Browsing Pollution / Environment

Our house is now 100% wind powered!

September17

I just found out that our electric company, XcelEnergy, has a program where you can pay a little extra for your electricity to be 100% powered by renewables! Very cool! I think it will only increase our electric cost by $15 to $30 a month too.

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The Silver Lining Of Trump.

June2

What is the silver lining of Trump?

I think it will be good for this country to lose the narrative that we are the greatest country on earth. I think it will be fantastic for Americans to get a kick in the face and realize that we have lost the lead in so many areas compared to other countries (so fucking many). I think we will be much better as a people/nation if we feel we are the underdogs and have to actually fight for what and who WE are. We like competition, we just forgot we had to be competitive…

Trump is the epitome of everything I hate about this country. A narcissistic selfish individual who thinks he is self-made but is not in anyway self-made. Someone who believes his opinions = science. Someone who loves gaudy shitty stuff. And, he is the worst type of leader who plays to our fears. This is a terrifying time as the current world order is built on American leadership and American security guarantees. When you lack leadership in a country that is the backdrop of security in the world, historically conflict has followed.

It makes me think of this hilarious Louis CK skit about white people and how the future is going to treat us :).

“I don’t want to go into the future to find out what happens to white people, we are going to pay hard for this shit. We are not going to just fall from #1 to #2, they are going to hold us down and fuck us in the ass forever, and we totally deserve it. But for now, weeeeeeeeeee!”

Seems kinda similar for Americans, especially depending on if we get our shit together and fight global warming before WE destroy the planet for humans.

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Trump Now President.

January20

It is now real.

Somehow a man who lacks the character or ethics to manage a McDonalds is the president of the United States of America despite losing by 3 million votes. This is the end of a long winding road caused by the Republican party being hijacked and held hostage by an anti-fact anti-intellectual movement. America is asleep in a puddle of tears as the “American Dream” slips even further from being a unifying vision for our country. One thing is certain, this is going to be a very interesting period in history.

Where is America headed?

I am still trying to be optimistic and give him a chance. But so far he has further solidified my opinion he lacks moral character and wisdom. I am hopeful that we as a country will get a few things out of this: move the USA to a territorial tax system for business/personal, smart corporate tax reform, and kill off the common core. I am incredibly afraid he is going to try to tear down the American safety net and hurt a lot of people (ie, social security, healthcare, public education, a minimum wage tied to inflation). I am also afraid he is going to cut taxes for the wealthy and increase inequality. I hope he passes something to empower more people to go to college or some type of post-secondary training (I’d love tuition to be capped at 20% of poverty levels or something).

Update… Week 1 does not bode well for the future of this country. Historically we have a long history of uninformed uneducated voters making bad decisions on the right and the left of the political spectrum. That makes me feel “good” about that situation as you can never say that democracy is powered by educated voting. The problem I am trying to get my head around is I am not aware of any situation in American history where a group is set on tearing down government entirely and then saying “look it doesn’t work”. Or had such a blatant disregard for science, expertise, and truth. I am really scared/curious if the USA will emerge stronger once the backlash hits, or if somehow this extreme right group can continue to brainwash uninformed uneducated voters to keep voting for them. I am very hopeful this is the beginning of the end and that in 10 years we will have a better safety net for citizens. I really don’t want to see WW3, a global depression, or a global trade war (which would probably cause a global depression).

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Holy Pollution Batman! Santiago Chile…

May2

Holy Pollution! Santiago Chile is a mess, went for a run for what is my 2nd day here and I had to stare at my feet as I ran because you can see the smog just looking down the road a mere 15 feet. The only place I’ve ever seen this bad was Cairo Egypt. The city is surrounded by snow capped moutains and I can barely see them over the dirty smog covered film, it’s gross.

Back in 2008, experts measured the airborne particulates in the city at 444 micrograms/cubic meter while the normal should not go beyond 50. Santiago is also unfortunate to have high ground-level ozone based on WHO studies.

From this link.

Guess I’m going to have to find a gym to run in for the month of May while I’m here.

They have a pretty good running path although surrounded by 6 lane traffic. Better than most cities but still sucks, the pollution is out of control. Hopefully they can pull a Bangkok and fix pollution as quickly as possible.

This is bwb’s personal blog, so he can share his thoughts with the world, however scary or silly they might be. Plus family and friends can track what I am up to, and where I am in the world.

I am pretty simple. I love Mangos. I love the ocean (although mostly at sunset, as I’m a ginger). I love to travel, eat exotic food, do long bike rides, read, and use my imagination. At some point, I decided it was better to be a pirate captain than an admiral. I am a globalist and see the entire world as my responsibility and playground. And I am married to an amazing woman who makes life even more fun :)! And we are now the proud parents of Calico Jack :).


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