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A group of modern-day geniuses have joined together to create a gift of gifts for our interweb enjoyment. Some folks may need to get high to understand this, some of you are already there without the extra 50 bucks and the coughing. All I’m sayin’ is do whacha gotta, get comfortable, get ready, get set, get loose, get excited, get educated, get open, hopefully you’ll get it-Post Modern Times have arrived!
Yes, some folks out here in California finally made one of my big dreams come true-a fully functioning fuel station selling petroleum, biodiesel (B99), and ethanol (E85). Conserv Fuel is the first station in LA to sell E85 to the public 24/7, and has become the only station in LA that sells B99 at the pump. Now that’s what I call exciting! “Fifty years ago, my father, his two brothers, and my grandfather emigrated from Denmark to California,” says Conserv founder and CEO Kristopher Moller “One of the first jobs they landed was working at an independent service station in a small town east of Los Angeles. After decades of dedication and hard work, my father built USA Gasoline into the largest independent gas station chain in the State.”
In Spring of last year, the entire USA Gasoline chain sold to a US oil refiner, save a single station in Brentwood. From this single station, Kristopher Moller founded Conserv and has seemlessly integrated the old guard and the new guard of fuel under one roof. On their website, Conserv boasts “a commitment to a new type of American Dream.” Well, not only did they fulfill a years-long personal dream of mine, they fulfilled the timeless American Dream of solving old school problems with new school innovations. If you’re in LA, stop on through. Whether you have a biodiesel Benz, a flex-fuel Avenger, or a petroleum-sucking F-250, Conserv Fuel is the spot to get just what you need and support a fuel provider who gives a s%*#. Conserv Fuel believes that conservation is the first step to fuel sustainability. Check out their tips to reducing your fuel use.
I’ve decided to track back where my energy comes from and where it goes and make sure there is a renewable and sustainable path, for however the evolution goes, all the way though. On the input for electricity, we are planning on installing an adequately-sized PV array that can be grown when electric cars are added to the mix. But, for now, we can only add less than 100% of the electricity that we have used on the average over the past two years, if we want community subsidies. Did I say communities? In this context, community subsidies are referring to local, state and federal economic programs, see DSIRE for more information on these programs. I’m working on a pragmatic approach to living a healthy life, everything that I come into contact with I think about it, what it is, what it means in the context of my life, how it got there, how it was made, all that jazz. Little steps all the time and I love my life more for it. I saw an ad in the New Yorker the other day discussing how a scientific study demonstrated, across many areas of activity, that working for the greater good is good and does good. So, while we are on this track and while nothing is perfect and there is always more, I’ve decided to track where my energy goes and make requests that my energy goes in a good and healthy manner. The first step is going to be addressing my communication signals, so I’ll make sure to brush my teeth and floss and take care of those temporary fillings and then look at how I charge my cell phone, where the power for my laptop is coming from and how I move my body around, which I consider the physical aspect to auditory communication. The second layer will be to look at how these communications are received at the end of the initial transmission stage. Is the message clear? Is the cell tower down the street and the internet hub in the house powered by photovoltaics? These are the questions to ask, I’ll let you know how it goes. After that, a mesh-networking approach will be applied, based acceptable limits upon my personal dynamic spacio-temporal energy profile. Or, I’ll just go for it and see where it takes us. I have a feeling it will bring us all together in a healthy and harmonic way. R.
The Solar Saucer impacted Black Rock City this past burn during its 2007 maiden voyage, with Captain Scotty Whitaker at the helm. This mobile generator uses energy from our closest star to power its internal devices such as LED lights and a sound system, while providing enough juice for any extracurricular 110 volt device.
A majority of the electronic waste of the US is shipped to China and India in violation of international law. Please consider the following actions to stop the blackening of rivers and the poisoning of our distant cousins in Asia:
Forty-one pounds…that’s the staggering weight of the 560 or so pieces of junk mail each adult American receives per year. Almost half of it remains completely unopened and unread before heading straight to the landfill. Sadly, recycling junk mail is especially difficult due to the high concentrations of heavy metals used in the inks. Year after year, boreal forests get wantonly turned into garbage as more than 100 million trees and 28 billion gallons of water are wasted in the production of junk mail. This whole frustrating process is perpetuated by everyone, from the USPS to credit reporting companies like Equifax and Experian, selling your name for three to twenty cents a pop to anyone in the market to buy it. Fortunately for us all, there are ways to triumph over the junk mail debacle. Eco Cycle and StopJunkMail.org have compiled the key steps to ending the junk mail trail yourself. They give you all the details on who to call, what online forms to fill out, and who to give the “Return to Sender” treatment. Or, if you are willing to pay a fee, you can get someone else to do most of the legwork for you. Yay. 41pounds.org
Frustrated with their own junk mail woes, three brothers from Michigan figured out how to trump the junk mail system and began to share the service with friends. Only one year later, 41pounds.org is 5,000 members strong and growing rapidly.
“In the absence of an unlikely change in the nature of humanity, buying bamboo shirts or sustainable furniture is like spitting at a forest fire.” Timely words by Alex Steffen, Executive Editor of the evolutionary eco think tank, WORLDCHANGING. I agree, Mr. Steffen, buying green stuff isn’t the only answer to healing the planet, so now what? The US mainstream is aware of major climate issues and the continuing decimation of our air, water and soil quality by corporate and governmental entities. Al Gore’s number one offering to reverse global warming has been to change a light bulb. Thank you Al. Live Earth, in the face of the mass decimation of our planet, has taken civic action one step further by asking citizens to change four light bulbs, as well as shopping for energy efficient electronics and shutting off lights when they’re not in use. Umm…okaaaay. A lot of folks have changed their light bulbs from incandescents to CFL’s. World still not saved? Darn it! Well, what next?
By Lorna Li at LornaLi.com Burning Man, the annual arts festival that takes place in the remote Black Rock Desert, attracts approximately 40,000 participants, and is Nevada’s tenth largest city, for one week. As a 4th year Burner, I returned to Burning Man after a hiatus of 3 years, with high hopes that Burning Man was finally evolving out of its flamboyant and hedonistic paradigm into a model of eco-conscious social engagement, embodied by its 2007 theme “Green Man.”I must say that, while I had a blast, I was disappointed by the Green-ness of Green Man. But, having arrived at Black Rock Desert in a gas guzzling RV with 4 other friends, I will be the first to admit it ain’t easy making Burning Man Green. Comparing notes with other eco-conscious Burners, it seemed that the Green element seemed to be somewhat weak.
The 30,000 square foot Green Pavilion showcased emerging Green technologies in a manner much like a high school science project, rather than a “World Fair” of clean technologies. Artistic models and interactive displays were explained by billboards that most were too hung-over or ADD in the highly distracting Burning Man environment to read.
An alternative solution to greenhouse gases - use bags of bubbling CO2 absorbing liquid algae. Read the rest of this entry »
Well, as most of you know, BCP ran a biodiesel shuttle bus to Burning Man this year, transporting riders the 2+ hours from Reno Int’l Airport to the playa and back. This was the first run of this pilot program and it was an amazing success!!! Peter (www.teacherwiththebus.com) was an incredible driver: reliable, kind, relaxed, and safe. The riders were a spectacular array of eco-conscious superstars. The BIOBUS was both a good time and a great step towards more sustainable transport to Black Rock City. If you rode with us this year, THANK YOU SO MUCH. If you didn’t get the opportunity, please check out the schedule next year, which we will release June 1, 2008. Please share your BIOBUS 07 experience in the comment section below. Also, send your photos from your journey to connect@burncleanproject.org. |
