Archive for July, 2009
« Previous EntriesUnfair Price Increases?
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Farmers in the Imperial Irrigation District are upset that their water price will rise by $1/af per year over the next 3 years to $20/af.
Yes, that’s over 16,000 gallons for a buck. Quite a deal? Not according to the farmers. They say that “viable agriculture” cannot handle the extra $3 charge. (Farmers [...]
It’s ‘Buyer Beware’ When it Comes to Plastic Baby Products
Submitted by PlasticLess.com Blog
I just read a post on Eco Child’s Play about tests that show measurable amounts of BPA leaching from “BPA Free” baby bottles.
This is a frightening development for people who have been buying and using BPA Free plastic products. Recent studies has caused some concern that very low levels of this chemical [...]
Why Don’t We Just Burn the Plastic?
Submitted by PlasticLess.com Blog
Is burning plastic waste a viable solution?
I am putting this question out there, even though the idea doesn’t sit that well with me. This post sat as an unfinished draft from February until today.
Some scientists at Penn State have taken the idea and come up with some prototypes. These machines take non-recyclable [...]
A To Do List for the Planet
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Billy Pizer, formerly of RFF and now in charge (kinda) of negotiating climate change treaties at the US Treasury, gave this list of “things to do” at his EAERE keynote (”Facing the Climate Change Challenge”).
It is merely a list of topics, but they are topics where we need more research — not [...]
Spiritual Water
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Red sent this picture as an illustration of our spiritual connection with water…
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]
Unfair Markets?
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
via JD, farmers in Australia are furious that the winning bid in a water auction came from a spa that caters to paying customers.
The spa bought 250ML of 1,200ML for sale. That water was part of 47,000ML (2.5%) of water saved in a government program to cap and pipe bores [PDF], a [...]
King Corn and Big Oil
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Over the weekend, I watched the documentary King Corn. It was released in October 2007, but I just now got around to watching it online at Netflix. The premise is that a pair of college friends from the East Coast wanted to learn more about where our food comes from. When [...]
Engineering Rules
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
Average Starting Salaries for This Year’s Graduates
From a CNN story this week, that graphic represents a landslide. To the person who asked in the recent Q&A (OK, the “A” is still pending) what they should study in school, might I suggest you put a lot of effort into your math [...]
Why Don’t We Just Burn the Plastic?
Submitted by PlasticLess.com Blog
Is burning plastic waste a viable solution?
I am putting this question out there, even though the idea doesn’t sit that well with me. This post sat as an unfinished draft from February until today.
Some scientists at Penn State have taken the idea and come up with some prototypes. These machines take non-recyclable [...]
Useful Economics
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
The Economist’s cover article (”What went wrong with economics”) discusses the failure of macro and financial economics in the recent financial crisis, but they caution against throwing the baby out with the bathwater:
In its crudest form—the idea that economics as a whole is discredited—the current backlash has gone far too far. If [...]
Poll Results: Caffeine
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Hey! There’s a NEW POLL (taxes!) to the right —–>
I Get My Caffeine from
Coffee (drip)
52%
34
Coffee (espresso)
20%
13
Tea
14%
9
powerdrinks (Brawndo!)
2%
1
chocolate!
12%
8
I’m glad to see coffee as number one — because I drink espresso
And the brawndo ad is here. It’s funny
Bottom Line: Everyone has similar needs — and [...]
Better than Water Budgets
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
SJ asks:
The Irvine Ranch Water District’s water budgeting scheme [which is gaining popularity in other water districts; see this post] sounds pretty cool and complicated (like the tax code)… is this approach too complicated or is it fair?
IRWD gives each household a “water budget” based on the number of people in the [...]
Bleg: Water Audit Calculator
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Ben Pink works in conservation for a bay area utility, and he wants your help:
I created a self water audit calculator [XLS] that I’m considering putting on our website once I have it tested and developed a bit further.
I’m wondering if you would be willing to test this calculator for your own [...]
Water at Airports
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
I’ve been passing though a lot of airports recently, and — by no coincidence — I’ve been thirsty a lot recently. The simple reason for my thirst is the requirement that — for our “security” — I empty my water bottle at each security checkpoint.
Now most of you will be aware of [...]
Don’t Cut the Trees — 1878 Edition
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
AM sent me this interesting tidbit* from the April 20, 1878 issue of The Graphic (London, England)
It’s true that there’s a connection between watershed health and water flow. A pity that nobody paid attention for the next 100+ years!
Bottom Line: Take care of your environment and it will take care of you. [...]
The Gold in the Oceans
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
There was an announcement this past week that Solix Biofuels has started oil production at a facility in Colorado:
Solix Biofuels begins production of oil made from algae
Solix Biofuels Inc. said Thursday it has started the production of oil made from algae at its Coyote Gulch Demonstration Facility, with full-scale commercial operation [...]
Monday Morning Smile
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Holy Cow! These guys are gonna live happily ever after!
Oh, and this is just BAD-ASS…
Rating 3.00 out of 5
[?]
When Is It Okay to Nudge?
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Policy makers are taking a hard look at so-called “soft paternalism” these days, i.e., the idea that people who are making the “wrong” choice can be guided to the right choice by changing the default option. Soft paternalism is a response to the deviation between predicted and observed behavior. For example, many [...]
Useful Religion
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
I am agnostic on religion — it works for some people and facilitates social coordination, but it can also be abused.
Red sent me an excellent example of “conservative religion” creating a sustainable agricultural model.
For many centuries, priests at Balinese water temples decided when and where rice would be planted and irrigated. Their [...]
Immoral Consumption
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
For most of human history, there has been no moral constraint on consumption. We have had physical constraints on consumption (you can only consume what you have). We have had moral constraints on other actions (e.g., murder) but not consumption. Why not? Mostly because consumption has always been a “good” thing, something [...]
Speed Blogging
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Good news! “On behalf of Wherever the Need, a nonprofit working to deliver sanitation and water solutions to the people that need them most, Skadaddle Media is excited to launch TwitterforSh-tters.com, a grassroots social media campaign hoping to get people talking shit again.”
“In 2003 EPA denied a petition to ban sludge submitted [...]
Flashback: 19-25 July 2008
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
These posts are STILL relevant, so please comment (I’ll approve them ASAP.)
What is a Market? An existential question with many answers; also see Water Markets. Speaking of that, Enviros Should Pay addresses those nasty questions — who has money and what are they buying? In Environmental Flows, I defend water “rights” for [...]
Looking for Help After a Difficult Week
Submitted by R-Squared Energy Blog
I am coming to the end of the most difficult week of my career, which is why I haven’t written much for the past few days. I had to sit across the table from some very good people and tell them they no longer had jobs. It wasn’t the first time [...]
Bleg: Water and Population
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
Hey Folks,
I am writing another article for the Encyclopedia of Water Politics and the Environment. This one is on the relation between water and growth (population and sprawl). It’s a juicy topic, and I basically say that cheap water has driven growth/sprawl in the western US.
Here’s an interesting fact: Clark county (Las [...]
Water in the High Desert
Submitted by Aguanomics Blog
A guest post by Joanna Cornell:*
“I had my farm with water rights but no water access for over a year,” shares Bob, the organic farmer, standing next to a narrow stream. It’s a New Mexico spring, with a wide blue sky above a high alpine desert breaking into bloom. I don’t feel [...]
