Goal For The Green

Last Saturday, March 28, 2009, proved to be the most successful Earth Hour ever.  With nearly 4,000 cities and  towns participating in over 88 countries world wide, the message of caring about climate change  was sent loud and clear.

The next big event in  the “green” movement, is Earth Day, which is April 22.  It is my pleasure to keep you informed on natural living tips and ideas, as well as, environmental issues that are important to us all.

I believe that this Earth Day page will offer you the power to find; natural cosmetics, resource conserving appliances, and tips on how you can do your part to reduce waste for the environment.  You will also find meaningful eco-tips at Become.com’s  “Earth Day Tips and Resources”

So, what is Become.com all about?  They are a comparison search engine designed to help consumers doing product research on the web. They crawl over 3.2 billion web pages specifically from guides, expert reviews, consumer reviews, articles, specifications, forums, merchants, and a variety of other useful information to help consumers make better buying decisions.  Become.com also has a “Nearby Stores” feature that allows users to plug in a zip code and get store names, addresses, phone numbers, hours and Maps.  This feature can help you go shopping in your community, and be armed with informed choices.

They also have a blog  about featured green products that they carry.  It is a relatively new blog for them, but they are anticipating more eco-friendly product posts for the near future.

Become.com was recently named one of the best deal-tracking websites by PC Magazine, and selected as Best Search and Comparison site by the Sloan Center for Internet Retailing at the University of California, Riverside .  At the following link, you  can also view additional industry recognition and awards for Become.com

It is my hope that the information provided here, along with what Become.com has to offer, will help you in making the best and most informed  decisions in your green living quest.  Together lets work for a better tomorrow, and the best Earth Day ever.

We have been conditioned to believe that we are in the midst of a severe energy shortage.  Yet, if we were to take a closer look at Thorium, element # 90 on the Periodic Table, we would discover that we have more energy available than we will ever use.

Until he died, Dr. Petr Beckmann, ( Czech refugee from the Nazis) spent much of his career in America promoting nuclear power.  Unfortunately, he was treated as demon by the environmental movement, and much of his work was ignored.

Many green leaders are now admitting to the mistake of rejecting this clean, safe and relatively cheap technology. President Obama, has promised to make energy conservation and the environment among his top priorities.   He has chosen several “climate change” activists to serve as his top officials.   Among them is, Harvard physicist, John Holdren as his presidential science advisor.  He could have a huge impact on our country’s future energy policies.  In his career he has focused on climate change,  nuclear disarmament, and next generation nuclear energy.

As we know it today, nuclear power is obsolete.  Currently our light water reactors use uranium-235.  Not only is this fuel expensive, but it’s byproducts create political problems. The byproducts are a hot topic, because they can be used to create nuclear weapons.  The very reason we adopted uranium-235, was because America needed the materials for nuclear weapons.  Our power plants at the time, provided those materials, thus pushing aside the more superior fuels such as thorium.

Pluses for thorium, is that it is by far more abundant than uranium-235.  Thorium reactors do not produce hazardous waste materials that are useful in manufacturing nuclear weapons.  The waste is far less hazardous and much cheaper and easier to dispose of.  In general, thorium reactors are safer to operate because they produce little radioactive threat outside their shielding.  In fact, thorium reactors cannot experience a catastrophic meltdown.  The fact that thorium plants can’t melt down, suggests that the total energy cost to operate would be much lower.

Another plus, is that thorium reactors can be almost any size.  There have been prototypes made small enough for military aircraft.  This fact alone, makes them more feasible for developing countries to afford, saving the cost of a large-scale infrastructure. They would also be much more appealing internationally, because they cannot be used to manufacture nuclear weapons.  To learn more about thorium energy, read this.

It is my hope that the Obama administration, will reduce reduce barriers to the production of thorium, by taking a serious look at the positive impact it can make.  A shift to thorium as a source of energy, could help create “green jobs”, facilitate economic recovery,  and help environmental and nonproliferation causes.

Update:http://www.energyfromthorium.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7t=1258

If you have any further questions about Thorium there is a very active discussion found at the link above.

The Montague Corporation Redefines Park and Ride with Swiss Bike

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Winter 2009 – With global warming and wild swings in gas prices
at the center of the evening news, many are searching for an easy way to save energy
while also saving money.  One by one, major metropolitan areas around the world have begun to place a stronger emphasis on alternative transportation as a means of reducing carbon emissions and congestion.  Just recently the U.S. government even went so far as to pass bicycle commuter legislation that treats those that ride to work similar to those that drive to work. Incentives, like new bike lanes and congestion charges, such as those instituted by London, Stockholm, and Singapore, have set the stage for a change in the way the world travels and commutes.  The century old bicycle is set to revisit its roots as a transportation vehicle.

Or is it? Simply jumping on a bike and pedaling off to work can be a far reach for many
Americans as long distances, adverse road conditions, and bad weather can all get in
the way, let alone asking that people give up the comfort of their car.

Recognizing the difficulties that most people have with taking the first step toward
bicycle commuting, Montague Corporation, a Massachusetts based bicycle
manufacturer has launched SwissBike™, a line of bicycles that allow people to choose
to the moment how they would like to travel or commute. SwissBikes are full-size bikes,
with full-size performance, but they fold to fit in the trunk of a car, on the train, bus, or
even in a cab. The multiple functions of these bikes neatly fill in the gaps that often
cause people to write off commuting and traveling by bike.

David Montague explains: “Most people’s commute to work is farther than they feel
comfortable riding a bike and as a result, they believe the only way to get there is by car.
In this case, you simply put a SwissBike in the trunk of your car, you drive part way to
work, park, and pull out your SwissBike for the rest of the ride. And if the day isn’t nice,
or you don’t have the energy, you simply leave the bike safe and dry in the trunk until
another day. We call it “Redefining Park and Ride” commuting. It’s easy, it’s good for
you, it saves money, and it’s a manageable step for most people.”

For 2009, Montague introduced a refined commuter model, the SwissBike TX that offers
21-speeds, slick tires, front suspension, disc brakes, and the CLIX™ Wheel Release
System, (see www.clixqr.com). The TX has an MSRP of $699.00, a price that can easily be recuperated in gas savings and health.  Montague also offers other SwissBike models.

“The SwissBike range of bikes offers a great ride for all levels of riders,” said Jonathan
Vandenberg, sales manager for the SwissBike. “The patented folding technology found
in the SwissBike provides the cyclist with a great combination of performance and
portability.  At the same time these bikes are fun, healthy and good for the
environment.”

SwissBike is a division of the Montague Corporation which is based in Cambridge,
Massachusetts and is dedicated to advancing cycling through the development of
inventive technologies that provide its customers with an unprecedented combination of
performance and convenience. Visit www.swissbike.com or call toll free (800) 736-5348 for more information about SwissBike products and technologies.