A few notes

A couple of things caught my eye this week so I thought I’d write a weekly-roundup post rather than being specific to one topic:

1. US gas consumption as seen by the rest of the world:

I saw this chart on treehugger.com, it comes from the BP by way of the Economist. I’m a pretty visual person so I find the information depicted to be rather jaring. I think everyone understands that US gas consumption is high, in fact the highest in the world. Its quite another thing to see it contrasted to the amounts consumed in a large selection of other developed countries.

I also think that its only by making people see this kind of easily digestible very visual information, within a context of better understanding of life in other developed countries, will we possibly effect consumption patterns. The silver lining? At least the 2007 Energy Bill passed last month dictates a that American car makers must build cars with higher mpg rates.

2. Climate Change actually not so good for the Northeast United States:

I think the conversation on Climate Change is getting a bit lost in a all the optimisim of Live Earth and pessimism of complex IPCC announcements. This article from the New York Times outlining a recent report by the Union of Concerned Scientists brings us back to a look at the real impacts of Climate Change.

It seems to me that acceptance of freak weather patterns has started to enter into our daily dialogue and because of this people might be starting to loose track of what is so dangerous about Climate Change. Ah, so there are a few more storms — will adjust. This report points out that the risks are much higher with the real changes being major coastal flooding in the big cities of the Eastern Seaboard, massive enough changes in weather that cold winters wont happen anymore — having a huge impact on natural habitats, wildlife and the economy of New England, and a lot more. Basically, its good to keep in mind that Climate Change isn’t something we can just adjust too — it is likely to have huge, unrealisable and dramatic effects on some very essential elements of the world as we know it.

3. Now for something cheerier, How cool are these shoes?

I came across this company and I’ve decided I really like these shoes. I also don’t know for sure how really eco they are, but hey, fashion can be good sometimes. Check out www.simpleshoes.com

 

 

4. On a more personal note:

I went for a hike with a friend in Rock Creek Park this weekend. For those not familiar with Washington D.C., it is a surprisingly green city with a very well kept, pretty wild and large park cutting right through the middle of it. I happen to be staying this summer in a house that abutes the park making it easy to go for walks there.

Last weekend, odb showed me the beginning of a few trails and I thought I would give them a try. Now if only more city planners understood the immense value of something like a non-manicured park in an urban area. Buildings can be beautiful, but quick access to nature definitely offers something special as well.

BP’s attempt to clean up their brand

With the recent TERRIBLE press that British Petroleum (BP) has been dealing with, this is their newest attempt at positive advertising.

They stay with the green and yellow of their fortuitous corporate colours, but shift from pure “green” gas image to a less explicit branding using “beeps” — children-like characters who save energy and advocate for BP’s good image.

Whats happened recently with BP is particularly depressing to me. With Lord Browne at the helm BP radically changed big business’ relationship to climate change. They publicized the possibility that inventive, creative and potentially green solutions existed for gas companies to act on their CO2 emission responsibilities.