Category: Treehugging

Treehugging according to The Simpsons

My brother-in-law Brian and I took our nephew Jake to see The Simpsons movie last night. Funny stuff. I felt like maybe we were a little off or the humor was a little smarter than the rest of the audience (that’s what I want to think) as I felt like we were laughing at more of the sight gags and jokes than anyone else in the theater.
I thought it was smart (sometimes crude) satire/comedy that poked fun at the EPA and well, everyone else as the show typically does.
My favorite scene was a picture of the Springfield church next to Moe’s bar. When the folks discovered the end of Springfield was near, those in the bar and church ran out screaming and those in the bar ran into the church and those in the church ran into the bar.
Later in the movie as the “end of the world” was at hand, the church marquee was changed to say, “We told you so.”
Ha! Good stuff.
Slate has put together a video looking at the show’s history on environmentalism that’s quite good… take a look.

Google shows the benefits of solar energy

Google has shared some information on the benefits their new solar paneled roofs are making at their Silicon Valley headquarters.
From CNet:

The search giant has covered the roofs of eight buildings and two carports at its Mountain View, Calif., headquarters with solar panels in an effort to build the largest solar panel installation of any corporate campus in the U.S.

The system is producing approximately 10,000 kilowatt-hours per day.

That equals 8,347 coffee makers running for an hour, 6,257 dishwasher runs, 3,642 loads of laundry washed and dried, or 41,737 alarm clocks running for 24 hours, going by U.S. Department of Energy standards.

WSJ says, “Build at Railway Stations”

Well, maybe the Wall Street Journal doesn’t actually say, “Build at Railway Stations” but they do have an interesting story about smaller towns who are planning big development around transit rail.
Hmmm… smaller towns with transit rail… where have I heard that before 😉
According to the WSJ:

“There’s a lot of research that shows that if the public sector puts money into a transit system, they can expect three to five times that amount in private money” for adjacent development, says Marilee Utter, president of Citiventure Associates LLC, a Denver firm that has worked with a number of cities on development around light-rail systems.
These developments can pay off for cities in several ways. Research shows that the value of commercial and residential properties close to transit stations often rises — and that translates into higher real-estate tax revenues in that area. Economists from the University of North Texas, for instance, found that between 1997 and 2001, office properties near suburban Dallas Area Rapid Transit stations increased in value 53% more than comparable properties not served by rail. Values of residential properties rose 39% more than a control group not served by rail.

“Smokey” Joe Barton promotes balanced energy use

According to the WDL Blog:

U.S. Rep. Joe Barton, R-Ennis, recently joined a group of Republican Members of Congress at the U.S. Capitol to unveil a common-sense approach to energy policy. Barton, who is ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has long played a role in crafting the nation’s energy laws, having drafted the sweeping Energy Policy Act of 2005, which is now law.
The Republican energy plan announced today contains several action items designed to expand and encourage the use of renewable fuels, fund research and development of new and innovative energy technologies, and increase energy efficiency and conservation to reduce consumption and protect the environment. The plan is designed to help reduce America’s dependence on fossil fuels, particularly those from unreliable foreign sources. It also purports to increase investment into research into new and innovative domestic fuel sources.