Author Archives: KathieNordstrom

The US Solar Market Is Growing Ridiculously Fast

by KathieNordstrom Posted on March 9, 2016

Mother Jones

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd”>

At the end of 2015, the solar industry experienced something of a Christmas miracle when Congress unexpectedly extended a package of vital tax credits for renewable energy that were set to expire. Overnight, 2016 went from looking like it was certain to be a bust to looking like one of the biggest growth years on record.

New analysis from the energy market research firm GTM paints a picture of the awesome year solar installers in the United States have ahead of them. GTM predicts solar installations to jump 119 percent in 2016, adding 16 gigawatts of new solar by year’s end. (For reference, in 2011 there were only 10 gigawatts of solar installed total across the country.) Most of that is utility-scale solar farms, with the remainder coming from rooftop panels on homes and businesses.

This clean energy boost isn’t just a boon for the industry; as a result of the tax credit extension, greenhouse gas savings from solar and wind installations could add up by 2030 to the equivalent of taking every car in the country off the road for two years, a recent study found.

Here’s the chart from the report. Show this to anyone who still thinks solar is some kind of fringe, hippie pipe dream:

GTM Research/SEIA

Excerpt from – 

The US Solar Market Is Growing Ridiculously Fast

Posted in Anchor, Bragg, FF, GE, green energy, LG, ONA, Radius, solar, solar panels, solar power, Uncategorized, Venta | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on The US Solar Market Is Growing Ridiculously Fast

Green U: Staying Sustainable on Campus

by KathieNordstrom Posted on February 21, 2014

College is a great time to discover different ways to begin living a sustainable lifestyle. Living in a small community such as a college town provides you with the opportunity to take ownership of a small part of your life that can have a big impact on the environment. Many universities and colleges have sustainability initiatives that many students can take advantage of. Here are 5  examples of sustainable living that can be easily implemented into your normal routine around campus.

1. Carry a Reusable Water Bottle

Reusable filtered water bottles. Photo: flickr/rubbermaid

Carry a reusable water bottle with you to stay hydrated and reduce unnecessary plastic waste. A single water bottle takes the place of over 450 12oz. bottles over the course of a semester. A bottle like this one from Rubbermaid is easy to bring to class, the library, and the gym. There are a multitude of water bottles that are made from recycled plastic you can use, or even check the campus book store to find something has a bit more school spirit.

earth911

View article: 

Green U: Staying Sustainable on Campus

Posted in alo, FF, G & F, GE, Hoffman, ONA, solar, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Green U: Staying Sustainable on Campus

9 Years on the No-Fly List Because an FBI Agent "Checked the Wrong Box"

by KathieNordstrom Posted on February 14, 2014

Mother Jones

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC “-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN” “http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd”>

Over the years, I’ve written about a number of people who have been put on the no-fly list and prevented from entering the country for no apparent reason. Or, at any rate, for no reason the government cares to share with its victims. One of them is a Malaysian Ph.D. student named Rahinah Ibrahim, who was detained at San Francisco International Airport in 2005; eventually allowed to fly home; and then put on the no-fly list and never allowed back in the country. Why? As usual, no one is willing to say.

But this week we got a bit of a hint. Over at Glenn Greenwald’s new venture, The Intercept, Murtaza Hussain reports on the latest developments:

Last week, a federal judge publicly revealed the government’s explanation for Ibrahim’s long ordeal: an FBI agent had “checked the wrong box,” resulting in her falling under suspicion as a terrorist. Even when the government found and corrected the error years later, they still refused to allow Ibrahim to return to the country or learn on what grounds she had been banned in the first place.

Eric Holder, in his April declaration, restated his own new state secrets policy, that “the Department will not defend an invocation of the privilege in order to: (i) conceal violations of the law, inefficiency, or administrative error; (ii) prevent embarrassment to a person, organization, or agency of the United States Government”.

Then he did exactly what he had said he wouldn’t do.

Is there more to this? Maybe. The government, needless to say, isn’t talking. But it sure looks as if Ibrahim became a target for investigation; an FBI agent then filled out a form wrong; she was later cleared of any suspicion; but the mistake lived on forever and now no one wants to admit it. Do you feel safer now?

Original link: 

9 Years on the No-Fly List Because an FBI Agent "Checked the Wrong Box"

Posted in FF, GE, LG, ONA, Safer, Uncategorized, Venta | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on 9 Years on the No-Fly List Because an FBI Agent "Checked the Wrong Box"