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“Ultimate Game Chair”

Katie Fehrenbacher had a disturbing post on GigaOm's Earth2Tech this morning:

"Companies that make online games, social networks, and web coupons seem to be able to raise a lot more money in IPOs right now than companies that make energy technology, greener transportation, and biofuels. Zynga’s reported potential $2 billion raise, could deliver Zynga five times Tesla’s combined IPO and follow-on offering.  If Groupon raises at least $750 million, it would bring in more than the IPOs of Amyris, KiOR, Gevo, Enphase Energy, Luca Technologies and Zipcar combined. It’s kind of sad, actually."

Sad?  I'd say it's kinda whacked.

No offenths to the good guys at Zynga and Groupon (and the good VCs who fund them); it's not their fault; they're just giving Americans what they want: distraction and plenty of it.

Some say we are a nation in decline -- I think recline is more like it.

We value distraction and leisure over production and productivity. 

We'd rather throw angry birds at pigs than throw our genius at building a productive new economy based on real, tangible solutions to our energy and environmental problems. 

Rather than produce real food for real people who really need it, we build virtual farms so our virtual friends can help us grow virtual food.

Our penchant for distraction goes back a long time -- and I'm no stranger to it, as those of you who follow my Boston-related sports tweets on Twitter -- but the fact that we value social media and social gaming technologies over potentially game-changing energy and environment technologies is a disturbing trend.

What would our economy look like if we put even half the energy into creating disruption in the energy space that we put into creating distraction for each other?

Okay, I'm off to watch the Red Sox play the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park...


 

I hope you enjoy this heartfelt song by BESUREIS.  It’s for AMERICA!

So, I'm sure you've all noticed the lack of posting around these parts. I've been crazy busy myself, crazy stressed, just crazy. I started thinking about how I'm not doing Focus Organic justice by letting it sit around essentially abandoned. I don't have it in me anymore to keep up with the site, the emails, all the writing... but I didn't want to just shut the site down. It needed a new home.

I started looking for someone to take over the site, but everyone I know has a lot going on for ... [visit site to read more]

---

© Focus Organic for 2011. | Permalink | One comment

On a late September morning I walked into the FOX Business studio in New York to sit down with host Stuart Varney and former EPA head Christine Todd Whitman. We were talking about why environmentalists seemed to be increasingly disgruntled as 2010 was coming to a close.

"The environmentalists were disappointed they didn't get all they wanted," I told Varney. "They thought they had a mandate with the president and Congress lined up."

"It's about over-reach and over-expectation," Governor Whitman agreed. "They want the perfect, and if they can't have the perfect they don't want to settle for anything."

Varney turned to me and asked, "Just for the record, you are an environmentalist?"

"Yes, but I'm a practical environmentalist," I answered.

Later in the segment, I expressed my concern that the environment had become a "left issue," pointing out that many of the strides made in protecting the environment had come from the Republican side, including the EPA, and the Clean Air and Water Acts.

"The environment is a universal issue. We all live in the environment. We all care about it," I offered. "But right now, the rhetoric is about panic, it's about crisis, and I don't think the American people are going to respond to that."

Governor Whitman and I share the opinion that we need a more moderate approach on the environment. One that understands what needs to be done and is practical and pragmatic, and doesn't let the perfect be the enemy of the good.

I left the studio and went over to the Sheraton New York Hotel and Towers, where I was attending the Clinton Global Initiative, the annual gathering of leaders from government, business, and civil society around the world.

The day before, Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group was in conversation with José María Figueres, former president of Costa Rica. He talked about the need for putting aside the issue of climate change and about investing in clean energy innovation and entrepreneurs.

"Put the idea of whether global warming is real aside," said Sir Richard. "Recognize that we are depleting resources. Demand for oil in 5 years will exceed supply. Even in the recession, the demand for oil hardly dropped. Energy is critical for society, so the demand for clean energy will be enormous. We must invest in alternative fuels."

Innovative alternative fuels like that being developed by one of the start-ups I'd been working with in Philadelphia, BlackGold Biofuels.

Emily Landsburg, BlackGold's CEO, is using a patent-pending technology that turns sewer grease from a municipal pain into a profitable biodiesel product.

Last summer, in an effort to demonstrate how the technology works, BlackGold and researchers from the U.S. Department of Agriculture turned a hunk of solid fat into biodiesel.

They melted an 800-pound butter sculpture of Ben Franklin that would otherwise go to waste, strained off the water, and added methanol. The chemical bonded to the end of the chains of fatty acids in the lard, which could then be refined into fuel suitable for most diesel engines.

With their first installation in place at a water treatment facility in San Francisco, BlackGold will generate fuel for that city’s bus fleet not from butter, but from sewage fats that now plague municipal systems.

The innovation won accolades from San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsome, who said the project "will break new ground toward accessible, sustainable energy and serve as a model for the entire state and the country."

Moderation, innovation, efficiency, and entrepreneurial solutions. That's what we need more of if we want to turn our economy around.

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Gazelle is proud of the fact that every electronic gadget sent to them is hand-inspected by a trained member of their gadget lab team. They make sure, that your data is properly removed, and all items are responsibly put to reuse, or recycled.

**I paid for this product on my own. It was not given to me

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Dr. Charlie Gay, Applied Materials, on his computer.

To celebrate the Summer Solstice yesterday, Dr. Charlie Gay, a veteran of the solar energy space and currently Applied Materials' president of solar, participated in a "live" chat on Reddit.com.

"Dr. Solar," as he’s known in the industry, has been a proponent of solar energy since 1975 and fielded questions on a variety of topics, including China-US cooperation, solar and renewables as part of the energy mix, and even what you should do if you're considering a career in solar energy.

Gay has a 36-year career in the solar energy space, so his insights are worth searching for in the mix of questions and commentary by some of the participants:

Charlie Gay ‘Ask Me Anything’ LIVE on Reddit

 (Thanks for the head's up from Steve Place of StockTwits.  Disclosure: No position in AMAT. )

st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}

Could Calvin Be Underwater?

The rate of sea level rise along the U.S. Atlantic coast is greater now than at any time in the past 2,000 years, according to a new study published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The study suggests a consistent link between changes in global mean surface temperature and sea level.

"Having a detailed picture of rates of sea level change over the past two millennia provides an important context for understanding current and potential future changes," says Paul Cutler, program director in NSF's Division of Earth Sciences.

"It's especially valuable for anticipating the evolution of coastal systems," he says, "in which more than half the world's population now lives."

The researchers developed the first continuous sea-level reconstruction for the past 2,000 years, and compared variations in global temperature to changes in sea level over that time period.  They then compared their reconstructions with tide-gauge measurements from North Carolina for the past 80 years, along with global tide-gauge records for the past 300 years.

The NSF team found that sea levels have risen by more than 2 millimeters per year on average since the 19th century, the steepest rate for more than 2,100 years.  (That is, I must mention, .07874 of an inch each year, but it does add up over time.)

At the very least, some researchers suggest such a continued rise in sea level could add up to increased flooding, land loss, and the incursion of saltwater into rivers and marshes -- or it could be dramatically worse.

Another report, released in May by the Oslo-based Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), suggested that coastal communities, cities, and planners may want to prepare for a sea level rise of between 3 to 5 feet (0.9 meters - 1.6 meters) by century's end.

That means the beachfront property you are enjoying this summer could be underwater.  Perhaps it's time to start looking at those "future beachfront lots" currently located on higher ground.

In my quest to continue finding items of interest I believe Linda would love to see posted during her absence, I came across the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and it’s Solar Decathlon’s solar power housing submission from Team China.

Solar Powered Housing Simple Affordable

The U.S. DOE “contest” poses the question, “How to design, build and operate solar powered housing” with emphasis on cost effectiveness and energy efficiency, all the while being pleasing to look at and live in.

Team China has stepped up to the plate addressing the affordability question with excellent, potential results.

As you can see by the video, their solar powered housing provides plenty of outdoor living area, collects and filters rainwater for personal use, all the while using energy efficient, super insulating materials. Their solar power housing naturally ventilates itself and is most definitely a “sustainable design.”

Now to Get Team China’s Solar Powered Housing to Washington

The next step that is vital to competing will be for Team China to disassemble their six recycled shipping containers and get their entry to Washington. This should be a breeze for their team since, conveniently enough, their solar powered housing Y shape use of shipping containers makes for a super simple shipping solution.

Garvin Jabusch, cofounder of Green Alpha Advisors, LLC and manager of The Sierra Club Green Alpha Portfolio, has an intriguing, if disturbing post on AltEnergyStocks.com over the weekend. Disturbing for those of us who are investors in solar stocks and solar companies.

For most of 2011, the stocks of solar power companies of all kinds, from providers of raw polysilicon to developers of finished utility scale plants, have been taking a beating on world and U.S. stock markets, partly because solar has been the industry most singled out for attack by bearish short sellers. I can’t describe this phenomenon any better than did Roberto Pedone in a recent column for thestreet.com:

"Besides the banking sector post-2008 financial crisis, I can't think of a group that's as hated and despised as solar stocks…For whatever reason, this entire complex has become a favorite target of short-sellers. There are so many names in the solar sector that are heavily shorted that it's hard to find a name the bears aren't leaning all over. One famous and successful short-seller, Jim Chanos, has even made it publicly clear that he thinks the wind and solar stocks are a bunch of 'hot air.'"

"For whatever reason" indeed. Solar is hated in spite of being the fastest growing energy sector in the U.S. (67% 2010 growth; 66% growth just in the first quarter of 2011) and in the world (70% 2010 growth), and also despite its shares trading at very low valuations already.  Take for example Green Alpha ® Advisors' holding and China-based solar company LDK Solar (LDK).

The company's shares have fallen from US$14.49 per share in February to $6.94 as of this writing. I can find no good fundamental reason for the decline: LDK's latest quarterly earnings came in at $.95 per share where consensus analyst expectations were $.86; the company has year-on-year sales growth of 202%, has a price-to-earnings ratio of only 2.22, plenty of cash on the balance sheet, and a price-to-book ratio of just .91.

That's right, even if the company were closed and its assets liquidated, the cash generated at the yard sale would be greater than the current market cap, though the earnings should have value. LDK is the very definition of a "value" stock. Or, inversely, shorting any company this cheap, that's this fundamentally solid, and that's growing this fast is the very definition of "irrational." LDK happens to be one of our favorites, but it's easy to find similar valuation stories throughout the industry today. This trend would be odd enough on its own, but, simultaneously, other events in the story of global energy are unfolding.

Read the full post here: Wall Street's Irrational, Dangerous Hatred of Solar Stocks

TSS- Toxic Shock Syndrome is Back TSS- Toxic Shock Syndrome is back, and it is claiming the lives of young women.  Perhaps, you recall the health crisis in the 80′s involving TSS, and the use of deodorant tampons.  That, and the thought that people were not changing often enough, was thought to be the culprit. [...]

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Live Green products are not in the database ::sad face::
** I was not given these products to review. I saved my own pennies to buy them

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Congratulations, goes to Theresa Cahill!  She is the winner of the GET- Green Earth Technologies, 5 qt. bottle of G-OIL give-away, for her next oil change. All, is not lost if you hurry on over to Walmart, or any of the stores listed on my rebate post, below.  Click here, to print your 50% off [...]

Linda has been writing about the production of an air car as early as 2008. Earlier this week, I received an email from a friend (since Linda is still away) that just seems ideal for a post here at Forcedgreen. So… while our hover cars might not make it to the assembly line, see what I received regarding the upcoming (potential? real?) production of the Air Car out of India:

Tata Motors in India is ready to introduce Air Car. Will it be the next big thing? Tata Motors is taking giant strides and making history for itself. First the Land Rover/Jaguar deal, then the world’s cheapest car, and now it is also set to introduce the car that runs on compressed air.

Air Car Production Can’t Come Soon Enough

With spiraling fuel prices it is about time we heard some breakthrough!

India’s largest automaker, Tata Motors, is set to start producing the world’s first commercial air-powered vehicle.

The Air Car, developed by ex-Formula One engineer Guy N. for Luxembourg-based MDI, uses compressed air, as opposed to the gas-and-oxygen explosions of internal-combustion models, to push its engine’s pistons. Some 6000 zero-emissions Air Cars are scheduled to hit Indian streets by August 2011.

Air Car Costs

The Air Car, called the “MiniCAT” could cost around Rs. 3,475,225 (US $8,177.00) in India and would have a range of around 300 km between refuels.

The cost of a refill would be about Rs. 85 (US $2.00)

The MiniCAT which is a simple, light urban car, with a tubular chassis that is glued, not welded, and a body of fiberglass powered by compressed air. Microcontrollers are used in every device in the car, so one tiny radio transmitter sends instructions to the lights, indicators, etc.

There are no keys – just an access card which can be read by the car from your pocket. According to the designers, it costs less than 50 rupees per 100 Km (about a tenth that of a petrol car). Its mileage is about double that of the most advanced electric car (200 to 300 km or 10 hours of driving), a factor which makes a perfect choice in cities where 80% of motorists drive at less than 60 Km. The car has a top speed of 105 Kmph.

Refilling the car will, once the market develops, take place at adapted petrol stations to administer compressed air. In two or three minutes, and at a cost of approximately 100 rupees, the air car will be ready to go another 200-300 kilometers.