Guest Post: How to Cook Up More and Use Less Energy

The kitchen is probably the most used room in the house and it also contains some of the most energy-draining appliances.

There are a number of ways that you reduce your energy costs and boost your green credentials in the kitchen, whether you are cooking or preparing and storing your food.

Rally for Independence from Fossil Fuels

The Rally for Independence from Fossil Fuels was the culmination of the 2013 Walk for our Grandchildren from Camp David, Maryland to the White House for a clean energy future. The event took place at Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C. on July 27, 2013 and featured climate activist and 350.org founder Bill McKibben speaking about where the fossil fuel resistance movement is right now. The main focus of the event was to keep pressure on the Obama Administration to reject the Keystone XL pipeline, which McKibben said would be historic because the president would become the first world leader to stop a project because of its contribution to climate change.

NYC Bike Sharing Observations

A visit to New York City recently brought the opportunity to try out the Big Apple's brand new bike sharing program -- Citi Bike. Here are some observations of the largest bike sharing system in North America.

• The stations and bikes are very similar to Capital Bikeshare in Washington, D.C., which is the system I usually ride. So it was an easy adjustment. That's because Alta Bicycle Share runs both the D.C. and NYC systems.

Electric Vehicle and Charging Station Sightings

I've been seeing more Nissan LEAF electric vehicles, Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and other EVs like the Tesla Roadster. I've also spotted more charging stations which is important because the more charging infrastructure there is the more comfortable consumers feel making the big switch from an internal combustion engine to an electric vehicle. All good signs as the nation shifts from dirty, polluting transportation to clean, electric transportation.

Metro Silver Line Construction Update

The Metro Silver Line expansion is moving full speed ahead. Phase one to Wiehle-Reston East is set to open January 2014, while phase two past Dulles International Airport to Loudoun County is set to begin construction soon and open to the public in 2018.

Virginia voters should remember this November that right-wing Tea Party Republican candidate for governor Ken Cuccinelli opposes Metro's extension to Dulles Airport, while Democratic gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe supports the Silver Line and other public transit projects to relieve traffic congestion and clean the air. This one issue should be enough to vote for McAuliffe as Virginia's next governor.

Here are photos of the future McLean, Tysons Corner and Wiehle-Reston East stations.

Canada Pushing Dirty Tar Sands Oil in D.C.

If you need any evidence that Canada has turned into a rogue petrostate, look no further than the Canadian government's desperate attempts to influence policymakers in Washington by placing ads all over the American capital. The Alberta tar sands oil has blinded the Canadian government to the dangerous implications for global warming (the recent Calgary flooding being the latest example of a changing climate), pollution and health.

Us Americans will not allow a foreign government -- even one as friendly as our neighbor to the north -- to attempt to use our land to build a dangerous pipeline to transport dirty tar sands oil to Gulf Coast refineries to be shipped to China. All for 35 permanent jobs and the risk of another toxic pipeline spill.

Recycling and Composting at Smithsonian Folklife Festival 2013

It was great to see this year's Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall promoting recycling and composting and labeling trash as "landfill," which is where all that trash really goes.

Here are photos:

The five best high speed rail networks in the world

Click here for my story on TheCityFix blog about the five best high-speed rail (HSR) networks in the world -- China, Germany, Japan, France and Spain. While California is starting construction this summer on America's first bullet train, the United States has a long way to go to catch up with these global HSR leaders.

Guest Post: Burning Firewood in Winter or in Summer

Having an open fire is about more than just chucking as big a pile wood as possible into the brick opening and lighting it on fire. If you’re lucky enough to have an open fireplace, you have to consider the best thing to do for your home, yourself, and also for the environment. Apart from being a great source of heat and providing a beautiful ambience in your home, wood fires can also be potentially dangerous and bad for the environment, so you should take these things into account when setting up the fire in your home.

Q&A: US High Speed Rail Association President and CEO Andy Kunz

I recently participated in a lengthy and wide-ranging phone interview with US High Speed Rail Association President and CEO Andy Kunz about the future of high-speed rail in America. Click here for the Q&A that was published on sustainable urban transportation blog TheCityFix.

Here is audio of the full interview:

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley at Center for American Progress

Maryland's Democratic Governor Martin O'Malley spoke recently about his progressive agenda and strengthening the middle class at the Center for American Progress in downtown Washington, D.C.

Here is the audio:

Barack Obama Smartly Uses Soccer To Spread Clean Energy Message

Click here for My Rant Sports story on why President Obama is smart to use soccer to promote clean energy in the developing world.