I’ve been thinking about energy lately, or more specifically how to save some in my house.  I made a switch to CFL light bulbs in many cases, but I think I’m going back to good old incandescents.

I can’t use CFL’s in cases where I want to use a dimmer, like over the vanity in our master bathroom, and in the basement where we dim some lights for good movie viewing.

CFL’s are also a bit inconvenient in that you can’t just throw them out with the rest of the garbage due to the fact that they contain mercury.  And that’s another major point; they contain mercury.  If you break a CFL bulb, you have to ventilate the room, scoop up the debris and put it in an air tight container.

Some people will argue that there isn’t enough mercury in each bulb to really harm you, but my position is that if there’s too much mercury to throw out in the trash, there’s too much mercury in them, period.

Another alternative?

LED lights.  These things are amazing, and they’re showing up everywhere.  From big screen TV’s to laptops (they’ve been around in laptops for a while), to the red lights in stop lights…  They’re solid state bulbs with no moving parts and no volatile or poisonous gases.  Most of them will last as many as 20,000 hours or so, which means I’d have to replace them when my 5 month old son graduates from high school.

The one drawback is that they’re still pricey, and the traditional 40 to 60 Watt replacements haven’t matured quite yet, although you can already buy the “flood” type bulbs at Home Depot.

An investment of two types…

If LED lights can last as long as advertised and can come down in price quite a ways, I’d certainly entertain the thought of replacing my CFL’s and incandescents with straight LED’s.  I look at is an investment with a return of lower energy costs, both in the form of direct electrical consumption and thermal savings (did I mention LED’s don’t produce much heat?).

In addition, I could also make an investment in the company that develops LED’s as well.  A company like CREE (CREE: chart, web, Y!)) would be a good bet, and they’re making advances in LED technology nearly as fast as prices on technology are dropping.

I’ll be researching CREE over the next several days, as I think this could be a company worth investing in that produces a product that’s worth buying.

Environment, Technology CREE, LED lighting, Technology

MJ over at Dyslexic Research is giving away two ReJAVAnate bags as part of his 9 Days of Dyslexic Research’s Guide to Green.  All you have to do is post a comment either on his blog or on The Corner Office Blog between May23 and May 31.

I’ll spare you the details of the givaway, as MJ has them lined out here.

Effectively, these bags are similar to the ones you’d buy at the grocery store instead of using paper or plastic bags that jam up our landfills.  They’re made from burlap bags used in the coffee industry.  They’re completely biodegradable, so there’s really little effect on the environment.

Tune in for MJ’s 9 Days of Dyslexic Research’s Guide to Green and get yourself some free swag!

Environment Environment, free stuff

The adage; “never waste a good crisis” continues to be more and more transparent as people start opening their eyes to what the government is saying versus what the government is actually doing. If you listen to what the Obama administration says, and compare it to what they do, you’ll certainly see a disconnect. Obama wants to create jobs, but also wants to increase taxes on those with the most money. I would like to think that he understands it takes capital to create jobs, and if you reduce capital, you reduce the incentive to create jobs. So does he really want to create jobs, or just continue to line the pockets of special interest groups and politicians alike under the guise of creating jobs?

I’ve always said that if you follow the money, you’ll find the incentive.

A prime example of this is Al Gore and his efforts to combat climate change. Ask yourself, why would an ex-politician go to such great lengths to promote such a controversial theory? And why would he spend so much money in his efforts? Follow the money.

Gore is Chairman of Generation Investment Management, LLP (GIM) that focuses on investing for the long term based off the idea that “sustainability factors—economic, environmental, social and governance criteria—will drive a company’s returns over the long term”. (If you have any idea what that really means, let me know.)

One major area that GIM tries to take advantage of is the “regulatory developments in climate policy and carbon markets, and the attitude shifts that are occurring among consumers, leading businesses and investors.”

Climate change is an urgent challenge that affects long-term corporate profitability, and therefore must be systematically integrated into investment analysis. The pace of climate change is accelerating and will have material effects on equity markets in the short, medium, and long term. -Source

Al Gore also founded and chairs the Alliance for Climate Protection whose mission is as follows:

Our mission is to persuade the American people—and people elsewhere in the world—of the importance and urgency of adopting and implementing effective and comprehensive solutions for the climate crisis.

The Alliance for Climate Protection is undertaking an unprecedented mass persuasion exercise based on scientific facts. Through a new combination of non–partisan alliances with Americans from all walks of life and innovative and far–reaching communication techniques the Alliance will focus on presenting the facts about climate change and its solutions to the general public in an accurate, clear and compelling manner.

Americans have always risen to meet the most important challenges to our nation’s and the world’s future. Together, we can address the climate challenge domestically and provide a robust economy for now and for our children. -Source

Based on the “Gore Connection” between these two entities, it would make sense why the Alliance for Climate Protection would want widespread emissions regulation and proactively support cap-and-trade legislation so that companies will be forced to lower their greenhouse gas emissions and buy carbon credits.

Surely they would recommend buying those carbon credits from none other than Generation Investment Management!

With this in mind, it’s not hard to see why Al Gore is so adamant about saving the planet from us dirty humans.  After all, the guy needs to make money somehow, and what better way than to scare those humans into giving him money for the greater good of the planet?

Actually, there would be a better way, and that would be if the government got involved and mandated that those dirty humans give him money for the greater good of the planet!

The Ties That Bind

Last week Gore came out and tried to push critics into a corner by suggesting that it’s silly to question the science (see the video below).

Rubbish.  You always question science, because there’s no such thing as a consensus in the scientific community.

It’s interesting that T. Boone Pickens appears in this discussion, as he’s in the same boat as Gore.  Pickens continued to push his “Pickens Plan” (which I wrote about in a skeptical post last year) to America in an effort to reduce the dependence on foreign oil and invest heavily in natural gas and wind energy.  Both efforts in which he already has billions of his own money at stake.

Can it be more “transparent”?

Follow the money, and you will find the incentive.

Energy, Environment Al Gore, Boone Pickens, climate chage, follow the money