Tag Archives: infrastructure

Convincing grass seed farmers to grow staple foods instead

by NatishaFe Posted on November 12, 2013

green4us

Codex: Adepta Sororitas – Games Workshop

The Adepta Sororitas, also known as the Sisters of Battle, are an elite sisterhood of warriors raised from infancy to adore the Emperor of Mankind. Their fanatical devotion and unwavering purity is a bulwark against corruption, heresy and alien attack, and once battle has been joined they will stop at nothing until their enemies are utterly crushed In this b […]

iTunes Store
Codex: Inquisition – Games Workshop

The Inquisition is the most powerful organisation within the Imperium. Bound by no Imperial law or authority, its agents – Inquisitors – operate in a highly secretive manner and answer only to themselves. Inquisitors use whatever means are necessary in order to safeguard the Imperium from heretics, mutants and aliens. It is not without good reason that Inqui […]

iTunes Store
Itty-Bitty Hats – Susan B. Anderson

Beautifully rendered, heartbreakingly adorable, and wonderfully wacky knitted caps for newborns and toddlers Thirty-eight million Americans knit, and that number grows every day. The baby hat is the perfect project for knitters of any level, with enchanting patterns that are easy enough for rank beginners but also interesting enough for the most accomplished […]

iTunes Store
Index Chaotica: Plague Marines – Games Workshop

Plague Marines are Chaos Space Marines who have pledged their allegiance to Nurgle. Though some go to war as part of the Death Guard Legion, others fight as separate warbands. All Plague Marines are are blighted by decay, and their armour and weapons are corrupted by foul diseases. About This Series: Though the Chaos Space Marines were once heroic defenders […]

iTunes Store
Codex: Inquisition (eBook Edition) – Games Workshop

The Inquisition is the most powerful organisation within the Imperium. Bound by no Imperial law or authority, its agents – Inquisitors – operate in a highly secretive manner and answer only to themselves. Inquisitors use whatever means are necessary in order to safeguard the Imperium from heretics, mutants and aliens. It is not without good reason that Inqui […]

iTunes Store
Cesar’s Way – Cesar Millan & Melissa Jo Peltier

“I rehabilitate dogs. I train people.” —Cesar Millan There are at least 68 million dogs in America, and their owners lavish billions of dollars on them every year. So why do so many pampered pets have problems? In this definitive and accessible guide, Cesar Millan—star of National Geographic Channel’s hit show Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan —reveals what do […]

iTunes Store
The Art of Raising a Puppy (Revised Edition) – Monks of New Skete

For more than thirty years the Monks of New Skete have been among America’s most trusted authorities on dog training, canine behavior, and the animal/human bond. In their two now-classic bestsellers, How to be Your Dog’s Best Friend and The Art of Raising a Puppy, the Monks draw on their experience as long-time breeders of German shepherds and as t […]

iTunes Store
Topsy-Turvy Inside-Out Knit Toys – Susan B. Anderson

Susan B. Anderson’s fifth book–her most enchanting yet–turns the spotlight on “reversibles”: knitted projects that are two toys in one. This collection of a dozen delightful toys features a dog in a doghouse, a chrysalis with a fluttery surprise inside, a tiny hidden fairy, a vintage toy with a fabled theme to boot, pigs in a blanket, and mu […]

iTunes Store
Inside of a Dog – Alexandra Horowitz

The bestselling book that asks what dogs know and how they think, now in paperback. The answers will surprise and delight you as Alexandra Horowitz, a cognitive scientist, explains how dogs perceive their daily worlds, each other, and that other quirky animal, the human. Horowitz introduces the reader to dogs’ perceptual and cognitive abilities and then draw […]

iTunes Store
Index Chaotica: Noise Marines – Games Workshop

Noise Marines are Chaos Space Marines dedicated to the Chaos God Slaanesh. They are Slaanesh’s foot soldiers, and are infamous for using devastating sonic weaponry as part of their frenzied assaults. About This Series: Though the Chaos Space Marines were once heroic defenders of Mankind, each has sold his allegiance to the Dark Gods in return for surre […]

iTunes Store

Originally from: 

Convincing grass seed farmers to grow staple foods instead

Posted in alo, Bunn, Citadel, eco-friendly, FF, G & F, GE, LAI, Monterey, ONA, Oster, Pines, PUR, solar, solar power, Uncategorized, Vintage | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Convincing grass seed farmers to grow staple foods instead

CHARTS: How Environmentally-Friendly Are Your City’s Commuters?

by AnnaBest Posted on October 30, 2013

Mother Jones

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

This story first appeared on the Atlantic Cities website and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration.

The Institute for Quality Communities at the University of Oklahoma recently dug through the latest Census metrics on how Americans commute to work, a dataset locally notable for the fact that Tulsa and Oklahoma City don’t compare all that well. Relative to the 60 largest cities in America, Oklahoma City ranks last in the share of commuters – 2.2 percent of them – who get to work by biking, walking or transit. That’s as much a reflection of the design of the city as the preferences of its commuters: Simply put, Oklahoma City was built for cars.

In the process of unearthing this ignoble distinction, IQC fellow Shane Hampton also posted some nice visualizations of how major cities stack up against each other by commuter mode share. The data comes from the 2012 American Community Survey, which records how people primarily get to and from their jobs (not necessarily how they make all of their daily trips, to destinations like the grocery store or church). The original charts are interactive, with individual data points. But we’ve pulled out a few here as well.

New York, not surprisingly, has the highest share of non-car commuters (67 percent):

Cities listed in order from largest to smallest percentage of commutes by biking, walking or transit.

Breaking that down by region and individual mode share, here is the Northwest, the Midwest, and the Southeast. Beware, each scale is different:

Northeast

Midwest

Southeast

And here is a range of cities – from notably different climates, Hampton points out – where biking mode share has significantly increased in the last decade:

All charts courtesy of the University of Oklahoma Institute for Quality Communities.

Taken from – 

CHARTS: How Environmentally-Friendly Are Your City’s Commuters?

Posted in FF, GE, LG, ONA, Uncategorized, Venta | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on CHARTS: How Environmentally-Friendly Are Your City’s Commuters?

Chart: Virgin America falls below the industry average on fuel performance standards

by g0haw8qb Posted on September 11, 2013

green4us

Dogtripping – David Rosenfelt

David Rosenfelt’s Dogtripping is moving and funny account of a cross-country move from California to Maine, and the beginnings of a dog rescue foundation When mystery writer David Rosenfelt and his family moved from Southern California to Maine, he thought he had prepared for everything. They had mapped the route, brought three […]

iTunes Store
Cat Sense – John Bradshaw

Cats have been popular household pets for thousands of years, and their numbers only continue to rise. Today there are three cats for every dog on the planet, and yet cats remain more mysterious, even to their most adoring owners. In Cat Sense , renowned anthrozoologist John Bradshaw takes us further into the mind of the domestic cat than ever before, using […]

iTunes Store
Codex: Space Marines (eBook Edition) – Games Workshop

The Space Marines are the chosen warriors of the Emperor, and the greatest fighting force of the Imperium. Each Space Marine is a genetically enhanced super soldier, easily a match for a dozen lesser men, armed with the some of the deadliest weapons in the galaxy and encased in a formidable power armour. This Codex explores the formations and Chapters of the […]

iTunes Store
The Art of Raising a Puppy (Revised Edition) – Monks of New Skete

For more than thirty years the Monks of New Skete have been among America’s most trusted authorities on dog training, canine behavior, and the animal/human bond. In their two now-classic bestsellers, How to be Your Dog’s Best Friend and The Art of Raising a Puppy, the Monks draw on their experience as long-time breeders of German shepherds and as t […]

iTunes Store
1, 2, 3 Sew – Ellen Luckett Baker

Now in ebook for the first time ever! Sewing is as easy as 1-2-3! In this creative teaching book, craft blogger Ellen Luckett Baker offers a wholly unique approach to sewing: she presents projects in groups of three, each building on the techniques used in the project before. Baker shows, for example, how to sew a glasses case, then build on those skills to […]

iTunes Store
Space Marines Digital Collection – Games Workshop

The Space Marines are the superhuman warriors of humanity, fighting across the galaxy to hold back the Imperium’s endless tide of enemies. Few can stand against these peerless soldiers, and even a single company is often enough to change the fate of a world forever. This digital collection gathers together the brand new Codex: Space Marines, How to Paint Cit […]

iTunes Store
Paracord Crafts – Leisure Arts

“Paracord Crafts” is multi-touch book for the lovers of handicrafts. Book has exciting projects for making beautiful bracelets. Book features interesting photo galleries, and informative notes to guide reader in making cobra stitch bracelets as well as six more styles of knots: Chain Sinnet, Stitched Solomon Bar, Raising the Bar, Trilobite, Switchback, and R […]

iTunes Store
How to Raise the Perfect Dog – Cesar Millan & Melissa Jo Peltier

From the bestselling author and star of National Geographic Channel’s Dog Whisperer , the only resource you’ll need for raising a happy, healthy dog. For the millions of people every year who consider bringing a puppy into their lives–as well as those who have already brought a dog home–Cesar Millan, the preeminent dog behavior expert, says, “Yes, […]

iTunes Store
Index Astartes: Centurions – Games Workshop

Designed as siege breakers and for the close quarters of boarding actions, Centurions are heavy exo-armour suits used by specialist Space Marine formations. Incorporating either close range weapons like siege drills and heavy flamers or heavy weapons like lascannons and heavy bolters making each Centurion a formidable adversary. About this Series: The Adeptu […]

iTunes Store
Inside of a Dog – Alexandra Horowitz

The bestselling book that asks what dogs know and how they think, now in paperback. The answers will surprise and delight you as Alexandra Horowitz, a cognitive scientist, explains how dogs perceive their daily worlds, each other, and that other quirky animal, the human. Horowitz introduces the reader to dogs’ perceptual and cognitive abilities and then draw […]

iTunes Store

Excerpt from – 

Chart: Virgin America falls below the industry average on fuel performance standards

Posted in alo, Citadel, eco-friendly, FF, G & F, GE, LAI, Monterey, ONA, Oster, OXO, solar, solar power, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Chart: Virgin America falls below the industry average on fuel performance standards

What will we do when waters rise?

by Myrna Posted on July 3, 2013

The oceans are rising. What does that mean, what will WE do? Originally posted here:  What will we do when waters rise? ; ;Related ArticlesNo beach access for youIncreasing our connection with those supporters who enable our mission the mostWho connected you to the ocean? ;

More: 

What will we do when waters rise?

Posted in alo, eco-friendly, FF, G & F, GE, Monterey, ONA, solar, solar power, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on What will we do when waters rise?

National Geographic: The Great Energy Challenge

by Posted on June 27, 2013

back

National Geographic: The Great Energy Challenge

Posted 27 June 2013 in

National

Just as President Obama’s Climate Action Plan stepped back into the spotlight, National Geographic this week hosted the Great Energy Challenge; a three year initiative to “help all of us better understand the breadth and depth of our current energy situation” and help mitigate the dangerous effects of climate change.

A key focus on the Great Energy Challenge is the future development and scalable production of renewable fuel, ranging from traditional to advanced and cellulosic ethanol. In a National Geographic online poll over 57 percent of people say that renewable fuel is worth continued investment. Earlier this week Fuels America also released a poll that states that more than 75 percent of consumers want more renewable fuel options at gas stations.

It is clear that the demand for renewable fuel is on the upswing. The Great Energy Challenge highlights several nationwide and state level efforts, led by companies around the country, to develop new technologies and produce renewable fuel. There is also a nationwide effort to develop and perfect “drop-in biofuels,” which have the potential to help wean the U.S. off our addition to oil and in the process slow down the progression of fossil fueled climate change.

The development of these fuels will allow consumers increased access to renewable fuel without extensive rebuilding of infrastructure across the country. In its most recent annual outlook, the International Energy Agency said that cellulosic biofuel could be cost-competitive as early as 2015 if the right policies were accepted.

Policies like the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) are already promoting the growth and production of renewable fuel. President Obama’s support for the RFS is a strong indication of the commitment to lessen the impact of climate change and get us off fossil fuels once and for all.

Fuels America News & Stories

Fuels
Original article: 

National Geographic: The Great Energy Challenge

Posted in Anchor, FF, GE, LG, ONA, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on National Geographic: The Great Energy Challenge

They’ll say whatever it takes

by Posted on May 23, 2013

back

They’ll say whatever it takes

Posted 23 May 2013 in

National

Today, the American Petroleum Institute gathered reporters on a conference call to try and escape blame for what are sure to be record-high gas prices this summer. And while this event was full of API’s typical misdirection, one particular claim stood out to us – that compliance with the Renewable Fuel Standard will cause gasoline prices to increase by 30 percent in 2015. This could not be further from the truth.

The RFS and its associated “RIN credits” have not been a factor in higher retail gasoline prices, according to a new analysis conducted by Informa Economics, Inc. In fact, the study found ethanol costs significantly less than gasoline at the wholesale level and is reducing pump prices for consumers across the country.

Underlying API’s claims about the RFS is the idea that there’s a “blend wall” preventing the wider adoption of E15 renewable fuel (which happens to be the DoE’s most extensively tested fuel, ever). Back when the RFS was first passed, oil companies who supported the law effectively pledged to invest in the infrastructure necessary to bring E15 to our gas pumps. But now that they see renewable fuel as viable competition, they’ve done everything in their power to prevent its adoption. That means engaging in frivolous lawsuits, fabricating safety concerns about E15 and discouraging franchisees from carrying the fuel.

The oil companies don’t want to blend more renewable fuel into gasoline because it hurts their bottom line. In fact, it cost them (and saved you) $50 billion in 2012, so it’s no surprise they’re doing what they can to squash the competition. So who benefits from renewable fuel? You do, in the form of lower gas prices, reduced carbon emissions and increased national security. The choice should be clear.

Fuels America News & Stories

Fuels
This article – 

They’ll say whatever it takes

Posted in Anchor, FF, GE, ONA, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on They’ll say whatever it takes

Oil industry pays for another rigged “study”

by Posted on March 20, 2013

back

Oil industry pays for another rigged “study”

Posted 20 March 2013 in

National

We released the following statement today after the American Petroleum Institute (API) released a study on the economic impacts of the blend wall:

As sure as the moon waxes and wanes, the American Petroleum Institute buys studies to support their self-interested views. Their most recent study predictably attacks their main competitor: renewable fuel.

The oil industry has been complaining about the Renewable Fuel Standard, yet they are the ones who failed to invest in the infrastructure necessary to avoid the compliance mechanism that has them up in arms. Everyone knew this investment would be necessary many years ago, and in typical form, the oil industry is threatening to pass the cost of their own inaction on to consumers.

Since oil price is set on the world market, what you pay at the pump relies on what happens to world events that we cannot control, like the Cyprus bailout that is being debated today. If we want lower and more stable prices at the pump, we have to wean our way off of oil, and replace it with inexpensive and homegrown renewable fuel.

Fuels America News & Stories

Fuels
Credit: 

Oil industry pays for another rigged “study”

Posted in Anchor, FF, GE, ONA, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Oil industry pays for another rigged “study”

Proposed CA law: Bike at your own risk

by johnsmithwindows Posted on March 6, 2013

Proposed CA law: Bike at your own risk

By Susie Cagle

Busted streets + incompetent city employees + you + bike = potential lawsuit! At least for now.

In most cities, if you injure yourself because of a neglected or damaged sidewalk or street, you can file a “trip and fall” lawsuit and claim damages. But California may soon change that for bicycle riders.

Assemblywoman Diane Harkey, (R-Dana Point) has proposed a law that would provide total immunity for governments and their employees in the event of a bike accident caused by faulty city infrastructure. Public agencies already have “design immunity” under state law (i.e. you can’t sue because of the poor layout of a road or bike lane), but this bill would broadly extend that immunity:

This bill would provide that a public entity or an employee of a public entity acting within his or her official capacity is not be [sic] liable for an injury caused to a person riding a bicycle while traveling on a roadway, if the public entity has provided a bike lane on that roadway.

So OK, the state must be thinking that if you disregard the city’s very thoughtful bike lane and go riding out into the road and a city bus hits you, the city shouldn’t be responsible, right? Oh, except for this part: “The immunity set forth in this section is applicable regardless of whether the bicyclist was within the bike lane at the time of the accident.” (Emphasis mine because omg.)

And because of the broad language used, this bill wouldn’t just give cities immunity for their infrastructure — it would also indemnify the actions of city employees. As the California Bicycle Coalition puts it, “if you get hit by a drunk city employee, you’ll have no recourse.”

According to Cyclelicious, “State and local bike advocacy groups are already gearing up to fight this bill.” Hurry up, folks! And, uh, don’t trip.

Susie Cagle writes and draws news for Grist. She also writes and draws tweets for

Twitter

.

Read more:

Cities

Also in Grist

Please enable JavaScript to see recommended stories

Continued:

Proposed CA law: Bike at your own risk

Posted in ALPHA, Amana, GE, LG, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Proposed CA law: Bike at your own risk

California teams up with Amtrak on high-speed rail

by iscciaglewstrone123 Posted on January 18, 2013

California teams up with Amtrak on high-speed rail

By Susie Cagle

“High-speed rail is well on its way, and it is not turning back,” Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood told a train-happy crowd at this week’s Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting (#TRBAM for all you plannerds who want to follow along on Twitter).

LaHood is right, and not just because of hefty federal funding earmarked for building infrastructure and boosting speeds.

Today, Amtrak announced it is teaming up with the California High-Speed Rail Authority to find trains that would run at up to 220 mph along both the West Coast and East Coast corridors. By combining their buying power, they could both save serious resources as they look to purchase about 60 trains over the next 10 years — and the partnership could make California’s high-speed rail look a little less pie-in-the-sky. From the Associated Press:

The high-speed rail efforts in California have come under increased scrutiny by members of Congress who say it has become too expensive to build and operate. The more ties it has with Amtrak, the better its future prospects might be, but officials said the announcement was not designed to bolster high-speed rail in California.

“It doesn’t make any sense whatsoever to go out and have a different set of standards for California or any other high-speed train,” said Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman. “So, no, it’s about doing the right thing for the United States.”

[Jeff Morales, CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority,] said the high-speed line that would serve California has much in common with Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor in terms of population, traffic congestion and economic output.

“If the case is there for investing in the Northeast, that same case can be made for the West Coast and California. We think there’s very good reason to look at them as a pair,” Morales said.

New trains could cost $35 million to $55 million each, according to Amtrak, and the feds aren’t feeding California any more rail cash. Meanwhile, on the East Coast, Amtrak needs upwards of $150 billion and 30 years to upgrade 457 miles of non-speedy track. Private investment won’t meet that initial need, says Amtrak, so it’s seeking taxpayer funding.

“International experience and our own initial investigations make it clear that the initial stages of these programs must be funded predominantly with public money,” Boardman said in testimony before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

High-speed rail may not be turning back, but it’s certainly turning very expensive.

Susie Cagle writes and draws news for Grist. She also writes and draws tweets for

Twitter

.

Read more:

Business & Technology

,

Politics

Also in Grist

Please enable JavaScript to see recommended stories

Visit source:

California teams up with Amtrak on high-speed rail

Posted in GE, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments Off on California teams up with Amtrak on high-speed rail

Bumps on the road to EV infrastructure in California

by Myrna Posted on December 4, 2012

Bumps on the road to EV infrastructure in California

By Susie Cagle

About a third of the electric cars in the U.S. are spinning on California roads, but the state still has much work to do to build the charging infrastructure to support them.

drwhimsy

There are about 1,000 public chargers in the state right now, and New Jersey-based NRG is poised to install 200 fast chargers and the wiring for 10,000 more regular chargers throughout the state by 2016. A fast charger can juice up a vehicle in as little as 15 minutes, while the regular kind can take hours. But building up the infrastructure isn’t simple, as KQED reports:

Still, a multitude of challenges face NRG and other charging companies, like Bay Area-based ChargePoint andEcotality. Fast chargers produce very high voltage. They require complicated permitting. And they cost upward of $40,000 each.

Right now, the financials don’t add up says NRG’s Terry O’Day.

“The public charging infrastructure is extraordinarily expensive and there aren’t enough cars right now so there isn’t an effective business model to make the investment work,” he says.

But that charging investment is vital if more Californians are going to start buying and driving electric cars.

John O’Dell, Senior Editor at Edmunds.com says for electric cars to catch on its vital to have a reliable charging network.

“Public charging infrastructure is critical to the widespread acceptance of plug-in and particularly battery electric vehicles. Because without public chargers you basically have a fairly short leash on your vehicle and you are not going to be willing to drive it long distances.”

To complicate matters, companies have developed competing charging standards. E.g., you can’t just charge your Tesla at any old charger — it has to be a proprietary Tesla charger. The CEO of one Silicon Valley charging company describes the whole situation as “somewhat of a mess.”

Still, what the state might lack in competence in makes up for in enthusiasm. Despite all the problems, the number of fast chargers is California is expected to quadruple over the next year.

Susie Cagle writes and draws news for Grist. She also writes and draws tweets for

Twitter

.

Read more:

Business & Technology

,

Cities

,

Climate & Energy

Also in Grist

Please enable JavaScript to see recommended stories

Original link:

Bumps on the road to EV infrastructure in California

Posted in GE, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off on Bumps on the road to EV infrastructure in California