Discourse for all interested in all things air-quality related
Alan Kandel Continuing the Clean Air Technologies Series (or CATS) conversation, today I thought I would discuss electric lawnmowers. Not just electric mowers, but cordless electric mowers. When electric lawnmower operation went cordless that was electric mowing’s defining moment. It used to be that I’d see someone mowing their yard with an electric mower, but it had … Read more
“‘We can no longer afford to consider air and water common property, free to be abused by anyone,’” espoused a determined Richard Nixon in one of his presidential speeches as conveyed in America Revealed, Episode 3: “ELECTRIC NATION,” a 2012 Public Broadcasting System presentation. Question is: In hindsight, could air (and water) afford such a … Read more
In my last post, talk focused on the “climatological shift” (or climate change) and “climatological cliff” phenomena and, with reference to the latter, what going over or falling off such could mean, that is, climatologically speaking. I also pointed out why air pollution, irrespective of climate shift or cliff, is not to be taken lightly due … Read more
The saying: “What you don’t know can’t hurt you,” well, that makes about as much sense as the saying: “Ignorance is bliss.” Ignorance is bliss? According to whom? Then there are other sayings like: “To err is human” or “To err is to be human.” Or, how about: “Err on the side of caution”? As … Read more
Consumers. People are consumers. That’s what we do. Consume. And consumption at its essence is no better typified than in the home. It was expressed in America Revealed, Episode 3, “ELECTRIC NATION,” a 2012 Public Broadcasting System broadcast, that in America in the typical home, on average, can be found 26 different electronic devices. Everything from washers, … Read more
There are currently an estimated 314,878,498 Americans total, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. For a population of almost 315 million and growing, there are 4 million accessible lane-miles of roadway, Yul Kwon in “NATION ON THE MOVE” (Episode 2 of America Revealed, a 2012 Public Broadcasting System broadcast), revealed, on which an estimated 200,260,571 cars … Read more
Given the global energy picture, there is continued strong emphasis on fossil fuel use, in the transport sector especially, as its reliance on such is extremely heavy.1 It was this startling piece of information, though, from the Nov. 2011 International Union of Railways (UIC) report High Speed Rail and Sustainability that caught my eye. The … Read more
Nineteen-hundred and seventy-seven is the year the first “Star Wars” movie (Episode 4) – “A New Hope” – hit the theater circuit. Communities coast-to-coast were all abuzz with excitement. The pre-movie-release hype, it seemed, was, well, for lack of a better term, astronomical. Twenty-seventeen, exactly 40 years after the “Star Wars” debut, the National Aeronautics and Space … Read more
In more recent times I have become more curious. I have pondered the question of what becomes of air pollutants over time. If not inhaled and absorbed into the lungs, blood or heart, or are in some way breached, what happens to air contaminants? Groundbreaking work The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) – a part … Read more
Over the centuries, ways have been found to put energy to work and as long as creative thinking never ceases, work on finding new ways to put energy to work will continue. Figured out have been methods to harness the power of the sun, wind, water and geothermal steam. Consider also the addition of the seemingly limitless supply of … Read more