Learn about adaptigation tonight
Last week I attended a sea level rise symposium, and was struck at how ingrained it is to think of climate change mitigation (reducing the causes) and adaptation (responding to the consequences) as two completely distinct concerns. For example, the National Climate...Want some energy democracy?
Fossil energy money won big on election day, from defeating the bottle bill to a new Keystone XL – cheerleading congress and a Senate Chair on Energy who says global warming is a hoax. Millennials, who see more clearly where we’re headed than many of...
Why I support the expanded bottle bill
Halfway through my ride into work today (route above) I started counting littered non-deposit bottles versus deposit-redeemable soda cans and bottles. The results: 31 non-redeemable bottles vs. 5 redeemable cans*. If the expanded bottle bill passes, all 31 of...Newton’s solar potential
A new program to build out solar power in Newton was unveiled at last week’s Harvest Festival. The Newton Solar Challenge is a public-private partnership among the City, Green Decade Newton, and BarnRaise Energy, a Newton-based renewable energy startup. This...A first for Newton schools?
All of Newton’s public schools are named after men*. But four of Newton’s public schools aren’t named after anyone. Isn’t it time to honor a notable Newton woman? Who would you choose? *Albert Angier, Edward Bowen, Charles Burr, John...
Growing Newton’s transportation sharing economy
Projects like Zervas should be informed in part by innovations in the transportation sharing economy, where mobile apps put excess capacity of seats, cars, and parking spaces to practical and efficient use Here are some examples: Zipcar (fleet car share) relayride...Leadership on Transportation in Newton
A comment on the record-breaking Zervas V14 post exemplifies Newton’s car culture: “Parking spaces are given to important people.” It’s true. Standard practice in Newton’s public schools and municipal buildings is to reserve “first...Newton’s sustainability challenge
A recent Tab editorial by Newton’s Sustainability Director Rob Garrity highlighted great progress Newton has made in shrinking its carbon footprint. Newton deserves to be proud of its environmental leadership and the accomplishments. Yet the largest single...
Decapitated tree lives in Wellington Park
It’s been three months since Julia Malakie reported that vandals stripped the bark completely around a maple tree at Wellington Park. This is the arboreal equivalent of a throat blockage, preventing nourishment from being delivered to the body. Remarkably, like...Ironies of Energy Explorers Camp
My kid has been going to Energy Explorers camp at Newton North this week. Yesterday he proudly showed me his wind turbine. He learned that, to make it work, you just need to put it in front of an electric fan! What’s more, the turbine wouldn’t fit in a...Could the Charles River take Upper Falls off the grid?
Not quite, but close, according to back of the envelope numbers. The 26 foot drop at Upper Falls, if fully harnessed, would power about 760 of the 1230 homes in Upper Falls. Cut this in half for efficiency losses and for a fish ladder, and it still powers hundreds of...
Crazy Divers: Men be like...
drivers man be like