At a semi-indy movie theater chain I frequent, they use old-mode hand dryers in the bathrooms (well, in the men's room, at least), the ones that are ineffective but noisy. Signs on them attempt to blunt what must be a common plaint: "We don't like them either, but they're the best devices for the environment." Or something like that. I haven't done any of the math, but I'm willing to accept that the chain owners have — more willing, anyway, than if it was Sony or AMC or one of the other moo-vie conglomerates.

The idea of getting energy from waste has been around at least 30 years, when I covered the periphery of a bid for a trash-burning plant in northeastern Ohio. But it was, at best, an immature plan at that time, and still today is a poor solution for resource efficiency.

That's the idea presented this morning by Stephen Jewell of Composite Energy Ltd, a UK firm. They are investigating whether it can be profitable to inject flue gases into the coal stratum underground, with the dual advantages of forcing out the methane that is found in coal deposits, which can then be burned, while depositing CO2 in its place.

I have at least 5 posts left over from the AIA show a couple of weeks ago, but this week, the parade of professional conclaves in Boston continues with the Clean Technology and Sustainable Industries conference, which is sharing space with a nanotech show and a "tech connect" show. I can't say I love the show format, but I sure do the love what they offer, the chance to learn about new stuff at an almost overwhelming pace.

In writing my story on Boston-centric websites, I've been enjoying the style of Adam Gaffin — some of his posts are only one sentence, with a link embedded therein, of course. With this intro, I've already missed that mark of course, but I can dream...

I knew a guy once who smoked cigars in self-satisfaction for years, but felt he had to give it up when stogies became became the latest fad — it was anathema to him to be seen as going along with a fad. I thought of that again yesterday, when a pal suggested he might not want a Prius because it has become a Yuppie status symbol.

But as I've noted before, the Prius works, strictly at the level of utility, even if it also has become a Yuppie symbol. I know I'm burning less fossil fuel by getting 45 mph, even if some people might think I'm a status seeker.

As the previous post attests, I love to make fun of advertisers and marketers.

On my way back from visiting my grandmother yesterday, I spied a sign with an unexpected come-on at a used-car lot:

"Why overpay elsewhere"

I can't be the only one whose internal voice completes the question with, "... when you can overpay here?" It's not just me, right?

Car services are a bit beyond my means, or perhaps I should say, I have no specific idea what car services cost because I’ve always assumed they are beyond my means. Which, I’m sure, they are. But enough about me.

Planettran has put the eco-twist on car service by putting into service a fleet of Priuses to ferry the swells around town.