Content related to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Just about one century ago, airships were rising to prominence as the luxury option for long-haul travel. Today, some companies are touting airships as a climate-friendly alternative to airplanes. We may be set to see a renaissance for this slower, more intentional means of travel, but we also need to consider unseen and upstream costs that can still contribute significantly to its carbon footprint.
Is it possible to reduce our resource consumption without abandoning a certain quality of life? The 2000 Watt Society thinks so. I first encountered this group in a near-term climate fiction novel following the lives of people trying to avoid the worst of climate change impacts. A recent trip to Switzerland showed me it can be done better than we’re doing it back home.
A friend recently warned me against using my electric blanket. While there are established risks (including burns and fires), she was talking about health conditions that could be caused by electromagnetic fields. Hypothesizing about health impacts from environmental exposures can walk a fine line between conscientious public health research and pseudoscience. The difference between the two lies in what we do with answers we get.
We use AI for countless tasks in our daily lives, but different activities have different carbon footprints. Analyzing and creating content uses a lot more energy than a simple internet search, and we’re relying on AI for more of that over time. That isn’t good for our brains or the environment, especially since we’re building more fossil fuel-powered data centers to meet growing demand.
Our search results shape how we view the world, and (with nearly 90% market share) Google shapes our search results. Data privacy has been a major criticism of Google for years, but the objectivity and accuracy of the results should be a concern too. With AI-generated overviews to take the place of doing our own research, we’re more susceptible than ever to groupthink.
The extra energy required for Artificial Intelligence to process pleasantries, such as “please” and “thank you,” apparently costs tens of millions of dollars, to say nothing of the environmental impact of generating that energy. Whether the query results are improved or the AI will deign to spare kind humans in the upcoming revolution, it seems there are some arguments in favor of being polite.
Physics, cooking, energy efficiency, and public health: so many of my passions are the ingredients of this blog post about our new induction cooktop. Magnetic induction cooking equipment has recently been getting cheaper, more accessible, and more popular, but it has long been safer, cleaner, and more energy efficient than the conventional alternatives, such as gas flames and electric coils.
Travels with the Climate Lab took me to Okinawa for the first (but hopefully not last) time. This Japanese prefecture (and former kingdom in its own right) is an absolute melting pot of cultures, disciplines, and functions in society. For someone who is regularly trying to break down silos in my own work, I was thrilled to see what lessons Okinawa had to offer.
The final leg of my Climate Lab took me to Japan. I consider Japan the site of my environmental awakening, but there was still plenty to learn on this trip about impacts from the climate crisis and how to be an effective leader while centering the priorities of those facing the worst impacts. This jam-packed week was as fun as it was challenging.
On this sixth anniversary of Radical Moderate, Pittsburgh’s signature manufacturing industry is at a crossroads. There is a path forward on which we can recognize the need for steel from an infrastructure standpoint, the need for jobs from an economic standpoint, the need for clean air from a public health standpoint, and the need for responsible decision-making to support all of those things.