A home stylist’s vision of battery backup. CNET/Petmal/Getty Images We’ve previously highlighted California’s new climate paradigm marked by increasingly extreme weather events. The reliability of a home backup power supply has become more critical than ever. Recent events like Hurricane Hilary, which brought unprecedented tropical storm conditions to California that hadn’t previously happened in recorded […]
Lithium hard rock strip mine. Gwenn Dubourthoumieu/The Carter Center In 2022, the State of California established a plan to make all new vehicle sales zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) by 2035. No doubt this will be a tremendous step forward with respect to minimizing the amount of carbon pollution our cars will emit into the atmosphere. But […]
With the exception of the propietary Tesla Supercharger, the de facto standard level 3 plug is the Combined Charging System (CCS1) Type. Via Ars Technica. Rechargeable batteries are now virtually everywhere, powering more and more components of modern life. The development of renewable energy sources like solar and wind has created a growing demand for […]
The sun and sand on Lanikai Beach. My wife and I have challenged ourselves to always use local mass transit to get around every destination we visit on vacation. We recently traveled to the Hawaiian island of Oahu and we had no problems meeting that commitment; from getting to and from the airport and the […]
Chevrolet announced the end of the production line for its popular Bolt in favor of EV versions of their much larger, heavier, more cyclist and pedestrian-dangerous and profitable Sierra and GMC Orion EV models. Upcoming Chevy EVs will be powered by its proprietary Ultium battery propulsion system. Photo: Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge On […]
Your home electrification plan impacts the current state of you electric panel. Most consumers can “watt miser” their existing service. This is the second part of our series on the Inflation Reduction Act & You; the first part “Inflation Reduction Act Update: Patience, Patience…” is here. The passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) was […]
Kaitlen Brito, Washington Post The Inflation Reduction Act was enacted by Congress and signed into law by President Biden in August 2022. Among its many provisions, it addresses climate change and energy security throughout the US and in western states particularly. To improve energy security, it includes the High Energy Electric Home Rebate Act (HEEHRA), […]
Turning Brown to Go Green by Greg Larkins We always pride ourselves on having one of the nicer yards on the block. Something I inherited from my father, who had my brother and I always doing yard work while all the other kids were playing down the street. I thought then that when I grew […]
Yes, it’s the time of year for holiday celebrations and our suggestions for greening them. Keep these tips in mind to improve the sustainability of your gatherings for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa & New Year’s Eve, whether you’re hosting a traditional family gathering or simply attending an event with friends. You’ll feel better remembering that in […]
First Person Report: Foreign Travelers Using Mass Transit to The Max by Greg Larkins My wife and I recently challenged ourselves to use mass transit as much as possible on a trip to Paris and Amsterdam. This started from our journey from our home in San Jose to San Francisco International Airport and concluded with […]