And prices will probably rise with Wind Power so who wants that?
Reader Comments (2/10)
One vote for Wind Power!
Offshore Wind Power
Green Pride (17/20)
Nobody cares if you build wind turbines near landfills. People like that. People are pretty proud of Offshore Wind Power too, but it seems like there has been a lot more opposition to Offshore Wind Power because it tends to get in the way of beautiful beaches and scenic views. Oh, come on, people! The view isn't that bad!
Green Guilt (5/20)
This one is sort of a non-issue for a good portion of the world. A lot of people don't live near the water, so they know that they can't have Offshore Wind Power. And that means they don't have to be guilty about it! Hooray!
Reader Comments (0/10)
They're worth double now, so make sure you comment!
Time to tally the scores!
Wind Power: 27
Offshore Wind Power: 22
Well, there you have it! Wind Power comes out the winner!
I may be busy tomorrow so I might not get to post until Thursday. But when I do post, it will be (2) Solar Power vs. (3) Waste to Energy.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Tournament Round 2, Match 4 - (2) Electric Vehicles vs. (3) Hybrid Vehicles
Happy Independence Day, everyone! Let's celebrate by discussing something that Japan is doing much better than the United States! Making Hybrid Electric and Electric Vehicles. But which is better? It's time to find out!
Electric Vehicles
I just want to remind everyone of the differences between Hybrids and Electric Vehicles. Hybrids run primarily on gasoline or diesel internal combustion engines but they also have electric motors that are charged while the car is running, typically while the car is breaking. Electric Vehicles are the cars that you plug in at night and can run for a certain number of miles before they need to switch over to a gas motor or just die on the side of the road. Get the difference? Sounds great, let's move on to the good stuff! First up is Electric Vehicles (EV).
Green Pride (18/20)
People looooooooove EVs. Most of the time, they're ridiculously expensive and gas would need to be something like $10 a gallon or you have to drive a couple hundred miles a day (beyond the range of the EV) for it to be financially worth it. So the people that buy these cars are usually very proud of how good they are for the environment. When you meet someone that has one of these cars and don't know what to talk about, bring up their car and you've got your conversation covered for that entire night. If you need to get out of that conversation, all you have to do is suddenly remember that you forgot to plug in your EV and you're off the hook.
Green Guilt (5/20)
People like to read about EV and the newest models that are coming out, but deep down, they know that they probably won't own one of those any time soon. The guilt would be a lot higher, except that everyone has an amazing way to overcome that guilt without making too much of a sacrifice. And I'll mention that amazing way in just one minute.
Reader Comments (0/10)
I couldn't decide either. Maybe next time!
Hybrid Vehicles
Green Pride (12/20)
That amazing way is for people to buy a Hybrid Vehicle. HVs are marginally better for the environment than regular cars and marginally more expensive. They're a great way for people who are eco-lazy to be eco-friendly without changing their lifestyles in a single tangible way. Even though they didn't do anything other than write a slightly bigger check when they were paying for their cars, they're really proud of their slightly smaller carbon footprint.
Green Guilt (12/20)
I'd say that out of every 20 people, at least 12 realize that they should spend the extra money upfront and do what's right for the environment. If they don't they'll be plagued with some eco-guilt every time their friends are bragging about their EVs.
Reader Comments (0/10)
They're worth double now, so make sure you comment!
Time to tally the scores!
Electric Vehicles: 23
Hybrid Vehicles: 24
I promise you that I don't know the scores ahead of time until I tally them at the end. I don't modify things so that they come out really close. I really am unbiased (except for some really rare cases) so these really close results are genuine. I hope you didn't have Electric Vehicles and forgot to comment, because that would have made all the difference!
Next time is (1) Wind Power vs. (5) Offshore Wind Power. What's up with all these really similar concepts going head to head?
Electric Vehicles
I just want to remind everyone of the differences between Hybrids and Electric Vehicles. Hybrids run primarily on gasoline or diesel internal combustion engines but they also have electric motors that are charged while the car is running, typically while the car is breaking. Electric Vehicles are the cars that you plug in at night and can run for a certain number of miles before they need to switch over to a gas motor or just die on the side of the road. Get the difference? Sounds great, let's move on to the good stuff! First up is Electric Vehicles (EV).
Green Pride (18/20)
People looooooooove EVs. Most of the time, they're ridiculously expensive and gas would need to be something like $10 a gallon or you have to drive a couple hundred miles a day (beyond the range of the EV) for it to be financially worth it. So the people that buy these cars are usually very proud of how good they are for the environment. When you meet someone that has one of these cars and don't know what to talk about, bring up their car and you've got your conversation covered for that entire night. If you need to get out of that conversation, all you have to do is suddenly remember that you forgot to plug in your EV and you're off the hook.
Green Guilt (5/20)
People like to read about EV and the newest models that are coming out, but deep down, they know that they probably won't own one of those any time soon. The guilt would be a lot higher, except that everyone has an amazing way to overcome that guilt without making too much of a sacrifice. And I'll mention that amazing way in just one minute.
Reader Comments (0/10)
I couldn't decide either. Maybe next time!
Hybrid Vehicles
Green Pride (12/20)
That amazing way is for people to buy a Hybrid Vehicle. HVs are marginally better for the environment than regular cars and marginally more expensive. They're a great way for people who are eco-lazy to be eco-friendly without changing their lifestyles in a single tangible way. Even though they didn't do anything other than write a slightly bigger check when they were paying for their cars, they're really proud of their slightly smaller carbon footprint.
Green Guilt (12/20)
I'd say that out of every 20 people, at least 12 realize that they should spend the extra money upfront and do what's right for the environment. If they don't they'll be plagued with some eco-guilt every time their friends are bragging about their EVs.
Reader Comments (0/10)
They're worth double now, so make sure you comment!
Time to tally the scores!
Electric Vehicles: 23
Hybrid Vehicles: 24
I promise you that I don't know the scores ahead of time until I tally them at the end. I don't modify things so that they come out really close. I really am unbiased (except for some really rare cases) so these really close results are genuine. I hope you didn't have Electric Vehicles and forgot to comment, because that would have made all the difference!
Next time is (1) Wind Power vs. (5) Offshore Wind Power. What's up with all these really similar concepts going head to head?
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Tournament Round 2, Match 3 - (1) Bikes vs. (5) Trains
Sorry about the whole being late thing... You know, holidays! What are you going to do about 'em? Anyway, here's the long awaited Bikes vs. Trains!
Bikes
Before I get started, I just have to say that learning how to ride about a bike is just about mandatory for children in this country. It's almost like a rite of passage or a coming of age event in people's lives.
Green Pride (14/20)
I know for a fact that you know, or at least know of, someone in your life that is a total jerk about riding their bike. These are the people with the spandex pants and the people that always talk about how Lance Armstrong is their personal hero. These people rub it in your faces that their carbon footprint is smaller than the parking space that they need to park their bike at work every day. Never mind that they have an hour and a half commute each way. That's not the point. The point is that they're better than you.
Green Guilt (3/20)
The hard thing about biking is that it doesn't work in the winter. Everyone in the northern part of the country (world, really), wakes up on January 1st and says "I should ride my bike more to reduce my carbon footprint and get into shape." Haha, then they rationalize it that it's snowing out and they'll wait until April to start that New Year's Resolution. But by April, most people have forgotten that they made that promise to themselves and feel really no guilt about it.
Reader Comments (0/10)
I couldn't decide either. Maybe next time!
Trains
Trains pulled off an upset last round, can they do it again?
Green Pride (10/20)
Sorry, Trains, I don't have any really great anecdotes or witty remarks about how people love riding trains and how people herald them as the saviors of the environment. Yes, there is a lot of push for high speed rail to be installed in this country, but I don't see that as an environmental issue first and foremost. It's mostly an economic issue that people want to see cities connected by things other than roads and airports.
Green Guilt (0/20)
When was the last time that you rode a train? One of two things just happened. You either didn't have to think much about it because you do it every day and it's a necessity and not an environmental choice. The other is that you had to think for quite a while and couldn't really remember the last time. That's because it doesn't bother you that you're not riding trains. If you're concerned about your environmental footprint, you're going to do other things (like ride bikes) and not choose to ride the train more.
Reader Comments (0/10)
They're worth double now, so make sure you comment!
Time to tally the scores!
Bikes: 17
Trains: 10
Wow, lowest scores we've ever had here. Bikes are lucky that Trains were such an uninspiring competitor.
Next up: (2) Electric Vehicles vs. (3) Hybrid Vehicles. That should be interesting!
Bikes
Before I get started, I just have to say that learning how to ride about a bike is just about mandatory for children in this country. It's almost like a rite of passage or a coming of age event in people's lives.
Green Pride (14/20)
I know for a fact that you know, or at least know of, someone in your life that is a total jerk about riding their bike. These are the people with the spandex pants and the people that always talk about how Lance Armstrong is their personal hero. These people rub it in your faces that their carbon footprint is smaller than the parking space that they need to park their bike at work every day. Never mind that they have an hour and a half commute each way. That's not the point. The point is that they're better than you.
Green Guilt (3/20)
The hard thing about biking is that it doesn't work in the winter. Everyone in the northern part of the country (world, really), wakes up on January 1st and says "I should ride my bike more to reduce my carbon footprint and get into shape." Haha, then they rationalize it that it's snowing out and they'll wait until April to start that New Year's Resolution. But by April, most people have forgotten that they made that promise to themselves and feel really no guilt about it.
Reader Comments (0/10)
I couldn't decide either. Maybe next time!
Trains
Trains pulled off an upset last round, can they do it again?
Green Pride (10/20)
Sorry, Trains, I don't have any really great anecdotes or witty remarks about how people love riding trains and how people herald them as the saviors of the environment. Yes, there is a lot of push for high speed rail to be installed in this country, but I don't see that as an environmental issue first and foremost. It's mostly an economic issue that people want to see cities connected by things other than roads and airports.
Green Guilt (0/20)
When was the last time that you rode a train? One of two things just happened. You either didn't have to think much about it because you do it every day and it's a necessity and not an environmental choice. The other is that you had to think for quite a while and couldn't really remember the last time. That's because it doesn't bother you that you're not riding trains. If you're concerned about your environmental footprint, you're going to do other things (like ride bikes) and not choose to ride the train more.
Reader Comments (0/10)
They're worth double now, so make sure you comment!
Time to tally the scores!
Bikes: 17
Trains: 10
Wow, lowest scores we've ever had here. Bikes are lucky that Trains were such an uninspiring competitor.
Next up: (2) Electric Vehicles vs. (3) Hybrid Vehicles. That should be interesting!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tournament Round 2, Match 2 - (2) Reducing/Reusing vs. (6) Wildlife Conservation
Round 2, Match 2! Reducing and Reusing tag team Wildlife Conservation!
Reducing/Reusing
Reducing and Reusing (R/R) are back again and ready for action!
Green Pride (16/20)
This one's really tricky because it covers such a broad range of different activities. R/R can be as simple as a child turning an old egg carton into a flower planter or it can be as complex as a graduate student preparing a thesis that could reduce the energy use of a hospital by several hundred megawatt-hours per year. For the sake of this blog, I'm going to shoot for something in the middle, and base it off a homeowner that just got a utility bill and seen the results of all the conservation efforts she's put in over the past month.
People are pretty proud to cut back or reuse. I can imagine people bragging at parties how they were able to cut their water bill in half with a new shower head or how they were able to build a golf cart from parts they salvaged from a junk yard. So, yeah. People are pretty proud of R/R.
Green Guilt (4/20)
Sorry humanity. I understand how you are. Everything else just seems to be a bit more important. "Oh, I meant to build that picnic table of wood we salvaged from the neighbor's shed, but I've just been too busy now that I have lung cancer." Right, like lung cancer has ever been a good excuse to get out of doing things.
Reader Comments (0/10)
I couldn't decide either. Maybe next time!
Wildlife Conservation
Wildlife Conservation is probably more important than Wetland Conservation but people don't realize that. Let's do an example. Let's say we didn't figure out that DDT killed baby bald eagles until it was too late. All the bald eagles are now dead. Aw, that's a shame. Most people would be thinking about whether the US should replace it as the official bird or to honor its memory by leaving it. But what they should be worried about is what's going to happen to all those mice that the birds are now not eating. Those mice will be eating all of our crops and carrying diseases that may or may not decimate the human race. I guess eagles are pretty important after all, right?
Green Pride (17/20)
Everyone loves a good story that talks about how some bug or bird or type of tree was saved by some group's conservation efforts. Yay for saving wildlife! These stories make everyone feel proud that their society is on the right track and is doing the right thing for once. And we can all sleep well at night!
(Does anyone else have a weird sense of deja vu? Oh, right, that's what I wrote for yesterday's Pride about Wetland Conservation. But really, most people don't see the difference)
Green Guilt (5/20)
I don't really see any need to change the score for this section either. People won't be guilty if they didn't see a need for it in the first place. Let me tell you a story of the Baiji. They were a species of dolphin that used to live in the fresh water rivers of China. Well, you know how good China is at keeping their rivers clean, right? So, anyway, these dolphins are now extinct as of 2006-ish due to pollution and overfishing and building dams and who knows what else. They probably eat dolphins in China... Gross...
Anyway, my point is that I'm sure you've never heard of the Baiji, even though the first aquatic mammal to go extinct in more than 50 years should be a big news story. But it's not because people like to advertise their successes (bald eagles) and hide their failures (Baiji). And everyone can sleep well at night because they don't want to know these things.
Reader Comments (0/10)
They're worth double now, so make sure you comment!
Time to tally the scores!
Reducing and Reusing: 20
Wildlife Conservation: 22
For some reason, I can't get the colors to change, but Wildlife Conservation did win. Just think, one comment could have tied the whole thing! But now Reducing and Reusing is gone forever, just like the Baiji.
Come on back on Friday and see how (1) Bikes and (5) Trains do against one another.
Reducing/Reusing
Reducing and Reusing (R/R) are back again and ready for action!
Green Pride (16/20)
This one's really tricky because it covers such a broad range of different activities. R/R can be as simple as a child turning an old egg carton into a flower planter or it can be as complex as a graduate student preparing a thesis that could reduce the energy use of a hospital by several hundred megawatt-hours per year. For the sake of this blog, I'm going to shoot for something in the middle, and base it off a homeowner that just got a utility bill and seen the results of all the conservation efforts she's put in over the past month.
People are pretty proud to cut back or reuse. I can imagine people bragging at parties how they were able to cut their water bill in half with a new shower head or how they were able to build a golf cart from parts they salvaged from a junk yard. So, yeah. People are pretty proud of R/R.
Green Guilt (4/20)
Sorry humanity. I understand how you are. Everything else just seems to be a bit more important. "Oh, I meant to build that picnic table of wood we salvaged from the neighbor's shed, but I've just been too busy now that I have lung cancer." Right, like lung cancer has ever been a good excuse to get out of doing things.
Reader Comments (0/10)
I couldn't decide either. Maybe next time!
Wildlife Conservation
Wildlife Conservation is probably more important than Wetland Conservation but people don't realize that. Let's do an example. Let's say we didn't figure out that DDT killed baby bald eagles until it was too late. All the bald eagles are now dead. Aw, that's a shame. Most people would be thinking about whether the US should replace it as the official bird or to honor its memory by leaving it. But what they should be worried about is what's going to happen to all those mice that the birds are now not eating. Those mice will be eating all of our crops and carrying diseases that may or may not decimate the human race. I guess eagles are pretty important after all, right?
Green Pride (17/20)
Everyone loves a good story that talks about how some bug or bird or type of tree was saved by some group's conservation efforts. Yay for saving wildlife! These stories make everyone feel proud that their society is on the right track and is doing the right thing for once. And we can all sleep well at night!
(Does anyone else have a weird sense of deja vu? Oh, right, that's what I wrote for yesterday's Pride about Wetland Conservation. But really, most people don't see the difference)
Green Guilt (5/20)
I don't really see any need to change the score for this section either. People won't be guilty if they didn't see a need for it in the first place. Let me tell you a story of the Baiji. They were a species of dolphin that used to live in the fresh water rivers of China. Well, you know how good China is at keeping their rivers clean, right? So, anyway, these dolphins are now extinct as of 2006-ish due to pollution and overfishing and building dams and who knows what else. They probably eat dolphins in China... Gross...
Anyway, my point is that I'm sure you've never heard of the Baiji, even though the first aquatic mammal to go extinct in more than 50 years should be a big news story. But it's not because people like to advertise their successes (bald eagles) and hide their failures (Baiji). And everyone can sleep well at night because they don't want to know these things.
Reader Comments (0/10)
They're worth double now, so make sure you comment!
Time to tally the scores!
Reducing and Reusing: 20
Wildlife Conservation: 22
For some reason, I can't get the colors to change, but Wildlife Conservation did win. Just think, one comment could have tied the whole thing! But now Reducing and Reusing is gone forever, just like the Baiji.
Come on back on Friday and see how (1) Bikes and (5) Trains do against one another.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Tournament Round 2, Match 1 - (1) Recycling vs. (4) Wetland Conservation
Hooray! The beginning of Round 2 of the Tournament! Things are getting pretty serious now! To kick things off, Recycling and Wetland Conservation are going head-to-head in a winner-take-all death match!
Recycling
Well, Recycling, it's great to see you again! Welcome back! Now that we have a little more time, let's learn some more about you. Recycling really started taking off during the 1980's in the US as people started looking for cheaper ways to keep up with the increasing global demand for plastic and aluminum and paper. One of the greatest challenges to Recycling is getting all of the things gathered up and shipped to the processing plant. But as landfill space is becoming harder to come by and Recycling supply chains become more efficient, Recycling is becoming ever more popular.
Green Pride (10/20)
I'm only going to say this once: these ratings are based on the average person's feelings about environmental issues, not my feelings. If I were rating them by my views, all the ideas would have 20 points from Pride and 20 for Guilt and we'd be at a stalemate unless someone (Chris) commented. So yeah, these are what I feel the average person feels.
Recycling, while a big deal 20 or so years ago, has become sort of commonplace these days. Most people see Recycling as some sort of a chore or task, similar to taking out the garbage. Yes, it's probably true that people feel some pride when they hear about how much material they or their city or country or business recycles. But their Recycling practices have become more or less something that people do. This probably also depends on whether the person has curbside Recycling or drop off points, but I don't see it varying too much.
Green Guilt (17/20)
I can't tell you how many times I've called someone out on not Recycling. And when I do that, 9 times out of 10, the person apologizes and feels pretty bad about it. 1 out of 10 people are jerks about it and tell me to mind my own business at which point we usually get into an argument about how he or she is destroying the Earth and how I want my children to not have to wear breathing masks when they go outside to play and how I want my grandchildren not to be born with 5 legs or some crazy mutation like that.
Basically what I'm saying is that almost everyone knows that they should Recycle, but some people don't know how to or are lazy about it.
Reader Comments (2/10)
First 2 pointer!
Wetland Conservation
Wetland Conservation (WC) is back again after taking out LEED Certification in the first round. So let's learn a little bit more about WC. WC is something that's been practiced around the world for centuries but should probably be practiced much more than it is. For example, Lake Superior hit its lowest recorded levels ever in 2007 and the Nile River has been notoriously over developed and diverted in recent years. This isn't just having a harmful effect on wildlife (which I'll mention tomorrow), but people will soon run out of fresh water and that will lead to wars and other horrible things that we all agree we want to avoid.
Green Pride (17/20)
Everyone loves a good story that talks about how some frog or bird or type of grass was saved by some group's conservation efforts. Yay for saving water! These stories make everyone feel proud that their society is on the right track and is doing the right thing for once. And we can all sleep well at night!
Green Guilt (5/20)
Well, we can't really sleep all that well. We're living with our parents and we've got a curfew even though we're almost 30 years old and our girlfriend is pressuring us to get married and move out and build a new home that we can't afford. And land for sale is limited in Florida, so let's just drain off a little bit of the Everglades. Nobody will miss one little house-sized bit of the Everglades, right?
Wrong! Birds and alligators and fish that live in that house-sized bit care. Nobody thinks twice about draining wetlands when it benefits them. And that's how we have gotten into the situation we're in now where we need to be more aggressive with our WC.
Reader Comments (0/10)
They're worth double now, so make sure you comment!
Time to tally the scores!
Recycling: 29
Wetland Conservation: 22
Well, there you have it. Recycling will continue on to the Regional Semi-Finals. Make sure you come back tomorrow to see how (2) Reducing/Reusing fares against (6) Wildlife Conservation.
Recycling
Well, Recycling, it's great to see you again! Welcome back! Now that we have a little more time, let's learn some more about you. Recycling really started taking off during the 1980's in the US as people started looking for cheaper ways to keep up with the increasing global demand for plastic and aluminum and paper. One of the greatest challenges to Recycling is getting all of the things gathered up and shipped to the processing plant. But as landfill space is becoming harder to come by and Recycling supply chains become more efficient, Recycling is becoming ever more popular.
Green Pride (10/20)
I'm only going to say this once: these ratings are based on the average person's feelings about environmental issues, not my feelings. If I were rating them by my views, all the ideas would have 20 points from Pride and 20 for Guilt and we'd be at a stalemate unless someone (Chris) commented. So yeah, these are what I feel the average person feels.
Recycling, while a big deal 20 or so years ago, has become sort of commonplace these days. Most people see Recycling as some sort of a chore or task, similar to taking out the garbage. Yes, it's probably true that people feel some pride when they hear about how much material they or their city or country or business recycles. But their Recycling practices have become more or less something that people do. This probably also depends on whether the person has curbside Recycling or drop off points, but I don't see it varying too much.
Green Guilt (17/20)
I can't tell you how many times I've called someone out on not Recycling. And when I do that, 9 times out of 10, the person apologizes and feels pretty bad about it. 1 out of 10 people are jerks about it and tell me to mind my own business at which point we usually get into an argument about how he or she is destroying the Earth and how I want my children to not have to wear breathing masks when they go outside to play and how I want my grandchildren not to be born with 5 legs or some crazy mutation like that.
Basically what I'm saying is that almost everyone knows that they should Recycle, but some people don't know how to or are lazy about it.
Reader Comments (2/10)
First 2 pointer!
Wetland Conservation
Wetland Conservation (WC) is back again after taking out LEED Certification in the first round. So let's learn a little bit more about WC. WC is something that's been practiced around the world for centuries but should probably be practiced much more than it is. For example, Lake Superior hit its lowest recorded levels ever in 2007 and the Nile River has been notoriously over developed and diverted in recent years. This isn't just having a harmful effect on wildlife (which I'll mention tomorrow), but people will soon run out of fresh water and that will lead to wars and other horrible things that we all agree we want to avoid.
Green Pride (17/20)
Everyone loves a good story that talks about how some frog or bird or type of grass was saved by some group's conservation efforts. Yay for saving water! These stories make everyone feel proud that their society is on the right track and is doing the right thing for once. And we can all sleep well at night!
Green Guilt (5/20)
Well, we can't really sleep all that well. We're living with our parents and we've got a curfew even though we're almost 30 years old and our girlfriend is pressuring us to get married and move out and build a new home that we can't afford. And land for sale is limited in Florida, so let's just drain off a little bit of the Everglades. Nobody will miss one little house-sized bit of the Everglades, right?
Wrong! Birds and alligators and fish that live in that house-sized bit care. Nobody thinks twice about draining wetlands when it benefits them. And that's how we have gotten into the situation we're in now where we need to be more aggressive with our WC.
Reader Comments (0/10)
They're worth double now, so make sure you comment!
Time to tally the scores!
Recycling: 29
Wetland Conservation: 22
Well, there you have it. Recycling will continue on to the Regional Semi-Finals. Make sure you come back tomorrow to see how (2) Reducing/Reusing fares against (6) Wildlife Conservation.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Tournament Round 1, Match 16 - (2) Canvas Bags vs. (7) Carbon Credits
Much like the United States' 2010 World Cup team's season, the first round of the Tournament is at an end! I'm so excited! (about both the Tournament and the US losing. Now I don't have to pretend I care about soccer anymore!)
Canvas Bags
You've all seen them all over the place. Every grocery store and superstore and every bookstore and hardware store and (probably) every adult media store is carrying these reusable bags that you see by the check out counter. Why are they so popular and what was wrong with plastic grocery bags?
Impact on the Environment (10/15):
It turns out everything was wrong with those plastic grocery bags. They ended up in the oceans where sea turtles thought they were jellyfish and choked on them. The ended up in landfills where they would take 100,000 or more years to break down. They ended up in babies' cribs where babies choked on them. So yeah, they're pretty bag - I mean bad. But let's not err on the side of too many Canvas Bags. Otherwise we'll have too many of those and I can see them taking just as long to break down in landfills. And you can't recycled Canvas Bags as easy as you can plastic ones.
Practicality (8/10):
The least practical part of using reusable bags is just remembering to actually bring them to the store. I always forget, which is why I starting leaving them in my car. But then I brought them into my apartment and I always forget to bring them back out to my car. Stupid memory...
Sustainability (9/10):
With the aid of government-imposed taxes on plastic bags or corporate incentives to use Canvas Bags, I see plastic bags becoming very much obsolete within a decade.
Awesomeness (6/10):
They are sort of awesome. I mean, you get to show off your own distinct style by bringing whatever bag matches your personality. And let's face it, gross brown and pasty white plastic bags don't really match too many outfits.
User Input (0/5):
Nope, don't see anything here.
Carbon Credits
Carbon Credits, while similar to their tournament counterparts, the Carbon Offsets, are somewhat different. Carbon Credits (CC) are for companies or individuals that someday plan on polluting and want to buy the rights to pollute under a system of exchanges where companies that don't plan on polluting much sell their rights to pollute to the less Green company. It's complicated, but it makes sense if you understand it.
Impact on the Environment (7/15):
Ultimately, this system of buying Carbon Credits will regulate how much pollution is created by the industrial and commercial sectors. And it will cut down on the emissions from these companies, which is good. But it will come at the cost of more stringent regulations which will force companies to do business overseas where there are less environmental standards. Good for the US, bad for poor countries in Africa that have to deal with even more pollution.
Practicality (5/10):
This will mostly drive businesses out of developed countries and into less developed ones. While it is good to develop the economies of those countries, it's not good if it comes at the cost of economic collapse for the developed countries.
Sustainability (3/10):
The only way that this will take a hold long term is if all countries adopt them. And with the amount of corruption in some countries, there's no way that regulators will ever put up with standards in some countries.
Awesomeness (1/10):
Snoooooooooooooze.
User Input (0/5):
Comment away!
Alright, let's tally those scores!
Canvas Bags: 33
Carbon Credits: 16
Yeah, I think just about everyone saw that coming... Check back in on Tuesday to see the exciting first match of the second round! Recycling is going to go head to head with Wetland Conservation!
Canvas Bags
You've all seen them all over the place. Every grocery store and superstore and every bookstore and hardware store and (probably) every adult media store is carrying these reusable bags that you see by the check out counter. Why are they so popular and what was wrong with plastic grocery bags?
Impact on the Environment (10/15):
It turns out everything was wrong with those plastic grocery bags. They ended up in the oceans where sea turtles thought they were jellyfish and choked on them. The ended up in landfills where they would take 100,000 or more years to break down. They ended up in babies' cribs where babies choked on them. So yeah, they're pretty bag - I mean bad. But let's not err on the side of too many Canvas Bags. Otherwise we'll have too many of those and I can see them taking just as long to break down in landfills. And you can't recycled Canvas Bags as easy as you can plastic ones.
Practicality (8/10):
The least practical part of using reusable bags is just remembering to actually bring them to the store. I always forget, which is why I starting leaving them in my car. But then I brought them into my apartment and I always forget to bring them back out to my car. Stupid memory...
Sustainability (9/10):
With the aid of government-imposed taxes on plastic bags or corporate incentives to use Canvas Bags, I see plastic bags becoming very much obsolete within a decade.
Awesomeness (6/10):
They are sort of awesome. I mean, you get to show off your own distinct style by bringing whatever bag matches your personality. And let's face it, gross brown and pasty white plastic bags don't really match too many outfits.
User Input (0/5):
Nope, don't see anything here.
Carbon Credits
Carbon Credits, while similar to their tournament counterparts, the Carbon Offsets, are somewhat different. Carbon Credits (CC) are for companies or individuals that someday plan on polluting and want to buy the rights to pollute under a system of exchanges where companies that don't plan on polluting much sell their rights to pollute to the less Green company. It's complicated, but it makes sense if you understand it.
Impact on the Environment (7/15):
Ultimately, this system of buying Carbon Credits will regulate how much pollution is created by the industrial and commercial sectors. And it will cut down on the emissions from these companies, which is good. But it will come at the cost of more stringent regulations which will force companies to do business overseas where there are less environmental standards. Good for the US, bad for poor countries in Africa that have to deal with even more pollution.
Practicality (5/10):
This will mostly drive businesses out of developed countries and into less developed ones. While it is good to develop the economies of those countries, it's not good if it comes at the cost of economic collapse for the developed countries.
Sustainability (3/10):
The only way that this will take a hold long term is if all countries adopt them. And with the amount of corruption in some countries, there's no way that regulators will ever put up with standards in some countries.
Awesomeness (1/10):
Snoooooooooooooze.
User Input (0/5):
Comment away!
Alright, let's tally those scores!
Canvas Bags: 33
Carbon Credits: 16
Yeah, I think just about everyone saw that coming... Check back in on Tuesday to see the exciting first match of the second round! Recycling is going to go head to head with Wetland Conservation!
Friday, June 25, 2010
Tournament Round 1, Match 15 - (3) Recycled Products vs. (6) Rechargeable Batteries
Time for (3) Recycled Products to take on (6) Rechargeable Batteries!
Recycled Products
There couldn't be a better match up! (I'm lying) Both of these embodies a vital way to cut down on the amount of waste going into landfills, but in totally different ways. Who will be more important?
Impact on the Environment (11/15):
Without Recycled Products (RP), there would be no Recycling. What else would we use Recycling for? The whole Recycling system would collapse if people and businesses stop buying RP. And that would mean a whole lot more going into landfills and a whole lot being mined from the earth.
Practicality (7/10):
The Pros: RP can be cheaper than virgin materials and can lead to shorter supply chains.
The Cons: Buying anything, even RP, when you don't need them is wasteful and can be worse off than not buying things at all.
Sustainability (9/10):
I had to give this the same rating as for Recycling itself because let's face it, you can't have one without the other.
Awesomeness (7/10):
Okay, I was going to give this a lower rating, but then I started thinking about my t-shirt that is made out of recycled Coke bottles and I realized buying RP can be pretty awesome, just not as awesome as Recycling itself.
User Input (0/5):
Nope, don't see anything here.
Rechargeable Batteries
Impact on the Environment (11/15):
While it's true, Rechargeable Batteries (RB) don't seem to have a huge positive impact on the environment because batteries are a relatively small part of the solid waste we throw away, let's look a little deeper. Batteries, when thrown away, leak horrible, gross chemicals that can get into the earth and kill of plants and animal life. Aaand, when you use RB, you cut down on how much of those gross chemicals that need to be mined out of the earth. So RB are a lot better than they seem.
Practicality (10/10):
Just pay the extra couple of bucks. It's worth it. I guarantee it.
Sustainability (8/10):
Honestly, non-rechargeable batteries wouldn't even be sold in stores any more if people just got to the point where they stopped living "disposable lives." There's no differences between RB and non-RB other than lower initial costs and higher long term costs associated with non-RB.
Awesomeness (3/10):
Meh. You don't even see the batteries once you put them into the... whatever it is you put them in. And I don't have any t-shirts about RB.
User Input (0/5):
Comment away!
Alright, let's tally those scores!
Recycled Products: 34
Rechargeable Batteries: 32
Oh, Rechargeable Batteries. So close, yet so far. Come back tomorrow to see if (2) Canvas Bags and (7) Carbon Credits can come this close!
Recycled Products
There couldn't be a better match up! (I'm lying) Both of these embodies a vital way to cut down on the amount of waste going into landfills, but in totally different ways. Who will be more important?
Impact on the Environment (11/15):
Without Recycled Products (RP), there would be no Recycling. What else would we use Recycling for? The whole Recycling system would collapse if people and businesses stop buying RP. And that would mean a whole lot more going into landfills and a whole lot being mined from the earth.
Practicality (7/10):
The Pros: RP can be cheaper than virgin materials and can lead to shorter supply chains.
The Cons: Buying anything, even RP, when you don't need them is wasteful and can be worse off than not buying things at all.
Sustainability (9/10):
I had to give this the same rating as for Recycling itself because let's face it, you can't have one without the other.
Awesomeness (7/10):
Okay, I was going to give this a lower rating, but then I started thinking about my t-shirt that is made out of recycled Coke bottles and I realized buying RP can be pretty awesome, just not as awesome as Recycling itself.
User Input (0/5):
Nope, don't see anything here.
Rechargeable Batteries
Impact on the Environment (11/15):
While it's true, Rechargeable Batteries (RB) don't seem to have a huge positive impact on the environment because batteries are a relatively small part of the solid waste we throw away, let's look a little deeper. Batteries, when thrown away, leak horrible, gross chemicals that can get into the earth and kill of plants and animal life. Aaand, when you use RB, you cut down on how much of those gross chemicals that need to be mined out of the earth. So RB are a lot better than they seem.
Practicality (10/10):
Just pay the extra couple of bucks. It's worth it. I guarantee it.
Sustainability (8/10):
Honestly, non-rechargeable batteries wouldn't even be sold in stores any more if people just got to the point where they stopped living "disposable lives." There's no differences between RB and non-RB other than lower initial costs and higher long term costs associated with non-RB.
Awesomeness (3/10):
Meh. You don't even see the batteries once you put them into the... whatever it is you put them in. And I don't have any t-shirts about RB.
User Input (0/5):
Comment away!
Alright, let's tally those scores!
Recycled Products: 34
Rechargeable Batteries: 32
Oh, Rechargeable Batteries. So close, yet so far. Come back tomorrow to see if (2) Canvas Bags and (7) Carbon Credits can come this close!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Tournament Round 1, Match 14 - (4) Insulation vs. (5) High Efficiency Toilets
Time for (4) Insulation to take on (5) High Efficiency Toilets!
Insulation
Ah, Insulation. It's really nothing new or revolutionary, but it is pretty important in the Global War on Global Warming.
Impact on the Environment (9/15):
Having proper Insulation is like flossing, it's really good to have, but it seems like not enough people actually do it. Insulation keeps energy bills down and reduces the need for natural gas or coal. That's good, I suppose, but there is the issue of what to do with Insulation when it's done being used. It doesn't really break down all that easy, so it's hard to landfill.
Practicality (9/10):
Every home should have enough Insulation. The only issue is for older homes where the Insulation has worn down or never put in in the first place.
Sustainability (8/10):
There's no reason why Insulation shouldn't be around for as long as houses exist. Even if Global Warming warms up the planet, we'll need Insulation for the extra A/C that we'll need in our homes.
Awesomeness (3/10):
Who, other than the good people at Owens Corning, really even cares about Insulation?
User Input (0/5):
Nope, don't see anything here.
High Efficiency Toilets
HET are much like LEL from yesterday, except with water instead of electricity.
Impact on the Environment (12/15):
HET last for a looooong time. Well, all toilets do, but if you think about all the water that can be saved over the life of a toilet, it's mind boggling. If your toilet uses even one gallon less of water for every flush, that comes out to maybe 10 gallons per day or 3650 gallons per year. If a toilet lasts for 50 years, that's 182,500 gallons over the life of the toilet. I'd say that's significant.
Practicality (8/10):
Sure, they're more expensive than regular toilets, but as technology improves and economies of scale take over, the prices come down and HET becomes more of a viable option. That and once we start having droughts, water's going to be pretty darn expensive.
Sustainability (8/10):
Like I mentioned with the LEL, HET is a technology that will keep advancing. What's high efficiency now will be obsolete within 15 or 20 years. Within my lifetime, it's likely that waterfree toilets could become popular.
Awesomeness (7/10):
You know how much I love toilets and bathrooms and such. Just go back and read my old Green Tips and you'll see that. I mention toilets much more often than Insulation.
User Input (1/5):
Ohhhh, I finally get how this is like the World Cup. With a score of 1-0, HET takes it in the awesomeness category!
Alright, let's tally those scores!
Insulation: 29
High Efficiency Toilets: 36
Well, there you have it, toilets always seem to come out on top. Come on back on Friday to learn which is better: (3) Recycled Products or (6) Rechargeable Batteries. And make sure to comment about which one you prefer!
Insulation
Ah, Insulation. It's really nothing new or revolutionary, but it is pretty important in the Global War on Global Warming.
Impact on the Environment (9/15):
Having proper Insulation is like flossing, it's really good to have, but it seems like not enough people actually do it. Insulation keeps energy bills down and reduces the need for natural gas or coal. That's good, I suppose, but there is the issue of what to do with Insulation when it's done being used. It doesn't really break down all that easy, so it's hard to landfill.
Practicality (9/10):
Every home should have enough Insulation. The only issue is for older homes where the Insulation has worn down or never put in in the first place.
Sustainability (8/10):
There's no reason why Insulation shouldn't be around for as long as houses exist. Even if Global Warming warms up the planet, we'll need Insulation for the extra A/C that we'll need in our homes.
Awesomeness (3/10):
Who, other than the good people at Owens Corning, really even cares about Insulation?
User Input (0/5):
Nope, don't see anything here.
High Efficiency Toilets
HET are much like LEL from yesterday, except with water instead of electricity.
Impact on the Environment (12/15):
HET last for a looooong time. Well, all toilets do, but if you think about all the water that can be saved over the life of a toilet, it's mind boggling. If your toilet uses even one gallon less of water for every flush, that comes out to maybe 10 gallons per day or 3650 gallons per year. If a toilet lasts for 50 years, that's 182,500 gallons over the life of the toilet. I'd say that's significant.
Practicality (8/10):
Sure, they're more expensive than regular toilets, but as technology improves and economies of scale take over, the prices come down and HET becomes more of a viable option. That and once we start having droughts, water's going to be pretty darn expensive.
Sustainability (8/10):
Like I mentioned with the LEL, HET is a technology that will keep advancing. What's high efficiency now will be obsolete within 15 or 20 years. Within my lifetime, it's likely that waterfree toilets could become popular.
Awesomeness (7/10):
You know how much I love toilets and bathrooms and such. Just go back and read my old Green Tips and you'll see that. I mention toilets much more often than Insulation.
User Input (1/5):
Ohhhh, I finally get how this is like the World Cup. With a score of 1-0, HET takes it in the awesomeness category!
Alright, let's tally those scores!
Insulation: 29
High Efficiency Toilets: 36
Well, there you have it, toilets always seem to come out on top. Come on back on Friday to learn which is better: (3) Recycled Products or (6) Rechargeable Batteries. And make sure to comment about which one you prefer!
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Tournament Round 1, Match 13 - (1) Low Energy Lighting vs (8) Organic Food
(1) Low Energy Lighting and (8) Organic Food!
Low Energy Lighting
Low Energy Lighting (LEL for short) is not any specific technology or brand but the next generation of commercial and residential lighting. This could be anything from those spirally light bulbs to the really expensive LEDs you see in rich people's houses.
Impact on the Environment (13/15):
LEL is a really good solution because it goes after the problem in an entirely different way. Alternative energy technologies approach the problem as "we're going to run out of fossil fuels eventually, let's abandon ship before it gets too bad." LEL on the other hand is more like "we're going to run out of fossil fuels eventually, let's patch up the ship as much as we can so it will be a lot longer until we sink." And while reducing our energy consumption will only delay the inevitable, it sure beats freezing to death and sinking to the bottom of the ocean while hanging on to a door until for help arrives.
Practicality (10/10):
Look, light bulbs are going to burn out eventually, and when they do, just buy the more-expensive-now-but-cheaper-in-the-long-run high efficiency ones.
Sustainability (10/10):
LEL is a concept that will only continue to evolve as technology improves. What's low energy now will be high energy compared with what will be popular 10 years from now. As long as people continue to choose the more environmentally friendly option, things will only continue to improve.
Awesomeness (5/10):
While I know that I'm a huge nerd and think these are awesome, most people don't care one way or another about high efficiency lighting. It's okay, I won't hold it against you... much...
User Input (0/5):
Nope, don't see anything here.
Organic Food
Oh, Organic Food. How I have longed to talk about you in here. This is the most misunderstood and deceptive Green idea, even more misunderstood than nuclear power. Some people will disagree with me, but I look at things very practically (ironically enough) and Organic Food doesn't stack up.
Impact on the Environment (9/15):
Organic Food is good for the environment. Somewhat good, that is. It's great the pesticides aren't getting into our waterways or getting into the food we eat. And I know that I don't want to eat pesticides. But the picture isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Follow me to the next paragraph and I'll explain further.
Practicality (2/10):
The truth about Organic Food is that it just doesn't work on a large scale. One of the benefits of genetically modified food is increased yields. Increased yields means more people can be fed with less resources. One of the reasons that wealthy countries can stay wealthy and healthy is that they use crops that produce better yields. If everyone in the world switched to Organic Food, pests populations would explode and consume all of our food, which would cause starvation and droughts across the world. That may sound a bit grim, but when farmland is being destroyed by climate change already, we need all the help we can get in terms of growing more for less.
Sustainability (5/10):
Organic Food really has been around a very long time (as long as plants have been on this planet) so they'll always be around in some form. But as for their popularity among humans, right now they're a luxury. One that will quickly be cast aside if things start going downhill in terms of climate change.
Awesomeness (7/10):
Organic Food, while not awesome in my book, is a really fun thing to rub in people's faces if you feel like getting all ecotistical (Dang! I just made that word up, but I checked and someone already said it first) to your friends.
User Input (0/5):
Nope, nothing here either.
Alright, let's tally those scores!
Low Energy Lighting: 38
Organic Food: 23
Eat it, Organic Food! For everyone else that didn't lose to Low Energy Lighting, check it out tomorrow when (4) Insulation and (5) High Efficiency Toilets face off.
Low Energy Lighting
Low Energy Lighting (LEL for short) is not any specific technology or brand but the next generation of commercial and residential lighting. This could be anything from those spirally light bulbs to the really expensive LEDs you see in rich people's houses.
Impact on the Environment (13/15):
LEL is a really good solution because it goes after the problem in an entirely different way. Alternative energy technologies approach the problem as "we're going to run out of fossil fuels eventually, let's abandon ship before it gets too bad." LEL on the other hand is more like "we're going to run out of fossil fuels eventually, let's patch up the ship as much as we can so it will be a lot longer until we sink." And while reducing our energy consumption will only delay the inevitable, it sure beats freezing to death and sinking to the bottom of the ocean while hanging on to a door until for help arrives.
Practicality (10/10):
Look, light bulbs are going to burn out eventually, and when they do, just buy the more-expensive-now-but-cheaper-in-the-long-run high efficiency ones.
Sustainability (10/10):
LEL is a concept that will only continue to evolve as technology improves. What's low energy now will be high energy compared with what will be popular 10 years from now. As long as people continue to choose the more environmentally friendly option, things will only continue to improve.
Awesomeness (5/10):
While I know that I'm a huge nerd and think these are awesome, most people don't care one way or another about high efficiency lighting. It's okay, I won't hold it against you... much...
User Input (0/5):
Nope, don't see anything here.
Organic Food
Oh, Organic Food. How I have longed to talk about you in here. This is the most misunderstood and deceptive Green idea, even more misunderstood than nuclear power. Some people will disagree with me, but I look at things very practically (ironically enough) and Organic Food doesn't stack up.
Impact on the Environment (9/15):
Organic Food is good for the environment. Somewhat good, that is. It's great the pesticides aren't getting into our waterways or getting into the food we eat. And I know that I don't want to eat pesticides. But the picture isn't all sunshine and rainbows. Follow me to the next paragraph and I'll explain further.
Practicality (2/10):
The truth about Organic Food is that it just doesn't work on a large scale. One of the benefits of genetically modified food is increased yields. Increased yields means more people can be fed with less resources. One of the reasons that wealthy countries can stay wealthy and healthy is that they use crops that produce better yields. If everyone in the world switched to Organic Food, pests populations would explode and consume all of our food, which would cause starvation and droughts across the world. That may sound a bit grim, but when farmland is being destroyed by climate change already, we need all the help we can get in terms of growing more for less.
Sustainability (5/10):
Organic Food really has been around a very long time (as long as plants have been on this planet) so they'll always be around in some form. But as for their popularity among humans, right now they're a luxury. One that will quickly be cast aside if things start going downhill in terms of climate change.
Awesomeness (7/10):
Organic Food, while not awesome in my book, is a really fun thing to rub in people's faces if you feel like getting all ecotistical (Dang! I just made that word up, but I checked and someone already said it first) to your friends.
User Input (0/5):
Nope, nothing here either.
Alright, let's tally those scores!
Low Energy Lighting: 38
Organic Food: 23
Eat it, Organic Food! For everyone else that didn't lose to Low Energy Lighting, check it out tomorrow when (4) Insulation and (5) High Efficiency Toilets face off.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Tournament Round 1, Match 12 - (2) Solar Power vs. (7) Nuclear Power
Time to wrap up the first round of the Green Energy Region! (2) Solar Power vs. (7) Nuclear Power!
Solar Power
Solar Power, like Wind Power, Hydroelectric Power, and American Gladiators, is an concept that has been around for several thousand years but only recently found a new popularity as technology has advanced. Solar Power typically means photovoltaic solar panels and that's what I am referring to with most of the entry.
Impact on the Environment (13/15):
Solar Power is very good in that it doesn't create any carbon emissions when it's being operated. Yes, it takes up a lot of space, yes, it uses metal and other rare earth metals, yes it can only be used when the sun is out. Almost the same concerns as wind power.
Practicality (7/10):
Ignoring all the concerns listed above, Solar Power also has a huge problem in that it's very very inefficient. Solar panels only use about 10% of the energy that the sun puts out. That's really not that great.
Sustainability (9/10):
Yaddah, yaddah, yaddah all the same things as Wind Power and Hydroelectric. Solar panels are really easy to maintain.
Awesomeness (8/10):
Solar Power is pretty awesome. I don't know how anyone can look across a huge solar array and not be impressed.
User Input (1/5):
1 point, take it or leave it!
Nuclear Power
Ah, Nuclear Power. I don't know any concept that is as controversial as Nuclear Power is. No other alternative energy has been turned into a weapon (as far as I know. I've never heard of a solar powered laser beam or anything).
Impact on the Environment (5/15):
Nuclear Power releases less carbon emissions than fossil fuels. That's not being disputed. Even when you don't consider the issue of what to do with the spent nuclear fuel rods, Nuclear Power isn't great for the environment in the long run. I don't want anyone to have misconceptions. Nuclear Power is NOT renewable. People in Africa are mining uranium (which will eventually run out, just like fossil fuels) and then it has to be processed (like gasoline and coal). And don't even get me started on the issue of meltdowns. Oh, and what about the nuclear waste that will last for 100,000 years stored in barrels that will last 10,000 years?
Practicality (7/10):
Nuclear Power is good if we keep going at the levels we're using uranium, but anyone who thinks that Nuclear Power is the solution to our energy crises is delusional. And if well developed countries like the USA and the USSR can have issues in terms of near or more than near meltdowns, how many problems do you think countries like Haiti and Afghanistan would have?
Sustainability (5/10):
Like I mentioned before, we're eventually going to run out of uranium. It's true that we'll probably run out at some point and yes, we'll probably find some other substance that will work in our reactors, but unless we develop miniature suns that create almost limitless energy (think Spider-Man 2 and yes, people are working on that technology. People that are hopefully not evil geniuses that will have mechanical arms fused to their backs), Nuclear Power doesn't have a very long future.
Awesomeness (10/10):
Look at the 1950's and 60's and all the really bad horror movies that came out. Really really tacky and fodder for Mystery Science Theater 3000, but you have to admit that they're sort of awesome. By sort of I mean a lot.
User Input (0/5):
I don't blame you, I was rooting for the other one, too.
Alright, let's tally those scores!
Solar Power: 38
Nuclear Power: 27
Sorry, Nuclear Power. Don't go all Iran on me just because you didn't win. For everyone else, check it out next time when I delve into (1) Low Energy Lighting vs. (8) Organic Food.
Solar Power
Solar Power, like Wind Power, Hydroelectric Power, and American Gladiators, is an concept that has been around for several thousand years but only recently found a new popularity as technology has advanced. Solar Power typically means photovoltaic solar panels and that's what I am referring to with most of the entry.
Impact on the Environment (13/15):
Solar Power is very good in that it doesn't create any carbon emissions when it's being operated. Yes, it takes up a lot of space, yes, it uses metal and other rare earth metals, yes it can only be used when the sun is out. Almost the same concerns as wind power.
Practicality (7/10):
Ignoring all the concerns listed above, Solar Power also has a huge problem in that it's very very inefficient. Solar panels only use about 10% of the energy that the sun puts out. That's really not that great.
Sustainability (9/10):
Yaddah, yaddah, yaddah all the same things as Wind Power and Hydroelectric. Solar panels are really easy to maintain.
Awesomeness (8/10):
Solar Power is pretty awesome. I don't know how anyone can look across a huge solar array and not be impressed.
User Input (1/5):
1 point, take it or leave it!
Nuclear Power
Ah, Nuclear Power. I don't know any concept that is as controversial as Nuclear Power is. No other alternative energy has been turned into a weapon (as far as I know. I've never heard of a solar powered laser beam or anything).
Impact on the Environment (5/15):
Nuclear Power releases less carbon emissions than fossil fuels. That's not being disputed. Even when you don't consider the issue of what to do with the spent nuclear fuel rods, Nuclear Power isn't great for the environment in the long run. I don't want anyone to have misconceptions. Nuclear Power is NOT renewable. People in Africa are mining uranium (which will eventually run out, just like fossil fuels) and then it has to be processed (like gasoline and coal). And don't even get me started on the issue of meltdowns. Oh, and what about the nuclear waste that will last for 100,000 years stored in barrels that will last 10,000 years?
Practicality (7/10):
Nuclear Power is good if we keep going at the levels we're using uranium, but anyone who thinks that Nuclear Power is the solution to our energy crises is delusional. And if well developed countries like the USA and the USSR can have issues in terms of near or more than near meltdowns, how many problems do you think countries like Haiti and Afghanistan would have?
Sustainability (5/10):
Like I mentioned before, we're eventually going to run out of uranium. It's true that we'll probably run out at some point and yes, we'll probably find some other substance that will work in our reactors, but unless we develop miniature suns that create almost limitless energy (think Spider-Man 2 and yes, people are working on that technology. People that are hopefully not evil geniuses that will have mechanical arms fused to their backs), Nuclear Power doesn't have a very long future.
Awesomeness (10/10):
Look at the 1950's and 60's and all the really bad horror movies that came out. Really really tacky and fodder for Mystery Science Theater 3000, but you have to admit that they're sort of awesome. By sort of I mean a lot.
User Input (0/5):
I don't blame you, I was rooting for the other one, too.
Alright, let's tally those scores!
Solar Power: 38
Nuclear Power: 27
Sorry, Nuclear Power. Don't go all Iran on me just because you didn't win. For everyone else, check it out next time when I delve into (1) Low Energy Lighting vs. (8) Organic Food.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Tournament Round 1, Match 11 - (3) Waste to Energy vs. (6) Geothermal Energy
(3) Waste to Energy vs. (6) Geothermal Energy. It's like the World Cup! In ways I don't really know...
Waste to Energy
Waste to Energy is fun. There's two major ways to do it. First, the gases released from landfills can be captured and sent to companies that want to use that gas to power boilers or generators. The other way is for waste to be sent straight into a furnace that generates steam which creates electricity. A third way is to put waste into your DeLorean's fusion generator, but that's not very popular and happens mostly in Back to the Future.
Impact on the Environment (13/15):
It's good, it really is. Making waste useful for something other than taking up space is great. And it can reduce the amount of natural gas we have to mine out of the ground. But the downside is you're still burning things and that creates carbon emissions. Good, but not perfect.
Practicality (9/10):
I mean, I don't see what's impractical about this. The garbage is already being gathered up to be put in landfills. Why not add a few steps to make it useful for something? And the landfill gases are being burned off a lot of the time now anyway, so it doesn't make sense to let it go to waste.
Sustainability (9/10):
We will ALWAYS have garbage. In some form or another, garbage is going to be around until (really after) humans die out or get raptured off to heaven (or hell if you don't recycle. God's watching you). If we put these W2E systems in place now, they'll be good for something like 30 years after the landfills are closed. And if we make things break down even easier, that could last even longer.
Awesomeness (5/10):
Wow, burning garbage. That's... um... great. I'm pretty sure people have been doing that in developing countries hundreds or thousands of years before they were even called 'developing countries.' Nothing too exciting here.
User Input (1/5):
I was tempted not to give points for this one because the puns were so bad, but rules are rules.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Energy is what the name implies, energy from the heat in the earth. Mostly it's used for heating buildings, but there are ways to make energy from steam generation. To oversimplify how this works, tubes filled with water are put deep underground and as the water flows through the earth, it heats up and is piped up to the surface where that heat is utilized.
Impact on the Environment (13/15):
Geothermal Energy is so useful that most buildings with geothermal wells don't even need to rely on fossil fuels to heat them at all. And operating these wells don't release any carbon emissions, which is great! There are some concerns about what taking heat out of the ground will do to the composition of the earth, but it hasn't seemed to do too much damage so far.
Practicality (8/10):
Geothermal Energy is much like other alternative energy sources: installing it is the hardest part. Once the system is in the ground, it's nice and reliable and consistent. There are some concerns about where you can dig and the possibility of striking some unknown cave system that will collapse or awakening mole people that will burst forth from the earth and kill us all. Other than that, it's a pretty decent system.
Sustainability (7/10):
A lot of people will probably say that it's a safe and secure system. For now and the next 20 to 30 years, yes, it is a good safe system. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (my nickname: Great Gulf Oil Spill or G-GOS) is making me concerned about what happens when these pipes rupture. We could have steam explosions right underneath a large metropolitan area. And how do we measure or even fix these pipes which are thousands of feet under the ground?
Awesomeness (7/10):
I mean, it is an awesome concept. I'll give it that. But you can't see anything except for a pipe that comes out of the ground. Snoooooze.
User Input (0/5):
I don't blame you, I was rooting for the other one, too.
Alright, let's tally those scores!
Waste to Energy: 37
Geothermal Energy: 35
Yikes! The closest one yet in this tournament! And just think if that comment hadn't been left! W2E would have won by 1 point! Tomorrow (maybe Sunday) I'll be taking a look at (2) Solar Power vs. (7) Nuclear Power.
As I promised yesterday, here are the rules for the next round of the tournament. I obviously have to re-rate everything on a different scale, because otherwise you'd already know that Recycling [35] would beat Wetland Conservation [31].
There will be three criteria for ideas to get points. 20 points for how good (environmentally speaking) the average person feels when they use or take advantage of the product or idea. 20 points for how guilty they feel for not using the product or idea. And 10 points for user comments. Each comment comes out to 2 points, with a max of 5 comments per idea. Sounds good? Good!
Waste to Energy
Waste to Energy is fun. There's two major ways to do it. First, the gases released from landfills can be captured and sent to companies that want to use that gas to power boilers or generators. The other way is for waste to be sent straight into a furnace that generates steam which creates electricity. A third way is to put waste into your DeLorean's fusion generator, but that's not very popular and happens mostly in Back to the Future.
Impact on the Environment (13/15):
It's good, it really is. Making waste useful for something other than taking up space is great. And it can reduce the amount of natural gas we have to mine out of the ground. But the downside is you're still burning things and that creates carbon emissions. Good, but not perfect.
Practicality (9/10):
I mean, I don't see what's impractical about this. The garbage is already being gathered up to be put in landfills. Why not add a few steps to make it useful for something? And the landfill gases are being burned off a lot of the time now anyway, so it doesn't make sense to let it go to waste.
Sustainability (9/10):
We will ALWAYS have garbage. In some form or another, garbage is going to be around until (really after) humans die out or get raptured off to heaven (or hell if you don't recycle. God's watching you). If we put these W2E systems in place now, they'll be good for something like 30 years after the landfills are closed. And if we make things break down even easier, that could last even longer.
Awesomeness (5/10):
Wow, burning garbage. That's... um... great. I'm pretty sure people have been doing that in developing countries hundreds or thousands of years before they were even called 'developing countries.' Nothing too exciting here.
User Input (1/5):
I was tempted not to give points for this one because the puns were so bad, but rules are rules.
Geothermal Energy
Geothermal Energy is what the name implies, energy from the heat in the earth. Mostly it's used for heating buildings, but there are ways to make energy from steam generation. To oversimplify how this works, tubes filled with water are put deep underground and as the water flows through the earth, it heats up and is piped up to the surface where that heat is utilized.
Impact on the Environment (13/15):
Geothermal Energy is so useful that most buildings with geothermal wells don't even need to rely on fossil fuels to heat them at all. And operating these wells don't release any carbon emissions, which is great! There are some concerns about what taking heat out of the ground will do to the composition of the earth, but it hasn't seemed to do too much damage so far.
Practicality (8/10):
Geothermal Energy is much like other alternative energy sources: installing it is the hardest part. Once the system is in the ground, it's nice and reliable and consistent. There are some concerns about where you can dig and the possibility of striking some unknown cave system that will collapse or awakening mole people that will burst forth from the earth and kill us all. Other than that, it's a pretty decent system.
Sustainability (7/10):
A lot of people will probably say that it's a safe and secure system. For now and the next 20 to 30 years, yes, it is a good safe system. The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico (my nickname: Great Gulf Oil Spill or G-GOS) is making me concerned about what happens when these pipes rupture. We could have steam explosions right underneath a large metropolitan area. And how do we measure or even fix these pipes which are thousands of feet under the ground?
Awesomeness (7/10):
I mean, it is an awesome concept. I'll give it that. But you can't see anything except for a pipe that comes out of the ground. Snoooooze.
User Input (0/5):
I don't blame you, I was rooting for the other one, too.
Alright, let's tally those scores!
Waste to Energy: 37
Geothermal Energy: 35
Yikes! The closest one yet in this tournament! And just think if that comment hadn't been left! W2E would have won by 1 point! Tomorrow (maybe Sunday) I'll be taking a look at (2) Solar Power vs. (7) Nuclear Power.
As I promised yesterday, here are the rules for the next round of the tournament. I obviously have to re-rate everything on a different scale, because otherwise you'd already know that Recycling [35] would beat Wetland Conservation [31].
There will be three criteria for ideas to get points. 20 points for how good (environmentally speaking) the average person feels when they use or take advantage of the product or idea. 20 points for how guilty they feel for not using the product or idea. And 10 points for user comments. Each comment comes out to 2 points, with a max of 5 comments per idea. Sounds good? Good!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Tournament Round 1, Match 10 - (4) Hydroelectric Power vs. (5) Offshore Wind
Ooooo, a Thursday post. How unusual! (4) Hydroelectric Power vs. (5) Offshore Wind
Hydroelectric Power
Everyone knows what Hydroelectric Power (HP) is, even if they don't know it's called that. Think of the Hoover Dam and you have a pretty big picture of it.
Impact on the Environment (9/15):
HP is alternative energy, so it should be really good for the environment, right? Wrong! Yes, it does drastically cut back on the amount of carbon emissions in the air, but you also have to build a big dam that blocks off a section of a river. This causes flooding and displaced cities and whole sections of the river that fish can't live in and people can't boat down. Yes, you can have HP that doesn't need to block the whole river, but most of the time you don't end up seeing that.
Practicality (7/10):
HP is somewhat practical. Yes, people live near rivers a lot of the time, so it makes sense to have HP close to where people live, but you have to realize that these people need the river for their livelihoods, like fishing and transporting things by boat.
Sustainability (10/10):
This funny thing about modern alternative energy is that the ideas behind them have been around for thousands of years. HP (in the form of water wheels) has been used much the same as wind power. And dams last a long long time. The Hoover Dam has been around for 75 years and is still working. How many people do you know that have been working for 75 years?.
Awesomeness (7/10):
I have to admit, I've never been to the Hoover Dam. But I have been to smaller HP dams around Cleveland and they were awesome, just to a lesser degree.
User Input (0/5):
You probably knew that your favorite was going to win, so you chose not to comment. I admire your confidence!
Offshore Wind
Offshore Wind (OW) is pretty much the same as yesterday's wind power, but on the water. Pretty simple, right?
Impact on the Environment (13/15):
I'll give this one extra point over wind power just because you don't need to take up valuable farm land or forest land to have OW farms.
Practicality (5/10):
Just to balance things out, I'll give this two less points than onshore wind power because it's insanely hard to sink the pylons into the bottom of the ocean. I've heard there's only one or two ships in the world that have the ability to carry the giant metal things out there and that have the stability to be able to drive them in straight and go deep enough. And don't even get me started on putting cables all across the ocean floor.
Sustainability (9/10):
I have to give this a 9 just because the salty water will corrode the OW turbines much faster than their onshore counterparts. They'll still be around longer than you and I will be, though. Unless of course the whale uprising takes place sooner than I expect, of course.
Awesomeness (9/10):
Wind Power Awesomeness = Offshore Wind Power Awesomeness.
User Input (1/5):
Now I know how politicians feel because I was lobbied to endorse Offshore Wind Power!
Alright, let's tally those scores!
Hydroelectric Power: 33
Offshore Wind: 37
Upset!!!!!!! Not a huge one, but still a (5) beat a (4). Come back tomorrow and see if (6) Geothermal can take out (3) Waste to Energy. Oh, and tomorrow I'll explain the rules for the second round of the Tournament!
Hydroelectric Power
Everyone knows what Hydroelectric Power (HP) is, even if they don't know it's called that. Think of the Hoover Dam and you have a pretty big picture of it.
Impact on the Environment (9/15):
HP is alternative energy, so it should be really good for the environment, right? Wrong! Yes, it does drastically cut back on the amount of carbon emissions in the air, but you also have to build a big dam that blocks off a section of a river. This causes flooding and displaced cities and whole sections of the river that fish can't live in and people can't boat down. Yes, you can have HP that doesn't need to block the whole river, but most of the time you don't end up seeing that.
Practicality (7/10):
HP is somewhat practical. Yes, people live near rivers a lot of the time, so it makes sense to have HP close to where people live, but you have to realize that these people need the river for their livelihoods, like fishing and transporting things by boat.
Sustainability (10/10):
This funny thing about modern alternative energy is that the ideas behind them have been around for thousands of years. HP (in the form of water wheels) has been used much the same as wind power. And dams last a long long time. The Hoover Dam has been around for 75 years and is still working. How many people do you know that have been working for 75 years?.
Awesomeness (7/10):
I have to admit, I've never been to the Hoover Dam. But I have been to smaller HP dams around Cleveland and they were awesome, just to a lesser degree.
User Input (0/5):
You probably knew that your favorite was going to win, so you chose not to comment. I admire your confidence!
Offshore Wind
Offshore Wind (OW) is pretty much the same as yesterday's wind power, but on the water. Pretty simple, right?
Impact on the Environment (13/15):
I'll give this one extra point over wind power just because you don't need to take up valuable farm land or forest land to have OW farms.
Practicality (5/10):
Just to balance things out, I'll give this two less points than onshore wind power because it's insanely hard to sink the pylons into the bottom of the ocean. I've heard there's only one or two ships in the world that have the ability to carry the giant metal things out there and that have the stability to be able to drive them in straight and go deep enough. And don't even get me started on putting cables all across the ocean floor.
Sustainability (9/10):
I have to give this a 9 just because the salty water will corrode the OW turbines much faster than their onshore counterparts. They'll still be around longer than you and I will be, though. Unless of course the whale uprising takes place sooner than I expect, of course.
Awesomeness (9/10):
Wind Power Awesomeness = Offshore Wind Power Awesomeness.
User Input (1/5):
Now I know how politicians feel because I was lobbied to endorse Offshore Wind Power!
Alright, let's tally those scores!
Hydroelectric Power: 33
Offshore Wind: 37
Upset!!!!!!! Not a huge one, but still a (5) beat a (4). Come back tomorrow and see if (6) Geothermal can take out (3) Waste to Energy. Oh, and tomorrow I'll explain the rules for the second round of the Tournament!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Tournament Round 1, Match 9 - (1) Wind Power vs. (8) Tidal Power
Yay! Time to start the Green Energy Region! (1) Wind Power vs. (8) Tidal Power! Go!
Wind Power
Wind Power is interesting. It's been around for a long time. Much longer than almost everything else in this Tournament. People have been using windmills to grind grains or work textile factories. It wasn't until the past 100 years or so that people started using Wind Power for electricity. Now wind farms are popping up everywhere. Everywhere not near people, of course.
Impact on the Environment (12/15):
Wind Power, for the most part, is fairly neutral for the environment. Yes, you need a bunch of metal for the turbines and yes, you need space to put the turbines and yes, you might kill some birds in the process, but think about it this way: if we put too much carbon in the air from burning fossil fuels, a lot of birds will die from increased temperatures and we'll need more space for farming because all of our farms will dry up and, well, we're either going to have to dig metal out of the ground or dig coal out of the ground. Take your pick.
Practicality (7/10):
Wind Power is very easy to produce. That's not the issue. There really isn't a place on earth that doesn't have some wind. The bad news is that the best wind sources are in places far away from people, like mountainy areas and oceans. So the issue then is transmission of energy. And what about when it isn't windy? Luckily, technology has gotten pretty good in terms of being able to build these things so offshore wind is becoming more popular. In fact, Lake Erie, right by Cleveland, is going to be getting the world's first fresh water wind farm in a few years!
Sustainability (10/10):
The first wind powered machine was made by the Greeks in the 1st century AD. I doubt anything that's been around 2000(ish) years will become obsolete any time soon. Wind turbines, when their bearings are replaced every so often, will last for quite some time.
Awesomeness (9/10):
I don't know why people complain about wind farms blocking their view of beaches and such. I think they look pretty awesome.
User Input (0/5):
You probably knew that your favorite was going to win, so you chose not to comment. I admire your confidence!
Tidal Power
Tidal Power is interesting in the fact that it's been around almost as long as Wind Power, but it is hardly ever used these days. Tidal Power refers to harnessing the forces the tides exert as they flow in and out each day. It's much more complicated than that, involving fluid mechanics, but I chose not to read the Wikipedia article about it so I won't be able to explain it fully.
Impact on the Environment (13/15):
Tidal Power has probably even less of an impact on the environment than Wind Power. These tidal turbines do not disrupt fish for the most part and they're not eyesores. The bad thing is that they're not efficient at all. It takes a whole lot more Tidal Power to generate the same energy as Wind Power. So you're really not saving as much fossil fuels as you'd think.
Practicality (6/10):
Like I mentioned before, these aren't that efficient, so until technology improves, these aren't worth the cost of putting them out there. They are very predictable, which is a bonus to Tidal Power.
Sustainability (9/10):
This is very similar to Wind Power. As long as people make sure to maintain these tidal turbines and scrape the barnacles off every so often, these will be around for quite some time.
Awesomeness (5/10):
Be honest with me, have you even heard of Tidal Power before this? It's a cool theory, but it just doesn't have the awesome factor that other alternative energies have.
User Input (0/5):
Get those comments in, everyone!
Alright, let's tally those scores!
Wind Power: 38
Tidal Power: 33
I have to say, considering Tidal Power was an 8 seed, it put up a pretty good fight! It just needed a little more awesomeness and it would've been the upset of the century. Tune in TOMORROW for a special unprecedented Thursday posting! I want to squeeze in 4 Tournament matches in this week (Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat (or Sun)) so I can get through one Region a week. Tomorrow is (4) Hydroelectric vs. (5) Offshore Wind. Comment away!!
Wind Power
Wind Power is interesting. It's been around for a long time. Much longer than almost everything else in this Tournament. People have been using windmills to grind grains or work textile factories. It wasn't until the past 100 years or so that people started using Wind Power for electricity. Now wind farms are popping up everywhere. Everywhere not near people, of course.
Impact on the Environment (12/15):
Wind Power, for the most part, is fairly neutral for the environment. Yes, you need a bunch of metal for the turbines and yes, you need space to put the turbines and yes, you might kill some birds in the process, but think about it this way: if we put too much carbon in the air from burning fossil fuels, a lot of birds will die from increased temperatures and we'll need more space for farming because all of our farms will dry up and, well, we're either going to have to dig metal out of the ground or dig coal out of the ground. Take your pick.
Practicality (7/10):
Wind Power is very easy to produce. That's not the issue. There really isn't a place on earth that doesn't have some wind. The bad news is that the best wind sources are in places far away from people, like mountainy areas and oceans. So the issue then is transmission of energy. And what about when it isn't windy? Luckily, technology has gotten pretty good in terms of being able to build these things so offshore wind is becoming more popular. In fact, Lake Erie, right by Cleveland, is going to be getting the world's first fresh water wind farm in a few years!
Sustainability (10/10):
The first wind powered machine was made by the Greeks in the 1st century AD. I doubt anything that's been around 2000(ish) years will become obsolete any time soon. Wind turbines, when their bearings are replaced every so often, will last for quite some time.
Awesomeness (9/10):
I don't know why people complain about wind farms blocking their view of beaches and such. I think they look pretty awesome.
User Input (0/5):
You probably knew that your favorite was going to win, so you chose not to comment. I admire your confidence!
Tidal Power
Tidal Power is interesting in the fact that it's been around almost as long as Wind Power, but it is hardly ever used these days. Tidal Power refers to harnessing the forces the tides exert as they flow in and out each day. It's much more complicated than that, involving fluid mechanics, but I chose not to read the Wikipedia article about it so I won't be able to explain it fully.
Impact on the Environment (13/15):
Tidal Power has probably even less of an impact on the environment than Wind Power. These tidal turbines do not disrupt fish for the most part and they're not eyesores. The bad thing is that they're not efficient at all. It takes a whole lot more Tidal Power to generate the same energy as Wind Power. So you're really not saving as much fossil fuels as you'd think.
Practicality (6/10):
Like I mentioned before, these aren't that efficient, so until technology improves, these aren't worth the cost of putting them out there. They are very predictable, which is a bonus to Tidal Power.
Sustainability (9/10):
This is very similar to Wind Power. As long as people make sure to maintain these tidal turbines and scrape the barnacles off every so often, these will be around for quite some time.
Awesomeness (5/10):
Be honest with me, have you even heard of Tidal Power before this? It's a cool theory, but it just doesn't have the awesome factor that other alternative energies have.
User Input (0/5):
Get those comments in, everyone!
Alright, let's tally those scores!
Wind Power: 38
Tidal Power: 33
I have to say, considering Tidal Power was an 8 seed, it put up a pretty good fight! It just needed a little more awesomeness and it would've been the upset of the century. Tune in TOMORROW for a special unprecedented Thursday posting! I want to squeeze in 4 Tournament matches in this week (Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat (or Sun)) so I can get through one Region a week. Tomorrow is (4) Hydroelectric vs. (5) Offshore Wind. Comment away!!
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