I DROVE UP TO RENO ON FRIDAY AND RETURNED SUNDAY, a quick visit to see my friend Barbara. She lives in West Reno, up on the hill above the city, with a spectacular view of the city. My Scotties love Reno with all the accompanying wild smells, scurrying and flutter of small creatures and curious […]
Crewmember Report: Benicia, California, Spaceship Earth: Igniting the spark
I AM AN AVID READER OF MIT’s Technology Review magazine and have been for many years. The recent online version arrived in my email and my attention was caught by two articles in particular. The first is titled, “Will a Breakthrough Solar Technology See the Light of Day?” The second article is an essay by […]
Crewmember Report: Benicia, California, Spaceship Earth: Water conjunction
ONE OF MY MOST MEMORABLE undergraduate university courses was astronomy with Dr. Karlis Kaufmanis at the University of Minnesota. He was a brilliant lecturer who took us around our planet Earth and deep within the cosmos during his 50 minute lectures. One of his best attended annual public lectures was in December when he spoke […]
Crewmember Report: Benicia, California, Spaceship Earth: Money in our pockets
THE SINGLE BIGGEST STEP BENICIA CAN TAKE RIGHT NOW that will put money in our pockets AND reduce greenhouse gas emissions is to become a clean energy subscriber to Marin Clean Energy. That moment of community action will be decided by the City Council on Nov. 4 at 8 p.m. At the last Council meeting, […]
Crewmember Report: Benicia, California, Spaceship Earth: Wearable tech and solar energy
“Wear are you?” The Rocky Mountain Institute’s (RMI) latest on-line update, “Spark,” had an article with a photo featuring the new Apple Watch that asks “Is wearable tech the next frontier of energy savings?” RMI, in its own words, “is an independent, non-partisan nonprofit that drives the efficient and restorative use of resources. Cofounded in […]
Crewmember Report: Benicia, California, Spaceship Earth: Cool roofs and electric cars
I COME FROM AN ERA WHEN “COOL” had other connotations than the temperature. It could be a pronouncement of an exciting or inspiring idea or thing. In the case of cool roofs, in my mind, the word speaks to both the temperature AND an exciting concept. In fact, there is a Heat Island Group at […]
Crewmember Report: Benicia, California, Spaceship Earth: It rained!
IT RAINED LAST WEEK. What a glorious sound to go with the wonderful smell of fresh, moist earth! Even with the small amount of rain, it was enough to fill my three rain barrels that “harvested” about 180 gallons of water. My citrus grove (a Meyer lemon and an orange tree) will get a good […]
Crewmember Report: Benicia, California, Spaceship Earth: Ptica, fugl, voel, ibon, lintu, èan, uccello, avem, ptak, pàjaro, adar: Bird
BIRDS, THEIR CALLS, FLIGHT PATTERNS, FEEDING HABITS AND MIGRATIONS — have been used by augurs over the centuries to foretell or to anticipate future events. Recently, the U.S. Department of the Interior issued a report, The State of the Birds 2014, marking the 100th anniversary of the extinction of the passenger pigeon. They begin the […]
Crewmember Report: Benicia, California, Spaceship Earth: Big week in Benicia
LAST WEEK WAS AN EVENTFUL ONE HERE IN BENICIA for all things related to sustainability. The first important event was held on Tuesday, when the City Council heard from a panel of experts about clean energy, and specifically Marin Clean Energy (MCE) and whether Benicia should join. They covered a range of topics from what […]
Crewmember Report: Benicia, California, Spaceship Earth: A day of sunshine
I HAD ONE FULL, UNINTERRUPTED DAY OF SUNSHINE in my recent three weeks of traveling. All my friends I visited apologized for the rainy and cloudy weather. Honestly, after our summer here in California, rain and clouds were a welcome change. But those I visited in the Nordic countries (Sweden and Finland), in Ireland and […]