Ken's Articles
The End of Growth is OK
Sure, growth is good in cycles, but not infinitely or exponentially. more »
Sales of Spam Soaring as American Economy Goes Into Freefall
NYTimes.com: The economy is in tatters and, for millions of people, the future is very uncertain. But for some employees at the Hormel Foods plant here, times have never been better. They are working at a furious pace and piling up all the overtime they want... more »
Green New Deal makes sense but unlikely
With Europe and the United States staring recession in the face, a growing chorus is calling for massive public investment in clean, green energy to revive economic growth while fighting climate change. more »
A limit to green jobs
by Bill Paul, Energy Tech Stocks.
Memo to President-elect Obama (Part 1 of 3) - Foreign Firms Control How Many ‘Green’ Jobs You Can Create more »
Brita to take back used filters in Jan 09!
Hooray. Apparently Brita found it's brand endangered enough by not taking back its own used products to begin recycling them next year. more »
Let GM Fail
GM and the US auto industry are dinosaurs more »
What is Thomas Friedman's Ecological Footprint?
Thomas "Economic Boy Genius" Friedman's mansion complex is viewable here on satellite and aerial photos. For some reason, I can't see any of the "green" features or touted solar panels. Ah well. Maybe it will avoid foreclosure this year? more »
World will struggle to meet oil demand: leaked report
"Output from the world’s oilfields is declining faster than previously thought, the first authoritative public study of the biggest fields shows. Without extra investment to raise production, the natural annual rate of output decline is 9.1 per cent..." more »
Humanity is the greatest challenge
The growth in human population and rising consumption have exceeded the planet's ability to support us, argues John Feeney. In this week's Green Room, he says it is time to ring the alarm bells and take radical action in order to avert unspeakable consequences. more »
Ken has written 16 reviews
I don't live here, but it's tempting to move!
I don't live here but it's a place worth considering if you are looking to move to Oakland, or move from another neighborhood to one with more arts and entertainment. Uptown is one of many real estate ventures kicked off by previous Oakland mayor Jerry Brown, now State of California AG, under his "10,000 residents in downtown Oakland" plan.
The apartment complex is certified LEED Silver by USGBC. The rents are definitely "luxe" for which you will enjoy: a concierge, heated lap pool, jacuzzi, common 'hang out' areas including a mini movie theater, easy access to BART stations, proximity to tons of art galleries and restaurants and bars; and close access to Berkeley/San Francisco and the rest of the SF Bay Area. This place is perfect for new yuppies at Clorox, Kaiser doctors and retired seniors alike.
I most enjoyed the fact that I didn't immediately smell formaldehyde glued carpets or high-VOC paints upon entering the units. They also all have dual-pane windows. By being apartments, you automatically have less energy requirements to heat or cool the place too, with windows that open, and "insulation" on at least three sides.
Check it out.
keywords: apartment hunting, apartment, green, leed, silver, certified, usgbc, oakland, downtown, bart
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These guys are legit
The owner here is really nice. PAC serves Kaiser doctors and so forth, so they use only steam and microbial agents such as EM Products' microorganisms like yeast etc.
http://www.bubblehouseworms.com/em-products
Pants are $5, suits $15 and so forth. So you get what you pay for -- no perchlorate or other toxins like the $1 places!
And that's the thing that bugs me... what should be normal service, or long-lasting furniture made from oak or steel, instead of ikea paper-board, is priced as a luxury. But, that's fair trade.
keywords: dry, clean, cleaning, em products, cleaners
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Had a great time
If i'm in the area next year, i'll make sure to go to this again. Lots of SF-class restaurants represented including Rose Pistola, etc.
Lots of great stuff to do. Grab breakfast at one of the restaurant booths first, then check out demos of fresh pressed apple cider (and make some yourself) using a manual press, shake up your own butter from strauss milk, and of course check out CSA booths at the farmers market. All with a great view and beautiful weather by the Bay! Right next to the Pacific Ocean, on the sunny side of SF. Great volunteers man the many booths, coordination provided by CUESA. All in all, a ball.
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Get cookin'
I swung by the kitchen en route a cupcake tour (Race!) of SF. Oh...the race was fun. So fun!
Here, anyoen who lives in SF can fix up her or his bicycle with repair equipment. There's also a toilet which is usable when not flooding the basement...
Thanks BK!
keywords: diy, bicycle, bike, kitchen, sf, bike kitchen, people-powered, san francisco, cycle
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This store rocks, if you can afford it!
High end organic fans, meet your pre-cocktail hour match.
The owners are sustainability minded, and the post-CCA staff are friendly charming and knowledgeable artists by night. Hillary tells great stories.
Trendy bikes on loan from Manifesto and Mike's Bikes may not be directly for sale, but certainly are a big green "sustainable goods sold here" sign in the window.
Just about every single good is 100% sustainable, organic AND fair-trade. I like this shop... really peaceful and not chock-full of consumer durables like Target or Anthropologie.
Items I've bought here recently: organic beeswax candle, 100% post-consumer recycled notebooks, organic, fair-trade, hand-sewn jeans... items I've ridden around without being able to buy: bicycles.
Visit this globalized garden, you'll LUB it! The world has always had trade. It has not always had "fair" trade. Recently the world has not had much organic clothing and other environmentally-sensitive production. AG provides all the above.
keywords: atomic garden, rockridge, oakland
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Good blog to read
Like James Kunstler's ClusterF**k Nation, the Archdruid Report is a weekly thought fountain. It is subtitled "Druid perspectives on nature, culture, and the future of industrial society."
keywords: progress, druid, peak oil, climate change, blog
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How green is Chattanooga?
To hear Sara L speaking of her hometown, it sounds as though Chat-town is the Austin or Portland of Tennessee. We'll have to hear from other people about that.
I rate it a "three" based on Sara's subjective testimony and the fact that the city markets itself as a very outdoorsy type place, and the city operate an electric bus downtown and has recycling. Recycling seems to remain a "big deal" in most of the country as of 2008, especially inland. But really, "three" is average, and people who know better (for now) should give "the scenic city" a higher or lower score as their hearts may desire.
Electric bus? Not super green compared to bicycles. Green compared to big detroit diesel engines.
http://www.carta-bus.org/routes/elec_shuttle.asp
The news section of the official city site is a bit stale, so try these blogs instead:
http://chattablogs.com/
http://chattarati.com/
keywords: Chattanooga, city, tn, tennessee
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Just works.
For not many pennies more than the regular industrial brew, you can enjoy clean hands and foamy soap from Method. Not harsh on hands, smell good, fully recyclable packaging.
Method now has a "Swiffer wet-jet" replacement that I haven't tried yet, but it looks solid. (If you aren't into a simple white cloth, bucket, and tap water.)
Of course, the next best thing is making your own soap out of any fat lying around...
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Great if you can get in!
This place used to be a KFC, but the owner's formed it into a culinary oasis. In front or out back, you'll have a hard time getting in as most seats are reservation-only, and wait times are insanely long. Worth trying out though. The food is really savory and they've kept the KFC honey 'biscuit' though with healthier ingredients. Pro: Fun ambience, good food. Con: Expensive and hard to access. And we weren't given sporks for any part of our meal!
keywords: spork, kfc, biscuit, sf
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User Comments:
Ken O. says:
Chattians: check out a "financial permaculture" workshop october 24-28 in nearby Hohenwald, Tennessee. http://www.financialpermaculture.com/Living_Mandala/Financial_Permaculture.html more »