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    ⚡️I’m amazed. Even on this mostly cloudy day it looks with my small panels and small battery (which I didn’t even fill up) will get us to over 80% self-sufficient electric. 

    Caveat being it wasn’t super cold today and we still cook / heat water with gas, but better than expected. Can’t wait for the first full sunny day. 
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    My house is now putting green electrons into the grid  (when it’s not using or storing them) 😀⚡️. Kinda cloudy today, though.
  • by
    I originally learned about Nude Foods in this video about shopping plastic free. I wish we had one here in Yokohama. So. Much. Plastic.

  • 🔗 Quitting single-use plastic in Japan

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    Japan is one of the world's biggest plastic waste producers, thanks to its love of packaging - but a week of going plastic-free in Tokyo reveals surprising solutions.
    As they say in Japan, eco(logial) means it's only wrapped in plastic twice.
    1. Tagged with
    2. japan
  • by
    The Inflation Reduction Act passed. It actually passed. Do I wish it was stronger on climate? Absolutely. Is it a giant step in the correct direction? Absolutely. $370 billion in spending on energy and climate change is a BFD. Great job, Dems!
    The frontpage of the NY Times

  • 🔗 After Going Solar, I Felt the Bliss of Sudden Abundance

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    My rooftop panels showed me that a world powered by renewables would be an overflowing horn of plenty, with fast, sporty cars and comfy homes.
    This is something I’m really looking forward to when my panels get installed. Whenever the chip shortage allows them to be made…
    1. Tagged with
    2. solar
    3. electrification

  • 🔗 Manchin and Schumer announce deal for energy and health care bill

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    Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin on Wednesday announced a deal on an energy and health care bill, representing a breakthrough after more than a year of negotiations that have collapsed time and again.
    ...
    While many details have not been disclosed, the measure would invest $369 billion into energy and climate change programs, with the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 40% by 2030, according to a one-page fact sheet.
    Great news! Exactly what I needed to hear this week.
    1. Tagged with
    2. electrification
    3. climate change
    4. energy
    5. politics

  • 🔗 Opinion | What Joe Manchin Cost Us

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    Hold your children close tonight. Leave some water out for the birds. And make a plan to call your elected leaders to demand climate action, to rip out your fossil fuel furnace or to buy an e-bike. The climate crisis is getting worse, and Congress is one vote short of saving us. We’re going to have to save ourselves.
    Hard agree. Reminds me, I should email the solar installers, who also do full electrification, how much it would cost to rid us of our gas range and water heater…
    1. Tagged with
    2. electrification
    3. climate change
    4. energy
    5. politics

  • 🔗 ongoing by Tim Bray · 4,000,000m Lessons

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    The odometer on my e-bike clicked over to 4K and, rather than a general-purpose “e-bikes are great” rave, I thought I’d assemble a few concrete arguments for them, suitable for re-use with friends and loved ones in the (likely) case that you’re already convinced. With pictures.
    All of his points are spot on. For me it's mostly "it's practical", "infrastructure is human scale", and "it's fun". The "good for the city" and "good for the planet" arguments are just a bonus.
    1. Tagged with
    2. bicycle
    3. climate change

  • What I mean when I say #BanCars

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    I drafted this at my local Honda dealership, getting my car serviced. For someone with a #BanCars plastered on the back of their bike, owning a car might seem a bit hypocritical. But it’s not.

    When people see the sticker, they assume I think we should ban all cars. But that’s not exactly what I want. Let me explain.

    Outside of our homes is the public. The public is owned by all of us, from newborns to centenarians, people of all fitness and physical abilities. Cars take the public and privatize it.

    Toddlers can’t walk around the public least they get run over...by a car. Riding your bike becomes difficult because you’re worried, not about the weather, but about getting hit by a 2-ton pickup truck, something that is only going to get worse with electric vehicles as they are heavier and quieter.

    I don’t want to ban all cars. No, I want to reclaim the public for people as much as possible. Reduce the number of lanes dedicated for cars and increase the lanes dedicated for other modes of transport, like bikes. Make dedicated lanes for public transit. Remove free car storage from the sides of our roads. Reallocate the roads of our cities to be human centered, not car centered.

    It’s not a ban. But it will feel like a ban to some people in the same way that some white people feel oppressed when there's racial equality.

    This is what I mean when I say #BanCars, it just doesn't fit on a bumper sticker.
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