Rhode Island Energy & Leadership Day in Washington, DC

John Bergdoll at the Rhode Island Energy & Environmental Leadership Day event in Washington, DC

At the invitation of Rhode Island Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, Jim Thomas, West Warwick Town Manager, myself, and other Rhode Island constituents were fortunate to participate in the Rhode Island Energy & Environment Leadership Day conference held in Washington, D.C. to learn about federal programs, share and connect with environmental leaders. Senator Whitehouse opened the session by saying, “We are now at a time of crisis and opportunity.”

Throughout the day there were repeating themes of environmental crisis, opportunity and urgency. Without a doubt, the confluence of environmental and economic events is arguing for action. Broad scientific agreement indicate that carbon emissions play a significant role in climate change urging us to end our fossil fuel dependence.

“The impacts of climate change are always being reinforced,” said Senator John Kerry. “The arguments are so powerful and yet we still have resistance,” With fire in the belly, Kerry explained, “We are in trouble folks. It’s a hell of a battle. Get in gear.”

John Bergdoll, Sustainability Business Coordinator for the Town of West Warwick, Rhode Island Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, and Jim Thomas, Town Manager of West Warwick, RI

“Rhode Island is preparing itself for the impact of climate change. We must prepare for the inevitable.” explained Nancy Sutley, Chair, White House Council on Environmental Quality. Sutley further explained that there is tremendous stress on our oceans and, “We must find ways to balance the competing demands from our oceans. We are looking to create new and successful partnerships. A healthy environment and a healthy economy go hand in hand.”

“The Clean Energy and Environment Bill now being drafted is a major piece of legislation.” Sen. Whitehouse said. “Putting a price on carbon will be an important component.” It needs 60 votes to pass.

Lisa Jackson, EPA Administrator and Massachusett Senator John Kerry

Massachusetts Senator John Kerry said, ‘We must become energy independent. The arguments are so powerful and yet we still have resistance. The energy market is a 6 trillion dollar market. It’s the mother of all economies, but we still have fear mongering, ideological battles, damaged gridlock, demagoguery.”

“Deforestation is one of the greatest causes of carbon emissions. We need incentives. It is a major impact on climate change. We need a grassroots revolution.”

“It’s rare in public life when you get a ‘two-fer’, said Kerry. “This is a ‘five-fer’ citing national security, jobs, U.S. could be leading the world, competitiveness, and the moral imperative of environmental stewardship.”

Lisa Jackson, EPA administrator, stated, “We need to move past the lobbying and into action. We need some growth sectors.” The devastation of the BP oil spill only adds to the urgency. Clean energy has to be profitable.”

Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed closed the session by saying, ”There are no shortages of issues.”

Regarding global climate change, Senator Reed summed it up by saying:

- China has surpassed U.S. dramatically. They are dealing with the problem and are setting up the technology the rest of the world will demand.”

- It's an opportunity to be competitive in a global marketplace where our success in the world could depend upon it.

- Our health and the planet’s reform

“Solutions will come from everywhere.”

“The era of cheap oil is drawing to a close. Drilling for oil now has to go deeper and further out which highlighting environmental risks and continuing concern about our dependence on the Middle East for energy. The price of carbon-based fuels will need to be higher for the nation to undergo a fundamental shift to clean energy.”

Samsung Behold 2 - Droid-esqe Google Phone

So I broke my iPhone. I'll go into how that happened on my social media blog, but here I wanted to give the quick version of what I like and HATE about the Samsung Behold 2 - a phone running on the T-Mobile network and serving as my current smartphone while I wait for an iPhone fix.

The Samsung Behold 2 - purchased used off Craigslist for $150 - is a good phone. If you're not already spoiled by years on the iPhone OS, it will certainly amaze you. It's not an Incredible, but it works quite well and has the power of the Android Marketplace and community behind it. Let's do a quick list of the good, the bad and the verdict.

The Good
A nice size for a cellphone. It's not an EVO and it's even smaller than the iPhone. Fits in any pocket and any hand.
It's a multi-processor. That means it lets stuff run in the background so you can quickly access mail, Twitter, maps and other apps. No need to start this stuff up. Once they're running, they stay running.
The screen is a nice. It's crisp and clear and color. It's also pretty responsive.
Call quality and speakerphone. Both of these are good. No trouble hearing people and the speaker is really loud.
Camera - fantastic functionality built in with the standard camera. 5MP with zoom, flash and lots of other functions. It's what Apple JUST NOW put in the iPhone 4.0.

The Bad
Battery life. This thing sucks power like an air conditioner or a huge projection television. With so many apps running all the time, I had to install an app killer app so I could stop processes from running in the background. Once I did that I got some battery life back.
The standard keyboard is infuriating. The keys are placed just close enough together that I cannot type any word without having to delete and retype a letter. I don't know if the Behold 2 will learn words, but this is probably the most limiting function for me as I use my phone to type stuff on email, Twitter, Tumblr and sometimes even to blog.
Connectivity. Not the networks - the 3G is AWESOME and fast. No, I'm having a bear of a time trying to transfer information to the phone. Since I had to move to the Behold from the iPhone without warning, the new phone has no contact info in it. In three full days of trying I cannot get the phone to show up as a hard drive and I can't find a way to import my contacts. I may have to give in and go to a T-Mobile store later today.

The Verdict
From what I've learning in my clicking around, this phone is a good option if you got it new and will be ready for another phone after a year. By that time you're reach the limit of the OS and will be ready for a newer Droid.
Samsung has said publicly that they won't be upgrading the OS to 2.0, so the phone is trapped in the dark ages (there is a class-action suit in the works because Samsung told buyers that the phone WOULD get upgrades up to 2.0 and more over time).

I say, if you are new to smartphones, can deal with a touchscreen interface, are smart enough to know how to monkey around with phone settings (it's not hard) and have small fingers, get this phone. It can be had for $150 new with a contract or probably for similar money online.

Let me know what you have for a phone and what you like or dislike about your model. Thanks!

Boston Red Sox Green Team...a matter of convenience

John Bergdoll (standing left of center) and the Boston Red Sox Green Team Volunteers from CEN/REBN (Clean Economy Network/Renewable Energy Business Network). We patrolled Fenway Park collecting recyclable bottles, plastic cups and containers during a spring Red Sox night game. It was a fun way to help out with community service, encourage environmental responsibility, reduce our environmental impact, raise awareness, and catch an exciting baseball game. Each green shirt was made from five recycled water bottles.

Volunteering for the Boston Red Sox Green Team was a good opportunity for me to experience first-hand how eager people are willing to recycle when given the option. Some people even rushed their drinks so they could give me their plastics cups.

It was interesting to note how grateful and supportive all the fans were toward me for my recycling efforts of walking up and down the isles asking for plastic recyclables.

The Boston Red Sox Green Team was successful in collecting recyclables because it was a ready option and it was convenient. I did not, however, observe anybody holding on to their recyclables to dispose of them in the recycling bins underneath the stands.

CONCLUSION

People are very willing and interested in recycling when it's convenient but less apt to recycle when it's inconvenient.

SOLUTION

Placing permanent recycling bins in the isles in place of a couple seats on each isle would be a visible and a convenient option. Public service announcements should also be made to encourage responsible disposal of all recyclables at the ballpark.

Recycling bins underneath the stands are inconvenient, and in my view, underused. Ignoring the convenience factor of fan behavior fosters a wasteful linear approach to our natural resources which is unsustainable in our planet of finite resources.

What are your thoughts?

Twitter @JohnBergdoll

Making things by Hand - Book Review

I'm a book author. And as such, I have the power and the skill to evaluate books by other authors. Or so you might think. In fact, readers are vary particular people who like what they like and hate what they hate. Lucky for Mark Frauenfelder, I liked his book.

Oooh, sorry for the spoiler. But I've just saved you some time. You can either read the entire review or just scroll down to the Amazon link below and buy the book. Enjoy!

Here's the book cover and below this photo is the review.

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor in chief at Make magazine. He knows a little something about technology and a lot about using materials to create useable items. In fact, he now wrote the book on that topic.

So let's go beyond the "advance uncorrected proofs" tag on the front cover and dig inside to what I liked and didn't like about this book. *Hopefully they have a Kindle version for those of you who are against wasting paper.

The Good

In Made by Hand, Frauenfelder writes like he's talking. That's a good thing. People who write as if they're talking to you often are more effective at sharing their point of view, their topics and find more success imparting knowledge that remains with readers. At least that's what I've found. And this book does that.

From blaming public relations pioneer Edward Bernays for the demise of do-it-yourself projects and the rise of subliminal advertising; to teaching readers what things they need to start beekeeping in their own yard, Frauenfelder takes us on a jaunt across time and space that ends with the re-establishment of our self reliance.

While I don't really make anything myself, I still see it as a romantic notion. I've had relatives who have built boats, friends who can build computers from scratch and even girlfriends who created their own clothing. The last great thing I made was a table in eighth-grade wood shop. *The table is still standing and is probably worth about $42Million, but that's neither here nor there.

Essentially, I like the journey Frauenfelder takes me on with vignettes and practical tips. I got a taste of this from his podcast that aired in 2007, pimping another book, Rule the Web. So let's look at the less pleasing aspects of this current book.

The Bad

This book is a rambler. As much as the discussion style of the tome is fun, it also can be draining. Frauenfelder rolls along through his stories with a direction...but this direction is slightly ill-defined. He wants to tell us about chicken coops and growing your own vegetables and even making guitars and wooden spoons.

Sure, this is a fun trip, but it requires an investment of time. Maybe that's the irony of this book, that it requires the very dedication and investment that people will learn how to adopt by reading the book.

Feel like you're in a wormhole? Right.

Well, the stories were well thought out and the descriptions were lively and accurate (though I have to confess I have not made a spoon and have not started keeping bees). But the last spot where the book failed me a little bit was the end. It came full circle, which is what you should expect from an essay or a term paper or even a thesis, but I wasn't ready to have the "and so this illustrates how do-it-yourself was dying and now can be brought back to life" lecture on the waning pages of the book.

Overall Thoughts

Buy it. Really. I like the content. I like the stories in the book. I even like the projects he shares and the premise he carries throughout. While you might put it down a couple times because of pacing and rambling, I was given a pre-release copy that may have been tightened up considerably in the final editing process.

Ultimately, Frauenfelder is a guy with ideas from another century - but they still make sense. Look around you and dream a little bigger. Think of how you can reuse some of the 'trash' in your life. And how that reuse can enrich both you and the world around you.

Were I grading this as a paper, I'd give it a B-. Plenty good to at least make it into your summer reading list. Maybe good enough to give as a gift. You decide.

Made by Hand can be found here...

I can be found at various places that link to here.

Please leave comments on this blog if you have them.