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it's hip to be green…
The Good, the Bad and the Truly Ugly…
Everyone, or nearly everyone, will spend a few moments reflecting on the close of the first decade of the 21st Century before beginning the next decade with a an awe inspiring hangover. We, here in the land of green opportunity, are no different. Let us review the events of the past decade in all their […]
Posted in: Agriculture, Carbon Footprint, Climate Change, Energy, Government, Green, Habitat, Policy, Profitability, Renewables, Sustainable
Sara Ruto and the cell phone…
Here’s an opportunity (or three) for Silicon Valley – small, self contained solar generation. As the rain fell in San José on Christmas Eve I learned about Sara Ruto, an entrepreneurial woman living in a remote Kenyan village. Ms. Ruto would walk two miles on dirt paths and take a 3 hour motorcycle taxi ride […]
Brick, Tunnels and Values
November 28, 2010
by shilohballard
In Utrecht, the network of bike paths was incredible, comprehensive, seemingly unending and…pretty. By pretty, I don’t just mean scenic. I mean that the paving material used was aesthetically pleasing. It was brick and/or some sort of cobblestone, something that adds personality to a city while making the riding/walking experience enjoyable and interesting. Function AND […]
Texas, Meet California
It’s barely 36 hours after the polls closed in California’s November election, and less than 72 hours after the San Francisco Giants put the finishing touches on the World Series. What do these two disparate events have in common? Texas and California’s right to self determination. The Texas Rangers, whose previous owner, former President Bush, made […]
The Pod People Have Arrived…
Just in time for Halloween the pod people have arrived in San José – except these folks come with the Podcar and are not interested in eating your brain. San José’s city hall is home to a three day conference on the latest in personal rapid transit (PRT). Touting podcars as the latest in green, fast […]
Mobile Foodies Meet Sustainability
You’ve heard about them, you may even be an aficionado. The latest craze in foodie-heaven – the food truck. With everything from the Shrimp Pimp in Los Angeles to Skillet Street Food in Seattle food trucks offer convenience, diversity and sometimes a sustainable fooditude. San Francisco has the Sexy Soup Cart serving organic soups straight […]
Cheater Bikes in the Netherlands
October 19, 2010
by shilohballard
A few months ago, I blogged about electric vehicles. I wrote that they promise to help move us in a more sustainable direction but that ultimately, biking is where it’s at. Little did I know that just a few months later I would be riding an electric bike around Rotterdam as a part of a […]
Garages are for Parking Cars
October 10, 2010
by shilohballard
In the US, garages are akin to storage units, providing a safe haven for holiday decorations, photo albums, camping gear and that bike you manage to ride very infrequently. In Amsterdam, garages are used to park cars. How does this happen? In Amsterdam the Dutch do not allow people to buy a parking […]
Green/the New IPO 
December 31, 2010
by thenewipo
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