We’re obviously big believers in greentech or cleantech here at TTMYGG, so it was interesting to see this list of high-tech luminaries who have made the changeover. There are some big shots on the list, which shows that cleantech is getting serious.
- Vinod Khosla, Founder Khosla Ventures.
- John Doerr, Partner, Kleiner Perkins.
- Elon Musk, Chairman, Tesla, Chairman, CEO SolarCity
- Steve Jurvetson, Partner Draper Fisher Jurvetson.
- Bill Gross, Founder Idealab.
- Al Gore, Chairman Generation Investment Managment, Partner Kleiner Perkins.
- Bill Joy, Partner Kleiner Perkins.
Unfortunately, unless you’re a big shot, it’s unlikely that you’d be able to invest with them or in them, but one thing you could do is join them! Here, thanks to earth2tech.com, is a map of 101 cleantech startups. Take a look at what’s around you, or somewhere you wouldn’t mind living, and get in on the ground floor!
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Since the 9/11 attacks, conservatives have been fond of branding liberals for being un-American. Well, it’s official. The real traitors are those who continue to deny that global warming is real.
Their resistance is not just preventing us from slowing down the melting of our planet, but is also endangering our national security. A few proof points:
- In April, a Pentagon funded report published back in April of 2007 found that global warming is a “serious threat to America’s national security”.
- In June of this year, Dr. Thomas Fingar, Deputy Director of National Intelligence for Analysis and Chairman of the National Intelligence Council, testified to congress that global warming had the “potential to seriously affect US national security interests.”
- John McCain, in a new ad states, “I believe global warming is real – it’s not just a greenhouse gas issue, it’s a national security issue.”
So if you love America, pull your heads out of sand and join us! If not, you are betraying the country, and the world. Harsh? Yes. But also true.
Before you wait in line for 3 hours at your neighborhood AT&T or Apple Store, more bad news on global warming. The LA Times reported recently that the chemical nitrogen trifluoride (NF3) used widely in the manufacture of LCD screens and chips (like the ones in that iPhone you’ve been eyeing) has 17,000 times the global warming effect as carbon dioxide, and potentially lasts in the atmosphere for 550 years! Oh, and it’s not regulated.
Ironically, NF3 started becoming popular as a replacement for perfluorocarbons, which were phased out because of… global warming!And while the article goes on to explain that the worldwide production of NF3 by 2010 will only be roughly equivalent to 5 or so coal plants, (so it’s not that bad?) what this NF3 problem indicates to me is that the best way to reduce the impact we have on the planet is to not buy so much shit.
Personally, I believe in buying better stuff, and using it longer. What about you?
I was looking into interesting alternatives to driving for your commute, and re-discovered casual car pools. Here in California, casual car poolers get to use the HOV lane, and don’t pay bridge tolls. What’s a casual car pool? Well, according to RideNow.org:
“Casual car pools” or “ad hoc car pools” are informal car pools that form when drivers and passengers meet — without specific prior arrangement — at designated locations.  Â
It’s totally fascinating because it’s organic, and the site even lists a set of etiquette (don’t talk to the driver), and a list of drivers to avoid.From what I can tell, casual car pools have only sprung up in the S.F. Bay Area, and it’s really hard to get one going because it requires critical mass, but it’s a really interesting concept, and speaks to the fact that even though we are in a car society, there are many creative ways we can use to break the tyranny of $5 gas.Want to learn about some in your area? Do a Google search for ‘alternatives to driving’, and there are a ton of great resources. And let us know if you have any other interesting ideas.Â
Today Al Gore gave a powerful speech calling for, as the New York Times put it:
the United States to wean the nation from its entire electricity grid to carbon-free energy within 10 years, warning that drastic steps were needed to avoid a global economic and ecological cataclysm      Â
Gore said, “I see my role as enlarging the political space in which Senator Obama or Senator McCain can confront this issue as president next year.” As I see it, I see this as an admission that climate change is at heart a political problem, because it’s the only way we solve these problems at scale. And our leaders are conflicted. And weak. And because of that nothing is happening, all the while Rome is burning. So my question to everyone is this: What have you really done about global warming? Did you write or visit your congressperson? Have you organized others to do so? Did you join a environmental lobby like the NRDC Action Fund? Because if you haven’t and you’re just driving a Prius and using a few less shopping bags, you’re probably not doing enough. Let’s get going, everyone!Â