Writing for Inhabitat

I'm currently freelance writing about clean energy and alternative transportation for sustainable design site Inhabitat.com. Here are some of my recent articles. Click here for my bio page.

Japanese Government and Auto Industry Team Up on $1.025 Billion EV Charging Plan

Global Solar Power Passes 100,000 Megawatt Milestone and Continues to Increase Rapidly

U.S. Natural Gas Flaring Emissions Equivalent to One Million Additional Cars on the Road

California to Break Ground on the Nation's First High-Speed Rail Line This Summer

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.