Mr Sustainable, Dante DiPirro of Hopewell NJ, will speak on Earth Day, April 22, 2015 at 7:30 pm about his off-grid, solar home and how to live sustainably using solar power and sustainable building materials. He will show pictures and discuss passive solar design, solar energy, and the need to think and live sustainably. He’ll also discuss how he charges his electric car — with free, non-polluting electricity– by plugging it into his solar house!
The event will take place at Flemington DIY, A Community Art Space at 90 Main St., Flemington, New Jersey. Flemington DIY (Do It Yourself) is an organization whose mission is to inspire social change by fostering and cultivating projects that connect the local community with musicians and artists. Flemington DIY hosts civic-minded and community events throughout the year.
Dante DiPirro will be a panelist on a discussion of solar energy at Rutgers University on December 3, 2014. The discussion will include the current status of solar energy, the marketplace in New Jersey, and the future of solar energy in New Jersey and the United States. Other panelists include: Jeanne Fox, former President of the NJ Board of Public Utilities; Pam Frank, of Gabel Associates; and Robert Kropp, a blogger on sustainablity. The roundtable will kick off at 6 pm at the Student Activities Center, 613 George Street, New Brunswick NJ 08903. The event is open to students, government officials, and members of the public.
Dante DiPirro, Mr. Sustainable and an environmental lawyer, opposes the fossil fuel industry’s proposed Penn East pipeline under the Delaware River and through environmentally sensitive areas of Hunterdon and Mercer Counties. The Delaware River is no place for a pipeline given that the river is an important source of drinking water, a key ecosystem, and a valued place of recreation and beauty for residents. Second, the Sourland Mountains — the largest contiguous forest in central New Jersey — and the other environmentally sensitive areas and open space that would be dug up to install a pipeline must be protected from the massive construction work planned, and must be kept free of the environmental risk that operating such a pipeline would entail. Third, and more fundamentally, the installation of new pipelines is an attempt of the dying fossil fuel industry to extend the burning of unclean fuels, and delay our move to the clean energy economy lead by innovative solar and wind power, and as such must be actively opposed as bad public policy– bad for progress, bad for health, and bad for the environment.
For more information including a map showing the proposed route and list of ways to oppose the project, see http://www.centraljersey.com/articles/2014/09/29/the_beacon/featured/doc54231a0261c5b608063766.txt
Tesla motor company is building a sprawling new battery plant in Nevada that will support thousands of new jobs and boost the local economy.
The batteries, to be built in a joint venture with Panasonic, are expected to support teslas planned model three – a sedan that will be sold for $40,000.
Improvements in storage technology will make electric cars more and more common.
http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/la-fi-hy-tesla-nevada-20140905-story.html
Currently, if you fly, you’re burning a lot of fossil fuel. But research may change all that in the near future. In fact, it may be possible to have an all electric airliner within 25 years.
http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20130802-powering-up-hybrid-planes
Electric vehicles are here to stay. They or better for the environment and health, cost less to maintain and operate, and meet or can exceed the performance and comfort of traditional vehicles.
With all these advantages, we are likely to see more more electric cars on the road. But The thing that would really spur faster adoption of electric vehicles would be the next improvement in energy storage technology. The reason is that better storage would give a greater vehicle range.
there is a great deal of research into new storage technologies including the possible use of fuel cells or improved batteries. with regard to new battery technology, check out GE’s flow battery under development which GE hopes would give an electric vehicle at 240 mile range.
http://cleantechnica.com/2013/08/29/new-ge-flow-battery-aims-for-240-mile-ev-range/
Pollution is not just something that occurs outdoors. Pollution can exist inside your house or workplace. And in such an enclosed space, the concentration of toxic materials may be higher than outdoors.
To minimize indoor pollution, avoid using cleaners that contain toxic substances, and if you’re painting or staining, use water-based or no VOC (volatile organic compound) products.
Such products are now commonly available, and work well too. Ask at your favorite stores and be sure to read the labels before purchase or use.
Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is expected to release a draft proposal to cut carbon pollution from the nation’s power plants 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030.
Expect the coal industry and fossil fuel lobby to vigorously attack the plan and file lawsuits to prevent or delay the pollution reductions.
Energy companies should give up their out-of-dare reliance on dirty fuels and join the inevitable transition to renewable energy by revising their business plans and adding more renewables to their portfolio.
On April 24, 2014, the New York State Public Service Commission staff released a report and proposal that calls for a shift away from the traditional utility model of centralized generation, toward more distributed electricity generation.
Distributed generation serves as an alternative to or an enhancement of the traditional electric power system.
Distributed generation is a method of generating electricity from systems — like solar systems– located close to where the electricity is being used, in contrast to the traditional model in the U.S. where electricity is generated at large power plants and then transmitted long distances to individual electricity users.
Distributed generation using renewable energy systems has many advantages: it promotes the generation of clean nonpolluting electricity; it saves utility companies and their ratepayers from the cost of having to build new power plants; and he can prevent the loss of power when the electric grid is down during a natural disaster or other emergency.
See staff report at: http://www3.dps.ny.gov/W/PSCWeb.nsf/96f0fec0b45a3c6485257688006a701a/26be8a93967e604785257cc40066b91a/$FILE/ATTK0J3L.pdf/Reforming%20The%20Energy%20Vision%20(REV)%20REPORT%204.25.%2014.pdf
For other analysis, see:
http://www.troutmansandersenergyreport.com/2014/05/nypsc-staff-releases-proposal-to-overhaul-utility-regulation/
