Given that Japan has been through so much this year, it is nice to see the country still hasn’t lost its passion for baseball or its penchant for cuteness. Okay, so this post really has nothing to do with cuteness but trust me, the love for all things “kawaii” (cute) remains strong. But on to [...]
Archive for the ‘Japan’ Category
Electric “Hero Car” at Yomiuri Giants Games Saved Energy
November 15th, 2011 
Justin Manger November 2011 Clean Energy and Sustainability Events
November 1st, 2011 Eric Wilson While the calendar has featured conferences throughout the world previously, there were numerous symposiums taking place in the US that warranted coverage (as well as a few abroad, including one in Kyoto). However, seeing as how Thanksgiving falls in late November in the US, there are limited events scheduled that week. Let us know of [...]
Posted in Conferences, Economics, Education, Eric Wilson, Japan, Renewable Energy, Sustainability 
Tags: Calendar, California, Florida, Solar Energy 
No Comments »“Green Curtains” Proliferate in Japan
August 17th, 2011 Justin Manger Another trip to Gunma prefecture, another insight into greener living. In past posts, I’ve mentioned the fact that some households can actually make money each month through selling the solar power generated electricity that they don’t use to the local power company. This time, I was intrigued to see the same household employing what was referred to as a [...]
Communing with Nature, In a Kimono?
August 4th, 2011 Justin Manger Regardless of country or nationality, nature is of course a big part of all of our lives. We are impacted and influenced every day by the weather. Natural disasters ravage every part of the globe in different forms, and all our modern conveniences are built on, out of, or with natural materials. The seasons bring [...]
Posted in Behavior, Conservation, Japan, Justin Manger, Sustainability Tags: Environment, Washington DC No Comments »From Renewable Fuels to Sustainable Ones
July 31st, 2011 Eric Wilson The conflating of “renewable” with “sustainable” is not a perfect pairing. Consider the definition of sustainable, “of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.” While renewable fuels offer the possibility of renewed sources of energy, they do not automatically represent [...]
Toyota’s Expanded Prius Line to Make US Debut This Fall
July 20th, 2011 Eric Wilson The Prius v, a larger version of the “traditional” Prius that has become borderline ubiquitous in many parts of the country, will go on sale across the United States this fall. It represents the first of the expanded Prius line to come to market. In addition, the plug-in Prius, oft discussed (including on 2nd Green [...]
Posted in Business, Energy Efficiency, Eric Wilson, Featured Posts, Japan, News, Transportation Tags: California, Hybrids, Plug-in Hybrid, Prius No Comments »Sit On a Rock for Three Years?
July 3rd, 2011 Justin Manger The Japanese have a saying ishi no ue ni mo san nen 石の上にも三年. Roughly translated, it means “sit patiently for three years, even on a rock.” If you’re persistent and/or patient enough when undertaking something, in the end, it will have been worth it and you’ll be rewarded with success. The near opposite phrase is [...]
Posted in 2nd Green, Behavior, Conservation, Education, Japan, Justin Manger, Op-Ed, Sustainable Development Tags: 2nd Green Revolution, Environment No Comments »Five Friday Facts: U.S. Smart Grid
July 1st, 2011 Eric Wilson This set of Five Friday Facts comes as a follow up to a recent post on the Obama Admistration’s Smart Grid Policy. The following facts all come from the government’s Policy Framework for the 21st Century Grid: The National Academy of Engineering named electrification the greatest engineering achievement of the 20th century (NAE 2003). There [...]
Posted in Energy Efficiency, Eric Wilson, Five Friday Facts, Japan, President Obama, Smart Grid Tags: Battery No Comments »Germany Eschews Nuclear in Favor of Renewable Energy
June 30th, 2011 Eric Wilson As yet further evidence of the backlash from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant’s post earthquake crisis in Japan, German officials have announced that they will shutter all remaining nuclear reactors within the next decade. Last month, the BBC reported that the German leadership would move in this direction. Officially, all reactors will be taken [...]
Posted in Eric Wilson, Featured Posts, Japan, News, Renewable Energy Tags: Biomass, Carbon Dioxide, Coal, Electricity Generation, Fukushima, Geothermal, Hydroelectricity, Nuclear, Solar Energy, Wind Power No Comments »“The Set Aside”: An Essential Part of Modern Life
June 26th, 2011 Justin Manger Running. That the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other can be a source of creativity and mental flexibility is a wonder. For me, it usually happens while running along trails in woods that I’ve come to know well; my feet almost involuntarily navigate the trails while my mind is free [...]
Posted in Behavior, Conservation, Featured Posts, Japan, Justin Manger, Op-Ed Tags: Nature No Comments »
