1. Technology chosen 2. Utilization 3. Settlement design 4. Population These are multiplying principles, significant and complete. The two largest uses of fossil fuels in every society, are for space heating and transportation. Using transportation as an example. If we: 1. Construct and choose technology that doubles the average fuel mileage of vehicles (private, public and [...]
Archive for the ‘Transportation’ Category
Reduce Fossil Fuel Consumption!!
Posted in Energy policy, Transportation on October 1, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
My prediction for economic “improvement”
Posted in General economic, Space heating and lighting, Transportation on July 15, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
It won’t come immediately, likely even soon. There is still a downward drag on home values due to a still large inventory of unsold homes and many homes in foreclosure. There is still a bubble in business to business economy, money chasing after activity and profits. (Thats where the highest compensation is and that is [...]
Thoughts on the Oil Spill
Posted in Energy policy, Regional Economy, Space heating and lighting, Sustainable Economics, Transportation on April 30, 2010 | 3 Comments »
The oil spill is big news. A gamut of “drill-baby-drill” advocates have oil on their faces. Its real. The standards for offshore shelf drilling will increase dramatically throughout the globe, and particularly in the US. To the extent that standards and costs then increase globally, including affects on drilling in on-shore but environmentally sensitive areas, the long-term supply [...]
Again – Simplify
Posted in Energy policy, Simplicity, Transportation on March 2, 2010 | Leave a Comment »
Every description of sustainability that I’ve heard includes some element of “live and let live”, translated into “live with a smaller ecological footprint”. In the business world, if you look at annual reports of the largest publicly traded corporations, nearly all dedicate some portion of their reports to proving that they are good corporate citizens, [...]
Operating vs capital costs and sustainability
Posted in Energy policy, Space heating and lighting, Transportation on November 24, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Many individuals have commented to me that when the cost of oil increases significantly, there will be difficult economic traumas, and accompanying changes in the way that people live, hopefully to a less energy squandering lifestyle with less CO2 emissions. I would like to believe that, but I’ve observed that the relationship between operating costs [...]
Sustainable Society – How Do We Get There – Transportation
Posted in Sustainable Economics, Transportation on October 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
Amazing. In addition to being amazed at how much I spent personally on health care ($800/mo insurance, $200/mo deductibles and medicines), I was utterly surprised to discover that our family spends the third most expense on transportation. ($500/mo car payments, $150/mo insurance, $50/mo taxes, $100/mo gas, $50/mo repairs – $850/mo total). And, we have two [...]
Synnergies
Posted in Simplicity, Transportation on August 25, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
You don’t find many economists advocating for simplicity. Many prominent liberal economists (Robert Reich, Paul Krugman, Robert Kutner) support the values of simplicity, but note that “if everyone did it”, the economy would be forced to change. The economy is like a bicycle. It needs to spin to be stable enough to move forward, to [...]
Stable Gas Prices – Investment in Sustainability
Posted in Energy policy, Transportation on August 21, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
The real price of gasoline is rationally higher than what we pay at the pump. The costs of global warming, defense expenditure to secure the oil supply chain, other environmental toxins, are not incorporated into the cost. I’ve heard differing estimates of the actual social cost of gasoline when it is $2.50 at the pump. [...]
Tribute to the NESEA Tour de Sol
Posted in Transportation on August 15, 2009 | 1 Comment »
For 14 years, my friend Nancy Hazard organized a wonderful transportation technology demonstration event called the Tour de Sol. The Tour began as literally solar powered vehicle race, as an engineering teaser competition to tinkerers and university and high school students to design vehicles that powered either all or much of their drive from photovoltaics. [...]
Ridesharing
Posted in New England, Regional Economy, Transportation on August 13, 2009 | Leave a Comment »
In context: If we save 50% on transportation fossil fuel consumption by improved technology, and choices of improved technology. And, if we save 50% of fossil fuel consumption by increasing utilization of existing rides (average of 2.6 passengers per trip rather than 1.3) And, if we save 50% of fossil fuel consumption by regional siting [...]
