Sunday, December 3, 2023

EV v ICE, What's the Price?

 Every couple months something pops into my news feed or email about how bad or expensive Electric Vehicles (EVs) are compared to the olde Internal Combustion Engine (ICE machines).  (See cartoon from Yale Climate Connection Don't be fooled: Electric vehicles really are better for the climate.)

One that popped up was from a very biased web site (can't call it a magazine or journal). The cost for EVs to operate were $17 per gallon, equivalent. It relied on an actual study, and then changed out all the facts.

Sunday, April 23, 2023

The BARD on Earth Day. Shakespeare in Love (with AI)

I've been soliciting the sage advise and wise words of the BARD recently... 

I got my new best buddy Bard (AI from Google) to help with two blogs: World Water Day 2023: Accelerating Change on March 22 and Earth Day 2023: Invest in our Planet on April 22. 

But, William Shakespeare would be 459 years olde today (~23 April 1564 -- 23 April 1616), so I wondered what "The Bard" would have to say? On the comings and goings of Earth Day?  The question asked:

What would Shakespeare say about Earth Day?

Sunday, April 2, 2023

Earth Day 2023: Invest in Our Planet

I got my new best buddy Bard (AI from Google) to help with two blogs: World Water Day 2023: Accelerating Change in March and Earth Day 2023: Invest in our Planet in April (this blog post).

The world's population is growing rapidly -- blasting through the 8 billion humans on the planet last year -- and the demands on the resources of Earth are likewise increasing. So, I got together (via the Internet) with my buddy Bard to see what he/she/it had to say related to a few questions I had related to Earth Day 2023.

Q: Earth Day 2023

Earth Day is an annual event celebrated on April 22 to demonstrate support for environmental protection. First held on April 22, 1970, it now includes a wide range of events coordinated globally by EARTHDAY.ORG (formerly Earth Day Network) including 1 billion people in more than 193 countries. The official theme for 2023 is Invest In Our Planet.

Thursday, March 23, 2023

World Water Day 2023 – Accelerating Change

 [With AI contribution from Bard.]

World Water Day 2023: A Call to Action (https://www.worldwaterday.org/). Act like the humming bird, be the change you want to see in the world.

Approximately 750m people worldwide do not have ready access to clean water. Double that for people without clean septic/sanitation. The health and wellness of these 2b people can be improved dramatically with clean water and safe septic.

World Water Day is observed on March 22 each year to raise awareness of the importance of water and to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. This year's theme is "Accelerating change." This means that we need to take action to address the water crisis. We need to find ways to use water more efficiently, and we need to protect our water resources.

Wednesday, February 15, 2023

Oil & Gas Spills in North America Since 2010

A question I sometimes ask of people who think that fossil fuels are here forever more and that electrification of everything will never happen... 

Has there ever been an oil spill in Yellowstone National Park? If so, how many?

Thursday, January 19, 2023

Innovative Countries -- Global Innovation Index

This is a great summary of innovation by country from Visual Capitalist. See the Global Innovation Index (GII) map here:https://www.visualcapitalist.com/most-innovative-countries-2022/

First Published on IntellZine.com. Note the sustainability implications from innovation, and the lack of innovation.

We, at Strategic Business Planning Company, www.SBP.com, are always interesting in all aspects of innovation. Sometimes we hear from a layperson or an executive that the most innovative country in the work is ...  

Israel and Ireland were mentioned in recent years.  One executive said that "all innovation comes from Israel". All right, admittedly, Israel is a great source of innovation and invention, but it is a very small country (population, GDP). In absolute terms, Israel is not even close, but in relative terms (adjusted for size of country), Israel is a very respectable #16 in the world (GII score of 50.2).

Saturday, November 26, 2022

Giving Season and a Sustainable Earth

It is giving season, with Giving Tuesday coming up after the long Thanksgiving weekend. Now is the best time of the year to reach out to your Donors and make sure that they are thinking of you as they give thanks for the year and give donations into the end of the tax year.  GivingTuesday.org  #GivingTuesday

Black Friday is named such as a target date for companies to move from losing money for the year into profits: out of the red and into the black. Basically, if you paid all your expenses at the beginning of the year, all future sales after the break-even point would be pure profits. Thanksgiving Day, at the end of November is a wonderful target, that leaves one month of pure profits. Plus, if the last month of the year is disproportionate – like Christmas sales – that is pure gravy!

Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Renewable Energy and IRA 2022

Quick take for Inflation Reduction Act 2022

The Inflation Reduction Act is a huge legislation act passed in 2022. It includes increases in taxes (mostly corporate related), limits to some spending (like drugs), and a lot toward energy efficiency and renewable energy. See the overview on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inflation_Reduction_Act_of_2022

Renewable Energy Incentives. The IRA has raised and extended the 30% investment tax credit to qualified renewable energy investments. There are many limitations and additions. Look for updated blogs here and get informed from the IRS and Treasury. 

Thursday, October 6, 2022

Ryder CSR reporting. Easy(ier) then BIG initiatives

Ryder corporation has released its Corporate Sustainability Report for last 2021. They seem to be making more progress than many organizations, especially in the transportation industry. But their environment is one of the hardest to move to zero emissions. Long-haul trucking will be around for a long time and switching from diesel is difficult. All of the reporting creates fodder for anyone on the left, right or center to hammer on endlessly. See the Ryder Corporate Sustainability Report here: https://www.ryder.com/about-us/sustainability

Thursday, April 21, 2022

Earth Day 2022 Who Killed the Electric Car?

 Earth Day 2022 (April 22, ’22) Who Killed the Electric Car?

The statistics and the forecasts for Global Warming and Climate Change are increasingly dire. The decision – and it is a decision – to do business as usual (buy big gas guzzlers) is becoming increasingly costly to the world. And the window to avoid the worst warming scenarios is closing. The CO2 and methane that we have been pumping into the atmosphere will persist for decades (centuries really) continuing to heat a warming world.