Tapping Mother Earth (SFW)

Whaddaya know. I was just talking with a friend about geothermal heat. Seems his brother has a geothermal furnace and it's like an amp that goes to 11. He heats his home. He doesn't pay those 'taller than the guy from Midnight Oil' natural gas bills.

Then I saw a link to 'Geothermal energy a booming business (shameless plug).'

The story says alternative energy mandates and the promise of Obama (cue power chord) have increased interest in geothermal energy as a power source. Requests for drilling permits are way up.

This is technology that creates energy using heat stored in the Earth. Perhaps that devil guy from the Dio videos had the right idea (obscure reference alert).

I did a little digging (pun intended) and found something even better than the free heat mentioned earlier. The feds offer a $2,000 tax credit for installing a geothermal furnace in your home. Not bad. Of course, geothermal furnaces cost more upfront, but think of the potential such a furnace has for sparking conversation.

- Green Mullet.

Where I've been

I know I haven't been around for a while. My last post was Dec. 24. Aren't the holidays great? Relaxing in your pajamas? Having to work the Day After Christmas? Spending too much time playing video games?

Which brings me to my subject for today: Video games use up a lot of energy. The Natural Resources Defense Council recently conducted a study, along with some smart consultants, and found that the PS3 and the XBOX 360 use gobs of electricity. A post at Plenty mag says the consoles "gobble up electricity as fast as Ms. Pac-Man swallows pellets," a little dated reference if you ask me.

Anyway, the PS3 uses about $134 in electricity a year. Sounds like a refrigerator. The XBOX isn't much better, at $103 a year. The Wii, the most awesome of them all (gosh, my shoulder hurts), uses a mere $10 a year. Hell yes.

So if you get Guitar Hero, for the Wii, you could play something by an eco-conscious rocker and feel good about wasting time.

Also, if you follow the instructions on the NRDC Web site, you can enable the power-saving mode for the (wish you had a Wii) PS3 and XBOX and cut your carbon footprint.

- Green Mullet.

Michigan muck removal starts in 2010

Hopefully the days of Great Lakes goodness that I (and Kid Rock) remember are on their way back. 

The Michigan Legislature passed a couple of bills on Dec. 18 that will limit phosphorus in laundry and dishwashing detergents beginning July 1, 2010. 

This development went unnoticed by Mainstream Media, from what I can tell (thanks Google News). But the Michigan Policy Network has a rundown, with the requisite links, and the Michigan Environmental Council praised the legislation in a year-end wrap-up report. So I feel it. 

This is big news if you care about limiting phosphorus, a nutrient that's been blamed for nasty, stinky dead algae that's been fouling beaches and shoreline property for years in the Great Lakes state. 

Of course, simply cutting out this bit of phosphorus won't cure the problem (hello invasive species), but it will hopefully improve conditions, experts say. It also will lessen the strain on wastewater plants that have to remove phosphorus as part of the treatment process. Similar phosphorus limits will begin at the same time in 2010 in several other states, too.

The new Michigan standards, which actually should begin sooner, will cut phosphorus levels in detergents from a current 8.7 percent to 0.5 percent (a 17-fold decrease if my math is right). Local governments started this wave, by banning phosphorus in residential lawn fertilizers earlier this year. Hopefully that's next for Michigan. 

Have a muck-free holiday!

- Green Mullet

Manta Ray in U.S. waters

Back when Metallica was cool, before Lars and the gang cut their hair, their songs, sold out, got greedy and generally annoying, they released "... And Justice For All" . I bought it on cassette. The first song, "Battery." 

So it's with some nostalgia that I write about the latest twist in the U.S. auto industry spiral. Plenty Mag has a story today about U.S. battery makers forming an alliance to develop and produce batteries for the next generation of domestic automobiles. It's called the National Alliance for Advanced Transportation Battery Cell Manufacture, or NAATBCM for short. That's catchy. 

The group aims to get U.S. batteries in U.S. cars. They want up to $2 billion in federal aid, but say a little upfront investment would help create jobs (remember those?). Other countries subsidize battery cell manufacture.

Argonne National Lab says: "Lithium ion batteries are anticipated to replace gasoline as the principal source of energy in future cars and military vehicles. Today, United States automobile manufacturers and defense contractors depend upon foreign suppliers — increasingly concentrated in Asia — for lithium ion battery cells."

Why not make them here? We used to make good metal here, too. 

- Green Mullet

P.S. The first time one of my friends heard "Battery," he thought the chorus was "Manta Ray." We all had a good laugh. "Manta Ray!"

The Chevy Volt: Made in China

Nah. I'm just kidding. The Volt will be built in Flint (ho ho ho). I'm talking about the first mass-produced plug-in hybrid car, which went on sale Monday ... in China. 

Soon, the new cars, from a company owned by Mr. Wang, may be available at Walmart (Kidding, but Warren Buffet owns about 10 percent of the company). 

 

The car that beat GM to the punch is made by Build Your Dream Autos, and called the F3DM. It gets 60 miles per charge. The (fictional?) Volt gets 40.

Toyota also is working on a plug-in hybrid, to be on lots by 2010. That's the same year (uh huh) as the Chevy Volt. 

Gosh, it sure is easy to pick on the Volt, huh? It's easy to pick on hybrids and electrics in general. Heck, I love to save money on gas. But I sure enjoyed driving my 4x4 SUV today, when it snowed almost a foot in Michigan. Can an electric/hybrid do that? If so, let's hope it's a domestic one. 

- Green Mullet. 

Musta got lost

This morning, I finished my Christmas shopping. Then I went to the store to pick up some refreshments for a Christmas party at the house tonight. On the way home, "Musta Got Lost" came up on the iPod. 

How prophetic it was. Because I just checked my 500+ unread RSS feeds and found this newflash: GM is halting construction of its Volt plant in Flint, Michigan. The Volt, the plug-in electric car. The supposed saving grace for the dying automaker. The next great hope from Detroit. Halted. 

Musta got lost. The automakers didn't get any of the loans they wanted from Congress. But, behold, President Bush may turn out to be the hero on this one. Ho ho ho.

In the meantime, the automakers are showing how much they really care about moving into the future. Apparently, they don't. The Volt, allegedly, will get 40 mpg on electricity alone (if it's ever built). 

The Detroit Free Press says the Volt and Cruze (an efficient gas model) are (still?) expected to launch in 2010. 

Musta got lost. You'd think that if GM really was making plans for the future, hoping to reinvent itself, that the Volt and Cruze project would be Priority No. 1. Autobloggreen says GM execs are still vowing to build the Volt, with or without government money. Is that a threat?

Someone once said that Chinese Democracy would be released before the Volt. Guess what?

- Green Mullet. 

Composting RIP

Am I crazy? Maybe, but is composting dead?

First it was recycling. Prices for recycled materials are so low that haulers are losing money, sorting centers are stockpiling stuff like cardboard and plastic, waiting for prices to go back up. We're all on a cycle here, right? Things will get better, won't they? 

Now comes composting. Huffington Post has some holiday suggestions: Don't throw away that food waste, compost it. Because, they say, if you don't, your old food will decompose in a landfill and create methane gas.

Is that so bad? Yes, methane is a potent greenhouse gas, a lot worse than its more famous counterpart, carbon dioxide. 

But there's technology out there, being used at landfills in Michigan and elsewhere, that can harness that methane and turn it into electricity. 

Are there emissions from landfill gas to electricity systems? Yes, but they're cleaner than Old King Coal. So throw away your food waste (as long as your landfill harnesses methane. Mine does). As for throwing away your recyclables, let's see how long the cycle lasts. 

- Green Mullet. 

Shout at the Earth

When my first daughter was first born, I used to drive her around to get her to go to sleep. I'm sure I'm not the first dad to do this. 

I also used to entertain myself a bit with 80s rock, of course. "Shout at the Devil" is a song that you can't turn off once it pops up on the iPod. Kind of like opening a bag of BBQ chips. You have to finish it. 

It wasn't long before my daughter began learning the lyrics (or at least the chorus) to "Shout Shout Shout Shout at the Devil!" Don't worry, we're not devil worshippers. Just an 80s rock family. We go to church. 

Which brings me to this segue: My daughter is now a lot older (let's say six years, but not in a Number of the Beast way). The other day, she told me it was Big Green Help day, as in the day Nick was debuting a new enviro site with games and all kinds of cool stuff. "Like the stuff you write about," she said. She knows what's important!

So we logged on. It was fun. We had to take a pledge to be more green. We had to defend the Earth against CO2 monsters (Bush didn't appear). There was something to do with a cow and a gun (see yesterday's post). 

Although I've seen some critics blogging about Big Green Help, I think it can't hurt (now that's clever). 

Think about it: My kid told me that the site was up. She saw it on Nick. She was waiting for the day. We played a bit together. She was interested in learning about ways to "save the planet." She played a game that taught her about global warming. That's much better than having her shout (shout, shout) my name, only to run to the TV and find that she wants the latest toy of the week.

- Green Mullet. 

The Clean Cow Coalition?

Everyone loves cows, right? Their yummy milk (especially with Hershey's Chocolate Syrup). Their yummy meat, on the grill with cheese. Sizzle.

But now those crazy (brilliant) scientists at the IPCC say we need to concentrate on cutting emissions from big farms. What?!

According to EnviroWonk, who turned me on to the Clean Coal Carolers last week, the head of the IPCC says almost a fifth of greenhouse gases come from livestock, and not enough attention is being paid to  'what cows do when they think no one is looking.'

How can we reduce emissions from livestock? Scrubbers at farms? Filtered cow pants? Sequestration? 

No, something even more frightening: Giving up meat.

Gasp! Could you imagine (I'm speaking to carnivores here): No Thanksgiving, no Christmas ham, tofu cheeseburgers? Is global warming really THAT bad. Of course it is. 

I promise to eat more salads (can't make any promises about bacon bits). I vote for anaerobic digesters, to turn manure into electricity. And more sustainable farming practices. 

But more importantly, how will the livestock industry respond to this impending War on Meat? 

The Clean Cow Coalition? A friendly cow talking about how good milk and meat is for you. Singing little baby cows. Cute pigs. Remember Babe? How could you eat that? Answer: With BBQ sauce. 

- Green Mullet. 

P.S. The IPCC has some competition on this one. There's a group out there called LEARN, working to "facilitate the development of cost effective and practical greenhouse gas mitigation solutions." God bless them, every one.

P.P.S. Burger King has just released a meat-scented body spray. 

Huff, Puff and Blow Some Good Cheer

The folks at Huffington Post, reportedly the top enviro blog out there, have a post today on giving the "gift of change" for Christmas. 

No, not Obama cigarettes.

They point to a "Starter Kit for Change," developed by some "awesome Hot Chicks at RockLovePeace." Of course, I clicked for more. 

The kit has the endorsement of Al Gore (kinda), who told the Hot Chicks that "I look forward to utilizing the included components." Wow, you had me at "Hello."

The kit (starting at $40, which is A LOT of change) includes a bunch of the same stuff you'd normally roll your eyes at, but this stuff is enviro-friendly! There's a tree inside, a twirly light bulb and "an envelope to end world hunger" (apparently filled with food). 

Sorry, but I just don't get it. This is a bag of stuff, meant to encourage people to use less stuff. How about a thoughtfully-selected book or a solar charger or some other useful gadget? Just the other day, I saw a Twitter posting on solar Christmas lights. Now that's something useful and practical and green. Also $40.

- Green Mullet.

Thoughtful Christmas Picks

This time of year (one family party in the bag, one to go) everyone seems to come out with lists. Best of Lists. End of the Year Lists. Gift Idea Lists. 

Here's mine, carefully crafted in my head as I headed downstate on Saturday for Family Christmas Party 2008 No. 1:

My list of "The Best Christmas Music That Rocks and Is Not Too Annoying." 

This music can be considered to be green, as far as its Christmas-y tone. I haven't examined the carbon footprint of any of these artists. Also, if you (legally) download the music, I guess you're saving fossil fuel and jewel cases.

1. Twisted Sister --- A Twisted Christmas. Anyone who thought Dee Snider and the boys were out of hits, think again. This is a fun bunch of familiar songs. You can sing along and bang your head. A fave: "Oh Come All Ye Faithful," which is done to the tune of "We're Not Gonna Take It." Plus, Twisted Sister totally deserves a few bucks for the holidays, more than your postal carrier. 

2. Merry Axemas, No. 1 and No. 2. --- Cool, instrumental holiday rockers you can play around your parents or conservative house guests. Turn it up, it's OK. You're still celebrating the birth of Jesus, just a little more loudly. "Rudolph" done by Kenny Wayne Shepherd (tribute video). What more do you need? How about "Blue Christmas" by Joe Perry? I'm pretty sure he's playing this one with a lit cigarette sticking out of his guitar. 

3. OK. The holidays aren't complete without Elvis. In fact, if you don't play an Elvis Christmas CD at least once during the holidays, I think Santa should skip your house. But which one to get? Take my word for it. Get "If Every Day Was Like Christmas," the one that combines the 50s Christmas songs with the 70s Christmas songs. Beautiful. "Silver Bells" and "Santa Claus is Back in Town." Alternate tracks. Tell them Green Mullet sent you. 

4. "The Ventures' Christmas Album." All instrumental. Surfer music that turns into Christmas songs then back into surfer music. Killer. And if you saw these guys at the Rock N' Roll Hall of Fame induction, you know they're the real thing. 

5. This list is in no particular order, by the way, or Elvis would be at the top. So No. 5 is "Christmas Gumbo" by Fats Domino. Is he heavy metal? No, does he play a mean clinky piano? Definitely. Some great new Christmas songs here. I'm glad they rescued this guy from the flooding in New Orleans. Blueberry Effin' Hill.

Maybe more later. The holidays are too crazy to list 10 CDs, for now. My dog and cat are tying to destroy the Christmas tree. My kids are running in circles. I have to be at another holiday party in 43 minutes. 

Merry Christmas. 

- Green Mullet.

Have a Coughety Christmas

And be happy about it!

This may be the scariest thing I've ever seen: Chunks of coal singing Christmas carols. Is this a joke? A clever campaign from an environmental group? No, this bit of cheer is courtesy of our friends at the American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity. 

The Web site allows you to dress up little chunks of coal, select a background, then select a song for them to sing. I chose "Frosty the Coalman":

"Coughety cough cough / Coughety cough cough / Look at Frosty hack / Coughety coal coal / coughety coal coal / Asthma works so fast!"

Those aren't the lyrics, of course, just the implied ones. 

Leave it up to one of the most polluting industries in the country, the single largest spewer of mercury in the U.S., to tarnish the spirit of the season with a campaign like this. 

One of the songs is called "Clean Coal Night." Is there a way to get baby Jesus (or big Jesus) to give an endorsement? The singers who lended their voices for these songs might as well be singing "See you in Hell" by the ugly (but great) Grim Reaper, circa 1987.

Merry Christmas! And thanks to EnviroWonk for his perspective.

AC/DC predicts public transport future

It's snowing tonight in Northern Michigan. We're supposed to get up to a foot. Maybe there won't be school tomorrow. But work is a sure thing.

The first song on the new AC/DC album is called "Rock 'n Roll Train." The name of the album is "Black Ice." Rail travel was up by 6.5 percent in the third quarter. Black ice is a slippery winter phenomena. Coincidence?

The rail report, from the American Public Transportation Association, says the jump in ridership over last year is the largest quarterly increase in public transport in 25 years. Twenty five years ago, AC/DC had a cassette on the shelves called "Flick of Switch." The backstage pass for that concert tour proclaimed "The Switch Is On."

People, it's all coming true. 

Even though gas has dropped to around $1.50 from more than $4 earlier this year, people are still riding the subway, bus and commuter rail. They must like it. Imagine commuting to work while reading the newspaper (or surfing a newspaper Web site and dutifully clicking on the ads). Imagine drinking a cup of coffee without having to fight the traffic. 

Of course, I live in the Auto State, where buses and subways and commuter rail are fledgling or nonexistent. I don't think we'll hear any of the begging auto execs mention the new wave. But I must mention this amazing series of events. 

- Green Mullet

Shhh ... the urban windmills are coming

I love commercial wind turbines. They're big, beautiful, majestic. But I don't live by one. And I don't really know what it's like to live by one, or more. 

I know they can be noisy. There's a flicker effect from sunlight and blades that can drive you nuts. They change landscapes. They can make rural settings seem industrial. 

But the field of wind turbines is moving from, ahem, the field to the city. At least in London. Europe always beats us when it comes to this kind of stuff. 

Environmental Graffiti has a post about Quiet Revolution, a company that's come up with little Saxon-shaped windmills for rooftops and cities. They have a vertical axis, so they're always facing the wind.

Eight of the spinners recently went up in Greater London, the largest installation to date. They can power an office used by about 200 people.

OK, I want some of these. Especially since my coal-fired electric power is supposed go up by $125 annually in 2009 (pdf).

Al Gore with Sideburns

When it comes to music, Elvis is the King. When it comes to the environmental movement, that helm is held by Al Gore, Mr. Inconvenient Truth. 

Al sent out a Twitter today about a new Web site, thisisreality.org/. It's about clean coal. Or unclean coal. But that's not as catchy a slogan. 

The site urges people to "Join our Reality Corps and help make sure misleading articles and false statements about coal don’t go unanswered." Sadly, many journalists don't know the difference between spin and science. They are so tied to the old school "quote both sides" mantra that they don't stop to think of separating truth from tale. 

Let me start. First of all, there is a such thing as clean(er) coal. If you use gasification, basically controlling for pollutants before you burn the lumps, you can cut emissions. Not clean, but cleaner. 

You also can sequester the CO2. Not perfect, but better than the old pulverized coal burning we've all come to know (cough) and love. But calling it clean, like calling it green, doesn't make it so. 

So the Reality Corps. video you see on the site is a little off, a little slanted. Sure, we should all strive to increase alternative energy use in the world, but we also need to realize (Al) that we can't change overnight. And my computer won't run without baseload power. That's coal, or (safe) nuclear, for now. 

Then again, Elvis wasn't perfect either. If you don't believe me, see "Charro."

Paid in Muck

Where are these stories in the summer, when everyone is paying attention?! Oh well. 

There's a Kansas study that for the first time tries to quantify how much damage beach muck (dead algae) does to property values. In Michigan, beaches have been fouled by muck for years and state regulators haven't done much more than talk about it. The study says the muck is causing $4 billion in economic losses a year in the U.S. (That's enough to bail out the auto companies for almost a week!)

The info, published in Environmental Science & Technology, says lakefront property values drop by 15 percent every time water clarity is reduced by one meter (a little more than a yard). 

But a news story on the report dances around the issue a bit, using "algal blooms" to describe the disgusting, pea soup, human fecal gunk that continues to mar Michigan beaches. Call it what it is: Money-sucking muck. 

This news is just another reason for Michigan and other Great Lake states to get on the ball and do something. Limit phosphorus and other nutrients from lawns and farms and wastewater plants. Mandate controls on ocean-going vessels that bring in new invasive species. 

Remember, it's the invasives that have cleared the water and helped fuel this mess. I mean, "contributed to the proliferation of algal blooms." Kind of like what grunge did to Hair Metal.

GM now more awesome

As soon as I get the links to work (all I see is blank space right now), you'll see that Green Mullet has completely sold out.

Just kidding. I have enhanced my blog and its reach by joining the Going Green Network. "What is the GGN, GM?" Well, it's a network of cool blogs (duh) that write about green stuff (double duh). Think Treehugger and Yahoo! Green. And think Green Mullet.

Remember, this is the only place on the Internets that recognizes the inherent link between things rock and things green. Where else can you go and read an interesting tidbit (with perspective) on the latest advance in alternative energy and see that tidbit melded with power chords ? Green Mullet, on the Going Green Network. That's it. Here come the hits ...

Get on the Greenship Enterprise

It's green. It's environmentally friendly, eco-friendly, earth-friendly, planet positive! Or maybe it's bullshit.

A building isn't green just because you say it's green. You can incorporate green features, sure. But they have to be certifiable, sustainable, BS-proof.  

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, known as LEED, is an example.

I'm watching a show on HGTV and the owners are saying the home is green. Uh huh. You're not Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, you can't just "make it so."

I ran into the same claim today while visiting a new building. A builder said it was green. Oh, I said, is it LEED-certified? Is it Energy Star? No answer. Next subject. 

There's a  new report out from the U.S. Department of Energy on the impact of (real) green buildings. 

The authors must be reading my blog, because they (have great taste in music?) say that LEED buildings are the only ones out there that are making the grade when it comes to staving off the worst effects of climate change. 

On average, LEED buildings consume about 25 percent less energy than conventional buildings. The buildings cost more to build, but can you put a price on the planet? And if you can, you can expect the buildings to pay you back in time with lower utility bills (and less guilt?).

The moral of this post: Check the label. Regulators should listen up and green their building codes, too.

RIP incandescent bulb. Long live CFLs and LEDs and other abbreviations

Clean Break reports (first, I think) on the death of the GE incandescent bulb. The GE folks have been working on an energy efficient version of the incandescent, without the mercury and with better light than CFLs (which can make you look 25 yrs. older than you really are). But the company told the blogger that they've abandoned that project and are now working on LEDs and something called OLEDs (o for organic). 

This is a bummer, just before Thanksgiving. Sure, CFLs are great. But the light they give off just isn't as intense and bright as the old standby. Sorry Al. 

Plus, they contain a drop of mercury, which kinda freaks me out. The kids have one in their room. If it breaks, I've got to get out the ET spacesuit. 

LEDs are brighter, but they also give off a weird look. I was stuck at a blinking (sorta) red light on the way home from work today. Stuck because the light was kind of half blinking, half shutting off. I realized after a bit that it was an LED. 

Anyway, we're all going to have to get used to a new way of illumination, I guess. 

Pass the shadowy gravy. 

 

 

Green Gets the Shaft

When it comes to End of the Year lists, green gets the shaft. At least so far.

The word of the year, according to Merriam-Webster, is "bailout," as in help the dinosaur auto companies stay on their feet. Granted, I live in Michigan and I don't want to see the Big Three go out of business and lay off people. But these auto execs have been asleep at the wheel for a long time (good pun, huh?) and they've already received $25B to retool for more fuel-efficient vehicles.

What bugs me more is that another word of the year, hypermiling, didn't get barely any coverage. That word of the year designation was made by New Oxford American Dictionary. A hypermiler is someone who pushes their gas tank to the limit, rolling through stop signs and drafting big trucks to stretch their mpg rating. King of the Road, if you will. But this enviro word of the year was barely a blip on the newscape compared to the consumption-happy word of the year, bailout.

Speaking of consumption-happy, have a Happy Thanksgiving.

(Looking forward to End of the Year lists when it comes to Rock 'N' Roll. Let's hope GNR makes it, or I'll be back here to criticize. Or AC/DC or Motley Crue. The past is back to kick your ... butt.)

Chinese Democracy Turkey

It's two days from Thanksgiving. And I have many things to be thankful for:

--- Chinese Democracy was released on Sunday

--- I just picked up a six pack of Brown Shugga

--- My kids are quietly watching a Benji movie

--- I'm driving downstate to see my folks on turkey day, and meet their new dog. 

Things are good. I've got a cold, but can't complain otherwise. 

And it looks like PR folks are gobbling up opportunities to put out Thanksgiving-related, eco-friendly news items. Call me a sucker, but some of these are pretty decent.

The EPA, which is trying to do more outreach these days, has a Blog of the Week Question: How did you minimize environmental impacts while making holiday travel plans? 

My answer: I dunno. Driving a little under the speed limit? Rejoicing to Mother Earth for $1.67-a-gallon gas? Oh, I've got it: Bringing home leftovers!

The folks at the Renewable Fuels Association have a ditty on the increased costs this year for a Thanksgiving dinner. The costs are up by 5.6 percent. Some blame the ethanol business for inflating the price of corn and associated foods. Not so, says the RFA:

"Because gasoline prices would likely be 20 to 35 cents per gallon higher without ethanol, the only noticeable economic impact of ethanol on Thanksgiving dinner this year is the money saved when driving over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house."

Regardless of whether you blame corn or not, take it easy on the salt this year. Believe it or not, there's a Salt Institute, which says there's a shortage of salt this year, due to high demand in 2007. Prices are up by 300 percent. Just don't blame ethanol. 

- GM

A Green Mullet Podcast? Black Friday Mary Delgado

Sorry about the title. Trying to get more hits. 

A friend of mine suggested I do a twice-weekly podcast. I don't have the time. Maybe once a week if we're lucky. I should mention that this friend and I often chat on the Can Cam, also known has Google Video Chat. Sorry if you can't get the image out of your head. 

This podcast would (conceptually) be me, a microphone, some hard rock snippets, some enviro news snippets, more of me. 

What might be on this week's podcast (if there was one?) How about the VW Jetta TDI being named Green Car of the Year? This car is a diesel and costs $22K and up . It comes with a particle filter and a $1,300 federal tax credit. It also has a cool Web site. So while the Big Three were getting beat up on Capitol Hill this week, the VW folks were getting an award from the Green Car Journal. 

Cue some music: Magic Carpet Ride, the Remix. 

Segue to the new 90210 (which I'm trying to watch while I type). Segue back to the environmental stuff: 

The clean diesel Jetta doesn't have a microwave, because they're bad. And you'd probably burn your Hot Pocket trying to drive and nuke. 

The folks at Plenty Mag (subscribe) have a warning about microwaving plastic, which I find pretty scary. Kind of like My Chemical Romance. 

Other folks at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel microwaved a bunch of "microwave-safe" plastic and found it leached toxic levels of the chemical Bisphenol A. BPA, as it's known, is linked to neurological and development effects in lab animals. Is anything safe anymore? Is anything regulated anymore? Thank god for journalists, who are soon to be an endangered species. 

Cue some White Wolf, which once had an album (cassette) called "Endangered Species."

- GM

Now that's what I call Happy Holidays

Ah, Christmas morning. You wake up to the sound of little kids (in my case) tugging on your sleeve. Then comes the unwrapping and the gift opening: the scissors, the box cutters, the untwisting, the swearing (to yourself). 

But it doesn't have to be this way. In fact, the folks at Amazon (no endorsement implied) have introduced Frustration-Free Packaging for the holidays. 

The toy comes in a brown cardboard box. You open the box and out comes the toy. No struggling with sealed, glossy cardboard packages and toys displayed in plastic clamshells and fastened with wires. Just the toy your kids want to play with!

You see, being environmentally friendly can be fun. And Amazon is actually saving money with the program. Rock on, I say. Hopefully, this is just the start of something big. 

(I feel a bit more positive today, you might have noticed). 

- GM

The End of Coal Plants? Nah

The death of Bon Scott didn't kill AC/DC and a ruling in Utah by a U.S. EPA panel isn't going to kill coal plants. I live in Michigan (one hand up, middle two fingers down), where there are eight coal plants proposed. I think that's more than in any other state. 

Green folks here have rejoiced over news of this Utah decision. Makes sense. They don't want to see more coal plants built in the state. And if coal plants are forced to regulate their CO2 emissions, well, that really drives up the cost to build. And the economy's not doing so good around here. 

But enviro groups are being too quick to jump to the conclusion that this ruling will have an effect on the permitting of new coal plants in other states like Michigan. 

First of all, utilities don't pay to build new coal plants. Customers do, through their rates. 

But state regulators won't let utilities build risky coal plants, you say. When was the last time you commented on a utility rate case? You need to read the state study that's driving new power plants in Michigan. Electric demand is going up, baseload power is needed. Period. 

                                                                               

Here's the deal: The EPA panel has rejected a permit for a plant in Utah. It said the EPA's Denver office granted a permit without requiring the best available control technology, or BACT, for CO2.               

Let's just say that this somehow leads Michigan regulators to require BACT for CO2. They already require BACT for other pollutants. 

So ... the state will spend time reviewing the EPA decision. Then, the state will come out with a plan for implementing "BACT review for CO2" (give that a couple of power chords and you've got a hit).

There will be a public comment period. More review. A final plan. That plan will require years of study, because utilities will argue (quite well) that there are no commercially available controls for CO2. So the state will do some (more) demonstration projects. 

Years are going by while all this is happening, and the plants are being built. They'll be "grandfathered in," don't worry.

And what makes you think this Utah decision won't be appealed for years to come? Remember the big landmark ruling in 2007? Where did that lead? Nowhere. 

Oh, but you blame it all on Bush. We have Obama now. He's vowed to regulate CO2. But he needs Congress, too. Think that will happen in the first 100 days? In his first term? 

I'm not trying to be Mr. Negative here, but if people don't want to see so many new coal plants, they have to turn down their stereos and USE LESS ENERGY. You can't have it all. And don't give up on nuclear, please. Of course, don't give up on solar, wind and biomass and all that. But don't kid yourself about this Utah thing. 

- GM. 

the fifth estate

that's a reference to journalism, and the death of it. or the impending death.

by the time my kids grow up, they may never know what it means to read a balanced, unbiased, well-researched story in a newspaper. newspapers are gray and white things that more people used to read before the internets came along. i'm telling you, however, that good journalism won't die if i can help it. the internets figured out how to improve journalism, in ways. all newspapers have to do now is listen. we'll see.

in the meantime, let me pass on some interesting quotes from past presidents, some of whom promised to give us 'energy independence.' on a tangent, i know. bear with me.

Nixon promised it. Then Ford and Carter. Now Obama. Maybe in the era of pesky pajama-ed bloggers and Al Gore, the new guy will succeed. Gas at $2.08 a gallon won't help, however. It's up from $1.89 yesterday. I was hoping (with indigestion) that gas would hit $6 a gallon. Then the U.S. would make some real moves.

If nothing else, Obama is getting tons of advice and support from green groups.

- GM

Obama: How long will it last?

Today has been a great day in America. Nov. 5, 2008, the day after most of the country (in their right minds) voted for Mr. Change, also known as Barack Obama.

Kind of reminds me of when Bill Clinton was first elected. The feeling of hope. The feeling that something better was around the corner. Yesterday was a day when most of the country (in their right minds) stood up and rejected the policies (war) of the past eight years. It was great to see the spontaneous eruptions of joy in the streets.

How long will this feeling last? How long before Democrats are back attacking Republicans, Republicans are back attacking Democrats?

There are high expectations for the new guy. It's up to each of us to pay attention. We don't get to vote once and then sit back for the next four years. Let's demand better from our leaders. Let's say that if Congress doesn't cooperate with our new Commander in Chief that we're not gonna take it. Thanks Twisted Sister! Seriously. Let's take some advice from a classy guy named John McCain.

- GM

The Youth Vote to McCain?

My daughter says she's voting for John McCain tomorrow, and I couldn't be more upset.
She's only seven, and her vote won't count. But I guess she's voting in a mock elementary school election, and has made up her mind.

Where in the world did she get the idea that McCain is a better choice than Obama? He's got more kids, she told me. He also wants to keep gas prices high, she continued. (Not sure what the benefit is of that, unless you hope it will reduce fuel consumption).

It seems that my daughter knows a lot about McCain. I wonder where she heard it from? Her teacher?! I bet so. She sure as hell hasn't heard me singing the praises of McCain. Four more years of failed Bush policies.

I tried to convince her before she went to bed that Obama is a better choice. He will improve the economy and get our troops home sooner, I told her. He also cares more about the environment, I said, before kissing her good night.

Will you make more at your job if Obama wins? She asked. Yeh, that's right, I told her. Sleep tight.

Little Fighter

I've been holding on to this one, a tailor-made piece for yours truly. White lions living in the wild. The Vegas guys are nowhere to be found (White tigers, I know, but close enough).

Remember White Lion, the 80s band? Super blonde singer. Cool slur:

"Are you cryin tonight?
Are you feelin all right?
I told the world that you were dooooooooowwwwwn on your luck

You were one of a kind
One who'd never give it up
Even when they put a priiiiiiiiiiiiiiiice on your head" ...

Turns out the song "Little Fighter" has a green theme. It's about a Greenpeace boat called Rainbow Warrior. (Hmmph. I didn't know this until today. We're all learning!)

Back to the actual white lions, with the sharper teeth: Folks at the Sanbona reserve in South Africa say the gene that causes lions to be born white may be bordering on extinction. The fact that white lions are now living in the wild and sustaining their population is good news, especially when it comes to future VH1 specials.

- GM

We are all Dooned

If you want to know what the future holds, you should be following Doonesbury. The comic's latest storyline revolves around an ex-newspaper guy who's forced to write a blog. Just recently, he lamented that there were 118 million other bloggers out there to compete with.

First of all, there's nothing wrong with blogs. They give a voice to the public. They are not a replacement for the real news media. But the real news media needs to get a clue from these dastardly bloggers. Don't wait on the news. When it happens, get it out there. Don't be afraid to portray life as it really is. Sometimes, people say "Fuck."

And don't be afraid to add some perspective. Don't hide behind the stoopid neutral non-bias mantra (I'm talking to futurists here). That's what gave us years of "Is Global Warming Real?" stories: Quote the experts who say yes. Quote the crackpots or oil execs who said no. Now you have "balance." Don't bother to go the extra step of getting to the truth.

Most blogs are nothing more than commentary on what the real news media says and does. The real news media needs a kick in the pants every so often, and a reminder that there are other perspectives out there besides the ones from the people with the presses and the FCC licenses. Newspapers could be using blogs to their advantage (clicks, commentary, readership) but instead they've tried to brand them as inferior.

OK, I feel like I'm going off on a major tangent. But when it comes to environmental news, you can't beat the blogs. Period. Blogs like Grist and Treehugger and Worldchanging (where folks need to shorten their posts) and Climate Science Watch. I could go on and on. And I'm sure that this post has some holes in its logic. Please feel free to comment. I'm a blogger, remember, without an army of editors staring down on me. It's possible to make a mistake.

- GM

Aliens save the planet?

We probably won't be so lucky. It seems that V is coming back. Remember the 1980s miniseries about the lizard-like aliens who tear off their faces during that one terrifying scene? You remember if you're 30-something. Like everything, it's being remade.

I wish the premise was an environmental one. Aliens come to save the planet from global warming. Then they kill everybody! How timely it would be.

According to the folks at TV Squad, the original creator isn't involved. It's a guy named Scott Peters, who was involved with The 4400, a sci-fi TV program about 4,400 folks in Washington state.

Whatever. At least I get to post the lizard picture.

See you folks.

- Green Mullet.

#current there we go. clean coal. safe nuclear. usa usa usa. americans are the hardest working (burp) people on earth. union strong.

#current obama has his stuff 2gether. i want to hear obama raise his voice though. i'm not scared of him being black. it's ok. get on it.

#current funny tom, im getting druunk right now

#current how long before 'clean coal' comes up

#current boring so far. bring on palin!

#current ooh wind and tide from mccain. pretty fancy enviro talk.

out of sam adams light. emergency!

#current obama evokes jfk. hell yeh. priority no 1 is energy. he's got my vote now. he took a friggin stand. hell yes.

#current nice of obama to promise or forecast that the market will get better. open up wall street right now. i feel like trading!

#current oooh more pandering. american workers are the best in the world. that must be why we're getting killed by the chinese!

#current take a hike is a memorable quip. one so far. i'm so glad these guys care about me.

#current i like brokaw better on letterman or leno.

#current let me see. high tech manufacturing?

#current yawn. more lip service about 'energy independence'

#current im dying to see how mccain can be obamaish enough to win.

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greenmullet
i'm doing the debates tonight
live
i am there right now
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I need a bailout!

Sorry you haven't heard from me in a while. Times are tough. Industries in Michigan are dying. Employees are shopping for coffins. I've been kinda busy.

Meanwhile, Wall Street yacht owners are getting a bailout. Awesome. And here's one parallel I can't help but mention: Folks from the Great Lakes Regional Collaboration (which was created by Dubya years ago) came up with a bailout plan for the Great Lakes in 2005. A $20 billion strategy to clean up toxic sediments, fix aging wastewater treatment plants, combat invasive species, etc.

The cost is now estimated at about $26 billion (thanks inflation). But Congress just hasn't had the money, despite a Brookings study that said the investment would create $50 billion in economic benefits (pdf ).

But as soon as some rich folks lose their ability to buy new $5,000 ties, it's Congress to the rescue. Yee f*ckin haw!

There, I feel better. Kind of like those new Rock Band 2 commercials with folks singing "Let There Be Rock." Aren't those cool? Like a cool dip in a clean lake. Maybe they'll make a video game that will allow folks on Lake Huron to experience such a thing.

- Green Mullet

Tremors and other hot search items

As promised, Kristina and my other loyal followers, today's post is about tapeworms. 

Mmm mmm. These are kind of like the creatures in "Tremors," but not as big. 

A while back, Michigan conservation officials announced that they'd found tapeworms living in walleye. The great sport fish of the Great Lakes. Yummy. They said not to worry. You can still eat the fish, just make sure they're well done. I guess if you catch a walleye with tapeworms inside, the worms will come out of the gills after you get the fish in the cooler. What a nice surprise when you get home. 

These tapeworms were native. Again, like Tremors, smaller and more cuddly, fuzzy. Now comes news from the Journal of Great Lakes Research that Asian tapeworms, invasive, deadly Asian tapeworms (do Asian carp come to mind?) have likely spread from the Detroit River (Thanks Kwame) to the rest of the Great Lakes. 

"Scientists believe that one major reason for its expansion throughout parts of North America is through movement of bait fish.

This tapeworm can cause weight loss and mortality in young fishes. It primarily infects minnows and carp, but it can also be found in a variety of other fishes including bass. It has also been found in endangered species. The US Fish and Wildlife Service is aware of its significance and lists the Asian fish tapeworm as a 'Pathogen of Regional Importance.'"

What can I say? I wish for the good ol' days of regular native tapeworms. We've got to stop the immigrants from getting in. Maybe a fence? 

- Green Mullet

Hurricane Ike continues

Not really. But that last Hurricane Ike post got me lots of hits. Like Ike on Tina. Crude, but clever.

The latest issue of the Journal of Great Lakes Research is out. You should be reading this (along with my blog, of course).

In the latest issue ... a tribute to The Animals. As in, "We Gotta Get Out of This Place."

That's animals as in cormorants, the ugly ducklings of the Great Lakes. As The Ramones sang, "Bird is the word."

I feel for the cormorants. They're native to the Great Lakes. But they have this bad habit of eating lots of fish and pushing out native birds from their nests and killing trees with their guano (poop). Everything I've read to this point has said the cormorants don't deserve their bad rap when it comes to depleting fisheries. The latest research says differently, at least when it comes to perch in Lake Huron:

"New research confirms that trends in cormorant numbers best explain the collapse of yellow perch in the Les Cheneaux Islands region of Lake Huron. Between 1980 and 2004 cormorants went from zero to over 5,500 nests (about 14,000 birds)."

See, I was right:

"Previous research there concluded that the birds had no appreciable effect on the perch population. This current study makes use of more recent information and clearly establishes that trends in cormorants most accounts for the collapse of the perch fishery."

I can already hear the calls going out. "Shoot more cormorants!"

Coming tomorrow (or when I get around to it): Tapeworms!

Hurricane Ike: Climate change anyone?

Nice pics on the Hurricane Ike pool on Flickr.

Ike has whalloped Texas. Three dead. Four million without power. Fires. Floods. Bears.

A quick lesson:

"Beginning in 1995, there has been a big upswing in the number of Atlantic tropical storms. According to the Pew Center on Global Climate Change, the years 1850 to 1990 saw an average of about 10 tropical storms, including about 5 hurricanes. Since 1995, the average has spiked, with the 1997-2006 average at about 14 tropical storms, including about 8 hurricanes. This increase correlates with the rise in ocean temperatures, which in turn is linked to global warming."

Looking forward to the weak rhetoric from the presidential candidates as to what the U.S. is going to do reduce carbon emissions.

- Green Mullet.

Everyone drives separately

"Carpoolers," one of the funniest (and most environmentally friendly) TV shows has been taken off the air. It starred Jerry O'Connell and was a fresh take on the absurdities of the office, with a little plug for conservation (carpooling). But the show ran for less than a year. The Bush administration, er ABC, pulled it off the air. The last show aired March 4, 2008.

Last night, I watched the debut of another O'Connell project, "Do Not Disturb." This one about a hotel where all the employees are screwing all the guests (Bush administration?) Not as funny, and everyone drives separately to work. Is it a coincidence that this new show is on the Fox Network (Bush administration)?

What kind of shows will Obama usher in? Or, shudder, McCain?

NPR is full of it

They had a show recently on 1980s music, called "The 1980s: Were they really that bad?." I downloaded the podcast. I'm listening. I'm figuring they're going to give the 80s some props. But they made fun of 80s music. A bunch of 30 year olds making fun of 80s music? They ripped on Motley Crue. They referred to 80s metal as butt rock (before I turned off the show).

Go post on their blog and tell them they're full of it.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/allsongs/2008/09/the_1980s_were_they_really_tha_1.html

- Green Mullet

Snore

Are there any rock songs about laying an egg? Supposedly Tool has one called "The Eggs of Satan." Seems appropriate.

That's what McCain did last night. Laid an egg. Satanic snore. Thank God for those two or more protesters who shook things up at the beginning of the speech. That at least made it interesting. John McCain, you're a war hero, a great man. That's all. Not a great speaker.

Does it matter? Yup. A leader needs to be able to communicate, not just show the people he meets a box of medals. Was that cruel? Didn't mean it to be. I take nothing away from the man. He just doesn't do it for me. I now think his pick of Sarah Palin was a wise choice. At least she's got some fire.

Let me stand next to your fire.

Do those "Drill Baby Drill" signs make you nervous? Sounds like a porn movie, with the Earth as the star. I can't believe that with energy prices shooting up, the GOPs answer is to dig and suck more finite resources from the planet. Great guys. Wave your cowboy hats.

- Green Mullet.

Palin smokes

Hot momma, check it and see.
Those aren't the right lyrics, but me and my brother Randy used to enrage my brother Gary when we would sing the song that way.

Which brings me to last night's speech by Sarah Palin. Hot. OK, the speech was good, too. But is this lady too hot to be VP? I like a Meg Whitman better. Not as distracting. Yes, that sounds sexist, and it's meant to be. I'm not really serious. Palin looked great. She did a good job on her coming out party. She did the requisite amount of ripping on Barack and Biden. But I didn't like her (empty) message: Country First, forget about the last eight years, remember remember remember 911. Famly values, but gimme a break on my pregnant daughter. Wave your cowboy hats.

And since this is an enviro blog, let's take a look at the two VP contenders. An AP story posted by The Trib tears Palin up. Critics call her "the killa from Wasilla." She's fought against protections for polar bears and beluga whales and doesn't believe in anthropogenic global warming. (Note to Sarah: Earth is not flat, either).
She said last night that America (God Bless 'er, by the way) has plenty of oil. This from a woman who took on Big Oil in Alaska, so give her some credit (and then take it away after you read the next line):

"we Americans need to produce more of our own oil and gas.

And take it from a gal who knows the North Slope of Alaska: we've got lots of both."

So much for alternative energy. Drill, baby drill!

Joe Biden's record on the environment looks better (but what about the terrorists?!) Just kidding. It looks better:

"During his 35 years representing Delaware in the U.S. Senate, Biden has earned a lifetime score of 83 percent from the League of Conservation Voters, only slightly lower than Obama’s lifetime score of 86 percent, but over a much longer term of service. Throughout his Senate career, Biden has voted fairly consistently with environmentalists and along party lines on energy and environmental issues, but the strong positions he has taken on many of those issues show a deep commitment to the environment."

- Green Mullet

I got the six

Gimme your nine. Yeh, that's dirty, but it popped up on my iPod today, so there.

At work tonight, and wondering who Obama is going to pick as his running mate. So I went to obama.com. Not his Website. Yikes. He's a foreigner!

Sorry I disappeared for a while there. Too distraught over Bigfoot hoax. And busy as hell at home. My Google Reader RSS inbox has been filling up, and I have a lot of Starred Stuff to blog on. If I had the time. Been getting ready for new semester of graduate classes, so I can earn a degree in Enviro Sciences and help solve the world's problems (and more importantly, get a master's to hang next to my wife's big fancy master's degree).

One particular story out there got me thinking of AC/DC, as in "I'm on a Highway to Hell." (Which, by the way, uses the "N word" in the third line. Funny that never gets edited out on the radio). Discuss ...

Back to the story, which says that Oregon is finally going to take advantage of those hot asphalt highways. The state, using state engineers and builders, is going to turn a section of sun-soaked highway right-of-way into a solar collector. Good idea. Somebody get over to Oregon and stop them! This is bad for Oil Barons everywhere!

You might say those Oregonians are "Highway Stars" (Best covered by Metal Church ).

It's good to see some innovation like this come out of the U.S. Seems like a good way to light street lights. Charge up the batteries during the day. Light the lights at night. Hope nobody steals the batteries.

Unlike obama.com, this project has its own URL, oregonsolarhighway.com.

- Green Mullet.