NEW Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

One of the things that is going to determine if we can have a future is the stability of our financial systems. Professor Elizabeth Warren is my hero, and she is head of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau of the U.S. Treasury Department.

Now she is not going to solve all our problems, but this new organization can set the example for how government is supposed to work, and therefore shame all the other departments into reorganizing using transparent open communication and direct dialog with citizens. If you need a job, they are hiring!

Elizabeth Warren was in San Diego this week for Community Dialog, she wants to hear your ideas.

Appropriate Energy Lab

"Any electrical engineer who was educated before 1999 thinks renewable energy is a cute bit-player, on the side" ... but every place that takes renewable energy seriously finds that it is very easy and cost effective to invest and develop. "The (electric) GRID should be the 'EBAY' where you buy and sell power. Almost every incentive we have is for dirty power. The 'California Energy Crisis', 2001, was all about benefiting dirty power over renewable alternatives, and finding that we had a mess as a result." - Daniel Kammen, Director of UC Berkley Renewable and Appropriate Energy Lab - Renewable Energy and Economies of Scale 2006

From FORA.tv

Global Classroom

I don't do this often, but this is a special case. When someone states the obvious truth, it cuts across all lines, and I must post it everywhere.

"If Issac Newton had done calculus videos on YouTube, I wouldn't have to. (assuming he was any good) - Salman Khan"

Why do good students fail in our public schools?

FLIP THE CLASSROOM!
Traditional Classroom Model penalizes you for experimentation and failure, "DO YOU UNDERSTAND THIS?". Kids COMPETE with each other, but does not expect mastery.
Assign the lectures as homework, and do the homework in the classroom.
Pause, work at your own pace. Stay on that bicycle, experiment, failure is OK. Reward success, don't penalize failure. Allow students to COOPERATE, and you will see that your 'slow' students are just as smart as the 'gifted' kids.
But expect mastery.

Watch this video twice.

Build a Global, One World Classroom.

Colbalt-Phosphate: A posible solution to energy storage

In this video, posted by the Florida Institute for Human & Machine Cognition, we hear about another 'battery' to store solar energy. The problem of course, is that you still need to buy all the solar equipment ($50,000/household).

Daniel G. Nocera and his researchers received media attention beginning in 2007 when he declared that a better understanding of the photosynthesis process could lead to economical storage of solar energy as chemical fuel.^[4] He later announced that his group had developed a highly efficient anode electrocatalyst (cobalt phosphate) for use in electrolysis of water employing inexpensive materials.^[5][6] His work on artificial photosynthesis centers around the basic mechanisms of energy conversion in biology and chemistry, particularly in the theory of proton coupled electron transfer. He is also the director of the Solar Revolution Project at MIT which seeks to create innovations in photocatalytic water splitting towards the use of solar energy in large scale, mainstream applications.^[7]

SEMPRA Energy indicated in Mexican Bribary Scandal

Those who follow the Sunrise Power Link story, (the use of nearly $3-Billion in public bond money to build essentially unnecessary infrastructure for centralized power supply) may be aware of the secret conspiracy by SDG&E's owner SEMPRA ENERGY to buy cheap, dirty electricity from Mexico. Now, in a KPBS Radio Report this morning (Tues. March 3rd), by Amita Sharma, tells us more about bribes paid to Mexican officials to secure industrial permits for the new Energia Costa Azul LNG terminal in Baja, Mexico. Aaron Quintinar, formerly from WiLDCoast, says Sempra and Mexican President Felipe Calderon have close ties, and a former Sempra executive says the company paid bribes to Mexican officials.

The Mayor of Ensenada recently closed down Sempra's Costa Azul...due to numerous unlawful actions by Sempra. Sempra apparently got the Mexican Military to re-open the plant, but the Mexican Congress just voted to support the Mayor.

Now, to be fair, monopoly owner SEMPRA claims that the Sunrise Power Link is needed to bring 'Renewable Energy' from the desert to the city (even as their executives build solar panels on their mansions). Yet, in spite of constant protests, lawsuits, and public investigations, SDG&E is going forward with the Power Link Project.

If San Diego County would spend the same $3-billion to make all our local buildings Energy Neutral, and then built DISTRIBUTED Renewable Energy throughout our local neighborhoods (in that order), we would never need to build another carbon-fuel power plant.

CALIFORNIA IS CUTTING ENERGY EFFICIENCY!

Energy efficiency programs in CA, like Energy Upgrade California, could be impacted by funding cuts.

TAKE ACTION:

Say NO ON CUTS to energy efficiency funding.

The State Legislature has proposed CUTTING funding for energy efficiency efforts -- including a portion of the dollars that fund programs like Energy Upgrade California rebates.
These cuts, if enacted, could significantly harm the Home Performance industry in California-- and we can't let them pass. Here's what we need:

1. Click here to send an email to your state legislators opposing the cut
2. Write your own letter to budget leaders in the legislature (you can view our letter as a guide, and add info about your company). Send it to:
   
   • Senator Darrell Steinberg, Senator.Steinberg@senate.ca.gov
   • Senator Mark Leno, Senator.Leno@senate.ca.gov
   • State Assembly Member Bob Blumenfield, Assemblymember.Blumenfield@assembly.ca.gov
3. Forward this on to your contact lists and ask them to do the same.

Here's more details: The State Assembly and State Senate have proposed transferring $162 million of natural gas ratepayer surcharge funds intended for energy efficiency and moving them to the state's general fund.
That means $162 million less for programs like Energy Upgrade California. These cuts would:

• Cut the legs out from under one of the state's key initiatives to drive job creation in the hard-hit construction sector.
• Minimize the impact of ARRA investments in the state.
• Reduce the rapid growth that these programs are expected to provide for Home Performance companies.

Help us rally urgent opposition to these proposed cuts.
Click here to tell your legislator to OPPOSE cutting funding for energy efficiency programs.
Thanks,
Brett Knox
Chair
Efficiency First California Chapter

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Efficiency First is supported by over 1,200 member companies across the country.
To join Efficiency First, visit www.efficiencyfirst.org/join. Member benefits: Efficiency First members have access to special members-only benefits: discounts on tech tools, trainings, conferences, branding and web services, business insurance, debt collection and more.
Take advantage of these deals by visiting www.efficiencyfirst.org/home/member-benefits.

Michael's Comment:

Last week while interviewing Austan Goolsbee, President Obama's Economic Advisor, comedian John Stewart made the analogy that cutting spending upon vital infrastructure and human investments is like -

"trying to loose weight by cutting out spinach and vitamins from your diet."

It is with serious concern that I inform you all that CA is planning on cutting off funding for Energy Upgrade California:

Since 2008 I've been working in the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Field. We've been trying to educate people, business and home owners (as well as our representatives), about how they can save money and the environment while creating a truly sustainable future. The key to our future is creating sustainable jobs, the first step is stopping the waste.

They say that our state government is bankrupt, cutting money on everything from redevelopment to public schools. So, why should we, Energy Engineers, be different? The reality is that our state has plenty of money, and our country has all the resources it needs! We live in a land of plenty with an abundance of natural and capital resources, but we don't use them well. There are entrenched interests that do not want our economy to change, they prefer the unsustainable systems of the past. They have created this false economic 'crisis' to keep us from realizing our potential, to impose cuts on the necessary functions of government, the very solutions that could create a SUSTAINABLE FUTURE.

Personally,  would gladly give up these Energy Upgrade California Rebates if they were going to public schools, or libraries, or hospitals. However, these funds were taken directly from every Utility Rate Payer, via state imposed fees on our bills, designed specifically to PROMOTE ENERGY EFFICIENCY, and now they will be redirected to the General Fund, and an unknown pocket.

Fighting for budget cuts on the terms of the people who brought us the present economic context, just to prop up their unsustainable business models, will destroy our future potential.

Sincerely,
Michael Russell
Sustainable Future

ENERGYSTAR - Home Energy Yardstick

Assess Your Home

Getting a handle on your home's energy use is an important first step to improving efficiency. You can do a simple assessment yourself using on-line tools, or have a professional energy auditor perform a more thorough audit. Then, use ENERGY STAR resources to get guidance on home improvement projects to enhance energy efficiency, lower utility bills, and increase comfort.

Start with your Home Energy Yardstick

Most homes use 40%-50% of their energy for heating and cooling air. The next most energy intense use is water-heating (up to 20%), then refrigeration (12%), then major appliances, lighting and other electronics.

If you have five minutes and your last 12 months of utility bills, use the Home Energy Yardstick to compare your home's energy use to similar homes across the country and see how your home measures up. Then, use Home Energy Adviser to get recommendations for energy-saving home improvements for typical homes in your area.

For most homes, you'll have a Loading Order that defines the best steps to take first, which will maximize your energy and financial savings.

1) Seal and Insulate
2) Duct Sealing
3) Replace your Heating and Air-Conditioning Units
4) Solar Water Heater
5) Windows and Doors
6) Replace your Refrigerator
7) Increase Lighting
8) Smart Appliances: Programmable Thermostats, Washer/Dryer, Dish-Washers, etc.

NOTE: Only after you do the Energy Efficiency Work on your home or business should you consider Renewable Energy and Energy Storage Appliances. Anyone who tells you different is a huckster.