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by JamesExcited to listen to a new episode of Inside the Energy Transition. The latest episode, A just transition: how to avoid leaving people behind, should be good.
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Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊
by JamesDon’t like filling up at 5 bucks a gallon?
Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊
Stressed by all your time in a metal box?
Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊
Want to stop the countless wars perpetrated by petrostates?
Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊
Want real energy independence and security?
Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊
Want a healthier and more vibrant local community?
Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊
One more time for those in the back!
Fuck the Oligarchs, Get off Gas! ✊ -
🔗 Why did renewables become so cheap so fast?
by JamesFossil fuels dominate the global power supply because until very recently electricity from fossil fuels was the cheapest. This has changed dramatically. In most places power from new renewables is now cheaper than new fossil fuels.
Fascinating read.- Tagged with
- renewables
- solar
- wind
- electricity
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🔗 The Revenge of the Hot Water Bottle
by JamesImagine a personal heating system that works indoors as well as outdoors, can be taken anywhere, requires little energy, and is independent of any infrastructure. It exists – and is hundreds of years old.
Reminds me I should use my yutanpo more. But truth be told, Sophie always sleeps by me feet, so I already have a Sophie-tanpo. -
🔗 How we changed our roof and cut 1.5 tons of CO2e.
by JamesSince Oct 01, 2021 we have saved 2,300 kwh, equivalent to 720 kg CO2e (assuming a 0.3g of CO2e per Kwh of heating gas). At current trend, we would save 5,200 kwh, equivalent to 1,600 kg CO2e until Apr 15, 2022. To put that number in perspective, a French emits about 9,000 kg of CO2e per year. Not bad for a roof.
Fascinating how much easier we can cut with upgrades to the house that reduce carbon and improve comfort. Beautiful roof, too. -
Response to
by JamesI went to the dentist and when I returned to the bicycle rack I discovered my broken lock laying on the pavement. No bike. I looked at the security guard standing by the door, pointed, and gave him a look. He said, “Oh. That was your bike?”
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But San Francisco has lots of hills and the difference between a fast easy bike ride vs. an arduous uphill journey is rendered moot with just a teeny tiny bit of extra oomph.There's heaps of hills in Yokohama, too, and the extra oomph makes all the difference. It's so much easier to navigate and park our bikes than a car. And with the assist even with 15kg of kid on the back, the steepest hills remain surmountable without breaking a sweat. This machine fights climate change 🚲.
Also so nice to see the photos, of just how common e-bikes are becoming in US. And those bike lanes and some proper infrastructure. 😍 -
Picking Your Mode of Transport
by JamesI can get from my house to the in-laws three different ways: by car, by subway, and by bike.
The drive from my house to the in-laws, according to the Honda app linked to my car, emits about 200g of carbon into the air. That's not including the other externalities such as local air pollution, noise, and just being traffic. It costs about ¥100 in fuel and maintenance. This is only economicaly because a neighbor lets us park on some of their land for free. Otherwise we'd need to add ¥400 - ¥600 for temporary car storage. There is no view, just narrow roads. Depending on traffic, it takes about 20 - 30 minutes and I arrive feeling stressed.
Going by the subway costs ¥252 one way and there's a 10 minute walk on either side. This is more efficient than the car because a) there's many more people riding the same vehicle, b) it's electric (though that power may be coming from coal). The view is nothing, because it's mostly underground. Total trip time is about 30 - 35 minutes.
Lastly, I can go by bicycle. It costs me nothing. It's powered by peanut butter and bananas. The view is rice fields and a river. I arrive feeling happy and calm, because I was looking at nice scenery and getting some exercise.
While the concept of a personal carbon footprint was invented by big oil, each trip we can take that doesn't emit carbon emissions does make difference. Each trip is an opportunity. An opportunity to pick the means of less impact. Less noise. Less pollution. Less traffic. Less carbon.
But it's also an opportunity to inspire your community. It's an opportunity to be the change you want to see. At first it might just be you. But someone might see you and think "I can do that." and take their bike next time. And someone seems them riding their bike and has the same thought. It an opportunity to normalize riding a bike as transport in your community.
More people ride bikes when they see people riding bikes. More people riding bikes means more demand for proper infrastructure. More people riding bikes means less local air pollution and a happy, healthier, calmer community.
When you have the choice, take your bike. -
Response to
by JamesSushil Reddy, founder of the SunPedal project, is using his legs and the sun to prove that solar power and electric bikes are viable solutions for reducing fossil fuel use and helping to solve the climate crisis.
What a cool bike and a cool project. Hopefully they finish it safely. 🙏🏻Wonder what it’s like with a powered front wheel too. -
🔗 Biking Boom - Cycling as Lifestyle
by JamesDiscover contemporary cycling culture in three European cities: Berlin, the unofficial capital of vintage racing bikes. London, where cycle-cafés also hold speed dating evenings and Amsterdam where cyclists stand out from the crowd with style.
A great documentary series about cycling from 2018. With interviews and footage with bike couriers in Berlin, cycle fashion bloggers in Copenhagen, it inspired me to take out my cross-bike instead of the eBike mama-chari for the first time in ages. I wish I had a reason to ride it more.
I love the sub-culture around bikes. Not the lycra wearing weekend racers, but the everyday riders. Riding for transport. Or work. Or whatever. Each bike as unique as its owner. And each ride in the city, a small protest against the car dominance that is killing us all. -
Keeping Hydrated 💧
by JamesI mostly drink two things: black coffee and water. Unless I actively think about it, I usually don't drink enough water in a given day. While I enjoy the taste of water, I have a habit of just sipping my coffee and getting a refill from the maker when it runs out.
This isn't a good habit. Sometimes when I go to sleep at night, about an hour after I fall asleep, I'll wake up with my feet feeling sore. Problems if your feet at night cause me alarm. Usually as feet problems can be signs of diabetes.But it can also be cause by having tired feet because you were on them all day and they're tired. Or, as I discovered, dehydration.
Drinking nothing but black coffee, which dehydrates despite being a liquid, is a good way to end up really dehydrated. In an effort to drink more water I've been taking my old Laken water bottle with my coffee upstairs with me when I start work. Doing so has kept me drinking more water and I can't remember the last time I my feet were sore at night.
I love my little Laken. It's forest green. I've had it for probably a decade at this point. It has a dent at the top that gives it some character. The cap has a great clip that I can use to attach it to my bag so it doesn't fall out.
But it's a bit small, only about 500ml. I often find myself needing to buy a bottle of water to refill it, which defeats the purpose. And that clip I love? It's kind of a pain to unhook when I'm walking around town and want a quick drink. The mouth is also a bit small, about the size of a regular plastic bottle, so I always spill a bit when filling it up. And it's not insulated, so it sweats as much as I do during summer.
So I upgraded today to a 946ml (32oz) Hydro Flask. It's the opposite of my first bottle. It's big. It's got double-wall insulation, so it won't sweat and drinks keep cold/hot. I can put hot liquids in it. The mouth is huge. The lid doesn't have a hook, but it does have a loop that I can use to strap it to my bag. It's freakin' purple (technically "eggplant"). It's a tank.
My old water bottle lasted me a decade still has plenty of life left in it. I hope this one keeps me hydrated for many years to come.
