'Cool It' Documentary Seeks Climate Solutions

I just viewed the controversial documentary "Cool It" about "The Skeptical Environmentalist" author Bjorn Lomborg. And I must say that I don't understand the uproar other than that the Al Gore bashing goes a bit too far. The film criticizes Gore and others for stoking fears of a climate catastrophe and yet at the same time throwing billions of dollars at failed methods to solving global warming. But the film makes no mention of Gore's follow up to "An Inconvenient Truth," the book "Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis," in which the former Vice President proposes many of the same solutions that Lomborg advocates.

Lomborg believes in the free market and making cost-effective investments in finding real solutions to reducing carbon and solving climate change. Near the end of the film he breaks down how a global budget of $250 billion a year can be infinitely more effective than the current methods at reducing carbon. The biggest investment would of course be in research and development of renewable energy to bring the cost down and find storage methods for intermittent sources like solar, wind and tidal power. And also more R&D for biofuels like algae oil. But where he differs with Gore, the European Union and others is that after that $100 billion investment in clean energy R&D, he would invest the rest in geo-engineering as a contingency plan; cooling cities by, for example, painting roofs white; and potable water, education and fighting diseases like malaria and HIV/AIDS in the developing world.

Please see the film and keep an open mind. You will be inspired. I sure was.

Here is the trailer:

Bike D.C. Ride Turns Nation's Capital into Amsterdam

What would a bicycle rush hour look like in Washington, D.C.? Well, 5,000 participants in last Sunday's Bike D.C. family fun ride found out as the event closed off to cars portions of Pennsylvania Avenue downtown, the George Washington Memorial Parkway across the Potomac River in Arlington, Virginia and other streets for the 20 mile ride.

The weather was perfect, which according to the organizers was a welcome change from past years when it was cold and rainy. One of the organizers announced to the crowd at the start line in front of the Capitol Building that after 9/11, when many public gatherings were banned because of security concerns, Bike D.C. was the first major community event allowed in the District.

Highlights of this year's ride included a pit stop at the new Air Force Memorial near the Pentagon. The three soaring stainless steel arcs reaching for the heavens are stunning and the views of the monuments from the elevated perch are breathtaking. It is one of the most magnificent memorials in all of Washington.

A man did have a heart attack near the Arlington Memorial Bridge. But thanks to the heroic rescue efforts of the Arlington County Fire Department, his life was saved. He gave a reassuring thumbs up from the stretcher before being loaded onto an ambulance as hundreds of bikers clapped and rang their bells in salute to this brave man and the courageous professionals who saved his life.

Here are photos from the ride:

Participants started arriving at the National Mall over an hour before the ride started.

Me before the race wearing my "I Bike D.C." shirt.

I need this sign when I am biking around the D.C. area! Please drivers, please give us bikers three feet when passing. You are much bigger and faster than us.

Looking east towards the Capitol Dome and the rising sun.

Bikers eagerly await the start of the ride.

The Roosevelt Bridge is ours! All ours! 

Biking on the GW Parkway.

The view across the Potomac.

The iconic Iwo Jima Memorial. Pictures do not do this magnificent memorial justice. It must be seen up close to fully appreciate this fitting tribute to our nation's brave Marines.

The Netherlands Carillon. A gift from the Dutch in gratitude after World War II.

Biking up to the Air Force Memorial.

Bikers take a food and water break at the Air Force Memorial. 

Climate Ride Rolls into Nation's Capital

Hundreds of bicyclists rolled into Washington, D.C. today -- the final destination of their five day, 300 mile ride from New York City to raise awareness about climate change and raise funds to support environmental and sustainability initiatives.

The Climate Ride organizers made appointments for each rider to meet with their Congressional representatives to talk about the importance of finding solutions to the climate crisis.

Here is video of the riders circling a fountain near the Capitol building at the end of the ride and some photos of the riders cruising through D.C.

Secretary Chu: More than 1,800 Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Installed

U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced today that under the Recovery Act more than 1,800 electric vehicle charging stations have been installed across the country. This is great news for EV owners and those considering purchasing an EV but who might have range anxiety because of the lack of a charging infrastructure. It is also great news for the millions of Americans suffering at the gas pump as oil company executives and petro-dictators continue to make lots of money off the backs of hard-working Americans.

Here is the full DOE press release:

LOS ANGELES – As part of the Obama Administration’s comprehensive plan to address rising gas prices and reduce oil imports one-third by 2025, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu today announced that to date, more than 1,800 electric vehicle chargers have been installed under the Recovery Act. Coulomb Technologies, ECOtality, General Motors and others have been moving forward to install the charging stations as part of the Administration’s investments in U.S. electric vehicle manufacturing and alternative vehicle infrastructure. Secretary Chu made the announcement at an event today in Exposition Park in Los Angeles, California, where he was joined by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Coulomb Technologies founder and Chief Technology Officer Richard Lowenthal. The event marked the installation of the 500th electric vehicle (EV) charger by Coulomb, which received a $15 million award under the Recovery Act.

“President Obama has set an ambitious goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015. Investing in the U.S. electric vehicle industry will help us reduce our dependence on foreign oil, create jobs for U.S. workers, and provide American families and businesses with alternatives to protect them from future spikes in gas prices,” said Secretary Chu. “Building energy-saving electric cars and trucks, and the infrastructure to power them, will help Americans save money at the pump and improve the nation’s energy security.”

Since 2009, DOE has invested more than $5 billion in grants and loans to spur the growth of America’s electric vehicle and advanced battery manufacturing industry. These investments are supporting U.S. manufacturers and small businesses as they expand to better compete in this fast-growing global market.

Under the Transportation Electrification Initiative, which received $400 million under the Recovery Act, companies are developing, deploying and analyzing EVs and EV infrastructure, and educating the public to help accelerate the market adoption of advanced electric-drive vehicles. The eight projects under the Transportation Electrification Initiative, including Coulomb’s project, represent the world’s largest electric vehicle demonstration project and will result in the deployment of over 13,000 grid-connected vehicles and over 22,000 charging points in residential, commercial, and public locations nationwide by December 2013. Through these cost-shared projects, DOE will collect information about how consumers use and charge electric vehicles, which will be critical to informing the broader rollout of electric vehicles and chargers nationwide.

Coulomb’s project includes the deployment of electric vehicles, including 2,000 GM Volt, 200 Ford Transit Connect, 100 Ford Focus EV, and 100 Smart EV vehicles, as well as establishing 4,600 EV charging locations nationwide. The vehicles and charging infrastructure will be deployed in residential, workplace, and public locations in Austin, Texas, Los Angeles, Calif., New York, N.Y., Orlando, Fla., Redmond, Wash., Sacramento, Calif., San Francisco, Calif., Southern Michigan, and Washington, D.C. In addition to DOE’s investment, Coulomb is providing $22.9 million in cost share for a total project value of $37.9 million. Coulomb is based in Campbell, Calif., and manufactures its charging equipment in San José, Calif.

To further build on the foundation laid out under the Recovery Act, DOE recently announced the availability of $5 million in electric vehicle funding for local governments and private companies to continue to accelerate installation of electric vehicle charging stations and infrastructure. Communities will work to develop plans and strategies for EV deployment, update their EV permitting processes, develop incentive programs, or launch other local or regional initiatives that improve the experience of EV users and help bring these highly energy-efficient vehicles in the marketplace. These projects will leverage the best practices and lessons learned from the initial deployment projects under the Recovery Act.

Additionally, DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) is joining with Google Inc. and various industry leaders to provide consumers with consistent, up-to-date information about the EV charging stations in communities nationwide. Drawing on Google Maps, this new collaboration will coordinate an online network of all U.S. charging stations and will serve as the primary data source for GPS and mapping services tracking electric vehicle charging locations.

Best Revenge Against Osama bin Laden: Rebuild Our Transportation and Infrastructure

The best revenge against Osama bin Laden's destructive ideology is to take all that money we would have spent on tracking the bastard down (mission accomplished) and use it to rebuild our crumbling roads, bridges and rail system.

Democrats and Republicans must come together to create a National Infrastructure Bank so that we have a dedicated source of funding for improving our transportation and infrastructure. A recent story in The Economist perhaps puts it best:

"Roads, bridges and railways used to be neutral ground on which the parties could come together to support the country’s growth. But as politics has become more bitter, public works have been neglected. If the gridlock choking Washington finds its way to America’s statehouses too, then the American economy risks grinding to a standstill."

Wasn't that one of bin Laden's goals? That America would spend so much blood and treasure to defeat him that we would neglect investing in our homeland?

We can't let that happen. And thankfully public servants like Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood will do everything in their power to make sure America is as strong at home as we are abroad.

That's why LaHood recently announced where the High Speed Rail funding that Florida shortsightedly rejected is going. Here is an excerpt from the DOT chief's Fast Lane blog:

"This is a big day for the Department of Transportation, for the Obama Administration, and for the American people. We are bringing President Obama's vision of American high-speed rail one step closer to reality with $2.02 billion in targeted investments.

And I am thrilled.

Today we are advancing President Obama's historic high-speed rail blueprint through 22 carefully selected projects that will create jobs, boost manufacturing, and spur development while laying the foundation for our future economic competitiveness. We are providing two billion dollars to 15 states and Amtrak to help build out America's high-speed rail network, enabling people and goods to travel more quickly, safely and energy-efficiently than ever before."

That is the spirit we need so we don't eventually end up looking like this:

But instead look like this:

We Defeated Osama bin Laden, Now Let's Beat Big Oil

America brought to justice a man with the blood of nearly 3,000 innocent civilians on his hands. The United States proved once again that we can do great things. Now we must make that same heroic effort to secure our energy future by embracing clean, renewable energy and defeating the oil, gas and coal industries.

It won't come easy. The oil, gas and coal industries have benefited from decades of tax breaks and this unfair advantage has given them plenty of money to spend on influencing politicians and the public through intense lobbying efforts and deceptive advertising practices -- now more than ever it seems.

In other words, Big Oil and Big Coal won't go down without a fight. The tactics they use to maintain the status quo will be every bit as dirty as the fossil fuels they promote. In fact, even dirtier, as the latest ExxonMobil campaign to promote the extraction of Utah's oil tar sands proves.

But the improbable defeat of Osama bin Laden gives me hope that the United States has the potential to break the chains of oil, gas and coal as our main sources of energy. The research and development of renewable energy -- wind, solar, geothermal, biofuels, hydroelectric -- is our highest calling. It will make us a fierce competitor in the global clean energy race, increase our national security and protect the climate for future generations.

So let's get to work!