by gmoke
Sun May 1st, 2022 at 07:49:44 PM EST
------
Index
------
------------
Conferences
------------
Tuesday, May 3
Graduate workshop: Data-driven environmental economics research from the EPA
Thursday, June 2 - June 3
Numbers and Nature: Mitchell J. Feigenbaum Symposium
--------------
Lecture Series
--------------
Tuesday, May
CAN WE RESIST THE HIJACKING OF DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA & BEYOND?
Cambridge Forum (https:/www.cambridgeforum.org?cat=3)
Friday, May 13
Building Climate Resilience in Transportation Systems
MIT Mobility Forum, (http://mmi.mit.edu/events)
Wednesday, May 11
Networking on the Trails: Mass Audubon's Climate Initiatives
Climate Adaptation Forum (https:/climateadaptationforum.org/events)
Friday, June 10
Market (Redesign) Pathways to a Decarbonized Grid; and Weaning Buildings Off Fossil Gas
NE Restructuring Roundtable (http://www.raabassociates.org/main/roundtable.asp)
------
Events
------
Monday, May 2
Mandating Climate Disclosures: Impacts on Sustainability and Financial Markets
Bazaar of Ideas: Moving Stuff Around
Wednesday, May 4
The Power of Protest: A Film Screening: The Boys Who Said No!
Thursday, May 5
Net Zero MA.: Legislation + Energy Sources for Achieving 2050 Climate Goals
Summit: Inventing the Future of Money
Environment, Ethics and Embodiment: Buddhist Approaches to Climate Change
Friday, May 6
Improving climate models with hybrid AI approaches
Saturday May 7
Fayette Park plant swap
Wake up the Earth Festival
Monday, May 9
Circular Economy for Sustainable Development: The Role of Land, Fuels, and Manufacturing
Tuesday, May 10
American governance: The way forward
Energy Companies and the Energy Transition: Transforming the Organization
Manufacturing the Clerical Predator: How the Catholic Hierarchy Creates and Maintains a Culture of Abuse
Friday, May 13
Carbon Neutral Geothermal Building In the Hudson Valley
Tuesday, May 17
Securing the Future of Agriculture
Wedneday, May 18
NECEC Emerging Trends Series: Deploying Climate Solutions
A Changing Planet Seminar: Seasonal rainfall over Eastern Africa and the Tropics: Trends, Climate Models and Projections
Thursday, May 19
Climate Conversations: Adaptation in Agriculture
The End of the Petrostate - How Electrification will Reshape the World
Friday, May 20
Bringing Together Varied Communities, As in the Covid Pandemic and Climate Change
Wednesday, May 25
MA Attorney General Climate Debate
----------------
These kinds of events are happening all over the world every day and most of them, now, are webcast and archived, sometimes even with accurate transcripts. Would be good to have a place that helped people access them.
This is a more global version of the local listings I did for about a decade (what I did and why I did it at http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html) until September 2020 and earlier for a few years in the 1990s (https:/theworld.com~gmoke/AList.index.html).
A more comprehensive global listing service could be developed if there were enough people interested in doing it, if it hasn't already been done.
If anyone knows of such a global listing of open energy, climate, and other events is available, please put me in contact.
Thanks for reading,
Solar IS Civil Defense,
George Mokray
gmoke@world.std.com
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com - notes on lectures and books
http://solarray.blogspot.com - renewable energy and efficiency - zero net energy links list
http://cityag.blogspot.com - city agriculture links list
http://geometrylinks.blogspot.com - geometry links list
http://hubevents.blogspot.com - Energy (and Other) Events
http://www.dailykos.com/user/gmoke/history - articles, ideas, and screeds
by gmoke
Fri Apr 22nd, 2022 at 01:29:53 AM EST
Preface: I originally wrote this a couple of decades ago, based upon my experiences working with a traveling energy show in the 1970s and 1980s and my own experiments with public displays of renewable energy at farmers' markets (https:/www.dailykos.com/stories/2005/8/21/140257-). I rewrote it for a new venture, Flourish Fiction which is trying to fill the need for "more hopeful stories to awaken imagination and help inspire the next generation of climate solutions." It is also published there at https://flourishfiction.substack.com/p/mister-franklins-folks?s=r
This is one way to imagine how to change the climate conversation in one growing season.
_____
Mister Franklin's Folks began when a small group of people decided to bring a solar fountain to the local farmers market. A solar electric panel pumped water up from a tub into a little fountain that would splash and spray. The brighter the sunshine, the higher the water would go. Children loved to turn it on and off with their shadows, jumping into and out of the sunlight, making the water dance and themselves laugh. Older kids asked questions, and so did some of the adults. "What's it for? How does it work? Why are you doing this? So what?"
The exhibit was labeled "Solar Fountain/Wishing Well" and some coins lay at the bottom of the tub. Nearby, there was a table under the shade of an umbrella where one of Franklin's Folk sat with a collection of books, pamphlets, leaflets, cards, and stickers, along with a big can labeled "Donations." The van parked behind them was full of working models and public experiments, product demos, and testing equipment. They shared guides with anyone who wanted them. For a small donation.
Each week, from Memorial Day to the week before Thanksgiving, throughout the farmers' market season, they'd be there. Each week, they'd set up a little solar fountain and present a different example of solar ingenuity and practical power. When they said power to the people, they meant it.
They said, "A south-facing window is already a solar collector and we can show you how to use it. A south-facing porch is even better. It can become a sunspace or greenhouse and you can grow food all year long."
They provided designs and projects that began by caulking and sealing a window and ended with a complete one-room HVAC and electrical system for daily and/or emergency use.
"A few inches of solar panel, a hand or foot powered generator, and a set of rechargeable batteries is a perpetual source of personal electrical power. You can have power as long as the sun keeps shining and can turn the handle or push the pedal when it isn't. You can have power as long as the batteries hold a charge. And when the batteries die, recycle the old ones and buy some new. That is, unless we've changed to capacitors, flywheels, or fuel cells by then."
by gmoke
Fri Apr 15th, 2022 at 01:25:16 AM EST
Boston University organized a talk on how Phoenix, New York, and the State of California are planning for extreme heat the other day.
https:/www.bu.edu/ioc/2022/03/02/bridging-the-research-policy-divide-lessons-from-cities-tackling-e
xtreme-heat
https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0UGVX8bs1I
As NOAA Weather Service reports, "More Americans die from heat every year than from all other extreme weather events combined."
Daphne Lundi, Deputy Director for Social Resiliency of NYC Mayor's Office of Resiliency, spoke. Hurricane Sandy was a wake-up call for the city and thus it has developed a long-term heat resiliency plan as part of their overall sustainability efforts. The city's approach is "If we're in the 2080s and we're going to have triple the amount of extreme heat days, what are we doing now in terms of our buildings, in terms of our land use policy to get us to a better place decades from now."
NYC has been developing Cool Neighborhoods since 2017 including ideas like
Shading and tree canopies
White rooms or reflective surfaces like "cool roofs"
Cooling centers
Report available at https:/www1.nyc.gov/assets/orr/pdf/Cool_Neighborhoods_NYC_Report.pdf [pdf alert]
They are constantly leading building preparedness and understanding of heat risk so that people know the tools available before a heat wave happens.
NYC also has building energy standards and the Office of Resiliency works on necessary legislation and regulation. For instance, they are now looking at the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program [LIHEAP] in relation to cooling as well as heating, which is where the bulk of funding goes.
by gmoke
Mon Apr 4th, 2022 at 01:22:36 AM EST
These kinds of events below are happening all over the world every day and most of them, now, are webcast and archived, sometimes even with accurate transcripts. Would be good to have a place that helped people access them. These kinds of events below are happening all over the world every day and most of them, now, are webcast and archived, sometimes even with accurate transcripts. Would be good to have a place that helped people access them.
This is a more global version of the local listings I did for about a decade (what I did and why I did it at http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html) until September 2020 and earlier for a few years in the 1990s (https:/theworld.com~gmoke/AList.index.html).
A more comprehensive global listing service could be developed if there were enough people interested in doing it, if it hasn't already been done.
If anyone knows whether such a global listing of open energy, climate, and other events is available, please put me in contact.
Thanks for reading,
Solar IS Civil Defense,
George Mokray
gmoke@world.std.com
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com - notes on lectures and books
http://solarray.blogspot.com - renewable energy and efficiency
https:/zeronetenrg.blogspot.com - zero net energy links list
http://cityag.blogspot.com - city agriculture links list
http://geometrylinks.blogspot.com - geometry links list
http://hubevents.blogspot.com - Energy (and Other) Events
http://www.dailykos.com/user/gmoke/history - articles, ideas, and screeds
------------
Conferences
------------
Migration Summit
Monday, April 4 - April 29, 2022
Virtual Event
The Migration Summit 2022, organized by the MIT Refugee Action Hub (ReACT), Na'amal, Karam Foundation and the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL), is a month-long global convening designed to build bridges between diverse communities of displaced learners, universities, companies, nonprofits and NGOs, social enterprises, foundations, philanthropists, researchers, policy makers, employers and governments around the key challenges and opportunities for refugee and migrant communities. The Migration Summit in April 2022 will explore this year's theme "Education and Workforce Development in Displacement" through virtual and in-person events hosted by participating partners around the world.
Visit https:react.mit.edu/migrationsummit to register and to read the full event description.
----------------
Living Climate Futures
Friday, April 22 - April 23
MIT Campus, Various Locations
Living Climate Futures culminates in a two-day symposium of events and activities, April 22-23.
Some events are open to the public and require Tim Tickets (see FAQ).
Others are for the MIT community (preference to students) and community partners only.
Full Description: https:/livingclimatefutures.org
Friday, April 22
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Virtual visit with Chicago high school student activists
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Indigenous Earth Day at MIT
Saturday, April 23
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Environmental Justice + Climate Resilience Tours
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Community Partner Panel Discussion + Youth Forum
(all details subject to change - sign up for each event in Eventbrite to get updates)
----------------
TEDxMIT
Saturday, April 23
Stata Center
https:tedxboston.com/upcoming-events
_____
MIT Sloan New Space Age Conference 2022
Friday, April 29
MIT Media Lab, 75 Amherst Street, Building E14 - 6th Floor, Cambridge
Tickets now available: http://newspaceage.org/
Cost: $10 - $175
A student-led event at MIT Sloan.
MIT's Astropreneurship & Space Industry Club is proud to host the seventh annual New Space Age Conference as a platform to advance growth of the private space industry. 2022 speakers will discuss new technologies and services being implemented to close the business case for the emerging space economy. Join students, academics, and industry professionals to learn more !
_
____
2022 Hybrid Interfaith Summit - Together in Climate Chaos; Interfaith Solidarity for Climate Resilient Communities; an Interfaith Summit on How to Respond to Climate Change
May 1
4pm-6pm
zoom and in person
Native American Indian Center of Boston, 105 South Huntington Avenue, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130. You have a choice of either attending in-person, or virtually on zoom.
RSVP at https:/us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElc-yqqTgjEtBaSf15bzUUptAuOCnu5Hzw
In the wake of the National Climate Assessment and UN report in 2021 on the projected serious consequences of unchecked climate change, interfaith leaders from the greater Boston area will come together with Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW) to host the fourth annual interfaith summit.
This now abbreviated summit will focus on the role of faith communities in helping their community members build resilience, whether from future climate impacts such as floods, extreme heat, and severe storms, or more immediate concerns like a pandemic. We will shall share knowledge on the types of changes we are already seeing and can expect to see in the Northeast, discuss practical ways congregations can prepare themselves and their surrounding community, and discern together how our spiritual practices could help sustain not only our efforts, but also our souls, hearts, and minds, as we engage in this most critical mission.
There will be an optional half-hour of networking from 6:00pm-6:30pm on the same zoom line that participants are encouraged but not mandated to attend.
_____
Lecture Series
--------------
Real Organic Book Club
https:www.realorganicproject.org/real-organic-friends
We are pleased to announce the first several dates for our 2022 Real Friends book club:
Paul Hawken, May 5, 6pm EDT
Anne Bikle, June 2, 6pm EDT
David Montgomery, July 7, 6pm EDT
Vandana Shiva, to be announced
Dan Barber, to be announced
Providing you with the opportunity to engage with these prominent Real Organic board members is just one of the ways we would like to thank you for your ongoing support of our work. The book club meetings should be fun and interesting. It will be a chance to talk with these important thinkers about their work.
------
Events
------
PAOC Colloquium: Ecological and evolutionary responses to global change across realms
Monday, April 4
12:00pm to 1:00pm
Virtual Event
https:/mit.zoom.us/j/99605116338#success
Malin Pinsky (Rutgers)
The same ecological and evolutionary processes operate across land and sea, and yet ocean life survives in a dramatically different fluid environment. The ocean is, in effect, a 1.3 sextillion liter water bath with muted thermal variation through time and space, limited oxygen, and intense convective and conductive processes. In this talk, I will trace some of the consequences for evolution, physiology, population dynamics, and conservation at sea, including striking contrasts and similarities to patterns on land. I will present evidence that marine animals live closer to their upper thermal limits than do species on land, that marine species have responded faster to temperature change, and that species can but do not universally evolve in response to rapid environmental change. Finally, I will discuss some of the unique conservation challenges these dynamics create for ocean life and potential solutions through proactive ocean planning and by harnessing evolutionary rescue for climate resilience.
About This Event
The PAOC Colloquium is a weekly interdisciplinary seminar series that brings together the whole PAOC community. Seminar topics include all research concerning the physics, chemistry, and biology of the atmospheres, oceans and climate, but also talks about e.g. societal impacts of climatic processes. The seminars take place on Monday from 12-1pm. Contact paoc-colloquium-comm@mit.edu for more information and Zoom password.
--------------
How Do We Think about Population in the Anthropocene?
Monday, April 4
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
RSVP at https:www.eventbrite.com/e/alison-bashford-how-do-we-think-about-population-in-the-anthropocene-re
gistration-252378048537
Alison Bashford explores first how modern (post c. 1780) population changes have entered discussion on the Anthropocene. Second, she asks how historians specifically, might (not should) begin to answer this question, with attention to both accelerating global net population growth and local population decline. She considers the `Anthropocene' (not, say, `climate change'), since the former is an historical as well as a geological phenomenon, and, it turns out, a familiar one.
Alison Bashford's work traces the fortunes and trends of historical work on global population from the mid-twentieth century into the era when the Anthropocene was named. The catastrophic register of `the population bomb' era, including its connection to ecological sciences and then environmentalist politics, is the immediate antecedent to political responses to the Anthropocene crisis. That much we already know. Here Allison Bashford explores how and why `population' went from center-stage to off-stage. Discussion of population growth and `population control' became highly charged and then became almost unspeakable. For better or worse this was a remarkable success story of and for `critique': of health systems, of political economy, of Cold War geopolitics, variously via feminist studies, race and postcolonial studies, via Marxism and left science studies from the 1970s onwards. After and in the light of that impact, she asks how or whether `population' might productively be considered via a `postcritique' humanities and social sciences, not least bringing historians into that conversation.
Event Speakers
Alison Bashford, Laureate Professor in History at the University of New South Wales
Response by Kavita Sivaramakrishnan, Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University
Chaired by Maureen Raymo, Co-Founding Dean of the Climate School at Columbia University
----------------
Delivering on Net Zero
Tuesday, April 5
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
RSVP at https:harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LIzv_Hu7Rr2bFiUg3rYJBg
SPEAKER(S) Kwasi Kwarteng, UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
CONTACT INFO mrcbg@hks.harvard.edu
----------------
Getting Off Russian Gas: Implications for Germany and Europe
Tuesday, April 5
5:30 - 6:15pm CEST
RSVP at https:email.gmfus.org/s/4434c98e8e6db288802f00e67ddb3141db242047
Jacob Kirkegaard
Moderator: Sudha David-Wilp
External Speaker: Prof. Dr. Veronika Grimm
Before Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine, allies warned Germany of the risks associated with energy dependence on Russia. Now, Germany and other EU member states are hurriedly seeking ways to replace Russian fossil fuels. In his Zeitenwende speech, Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a "responsible, forward-looking energy policy," but economic concerns already threaten to thwart his vision. What would be the economic effects for Germany and Europe if they wean themselves off Russian gas sooner rather than later? To discuss this question and more, we will speak with economic experts Veronika Grimm and Jacob Kirkegaard in this month's edition of #TransatlanticTuesdays. Next month, we will cover the military pillar of the Zeitenwende speech.
If you have any questions, please contact Callie Starn at CStarn@gmfus.org.
----------------
This is a more global version of the local listings I did for about a decade (what I did and why I did it at http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html) until September 2020 and earlier for a few years in the 1990s (https:theworld.com~gmoke/AList.index.html).
A more comprehensive global listing service could be developed if there were enough people interested in doing it, if it hasn't already been done.
If anyone knows whether such a global listing of open energy, climate, and other events is available, please put me in contact.
Thanks for reading,
Solar IS Civil Defense,
George Mokray
gmoke@world.std.com
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com - notes on lectures and books
http://solarray.blogspot.com - renewable energy and efficiency
https:/zeronetenrg.blogspot.com - zero net energy links list
http://cityag.blogspot.com - city agriculture links list
http://geometrylinks.blogspot.com - geometry links list
http://hubevents.blogspot.com - Energy (and Other) Events
http://www.dailykos.com/user/gmoke/history - articles, ideas, and screeds
------------
Conferences
------------
Migration Summit
Monday, April 4 - April 29, 2022
Virtual Event
The Migration Summit 2022, organized by the MIT Refugee Action Hub (ReACT), Na'amal, Karam Foundation and the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel World Education Lab (J-WEL), is a month-long global convening designed to build bridges between diverse communities of displaced learners, universities, companies, nonprofits and NGOs, social enterprises, foundations, philanthropists, researchers, policy makers, employers and governments around the key challenges and opportunities for refugee and migrant communities. The Migration Summit in April 2022 will explore this year's theme "Education and Workforce Development in Displacement" through virtual and in-person events hosted by participating partners around the world.
Visit https:react.mit.edu/migrationsummit to register and to read the full event description.
----------------
Living Climate Futures
Friday, April 22 - April 23
MIT Campus, Various Locations
Living Climate Futures culminates in a two-day symposium of events and activities, April 22-23.
Some events are open to the public and require Tim Tickets (see FAQ).
Others are for the MIT community (preference to students) and community partners only.
Full Description: https:/livingclimatefutures.org
Friday, April 22
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Virtual visit with Chicago high school student activists
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Indigenous Earth Day at MIT
Saturday, April 23
9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Environmental Justice + Climate Resilience Tours
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Community Partner Panel Discussion + Youth Forum
(all details subject to change - sign up for each event in Eventbrite to get updates)
----------------
TEDxMIT
Saturday, April 23
Stata Center
https:tedxboston.com/upcoming-events
_____
MIT Sloan New Space Age Conference 2022
Friday, April 29
MIT Media Lab, 75 Amherst Street, Building E14 - 6th Floor, Cambridge
Tickets now available: http://newspaceage.org/
Cost: $10 - $175
A student-led event at MIT Sloan.
MIT's Astropreneurship & Space Industry Club is proud to host the seventh annual New Space Age Conference as a platform to advance growth of the private space industry. 2022 speakers will discuss new technologies and services being implemented to close the business case for the emerging space economy. Join students, academics, and industry professionals to learn more !
_
____
2022 Hybrid Interfaith Summit - Together in Climate Chaos; Interfaith Solidarity for Climate Resilient Communities; an Interfaith Summit on How to Respond to Climate Change
May 1
4pm-6pm
zoom and in person
Native American Indian Center of Boston, 105 South Huntington Avenue, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130. You have a choice of either attending in-person, or virtually on zoom.
RSVP at https:/us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElc-yqqTgjEtBaSf15bzUUptAuOCnu5Hzw
In the wake of the National Climate Assessment and UN report in 2021 on the projected serious consequences of unchecked climate change, interfaith leaders from the greater Boston area will come together with Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW) to host the fourth annual interfaith summit.
This now abbreviated summit will focus on the role of faith communities in helping their community members build resilience, whether from future climate impacts such as floods, extreme heat, and severe storms, or more immediate concerns like a pandemic. We will shall share knowledge on the types of changes we are already seeing and can expect to see in the Northeast, discuss practical ways congregations can prepare themselves and their surrounding community, and discern together how our spiritual practices could help sustain not only our efforts, but also our souls, hearts, and minds, as we engage in this most critical mission.
There will be an optional half-hour of networking from 6:00pm-6:30pm on the same zoom line that participants are encouraged but not mandated to attend.
_____
Lecture Series
--------------
Real Organic Book Club
https:www.realorganicproject.org/real-organic-friends
We are pleased to announce the first several dates for our 2022 Real Friends book club:
Paul Hawken, May 5, 6pm EDT
Anne Bikle, June 2, 6pm EDT
David Montgomery, July 7, 6pm EDT
Vandana Shiva, to be announced
Dan Barber, to be announced
Providing you with the opportunity to engage with these prominent Real Organic board members is just one of the ways we would like to thank you for your ongoing support of our work. The book club meetings should be fun and interesting. It will be a chance to talk with these important thinkers about their work.
------
Events
------
PAOC Colloquium: Ecological and evolutionary responses to global change across realms
Monday, April 4
12:00pm to 1:00pm
Virtual Event
https:/mit.zoom.us/j/99605116338#success
Malin Pinsky (Rutgers)
The same ecological and evolutionary processes operate across land and sea, and yet ocean life survives in a dramatically different fluid environment. The ocean is, in effect, a 1.3 sextillion liter water bath with muted thermal variation through time and space, limited oxygen, and intense convective and conductive processes. In this talk, I will trace some of the consequences for evolution, physiology, population dynamics, and conservation at sea, including striking contrasts and similarities to patterns on land. I will present evidence that marine animals live closer to their upper thermal limits than do species on land, that marine species have responded faster to temperature change, and that species can but do not universally evolve in response to rapid environmental change. Finally, I will discuss some of the unique conservation challenges these dynamics create for ocean life and potential solutions through proactive ocean planning and by harnessing evolutionary rescue for climate resilience.
About This Event
The PAOC Colloquium is a weekly interdisciplinary seminar series that brings together the whole PAOC community. Seminar topics include all research concerning the physics, chemistry, and biology of the atmospheres, oceans and climate, but also talks about e.g. societal impacts of climatic processes. The seminars take place on Monday from 12-1pm. Contact paoc-colloquium-comm@mit.edu for more information and Zoom password.
--------------
How Do We Think about Population in the Anthropocene?
Monday, April 4
5:00 PM - 6:30 PM
RSVP at https:www.eventbrite.com/e/alison-bashford-how-do-we-think-about-population-in-the-anthropocene-re
gistration-252378048537
Alison Bashford explores first how modern (post c. 1780) population changes have entered discussion on the Anthropocene. Second, she asks how historians specifically, might (not should) begin to answer this question, with attention to both accelerating global net population growth and local population decline. She considers the `Anthropocene' (not, say, `climate change'), since the former is an historical as well as a geological phenomenon, and, it turns out, a familiar one.
Alison Bashford's work traces the fortunes and trends of historical work on global population from the mid-twentieth century into the era when the Anthropocene was named. The catastrophic register of `the population bomb' era, including its connection to ecological sciences and then environmentalist politics, is the immediate antecedent to political responses to the Anthropocene crisis. That much we already know. Here Allison Bashford explores how and why `population' went from center-stage to off-stage. Discussion of population growth and `population control' became highly charged and then became almost unspeakable. For better or worse this was a remarkable success story of and for `critique': of health systems, of political economy, of Cold War geopolitics, variously via feminist studies, race and postcolonial studies, via Marxism and left science studies from the 1970s onwards. After and in the light of that impact, she asks how or whether `population' might productively be considered via a `postcritique' humanities and social sciences, not least bringing historians into that conversation.
Event Speakers
Alison Bashford, Laureate Professor in History at the University of New South Wales
Response by Kavita Sivaramakrishnan, Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences at Columbia University
Chaired by Maureen Raymo, Co-Founding Dean of the Climate School at Columbia University
----------------
Delivering on Net Zero
Tuesday, April 5
11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
RSVP at https:harvard.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_LIzv_Hu7Rr2bFiUg3rYJBg
SPEAKER(S) Kwasi Kwarteng, UK Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
CONTACT INFO mrcbg@hks.harvard.edu
----------------
Getting Off Russian Gas: Implications for Germany and Europe
Tuesday, April 5
5:30 - 6:15pm CEST
RSVP at https:/email.gmfus.org/s/4434c98e8e6db288802f00e67ddb3141db242047
Jacob Kirkegaard
Moderator: Sudha David-Wilp
External Speaker: Prof. Dr. Veronika Grimm
Before Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine, allies warned Germany of the risks associated with energy dependence on Russia. Now, Germany and other EU member states are hurriedly seeking ways to replace Russian fossil fuels. In his Zeitenwende speech, Chancellor Olaf Scholz called for a "responsible, forward-looking energy policy," but economic concerns already threaten to thwart his vision. What would be the economic effects for Germany and Europe if they wean themselves off Russian gas sooner rather than later? To discuss this question and more, we will speak with economic experts Veronika Grimm and Jacob Kirkegaard in this month's edition of #TransatlanticTuesdays. Next month, we will cover the military pillar of the Zeitenwende speech.
If you have any questions, please contact Callie Starn at CStarn@gmfus.org.
----------------
by gmoke
Fri Apr 1st, 2022 at 03:31:37 AM EST
Treehouse with "green walls, facades and rooftops, plus water features, natural light, and ventilation strategies to green the traditional office building," winning an award from the World Green Building Council
https:/www.archdaily.com/974806/ronald-lu-and-partners-competition-winning-design-re-imagines-the-w
orkplace
https:inhabitat.com/biophilic-treehouse-imagines-a-greener-office-experience
Decarbonization During Predevelopment of Modular Building Solutions - report on modular low-income housing
https:/www.nrel.gov/docs/fy22osti/81037.pdf
hat tip and article https:cleantechnica.com/2022/02/23/net-zero-energy-blok-by-blok-lower-emissions-costs-with-net-zer
o-energy-modules
McDonald's build UK's first "net zero" restaurant - including embodied carbon
https:/www.treehugger.com/mcdonalds-net-zero-restaurant-uk-5220187
Net zero tiny home on wheels
https:www.firstlightstudio.co.nz/ohariu-tiny-home
https:www.yankodesign.com/2021/07/09/this-tiny-home-on-wheels-is-solar-powered-net-zero-solution-d
esigned-by-an-actual-architect
https:/inhabitat.com/net-zero-tiny-home-on-wheels
New Zealand eco-lodge accepts the Living Building Challenge and is a net positive building
https:/www.campglenorchy.co.nz/about-us/sustainability
https:inhabitat.com/ecolodge-camp-glenorchy-net-positive
Cacao Eco Village in Ecuador will be 3D printed from cacao waste, the first of a planned global network of sustainable smart villages -- a carbon-neutral circular economy for the cacao industry
https:/valentinogareri.com/Cacao-Eco-Village
https:inhabitat.com/3d-printing-powers-carbon-neutral-cacao-village
https:/www.dezeen.com/2022/01/17/cacao-eco-village-valentino-gareri-atelier-eco-village-3d-printed
Solar Decathlon finalists, all 55 of them (Wentworth Institute of Technology is a finalist in 3 different categories)
https:/www.solardecathlon.gov/blog/archives/5989
Net zero energy prefabricated housing modules report from NREL, Wells Fargo, and Blokable
Article: https:www.nrel.gov/news/program/2022/blok-by-blok-lower-emissions-and-costs-with-net-zero-energy-m
odules.html
Report: https:www.nrel.gov/docs/fy22osti/81037.pdf
hat tip Martin Voelker
The Independent - Austin, TX net energy neutral 58 story tower
http://www.rhodepartners.com/projects#/the-independent/
https:inhabitat.com/solar-helps-make-austin-tower-net-energy-neutral
Sunflower Village - 3D printed net zero community
https:/valentinogareri.com/Sunflower-Village
https:inhabitat.com/3d-printing-is-behind-plans-for-futuristic-sunflower-village
Fresco Motors proposes net positive energy campus
https:/www.frescomotors.com/campus
https:inhabitat.com/fresco-motors-unveils-futuristic-energy-positive-campus
House Zero - 3D printed net zero energy house
https:/www.iconbuild.com/housezero
https:inhabitat.com/this-net-zero-house-is-full-of-possibilities-for-the-future
by gmoke
Fri Mar 25th, 2022 at 01:59:35 AM EST
I just learned that Christopher Alexander, the principal writer and force behind A Pattern Language, died on March 17. This is to remember him, someone who made me see with a new focus.
A Pattern Language of Work
earlier version written in October 1997
There are 253 patterns Christopher Alexander et alia's A Pattern Language. There are over 30 that I identify as the patterns that make for human and humane work:
9 Scattered Work 19 Web of Shopping 32 Shopping Streets 41 Work Community 42 Industrial Ribbon 43 University as a Marketplace 46 Market of Many Shops 47 Health Center 61 Small Public Squares 80 Self-Governing Workshops and Offices 81 Small Services Without Red Tape 82 Office Connections 83 Master and Apprentices 85 Shopfront Schools 86 Children's Home 87 Individually Owned Shops 88 Street Cafe 89 Corner Groceries 90 Beer Hall 91 Traveler's Inn 92 Bus Stop 93 Food Stands 101 Building Thoroughfare 146 Flexible Office Space 148 Small Work Groups 149 Reception Welcomes You 150 A Place to Wait 151 Small Meeting Rooms 152 Half-Private Office 156 Settled Work 157 Home Workshop
These patterns can be roughly assembled into four groups - work, shopping, learning, and structure:
9 Scattered Work 41 Work Community 42 Industrial Ribbon 80 Self-Governing Workshops and Offices 81 Small Services Without Red Tape 148 Small Work Groups 156 Settled Work 157 Home Workshop
19 Web of Shopping 32 Shopping Streets 46 Market of Many Shops 47 Health Center 87 Individually Owned Shops 88 Street Cafe 89 Corner Groceries 90 Beer Hall 91 Traveler's Inn 92 Bus Stop 93 Food Stands
43 University as a Marketplace 83 Master and Apprentices 85 Shopfront Schools 86 Children's Home
61 Small Public Squares 82 Office Connections 101 Building Thoroughfare 146 Flexible Office Space 149 Reception Welcomes You 150 A Place to Wait 151 Small Meeting Rooms 152 Half-Private Office
by gmoke
Fri Mar 11th, 2022 at 05:11:01 AM EST
According to this carbon countdown clock (https:/www.mcc-berlin.net/fileadmin/data/clock/carbon_clock.htm), at the current rate (1,337 tonnes per second or 42.2 gigatonnes [Gt] per year), the most CO2 we can emit to stay below 1.5ºC rise (global average surface temperature is 1.2ºC above what it was in 1880 and the annual rate of change has doubled in the last 40 years) is 400 Gt, starting from 2020, and that carbon budget will be used up by about July/August 2029.
We are at 311 Gts left as I write (3/8/22).
To stay below the 2°C threshold, the carbon budget deadline is April/May 2047. No more than 1061 Gt of CO2 emitted between now and then if we want to stay below that temperature limit.
I'd like to think there are a whole bunch of wise, dedicated people backcasting from those dates and figuring out what we can do daily, weekly, monthly in the next 7 years and a few months, 25 years and a month or two so that we don't exceed those limits. If there is, I wish there'd be a more public conversation about it.
Maybe even an even an online all the time, open source simulation/conversation, a World Game (https:/worldgameworkshop.org) where those of us all who are for the benefit of all, as my friend the ethicist Milt Raymond would say, could play out the next 7-25 years repairing the climate damage our species has done and is doing, envisioning how "To make the world work for 100% of humanity in the shortest possible time through spontaneous cooperation without ecological offense or the disadvantage of anyone," as R. Buckminster Fuller, the originator of the game, said.
Fuller also wrote, "Quite clearly, our task is predominantly metaphysical, for it is how to get all of humanity to educate itself swiftly enough to generate spontaneous behaviors that will avoid extinction."
How about a global online design workshop on a climate successful 2029 or 2047? Just as a thought experiment.
by gmoke
Wed Mar 2nd, 2022 at 04:46:41 AM EST
I met Ray Anderson in 1996 at a conference about The Natural Step (https:/thenaturalstep.org), an environmental action framework from Sweden. He had founded Interface (http://www.interface.com/US/en-US/homepage), a carpet tile manufacturer, in 1973 and built it into one "of the world's largest manufacturers of modular carpet for commercial and residential applications and a leading producer of commercial broadloom and commercial fabrics."
In 1994 he started the company on Mission Zero (https:www.interface.com/US/en-US/about/mission/Our-Mission), zero environmental impact by 2020 because, he said, his grandchildren started getting on him about environment, pollution, ecology. He listened, took a good, long look at what he was doing, and realized he was a pirate, robbing resources and giving nothing back but waste and indigestible detritus.
So he started the company on Mission Zero, the promise to eliminate any negative impact the company has on the environment by the year 2020. They did by 2019.
At that meeting in 1996, Anderson said that Interface was working on seven aspects: eliminating waste; eliminating emissions; renewable energy; closed loop recycling; resource efficient transportation (which may he thought might be the most difficult); and sensitivity - teaching sustainability (using the example of hiring a family therapist at the Interface factory to help keep workers from bringing problems at home to work [and vice versa?] and citing the resulting growth in production and morale); and finally, redesigning commerce. For Ray Anderson, the "prototypical company of the 21st century will take nothing from the Earth, do no harm, be just, and do well by doing good." It is interesting to note that the Hippocratic Oath is "First do no harm" and that the first precept of Buddhism, according to Gary Snyder, is "Do no unnecessary harm."
Now that Interface is living with zero negative impact it has launched its next mission, Climate Take Back, a net positive mission:
https:/www.interface.com/US/en-US/sustainability/climate-take-back-en_US
They intend to do it by
Live zero
Love carbon
Lead the industrial re-revolution
Let nature cool
Ray Anderson told us back in 1996, "I think the Earth needs a miracle. We can be that miracle."
He certainly was.
Ray Anderson wrote Mid-Course Correction: Toward a Sustainable Enterprise: The Interface Model (1998) and Confessions of a Radical Industrialist: Profits, People, Purpose: Doing Business by Respecting the Earth (2009) which was released as Business Lessons from a Radical Industrialist (2011).
by gmoke
Mon Feb 28th, 2022 at 03:20:58 AM EST
These kinds of events below are happening all over the world every day and most of them, now, are webcast and archived, sometimes even with accurate transcripts. Would be good to have a place that helped people access them.
This is a more global version of the local listings I did for about a decade (what I did and why I did it at http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html) until September 2020 and earlier for a few years in the 1990s (https:/theworld.com~gmoke/AList.index.html).
A more comprehensive global listing service could be developed if there were enough people interested in making it happen, if it hasn't already been done.
If anyone knows whether such a global listing of open energy, climate, and other events is available, please put me in contact.
Thanks for reading,
Solar IS Civil Defense,
George Mokray
gmoke@world.std.com
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com - notes on lectures and books
http://solarray.blogspot.com - renewable energy and efficiency - zero net energy links list
http://cityag.blogspot.com - city agriculture links list
http://geometrylinks.blogspot.com - geometry links list
http://hubevents.blogspot.com - Energy (and Other) Events
http://www.dailykos.com/user/gmoke/history - articles, ideas, and screeds
-----------------
Conferences
-----------------
Climate Implications of Computing & Communications Workshop
Thursday, March 3 - Friday, March 4
https:/www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-implications-of-computing-communications-workshop-registration-
243650744937
This workshop focuses on exploring initiatives that can potentially lower the climate impacts of the computing and communications sectors.
About this event
When you register for March 3rd, you will receive access to BOTHMarch 3rd and 4th virtual links, and be registered for both days.
This virtual two-day event (March 3 & 4) will feature discussions and opportunities for collaboration with MIT faculty and industry leaders during multiple sessions. The demand for computing and wireless communications technologies is expected to increase significantly, resulting in a considerable impact on the planet. The MIT Climate and Sustainability Consortium, MIT-IBM Watson AI Lab, and MIT Schwarzman College of Computing are hosting a workshop to explore initiatives that could lower the climate impacts of the computing and communications (e.g. telecommunications) sectors.
Topics will include:
Algorithms and custom hardware for efficient computing
Wireless, networked, and distributed systems
Energy-efficient sources and delivery systems
Materials and hardware for new architectures
Confirmed speakers include:
Takashi Ando, Principal Research Staff Member, IBM Research
Ahmad Bahai, Chief Technology Officer, Texas Instruments
Bill Dally, Chief Scientist and Senior Vice President of Research, NVIDIA
Jeff Dean, Senior Vice President, Google Research and Google Health
Dario Gil, Senior Vice President and Director of Research, IBM
Evgeni Gousev, Senior Director, Qualcomm
Helen Greiner, CEO, Tertill; Co-Founder, iRobot
Heidi Hemmer, Senior Vice President of Engineering, Verizon
Sam Naffziger, Senior Vice President, Corporate Fellow, and Product Technology Architect, AMD
Heike Riel, IBM Fellow, Head Science & Technology, Lead IBM Research Quantum Europe, IBM Research
MIT faculty participation includes:
Jesús del Alamo, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Joel Emer, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Song Han, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
David Perreault, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Vivienne Sze, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Bilge Yildiz, Nuclear Science and Engineering
EVENT AGENDA:
March 3 | Day 1 of Workshop
10:00 - 11:30: The climate impacts of computing and communications
Welcome: Anantha Chandrakasan, Dean of the MIT School of Engineering and the Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Moderator: Vivienne Sze, Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT
Speakers: Dario Gil, IBM Senior Vice President and Director of Research & Jeff Dean, Senior Vice President of Google Research and Google Health
11:30 - 11:45: Break
11:45 - 12:45: Algorithms for efficient computing
Moderator: Song Han, Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT
Speakers: Helen Greiner, Co-Founder of iRobot and CEO of Tertill & Evgeni Gousev, Senior Director, Qualcomm
12:45 - 1:00: Break
1:00 - 2:00: Custom hardware for efficient computing
Moderator: Joel Emer, Professor of the Practice in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT
Speakers: Bill Dally, Chief Scientist and Senior Vice President of Research of NVIDIA & Ahmad Bahai, CTO of Texas Instruments
March 4 | Day 2 of Workshop
10:00 - 11:15: Wireless, networked, and distributed systems
Moderator: Muriel Medard, Cecil H. Green Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT
Speaker: Heidi Hemmer, Senior Vice President of Engineering, Verizon
11:15 - 11:30: Break
11:30 - 12:30: Energy-efficient systems
Moderator: David Perreault, Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT
Speaker: Sam Naffziger, AMD Senior Vice President, Corporate Fellow, and Product Technology Architect
12:30 - 12:45: Break
12:45 - 2:00: Hardware for new architectures
Moderator: Bilge Yildiz, Breene M. Kerr (1951) Professor in the Departments of Nuclear Science and Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering at MIT
Panelists: Jesús del Alamo, Donner Professor and Professor of Electrical Engineering in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT; Takashi Ando, Principal Research Staff Member, IBM Research; and Heike Riel, IBM Fellow, Head Science & Technology, Lead IBM Research Quantum Europe, IBM Research
------------------
Soil Carbon Storage: Combating Climate Change From the Ground Up
Friday, March 25
9:00 AM - 3:00 PM EDT
https:www.eventbrite.com/e/soil-carbon-storage-combating-climate-change-from-the-ground-up-registr
ation-253163929127
Cost: $0 - $70
Event Information
The Soil and Water Conservation Society Southern New England Chapter (SWCS SNEC) is proud to present our 2022 Annual Winter Conference.
About this event
Join soil scientists and environmental professionals from across New England on Friday, March 25th at SNEC's annual Winter Conference. We are very pleased to announce Dr. Rattan Lal as our keynote speaker. Dr. Lal is a globally renowned soil scientist whose research ranges from regenerative agriculture, soil carbon sequestration, soil restoration, natural resource management, and global food security. Lal received the Glinka World Soil Prize in 2018, the World Food Prize in 2020, the Good Will Ambassador of IICA in 2020, and the Padma Shri Award in 2021.
Dr. Lal will be joined by several presenters representing all angles of soil conservation who will dive into topics like blue carbon, carbon credits, regenerative agriculture, soil productivity, and climate change regulations and mitigation. Participants of this year's conference are eligible to receive continuing education credits and will also have the opportunity to network with other attendees. Secure your spot and register today! Email info@swcssnec.org if you have any questions.
Editorial Comment: Geotherapy not geoengineering, please
http://solarray.blogspot.com/2021/04/geotherapy-not-geoengineering-please.html
----------------
Climate Change & Ethics : Where are we?
March 25 and 26
http://ethics.iit.edu/ClimateChangeEthics
https:www.eventbrite.com/e/climate-change-ethics-where-are-we-a-virtual-symposium-tickets-22537303
5817
A virtual symposium hosted by Elisabeth Hildt and Kelly Laas of the Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions, Illinois Institute of Technology.
In light of the slow progress being made to mitigate climate change, there is a need to reflect on the ethical considerations at play. How can ethics help structure the discussion and facilitate climate justice?
This symposium seeks to engage stakeholders in a debate around the ethical assumptions implicit in our discussions and actions around climate change.
This event will be held virtually, and there will be no charge for participation. To register, visit our Eventbrite site.
----------------------
Lecture Series
----------------------
Yale Energy Justice Speaker Series: Spring 2022
Mondays at 2:30 pm EST
https:cbey.yale.edu/programs/yale-energy-justice-speaker-series-spring-2022
This spring, the Yale Center for Environmental Justice (YCEJ) and the Yale Center for Business and the Environment (CBEY) are joining forces in an effort to raise awareness on energy justice and bring the voices of experts in the field to the public.
Join us on Mondays at 2:30 pm EST for this public speaker series exploring the multifaceted and exciting role of justice in the clean energy transition!
The Yale School of the Environment will host its inaugural Energy Justice course in the spring of 2022, co-led by Yale energy economics professor, Ken Gillingham, and by Yale law and environmental justice professor, Gerald Torres. The course will feature experts from industry, government, and non-profits. Through a collaborative approach, YCEJ and CBEY are making some course lectures and all guest speaker components of the course available outside of Yale as part of this speaker series. All are welcome to attend.
Energy justice refers to the goal of achieving equity in the social and economic participation in the energy system, while also remedying social, economic, and health impacts on those disproportionately harmed by the way we produce and consume energy. This series will draw from multiple disciplines, including but not limited to law, sociology, anthropology, and economics, and will cover broad topics on policy and regulation, community advocacy, housing, transportation, labor, utilities, and more. Details will be added here as speakers and dates are confirmed.
Dates and registration links will be made available on this page as we go through the semester. You can see the current schedule below.
March 7 - Intersection of Energy Justice and Labor/Workforce Issues - Vincent Alvarez, President of the New York City Central Labor Council
March 14 - Energy Insecurity and Energy Justice: Two sides of a Coin - Diana Hernandez, Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Columbia University
March 28 - Housing and Energy Justice - Donnel Baird, CEO of Bloc Power
April 4 - Energy Justice in Philanthropy - Danielle Deane, Director of Equitable Climate Solutions, Bezos Earth Fund
April 11 - Energy Justice and Public Health - Surili Patel, Vice President, Metropolitan Group
April 18 - Energy Poverty and Global Justice Issues - Narasimha Rao, Yale
--------------------
Negotiating at the Brink : How Does the World Solve the Climate Crisis?
March 3, March 10, March 17
https:www.eventbrite.com/e/negotiating-at-the-brink-how-does-the-world-solve-the-climate-crisis-ti
ckets-272491257687
To address the politics of climate change the UBC Centre for Japanese research hosts a 3-part series on COP26 and the environmental crisis
About this event
Climate change is one of the greatest challenges our world has ever faced, already devastating our environment, economy, and our health. The difficulty of addressing climate change is that it requires global coordination. World leaders have made attempts through conferences and accords but the proposed measures will not stop global temperatures from rising above 1.5 ℃--the limit set by the International Panel on Climate Change to avoid the worst effects of climate change. This has pitted climate activists who demand more robust climate governance against state actors who must balance environmental concerns with other political agendas. To address the politics of climate change, the Konwakai Chair in Japanese Research at the UBC Centre for Japanese research, in collaboration with the International Relations StudentAssociation (IRSA), will host a three-part series event in March.
Part 1: Climate Summit Legacy: Ambition and Unmet Goals, COP26 Retrospective [Remote: ZOOM ONLY]
March 3rd, 2022
12:30PM - 14:00PM PST / 15:30PM - 17:00PM EST
20:30PM - 22:00 PM UTC / 21:30PM - 23:00PM CET
March 3rd, 2022The first event will provide a critical evaluation of the outcomes of COP26, giving a multi-level analysis of implications, with a special focus on its impact on the Asia-Pacific region. This will be led by highly esteemed scholars and professors such as professor Michael Small, speaking of the strengths and weaknesses of the climate conference in creating a more sustainable future.
Discussant: Yves Tiberghien (Konwakai Chair in Japanese Research at the Institute of Asian Research)
Speakers:
Jennifer Allan (key UK expert on COP 26) (TBC)
Michael Small (expert on Global Governance and Climate policy)
Miranda Schreurs (expert on Japan/China and EU) (TBC)
Karolina Lagercrantz (IHEID Geneva, MA student)
Sandeep Pai (Senior Associate of Energy Security and Climate Change Program at CSIS)
Part 2: Global Leadership or Status Quo Proponent?: Japan at the COP 26[REMOTE: ZOOM ONLY]
5:30PM - 7PM PST / 8:30PM - 10:00PM EST; March 10th, 2022
10:30AM - 12:00AM JST; March 11th, 2022
The second event will focus on the Japanese environmental agenda. Japan has played a leading role in climate change policy in the past. However, after making some bold commitments toward carbon neutrality in 2050, Japan appears to play a more defensive role at COP 26. What are the key drivers behind climate innovation and the energy status quo inJapan? This panel brings together leading experts, civil society leaders, and a top political leader to discuss Japan's critical role in addressing the global climate emergency."
Speakers:
Dr. Hiroshi Ohta (Waseda University)
Dr. Masako Konishi (WWF Japan) (TBC)
Dr. Kameyama Yasuko (NIES Japan, Social System Division Director) (TBC)
Dr. Llewelyn Hughes (Crawford School of Public Policy, scholar on climate policy inJapan) (TBC)
Part 3: Future Paradigm for Climate Change Movement[HYBRID: ZOOM AND IN-PERSON]
5:30PM - 7PM PST / 8:30PM - 10:00PM EST; March 17th, 2022
9:30AM - 11:00AM JST; March 18th, 2022
The third event of the series will cover the normative considerations of the future of climate justice. We will primarily focus on young activists and students, as well as indigenous speakers who are involved in the climate movement, such as Anika Kurebayashi. They will address what climate justice means and what actions need to be taken to create a just future for our planet.
Moderator: Meghan Wise (UBC Climate Hub)
Anika Kurebayashi (Youth climate activist in Japan), Japan)
Eden Luymes (UBC Political MA candidate) (TBC)
Dr. Yolanda Lopez (Environmental Science Specialist and Maya Community Expert)
Detmer Kremer (Policy and Communications Officer, Protection Approaches)
Khelsilem Rivers (Council Chairperson of the Squamish Nation) (TBC)
'Qátuw̓ as Jessica Brown (Haíłzaqv Climate Action) (TBC)
Follow us for more events like this!
Twitter - @ubcCJR
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/CJRatUBC
Newsletter - https:/cjr.iar.ubc.ca/news-events/newsletters
by gmoke
Mon Feb 21st, 2022 at 03:30:17 AM EST
This is a view from USAmerica where I see little discussion of the energy aspects of the Ukraine/Russia situation:
The impending (2/20/22) invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin's Russia is, at least in part, an energy war. Certainly, he is using the methane Russia sells to the EU and neighboring countries as a weapon. Russia supplies a third to a half of the gas the EU burns and this is a strategic and economic fact that has to be taken into consideration by all sides. Thus, reducing Russian energy dependence (and increasing energy independence) would reduce Putin's leverage and could also reduce greenhouse gases, increase energy efficiency, save money on the costs of fuel while benefitting local, national economies as well. If done wisely.
If the worst case scenario plays out and EU and neighboring countries lose up to half their gas supply, we should remember that, for example, USAmerica produced about 92.9 quadrillion btu's in 2020 (and has been bouncing between 90-100 quads since the year 2000) but about two thirds of that energy, about 62.3 quads, is "rejected energy," does no useful work, is lost in transmission, distribution, friction, and systems inefficiencies. That's quite a lot of slack, even with Carnot efficiencies.
Source: https://flowcharts.llnl.gov/content/assets/images/energy/us/Energy_US_2020.png
by gmoke
Wed Feb 9th, 2022 at 06:44:52 PM EST
Boskone is the annual science fiction convention of New England Science Fiction Association (NESFA) and the oldest science fiction/fantasy/horror [SF/F/H] convention in New England. Boskone is an entirely fan volunteers operation.
Boskone 59
February 18-20, 2022
Westin Boston Seaport District
$70 - $10
RSVP at https://boskone.org
Here are some of the talks and panels that caught my eye.
Friday, February 18, 2022
2:00 PM
VIRTUAL: Climate Change Mitigation
Arkady Martine, Karl Schroeder, Les Johnson (moderator), Thiago Ambrosio Lage, Vandana Singh
What real steps can we take to slow, then stop, the climate catastrophes already wrecking our civilization? Fossil fuel enthusiasts cheerfully propose humungo geoengineering experiments on the only planet we have: like injecting sulfur dioxide (a major pollutant) into the upper atmosphere for (temporary) cooling. (Opponents call for injecting fossil fuel executives into the atmosphere instead.) Will mega-scale investment in energy-efficient technology and renewables, plus planetary remediation of forests and oceans work instead? If not these, what? If not now, when?
VIRTUAL: New Ways to Think About Media Rights
Ada Palmer, Cerece Rennie Murphy, Cory Doctorow, Malka Older, Scott Drakeford (moderator)
Creatives have been conditioned to seek copyrights on everything they produce, attempting to tightly restrict their use. However, some non-copyright media rights approaches may still hold value for creators -- while also actually improving their share of the income generated by their work. We take a look at what these approaches may entail, and how they might mutually benefit creators, publishers/studios, and readers/viewers/fans.
3:00PM
VIRTUAL: OneHome: Experiencing the Sight of Earth as an Astronaut
Jean Pierre Goux
Astronauts in orbit have experienced a profound love for the Earth and felt that we all share one home. It is called the "Overview Effect" and it changed them forever. Using unique Earth images taken from 1 million miles away by NASA, the idea is to bring the overview effect to millions of people.
5:00 PM
VIRTUAL: Uplifting Dystopian Fiction?
Carrie Vaughn, Cory Doctorow, David McDonald, Kelly Robson, Sarah Pinsker (moderator)
Dystopias unfurl charts to navigate around real abysses -- social inequality, authoritarian governments, violence against minorities, scientific denialism, etc. Even at their darkest, moments of utopian bliss unveil themselves to push the story forward. Julia's love note to Winston in 1984; the poetry in Parable of the Sower; the power of friendship in the Broken Earth trilogy. What function do these serve in their stories? In this third year of the Plague, what other examples might bring us a little hope?
VIRTUAL: Facts Behind Folklore
Fran Wilde, Greer Gilman, Jane Yolen, Marie Brennan (moderator)
There is usually some authentic foundation to folklore -- a true story, a common belief, an insight into the human condition. This starting point becomes transformed through the storytelling process into the familiar tales we hear from parents or fairy tale books. How can we dig into these stories to find their center? How can we use that knowledge to craft stories that take on a life of their own?
7:00 PM
VIRTUAL: Apocalypse Now and Then: Pandemic-Inspired SF/F/H
D Burton, Faye Ringel (moderator), Henry Jenkins, Jennifer Marie Brissett, Tabitha Lord, Vandana Singh
How will the ongoing COVID-19 catastrophe inform apocalyptic fiction in our genres, moving forward? What will writers do with all their new material -- from greater knowledge of epidemiology to personal experiences of loss, sorrow, anger, fear, or determination to increased optimism or pessimism about the human future?
by gmoke
Mon Jan 31st, 2022 at 03:42:17 AM EST
These kinds of events below are happening all over the world every day and most of them, now, are webcast and archived, sometimes even with accurate transcripts. Would be good to have a place that helped people access them.
This is a more global version of the local listings I did for about a decade (what I did and why I did it at http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html) until September 2020 and earlier for a few years in the 1990s (https:/theworld.com~gmoke/AList.index.html).
A more comprehensive global listing service could be developed if there were enough people interested in doing it, if it hasn't already been done.
If anyone knows of such a global listing of open energy, climate, and other events is available, please put me in contact.
------------
MIT
Concrete's Greener Potential
Thursday, February 3, 2022 at 1:00pm
RSVP at https:/mit.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMrcu2orD4qGt3QVYHH_KjsF0repMOX67GY
Concrete is the backbone of our society, used to build bridges, roads, hospitals, and shelters, among others. However, given its ubiquitous use, it is responsible for up to 1% of the U.S.'s CO2 emissions. For this reason, intensive research is on its way to rethink concrete's future and composition, in order to meet the environmental challenges of global warming. This talk will discuss some of the developments going on in my lab on the potential of "green" concrete, ranging from concrete as a carbon sink to Roman-inspired self-healing concrete, all based on progress in our nanoscale assessment of the heterogeneous chemistry of cement hydration and CO2 mineralization in concrete. These science-enabled pathways all aim at making this multifunctional material part of the solution for the sustainable development of our society at large.
This webinar will be presented by Admir Masic, Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT.
The Masic Lab @ MIT investigates the nanochemomechanics of mineralization and biomineralization processes of materials ranging from construction materials to archeological and biological materials. With research projects that span from Roman concrete to modern Portland cement, from nacre to kidney stones, from ancient colors to Dead Sea scrolls, the goal of The Masic Lab is to translate the fundamental knowledge gained in the lab into real-world applications for a sustainable future.
------------------
Harvard
Artificial Intelligence and the Past, Present and Future of Democracy
Thursday, February 3, 2022
4 - 5 p.m.
RSVP at https:carrcenter.hks.harvard.edu/os_events/nojs/registration/1426583
SPEAKER(S) Mathias Risse, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Faculty Director; Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights, Global Affairs and Philosophy
Moderator: Sushma Raman, Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, Executive Director
Towards Life 3.0: Ethics and Technology in the 21st Century is a talk series organized and facilitated by Dr. Mathias Risse, Director of the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy, and Berthold Beitz Professor in Human Rights, Global Affairs, and Philosophy. Drawing inspiration from the title of Max Tegmark's book, Life 3.0: Being Human in the Age of Artificial Intelligence, the series draws upon a range of scholars, technology leaders, and public interest technologists to address the ethical aspects of the long-term impact of artificial intelligence on society and human life.
--------------------
From Doomsday to Hope: Covering Solutions to the Climate & Energy Crisis
Thursday, February 10
12 - 1 p.m.
RSVP at https:/www.belfercenter.org/event/doomsday-hope-covering-solutions-climate-and-energy-crisis
SPEAKER(S) Sarah Kaplan, Environment reporter, Washington Post
Sammy Roth, Environment reporter, Los Angeles Times
A webinar featuring two leading environment reporters, Sarah Kaplan, Washington Post, & Sammy Roth, Los Angeles Times,. While much of the news coverage of climate change has focused on the immense global "gloom & doom" problems ahead, there is a new push in journalism to reach out to the public by featuring innovative solutions to the climate & energy crisis.
CONTACT INFO Liz Hanlon ehanlon@hks.harvard.edu
------------------
by gmoke
Tue Jan 25th, 2022 at 07:34:35 PM EST
Former senior director on Europe and Russia for the National Security Council Fiona Hill explains what she thinks Putin is trying to accomplish:
https:/www.nytimes.com/2022/01/24/opinion/russia-ukraine-putin-biden.html
Dr Joseph Gerson, longtime peace advocate and President of the Campaign for Peace, Disarmament and Common Security, on some of the background and common security approaches to resolve the situation:
https:www.pressenza.com/2022/01/common-security-approaches-to-resolve-the-ukraine-and-european-cri
ses
by gmoke
Wed Jan 19th, 2022 at 05:29:08 AM EST
Ithaca, NY raises $100 million to decarbonize its buildings
https:/www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/aug/19/ithaca-new-york-raised-100m-climate-proof-buildi
ngs
https:inhabitat.com/ithaca-raises-100m-to-decarbonize-buildings
18 story tower gets a deep energy retrofit
https:/www.eraarch.ca/project/ken-soble-tower-transformation
https:/inhabitat.com/ken-soble-tower-sets-an-example-for-high-rise-sustainability
Editorial Comment: Greening the Empire State Building (from 2011)
https:/www.dailykos.com/stories/2011/9/10/1015400
WorldG[reen]B[uilding]C[ouncil] Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment expands to include embodied carbon
https:/www.worldgbc.org/news-media/commitment-includes-embodied-carbon
WorldGBC Advancing Net Zero Project
https:www.worldgbc.org/advancing-net-zero
Telosa - "To create a new city in America that sets a global standard for urban living, expands human potential, and becomes a blueprint for future generations"
https:cityoftelosa.com
https:inhabitat.com/city-of-telosa-enlists-bjarke-ingels-group-for-urban-utopia
Passive House 101 - Anatomy of an amazing net-zero cold climate passive house in Calgary, Alberta, Canada
https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbJLSrx-jXI
hat tip John B Hoag
International Energy Agency commits to become net zero by 2024
https:www.iea.org/news/international-energy-agency-commits-to-become-net-zero-by-2024
Net Zero by 2050: A Roadmap for the Global Energy Sector
https:www.iea.org/reports/net-zero-by-2050
hat tip to treehugger.com
Robin Wood - an urban block made of wood which will be net zero in construction and operation, including a micro-forest
https:marckoehler.com/project/robin-wood-making-an-island-together
https:/inhabitat.com/sustainable-and-affordable-urban-block-coming-to-amsterdam
Build Better Now - virtual reality presentation of green building prepared for COP26
https:/buildbetternow.co
https:inhabitat.com/virtual-pavilion-looks-into-the-future-of-sustainable-design
Ripple House - entry for Solar Decathlon in Wuppertal, Germany
https:/teamvirtue.nl
https:inhabitat.com/students-design-a-house-that-revolutionizes-urban-design
Affordable net zero houses which are carbon negative, harvest 100% of the rainwater, clean their sewage and potentially grow their own food
https:/www.billionbricks.org
https:www.architecturebrio.com/projects-item/billionbricks-homes-self-financing-home
https:/inhabitat.com/affordable-solar-homes-are-lifting-homeowners-out-of-poverty
MA's first energy positive public school, the 70,242-sf Annie E. Fales Elementary School
https:/www.bdcnetwork.com/massachusetts-first-net-positive-energy-public-school-opens
hat tip to Rudy Perkins
Wisconsin's first carbon neutral school
https:spectrumnews1.com/wi/milwaukee/news/2021/04/16/wisconsin-s-first-carbon-neutral-school-up-an
d-running
https:/www.oregonsd.org/site/default.aspx?PageType=3&DomainID=552&ModuleInstanceID=10574&am
p;ViewID=6446EE88-D30C-497E-9316-3F8874B3E108&RenderLoc=0&FlexDataID=22895&PageID=5466
hat tip to Rudy Perkins
by gmoke
Wed Jan 12th, 2022 at 03:58:08 AM EST
Global Carbon Budget 2021
Abstract https:/essd.copernicus.org/preprints/essd-2021-386
Full preprint: https:/essd.copernicus.org/preprints/essd-2021-386/essd-2021-386.pdf
2020, Fossil CO2 emissions (EFOS) declined by 5.4 % relative to 2019, with fossil emissions at 9.5 ± 0.5 GtC yr−1 (9.3 ± 0.5 GtC yr−1 when the cement carbonation sink is included), emissions from land-use change (ELUC) was 0.9 ± 0.7 GtC yr−1, for a total anthropogenic CO2 emission of 10.2 ± 0.8 GtC yr−1 (37.4 ± 2.9 GtCO2).
Also, for 2020, Atmospheric CO2 concentration is measured directly, and its growth rate (GATM) was 5.0 ± 0.2 GtC yr−1 (2.4 ± 0.1 ppm yr−1), ocean CO2 sink (SOCEAN) was 3.0 ± 0.4 GtC yr−1 and terrestrial CO2 sink (SLAND) was 2.9 ± 1 GtC yr−1, with a carbon budget imbalance (BIM) of −0.8 GtC yr−1. The global atmospheric CO2 concentration averaged over 2020 reached 412.45 ± 0.1 ppm. Preliminary data for 2021, suggest a rebound in Fossil CO2 emissions (EFOS) relative to 2020 of +4.9 % (4.1 % to 5.7 %) globally.
Fossil CO2 emissions significantly decreased in 23 countries from 2010-2019 about 2.5 GtC yr fossil fuel CO2 emissions or around one quarter of world CO2 fossil emissions.
The remaining carbon budget for a 50% likelihood to limit global warming to 1.5°C, 1.7°C and 2°C has shrunk to 120 GtC (420 GtCO2), 210 GtC (770 GtCO2) and 350 GtC (1270 GtCO2) respectively, equivalent to 11, 20 and 32 years from the beginning of 2022, assuming 2021 emissions levels. Total anthropogenic emissions were 10.4 GtC yr-1 (38.0 GtCO2 yr-1) in 2020, with a preliminary estimate of 10.7 GtC yr-1 (39.4 GtCO2 yr-1) for 2021. The remaining carbon budget to keep global temperatures below the climate targets of the Paris Agreement has shrunk by 21 GtC (77 GtCO2) relative to the remaining carbon budget estimate assessed in the IPCC AR6 Working Group 1 assessment. Reaching net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 entails cutting total anthropogenic CO2 emissions by about 0.4 GtC (1.4 GtCO2) each year on average, comparable to the decrease during 2020, highlighting the scale of the action needed.
Anybody interested in an online/all the time 11, 20, 33 year World Game?
Received: 28 Oct 2021 - Accepted for review: 29 Oct 2021 - Discussion started: 04 Nov 2021
Abstract. Accurate assessment of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and their redistribution among the atmosphere, ocean, and terrestrial biosphere in a changing climate is critical to better understand the global carbon cycle, support the development of climate policies, and project future climate change. Here we describe and synthesize data sets and methodology to quantify the five major components of the global carbon budget and their uncertainties. Fossil CO2 emissions (EFOS) are based on energy statistics and cement production data, while emissions from land-use change (ELUC), mainly deforestation, are based on land-use and land-use change data and bookkeeping models. Atmospheric CO2 concentration is measured directly, and its growth rate (GATM) is computed from the annual changes in concentration. The ocean CO2 sink (SOCEAN) is estimated with global ocean biogeochemistry models and observation-based data-products. The terrestrial CO2 sink (SLAND) is estimated with dynamic global vegetation models. The resulting carbon budget imbalance (BIM), the difference between the estimated total emissions and the estimated changes in the atmosphere, ocean, and terrestrial biosphere, is a measure of imperfect data and understanding of the contemporary carbon cycle. All uncertainties are reported as ±1σ. For the first time, an approach is shown to reconcile the difference in our ELUC estimate with the one from national greenhouse gases inventories, supporting the assessment of collective countries' climate progress.
For the year 2020, EFOS declined by 5.4 % relative to 2019, with fossil emissions at 9.5 ± 0.5 GtC yr−1 (9.3 ± 0.5 GtC yr−1 when the cement carbonation sink is included), ELUC was 0.9 ± 0.7 GtC yr−1, for a total anthropogenic CO2 emission of 10.2 ± 0.8 GtC yr−1 (37.4 ± 2.9 GtCO2). Also, for 2020, GATM was 5.0 ± 0.2 GtC yr−1 (2.4 ± 0.1 ppm yr−1), SOCEAN was 3.0 ± 0.4 GtC yr−1 and SLAND was 2.9 ± 1 GtC yr−1, with a BIM of −0.8 GtC yr−1. The global atmospheric CO2 concentration averaged over 2020 reached 412.45 ± 0.1 ppm. Preliminary data for 2021, suggest a rebound in EFOS relative to 2020 of +4.9 % (4.1 % to 5.7 %) globally.
Overall, the mean and trend in the components of the global carbon budget are consistently estimated over the period 1959-2020, but discrepancies of up to 1 GtC yr−1 persist for the representation of annual to semi-decadal variability in CO2 fluxes. Comparison of estimates from multiple approaches and observations shows: (1) a persistent large uncertainty in the estimate of land-use changes emissions, (2) a low agreement between the different methods on the magnitude of the land CO2 flux in the northern extra- tropics, and (3) a discrepancy between the different methods on the strength of the ocean sink over the last decade. This living data update documents changes in the methods and data sets used in this new global carbon budget and the progress in understanding of the global carbon cycle compared with previous publications of this data set (Friedlingstein et al., 2020; Friedlingstein et al., 2019; Le Quéré et al., 2018b, 2018a, 2016, 2015b, 2015a, 2014, 2013). The data presented in this work are available at https:/doi.org/10.18160/gcp-2021 (Friedlingstein et al., 2021).
by gmoke
Thu Jan 6th, 2022 at 10:59:33 PM EST
These kinds of events are happening all over the world every day and most of them, now, are webcast and archived, sometimes even with accurate transcripts. Would be good to have a place that helped you access them.
Anybody know of something like that?
The local listings I did for over a decade (what I did and why I did it at http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com/2013/11/what-i-do-and-why-i-do-it.html) could go global if somebody hasn't done it already.
I'm thinking about doing something like this monthly but we'll see.
Thanks for reading,
Solar IS Civil Defense,
http://hubeventsnotes.blogspot.com - notes on lectures and books
http://solarray.blogspot.com - renewable energy and efficiency - zero net energy links list
http://cityag.blogspot.com - city agriculture links list
http://geometrylinks.blogspot.com - geometry links list
http://www.dailykos.com/user/gmoke/history - articles, ideas, and screeds
http://hubevents.blogspot.com - Energy (and Other) Events around Cambridge, MA - somewhat on hiatus
------------
The Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest
January 10-14, 2022 / Tu BiShvat 5782
https:/www.jewishclimatefest.org
Make Climate Action a Central Moral Priority of The Jewish Community
The Big Bold Jewish Climate Fest is a free, (mostly) online, collaborative festival by and for people who want to activate Jewish values to move the needle on climate change. We believe climate action should be a central moral issue of our community, and together we can make it happen. Anchored in the holiday of Tu BiShvat, the Fest combines theory, practice, and action that we can carry in our personal, professional, and volunteer lives throughout the year.
The Fest is a combination of MainStage events curated by our program committee (including representatives from Hazon and Dayenu), and a groundswell of community-produced events from Fest partners and experts.
----------
ON TREES: A CONVERSATION WITH PETER WOHLLEBEN, JESSICA J. LEE, AND SUMANA ROY
Tuesday, January 11
1:00pm
https:/yff.yale.edu/event/trees-conversation-peter-wohlleben-jessica-j-lee-and-sumana-roy
The Forest School at the Yale School of the Environment and Orion Magazine present a second event in a series to celebrate Orion's new anthology, Old Growth. "On Trees" will feature a conversation between Peter Wohlleben, Jessica J. Lee, and Sumana Roy, three authors whose work embodies the language of trees. Wohlleben's Hidden Life of Trees illuminates the discreet social network of forests; Lee's Two Trees Make a Forest finds history in the canopy; and Roy's How I Became a Tree finds the shadows of branches throughout literature and philosophy. Together, they will discuss cultural constructs of forests and how disconnected those are from the growing reality of monoculture. Moderating the event is Mary Evelyn Tucker, co-author of Journey of the Universe and co-founder of Yale's Forum on Religion and Ecology.
----------
MITx and the Evolution of Online Learning: Celebrating 10 Years of MITx
Tuesday, January 11, 2022 at 1:00pm to 2:00pm
http://web.mit.edu/webcast/mitx/s22/1/
We invite you to join us as MITx celebrates ten years of online learning!
MITx supports MIT's mission for a better world by sharing MIT-quality educational opportunities with anyone willing to learn. From producing content that reflects the teaching at MIT and pioneering the technology behind massive open online courses to creating teaching and learning innovations, MITx continues to make a profound impact in supporting millions of people on their learning journeys.
Please join us for a live online celebration and discussion:
Panelists:
W. Eric L. Grimson, Chancellor for Academic Advancement, MIT
Joey Gu, MIT Lecturer and MITx Digital Learning Scientist
Shira Fruchtman, Assistant Manager of Educational Technology, Lead Learning Designer, MITx
Abigael Bamgboye, Social Venture Enthusiast, MITx MicroMasters Credential Holder
by gmoke
Wed Jan 5th, 2022 at 05:11:14 AM EST
"We're thinking we can turn water heaters, refrigerators, thermostats, electric vehicles and batteries into virtual power plants [VPPs]" to help balance the grid's increasing clean electricity, Jigar Shah, director of the DOE Loan Programs Office [LPO] said in a September 2021 interview (https:/www.canarymedia.com/articles/policy-regulation/jigar-shahs-big-idea-for-getting-rooftop-sola
r-and-smart-appliances-to-low-income-americans). The LPO are offering loan guarantees for companies that produce grid-responsive, energy-efficient appliances and equipment and low interest, long term loans for low-income buyers, a $4 billion per month market, for joining a distributed energy resources [DER] system to act as a modular, virtual power plant [VPP].
In a June DOE podcast (https:/www.energy.gov/podcasts/direct-current-energygov-podcast/lpos-new-look-conversation-jigar-sh
ah) Shah said,
"Well, I think these distributed energy programs [DER] are the most straightforward way that we've thought about it [environmental justice]. And when you think about appliances, it's not just refrigerators, air conditioners and water heaters. It also includes solar plus storage, but it also includes electric cars. Right? So electric cars are DER-enabled appliances as well, right? So when you think about, when you look at the Texas polar vortex, there were some people who actually were able to power their whole house off their car. And so, you know, in fact, I'd say a car battery is probably the cheapest way to get a battery these days, because it's, you know, 90 kilowatt-hours for I think, $14,000 or $15,000 for a used Chevy Bolt. So I think that there's a lot that we can do there. I also think that the scope and the scale that we're trying to get after is pretty large. And, you know, I think we need to find large pockets of opportunity, right? So when you think about appliances, appliances alone -- not counting electric vehicles -- is about a $10 billion a month -- a month -- business. Right? And roughly 40% of those purchases are made by low-moderate income households. Right, so that's $4 billion a month. So if we can shift $4 billion dollars a month of purchases, from, you know, like some form of payday lending to low-interest loans with long durations, that's going to save a tremendous amount of money for the average consumer. And if those appliances are plugged into distributed energy resources, all of our modeling shows that it's the only idea that we have that can actually reduce electricity rates. Not reduce the growth of electricity rates, but actually reduce electricity rates...."
"We can insert ourselves there and help people get 6...or 7 percent interest rates," Shah said. "But in exchange, they have to opt in their air-conditioning system into a distributed energy resources project and...get paid to provide grid flexibility..."
"California spilled about 1600 gigawatt-hours of renewable energy last year [2020], and they could have captured a lot of that if they had demand dexterity in the grid. So they could, you know, make people's houses a little bit cooler than they had set it for, and use some of that power then, and then not used it later in the afternoon when they would have turned it on, right? And so starting to time the loads in the homes with when there's overproduction of electricity is something that does qualify for Loan Programs Office, and a lot of the residential solar players are in the best place to, you know, promote those services."
This is one way that using electric appliances as VPPs and DERs "can actually reduce electricity rates. Not reduce the growth of electricity rates, but actually reduce electricity rates...."
by gmoke
Thu Dec 23rd, 2021 at 05:23:17 AM EST
"Produced by Bonnie Symansky, this video, Equal Rights to the Sun (1979) documents citizen [led] solar energy projects organized in the Boston area by the Urban Solar Energy Association (USEA - founded by Barbara Brandt [Susan Baldwin, George Mokray, and Ambrose Spencer]).
Cities in the northeast have the greatest energy needs yet resources are often scarce. Solar enthusiasts are working hard to solve energy problems through neighborhood cooperative efforts. Equal Rights to the Sun documents some of Boston's self-help urban solar projects, demonstrating that solar is working in cities and it need not be expensive. Includes examples of building a breadbox heater, converting an attic into a solar greenhouse, the addition of passive wall collectors, enclosure of a south-facing porch and construction of a solar skylight. Solar energy shines on every part of the city. Shows that all we need is a little ingenuity and cooperation to take advantage of it."
https:/www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tu2RgqKQFgQ&t=907s
Many of the people in this 1979 video continued in the renewable energy field, even through the lean decades after 1979, when Reagan was elected and all movement stopped dead in its tracks. It's one reason why I say Reagan killed us (although he's had a lot of help since then).
The Urban Solar Energy Association became the Boston Area Solar Energy Association (http://basea.org) which hosted school programs, a long-running lecture series, and other events. They plan to resume activities soon.
Here's an upate on one of the USEA barnraised solar air heaters:
Old Solar: 1980 Barnraised Solar Air Heater
https:solarray.blogspot.com/2008/09/old-solar-1980-barnraised-solar-air.html
Some late 1970s context:
Old Solar: JImmy Carter's Green Deal
https:solarray.blogspot.com/2019/07/old-solar-jimmy-carters-1979-green-deal.html
Another example from those days was the New Alchemy Institute in Cape Cod and in 2019 the Guardian looked back at it after 40 years
https:www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/ng-interactive/2019/sep/29/the-new-alchemists-could-the-pas
t-hold-the-key-to-sustainable-living
I believe we knew what we were doing then and practiced positive protest by constructing the alternatives we wanted to see. There is a positive future but only if we start building it now and continue building it daily. One group which is doing that today in the Boston area is the Home Energy Efficiency Team [HEET] (https:heet.org) which started by doing weatherization barnraisings,proceeded to local gas leak monitoring, and is now starting a pilot GeoMicroDistrict to prune back gas lines by replacing them with geothermal heat pumps with the local utility, Eversource
https:heet.org/energy-shift/geomicrodistrict-feasibility-study
by gmoke
Thu Dec 2nd, 2021 at 06:25:23 PM EST
I wonder how many people remember the New Alchemy Institute which, from 1969 to 1991, experimented with wind power, solar power, intensive regenerative agriculture, aquaculture, and many other ideas now becoming big business and a way out of climate chaos. I first visited with them around 1974, am still in contact with some of the old New Alchies today, and continue to believe their vision of the world is the way to an ecologically restorative future.
One of the founders is Bill McLarney who 40 years ago started a Costa Rican version of New Alchemy, ANAI (http://www.anaicostarica.org), to integrate nature conservation and sustainable development in the Talamanca region. I've supported his work there with a small annual donation for most of that time and, in return, get a short annual report. This year's brought more than a smile to my face and demands to be shared:
"With the indispensable assistance of Bioeducators, we have finally completed a long deferred project to produce laminated sheets with photos of almost all of the 50 species of freshwater fish we have identified from the La Amistad Caribe watersheds, with scientific names plus common names in Spanish, English, Bribri, Naso and Ngobe. Getting the indigenous names right was a challenge which required sending our indigenous Bioeducators on errands to remote villages to visit 'old timers' who were thoroughly familiar with the names of the fish in their native languages, and putting them together with younger people fluent in the recently created written forms of the four languages. Thus a byproduct of our biologically focused work was to fortify the indigenous cultures....
"For many years, ANAI's signature program was organic agroforestry. Over the years, and in keeping with our philosophy of maximizing local responsibility and involvement, this responsibility has been passed to APPTA (Talamanca Small Producers' Association) (https:/www.appta.org/index.php/en) which has become the world's largest organic farmers' cooperative. ANAI's most recent contribution to APPTA's success has been in securing funding to obtain and install three industrial driers, which tremendously increases their capacity to purchase, process and market local organic farm products....
"As what was once merely ANAI's vision of how things should be matures, we are ever more forcefully reminded of the links between terrestrial, aquatic and marine biodiversity, and the crucial role organic agroforestry plantations on small farms can play in reducing fragmentation and protecting landscape integrity. Toward this end, we are planning to initiate a process of mapping all existing forested corridors, and gaps, in our service area extending from the Rio Estrella watershed in Costa Rica to Almirante Bay in Panama, and from the cost to the Continental Divide...
"All of the activities reported here - strengthening old and creating new organic agroforestry farms, fomenting the community Water Observatories movement, advocation for the needs of migratory fish - play into this vision."
ANAI can always use donations at https:/www.anaicostarica.org/donate.html
The New Alchemy land in Hatchville, MA on Cape Cod is still continuing the vision in different ways, with some of the original New Alchies, as you can see at https:newalchemists.net
John Todd, another of the founders and a pioneering ecological designer, is still working (one of his latest projects is on greening the Sinai Peninsula) through https:/www.toddecological.com
