Michael Prager

I've been visioning/musing/networking on what work I might do, post-baby, and the confluence of sustainability and technology keeps coming up for me. That's a longer post than I have time for today, but it helps explain why I'm drawn to this.

My good friend Margaret Ann, as bright a thinker as I've ever met, bemoaned a while back that while CFLs (compact fluorescent lightbulbs, the bulbs that use far less energy than incandescents and last 10 years) are an advance, what do we do about all those incandescents that have been decommissioned in the process of switching over? Just throwing them in the trash seems to dull some of the planet-saving luster of switching over to CFLs.

My short answer for that is, "I still don't know." However...

I've mentioned the Texas Libertarian several times, because he says a couple of things that interest me, and I love that he's not a cookie-cutter candidate. He says what he thinks, period.

This is, of course, what I've been militating for, and my chief justification against Clinton, that she wouldn't speak her mind even if she were being water-boarded.

The advisability of growing crops to produce fuel requires at least some scientific expertise that I do not possess, and that limits the value of my thoughts on the matter. Nevertheless, I feel safe opining that ...

From Treehugger comes news of the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center. I regret to say that I'm ignorant of who Aldo is, but I'm excited by this building, built in the Wisconsin countryside. Here are some of the features...

- Underground earth tubes supply fresh, tempered air to the facility in all seasons.

- Wood was harvested onsite from trees originally planted by Leopold.

- The zero net energy building generates over 50,000 kWh of electricity annually.

Treehugger, a must-stop destination for readers of the green, reports that Tesco, Britain's largest retailer and rated by Fortune in the top 10 of "green giants," is planning to open more than 100 Fresh and Easy stores in the Southwest. The stores will use 30 percent electricity than typical grocers, get 60 percent of its produce from local sources (reducing the amount of fossil fuel to get the goods to market), and pay more than $10 an hour. Link.

We've embarked on another green endeavor, both literal and punny, at home.

At the monthly gathering of Boston Green Drinks last night, I was one of several people to volunteer to take over "administration" of the group, which is involves far less than my word choice implies (hence the quotes), but I can't think of a better word.

When the manager of a Wal-Mart thinks his store is a bit too warm, he can't just adjust the thermostat.

According to the Wall Street Journal (pg R4, 8/27), he instead must contact indoor-environment technologists at W-M world headquarters in Bentonville, Ark., and answer a series of questions, "such as the exact spot in the store that feels too warm and whether there are any obvious problems with the ventilation system."